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Topic: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari  (Read 2626 times)

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Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« on: August 01, 2007, 07:08:21 PM »
I just heard a story on NPR (The Dianne Rehm Show) about this book and it sounds VERY fascinating.

If you'd like to listen to the original story:
Real Audio version

Windows Media version

Quote
1:00Pat Shipman: "Femme Fatale" (WilliamMorrow)

Mata Hari was executed in 1918 after a 2 day trial. Her crime - espionage for the Germans. A new biography examines the life of one of the twentieth century's most alluring, most mysterious, and perhaps, most mis-understood women.
Guests

Pat Shipman, adjunct professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University and the author of eight previous books, including "To the Heart of the Nile" and "The Man Who Found the Missing Link."

And here's a link to the book's entry on Amazon:

Amazon US
Amazon UK

I believe the book came out yesterday. I may just splurge and buy it to read on my plane ride. It sounds really interesting. I just thought I'd share!


  • Dar
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Re: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2007, 03:38:23 PM »
I want it!!  I want it!!  If I buy ANOTHER book, DF will shoot me, I am sure.  Especially since I am trying to get rid of books so I don't have to move so many of them.  Its so hard though!
I am the architect of my destiny.


Re: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2007, 04:06:40 PM »
Lol! How about I buy it, read it on my flight over, and then when you get there I will loan it to you?  ;D


  • Dar
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Re: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2007, 04:14:29 PM »
Lol! How about I buy it, read it on my flight over, and then when you get there I will loan it to you?  ;D

That, I could probably get away with.  "No really, its not MY book.  Just on loan."

I am reading a very complete study of the Jack the Ripper murders right now.  VERY interesting, although a bit morbid.  Did you know that he killed more women than the highly publicized ones?
I am the architect of my destiny.


Re: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2007, 04:21:35 PM »
Oh I think I may have that book! I haven't gotten around to reading it though, and now it's packed. I forgot which one I have though... I think the author is a woman? Probably not very helpful! ;D

And no, I didn't know. That's pretty sad that only a select group were more well known. Perhaps we'll have a book-swap ;D

Have you read The Professor and the Madman? That's one of my current favorites history-wise.


  • Dar
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Re: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2007, 04:36:06 PM »
Oh I think I may have that book! I haven't gotten around to reading it though, and now it's packed. I forgot which one I have though... I think the author is a woman? Probably not very helpful! ;D

And no, I didn't know. That's pretty sad that only a select group were more well known. Perhaps we'll have a book-swap ;D

Have you read The Professor and the Madman? That's one of my current favorites history-wise.

Yeah, the author is a woman!  Definitely read it!  Very good.  I love stuff that goes into psychological stuff.  If you don't have it, you can borrow mine.  It goes to the UK with DF in a week and half (he already wants to read it).

Professor and the Madman?  No, I haven't heard of it!

I am also reading (I tend to do two books at a time) Who Murdered Chaucer? by Terry Jones (yes, from Monty Python and well regarded medievalist).  Very academic but very interesting.  And you get a bit of the dry humor in there too, which I love.
I am the architect of my destiny.


Re: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2007, 04:42:28 PM »
Yeah, the author is a woman!  Definitely read it!  Very good.  I love stuff that goes into psychological stuff.  If you don't have it, you can borrow mine.  It goes to the UK with DF in a week and half (he already wants to read it).

Professor and the Madman?  No, I haven't heard of it!

I am also reading (I tend to do two books at a time) Who Murdered Chaucer? by Terry Jones (yes, from Monty Python and well regarded medievalist).  Very academic but very interesting.  And you get a bit of the dry humor in there too, which I love.

That's probably the one I've got stashed away then. I saved it from being thrown out when I worked at a bookstore. I'm pretty sure it's in a box in my mom's garage, so I'm sure I'll end up borrowing your copy instead!

The Professor and the Madman is about how the Oxford English Dictionary was first written. It's a really cool, very interesting book. It goes into great detail about how definitions were collected and sorted, and even tells about how a word was left out by mistake (bondmaid) in the first edition. A sore spot to this day ;D

I've never heard of Who Murdered Chaucer? but I do like academic stuff from time to time. I just finished reading, not too long ago, "The Book on the Bookshelf" which is a history of bookshelves and libraries, and "The Voynich Manuscript" which is not the manuscript itself (which is interesting if only because no one has ever managed to translate it), but a book about the manuscript which was really fascinating, too.


  • Dar
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Re: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2007, 04:50:28 PM »
That's probably the one I've got stashed away then. I saved it from being thrown out when I worked at a bookstore. I'm pretty sure it's in a box in my mom's garage, so I'm sure I'll end up borrowing your copy instead!

The Professor and the Madman is about how the Oxford English Dictionary was first written. It's a really cool, very interesting book. It goes into great detail about how definitions were collected and sorted, and even tells about how a word was left out by mistake (bondmaid) in the first edition. A sore spot to this day ;D

I've never heard of Who Murdered Chaucer? but I do like academic stuff from time to time. I just finished reading, not too long ago, "The Book on the Bookshelf" which is a history of bookshelves and libraries, and "The Voynich Manuscript" which is not the manuscript itself (which is interesting if only because no one has ever managed to translate it), but a book about the manuscript which was really fascinating, too.

Can't control urge to buy new books!  Evil taking over.....arg!!!
I am the architect of my destiny.


Re: Femme Fatale: a new bio of Mata Hari
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2007, 04:55:22 PM »
Can't control urge to buy new books!  Evil taking over.....arg!!!

LOL! I feel your pain, trust me!! So many books to read... so little space to hoard them all in!


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