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    Speaker of Truth Senior Member Moros's Avatar
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    Default What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview thread

    A bit of topic perhaps, but still interesting as it might give people some ideas on what to read next and to compare each other opinions on certain books. Though we shouldn't go to far with the latter not to derail the thread too much of course. Of course the EBI forums still have the bibliography threads which has many good suggestions and where you can still give your recommendations. But it's a bit dead and doesn't have exact the same use. Also the EB II forum could always use more off topic thread that actually content-wise have something to offer, at least I think.

    Personally I'm working on a paper on the revolution of Judah Maccabee and hence I've been looking up a lot in quite a few books. But the only one I'm really actually reading of those is Jews, Idumaeans, and Ancient Arabs by Aryeh Kasher, as it touches more of my pet subject; the Ancient Arabians. Though I'm not done with it yet it looks like a good book, though I do feel like the author likes to see the positive things in the Hasmoneans a bit too much. Still it has good information on a topic which he is right to call a bit neglected.

    This Summer I'm thinking of reading:
    The last pharaohs : Egypt under the Ptolemies, 305 - 30 B by Joseph Gilbert Manning, which has recieved some good reviews.
    I also noticed another book in the new addition shelf of our Library about Pyrrhus: Pyrrhus of Epirus, by Jeff Champion. Though I'm not sure if it is any good.

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    COYATOYPIKC Senior Member Flatout Minigame Champion Arjos's Avatar
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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    Reading "Celts: History and Civilization" by Venceslas Kruta and very slowly reading "The Persian Empire" by Amélie Kuhrt...

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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    please let me know your impressions on the Pyrrhus book, he is a very fascinating character to me. I just have Plutarch's story of him

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    Speaker of Truth Senior Member Moros's Avatar
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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    Quote Originally Posted by fomalhaut View Post
    please let me know your impressions on the Pyrrhus book, he is a very fascinating character to me. I just have Plutarch's story of him
    If I get to reading it, I will post my opinion and stuff.

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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    I just got into "The Victors and the Vanquished: Christians and Muslims of Catalonia and Aragon, 1050-1300" Cambridge University Press, 2004 and so far its interesting. Not really the EB time period but still... if anyone has some recommendations of books on Iberia or Roman Hispania I'd be interested.

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    Speaker of Truth Senior Member Moros's Avatar
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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    Quote Originally Posted by Ichon View Post
    I just got into "The Victors and the Vanquished: Christians and Muslims of Catalonia and Aragon, 1050-1300" Cambridge University Press, 2004 and so far its interesting. Not really the EB time period but still... if anyone has some recommendations of books on Iberia or Roman Hispania I'd be interested.
    As far as I'm concerned books posted here shouldn't need to be from the time period. I'd wish I could anwser your question, but alas I've never really read books specifically on Roman Iberia or other Iberian history.

    The EB bibliography recommends the following three books though:
    The Romans in Spain, 217 BC – AD 117, C.H.V. Sutherland
    Roman Spain: Conquest and Assimilation, Leonard A. Curchin
    Hispaniae: Spain and the Development of Roman Imperialism, 218-82 BC, J. S. Richardson

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    Member Member GenosseGeneral's Avatar
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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    Quote Originally Posted by Ichon View Post
    I just got into "The Victors and the Vanquished: Christians and Muslims of Catalonia and Aragon, 1050-1300" Cambridge University Press, 2004 and so far its interesting. Not really the EB time period but still... if anyone has some recommendations of books on Iberia or Roman Hispania I'd be interested.
    Hispaniae: Spain and the Development of Roman Imperialism 318-82 B.C. has been posted before, and I can recommend it. Also worth a look is in my opinion Aspects of the Roman Experience in Iberia 206-100 B.C. by Robert Knapp.

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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    Quote Originally Posted by Moros View Post
    If I get to reading it, I will post my opinion and stuff.
    reading a pretty nice review on amazon seems to put it in high regard, apparently the author constantly notes the limitations of each sources and doesn't put Pyrrhus on any pedestal (of note is that the other review saw the not constant praise of the eagle as a bad thing :P )

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    Speaker of Truth Senior Member Moros's Avatar
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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    Quote Originally Posted by fomalhaut View Post
    reading a pretty nice review on amazon seems to put it in high regard, apparently the author constantly notes the limitations of each sources and doesn't put Pyrrhus on any pedestal (of note is that the other review saw the not constant praise of the eagle as a bad thing :P )
    Hmmm that's indeed always a positive thing.

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    Member Member Cyclops's Avatar
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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    Keep going back to Robin Lane Fox, the guy is a tweedy provacateur. Love it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Moros View Post
    ...my pet subject; the Ancient Arabians. ...
    Have you read this one? Probably you know it, but as an outsider I found it a fascinating ramble on a thorny subject.

    The Arabs in Antiquity: Their History from the Assyrians to the Umayyads Jan Retso

    He gets all interesting and speculative just at the end bit (and he parenthesises it, saying hes dropping the scholarly paradigm for some fun) talking about Hud and arab druid/bard equivalents. Not saying Arabs had druids, just my take on the sort of notions he was prepared to have a flaky stab at in an afterword kinda way.
    From Hax, Nachtmeister & Subotan

    Jatte lambasts Calico Rat

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    ΤΑΞΙΑΡΧΟΣ Member kdrakak's Avatar
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    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    [QUOTE=Cyclops;2053302977]Keep going back to Robin Lane Fox, the guy is a tweedy provacateur. Love it.

    The classical world. an epic history of greece and rome. Robin Lane Fox

    A wonderful book with a slightly different than usual take on presentation. Absolutely loved it!!! It was given to me by one of the author's friends under somewhat odd circumstances. Very very good.
    -Silentium... mandata captate; non vos turbatis; ordinem servate; bando sequute; memo demittat bandum et inimicos seque;
    Parati!
    -Adiuta...
    -...DEUS!!!

    Completed EB Campaigns on VH/M: ALL... now working for EBII!

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    Member Member Brucaliffo's Avatar
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    Default DE REBVS MILITVM

    Hello guys,

    i strongly suggest this book: http://www.arsdimicandi.net/ad_1_g000378.pdf

    It is a wonderful study (this is the first book of a series, this one's about monarchy legions), very interesting.
    Unfortunately for many, it is in italian language..

  13. #13

    Default Re: What history book are you reading or planning to read?/ The history bookreview th

    Aperghis, G, G. 'The Seleukid Royal Economy' (2004) Cambridge.
    With regard to the above conversation about Pen and Sword books they are most often written by experts in their fields, at least the ones I have read. They are aimed at general reader, not an academic- never the less they do have bibliography and references. I find them light reading and entertaining, usually read one in on a Sunday afternoon.

    Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk



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