Monthly Archives: January 2024

Book Review: Crecy

Posted on January 20, 2024 by nathanalbright

Crecy: Battle Of The Five Kings, by Michael Livingston Revisionist history sometimes gets a bad name, because some people like revising what the author here calls the vulgato, the myth and the received wisdom of a given story for the sake … Continue reading →

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A Crisis In Search Of An Explanation

Posted on January 19, 2024 by nathanalbright

What does Iran want? When twice within the course of a week a nation manages to provoke difficulties on two fronts, it is fair to wonder what sort of conditions are leading a nation’s leaders to engage in what others may … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Why Hell Stinks Of Sulfur

Posted on January 19, 2024 by nathanalbright

Why Hell Stinks Of Sulfur: Mythology And Geology Of The Underworld, by Salomon Kroonenberg, translated by Andy Brown Sometimes the reasons why an author writes a book are not immediately obvious or completely straightforward. This book, translated from a Dutch original, purports … Continue reading →

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The Bible And Historical Reputation: Part One

Posted on January 18, 2024 by nathanalbright

[Note: The following is the prepared text for a Bible Study given on Wednesday, January 17th, for the Portland, Oregon congregation of the United Church of God.] We are coming up in a time of year where there are a great … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Super Volcanoes

Posted on January 17, 2024 by nathanalbright

Super Volcanoes: What they Reveal About Earth And The Worlds Beyond, by Robin George Andrews Typically, volcanoes are viewed as a negative aspect of existence, as a threat to the well-being of people. This book seeks to do something unusual, and that … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Cherokee Nation And the Trail Of Tears

Posted on January 16, 2024 by nathanalbright

The Cherokee Nation And The Trail Of Tears, by Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green This is the sort of book that could have been considerably better had it been longer. The book, which runs less than 200 pages, really does … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Before The Dawn

Posted on January 15, 2024 by nathanalbright

Before The Dawn: Recovering The Lost History Of Our Ancestors, by Nicholas Wade Though there are a lot of areas where I fault this book, I view this book with a certain degree of respect as well, and see it as … Continue reading →

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On The Disneyfication Of National Geographic

Posted on January 14, 2024 by nathanalbright

National Geographic, or Not Geo, was once the unofficial national geographer of the United States, and at some point–in 2019–the company was purchased by Walt Disney Company, where it always was a strange fit among their brands. Originally intended as a … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Shady Characters

Posted on January 13, 2024 by nathanalbright

Shady Characters: The Secret Life Of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks, by Keith Houston This is the sort of book where it is easy to know if you will like it or not. Are you fond of odd characters and their … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Cityscapes: Seville, Cordoba, And Grenada

Posted on January 12, 2024 by nathanalbright

Cityscapes: Seville, Cordoba, And Grenada: A Cultural History, by Elizabeth Nash This is a book which pretends to speak in favor of the communities and cities it writes about but ends up inevitably criticizing it in one of two directions. Seville, Cordoba, and … Continue reading →

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