Friday, December 13, 2013

Song Dynasty-Two Lands-One Golden Age


In 960 CE the dysfunctional Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Imperial history was replaced by the creation of another Golden Age through leadership of the Song Dynasty. The Song were known for their many technological advances such as the bicycle chain, mechanical clock, compass, windmill and movable type that allowed the mass production of books including the world's first medical encyclopedia. Advances in the development of improved rice strains provided food surpluses that allowed further city and population growth throughout the empire.  Even the style government was revamped with the full establishment of the "Scholar-Official" Class of administrators.
Zhao Kuangyi-Emperor Taizu (960-976 CE) founder of the Song Dynasty.
Some of the China' greatest classical poets, artists and writers appeared during the 300 plus years of Song rule.  Scholars such as Mi Fu, Zhuxi, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Sima Guang and Shen Kuo created works that are still studied and admired to this very day.
Yet the Song had many enemies, first the Jin took Northern China in 1127 CE restricting the Song to the Southern part of the country.  Here they were able to hold out for another two centuries till the 13th century when they finally fell to the overwhelming might of the Mongols in 1279.  Another Gold Age was laid waste as China was ruled by the foreign Yuan Dynasty for almost a century.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

The First Tsar

First "Tsar of All the Russias"-Ivan IV Vasilyevich (Tsar-1547-1584), also known as "Ivan the Terrible."  Formally titled the Grand Prince of Moscow (Prince-1537-1547), Ivan created a new Imperial title "Caesar" or Tsar in Russian. His foreign policy led to the annexation of substantial lands to the East and Southeast as well as the importation of West European goods technologies (including the first printing press in Russia). The first Russian exploration and expansion into the vast lands of Siberia occurred during his reign.

His domestic policies revamped the government, created the Zemsky Sobor (a Feudal style parliament) and strengthened the hold of the lords over the Serfs.  He was responsible for the first "Modern " (for the 16th century that is) government in Russia.

He is often called "Ivan the Terrible" for his brutal actions against those that he believed were his enemies, both real and imagined.  He is blamed for countless massacres (the cities of Novgorod and Kazan experienced especially brutal treatment), enslavements, banishments and murders including killing his own son during a fit of temper. 

Ivan IV was a complex man, dangerous, often unpredictable, ruthless and always a ruler who understood power and how to use it to his best advantage.  By the time of his death Medieval Russia had also died and the foundation for the Russian Empire had been formed.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Constantine the Great

Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus, Emperor of Rome 306-337 CE. died of natural causes at the age of 65. Last of the great "Roman Emperors." He is famous for shoring up much of the strength of the Empire, accepting Christianity as the leading religion of the Empire and moving the capital further East to what he called "New Rome" (Constantinople). The acceptance of the growth and power of the Christian Religion was to have enormous Social ramifications for the history of Europe and the rest of the World. While the choice of his new capital, closer to the Eastern threats to the Empire as well as its greatest wealth, would lay the foundations for the survival (through the as yet unborn Eastern Roman Empire) of Roman technology and knowledge well into the 15th century.
The city of Constantine, Constantinople (Modern Day Istanbul), ancient Greek city of Byzantium, rebuilt (circa 330 CE) with a new name and destiny as the new capital of the Roman Empire. Protected on three sides by the sea and on land by the greatest city walls ever constructed, Constantinople would rule first the Roman World and then the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire) for more than a thousand years, until its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 CE.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Same Year by any Name

2013 A.D. or 2013 C.E. is there any difference in the date due to the abbreviation? No, the former, A.D., is an abbreviation for the Latin words Anno Domini, which means “in the year of God” (not after death as many mistakenly believe) and refers to the time after the birth of Christ. This designation was chosen in the Middle Ages when they guessed at the date of the birth of Christ and arbitrarily chose a date for the year 1 AD. Today C.E., meaning Common Era, has become widely used to identify the European system of calendar dating. In a similar vein, the older B.C., “Before Christ,” has been replaced with B.C.E., meaning “Before Common Era” in many texts today. So be it 44 B.C.E. or 44 B.C., the date is the same. Side note: when using approximate dates the term “circa” (about or around this time) is often used. An example might be: “The Roman Republic was created circa 500 B.C.E.”

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Selected Biblography by Time Period

Bibliography

Pre 500 CE/AD

Adler, David. We Remember the Holocaust, Scholastic Inc. 1989.
Aldred, Cyril. Egypt to the End of the Old Kingdom, McGraw-Hill. 1965.
Black, Jeremy and Green, Anthony. Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia, an Illustrated Dictionary, University of Texas Press.1997.
Budge, Wallis E. A. The Rosetta Stone, Dover Publications, Inc. 1989.
Buehr. Walter. Warriors Weapons, Thomas Y. Crowell Co. 1963.
Burenhult, Goran. Old World Civilizations, the Rise of Cities and States, Mandarin Offset. 1994.
Carpiceci, Alberto. Pompeii, Nowadays and 2000 Years Ago, Verbel C.S. 1991.
Ceram, C. W. The First Americans, a Story of North American Archaeology, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1971.
Chandler, Fiona. Usborne World History Ancient World, Scholastic Inc. 2000.
Clark, James I. China, McDougal, Littell & Company. 1989.
Cole, Fay-Cooper, . An Illustrated Outline History of Mankind, Vol.I, Processing and Books, Inc. 1969.
Cooke, Jean. History's Timeline, a 40,000 year Chronology of Civilization, Grisewood & Dempsey. 1981.
Connolly, Peter. The Greek Armies, MacDonald Education. 1977.
Connolly, Peter. The Roman Army, MacDonald Education. 1977.
Cooper, J.C. Symbolic & Mythological Animals, Aquarian/Thorsons. 1992.
Cotterel, Arthur. World Mythology, Parragon Publishing. 2005,
Cotterel, Arthur and Storm, Rachel. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology, the myths and legends of the Ancient Worlds from Greece, Rome and Ancient Egypt to the Norse and Celtic lands, through Persia, and India to China and the Far East, Hermes House. 1999.
Cox, George W. The Crusades, Charles Scribner's Sons. 1893. (1)
Dal Maso, Leonardo B. Rome of the Caesars, Bonechi-Edizioni. 1974.
D'aulaire's, Ingri and Edgar Parin.Book of Greek Myths, Delacorte Press.1962.
Dersin, Denise. What Life was Like at the Dawn of Democracy, Time-Life Books. 1997.
Desroches-Noblecourt, Christine. Tutankhamen, Life and Death of a Pharaoh, New York Graphic Society. 1963.
Fagan, Brian. The Adventure of Archaeology, National Geographic Society. 1985.
Feder, Theodore H. The Great Treasures of Pompeii & Herculaneum, Abbeville Press, Inc. 1978.
Flaherty, Thomas H. Sumer: Cities of Eden, Time-Life Books. 1993.
Fry, Stephen. Mythos, the Greek Myths Reimagined, Chronicle Books. 2019.
Funken, Fred and Lilian. Arms and Uniforms, ancient Egypt to the 18th Century, Ward Lock Ltd. 1977.
Furuto, Kazuie. SHOGUN,The Shogun Age Exhibition, from the Tokugawa Art Museum, Japan, Toppan Printing Co. Ltd. 1983.
Grant, Michael. A Social History of Greece and Rome, Charles Scribner's Sons. 1992.
Green, Anthony. Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia, University of Texas Press. 1997.
Hadas, Moses. Imperial Rome, Time Inc. 1965.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology-Timeless Tales of Gods and Hero's, Mentor Books. 1942.
Hanscom, James H. and Hayes, Carlton J.H. Ancient Civilizations, Prehistory to the Fall of Rome, Macmillan. 1968.
Herzberg, Max J. Myths and their Meaning, Allyn Bacon, Inc. 1984.
Hodge, Jessica. Who's Who in Classical Mythology, Bromptom Books Corp. 1995.
Hodge, Peter. "Aspects of Roman Life Series," Longman. 1987.
Hoffman, Ross J.S. Man and His History, World History and Western Civilization, Doubleday & Company. 1961.
Jackson, Guida. Women Who Ruled, Barnes & Noble. 1998.
Katan, Norma J. Hieroglyphs, The Bath Press. 1981.
Kerrigan, Michael. A Dark History of the Roman Emperors, from Julius Caesar to the Fall of Rome, Metro Books. 2008.
Kottmeyer, William. Except After, the Story of English Spelling, McGraw-Hill Inc. 1988.
Leick, Gwendolyn. The Babylonians, Routeledge.2003.
Hamblin, Dora J. The First Cities, Time-Life Inc. 1978.
Herzberg, Max J. Myths and their Meaning, Allyn and Bacon, Inc. 1984.
Hodge, Jessica. Who's Who in Classical Mythology, Brompton Books Corp. 1995.
Howard Jr., David M. Fascinating Bible Facts People, Places & Events, Publications International, Ltd. 1997.
Kramer, Samuel N. Mythologies of the Ancient World, Archer Books. 1961.
Leick, Gwendolyn. The Babylonians, an Introduction, Routledge. 2003.
Leonard, Jonathan N. The First Farmers, Time Life Inc. 1978.  
Littman, Robert J. The Greek Experiment, Imperialism and Social Conflict 800-400 BC, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1974.
Mackay, Christopher S. Ancient Rome, a Military and Political History, Cambridge University Press. 2004. 
Macaulay, David. Pyramid,Houghton Mifflin Co. 1975.
MacQuitty, William. Tutankhamun the Last Journey, Crown Publishing Co. 1978.
Mavromataki, Maria. Greek Mythology and Religion, Haitalis. 1997.
McKay, Liz and Santon, Kate, Editors. Atlas of World History, from the Origins of Mankind to the Present Day, Parragon Publishing, 2005.
Mellaart, James. Earliest Civilizations of the Near East, McGraw Hill. 1965.
Morkot, Robert. Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece, Penguin Books. 1996.
Murray, Oswyn, et al. The Roman World, Oxford University Press. 1986.
Nappo, Salvatore. Pompeii, a Guide to the Ancient City, Barnes ans Noble. 1988.
O'Neill, John P.O. Treasures from the Bronze Age of China, Bradford D. Kelleher Publisher. 1980.
Palmer, R. R. ed. Rand McNally Historical Atlas of the World. Rand McNally Educational Pub. Div. 1993. 
Parin d' Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar. Book of Greek Myths, Random House, Inc. 1962. 
Peers, CJ.  Soldiers of the Dragon, Chinese Armies 1500 B.C.-1840A.D. Osprey Books. 2006.
Perrottet, Tony. Route 66 A. D., on the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists, Random House. 2002.
Rice, Ros. Battles of the Ancient World, 1285 BC - AD 451 from Kadesh to Catalaunian Field Metro Books. 2007.
Reische, Diana. Beyond Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, Scholastic Books Services. 1976.
Rodgers, Nigel. Roman Empire, Metro Books. 2008.
Scarpar, Maurizo. Ancient China, Chinese Civilization from Origins to the Tang Dynasty. Barnes & Noble. 2000.
Sandars, N. K. The Epic of Gilgamesh, Penguin Books Ltd. 1977.
Sansom, G.B. Japan A Short Cultural History, Stanford University Press. 1978.
Schlissel, Lillian. Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey, Schocken Books. 1992.
Sherrard, Philip. Byzantium, Time Inc. 1966.
Snellgrove, L. E. The Ancient World, Longman Group UK Ltd. 1970
Stewart, Robert; Twist, Chris and Horton, Edward. Mysteries of History, National Geographic. 2003.
Stillman, Gordan. Roman Rulers and Rebels, Independent School Press. 1972
Stryer,Joseph R. The Mainstream of Civilization, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1974.
Strauss, Barry S. and Ober, Josiah. The Anatomy of Error, Ancient Military Disasters and their Lessons for Modern Strategists, St. Martins Press. 1990.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
Tacitus, The Annal of Imperial Rome.
Tarradell, M. Roman Art in Spain, Tudor Publishing. 1969.
Tannahill, Reay. Foo in History, Crown Publishing. 1989.
Trevelyan, G.M. History of England Volume I, Anchor Books.1953.
Turnbull, Stephen. Chinese Walled Cities, 221 BC-AD 1644, Osprey Publishing.
Weber, Eugen. The Western Tradition, from the Ancient World to Louis XIV, D.C. Heath and CO. 1972.
Wells, H.G. A Short History of the World, Cassell and Co. Ltd. Publishing. 1922.
Wenli, Zhang. The Qin Terracotta Army, Treasures of the Lingtong, Scalla Books and Cultural Relics Publishing House, 1996.
Wright, Chris. Korea, its History and Culture, Korean Overseas Information Service, 1996.
Wright, G. Ernest, Great People of the Bible and How They Lived, Readers Digest Association, Inc. 1974.
Yadin, Yigael. The Story of Masada, Random House. 1969.
Zauzich, Karl-Theodor. Hieroglyphics Without Mystery, University of Texas Press. 1992.

                                                            Art Through the Ages

Adelson, Warren. Childe Hassam Impressionist, Abbeville Press. 1999.
Bailly, Austen B. American Impressionist Childe Hassam and the isles of Shoals, Yale University Press. 2016.
Balent, Matthew. The Compendium of Weapons, Armour and Castles, Palladium Books. 1989.
Bauer, Eddy. Illustrated World War II Encyclopedia, an Unbiased Account of the most Devastating War Known to Mankind...Volumes 1 to 24, H. S. Stuttman Inc. Publisher. 1972.
Boardman, John. Greek Art, Oxford University Press. 1978.
Bonfante-Warren, Alexandra. The Louvre, Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc. 2000.
Bonfante-Warren, Alexandra. The Musee D' Orsay, Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc. 2000.
Brett, Bernard. A History of Watercolor, Excalibur Books. 1984.
Brown, Christopher. Dutch Painting, Borders Press. 1976.
Buechner, Thomas S. Norman Rockwell Artist and Illustrator, Harry N. Abrams Inc. 1970.
Bunker, Emma C. Ancient Bronzes Ceramics and Seals, Los Angeles Museum of Art. 1981.
Buricchi, Susanna and Bucci, Cristina. Renaissance Art, Masterpieces in Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Barnes and Noble. 2007.
Bussagli, Marco. Rome Art and Architecture, Konemann. 2004.
Cambell, Ann. Paintings, How to Look at Great Art, Franklin Watts. 1970.
Cikovsky, Jr. Nicolai. George Inness, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 1985.
Cipriani, Angela. The Art of the Popes from the Vatican Collection, Crown Books, 1982.
Clark, James I. Japan, George Rainbird Ltd. 1974.
Coughlan, Robert. The World of Michelangelo, Time -Life Books. 1966.
Crosby, Harry. The Cave Paintings of Baja California, Copley Books, 1975.
Cutts, Josephine, Van Gogh, Parragon Press. 2000.
Dal Maso, Leonardo B. Borghese Gallery, Bonechi-Edizioni. 1980.
Dore, Gustave. Dore's Illustrations for "Idylls of the King," Dover Books. 1995.
Danzier, Louis Designer. American Native Paintings, Praeger Publishing Inc. 1974.
Drogin, Marc. Medieval Calligraphy Its History and Technique, Dover Publications.1980.
Eimerl, Sarel. The World of Gitto, c. 1297-1337, Time-Life International. 1970.
Eisler, Colin T. Flemish and Dutch Drawings from the 15th to the 18th Century, Brown and Co. 1963.
Fay-Cooper, Cole. An Illustrated Outline History of Mankind, Vol.II, Processing and Books, Inc. 1969.
Fort, Irene S. The Flag Paintings of Chide Hassam, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 1988.
Gartner, Peter J. Art and Architecture Musee D'Orsay, Konemann Verlagagesellschaft. 2001.
Gerdts, Willaim. American Impressionism, Artabras Publishers. 1984
Gerard, Max. Dali, Alradale Press. 1968.
Greenhalgh, Paul. Art Nouveau, 1890-1914, Harry N. Adams. 2000.
Guillou, Jean-Francois. The World's Great Paintings, CLB Publishing. 1994.
Hall, Dixi. The Artists, Walter T. Foster. 1969.
Hardt, William. A Guide to Art Nouveau Style, Chartwell Books. 1986.
Hauser, Arnold. The Social History of Art, Vintage Books. 1985.
Hazan, Fernand, Franz Marc Paintings, Tudor Publishing Co. 1963.
Hibbard, Howard. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cooper Ltd. 1980.
Hiesinger, Ulrich W. Childe Hassam, American Impressionist, Prestel. 1994.
Ilatovskaya, Tatiana. Master Drawings Rediscovered, Treasures from Prewar German Collections, Harry N. Abram, Inc. 1996.
Janson, H.W. History of Art-a Survey of the Major Visual Arts from the Dawn of Man to the Present Day, Prentice Hall. 1963.
Kapos, Martha. The Impressionists, a Retrospective, Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc. 1991.
Katz, Robert, The Impressionists in Context, Crescent Books 1991. 
Kelder, Diane. The Great Book of French Impressionism, Artbras Publishers. 2000.
King, Ross. The Judgment of Paris, the Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism, Walker Publishing. 2005.
Koningsberger, Hans. The World of Vermeer, 1632-1675, Time Life International. 1967.
Leconte, Par A. Paris Illustre, Leconte Publishers. 1981.
Letts, Rosa M. Cambridge Introduction to the History of Art, Cambridge University Press. 1990.
Little. Stephen. ...isms, Understanding Art, Universe. 2004.
MacKenzie, Finlay. Chinese Art Spring Books, 1961.
Marx, Claude. Rembrandt, Universe Books. 1960.
Meyer, Susan E. Norman Rockwell's People, Harrison House, 1987.
Meyers, Bernard S. Art and Civilization, McGraw-Hill Book Company. 1967. 
Muller, Joseph-Emile. Impressionism, Leon Amiel Publisher. 1974.
N/A. Film Posters of the 40's, Aurum Press Ltd. 2002.
N/A. Images of America-A Panorama of History in Photographs, Smithsonian Books. 1989.
N/A. Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, E. P. Dutton & Co. 1970. 
N/A. Master Pieces from the Norton Simon Museum, Norton Simon Museum. 1989.
N/A. Treasures of the Holy Land Ancient Art from the Israel Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1986.
Nayarity, Jalisco et al. Sculptures of Ancient West Mexico, La County Museum of Art. 1978.
Newhall, Beaumont. The Daguerreotype in America, Dover Publications. 1980.
Ormiston, Rosalind. Alphone Mucha-Master Works, Flame Tree Publishing. 2007.
Oneill, John. Ed. Treasures from the Bronze Age of China, Ballantine Books. 1980.
Panofsky, Erwin. The Life and Art of Albrecht Durer, Princeton University Press. 1971.
Prather, Marla. Gauguin, a Retrospective, Park Lane. 1987.
Pons-Sorolla, Blanca. Sorolla and the Paris Years, Kunsthalle. 2016.
Powell-Jones, Mark. Impressionism, Phaidon Press Ltd. 1994.
Restany, Pierre. G. H. Rothe, Master of the Mezzotint, Hammer Publishing Inc. 1983.
Roberts, Keith. Bruegal, Phaildon Press. 1971.
Robinson, Max. Franz Marc Paintings, Tudor Publishing Co. 1963.
Santini, Loretta. Vatican City, Plurigraf. 1908.
Schickel, Richard. The World of Goya, 1746-1828, Time Inc. 1970.
Shirley, Abbott. The National Museum of American History-A Smithsonian Museum, Smithsonian Books. 1981.
Schneider, Pierre. The World of Manet, 1832-1883, Time-Life Books. 1968. 
Slone, Eric. Reverence for Wood, Ballantine Books. 1965.
Sobieszek, Robert. The Daguerreotypes of Southworth & Hawes, Dover Publications. 1976.
Sonino, Michael. The Great Masters. Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc. 1986.
Stuckey, Charles. Monet-a Retrospective, Beaux Arts Editions. 1985.
Swinglehurst, Edmund. Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Thunder Bay Press. 2001.
Tarradell, M. Roman Art in Spain, Tudor Publishing. 1969.
Wadley, Nicholas. Michelangelo, The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited. 1969. 
Wallace, Robert. The World of Bernini, 1598-1680, Time Life International. 1970.
Wallace, Robert. The World of Leonardo, 1452-1519, Time Life International. 1966.
Wallace, Robert. The World of  Rembrandt, 1606-1699, Time Life International. 1968.
Wallace, Robert. The World of Van Gogh, 1855-1890, Time Life International. 1969.
Walther, Ingo. Marc Chagall 1887-1985, La Pintura Como Poesia, Benedikt Taschen. 1990.
Wechsler, Herman T. Great Prints & Printmakers, Harry N. Abrams Publisher. 1967.
Weinberg, H. Barbara. Chide Hassam American Impressionist, University Press. 2004.
Wertenbaker, Lael. The World of Picasso, 1881-1973, Time-Life Books. 1967.
Wheldon, Keith. Renoir and His Art, Galahad Books. 1975. 
Wolanin, Barbar A. Constinantine Brumidi, Artist of the Capital, U.S. Government Printing Office. 1988.

