The introduction and the first two chapters captured my attention, the book begins with Herod's death and comments on the internal (tragic) family matters. The author displays his impressive knowledge of archeology, ancient and biblical history to present to us a believable portrait of Herod.

In Peter Richardson's new book, 'Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans', we are given a much fuller account of the king who has graduated to being an archtype, almost mythical character who is the embodiment of evil.

'Herod the Great, as he is usually called, was much like Henry VIII, Catherine the Great, of Peter the Great: talented, vigourous, lusty, skillful, charismatic, attractive, decisive, influential--but a disaster in his personal life. Like them, Herod changed his nation's history.'

In a biographical study an author need not like the subject, but it helps if there is something to admire. Herod's personality is not attractive; had I been a contemporary I should not have wanted to spend much time with him.

This having been said, Richardson does find much of interest and intrigue in the character and the deeds of Herod the Great.

Herod was king of the Jews by virtue of his assistance to the Romans who were, during the 50-year period preceding the birth of Jesus and the beginning of the common/Christian era, consolidating power throughout much of the eastern Mediterranean lands. Herod married many times for increasing political and social purposes (a trend that would continue in the Herodian line -- John the Baptist was beheaded primarily for pointing out the marriage difficulties with a later Herod).

Herod the Great, founder of the line that would last and be an influence in Roman and Christian development for some two hundred years, died in 4 BCE, in Jericho, not long after the events that would have created the first Christian martyrs -- the slaying of the newborns of Bethlehem. The timing of his death in Jericho makes it appear to be divine justice, but independent verification of the Biblical story has never been found.

Richardson approaches the historical subject in a somewhat backwards fashion, examining the details of the death of Herod and the aftermath his will and the will of Rome in shaping his legacy to their ends. Using close sources such as Josephus, Richardson then proceeds to examine earlier, less well-documented periods in Herod's life, including his early service to Rome and his attempts at consolidation of power at different points. Shortly before key events that would bring him the favour of the Romans, Herod himself was on trial in Jerusalem for his possible usurpation of power that was not rightfully his -- this bravado, however, found favour with the Romans who followed his career with interest ever after.

Richardson also explores Herod's influence in the building up of Jerusalem into a great city as well as outside projects (major fortresses, palaces, religious and cultural buildings, commercial construction and infrastructure), as well as his support of and rivalry with various religious factions in Jerusalem and surrounding Judea. Herod's relationship with the Temple and priestly elite had ramifications throughout the religious fabric of Judaism of the time, which in various factions held differing beliefs about the appropriate constitution of the priestly officials and the practices these should perform. Herod incurred the disfavour of Sadducees, Pharisees, Esssenes, Herodians, Brigands, and others at different points in turn.

In the final chapters, Richardson turns to examine the role of Herod and his descendants in Christianity. He examines in detail the likelihood of Herod ordering the death of the newborns (or even knowing of the birth of a potential rival king). He examines also the role of Herod Antipas in the death of John and Jesus. Josephus confirms John the Baptist's death at the hands of Antipas, though recounts somewhat differently from gospel accounts. The gospels relate two independent traditions regarding the relationship of Jesus and Herod Antipas.

In all, this is a fascinating history that brings up great detail and context with which to read the gospel stories, the Roman history in the Middle East, and the Dead Sea Scrolls in a new context.

Herod has long suffered from the taint of infanticide and his associations with the birth of Christ, as portrayed in the Bible. Peter Richardson's book dispells the myths that have grown up around Herod, and make him a living, breath ing, interesting character in the period of Roman rule of Palestine, and the int ertestamental period of religious history. Herod the builder, Herod the supporte r of the Jewish diaspora and the Olympian games, Herod the master politician - e ach of these aspects of his character are brought vividly to life, and make clea r his very important position in the pre-Christian life of Palestine. This book provides important insights into the life of Herod, his skills as architect and administrator, and uncanny ability to read the political situation and shift all egiance in order to remain in power. An excellent book well worth the effort to read.

I use this book as a quick reference to all things royal in England & Scotland. It is full of beautiful color photos and very well-crafted.

I bought this book many years ago, and I still pick it up at least once a month. The book gives you the most important information of every king and queen who has ever ruled England or Scotland.

As I turn the pages, I can see that there is something interesting about every regent, and by the way; this book makes you realize that royal scandals are not a new invention.

I have now read through this book twice - once before each of my trips to Great Britain - and have found this book to be immensely helpful in understanding Britain's past and present. The book purports to be about the British monarchy, but in addition to thoroughly covering royalty, this book also covers a fair amount of history so the reader has some feel for the cultural setting of the monarchs as well. There are numerous color illustrations and photographs throughout the text, finely placed, and quite instructive. Each monarch has typically 2-4 pages devoted to their reign, with important dates and events set out in an easy to consult style. Some attempt is made to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each ruler and to assess how the British peoples fared under their guidance. In general, the presentation is fair-minded, following Shakespeare's dictum to comment on each ruler as s/he appeared, "nothing extenuant, nor aught set down in malice."

