Stan Prager

Stan Prager

@stanprager.bsky.social

Independent historian, computer geek, hiker, dogmatic skeptic, book fanatic, film aficionado, rock music fan, entrepreneur, anti-fascist. “Nolite te bastardes carborundum”

170 followers78 following495 posts

Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

A silly book ... Review of: Hornswogglers, Fourflushers & Snake-Oil Salesmen: True Tales of the Old West's Sleaziest Swindlers, by Matthew P. Mayo regarp.com/2016/03/03/r...

regarp.comReview of: Hornswogglers, Fourflushers & Snake-Oil Salesmen: True Tales of the Old West's Sleaziest Swindlers, by Matthew P. MayoI take my responsibility as an “Early Reviewer” very seriously, so when I obtain a book under such circumstances, I feel an obligation to both the author and the Early Reviewers program to read it thr...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

The historical basis for Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" ... Review of: King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terrorism and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam Hochschild regarp.com/2016/02/27/r...

regarp.comReview of: King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terrorism and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam HochschildTragically, inhumanity on an epic scale is not reserved to a single time or a single place. Which is why Francis Ford Coppola could so effortlessly pluck Kurtz out of Joseph Conrad’s Africa and deposi...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

One of the finest books about the Civil War. Absolutely required reading. Review of: This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, by Drew Gilpin Faust regarp.com/2016/01/31/r...

regarp.comReview of: This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, by Drew Gilpin FaustDespite recommendations from those in tune with my interests, I went out of my way to avoid reading This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, by Drew Gilpin Faust. Not only did the...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

The central cause of the Civil War was slavery, and the central cause of slavery in the US was cotton ... One of the most important books I have ever read ... Review of: Empire of Cotton: A Global History, by Sven Beckert regarp.com/2016/01/02/r...

regarp.comReview of: Empire of Cotton: A Global History, by Sven BeckertIt is both fitting and pleasantly ironic that Empire of Cotton: A Global History, by Sven Beckert, was not only the final book I read in 2015 but arguably the most consequential. Every now and again, ...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Review of: The Apache Wars: The Hunt for Geronimo, the Apache Kid, and the Captive Boy Who Started the Longest War in American History, by Paul Andrew Hutton regarp.com/2016/11/24/r...

regarp.comReview of: The Apache Wars: The Hunt for Geronimo, the Apache Kid, and the Captive Boy Who Started the Longest War in American History, by Paul Andrew HuttonOnce upon a time, there were millions of Amerindians in North America of diverse cultures speaking a wide variety of languages and belonging to hundreds of different tribes and countless more clans. E...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

Review of: Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad, by Martin W. Sandler regarp.com/2015/11/29/r...

regarp.comReview of: Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad, by Martin W. SandlerI read Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad, by Martin W. Sandler, as part of an early reviewer’s program. My edition is a large format (10...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

Latest blog update regarding my research on my adopted Civil War soldier, Private George W. Gould of the Massachusetts 25th Infantry, killed at Cold Harbor in 1864 ... Researching George W. Gould at the Fitchburg Historical Society resurrectinglostvoices.com/2026/10/11/r...

resurrectinglostvoices.comResearching George W. Gould at the Fitchburg Historical SocietyThanks to the kindness, courtesy, and dedication of Susan Navarre, Executive Director of the Fitchburg Historical Society, and her assistant Loretta, as well as the dogged devotion to the cause by …
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

Review of: Kissinger’s Shadow: The Long Reach of America’s Most Controversial Statesman, by greggrandin.bsky.social Greg Grandin regarp.com/2015/11/21/k...

regarp.comReview of: Kissinger’s Shadow: The Long Reach of America’s Most Controversial Statesman, by Greg GrandinEarly on in Greg Grandin’s recently released historical and biographical appraisal, Kissinger’s Shadow: The Long Reach of America’s Most Controversial Statesman, the reader meets the young intellectua...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

Everyone loves this book, but I found it superficial ... Review of: Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War, by Charles Bracelen Flood regarp.com/2015/10/16/r...

regarp.comReview of: Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War, by Charles Bracelen FloodThe writer of a thesis paper is typically admonished to narrow the topic sufficiently so that it can both bring fresh perspective and be covered comprehensively in a finite number of pages. I would gu...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

An underappreciated Perlstein book well worth the read. Review of: The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan by @rickperlstein.bsky.social Rick Perlstein regarp.com/2015/10/11/r...

regarp.comReview of: The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan by Rick PerlsteinHistorically, the seventies in America encompassed two distinct eras that defy definition by decade. The first part was a virtual continuation of the sixties, the period that began with the November 2...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

Phenomenal book! Review of: The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies by Alan Taylor regarp.com/2015/10/01/r...

regarp.comReview of: The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies by Alan TaylorSome years back, I set out to rediscover American history through the best single books I could find to cover each era. I was stymied when I reached the “War of 1812,” where the historiography was pre...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

