Although there is substantial dialogue, this book almost reads like a biography of Liang Shi-yi, with cultural and historical gems thrown in. The best parts (I think) are in the author's description of common life which are virtually unknown to westerners (like the acquisition of various wives and concubines). The plot can get bogged down in detail at times, but at other times, the detail provides amusing insight into the life of a Chinese leader.

This historical novel about the life and times of Liang Shiyi should be considered a must read by anyone interested in better understanding China and her people in particular, as well as the background of the relationship between the East and the West in general. The book covers the period from 1844 to 1933. For key points of reference of this period, 1848 marks the date of the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels, 1853 was the date of the "opening" of Japan by Commodore Perry of the U.S. and 1931 was the date of the start of active Japanese aggression in China which in effect was the first major step on the road to World War II.

In many ways the main character, Liang Shiyi, is a personification of the Chinese people and society which was a village based, family oriented agrarian culture under dynastic rule and governed by a bureaucratic meritocracy. The book chronicles the rise of Liang Shiyi from one of these villages to the upper ranks of the governing Mandarin class. With the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and his role in abdication of the emperor in early 1912, Liang Shiyi can be viewed as one of, if not the last of the Mandarins.

Although the book is written in the more lively narrative style of a novel, in many ways it maintains basic elements of a historical biography. The book is comprehensive and meticulously written as are other books that have been written by the author while a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. The book is divided into three major parts and each part is divided into 24 "bite-sized" chapters of 6 to 7 pages. The western oriented reader may find some difficulty in keeping track of formal names of people and places not unlike that found in Russian novels such as War and Peace. Thus the map provided in the front of the book and the index of Chinese names at the back proved very useful.

In conclusion while the book provides interesting reading in its own right, it is particularly beneficial to anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of China and her people, particularly with the desire to be better able to interpret current events within the context of relatively recent Chinese history. It would appear that this was one of the author's main purposes in writing the book among others.

I could hardly put this book down. Yes, I know it's not really a novel in the usual sense. It's more a "life and times" with emphasis on the "times." And yes, it is very detailed and sometimes complex, but what a picture of China! Events and issues that had previously been inexplicable to me suddenly seemed much more clear: Origins of the Vietnam War, why the Chinese embraced communism, the animosity between Chinese and Japanese, etc. I was, perhaps, more interested in the glimpses of family life. What a family! At the end of the book I wanted to know how they had fared under Mao and where they were now.

The book is similar, I think, to Blood and Oil : Inside the Shah's Iran, by Manucher Farmanfarmaian and his daughter Roxane Farmanfarmaian. Both are stories of landed and wealthy families dedicated to public service in 3rd world countries struggling to balance a long, proud history and tradition with the demands of the 20th century. The issues were similar--maintaining order through times of tremendous change, implementing some level of democracy, keeping national identity while adopting parts of Western culture, and, of course, trying to stay alive in very dangerous times. Although the fathers of both men were from different countries, I saw great similarities. Both were stern patriarchs with many wives and children who valued education for their daughters as well as sons and tried to keep their families safe through money and influence.

this is classical anti-turkish ... book

a lot of historical facts were completely falsified.

a naive historians can even find the historical lies inside it.most of the dates given were mismatched.

just one word

during the 1915,ottoman empire was reigning the anatolia not republic of turkey

ottoman empire was consisting of turkish and a lot of different nations and ottoman rulers never accepted that they are turkish origins.most of the ottoman emperors mothers were serbian,armenian,greek,russian and all top goverment people were not turkish.any historians can find this fact easily if he can research the archives objectively.

it is complete absurdity to accuse of turkey which was founded in 1923 after collapsing of ottoman empire.

The government of Turkey goes to great lengths to deny the twentieth century's First Genocide. Ed Alexender relied on the historical archives of at least several countries , mainly Germany and USA's National Archives.Being a retired foreign service officer, he knows the value of facts and he documents his facts quite well!
When it comes to presenting facts, I believe the reviewer from Turkey is presenting his goverments misguided policy and nothing else. His reviews are always negative when it deals with the Armenian Genocide.
I recommend this book highly!!

