Reading History@amyshelflife ---video no. 8

 

Hope you will take a look at my latest video!  Here is the link. Well, two links.  They are exactly the same content, just the comment section differs.  My computer skills are primeval, and I often overlook technical details when I upload these videos.   Again, they are exactly the same except for the comment section.  

Reading history@amyshelflife - YouTube

Reading History Video No 8 - YouTube

Two by Daphne Du Maurier

Golden Lads

Daphne Du Maurier strikes again, but this time with a book of history, Golden Lads. There seems no genre in which she doesn’t excel.  The golden lads of the title are three men of the Elizabethan court—brothers Anthony and Francis Bacon and Robert “Robin” Devereux, Earl of Essex. 

The brothers Bacon are the sons of Nicholas Bacon who was Elizabeth I’s Lord Keeper of the Seal.  They are also the nephews of William Cecil, Elizabeth’s Lord Treasurer so they are eminently well-connected at court. Devereux is a soldier and on-again-off-again favorite of Elizabeth (not in romantic sense though Durant hinted at such in Vol. 7).  Just what captured Du Maurier’s imagination about this particular trio is not clear to me, but some insights are offered here. 

St. Olave's Church where Anthony Bacon is buried

The focus of the book is on Anthony who is a spy for the court and operates at a distance from it.  If I recall correctly, he never came in direct contact with the Queen.  Anthony’s is a shadowy, solitary life with charges of homosexuality, an affinity and friendship with Montaigne and important connections to Henry IV of Navarre and France.  

Francis occupies a lesser role in the book, but we see how he cajoles, calculates and cadges to be assigned a place of power in Elizabeth’s realm.  There are hints at the Francis Bacon/William Shakespeare connection. Du Maurier has an entire book on this Bacon brother, The Winding Stair:  Francis Bacon His Rise and Fall.  Who knew she had even written about him!  I tell you, her talents are legion! 

Devereux receives the least number of pages I’d say though his life was intertwined with the lives of the Bacons in ways that I can’t neatly summarize here.  I do admit that some of the historical details blew by me.  

This is not a casual book.  Chapter by chapter sources are listed, a lot of them correspondence and official papers in addition to books of both history and literature.  Du Maurier’s research is impressive.  She informs the reader that Anthony Bacon’s letters are housed at Lambeth Palace Library and “over three hundred original letters in the collection were transcribed for me,….”  I recommend this book for its microcosmic look at the Elizabethan era.  There are pictures.  The church in the picture posted at left has significance in the book. 

 The House on the Strand

In The House on the Strand, we return to fiction, fiction that melds into history and borders on fantasy that is.  When I read the dust jacket-flap summary, a man experiments with hallucinogenic drugs, I glanced at the publication date, 1969, and thought, Oh no, has even the grande dame succumbed to writing about hippies, acid heads and addicts?  I was slow to pick up the book after that, but glad I did.  Mrs. Du Maurier had done nothing of the sort.  

This is one of the oddest, largely unbelievable yet nonetheless captivating stories I’ve ever read.  A normal man on vacation with his wife in Cornwall is the guinea pig for a drug that his friend is concocting, a drug that tampers with memory and the brain. The action see-saws between the normal man on vacation in Cornwall and that same man stumbling about that same area of Cornwall in the 14th century.  I kid you not.  I do not normally like books of this sort, almost a sci-fi feel, but Du Maurier has worked her magic. While this book is certainly not about hippies or acid-heads, there is something of the addict here, but I shan't say more.  Do read this book.

George Washington and Benedict Arnold by Dave R. Palmer (mention given to Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick)

The publisher calls Palmer's book a dual biography.  It is subtitled A Tale of Two Patriots.  The author

laid out George Washington’s (1732-1799) and Benedict Arnold’s (1741-1801) respective lives in parallel--Washington’s childhood, Arnold’s childhood; Washington’s early adult years, Arnold’s early adult years.  Then the Revolutionary War begins.  

In 1775, Washington is in Boston, Arnold at Fort Ticonderoga.  In 1776, Washington is losing Manhattan and the lower Hudson, Arnold is fighting to a draw against the Brits and managing to hold the upper Hudson for the patriots.  In 1777 Washington is losing the Battle of the Brandywine in September while Arnold is victorious at, first, the Battle of Ridgefield and then the Battle of Freeman’s Farm (Saratoga).  So it goes.  The parallels cease of course when Arnold turns to treason in 1779 and finagles a command at West Point so that he can hand the post over to the British.

Much has been written about Washington’s personality. Flawed as all humans are, George Washington was nonetheless a man of tremendous character.  He consistently practiced honesty, self-control, altruism and prudent judgment. He was courageous in battle, frequently riding into the heat of a fray. Recognized as an excellent horseman, he was a physically imposing figure, mindful of his appearance and reputation, ambitious in his goals.  Yet, he was relied upon by the majority of his contemporaries as the man who could exercise oversight with fairness and guide the unsteady nation with prudence.   

Benedict Arnold was also one of the most courageous, fighting men in the Revolutionary War, and, like Washington he had drive and spirit. Arnold, however, was a self-serving man with a fiery, combative personality. He was impulsive, often aggressive and brusque.  Arnold never felt he got the recognition he deserved for his military achievements (it’s hard not to agree with him) and he was preoccupied with wealth and all its outward trappings.  What made Arnold turn on the cause for which he had had such passion?  Most agree that it was ego, ambition and money.  His second wife, young Peggy Shippen of Philadelphia, equally materialistic and ambitious, is believed to have urged him on in his decision to betray the Revolution.  

