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THE LATE ROMAN ARMY

Name: THE LATE ROMAN ARMY
Author: Pat Southern
ISBN: 0-300-05852-7

by Pat Southern & Karen Ramsey Dixon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 1996

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This guide to the declining centuries of the Roman military is handy for scholars but sometimes rough going for the general reader. Southern and Dixon (both scholars at the Univ. of Newcastle upon Tyne) show an impressive command of the texts and artifacts documenting the transformation of the Roman army from the late second to the early sixth centuries. The authors synthesize past findings, summarize debates, and contribute their own opinions in a manner useful to serious students of the period. However, the book almost seems designed to ward off casual visitors. Chapter One deals with sources—an undramatic way to begin. The next two chapters cover loosely connected topics: predecessors of the military reformers Diocletian and Constantine; changing frontier troop levels; the establishment of a central field reserve; the increasing number of barbarians drawn into the army. Missing are a coherent overview of the period and sufficient historical context to orient the lay reader; timelines and a glossary help but are not enough. The book's remaining chapters are more accessible, even fun. Under such headings as ``Equipment'' and ``Fortifications,'' they offer concrete specifics and eye-catching illustrations on such matters as helmets, scabbards, rations, and the practice of cutting off one's own fingers to avoid the draft. Technical details are provided for specialists, while the armchair Romanist can enjoy learning just how fire darts and battering rams work. A chapter on the decline in army morale makes connections to 20th-century war; a short conclusion captures some of the pathos inherent in Gibbon's old subject matter. The generally dry style exhibits flashes of wit, as in this wry comment regarding ancient bureaucratic correspondences: ``How the Romans would have loved telephones.'' (line drawings, maps, 16 pages b&w photos)

Pub Date: Sept. 18, 1996

ISBN: 0-300-05852-7

Page Count: 206

Publisher: Yale Univ.

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.