Jonathan > Recent Status Updates

Having Victoria for a mother wasn't easy, especially if you were a woman-chasing lightweight like Edward.

Conditions in the early State were difficult and occasionally dire, not least in the IDF. The borders were porous and open to "infiltrators" (terrorists, actually) who would rob, sabotage and murder. The army's eventual response was innovative, creative and violent.

Well-written, comprehensive and objective, as only Benny Morris can do.

The Duke's long political career. He was much more than just a soldier, even though he was one of the leading soldiers of the age.

Very thorough at keeping the history of Jerusalem in context historically.

There's plenty not to like about Josephus, but he's still the best source we have for this era.

An old-school history (it was first published in 1947) of Judaism and the Jews at the beginning of the Postbiblical era.

A workmanlike survey of the history of Jews in the Land of Israel during the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras.

Kinda dry, but I'm learning a lot.

An interesting collection of articles on Judaism before the rabbis.

Dever also tends towards an 'indigenous' solution.

Basically, 2 more or less centrist positions on the ancient Israelites and their kingdoms, if any, by two of the leading Israeli experts in the field.

The beginning of Second Samuel. The death of Saul and Jonathan.

Another fine work by my favorite archaeology author.

Not what you'd call a ripping great read - in spite of my interest in the subject of Israel in the pre-monarchy period. At least it's short.

A very good book on the history - or as much of the history that we can suss out - of the ancient Tanakh-era kingdoms.

The kingdom of Israel, and not Judah, was were all the action was in Iron Age Canaan, according to Finkelstein.

It's not so bad if you skip all the pottery.

Combining textual studies of the Tanakh, archaeology and a scientific look at the terrain, can we determine what really happened in Iron Age Israel?

Interesting material but very dry.

Half way through Nevi'im (Prophets). Lots of concubines being chopped up, burnt offerings offered and cities put to the sword. Those were the days.

He was gabby and mercurial, but an outstanding statesman with all that, and a great help to Lincoln. Recognition of the Confederacy by the European powers would have been a catastrophe, and Seward's policies were a major factor in preventing it.

Christianity seems to have had a bad effect on China, and the Taiping Rebellion is just one example, if the bloodiest. This civil war caused more casualties than any event in history before WWII.

As always with Antony Beevor, a well researched and splendidly written history.

Finished with the Canaanite, on to the Israelite. How many pictures of ancient pottery can I withstand?

An old-school, view-from-the-top military campaign history. So far, Sinai, Gaza and Beersheba.

A bit of a slog but I am learning a lot about British imperial land policies.

Just a wonderful book and, given the controversies surrounding the city, not an easy one to write, but Montefiore pulls it off with panache.

Nice to see that I still had a lot to learn or, at least, remember again, about the history of Zionism and the State of Israel.

The military historian with the longest and least-pronounceable name in academia has written a useful survey of the ideas and trends that lead to the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, the event which made the eventual overthrow of Tsarist Russia inevitable.