Books

Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

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Not quite what it seems
Don't Overlook This One
Oh well!
A useful historical guide
Part Brilliant, Part Dull

Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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The World of Late Antiquity AD 150-750: AD 150-750 (Library of World Civilization)
The Making of Late Antiquity (Carl Newell Jackson Lectures)
Power and Persuasion in Late Antiquity: Towards a Christian Empire (The Curti Lectures, 1988)
The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity: AD 393-565 (Routledge History of the Ancient World)
The Corrupting Sea: A Study of Mediterranean History

ASIN: 0674511735

Amazon.com

Late antiquity--that period of history between 250 and 800 C.E.--was a unique and notable era, when the Roman and Sassanian empires spanned a great arc from the Atlantic coasts of Europe and Morocco across the Mediterranean, into the Balkans, and through the Middle East as far as Afghanistan. Historians have tended to dismiss this era as the decline and fall, and little more. In contrast, the editors of Late Antiquity (all esteemed professors at Princeton) make a great case for this era as the source from which our modern culture sprung. During that time, Constantinople and Baghdad came into being, and paganism took hold of people's imaginations so strongly that it's still with us today. "Much of what was created in that period still runs in our veins," they say, such as the codification of Roman law, the Jewish Talmud, the basic structure and doctrine of the Christian church, and the birth of Islam.

There are learned essays on topics such as Islam, the Christian triumph, and sacred landscapes; habitat, war, and violence; and empire building; as well as a timely piece on barbarians and ethnicity. But these essays, fine though they are, make up but a small fraction of the volume. The lion's share belongs to the alphabetical guide, an A-to-Z encyclopedia of more than 500 entries on items such as almsgiving, angels, bathing, circus factions, contraception, eunuchs, dendrites, Huns, monks, prayer, and pornography. With erudition and clarity, these editors redefine late antiquity, and provide a remarkable source of information for students, sages, history buffs, and antiquity enthusiasts. --Stephanie Gold

Book Description

The first book of its kind, this richly informative and comprehensive guide to the world of late antiquity offers the latest scholarship to the researcher along with great reading pleasure to the browser. In eleven comprehensive essays and in over 500 encyclopedic entries, an international cast of experts provides essential information and fresh perspectives on the history and culture of an era marked by the rise of two world religions, unprecedented political upheavals that remade the map of the known world, and the creation of art of enduring glory.

By extending the commonly accepted chronological and territorial boundaries of the period--to encompass Roman, Byzantine, Sassanian, and early Islamic cultures, from the middle of the third century to the end of the eighth--this guide makes new connections and permits revealing comparisons. Consult the article on "Angels" and discover their meaning in Islamic as well as classical and Judeo-Christian traditions. Refer to "Children," "Concubinage," and "Divorce" for a fascinating interweaving of information on the family. Read the essay on "Barbarians and Ethnicity" and see how a topic as current as the construction of identity played out in earlier times, from the Greeks and Romans to the Turks, Huns, and Saxons. Turn to "Empire Building" to learn how the empire of Constantine was supported by architecture and ceremony.

Or follow your own path through the broad range of entries on politics, manufacturing and commerce, the arts, philosophy, religion, geography, ethnicity, and domestic life. Each entry introduces readers to another facet of the postclassical world: historic figures and places, institutions, burial customs, food, money, public life, and amusements. A splendid selection of illustrations enhances the portrait.

The intriguing era of late antiquity emerges completely and clearly, viewed in a new light, in a guide that will be relished by scholars and general readers alike.

Customer Reviews:

Not quite what it seems.......2007-02-15

This is an odd book that gives the appearance of being a general reference, but in fact it is just a collection of essays in two parts: longer articles such as "Religious Communities" and "War and Violence", and an alphabetic section of short articles on a wide variety of topics. This second part is maddeningly arbitrary: three columns on the Himyar tribe, for example, but no entry for the Alans. Entries for people are particularly spotty, with the emphasis on religious rather than secular figures. Anyone looking for a late-antique version of the Oxford Classical Dictionary will be disappointed. Nonetheless there is a wealth of information here, covering a wide variety of subjects. The scope includes the growth of Islam, which is well represented in both sections.

NOTE: The long essays in this book have been published separately as Interpreting Late Antiquity: Essays on the Postclassical World.

Don't Overlook This One.......2005-09-05

This is a massive history text well worth the price tag put on it. First, the scholars who assembled this work are first rate - Peter Brown (Princeton University and author of "Augustine of Hippo"), Oleg Grabar (Islamic scholar at Princeton) and Bowersock (Ancient Historian also at Princeton) - these three men alone have gathered a storehouse of contributors that takes up 5 pages in the back of the book. So the research for this text is overwhelming.

Second, the period that is covered is, I believe and agree with the authors, a crucial period in world history (from the middle of the third century to the end of the eighth century). Therefore, the range or scope of what is covered is quite broad. This period in history saw the rise of the Islamic religion, the growth of the Christian religion, a shift in power throughout Europe from Roman Rule to various rules of Barbarian peoples, Byzantine, Turks, Saxons, and many more. So the cultural landscape went through many changes which still has a strong impact on us today.

