Posted in European History, History for Adults on June 29, 2007 | No Comments »
Imagine a man who is both ruler of his kingdom and the vassal to another king for vast lands he possesses in that king’s country–a man who is at once sovereign, and beholden to another lord–a man whose whim is law in one context, but whose obligations in another context constrict his every move. You [...]
Posted in American History, The Middle East on June 26, 2007 | 4 Comments »
One of the few widely held generalities about history is that it tends to “repeat itself.” Of course, far fewer people can recall George Santayana’s complete quote, and fewer still take it seriously.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
In that vein, let me quote an interesting passage from an article in [...]
Posted in European History on June 21, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Teller (of Penn & Teller), a former Latin teacher and noted fan of A First History for Adults™ who may join us here at PHR on occasion, offers his own spin on the “Eur-Am Connection” in one of his road essays.
His essay, written as optional homework in Powell History’s 30-lecture course on the “Story of [...]
Posted in European History, History for Adults on June 20, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Part 1 of 5: The “Eur-Am” Connection
Although the average American is now more likely to be taught the story of Leif Ericsson than that of Christopher Columbus, most everyone still knows that Columbus sailed on his fateful voyage in 1492. Despite the debate over whether this constitutes the Discovery of America, no one can deny that [...]
Posted in Personal on June 19, 2007 | 4 Comments »
Hi folks! I’m in Houston, scouting out a new home base for Powell History.
Anyone who has ever moved their family knows what a big undertaking it is, but those who take my classes will especially appreciate what it means to say that a new period is beginning in my life. And it’s connected to the most exciting [...]
Posted in Powell History Book Recommendations on June 14, 2007 | 2 Comments »
Although my primary focus in PHR will always remain to provide readers with guidance in finding the best history books ever written, I decided that in this first offering of PHR, I want to start by introducing you to a book that will help you find a way to fit more history into your life. In fact, [...]
