Nicholas Bruner
Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Young Adult Author
Tag: history
What I’m Reading: Blood, Iron, and Gold
Blood, Iron, and Gold, by Christian Wolmar, is a straightforward history of the railroad. It’s thorough and clear, with a minimum of editorializing, content to be simply a lucid survey of a somewhat niche subject. I know right now that not a lot of… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Blood, Iron, and Gold”
What I’m Reading: The Authentic Adam Smith
The Authentic Adam Smith: His Life and Ideas by James Buchan is an erudite but straightforward biography of Adam Smith. I was a bit worried at first that it would be partisan and revisionist, because the book cover claims Smith and his theories have… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: The Authentic Adam Smith”
What I’m Reading: Albion’s Seed
I did not fully understand American History until I read this book, especially colonial history. Isn’t that crazy? With a year of AP US History in high school, and as a frequent reader of history as an adult (just click on the “History” tag… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Albion’s Seed”
What I’m Reading: 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War
Charles Emmerson’s book about 1913 is exactly what the title promises: an exploration of the world on the eve of World War I. Rather than proceeding according to, say, a calendar of the year, or a survey of personalities or events, Emmerson has chosen… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War”
What I’m Reading: Setting the East Ablaze
Setting the East Ablaze: Lenin’s Dream of an Empire in Asia is a thoroughly-research book from 1984 by Peter Hopkirk. It covers the efforts of Communist Russia from 1918 to the beginning of World War II to spread its gospel of communism, by persuasion… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Setting the East Ablaze”
What I’m Reading: Warships of the Ancient World
This book is part of the research I’m doing for the fantasy trilogy I’m currently writing. It’s pretty straightforward–Warships of the Ancient World: 3000-500 BC, by Adrian K. Wood, gives you exactly what it says in the title. It covers every aspect of warships… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Warships of the Ancient World”
What I’m Reading: The Old Ball Game
The Old Ball Game, by Frank Deford, is actually a re-read for me. I read it when it first came out in 2005 and remembered it as a delightful and informative book about the New York Giants in the early 1900s, focusing on their… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: The Old Ball Game”
What I’m Reading: The Stuarts
The Stuarts, by J.P. Kenyon, is a history covering the Stuarts, who became the ruling family of England after Elizabeth I of the Tudor dynasty died without an heir in 1603. The monarchs are James I (1603-25), Charles I (1625-49, and beheaded at the… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: The Stuarts”