The sections are separated by some really great illustrations and photos. Many of the illustrations are art works from the period, or pics of artifacts, relics, etc. These help to strengthen the overall 'feel' of the work.

The book itself is formatted as follows: The first section of the book consists of essays ranging from How history is done to philosophical traditions, religious communities, military histories, landscape, building and developing people/nations to how civilizations lived. These essays are written by top notch scholars from Henry Chadwick (a prolific medieval scholar) to Patrick Geary, Director of the Medieval Institute at Notre Dame University).

The second part of the book is a type of encyclopedic/Dictionary formatting. This section is arranged alphabetically by topic/people/places/issues/etc. In this section detail is not wasted, from how languages developed to how people used medicine during this period. Quite exhaustive.

Overall, this is a great reference tool for every student of medieval history (or even world history in general). It is as complete as it can be for what it covers and how it covers the material present. I have referred to this book many times over the past five years in my research. I recommend this text!

Oh well!.......2005-06-20

Great Illustrations but unfortunetly the text is not its equal. For the amount of money that it cost me, I was disappointed. You are better off buying Peter Brown's "The World of Late Antiquity"
which is light years away from this.

A useful historical guide.......2003-05-30

The book 'Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World', edited by G.W. Bowerstock, Peter Brown, and Oleg Grabar, is a wonderful collection of essays and encyclopedic articles on the period on a fascinating period of transition and change in the history of the West. This is a period often overlooked and neglected, for it is a period of confusion and uneasy description; the Roman Empire has fallen, but the medieval world has yet to rise. Literature from this historical period is rare, both in terms of history and literary output; the medieval world looms large over late antiquity due to the rise of literature that is more easily accessible to those in the modern world.

The first section of the book consists of interesting essays, as listed below:

Remaking the Past, by Averil Cameron
Sacred Landscapes, by Beatrice Caseau
Philosophical Tradition and the Self, by Henry Chadwick
Religious Communities, by Garth Fowden
Barbarians and Ethnicity, by Patrick J. Geary
War and Violence, by Brent D. Shaw
Empire Building, by Christopher Kelly
Christian Triumph and Controversy, by Richard Lim
Islam, by Hugh Kennedy
The Good Life, by Henry Maguire
Habitat, by Yizhar Hirschfield

To give but one example, in the article 'Sacred Landscapes', Caseau traces the development away from public sacred spaces such as temples to the god to a resacralisation of Christian spaces, which had originally grown up in house-church environments with communal meals short on exclusively sacred spaces, particularly in light of early Christian apologists who saw distinct paganism in the sacralisation of space.

The remaining two-thirds of the book consists of an encyclopedia of late antiquity, including articles on places, events, people, and ideas. This is a wonderful reference, and, sitting next to my Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, a much-valued collection and much-used book.

Sometimes called 'The Dark Ages', in fact the historical period between the classical Roman Imperial times and the Medieval period was a period of transition and disarray, but was far from the uncultured, unlettered and uninspiring period it sometimes seems. This volume will help historians and others reclaim a little more of their own past.

Part Brilliant, Part Dull.......2002-05-05

Late Antiquity is a series of eleven essays covering an array of topics related to Europe and the Middle East from 250 to 800 C.E. Like every collection from a variety of authors, it represents a mixed bag. At its best, like Beatrice Caseau's "Sacred Landscapes," it is eye-opening and provocative. (Caseau describes for us how pagan temples became Christianized, or how Christian holy sites were transformed into Muslim sites - a question that likely would never occur to the lay reader, but once asked demands answering.) Not every article is as enticing however. For example, Henry Chadwick misses a great opportunity with "Philosophical Tradition and the Self." Rather than relate to us just how individuals in late antiquity viewed the self, Chadwick chooses to desribe debates between late antiquity writers; only professors hopelessly lost in academia could possibly care about Iamblichus' criticisms of Porphyry.

The final half of the book is taken up with an encyclopedia, whose entries are . . . eclectic. The Emperor Maurice is absent, for example, but Ephrem (a Syrian deacon and hymnist) receives nearly two columns of treatment. Nor is there an entry for Arianism, but the Donatists get an extensive write-up.

There is much to enjoy and learn from in Late Antiquity. The articles by Cameron, Caseau, Geary, Shaw, and Lim alone make a trip to the local library well worthwhile. Whether the book is a must for the lay reader's library is more difficult to say.

Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide (Harvard University Press Reference Library)
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NOT ancient world - near eastern world is more accurate

a great guide to ancient Mediterranean religions

Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
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Babylon, Memphis, Persepolis: Eastern Contexts of Greek Culture

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Ancient Mysteries: A Sourcebook of Sacred Texts

ASIN: 0674015177

Book Description

Religious beliefs and practices, which permeated all aspects of life in antiquity, traveled well-worn routes throughout the Mediterranean: itinerant charismatic practitioners journeying from place to place peddled their skills as healers, purifiers, cursers, and initiators; and vessels decorated with illustrations of myths traveled with them. New gods encountered in foreign lands by merchants and conquerors were sometimes taken home to be adapted and adopted. A full understanding of this complex spiritual world unfolds in Religions of the Ancient World, the first basic reference work that collects and organizes available information to offer an expansive, comparative perspective.

