The History Book Club discussion

Todays bag at the PO Box include these great books:


by George Hooper
From Wikipedia:
"Abraham de Fabert, marquis d'Esternay (11 October 1599 – 17 May 1660) was a Marshal of France. He was the son of Abraham Fabert, seigneur de Moulins (died 1638), a famous printer who rendered great services, civil and military, to Henry IV.
At the age of fourteen, Abraham de Fabert entered the Gardes Françaises, and in 1618 received a commission in the Piedmont regiment, becoming major in 1627. He distinguished himself repeatedly in the constant wars of the period, notably in La Rochelle and at the Siege of Exilles in 1630. His bravery and engineering skill were again displayed in the sieges of Avesnes and Maubeuge in 1637, and in 1642 Louis XIII made him governor of the recently-acquired fortress of Sedan. In 1651 he became lieutenant-general, and in 1654 at the Siege of Stenay he introduced new methods of siegecraft which anticipated in a measure the great improvements of Vauban.
In 1658 Fabert was made a marshal of France, being the first commoner to attain that rank. He died at Sedan in 1660."

by Bing West

I broke down and ordered 'The Wrong War' too, which I just today :) along with 'A Question of Command'. Now I just need to decide which one to read first.

by Bing West

by Mark Moyar

I wasn't aware of this thread....now, I,m going to be buying more books.

Hi Harry, good to hear that you found some books you like :)

I don't want to hog this thread but here are my acquisitions for today:


by Rodric Braithwaite

by James Nelson

It was the briefest visit ever to my favorite bookstore (Powell's in Portland, OR - if you have ever been there you are probably a fan too.) You all would drool at the scope and size of this history section alone! In a matter of minutes managed to snag a few things on the to-read list that are now in the to-read pile.

by Bill Clinton
by Philip Dray
by James Bradley
by Timothy Egan

Now I am eager to finish what I am reading so I can dig into the to-read pile and don't know what I will read next.

Looks like some very good books there Alisa, I've had my eye on "The Imperial Cruise" for some time so I'd be interested to hear what you think of it once you've read it.

by James Bradley

I picked up a copy of; "To Kingdom Come" today as well.

by Robert J. Mrazek

I'd probably have a panic attack when I get to Powell's someday! Whew.

"The Imperial Cruise" is a good book. I reviewed it for a journal, so I got my hands on a early copy. It will change the way you look at TR, especially his Nobel prize. When you are done, feel free to post some comments on the TR thread; I'd love to hear them.

by James Bradley

I picked up:
Max Hastings

If you ever get near Portland you would have to plan a day there - a must do! I could pop down to meet you and help haul your purchases out of there. Good thing there is a microbrewery next door. All that shopping works up a thirst!

Alisa wrote: "If you ever get near Portland you would have to plan a day there - a must do! I could pop down to meet you and help haul your purchases out of there. Good thing there is a microbrewery next door. ..."

You got a deal, Alisa :-)

Picked these up today, all microhistory - one of my favorite genres. Just what I needed, more books to add to the to-read shuffle. :)

by Mark Kurlansky
by Erik Larson
by Molly Caldwell Crosby

Some good books there Alisa, I think you'll enjoy Erik Larson's book, he is a pretty good author and the book; "The Devil in the White City" is a good story.


by Erik Larson

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Some good books there Alisa, I think you'll enjoy Erik Larson's book, he is a pretty good author and the book; "The Devil in the White City" is a good story.


[bookcover:The Devil in the White ..."

I am looking forward to reading it, have heard good things. Turns out the author lives in the Seattle area - who knew?

Hi Alisa,

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America is a really good read, enjoy!!

Ruthbie wrote: "Hi Alisa,

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America is a really good read, enjoy!!"

Thanks.
In looking at my reply I failed to post the book cover and Ruthbie you gave it a good try with the link but it should look like this:
by Erik Larson

Today I picked up copies of "Hannibal" by Richard A. Gabriel and "Wellington In The Peninsula 1808-1814" by Jac Weller (second hand hardback copy).

by Richard A. Gabriel

by Jac Weller

I read "The Imperial Cruise" a couple of months ago and thought it was very, very interesting. Like Bryan said, it definitely changes the way you look at TR. I might have to go over to that message board too and see what people have to think about it.

