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

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.

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Still a fan of his early works
Disappointing
Haven't I Read All This Before Somewhere?
Great Read
Just so-so for Rollins

Excavation
James Rollins
Manufacturer: Harper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 038081093X

Book Description

High in the Andes, Dr. Henry Conklin discovers a 500-year-old mummy that should not be there. While deep in the South American jungle, Conklin's nephew, Sam, stumbles upon a remarkable site nestled between two towering peaks, a place hidden from human eyes for thousands of years.

Ingenious traps have been laid to ensnare the careless and unsuspecting, and wealth beyond imagining could be the reward for those with the courage to face the terrible unknown. But where the perilous journey inward ends—in the cold, shrouded heart of a breathtaking necropolis—something else is waiting for Sam Conklin and his exploratory party. A thing created by Man, yet not humanly possible. Something wondrous . . . something terrifying.

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The South American Jungle Guards Many Secrets...

and a remarkable site nestled between two towering Andean peaks, hidden from human eyes for thousands years.

Dig Deeper...

through layers of rock and mystery, through centuries of dark, forgotten legends.

Into Ancient Catacombs...

where ingenious traps have been laid to ensnare the careless and unsuspecting; where earth-shattering discoveries -- and wealth beyond imagining -- could be the reward for those with the courage to face the terrible unknown.

Something is Waiting

here where the perilous journey ends, in the cold, shrouded heart of a breathtaking necropolis; something created by Man, yet not humanly possible. Something wondrous. Something terrifying.

Customer Reviews:

Still a fan of his early works.......2007-09-20

I'm re-reading all my early James Rollins books and I have to admit that all the stories and plots are blurring together: a bunch of disparate people thrown together into a desperate adventure, life or death and something more is in the balance.

My previous plagarized remark about a typical early James Rollins book still stands. Not a polished writer but a great storyteller.

I have to give high marks to Rollins for his storytelling and imagination. It's not easy to keep coming up with different themes every time and the fact that he has pretty much abandoned his old formula I think bears evidence to this comment.

When I'm reading one of these old signature James Rollins novel, I'm not reading it for my literature class, I'm reading it to follow the desperate adventures of a bunch of desperate adventurers. If this is not what you are looking for, you're reading the wrong genre! Rollins doesn't give his characters great depth but that seems to be a trade off. When I'm reading these books, I feel more a like person standing behind the protagonists' shoulders and less interested in their personalities.

Some authors give their characters great depth, and I can usually re-read those books again and again with the same interest because the characters are so alive. With high-octane (ugh, how I hate to use this cliche!) adventure stories, you don't get the same mileage out of these books because the excitement is in reading the adventure new the first time. When you know what all the mysteries are, the book just isn't that exciting anymore. Still, I have to give this book full marks for a great story line and keeping me way up into night. Your mileage may vary.

Disappointing.......2007-09-20

I've read a couple of Rollins' other books (Sandstorm, Map of Bones) and found them well-written, intelligent, and exciting, if a bit far-fetched. This one goes way over the top with alien beings, a surviving ancient race, a mysterious shape-shifting healing substance, and even a couple of resurrections! Stephen King might have been able to make a good story of some of this material, but Rollins doesn't seem to able to pull it off. I found it totally unbelievable, and not even very interesting in a fanciful way. It might have still been a fun read if not for the constant clichés, weak dialogue, and inconsistencies. On one page he describes Joan's character as in her late fifties (p. 13, MMP edition) Then (on p. 112, the next day in the story), the character is suddenly forty-eight years old. And as another reviewer mentioned, Joan is supposedly an old college flame of the 60-year-old Henry.

Other things I found irritating: The author couldn't seem to go more than a few pages without one of his characters exclaiming "Oh, God!" (even when events didn't seem to warrant such an exclamation). Likewise, over and over, he referred to Ralph's character as the "large black man" or "the ex-football player". After the first five times or so, I began thinking, "all right already, we get it". Then, as in the old sci-fi and horror movies, he killed off the only black character in the story mid-way! (Sorry if that was a spoiler for those who haven't read it yet.) The antagonists were mostly cartoonish embodiments of evil. As one prepares to kill Joan: "Joan noted the slight bubble of drool at the corner of his lips. The thick-limbed brute clearly lusted to test his irons on her flesh." In fact, all of the characters were underdeveloped and I found I didn't much care what happened to any of them. The only one who was given some personality, and that I found likeable, was Norman. I'm glad the author didn't make his character just a stereotype of a gay man. And I did liked the way he treated the developing respect and friendship between Ralph and Norman. It could have been sappy and clichéd, but he at least handled that with dignity and sensitivity.

I understand this was Rollin's second book. While a glimmer of his potential talent appeared in the pages, this book was definitely not one of his best. Worth a read only if you're a diehard Rollins fan.

Haven't I Read All This Before Somewhere?.......2007-08-14

Reading James Rollins gives one a tremendous experience of deja vu. These adventures seem to be cobbled together from everything and everywhere in a hit or miss way that keeps the reader asking himself if he's read this before. Well, he has. Probably in childhood adventure stories and all the modern thriller writers. Only it's all been done better and it's all been done to death. While this "writer" may have a following, I prefer not to read light thrillers that should have footnotes giving credit to other source material. Maybe something original would be nice. All authors build on the work of others but they all don't borrow as blatantly and produce epics like these in a by-the-numbers method on an assembly line.

Great Read.......2007-07-12

I ordered this book by Rollins on the recommendation of Amazon. My Husband reads Clive Cussler and this author writes similar material. He is very satisfied and has since ordered other books by Rollins.

Thank you,
Jean Weems

Just so-so for Rollins.......2007-06-28

I have to wonder at his very un-PC depiction of the two elder statesmen in this novel. Henry, the archeologist, is 61 while his college sweetheart (who just happens to be 13 years his junior - hmmm, I wonder how she pulled that off - genius student?) has to be depicted as 48. I'm assuming this is so that she can still sexually distract the young monk (since we all know a woman in her 60s would never be able to accomplish this). I was a more than a bit disappointed at this incongruity.
Also, Sam seemed to be surprised at the indigenous population burning llama dung as fuel. Any Anthropology intro course teaches that the burning if dung (be it camel, cattle or other domesticated animal) is standard practice world-wide.

Average customer rating:

Introduction for New Contractors
Good Book
Engineer, New Contractor
Excellent
From the ground-up

Pipe and Excavation Contracting
Dave Roberts
Manufacturer: Craftsman Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0934041229

Customer Reviews:

Introduction for New Contractors.......2007-04-04

This how-to guide will teach new contractors the very basics of underground construction work.

Good Book.......2007-03-17

I suppose that some of my trade secrets are no longer "secrets", as I stumbled across them while reading Pipe and Excavation Contracting. It's a good book - I have no complaints.

Engineer, New Contractor.......2007-01-13

The book was OK, but it's very basic. Too much of the book had elementary chapters and too little meat I think. If you never did any underground work this book is good...for those that have there's probally a better one out there..I haven't found it so I'm not sure. The book had mostly on how to operate a backhoe, how to dig around utilities and stuff. I was looking for surveying hints..there were some but not much. I probally should have looked for a surveying book..but that would make too much sense.

Excellent.......2007-01-11

Not too hard to comprehend. This was suggested reading for the Louisiana General Contractors License Exam. I found it informative.

From the ground-up.......2006-01-16

This book is heavy. The lightest, easiest reading is in the index - from there on it's strictly business and takes you through the very bowels of the whole business.
You could literally start, run and retire from the business with this book as a guide. It is very in-depth.

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Jamestown Rediscovered
more maps please
Great History Lesson
Take this book with you
Very Enlightening

Jamestown, the Buried Truth
William M. Kelso
Manufacturer: University of Virginia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0813925630

Book Description

What was life really like for the band of adventurers who first set foot on the banks of the James River in 1607? Important as the accomplishments of these men and women were, the written records pertaining to them are scarce, ambiguous, and often conflicting, and those curious about the birthplace of the United States are left to turn to dramatic and often highly fictionalized reports. In Jamestown, the Buried Truth, William Kelso takes us literally to the soil where the Jamestown colony began, unearthing the James Fort and its contents to reveal fascinating evidence of the lives and deaths of the first settlers, of their endeavors and struggles, and of their relationships with the Virginia Indians. He offers up a lively but fact-based account, framed around a narrative of the archaeological team's exciting discoveries.

Once thought to have been washed away by the James River, James Fort still retains much of its structure, including palisade walls, bulwarks, interior buildings, a well, a warehouse, and several pits, and more than 500,000 objects have been cataloged, half dating to the time of Queen Elizabeth and King James. Artifacts especially reflective of life at James Fort include an ivory compass, Cabasset helmets and breastplates, glass and copper beads and ornaments, ceramics, tools, religious icons, a pewter flagon, and personal items. Dr. Kelso and his team of archaeologists have discovered the lost burial of one of Jamestown's early leaders, presumed to be Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, and the remains of several other early settlers, including a young man who died of a musket ball wound. In addition, they've uncovered and analyzed the remains of the foundations of Jamestown's massive capitol building.

Refuting the now decades-old stereotype that attributed the high mortality rate of the Jamestown settlers to their laziness and ineptitude, Jamestown, the Buried Truth produces a vivid picture of the settlement that is far more complex, incorporating the most recent archaeology to give Jamestown its rightful place in history and thus contributing to a broader understanding of the transatlantic world.

Customer Reviews:

Jamestown Rediscovered.......2007-10-10

This is a good book. However, I felt a little disappointed at the end. The ending did not provide the details I was searching for.

more maps please.......2007-07-05

fascinating especially if you love archaeological puzzles. To find the wealth of information on what was thought to be lost reveals a great and colorful adventure. However, with the profusion of compass designations used in the descriptions, I caught myselft looking for a comprehensive site map with those features identified along with compass orientation. Photos or diagrams of various aspects of the dig give only piecemeal disjointed views. Often captions use directions ("junction of east palsiade wall trench with the north bulwark) but does not orient the photograph or identify those features in the photo. A drawing of the fort superimposed on a photograph is too small, does not indicate a compass orientation, and does not identify the features shown just as one example. A nice double page fold out site map would have added a lot.

Great History Lesson.......2007-06-08

Lots of details about Jamestown I never knew. The book really gives you a feel of what these people had to go through.

Take this book with you.......2007-04-22

Take this book with you when you visit Jamestown this year. 2007 is the 400th anniversary of its founding. This is an excellent account of the (still active) archaeological dig at Jamestown. The author is the primary investigator at the Jamestown site. Mr. Kelso and his team have done a wonderful job uncovering and reconstructing life in the first successful English colony in America. Not only will you learn about life in 17th century Jamestown, but you'll learn about the art and science of archaeology as well.

Very Enlightening.......2007-03-22

Jamestown, The Buried Truth was a very detailed and comprehensive retelling of the history of the first permanent English settlement. It was very enlightening and blew up several popular myths about life in the early years and the colonists, themselves. The archeology digs revealed that some of the personal accounts of the settlement, by now famous colonists, were self-serving and not entirely accurate. It also helped reveal the changing relations between the colonists and native Americans. I would definitely recommend it for anyone the least bit interested in the early history of American.

