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.

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.

A Musical Journey: From the Great Wall of China to the Water Towns of Jiangnan

Average customer rating:

Beautiful!
A fact filled book & beautiful CD
great music and drawings!

A Musical Journey: From the Great Wall of China to the Water Towns of Jiangnan
liow kah Joon , and Kah Joon Liow
Manufacturer: SilkRoads Networks Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0973349212

Book Description

**Chosen as an American Booksellers Association autumn 2004 Book Sense Children's Pick!** A Musical Journey is a new children's book that takes young readers on a musical tour that celebrates the diversity of China's land and its people. This beautifully illustrated book is both educational and entertaining. The CD of folk songs that comes with the book includes 12 musical themes that correspond to the fact filled text. A Musical Journey is a trip the reader/listener will enjoy taking many times over. The musical selections are fun for all; the text is suggested for children age 6 and over. -- Nanci Carlson, President FCC-AZ Chapter & Newsletter Co-editor

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful!.......2006-05-28

We love this book! Not only was the book thoughtfully written, the painting were beautiful, and the characters in this books were so cute. We really appreciate the CD that accompanies the book. The music that comes with the book makes reading it a joy, and a fun expereince for the children. We learn a lot about China through this book, thank you!

A fact filled book & beautiful CD.......2005-10-09

You and your child will be guided throught this amazing book with Ming & Kim who are also dressed in costumes of minority tribes through out the Peoples' Republic of China. This is how the book breaks down. Each page also has it's very own music track. The music is absolutely beautiful and is unlike any Chinese music cd that we own! The more we listen to this cd we really love it! My daughter actually requests to hear certain songs, our favorite has sounds like running horses!

CD -
Great Wall of China - The Chinese Dragon
The book and music speaks of how on Chinese New Year there is a big dragon dance to celebrate the New Year. It talks about how Chinese drums & cymbals give you a feeling of happiness. " This Asian adaptation of music that is played during festive occasions".

Silk Road
It's music has foot bells and a tambourine in this original composition.

Inner Mongolia
This track is suppose to make you feel like you are racing across the plains on horseback and uses traditional Mongolain music with a horse head fiddle. ( It's doesn't look like a horse head at all. Imagine a square guitar with a long neck and curved handle like a cane).

XinJiang
This track has an instrument called a Rawap and is suppose to convay a young Uyghur girl dancing during a festive occasion. there is a small drawing of what a Rawap looks like as well as other instruments in other songs.

Tibet
This track has banjo, Tibetan drums and a bamboo flute and is supposed to make you think of children celebrating.

Sichuan
This melody is an updated folk music and it has a Bawu which is a type of Chinese clarinet.

Guizhou
" Maioa people relay messages, including expressions of friendship and love, to each other through song. These songs echo through the mountain ranges. A Miao girl plays the Lusheng" instrument.

Guilin
This track features a copper drum in the background and is suppose to take you to a woman who is picking tea leaves in the spring morning sun.

Yunnan
" The bamboo dance is a popular dance among the minority tribes of Yunnan. Dances move deftly between bamboo poles accompanied by the rhythmic beats of copper and wooden drums".

Dongbei
The main instrucments in this track are Chinese drums, cymbols, erhu and banhu. This track is known as Yang Ge and is played in parades during festive celebrations where thousands of people line up to watch the parades.

Central Plains
The bamboo flute in this track imitates a singing bird and also includes an instrument called a Pipa. It is suppose to make you think a grandfather laying under a big shade tree playing his flute while his grandson chases a small bird around the tree.

Jiangnan
This track is a new version of a 200-year-old Jiangnan folk song called Jasmine Flower. The song uses the Erhu which is kinda like a violin and the Pipa. Jasmine flowers are small and white and have the sweetest scent. You are suppose to imagine sitting in a boat on the canal in Zhouzhuang.

The information in this book is unbelieveable and combined with the cd makes this set a must have for anyone who loves China! Defiantely worth adding to your home library!

great music and drawings!.......2004-09-09

This book has great colorful pictures for kids and is written in a way that kids will find it interesting. It's hard to cram so many years of Chinese history into a short children's book but the author has done a good job of hitting the interesting high points. The accompanying CD has some wonderful original compositions. This is a welcome addition to the library of children's books on China.

