Walter H. Hunt

Reading List Archive

This page shows the books on which I've commented since the web site went up in 2003. There's a link for most books which will take you directly to Amazon (or, in some cases, the site where the book is available.) Enjoy reading!

Fiction
Non-Fiction

Fiction

	Andrews, Donna. You've Got Murder.	A crossover from Donna's usual stomping ground in the mystery field, these entertaining books feature the crime-solvin' AI Turing Hopper. Go visit her website. We met at Balticon a few years ago and hit it off very well, and I finally got around to reading her books.
	Andrews, Donna. Click Here For Murder.	The sequel to the above. Another fun read.
	Anthony, Piers. Incarnations of Immortality. (7 vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)	A look at the roles of immortal creatures that represent (in order as shown) Death, Time, Fate, and War. Nature, Evil and Good remain as yet unread. I've had these recommended to me numerous times and am just getting to them. I find them amusing, light reads with good ideas and clever details - though I like the earlier ones the best, especially Death.
	Barnes, Steven. Lion's Blood.	An alternate history novel set in a world in which Africa, not Europe, spawns the dominant culture. As historian, I want to know more about how this has been set up - Barnes indicates that Socrates and Alexander have different lives than in our own milieu, but I'd like to understand it better. As a writer, I can only stand back and admire.
	Barnes, Steven. Zulu Heart.	A remarkable sequel to Lion's Blood, set in an alternate America with reversed racial roles. I can't recommend these two books highly enough, and I look forward to the next one.
	Beller, Miles. Dream of Venus.	A strange little book set at the 1939-40 World's Fair. Its title refers to an equally strange exhibit found at that fair. The book is evocative and surreal - fitting for an event that took place with the Depression in the rearview and the Second World War erupting a few thousand miles away.
	Bray, Patricia. Devlin's Luck.	Tricia Bray and I met at Astronomicon in 2002, and we swapped books. This excellent adventure novel won the Compton Crook at Balticon in 2003 - woo-hoo!
	Bray, Patricia. Devlin's Honor.	The sequel to the Compton Crook winner Devlin's Luck is well-written and compelling. While it fits comfortably into the 'low-fantasy' Middle Ages-like genre, it isn't at all formulaic, and is a very worthwhile read.
	Bray, Patricia. Devlin's Justice.	The final book in the "Sword of Change" trilogy, a worthy completion to a very good story. Recommended.
	Brown, Dan. Angels and Demons.	A brilliant, brilliant book. A thriller involving futuristic physics, ancient conspiracies, hidden secrets, history, and intrigue. I absolutely could not put this one down. At the time, I expected that DaVinci Code would be even better, but I was somewhat disappointed - see below.
	Brown, Dan. The DaVinci Code.	OK, I read it. Let me state for the record that as Dan Brown is a good New Englander, I wish him all the success in the world, that I envy his sales and admire his breathless storytelling style, and look forward to seeing what he does with - and to - the Masonic Fraternity in his next book. But having said all that, I don't understand how I could see pretty much where this was going and how it was going to turn out from about a third of the way on. I figured out who the villain was; I've heard of the Fibonacci sequence; I know about Rosslyn Chapel. I guess I'm amazed that this thing has gotten as big as it has. Still, it's a part of current culture that at least challenges the reader. It has a spot on my shelf.
	Carroll, Jonathan. The Land of Laughs.	Surreal, yet enjoyable stuff that was recommended by the people at Dark Carnival. Each one is creative, insightful, and disturbing - I couldn't put them down.
	Carroll, Jonathan. The Wooden Sea.	Surreal, yet enjoyable stuff that was recommended by the people at Dark Carnival. Each one is creative, insightful, and disturbing - I couldn't put them down. (as above.)
	Carroll, Jonathan. From the Teeth Of Angels.	Another quirky, compelling read. When I get through a Carroll book I generally say to myself, "what the **** was that about?" The defining characteristic, though, is that I remember passages in it much later. So in some ways, though I can't say that I understand his writing, I keep coming back to it. Not sure if that qualifies as a recommendation.
