Helpful votes received on reviews & lists:
60% (14,732 of 24,789)
Nickname: templegate
Location: England
Birthday: 21 April (Saved Remind mePlease RetryPlease Retry)
In My Own Words:
I am retired and my main interests are marine and tropical fish, collecting cacti, roman coins and of course reading. Nothing can ever replace the joy of a good book, everything else is just a distraction. If you have read any of my reviews, you will know that my favourite books are factual history and novels covering the period from the Ancient Roman Empire through to the late 15th century. I alw… Read moreI am retired and my main interests are marine and tropical fish, collecting cacti, roman coins and of course reading. Nothing can ever replace the joy of a good book, everything else is just a distraction. If you have read any of my reviews, you will know that my favourite books are factual history and novels covering the period from the Ancient Roman Empire through to the late 15th century. I always try to give a measured review. All I can do is give a brief synopsis of the contents of the book and the author's background (if I know it). Criticism is a dangerous area. After all just because I do not like a book does not mean that everyone else will think the same. That is where personal taste comes into the equation. We all have our favourite authors and wait with anticipation for their latest book, but trying new author's can be a joy too and sometimes a pleasant surprise. What is the best book I have ever read? Impossible to say, but as far as novels are concerned Sarum by Edward Rutherford is certainly up there and Terry Pratchett always makes me laugh if I am looking for some light relief. Pet hate: People hiding behind a usually puerile pseudonym on Amazon and from the relative safety of their anonymity vilifying and sniping at the efforts of others, who are only trying to make a genuine contribution to the entertainment and usefulness of the Amazon site for other prospective purchasers. Genuine areas of disagreement are not only healthy and useful for the progression of the site, but inevitable. Who in their right mind is naive enough to believe that everyone else will agree with him or her. However, cheap shots from people whose contribution to the site is negligible or non existent are simply childish and counter-productive to the best retail site on the web,
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Reviews
Reviewer Rank: 18 - Total Helpful Votes: 14732 of 24789
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24 of 105 people found the following review helpful:
If someone mentioned the name of Robert Hardy to you, you would probably bring to mind a picture of an English actor with a plummy-voice and tweed suit, who has appeared in countless television and theatre dramas and you would be correct. Many people do not know Robert Hardy's alter ego, the author and man who is interested in medieval weaponry in general and the English longbow in particular. Robert Hardy also has a long association with the Royal Armouries, so it soon becomes apparent that his love and knowledge of weaponry has been gleaned over a long period of time. With these qualifications it is only right and proper that people interested in the subject are more than ready to read… Read more
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29 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
Anything about the Roman empire, it's leaders, its legions and territories, be it fact or fiction has always fascinated me and this book is no exception. Extremely well written by an author who certainly has a love and outstanding knowledge of his subject. The book takes place in the third century AD. A time when arguably Rome's finest leaders are mouldering in their graves and Rome is no longer the mighty force that it had once been.
On initially picking up the book I thought that the author could possibly have picked a better period of Roman history as the backdrop for his story but I soon forgot all about that as I became engrossed in the storyline. While not quite in melt… Read more
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15 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
I am always wary of tropical fish books, or any other for that matter that say Encyclopaedia or in this case A to Z. One book can never be comprehensive enough to cover such a vast subject as the freshwater tropical fishes of the world. Having got that out of the way, what the book does cover is accurate and put down in a concise way with lots of illustrations, over 200 in fact to add emphasis to the text.
Having a picture of a Firemouth cichlid on the front cover of the book would, to me seem a strange choice, as there are only a limited number of fish that would be able to live in harmony with this beautiful species. In fact most fish would be in fear of their life the… Read more
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