I AM LOOKING FOR A BOOK ON.........? Showing 151-200 of 1,007

[Michael]

Hi I am looking for a good book on the nuremburg Trials

[Bryan]

Bentley wrote: "This was moved (This is the appropriate thread for request)

From Zohar:

Whenever I "drag" the family to historical field trips I make sure they have the right background and knowledge so when we..."

Zohar:

You could try for your daughter:
by Matt Doeden
It is a graphic novel and it is geared to elementary school age.

Or a picture book:
by David A. Adler

For your wife:
Dumas Malone
Any of the Monticello monographs are great. Check out:
http://www.monticellocatalog.org/book...

A good Monticello overview:
by Susan R. Stein

Enjoy Monticello and its new visitor center!

['Aussie Rick']

Michael wrote: "Hi I am looking for a good book on the nuremburg Trials"

Hi Michael, one book that I read many years back which I think covers the trials best was; "Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial" by Joseph Persico.

by Joseph E. Persico
Review:
"Persico offers not the history but the story of the trial of Nazi Germany's major war criminals. He is concerned less with legal issues and courtroom procedures than with a fundamental question: Did it all matter? His answer is mixed. While the tribunal's validity remains debatable, to demand perfection from the institutions of justice is to deny justice itself. Persico demonstrates that Nuremberg was not a kangaroo court; the defendants had their choice of attorneys and full access to the prosecution's documentation. If individual verdicts may be questioned, no saints or statesmen lost life or freedom. The trial demonstrated beyond question Nazi Germany's crimes and destroyed beyond hope any Nazi martyrology. Arguably, it helped lay the grounds for Germany's eventual democratic reconstruction. The Nuremberg proceedings may not have deterred later aggressors, but they at least established a precedent for law that supersedes national sovereignty. This well-written, well-researched volume belongs in all collections on World War II." - D.E. Showalter (Library Journal)

[Michael]

Thanks 'Aussie Rick' as normal you deliver.

['Aussie Rick']

I try :) I hope you enjoy the book if you decide to read it.

[Sasha]

Also looking for biographies of Da Vinci and Galileo; anyone got a favorite to recommend?

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Aussie Rick is simply the best (smile)

['Aussie Rick']

Thank you Bentley. In regards to your search for some books on Galileo and Da Vinci I can suggest these two for possible starters:

by James Reston Jr.

by Michael White

[Michael]

Hi all Im looking for a book on the Spanish Genocide of the Jews in the 16th century. Obscure topic I know but surely someone's written a book on the subject.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Michael - I don't know of any that I have read...but maybe Aussie Rick might have some recommendations.

['Aussie Rick']

Hi Michael,

That's a hard one, maybe Manuela might be able to suggest a good book. One book that sort of covers around that period (although a little earlier than you want) that may point you in the right direction is “Dogs of God: Columbus, the Inquisition, and the Defeat of the Moors" by James Reston Jr.

I am having problems with the add book/author function so I will post a review here which may give you an idea of the book:

