Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kindle edition vs. paperback: functionality issues, September 13, 2010
I am reading the Kindle version of "A Peace to End All Peace" but also own the paperback edition of this excellent book. The Kindle version is less functional than the print edition for people who frequently consult the bibliography and index when reading non-fiction.
The Kindle edition's bibliography lacks the paperback's hanging indent format. All lines are left-justified, making the page look like a solid, undifferentiated mass of words. It is hard to see where each entry begins and to look up particular authors.
In addition, one cannot use the Kindle edition's index to navigate to relevant passages in the main text. Because the original page numbers do "not match the pages in your eBook", the index shows only "the terms that appear in the print index". I have had uneven success with the suggested alternative of using "the search function on your eReading device". Further, the lack of formatting that hobbles the Kindle edition's bibliography also reduces the readability and usefulness of its index (i.e., list of terms) as a search aid. No hanging indents or other formatting techniques visually set off multi-line entries from entries that precede or follow them.
As someone new to the Kindle, I don't know how common these formatting and functionality problems are for non-fiction eBooks generally, or how difficult it would be to resolve them. I do know, however, that bibliographies and indexes are an integral part of the reading experience. If eBooks are to become a competitive reading option for non-fiction, especially scholarly works, their bibliographies and indexes need to be as functional as their hard-copy counterparts' are.
A Peace to End All Peace, 20th Anniversary Edition: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of A Peace to End All Peace, 20th Anniversary Edition: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great overview, but uneven in scope and detail, January 27, 2011
This review is from: A Peace to End All Peace, 20th Anniversary Edition: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East (Paperback)
Fromkin delivers what he promises; how after the fall of the Ottoman Empire during the Great War, the modern Middle East was basically drawn in the map. He explains how the Englishmen were ignorant in Middle Eastern affairs and how the religious fervor in both continents shaped many of the events recounted in the book. The story has a very clear arch. The formation of the Middle East is a counterpoint to the destruction of the Old European Order after the First World War.
Where the book fails is in its internal dynamic. For some people this book lacks details, for others it has too much. I was annoyed by both, some parts of the book don't have detail at all, others are overwhelming. This makes the reading a bit uneven from chapter to chapter, with a consequential loss of insight. Fromkin claims that Chruchill is the central and structural character that shapes the book. I found that to be a failed enterprise.
On the other hand, the book is a very interesting reading, it demystifies a lot, and the insights at the beginning, and specially at the end are really worthwhile. The thesis is that, if Europe needed 1000 years to shape itself after the fall of the Roman Empire, how many year does the Middle East need?
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good info, needs better organization, July 2, 2010
This review is from: A Peace to End All Peace, 20th Anniversary Edition: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East (Paperback)
The book has really good information on how the modern middle east came to be, but the layout of the book is sometimes confusing. The timeline jumps around a bit, and the number of people involved make it difficult to understand what is going on at times. Nevertheless, if you take the time, you will learn a great deal from this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