Post 500 CE/AD

Abbot, Willis J. The Nations at War a Current History, Syndicate Pub. Co. 1914.
Anderson, M.S. The Ascendancy of Europe, 1815-1914, Longman. 1972.
Arnstein, Walter L. Britain Yesterday and Today, 1830to the Present, Houghton Mifflin. 2001.
Associated Press. Lightning Out of Israel! The Associated Press. 1967.
Azan, Lieut. Colonel Paul. The Warfare of To-Day, Houghton Mifflin Company. 1918. (6)   
Balent, Mathew. Weapons and Castles, Palladium Books. 2002.
Barthorp, Michael. The Zulu War, a Pictorial History, Brantford.1981. 
Belloc, Hilaire. Joan of Arc, Declan X. McMullullen Co., Inc. 1929. (4)
Belloc, Hilaire. Wolsey, J. B. Lippincott Company. 1930. (4)
Beyer, Rick. The Greatest Stories Never Told 100 Tales from History to astonish, Bewilder and Stupefy, Harper Collins. 2003.
Bilij, H.J. et al. Geography, Realms, Regions & Concepts, John Wiley & Sons. 2006.
Billand, Jules Ed. The World of the American Indian, National Geographic Society. 1974.
Briggs, Asa and Clavin, Patricia. Modern Europe 1789-1989, Longman. 1997.
Brinton, Crane. A Decade of Revolution, 1789-1799, Harper Torchbooks.1963.
Brody, David. Essays on the Age of Enterprise: 1870-1900, Dryden Press. 1974.
Brown, Davis Ed. Aztecs: Reign of Blood and Splendor, Time-Life Books. 1992.
Burland, Cottie. The People of the Ancient Americas, Hamlyn Publishing. 1970.
Cadbury, Deborah. Dreams of Iron and Steel, Seven Wonders of the Nineteenth Century, from the Building of the London Sewers to the Panama Canal, Fourth Estate. 2004.
Cahill, Thomas. Heretics and Heros, How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our World, Doubleday. 2013.
Cairns, Trevor. The Twenty Century, Cambridge University Press. 1983.
Capra, Fritjof. Learning from Leonardo, Decoding the Notebooks of a Genius, Berrett-Koehler Pub. Inc. 2013.
Carlsen, William. Jungle of Stone, the True Story of Two Men, their Extraordinary Journey and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya, William Morrow. 2016.
Caselli, Giovanni. The Renaissance and the New World, Peter Bedrick Books. 1985.
Castillo, Bernal Diaz. The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico, Reprinted by H. Wolff. 1956.(3)
Cohen, David. A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union, Collins Publications, Inc. 1987.
Christopher, Rothero. Medieval Military Dress -1066-1500, South China Printing Co. 1983.
Clark, Alan. Barbarossa The Russian-German Conflict, 1941-1945, Quill. 1985.
Clark, Fredrick and Hayes, Carlton. Medieval and Early Modern Times, the Age of Justinian to the Eighteenth Century, Macmillan. 1966.
Clark, James I. The Middle East, McDougal. Little & Co. 1978.
Clark, James I. Southeast Asia, McDougal. Little & Co. 1985.
Clark, Kenneth. Civilization a Personal View, Harper & Row. 1969.
Clark, Sir George. The Seventeenth Century, Oxford University Press. 1970.
Cleary, Thomas. Code of the Samurai, A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Tara Shiesuke, Tuttle Martial Arts. 1999.
Connelly, Owen. The Epoch of Napoleon, Holt Rinehart and Winston Inc. 1972.
Cole, Fay-Cooper, . An Illustrated Outline History of Mankind, Vol.II, Processing and Books, Inc. 1969.
Cordova, Jacqueline. Across the Centuries, Houghton Mifflin Co. 1999.
Cortazzi, Hugh. The Japanese Achievement, St. Martin's Press. 1990.
Cosman, Madeleine P. Fabulous Feasts, Medieval Cookery and Ceremony, George Braziller Inc. 1976.
Cowley, Robert. What If?, G.B. Putman's Sons. 1998.
Cox, George W. The Crusades Charles Scribner's Sons. 1893.(1) 
Gravett, Christopher. Castles and Fortifications Around the World, Thalamus Publishing. 2006.
Current, Richard N. American History a Survey, Alfred A. Knopf. 1961.
Danziger, Danny and Gillingham, John. 1215, The Year of the Magna Carta, Simon and Schuster. 2003.
Devens, R. M. Our First Century, C. A. Nichols & Co. 1877. (1)
Diamond, Jared. Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Penguin Books. 2005.
DiCaprio, Lisa and Wiesner, Merry E. Lives and Voices, Sources in European Women's History, Houghton Mifflin Co. 2001. 
Eaton, Gale. A History of Civilization in 50 Disasters, Tilbury House Publishers. 2015.
Elliot, T.H. Europe Divided, 1559-1598, Harper and Row. 1968.
Ellis, Edward S. The Story of the Greatest Nations, from the Dawn of History to the 20th Century, Volumes I to X, Francis R. Niglutsch Publisher. 1902. (1)
Esposito, Vincent. The West Point Atlas of American Wars, Vol. One, 1689-1900, Dept. of Military Art and Engineering, U.S. Military Academy. 1959.
Esposito, Vincent. The West Point Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars, Dept. of Military Art and Engineering, U.S. Military Academy. 1964.
Fagan, Brian. The Adventure of Archeology, National Geographic. 1985.
Fage, J.D. An Atlas of African History, Africana Publishing. 1978.
Fairbanks, John K. The Great Chinese Revolution, 1800-1985, Harper Perennial. 1987.
Farwell, Byron. Armies of the Raj, from the Great Indian Mutiny to Independence: 1858-1947, W.W. Norton & Co. 1989.
Farwell, Bryon. Queen Victoria's Little Wars, Harper and Row. 1972.
Featherstone, Donald. Victoria's Enemies, an A-Z of British Colonial Warfare, Brantford. 1998.
Franklin, John. Navy Board Ship Model's 1650-1750Naval Institute Press. 1998.
Freeman, Joanne B. The Field of Blood, Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War, Picador Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2018.
Funken, Fred and Lilian. Arms and Uniforms, Ancient Egypt to the 18th Century, Ward Lock Ltd. 1977.
Gaddis, John L. The Cold War, A New History, Penguin Books. 2005.
Geller, Harriet. Afro-Asian Culture Studies, Barron's Educational Series Inc. 1979.
Gibson, Charles. Spain in America, Harper Colophon Books. 1966.
Gilbert, Martin. Atlas of Russina History, Dorset Press. 1972.
Glover, G. Parrish. Cultural Anthropology, Thomson Learning Inc. 2002
Gollwitzer, Heinz. Europe in the Age of Imperialism 1880-1914, 1969.
Goodenough, Simon. The Renaissance, the Living Past, Arco Publishing. 1984.
Gordan, Irving. World History, Amsco School Publishing Inc.1996.
Gollwitzer, Heinz. Europe in the Age of Imperialism, 1880-1914, Jarrold and Sons. 1970.
Gould, Lewis. Photojournalist: The Career of Jimmy Hare, Kingsport Press. 1977.
Craig, Gordon A. Europe since 1815, Rinehart and Winston Inc. 1971.
Grant, Michael. Dawn of the Middle Ages, Bracken Books. 1986.
Gravett, Christopher. Castles and Fortifications from Around the World, Thalamus Publishing. 2001. 
Greenberg, Noah ed. An Elizabethan Song BookDoubleday Anchor Original. 1955.
Groom, Winston. Shiloh 1862, National Geographic Society. 2013.
Hale, Oron. The Grand Illusion, 1900-1914, Harper Torchbooks. 1971.
Halsey, Francis W. The Literary Digest History of the World War Compiled from Original and Contemporary Sources Vol. I-X, Funk & Wagnalls Co. 1920. 
Hamme, Olga et.al. Ed, Treasures of Mexico, Armand Hammer Foundation.
Hanson, Neil. The Confident Hope of a Miracle, the True History of the Spanish Armada, Vintage Books. 2003.
Hardin, Terri. Forts and Castles, Masterpieces of Architecture, Smithmark. 1997.
Harrel, John S. Soviet Cavalry Operations During the Second World War & the Genisis of the Operational Manoeuvre  Group, Pen & Sword Military. 2019.
Hartog, Leo de. Genghis Khan, Conqueror of the World, Barnes & Noble Press. 1989.
Hastings, Max. Military Anceodents. Oxford University Press. 1985.
Haviland, William. Cultural Anthropology, Waldsworth, 2002.
Hayes, Carlton. A Generation of Materialism, 1871-1900, Harper Torchbooks. 1963.
Headrick, Daniel R. The Tools of Empire, Technology and European Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century, Oxford University Press. 1981.
Hea-sook, Ro Editor. Korean Women and Culture, Research Institute of Asian Women. 1998.
Hershey, John. Hiroshima, Alfred A. Knopf Inc. 1946.
Herrin, Judith. Byzantium, the Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire, Princeton University Press. 2007.
Hinton, Harold C. An Introduction into Chinese Politics, Praeger Publisher, Inc. 1973.
Hoehing, A. A. Ships that Changed History, Barnes & Noble. 2007.
Hoyt, Edwin P. James War, the Great Pacific Conflict, Cooper Square Press. 2001.
Huang, Ray. China a Macro History, Sharpe. 1997.
Hughes, Charles. Accordion War: Korea 1951, Hell Kreek Book. 2011.
Ienaga, Saburo. The Pacific War 1931-1945, A Critical Perspective on Japan's Role in World War Two, Pantheon Books. 1975.
Ito, Tommy, Samurai, the Code of the Warrior, Sterling. 2008.
Iyenaga, Toyokichi. Why Europe ia at War, the Question Considered from the Points of View of France-England-Germany-Japan & The United States, G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1915. (6)
Jackson, Guida. Women Who Ruled, Barnes & Noble. 1998.
Johnny, Jr. Alvin M. The American Heritage History of World War I, American Heritage. 1964.
Jones, Archer. Civil War Command & Strategy, The Free Press. 1992.
Johnston, R. M. In the Words of Napoleon. Greenhill Books. 2002.
Jordan, David. Wolfpack, Barnes & Noble. 2002.
Josephy. Alvin Ed. The American Heritage History of World War I, American Heritage Publishing Co. 1964.
