History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Dirk Pitt in Iceland
Blood & Guts
Enjoyable Read !
Amazing Book of Massive Proportions
Neat Read

Iceberg
Clive Cussler
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0425197387
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Book Description

Frozen inside a million-ton mass of ice--the charred remains of a long-missing luxury yacht, vanished en route to a secret White House rendezvous. The only clue to the ship's priceless--and missing--cargo: nine ornately carved rings and the horribly burned bodies of its crew.

Customer Reviews:

Dirk Pitt in Iceland.......2007-07-20

I enjoy Clive Cussler novels as a light, refreshing adventure for a summer afternoon at the beach. The action can be a bit outrageous at times, but usually on the same level as a James Bond plot. After I devoured Iceburg, I happened to look at the copyright page and I was stunned to see it was from 1975. I think the storyline holds up well over the 30+ years since it was written and that the style of Dirk Pitt has not changed overly much. While other reviewers have said that this novel does not represent the other Dirk Pitt adventures, I myself don't see overly much variation. Start the book with the idea that you're reading a light adventure instead of a chilling ultra-accurate thriller and I think you'll have a lovely few hours of suspended disbelief.

Blood & Guts.......2007-07-08

Cussler's non-fiction is good, but his fictional hero, Dirk Pitt, takes and hands out too much punishment for my taste. After reading three of his books, I've had enough

Enjoyable Read !.......2007-05-31

This is my first Clive Cussler book I have ever read. Definitely odd, as I have been reading all my life. I am starting to read my father's book collection, and this is the first Cussler book I pulled.

I did not know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the plot from the beginning, even though some things are a bit far-fetched, but where would the fun be if it was not fiction.

Dirk Pitt is a great character, and I often found myself silently rooting for him. Clive painted the picture enough for me, to envision the Atlantic to Iceland to Disneyland. When I first read they were going to Disneyland, I was, "huh?"... However, I could see in my mind exactly where Clive took us in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride ! Very cool!

I do not know much about Cussler's writing, but I will be reading more!

Amazing Book of Massive Proportions.......2007-05-19

This book is a very good read. I have been a fan of Clive Cussler for some time now and none of his books have ever disappointed me. Iceberg is no exception. Dirk Pitt must find out the connection between a missing sea mineral probe and the appearance of a Russian fishing trawler incased in an iceberg. Along the way he discovers a plot that would rock the world if it succeeds. It immediately grabs your attention and never lets go. You will find it incredibly hard to put this book down. It's a thrill ride full of international conspiracy and many plot twists. The climax was amazing and happens in the least likely place imaginable. I have read many other NUMA books by Cussler and they have all filled the need for intensity and excitement that I crave. If you are already a fan of Cussler's works, this will be a great addition to the books you have already read, but if you are new to Cussler then you will be addicted instantly. This book won't help solve world hunger or stop terrorism, but the people who read it would find incredible joy in this book.

Neat Read.......2007-04-06

Essentially, the burnt remains of a luxury yacht are trapped within an iceberg in the North Atlantic ocean. Aboard this vessel was not only one of the world's wealthiest men, but very rare cargo as well. The only true clue as to the identity of the charred corpses are the ornate rings of the owner. The significance and details of the disaster are a task for the one and only Major Dirk Pitt.

There was something very different and quite positive about this book, and that was a very strong beginning. Not only did it immediately catch the reader's attention, but it shifted in a way that the reader least expected. Excellent character development took root in the first few pages and the personalities of several amusing and creative characters were established. It was a shame they did not last for much longer in the book (having served their role by finding and marking the iceberg), giving away to the actual storyline and main characters, but even so, all the characters had distinct personalities that were well developed.

Iceberg's ability to hold ones attention was magnificent. Nearly everything was described in vivid detail, and the word choice was in very good taste. I really enjoy books that can paint a picture in one's mind, and that draw the reader into the story as if they were a bystander. I just couldn't wait to find out what would happen next and what purpose the newly found clue would serve in the puzzle to unravel the Yachts secrets. I know of several ways in which the storyline could have been improved, but I couldn't resist falling for the classic idea behind our tactical hero Dirk Pitt, the villianess, and the overall mystery. The domino effect of danger and suspicion, as well as the complexity of new characters with something new to offer the story as it progressed were brilliant.

However, there existed three fault points that hindered the quality of the storyline.

This book was written in 1975. With that in mind, the three mistakes are as follows.

Iceberg was very homophobic and did not do women any justice at that as well. But this did not do much damage as a whole when one takes into account the date at which the book was published. Had this been the only flaw, Iceberg would still have received a perfect score from me.

The second error were the several events that degraded Dirk Pitt as a hero. His running about Iceland and surviving by chance in a few occasions was hardly heroic. And the end battle between himself and the enemy was not only quick, but hardly under favorable circumstances (regarding the storyline and Pitt). Compared to the detail provided in other fights scenes, what should have been the greatest of them all was disappointing. However, the final struggle is only one example of the weak points in the book to that effect. Another was the Poetry Reading. The whole event was done swiftly and due to that, quite poorly. In my opinion it was hardly the time and place (as well as the situation) to boil down the chaos and differentiate the villains from the good folk.

