Book Description
Born of a dream, the Twin Towers rose, in a triumph of engineering, to become an unrivalled center for business, finance and trade. On September 11, 2001 before the eyes of a horrified, unbelieving world, the Twin Towers and thousands of innocent lives passed into history. The unimaginable had become a reality. World Trade Center is both a celebration and a memorial to the Twin Towers, capturing not only their dramatic iconic image but also their brief, brilliant history.
Features breath taking photos of the Twin Towers as well as dramatic and compelling photographs, many published for the first time, of the tragedy of September 11th.
Customer Reviews:
Simply the finest WTC commemorative book.......2005-03-21
This book is the one to get, if you want fantastic photos, interesting prose, and just an overall great pictoral commemoration of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11.
With the War on Terror continuing, sometimes it is good to be reminded of why we are fighting and what it's all for. This book will bring the memories (and the resolve) flooding back.
An excellent tribute at a great price. Five stars!
Glory and Tragedy.......2003-04-28
This is a truly astonishing "oversize" book both in the value for money spent and the quality of the content. This is simply a remarkable series of photos from all the eras of the Towers from construction to the spotlight ghosts. There is text that is limited and informative. The pictures capture the glory of the structure and the astounding destruction not only to the Towers but to the entire complex. A remarkable balanced achievement that says more with pictures than any text is likely to provide.
Best of the WTC Tribute Books!!!.......2003-01-13
The history of the WTC is traced from black and white photos and simple text regarding its design and architecture through the chilling events of 9/11. I have to say that the color photos of 9/11 capture the events totally and will leave you breathless.
I have purchased 6 copies of this book for family and friends and think it is the best WTC book out there.
I proudly keep a copy on my coffee table and leaf through it often and remember the beautiful buildings I once marveled at and loved.
World Trade Center - Truly Amazing.......2002-07-28
I live in the Midwest (have never visited NY) but saw a review of this book on a website. I just had to have it so I ordered the book from Amazon.com. I received the book late yesterday afternoon. The pictures and information contained in the book are truly amazing. It is amazing to see what Lower Manhattan looked like before the WTC was built. The pictures of the various models of WTC that were built. There are pictures of the construction of the twin towers. The book has some very nice posters of the WTC and New York skyline. There are many pictures taken on September 11th and in the days following. This book is a must-have for those who are interested in the World Trade Center. It's truly a remarkable book.
FINALLY-Just What I Needed!.......2002-07-18
As a native New Yorker who formerly had a beautiful view of the World Trade Center, and now avoids looking at the painfully flat skyline every day, I have this fabulous volume to treasure instead. .............. While disappointed with the flood of tributes to the still unfathomable tragedy of 9/11, this book was a must have the moment I thumbed through for a quick cursory look. I was immediately impressed with all the gorgeous shots of the WTCs depicted in all the ways that I loved them. Shimmering in golden sunrise yellow, blinding in midday platinum steel, glowing in the ominously blue-violet dusk, and sparkling with the thousands of tiny lights that made the New York City skyline, the awesomely spectacular sight that so sadly, won't ever be the same. ................. The most wonderful thing about this book, is not only the terrific pictoral contents, with several posters included, but the informational text that accompanies it as well. If you are interested to know the complete history of the WTCs and New York City, you will see the city before the towers were built, how and by whom they were planned, the way they were built, when and why. Also covered, their effect on New York City, as well as their role in the media and Hollywood movies. Finally, you will get the brutally shocking photos of their horrible demise. Look no further for a truly complete tribute. Every single chapter goes into wonderful detail, and is accompanied by the most breathtaking photographic treasures ever seen, of these iconic masterpieces of lost architecture. Not only is this the absolute BEST book I've seen for anyone who wants to keep their memory of the WTCs alive forever, it's also one of the most reasonably priced. This volume offers a tremendous return for your dollar. It's all printed in sharp color, on thick gauge, glossy paper. There is not one page in here that will waste your time with filler. Author Pete Skinner, British born, but a longtime resident of Greenwich Village, had, like me, watched the birth of the World Trade Center, built and completed in 1973, and like me, watched it die. People all over the world felt the pain of this unprecedented loss, but those of us who were lucky enough to live among the Twin Towers for their retrospectively short lifespan, will treasure this book. ................... If you are looking for a book about the entire gamut of events that took place in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, you may not find all of what you're looking for here. However, if you are like me, a person who will forever mourn the loss of these twin icons of prestige and success that defined the great soaring spirit of New York City, as well as the tragic loss of many wonderful hard-working New Yorkers who loved to work at the World Trade Center once upon a better time, then you have found the perfect tribute to a symbol of New York that will remain, forever in the American heart.
