Product Description
"The creation of the United States of America is the greatest of all human adventures," begins Paul Johnson's remarkable new American history. "No other national story holds such tremendous lessons, for the American people themselves and for the rest of mankind." Johnson's history is a reinterpretation of American history from the first settlements to the Clinton administration. It covers every aspect of U.S. history--politics; business and economics; art, literature and science; society and customs; complex traditions and religious beliefs. The story is told in terms of the men and women who shaped and led the nation and the ordinary people who collectively created its unique character. Wherever possible, letters, diaries, and recorded conversations are used to ensure a sense of actuality. "The book has new and often trenchant things to say about every aspect and period of America's past," says Johnson, "and I do not seek, as some historians do, to conceal my opinions."

Johnson's history presents John Winthrop, Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, Cotton Mather, Franklin, Tom Paine, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison from a fresh perspective. It emphasizes the role of religion in American history and how early America was linked to England's history and culture and includes incisive portraits of Andrew Jackson, Chief Justice Marshall, Clay, Lincoln, and Jefferson Davis. Johnson shows how Grover Cleveland and Teddy Roosevelt ushered in the age of big business and industry and how Woodrow Wilson revolutionized the government's role. He offers new views of Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover and of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and his role as commander in chief during World War II. An examination of the unforeseen greatness of Harry Truman and reassessments of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, and Bush follow. "Compulsively readable," said Foreign Affairs of Johnson's unique narrative skills and sharp profiles of people.

This is an in-depth portrait of a great people, from their fragile origins through their struggles for independence and nationhood, their heroic efforts and sacrifices to deal with the `organic sin' of slavery and the preservation of the Union to its explosive economic growth and emergence as a world power and its sole superpower. Johnson discusses such contemporary topics as the politics of racism, education, Vietnam, the power of the press, political correctness, the growth of litigation, and the rising influence of women. He sees Americans as a problem-solving people and the story of America as "essentially one of difficulties being overcome by intelligence and skill, by faith and strength of purpose, by courage and persistence...Looking back on its past, and forward to its future, the auguries are that it will not disappoint humanity."

This challenging narrative and interpretation of American history by the author of many distinguished historical works is sometimes controversial and always provocative. Johnson's views of individuals, events, themes, and issues are original, critical, and admiring, for he is, above all, a strong believer in the history and the destiny of the American people.Amazon.com Review
Paul Johnson, whose previous works include the distinguishedModern Timesand A History of theJews, has produced an epic that spans the history of theAmerican people over the past 400 years. The prolific narrative coversevery aspect of U.S. history, from science, customs, religion, andpolitics to the individual men and women who have helped shape thenation. His detailed, provocative examinations of political and socialicons, from Lyndon Johnson to Norman Rockwell, are especiallystrong. Johnson's text is intelligent and rich with detail, and yetextremely accessible for anyone interested in a reinterpretive analysisof America's past.

What makes this book unique is Johnson'sapproach to this self-professed Herculean task. The prevalent tonethroughout is optimism. Whether he's discussing race relations,industrialization, the history of women, immigrants, Vietnam, orpolitical correctness, Johnson--a staunch conservative who was born,bred, and educated in England--is openly enamored with America'spast, particularly the hardships and tribulations that the nation hashad to overcome. He sees this story as a series of important lessons,not just for Americans but for the whole of mankind as well. At a timewhen other contemporary scholars find it easier to bemoan the past,Johnson offers the reader "a compelling antidote to those whoregard the future with pessimism." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (207)

Very Satisfied
This book arrived when specified and in great condition. The book was in almost new condition as promised. I would definetely purchase products from this sender again. I am very satisfied.

The Story of the American People Viewed through Their Presidents
Paul Johnson's `History of the American People' is, as the author would have it, a salute to a people that he loves. It is a great work of history that only a true admirer of Americans could produce. And any lover of the American spirit will enjoy this book and hold onto its ideas as a central reference.

This is not to suggest that Johnson conveys preconceived notions of Americans that limit objectivity in any way, but rather that his biases allow for a more engaged and therefore engaging narrative. Only someone who truly loves his subject matter can delve into the thoughts and actions of that subject as freely as Johnson does in this book. The result is a thorough and insightful history. To use a quote from the text: "A book upon politics, morals or religion, containing no party or sectarian views, will be apt to contain no distinctive views of any kind, and will be likely to leave the mind in a state of doubt and skepticism, much more to be deplored than any party of sectarian bias."

Writing about the American people, Johnson dwells on the most prominent of those people, those being American statesmen and especially American presidents. This is somewhat ironic because, of all the countries in the world, America is perhaps the least reliant on and most disdainful of its leaders.

But there are many good reasons for this tack. To begin, the author is a British citizen and so will have a natural inclination to view a country's characteristics through its leaders, royal or otherwise. Any foreigner is obliged to view a country's people through its ambassadors, and that is especially true for one in a politically kindred nation like the U.K. The effect is to see the people as would an outsider, a faithful companion.

It is also true that the United States has bred some of the greatest figures in national politics, as Johnson points out, from the Founders to the very present. As such, it is essential for any history to focus on their lives and accomplishments. Though Johnson does not make the case, one could argue that the American presidents comprise the greatest and most competent leaders of any country in all of history.

And finally, if there is a country in which its political figures best represent the public at large, it is the United States. It is perhaps the very fact that America's leaders have traditionally been elected by the people that make her presidents so outstanding and capable, and so describing those leaders seems to be a valid and effective way to describe the people.

Granted, there is much more to the American people than the lives and accomplishments of their presidents. In the late 20th century, especially, it could be said, there has been a growing disconnect between America's leaders and her people. Johnson shows this in some ways, and yet still depends on the stories of the presidents to convey the overarching story (the assassination of Kennedy, the Nixon Watergate scandal, and the Clinton scandals being the prominent examples). In these sections, it seems as though the author sacrifices a view of the American people for one of some rather un-American events and personalities.

Despite the predominant focus, however, Johnson's vantage is comprehensive and convincing. The variety of information and the kind of topics covered are quite astounding. The reader learns of every major thread in the American fabric, from the Puritan and plantation foundations to the struggles with Indians and African slaves; from the Great Awakening to Manifest Destiny; from the war between the states to the rise of the central government and the Welfare State; from the robber barons to the automobile; and from jazz to the Golden Age of Hollywood.

If there is a single omission in this sprawling document of Americana, it is that of baseball, which is only mentioned twice in passing. All of sport is rather overlooked which is regrettable, and this is especially true for baseball, whose stories and themes are undeniably entwined with the American spirit. I would tend to agree with Barzun that "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." At least it would be useful to know why presidents throw out the first pitch of notable games.

All in all, this is a phenomenal work and should be embraced by all Americans and anyone who loves them.

Amazing Historic Epic
Paul Johnson's "History of the American People" is a brilliant, all-encompassing survey of the American nation, told through its most notable personalities from George Washington to Bill Clinton. The main thrust of this volume is the rich political history, but is highlighted with vignettes on writers, musicians, and businesspeople. The result is one of the greatest tracts on the subject and an amazing story, albeit with a tragic American character arc from creation and vitality to scandal and mediocrity.

