City Travel Guides > Books > World History

Average Rating:

.The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: Robert J. McMahon

March 27, 2003
The VSI series doesn't always work for me. If I invest time to read any non-fiction book, I expect it to better than a few internet articles.

This book is a summary of facts with a few interesting angles that cover the geo-politics and strategies mainly from the Western perspective.

But the problem with some of these VSI's is because they are so short, the authour doesn't have scope to include some real meaty stuff or delve into their own opinions.

It's just summary history, but a good Wikipedia article is the same!
At 167 pages, there's at least 4 hours reading for me. So if my objective is just to get information and an education of the cold war, are my better off going for this VSI or to Wikipedia ... Read More:
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Used Price: £1.15

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.Cold War: For Forty-five Years the World Held Its Breath
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: Jeremy Isaacs, Taylor Downing

August 07, 2008
The VSI series doesn't always work for me. If I invest time to read any non-fiction book, I expect it to better than a few internet articles.

This book is a summary of facts with a few interesting angles that cover the geo-politics and strategies mainly from the Western perspective.

But the problem with some of these VSI's is because they are so short, the authour doesn't have scope to include some real meaty stuff or delve into their own opinions.

It's just summary history, but a good Wikipedia article is the same!
At 167 pages, there's at least 4 hours reading for me. So if my objective is just to get information and an education of the cold war, are my better off going for this VSI or to Wikipedia ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Cold War: For Forty-five Years the World Held Its Breath

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.Rule by Secrecy
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: Jim Marrs

April 04, 2002
This book is a phenomenal read. Personally, I don't think everything in it holds water, but this kind of broad-spectrum investigative journalism is a rare thing in todays corporate media. Marrs manages to paint the picture, in broad strokes and in detail when possible, that it is INDEED possible to rule by secrecy. Why would anyone want to decieve the world like that? Look at the history of humanity abd you have your answer. This is after all a planet, were the "leader of the free world" is the grand-son of fascist who participated in a failed coup against Roosevelt ans was later condemned under the Trading with the Enemy Act (yes, Prescott Bush had close ties with Fritz Thyssen).

The wealth and power wielded by these groups will make think ... Read More:
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Used Price: £4.94

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.Michelin Historical Map 102: : Battle of Normandy (Michelin Historical Maps)
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: Michelin Travel Publications

1997-12
I went on a battlefield tour of the D-Day landing beaches and the Normandy campaign, and found this fantastically useful. Having things like the flooded areas marked on the map helped put it all into context on the ground.
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Used Price: £4.82

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.The Unfree French: Life Under the Occupation
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: Richard Vinen

April 26, 2007
This book gives a good overview of circumstances effecting different sections of French society through the years of the occupation. Through largely statistical evidence it provides a history which tends to read very dryly and does not give the reader an emotional overview or development of general life through the occupation. Of course this is a very complex issue and each individual would have had their own experience; making it impossible to stereotype a typical experience, however this particular publication does prove to be a little too 'academic' to be classed as enjoyable. In terms of giving statistical evidence to support his work, Vinen does very well, but unfortunately these statistics make the book rather less readable than the work of Ian Ousby ... Read More:
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.The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (Saqi Essentials)
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
from: Saqi Books

February 17, 2001
This book highlights the dangers inherent in journalists writing history. The author has a lively style and the book is ceratinly readable (one previous reviewer even fooled into thinking it's a novel!) but it is very poor as history. It lacks objectivity and although presents us with a very interesting account of events from the Arab point of view and is critical of the Muslim states and their inability to work together, displays the author's ignorance (or deliberate lack of interest in) their opponents. Western authors have been writing more balanced views of the religious wars in the middle east for some time as any serious student of mediaeval history is well aware and this books pretensions at presenting 'the other side' is disingenuous. To sum up, it reminded ... Read More:
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Used Price: £6.89

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.Famous
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: Richard Van Emden, Vic Piuk

April 17, 2008
This book highlights the dangers inherent in journalists writing history. The author has a lively style and the book is ceratinly readable (one previous reviewer even fooled into thinking it's a novel!) but it is very poor as history. It lacks objectivity and although presents us with a very interesting account of events from the Arab point of view and is critical of the Muslim states and their inability to work together, displays the author's ignorance (or deliberate lack of interest in) their opponents. Western authors have been writing more balanced views of the religious wars in the middle east for some time as any serious student of mediaeval history is well aware and this books pretensions at presenting 'the other side' is disingenuous. To sum up, it reminded ... Read More:
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Used Price: £17.43

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.Somme Mud
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: E.P.F. Lynch

February 11, 2008
The story is of Nulla and his regular close nit cast of characters - Longun, Darky, Snow, Farmer, Jacob and others.

The book covers some territory covered before. Most similarly by Robert Graves book - Goodbye to all that.

Lynch does not delve deeply into the reasons for the war - which obviously contrasts with Graves. However Lynch does not shy away from describing the horror of the conflict.

He mostly provides an illuminating insight of the (very effective) fighting capacity of the AIF. They are ruthless killers of "Fritz" - no more ruthlessly described as when a German Brass band spotted on an opposite hill about to enter a French village are clinically shot up.

A lot of the book talks humorously of events ... Read More:
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Used Price: £8.00

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.Arnhem: Jumping the Rhine 1944 and 1945
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: Lloyd Clark

August 21, 2008
The story is of Nulla and his regular close nit cast of characters - Longun, Darky, Snow, Farmer, Jacob and others.

The book covers some territory covered before. Most similarly by Robert Graves book - Goodbye to all that.

Lynch does not delve deeply into the reasons for the war - which obviously contrasts with Graves. However Lynch does not shy away from describing the horror of the conflict.

He mostly provides an illuminating insight of the (very effective) fighting capacity of the AIF. They are ruthless killers of "Fritz" - no more ruthlessly described as when a German Brass band spotted on an opposite hill about to enter a French village are clinically shot up.

A lot of the book talks humorously of events ... Read More:
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Used Price: £9.50

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.The Little Book of London
City Travel Guides > Books > World History
by: David Long

July 23, 2007
What a delight this turned out to be! Thousands of irresistably silly facts about my favourite city, served up with humour and style and with the author's love of London shining through on every page. Over the years I must have bought a hundred books on London, good, bad and indifferent, but nothing like this and I couldn't believe how much new stuff Long has uncovered. New to me, anyway, and I suspect to most other readers as well. Ten out of ten.
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Used Price: £3.99