The History Book Club discussion

Thanks, Mark. That's a very good book, but, at the risk of showing my age, I'm still a fan of Alistair Horne.

Folks, please check our rules and guidelines for authors and folks wishing to publish books. Do not state you are an author; we are not interested in self promotion. The moderators will recognize you as an author after you have made significant contributions. Please do not wave it as a banner here.

Secondly, this is not the thread for posting recommendations; we have many great threads to do just that. This is simply an introductory thread where we welcome all newcomers.

Third, we have rules for citations:

Bookcover, Author's photo, Author's link.

Lastly this is not a thread to promote causes or to express veiled self promotion of one's books.

Thank you for your cooperation in advance. I have deleted all offending posts and welcome you to repost with this in mind.

Lisa wrote: "Thanks, Mark. That's a very good book, but, at the risk of showing my age, I'm still a fan of Alistair Horne.

[bookcover:A Savage War of Peace Algeria 19541962]"

Hello Lisa,

Welcome; please follow our citation rules. Here is an example of how we cite books and authors:

by Alistair Horne

Author:

Alistair Horne

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Welcome, Lisa, glad you found us here at Goodreads.

Bentley wrote: "Folks, please check our rules and guidelines for authors and folks wishing to publish books. Do not state you are an author; we are not interested in self promotion. The moderators will recognize..."

very sorry for not following protocol.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding John.

Bentley wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Thanks, Mark. That's a very good book, but, at the risk of showing my age, I'm still a fan of Alistair Horne.

[bookcover:A Savage War of Peace Algeria 19541962]"

Hello Lisa,

Welco..."

Got it! I'm not what you call a techno-whiz, but I'm always learning new skills.

Good for you Lisa; and you will get the hang of it soon. We are always here to assist.

Welcome Lisa, Anna, and David. Lots here to explore and hope you enjoy participating in the many discussions here.

Hi Lisa and John, welcome to the group.

Apart from all the fascinating discussions on history we also have quite a few fine threads on music - all kinds from all places.
Come and take a look/listen if you like.

Best,

André

Thanks for the friendly welcomes and offers of assistance. I'm excited that you're reading Massie's bio of Catherine the Great. I'm going to launch myself into that book and try and catch the tail end of the discussion.

Lisa, because you mentioned Massie's bio of Catherine the Great you should put the book and author at the bottom as a visual reference. You'll get the hang of it. (The computer server is kind of slow and "sticky" today.)

Robert K. Massie

Okay. Will do.

Welcome Lisa. I'm sure you'll enjoy it here among like-minded folks.

Glad you found us, Lisa. There is much to see here and much to enjoy!!

Thanks, guys. You'll be seeing me in your forums...

Hi Jesse, Travis,
welcome to the group!

For this club as you get started please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment.
It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link after all of the text of your post at the bottom of the post. Placement at the bottom of the post calls the reader's attention to the book and/or author and increases the readability of your post.

This is how the book you mentioned should look:

by Richard Holbrooke

More information can be found here:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a moment to read our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

and the orientation to get you started:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Apart from all the fascinating discussions on history we also have quite a few fine threads on music - all kinds from all places.
Come and take a look/listen if you like.

If you have any questions feel free to ask any of the moderators.
Best wishes,

André

I’d like to reintroduce myself because the first time around about six months ago, I wasn’t really sure about Goodreads and didn’t say an awful lot. I am now officially addicted and have a greater comfort level.

One of my first memories is sitting on a porch reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz during a torrential downpour. I can’t imagine life without books (paper preferred, but electronic certainly okay). I am hopefully close to retirement and have worked in Higher Education as an administrator for the past 30 years. I taught early on, but realized it was not an especial skill set.

The topics that interest me vary based on time and circumstances, but they are consistently in History and under that huge umbrella usually fall within: US History (just about all subtopics); 20th century military history; aviation/space/automobiles (my father was a tool and die designer for a now defunct company that made instruments for WWII aircraft and my brother was an engineer for an aerospace company and my first car was a Triumph Spitfire); European History, especially Great Britain and France (the motivation of the family tree); and now, because of Goodreads, historical literature.

