Bible and Sword: England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour
(From Barbara W. Tuchman, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of...)
From Barbara W. Tuchman, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Guns of August, comes history through a wide-angle lens: a fascinating chronicle of Britain’s long relationship with Palestine and the Middle East, from the ancient world to the twentieth century.
Historically, the British were drawn to the Holy Land for two major reasons: first, to translate the Bible into English and, later, to control the road to India and access to the oil of the Middle East. With the lucidity and vividness that characterize all her work, Barbara W. Tuchman follows these twin spiritual and imperial motives—the Bible and the sword—to their seemingly inevitable endpoint, when Britain conquered Palestine at the conclusion of World War I. At that moment, in a gesture of significance and solemnity, the Balfour Declaration of 1917 established a British-sponsored mandate for a national home for the Jewish people. Throughout this characteristically vivid account, Tuchman demonstrates that the seeds of conflict were planted in the Middle East long before the official founding of the modern state of Israel.
Praise for Bible and Sword
“Tuchman is a wise and witty writer, a shrewd observer with a lively command of high drama.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“In her métier as a narrative popular historical writer, Barbara Tuchman is supreme.”—Chicago Sun-Times
(In January 1917, the British intercepted a secret telegra...)
In January 1917, the British intercepted a secret telegram from Berlin that they knew would finally bring America into World War I. How they put it to use makes for an incredible true tale of espionage and intrigue.
(In the dark winter of 1917, as World War I was deadlocked...)
In the dark winter of 1917, as World War I was deadlocked, Britain knew that Europe could be saved only if the United States joined the war. But President Wilson remained unshakable in his neutrality. Then, with a single stroke, the tool to propel America into the war came into a quiet British office. One of countless messages intercepted by the crack team of British decoders, the Zimmermann telegram was a top-secret message from Berlin inviting Mexico to join Japan in an invasion of the United States: Mexico would recover her lost American territories while keeping the U.S. occupied on her side of the Atlantic. How Britain managed to inform America of Germany's plan without revealing that the German codes had been broken makes for an incredible, true story of espionage, intrigue, and international politics as only Barbara W. Tuchman could tell it. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I
(Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best non...)
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time
The Proud Tower, the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Guns of August, and The Zimmerman Telegram comprise Barbara W. Tuchman’s classic histories of the First World War era
In this landmark, Pulitzer Prize–winning account, renowned historian Barbara W. Tuchman re-creates the first month of World War I: thirty days in the summer of 1914 that determined the course of the conflict, the century, and ultimately our present world. Beginning with the funeral of Edward VII, Tuchman traces each step that led to the inevitable clash. And inevitable it was, with all sides plotting their war for a generation. Dizzyingly comprehensive and spectacularly portrayed with her famous talent for evoking the characters of the war’s key players, Tuchman’s magnum opus is a classic for the ages.
Praise for The Guns of August
“A brilliant piece of military history which proves up to the hilt the force of Winston Churchill’s statement that the first month of World War I was ‘a drama never surpassed.’”—Newsweek
“More dramatic than fiction . . . a magnificent narrative—beautifully organized, elegantly phrased, skillfully paced and sustained.”—Chicago Tribune
“A fine demonstration that with sufficient art rather specialized history can be raised to the level of literature.”—The New York Times
“[The Guns of August] has a vitality that transcends its narrative virtues, which are considerable, and its feel for characterizations, which is excellent.”—The Wall Street Journal
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Barbara W. Tuchman: The Guns of August & The Proud Tower (Library of America)
(Writing with a clarity, grace, and novelistic sweep rare ...)
