Asian history Books

Book SynopsisOne of the best analyses of the impact of Tiananmen throughout China in the years since 1989. --The New York Times Book ReviewOn June 4, 1989, People''s Liberation Army soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians in Beijing, killing untold hundreds of people. A quarter-century later, this defining event remains buried in China''s modern history, successfully expunged from collective memory. In The People''s Republic of Amnesia, NPR correspondent Louisa Lim offers a much-needed response to the silence surrounding the events of June 4th, charting how deeply they affected China at the time and in the 25 years since.

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Book SynopsisThe reign of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (1174â85) has traditionally been seen as a period of decline when, because of the king's illness, power came to be held by unsuitable men who made the wrong policy decisions. Notably, they ignored the advice of Raymond of Tripoli and attacked Saladin, who was prepared to keep peace with the Franks while uniting the Islamic near east under his rule. This book challenges that view, arguing that peace with Saladin was not a viable option for the Franks; that the young king, despite suffering from lepromatous leprosy (the most deadly form of the disease) was an excellent battle leader who strove with some success to frustrate Saladin's imperial ambitions; that Baldwin had to remain king in order to hold factions in check; but that the society over which he presided was, contrary to what is often said, vigorous and self-confident.Trade Review' … compelling … the book stands as a gifted work and one of the best introductions to the world of the Latin East produced to date.' BBC History Magazine' … judicious and learned book.' The Times Literary Supplement' … Hamilton's evaluation of Baldwin is convincing and compelling.' Journal of Ecclesiastical HistoryTable of ContentsPrologue; 1. The sources for Baldwin IV's reign; 2. Baldwin's childhood; 3. The kingdom; 4. The international status of the kingdom; 5. The king's minority; 6. Western aid: William of Montferrat and Philip of Flanders; 7. The victor of mont Gisard; 8. Prince Reynald's initiative; 9. The dying king; 10. The heirs of the leper king; Epilogue; Appendix by Piers Mitchell: an evaluation of the leprosy of king Baldwin IV of Jerusalem in the context of the medieval world; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThe major works by Josephus are History of the Jewish War, from 170 BC to his own time, and Jewish Antiquities, from creation to AD 66. Also by him are an autobiographical Life and a treatise Against Apion.

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Book Synopsis Table of ContentsI.EpistleThe GiftPersimmonsThe Weight Of SweetnessFrom BlossomsDreaming Of HairEarly In The MorningWaterFalling: The CodeNocturneMy IndigoIrisesEating AloneII.Always A RoseIII.Eating TogetherI Ask My Mother To SingAsh, Snow, Or MoonlightThe LifeThe WeepersBraidingRain DiaryMy Sleeping Loved OnesMnemonicBetween SeasonsVisions And Interpretations

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Book SynopsisTrade Review" In a masterful synthesis, Matthew Strecher delves deeply into questions of language, religion, mythology, psychology, and the boundaries between literature and journalism to demonstrate with great clarity and concreteness how Murakami belongs in the company of such writers as Pynchon, Eco, and Rushdie." —Jay Rubin, author of Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words"This guide clearly synthesizes the inner world enshrining Haruki Murakami’s characters."—World Literature Today"Strecher’s latest book is erudite without being overly academic. A lively and engaging read."—The Japan Times"Strecher neatly maps out the impression the young Murakami made on the hidebound world of Japanese literature and its overarching literary guild, one entrenched by respect, routine, and what literature ought to do."—Pop Matters"An original and insightful book—a genuine pleasure to read."—H-Net"Useful for providing frames through which to read Murakami and for a detailed overview of his work."—CHOICE"This well-researched monograph not only contributes to deepening our understanding of Murakami’s work, but, more importantly, Strecher reaffirms the bottomless possibilities to enjoy reading this author’s stories."—Asian Studies Review"Like its subject, Strecher’s book does not offer an overall master map to this world but rather presents us with a variety of intriguing ideas to ponder and to provoke us toward our own interpretations of this tantalizing, multifaceted author."—Journal of Japanese StudiesTable of ContentsContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Power of the “Story” 1. New Words, New Worlds2. Into the Mad, Metaphysical Realm3. Gods and Oracles, Fate and Mythology4. Murakami Haruki as Literary Journalist5. Forbidden Dreams from “Over There”Epilogue: The Roads Not TakenNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn extraordinary tale of the remarkable bond between one man and his dog during the Second World War.Trade ReviewNo Better Friend personifies the relationship we all aspire to have with our dogs, and takes us on a harrowing journey to a place and time lost in the history books. A must read * Robin Hutton, author of Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse *Robert Weintraub captures the beauty and power of friendship and loyalty between man and animal in this captivating narrative. We'd all be lucky to have a dog like Judy by our sides in our darkest times * Cate Lineberry, author of The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines *Both a testament to animal intelligence and a much overdue account of canine sacrifice and service, No Better Friend is also masterfully told. Soaring and graceful, Weintraub's narrative reclaims the history of two unlikely heroes - in a tale that is the stuff of which Hollywood blockbusters are built * Mim Eichler Rivas, author Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World and co-author of The Pursuit of Happyness with Chris Gardner *A thought-provoking story about human suffering in conflict * Soldier *

