Review: The Florentines: From Dante to Galileo: The Transformation of Western Civilization

The Florentines: From Dante to Galileo: The Transformation of Western Civilization by Paul Strathern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another random find in my library app. I was looking for books on Italy in preparation for my impending Italy trip (March, 2023) and ran into this book. Since I was going to spend a couple of days in Florence, I thought knowing some of the history would be helpful.

Strathern's history of Florence is really well done. He manages to combine attention to the environment, politics and social setting with a vivid sense of the people who shaped Florence's history in the course of the 14th and 16th centuries. That was a tumultuous time, not only culturally amid the excitement of the Renaissance, but also politically, at a time when Italy's map was being re-made. Carefully researched and well explained, this book is an excellent introduction to Renaissance Florence.

So, if you're interested in the period or in Florence, this is a good entry point.

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Review: Uffizi Gallery: The Official Guide All of the Works

Uffizi Gallery: The Official Guide All of the Works by Gloria Fossi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first picked this book up, of course, at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence in 2017, when I was on tour in Italy with students. My mission that year was to gather the guidebooks, so I could plan my succeeding trips to Italy better. It took me until I was on the cusp of the next trip to get around to reading it.

This is, of course, a guidebook, so not comprehensive, but it does give a good understanding of the Uffizi Gallery's collection and, just as important, the layout. The descriptions of the featured paintings are concise and interesting, so worth reading through to look for one's favourites. The translation sometimes produces slightly odd English, but nothing really difficult to read. And there is a list of all the art work in each room, which is actually quite helpful.

Definitely worth picking up for those who are interested, especially in Renaissance art.

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Review: The Mighty Hood: The Life & Death of the Royal Navy's Proudest Ship

The Mighty Hood: The Life & Death of the Royal Navy's Proudest Ship by Ernle Bradford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I ran into this book, while skimming books in my library app. I've always been fascinated by the Bismarck episode, so a book on the Hood was interesting to me. And this is a good book. It gives really a really vivid sense of what it was like to be on the Hood when it was first constructed and in its last years during World War II. The eyewitness account are interesting and the book is well-written.

But two concerns.

First, I was partly interested in this book because I was interested in the full history of the ship. And I got a lot of what I was interested in, but there is a curious gap in the early 1930s, which I found disappointing and distracting. In particular, I was interested in how the Hood's crew experienced the Invergordon mutiny in 1931, but there really is nothing here. That is, admittedly, a depressing subject, but it is part of the history and I wish some discussion was done on that.

Second, the overall tone is pretty patriotic. Harder questions could be asked, but really Bradford goes rather easy on the British Navy. That's a liability in this kind of writing, but just noting it here.

This book is still a good book to read and I think those interested in World War II naval history would find it an entertaining and interesting book to follow up on.

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Review: The Catacombs Of St. Callixtus History Archaeology Faith

The Catacombs Of St. Callixtus History Archaeology Faith by Antonio Baruffa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another one of the guidebooks, I'm re-reading in preparation for a return to Italy in March. This one deals with the Christian Catacombs along the Appian way, identified with Pope Callixtus I. Baruffa gives a pretty comprehensive look at these catacombs and of the Christian art found within it. In particular, he focuses on the initial excavations by De Rossi, who he quotes extensively. He goes literally room by room, outlining both the art and the inscriptions, giving details on who was buried there, in so far as he can. It is a very detailed account and useful for understanding the full scope of the book.

But two caveats:
First, the detail is pretty fine grained. That is, he literally talks about every inscription, every painting, which I found a little overwhelming. Some inscriptions have next to no information about them, so that can be confusing.

Second, the tone is relentlessly Catholic. Now, that isn't really a problem for me, as a Christian, I can resonate with it, but I note it for readers of my reviews who are not. The reverential tone can be off putting, I think, so be ready for it.

However, this is an important book on the Christian catacombs and helps illuminate Christian burial practices in antiquity, the make-up of the Church in Rome in the early Christian period and gives a clear impression of Christian art of that era.