Writing with a clarity, grace, and novelistic sweep rare among historians, Barbara W. Tuchman (1912-1989) distilled the complex interplay of personalities and events into gripping narratives that fuse rigorous scholarship with elegant literary art. An astute portraitist, she brilliantly laid bare the all-too-human failures of leaders subject to the pull of historical currents and prone, often tragically, to the ingrained biases of culture and temperament. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning best seller The Guns of August (1962) offers a majestic orchestration of the diplomatic and military history of the crucial first weeks of World War I. Tuchman's observations about the irrational escalation of conflict made a deep impression on President John F. Kennedy and influenced his actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; fifty years later, The Guns of August remains an exemplary study of events propelled headlong by their own internal logic and momentum. Some of Tuchman's finest writing is contained in her following book, The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World before the War, 1890-1914 (1966), a fascinating kaleidoscope of eight precisely drawn essays on subjects ranging from international socialism and anarchism to the Dreyfus Affair in France and the birth of American imperialism that collectively set the stage for the cataclysm of 1914. Presented in one volume for the first time and released to mark Tuchman's centennial year and the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Guns of August, here is a vivid, indelible panorama of an epoch in transition.
(The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman. - The drama of ...)
The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman. - The drama of August, 1914 n, a month of battle in which war was waged on a scale unsurpassed, and whose results determined the shape of the world in which we live today.
(Military History,Narrative History. Published 1962 (Macmi...)
Military History,Narrative History. Published 1962 (Macmillan) .It is centered on the first month of World War I . It provides a narrative of the earliest stages of World War I, from the decisions to go to war, up until the start of the Franco-British offensive that stopped German advanced to France. The result was four years of trench warfare. In the course of her narrative Tuchman includes discussion of the plans, strategies, world events, and international sentiments before and during the war. The book was awarded The Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for publication year 1963. It is also Proved very popular.
The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914
(
The Proud Tower, the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Guns of...)
The Proud Tower, the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Guns of August, and The Zimmerman Telegram comprise Barbara W. Tuchman’s classic histories of the First World War era
During the fateful quarter century leading up to World War I, the climax of a century of rapid, unprecedented change, a privileged few enjoyed Olympian luxury as the underclass was “heaving in its pain, its power, and its hate.” In The Proud Tower, Barbara W. Tuchman brings the era to vivid life: the decline of the Edwardian aristocracy; the Anarchists of Europe and America; Germany and its self-depicted hero, Richard Strauss; Diaghilev’s Russian ballet and Stravinsky’s music; the Dreyfus Affair; the Peace Conferences in The Hague; and the enthusiasm and tragedy of Socialism, epitomized by the assassination of Jean Jaurès on the night the Great War began and an epoch came to a close.
Praise for The Proud Tower
“[Barbara W. Tuchman’s] Pulitzer Prize–winning The Guns of August was an expert evocation of the first spasm of the 1914–1918 war. She brings the same narrative gifts and panoramic camera eye to her portrait of the antebellum world.”—Newsweek
“A rare combination of impeccable scholarship and literary polish . . . It would be impossible to read The Proud Tower without pleasure and admiration.”—The New York Times
“An exquisitely written and thoroughly engrossing work . . . The author’s knowledge and skill are so impressive that they whet the appetite for more.”—Chicago Tribune
“[Tuchman] tells her story with cool wit and warm understanding.”—Time
Barbara W. Tuchman: The Guns of August & The Proud Tower (Library of America)
(Writing with a clarity, grace, and novelistic sweep rare ...)
Writing with a clarity, grace, and novelistic sweep rare among historians, Barbara W. Tuchman (1912-1989) distilled the complex interplay of personalities and events into gripping narratives that fuse rigorous scholarship with elegant literary art. An astute portraitist, she brilliantly laid bare the all-too-human failures of leaders subject to the pull of historical currents and prone, often tragically, to the ingrained biases of culture and temperament. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning best seller The Guns of August (1962) offers a majestic orchestration of the diplomatic and military history of the crucial first weeks of World War I. Tuchman's observations about the irrational escalation of conflict made a deep impression on President John F. Kennedy and influenced his actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; fifty years later, The Guns of August remains an exemplary study of events propelled headlong by their own internal logic and momentum. Some of Tuchman's finest writing is contained in her following book, The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World before the War, 1890-1914 (1966), a fascinating kaleidoscope of eight precisely drawn essays on subjects ranging from international socialism and anarchism to the Dreyfus Affair in France and the birth of American imperialism that collectively set the stage for the cataclysm of 1914. Presented in one volume for the first time and released to mark Tuchman's centennial year and the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Guns of August, here is a vivid, indelible panorama of an epoch in transition.
