The heroes of Greek mythology - Achilles; Orpheus; Herakles; Oedipus and others - preoccupied the minds of the ancient Greeks no less than the gods themselves. This study uses original sources; archaeological findings and psychological insight to provide an account of the lives of these mythical figures. The narrative is complemented by illustrations from vase paintings and genealogical tables of celebrated and lesser-known mythicl figures.
#78021 in Books Charles A Beard 2004-05-20 2004-05-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.56 x .68 x 5.42l; .80 #File Name: 048643365X336 pagesAn Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Poor quality Kindle editionBy DKThe book itself is an intriguing look at the Constitution as well as the early 20th century view of the body politic. It's a shame that the Kindle edition reviewed here was such a poor copy. Do not go Kindle with this one. People buying a paper-back copy had a much easier time reading the material and understanding the footnotes. Something lost in the Kindle edition which placed the footnotes in the same size font and without line break to distinguish this information from the text. An important; controversial work of economic history - an important addition to any historian's library. Just not this edition.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. This is a excellent book to consider if you desire to have a ...By T. DonoghueThis is a excellent book to consider if you desire to have a greater knowledge of the details of the members; at least those who were allowed to participate; at the Continental Congress.All of the information is cited and well presented. It is also extremely topical today as the debates still rage over what the Founding Fathers truly intended for our Republic.Many Conservatives and Libertarians mistakenly reference this book as the reason for the the dominance of free market economics in our politics but the book clearly refutes that premise and instead clearly presents the historical reality of how special interests; as described by Mr. Beard as the holders of scripts; or debt as we now call it; and their efforts suppress the will and efforts of the free holders; or the subsidence farmers; of any real influence at the Convention and the individual state elections to ratify the proposed Constitution.It is also a well established fact that these very same men wanted to shape a English style parliamentary style government here in the colonies; that would prevent any sudden or rapid changes ignited by the people to occur.Fast forward to today and if you care about our country; no matter what your political beliefs or delusions are; you should read this book and hopefully experience a reality check.As Mark Twain once said 146 years ago "These lobbyists are called our invisible government in Washington; with headquarters on Wall Street. The rich corporations have to be shielded and protected in the Congress; and this requires vast sums of money to keep their political party in power. And they understand that the members of Congress did not get elected to serve their country for nothing. There are a lot of poor people in the Congress; every Congress; and they need looking after. They’re an expensive lot."It painfully clearly that frame work of this system occurred at the inception of our country; a frame work driven by self interests. It is also clear that the US Constitution is not written to only benefit the rich and powerful but it is how they; the special interests; interpreted it and ultimately manipulate us; the electorate; to accept.As much now as back then we must all stand for liberty and justice if we are truly to reach a more perfect union; but we must not accept that the needs of few never outweigh the needs of the many.Or consider this.John Adams once said this' “I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a disgrace; that two become a lawfirm; and that three or more become a congress.â€4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Right; wrong or disputable; "Economic Interpretation of the Constitution" is a key workBy Charlie AukermanWhen I was in college; Beard's classic "An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution" was on the required reading list for a bachelor's degree in political science. It is still a classic work; but some of its arguments have been disputed by later prominent historians. Beard looked at everything through the lens of economics. When this work was published; it was a new way of looking at American history; and somewhat debunked the idea that the Founding Fathers were altruistic in their work on the Constitution. Regardless of whether you accept Beard's view; or that of later historians; this book provides a way of looking at the Founding that will forever influence you.
