Furniture 2000: Modern Classics and New Designs in Production (Schiffer Design Book)

Book Description

Many of the great modern classic furniture designs of the twentieth century are still in production and available to the public in America and abroad. There are also many recent designs destined to become classics, because they share many of the same qualities of modern furniture already in museum collections and sought after by collectors. This volume, with 600 color photographs and detailed captions of a representative sample of the best modern furniture available, is the first source book to focus only on designs that are currently in production, and to present them in full color. It is both a history of modern design and an international shopping catalog. The indexes of 250 designers and companies and the list of sources will enable the reader to locate each item for purchase or for additional information. This book will serve as an indispensable and handy reference for decorators, interior designers, architects, and collectors, plus acquaint the general public with extraordinary designs that are generally only known to the trade.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Very pretty to look at, but practical?
Mielda mano que loquera !!
MODERN ARCHITECTURE
Contemporary and very different modern designs by top designers and firms

The New Modern House
Will Jones
Manufacturer: Princeton Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156898524X

Book Description

Every architect dreams of a perfect client, and every client dreams of a perfect architect. Alas, these relationships don't always work out to everyone’s expectations. But when they do—when there are shared ideas and the communication flows—the results can be spectacular. The New Modern House features forty new buildings where the synergy between the right designer and the right client resulted in works that surpass everyone's expectations.

The book is divided into five thematic chapters—conditions, materials, environment, budget, and aesthetics—and each contain eight case studies. These include Rafael Viñoly's Piano House in New York; Sean Godsell's Peninsula House in Australia; and Ahadu Abaineh's Tree House in Ethiopia, among others.

Beautifully produced, The New Modern House captures these noteworthy designs with a wealth of color photography, plans, and drawings, and makes an ideal book for anybody dreaming of the perfect house.

Customer Reviews:

Very pretty to look at, but practical?.......2007-07-18

I was somewhat disappointed as a current homeowner and builder of a new contemporary home, I (like many people) was trying to get ideas. This is more of a text book for architecture students, showing them the far reaches of art. Very little ideas could be had as far as conceptually and practicly speaking...

Mielda mano que loquera !!.......2006-08-09

Me encanto este bendito libro ! Ya que se lo compre a mi pana full RICKY !! SI CHICAS RICKY !!

2 meses mas tarde..... BEST SELLING BOOK OF THE YEAR !!

JE JE .. kkkkkkkkk

MODERN ARCHITECTURE.......2006-04-08

Mr. Jones really needs to give his photographer a bonus because his images really make this book, not that the text is not well thought and out and researched. Most of these homes are just spectucular, I love the use of glass, steel, and rich woods, it's so clean and elegant. You really come away with a new appreciation of current architectural styles as you puruse this wonderful book. Frankly, I could not live in many of these homes, but all of them radiate beauty and inovation. Highly recommended, if for no other reason than to get some ideas for your own home, uh, but you better have some stock in Apple.

Contemporary and very different modern designs by top designers and firms .......2005-08-11

Contemporary and very different modern designs by top designers and firms are the profile of Will Jones' The New Modern House, which packs in color photos of all kinds of structures, from seaside homes to complex, multifaceted layouts for flat landscapes. Accompanying discussions survey architectural intentions and design options, but it's the photos which capture attention.

Average customer rating:

Pacific Modern
Great Inspirations

Pacific Modern
Raul A. Barreneche
Manufacturer: Rizzoli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0847827658
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Book Description

Southeast Asia and Oceania are global epicenters of economic growth, and Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines in particular have each enjoyed building booms that include modern houses designed by some of the world's most talented architects. And though these countries feature rich variations in culture, language, and in some cases climate, their contemporary residential architectures share many similar characteristics. Sometimes these are crisp residential designs rendered in the most modern forms, while in other cases architects draw on local cultural or vernacular building materials, such as stone or wood, to create houses that, while still undeniably modern, are very much of their place. But the most ambitious and innovative of these projects all maintain a strong design sensibility that transcends geographic borders. Pacific Modern is a spectacularly illustrated tour of the most exciting examples of residential architecture in these regions. Among the architects whose work is presented are Glenn Murcutt, Sean Godsell, Burley Katon Halliday, Engelen Moore, Kerry Hill, and Fearon Hay.

Customer Reviews:

Pacific Modern.......2007-03-09

It is a great collection of modern architecture, it is wonderful to see such examples throught the world. Since I know the author personally, I love to see how his second book is even better than the first.

Great Inspirations.......2007-02-07

We purchased this book as a reference for clients building new homes. We are based in Australia and have seen these photos before...our clients hadn't so it was still very useful. Clear and with floorplans shows how space and light work well.

