09-08-2008, 06:20 PM
Quote:If you cannot enjoy this book, it is your loss.The issue, dear Blah, is not whether the book is enjoyable, but whether the information is sound. Narrative history is not the same as not checking your facts or offering an analysis that is illogical.
Besides, that certain facts are debatable, is not an excuse for saying that a certain distance is six miles on one page, and ten miles on the next one (example from Persian Fire). Even if the book were fiction -which Holland does not claim- there are certain things that ought to be OK.
BTW: the forum rules are that you should use your real name - otherwise, we might think that you're Tom Holland or his publisher, who again tries to influence critical discussion. :wink: (That Holland makes mistakes is one thing, and people may like his style; but that his adviser Cartledge has also written a review, I find unforgivable.)
