Sunday 28 February 2010

"Double Blue: An Illustrated History of the Toronto Argonauts" (2007)

Double Blue: An Illustrated History of the Toronto Argonauts, edited by Jim O’Leary and Wayne Parrish (Toronto, ON: ECW Books, 2007).

A heavily illustrated, informative overview of the storied, oldest football franchise in North America. As a historian, I found the coffee-table format a bit light for my liking, and many of the stories would have benefitted from some sourcing, but the book was entertaining. The photography was phenomenal. A must for fans, for those wanting to understand the CFL, or the history of the league, the book will likely leave you wanting.

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Richard J. Evans, "The Coming of the Third Reich" (2003)

Richard J. Evans, The Coming of the Third Reich (Penguin, 2003).

The first of a planned three-volume series, this book deals significantly, and somewhat surprisingly, with the deep roots of Nazi Germany. It explores some of the ideologies and socio-political elements of Bismarckian Germany, strangely gives shorter shrift to the First World War, and pays much attention to national coping strategies that developed during the 1920s. While the book has its shortcomings, it is a good read. A fuller review will follow later.

In the interim, the following captures some elements of my response to the book:
http://illadvised.blogspot.com/2005/11/book-richard-evans-coming-of-third.html