The history from the 17th century to the published year 1999 is entertaining and enlightening, giving the reader the typical American stories (presidential elections) but also the relatively unknown bits (early bizarre states' names and scandalous backstory on some 20th century presidents). Along the way, Johnson gives the reader a perspective of the world from North America (its influences such as George Berkley and its impact: after the American Revolution, Britain came out fine, Spain and France lost big time).

Johnson lays it on thick toward the end (rightly so in some cases) by criticizing the various undesirable characters (Franklin D Roosevelt and Kennedy (trumped up war heroism, fraudulent election, infidelity, "I am a donut"). He defends the heavily criticized Nixon and highly-regarded Reagan. But Johnson's naysayers are wrong that he's strictly partisan as he appears to glorify the Democratic Harry Truman. For the most part, Johnson is objective, but offers his unique perspective in apt times, for example the point of transition from a slave country to one filled with corruption ("after abolishing the organic sin of slavery witnessed the birth of an organic corruption in its executive and Congress").

As an American, the book will make you proud, but also should alert you to the shift that has taken place over the great story of America from a free, productive, and creative population to an increasingly enslaved, dependent, and scandalous one. The decade since its publish date hasn't improved our state of affairs, but perhaps with more people reading this book, we have at least the foundation for a comeback.

Confusing trying to be elegant history book ~
Confusing confusing! may be is not the author's fault. But history teacher who use this book as the textbook is definitely insane! Gosh, it is so confusing. Why do you need to use bombastic words and confusing sentences and story to blur out the history fact! my god, make my life suffer, i have no idea what are the points the author's trying to make, plus the history teacher who really dont care about teaching, i m gonna fail my test!

A History of the American People
The first 700 pages of this history are great! Unfortunately the last 300 pages reveal the author's biases! I don't understand how the author can absolve all of Nixon's presidential sins, but damn all the Supreme Court's rulings and the Democratic presidents since FDR! Does anyone wonder why GWB would award Paul Johnson the PMH, especially since GHWB was denigrated so thoroughly? ... Read more

Product Description
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part F. - From Charles II. to James II. is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by David Hume is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of David Hume then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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NOMINATED FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZEA profoundly moving portrait of the complicated legacies of mothers and daughters, A Short History of Women chronicles five generations of women from the close of the nineteenth century through the early years of the twenty-first. Beginning in 1914 at the deathbed of Dorothy Trevor Townsend, a suffragette who starves herself for the cause, the novel traces the echoes of her choice in the stories of her descendants—a brilliant daughter who tries to escape the burden of her mother’s infamy; a granddaughter who chooses a conventional path, only to find herself disillusioned; a great-granddaughter who wryly articulates the free-floating anxiety of post-9/11 Manhattan. In a kaleidoscope of characters and with a richness of imagery, emotion, and wit, A Short History of Women is a thought-provoking and vividly original narrative that crisscrosses a century—a book for "any woman who has ever struggled to find her own voice; to make sense of being a mother, wife, daughter, and lover" (Associated Press) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Short History of Whining
I finally finished this too long "history" of the "family" featured in this book.I don't have to love or identify with characters, but I have to at least find them interesting and none of these are.Especially boring is the 78-year-old Florence Nightengale blogger.Is this a way for the author to ironically point out the difference between Nightengale's altruistic active life and her admirer's self-pitying, wasteful one?The only character I liked in this story is Charles, and I felt sorry that he was married to the blogger.On the plot structure of this book, isn't it time that we give the segmented novel a rest?

An excellent book
Brief, cogent, pithy.
Seems to capture tue striking points of each era.
A great read.
B. Dubois

Unimpressed
I think you will either love or hate this book....and I hated it.Boring and hard to follow are my two main problems.On the flip side, though, her writing is quite eloquent, so I can see how the hardcore, artsy reader may like it.I was drawn in by the rave reviews ("New York Times Ten Best Books of 2009", Bestseller, etc), but I have learned that sometimes the big winner of reviews isn't all that great.Similar to the "Best Movie" award at the Oscars, sometimes it's just an artsy film that was really boring but made people feel like they were intelligent for watching so it won.Anyway, I would not recommend this one to a friend.I enjoy a book that gets the reader hooked and leaves him/her wanting more.This is not that book.

Super service
This was the fastest delivery of a book that I have ever encountered. Book was in better condition then I expected.

Fantastic, marvelous, beautiful!
I have never read this author before, but I love historical fiction, and cannot put this book down. I am reading it slowly and absorbing the characters, the time lines, the relationships of this family. It is amazing to me how K. Walbert just transports you from here and now into her universe- the language of the early 20th century England, for example- completely entrancing, beautifully woven stories of hope, loss, and really what drives people to do what they do. Bravo!! ... Read more

Product Description

Nancy wants to do an interesting school report on her ancestor. (That's fancy for a family member who lived long ago.) But will she remember to stick to the plain truth?

Customer Reviews (1)

appreciation for the generations
Jane O'Cooner has written a book about appreciating the lives of our grandparents. At a time in children's lives when they are so focused on themselves, it is nice to remind them that WE were once kids like them, too! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not much has changed
I found this to be an amazing book, comparable to HG Well's Outline of History.Before I read it I checked on the biography of the author, as I wanted to make sure he had the intellectual standing to write such a book before I invested my time in it.He does.You can check him on Wikipedia.He is contemporary (1881) with great eventsregarding the relationship between science and religion, yet everything he covers is applicable in today's world.He recognized the importance of the conflicts that were emerging and investigated the history of the relationship between science and religion, observed their present state, and makes what turns out to be very accurate predictions of exactly the situation we are in today.I am a student of history and I could find no fault with his presentation of historical facts, though he presents them in a context is unique to him at that time.
With the publication of Stephen Hawkin's book, "The Grand Design" we are seeing a replay of the same conflict again between a static belief system and a system that is constantly expanding, making Draper's book all the more relevant in understanding just what is happening and why.
As a plus, the author is an excellent writer of his time and I enjoyed his civility, and how he uses his words. A great relief from the "yell at you" style that seems popular now.If anyone is interested in a well thought out and intelligently presented explanation of why civilization finds itself in the conflicts we see everyday in the news, I recommend this work.
BTW the University of Va. has a copy of this book in it's online library.I'd recommend reading the preface there to see if you'd like it.May be able to get a sample on the Kindle also.

this is a disturbing book
This book isn't really about science or religion per se, though it says a lot about both subjects, it's more a handbook of opinions and how to not write authoritatively.After reading it, I wonder if the FOX channel knows about it.Bigotry and Ignorance are part and parcell of this man's writings. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: History / Canada / General; Language Arts ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The only history of Ireland I know of
It's not a new history, but it might possibly be the only complete history of Ireland. And it's probably not the most accurate, since more modern histories seem to improve the accuracy of older histories, but at least I'm finally finding out what went on in Ireland as an Irish history as opposed to an invader's history. The author seems to have had a lot of source material to draw from, and wrote from an Irishman's perspective, yet still seemed to be writing with an objective viewpoint, and he had the required intelligence to write such an all-encompassing and complex history, and finally, he was a quite adequate writer. It's an enjoyable read, both for how it's presented, and for the solving of the mystery that's Ireland. ... Read more

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The Untold Story of the Church's First Thousand Years

Customer Reviews (46)

Fitting a Missing Piece
This book suprises readers by showing more Christians lived in the Middle-East and Africa than in Europe. The balance tipped towards the West around the year 1200 and this book documents why. Western powers protected Christianity but Muslim conquests slowly choked it. I found this book was a refreshing antidote to the idea that Christianity is a "Western" religion.

