1. The history of Jerusalem is the history of the whole world. It is a temple of God, the capital of two peoples, and a holy city for three religions. It is a city that exists both in heaven and on earth; a strategic crossroads where civilizations clash, a place that haunts people’s dreams, and a setting for bewildering conspiracies, invented legends, and round-the-clock news.
Master storyteller Simon Sebag Montefiore recounts Jerusalem’s past and present in chronological order, tracing the three religions’ struggle over the “Holy City” and the rise and fall of several great families. Drawing on extensive field research and archival scholarship, he presents the city’s magnificent three-thousand-year history from an objective, impartial perspective, through the lives of soldiers and prophets, poets and kings, farmers and musicians, and the families who shaped Jerusalem, restoring the city’s true story...
Jerusalem: The Biography has been a bestseller in China for years. Upon publication, it received the National Library of China’s Wenjin Book Award and earned accolades such as “Book of the Year” and “Influential Book of the Year” from Phoenix Net, Shenzhen Commercial Daily, Southern Metropolis Daily, China Publishing & Media Journal, and other media outlets and professional organizations. It has also ranked near the top of Dangdang’s monthly and annual bestseller lists. This expanded new edition adds 30,000 words, including a new Chapter 54, “The 21st Century,” 30 color illustrations, and a letter from the author to Chinese readers.
2. The World: A Family History is an accessible introduction to world history by Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem: The Biography.
History is not determined by a handful of people, but those who change its course are the ones who have shaped the world we live in today. From Ramesses the Great and Confucius to Anne Frank and Osama bin Laden, its cast includes kings, queens, conquerors, bandits, prophets, poets, composers, and philosophers. Some are noble and courageous, blessed with extraordinary charisma, intelligence, and creativity; others are reckless, domineering, cruel, shameless, and nearly mad. Some are a combination of both, contradictions who are at once heroes and beasts.
Drawing on richly detailed historical sources and a distinctive biographical style, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore tells the stories of more than a hundred historical figures in chronological order and explores their impact on the world, creating a unique history spanning more than three thousand years.
Montefiore explained his motivation for writing the book this way: “My aim is to encourage readers to discover more about the lives of the great figures of history. These people, men and women alike, are the ones who made the world we live in today.”
3. Young Stalin is the result of ten years of work by Montefiore, author of Jerusalem: The Biography. He visited 23 cities in nine countries and gained access to the most revealing and authoritative archives to retell the little-known story of Stalin’s rise from a shoemaker’s son to Lenin’s right-hand man, and reconstruct the prehistory of the former Soviet Union.
Stalin was the son of a cobbler, with a doting mother and a father who cast a shadow over his childhood. He was a seminary student with an outstanding academic record. He was a poet with a handsome face and melancholy expression, popular with girls and romantically involved with many women. He was a Siberian exile and a “master of escape”...
The moment I closed the book, I felt heavy with emotion. The history of mankind can be said to be a history of wars. It is not enough to read a historical record of more than 600 pages spanning more than 3,000 years just once. There are many characters and complex events, and the more you watch, the more exciting and fascinating it becomes. It took more than 1 month. The author still can't remember the characters, time, and events in the background of the book. He said that he had spent his whole life preparing to write this book. "Jerusalem is my family motto." He only wanted to tell the history that actually happened and the history that people believed. Back to the beginning, there have always been two Jerusalems, the heavenly one and the earthly one. Both Jerusalems were governed more by faith and emotion than by reason and fact. But no matter what, Jerusalem remains the center of the world.
History has always been a very important thing. It represents the crystallization of human civilization and the record of the process of human history. But as modern people, it is difficult for us to understand so much history at once. After all, there are too many of them. But this book is very practical. It describes the history of the world to you very simply and rigorously, so that you can digest and understand this history very well. I highly recommend everyone to read this book. It will definitely give you different gains and perspectives.
What happens when your child decides to be a "dictator" for a day? Growing up in the Kremlin, Svetlana—Stalin's daughter—loved to play this game. From the age of 7 to 11, she often "issues" orders that every child looks forward to. One day she ordered her "First Secretary" (Stalin) and other secretaries (of the Soviet Communist Party) to cancel all Soviet school assignments. Stalin loved playing along with the game and signed off on all of his daughter's orders, as did other members of the Politburo. Subsequently, the "document" of these orders was nailed to a wooden board in Stalin's kitchen. Stalin called his daughter "Boss Svetlana."
By reading this book, I felt like I was in that holy land full of mystery and charm, appreciating its splendor and vicissitudes. Moreover, the author's writing style is very vivid, which gave me a deeper understanding of the behaviors and decisions of those historical figures. I highly recommend this book to friends who are interested in history and culture!
Jerusalem is an ancient city in the Middle East and one of the holiest sites of the three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is considered one of the oldest, most historically and religiously significant cities in the world and is the capital of Israel. Its history dates back to around 4000 BC. It was historically the capital of the Jewish people and the political and religious center of the Kingdom of Israel. Jerusalem is also an important holy site for Christianity because Jesus Christ is said to have suffered, been resurrected, and ascended to heaven here.
