I AM LOOKING FOR A BOOK ON.........? Showing 401-450 of 1,007

[Bryan]

Kathlyn wrote:

This is probably totally the wrong place to post this - if so, my apologies - but I couldn't see an obvious forum.

I am looking for an objective book on the Cuban missile crisis / Bay of Pigs. I saw the Kennedy book 'Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis' but thought this might be a tad biased. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Robert F. Kennedy

[Bryan]

Craig responded:

I wouldn't say Thirteen Days is biased, but it's not totally objective either. It's a first-hand account that is very slim and there have been many books published since then that do a more thorough job of looking at the Cuban Missile Crisis in terms of its role within the Cold War.

Inside the Kennedy Tapes by Ernest May and Phillip Zelikow is the book on which the movie Thirteen Days is based. It's very well respected. And I haven't read it, but One Hell of a Gamble by Aleksandr Fursenko is supposed to be pretty good. I'd also recommend One Minute to Midnight by Michael Stern and anything by Sheldon Stern who has written two books on the crisis and has a third being published later this year.

Robert F. Kennedy

Aleksandr Fursenko

Ernest R. May

Michael Dobbs

[Bryan]

I just read Dobbs' book and it was great. I highly recommend it.

For the Bay of Pigs, try:

Howard Jones

Michael Dobbs

[Kathlyn]

Brilliant, Bryan - many thanks for the suggestions!

And many thanks to the kind person who moved my post to the correct forum.

[Kathlyn]

Many thanks for the recommendations Bryan - and thanks to the kind person who moved my post to the right forum :)

[Bryan]

Kathlyn wrote: "Many thanks for the recommendations Bryan - and thanks to the kind person who moved my post to the right forum :)"

Glad to help, happy reading :-)

[Bryan]

Hold the phones, this is coming out, written by a historian at the JFK Library:

The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory: Myths versus Reality

Sheldon Stern

Synopsis

This book exposes the misconceptions, half-truths, and outright lies that have shaped the still dominant but largely mythical version of what happened in the White House during those harrowing two weeks of secret Cuban missile crisis deliberations. A half-century after the event it is surely time to demonstrate, once and for all, that RFK's Thirteen Days and the personal memoirs of other ExComm members cannot be taken seriously as historically accurate accounts of the ExComm meetings.

[Kathlyn]

I've added it to my 'to read list' Bryan - thanks.

Kathie

[Autumn]

Looking for good books on the history of scouting.
Sorry I asked this question when welcoming someone in the introduction thread so Jill sent me here. Thanks Jill for this link! :)
Also love Natural History books non-fiction as well so any good books in that genre would be appreciated.

[Craig]

baseball scouting or boy/girl scouting?

[Autumn]

Oh sorry. Boy scouting.

[Mark]

Autumn, there are a number of books, but here is one that I plan to read. It’s the historical biography of Baden-Powell, who founded the Boy Scouts.

Baden Powell: The Two Lives Of A Hero

by William Hillcourt

Synopsis
For anyone who has ever loved Scouting, this book by William “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt is truly an inspiring read. It tells Lord Baden-Powell’s story in two poignant parts: first, his illustrious military career in which he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General in the British army; then, his post-war vision that became the Boy Scout program. Read about his remarkable plan to engage boys in purposeful fun and draw them away from the rough streets of turn-of-the-century England.

[Autumn]

Mark wrote: "Autumn, there are a number of books, but here is one that I plan to read. It’s the historical biography of Baden-Powell, who founded the Boy Scouts.

Baden Powell: The Two Lives Of A Hero

[bookcov..."

Thank you so much Mark. This is exactly what I was looking for. It looks very good too. I have added it to my soon to be read list. :)

[Jennifer]

I'm doing a self study of the Roosevelts (FDR & ER). Has anyone read either of these books, and if so, any comments? Any suggestions for better bios?

by Jean Edward Smith

by Blanche Wiesen Cook

[Bryan]

Jennifer, I have both books in my library and they are based on favorable reviews. I think you are off to a good start.

[Tomerobber]

Jennifer wrote: "I'm doing a self study of the Roosevelts (FDR & ER). Has anyone read either of these books, and if so, any comments? Any suggestions for better bios?.

Hi Jennifer . . I have vol. 1 of Cook's book as well . . I also bought vol. 2 by her as well. I also own NO ORDINARY TIME


by Doris Kearns Goodwin
which is also in my TBR stack. I also have an interest in them as well . . . just haven't gotten time to read the books I already have. :-)

[Becky]

I've read and can recommend both No Ordinary Time and Eleanor Roosevelt Volume 1. Volume 2 was published in 1999 so there is no good reason for my not having read the second volume of Cook's work - the first was great. Volume 3, the final volume, has not been published yet. I read both when I was on a Roosevelt kick about 10 or so years ago.