The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914
([Read by Nadia May]
The fateful quarter century leading...)
[Read by Nadia May]
The fateful quarter century leading up to World War I was a time when the world of privilege still existed in Olympian luxury and the world of protest was ''heaving in its pain, its power, and its hate.'' The age was the climax of a century of the most accelerated rate of change to that point in history, a cataclysmic shaping of destiny.
Barbara Tuchman brings to vivid life the people, places, and events that shaped the years leading up to the Great War: the Edwardian aristocracy; the anarchists of Europe and America; Germany and its self-depicted hero, Richard Strauss; Diaghilev's Russian Ballet and Stravinsky's music; the Dreyfus Affair; two peace conferences in the Hague; and, finally, the youth, ideals, enthusiasm, and tragedy of socialism, epitomized by the death of heroic Jean Jaurès on the night the war began and an epoch ended.
The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World before the War, 1890 - 1914.
(Publisher Comments:
The fateful quarter-century leading ...)
Publisher Comments:
The fateful quarter-century leading up to the World War I was a time when the world of Privilege still existed in Olympian luxury and the world of Protest was heaving in its pain, its power, and its hate. The age was the climax of a century of the most accelerated rate of change in history, a cataclysmic shaping of destiny.
In The Proud Tower, Barbara Tuchman concentrates on society rather than the state. With an artist's selectivity, Tuchman bings to vivid life the people, places, and events that shaped the years leading up to the Great War: the Edwardian aristocracy and the end of their reign; the Anarchists of Europe and America, who voiced the protest of the oppressed; Germany, as portrayed through the figure of the self-depicted Hero, Richard Strauss; the sudden gorgeous blaze of Diaghilev's Russian Ballet and Stravinsky's music; the Dreyfus Affair; the two Peace Conferences at the Hague; and, finally, the youth, ideals, enthusiasm, and tragedy of Socialism, epitomized in the moment when the heroic Jean Jaurès was shot to death on the night the War began and an epoch ended.
THE PROUD TOWER, A PORTRAIT OF THE WORLD BEFORE THE WAR 1890-1941
("The diplomatic origins, so-called, of the War are only t...)
"The diplomatic origins, so-called, of the War are only the fever chart of the patient; they do not tell us what caused the fever. To probe for underlying causes and deeper forces one must operate within the framework of a whole society and try to discover what moved the people in it."
--Barbara W. Tuchman
The fateful quarter-century leading up to the World War I was a time when the world of Privilege still existed in Olympian luxury and the world of Protest was heaving in its pain, its power, and its hate. The age was the climax of a century of the most accelerated rate of change in history, a cataclysmic shaping of destiny.
In The Proud Tower, Barbara Tuchman concentrates on society rather than the state. With an artist's selectivity, Tuchman bings to vivid life the people, places, and events that shaped the years leading up to the Great War: the Edwardian aristocracy and the end of their reign; the Anarchists of Europe and America, who voiced the protest of the oppressed; Germany, as portrayed through the figure of the self-depicted Hero, Richard Strauss; the sudden gorgeous blaze of Diaghilev's Russian Ballet and Stravinsky's music; the Dreyfus Affair; the two Peace Conferences at the Hague; and, finally, the youth, ideals, enthusiasm, and tragedy of Socialism, epitomized in the moment when the heroic Jean Jaurès was shot to death on the night the War began and an epoch ended.
"Tuchman [was] a distinguished historian who [wrote] her books with a rare combination of impeccable scholarship and literary polish. . . . It would be impossible to read The Proud Tower without pleasure and admiration."
--The New York Times
Barbara Tuchman: The Guns of August & the Proud Tower (Library of America) (Hardback) - Common
(Two of Tuchman's classic military observations--"The Guns...)
