These are books I have read that I believe have given me the most knowledge, the most enjoyable reading, and shaped my philosophy of life considerably.

1. The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman copyright 2005

From the forward to the book:

" The World is Flat is Thomas L. Friedman's account of the great changes taking place in our time, as lightening swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before-creating an explosion in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run faster just to stay in place. "

2. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson first published 2003

From the Forward to the book:

     " Bryson takes us into the most intriguing consequential questions that science seeks to answer. It is a dazzling quest, the intellectual odyssey of a lifetime, as this insatiability curious writer attempts to understand everything that has transpired from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization. Or, as the author puts it,.."how we went from there being nothing to there being something, and then how a little of something turned into us, and also what happened in between and since" This , in short, a tall order. "

3.The Wonder of the World by Roy Abraham Varghese published 2004

From a comment by Charles H. Townes Noble Prize winner and inventor of the Laser

      " Varghese explores the basic and critical questions we face concerning  this remarkable and wonderful universe. Why are we here? Where are we going? This is no doctrinaire treatise, but a sensitive profound and clear discussion of the important issues of our universe and our existence, including questions, answers, and uncertainties. It is written with a deep understanding of philosophy, and the complex science involved, yet expressed in a way which is interesting and very understandable to the non-specialist."

4. The Time before History by Colin Tudge published 1996

Comment by the Washington Post: " To be both scientifically literate and lyrical inclined is a unique gift, and justly celebrated whenever we encounter it, in Lewis Thomas, for example, or Stephen Jay Gould. Colin Tudge is such an individual."

      This book is about 5 million years of human impact. It has given me a tremendous amount of knowledge that I would otherwise not have obtained. To give an idea about its content, I am going to list the chapters of the book: Prologue: A Proper History of Mankind; How the World Works; The Dance through Time' Fellow Creatures; How we became the fifth Column; What's so Special about Us?; The end of Eden: Farming; What Difference do we make?; The next Million Years. These are all profound questions we should all be concerned with,  and this book does an excellent job.

5. The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman published 1962 (A  history of the first months of World War I)

As the author expresses it " World War I changed the history of mankind". It is certainly the most important political and cultural event in the 20th century and possibly in the last thousand years . Ms. Tuckman , who I believe is the most detailed and interesting historical writer to come along in a long time, did an outstanding job, and this is her best work. It is a must read for those who want to understand how we got to where we are in the 20th and twenty first centuries. It is the most interesting and informative book I have ever read on this subject.

6. John Adams by David McCullough published 2001

From the forward to the book" In this powerful, epic biography David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot-:the colossus of independence:, as Thomas Jefferson called him who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution--"

From David McCullough "The American Revolution was made by British subjects, individual men and women who, by our modern sense of proportions, were amazingly few in number, The war they fought was the most important in our history, and as too few today seem to understand, it quickly became a world war. But the revolution began well before the war. As John Adams famously observed 'The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people.' And it changed the world"

 7. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow  published 2004

 From the forward: " brings to startling life the man who was the principle designer of the federal government, the catalyst for the emergence of the two party system, the patron saint of Wall Street, and the object of ardent idolatry as well as vehement loathing by peers, Alexander Hamilton was arguably the most important figure in American history who has never attained the presidency, but he had far more lasting impact than many who did"

From Ron A Caro: ---" He has created a vivid and compelling portrait of a remarkable man-- and at the same time he has made a monumental contribution to our understanding of the beginnings of the American republic"

8. The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawkins published 2001 ( I can't say I understood everything I read but I       gained considerable knowledge.)

From the Forward " A Brief History of Time, introduced the ideas this brilliant Theoretical physicist to readers all over the world, Now in a major publishing event, Hawking returns with a lavishly illustrated sequel that unravels the mysteries of the major breakthroughs that have occurred in the years since the release of his acclaimed book.-- In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is stranger than fiction, to explain in layman's terms the principles that control our universe."

9. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkins ( I can't say I understand everything I read, but I gained considerable knowledge.) Prequel to book number 8 above.

10. April 1865 by Jay Winik Published August 2006

11.   La Belle France by Alistair Horne Published in 2004

Finished reading the book La Belle France by Alistair Horne. It is the best book I have ever read on this subject from the Roman era of AD 358 to the present government in 2006. France has the most volatile history that I am aware of. It is almost unbelievable the turmoil it has under gone and still survives as an important nation in the world. Its citizens are very hard to please, and they have had some very bad leaders resulting in much violence and civil war in Paris. They are also very independent minded even though the U.S. and Britain has bailed them out of two World Wars where they would have been defeated by Germany.  Had this not happened, they would certainly not be a very important nation today. Without going into detail, as most everyone knows, the two most important events in their history were their Revolution in 1789 and the rise and fall of Napoleon  in 1789 and 1815 respectively. Also a very important event in their history is the rise to power of General De Gaulle.  They needed him to save their country more than once after World War II.  In spite of all this, Paris is regarded as the most beautiful city in the world and their contribution to politics, art and culture is recognized as very important to the world.

12.    The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill Copyright 1956

"Volume one (The Birth of Britain) of the History of English Speaking Peoples tells the story of Alfred the Great, the invasion of Danes, Romans, Normans, and the Wars of the Roses. It concludes with the founding of the Tudor Dynasty in 1485 on the eve of the discovery of America." from the publishers of the book. This book is important because it details how the first English speaking tribes of Britain came to be. Britain went on to be the most influential nation in Europe. It got it strength through it mastery of the seas which was necessary for its survival, since it was an island nation. Today, English is the most important language in the world. All nations in the world use it for official international business and cannot survive without it. It is also the language of Shakespeare, the greatest writer in any language in history. Being able to control the seas allowed Britain to create the greatest empire in history existing on a large portion of the planet. The only superpower, the United States, was once a group of British Colonies. Although Britain eventually lost most of its world empire, it left its mark in the most profound way on the world stage, even today.

13.       Russia a History  Edited by Gregory Freeze published 1997

             From the editor " Russia a History cuts through the myths and mystery that have surrounded Russia from its earliest days to the present, with startling revelations from classical archives that until recently were not even known to exist. Using the most recently available sources, with many pictures that have never before been published, a distinguished team of historians have stripped away the propaganda and preconceptions of the past to tell the definitive story of Russia, from Kiev and Muscovy through empire and revolution to communism and Perestroika, and the "new order" of the present day. The result is an absorbing account of the rise and fall of a superpower, and its impact on peoples both within and beyond its borders. "

14.        The History Of Italy by Charles L. Killinger published 2002

From the Publishers " What is Italy? In 1814 Austrian Chancellor M. Metternich dismissed it as a mere " geographical expression", because political control of the peninsula had long been divided among self governing cities, possessions of foreign dynasties, and the Vatican. Prior to that, Italy had formed the "home base" of the Roman Empire. It was not until 1861 that a united Italy emerged. This concise, and clearly written account explores Italian history and culture from the Etruscans to the present day.

Starting with with an introduction providing data on Italy's geography, people, and current government, the book examines the political and cultural history of the country  in eleven chapters. Readers will discover Romans, Lombards, popes,  Guelphs, Ghibbellines, , the Medici, the Risorgimento, sculptors, composers, Fascists, Christian Democrats, and many other people and events of Italy's rich history. Included are a biographical section with portraits of of noteworthy Italians, an extensive bibliographical essay, a glossary of terms, and an index, making this book the most complete and up-to-date general history of the nation available. "

15.          Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley with Ron Powers published 2000

From the publishers: "In this unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American history, James Bradley has captured the glory, the triumph, the heartbreak, and the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima.  Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America."

The author James Bradley is the son of one of the six men in the famous photograph. This is more than the story of these six men, but the story of all the men in the invasion of Iwo Jima. As all of the flag raisers would agree, the true heroes were all of the marines in the invasion force of 120,000 men who did not come back. The flag raisers who came back did not think of themselves as heroes and most wished they had not been in the picture after what happened to them afterwards. Three of the six were killed in the battle and did not come back.

Unfortunately the story points out the myth behind the flag raising. The flag raising in the photograph was only a replacement flag of the original flag that was raised, and the men who raised both flags were never under fire as they climbed to  the summit of  Mount Suribachi. as the press exaggerated considerably. Also there was a error in identifying one of  the men  in the photograph that was not corrected until it was all over. The flag raisers of the original flag were never recognized by the press. Never the less the press publicity succeeded in raising the money to finish World War II. At that time there was no money in the budget to pay for wars and the money had to come from the American people.

