Tag Archives: history

Revolutionary Summer – Independence Kickoff

Posted on June 16, 2017 by smellincoffee

288 pages © 2014 Joseph J. Ellis Earlier in the week I read Joseph Ellis’ Revolutionary Summer to kick off my yearly tribute to American Independence.   Ellis should be familiar to readers here, as I enjoy his narrative histories … Continue reading →

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CYBERPUNK

Posted on June 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

CYBERPUNK: Hackers and Outlaws on the Computer Frontier© 1991 Katie Hafner400 pages Cyberpunk takes readers back to the early days of hacking, when it was so old-school that computers weren’t involved. Using three case  in the United States and western … Continue reading →

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The Adventure of English

Posted on May 17, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language© 2011 Melvyn Bragg336 pages In The Adventure of English, Melvin Bragg delivers a mythic history of the language that treats our lingua franca as a living personality — battered and now … Continue reading →

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1066: A New History

Posted on April 28, 2017 by smellincoffee

1066: A New History© 2009 Peter Rex The list of English kings begins with William the Conqueror, but such a list is really a thing of propaganda; although England’s patchwork of ancient kingdoms were slow to be united against threats … Continue reading →

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The Armada

Posted on April 21, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Armada© 1959 Garrett Mattingly443 pages In the late summer of 1588, all of Europe held its breath as an enormous Spanish fleet, consisting of a hundred and fifty vessels of varying sizes, set sail for the English channel. Their … Continue reading →

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Sister Queens

Posted on April 16, 2017 by smellincoffee

Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of  Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castille480 pages© 2011 Julia Fox Virtually any reader of Tudor fiction is familiar with the sad story of Queen Catherine,  the lawful wife of Henry VIII … Continue reading →

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London at War

Posted on April 8, 2017 by smellincoffee

London at War© 1995 Phillip Ziegler372 pages “London doesn’t look down at the ruins of its houses, at the remains of its churches and houses; London looks upwards, towards the Dawn,  and faces the new day with calmness and confidence.”  … Continue reading →

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La Florida

Posted on March 29, 2017 by smellincoffee

La Florida: Five Hundred Years of Hispanic Presence©  2016 Viviana Díaz Balsera & Rachel A. May312 pages Florida, like many places in the United States, bears the name given to it by another culture.  The Spanish, setting first foot on … Continue reading →

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The Other War of 1812

Posted on March 24, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Other War of 1812: The Patriot War © 2007 James Cusick 398 pages If the War of 1812 rings any bells for most Americans, they may associate it with the creation of the Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem whose … Continue reading →

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China: An Introduction

Posted on March 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

China: An Introduction© 1984 Lucian W. Pye400 pages Lucien Pye was born in China and later returned there to advise the US government. China: An Introduction is written in that spirit, being a review of the making of Communist China and … Continue reading →

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