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Book SynopsisInternationally renowned samurai expert Dr. Stephen Turnbull delves into a pivotal era of Japanese history in this highly illustrated account of the Gempei War, a conflict that defined the age and the ethos of the samurai. Never before had there been a large-scale clash between two rival samurai families, the Taira and the Minamoto, and never again would the result of a war in Japan be quite so dramatic. Fought to gain control over the emperor, it would end with imperial power being totally eclipsed in favor of the military might of the samurai class and the establishment of the position of shogun--Japan''s military dictator. Turnbull examines the events of the five-year-long conflict, revealing the changes that the war inflicted on Japanese culture and how it establishmened many samurai traditions.Table of ContentsIntroduction/Chronology/Opposing commanders/Opposing armies/Opposing plans/The campaign/Aftermath/The battlefield today/Further reading/Index

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Book SynopsisA generation after the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia shows every sign of having overcome its history- the streets of Phnom Penh are paved skyscrapers dot the skyline. But under this façade lies a country still haunted by its years of terror. Joel Brinkley won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting in Cambodia on the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime that killed one quarter of the nation's population during its years in power. In 1992, the world came together to help pull the small nation out of the mire. Cambodia became a United Nations protectorate- the first and only time the UN tried something so ambitious. What did the new, democratically-elected government do with this unprecedented gift? In 2008 and 2009, Brinkley returned to Cambodia to find out. He discovered a population in the grip of a venal government. He learned that one-third to one-half of Cambodians who lived through the Khmer Rouge era have P.T.S.D.- and its afflictions are being passed to the next generation. His extensive close-up reporting in Cambodia's Curse illuminates the country, its people, and the deep historical roots of its modern-day behaviour.Trade ReviewKirkus, February 15, 2011 "An excellent...account of a country whose historic poverty, exacerbated by the Vietnam War, remains remarkably unchanged." Publishers Weekly "A riveting piece of literary reportage." Booklist"A heartbreaking but vital status report on a people who deserve far better." Foreign Affairs, May/June 2011"Brinkley cuts a clear narrative path through the bewildering, cynical politics and violent social life of one of the worlds most brutalized and hard-up countries."

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Book SynopsisDuring 200 years the East India Company grew from an association of Elizabethan tradesmen into a powerful organization. As a commercial enterprise it came to control half the world's trade and as a political entity it administered an empire. This book looks at the history of the Company.

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Book SynopsisDrawn from Peter H. Lee's Sourcebook of Korean Civilization, Volume One, this abridged introductory collection offers students and general readers primary readings in the social, intellectual, and religious traditions of Korean from ancient times through the sixteenth century.Trade ReviewA monumental accomplishment. Korean Studies Beginning scholars of Asian Studies...will find this a challenging but worthwhile book to read. Korean QuarterlyTable of ContentsPreface Explanatory Note Contributors Part I. Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla 1. Origins of korean culture 2. The Rise of the Three Kingdoms 3. The Introduction of Buddhism 4. Consolidation of the State 5. The Rise of Buddhism 6. Poetry and Song 7. Local Clans and the Rise of the Meditation School Part II. Koryo Introduction 8. Early Koryo Political Structure 9. Koryo Society 10. Military Rule and Late Koryo Reform 11. Buddhism: The Ch'ont'ae and Chogye Schools 12. Popular Beliefs and Confucianists Part III. Early Choson Introduction 13. Founding the Choson Dynasty 14. Political Thought in Early Choson 15. Culture 16. Social Life 17. Economy 18. Thought 19. Buddhism Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis revised edition builds upon and updates its twin themes of Turkey's continuing incorporation into the capitalist world and the modernization of state and society. It begins with the forging of closer links with Europe after the French Revolution, and the changing face of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. Zurcher argues that Turkey's history between 1908 and 1950 should be seen as a unity, and offers a strongly revisionist interpretation of Turkey's founding father, Kemal Ataturk. In his account of the period since 1950, Zurcher focuses on the growth of mass politics; the three military coups; the thorny issue of Turkey's human right's record; the alliance with the West and relations with the European Community; Turkey's ambivalent relations with the Middle East; the increasingly explosive Kurdish question; and the continuing political instability and growth of Islam.

