The NS concentration camp of Stutt-hof (West Prussia) has never been the subject of scientific study by western historians. Although there exists some Polish literature on the subject, it must be treated with caution, because it is heavily influenced by Soviet-Communist ideology. According to this literature, Stutthof became a ‘makeshift’ extermination camp within the framework of the so-called ‘Final Solution of the Jewish Question’ in 1944. J rgen Graf and Carlo Mattogno have examined this view of Stutt-hof based on Polish literature and documents located in Russian, Polish, and Dutch archives, paying particular attention to mass transports to and from Stutthof in 1944. Not only do the authors prove that the Stutthof camp did not serve as a ‘makeshift’ extermination camp — the room claimed to have been used as a homicidal gas chamber was never anything else but a delousing chamber. This book also sheds some light on the fate of those prisoners who were deported to Auschwitz but were never registered in that camp. The present volume is a milestone of research, which no historian with any claim to seriousness can afford to ignore.
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 2, 2015
Thứ Hai, 5 tháng 1, 2015
Leonardos Lost Robots
Leonardo s Lost Robots reinterprets Leonardo da Vincis mechanical design work, revealing a new level of sophistication not recognized by art historians or engineers. By identifying his major technological projects, the book revisits Leonardos legacy of notebooks, showing that apparently unconnected fragments from dispersed manuscripts actually comprise cohesive designs for functioning automata. Using the rough sketches scattered throughout almost all of Leonardos papers, Rosheim has reconstructed Leonardos programmable cart, which was the platform for other automata: a Robot Lion, a Robot Knight, and a hydraulically powered automaton for striking a bell. Through a readable, lively narrative, Mark Rosheim recounts his adventures rediscovering and reconstructing da Vincis designs. In a foreword, the world-renowned Leonardo scholar Carlo Pedretti details the significance of these reconstructions for our understanding of Leonardos oeuvre.