The downside to this book has to be the continual shift in focus. Jenkins jumps around in time quite a bit which makes it hard to contextualize this books list of events in a chronological manner. Nevertheless, it would make a useful addition to a library since it offers a glimpse into the forgotten half of the church.

More about How It Died than the Golden Age
The Lost History of Christianity turns the common view of history portrayed by Tertullian's famous quote about "the blood of martyrs being the seed of the church" onto its head. For it was Tertullian's own church tradition that all but vanished before the Muslim invaders (p 34). I enjoyed this book for several reasons:
1) I was surprised to learn that, in relative terms, the Middle East is only recently "Muslim" (less than 100 years). This was accomplished in very recent history "by carnage on a massive scale."
2) Alliance with political powers of the day came back to bite Christians by hastening the extinction of their churches.
3) Where the church failed was in not sinking roots into the world of the native peoples (p. 229). They made next to no progress in taking the faith to the villages and the neighboring tribes, nor did they try to evangelize in local languages.... they utterly neglected the countryside. The "African churches were destroyed not because they were corrupt but because they failed to reach the hearts of the true natives of the province... they were the churches of a party and not of a people." (230)
4) The Eastern Church died because it failed to adapt: "Churches that remained wedded to the old social order found themselves in growing difficulty, while more flexible or adaptable organizations succeeded" (p. 234).
Having spoken to some of the aspects of the book I appreciated, I was disappointed on several fronts:
1) I had hoped to read more about the early church in China. There's a little of that here, but not much.
2) Similarly, I had hoped for a well-told story:a narrative relating the sadness of a tragedy which gradually transpired over time. But I found Jenkins'account - interesting in many places--often coming across as dull, uninspiring, repetitive dry history, and with little direct bearing to the human condition (there was some application, philosophical reflection and theologizing near the end, however).
3) How did the traditions and rituals these early Christians practice impart richness and meaning to their daily lives? I had hoped to understand how these extinct branches of Christianity might inform my faith with fresh vitality. Unfortunately, what was expressed here mostly fails to express the fervency and vibrancy which many early believers must have experienced in their lives. The perspective throughout is that of an outsider-- never able to penetrate beyond exterior forms and structures (buildings, etc). Or is that why their version of Christianity is now lost to history?
4) To Jenkins, who is a Christian? Who is a Muslim? Or are these just labels? Jenkins seems to sometimes confuse religious and political entities regardless with how they stack up with the claims the New Testament makes for itself about what a person of faith looks like. For example, "the sensational Palestinian terrorism across the globe in the 1970s was planned and orchestrated by Christian commanders..." (167).There's a difference between faith in name and reality.
5) From start to finish, the author goes way overboard in trying to be politically correct. Time and again he goes out of his way to stress the gentleness of Muslims. The most irritating example of this is on page 242 where we learn that the "scriptures of Islam include considerably fewer calls to blood-curdling violence than do their Christian and Jewish counterparts." I'm not going so far to say here that Islam is necessarily a violent faith by nature, but Jenkins' interpretation not only conveniently ignores the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus, but also ignores the diametrically opposite paths down which these two faiths travelled in their earliest years of development.
6) Finally, Jenkins writes from a thoroughly secular, pluralistic perspective--which assumes religions belong to the private sphere, must make no claims to exclusivity, and must be subjugated beneath the claims of secularism (which, by the way, is itself nothing but a religion making its own claim to exclusivity). For example, see page 175, "Assuming for the sake of argument that all religions are equally true, or equally untrue..." Or page 257: "If we assume for the sake of argument that Christianity's claims are genuine..." Or if Islam is not to be understood, as Muslims believe, to be "the only true faith"... And finally, Jenkins applauds certain "progressive" Christians because they believe that "Christian evangelism of Jesus is unnecessary and unacceptable... [it is] an equally valid path to God." (259).
In conclusion, I would have enjoyed reading about this topic more from an unapologetically and unashamedly Christian perspective (and thankfully, I did google some good historical material online). I bought this book because of its highly acclaimed review on the Christianity Today website.Having now finished it, I'm glad I read it, but will think twice before buying the next book that CT whole-heartedly recommends!

Invaluable for its historical perspective
I would highly recommend this book for, essentially, two reasons:

1) It provides a very accessible introduction to the Church of the East, the "Nestorian" church, the apostolic church that existed for over a thousand years outside of the dictates of the Roman (both Western and Byzantine) empire. While this book does not delve with detail into doctrinal differences between what the West has considered "orthodoxy" and the teachings and practices of the Church of the East, it aptly describes both the geographical and cultural impact of what once claimed a membership far larger than that of both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches together.

2) The latter half of the book touches upon two highly ignored (I suspect purposefully) subjects: the religious context from which Islam (the religion which supplanted the Church of the East throughout most of its territory) arose, including likely inclusion of many elements of the Church of the East itself as well as the equally ancient (and equally unswayed by Roman/Byzantine control) Ethiopian Church (and I would add most likely from the remnants of earlier Semitic "Jewish-Christians" escaping Roman/Byzantine persecution as well); and some foundational thinking for the study of the extinction of churches/religions, together with a look at the theological complications presented when any church/religion believing in a God who personally intervenes in history disappears.

This was not only a welcome entry into the popular library of a completely neglected area of history and religious studies -- imagine, a Christianity that was not at all part and parcel of the Western world! -- but totally relevant to today's world vis-a-vis the "problem" (as we Westerners seem to insist on seeing it) of Islamization.

Much needed
Jenkins's book fills a much needed vacuum (on a popular level) in terms of the history of Christianity in the Middle East as well as how Christians have fared under Islamic regimes.I would take issue with how he characterizes the policies of some early Caliphs such as Omar II, 'Abd al-Malik, and Yazid, all of whom instituted policies designed to squelch Christian presence and practice in the Middle East.Despite these shortcomings, it is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Christianity and Christian-Muslim relations.For a book that explores more of the theology of Arabic and Syriac-speaking Christians living in the world of Islam, I recommend Sidney H. Griffith, THE CHURCH IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOSQUE.

How half of Christendom was wiped out
One thousand years ago, there were almost as many Christians in Asia and Africa as there were in Europe, and yet we tend to think of the Roman Catholic church as being essentially the only church prior to the Protestant Reformation, according to Philip Jenkins in this book. Churches that were thriving in the Middle Ages have now vanished, almost without trace.

In the year 544 AD, the city of Merv in southern Turkmenistan became a metropolitan see of the Eastern Church, forming a base for mission further East in Asia. By 550 AD numerous monks had reached China, although the first recorded establishment of a mission in China was at Ch'ang-an in 635. The Emperor Taizong was tolerant towards Christianity, but the mission was destroyed in the 9th century when Emperor Wuzong expelled foreign religions. Genghis Khan was no Christian, but he knew a number of Nestorian Christians.

