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Chargement... Shadow pasts : history's mysteries William D. Rubinsteinpar William D. Rubinstein
Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  kielyrobert | Feb 8, 2008 |  aucune critique | ajouter une critique
For many intelligent people, the stuff of history does not consist of the kind of dry-as-dust investigations of diplomatic, economic, or political history that most university historians research and write about, but the famous topics of "history's mysteries"- who was Jack the Ripper? Was there a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy? Did Richard III murder the Princes in the Tower? What are the mysteries of the ancient Pyramids? Not only have a great many books and articles been written on these and similar topics by so-called "amateur historians," but they have generated societies, conferences, newsletters, and television programmes. Many people who are not academic historians take a keen interest in these topics, and have in some cases made themselves real experts on them, with interesting theories of their own. Despite all of this, however, these topics are virtually ignored by academic historians and can be treated with contempt. In Shadow Pasts, William D. Rubinstein a well-known and widely published history professor, examines seven of the most famous and interesting topics which have been discussed, debated, examined, and written about by "amateur historians. Each of these mysteries and the theories surrounding them are examined in detail, with Professor Rubinstein presenting his own original and sometimes surprising conclusions about what really happened. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)902History and Geography History MiscellanyClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (5)
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William D. Rubinstein has decided to deal with some popular historical questions academics have tended to ignore. Like: Who killed JFK? Who was Jack the Ripper? Who wrote William Shakespeare’s plays? Did Richard III murder the Princes in the Tower? Did Jesus marry and survive the crucifixion? Who built the Pyramids and the Sphinx? These have typically been dealt with by amateur historians, who are a mixed bag. Some are crackpots, and some, the author concedes, outdo academics in their chosen speciality.
Thankfully, Rubinstein is willing to discuss the conspiracy theories and speculations of the amateur historians in a balanced and objective way. He does not dismiss all the stranger notions offhand, but refutes them logically, if at all. He examines the topics in detail, before arriving at his conclusion. Furthermore, he is willing to embrace an unorthodox or original answer, such as in the Shakespeare authorship question, where he concludes that William Shakespeare could not have written the works attributed to him, and offers an alternative answer. Not only does each chapter largely resolve each mystery, but they also serve as a decent introduction to each topic for the unfamiliar reader. No previous knowledge is assumed.
He admits that he wrote this to see if he could do better than the amateurs who addressed these topics. I think he has, and the resulting book is a stimulating read for anyone who is interested in history or has ever entertained the thought of a conspiracy theory.
So if you are wondering who built the pyramids, or if Dan Brown was right, this should be your first port of call. (