- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (May 26 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060922559
- ISBN-13: 978-0060922559
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.6 x 1.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #775,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
While not exactly revisionist history as scholars define it, this is a breezy, entertaining, if occasionally too flippant, attempt to clear up many popular misconceptions. Shenkman ( Legends, Lies and Cherished Myths of American History ) here tackles such events as the Trojan War (the one described by Homer didn't take place) and Churchill's stirring radio speeches during World War II (they were performed by an actor). Some of the purported revelations--about the numerous contradictions in the Bible and the bad rap given to Machiavelli--are hardly news. Others, like the faking of newsreels in the first half of this century and the fact that Voltaire made up the boast "I am the state," generally attributed to Louis XIV, will surprise many. Fun to read. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Was there really a valiant little Dutch boy, a protesting Lady Godiva, a fiddling Nero, or a prudish Queen Victoria? No, says Shenkman in his latest debunking effort. The historian roams the globe and the pages of history, calling up popular images and replacing them with more prosaic accounts and the reasons the mythic versions evolved in the first place. No person, event, or thing is safe from Shenkman's corrections; among his topics are Cleopatra, Scottish kilts, Copernicus, the Middle Ages, World War II, marriage, and Frankenstein. Denise Perry Donavin
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The myth about the Trojan War is that there was one. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The myth about the Trojan War is that there was one. 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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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good compliment to the "Myth America" TV series.,,
By
This review is from: Legends & Lies Of World History (Paperback)
As with most TV series you get statements with out support. So I tracked down the Richard Shenkiman book to get some background to the statements about American myths. I was not disappointed. It is as if he was reading this book on the TV with more graphic representations for the different media.The book is worth reading. However the format may not be to some peoples liking as it is short choppy statements and the chapters are divided into subjects as, Discoverers and Inventors, Presidents, Sex, and Art. There is a fair set of footnotes to lead you to further reading. You may need this as he sometimes stretches a point. Final analysis, you are better off reading this to give a better perspective on reality. Read it to your kids and save them a lifetime of "Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History".
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shenkman's Book a Must for Everyone!,
By
This review is from: Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths Of World History (Hardcover)
Rick Shenkman is a talented historian whose skill at writing makes his understanding of history all the easier to comprehend. Witty and irreverant, democratically short and readable, this book is useful to both the historical novice and the more sophisticated student of things past. Anecdote after anecdote, Shenkman humourously points to the narrow line that separates myth from history. A must for everyone!
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Biggest Piece of Boloney I Ever Heard!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Legends & Lies Of World History (Paperback)
This author writes one lie after another! The author makes a living off of lying to thousands of readers. He through the entire book demotes heros and heroines like Joan of Arc and Cathrine the Great to dust, and raises evil demons like Nero and Hitler to gods. A quote from the book is, "Nero was not ALL bad, sure he slaughtered his wife, but all the other women he slept with he never lad a finger on!" It also has to attack Christians and Jews by insulting the Bible! Sure some maybe true, but not much. History is my favorite subject, and this is not history. It's just a bunch of lies.
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