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Review: In Praise of the Useless Life: A Monk’s Memoir

In Praise of the Useless Life: A Monk’s Memoir by Paul Quenon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I decided to have read this book because of another book, which often happens. Back in the spring, I read Quenon's book, co-written with Judith Valente, How To be, which is a book of letters between Valente, a well-known journalist and Benedictine oblate, and Quenon, a similarly well-known Trappist monk and poet (which I've also reviewed). This book intrigued me because I wanted to learn more about Quenon.

The first thing I have to say about this book is don't expect a linear narrative. Quenon's approach is reflective, so, while I think it roughly follows a chronology, it is hard to tell. He does talk a lot about Thomas Merton, for those of you who, like me, are interested in that and a fair a bit about the Abbey of Gethsemani. But he also talks much about his encounters with nature and with others. The book is a bit diffuse, but rewarding if read reflectively.

What I enjoyed about Quenon's memoir was just the reflective tone which evoked the place he was writing in. It is idiosyncratic and occasionally bewildering, but that is rather the charm of reading it. It is, ultimately, restful and that isn't something one can say about a lot of books.

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Review: The War for the Seas: A Maritime History of World War II

The War for the Seas: A Maritime History of World War II by Evan Mawdsley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I stumbled into this book, scrolling through the e-book offerings on my local library's borrowing app. I feel a bit of a nostalgia for the topic because I was deeply, deeply obsessed with World War II naval history since I encountered Grenfall's book on the Hunt for the Bismark back when I was in Grade 5 or something. So, suffice it to say, I've read a few books on the subject. But, as things do, I had rather lost touch with the subject, so this book made me want to see what was current these days in WWII naval history. And I'm glad i did.

Mawdsley's book is a really good history of the full scope of the war. And I mean full. He doesn't just focus on Britain vs Germany and the US vs Japan, as most writers do, but he also discusses what happened to the French and Italians and, even more rarely, the Russians. He writes both using interesting anecdotes, but also in carefully considered analysis. The result is a book whose breadth satisfies the desire for the big picture, with all the drama of the actions fought. He considers the great controversies, giving the fresh looks that have now available as archives open up and more and more ships are re-discovered where they sank. The result is a comprehensive and thoughtful volume which is very much worth reading.

This book really is a good starting point for someone considering the subject for the first time or for someone who wants to see where we are in the study of the war. It manages that elusive goal of all historians- to be readable and accurate. And that makes it worth looking up.

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Review: The National Architectural Museum of Naples

The National Architectural Museum of Naples by Rosanna Cappelli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this guidebook up from the Naples Archaeological Museum in 2017 and only now, on the even of a new trip in March, sat down to read it. It is a very good guidebook, not only giving the highlights of the collection, but also giving some history and context to how the collection was put together from various Renaissance antiquities collections and more recent excavations. It gives a good sense of the context of the museum.

The layout is pretty much as the Museum is laid out, of course. There is so much in the museum that it can't feature everything in every room, but includes the best known elements. It not only explains context for pieces, but also how they found their way into the collection, which is really useful for me as a teacher.

This is well worth picking up and reading, even after a visit. Oh, and visit the museum itself. If you're interested in Pompeii and Herculaneum ,much of the best known artistic works can be found here. And if you're interested in Renaissance collecting, this collection has an interesting history.

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Review: Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina

Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina by Michael Casey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This has been a slow read. Well, given that the book is on lectio divina, that shouldn't surprise because it doesn't make sense to skim read a book which is trying to tell one how to read more deeply and reflectively. Written by Michael Casey, a Cistercian monk at Tarrawarra Abbey, Australia, this book examines the practices around lectio divina, that way of monastic reading which serves as a form of contemplative practice in the Benedictine context.

Casey combines several important elements of this practice. He gives a strong theological, especially monastic, grounding to the practice, then he moves on to discussing practice in some detail. It is not easy reading, but I found both aspects very useful, even though I am distinctly a beginner in the practice. The text moves slowly, but encourages a deeper reading, which is kind of the point.