In addition to the biographical chapters at the beginning of the book, the author takes the reader through the battles of the war leading up to and including Arnold’s treason at West Point.  Palmer closes out his book with a look at why these two lives ceased to march in parallel.

The author, Dave Palmer, is Retired Lt General Dave Palmer who was a 1956 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and superintendent of the same from 1986 to 199.  How fitting then that Palmer examines his subjects according to the goals of the institution so much a part of his life.  The U.S. Military Academy aims to turn its cadets into leaders of character.  Character, Palmer explains, hinges on virtue---fortitude (physical and moral courage), temperance (control of the passions and appetites), prudence (practical wisdom and the ability to know right from wrong, make right decisions) and justice (fairness, honesty, lawfulness, loyalty).  Palmer evaluates Washington and Arnold in each of the four virtues.  No surprise that General Washington scores 100 on all four.  And Arnold?

Palmer gives him full credit in only one category, fortitude. Arnold’s battlefield drive, his willingness to go to the front line, his taking a stand once he began something and his good mind on the battlefield regardless of danger to himself distinguish him in this category.  On prudence Arnold gets half credit.  Palmer reasons that Arnold did show good judgment in matters of combat though he could not sustain that judgment off the battlefield.  On temperance Arnold rates a zero. Arnold consistently indulged his emotions and his desire for material rewards. Lastly, justice was a huge problem for someone of Arnold’s self-absorption and self-indulgence. He promoted himself over others (even his wife).  He was dishonest when convenient and practiced deception recklessly and without remorse in order to achieve his goals. 

Palmer’s style is very readable and he takes seriously his analysis of the character and leadership qualities of these two historic figures.  This comparison was missing from Nathaniel Philbrick’s Valiant Ambition though I should mention that reading Philbrick’s book first probably helped make Palmer’s book easier reading! Palmer’s book needs many more maps and could use a few more photographs.  However, the photos that are included are not the routine; photos are credited to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, Norwich Historical Society and The Granger Collection.  I would recommend Palmer over Philbrick for the West Point perspective and thoughtful comparison Palmer brought to the subject.  

Finally, Palmer leaves us a visual of our two generals.  At West Point, a statue of George Washington on horseback dominates the Plain, a center point of the post.  Still on post but down the road and out of sight unless you make the trip is the old Cadet Chapel.  Inside, Palmer explains, are plaques that carry the names, rank, birth date and death date of heroes of American battles.  The single plaque that lists only rank and date of birth is Arnold's.  Benedict Arnold's name does not appear.  No date of death is given.  As Palmer writes, “…traitors never die, they simply cease to exist.”    

Six Books of Young Adult Fiction

Young Adult Fiction (YAF) is a category of writing for readers ages 12-18. The key characteristic of YAF is that the protagonist be a teenager. The themes are usually those of self-discovery, coming-of-age, figuring out the world and one’s role in it.  What is my purpose in life? What do I believe? Why am I here? Who am I?  The writing is in-the-moment as opposed to reflection or reverse chronologies.  The books I’ll discuss here are not current titles in YAF.  They are mostly nostalgia reading on my part.  By the way, 55% of YAF readers are adults.  I am not alone. 

First up, A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle (1980).  The protagonist is sixteen-year- old Vicky Austin, a sensitive and smart teen who writes poetry and is choosing among three very different suitors.  The story opens with the funeral of the father of one her suitors, Leo, a still-gawky but good-hearted adolescent. The next is Zachary, an urbane, rich boy.  Then there’s Adam who studies dolphins at the nearby Marine Biology Station for the summer.  Adam is college-age and suavely intellectual.  

The Austin family is also quite intellectual as well as refined and accomplished.  They read Shakespeare after dinner.  They sing together accompanied by their almost-professional mother on the guitar.  The oldest brother goes to MIT and Dad is a doctor doing research.  Grandfather is dying and he’s benevolent and patient, filled with the wisdom of the ages.  I felt overwhelmed by the lofty perfection.  

My introduction to Madeline L’Engle was A Wrinkle in Time in the 5^th grade.  I loved the book.  As with that book, this book also has elements of the supernatural.  Although L’Engle’s overall message is one that reflects a tenderness for adolescence guided by traditional values and Christian teachings, I found unsettling her particular admixture of traditional and Christian with a New Age, sixth-sense-supernatural perspective.  This short bio of Ms. L’Engle explains her outlook well I think and helped me understand why she writes as she does.  While I can see the value in this book for some readers, it did not resonate with me at all nor would it have resonated had I read it at 16.  Vicky was likeable, but even at my advanced age, I still can’t imagine why anyone would want to swim with dolphins let alone talk to them.  That is just not real life.     

Next on the list are four books with a male protagonist. The Story of Mad Anthony Wayne by Hazel Wilson (1953) tells of the life and times of Revolutionary War hero, Anthony Wayne.  This is a volume in the Signature Books series by Grosset & Dunlap. Wayne is from my hometown area in southeastern Pennsylvania.  This book is well-written and takes us through Wayne’s childhood, military career and later life. This is an excellent and thorough biography of a man who exhibited fire and courage and love of country.

