Book Review (for recreational reading)

[Evo]

I can move it, but it seems to kind of fit in here.

I'm going to buy the first Earthsea book, I need new books.

 

[arildno]

I recently read Michael McCormick's "Origins of the European Economy", a slender volume of about 900 pages.

It concerns (amongst much else) the type of communication lines and trade routes that existed in the early middle ages, and how, gradually, in (and beyond) the Carolingian age, European economy gained its momentum.

A very nice book.

I just bought Chris Wickham's "Framing the early middle ages, 400-800", about the same length, but haven't read it yet.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

You have interesting taste in leisure reading Arildno. lol
Are these books as dry as they sound?


I finished the Earthsea Cycle. The fourth book, Tehanu, is a bit domestic but not bad. It seems almost as if it is there only to set up the story for the next book which is much more exciting. The last book, The Other Wind, wraps up the story line rather nicely I think. Sparrowhawk is only a side character and has little to do with the story though. The whole world changes and the author delves deeper into the source of magic and the world of the dead.


Now I am reading a book by Greg Bear called Quantico. It's near future hard scifi. The story is about handling both international and domestic terrorism in the post 9/11 and Iraq war intelligence community. He plays a "what if?" scenario regarding the culprit behind the Amerithrax attacks which becomes a key element to the plot. So far it's quite good though certain aspects of the plot are a bit typical. I guess that's what happens when you write a thriller though (not the type of book Greg Bear normally writes).
I think that Russ would probably like this one and maybe Ivan too.



Evo I'm torn between wanting to support the other forums and wanting more traffic so I can read about more books. I sincerely don't think that this is a very academic thread though and would go better in GD if that is ok with you.

 

[B. Elliott]

Right now I'm halfway through reading Synchronicity: The bridge Between Mind and Matter by F. David Peat. So far it's a pretty good in my opinion. In a nutshell it incorporates theories and ideas presented by Carl Jung, David Bohm, John Wheeler, Wolfgang Pauli, Prigogine, ect., and explains how synchronicities around us could possibly be explained by aspects of quantum theory. Common everyday coincidences, actually not being so coincidental.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Finished Quantico. It was pretty good. The after notes contained a good bibliography of sources that Greg Bear used in researching the subject matter and a few pages describing his experiences being invited to various government confrences and think tanks. I vaguely remember hearing that after 9/11 the government had collected together a number of fiction writers for their creative thinking to throw around various, perhaps more outlandish, ideas on possible terrorist threats to national security. Apparently Greg Bear was one of them. Around that time he had proposed his idea of the possible source of Amerithrax (the one in this book) which was apparently quickly shot down. And supposedly shortly after the release of the book the government came out stating that such a scenario may not be terribly far fetched.


Currently I have started Men At Arms by Terry Pratchet. Its from the Disc World series, a Night Watch novel. Can't say much about it yet since I have only started.
I've been picking up the Disc World novels two at a time when ever I hit the book store. He's a great author. Imagine Douglas Adams writing fantasy novels instead of scifi. You could read most of the Disc World books on their own and still be able to understand them though there are always several in-jokes in the books that you will miss out on if you haven't read the previous books. The first two or three in the series are a bit rough for repeativeness but they become much better as you go.
Probably one of the finest I've read so far was Small Gods. The plot revolves around a church and its Quisition attempting to stamp out the heathenist notion that the world is flat (which in the Disc World it is and rides on the backs of four[or five] elephants standing on the back of a great cosmic turtle to boot). A parallel plot revolves around the plight of a god deposed from greatness by the dogmatic insincerity of his own worshippers. A very good book (and series) for those who enjoy fantasy and silliness.

 

[chaoseverlasting]

I finished The Count of Monte Cristo a while back, its an amazing book, but slightly archaic. If you can sit through that, I'd highly recommend it. Also, one of the most brilliant books I have ever read is "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon! If you can get your hands on it, GET IT! You won't put it down until its finished.

 

[arildno]

You have interesting taste in leisure reading Arildno. lol
Are these books as dry as they sound?