The Harvard Five in New Canaan: Midcentury Modern Houses by Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, Eliot Noyes, and Others

Average customer rating:

New in Canaan
Black and white interior and exterior photos abound.

The Harvard Five in New Canaan: Midcentury Modern Houses by Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, Eliot Noyes, and Others
William D. Earls
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393731839

Book Description

A virtual tour of thirty-five landmark houses, 1947-1966, built in a quiet New England community.

Since the fifties, "the Harvard Five" has been the catchphrase for the five architects featured in this book, who all built houses for themselves and for clients in New Canaan, Connecticut. Other architects, well known (Frank Lloyd Wright, for example) and not so well known, also contributed significant modern houses that elicited strong reactions from nearly everyone who saw them and are still astonishing today. An introductory essay by Jean Ely, "New Canaan Modern" (reprinted by permission of the New Canaan Historical Society), recounts the history of the area and how New Canaan came to be the locus of the modern movement's experimentation in materials, construction methods, space, and form. The book is done as a "house tour" in chronological order, with photographs and floor plans. 50 color, 50 black-and-white illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

New in Canaan.......2007-09-20

William Earls reveals an interesting fact in his introduction: that a small group of brilliant young architects uniquely designed houses for themselves and others in this conservative small town in the post-war years. The book details thirty-seven modern houses though it has to be said that nine were demolished. Each house starts on a spread with photos, floor plan and a brief description.

This should have been an interesting editorial concept but I thought it had all the signs of a quickie production not helped by a rather bland design. The distribution of pages to each house varies quite a lot (most likely depending on what images were available). Philip Johnson's Glass House estate gets sixteen pages, Frank Lloyd Wright's Rayford House gets six pages but Marcel Breuer's demolished Mills house gets a spread with one photo. The book's title refers to the Harvard Five and they have the most houses but twelve architects are actually featured.

Many of these houses are standing and occupied but there is no contemporary reference to them. The author rightly says that private homes are not open to the public but surely it would have been worthwhile to contact the owners and ask them what they thought of the house and were there any technical problems in living in a 'modern' house that is now some decades old. Some owners would probably have agreed to allow a photo of their house so the reader can see its contemporary look.

Because the screen size is only 133dpi so many of the photos are grey and also much of the cropping does not bring out the best in these buildings. I wish more thought had gone into the design. Some photos have nearly unreadable text on them, captions are sometimes white out of a photo while others are placed (correctly) underneath the image.

Certainly this is an interesting idea for a book but I don't think it really comes off.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Black and white interior and exterior photos abound........2006-10-15

New Canaan was a household name according to a 1953 issue of House and Garden magazine: it referred to five architects who designed houses for themselves and their clients in New Canaan, Connecticut. An introductory essay provides the history, recounting how the town became the figurehead of a new modern movement in housing experimentation: chapters which follow analyze the structures and works of Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson and Eliot Noyes. Black and white interior and exterior photos abound.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

New Sustainable Homes: Designs for Healthy Living

Average customer rating:

Not much technical information/resources
Environment-Friendly Building

New Sustainable Homes: Designs for Healthy Living
James Grayson Trulove
Manufacturer: Collins Design
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0061138916
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Book Description

What makes a sustainable house a sustainable home?

NEW SUSTAINABLE HOMES will address that question by presenting a wide range of projects where the architect and client have made a conscientious effort to incorporate sustainability into the design of the home and construction materials used in its execution. The result is a home that is less toxic to live in, is cheaper to operate, and often gives back to the environment rather than taking away. Also, and this is the most important consideration for many, it is a great looking, highly livable home that not only retains its value but has been shown to increase in value more quickly than more conventionally conceived houses because of cheaper operating expenses. These designers and their clients are not on the fringe.

NEW SUSTAINABLE HOMES will show readers will learn about the many materials and techniques that make up today's sustainable house, including:

1) the use of pervious concrete on driveways that allows water to seep through to the water table below.

2) using bio–fiber panels in lieu of plywood for interior finishing

3) using organic, green roofs that improve insulation, absorb sound and manage storm–water runoff

4) solar water heating systems

5) use of high thermal performance windows

6) photovoltaic electrical systems

Customer Reviews:

Not much technical information/resources.......2007-03-19

I purchased this book in hopes of finding some solid examples/information on sustainable/green systems for residential projects. With the exception of a couple of projects, the sustainable qualities of these homes are somewhat questionable. Do not expect much technical information.

Environment-Friendly Building.......2007-01-21

This is a great book for people who want to build unique, beautiful homes and, at the same time, avoid wasting or damaging our natural resources. It showcases ten different homes (inside and outside) in ten U.S. locations and is beautifully illustrated. It explains how each craftsman used only environment-friendly products.

