FREE/BARGAIN — Non-Fiction

[Little.Egret]

Charles River Editors, free

The Ottoman Empire: The History and Legacy of the Transcontinental Empire that Dominated Eastern Europe and the Middle East for Nearly 500 Years

The Vikings in Iceland: The History of the Norse Expeditions and Settlements across Iceland

The Cathars and Carcassonne: The History and Legacy of the Medieval Christian Group and Its Last Stronghold

The Marquis de Lafayette: The Life and Legacy of the American Revolution’s Most Famous Foreign Soldier

The British Army in the 19th Century: The History of the Soldiers Who Defeated Napoleon and Oversaw the World’s Greatest Empire

The Long Range Desert Group and SAS: The History and Legacy of Great Britain’s Most Elite Secret Units in North Africa during World War II

https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...+river+editors

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Charles River Editors, free
<snip>
https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...+river+editors

We in the Colonies are offered another title in addition to the ones above, one about Nathan Hale and the Culpeper Ring (a ring of spies for the Continental Army, I think).

I'll be interested in reading what the Editors have to say about Nathan Hale's last words before he was hanged by the British. Of course, the prevailing thought among us in America is that he said, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country." In fact, that, like Washington chopping down the cherry tree, is a myth, so is this report. There was a wide range of reports--many conflicting-- about what Hale said; we probably will never know the truth.

[Little.Egret]

Charles River Editors, free

Rhodes: The History and Legacy of the Greek Island from Ancient Times to Today

The Alhambra and the Alcázar of Seville: The History of the Famous Fortresses Constructed by the Moors in Spain

The People from Here: The History and Legacy of the Washoe

The Ghosts of the British Isles: A Collection of Ghost Stories and Other Supernatural Tales from Britain and Ireland

Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Casimir Pulaski: The Lives of the Revolutionary War’s Most Famous Polish Officers

Milwaukee: The History of the Fur Trade Outpost that Became the Beer Capital of the World

The Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force: The History and Legacy of Nazi Germany and Great Britain’s Air Forces in World War II

The Tanks of World War II: The History and Legacy of Tank Warfare between the Allies and Axis


https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...+river+editors

[pendragginp]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

We in the Colonies are offered another title in addition to the ones above, one about Nathan Hale and the Culpeper Ring (a ring of spies for the Continental Army, I think).

I'll be interested in reading what the Editors have to say about Nathan Hale's last words before he was hanged by the British. Of course, the prevailing thought among us in America is that he said, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country." In fact, that, like Washington chopping down the cherry tree, is a myth. There was a wide range of reports--many conflicting-- about what Hale said; we probably will never know the truth.

Actually, as I understand it the report of Hale's words at the gallows came from John Montresor, the British officer who was present.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Charles River Editors, free

Rhodes: The History and Legacy of the Greek Island from Ancient Times to Today

The Alhambra and the Alcázar of Seville: The History of the Famous Fortresses Constructed by the Moors in Spain

The People from Here: The History and Legacy of the Washoe

The Ghosts of the British Isles: A Collection of Ghost Stories and Other Supernatural Tales from Britain and Ireland

Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Casimir Pulaski: The Lives of the Revolutionary War’s Most Famous Polish Officers

Milwaukee: The History of the Fur Trade Outpost that Became the Beer Capital of the World

The Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force: The History and Legacy of Nazi Germany and Great Britain’s Air Forces in World War II

The Tanks of World War II: The History and Legacy of Tank Warfare between the Allies and Axis


https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...+river+editors

https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...+river+editors

ADD
The Birth of the Republic of Ireland: The History of Ireland’s Split from the British Empire in the Early 20th Century

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by pendragginp

Actually, as I understand it the report of Hale's words at the gallows came from John Montresor, the British officer who was present.

I wasn't aware (that I remember) that there was that information out there; I've never looked into that event. Thanks.

Wikipedia adds that Montresor gave the information to an American, William Cull, while under flag of truce.

But Hale's words surely were not something that Montresor, nor Cull, wrote down--they must have been recalling it from memory. How accurate were their memories? Even if what Cull said was accurate, how long would the stories that disseminated about Hale's remark stay accurate? The problem would only get worse, not better, especially in a society where so many people were illiterate and stories that were passed down so easily got changed (for various reasons). The problem is that oral tradition generally is so unreliable.

Remember the game where a smallish group of people, in a whisper, pass down from person to person a short message? By the time that the message gets to the end it is usually nowhere close to the original message. That's the kind of thing that we're up against.