At once sweeping in scope and groundbreaking in format, the Guide eschews the usual encyclopedic approach, instead presenting, side by side, materials from ten cultures and traditions. Thus specific beliefs, cults, gods, and ritual practices that arose and developed in Mediterranean religions--of Egypt, Anatolia and the Near East, Mesopotamia, Iran, Greece, and the Roman world, from the third millennium to the fourth century C.E.--are interpreted in comparison with one another, and with reference to aspects that crisscross cultural boundaries, such as Cosmology, Myth, Law and Ethics, and Magic. Written by leading scholars of ancient religion, the essays in this guide sketch the various religious histories, raise central theoretical issues, and examine individual topics such as Sacred Times and Spaces; Prayers, Hymns, Incantations, and Curses; Sin, Pollution, and Purity; Death, the Afterlife, and Other Last Things; Divination and Prophecy; Deities and Demons; and Sacred Texts and Canonicity.

Clearly and stylishly written, grandly illustrated, this comprehensive work welcomes readers as never before into the diversity and interconnections of religion in the ancient world.

Customer Reviews:

NOT ancient world - near eastern world is more accurate.......2005-02-06

This book is NOT about religions of the ancient world. Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, Confuscianism, Shinto, Bon etc are not covered. If you are looking for a thorough examination of western religions from 3rd millineum BCE to 5 century CE then this is quite a book; however, as there is no treatment of half of the "civilized" world in this time frame then the book hardly can claim to treat religions of the ancient world. Apparently either India, China and environs had no ancient religions or they are not of this world -;)

a great guide to ancient Mediterranean religions.......2004-11-27

The purpose of this book is to provide a student or layperson with a background to the religions of the ancient Mediterranean, emphasizing their influences on each other. It does a very good job, and is the only book of its kind that I know of. I recommend it--despite its considerable cost--to any student in this field, and very strongly to any interested layperson.

Imagine that for some reason one day you wonder about libation in Mesopotamian religion, or Hittite rites of passage, or Greek curses. If you want a brief summary of the known evidence and scholarly interpretation, this is the book you would go to. If you think you might someday find yourself wondering about the god Dagan, this book is yours.

The book is over 600 pages long, and although there is no reason for anyone to read it cover to cover, that would be possible and the organization favors it. (I'm trying to do that now.) The writing level is appropriate for college students or graduates, but jargon is rarely used, and well-explained. Each topic is covered briefly but thoroughly, hitting all the background points and giving a student a solid background for further study.

In the third part of the book are numerous black and white photos, their subjects consistently well chosen for their fame among scholars. I was pleased to find a picture of a Canaanite cult stand from Taanach that I'd only read about previously. There are perhaps 100 illustrations in all; with about 20 illustrations in color in the center of the book.

The first part of the book is a series of essays on various topics, each by well-known and highly respected scholars. At this time shoppers are unable to look inside the book to see the table of contents, so I will list the essays. The topics in the first part include:

"What is Ancient Mediterranean Religion" by Fritz Graf; "Montheism and Polytheism" by Jan Assman; "Ritual" by Jan Bremmer; "Myth" by Friz Graf; "Cosmology: Time and History" by John J. Collins; "Pollution, Sin, Atonement, Salvation" by Harold W. Attridge; "Law and Ethics" by Eckart Otto; "Mysteries" by Sarah Iles Johnston; "Religions in Contact" by John Scheid; "Writing and Religion" by Mary Beard; and "Magic" by Sarah Iles Johnston.

The second part of the book covers histories of the religions of various areas or peoples: Egypt by Jann Assman and David Frankfurter; Mesopotamia by Paul-Alain Beaulieu; Syria and Canaan by David P. Wright; Israel by John J. Collins; Anatolia: Hittites by David P. Wright; Iran by William Malandra and Michael Stausberg; Minoan and Mycenaean Civilzations by Nanno Marinatos; Greece by Jon Mikalson; Etruria by Olivier de Cazanove; Rome by John North; and Early Christianity by Harold Attridge.

The third part of the book resembles an encyclopedia, with contributors covering key topics in various regions. The key topics include Sacred Times and Spaces; Religious Personnel; Religious Organizations and Bodies; Sacrifice, Offerings, and Votives; Prayers, Hymns Incantations, and Curses; Divination and Prophecy; Deities and Demons; Religious Practices of the Individual and Family; Rites of Passage; Illnesses and Other Crises; Death, the Afterlife, and Other Last Things; Sin, Pollution, and Purity; Ethics and Law Codes; Theology, Theodicy, Philosophy; Religion and Politics; Controlling Religion; Myth and Sacred Narratives; Visual Representations; Sacred Texts and Canonicity; Esotericism and Mysticism.

And in case you actually read straight through, the book ends with an epilogue.

So that's it: a thorough scholarly introduction to every aspect of ancient Mediterranean religion. If that's what you want, I doubt you'll find a better book.