The Thirty Years War (New York Review Books Classics)

Average customer rating:

One of the great books of the 20th century
A Panoramic and Poltically Sophisticated History
Machiavellian machinations
Outstanding
A Clear Presentation of a Tragic Historical Era

The Thirty Years War (New York Review Books Classics)
C. V. Wedgwood
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1590171462
Release Date: 2005-06-30

Book Description

Europe in 1618 was riven between Protestants and Catholics, Bourbon and Hapsburg--as well as empires, kingdoms, and countless principalities. After angry Protestants tossed three representatives of the Holy Roman Empire out the window of the royal castle in Prague, world war spread from Bohemia with relentless abandon, drawing powers from Spain to Sweden into a nightmarish world of famine, disease, and seemingly unstoppable destruction.

Customer Reviews:

One of the great books of the 20th century.......2007-06-26

I have had this book high on my reading list for over 40 years now, ever since a took a course in German Baroque literature as an undergraduate. It is far better than I had imagined, both in style and content. My only regret is that I didn't get around to reading it 40 years ago.

A Panoramic and Poltically Sophisticated History.......2007-04-20

For the English-language reader Wedgwood's book, which has been in print for over sixty years, is still an excellent introduction and synoptic narrative of this lengthy and turbulent period of European history. It gives brief and judicious biographical sketches of the major political and military actors of three generations: The principal antagonists at the outset -- Ferdinand II of Austria and Frederick V, Elector Palatine; the condottieri-style generals - Spinola, von Mansfeld, Tilly, Wallenstein, Piccolomini, Christian of Halberstadt, Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, the duc d'Enghien (Conde); the contentious minor rulers -- Maximilian V of Bavaria, Johann Georg of Saxony; the northern monarchs -- Christian IV of Denmark and Gustavus Adophus of Sweden (and his daughter Christina and prime minister, Oxenstierna); the "spoiler", Cardinal Richelieu; the new Emperor Ferdinand III and his cousin, the warlord Cardinal-Infant Ferdinand of Spain; and many others. This book is written in a traditional English historian's prose style that is clear, eloquent and totally lacking the jargon of concurrent and later social and economic histories, while still covering these aspects of the period. In spite of some reviewers' claims of a "Protestant bias" in her interpretation, the author seems extremely fair when assessing responsibility for the long-running disaster of the war, taking the position that it was the self-serving political interests of the participants (dynasties, rulers, generals and paymasters) that kept the war going at the expense of the social and economic welfare of the vast majority of inhabitants of Germany and Bohemia.

Although I am not familiar with this new edition (and Grafton's introduction) I emphasize that any reissuing of this book should have a brief scholarly introduction which supplies more details on the constitutional arrangements and crises of the Holy Roman Empire during the sixteenth century, with a special emphasis on the composition of the Bohemian estates and the conflicts between the estates and the Habsburg king-emperors. The extent and internal organization of "the Bohemian crown lands" should also be outlined. A succinct review of the political status of Lutheranism, Calvinism, the Bohemian Brethren, and other Protestant confessions throughout all of Europe around the year 1600 and a note on how their status had altered by 1700 would also be useful in "setting the stage" for the events of 1618 and understanding the relgious-denomination consequences of the war.

The author supplies sufficient details on the major battles, but this is not a work of military history. As Wedgwood knows, battles were only significant in the larger view as a result of their political consequences. And it is in the elucidation of the underlying politics of the war (including how political prospects shifted with the waxing and waning of military fortunes) that Wedgwood excels. In her analysis of the general European situation at the outset of the war she proposes that there were three sets of forces which underlay and drove contemporary events. Each was a source of conflict and each might cross-cut the others, complicating the declared interests and objectives of the dynasties and nations involved. In brief, the forces were: (a) Religion, with three major competing factions (Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist; she notes that the conflict between the latter two forms of Protestantism was often as extreme as it was between each of them and the Roman Catholic Church). (b) Nationalism (French, German, Czech, etc.), which was a new force on the scene, crystallizing the idea that political entities might be defined by nationality (which here equals some combination of ethnicity and native language) rather than conceived of as polyglot territorial agglomerations brought about by dynastic interests. (c) Monarchic-constitutional issues, which were especially complicated and ambiguous within the "constitutional" grouping of major and minor powers known as The Holy Roman Empire (HRE).

The constitutional problem was twofold. Within the small arenas of developing nation states and the yet smaller ones of traditional rulerships throughout Europe (duchies, counties, "free-city" areas ruled by town councils and mayors) contests over the basis and extent of the rulers' powers and privileges were taking place. Aristocrats, oligarchs and merchants had traditional corporate bodies (estates) reluctant to cede their own powers (taxation, the organization of military service) to a central authority. The same conflict was also being played out on the larger scale of the Hly Roman Epire, that loose grouping of special obligations and exemptions which was the final residue of an earlier system of vassalage binding together the elected Emperor (who had been a Habsburg for several centuries) and the smaller rulerships of Central Europe. The religious reforms, rebellions and wars of the sixteenth century had produced a system that appeared to resolve some of the potential problems through the won privilege of cujus regio, eius religio ("whoever rules, his religion [is the religion of the ruled area]"). In the year of the war's inception, 1618, this new balance was very fragile, comprising four Catholic and three Protestant imperial Electors. In Germany the special arrangements regulating relationships between the Emperor (resident in Vienna or Prague) and local rulers and guaranteeing a great deal of political autonomy to the locals, especially the Protestant Electors, had been somewhat codified by the Augsburg Treaty of 1555, and were known as the "German Liberties". These would prove to be especially important to the three Protestant Electors at the outset of the war.

In the developing continental war one could be pro- or anti-Habsburg based on any one of the above factors or any combination of two or three of them. For example, a Catholic ruler (including the papacy) might seek Protestant allies in order to combat Habsburg territorial expansion in his direction or to combat constitutional changes in the Empire which affected his position adversely. Or a Protestant power might accept the Habsburg "program" in any given case because it did not wish to disturb constitutional arrangements that were to its advantage (this characterization is apt for Saxony and Brandenburg during the first twelve years of the war.)

As Wedgwood notes, all three considerations (religion, nationality, constitutional relations) could be and were used cynically to advance the positions and interests of individual rulers and factions. From the point of view of rationality or predictability, political choices and commitments were often self-contradictory (e.g., a Catholic power supporting a Protestant venture; a German Liberties party accepting occupation by the army of a foreign power, etc.) or temporary expedients that made the overall European situation more chaotic. The war began locally in Bohemia, but its complications and consequences radiated outward as far west as Spain and England (even farther, to the Caribbean naval theater), as far north as Sweden and northeast to Poland, as far south as Italy and southeast as Transylvania; in other words, it was a European continental war with global impact.

When the war broke out in 1618 it was over the Habsburg violation of a "constitutional guarantee" of religious freedom in Bohemia (the concessions stated in Rudolf II's Letter of Majesty). And here is where individual personalities and beliefs played an important role. Ferdinand II, who had knowingly violated the terms of the Letter soon after being selected by the Bohemian Diet as King (and therefore the first in precedence of the HRE Electors) was determined not only to expand the political powers of the Habsburg dynasty in Bohemia and elsewhere, he was firmly committed to the goals of the Catholic Counter-Reformation (i.e., re-Catholicizing all of the areas within the HRE which had become Protestant during the last one hundred years). When he was deposed by a special convention of the Bohemian estates (the defenestration of his deputies in Prague being the signal event of this deposition), the crown of Bohemia was offered to the Elector of the (Rhineland) Palatinate, Frederick V, who considered himself a champion of the Protestant cause. The religious zeal of these two antagonists led to extreme fixed positions at the very outset of the war.

Given the other major conflict hovering in the background -- the Spanish Habsburg determination to recover the now Protestant area of the Netherlands which had become the successful and defiant (Dutch) United Provinces - the war soon became international. While the entry of France and then Denmark followed by Sweden, into the war during the 1620's changed its nature and extended its duration, Wedgwood concentrates much of her analysis on the behavior of the two Protestant Electors, Johann Georg of Saxony and Georg Wilhelm of Brandenburg and one Catholic ruler, Maximilian of Bavaria. It is her contention throughout the book that Johann Georg and Maximilian in particular could have prevented the war's spread and forced Ferdinand into a compromise very early in the course of events that acquired their own dynamism once they got out of hand. Despite their religious differences these two were always strong "German Liberties" proponents, and each had the same view of the Austrian Habsburg rulers: they should be kept for the broader protections they offered, but kept in place with respect to encroachments on the traditional rights of local rulers. In the end both of these rulers survived the lengthy war in spite of numerous diplomatic and military reversals (Saxony switched sides and joined the Swedes for several years, while Maximilian's position was constantly and secretly supported by his nominal enemies, the French, as their potential foot in the Habsburg camp.) Wedgwood believes that the price of their survival was far too costly for the rest of Germany.

Wedgwood's gloss on the changing nature of the conflict is that by the year 1635 the war had become one of great-power politics, and that the earlier religious and ideological causes were losing their ability to motivate the antagonists. Her summary of the changes emphasizes the following:

(a) Religion had discredited itself as a plausible source of political programs and a legitimate cause for war. Religion was becoming more interiorized and private, and losing ground philosophically and ethically to the new prestige of empirical and applied science (this was the era of Galileo and Kepler, with Descartes, Harvey, Hook, Newton, Huygens, etc. on the near horizon; a time of laboratory science and scientific societies.) As the basis of a political program religion was viewed cynically by those who saw the devastation it had brought about.

(b) For thinking men, nationalism began to fill the emotional void in public life left by the withdrawal of religion as the underlying motive for political and cultural action. This was very obvious in France, but even true of Ferdinand III, for whom the new main cause was the construction of an Austrian-based hereditary monarchy whose additional obligations as the Holy Roman Imperial protector of far-flung German Catholics were no longer perceived as worthwhile. In the minds of both Germans and Austrian Habsburgs the Holy Roman Empire was becoming an honorific entity with ambiguous and weak political commitments in Germany. The Elbe-North German-Pomeranian ideal empire of Wallenstein was never again revived as a dynastic program. Austria began to move south and east (toward Italy, Croatia, and Hungary) in its expansionist aims.

(c) The control of immense polyglot, multi-religious, mercenary armies and their huge camp followings had become a pressing matter of concern for all of the political authorities that hired them - they were neither religious nor national in their motives and aims and were in fact independent "mobile states" unto themselves, cynical and rapacious and often as dangerous to their paymasters as to their foes; whenever their immediate prospects for pay and maintenance looked bad, they changed sides. The most successful mercenary generals had become mini-sovereigns. Officers were all "out for themselves" and for their troops (rather than for the cause or nation of their paymaster), since without troop loyalty they had no means of personal advancement -- the most famous commanders, Ernst von Mansfeld, Wallenstein, Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, the Swedish general Wrangel, all expected (and some received) grants of territory and titles of nobility as their rewards for service. The "national" armies of conscripts that came to the fore in the 18th century was the answer to this problem.

The pace of the war wound down during its last five years (although there were several major battles fought even then), which was a period of extended negotiatons in Münster and Osnabrück, with the "final treaty" being signed late in 1648. For the next five years a series of conferences met at Nürnberg to implement and enforce the peace treaty and to deal with difficult problems raised by demobilizing huge armies. Many of the loans of this period, which were raised to cover the demobilization costs, were not paid off for a century. Individual rulers such as Charles of Lorraine and the Duke of Savoy (who got nothing from the treaty) refused to vacate various fortresses for five or six years, but the war did not break out again. France and Spain continued at war with each other, but not in Germany. Numerous soldiers, especially officers, went into mercenary service all over Europe. Others took to the hills as professional bandits - for the next 20 years merchants traveled through certain parts of Germany and Bohemia in armed caravans.

Wedgwood accepts the more recent (1900-1930's) historical estimate that the population of the Imperial German lands (excluding Alsace and the Netherlands) dropped from about 21 million in 1618 to 13 million in 1648. The number of dislocated people was also substantial. While she acknowledges that the number of towns and villages destroyed and other "infrastructural" and economic losses were very large, she feels that all contemporary sources (e.g., the pamphlet literature of the next 100 years) exaggerated local losses, since all parties in the war continued to seek indemnities and restitution. The free peasantry benefited briefly, since landowners were desperate for manpower to restore their estates - prices fell while wages rose for a number of years, which increased the standard of living of peasants and artisans. But within a decade of the peace treaty the landowning gentry was pleading with Imperial, royal and local rulers to impose legal restrictions which would re-create bonded, serf-like conditions for peasants. Town councils now became pawns and bureaucrats of the dynastic courts of their rulers and also implemented restrictive legislations on peasants (e.g., prohibitions against mobility, domestic industry, and household craft production -- a trend which later historians refer to as "neo-serfdom"). Class stratification was as rigid as it was before the war started. There was a new, large class of mobile petty nobles and gentry seeking court-backed military and bureaucratic appointments, at the expense of town and peasant taxpayers.

Germany and the Austrian-based monarchy and empire were totally excluded from the international competition to establish overseas colonies and from the developing "Atlantic trade". For a number of years the outlets of Germany's major rivers (Rhine, Elbe, Oder, and for Brandenburg-Prussia, Vistula) were controlled by foreign powers, reducing Germany's commercial strength. Hamburg was the exception, becoming the major maritime merchant city of the North Sea coast, at the expense of the other Hanseatic cities and the Scandinavian powers. The only medium-sized German state to emerge with positive prospects was Brandenburg, soon to become the administratively efficient and militarily powerful Prussia. The peace, while ending the "wars of religion", set the stage for a long series of "nationalistic" wars that subsumed dynastic and religious sources of conflict. France replaced the Habsburg Spanish-Austrian coalition as the menacing and tyrannical continental power willing to disturb the peace. Austria turned to the south and east and Spain lost its great power status and became an economic and cultural backwater. There was no politically or culturally unified Germany within the boundaries of the old Empire (French culture began to reign supreme) and the cosmopolitanism (its openness to outside influences) of this area during the 18th century, instead of being a source of pride over its achievements, became a source of lament for later cultural and ethnic purists of revived German nationalism.

Author's Judgment and Conclusions: In terms of responsibility for the overall disaster, Wedgwood points to the futility and self-destructiveness of sincere religious zeal in the cases of Ferdinand II and the Elector Palatine. But, from the point of view of failures of practical (and ethical) politics, she highlights the behavior of Maximilian and Johann Georg, who could have prevented the spread of the conflict in 1620 and could have brought the war to an early end in 1635 if they had agreed to work together on a "unified German program" which would have forced Imperial compromises and concessions had they both stood behind it. Between these two she sees the Saxon as the greater victim of military circumstances (pressed by the Swedish juggernaut) and therefore less culpable for the mess, while she judges the Bavarian as too subtle and too ambitious in pursuit of his own dynastic and territorial ambitions at the expense of a general settlement good for his fellow Germans, thus identifying him as the more culpable.

Beautiful in its style and concision, Wedgwood's final summary is also gloomy (as one might expect of a work completed in 1939, on the verge of World War II):

"As there was no compulsion towards a conflict which, in despite of the apparent bitterness of the parties, took so long to engage and needed so much assiduous blowing to fan the flame, so no right was vindicated by its ragged end. The war solved no problem. Its effects, both immediate and indirect, were either negative or disastrous. Morally subversive, economically destructive, socially degrading, confused in its causes, devious in its course, futile in its result, it is the outstanding example in European history of meaningless conflict."

Machiavellian machinations.......2007-04-09

This is the best single-volume account of the Thirty Years War
(1618-1648). The war was very complex but Wedgwood provides singular
clarity. Other interpretations are possible, but her vision is strong
and memorable. The Machiavellian machinations are head-spinning, one has
to read carefully, the reward is a solid understanding of not only
17th C dynastic politics but how Medieval politics operated
before the rise of the nation state.

Wedgwood is an old-fashioned historian like Gibbon, retelling the events
in highly-readable prose, focused on the "great men". This can be
problematic, the Thirty Years War was more than just the decisions made
by a few elites - social, economic and other forces were at work. Her
sources are almost all 19th century. There are no new insights on the
war, it is a retelling of established views. As a political narrative it
is not only a great work of history but also literature.

Outstanding.......2007-02-22

Among the very best histories I have ever read. At the end you can actually make sense (???) of the 30 Years War

A Clear Presentation of a Tragic Historical Era.......2006-12-09

C.V. Wedgewood wrote a good historical account of a complex historical episode. Her book, titled THE THIRTY YEARS WAR, is a "classic", and those who are interested in the Thirty Years War or diplomatic history will benefit from this book. In other words, the book is "timeless."

Miss Wedgewood begins THE THIRTY YEARS WAR with a careful account of Germany during and immediately after the Reformation. This historical phase is important if readers are to understand the complexities of the Thirty years War. Of particular note is the Peace of Augsburg which the Germans agreed to in 1555. Miss Wedgewood's assesssment of these prior events is crucial to comprehending her book as well as the Thirty Years War(1618-1648). Readers should be aware the the Germans were not politically united, and historians could easily refer to Germany as the Germanies. Miss Wedgewood emphasizes this point very effectively.

Miss Wedgewood examines the political and religious status of the Germans in the early 17th. century(early 1600s). The religious and political tensions were serious, and the religious divisions between the Catholics and various Protestant sects, especially the Lutherans and Calvinists, were dangerous to say the least. Miss Wedgewood clearly informs the readers "who the players were."

The above mentioned tensions are important to further understand why "The Definistration of Prague", which occured in 1618, was such a serious diplomatic incident. The "incident" was the reason for the beginning of the Thirty Years War. In other words, this was the spark for a European and especially a German tragedy.

Readers may know that the Thrity Years War gradually began as a series of conflicts which could have ended the eventual destructive nature of this war. For example, The Happsburgs, the German Cattholics, defeated the Czech Protestants at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 which could have ended the conflict. However, the German Lutherans joined the war in 1625 only to be defeated. The Danes entered the war in 1629, and they were also defeated. The tragedy that had been incubating exploded.

In 1631, the Swedes under their king, Gustavus Adolphus (1611-1632) joined the war with devestating consequences. Gustavus Adolphus was the one true religious zealot, and his religious enthusiasm only made the bloodshed far worse. He lost his life in 1632, and the Swedes lost their ruler.

Some readers may be perplexed that the French under the leadership of Louis XIII (1610)-1643)and Cardinal Richleau (1585-1642) ended the Thirdy Wars Year on the "Protestant" side. The French saw this war as a dynastic war, and their fears of powerful Hapsburgs in their eastern and southern borders (German and Spain) posed a diplomatic threat. In other words, Louis XIII and Cardinal Richleau did not see the war as religious conflict. Miss Wedgewood handles these diplomatic complexities very well. One should not that the Catholic French financed the Swedish intervention until the French declared war on the Hapsburgs in 1635.

Miss Wedgewood treats events after 1635 very well. The war was a stalemate which caused disaster for the Germans. Neither side could pay their mercenary troops who vented their frustrations on innocent civilians commiting rape, looting, mass murder, etc. This in turn resulted in the destruction of agriculture which caused considerable famine. Miss Wedgewood's detailed examination clearly reveals the excesses of all this tragedy which could not prevented until both sides exhausted themselves.

The fact that the French used this war to exhuast their Hapsburg rivals is clear for any who reads this book. The fact that the war ended as a "quitters' peace" is also made clear. Miss Wedgewood makes a good case that the end of the Thirty Years War and Peace of Westphalia may have saved European Civilization. One should note that Peace of Westphalia (1648) was actually a series of treaties of the parties involved.

With some exceptions, the Thirty Years War was the last modern war in which the Europeans fought each other and thereafter tried to avoid civilian casualties. There were exceptions of course, and the fact is ironic that this book was published just before World War II erupted in 1939.

Miss Wedgewood's THE THIRTY YEARS WAR is not dated. Her thesis regarding this tragic war could be applied to most total wars. The fact that the 20th century was history's bloodiest century so far makes this book quite relevant. Her prose makes this book readable and useful. She has done detailed research, and her writing style clarifies a complex era. Her book should be on every serious history student's reading list.

The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance

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Comprehensive, interesting and relevant book
A book about the history of a family
America's Gilded Age
The history of JP Morgan par excellence!
In Depth, to the Nth degree

The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
Ron Chernow
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671734008

Book Description

The House of Morgan is the most ambitious history ever written about an American banking dynasty. Hailed as an investigative masterpiece, it traces the trajectory of the J. P. Morgan empire from its obscure beginnings in Victorian London to the crash of 1987 and beyond. A rich, panoramic story of four generations of Morgans and the powerful, secretive firms they spawned, it is the definitive account of the rise of the modern financial world.

From the period glamor of the late nineteenth century to secret alliances during both world wars, The House of Morgan is studded with startling revelations about the men and women -- Henry Ford, Franklin Roosevelt, Nancy Astor, Winston Churchill, Adnan Khashoggi, Paul Volcker, and many others -- who have transformed the financial and political world in the past 150 years.

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive, interesting and relevant book.......2007-03-03

This is a great story told well. Chernow is an amazing researcher and a very good writer. I agree with some of the reviewers that the earlier parts of the book are better, but his description of the transformation of the capital markets in the late 20th century and the House of Morgan's role in this transformation is interesting and relevant. This book increased my understanding of the banking and investment banking worlds. My only quarrel is that, at times, I thought Chernow editorialized too much detracting from the story. Like many financial journalists, I got the sense that he is not a big fan of capitalism. Perhaps that's unfair, but if he simply told the story without some of his asides, the book would have been even better.

A book about the history of a family.......2006-12-14

This is an interesting book about the history of the Morgan family. It tends to drag on and is not as good as Chernow's other books about finance (notably Hamilton). I was expecting quite a bit more on JP Morgan and the book did not deliver in that way. Despite those two flaws the book is filled with such good information and is so well organized that it still deserves five stars I would just know you are not buying a book solely or even focusing on JP Morgan.

America's Gilded Age.......2006-11-10

Ron Chernow is good at writing in great detail while making his books interesting. "House of Morgan" is well documented as are all of Chernow's books. This book is the interesting story of big banking in the United States and abroad during the period of 1850-1900. Chernow goes beyond the earlier years of the J. P. Morgan empire to the present; giving an introduction to Morgan/Chase as we know it today. The early founder, Pierpont, was ruthless, secretive and rich. The book is a long one, and took awhile to read, but it was worth the time.

The history of JP Morgan par excellence!.......2006-10-26

A much more engaging and beautiful account on the life of the Morgan family and their banking legacy has been outdone by this work from Ron Chernow.