This book is a worthy read for students, scholars, and laymen interested in the complex and ofthen paradoxical arena of international justice. Written in the form of a thriller that could rival LeCarre ,Angler, and Ludlum. This book delves deep into the psyche of the victims of genocide in a masterful tribute to the human spirit to endure adversity and mete out justice.

This is a powerful and moving story, however it loses it's power over several retellings. Donald woods orginal book may prove a better read bit i can't find a copy.

This is the book which tells us the story of a black banned south african, who thinks black should get free, and insists not using violence, but words. By chance he meets a reporter named Donald Woods and they ge to be friends.

But as their friendship develops so does the south african wihes to catch him. Finally he's caught and the editor banned. But he'll strugle to get freedom and publish a book about these black leader.

Sad but true and exciting story of the late seventies, definetely recommendable.

This is a book with highclass!

This was an interesting account of Hannibal provided by this French author, who is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Grenoble. He utilises most contempary and some modern accounts of Hannibal and his campaigns and also offers his views on those accounts to assist the reader in judging the accuracy of the text.

At times I found the narrative to become a bit muddled and somewhat dry but overall he offers a decent biography of this Great Commander. I would have appreciated a more in-depth account of his battles but the author does provide details of every facet of Hannibals campaigns including the political background at the time.

For those looking for a more detailed military history of Hannibal and his role in the Punic Wars I would recommend Nigel Bagnall's 'The Punic Wars'. For a view from "the other side" I would recommend 'Scipio Africanus, Greater than Napoleon' by Liddell Hart.

However if you just want a decent account of Hannibal and an over-view of his role in the second Punic War than this book should fit the bill.

I found this book a very concise and scholarly work on the life and battles of the great general Hannibal. Though no new ground is covered in this treatise, it is very well written and translated and would be an excellent read before embarking on a report or essay on the battle of Rome.

Understandable and enlightening, this book covers the life of the general as well as most other books currently in print though not as well as some that are difficult to find today. Without question factual, this book was meticulously researched and verified. Still, since we have little evidence from a historical standpoint other than what has alrady been offered, there is nothing new to glean from the pages of this book.

One of the best attibutes of this book is the lack of embellishment or dramatic affectation of the battles Hannibal fought. The facts are credible and thoroughly investigated.

Because of the interesting pitch and composition of the writing, this would be an ideal book for teachers to require students from high school onwards to read. It is compelling enough to hold their interest and edcuational enough to impart some knowledge of the antiquities.

The trouble with all books about Hannibal is that they all tend to read rather much the same, which simply reflects the fact that virtually all our information of him derives from only two written sources (Polybius, who was semi-contemporaneous, and Livy), so biographically it's kinda difficult for any author of a Hannibal book to get any new angle or info on him. Thanks to the Romans' thorough destruction job on old Carthage, there is minimal archeological or other primary documentary evidence to add to our knowledge of him, so unless someday something turns up somewhere else (bearing in mind he actually spent more of his life away from Carthage)...

What therefore helps to make this book stand out from others, is that the author is a respected academic and authority on the subject (he has excavated Carthage - see his other book) who clearly knows his stuff.

His comments and discussion are balanced and intelligent, and being a fairly recent book is able to take account of modern views and research. What is also good is that he avoids sacrificing the book's readability with being overly detailed on every aspect, but yet caters for those looking for more detail in places with specific literature references in his narrative. In my judgment the information contained is very thorough and sufficiently detailed, for most readers, without being overwhelming.

I should think this book is probably as good as any other book on Hannibal currently in print (if not one of the better ones).

However, in my opinion the best book is the now out-of-print "Hannibal: The Struggle for Power in the Mediterranean" by Gavin De Beer, which is comprehensive, highly readable and (best of all) is lavishly illustrated with color plates and photographs on nearly every page; - something which alas is lacking in most other books including this one, which only contains twelve simple diagrams/maps, not counting the front cover picture.

In summary, though, this is a scholarly yet very readable account of Hannibal which pretty much tells you all there is we have available to know about this awesome guy.

Poor quality work, with many unsupported references, of so-called Ottoman archives that will make, the Turkish ministry publications concerning the Armenians, as first handed references. In fact the work is even less credible then Kamurun Gürün(a Turkish diplomat) "juicy" publications. What can I add other then the work treatment of the Armenians was discredited and even destroyed by professionals such as Dr. Robert Melson, when he analyses the Shaws conclusions that are absolutely contrary to scientific methodology. Could that be explained by Ezel Kural, his Turkish wife implication concerning everything that imply the Armenian question ? I don't know. But the fact is that Shaw conclusions are so reticule draw that it contradict any independent researchers in that field, and even for peoples such as Dr. Daniel PANZAC that actually studied McCarthy calculations(that merited the analyses of Frédéric Paulin, who destroyed the "McCathyist" theses, that contain mathematical fundamental errors). Dr. Daniel PANZAC, is a very well known Ottoman population specialist, and seen as the one that has don the most extensive research about the subject.

What can I add ? Well if you are against intellectual integrity, and see history as only "mythological" event a kind of Flaurissonism, then read it. But as my part the Shaws enter in the McCarthyism(seeing as the Flaurisson of the Armenian genocide), science fictionism, of the kind, of the Myth of the World Jewish conspiration theories and their plan to destroy Germany, that has so inspired Monsieur Shaw.

Prof Shaw's excellent documentation of the Turkish history is, in fact, in line with the Russian view of the Turkish Holocaust. I also agree with the respectable scholars and Prof Shaw that the Armenian denial makes it worse. Besides, we are talking about the Turkish people that were directly impacted by the Armenian genocide of the Muslim people in Russian Armenia and Eastern Anatolia. Turks never stop writing about the genocide they have experienced in 1914. Referring to notes from the personal diary of Russian General L. Odishe Liyetze on the Turkish front, he wrote, "On the nights 11-12 March alone Armenian butchers bayoneted and axed to death Muslim people in areas surrounding Erzincan. These barbars threw their victims into pits, most likely dug according to their sinister plans to extinguish Muslims, in groups of 80. My adjutant counted and unearthed 200 such pits. This is an act against our world of civilization." On March 12, Lieut-colonel Griyaznof wrote (from an official Russian account of the Turkish Holocaust), "Roads leading to villages were littered with bayoneted torsos, dismembered joints and carved out organs of Muslim peasants...alas! mainly of women and children." "The killings were organized by the doctors and the employers, and the act of killing was committed solely by the Armenian Army. Large holes were dug and the defenceless Muslim people were slaughtered like animals next to the holes. Later, the murdered Muslims were thrown into the holes. The Armenian who stood near the hole would say when the hole was filled with the corpses: 'Seventy dead bodies, well, this hole can take ten more.' Thus ten more Muslims would be cut into pieces, thrown into the hole, and when the hole was full it would be covered over with soil. The Armenians responsible for the act of murdering would frequently fill a house with eighty Muslims, and cut their heads off one by one. Following the Erzincan massacre, the Armenians began to withdraw towards Erzurum... The Armenian renegades among those who withdrew to Erzurum from Erzincan raided the Moslem villages on the road, and destroyed the entire population, together with the villages."

Great work and keep up the good work.

I always admired Prof Shaw's careful research regading the Turkish history. It is also interesting to note that in the section titled 'On Armenian Collaboration With Invading Russian Armies in 1914,' he does expose the well-known Armenian crime of genocide against the defenseless Muslims in 1914.

"In April 1915 Dashnaks from Russian Armenia organized a revolt in the city of Van, whose 33,789 Armenians comprised 42.3 percent of the population. Leaving Erivan on April 28, 1915, Armenian Army reached Van on May 14 and organized and carried out a general slaughter of the local Muslim population during the next two days."

This guide reads like the authors spent a couple of weeks in the D.R. Some major towns, like La Vega, don't even merit a hotel recommendation. A pretty bad guide. Avoid it.

This book is a well written book that I really enjoyed. Even though at times I felt the book was a bit negative on some issues, over all it's great. It clearly post the different points of interests, restaurants, accommodations across the Dominican Republic. It gives some good detailed history of the country. I don't think the book did as good of a job with the Haiti section but the Dominican Republic section is stellar. Anyone travelling to the D.R. should not leave prior to buying this book!

A leader in travel guides, Lonely Plant once again proves it self as the leader in the industry with this excellent guide to traveling to/throughout the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Although Haiti's tourism industry is nearly nonexistent, the guide still provides the readers with information on attractions, accommodations, and safety issues.

In covering the neighboring Dominican Republic, the book provides much more information for this country which has seen a major boom in its' tourism industry since the late 1980s. Always informative with tidbits if information, history, maps, and information for singles and gay & lesbian travelers, the "Lonely Planet Dominican Republic and Haiti" is the best book for anyone planning a trip to the island of Hispaniola. Excellent guide for an excellent price.

I used this book solely as a review for the CLEP exam, and received a score of 55 (barely passing) as opposed to the actual CLEP books - I got a 96 using the "official CLEP guide".

This book barely has any of the actual test material included in it, and the test had many, many things not even remotely touched upon in the book. I definitely will NOT use this brand again.

This book will help prepare for the exam but it is not enough to pass the test. I was able to pass because I also took the History I, Intro to Sociology, American Government, and General Humanities CLEPS.
Even after I finished the exam, I was not sure if I passed. It is a tough test and this book alone will not be enough to pass.

This review is for those of us that had/have little or no background in the subject area, but need to pass the clep.

This book is an excellent start. It covers a wide array of material and the sample tests are appropriate to the type
of material on the real Clep. However, If you do not already
have a background in the subject area, this book is not enough.

In order to pass the clep, you should use four books.

1. This book
2. Cracking the Clep
3. The Best Test Preparation for the Clep (R.E.A.)
4. The Best Review for the Clep (R.E.A.)

All of these books together cover enough material and expose you to enough various concepts, that you should be more than prepared to pass the Clep.

While none of the Clep books contained any actual test questions, the concepts covered in the materials definately were on the test. This book was an enormous help.

ps. I passed the the test in the 98th percentile with an hour
and 18 minutes still left on the clock.

This book was neither a satisfactory travel guide nor history/cultural guide to Estonia. While trying to be both, it was neither. I was looking for more specific information that a tourist would need for visiting Tallinn and the countryside, ie ferry information, shopping, more on accommodation.Also the quality of the publication (paper & graphics) was very disappointing. I found the Lonely Planet Guide to Scandinavia & the Baltic States to be more helpful and certainly of a much better quality

Although a previous review criticised this book for not helping with the shopping, there are those of us who can negotiate these things on our own, or who went to Estonia armed also with more touristy guides for those matters (such as the fine "In Your Pocket" series). The Bradt Guide to Estonia, however, is for those of us who wish to know more about the history, culture, and especially the natural history of a place before we travel, that we may arrive informed. Indeed, not many travel guides even touch on a region's natural history, but this one does more than that, and also has some good stories that prepare the traveler. It's good reading.

This excellent guide is one of the best. Even the very fine guides from the 90s have out of date infomation that this volume rectifies. I appreciate the book's scope and practicality. The new color photos add a great deal. Next time in Estonia this one is coming along.

I ordered this book because I thought it would provide an introduction to the politics of the Dominican Republic. When I got it, it reminded me more of a mixture between a tacky guidebook and an elementary school social science book. It does present some insight into the historical, economical and political conditions of the country, some of them even differing from the mainstream image, but it is all very limited in scope and not very useful. If you want a guidebook, I'd suggest Lonely Planet a million times before this one. When it comes to a political review of the country, I have unfortunately had difficulties in finding one. But surfing the web for a couple of hours will certainly provide more useful information than a copy of this book.

This book has dealt well with subjects like the economy, politics, and local places to visit. Unfortunately, I found the information on the history and cultural identity of the Dominicans to be lacking information. For example, When Howard spoke too briefly of the Taino Indians or how the Dominicans have a need to be more "Indian". He was totally incorrect. The author does not hold a strong enough argument or facts to support this. He leaves the reader with much confusion about the Dominican identity.

This book is a much needed new insight on Dominican Republic where I travelled a lot a few years ago. It is very interesting situation with haiti and the author adresses cultural issues sensitively but informatively. The book is very easily to read and has a good order.