Jukes, Geffrey. The First World War, the Eastern Front 1914-1918, Osprey Publishing. 2002.
Kalman, Bobbie. Japan the Culture, Demco Media. 1989.
Katz, William. Eyewitness the Negro in American History, Pitman Publishing Corporation. 1969.
Karing, Walter. Battle Report Pearl Harbor to Coral Sea, Farrar & Rinhart, Inc. 1944.
Keen, Benjamin. The Aztec Image in Western Thought, Rutgers University Press. 1971.
Kirchner, Walter. A History of Russia, Harper & Row, Publishers. 1976.
Kneale, Matthew. Rome a History in Seven Sackings, Simon and Schuster. 2017.
Kownslar, Allan. People and Our World, A Study of World History, Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1977.
Kuban, Michael. Russia, Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990.
Kure, Mitsuo. Samurai, Chartwell Books.2007. McKay, Liz and Santon, Kate, Editors. Atlas of World History, from the Origins of Mankind to the Present Day, Parragon Publishing, 2005.
LaFeber, Walter. America Russia, and the Cold War 1945-1975, John Wiley and Sons, 1976.
Lachouque, Henery. The Anatomy of Glory, Arms and Armour Press. 1978.
Lao Tzu. The Way of Life, Signet Classic. 2001.
Ludwig, Emil, Bismark, the Story of a Fighter, Little Brown and Co. 1927. (4)
Ludwig, Emil. Napoleon, Boni & Liveright. 1926 (4)
Lunenfeld, Marvin. 1492 Discovery Invasion Encounter, D.C. Heath and Company. 1991.
Luvaas, Jay. Fredrick the Great on the Art of War, Da Capo Press, 1999. 
Lyons, M.V. Medicine in the Middle Ages, Macmillian Education Ltd. 1987.
Macardle, Meredith. The Timeline History of the Middle Ages, from Circa 400 to 1500, Metro Books. 2012.
Macaulay, David. Cathedral, Houghton Mifflin Co. 1973.
MacDonald, Fiona. A Samurai Castle, Peter Bedrick Books. 1985.
Madden, Thomas E. The New Concise History of the Crusades, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2005.
Marius, Richard. A Short Guide to Writing about History, Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers. 2002.
March, Francis A. History of the World War, The United Publisher of the United States and Canada. 1919. (6)
Maynard, Theodore. Henry the Eight, Bruce Publishing Co. 1949.
Mazunik, Linda.  From Here to There the Immigrant Experience, Perfection Learning. 2000.
McCullough, David. The Pioneers, Simon and Schuster. 2019.
Menzies, Gavin. 1434, the Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance, Harper Collins Publisher, 2008.
Mersy, Daniel. The Anglo-Zulu War, Pen and Sword Military. 2017.
Meyer, Karl. Teotihuacan, First City in the Americas, Newsweek Books Division. 
McGuaghy, J. Ralph. The New Wonder World, A Library of Knowledge, Volumes I to XI, George L. Shuman & Co. 1947. (5)
Mitchell, Lucy S. Young Geographers, How they Explore the World & how they Map the World, Bank Street College of Education. 1971. 
Morgan, Edmund S. The Puritan Dilemma, the Story of John Winthrop, Little Brown and Co. 1958.
Morrris, Donald R. The Washing of the Spears, Simon and Schuster. 1965.
Morton, W. Scott. Japan its History and Culture, McGraw-Hill. 2005. 
Moss, Norman. Nineteen Weeks, America, Britain and the Fateful Summer of 1940, Endeavor Press. 2014.
N/A. Basic Functional Japanese Pegasus Language Series, The Japanese Times.1987.
N/A. Essays on Liberty, Volume IX, The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc. 1962.
N/A. The Worlds Great Religions,Western Publishing Co. 1958.
Neiberg, Michael S. World War I Illustrated Atlas, Amber Books. 2021.
Nossov, Konstantin. Indian Castles, 1206-1526, Osprey Publishing.
O'Brien, Cormac. Secret Lives of the First Ladies, Quirk Books. 2009.
O'Callaghan, D.B. World War I, Longman Group Ltd. 1979.
O'Connell, D P. Richelieu, The World Publishing Co. 1968.
Oman, Charles W.C. Castles, An illustrated guide through 80 castles of England and Wales, Beekman House. 1928. 
Omer-Cooper, J. D. History of Southern Africa, James Currey Ltd. 1988.
O'Reilly, Bill. Killing the Rising Sun, Martin and Dugard. 2016.
Paine, Lincoln. The Sea Civilization, a Maritime History of the World, Alfred A. Knopf. 2013.
Palmer, R. R. ed. Rand McNally Historical Atlas of the World. Rand McNally Educational Pub. Div. 1993.
Peiser, Andrew. and Serber, Michael. Our World, A Global Studies Text, Amsco School Publishing Inc. 1996.
Pendel, Thomas F. Thirty-Six Years in the White House, Applewoodbooks. 1902.
Pengpeng, Zhang. The Most Common Chinese Radicals-New Approaches to Leaning Chinese, Sinolingua. 2002.
Peretz,Don. The Middle East, Houghton Mifflin. 1990.
Pericoli, Ugo. 1815 The Armies at Waterloo, Sphere Books, 1973.
Perry, Marvin. A History of the World, Houghton Miffin Co. 1985.
Porter, Bernard.  The Lion's Share, a Short History of British Imperialism, 1850-1995, Logman. 1996.
Prescott, William. The Conquest of Mexico, Volumes I, II & III, J.B. Lippincott Co. 1883. (1)
Price, Bill. History's Greatest Mysteries, Metro Books. 2012.
Pyle, Ernie. Here is Your War, Henry Holt and Co. 1944.
Reynolds, Francis et.al eds. Story of the Great War History of the European War from Official Sources P.F Collier & Son. 1920. (6)
Ribera, Feliciano. Mexican Americans / American Mexicans, From Conquistadors to Chicanos, Hill and Wang. 1993.
Reid, Stuart. Castles and Tower Houses of the Scottish Clans 1450-1650, Osprey Publishing.
Robertshaw, Andrew. Somme 1 July 1916, Tragedy and Triumph, Osprey Publishing. 2006.
Robottom, John. Lenin and the Revolution, Longman Group Ltd. 1974.
Rogow, Arnold A. James Forrestal, a Study of Personality, Politics and Policy, The Macmillian Co. 1963.
Rubel, David. Encyclopedia of the Presidents and their Times, Agincourt Press. 2000.
Ruby, Jennifer. Costumes in Context-Medieval Times, B.T. Batsford Ltd. 1994.
Sakurai, Tadayoshi. Human Bullets, a Soldier's Story of the Russo-Japanese War, University of Nebraska Press. 1999.
Sansom, G.B. Japan A Short Cultural History, Stanford University Press. 1978.
Scarpari, Maurizio. Ancient China, Chinese Civilization from its Origins to the Tang Dynasty, Barnes and Noble. 2006.
Schreiber, Joan. Western Hemisphere Latin america and Canada, Scoff Forseman and Co. 1986.
Senior, Ian. Home Before the Leaves Fall, a New History of the German Invasion of 1914, Osprey Publishing, 2012.
Snellgrove, L.E. The Modern World since 1870, Longman Group Ltd. 1985.
Steans, Peter N. World Histroy in Brief, Major Patterns of Change and Continually, Vol. II Since 1450. Pearson Education Inc. 2005.
Stuart, George & Gene. The Mysterious Maya, National Geographic. 1977.
Sumerset Fry, Plantagent (yes that is his name). The Kings & Queens of England & Scotland, Grove Press, 1990.
Suskind, Richard. By Bullet, Bomb and Dagger the Story of Anarchism, Macmillan Co. 1971.
Tannahill. Reay. Food in History. Crown Publishing. 1988.
Taylor, Alastair M. Civilization Past and Present, Scott Foresman and Co. 1961.
Trevelyan, G.M. History of England Volume II, Anchor Books.1953.
Tuchman, Barbara. A Distant Mirror, the Calamitous 14th Century, Ballantine Books. 1978.
Tuchman, Barbara. The Guns of August, Ballantine Books. 1962.
Tuchman, Barbara. The March of Folly, from Troy to Vietnan, Ballantine Books. 1984.
Tuchman, Barbara. The Proud Tower: Portrait of the World before the War, 1890-1914, Ballantine Books. 1966.
Turnbull, S.R. Samurai Warriors, Blandford. 1991.
Turnbull, S.R. The Samurai, a Military Tradition, Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. 1977.
Tyler, Sydney. The Japan-Russia War, The Greatest Conflict in Modern Times, P. W. Zegler, Co. 1905. (1) 
Usher, Shaun. Letters of Note, Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience, Chronicle Books LLC. 2013.
Veeder, Mary H. The Liture of England, Vol Two, From the Romantic Period to the Present, Scott, Foresman & Co. 1979.
Wagner, Eduard. European Weapons and Warfare 1618-1648, Octopus Books Limited. 1979.
Wagner, Tony. The Global Achievement Gap, Basic Books. 2010.
Wallbank, Walter T. Civilization Past and Present, Scott, Foresman and Co. 1961. 
Wallbank, Walter T. Living World History, Scott, Foresman and Co. 1982.
Warnes, David. Russia: a Modern History, Unwin Hyman Ltd., 1990.
Weber, Eugen. The Western Tradition, from the Ancient World to Louis XIV, D.C. Heath and CO. 1972.
Wells, H.G. A Short History of the World, Cassell and Co. Ltd. Publishing. 1922. (4)
Wheatcroft, Andrew. Zones of Conflict: an Atlas of Future Wars, Simon & Schuster. 1986.
Wilkinson-Latham. Uniforms and Weapons of the Crimean War, Hippocrene Books, Inc. 1977.
Willcox, Cornelis De Witt. French-English Military Technical Dictionary, U. S. Government Printing Office. 1917. (6)
Williams, Hywell. A History of the Middle Ages, Power and Pageantry 950-1450, Metro Books. 2011.
Williams, Neville. Henry VIII and His Court, Macmillan Co. 1971.
Winchester, Simon. Atlantic, Harper Collins Publishers. 2010.
Winters, Janet & Savoy, Caroline. Elizabethan Costuming for the years 1550-1580,Other Times Publications. 1987.
Wood, Gordon S. Revolutionary Characters, Penguin Press. 2006.
Wright, Chris. Korea, It's History and Culture, Korean Overseas Information Service. 1996.
Yadin, Yigael. The Story of Masada, Random House. 1969.