The third and most crucial of all Cussler's mistakes were the little odd events and situations littered about the book. Throughout the book itself not much occurs, but the Government's knowledge of what Pitt worked so hard to learn... and Pitt showing no mercy did much more harm than good. But the ending just took it all away. While it was creative to end things as follows:

Spoiler:
Dirk requires one of the main Villains to maintain good relations with NUMA {Nation Underwater and Marine Agency for which Pitt is employed}

The ending turned out awful! The villianess whose personality and actions were proper considering the role, and whose descriptions were so eloquent (one would imagine her looking very pretty) ... turns out to completely DESTROY the whole idea of the book! COMPLETELY destroys it.

It isn't a Villainess at ALL! It is a guy who gets a sex change and pretends to be the sister he never had!!! And all of this is told on the last page of a very good book.

That took it from a Five to nearly a three on my scale. It is rather tragic though, because Iceberg was a real page turner and it was a very funny book at that. I fell in love with the people and their struggle to the end - which actually turned out to eliminate their entire purpose. What a shame. The Villaness was such a classic idea. Ruined!

Silence of the Grave: A Thriller (Reykjavik Thriller)

Average customer rating:

reviewers need a reality check
A great sequel to "Jar City"
Icelanders are like that . . .
Dark, brooding, and delightful
ilence Of the Grave

Silence of the Grave: A Thriller (Reykjavik Thriller)
Arnaldur Indridason
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312340710
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Book Description

“Now Iceland has its own Mankell.”
---Holger Kreitling, Die Welt (Germany)

Last year Jar City introduced international crime-writing sensation Arnaldur Indridason to rave reviews and a rousing welcome from American thriller fans. And now, Silence of the Grave, the next in this stunning series has won the coveted Golden Dagger Award. Presented by the British Crime Writers' Association, previous winners of this award include John Le Carre, Minette Walters, Henning Mankell, and James Lee Burke.

In Silence of the Grave, a corpse is found on a hill outside the city, and Detective Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson and his team think the body may have been buried for some years.

While Erlendur struggles to hold together the crumbling fragments of his own family, slowly but surely he finds out the truth about another unhappy family. Few people are still alive who can tell the tale, but even secrets taken to the grave cannot remain hidden forever.

Destined to be a classic in the world of crime fiction, Silence of the Grave is one of the most accomplished thrillers in recent years.

Customer Reviews:

reviewers need a reality check.......2007-10-01

This is a police procedural about unearthing bodies in a construction site, but the author does not know police procedures. You do take photographs of the crime scene, you do not move the body until it has been examined by the forensic pathologist (you find one, even if your pathologist is vacationing in Spain), and when you find an important witness, you talk to them until you have all the facts (you do not let them go home to continue the story the next day). The author has violated all procedures--it does not make any sense. First and foremost, a police procedural must stick to reality to be credible. How can you reviewers let the author by with these blunders and give him so many stars?

I read the book to get insight into the Icelandic culture--you will get none of that here. The main character is a grim, despondent, sad character named Erlundur whose ex-wife hates him, and whose children hate him. I think I hate him, too. His daughter is a pregnant drug addict who overdoses, loses the baby, and vegetates in the hospital in a coma while the mystery unfolds--that is one of the parallel stories to the main story of unfolding who is buried at the site.

Where the author does come through is in describing the terror of the wife and family that is being abused by her husband. The abuser really deserves what he gets, and you can guess who lies in the ground fairly early. The story is slow to develop, and there are several narratives going on at once which I think is a clever idea which is carried off, well.

This author needs an editor to help him master his craft. His characters are about as well developed as a cardboard cutout. But there is promise here if he is willing to do the work.

A great sequel to "Jar City".......2007-08-31

I greatly enjoyed reading this sequel to "Jar City!" I am a big fan of Henning Mankell's novels, but it was thrilling to discover Arnaldur Indridason! His writing kept me at the "edge of my seat;" his stories are gripping and also provide psychological depth to his characters. Just as Mankell does with Sweden, Arnaldur gives the reader some insight into Icelandic society.
I can't wait to read Arnaldur's future novels!

Icelanders are like that . . ........2007-07-24

When I first began reading this author's first translated novel, _Jar City,_ I didn't think I was going to enjoy it. Then I got caught up in it and it's stayed in my mind ever since. This second novel featuring the dour, laconic Detective Erlendur Sveinsson of Reykjavik, isn't as gray in tone and texture as the first one, but it's just as unsettling, . . . not unlike an Icelandic saga, in fact. Again like the first book, the plot hinges on a crime committed long ago, revolving this time on the identification of a body found in a foundation excavation in a new housing subdivision. The story shifts between the present day, in which Erlendur has to deal with a university archaeologist who has undertaken to excavate the body (their forensics expert being on vacation in Spain at the moment), and the days of the Allied occupation during the 1940s, when an entire family is living in continual fear of domestic abuse. Because, even though the cover rather erroneously calls this a "thriller," it's really a story about strained family relationships and all the variations that situation can take. Erlendur has a very iffy relationship with his pregnant, drugged-out daughter, and a twenty-year nonspeaking relationship with his ex-wife. One of his detectives is in the middle of a crisis with his live-in girlfriend, who wants commitment. A vicious wife-beater has a sick relationship with everyone in the house. Another possible victim whose body it might be had a series of troubled relationships with fiancé and family. And on and on. Anyone who has read Henning Mankell will see a resemblance in Erlendur to Kurt Wallender. (Maybe it's a Scandinavian thing.) So, don't expect a lot of cop-type action here, but do expect a very well-written novel.

Dark, brooding, and delightful.......2007-01-09

I'm not a big fan of this genre. In fact, the only reason I read this book was because they were available, and I was out of other reading material. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself completely engrossed from start to finish. The characters are all disturbingly flawed; haunted by their own personal demons, yet somehow managing to unravel a long-forgotten series of crimes.

I imagine that crime fiction aficionados would find even more to love in this well-written, thought-provoking story.

ilence Of the Grave.......2007-01-05

This guy can really write. I went back and picked up "Jar City," also very good. Complicated plot that doesn't slow down.

Average customer rating:

It's worth your while to find a different guide book.
Poor example of a "guide" book
The Best Guide to Iceland
Fire and Ice
lost planet - iceland

Lonely Planet Iceland
Joe Bindloss , and Paul Handing
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1741040760

Book Description

Catch the midnight sun, sleep under the northern lights, dance all night in Reykjavik's coolest clubs or chill out in a hot spring - Iceland is equal parts polar adventure and urban sophistication. Your own adventure starts right here, with this inspiring and fully updated guide.

* RUN THE RUNTUR - Reykjavik's cafes, bars and clubs revealed and reviewed
* GET OUT, GET ABOUT - whether your idea of bliss is dogsledding across the snowy plains, watching whales in the Atlantic or soaking in a spa, we've got every activity covered
* DISCOVER THE LAND OF FIRE & ICE - where to experience volcanoes, geysers and glaciers first hand, with comprehensive geographical coverage
* UNRAVEL THE MYTHS - sections on Iceland's rich history, folklore and literature explain the country's strong independent spirit
* SLUMBER IN STYLE - accommodation options to suit all, from stylish urban digs to remote farmhouse B&Bs

Customer Reviews:

It's worth your while to find a different guide book........2006-09-12

I purchased this sorry excuse for a guide book knowing full well my options for guide books to Iceland were limited, and a few kilometers outside of Akureyri I pitched it out the window of my rental car in shear frustration. For such a tiny country with a population about the size of Anchorage, Alaska (approx 300,000) readers would think the book might be a bit more comprehensive and up to date. The most current edition is two years old, and apparently a lot has changed in those two years, i.e. the Icelandic Phallogical Museum has been moved from Rekyjavik to Husavik. I found more helpful advice and information from on-line encyclopedias, the tourist information booths, and from word of mouth from other travellers. This book is excellent if you want suggestions about what to see and do, but I suggest you thoroughly research your selections from alternative sources before setting off on an adventure. I repsected and even liked the television show Lonely Planet on the Travel Channel (now called Globe Trekker) but I will never purchase another guide book from that name ever again.

Poor example of a "guide" book.......2006-08-15

I just came back from a two week tour of Iceland with two friends. Our experience was memorable--amazing--LP Iceland, however was not. We read the book front to back. We went around the whole of the island and didn't stay just in Reykjavik. We also camped 70% of the time- just to give a little background. What we found was that the book is so poorly written and for the most part so out of date, that much of the usefull information we got was from just grabbing the free pamphlets at the "Upplysinga" Centers. In the back of the book it says that the first edition was printed several years ago, and only last year did two writers go back out "into the field." I'd like to know what field that was? If these two men actually went back to Iceland, I'd bet my money that they only went to Reykjavik obtained information from pamphlets concerning other parts of Iceland and then wrote from those documents. Not much thought was put into the style of writting as well, or editing for that matter. Every site in Iceland (and I'm not arguing that this is untrue) could leave you captivated for several days, hold your attention for several days, enough to do to keep you several days...etc [paraphrasing]. I just feel that if I'm going to have to pay even $2 for a tid bit of information I would at least hope that it was well researched and not a half-baked job. My time and money, especially when in Iceland, are more valuable to me that having to chase around a tiny West Fjord village looking for a nonexistant camping site because I relied on an unreliable "guide" book. Lesson learned: LP Iceland poor poor example of what I know others say is one of the best guide books out there. I'm sticking to DK.

The Best Guide to Iceland.......2006-07-16

I just returned from 7 days in Iceland and have to say the the Lonely Plant guide is by far the best guide to Iceland that is available. After walking Reykjavik my first day there, getting the "lay of the land", I found myself constantly referring back to the guide for more information. Fundamentally, the guide was right on with regards to descriptions and identifications, and totally accurate.

I would highly recommend this guide for anyone taking their first trip, or subsequent trips to Iceland.

Fire and Ice.......2006-07-02

Format hard to follow, print is very, very small, hard to read. Did not find it helpful in planning my trip to Iceland. This book was not useful to me at all. Next time I purchase a travel book, I will select it from a bookstore. Some books are fine to purchase on-line, but not for something like this. I was hoping it would provide details on how to plan a trip to Iceland, tour guides or self guided.

lost planet - iceland.......2006-06-22

This is a good book - for the most part. I used it extensively and found most things pretty accurate (you know, some of the restaurants went out of business, some new ones sprang up, but thats to be expected). The prices have really shot up since the last publication, particularly on lodging. But as far as itinerary recommendations, I thought these guys were right on.

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland

Average customer rating:

Heaven On Earth?
WONDERFUL BOOK
Good, but a missed oppurtunity
Greenland & Ethnographic Study of Eskimo Culture
This Cold Heaven

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland
Gretel Ehrlich
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679442006
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

From the acclaimed chronicler of open spaces, Gretel Ehrlich, comes a stunning and lyrical evocation of a practically unknown place and people. Beginning in 1993, Ehrlich traveled to Greenland, the northernmost country in the world, in every season--the four months of perpetual dark (in which the average temperature is 25 degrees below zero), the four months of constant daylight, and the twilight seasons in between--traveling up the west coast, often by dogsled, and befriending the resilient and generous Inuits along the way. Greenland, unlike its name, is 95 percent ice--a landscape of deep rock-walled fjords, glaciers, narwhal whales swimming among icebergs the size of football fields, walruses busting through oceans of shifting ice. In the far north, the polar Inuit--the "real heroes"--still dress in bear and seal skins, and hunt walrus, polar bears, and whales with harpoons. The only constant is weather and the perilous movements of ice, the only transport is dogsled, and the closest village may be a month and a half-long dogsled journey away. The people share an austere and harsh life, lightened with humor and the fantastic stories of Sila, the god of weather, Nerrivik, the goddess of waters, of humans transforming themselves into animals, and interspecies marriages. Interwoven with Ehrlich's journey is the even more remarkable story of Knud Rasmussen, the founder of Eskimology, an Inuit-Danish explorer and ethnographer who took some of the most hazardous and brilliant expeditions ever, including a three and a half-year, 20,000-mile adventure by dogsled across the polar north to Alaska. Like Rasmussen, Ehrlich learns that the landscape of Greenland is "less a description of desolation than an ode to the beauty of impermanence." Alternately mind-expanding, gripping, and dreamlike, This Cold Heaven is a revelation. --Lesley Reed

Book Description

For the last decade, Gretel Ehrlich has been obsessed by an island, a terrain, a culture, and the men and women who long for and love the complex frailties and treacherous beauty of a world defined by ice.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, 840,000 square miles in extent, is covered by the largest continental ice sheet in the world.

Only the rocky fringe of its coast is habitable. There, the Inuit, the Arctic’s first explorers, have survived and thrived in the harshest of climates. For the Inuit, an ice-age, ice-adapted people who first traveled from Siberia across the polar North six thousand years ago, weather is consciousness. In a world composed of ice and darkness, water and light, where skins of dog, seal, bear, even hare and eider duck, are sewn into clothes, tents, and sleeping bags as protection, where transport is by dogsled and kayak, the only rein for the uncontrollable force of weather is an unbending self-discipline. The blend of physical endurance and psychological perseverance required for daily existence first drew Ehrlich to this terrain.

Her guide, her inspiration, her companion in spirit was the great Danish-Inuit explorer and ethnographer Knud Rasmussen. Between 1902 and his death in 1933 he launched seven expeditions: to record the unknown history and customs of the nomadic Eskimos; to chronicle the skills, beliefs,and crafts that made life in this climate possible and a matter of grace. For Rasmussen, “all true wisdom is only to be found far from the dwellings of man, in great solitudes.” As she followed his trail, Ehrlich was to find the things that can open the mind to what is hidden from others. This Cold Heaven is at once a distillation of her many journeys, a path into a world divided into darkness and light and, finally, an attempt to capture the clarity that blinds us with surprise.

Customer Reviews:

Heaven On Earth?.......2006-07-25

In "This Cold Heaven", Gretel Ehrlich extolls the life of the subsistence hunters of Greenland. Her writing is really very nice and brought this remote place to life for me. Jared Diamond's "Collapse" gave us the picture of the european Greenlanders and now Ehrlich gives us the picture from the 'other side of the hill.'

The beauty of the environment and the struggle for sanity in the long dark made very interesting reading, having spent 20 winters in Minnesota where it is dark a mere 16 hours a day.

I'm not sure she takes her observations to their logical conclusion, however. The life she admires is that of the subsistence hunter. What makes it admirable for her is the totality of it, the self-sufficiency, the purity. But that life evolved out of necessity, which has been overtaken by modern life. Most Greenlanders live off the supply ships; only a handful hunt for a living. These few are restrictive in their practices, using rifles but eschewing outboard motors and snow mobiles, for example.

In other words they are playing an elaborate game of 'survival.' They could make it easier for themselves but they don't because it makes it more of a challenge. The fact is, there is no obvious reason for people to go around in dogsleds hunting walrus. They could be educating themselves for the future instead of clinging to an outmoded past.

I think she understands this. I say that because of the incident of the polar bear, where she urged that it not be killed. She accompanied the hunters by dogsled to polar bear country for the specific purpose of getting a bear. Then when it came time to pull the trigger she wanted the men to let it go.

In that moment she understood that synthetics are just as good as bear skin for keeping warm. Food can be gotten from the shelves thanks to the supply ships. Transportation to any place in the world is available. There is no longer any need to shoot polar bears in order to survive, and she knew it.

There is honor and purity in modernity, too. We meet Fred, who has been forecasting the weather at Thule for 27 years. I'm a forecaster, too. I can relate to Fred, and I understand why he has stayed there all this time. While his duties benefit the well-being of everyone on that base, he has undertaken a wider quest, that of comprehending nature and humanity in his specific setting. It is similar to that of the hunter, in that it is also an internal quest which reveals oneself.

Only Fred really knows why is there. Only Jens and Mikele really know why they go out on the ice to hunt. Fred could retire to Punta Gorda. Jens could go to Copenhagen and relax. Gretel slides past this whole matter. But then, her eyes were bothering her.

WONDERFUL BOOK.......2006-06-09

I really enjoyed this book, Gretel takes you with her in her travels and experiences to one of the most starkley beautiful places in the world.
great book to read in the heat of summer.
wonderful tales, wonderful author.
I could feel the ice, well reading this book.

great insightful book.....
one you will want to have on your shelves for ever.

Good, but a missed oppurtunity.......2005-04-13

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. She obviously deeply respects the people who she spent time with in Greenland. However, as she barely hints at, there are problems under the surface with alcoholism dysfunctional families and sexual abuse. By glossing over the darker side of things and portraying the Innuit as "noble savages" she provides us with a one dimensional portrait of thier way of life.

Greenland & Ethnographic Study of Eskimo Culture.......2005-03-06

This ethnographic study and travel guide about Greenland reminds me of Paul Theroux' "Happy Isles Of Oceania" which I read about 10 years ago; also her compressed prose reminds me of Annie Proulx author of "Close Range" with whom she shared the adopted state of Wyoming, also of James Michener, author of "Alaska". I have also read this author's "Heart Mountain" which I enjoyed a lot,and more recently "The Future Of Ice". .
Ehrlich's frequent plane trips between Copenhagen and Greenland and her stopovers at the state-of-the-art American military base at Thule, Greenland give the book a link to the outside world, but beyond the airports she transports the reader to a culture many thousands of years old and also with a multitude of current social problems based on the clash between the Danish, who arrived in the 18th C., and indigeneous cultures.
She interviews numerous Danes with Eskimo blood or vice versa, or other expatriates, including information on an American artist Rockwell Kent, who decided to give up on modern society in favor of some more ancient or traditional values. Hence they become New Age subsistence hunters in Greenland. The book also includes several interesting chapters on the explorations of the Arctic by the Dane Rasmussen in the 1920's, who did his own ethnographic studies, as well as by other less renowned explorers. Rasmussen travelled all the way across the Canadian Arctic from Greenland to Alaska. You will be impressed with the breadth of knowledge Ehrlich has about her subject as well as her anecdotal knowledge of modern astronomy; really this is her own ethnographic study, and you will be surprised at the countless small details of living in such an unusually cold, white climate with polar seasons that include many months of total darkness or total light, and the great importance of dogs and dogsleds in their culture. One of the obvious consequences of living in -30-40 degree temperatures is the layers of clothing a human must wear, not to mention the Eskimos' unusual food choices,the threats of starvation and the resultant cannibalism, and age-old hunting practices. Really an eye-opener for those who live in the middle latitudes.

This Cold Heaven.......2004-06-18

This book was a treasure that fell, I don't remember whether one morning or night, from Book TV. Being of Norwegian ancestry, and having ancient voyagers in my direct line, I became fascinated with the author's story. Hoping to find some tales of native legends and myths of the kind that Sigrid Undset's historical novels had first drawn to my attention, I bought the book.

I was not disappointed. Ehrlich weaves her words by alternating the fabric of her seven seasons with allied chapters of other Northern wanderers and explorers. This organization, I feel, makes the book somewhat hard to read in two or three sittings. Yet every page is worth the effort.

Having flown over both Greenland and Iceland, I can verify that Greenland is white and Iceland is green. But snow and ice is not just white, and a sled is not just a sled. Erhlich's language is richly nuanced and lyrical. She has the gift of writing prose like a poet. Having lived her stories, she knows her subject, and you easily feel yourself in her shoes as she relates her experiences.

Book Description

Written in the thirteenth century, Njal's Saga is a story that explores perennial human problems-from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law's inability to curb human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept up in a tide of violence beyond their control. It is populated by memorable and complex characters like Gunnar of Hlidarendi, a powerful warrior with an aversion to killing, and the not-so-villainous Mord Valgardsson. Full of dreams, strange prophecies, violent power struggles, and fragile peace agreements, Njal's Saga tells the compelling story of a fifty-year blood feud that, despite its distance from us in time and place, is driven by passions familiar to us all. This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction, chronology, index of characters, plot summary, explanatory notes, maps, and suggestions for further reading.

Translated and edited by Robert Cook.

Customer Reviews:

A gripping story of violence, revenge, and ultimately, forgiveness........2007-01-30

Njal's Saga is an Icelandic saga by an unknown author, supposedly written around 1280 A.D. The story tells of an unending spiral of feuds and vengeance, leading eventually to the burning of a farmstead at Bergotha in Iceland, which killed the head of the household, Njal, his wife, and a number of his sons. There are several main characters. In the first half, a man named Gunnar, who is a great warrior and often champions underdogs in legal disputes, not infrequently by challenging the other party in the dispute to a duel, causing them to concede or settle rather than face him. Gunnar fought a notable fight against attackers who greatly outnumbered him, which is mentioned in a number of other sources and was apparently a true and famous event. The burning of Njal in his farm is also a historically documented event.

Eventually Gunnar is killed by a coalition of his enemies, and his death is then avenged by the sons of Njal (Gunnar and Njal were close friends), which leads to another escalating round of killings, that concludes with the burning of Njal and his farm.

The final section of the saga concerns the efforts of Kari, Njal's son-in-law and the only survivor of the attack on and burning of Njal's farm, to avenge the burning by tracking down and killing many of the members of the burning-party.

