Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Vanished Kingdom: Travels Through the History of Prussia by James Charles Roy, Amos Elon ISBN: 0-8133-3793-3 Publisher: Westview Press Pub. Date: June, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (20 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Excellent yet slanted writing
Comment: I agree that many of the passages in this book are extremely romantic when it comes to describing Prussian history, but in my opinion the writing itself is great.
And although Roy may be slanted in his opinions when discussing Eastern European politics and history, or when describing the Wehrmacht or Teutonic Knights, he tempers this romanticism with tales of Polish Jewry and the atrocities committed against them in East Prussia and its environs.
I feel the biggest fault of the author's thinking (not the book), is the strong feeling of class that he demonstrates. It seemed to me that if a person wasn't a member of the Prussian aristocracy or a descendant, then they counted less.
Despite these points I thought the book was extremely well written and very interesting. When considering accuracy, though, the reader must read with an open mind and look at where the author is coming from.
As for inaccuracies with titles, such as The Great Elector being called "King Of Prussia" instead of "King In Prussia", there is a whole passage devoted to the explanation of both titles, as well as a geneological chart, so I don't know what the last reviewer was referring to.
If you are a descendant of people from that part of Europe, (as I am) this book will be a fascinating read. Just read it with an open mind.
Rating: 5
Summary: Finally Someone Presents a Living History!
Comment: I just wanted to personally thank James Roy for writing such a totally compelling account of Prussian history, with the inclusion of personal stories of the human tragedies endured as Prussia ceased to exist after 1945. My mother and grandparents were among those expelled by Russia and Poland. Asside from their personal accounts of these events, this is one of the only English publications I've seen which discusses the human drama in the German east at the end of the war (asside from some occasional token mention in a History Channel documentary).
Yes, parts of the history are portrayed as "romantic", esp. the Teutonic Knights, the landed aristocracy (Junkers), Frederick the Great et.al. , but so what ---- show me a history that doesn't describe the war mongering Napoleon in a similar light. The book is well tempered with the author's experience traveling through now Polish and Russian Prussia, describing the decay and ignorance of the local population with respect to relevance of historic sights (the use of the Hindenburg family cemetary as a garbage dump, with the former estate a collective farm is a case-in-point --> the locals claimed never to have heard of Hindenburg -----> the leveling of historic Koenigsberg and removal of 800 years of German history from East Prussia - including bulldozing cemetaries - is another). Both proud and disgracful history (witness Stutthof concentration camp) - its all here both inspiring and painful. And someone finally wrote it. Should be required reading in any Modern European history course - and would make a wonderful History Channel documentary.
Rating: 5
Summary: Very Enlightening
Comment: Not only does this book explore Prussia (primarily East Prussia)from the earliest years it gives the Westerner an enlightenment about the terrible cruelty that was visited upon all peoples of this area from the earliest time until Stalin's reign. We Westerner's think WWII was cruel, but this is nothing compared to what Hitler and Stalin visited upon these peoples of all creeds. The Jews were especially hard hit with the millions upon millions if deaths, but they don't come away perfect either. The book also discussed the Polish racism against the Jews and Germans which I had never known. By reading this book you can begin to fanthom and understand the Jewish state to a greater degree. You also get the idea that both Stalin and Hitler were of the same cloth. Stalin's cruelty included forcing all the Germans out of East Prussia in whose place the Poles and Soviet miltary gladly settled. No wonder Patton wanted to march into Moscow on a tank. We in the West had a "cake walk" coming into WWII at such a late date.
I thought it a great and enlightening book. It gives a broader perspective to Eureopean History as a whole. Western History as taught lacks the perspective that is brought out by this book.
 |
Title: Modern Prussian History: 1830-1947 by Philip G. Dwyer ISBN: 0582292719 Publisher: Pearson Longman Pub. Date: 10 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
 |
Title: A Terrible Revenge: The Ethnic Cleansing of the East European Germans, 1944-1950 by Alfred-Maurice De Zayas, Charles M. Barber ISBN: 0312121598 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: October, 1994 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
 |
Title: The Rise of Prussia, 1700-1830 by Philip G. Dwyer ISBN: 0582292689 Publisher: Longman Pub. Date: 08 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $28.40 |
 |
Title: The Politics of the Prussian Army 1640-1945 by Gordon Alexander Craig ISBN: 0195002571 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: December, 1964 List Price(USD): $30.95 |
 |
Title: A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Germanic Ancestors: How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritage (Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Ancestors) by Chris Anderson, Ernest Thode, S. Chris Anderson ISBN: 1558705201 Publisher: Betterway Pubns Pub. Date: May, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