Adam of the Road (1942) is by Elizabeth Janet Gray whom I’ve written about here. This is a father-son story set in late 13^th century England.  Eleven-year-old Adam is separated from his minstrel father, Roger, about midway through the book. Adam’s literal search for his father is a spiritual sort of search for himself.  Adam loves and reveres his father and wants also to be a minstrel. This book of historical fiction is not heavy on plot, but there are good guys and bad guys along the way.  There is challenge and adventure and plenty of information about the era (the book could have used a glossary for all the medieval vocabulary). The story is charmingly told and has an important message about fathers and sons.  The last words of the book are Roger speaking to Adam.  “You have done well, son.”  What young man would not want to hear those words from his father.

The Sign of the Beaver (1983) is written by Elizabeth George Speare.  Here is young Matt, about to turn 13, left to mind the family’s new frontier cabin and property while his father goes back to civilization to pack up the household and then return to the wilderness with the rest of the family. The year is 1769 or so and the setting is Maine. Like My Side of the Mountain, this is a wilderness survival tale, but Speare is more clearly intent on presenting a coming-of-age story.  Matt grows up by developing the virtues of loyalty and courage.  He learns about himself and the world through friendship with others. Matt perseveres and his father’s words to him at the end of the book are: “You’ve done a grown man’s job, son.   I’m right proud of you.”  More words for young men to grow on.

Sam Gribley is another young man on a journey of sorts. The book is Jean Craighead George’s My Side of the Mountain (1959).  Sam runs away from home, which is an apartment on Third Avenue in NYC, and lives off the land in the Catskills.  His home away from home is a large hemlock tree.  He hunts, fishes and gathers based on an encyclopedic knowledge of the flora and fauna of the woods.  To keep warm and cook, he constructs an indoor fireplace.  He sews his clothes from animal furs and skins. He befriends weasels and raccoons, and he raises and trains a hawk. Sam doesn’t get fleas or even mosquito bites and he is only sickly once.   Whew! 

The author clearly knows whereof she speaks when describing wilderness survival. She offers some explanation of her knowledge in the introduction.  The illustrations of plants and objects are her own. Yet, while it’s an engaging story, it was entirely unbelievable to me, fantasy without a purpose.  I simply could not relate. Despite the author’s introductory remark that there is a universal kid-desire to run away from home, I never even remotely considered such an awful thing. 

Maybe this is more of a boy’s passage-into-manhood book.  Young Sam certainly does very manly things and exhibits a lot of gutsy confidence to spend so much time all alone with forest animals, snowstorms and passing strangers.   I won’t give away the ending except to say that Sam’s father is more of a 60s kind of free spirit.     

I’ve saved the best for last.  In my opinion, everyone should read The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (1961).  The author has ingeniously and succinctly explained what it means to be a man (and indirectly a woman) and to follow Christ.  That’s a pretty tall order for a work of YAF.  The setting is the Holy Land in the year 30 AD or thereabouts.  Jesus is one of the characters in the story as is Simon the Zealot who will become one of Christ’s twelve apostles.  The protagonist is Daniel, a Jew of probably 15 to 18 years of age, whose rage against the Romans along with his expectations of the coming Messiah have driven him to an outlaw’s life.  Daniel has a choice to make as to what kind of man he will be and how he will fight for freedom.  There’s action and suspense right up to the end.  In fact, I became quite agitated reading the last ten pages as I awaited Daniel’s choice. 

I read this as a younger self not knowing much about the life and times of Christ. Nonetheless, Speare’s young protagonists and their concerns must have emerged to me as understandable and genuine. Their thoughts and dilemmas must have drawn me in.  The inclusion of Jesus as a walking, talking character in the narrative must have brought the past into the present and, again, I was drawn in.  So it was this time reading as an adult.  Ms. Speare is a wonderful writer. 

I hope you'll choose from among these titles to read for yourself or pass along to kids and grandkids.  

Video Number 7

Hope you'll tune in my next video, Number 7, with special guests!  Link is below:  

Reading History No 7@Amy Shelflife - YouTube

Reading History Video No.6

Upstairs at my parents' house

In this video, I chat about a website named Reshelving Alexandria and a couple other topics as well.  I hope you have a few minutes to pull up a chair and watch.  Reading History No.6 - YouTube

Henry VIII The King and His Court by Alison Weir

Another English historian has proved dry and lackluster. Alison Weir has tons and tons of detail in this biography of Henry the VIII (1491-1547) but very few summations or discussions of overarching themes that define Henry’s era and his reign.  The reader is on one’s own to read and read and read and infer from the details what the core ideas might be. Weir writes in a chronological style, shares little to no opinion of her own, is only occasionally enthusiastic about her subject and supplants imagination with abundant detail. We read and read and read but, I do repeat myself. Actually I often didn’t read.  I did a lot of skimming. 

Henry VIII, whose reign extended from 1509-1547 is of course known for his six wives and his role in establishing the Church of England.   The book did dig in a bit where the wives were concerned and provided a closeup view of each and the sort of relationship each had with Henry.  I was glad to read that his first wife, the beleaguered Catharine of Aragon--oops that’s Katherine with a “K” for the Brits--was not as forsaken and ill-treated as I had thought.  She and Henry did have some good years together during which there was a fondness and attachment.  