The Great Wall of China: Photographs by Chen Changfen (Houston Museum of Fine Arts)

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The Great Wall of China: Photographs by Chen Changfen (Houston Museum of Fine Arts)
Anne Wilkes Tucker
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300122470

Book Description

Chen Changfen (b. 1941) began to photograph the Great Wall twenty years before the Chinese government officially adopted it as the national symbol in 1984. This fascinating book presents a small fraction of his decades-long study of the monumental form and conveys the fertile range of themes and ideas that Chen has investigated, each informed by traditional Chinese art, history, and philosophy. Combining a unique blend of traditional and contemporary technical processes, Chen’s richly evocative photographs at once celebrate the remarkable series of building campaigns that produced the Wall and memorialize the thousands of conscripted laborers whose lives were sacrificed to its construction.
One of the most striking features of Chen’s photographs is their unexpected variety of perspectives and moods, capturing the vicissitudes of weather, time, and human history that have acted upon it. By excluding the people, highways, factories, and modern buildings that encroach on and daily destroy sections of the Wall, however, Chen eliminates major aspects of the Wall’s present reality from his pictures. In a thoughtful essay and interview with the artist, Anne Wilkes Tucker probes the meanings of such omissions and guides the reader through Chen’s extraordinary images. The Great Wall of China is essential reading for photographers, historians, and travelers.

The Great Wall Of China (Aladdin Picture Books)

Average customer rating:

Do we want a rose-colored history for our children?
Not good for teaching either!
Not good as a gift
The beautiful pictures illustrate this cultural wonder!

The Great Wall Of China (Aladdin Picture Books)
Leonard Everett Fisher
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0689801785

Customer Reviews:

Do we want a rose-colored history for our children?.......2007-04-15

Actually, the"tale" is grim, but true. Workers were buried alive. Some on purpose. Those who refuse to learn from history are destined to repeat it. The point is whether or not you feel your child is ready to handle the harsher realities of history. Better to wait than to doctor it up to make it more palatable. All ethnic groups are guilty of atrocities of one sort or another. It's the human condition. That doesn't make one a racist.

On the other hand, a book shouldn't be chosen solely on the basis of its artistic value either, but I find black and white drawings to be captivating. Garth Williams, for example, does a beautiful job of depicting the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. If there is a problem with the paper quality, take that up with the publisher. It's not the book's fault. :)

Based on the excerpts and the reviews that I have read thus far, I'm giving the book the benefit of the doubt and 3 stars, only because I have to, and I hate to see a book maligned because of the boos and hisses for lack of political correctness. That's what textbooks are for.

Not good for teaching either!.......2006-01-29

If I could give this book a zero instead of a 1 I would happily do so. It is a rare thing that we buy a book so bad that I would happily return it, were that not such a hassle. This is one of the few.

Fisher's "The Great Wall of China" is a very poorly done book. Rather than present a true history of the wall, Fisher invents a dialogue, one that is full of anger. The illustrations are extremely dark. The emperor looks like Mr. T, the people's expressions odd at best. To make already bad matters worse, one illustration shows wall-builders being whipped. On the same page, Fisher's states: "Workers who complained or who ran away were caught and buried alive."

Absolutely unsuitable for children of any age with virtually no redeeming value!

Not good as a gift.......2004-12-10

I found this book is poor quality and an inappropriate gift for a six-year-old boy (who loves stories about ancient China). The paperback format is flimsy. The illustrations are all black and white, and have the quality of a photocopy. And, the text talks about burying laborers alive.

The beautiful pictures illustrate this cultural wonder!.......2000-04-02

Leonard Everett Fisher has created such a beautiful set of portraits of this ancient and mysterious culture. My elementary students laughed in delight of the rhythmical musings of the great emperor and were able to remain focused during the entire story. The story as written by Mr. Fisher lent itself to further discussions about the implications of building the Great Wall, including a cost-benefit analysis of the labor lost in constructing such a feat of wonder! I highly recommend this book to anyone for its illustrous drawings and the language chosen to convey this important part of human history.

The Great Wall: China Against the World, 1000 BC - AD 2000

Average customer rating:

Lovell against China
Interesting opinions but tough to get through at times .....
One Wall Among Many
Six good chapters
The Great Wall: China Against the World

The Great Wall: China Against the World, 1000 BC - AD 2000
Julia Lovell
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802142974