So how did large numbers of apparently vigorous churches disappear? In the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia, Christianity coexisted peacefully with Islam for many centuries when Islamic rulers were tolerant, but was eradicated when Islamic rulers were less tolerant. Much of the church in the Middle East was wiped out in the early part of the 20th century.

There is certainly plenty of interesting information in the book. However, a lot of the text seems to be the subjective views of the author rather than a recounting of historical occurrences. The chapters are not arranged chronologically, so the exact sequence of events is not easy to follow. This is not amongst the most engaging history books that I have read, but it certainly has aroused my interest in medieval church history.
... Read more

Product Description
The Complete Book of U.S. History covers pre-United States history with the native peoples of the American continent to present day, using text and activities to reinforce learning of those concepts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Surprised
We had one of these that was purchased back in 2001. The teacher loved it and wanted to try to get more. The company no longer carried them. I checked on amazon and they had them! Very Happy!

where are the worksheets?
I love the "complete" series which is what prompted me to make this purchase.I got the book today and it is nothing like the rest of the series....there are vast areas in this book that have no worksheets or activities to help the child "own" the material.It is basically a textbook...

It might be a fine history book but I think including it in the "complete" series is misleading to loyal users of the series.I wanted more fun activities for each unit and was expecting at least one consummable worksheet for section and am sad at how few are actually included.

easy to read history
I have been reading US History to my first grader on occasion instead of a bedtime story.We have also used it as a resource book.It is easy to understand and well written.It was well worth the money.

I wouldn't buy it again
my son retains no information from this book. Yet if we just pull out a history book that we have laying around the house he remembers everything. I simply don't get that. So for us it is not that great. Yet, I can see how some children would benefit from this a good deal. Each topic is in a few pages and then some type of activity is given at the end. So for a review, refresher it is alright for children. Some of the information I did NOT find to be correct but I understand political correctness means more to people now a day than truth.

Great Elementary History Book!
As homeschoolers, we struggled to find a history book that would capture my son's attention.This one focusing more on one person's story and how it fit into a historical event was perfect.Was a little disappointed that there wasn't more "meat" to it, but then again, I think it was good for elementary kids.And apparently the information provided was done in a way that my son could remember, as he pointed out some cool facts to me, while we were at a museum later!Thanks! ... Read more

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The Red Hot Chili Peppers is the iconic band's audacious look back at their thirty-year odyssey—in their own words and accompanied by more than 300 spectacular photos and ephemera. Intimate, breathtaking, and outrageous, this is the essence of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Product Description
THE NEW FOURTH REVISED EDITION

A vast and absorbing resource, the fourth edition of The Timetables of ™History spans millennia of human history.

Unlike any other reference volume, this book gives a sweeping overview of the making of the contemporary world by mapping out at a glance what was happening simultaneously, from the dawn of history to the present day.

With nearly 100 pages of new material, including:

Recent breakthroughs in science and technology

New achievements in the visual arts and music

Milestones in religion, philosophy, and learning

The rise and fall of nations and the emergence of historical figures

Landmarks in the drama of daily life around the world

... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

Can't beat this book for an overview of history.
I bought the first English language edition of Timetables in the early 1970s...I was in undergraduate school. Recently I came across it again, and immediately went online to order the new edition for me, and a couple more for friends. The chronological column approach to an overview of history is not only fun to use, but makes remembering and mentally organizing the past easier, with the side-by-side listings of what was going on in history, literature, music, etc. Great for students, older folks and anybody!

time tables of history
I have an older version of the book. I just wanted one that was current. It basically covers the history of the world for the last 5000 years or recorded history. Its very easy to use for research.

A Big Book for Small Minds
In review of this book I believe it is an adult coloring book for those with a limited vocabulary and who feel the need to look at a lot of pictures to keep them focused.

Makes a great bathroom companion for those who want a quick, but often inaccurate read of history written in a sophomoric format on a daily review basis.

Great quick historical overview
I've just begun a "Great Books" reading plan and am using this to refresh myself on different periods. Gives a good sense of what what was happening politically, culturally and other otherwise that the author or characters may be dealing with.

Good summary of American History
I find this book very useful and, given the price, I would recomend it.
I must say however that I was very disapointed with the fact that this book is mainly focused in the US History, and less focused in Europe's (and the rest of the world) History . Centuries like XIV and XV seem to be lacking important facts.
Besides, if you want to find a date of a certain event it is not easy (there is a glossary at the end that can help you with this but it is incomplete).
Again, I do not regret buying this book but I think I was expecting something else. ... Read more

Product Description
Kaplan SAT Subject Tests offer the most up-to-date and complete coverage of both content review and  strategy needed to achieve a high score on these challenging exams, which can be used for college credit at many schools. Each book contains a Kaplan diagnostic test, full-length practice tests, chapter quizzes, score-raising tips, and detailed answer explanations. Also included is a special section with details and advice on the new SAT score-reporting changes.

Kaplan’s Higher Score Guarantee gives students a significant edge during these competitive times. With focused content review, proven strategies for scoring higher, and comprehensive test practice, Kaplan SAT Subject Tests get students ready for test day.

Kaplan Subject Test: U.S. History features:

• 3 full-length U.S. History practice tests
• A full-length diagnostic test
• Detailed answer explanation groups
• End-of-chapter quizzes for immediate review
• Proven score-raising strategies and tips

Customer Reviews (2)

Terrible
I am a high school student studying for the SAT US History Subject Test. I understand that any study guide for a test like this can't give much information about each event covered or it would be too long, but you would hope that the bare facts would be correct. Instead, the sloppiness in this study guide is astounding.

The mistakes certainly get worse as you progress through the book (I'm now near the very end), but there are factual errors as early as the description of Queen Elizabeth being crowned in 1588 (over 20 years off-- 1588 is the date of the Spanish Armada), and the chapter including Paul Revere, where it states his ride occurred on April 17th (actually, it was the 18th to the 19th).

Once you get into the Kennedy and Johnson years, the chapters themselves are disorganized-- lists of "Important People, Places, Events and Concepts" bolded beneath the chapter titles are often not to be found in the given chapters. The site of a KKK bombing that killed four school girls is given as the "13th Street Baptist Church" in the know-your-events list, and the "16th Street Baptist Church" inside the chapter. And at least one of the chapter quizzes gives you the wrong letter answer for one of the questions.

As a last example (although there are many other mistakes and typos), a description of the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins reads, "In 1960, following student-led sit-ins against desegregated lunch counters... Ella Baker helped establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee" (implying the sitters were racists, I suppose).

Unfortunately, I'm not sure whether any other SAT US History study guide materials exists, but I highly recommend Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States", and although it won't "teach to the test," many of the same facts are there, and presented much more competently.

