Brandon Watson's"Political Discourse and Quotation," Siris, 3 August, continues a discussion begun by Nonpartisan's"Obama, Originality, and Historical Quotes," Progressive Historians, 2 August; and continued in Luker,"Discussing Obama's Speech, Cliopatria, 3 August.

Andrew Lawler,"Middle Asia Takes Center Stage," Science, 3 August, reviews new evidence of the importance of early urban development between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. The article is subscriber only, but it is briefed here. Hat tip.

Mary Hollingsworth,"Flimflam Man," Washington Post, 5 August, reviews Felipe Fernández-Armesto's Amerigo: The Man Who Gave His Name to America.

Adam Goodheart,"The Days of Their Lives," NYT, 5 August, reviews Adrian Tinniswood's The Verneys: A True Story of Love, War, and Madness in Seventeenth-Century England.

Jon Ferling,"The Long Land Grab," Washington Post, 5 August, reviews Richard Kluger's Seizing Destiny: How America Grew from Sea to Shining Sea.

Jonathan Yardley reviews Pat Shipman's Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari for the Washington Post, 5 August.

Vince Rinehart,"Turning Points," Washington Post, 5 August, reviews Ian Kershaw's Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-1941.

Michael Beschloss,"Not the President's Men," NYT, 5 August, reviews Stanley Weintraub's Fifteen Stars: Eisenhower, MacArthur, Marshall, Three Generals Who Saved the American Century and Mark Perry's Partners in Command: George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower in War and Peace.

Tom Miller,"The American Comandante," Washington Post, 5 August, reviews Aran Shetterly's The Americano: Fighting with Castro for Cuba's Freedom.

Ralph E. Luker - 8/5/2007

Thanks for the heads-up in re the link. With our Bushes and Clintons, I suspect you could even make a case about dynastic successions. To be sure, there's a different mechanism at work, but I do worry about all the little American boys and girls who were told that they could grow up and become the President of the United States.

Sharon Howard - 8/5/2007

Ralph, your link goes to a review of some obscure American politicians. This is the one you want:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/books/review/05good.html?ref=books

This sentence in the review gave me pause: "Its [the 17th century] defining preoccupations — religious wars, dynastic succession — seem to have little relevance to the present".

Huh? Not dynastic succession, maybe (even in the age of the two Georges...), but the religious wars - and the constitutional conflicts - of that period seem to some of us to have more than a little relevance right now.