Reading Still Matters

I recently completed Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne.   This isn't a new work, originally published back in 2011 by Scribner, but it was a new to me book. One of the great things about history is that if well done, they generally have a pretty good shelf life.      And this one is well done. Gwynne is known to be one of the best popular or narrative history writers, and I enjoyed his treatment of the Commanche's and their conflicts with the European powers and the encroaching settlers immensely.   This is a compelling read that is fast moving, and sucks you in as well as any novel.      The work covers the historic rise of the Comanche's, their origins, their move into buffalo country and adoption of a militaristic horse culture, as well as their conflicts with the Spanish and French.       The history of the ...

Dead Wake  by Erik Larson is a narrative nonfiction book recounting the final, fateful voyage of the massive Cunard ship Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat (U-20) in May 1915 during World War I.        But Dead Wake isn’t just about the sinking of Lusitania, although it is that. It’s also the story of many of the people involved in the tragedy, including victims and survivors. In fact, we experience the sinking through the eyes of many of the participants, as they book their tickets, make their journeys to New York, board the ship and marvel at its luxuries. We even hear their idle chatter as the discuss the chances of a ship like Lusitania being torpedoed during their crossing. Imagine that!          And from the German side, we meet the U-Boat captain, the crew, learn about their life on a submarine, the controversies within the German government and military apparatus regarding the use of submarines against ...

Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West is a work of narrative history by the famous historian and novelist Tom Holland.   Persian Fire chronicles the rise of the Persian Empire and its first great kings - Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes, as well as the struggle of Darius and Xerxes to pacify the quarrelsome city states of what would become Greece.     This was a project that ended badly for the Persians. The narrative really beings with the roots of the Persian people itself. The Persians were the ancestors of Aryan horse people who inhabited the mountains east of the early empire builders of Babylon and Assyria.   Eventually, the empire of Medes would arise and conquer much of the fertile crescent.   The power of Media eventually brought it into conflict with the people who became known as the Persians. It was this conflict with Media that kick started the power of Persian and their rise of the empire that conquered people from India to ...

As a Canadian, I feel like I should read and promote the history of my country to others. But the truth is that I often find myself reading the history of other countries, regions, time periods and cultures, all at the expense of reading about my own country and background.   Recently, I read Emperor of the North (often referred to in the context of "Emperor of the Bay") by James Raffan. The work chronicles the life of Sir George Simpson (1786–1860) who was appointed to revive the flagging fortunes of the Hudson’s Bay Company. For those who don’t know, the Hudson's Bay Company was incorporated by grant of the English Crown and operated as a fur trading company in much of what is now Canada, as well as the western United States.  At the time Simpson was appoint, the Hudson’s Bay Company was struggling. It was looked in a ruthless conflict with the Northwest Company run out of Montreal. The competition was so ruthless, then men of each of the companies actually...

Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom by Tom Holland is very interesting take on Western Europe during the two centuries surrounding the apocalyptic year 1000.  Basically, Holland takes us through a 200-year period across the various regions of Europe in order to demonstrate that the events of this time period created the society that would ultimately become modern Europe.  For Holland, this was the period when the area that is now Europe became something other than just the shattered remains of the Western Roman Empire.   The historical narrative pivots around the year 1000 and the pervasive fear of the Antichrist and the Second Coming, and digs in on how these apocalyptic anxieties influenced the actions of rulers, clergy, and peasants alike. Generally, Holland works the history region by region. Treating as separate but connected narratives, the happenings in what would become Italy, Spain, France Germany and even in areas like Poland and Hun...

In the past, when I still enjoyed watching movies, I always attempted to avoid movies that were based on my favourite books. I knew that as soon as I watched the movie, the pictures of the places and people that I had constructed in my imagination would immediately dissolve and be replaced by the movie settings and the Hollywood faces playing the major roles. For the most part, I ended up watching the movies and Liam Neeson became Rob Roy and Peter O'Toole became Lawrence of Arabia. I thought I had a victory when I managed to avoid watching Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, but the previews, movie posters and advertising were enough to take over the treasured, but shadowy realms of my imagination. I have since wondered why pictures in movies so easily and ruthlessly replaced those in my imagination, why Daniel Radcliffe actually became Harry Potter for all time.   So, I thought I would look into the phenomena and find out if it was just me or if the...

My first read of 2026 was James Romm's recent work: Plato and the Tyrant: The fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece . And what a way to start the reading year. Hopefully all the books I read in 2026 will be as unique and interesting as this one was.  Plato and the Tyrant is basically three strands rolled into a single cohesive narrative. It's a history of the city state of Syracuse and its interactions with rival powers, a biography of many of the men and women of the era, including Plato, Dionysius (the Elder and Younger), and Dion, as well as an interesting analysis of the Republic and how Plato developed it in light of his experiences visiting Syracuse.   Basically, the story of Plato and the Tyrant is the story of Plato's attempt to shape a couple of Syracusan tyrants into enlightened philosopher kings who could reshape governance in the Hellenic world and end the general decline that Plato thought was happening.  But Pl...

Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe is a recent work of history by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry.   The book primarily documents the Carolingian Civil War, which was a bloody conflict among Charlemagne's descendants that fractured the vast empire built by Charlemagne with much blood and treasure. The story starts earlier with Charlemagne’s immediate predecessors, his grandfather and father, who successfully took power from the Merovingians.   The authors then summarize and provide insights into familial conflicts and power plays that had already started in the time of Charlemagne. Essentially, the signs of civil war were already starting to show by the end of Charlemagne’s reign. We then visit the reign of Louis the Pious who was Charlemagne’s sole surviving son. Has their been a number of heirs, one suspects that outright war between the Franks may have started earlier. However, one Lious the Pious’s sons came of age,...

Antony Beevor's Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921 is a dramatic survey of one of the most shocking and brutal events of the 20th century - the collapse of the Tsarist autocracy and its replacement by violent zealots determined to reshape the world.     Who is Antony Beevor? Antony Beevor is an internationally renowned and sometimes controversial British military historian who has written a number of books, including Stalingrad, The Fall of Berlin, and The Battle for Spain, among a number of others.   Interestingly, Beevor had been a tank commander in the British army before deciding to leave and write full-time. In some countries where his work has been published, his books have generated considerable controversy and even bans. For example, both Russians and Ukrainians took exception to his portrayal of their respective military's actions during the battle of Stalingrad. There was much discussion of the brutality of combatants, including the executions o...

Interest in Russia briefly waned after the fall of the Soviet Union, but newly aggressive Russia under Vladimir Put has revived interest in Russia.   If you are looking for some solid history recommendations to give you a better sense to the history of modern Russia, check out the selections below. A History of Twentieth-Century Russia by Robert Service      In A History of Twentieth-Century Russia, Service provides a comprehensive, single-volume narrative history that covers the tumultuous period from the final years of Tsar Nicholas II through the collapse of the Soviet Union.      It is widely regarded as a useful reference and an accessible introduction for general readers, incorporating material from previously closed Soviet archives. This book remains a great place to start for understanding Russia's twentieth century and a better understanding of the system that produced the likes of Vladimir Putin.      Service constructs...