No comments about Handy Guide to Austrian Genealogical Records(B67).

No comments about The Elefanthy.

5 comments about The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire.

1. Agree with reviews that the book is challenging in the way it's organized: around the figures rather than a chronological series of events. This can be confusing, and the family tree is very helpful in sorting out all the Rudolfs, Ferdinands, and Francis'. But I've always found history more interesting this way. Wheatcroft more or less achieves an overall character of the house of Hapsburg, a family that has lasted for the good part of the last millenium, never wavering in the assurance that its members are ordained by God to rule and to serve the people with their best interests. it is the blend of divine right and self-sacrifice that lends the Hapburgs their unique character. The opening of the book reads almost like historical fiction, but this narrative technique never reappears. And because of the scope of the subject, opportunities to delve into any one figure, no matter how important, are rare. But I found the portrayal of the family as a whole satisfactory, and the book can be read as an introduction to any figure interesting enough to warrant further research, such as the ill-fated Don Carlos.



2. I wanted to read this book as i am getting ready to visit Vienna in April. The book by Mr Wheatcroft is good because his account touches on several things that were really interesting.For example, the author explains the different personalities of the Holy Roman Emperors and Emperors of Austria.He also does a good job in explaining the times in which this emperors reigned which gives you a very good view of the circunstamces at that time. I also enjoyed the motivation behind important buildings for the Habsburgs like El Escorial in Spain and the Catacombs in St Stephen Church in Vienna.For someone who wants an introduction to the Habsburgs is a good books altough it has several flaws. One is that the author " jumps" from one event to another or from one emperor to the other.For example,he'll be talking about Charles V and all of the sudden he starts talking about his sons or future emperors without letting you know about it.I found myself going back several paragraphs to understand why he was doing that.Second, he doesnt really explain how the Holy Roman Empire gets started.He just mentions Charlemagne several times and the reader has to imagine the rest.His account sometimes is fast and sometimes is detailed which forced me to use other books with genealogies to help me understand which emperor is which and where does he come from.The other problem with this book is that it looks like the author thinks that the reader knows a lot of things so he doesnt describe or gives definition to events,people and places that i didnt know.For example, Metternich is mentioned really fast and just by his last name, so if you dont knoe who Metternich is, you'll have to look for him in another book to know who he is.Besides it's flaws, is a good book to get you started.



3. Those who are seeking an magisterial overview of how one dynasty came to control both Spain and parts of German-speaking Europe will be sadly disappointed. There is little analysis that adds any fresh insights.
   
   The writing style does not achieve the easy grace of Alison Weir, Diane Preston or David McCullough. Indeed, the sentence structured is tortured. Look up the genesis of the First World War, and this is what you get: "Although the line of succession had been assured, first to his nephew Franz Ferdinand (although that was to be overturned by the archduke's murder in Sarajevo) and then to his great-nephew, Karl, and eventually Karl's son Otto, Franz Joseph had come to see himself as standing at the end of the line."
   
   This is an unreadable book that should be avoided.



4. This book gives a reasonably coherent overview of a dynasty that was eminent and influential in European politics from the 13th to the early 20th centuries. The author maintains a more or less chronological order of who followed whom and presents a concise history of the events that occurred during their reign. He also presents some insights and facts about the personal characteristics and traits of the more noteworthy Hapsburg (or Habsburg, if you like) rulers. At appropriate places in the text he inserts applicabnle commentary and quotes by contemporary observers. The book also includes numerous paintings as figures throughout the book.
   
   The book is not as bad as some reviewers would lead you to believe. What I liked about it is that (to me, at least) it didn't get bogged down in tedious detail of each Hapsburg generation but gave the major facts and figures in an informative manner. Given that the Hapsburgs wielded power in Spain and Austria at the same time, I thought his treatment was informative without being boring. It would be nice if the author had inserted the applicable figure number for a view of the subject as he presented him (or her) but this is a personal preference.



5. Unlike most histories of the Austian-Spanish-Burgundian-Low Country-Holy Roman Emporers, who were the Habsburgs, this is the story of how they saw themselves (as working for their people at the behest of a Catholic God). Much is made as to how they viewed themselves and how they wanted to be viewed by posterity. In many ways they continued to 'right write' their history in the same manner that the Soviet Union did. It's not always what you put in a story that's important, it's how you present the information in the story that remains.
   
   Beginning with the small castle in Switzerland, the Habsbierge (hawk's mountain), they ruled over parts of Austria (originally Styria) for over 700 years. In between the scrupulously married and made dynastic mergers that would place them on the thrones of Spain (and most of the Western Hemisphere, parts of Africa and India),Portugal,Burgundy (parts of Belgium and the Netherlands), the Palatinate, Tuscany, Venice, Two Sicilies, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia-Moravia, Slovakia,half of Rumania(Transylvania) and most of future-once-Yugoslavia. In addition they married into every royal family in Europe.
   