Review:
"When I was in primary school, one date in history was considered so important that it had its own ditty. Remember this? "Columbus sailed the ocean blue, in fourteen-hundred-and-ninety-two."
But a little ditty can't encompass all that happened that momentous year. Eight centuries of Islamic culture in Spain were wiped out after a bloody military campaign, and the Spanish Inquisition dramatically expanded its reach into every aspect of society. It was also the year in which the country's Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, expelled the Jews from their realm.
James Reston's Dogs of God attempts to draw together these apparently disparate strands, arguing that Columbus's voyage to the New World was inextricably linked to the victory of Christianity over Islam in the Iberian peninsula. It's an interesting thesis, and his research has led him into a rich and fascinating period of European history. The last quarter of the 15th century was turbulent, violent and characterized by religious bigotry. It was also a time when mariners were pushing their caravels into uncharted waters. As Reston -- the author of three books on medieval history, including Warriors of God, an account of the Third Crusade -- makes clear, one of history's supreme ironies is that the European discovery of the New World and the rolling back of global horizons were sponsored by two monarchs whose vision of the world seems (to modern eyes) myopic and terrifyingly prejudiced.
Ferdinand and Isabella are the principal protagonists in Dogs of God, yet the lesser characters are no less colorful and grotesque. There's a lovely vignette about the effeminate King Enrique IV of Castile, known as El Impotente, and his attempt to artificially inseminate his wife. And the outlandish Pope Alexander VI makes several appearances, often in the company of one or another of his beautiful mistresses.
Reston's narrative begins in the 13th century, when Islamic rule in Spain was in its twilight. Many of the great centers of Moorish culture had already been reconquered by the forces of Christendom, yet a few Moorish cities -- notably Granada -- remained vibrant intellectual centers. The debt that modern Europe and America owe to Spain's Islamic empire of Al Andalus is an unfashionable subject and -- given today's political climate -- likely to remain so. Yet Reston rightly argues that some of the greatest achievements of the early Renaissance, including the discoveries of Columbus, were conceived in medieval Al Andalus. Islamic scholars translated Arabic science and mathematics into Latin and enriched the language with new words -- "zero," "algebra" and "elixir" all come from Arabic.
Yet when Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile were married in 1468, they vowed to destroy the last vestiges of Islamic rule in Spain. They pursued this goal energetically, capturing Granada in 1492. Their military zeal went hand-in-hand with a determination to rid their kingdom of heretics. The ensuing terror of the Inquisition -- the second strand in Reston's book -- makes for compelling reading. King Ferdinand's Dominican advisers (the dogs of God in the title) argued that Spanish Christianity was imperiled by the presence of conversos, or Jewish converts. They persuaded the monarchs to establish an inquisition, with Tomas de Torquemada as its chief architect.
The mechanics of the infamous auto-da-fé, or test of faith, are told with grisly relish. Water torture, death by fire and dismemberment were all in a day's work for Torquemada, whose diabolical goal was to utterly destroy Spain's thriving Jewish community. He maneuvered with Machiavellian adroitness, convincing Isabella that the enforced exit of the Jews was a necessary adjunct to the defeat of the Moors. In March 1492, the monarchs issued their Edict of Expulsion. With a stroke, Spain's Jews were forced into exile.
Up to this point in the book, Reston's narrative is coherent and convincingly argued. But where does Columbus fit into this tale of reconquest and inquisition? True, he set sail in the same year as the expulsion of the Jews. And he certainly saw his voyage as an evangelizing mission to bring Christianity to the heathen. But Ferdinand and Isabella themselves showed little enthusiasm for Columbus's proposed voyage and repeatedly denied it their blessing. It took the explorer six years to persuade the reluctant monarchs to sponsor him, and even then they offered precious little substantive help. One cannot help feeling that the author's thesis is similarly lacking in substance -- that an intriguing idea is marred by a shortfall of evidence. One other complaint is his tendency to be colloquial, which sits uneasily with the seriousness of the subject. Charles, Duke of Berry, is "wimpy," King Ferdinand is "strapping," and Columbus is "an oily huckster."
Although Dogs of God has its flaws, it is an engaging and highly readable book on a much-neglected subject. Reston points out in his prologue that the bombers who killed 191 Spanish commuters on March 11, 2004, justified their actions by invoking the defeat of the Moorish caliphate in 1492. The events in Dogs of God may have taken place more than 500 years ago, but there are times when they seem chillingly, worryingly familiar." - Giles Milton (Washington Post)

[Michael]

Thanks for that 'Aussie Rick'. Ive had that book on my to read list for a while.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

James Reston Jr.

Hope this helps

['Aussie Rick']

Thanks for the book cover Bentley, for some reason I could not add it to my post, very frustrating!

['Aussie Rick']

Michael wrote: "Thanks for that 'Aussie Rick'. Ive had that book on my to read list for a while."

Hi Michael, I think you'll find it an enjoyable read with lots of information. I know it doesn't exactly cover the period your after but it leads into and it may offer you some other books you could follow up on.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Thanks for the book cover Bentley, for some reason I could not add it to my post, very frustrating!"

No problem...I think sometimes it has something to do with your cache.

[Bryan]

Here might be a lead:

by Joseph Perez

by Haim Beinart

[Michael]

Thanks Bryan. As always the goods are delivered :)

['Aussie Rick']

Some excellent recommendations there Bryan, the book "History of a Tragedy" looks very interesting, it may even tempt me!

by Joseph Perez

[Bryan]

Quite Welcome, all; a very interesting period of history.