Not at all. There are all sorts of interesting statistics in McCormick's book:

For example, the distribution of dates of issued papal letters in the Merovingian age is markedly different than the distribution of typical dates of papal letters in the Carolingian age, providing additional evidence for that whereas the primary communication route between Italy and Gaul during Merovingian times were by sea (by way of Marseilles), the primary communication routes between France (previous Gaul) and Italy during the Carolingian age were overland, through the Alpine passes.



(Right now, I am relaxing with Haldon's "Byzantium in the seventh century")

 

[Astronuc]

Not at all. There are all sorts of interesting statistics in McCormick's book:

For example, the distribution of dates of issued papal letters in the Merovingian age is markedly different than the distribution of typical dates of papal letters in the Carolingian age, providing additional evidence for that whereas the primary communication route between Italy and Gaul during Merovingian times were by sea (by way of Marseilles), the primary communication routes between France (previous Gaul) and Italy during the Carolingian age were overland, through the Alpine passes.

The change perhaps coincided with the defeat of the Lombards, who controlled the northern part of the Italian peninsula, by Charlemagne.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne#Conquest_of_Lombardy

Very interesting part of history.

See for instance - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Roncevaux_Pass

Which leads to cross references about the Basques/Vascones
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vascones

(Right now, I am relaxing with Haldon's "Byzantium in the seventh century")

I need to get that book!

Interestingly McCormick's and Wickham's books are often purchases together, which I'll do.


I just finished Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, which covers the Roman Empire from about 2nd cent BCE to 476 CE. Heather finishes his book with an exposition on "Exogenous Shock", which is the process by which the 'barbarians' accelerated the inevitable collapse of the Roman Empire. In 481, Clovis began a series of campaigns which unified the Franks and some of their neighbors and which extended Frankish control over Roman Gaul. Wickham's and Heather's books seem nicely complementary.

It's interesting to see how history turns on single personalities and events.

Meanwhile - I'm trying to get back to:

Ferdinand Lot's The End of the Ancient World and the Beginning of the Middle Ages, 1961

Stephen Mitchell's A History of the Later Roman Empire AD 284-641, 2007

Michael Kulikowski's Rome's Gothic Wars, 2007

Walter Goffart's Barbarian Tides: The Migration Age and the Later Roman Empire, 2006

Thomas Noble's From Roman Provinces to Medieval Kingdoms, 2006, which is an historical anthology with chapters from noted comtemporary historians including Goffart and Heather, and I'm particularly interested to compare perspectives of Goffart and Heather.

in order to get back to

Joseph Dahmus's A History of the Middle Ages, 1968, which I am halfway through, but digressed back to the fall of the Roman Empire, since that set the stage for the Middle Ages with respect to military, political, social, religious and economic structures and history.

I recently purchased Susan Wise Bauer's The History of the Ancient World (From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome), 2007.

 

[arildno]

The change perhaps coincided with the defeat of the Lombards, who controlled the northern part of the Italian peninsula, by Charlemagne.

The collapse of the Gaul maritime trade is generally set in the seventh century, beginning in the sixth when the huge state-sponsored grain export to Rome was discontinued (the devastation of Italy through the Ostrogothic/Byzantine wars is probably a major factor here, I presume. At any rate, even if the grain export was reduced already in the fifth, those wars would only have aggravated opportunities for trade). With the Islamic invasions in the mid-seventh century, the Gaulish Mediterrenean trade got its death blow. No wine from Syria any longer, and even though McCormick doesn't discuss it, I find it probable that the demise of the previously very important timber export from Gaul through the Loire valley is directly related to the Islamic take-over (you don't sell ship-building material to the enemy!).
Thirdly, and McCormick mentions this, we DO know that the garum (fish-sauce) factories in Gibraltar was crippled as a result of the late seventh/early eighth century Islamic invasions of North Africa and Iberia. Marseilles would have been an ideal half-way station between Gibraltar and the Northern Mediterrenean coasts, so we may imagine a negative effect on the Gaulish trade here as well.


Although somewhat dated, but still important, is Henry Pirenne's book "Mohammad and Charlemagne". Generally, he takes a too rosy view of the Merovingian economy in the pre-Islamic era (regarding it as essentially unchanged), and too bleak a view on the "economy" of the Carolingian empire (regarding it as basically non-existent, having reverted to an agrarian, manorial economy).