	Davidson, Avram. The Other Nineteenth Century.	A collection of alternate-Victorian stories. They vary in quality, but some are truly excellent (I particularly like Buchanan's Head).
	Dietz, Bill. Bodyguard.	Bill gave me one of the first cover quotes I ever received, and had a chance to read one of his books this fall. It was great fun: a friend describes Bill's stories as "space westerns", and that's not a bad description.
	Drago, Ty. Phobos.	Ty's first novel for Tor is an interesting hard-sf story set in a near future on the tiny moon of Mars. A very good treatment with echoes of today's societal pressures with some interesting twists. I was asked to provide a quote for the book, which appears on the paperback edition.
	Flynn, Michael. In the Country of the Blind.	An engaging book about attempts to maneuver history - the science of cliology. Michael knows how to write well, and understands how to keep historians happy too: a good combination. (Now I'm going to have to go read everything he's written.)
	Gibson, William. All Tomorrow's Parties.	I've been a fan of Gibson since Neuromancer, though I've found his more recent works to be irregular - some I liked (Idoru, for example) while others I found shallow and not worthy of his skill (The Difference Engine, which I couldn't make much sense of; Virtual Light, which as a cyberpunk Maltese Falcon - the big item everyone was looking for had almost nothing to do with the plot.) All Tomorrow's Parties isn't his best book, but is as strong as Idoru - which it sequels - and is a fun read
	Goldstein, Lisa. The Alchemist's Door.	An interesting read about Elizabethan savant John Dee, and a possible meeting between him and the rabbi who created the legendary Golem in Prag. A fellow Tor author.
	Hambly, Barbara. Benjamin January series (7 vols. so far) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)	This extraordinary series of books featuring Benjamin January as the protagonist - the last two of which I read this summer - are set in the 1830s, primarily in New Orleans. Her descriptive language and obvious knowledge of the period, along with a terrific knack for storytelling, make them a must-read for me.
	Hartman, Rachel. Amy Unbounded: Belondweg Blossoming.	This is a trade paperback containing a complete story arc: episodes 7-12 of this superb, insightful, entertaining comic from a talented artist and storyteller. If you want to read everything Amy - and you will, after reading this one - go to Mars Import to pick up earlier and later episodes of the series. Amy is a young girl growing up in a medieval country called Goredd, which probably most closely resembles medieval England; except that the knights have been banished, there are dragons that study humans as a scholarly project, and there's a matriarchal, equestrian society (from which Amy's mother comes, incidentally.) An excellent, excellent read.
	Hearn, Lian. Across The Nightingale Floor.	An alternate Japan is the setting for this intricate plot of honor, intrigue and revenge. Lian Hearn has a good touch for description and mood, though the first book develops very slowly.
	Hearn, Lian. Grass For His Pillow.	The second book of Tales of the Otori is much more skillfully executed than the first. There are more and better touches here.
	Hearn, Lian. The Brilliance of the Moon.	The third book of the series is as good as the second, though I was disappointed that there was not something more climactic at the end - my friend Tee Morris never got to book 3, as he was disappointed with the earlier volumes. Judge for yourself.
	Kay, Guy Gavriel. The Last Light of the Sun.	An extraordinary extension of Kay's alternate Europe. This one is contemporary with Lions of Al-Rassan and deals with the world of the Erlings (Norsemen) and the Anglcyn (English). It is in the same milieu as the Sarantine Mosaic books (Sailing To Sarantium and Lord of Emperors). I would be remiss if I did not also mention the superb Tigana, though that's not in the same universe as these others - but it's an excellent read nonetheless. As with his previous works, Kay shows depth of research and a superb narrative touch.