There are periodically pages devoted to related topics such as the origins of Parliament, the Magna Carta, Chivalrous Orders (such as the Order of the Garter), War of the Roses, coronation of the Prince of Wales, castle construction (explaining terms like motte and bailey), or Empire Building. Events such as the 1381 Peasants Revolt, the 1666 Fire of London, or the Great Exhibition of 1851 (sharing scientific advancements from the Industrial Revolution) are richly illustrated, with commentary provided to explain their significance.

The Kings of Scotland are discussed separately, with historical figures like Robert the Bruce or William Wallace being treated in the narratives. Eventually, the Scottish and English/Welch monarchies converged with with the coronation of James I in 1603.

In all, Plantagenet Somerset Fry has done an absolutely first rate job of creating an introductory book on the British Monarchy. I found it quite helpful in keeping things straight in my mind (e.g. keeping all the Edward's and Henry's and George's distinct.) It is an excellent book to read either for pleasure, for instruction, or for historical guidance while touring the British Isles.

This review is based on the first edition.

Like many rock bio's, the presentation, organization, writing and editing is often inconsistent. This work has many of those shortcomings, and at times I was vexed by the use of British colloquial jargon and jumpy anecdotal constructions. There is also a fair amount of psyco-babble about what went 'wrong' but that is manifest: Peter is a schizophrenic, and drug use in his or any other case has little or no role in this unfortunate illness (despite what a reviewer states below). This is a medical fact.

But for those who, like me, want any kinds of insights into his impetuous and genius, this book provides some texture and history. And the author is obviously a fan and his genuine enthusiasm for the artist provides a sympathetic context for this tragic figure. And although Greeny is back on stage, which is a wonderful story of its own, the performances I've seen are lack-luster. This book provides a means of understanding his personal and musical journey.

The story of Peter Green is a story of triumph, drugs, the fall from grace, redemption, another fall from grace, redemption again, and over half a lifetime of playing the blues, and being one of the greatest guitarists to come out of Britain. Yet he, his story, and his band (The Original Fleetwood Mac) have long been overlooked.

Oh well. At least we have this extraordinarily written biography to add to our Mac collections. Martin Birch certainly delivers here on a book that is well written, insightful, accurate, detailed, and certainly no less than inspiring. It is about time that someone decided to write about the roller coaster ride that is the life of Peter Green. It is also nice to see that Green is still around, playing the blues, and hasn't succumbed to his traumas as so many fellow musicians have. (His bandmate Danny Kirwan, Syd Barret, and all those drug casualties.) Certainly a worthy read, not just for Fleetwood Mac fans, not just for blues or rock and roll fans, but for everyone who wants to stories that will touch your heart.

I have read this book and it is inspiring and tragic about one of the greatest rock and blues guitarist coming out of the Uk as a member of John Mayall's Bluesbreaker before founding one of the most successful supergroups Fleetwood Mac, and his songs as "Black Magic Woman" (covered by Santana), "Rattlesnake Shake" (covered by Aerosmith) and "The Green Manalishi" (covered by Judas Priest) are exceptional. His LSD abuse led to his nervous breakdown and leaving the business for more than two decades despite his low-keyed comeback in the late 1970's and eaerly 1980's. Now he is back and reclaming his throne as a guitar extraordinaire and with his new band in the shack, and it was good to see this Rock n' Roll Hall Of Famer not living in the Syd Barrett example

"75 Seasons" is a coffee table book for the football fanatic. Chocked full of great pictures and stories, it also features the NFL's 75 year all time greatest team, position by position. It is a great gift book for any football fan.

75 seasons is a great trip through NFL history. The drawings may be a little strange, but the text is fantastic and the pictures are classic. The highlight of the book was the all-time team picks. It is undoubtedly a list that would stir up arguments, but you can't disagree with the picks that are there. From Grange to Baugh, Sayers to Smith, and everywhere in between, the background and rich tradition of the NFL is consumed all within this exceptional book.