Of the six wives, I found the last Katharine, Katharine Parr, to be of particular interest at least in part because her queenship reflected the progressive vs. conservative religious tension of the day.  Katharine Parr was something of a thinker and activist, a participant in the controversies of the day. She wrote and published at least two books about prayer.   She had about her a group of like-minded women among whom was perhaps Anne Askew, a Protestant who was eventually arrested and tortured on charges of heresy.  Katharine also fell solidly into the progressive/Protestant camp but, like Henry himself and so many other members of the court, Parr was outwardly Catholic.  Though not necessarily due to her connections with Askew, conservatives of the court suspected Katharine of heresy and issued a warrant for her arrest on charges of the same. Henry rather unwittingly gave his signature to the warrant, but nothing came of it.

 As for Henry himself? Ms. Weir credits Henry VIII with a long list of accomplishments---founding The  Church of England, advancing parliamentary government, enriching the “standing” of the monarchy, guiding England “courageously through a religious revolution,” and reconstructing “the machinery of state.”  He was a lover of art, he “created the most magnificent court in English history” and he “took England from medieval to modern.”  Quite a resume for a man who could scarcely bury one wife before marrying the next.     

Any accomplishments of Henry VIII’s reign are vastly overshadowed by his central interest---himself.  I would describe him as impulsive, self-absorbed and self-indulgent. He lacked leadership ability and was not as a rule particularly compassionate or kind. Though said to be intelligent and even scholarly, he seemed unaware that his actions were sowing the seeds for the death of the Catholic faith in England and the division of Christendom in Europe. He also failed in a large way to appreciate that his rejection of papal authority was diametrically opposed to his identity as a Catholic. Henry VIII persecuted his share of Protestants while he also presided over the destruction of the Catholic monasteries, the Annates Act of 1532 (which re-directed taxes paid to the Vatican to Henry instead) and The Act of Supremacy of 1534 which clinched the separation of England from the Church of Rome. Yet he died a “Catholic” with his burial mass given by Bishop Gardiner, the more conservative Catholic wing of the religious controversy.  

Ms. Weir writes that history has typically portrayed Henry VIII as an ogre who killed his wives and mis-treated his subjects, but such should not be our conclusion.  Given the “wealth of modern research” we can now see the “charisma” of the real Henry VIII who so capably reigned.  With all due respect for Alison Weir’s extensive scholarship, I go with the outdated Henry-as-ogre. At the end of the day, Henry VIII was a shallow man, an uncaring father, a fickle husband and a feckless leader. 

Reading History No 5 Video

Late Summer Clouds

Here’s the link to my most recent video. I’m branching out a bit to topics other than reading history and I’ll also be having specially chosen guests! 

In the video I mention the author Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining. Besides retiring in my hometown of Kennett Saure, PA, Mrs. Vining was a very remarkable woman who wrote a book about her years as English tutor to the Crown Prince of Japan after WWII.  Here is my commentary on Mrs. Vining’s book.

Columbus and The Crisis of The West by Robert Royal

We know who Columbus is but what is the crisis of the west?  Or The West?  This book examines the vilification of Columbus and the “woke” notion that Western Civilization is racist, evil, exploitative and garbage.  It’s a notion that’s been around since the 60s of course but is enjoying a rebirth of freedom now.  

Robert Royal, academician and Catholic writer extraordinaire has tackled the attacks on Columbus and the contributions of Western Civilization to the development of the modern world.  There’s a lot of information in this book plus good arguments in the defense of Columbus and Western Civilization.  Mr. Royal’s information on Columbus and the Spanish empire in the New World is accurate and unbiased.  He certainly does not whitewash either.  

The book is difficult. It reads like a compilation of speeches or articles with added text to attempt a coherent whole.  Royal’s writing is, not surprisingly, academic in style.  It’s a bit abstruse.  The analysis is nuanced and detailed with long sentences and the occasional choice of word that clogs up the understanding. Any number of times I found myself thinking, Why doesn’t he just say what he means and let’s get on with it. I had thought I might go back and unravel the chapters a bit.  If I ever do that I will also undertake better note-taking in the margins.  

There is valuable information in this book if you feel called upon to defend Columbus as a bold explorer, an accomplished mariner and an essential historical figure who was central in ushering in the modern age.  

Also read Samuel Eliot Morrison’s Admiral of the Ocean Sea:  A Life of Christopher Columbus. I really liked that book. 

Reading History No. 4 and Related Links

 

Here is the link to my July 4th Reading History video:

Reading History No. 4 - YouTube

Here are some related links!  

 This is a list of all 185 books in the Landmark Series:

http://cherylbastian.blogspot.com/2013/07/landmark-books-in-chronological-order.html

Two good articles about Landmark Books:

http://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/october-2016/generation-past-the-story-of-the-landmark-books

Landmark Books – First-Rate History Series for Readers and Collectors | Old Scrolls Blog (wordpress.com)

Exodus Books is a good website for shopping and learning: 

Landmark Reprints - Exodus Books

Landmark Giants - Exodus Books

American Landmark Books - Exodus Books

Childhood of Famous Americans - Exodus Books

Here are two links on the 1619 Project: 

The 1619 Project - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Pulitzer Center: 1619 Project (1619education.org)

Reading History No. 3 and related links

 I hope you'll enjoy my next video.  Click below!