So far...Pretty good.
The Chapters are pretty brief but contain straight-to-the-point facts. At the end of the chapters (35 chapters) there is a 4 question quiz. The questions aren't too hard, I find them a bit more on the easy side. I didn't take the SAT yet so I'll have to update my review after my kaplan test and the actual SAT. So far, it's informative and a good guide. ... Read more

Product Description
This a reprint of an 1887 book written by MACK-E-TE-BE-NESSY(Andrew J. Blackbird). It is a personal history of the author and includes an Algonquin language grammer as spokenin the Little Traverse Bay area of Michigan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

History comes alive
Mac-ke-te-be-nessy or Andrew J. Blackbird gives us a personal insight into his life as a lens to view the life of American Indians in Michigan. He explains the legends of his people and the influence of the Christian missionaries on his beliefs. He also writes of the difficulties or what we today call racism that he encountered through his dealings with the US Government and the higher learning institutions of his day (University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University). The history is rich and presented with sincerity. Anyone looking to know more about history from the perspective of a man who lived through it, especially American Indian history in the mid 19th century will benefit greatly by this book. ... Read more

Product Description

In 97 Orchard, Jane Ziegelman explores the culinary life that was the heart and soul of New York's Lower East Side around the turn of the twentieth century—a city within a city, where Germans, Irish, Italians, and Eastern European Jews attempted to forge a new life. Through the experiences of five families, all of them residents of 97 Orchard Street, she takes readers on a vivid and unforgettable tour, from impossibly cramped tenement apartments down dimly lit stairwells where children played and neighbors socialized, beyond the front stoops where immigrant housewives found respite and company, and out into the hubbub of the dirty, teeming streets.

Customer Reviews (21)

97 Orchard
Loved this bit of history. I admire all the women of that time period, they were slaves. We always say we wish we lived in the past. NOT ME. Thank heavens for today.The food was something else. But they didn't know any different. My own father came through Ellis Island and thank goodness he went straight to a Nebraska farm. I highly recommend this book.

A unique topic and a fascinating book
I loved this book, from the details of what it cost to feed immigrants at Ellis Island to the specifics of what different ethnic groups ate as they moved into American society.The author has a light touch and keeps things moving so quickly that the book is easy to swallow in one sitting.She also has a gift for making the various immigrants come alive so that there is much to enjoy besides the food.It's fun to recognize foods from my childhood - and my current kitchen output - in the foods that immigrants adapted from the old country when they got here.

Is this for foodies?Well, if they are foodies who are interested in their heritage, rather than what is the newest thing on the block.

This would be an enjoyable book for those folks/families who like to read aloud to each other.Lots to discuss as you go.

A strong positive recommendation.

97 orchard
Superbly written - author has researched this thoroughly. This is a fascinating window into the lives of families from different cultures and religions and how they coped with the problems of living in a new country. Because they didn't speak the language they were forced to work at the most menial jobs - and how the next generation assimilated, became educatedand worked their way out of the "ghettos" whether Jewish, Italian or other nationalities.

97 Orchard Street
I enjoy cooking and bought this book to read about the foods the imigrants cooked & ate in the 1800's.However, the history of the early daily lives of the newly arrived immigrants was fascinating!
If you like history and food you will enjoy this interesting book on the history of the immgrants who arrive in NYC in the 1800's.

History is people
I purchased this book because I had heard about the Tenement Museum in New York.
My mother's family were immigrantswho may have had to live in one in the 19th century.
This book is well written, well researched.History, after all,is the story of people.Telling the story of the everyday lives of people, which includes what they ate, is history of and for people.
... Read more

Product Description
A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant. With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

6,000 Years In a Nutshell
This book is a swift collection of fascinating ideas. It reminds me of Jacques Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present in its ability to draw ideas from the famous events and characters of history. Since it is so quick, one isn't able to follow the roots of the ideas that surface like one might with Barzun. One must take the author's word for a lot of his conclusions. But, the thoughts stimulated from this survey are quite rewarding nonetheless. Those concepts, as identified by the chapter headings, on nature, biology, race, character, morals, religion, economics, socialism, government, war, growth and decay, and progress, amount to the great concepts of human existence. Anyone interested in being human will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Pure Knowledge Condensed and Put in a Nutshell!
This book exemplifies why academia dislikes Durant.He makes vast amounts of knowledge accessible to the layman.Over the course of 13 essays, Durant gets across some of the most important themes of history.Not only is this valuable tothe historian and dabbler in history, as hobby, but also the middle school and high school student.This is a book my children will read for the sake of understanding, in a rough sketch, the human condition, as it has existed in the past.

Dynamically written, and fleshed out with wit, this is a book for the ages!

Listen. Understand. Listen again. Understand deeper.
The most comprehensive understanding of human nature as well as presenting the listener with the opportunity to evolve with what is learned.

Lessons of fHistory
I found the product to meet my expectations and would recommend it to anyone interested.

Need at least a Batchelor's degree
I'm sure the authors are eloquent people but I found it very difficult to make sense of what they were attempting to portray.I felt I was at the University being lectured by four-star professors who assumed my IQ was over 200?

Could not grasp it but I'll try again! ... Read more

Product Description

What? You don't know what a Burgess is? -- You can't outline the Monroe Doctrine? -- Recall the 14th Amendment? -- Explain the difference between a sputnik and a beatnik?

Then you need The Cartoon History of the United Statesto fill those gaps. From the first English colonies to the Gulf War and the S&L debacle, Larry Gonick spells it all out from his unique cartoon perspective.

Customer Reviews (35)

Interesting, but Horribly Flawed
In a comic book format, Larry Gonick tries to cover all of American history, from the discovery of the New World by Europeans until the 1991 Gulf War. The book had a lot of potential, but for me, it really fell flat.

Despite the flaws, the book does pretty much cover everything in American history, albeit not a lot of detail.

There are numerous problems with the book. The first is the bias. I hate to sound like some raging conservative, but this book had a very liberal bias. He always seems to give credence to a liberal view of historical events rather than a more objective view. For example, Franklin Roosevelt is shown as a saint whose New Deal policies got America out of the Great Depression while Reagan, and his policies, is shown as a complete buffoon. I am not saying whether or not I agree with this type of view, but the point is the bias is there. Another example regards Lyndon Johnson (Democrat) and Richard Nixon (Republican). Although Johnson is derided mainly for his policies in Vietnam, at least his admirable accomplishments are mentioned (namely his Great Society programs). The only things he says about Nixon's presidency are bomb Vietnam and Watergate. None of his more admirable aspects are even mentioned in passing.

Another is the omissions. He spends a page explaining colonialism before spending not even a whole page about the Spanish-American War. There is no mention of the explosion of the USS Maine, yellow journalism, or the situation in Cuba. The reader is led to believe the war was nothing more than an imperialistic venture (I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding the Spanish-American War, but still). The section on World War II is woefully lacking and really contains almost no information on the war itself.

The book is at times repetitive. Any American who knows anything about American history knows about the unfortunate history of slavery in the United States. So why must Gonick remind the reader again and again in the book up until the Civil War? It wastes space that could have been used for detailing on other subjects. I know that this being a comic book means there is some limits in space, but this is ridiculous.

There are also cases of factual errors. For example, he mentions explicitly twice that the Mexican-American War was an undeclared war when in actuality Congress formally declared war on May 13, 1846. He says President Bush (Senior) started the War on Drugs when Nixon was the one that started it.

