Rating: 
Summary: And a Bloody History It Is!
Review: "Eyewitness" means exactly that. These are first-hand accounts mostly devoted to death in some form or another: The beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots with her pet dog cowering in her skirts, starving Irish with green mouths from eating grass; and the Turkish atrocities where the Bashi-Bazouks kill mothers and then separately kill the unborn infant. (The latter was to up the body count, so the soldier could meet his quota and get into heaven, regardless of his sins.) Other accounts include a bloody Viking funeral, the murder of Lincoln; the force feeding of an English suffragette; The Reichstag Fire, Pearl Harbor, Nazis and Auschwitz, the bombing of Dresden, and so on.Torture, murder, and many accounts of wars horrors make up the bulk of this. Filled with first hand accounts of death and gore, it is impossible to put down, and, believe me, the actual descriptions are in gruesome detail. But there are many other parts too, equally fascinating for reasons other than gore and violence: Dinner with Attila the Hun, the mysterious green children of England, Kublai Khans's park, and the performing ass, But why is it this recounting so filled with death and horror? Is there little else of interest? Carey brings up this point in the introduction, He says, "Death, in its various forms of murder, massacre . . . is the subject to which reportage naturally gravitates, and one difficulty, in compiling an anthology of this kind, is to stop it becoming just a string of slaughters." Carey says that reporting and news has replaced religion, and that the security offered by religion has been replaced by news of catastrophe. This works by telling the reader that he survived while others died, providing him reassurance. I would add that I think people are interested in disasters that befall others out of a need to know and so that they might be prepared. After all, even shrieking monkeys sounding their warning cries is reportage of a sort. In summary, this is terrific book with a wonderful introduction which should not be skipped. I heartily recommend this to everyone except children.
Rating:
Summary: And a Bloody History It Is!
Review: "Eyewitness" means exactly that. These are first-hand accounts mostly devoted to death in some form or another: The beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots with her pet dog cowering in her skirts, starving Irish with green mouths from eating grass; and the Turkish atrocities where the Bashi-Bazouks kill mothers and then separately kill the unborn infant. (The latter was to up the body count, so the soldier could meet his quota and get into heaven, regardless of his sins.) Other accounts include a bloody Viking funeral, the murder of Lincoln; the force feeding of an English suffragette; The Reichstag Fire, Pearl Harbor, Nazis and Auschwitz, the bombing of Dresden, and so on. Torture, murder, and many accounts of wars horrors make up the bulk of this. Filled with first hand accounts of death and gore, it is impossible to put down, and, believe me, the actual descriptions are in gruesome detail. But there are many other parts too, equally fascinating for reasons other than gore and violence: Dinner with Attila the Hun, the mysterious green children of England, Kublai Khans's park, and the performing ass, But why is it this recounting so filled with death and horror? Is there little else of interest? Carey brings up this point in the introduction, He says, "Death, in its various forms of murder, massacre . . . is the subject to which reportage naturally gravitates, and one difficulty, in compiling an anthology of this kind, is to stop it becoming just a string of slaughters." Carey says that reporting and news has replaced religion, and that the security offered by religion has been replaced by news of catastrophe. This works by telling the reader that he survived while others died, providing him reassurance. I would add that I think people are interested in disasters that befall others out of a need to know and so that they might be prepared. After all, even shrieking monkeys sounding their warning cries is reportage of a sort. In summary, this is terrific book with a wonderful introduction which should not be skipped. I heartily recommend this to everyone except children.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: A neat compilation of eyewitness acounts of some of the most fascinating characaters and events in human history (Like Attila the Hun). If you aren't a history buff before reading this book, you will be afterward.
Rating:
Summary: Unique
Review: Almost unique, this book puts you in the shoes of eyewitnesses to important historical events. In our world of modern media, the total abscence of spin comes off as breathtaking. We're hoping Carey writes another one
Rating: 
Summary: good book with one small problem
Review: as you may or may not know this book is a collection of primary sources from a wide variety of times and places. Overall i think it is an excellent book and wish that there were more books like this on the market. there really is a difference between reading a historians take on waterloo, and reading letters, reports, and documents written by people who were actually there. one thing i really like about this book is that you don't just get primary sources on "the big things in history." you get little things to, things like an account of a circumcision,an account of the finding of green children, etc. i think these things are definately treasures and make the book so much more enjoyable. the one problem i had with this book is that i would liked to have seen a little more explanation before each entry that helped put things in context for me. just take a few sentences and tell me what the naploleanic wars were. just enough to give me some idea of what i am reading about. tell me who shelley is!!!! now i know that i should know these things and that it is not the authors fault i dont, but it still would have been nice. overall i would say this is a fantastic book and i eagerly await the next volume that i hope the author is working on.
Rating:
Summary: good book with one small problem
Review: as you may or may not know this book is a collection of primary sources from a wide variety of times and places. Overall i think it is an excellent book and wish that there were more books like this on the market. there really is a difference between reading a historians take on waterloo, and reading letters, reports, and documents written by people who were actually there. one thing i really like about this book is that you don't just get primary sources on "the big things in history." you get little things to, things like an account of a circumcision,an account of the finding of green children, etc. i think these things are definately treasures and make the book so much more enjoyable. the one problem i had with this book is that i would liked to have seen a little more explanation before each entry that helped put things in context for me. just take a few sentences and tell me what the naploleanic wars were. just enough to give me some idea of what i am reading about. tell me who shelley is!!!! now i know that i should know these things and that it is not the authors fault i dont, but it still would have been nice. overall i would say this is a fantastic book and i eagerly await the next volume that i hope the author is working on.
Rating:
Summary: Want an historical account of raw evil? Look no further.
Review: Eyewitness to History was an awesome book. You will read eyewitness accounts of the evil that men do. The book is loaded with many atrocities. Some notable examples that come to mind are the Spanish atrocities in the New World, American Slavery, the Nazi concentration camps, the Christian's massacres of Muslims in Lebanon and many more. Prepare to be amazed!
Rating:
Summary: Would make any history class come alive
Review: For 20 years I've sought the kind of first-hand accounts Carey has assembled. This book is a treasure of lessons in human nature under trial. I've bought three copies for friends over the last year. An observation: most of the content covers that last 100 years via journalistic accounts. I'd love to see a second volume. It's not like material is lacking; the author could include almost any account of imperial excess from Seutonius, or Boccaccio's description of the plague in Florence (first chapter of the Decameron), or Tacitus' telling in the Germanica of political treaties conducted sober but ratified when drunk ... but if a second volume is produced, I'm sure Carey will come up with individual histories I've never encountered!
Rating:
Summary: I wish more history books were like this
Review: Friends of mine who are serious students of history have always told me that it is important to read "primary sources" instead of just the analysis of historians. But as a non-historian, I don't usually have access to eyewitness accounts of historical events. This book gave me that chance. I felt more like a voyeur than a scholar, but basically my friends were right. History seems alive when told by those who were alive to see it.
Rating:
Summary: I wish more history books were like this
Review: Friends of mine who are serious students of history have always told me that it is important to read "primary sources" instead of just the analysis of historians. But as a non-historian, I don't usually have access to eyewitness accounts of historical events. This book gave me that chance. I felt more like a voyeur than a scholar, but basically my friends were right. History seems alive when told by those who were alive to see it.
|