                                 United States History 1776-Today

Abraham, Henry. Enjoying American History, Amsco School Publishing Inc. 1984.

 Allen, Fredrick L. Only Yesterday, an informal History of the 1920's, Harper & Row. 1931 (4)

Allen, Thomas B. The Blue and the Gray, National Geographic Society. 1992.

Bailey, Thomas. The American Pagent, A History of the Republic, D. C. Heath and Co. 1991.

Basini, Eugene. Men and Women Who Made America, Laidlaw Brothers. 1969.

Beck, Vera. America Land of Change, People, California State Deptartment of Education. 1973.

Beschloss, Michael. Presidential Courage, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. 2007.                       Boorstin, Daniel J. The Americans:the Colonial Experience, Random House. 1958                  Boritt, Gabor. The Gettysburg Nobody Knows, Oxford University Press. 1997. 

Burn, Henry. America Today, Amsco School Publications, Inc. 1996.

Caroli, Betty B. First Ladies, The Readers Digest Association, Inc. 1996. 

Cohen, Jared. Accidental Presidents, Eight Men Who Changed America, Simon & Schuster. 2019.

Coffery, Michael. The Irish in America, Hyperion. 1997.

Cooke, Alistair. Alistar Cooke's America, Alfred A. Knopf. 1973.

Cowles, Capt. David D. Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Barnes and Noble. 2003.

Current, Richard N. American History a Survey, Alfred A. Knopf. 1961.                                         

Danzer, Gerald A. The Americans, Life Liberty, McDougal Littell. 1998.                                 

Davidson, James W. The American Nation, Prentice Hall. 2000.                                                  Davis, William C. The Civil War in Photographs, Sevenoaks Books. 2002.                                  Drury, Ian. The Civil War Military Machine, Smithmark Books. 1993.                                       

Esposito, Vincent. The West Point Atlas of American Wars, Vol. One, 1689-1900, Dept. of Military Art and Engineering, U.S. Military Academy. 1959.                                                          Faber, Harold and Doris. American Heros of the 20th Century, Random House. 1967.              Faust, Patrica L. Encyclopedia of the Civil War, Harper & Row. 1986.

Freeman, Joanne B. Field of Blood, Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War,  Picador Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2018. 

Faust, Patricia ed. Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War, Harper & Row Pub. 1982.    

Funken, Fred and Lilian.  Armes des Soldats de Estats-Unis, Casterman.1980.                        Gibbons, Tony. The Civil War Military Machine, Smithmark. 1993.  

Gibson, Hugh. A Journal from Our Legation in Belgium, Doubleday, Page & Co, 1917. (6)  

Griess, Thomas E. The Atlas for the American Civil War, Avery Publishing Group. 1986.

Gross Ed., Richard. Money, Machines, and Migrants 1856-1920, Staford Books. 1971.

Gordy, Wilbur. History of the United States, Charles Scribner's Sons. 1922.(1)

Hagedorn, Hermann. The Theodore Roosevelt Treasury, a Self-Portait from His Writings.1957.

Hakim Joy. A History of US, the First Americans Prehistory-1600, Oxfod University Press. 2005.

Hicks, John D. A Short History of American Democracy, Houghton Mifflin Co.1949. 

Heffner, Richard D. A Documentary History of the United States, New American Library.1976.

Holzer, Harold Lincoln, Newmarket Press.2012.

Hughes, Charles. Accordion War: Korea 1951, Hell Kreek Book. 2011.

Jones, Archer. Civil War Command and Strategy, The Free Press. 1992. 

Kammen, Michael. The Past Before Us, Contemporary Writing in the United States, Cornell University Press. 1980.

Karig, Commander USNR, Walter. Battle Report Pearl Harbor to Coral Sea, Farrar S. Rinehart, Inc. 1944.

Katcher, Philip. Great Gambles of the Civil War, Cassell1996.

Katcher, Philip. Osprey Men-At-Arms Series, The U.S. Army 1890-1920, Osprey Pub. 1990.

Kennedy, John F. Profiles in Courage, Harper & Row. 1964.  

Lorant, Stephan. The Glorious Burden, the American Presidency, Harper & Row, Publisher. 1968.                      

Lossing, Benson J. Mathew Bradys Illustrated History of the Civil War, Fairfax Press.1886.       Mabie, Dr. Hamilton W. Giants of the Great Republic, John C. Winston & Co. 1895. (1)

Marrin, The War for Independence, Atheneum.1988.  

McCahill, William P. First to Fight, David McKay Co. 1942. 

McCormick, Richard P. The Presidential Game, Oxford University Press. 1982.

McCullough, David. 1776, Simon and Schuster. 2005.                                                                

Mith, Starr. Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot, Zenith Press. 2005.

Moody, Sid. '76 the World Turned Upside Down, The Associated Press. 1975.    

N/A, A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents prepared under the Direction of the Joint Committee on Printing, of the House and Senate, Pursuant to an Act of the Fifty-Seventh Congress of the United States Volumes I-XX, Bureau of National Literature, Inc.1897. (8)          

O'Brien, Cormac. Secret Lives of the First Ladies, Quirk Books. 2009.   

 Osborne, Kelsie R. Peaceful Conquest, Story of the Lewis and Clack Expedition 1804-1806, Beattie & Co. 1955. 

Scott, Col. H. L. Civil War Military Dictionary, Pioneer Press. 1956.                                   Rawls, Walton. Wake Up, America-World War I and the American Poster, Cross River Press. 1988.      Reed, Marjorie. The Butterfield Stage Across Arizona, Old Adobe Gallery. 1982. 

Rennert, Richard. Civil Rights Leaders, Barnes & Noble. 1993.

Rennert, Richard. African American Heritage Jazz Stars, Barnes & Noble. 1993.

Rogow, Arnold. James Forrestal,Macmillian Co. 1963. 

Rossiter, Clinton. The Federalist Papers,Penguin Books. 1961. 

Russell, Andrew. Russell's Civil War Photographs, Dover. 1982.   

Scheffel, Richard Ed. American Historic Places. Readers Digest Association Inc. 1988.

Schuyler, Hartley & Graham. Illustrated Catalog of Civil War Military Goods. Dover. 1985. (7)    Shi, David E. America A Narrative History, Volume One, W. W. Norton &Company. 2004.       

Storrick, W.C. Gettysburg, the Place, the Battle, the Outcome, Barnes and Noble. 1993.

Utlry, Robert M. Frontier Regulars, Macmillan Publishing Co. Ltd. 1973.                                   

Wheeler, Richard. Voices of the Civil War, Fitzhenry Whiteside, 1976.                                    Wideman, John C. Civil War Chronicles, Naval Warfare Courage and Combat on the Water. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. 1997. 

Yarnell, Allen. The Post War Epoch, Harper & Row Publishers. 1972.

                                                    Important Fiction

Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front, Ullstein. 1928.


All the above books listed in this bibliography are from the personal library of the author of this blog, Richard Wall.

Please note that he following identified books are full of the ideas of their times, often very much at odds with the concepts of today. They do not follow this authors beliefs but are insightful to the "European" view of the World when they were written:

(1)These seven books are quite dated works, with a lot of outdated concepts, but they are very interesting to read to get a feel of the ideas of the Victorian/Edwardian Era Historians.
(2) This is 100 year old text with outdated concepts from the Roaring '20's.
(3) Originally written in the 16th century, this book is full of the beliefs of the Spanish of the time period.
(4) More 1920's, books with the usual biases of the era.
(5) 1947, version of the World with a mix of the pre-war and post-war views of the World. 
(6) These books were written during or right after the Great War (WWI) with lots of propaganda.
(7) This is a reprint of an 1864 book.
(8) Covers the original works of every US President from Washinton to Cleveland.

Selected Sources:
Library of Congress:  http://www.loc.gov/index.html
Musee d'Orsay, Paris:  http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html
Musee de l'Armee, les Invalides Paris: http://www.invalides.org/
National Geographic Magazine and Web site:  http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
Rome, Rise and Fall of an Empire, Gardner Films Inc. for History Channel.
Ted Ed, Lessons Worth Sharing: Lessons Worth Sharing | TED-Ed

Friday, June 7, 2013

Conquistador's Warriors for Gold, God and Glory


Conquistador's, the Spanish warriors of the three "G's," "Gold, God and Glory."  Armed with the latest weapons and modern tactics (for the 16th century that is) infused with the task of both spreading the power of Spain and God's word, the Conquistadors were a true force to be reckoned with.  Sublimely confident in their strength and righteousness; they time and time again challenged enemies many times their own numbers while carving out the Spanish Empire in the New World and the far away Philippines. 

The three "G's" guaranteed ultimate success for true Conquistadors.  Their victories brought them fame and "Glory" throughout the European World (as well as envy); the conquered saw them quite differently.  In a time of religious intolerance, they were extremely intolerant of "false beliefs" as in name of "God" they brought the words of the Catholic Faith to all they conquered (all that survived the conquest that is).  Those Conquistador's that died believed they would be welcomed in Heaven for doing God's work (much like the Crusader and Jihadist of early centuries).  Victories over cultures rich in material wealth (especially gold and silver) and land brought them untold wealth.  "Gold" was their preferred form of payment but silver, jewels, land and slaves all enriched victorious Conquistador's.  Many a Conquistador gained wealth worth millions of dollars in Modern value, and just as fast wasted in a wild lavish lifestyle.

For the better part of the 1500's the Conquistador's carved out the World's most wide-ranging Empire on five continents (Europe, Africa, South America, North America and Asia) parts of which last until the 20th century.  Untold hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of wealth flowed into the coffers of the Spanish Empire and the economy of Europe for centuries from these conquests. Whole cultures were destroyed and the political as well as religious face of the planet changed forever by the Conquistador's, all in the name of "Gold, God and Glory."

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

New World-Old World Style Cities

With the discovery of the "New World," Europeans embarked on a path of exploration, conquest, settlement and exploitation of these new lands.  One of the major changes they brought to the New World was the European design of cities.  These designs were in direct conflict with the cities of the advanced cultures of the Inca and those of what would become Mexico (the Aztecs and their enemies).  It was only natural, for the time period, for the conquerors to assume that theirs being the "superior culture" their style of cities would therefore also be superior.  This ethnocentrism coupled with the deadly diseases brought from the Old World doomed the advanced native city cultures so much that by the end of the 16th century virtually all the cities in the New World were mirrors of the European but with a local flavor.
El Morro, the massive Spanish fortification protecting the harbor and town of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Oldest European fortifications in the territory of the USA.

