Now Reading

[Fade the Butcher]

The Thirteenth: Greatest of Centuries by James J. Walsh

http://www.nd.edu/Departments/Maritain/etext/walsh.htm

[jcs]

Too good to post in this (http://www.thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1261) thread? :p

[Fade the Butcher]

I didn't see that one. The thread shouldn't be in the popular culture forum.

[Fade the Butcher]

Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper

[Geist]

Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper

What do you think of this, somebody bought it for me recently but these days I haven't the stomach for philosophy, however they insisted I read it so I may just do so.

[Anarch]

What do you think of this, somebody bought it for me recently but these days I haven't the stomach for philosophy, however they insisted I read it so I may just do so.
I've got it (the single volume edition) and I've read it. It's quite good. It was easier to stomach Plato via reading this than if I'd read Plato's Republic (which IMO is rather sterile...?). This turned me into a fan of Plato, quite apart from Popper's favoured liberal democracy. I also objected to Popper's ideals at the time, given I was a Randroid... Good book though.

[Fade the Butcher]

Actually, I haven't started reading it yet. I am going to pick up a copy of it this morning. The reason why I am interested in this book is because I also consider myself an enemy of the 'open society'. Popper argues in the book that Plato was a racialist, totalitarian, and supporter of eugenics. Sounds interesting. I read The Republic and The Laws years ago, but I didn't spend enough time with Plato to fully digest his ideas. Then again, I did learn a lot from Plato at the time. I borrowed my deconstructive method of questioning from him.

[Fade the Butcher]

The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians (2006)
by Peter Heather

The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization (2005)
by Bryan Ward-Perkins

[tempus fugit]

The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler.

[Fade the Butcher]

Aquinas: Political Writings
by Thomas Aquinas, R. W. Dyson, Raymond Geuss (Series Editor), Quentin Skinner

[Faustian Dreams]

"Ancient Israel's Faith and History" by George E. Mendenhall

[Roland]

Imperium, Francis Yockey

The fragments from the pre-socratics from Thales to Democritus.

Republic, Plato

Confessions, St. Augustine

Nostromo, Joesph Conrad

[Thomas777]

"The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima" by Henry Scott Stokes

[Dan Dare]

Finally finished ploughing through Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America".

I now understand what David Irving was referring to when he talks about writers of "turgid sludge".

[Blaphbee]

About to finish Don Quixote, and then I will be looking into either The Decameron or finishing off the rest of The Divine Comedy. I read the Inferno years ago, but never finished off the rest.

[Blaphbee]

Also, I finished off the Poetic Edda last week. Fabulous, fabulous stuff. For any interested, there are etexts available elsewhere - i'll see if I can't find out where....

EDIT: http://dmoz.org/Arts/Literature/Myths_and_Folktales/Myths/Norse/Edda/

^^^ The above seems to have a ton of links here and abouts for both the Poetic and the Prose Eddas.

As well, a PDF for those who enjoy such formats:

http://northvegr.org/lore/pdf/poetic_thorpe.pdf?PHPSESSID=19a09e49ab844b70a523f71f5d2919a3

[Fade the Butcher]

Finally finished ploughing through Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America".

I now understand what David Irving was referring to when he talks about writers of "turgid sludge".

I saw that in Borders the other day. It's hard for me to believe that you actually read it.

[Lionheart]

Currently reading the Republic, the Poetic Edda, and an old logic textbook.

[Crowley]

Prophet of Decline: Spengler on World History and Politics by John Farrenkopf.

A good, easy to read book.

[Leif]

Mr. Yi must read these books for a U.S. history course.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/billybobzombie/books.jpg

Notice the ethnic groups represented on the covers. Ǜÿŭ

[Helios Panoptes]

Nietzsche Contra Democracy - Fredrick Appel
The Transcendent Unity of Religions - Frithjof Schuon
The Glass Bees - Ernst Junger

[brigadier Biggles]

Ive been reading "WWII German Infantryman at War" (pic below) for the past few days, got it 2 years ago for £11 but never read it, its very good with field reports, personal photos (alot from a veteran called HG Sandmann), army organisation, sections on the different war fronts, R&R, etc, if youre interested in the German infantry side of WW2 its well worth a read.

http://www.grenadierbooks.com/shop_image/product/N00183.jpg

[Geist]

I've got it (the single volume edition) and I've read it. It's quite good. It was easier to stomach Plato via reading this than if I'd read Plato's Republic (which IMO is rather sterile...?). This turned me into a fan of Plato, quite apart from Popper's favoured liberal democracy. I also objected to Popper's ideals at the time, given I was a Randroid... Good book though.

