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.

Commerce with the Classics: Ancient Books and Renaissance Readers (Thomas Spencer Jerome Lectures)

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Commerce with the Classics: Ancient Books and Renaissance Readers (Thomas Spencer Jerome Lectures)
Anthony Grafton
Manufacturer: University of Michigan Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0472106260

Book Description

The style of reading in Renaissance Europe, as seen in the margins of books and in the texts of Renaissance intellectuals themselves, is deftly charted in this welcome volume from Anthony Grafton. Growing out of the Thomas Spencer Jerome Lectures that Anthony Grafton gave at the University of Michigan in 1992, this book describes the interaction between books and readers in the Renaissance, as seen in four major case studies.

Humanists Alberti, Pico, Budé, and Kepler, all major figures of their time and now major figures in intellectual history, are examined in the light of their distinctive ways of reading. Investigating a period of two centuries, Grafton vividly portrays the ways in which book/scholar interactions--and the established traditions that were reflected in these interactions--were part of and helped shape the subjects' Humanistic philosophy. The book also indicates how these traditions have implications for the modern literary scene.

Commerce with the Classics: Ancient Books and Renaissance Readers illustrates the immense variety of the humanist readers of the Renaissance. Grafton describes life in the Renaissance library, how the act of reading was shaped by the physical environment, and various styles of reading during the time. A strong sense of what skilled reading was like in the past is built up through anecdotes, philological analysis, and documents from a wide variety of sources, many of them unpublished.

This volume will be of special interest to Renaissance and intellectual historians, students of Renaissance literature, and classicists who concern themselves with the afterlife of their texts.

Anthony Grafton is Dodge Professor of History, Princeton University.

State-Space Models with Regime Switching: Classical and Gibbs-Sampling Approaches with Applications

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Amazing treatement for the practitioner and the student
State-Space Models with Regime-Switching:Classical and Gibbs
A waste of time.
excellent book on regime switching

State-Space Models with Regime Switching: Classical and Gibbs-Sampling Approaches with Applications
Chang-Jin Kim , and Charles R. Nelson
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0262112388

Book Description

Both state-space models and Markov switching models have been highly productive paths for empirical research in macroeconomics and finance. This book presents recent advances in econometric methods that make feasible the estimation of models that have both features. One approach, in the classical framework, approximates the likelihood function; the other, in the Bayesian framework, uses Gibbs-sampling to simulate posterior distributions from data.

The authors present numerous applications of these approaches in detail: decomposition of time series into trend and cycle, a new index of coincident economic indicators, approaches to modeling monetary policy uncertainty, Friedman's "plucking" model of recessions, the detection of turning points in the business cycle and the question of whether booms and recessions are duration-dependent, state-space models with heteroskedastic disturbances, fads and crashes in financial markets, long-run real exchange rates, and mean reversion in asset returns.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing treatement for the practitioner and the student.......2007-02-06

This book gives a step-by-step treatement of models with regime changes and time varying coefficients. If you are a student or a practitioner you will find this book very useful to start your applications. The first six chapters are very well developed, and the GAUSS codes provided by the authors let you realize how to do the job. These chapters will let you estimate a model using the classical approach. However, the next chapters that cover exactly the same topics using a bayesian approach are not that well developed. The examples and explanations are not clear, and the few examples do not help you generalize the techniques to your own models. The first six chapters, however, make this book worth 5 stars!

State-Space Models with Regime-Switching:Classical and Gibbs.......2003-12-31

This is basically the only book around on this subject, and they do have useful informations as well. I think explanation is concise enough to clearly understand. I found this book to be useful because of those. The only thing is some typos (which I think is inevitable for this kind of book) and program software on the web which is not very clearly written.

