A guest post from my dear, geeky hubby, Steve…

Laura’s asked me to review a
couple of books for you folks; she tells me my last review snagged her thirty
bucks from Amazon. Did anyone
really purchase The Three Stooges box set? I hope so! Thanks
for shopping through 11D! Every dollar means one more smile from Laura, one more book for the library, and one
month shaved from the lifespan of the IKEA Billy bookshelf.

So here we go,
my reading list from the past few months. Hope you enjoy exotic locales, intrepid explorers, and the futility of
empire!

Anderson, Fred.
Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766

A real tour de
force; the hardcopy would make a keen doorstop. But that’s not to say this one isn’t worth a read. Chock full of goodness; parliamentary
politics, Indian diplomacy, and enough army stuff to satiate the hunger of the
most geeky of military historians.
This is the story of the first global war, a battle for survival between
the two greatest empires of the time, started and ended right here in eastern
North America. Unlike in past
battles between France and Britain, however, Britain went in for the kill, and
with her extraordinary success she laid the foundation for her own imperial
collapse. A fine piece of
history; well-written and well-researched. But be forewarned: it’s deep!

Bonus points: I bought this in the Fort
Ticonderoga bookstore. Very
appropriate! After finishing the book I put “Last of the Mohicans” into the Netflix
queue. Read the book to find out why!

Continue reading “Steve’s Five Best History Book for Fall 2009” →