Book Description
“[A] sumptuous book of canvas beadwork... Challenging projects for pillows, purses, and wall hangings are real standouts.”—Bead & Button
The technique of stitching beads onto canvas, so popular during the Victorian era, is undergoing a revival today, and these 25 projects have a wonderfully rich and lustrous look. With the same familiar sewing methods and fabric backing used in regular needlepoint, embroiderers can create a new world of bright colors and shimmering textures. Simple needleworking charts get you started on any of the original and versatile designs: there’s the coolly glowing Blue Moon Mirror, a bright springlike Bird with Berries Ornament, a patriotic Flag Heart Pin, an opalescent Pearl Plant Picture, an exotic Persian Rug Purse, and 20 others.
Customer Reviews:
A new slant on needlepoint for beaders.......2006-12-13
I checked this book out at the library and was so impressed I decided to buy one. The book has a very informative section on beads to use and how to do the actual process. There are several projects that seem easily doable for a beginner as well as projects for intermediate and advanced needlepointers. It is an all around good book that will get you started in the technique and inspire you to try regular needlepoint projects using this new technique.
Beautiful projects.......2006-05-30
A nice range of wonderfully colorful projects. The charts are large full-to several page charts.
The first 24 pages are dedicated to information about beadpoint, the size, color and shapes of beads, calculating how many you need, preparing the canvas, thread, etc.
Average customer rating:
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Beautiful Bead Stitching on Canvas
Ann Benson
Manufacturer: Search Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Embroidery
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1903975964 |
Customer Reviews:
I don't have received this book.......2007-03-08
I still don't have received this book. First it will arrive at the end of Februar, nov aprox April! But I already paid for it.
Her Infinite Variety.......2001-04-19
This book is one of the most interesting photographic studies of a woman that I have ever seen because it displays so many dimensions of the same person. You feel like you've moved past the external to understand the psyche of Lisa Lyon. Most books of female photography focus on one aspect of one female role, whether it be as fashion model, temptress, character etched in a face, tender of children, or as a beautiful icon. This book captures all those roles except the tender of children, plus adds quite a few others that are rarely seen. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the full potential of the photographic art.
Before going further, you should realize that this book contains much female nudity of a challenging sort that would probably cause the images to exceed an R rating if they were a motion picture.
Most of the images were taken in New York City between 1980 and 1982. Ms. Lyon had won the first World Women's Bodybuilding Championship in Los Angeles in 1979. She refused to defend her title, stating that she was a "performance artist" who acts as a "sculptor whose raw material was her own body." Seeing her posing in these images makes me realize that aspect of her talent and interests. She and Mr. Mapplethorpe collaborated on what images to shoot, and enjoyed lively wrangles along the way.
The foreword by Samuel Wagstaff nicely summarizes the results. The images "escape the shackles of womanly stereotype." As the dust cover image shows, she could sit like a "lady" while showing her "muscle" at the same time. The joint effects are fascinating. As Mr. Wasgtaff points out, it's "a new freedom of tongue-in-cheek." One image has her standing totally bare wearing only an old-fashioned gas mask.
Ms. Lyon adds her own comment. "The pictures are a little hard, like us." As a body builder, she can pose so that you see extreme muscle definition or she can relax in a dress and simply look like a fascinating fashion model. This flexibility adds greatly to the viewer's enjoyment.
In the essay by Bruce Chatwin, you can learn a lot about Mr. Mapplethorpe's work here. "His eye for a face is the eye of a novelist in search of a character . . . ." ". . . [H]is eye for a body that of a classical sculptor in search of an 'ideal.'" Mr. Mapplethorpe's female sitters "seem mesmerized . . . by his presence, and they are temporarily transported into a dream-world."
As for Ms. Lyon, she describes herself this way. "My childhood was dark." Mr. Chatwin points out the wonderful contribution she makes to the images through her "histrionics, ability to sass, spoof, impersonation, parody, caricature, and charade." He feels that Mr. Mapplethorpe and she have created a "picaresque novel." Mr. Mapplethorpe was originally attracted by her "air of an Old Testament heroine."