Here are some of the more important of the early European cities of the New World:
San Juan, Puerto Rico, founded by the Spanish in 1509 to assist commerce and project military power into the Southeastern Caribbean.  Originally the island was called San Juan and the town was called Puerto Rico (Rich Port).
Havana de Cuba, founded by the Spanish in 1514.  The major seaport of the Spanish colonies in the New World, from 1566 to 1790, the annual Treasure Fleets set off for Spain from here.
Gold the life blood of the annual Treasure Fleets from Havana to Spain.  Along with silver, jewels, jewelry, and the other vast resources of the New World Spanish Empire made the seaport so critical to Spain.

La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz (Rich Village of the True Cross), founded by the Spanish in 1519
Established by Cortez at the start of his conquest of Mexico, first city on the continent to have a city council.
Mexico City (former Tenochtitlan), founded by the Spanish in 1521.  After leveling one of the most beautiful cities in the World, Cortez and the Spanish built their new city in the image of those of the Old World. Was the most populous city in Pre-Columbian America and is now, with 19.6 million people, one the most populous urban areas in the World.
Mexico City in the 17th Century.

San (Saint today) Augustine, Florida, founded by the Spanish in 1565.  Built to solidify Spanish claims to the Southeast of North America and to protect the sea route of the yearly Treasure Fleet. Many bitter battle and raids by both the French and English lead to the construction of Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest stone fort in North America.
Replica of the Susan Constant which with the Discovery and Godspeed brought the first settlers to Jamestown in 1607.

Jamestown, Virginia, founded by the English in 1607.  The first successful English settlement in the USA, establishes an English presence that will grow into the thirteen colonies. "The colony built on smoke," they came looking for gold and silver but became rich on tobacco.
Map of Quebec circa 1640

Quebec City, Canada, founded by the French in 1608.  Established for the fur trade, quickly transformed into the center of French culture in Canada.  The key to "New France," for two centuries the country that ruled Quebec owned Canada.
Flag of New France incorporating the Royal Coat of Arms of the Bourbon family.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, founded by the Spanish in 1608.  Oldest territorial capital in the USA and only capital ever captured by the American Indians (1680-1692).
The Church of San Miguel, Santa Fe built circa 1610 and holds a claim to be the oldest church in the USA.

Plymouth Plantation, Massachusetts, founded by the English 1620.  Settled by the Pilgrims searching for religious freedom that after economic became a major cause for future colonial settlements. The settlement, through mistake or design, was built outside the area of Virginia territory of their contract. This allowed the colonist to make a new covenant-the Mayflower Compact creating a government in the New World based on equal rights to all signers. A strong precedent for future generations of Americans.  The signing of the Mayflower Compact is the root establishment of the rights of self-government in the New World.
Bas-relief of the signing of the Mayflower Compact.

New Amsterdam (New York 1664), New Netherlands (New York 1664), founded by the Dutch with a City Charter granted 1624.  An attempt by the Dutch to tap into the natural resources of North America, its conquest by the English changed the economic entire face of the British colonies. The English conquest led to renaming the city in honor of the king's brother, James the Duke of York (future King James II).
Early map of New Amsterdam.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Eleanor of Aquitaine-Wife of Kings Mother of Kings most Powerful Woman of the Middle Ages

File:EleanorAkvitanie1068.jpg
Duchess of Aquitaine (1137-1204), Queen Consort of Louis VII of France (1137-1152), Queen Consort of Henry II of England and Duke of Normandy (1154-1189).  Born circa 1122 died 1204.
Unusual for her day, Eleanor was actively involved in politics from her youth to her death.  Be it ruling the largest Duchy in France, advising her royal husbands, arranging advantageous noble weddings, influencing her royal children or organizing military revolts against her second husband King Henry II, Eleanor was no man's tool.  Actually, she was very adept at making otherwise powerful men into her tools to forward her political agenda.  She was a unique woman of her age, politically astute, strong willed and immensely intelligent.
 
Mother of three kings of England: Henry the Young King (1170-1183), Richard I-Coeur de Lion (1189-1199) and John-Lackland (1199-1216)
Mother of two queens:  Eleanor Queen of Castile (1177-1214), and Joan Queen of Sicily (1177-1189)
For more details on her remarkable life check:
http://ehistory.osu.edu/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=394
http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine2.html

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Bleeding-Medieval Medicine at its Worst


Bleeding (or bloodletting) was the most common medical treatment of the Middle Ages; it was also 100% worthless! The basic idea of the day was that by removing blood from an ill person the body would produce new blood that was "untainted" by illness and the victim-patient would soon be cured. Needless to say, the procedure did little more than to make the person weaker and faint.  Bleeding was so ingrained into medical thinking; it was still being practiced by doctors in the 1860's. 

An interesting side fact is that in the Middle Ages the village barber was also the main man to go to to be bled as the barber had the sharpest knives needed to cut the veins. The now traditional red and white poles outside of barber shops are said to have come from the way the barbers would place their blood-stained towels outside to dry after a successful bleeding.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Castles can be really Big

The Ludlow castle town side main gate, as the town was protected by its own walls, this castle entry was smaller than those of many other castles.
Barracks across the bailey.

One of the great halls.

the other side of the bailey with an outer wall tower.
The moat, a daunting defense for attackers to cross.

The view of the main gate from the moat...
it's a long way up.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Art from the Lost Roman World


Mosaic of the lady of the house.
Latest 1st century noble hair style.
Aristocrats of the Empire.
Greek goddess Artemis, a popular fertility symbol thoughout the Empire.
Even dogs can be immortalized in marble.
Wonders of a Lost World being enjoyed again as they were meant to be when they were created almost 20 centuries past.
Photos courtesy of Jacob Rudner.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Feudalism-Military Government on the Cheap


Feudalism was the dominant Social/Political system in Europe during the Middle Ages (circa 9th to 16 centuries but still in use in many countries well into the 19th century). In Feudalism the Lords of a kingdom were given property called fiefs (fiefs could be anything from a farm, village, forest etc. to whole towns) from the “King.” In exchange the fiefs the Lords would become vassals to the king and give him military service (eventually cash rents), honor and loyalty. The Lords would in turn divided their properties into smaller fiefs and give them to vassals (tenants) of their own. The process would be continued down to the lowest class of Lords, the knights, who were given enough property to afford their life as the warrior class of the kingdom. The common peasants (villeins or serfs) were required to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, nominally in exchange for military protection from the "lord." Without the expense of a single coin, through Feudalism the "King" had a ready made army of knights and men-at-arms that would give him military service in return for land.

A Lord by Every Name

Nobles and Lords often have multiple titles. Some signify territories or fiefs as in Duke of York or the Earl of Warwick. Others are earned titles such as a Knight of the Realm. While some may be simple honorary titles. Regardless, all are important to the recipient. Below is a rather extreme case of multiple titles, these belonged to Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom:
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, Baron Greenwich, Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Grand Master and First and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Member of the Order of Merit, Companion of the Order of Australia, Additional Member of the Order of New Zealand, Extra Companion of the Queen's Service Order, Royal Chief of the Order of Logohu, Canadian Forces Decoration, Lord of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Councillor of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty, Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom.