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A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century

This book delves into the complex and challenging period of the 14th century, exploring the political, social, and economic upheavals that defined the era. more

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Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Tuchman

Barbara Tuchman was an American historian renowned for her in-depth research and vivid narrative style. Her works covered historical events from the Roman Empire to the 20th century, with 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' and 'The Guns of August' being particularly notable. more

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“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. Without books, the development of civilization would have been impossible. They are engines of change (as the poet said), windows on the world and lighthouses erected in the sea of time. They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. Books are humanity in print.”

WorldMindHas BeensSaidBookHumanityLiteratureTeacherImpossibleSeaPoetDevelopmentCivilizationWindowSilentTreasureDumbCompanionPrintEnginesSpeculationMagicianBankersCrippledCarrierLighthouseStandstill
Author:Barbara Tuchman
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“Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they do not need citing; 2) excessive ambition, such as Athens' attempted conquest of Sicily in the Peloponnesian War, Philip II's of England via the Armada, Germany's twice-attempted rule of Europe by a self-conceived master race, Japan's bid for an empire of Asia; 3) incompetence or decadence, as in the case of the late Roman empire, the last Romanovs and the last imperial dynasty of China; and finally 4) folly or perversity.”

NeedsWellsKindWarSelfLastsRaceKnownCasesFourExampleMastersAmbitionLateEuropeEnglandChinaTyrannyOppressionCombinationGermanyFollyEmpiresJapanWell KnownAsiaConquestIncompetenceRoman EmpireDecadencePhilipAthensDynastyCitingPerversity
Book:The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
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