Somebody bought me Volume 2 oddly enough but the person in question surprised me by buying it at all, I'll have to hunt down a cheap copy or off amazon, its not high on my list but that I own the second volume and not the first will irratate me no end.

[Basil Fawlty]

Somebody bought me Volume 2 oddly enough but the person in question surprised me by buying it at all, I'll have to hunt down a cheap copy or off amazon, its not high on my list but that I own the second volume and not the first will irratate me no end.Bear in mind that Popper (deliberately?) misrepresents the Republic. He wants to read it as if its some kind of manifesto of Plato's political views - which it is not - and so ignores the theme of the dialogue (who is the just man) and certain crucial passages where Socrates makes clear that this is state ("constructed in speech") is an instrument for discovering what is justice.

Anyone interested in Plato's political thought ought to read the Laws.

[Helios Panoptes]

Economic Theory and Cognitive Science: Microexplanation - Don Ross

[Intrepid]

Riccardo Orizio. Talk Of The Devil: Encounters With Seven Dictators

I read this same author's Lost White Tribes a year or so ago, and was happy to pick this up recently. Interesting "concept book", as it were. Orizio purposely went to interview 7 fallen dictators, as he said "..those who fall on their own feet tend not to examine their own conscience." I'd have to agree with him, at least in general principle. As for the former depots interviewed, the list is as follows: Idi Amin, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, Wojciech Jaruzelski, Enver and Nexhmije Hoxha, Jean-Claude Duvalier, Mengistu Haile-Mariam, Slobadan Milosevic and Mira Markovic, and lest we forget ol' grapefruit puss, a letter from Manuel Noriega.

It's not necessarily the fact that this list of men are, imo, equal in the particular crimes, but more in their own self-absorbtion. Some of the less intellectually equipped, i.e., Bokassa, left me giggling to no end at the degree of myopia in their cavalier answers to Orizio's queries. A great deal of unintended humor evoked here, which always makes for a good read. His deadpan line of questioning, as well as his non PC takes on various issues, added to jocular nature of the book. Pretty impressive, too, that he was able to get interviews and not just toss up softballs to this group. It clocks in at just under 200 pages and I'd highly recommend it, as I did his other work.

[Berianidze]

Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan - Herbert Bix
War and Peace - Loe Tolstoy
The Prince (and other writings) - Niccolo Machiavelli
Theories of Judicial Proofs - Andrei Vyshinsky

[Intrepid]

James. D. Bulloch. The Secret Service of The Confederate States in Europe: How the Confederate Cruisers Were Equipped

Erich Raeder. Grand Admiral: The Personal Memoir of The Commander in Chief of the German Navy From 1935 Until His Final Break With Hitler in 1943

I'd been working on Raeder's book on-and-off for a while now. Really quite a worthwhile read. I was unaware of his involvement, or at least the specifics, in the Great War, previously. The book reads very well, as he's very efficient in the narrative and gives one a strong feeling of his professionalism. I'd read Donitz's memoirs years ago, and I'd have to say, superfluous of politics, Raeder cuts a more impressive, sympathetic figure, and his writing is much more enjoyable to read, imo.

[Fade the Butcher]

The Open Society and its Enemies: Hegel and Marx
by Karl Popper

[Anarch]

Democracy in America - Alexis De Tocqueville
The Culture Industry - Theodore Ardono
Whose Justice? Whose Rationality? - Alasdair MacIntyre

[Hakluyt]

Ortegy y Gasset - The origin of philosophy

[Kamandi]

Tragedy and Philosophy, Walter Kauffman

[Helios Panoptes]

John Dee's Five Books of Mystery

[jcs]

John Dee's Five Books of Mystery
Would you recommend it?

[Helios Panoptes]

Would you recommend it?

I need to read more of it. Thus far, it is interesting. I'll get back to you.

[Generator]

Ortegy y Gasset - The origin of philosophy
One of the finest Spanish philosophers. ;)

Right now, re-reading The Way of All Flesh, Samuel Butler.

[Helios Panoptes]

I just got a copy of Solaris in the mail and it has a picture of George Clooney kssing a woman I've never seen, and an ad for the US movie on the top of the cover. WTF??? :mad:

[Intrepid]

James Burnham. Suicide of The West: The Definitive Analysis of the Pathology of Liberalism

[O'Zebedee]

Wallace Stevens - The Necessary Angel.

[Dan Dare]

A Year in the Merde by Stephen somebody or other.

It's crap actually.

[Hakluyt]

Picked up Simon Schama's Citizens which I hadn't finished from a few months ago. Also on my plate- Garrets and pretenders: A history of Bohemianism in America by Albert Parry (1933) and The Forked Road: Canada 1939-1957 by Donald Creighton

[Intrepid]

Jonathan Petropoulos. The Faustian Bargain: The Art World in Nazi Germany

Samuel W, Mitcham. Rommel's Greatest Victory: The Desert Fox and the Fall of Tobruk, Spring 1942

Just started:

Frank Steer. Arnhem The Fight To Sustain: The Untold Story of the Airborne Logisticians

[Blaphbee]

Finshed The Decameron, moved onto The Master and Margharita by Bulgakov, and am almost done Samuel Richardson's Pamela.

I didn't think I had it in me.

[1-800]

Pamela! Good choice! Too bad Mr. B- 's marriage is dysgenic, huh?

:D

[Donny the Punk]

I've been meaning to ask you, H; do you recommend any good non-fiction about Canadian history or politics? I've read the standards.

[Hakluyt]

I haven't taken a uni course yet so I'm not really sure what qualifies as standard... I'd say the best general history I've read is WL Morton's 'Kingdom of Canada' (1963), and anything tending more to the historical by Charles Taylor is indespensible, especially 'Radical Tories'. William Christian has a few books I think are important, and his biography of George Grant is great, a man whose life was Canada in microcosm anyway. Other authors id mention just by name, again not knowing whether or not these are obvious choices: Gad Horowitz (on labour politics), Philip Resnick (on English Canadian nationalism, such a neglected topic), George Woodcock (anarchism, but also some good general history), Frank Underhill (on liberalism) and Donald Creighton (definitive tory historian)

Tonnes of stuff on my bookshelf at home I can't remember right now - let me know if you're ever looking for anything specific

[Donny the Punk]

I ask because it's an area I have found dreadfully dull in the past, hence I know less about my own country's history than that of many others. :p Mainly I'm looking for works addressing topics of significance and which aren't dry and tedious. I shall look into some of these, though, thank you.

[Blaphbee]

Pamela! Good choice! Too bad Mr. B- 's marriage is dysgenic, huh?

:D
Dysgenic? I think not. And I believe his name might be "Brandon", but this is just speculation.

Decameron - a lot of lite-hearted fluff, but overall a pleasant no-brainer of a read.

Master and Margharita - interesting, funnier than hell at some points, somewhat contrived in others, but overall, I can see why it garners the attention it does.

Pamela - not recommended for any modern reader with a short attention span. If you're a sucker for romances like I am, you might like it, but you have to have a heavy tolerance for Christian musings; the book is fucking chock full of it.

[Fade the Butcher]

I checked out some books yesterday (some I have read before, others I have not). I'm going to do a little research before preparing my next rebuttal to Thinker. I'm preparing a comprehensive riposte this time around that will address everything from theory to our trade policies.

Kicking Away The Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective (2002)
by Ha-Joon Chang

The Political Economy of Industrial Policy (1994)
by Ha-Joon Chang

The Race to the Bottom: Why a Worldwide Worker Surplus and Uncontrolled Free Trade Are Sinking American Living Standards (2000)
by Alan Tonelson

The Global Class War: How America's Bipartisan Elite Lost Our Future -- and What It Will Take to Win It Back (2006)
by Jeff Faux

Unsustainable: How Economic Dogma is Destroying American Prosperity (2003)
by Eamonn Fingleton

In the Shadow of the Rising Sun: The Political Roots of American Economic Decline (1991)
by William S. Dietrich

The National System of Political Economy (1885)
by Friedrich List

Myths of Free Trade (1985)
by Harry Shutt

The Great Betrayal (1998)
by Patrick Buchanan

Myths of Free Trade: Why American Trade Policy Has Failed (2004)
by Sherrod Brown

[Blaphbee]

Just finished over the last three days:

Strange Pilgrims - Marquez

Ham on Rye - Bukowski

The Metamorphosis - Kafka

Beowulf

Death of a Salesman - Miller

A weird grouping of works to inhale for a weekend, but I did it nonetheless.

Has anyone read Wonderland by Joyce Carol Oates?

[Faustian Dreams]

Just finished over the last three days:

Strange Pilgrims - Marquez

Ham on Rye - Bukowski

The Metamorphosis - Kafka

Beowulf

Death of a Salesman - Miller

A weird grouping of works to inhale for a weekend, but I did it nonetheless.

Has anyone read Wonderland by Joyce Carol Oates?

Goddamn! How do you lot handle reading so many books in so little time? I'll admit I'm not very fast at reading, but I've thought that being able to get through a book of about 300 pages in a week and a half is a decent pace, during a busy schedule, at least (classes and coursework, eating, sleeping, exercising, etc.).

Do those of you who read exceptionally quickly have any tips for someone such as myself? Do you find that you are able to recall the material well enough to be able to undertake an in-depth analysis, or is it merely glossing over for the "general idea"?

[Roland]

American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis :222:
The Prince, Machiavelli (My instructor has instructed us that Machiavelli was an ironist and a Republican, and that the term "Machiavellian" is routinely misused by charlatans. This interests me a lot)
Meno, Plato
Jung, A biography of C.G. Jung by Dierdre Bair
Men Among the Ruins, Julius Evola
A Treatise On Christian Liberty With A Letter To Pope Leo X, Martin Luther

[Blaphbee]

Goddamn! How do you lot handle reading so many books in so little time? I'll admit I'm not very fast at reading, but I've thought that being able to get through a book of about 300 pages in a week and a half is a decent pace, during a busy schedule, at least (classes and coursework, eating, sleeping, exercising, etc.).
Yeah, for a busy schedule, that's probably a decent pace, and is probably what I manage at every other given timeframe. I simply had absolutely nothing to do last weekend, thus I devoted my time to polishing off as many books as I could. Admittedly, none of them except Ham on Rye were all that long, but at least it makes me sound smart. ;)

Do those of you who read exceptionally quickly have any tips for someone such as myself? Do you find that you are able to recall the material well enough to be able to undertake an in-depth analysis, or is it merely glossing over for the "general idea"?
That's sometimes a big problem for me, but other times, if I'm completely wrapped up in a story, the speedier I read it can sometimes hammer the juicy details into my brain all the better. Mostly, I can recall major plot points, a few odds and ends, and the overall comprehensive gist of the book. I might not necessarily be able to recall specific dialogues or particular wordings, but then again, I sometimes surprise myself in that way.

I have no tips other than trying to find uninterrupted time in which to put towards the task, and a calm settled mindset. I'm not particularly all that fast, either, but when a story sucks me dry, er, in, it can be finished in a matter of hours.

[Intrepid]

Since last time:

James Burnham. The Web of Subversion: Underground Networks in the U.S. Government

Michael Reynolds. The Devil's Adjutant: Jochen Peiper, Panzer Leader

Kenneth Macksey. Guderian: Creator of the Blitzkrieg

Nicholas Harman. Dunkirk: The Patriotic Myth

Adrian Weir. The Last Flight of the Luftwaffe: The Suicide Attack on the Eight Air Force, 7 April 1945

Helmut Walser Smith. The Butcher's Tale: Murder and Anti-Semitism in a German Town

Helmut Altner. Berlin Dance of Death

Lawrence Sondhaus. Preparing for Weltpolitik: German Sea Power Before the Tirpitz Era

Stephen Yafa. Big Cotton: How A Humble Fiber Created Fortunes, Wrecked Civilizations, And Put America On The Map

[Fade the Butcher]

I snapped these up off Amazon this morning for $81 total. Jensen's book was only $6. That's peanuts. There are some really great deals out there. I want Lynn's Eugenics: A Reassessment, but its a bit pricey. I will order another round of books next week.

Race Differences in Intelligence: An Evolutionary Analysis
by Richard Lynn

In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity
by Daniel Kevles

Intelligence, Race, and Genetics: Conversations with Arthur R. Jensen
by Frank Miele and Arthur Jensen

Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future
by Gregory Stock

Remaking Eden: Cloning and Beyond in a Brave New World
by Lee Silver

[Ravenheart]

I want Lynn's Eugenics: A Reassessment, but its a bit pricey.

I got that one fairly short after its publication. It wasn't nearly as pricey back then. Seems like the price is going up as the supply is shrinking. If I were you, I'd get it before the price goes further up - unless they're planning a reprint, of course.

Currently reading: Alasdair MacIntyre - After Virtue

[Fade the Butcher]

Just found this steal on Amazon. I bought it for a mere $3!

The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System
by William Willbanks

[Intrepid]

Just found this steal on Amazon. I bought it for a mere $3!

The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System
by William Willbanks

Give this a shot. It will collate all of the primary discount/used/closeout booksellers. http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/stores

[The Retard]

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
(I'm reading this one on the shitter)

[Fade the Butcher]

I ordered a new round of books this evening.

More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement (2005)
by Ramez Naam

Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing our Minds, Our Bodies, and What it Means to be Human (2005)
by Joel Garreau

Liberal Eugenics: In Defense of Human Enhancement (2004)
by Nicholas Agar

[Hakluyt]

on the go are:

Understanding Power: The indespensible Chomsky

Thomas Carlyle's French Revolution

a bunch of random Michael Moorcock fantasy

[Intrepid]

Fergus Fleming. The Sword and the Cross: Two Men and an Empire of Sand

Little different take than usual on France's imperialistic ambitions in North Africa. I would recommend it over some of the more chronological tracts I've read on the subject. The author, Fleming, can actually turn a phrase rather well, at least for an historian.