I adore art of all kinds (print, paint, photo, film, music) and could talk on all these topics until everyone else falls asleep. I also love a good mystery, some steam punk, some fantasy and sci-fi. I am terribly opinionated but I try to keep that tendency to a minimum here on Goodreads.

I am glad I found Goodreads and especially this group because you have given my reading choices structure, which I sorely needed. Thanks!
L. Frank Baum

Welcome, Cheryl. Glad you could join us.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the reply box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how the book you've mentioned should look:

Robert A. Caro

More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

And our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings on the Caro discussion thread :-)

Welcome, G. Great introduction.

Great job on the citation and its placement in the post. Just a little tweak with the author photo and link:

L. Frank Baum

More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

And our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Welcome, Travis, you came to the right spot on the Web!

Good first shot on the citation. If you don't have an author photo, then you don't need to use it:

John Darwin

Hello everyone, I'm Josh. I'm planning on becoming a lawyer, provided that I passed the bar (I find out in a month and a half or so). I've always been interested in history, and social studies was always my favorite class in school. Despite that, I came to the wonders of nonfiction much later, when I was in high school, preferring historical fiction until then.

Over the last several years, my reading has gravitated towards classics, political/military histories, and political science/philosophy, as well as a growing interest in legal history and the law.

Welcome, Josh. Good luck on the exam!

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you are ready to cite a book. (There is a link on the top right of the reply box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how a book should look:


Andrew P. Napolitano

More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

And our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Welcome Travis, Cheryl and Josh. We are glad that you could join us. This is the place for the history lover and you will find much to pique your interest. Enjoy!

Hello G, glad to see you here on the Introduction thread. Please continue to participate in the discussions/book recommendations....we are always glad to see your posts.

A big welcome to Travis, Cheryl, G and Josh to the History Club. There is a lot of excitement and communication going on. Find your interest and participate!

G wrote: "One of my first memories is sitting on a porch reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz during a torrential downpour..."

Hello G, welcome to the group! Your comment about L. Frank Baum made me feel a little nostalgic. I grew up in Chittenango NY, his birthplace. Every year we had a parade celebrating his birthday. On main street, the brick sidewalks were painted yellow just like in the Wizard of Oz. It's a fond memory of childhood. I've never read the Wizard of Oz, but after reading your post I put it in my to-read shelf. Thanks!

by L. Frank Baum

Great story, Tim. Don't forget to switch author photo with the link:

L. Frank Baum

Hi! My name is Vivien. I am a nurse manager and an avid reader, especially about History, and Politics. I am a nurse manager, but also own a company that helps educate the medical profession and the public about health policy and what it all means. I think there is a great knowlehwdge gap in what the press puts out and what the reality of health Policy and politics is. I also find it fascinating to read Biographies of people who helped change our country and our politics and who also may have had great leadership skills as well as a lasting effect on us and our country. I am excited to find this group!!!

Glad you found us Vivien. There is much here for the history lover.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you are ready to cite a book. (There is a link on the top right of the reply box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how a book should look:

by William L. Shirer


More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2......

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1......

And our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5......

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings and most of all...enjoy!!

Good Day Everyone!
I have been an avid reader since I was old enough to read. I have developed my love of history in my adult life and am passionate about English and French and American History. I live very near to Colonial Williamsburg and can often be found just strolling around and taking in all that I can. Looking forward to the exchange of thoughts with like minded members in the group! Thank you for allowing me to join!
Lisa Maher

Welcome, Lisa. Williamsburg is such an historic and beautiful place.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you are ready to cite a book. (There is a link on the top right of the reply box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how a book should look:

by Mark Twain


More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2.........

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1.........

And our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5.........

Please join in the discussions/book recommendations and if you have questions, please ask any of the moderators.

Jill wrote: "Welcome, Lisa. Williamsburg is such an historic and beautiful place.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you are ready to cite a book. (There is a ..."

