Book Critics & Their Reviews

A couple of articles questioning where have all the critical reviews gone:

From the Atlantic Wire: Where have all the mean book reviews gone? - 

Literary critics have gone soft. Despite all the snark, sass, and anger in media and online today, one area has become remarkably nicer — book reviews. A look around the latest literary criticisms leaves you feeling upbeat, even excited about coming books, much to their publicist's delight. So where have all the hatchet jobs gone?

There really is something lost in the lack of hatchet reviews nowadays. They're fun! And even for the author, they might not be so bad. The Internet feeds on anger and hatred, and this can spill over to books. 

From the New Republic: This Guy Thinks We Shouldn't Have Negative Book Reviews. Two Thumbs Down! - 

In a strange and unconvincing essay in The New Yorker, Lee Siegel, who made his name as a slashing and smart critic (for a time at The New Republic), writes that he is through with negative book reviews. He mentions a Clive James essay from several months back which lamented the lack of nasty reviews in American publications. But Siegel notes, correctly, that politeness has not been a permanent feature of American reviewing, and goes on to mention the harsh pieces that appeared in the inagural issue of The New York Review of Books fifty years ago.

Lee Siegel's article - Burying the Hatchet - featured on the New Yorker, which started it all:

I didn’t realize how strong my revulsion against negative reviewing had become until some months ago I read, in the New York Times, an essay by the critic Clive James titled “Whither the Hatchet Job?” James laments the inability of American critics to lay into their scrivening colleagues with the exuberance practiced by their British counterparts. “America,” James wrote, “does polite literary criticism well enough. And how: there is a new Lionel Trilling on every campus.” In contrast to the soporific American scene James sets the thriving vitality of book reviewing in Britain, where “ripping somebody’s reputation is recognized blood sport.”

And Clive James' Wither the Hatchet Job which is featured on the New York Times:

In Britain, the realm of book reviewing is still known as Grub Street though the actual Grub Street vanished long ago. But its occasionally vicious spirit lives on; one of the marks of Grub Street is that the spleen gets a voice. Ripping somebody’s reputation is recognized blood sport. Shredding a new book is a kind of fox hunting that is still legal today.

Such critical violence is far less frequent in America. Any even remotely derogatory article in an American journal is called “negative,” and hardly any American publication wants to be negative.

Fascinating Book Reviews

Two book reviews caught my eye today so I thought I would share them with you here.

The first is Jim Cullen's review of Reza Aslan's "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazereth" which featured on the History News Network:

Aslan believes the detachment of Jesus from his immediate political context was greatly facilitated by the apostle Paul, who, despite never knowing Jesus personally, managed to wrest control of the movement away from those (notably Jesus's brother, James) who did, and who tried to keep the Judaic dimension of his life central. It was Paul who made Jesus of Nazareth Jesus Christ, Hellenizing him for a broader (and often more educated) audience. Aslan, however, clearly prefers Jesus the man, who he concludes is "every bit as compelling, charismatic and praiseworthy as Jesus the Christ. He is, in short, someone worth believing in." 

The second is Lee and J.J. MacFadden's review of "Food in Medieval Times" by Melitta Weiss Adamson which featured on the TriCities dot com:

The book begins with a timeline, starting in 451 A.D. and ending in 1500 A.D. In the introduction, we are told that the Europeans in this time period were unfamiliar with the potato, tomato, turkey, corn or cacao. We are also informed that cookbooks from this time period did not survive very well; nearly all of those that did survive are from the 14 and 15 centuries, lending little to no information as to how food was prepared in the early Middle Ages. In addition, these cookbooks were compiled and copied by the educated elite, which means the food of the lower classes remains somewhat of a mystery.

Investing In Rare Books

As a lover of books, and an avid collector of tomes both old and new, I came across this interesting article which appeared in The National on investing in those gems from the past and, sometimes, our not so distant present.

It is the stories behind the stories that really appeal. The tantalising inscriptions, long-forgotten messages and illegible scribbles.

”Books are a physical touchstone to the past,” says Margaret Ford, the international head of the books department at Christie’s. “And something that makes it personal, like a signed copy - that association is extremely special. Just knowing that book was actually in that author’s hands at some point in time, or knowing that I’m holding something that Churchill once held. Or owning an early edition of Virgil from 1470 - something that is more than 500 years old - and being able to hold that in your hands.”

There is nothing better than rummaging through a book sale or book store to find that old dusty gem that you want for your own personal library.  There are many such tomes on my over-stacked shelves - many well read, many unread, but all treated with love and care.  To say that the age of the book has long been overtaken but its digital cousin is a fallacy - books will always remain with us - especially when the world is still full of us bookworms who are also insatiable collectors.

