Sestius > Recent Status Updates

Competent, thorough, readable. Hastings is a bit of a workaday writer, there're never any unexpectedly clever passages or (re-)orderings of material. But it works.

Less convinced by the economic stuff, seems more distant than other elements. But has historicali interest.

Sweeping, by turns pompous and erudite. Does anyone write popular history like this anymore?

' . . . the evolution of the Soviet Union, which is causing history to boil . . .'

Ingenious introduction, but I'm unconvinced. Also some of the prose is sloppy, tho' general standard is as good as one would expect.

'Technique, to be used, does not require a "civilized" man.'

Read fifty pages while crushed on a full train yesterday, which puts this technique business in context.

His history's a bit slapdash, methinks. But interesting ideas, as usual.

'the development of the press and radio has considerably reduced the number of people who can express their ideas and opinions publicly'

'because of the myth of progress, it is much easier to sell a man an electric razor than a straight-edged one.'

'[media] must *all* be used in combination. The propagandist uses a keyboard and composes a symphony.'