Two of Tuchman's classic military observations--"The Guns of August" and "The Proud Tower"--are presented for the first time in one volume to mark Tuchman's centennial year and the 50th anniversary of the publication of "The Guns of August."
Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45
(Barbara W. Tuchman won the Pulitzer Prize for Stilwell an...)
Barbara W. Tuchman won the Pulitzer Prize for Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45 in 1972. She uses the life of Joseph Stilwell, the military attache to China in 1935-39 and commander of United States forces and allied chief of staff to Chiang Kai-shek in 1942-44, to explore the history of China from the revolution of 1911 to the turmoil of World War II, when China's Nationalist government faced attack from Japanese invaders and Communist insurgents. Her story is an account of both American relations with China and the experiences of one of our men on the ground. In the cantankerous but level-headed "Vinegar Joe," Tuchman found a subject who allowed her to perform, in the words of The National Review, "one of the historian's most envied magic acts: conjoining a fine biography of a man with a fascinating epic story."
(" The future of all Asia is at stake, along with the trem...)
" The future of all Asia is at stake, along with the tremendous effort America has expended in that region...I know of no other man who has the ability, the force, and the determination to offset that disaster that threatens China." This is the message sent by President Roosevelt to Chiang Kai-shek in July 1944, at the height of World War II requesting the appointment of General Joseph W. Stillwell as commander of all China's Armed Forces.
('Vinegar Joe' Stilwell, the general who was the American ...)
'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell, the general who was the American commander in the China-Burma-India theatre of World War II, had a deep love of China. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman, combines a fascinating narrative of America's relationship with China from the fall of the Manchu Dynasty through to the rise of Mao Tse-Tung with an intimate biography of Vinegar Joe. Stilwell loved China deeply, spoke its languages and understood its people as few Westerners have. Tuchman traces his life from his first visit during the 1911 Revolution through the Second World War to his confrontation with Chiang Kai-shek. Entwined with his fortunes is the story of American and British foreign policy in the Far East.
Stilwell and the American Experience in China 1911-1945
('Vinegar Joe' Stilwell, the general who was the American ...)
'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell, the general who was the American commander in the China-Burma-India theatre of World War II, had a deep love of China. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman, combines a fascinating narrative of America's relationship with China from the fall of the Manchu Dynasty through to the rise of Mao Tse-Tung with an intimate biography of Vinegar Joe. Stilwell loved China deeply, spoke its languages and understood its people as few Westerners have. Tuchman traces his life from his first visit during the 1911 Revolution through the Second World War to his confrontation with Chiang Kai-shek. Entwined with his fortunes is the story of American and British foreign policy in the Far East.
Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45
(Suberb biography of Joe Stilwell, who lived in China for ...)
Suberb biography of Joe Stilwell, who lived in China for 30 years, spoke the language and loved the people. Te author also lived in China and knows what happened from personal experience.
(I ship all orders within 24 hours of sale and guarantee c...)
I ship all orders within 24 hours of sale and guarantee customer satisfaction. Tuchman, Barbara W. Knopf, 1978. Good condition; was once a library book, but little evidence besides a mylar over the dust jacket. Please contact me with any questions. All the best, Watson.
(A collection of essays by the author of "A Distant Mirror...)
A collection of essays by the author of "A Distant Mirror", "Zimmermann Telegram", "Bible and Sword", "The Proud Tower" and "August 1914". This is a discussion of the techniques of writing history and the historian's role and covers subjects from Mao's China to Israel's Six Day War and Watergate.
(Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Barbara W. Tuchman, auth...)
Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Barbara W. Tuchman, author of the World War I masterpiece The Guns of August, grapples with her boldest subject: the pervasive presence, through the ages, of failure, mismanagement, and delusion in government.
