Category Archives: history

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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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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