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Masters and Commanders: How Roosevelt, Churchill, Marshall and Alanbrooke Won the War in the West

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Andrew Roberts

September 25, 2008

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Henry: Virtuous Prince

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: David Starkey

October 01, 2008

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The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Richard Holmes

October 01, 2008

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The American Future: A History

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Simon Schama

October 02, 2008

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The Selfish Gene

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Richard Dawkins

March 16, 2006
Dawkins is excellent while he sticks to biology
however he may have lost the plot in the last chapter
as he has in thinking promoting science involves attacking
religion
If an evangalist is someone who does not leave people to work
it out for themselves but pushes his point of view Dawkins is one
Nutty Baptists and Dawkins looked similar on channel 4 for example
ie they both spin world events too far to promote a point of view

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A Short History of Nearly Everything

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Bill Bryson

June 01, 2004
Well I love a good Bill Bryson book and this is surely the best. As a travel writer he has kept me interested and amused with many an exciting journey but this rates as the best journey he has ever written. A journey that takes the layman on a travel experience spanning billions of years including an insight into all the sciences and ologies one can imagine. If only I had been able to read science at school like this...I might well have found an interest.

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The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Alison Weir

November 22, 2007
After watching the TV series the Tudors. I was interested in finding out more about the real events. This book is fantastic I couldn't put it down and will be buying more books by Alison Weir.

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Innocent Traitor

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Alison Weir

June 07, 2007
History is my favorite subject and this author came highly recommended.
This is the first book I have read by her and was extremely disappointed.
It lacked a true atmosphere of the time,that this was set in.
I really could not picture any exacutioner, living during Mary's reign, thinking the thoughts that this author had written.
The terminology was all wrong, the dialogue sounded 1970's.
The characters all appeared wishy washy.
It is far more a type of Barbara Cartland for the history lover, than any serious attempt to understand or explain how these events really played out.
It is an easy light read, ideal for train travel or just before going to sleep.
The Tudor/War of the Roses have been far better written ... Read More:

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Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Alison Weir

August 07, 2008
Although Weir has written historical biographies of women who were intrinsically interesting -- Eleanor of Acquitaine and Isabella (the She Wolf) of France -- I have always found them a little dry. It's surprisingly, then, that her most lively and readable book so far should be about a woman about whom so little is known.

We can conjecture who Katherine de Roet's father was but the identity of her mother remains unknown; we cannot be sure how many children she bore, assuming that some died young, as was almost inevitable; Weir makes silly statements such as 'Katherine may well have been there that day but there is no evidence of it' a little too often.

Even so, the character of Katherine shines through, the first royal mistress ever to achieve ... Read More:

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The Lady Elizabeth

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Other Historical Subjects
by: Alison Weir

April 03, 2008
Incredibly I picked this book out of my bookcase and couldn't remember whether I'd read it or not!!! I had to check the last few pages! Not good...

This book wasn't a patch on Innocent Traitor by the same author which was incredibly moving. Maybe it's just that there have been too many books written about the young Elizabeth, I don't know...