Tag Archives: History

chromosome 6—and other biblical topics

And now my flu is all but gone. I am in the long tail in which my lungs are gradually clearing themselves, and I’m building my strength back up. In all, it was not severe; it was mostly done in … Continue reading

Posted in thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

appointment at Dendera

I continue to work on the climax of The Age of Pisces. I think I have the main climax pretty much roughed in, and I’m focusing on a subplot climax for the same character. In the process of working on … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews, The Age of Pisces | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Russia by Philip Longworth: a story of repeated expansion and collapse

Russia: The Once and Future Empire From Pre-History to Putin by Philip Longworth My rating: 4 of 5 stars A knowledgeable survey of the gyrations of the Russian empire. I got this book in 2007 as a research text for … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

storyteller vs. history-teller

Historical fiction is a well-known and popular genre, and there wouldn’t appear to be much doubt as to which works belong in that category; indeed, my own epic work in progress, The Age of Pisces, set in the ancient world, … Continue reading

Posted in thoughts | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Great Deformation by David A. Stockman: what exactly has gone wrong

The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America by David A. Stockman My rating: 4 of 5 stars A massive, undocumented polemic that nonetheless tells it like it is. I hadn’t heard of David Stockman until I came across … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Hellenistic Civilisation by W. W. Tarn: when East and West first moshed

Hellenistic Civilisation by W.W. Tarn My rating: 5 of 5 stars A keen-sighted overview of a turning-point in the development of Western civilization, by an author with deep knowledge of the period. I wish I’d got this book sooner, for … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in book reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

Herodotus | Thucydides by Herodotus My rating: 3 of 5 stars These two classics establish the poles between which all subsequent history-writing has navigated. This review will focus on Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War, since I have already reviewed The Histories of … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Histories by Herodotus

The Histories by Herodotus My rating: 3 of 5 stars This chatty account of the first great clash of East and West demands an interest in, and preferably a knowledge of, the people and places of that time. I acquired … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Growths of Civilizations by Arnold J. Toynbee

A Study of History 3: The Growths of Civilizations by Arnold J. Toynbee My rating: 5 of 5 stars Once a static, primitive society has responded to a certain intensity of challenge, it shatters the “cake of custom” and begins … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment