Interesting subject, but very dry. ( )

I tried to read this a couple of times but just couldn't get past the first third. There's simply much too much information crammed into such a short book that it leaves no room for interpretation or for a coherent narrative to emerge. It might serve scholars as a timeline of apocalyptic-inspired events, but it's just a trudge to a lay reader like me. ( )

Eugen Weber appropriately begins his book on apocalypses with a discussion of chronologies and the fin de siecle for, as he discusses, time is a social construct and the nature of fin de siecles is dependent upon this. The differing perspectives of time and the way we view historical events is the jumping off point for his discussion of the views and beliefs of people over the years regarding the end times. It is the book of Revelation and the "dark and bloody" apocaplypse that is described there that captured my imagination and was a starting point for a tour through history of the varying adpatations and expectations of humans regarding Apocalypses over the centuries. These views continue into our own violent and bloody century (both current and immediately preceding) where there are groups like the "Millenium Watch Institute" that keeps "an eye out for signs of the Coming" (p 209). Whether considered as "a growth industry" or a phenomenon of one of many belief systems, Armageddon has been a concept that has captured the imagination of humans for ages. Eugen Weber shares some insights on the history of this and other apocalyptic ideas in this fascinating and informative book. ( )

clearly inferior to his older works; not really an interesting read ( )