	King, Laurie R. The Game.	The latest in the "Mary Russell" series, The Game is set in India in 1924. Russell is Sherlock Holmes' partner and wife, and while she isn't quite the equal of the Great Detective, she's more than a match for him. King's writing is very solid and her research superb; Holmes fans are very particular about the canon, and Lord knows there have been lots of awful spinoffs. This one is highly recommended - read the whole series, starting with The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
	Kirstein, Rosemary. The Steerswoman's Road.	I met Rosemary at Boskone in February of 2003 and was fortunate to snag a copy of this volume, which introduces us to the world of the Steerswomen. Compelling reading, a page-turner with thoughtful touches. I really enjoyed reading it.
	Kirstein, Rosemary. The Lost Steersman.	Continuing the story in Steerswoman's Road, Rosemary's newer book reveals more of the intricate world she's created. She writes very well, though the story develops slowly.
	Kirstein, Rosemary. The Language of Power.	I read this right after Carroll's From The Teeth of Angels, and by comparison is a very solid, compelling read. The third book in the Steerswoman series, it begins to reveal the magic (read: technology) of the wizards of Kirstein's world. It's clear that there's another book coming, and I'm pretty much hooked now. Her books are among the best stuff I read in 2004.
	Koike, Kazuo, and Kajima, Goseki. Lone Wolf and Cub. (28 vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)	This series is from Dark Horse Comics and recently became available on Amazon. I'm not terribly interested in manga - Japanese comics of a particular type - but this 28 volume series is outstanding. It's the story of the "Baby Cart Assassin", and is generally regarded as the classic samurai story. It's violent, dark and sometimes depressing, and drawn entirely in black and white: and it's absolutely gripping.
	Kurland, Michael. The Great Game.	A pretty decent read, casting Professor Moriarty as a sort of non-villain (not really a hero, but a "good guy" nonetheless). Kurland has good command of the canon, but makes Holmes out to be a minor character - and a somewhat deranged one at that. The story is intricate and interesting, and at times funny, though it's like reading good Star Trek fan fiction; the major characters are all well known to both author and reader. There are a couple more of these, and I'll probably read them.
	Kurtz, Katherine. Lammas Night.	Set during World War II, it has the feel of one of her "Adept" series (written with Deborah Turner Harris). A classic - and I managed to find a copy for myself.
	Kurtz, Katherine. Knights Templar series (3 vols. 1, 2, 3)	These collections have some outstanding stories about the mysterious Templars, supposed to be eradicated by King Philip the Fair in the 14th Century . . . but who keep turning up in literature and folklore. (There's a circumstantial chain of reasoning that turns the Templars of 1300 into the Freemasons of 1700; read John Robinson or Baigent and Leigh to learn about that.) There's a rumor that a fourth collection is coming, and I'll be glad to add it to my shelf when it arrives.
	Levinson, Paul. The Silk Code.	Phil D'Amato, the forensic detective, tracks down a biological conspiracy in London, in Canada, in Lancaster County. Fast moving and well written. For my part, I'd love to see more about the Tocharians - there's a section of the book that takes place in the eighth century CE that I was sad to see end.
	Liss, David. A Conspiracy of Paper.	David Liss's first book with his hero Benjamin Weaver. It's a remarkable detective novel with an ex-pugilist, Benjamin Weaver, as its hero; it deals with the South Sea Bubble. Highly recommended.
	Liss, David. A Spectacle of Corruption.	Liss's second Weaver book It's set in 1722 and is a tour-de-force on the 1722 Parliamentary election, introducing the reader to the conspiracies of the Jacobites (the supporters of the exiled 'King across the Water', the son of James II). Highly recommended.
	Liss, David. The Coffee Trader.	Mr. Liss shows his deft hand as a writer, as well as his obvious love for the material and skill as a research historian. The Coffee Trader, unlike his other two books, is set in Amsterdam in 1659 - and it's highly recommended.
	McDevitt, Jack. The Hercules Text.	One of Jack's first books, which I didn't scan the cover of before returning it to the library - and there doesn't seem to be an image of it online. An excellent insight into first contact, and the impact it would have on our view of humanity's place in the universe.
	McDevitt, Jack. Deepsix.	After we met at Philcon in 2003, I decided that I'd been remiss in reading McDevitt. I didn't realize how remiss I'd been - his standalone works are interesting and hard to put down, but his current series (featuring Priscilla Hutchins - Deepsix, Engines of God, Chindi) will make you as eager to read the next one. Jack has been called the successor to Asimov.
	McDevitt, Jack. The Engines of God.	Probably my favorite McDevitt to date. One of the Priscilla Hutchins series. Jack's attention to small details make his books easy to get lost in.
	McDevitt, Jack. Eternity Road.	An interesting take on a post-Apocalypse world. A quest novel to discover the secrets of the Roadmakers. Very engaging.
	McDevitt, Jack. Moonfall.	A very plausible near-future scenario of a comet striking the moon - with devastating results. Good, hard science fiction.
	McDevitt, Jack. Ancient Shores.	Another insightful, engaging read. A boat found in North Dakota leads to the gate to the stars. Hard SF, great writing.
	McDevitt, Jack. Chindi.	The third Hutch novel. The best "alien artifact" novel I've read since Rendezvous With Rama, which was a few years back.
	McDevitt, Jack. Infinity Beach.	A great puzzle story that leads to another alien contact scenario. Very well written.
	McDevitt, Jack. Omega.	The next book in the series that includes Deepsix, Chindi, and The Engines of God. Hutch is off to find out what brings the Omega clouds that destroy civilizations. Jack's skill with the big and little things make this a superb read.
	McDevitt, Jack. A Talent For War.	Somehow I missed this one during my McDevitt sweep a summer ago. It's an interesting story - the main character is pulled into an investigation of the hero of a distant war, and watches myth (and the power that keeps it alive) become unraveled as he goes. Jack told me at Philcon that he didn't like the cover above, especially since it shows a character who never actually appears in the book! A good read.
	Michaels, David S. Red Moon.	In July 1969, the USSR secretly sends a man to the moon. He lands just a few days before One Giant Step. . . but no one knows about it. Fifty years later, the secret emerges. A great piece of story telling. I have the folks at Camp Hill Barnes & Noble to thank for this one.
	Powers, Tim. Declare.	An outstanding novel which begins as a spy thriller and moves quickly to the customary Powers weirdness. Tim's writing is hard to describe, so I'll just praise it; as he was GoH at Arisia in 2004, I had a chance to meet him personally and have him sign my copy of this book (which I reread just before.) Go get it and read it.
	Powers, Tim. Powers Of Two.	(The Skies Discrown'd and Epitaph In Rust), by Tim Powers. Guest of Honor at Arisia in 2004, Tim's two Laser Books novels (his earliest work) were rereleased by NESFA Press for this convention. Yes, he wrote them when he was much younger; and yes, they don't have the impact of Declare or The Anubis Gates - but what he wrote in his twenties makes all of us strive to be as good as that. Now that they're back in print, they should be part of every SF collection.
	Ruggiero, Tony. Team of Darkness.	Vampire Navy Seals. Tony knows his background and provides an interesting story. We toured together earlier this summer, which made me finally get around to reading this. Fun book.
	Russell, Sean. The Isle of Battle.	The sequel to The One Kingdom. Haven't been able to get into it yet. I like Sean Russell a lot, but this series seems even slower than his other works.
	Sawyer, Rob. Factoring Humanity.	If there's any evidence that a book keeps your interest, it's the ability to read it under less than optimal reading conditions. I read Rob's book while traveling to Minnesota for a recent convention. I was with my daughter, I was short of sleep, and I had to fly through O'Hare - and still finished it in one day. An excellent exposition of alien contact, mixed with mathematics and insight about current affairs - in this case, false memory syndrome.
	Sawyer, Rob. Hominids.	An alternate Earth, where the Neanderthals occupy our evolutionary niche. Rob's knowledge and expertise shine, and don't overwhelm the story, which is excellent; the second book, Humans, is just out. My original choice for Nebula novel.
	Sawyer, Rob. Humans.	The second book in the Neanderthal Parallax series, which culminates with Hybrids. Well-written and obviously well-researched, it's Rob at his storytelling best. (If you haven't read Hominids yet, go out immediately and get it! Then get this one.)
	Sawyer, Rob. The Terminal Experiment.	A cracking good read. As usual, everything that changes the world is invented in Toronto :-)
	Sheffield, Charles. Cold As Ice.	A good hard-science thriller. One of the many books sitting on my shelf ready to be read, it accompanied me on a recent trip and got read at a run. Worth a look.
	Silverberg, Robert. Downward to the Earth.	Not a new book by any stretch; I own the Signet paperback with this weird cover. This is really one of Silverberg's best books, a sort of science fictional Heart of Darkness about redemption, metamorphosis, and altered world view. I read it when it was new (and I was in junior high school); it's a book that's always stayed with me, and I recently found it and read it again.
	Silverberg, Robert. Up The Line.	Met Bob Silverberg again in San Diego and got him to sign my copy of this, one of my all-time favorite time travel books. I reread the story while I was out there, and enjoyed it all over again. Should be on any science fiction reader's shelf.
	Simpson, D.L. Ozy and Millie. (5 vols.)	The most insightful and clever cartoon since Calvin and Hobbes. Less sarcastic than Dilbert, less disaffected than Doonesbury, sometimes tender, sometimes biting. Ozy and Millie can be found in its entirety online, but there have been five compilations so far. They're all on our bookshelf; when the fifth book came out I went back and read all of the earlier ones.
	"Snicket, Lemony". A Series of Unfortunate Events	Okay, okay. I don't usually recommend (or read) much in the way of juvenile literature, but I went to see the movie with the family on New Years' Night and enjoyed it . . . which led naturally to reading the books. I read the first one in an hour (the movie is based on the first three - this isn't Stephen Donaldson, after all.) It's clever, though I can imagine that I might give up on it if the story doesn't evolve (as opposed to giving us more of the same.) Still, it's worth a look, and better than I had expected.
	Spencer, Wen. Tinker.	My good friend and colleague has another hit after her Ukiah series: elves come to Pittsburgh and a girl genius finds love. As usual, Wen jumps you right into the story and doesn't let up on the accelerator until you get to the end. It has 'sequel' written all over it, of course.
	Spencer, Wen. Dog Warrior.	The fourth "Ukiah Oregon" book answers some questions and asks some new ones. As always, my friend Wen Spencer picks you up and keeps you running from the first page to the last, mixing modern-day with science fictional. A fun read and well worth waiting for.
	Stewart, George. Earth Abides.	A classic work about a worldwide plague, and the way in which the survivors would, well, survive. Written in 1949, it shows a few signs of age but is still a good read. Still, it's not as good as my favorite post-Apocalypse works, Alas, Babylon and A Canticle for Leibowitz.
	Stirling, S.M. The Peshawar Lancers.	A fast-moving adventure novel, very Kiplingesque, set in an alternate 21st century where the British Raj is the British Empire (due to a meteor strike in Disraeli's time.) A great, fast read with lots of little details. I was already impressed with Island on the Sea of Time and its two sequels, and liked this book very much.
	Stirling, S.M. Conquistador.	An interesting turn on alternate history, this novel postulates an "alternative" Earth connected to our own by an accidentally-created 'Gate' in a basement in Oakland. This other world is ruled by an oligarchy of families that made it through the Gate to exploit it - and things are at their libertarian best over there: low crime, summary justice, no political correctness. Reminiscent of the Nantucket series, it's well-written and researched. A good read.
