qbluecheers Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I just finished Heretic Lives - a little misleading, because its actually just biographies of a few important Medieval heretics, not about the lives of actual heretics at all. Oh well - husband bought it for me at a used bookstore, and he had the right idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelkel Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 Recently started Eric Larson's In the Garden of Beasts. It's very good so far. Although, I'm pretty much over his style of writing which goes "Whole Chapter relevant to one subject. LAST SENTENCE: BUT something else will happen later that relates, and I'm not going to tell you now." Every. Single. Chapter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamincontrolhere-haig Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Just started Andrew Preston's Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy. I've been anticipating the book for a while but good grief, it's massive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigaba Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Just started Andrew Preston's Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy. I've been anticipating the book for a while but good grief, it's massive! Now is as good a time as any to start developing one's ability/comfort level with reading just enough to understand a book's basic argument. A long time ago, a senior scholar who writes outstanding historiographical essays told me long ago when I asked if he'd read every book in his office, "It's not about reading all the books, it's about knowing where to find the information." (Of course, one remains responsible for every word on every page in every book . ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMP Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Now is as good a time as any to start developing one's ability/comfort level with reading just enough to understand a book's basic argument. A long time ago, a senior scholar who writes outstanding historiographical essays told me long ago when I asked if he'd read every book in his office, "It's not about reading all the books, it's about knowing where to find the information." (Of course, one remains responsible for every word on every page in every book . ) I remember discussing with my senior seminar classmates about our professor. We were saying "How does he know about this or that book if it's outside his specialty?" Someone said, "I think he reads all the book reviews." Of course...book reviews give the basics of the book's central argument and supporting evidence... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigaba Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I remember discussing with my senior seminar classmates about our professor. We were saying "How does he know about this or that book if it's outside his specialty?" Someone said, "I think he reads all the book reviews." Of course...book reviews give the basics of the book's central argument and supporting evidence... My own conclusion is that established historians get to the point where they can anticipate a work's arguments because, over time, they've developed a sufficient understanding of various fields--even those outside their areas of emphasis--and the skills to read just enough to "get it." As a mentor once told me as he tried to curb my habit of writing like an essayist, every work of academic history is written the same way. That point tied very nicely with another mentor's on going lessons on "how to read a book." (I also think professors take advantage of the expertise of their peers in ways that are unavailable to us as students.) And there are the book reviews... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oswic Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 That point tied very nicely with another mentor's on going lessons on "how to read a book." On a related note: Has anyone read How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren and have opinions about the recommended tactics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevolutionBlues Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I read this book and found it very helpful. No earth shattering revelations or anything, and I have my own note taking system, but I now always start a book by taking a good look at the table of contents, index, notes, etc before I even start to look at the preface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I just finished Heretic Lives - a little misleading, because its actually just biographies of a few important Medieval heretics, not about the lives of actual heretics at all. Oh well - husband bought it for me at a used bookstore, and he had the right idea. Is it 'heretic lives' in the sense of vitae, hagiography? (rather than 'lifestyles of the evangelically poor and heretical,' or some such) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I can't read anymore ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigaba Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I can't read anymore ... You'll get to the point where, like Milhouse Van Houten, you'll forget stuff you already know from all the reading that awaits you. If you, or any other poster in this forum, ever needs free advice on how to handle it all, just hollar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 You'll get to the point where, like Milhouse Van Houten, you'll forget stuff you already know from all the reading that awaits you. If you, or any other poster in this forum, ever needs free advice on how to handle it all, just hollar. Well once you drop the name Milhouse then I know you are a sage ... so go ahead and share this knowledge with wide open forum I say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Just picked up Guns, Germs, and Steel by Diamond and I'm still not sure if I buy his position yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unforth Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I'm reading Shenandoah 1862 by Peter Cozzens, and my gym reading is Clausewitz's On War. I also recently read through the December OAH Journal of American History. Anyone else read it? I found the Conservative Round Table discussions pretty interesting, I'd be curious what others thought.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbeels Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Just finished Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay... if you haven't read it--get on it! Beautifully written, its about two Jewish cousins at the vanguard of comic book illustration in 1940s New York. And if you need a little more cajoling, it won the Pulitzer a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbeels Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Just picked up Guns, Germs, and Steel by Diamond and I'm still not sure if I buy his position yet. That's a pretty brilliant book. But I agree... some of his arguments should be taken with a grain (or a few) of salt. Sure makes you think, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeLight Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 just finished merle collins's book angel (the new 2011 one, not the 1988 original) and dionne brand's in another place, not here. both were amazing. i love reading creole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kotov Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I'm currently working through Corneliu Zelea Codreanu's treatise "For My Legionaries". It's basically the testament of a Romanian fascist leader. Really creepy stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theregalrenegade Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 It might be easier to list what I'm not reading at the moment..... Currently, trying to make my way through suggested reading lists on the American Society of Environmental Historians website and European Society of Environmental Historians website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbeels Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 It might be easier to list what I'm not reading at the moment..... Currently, trying to make my way through suggested reading lists on the American Society of Environmental Historians website and European Society of Environmental Historians website. Yikes! That's ambitious--a sincere good luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazedandinfused Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 (edited) It's an anthology: "The Old South's Modern Worlds: Slavery, Region, and Nation in the Age of Progress," edited by Barnes, et al. I highly, highly, highly recommend it. Oh, and at bedtime it's Simon Winchester's "The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary." Edited April 23, 2012 by crazedandinfused Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelkel Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 I recently finished Robert Edsel's The Monuments Men. It was fabulous. He took liberties by writing out conversations that probably didn't take place, but it wasn't too often nor about important things (and he stated this fact in the preface). It was a wonderful exploration of the quest to protect art and monuments during WWII. If you're interested in either war or art history, I'd suggest giving it a read. Or watching "The Rape of Europa" (I have not read the book of the same name which the movie is based on). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedig13 Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 (edited) Most of my current reading is related to research for my Honors Thesis: - Revolutionary Suicide (Huey Newton) - War against the Panthers (Huey Newton) - Black Panther Party Reconsidered - American Babylon (Robert Self) - Living for the City (Donna Murch) Incidentally, I was wondering. An alumni of the History Department at Stanford wrote a dissertation that I'm very interested in reading as part of my research. Unfortunately, she never picks up her work phone, and records of said dissertation don't exist in Stanford's archives. Are there any other methods I might try to gain access to the document? Edited April 24, 2012 by thedig13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamincontrolhere-haig Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Most of my current reading is related to research for my Honors Thesis: - Revolutionary Suicide (Huey Newton) - War against the Panthers (Huey Newton) - Black Panther Party Reconsidered - American Babylon (Robert Self) - Living for the City (Donna Murch) Incidentally, I was wondering. An alumni of the History Department at Stanford wrote a dissertation that I'm very interested in reading as part of my research. Unfortunately, she never picks up her work phone, and records of said dissertation don't exist in Stanford's archives. Are there any other methods I might try to gain access to the document? ProQuest has a database entitled "Dissertations & Theses" that is in all likelihood available through your school's library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 does the Song of Ice and Fire series count now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now