A waste of time........2002-01-29

This book is poorly written. It has numerous typos. The authors never even bothered to explain some of the math notations they used. Apparently, I believe some the examples were copied from other books without a clear explanation of the notations. You'll end up scratching your head on the notations and typos. I wasted a lot of time reading this book. They never mentioned some of shorting comings of using Gibbs Sampling, and ignore some of alternative methods that are far superior in many other respects.

excellent book on regime switching.......2001-03-28

This is really great book for understanding regime switching and state-space models.As far as I know this is the first book that includes both topics together.It is easy to understand and supporting applications at the end of the each chapter make things easier for the reader.Furthermore, it also tells about bayesian econometrics and gibbs-sampling approach.In short,it is a must buy book for a economics graduate student who is interested in nonlinear time series econometrics

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Sowell's account of classical economics is outdated and unreliable
On Classical Economics
On Classical Economics - by Thomas Sowell
A Short Course in Economics History

On Classical Economics
Thomas Sowell
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300113161

Book Description

Thomas Sowell's many writings on the history of economic thought have appeared in a number of scholarly journals and books, and these writings have been praised, reprinted, and translated in various countries around the world.

The classical era in the history of economics is an important part of the history of ideas in general, and its implications reach beyond the bounds of the economics profession. On Classical Economics is a book from which students can learn both history and economics. It is not simply a Cook's tour of colorful personalities of the past but a study of how certain economic concepts and tools of analysis arose, and how their implications were revealed during the controversies that followed. In addition to a general understanding of classical macroeconomics and microeconomics, this book offers special insight into the neglected pioneering work of Sismondi—and why it was neglected—and a detailed look at John Stuart Mill's enigmatic role in the development of economics and the mysteries of Marxian economics.

Clear, engaging, and very readable, without being either cute or condescending, On Classical Economics can enable a course on the history of economic thought to make a contribution to students’ understanding of economics in general--whether in price theory, monetary theory, or international trade. In short, it is a book about analysis as well as history.

Customer Reviews:

Sowell's account of classical economics is outdated and unreliable.......2007-09-18

Thomas Sowell's On CLASSICAL ECONOMICS is about how little Sowell thinks of classical economics, not a critical restatement of classical economic principles to assist modern economic analysis or policymaking. Moreover, it is the dissenters from classical economic principles, in particular, Thomas Malthus, J. C. L. Sismondi and Karl Marx, whom Sowell credits with superior insights. Readers may be attracted by the facts that Sowell wrote two books on classical economics (1972 and 1974) and that he currently writes a weekly newspaper column on topical issues from a perspective many might think reflects classical economic principles. But the book seriously disappoints. Half of the eight chapters are merely a reprint of Sowell's CLASSICAL ECONOMICS RECONSIDERED (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1974), with no attention to the secondary literature since the late 1960s. He repeats claims that have been corrected since the early 1970s, especially on the classical theory of value and Say's Law of markets. The other four chapters also do not benefit from the secondary literature written since the early 1970s. Thus, accepting Sowell's conclusions about classical economics without verification would amount to a four-decade retreat in scholarship. Sowell's copious referencing of the primary literature in his "rapid-fire" style of summarizing classical arguments--often three or four or sometimes even eight (p. 30) citations within a sentence--may give the appearance of reliable scholarship, but several of the citations I checked appear inconsistent with Sowell's interpretations. Thus, to anyone familiar with the classical literature, the book may be quite frustrating. In the hands of someone attempting to understand classical economics, it may be quite misleading....

In ON CLASSICAL ECONOMICS, Sowell seeks to reflect "on a lifetime of research in the field [the history of economic thought] that first attracted [him] to economics" (p. viii), but the field has developed considerably since the early 1970s, even as the subject has been deemphasized in most universities' economics curriculum. Sowell's failure to keep up with the literature since the 1970s thus should caution prospective readers to verify his numerous references, in particular those that appear counter to their expectations. For example, I would not interpret Smith's arguments that "[i]n all great countries the greater part of the cultivated lands are employed in producing either food for men or food for cattle. The rent and profit of these regulate the rent and profit of all other cultivated land" (WEALTH OF NATIONS [New York: Modern Library 1937], p. 152) and "the rent of the cultivated land, of which the produce is human food, regulates the rent of the greater part of other cultivated land" (p. 159) by saying, as Sowell does, that "Adam Smith had long before [J. S. Mill] recognized that rent was a price-determining production cost when the land had alternative uses" (p. 151). Ricardo is also well known for recommending tax, trade, and monetary policies for economic growth. It thus appears inconsistent to interpret his argument that "[i]t has been well said by M. Say that it is not the province of the Political Economist to advise:--he is to tell you how you may become rich, but he is not to advise you to prefer riches to indolence, or indolence to riches" (WORKS [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1951], 2: 338), to mean "Ricardo disavowed any intention to advocate growth-promoting policies in general" (Sowell, p. 33). I also would interpret Ricardo's argument cited on page 69 as a leftward shift of the supply curve rather than as a rightward shift of the demand, as mentioned on page 70. Sowell also credits several writers with being the "first" to have said or done something (e.g., pp. 32, 45, 68, 100, 104, and 175). I would investigate these claims further before repeating them.