September Additions

Well, September is half way gone and the latest order has gone in for this month's additions to the Library.  So what have I chosen to order this month - see below and let me know what you think:

• Northanhymbre Saga by John Marsden
• A History of the Ostrogoths by Thomas S. Burns
• Lordship, Reform, and the Development of Civil Society in Medieval Italy by David Foote
• Vikings in the Isle of Man by David Wilson
• Aethelred II by Ryan Lavelle
• Kings, Mormaers and Rebels (Early Scotland's Other Royal Family) by John Marsden
• An Onslaught of Spears (The Danish Conquest of England) by Jeffrey James

August Additions

Yes, as the July additions are slowly making their way to the Library, August's list has just been sent off - here they are:

Anglo-Saxon England by F.M. Stenton

Covers the emergence of the earliest English kingdoms to the establishment of the Anglo-Norman monarchy in 1087. Professor Stenton examines the development of English society, from the growth of royal power to the establishment of feudalism after the Norman Conquest.

Fourteen Byzantine Rulers by Michael Psellus

Chronicles the Byzantine Empire, beginning in 1025. This title shows an understanding of the power politics that characterized the empire and led to its decline.

The Other Tudors by Philippa Jones

Everybody thinks they know the tale of King Henry VIII's wives: divorced, beheaded died; divorced, beheaded, survived. But behind this familiar story, lies a far more complex truth. This book brings together the 'other women' of King Henry VIII. It examines the tales of the women who Henry loved but never married.

Richard III the Young King To Be by Josephine Wilkinson

This new biography concentrates on the much neglected early part of Richard's life - from his birth in 1452 as a cadet of the House of York to his marriage to the beautiful Anne Neville - and shows how his experiences as the son of an ambitious duke, a prisoner of war, an exile, his knightly training and awe of his elder brother, King Edward IV, shaped the character of England's most controversial monarch. 

The Rulers of the South - Sicily, Calabria, Malta - Vol II by Francis Marion Crawford

This early works is a comprehensive and informative look at the subject and is extensively illustrated throughout. Contents include; The Goths and the Byzantines, The Saracens, The Normans, In Later Times, and, The Mafia..... 

Joan of Arc by Kelly DeVries

Why did the soldiers of France follow a woman into battle when no troops of the Hundred Years War had done so before, and how was she able to win? This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Middle Ages and the phenomenon of the girl warrior.

The Maid and the Queen by Nancy Goldstone

How did an illiterate seventeen-year-old peasant girl manage to become one of histories most salient females? It is almost 600 years since Joan of Arc heard the voices of angels that would change her life forever: in a breathtaking story her quest saved France from English domination and restored France's hereditary monarchy. 

The Kings & Queens of Wales by Timothy Venning

A considered attempt to set out what we can know about the rulers of what is now Wales in the early medieval period, Timothy Venning's new book does not shy away from problems of dating and interpretation in the use of the meagre source material.

The Kings & Queens of Anglo-Saxon England by Timothy Venning

In The Kings & Queens of Anglo-Saxon England, Venning examines the rulers of Anglo-Saxon England, beginning with the legendary leaders of the Anglo-Saxon invasion as Hengest and Horsa or Cerdic and Cynric and moving on through such figures as Aethelbert of Kent, the first king to be converted to Christianity and his daughter Aethelburh, whose marriage began the conversion of Northumbria, to Alfred of Wessex and his dynasty, the Viking invasions, and the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings, Harold Godwineson.

Band of Angels

From Christian Today:

"A Manchester University professor has published a book to shine light on the women she claims have been neglected by mainstream churches.

Band of Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women by Professor Kate Cooper draws on five years of research and looks at some of the women who were hugely influential as Christianity spread in the first and second centuries.

She argues that women played a central role in spreading the new Christian faith through informal friendship and family networks.

Their authority within Christian communities was earned through their role as parents, community organisers, and small business owners."

From The Guardian:

"Drawing on the earliest Christian texts, Cooper examines what it would have been to live as a woman between the first and fifth centuries. Her book is as much an exercise in historical detective work as anything else, an act of reading between and behind the lines, rescuing these lost women from ancient sources, assessing their influence, and placing their lives in a broader social and historical context.

She explores in particular detail the exaltation of virginity and the role of the domestic space in the growth and spread of the church. Early Christians usually gathered in private homes, with families and communities praying together, and women were a vital part of this process."

July Additions to the Library

Here are the latest additions to my personal Library for the  month of July 2013:

Gaelic Ireland, C.1250-c.1650 by Patrick J. Duffy

"This massive work, published in hardback in 2001 to critical acclaim, has become one of the definitive books on Gaelic Ireland. In is now made available in paperback. Running to over 450 pages, it includes a place-name index, a personal-name and collective-name index."

Stephen and Matilda by J. Bradbury

"This is a story of rivalry for the English throne which throws new light on a much-neglected aspect of Stephen's reign. The book looks at colorful characters and brings to life the civil war and the ensuing battle for the English Crown. The war is examined in detail through the various campaigns, battles and sieges of the period, including the two major battles at the Standard and Lincoln, showing that Stephen always held more ground than his opponents and was mostly on the offensive. The nature of the warfare and the reasons for its outcome are examined, along with comment on the strategy, tactics, technology in arms and armor, and the improvements in fortifications."

The Monks of War by Desmond Seward

"The Templars, the Hospitallers, the Tuetonic Knights and the Knights of the Spanish and Portuguese orders were 'noblemen vowed to poverty, chastity and obedience, living a monastic life in convents which were at the same time barracks, waging war on the enemies of the Cross'."

A Brief History of the Knights Templar by Helen J. Nicholson

"Presents an account of the Knights of the Order of the Temple of Solomon. This work recounts the history of these storm troopers of the papacy, founded during the crusades but who got so rich and influential that they challenged the power of kings."

Richard III by David Baldwin

"The only biography to reveal that the bones found in Leicester carpark ARE Richard III's. The DNA tests of the bones found in a Leicester car park reveal that they DO belong to Richard III beyond all reasonable doubt. These findings were announced at a press conference on February 4th and broadcast on the same day in a documentary on Channel 4." (I have the pre-finds book as well)

And two novels from one of my favourite authors:

Soldier of Crusade by Jack Ludlow

"1096. The Pope has called for a Crusade to free Jerusalem, and half the warriors of Europe have responded. Among them is the Norman, Count Bohemund, one-time enemy of Byzantium. His first task, pushing back the Infidel Turks, calls for an alliance with old enemy Emperor Alexius. But can the Crusaders trust the wily Emperor?"

Prince of Legend by Jack Ludlow

- awaiting publication but follows on from "Son of Blood" and "Soldier of the Crusade"

And for something completely different:

"Heart of Darkness" and "The End of the Tether" by Joseph Conrad

"Heart of Darkness is a short and vividly brutal account of colonial enterprise that has as much in common with the jaded Evelyn Waugh of Black Mischief as it does with any of Conrad's direct contemporaries in the late nineteenth century. It is accompanied in this volume by the tales with which it has been published since 1902, the autobiographical short story "Youth," and the less personal but more substantial tale of an old man's fall from fortune, "The End of the Tether." Though these stories differ considerably in style and content from his later novels, much of his reputation rests upon the words contained in this volume."

Additional Additions

Some book bargains and one "first read".  Also added a dozen e-books to the Library as well.  especially looking forward to Lester Picker's books:  The First Pharaoh and The Dagger of Isis which have also found a spot on the shelves of the Library.  June is looking good!

June Additions to the Library

Exciting new additions to the Library have arrived in June:

Fighting for the Cross by Norman Housley

In a series of massive military undertakings that stretched from 1095 to 1291, Christendom's armies won, defended, and lost the sacred sites of the Holy Land. This book recreates the experience of crusading, from the elation of taking up the cross to the difficult adjustments at home when the war was over.

Chronicles of the Crusades by Sire de Jean Joinville & Geoffroi De Villehardouin

This book features the most authoritative accounts available of the Holy Wars: Villehardouin's "Conquest of Constantinople" and Joinville's "Chronicle of the Crusade of St. Lewis." 

Byzantium by Judith Herrin

For a thousand years, an extraordinary empire made possible Europe's transition to the modern world: Byzantium. This book provides various short chapters that focus on a theme, such as a building (the great church of Hagia Sophia), a clash over religion (iconoclasm), sex and power (the role of eunuchs), and a symbol of civilization (the fork).

The Queen's Agent by John Cooper

Elizabeth I came to the throne at a time of insecurity and unrest. Spain plotted an invasion, but Elizabeth's Secretary, Francis Walsingham, was prepared to do whatever it took to protect her. This title tells the story of a man devoted to his queen, sacrificing his every waking hour to save the threatened English state.

Famous Women by Giovanni Boccaccio

This collection of biographies in Western literature is devoted to women. It affords a glimpse of a moment in history when mediaeval attitudes toward women were beginning to give way to more modern views of their potential.

Women and the Church in Medieval Ireland, C.1140-1540 by Dianne Hall

A major study of women and the medieval Irish church, this book includes ground-breaking investigations of medieval nunneries in Ireland, their personnel, patrons, buildings and estates and their strategies for ensuring the productivity of their resources. The author argues for the existence of close ties between the supposedly cloistered nuns and the surrounding lay communities. 

Downfall of the Crusader Kingdom by W. B. Bartlett

W.B. Bartlett brings to life the bitter infighting and political battles which ultimately led to the disaster at Hattin and the downfall of the Crusader kingdom.

The Normans in Europe by Arthur Henry Johnson

The sword and the cross The Normans (or Northmen) forged an empire that lasted four hundred years. Though principally known for their seat of power in Normandy, they originated from Viking stock and at the height of their supremacy had made their influence felt throughout Europe and into the Middle East.

Margaret Queen of Scotland by Henry Grey Graham

The Queen who became a Saint Born in 1045 in Hungary, Margaret was the daughter of an English Prince, Edward the Exile. She returned to Britain in 1057 when the childless Edward the Confessor required a successor because her father and subsequently her brother were considered to be legitimate heirs to the English throne. 

The Alexiad by Anna Comnena

"The Alexiad" was written around the year 1148 by Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor Alexius I. Often considered the first major female historian, Anna Comnena studied philosophy and history extensively, subjects which lent themselves to her very thorough examination of the political and military history of the Byzantine Empire. (Finally have my own copy!)

The Norman Conquest by Marc Morris 

An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. It is an invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought. This book explains why the Norman Conquest was the single most important event in English history. (Have Marc's book on Edward I, so this will make interesting reading.)