	Stirling, S.M. Dies The Fire.	The other side of the Change, the event that took Nantucket and its inhabitants centuries into Earth's past, is the story begun in this novel. It seems that all of the technology, and the capability to reproduce it, went with the Nantucket folks back into the Bronze Age - so firearms, steam engines, and so forth don't work in the 20th century. Things break down pretty quickly. There'll be more, and I'm looking forward to reading it.
	Turtledove, Harry. The Worldwar Series. (4 vols. 1, 2, 3, 4 )	,From the acknowledged master of "alternate history", here's an idea: in the middle of the Second World War, an alien race comes to our world intending to conquer us. Though they have superior technology, they're not quite ready for the rate at which we advanced since they last looked in . . . and the speed with which we adapt to fight them. Lots of historical background showing lots of research, and a good read.
	Weber, David. War Of Honor.	The latest in the Honor Harrington series, a very well-developed military SF universe. This is book 10, and runs many hundreds of pages; while it's complex and well thought out, I think my editor would have a field day with it: nothing seems to happen for two-thirds of the book. Until I have Weber's sales, I wouldn't go out of my way to criticize it, though.

Non-Fiction

	Adams, Henry. The War of 1812.	The definitive work on the subject. Not an easy read, but thorough. The least understood American conflict - and the one that could have cost us our independence.
	Anderson, Fred. Crucible of War.	A superb book on the background and course of the Seven Years' War in America (the French and Indian War.) Anderson provides extremely valuable background that you don't get in American public schools - we tend to jump directly from the Pilgrims to the Stamp Act, and hardly ever hear about the Covenant Chain or the Walking Purchase.
	Cassidy, Stephen. Spanning The Gate.	We get out to the West Coast to see family from time to time. When we were last there I jotted down the title of this book in my PDA, intending to find it in the library; instead, it languished there until July 2004, when I found it in the Golden Gate Bridge gift shop and bought it. A fascinating book of words and pictures about the construction of the Bridge.
	Chidsey, Donald Bar. The Great Conspiracy.	A breezy, light read about the adventures of Aaron Burr after the duel with Hamilton. Was he trying to become Emperor of Mexico? Overthrow the Spanish in Louisiana? Separate the western states from the Union? Was Jefferson's hatred of Burr so great that he tried to frame him in the 'Trial of the Century'? I'd like to read more about this subject.
	DeVoto, Bernard. The Year Of Decision: 1846.	DeVoto is a well-known 20th century American historian that (I'm embarrassed to say) I had never heard of. This book was originally published in 1942 and discusses the year's events, placing them in excellent context. As we tend to have little knowledge about the period between 1776 and the beginning of the Civil War, I have found it enlightening.
	Drake, Samuel Adams. Old Boston Taverns and Tavern Clubs.	Reference work for my historical project. Details on pre-Revolutionary Boston.
	Dunne, Finley Peter, writing as Mr. Dooley. Mr. Dooley In Peace and In War, among others.	I happened upon these at a used bookstore of my acquaintance and picked them up (I have the Smith, Maynard editions, published just as 'Mr. Dooley' was becoming popular. The character was an Irish-American tavern keeper, who held forth on all manner of political subjects from behind his bar on Archey Street in Chicago (through a regular satire column in the Chicago Tribune). At the height of Dooley's popularity - he was syndicated throughout the country and was reputed to be Theodore Roosevelt's favorite part of the newspaper - Dunne's writing was held to be on a par with that of Mark Twain. Today, the use of dialect, the racial slurs, and the lack of context makes him much harder to read - but for someone with a knowledge of the era he's smart, funny, and right on target. I first heard of him while reading Theodore Rex and found him at least partway as entertaining as T.R. must have. For more information on Mr. Dooley, click this link: Satire by Finley Peter Dunne
	Elting, John. Amateurs, to Arms!	A more modern treatment of the war by the late Col. Elting, a much easier read. Good detail on the northern frontier. The book exposes the many incompetencies of the American armed forces and how we almost lost this war (that we shouldn't have been fighting in the first place.)
