This book provides a brief, but very comprehensive, history of Finland from the bronze age to the twentieth century. I found the extensive details on the early history of Swedish-Finnish expansion extremely helpful, although the book is a bit skimpy on the topic of the Finnish civil war. The book rightfully calls itself a "short" history, but it's a satisfying overview.

Ditto what the reader from Las Vegas said. It seemed a little bit too thin, but then it is called "A Short History". Given that it is so short, there should have been a little bit less about political machinations and the Left, and the space saved should have been used to say a little bit more about the military history, economics, culture, emigratin, etc. Also, the prose style, while readable, does not sparkle. But these are minor quibbles. For the most part, the book is what it claims to be.

This book delivers exactly what its title suggests, "A Short History of Finland". From the earliest prehistoric beginnings to the sea-change in Finnish foreign policy with its membership in the EU in '95, this work outlines all significant events in Finnish history. Contains several appendices with Tsar Alexander's declaration, petition to the Bolshevik government for independence, and the 1948 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. The second edition was completed by a different author, but the revisions are seamless- the reader cannot detect any changes of style or editing.

I would have given this book 5-stars, except for what I believe is an inordinate amount of paper given to the rise and machinations of the left in Finnish politics. Given the original author's admitted interest in left-wing politics, this is probably unavoidable. However, the space could have been better used to flesh out chapters on the Russo-Finnish war, Continuation War and the involvement of the Soviets in Finnish politics post-war. For future editions, the author may wish to include the 1947 peace treaty along with the 1948 treaty in the Appendices. So maybe 4 1/2 is more accurate.

If you are a tourist or business person who wants more history than is presented in the usual tour guide, or are a student looking for background on aspects of Scandinavian history, get this book. Besides, you can probably finish it on the flight to Helsinki...

Tom of Finland has become a permanent fixture in gay male popular culture. He is known for the ultramasculine/butch depictions of men in his artwork, perhaps in miltary uniform or in leather. The men's hyper-accentuated masculine bodies have become a paradigm of sorts in gay male culture to emulate...or to clone. TOM OF FINLAND: HIS LIFE AND TIMES is a biography of Tom of Finland the artist. It sheds light on his motivations to draw his men the way he does. It's a quick read, with lots of pictures that show the evolution of the Tom of Finland man. It would have been great to see the pictures in color. This book is a very interesting read for those interested in gay popular culture. It certainly opened my eyes...

This book examines the life and motivations of the famous and well-loved erotic artist; Tom of Finland. With many pictures from Tom's comic strip style early drawings through his evolution as a skilled master of the homoerotic.

First, let me warn you: my perspective is "Alvar Aalto is THE great 20th century architect." Yes, Wright, Corb, Mies, Gropius and Kahn had more immediately recognizable & defiable styles, but Aalto was just as groundbreaking as any of them and more practical (and practicable) than any of them. That said, this is NOT really about his buildings. Rather, the man Aalto is examined, and thereby the mind that gave us the buildings. The whole thing is interesting (you don't need to have read the earlier two volumes to gain insight; this isn't Calculus). I found the chapters on the illness & death of his partner & wife Aino, a gifted designer in her own right and a huge part of Aalto's life, particularly affecting. I was tempted to give this book five stars, but it is, while very interesting and well written, incomplete. Not in the lack of knowledge of Aalto's earlier life/career, but in that his history as a designer is left to Schildt's later catalog of Aalto's work. The two are best read together.

I decided to read this book, because I'm a young cellist myself. Or I want to be. So I must say that I like this book a lot just because it's about cellists and music. But I also like it otherwise. It isn't just a biography of someone. We hear also Noras's thoughts, ideas and so on. What he thinks about the world of music in which he has been living for - well, almost all his life. It doesn't tell everything about the artist, doesn't have lots of numbers or lists about what Noras has done, but that doesn't matter. I recommend "Arto Noras, sello" to everyone who is interested about cellists and classical music. A book which tells about a person can be boring, this isn't. It isn't too long, either. It isn't actually like a novel, sometimes it even has the same thoughts in different pages. It's more like real life, that way.

mr rautkallio's book the rescue of the finnish jews is an impressive body of information. it describes the angst of the finns to gain freedom from the soviets. to avoid total destruction the finns sought assistance from nazi germany. this of course meant trouble for the small jewish population. rautkallio describes in immense detail how the jews were kept out of hitlers reach

A novel by Finnish writer Frans Sillanpaa, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1939, The Maid Silja portrays the simple story of a young girl and her growth to womanhood. Sillanpaa captures the imagery of Finland's natural setting and the overwhelming romantic emotions of an innocent young woman during a turbulent period in Finland's history. It is reminiscent of another Scandanavian book, Kristin Lavransdatter,which similarly has central to its story the deep-seated feelings daughters have for their fathers, and the tumultuous changes this relationship undergoes as they mature.

