Erin Hall's room

((... you just need to say Next one all the time XD when is it my turn to say thar? *Shot XD* ))

Erin smiled and looked through the pile of books, and spotted one called "The Trojan War". Finding it fitting with the old one, she picked it up and began reading. The text was pretty much the same; same info; same war. She was able to smile that they had been so smart. But just frowned of the war. Was it really such a great story when so many dies?

she finished it quickly and took the next book;The Wanderings of Odysseus.

"The author begins the story with a prologue that talks about the battle before the walls of Troy. She then briefly covers the sack of the Trojan cities before picking up the story on the island of the Cyclops. Unlike another book that I quite liked -- "The Odyssey" which was retold by Robin Lister - this book is written in a slightly more formal style. There is a "search inside this book" feature for both books so you can take a look and decide which style you and/or your child might like - although I don't think you could go wrong with either.

Here are two paragraphs for a quickie comparison.

Example from the current Sutcliff edition:

Then Odysseus brought the sharpened stake from its hiding place and
made the point hot in the fire, while the rest of his band - there were but
six of them now - stood round ready and waiting. And when the point
glowed clear red, they took it up and with all their strength drove it into
the giant's one eye and rammed it home, and Odysseus twirled it as
though it were some mighty timber drill.

Example from Robin Lister's version:
The Odyssey (Kingfisher Epics)

He awoke suddenly in a cold sweat. For a
moment he thought another nightmare had begun.
Everywhere he looked he saw eyes staring at him,
and he froze like an animal froze in it's lair. As
his own eyes adjusted to the dim light, he was
amazed to see a group of young women peering
into his shelter. "

Erin smiled as she out away the old books and stretched a bit with her arms. After serveral moments

of flailing, she took her arms back and reached out for the next book; Alexander the Great

((I'll make the books bold so It's easier to see : D))

"Alexander the Great was an ancient Greek king (basileus) of Macedon (336–323 BC). He was one of the

most successful military commanders in history, and is presumed undefeated in battle. By the time of

his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks.

Alexander assumed the kingship of Macedon following the death of his father Philip II of Macedon.

Philip had unified most of the city-states of mainland Greece under Macedonian hegemony in a

federation called the League of Corinth. After reconfirming Macedonian rule by quashing a rebellion

of southern Greek city-states, and staging a short but bloody excursion against Macedon's northern

neighbors, Alexander set out east against the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which he defeated and

overthrew. His conquests including Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Gaza, Egypt, Bactria, and

Mesopotamia, and extended the boundaries of his own empire as far as Punjab, India.

Prior to his death, Alexander had already made plans for military and mercantile expansions into the

Arabian peninsula, after which he was to turn his armies to the west (Carthage, Rome, and the

Iberian Peninsula). His original vision had been to the east, though, to the ends of the world and

the Great Outer Sea, as described by his boyhood tutor Aristotle.

Alexander integrated many foreigners into his army, leading some scholars to credit him with a

"policy of fusion." He also encouraged marriages between his soldiers and foreigners; he himself

went on to marry two foreign princesses.

Alexander died after twelve years of constant military campaigning, possibly as a result of malaria,

poisoning, typhoid fever, viral encephalitis or the consequences of alcoholism. His legacy and

conquests lived on long after him, and ushered in centuries of Greek settlement and cultural

influence over distant areas. This period is known as the Hellenistic Age, and featured a

combination of Greek, Middle Eastern and Indian culture. Alexander himself was featured prominently

in the history and myth of both Greek and non-Greek cultures. His exploits inspired a literary

tradition in which he appeared as a legendary hero in the tradition of Achilles."

-------------------------------------------------------

With a yawn she frowned and reached for the next book. It seemed to still contain some dust and she

blew it off, causing her to cough serveral times. Famous Men of Rome was the title of the

book and Erin began reading.

"Famous Men of Rome effectively introduced Erin to ancient history.
The author states in the 1904 preface: "The former practice in many elementary schools of beginning

the detailed study of American history without any previous knowledge of general history limited the

pupil's range of vision, restricted his sympathies, and left him without material for comparisons.

Moreover, it denied to him a knowledge of his inheritance from the Greek philosopher, the Roman

lawgiver, the Teutonic lover of freedom."

She got captured by the fable of Romulus and Remus. She wondered at Cincinnatus who chose to be a

farmer rather than a dictator. She admired Marcus Aurelius, a noble emperor who lived simply, used

his own money to help the poor, and walked the streets greeting people and listening to their

troubles so he could be a better leader.