16,          A History of Europe by J. M. Roberts published 1996

Beginning with the Paleolithic origins and the early civilizations of the Aegean, Roberts traces the development of the European identity over the course of thousands of years, ranging across empires and religions, economics, science, and the arts. Antiquity, the age of Christendom, the Middle Ages, early modern history, and the old European order all are surveyed in turn, with particular emphasis given to the turbulent twentieth century. Reference Publishers of the book.

This is an excellent history by a renowned historian. I begin reading this book intending to understand how civilization developed north of Africa and not in Africa from which the human species originated. I found that the human species roamed widely from Africa across what we now know as Europe fairly evenly distributed, but very small in population. As I read this book, I was reminded once again that Western civilization began in Greece and spread through Rome to northern Europe where nothing like we call civilization existed, only barbaric tribes. I can only conclude that the mild climate and  contact with many other people not from Greece gave them the advantage over other peoples of the European and African continents. They were at a crossroads of human population and were a seafaring race allowing them to bring knowledge from other parts of the world including Asia and Africa to their world. Although their dominance only lasted around 500-700 years, their civilization was so far advanced that its influences are still felt today. They were the first of what I call "thinkers". They did not just accept things as they were, but wanted to know why. They also wanted to know about the nature of man himself. I am very impressed with their civilization. Without it, we would not be where we are today. The Romans carried the Greek civilization to the rest of Europe because of their military and engineering strengths. Without their engineering feats, we would also not be where we are today. In my opinion, the Greeks contributed the most intellectually, and the Romans the most physically to our world today . Of course they both contributed  intellectually and physically through their art and engineering.

17. A History of the Ancient World by Chester G. Starke published 1991 by the Oxford University Press

I began reading this book also to find out why civilization did not develop in central Africa where all humankind started. I found in this book many of the answers to my question. Civilization began after  the domestication of plants and animals.  This was a necessary step, but not the only step required. It developed in three different corners of the world independently. These areas were: The Near East, South America and Northern China. These areas provided sufficient water for the domestication of plants and animals. Until this day the civilizations that developed in the Near East and those that followed directly from them have influenced the major developments in history which  mostly effect today's life on the planet. In the future this may not be the case, but, as of today, it is true.  The two great civilizations that developed in the Near East were in the Fertile Crescent (Mespotamia) between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and in Egypt. The civilization of the Greeks which was influenced to a great degree by the Egyptian and Fertile Crescent civilizations advanced further than either of these two and became the role model for western civilization. Since western civilization to this point in history has had the most influence on the world, it is interesting to study why and how the Greek civilization became the most important in the world.

To begin this study it is important to understand what is meant by civilization. As defined in this book the following characteristics are recognizable: " the presence of firmly organized states which have definite boundaries and systematic political institutions, under political and religious leaders who directed and maintained society; the distinction of social classes; the economic specialization of men as farmer, the trader, or artisan, each dependent upon his fellows; and the conscious development of the arts and intellectual attitudes. In this last point are included the rise of monumental architecture and sculpture, the use of writing to keep accounts or to commemorate deeds, and the elaborations of religious views about the nature of the gods, their relations to men, and the origin of the world."

What allowed the Greek Civilization to advance further than the Egypt and the Fertile Crescent? In 750 B. C. Two things stand out: the Greek dialectics (language) and the political  institutions. From the book pages 190-191. " This was a remarkable supple speech which possessed from early days characteristics of keen logical analysis, a tendency to abstraction and to casual constructions, and a poetic outlook. " The languages of the Near East could not begin to rival the ability of the Greek to set forth clearly and briefly a chain of ideas and to balance in one sentence, by means of a host of qualifying particles, a complex concept. Politically " Greek lands turned decisively away from this imitation of Near East monarchy to a far simpler system. Local leaders, who called themselves " kings". ruled only tiny areas;-- " they were little more than war chiefs. Powerful in battle, in peace time they liked to eat and drink and hear bards chant ancestral tales of warfare and cunning heroes; but kings as well as followers spent much of their time in agriculture and herding. All were bound together by a web of ancestral custom, which applied in problems of justice by the elders. -----" The Greek kings, sharply limited in powers, were virtually to disappear in the great changes after 750 B.C.; the minute political subdivisions of Greece, however, and the communal sense in unity among individual in habitants were the fundamental roots of the later city-states. "

The age of the Greek revolution: 750 B.C.- 650 B.C. Pages 205-206. " Politically, the period witnessed the rise of the Greek city-state, a form of government which expressed a noble set of political values still fundamental today.--- " Socially, the power of  ancestral groupings diminished enough to allow a significant though limited assertion of individuality and the truly aristocratic outlook, which stamped all later Greek life and from which aristocratic values in western civilization derived in large input from their origin. Yet the lower classes, though sorely oppressed, did not quite lose their independence in most areas; and the better aristocrats became ever more aware of the problems of justice. -- An economic  spirit of conscious rivalry and search for gain produced one of the greatest examples of economic growth in all Western civilization; attendant thereon were the rise of market economics, unknown in the Near East, the use of coinage, and major technological improvements. In the fields of arts and letters there appeared colonnaded stone temples, larges scale sculpture, freehand styles of pottery decoration, and new lyrics and choral forms of poetry." -----" in the field of arts and letters the truly great jump occurred virtually in one generation, that group of men who were active about 700."

The Greek Civilization 500 B. C. (the Golden Age) from the book Pages 319-320 " Few stages in history have been so clearly stamped with a common spirit in civilization centered in fifth-century Athens. In character of Pericles, in the structure of democratic Athens, in the majestic Parthenon, and in the play by Sophocles the same harmonious, even the austere quality appears. Much was demanded of its citizens by Periclean Athens, but for a brief span of time men were fired to amazing, many-sided outburst of human genius.

" Fundamentally this brilliant achievement rested upon a happy blend in the old and new forces. From the past, men inherited a deep religious belief in the power of basically benign, just gods; a patriotic unification of energies in the polis; and an aristocratic social pattern. Rising within these beliefs were an ever greater sense of importance of the individual human being and the rationalistic, questioning spirit which considered none of the inherited structure free from challenge. The great triumphs of the period stood on the point where these forces were in balance, where men shared a self-confidence in taste and judgment and an exaltation of spirit which admitted no limits. Passion ran deep in the art and literature of the fifth century, but for the moment it was firmly harnessed and purified.

Although Athens had failed to unite all Greece under a political sway, culturally it stood unchallenged. The trade routes of the Aegean world brought men and ideas from everywhere to the great port of Piraeus. Its own economic drive and the fruits of empire provided Athens greater wealth than any other Greek state had ever enjoyed, and this wealth was generously dispensed by Pericles, who dreamed of uplifting his fellow citizens culturally as well as politically. Statesmen and artists, however can proceed only so far as their public permits; behind the Athenian triumphs in tragedy and in art stood an unusually receptive and stimulating citizen body.

Yet classic civilization was not solely an Athenian product. Many of the great figures who were drawn by the challenge (and profit) of Athenian life had been educated elsewhere, and not all of the achievements of the area were located in Attica. Pindar, for instance, was born in Boeotia and wrote poetry on commission from all Greece; besides the Parthenon, a large number of great temples arose at other sites in the fifth century. If we concentrate our gaze on Athens, this must not lead us to forget  those great thinkers and artists who lived elsewhere."

Need we say much more to show that the Greek civilization was unmatched anywhere in history until this time. Also, from the discussion above, the reader can understand why. The civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia occurred earlier than the Greek civilization, and without them it is doubtful the Greek civilization could  have ever developed, but the Greeks  advanced civilization to such an extent that the world as we know it now would not exist had the Greek civilization not occurred.

The reader would now like to know why this civilization did not last and continue to develop until this age. Human history could have possibly been saved from centuries of bloodshed and misery if  that had occurred, but it did not.  The detailed reasons for this is whole other history, but as I understand it, Athens first fell to Sparta, then Sparta fell to Persia, Then all of Greece and Persia fell to the Macedonians under Phillip and Alexander. After Alexander's empire fell after his death, Rome became the dominant power in the world. Although Rome borrowed much of Greek's civilization, they were primarily an autocratic  military power that dominated the world until France, Spain , England and eventually Germany and Russia came to power. This is another whole history which will not be dealt with here. The war with Sparta was started by Sparta, and the primary reason behind this was the imperial attitude taken by Athens. They blocked the other regions of Greece from sharing the wealth  generated by their way of civilization. This was their downfall. The others areas of Greece banded together against them under the leadership of Sparta and they were militarily defeated, and their civilization fell with them. Although their civilization fell, the primary elements of it have survived until today.