On Classical Economics.......2007-09-10

This book is essential reading for anyone aspiring to understand more fully the field of economics in general and classical economics in particular. As often as Dr. Sowell has mentioned one particular author, a first or fifth reading of F. Hayek's, The Road to Serfdom, would make an excellent preface, or addendum, to this book.

On Classical Economics - by Thomas Sowell.......2007-01-09

This book is more for the trained economist then Dr. Sowell's previous books, Basic Economics and Advanced Economics. While some terms will be unfamiliar to the general reader, with care it is still possible to follow his analysis. I especially found his assessment of Marx to be useful. And not to be found anywhere else.

A Short Course in Economics History.......2006-06-06

No other name today rivals that of Thomas Sowell in the arena of economic principles and history. Sowell once again delivers to us fortunate readers, a treatise on the history of economics during the "classical era" in his latest book, ON CLASSICAL ECONOMICS. The era when "intellectual thinking" gave such enormous contributions to modern history, few more so than in the field of economics, is thoroughly examined.

Though Sowell does examine many of the `giants' in the field, and you will certainly recognize Keynes, Hayek, von Mises and others, you may also, like me, find some you are not so familiar with such as Engel and Sismondi, whom Sowell so deftly explains why his work was so important and also why it has been so neglected. A rather large portion of the book also focuses on the boy genius, John Stuart Mill, as well as critical insight into Marxian economics and why liberal campuses are to this day, so enamored with Marxian economic theory despite its' total absence from today's economic theater.

Contrary to the book's title, this is not just a history of classical economics, but is also an analysis of the various theories to arise from that era. There is an enormous amount of knowledge to be gleaned here and I would think in the very near future, this book, like several others of Sowell's work, will take its rightful place as a fundamental text among economics students, as well as others simply seeking to broaden their knowledge of economics.

For those of us who are not "in" the field of economics, Sowell lucidly explains such otherwise difficult economic issues such as the law of diminishing returns and why it was so critical to the economic minds of the classical era, the flaws of Malthus' doomsday theories on population growth, why Marx incorrectly thought capitalism would destroy the standard of living of workers, and much more. As always, Sowell's writing style flows extremely well, reducing complex theories and problems into comprehendible solutions.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

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Guanzi
W. Allyn Rickett
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691048169

Book Description

Named for the famous Chinese minister of state, Guan Zhong (d. 645 B.C.), the Guanzi is one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese writings still in existence. With this volume, W. Allyn Rickett completes the first full translation of the Guanzi into English. This represents a truly monumental effort, as the Guanzi is a long and notoriously difficult work. It was compiled in its present form about 26 B.C. by the Han dynasty scholar Liu Xiang and the surviving text consists of some seventy-six anonymous essays dating from the fifth century B.C. to the first century B.C.

The forty-two chapters contained in this volume include several which present Daoist theories concerning self-cultivation and the relationship between the body and mind as well as the development of Huang-Lao political and economic thought. The "Dizi zhi" chapter provides one of the oldest discussions of education in China. The "Shui di" chapter refers to the circulation of blood some two thousand years before the discoveries of William Harvey in the West. Other chapters deal with various aspects of statecraft, Yin-Yang and Five Phases thought, folk beliefs, seasonal calendars, and farming. Perhaps the best-known chapters are those that deal with various methods of controlling and stimulating the economy. They constitute one of the world's earliest presentations of a quantity theory of money. Throughout the text, Rickett provides extensive notes. He also supplies an introduction to the volume and a comprehensive index.

