Biography
The Devil Drives - by Fawn Brodie
This
book introduced me to Richard F. Burton. I later read other, more detailed
biographies but this was easily the most readable and the best place
to begin if you want to find out more about Capt. Sir Richared Francis
Burton. He was one of the world's greatest linguist and
spoke dozens of languages and dialects fluently. One of his greatest feats
was a visit to Mecca and Medina, disguised as a Muslim pilgrim. That
he was able to immerse himself so well into the local culture and master
all the habits and routines of a practicing muslim seems almost impossible
yet he did. He wrote a two volume description of the trip that involved
crossing one of the world's most hostile deserts.
Burton had the intelligence and talents to become that which he studied.
His views on religion where unique and he studied many of them in great depth,
even visiting Josheph Smith and the Mormons in Utah. He later wrote
a book about the trip and his studies of Mormonism titled The City of
The Saints. He wrote many other books about his travels and translated
a great many others including many erotic novels and textbooks. He is
probably most famous for his translations of the Kama Sutra and 1001
Arabian Nights. He and John Speke co-discovered the source of the Nile
during an exploraton in central Africa. When Butron was asked why he did
the things he did throughtout his life he replied "The Devil Drives".
The portraits of him show an intense man with deep, dark eyes that seem
to draw you in, even in paintings. Others of his time commented
on what like to look into his eyes.
You should read this book. 5
Alexis de Tocqueville : a Life - by Hugh Brogan
Probably the best biography of anyone that I've read. The author researched
de Tocqueville's life in great depth and revealed him in vivid detail.
His parents were imprisoned during the French Revolution while a number of friends
and relatives lost their lives during the "terror". He is most famous for his trip to America in the early
1800's after which he wrote "Democracy in America". This biography spends
a good deal of time on the journey and it's effect upon de Tocqueville.
What makes his life so interesting is not just his personality and character
but that he lived during a time when France was undergoing tremendous
change with a series of three different Bonaparts. Better than "Democracy
in America" was his book "The Ancient Regime". He researched the book at
a time not long after the revolution when there were still records existing and
he was well enough known that he was granted full access to archives.
As soon as I finished this book I began reading The Ancient Regime.
It was even better than the biography. Reviewed next.
Marco
Polo - From
Venice to Xanadi - by
Laurence Bergreen
I've always had an interest in Marco Polo and have read a few accounts
over the years. This was a definitive biography, very up to date and
well researched. Marco Polo left Venice with his father and uncle at
the age of 17, traveled the silk road to China, and spent the next 22
years in service to Kublai Khan, the Mongol warrior who ruled China
at that time. He traveled the width and breadth of China as far as Indonesia
and India reporting back to the Khan of what he found (working mostly
as a tax accessor). The story is fascinating, the man was unique and
his adventures are among the most extraordinary in history. Well written
and very readable. 4 maybe 5
Over
the Edge of the World. Laurence Bergreen
After
reading Marco Polo (above) I bought this and started right in. This
is a pretty good biogtaphy of Magellan and his journey around the world.
The author seems to wander aimlessly now and then but it's usually something
interesting, just doesn's seem to fit with the story. I'm always fascinated
by the inconsistences in famous characters. This guy was full of them.
These were brutal times (think of the Spanish Inquisition) and Magellan
was a man of the times. He could be kind and rational at times but unbelievably
cruel and irrational at others. His over-confidence and hubris cost him
his life before the fleet completed the circumnavigation. I found myself
thinking about how tough it would have been to live during those times
and especailly under those conditions. I'm amazed that more sailors
didn't desert when they met and fraternized with the native women,
especially considering how bad life aboard ship was. 4
Biography
The
Ancient Regime - by Alexis de Tocqueville
I've had a fondness for French history for several years now,
especially the French revolution. I think it all began when I read A
Tale of Two Cities. (one of my all time favorite books) This book examines
the causes and some effects of the revolution and de Tocqueville has
a unique perspective (see bio above). He argues very convincingly that
it was not just the "class war" between the poor and the nobility.