Book Description

Legendarily 2,200 years old and 4,300 miles long, the Great Wall of China seems to make an overwhelmingly confident physical statement about the country it spans: about China’s age-old sense of itself being an advanced civilization anxious to draw a clear line between itself and the “barbarians” at its borders. But behind the wall’s intimidating exterior—and the myths that have built up around it—is a complex history that has both defined and undermined China. Author Julia Lovell has written a new and important history of the Great Wall that guides the reader through the conquests and cataclysms of the Chinese empire, from the second millennium BC to the present day.
In recent years, the Wall has become an ever more potent symbol of Chinese nationalism, of a determination to resist foreign domination. But how successful was the Wall in reality, and what was its real purpose? Was it a precursor, albeit on a huge scale, of the Berlin Wall—a barrier designed to keep its population in as much as undesirables out? Lovell looks behind the modern mythology of the Great Wall, uncovering a three-thousand-year history far more fragmented and less illustrious than its crowds of visitors imagine today. The story of the Wall winds through that of the Chinese state and the frontier policy that defined it, through the lives of the millions of individuals who supported, criticized, built, and attacked it.

Customer Reviews:

Lovell against China.......2007-03-11

I rate low the way Julia Lovell write this book: Its seems a revenge against 'China'. You can tell facts, and you can tell facts with anger. I'm a reader of Chinese History. All what Julia Lovell said you can find in History Books, but... the personal taste must be put aside, I think. It's seems a campaign, a crusade against "those who they think they are!!!" Sorry my English is not good enough in order to explain myself in a better way.

Interesting opinions but tough to get through at times ............2007-01-08

I picked up this book from a clearance pile after Christmas. The research is extensive and the interpretations and views interesting. At times, the author is repetitive in trying to make her point, which makes it a little difficult to read. Overall, the tone of writing gives me this image of a strict British teacher with a ramrod-straight spine talking down her nose and lightly tapping a ruler on her palm ....

One Wall Among Many.......2006-09-09

This book could serve an engaging text for a course in Chinese history. It describes the evolution of that great country tied to its most recognized symbol both as a construction and a thought. Lovell, a teacher of Chinese history and literature at Cambridge handles anecdotes as well as Tom Wolfe. Her prose is so engaging it cries out for colored maps showing different dynasties walls in different colors along with pictures of some of the individuals she describes. The great wall, which is a series of walls spread over a long distance, was intended to wall out the barbarians. Like the Maginot line it was not successful. The Great Wall did not keep Genghis Khan and his successors out. But it had an effect upon the Chinese psyche over much of that country's history. It is a metaphor for China's historical, social and economic isolation.

That the Chinese thought themselves protected, but were walled in, is evident from the British trade mission launched in 1792. Evidently the British were running a trade deficit owing to enormous purchases of tea. George III sent diplomats with extensive gifts on a year long voyage to present their credentials to the Emperor. He received them with a great deal of reserve. Two weeks later the Emperor responded that his country had not "the slightest need of your country's manufacturers." What made the response even more insulting was that it was composed six weeks before the diplomats were shown in. Seventy years later, during the Opium War, the presents were discovered untouched in a stable.

Lovell challenges the perceived singularity of Chinese culture by describing the various walls built from the Warring States period through the Ming dynasty, a period of over 1500 years and the cultural differences during those times. She also asserts that while the wall is long, it is mostly made of mud and not very great. Genghis and his hoard, and later the Manchu's, passed through it with relative ease, testifying to the statement attributed to Genghis that: "the strength of walls depends on the courage of those who guard them." Hundreds of miles long the wall is now mostly rubble, except, of course, for the tourist sections, such as that President Nixon visited. This is in contrast to the various Chinese city walls dating as early as the third millennium B.C. which are now being excavated.

While the long wall is a symbol of the unity of China over millennia, that unity is mostly fiction. So is the assertion that it can be seen from the moon. The walls were built to bar the nomads, the barbarians and the hoards from the North. The Chinese were assumed to be on the defensive. However, while the walls existed, China colonized much of the area south of the Yangtze and the Tibetan plateau.

As Lovell moves from the Shang to the present, she brings to life the builders and destroyers (including nature) of the wall and the economic causes of the ebb and flow of expansion and defense. She writes that her book "has tried to provide a history of the Chinese world view to reveal its successes and failures, to explain an attitude to the outside world that can seem (and, indeed, often is) puzzling, contradictory and strident, and that shows no sign of evanescing in the face of globalization, the Internet and America's world crusade for freedom and democracy." In many ways she has succeeded. This is a captivating book, well written with a mixture of scholarship and accomplished story telling. However, one is left, especially after reading the description of modern life in China in Oracle Bones, with the impression that the world view of the Chinese is changing much faster than Lovell realizes. And that the most recent wall that China has constructed, the one to bar access to portions of the internet, will suffer the same fate as the Great Wall.