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a classic
hard to find a serviceable edition
Free trade and pro biz
Must have.
Readable introduction to economic theory

The Wealth of Nations (Modern Library)
Adam Smith
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679424733
Release Date: 1994-01-25

Book Description

Adam Smith's masterpiece, first published in 1776, is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important account of the rise of, and the principles behind, modern capitalism. Written in clear and incisive prose, The Wealth of Nations articulates the concepts indispensable to an understanding of contemporary society; and Robert Reich's new Introduction for this edition both clarifies Smith's analyses and illuminates his overall relevance to the world in which we live. As Reich writes, "Smith's mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today as they were in the late eighteenth century--jobs, wages, politics, government, trade, education, business, and ethics."

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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The first truly scientific argument for the principles of political economy.

Customer Reviews:

a classic.......2007-07-20

It's a big book, but not in any way complicated. In a nutshell, it details the mechanisms by which personal liberty -- accompanied by personal responsibility and a just system of government -- make nations, and the individuals who live in them, wealthy. I had a Marxist professor who did not like Adam Smith because Marxist theory prefers to emphasize class warfare, while Smith is saying that everyone is capable of providing for themselves and the less the government interferes, the better off we all are. Many conservatives, meanwhile, like Adam Smith because they seem to perceive a "survival of the fittest" philosophy in his works. They are both wrong.

Really, The Wealth of Nations ought to be read along with Smith's other classic, The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Together, the message in them is that government should leave people alone as much as possible, but people ought to exercise that liberty without greed.

hard to find a serviceable edition.......2007-07-07

"The Wealth of Nations" is more readable than you probably think, and if you actually sit down to it you'll be repeatedly astounded by Smith's shrewdness.

But parts of Smith's original can be tough going in many ways. Why don't publishers acknowledge this by coming out with something more helpful than just the raw text?

Unfortunately, finding an edition that will be of great use to you is problematic. That's why I'm giving this book 1 star: not for the text itself, but rather for the paucity of well-done printings out there.

Anyhow. I have three before me:

1. The "Modern Library Classics" edition, the one you see on this page. This is complete and unabridged in a single volume, and has a handsome, sturdy feel to it. There is a 4-page introduction and a well-done index, but what irks about this edition is that while it has a plethora of footnotes, all the footnotes are of the "textual comparison" variety (e.g., "12 Car. II., C. 32"), rather than the kind that really help you understand antiquated terms and convoluted wordings. In other words, you'll get no help from the editors here.

2. Then there is the barren Wealth of Nations (Great Minds Series). There is a 2-page introduction at the beginning and an index, but beyond that it's nothing more than the original text, complete with the original punctuation and spellings (neither of which has been made more merciful for the modern reader).

3. The Penguin Classics edition, in two volumes: The Wealth of Nations: Books 1-3 (Penguin Classics) and The Wealth of Nations, Books IV-V (Penguin Classics). This is probably the least worst edition I have seen, with a superb introduction (nearly 100 pages long), and a glossary, all done by Glasgow's Andrew Skinner. But the only footnotes in the text itself are apparently Smith's own. They appear directly on the bottom of the page in question.

So good luck, whichever one you choose.

In case you need to know, Smith's original consists of five long chapters, or "books."

If anybody has a more respectable edition at hand, please comment and I'll incorporate it into this review.

Free trade and pro biz.......2007-01-25

Great study material - very difficult read, but a must read that should be taught in high school.
Buy this if you support free trade, less government, and the American dream. Beware, this books represents everything a liberal opposes, ideals which are deeply hated by those who support liberal gods like Barak Hussein Obama and Miss H. Rodham.

Must have........2007-01-03

They shouldn't let you out of school unless you have this one in your head. Nice to have a copy around.

Readable introduction to economic theory.......2006-06-15

For anyone coming to Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations the first surprise is how readable it is. Famous classic of economic theory though it may be, this is no dry academic tome to be read only by people with a scholarly interest in economic history. There are no detailed tables of statistics of the sort one might expect to find in a modern book on the subject, and no mathematical analysis, indeed not very much quantitative information at all. Instead there is a long series of examples to explain such ideas as why it is more efficient to divide work among several specialists rather than have a complete task fulfilled by one person, or why slave labour is ultimately more expensive than paying free workers, even workers in cities like Boston or New York, where wages were far higher in Smith's time than those in his native Scotland.