He argues convincinly that the "regime" could have survived
but the governments own administration helped cause the downfall. The
author could look back on a lifetime of service in the government and
in fact was a minister near the end of his career. He was a member of
the nobility but believed in democracy. I highly recommend reading the
biography above first for maximum enjoyment of this book. 5
Undaunted
Courage - by Stephen Ambrose
I looked for a good book about the Lewis and Clarke expedition
over the years but with no luck. This book turned out to be exactly
what I was looking for. It told the story in a very readable way, kept
me awed by these men's (and women"s) adventure, and left me wanting
to know more. I think I might try reading the "journals" of
the explorers one of these days but in the meantime this book was deeply
satisfying. I'm certain president Jefferson must have been overwhelmed by
the accounts and artifacts they brought back from their trek to the
Pacific. When visiting Astoria, Oregon after reading this I could just
imagine the explorers hiking down through the Columbia Gorge. We walked
on the beaches there and I pictured them looking out over
the Pacific. This book was very entertaining and higly informative,
a good combination. 4
Travel
China
Road - Journey into the Future of a Rising Power - by Bob Gifford
Bob
Gifford is a reporter for NPR and spent the last six years living in
China. He speaks excellent Mandarin and is well qualified to write about
the current state of affairs in China. This book is based on a road
trip he made across the full width of China, from the east coast to
the western border along highway 312 which he describes as the Route
66 of China. He travels mostly by bus and sometimes taxi, talking to
everyone he meets, from Communist party official, to roadside farmers,
to prostitutes, to Buddhist monks. With a population of 1.3 billiion
and a booming economy China is having a major impact on the world we
live in that will continue to grow. I found the book easy to read. It
offered some unique insights and opened my eyes to manyh changes in
recent years that I was not aware of. 4
Lost
on Planet China - J.Maarten Troost
I expected this to be a light read, a chance to learn a little
about modern day China. The book was an eye opener. I was left with
a new sense of foreboding. If China manages to keep up it's rapid growth
I don't see how the rest of the world can endure. Troost gives you a
very good sense of just how bad the polution is in China and how it
is affecting the rest of the world. The author keeps it light but manages
to convey a good sense of the constant change going on China today.
The relentless pace of construction and development seem to leave little
room for traditional culture and heritage.
The visit to Tibet was one of the few bright spots in the author's travels.
China's invasion and occupation of this beautiful country is a fact
but the native people seem to have retained a wonderful attitude toward
life. How long can they survive when faced with 1.5 billion Chinese?
4
History
Team of Rivals - The Political Genius of Abraham
Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
I finished this
recently and can't stop thinking about it. The author has written a brillant biography of
Lincoln along with leading members of his cabinet. The most striking thing I found was his
ability to read people, to understand and anticipate their motives and to rise above the infighting
and petty squables that surrounded him. He was a master of politcal dexterity and was able to
pick people who could perform the job he needed them to do in spite of their flaws. He seemed
to be able to foresee events and control their flow. He seemed to have a clear vision and
was a master of timing and knew when to advance his agenda and when to hold back. I found myself
comparing him to our current president (Obama) and wondering if he has the same gifts.
I've often heard Lincoln described as suffering from periods of depression and melancholy.
Perhaps he did but after reading about the weight of the war on his shoulders, the fear that
the union would not survive, the daily struggles with people and politics and the feelings of
quilt as thousand of men died, I could only be amazed that he was able to stand up to what would
destroy most people. Combined with the death of his child while in office it doesn't seem
possible. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and at 754 pages I hated to see it end. Highly recommended.
5
At
Day's Close- Night in Times Past - A. Roger Ekirch
Easily
the best book I've read in the last year or two, so good that I actually
read it twice which is something I very rarely do. The author examines
what life was like before modern lighting. The first time I read the
book it made a deep impression on me and over the next several month
I found myself often thinging about it and looking at darkness in a
new way. I eventually decided to read it again and enjoyed it even more
the second time. The next time you find yourself outside at night
turn off your light and imagine a world where that was the
norm. Oh you might have a candle but really, that's not much help when
trying to find one's way along a foot path through the woods. How the
author found the many descriptions and anecdotes of night time is a
mystery. Think of riding in a horse drawn coach at night and passing
through a small town or village. The only way to know this was by the
changing sound, the echoes returned from the buildings along the way.
Try walking a path at night and using one's sense of feel to try to find
the way. With my love of reading I find myself often thinking about
how difficult it would be to read by candle light. When I'm someplace a
little seperated from civilization, such as a secluded beach, I always
think about darkness now. I especially enjoy finding an area where one
can see no light from the outside world. I've come to appreciate a full
moon in ways I never thought of before. The descriptions of life after
dark in a major city will give you chills. This book did something very
few books can do, it changed the way I look at the world and gave me
a deep appreciation for something we all take for granted.
I almost forgot the illustrations in this book. There are a number of
paintings from times past that convey what darkness without modern light
was light. The cover painting is my favorite. Titled Tiegnmouth
by Moonlight, it was painted in the eighteenth century by Thomas
Luny. Another favorite is The Matchmaker by Garrit van Honthorst
painted in 1625. There are several color plates in the book in which
these two paintings and others are featured. Even the black and white
reproductions throughtout the book are thought provoking. 5
The Matchmaker |
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Tiegnmouth
by Moonlight |
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