The saga is a powerful, building story, even by modern standards. It also provides much detail about legal proceedings in Iceland, particularly cases brought over killings, contains brief mentions of legendary Viking leader Ragnar Logbrod and several of this sons, and also contains a number of very detailed, vivid descriptions of combat as fought during the Viking period.

Don't dismiss Cook's translation out of hand..........2006-10-29

I recently became interested in Norse mythology, and after acquiring a number of books on the subject my interest spilled over into Norse, particularly Icelandic, sagas. I bought the hefty Penguin "The Sagas of Icelanders", and since all the reviewers for it lamented the exclusion (understandably, for space reasons) of Njal's Saga, I bought that separately, and I've just finished reading it.

I bought this translation, Cook's. There seemed to be two main choices, this or Magnus Magnusson's, and I noticed a few reviewers quite bluntly trashing Cook's translation, promoting Magnus's instead. I decided to start with Cook's anyway, figuring that, even if it was inferior to Magnusson's, I wouldn't know what I was missing, since I hadn't yet read Magusson's. Admittedly, I still haven't read Magnusson's translation, but I enjoyed Cook's translation very much and did not by any means think of it as lacking.

In fact, in Cook's notes on the translation presented in the book, he explains his motivation and justification for translating the saga the way he did, in a way that seems to anticipate the disfavor of his translation by loyal Magnusson fans:

"[This translation] differs from previous translations of Njal's Saga...in attempting to duplicate the sentence structure and spare vocabulary of the Icelandic text."

After giving a few examples of the stylistic eccentricities in which the saga was originally written and demonstrating how he attempted to reproduce them in his translation--even contrasting an excerpt of Magnusson's translation with his own--he goes on to say:

"It is hoped that the reader of this translation will accept--and even learn to enjoy--these and other efforts at fidelity, though they may seem strange at first. The intent has been to create a translation with the stylistic "feel" of the Icelandic original."

Clearly, Cook did not set out to create a dry, inferior translation; rather he set out to create a more stylistically faithful translation, even if it meant sacrificing some of the flare and drama to which we as modern readers are accustomed.

Regarding the story itself...what can one say? There is something immensely powerful about reading a piece of literature that was written over seven centuries ago and discovering that its author and the people about whom he wrote had many of the same thoughts, feelings, and problems that we do today. When a character responds emotionally to a situation, or feels frustrated because of a moral dilemma, we can still, despite the vast chasm of time separating us, so easily relate to him or her. Even the author's humor and wit are delightfully close to home. Stories such as Njal's Saga remind us that people from long ago and far away are just that: people. Just like us. In a popular culture that has a tendency to glorify the ephemeral, trendy Here and Now, it's a fact that's easy to forget.

Great work, wrong translation..........2005-11-21

I agree with the reviewer below -- Njal's Saga is an amazing piece of work, but Cook's translation is garbage. Track down the Magnusson edition.

One of the great works of literature, awful translation.......2005-09-07

Njal's saga ranks with the all time great works of world literature, but you will not see why reading this translation. If you can dig up the earlier Penguin translation by Magnus Magnusson, read that version, which though published in 1960 is written in a much tighter and contemporary style and is more accurate to boot. Get it out of the library. Or hunt down a used copy. It captures the saga wit and just makes better sense of the complex action.

A classic saga.......2005-05-22

Njal's saga is a story of relationships. Imagine Iceland about 1000 A.D. Winter is long. Your relationships with other people, friends, enemies, wives, in-laws, sons and daughters, foster sons and daughters govern your and everyone else's lives. Like the Greek trgedies, the fates that seek out the saga's inhabitants are announced beforehand. Njal knows that he, his wife and sons will die as a result of a specific action. The Icelanders invariably continue to remember past insults, kill neighbors, or be killed despite clear premonition. The saga, also like other good drama, builds in small but clear steps. Gunnar Hamundarson, the predecessor in death of Njal and a strong warrior, is besieged in his house and facing death. He has driven off most of his attackers, though,with bow and arrow until an enemy slices through his bow string. He turns to his wife and asks her to cut her hair to make him a new bow string. "Does anything depend on it, asked Hallgerd [his wife]. my life depends on it," replied Gunnar....In that case, said Hallgerd, I shall now remind you of the slap you once gave me..."

Also included is a sometime fascinating, sometimes overlong, description of Icelandic legal processes, which clearly greatly influenced or were similar to English (by way of the Normans) and so to us...

Great book.

Average customer rating:

Easy On The Eyes
Workmanlike Photography, Boring Book
EL MEJOR LIBRO DE FOTOS DE ISLANDIA QUE EXISTE
This book looks cool

Iceland
Einar Mar Jonsson , and Guillaume Cannat
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810959488

Book Description

An astonishing land of fire and ice, where active volcanoes, hot springs, and lava floes stand beside thundering waterfalls, glaciers, and ice fields in deserted, rocky landscapes, Iceland is home to some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. In this breathtaking volume, photographer Patrick Desgraupes has captured, in 175 original photos taken especially for this book, Iceland's drama and mystery as no other photographer before him ever has.

From the sweeping expanses of the island's ocean reaches punctuated by twisted pillars of volcanic rock to sublime panoramas of mountain peaks in the blaze of northern sunsets, the otherworldly landscapes of Iceland's interior spring to life in this remarkable book. The Icelandic essayist Einar Mar Jonsson has written a poetic appreciation of his homeland; and science writer Guillaume Cannat has provided a naturalist's description of the titanic forces that have shaped Iceland through geological time.

Customer Reviews:

Easy On The Eyes.......2007-09-07

Beautiful photographs that show both the splendor of Iceland's wild places and the mute artistry of the camera. Not much in the way of useful text but very pretty pictures.

Workmanlike Photography, Boring Book.......2007-07-20

The photography appears to be done within a short time and by someone intent on putting his particular spin on his subject. Unfortunately, the consequence is that none of the pictures qualify as stunning. They photography is very competent and has wonderful color saturation, but the compositions left me cold. None of them had points of interest or hints of an underlying story that typifies the best photography.

The photographer also decided to concentrate on close-up landscape, thus, there's relatively little coverage on the waterfalls and wildlife that Iceland is known for. Even worse, many images look very similar to each other, and most did not make me want to visit Iceland or re-read this book. I have seen far superior Iceland photography posted for free viewing on Flickr.

EL MEJOR LIBRO DE FOTOS DE ISLANDIA QUE EXISTE.......2007-01-13

Si has estado allí, será como volver. Y si no, irás. Espléndido. No defrauda. Está en Inglés pero casi sólo hay fotos. Merece la pena.

This book looks cool.......2006-07-11

I'm getting ready to take a trip to Iceland. I thought that Amazon reviews would be a great way to learn which travel book would be the most helpful for finding clubs in Reykjavik where I can pick up chicks. I don't know if this book will be helpful for that, but I'm definitely going to buy it to put on my coffee table to impress chicks when I return. See my reviews on coffee tables for sale on Amazon.

Photoshop Lightroom Adventure: Mastering Adobe's next-generation tool for digital photographers

Average customer rating:

Great Inspiration for any artist
Lightroom Adventure
Take your workflow to a new level
save your money
Great photographs of Iceland, Not a Great Book on Lightroom

Photoshop Lightroom Adventure: Mastering Adobe's next-generation tool for digital photographers
Mikkel Aaland
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 059610099X

Book Description

This beautifully illustrated and eminently practical book is the first to offer a complete tour of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.1, the integrated digital photography workflow application that allows serious photographers to import, select, develop and showcase large volumes of digital images. Augmented by photos and case studies from a demanding road test in Iceland, award-winning photographer Mikkel Aaland explains how Lightroom 1.1 can improve the way you work.

After watching -- and often helping -- Adobe create Lightroom entirely from the ground up, Aaland (author of Photoshop CS2 RAW) was ready to see how well it would do in the field. He organized a group of 12 top-notch photographers for a trek to "Nature's Light Room", the pristine Icelandic landscape where each summer day is bathed in 22 hours of horizontal light -- and where the only studio was Lightroom on a laptop. In Photoshop Lightroom Adventure, Aaland uses hands-on knowledge from the trip to demonstrate how Lightroom 1.1 can help you create the best possible image under any conditions.

This unique tutorial walks you step-by-step through Lightroom's:

Library module for uploading, sorting, tagging, ranking and adding keywords to your images
Develop module with Adobe Camera RAW for complete non-destructive color and tonal adjustments
Slideshow module, where you select and size images, and export the show to HTML, Flash, or PDF formats
Print module, which includes several templates for printing contact sheets or full images
Web module, where you can create Flash or HTML web galleries

With many gorgeous examples shot in the soft natural light of Iceland, this book lets you see the results for yourself. Mikkel Aaland's trademark ability to teach complicated topics on digital imaging with straightforward, easy-to-follow text makes this book a valuable learning tool for anyone serious about digital photography. This is not an update of previous Lightroom versions, but the first book written specifically with Lightroom 1.1 in mind.

Customer Reviews:

Great Inspiration for any artist.......2007-09-21

Great book, not only from a reading perspective, but from an art
perspective. The book is beautiful, inspiring, and informative. I
really enjoyed the read, and the pictures are fabulous. Initially,
when I requested a review copy, I thought it was for Photoshop CS3, I
was unaware that Adobe made software called Lightroom. I have a Mac
with Apeture, which is similar to Lightroom, but I downloaded
Lightroom and tried it out as I read through the book. I love the way
the book tells a story as well as teaches you about the software.
Mikkel does a great job teaching about the software, I learned a
great deal about the software and found that I really like it. The
imagery in the book is breathtaking and, Mikkel really helped me
develop my photography eye further to make my images much more
appealing. I thought the book not only teaches you how to use the
software, but also how to critique photos.

Lightroom Adventure.......2007-09-17

Terrific book. It explains everything you would want to know about Lightroom. I'm particularly pleased that Mikel Aaland delayed the book to include the 1.1 upgrade to Lightroom. The book is well laid out, with lots of photos and illustrations. The format is easy to read and specific info is easy to find, if, like me, you want to read up on a particular topic rather than read the book from front to back.

Take your workflow to a new level.......2007-09-03

I highly recommend this book if you are serious about using Lightroom to take your work flow to a new level. I have read multiple online tutorials and watched multiple video Podcast on Lightroom but this book will help "fill" in the gaps with the online tutorials. This was the first book I found that addressed v 1.1. All other versions deal with 1.0 and if you are a user of v 1.1 you know there are differences within the versions.

