Paul Johnson: A History of the Jews

1987/1993, pehmeäkantinen, 643 sivua.

National Bestseller

"A tour de force. . . . A remarkable achievement." —New York Times Book Review

"A marvelous book. . . . This is history: richly textured, provocative and wise." —Plain Dealer

From acclaimed historian Paul Johnson, author of Modern Times and A History of American People, this brilliant 4000 year survey covers not only Jewish history but the impact of Jewish genius and imagination on the world.


Beginning with Modern Times (1985), Paul Johnson's books are acknowledged masterpieces of historical analysis. He is a regular columnist for Forbes and The Spectator, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.

Paul Johnson says that writing A History of the Jews was like writing a history of the world "seen from the viewpoint of a learned and intelligent victim." Johnson's history begins with the Bible and ends with the establishment of the State of Israel. Throughout, Johnson's history is driven by a philosophical interest: "The Jews," he writes, "stand right at the centre of the perennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose. Does their own history suggest that such attempts are worth making? Or does it reveal their essential futility?" Johnson's history is lucid, thorough, and--as one would expect of almost any project with such a broad scope--a little wrong-headed. By the end of the book, readers will be grateful for Johnson's questioning of the Jews' confidence in their cosmic significance. However, readers may also be a little annoyed by his energetic inquiries as to whether this significance was man-made or providentially provided. Either way, it's a given: for a historian of Israel, this should adequately settle the question. Johnson's 600-page history is probably the best we've got by a living gentile--which is no small accomplishment at all. --Michael Joseph Gross
Review
"A tour de force. . . . A remarkable achievement." — New York Times Book Review

"An absorbing, provocative, well-written, often moving book, an insightful and impassioned blend of history and myth, story and interpretation." — Merle Rubin, Christian Science Monitor

"A marvelous book. . . . This is history: richly textured, provocative and wise." — Plain Dealer

"Johnson has put together in one volume an extraordinary amount of useful information, and talks realistically about the Jews of the last four centuries, to which his devotes more than half of his book." — New York Review of Books

"A powerful reminder of Jewish achievement throughout the ages." — Martin Gilbert, Commentary

"Johnson brings to his subject a vitality that can't be matched in any of the professional one-volume histories. . . . His writing is dramatic without histrionics, graphic without being highly colored." — John Gross, New York Times