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 enlarge | Author: Barbara W. Tuchman
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy Used: $4.96
You Save: $13.04 (72%)
New (26) Used (41) Collectible (5) from $4.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 40580
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st Ballantine Books
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345405013
Dewey Decimal Number: 909.82
EAN: 9780345405012
ASIN: 0345405013
Publication Date: August 27, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ..We ship daily!**Great Customer Service.**Your Satisfaction is Guaranteed,100% Money Back Guarantee,has moderate damages on cover
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| Customer Reviews:
Forceful and Mostly Brilliant September 25, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Barbara Tuchman's work shows her brilliance as an historian. Having read nearly all of her works, this one is less a linear narrative than a non-linear analysis of events that intertwined at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the efforts, frankly, put me to sleep. The events in the English parliament seemed to wander and reduce to a game that had no purpose. I found myself finally skipping pages. The analysis of Richard Strauss, while interesting in places, left me wondering whether Ms. Tuchman simply threw in the biography because it coincided with the times.
However, her analysis of the Anarchists and the Socialsts, of the Dreyfus Affair, of the rise of German militarism, of young American muscle-flexing and of the tremors of future seismic activity were masterful. Each patch on this quilt gave me the sense that the ignorance of, or ideological hope for, the future led us into the worst of all possible worlds. It was clear, from a distance, that the most violent convulsions were about to envelop the world.
This book sat on my bookshelf for years. I am glad I pulled it out. As I read it, I found myself finding parallel arrogance with current events --- with terrorism, with fear of outside culture, with the loss of comfort.
It's well worth reading and it shows why Ms. Tuchman deserves her fine reputation as an historian. The Perfect President, Frameworks: Conflict in Balance
 Brillian Style, as Always... July 25, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Tuchman was more a writer than an historian and that shows in every one of her books, but that is not a reason for not to read her, but on the contrary, to do it with deligh. We should have in mind that history is not an exact science and so it leaves lot of room for interpretation and beauty of style. We read Gibbons for exactly that reason, no matter how much his findings and ideas has been superseded by new research and data. Same with Tuchman.
Excellent and unparalleled March 10, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I am more convinced than ever that Barbara Tuchman was the greatest historian of the 20th century. I cannot think of anyone who can outmatch her.
This is a most penetrating and incisive look at the political and social scene of Europe and America before the First World War. After reading this book the reader is inevitably led to the belief that a major war was forthcoming.
My only negative comment are the words accompanying ther title 'APortrait of the World before the War' These words are inapproprite and misleading. True, Europe was the dominant world power and America getting to become
one. But hardly anything was mentioned about China which was in steep decline and Japan emerging as a superpower.
 A surprisingly confused work from Tuchman October 15, 2006
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
I'll mention that I am a fan of Tuchman's work, from "The Guns of August" to "The Calamitous Forteenth Century" to "the Zimmerman Telegram", her works are amongst the most accessible historical works (particularly for sometimes less well covered topics) around.
As such, I was suprised by the poor editing of "Proud Tower." I gather that the chapters of this book are cobbled together from various articles that she had published. If that is the case, the lack of unity woefully shows. This is a disjointed, wandering and confused affair that would have benefited from some tough love in the editorial department. It's not so much that skipping back and forth through time to cover various regions or groups in and of itself would have been a bad idea, but there is no real connection or theme that unifies the chapters well enough.
This would have been tolerable, however, had the content of the chapters themselves been of greater coherency. Generally these seem to be little more than a series of disjointed character pieces on a series of notable figures. Although the information presented could have been interesting, rarely do you get a sense of why you're being told about many of the figures since she seems to just tell you about their mannerisms and quirks, and then drops them. Since she switches through so many names in a chapter without providing much framework for why she is doing this, some of the chapters seem little better than a list of names.
If you're interested in reading one of Tuchman's books, she has many fine works, but this is not one of her best.
Unique approach to History May 15, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book covers events in a number of European countries just prior to world war one in way which is totally different from any history I have ever read. Tuchman's style is unique and gripping. You almost get the feeling that you were there and participating in the events. She gives a very human dimension to the events.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
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