Category Archives: Graduate School

To Understand And To Be Understood

Posted on September 21, 2023 by nathanalbright

Frequently in life I have found myself consulted by people who wished to have things explained to them, and without having ever studied formally to be a teacher, the task has often fallen to me from my youth to tutor … Continue reading →

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On Reading Critical Literature

Posted on September 7, 2022 by nathanalbright

Today I received three books in the mail that all happened to be Norton Critical Editions of three of Jane Austen’s novels: Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, and Mansfield Park. I already had, thanks to a couple of online courses at … Continue reading →

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On The Greatness Of Great Books

Posted on August 15, 2022 by nathanalbright

One of the characteristics of mediocre books is that they are a product of their time, and of great books is that they speak to all times. How does this happen? What is it that makes a book great rather … Continue reading →

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How To Become An Atlantic Historian Without Really Trying

Posted on June 12, 2018 by nathanalbright

From time to time [1], I reflect on how one becomes something without conscious intention, or creates things without doing so consciously.  What is most striking to me is how these things happen in deeply obscure fields of study where … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Graduate School, History, Musings | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Book Review: The Christology In The Apostolic Fathers

Posted on May 18, 2018 by nathanalbright

The Christology In The Apostolic Fathers, by Alonzo Rosecrans Stark While I found much fault with the author’s approach to the apostolic fathers, I found this to be a worthwhile book about the apostolic fathers, as it was the author’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity, Graduate School, History | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Book Review: Lincoln On Leadership

Posted on February 29, 2016 by nathanalbright

Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies For Tough Times, by Donald t. Phillips I snagged this book, along with a few other ones, on a recent trip to a Gig Harbor independent bookstore that led at least one of my friends … Continue reading →

Posted in American Civil War, American History, Book Reviews, Graduate School, History | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

So That Crows Flying Over It For The Balance Of The Season Will Have To Carry Their Provender With Them

Posted on December 12, 2015 by nathanalbright

When studying for my Masters of Arts in military history at Norwich University a few years ago, I was required to take a course on American military history. As might be expected, my favorite area of that class was the … Continue reading →

Posted in American Civil War, American History, Christianity, Graduate School, History, Military History, Musings | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

On The Intelligent Design Of Processes

Posted on December 9, 2015 by nathanalbright

When I was an undergraduate student, I took it upon myself once to write, for the final paper of a course on historiography, an examination of the pseudoscience of naturalism [1]. After that piece of writing, from time to time … Continue reading →

Posted in Graduate School, History, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Non-Book Review: The Wars Of German Unification

Posted on October 14, 2015 by nathanalbright

The Wars Of German Unification, by Dennis Showalter Anytime I request a book from the Michigan War Studies Review [1], I am committing to a pretty ambitious review of a book. Each book review for this journal is intended to … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Graduate School, History, Military History | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

My Old Shoe

Posted on October 10, 2015 by nathanalbright

When I arrived at work this morning, I found that one of my colleagues, with a shared interest in data and with a strong preference for databases rather than spreadsheets as the foundation of business information, had shared three online … Continue reading →

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