Kommos V: The Monumental Minoan Buildings at Kommos (Kommos: An Excavation of the South Coast of Crete)

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Kommos V: The Monumental Minoan Buildings at Kommos (Kommos: An Excavation of the South Coast of Crete)

Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691121230

Book Description

Kommos, an ancient site on the island of Crete, is known both for its important Greek sanctuary and for its earlier role as a major Minoan harbor town. This final book in the Princeton series focuses on the results of several decades of excavation at three of the site's monumental public buildings during the Minoan period. Of these, one has the characteristics of a "Minoan palace," a large central court surrounded by wings. Two stoas on either side of the court may have accommodated spectators watching formal events unfold within the court. Other rooms were used for storage. Vessels from the "palace," but also, and mainly, from two buildings that succeeded it in the fourteenth century BC, originate elsewhere in the Aegean and as far as Anatolia, Cyprus, Egypt, Syro-Palestine, and Sardinia, attesting to the site's major role in international trade. One of the later buildings is characterized by six huge rectangular spaces that were likely used to shelter ships during the nonsailing months. This kind of structure, from that period, has never before been found in Crete. Equally unique is the range of imported pottery.

The results of the excavation are recorded in detail in chapters commenting on the architecture, on the "palace's" painted mural decoration, and on other finds representing a wide range of activities, including the likely production of purple dye, valued for trade amongst the elite. Well-stratified deposits provide a unique opportunity to establish local ceramic developments and to use them to date events that are being considered in terms of sociopolitical and economic perspectives encompassing the Mediterranean and the Near East. This book, which completes a survey of more than six hundred years of history, will prove especially useful to specialists in the Minoan era and to all students of the ancient world.

Construction Site Work, Site Utilities and Substructures Databook

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Construction Site Work, Site Utilities and Substructures Databook
Sidney M. Levy
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0071360212

Book Description

Bring every substructure project in on time and under budget

Get fast access to the information you need for estimating, specifying, budgeting, and doing actual installations on all kinds of underground construction equipment and systems -- all in one handy source. Construction Site Work, Subutilities, and Substructures Databook fully covers both commercial and residential construction. Project management expert Sidney M. Levy shows you the best way to:

Book Description

Updated to reflect methods used according to current requirements and regulations. The first 11 chapters discuss the work itself and the basic ways to do it, the machines and operation techniques, the problems that arise, the application of different types of equipment, and costs and management. The next 10 chapters focus on the machines themselves and operating techniques. From site preparation to blasting and tunneling, pneumatic drills to the largest power shovels, it covers every step of every kind of excavating project and all the practical aspects of using the machines and vehicles involved. The 5th edition is being directed to include the latest in equipment and operating techniques and safety methods.

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Customer Reviews:

Fine Book.......2007-03-17

I wish I had this book when I was starting off; would have saved me a few grey hairs. Moving The Earth does a fine job at covering many situations that "dirt guys" find themselves in. This book won't teach you everything about earthwork, but it is an excellent reference that I would recommend to anyone involved excavation projects.

Good all around resource.......2007-02-06

This book seems a little heavy on old images and information, but it's still a good all around resource for earth work.

Solid textbook.......2007-01-04

Lots and lots of good information. Although the technique is sound, it could use an extensive upgrade as a good deal of the equipment mentioned is obsolete in today's workplace. I would suggest finding a used one if available, a bit pricey new for what you get in my opinion.

Moving the Earth.......2006-11-07

It's simple. If you are involved in excavation, landscaping or earthmoving of any kind, then this book is an absolute must have in your library for reference.

Tour de Force: Earth Moving at its Finest.......2006-08-30

Ranks right up there with Handling the Big Jets, get behind the wheel of an earth grader or dumptruck. Moving great masses of the earth is a singularly human occupation. This book will put you there.

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Unique work
A true masterpiece!
A true masterpiece!
It works!
Great book!

Armour from the Battle of Wisby
Bengt Thordeman
Manufacturer: Chivalry Bookshelf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1891448056

Book Description

This is a classic work not only on this history of armour in the 14th century, but of a key battle and the wound pathology relating to victims of the battle.

