Category Archives: history

A People’s History of American Empire

Posted on April 23, 2009 by smellincoffee

A People’s History of American Empire: A Graphic Adaption© 2008 Howard Zinn273 pages Earlier in the week, I read A People’s History of American Empire, composed by Howard Zinn, Mike Konopacki, and Paul Buhle. The book is a graphic novel, … Continue reading →

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Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade

Posted on April 18, 2009 by smellincoffee

Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade: the Americas Before Columbus© 1991 Brian M. Fagan240 pages, including 180 photographs set into the text I’ve had a fascination with the Aztecs for most of my life, since I first saw pictures in … Continue reading →

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Persian Fire

Posted on April 16, 2009 by smellincoffee

Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West© 2005 Tom Holland418 pages After reading Holland’s Rubicon, blogger ResoluteReader recommended that I read Persian Fire as well. I have an interest in the various Persian and Babylonian … Continue reading →

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The Great Warming

Posted on April 4, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations© 2008 Brian Fagan282 pages Earlier this year, Dr. Brian M. Fagan visited my university to deliver a talk titled “Climate Change, the Flail of God, or the Elephant … Continue reading →

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Rubicon

Posted on March 30, 2009 by smellincoffee

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic© 2003 Tom Holland407 pages, including index As a student of history, Rome holds a particularly strong fascination for me. Having been brought up in western civilization, Roman history is my history. I … Continue reading →

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Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History

Posted on March 19, 2009 by smellincoffee

Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History© Patrick Hunt 2001226 pages I spotted this while ambling through the history section of the Selma library, and it turned out to be a splendid read. Archaeologist Patrick Hunt takes on a tour of the … Continue reading →

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The Roman Mind

Posted on March 2, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Roman Mind: Studies in the History of Thought from Cicero to Marcus Aurelius© 1956 M.L. Clarke168 pg. While Rome is known for its administrative prowess, author M.L. Clarke wants to remind us that they were thinkers, too: philosophers, borrowing … Continue reading →

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The Gifts of the Jews

Posted on February 25, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everybody Thinks and Feels© Thomas Cahill293 pages This week I continued in Thomas Cahill’s Hinges of History series with The Gifts of the Jews. Rather than … Continue reading →

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Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea

Posted on February 21, 2009 by smellincoffee

Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter© 2003 Thomas Cahill303 pages, including index I believe I picked this book up years ago, but never finished it. Very little seemed familiar as I read through the book this week, so … Continue reading →

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How the Irish Saved Civilization

Posted on February 10, 2009 by smellincoffee

How the Irish Saved Civilization: the Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe© 1995 Thomas Cahill230 pages plus bibliography, chronology, and index. Last week I began the “Hinges of History” … Continue reading →

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