Cinzia Romani. Tainted Goddesses: Female Film Stars of the Third Reich

A nice, large format pb on the subject. A reprieve from the typical demonization of the topic, with the top twenty or so German actresses of the period. Lots of pics, too. To be honest, sans the introduction, the book reads like a book of the American cinema of the era. Cool pick up.

Jo Fox. Filming Women In The Third Reich

I'd read a portion of this one last year. It's more of a scholarly tome, at least in comparison to Romani's. Reading the latter's got me to finish this one for any tie-ins. It's a far more comprehensive work into all aspects of female involvement in the German cinema '33-'45. Whereas the former has more fluff and gloss.

James Lucas. Kommando

Another I'd started ages ago, but just finished. Some don't particularly care for Lucas' views, I actually enjoy his writings, however, as he writes on obscure aspects of the war at times. This one has the standard special ops, e.g., Eben Emal, The Bulge, Mussolini's rescue, the para drop on Tito et al. It also has some lesser-known Brandenburg operations in French North Africa and Tunisia, as well Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine and poltically oriented special forces.

Steven Newton. Retreat From Leningrad: Army Group North 1944/1945

This is the first translations of the U.S. Army sponsored reports of the German defensive campaigns of Army Group North in the latter stages of the war. It's the most exhaustive I've come across on the subject. Certainly as an tactical study, as well as at an operational level. I enjoyed it more than Werner Haupt's Army Group North, myself.

Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani. The Black Prince and the Sea Devils: The Story of Valerio Borghese and the Elite Units of The Decima Mas

Part biography, part history of the Italian Decima Mas, who were the Naval special ops in WWII. Borghese was certainly a character worthy of a bio. In addition to his successes in WWII, he was rumored to have been behind the sinking of a Soviet battleship in '55 and led a failed, right wing coup in Italy in '70. Passed away in exile, in Franco's Spain, a few years later.

Robert Lesser. Pulp Art: Original Cover Painting for the Great American Pulp Magazines

Nicely laid out, coffee table-styled book on pulp mags. A zillion well-replicated reproductions. Picked it up on the cheap. Good find.

[Fade the Butcher]

Intrepid,

I saw this one at the library the other day. It may interest you.

Mussolini's Italy: Life Under the Fascist Dictatorship, 1919-1945 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594200785/104-5083650-0527952?v=glance&n=283155) (2006)
by R.J.B. Bosworth

[Janus]

"L'homme machine"

[Intrepid]

Traudl Junge (Ed. Melissa Muller). Until The Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary

When I saw this one go into the import overstocks, I was actually enthused to read it. I had seen something on it previously. What it's comprised of, however, is a reminiscence of hers back in '47. It was intended for newspaper serialization in Britain and the States, but never hit the ink. For the most part, it's just banal observations from a secretary. Some of the anecdotes of A.H. and his inner-circle are kind of interesting, but certainly nothing revelatory.

One prevailing theme that hits you like a ton of bricks, though: the editor's tone on the subject of the Thrid Reich vs. Junge's POV in '47. Suffice it to say, the former's are self-serving & downright clumsy. This best examplifies Muller's spin, while explaining a - yes - mere secretary's "guilt":

Pgs. 217-218

" She does not play down the fact that she provided him (A.H.) with female company while he and his acomplices were implementing the 'final solution'."

I surprised she didn't have an all-capped, running commentary at the bottom of each page, extolling what Junge really thought in '47. Hopefully, this woman stays away from subject of WWII in the future. We can only hope.

Dennis Showalter. Patton And Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century

Nothing really new here that hasn't been traveled down by many their numerous biographers. I didn't know, but this was a "History Book Club edition", which tend to be rather generalized in nature to begin with. A good one to practice one's speed reading skills, at least.

Steven A. LeBlanc & Katherine E. Register. Constant Battles: The Myth of the Peaceful, Noble Savage

I'm only 50 pages into this one, but this one looks to be a ground breaker of sorts. LeBlanc is a archaeologist at Harvard, and this book is riveting. No pristine and peaceful worlds of ancient lore to be found here, folks.

Pick this one up.

[Geist]

Looks interesting Intrepid, I was reading an article about how violent the noble savage was in the newspaper, sadly it would take yonks to type out, lookds good though.

Have you read The Golden Bough?

[Intrepid]

Looks interesting Intrepid, I was reading an article about how violent the noble savage was in the newspaper, sadly it would take yonks to type out, lookds good though.

Have you read The Golden Bough?

No, I'm not familiar with that, Geist. What's it about?

[jcs]

a bunch of random Michael Moorcock fantasy
Though I don't know him personally, I kind of hate him as a person, based 'Epic Pooh' and 'Starship Stormtroopers.'

"If I were sitting in a tube train and all the people opposite me were reading Mein Kampf with obvious enjoyment and approval it probably wouldn't disturb me much more than if they were reading Heinlein, Tolkein or Richard Adams."

The guy's a fucking prick--not because he happens to dislike somethings I happen to like (namely Tolkien, whose name he spelled wrong), nor because he likes the godawful heretical gnostic garbage that was advertised primarily for children for whatever reason (His Dark Materials)--but because his reasons for hating the former and liking the latter stem from stupidity. In his essays, Moorcock is the quintessential postmodernist critic... well, 'quintessential' if more postmodernists critiqued fantasy and science fiction, which, as they generally oppose elitism, they don't do as often as they ought.

That said, I like some of the Elric stories.

I've been reading Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. I'm halfway through the second of the four volumes, reading slowly so as to not finish it before the other two books arrive on Monday.

I'm also slowly reading through The Three Ages of the Interior Life by Rev. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange. This happens to be the best book on spirituality I've ever come across:
-If you haven't read any works on devotion, spirituality, or mysticism, this contains everything you need to know.
-If you have read some of the abovementioned types of writing, read this, as it contains the wisdom from nearly everything else.
-If you've read every spiritual work, save this book, read this, as it synthesizes most everything else.

[Geist]

No, I'm not familiar with that, Geist. What's it about?

From Wiki:

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of mythology and religion by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941), first published in 1890. It was aimed at a broad literate audience raised on tales as told in such publications as Bulfinch's Age of Fable. It offered a modernist approach, discussing religion dispassionately as a cultural phenomenon, rather than from a theological perspective. While the final worth of its contribution to anthropology will be newly evaluated by each generation, its impact on contemporary European literature was unquestionably large.

The Golden Bough attempts to define what almost all primitive religions share with each other, and with modern religions such as Christianity. Its thesis is that ancient religions were fertility cults that centred around the worship of, and periodic sacrifice of, a sacred king, the incarnation of a dying and reviving god, a solar deity who underwent a mystic marriage to a goddess of the earth, and who died at the harvest and who was reincarnated in the spring. Frazer claims that this legend is central to almost all of the world's mythologies. The germ for Frazer's thesis was the pre-Roman priest-king at the fane of Nemi in a sacred wood, who was ritually murdered by his successor:

"When I first put pen to paper to write The Golden Bough I had no conception of the magnitude of the voyage on which I was embarking; I thought only to explain a single rule of an ancient Italian priesthood." (Aftermath p vi)

The title was taken from an incident in the Aeneid, illustrated in The Golden Bough by the British artist Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851): Aeneas and the Sibyl present the golden bough to the gatekeeper of Hades to gain admission.


Of course its not a modern text but it has a huge collection of stories from all over the world, especially primitive socities in the early chapter.

Its 12 volumes or so but an abridged version exists, though thats about 700 pages in itself, Ive been reading it slowly for quite a while.

Its also the influence for a whole load of poets, including the basis for the Waste Land, as Eliot tells us in his notes.

http://englishatheist.org/bough/index.shtml

Online text, the first Chapter is decieving as to how good the rest it, as his origanal aim to answer the origanal question takes an 11 volume detour :D

[Intrepid]

Steven Heller & Louise Fili. Deco Espana: Graphic Design of the Twenties and Thirties

Well ilustrated book. There's quite a bit of propaganda posters from their civil war I'd never seen. The material isn't on par with the Italians, or even the French, but not bad at all. The publisher, Chronicle Books, lays out their books very nicely.

Sven Steenberg. Vlasov

It's a biography on the ROA General, of course. The author was born in Riga and served as an interpretor in the Wehrmacht during the war. I'd read this years ago, but was worth a second gander. All in all, a postive look at Vlasov. It doesn't go into Keelhaul to the same degree as Tolstoy or Epstein's works do, but still a sound effort.

Richard Gid Powers. Not Without Honor: The History of American Anticommunism

Working on this for a while. Relatively comprehensive work, but I differed too much with the author's opinions and conclusions, particualrly on the major players involved. I can't recommend it.

Just starting:

Daniel Meyerson. The Linguist and the Emperor: Napoleon and Champollion's Quest to Decipher the Rosetta Stone

[Ixtab]

Thomas Carlyle's French RevolutionThe greatest history book in the English language.

As for me, I am now reading The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell.

[Dan Dare]

Hasn't arrived yet from the vendor, but my next read coming up is Appeasing Hitler; The Diplomacy of Sir Nevile [sic] Henderson.