	Fenn, Elizabeth A. Pox Americana.	A history of the spread of smallpox and its effects on the American late Colonial and Revolutionary periods. More of a study book than entertainment, needless to say, but I know much more about this subject after having read it. Well researched and presented.
	Ferling, John. A Leap in the Dark.	A book about the formation of the American Republic. This book, as well as Ferling's other work, has gotten lots of attention; the most interesting parts of the book for me were the insights about how loyal the eventual revolutionaries wanted to be - not just Dickinson and Read, but also Franklin and even Adams; and the discussion of the United States under the Articles of Confederation, about which we learn very little in high school. Certainly well-written and well-researched, I have added this to the bookshelf.
	Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography. Benjamin Franklin, PBS Video.	The Autobiography is a classic that I hadn't gotten to, but finally made time for after watching the excellent PBS biography. The video is presented in three parts and spans Franklin's life from his youth in Boston to his old age in Philadelphia and everything in between. While some of the material is given by the usual historian talking heads, there are actors for most of the principals - Franklin himself, his son, the Comte de Vergennes, John Adams, even "Silence Dogood" (the pen name under which a teenaged Franklin espoused the rights of women in his brother's own newspaper) - and that makes this an extremely engaging video. Once I'd watched the video, I read the Autobiography - and many of the comments sounded very familiar.
	Hansen, Gladys, et. al. Denial of Disaster.	A terrific book on the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and fire. Extremely well documented and researched, the book brings back the city that existed just before the great disaster brought it down - and how the community dealt with and recovered from it.
	Hitsman, J. MacKay. The Incredible War of 1812.	The Canadian treatment of the war of 1812 (as I was told at WorldCon in Toronto, "you guys lost." Not quite right, or we'd all be singing "God Save The Queen" now.) It's certainly an interesting perspective.
	Holt, Michael. The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party.	Professor Holt's book on the Whigs won't bring insomnia to the troubled scholar, but it does have enormous detail on the party that lurched into existence after Jackson's second inaugural and disintegrated over sectional issues twenty years later. The Whigs were a remarkable blip on the American political radar, and I confess that I did not understand the period well until I read the Holt history. If you're interested in the period, it's a great research work.
	Jennings, Francis. Empire of Fortune.	Somewhat more dense than the Anderson book (see above); I don't think I'd be able to follow it without the grounding I received from Professor Anderson. But it's worth a read; I also read an appalling piece of writing, A Few Acres of Snow by Robert Leckie; it was unpardonably biased against the Americans and also against the Hanoverians - the writer struck me as a Jacobite at best, a profoundly bad historian at worst. (Looks like the reviews on Amazon agree with me.)
	Kershaw, Ian. Hitler: Hubris	Kershaw's biography of Hitler is a must read for students of the 20th century. There are numerous good works on Hitler and the Third Reich (Bullock's Hitler: A Study In Tyranny is probably the best known bio) but Kershaw's work trumps them all. Full of detail but still extremely readable, the work provides unusually thorough insight into the incomprehensible. Among the best biographies I've ever read.
	Kershaw, Ian. Hitler: Nemesis	The second volume of this excellent biography. Where Charles Bracelen Flood stops in 1924, Kershaw goes all the way to the end, with meticulous and sometimes horrifying detail. To understand this subject is to see (as Nietzche says) "into the abyss" of the twentieth century.
	Ketchum, Richard. Saratoga.	An excellent, thorough, and completely readable volume on the Saratoga campaign. Ketchum has been compared to McCullough and Ambrose, which is high praise indeed. I've started to dig into the American Revolution again, so I expect to be listing more books on the subject in this section of the site.
	Larson, Erik. Devil In The White City.	The most gripping book I read in 2003: it deals with the building of the Columbian Exposition - the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 - and the operations of a psychopathic serial killer named H. H. Holmes. Lots of stuff winds up on my reading shelf, but this one should be on everyone's and I'm recommending it to every person with whom I speak. Read this book!
