Henry Freeman and James Watt: A Collaborative Collection

Fernanda Almeida Bócoli: The book takes us through history, science, philosophy and art of these people (Aztecs) that is more known by its bloody sacrifices. Maybe you will have another point of view more rich besides the before cited from these people after the read. I recommend the book, it's interesting, although in some parts it's difficult to read because of the words proper from their culture.

Brazil on Jun 11, 2023

Robert Ramos: I liked the narration of the subject in is focus of story telling.

United States on May 07, 2023

Nelg Notlimah: It was just what I had hoped it would be. A short read about history of the Aztecs. It Has peaked my interest to learn more.

United States on May 22, 2022

Kindle Customer: Clearly laid out and well written text with in depth sources and explanation of the structures of Aztec society and the various leaders and power structures within. I found this a compelling read that shed light on a topic much overshadowed by colonial records. Refreshing. Thanks for your work in this area. Would recommend.

United Kingdom on Nov 15, 2021

Chris C.: Obviously, this book is not meant to be an exhaustive study of the Aztecs--an impossible task given the limited page count. It is a brief overview, which is exactly what I want in this sort of a book. I'll start with the good: there is some decent information in this book and I'd (with perhaps some reservation) say it is worth the read if one is not all that familiar with Aztec history beyond the conquest by Cortez. It's a place to start.

However (and now for the bad), there are some very distracting features in this book: first, the almost psycho-babble intro attempting to make a social connection to the present and to make excuses for or justify Aztec practices (they need none; they did not share our time, space, or value system) is a waste of time (at least if your intent is to read history). Luckily that only lasts a few pages. Secondly, the writing is pretty disjointed and does not flow well--although your brain will adapt after a few pages, it is hard at times to keep track with all the jumping around. To be fair, it is a short book and one would expect a "whirlwind" approach to get everything in there. Thirdly, and worst of all in my opinion, is the CONSTANT...

United States on Nov 27, 2020

Katja H. Labonté: Aztecs by Henry Freeman (The)
2 stars. I was disappointed in this book. It was well-written—just a few awkward/confusing sentences—and it seemed well researched. But it taught me next to nothing about the Aztecs. All it did was talk about how their religion impacted their lives. Three chapters, all about that. Barely anything about their daily lives, the conquest, anything. Really, I feel like it wasn’t worth the time & effort to read. I’m glad I got it for free.
Also, why on earth is the title on the book cover different from the listing title?? Small detail, but super annoying IMO.

A Favourite Quote: “With so many demands on our time, often we forget how precious it is until it's almost gone.”

Canada on Feb 20, 2020

Amazon Customer: Es waren einige Informationen im Buch, die für mich noch neu waren, aber in der Gesamtheit zu wenig. Außerdem hat mir die Struktur des Textes nicht gefallen. Der Text war insgesamt etwas konfus und teilweise langweilig.

Germany on Aug 17, 2019

virgilio: Elegí esta calificación porque empata con lo que leo y veo acerca de sus logros en los casi 250 años que ejercieron su gobierno. al visitar el templo Mayor en la ciudad de México, se confirman muchos de los comentarios que se vierten en el libro y aprecio mas la magnificencia de sus avances tecnológicos, culturales, comerciales y de conquista. Se lo recomendaría a las personas que visiten México para que lo tengan como una introducción y un acercamiento a la cultura Mexica antes de la llegada española.

Mexico on Feb 13, 2018

Dale Hoch: Simply amazing that this quantity of such a complex, relatively unknown and misunderstood history has been so expertly condensed! This certainly is your go-to overview of the Aztecs...
To the potential reader: you are definitely going to need some experience in ancient/modern Mexican Language (Name/Place) pronunciations, and a basic awareness of the overlapping/intertwining of Mexican/Spanish/Native American History to sail through this one -- but it is well worth it. As someone who has studied the Mayans in light of this past century's invaluable discoveries, including the advances in interpreting the language of the stellae, leading to our much greater understanding of their history and culture (though admittedly at my temporary neglect of the Aztecs), I am extremely pleased to have chosen this book as my new "diving board"! I look forward to reading other books in this series, at the appropriate times for my studies, and definitely recommend others do likewise. Either as an introduction, a synopsis or a refresher: I don't think you can go wrong with Hourly History.
As a footnote, I must personally add that I noticed less than a handful of minor editing needs (only...

United States on Oct 09, 2017

Dee Arr: This is the fourth Hourly History I have read, and while the others were excellent overviews of history one could read in an hour, this one pales in comparison.

Beginning the book with modern-day political comments seemed out-of-place in a book with a focus on the Aztecs, and I was thankful that it only lasted a couple pages and then stopped.

To successfully create a book of this nature, one must be orderly in the layout of topics. This worked in other HH books, but for some reason the same format was not followed in The Aztecs. The arrangement made little sense, resulting in a confusing and choppy read. Worse, the author would get started and present a sentence or two and then refer the reader to another book if more knowledge was desired. It would have been much better to simply write the book (like the other Hourly History books) and have an Appendix listed in the back. The author could have placed links in the text to jump to the appropriate book the an appendix if it was thought the reader would not be able to link the proper book with the text. Instead, assorted books and authors pepper the pages instead of simply writing the historical overview and allowing...

United States on Dec 26, 2016