Drawing on a comprehensive array of examples, from Montezuma’s senseless surrender of his empire in 1520 to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Barbara W. Tuchman defines folly as the pursuit by government of policies contrary to their own interests, despite the availability of feasible alternatives. In brilliant detail, Tuchman illuminates four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of folly: the Trojan War, the breakup of the Holy See provoked by the Renaissance popes, the loss of the American colonies by Britain’s George III, and the United States’ own persistent mistakes in Vietnam. Throughout The March of Folly, Tuchman’s incomparable talent for animating the people, places, and events of history is on spectacular display.
Praise for The March of Folly
“A glittering narrative . . . a moral [book] on the crimes and follies of governments and the misfortunes the governed suffer in consequence.”—The New York Times Book Review
“An admirable survey . . . I haven’t read a more relevant book in years.”—John Kenneth Galbraith, The Boston Sunday Globe
“A superb chronicle . . . a masterly examination.”—Chicago Sun-Times
(Twice a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author Barbara Tuch...)
Twice a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author Barbara Tuchman now tackles the pervasive presence of folly in governments thru the ages. Defining folly as the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interests, despite the availability of feasible alternatives, Tuchman details four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of folly in government: the Trojan War, the breakup of the Holy See provoked by Renaissance Popes, the loss of the American colonies by Britain's George III & the USA's persistent folly in Vietnam. THE MARCH OF FOLLY brings the people, places & events of history alive for today's reader
The Mirror of the past- A Distant Mirror & The March of Folly Two Volume Set
(Brand New! The Mirror of the Past: A Distant Mirror and T...)
Brand New! The Mirror of the Past: A Distant Mirror and The March of Folly (2 Volume Set)Barbara TuchmanHardcover with slipcase, blue cloth covers in gold slipcase, 2 volume set. Published by the Folio Society
(Barbara W. Tuchman, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of ...)
Barbara W. Tuchman, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of the classic The Guns of August, turns her sights homeward with this brilliant, insightful narrative of the Revolutionary War.
In The First Salute, one of America’s consummate historians crafts a rigorously original view of the American Revolution. Barbara W. Tuchman places the Revolution in the context of the centuries-long conflicts between England and both France and Holland, demonstrating how the aid to the American colonies of both these nations made the triumph of independence possible. She sheds new light on the key role played by the contending navies, paints a magnificent portrait of George Washington, and recounts in riveting detail the decisive campaign of the war at Yorktown. By turns lyrical and gripping, The First Salute is an exhilarating account of the birth of a nation.
Praise for The First Salute
“Nothing in a novel could be more thrilling than the moment in this glorious history when French soldiers arrive [to] see a tall, familiar figure: George Washington. . . . It is only part of Tuchman’s genius that she can reconstitute such scenes with so much precision and passion.”—People
“Tuchman writes narrative history in the great tradition. . . . A persuasive book, which brings us entertaining pictures, scenes and characters.”—Chicago Tribune
“[A] tightly woven narrative, ingeniously structured.”—The Christian Science Monitor
(This is a narrative history of the tumultuous years of th...)
This is a narrative history of the tumultuous years of the American War of Independence, using the salute of the St Eustatius as the starting point in an examination of the rivalries that determined Europe's crucial role in the American struggle.
The First Salute A View Of The American Revolution
(Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and best-selling au...)
Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and best-selling author Barbara W. Tuchman analyzes the American Revolution in a brilliantly original way, placing the war in the historical context of the centuries-long conflicts between England and both France and Holland. This compellingly written history paints a magnificent portrait of General George Washington and recounts in riveting detail the events responsible for the birth of our nation.
The First Salute: A View of the American Revolution
([Read by Wanda McCaddon]
Two-time winner of the Pulitze...)
[Read by Wanda McCaddon]
Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and best-selling author Barbara W. Tuchman analyzes the American Revolution in a brilliantly original way, placing the war in the historical context of the centuries-long conflicts between England and both France and Holland. This compellingly written history paints a magnificent portrait of General George Washington and recounts in riveting detail the events responsible for the birth of our nation.
Barbara Tuchman: The Guns of August & the Proud Tower (Library of America) (Hardback) - Common
(Two of Tuchman's classic military observations--"The Guns...)
