In this new collection essays, Matthew Stevenson weaves together a historical tapestry of the last hundred years. From the battlefields of Gallipoli and those around Armenia, to Cold War Washington and modern Beirut, he has written a compelling, yet often humorous and always accessible account of persons and places encountered in his travels.
Remembering the Twentieth Century Limited
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Remembering the Twentieth Century Limited is, as was the train, a wonder to behold. He joins a well-traveled knowledge of history with state of the art powers of observation to conduct his reader on an adventurous wandering of the world in time." --Lewis H. Lapham, founder and editor, Lapham’s Quarterly, author of Gag Rule, Theatre of War; and numerous other books.
"Matthew Stevenson’s letters are always illuminating, always a delight. The revealing chapter on the Hiss case is worth the price alone! " --Simon Hoggart, columnist, the Guardian; (London) and the author of numerous books, including The Hands of History: Parliamentary Sketches 1997-2007
"A banquet in a book with a course to appeal to everybody...battlefields, banking, train journeys, the Cold War and the joys and perils of living in Switzerland, to name just a few. " --Philip Knightley, author of The First Casualty: From Crimea to Vietnam: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist, and Myth Maker
"This is a kind of travel book, the travels being to matters central to the human condition as well as to exotic countries, that prompts affection for the un-rushed pleasure of an earlier time because it rewards with provocation, literary grace and, yes, wisdom which is to say its sophistication makes it wonderfully entertaining. " --George Feifer, author Tennozan: The Battle of Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb
"Matthew Stevenson seems to have been everywhere and noticed everything interesting. But unlike most essayists abroad, he’s already done some reading before he reaches his destination. It’s nice to feel like you're there, but history and context are what make this collection special." --John R. MacArthur, publisher, Harper’s Magazine, and author of You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America
"Matthew Stevenson is the master of the personal essay, transforming his close reading of history and the fascinating accounts of his travels around America and to faraway places into literary delights for virtually every palette. " --Tom Wallace, editor and literary agent
"Matthew Stevenson’s letters are always illuminating, always a delight. The revealing chapter on the Hiss case is worth the price alone! " --Simon Hoggart, columnist, the Guardian; (London) and the author of numerous books, including The Hands of History: Parliamentary Sketches 1997-2007
"A banquet in a book with a course to appeal to everybody...battlefields, banking, train journeys, the Cold War and the joys and perils of living in Switzerland, to name just a few. " --Philip Knightley, author of The First Casualty: From Crimea to Vietnam: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist, and Myth Maker
"This is a kind of travel book, the travels being to matters central to the human condition as well as to exotic countries, that prompts affection for the un-rushed pleasure of an earlier time because it rewards with provocation, literary grace and, yes, wisdom which is to say its sophistication makes it wonderfully entertaining. " --George Feifer, author Tennozan: The Battle of Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb
"Matthew Stevenson seems to have been everywhere and noticed everything interesting. But unlike most essayists abroad, he’s already done some reading before he reaches his destination. It’s nice to feel like you're there, but history and context are what make this collection special." --John R. MacArthur, publisher, Harper’s Magazine, and author of You Can’t Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America
"Matthew Stevenson is the master of the personal essay, transforming his close reading of history and the fascinating accounts of his travels around America and to faraway places into literary delights for virtually every palette. " --Tom Wallace, editor and literary agent
About the Author
Matthew Stevenson was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, attending Buckley Country Day School and Friends Academy. His university degress are from Bucknell and Columbia universities, and he spent a year abroad with the Institute of European Studies in London and Vienna. He moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1991 and worked in banking until 2004. He is a contributing editor to iHarper's Magazine, and the host of The Travel Hour, a radio program. His articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications in the U.S. and Europe.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Matthew Stevenson was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, attending Buckley Country Day School and Friends Academy. His university degrees are from Bucknell and Columbia universities, and he spent a year abroad with the Institute of European Studies in London and Vienna. He moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1991 and worked in banking until 2004. He is a contributing editor to Harper's Magazine, and the host of The Travel Hour, a radio program. He is a panelist on World Radio Switzerland's Not So Foreign Affairs, a weekly broadcast. His articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications in the U.S. and Europe. His books include: Letters of Transit, Mentioned in Dispatches, An April Across America, and, most recently, Remembering the Twentieth Century Limited. His forthcoming book is: Whistle Stopping America.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By R. Resor
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Remembering the 20th Century Limited" is a book that doesn't live up to its promise. Matthew Stevenson has certainly had an interesting life, living as an expatriate in Switzerland for many years, and he has been privileged to know some very interesting people (including Alger Hiss!). But, as seems to often be the case with expats, he appears to have lost touch with the intimate details of American politics, and sees only a sort of distorted caricature of what's happening here.