Stig Jagerskiold does a an excellent job capturing the life of Mannerheim in an English version of his work previously written in Swedish and Finnish. From his childhood, through his service as a Russian cavalry officer, the author clearly documents his evolving sentiments toward his country and her aspirations for independence. Also, the experience he gains in leadership under fire with Russian troops foreshadows his stellar performance during the Winter and Continuation Wars. After the First World War, Mannerheim is asked to take command of the "White" forces who, with German assistance, are battling the Finnish Communists and their Russian Bolshevik allies. His attitudes toward Germany are formed here and again the author illustrates later how his impressions affected his conduct when Finland and Germany were co-belligerents. Mannerheim's command during this period is somewhat controversial: debate continues on whether he knew, much less approved, of atrocities committed by White forces. The book unfortunately doesn't investigate these allegations as deeply as it could have, and still maintained the focus of the work. However, the chapters concerned with his leadership in the Winter and Continuation Wars are well done, with examples of his command style clearly written and contrasted with those of his staff. The author rightly gives equal weight to Mannerheim's political beliefs expounded when he became President in 1944. His insight into both the psyche of the Soviets and their Western Allies was vital in concluding a surrender that left Finland unoccupied. As an introduction, or as a basis from which to conduct further research this book is a superb resource. Highly Recommended.

For my 20-day trip to Sweden and Denmark, I picked up several travel books (Lonely Planet Denmark and Scandinavia, Fodor's Scandinavia, Michelin the Green Guide Scandinavia Finland, Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2003 by Rick Steves, and Frommer's Scandinavia). Out of all of these books, the most consistent and most accurate are Michelin and Lonely Plant books.

I tried hotels recommended by Frommer and Fodor and was very disappointed (mind you, these had stars next to the write-ups). I tried one restaurant recommended by Frommer (w/ a star) and got sick afterwards. Silly me, I tired another (w/ a star) to give another chance and the meal was very mediocre. Same deal with Fodor. Where as Lonely Planet just gave facts about hotels and was very pleased with how things turned out. Hotels and meals matched the expectation that the book gave, so no unpleasant surprises.

I used the Lonely Planet Denmark book so much during the trip, I brought the Lonely Planet Scandinavia book in Denmark.... even though it was $...! It was well worth $....

As for Rick Steves, obviously, he only highlighted what he liked. There were some places that I loved in Sweden and Denmark that he suggest to skip.

For my next trip, I'm only buying Lonely Planet and Michelin books.

This guide provides good information on Denmark, Sweden and Norway. I cannot comment on Finland since it was ommited from our Scandinavian Tour. The information on historical places was more than enough and accurate. This guide pointed to us the exact location of rock carvings in the Tanum area (Sweden), something that the signs on location failed to do!. The suggested "green" routes were magnificent. Me and Jonas really felt that we did not waste our time and that every one of these routes (both in Sweden and Norway) were "golden" ones. The general maps are not detailed but those of the "green" routes are, with precise indications of views and panoramas. You don't expect accomodation listings in the "green" guides (that's what the "red" are for). We were surprised although that Michelin failed to give a star rating (we would give 3 stars) to the magnificent town of Alesund, but merely underlined it! If we did not experiment on our own we would have missed one of the most beautifull Norwegian towns in the "Jugend" style. I think that for a 1st edition, this guide is a very good effort. It can guide you to the splendours of Scandinavia and comparing it after our trip with other guides I think that I would go back with my Michelin again.

The editors do a wonderful job in presenting a selection of academic essays that deal with a wide range of social work issues. The authors tend to be both researchers and experienced social workers, and their experiences in the field provide a strong foundation for the academic theorization of the variety of topics dealt with in the book. Some of the most interesting chapters dealt with stories of homeless women and an examination of social offices accompanied by photographic images. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the specificities of Finnish social work and social work issus in general.