A little different than the film ended up being but still a quality read.
This guy is next:
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A little different than the film ended up being but still a quality read.
This guy is next:
Looks interesting. My local library has it so I will read it sometime in the next few weeks. Several years ago I read The Honourable Company (Keay) so I'm looking forward to seeing how (if) the two books complement each other.
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Ah, another history of the EIC; thank you. When the library re-opens after the Christmas break, I must look into laying hands on that.
Do you recommend it?
I am interested not just in the East India Company, - which is a fascinating story in itself - but in the whole idea of these companies - in the case of the EIC, - this was a company that (eventually) arrogated to itself the functions of government for it had its own civil service and its own army - companies that were enriching shareholders, but abrogating socio-economic, ethical, or political responsibilities, companies that were accountable to nobody (other than their shareholders) yet became richer, and more powerful, and more influential than most governments, leaving a controversial and intensely disputed legacy behind them.
Food for thought.
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Have just placed a reserve on it, although nothing will happen until January.
Thank you.
I have been looking for an excellent, thoughtful, intelligently analytical account of the East India Company for some time, and had reserved Nick Robins's work as long ago as last July.
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"Ten Days in Harlem - Fidel Castro and the Making of the 1960's" by Simon Hall.
Simon Hall reveals how Fidel Castro's visit to New York became a foundational moment of the trajectory of the Cold War. The Cuban leader's time in the city - which saw him hold court with world leaders, black freedom fighters and countercultural luminaries, before delivering his legendary speech to the UN General Assembly - was a turning point in the history of anticolonial struggle and a portent for the social, cultural and political tumult of the decade that followed.
Simon Hall reveals how Fidel Castro's visit to New York became a foundational moment of the trajectory of the Cold War. The Cuban leader's time in the city - which saw him hold court with world leaders, black freedom fighters and countercultural luminaries, before delivering his legendary speech to the UN General Assembly - was a turning point in the history of anticolonial struggle and a portent for the social, cultural and political tumult of the decade that followed.
A terrific, gripping and compelling work; it is one of those books where even the opening sentence grabs you.
I read it almost ten years ago as part of a deep dive into India and its economy so my memory is a little hazy. I think the writing may have been a bit dry but it was a good, fairly concise history of the EIC. As you probably know, the contrasts between the strategies and treatment of "natives" by the EIC and the Dutch East India Company still affect the region today.
In a related vein, I'm going to spend some time looking into Portugal and its colonial history in the new year. The historical trajectory of Portugal, the Netherlands, and the UK may be a "preview of coming attractions" for North Americans.
And one more thing™: I found this book to be interesting both from a backwards-looking and forward-looking perspective.
The Wages of Destruction – ADAM TOOZE
adamtooze.com
Okay. You're correct about the first sentence... then ... I'm shelving it for now. lol
Moving on to this one:
^I loved Martyr! One of my favorite reads of 2024.
Currently I'm reading the The City and Its Uncertain Walls:
I've read most of Murakami's work so far, so there was no doubt his latest was going to be an instant-read for me (and yes, I'm liking it).
Currently I'm reading the The City and Its Uncertain Walls:
I've read most of Murakami's work so far, so there was no doubt his latest was going to be an instant-read for me (and yes, I'm liking it).
. . . . the first chapter drops you straight into to the plotting & manoeuvring & dramatic Rise & Fall of John Law, a Scotsman who briefly became The Kingdom of France's "Controller General of Finances" & founder of "The Mississippi Company" . . . the focus here is his encouragement of state-sponsored Industrial Espionage against Britain - the national economy of which, from the early C18th onwards, was uniquely innovative, especially in all the trades growing from the new coal & coke-fuelled smelting & refining of metals.
It's a great read - classy writing based on immense & effortless scholarship; in this work John Harris portrays a vivid succession of anti-English adventurers & entrepreneurs, & the pioneering efforts of a Trading State trying to protect - & (accidentally) define - intellectual property. A wonderful read to start 2025
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I'm currently reading Masters of the Air by Donald L. Miller.
Just started but good so far.
Just started but good so far.
Actually, a most interesting and thought-provoking book; historically solid and well researched, as well.
