Grand unified books thread

[Ed Anger]

Whoever Spellus likes is to blame.

[Queequeg]

Wasn't Serbia a treaty ally?

[Ideologue]

All Euros are to blame.  They're all stupid, warlike savages.

[jimmy olsen]

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan:

Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces.

Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.

Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should...

Sounds like a beetiful tale.

[Malthus]

I'm reading - and so far, enjoying - Mr Selden's Map of China by Tmothy Brook, which just came out in Canada, all about the events surrounding the creation, storage and discovery of a fabulously accurate (for the time and source) 16th century Chinese map - including some amazing impacts on the history of international law, trade and exploration (the European owner of the map, the Mr. Selden of the title, was one of the two most important figures in development of the law of the sea - not a coincidence).

Great fun for history and geography nerds, like me.

[Savonarola]

Finished "Seven Ages of Paris" by Alistair Horne

I had previously read Horne's book on the Franco Prussian War and Commune (The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71.)  The commune section in the seven ages had the Reader's Digest condensed version of that work.  I suspect the other sections are condensed versions of his other books.

It's an interesting work, covering Roman Lutetia to 1968.  Horne assumes that the reader is familiar both with Paris and speaks some French.  There's a wealth of anecdotes, and the occasional interjections by the author about how Anglo-Saxon historians view La Ville Lumiere. 

[Sheilbh]

I love Alastair Horne. His 'Savage War of Peace' about Algeria is outstanding.

[Savonarola]

I love Alastair Horne. His 'Savage War of Peace' about Algeria is outstanding.

I might check out the rest of his works; I really enjoyed "The Fall of Paris."

[Gups]

Commenced by annual tour of the Bookoer shortlist.

Finisihed Harvest by Jim Crace which is unrelaibly narrated by a agricultural working at some time in the 17th or 18th century around the time of enclosures. Very lyrical and beautifully wrtten but meandered a bit.

Just started The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri whcih appears to be about Naxalites in India. Very good so far, although some of it is set in Rhode Island so tainted.

[The Brain]

RI pantaloon gossip feather!!

[Savonarola]

The instructions of Shuruppak

One of the oldest surviving pieces of literature, this is a set of instruction, allegedly provided by the last antediluvian king to his son (flood hero Ziusudra).  The advice, though, is solidly middle class and in fact contains warning about the palace and palace slaves.  Some of the advice is surprisingly timeless:

The wet-nurses in the women's quarters determine the fate of their lord.

Sounds remarkably similar to the 19th century poem "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World."

Other advice is amusing:

You should not pass judgment when you drink beer.

Other clearly come from a different place and a different time.  There's advice on how to deal with slaves (the best ones come from the mountains); reputation is held to be paramount (the admonishment against rape is because people will learn of it); and there's advice on how to plant and harvest crops.

[Malthus]

The instructions of Shuruppak

One of the oldest surviving pieces of literature, this is a set of instruction, allegedly provided by the last antediluvian king to his son (flood hero Ziusudra).  The advice, though, is solidly middle class and in fact contains warning about the palace and palace slaves.  Some of the advice is surprisingly timeless:

The wet-nurses in the women's quarters determine the fate of their lord.

Sounds remarkably similar to the 19th century poem "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World."

Other advice is amusing:

You should not pass judgment when you drink beer.

Other clearly come from a different place and a different time.  There's advice on how to deal with slaves (the best ones come from the mountains); reputation is held to be paramount (the admonishment against rape is because people will learn of it); and there's advice on how to plant and harvest crops.

Available online!

http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr561.htm

This is one for the ages - aimed squarely at our own Brain:

You should not abuse a ewe; otherwise you will give birth to a daughter.

And of course this is important for everyone:

You should not have sex with your slave girl: she will chew you up

[Ed Anger]

Whoops. 

[The Brain]

Ewe.

[mongers]

Shall I read Another book by the end of the year ?

:tumbleweeds: