History

Oct 4 2011

Protestantism: A Very Short Introduction by Mark A. Noll

If I was independently wealthy, I would order the entire set of this series and begin a life of obsessive autodidacticism:

Oxford’s Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects–from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative–yet always balanced and complete–discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society.

But alas, I am not, so I must simply read as many books as I am able to fit into my schedule.  I started with The History of Protestantism by Mark A. Noll:

Mark A. Noll, named one of America’s most influential evangelicals by Time Magazine, provides a fresh and accessible history of Protestantism from the era of Martin Luther to the present day. Noll begins with the founding of Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist churches in the sixteenth-century Reformation, and considers the rise of other important Christian movements like Methodism and Pentecostalism.

But rather than focusing on just the familiar European and American histories, he discusses the recent expansion of Protestant movements in Africa, China, India, and Latin America, emphasizing the on-going and rapidly expanding story of Protestants worldwide. The book highlights the contributions of well-known figures ranging from Martin Luther and John Calvin to Karl Barth, Dora Yu, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, and Pandita Ramabai, and it sheds light on why Protestant energies have flagged recently in the Western world while expanding dramatically elsewhere. Detailing the key points of Protestant commonality–including the message of Christian salvation, reliance on the Bible, and organization through personal initiative–he illuminates the reasons for Protestantism’s extraordinary diversity.

And it was exactly what I was hoping for from this series: a short and succinct yet informative and insightful overview of a topic.  Noll gives you a great overview of the history of Protestantism from the Reformation to the global church of today and he sprinkles in enough details and interesting conclusions that it is more thought provoking than you might expect for a survey of this type.

Keep Reading

By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , , , , ,

Sep 30 2011

A Little Short of Boats by James A. Morgan III

A Little Short of Boats: The Civil War Battles of Ball’s Bluff and Edwards Ferry, October 21 – 22, 1861 by James Morgan III is an excellent analysis and description of two of the war’s earliest battles – the Battles of Ball’s Bluff and Edwards Ferry. The book’s latest edition is revised with some updated information from Morgan’s further study of the Battle.

The Battle of Ball’s Bluff (more action took place there than at Edwards Ferry) grew out of an order for Union General Charles P. Stone to make a “demonstration” in front of Confederate positions near Ball’s Bluff. This demonstration turned into a twelve-hour battle where hundreds of men were killed and wounded, a prominent friend of President Lincoln’s (Col. Edward D. Baker) was killed, and the promising career of Stone was ruined (Morgan succinctly and clearly explains how Stone was pointed out as a scapegoat by his detractors). As Morgan shows, if anyone was to blame, it was Baker for his lack of leadership and control of the battle.

Although Ball’s Bluff did not seem to have any tactical or strategic consequences, but it did have political repercussions way beyond the Battle. As a result of the Union’s bungling of this battle and the First Battle of Bull Run, Congress created the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War – which proved to be a major hindrance for Lincoln throughout the war.

Morgan clearly lays out how the battle progressed and the different units that participated on both sides. He equally criticizes and praises both sides. The Confederates were generally better led (overall command was under Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Evans) and organized than the Union – there was total confusion prior to Baker’s entrance on the battlefield. Morgan supports most of his arguments with diaries and official reports. However, when his opinion is not based on either source, he bases it on sound reason.

Scattered throughout the text, Morgan includes numerous maps and photographs of the participants. The maps are helpful in following the action depicted in the text. The reader gets a better understanding of the tactical situation as well.

Finally, Morgan includes seven appendices on various aspects surrounding the battles. The topics covered include the details surrounding Baker’s death and an interesting discussion on why the Battle of Ball’s Bluff even occurred.

This book is an excellent short, concise history of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff.

By Jeff Grim • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

Sep 28 2011

Is James Madison an under-appreciated founding father?

This week’s Coffee & Markets tackles this subject and more with one of my favorite writers, Richard Brookhiser.  Pejman Yousefzadeh and I discuss Brookhiser’s new biography of James Madison, Madison’s battle with Hamilton, his break with Washington, and the last years of his life, when he foresaw the secession of states from the Union.

Listen below.

By Kevin Holtsberry • Interviews • 0 • Tags: , , , , , ,

Sep 19 2011

Pacific Air by David Sears

Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skies in the War with Japan by David Sears is popular history at its best.  Sears does an excellent job of writing about the American effort to defeat Japan during World War II in an easy-to-read format.

In explaining why the Americans won the war, Sears writes about the American pilots who became aces and developed the air tactics that helped defeat the vaunted Zero.  These pilots include John “Jimmie” Thach who invented the fighter and wingman tactics still used today and Edward “Butch” O’Hare, the Navy’s first combat ace.  Although the stories about these pilots are somewhat disjointed, they are very engaging.

Not only does Sears write about American pilots, but he also includes the perspective of Japanese pilots via Imperial Japanese Navy pilot Saburo Sakai – a highly decorated pilot who survived the war with the loss of vision in one eye.  Sears describes, through the words of Sakai,  the Japanese pilots’ elation in dominating the Allies at the beginning of the war and, conversely, their total dismay when the tables were turned at the end of the war.

In addition to the pilots, Sears touches on the development of a few Navy fighters, especially the F4F Wildcat.  The writing on the development of the F2F, F3F, and F4F is very interesting.  Sears writes how Grumman (a small start-up company in the 1930s) was able to beat Boeing for the Navy’s first solely designed carrier-based aircraft.

As with many popular histories, accuracy is somewhat sacrificed.  There is more than one inaccurate statement in the book.  For example, Sears writes about the armored decking of U.S. aircraft carriers when in actuality the decks were made of wood planking (pine).  Many of the misstatements are minor, but they add up to be an annoyance.

Overall, this book is very entertaining.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions expressed herein are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with Federal Trade Commision regulations.

By Jeff Grim • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , , , , ,

Sep 9 2011

A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich

I remember seeing A Little History of the World when it was released and wanting to check it out. But I had a gazillion other things to read and have been trying to cut back on my book buying.  Some time later I came across it at a deeply discounted price on the Kindle so I picked it up.

I took me awhile even then to get around to reading it. Having done so I can say that it lived up to its billing.  It really is a wonderfully little survey of history written for young readers but with plenty to enjoy for older ones.

In forty concise chapters, Gombrich tells the story of man from the stone age to the atomic bomb. In between emerges a colorful picture of wars and conquests, grand works of art, and the spread and limitations of science. This is a text dominated not by dates and facts, but by the sweep of mankind’s experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity’s achievements and an acute witness to its frailties.

For those unfamiliar, the book itself has an interesting history:

In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, the 26-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited by a publishing acquaintance to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. Amazingly, he completed the task in an intense six weeks, and Eine kurze Weltgeschichte für junge Leser was published in Vienna to immediate success, and is now available in seventeen languages across the world.

Toward the end of his long life, Gombrich embarked upon a revision and, at last, an English translation. A Little History of the World presents his lively and involving history to English-language readers for the first time.

Two things to keep in mind when reading: this is not in any way an academic history, nor is it a particularly detailed one, and the story is told from European perspective.

What it provides is a great bird’s eye view of the sweep of history; the story of history across the ages. For young readers, and anyone seeking to get a grasp of the arc of history, this is a valuable thing.  And it is done with a simple yet engaging style that makes it not only readable but enjoyable – which is the very thing which inspires learning.

Of course, it goes without saying that anyone with a strong multiculturalist, Marxist or other type of anti-Western ideology will probably not enjoy it. Grombrich brings an avowed attachment to the values and ideals of the Enlightenment and from a pre-world war perspective. He is very much of the Athens-Rome-Jerusalem view and doesn’t try to hide it.  And is possible to appreciate and be open to the insights of this worldview even as you understand that it is a worldview; and one connected to a time and place different from our own.

The final chapter, added for this edition, tries to capture the tragic  bitterness that came with the wars of the twentieth century but manages to insist on a sort of cautious optimism. Whether this is warranted it up to the reader to decide.

In my opinion, there is plenty of time later (for young readers in particular) for cynicism and the unpacking of historiography that makes up any study of history.  Getting a handle on the scope and outline of events and ideas as presented here is a valuable and enjoyable first step.  And a reminder that we should lose the joy of this type of history even if we later dig deeper and explore in a more academic way.

So I am happy I stumbled on the Kindle edition and heartily recommend this fine volume in any format to readers young and old.

By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , ,

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