The Harvard Guide to African-American History: Foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

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The Harvard Guide to African-American History: Foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Harvard University Press Reference Library)
Adam Biggs , Richard J. M. Blackett , John H. Bracey , Nathaniel Bunker , Barbara A. Burg , Clayborne Carson , Raquel Von Cogell , Thomas Cripps , Eric Foner , Henry Louis, Jr. Gates , John Gennari , Nancy L. Grant , and Betty Kaplan Gubert
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0674002768

Book Description

This landmark guide covers research into every aspect of African-American life and work, offering a compendium of information and interpretation about almost 400 years of African-Americans' experiences as an ethnic group and as Americans.

The first part of the Guide contains 12 essays on historical research aids, from traditional archival and reference materials to the Internet. The second and largest part presents comprehensive and chronological bibliographies, prepared by John Thornton, Peter H. Wood, Gary B. Nash, Stephanie Shaw, Richard J. M. Blackett, Eric Foner, Leon F. Litwack, Joe W. Trotter, Jeffrey Conrad Stewart, Nancy L. Grant, Darlene Clark Hine, Clayborne Carson, John H. Bracey, Adam Biggs, and Corey Walker. The third part contains listings of resources on the special subjects of women, prepared by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham; geographical areas; and autobiography and biography, prepared by Randall K. Burkett, Leon F. Litwack, and Richard Newman. A companion CD-ROM packaged with the book makes more than 15,000 bibliography entries available for computer searching.

The New Americans: A Guide to Immigration since 1965 (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

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The New Americans: A Guide to Immigration since 1965 (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Emigration & Immigration | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

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In a New Land: A Comparative View of Immigration
A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America (Russell Sage Foundation Books)
Immigrant America: A Portrait
Becoming New Yorkers: Ethnographies of the New Second Generation
Black Identities: West Indian Immigrant Dreams and American Realities (Russell Sage Foundation Books)

ASIN: 0674023579

Book Description

Salsa has replaced ketchup as the most popular condiment. A mosque has been erected around the corner. The local hospital is staffed by Indian doctors and Philippine nurses, and the local grocery store is owned by a Korean family. A single elementary school may include students who speak dozens of different languages at home. This is a snapshot of America at the turn of the twenty-first century.

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, shaped by successive waves of new arrivals. The most recent transformation began when immigration laws and policies changed significantly in 1965, admitting migrants from around the globe in new numbers and with widely varying backgrounds and aspirations.

This comprehensive guide, edited and written by an interdisciplinary group of prominent scholars, provides an authoritative account of the most recent surge of immigrants. Twenty thematic essays address such topics as immigration law and policy, refugees, unauthorized migrants, racial and ethnic identity, assimilation, nationalization, economy, politics, religion, education, and family relations. These are followed by comprehensive articles on immigration from the thirty most significant nations or regions of origin. Based on the latest U.S. Census data and the most recent scholarly research, The New Americans is an essential reference for students, scholars, and anyone curious about the changing face of America.

Chutes and Ladders: Navigating the Low-Wage Labor Market (Russell Sage Foundation Books at Harvard University Press)

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Great if you're interested in questions about poverty
Climbing a Greasy Ladder to Success

Chutes and Ladders: Navigating the Low-Wage Labor Market (Russell Sage Foundation Books at Harvard University Press)
Katherine S. Newman
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
There Goes the Neighborhood: Racial, Ethnic, and Class Tensions in Four Chicago Neighborhoods and Their Meaning for America
No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City
Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food (California Studies in Food and Culture)
Money, Bank Credit, and Economic Cycles

ASIN: 0674023366

Book Description

Now that the welfare system has been largely dismantled, the fate of America's poor depends on what happens to them in the low-wage labor market. In this timely volume, Katherine S. Newman explores whether the poorest workers and families benefited from the tight labor markets and good economic times of the late 1990s. Following black and Latino workers in Harlem, who began their work lives flipping burgers, she finds more good news than we might have expected coming out of a high-poverty neighborhood. Many adult workers returned to school and obtained trade certificates, high school diplomas, and college degrees. Their persistence paid off in the form of better jobs, higher pay, and greater self-respect. Others found union jobs and, as a result, brought home bigger paychecks, health insurance, and a pension. More than 20 percent of those profiled in Chutes and Ladders are no longer poor.

A very different story emerges among those who floundered even in a good economy. Weighed down by family obligations or troubled partners and hindered by poor training and prejudice, these "low riders" moved in and out of the labor market, on and off public assistance, and continued to depend upon the kindness of family and friends.

Supplementing finely drawn ethnographic portraits, Newman examines the national picture to show that patterns around the country paralleled the findings from some of New York's most depressed neighborhoods. More than a story of the shifting fortunes of the labor market, Chutes and Ladders asks probing questions about the motivations of low-wage workers, the dreams they have for the future, and their understanding of the rules of the game.

Customer Reviews:

Great if you're interested in questions about poverty.......2007-05-17

"Chutes and Ladders" is a fascinating longitudinal study of low-wage workers in the U.S. labor market. I would like to see it become better known, especially among poor people and those who work with them. The main message of Newman's book is that it's not easy to climb out of poverty, but a surprising number of people do manage it.

