Books, Magazines, Movies, Music

I read this, and highly recommend it. A second title, which I plan to resume reading this week (the library due date approaches) is "Shakespeare the Thinker" and is perhaps a bit dry. It has the interesting fact that, when Shakespeare was a boy, a slightly older girl with the last name Hamlett slipped into the Avon river and drowned. And around that same time a possibly unrelated John Shakespeare hanged himself in a nearby, uh, hamlet. Suck on that, Oxfordians and Baconians! ;')

Last night I found a reference to the online version of the above while reading the early pages of the title below. Author Wells mentioned in particular the free content.

Shakespeare and Co.:
Christopher Marlowe,
Thomas Dekker,
Ben Jonson,
Thomas Middleton,
John Fletcher and the
Other Players in His Story
by Stanley Wells

This is a nice intro to India; I've got to the midpoint (it's due back at the library in a couple of days, or maybe it's tomorrow) where the Yueh-chi / Tocharians / Kushans are discussed for a while.

...Kapisa, the summer capital of the Kushans. Here, in 1937, French archaeologists found the greatest single hoard of artistic treasures ever discoverd in Afghanistan: a wonderfully eclectic mixture of Silk Route artefacts... including a unique glass painting of one of the Wonders of the World, the Pharos of Alexandria. [p 119]

India
Michael Wood
BBC DVD

I’ve finishing up a book on the Phoenicians (about to get in the tub and read much if not all of what is left to go). Got the following tonight, all from the “recent arrivals” shelves:

1434:
The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance
by Gavin Menzies

Lost Battles:
Reconstructing the Great Clashes of the Ancient World
by Philip Sabin

Rome and Environs:
An Archaeological Guide
by Filipo Coarelli

Assassin’s Accomplice:
Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln
by Kate Clifford Larson

Mistress of the Vatican:
The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini, The Secret Female Pope
by Eleanor Hermon

Have you read any Gavin Menzies?

LOL, see?

That’s why you’re so great, Civ.

Henry Ford once said (paraphrasing), I don’t need to know everything, I just need to know who to go to find out.

Thanks.

Enjoy the books.

1434:
The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance
by Gavin Menzies
***I found the hype to this book fascinating. Let me know how you like it.

And one thing I remember reading about the Phoenicians was a National Geographic article back in the 1970’s. They were real strong seafarers. I think one of the things I recall from that (other than we get our alphabet from them) is that they would prepare for long sea journeys by drinking sea water for several days before embarking. But memory gets fuzzy over the years, so I may have heard that tidbit elsewhere.

Aug 1974 - 75 Matthews, Samuel W. “The Phoenicians Sea Lords of Antiquity,” Washington, DC: National Geographic, August 1974, p. 165. Also: LL Orlin. Tyre. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.
From One God One Message - Related web pagesbooks.google.com/books?id=xyzbUCk7UYoC&pg=PA364

Aug 1974 - Notice what SW Matthews, writing in National Geographic, Aug. 1974, p. 165, stated: “...today the Phoenicians’ Tyre lies buried beneath these paving stones and columns of a Roman metropolis. Only a small dig reaches down to the lost world of the Phoenicians.”Both Roman Tyre and modern Sur are located on top of the site of the biblical Tyre. Notice what SW Matthews, writing in National Geographic, Aug. 1974, p. 165, stated: “...today the Phoenicians’ Tyre lies buried beneath these paving stones and columns of a Roman metropolis. Only a small dig reaches down to the lost world of the Phoenicians.” And where do the Roman ruins lie? They lie under the city of Sur and to the south of it. It appears that many of Ezekiel’s statements ... Show more Show less
From Herbert Armstrong “Disproves” the Bible - Related web pageswww.hwarmstrong.com/ar/Disproves.html

Aug 1974 - Matthews, Samuel W. “The Phoenicians, Sea Lords Of Antiquity,” National Geographic Magazine, August 1974.
From Dudley’s Reading List - Related web pageswww.joppaglass.com/videos/research.html

Aug 1974 - National Geographic, 1974 August. Samuel W. Mathews, Winfield Parks and Robert C. Magis. The Phoenicians, Sea Lords of Antiquityl>l.
From I Found Atlantis - Related web pagesbooks.google.com/books?id=SlPKtFjckKsC&pg=RA1-PA430

Aug 1974 - Elissa Rudolph sends this wonderful History of Elissa, taken from the August 1974 National Geographic—The Phoenicians, Sea Lords of Antiquity... In the harbor of ancient Tyre in southern Lebanon, the fisherman chant “El—eee—sa, El—eee—sa,” as they haul in their nets...
From Elissa from Canaanites before Queen of Carthage - Related web pageselissa.org/history1.shtml

1434:
The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet
Sailed to Italy and
Ignited the Renaissance
by Gavin Menzies
paperback
CD audiobook

Lost Battles:
Reconstructing the Great Clashes
of the Ancient World
by Philip Sabin

Rome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide
by Filipo Coarelli
paperback

Assassin's Accomplice: Mary Surratt
and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln
by Kate Clifford Larson

Mistress of the Vatican:
The True Story of
Olimpia Maidalchini
The Secret Female Pope
by Eleanor Hermon
large print
Kindle

I haven’t (at least, not much), although I do have a copy of the other one about the Chinese fleet.

I’m going to give it the old college try, but to read all five in three weeks isn’t realistic. I generally get a bunch when I go because I’m never quite sure which ones I’ll enjoy. Last year I tackled two new titles about Shakespeare. :’)

I loved that NG article with the anecdote about the fishermen hauling their nets. "Ask them why they do it, they don't know." That's one of the better openings for an article on ancient history.

I loused up the Kindle link for the Menzies title, here it is: Kindle

Good luck!