It does not have the humor built in as Scott Kelby's books but I found this book to answer many questions I had concerning Lightroom. I have been using lightroom on a nearly daily basis since early 07.

save your money.......2007-08-29

purchased this on the recommendation of Reichman at Luminous Landscape--the photographer was part of the Iceland team that is central to the book. Book is superficial at best--not worth the money even if there are numerous beautiful images throughout. The author simply glosses over every bit of the application-a very shallow intro to a very powerful product!! Better to invest in any (better yet all!) of the vastly superior books by Tim Grey, Scott Kelby, or Martin Evening--not only do these other writers provide a more thorough intro but they also share wonderful insights as to how the appplication can be used. find one of these other books before spending a penny on this one!

Great photographs of Iceland, Not a Great Book on Lightroom.......2007-08-23

A lot of big egos with a number of the contributors pushing the book and themselves and their
own sites and workshops (see Luminous-Landscape). If the actual photographs, even at low resolution, were part
of the exercises, this book, which is too much about alpha and beta testing the product on a junket for Adobe, would make sense.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

Average customer rating:

Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

The Rough Guide to Iceland 3 Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Just returned
Loaded with useful information
A Good First Effort for a Great Series
So much to see!

The Rough Guide to Iceland 3 Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Rough Guides
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Iceland | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1843537672

Book Description

The Rough Guide to Iceland is your complete handbook to uncovering the delights of Europe’s largest glacier. From Reykjavik’s nightlife to the dramatic Western Fjords and table-top mountains to the rich birdlife of Lake Myvatn, the full-colour introduction highlights all the âthings-not-to-miss’. For every town and village there are insider reviews of the all best places to stay, eat and drink, both on and off the beaten track, with the new âAuthor’s Pick’ feature highlighting the very best options. There is plenty of practical advice for a host of outdoor activities, from skiing on the VatnajÃ¶kull glacier to whale-watching and viewing the Northern Lights. The guide also looks at Iceland''s rich Viking history and its extraordinary geology and wildlife.

The Rough Guide to Iceland is like having a local friend plan your trip!

Customer Reviews:

Just returned.......2007-09-13

Very organised and detailed guide book. Each section has a "highlights" introduction, allowing for an easy and quick planing of the next day tour.
All detailed we have used (phone numbers, email addresses) were up-to-date.
The context chapter, encompassing Iceland history and overview on geography is a good reading - just what you need when you have an hour to read, and would like to know more on the place you visit.

Loaded with useful information.......2003-09-29

I've not used other Rough Guides before, but a friend swears by them, so I tried this one for Iceland. I also got the Insight Guide, which had pretty pictures and background info but little else. The Rough Guide was infinitely more useful, and I totally relied on it during a weeklong trip around Iceland. We drove all the way around the ring road and out to the Westfjords, and the only incorrect piece of information we found in the entire book was the price at one guest house. Plenty of info on where to stay and eat, what to see and do, and background information was useful and interesting. My one criticism is the maps, they are small and only of small regions of the country (but what are you going to do in such a small book?). It would have been nice to have a large, comprehensive map of the island, so we bought a large road map in addition. The book was particularly useful in the isolated parts of Iceland where 'towns' on maps consisted only of a single house or 2. It was comforting to know the Rough Guide contained accurate information we could rely on to find a place to stop on those remote roads.

A Good First Effort for a Great Series.......2001-09-06

The ROUGH GUIDE series has produced some wonderful books -- I am particularly fond of the titles on France and Scotland, which I have used extensively. This is their first crack at Iceland, and it is a commendable, if not outstanding, effort.

As a result of a recent 15-day trip to Iceland, I can say that it is mostly reliable but far from exhaustive. For one thing, the emphasis is on sleeping bag accommodations exclusively. (Okay, maybe I'm not quite so "rough" a traveler: Two weeks in the same smelly down bag is not my idea of comfortable travel.) Also, the book omits many very viable accommodation options, such as the Bolti farmhouse at Skaftafell. Also many oustanding restaurants such as the well-known Bautinn in Akureyri are unaccountably missing.

What did this guide have to say about my guesthouse in Reykjavik (the excellent Baldursbra)? Only that it had "rather narrow beds and unfortunate floral curtains." Good grief! Firstly, the size of single beds in Iceland tends to be quite standard: No extra inches were shaved off. Secondly, the curtains were indeed floral but not so aggressively bad as suggested by the writers of the guide, who appear to have been suffering from a bad hair day.

On the plus side, the "Basics" and "Contexts" sections are both useful and entertaining introductions to travel in this most fascinating of destinations. I've always regarded a good bibliography as an asset to any guide, and this one has an excellent one. Included is a helpful summary of the key Icelandic sagas, a knowledge of which is essential to understanding the uniqueness of Iceland.

You won't go far wrong with this guide, but there is room for improvement in editions to come. For now, I recommend the 2001 Edition of the Lonely Planet Guide as being the most authoritative guide.

So much to see!.......2001-06-15

We had a 3-day stopover in Iceland, and used the Rough Guide as our main source of information. The information in the book was accurate and very useful, especially when driving in the less populated areas. It was nice to know which towns had fuel stations, cafes, guesthouses, etc. It was a little confusing when we drove east from Vik, and the book was written as if driving west toward Vik, but we managed.

The sections on culture and history were also very useful when planning a trip to a place we'd never been before. This book and a good map (1250 ISK at the tourist information desk) is all you should need for a great trip.

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