From uninterrupted defeat to almost unbroken success: a year when Rommel is gradually thrown back in North Africa; and in the Pacific the tide turns.
#952840 in Books Vintage 1969-12-12 1969-12-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.30 x 1.13 x 4.20l; .70 #File Name: 0394705408512 pagesGreat product!
Review
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The Fault is My OwnBy StrawgoldThis book is important; but dry - and I did my best; ( I find my "best" keeps changing so who knows for later) but I couldn't wade through it right now with any degree of mental stimulation from the authors - which was too bad; too as it dealt with the original documents and words of the participants at the time (which may have been part of problem). It reminds me of why I didn't like history when I was in school; and is the reason I'm going back now - at this point in time - to round out what I missed out of boredom then (and immaturity) to try to ferret out some better historians with a more flavorful flair for turning their writing talents loose. Nonetheless; I clearly see it's value; I know it is worthy of any serious historian; and the fault is my own. I encourage anyone who has thought about going back and refreshing American History to jump off and go for it. It's amazing. But if you go *here* to do it; be forewarned that it is very dated in it's writing format; and the same history can be found elsewhere in livelier form. It certainly wasn't dull while it was happening; and it shouldn't be tedious to read of it now.There was one chapter (pg 186) that caught my attention - "Adam Smith; conclusion of the mercantile system". This man offered a no-nonsense approach to addressing the existing disparities in the "import/export" and therefore the "supply/demand" while establishing a vigorous American economy free from British interference. I hadn't read too much about him before. He was free with his thoughts about Britain "pretending" to make economic sense with their agendas; while in practice the opposite effect occurred; that of stifling the Colonists; and negating their own internal efforts to establish strong trade that benefited them not only as individual craftsmen; but as a nation aggregate. He could see an "imbalance" of trade and he could see the reason why: the colonists themselves were being used as cheap labor to produce for exportation; while "tools of the trade" that would allow expansion of talents were all but impossible to import; to effectively suppress competition from the colonists - as they would gain greater strength and skills from such purchases by manufacturers that had already fine-tuned some of the processes; thereby becoming a strong; independent nation and thereby also an inherent threat to the Motherland.It's a very good book for scholars; but I didn't have the strength or patience at this point to digest all of it - although I probably will go back later and "take it on."0 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy KeithItem exactly as described. Thank you!16 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Historical GeniusBy A CustomerThis is going to be short and sweet. The book is excellent for research. It gives you a history of the events that occurred throughout the time period of 1584 - 1775 and then includes primary documents. There are many different perspectives from one document to another. If you're interested in history or are doing research on a particular subject in this era; I would recommend this book to you.