Customer Reviews:

Unique work.......2005-10-08

This book contains a wealth of knowledge about medieval armour and the effects of weapons. The pictures are fantastic, skeletons buried in their armour, rarely does one get to see how armour was actually worn. The breakdowns and detail of actual armour construction is immaculate and enables any competant armourer to reproduce the examples shown. The detail from an archeologist's point of view was a little too in depth for my interest but if you are that way inclined then great. Only issue I have is the "analysis" of some of the wounds seen, Mr. Thordeman seems to imply that this battle was unusual in some way, that the combatants fought with unusual fury. He sites one incident of one combatant having both legs severed by a single blow as an indication of some great fury and intensity. I only disagree as there are very few examples of medieval battle wound pathology to compare the Wisby corpses. It seems that the author is looking at the battle from too detached a viewpoint, forgetting that killing was the purpose of the people who showed up to battle that day. This is a small detail but supposition as to the mental states of combatants, by someone who has no first hand experience of battle is unproductive. Otherwise a great book.

A true masterpiece!.......2003-02-27

This book has a very special meaning to me since I'm from the town of Wisby(nowdays spelled Visby). Born and raised on the island Gotland and lived most of my life thete. I'v built several of these coats of armour and so far everyone I've tried on have been of satisfatcion. The book is so far the best resource book I've ever found. I have for a long time tried to find the first edition, but IF you can find it somewhere it's incredibly expensive. So jus imagine my joy when I saw there was a reissue! And very soon I'm going to be proud owner of this masterpiece...
The book is really easy to use and have exceptional drawings and scetches. Transforming the scale of the objects in the book to original size is really easy and there's a lot of information i general. At last a recommendation for all you SCA-fighters out there. Try out armour no.6 and no.9 because they give very good protection and are comfortable to wear.

A true masterpiece!.......2003-02-27

It works!.......2001-10-30

I've made armor using the diagrams of existing armor types from this book. I didn't much care for some of the strapping arrangements described, so I designed my own. (Hey, this is the armor the regular fighters left behind - Wisby was defended by the teens and the oldsters to judge from the age of the bodies. This suggests the men of prime fighting-age were elsewhere, with their primary armor.) It worked, well, and protected me in combat. And the illustrations and text were clear, clear, clear.

Great book!.......2001-10-20

This is the complete version of the orginal book all in one book, not two sets like the first. There is just a little intro added by Price. BUY THIS BOOK! It has wonderful information on the skeletal finds, plus it shows the orginal armor that was found, sketches of it, and recreations done by Bengt and company. I am thrilled they republished this book! It is impossible to find the orginal two volume set.

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

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You Feel Like You Are There
J ohn Sutphen MD, ex navy diver /submarine medical officer
Compulsion to know the answer.
Deep Thrills
Rare Intimate Journey To The Shadows

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
Robert Kurson
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345482476
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

In the tradition of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm comes a true tale of riveting adventure in which two weekend scuba divers risk everything to solve a great historical mystery–and make history themselves.

For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. Testing themselves against treacherous currents, braving depths that induced hallucinatory effects, navigating through wreckage as perilous as a minefield, they pushed themselves to their limits and beyond, brushing against death more than once in the rusting hulks of sunken ships.
But in the fall of 1991, not even these courageous divers were prepared for what they found 230 feet below the surface, in the frigid Atlantic waters sixty miles off the coast of New Jersey: a World War II German U-boat, its ruined interior a macabre wasteland of twisted metal, tangled wires, and human bones–all buried under decades of accumulated sediment.
No identifying marks were visible on the submarine or the few artifacts brought to the surface. No historian, expert, or government had a clue as to which U-boat the men had found. In fact, the official records all agreed that there simply could not be a sunken U-boat and crew at that location.

Over the next six years, an elite team of divers embarked on a quest to solve the mystery. Some of them would not live to see its end. Chatterton and Kohler, at first bitter rivals, would be drawn into a friendship that deepened to an almost mystical sense of brotherhood with each other and with the drowned U-boat sailors–former enemies of their country. As the men’s marriages frayed under the pressure of a shared obsession, their dives grew more daring, and each realized that he was hunting more than the identities of a lost U-boat and its nameless crew.

