Grand unified books thread

[Syt]

Punishment for changing your nick, Sytass.

I changed mine waaaaaaaaaaaaay before suckers like Timmy Trollson or Monkeyangerbradycunt.

[The Brain]

Punishment for changing your nick, Sytass.

I changed mine waaaaaaaaaaaaay before suckers like Timmy Trollson or Monkeyangerbradycunt.

So you inspired them? Thanks a million, asshole.

[fhdz]

Not what I read at first.  :-[

[jimmy olsen]

In the old thread the question was raised about books about the Seven Years War that are *not* about the British Navy or the French and Indian Wars.

The Seven Years War in Europe: 1756-1763 by Franz A.J. Szabo was mentioned in the context, but I guess I'll leave it be after this reader review on Wargamer:

Just finished the above book. Let me save you the trouble and summarize: Frederick the great was an incompetent tyrant and , apparently, a coward who routinely fled from battles that his over rated Prussian Army constantly lost.  When prussia won a victory, it was only because of some type of fluke like a weather event, or a junior Austrian officer misunderstanding an order.  Austria routinely dominated the incompetent Frederick whose Prussian Army only survived through sheer luck.  Fredericks reputataion only developed due to Prussian propogandists.

I guess I should have read the author's bio first. Professor of Austrian Studies, native Austrian, and dedicated his book to his two grandfathers who, as he proudly announces, both fought for Austria-hungary during WWI.

With critics like this I always wonder if the book is really so strongly biased or rather the reader was looking for a piece of hero worshipping and can't handle the truth(TM). In this case the 'caveat' applies even more strongly because, to put it bluntly, the entire Kingdom of Prussia survived due to sheer luck. That Old Fritz was reduced to ordering his ministers to get peace at any price is as close to an stablished fact as one can get.

That's true, but he survived seven years fighting nearly all of Europe. There's no way that was due to just luck.

[Habbaku]

That's true, but he survived seven years fighting nearly all of Europe. There's no way that was due to just luck.

As Napoleon's old maxim goes, "I'd rather fight allies than be one."  Frederick's "luck" of sorts was based rather heavily on the fact that the coalition aligned against him never had a unified goal, never a unified command, always had competing interests and, in many cases, political conflict between the commanders at the front and politicians at the back essentially guaranteed that he was never really all that pressured.

Add in the fact that Russia, at the peak of its success (and when Frederick was probably quite ready to commit suicide) had a few drastic foreign policy shifts from the Czarina dying, then the new Czar allying, then the new Czar being murdered and replaced with a neutral Russia, and you have a recipe for his state's survival.

[Habbaku]

As for the book, Syt, the guy who wrote that appears to be after the sort of hero-worship that Alatriste mentioned.  The book is certainly worth reading--especially as it uses a bevy of primary sources in their original language, rather than second-hand materials.

The book is incredibly unflattering about Frederick, but backs everything up with solid research--something not everyone who's a Frederick "The Great" fanboy can tolerate.

[Malthus]

I liked old Fred's psycho daddy.

I mean, how could you not like someone who collected giants as a hobby? 

[Ed Anger]

I liked old Fred's psycho daddy.

I mean, how could you not like someone who collected giants as a hobby? 

I also like the bit on Wiki that the Prussian treasury surplus was in his basement. All he needed was some coffee cans to put it in.

[Malthus]

I liked old Fred's psycho daddy.

I mean, how could you not like someone who collected giants as a hobby? 

I also like the bit on Wiki that the Prussian treasury surplus was in his basement. All he needed was some coffee cans to put it in.

All he has to do is detail his giants to yell "get off my lawn!" and he'd be perfect.

[FunkMonk]

Just received my American-edition copy of The Third Reich at War by Richard Evans yesterday. 

[Ed Anger]

Finished End of the Old Order by Frederick Kagan. Pretty good, but his constant use of Caine Mutiny references regarding Mack's leadership was a bit....weird. Also, the constant sniping at other Napoleonic authors in the footnotes was petulant. Just call them a doo-doo head and get it over with.

[Martinus]

About half-way through The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst. Very delightful read.

[Martinus]

Update: Finished The Swimming Pool Library, one of the most gripping, wonderfully and richly written modern books I have read in years. Thanks for an amazing recommendation, guys. I really enjoyed that one - now can't wait to get my hands on Alan Hollinghurst's other books (which, I am led to believe, have received an even greater critical applause than his debut). Delicious.

[grumbler]

I liked old Fred's psycho daddy.

I mean, how could you not like someone who collected giants as a hobby? 

I also like the bit on Wiki that the Prussian treasury surplus was in his basement. All he needed was some coffee cans to put it in.

All he has to do is detail his giants to yell "get off my lawn!" and he'd be perfect.

I snorted some water reading this! 

[Razgovory]

Currently reading Beevor's book on the Spanish Civil war.  I was surprised how nasty the nationalists were.  I mean they were beating the Republic in warcrimes hand over first.