PREVIEW
AN ISSUE
We have prepared an online preview of our print based magazine
for you to review.
CURRENT ISSUE
 The
World of 1700-1709:
Tania Henvey looks back to a decade of violence and change.
The
Poor Man's Telegram:
David A. Norris takes a look at the history
of the postcard.
Coffeehouses:
Melody Packman sifts through the rise and decline of early
coffeehouses.
The Coast Guard:
Edwin M. Knights explores the history of the Coast Guard.
The Secret of Locks:
Jeff Chapman picks through
the story behind one of the world's essential machines.
Who Were the Huguenots?:
Xenia Stanford relates the history of this troubled group.
Roller Coasters:
Tania Henvey goes over the ups and downs of a favorite pastime.
The Garment Industry:
Barbara Krasner-Khait describes the development of the clothing
industry.
Flappers:
Julie Bedford looks back at the party girls of the 1920s.
A Little Fun on the Prairie:
Shirley Gilfert reports on what early western pioneers did
for a good time.
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Hindsight
A selection of new books and products we believe may be of
interest to History Magazine readers.
Medicine
as a profession attracted many German Jews from the Middle Ages
onwards. Medicine and the German Jews: A History by John
M. Efron examines the relationship between German Jews and medicine.
Special attention is paid to the Jewish Enlightenment of the
18th century, when Jews were allowed to attend German universities,
and the anti-Semitism of the 1930s, which sought to erase the
centuries-old bond between Germans and the Jewish doctors. From
Yale University Press, hard cover, 343 pages, black and white
illustrations, with an index and extensive notes. Priced at
about $35 US or $54 Cdn. Available in bookshops everywhere.
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Part
of the Penguin History of Britain series, New Worlds, Lost
Worlds: The Rule of the Tudors, 1485-1603 looks at the dynasty
that shaped England. Religion weaves throughout the book, from
the break with Rome under Henry VIII to the brief restoration
of Catholicism under Mary I and the uneasy religious peace that
marked Protestant Elizabeth I's reign; religion shaped the Tudors'
legacy. Author Susan Brigden's choice of title also reveals
other threads within the book such as the waning of the Middle
Ages and the expansion of English interests in the New World.
From Penguin Books, hard cover, 448 pages, black and white illustrations,
with bibliographical essay and an index. Priced at about $26
US or $45 Cdn. Available in bookshops everywhere.
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Storytelling
is a universal pleasure and as the nights grow longer during
this time of year tales of the supernatural are certain to be
popular. Stories of the supernatural that entertained our ancestors
were collected by John Greenleaf Whittier in Supernaturalism
of New England, originally published in 1847. Gathering
the stories as a source for creative writing, Whittier was one
of the first people to record the folklore of our ancestors.
These tales of ghosts and witches, along with superstitions,
reflect the innocence of the period. 93 pages, soft cover with
two introductions. Available at about $13 US. Reprinted by Genealogical
Publishing Co., Inc., 1001 N. Calvert St., Baltimore MD 21202,
1-800-548-1806 or www.Genealogical.com
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The
women profiled in Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives: Women
in American History are not well known, but their achievements
are worth reading. Edited by Kriste Lindenmeyer, this collection
of 17 mini-biographies tells the stories of ordinary women from
the American Revolution to the 1980s. Women such as Susanna
Haswell Rowson, America's first best-selling author, and Ethel
Thomas Herold, who lived in the Philippines for 38 years, are
profiled. These profiles reveal details of women's lives, what
was presumed of them and what they accomplished within and around
these expectations. Each profile has endnotes and a suggested
reading list. From Scholarly Resources, soft cover, 282 pages
with an index. Priced at about $20 US or $31 Cdn. Distributed
through John Cotts Library Services Ltd.
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If
you are interested in the Dark Ages of Britain and the time
of legendary King Arthur, this book probably contains all you
want on the subject. With over 600 pages, The Age of Arthur:
A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650 author John
Morris covers the history of Britain from the end of Roman Britain
to the birth of England and Wales. Everything from P & Q Celtic
to monasticism to Geoffrey of Monmouth is included here. From
Phoenix Press, distributed by Sterling. Soft cover, 665 pages,
with 36 black and white maps and an index. Priced at about $21
US or $31 Cdn. Available in bookshops everywhere.
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Fascinating
reading for the young and old alike, Technology's Past: Volumes
I and II are excellent introductions to the lives of inventors
and those who made improvements to existing technology. Each
subject's life and invention are profiled in a three-page illustrated
biography. Volume I is devoted to over 80 US inventors, such
as Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, and the not-so-famous
inventors who changed the world with inventions like the superheterodyne
circuit used in nearly all radios and the ever-so-humble nylon.
Volume II has international profiles of such inventors as Johann
Gutenberg and Alfred Bernhard Nobel, along with the inventors
of stream-powered threshers and the founder of the field of
electrodynamics. Each entry has its own references and resources.
Volume I has 262 pages and Volume II has 264, both volumes are
soft cover, with many black and white illustrations and an index.
Each priced at about $30 US or $40 Cdn. From Tech Directions
Books 1-800-530-9673 x 200 or www.techdirections.com/html/tph.html
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Most
history books are sober affairs. A World Full of Gods: The
Strange Triumph of Christianity is anything but. Author
Keith Hopkins, a professor of ancient history at King's College,
Cambridge, tells the story of a time-travel trip to ancient
Egypt, Italy, Syria and Turkey by two people, Martha and John.
The book unfolds with the recollections of the travelers upon
their return, with the addition of other literary inventions
added for good measure. Though not for all history buffs, this
book is interesting, original and thought provoking, which is
what all good history books should be, sober or otherwise. From
Plume, soft cover, 402 pages, with two indexes. Priced at about
$14 US or $20 Cdn. Available in bookshops everywhere.
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Taking
its title from Lord Ashburton's summary of negotiations over
the Canada-US border, A Good And Wise Measure: The Search
for the Canadian-American Boundary, 1783-1842 details the
history of the world's longest undefended border. Stretching
from the East Coast between New Brunswick and Maine to the Lake
of the Woods, which crosses the border of Minnesota and Manitoba,
the Canada-US border has shaped the relations the two great
North American neighbors. Author Francis M. Carroll begins with
the border's establishment at the Treaty of Paris in 1783 through
to the 1840-41 meetings of Lord Asburton and Daniel Webster
when the border issues were settled. 462 pages, soft cover,
with endnotes and an index. At about $30 from University of
Toronto Press, 5201 Dufferin St., Toronto, ON M3H 5T8 Canada.
Tel: (800) 565-9523, fax: (800) 221-9985.
| History
Magazine will consider any history book, publication,
product, service, convention, website etc., for inclusion
in Hindsight. This is an editorial service: items are
chosen solely on merit and there is no charge for inclusion.
Send information to: Hindsight, History Magazine,
505 Consumers Road, Suite 500, Toronto, ON, M2J 4V8, Canada. |
This article originally appeared in our October/November
2001 issue.
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