- Paperback: 277 pages
- Publisher: University of California Press; New edition edition (Oct 30 1995)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0520202473
- ISBN-13: 978-0520202474
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 463 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,239,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
From Library Journal
Marcus (history, Michigan State Univ.) has authored several books on Ethiopia, most recently Haile Selassie: The Formative Years 1892-1936 (Univ. of California Pr., 1986). This one, which was eight years in the writing, is his most ambitious because it attempts to cover the entire history of Ethiopia from prehistoric times to the fall of the Mengistu government in 1991, although all but the first 80 pages deal with Ethiopia since its reunification under Menelik in 1889. Marcus views Ethiopian history as a series of cyclical expansions from its component parts to empire and back again; he argues that the idea of the greater Ethiopian nation will always cause the state to reunify despite its current disintegration. Whether or not one agrees with his thesis, this book is such a readable and up-to-date overview of a long and complex history that it is recommended for both academic and large public libraries.
Paul H. Thomas, Hoover Inst. Lib., Stanford, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Paul H. Thomas, Hoover Inst. Lib., Stanford, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Marcus views Ethiopian history as a series of cyclical expansions from its component parts to empire and back again: he argues that the idea of the greater Ethiopian nation will always cause the state to reunify despite its current disintegration. . . . A readable and up-to-date overview of a long and complex history."--Paul H. Thomas, "Library Journal
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First Sentence
Four million years ago, near Hadar in the most easterly part of Ethiopia's Welo Province, there was a lake in a verdant setting. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Four million years ago, near Hadar in the most easterly part of Ethiopia's Welo Province, there was a lake in a verdant setting. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Book,
By Jon Teysko (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A History of Ethiopia: Updated Edition (Paperback)
This was the first History book I have read for leisure and I was supprised at how interested I was. A very well written and researched work. The only complaint I have is that the vocabulary was to much for me in places. Im used to looking things up in the dictionary, but not this much. Overall a very good read, will leave you wanting more.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
The author is biased !,
By "turdho" (Europe the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A History of Ethiopia: Updated Edition (Paperback)
I personally appreciate all writers' accounts about the African history, especially those about the older civilizations like that of Abyssinia, Aoudal (Adal), Ifat (Yifat), Banadir, Oroma etc. Most of the histories from this region are either written by early travelers, who were apparently subject to their respective contact's account(s). Likewise some writers are subject to either personal inclination to one group or influenced by local authorities to make their fictitious political claims printed in the history in order to subdue others. We therefore should be very careful about the writer's tone vis-à-vis historical realities and events. The author falls to the second category trap (personal or Authority influence). For instance, he gives more credit to Amhara actions while undermining all other nationals in Ethiopia. He even reached a stage where he distorted the really of geographical history maps. Look the maps at the end of book. It is typical dreams of all Abyssinian emperors' ambitions. History is history no body can rewrite but can be corrected when grave distortions like those presented in this book are circulated. The writer is a good writer in literature wise but his story is biased!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews) 13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Primer on Ethiopian History,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A History of Ethiopia (Paperback)
That sums it up: this is an excellent place to start your study of Ethiopian history.Marcus appears to specialize in Ethiopian history (he has written biographies of Emperors Haille Selassie and Menelik, both available from Amazon.com). But before reading those you might want to read his History of Ethiopia. Marcus traces the history of this fascinating but mysterious land back to earliest times, and takes it right up to the fall of Mengistu in 1991. Perhaps someday a revision should be done to add events that took place after that, but right now it is too soon; history is still being made in Ethiopia. Most of the book deals with the period after about 1850, but as I said, if you're looking for a good general history filled with facts and details, this is it. 9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great Ethiopian history primer.,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A History of Ethiopia (Paperback)
Marcus does not attempted to create a greatly in depth text here, and the greater portion of tyhe book relates to events after 1850. However, the book serves as an excellent primer. Anyone with even a passing interest in history should enjoy this review of one of the oldest and richest cultural histories in the world.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A foundation for learning Ethiopian history,
By James D. Crabtree "Doc Crabtree" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A History of Ethiopia: Updated Edition (Paperback)
I found the book well-written and well-organized according to significant changes in Ethiopia's development. Economics, as well as politics, ethnology and technology are used to explain events and their significance. One thing that did annoy me is the fact that historic maps are all located together in the back, rather than in the sections in which they are relevent. The use of some of the Ethiopian titles of nobility is also confusing, when European equivalents would have done just as well.Not a casual read by any means, but a serious student of African history could do much worse than Marcus' book. |
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