As for Charlemagne's defeat of the Lombards, that may well have increased the volume of trade within the empire, yet the landward shift of communication routes between Italy and France happened prior to that (the maritime trade was essentially dead at the time of Charles Martel).

I need to get that book!

Yes, you do!

I just finished Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, which covers the Roman Empire from about 2nd cent BCE to 476 CE. Heather finishes his book with an exposition on "Exogenous Shock", which is the process by which the 'barbarians' accelerated the inevitable collapse of the Roman Empire. In 481, Clovis began a series of campaigns which unified the Franks and some of their neighbors and which extended Frankish control over Roman Gaul. Wickham's and Heather's books seem nicely complementary.

You may then continue with Guy Halsall's account of the barbarian invasions, up to the Lombard invasion in 568. I haven't read Heather's work yet.

Ferdinand Lot's The End of the Ancient World and the Beginning of the Middle Ages, 1961

Stephen Mitchell's A History of the Later Roman Empire AD 284-641, 2007

Michael Kulikowski's Rome's Gothic Wars, 2007

I haven't read these yet..

Walter Goffart's Barbarian Tides: The Migration Age and the Later Roman Empire, 2006

From what I understand, Goffart's prior work, something like "Techniques of accomodation" is de rigeur. That work questions in what sense were the invasions "invasions", rather than ill-starred continuations of traditional settlement policies towards the barbarians.
Guy Halsall's work is up the same lane, mainly.

Thomas Noble's From Roman Provinces to Medieval Kingdoms, 2006, which is an historical anthology with chapters from noted comtemporary historians including Goffart and Heather, and I'm particularly interested to compare perspectives of Goffart and Heather.

in order to get back to

Joseph Dahmus's A History of the Middle Ages, 1968, which I am halfway through, but digressed back to the fall of the Roman Empire, since that set the stage for the Middle Ages with respect to military, political, social, religious and economic structures and history.

I recently purchased Susan Wise Bauer's The History of the Ancient World (From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome), 2007.

More books for me to buy!

 

[arildno]

Haldon's work is analytical, rather than narrative (the standard narrative work for this period seems to be Andreas Stratos' "Byzantium in the seventh century". That isn't to be had at either amazon or abebooks.).

Haldon focuses, for example, on the ruralization and pastoralization of the Byzantine economy, the decline of importance of the traditional senatorial elite (replaced by military officers), the transformation from a mobile field army system to one based on locally based militias instead, the welding of Church and state bureaucracies, and the growing introversion of the Byzantine mentality.

It is a fascinating study.

 

[Astronuc]

arildno, you have to read Heather's book! It's a great narrative.

Goffart has been around for several decades. He retired from U of Toronto (now Professor Emeritus), and is now a Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer at Yale.

Heather points to the changes in the western parts of the Roman Empire in the 5th cent as a significant contribution to the downfall. Basically, the western regions stopped provided tax revenue, without which Rome could not maintain its political and military infrastructure, and perhaps just as important - food. North Africa was the bread basket of Roman Italy!

The Vandals took N. Africa, and then it was invaded by Muslims.

Another book of interest -

Bernard Bachrach - Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire.

History repeats itself - in that strong leaders drive the dynamic - e.g. Clovis, Charles Martel, Charlemagne.

 

[Astronuc]

Haldon's work is analytical, rather than narrative (the standard narrative work for this period seems to be Andreas Stratos' "Byzantium in the seventh century". That isn't to be had at either amazon or abebooks.).

Haldon focuses, for example, on the ruralization and pastoralization of the Byzantine economy, the decline of importance of the traditional senatorial elite (replaced by military officers), the transformation from a mobile field army system to one based on locally based militias instead, the welding of Church and state bureaucracies, and the growing introversion of the Byzantine mentality.

It is a fascinating study.

I've notice several of Haldon's work mostly on Byzantium and the warfare, e.g. Warfare, State And Society In The Byzantine World 565-1204 (Warfare and History). My book list is growing.

I enjoy the analytical side of history, as much as a good narrative.

 

[arildno]

arildno, you have to read Heather's book! It's a great narrative.

Goffart has been around for several decades. He retired from U of Toronto (now Professor Emeritus), and is now a Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer at Yale.