   In fact, until the Napoleonic Era they never even used a title that refered to Austria, and only began because of the rise of nationalism and the growth of ethnicity. They were always trained to be a caretaker and to present the most benevolent face to their people, 'Empire and Father' was the byword. In the end they were outdone by the multi-ethnic problems of their empire and the changes wrought by the 'Great War'.

5 comments about The Mozart Family: Four Lives in a Social Context.

1. Having just read the book "The Mozart Family: Four Lives in a Social Context", I think the subtitle should be changed to "Two Lives in a Social Context". The author lavishes a lot of attention and affection on the famous composer's father (Leopold) and his sister (Nannerl). Wolfgang Mozart is merely a shadowy presence in the background. The author has quite a different take on Leopold than that presented by Maynard Solomon in his book "Mozart: A Life". While Solomon was highly critical of the elder Mozart (Leopold had an extremely controlling nature, he was lying when he claimed to be in financial straits, he was overly critical of his son and he seemd to view Wolfgang as a "cash cow"), Halliwell is full of praise for Leopold (he was self-sacrificing, devoted, and justly worried about his son's irresponsible behavior). On the other hand, Halliwell hardly has one kind word for Wolfgang. He was thoughtless, deceitful, self-centered, and oblivious and uncaring about the problems of his father and sister. He thought the world revolved around him, and the expressions in his letters of love and tender concern for his father and sister were completely hollow.

   Solomon makes you want to cry for Wolfgang Mozart, while Halliwell makes you want to cry for his father. Who is right ????




2. Biased toward the myth of the spoiled brat who *really" didn't deserve to accomplish what he did. Good for a giggle.



3. I found this volume to be well-researched, very well written, and extraordinarily interesting. The strength of this volume is not that it replaces other works concerning Mozart's life but that it richly supplements them. The author has chosen to focus on letters of members (primarily Mozart's father Leopold and his sister Nannerl) of Mozart's family, not just on the letters of Mozart. The author's hypothesis is that much can be learned about Mozart by learning about his family. This book strongly supports this hypothesis. Whereas Solomon (Mozart A Life) presents a rather grim, abusive, and almost criminal picture of Leopold Mozart, I believe that Halliwell's work more likely captures a truer flavor of his character: a very intelligent man concerned for his family, loving but autocratic, less creative than Mozart but still very arrogant, and very much concerned with finances - so much so that Leopold's actions likely adversely affected Mozart's ability to achieve court appointments. In many respects, Halliwell's interpretation of Leopold is similar to Solomon's, except that she suggests a less "criminal" motivation on Leopold's part. One thread that is woven throughout this book, moreso than in others, is the large role that the constant threat of illness and death played in the lives of the Mozart family. The authors hypothesis that this fear of leaving family unprovided for at death provided signficant motivtion for Leopold's actions is certainly plausible. I found, in particular, the chapters on Leopld and Nannerl to be very interesting. I also enjoyed the last several chapters of this book which dealt with the manner in which information was provided by Nannerl and Constanze to the various biographers of Mozart. All in all, I rate this work very highly. This work strengthens and adds family context to the works of Solomon (Mozart: A Life), Einstein (Mozrt: His character, his work), and Braunbehrens (Mozart in Vienna: 1781-1791).



4. Halliwell's scholarship is impeccable, and her written style firmly holds the reader for hours at a stretch (I was even thumbing through it at redlights while driving home from work). Much attention is given to the family as a unit as well as historical and biographical background on individuals. The ongoing debate of Mozart and Leopold's respective personalities and their relationship is something that no one book can accurately put to rest, Halliwell's input explores another side of the contemporary idea of Mozart, that can be at odds with traditional views. The reader should be prepared to balance her writing with the works of other Mozart scholars (particularly Knepler, Kuster, and Landons). Incidentally, cjarrard@mindspring.com's online review at Amazon.com is unjustly critical: from the very beginning Halliwell states that her purpose is to explore Mozart's family, and not the genius himself; this is clearly emphasized in the book's preface. And, while Solomon's "A Life" is a masterful read, there is no reason to grasp it as the Bible of Mozart scholarship (consider W. Stafford and N. Till as well as the previously mentioned authors).



5. Halliwell's book is a fascinating view into the dynamics of the Mozart family, not just Wolfgang, but his father, Leopold, and sister, Nannerl. It is a mesmerizing character study that delves into why they acted as they did, and thus, why history played out as it did. This book made the Mozarts real and made me empathize with the complications of their lives. How would I have reacted in the midst of such multi-faceted situations? This book is also a study of society and the effects of the 18th century's historical restrictions on a family unit. How would the Mozarts have reacted if they had lived in a time and place that had allowed them easier access to opportunities, communication, and the full attainment of their potential? The fact they survived and produced in spite of the daily limitations and crises they faced is a testament to their strength and fortitude. As far as other Mozart bios I have found interesting? "Mozart" by Robert W. Gutman is my second favorite.