Seven books read this month, one of which was a monster of a history book which took up most of the month to read.
Propaganda — Edward Bernays
There is nothing new under the sun, as this *ahem* propaganda pamphlet on the positive uses of properly directed propaganda in business and public life, first published in 1928, shows. Bernays was one of the founders of the “science” of public relations, active in helping the US government prepare the American public for the Great War and here he justifies his profession. The introduction by Mark Crispin Miller is helpful in setting out the context for Bernays’ book.
Empires of the Sea — Roger Crowley
For about sixty years the Ottoman Empire fought for mastery of the entire Mediterranean against a on again off again coalition of Christian states, from 1520 and the Siege of Rhodes to 1580 and the Battle of Lepanto where the Ottoman fleet was decisively defeated. Classic narrative history here, a good introduction to an important and interesting part of European history.
Ashes of Victory & War of Honor — David Weber
I got myself a new Android phone in late January and got the Kindle ebook app for it early in March, so I decided to download some David Weber for it as a test of whether or not reading books on a mobile actually worked for me — two novels later, I say it did.
Winterfair Gifts — Lois McMaster Bujold
Another Kindle book, a Miles Vorkosigan story I had not read yet. Set after A Civil Campaign, it’s told from the point of view of one off Miles’ armsmen as he witnesses the preparations for Miles wedding. A bit of emoporn for Vorkosigan fans.
Framing the Early Middle Ages — Chris Wickham
An excellently written and researched, very thorough socio-economic history on the transformation of the world of the Roman Empire into the world of the Middle Ages. It’s not the definitive answer to why the Roman Empire fell or why the transformation from Roman to post-Roman Europe and the Medtiterranean happened the way it did, but he does try to frame those question in such a way that you understand that this process was not predetermined, trying to avoid the teleological trap of wanting to write history in terms of its outcomes.
The Female Man — Joanna Russ
A classic feminist science fiction novel, which I read for my Year of Reading Women project. This is one of those novels every science fiction fan should at least try to read to be knowledgable about the genre. It’s also quite good.