The moment I closed the book, my heart felt heavy. The history of mankind can be said to be a history of war. It is not enough to read a historical record with more than 600 pages covering more than 3,000 years. There are many characters and complex events. The more I read, the more exciting and fascinating it becomes. It took more than a month. I still can't remember the characters, time and events in the background of the book. The author, Simon Montefiore, said that he had been preparing for writing this book his whole life. "Jerusalem is my family motto." He only wanted to tell the history that really happened and the history that people believed. Back to the beginning, there have always been two Jerusalems, the heavenly one and the earthly one. Both Jerusalems were governed more by faith and emotion than by reason and fact. But no matter what, Jerusalem is still the center of the world. Why Jerusalem? This city that is called both heaven and earth, in my opinion, is more like a tragic city, but this tragic city has caused countless dreamers to rush to snatch it with beautiful imaginations. It has prospered, declined, been destroyed and then rebuilt. This is a city that is constantly changing, not only the buildings but also the people. Usually this change is through the stones and swords in their hands.
Jerusalem is a world-famous religious holy city and a sacred place for countless religious people. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all regard the city as a holy place according to their own religious legends. Among them, the most famous mosque and Wailing Wall are located here. The Israelite tribe of Judah conquered the city of Jerusalem, while the tribe of Benjamin occupied the city and coexisted peacefully with the Jebusites who lived in the city. Many major historical events have occurred in this land.
A good book is like nectar, quenching your thirst every drop of it
The moment I closed the book, I felt heavy with emotion. The history of mankind can be said to be a history of wars. It is not enough to read a historical record of more than 600 pages spanning more than 3,000 years just once. There are many characters and complex events, and the more you watch, the more exciting and fascinating it becomes. It took more than 1 month. The author still can't remember the characters, time, and events in the background of the book. He said that he had spent his whole life preparing to write this book. "Jerusalem is my family motto." He only wanted to tell the history that actually happened and the history that people believed. Back to the beginning, there have always been two Jerusalems, the heavenly one and the earthly one. Both Jerusalems were governed more by faith and emotion than by reason and fact. But no matter what, Jerusalem remains the center of the world.
History has always been a very important thing. It represents the crystallization of human civilization and the record of the process of human history. But as modern people, it is difficult for us to understand so much history at once. After all, there are too many of them. But this book is very practical. It describes the history of the world to you very simply and rigorously, so that you can digest and understand this history very well. I highly recommend everyone to read this book. It will definitely give you different gains and perspectives.
What happens when your child decides to be a "dictator" for a day? Growing up in the Kremlin, Svetlana—Stalin's daughter—loved to play this game. From the age of 7 to 11, she often "issues" orders that every child looks forward to. One day she ordered her "First Secretary" (Stalin) and other secretaries (of the Soviet Communist Party) to cancel all Soviet school assignments. Stalin loved playing along with the game and signed off on all of his daughter's orders, as did other members of the Politburo. Subsequently, the "document" of these orders was nailed to a wooden board in Stalin's kitchen. Stalin called his daughter "Boss Svetlana."
By reading this book, I felt like I was in that holy land full of mystery and charm, appreciating its splendor and vicissitudes. Moreover, the author's writing style is very vivid, which gave me a deeper understanding of the behaviors and decisions of those historical figures. I highly recommend this book to friends who are interested in history and culture!
Jerusalem is an ancient city in the Middle East and one of the holiest sites of the three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is considered one of the oldest, most historically and religiously significant cities in the world and is the capital of Israel. Its history dates back to around 4000 BC. It was historically the capital of the Jewish people and the political and religious center of the Kingdom of Israel. Jerusalem is also an important holy site for Christianity because Jesus Christ is said to have suffered, been resurrected, and ascended to heaven here.
The moment I closed the book, my heart felt heavy. The history of mankind can be said to be a history of war. It is not enough to read a historical record with more than 600 pages covering more than 3,000 years. There are many characters and complex events. The more I read, the more exciting and fascinating it becomes. It took more than a month. I still can't remember the characters, time and events in the background of the book. The author, Simon Montefiore, said that he had been preparing for writing this book his whole life. "Jerusalem is my family motto." He only wanted to tell the history that really happened and the history that people believed. Back to the beginning, there have always been two Jerusalems, the heavenly one and the earthly one. Both Jerusalems were governed more by faith and emotion than by reason and fact. But no matter what, Jerusalem is still the center of the world. Why Jerusalem? This city that is called both heaven and earth, in my opinion, is more like a tragic city, but this tragic city has caused countless dreamers to rush to snatch it with beautiful imaginations. It has prospered, declined, been destroyed and then rebuilt. This is a city that is constantly changing, not only the buildings but also the people. Usually this change is through the stones and swords in their hands.
Jerusalem is a world-famous religious holy city and a sacred place for countless religious people. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all regard the city as a holy place according to their own religious legends. Among them, the most famous mosque and Wailing Wall are located here. The Israelite tribe of Judah conquered the city of Jerusalem, while the tribe of Benjamin occupied the city and coexisted peacefully with the Jebusites who lived in the city. Many major historical events have occurred in this land.
A good book is like nectar, quenching your thirst every drop of it
This book is very good and worth reading.
Nice to listen to, interesting