Two of Tuchman's classic military observations--"The Guns of August" and "The Proud Tower"--are presented for the first time in one volume to mark Tuchman's centennial year and the 50th anniversary of the publication of "The Guns of August."
The Mirror of the past- A Distant Mirror & The March of Folly Two Volume Set
(Brand New! The Mirror of the Past: A Distant Mirror and T...)
Brand New! The Mirror of the Past: A Distant Mirror and The March of Folly (2 Volume Set)Barbara TuchmanHardcover with slipcase, blue cloth covers in gold slipcase, 2 volume set. Published by the Folio Society
(Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Barbara W. Tuchman draws...)
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Barbara W. Tuchman draws on historical examples to illustrate the folly of governments who pursue policies contrary to their own interests, despite the availability of feasible alternatives. Tuchman discusses four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of folly: the Trojan War, the breakup of the Holy See provoked by the Renaissance popes, the loss of the American colonies by Britain's George III, and the United States' own persistent mistakes in Vietnam.
The Proud Tower A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890 - 1914
(THE PROUD TOWER by Barbara Tuchman examines the Western W...)
THE PROUD TOWER by Barbara Tuchman examines the Western World of approximately 100 years ago. Technologically the world was a very different from today, but the strifes between economic groups and among nations bears many similarities to our own time. Tuchman examines the economic, social, political, and technological world of the period 1890-1914. By this period, the United States had become an important player in world affairs. The Haymarket Affair in Chicago fueled the development of international anarchism which led to the assasinations of political figures in Russia, Italy, France and lastly President McKinley in the United States. Tuchman's unraveling of the the Dreyfus Affair is, in itself, worth the price of the book. In THE PROUD TOWER Tuchman describes the western world that exploded into The Great War (which she describes in THE GUNS OF AUGUST).
Tarikh-e Bi-Kheradi ! Az Trova ta Vietnam. "The March of Folly! From Troy to Vientam"
(This is a pleasant history of foolishness, mainly by rule...)
This is a pleasant history of foolishness, mainly by rulers and politicians during the ages. Though the subject and language of the book is clear and academic but it is still understandable by the ordinary reader.
Der ferne Spiegel: Das dramatische 14. Jahrhundert (German Edition)
(Ein moderner Klassiker der Geschichtsschreibung
Bestsell...)
Ein moderner Klassiker der Geschichtsschreibung
Bestsellerautorin Barbara Tuchman schuf mit »Der ferne Spiegel« einen modernen Klassiker der Geschichtsschreibung. Mit sicherem und kundigem Blick für die »große« politische Geschichte und feinem Gespür für die Alltags- und Mentalitätsgeschichte gelingt es ihr, das pralle Leben im dramatischen 14. Jahrhundert und damit im Herbst des Mittelalters einzufangen.
Im Mittelpunkt von Barbara Tuchmans faszinierender Schilderung des 14. Jahrhunderts steht die Lebensgeschichte des französischen Adeligen Enguerrand de Coucy VII. Im zarten Alter von 15 Jahren zieht Coucy das erste Mal als Ritter in die Schlacht, erlebt den Hundertjährigen Krieg hautnah mit und wird schließlich vom englischen König als Geisel genommen. Coucy wird im Laufe seines Lebens Zeuge dramatischer, ja scheinbar apokalyptischer Ereignisse: Die Pest sucht Europa heim, religiöse Fanatiker hetzen die Menschen auf, Papst und Gegenpapst bekriegen sich, auf Frankreichs Thron sitzt ein Wahnsinniger, und im Osten rücken die Osmanen vor.
Gleichzeitig kannten die Kreativität und das Kunstschaffen der Menschen nun, gleichsam auf der Schwelle vom Mittelalter zur Neuzeit, keine Grenzen. Boccaccio schuf sein epochemachendes Werk Decamerone, Giotto bereitete in Italien den Weg für die Renaissance und in ganz Europa entstanden Kathedralen von ungekannter Größe und Pracht.