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Book SynopsisChina 1900-76 has been written specifically to support AS Edexcel Units 2 and 3, and is also suitable for AQA Module 4H option D.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. The last years and fall of the Qing Dynasty 3. The new China: a troubled and chaotic childhood, 1912-27 4. Rival visions of the new China, 1928-37 5. War with Japan 6. Civil war and communist victory 7. The new Dynasty: China, 1949-56 8. Politics, personalities, dissent and repression: China, 1954-58 9. The Great Leap Forward 10. Recovery and revolution: China, 1961-69 11.China and the world, 1949-76 12. The last years of the red emperor: China 1969-76 AS Assessment Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWinner of a 2017 Distinguished Book Award, Society of Military History "[An] enlightening new history."--Alex Monro, Times Literary Supplement "The Gunpowder Ageis a boldly argued, prodigiously researched and gracefully written work. This book has much to offer general readers, especially those with a passion for military history, as well as specialists."--Wall Street Journal "An excellent book."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution "A vigorous military history of China."--Kirkus "In Tonio Andrade's well-researched, balanced and comparative history of military innovation in Asia and the West, he challenges the traditional notion - compellingly set forth by Victor Davis Hanson in Carnage and Culture and Niall Ferguson in Civilization--that Western culture largely explains Western global predominance in the post-medieval world."--South China Morning Post "Tonio Andrade wipes out the conviction held by many ... in the field of Chinese history that it was Confucianism that kept China from adopting military technology... Andrade is not the first scholar to make such claims, but he leads us deeper in these directions than any scholar to date. The case he makes here will encourage new publications along those lines and will certainly make teaching more interesting."--Jonathan Mirsky, Times Higher Education "In this well-constructed new book, each chapter of which reads like an approachably paced lecture, Tonio Andrade sets this entire history on a new footing."--Timothy Brook, Literary Review "One of the best books I've read in awhile."--Thomas Ricks, Foreign Policy Blog "[The Gunpowder Age] challenges the traditional historiography and will spark debates among scholars."--Choice "An important, consistently interesting, accessible, and well-written work... Andrade is much to be congratulated for a stimulating book, one that greatly moves the field along, and one, moreover, that ably makes the case for the need to consider military history as part of the history of China, and Chinese military history as a key element of military history."--Jeremy Black, World History Connected "Tonio Andrade offers fresh insights into the perennially interesting 'great divergence' between Europe and Asia."--Pankaj Mishra, BBC History Magazine "Covering no less than a thousand years of history, marshaling a staggering array of evidence from multiple languages and disciplines, and offering sustained comparative analysis with other parts of the Western world, this is a big book in every sense of the word... Not only does Andrade significantly expand the geographical boundaries of conventional military histories to attend to global patterns, but he also offers a powerful reminder that the study of war offers insight into so much more than battles won and lost... Anyone interested in the long view of the co-evolution of war and society--and what this means for the big questions of world history--would do well to pick up this book."--David Fedman, Journal of Asian StudiesTable of ContentsIntroduction - The Military Pattern of the Chinese Past 1 PART I: CHINESE BEGINNINGS Chapter 1 The Crucible: The Song Warring States Period 15 Chapter 2 Early Gunpowder Warfare 29 Chapter 3 The Mongol Wars and the Evolution of the Gun 44 Chapter 4 Great Martiality: The Gunpowder Emperor 55 PART II: EUROPE GETS THE GUN Chapter 5 The Medieval Gun 75 Chapter 6 Big Guns: Why Western Europe and Not China Developed Gunpowder Artillery 88 Chapter 7 The Development of the Classic Gun in Europe 103 Chapter 8 The Gunpowder Age in Europe 115 Chapter 9 Cannibals with Cannons: The Sino-Portuguese Clashes of 1521-1522 124 PART III: AN AGE OF PARITY Chapter 10 The Frankish Cannon 135 Chapter 11 Drill, Discipline, and the Rise of the West 144 Chapter 12 The Musket in East Asia 166 Chapter 13 The Seventeenth Century: An Age of Parity? 188 Chapter 14 A European Naval Advantage 196 Chapter 15 The Renaissance Fortress: An Agent of European Expansion? 211 PART IV: THE GREAT MILITARY DIVERGENCE Chapter 16 The Opium War and the Great Divergence 237 Chapter 17 A Modernizing Moment: Opium War Reforms 257 Chapter 18 China's Modernization and the End of the Gunpowder Age 273 Conclusions - A New Warring States Period? 297 Acknowledgments 307 Appendix 1: Timeline 311 Appendix 2: Datasets 312 Abbreviations 317 Notes 319 Bibliography 379 Index 421

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Book SynopsisAssesses the historical development and societal impact of the motorcycle industry, from the influence of motor sports on vehicle sales in the early 1900s to the postwar developments that led to the massive wave of motorization sweeping the Asia-Pacific region.Trade Review"This book is very much at the cutting edge of current scholarship. Besides demonstrating the role of the Japanese military and empire in the early development of the industry, it illuminates the intense competition among motorbike makers in the first decade and a half after the Second World War. - Steven Ericson, author of The Sound of the Whistle: Railroads and the State in Meiji Japan"Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Why the Motorcycle?1 Japan’s Transportation Revolution, 1896-19312 Motorcycle and Empire: A Study in Industrial Self-Sufficiency3 Know Your Customers: Designing Products for an Impoverished Postwar Market4 Know Your Competitors: Finding a Niche in a Crowded Manufacturing Field5 The Rise of the Big Four6 Bitter Realities: Going Bankrupt in Japan7 Sales versus SafetyAppendicesNotesGlossaryBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisIndia was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire, an Empire that needed a rail network to facilitate its exploitation and reflect its ambition. But, by building India's railways, Britain radically changed the nation and unwittingly planted the seed of independence. As Indians were made to travel in poor conditions and were barred from the better paid railway jobs a stirring of resentment and nationalist sentiment grew.The Indian Railways network remains one of the largest in the world, serving over 25 million passengers each day. In this expertly told history, Christian Wolmar reveals the full story, from the railway's beginnings to the present day, and examines the chequered role this institution has played in Indian history and the creation of today's modern state.Trade ReviewAn engaging and welcome account of this magnificent institution and its dramatic history up to the present day. * Spectator *Wolmar entertainingly examines the complicated legacy of the [Indian] railway, the most palpable element of British imperialism. * Michael Portillo *Railways and the Raj is valuable not only as a lively history of the Indian railways, but as an intervention in our own political moment. * TLS *Instructive, inspiring and even endearing, Railways and The Raj is a captivating read. * Shashi Tharoor, author of INGLORIOUS EMPIRE *Railways & The Raj is brilliant - absorbing, engrossing and definitive. * Michael Williams, author of ON THE SLOW TRAIN *Wolmar tells an epic story, at once shocking and inspiring. Stripped of false nostalgia for the Raj and all its deceptions, India's railways emerge greater than ever, and still central to the nation's identity and future. -- Simon Bradley * Author of THE RAILWAYS *Christian Wolmar brings to life the early days of trains in India and describes with great clarity and wit how railways have spread across the vast country over the years. This is not a dry, stuffy read merely for rail enthusiasts. It's full of energy, enthusiasm and erudition, explaining the role of railways at key moments in the country's history from early mutinies against the colonialists to independence and beyond. Highly recommended. -- Tom Chesshyre * Author of TICKET TO RIDE *This is one up-to-date book on Indian Railways that captures its history, life, stories and status... A must-read for all those keen followers of India's railways and for those who want to know all about it. -- Rajendra B. Aklekar * Author of HALT STATION INDIA *

