Grand unified books thread

[Savonarola]

Kesh Temple Hymn

Another of the oldest pieces of known literature this originates from the Mesopotamian city-state of Kesh around 2600 BC.  It's a hymn of praise for the temple of Kesh.  The text is obscure, but it seems to be spoken by the chief god Enlil.  Different aspects of the temple are praised throughout the eight versus.  Each ends with the line:

Will anyone else bring forth something as great as Kesh? Will any other mother ever give birth to someone as great as its hero Acgi? Who has ever seen anyone as great as its lady Nintud?

Nintud is a Sumerian mother-goddess and was probably the tutelary goddess of Kesh.  The work ends with the paradoxical lines:

Draw near, man, to the city, to the city -- but do not draw near! Draw near, man, to the house Kesh, to the city -- but do not draw near! Draw near, man, to its hero Acgi -- but do not draw near! Draw near, man, to its lady Nintud -- but do not draw near! Praise be to well-built Kec, O Acgi! Praise be to cherished Kesh and Nintud!

[The Brain]

Is Ke$ha a direct descendant of the high priestess of Kesh?

[Josephus]

Reading Mark Helprin's latest, Shadow and Light or something like that.

Awesome

[Barrister]

Stephen Harper's hockey history book comes out today.

[Razgovory]

Young Stalin.  I bought it for a penny!

[Josephus]

Young Stalin.  I bought it for a penny!

It's worth every penny....well, just the one in your case.

[Berkut]

Not strictly reading of course, but I've been listening to Dan Carlin's "Hardcore History" podcasts, and specifically his latest:

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/5/e/f/5efbf5156133b619/dchha50_Blueprint_for_Armageddon_I.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01c08430d0cd5afcfd&c_id=6343172

Blueprint for Armageddon I

If you have even a passing, casual interest in history and WW1, this is something you should listen to. If you are a serious student of WW1 history, there won't be anything really new here, but he has a great style, and pulls together a lot in a very approachable manner. I would almost compare him to Ambrose, except a lot smarter, a lot less overtly RahRahAmerica. But it is that very easy to follow, approachable way of talking about history while at the same time being extremely engaging an interesting.

I cannot recommend this enough.

[Queequeg]

Anyone else read The Iron Kingdom?

[Sheilbh]

Yes. I enjoyed it a lot. Garbon, not so much.

[The Minsky Moment]

Anyone else read The Iron Kingdom?

Does a good job if you want a survey of political history across the whole period in a single volume.  It is a pretty conventional "great men" kind of focus but put in an international context with a focus on high politics and institutional-administrative developments.  Short on cultural and economic history.

[Queequeg]

I'm liking it. The future Frederick the Great just watched his boyfriend get decapitated.

[Ideologue]

I'm starting The Shape of Things to Come.  Will it have as much righteous air war as the movie?  We'll find out.

[Ideologue]

There remains no way now of becoming passively wealthy. Gambling was ruthlessly eradicated under the Air Dictatorship and has never returned.

I came.

[The Brain]

How is running a casino being passive?

[Queequeg]

Anyone know any great non-Schama books on the Dutch Republic? Looking for politics, religion, economics, science and military innovatioms more than culture. Also good books on Calvinism and associated Protestant movements more generally?