18. From 0 to 1 An Authoritative History of Modern Computing edited by Atsushi Akera and Frederick Nebeker published 2002. This book describes the history of the evolution of computers. I was very disappointed in this book. It is collection of articles written by different authors expert in their fields with no comprehensive plan to take the reader from the past to present. Although there are several good references and historical discussion, it is very brief and not at all up to date. It does tell how the U.S. Government was responsible for the development of the computer age including the World Wide Web. They were the only customer that could afford to purchase these machines in the early stages. A lot of the advances were driven by the Defense Department and of course by NASA. The internet was driven by the needs of the academic community ( mostly funded by governments) to share computing resources. The story of the Personal Computer and the software industry that no one foresaw in the beginning make for some interesting reading. The stories of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are the most interesting. I am still looking for a good book on this subject. There seems to be very few books even written on the subject. A good author has an open field to write a best seller book, if he can tell the story in an exciting way. Never the less, the book does give a lot of good details on the evolution of computers and the internet.

The key elements in the computer evolution remain: Binary system of numbers, invention of the integrated circuit, packaged software, and the internet. From these arose the personal computer and the world wide web. Altair's Computer Kit announced in 1975 started the personal computer revolution that changed the world. Microsoft wrote a compiler in Basic for the Altair Computer and from that small start they became the world's dominant software company. Intel's 8080 integrated circuit architecture made them the dominant company in the personal computer hardware. Both of these companies still dominant in the year 2007.

19. The Infinite Cosmos by Joseph Silk published 2006 by Oxford University Press
       From the Publisher "In the Infinite Cosmos Joseph Silk takes the reader on a tour of the universe, past, present, and future, showing how the very latest observations and theories are unlocking clues about the origin and structure of X-Ray, radio and high energy views of space are revealing fossil radiation left over from the big bang and providing us with unprecedented views of the most distance reaches of the universe. Theories from the frontiers of current research seek to explain its structure from the first moments to the present day, and we are beginning to understand its extraordinary nature and possible fate..

This is a story involving the visible; subatomic particles and unusual forces; long ages of darkness and spectacular and violent events. It tells of supernovae, dark matter, dark energy, curved spacetime, colliding galaxies, and supermassive black holes. Weaving the ideas of poets and writers as well as scientists into the story, from Kant and Keats to Einstein, and Lemaltre, Silk explains our present state of knowledge, and how much more there is to understand about our infinite cosmos."

In reading this book, I was impressed with how much we don't know in spite of all the brilliant men and technology we have today working to answer  the questions regarding the universe. I do believe we know a lot more than in other time of history. How close we are, I don't venture an opinion. Silk explains the detailed experiments and cross experiments that have been used to date to give us the present state of knowledge. It seems that the more we know, the more we know we do not know, and much that has been written is still just theory. Still I believe he gives a good account of what the consensus opinion of the scientific community believes and knows. We know much more than Einstein ever knew, and he was the one man who pointed in the right direction to explore.

Regarding the ultimate destiny of the universe, there is still much speculation. The consensus is that is flat (Euclidean Geometry applies), infinite and ever expanding with nothing to slow it down. Many say that since  protons do decay although very slowly they will no longer exist nor will matter that we know it exist. in the very very distant future 10 to 50th years. Only electrons and radiation will exist. Still some say that it may have ways we are not sure of that will allow it to regenerate itself indefinitely.  If it should collapse on itself, it could generate another big bang and continuing doing this. At this time the consensus is that it will not collapse, since it is believed that it will continuing expanding indefinitely. There is not enough matter both dark and normal in the universe to slow its expansion down. But there are other ways of regeneration discussed in the book. Most of it is only theory, however.

I was also impressed to read that he may be conceivable that there is no other life in the universe regardless of how huge it is because the probability of life occurring is so small. Still it did occur once and some scientists say that if something can happen in the universe it will. I have always been under the impression that because of the universes' large size there was a high probability that life occurs all over the universe. The question is if it does occur all over the place would it have time to or the window of time to evolve into a higher order life (Planets billions of years older than earth would certainly have much higher civilizations than ours if they survived) with intelligence as it did here on earth. If there is other intelligent life in the universe, why have they not contacted us by now or maybe they don't want to contact us or can arrange it so that they cannot be detected. If  they have only evolved to state or even a very higher state we are now, it could be that the distance between us and them is too great for either of us to know of each other. As the reader can see, there are many questions involving this subject and many brilliant  men of today still have no answers. Brilliant men in past history did not have the  chance that  present day scientists have of having an intelligent opinion due to the much greater knowledge  we have today, so I discount a lot of their speculation.

Then there is the question of God which Silk discusses briefly. I do believe that the evidence of evolution is overwhelming, so any God I believe in would have to have caused this to happen or set it up so that it occurred. I have no problem with believing in God and also in evolution, so I cannot understand the great controversy raging in this area of thought going on presently. Also, the Catholic Church itself has taking the position that evolution as we understand it did occur but has no affect on their belief in God

I also believe there was a big bang, so God would have had to set it up so this could occur or initiated it. Scientists still cannot answer the question of what occurred just before the big bang and  what created it. During the Big Bang a tremendous expansion called inflation occurred which increased the size of the universe to all from a highly dense singularity to all that we see today today in a small fraction of time and they can explain and verify this. They think the answer that what happened before lies in quantum theory which only applies at very small (microscopic) values where light appears as both particles (photons) and as waves. They don't understand why and Einstein himself had a hard time believing in this theory. He eventually accepted it, and it is extremely important and necessary to modern science. Without this theory and fact transistors and hence integrated circuits and all that goes with this industry would not exist. There is a mention of quantum gravity waves. Before gravity and all the other known forces had the same strength which they no longer have. This is not understood , but without this occurrence there would be no universe as we know it. There has also been the introduction of string theory to explain what happened during this time which postulates that there are for mathematical reasons more three dimensions involved and infinite number of universes possible from which ours became the dominant one during the Big Bang.

Big Bang. modern cosmologists are searching for a Grand Theory of Everything that will bring all of this together. Einstein was also working on this when he died. They think that then they can explain what happened and why and how  just before the Big Bang. when this Theory is understood. The question then is what was before the big bang? As the reader can see, I don't have the answer to this question in my mind, and neither do all of the brilliant scientists living today have specific answers, although in many of their minds they have a definite opinion. Some believe in God, and some don't. Theologians with faith in God don't  worry about the details. Many scientist believe we will find God through science faster than through theology.

Mankind on Earth may or may not be around long enough answer these questions, since the Sun is destined to self  destruct in 5 billion years like all of the other stars in the universe like it. New stars are being born all of the time, however. I believe in these facts based on the scientific community's collective knowledge. In the future who knows if the people on Earth may be able to move to another location before the Sun destroys itself.

These are my naive thoughts on the subject.  I plan to continue to look for answers by continuous reading on the subject.

A link to a discussion of the Universe in Wikepedia is at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe

20. Magellan of the Pacific by Edouard Roditi published 1972 by Faber and Faber Limited, London. This addition published by McGraw-Hill Book Company
      From the Publishers " Although Magellan did not live to see the fulfillment of his dream, it was his vision an perseverance that made possible : the most important voyage of exploration that man has ever accomplished on our planet." It proved beyond doubt the roundness of the earth; it revolutionized ideas regarding the relative proportions of land and water; it revealed the Americas as a new world separate from Asia; and it led to the discovery that a day is gained in circumnavigating the earth from east to west.

Few of the world's heroes have left so faint a trail as did Magellan; the data and place of his birth, his parents, his childhood, adolescence and youth, and even the details of his appearance, are shrouded in  a mist of ambiguities. In spite of the lack of reliable clues, Edouard has developed a plausible biography of the man and his genius by a close study of all relevant Portuguese and Spanish documents available, and resolving of the discrepancies they contain."

Of the voyage itself much more is known. Roditi vividly recreates it, relying upon such sources as the log book of the pilot of the Victoria and the journal written by Pigafetta, who kept a day-to-day account of the voyage and eloquently detailed the privations and hardships suffered- starvation, scurvy, and other diseases, storms, mutiny, and the death of many, including Magellan, at the hands of unfriendly natives.

Magellan of the Pacific is a rch source or pre Renaissance exploration and the practice of commerce in ancient and medieval Europe, as well as an absorbing account of the scientific aspects of Magellan's expedition and the history of  navigation."

I was impressed with his undying faith that all continents were surrounded by water and were as islands in the sea. This faith is what kept him going south down the Atlantic coast of South America until they found a sea path  to the Pacific ocean when most around him did not believe it, and many turned back or mutinied. He had one fault that was his down fall. He believed that his faith in Christianity would keep him alive no matter what the circumstances. He was killed my an unfriendly native tribe that outnumbered him. He believed that he could win the fight unharmed, but they lost the fight and he was killed. He never got to see the end of the journey he initiated. Fortunately some of his men did. They did reach there destination the  Spice Islands by sailing west from Spain and eventually again Spain around the African continent's Cape of Good Hope in spite of being hunted by the Portuguese who would have captured or more than likely killed them. The Portuguese were under orders from their king who had refused Magellan's plea to sponsor the voyage. The king did not want to let the spice trade fall into the hands of the Spanish. The fact that they did get back eventually to Spain by sailing west from Spain proved that planet was rounded, though not perfectly. Unfortunately for Spain they had to cede the Spice Islands to the Portuguese by the Popes ruling of the dividing line between Spain and Portugal's territorial rights.

21. Francis Drake by John Cummings published by St. Martin's Press, Scholarly and Reference Division. From the Publisher: "This is a full blooded and absorbing portrait based on research in English and Spanish archives, of the greatest seaman of the Elizabethan age. From his family's fierce Protestantism and early poverty which drove Drake to sea while still a boy until his death at sea in 1596, it was a life of drama in which opportunism, courage, greed, religion, international politics and luck all played their part alongside sailing skill and navigational brilliance of the first man to sail his ship all the way around the world.

After the dazzling success of the 1570s and 1580s came years of declining fortune. In his last years both his character and his naval judgment were distrusted by experienced colleagues, and he died saddened by his own awareness of recent failure.

This book presents Drake through the accounts of friend and enemy on both the national and personal level. His naval battles and audacious piratical raids on Spain's empire and shipping are described using eye-witness accounts from Spanish and English, and his stormy personal relationships reveal a man whose distrust of colleagues contrasted with generosity of spirit which was source of wonder to his enemies. John Cummings ends by looking at Drake's posthumous legend and its inspirational role throughout the centuries."

22. Roving Mars Spirit Opportunity and the Exploration of the Red Planet by Steve Squyres published by Hyperion. From the Publisher: "In Roving Mars, Steve Squyres, principle scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover mission, shares his gripping account of life at the center of one of the great explorations of all time. Since 1977, Squyres had dreamed of exploring Mars, and after nearly two decades of planning and preparation, he got his chance. With hundreds of other scientists and engineers at the jet Propulsion Laboratory and elsewhere, Squyres worked to build and launch two rovers named Spirit and Opportunity, and then guide them to Mars.

In the tradition of other ground-breaking stories of exploration and adventure, Squyres captures every glories success and heartbreaking setback of the mission-- from potentially catastrophic design defects to the tension between scientists and engineers. he recounts the exhilarating race to get the rovers to the launch pad in time, and introduces us to the remarkable individuals who got them there. Once the rovers were on Mars, the team had to overcome a whole set of obstacles, including harsh weather conditions on the Red Planet and a near-fatal communication blackout between Spirit and mission control. But the payoff came when the rovers performed beyond anyone's wildest expectations-- giving Squyres and his team the chance to make unparallel discoveries about Mars potential for life.

Squyres artfully chronicles more than a decade of ups, downs, triumphs, dead ends, politics, and at times, utter confusion in this dramatic tale of how Spirit and Opportunity beat the odds. Roving Mars is both a true adventure story and an insider's view of life at the frontiers of exploration.

Being an engineer by education and experience, this book was particularly interesting to me. In my engineering experience, I have lived through problems similar to theirs, but not with so much at stake. These men did an truly outstanding job. I can definitely relate to the problems they had to overcome.

23. Juan Ponce de Leon and the Spanish Discovery of Puerto Rico and Florida by Robert H. Fuson The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company  2000
      Quote by Pedro Rossello Governor of Puerto Rico " Juan Ponce de Leon is the most extensive biography ever completed of the young Castilian who emigrated  to the Caribbean with Christopher Columbus in 1493, became a prosperous former on Hispaniola, colonized and governed Puerto Rico, and discovered the Gulf Stream enroute to becoming the first Spaniard to set foot on Florida.

As the first Spanish governor of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de Leon left and indelible imprint on the history of (this) community.... Professor Fuson is to be commended for introducing a wide audience to the life and times of an extraordinary person"

He was not successful in colonizing Florida. He died in  1521 in Cuba of wounds suffered in an attack by Indians in Florida after his second voyage to Florida.  He had a reputation of being less brutal to natives than other explorers from Spain. He was not obsessed with greed for gold as most others were. He was mostly interested in colonizing.     

24. Hernando de Soto by David Ewing Duncan 1996 published by Crown Publishers. Quote by the Publishers "  For the first time, a book has been written telling the truth about Hernando de Soto's legendary expedition across the future United States---who he is, what he saw, and the destruction he wrought as he and his men hacked their way through ten future states, and four thousand miles, searching for an illusionary empire of gold.

A sweeping epic biography about a man and his times, Hernando de Soto begins shortly after Columbus's first voyage to the Americas. Born about 1500, Soto left home at fourteen for Central America, where he rose through ranks of the conquistadors to become a feared and effective captain, slave trader,  and political operative. In 1531, he joined forces with Francisco Pizzaro in the conquest of  the Incas, leading the vanguard to Cuzco as Pizzaro's second-in-command. Five years later, Soto returned to Spain with a thousand pounds of plundered treasured.

In 1539, Hernando de Soto touched down in the country he called La Florida, leading a glittering, armored Renaissance-era army of 600 men on the first major exploration of North America. Obsessed with finding a second Inca empire, Soto instead encountered the Mississippians. a sophisticated culture of mound and city builders, warriors, artisans, and diplomats whose society collapsed after Soto's destructive march through their territory.

Unable to find his golden country, Soto pushed his men deeper into the literal and psychological wilderness, ravaged by exhaustion, starvation, and incessant warfare with the Mississippians. He died claiming to be a god to the local Indians, and was buried in the Mississippi River, which he is credited (wrongly) of discovering. "

Although I was aware that the conquistadors were cruel, I was shocked by the brutality described in this book. Soto was the same as they all were. This brutality is described in the conquest of Peru and in the exploration of  La Florida. The natives were treated worse than animals. Although Spain can claim they were a Christian nation, they definitely were not. The kings consistently looked the other way when it was known to them the brutality occurring in the conquest of the new lands in the West Indies, Mexico, South America, and North America. The natives were commonly and routinely enslaved, tortured, disfigured, worked to death, starved, and killed.  The greed for gold and silver motivated these actions. Also, it hard for me to  understand how so few men could conquer and destroy whole civilizations as they did, even though their technology was far advanced to the natives they encountered. The Spaniards were overwhelmingly outnumbered. The natives must have underestimated what would happen to them before it was too late, or they would have put up a bigger fight. I believe that they could  have killed ever one of the first Spaniards who set foot on their land,  if they had been willing to take the casualties necessary. Since Europe had a larger population and a very advanced technology, this may not have changed the final outcome, but might have delayed it, perhaps by centuries.

