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Main => The Library => Topic started by: Sir Patrick on 2010-12-10, 01:44:59
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I just finished reading 1066 the Year of the Conquest by David Howarth, and I can't say enough good things about this book. As the title suggests, it tells the story of the year 1066, starting with the death of Edward the Confessor, and ending with the coronation of William the Conqueror. Howarth has an easy, almost storytelling style, so you don't feel like you're being bogged down in a history book. He gets down to the nuts and bolts of English and Norman society, superbly contrasting them and using them as a basis for understanding the mindsets of the major players. The complex political kots behind the conquest are methodically untangled, light is shed on the myriad of technical obstacles both sides faced, and Norman propaganda in the aftermath is stripped away to provide a more balanced portrait of Harold (and ultimately William). I can't reccommend this book enough for anyone intersted in this era, and at 207 pages, it's a quick read to boot!
http://www.amazon.com/1066-Year-Conquest-David-Howarth/dp/0140058508/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291945400&sr=1-2 (http://www.amazon.com/1066-Year-Conquest-David-Howarth/dp/0140058508/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291945400&sr=1-2)
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oh i did love that book too. it was a great read
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Another to add to the collection!
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Ditto! :)
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It sounds familiar. I will have to ask Bill if this is the one he lent me before. So much for the wishes of the Wittenagemot where conquest is concerned I suppose.
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it really is a cool read. re read it then if you don't remember.
hey Sir Brian I see you got the Last Knight. let me know when you start to read it and I'll break out my copy too
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hey Sir Brian I see you got the Last Knight. let me know when you start to read it and I'll break out my copy too
Who wrote this one, and what's it about? I might have to look for a copy.
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it really is a cool read. re read it then if you don't remember.
hey Sir Brian I see you got the Last Knight. let me know when you start to read it and I'll break out my copy too
Well I got to start it today while waiting in the ER with Rosemary. We spent a good eight hours there under the suspicion that her remaining kidney stones are causing another kidney infection.
As to the book it isn't that bad but I'm very skeptical about the author's perspective. He so far, at least up until the third chapter, seems overly preoccupied with the societal ramifications of the aristocracy and the blatantly corrupt influence of the primary religious establishments -i.e. Christianity and Islam.
I sincerely hope he tones down some of that presumptuous and sanctimonious liberalistic horseshit as I read further into the book. :-\
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Brian, how is Rosemary?
I'll look for that book as well...my wife got me a Kindle for Christmas so...I'll be a downloading fool I suppose. :)
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She is home resting. The fever was below 100 this morning and she has antibiotics so hopefully she'll beat whatever this infection is soon. Thanks for asking! :)
A kindle huh? Very cool and they are so popular these days! I may have to look into one of those. :)
Oh and I finally got my flask that was custom ordered about mid-fair at MDRF! It looks great! Now I have the pleasure of figuring out what spirits to fill it with! :)
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Brian, that's good news...anything under 100 means the infection's less-than-stellar which is a great thing. She's beating it...it won't be long now man.
Yea, a Kindle...I love my books but we really don't have the space...and with the exception of about 20 books, the rest I've already read at least twice and don't see me crackin'm anytime soon so this might be a good thing. We'll see.
Your flask...did not know you'd ordered one. How much was it, who made it, how was it made? Is it lined in pitch or something more modern? I didn't know they had those...otherwise I wouldn't have bought my leather canteen (which has already proven its worth twice-over).
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I'm glad she's doing much better!
Let me know how the book turns out. I've seen it in the store, and thought it looked interesting. I do get frustrated when the authors take a very single-sided approach to it, though sometimes it's just a matter of reading more than one source to balance it out. :)