Thank you so much Jill for the warm welcome to the group. I am not only new to this group, but also to Goodreads. It is quickly becoming my "go to" site for recommendations on my next book. Also, thank you for the tips on posting my recommendations. Looking forward to my involvement and thank you again for the warm welcome!

You are more than welcome, Lisa. This is the place for the history lover!!

Bryan wrote: "Welcome, G. Great introduction.

Great job on the citation and its placement in the post. Just a little tweak with the author photo and link:

[authorimage:L..."

Fixed it. Thanks!

Jill wrote: "Hello G, glad to see you here on the Introduction thread. Please continue to participate in the discussions/book recommendations....we are always glad to see your posts."

Hi, no worries about participation - once I get started it is hard to keep me quiet. Thanks to all the moderators for doing a terrific job of keeping people like me on track and for all the additional information. I very much appreciate this group.

Welcome Vivien and Lisa

Folks, please check our rules and guidelines for authors and folks wishing to publish books. Do not state you are an author; we are not interested in self promotion. The moderators will recognize you as an author after you have made significant contributions. Please do not wave it as a banner here.

Secondly, this is not the thread for posting recommendations; we have many great threads to do just that. This is simply an introductory thread where we welcome all newcomers.

Third, we have rules for citations:

Bookcover, Author's photo, Author's link.

Lastly this is not a thread to promote causes or to express veiled self promotion of one's books.

Thank you for your cooperation in advance. I have deleted all offending posts and welcome you to repost with this in mind.

Welcome Vivien and Lisa to the global History Club. You both seem to have a bit of passion for history so have fun.

Welcome, Gregor. I’m glad you could join us.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the reply box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo (when available) and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how a book you might mention should look:

Tim Weiner

Please use the “(preview)” tab to view your alignment before officially “posting”.
More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

And our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Thanks to all for the warm welcome!

Hi. My name is Brian and I am new to this group. I currently am living in nyc and working in finance. I enjoy skiing,scuba diving, and traveling. I look forward to getting familiar with the group and reading/discussing some great books!

Mark, I have reposted your intro which was very thorough and informative minus the offending segments which according to our rules and guidelines - we consider self promotion.

Mark stated:

Hello History Book Club. My name is Mark. I am 48 and I live in Rhode Island with my wife and my kids, who range in age from 4 to 13. The first thing to know about me is that I love History. I have been teaching History/Social Studies grades 7-12 since 1988, and teaching high school W. Civ. then US History since 1995. I advise my school's Model Legislature program and also serve on district history curriculum committees and state-wide social studies curriculum initiatives. This past spring I finished a lengthy graduate thesis on the interaction of state and local government between 1760 and 1820 and earned my MA in History. I am also an avid promoter of public/local history. I conduct research for exhibits and books for historical societies and museums, and I currently serve on the boards of two historical societies. I just finished the interesting challenge of developing a collections policy for a museum that has never had one, and I am also working there to organize their papers, books and manuscripts into a working archive, while I mull over the possibility of going on to get a MLIS in archives and preservation. I am huge proponent of digital history. (deleted links)

I think this is just another great space where the traditional way of "doing" history (i.e., reading books on history and then reading more books on history and talking to people about them) is intersecting with the "digital" -- the discussion board/online community. My only concern is that occasionally there will be "crunch times" when I might be less active than I might like simply due to the nature of my job and having a family with kids involved in six different activities at the same time, but I intend to try to check in here at least once a day and "keep up" with the reading.

Thomas Jefferson is one of my favorite historical figures to teach simply because he is so complex -- there are so many aspects about him that exemplify the contradictions of the "American character" if you will. There are a great set of articles from The Atlantic from the 1990s that I have used to help students grapple with the concept of historical revisionism, the ways the same evidence is interpreted to serve divergent puposes, and the importance of historical empathy over presentism --

If there is anyone who hasn't read these, I just thought I'd pass along these near-recent takes on Jefferson to "whet our appetites" so to speak, while we're waiting for Jon Meacham's book to come out.