Older students may read Plutarch but elementary children will gained a foundation for history by

reading about "Famous Men." "

(( Haha XD whut whut? I write too long? >W>;;; ... *sweatdrops* D: ))


Erin smiled and put that dusty book away and picked up the book; "Julius Caesar and Ancient Rome in World History"

The first thing she read was a review of the book; and when she had read the book, she would say the same sentence.

"High school history teaches who specialize in Ancient History are often hard pressed to locate good material for their students. Barter's book brings a sigh of relief for the period of the Late Roman Republic and Early Empire. Accurate, well footnoted, dramatic in its presentation, and well organized, Barter traces the antecedents of the great Roman civil wars culminating in the dictatorship of Caesar, his murder, and ultimately the fall of the Republic and the rise of the first Emperor, Augustus."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erin smiled and saw a book that looked quite similar to the last book; Augustus Caesar’s World.

after she had read it she leaned back and thought of a review"The books covers from Octavian at age 18 (when his uncle Julius Caesar is killed), through his death. The beauty of this books is that it covers world events during the time period as well as daily life in Ancient Rome. It's wonderfully well rounded and the illustrations are a nice bonus."

Why didn't she have any pencil and paper now? >_<; (XDDD)

After having savoured a moment to breath, she took up the new book; Plutarch’s Fall of the Roman Republic

"Plutarch describes a nation wracked by personal divisions during the Roman Civil War with chapters on some of the major participants in this conflict: a true fall from grace for both the people of Rome and the institution of republicanism. There is a lot here that is "exciting", such as the war against the Parthians, Jugurthia and the personal rivalries between Ceasar and Pompey.

The writing moves from what I would classify as mildly interesting, usually at the beginning of each chapter as he relates the youth, familiar, and power influences on the personal development of each live, to ripping tales of combat, honour lost and found, and principled peoples meeting usually, bloody fates. Lives of particular note are Pompey and Cicero in this book, but my personal favourite was Crassus, his fight against the slave revolt of Spartacus and his eventual annihilation with his entire army against the Parthians. The other real character that keeps popping up in each chapter is Cato, a political idealist who commited suicide for his repulican ideals when there was every indication that Ceasar respected him and would have spared his life despite Cato's defection to Pompey.

There is lots here that is of course raw speculation: I think that it is unlikely that Ceasar really had dictatorship on his mind since his early youth, but Plutarch would have us believe that it was almost forordained that Ceasar wanted personal control of the State. "

------------------------------------------------------------------------
With a tired sigh, Erin reached out for the next book and found that the before-this rather large pile had decreased alot. With a smile she then opened her next book; The Story of King Arthur and His Knights

"Published in 1902, THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS (Unabridged) is probably the most comprehensive of the Arthurian legends available in one volume--certainly the most comprehensive for kids. We follow Arthur during his "Sword in the Stone" period, then on to adulthood with a nod at the romantic complications that the play/movie "Camelot" focused on, then later an older Arthur and his followers articulate the legend of the grail (spoofed by Monty Python and reverently presented by a score of other writers).

Although 1902 was just past the end of the "Decadent" movement in English arts and literature, this volume displays no cloying irony or clever design a la Aubrey Beardsley. It was, after all, meant for children, although very small children should have it read to them by an understanding sibling or adult. In fact, what I appreciate most about it is its full-body quality that appeals to me as an adult just as it did as a child.

Is calling this tome "unabridged" a mere marketing ploy? Unfortunately not. So many kids' books -- this one included -- have been abridged, then dumbed down, and frequently illustated so profusely that they come across more as a kind of black-and-white Classics Comic than the real thing. And rarely does the book jacket or publishing page admit as much! Of course, I'm not totally averse to abridging a long and challenging work for the sake of the children, and there have been a couple of intelligent shortenings of Pyle's work. But the publishers of this book wisely chose to indicate it is unabridged -- a novel exception these days and a happy one. When we're dealing with cultural history and myth this seminal, it's best not to gloss over the details and the nuances of interpersonal relations that give the Arthurian legend such "oomph" even today."

With a smile she put away the old book and got to the new one. Recordgnizing it, she realized it was the book she had to buy and smiled. Vikings; something she actually loved. she picked up The Vikings: 350 Years of Adventure to Unlock and flickered through some pages before beginning to read and looked through all items.