I felt that Newman shied away from some of the easiest conclusions to draw from her own work. She notes frequently that problems with kids are a major reason why many people fail to escape poverty. Child care is at best expensive and at worst unavailable. Kids get sick and have to be taken care of, often leading to job loss among the poor. Yet Newman says almost nothing about the use of birth control and/or abortion to prevent poverty or increase the chance of a family escaping it. As far as I'm concerned, kids are a luxury item. My husband and I have a son, age ten. Although we both have good jobs, we have found even one child to be incredibly expensive in both money and time. I can't imagine how we could manage with two. Yet many subjects of Newman's study, already poor, go on to have two or five or even seven kids! No wonder so many of them stayed poor!

Newman mentions recent economic growth as one of the factors benefitting the poor in the U.S. This is misleading. Economic growth is generally measured by GDP, which is a measure so inaccurate so as to be almost laughable. GDP is not corrected for increasing population, pollution, exhaustion of natural resources, or declining quality of life. More accurate measures of economic growth, such as the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare or Genuine Progress Indicator, tend to show that there has been almost no genuine economic growth in the U.S. since the 1970s. For more on this, see McKibben's book "Deep Economy," Daly's "Beyond Growth," or Brian Czech's "Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train."

I also thought that Newman overlooked important questions on why it is that the quality of life for poor people in the U.S. is so low. After all, the average wage of a burger-flipping worker in the U.S. would put a family well into the middle class in most countries. Why is the cost of living so high here when the prices of most basic commodities do not differ all that much between countries? This is a complex question, but some surprising answers have already been found, which Newman would do well to consider. For example, one of the main reasons it costs so much to live in the U.S. is that our transportation system is organized around the automobile. Cars not only cost money for those who own them, they require high taxes to pay for all those highways. Everybody pays these taxes, including those who don't own a car. Cars also increase housing costs, because parking has to be provided for all those cars, which spreads out cities. For more on this, see Donald Shoup's book "The High Cost of Free Parking."

Overall, though, Newman's book is interesting and well worth reading.

Climbing a Greasy Ladder to Success.......2007-01-27

Maybe you've read Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel-and-Dimed or David K. Shipler's The Working Poor. Or perhaps you've seen the episode of Morgan Spurlock's TV series 30 Days in which he and his girlfriend try to make it on minimum wage jobs for one month. Then you know that it is just not possible to live on minimum wage. Is welfare the only alternative? Is there any reason at all to work at mind-numbing, soul-sucking, back-breaking minimum wage McJobs? Katherine Newman takes a look at that question from the viewpoint, not of a journalist, but of an anthropologist. She and her grad student team interviewed about three hundred applicants at Harlem fast food restaurants in 1996 and then followed their progress for two years. The applicants were from Harlem, all from poor families and mostly Latino or African-American. They ranged in age from teenagers to mid-thirties. Newman documented the two-year project in her previous book No Shame in My Game.

She and her team went back eight years later to see what had happened to the "subjects." They were only able to find about forty of the original applicants, so while it doesn't constitute a large enough sample to draw statistical conclusions from, they thought it still might be useful to see what paths the most successful workers had followed. Chutes & Ladders is the story of what they found after eight years. As anthropologists, they had no preconceived ideas or expectations. The reader however, might have a few ideas of what to expect, and might end up being surprised. I was.

Some of the workers didn't do too well over the years, and ended up on welfare, disillusioned and angry. But some of the workers were more successful than anyone would have predicted, working in white-collar jobs that paid well above poverty level, over $100,000 in one case. In fact, about 20% of the original fast food applicants were no longer poor after eight years. How did they do it? Did they have certain advantages over the others? Did they get a lucky break along the way? Does working at a McJob really prepare you for bigger and better jobs? There are no simple answers.

Newman presents all the data, in charts and statistics, and in a narrative that is just as readable and compelling as Ehrenreich's and Shipler's. You will have to draw your own conclusions. It seemed to me that the most successful workers did not gain any advantage from working at fast food restaurants or other minimum wage jobs. They just got the best job they could at the time and moved to better work when they found it. But they didn't wait around for better jobs to magically appear. They kept their ears open and paid attention to who was hiring and what sort of applicants were required. They adjusted themselves to the best of their ability to look and sound like what the employers wanted. They worked hard and learned fast, but they weren't necessarily the smartest or the most advantaged (or even the least disadvantaged). They seemed to be the ones with an idea of where they wanted to go. They wanted to succeed and they figured out, in different ways, how to get there.

There are bound to be some people who look at a study like this and conclude that since some people can pull themselves out of poverty, then everyone should be able to. Even some of the workers in the study came to this conclusion. "If I can do it, then anyone should be able to." But remember, it was only about 20% of these young and healthy workers who were able to succeed. That leaves 80% who were still working minimum wage jobs, not working at all, or who were working off the grid. It really is hard to make it on minimum wage, and adding complications such as child care and/or unexpected bills (usually health-related) can derail the best of plans.

Still, it's hard not to find the results of this study more positive than negative. If 20% were able to succeed with no help at all, then imagine how many could succeed with some help. Health insurance for everyone would be a great start.

A New History of German Literature (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

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An Invaluable Collection, but not a History

A New History of German Literature (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0674015037

Book Description

The revolutionary spirit that animates the culture of the Germans has been alive for at least twelve centuries, far longer than the dramatically fragmented and reshaped political entity known as Germany. German culture has been central to Europe, and it has contributed the transforming spirit of Lutheran religion, the technology of printing as a medium of democracy, the soulfulness of Romantic philosophy, the structure of higher education, and the tradition of liberal socialism to the essential character of modern American life.

In this book leading scholars and critics capture the spirit of this culture in some 200 original essays on events in German literary history. Rather than offering a single continuous narrative, the entries focus on a particular literary work, an event in the life of an author, a historical moment, a piece of music, a technological invention, even a theatrical or cinematic premiere. Together they give the reader a surprisingly unified sense of what it is that has allowed Meister Eckhart, Hildegard of Bingen, Luther, Kant, Goethe, Beethoven, Benjamin, Wittgenstein, Jelinek, and Sebald to provoke and enchant their readers. From the earliest magical charms and mythical sagas to the brilliance and desolation of 20th-century fiction, poetry, and film, this illuminating reference book invites readers to experience the full range of German literary culture and to investigate for themselves its disparate and unifying themes.

Contributors include: Amy M. Hollywood on medieval women mystics, Jan-Dirk Müller on Gutenberg, Marion Aptroot on the Yiddish Renaissance, Emery Snyder on the Baroque novel, J. B. Schneewind on Natural Law, Maria Tatar on the Grimm brothers, Arthur Danto on Hegel, Reinhold Brinkmann on Schubert, Anthony Grafton on Burckhardt, Stanley Corngold on Freud, Andreas Huyssen on Rilke, Greil Marcus on Dada, Eric Rentschler on Nazi cinema, Elisabeth Young-Bruehl on Hannah Arendt, Gordon A. Craig on Günter Grass, Edward Dimendberg on Holocaust memorials.

Customer Reviews:

An Invaluable Collection, but not a History.......2005-11-06

This is the second of the Harvard University Press' avowedly "new" versions of literary history, having been preceded by a "New History of French Literature." It stands in marked contrast to the traditional banal historical surveys, which often read like annotated bibliographies rearranged in chronological order, which give the reader no flavor for actual literature. It is also different from an ideosyncratic synthetic history which presents the viewpoint of one critic, glossing over certain periods and authors in order to dwell on others, merely because the author finds them more interesting or in better conformity with his thesis. Instead, this book is a compilation of essays written by over 150 specialists in different periods and aspects of German literature, each essay concentrating upon a particular work, or a particular moment in German literary history.
In some respects, it works amazingly well, seeing 1200 years of Germanic literature through a series of epiphanies. The quality of the essays is extremely high, and there are enough of them that the reader does get a notion of the richness and breadth of literary creation in the German language. Best of all, the essays are such that they tend to create a hunger to read many of the works reviewed. The reader can browse through the book, following one of the many threads provided by the diverse assembly of critics, jumping from one essay and epoch to another, noting along the way many works of which he may never have heard, accumulating a rich mine of future reading.
But the History's chief success is also its chief failing: such a book can never be catholic enough to serve as a reference with which to place in its historical or literary context any book which one has read, or of which one has heard. Some significant minor authors are omitted altogether, as well as a few major ones, and especially as we approach more recent times the selection has to become ever more arbitrary and limited. The greatest names in German literature are inevitably slighted due to the format, as they are given only slightly greater treatment than the lesser figures which each also command at least one essay. Goethe's Faust, most notably, does not really loom as the immensely important monument which it is, nor does it receive the kind of elaborate explication it deserves. To those tired of grazing solely on the highest treetops who might be tempted to say 'Good riddance,' one must point out that this is supposed to be a general history, and not an eclectic selection of good books the uninitiated might not otherwise have read. Another defect is that by focusing exclusively on individual works, and on the moments in history which have witnessed their birth, there are no general essays which cover the broad and pervasive literary movements such as Romanticism or Expressionism, nor are there any extended discussions of such recurrent literary genres and themes as the Bildungsroman, or the fantastic novel. In short, this is a superb anthology of essays, which deserves to be put on the shelf next to a more traditional history. The inclusion of some thematic essays, and an extended narrative to bridge the gaps and tie the essays together would partially remedy this defect at the expense of making a fat book even fatter, but I am afraid that without turning it into an encyclopedic reference of at least two volumes, a book of this structure cannot fully realize its ambition to become a "new history" which transcends the traditional model. Nonetheless, for its sheer readability, and especially given the ignorance which even most educated English-speaking readers now have of literature in German, it is a worthy acquisition for any lover of literature.

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Harvard University Press: A History
Max Hall
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books

Journalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Book Description

A university press is a curious institution, dedicated to the dissemination of learning yet apart from the academic structure; a publishing firm that is in business, but not to make money; an arm of the university that is frequently misunderstood and occasionally attacked by faculty and administration. Max Hall here chronicles the early stages and first sixty years of Harvard University Press in a rich and entertaining book that is at once Harvard history, publishing history, printing history, business history, and intellectual history.

The tale begins in 1638 when the first printing press arrived in British North America. It became the property of Harvard College and remained so for nearly half a century. Hall sketches the various forerunners of the "real" Harvard University Press, founded in 1913, and then follows the ups and downs of its first six decades, during which the Press published steadily if not always serenely a total of 4,500 books. He describes the directors and others who left their stamp on the Press or guided its fortunes during these years. And he gives the stories behind such enduring works as Lovejoy's Great Chain of Being, Giedion's Space, Time, and Architecture, Langer's Philosophy in a New Key, and Kelly's Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings.