Reading History No. 3 - YouTube

Here is the post that accompanies the video:

Shelf Life: Three books about the Reformation (amyshelflife.blogspot.com)

Here are links to the studies that I mentioned in the video:

MuellerAndOppenheimer2014OnTakingNotesByHand.pdf (ucla.edu)

Stronger Brain Activity After Writing on Paper Than on Tablet or Smartphone - Neuroscience News

Three books about the Reformation

 Three Reformers by Jacques Maritain 

With apologies to Fr. George Rutler, this book may as well have been written in Saami, Xhosa or Old Church Slavonic for all that I was able to get out of it.  It was Fr. Rutler, Catholic priest, sage and prolific writer, who recommended this book. 

We have had Three Reformers in our home library for years.  I read it at last to supplement my reading on the Reformation (Will Durant’s Volume 6).   We have the book because some questions arose in our family concerning the role of the Catholic Church in the Reformation.  At that time, we attended the Church of Our Saviour (38^th and Park in New York City) where Fr. Rutler presided.  When we directed our questions to Fr. Rutler, he replied that we should get this book and read it.   What better recommendation could one have? 

The author is French philosopher and Catholic convert Jacques Maritain. The three reformers are Martin Luther, Rene Descartes and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Maritain sees these men as respectively, a reformer of religion, a reformer of philosophy and a reformer of morality.  According to Maritain, they “dominate” and “govern all the problems which torment [the modern world.]” 

This is a book of philosophy.  I have a weak mind when it comes to that subject which is probably why I have little interest after a point.  Except for occasional phrases or short paragraphs, the content just didn’t resonate with me. For example, the portion of the book on Descartes is divided into three sections entitled ‘The Cartesian Revelation,’ ‘The Angel and Reason’ and ‘Continuation and End.’ Even the section titles didn’t orient me so I started off with a deficit.  Here is a quote. “It remains—and this is what concerns us—that the Cartesian ideas come from God, like angelic ideas, not from objects.  Thus the human soul is not only subsistent as the ancients taught, causing the body to exist with its own existence;  it has, without the body, received direct from God all the operative perfection which can befit it.” 

Here my story ends.  I have preserved some notes on this book for reference should my knack for philosophy one day improve.  For the philosophers and deep-thinkers out there, you will want to read this book recommended as it is by one of the respected Catholic priests of our day. If you do read it, please give me your thoughts. 

Characters of the Reformation by Hillaire Belloc 

Hillaire Belloc is an entertaining writer.  He is also a Catholic writer, but whether you are Catholic, Protestant, Jew or Sufi, his religion shouldn’t be the reason you choose to read him or not.   He’s clever and insightful and his writing is accessible.  Raised in England, he is the son of a French father and an English mother.  He is considered one of the great writers of the Edwardian era along with George Bernard Shaw, G.K. Chesterton and H.G. Wells.

In this short book, Belloc gives sketches of 23 different figures of the Reformation, largely concentrating on England.  England! Belloc contends that had England not succumbed fully to Protestantism, Catholicism would have prevailed and the Reformation would have been reduced to individual pockets of Protestants confined mostly to urban areas throughout Europe. Bear in mind that when Elizabeth assumed the crown in 1558, Britain was still roughly two-thirds Catholic. 

The introductory chapter is an overview and political history of the Reformation.  Belloc gives the traditional reasons for the Reformation-- the rise of nationalism; the corruptions, offenses and wealth of the Catholic Church; the growth of commerce and the wealth generated by that growth;   the rise of a mercantile class;  the triumph of rationalism over scholasticism. According to Belloc, the Reformation lasted 200 years and there are several stages. From 1517-1537 he describes a period of mostly chaos.  Next, Calvin, through his writings and focus, imposed order on the development of Protestant groups creating a more direct challenge to Catholicism and the institution of the Catholic Church.  In the second half of the 1500s, there ensued hostilities, confiscation of Church property, violence and warfare.

Belloc describes what occurred in Britain as “. .  . a succession of incidents which marked each of them a step more difficult to retrace.”  That is, there was a series of random, feckless actions that set into motion a political and religious tsunami that couldn’t be stopped.  Henry’s undisciplined nature caused him to lust after Anne Boleyn.  Anne Boleyn demanded marriage.  Henry then demanded divorce.  Thomas Cromwell, who Belloc describes as creating “the breach” between England and Rome, egged Henry on in the King’s provocation of the Pope.  Cromwell was also responsible for the pillage and theft of Church property.  And so it went.

We progress through Elizabeth I who is the mere “puppet” of William Cecil according to Belloc.  (He further humiliates the great queen describing her as “dried up and wizened, with a skin like parchment, already old but looking a far older ruin than she was.…”)   Belloc takes us through the reign of James I of England (James VI of Scotland) and the ensuing struggles among the various developing nations of Europe. We meet the Emperor Ferdinand II, Cardinal Richelieu, Gustavus Adolphus, Oliver Cromwell and others ending with Louis XIV.  Belloc also gives helpful sketches of philosophers Rene Descartes who is credited with giving us Rationalism and Blaise Pascal who gave us Emotionalism.  Both men greatly influenced the culture of the  ensuing years. 