"This sturdy box comes with its own key and contains a delightful variety of Viking information and paraphernalia. There is a light cardboard Viking ship to assemble, a Hnefatafl game (a good board game for 2) with plastic pieces based on the Lewis chessmen, a sundial that needs to be calibrated for your location (directions included), cardboard runes and information about their use in divination, 2 posters (1 each on history and on mythology), and a small book that gives a good introduction to the Viking world. It's more than one rainy day's fun and should appeal to a wide age range. The board game is an excellent strategy game for all ages through adult and will be played long after the ship has disintegrated and the posters have lost their novelty."
------------------------------------------------------------------
Her stomach growled as she reached out for the next book; Famous Men of the Middle Ages. It must have been a good time since she last had eaten. But seing that the pile was beginning to getting smaller just made her smile and gave her new powers.

"This is one of the most engaging history books I've ever read. The authors concentrate only on the facts and occurrences which really matter; the book was rarely boring. And it still manages to supply a sufficient amount of information. The only negative I perceived was that with the way the book is organized, with each chapter focusing on a different person, rather than period, was that it was disjointed, and virtually impossible to follow the big picture, the "story", if you will. However, this detracts very little from the book, which is an excellent source if you are interested in going in-depth on specific people, this book provides overviews for about 30 different people. "

"ARGH! I. WANT. TO. ... NOT READ!" Erin groaned loudly as she headwalled. Her eyes pained and she could barely keep them up. With a sigh she then reached out for the next book; and smiled a little as she read what it said; the text wrote Marco Polo; a title she recordgnized from stories.

"Marco Polo (September 15, 1254 – January 9, 1324 at earliest but no later than June 1325) was a Venetian trader and explorer who gained fame for his worldwide travels.

Polo, together with his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo, was one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China (which he called Cathay, after the Khitan) and visit the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan). Who's travel was greatly told in this book"
------------------------------------------------------------------
she rubbed her eyes as she quickly reached out for the next book and read it quickly on the frontpage; The World of Columbus and Sons

Genevieve Foster's books are based on an intriguing concept: a horizontal approach to history; a view of the world and the people who lived during the lifetime of the main character--in this case Columbus. Charlotte Mason would have us delve deeply into an era; these books help us do that.
Each section of the book starts with an interest-grabbing 2-page spread naming and illustrating people who lived during a portion of Columbus' life. These drawings could be copied and pasted into any student's book of centuries or timeline as the corresponding story is read. The maps and illustrations throughout the book provide much interest, although these short stories are appealing because of their conversational tone.

She headwalled serveral times to stay awake. Tossing away the old book, she reached out for the next one once again; the small pile not giving her much energy anymore. She read it and sighed. "Columbus, Finder of the New World. Great. Not a sleepy book. Ohno. =_="

"Animals Christopher Columbus Saw -- In this new series by award-winning author Sandra Markle, famous explorers take a back seat to the animals they encountered along the way. While nothing about Christopher Columbus' journey was expected, he couldn't have imagined feasting on roasted lizard! Through nimble writing and beautiful paintings, this series casts the past in a whole new light!


Sandra Markle is a former elementary school science teacher, a nationally known science education consultant, and the author of many award-wining books for children. "

------------------------------------------------------------------
With a sigh she carefully threw the book away and trieved for the next one; Shakespeare and the Globe that seemed to be quite interesting.

"This book has been honored with many awards for good reason. With pictures, a sprinkle of quotes from several of Shakespeare's own plays, and many historical references make this book is a very interesting layout of William Shakespeare's life and times. The book chronicles the theatre world in Shakespeare's time and his involvement in it all,and the building and rebuilding of the famous Globe theatre (even up to its rebirth in 1987!). The book shows the various phases of William's life in "Acts" just like his famous plays. The book even discusses the many words and phrases that he invented that we still use today. It ends with a look at Sam Wanamaker and Theo Crosby's vision of recreating The Globe and how they went about creating this wonderful restoration."

With a smile, her eyes found the book that looked quite interesting; Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne who seemed to have gotten serveral revievs.

"there is some new and interesting discussion in here- learning more about when famous paintings were painted, the history of clothing in those paintings, dispelling myths (or at least making an argument for dispelling them), and the re-interpretation of communications (Eg: When Elizabethe complains of being ill-used by her family, she probably didn't mean "family" in the modern sense of biological family (i.e., the Queen Mary), but instead the 1500's meaning of family, which referred to the staff and help who lived with her.)