To illustrate the principle of the division of labour Smith discusses the manufacture of nails. Even a blacksmith -- skilled in working with a hammer but with no special training in nail making -- could not make more than a few hundred nails in a day, and those of poor quality. A specialist nail maker could make more than two thousand, but much greater improvements, both in quality and quantity, come from recognizing that even a task as apparently simple as manufacturing a nail can be broken up into smaller tasks: maintaining the fire at the right temperature, hammering the nail into the right shape, using a different tool to form the head, and so on.

A popular edition of Wealth of Nations is inevitably abridged, as one can hardly expect to buy a complete scholarly edition for a price not much more than that of a novel. Complete editions are available as well, but they are much more expensive. With sensible editing, however, an abridged version can include as much of Smith's writing as the ordinary reader is likely to want, together with notes to explain points that will be obscure to the modern reader. In the Oxford World's Classics edition Kathryn Sutherland has made an excellent job of this, with notes that fill around a fifth of the length of the book.

Who Killed Classical Music?: Maestros, Managers, and Corporate Politics

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Excellent writer makes sense of chaotic field
Difficult to Follow Presentation
Read the Answers
A story of big business perverting classical music....
THE BEST BOOK TO DATE ON THE BUSINESS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

Who Killed Classical Music?: Maestros, Managers, and Corporate Politics
Norman Lebrecht
Manufacturer: Birch Lane Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Business | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1559724153

Amazon.com

A sequel of sorts to The Maestro Myth: Great Conductors in Pursuit of Power, Who Killed Classical Music? continues British author and critic Norman Lebrecht's version of the saga of how presenting classical music evolved from the (at least ostensible) nurturing of art into a brutal and fairly sleazy business. Lebrecht finds plenty of heads on which to heap the blame, and more than a few minor deities are toppled from their thrones. He's not always altogether accurate in the small details, but he's eminently readable and he's got the big picture dead on. Like its predecessor, this is a must read for anyone concerned about the future of classical music.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent writer makes sense of chaotic field.......2006-02-05

Behind the media hype surrounding this or that performance or artist lie byzantine machinations. Kingmakers jockeying for position. Sexual politics. Mean actions taken by smallminded people temporarily in power. Some of mediocre talent are practically beatified while others with extraordinary gifts seem to wither away almost unnoticed. Sometimes it's a question of whose side the critics are on at any given moment or who has gotten more press--or even who requires fewer retakes in the recording studio, since that means the production will cost less. Lebrecht tells you all about the backroom ugliness that helps to create the uneven playing field that serious musicians find such an impediment to their survival. Although it requires some background from the reader, this book is a must-read for everyone interested in classical music!

Difficult to Follow Presentation.......2004-02-10

Trying to indoctrinate oneself to the classical music world is difficult and trying. First there is the language and jargon associated with any field. Second there is the task of attempting to construct a workable historical chronology that will aid in understanding the gamut of the field. Third combining all of this with the modern classical state.

Thinking this book might aid has been a disappointment. It is overly wordy and doesn't flow and transition well. Detail after detail likely weave a fascinating story to insiders but as a true outsider trying to peer in, this book fogs rather than clears the air.

While he suggests managers, maestros and corporate involvement among other factors, it isn't tied together with any clarity or convincing hypothesis testing that I could follow. Again, in fairness maybe it is just a matter of not relating to the writer's style and the foreigness of the vocab, but if classical music is going to interest more outsiders like me, shouldn't this be a goal? This aloofness and cavalier attitude is definitely a barrier to many.

Frustrated, but still pursuing obtaining some insights into this struggling arts area which should survive and thrive.