[Sasha]

Coincidentally, I`m reading Dogs of War right now. Enjoying it, although Im not terribly deep into it yet.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Alex wrote: "Coincidentally, I`m reading Dogs of War right now. Enjoying it, although Im not terribly deep into it yet."

Even though a book is mentioned before, when citing it make sure to add the book cover, author's photo and author's link so that the goodreads software can do its job; also it helps our members to discover which book you are actually reading.

Are you reading the following:

by Frederick Forsyth or were you referencing message 170 and 169

[Sasha]

Ah, desolee. J`ai oublie. I`m in France right now. It was indeed Dogs of God; I misspoke.

by James Reston, Jr.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Good for you (being in France) and see how we can not certain what you are referring.

[Stephen]

Hi everyone. I was hoping for some recommendations on good general history books dealing with Renaissance Italy and the Renaissance Popes focusing mainly on the economic and political machinations of the time. I am currently reading The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by Barbara Tuchman and there is a segment dealing with the Renaissance Popes and how their "folly" led to the Protestant Reformation. It was fascinating and so I was hoping to learn more about the period. Any thoughts?

['Aussie Rick']

Hi Stephen,

The link below will take you to the Renaissance thread where there are a number of posts talking about good books which may led you in the right direction.

Renaissance

My favourite book on the subject is "A World Lit Only by Fire" by William Manchester. Please be aware that when you mention any books we require a link to the book and author as per below. It takes a while but you'll get use to it.

by William Raymond Manchester

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Hi Stephen - first make sure to take a look at the guidelines and policy links that Aussie Rick was so kind to post for you. I appreciate your citing the title of the book. However, we always add the book cover, the author's photo when available and the author's link which is the author's name in text.

So, your add would look like this:

by Barbara W. Tuchman


Why do we do this? Because then the powerful goodreads' software will be able to populate not only the particular thread where the citation is made but the entire group site and goodreads itself.

[Stephen]

Thanks Aussie Rick for the heads up on book citing (I will check out the guidelines to see how to list book covers and author photos as I have only ever listed titles and authors before now). I will also check out the Renaissance topic and appreciate the recommendation.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

This has been moved to the appropriate location:

From a new member named David:

Hello I am trying to find some good books on day to day life, religion, medicine, superstition of the earliest Anglo settlers-- circle 1600.

[Shannon]

Samuel Eliot Morison

There are two different edition so be careful. The one that I'm recommending is published in softcover of 3 volumes, and you want to read Volume I Prehistory to 1789. The cover shown by Goodread is hardback and might have all three volumes in one book, I can't tell though.

This book would be general enough to give a good background, but specific enough to offer good primary sources to read next. The drawback to this recommendation is that SE Morrison is often out of print since he has passed on.

Also, a unique primary source: Mary Rowlandson

There are more, including a book on the history of slavery in America, which I can't find to recommend for you. I'm still looking.

[Janet]

I'm looking for biographies/autobiographies about aircraft designers. Thanks!

['Aussie Rick']

Stanley's Mom wrote: "I'm looking for biographies/autobiographies about aircraft designers. Thanks!"

Hi Stanley's Mom, is there any particular time period or country that you are interested in in regards to your search for books on biographies/autobiographies about aircraft designers?

[Janet]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "...is there any particular time period or country that you are interested in in regards to ...biographies/autobiographies about aircraft designers?
..."

Any country; c. 1915-1940 (+/-)
Thank you 'Aussie Rick'!

['Aussie Rick']

Hi Stanley's Mom, one book that I enjoyed that covers military aviation from 1909 to 1921 was "the Great War in the Air" by John Morrow.

