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  <title><![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]></description>
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    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[My daughter will be assigned readings from this in her history class this year. Sounds fascinating! Oddly (or not so), the teacher mentioned the kids often don't like it much. Yet they'll know it's there as they get older and wiser, and they can return and appreciate it later (certainly most do). (p...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71408174">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <date_added>Sun Mar 29 22:38:56 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Mar 29 22:39:08 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Piers Brendon is Britain's keeper of the Churchill Archives. This is hardly his first work. In addition to the expected Churchill biography, he's also written a couple of books on the Windsors, wrote the well-received &quot;Emminent Edwardians&quot; and even a biography on Ike. But for majesterial s...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50885414">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50885414]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[David]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[A monumental history of the Depression and the march towards war, covering the period from the stock market crash in late 1929 until the German tanks rolled into Poland in September, 1939. It is astoundingly good. Brendon is a masterful storyteller with a gift for both synthesis and exposition. His ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76197374">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76197374]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>72715836</id>
    <user>
    <id>2184529</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Justin]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Sep 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 27 19:16:44 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Sep 27 19:24:49 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Brendon tried to the impossible with this book- there's just no way anyone can squeeze a decade as crazy as the thirties into one book. Given that though, he did a great job of laying out the facts. But don't come to this book expecting explanation. The vast majority of it reads like the work of an ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72715836">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72715836]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>42989223</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Ian]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Eugene, OR]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2000</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Feb 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jan 13 22:30:20 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Feb 04 20:30:25 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[To be perfectly honest, I would never have evn touched this book if it was required reading for a class that had few requirements. That siad upon reading it I actually enjoyed it. It was sry and packed full of infromation to the point of being an Atlas with sentences, but it was fun. Tid bits and st...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42989223">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42989223]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42989223]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Paul]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[Dark Valley]]>
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2000</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 26 04:16:54 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Mar 26 08:02:30 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A dense, yet utterly readable account of the inter-war years. Brandon, puts forward a broad interpretation of how events unfolded to cause the world to return to war a generation after the Great War. This interpretation is unsurprisingly rooted in developments within and between nation-states. <br/>...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18659778">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18659778]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18659778]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>49849409</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Timothy]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">14</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174548142s/416343.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>48</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2000</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Mar 20 04:43:18 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 02 07:49:15 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I was looking for a book to continue the timeline from Paris:1919.  The Dark Valley really does a great job of bridging the gap between World War 1, Versailles, and World War 2.  There is an overwhelming amount of material, but I think Brendon went just deep enough to make this a comprehensive resou...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49849409">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49849409]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49849409]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>70269010</id>
    <user>
    <id>2149642</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Daniel]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2149642-daniel]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174548142m/416343.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>48</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2000</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sun Sep 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 06 13:13:08 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Sep 06 18:16:41 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Good overview of an international overview of the 1930s. Each chapter focuses on a specific nation (with some nations visited multiple times as the 1930s go on). Sometimes a little tricky to follow, as the chronology therefore jumps back and forth.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70269010]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70269010]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>19840263</id>
    <user>
    <id>1071164</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Rasmus]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Thailand]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>48</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2000</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Mon Apr 26 00:00:00 -0700 2004</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Apr 09 20:12:56 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Apr 09 20:18:28 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I often think of this as the best book I have ever read. It is for sure top two.<br/>This is a very well written history book about the world in the 1930's. The time of depression, growth of fascism, nazism and Japanese fanatsism, that eventually led to World War II.<br/>What makes this different ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19840263">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19840263]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19840263]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>862871</id>
    <user>
    <id>13321</id>
    <name><![CDATA[muraguri]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New York, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13321-muraguri]]></link>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">14</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174548142m/416343.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174548142s/416343.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>48</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2000</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Wed Sep 12 05:13:04 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Apr 24 12:03:51 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Apr 25 04:42:06 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Brilliant, cinematic, utterly illuminating...Ok that's the Financial Times. I'm fighting through a bout of laziness and apathy. <br/><br/>Brandon starts at the close of WWII with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and explores its effect on all involved parties. He also gives a survey of the ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/862871">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/862871]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/862871]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>56848774</id>
    <user>
    <id>229989</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Robert]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Yorktown Heights, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/229989-robert]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1205850278p3/229989.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">14</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174548142m/416343.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174548142s/416343.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>48</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2000</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jun 10 13:26:12 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu May 21 08:15:12 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 10 13:26:12 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I am finding this book an excellent accompaniment for Allan Furst's novels, many of which are set in this period.  It is not an exhaustive history, but moves around the globe detailing the rise of fascism, Stalinism, and the crisis of capitalism in Europe and Asia.  ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56848774]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56848774]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2832899</id>
    <user>
    <id>156646</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Betsy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Pittsburgh, PA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/156646-betsy]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">709043</id>
  <isbn>0712667148</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780712667142</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Dark Valley]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177506900m/709043.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>48</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
  </description>
  <published>2000</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jul 08 11:12:08 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jul 08 11:12:08 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A lot of books are devoted to WWII but really the decade leading up to it is much more fascinating. This book gives a great analysis of the different participants of the war in the  years leading up to it. The large focus makes it impossible to give true in depth description to any of them. But it d...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2832899">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2832899]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2832899]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>78533699</id>
    <user>
    <id>2379011</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Amsterdam, Netherlands]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <![CDATA[The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s]]>
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[I seriously couldn't stop reading it. It was not a short book and I wish it had been longer! The author does a great job with his subject matter, and I would love to read more by him.]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[More poetry than prose, a fascinating look at the &quot;low decade&quot; before the world dissolved in fire.]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[This is the best popular history book I have ever read. ]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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    <![CDATA[&quot;Dark Valley&quot; as a phrase was coined first by the Japanese to refer to the desperate years of chaotic depression that followed the 1929 slump. But, as Piers Brendon's epic history of the same name vividly demonstrates, it was apt to describe any of the world's leading nations of the time--the crippled, traumatized European powers, a moody, solitary U.S., Stalin's outcast Soviet Union, and volatile, upstart Japan--with varying degrees of severity and fascinatingly contrasting outcomes. With no dishonor to those who endured the unspeakable traumas of the First World War, reading Brendon's scholarly tome leaves little scope to argue with the assertion, made by Leon Blum, among others, that the economic crisis and its effects were as traumatic as the &quot;war to end all wars.&quot; Worse was to come, for sure, but the events that led to the &quot;chasm&quot; of the Second World War still boggle the mind--from our safe distance it is difficult to comprehend that this actually came to pass, yet at the same time the whole era seems to be engulfed by a fatalistic air of inevitability. In many ways, the insane dance of rampant ideological forces and economic desperation unleashed across the sphere make for the more gripping history, and in Brendon's hands, the cast of thousands is skillfully evoked, while the facts are judiciously evaluated, in a rolling narrative through the tribulations of the era. This is first-class historical writing, but certainly not for the faint-hearted. <em>--Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk</em> ]]>
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  <published>2000</published>
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  <date_added>Tue Nov 24 06:58:43 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Nov 24 06:58:43 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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