To be quite candid, it was a lot better than I had expected.
H.P.B. The Extraordinary Life & Influence of Helena Blavatsky Founder of the Modern Theosophical Movement
The headquarters of the Theosophical Society in America is nearby. The movement and its history are intriguing and decided to read about it.
1.
Drifting around the house and in my bag while I'm out and about is Francis Bacon: Revelations, by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan
Just over halfway through the 976 pages…
Personally, I think Francis Bacon to be the greatest of the late 20th C. Artists.
Is his work disturbing? Yes.
And yet, astonishingly beautiful in its savagery.
The man himself is an enigma still. Outrageous, timid, sadistically masochistic, petty, generous, full of bravado and self doubt.
I have read most of the previous bios and this one certainly goes all out to be comprehensive.
Though I do find the slightly breathless way the authors go off topic annoying. But that is (apologies to my US friends here, something I often find with US authors writing about European culture.) Someone wears a hat, say, and we are told about her hat… who made it… milliners to royalty, oh yes, any connection with royalty is treated with lots of forelock tugging… on and on…
2.
Next to the bed I have The Devil's Day, by Andrew Michael Hurley.
So far, so moodily scene setting…
Starve Acre was a genuinely chilling folk horror (The film does the book no justice.)
Hopefully this delivers.
That's what I'm juggling currently. 🙂
Drifting around the house and in my bag while I'm out and about is Francis Bacon: Revelations, by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan
Just over halfway through the 976 pages…
Personally, I think Francis Bacon to be the greatest of the late 20th C. Artists.
Is his work disturbing? Yes.
And yet, astonishingly beautiful in its savagery.
The man himself is an enigma still. Outrageous, timid, sadistically masochistic, petty, generous, full of bravado and self doubt.
I have read most of the previous bios and this one certainly goes all out to be comprehensive.
Though I do find the slightly breathless way the authors go off topic annoying. But that is (apologies to my US friends here, something I often find with US authors writing about European culture.) Someone wears a hat, say, and we are told about her hat… who made it… milliners to royalty, oh yes, any connection with royalty is treated with lots of forelock tugging… on and on…
2.
Next to the bed I have The Devil's Day, by Andrew Michael Hurley.
So far, so moodily scene setting…
Starve Acre was a genuinely chilling folk horror (The film does the book no justice.)
Hopefully this delivers.
That's what I'm juggling currently. 🙂
How To Feed A Dictator - by Witold Szabłowski.
If you are partial to the literary style of Ryszard Kapuściński - and I am, very much so - then, I imagine that you will enjoy this book.
If you are partial to the literary style of Ryszard Kapuściński - and I am, very much so - then, I imagine that you will enjoy this book.
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Recently finished:
The first is a comprehensive and finely detailed analysis which will appeal to anybody interested in economic history, political science, or corporate governance. It is especially relevant now that a private company and its senior leadership recently took control of a G7 country. The second is a highly readable and entertaining look into the English language.
Current:
Why should South Korea have a monopoly on zombies?
www.quirkbooks.com
Upcoming:
"Mercantilism is back and Uncle Sam's got it!"
More seriously...current events, the Robins book, and a visit to Portugal made me pick these up:
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
yalebooks.yale.edu
The first is a comprehensive and finely detailed analysis which will appeal to anybody interested in economic history, political science, or corporate governance. It is especially relevant now that a private company and its senior leadership recently took control of a G7 country. The second is a highly readable and entertaining look into the English language.
Current:
Why should South Korea have a monopoly on zombies?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Quirk Books
www.quirkbooks.com
Upcoming:
"Mercantilism is back and Uncle Sam's got it!"
More seriously...current events, the Robins book, and a visit to Portugal made me pick these up:
Conquerors by Roger Crowley: 9780812994001 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
In Conquerors, New York Times bestselling author Roger Crowley gives us the epic story of the emergence of Portugal, a small, poor nation that enjoyed a century of maritime supremacy thanks to the...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
Spice
The story of the sixteenth-century’s epic contest for the spice trade, which propelled European maritime exploration and conquest across Asia and the Pacif...
yalebooks.yale.edu
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