A History of Ethiopia Updated Edition

Marcus' "A History of Ethiopia" is a great overview of Ethiopia's history. It is focused more on the modern era, especially the 20th century. It does get confusing occasionally while reading due to some Ethiopians have very similar names to others, as well as Marcus' use of the nobility's titles, which can add to the confusion. Overall I loved the book, and would highly recommend it to those wanting an introduction and overview of Ethiopian history. I also recommend Marcus' other books, especially his biography of Haile Selassie.

great

The book is a good general overview, beginning from Lucy (being a creationist I have a problem with that) until the end of the Ethio-Eritrean border war. I got many insights which I didn't have before, especially about the end of the Haile Selassie regime. Imagine what Ethiopia would have been today if Ras Bitwoded Endalkachew Mekonnen would have got a chance to implement his liberal ideas! So I recommend this book, but of course such a long period always must pick and choose what to include.

good history

This is an excellent summary of Ethiopia's long history. Anybody who has visited the country will attest to its beauty and the dignity of her people My only criticism, and it may be viewed as somewhat subjective, is the author's apparent inclination to view white European colonialists rather generically, as if they were all of the same stripe. From around 1890 until 1941, Ethiopia's colonial foe was Fascist Italy, a repressive, evil little state run by genocidal idiots. Ethiopia was liberated with help from another colonial power, Great Britain. Robert Katz writes about this in The Fall of the House of Savoy. It was the Italians' defeat at Adwa in 1896 that earned its army the world's disdain because this was the first battle of comparable size that saw a modern European colonial force get its wings clipped by African troops. I have seen Italians in Ethiopia. They were not armed so far as I could tell, and it seemed their only complaint was the coffee. I'm reasonably certain few of them knew much about the events of the Second World War era, about which virtually nothing is taught in Italian schools.

Excellent!

I think is a very comprehensive description of Ethiopia and include allkind of details abou economy, social movements, etnicity, colonial tensions and religius aspects.

If you are reading this review you are looking for books on Ethiopia or African History. This book is well worth the time and money, especially if your goals are as specific as Ethiopia. I bought this in the stages of planning a trip to Addis Abeba and enjoyed the academic approach - so it should be understood that it is more of an academic approach to Ethiopian History. It may not fit the needs of all. May be dense for some. If for a university course or research consider yourself lucky, add this to your cart now. It is this kind of book. If you wanted a softer, yet still revealing read, In Search of King Solomon's Mines , is a great addition here to your hunt on Ethiopian literature.

I read this book after I visited Ethiopia and I wish I had done so before that visit. It has a clear layout, gives good and quick access to the essentials of Ethiopia's known history, and brings you right up to date into the modern times of current political trends. It is obviously written by a person who has fallen in love with Ethiopia and could connect with its rich diverse cultures.

About 3 years I’d been in capital city of Addis Ababa and this book remind me some great aspects of Ethiopian history. Harold Marcos goes further to the main e events that marked the Ethiopian history’s such as Menelik empire and tedros and Ras Tafari

In the middle of reading. Great story of a great country.

As far as I can see this is the only academic history of Ethiopia available, and on the whole it is a worthwhile read. Marcus gives balanced opinions and has clearly spent much time researching this book. However, I do have a few quibbles. Firstly, some epochs are dealt with in much more detail than others. I was disappointed by the paucity of information on Lalibela (spelling) and also the 1984 famine. The latter was especially surprising as it was an event that came to represent the World's view of post-modern Ethiopia. I was expecting at least a few pages on Bob Geldof and the effectiveness with which the money raised was spent, but Band Aid/LiveAid doesn't even get a mention. Also, and this may seem a touch petty, I found his use of exclamation marks to emphasis his jokes unprofessional. Would still recommend the book.

A good introduction to the Ethio-Eritrea history, but I have found the book has missed the Ethiopian internal & external relations & tentions other than only Eritrea.