Tag Archives: history

The Rise and Fall of the Bible

Posted on January 23, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book© 2011 Timothy Beal225 pages, not including index. Disclaimer: I read from an advanced review copy of the book, available through NetGalleys. No compensation for a review, … Continue reading →

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To End All Wars

Posted on January 14, 2011 by smellincoffee

To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918© 2011 Adam Hochschild480 pages Disclaimer:   I read from an advanced review copy of the book, available through NetGalleys. No compensation for a review, good or negative, was offered … Continue reading →

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The Evolution of God

Posted on January 9, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Evolution of God© 2009 Robert Wright576 pages Evolutionary psychologist Robert Wright uses the concepts of natural morality and the ‘moral imagination’ to  understand the growth and (arguably) increasing maturity of the three Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (29 December)

Posted on December 29, 2010 by smellincoffee

Aside from the books I’ve already done full comments on, I also finished The Great American Wolf and The Golden Door.  My observations about them were shortish, so I decided to include them here instead of making seperate, strangely short … Continue reading →

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Coal: A Human History

Posted on December 11, 2010 by smellincoffee

Coal: A Human History© 2003 Barbara Freese308 pages I never expected to be so fascinated by coal. This book’s cover and title compelled my interest from the first moment I spotted it on my library bookshelves, and the text itself … Continue reading →

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The Earth Shall Weep

Posted on December 7, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America © 2000 James Wilson466 pages Having grown up in Alabama, I don’t know what it’s like to live among buildings that testify to history. I’ve never stepped onto a sidewalk with paving … Continue reading →

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Mapping Human History

Posted on November 30, 2010 by smellincoffee

Mapping Human History: Discovering the Past through Our Genes© 2002 Steve Olson292 pages Mapping Human History caught my attention a couple of weeks ago given my interests in evolution and anthropology. Author Steve Olson offers a quick history of human … Continue reading →

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Britain: At the Edge of the World?

Posted on November 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World? 3500 B.C. – 1603 A.D.© 2000 Simon Schama414 pages Image from audio-book version, as I could not find a suitable image for the standard cover. I get the feeling that … Continue reading →

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The Mother Tongue

Posted on November 5, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Mother Tongue: English & How It Got That Way© 1990 Bill Bryson270 pages “More than 350 million people around the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seem, try to.” While I’m reading this as part of a … Continue reading →

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What Went Wrong?

Posted on November 4, 2010 by smellincoffee

What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle-Eastern Response© 2003 Bernard Lewis180 pages (adopted from lectures) In essence, this collection of modified lectures is a brief history of modernization in the Islamic world and its aftermath. The fist three chapters focus … Continue reading →

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