His interesting insights on the Middle East are weakened by intemperate comments about the Bush administration. His long disquisition on Alger Hiss appears to be yet another attempt to excuse apparent treachery by a "well meaning" individual. Mr. Hiss' motivations may never be understood (perhaps not even by him), but something really did happen. There were indeed a number of young, idealistic Americans who were drawn to the notion of an all-powerful government of wise technocrats. Mr. Stevenson seems to lack the knowledge of political history that would help him understand how the yearnings for a "philospher king" so often lead to fascism. As Winston Churchill famously said, "Democracy is the worst form of government in the world -- except for all the others".
So ultimately I was disappointed in this book. It is well written, and there are insights to be had. Mr. Stevenson is a good investigator, but he is not a particularly knowedgeable historian, nor a political scientist. And that is where his book falls short.
His interesting insights on the Middle East are weakened by intemperate comments about the Bush administration. His long disquisition on Alger Hiss appears to be yet another attempt to excuse apparent treachery by a "well meaning" individual. Mr. Hiss' motivations may never be understood (perhaps not even by him), but something really did happen. There were indeed a number of young, idealistic Americans who were drawn to the notion of an all-powerful government of wise technocrats. Mr. Stevenson seems to lack the knowledge of political history that would help him understand how the yearnings for a "philospher king" so often lead to fascism. As Winston Churchill famously said, "Democracy is the worst form of government in the world -- except for all the others".
So ultimately I was disappointed in this book. It is well written, and there are insights to be had. Mr. Stevenson is a good investigator, but he is not a particularly knowedgeable historian, nor a political scientist. And that is where his book falls short.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As always, Matthew Stevenson's essays -- part travelogue, part history, part literary narrative - are immensely satisfying. With this collection, he adds serious investigative journalism to a unique blend of genres. His fluid prose and humor appear so effortless, that only a writer who is expending a great deal of effort can achieve it. Despite choosing a number of well-covered topics, he dives into each on a unique journey of personal exploration, carrying along readers who, like me, seriously need vicarious travel with a literate guide. He brings his own compelling perspectives to the Alger Hiss story and the war-ending assault on Japan; new historical approaches to Armenia, the Balkans, and Lebanon; and an Intro to Banking in the form of a brief disquisition on the Medicis and their modern successors. Even critics of sports doping will come away with something to think about. The best thing about a collection of good essays is that you can actually read them in pieces - say, on the Amtrak from Baltimore to Penn Station - without losing the flow. On the train, exactly as the author intended.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
All the other reviewers are right on target and I agree that Matthew's book is a marvelous assessment of times gone by but more importantly a study of the human foibles involved. I was very sad when I ran out of book to read.
Gerard S. Moser, Rector Emeritus, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Geneva, Switzerland
Gerard S. Moser, Rector Emeritus, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Geneva, Switzerland
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a ride!
I loved Matt Stevenson, the literary travel guide, but now I can also appreciate him as the meticulous historical investigative reporter. Read more
Published on February 26, 2010 by Daisy Leopard
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prompts Jealousy
The pity is that Matthew Stevenson writes so well about so many subjects. Pity for me, that is, because I, a writer too, have covered some of the same territory but not so... Read more
Published on February 10, 2010 by George Feifer