I should mention upfront that I might be one of the biggest Tolkien geeks anyone will ever meet. When I read LotR as a kid I fell in love with all the historical elements woven into the tale, and when I discovered The Silmarillion...well, that my daughter's middle name is Silmariën might be some indication of the esteem I hold for J.R.R. Tolkien's stories about the Elder Days. I'm not a fan of the Peter Jackson movies, though I am holding out a small sliver of hope for The Hobbit... I rarely read non-fiction at this point (too many good history books still left to read!) but I am currently making time for George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, for the same reasons I go back and reread Tolkien every so often. His books have reminded me how much I really enjoy medieval history -- the last several years of doing thesis research and teaching only US History, I have gotten away from that period. Martin's books are are brilliant windows into that mentalité.

Finally, a brief run-down of my other interests. I love music and I used to play electric bass and tenor saxophone in earlier incarnations of myself, and I also composed electronic music on a computer. With job and family I don't get out to live music like I once did, but Queens of the Stone Age or Built To Spill will still get me out the door when they come around. Recently I have been exploring the electronica of Alex Coe (DJ Sasha) and Brian Transeau (aka BT), and a great indie rock band I recently discovered -- Deerhunter, whose two guitarists Lockett Pundt and Bradford Cox have also put out some amazing solo material under the monikers Lotus Plaza and Atlas Sound, respectively. I am a huge fan of jazz, especially the modal/hard bop/post-bop acoustic jazz of the late 1950s and 1960s, and live jazz when I can get it. I am also an avid motorcyclist, antique tractor enthusiast, gardener, and agricultural fair-goer. Finally, several months ago I was inspired by Drew Carey of all people and I stopped eating all foods that have enriched wheat flour and/or high fructose corn syrup as ingredients.

So that's all to know about me, pretty much. I am very much looking forward to reading The Art of Power and getting to know the community here in the discussions to come.

--------------------------------------

Mark you mentioned many authors, books - they all must be cited.

Here is how we do that:

by Jon Meacham

by J.R.R. Tolkien

by J.R.R. Tolkien

by George R.R. Martin

============================

Mark, place citations at the bottom of your post - it makes for easier reading:

Douglas L. Wilson's 1992 "Jefferson and the Character Issue

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/...

The author must be cited too:

Douglas L. Wilson (no photo)

-------------------------------------------

Conor Cruise O'Brien's 1996 "Radical and Racist

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/...

Author must be cited:

Conor Cruise O'Brien

--------------------------

Counterpoints

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/...

Douglas L. Wilson (no photo)

Welcome Mark and Brian (NYC),

Happy to have you both with us.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the reply box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo (when available) and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how a book you might mention should look:

by Conor Cruise O'Brien

Please use the “(preview)” tab to view your alignment before officially “posting”.

More information:

This is the Mechanics of the Board thread where you can find detailed instructions on how we do citations here and you can practice:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

And our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Welcome Mark and Brian, glad you found us.

Hi G., Gregor, Mark, Josh, Cheryl, Lisa, Vivien, and Brian, welcome to the group.

Apart from all the fascinating discussions on history we also have quite a few fine threads on music - all kinds from all places.
Come and take a look/listen if you like.

Best wishes,

André

Welcome Brian and Mark to the History Club. There is so much history all around us.

Hi everyone-

I think I might have introduced myself before but it would have been awhile ago and I have been relatively inactive lately and did not want to scroll back through all the comments to check.

My name is Heather and I am currently residing in Massachusetts, USA. I am currently working on my Masters degree in history, Ancients and Classics and am currently in my 3rd semester. I also work full time.

Some of my favorite areas in history to read about are: American History (particularly the Revolution and Presidents/First Ladies, Ancient Egypt and Greece, but will read anything that sounds interesting. I have a personal goal of reading a book about every president and first lady of the USA.

Nice to meet all of you.

Hi, I'm Annette and delighted to be a part of this group. I enjoy reading history and biography, particularly biographies about presidents and histories related to their administrations. I am also very interested in histories tied to the continent of Africa.