The Story of the Goths Henry Bradley 9781545365328 Books
Download As PDF : The Story of the Goths Henry Bradley 9781545365328 Books
An integral part of history, but often in the background, is the roll of the Goths in the fall of the Roman empire and their continued contributions to society for the next two hundred years. The Story of the Goths details accounts of their impacts in Spain, Italy, and France. Bradley details these lasting influences include not only political powers, but religious powers. A full guide to any novice in Goth history. Henry Bradley is a scholar in the art of language. Already adept at several languages, he seemed to be able to learn Russian in fourteen days. Bradley later became the first assistant editor to work on the Oxford English Dictionary. He later became joint senior editor for the Oxford English Dictionary working alongside James Murray. Bradley continued to work until the day he suffered a stroke and died two days later in 1923.
The Story of the Goths Henry Bradley 9781545365328 Books
I encountered Henry Bradley's book The Story of the Goths a short time ago, and was delighted to find a readable, enjoyable account of a people that left such an indelible impression on our history. The Goths are well-remembered for the infamous sack of Rome in 410 A.D. Their name is still associated (though through roundabout channels) with darkness and fear. But the truth of their story is not at all what the film clips of filthy, roaring barbarians would have you believe. The Goths actually saved the West, not just once but several times. Their legacy is still very much with us, forming a cultural element deep within peoples ranging from eastern Europe to South and Central America.In doing research for my own book (a novel) I spent several years reading everything about the Goths that I could find - both primary and secondary sources, trying to put together a fuller picture of these mysterious people. I learned a great deal, but I must say that nowhere did I find all the information arranged in such a way as it is here in Bradley's book. The account that emerges is vivid and yet concise enough to be clear and easy to read.
One thing that has struck me as slightly odd about the book is that some of the language belies bias (i.e. words like "heathen" and savage") that would not be unusual at all in Gibbon, Burry, or any of the classic historians of the era, but seem "old fasioned" by contemporary standards. At first I thought the book was a good deal older than the 2013 copyright. Regardless, these are subtle and for most should not detract from the enjoyment or the bountiful education that the book provides.
I highly recomend this book to anyone interested in the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Dark Ages, or in understanding the European story.
- David Rodgers, author of The Songs of Slaves
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Tags : The Story of the Goths [Henry Bradley] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. An integral part of history, but often in the background, is the roll of the Goths in the fall of the Roman empire and their continued contributions to society for the next two hundred years. The Story of the Goths details accounts of their impacts in Spain,Henry Bradley,The Story of the Goths,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1545365326,HISTORY Europe General
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The Story of the Goths Henry Bradley 9781545365328 Books Reviews
It should be noted that this book was first published in 1887, and thus is written in a style typical of the time. It is written from the sources of the time, and lacks the linguistic, genetic, and economic perspectives that would have been included in the present. Nonetheless, an enjoying read
Really interesting part of history of which I had a very vague understanding (mostly from Gibbons). This book is a fun read and fills in the details on a people now mostly forgotten. What I love most about reading these types of history books is the little gems that pop out and fill in the why's on so many things that still shape our world today. If you are looking for an example of how leadership matters read the chapters about Belisarius and Theodoric. Another gem; the source of the Spanish laws against the Jews are discussed, an historic tragedy that recently resurfaced in Spanish politics.
The Story of The Goths is handicapped, as the author tells us, by the absence of solid historical material. That leaves the story to be primarily about kings and battles. For those interested in the undergirding of history such as agriculture, econimics, weapons and tactics, and so forth, this is not as interesting as it might be.
He takes his sources literally, referring at one point about 300,000 warriors sailing to fight. Okay. If you have three hundred guys to a boat, you need a thousand very large boats. Plus the families in other boats. It would be better if he suggested how we know for sure how much marine transport the Goths could assemble. Or perhaps it was three hundred boats each carrying a thousand guys. Saying something like "a very large army" might be more useful, since the reader wouldn't be distracted by trying to figure out how big a boat would have to be to carry, say, three hundred equipped warriors.
Ancient sources make for chancy numbers. It is said, traditionally, that a million men fought at Chalons between Attila and Aetius. If we figure a formation eight ranks deep, half a million on a side, we have a battle line thirty miles long. Hard to command that size. So if we halve it by presuming the old sources included a huge numbers of camp followers, the line is only fifteen miles long.
Bradley's connection to the lexicography of the OED leads him to tell us a good deal more about the Gothic language than is useful for a history.
If further information is discovered about the Goths, this book will function as an armature on which to place what is new to us.
Bradley does, as some of his compatriots and earlier historians, make the Gothic influence, the Teutonic/German cultures as superior and lucky is the nation which has it, even if ever so far distant. Spanish nobility, he tells us, is anxious to emphasize their connection to the Gothic kingdoms which remained unconquered by the Muslims and later began the Reconquista.
I got this book without realizing it is a reprint of an outdated 19th century historian. Many things one expects in serious modern works are missing no index. no footnotes. no maps or illustrations. Some passages are missing - a reference is made to how the Gothic language looks tells the reader to 'see the following bible passage in Gothic' - only the passage is totally missing.
As a 19th century work, it is totally outdated. it is filled with hearsay, prejudiced speculation ('surely as heathen savages they would do such and such'), and lacks the benefit of modern scholarship into archaeology and anthropology. Who knows what falsehood and long debunked ideas are in it that will mislead a reader not versed in other sources. The language is flowery, which is typical of 19th century writing, but is distracting and sounds unprofessional to modern ears.
I'm not going too finish it - not worth your time or mine.
I have read many histories where the "Goths, Ostrogoths, and Visigoths" were mentioned, but I never understood who these people were, where they came from, and where they fit into the story of European culture. Thanks to the scholarship of Henry Bradley, I now have a working understanding of the Goths, but many questions remain for me to research. No references are given, and it desperately needs more illustrations - especially maps showing where these people were and when!
I encountered Henry Bradley's book The Story of the Goths a short time ago, and was delighted to find a readable, enjoyable account of a people that left such an indelible impression on our history. The Goths are well-remembered for the infamous sack of Rome in 410 A.D. Their name is still associated (though through roundabout channels) with darkness and fear. But the truth of their story is not at all what the film clips of filthy, roaring barbarians would have you believe. The Goths actually saved the West, not just once but several times. Their legacy is still very much with us, forming a cultural element deep within peoples ranging from eastern Europe to South and Central America.
In doing research for my own book (a novel) I spent several years reading everything about the Goths that I could find - both primary and secondary sources, trying to put together a fuller picture of these mysterious people. I learned a great deal, but I must say that nowhere did I find all the information arranged in such a way as it is here in Bradley's book. The account that emerges is vivid and yet concise enough to be clear and easy to read.
One thing that has struck me as slightly odd about the book is that some of the language belies bias (i.e. words like "heathen" and savage") that would not be unusual at all in Gibbon, Burry, or any of the classic historians of the era, but seem "old fasioned" by contemporary standards. At first I thought the book was a good deal older than the 2013 copyright. Regardless, these are subtle and for most should not detract from the enjoyment or the bountiful education that the book provides.
I highly recomend this book to anyone interested in the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Dark Ages, or in understanding the European story.
- David Rodgers, author of The Songs of Slaves
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