NetGalley ARC | The Criminal Classes: Who Does Society Fear and Why?

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐

This one is hard for me to review and I am not sure why. I liked the chapters dealing with earlier periods much better than more modern times. That will surprise no one, because history is my favorite thing and I chose this one for that aspect as much as the psychological/sociological/social aspects. Even so, it took me a bit longe to read than it should have, because I struggled to keep going through the more modern periods.

The authors begin with those Victorians who pretended to hate the sensationalism but really loved all the sordid details so much. The book then moves through the decades up to the modern drug trade and the violence that comes with it. The authors explore reactions to these crimes, laws enacted to deter them - yet how effective are they, really? They also examine the role of media in crime, the part I found most interesting. The media does an excellent job telling us who we should be afraid of, even if they are completely wrong. The authors also discuss various groups who have been labeled as those 'criminal classes' and it will suprise no one that those targeted are typially young and/or ethnic/racial minorities, because this world sucks.

One strength the book has its use of historical artefacts. I am always partial to books that use the material and show it off in some way. The authors chose well, especially with court records/testimonies, newspaper coverage of the times, etc. Another strength is that it took opportunities to compare real live criminals with their fictional counterparts. I was familiar with some, but not all.

The purpose though, is not simply to list some crimes committed in the last 150-ish years and their punishments. The authors look specifically at who these so-called 'criminal classes' are and why we fear them so much. They also look at how said punishment as evolved, and whether or not these consequences are all that effective in stopping crime.

Recommended.

NetGalley ARC | Never Greater Slaughter: Brunanburh and the Birth of England

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm not usually one for any kind of military history, but I will always make an exception for the Anglo-Saxons I love so much. Quite lucky, aren't they? Even the Plantagenets don't get that kind of treatment from me.

Part of the draw here though is that the book is so much more than the battle itself, but the archaeology behind finding out where the battle truly took place, as this information as been long lost to history.

The Battle of Brunanburh seems inevitable, once one knows the history leading up to it. The author does a fantastic job laying this history out in an easily readable way even for those with little background knowledge on the topic. He begins with the Celtic tribes who once called England home, even though they didn't call it England. Then come the Romans, then the Saxons. Slowly but surely England begins to take shape, though it will still not be called that for a couple more centuries. When we finally see Athelstan he is doing his thang, humbling kings, conquering their lands, demanding loyalty.

But this would not have been possible for him without the equally heavy lifting done by his grandfather decades earlier.

Not until my fave, Alfred the Great, came along would the stage even be set for this to happen. It was through his uniting of several of the individual kingdoms - Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia, etc. - that Athelstan could stand on his shoulders and after this terribly violent battle, truly declare himself the King of a united England.

So, why is this battle not more well-known?

After all, for generations to come, it was simply referred to as the "great battle". Everyone would know what you were talking about with this reference. Yet today, so many have no idea it ever occurred, or what its significance is.

Part of the problem is, the location of the battle is unknown, though great care has gone into locating it and the author makes an incredibly compelling case here for his theory. I do have to admit though that I have not read other books on the subject. Even so, the author spends time in the Appendix laying out why he disagrees with the theories of other historians. This is not done in a malicious kind of way, but he points out things that don't make sense with what we know, or don't fit the pattern of evidence. I appreciate how thorough he is with the material.

Once you learn about how truly massive this battle was, the logistics that must have been involved, it feels a bit overwhelming. We are talking about Athelstan and his army standing against his enemies - an alliance that would never have come together were it not for their mutual hatred of Athelstan. In fact, these allies had previously spent a good bit of time fighting one another in previous years at various times. But they figured that the only way to defeat Athelstan, to stop him from taking over every last inch of the island, was to band together. Leading the Vikings out of Dublin was their chief, the famous Analf. Coming from Scotland was King Constantine, and rounding out the trio was King Owain of Strathclyde. These men were seasoned leaders and accustomed to fierce fighting. it is no wonder they were confident that by teaming up, they could defeat Athelstan once and for all.

It might sound kind of cheesy, but just think about that for a moment. Seeing these armies come together to form one massive group, pouring from the ships that had to have carried at least two of them there. Seeing the equally massive shield-wall of Athelstan's own army ready for a fight. It's breathtaking.

Even more so when you start thinking about the possible locations this could have occurred, and can place the armies in their respective camps.

So many people are involved in seeking out this location, finding the sight of England's birth. Professional and amateur historians, linguists trying to work out all sorts of possible place-name matches, and of course archaeologists who seek whatever scraps they might find to finally be able to say, "Here, this is the place."

Not so easy to do though, when you consider that the battle took place at some point in 937 AD. The author argues for it occurring later in the year and again, given the evidence he presents, it makes sense.

The author starts where we always must in order to have a basis, and that is with research. He uses the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and Egil's Saga, as well as the Annals of Ulster. He also makes references to other chronicles and documents as well and even if the details do not all line up 100%, they all agree on the fact that a major battle occurred in 937 AD and untold thousands died. Like any good historian, the author is aware of the biases that each of these sources carries and has to sift through to find what can be proven by other evidence. This is where those linguists come in VERY handy, breaking apart words and putting them back together, determining the meaning then vs now, and so on. I don't envy them in that job, just reading about it was enough for me.

The author determines after a good couple rounds with all the evidence that the most likely location for this all-important battle is on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England. At this time I am not inclined to disagree, though as I said before this is my first book on the subject. Even so, the passion Dr. Livingston feels for the subject, and the obvious time and thought he has poured into trying to find the site is nothing short of extraordinary. He presents his methodology for how he arrived at his conclusions regarding troop movements, likely encampments, the battle itself, and its aftermath.

My only complaint with the book has to do with formatting, something out of the author's control. Not one single numerical value was present, which sometimes made it difficult to assess parts of the author's argument. Every value, from troop numbers to the years being discussed, was represented with a ? and it was SUUUUUPER annoying.

Otherwise, this was one I enjoyed quite a bit. I have been lucky so far in that I can never really go wrong with a book about Anglo-Saxons. It is my favorite period of England's history and even after devouring so many books on the subject, I am still learning new things.

Highly recommended.

Ireland

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

I picked this one up on the trip Mom and I took to Ireland in 2010. I know that while i might take 1,000 pictures, my skills are somewhat limited and having books like this are a nice comfort when I miss the places I've been and don't know if I will get to see them again.

There really is not much to review in the way of actual text. The book is divided into the the four provinces - Ulster, Connacht, Munster, and Leinster. It then covers the beautiful landscapes, ruins, and villages of the provinces. I loved seeing places that I'd already been to, and also new places I could add to my list for next time. I also was a little disappointed in some of the things left out - such as any mention of Titanic when looking around Cork. But that is my own personal preference and the 15 year old girl in me will always look for little mentions like that.

The photographs are simply beautiful, though they can never do justice to the real thing. Ireland is beyond beautiful, though also depressing at the same time. Not so much in Dublin, which is always busy much like any other capital city. Outside the city though, the countryside is quite different - especially when you see miles and miles of penny walls, with famine houses dotting the landscape in between modern homes.

I especially liked the shots of the places I was lucky enough to visit - the Burren, Blarney Castle, Newgrange and the Tall Cross at Monasterboice. My only wish is that there would have been an aerial shot of Newgrange to show off the amazing hills, or a full shot of the Tall Cross to see each panel. All photos belong to me.

The Tall Cross (Muiredach's Cross) at Monasterboice and our wonderful tour guide. Our reservations were not in the system but I had the paperwork from Expedia. She insisted we were going when one of the other guides said there was not room.

Mom and I at Newgrange.

Our first glimpse of Newgrange from the bus.

Kissing the Blarney Stone. Worth the climb and the terror of hanging off the side of a ruined castle.

Highly recommended, wonderful book.

The Claddagh Ring: Ireland's Cherished Symbol of Friendship, Loyalty and Love

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

I will be very honest, I first discovered the Claddagh ring because of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That heart-wrenching moment on the pier where Angel has to leave and gives Buffy the ring, then they get attacked by Spike and Dru's men, and the rest is history. I fangirled hard over that show, and continue to do so to this day. So, back then when it was new episodes every week and Angelus had returned to wreck havoc on Sunnydale, I knew I had to have a Claddagh ring. I found one at the Irish Indeed store in the Mall of America while in high school and badgered my mom until she gave in and bought it for me. Many years later I was fortunate enough to go on a trip Ireland, again with my mom - and yes, one of our day trips included a stop in Galway. You can bet I bought another Claddagh there, this time with my birth stone in the heart.

So anyway, onto the book. This is a lovely little tribute to a beautiful symbol of love. It is a slim volume that details the two myths behind the creation of this ring, and also spends a decent amount of time focusing on 9/11 and the amount of Claddagh rings found in the rubble of the Twin Towers - a testament to the number of New York's Bravest and New York's Finest with Irish blood flowing through their veins. McCourt then also details the village of Claddagh itself, though it is now gone; "The people of the Claddagh are gone now, and the area has been newly developed, with new houses standing where the village of Claddagh stood for centuries" (page 106).

Overall, though it is short, it is full of interesting stories and information. It will not take long to read this one, but it is worth the time.

Medieval Ireland: The Enduring Tradition

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review:

Given that my main area of interest leans toward England, the majority of my knowledge of Ireland in medieval times comes with a decidedly English slant. It was refreshing then to find this text, though it was published in 1988. I would be very interested to read the newest edition that came out in 2005 to see what insights have been added in the last couple of decades. Despite the slimness of the volume, it contained a plethora of information focusing mainly on 500-1500 AD, though the two early sections dealt briefly with Ireland prior to that time.

I do have a few complaints - more than once the author made a point and supported it with some detail, but followed up with the phrase, "...but that won't be discussed here..." or something to that effect. This is something that would be very frustrating for someone with no background knowledge. It leaves the reader with two dilemmas - the first being why is this info important enough to mention but not be elaborated on and two, now I have to seek out this information elsewhere (for the truly interested, at least. Some are able to just gloss over lines like that and keep going. I am not one of those people.)

For once I appreciated a lack of photos. They would not have served the text well. Too often I read books that have X amount of colored 'plates' (please, be MORE pretentious) and half of them end up being kind of related to the topic, in that they're from the same time period, but often there is not a specific connection. If I recall correctly, this book at three or four black and white maps of Ireland. They were really all that were necessary, as the primary focus of the text was the development of Ireland in medieval times. While society, culture, literature, the Church, and so on were important to make this development happen, a smattering of random photographs were not.

This is a fairly intense academic work, despite the length. It might be off-putting for those with a casual interest. I would recommend starting elsewhere if you have no background knowledge of medieval Ireland. Otherwise, I can say I recommend it (or perhaps the most current edition) for those who already have a foundation.

The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings

Edited by Peter Sawyer

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

I really enjoyed this collections of essays for a number of reasons. My primary level of interest in is Anglo-Saxon England and the Wessex kings especially - Alfred the Great is great for a reason (and the only king of England with this descriptor!) I also enjoy learning about the Vikings, as so much of the history of Norway, Iceland, and Greenland was only passed down from one generation to the next by word of mouth. What we do have written is truly a treasure, as these people and cultures can come alive to us once again by these words.

The text is a series of essays. Each author focused on their own area of interest, ranging from the Vikings in England, the end of he Viking age, Vikings in Russia, the ships, and so on. While I am not really interested in the ships themselves, or learning about maritime travel, that essay still help valuable information. One essay I found especially interesting was 'Religions Old and New', which discusses the old religion of the Vikings and their gods and the advent of Christianity. Greenland and Iceland were of particular interest too, not only because it is amazing that the ships were able to travel that far, but even beyond to reach North America - long before Columbus and his germ warfare. I would love to see the settlement ruins someday, and it is definitely on my bucket list. The essay focusing on Ireland, etc. was of great interest as well, as I have been to Dublin. Upon my visit with Mom in 2010, I had no idea that the Vikings had ruled Dublin for so long and that it was an area of focus for them. When visiting Dublin Castle on one of our tours, we were able to go below street level to see what remained of not only the medieval castle from the 13th century, but the earthen bank/stone wall of the original Viking town. Photographs belong to me and were taking in Dublin in July of 2010.

Helpful info to start with (2010) Unfortunately I don't have a great shot of the remains of anything but the medieval castle.

Overall, while some of the essays were a bit more dry than others, I enjoyed this collection. Certainly recommended for those interested in various aspects of life as a Viking.

Citadels of Power: The Castle in History and Archeology

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

So, I love castles. I love looking at pictures of them, watching documentaries about them, reading books about them and, above all, seeing them in person. I've been lucky enough to see a handful so far in the UK and Ireland, and can not wait to visit more in the future.

Naturally then, when I see what I think is a book about castles, I have to give it a read. I found this in the library catalog and reserved it immediately, not paying attention to the 'audio' label until later. No biggie, I figured, I can do a book on cd - then Eleanor can learn too! So, imagine my surprise to find it was not actually a book on cd, but a lecture series by Professor Finan. So, I guess technically I should not be reviewing it here because it is not a book, but it was wonderful!

Now, it was not perfect by any means, and there were portions that were somewhat repetitive, but I still enjoyed this very much. The lecture covered a variety of topics, ranging from the different kinds of castles, their place in society and the landscape, as well as castles specific to England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and castles built in the Holy Land by various Crusaders. I found that I knew many facts presented already, though was not nearly as familiar with the earthen and timber castles as presented in the second lecture.

Additionally, Professor Finan clearly cares very deeply about the subjects he is presenting, and even says that the last lecture pertaining to the end of castle-building is his least favorite because he loves the topic so much. While he is not necessarily the most exciting lecturer to listen to, it is worthwhile to hear the material he presents.

There is also a study guide included that has summaries, questions, suggested readings, other books of interest, and suggested websites for each of the 14 lectures. These are available through the company that produces the lecture series (free, but with a shipping charge of course), and I am considering ordering one.

Overall, highly recommended. Very interesting series and I am curious to see what other lectures are offered by The Modern Scholar.

As always, here are MY favorite castles (all photos taken by me in 2009/2010)...

Inside the gate of Stirling Castle (Scotland, 2009)

Edinburgh Castle (Scotland, 2009)

At Windsor Castle (England, 2009)

Blarney Castle (Ireland, 2010)

Malahide Castle (Ireland, 2010)

Bunratty Castle (Ireland, 2010)

(The remains of) Dublin Castle (Ireland, 2010)

Castles

Rating: 3 Stars

Review:

Not great, not terrible. Kind of dry at times. Great photos and illustrations, but seriously, no Edinburgh?? No Blarney?? Two amazing castles that deserved attention. No Windsor? No Stirling? Come on!

Additionally:

I decided to give this a little more attention - and also post pictures of my own favorite castles, because I love castles. I absolutely LOVE castles and have seen some awesome ones in Ireland, England, and Scotland. There are many more I want to see, but I have a good start.

This books really is informative, but it just read like a textbook sometimes and was very hard to continue - but it is by no means a long book. There are newer books available I'm sure - I hope - as we discover more and more during excavations. 

I was lucky enough to see several castles in my European travels in 2009 and 2010. When Mom and I traveled to the UK, we saw Edinburgh, Stirling, and Windsor (England was a short, short trip and much of Windsor was actually closed to tourists while the Queen was knighting people that day). Then in 2010 we traveled to Ireland, where we saw Dublin, Bunratty, Malahide, and Blarney. All amazing in their own right, though I am partial to ruins like Blarney, not furnished castles like Malahide. All photograpghs were taken by me (or my mom, or in the case where we are pictured together, a helpful but unnamed fellow tourist) in 2009 and 2010 and all belong to me.

Here are a few gems that should have been included in this book:

Our first view off the bus on the Royal Mile, after having landed, dropped our stuff at our B&B (The Ben Doran, AWESOME!), our first morning in Edinburgh (2009)

Edinburgh (2009)

Edinburgh (2009)

Urquhart Castle (2009)

Urquhart Castle (2009)

Entering the grounds of Stirling - MY FAVORITE! (2009)

Stirling (2009)

Stirling (2009)

Holyrood Palace (Okay, so not really a castle, but still awesome) (2009)

Windsor (2009)

Windsor (2009)

Blarney (2010)

Blarney (2010)

Blarney lots of small passageways to look around in! (2010)

Bunratty (2010)

Bunratty (2010)

Dublin (2010)

Dublin - this is about all that remains of the castle above-ground unfortunately. We were able to see the parts that are still underground though too (2010)

Dublin - The original castle stairs are now below street level (2010)

Dublin - remains of a city wall, below street level (2010)

Malahide (2010)

Malahide - Mom and I (2010) - the nice man who took our photo was quite the amateur photog. He kept directing us and his wife kept apologizing (she's the one standing to the left). It was quite funny, and we got this great picture.

The Picts and the Scots

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

I found this slim volume to be very informative, given that it was first published in 1993 and there have been new editions since then - something I did not know when I first found it at the library. Prior to, I had no real knowledge of the Picts or Scots, aside from bits and pieces. I did not realize their cultures lasted so long, into the 11th century.

I find the so-called Dark Ages so fascinating; how can any period truly be dark, when it produced the likes of the Book of Kells (which I was lucky enough to have seen when I was in Dublin in 2010! So beautiful. And as an aside, the Trinity College Library, wow. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven.)

I would certainly be interested to see what information might be included in any updated versions of this book and plan to read others on these subjects as well. The only thing I really wanted from this book was more color photographs. It is hard to see some of the mounds and such in a black and white photo, especially if you are unfamiliar with terminology and not quite sure what you are looking at. Otherwise, no major complaints. Recommended read!

*****While you are not actually allowed to take pictures of the Book of Kells, here are a few photos from Trinity College in Dublin where the book is on display. All photos were taken by me in July of 2010 in Dublin, Ireland.

First finding our way around...

We've reached the library!

I had to capture the replicated artwork of the book wherever I could, since I knew pictures of the actual book were not permitted.

Entering the exhibit. So worth the time. It is a must see!

How the Irish Saved Civilization

Author: Thomas Cahill

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review:

I'd give this 3.5 stats if I could (Edit for blog: here I can, because this is my blog! Yay!), as I did like it, and having been to Ireland and seeing some of the ruins makes the book more vivid. It was an easy read and I enjoyed it, as it is difficult to find much on the history solely of Ireland. People seem to be very bothered by the title of the book, but how can you look at the work that was done to preserve the literature and not agree? I especially found the sections in St. Patrick interesting, as so little is known about him and this is the first I've read of anything beyond, "He was a slave, then he became a Christian".

Additionally:

I am forever fascinated by the histories of England, Ireland, and Scotland. I don't just mean medieval times, but the Dark Ages and even before. The problem with this is, there is little to no information about these times in these far-flung places that were so far from the 'civilized' worlds that we do have information about.