Monthly Archives: August 2013

Herod’s Judaea by Samuel Rocca

Herod’s Judaea by Samuel Rocca My rating: 4 of 5 stars This fabulously expensive book gives a wide-ranging, well-researched survey of the kingdom of Herod the Great. Even though this book appeared to be exactly what I wanted and needed … Continue reading

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Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoğlu My rating: 4 of 5 stars While perhaps overlong and a bit dry, this book contains insights that go a long way, at least on a political … Continue reading

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Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s long, it’s comic, and it’s fictional, but beyond that, this work defies categorization. As I recall, the first I ever heard of … Continue reading

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what I’m up to: reading The Republic again

How time slips away. When I launched this website 2 years ago, I intended to post often; indeed I intended it to be a kind of online record of the thoughts that right now I still keep mostly in word-processing … Continue reading

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