Hey everyone! Just wrapped up Stephen Platt's Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age. It's a fantastic account of the Opium Wars, and the lead up tp them. Great writing style as well. Highly recommend!

Going to be a bit of a lengthy post, but a lot of it is copied and pasted, as I've been reading a bit more than usual and I've finished a few books

Finished Blindfold and Alone: British Military Executions in the Great War by Cathryn Corns John Hughes-Wilson

>3.75/5. Maybe worth a read if very interested in WWI but it can be skipped. It's informative but not a must read.

>Writing style is fine, mostly matter of fact rather than emotional or outraged about the topic. First 100 or so pages covers the background and context - military law, shell shock, British views on mental health prewar etc. The next 300 pages, the bulk of the book, covers the various executions, with most of the chapters divided by the offence that led to execution - desertion, cowardice, murder etc or are dedicated to specific cases. These chapters tend to be the stories of the individuals and the trials, as well as the factors that led these specific men to be executed (mainly previous behaviour and offences, value as a soldier, the discipline of the unit) when the vast majority of death sentences (9 out of every 10) were not carried out. The final 50 pages covers the postwar debates around the death sentence for military crimes, and the legacy of the executions. This includes some discussion of the campaign at the time of publishing (2001) to pardon all the executed, which the authors opposed, but since that succeeded it doesn't really add anything now.

>The book doesn't particularly argue against the executions on moral grounds, saying that we shouldn't judge the past by today's standards and by the standards of the time many of the accused were clearly guilty of the offences they committed (the main reasons being long term desertion and murder, very few for cowardice) and that few soldiers had a problem with the sentences at the time. But the authors do include when they believe that actually carrying out the death sentence was unreasonably harsh or the mental health of the executed wasn't considered enough. Additionally towards the end of the book the authors also argue that the death sentence wasn't particularly effective as a tool of discipline anyway.

A long time after I started it I've finally finished The Western Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918 by Nick Lloyd

>(Read this as a Kindle commute read over the course of a month rather than focusing on it quickly at home, in case that affects my view on it)

>4.25/5

>Not much to say about it. In-depth military history of the Western Front, mostly focussed on the operational side of things and the factors behind successes and failures. While the experiences of the ordinary soldiers are mentioned they are secondary to the bigger picture topic and the views of the generals and leaders. It has a good balance between the generals of the various countries and doesn't overly focus on the views of one set of leaders. Well written but a bit too in-depth to recommend as a first book on World War One but if you like military history a lot then it is worth a read. I liked the book enough to read the other books Lloyd is intending to write about the Eastern Front and also the other fronts.

>(Personally I thought the author's Hundred Days: The End of the Great War was a bit better)

Also finished British Armoured Car Operations in World War One by Bryan Perrett

>3/5 niche but ok.

>Very short at 150 pages in the hardcover, plus a 1 page not very useful bibliography. Some maps at the front but fairly poor quality. 32 pictures of varying quality and interest, but all have longish captions which is nice. Despite the title the writing isn't as dry as you'd expect, at least in my opinion. It doesn't get bogged down in technical detail and tells a decent story. My favourite parts of the book (and these are a decent chunk of the book) were anything to do with the British armoured cars on the Eastern Front - the Caucasuses in 1916, Romania, and the Kerensky Offensive in 1917. Sticking with the Russian theme there is also a strong chapter on Dunsterforce in the Caucasus in 1918 after the Bolshevik takeover which I enjoyed. Outside of that the chapters on the Senussi campaign in Libya and the chapter on the Palestinian front were also decent. The parts of the book I didn't like were the Western Front bits as they were very brief and the Mesopotian front part, as for whatever reason (lack of personal accounts or other sources maybe?) it is less about the armoured cars and more just a brief overview of the whole campaign. There is also a chapter on the war in the German colonies in Africa which was ok I guess, not particularly memorable.

On Kindle I am now reading 24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There by Phillip Matyszak which I am enjoying and making rapid progress through and for my physical read it is An Officer and A Spy by Robert Harris, historical fiction about the Dreyfus Affair in 1890s France (never read a Harris book before and I only know the bare basics about the Dreyfus story so this is all new to me)

Looking for a good book on the Korean War. Preferably something that focuses a little more on the political situation and not too much on the minutia of different military maneuvers.

I’m looking to learn more about the history of the Holy Roman Empire. Any recommendations?

An engaging writing style is the most important factor. Secondarily, I’m particularly interested in the eastern border, so it gets bonus points if it doesn’t gloss over that.

Could anyone recommend a book about Renaissance Eastern Mediterranean diplomacy and spycraft? I have recently read Agents of Empire by Noel Malcolm(an excellent book especially if you are interested in the role of Venetian subjects in the Balkans in Eastern Mediterranean politics), and would like to know more.

My request

I’m looking for recommendations on medieval law. Specifically the idea of trials by ordeal or trials by combat. I was recently reading about the trial of Emma of Normandy who was accused of having engaged in sexual relations with Bishop Elfwine of Winchester. Emma insisted she was innocent, and she was willing undergo the ordeal of hot iron to prove it. I also recently watched the film The Last Duel which is about the last legal trial by combat held in France between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris. These have sparked a strong curiosity in these medieval law practices.

My recommendation

I’ve been listening to The Great Trials of World History and the Lessons They Teach Us by Professor Douglas O. Linder of the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law.

It’s incredibly engaging so far. It examines famous trials throughout all points in history and analyzes why they are important for study. It’s covers trials such as the trial of Socrates in Ancient Greece, the Salem Witch trials, the Amistad trials, even the OJ Simpson trial and many more.

I recently finished Lucius Clay - An American Life by Jean Edward Smith. A good look at a person who was involved in some of the depression era public works, managing procurement of supplies for WW2 and being the military governor of the US zones of Germany post WW2 through the Berlin airlift.

Occasionally I felt like it was a little too biased in Clay's favor, but that's not unusual in biographies. Learned a lot about the WW2 era from a new perspective.

I can recommend Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed. It will blow your mind.

What are your favourite books by Philip Matyszak or Donald P. Ryan?

Hello, I would like to learn more about American, French and Industrial Revolutions. The academic books in my country give a basic idea and I’d like to have an in-depth understanding.

I'm looking for books on Renaissance and Victorian Architecture in Europe, and books in European fashion history, particularly in France, also Renaissance to present day, with illustrations for reference in both. Thanks in advance, I know it's a bit of a tall order (:

I’m looking for recommendations for books on Pre-WWII French history, available in English. Any period pre-WWII is great!

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Requesting recommendation for a book about Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egypt’s campaign and how the Egyptians were shocked into discovering the huge development gap between Europeans and Egyptians

My understanding is that Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt had deep impact on the elite in the Middle East and shocked Arabs into becoming aware of the exponential gap between them and Europeans. For example, the Egyptian army used sticks and knives and old techniques from the Middle Ages that no more match the highly equipped French army. The battle was almost like a caricature and was trivially won by the French.

This loss and this encounter had a huge impact on the Egyptian/Arab psyche and illustrated how quickly and largely Europeans have advanced and how huge the gap that separates them from Arabs. Few decades later, Mohamad Ali demonstrated this awareness and sent lots of people to Europe to learn from Europeans and created lots of initiatives to modernize Egypt.

Do you have a recommendation of good resource/books on this encounter and especially how it impacted the invaded Egyptians?

Any good books on Belgian colonisation?

Looking for recommendation for books about explorers in the age of exploration, in the style of Over the Edge of the World (Magellan) - not straight history textbook, but not total fiction either. Bonus points if you have one that features Ponce de Leon, but but any explorer with an interesting story will do. Thanks!