Six good chapters.......2006-09-03

Do not be put off by the middle of this book. The good analysis of Chinese society is done in the three front and three back chapters. Don't feel guilty if you skip over the middle, it is all about ancient history, and the author herself writes on page 27 that the history of China as the "Chinese Nation" started only about 100 years ago.
Julia Lovell makes a strong case that China will never stop building walls --- "...the pull between enclosure and openess will continue." (page 348)
I subjectively subtract one star for the probably excellent padding in the middle of this book.

The Great Wall: China Against the World.......2006-08-25

The author's review of the Chinese Emperors' wall building programs reveal much of the history of early China that is unknown to most Westerners. Our visit to a section of the wall gives the impression that other sections are similar. The book is Chinese history well written, well presented and most worthwhile.

The Great Wall of China 221 BC-1644 AD (Fortress)

Average customer rating:

Excellent summary of the Great Wall of China
Chapters survey its defensive measures and provide plenty of vintage illustration, maps and more.
The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China 221 BC-1644 AD (Fortress)
Stephen Turnbull
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

China | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1846030048
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Book Description

The Great Wall of China is the most extensive and famous example of fortification in the world. Charting its development from construction in the 7th century BC through to the present day, this account reveals the true history of the wall, and explores the myths that surround it.

Stretching over 4,000 miles, the Great Wall began as a collection of defensive walls built by the northern vassal states under the Chou dynasty. With the unification of China in 221 BC the walls were interlinked and extended to fight off the invaders from the North. The wall as it is seen today is almost entirely the result of major renovations that started with the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368 AD and took 200 years to complete.

Included are details of what it was like to live within the wall, the ideas behind the defensive systems, how it was garrisoned and patrolled, and a discussion of how effective it was against attack. Through extensive examination of both ancient and modern sources, color maps, artwork and photographs, this book illustrates why the wall is one of the great wonders of the world.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent summary of the Great Wall of China.......2007-04-19

In 63 pages, Stephen Turnbull does an excellent job in tracing the development and history of the Great Wall of China. This book clearly explained how the concept of the Great Wall was a long term strategic consideration on the minds of every Chinese dynasty since the very first one, the Qin Dynasty. From Mr. Turnbull, the reader can clearly understand that it was the Chinese military's inablity to contest and control the nomadic tribes north of their borders the forced them to built these series of walls. The Chinese probably used the concept of mobile reserves to contest any raiding parties much like the Romans did at the Hadrian Wall. The case of major invasion, the wall was supposed to pin the enemy army until the main army can deal with them. That proves to be more tricky then reality.

The book also reflects how the "Great Wall" were built in spruge of sections and it wasn't until the Ming Dynasty that the wall we see today was built and completed. But as the author ironically states, just as the walls were completed, the Ming Dynasty fell to the new Manchu Dynasty who took over by simply walking through the Great Wall thanks to a traitor. Like in all lessons of history, the fortification is only good as the troops who manned it. Funny that the wall was built to prevent people like the Manchus from taking over and it utterly failed the first time it was tested.

The book comes well illustrated with maps, drawings and photos that proves not only useful to the text but also bring a pretty clear understanding to the subject. The author's command of the subject is pretty clear as he writes with clarity and understanding. This book should proves to be an excellent introduction to anyone who is interested in the Great Wall of China and should provides an excellent foundation for further study of the Great Wall of China if one should desire it.

Chapters survey its defensive measures and provide plenty of vintage illustration, maps and more........2007-04-10

Stephen Turnbull's THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA 221 BC-AD 1644 examines the history of the most famous fortification in the world, considering the realities, myths, and military history of how the wall was conceived, built, and patrolled. Chapters survey its defensive measures and provide plenty of vintage illustration, maps and more.

The Great Wall of China.......2007-02-08

I had two years of graduate school in Chinese history and have seen several cable programs on this subject. I found this latest Osprey volume very useful, especially the photographs and illustrations. The text was satisfactory for a vloume in this series.

You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Great Wall of China!: Defenses You'd Rather Not Build (You Wouldn't Want to...)

Average customer rating:

You wouldn't want to work on the Great Wall of China
Teaching and Learning made fun

You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Great Wall of China!: Defenses You'd Rather Not Build (You Wouldn't Want to...)
Jacqueline Morley , and David Salariya
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Asia | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Ancient | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0531124495

Customer Reviews:

You wouldn't want to work on the Great Wall of China.......2007-05-13

I read this to my sixth graders as part of a lesson on Ancient China. I didn't give it 4 stars because it was a little busy, but other than that, it was an entertaining way to teach. Catching illustrations, and lots of good information.