Perhaps one of the leaders in the Revolution picked one of the variants among all of them floating around and consciously made it a great rallying statement, morale booster, inspiration, etc. among the rebel troops; who knows? And once that, or another version appeared in, say, stories in the widely-distributed children's schoolbooks, and other printed material, the statement more-or-less would have become "fixed," so was not going to change over the years.

In my opinion, while Hale may have said something similar to what he is alleged today to have said then, chances are that he didn't. He may have said nothing. Same thing as with the ship's captain (I've forgotten his name), in what I think was the War of 1812, who is alleged to have said, "D*mn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." Great rallying cry, morale booster, etc., but probably not true.

And on and on we could go with stories that we have heard, and even been taught in the early grades of school.

Sorry to be Mr. Wetblanket.

(I'm not pretending to be a know-it-all about the subject, by any means--I just happen to be in the early stages of writing a book that requires a large section on orality, especially on oral transmission of stories (mainly) and other information in oral societies, too (it's absolutely amazing how accurately that people are capable of passing done information accurately when they want to or have to). I've got to start to exercise the self-control of staying away from MobileRead, however, if I ever intend to get the book finished!)

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

ADD
The Birth of the Republic of Ireland: The History of Ireland’s Split from the British Empire in the Early 20th Century

Thanks for always posting these booklets. I, for one, are glad to get them.

[badgoodDeb]

So you don't think a society pre computers and pre public library on every corner, counts as an oral society? I suspect people were trained to remember messages exactly, as it was an important part of the culture. *We* can't remember lines today, simply because it isn't an important part of our culture.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I wasn't aware (that I remember) that there was that information out there; I've never looked into that event. Thanks.

With no certain knowledge of the facts and insufficient curiosity to check, perhaps it would have been better not to comment so didactically?

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

So you don't think a society pre computers and pre public library on every corner, counts as an oral society? I suspect people were trained to remember messages exactly, as it was an important part of the culture. *We* can't remember lines today, simply because it isn't an important part of our culture.

Exactly. And even more so, as the report of his last words was by one soldier to another soldier for whom it was critical to be able to report messages accurately.

I'll add some random theorizing of my own in that those who were to be executed, especially publicly, in a case with a lot of notoriety and where the cause was so important, planned out their last words. They didn't extemporize at the last minute. Hale would have wanted his speech to be memorable and to count.

[GtrsRGr8]

Okay.

[Fluribus]

Stephen Kotkin is a very learned man. He is professor at Princeton University. He is a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Much more important is the fact that he sounds remarkably like Joe Pesci.

He has also written a multi-volume biography of Josepth Stalin. The first volume is on sale for $2.99 at Amzaon.com. Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

The Audible version, unfortunately, is not read by Joe Pesci.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

Stephen Kotkin is a very learned man. He is professor at Princeton University. He is a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Much more important is the fact that he sounds remarkably like Joe Pesci.

He has also written a multi-volume biography of Josepth Stalin. The first volume is on sale for $2.99 at Amzaon.com. Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

The Audible version, unfortunately, is not read by Joe Pesci.

Get the audio narration for only $5.99. That sounds like a lot, added to the required $2.99 price for the book, but the book is nearly 1,000 pages. That qualifies, IMHO, as having great "bang for the book."

[Section8]

Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes by Nathan H. Lents is $2.99 at amazon.com

We humans like to think of ourselves as highly evolved creatures. But if we are supposedly evolution’s greatest creation, why do we have such bad knees? Why do we catch head colds so often—two hundred times more often than a dog does? How come our wrists have so many useless bones? Why is the vast majority of our genetic code pointless? And are we really supposed to swallow and breathe through the same narrow tube? Surely there’s been some kind of mistake.

As professor of biology Nathan H. Lents explains in Human Errors, our evolutionary history is nothing if not a litany of mistakes, each more entertaining and enlightening than the last. The human body is one big pile of compromises. But that is also a testament to our greatness: as Lents shows, humans have so many design flaws precisely because we are very, very good at getting around them.

A rollicking, deeply informative tour of humans’ four billion year long evolutionary saga, Human Errors both celebrates our imperfections and offers an unconventional accounting of the cost of our success.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1328974693

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Section8

Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes by Nathan H. Lents is $2.99 at amazon.com

We humans lik[/URL]

Great find. However, the link is to the $17.70 (Ack!) hardcover. Here's a link to the Kindle.

[Section8]

Sorry - I fat fingered the copy & paste