There is some frustration in the support of assertions in the book. For example, Starkey will be making a point about a speech, discussing how important it is, or that it really set the stage for X to happen- and then- nothing, or perhaps very little information about the text of this important speech. I'd flip back and forth thinking maybe I missed it, but, alas... Perhaps I'm too used to sound-bites- this is possible. But frequently I was left with an impression of the importance of an event, without a good feel for the content.

The biggest problem with this book is the writing. For starters, the editing could be better- for example, on p. 218 the word "enjoy" is used instead of "envoy," unless "enjoy" is some British word for "diplomat" that I'm not familiar with (as a side note- we all make mistakes, but that's what editors are FOR if you have one!). More disturbing- the sentences are SO choppy, and it does interrupt the flow of the read. (p. 279, "Elizabeth and Cecil found themselves in a mess. And they had only themselves to blame. For they had hopelessly underestimated the effectiveness of the lords' resistance.")

Bottom line: if you've never read a book on Elizabeth, there are better places to start. This work really focuses on the first 25 years or so of her life. If you have read books on Elizabeth, this is a relatively quick read and makes some interesting arguments. But get ready. To read somewhat choppy sentences. Assuming that doesn't bother you. It's worth reading. But I want to set your expectations. "
------------------------------------------------------------------
"Whatwhatwhat? Where's all the books?!" Erin looked quite suprised as just Michelangelo and the bookman's guide was left. But she never thought much of it. With a grin, she picked upp the old book.

"If you've never seen one of these Taschen XXL-series books you may be in for a surprise. They are HUGE. And certain subjects just lend themselves to imposing presentation. Michelangelo is certainly one of those subjects. This book gives you several magnificent fold-outs of numerous paintings where you can observe the work almost down to a molecular level, and hundreds and hundreds of full-page plates. Yes, I would concede that a trip to Italy to see the works in person would be the optimum choice, but this is a close second! And, if you've already seen some of these works I can assure you that this book will be the ultimate commemoration of your experience. There is not currently, nor will there ever be in the future, a more astonishing book on Michelangelo. This is a vast, expansive work. The quality is first-rate, the coloring and tonal presentation of the plates is perfect and I suspect accurate to a scientific certainty. Taschen is very good about that sort of thing.

If your thought is that the book is "kinda expensive," I assure you that it is not, relative to what you're getting here. This, folks, is a family heirloom we're talking about. I've haunted used bookstores for two decades, and I can tell you that once this goes out of print the price on this will go into the stratosphere. Yes, Taschen keeps these things in print for a long time, but don't wait too long. As I write this the price is almost a give-away here on Amazon. Carpe diem! (And I note that the Taschen Stanley Kubrick XXL is now out-of-print and used volumes are selling for $800.)

The cover here is cloth, which adds to the appeal. Taschen has done some volumes with trendy-type covers which offer less assurance of long-term endurance. That has been my only criticism of Taschen's books over the years. The stuff they put out should be built to last 500 years. And this Michelangelo volume is. You'll love it. It comes wrapped in a nice dust jacket, and presented in a customized cardboard box with a handle for storage and transport, which I suggest you keep for that purpose and for maintaining the book's collectible appeal, in the unlikely or unfortunate event your heirs want to sell it for skiing, surfing, or partying.

If you get this volume, may want to also consider the Taschen XXL Leonardo da Vinci. I think it is still in print. Let's face it, if you are going to have two obnoxious and gargantuan books on historic artists it would be Michelangelo and Leonardo that you would want. I think they make a great pair. Just make sure you put them on a strong shelf, as these are heavy, heavy edifices. "



((HOLY sh*t OAO. ALL BOOKS READ! 8D *dances* ))

((ALWAYS! XD ))

Erin smiled as she put away the last book and savored the moment. With a smile she took the last book she had recieved from before; the books about all bookmen by times.

She lifted it up; but the weight was too much for her and she had to put it on the bed.

Blowing the dust off, she began reading. There was indebth information about every bookman. She enjoyed reading and did her best to memorize everything.

But as she had got quite far, serveral blank pages was; probably where they could write in new persons into the clan.

((Her butt will pain after this XDD ))

"Hooo, my good.."

Erin hummed as she danced up of her bed. What had happened? Right. She had fallen asleep right on the bed after finishing the last book.

Stretching herself, she yawned and sat up, but she felt as dizzy as someone had striken her backhead.

With a groan she walked with her thobbing head towards the cafeteria... She felt like she had to be social >__>; d*mn social. XD