Mao the scholar
Most people are under the impression that Mao is a coarse and illiterate leader, perhaps because of his round and big Hunan facial features. That…
First voyage – Endeavour: The Story of Captain Cook’s First Great Epic Voyage
This is an illustrated version of the book by Peter Aughton on the first voyage of James Cook. For readers looking for a readable narration…
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Beautiful – Grand Hotels of Egypt in the Golden Age of Travel
A visit to Egypt is not complete without staying and or having tea at the Marriot Mena House Pyramids and Marriot Gezira Palace in Cairo,…
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Wonderfully written – The Soong Dynasty
This is the only book on the famous Soong family in English published over the past 20 years. It is also excellently written. It tells…
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A daring air raids
17 Sep 2019 marked the 75th anniversary of the daring paratroopers’ air raid on the city of Arnhem during World War Two. It was a…
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Unsatisfying read – Splendours of the Subcontinent: A Prince’s Tour of India, 1875-6
This book merits 4 stars only as it could have been more comprehensive to do justice to the unprecedented 4-month tour of the Indian subcontinent…
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Scholarly book – The Boxers, China, and the World
This book is a compilation of 10 of the papers presented for a conference at the School of Oriental and African Studies in 2001, to…
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A gem – Bruegel
A book that has all the paintings of this great Flemish painter at an affordable price. The reproductions are vivid and of a decent size.…
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Infectious – Why Read Moby-Dick?
I am posting this review here as I note that the hundreds of reviews linked to this book {the kindle version} are actually on the…
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Coffee table book – Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Edition: Voyage of Discovery
I first read this in 2004 for the bicentennial celebration of the voyage. The Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery {May 1804 to Dec 1806}…
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Light reading – Jefferson’s America: The President, the Purchase, and the Explorers Who Transformed a Nation
This is not an easy book to read. The flow is rather disjointed. One can’t get to grip with the stories on the 6 explorers…
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