This is a really good, if not especially easy, read. Well worth the time I spent on it.

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Review: A Little History of Archaeology

A Little History of Archaeology by Brian M. Fagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a really enjoyable book which tells the story of archaeology as a discipline from the early days of genteel looting to the modern systematic and often non-invasive methods of learning from the material remains of the past. Fagan's book offers a vivid and enjoyable account of not only the sites, but the personalities behind the advancing science of archaeology.

Arranged in chapters coinciding with major discoveries or important personalities, Fagan tells, first and foremost, the stories of the excavators, but also the people discovered in the sites. He is enthusiastic and curious, engaging the reader with interesting details and interesting connections which characterize the archaeological world. Occasionally, his order can get confusing because it doesn't consistently follow chronological or geographical order strictly. However, each chapter is pretty self-contained and can be read in whatever order with real benefit.

This is a really enjoyable read, especially for those who are just starting their investigation of archaeology. Fagan is careful to define terms and focuses on clarity in his stories, so it is very readable.

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Review: A Little History of Archaeology

A Little History of Archaeology by Brian M. Fagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a really enjoyable book which tells the story of archaeology as a discipline from the early days of genteel looting to the modern systematic and often non-invasive methods of learning from the material remains of the past. Fagan's book offers a vivid and enjoyable account of not only the sites, but the personalities behind the advancing science of archaeology.

Arranged in chapters coinciding with major discoveries or important personalities, Fagan tells, first and foremost, the stories of the excavators, but also the people discovered in the sites. He is enthusiastic and curious, engaging the reader with interesting details and interesting connections which characterize the archaeological world. Occasionally, his order can get confusing because it doesn't consistently follow chronological or geographical order strictly. However, each chapter is pretty self-contained and can be read in whatever order with real benefit.

This is a really enjoyable read, especially for those who are just starting their investigation of archaeology. Fagan is careful to define terms and focuses on clarity in his stories, so it is very readable.

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Review: Alas, Babylon

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I stumbled on this classic of science fiction nuclear apocolypse rather by accident. Dating from the late 50s, just prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis, this is a remarkably vivid vision of nuclear war from the vantage point of a small town in Florida. Retaining the rather optimistic view that some could survive the exchange of nuclear weapons (before ICBMs and submarine based ICBMs really came fully into use), it looks at the horror of the attack, but focuses especially on the challenges of the aftermath. It is an interesting study of human nature under terrible conditions, with a late 50s vibe.

It is a book of its age, of course. It is rampently sexist (surely, no woman could possible be a leader in her own right, just as an adjunct to the men in her life whose job is to protect her- that eye roll was repeatedly painful) and casually racist. But, not as racist as you might think. Frank does include black characters and, indeed, the black family down the road proves to be crucial for the survival of the small community through their technical know how and their use of an artesian well which guarantees fresh water. Oh yes, the sole, individualist libertarian hero, leading the whole community by virtue of his natural gifts of command and, eventually, his status as a US Army reserve officer. I'm not saying anything of these things are good, but, surprisingly, the story is so good, that it is still worth reading as an example of the era.

So, definitely worthwhile digging out this book. It deserves a place next to Fail Safe and Canticle for Leibowitz as excellent early examples of early apocalyptic fiction.

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Review: China Between Empires: The Northern and Southern Dynasties

China Between Empires: The Northern and Southern Dynasties by Mark Edward Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second volume of the History of Imperial China series and is a good follow-up to the first volume- the Qin and Han Dynasty volume. This volume looks at what happens to China after the Han dynasty and before the Tang dynasty could re-establish stability for a few centuries. The period is distinguished by smaller kingdoms, vying for control and by a burst of cultural creativity.

The structure of the book is similar to the first volume- analytical rather than narrative. That does mean that it is easy to lose track of the chronology, especially in a period as confused as this one. Lewis does keep the sense of continuity, but it can still be confusing to a novice.

This is worth reading and I'm already plotting to get the Tang Dynasty volume and continue the story.

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