Read the Answers.......2003-08-22

Here is the one book that needs to be read by anyone genuinely
curious about what has caused the decline in interest in classical music worldwide.
The situation is probably worse in the US than other places, but
there are world-wide trends at work, and this author explores
all the causes. Not only does he explore those causes in our
own time, he has reseached the history of the recording industry
to such an extent, you feel at times like you are reading a
scholarly publication. Then at other times, where the author
actually names some of the names who have caused the decline
of classical music and who cause this type music to be held in
contempt by many, and abandoned by most others, you have the feel of reading a supermarket tabloid.
The writer has researched all the pioneers in recording and radio, and he has seemingly interviewed all survivors of that
era, as well as most participants in the current music scene,
and there doesn't appear to be a stone unturned in his work.
Many of the names will be unfamiliar to most readers, but the
writer documents their contribution to both the rise and decline
of classical music.
And, as said, he actually names the names of some of the individual "stars" who have so abused the system, and the public
trust, we have to wonder who in the world continues supporting
such grasping, selfish, egomanical performers and agents, as
well as some of the corporate owners and sponsors. He even at
one point names the world-famous conductor who apparently abuses
children in his travels, and it's a wonder such a man can even
cross international borders. Such is the power of stardom, even
in the world of classical music.
As you can see, there are a multitude of causes for the decline
of classical music, and this writer names them all.
There is very little hope for the continuation of the presentaton of live concerts of any kind, outside the very largest cities, which are put on for the rich and elite, so the
result is rather a somber review, but the author only presents
the facts.
However, there is slight hope, and he names the handful of
alternatives that seem to be surviving, and sometimes expanding,
the availability of good classical music.
This has to be a "must" for anyone interested in either the history of classical music, and its ties with radio and the
recording industry, or in its future.
There is almost too much detail for some readers, but it needs
to be there for a full understanding; in spite of the depth of
the writer's research, he presents it in an interesting fashion,
and there are many parts of the book which are very difficult to
put down.
If interested in this subject, rush out and get a copy now.

A story of big business perverting classical music...........2001-02-11

Isn't it amazing what money continues to do to some people and more so, to business? This excellent historical and recent account of how classical music has wound up monetarily suffocating itself is the best read that I've encountered. I could never figure out, until I read this book, why some popular artists' CDs would still be $16 EIGHT YEARS after their release. That's because the CD label still hasn't recovered from paying that artist's ridiculous fee and consequently, redirects the recording industry's funds away from our country's orchestras and lesser known talent. One can see today what turmoil this has caused classical music and its starving artists. Read this book, for if you love classical music, it can be a guide to help people better manage classical music towards a more fiscally sound future and most important of all, stop the greed.

THE BEST BOOK TO DATE ON THE BUSINESS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC.......2000-01-12

If you've watched the two-decade evolution in pop music industry exposé books-going from general veiled accusations and using pseudonyms, to the hard- hitting journalistic romps that are being written today, naming names, dates, companies, and places-then you'll appreciate the HIT MEN of the classical world, Norman Lebrecht's WHO KILLED CLASSICAL MUSIC, which, while it may not name vulnerable artist names in all the damning anecdotal situations in which Lebrecht places them, does explore the life and business of classical music in an alert, candid, and yet affectionate way, naming companies, managers, artists, salaries, and even top-echelon concert fees. Readers who may follow classical record-business entrepreneurship will be glad to find that the great independent- label success stories of our era, such as Naxos and Hyperion, are very much a part of Lebrecht's consciousness and research. There are no clear-cut classes of heroes and villains here, just a general sense of regret and fatigue about the current state of business in the classical world. Ron Simpson, School of Music, Brigham Young University. Author of MASTERING THE MUSIC BUSINESS

Newton's Principia for the Common Reader

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Before you slag this book off, hold on a minute
Not What I expected
Uncommon price for a book intended for common reader

Newton's Principia for the Common Reader
S. Chandrasekhar
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 019852675X

Book Description

Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica provides a coherent and deductive presentation of his discovery of the universal law of gravitation. It is very much more than a demonstration that 'to us it is enough that gravity really does exist and act according to the laws which we have explained and abundantly serves to account for all the motions of the celestial bodies and the sea'. It is important to us as a model of all mathematical physics. Representing a decade's work from a distinguished physicist, this is the first comprehensive analysis of Newton's Principia without recourse to secondary sources. Professor Chandrasekhar analyses some 150 propositions which form a direct chain leading to Newton's formulation of his universal law of gravitation. In each case, Newton's proofs are arranged in a linear sequence of equations and arguments, avoiding the need to unravel the necessarily convoluted style of Newton's connected prose. In almost every case, a modern version of the proofs is given to bring into sharp focus the beauty, clarity, and breath-taking economy of Newton's methods. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar is one of the most reknowned scientists of the twentieth century, whose career spanned over 60 years. Born in India, educated at the University of Cambridge in England, he served as Emeritus Morton D. Hull Distinguished Service Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, where he has was based from 1937 until his death in 1996. His early research into the evolution of stars is now a cornerstone of modern astrophysics, and earned him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983. Later work into gravitational interactions between stars, the properties of fluids, magnetic fields, equilibrium ellipsoids, and black holes has earned him awards throughout the world, including the Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society in London (1953), the National Medal of Science in the United States (1966), and the Copley Medal from the Royal Society (1984). His many publications include Radiative transfer (1950), Hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic stability (1961), and The mathematical theory of black holes (1983), each being praised for its breadth and clarity. Newton's Principia for the common reader is the result of Professor Chandrasekhar's profound admiration for a scientist whose work he believed is unsurpassed, and unsurpassable.

Customer Reviews:

Before you slag this book off, hold on a minute.......2005-01-18

This book was written by the Indian-American Nobel Laureate who proved that the upper limit of white dwarf stars are incapable of being over 1.2 solar masses. Now Chandra(the author of this book), who was amongst the most meticulous of theorists and who worked with bigwigs like Dirac, Bethe, Fermi and Von Neumann amongst the most luminous, wrote this massive treatise on Newton's Principia. This is chandra's take on Newton's work. Don't think its a light read - It isn't. You cannot take it with you to starbucks sipping your cappucino and browse the work. You'll need to be at a table with a straightback chair and concentrate intensely. If you know Chandra's work, then you will know that chandra always said just about what was required and said it in very beautiful English. His English probably has the most beautifully constructed sentences ever among scientific works. So essentially this is about a 20th century giant interpreting the work of THE giant of all time. This is NOT a verbatim reproduction in English of the original latin publication. If you can get this book cheap on e-bay, buy it because it is worth it. It is expensive for a reason. Its beautifully written and bound very beautifully in a red jacket with Newton's bust and handwriting on the jacket. If you bought it, the red cover is attractive enough to make it stand out of your living room book shelf. Most importantly, Chandra tackles each aspect of Newton's principia in a most profoundly original manner. GET IT if you can afford it and if you can't, try a used book place. But get it anyway.

Not What I expected.......2002-10-20

I expected this to be a walkthrough for people like myself who have a knowledge of physics but are far from being experts and are interested in reading the classics of science. This is a guide for the modern Professor of Physics, not a guide for the common reader as it says. If I had known that I wouldn't have bought it. I get the impression that there is certainly a demand for such a walkthrough. I thought this would be it.
A BIG disapointment!

Uncommon price for a book intended for common reader.......2001-06-30

I have not read this book, but would love too. But the price is just too high for a book that is intended for the common reader. It is unaffordable for the common reader.

Book Description

This textbook, originally published as Macroeconomics: Models, Debates and Developments, enables readers to understand the current debate amongst macroeconomists by examining the major theoretical controversies that have raged in macroeconomics since the publication of Keynes' General Theory.In a clear and concise style, Brian Hillier uses simple macroeconomic models to show how the controversies have led to the development of new ideas and further debate. The key issues fought over today by New Classical, New Keynesian and Monetarist economists are shown to have their roots in the debate between Keynes and the Classics. For this new edition, the author has increased the space given to open economy models to show how the closed economy models developed earlier in the book can be developed earlier in the book can be developed to deal with important open economy issues. Topics covered include Keynes versus the Classics; does fiscal policy really matter?; is there a trade-off between inflation and unemployment?; and can the government maintain the exchange rate without losing control of fiscal and monetary policy?

The Classical Tradition: Greek and Roman Influences on Western Literature

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The perfect follow up to Jaeger's Paideia
Superb guide to European literature, among other things
Excellent
Gripping, erudite and scholarly

The Classical Tradition: Greek and Roman Influences on Western Literature
Gilbert Highet
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195002067

Book Description

This landmark book explores the ways in which the Greco-Roman tradition has shaped modern European and American literature.

Customer Reviews:

The perfect follow up to Jaeger's Paideia.......2005-05-05

I had the good fortune to read The Classical Tradition right after finishing Werner Jaeger's "Paideia" and the two works make an incredibly compelling case for the importance of classical study. Highet does take you on a tour of Western Lit with Greek and Latin authors close by. I learned about The Battle of the Books, the baroque era's rather slavish following of Aristotle's theories and met a whole bunch of authors I had never known (I am also waiting for those Abraham a Santa Clara translations to see if he is as entertaining as Highet makes him out to be)

I've read a lot of Highet's books and can tell you there are no duds. I am reading Poets in a Landscape right now and it is hard to put down. Also, check out the surveys of Greek and Latin Literature written by his colleague at Columbia, Moses Hadas.

Superb guide to European literature, among other things.......2002-05-13

In writing reviews I adhere to the policy that five stars should be given only to books that profoundly alter your perspective. In that sense, this book deserves to be spangled liberally with a good sized constellation.

Ever wanted an approachable and informative guide to Western Literature? Have you ever tackled some purported classic that left you wondering why those damn nymphs and fauns keep proliferating? Your quest has ended: this book is the Baedeker of Western European Literature that all you literature addicts have been looking for.

First of all, the author is dazzlingly erudite; he is apparently at home in Greek, Latin, English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian at least. Its primary purpose is to show the hidden scaffolding of Greco-Roman classics in Western literature, age by country, by selecting a choice group of writers with his personal preferences attached. The result is remarkably readable, never ostentatious, and his thesis rarely imposes strain on belief because the proof is always at hand. Thus the reader learns the overtones of classics in Shakespeare, or is made to see the hidden Doric column in Byron's passions fairly concretely.

But in my opinion, this book is truly excellent (1) for the list of influential writers in all ages that he had himself hand selected (I've never heard of Abraham a Santa Clara and now I'm itching for a translation), and most importantly, (2) because it gives the necessary cultural backdrop that anchors a given author to an era with all its advantages and limitations. For example, the book gives a reason why the Augustan poets (Dryden, Pope and friends) were driven to mincing affectations (partly a reaction to the Renaissance, partly a particularly Baroque censorship of vulgar words that comes from a misunderstanding of the classics. Highet provides some choice sample of Juvenal's trenchant and vulgar satires as a counterexample).

Of course, all books must have some faults. First, this book is very anglophillic; when works of two nations are compared, the British are crowned with the laurel with somewhat suspicious frequency. Whether this represents the truth is far beyond my capacity, only I submit that if I were a Frenchman, I would contest some of the outcomes. Second, his preference is certainly open to criticism. I may be alone in this, but I never found a single page of Gibbon's magnum opus soporific. I don't agree with his encomiastic treatment of Byron, either. I thought Coleridge was ushered off the stage too speedily. And sometimes you do get the feeling that an author with extensive classical training is definitely favored in the eye of a very classicist author.

The nettlesome issue of a hierarchy in writers is bound to cause some clashes with readers' opinions. But no matter: I am very certain that this book will still provide an addictively informative read to anyone with an interest in reading a sweeping survey of European literature. This book is a MUST READ for amateur/professional literati, world literature bookworms (me), and ...

... especially the classicists. Because the book's final and most salutary influence is that it reintroduces the Greco-Roman classics to our age where the classics field is increasingly untilled. If the very fact that a millenium of writers have turned - whether coerced by social convention or not - continuously to the Greco-Roman classics does not convince us, after rading this book one can't help but wonder whether, beyond the frigid marmoreal busts that say nothing and the wild raging toga party orgies, the ancients really have something very urgent to say to the present, or that they say it better than any of us alive.

Excellent.......2001-06-25

Excellent source for an introduction to the beginnings of Western Literature. Not only is the author well researched, but he is able to keep the reader interested. Follows the Greek and Roman authors who survived, barely, through the ages and their effects on Western tradition and the humanities. Good background for Medieval work.

Gripping, erudite and scholarly.......1999-09-08

It is difficult to believe that one person can so eloquently present the influences of Greek and Roman literature on Western European literature with such care and enthusiasm, given that the scope of the work covers almost 2,000 years. Gilbert Highet is a true scholar and this volume is an inspiration to any reader who wishes to understand what Greek and Roman literature has meant to civilization.

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