Books

The Landmarks of New York: An Illustrated Record of the City's Historic Buildings

Average customer rating:

Landmarked but Flawed
Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years
Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years
Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years
Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years

The Landmarks of New York: An Illustrated Record of the City's Historic Buildings
Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel
Manufacturer: Monacelli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1580931545
Release Date: 2005-05-09

Book Description

The Landmarks of New York is a definitive resource book on the architectural history of the city, documenting and illustrating more than 1100 buildings that have been accorded landmark status over the past forty years. The chronological organization gives the reader a sequential overview of the city's architectural richness and diversity. The book presents a broad range of styles and building types-simple colonial farmhouses, churches, schools, libraries, Gilded Age mansions, and the great twentieth-century skyscrapers that are recognized throughout the world.

That so many of these structures have endured is due, in large measure, to the efforts of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, established in 1965. Since then, New York city has become the leader of the preservation movement in the United States, with more buildings and districts designated and protected than in any other city. Within this constantly changing metropolis, old buildings are often adapted to new uses, offering further proof of the quality of their design and construction.

Customer Reviews:

Landmarked but Flawed.......2006-12-18

Pound for pound this was the most disappointing of a series of books on New York City architecture that I have read over the past several years. This does not make it a bad book; its 600+ pages are filled with more information on New York City's 1100 designated landmarks than any other single volume, and each is accompanied by a fine black and white photo. Its format, with the buildings ordered by the year they were build allows the reader to thumb through the 1860's for example and see a succession of French Second Empire buildings with their iconic mansard roofs.

Still there are several flaws I have found with this book that weighs nearly seven pounds and has a sticker price of $65.00.

First and most egregious is the apparently careless editing.

One entry, that of the Van Cortlandt Mansion in the Bronx, seems to be lifted word-for-word, without attribution from Goldstone and Dalrymple's wonderfully literate book, "History Preserved". It is possible that Ms. Diamondstein-Spielvogel had permission to do this, perhaps the authors were friends from their days together on the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Maybe "The Landmarks of New York," is a successor to the older book. As there is no bibliography or explanation we will never know.

A second entry, that of Staten Island's Gardiner-Tyler House, the author writes in part, "Mrs. Tyler rarely visited the house before 1868, when as a widow she returned to Staten Island with Tyler's seven children from a previous marriage."

The author is of course referring to President Tyler's second wife Julia, whom he married in 1844, when she was 24 and he 54. By 1868, Tyler's youngest child from his first wife Letitia, Tazewell Tyler was 38, a physician, and living in California; his oldest surviving child Robert Tyler was 52; and only four of his children from Letitia were still alive. It is hardly likely that any of them followed Julia to Staten Island. What the author meant to say was that Julia moved there with her seven children from Tyler.

Another example, more one of carelessness than error is found in her entry on 359 Broadway, a fine Italianette style building found on the corner of Broadway and Leonard Street and best known for housing the studios of the great Civil War photographer, Mathew Brady, for a few years in the 1850's.

The last paragraph stated, "At the end of the century, the Ladies Mile neighborhood changed from a fashionable shopping district to a textile and wholesaling zone."

My first, surprised reaction upon reading this, was how the author could place this building, situated at the edge of today's Tribeca, in the Ladies Mile, which as anyone interested in New York history knows was located further uptown, along Broadway and 6th Avenue from about West 8th Street to West 23rd Street. As it turns out, this area was once called a ladies-mile, about a half-century before its better-known successor. But the entry doesn't explain this subtlety and there lies the confusion.

What this book is really lacking are neighborhood or area maps that locate each of the Landmarks. While a map isn't necessary to conceptualize the location of a building with a typical Manhattan grid address, the Alwyn Court Apartments at 182 West 58th St. for example, it would be nice to be able to quickly see the location of a farmhouse in Brooklyn or an old church in Staten Island, especially when that farmhouse or church is positioned on a page with a townhouse on the Upper East Side, a building it has nothing in common with aside from the year in which it was built. Perhaps in a future edition a map section could be added to the end of the book and an easy key can be developed to clearly cross-reference an entry to its map number or page.

In a book devoted specifically to "designated" New York City landmarks, how does one handle those buildings that are good enough to be landmarks on their own, but have never been designated individually because their inclusion in one of the several dozen Historic Districts before being considered for individual designation obviated the need for such designation? New York's two greatest Historic Districts, Greenwich Village and Brooklyn Height contain many of these worthy buildings. In its" Guide to New York City Landmarks", the Landmarks Committee deftly handled this issue by separately listing and discussing the dozen or so most important buildings in each of those two districts. Ms. Diamondstein-Spielvogel, however, chose to ignore them completely. So there is no mention of the famous Washington Memorial Arch, no mention of the unique teak wood detailing of the façade of the Lockwood deForest House, no mention of the great Jefferson Market Library, that whimsical Victorian Gothic building that has become a symbol of the village and was one of the first and finest examples of use conversion envisioned by the Landmarks Preservation Committee as a way to save old buildings. There is also no discussion of Brooklyn Heights' best buildings including Plymouth Congregational Church, where the fiery abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher preached, or Minard Lafever's Gothic Revival masterpiece First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn.

The book does however have a section that describes each of the Historic Districts so that a reader can get an overall feel for these districts, and ironically, given their nonexistence elsewhere in the book, has fine maps attached to each entry, showing the boundaries of each of these districts.

Any single book with this much information about its subject certainly deserves a recommendation, but for this book to reach its pretensions of being the standard reference of New York City Landmarks there is much that can be improved.

Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years.......2005-10-06

If it's one weighty, definitive library reference you need to New York City's landmarks, make it Landmarks Of New York: An Illustrated Record Of The City's Historic Buildings: its scope and format can't be beat. Art and architectural libraries as well as New York City specialty collections will welcome documentation of over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years. A chronological arrangement guides readers through a wealth of building styles and types, from farmhouses and churches to mansions, with black and white photos of each accompanying descriptions, comments on style and design, listings of architects involved in the building's construction and redesign over the decades, and style descriptions. A 'must' for any serious architectural or New York history collection.

Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years.......2005-10-06

The Little Black Book of New York: The Essential Guide to the Quintessential City (Little Black Book Series)

Average customer rating:

Good, but could be better!
The Little Black Book of New York

The Little Black Book of New York: The Essential Guide to the Quintessential City (Little Black Book Series)

Manufacturer: Peter Pauper Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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Not for Tourists 2007 Guide to New York City
New York (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

ASIN: 1593599323

Customer Reviews:

Good, but could be better!.......2007-01-17

I travel to NYC for work and I enjoy being able to explore during my free time - this book has proven itself helpful over and over again. The fold out subway map is the main reason I bought the book - I think I need to have that page laminated!

Still, I have three small suggestions to make this Little Black Book even better: 1) a place to stash a pencil/pen (a small elastic loop would work) 2) two or three blank pages in the back of each section for adding our own "finds" for each neighborhood and 3) a small envelope in the front for tossing in business cards, Metro cards, etc.

Can't wait for the second edition!

The Little Black Book of New York.......2007-01-05

Very informative and splits up New York by sections to make it easy to find the area you want to see and what attractions are available.

Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York

Average customer rating:

ITS A WONDER HE DID NOT TRY TO PART THE EAST RIVER
A modern take on the metropolis that Moses crafted

Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
New York 2000: Architecture and Urbanism from the Bicentennial to the Millennium (New York)
Conquering Gotham: A Gilded Age Epic: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Forgotten New York: Views of a Lost Metropolis
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ASIN: 0393732061

Book Description

A fresh look at the greatest builder in the history of New York City and one of its most controversial figures.

In various roles in city and state government from 1930 to 1965, Robert Moses reshaped the fabric of the city. From Lincoln Center to the Triborough Bridge, the West Side Highway to the Cross Bronx Expressway, his public projects, reassessed in this book by notable urbanists, continue to exert a strong influence in the lives of New Yorkers. 250 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

ITS A WONDER HE DID NOT TRY TO PART THE EAST RIVER.......2007-03-22

Now this man had POWER. It is amazing how much control he had over the building of infastructure in NYC, he was the first and last word. He was like a 20th century Baron Hausemann. This book is well written and scholarly and frankly just fascinating. I saw a documentary on Robert Moses one time and was just blown away at his hubris and power. His reign over NYC spanned several powerful mayors and to this day no person has ever had so much power of the cities infrastructure. Great book, highly recommended.

A modern take on the metropolis that Moses crafted.......2007-03-19

The Power Broker (another prominent work on Moses) is a product of the 1970s pessimism concerning the death of the city, saying that Moses helped bring about the downfall experienced in 1974 when the book was published. In Ballon's book, we have the experience that 30 years of hindsight provides, and the tone is radically different Ballon and other essayists provide a more modern insight to Moses and his achievements. Do not be fooled, this is not a coffee table book, but almost a text book for urban planners on the practices employed by Moses. The book was inspired by the museum exhibits going on currently in New York City concerning Moses and his works, and is an excellent supplement to them. If you are interested in NYC, public works, or Urban History- this is a must buy, and will become more important as time wears on.
I also recommend The Power Broker and Moses' own book Public Works: A Dangerous Trade

Not for Tourists 2007 Guide to New York City

Average customer rating:

Essential New York City Guide Is Not for Sissies
The best guide
Don't leave your apartment without it!
This book got me everywhere...
Beautiful but illegible

Not for Tourists 2007 Guide to New York City

Manufacturer: Not for Tourists
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Frommer's New York City 2007 (Frommer's Complete)
The Best Things to Do in New York City: 1001 Ideas

ASIN: 0977803112

Book Description

Not For Tourists Guide to New York City features clear, easy-to-read maps and graphics, as well as listings of key services, restaurants, shops, schools, entertainment venues, public transportation, parks, and more. NFT Guides detail everything residents take advantage of, placing a wealth of local services at their fingertips, in a convenient size.

Customer Reviews:

Essential New York City Guide Is Not for Sissies.......2007-05-22

This is one aptly titled guide. The target user of the 2007 pocket-sized soft-cover manual is the seasoned traveler who is not really looking for ideas on how to spend a day in Manhattan or what the top ten restaurants are in the city. This is a book that focuses on navigating the complexities of a city with an embarrassment of riches - restaurants, hotels, shopping. At the same time, it also speaks to residents and commuters by listing essential services such as ATMs, emergency rooms, gyms, hardware stores, schools, hospitals, copy shops and supermarkets. As a means to organize the wealth of information, the editors have provided highly graphical maps broken down by neighborhood and categorized the listings in a user-friendly manner.

Other than the lack of timeliness associated with print versus the Web, the major downside of the NFT Guide is the miniscule print, a necessity given the condensed amount of information that is being presented. At the same time, there are helpful sections on parks, transportation hubs and routes, sports, the more renowned landmarks and gay/lesbian life. There is even a fold-out subway map inside the back flap. I found it very useful on my recent weekend trip to New York. I already knew most of the areas I wanted to cover, so this provided me with the detailed logistics I needed when I was there. It doesn't replace the tourist guidebooks flooding the market, but the NFT makes a nice, affordable supplement in any case.

The best guide.......2007-05-07

I've been 5 days in NY and everything i needed was in the guide. Great!!

Don't leave your apartment without it!.......2007-04-06

This book is awesome for the directionally-challenged, like myself. Plus, it's written with just the right amount of sarcasm and humor that makes it a worthwhile read even when you are not lost.

This book got me everywhere..........2007-03-30

This book was such a wonderul companion for me when my husband and I moved to NYC for a month. It got me around everywhere. Thanks to NFT, I learned the subways and made it all around Manhattan and into Brooklyn. The maps are wonderful. The print is a little small, but wasn't a problem and it was worth it to have something small enough to fit in my purse.

It leaves out most of the major tourist restaurants, shops, and sights, so it's not a tourist book like it says. But, if you're going to NYC to live for a while or are doing business and need to know the best ways to get from A to B and grad a quick bite while you're at it, get this book!

The back of the book also has wonderful information about at the museums and churches in the city! It's just great.

Beautiful but illegible.......2007-02-23

There is only one little problem with this book: the typeface is illegibly small, defeating the purpose of a book meant to be a field guide. It is without question the smallest typeface I have ever seen in a book. Even if you have perfect eyesight (I don't) it's a struggle to read it. For those who have less than perfect eyesight, this book should come packaged with a magnifying glass. Perhaps they made the type so small so the book could be of a pocketable size, but they only partly succeed in this: you need a pretty large jacket pocket to comfortably fit this 451-page tome.

Dry Manhattan: Prohibition in New York City

Average customer rating:

Fascinating and informative -- definitely worth a read.
A Fascinating Look at the "Noble Experiment"

Dry Manhattan: Prohibition in New York City
Michael A. Lerner
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 067402432X

Book Description

In 1919, the United States embarked on the country's boldest attempt at moral and social reform: Prohibition. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol around the country. This "noble experiment," as President Hoover called it, was intended to usher in a healthier, more moral, and more efficient society. Nowhere was such reform needed more, proponents argued, than in New York City--and nowhere did Prohibition fail more spectacularly. Dry Manhattan is the first major work on Prohibition in nearly a quarter century, and the only full history of Prohibition in the era's most vibrant city.

Though New Yorkers were cautiously optimistic at first, Prohibition quickly degenerated into a deeply felt clash of cultures that utterly transformed life in the city. Impossible to enforce, the ban created vibrant new markets for illegal alcohol, spawned corruption and crime, fostered an exhilarating culture of speakeasies and nightclubs, and exposed the nation's deep prejudices. Writ large, the conflict over Prohibition, Michael Lerner demonstrates, was about much more than the freedom to drink. It was a battle between competing visions of the United States, pitting wets against drys, immigrants against old stock Americans, Catholics and Jews against Protestants, and proponents of personal liberty against advocates of societal reform.

In his evocative history, Lerner reveals Prohibition to be the defining issue of the era, the first major "culture war" of the twentieth century, and a harbinger of the social and moral debates that divide America even today.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating and informative -- definitely worth a read........2007-04-22

Lerner's fascinating book brings the period of prohibition to life -- from the early days of temperance campaigning, to prohibition's final undoing more than a decade later. Stories of individual people on all sides of the issue bring the book to life, making the it fun to read. And Lerner doesn't try to draw parallels to present day politics -- he lets you do that for yourself.

In an engaging, well-flowing narrative, Lerner covers prohibition from beginning to end, focusing on New York City. It was there that the dry campaign won an improbable victory, deftly manipulating the political system to secure a ratification that was not supported by popular opinion. Lerner describes a series of failed efforts to enforce prohibition in New York City. He shows how bigotry against immigrant groups was used to maintain support for prohibition. He chronicles a political climate in which anti-prohibition politicians were effectively silenced by prohibition advocates. And most interestingly, Lerner describes the role that women played in ultimately bringing prohibition to an end.

The book is meticulously researched (and heavily footnoted), but does not have the dry, academic feel of many history texts. Instead, Lerner enlivens the pages with anecdotes from prohibition agents, bartenders, managers of speakeasies, "jazz age" journalists, and New Yorkers of all social statuses.

If you read the footnotes, you will see that he draws these vignettes from an incredible variety of primary sources -- police records, notes of prohibition campaigners, newspapers and magazines of the day, court records and more. The effect is a rich tapestry of personal stories -- one that flows with his narrative and truly reflects the diversity of New York city.

Lerner wisely avoids drawing comparison to current-day politics. Instead, he leaves it to you to connect the dots. There are powerful lessons about how our political system can be manipulated, and how attempts to legislate morality in a democracy are misguided. But he leaves these conclusions for you to make.

Fascinating and informative -- definitely worth a read.

A Fascinating Look at the "Noble Experiment".......2007-04-04

A well written look at prohibition that provides good perspective from the wet and dry, working class and society and black and white sides. It flows smoothly with excellent portraits of the key figures in the city and the nation and is filled with entertaining anecodotes about this unusual time. Well worth a read.

Zagat Survey 2007 New York City Restaurants

Average customer rating:

Not so useful
A good dictionary of restaurants
Excellent But Irritating
An Essential Reference
Topical and Informative

Zagat Survey 2007 New York City Restaurants

Manufacturer: Zagat Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570068151

Book Description

ISBN: 1570068151 TITLE: 2007 New York City Restaurants AUTHOR: Zagat Survey DESCRIPTION: Consumer based survey covering the restaurant scene in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

Customer Reviews:

Not so useful.......2007-06-16

There's only so much you can pack in a book. The Zagat guide is woefully short when it comes to listings and does not (cannot) review a vast number of restaurants out there. For example, Taim, a great place to get Falafel in West Village is not mentioned here. Another example: check out the number of restaurants it lists in Union Square. Also, it's far more difficult to 'search' a book than just search for something online. The amount of page-flipping is tiresome and does not always yield great results.

Put simply, this is a relic of the bygone era - the information it contains is much better delivered via the internet. Far more detailed reviews are available online - why waste money on a book?

A good dictionary of restaurants.......2007-02-22

Zagats is a good resource, but there are just so many listings and not enough information. I have found many times that I don't agree with the restaurant reviews - which I suppose can happen, but their reviews tend to be very negative at times for restaurants that are quite good. It is nice that they get input from the consumers, but it would be nice to have a little professional input as well and not have reviews that are so biased.

Excellent But Irritating.......2007-02-13

By Bill Marsano. The Zagat Survey series finds itself in an "enviable" position between newspapers that publish "professional" but infrequent reviews and dining blogs that rate more often but too often indulge in "amateurish score-settling," "tirades" and hostility. Zagat is almost always "up to date" if not "up to the minute"; it's easily "navigated" and many readers come to rely on it. All the dope a diner needs is in Zagat, as are, unfortunately, more quotation marks than "anyone" wants. I understand that they indicate that specific comments are contributors' own "words" asnd not the editors' "opinions," but they have long since outlived their "usefulness." The result is a "slim volume" whose "malformed prose" sounds like a "cacaphony."--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer on travel, wine and spirits.

An Essential Reference.......2007-01-24

This is a book that I find essential t o the kind of lifestyle that I try to maintain. It contains useful information on the world of fine and
not so fine dining in a format that I find easy to follow.

Topical and Informative.......2007-01-12

If you're wondering about a restaurant in NYC, the first (and only) guide to grab is Zagat's. More efficient than the internet, if not as detailed. Very easy to read up on a place before you go. It's the one guide locals and tourists can both agree on. Very hard to navigate the choices in New York without it. The only challenge is keeping current, as the restaurant scene changes so quickly. Get the 2006 version, and you're already out of date!

Frommer's New York City 2007 (Frommer's Complete)

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
Frommer's is the best at these time and again...
Frommer's New York City 2007
great information for those new to New York
The visitors little helper

Frommer's New York City 2007 (Frommer's Complete)
Brian Silverman
Manufacturer: Frommer's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Not for Tourists 2007 Guide to New York City

ASIN: 0471945528

Book Description

The indispensable guide to the Big Apple.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer. Frommer's. The best trips start here: The best places to eat, from vintage delis to pizza joints to power palaces. Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not. Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget. Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions, and the latest news on the newest hotels, restaurants and hotspots in the City that Never Sleeps.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-06-06

The most helpful part of the book were the maps and the restaurant information. I was really looking for a Rick Steves type of guidebook for New York. This was not it!

Frommer's is the best at these time and again..........2007-05-21

When I plan on traveling somewhere I haven't been, or somewhere I'm returning to, I am always sure to have the newest version on Frommer's handy. Actually, even the older versions are still a good resource for information, too. I cannot say a bad thing about this guidebook.

Frommer's New York City 2007.......2007-05-12

If you are looking for fancy pics, this is NOt your book. But if you want to have a peek to New Yorkers life, do purchase this book. Plenty of text and good advice beginning with how to get a taxi from where you can find best burgers in the city. If you are flying over Atlantic, you have plenty of time to get through with this book. Pair it with some more traditional tourist guide with pics and you have a working duo. Little minus from the fact that there are some old info, like the book is for 2007 and there's some info that some places will be closed in 2007.

great information for those new to New York.......2007-03-21

This book has excellent information concerning many things for those visiting New York.

The visitors little helper.......2007-01-19

I received this book just in time for my Daughter to leave on her 4 day excersion to NYC. She said the map was better than the one she purchased and was the only one she used. She used the guide book to find locations that she wanted to experience and her trip was perfect especially with the guidance she found in Frommers NYC

The Best Things to Do in New York City: 1001 Ideas

Average customer rating:

Top Rate Guide to Gotham

The Best Things to Do in New York City: 1001 Ideas
Caitlin Leffel , and Jacob Lehman
Manufacturer: Universe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fodor's New York City 2007 (Fodor's Gold Guides)

ASIN: 0789313987
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Book Description

What are 1001 things you should treat yourself and your guests to in New York City? Be serenaded by Cole Porter's piano at the Waldorf, or hear Woody Allen play clarinet at the Carlyle. Drink champagne on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum, or discover the abandoned subway station at City Hall. Eat at America's very first pizzeria, or enjoy the most expensive cocktail in the country at the World Bar. Ride the Staten Island Ferry, or ride a bike through Central Park. Go surfing out at Rockaway Beach, or relax in a Russian bath in the East Village . . . . Organized by themeâincluding Eating and Drinking, 24-hour New York, Shopping and Spending, Arts and Culture, Views and Sites, the Great Outdoors, and Classic New Yorkâand packed with detailed, helpful indexes organized by neighborhood and by category, this is simply the most fun and comprehensive guidebook to New York City ever. New York Unlimited crosses genres and boroughs to explore every aspect of the most diverse and exciting city in the world. Written from experience by two people who love the city, and featuring priceless tips from expert contributorsâfrom authors on their favorite bookstores to architects on the city's best buildingsâNew York Unlimited is much more than just a guide.

Customer Reviews:

Top Rate Guide to Gotham.......2006-12-26

Although I've lived in Gotham for several years, this book helped me to fall head over heels in love with the city again. After reading "The Best Things to Do in New York: 1,001 Ideas," I decided to take the authors' advice and give New York City every spare moment I had left in my very busy schedule. In 2007, I'm going to tour the tombstones at Trinity Church, take a 3-hour Circle Line cruise, record a story in Grand Central Station, drink afternoon tea at the Waldorf-Astoria, buy lunch at Zabar's and picnic in Riverside Park, take in a comedy show at Caroline's and walk through several neighborhoods just to revel in their historical and architectural treasures.

This is a top rate guide to Gotham, one that's ideal for tourists, transplants or natives. Pick it up and I guarantee you'll be scheduling dozens of new adventures on your calendar as well.

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

Average customer rating:

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction
Provocative, appealing and controversial
pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD

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

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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
Forbidden History: Prehistoric Technologies, Extraterrestrial Intervention, and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization
They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies

ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews:

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.

Provocative, appealing and controversial.......2006-08-02

Fomenko has succeeded to convincingly demonstrate the misconception about what "history" factually is... It is fiction and -like we can read and judge for ourselves- no science. It indeed is "make belief" only. I "discovered" Fomenko while studying the "old" history of Al Andaluz, Spain. Having found too many contradictions in available data, having seen too many forgeries as to pretend the importance of christianity for its decline, I ventured out to find Fomenko, who convinced me that we know little if anything for sure of the epoch before the XI-century. However, the integration of the Arabic-Islamic cultural history into the heavily distorted Western fails... There are some attempts to fit "the budding new religion" (Islam) into Fomenko's scheme, but they are too weak to be taken seriously and too often focussing on Turkey as the region where things started to influence the West, which is untrue at all.
Islam certainly was no "new religion" in the X-century. That the highly cultivated Al Andaluz ruler Mohammed-I could have been "mirrored" down in time into some myth about the "illiterate" founder of Islam itself is highly speculative. Nevertheless, Fomenko convinces me about the processes that were involved in forging a christian history. Intriguing and controversial as his books are, I recommend them as to rethink our current position in time and space and simply verify what was claimed. It is a "good" book, but not for bedtime reading... Mundus vult decipi, the world wants to be cheated. Fomenko's readers will understand why.

pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD.......2006-02-16

Traces of white wine were found in Tutankhamen's tomb however there were no record of white wine in Egypt until the 3rd century AD, 1600 years after the young pharaoh died according to the traditional chronology. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg18925395.400
It can be interpreted as a contribution towards New Chronology theory that pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD.

Average customer rating:

!!!It was Good until the ending!!
Never read this author before
If you like theatrical, fey dialogue, a little humor with your action
Dissapointing
Fantastic and entertaining tale (spoilers for the book below)

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)
Cassandra Clare
Manufacturer: Margaret K. McElderry
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale
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ASIN: 1416914285

Book Description

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Customer Reviews:

!!!It was Good until the ending!!.......2007-06-13

This book was so good, i thought it was going to replace Twilight, but then i read the ending and it grossed me out big time. i mean wouldn't you want to throw up, if Clary was in love with her brother! i mean they kissed once in the book, but what if they went farther then that! it took me two days to recover from that book. i recommend that you read half of the book and make up your own ending!lol but people do have different thoughts about that part. my thought is ewwwwww!!!!

Never read this author before.......2007-06-06

I must say I am happy I read this book before coming online to read the reviews. I added this book to my TBR list because it was recommended to me by Amazon. I must say thanks! I am an elementary teacher and I read teen scifi/fantasy a lot. I loved the story and am looking forward to the next one in the series. Was the story a rehash of other books? Well yes and no. Having read sooo much I see the same trends a lot. But I think that her writing/voice is different and interesting. You have to look at why you read. I read to immerse myself and escape into the story. The author did this for me. It is only a book not rocket science. Please take a chance and try it before you base your opinion of this book on what others here are saying due past mistakes.

If you like theatrical, fey dialogue, a little humor with your action .......2007-06-01

Under the sparkling steel and neon lights of Manhattan, a race of ethereal warriors called Shadowhunters fights malicious demons. Artist Clary Fray is blissfully ignorant of the existence of Shadowhunters until one dry-ice hazy night at the Pandemonium Club when she sees Draco Malfoyesque Jace Wayland pull a knife on a demon disguised as a blue-haired boy. When she follows Jace out of the pulsating club and into a scene of supernatural murder, his partners in otherworldly crimefighting are surprised to learn that she, a Mundane, can see them. Mundanes, or everyday folk, aren't supposed to be able to see the preternaturally swift Shadowhunters.

Clary is ready to ignore the murderous incident until Jace shows up at a coffee shop she's visiting with her best friend, the almost witty, slightly bumbling Simon. Jace won't forget Clary's remarkable vision, and while he's explaining the basics of his paranormal underground existence, Clary receives a disturbing phone call from her mother. She races home to find her artisan's apartment trashed, her beloved (if sometimes antagonistic) mother missing and a scaly, fanged demon in her hallway. With the carefully dispersed, often frustrating knowledge imparted to her by Jace, his tutor Hodge and his snooty fellow Shadowhunters, Alec and Isabelle, Clary finds that she has a Shadowhunter legacy through her mother, Jocelyn.

Knowing she cannot go back to her demolished, demon-infested apartment, Clary stays in the underground home of the Clave. The Shadowhunters are part of a diverse and complex world of beings that most earthbound Mundanes have only heard about in fairy tales. By legend, the Shadowhunter race is over one-thousand years old, and a magical cup was used at one point to create Shadowhunters out of humans. The magical cup is missing, and Clary believes that her mother's disappearance is tied to it.

Amid the dry lessons in Shadowhunter politics and history, Clary continues to look for her mother. Her search takes her to a party hosted by a blue-lipped man with glitter nail polish, abandoned hotels and houses, and the apartment of her downstairs neighbor, a tea-serving, scarf-clad psychic with knowledge of the Shadowhunters. In the end, Clary's tireless search will reveal much more to her than just her mother's history.

It helps if you're already familiar with the world of werewolves and demons before jumping into this whirlwind urban fantasy, because author Cassandra Clare draws on many different legends and tales while building Clary's New York. Although the book often gets dragged down in too many lurid adjectives and uneven pacing, the story of an underground world of demon hunters is appealing and unique. If you like theatrical, fey dialogue, a little humor with your action and many references to familiar fantasy stories, then CITY OF BONES --- and the subsequent installments in this new series --- may be the perfect fit for you.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

Dissapointing.......2007-06-01

This book was set out as a staff favorite at a bookstore I shop at. The recommendations sounded promising but found this simply didn't live up to what was said about it. Once you get past the very purple prose and the attempt at incest as a plot twist, it's just a dried up old husk of Star Wars, which is of course a rehash itself.

The author seems to have some promise and needs to break out of the done-before trap.

Fantastic and entertaining tale (spoilers for the book below).......2007-05-31

From the moment I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down. It came everywhere with me - from work, to shopping, even to a Yankee game (for the hour before the game)!

I gave it five stars for not only the story that has been told so far, but the potential that has been set up for the next two books. I am not an avid reader of Young Adult books, but I have been known to dabble here and there. I thought it was incredibly genius of Clare to address a topic, homosexuality, that other authors, to my knowledge, have stayed away from. As a lesbian, I would have greatly enjoyed seeing sexual orientation described in such a fashion while I was growing up, devouring every book I could get my hands on. She did an amazing job of portraying the subject in a true-to-life manner and I applaud her for that.

Also, anyone who is familiar with New York City will absolutely fall in love with the descriptions and settings that Clare uses. It makes you feel like you are standing right there with the characters throughout the entire story!

There were many other aspects of the book, however, that made me give it five stars. The slow blossoming of all the characters into the adults they would someday become was very entertaining to read. I loved how Jace opened himself up and Clary started seeing herself as a girl that wanted more than just a friendship from a boy. Simon, I'm sure, would have preferred that boy to be him, but I don't write Simon off just yet.

I thought that the dialogue and behaviour of Isabelle, Jace, and Alec were spot on considering the fact that they were adolescents who had been trained their entire lives to fight demons. They are not your typical adolescent, in that regard, and it is best to keep that in mind. Isabelle seems to be a girl who likes to work and play equally as hard and I love her as a character. Alec is quietly in love with his best friend, who is clueless, and if I could, I would just keep him as a pet because he is just too cute and brilliant as a character. His infamous confrontation with Clary is so emotionally packed that it made me shiver! Though, I would probably trade Alec to Magnus Bane for an invite to one of his parties, or maybe a dozen! I'm sure Bane would be more than pleased with the transaction!

As much as I enjoyed the "kids", I also look forward to finding out more about Jocelyn and Luke and Valentine and Hodge. Their stories can only get more interesting and I can't wait for the next book to arrive! This entire WORLD that she has created is sure to please anyone who likes good dialogue, good plot, and fantastic characters!

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