John H. Morrow Jr.
Reviews:
“Aimed at the general reader as well as the specialist, Morrow's history of the development and significance of airpower during WW I will be considered definitive. He compares the military, technological and industrial aspects in the air services of the major powers--France, Germany, England, Italy, Russia, Austria-Hungary, the U.S. - and reveals how, by means of superior production (particularly French aero-engine manufacture), the Allies prevailed in the air war. Extensively researched, the study traces the increasingly important role of aviation in the 1914-1918 conflict, first in rendering ground forces more effective through air reconnaissance and artillery observation and later in air-to-air combat, bombing and strafing. Morrow, a history professor at the University of Georgia, carries his narrative past the Armistice to describe the postwar demobilization of the air services and contraction of the aviation industry, highlighting the impact of the war on the future of air power.’ – Publishers Weekly

“Organized year by year, Morrow's encyclopedic examination of aviation's part in World War I concentrates on aircraft engine and airframe production, moving from the slow and frail craft suitable only for artillery spotting to the fleets of fast and durable aircraft that swarmed through the skies at the war's end, their superior numbers meaning victory for the Allies. The approach of the author (history, Univ. of Georgia) is academic, but the emotional content of contemporary accounts rises to the surface now and then with excerpts of letters and other sources to put a human face on this brutal use of an infant technology. This is a serious yet readable history of this vital part of the conflict, meant for any reader with an interest in the early years of aviation.” – Library Journal


I will have a look around in my library and see what other titles I have that may cover the subject.

['Aussie Rick']

Another one I just remembered that covers Anthony Fokker and his planes is; "Fokker: The Creative Years" by A. R. Weyl.

Fokker: The Creative Years (no cover) by A. R. Weyl

The publisher; Putnam, has produced a great and varied range on aircraft and their designers but you may have to go to a library to access the books as many our out of print.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

by Daniel Raymer

Brief Review:

Dan Raymer, noted aircraft designer and author of the industry standard textbook Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach, has written a non-technical book that will be treasured by everyone who loves airplanes, wonders how they get designed, and wants to know how somebody becomes an aircraft designer.

Half the book is Raymer’s warm and personal memoir of growing up in the 50’s and 60’s as the son of a Navy Test Pilot, discovering his own love of aviation, and entering the rarefied club of those who stare at a blank sheet of paper and turn it into a new aircraft or spacecraft design. The other half covers Raymer’s early involvement in the projects that became the B-2, F-22, T-45, F-35, and many more.

The book is an “easy” read, quick-paced, funny, and aimed at a general audience. Raymer includes his mistakes, disappointments, and downright stupid decisions. It’s not all airplanes either – read about Raymer’s aborted musical career, his misadventures in exotic destinations like Belarus, Turkey, and Bulgaria, how he got on the Internet early enough to grab www.aircraftdesign.com, and how he came to write his design textboo

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Daniel P. Raymer

Brief Review:

This highly-regarded textbook presents the entire process of aircraft conceptual design, from requirements definition through initial sizing, configuration layout, analysis, sizing, and trade studies, in the same manner seen in industry aircraft design groups. Interesting and easy to read, AIRCRAFT DESIGN: A Conceptual Approach is the number one selling AIAA technical book (30,000 copies to date). It has received the Aviation/Space Writers' Association Award of Excellence and the prestigious AIAA Summerfield Book Award.

In his monthly column, Peter Garrison of Flying Magazine recommended it as the best book for learning how to design an airplane. The book is in university use throughout the world, and is also a favorite of practicing design engineers who find it a trusty reference for a wide range of design information. As one measure of its utility and acceptance - well-worn copies are commonly seen at designers' desks and in government aerospace offices.

AIAA's Editorial Echoes column did an interesting interview with Daniel Raymer about the writing of the book and the award of the AIAA Summerfield Book Award.

Raymer's site:

http://www.aircraftdesign.com/raymer....

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Elsie MacGill was the first woman to receive an electrical engineering degree in Canada and the first woman aircraft designer in the world. During World War II, Elsie MacGill oversaw the design and production of 1450 Hawker Hurricane airplanes in Canada, earning her the nickname "Queen of the Hurricanes." Elsie MacGill was also active in womens rights isssues and in 1967 was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.

About Elsie MacGill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Ma...

http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/elsi...

A Novel about Elsie:

Jeanette Lynes

Here is a tribute to her with a bibliography:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/wo...

Elsie actually wrote a tribute to her mother: My mother the Judge

My mother the judge: A biography of Helen Gregory MacGill - no bookcover available on goodreads - Elsie Gregory MacGill

This was a book written about her (no bookcover available)

Her Daughter the Engineer: The Life of Elsie Gregory Macgill by Richard I. Bourgeois-Doyle

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

This was an article in Time magazine in 1951 about the Soviet Union's top aircraft designers at that time:

Foreign News: RUSSIA'S TOP AIRCRAFT DESIGNERS

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/art...

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Aircraft Designers of World War I:


Geoffrey De Havilland
Louis Blériot
Louis Charles Breguet
Anthony Fokker
Hugo Junkers
Igor Sikorsky
Gianni Caproni

http://www.century-of-flight.net/Avia...

Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker

by Sir Geoffrey De Havilland

Books LLC

Steven Otfinski

William E. Hunt

Edmund I. 'Skip' Eveleth

Edwin Brit Wyckoff

Dorothy Cochrane

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Another good site:

http://aircraftdesigners.blogspot.com/

There is a movie which has a free download on Internet Archive which you may be interested in: (about Mitchell - designer of the Spitfire

It is called: The First of the Few

http://www.archive.org/details/TheFir...

This book is by Mitchell's son and is of course about his father.

Gordon Mitchell

Another good site:

http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/mr-mi...

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Burt Rutan: (an aerospace engineer - a little beyond the average airplane)

Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan (born June 17, 1943) is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. He is famous for his design of the record-breaking Voyager, which was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling, and the sub-orbital spaceplane SpaceShipOne, which won the Ansari X-Prize in 2004 for becoming the first privately funded spacecraft to enter the realm of space twice within a two week period. He has four aircraft on display in the National Air and Space Museum: SpaceShipOne, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, Voyager, and the VariEze.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Rutan

Kris Hirschmann

Vera Foster Rollo

[Alisa]

I can't compete with the walking libraries that are my distinguished moderating colleagues (Bentley and Aussie Rick, impressive lists!). But I poked around and found this which looks interesting enough that I may add it to my list too. Aviation = Wright Brothers in my mind, this looks pretty good.

byJames Tobin

['Aussie Rick']

That looks like a pretty interesting book Alisa, nice recommendation!

Another series that I can suggest Stanley's Mom is by the author Leo McKinstry who has written books on the Spitfire, Lancaster and the Hurricane:

& & by Leo McKinstry

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Alisa wrote: "I can't compete with the walking libraries that are my distinguished moderating colleagues (Bentley and Aussie Rick, impressive lists!). But I poked around and found this which looks interesting e..."

Yes, I thought about the Wright Brothers and then thought how far back does Stanley's Mom want to go...but they are ever so important. While visiting the Outer Banks, Hatteras, Ocracoke...I decided to take a jaunt and side trip to the Wright Brothers museum in Kill Devil Hills/Manteo North Carolina. If you have not been it is well worth the trip.

Here is the link:

http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/

Alisa...this does look like a good book.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "That looks like a pretty interesting book Alisa, nice recommendation!

Another series that I can suggest Stanley's Mom is by the author Leo McKinstry who has written books on the Spitfire, Lanca..."

Yes, these are good books Aussie Rick but I thought that Stanley's Mom was more focused on the airplane designers themselves. But while you are reading why not dig in to these as well (lots of good books out there)

['Aussie Rick']

Hi Bentley, Leo McKinstry tends to provide a biography on each plane, covering its design, manufacture and then first-hand accounts from those who test flew them and then those who flew them in combat:
"As with his earlier books McKinstry interweaves the engineering lore and red-tape disputes behind the aircraft's manufacturing history with first-hand descriptions of its reliability and effectiveness...."

Here are a few books covering a few aircaft engineers/designers (not read):


by Gordon Mitchell

by John Shelton

by Ian Lloyd

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Yes, Aussie Rick, in message 198, I discussed and posted the book by Gordon Mitchell and provided some terrific links. Gordon Mitchell actually published two books about his father and the Spitfire.

The Shelton and Lloyd books look good. I think Stanley's Mom has more than enough to keep her busy for years. (smile)

['Aussie Rick']

Hi Bentley, I saw all your recommendations must have missed Gordon Mitchell's books, sorry :)

yes I think poor old Stanley's Mom has more than enough to sort through.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

I think she has enough reading for five years. (smile)