Also on economics, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes. Between Smith and Keynes, you'll have covered two seminal authors and the leading paradigms of current economics.

tony b.

...happily recalling the Laffer Curve from Labor Econ...

That'd be great, except many of Keynes economic theories are now discredited.

Oh and Pat, pleeease don't read anything by Noam Chomsky (or Pat Buchanan for that matter).

I didn't say Chomsky's good, I just said he'd like it. Besides, if he's going to major in poli sci, he'll have to read that stuff. I wash my hands of the Buchanan thing, though, I didn't recommend that to him.

Patrick.

I highly recommend to you that you read all the works by the late Stephan Ambrose. He is a joy to read and I feel his books are just great...

I'd disregard his opinions on Patton though. He classified Georgie Patton as a chickenshit type of leader... I feel that Patton's insistance on regulations helped shapene II Corp when they were in North Africa...

I'm off topic...

I highly recomend "D-Day" and "Citizen Soldiers" along with "Band Of Brothers". They are a beginers guide to the ETO during World War II. "The Wild Blue" by Ambrose is a great way to read about bomber crews during WWII also but is not as great as the works I've spoken of...

Pvt. David K. Webster of Company E 2nd/506th PIR, 101st Airborne wrote his memoris and their are exellent as a companion piece to "Band Of Brothers".

To get a real taste of the High Command during World War II I sugest you read some books by Carlo D'este. He wrote a definitive biography on Patton called "Patton: A Genius For War". It is also recommended that you read "General Patton: A Soldiers Life" but I feel that "General Patton" is kind of revisionist but that's me...

Read Ambrose's biography on Ike and then get D'Este's biography. I like D'Este becuase he doesn't completley praise Ike and his love for the Anglo Saxons.

That's just World War II though.

A Great book on The Civil War is a book on Geteysburg but I cannot rember the title. It is extensive and a recomended read but I cannot remeber...

I recommend that If you want to be a history major that one read all three volumes of Gibbon's "The Decline And Fall of The Roman Empire". It's deffinative but It's use of blaming the spread of Christianity as the death knel of Rome is not entirley true... Keep that in mind.

I recommend you read Caesar's commentaries on the invasion of Gaul which I shall read soon. I've read a bit of it and it's good but I think Caesar was a tad arogant so it is definatley biased.

I'm a big reader on American politics and the precidency but I've jsut read some encyclopedic books. They didn't really focus on anything...

I'd love to read a definative book on Vietnam and one on the First World War. I'm currentley talking with my AP History teacher and getting his opinions on these things. I, like you wish to be a social scientist. I'd probably major in hisotry, a subject which has come to me since my youth.

I also recommend that you read some books which were important in hisotory. Books that automaticly come to mind are "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair (Ultra Liberal at some times..) and "The Grapes Of Wrath". Let's not forget "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and such things...
I've toyed with the idea of joining the military after that, probably in the Air Force and maybe being a historian with them, writing after action reports and somethings... I need to read "The Prince" and Erasmus's "The Praise of Folly" and Gallileo's books which title evades me at this time.

JJ,

You recommended "The Wealth of Nations". Is it an easy read or would one need to be learned in economics to understand it and get Smith's views? I might read it if so.

Signore Sole, I've been meaning to read Patton's memoiurs. As far as you can tell, have these memoiurs been extensivley edited or are they raw like Patton had intended them to be? How far did they progress. I don't belive Patton was able to finish them. I mean to also read the "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich". I've seen it and she's a biggie though.

What does everyone think of Rousseau, btw?

Thanks Mike.

For a starters Vietnam book--Check out 'We Were Soldiers Once...and Young." It was very good. -Pat

Pat take a look at this

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Economics


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0028644921/ref=pd_sim_books_5/103-3864083-9499855?v=gl ance&s=books