The Lost Cause was born 15 minutes after Lee surrendered. Learn more in this fine book ... Review of: Appomattox: Victory, Defeat, and Freedom at the End of the Civil War, by Elizabeth R. Varon regarp.com/2015/08/13/r...

regarp.comReview of: Appomattox: Victory, Defeat, and Freedom at the End of the Civil War, by Elizabeth R. VaronAs the sesquicentennial fades, I sought to abandon binge-reading Civil War books and to move on to the postwar era of Reconstruction and Redemption. Appomattox: Victory, Defeat, and Freedom at the End...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

A deeply-flawed narrative friendly to the Lost Cause and replete with factual errors. Review of: Their Last Full Measure: The Final Days of the Civil War, by Joseph Wheelan regarp.com/2015/07/13/r...

regarp.comReview of: Their Last Full Measure: The Final Days of the Civil War, by Joseph WheelanAfter a lifetime of reading and studying the Civil War that was even more profoundly focused by the sesquicentennial years, I have been ranging around looking for books to put an exclamation mark o…
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

Overlooked but essential Civil War read ... Review of: Our Man in Charleston: Britain’s Secret Agent in the Civil War South, by Christopher Dickey regarp.com/2015/06/21/r...

regarp.comReview of: Our Man in Charleston: Britain’s Secret Agent in the Civil War South, by Christopher DickeyIt is a mark of how rare it is to encounter a book on the American Civil War that offers an entirely fresh perspective, adds measurably to our understanding of critical aspects of the conflict, and…
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

Review of: Blood of the Tiger: A Story of Conspiracy, Greed, and the Battle to Save a Magnificent Species, by J.A. Mills regarp.com/2015/05/25/b...

regarp.comReview of: Blood of the Tiger: A Story of Conspiracy, Greed, and the Battle to Save a Magnificent Species, by J.A. MillsIn the very first chapter of Blood of the Tiger: A Story of Conspiracy, Greed, and the Battle to Save a Magnificent Species, by J.A. Mills, we are introduced to the horrors of Asian bear farming and b...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

A magnificent work ... Review of: The Closing of the Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason by Charles Freeman regarp.com/2015/05/13/r...

regarp.comReview of: The Closing of the Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason by Charles FreemanCharles Freeman’s dense, panoramic and controversial The Closing of the Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason is actually three books synthesized into a single volume. One characteriz...
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

A balanced, excellent account of the Confederacy's final days ... Review of: Richmond Burning: The Last Days of the Confederate Capital by Nelson Lankford regarp.com/2015/04/25/r...

regarp.comReview of: Richmond Burning: The Last Days of the Confederate Capital by Nelson LankfordAfter deeply immersing myself in Civil War studies during the past four years of the sesquicentennial – including battlefield visits and tours, a weekend seminar with noted nonagenarian historian E…

Stan Prager reposted

Robert Reich
@rbreich.bsky.social

Never forget this: The forces rigging our economy, undermining our democracy, polluting our planet, and stoking hatred are counting on you to give up. Cynicism is how they win. Stay clear-eyed and ready for the fight ahead.

Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

A reminder that if you haven't read this book yet, get on it. It is more relevant now than ever before! Review of: The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier, by @mkn.bsky.social Megan Kate Nelson regarp.com/2026/03/26/r...

regarp.comReview of: The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier, by Megan Kate NelsonImagine that you were brought up in a home that hosted a large extended family that was multiracial and multicultural. Your parents were white, of European ancestry, but through marriage and adopti…
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

When the president was great ... Review of: JFK’S Last Hundred Days: The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President, by Thurston Clarke regarp.com/2017/11/22/r...

regarp.comReview of: JFK’S Last Hundred Days: The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President, by Thurston ClarkeI was only six years old, but I can recall it with great clarity: the principal visited our classroom—the President had been shot. My mother was crying when she picked me up from school; my teacher…
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

When we had a real president in the White House ... Review of: Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over Civil Rights, by Steven Levingston regarp.com/2018/12/31/r...

regarp.comReview of: Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over Civil Rights, by Steven LevingstonThe fifty-five years since John F. Kennedy was assassinated has seen his standing rise considerably among both historians and the general public, even putting him into the top ten on some lists, wh…
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

When there was a great president in the White House ... Review of: Dinner in Camelot: The Night America’s Greatest Scientists, Writers, and Scholars Partied at the Kennedy White House, by Joseph A. Esposito regarp.com/2018/11/18/r...

regarp.comReview of: Dinner in Camelot: The Night America’s Greatest Scientists, Writers, and Scholars Partied at the Kennedy White House, by Joseph A. Esposito“I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined …
Stan Prager
@stanprager.bsky.social

The latest book review and podcast ... check it out ... Review of: Got a Revolution!: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane, by Jeff Tamarkin regarp.com/2026/08/01/r...

regarp.comReview of: Got a Revolution!: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane, by Jeff TamarkinOn August 11, 2013, my wife and I were eagerly settling in at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center—popularly known as “The Kate”—in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, truly pumped for the upcoming sh…