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Book SynopsisThe first English-language collection of the titular artist, "The Art of Sachiko Kaneoya" chronicles the creator's work and themes for nearly a decade, showcasing the monstrous, the romantic, and the mortal suffering of her subjects. Inspired by anime and manga from the 50s and 90s, Kaneoya's global contingent of fans has never had a easily-obtainable volume of her work... until now.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Deeply researched and written in a scholarly but engaging style, the book breaks new ground in Korean art history, counteracting the dominant role of the yangban in earlier studies. Kim's book is a welcome addition to recent monographs and exhibition catalogues on Korean art history." * Choice *"Richly detailed, comprehensively resourced, and meticulously researched . . . call[s] into question existing narratives on Chosŏn painting by reading artworks in consideration of their collective agency and their roles in negotiating values, taste, and status at a critical historical juncture. [Flowering Plums and Curio Cabinets] will hence contribute significantly to the literature and ultimately enrich scholarly discussion of early modernity in East Asia." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[C]omprehensive analyses of the late Chosŏn dynasty...Kim's Flowering Plums and Curio Cabinets boldly presents the academic possibility that the artworks and cultural objects of late Chosŏn Korea can be examined through visual and cultural studies." * European Journal of Korean Studies *"Kim’s scholarship makes an important addition to understandings of late Chosǒn arts and culture and is a must-read volume for students and researchers alike." * Asian Affairs: An American Review *"[A] model of scholarship...opens new insights..offering fresh and exciting readings." * The Art Bulletin *

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Book SynopsisBullhe Shah’s work is among the glories of Panjabi literature, and the iconic eighteenth-century poet is widely regarded as a master of mystical Sufi poetry. This striking new translation is the most authoritative and engaging introduction to an enduring South Asian classic.Trade ReviewThe lucid and informative introduction by the volume’s editor and translator, Christopher Shackle, takes readers through the trajectory of Sufism from Persia to India and the several orders within the movement in India. But most useful is a short essay on the themes of the lyrics. The poems that follow open up in all their appeal, universal and timeless in their great subject of love, endearing in their simplicity of expressiveness. -- Neel Mukherjee * New Statesman *Drawing from the Sufi tradition of mysticism, Bullhe Shah wrote poetry that is sharp, simple and immortal. His verses question strictures of organized religion and societal norms. They are beautiful paeans to romantic and mystical love underpinned by rich spiritual philosophy. -- Pragya Tiwari * India at LSE blog *

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Book SynopsisA rip-roaring yet intimate biography of the mighty Nile by Robert Twigger, award-winning author of ANGRY WHITE PYJAMAS. 'A tour de force' FINANCIAL TIMES.So much begins on the banks of the Nile: all religion, all life, all stories, the script we write in, the language we speak, the gods, the legends and the names of stars. This mighty river that flows through a quarter of all Africa has been history's most sustained creator.In this dazzling, idiosyncratic journey from ancient times to the Arab Spring, award-winning author Robert Twigger weaves a Nile narrative like no other. As he navigates a meandering course through the history of the world's greatest river, he plucks the most intriguing, colourful and dramatic stories - truly a Nile red in tooth and claw.The result is both an epic journey through the whole sweep of human and pre-human history, and an intimate biography of the curious life of this great river, overflowing with stories of excess, love, passion, splendour and violence.Trade ReviewTwigger's book on the history of the river Nile is one of the those unexpected great reads... This is a non-fiction book that reads like a great, page-turning novel. * CATHOLIC HERALD *Red Nile is a scintillatingly colourful account of a river and a region that explorer/adventurer Twigger knows well... probably the author's magnum opus. * SUNDAY TIMES *Red Nile by Robert Twigger is how history should be written and taught. The reader is taken on a sweeping journey through the endless story of the Nile, where so much began and so much is still happening. -- Robin Hanbury-Tenison * COUNTRY LIFE *gives great insight into a place where the growth of civilisation is so closely lined to the power of nature. * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *This torrent of tales sweeps up everything from hippos (the Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar kept four Nile hippos at his mansion in Medellín) to erotic papyrus. * The Daily Telegraph *Robert Twigger's ambitious biography of the Nile is an unexpected triumph...a scintillatingly colourful account of a river and a region Twigger knows intimately...an elegiac moving book...hugely entertaining...probably the author's magnum opus -- James McConnachie * THE SUNDAY TIMES *a tour de force; a brilliantly written scrapbook of history and travel, geography and science, myth and legend both ancient and modern... Twigger allows the river's ever changing shape to inform this engrossing biography. It's a vast subject but he never becomes overwhelmed by the material and has written an elegant, amusing and fascinating book, buoyed by his own enthusiasm, that draws you along in its current -- Carl Wilkinson * FINANCIAL TIMES *Like the vast, fast-flowing river itself with its waters teeming with crocodiles, hippopotami and bilharzia, so Red Nile teems with arcane facts and high spirited asides... Red Nile provides a feast of quirky, fascinating bits of knowledge, both funny and memorable -- Caroline Moorehead * THE SPECTATOR *Crocodiles, dams, feluccas, pharaohs and papyrus, disputation about sources, literary and riverine, myths and realities of fecundity: only someone as crazy as Robert Twigger would attempt to tell the whole story of the Nile from soup to nuts, yet in Red Nile that's exactly what he has done, filtering the vast flood of his subject matter through an infectious individual style -- Giles Foden * CONDE NAST TRAVELLER *Using the physical presence of the river, the tumultuous recent events that have occurred along it and his own experiences... Twigger succeeds in capturing the key features of Africa's greatest river: that it is wide-reaching as it is long, touches every era of human history, from nobility to the baseless violence that has so often stained the waters red -- Anthony Sattin * THE SUNDAY TIMES *the Nile's own source has always been mysterious - in the Ethiopian highlands of in the Kagera River, which flows into Lake Victoria and on into the Nile proper, or in Lake Tanganyika? This is one of the previously unanswered questions tackled by Robert Twigger in this impressive book - a biography of the River Nile. [Twigger] knows the geography of this region well and is equally au fait with its turbulent history...many entertaining snippets of information -- Theo Walden * THE LADY *if you have read Twigger before, you will know to expect divergence, wit, a weakness with the esoteric, an ability to make even the most obscure details seem relevant. All of which is perfectly suited to this subject and makes for an entertaining and absorbing read * THE OBSERVER *Hugely impressive in its research, Red Nile is a torrent of fanatical rulers, assassinations, wild explorers and dastardly goings-on -- Philip Marsden * MAIL ON SUNDAY *The Nile has attracted adventurers since ancient times, and Twigger heads for the source of the river... The history of the river and the countries it passes through is interwoven with many interesting snippets - for example that Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat said that the "attractive lines of the slim-fit uniform would be spoilt by wearing a bullet-proof vest" on the day he was assassinated -- Tom Chesshyre * THE TIMES *Red Nile's mixture of factual and fictional narratives of heroic adventurers, lost tribes, vanished cities, trackless forests and lethal wildlife brought me back to the pleasures I derived as a child from reading old copies of the Boy's Own Paperand Chums Annual * TLS *Taking a characteristically idiosyncratic approach, [Twigger] tells the river's history through its most colourful stories, from Egypt's racy mythology to the visionaries and madmen who have plied its waters. Combining wide-ranging knowledge with first-hand forays upstream, it's a suitably Nilean accomplishment. A meandering insight of genuine depth * LONELY PLANET TRAVELLER *In Twigger's biography of 'the world's greatest river', he tackles the source of ancient Biblical tales through to exploring the downfall of Mubarak. There's enough bloody, treacherous history to make Game of Thrones look like a Mr Men book, which is to say that it's a relentlessly good read...a fresh revitalising dunk into these much-navigated waters * WANDERLUST *Explorer Robert Twigger has sailed Canada in a birch-bark canoe and walked the Egyptian Sahara. Now, he explores the Nile, taking in traces left by Cleopatra, Moses, Agatha Christie and the world's deadliest creature, the Nile crocodile * CARA (AER LINGUS) magazine *You'd be right to think that the world's longest river would have enough history to fill a book 12 times this size. Fortunately, that's the delight of Twigger's latest work: it filters out the drab and pumps in the peculiar without missing any crucial undulations along the way. Expect tales of passion, violence and splendour * EASYJET TRAVELLER INFLIGHT MAGAZINE *a compelling take on thousands of years of life on the banks of the world's longest river ... Twigger - an engaging author whose CV includes training in martial arts with the Tokyo riot police and an attempt to capture a nine-metre-long python - provides us with a leisurely, readable collection of stories that introduce us to a wide cast of authors and explorers, fierce baboons and murderous crocodiles -- Joyce Tyldesley * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *Twigger has lived in Cairo for seven years, is married to an Egyptian and stares at the Nile every day from his study; he has fallen in the Nile, swum the Nile, drunk the waters of the Nile, kayaked and rafted, and travelled the length of it by plane. He is, in fact, an Old Hand, Twigger of the Nile... Rambling, discursive, chatty, anecdotal, funny... it's a series of ripping yarns, and highly entertaining... I think Twigger may have invented a new genre - the Ramblelogue -- Robert Carver * THE INDEPENDENT *Intrepid and amusing, Twigger delivers a deeper (and happier) view of Egypt - and its neighbours - than today's headlines allow. With its lavish cargo of histories, myths and full-on ripping yarns, his journey down the river flows fast and strong * i NEWSPAPER *this book will teach you a great deal: from the wisdom of avoiding hippos, crocodiles and baboons to the central role played by the river in the earliest stages of human history...Twigger's accounts are both reliable and entertaining...this is a wide-ranging and well-researched book. All of the usual suspects are here - from Cleopatra to the Rosetta Stone - but Twigger has unearthed an impressive number of neglected facts and tales -- Jonathan Wright * GEOGRAPHICAL *fuses history and geography with a travelogue and cultural history of the peoples who have made their home along the river, and it gives great insight into a place where the growth of civilisation is so closely linked to the power of nature * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *All to Twigger's credit, his masterful and enthusiastic prose guides readers on a pleasing passage through the river's unbelievable past, from biblical tales to the recent Arab spring. He strikes the perfect balance, creatively covering crucial elements while leaving out the lacklustre and pouring in plenty of gripping stories. Loaded with interesting asides...Red Nile is also disarmingly charming and witty at times. Twigger's years of literary research and on-the-ground experience in Africa shine through in this tour de force * TRAVEL AFRICA *Twigger treats us to an entertaining and idiosyncratic journey from prehistoric and ancient times right up to the Arab Spring. This is a book that will satisfy both the serious student and the casual reader. The former will delight in a close reading of the text and will learn a lot from what is, in essence, a serious academic study. The latter will enjoy dipping into it and the many anecdotes, and the author's humorous turn of phrase... Highly recommended * HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW *Red Nile is a scintillating account of a river and a region that explorer/adventurer Twigger knows well... A fine, if flawed work that it probably the author's magnum opus." * SUNDAY TIMES *

