1 comments about Irish Days: Oral Histories of the Twentieth Century.

1. Eleven interviews with Irish people all aged over 75: from an 82 year old in Tipperary who still lives where he was born to an ex-High Court Judge. All walks of life are caught candidly on the page. Eamon Kelly talks about becoming an actor with the Abbey Theatre; Michael-Joe Tarpey worked all his life for the forestry department, but still managed to be a musician, builder, naturalist, maker of musical instruments and custodian of local history and folklore; Bridget Dirrane, now 106 years old, was an active member of Cumann na nBan, the women's branch of the Irish independence movements in the 1920s. Against a background of world-shattering events at home and abroad, Margaret Hickey's subjects lived lives of extraordinary diversity and recount them with the poetry for which their country is renowned.

No comments about Soho Past.

5 comments about The Arms of Krupp 1587-1968.

1. As business histories go, "Arms of Krupp," an 800 page indictment of the Krupp steelworks dynasty (and the regimes that supported it), is a bizarre saga. After a brisk prologue that takes us from 1587 through to the beginning of the nineteenth century, we first meet Alfried Krupp, "Cannon King" and warmonger, a man who believed fresh horse manure was good for the lungs and whose radical cannon designs laid the basis for Prussia's victories in the Austrian and French wars. Next we meet Gustav Krupp, suspected pederast, whose likely suicide only barely saved him from tabloid disgrace. Then to Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, an "adoptive" Krupp, chosen by the Kaiser to marry the surviving female heir, Bertha (who gave her name to the "Big Bertha" 410 mm cannon of World War One).

   Finally -- and this is the book's real focus -- we turn to Alfried Krupp, the last Krupp to run the Essen steelworks. Manchester gives over about 1/3 of the book to detailing Alfried's involvement in the Nazi slavery racket and his subsequent conviction for war crimes. As Manchester shows, the Krupp crimes were at least as serious, if not worse, than those of I.G. Farben, and it is nothing short of extraordinary that Alfried von Krupp was pardoned by the American military governor. Krupp went on to refloat the Krupp works, only to see it collapse under a mountain of debt in 1968.

   This is a book that takes us from the giddy heights of nineteenth century robber baron-ism to the full unmitigated horrors of the Nazi war complex, and manages to mix humour (for much of the early Krupp saga is frankly hilarious) with deep compassion and sensitivity to the victims of the war. A tour de force.




2. Seeing what this book was about, I thought it had no chance of holding my interest. However, once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Manchester really makes this history read like a first class novel.



3. "The Arms Of Krupp" is the incredible biography of a powerful and incredibly rich and powerful family that was central in the advent and progress of European history for the more than four hundred years they presided as an almost imperial force within the boundaries of what is present-ay Germany. Certainly no other non-royal dynasty engenders such controversy and hotly expressed differences in opinion than does the multiple generations of this critically based family so critical to the development and technological capabilities of the German war machine. Of course, no one could do a better job at providing a definitive historical biography of the Krupp family than William Manchester. This is truly a magnificent book, a spellbinding story splendidly told by a master of English prose, rendered in a flawless, comprehensive, and objective treatment of this fascinating, often outrageous, and sometime imperious string of Krupp family member who ignited the wars raging in Europe in terms of their ability to provide the motherland with such complex, ingenious, and technically superior weapons of war.

   This is, in fact, considered a masterwork of history, an eminently readable and elegantly stylish work by Manchester, a master of the trade. Manchester, a retired history professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, is widely regarded as one of this country's preeminent biographers and historian. The Krupp dynasty was extinguished in 1967, when the last surviving family member passed away. With his death the legacy of a four hundred year span of contribution to the European armaments industry came to an end, and so brought to a conclusion a tradition spanning wars and quite profoundly influencing outcomes of European history for centuries. The Krupp Arms conglomerate was technologically innovative, devising new weapons such as a superior cannon to an anti-air vehicle weapon designed to counter the reconnaissance capabilities of aerial observation balloons to exotic and much more capable submarines, which they then built for over four decades.

   In so doing, they became fabulously rich, and rose to become extremely influential and exceedingly conservative voices within the realm of German political circles. No German leader could hope to marshal the resources or the weapons of war necessary to mount a military campaign without first gaining the trust, confidence and support of the Krupp family, which then cleverly and cynically manipulated this influence to vastly enrich themselves. During World War One, their cannons helped to flatten the French city of Verdun, and at one point succeeded in lobbing projectiles into Paris from as distant a location as some eighty miles away, an unheard-of innovation at the time. Aiding the Third Reich in its secret rearmament effort after the end of the First Word War, they provided a much advanced tank design that eventuated in the Panzer tank, used subsequently so successfully in Hitler's blitzkrieg through France in the summer of 1940.

   They were quite influential within the German society as well, having armed the forces of Kaiser Wilhelm for battle before World War One, and then surreptitiously backed Hitler financially in the so-called terror-campaign" of 1933. Incredibly, the Krupps participated in the war crimes of the Third Reich, even controlling and operating more than 130 concentration camps during the war. Afterwards, they help to rebuild Europe in the eventual development of the European Common Market. This is a truly fascinating book written with all of the usual style and substance one come s to expect of William Manchester, and it is certainly a book I can highly recommend to anyone with an interest in European history. Enjoy!




4. This is quite a book. Since it is over 900 pages you must put it down but I read it straight through. There are some very keen insights into the armament industry and its power over nations and governments - even over Adolf Hitler. If you think Hitler answered to no one, you might want to read this book. My tendency is to tell you many of the shocking facts contained in this work. But Mr. Manchester spent a lot of time building his shocking facts into a reasonable and established context. This is a very important book and I am very, very surprised that I am the first to review it. This is another one of those books that should be a college text. Buy it! This book is a bargain, believe me. No price could repay Mr. Manchester for this type of research.
   
   Books written by Richard Noble - The Hobo Philosopher:
   "Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.."
   "A Summer with Charlie"
   "A Little Something: Poetry and Prose"
   "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother"
   "The Eastpointer" Selections from award winning column.



5. This is an excellent description of a family, noted for their involvement with the steel industry and especially the manufacturer of arms. They struggle with Germany's economy and influence Germany's foreign policy covering about 400 years between 1587 and 1968.
   
   It looks like a lengthy volume however it is over just as you are getting started. A side benefit is the technical information added helps you imagine what is like to design and sell the arms.
   
   In some cases arms were almost given away for a cause. At other times they mercenarily sold arms to may conflicting countries on both sides. This story parallels other books on history and makes the world seem that it is made up of people not just historical facts. Speaking of historical facts, one of the things I like to do is to read books that become movies and movies that are novelized. This would have to be a mini-series.
   
   Notice that in the book; interestingly enough William Manchester mentions that George Bernard Shaw actually based a play on the Krupp family, "Major Barbara" which consequently was made into a movie with windy Hiller in 1941.

No comments about History of Fohenagh.

No comments about Tartan: The Highland Habit.

No comments about Birmingham at War: v. 2.

1 comments about Grandduchy of Baden (Map Guide to German Parish Registers, Volume 2).

1. Spending countless hours searching for family records of births, marriages, or celebrated special religious milestones? In this revised and updated second edition and part of the Family Roots Publishing Company's 'Map Guide to German Parish Registers ' series, "Grandduchy of Baden" is a remarkably 'user friendly' guide genealogists will find fascinating information and resources to continue the search for ancestral information. Author Kevan Hansen, presents a wealth of valuable information. Compiled by expert genealogist Kevan M. Hansen, "Gradduchy of Baden" takes the hard work and guessing out of obtaining information housed in German parishes. This comprehensive and dedicated reference work allows genealogical researchers to identify the parish where an ancestor worshiped based on where they lived, provides the FHL microfilm number for the family's parish records, identifies almost every city, town, and place that included residents. In addition, this book visually identifies church parishes for Lutherans & Catholics in each district. Aids are included which help to determine distance and proximity of one area to another in the event your ancestor attended a neighboring parish and an aid in identify the locations of minority religions, plus much more. An impressively informative resource guide which is also available in a hardcover edition, the "Grandduchy of Baden" is an essential reference and a seminal addition to any personal or community genealogical library collection.

No comments about Mistresses: Domestic Scandals of Nineteenth Century Monarchs.

No comments about The Place-Names of st Kilda: Nomina Hirtensia (Celtic Studies, Vol 1).

3 comments about Erin's Blood Royal: The Noble Gaelic Dynasties of Ireland (History & Politics).

1. Erin's Blood Royal: The Gaelic Noble Dynasties Of Ireland by Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis is a stately and informative study of the Irish aristocracies that ruled Ireland until Henry VIII forced them to obey the English crown. Individual chapters relate the sagas of numerous Gaelic noble families, including O'Carroll, O'Connor, McCarthy, Maguire, O'Grady and many more. A highly recommended contribution to Irish Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections, Erin's Blood Royal is an articulate and impressive account of the family branches whose descendants live in Ireland, Great Britain, America, and many other nations throughout the world today.



2. It may come as a shock to some that Ireland still has nineteen documented native "royal" families, probably because the island's ruling dynasties were suppressed nearly five centuries ago by the imperialist Tudors. The conquest of Ireland was followed by the Flight of the Wild Geese, in which much of the Irish aristocracy fled to other Catholic countries (notably France and Spain) and was largely forgotten at home. The government of today's Ireland, however, has been granting courtesy titles to claimants who can prove their descents. Ellis is a noted scholar and popular writer in the area of Celtic studies and history and this enabled him to be "invited in" by the heads of the families to examine their claims. Each of these is "the chief of the name" -- though some also hold other Gaelic titles, such as Conor O'Brien, "The O'Brien," who also is hereditary Prince of Thomond (as well as being a baronet and Baron Inchiquin in the Peerage of Ireland under the UK). They generally have more money (based on land ownership) and education than average, and their influence in Irish culture can be considerable. The author does a very creditable job of outlining the lineage and political history of each of these families, each in its own chapter, as well as the modern-day activities of the chiefs in regaining their social positions. Following the publication of the first edition, a scandal erupted around Terence McCarthy, recognized as The McCarthy Mor, who turned out to be a complete fraud, and that episode, which badly damaged the credibility of the chiefs of Ireland, is also recounted in detail in this edition. An articulate, informative, and very well written book.



3. This is an interesting read despite the overlapping and otherwise confusing lineages. Ellis provides ample texture and tangential history to flesh out the timelines. Following the royal lines brings focus to a lot of the loose ends and myths that have plagued my grasp of Irish history. However, this is the first time in a long time that I find a text so frequently crippled with typos and proofreading errors. The publisher, Palgrave, has not served the author well, perhaps, in hastily revising the earlier text following disclosure of the MacCarthy Mor fraud.