This is an excellent book of the over 100 that Hillaire Belloc has written.  I have taken abundant notes on each of the twenty-three historical figures.  I make frequent reference to my notes and the original text as I continue my reading on the Reformation and its aftermath.    

Philip II by Henry Kamen 

Philip II of Spain lived from 1527-1598 and he was the son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel of Portugal.  He was a central figure representing Catholic Europe in the post-Reformation years.  Unfortunately, this author failed, in my opinion, to bring enthusiasm and imagination to the life and times of Philip II.  

Philip II is not a necessarily disagreeable figure but I never grew to like him.  Not particularly handsome in my estimation, he wasn’t particularly dynamic either. The author made occasional attempts to counter the image of Philip as serious and one dimensional, but the king emerged nonetheless as uncharismatic, unimaginative and aloof.  Though adequately educated, scholarship was not his strong suit.   As a young prince he enjoyed hunting and jousting.   He spoke only Castilian and a bit of Latin and Catalan despite the far-flung empire over which he reigned.  He did eventually amass impressive libraries and art collections, and he developed an interest in architecture and painting and gardens when, through his princely travels, he was exposed to the Renaissance culture of the rest of Europe.  

Steadfastly Catholic, Philip was a conscientious king who took his role as monarch seriously.  He reigned over a vast empire that eventually included the entire Iberian peninsula, the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Naples, the duchy of Milan, Sicily, Sardinia and the Philippines.   He had an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire, the Emperor being first an uncle and following him, a nephew.  Philip II had dominion over the Portuguese possessions in Asia and South America, and, don’t forget, Spain had an entire colonial empire in Mexico and South America along with parts of the North American continent. Consistent with the era and the rest of Europe he ruled over a minimally united kingdom and had to answer to local officials, governors and nobles. He dealt with numerous, agencies, committees, counselors, secretaries and advisors.  He reigned through letters, reports, directives and spent so much time at his desk that he earned the occasional sobriquet ‘paper king.’  He had traveled in his youth but Philip never left the Iberian peninsula after 1559.    

He was an apparently faithful husband to four wives, all of whom pre-deceased him. He had a short first marriage to Maria of Portugal.  She bore him a troubled son, Don Carlos, who died at the age of 23.  In Philip’s later years, he became particularly close to his daughters Isabel and Catalina whose mother was the French Elizabeth of Valois daughter of Catherine de Medici.  His successor was his only surviving son Philip III, born of his fourth and last marriage to Anna of Austria.  His second marriage to the English Queen Mary Tudor was not depicted in this book as the tragic affair it is sometimes made out to be. The author suggests that Philip was respectful of Mary and English ways and that he may have actually had some affection for her. 

Unfortunately, the book doesn’t become really engaging until well into the middle, along about page 178 which begins Chapter 7, ‘The World of Philip II.’  The author finally gives the reader some context for Philip II’s reign.  We begin to understand more about the culture of Spain and its role in Europe at the time. He describes the king’s day-to-day routines, his various residences, his family life.  The author does give a good discussion of how Philip II governed. There is a fair amount of information on Philip’s handling of the Moriscos and Conversos, the Inquisition, the Escobedo Affair, the continuous unrest in the Netherlands, affairs with England and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.  

With all that, the book comes up short in my estimation.  There are some good maps, a substantial photograph section and a very helpful chart of the royal family and lines of succession.

Library Sale!

Harker Heights Library had a library sale on April 29th and 30^th, 2022.   The Friday afternoon sale hours were from 4pm to 6 pm.  The Saturday sale hours began at 8 am and ended at 2 pm.  After 2 pm on Saturday, any remaining books could be had for free.  Like most events here in Central Texas, I anticipated one thing and got something completely different. 

Stewart C. Meyer Harker Heights Public Library serves a community of approximately 30,000 people.  The library has 42,650 volumes.  That’s a small library when you compare it to the Austin public libraries which register a total of 1,125, 099 volumes or Dallas with 4,131,672 volumes.*   The Harker Heights library is not the smallest in our area.  The sleepy town of Salado down the road has only 7,000 volumes.  Most home libraries top out at about 1,500 volumes.  One exception to that was Thomas Jefferson’s personal library which had approximately 6,000 books.  

In a library of 42,650 volumes, finding books is as simple as strolling up and down the aisles.  Unless you want to know for sure if the library has a certain book, there’s no need to hassle with the card catalog.  At the Harker Heights library, fiction books are found in the stacks in the center of the adult section.  History books are shelved at the far end.  Biographies are in the low shelves there to your right as you face the Fiction section.  New arrivals and foreign language books are up front as you enter.  For young adult literature and children’s books, keep walking back.  

Picking through books late on a Friday afternoon sounded like a relaxing way to end the week so I marked my calendar.  I normally stop in at the library every ten days or so.  Staff usually outnumber patrons.  There are on average two or three cars in the parking lot.  For the Friday afternoon sale, I figured I could get there anytime. I pulled in about 4:30 pm---and joined the line to wait for a parking space. 

