For all that he takes a broad--a very broad--view of European history, Fagan's writing is laced with human faces, fascinating anecdotes, and a gift for the telling detail that makes history live, very much in the style of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror. When Fagan talks about the voyages of Basque fishermen to American shores (probably landing before Columbus sailed), he puts in the taste of dried cod and the terrifying suddenness of fogs on the Grand Banks. The Great Fire of London, what it was like when the Dutch dikes broke, the Irish Potato Famine, the year without a summer, ice fairs on the Thames, and volcanoes in the South Pacific--Fagan makes history a r...
The missing dimension, 2009-07-15
Roughly speaking, the Little Ice Age lasted from 1300 through to around 1850. This fascinating little book looks at the consequences of that event, without being at all deterministic. It also explains, in layman's terms, the hydrodynamics of the oceans as we currently understand them.

The result is a fascinating synthesis of climatology, history, sociology, and politics. It also sets the current extended warm period in rather more context than it normally gets in the press. I really enjoyed reading this book, which although about climate, sets people at the center of its story. I know quite a lot about European history, especially social and political history in the later part of the period covered. However, this book gave me a completely new perspective on the events of that period, giving me a much more rounded picture.

Recommended