Teaching and Learning made fun.......2006-07-02

As a social studies teacher (this year teaching Ancient Civilizations), I have used this series of books as support material in my classroom. I feel that the author and illustrator have made the facts a lot more fun. By using engaging graphics and understandable text, they have made learning fun for all students

Across Asia on a Bicycle: The Journey of Two American Students from Constantinople to Peking

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Across Asia on a Bicycle: The Journey of Two American Students from Constantinople to Peking
Thomas Gaskell, Jr. Allen , and Michael W. Perry
Manufacturer: Inkling Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Expeditions & Discoveries | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1587420201

Book Description

Two Washington University graduates sail to Liverpool and begin a 15,000-mile bicycle journey to Peking. The account begins in Asia Minor as the students cycle on through Persia and Turkestan, with detours to Merv, Bokhara, and Samarkand. They peddle across the vast tract of the Gobi Desert to Peking, where they were received by Li-Hung-Chang, the Prime Minister of China. "A practical finish to a theoretical education" in liberal arts.

The Great Wall at Sea: China's Navy Enters the Twenty-First Century

Average customer rating:

Great Book, Hope that it will be Updated
Informative and highly useful...
Cole is a non-linear schizophrenic.

The Great Wall at Sea: China's Navy Enters the Twenty-First Century
Bernard D. Cole
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1557502390

Book Description

With the world's largest population, largest army, and fastest growing economy, China is now building a large modern navy to assure its status as Asia's predominant power. Yet the West is sorely limited in its knowledge of what could become its greatest naval opponent. This major new study--the first in more than fifteen years--provides the specialist and general reader alike with timely, authoritative information about China's developing navy and its quest for power. The author, a professor at the National War College, first looks at China's two-thousand-year-old maritime tradition and then examines China's extensive territorial claims at sea, following up with a path-blazing description of the nation's increasing dependence on energy sources mined from the ocean floor.

The main focus of the book is a detailed examination of China's navy, its organization and its submarines, ships, and airplanes that form the heart of the sea-going force. The book also takes into account the officers and sailors who man the growing fleet and Beijing's efforts to train and educate them to be both professionally capable and politically reliable. China's future plans for its navy, including doctrine and operations, are fully discussed. In his conclusion, the author places China's naval developments within the context of national goals and plans as well as in the international arena. He asserts that Beijing will continue as a continental power with a maritime strategy and a navy focused on specific, limited goals, while reminding readers that the reunification of Taiwan is an objective that may well involve the United States.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book, Hope that it will be Updated.......2007-08-27

Capt. Cole does a great job boiling several decades China's naval strategy down into a few hundred pages. The book is both broad and deep, but not overwhelming. Unfortunately the book has not been updated since it was written in 2001, much has changed in almost a decade as China plan to update its military is moving at breakneck pace. This book is the place to start if your want to understand what makes China's PLAN tick, but it is not a final resting point. Read this book, and then hit the library; it will teach you what questions you have to ask, and at the pace that China is moving, you will have to re-ask these questions every few months, because the answers are changing. If Dr. Cole (he also has a PhD) has the time to update this book, I will buy it again.

Informative and highly useful..........2007-07-21

CAPT Cole's text performs what any survey ought to do: it provides information that is broad but not too deep. If you know nothing about the PLAN, this is the book with which to start. Structure, equipment, doctrine, and prospects are all ably covered. While one may question one or two conclusions about the likely future of either the PLAN's capabilities or its relative strength, it must be remembered that this book is six years old; with a subject as dynamic as the growth and change within the PLAN, it is impressive that CAPT Cole's text has remained as relevant as it is. Highly recommended for the new and curious.

Cole is a non-linear schizophrenic........2002-09-07

Why is the review submission link way down at the bottom for this book? Anyway, Cole has a mentality that's pre Hiroshima-Nagasaki. He interprets current geo-politics as if it were still 1941. Unlike the Japanese navy/air force which was an entirely indigenous affair with planes made by Mitsubishi and ships designed by Japanese engineers the Chinese military is based on Soviet plans. During the Sino_Japanese war Japan gained an easy victory over China for among other reasons China's inability to build a national military industry, using Russian made fighter planes, Russian firearms etc. And that's still the case only now they're using decrepit Soviet made submarines armed with nuclear warheads. A fact Cole seems utterly oblivious of. And a fact that renders his Von Clauswitz grand strategist posing ridiculous.

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