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

& by Blanche Wiesen Cook (no photo)

[Jason]

Rob wrote: "Hello there, I'm looking for a book on the history of technology in the United States and how government subsidization and support has assisted its growth. Energy-related industries are my main foc..."

Hi Rob,

You might want to check out

The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick

[Bryan]

Thanks, Jason for the help. If you have a bookcover, you don't need a title link:

by James Gleick

[Jill H.]

Moved from another thread.

L.E. wrote...


I am trying to find information/books on the Welsh town of Carmarthen, particularly in relation to the police force at around or before the victorian era.

Information I have gathered so far was the police force was called the Carmarthen Shilling and the police station (previously a prison) was built in Carmarthen castle (one of the Architects being John Nash).

Any books/essays or pieces of information that you have or can point me to relating to Carmarthen in the georgian/victorian era would be really useful for my research.

Please either post here or you can send info directly to my email lefitzpatrick@hotmail.co.uk

Also any crime and punishment books relating to Wales in the georgian/victorian era would be great as well.

[Jill H.]

This is a post from Michelle which I have moved from another topic.

Michelle wrote....

I hope this is the correct area for this if not let me know and I will remove it. I am currently in a history class with a requirement of each student finding a Non-Fiction historical book. This book should be at least 150 pages and either historian or self written. The probably I have is I dont know where to start or look. And the book must take place during Pre-colonial America to 1877. Any one have any suggestions? Thank you for helping or even just reading.

[Ann D]

Michelle,
I like books about social history. Two books I liked were The Puritan Family: Religion and Domestic Relations in Seventeenth-Century New England by Edmund Morgan (186 pages) and Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England (400 pages). I also was fascinated by John Demos's The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America (252 pages). This is the true story of a Puritan girl who was kidnapped by Indians and refused to leave them once her own family finally found her.

Good luck!

by Edmund S. Morgan

by John Demos

by John Demos

[Jerome, Assisting Moderator - Upcoming Books and Releases]

Jim wrote: "Hello all!

I recently moved to France and I'm searching for two topics - overall French History and overall European history. What I'm after is broad-stroke overviews to help me learn the lay of t..."

Jim, you might like

by Norman Davies, a history of Europe up to 1998.

[Bryan]

Rob wrote: "Hello there, I'm looking for a book on the history of technology in the United States and how government subsidization and support has assisted its growth. Energy-related industries are my main foc..."

Rob, here is a start:

Alexis Madrigal

Thomas G. Mahnken

Carroll Pursell

J.L. Anderson

David R. Meyer

Sal Restivo

David Hounshell

[Bryan]

Michelle wrote...."I hope this is the correct area for this if not let me know and I will remove it. I am currently in a histor..."

Is there a time-period you are interested in? This might help us with our suggestions.

[Bryan]

Jill wrote: "L.E. wrote...I am trying to find information/books on the Welsh town of Carmarthen, particularly in relation to the police force at around or before the victorian era..."

Journal articles:

Richard W. Ireland, "Confinement with Hard Labour: Motherhood and Penal Practice in a Victorian Practice in a Victorian Gaol," Welsh History Review, Dec1997, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p621-638.

Richard W. Ireland, "Eugene Buckley and the Diagnosis of Insanity in the Early Victorian Prison," Llafur: Journal of Welsh Labour History, 1993, Vol. 6 Issue 2, p 5-17.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Thank you Bryan.

[Peter]

I am looking for a good biography of Carl Friedrich Gauss. There is a book for high school students, but I haven't found a good full-length biography of Gauss, which is odd because he is one of the top three mathematicians of all time.

[Jill H.]

You might try this one, Peter, although it has gotten mixed reviews.

by M.B.W. Tent

or this one:

Waldo Dunnington

[Peter]

Jill wrote: "You might try this one, Peter, although it has gotten mixed reviews.

by M.B.W. Tent

or this one:

by M.B.W. Tent I will look into Carl Friedrich Gauss: Titan of Science by Waldo Dunnington

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Remember Peter to still cite any authors or books even when referencing previous posts.

M.B.W. Tent (no photo)

Waldo Dunnington (no photo)

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

I think Renaissance that you should start with a book or two on World War I.

I would start with The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. That is a book which discusses the preliminary events leading to that war - Best to start at the beginning - and it is very readable.

by Barbara W. Tuchman

Synopsis

Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Tuchman has brought to life again the people and events that led up to World War I. With attention to fascinating detail, and an intense knowledge of her subject and its characters, Ms. Tuchman reveals, for the first time, just how the war started, why, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't. A classic historical survey of a time and a people we all need to know more about, THE GUNS OF AUGUST will not be forgotten

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Renaissance, we also have folders "with many threads" dedicated to World War I and World War II with hundreds of books listed with their reviews.

Here is the link to the folder on World War I:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

Here is the link to the folder on World War II:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

[Jill H.]

Another perceptive and fascinating look at the events that led to The Great War. It is very well done.

The Lions of July

The Lions of July: Prelude to War, 1914 by William Jannen (no photos available)


Synopsis

The Lions of July is a sweeping study of the series of events that begins with the assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, and culminates in the slaughter of the First World War. Europe's leaders were trapped by their shared history: vivid memories of past aggressions, some going back centuries. From inside war rooms, secret council chambers and throne rooms around Europe, historian William Jannen vividly describes how a traditional, leisurely, and largely aristocratic diplomacy broke down as monarchs, ministers, and diplomats, overwhelmed by fear and tension and the sheer pace of events, gradually lost control and stumbled into war. The failure of the great men of Europe to preserve peace resulted in the death of empires, along with millions of their subjects, bringing the old world order crashing down and sending echoes through time that still reverberate today. This inspired, masterful work brings the tragic summer of 1914 to life. Herein, author Jannen demonstrates that no single action or decision ever stands by itself.

['Aussie Rick']

Hi Renaissance,

Martin Gilbert and John Keegan both offer decent general accounts of World War One and Two:

& by John Keegan

& by Martin Gilbert

[Michelle]

Bryan wrote: "Michelle wrote...."I hope this is the correct area for this if not let me know and I will remove it. I am currently in a histor..."

Is there a time-period you are interested in? This might help u..."
I find that Im more drawn to Native American topics or books about the strong woman during this time period. I also like books about strong presidents.

[Caitlin]

I'm looking for some non-fiction books about France in the 18th and 19th centuries. I'm basically looking for a good overview book so I can narrow down where I want to focus. Any suggestions of some good ones to start with?

[Peter]

Caitlin - that's an era of enormous change and enormous personalities - you've got Louis XIV and the French Revolution and Napoleon! I think you'd probably want to start with one book on each of these. I will let people who are more expert in French history recommend some particular books.

['Aussie Rick']

Hi Caitlin,

You could try this series of books. I am yet to read them myself but they have received some great reader reviews:

& & & by Will Durant

[Bryan]

Caitlin. These are good overviews:

William Doyle

Colin Jones

[Jill H.]

Here is another book which may be of interest to you by one of my favorite historians.


by Christopher Hibbert

[Kirstie]

Hello there. I'm hoping someone can help with a recommendation for a book providing as objective as possible a history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, at least up through the Oslo Accords in 1993. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

[Peter]

Kirstie wrote: "Hello there. I'm hoping someone can help with a recommendation for a book providing as objective as possible a history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, at least up through the Oslo Accords in 1993. ..."

Objective is impossible in history in general, and you've chosen a most volatile area. I'd say you'd have to read a variety of books by a variety of sources - Israeli, Palestinian, other Arab, perhaps British, etc. and then make up your own mind.

[Kirstie]

Peter wrote: Objective is impossible in history in general, and you've chosen a most volatile area. I'd say you'd have to read a variety of books by a variety of sources - Israeli, Palestinian, other Arab, perhaps British, etc. and then make up your own mind. "

Hi Peter. Completely understood, and that's why I qualified my request with "as objective as possible." I'd love to know if you have any specific recommendations in mind! Thanks in advance.

[Mark]

Peter wrote: "Objective is impossible in history in general, and you've chosen a most volatile area. I'd say you'd have to read a variety of books by a variety of sources - Israeli, Palestinian, other Arab, perhaps British, etc. and then make up your own mind."

Kirstie I tend to agree with Peter. I'll check around, but this is a tough one.

[Kirstie]

Mark wrote: "Kirstie I tend to agree with Peter. I'll check around, but this is a tough one. "

Hi Mark. Yes, I understand. I'd really welcome any recommendations for well written accounts from a variety of sources, which I could read and use to formulate my own opinions. Thanks!

[Peter]

One good one is by Howard M. Sachar (no photo)

I read the first edition a long time ago.

[Kirstie]

Peter wrote: "One good one is by Howard M. Sachar (no photo)

I read the first edition a long time ago."

Great! Thanks so much, Peter. I'm putting it on my list!

[Jill H.]

I'm afraid this book isn't very objective but it is a good one.

by Alan M. Dershowitz

[Jack]

I found this one very good. The Arab-Israeli Wars: War and Peace in the Middle East Chaim Herzog

I would recommend you try some other ones on how they got this way. I recommend two.

The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Jonathan Schneer

and

Empires of the Sand: The Struggle for Mastery in the Middle East, 1789-1923 Efraim Karsh

These ones were some of my favorites. I hope they work for you.