I found almost all of the images to be outstanding. They are not named, so I will do my best to describe a few to give you a flavor for the work.
Emerging from the water, Fire Island, New York (this is a classic Venus pose);
Framed by foliage, Jamaica (this gives a feeling of full-bodied innocence in the Garden of Eden);
In repose on a raised cement curb, Jamaica (this gives a sculptoral feeling of looking at a Greek goddess);
Lifting torso on bench, Jamaica (this is a difficult muscle stunt that displays perfect form and strength, and gives the feeling of classic sculpture);
Silhouette with knife, New York City (this looks like a French cut-out);
Sitting on edge of shower, Jamaica (this feels like a woman in deep thought and is all about the mind, even though the body is nude);
Holding hand mirror wearing corset looking out, New York City (this one raises the question of, who am I?);
Flamenco dancer with her hand holding her skirt up to one side, New York City (this is an idealisation of the female identity);
Nude lit by flaming paper, New York City (this seems like a primitive woman celebrating the religious mysteries).
I found all of the many fashion shots to be delightful because they have a campy feeling. My favorite was the one of her wearing a fedora.
For comparison, I suggest you look at Boris Vallejo's fine photograpic studies of female bodybuilders for his illustrations. That will give you the full sense of how imaginative and wonderful these photographs are.
The question this collection poses is how to get beyond stereotypes. Often these preset notions are so grounded in our thinking that we are not even aware of them. As a result, we presume, assume, and misjudge. We project our fears onto what we see, and act accordingly. I suggest that you use this work to encourage you to project your love and caring instead.
Look beyond what you see now, to imagine what could be. Then act on the potential!
The "other" Mapplethorpe.......1999-12-12
Robert Mapplethorpe is famous for his highly erotic male nudes. He also created a series of B/W photos of flowers in order to have pictures to sell that were not so erotically charged. His photos of Lisa Lyon, the first famous female bodybuilder, fall into a very different category. Mapplethorpe shot a few other muscular females in the late 1970s, but his most extensive work was with Lisa. This was a very collaborative project - Lisa Lyon was a kind of "performance artist" who was very involved in creating the images seen in this book. By modern standards, Lisa hardly looks like a bodybuilder at all (the so-called "fitness" women are more muscular) but she was very much a pioneer in the field and Mapplethorpe was one of the few photographers of the day (another being Helmut Newton) to turn his attention to the muscular female body. "Lady" is an interesting book of pictures, especially for (1) fans of Mapplethrope, (2) fans of Lisa Lyon, (3) fans of the muscular female physique - as well as those who simply like interesting collections of photographs.
View it once and feel bored, then view it again and again........1997-09-07
I am a Mapplethorpe fan and, after viewing the Lisa Lyon publication the first time, I felt somewhat disappointed. Then, days later, I became curious as to what I may have overlooked in the pictures. Indeed. Even today, when I open the book to enjoy the work of Mapplethorpe, I sometimes notice something of interest I missed the last time. By no means, is Lisa Mapplethorpe's best publication, but, most assuredly, it is a good buy and one which will gather no dust
An eye opening exploration of the beauty of a strong woman.......1997-01-31
Robert Mapplethorpe is one of our century's most misunderstood, and important artists. His skill with the camera was matched only by his genius in deciding what, and how, to photograph. These images of Lisa Lyons are at times reminiscient of the work of Edward Weston, one the the all time great photographers of history, and they reveal the true beauty of feminine strength. Sadly, Robert was one of the casualties of the AIDS crisis, but his work lives on, and will change lives for the better for many, many years to come. Review by Edward Lynn, student of commercial photography, The Art Institute of Seattle
Average customer rating:
- Silly, self-indulgent, contradictory visual and verbal pap
- A wise man shares his wisdom
- Must-read for the new millenium
- A strange pile of bile
- excellent work, man!
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Revenge of the Latchkey Kids: An Illustrated Guide to Surviving the '90s and Beyond
Ted Rall
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
Essays
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0761110402 |
Amazon.com
Ted Rall is pissed off. He has issues. He will never succeed with such a bad attitude--or maybe he already has. Revenge of the Latchkey Kids distills Rall's vast torrent of negative emotions into a passionate litany of what's screwed up in America today. If you're a Gen-Xer who suffered through the parental experiments of the 1970s, or ever slaved for meager pay and no benefits as a temp, or wondered when you'd ever pay off your student loans, Rall will hit a nerve. And then hit it again. And keep hitting it.
