I love maps. There’s something magical about reading a map and being able to convert the handheld 2D print into a massive 3D landscape in my mind’s eyI love maps. There’s something magical about reading a map and being able to convert the handheld 2D print into a massive 3D landscape in my mind’s eye, like a camera drone flying across the landscape. I can spend ages tracing the contours and paths, imagining what that area looks like, or remembering what it looks like if I’ve been there. As a keen walker, I always have an OS map with me. But an OS map isn’t just a navigational aid, it will also trigger memories of past walks.
Old OS maps are time machines. I look at an old map and I go back in time. Housing estates and modern landmarks vanish and I’m left with the historic buildings and ancient roads.
So of course I was fascinated by this book explaining the origins of Ordnance Survey maps. I thought The author did a great job in highlighting the jumble of scientific, military, political & philosophical motivations behind the creation of OS maps. Rachel Hewitt really brought to life the key personalities. And learning how the early cartographers actually measured the landscape was interesting to me, including the heroic efforts to get an accurate baseline....more
My favourite bits were the Top Trump cards of the various reformers scoring their various attributes suA highly amusing read. And educational as well.
My favourite bits were the Top Trump cards of the various reformers scoring their various attributes such as theological importance, facial hair, general gloominess, hat quality & propensity to violence....more
I’ve always loved maps and this coffee table book is a map lover’s dream. A comprehensive compilation of maps drawing the history of London through thI’ve always loved maps and this coffee table book is a map lover’s dream. A comprehensive compilation of maps drawing the history of London through the centuries. And despite all the fires, bombs and redevelopments, the main street lines remain more or less unchanged making it easy to mentally imagine how London grew from mud tracks to concrete.
The only drawback with this book is that it’s too small. Some maps are so compressed to fit the pages that their detail are impossible to see. The author does attempt to deal with this by providing a small extract at a larger readable scale, but I have the impossible desire to see the whole map at a larger scale. Makes me sad that I missed this exhibition as I would have spent many fascinating hours staring at the maps....more
I have read well over a dozen biographies of Martin Luther and this is one of the good ones. Indeed, if a person is only going to read one biography oI have read well over a dozen biographies of Martin Luther and this is one of the good ones. Indeed, if a person is only going to read one biography of Luther then I’d recommend this one (though I don’t think this is the best biography of Luther).
Why? Well, Eric Metaxas makes a big effort to show how Martin Luther opened the door to modern day concerns like freedom of conscience, democracy and religious tolerance. This makes Luther more relevant to the reader. Eric Metaxas also writes with flair and humour, making it an easy (or easier) read.
However there are a few things that I didn’t like about this biography. The cover has Eric Metaxas name in the same size font as the subject of the book, and you feel Metaxas’s personality almost as much as Luther’s. His viewpoints as an American evangelical is very noticeable. Quite often he will pass judgment or make bias assessments of the people featuring in this book without supporting documents. For example, his description of Anabaptists was skewed by only focusing on the fanatics and not the more sober (and attractive) adherents. And like nearly all English biographies, he skips over huge chunks of Martin Luther’s later life.
Nevertheless this will be the first biography I’d offer to an interested person. Hopefully this will then inspire them to go on and read the comprehensive three volume biography by Martin Brecht and Heiko Oberman’s excellent biography. ...more
I've read about a dozen biographies on the German reformer, Martin Luther, and this is one of the best ones.
Having said this, I would not recommend iI've read about a dozen biographies on the German reformer, Martin Luther, and this is one of the best ones.
Having said this, I would not recommend it as a first biography to read on Martin Luther as Heiko Oberman is not a neutral writer. The best biography IMO is Brecht's 3 volume monument, and Brecht lets Luther and his contemporaries speak for themselves with copious quotes from primary sources. However, it is Oberman's opinions and judgements than made me particularly enjoy this biography. I would recommend this as a second or third biography on Luther to read.
Oberman knows his stuff and I appreciated him sifting through the endless material there is on Luther to give expert qualified judgement calls on Luther's life & work. Oberman works hard at getting you to see Luther in the context of his times instead of looking at Luther with modern post-enlightenment mindset. This is the particular strength of this biography. And too many Luther biographies only look at the Reformation from a theological viewpoint, missing out the massive political, social and economic changes that were happening in the 15th & 16th centuries. Heiko Oberman gives the best overview and contextual understanding of this era that I have read in a Luther biography.
Like nearly all Luther biographies, the bulk of the book focuses on pivotal years of Luther making his theological breakthroughs as a monk, then as a professor of theology at Wittenburg, followed by his clashes with the Rome power base and papal advocates. The chapters are thematic rather than chronological (another reason to read Brecht first), though a timeline is provided at the back.
It was a joy to read this biography, after reading so many over the last decade, and still gain so many new insights. Warmly recommended....more
Following the BBC series 'The White Queen', I wanted to know more about the actual historical facts (as opposed to the fiction contained in the PhilipFollowing the BBC series 'The White Queen', I wanted to know more about the actual historical facts (as opposed to the fiction contained in the Philippa Gregory books) around The War of the Roses. This book by Alison Weir was recommended to me.
It did exactly what I wanted - give me the information I needed to understand why The War of the Roses happened and who the main players were, without getting bogged down with too much intricate detail. Alison Weir does this by going back to Edward III and then tracing the events that followed. I found the book easy to follow, and it is written in chronological order. My knowledge of 15th century English history feels much more solid now. Previously I knew of isolated events - like Agincourt (I enjoyed Juliet Barker's book) and the princes in the tower - but wasn't able to join these up into an overarching narrative.
Personally speaking, I preferred this book to the ones written by Philippa Gregory, but they are different genres....more
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