What are you currently reading?

[lakechampainer]

I'm re-reading The Arms of Krupp by William Manchester, about the family that owned the great German arms manufacturer. Very interesting reading by a writer with great command of English. Not a big fan of the Krupp family to say the least. Book has very good pictures, there are devastating pictures of the WW II era Krupp after the war after he got out of prison for War Crimes with many of the West's leading citizens, including one of him and the US Ambassador laughing it up and having a grand old time while hunting. Book covers from the first Krupp in Essen in 1587 to the firm's dissolution in 1968. Published in 1968.

[17thAirborneSon]

Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier
This dramatic historical fiction offers a behind-the-scenes story of an ambitious Roman politician whose fateful decision changed the course of history.

[Robbie Lynne]

Actually, Gorgue, I loved John Toland's books on Hitler...It took a few days of non stop reading but fueled my interest into the mystery and allure of Hitler himself...I had seen where Speer had wrote a book after his release from prison..always wanted to know if it was a good read or if it was his side of just following orders and not knowing as many of Hitler's inner circle did after the war and at trials in Nuremburg....

[Dogsbody67]

Zombies!



Quite a good read, can also recommend 'The Zombie Survival Guide' - also by Max Brooks.

Head for the hills!!

[17thAirborneSon]

Quite a good read, can also recommend 'The Zombie Survival Guide' - also by Max Brooks.

Head for the hills!!

The human factor! Good not to forget it. Psyops to the Zth degree!

[WarDepotDavid]

Currently reading:
1812 March on Moscow - Zamoyski's
Ambush Alley
Midnight in some Burning Town
Tactics and Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon - Rory Muir
Roberts Ridge

and a few others spread about the place.

[Legate]

The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough.

Actually read this when I was in high school about 17 years ago. Enjoying it even more now that I have more knowledge of Roman History.


God help me!! I talking about stuff half a lifetime ago,I must be getting old!

[HiredGoon]

The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Peter Wilson.

[Robbie Lynne]

The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Peter Wilson.

is it a good read?

[HiredGoon]

is it a good read?

At over 1,000 pages, I've only just begun. But so far I've liked what I've read. It appears to be quite comprehensive and balanced. Here's a review and another here.

[Paul Burns]

read the first couple of chapters of F. J. Hudlestone's Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne. Is it just me or does anybody else find 1920s historiography a bit quaint. (Perhaps this author was telling the truth when he wrote he drank a bottle of port a chapter.) I thought French's Day of Concord and Lexington a little odd in style too and it was written about the same time, though I enjoyed it immensely.
Also dipping into Mark Urban's Fusiliers for Bunker Hill stuff and really enjoying it. Similarly, read the first couple of chapters of Sir Henry Clinton's The American Rebellion, and its a delight. (Didn't know about him visiting Dunmore in the Chesapeake on his way to the Carolinas.

[Full Monty]

Thanks for asking.

From what I've read so far, it's an interesting book about the personal side of Hitler by one of his closest confidants, his dreams for immortality through an architectural legacy of enormous buildings, the rivalries within the Nazi hierarchy for Hitler's favor, as well as personal wealth and power, and the vast sums of money that was being spent upon these projects and how the true cost was being hidden from the German public through the use of various branches of the government.

Speer also laments of how he became entranced by Hitlers personality to the point, not so much that he was blinded by what was going on around him, but more so that he didn't want to notice the events, as serving Hitler and fulfilling his work were more important to him.

If you still find Speer interesting after finishing the book you might try 'Albert Speer: His Struggle With Truth' by Gita Sereny. It offers up some fascinating insights into his complex psyche and how he denied, even to himself, knowledge and responsibility regarding The Holocaust.

[Gorque]

If you still find Speer interesting after finishing the book you might try 'Albert Speer: His Struggle With Truth' by Gita Sereny. It offers up some fascinating insights into his complex psyche and how he denied, even to himself, knowledge and responsibility regarding The Holocaust.

Thanks for the suggestion. The book reviews are very positive. It'll be refreshing to read a third party perspective of Speer.

[Full Monty]

Thanks for the suggestion. The book reviews are very positive. It'll be refreshing to read a third party perspective of Speer.

Well worth having. The other book to look out for (assuming you don't already own it) is 'The Wages of Destruction' by Adam Tooze. It does cover a lot of ground but in one particular chapter he demolishes the idea of 'The Speer Miracle'

[Gorque]

Well worth having. The other book to look out for (assuming you don't already own it) is 'The Wages of Destruction' by Adam Tooze. It does cover a lot of ground but in one particular chapter he demolishes the idea of 'The Speer Miracle'

Tooze's book is on my very short list.

Speer seems very full of himself as in the short-term gains he attributes solely to himself and his staff without mentioning any of the previous efforts of Dr. Todt. e.g.

"Within half a year after my taking office we had significantly increased production in all the areas within our scope. Production in August 1942, according to Index Figures for German Armaments End-Products, as compared with February production, had increased by 27% for guns, by 25% for tanks, while ammunition production almost doubled, rising 97%"

I'm sure he had a hand in this, but quite a bit of credit should've also have been given to Todt.

Nonetheless, I'm finding the book as an excellent first-hand insight into the inner workings of the Nazi hierarchy from Speer's perspective.