It would be simple to dismiss Rall as a whiner if he weren't so right all the time. Furthermore, at the risk of sounding like one of his cartoons, Rall performs a vital social function: he presents a point of view other than that of the demographic 800-pound gorilla, the baby boomer. Rall has no pity for that generation, which he sees as self-indulgent, hypocritical, and well, evil. But the cartoonist is an evenhanded demonizer: Gen-X fares little better; it's clear Rall has no illusions as to what nightmares would ensue if he and his compatriots ran things.
Revenge of the Latchkey Kids is a howl of anger--in perfect pitch. Ted Rall serves up an opinion you won't get anywhere else. Get some before he gives up.
Book Description
Angry, unappeasable, and funny as hell, Ted Rall is a mind to pay attention to, a one-on-one freelance revolutionary who sees through the hyperbole and hypocrisies of our society with a clear and unflinching eye. Syndicated as both a cartoonist and columnist through Universal Press Syndicate, he reaches more than 100 papers and magazines, and his most recent graphic novel, The Worst Thing I've Ever Done, won a Firecracker Alternative Book Award.
Formerly titled Kill Your Parents Before They Kill You, Revenge of the Latchkey Kids is an illustrated manifesto for surviving the 90s and beyond, with 24 chapters of edgy insight, personal histories, advice, and cartoons. It is, in the words of Jules Feiffer, "a spicy stew of high-handed judgments-part drawing, part essay, part memoir-confession, part tantrum. The text is the thing. Funny, fractious here and there, nasty now and then, brilliant." Among topics on Ted's mind are "College Is for Suckers," "Gen Xploitation," "Making the Most of Your Dead-End Job," "Relationship Tips for the Sexless," and, in a rallying cry only a true subversive could love, "Bring On the Stock Market Crash." Bring on Ted Rall.
Introduction by Jules Fieffer.
Customer Reviews:
Silly, self-indulgent, contradictory visual and verbal pap.......2002-07-04
Ted Rall has certainly made a name for himself. Like Tom Tomorrow, he offers his readers a steady stream of poorly-reasoned, didactic quasi-liberal back-slapping and whining with no real effort to be either impartially insightful or genuinely humorous. This book is the cream of the Rall crap-crop, offering a collection of essays that far too often devolve into ramblings on Rall's personal vendettas coupled with occasional unfunny, half-related cartoons. I give it two rather than one stars because from time to time, Rall can be funny despite himself. It's just not often enough to justify spending a dime on him.
A wise man shares his wisdom.......2000-05-17
Ted Rall is a great guy who just happens to be a little angry. Fortunately he's learned to funnel this into a fantastic book which I highly recommend. If you've ever in any way found yourself disgruntled with a terrible workplace or happen to be a latch key kid yourself, this book will speak a lot of truth to you. It's clever and funny and I can't wait for Ted Rall's next tome.
Must-read for the new millenium.......2000-03-26
Ted Rall succeeds where Scott Adams fails. These cartoons are the biting real-life social commentary that Dilbert likes to think it is. Burn those Dilbert books and buy more Ted Rall.
A strange pile of bile.......1999-09-25
This is, I think, the only book I've seen by a living author where the introduction is less than flattering. Jules Feiffer points out that Ted Rall seems to've never gotten over his father's leaving the family, and he hasn't. Good god, no. No publisher in their right mind should have accepted 216 pages of something Ted Rall should've...accepted for himself at some point in early adolescence.
I have all his other books, and enjoy them no end. Don't buy this; you will only end up with a nagging distrust of Rall that you didn't have before. A caring friend should ensure that his doctor reads the thing, but that's about it. The few laughs in the book aren't worth the bitterness, and his few points are so laboured that...oh, forget it -- I am sounding about as bitter as him!
excellent work, man!.......1999-09-04
An excellent commentary on the 90s
Average customer rating:
- Not as good as I thought it would be
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An Honorable Estate: My Time in the Working Press
Louis Decimus Rubin
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Journalists
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Journalism
| Writing
| Reference
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Media Studies
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0807127329 |
Book Description
In his delightful new memoir, Louis Rubin takes us back to the days when Coca-Colas were called "dopes" and the newspaper business was still a young man's best entree to the world of letters. Rubin brings to life the newsroom of the 1940s and the 1950s and makes real the seductive lures of the low-paying but exciting work of the reporter. And ultimately, this consummate man of words discloses why he left the career he had pursued since the age of ten, when he produced his first newspaper using carbon copies.