Author Robert Kurson’s account of this quest is at once thrilling and emotionally complex, and it is written with a vivid sense of what divers actually experience when they meet the dangers of the ocean’s underworld. The story of Shadow Divers often seems too amazing to be true, but it all happened, two hundred thirty feet down, in the deep blue sea.

From the Hardcover edition.

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CHAPTER ONE

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS

Brielle, New Jersey, September 1991

Bill Nagle's life changed the day a fisherman sat beside him in a ramshackle bar and told him about a mystery he had found lying at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Against his better judgment, that fisherman promised to tell Nagle how to find it. The men agreed to meet the next day on the rickety wooden pier that led to Nagle's boat, the Seeker, a vessel Nagle had built to chase possibility. But when the appointed time came, the fisherman was not there. Nagle paced back and forth, careful not to plunge through the pier where its wooden planks had rotted away. He had lived much of his life on the Atlantic, and he knew when worlds were about to shift. Usually, that happened before a storm or when a man's boat broke. Today, however, he knew it was going to happen when the fisherman handed him a scrap of paper, a hand-scrawled set of numbers that would lead to the sunken mystery. Nagle looked into the distance for the fisherman. He saw no one. The salt air blew against the small seashore town of Brielle, tilting the dockside boats and spraying the Atlantic into Nagle's eyes. When the mist died down he looked again. This time, he saw the fisherman approaching, a small square of paper crumpled in his hands. The fisherman looked worried. Like Nagle, he had lived on the ocean, and he also knew when a man's life was about to change.

In the whispers of approaching autumn, Brielle's rouge is blown away and what remains is the real Brielle, the locals' Brielle. This small seashore town on the central New Jersey coast is the place where the boat captains and fishermen live, where convenience store owners stay open to serve neighbors, where fifth graders can repair scallop dredges. This is where the hangers-on and wannabes and also-rans and once-greats keep believing in the sea. In Brielle, when the customers leave, the town's lines show, and they are the kind grooved by the thin dif

Customer Reviews:

You Feel Like You Are There.......2007-10-05

Others have gone into detail about this book, and it is true. This book combines a mystery worthy of a Sherlock Holmes novel with the details of technical diving and written in such a gripping manner that it could be a work of pop fiction (not in a negative way, just that it flows so well and put together so well that it could have been made up, if that makes sense.)

And the author does a great job of not leaving you "hanging" with an abrupt ending.

Highly recommended and has set the bar for other books in this genre.

J ohn Sutphen MD, ex navy diver /submarine medical officer .......2007-09-21

Tantallizing and heart pounding tale based on incredibly researched information about u boats and diving with an accurate, simple description of practical diving, diving medicine and physiology.

Compulsion to know the answer........2007-09-13

A fascinating saga about 2 deep sea divers and their 6 year odyssey to uncover the identity of a sunken German U boat. A captivating story, and you'll learn a lot about deep sea diving.

Deep Thrills.......2007-09-05

An absorbing account of the discovery and identification by veteran divers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler of a sunken Nazi U-boat 100 miles off the coast of New Jersey. Kurson skillfully weaves together several threads into a very readable narrative, including the evolution of Chatterton and Kohler's rivalry-turned-friendship, the technical hazards of exploring a mangled wreck in 230 feet of water, and the duo's maddening, seven-year long ordeal to obtain positive evidence -- both on the wreck and in official but flawed US and German naval records -- of the boat's identity. As the tale draws to a close, Kurson also draws a moving portrait of the U-boat's crew, who went to sea in the final days of the war and knew that they likely would not return alive.

I started diving when the final pieces of this mystery were falling into place, and can remember following the story of New Jersey's mystery U-boat in the papers. However, none of those articles was anywhere as involving as Kurson's account, which I devoured in four days. Sure, there's some overheated prose here and there ("in a shipwreck, where every danger is first cousin to every other, a diver's desparation makes an open house of his bad situation."), but that's a minor strike against this otherwise excellent and comprehensive work.