Greek Thought: A Guide to Classical Knowledge (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

Average customer rating:

Magnificent !!!
Excellent coverage of Classical Greek Thought

Greek Thought: A Guide to Classical Knowledge (Harvard University Press Reference Library)
Julia Annas , Serge Bardet , Annie Bélis , Enrico Berti , Henry Blumenthal , Richard Bodéüs , Luc Brisson , Monique Canto-Sperber , Paul Cartledge , Barbara Cassin , Maurice Caveing , François De Gandt , Armelle Debru , John Dillon , and Françoise Frazier
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Greece | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Greek & Roman | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

A Guide to Greek Thought: Major Figures and Trends
Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World (Harvard University Press Reference Library)
Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide (Harvard University Press Reference Library)
The World of Odysseus (New York Review Books Classics Series)
Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life

ASIN: 067400261X

Book Description

Ancient Greek thought is the essential wellspring from which the intellectual, ethical, and political civilization of the West draws and to which, even today, we repeatedly return. In more than sixty essays by an international team of scholars, this volume explores the full breadth and reach of Greek thought--investigating what the Greeks knew as well as what they thought about what they knew, and what they believed, invented, and understood about the conditions and possibilities of knowing. Calling attention to the characteristic reflexivity of Greek thought, the analysis in this book reminds us of what our own reflections owe to theirs.

In sections devoted to philosophy, politics, the pursuit of knowledge, major thinkers, and schools of thought, this work shows us the Greeks looking at themselves, establishing the terms for understanding life, language, production, and action. The authors evoke not history, but the stories the Greeks told themselves about history; not their poetry, but their poetics; not their speeches, but their rhetoric. Essays that survey political, scientific, and philosophical ideas, such as those on Utopia and the Critique of Politics, Observation and Research, and Ethics; others on specific fields from Astronomy and History to Mathematics and Medicine; new perspectives on major figures, from Anaxagoras to Zeno of Elea; studies of core traditions from the Milesians to the various versions of Platonism: together these offer a sense of the unquenchable thirst for knowledge that marked Greek civilization--and that Aristotle considered a natural and universal trait of humankind. With thirty-two pages of color illustrations, this work conveys the splendor and vitality of the Greek intellectual adventure.

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent !!!.......2003-02-27

Me as a great lover of Ancient Greek culture & history, I really liked reading this book. When I took it from the shelf in a bookstore in Amsterdam I was with my classmate, when he saw what I had in my hands, the first thing he said was "I guess you just founded your dreambook" And my dreambook it surely was.

On first hand I though that the book would be about the Greek philosophy, but that was a very misplaces thought. In fact the book is so much more wider of scale. It will take everything into the research and tries to explain the Greek thinking not only from of a philopsopcal side (although there is a bog part on that to) but more from of the general idea thoughts. It will tell you what Greek thought about a huge scale of things and topics.

So when you want to get into the mind of an Ancient Greek, and who doesn't !!! (remember that was The reason for Socrates to die, since he was looing forward to meet Hesiod & Homer) Then surely this is your book.

So be a good person and take Machiavelli's advise that a firm knowlegde of our (and then I speak of us Europeans) own Classical inheritage is absolutely crucial in life for true and read this book.

Excellent coverage of Classical Greek Thought.......2001-01-27

Jacques Brunschwig's book is heavy reading. This is not to say that the writing is difficult to read but that the book contains so much information that it is physically heavy. At around 1024 pages, this book is an encyclopedia of essays about almost all aspects of Greek philosophy and history. This book was translated from French and it is great that the essays are now available to the english speaking reader. The book is divied into sections such as The Pursuit of Knowledge, Major Figures, and Currents of Thought. This is useful because since it would be nearly impossible to read the book from cover to cover, it allows the reader to find sections that interest them. I read one essay every night. In a little over a month I had a better understanding of Greek philosophy than ever before. The Currents of Thought section is very interesting because it discusses the various philosophies that appeared throughout Greek history. The book not only contains great essays, but beautiful color photographs and pictures as well. This book is a good introduction to Greek philosophy or a reference on the subject. It is an excellent value for the amount of information it contains.

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The Letters of Mecurius

The Letters of Mercurius
Harvard University Press
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

The Letters of Mecurius.......2003-09-07

This collection of letters published in the press in Britain from 1968 to 1970 by an Oxford man whose identity was the subject of debate, now believed by many to have been Hugh Trevor-Roper, since deceased. The letters, all to a friend in London, are witty, insightful and at times wonderfully satyrical. For a time of student unrest, these letters provide a wonderful set of documents to read, the insight into the mentality of groups, the young, and men in general are filled with a biting wit which will allow you to breeze through this short work, enjoy it and learn from it. I will warn that Mercurius writes in a style of English resemblant to the English of the 17th and 18th centuries, with liberal use of Latin (usually 2-3 uses per piece) and 1 or 2 uses of Greek. Aside from the occasional problem with the language, you shall have no trouble understanding the events described as there are notes that have been added to the original text that explain much that non-contemporaries would have trouble understanding.

