No comments about The Public Career of Sir Thomas More.

No comments about Telling Lives: From W.B. Yeats to Bruce Chatwin.

1 comments about The Complete War Memoirs of Charles De Gaulle, 1940-1946 (3 Volumes in 1).

1. I'm looking for 'les mémoires de guerre' (de Gaulle) in the french language. It's not possible to find this book again in France. If you can find it, it will be great. Thank you.

No comments about William the Silent.

No comments about The Times Royal Handbook.

No comments about Elizabeth (Penguin Literary Biographies).

No comments about Los Picaros Borbones.

No comments about The Last Stuart Queen: Louise Countess Of Albany, Her Life And Letters.

2 comments about Macbeth: Man and Myth.

1. This is one of the best examples of historical research I've read in a long time. The author thoroughly discusses the pertinent sources, their provinence, accuracy, contemporanety, and biases. Using a variety of these sources he paints a very clear and interesting portrait of both MacBeth and to some extent his queen, for whom there is even scanter evidence. Thereafter Aitchison follows the development of the myths of MacBeth, two of which began in the king's lifetime or shortly thereafter. Because Shakespeare's MacBeth is one of the threads of this mythologizing tradition, he also discusses the manner in which Shakespeare changed the story and for what purposes. Probably the most important aspect of this book is the fact that the author is able to give a balance account of MacBeth. He neither indulges in the condemnation of some authors or the almost unrealistic praise of the appologists, both of whose efforts he evaluates as part of his study of the effects of the myth on modern times. Of considerable interest is the discussion of modern cinimatic recreations of MacBeth, including my favorite, the Japanese version Throne of Blood.



2. Readers will appreciate Aitchison's thorough historical and archeological review of the "real" Macbeth. In the second section of the book, he traces the growth of the "myth" (or story) about Macbeth. I found the entire work fascinating.

5 comments about Hirohito Behind the Myth.

1. A great look into the mentality of the leaders of Japan before, during, and after WWII. This unbiased well written book shows the depth of Japanesse tradition and how it influenced the actions of an entire country. Behr gives enough information on supporting characters, but not enough to confuse the reader. An overall great book.



2. I stumbled upon a hardcover of this book in a used bookstore and therefore did not know what to expect.

   Behr writes well, no question. The book is an enjoyable read, but unfortunately the author does not let proof or substantiation get in the way of a good theory.

   Behr's book is full of throw-away phrases (always without footnotes or any other form of academic proof) such as "Hirohito almost certainly studied this document" or "Hirohito was well aware..."

   Unfortunately Behr's thesis is undermined by Japan's historical reality. Emperors have been the plaything of the Japanese warrior class since before the first Shogunate and remained so until Meiji. How Behr can assume that this situation changed within a few decades is beyond me. Behr falls into the trap of many 20th century journalists and political scientists--the assumption that the world began in 1905.

   But for six bucks from a used book store...well, it was a fun read.




3. I feel this is a good and educational book, yet I consider it somewhat flawed. The entire theme of the book is the author's contention that Hirohito is a war criminal, but after reading the book I feel that Hirohito is NOT a war criminal. It is amazing that the author spent 400 pages with the biased intent to convince the reader of Hirohito's war criminality, yet I felt the polar opposite after finishing the book.

   Basically what I took from the book was that Hirohito was a skinny, little man who was a powerless puppet of the pro-war military and political factions. Simply, Hirohito reminded me of the Mr. Carlson character on the sitcom, WKRP in Cincinnati, a clueless figurehead who simply sat back a let others run the show.

   Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the book and learned a great deal and I recommend it. I simply found that the author unwittingly disproved his initial contention by the time I finished the book.




4. I must start off by saying that when I first read this book I had very little knowledge of Hirohito or his involvement in WWII. However, after reading Behind the Myth, as well as learning a bit more, I now feel safe saying that the book is quite good, if not a little flawed. In all fairness the author was doing what was unheard of at the time the book was written, and that call just dead emperor of Japan a criminal of war. He made some rather broad generalizations and assumptions, but he managed to plant the seed of doubt in my mind. Granted, if you want to convince someone that Hirohito was guilty of starting the war, or that he should have even been tried, this book won't provide you with that information, however it is a good start. He won't convince you, but he will numb your mind and make it ready to accept the possibility.



5. I am not exactly sure what Edward Behr is trying to say in this biography of Emperor Hirohito. From my perception, he seem to be saying that Hirohito is gulity of war crimes but not responsible for them. I think I get the feeling that Behr himself may not be sure. One of the earlier reviews which compared Hirohito with "Mr. Carlson from WKRP" seem to be a very good analogy. I don't think Hirohito was that clueless but his influence wasn't all that great. I would recommended that new Pulitzer prize winning biography that came out several years ago. It has a more balance view on the man.