The last several pages (from the 60s on) are almost unreadable because it sounds less like history and more like the author's complaints about the times he was around for. Like this gem:

"And who could blame him [George Bush]? Drugs were a real problem! And so were falling real wages, the loss of decent jobs, skyrocketing housing costs, increasing poverty, decaying public schools, an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, homelessness, hopelessness, and a near collapse of society within the burgeoning black underclass..."

The entire book seems to try to paint the most politically incorrect view of history beyond the point of annoyance. His sense of humor did not always work. Sometimes it was good and others not so much.

I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy certain aspects of the book though. I did find the caricatures of many people fun to look at and his style can be fun at times. Although the quality of the cartoons throughout the book vary greatly from extremely poor to way better than anything I could draw.

I find it rather difficult to recommend this book. If you know little about American history or are trying to teach someone, especially children, than pass this up. It is far too skewed to be useful in that regard. If you already know American history pretty well and are willing to look pass the liberal bias, than you might find some enjoyment out of it.

Update (October 22, 2010): Since writing this review, I have only read one other Gonick work, specifically "The Cartoon History of the Universe I," which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is now clear to me that The Cartoon History of the United States is definitely not up to par, both in content and quality.

Lacks enough details
I picked this up to see how I could use it with my students. It was disappointing, though there are some good moments. Mostly, the bias of it leads me to regard it as not completely accurate (i.e. the only mention of Mormons is in reference to the Mountain Meadows Massacre which paints them all to be murderers). Not a definitive text, but a curious read.

U.S. History made simple
Larry Gonick did it again.He wrote a book that is informative, fun to read, and provides a few laughs.From the science-based books I have where he is a coauthor, I thought he was only a cartoonist/illustrator.But this brief history book certainly shows that he is multi-talented.I was amazed by how much information he packed in this small volume; and it is quite accurate.It takes great talent to do this.Good political cartoonists do this.Occam's razor is at work here!I plan to read some of the other non-science books that he personally authored.

A History Book the Whole Family Loves
Larry Gonick's cartoon history books are wonderfully informative, incredibly interesting and terrifically funny. My twelve year old son hordes them all in his room to read & re-read. But we all love them.

Easy review
This book is fantastic. You can read through it in a day or two to refresh your memory of the key events in American history. ... Read more

Product Description
The only comprehensive “bottom up” history of the world from the earliest human society to the twenty-first century.

Chris Harman describes the shape and course of human history as a narrative of ordinary people forming and re-forming complex societies in pursuit of common human goals. Interacting with the forces of technological change as well as the impact of powerful individuals and revolutionary ideas, these societies have engendered events familiar to every schoolchild—from the empires of antiquity to the world wars of the twentieth century.

In a bravura conclusion, Chris Harman exposes the reductive complacency of contemporary capitalism, and asks, in a world riven as never before by suffering and inequality, why we imagine that it can—or should—survive much longer. Ambitious, provocative and invigorating, A People's History of the World delivers a vital corrective to traditional history, as well as a powerful sense of the deep currents of humanity which surge beneath the froth of government.

Customer Reviews (12)

More than influenced, highly subjective!
Better this book's title be renamed, "A Marxist History of the World". I did give it two stars because I feel it is well written, despite the lesson in Marxism. I deleted it from my Kindle after 6% read!

A Significant Work
This is a significant history text. It's readable and engaging, and provides a definite point of view. I would recommend it as a useful adjunct to a more neutral/objective account of world history.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to kvetch briefly about the blurb for the book, probably written by the publisher, that appears on this page (above). It claims that this book has special value today in a world that's "riven as never before by suffering and inequality." This is a strikingly ahistorical comment, not worthy of the publisher of a history textbook. The idea that the world today is more beset by suffering and inequality today than ever before is, IMO, not merely laughable, but, worse, stupid. And, in fact, even though it was probably written by the publisher, maybe it generates a little bit of skepticism about the book itself.

More "riven by suffering and inequality" than in 1944 as the Nazis shoved millions of souls into gas chambers? More than in 1844 when slavery cast a dark stain across the U.S.? More than in 1744 when slavery was basically an accepted fact of life in virtually every corner of the world? More than during the long centuries when medicine was essentially incapable of alleviating any serious disease, when chronic pain was a daily companion for billions of humans? More than in the 14th century when the Bubonic Plague killed one-third of Europe? More than in the 1100s when the Mongols joyfully slaughtered millions? More than when the Assyrians scythed their region? Etc., etc., etc., etc. So, there's my kvetch, for what it's worth.

History for realist
A most humanist approach to an area which is ripe for manufacturing a platable "reality" for any author with an agenda. No reconstruction of the past is immune to this bias butthis author gets close if the result is measured by critical plausability. The pity of it all is how well it reflects the observation that if we forget history we are bound to repeat it. Unforunatly, it appears that we do not need to forget at all and progressing through this book makes that realization quite clear. We appear to repeat history because we seem compelled to do so--why? We may all ponder.

What you missed in high school
Best corrective to "history as seen from the top" yet.A great companion to Howard Zinn's PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.Introduction to historical materialism.

A People's History of The World
This is a difficult book get into, but a worthwhile read.One must keep a proper perspective in order to maintain one's equilibrium. ... Read more

Product Description
A mind-expanding and myth-destroying exploration of notions of white race—not merely a skin color but also a signal of power, prestige, and beauty to be withheld and granted selectivelyEver since the Enlightenment, race theory and its inevitable partner, racism, have followed a crooked road, constructed by dominant peoples to justify their domination of others. Filling a huge gap in historical literature that long focused on the non-white, eminent historian Nell Irvin Painter guides us through more than two thousand years of Western civilization, tracing not only the invention of the idea of race but also the frequent worship of “whiteness” for economic, social, scientific, and political ends.

Our story begins in Greek and Roman antiquity, where the concept of race did not exist, only geography and the opportunity to conquer and enslave others. Not until the eighteenth century did an obsession with whiteness flourish, with the German invention of the notion of Caucasian beauty. This theory made northern Europeans into “Saxons,” “Anglo-Saxons,” and “Teutons,” envisioned as uniquely handsome natural rulers.

Here was a worldview congenial to northern Europeans bent on empire. There followed an explosion of theories of race, now focusing on racial temperament as well as skin color. Spread by such intellectuals as Madame de Stael and Thomas Carlyle, white race theory soon reached North America with a vengeance. Its chief spokesman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, did the most to label Anglo-Saxons—icons of beauty and virtue—as the only true Americans. It was an ideal that excluded not only blacks but also all ethnic groups not of Protestant, northern European background. The Irish and Native Americans were out and, later, so were the Chinese, Jews, Italians, Slavs, and Greeks—all deemed racially alien. Did immigrations threaten the very existence of America? Americans were assumed to be white, but who among poor immigrants could become truly American? A tortured and convoluted series of scientific explorations developed—theories intended to keep Anglo-Saxons at the top: the ever-popular measurement of skulls, the powerful eugenics movement, and highly biased intelligence tests—all designed to keep working people out and down.

As Painter reveals, power—supported by economics, science, and politics—continued to drive exclusionary notions of whiteness until, deep into the twentieth century, political realities enlarged the category of truly American.

