On a recent trip to Florence, walking along Via Maggio, I suddenly stopped, turned to my wife, and gestured to the intricately decorated gray facade looming up before us. "It's the House of Bianca Cappello," I declared, awestruck. "I read about her in that Lewis book..." Indeed, the story of Bianca Cappello is one of the most memorable in this well-wrought book by R. W. B. Lewis. Compared to the typical "Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance" or whatever, this is a totally different take on the city. It's personal. It's intimate. And by not trying to be comprehensive, it dares to be fun. If you ever imagined yourself living in Florence, but it wasn't a practical possibility, Lewis has done it for you, and splendidly. Come on in and get to know the neighborhoods of Florence, meet the shopkeepers, stroll the back streets. Oh, certainly you'll need your Michelin, your Insight Guide, or your Baedeker when you visit the city, but be sure to read Lewis's charming book before you get on the plane.

The City of Florence is a wonderful introduction to the riches of this fascinating city. Lewis tells the story of the development of Florence from its earliest days to the present, complete with engaging anecdotes that bring history to life. My favorite is an excerpt from the meeting of the committee charged with deciding where to place the statue of David. Woven into this is Lewis' own story of living off and on in Florence for the last 50 years: the neighborhoods, the business owners, the museums and the Vespa drivers. The traveler will find information on the best restaurants and cafes, the most interesting shops and the best ice cream. The literary traveler will find anecdotes about writers who have lived in or near Florence. A useful, delightfully presented wealth of information and entertainment; a must read if you're planning a trip to Florence.

If you read this book , and understand the implications ,of what it means, then all our preconceptions ,of prehistoric people are destroyed . As Piccasso said ,after visiting prehistoric cave paintings ,We have invented nothing . Have a look at the hair styles ,and sensuous clothing on the figurines ,look at the sensuous art work ,see that there are no weapons of war , come away troubled. Rob Whiteside

For all those who are interested in a learned and well documented alternative view on the prehistory of Europe - the best you can do is to read this work! Gimbutas was one of the worlds leading archaeologists and even her opponents had to admit that virtually no one could match her encyclopaedic archaeological knowledge. Then she started to argue that there has been a prehistoric matrifocal culture in Europe where the Goddess were worshipped and suddenly she was quite mariginalized in the academic community. Of cource no on denied her outstanding archaelogical knowledge but she was suddenly not politically correct in this male dominated community. If you read this powerful book you realize why. This book presents the essence of Gimbutas life long research and her final conclusions.

This book is highly recommended for basic studies of the ancient Greek world. I would not recommend it for highly advanced studies, due to the fact that it's 37 years old, and is a bit behind current archaeological findings. But it's got some great images and it's very informative. This really is worth adding to anyone's collection of books on Ancient Greece.

This is one of the Time-Life Great Ages of Man series. It is absolutely first class. The pictures are stunning, and the writing is superb. The author clearly shows how Athens became predominant through success in the Persian wars, and how democracy was created and grew. Anyone who loves democracy will love this book. One quote says it all: "We are free and tolerant in our private lives; but in public affairs, we keep to the law...We give our obedience to those whom we put in positions of authority". No one in the subsequent 2,500 years has said it better. You need this book.

Mr. McShane has produced a work that will, I think, have a profound effect on how the elite youth players in the United States are trained. He has done intensive research on how the most successful player development systems operate and has written a book designed to clearly define the essential elements of their training. If you have involvment with the development of potentionaly elite players, you should read this book.

McShane is the real deal when it comes to coaching soccer. I highly recommend his instructional and informative book. I do wish that he sought out the mighty Arsenal Football Club as a resource. I'm sure Thierry Henry could have added some poignant insights on the game. My only other complaint regarded the fact that there were no chapters on soccer video games. I feel that these games not only serve to develop hand-eye coordination and lot of good material for "smack-talk," but also instill confidence (albeit false) in one's outdoor performance. Nonetheless, this is a fine read for the lads. Go STA! Go Arsenal! and GO SOX!

How could the huge, powerful Soviet Army have vanished so quietly? William Odom, an American general, takes on this question and in the process of answering it demolishes many of the more smug conclusions drawn from the collapse of the USSR.

Odom writes of Soviet military culture with understanding, knowledge and respect. If there's a failing in the book, it's that Odom spends so little time on Soviet military adventures themselves, focusing instead on the organizational quirks of the military/industrial/ideological complex. He mentions only in passing episodes like the border war between Russia and China along the Amur, and spends only a few pages on the war in Afghanistan.

Odom's conclusion is that the Soviet military, grown sluggish and top-heavy, became the focus of Gorbachev's hatred, and could not stand up to his relentless attacks. Gorbachev comes across, in Odom's account, as an anti-Lenin, as avid in destroying the Soviet system as Lenin was in forging it.. When he managed this destructive feat, Gorbachev was astonished to find that the whole structure fell almost instantly. As Odom concludes, Gorbachev had failed to realize what even the fatuous Nicholas II knew: that the Army has always been the heart of the Russian state.

Thouasands of writers have swarmed over the carcasse of the USSR, most of them interested only in profiting from or gloating over its fall. One of its last ironies is that one of the most respectful, subtle appreciations of its life and death has come from an enemy general.

I discovered William E. Odom when a lecture of his was shown on BookTV. His talk showed an understanding of the Russian military so informed and thorough that I had to find and read his book. I found the book even more valuable and influential on my thinking than I expected. If I had known anything of William E. Odom's work and reputation, I would have known, as I do now, that his book would be lucid, detailed, and written so that its complex subject becomes clear evn to the amateur. He sets a standard of sound historical vision and attention to fact that all of us can enjoy, admire, and follow.

Excellent book with comprehensive coverage and high quality plates. Book production quality is also high. My edition is small enough in hardback to be a true "Field Guide" although I understand that a new larger edition has been recently published, if plate quality is maintained this edition will be an excellent reference. If you have questions about this text go to amazon.co.uk and read some of the reviews there. This book recieved the British Trust for Ornithology seal of approval so anything an amateur like me might add is probably superfluous. Excellent reference, nice plates and informative and accurate text

This book help me a lot during several bird trips on my first visit to Europe in 1999. I have travelled in several countries. Sometimes with very keen birders, other times alone. It would be impossible for me to be in the field in conditions to identify so many birds, without this valuable book. Excellent pictures. It's my new standard on international field guides.

Michel Biehn records in loving and sensuous detail the customs and culture of his native Provence, using color as an ingenious organizing theme. The book goes far beyond the cliched lavender. It reveals the purples that fill Provencal gardens at Easter: lilac, iris and wisteria; the deep indigo that dyed the "jute de Nimes" exported to the United States as "denim" (de Nimes) by Levi Strauss; the hot saffron that flavors bouillabaisse; the orange coral marketed at Marseille; the white-on-white boutis embroidery on quilts and linens for the traditional trousseau; the red stone villages rising from the red earth; the yellow of sunflowers, straw hats and bright silk petticoats. Biehn's particular interest, and expertise, in traditional Provencal fabrics and costumes provides a logical palette on which to juxtapose these dramatic colors. Filled with memories, history, folklore, poetry, garden wisdom and mouthwatering recipes, The Colors of Provence is illustrated with ravishing color photos of Provencal landscapes, homes and objects.

This book has very much enriched our journeys in Provence and prodded our memories when we reminisce about them. Michel Biehn's idiosyncratic list of his favorite places to visit in Provence has led us to wonderful restaurants, shops, tile works, fabric stores and museums. We found it a valuable resource for understanding the significance of artifacts in village museums in Provence, and especially the collections of the extraordinary Provencal folk museum - the Musee Arlaten - that poet Frederic Mistral established in Arles with his Nobel prize money. A lovely and lively book perfect for planning a journey to Provence or dreaming about one.

I was given this book as a gift upon returning from a trip to France, and this more than any of my travel photos will remind me of and make me yearn to be back in Provence. Very beautiful!

I have re-read this marvelous book several times now, and I love it. I have found the informative local maps (included as illustrations) to be particularly helpful, each time I've followed the Foxton story down the centuries from before the Romans to our own time.

From the book jacket:

"The setting is the village of Foxton, in Cambridgeshire, and the common stream is the story of its development from the first traces of human settlement to the present day. The common stream is also the rivulet that runs through it--both ordinary in its appearance and enjoyed by all--and yet again the common stream is that of the ordinary men and women who in their countless thousands have trudged through life and then departed from it, leaving no visible trace.

"Rowland Parker spent thirteen years with oral reminiscence, manor court rolls, land tax returns, wills and archaeological excavation, and has found out more about the history of Foxton than is known about any other village of like age in England, or even in the rest of the world."

This is a delightful book, rather like a lively dinner conversation with cheerful and well-informed host. Here is a sample, taken from his opening remarks in the Introduction:

"This is a true story with a triple theme. It tells firstly of a brook or stream, 'common' in the sense that it is but one of a thousand such streams which spring from the folds of hills everywhere, and especially in the chalklands of East Anglia. This particular stream rises a few miles to the south-east of Royston and meanders gently on a mere ten-mile course to join the river Rhee. In order to find it today you would need a large-scale map, and you would need to know exactly where to look for it, because the stream has no name, nor ever had, other than 'Brook'. Even the local inhabitants are for the most part unaware of its existence. ...Only the willows mark its course with any real prominence, and even they, stricken by age and neglect, are fast disappearing; for no one, it seems, every thinks of replanting a willow. How can such a miserable stream. . . have significance enough to merit its role as one of the principal threads in my story?

"Part of its significance lies in that very fact, that it <> a symbol of decay. Part lies in the very distant past, long before that story begins, when every spring of water and every stream born of those springs was the object of veneration by groups of primitive men who knew, as surely and instinctively as the birds and beasts still know, though most men have forgotten, that the water of those springs and streams was Life itself. . . ."

One more brief example, selected at random from a later chapter:

"Nothing was ever thrown away if it could still be used, but it would seem that decency forbade a man to dispose of his late wife's clothes until he himself was dead. Stephen Wells in 1566 left to his sister Elizabeth 'the gowne which was my wyffes with the sylver pynnes and silver howkes' and 'an owlde kyrtell of worsted which was my wyffes'."

If you have any interest in the history of the common man, you will love Rowland Parker's <>.

Foxton is the last stop before Cambridge on the railway line from King's Cross Station in London, which makes it quite a convenient base for visiting the ancient university without being overwhelmed by it.

And with this delightful book of Rowland Parker's in tow, Foxton itself can become a wonderful walk through time that's not found in the standard guidebooks.

If you have only three days to explore a bit of England at the end of a London business trip, as I did last week, I recommend you try this: (1) the guided walking tour of Samuel Pepys' London (starts outside the Tower tube station, takes two hours, and ends at St. Paul's Cathedral in time to hear Evensong sung); (2) a guidebook walking tour of Cambridge that includes "the Backs", the Mathematical Bridge, the Cavendish Laboratory on Free School Lane, and a sunset from atop the Castle Mound; and (3) a day of exploring Foxton with Rowland Parker's <> tucked under your arm. Ancient city, ancient university, and ancient village: what could possibly be better?

This book pulls no punches in explaining the rise of Nazism, exploring German history in a compelling way. This author has no axes to grind. This is must reading for anyone who wants to understand the way Adolf Hitler and National Socialism came to power. You know the old saying -- about those who don't understand history being doomed to repeat it.

Dr. Thompson, one of my former Professors at the Uni of SC (GO GAMECOCKS!) has taken an incredibly complex subject and explained it in an entertaining and insightful manner. Exactly like his classes! The question many ponder is answered in these pages, how did an group of people, the German intelligencia, fall for Hitler? By tracking the political history from before the First World War, we can see how these people desperately needed a powerful and charismatic leader, who could restore Germany's pride in themselves. No rumor mongering here, just plain facts!

This ex-pat Jewish Brit loved this book! Not only did it make me nostalgic for home, but it told me things I never knew! This is a concise but complete guide indeed. I fully intend to take it with me on my next trip back to England.

I am planning a trip to London and the surrounding countryside and I stumbled across this guidebook. Because I am Jewish, I was interested in learning more about the culture and history of British Jewish places while I traveled. This book is packed with facts that are presented in a very entertaining way. The author talks about places regular guidebooks miss, and she makes you aware of the great contributions Jews have made to England. The book is well laid out and very easy to use. I can't wait to use it for walking tours when I am abroad!