In AN HONORABLE ESTATE, Rubin conjures the newsrooms of his youth, complete with lead slugs and the tangy smell of printing ink. He sketches the changing cast of characters of his early career: friendly police sergeants and vindictive fire captains from the local beat; middle-aged copyeditors with odd mannerisms and bad luck at the racetrack; and the very best and worst of people working as reporters and editors at papers large and small.
His unswerving historical perspective and faultless prose are on display throughout. By turns funny and profound, Rubin describes the sticky situations that arise from writing editorials and examines the reasons behind his reporting choices and job changes. He is utterly forthright about his career missteps, his nostalgia for a South that never was, and the evolution of his views on desegregation-views that landed him at odds with his brilliant conservative friend and one-time boss James Kilpatrick.
Guiding this remarkable reminiscence is Rubin's desire to work out why, in his thirties, he relinquished his lifelong ambition to be a daily journalist-a profession he continues to admire mightily-and what this says about his temperment and capabilities. Anyone interested in the Golden Age of journalism or considering a career in the Fourth Estate, and all who admire Rubin's extraordinary storytelling gift, will relish this account of the birth and metamorphosis of a writing life.
Customer Reviews:
Not as good as I thought it would be.......2001-12-07
QUICK REVIEW
A simple story about the early years of the newspaper business and a young man's experience within it. Not engrossing, or particularly well written, but a short simple account that is somewhat enjoyable.
FULL REVIEW
This book may sound intriguing, and it is in a sense, but it is not intriguing throughout and ends up being only marginally enjoyable. It is neat to read an account of a young man's experience in the early years of newspapers, and nice to learn and see the differences between then and now. The problem with this book, however, is it is written as much for the author as it is for the reader, in trying to find meaning in why the author was drawn toward journalism and writing. The author simply tells of his experiences, hoping to find meaning by the end of the book. He does find some answers, but we aren't left with a full picture of the newspaper business back then or of his life. We are left with vignettes of his journalism career, which are nice, but they aren't written as well as you'd think they would be considering his profession was writing. The writing style is loose and simple, but there are many obnoxiously long sentences and he constantly digresses. Constantly. And then, every now and then, he starts throwing in a bunch of newspaper jargon which tends to confuse. Overall it is not that bad of a book, but it has its problems and those problems keep it from being a really good book.
Book Description
Forrest McDonald is a legend in his own time. The NEH's sixteenth Jefferson Lecturer, he is one of our most eminent historians and the author of numerous provocative works on the early American republic, the Constitution, and the American presidency. Renowned for his sly wit and iconoclasm, he is also a conservative in a mostly liberal profession, a man who believes that his discipline has been subverted by those who serve public policy agendas. He now candidly recounts and reconsiders his own career, mixing in equal measure autobiography with a sharp critique of the historical craft.
Beginning in 1949, McDonald has traversed a sometimes rocky academic road from Brown University to Wayne State and finally the University of Alabama. He rose to prominence by arguing against the popular histories of Frederick Jackson Turner and Charles Beard, and his rebuttal of the latter was published as his seminal book We the People. Recovering the Past carries forward this critical tradition with McDonald's pointed comments on fellow historians from Kenneth Stampp to William Appleton Williams, his admiration for Oscar Handlin's book Truth in History, and his distaste for the revisionism of the New Left historians who depict the American story as an epic of oppression.
The norm is to write for one's fellow historians, he says, but that seems to me to be wrong-headed and to result in stultifying reading. I have chosen, instead, to write for that elusive critter called the general reader, or, more precisely, for the vast number of people who genuinely love history for its own sake--which, as will become evident, I regard as eliminating a sizable majority of professional historians.
