History & General

The New Concise History of the Crusades- Revised Edition

4 stars (Insight in medieval history) - The New Concise History shows a good view on the Medieval 'madness' in which thoudands and thousands of people wandered through Europe, disorganised, plundering and pillaging, without the organisational powers of the former Roman armies driven by religious fanatism. It also gives insight into the current situation of the Middle East. Once the christian knights of Europe were not far from the Jihad warriors of today...Wruthless, without compassion, murdering anyone that had not the Christian faith. Especially the Jews of Germany had to endur in the start of the Crusads....In so far af very good and readable book. The author does not use any difficult language, myself being from Holland, and it gives a very good oversight and insight into Europe around the year 1000... 5 stars (GOOD WORK TO GET YOU STARTED ) - As other reviewers have pointed out, there are pros and cons to this particular work. I have some reservations myself, but overall, found the work good. This work does indeed give us a good, if somewhat brief, overview of the crusades. The author does present some ideas that are a bit different than than those that have been traditionally taught, and for the most part, unquestioned. This, in my opinion is a good thing as it makes us all think. On the other hand, I am not enough of an expert to be able to verify with any validity some of his statements. I do feel the author tried to be fare. On the other hand he tells us "research" is able to give us much more insight as to what was in the hearts and minds of men and women several centuries ago. I find this hard to beleave at times. I also felt the author sort of fluffed over and flitted through some pretty important aspects of the crusades. The act of completely obliterating city after city and the killing of hundreds of innocent people, really deserves more than one or two sentences. All in all, the work is a good survey and I feel it's greatest value is to spu...
Rowman - Littlefield Publishers Inc :: World history- c 500 to C 1500 :: Islam :: History & General :: History & Europe & General :: Europe :: Christianity :: Military - General :: Medieval :: History- Wor :: The New Concise History of the Crusades- Revised Edition

Under the Black Flag- The Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates

5 stars (Fascinating Overview on the Life & Times of Pirates of Old ) - Most people think of pirates as romantic anti-heroes. I sure do, having been fascinated by pirates since I was a little girl. In the nonfiction book UNDER THE BLACK FLAG, author David Cordingly debunks the pirate myth to tell us what real 17th and 18th century pirates were like: uneducated, drunken seamen who were very young and very violent. Writing in a clear, easy-to-read style, Cordingly explores pirate life (mostly within the Caribbean), from historical raids to shipwrecks, pirate loot, and executions. There's even a chapter about female pirates. I found this entire book fascinating, and read it as quickly as I would read a fiction novel. Moreover, I often stopped to read aloud certain passages to family members, just because the passages were so interesting and full of historical significance. For instance, I had no idea that pirates sacked Panama or that an earthquake completely destroyed Port Royal in Jamaica, a big-time pirate hang-out. The most popular passages, however, were the descriptions of exceptionally nasty (yet curiously inventive) means of torture carried out by sadistic pirate captains on their poor victims. You have to read it to believe it! Anyway, UNDER THE BLACK FLAG is quite an eye-opening experience. It's history and adventure and fascinating biographies all rolled into one. Highly recommended! 4 stars (very interesting) - Good book, would buy it as a gift for a young person or a casual reader. Not to academic, but not to kiddie either. Lots of interesting info on the real deal of pirates. Worth the money. 3 stars (Interesting Subject But Poorly Organized) - My favorite part of the book was the afterword, which quickly summarized the book's main theme - the difference between the reality of pirate life and the romantic mythology created by books, plays and movies. There are many other interesting topices covered. For example, the difference between b...
Harvest Books :: History & General :: Science :: Sailing - Narratives :: Pirates :: Maritime History :: History- World :: History - General History :: Earth Sciences - Geography :: Bo :: Under the Black Flag- The Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates

American Sports- From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports- Fifth Edition

American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports, Fifth Edition...
Prentice Hall :: History & General :: United States :: Sports (General) :: Sports & Recreation :: Sports :: Social aspects :: History- World :: History - General History :: History :: G :: American Sports- From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports- Fifth Edition

The Practical Mariner-s Book of Knowledge- 420 Sea-Tested Rules of Thumb for Almost Every Boating Si

5 stars (best advice i've had in along time) - having already read this book , I found it was filled with wisdom from the introduction to the very end , being on the water a lot for a living myself this book pointed out some of the more obvious rules of thumb that apply too mariners. And some very good ones i'd never heard of , but as it states in the book " good advice is so very hard to come by when it comes to rules of the ocean , and the black box theory is some thing i will do my utmost to adhere to as it is all very true done with the witty sence of humor that would appeal to more than most fisherman allthe way to seasoned sailors its a very handy book , A must for all serious Boaties ! ...
International Marine-Ragged Mountain Press :: History & General :: Transportation :: Sports & Recreation :: Sports :: Sailing - Navigation :: General :: Boats and boating :: Boating And Sailing :: Boating - Gener :: The Practical Mariner-s Book of Knowledge- 420 Sea-Tested Rules of Thumb for Almost Every Boating Si