Japan Encyclopedia (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

Average customer rating:

Not bad for a one-volume encyclopedia
An embarrassment for Harvard University Press
Quantity over quality

Japan Encyclopedia (Harvard University Press Reference Library)
Louis Frédéric
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

History | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0674017536

Book Description

"Knowing Japan and the Japanese better," Louis Frédéric states in the introduction to this encyclopedia, "is one of the necessities of modern life." The Japanese have a profound knowledge of every aspect and detail of Western societies. Unfortunately, we in the West cannot say the same about our knowledge of Japan. We tend to see Japan through a veil of exoticism, as a land of ancient customs and exquisite arts; or we view it as a powerful contributor to the global economy, the source of cutting-edge electronics and innovative management techniques. To go beyond these clichés, we must begin to see how apparently contradictory aspects of modern Japanese culture spring from the country's evolution through more than two millennia of history.

This richly detailed yet concise encyclopedia is a guide to the full range of Japanese history and civilization, from the dawn of its prehistory to today, providing clear and accessible information on society and institutions, commerce and industry, sciences, sports, and politics, with particular emphasis on religion, material culture, and the arts. The volume is enhanced by maps and illustrations, along with a detailed chronology of more than 2,000 years of Japanese history and a comprehensive bibliography. Cross-references and an index help the reader trace themes from one article to the next.

Japan Encyclopedia will be an indispensable one-volume reference for students, scholars, travelers, journalists, and anyone who wishes to learn more about the past and present of this great world civilization.

Customer Reviews:

Not bad for a one-volume encyclopedia.......2005-05-22

I picked up a copy of this book a few years ago and generally keep it around. This book was translated from French, and could probably do with a better translation. I do wonder whether Frederec actually wrote all of the articles, whether he edited the work, or merely lent his name to it. The short articles are for the most part fairly accessible and resonably accurate. The problem is that they are not all accurate. On the other hand, I have found inaccuracies in many other places including museum exhibits. Consequently, if you are a beginner or simply want a handy reference, this is a pretty good book to buy. However, the individual articles are not attested for authorship nor are they annotated for source. Yes! You can do better than this book. However, if you are in a position to do so, then you probably read Japanese and are using Japanese sources for much of your work. I am probably giving it one star more than I really should, but I beleive that its current average is too low. This book fills a niche between popular treatments and authoratative scholary treatments. If one keeps this in mind, then it can be quite useful.

An embarrassment for Harvard University Press.......2002-10-29

I purchased this book to use as a reference, to confirm various facts about Japanese life, culture, religion, etc. Unfortunately, it is so riddled with errors, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies that it is essentially useless. What's the point of a reference work that can't be trusted?

Compounding the problem is the book's sloppy production and editing. Cross references lead to entries that don't exist, or that have been retitled (Ex.: Under "Trade" entry, there's an x-ref "see Dejima," but there's no "Dejima" entry; it's been retitled "Deshima" and re-alphabetized), or that circle you back to the original entry (Ex.: "Cherry tree" has an x-ref to "Sakura." Flip to the entry for "Sakura" and you find "See Cherry tree.") These are by no means isolated cases.

The volume's use of macrons (the Japanese diacritical indicating a long vowel) is inconsistent. Since the presence or absence of a macron can completely change the meaning of a word, this is a huge problem. The inconsistencies in spelling are so widespread that one gets the feeling that no one involved in this book knew a whit about the Japanese language.

It's sad that a publisher like Harvard's Belknap Press would release a volume that obviously needed about another year's worth of fact checking and a hell of rigorous proofread.

A one-volume English-language encyclopedia of Japan would be a great thing. We'll just have to keep waiting for one.

Quantity over quality.......2002-08-28

Noble though the stated goals of this work are, they are defeated by one simple fact: the poor quality of many of the entries in this encyclopedia.

One, somewhat detailed example is the entry for Reizei Tamesuke. It calls him a member of the Reizei school of poetry, which is true. The entry then goes on to say that the school was founded by his father, Tameie, which is false. It also says that Tamesuke was opposed to the Kyogoku and Nijo schools of thought on poetry, which is also not quite true. This also drops any and all information about his mother, Abutsu, from whom were born two of the treasures of classical Japanese literature: the Izayoi and Utatane diaries. Naturally, there is no mention here of the fact that Abutsu had to fight with Tameie, even after Tameie's death, to win the plot of land the Reizei family would take its name from later.

Although this is one example, it fairly quickly shows the problems that can be seen throughout this book. There are, it is safe to say, more entries compared to any similar reference, but volume does not make up for quality in this instance. Some of the problems may be a result of the translation into English, but if so that simply means this version is not all that great.

Another thing surprising for a reference produced by an establishment such as Harvard is the complete absense of references listed at the end of entries. Everything is as-is, and the only way to determine where information may have been derived from is to look it up in the long list of catagorized books in the back.

Given that the Kodansha Bilingual Encyclopedia of Japan is far beyond what most would even consider paying for a simple reference, it may be worth looking at the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan, or another, larger reference.

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