If the Harker Heights Library has 42,650 volumes, then the Harker Heights Library Sale had 142,650 volumes.  The event room was buzzing.  People were everywhere.  At least 50 six-foot tables loaded up with books filled the room.  More books were beneath the tables in boxes. The number of popular fiction paperbacks was staggering.  The entire side wall was lined with tables of books labeled ‘Romance.’  Carts, tables and boxes were filled with books by James Patterson, Tom Clancy, David Baldacci and John Grisham.   Mary Higgins Clark was well-represented as well.  Her books were hard cover and in pristine condition.  That’s not to say this sale was all about popular fiction. There were other categories as well—history, military, biography, cookbooks, religion, self-help, mystery, suspense and plenty of fiction not written by James Patterson or David Baldacci.  There were CDs and movies.  Back in a far corner were about 20 lonely books marked 'Classics.'  This sale had it all.   

I dove in before it occurred to me to check prices. I had set a limit of $20, maybe five or six books, not more than ten.  It’s easy to get carried away at a sale.  The Hobby Lobby Effect (my coinage) sets in quickly.  Might I quickly explain? I had never been in a Hobby Lobby prior to coming to Texas, but briefly, what happens at Hobby Lobby is that as soon as you walk in the door and see that all the merchandise is on sale,** you immediately see all the items you’ve been looking for.  Not only that, but this immediately at-hand, sought-after merchandise takes on greater value because it is now a bargain. All the artificial plants and flowers in Hobby Lobby are perfect for those empty corners.  All the picture frames and vases and scented candles fit perfectly with your décor.  At Hobby Lobby, if you leave without buying, you are obviously a foolish shopper who doesn’t know how to save a penny.  

So, with the Hobby Lobby Effect in mind, I wanted to be careful.  I checked the prices. After all, I already have a home library of some 900 books that I’ve obligated myself to read.  I checked the prices again at another table. Finally, I asked.  Hardcovers were a dollar, paperbacks 50 cents and that was regardless of size or condition of the book.  Children’s books were priced from 50 to 10 cents.  It was essentially a give-away from the start.  

We all had our bags or boxes.  The library ladies supplied nothing except the books.  Some people had scanners and were assiduously checking out titles against re-sale prices I guess.  Others took photographs of entire tables.  Some carefully consulted hand-held lists or made phone calls as they went through a table volume by volume.  One shopper wore work gloves.  Mothers had brought kids in strollers and backpacks.  All the kids were crying. All the mothers ignored them.  Others of us searched for books, no grabbing, no jostling and no talking.  The library ladies tallied up your bill with pencil and paper.  For larger purchases they used a little handheld calculator.  Cash only, everybody!  The high school kids helping out had either serious faces or wore masks or both.  They alternately helped old people lug their purchases to their cars or they scooted out from behind closed doors carrying more books.  The room stayed packed until 6 pm.  I was there until the end and spent $4.50 and came home with 5 adult paperbacks and 5 children’s books. I knew when I left that I’d go back on Saturday morning.  

I got there about 10 am.  The tables were loaded up.  The number of books was the same or greater.  I swear to it. I didn’t intend to buy but I hadn’t seen all the children’s books so I dug in.  Saturday was obviously the day for the casual browser.  There were many fewer people, a lot of home schoolers with older kids, same old retired folk ambling about, but more young women, probably free of the kids for the morning while the husbands took over. Even with fewer shoppers, the pick-up trucks were lined up at the front door awaiting their owners’ boxes of purchases.  I bought a few more books.  My two-day spending total was $12.25, just slightly over half of the $20 limit I had set for myself. 

Now came the moment of truth.  Was I going to go back at 2 pm for the free-for-all?  We had a church festival to go to, dinner to plan. It was getting to be a warm afternoon and we had our granddaughters for the day.  They needed to run around for a couple hours at the playground.  I managed to get to the library just before 2.  

We lined up outside and once the bell tolled, we went inside.  Now the race was on.  Patrons were scooping books into their plastic bins at alarming rates of speed, seemingly indiscriminate in their choices. The library staff was in high gear doing the same. Empty boxes had suddenly appeared everywhere in the large event room.   As soon as one of the high school kids had cleared a table of books into a waiting box, another high schooler folded the table up and carted it away. The boxes were filling up quickly.  Neither side could get its books fast enough.  The room was humming.  It would seem this sale couldn’t end too soon for the librarians. One of them fairly flew past me with her sweater tails flying.  She was directing the high school kids who were pushing dollies of books in every direction.  I didn’t leave until the center of the room was cleared of tables. When I left, there were yet the 'Romance' novels by the hundreds waiting to be packed and carted off. 

All told, I came away with 45 books. Don’t be alarmed.  I spent not a dime over $12.25 so my cost per book was 27 cents. Not bad if you ask me, and, more to the point, I was careful.  Most of the books are soft-cover and most are children’s books.  A lot of these books will be happily read once or twice before they are moved along to other locations.  Some will get tossed but don’t tell.  I mean, for 27 cents……

 

Abigail and me with my 45 books.  

Among the 45 books are two prize purchases, Snippy and Snappy by Wanda Gag and Joan of Arc by Mark Twain.  The hardcover Snippy and Snappy is a reprint of the 1931 edition but I'm still happy with it. The soft-cover Ignatius Press edition of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain was stranded in the ‘Classics’ section before I rescued it.  Though a hardcover version might have been preferred, this book is in very good condition.  All this for $12.25!  I would have paid that amount for just these two books alone at that crazy antique bookshop in Salado!

 What a sale.  What a weekend. 