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Book SynopsisDrink your way through Japan (even from home) with the help of this book! Japan is home to some of the world's most interesting alcoholic beverages from traditional Sake and Shochu to Japanese whisky, beer, wine and cocktails that are winning global acclaim and awards. In this comprehensive survey of Japanese drinks, experts Stephen Lyman and Chris Bunting cover all the main types of beverages found in Japanese bars and restaurants, as well as supermarkets and liquor stores around the world. The book has chapters on Sake, Shochu, whisky, wine, beer, Awamori (a moonshine-like liquor from Okinawa), Umeshu plum wine and other fruit wines. There is also a fascinating chapter on modern Japanese-style cocktails complete with recipes so you can get the authentic experience, including: Sour Plum Cordial; Sakura Martini; Improved Shochu Cocktail; Far East Side Cocktail. Thorough descriptions of the varieties of each beverage are given along with the history, production methods, current trends and how to drink them. Detailed bar and buyer's guides at the back of the book list specialist establishments where readers can go to enjoy and purchase the drinks, both in Japan and cities around the world, including London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, Shanghai and more! This is an indispensable book for anyone interested in brewing, distilling, new cocktails or Japanese culture, travel and cuisine. Kampai! Cheers!Trade Review"Perfect for the traveler or epicurean, [The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks] reveals the secrets of Japan's varied alcoholic beverages. Written in a conversational yet informative voice, every chapter delivers valuable insight into how these drinks evolved, found favor at home, and are often misunderstood overseas." --Christopher Pellegrini, Author, The Shochu Handbook"Following Brian Ashcraft's excellent Japanese Whisky, Tuttle has brought out this compendious guide to the full range of Japanese beverages…Written in an easy, flowing style, it covers a lot of ground in a short space of time…a beautiful, carefully put together coffee-table book full of insights, anecdotes and thirst-inducing pictures that leaves the reader yearning not just for a warm cup of sake or a stiff Yamazaki, but for individual titles devoted to each type of drink."-- The Japan Times"There's nowhere I'd rather drink than Japan, and no one I'd rather have telling me what, where, and how to drink than Stephen Lyman and Chris Bunting, whose bibulosity is matched only by their curiosity." --Matt Gross, formerly the New York Times Frugal Traveler

