Expanded and updated for the new millennium.Covering the life of Christ; the election of Pope Benedict XVI; and everything in between; A Concise History of the Catholic Church has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades and a mainstay for scholars; students; and others looking for a definitive; accessible history of Catholicism. With a clarity that will appeal to any reader; Thomas Bokenkotter divides his study into five parts that correspond to the major historical and epochal developments in Catholicism. His authoritative; thorough approach takes readers from the Church’s triumph over paganism; through "the sound and fury of renewal;" to a new section devoted to such topics as dissent and current developments in the ecumenical movement. Informative illustrations throughout the book; new to this edition; enrich the reader's experience; and the addition of a wide-ranging bibliography increases its value as a sourcebook.
#352292 in Books Edvard Radzinsky 1997-08-18 1997-08-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.97 x 1.31 x 5.26l; 1.08 #File Name: 0385479549640 pagesStalin The First In Depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents From Russia s Secret Archives
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An intriguing history of such a powerful manBy SadFlowerA beautifully written review of a fascinating book for anyone who wishes to know the truth about Stalin. I've been interested in the history of the Soviet Union and Stalin for many years; having grown up during the Cold War. Taken from documents now available in Russia's secret archives; Radzinsky obviously did his research. To think that such evil existed; and some of his victims included family and friends... It makes a strong case for Stalin finally being murdered by those close to him who knew from the 1930s what lay ahead for them in the early 1950s; especially in light of his plans for the future. My one problem was in keeping everyone straight from when and how they knew Stalin; to their fate at being murdered; exiled or sent to the camps. It will definitely be a book to be reread; and it might be interesting for me to do a chart of their relationship to Stalin and their fate at his hands. Few were lucky to live to tell the tale...2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Little DisappointingBy StewThis was my first book on Stalin; and it was a little disappointing. It's geared more to the in-depth history of the Bolshevik Party; I thought; than to Stalin. It started out pretty good as to his rise to power then became a multiple character episode; that bounced around in dates of time; which I found hard to follow and comprehend. Mr. Radzinsky didn't get into the true atrocities of the Stalin era and would only mention or touch on the subject as though you already new of the subject. If you have studied Russian history and want to advance or read a different prospective of newly released documents this might be your type of read; if you're new to the subject and want a comparative read about Stalin and the terror of atrocities that he put on the Russian people you might want to look elsewhere. It is not my intentions to criticizes Mr. Radzinsky and his writing; but; his book was not well constructed in taking the reader through a historic time that is important to remember and understand.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Hitler's Evil TwinBy E. Joseph Anna"Stalin" by Edvard Radzinsky paints a dark picture of the Russian leader; Joseph Stalin. Stalin was probably responsible for more deaths (26 million) than the arch devil Hitler. A great number of those deaths were of his own people. Radzinsky portrays Stalin as either playing a chess game or writing a novel with his co-revolutionaries as victims to ensure his sole grip on power for 25 years. He used terror to ensure that no opposition to him arose. Later dictators like North Korea's Kim or Iraq's Saddam followed his game plan. Probably one of the more frightening things is that only Stalin's death avoided all out war with the West. This is a memorable biography.