"The Devil in the White City" is also a couple of books down on my to-read pile. My husband read it and said that I HAD to read it soon. It really creeped him out! lol

Erik Larson
James Bradley

Just back from my morning coffee and read at the local cafe which happens to be next to my Post Office box and I picked up this great looking book; "Fatal Colours" by George Goodwin.

by George Goodwin

Today I picked up a second hand hardback edition (published 1920) of "Memoirs of the Count de Rochechouart: 1788-1822" by Frances Jackson.

(no cover) Memoirs of the Count de Rochechouart in France, in southern Russia, the Napoleonic wars, 1812-15 and as commandant of Paris 1788-1816 by Frances Jackson

New books for the 1st day of the month, I picked these up today:


by Jim Michaels

by Dick Camp

by Ed Roynon

I received and purchased a few books the last few days from overseas, second hand books shops and other book shops:


by Ian Hughes

by Jack A. English

by Mark Hammond

by Lynne Reid Banks

Picked up:

Jeff Shesol

So, I walk along the hallway at work and three boxes of free books, so I got:

Kim Stanley Robinson (Alternate history-fiction)

Ricahrd E. Neustadt

Charles O. Jones

Hey, pretty good!

Elizabeth S wrote: "Hey, pretty good!"

Yeah, not bad for free books :-)

i have read devil in the white city by Erik larson and just finished the imperial cruise by james bradley -you're right TR doesn't look so good now

Bunnie wrote: "i have read devil in the white city by Erik larson and just finished the imperial cruise by james bradley -you're right TR doesn't look so good now"

You picked up two good books and I'm glad you liked them. Be sure to use the add book/author feature for the two:

Erik Larson

James Bradley

Bunnie, please always cite the book cover and author links when mentioning a book. Your posts would look like this:
Erik Larson
James Bradley

right now i am reading Christopher Hitchens god is not great--good study of religions or the case against.

Bunnie, I know you are new to our club however please follow the book citation rules when mentioning a book and author. Use the 'add book/author' feature above the comment box to add the book cover, author photo (where available) and author link.
Christopher Hitchens
If you need help with this please let any of the moderators know. Thanks.

ok alisa--i will try to get this stuff--i am not very good with the computer yet

thanks, appreciated. the tool is easy to use once you get the hang of it. there are instructions on the mechanics of the board to help you as well.

my recent books:


by David Fromkin
by Arrian
by Victor Davis Hanson
by Tom Holland
by Edward Creasy

[No Cover] War Through the Ages by Lynn Montross

by J. E. Lendon
by Stephen E. Ambrose

A few good books there Tom, you should enjoy yourself reading them :)

I received these today:


by John Man

by Kelly Kennedy

by Peter Hart

Where do you put these books once you get them; I saw your library.

They are starting to build up on the floor! I will have to do a cull soon and sell off some of the older titles in my library that I'm no longer interested in but that's a very hard thing to do :)

It's like selling your babies, isn't it. Would it help to think of it as sending them off to college? :)

Good point Elizabeth, but I live in the hope that my sold off books go on to make someone else's day a brighter one :)

What a generous soul. You aren't loosing a daughter, you are gaining a son-in-law. You aren't loosing a book, you're gaining...

Okay, I guess it is time to stop those analogies!

Poor Aussie Rick; is it possible to build in some bookcases in other parts of your house. I think it really is very hard to part with one's books. I did it once - 14 boxes to the library and I have regretted it forever.

A few books that I got today


by Robert L. Bateman III
by Brian MacArthur
by Ray Hildreth

Aussie Rick, you might have to add onto your house at this rate. Or get a Kindle (I know, perish the thought!)

Went to the taping of a book discussion where two of the four authors of this book were interviewed. I bought the book and am looking forward to reading it!

by Joan Singler, Jean Durning, Bettylou Valentine, and Maid Adams

No Kindle yet, I still have a bit more space left in the house to fill up :)

After all, your wife probably still uses the cupboards for food and dishes. Lots of space left once you get rid of those non-necessities!

There is also always the bathtub (smile); trunks of cars.

Quit cooking and use the oven!

Maybe the freezer or the fridge during those hot days...would serve two purposes - enjoyment and cooling. Under the couch or in the dog's crate (the dog usually sleeps at your feet while you are reading anyways). I think we are having too much fun with this. Aussie Rick, we are just having a little fun.

I'm having a good laugh but my wife isn't at all impressed :)