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Book SynopsisThis is a personal account of the Cultural Revolution. As a student, the author was caught up in dramatic events as, with jeers and chants, students-turned-Red Guards held mass rallies. The interplay between the perceptions of father and son offer an additional, unusual, perspective.Trade Review"In Born Red, Gao Youan, a former Red Guard . . . tells us what it was like to be one of Mao's children in a provincial town four hours by train south of Peking. It is a terrible story, demonstrating that Mao and his crazed coterie were able to cripplee Chinese society for ten years, as well as cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, because they had plenty of help from the masses."—Politics"Gao's moving account, which is surprisingly even-handed, viividly captures the pervasive sense of fear and uncertainty that washed over China during the tumultuous period from 1966–1969."—Houston Chronicle"The most detailed account of those difficult years I have read . . . Incredible as the events may seem, they are believable."—New York Times Book Review"Gao tells his story well; it rings true with details of family life, stories of Red Guard treks around China, etc. . . . A fine account."—Library Journal"A detailed and fascinating autobiographical account of China's 'Cultural Revolution' . . . Well written."—CHOICE"Although many memoirs of the Cultural Revolution have been published in recent years, Born Red stands out for the immediacy of its portrait of the Red Guards. Without ever abandoning the voice of someone on the edge of childhood, Gao Yuan creates a nuanced and complex picture of the lives of his peers . . . Gao's narrative is powerful, compelling, and deeply disturbing."—American Histotical Review"This latest of a number of personal accounts of the youth involved in the mid-1960s Chinese Cultural Revolution is in many ways the most useful and credible."—HistoryTable of ContentsForeword William A. Joseph Preface 1. The hold of history 2. Learning to be red and expert 3. The thirty-six stratagems 4. Hidden messages 5. Ox ghosts and snake spirits 6. Winds and waves 7. The degenerate and the worn shoe 8. The red, the black, and the in-between 9. Smashing the four olds 10. Cleaning our own nest 11. Picking up the pieces 12. Rebels and royalists 13. Going to see the great helmsman 14. Sending off the monsters 15. Defending the mountain devil 16. The carpenter-spy 17. Reply from a socialist-roader 18. On the road 19. Rocks down the well 20. A long march, by hook or crook 21. Spring festival visitors 22. The capless official 23. Smears and skirmishes 24. Spring buds 25. Arrival of the cadets 26. The grand alliance 27. Uncommon laughter 28. Victory fish 29. The first martyr 30. Summons by subterfuge 31. Storming the enemy stronghold 32. Spies in the marketplace 33. Family skeletons 34. Playing with fire 35. The obstinacy of truth 36. On the run 37. From victors to vanquished 38. Living in limbo 39. Class brothers take revenge 40. The radiance of the setting sun 41. Three loyalties and four boundless loves 42. Hostage for a hobby 43. The twelve-force typhoon 44. The irretrievable past 45. The way out Postscript Appendixes.

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Book SynopsisTokyo, which in Japanese means the "Eastern Capital," has only enjoyed that name and status for 150 years. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the city that is now Tokyo was a sprawling fishing town by the bay named Edo. Earlier still, in the Middle Ages, it was Edojuku, an outpost overlooking farmlands. And thousands of years ago, its mudflats and marshes were home to elephants, deer, and marine life. In this compact history, Jonathan Clements traces Tokyo's fascinating story from the first forest clearances and the samurai wars to the hedonistic "floating world" of the last years of the Shogunate. He illuminates the Tokyo of the twentieth century with its destruction and redevelopment, boom and bust without forgoing the thousand years of history that have led to the Eastern Capital as we know it. Tokyo is so entwined with the history of Japan that it can be hard to separate them, and A Short History of Tokyo tells both the story of the city itself and offers insight into Tokyo's position at the nexus of power and people that has made the city crucial to the events of the whole country.Trade Review"Clements' skillset--Asian specialist, linguist, historian and foodie--might have been designed specifically for his newly published Armchair Traveller's History of Tokyo, combining as it does a history of the city from a time of myth, conjecture and hazy record to the current year 2018 with a gazetteer containing a selection of the sights and attractions of the city."--Helen McCarthy, author of All the AnimeTable of ContentsTokyo, the ‘Eastern Capital’, has only enjoyed that name and status for 150 years. Before then, it was Edo, a sprawling town by the bay. Earlier still, it was Edojuku, a medieval outpost overlooking farmlands. And, thousands of years ago, its mudflats and marshes were hometo elephants, deer and marine life. Jonathan Clements traces Tokyo’s fascinating history from the first forest clearances and the samurai wars to the hedonistic ‘floating world’ era – and onwards to the twentieth century with its destruction and redevelopment, boom and bust. So entwined is Tokyo with the history of Japan that it can be hard to separate them – its position at the nexus of power and people for over a thousand years has made it crucial to the events of the whole country.

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Book SynopsisA blackly funny account of everyday life in Ramallah and refreshingly different from most writing on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Sharon and My Mother-in-Law describes Suad Amiry's life on the West Bank from the early 1980s to the first decade of the new millennium. Vividly evoking her neighbourhood and her moving family history, Amiry creates a fascinating account of her attempts to live a normal life in an insane situation: from the impossibility of acquiring gas masks during the first Gulf War to her dog acquiring a Jerusalem passport when thousands of Palestinians couldn't. During the Israeli invasion of Ramallah in March 2002, Amiry's feisty ninety-two-year-old mother-in-law came to live with them, and Amiry's diary of this time is at the heart of this wonderful book about the absurdity (and agony) of life in the Occupied Territories.Trade ReviewA refreshingly funny account of the absurdities of everyday life in the occupied territories -- Stephanie Merritt * Observer *Amiry's acute ear for gossip makes it almost a kind of Palestinian Desperate Housewives -- Christina Lamb * The Sunday Times *Spirited, thought-provoking and shockingly entertaining -- Hephzibah Anderson * Daily Mail *Not only is it really funny but it also shows the kind of courage, vision and humanity needed to bring peace to the Middle East -- Eve Ensler, author of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES

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Book SynopsisExplore Tokyo's incredible journey from a feudal past to a global metropolis in Edward Seidensticker's captivating narrative, a must-read for history enthusiasts and curious travelers eager to delve into the city's remarkable evolution. Edward Seidensticker's A History of Tokyo 1867-1989 tells the fascinating story of Tokyo's transformation from the Shogun's capital in an isolated Japan to the largest and the most modern city in the world. With the same scholarship and sparkling style that won him admiration as the foremost translator of great works of Japanese literature, Seidensticker offers the reader his brilliant vision of an entire society suddenly wrenched from an ancient feudal past into the modern world in a few short decades, and the enormous stresses and strains that this brought with it. Originally published as two volumes, Seidensticker's masterful work is now available in a handy, single paperback volume. Whether you're a history buff or Tokyo-bound traveler looking to

