Things Noted Here and There

History Carnival LI is up at Mary Beard's A Don's Life: Thermopylae, Foucault, the end of the British slave trade, the firebombing of Germany, Dickens, Austen, Yiddish theater, ancient prostitution, and more. Enjoy yourself! See also: Marc Comtois,"Template: How to Get Historians Riled Up," Spinning Clio, 31 March.

Benjamin Forgey,"The French Heart Of Washington: How Parisian adventurer Pierre L'Enfant came to design the federal city," Washington Post, 1 April, reviews Scott W. Berg's Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C.; and Joseph Ellis,"Democracy's Prophet: How a young 19th-century aristocrat grasped America's character," Washington Post, 1 April, reviews Hugh Brogan's Alexis de Tocqueville: A Life.

James T. Campbell,"Bound for Freedom: Celebrating the courage and ingenuity of the Underground Railroad," Washington Post, 1 April, reviews Carolyn Smardz Frost's I've Got a Home in Gloryland: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad and Mary Kay Ricks's Escape on the Pearl: The Heroic Bid for Freedom on the Underground Railroad.

Caroline Weber,"The Rebel Heiress," NY Times, 1 April, reviews Lois Gordon's Nancy Cunard: Heiress, Muse, Political Idealist; and Christine Rosen,"China Doll: Madam Chiang and Her Times," Weekly Standard, 2 April, reviews Laura Tyson Li's Madame Chiang Kai-Shek: China's Eternal First Lady.

Finally, wasn't it enough that Economics Departments have largely taken the study of economic history from History Departments? Now, a UC, Berkeley, economist has published a study that argues that the study of history is so"inefficient" that resources supporting it should be directed elsewhere. Mary Dudziak's Legal History Blog has the story.