02 January 2010

Who will halt the march of folly?

Anyone read The march of folly by Barbara Tuchman?



A catalogue of follies





7 comments:

  1. Hello Medve, I've read all of Tuchman's work. One of my favourite authors. She had a fine way with the word and her grasp of history is valuable to me. 'A Distant Mirror' is another I would recommend.

    Didn't know you had this spot going, but I'm glad, and will continue to stop by. Cheers.

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  2. medve - just spent ages going through the glossary , enjoyed it - and will now find out about Tuchman, about whom I know nothing.

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  3. Tuchmans Law seems about right

    The fact of being reported multiplies the apparent extent of any deplorable development by five- to tenfold

    She sounds really interesting - how can I have got this far through life and never heard of her?? Doh!

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  4. Hi medve

    I have read the Tuchman and others altho' some while ago. She's good, I'd 2nd A distant mirror.

    I started an MA in history research methods a couple of years ago but dropped it when I was no longer allowed to ask questions in class, sigh. I was expected to pay for that service. It seems I can be neither student nor lecturer anymore.

    Have you read

    DL Smail On deep history and the brain

    JL Gaddis The landscape of history: How historians map the past.

    I too enjoyed the glossary.

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  5. From the 'folly' link:

    Is it folly to interrupt yourself?

    Sounds a bit Swiftian....

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  6. I'm afraid the only Tuchman I've read was The Guns of August. It was an incredible book, however, and probably one I should re-read one of these days.

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