Great Puzzles of History: Intriguing Cases of the Past

By Fred Neff

Presents discussions of ten historical controversies, including the fate of Marie Antoinette's son, the true identity of Prisoner Number 7 (Rudolph Hess), the existence of King Arthur, and the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822539314
• ISBN13: 9780822539315
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 11 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 6 to 9

Customer Reviews

A beacon of light on historical puzzles

Minneapolis lawyer Fred Neff's book on Great Puzzles of History avoids presenting history as myth or a study in hero's, heroines and villians and instead presents evidence of what happened at a particular time so that readers may draw their own conclusions. This is a refreshing approach that gets away from either the boring traditional textbook style used in school rooms or sensationalist revisionism used by popular authors who use creative license to make history more like a novel. Author-lawyer Fred Neff has an excellent writing style that is easy to understand and enjoyable to read. I especially like the way he raises questions about the facts. The author's method is unique in that he sets forth the facts in a manner reminiscent of trial lawyer Perry Mason. The book shows alternative versions of the facts and explanations for events, which is not only interesting, but also challenging. It realistically stays away from presenting people as either all good or all bad. For readers who like to see history as a dynamic process of events put into effect by real people who are often neither all bad or all good then this is a book they will enjoy reading. I give this book a five star rating and strongly recommend it.

This books is well-deserving of the word "great"

There is no mystery why Great Puzzles in History is a great book. Fred Neff, lawyer, advocate and teacher, has written a book that is appealing to readers of all ages. Although the book was written for the juvenile school library market, it should not be overlooked by anyone interested in real life puzzles. The book, which is well researched, covers 9 separate historical puzzles with clear and concise writing that is appealing to young and old alike. Fred Neff, lawyer, has written a book that clearly demonstrates why he is the recipient of numerous awards including a Commendation for Distinguished Service from the Sibley County Attorney's office, the Lamp of Knowledge from the Twin City Lawyers Guild, the HLS Justice Award, the Presidential Medal of Merit and others. I strongly recommend this book and encourage those interested in historical mysteries to add this to their bookshelves.

This is a "5 Star" book.

This book is a must for anyone who enjoys real life mysteries and is definitely a "5 Star" book. Too many times history books present nothing but a recitation of the events and dates, but this is not the case with Fred Neff's Great Puzzles of History. The book tells the stories of famous historical situations that to this day have unanswered questions related to them. There is no definitive answer to these situations, which has made them classic mysteries. Historians continue to speculate on the answers, which is part of the fun in the exploration of these puzzling historical events. The well written book is a great vehicle for that exploration. Great Puzzles of History presents individual stories such as the Lost Dauphin, the Anastasia Controversy, the Man in the Iron Mask and many others in the tradition of the best story tellers. At the same time, the author skillfully weaves into the narrative questions that challenge the reader's problem solving skills. This approach not only makes for a good read, but also gives the reader a chance to solve their own questions related to the stories presented. Great Puzzles of History makes history come alive and is an excellent choice for reading. I highly recommend this book. It is informative, well laid out and encourages the reader to evaluate the evidence, think for him or herself and to look more deeply into the subjects covered. Great Puzzles of History gives the reader a lot of information that can be used as a jumping off point for more in depth research into the subject matter of each mystery thus providing excellent entertainment and educational value. While this book would make an excellent summer (or anytime) reading project for children of all ages, adult readers will also enjoy the challenge of looking at the evidence and drawing their own conclusions.

Great Puzzles in History book is fun!

Trying to solve the mysteries presented in the book Great Puzzles of History is fun. I found myself riveted to the pages of this book's mysteries such as the controversy over whether the Russian Princess Anastasia actually survived the Russian Revolution. Other historical mysteries I especially enjoyed were the ones involving King Arthur, Robin Hood and the identity of the man in the iron mask. The writer Fred Neff did a lot of research that provides substance for this surprisingly easy to read book. Anyone who likes either a mystery or history would find this book immensely enjoyable reading.

Intriguing reading tells the story behind the movies

Two of my favorite pastimes are reading and watching movies. I especially like adventure movies based on historical themes. For this reason, I enjoyed the unique book "Great Puzzles of History" by Fred Neff. It artfully spun the story behind some of my favorite novels and movies. I was delighted to find a chapter on Robin Hood, the focus of which was whether he really existed or is only a myth or legend. I have read books and seen movies about Robin Hood and often wondered if there was any truth behind this adventure hero. The book gave me a lot of interesting information on the subject. Other chapters that I especially liked included the controversy over the deaths of the Russian royal family and the intrigue surrounding Anastasia and whether she had or had not been killed by the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution. The historical puzzles in Great Puzzles of History provided a lot of information that had not been provided in the various movies that I have seen or novels that I have read. For instance, The Man in the Iron Mask, years ago I read the book and recently watched the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The information provided in Great Puzzles of History shed new light on the subject and made for entertaining and thought provoking reading. The book's thorough research and outstanding writing style make for enjoyable reading. Every chapter provides a new "puzzle" and a fascinating glimpse of history. There was enough information to get me involved in each puzzle and at the same time, caused me to examine for myself the evidence presented to reach a conclusion regarding each of the puzzles. Great Puzzles of History is the kind of book that you can read and reread.