*The NYPL system has over 20 million volumes and the largest library in the world, the Library of Congress in Washington DC has some 170 million volumes.

**In my area, the Hobby Lobby 40%-off coupon option for your highest-priced item is no longer available.  

Reading History

My second video is up and running!  I hope you'll take seven minutes to pull up a chair and watch.  In addition, I've included a fun quiz for you to take!  I explain it in the video and it is also given below.

                                                                          FUN QUIZ      

Listed below are philosophers, intellectuals and thinkers who made major contributions to Enlightenment thinking and our modern age.  With one or two exceptions they all lived during the period covered by my recent timeline, 1300-1648.  As explained in the video, I continually confused these guys, one with the other and who influenced whom.  You cultured philosophes probably do not suffer from my welter of confusion, so, please put them in chronological order and let me know how you do!  As explained in the video, no books, computers, I-phones, maps, atlases, globes or references of any kind allowed.  This is a closed book, cold-turkey quiz that explores the accumulated knowledge in the corners (and "echoes") of your mind!

1. Machiavelli
2. Hobbes
3. Locke
4. Rousseau
5. Voltaire
6. Descartes
7. Montaigne
8. Montesquieu
9. Pascal
10. Erasmus
11. Bacon (Francis)

If that doesn't appeal to you, here are some place names that, though not necessarily important locations, sent me running to the atlas.  Likely, the well-traveled eggheads among you will cruise through this list in seconds.  Same as above, no outside sources allowed. Let me know!

1. Wallachia
2. Bohemia
3. Crecy (be specific)
4. Tlemcen
5. Otranto (be specific)
6. Transoxiana~Transoxania
7. Samarkand
8. Styria
9. Franche-Comte
10. Moravia

All About Me! by Mel Brooks

Are you a Mel Brooks fan?  If you are, you’ll certainly enjoy this autobiography of Mel’s life in show business.  If you aren’t a fan, you’ll still enjoy this autobiography of Mel Brooks, nee Melvin Kaminsky, and his life in show business.   

Mel Brooks says he had nothing to do during the pandemic, so he wrote a book!  The publication date is 2021.  Mel, having been born in Brooklyn in 1926, must have been somewhere around 94 as this autobiography came together.  The writing style is conversational.  The text includes song lyrics, jokes, favorite routines and dialog sequences that Brooks includes to illustrate various points.  There are a lot of pictures.  The 451 pages are organized largely according to Brooks’s artistic endeavors so a chapter on writing for TV and Sid Caesar, a chapter on Carl Reiner and the album the 2,000 Year Old Man, a chapter on Get Smart (had no idea that was Mel Brooks!), The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Robin Hood, etc.

Mr. Brooks does not dwell either excessively or introspectively on his personal life but he does offer occasional insights about how an event affected him or how a person helped to shape him.  He gives a pretty good accounting of his childhood, his early adulthood, and he does write about meeting Anne Bancroft, their marriage and life together.  His first marriage is not mentioned at all, although he has pictures of and writes warmly about his children from that marriage.

I admit to seeing none of Mel Brooks’s movies from start to finish, only snippets here and there.  I don’t think I was old enough or savvy enough to appreciate Mel Brooks in his early years, but as a baby boomer much of the culture that he writes about, entertainment and otherwise, is very familiar.  Brooks says his humor isn’t Jewish humor it’s New York humor, but what is New York humor if it isn’t Jewish?  In any event, until 1968, I knew little of New York, and I don’t think I would have been attracted to his work even if I had known more.  After reading this book, my favorite Mel Brooks movie would certainly be Blazing Saddles--the race jokes, the acting, the concept, just hysterical. 

After the first 70 pages or so, Brooks concentrates on discussing his work rather than his life except as it relates to his work.  He goes into some detail about what is involved in making a movie, selecting a cast, how writers write solo and how they write in a group, what it’s like to be the director and what it's like to take instruction from a director.  Brooks writes about what makes comedy work and the joy he gets from hearing the laugh.  He has a fairly exhaustive chapter on the Broadway production of The Producers.  He covers the business side of making movies and shows in the chapters describing his own production company, Brooksfilms.  I liked the insider looks at the entertainment business, life in California, his attempt to have John Wayne play the Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles, his friendships and professional relationships with Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder and Dom DeLuise among so many others.  

This book brings into focus Mel Brooks and his talent for doing just about everything—comedy writer, comedic vision, actor, screenplay-writer, songwriter, director, producer and did I leave anything out!  Mel Brooks frequently uses the adjective “Promethean” to describe others he’s worked with but I think the term could be applied to him as well.  Mel Brooks is a Promethean talent.  He’s intelligent, endlessly creative, articulate, analytical and funny. 

Brooks snuck a little bit of politics into the book.  When chosen for the Kennedy Center Honors in the earlier part of the 2000s, Brooks refused to accept the award from then-President George Bush.  He writes:  “I didn’t want to be honored by Bush because as a veteran I was very unhappy about Americans being sent to war in Iraq.”  Come on, Mel, just tell us you’re a Dem and be done with it.  A few years later in 2009 he accepted the same award from President Barack Obama.  

This book is not gossipy or fluffy.  Mel Brooks is a funny guy who is very serious about his comedy.  If you like reading about show business, comedy, Broadway or the creative process, Mel Brooks fan or not, it will be worth your while to read this book.  Democrat or not!