Very hard to find and selling for $ 75-80 new, but I just snagged a good s/h copy for $ 28.

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0312228503.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[cerberus]

"The Complete War Walks" by Dr. Richard Holmes.
Excellent reading.

[Razor Ramon]

This is my first post. I have been lurking here for a while so I thought that I would finally say something. Much like Fade I tend to drop about $80-$100 at a time on Amazon. At the top of my stack of books to be read are:

"A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe

"Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

My World Religions instructor recommended that one.

"Unholy Alliance" by Peter Levenda

Amazon recommended that.

"Men Among the Ruins" by Julius Evola

That seems to be a popular one among the members here.

[Intrepid]

John Toland. In Mortal Combat: Korea, 1950-1953

[Dienekes]

The First World War by Hew Strachan. It is pretty short, and he jumps around a lot so it is hard to keep track of what happened when, but it is a good overview on a subject that I am woefully ignorant of. It also has a pretty good quote. It's Douglas Haig describing William Robertson as having "contained in his cylindrical person a quite unusual proportion of character and common sense to the cubic inch." I don't quite know why I like that so much, but I do.:p

If anyone has any suggestions of another good WWI book I would appreciate it.

[Intrepid]

[I]

If anyone has any suggestions of another good WWI book I would appreciate it.

To be honest, I'm not particualrly well-versed in WWI myself, but I found Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August a good yarn. It's been years since I read it, but it was a rather engrossing work. As a rule, however, trench warfare and wanton slaughter isn't my cup of tea. That said, Dennis Showalter's Tannenberg: Clash of Empires is an excellent synopsis of the utterly briliant German offensive in the East. Top notch book.

Peter Hart's Jutland 1916 : Death in the Grey Wastes is a real page turner, as is Barrie Pitt's Coronel and Falkland, which dealt with two much less hearlded naval engagements of the war.

T.E. Lawerence's Revolt in The Desert was a fun read, too.

[Micaelis]

the accursed share vol II & III by georges bataille
the iliad by homer (b&n translation)
early greek philosophers by jonathan barnes

also picked up a greek-english lexicon :)

[Intrepid]

Anastasio Somoza. Nicaragua Betrayed

George Charles Roche III. Frederic Bastiat: A Man Alone

Just starting:

Allen Dulles. The Secret Surrender

[Lionheart]

Julius Evola - Revolt Against the Modern World
Dostoevsky - Demons

[Intrepid]

Jay. A. Stout. Fortress Ploesti: The Campaign to Destroy Hitler's Oil

Christopher Duffy. Red Storm on the Reich: The Soviet March on Germany, 1945

Thomas Brooks. The War North of Rome, June 1944 - May 1945

[Will Scarlet]

Jay. A. Stout. Fortress Ploesti: The Campaign to Destroy Hitler's Oil

Christopher Duffy. Red Storm on the Reich: The Soviet March on Germany, 1945

Thomas Brooks. The War North of Rome, June 1944 - May 1945


Trep! Good to see you, friend. The taigs are restless...

[Geist]

Trep! Good to see you, friend. The taigs are restless...

Intrepid posted on this forum with all of us before you arrived without a hint of the bullshit thats goes on now. When you make posts likes this, 'taigs' (you realise thats the language of 14 year old street kids in Belfast, and not grown men), what do you expect, a welcoming party. :confused:

[Will Scarlet]

Intrepid posted on this forum with all of us before you arrived without a hint of the bullshit thats goes on now. When you make posts likes this, 'taigs' (you realise thats the language of 14 year old street kids in Belfast, and not grown men), what do you expect, a welcoming party. :confused:

And did I use such language before Shane climbed up on his high horse and stirred the rest of you into a frenzy? Nope.

Anyway, didn't mean to take this thread off topic. I was just greeting a friend.

I'm currently reading Randy F. Nelson's Almanac of American letters.

[Geist]

And did I use such language before Shane climbed up on his high horse and stirred the rest of you into a frenzy? Nope.

Anyway, didn't mean to take this thread off topic. I was just greeting a friend.

I'm currently reading Randy F. Nelson's Almanac of American letters.

The use of Taig was a clear troll and you know it. I dont say hello to other Irish members on this forum by letting them know the Orange bastards are in a frenzy do I, nor would I.

[Will Scarlet]

Whatcha readin' these days, Geist? :wave:

[Geist]

On Something - H. Belloc.

This is right up your street actually. Its a mish-mash of his thoughts really, but there is an excellent argument for a threatre of the middle classes, which he feels are neglected in terms of drama. At first I was a bit wary, but he makes a convincing argument.

Old English Grammar - Joseph Wright.

An old introduction to OE grammar, from the early 1900's, before OE was dumbed down a bit. Its pretty exhaustive, and gets the closest to teaching OE as it may have been spoken that Ive yet to find.

Still reading The Golden Bough, and have made it to volume three, though Ive been at this as a project for months now. Luckily my library has a huge Frazer section since one of the Prof is an expert on him.

Thats all for now :)

[Anarch]

Finished reading:

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
Deception Point - Dan Brown
Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
Deleuze and the Political - Paul Patton
Burmese Days - George Orwell
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

[tempus fugit]

Books I have read over the past 12 months:

Fundraising for Dummies
Creating the Good Life: Applying Aristotle’s Wisdom
Aristotle for Everybody by Mortimer Adler
Blink
The Right Nation
Lords of Chaos
Who Killed Homer?
The Decline of the West
The Conscience of a Conservative
Bushido: The Soul of Japan
The Renewable Energy Handbook
$mart Power
The End of Oil
Out of Gas
Energy in the 21st Century
What Energy Sources Should Be Pursued?
Pour your Heart into it
Start and Run a Coffee Bar
The Way of the Ninja
Essence of Ninjutsu
Ninjutsu: The Art of the Invisible Warrior
Read Japanese Today
-----------------------------

Right now I am reading Dreamer of the Day by Coogan, about Francis Parker Yockey....so far, so good!

[Dances with Wolves]

Parables of Ramakrishna.
The Yoga-Vasistha.
I read the second one every Sunday.

That's odd. I figured you'd be reading self-help and diet books? :welcome:

[Boleslaw]

Man and the State - Jacques Maritain...very interesting.

[FR Joe]

Frosted Flakes nutrition panel.

[Intrepid]

Not a whole lot of substanitive reading, let alone posting, this Summer. After all, it's Summer. Splurged on a slew of fun stuff I've wanted.

James Ford & Katherine Morrow Ford. Classic Modern Homes of the Thirties: 64 Designs by Neutra, Gropius, Breuer, Stone and Others

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0486259277.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1056448692_.jpg

Elizabeth McMillian. Deco Streamline Architecture in L.A.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0764320084.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1129830499_.jpg

Donna S. Baker. Heywood-Wakefield Blond: Depression to '50s

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0764322796.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1129859942_.jpg

Susan Day. Art Deco and Modernist Carpets

http://www.rugbooks.com/images/products/BOOKS006266I.JPG

Richard Guy Wilson & Dianne H. Pilgrim. The Machine Age In America, 1918 - 1941

http://www2.wright20.com:8080/auctions/24_wright_book/full/individual_lots/_piece_images/24001_431_002.jpg

Steven Fili & Steven Heller. EURO DECO: Graphic Design Between the Wars

http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/assets/stepicons/13324.jpg

Harry N. Abrams. American Modern 1925-1940: Design For a New Age

http://www2.wright20.com:8080/auctions/24_wright_book/full/individual_lots/_piece_images/24001_431_001.jpg

Bill Yenne. Classic American Airliners

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0760319316.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V63422599_.jpg

Fiona Gallagher. Christie's Art Nouveau

http://www.bookcloseouts.com/images/large/isbn082/0823006441-l.jpg

Adrian Tinniswood. The Art Deco House

http://media.bestprices.com/content/isbn/59/0823003159.jpg

Patrick Pascal. Kesling Modern Structures: Popularizing Modern Design In Southern California, 1934 - 1962

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/189044913X.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Luca Palmerini & Gaetano Mistretta. Spaghetti Nigghtmares: Italian Fantasy-Horrors as seen through the eyes of their Protagonists

[Anarch]

Ok. I've read these in the past month:

The Leopard - Guiseppi Di Lampedusa
American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond
Collosus: Rise and Fall of the American Empire - Niall Ferguson.

And others.

[Sean]

Feudal Society - March Bloch
In Search of the Indo-Europeans - J.P. Mallory
The Iliad - Homer (For the second time)

[Der Sozialist]

Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos ---Strogatz

[LastResort56]

Currently reading:
An interesting book on early humans, genetics, race, evolution, sociality ect. called Before the Dawn; Recovering the lost history of our ancestors by Nicholas Wade.
And 1776 by David McCullough on the American revolution.

[Hakluyt]

Otto Strasser - Germany Tomorrow
____________ - History in My Time
Roger Woods - The Conservative Revolution in the Weimar Republic

[Anarch]

The War of the World: History's Age of Hatred - Niall Ferguson
Dune Trilogy - Frank Herbert
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand

[White Eugenics]

The Talmud - Various Authors
Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
Beloved - Toni Morrison