“The Emperor: Charlemagne”, by Russell Chamberlin

245 pages, Franklin Watts, ISBN-13: 978-0531150047

“Neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire” – Voltaire’s glib gibe about the Holy Roman Empire was literally true but, like all such glib gibes, missed the essential point: for a thousand years people believed it existed, or thought it ought to exist; for a thousand years, as they tore at each other in fratricidal wars, Europeans nevertheless nursed the idea of a unity that would bind, not destroy, their racial identities. The Treaty of Rome of 1957, which established the European Economic Community, might lack the drama of the events of Christmas Day, 800, but it shared the same dynamic, even if it, like it’s predecessor, doesn’t live up to expectations. And so we come to The Emperor: Charlemagne – or is it The Emperor Charlemagne? Both versions of the title are used interchangeably – by Russell Chamberlin – or is it E.R. Chamberlin? Again, both versions of the author’s name are used – is a biography of the first Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne – or is it Karl der Große? Carlo Magno? Caroli Magni? – and one of the founders of Europe. Few men have exerted such a lasting influence on the course of Western history as Charlemagne (let’s stick with that, shall we?): at the height of his power in the early 9^th Century, the King of the Franks and Lombards and Emperor of the Romans ruled all the Christian lands of western Europe (except for the British Isles, Southern Italy and Sicily). Charismatic, gregarious, energetic and cultured (though functionally illiterate), he initiated and encouraged a renaissance of learning and artistic enterprise that appeared to later generations as a Golden Age. An incomparable general, administrator and law-giver, he was as skilled on the battlefield as in the council chamber, and by sheer force of character held together an empire that rivaled the Byzantines in the East. Not bad, Chuck; not bad at all. Chamberlin’s book is brief – only 245 pages – and, thus, serves more as a primer on the life of the first HRE. He whips through his life at breakneck speed, touching on the important bits and stressing the impactful moments, but by the end you’re just a little bit less ignorant of the giant Frank than you were when you started. Not a bad book, there’s just better, longer and more fleshed-out ones available. Now, then I just gotta find em.

“The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself”, by Daniel J. Boorstin

763 pages, Random House, ISBN-13: 978-0394402291

The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself by Daniel J. Boorstin – the late American historian at the University of Chicago and twelfth Librarian of the United States Congress – is the history of human discovery in all its many forms: exploration, scientific, medical, mathematical, and the more theoretical ones such as time, evolution, plate tectonics and relativity. He praises the inventive, human mind and its eternal quest to discover the universe and our place within (it is also the first in the “Knowledge Trilogy” that includes The Creators and The Seekers). In this book the author takes the reader through the moments in history where the great leaps forward took place. Many were the product of individual people, such as Prince Henry the Navigator who insisted that vessels of exploration continue past a particularly featureless section of the West African coast despite sailors’ fears that it was the beginning of the end of the world. Boorstin introduces the human aspect of each drama of discovery, including illuminating and frequently petty concerns that sometimes animated the great thinkers and doers of the ages.

Boorstin blended two distinct historical approaches in order to better show the history of human knowledge: the study of ideas and how they influence Man; and the study of modern science as part of this overall trend. In some ways the book is subtly subversive as much of the history of discovery turns out to be the history of “unlearning”: many of the great moments of advancement were those when a person, group or culture managed to escape the constraints of mysticism, religion, racism and dogma in order to discern actual truths. The roughly 1000 years during which Europe collectively rejected knowledge and thought in favor of religious cosmology is treated for what it is: a colossal waste of lives and human potential. In many cases, too, even though the seemingly great discovery of the moment was totally, factually wrong, the real discovery was not the answer to a question, but that the question was asked at all. The story of human progress could be terribly frustrating, but Boorstin’s focus on the positive moments of rising above the muck of ignorance invites the reader to focus on the hope that humanity can continue on this path.

“Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times”, by H. W. Brands

656 pages, Anchor, ISBN-13: 978-1400030729

Picture this: a boring-as-hell meeting in which nothing of substance is said and even less gets done. NOW picture this: a sallow, hollow-cheeked septuagenarian in obvious physical discomfort standing up in the middle of one of these meetings, walking out the door and, when challenged by the speaker as to why he was leaving, looking them right in the eye and say something, like, “Because, sir/madam, you are one of the most boring human beings on the planet and are wasting my valuable time.” THAT was Andrew Jackson, Old Hickory himself, a man who did not suffer fools gladly, and he is caught in all of his curmudgeonly glory by H. W. Brands in Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times. He was definitely one of the most colorful presidents our nation has ever had, and it’s always quite a nice change to read about a president who never really wanted to be President (such creatures are rare). This was a man who had a very rough life, whose struggling parents moved to the frontier (now Tennessee) to try to make a living and yet both died leaving Andrew Jackson as a young orphan. From there, he plowed on doing anything he could do to survive.

Brands manages to keep his readers interested without a lot of bloated jargon and keeps the narrative going in a quick, yet leisurely fashion; I never once felt bogged down by the details. Brands also understands that many of his readers may be unfamiliar with many of the current events, so he also carefully gives his readers helpful background information surrounding many of the events. Example: One thing we read about a lot in this book is the practice of “dueling” (you know, when two men stand back to back, take ten paces, and then turn around and shoot); well, Jackson participated in many of these events as did others close to him, so H.W. Brands spends just the right amount of time giving his reader a primer on some of the lesser known aspects of the practice. Currently, Andrew Jackson seems to receive quite a bit of heat because of his outdated racist beliefs (he may even lose his place on the $20 bill); we must remember, however, that these views were quite common because of people’s surroundings. Perhaps the author gives him too much leeway, but Jackson didn’t come across as particularly harsh when compared to many of his contemporaries. Other than John Quincy Adams (the man who Jackson succeeded as President), you rarely find people that had acceptable attitudes towards race and gender equality up until the late 20^th Century.

I learned a lot from this book. I liked the man’s attitude, his unwavering stances, and his determination to do whatever it took for his young country to succeed and stay on track. I also found it quite interesting that partisan politics is definitely something that is not new. Despite what many people will tell you, our country isn’t really getting “worse” when it comes to arguing politics – you see this behavior just as fervent in Jackson’s day – it’s just that people didn’t have twitter accounts nor the ability to generate hateful memes to distribute across the virtual galaxy in a matter of minutes. I sure would like to see someone like this as President again – someone that truly doesn’t want the job, but the majority of people convince him/her that their country needs them.