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Instant European History: From the French Revolution to the Cold War | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert P. Libbon
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $1.74
You Save: $12.21 (88%)
New (27) Used (31) from $1.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 73302
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 220
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 0449907023
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780449907023
ASIN: 0449907023
Publication Date: February 20, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Cover and pages in good condition. Pages are somewhat yellow. Cover very good. E mail sent when order is mailed.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
From the French Revolution to the Cold War, this spirited chronicle brings European history to life, following the trails of treachery, unearthing the dirt on key historical figures, and reconstructing dramatic revolutionary battles.So if you've ever wondered why Napolean's boundless ambition led to Waterloo or how Hitler stalled on the rocky road to Moscow, this book is for you.
Besides uncovering all the juicy facts you forgot from History 101, Instant European History reveals the surprising side of people and events that conventional accounts ignore.
You'll learn:
Why the first king of Great Britain couldn't speak English.
Why the "war to end all wars" was followed by...another war.
How the guillotine gave French Revolutionaries a middle-class tax cut.
How a German exile invented the philosophy that made Russia see red.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Buy this book if you want to learn about European history April 13, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this book because I was learning about European history in school; let's just say that my teacher wasn't cutting it when he taught us about European history. I wanted to know more so I got on Amazon.com and I looked up European history, and low and behold there it was "Instant European History: From the French Revolution to the Cold War", I started reading this book the day I got it, I finished within 3 days, this book instantly put me ahead of the class by three chapters, in our text books, while other kids were struggling to grasp European history, I understood it perfectly. This is a must have for a history buff, or anyone wanting to know more about Europe. This book is very concise, has humor to it and is an all around awesome book.
 Not To Be Taken Seriously December 30, 2003
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
If your planning on passing a history exam, bypass this book and pickup Birdsall Vault's "Modern European History." What Libbon did was take a serious historical topic and gum it up and whip it up into what amounts to a microwave meal. Yeah it'll fill you up with something, but you won't remember any of it later. If you're not historically inclined and want something light hearted to reat, then maybe Libbon is the ticket, if you can get past the middle school level writing he employs. Although I know many students in my classes who would benefit from this reading. Then again they are also the type to not pick up the required textbook. If your looking for the highlights, Libbon has it, but he won't answer the why? And remember "why?" is the most important question a historian (and a professor) will ask.
Cheers to Mr. Libbon! October 3, 2001
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I absolutely love the format of this book. If you're planning a trip to Europe and want a background study before you go (without going back to college) then this book is for you! It's also cheap and the perfect length and I already know three people I intend to buy it for as a gift. WHAT I LIKED BEST: the boxes of information at beginning of each of the four sections with bullets of important events and a summary paragraph outlining highlights; the "who's who" boxes sprinkled throughout; the photos/pictures; the sidebar boxes of additional information; and the summary highlights at the end of each section. It is all very easy to read and highlights what you really need to know. WHAT I LIKED LEAST: the silly jokes throughout got very irritating by the time I was half-way through. It could be confusing for older readers who won't "get" or recognize some of the jokes/comments related to current events. However, besides that, the book is so good that I still give it a 5.
You're Never Too Old To Learn About European History. June 25, 2001
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mr. Libbon is a genius! He has managed to teach me more about European history with one book than I learned in all those years languishing in boring public school history classes. Easy to read and comprehend, extremely well researched and loaded with fun facts, this book should be integrated into the school system immediately. Let's give our kids the chance to learn true European History not just the watered down, colorless version currently taught in schools. Buy a copy for yourself and enjoy. While you're at it buy a copy for your local library or the local history teacher, share the knowledge and the fun.
Like It Was Written Just For Me January 10, 2001
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book is exactly what I hoped it would be when I ordered it. A cheap, easy to read refresher of all the things I am embarrassed to admit I don't know or had forgotten. Each chapter starts w.a few important dates and there are a few pages within each section devoted to lists of important names and dates (great for skipping back when you can't quite remember what no-longer-existant country was run by the guy you're reading about in another chapter). This book isn't made to make people suddenly experts on Europe. It is, however, a great way to quickly catch up on what you think you should have known. Personally, since I've only studied Chinese history for the past six years, I used it as a way to get the basics of this period back into my head before trying to read a book that would have been too in-depth after not studying Europe since high school. I read it in two one-hour blocks before bed, got the names down, and can look at it if I need a map, the one-paragraph version of the Prussian war or the end of World War I or to remember why exactly France kept replacing its governments. One of the best buys I've found.
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