A story filled with towering historical figures, The History of White People forcefully reminds us that the concept of one white race is a recent invention. The meaning, importance, and realty of this all-too-human thesis of race have buckled under the weight of a long and rich unfolding of events. 70 illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

A literature review of racists
Painter's "A History of White People" is not really a history, it's a review of literature from ancient Greece to modern times. Nor is it about white people, it's about white racists. What she has really done is compile and review an historic list of racist thought and attempt to refute it. Unfortunately, she's not even very good at that. Perhaps, given how easy it is to disprove and contradict racist thought, she didn't feel the need to make much of an effort, but when an author chastises a European of the Enlightened Age who has attempted to categorize human beauty, and rather understandably does so by looking most fondly at the people who look most like him, the contradicting author needs to do disprove with more than the same techniques she decries as incorrect. Painter attacks several of the Europeans who attempted to classify and rank beauty for not looking beyond themselves, but her only real argument is that they left out people like her. A little more science and a little less hurt feelings would have made for a better book.

It's perhaps unfair to criticize too deeply a book that I didn't finish, but it would be even more unfair to have waded through another 200 pages of this nonsense just to validate my review. I didn't finish the book. Perhaps there was some excellent and well-considered thought further on. It didn't seem so from the first 100 pages.

A Compendium Of Nothingness
The book is nothing more than a compendium of the primitive behaviors of white people without comparison to competing cultures.It lists aberrations and cultural oddities that were part of the evolution of western civilization at every point, just ast hey are, and were of every other civilization.These are oddities that were cast off as time passed. As the west evolved.On every bell curve, there are wonderful exceptions, and unpleasant ones.They are only historically interesting because the most useful are copied, and the least useful are ignored, and the civilization evolves. What is interesting is how these oddities change as a people evolve and imitate others who are more successful, not the aberrant acts themselves.

While culture, white civilization, is defined by this property: The Fraternal Order Of Market Making Soldiers.Cities are markets. Markets to not happen to be in cities. Cities cannot exist without markets. Markets allow the division of labor. The division of labor allows increases in production. Increases in production allow declining prices.Cities were developed in the west as markets by manor-holders, or military expeditions, and the vast majority either by a tribal affiliation or by Roman design. The cities were defended by voluntary associations of males: The Fraternal Order. The western military tradition is individualistic.It is individualistic because metal equipment and horses, as well as training an army, was expensive, and western battle tactics required voluntary coordination. People who fight voluntarily require a say in the tactics.This 'say' led to debate, the forum, reason, science, politics, the republic, philosophy, and science.It was a shareholder system.The development of technology, in particular farming, led to increases in population.This overbreeding caused migration across all of eurasia.Since this republica system was very successful at creating a division of labor and knowledge and trade, it was an attractive source of pillage.Converting the barbarians from raiders and thieves was expensive.Other civilizations relied on larger volumes of slavery, and or had more authoritarian and hierarchical systems.Rome fell for complex reasons - largely it had become too expensive to maintain the commercial order and external populations were too successful at breeding under roman rule.With few options,the church was an inexpensive administration system.The vikings in particular could not be contained or fought by the church.

The book does not discuss the rate of technological progress, or relative rate of production inreases. It does not discuss the relative treatment of women.It does not discuss the european miracle.It is a compendium of externalities: the abberations and oddities plucked from history'sfringes, as many tribes, sharing only certain language and organizational tendencies, slowly abandoned their ancient, non-market habits, and their odd beliefs, ceremonies and quirks, and adopted those habits best suited for participation in, and excellence in, their markets.This concept is very important to understanding white society: the incremental adoption of market activities and the centrality of market to prosperous life.

Nor does it address the hard work by the fraternal order in converting the 'barbarians' to market society.Nor the hard work and expense of converting the entire world to adopt the market order.Where the white people made their mistake, was in believing that their tools of market: numbers, accounting, money, banking, interest, contract, trade, aristotelian reason, and northern european science, and some relative form of contractual honesty rooted in objective truth - which were technologies that any group of people could adopt, also required the social technologies of fraternal order, christian ethos, class mobility, individualism, and open competition in the marketplace.When in fact, while the calculative technologies of cooperation were desirable, the social order technologieswere antithetical to those societies because the status signal differences were too great in the more static societies.

This book does not illustrate the fundamental property of whiteness: the social order is based upon the use of the fraternal order of voluntary city defending soldiers to create and administer markets, and to allow people rampant personal freedom, and in doing so, allowing them to prosper as they see fit.It does not discuss that white people have more in common witheach other than people of different races have in common with each other.It does not address that people who are from different races are highly reluctant to adopt the white social order - despite their willingness to enjoy the fruits of it's productivity and the safety and freedom of living under it.What they dislike is that they cannot participate in status hierarchy, and that when they do, their own races abandon them - because tehy are racist.

White culture is market culture.White underclasses, and the white priestly, academic, and clerical classes (who must conform, wait for recognition, seek political alliances to succeed), are at opposition to the status hierarchy of the military, craftsman, and commercial classes (who must act quickly to sieze opportunities and take personal risks to succeed.)This is an ancient competition in the west. It is the competition between the clerical class and the peasantry and the land holders, risk taking commercial, and risk taking craftsman classes.

The book illustrate who ruined this order: Napoleon and the French Revolution, which set the stage for the world wars and the fall of europe, by developing the technology of the nation-state, which combined with total mobilization for war, required the rest of europe to respond with nationalization.

Before nationalism, under the great monarchies, including the great russian monarchy, european cities contained multiple tribes that preserved their habits and cultures.The fantasy of political participation led to nationalism, and the bloody conflict of nationalism.And the source of nationalism's legitimacy was democracy.Under the Czars Russia had trade unions, political parties, and a standard of living approaching that of the west.

The only measure of a philosophy is the economic status of it's adherents. The only measure of a people can be determined by their philosophy. Since status-signals are both a necessary component of human existence so that we can imitate the best and ignore the worst, and since status-signals are cheaper to earn within group than extra-group, people adhere to racial, cultural, and national philosophies.People treat their beliefs like property. Because while a shovel, or house may ease one's physical labors, one's beliefs likewise are tools for decision making. And people will not willingly think that their accumulated decisions have been profoundly in error.

The Chinese currently use the phrase 'The Mirror Test'.That is, you decide how to act like based upon who you look like, when you look in the mirror. People are racist, culture-ist, classist, ageist, generation-ist, and cultish, because they act as if they are.For many cultures, Jews, Diasporic Chinese, Japanese, diasporic Armenians to name a few, racism is an important and beneficial property of their culture because it maintains cooperation that laws cannot enforce:we must make a thousand decisions every day where we are choosing among equal outcomes. And in those choices we err on the side of benefitting or tribe.In this way we contribute to the heath of our tribe and make it successful.

The biggest cult is the anti-white-male cult of racists. And the Author of this book is clearly one of them.

But then again. No one is a hero to his debtors.

PHENOMENAL
this book was great. well researched. i thought she should have spent more time on the tribes of europe. thats what i thought i would read more of before i bought the book. the book is great and put together very well. a great follow up to this book in my opinion would be a book called the isis papers. there is nothing else i can say. you will not be disappointed from buying this book. i could say much much more about the book but i would be typing forever. peace...

Horrible
If a white person wrote such remarks about a black person they would be crucified in the press. Hypocrisy is alive and well in Neil Irvin Painter. This book is a representation of her ignorance and hatred, which would explain all of the falsehoods she tried to promote, which in turn have been succinctly exposed by reviewer A.D. Powell.

BOOK OF THE YEAR
GREAT READ WITH FACTS TO SUPPORT THE EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH OF A PEOPLE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER IN THE USA. ... Read more

Product Description
The Oxford History of the United States is by far the most respected multi-volume history of our nation. The series includes three Pulitzer Prize winners, two New York Times bestsellers, and winners of the Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. Now, in the newest volume in the series, one of America's most esteemed historians, Gordon S. Wood, offers a brilliant account of the early American Republic, ranging from 1789 and the beginning of the national government to the end of the War of 1812.
As Wood reveals, the period was marked by tumultuous change in all aspects of American life--in politics, society, economy, and culture. The men who founded the new government had high hopes for the future, but few of their hopes and dreams worked out quite as they expected. They hated political parties but parties nonetheless emerged. Some wanted the United States to become a great fiscal-military state like those of Britain and France; others wanted the country to remain a rural agricultural state very different from the European states. Instead, by 1815 the United States became something neither group anticipated.Many leaders expected American culture to flourish and surpass that of Europe; instead it became popularized and vulgarized. The leaders also hope to see the end of slavery; instead, despite the release of many slaves and the end of slavery in the North, slavery was stronger in 1815 than it had been in 1789. Many wanted to avoid entanglements with Europe, but instead the country became involved in Europe's wars and ended up waging another war with the former mother country. Still, with a new generation emerging by 1815, most Americans were confident and optimistic about the future of their country.
Named a New York Times Notable Book, Empire of Liberty offers a marvelous account of this pivotal era when America took its first unsteady steps as a new and rapidly expanding nation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (59)

A Quality American historical series
Having read another book in the Oxford History of the United States series I was confident that this volume would also prove worthy of a good read.I haven't started it yet as I'm currently reading Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington but Empire of Liberty is next on my list.I searched for this text in several places and this was the most affordable way of purchasing the book.Also I was able to get shipping included in the price and no sales tax - bonus!

History That is Very Relevant for Today
This superb book already has some excellent substantive reviews.I would just add this point:if you really want to put today's politics (whether for or against tea parties and their like) into perspective and shed some light on what our constitutional republic is about and how it came to be, you must read this very well researched and very readable book.

Excellent coverage of our early republic
A lot of us think we know about our founding fathers and what they planned for America.But did you know that a lot of our founding fathers intended for the US to be a monarchy?That the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans despised each other so much that it makes the political parties of today look like a love-fest?That the Washington administration built a very strong federal government that taxed and spent their way to a prosperous nation?That our founding fathers had very little interest in religion and one of the most popular books written during this period was an anti-religious tome?No?Then this book will truly shock you.

Gordon Wood has done a great job with this book.It is very well written and keeps moving but you will want to put it down to think about what you have read.It does a fantastic job of covering each of the administrations of our first few presidents especially that Washington and Adams administrations.Wood does an excellent job of showing how the Federalist party collapsed under the disagreements of Adams and Alexander Hamilton leading to the Democratic-Republicans becoming the leading party at the beginning of the 19th century.These administrations are dealt with a little too easily.Jefferson despised the concept of a strong federal government and his policies hurt the developing nation but the author tends to overlook these issues.Especially on the issue of slavery the author could have done a better job.

Wood is both a wonderful writer and a superb scholar.Overall this is an excellent book and you will learn a huge amount about or founding fathers that will surprise you.Unlike so may other historical books, this one flows very well and Wood writes like a writer not a history professor trying to impress his dean.I highly recommend this book for anyone with interest in the first 25 years of the United States.

I now feel very confident talking about early American history
As someone who only knew enough about U.S. history to pass a high school sophomore history test, I was really looking forward to reading this book. I wanted to learn. Before reading this, you could have put a gun to my head and I couldn't tel you anything that happened between 1789 and 1815. The Founders signed the Constitution in 1787. After that? Um, either I wasn't paying attention in class or the teacher skipped straight to the Civil War era.

Better late than never, right? Gordon Wood's is an intelligent book. He really makes come alive that era post-Revolutionary War. I see the complicated transition and many struggles and disagreements that come from a handful of independent colonies to becoming one nation. I can't pretend to understand every single angle, but I felt very aware of the various moving pieces during that time of formation.

I think this book has given me if not love, certain appreciation for books, especially history books, that are filled with stories that make history come alive. Gordon Wood does this, and I'm glad I read this book. I now feel very confident talking about early American history and know that what I am saying is the truth.

A eye-opener
Excellent overview of the culture and times of the early Republic. For me, this book provoked a lot of re-thinking about the nature of the American Revolution. Previously, I had thought of it less as a revolution, and more in the Jacques Barzun formulation (in FRom Dawn to Decadence), as a continuation of the evolutionary politics of Whiggish Britain. I'm not entirely sure Barzun was wrong, but Wood makes an excellent case for the radicalism of the Founding, particularly after Jefferson and the Republicans ascended in 1800. The Jeffersonian ideal that emerged from the politics of the early Republic had many drawbacks, of course, but I think contributed more to the notion of American exceptionalism, and of an identity distinct from European powers, than the Federalists would have ever pursued. Very well-researched, well-written, and relevant.

The only criticism I have is in the structure, which followed a much more chronological and top-down view in the first half, then swung to a more topical and cultural view in the second. Both approaches work, but it is a little disconcerting for the reader, as it progresses its depiction of American politics to 1800 along a fairly defined path, and then just starts approaching the years subsequent to 1800 culturally by subject matter (e.g., law, religion, westward expansion, etc.), at least until the war of 1812. That's a minor quibble, though, and it does serve to reinforce the difference between the Jeffersonian/Madisonian view (government is not the primary driver of events) from the Hamiltonian view that preceded it. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

SAT Book
Thank You! I got was I was expecting, and faster than I was expecting.Great study tool.

A must get book
Since this is the only book that has real SAT subject tests, you must get this book if you want to take the SAT subject tests. The other book simply do not have questions like the real thing.

This isthe only book with real tests.
This isthe only book with real tests. My only gripe is that each subject only gets one test. It would be nice to have more real practice.

The book is just as horrific as the test
From a student's perspective, the book isn't very helpful.Most people use it to review right before taking the test to get a general feel for how they would do.If your looking for a book that will help you review material, this isn't it...it's just two tests that are honestly not anything like the real thing.If you want my advice, stay away from the U.S. Subject test altogether- it's awful :(

Math Tests are NOT Accurate
If you are planning on taking multiple Subject tests, then this is a cost efficient book.However, if you are only taking the Math test, please know that the test(s) in this book are far too easy compared to the real thing.

If you are looking for a book that is accurate in difficulty, then try the Barron's book, but be forewarned that it is more difficult and comprehensive than the real test. ... Read more