As McDonald observes, thinking historically facilitates our knowing who and where we are, and the reward of studying the past comes when one realizes how its many parts fit together. As the pieces of his own past fall together, they form a story that will engross, inform, and even gall readers seeking an inside look behind the ivied walls of academe. Recovering the Past offers an eye-opening look at one man and his discipline; more than that, it is a manifesto for those who truly care about history.
Customer Reviews:
"I celebrate myself".......2005-08-30
We all owe a debt of gratitude to the young Forrest McDonald for demolishing the once popular, but basically unresearched, notions of Charles Beard in McDonald's We the People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution (1958). (In Recovering the Past, we learn that McDonald's monumental research for that book was, in part, made possible by his capacity for living simply and sleeping hardly at all.)
Although McDonald has written a number of important books since the 1950s, the most important contribution of this brief and fast-paced memoir is the author's summary of twentieth-century American historiography from a conservative point of view. McDonald spends one of his seven chapters describing the "New History"-"The World as I Entered It"-and then harrumphs his way through the remainder of the century, concluding with some well-deserved tongue clucking at the malfeasance of Michael Bellesiles.
Unlike most memoirs, McDonald passes quickly over his earliest years, either because he's not the introspective sort or so that he can spend more time glorying in his early academic successes. His self-praise (though often deserved) will probably strike many readers as amusing. Many historians have probably thought, but few have written, "I did a smashing job; the book reads like a novel." (94)
Nevertheless, this is a fine memoir, easy to read and digest. You don't even have to like McDonald or his professional score-settling to admire his literary craftsmanship.
The state of history as a disapline over the 20th century.......2005-03-07
Recovering the Past. It's a great title, isn't it? And who better to speak about such than an accomplished historian. ..."[W]hen we think historically," Forrest MacDonald writes, "we try to understand past events and circumstances as the participants did." Unfortunately, all others in his field are not similarly inclined. The problem lies with subjectivism-relativism-presentism; the idea that some within each generation simply have (to paraphase the author) the right to perceive the past in accordance with the changing preoccupations of changing times. We see this now in the news all the time. As elites become more secular, for instance, the past is increasingly re-interpreted within a framework that is hostile to religious beliefs. But what of the facts? What of the spiritual groundings of America's Founding Fathers? What of the fact that America was populated by those seeking religious freedom? Such "details" don't concern New Left "historians." Such are not historians at all, actually; but agenda promoters who seek to "arrange the facts of history as to influence the present or future in the direction that [they] consider socially desirable." Hence we have historians (the likes of Mr. MacDonald, David McCullough, Richard Pipes---who also has a memoir out, incidentally) and we have anti-capitalist substantiators (think Eric Hobsbawn, Charles Beard, Howard Zinn, et al.). Some of these, of course, are less anti-capitalist than just economically illiterate; seeing in their "utterly unsophisticated conception of economic activity...the exploitation by the wealthy of the poor, laborers, farmers, and small businesmen"; rather than "entrepreneurship, ingenuity, luck and hard work" as the creators of wealth. It's ironic, isn't it, that so many of such folks who see exploitation as the driving force of economics are usually those most removed from the business world and/or have the least entrepreneural instincts themselves. (Successful European-born business folks such as George Soros et al. are in another category all together.) McDonald quotes Thomas Jefferson: "Those who labor in the earth are God's chosen people." The only inconsistancy is that Jefferson never worked land himself. How McDonald got the commission to write Jefferson's story in The University of Kansas' Presidential Histories series is instructive herein: He got it because all university Jefferson scholars, being Jeffersonians, "did not wish to touch the presidency because Jefferson was by no means a Jeffersonian president." So much for intellectual honesty. Such experiences of Professor McDonald make up much of the second half of this memoir; the first half being devoted to how he came to realize the above points---that all historians are not equel to the title. It's a short read (166 main pages), particularly the latter half. My only complaint is that I wish he would have carried forth his far more densely argued first half of this memoir to a greater level, as opposed to getting rather chatty later on. Hence my rating as indicated above. (P.S. Forrest McDonald appeared on C-SPAN's "In depth" show; a 3 hour give-and-take discussion on his career/scholarship in 2004. It's available (& free) for watching on your computer, I believe. Explore BOOKTV.ORG for it.) (05Mar) Cheers!
Recovering the Past.......2004-11-12
Recovering the Past, a historian's memoir
Forrest McDonald
Recovering the Past, a historian's memoir is written for "that elusive critter called the general reader, or, more precisely, for the vast number of people who genuinely love history for its own sake--which, as will become evident, I regard as eliminating a sizable majority of professional historians."