The book covers all aspects of the Morgan family and even discovers long forgotten family secrets. It dwells into the minds of these great capitalists and takes the reader deep into historic moments in American financial history. The overall grandeur and majesty of some of the most powerful men to have ever walked the earth, men who saved the U.S. from financial ruin, is evident in every page.

Read this one and you will love it!

In Depth, to the Nth degree.......2006-04-22

I read Chernow's awesome book on Rockefeller and expected the same from this treatment of America's first uber-bank. For some reason the narrative just seemed half as interesting as the Rockefeller book. This work primarily seemed to be lots of facts and figures and a historical timeline-- the interesting anecdotes and sidebars available in Rockefeller seemed to be somewhat lacking here-- either that or I've become jaded in what entertains me.

Overall it's certainly the definitive work on the subject to be sure, but I was hoping on a little more entertainment as the thing is a telephone book. And anyone can read a telephone book for a hundred pages-- 500 pages takes dedication.

Astrological Thesaurus, Book One: House Keywords (The Llewellyn Modern Astrology Library)

Average customer rating:

Essential Reference for the serious astrologer

Astrological Thesaurus, Book One: House Keywords (The Llewellyn Modern Astrology Library)
Michael Munkasey
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Thesauruses | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

Essential Reference for the serious astrologer.......2005-05-31

Although the book is apparently out of print, if you find it used, at a reasonable price, buy it! Serious students of astrology will find the book a great help in grasping house concepts. Electional and Horary astrologers will find it an indispensible reference.

Average customer rating:

Good effort
Inspiring antidote to urban sprawl

The New American Town House
Alexander Gorlin
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0847821412
Release Date: 2000-02-05

Book Description

Simultaneously defining and defined by its surroundings, the town house-- as one of the basic building blocks of the city-- has emerged at the close of the twentieth century as a symbol of architectural innovation and refinement. At one time the bastion of Park Avenue society, the American town house has now been embraced by a broader group of people: families with small children, single urban professionals, and retired couples. Drawn between the antipodes of architectural precedent and originality, the modern town house enhanced the urban landscape through both its break from and adherence to the delimitations of the typology. Within its five-story frame and two parallel walls exquisite solutions to the constraints of the form take place. Sweeping stairways, moonlit loggie, and seemingly boundless atria all comprise some of the newly realized fantasies of these structures. The playful interchange between public and private spaces, living and work quarters, and interiors and exteriors are all part of the new rhetoric of the town house.

Ranging from sites in New York, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Seaside, Florida, and Los Angeles, each of the buildings featured in The New American Town House represents an eloquent contribution to the form. From the funky, gritty streets of Greenwich Village to the quiet sunny walks of San Francisco, the book explores the cutting-edge designs of twenty-six recently built town houses by such celebrated young architects as Tod Williams and Billy Tsien, Mark Mack, Dan Solomon, Stanley Saitowitz, Dirk Lohan, and Alexander Gorlin. Each project is extensively illustrated with full-color and black-and-white photography, plans and drawings, providing a striking presentation of the elegance and stylistic distinction of the houses. Alexander Gorlin includes an insightful essay on the history of the town house from its origins in Pompeii to recent urban dwellings designed by twentieth-century architects. The esteemed architecture critic Paul Goldberger discusses new developments in the genre during this period of resurgence and what they portend.

Customer Reviews:

Good effort.......2000-12-13

This book is simply that, a book about new American town house. It started with a description of the evolution of town house, rite from the time of Palladio & Vitruvius to the present time. The rest is 20 examples of American townhouses all seemed to be going skyward fulfilling all kinds of tastes ranging from chic, loft style, minimalistic, opulence, romantic. & so forth. There are tonnes of pictures in this book with helpful building plans. I always like variety & after browsing thru initial examples, the rest of the book I really couldn't bother with as they all look pretty much similar. Afterall, a townhouse is a townhouse. Anyhow, this book is beautifully presented & definitely worth keeping if you simply want a coffee book for show. Keep up the good work.

Inspiring antidote to urban sprawl.......2000-06-09

With the cities and suburbs spreading out into former farmland in the form of superstores, fast food chains, and garishly oversized homes reminiscent of motel conference centers, Gorlin and Goldberger present the compelling alternative: the townhouse, revamped, revitalized, and more relevant than ever. No matter what your esthetic, there is a townhouse to suit it, and you can find it in this book. It could be argued, in fact, that the townhouse represents architectural humanism at its best: inherently social, family-friendly, scaled to real human dimensions and needs. In other words, just right. An excellent introduction to an important new trend in architecture and home-building.

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