"Civilizations of Ancient Iraq" by Benjamin Foster and Karen Foster, Princeton University Press 2012

 

Cover Image Princeton University Press

Ancient Mesopotamia, meaning land between two rivers, resides in modern day Iraq including parts of Syria, Turkey and Iran, contained many ancient civilizations such as the Sumerians and Babylonians. These ancient civilizations ruled the Fertile Crescent from 3100 BCE to around 600 CE. Ancient Historians have a plethora of primary sources written in Cuneiform on tablets, yet many of these tablets remained not translated. Many journal articles have been written on the subject of Ancient Mesopotamia with several books published on the subject as well, but the journals are more prominent in number and harder to obtain because of the expensive cost of the academic journals. The scholarly books are more affordable yet few published volumes are pleasing to read.  Princeton University Press’ book Civilizations of Ancient Iraq by Benjamin Foster and Karen Foster is the latest scholarly work to spread its knowledge to the masses.  Benjamin Foster teaches at Yale University in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department.  As Professor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature and Curator of the Yale Babylonian Collection, Dr. Foster exemplifies his expertise as an expert in Ancient Mesopotamia, especially in Akkadian literature with his earlier publication titled Before the Muses, a translation of a plethora of Akkadian literature sources. In addition to Dr. Foster holding a professorship at Yale University, Karen Foster also holds a teaching position at Yale University in their Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department. Her expertise rises in Art of the Ancient Near East and Aegean. Both Fosters received their PhD from Yale University.  One would deduce from the expertise of Dr. Benjamin Foster and Dr. Karen Foster and the scholarly reputation of Yale that Civilizations of Ancient Iraq delivers as a cornerstone volume on Ancient Mesopotamia……

“Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany” by Benjamin Arnold, Cambridge University Press 2003

Cover image Cambridge University Press

Medieval Germany, more commonly referred to as the Holy Roman Empire,  is an exciting region during the Middle Ages. The Holy Roman Empire first received its name from the time Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great or Karl der Gross, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor from the Church. Medieval Germany consisted of an extravagant  number of nobles ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Medieval Germany scholarly works are hard to come by since most, understandably, are published in German not English. 

Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany by Benjamin Arnold is an interesting and fundamental work for any enthusiastic party yearning to learn about Medieval Germany. Dr. Arnold is emeritus professor of history at The University of Reading. Dr. Arnold's fantastic work on medieval Germany illustrates a major question about pre-modern Germany's political history: why did a plethora of states and territories emerge at the close of the Middle Ages instead of a “nation state” under a crown? Modern day neighbors of Germany emerged from the Middle Ages as nation states under their respective crowns including Spain, France, England and the Dutch. Dr. Arnold explains Germany's detour to its present day state with a look at the different German nobles and relationships each noble class had with their king and the Church. Do not be misled by the title of this monograph. The book dives into Medieval Germany and it does not list the princes and their respected territories. 

"Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and His Times" by Radu R. Florescu and Raymond T. McNally, Back Bay Books, 1989.

Introduction:

Do you ever wonder where the legend of Dracula came from or how Stoker created such a perfect monster? Unbelievably, the fictional character is based off a true person. The history book titled Dracula Prince of Many Faces: His Life and His Times explains the mysterious background of Vlad Tepes Dracul. Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler, Vlad III, Vlad Dracul, Dracula) was the historical person that Stoker based Dracula, his brutal and bloodthirsty character. The authors Radu R. Florescu and Raymond T. McNally capture the ruthlessness and courage that constituted Vlad Tepes’ life. Florescu and McNally were both history professors at Boston College. They have written extensively on Vlad Tepes. This book will open up one’s interest in medieval history, especially in the secluded histories of Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.