	Ledeen, Michael A. Machiavelli on Modern Leadership.	An excellent analysis of the application of Machiavelli's principles to the present day. I'm beginning to understand Niccolò better. This was research for The Dark Crusade.
	Liell, Scott. 46 Pages.	A literate insight into one of the great ideological architects of formative America. It came as a Christmas gift, and I found it an excellent additions to my history shelf. I've been recently considering the idea of the inevitability of the American Revolution, and this is a start on understanding it. I also received the American Library edition of Paine's writings, which should be read by any serious student of American history.
	Morris, Edmund. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.	The first part of Morris' biography (it concludes with Theodore Rex). Brilliant, overachieving, heroic, self-serving, Roosevelt is as complex as any great historical figure. While I continue to admire him as a great President, Roosevelt comes off a little less perfect at Morris' hands, even more so when his early life is chronicled. Still, a fascinating life and an engaging read.
	Prebble, John. Culloden.	An account of the final battle of the '45. A well-written, detailed story by one of the most renowned Scottish historians. Another read for the historical project.
	Prebble, John. The Lion in the North.	Another Prebble book - an overview of Scottish history from a Scottish historian. Well written.
	Prebble, John. The Darien Disaster.	Yet another Prebble book. Covers the attempt by Scots to colonize the Isthmus of Darien, near where the Panama Canal was built.
	Remini, Robert. Daniel Webster.	Professor Remini is probably the world's expert on Andrew Jackson, and I read his excellent three-volume biography of 'Old Hickory' a few years ago. This book about 'Godlike Daniel' was very revealing; like his Whig contemporaries Clay and Calhoun, Webster was a preeminent statesman of his day who never quite managed to be elected President. An extensive, detailed, and very well researched book.
	Schama, Simon. Citizens.	Best known for his TV series on the History of Britain (now available on DVD; run, do not walk, to go buy it - it's superb), this book is a thorough history of the French Revolution. I studied the Revolution in high school and college, but Schama's work opened my eyes to things I'd never quite understood about it. Schama writes extremely well, and deserves the wide audience he's received.
	Schama, Simon. A History of Britain. (3 vols: 1, 2, 3 )	I love the video of this series, available in 15 episodes on DVD; he writes as well as he speaks. These guys have a place of honor (excuse me, honour) on the bookshelf.
	Taylor, Alan. American Colonies.	Another excellent book on the development of America. Taylor ranges all over the continent, and discusses the exploration of the Pacific as well. His chapters on the Caribbean are compelling, and I also learned about the Russian exploration of Alaska - not something you learn in American history class. Excellent read.
	Viroli, Maurizio. Niccolò's Smile.	An excellent biography of Machiavelli, which refutes a number of common myths about the great philosopher. Ruthless ideologue or frustrated humanist? You decide - he's one of the great writers of history (if you need more proof, consider that he's been made into an adjective.)
	Von Drehle, David. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America.	A well-written book about a famous disaster: the fire at the Triangle Shirt Factory in New York in 1911. The book also covers the aftermath and the trial. I picked it up at my library while browsing and couldn't put it down.
	Walden, G.B. Boston 1689-1776.	A well-known history of Boston. It starts with the events of "the 18th of April" . . . 1689! The rebellion against Edward Andros, Governor of Massachusetts, about which I knew next to nothing. Very interesting book.
	Winik, Jay. April 1865: The Month That Changed America.	The "month that saved America". I picked this up when at a book signing - bookstores take note! I usually wind up walking away with one or more books. There's more to the War Between The States than Gettysburg, and I'm most interested in the beginning and the end; this book deals with the latter, and has some insights I hadn't considered.
	Wood, Gordon. The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin.	A new look at the famous Founding Father, Professor Wood reminds us of Dr. Franklin's close ties to the British Empire as late as 1770. An excellent work, accessible even if you're not a historian; for historians, though, it stands up well to scholarly scrutiny.

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