At the outset of the book it becomes clear that McDonald, who has lived and breathed the study of history for half a century, does not march in lock-step with most of his brethren in academia, an often mirthless, self-righteous breed with axes to grind. With a gift for coupling scholarship and insight with intelligent (and frequently irreverent) humor, McDonald deftly unravels tales of history gone awry, mishandled history, and misguided historians.
The book opens with a history of the writing of history. The nearly exponential increase of research materials available to historians during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led to a simultaneous explosion of theories regarding both the craft and the responsibility of the historian. This is a clear and fascinating introduction to the story that follows.
Chapter two is a whirlwind history of America and the presidency. Some presidents are dispatched with a sentence, for example: "Fortunately for President Warren G. Harding, he died." "Taft was enormously fat and had the personality of a dead halibut." We get the backdrop against which American historiographers of the twentieth century will be set, and tune into the style and rhythm of trenchant wit that punctuates the book throughout.
Into this narrative enters young Forrest McDonald, a kid from east Texas growing up during the depression. He entered the University of Texas in the late 1940s. It was there that he realized that history was not a series of irrefutable, chronological "facts." Through back to back history courses he encountered renditions of the same events that were completely at odds with each other and professors who were openly hostile towards one another and the differing interpretations each favored.
McDonald introduces us to a world of history and historians that is such a battle ground that one wonders at the success of efforts to transform history into the stultifying, eyeball-glazing assemblage of dehumanized non-stories that fill our history textbooks.
The memoir of his life unfolds concurrently with the story of the revisionism that has dominated history in the latter half of the twentieth century. It is a story you will understand fully by the end of the book. As an indictment of revisionist history, McDonald makes his case.
McDonald's personal story is peopled with villainous swine, arrogant "new historians," a mentor who goes off the deep end, pompous, cowardly academicians, and numerous diligent historians with whom he has shared ideas and collaborated. Clearly, the most important person in his life is his wife, Ellen, of whom he says, "There may be no such thing as an indispensable man, but there is an indispensable woman."
The appendix alone is worth the price of the book. It is a reprint from Requiem, Variations on Eighteenth Century Themes, co-authored with his wife. The title, The Intellectual World of the Founding Fathers, speaks for itself. One cannot help but draw a parallel between McDonald and the founders whom he has spent so much of his life studying.
McDonald wades into controversy confidently and armed to the teeth. It is evident that the high ethical standards by which he gauges members of his profession are applied rigorously to his own work. It is exceptional to find work so painstaking scholarly (neither specifics nor generalizations are allowed to float around unsubstantiated) that is also delightful, sometimes gripping, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny reading.
Kathy Austell
November, 2004
McDonald's "Memoir" is excellent!.......2004-10-30
Forrest McDonald's most recent book, "Recovering the Past: A Historian's Memoir," is an important work for aficionados of history. Often personally revealing, "Recovering the Past" details the major movements of professional historians through the last century and argues for the supremacy of objective, scientific, research-based history. In the first chapters the reader learns of the influence of "New History" on the course of politics and education of the United States in the early decades of the twentieth century. While providing an overview of his beginnings within the profession, Professor McDonald continues with a firsthand account of the resurrection of objective, research-oriented historians and how his own work helped reshape the then-prevalent thoughts on the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. The last portion of McDonald's memoirs follows the upward course of his career and looks at the latter decades of the history profession, noting the trend toward creation of history or history for the sake of agenda and the stalwart handfuls of historians who continue to strive for excellence. Finally, Professor McDonald concludes with an explanation of his personal philosophy of life in general-"I am a miracle, and so, dear reader, are you." ["Memoir", 166] For those who desire an insightful account of the world of historical research and writing, "Recovering the Past" is a must read.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Modern Age, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 2055 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: A conservative Historian's Memoir.(Recovering the Past: A Historian's Memoir, Forrest McDonald)
Author: George H. Nash
Publication:
Modern Age (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 47
Issue: 2
Page: 153(4)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1344 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: My Odyssey through History: Memoirs of War and Academe.(Recovering the Past: A Historian's Memoir)(Book Review)
Author: Robert Durden
Publication:
Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 71
Issue: 4
Page: 958(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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