25. Becoming Shakespeare by Jack Lynch ,Walker and Company, 2007. Quote by the Publishers:" To say Shakespeare's greatness depends on the collective efforts of later generations takes nothing away from his own achievements. The man from Stratford wrote Hamlet and King Lear more or less on his own, but it took the combined efforts of countless actors, editors, scholars, readers, and teachers to turn Shakespeare, the provincial playwright and theatre manager, into Shakespeare, the universal bard at the heart of English literature. This book tells the story of how Shakespeare became Shakespeare."
A unique addition to the Shakespeare canon, this book begins where most Shakespeare stories end, with his death in 1616. Jack Lynch has written the definite biography of Shakespeare's afterlife- two hundred years during which Shakespeare grew from a modestly provincial playwright to the lofty status of transcendent genius at the heart of English literature.
Many small, pivotal moments can lead to great changes, and in no way was literary superstardom a certainty for the Bard. Unlike later writing giants, Shakespeare created no stir when he died. Though he'd once had a string of hit plays, he had been retired to the country for six years, and only his family, friends, and business partners seemed to care that he was gone. Within a few years he was nearly forgotten. And in 1642, when London's theatres were closed down by the Puritans in Parliament, he seemed destined for oblivion.
With the restoration in 1660, however, the theatres were once opened once again, and Shakespeare began his long ascent. Fifty years after that he was considered
England's greatest genius. And by 1800 he was practically divine.- no longer one playwright among many, he became what Jane Austen called" part of an Englishmen's constitution." Becoming Shakespeare recounts the long and winding posthumous road down which the Bard's reputation traveled with the revival of his plays. continuing through decades, when his work was co-opted and "improved upon" by politicians and other playwrights, this story culminates with the bardolatry of the Stratford celebration of Shakespeare's three-hundredth birthday in 1864. Becoming Shakespeare is essential reading not only for ardent fans, but also for anyone interested in celebrity and often complicated path from obscurity to fame.

26. Africa in History by Basil Davidson, Touchstone, 1995. Quote from the publishers " Prior to the original publication of Africa in History, the history and development of Africa had been measured by the European concept of "civilization," applying a Eurocentric approach to African art and literature. Basil Davidson's landmark work presents the inner growth of Africa and its worldwide significance, the internal dynamics of its old civilizations and their links with Asia, Europe, and America, as well as the developments of specific  areas, tribes and cultures. From accounts of the days of the green Sahara and the great iron age, the earliest Portuguese colonization, the coming of slavery and the subsequent legacy of violence and mistrust, the growth of Islam in the north and the cults of the Congo, the sophistication of art and architecture, and the pattern behind social and tribal mores, the entire picture of the continent emerges. This revised edition reflects the recent astonishing changes in South Africa, including the release of Nelson Mandela."

27. Inside South America by John Gunther, Harper and Row, 1966. Quote from the publishers "This the eighth " Inside" book a brand new full scale "Inside" study of South America, is an eye opening book about the ten South American republics. Twenty five years ago, most of South America was in Mr. Gunther's words, "frozen into a kind of derelict immobility. today nearly the entire continent is in a state of active flux, grasping for the future, with fundamental, yeasty impulses for change "everywhere." Country after country is on the edge of revolution."

This book is outdated by 43 years, but it is still interesting reading. My own impression is that the countries still have a very long way to go in 1966. They have all been dominated since their independence from Europe by many many dictator style leaders no matter whether they have been theoretically elected or not. And they change rapidly. The native Indians are almost a non entity in that they are not part of the society.  And they are a very significant part of the population. Poverty and illiteracy among the native Indians is rampant and they live in squalor. I plan to look into the state of this continent after the year 2000 to see what kind of progress has been made. So far, I have been shocked by what I have read. The best that I can understand is that the Europeans who conquered this continent were only looking for plunder and not a place to settle for future generations as occurred in North America. As a result the population is still suffering, even in 1966. Hopefully, this has changed by the year 2000, although, probably, not by enough to make the continent a place where most people in the world would choose to live.

28. Egypt Before the Pharaohs by Michael Hoffman published by Alfred A. Knopf ,1979 (354 pages). My intent on reading this book was determine in my mind whether the civilization that developed in Egypt was due to peoples migrating to Egypt from Mediterranean Europe  and the Mesopotamian regions or from people within the African itself. The book convinced me that Egyptian civilization developed within the African continent itself. It appears that the civilization occurred over a very long period of time along the river Nile. Traditions found in the inhabitants of earlier times carried over to what is called the classical period. The classical period being defined as the rich history of a highly civilized society under the Pharaohs which endured for many many years and is widely known by all.

This book is a very scholarly book written by a modern day archeologist, and he describes in detail the research and methodology used to discover what was  not discovered by early archeologists who were more after plunder of the riches that could readily be written about and sent to museums. Their methods of excavation tended to destroy historical evidence that could have been useful in understanding the  history of Egypt before the Pharaohs.

The author also describes archeological evidence that destroys the myth that separates homo sapiens  from their " brutal" Neanderthal cousins. Today it is now believed by many researchers that the Neanderthal became extinct by interbreeding with homo sapiens. That is to say that homo sapiens did not evolve from  separate precursors which evolved first in Western Europe and drive the Neanderthals  into extinction because they were so superior. Modern man is the product of a slow and fairly continuous evolution.

29. A History of Japan from the Stone Age to Superpower by Kenneth Henshall published by Palgrave Macmillan 2004. from the Publishers " Japan's impact on the modern world is enormous. It occupies just 300th of the planet's land area, yet wields one sixth of the world's economic power.. Just over 150 years ago it was an obscure land of paddy fields and feudal despots. Within 50 years it became a major imperial power-its first 'miracle'. At the end of the Second World War it came close to annihilation, suffering nuclear attack and defeat. Many wanted the entire Japanese race exterminated. Yet Japan not only survived, it became an economic superpower-its second 'miracle'. True miracles have no explanation. Japan's miracles do. Its achievements are partly due to luck, but owe much to the way the nation responds to circumstances. Its responses are based on values and practices often deep rooted in its history. To understand fully Japan's achievements, it is vital to examine its history. To understand fully Japan's achievements, it is vital to examine its history. That is exactly what A History of Japan does"

My impression after reading this book is that the Japanese have been so successful, because they have learned to adapt readily to other countries achievements, borrowing from them and then improving on them. They are also a very loyal people to their country sacrificing personal interests to the interests of the nation. They are also very lucky to have the United States as their benefactor after World War II.

30. Dallas, The Making of a Modern City. University of Texas Press, 1996 From: Marilynn S. Johnson, Assistant Professor of History, Boston college " An important and refreshing book at the political and social roots of one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas. Long shrouded in booster mythology, Dallas history has been largely written by popular historian who view the city as an entrepreneurial miracle that blossomed in an unlikely setting of North Texas plains. Patricia E. Hill's work should finally put this self-serving notion to rest."

From the Publishers: From the ruthless deals of the Ewing clan on TV's "Dallas" to the impeccable customer service of Nieman Marcus, doing business has long been the hallmark of Dallas. Beginning in the 1920's Dallas business leaders amassed unprecedented political power and civic influence, which remained largely unchallenged until the 1970s. Even today, the federal mandated complexity of Dallas' municipal government still causes some to year nostalgically for a time when things ''just happened". In this innovative history, Patricia Evridge Hill explores the building of Dallas in the years before business interests rose to such prominence (1880 to 1940) and discovers that many groups contributed to the development of the modern city. In particular, she looks at the activities of organized labor, women's groups, racial minorities, Populace and social radicals, and progressive reformers- all of whom competed and compromised with local business leaders in the decade before the Great Depression.

This research challenges the popular view that business interests have always run Dallas and offers historically accurate picture of the city's development. The legacy of pluralism that Hill uncovers shows that Dallas can accommodate dissent and conflict as it moves toward a more inclusive public life. Dallas will be fascinating and important reading for all Texans, as well as for all students of urban development."

31. India a History by John Keay, published by Atlantic Public Press 2000. From the publishers " The India subcontinent is one of world's most fascinating and complicated regions, the home of a billion and a half people, several religions, and one of the word's oldest and most richly diverse civilizations. In India: A History acclaimed South Asia expert John Keay spans FIVE MILLENNIA IN A SWEEPING NARRATIVE THAT TELLS THE STORY OF THE PEOPLES OF THE SUBCONTINENT, FROM THEIR ANCIENT BEGINNINGS IN THE VALLEY OF THE iNDUS TO THE EVENTS IN pAKISTAN, iNDIA, AND bANGLADESH TODAY.

This book is a compelling epic of cultures and conquest, colonization and independence. It vividly re-creates the turning points of Indian history and brings to life the leaders who shaped India's evolution, from Ashoka, the "Caesar of Ancient India' who ruled the vast mauryan empire in the third century B.C. to twentieth=century figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. along the way Keay provides fresh insights into the patterns of invasion and migration that have stirred the subcontinent's cultures for centuries, from "Aryan" invaders, to Alexander's Macedonian armies, to the Islamic conquerors, to the coming of the East India Company and the establishment of the British Raj. He profiles the rise of religions and philosophies that have profoundly shaped these cultures, including Hinduism, and Islam. Throughout the book Keay synthesizes recent revelations from archaeology, anthropology, and textual scholarship to explode the myths that have plagued the highly politicized histography of the region. he investigates the controversy surrounding the origins of the Harappan peoples who built the first cities of the subcontinent, explains the cultural and political significance of India's architectural marvels such as the Taj Mahal, and details the bloody suppressions that characterizes the "Pax Britannica" of the Raj."

32.Marco Polo by Laurence Bergen Alfred A. Knopf , New York 2007 from the publisher" As the most celebrated European to explore Asia, Marco Polo was the original global traveler and the earliest bridge between the East and West. A universal icon of adventure and discovery he has inspired six centuries of popular fascination and spurious mythology. Now, from the acclaimed author of Over the Edge of the world: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe comes the first authorities biography of one of the most enchanting figures in world history. In this masterly work, Marco Polo's incredible odyssey- along the Silk Road and through all of the fantastic circumstances of his life- is chronicled in sumptuous and illuminating detail.

We meet him as a callow young man, the scion of a wealthy Venetian merchant family, only seventeen when he sets out in 1271 with his father and uncle on a journey to Asia. We see him gain the confidence of Kublai Khan, the world's most feared powerful leader, and watch him become a trusted diplomat and intelligence agent in the ruler's inner circle. We are privy to his far flung adventures on behalf of the Khan, living among Mongols and other tribes, and traveling to magical cities, some far advanced over the West. We learn the customs of the Khan's court, both erotic and mercantile, and Polo's uncanny ability to adapt to them. We follow him on his journey back to Venice, laden with riches, the latest inventions, and twenty four years' worth of extraordinary tales.

And we see his collaboration with the famed writer Rustichello of Pisa, who immediately saw in Polo the story of a lifetime; enlivened by his genius for observation, Polo's tales needed little embellishment. Recorded by Rustichello as the two languished as prisoners of war in a Genoese jail, the Travels would explode the notion of non-Europeans as untutored savages and stand as a definite description of China until the nineteenth century. Drawing on the original sources in more than half a dozen languages, and on his own travels along Polo's route in China and Mongolia, Bergeen explores the lingering controversies surrounding Polo's legend, settling age-old questions and testing others for significance. Synthesizing history. biography, and travelogue, this is the timely chronicle of a man who extended the boundaries of human knowledge and imagination. Destined to be the definite account of its subject for decades to come, Marco Polo takes us on a journey to the limits of history- and beyond.

32. The Discovery of France by Gra.ham Robb Publisher W.W. Norton & Company 2007While Gustave Eiffel was changing the skyline of Paris, large parts of France were still terra incognita. Even in the age of railways and newspapers, France was a land of ancient tribal divisions, prehistoric communication networks, and pre-Christian beliefs. French itself was a minority language. Historians and anthropologists of the time referred to this land, without irony, as "Gual", and Julius Caesar was still being quoted at the end of the nineteenth century as a useful source of information on the in habitants of the vast interior.

Graham Robb describes that the unknown world-before and after the shattering arrival of modern civilization, from the end of the ancient regime to the early twentieth century- in arresting narrative detail. He recounts the epic journeys of mapmakers, scientists, soldiers, administrators, and intrepid tourists, of itinerant workers, pilgrims, and herdsmen with their millions of migratory domestic animals. We learn how France was explored, charted, and colonized, and how the imperial influence of Paris was gradually extended throughout a kingdom of isolated towns and villages. Instead of reducing the history of the country to the acts of a few powerful individuals, he recreates the daily experience of living and traveling in France, from the Alps to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean to the English Channel.

The Discovery of France is both a history and a guidebook. It explains how the modern nation came to be, and how poorly understood that nation is today. Above all, it shows how much of France-past and present-remains to be discovered.

33. Benjamin Franklins the Founding Father who winks , An Ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose the social ladder, fromleather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings, he seems made of flesh rather than marble.

In best selling Author Walter Isaacson' vivid and withy full scale biography, we discover why Franklin seems tours from history's stage with eyes that t twinkle from his new fangled spectcles.By bringing Franklin to lifr, Issaacson shows how he helped to define by his own time ours.

He was, during his 84 year life, America' best scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer and business stragist, and he was also one of the most practice- though not profound-political leaders. He proved by flying s kite that lightening eadss electricity, sand he invented a lightening rod to tame it. He sought practical ways to make smoke stoves less smoky and commonwealths les corrupt. He organized neighrhood constularies and international alliances, local lending libraries and nationallegiislatures. He combined two types of lenses to create bifocals and two concepts of representation to foster the nation's federal compromise. He was the only man who shaped all of the founding documents of America: the Albany Plan of Union, the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the peace treaty with England, and the Constitution. And he helped invent America's unique styles of homespun humor, democratic values and philosophical pragmatism.

But the most interesting thing the Franklin invented and constantly reinvent, was himself. America's first great publicist, he was, in his life and his writings, consciously trying to create a new America archetype. In the process, he carefully crafted his own persona, portraying public and published for prosperity.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Hilbrick " How did America begin. This simple question launches author Nathaniel Philbreick on an extraordinary journey to understand the truth behind our most sacred national myth: the voyage OF THE mayflower AND THE SETTLEMENT OF Plymouth colony. as pHILBRICK REVEALS IN THIS ELECTRIFYING NEW BOOK, THE STORY OF THE pilgrims DIES NOT END WITH THE first thanksgiving; INSTEAD, IT IS FIFTY FIVE YEAR EPIC THAT IS AT ONCE TRAGIC AND HEROIC, and still carries meaning for us today.

The account begins in the cold and dripping confines of the Mayflower, where 102passengers tensely await the conclusion of an arduous, two month voyage. The Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth Harbor during a period of crisis for the Native Americans. Initially the two groups Wampanoag's under the charismatic and calculating ;leader Massasiot, and the Pilgrims, whose pugnacious military officer Miles Standish was barely five feet tall-maintain Ned a fragile working relationship. But within decades, New England erupted into King Phillips's war, a savage conflict that nearly wiped out English colonists and natives alike, and forever altered the face of the fledgling colonies and the country that would grow with them.

Philbrick evokes the drama of the voyage, the eerie emptiness of coastal New England in the fall of 1620, and the Large and small decisions that determined how everything would unfold for centuries to come with a vigor and incisiveness that will startle anyone who thought they knew the human story beneath the myth the myth. These are characters whose names have become legend- William Bradford, Edward Winslow, Miles Standish, Masssasoit, and Squanto= but whom Philbrick brings to life as flawed, heroic, temperamental, and shrewd. We also meet figures who are lesser known, though we live their legacy every day: Benjamin Church, the Plymouth-born fisherman who used his knowledge of his Indian neighbors to help the English to a bloody victory; and Massasoitt's son Phillip. a tortured enigmatic leader who reluctantly led his people into the war that would bear his name.

That crucial half century, from 1620 to 1676, began in peril, ended in war, and contained the seeds of what would come to define America. Philbrick salutes the risk all their religious convictions, as well as the generosity and sophistication of the Native Americans. But he also evolves the terrible fury of war. Time Magazine called Philbrick's award-winning In the Heart of the Sea "spellbinding" In Mayflower, NATHAN Philbrick castes his spell again, giving us, complete and completely fresh, the ultimate American story.

The Bounty

Just before sunrise on the morning of the far reaches of the South Pacific, Master's mate Fletcher Christian and three other men, armed with cutlasutlesses, bayonets and musket, approached Lieutenant William Bligh and placed him and eighteen officers and crewman in a small boat. This mutiny on board His majesty's armed transport Bounty impelled every man on a fateful course

Bligh sniff hid ;oys;ostd omn s historic boost voyager. Christian snf hid fp;;owners on theory redtlrdd ride. Bligh himself returned to British as a hero, but that eswas not his final destiny. Ten of the Bounty's crew were eventually capture in Tahiti and brought back to England in irons to face their day in court, send it was in the dynamics and politics of the court-martial sniff its aftermath that the story we know or think we know as the mutiny on the Bounty was shaped.

Caroline Alexander's lass book The Endurance of Hazleton's Legendary Expedition was a landmark recounting of the last great adventure in the heroic age of exploration. Now she gives us the definite and surprising account of one of the most infamous episodes in the history of seagoing voyages.