The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini, The Secret Female Pope

Yeah, uh huh

That’s what I get for posting too fast. I thought this was going to be another “Pope Joan” screed. Actually this, and the other books in the list look very interesting.

Oooh, do let me know how you like the Menzies book! I have it too, but haven’t started it yet.

In the same vein is “The City of Light,” by Jacob d’Ancona. So far, intriguing! It’s d’Ancona’s journal of how he entered China four years before Marco Polo did. Scholars still argue its legitimacy.

I started the one about the Chinese fleet and got about one fourth in when I came to suspect his scholarship. There are plentiful footnotes but few, if any, that support his most extraordinary factual assertions. Just my opinion of course.

1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance by Gavin Menzies

Gavin M reminds me of John Candy's line in Splash: "When something works for me, I stick with it!"

It is a fool who doesn’t bookmark a Civ post.
I enjoyed this Marco Polo bio:
http://www.amazon.com/Marco-Polo-Venice-Xanadu-Vintage/dp/1400078806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231300672&sr=1-1

And am reading this on the rise of Islam....
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Crucible-Making-Europe-570-1215/dp/0393333566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231301088&sr=1-1

1434:
The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance
by Gavin Menzies

I head this guy interviewed on Coast to Coast. It was fascinating. He has a very interesting hypothesis, and the story of the fate of the fleet was amazing.

I've got some pretty wild interests myself, and love to plunge over the edge of the fringe from time to time.

Dude, Plunging over the edge can be fun sometimes. Years ago, before the internet was nearly as big as it is now, I used to get an email newsletter called "Conspiracy For The Day". Sometimes it was a really H00T! Sometimes, it made you go, "hmmmm", and file the information away for future reference.

(Anything is possible when you don't understand how anything happens.)

OMG that's hilarious! Thanks!

Now that one could be very interesting....after the trauma of the 2008 election...I have decided to get serious about reading some books on the Early years....

Just finished :

The Last Great Sea: A Voyage Through the Human and Natural History of the North Pacific Ocean (Paperback)

by Terry Glavin (Author)

******************EXCERPT*********************

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Terry Glavin sheds light on the mysteries of the North Pacific Ocean — a place of cultural and ecological richness and complexity. The maritime history of the North Pacific is rife with apocryphal voyages, legendary armadas, lost colonies, and fabled portals through continents. Glavin also explores current ecological phenomena — huge phytoplankton blooms and dying birds and fish — and the significance of these events. The Last Great Sea is a thoroughly researched, beautifully written exploration of one of the world’s most mysterious places.

***********************************

I found it very interesting...has some graphical maps that I found interesting...

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And about half way thru this one:

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (Hardcover)

*************EXCERPTS*************************

by Jared Diamond (Author) "A suitable starting point from which to compare historical developments on the different continents is around 11,000 B.C..."

*************EXCERPT*************************

From Library Journal Most of this work deals with non-Europeans, but Diamond's thesis sheds light on why Western civilization became hegemonic:

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I have the paperback....

Fascinating read....

And gave me a reasonable answer as to how wheat was domesticated..... was concerned about that on an earlier thread.....

I think I was on that same list. Hell, for all I know, I edited it. ;’) ;’) ;’)

I should spend more time reading books instead of web pages, but hey, no one’s ever had an epitaph, I wish I’d spent less time on the Internet...

Ana’s journey opens mystery of ‘oceanic superhighway’
[Tracking Green Sea Turtle]
WWF | 19 Dec 2008 | WWF
Posted on 01/07/2009 8:25:00 AM PST by BGHater
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2160277/posts

Thanks for that link!

Thanks for the kind remark! And for the link. Here's one that may be of interest (if it's even still in print):

The City of Light:
The Hidden Journal of the Man
Who Entered China Four Years Before Marco Polo
by Jacob D'Ancona
tr by David Selbourne

Yeah, I’m kinda afraid that’s the case. I wish more info were available (and research were done) regarding Roman-era (and earlier) seagoing contact with China. The Han court records contain reference to receiving a Roman envoy (probably a merchant) from the court of Marcus Aurelius, and the Chinese sent an expedition to the Persian Gulf just a few years after Trajan’s death (basically, it happened during the reign of Hadrian I believe).

Oh, wow, I’m reading these pings newest first, and just posted about “The City of Light”! :’)

That “Pope Joan” reaction was exactly what I had when I first saw the book yesterday. Turns out to be someone else. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be less than meets the eye, but still plan to read it, or parts of it. Y’know, the dirty parts...

I’m sure there were contacts in ancient times, quite possibly many and regular contacts along the (Indian Ocean) coast. But what we actually know, isn’t enough to fill a bookmark, never mind a book.

Ancient Mariners by Lionel Casson

is still the best! :)

I love that one, in fact, I’ll go so far as to recommend any Casson title without reading it. :’)

“A history book written in the 20’s and 30’s without all the leftist bias?”

I read it some time ago, so I don’t remember about any leftist bias, but I found H.G. Wells, “Outline of History” quite interesting. I think I had an edition that had been edited and reissued around that time.

I read 3 of the Velikovski books in the 1970’s. I was much impressed with his large collection of data, although I did not think his Venus/Mars hypothesis was correct. However, I certainly think there were serious extra-terrestrial disturbances that have strongly impacted our history.

H.G. Wells was something of a leftist, but I’ve never read his O of H, just some of his fiction (which I found pretty contrived and trivial).

this came in email:

regarding books on “tape”, that is, audiobooks — http://librivox.org/

[snip] LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. There are several options for listening. The first step is to get the mp3 or ogg files into your own computer... Would you like to record chapters of books in the public domain? It’s easy to volunteer. All you need is a computer, some free recording software, and your own voice... LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net. Our goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books. [end]