Category Archives: history

A History of the Arab Peoples

Posted on August 17, 2009 by smellincoffee

A History of the Arab Peoples © 1991 Albert Hourani 565 pages, including appendices, maps, notes, and index. I picked this up (with both hands) to add historical context for my reading of The Essential Koran and to fill in … Continue reading →

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Securing Democracy

Posted on August 10, 2009 by smellincoffee

Securing Democracy: Why We Have an Electoral College © 2001 ed. Gary Gregg II 171 pages “The Framers of the Constitution would have been appalled at the notion that over time the presidency would become an objection pf partisan ambition, … Continue reading →

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Aristotle’s Children

Posted on August 7, 2009 by smellincoffee

Aristotle’s Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and illuminated the Dark Ages © 2003 Richard Rubenstein 368 pages That title is a touch misleading. While Rubenstein will mention Christians, Muslims, and Jews rediscovering ancient wisdom, he only … Continue reading →

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A People’s History of the American Revolution

Posted on June 30, 2009 by smellincoffee

A People’s History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence © 2001 Ray Ralphael 386 pages I look for some books, and some books happen to find me. This is one of the latter, as … Continue reading →

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The Age of American Unreason

Posted on June 25, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Age of American Unreason © 2008 Susan Jacoby 356 pages Oddly enough, I first heard of this book about a year ago when author Susan Jacoby was invited on Point of Inquiry to talk about it. I remember being … Continue reading →

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The Great Transformation

Posted on May 30, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Great Transformation: the Beginning of our Religious Traditions© 2006 Karen Armstrong469 pages I looked forward to reading this book, and my expectations were met. Karen Armstrong’s The Great Transformation is a historical narrative detailing the creation of four of … Continue reading →

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Islam

Posted on May 16, 2009 by smellincoffee

Islam: A Short History© 2000 Karen Armstrong222 This is the third or fourth book I’ve read in the “Modern Library Chronicle” series, which consists (I now realize) of brief but fairly informative treatments of given topics. I have not purposely … Continue reading →

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The Guns of August

Posted on May 14, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Guns of August© 1962 Barbara Tuchman511 pages The Guns of August, like Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, is work I’ve heard much of in my years as a history student. Used in my freshman … Continue reading →

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The Great Journey

Posted on May 3, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Great Journey: Peopling the Americas© 1987 Brian Fagan288 pages Fourth grade history was most memorable for me, for it was that year that we learned local history. Because Alabama was home to at least four native populations before the … Continue reading →

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A People’s History of the United States

Posted on May 2, 2009 by smellincoffee

A People’s History of the United States, 1492-Present© 2003 Howard Zinn729 pages I attracted a fair number of dirty looks and endured numerous assaults on my non-existent patriotism for reading this book, making it especially fun to read in public. … Continue reading →

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