Rare Intimate Journey To The Shadows.......2007-08-28

Sometimes the flaws make a thing so much more than perfection could ever achieve. The imperfections in this literary account of the exploration of a WWII submarine discovered in 1991 off the Coast of New Jersey are well documented. Those imperfections didn't bother me.

I was facinated by the detailed account of the personalities of the divers in "Shadow." Its easy to identify a future SCUBA diver - someone who is comfortable putting their face under water. Even better, because it will sometimes trump the 'face' test, is whether a person's curiosity is so intense that they are able to project their consciousness entirely onto something outside of themselves to the virtual exclusion of other thoughts. Divers want to investigate, explore, see something extraordinary, find out whats under that rock, go someplace very few people have been, find something unique, etc. The experience is so strong, you may forget to be worried about all the risks.

My enjoyment of "Shadow" was absolutely enhanced by my experience as a diver who is both Nitrox and advanced open water certified. I have never gone deeper than 110 ft - The U-boat 85, off of Nags Head, North Carolina, which is 20ft shallower than the recreational diving limit of 130 ft. So far, I've never wanted to see anything deeper, but I suspect I'll pass. Surface light begins to diminish rapidly. It usually gets alot colder.

At the depths routinely visitied by the divers in this book, 230 ft., nitrogen narcosis is an inevitability, and helium mixes carry their own risks. Water pressure increases to seven times what it is at the surface. Just when you need all your mental faculties and judgement, you can be assured they will be impared to an extent that cannot be anticipated from dive to dive. Even more frightening is that getting to the surface to resolve any problems that may arise (my mask came off once at 80 ft), must now include a life-saving decompression stop. When you head for the surface with less than 30 minutes of air for your stop, you're in trouble.

Diving can put you face to face with three realities that I don't sense as readily on land: 1.) the incredible spiritual beauty of the natural world, 2.) how alone we really are (I've never felt more alone than those very few times I've dived without a buddy), 3.) Death is always hiding within convenient reach.

The insatiable curiosity of the two lead characters, Chatterton and Kohler, also drives them above the water, as they travel to Europe to learn as much as they can about the submarine and its crew. There was no 'gold' involved, just an incredible mystery to solve.

"Shadow" was one of those books I read in one sitting (I missed dinner). I would compare it to Krakauer's works in power and drama, if not as well written. But again, in a way the rough nature of the text enhanced the story, as if I was sitting across the table from the author.

NOTE TO FELLOW DIVERS: After reading this book I have found my goal for my diving trips next summer - get my "Rescue Diver" certification.

NOTE TO THOSE PEOPLE trying to get young men (ages 9-15) into reading - I know of two young men who hated to read until they picked up this book. Not that they love reading now, but the 'no trespassing' sign is now down in front of the library.

Excavation (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)

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Excavation (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)
Steve Roskams
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521798019

Book Description

Fieldwork in archaeology has been transformed over the past three decades. Drawing on a wealth of experience in excavating some of the most complex, deeply-stratified sites in Britain, Steve Roskams describes the changes that have taken place in the theory and practice of excavation. He provides a clear account of pre-excavation reconnaissance and site evaluation, the preparations for full excavation, the process of excavation, and the recording of photographic, spatial, stratigraphic, and physical evidence. This manual will be welcomed by the professional excavator, academic researchers, students, and the interested amateur.

Customer Reviews:

Good not excellent.......2007-03-15

Quite a good introduction to the archaeological practice. I would be pleased to get more technical and practical details, but even though the book is satysfying. I must say, however, that some parts of the book are too"American". They deal with such simple and obvious things that is just ridiculous. An archaeologist, even a very beginner, should use his brain and think. He doesn't need to read a book to find out that he needs a pen to write a letter.

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