The facts of the mutiny itself are told in Admirably records, but for the truth behind the story, Alexander has ranged further, gleaning details from the wills diaries and correspondence of figures not obviously connected to the events, fro, obscure news items and  correspondence of figures not obviously connected to the events, from obscure news items and from biographies and family pedigrees of seemly minor players. She casts a radical new light on the events, on Bligh's character and on a welter of information and on welter of family connections and spedcial interests that play crucial roles at different moments in the story.

Confederacy

Long regarded as the most stirring and authorities one- volume account of the brilliant, tragic years of the confederacy, this new and revised edition of Robert Selph Henry's Story of the Confederacy is further distinguished by a special introduction by written by the South's foremost historian Douglas Southall Freeman.

As Dr;. Freeman says in his introduction, " This is the one book with which to begin one's study of the period it covers and the book to which to return when everything else on the subject has been read." Here in a single volume you will find the entire dramatic story of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and all the gallant heroes of the Lost Cause. From Fort Sumter to Appomattox Course House, from the hi9gh and glorious hopes of Davis's inaugural address at Montgomery, to the last dipping of the Confederate colors in November , 1865, yo8u will follow with unabated excitement the thrilling tale of the men who fought for Southern Independence. Robert Selph Henry was a distinguished historian and author of a number of highly regarded works on the Civil War and its aftermath. including Nathan Bedford Forrest. " First with most and the Storey of Reconstruction.

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens December 1855. Editors "This complex, somber work, haunted by the symbol of prison. is more than in other Dickens novel, a steady of society. George Bernard Shaw called : a masterpiece among many masterpieces" and claimed it converted him to socialism. Although many of the social conditions to which it refers has passed into history, Lionel Trilling asserts in his introduction that "Little Dorrit, one of the most profound of Dicken's novels and one of the most significant works of the nineteenth century, will not to be thought of as speaking with a peculiar passion and intimacy in our own time"

My own thoughts on this novel is a sign cant and complex satire of the society in his time. Little Dorrit is the heart and soul of this novel. The second most important person is

Arthur Clennan who befriends little Dorrit through the whole novel. He lives under a cloud of his own suspicion that something in his family background is not right and some money had changed into an undeserving person. Because of this feeling he is gracious to every one he meets except the scoundrels looking to help them in someway because he thinks his family has wronged many of the. He is in love with Little Dorritt as soon as he is acquainted with her activities and appearance. She is a very saintly person and also helps everyone except the scoundrels just because of her nature. She is very small about four feet tall) in stature, but pretty. Everyone who knows her and her nature loves her. Clennan does not follow up on the fact that he is in love with Little Dorrit because he thinks he is under deserving of her and he his twice his age. Little Dorrit is in love with Clennan but will not acknowledge it to anyone including Clennan. She is child of the prison and was born and lived there always until her father is released when he comes into a fortune by chance. Her father is totally dependent on Little Dorrit as is her older brother and sister. She is the leader of the family, and they all come to her when they need advice or help even though she is youngest one. after her father's release the family leaves to travel the world. Little Dorrit soon tires of this thinking it unworthy of family to take advantage of their wealth. She wants to return to London and live normal life. When she returns, she is surprised that Clennan is in prison in her old home and is also very ill. He has gone bankrupt because of his dealings with a respected banker who is well thought of until it is discovered he had no money at all and was a swindler and crook. All who had dealings with him are also bankrupt.

Little Dorritt of course returns as savior to Clennan and nurses him back to health.. Clennan is finally told by others that Little Dorrit has been in love with him as soon as she knows him for what he is to her and others. After giving this some serious thought he believes it would be alright if he and Little Dorrit. married. This occurs on the last page of the book. This is a romance novel as well in my opinion although most scholars would not agree. It is very complicated book and satire on society. There are forty four main characters of the book, and about five to ten are not thought of as main characters' even though they have significant impact on the novel as well.

This is the first Charles Dickens I have read and I plan to read more starting with Great Expectations. I enjoyed reading it even though it was very complicated, and was surprised many times at what would happen next. Many people may not enjoy the romance of Little Dorrit and Clennan, but I don't know why they would not. I did very much

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens published 2004 by Borders Classics. From the Publisher: "It is a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home. There may black ingratitude in the thing, and punishment may retributive and well deserved, but, that it is a miserable thing, I can testify .

The speaker of the quote is young Phillip Pirrip,, an orphan known as PIP. His shame is the greater because he is unwarranted: though his brother-in-law, a blacksmith named Joe Greery, has raised like his own son. Pip is mortified at the thought of becoming apprenticed to him and working at a manual trade. For Pip has big plans for his future, indeed he has great expectations.

Dickens knew the bitter lesson doubly from his own life. Growing up, he had felt ashamed of his improvident father, whom he rescued financially throughout his life. Of Dickens own ten children, he once remarked that he had "brought up the largest family with the smallest disposing for doing anything for themselves." Again he was often the only thing keeping some of them and their families from financial ruin.

In 1940 George Orwell wrote. " Psychologically the later part of Great Expectations is about the best thing Dickens ever did; throughout this part of the book one feels "Yes that is just how would have behaved."

Up to that point, Orwell thought, Dickens had filled his world with unforgettable types, but nearly all of them were caricatures, fixed in their speech and habits. never undergoing real development. David Copperfield was an exception, but his depiction was really charting the changes in his own life.

But Pip is not the same person at the end of the story that he was at either the beginning or the middle, and as a result, many regard Great Expectations as Dicken's masterpiece."

These are high words for sure, and as it may be his masterpiece, somehow I think something was missing when he made end so sadly. I don't like sad endings. It would have ended even more sadly if his fellow novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton had not urged him to a more acceptable ending, which he did. Most critics today find it weaker, but I strongly disagree. It still ended too sadly for me. I do admit that I could not put the book down, but if I had known the ending, I would probably not have read it. I wanted Pip and Estella would get back together. There was no reason they could not have. Neither was committed to another person at the ending, and had forgiven each other for all the harm they had done to each other throughout the book.

Another thing I did not like was the way people treated Pip poorly when his expectations ended and he was back where he started with nothing he had gained. His expectations ended when the old convict told Pip that he was his benefactor when all the time he expected it to be the mother of the adopted Estelle. Pip felt until he was informed of his real benefactor that the mother had intended Pip to marry Estelle. The mother brought up Estelle to be very cool to every man she met and never merry anyone only make them miserable. The mother thought she had been treated miserably (although she was not) and through Estelle took her revenge all men. Estelle admitted this and told Pip that over the years she had become another women and no longer thought that was the treat men in her life, and especially Pip.

Pip was really brought low because he would no longer accept any money from the old convict and attempted to rid himself of advantages he had when he was unaware of the convict benefactor. His benefactor really was a criminal and was wanted for murder when they finally caught him in the end and he died  in prison a pauper. The reason he had became Pip's benefactor was that Pip had saved him from capture when Pip was very young and had given him some food to eat. Pip had forgotten all about this, and thought nothing of it at all.

Pip finally recovered from being in prison for debt through no fault of his, other that he wanted that way. Many others with his same financial problems did not volunteer to go to prison over their debt and they did not have to. Over the years Pip through hard work became prosperous again, but not to the extent he had been once.

Oliver Twist  by Charles Dickens published first in 1848aand then in 1997 for Quality Paper Back Club with original illustrations by George Cruikshank. From the publishers" In Oliver Twist  Charles Dickens created a foundling (or parish child) who finds himself at the mercy of a social order that disclaims any responsibility for the degrading poverty at its heart. As a pale, thin nine-year-old orphan is accepted as a member of the most famous pack of thieves in English Literature. Fagin's gang of pick pockets and cutthroats. including the blithe Artful Dodger and the brutal Bill Sikes. Fagin himself is an forgettable complex character, on one level a sly, evil genius who embodies all the vile prejudice of an unlightened era, and at the same time to the closest thing to a father the neglected child has ever known.. This early work (published  in 1838; Pickwick Papers is the only one to precede it is already filled with the dazzling variety of colorful characters ands strong sense of place that Dickens is best known for, and its appareled depiction of London's dark underworld of poverty and crime still delivers a powerful shock to modern readers.

All though I have seen the musical and enjoyed it very much, there is a lot of different additions and changes to the script. This fact made very readable and enjoyable to read. Oliver finally found a home where the family were kind and understanding to him and inherited a small sum of money of his own. I was surprised to find that he had a half-sister, Rose, who  had already been taken in by the same kind of family, but was considered too low in character (this was reversed later as was Oliver's) to fit in with acceptable people. Oliver had been born in prison by an unwed mother. Rose was orphaned when her father died.

I might mention a few other important characters ( I don't have time to list them all). The first was Nancy lived with Bill Sikes, but befriended Oliver the best she could. Mr. Brownlow a very respectable gentleman took it upon himself to befriend Oliver in many many ways which resulted in Oliver finally escaping from Fagin. He was also very  involved in finding Oliver a suitable home. Mrs. Maylie adopted Rose and gave her her name and a good home.

There were also many many bad characters affecting Oliver, but I choose not to mention them here.

The Last Cavalier by Alexandre Dumas Editors:" Rousing, big high spirited, its action sweeping across oceans and continents, its hero gloriously indomitable. the lost novel of Alexandre-lost for 125 years in the archives of the National Library of Congress-completes the oeuvre that Dumas imagined at the outset of his literary career.

Indeed, the story of France from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, as Dumas vibrantly retold it in his enormously popular novels, has long been absent one vital, richly historical era: the Age of Napoleon. But no longer. Now, dynamically, in a tale of family honor and un dying vengeance, of high adventure and heroic derring do, The Last Cavalier represents Dumas' final literary achievement.". This book was not completed because Dumas died before he completed it, but it is complete enough to be equivalent to any of his novels. The reader will not mind that it is not completely finished. I estimate is it is about 95 percent complete. It  is 751 pages long.

It was reconstructed by Charles Shopp's research  at the Archives de la Seine near the end of the 1980's. He had found pieces that made up the book after it has been stored in the  Archives basement for 125 years. Dumas books were usually written in serialized form before a novel was released. Without his research, we would not have this fabulous book  which is equivalent to any other his great novels. The closest being The Count of Monte Crisco.

David Copperfield ( 821 pages) by Charles Dickens, The New American Library, Random House Inc. 1992. From the Editors " Like so many fond parents I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child write Charles Dickens " and his name is David Copperfield."  Of all of Dickens's novels, David Copperfield most closely reflects the events of his own life. The story of an abandoned waif who discovers lif and love in an indifferent world, this classic tale of childhood is populated with a cast of eccentrics, innocents, and villains who number among the author's greatest creations. " David Copperfield is filled with characters of the most astonishing variety, vividness, and originality"  noted Somerset Maugham. " They are not realistic and yet they abound with life. There never were such people as the Micawbers, Pegotty and Barkies, Traddles, Betsy Trotwood and Mr. Dick., Uriah Heep and his mother. They are fantastic inventions of Dickens's exultant imagination, but they have so much vigor, they are consistent, they are presented with so much conviction, that you believe in them. They are extravagant, but not unreal, and when you have once  to know them you think you can never forget them." T.S. Elliot agreed: " Dickens excelled in character; in the creation of characters of greater intensity than human beings. " And Virginia Woolf concluded: " In David Copperfield. though characters swarm and life flows into every creek and cranny, some common feelings-youth, gaiety, hope- envelops the tumult, bring the scattered parts together, and invests the most perfect of all the Dickens novels with an atmosphere of beauty."

Of the novels of Charles Dickens that I have read, this one ranks second only to Little Dorrit. They are both exciting and complex, but the endings are happy for Little Dorrit in Little Dorrit  and in David Copperfield, it also ended happily for David and the girl who had always loved him, Agnes Wickfield. David was not aware of her love for him except as someone who he considered a wise, kind and  generous sister since they had grown up together in Mr. Wickfield's home. She was Mr. Wickfield's daughter. Of course she was not related to him by blood, but it becomes apparent that David was always in love with her also. Neither knew the others true feeling until the end of the book, but they interacted throughout the book.. David always came to her for advice and soothing which was often. He had been married to a child wife, Dora, who died young. She never became a real wife to him although he loved her and she loved him. She never grew out of childhood like behavior as she got older. She had always been pampered and had led a sheltered life. David also had to pamper and shield her during their marriage. She was always was a great friend to Agnes, and when Dora knew she was dying asked Agnes to take her place as a wife to David. Agnes never told David of this conversation, until after they were married.

Agnes and David were the center of the book's story. Agnes and David only married after all of David's adventures throughout the book. Since Agnes had always been in love with David, she never considered marrying anyone else, although she had plenty of opportunities. She would have remained unmarried, if David  and her had not married at the end of the book.

I would also like to make this comment about Dicken's novels. He drew them out in great detail ( I sometimes thought that they were too long). The were so interesting that you could hardly out the book down waiting for the next thing to happen. The speeches from his characters were always so detailed and the language was superb, but they were unrealistic. All of the speeches seemed to be the greatest speeches ever written, but of course this is unrealistic.

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding copyright of Fredson Bowers 1975,  (982 pages) published by Random House.

Principle characters   Tom Jones-Bastard Child raised up by Mr. Allworthy; At the end of the book, it is discovered that he is related to Mr. Alworthy, because she is a child of his sister.

 Sofia Western- Only daughter of Mr. Western. She and Tom Jones were in love with each other from the time of their meeting through the end of the book. Mr. Western would not give his permission for her to marry Tom, because he was considered a penniless Bastard. Sofia would never do anything without her father's consent, So we have the main plot of whole book At the end of the book her father gave his permission for Sophia to marry Tom when it was discovered that Tom was in reality a nephew of Mr. Allworthy and indeed promoted the marriage.     

Mater  Blifil-  Nephew of Mr. Allworthy who was also determined to marry Sofia. Mr. Bilfil was to inherit all of Mr. Allworth's estate. Mr.Western approved this marriage and promoted it, but Sofia was in love with Tom and loathed Master Blifil. She ran away from home so she could not be forced to marry him.  Mr. Bilfil turns out to be  the major villain of this story for he tried to discredit Tom Jones throughout the book by evil means.   In the  end Mr. Blifil was discredited himself, and Tom and Sofia finally were married.   

These are the main characters of the book. There are many more interesting and important characters  in the book, but I am not even going to  mention them in this short review.

I thought the book was very interesting and held the reader in such suspense, that it was hard to put down. The only flaw in the book is the author's numerous philosophical comments in the book that slowed the reader down considerably trying to find  out what would happen next. I skipped as many of these as I could when reading it.       

Despite this flaw, I would highly recommend it. It is one of the world's greatest books and Fielding's masterpiece. 

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe copyright 1994, ( 364 pages) published by Random House. Publisher's note: "" " Moll Flanders is according to Virginia Woolf, one of the few English novels which we can call indisputably great."    Written by Defoe in 1772 under a pseudonym so his readers would think it an actual journal of the ribald fortunes and misfortunes of a women in the eighteenth century London, the book remains a picaresque of a novel of astonishing vitality. From her birth in Newgate Prison to her ascent to a position of wealth and stature, Moll Flanders demonstrates both a mercantile spirit and an indomitable will.. This vivid saga of an irresistible and notorious heroine- her high misdemeanors and delinquencies, her varied carriers as a prostitute, a charming and faithful wife, a thief, and a convict-endures today as one of the liveliest, most candid records of a women's progress through the hypocritical labyrinth of society ever recorded. "Defoe seems to have taken his characters so deeply into his mind that he lived them without actually knowing them, wrote Virginia Woolf. " like all conscious artists, he leaves more gold in his work than his generation was able to bring to surface." "

A little on Daniel Defoe by the Publishers " Daniel Defoe- arguably the most prolific writer in the English language and considered by many the father of the novel and the founder of modern journalism- was born at St. Giles, Cripplegate, in the heart of the city of London, probably in the fall of 1660."

This is the second best book I have ever read by an English author. It is second only to Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. The Publishers perfectly summarizes the book, but there are so many details in the book that the reader cannot know how great it is without reading it. I could not put it down.

Unbroken is in the state of editing

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Borders Classics

Kate Chopin, The Awakening and Selected Stories

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness and other tales

Dante Alighieri, The Devine Comedy,

Alexander Dumas, The three Musketeers

George Eliot, Silas Marner

F. Scott Fitzgerald, This side of Paradise

Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other Tales

Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

Guy de Maupassant, The Necklace and Other Stories

Herman Melville, Moby Dick

Michael de Montaigne, Selected Essays

Ovid, Masterpieces

Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels

Mark Twain, The Mysterious Strangers and Other Stories

Virgil, The Aeneid

Voltaire, Candide and The Maid of Orleans

H.G. Wells, The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds

Oscar Wilde, Selected Plays