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Ten Great Events in History
Excerpts: Patriotism, or love of country, is one of the tests of nobility of character. No great man ever lived that was not a patriot in the highest and truest sense. From the earliest times, the sentiment of patriotism has been aroused in the hearts of men by the narrative of heroic deeds inspired by love of country and love of liberty. This truth furnishes the key to the arrangement and method of the present work. The ten epochs treated are those that have been potential in shaping subsequent events; and when men have struck blows for human liberty against odds and regardless of personal consequences. The simple narrative carries its own morals, and the most profitable work for the teacher will be to merely supplement the narrative so that the picture presented shall be all the more vivid. Moral reflections are wearisome and superfluous. The great events in history are those where, upon special occasions, a man or a people have made a stand against tyranny, and have preserved or advanced freedom for the people...
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First published January 1, 1887
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 27, 2011
Horrid book! I don't know if I'm just failing at picking books these days of if prego hormones are just making me more critical but ick!! Most of his events are... well... I will be kind and just say they would not have been on my list of 10 great events. Also, its a pet peeve of mine anyway but this book is so extremely Eurocentric. Any Asian or Middle Eastern characters that do show up are either pegged as barbarians or praised for being 'surprisingly civilized for a' non European. Not to mention if this book had been written and published today he would have been in huge trouble for plagiarism. Over half the book is quotes straight out of primary sources, which he does site, but still its cheating if you don't have anything of your own to say. Describe this book in three words? Boring, dry, and pompous!
February 18, 2014
Chronicling varying significant historical events... can be read online here: http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/worl...
or at authorama: http://www.authorama.com/ten-great-ev...
Topics covered include Greek history, the Crusades, Columbus and the new world, the Dutch, the Spanish Armada, etc, etc...
Here is the Preface to the text:
"Patriotism, or love of country, is one of the tests of nobility of character. No great man ever lived that was not a patriot in the highest and truest sense. From the earliest times, the sentiment of patriotism has been aroused in the hearts of men by the narrative of heroic deeds inspired by love of country and love of liberty. This truth furnishes the key to the arrangement and method of the present work. The ten epochs treated are those that have been potential in shaping subsequent events; and when men have struck blows for human liberty against odds and regardless of personal consequences. The simple narrative carries its own morals, and the most profitable work for the teacher will be to merely supplement the narrative so that the picture presented shall be all the more vivid. Moral reflections are wearisome and superfluous..."
P.S.
Though quite informative it should be noted that the presentation isn't that exciting...
or at authorama: http://www.authorama.com/ten-great-ev...
Topics covered include Greek history, the Crusades, Columbus and the new world, the Dutch, the Spanish Armada, etc, etc...
Here is the Preface to the text:
"Patriotism, or love of country, is one of the tests of nobility of character. No great man ever lived that was not a patriot in the highest and truest sense. From the earliest times, the sentiment of patriotism has been aroused in the hearts of men by the narrative of heroic deeds inspired by love of country and love of liberty. This truth furnishes the key to the arrangement and method of the present work. The ten epochs treated are those that have been potential in shaping subsequent events; and when men have struck blows for human liberty against odds and regardless of personal consequences. The simple narrative carries its own morals, and the most profitable work for the teacher will be to merely supplement the narrative so that the picture presented shall be all the more vivid. Moral reflections are wearisome and superfluous..."
P.S.
Though quite informative it should be noted that the presentation isn't that exciting...
May 2, 2011
I will have to admit, I didn't read all 10 events...there were a few that was just not interesting of a topic, so I passed on it. For example, the events that happened in India at like the beginning of time... I think I read 5 or 6 of them. The writing was good and intersting of the events that I read. I got this free on my kindle and it was wasn't really hard to read it, I just didn't get a chance to look at the pictures/maps/graphs of some things, which sucked...
January 23, 2011
I really like the events in history that James Johnonnot decided to be the 10 great events. I wish I could read what he would think the Ten Great Events would be today. Very well written. And a must read if you like history.
August 6, 2013
If kids read books like this in school rather than dry textbooks loaded with nothing but names and dates they might actually take an interest in history. It is not surprising that the author had a professional background in education.
July 8, 2011
Good read. A very interesting portrayal of some lesser know events. VERY outdated, but a good look into Victorian academics.
June 4, 2017
Not worth your time.
No literate person calls the people of Scotland "Scotch". They are Scots. This book is superficial and inaccurate. Don't waste your time.
No literate person calls the people of Scotland "Scotch". They are Scots. This book is superficial and inaccurate. Don't waste your time.