Bible and Sword: England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour (Paperback) - Common
(From Barbara W. Tuchman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of...)
From Barbara W. Tuchman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Guns of August, "comes history with a wide-angle lens: a fascinating chronicle of Britain's long relationship with Palestine and the Middle East, from the ancient world to the twentieth century. The British have historically been drawn to the Holy Land for two major reasons: first, to translate the Bible into English and, later, to co...
Barbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American historian and author. She won the Pulitzer Prize twice, for The Guns of August (1962), a best-selling history of the prelude to and the first month of World War I, and Stilwell and the American Experience in China (1971), a biography of General Joseph Stilwell.
Background
She was born January 30, 1912, the Jewish daughter of the banker Maurice Wertheim and his first wife Alma Morgenthau. Her father was an individual of wealth and prestige, the owner of The Nation magazine, president of the American Jewish Congress, prominent art collector, and a founder of the Theatre Guild. Her mother was the daughter of Henry Morgenthau, Sr., Woodrow Wilson's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
Education
Wertheim was influenced at an early age by the books of Lucy Fitch Perkins and G.A. Henty, as well as the historical novels of Alexandre Dumas. She attended the Walden School on Manhattan's Upper West Side. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Radcliffe College in 1933, having studied history and literature.
Career
Upon her return to New York she began work¬ing for the Nation, which her father had bought to save it from bankruptcy. Initially clipping newspaper articles, she was soon writing and editing them herself, and in 1937 was sent to Spain to report on the Spanish Civil War.
From Spain she traveled around Europe, working for a while in London as a magazine writer as well as at her own book, The Lost British Policy, on British policy toward Spain. She continued working as a journalist when she returned home in 1938.
With the specter of Hitler looming, her husband, Dr. Reginald Tuchman, preferred not to bring children into the world, but as she wrote, “The tyranny of men not being quite as total as today’s feminists would have us believe,” their first daughter was born nine months later. Two more daughters followed after the war, but she continued to write while raising her family. From 1943 to 1945 she worked for the U.S. Office of War Information. Her second book, Bible and Sword(1956), was on relations between Britain and Zionism and expressed her sympathy for the Zionist cause.
The Zimmerman Telegram, appearing two years later, was about the repercussions of a message (intercepted and publicized by the British) which had been sent from Germany to a German diplomat in Mexico, proposing that Mexico reconquer certain territories in the southwestern United States.
Her subsequent book was the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Guns of August, an ambitious sketch of the prelude to and first thirty days of World War I. which she described as “the chasm between our world and a world that died forever.” She researched her subject thoroughly, driving around the battlefields in a rented Renault sedan, and taking notes on index cards which she carried around in her purse. Notwithstanding its military subject, the book’s emphasis on human qualities gave it a popular appeal, and it was made into a documentary film in 1964.
Tower, on the pre-World War I years, including a section on the Dreyfus affair; Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45’, Notes from Asia’, and The March of Folly, which covered several historical crises from the fall of Troy to Vietnam.
She preferred history to fiction because she believed that it offered a greater challenge and responsibility to the writer. She adhered to the school that held that historians should try to write history as it actually occurred, although she admitted that this was an unattainable goal. Her idea of heaven was the National Archives and the manuscript division of the Library of Congress. Although she was at times accused of omissions, misinterpretations, and oversimplification, for the most part, critics praised her for her intelligence, clarity and consummate narrative skill. Her last books — A Distant Mirror; The Calamitous 14th Century and The First Salute — were best-sellers.
Trustee Radcliffe College, 1960—1972, New York Public Library., from 1980. Fellow: American Academy of Arts and Letters (Gold medal for history 1978), Smithsonian Council, American Academy Arts and Letters (president 1978-1980). Member: Society of America Historians 1971-1973, Authors League (council member), Authors Guild (treasurer), Cosmopolitan Club, Order Leopold 1st Class Belgium (decorated).
Connections
Married Lester R. Tuchman, 1940. Children: Lucy, Jessica, Alma.