Heather points to the changes in the western parts of the Roman Empire in the 5th cent as a significant contribution to the downfall. Basically, the western regions stopped provided tax revenue, without which Rome could not maintain its political and military infrastructure, and perhaps just as important - food. North Africa was the bread basket of Roman Italy!

The Vandals took N. Africa, and then it was invaded by Muslims.

Justinian retook N. Africa in 534, so there was a century of integrated economy prior to the Muslims.
The Vandal invasion certainly hit Rome hard by taking the main bread basket, but there was a significant grain export from Gaul as well.

If you read letters from guys like Sidonius Apollonaris in the late fifth, it seems like "life goes on", even though he was exasperated at having to house uncouth, smelly barbarians in his home.
It is a strange athmossphere described there, were the senatorial elite of Gaul seem to have lived just as they always had. Also, from what I understand, the archaeological evidence does support that there was significant trade with Gaul in the sixth century, something that also seem reflected in Gregory of Tours.


I will certainly pick up Heather's book, for a more "disaster theory" approach, to balance with Goffart's (and Pirenne's).

Another book of interest -

Bernard Bachrach - Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire.

Thanks.
I've read his work "Early medieaval Jewish policy", an important book from the 70's showing quite clearly that the secular rulers (main exception being the late Visigoths) of that time were firmly supportive of the Jewish communities well into the Carolingian age.

 

[Astronuc]

I need to find a good book on the history of N. Africa.


This might be of interest:
Early Medieval and Byzantine Civilization: Constantine to Crusades
http://www.tulane.edu/~august/H303/handouts/Finances.htm

http://www.tulane.edu/~august/H303/readings/Book_List.htm

http://www.tulane.edu/~august/H303/chronologies/rulers.htm


http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/BURLAT/home.html

 

[arildno]

I need to find a good book on the history of N. Africa.

Unfortunately, as far as I have gathered, the only major work there (for the time-period) is still a French work from the 1920's.

I DON'T READ FRENCH!

This might be of interest:
Early Medieval and Byzantine Civilization: Constantine to Crusades
http://www.tulane.edu/~august/H303/handouts/Finances.htm

http://www.tulane.edu/~august/H303/readings/Book_List.htm

http://www.tulane.edu/~august/H303/chronologies/rulers.htm

I'll have a look.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/BURLAT/home.html

 

[Astronuc]

Try this one too - The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian - quite inexpensive

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521520711/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Product Description

Dominated by the policies and personality of emperor Justinian I (527-565), this period of grand achievements and far-reaching failures witnessed the transformation of the Mediterranean world from Roman to Byzantine. Twenty specialists explore the most important aspects of the age--including the mechanics and theory of empire, warfare, urbanism, and economy. They also discuss the impact of the great plague, the codification of Roman law, and the many religious upheavals taking place at the time.

 

[Astronuc]

Unfortunately, as far as I have gathered, the only major work there (for the time-period) is still a French work from the 1920's.

I DON'T READ FRENCH!

Do you remember the title and/or author? Maybe it is time to learn French.

I discovered this - Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord by Charles-André Julien, Christian Courtois, and Roger Le Tourneau (Paperback - Oct 25, 1994)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/2228887897/?tag=pfamazon01-20

It is apparently translated to English.
HISTORY OF NORTH AFRICA: From the Arab Conquest to 1830 by Charles-Andre Julien (Paperback - 1970)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WW7DQU/?tag=pfamazon01-20

But the English version is apparently not in stock.

 

[arildno]

It was Courtois' work I was thinking of.

By the way, it seems that A.H.M Jones work is standard social history of the later roman empire, and although it comes out on about 1100 pages, 50$ isn't that forbidding:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801832853/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Astronuc]

By the way, it seems that A.H.M Jones work is standard social history of the later roman empire, and although it comes out on about 1100 pages, 50$ isn't that forbidding:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801832853/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Thanks! I just bought it.