July 28, 2022
This book covers 10 significant events in world history including the Greek and Dutch defense of freedom, the Crusades, Columbus' voyage, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the Pilgrims, and Lexington and Bunker Hill.
While the events themselves were interesting enough, I didn't enjoy the writing. I felt that it was heavy, pedantic, and cumbersome. Many passages were quoted without attribution other than the author's name (sometimes). That bothered me because I couldn't refer to the original source. The author used the passive voice often, something that can be used well on occasion but loses its effectiveness in excess.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but only if you like history and don't mind slogging through the text.
While the events themselves were interesting enough, I didn't enjoy the writing. I felt that it was heavy, pedantic, and cumbersome. Many passages were quoted without attribution other than the author's name (sometimes). That bothered me because I couldn't refer to the original source. The author used the passive voice often, something that can be used well on occasion but loses its effectiveness in excess.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but only if you like history and don't mind slogging through the text.
January 30, 2022
Unique Read
A very Anglo-American look at great events in history ranging from Thermopylae to Bunker Hill. Listed as celebrating freedom, it often has some questionable choices for the ten events, but the book does celebrate them. The writing is easy to read, and the poems interspersed in the narrative add color. An interesting read that’s over a hundred years old and provides the perspective of a time long past.
A very Anglo-American look at great events in history ranging from Thermopylae to Bunker Hill. Listed as celebrating freedom, it often has some questionable choices for the ten events, but the book does celebrate them. The writing is easy to read, and the poems interspersed in the narrative add color. An interesting read that’s over a hundred years old and provides the perspective of a time long past.
April 29, 2020
I read this book that dates back to the late 19th century just to get a flavor of 1. The author's understanding of which event were in the top ten, and 2. to get a sense of particular events that I might want to visit in a contemporary treatment. It served it's purpose.
October 18, 2019
Dry Reading
Interesting but drier than a text book. The writing was stilted; definitely written in a different period. Good content, but not an easy read
Interesting but drier than a text book. The writing was stilted; definitely written in a different period. Good content, but not an easy read
November 14, 2019
Interesting choice re the "Ten Great Events" from a 19th century American author. I have to say I skipped the numerous sections where the text strayed into poetry, though.
September 22, 2017
A fascinating recount of the crusades, the Spanish Armada, the voyage of Columbus, Bruce and Bannockburn among others. If you are interested in learning about history you will enjoy this book.
February 10, 2017
Superb summary of the great world moments.
Global view of man's over ambition matched against breathtaking bravery and strategy. Puts real perspective on the constant battle between ethics and ruthlessness. Superb read.
Global view of man's over ambition matched against breathtaking bravery and strategy. Puts real perspective on the constant battle between ethics and ruthlessness. Superb read.
October 6, 2012
It was interesting to see what this author thought the ten most important events in history were. The chapter titles show what these are:
Defense of freedom by Greek valor
Crusades and the crusaders
Defense of freedom in Alpine passes
Bruce and Bannockburn
Columbus and the New World
Defense of freedom on Dutch dikes
The invincible Armada
Freedom's voyage to America
Plassey, and how an Empire was won
Lexington and Bunker Hill
(He obviously viewed defending freedom as being important!)
I thought it slightly curious that in several chapters the author quoted poems written about these historical events.
Defense of freedom by Greek valor
Crusades and the crusaders
Defense of freedom in Alpine passes
Bruce and Bannockburn
Columbus and the New World
Defense of freedom on Dutch dikes
The invincible Armada
Freedom's voyage to America
Plassey, and how an Empire was won
Lexington and Bunker Hill
(He obviously viewed defending freedom as being important!)
I thought it slightly curious that in several chapters the author quoted poems written about these historical events.
February 6, 2016
I was not a fan of this book which took me a terribly long time to read. Mainly I think I was disinterested in the events because their significance or why the author chose them as the ten great events was never explained. Also the telling was consistently one-sided. As a proud American though, I did like the telling of Lexington and Concord.
May 8, 2012
I liked this book it enforced what I knew about historical events and added fresh info that I didn't know. a good little book to keep as a reference.
October 17, 2013
An interesting read but was not enthralled with the writing style.
December 16, 2012
Read it if you like pan European views of history. Can not finish it after crusade tales.
September 29, 2016
some of the events were boring and i could not continue
over all a good summary of world key events. yes has a strong european bias.
over all a good summary of world key events. yes has a strong european bias.
December 13, 2016
Should be renamed "10 memorable events in European history"
December 16, 2015
The historical narrative was by no means impartial. However, it was quite an interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews