The Classic Guide to Famous Assassinations (Classic Guides) by Sarah Herman
| The Classic Guide to Famous Assassinations (Classic Guides) by Sarah Herman | |
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| Category: History | |
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Reviewer: Robert James
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| Summary: Fascinating insight into the assassinations of many famous victims. Definitely recommended to anyone with an interest in the subject. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 192 | Date: January 2012 |
| Publisher: Golden Guides Press Ltd | |
| ISBN: 978-1780950143 | |
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If you ever wanted to know the details of famous assassinations, this is almost certainly the book you've been waiting for. In an easy to read style with lots of bullet points and box-outs, Sarah Herman talks us through history's most famous killings and failed attempts. Starting with Greek and Roman times, subsequent chapters move through religious and royal victims, revolutionaries, Russians and American politicians.
The most important of these victims - the likes of JFK, Julius Caesar, and Tsar Alexander II - get write-ups spanning up to ten pages, split into headings such as 'Victim', 'Assassination', 'Assassins', 'Motives' and 'Aftermath'. Others, including Joseph Smith and Yitzhak Rabin, get a page or two which succinctly sums up the main details. One of the few criticisms I can make of the book is some of the choices for longer articles seem slightly strange - notably Alexander Litvinenko over Osama Bin Laden, say.
That said, even the shorter articles are packed with information, while the longer ones are filled with a huge amount of it. It's hard to imagine anyone reading this without learning a lot on the subject. While most readers are likely to know many of the details of JFK's death, for example, I finished the section on Caesar knowing much more than I previously did. As well, the 'lucky escapes' sections provide some especially interesting insight into just how many famous people could have had their lives cut short. (One of the most intriguing parts is a list of the ways in which the US government tried to get rid of Fidel Castro!)
I really enjoyed Herman's crisp, clear writing style and the relatively short length of each section makes it easy to dip into - although it's hard to put down! This is highly recommended and I love the format; I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in the series.
Another excellent book to dip into is History Without the Boring Bits by Ian Crofton.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Classic Guide to Famous Assassinations (Classic Guides) by Sarah Herman at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Classic Guide to Famous Assassinations (Classic Guides) by Sarah Herman at Amazon.com.
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