Imagine that your father, King Philip of Macidonia was just murdered by a former body guard, and that you are forced to become king at the young age of 22. Shortly after you become king some of your cities rebel against your rule, you have no military experience, and yet that is your only option.
Do you think that ever happened to anyone? It happened to Alexander of Macedonia. When the cities revolted Alexander went in and completely destroyed them, then he sold the entire population ( selling women and children as slaves was highly irregular) as slaves to be a warning to other cities that might revolt( most of the cities probably thought that Alexander was a weak king because he was so young). I think that Peter Chrisp gives a wonderful account of Alexander's life in his book, Alexander the Great.
Alexander had many exploits along his many journeys, and there is a story for each and every one. I will tell you one of those tales; it is about The Gordian Knot. In the city of Gordium there was a temple, inside this temple was a very old cart. Its yoke was tied with a knot called The Gordian Knot. The Gordian Knot was very complex, in fact it was so complex that you could not see either loose end of the rope. Many people had tried to untie the knot, but no one could. The people of the city thought that the first person to untie the knot would rule the world. On his way east Alexander stopped at Gordium and tried to untie the knot. After wrestling with the knot for a while he said, "It makes no difference how it is untied"-- and with that he took out his dagger and cut right through it. In case you did not know Alexander conquered the entire world that was known at the time and more! So perhaps the Gordian Prophecy was true.
In this book you will read about Alexander of Macedonia (who later earns the title: Alexander the Great) and his many battles, his battle tactics (most of which are incredible), his military genius, and plus have a peek at what life was like for one of Alexander's soldiers.
If you enjoy reading historical nonfiction, and also enjoy reading about the ancient Greeks then you will love Alexander the Great by Peter Chrisp.

Though this picture book is primarily aimed at young adults, older readers will enjoy it as well. It's wonderfully illustrated and very informative, giving an overview of the conquest of Alexander as well as the ancient Greek and Persian cultures. The full-color illustrations really elucidate the subject matter. All in all, a wonderful book, and one I am happy to have in my library.

The jokes are fast, furious, and really funny. The price of the book is worth it just for one particular comic strip... it's been years since I first read it, but I still get a hearty laugh every time I read the "St. Francis" gag.

"Possibly the most informitive comic book ever written" -Me

"Five stars, three thumbs up" -Me

"Tells historical information, left out of text books, in a funny way (may not be true)" -Me

"...

This book is very unusual in two respects. For the first, the authors don't moralize. You are not told that the only way of achieving something and being successful is by loving everybody and unselfishly serving other people. No, the chances are that you feel your own morality challenged sometimes. For the second (please pay attention now!), this book really describes some ways to make money that are realistic. Of course, people are different but I found several ideas that might actually work for me, and I'm not a native English speaker and live in a rather under-developed country, thus not having many possibilities the authors of the book had. The book covers much more than the traditional self employment: it includes lucrative government jobs and the occupation of an independent Christian missionary(!).

From the negative side, the horrendous amount of typos should not remain unmentioned. When a book sells for 100 dollars a copy, it should be expected that the author would at the very least bother to re-read his work for a second time, and give it to someone else to proofread. If even I can notice tens of obvious, ridiculous typos without actually looking for them, there is something rotten at the book company.

Another, a very serious flaw are some passages where the authors forget themselves to rant page after page about how bad the world is and what terrifying methods the US government is using to rob productive people. First, these passages are very depressing to read, second, they are absolutely unnecessary, because I think that a person who 1) succeeds to find out that there is such a book as PTO; 2) agrees to pay a hundred dollars for it; doesn't need to be convinced that the government sucks.

I'd also like to warn you from dealing with a book seller called PT Shamrock. They promise you an "iron clad money back guarantee". This is a lie. You must have a hell of a luck to ever see your money again. (I did, thank God.)

Being from a poor country spending US$100 for a book is nearly one month's salary and a major investment. I made the investment. PTO has changed my life for the better. Not only did it give me idea's, but more important motivated me into action.

I now earn 20 times what the average wage earner in my country makes, drive a new car and have lots of girlfriends! The publisher (PT Shamrock) has been very helpful and even sends me a free newsletter with updates and very useful information.

A big thank you! You helped me to help myself for the better!

As soon as I finished reading the very first Gourmet Detective novel (published in 1994 but read last week), I leapt right into 'Roux the Day,' the latest in the series. This latest is dramatically better than the first, and so I am interested now in reading the rest of the titles in the series to see how the improvement progressed.

In this one, our nameless hero is in New Orleans on what should be a relatively straightforward affair: to verify whether an historic restaurant's chef's book (as distinct from a cookbook) being offered up for auction is the real deal. But someone else purchases the book before he can even see it, and the chase is on. This leads quickly to murder, and then to another murder, as well as to many, many lovingly described New Orleans meals and lots of coffee with chicory.

Many of the faults and idiosyncrasies I noted in 'The Gourmet Detective' have been weeded out of this title. Our hero is no longer comparing himself to every fictional detective ever published -- he has much more self-confidence now -- nor is he making us sit through long, descriptive passages detailing his every lunch and dinner (this doesn't contradict what I said in the last paragraph: here, the meals described have relevance to the story; before they felt more like space-filler intended to establish the hero's credentials as a gourmet). Most importantly, it's the detective's own skills that solve the mystery -- just what we'd expect in a mystery novel.