There is this - C Courtois: Les Vandales et l'Afrique (1955) - which I found at
http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/medieval.html

and I found this

Vandals, Romans and Berbers: New Perspectives on Late Antique North Africa (Hardcover)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0754641457/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I just finished reading Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. Before that I read the Iliad and the Odyssey. Next will be The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. I read Atlas Shrugged and didn't think much of it. But I will give her a second chance. I read Catch-22 when I was 20 or so and liked it. I don't remember having trouble getting involved in it. But I was unable to read Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon and gave up after about 200 pages. I'm told that the first 200 pages were written to get rid of the riff-raff reader. I read The Hobbit, by Tolkien and didn't think much of it either. Then I started on the LOTR, but found it unreadable and gave up after about half of the first volume.

 

[binzing]

I just got done with "The Count of Monte Cristo (Abridged)". It's the basis of my summer project for Pre-AP English 10. It was pretty good...

 

[GeorginaS]

I'm currently mid-about four books right now (excluding my school reading) but the main one, I suppose, is Germaine Greer's new book Shakespeare's Wife . If you have any interest at all in an extremely well researched look at daily common people's lives in Tudor England, this book is fantastic. Of course, it's written as a response to books and essays written by people who disparage Ann Hathaway and claim that she tricked Shakespeare into marrying her and that he didn't really love her. Greer lays out the reality that, truly, there isn't enough known or concretely proven to make those claims or any claims about their relationship. What Greer does do is present possibilities within the context of how the majority of people lived their lives during that time, including stats on marriage ages, and employability of women, and whether or not newlyweds routinely lived with their families and etc. Her scope of research is breathtaking, and it's a very, very readable work of non-fiction.

 

[Astronuc]

I read The Hobbit, by Tolkien and didn't think much of it either. Then I started on the LOTR, but found it unreadable and gave up after about half of the first volume.

I read the Hobbit years ago to my son, then followed with the LOTR trilogy.

The first part of the first vol of LOTR drags on. It's probably best to start at Farmer Maggots - after they trudge through the forest. The 2nd and 3rd vols are better.

 

[binzing]

I found you could summarize much of LOTR like this:
Journey along
Set up camp, eat mutton and elf hardtack
Continue journeying along
Get attacked, come to some obstacle, etc.
Repeat

 

[arildno]

Thanks! I just bought it.


There is this - C Courtois: Les Vandales et l'Afrique (1955) - which I found at
http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/medieval.html

and I found this

Vandals, Romans and Berbers: New Perspectives on Late Antique North Africa (Hardcover)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0754641457/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Merrils' book was a bit steep.

I have just bought Jones' book right now, along with Heather's.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I just finished reading Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. Before that I read the Iliad and the Odyssey. Next will be The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. I read Atlas Shrugged and didn't think much of it. But I will give her a second chance. I read Catch-22 when I was 20 or so and liked it. I don't remember having trouble getting involved in it. But I was unable to read Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon and gave up after about 200 pages. I'm told that the first 200 pages were written to get rid of the riff-raff reader. I read The Hobbit, by Tolkien and didn't think much of it either. Then I started on the LOTR, but found it unreadable and gave up after about half of the first volume.

I ought to make a list of classics to pick up. When ever I walk into the book store I can't think of anything I had meant to look for.

I've not read Rand yet. I fear I just won't like her. I think there is a copy of Atlas Shrugged lying around at work somewhere that I could borrow though. No worry over spending on something I don't like that way. I picked up Don Quixote not that long ago and it was an uphill battle. Lacking knowledge of spanish history and knight errantry mythos I believe I missed most of the jokes leaving little but the slapstick and toilet humour, which was unfortunate. I still have a copy of Finnagan's Wake which daunted me after only a couple pages. :-/

I also want to read some more history though I think I may have trouble getting into the books Astronuc and Arildno are discussing.

 

[arildno]

Why??

What could be more exciting than the destruction of the Roman empire??

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Why??

What could be more exciting than the destruction of the Roman empire??

I'm sure that I would find a lot of it interesting. Its just that the particular books you are mentioning mostly give me the impression of being very dense.
Can you recommend something in say comic book form? ;-p

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I've not read Rand yet. I fear I just won't like her. I think there is a copy of Atlas Shrugged lying around at work somewhere that I could borrow though.

Try the library. Rand was not a native speaker of English and her writing style rots. (Neither was Nobokov and his style rocks). You read her for ideas or you toss her aside. I think most people would say that since they don't agree with her ideas, there is no point in reading her books and finding out what they are.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Learning about her philosophy is my main reason for wanting to read her.