In the summer of 1925; the sleepy hamlet of Dayton; Tennessee; became the setting for one of the 20th century's most contentious dramas: the Scopes trial that pit William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes into a famous debate over science; religion; and their place in public education That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day-in Dover; Pennsylvania; Kansas; Cobb County; Georgia; and many other cities and states throughout the country. Edward Larson's classic; Summer for the Gods; received the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1998 and is the single most authoritative account of a pivotal event whose combatants remain at odds in school districts and courtrooms. For this edition; Larson has added a new preface that assesses the state of the battle between creationism and evolution; and points the way to how it might potentially be resolved.
#608375 in Books 2001-11-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.50 x 7.75l; 2.63 #File Name: 046502632X736 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Rise and Fall and Rise of BerlinBy Greg PolanskyFramed by the two unifications of Germany in 1871 and 1990; Large writes an excellent history of Berlin. Berlin's history can be divided into concrete historical eras that mirror the events of Germany. Bismarckian Berlin. Wilhelmine Berlin. Weimar Berlin. Nazi Berlin. And then the era of two Berlins during the era of a divided Germany; when only the East German state had Berlin as its capital.Before 1871; Germany had been decentralized and many cities across the various German states were centers of art and politics. Then centralization occurred under Berlin. However; the defeat and destruction of the city during WWII saw decentralization once again become the norm in the post WWII period. Today's Berlin is nowhere near as important to modern Germany as it was to Germany between the late nineteenth century and the end of WWII.Beginning with the unification of Berlin that expanded the metropolis to the third largest city of the world at the time (behind only New York and London); Large starts the story in the latter half of the nineteenth century when Berlin was a relative backwater in Germany. But centralization and population growth transformed the city. Bismarckian and Wilhelmian Berlin are the high points of Berlin. A stable economy and political scene allowed the city to thrive. But with the end of WWII; the downfall truly began. Though one could state it began earlier with the end of WWI.The decline began first with Weimar Berlin; one of the cultural golden periods of the world. But it was beset by political and economic problems that ultimately doomed it and the state of Germany. Then the 12 years of Nazi Berlin which saw Berlin at the center of a huge empire but then destroyed. And it fell into ruin..And not just ruin. But division as well. The city was divided into four sectors and then two sectors. What we now call West Berlin and East Berlin. And the ignominy of it all; - West Berlin was not even the capital anymore. A tiny town far to the West; Bonn; was the capital of West Germany. But East Germany kept their side of Berlin as its capital so at least Berlin was the capital of a Germany.The story continues during the Cold War period with all the famous events - Berlin Airlift; Building of the Wall; Tearing Down the Wall; Unification; and a close vote that led to Berlin becoming the capital again.Large does a great job of writing political; social; cultural; and economic history. This is not a dry; dusty tome. This is a lively biography of a city central to the twentieth-century. Though when it comes to architecture; perhaps the author could revisit some of his sentences such as this one when discussing the Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) - "Comparing it as it looks today with photographs from before the war; one can only conclude that this building was improved by the bombing". Yeah; that kind of criticism makes one wonder about the author. Still; this is definitely a book one wants to read to understand the importance of Berlin and its importance to the history of the world since the late 19th century.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. There are other books that describe Weimar Berlin better; he devotes too much time to describing the ...By M. HeartswornI have mixed feelings about the book Berlin. The first half is rather disappointing. There are other books that describe Weimar Berlin better; he devotes too much time to describing the national politics before WWI; and I found a book about Berlin without a single map annoying. The quality of the photographs; in general; is disappointing. In addition; the book has no bibliography; perhaps because it would have made a very large book too unwieldy. But once Hitler appears; the book soars. Throughout; Large has a remarkable ability to describe events precisely and coherently. His descriptions of the chaos on Nov. 9 1918; the Kapp Putsch; and numerous other events are perhaps the best and most succinct I've read. He also has marvelous turns of phrases; for example; "The sightings (of Hitler) continued for decades and with a frequency that rivaled those of the Virgin Mary and Elvis Presley." Definitely not 5; at times; 3. I gave it 4.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. 736-page turnerBy MariaDisclosure: I'm only about 200 pages into this book; but I can't recommend it enough. Berlin may easily be the most historically fascinating place on earth; and in David Clay Large's book characters like von Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm II come to life with vivid detail. I simply have not been able to put it down. It's even more exciting if you read it after having visited Berlin; as I had the I had the opportunity to do--then the story truly acquires a sense of dimension. Funny; colloquial; sarcastic and even slightly gossipy; this is history writing at its most entertaining.