This isn't to say the story is perfect. There are still a few dots I'm not certain how he connected, even though I read the relevant passages several times over. On the whole, I still prefer Rick Riordan's atmospheric Tres Navarre series, set in San Antonio (one of the few American cities as interesting as New Orleans). But this one is growing on me, and I'm fairly certain I'll be looking up the other books in the Gourmet Detective series.

Homicide is the furthest thing from the Gourmet Detective's mind when he is invited to New Orleans to authenticate a cook book that is going up for auction. When he arrives at the place where the book is supposed to be, he discovers that a bookseller bought it before auction even started.

He traces the bookseller back to his store only to find the man shot dead and the book is missing. He is asked to continue looking for the book by his original client and a group of female chefs who promise to pay him as well as feed him. That is an offer he can't resist but in between five meals he finds another corpse, this one a man who tried to sell him a counterfeit edition of the book. The Gourmet Detective doesn't know why there is so much interest in a cookbook but he intends to find out because his reputation is on the line.

ROUX THE DAY is a delightful mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously. The Gourmet Detective is a likable hero whose fascination with food is a sensual experience, one that the readers can experience by reading the mouth-watering descriptions of his meals. Peter Kings latest installment in his long-running series is a treat that readers will devour.

Harriet Klausner

This legend is a great way to start talking to students about the Mayan people of long ago. The illustrations are bright and interesting. The pictures could start a discussion! The message about a jealous uncle and a kings passing could be compared to the Lion King if you are comparing legends.

I bought this book for my Guatemalan born son and can't wait until he's old enough to read it to him. The illustrations are quite beautiful. It troubles me a bit that the story is violent with the evil uncle plotting against his nephew - but at the same time it's the same plot as the Lion King, only with a different ending. Nevertheless I would say this is a story for five-year olds and above.

This is a great book if you teach native american history and culture. Especially if you teach about native american tribes that existed in Mexico and Central America. The book does a great job of portraying Maya life/culture. It tells the story a Mayan prince who receives a visit from a sacred bird when he is born. The sacred bird leaves a feather as a present for this newborn prince. From this day on the prince carries the feather with him for good luck and fortune. The feather protects him of all evil or from being hurt, he is basically invincible. His people love this prince because he protects them. But there is a Mayan warrior who is jealous of the prince. His envy makes him steal this feather from the prince, the prince then dies in a battle. But the Mayan people still believe that this prince protects over them in a mysterious way.

This is a charming picture book with very little substance in terms of telling legends. What little snippets of storyline are included in this book are toned down to a G rating. There is no mention of violence or romance, though there are some sections that describe how the legends influenced readers in the past. These sections on historical influence would seem to be too boring for young readers, which is the audience most of this book is geared for. Other than that, there is little criticism of this book so long as you intend to give it to seven year-olds.

For those entranced by the magical stories of King Arthur, Excalibur, the Sword in the Stone, Lancelot, Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table, Kevin Crossley-Holland has written the quintessential book detailing the life and times of this charismatic hero and his court. Beautifully and painstakingly researched, and rich in history, trivia, fun facts, anecdotes, and legend, Mr Crossley-Holland brings medieval England and Camelot to life. Hear the many stories, among them Merlin, The Sword in the Stone, the Lady of the Lake, Sir Mordred, Marie de France, and Morgan le Fay. Learn the ways of the court and castle life, dressing, arms and armor, tournaments and tilting, love, quests and adventures, magic and magicians, troubadours, art, and so much more. His engaging and entertaining text is enhanced by Peter Malone's marvelously vivid artwork, and together these two transport the reader back in time to the enchanting world of chivalrous knights, lovely and fair maidens, and evil villains. Perfect for young lovers of the Arthurian legend, 12 and older, who have begun to ask the hard questions..."Did King Arthur exist? Was there really a court called Camelot? Where exactly was Arthur's kingdom? When did he rule? And what was he like?" Kevin Crossley-Holland gives the definitive answer..."To begin with, we scarcely need to know. When we first meet Arthur, we are caught up in a long dream we hope will never end." The legend lives. Believe and Enjoy!

The World of King Arthur is an outstanding companion book for anyone interested in the Arthurian legends. The beautifully written entries explain the who, what, when and where of the Arthurian world.,(like, the difference between the sword-in-the stone and Excalibur, or what is known of the historical Arthur.) Also, scattered through the book are delightful nuggets like Kiss Me, How to be a Butler, Verb that Carving, In the the Midnight Garden. Translated from original sources they are wonderful windows into the medieval world. The illustrations are rich, inventive and instinctive. An absolutely gorgeous book, a delight to read and to look at, a must for Arthur fans.