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Book SynopsisCharts the incredible rise of South Korea, from colonisation and civil war to today’s thriving nation. South Korea has a remarkable history. Born from the ashes of imperial domination, partition and a devastating war, back in the 1950s there were real doubts about its survival as an independent state. Yet South Korea endures: today it is a boisterous democracy, a vibrant market economy, a tech powerhouse, and home to the coolest of cultures. In just seventy years, this society has grown from a shrimp into a whale. What explains this extraordinary transformation? For some, it was individual South Koreans who fought to change their country, and still strive to shape it. For others, it was forward-looking political and business leaders with a vision. Either way, it’s clear that this is the story of a people who dreamt big, and whose dreams came true. Shrimp to Whale is a lively history of South Korea, from its millennia-old roots, through the division of the Peninsula, dictatorship and economic growth, to today’s global powerhouse.Trade Review‘[Shrimp to Whale] captures South Korea’s triumphant postwar ascent from abject poverty and trauma.’ -- The Guardian

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Book SynopsisThe Mongol Empire in Global History and Art History includes essays on topics from historical chronicles to contemporary historiography, and case studies from textile production to map-making and historical linguistics. Contributors include specialists of Mongol history and historiography as well as Islamic, East Asian, and European art.Trade ReviewThe various contributions are of high scholarly standard, yet accessible to nonspecialists as well, and the combination of historical and art historical approaches, with a large role for material culture, is a valuable one. -- Josephine van den Bent * Asian Review of World Histories *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewChina's first iconic modern intellectual. His lucid and prolific writings, touching on all major concerns in his own time and anticipating many in the future, inspired several generations of thinkers including the much younger Mao Zedong. -- Pankaj Mishra

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Book SynopsisThis book is the essential guide to the extraordinarily complicated and developing situation in Israel/Palestine. Fully updated to reflect the tense and troubling changes in the region since 7 October 2023, this book puts the present situation into its broader context and, examining all perspectives, it unravels the origins and development of issues which make the headlines daily. Each aspect of this complex conflict is explained with engaging objectivity which will ensure you can examine the issues from all perspectives and in a social, political, historical and international framework.

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Book SynopsisHow can we explain Britain’s long rule in India beyond the clichés of ‘imperial’ versus ‘nationalist’ interpretations? In this new history, Roderick Matthews tells a more nuanced story of ‘oblige and rule’, the foundation of common purpose between colonisers and powerful Indians. Peace, Poverty and Betrayal argues that this was more a state of being than a system: British policy was never clear or consistent; the East India Company went from a manifestly incompetent ruler to, arguably, the world’s first liberal government; and among British and Indians alike there were both progressive and conservative attitudes to colonisation. Matthews skilfully illustrates that this very diversity and ambiguity of British–Indian relations also drove the social changes that led to the struggle for independence. Skewering the simplistic binaries that often dominate the debate, Peace, Poverty and Betrayal is a fresh and elegant history of British India.Trade Review‘Mr. Matthews’s discerning book isn’t a revisionist defense of the Raj. It is, instead, a warning against the glib postcolonial assumption “that because British rule is viewed as bad, therefore anything else would have been better.”' -- Tunku Varadarajan, The Wall Street Journal‘This brave and intelligent book will satisfy neither empire loyalists nor today’s rabid nationalists, which is all the more reason to applaud its author and relish the clarity of his analysis.’ -- Literary Review'Matthews explores with great delicacy and intelligence… how Britain became itself, at home, more liberal and democratic, while, as an imperial power, becoming the opposite.’ -- The Catholic Herald‘Matthews demonstrates an encyclopaedic knowledge of British rule in India [and] frequently challenges conventional views of events and personalities who shaped British India.’ -- Asian Review of Books'A fresh perspective of the British era that rejects many existing biases. … Elegantly written, backed with sound historical research and convincing arguments, the book is a page-turner.' -- Financial Express'A radical re-appraisal of British rule in India that challenges current thinking on colonialism in the subcontinent. […] This is a thoughtful, thought-provoking book with enough to keep the reader travelling through four centuries of our former relationship with India.' -- Journal of Asian Affairs'Insightful and indeed revelatory… conceptual but also remarkably well-informed historically.' -- Marginal Revolution blog'A radical re-appraisal of British rule in India that challenges current thinking on colonialism in the subcontinent. The author, Roderick Matthews, with his own Indian connections, evaluates the East India Company and its successor, the British Raj, by examining how closely both were influenced by Parliament and contemporary opinion in England. From a liberal, Whiggish perspective which directed Company policy to the hierarchical Tory view that courted India's princes but ignored its peasants, Matthews is acute and perceptive. He argues that the Company acted as a buffer between India and Parliament and that far from being a successful commercial enterprise, it frequently had to be bailed out by the British government. He examines in detail the failure after the Uprising of 1858 to modernise India, to treat its citizens as adults, not children, that denied them the electoral reforms introduced in Britain. He describes the high imperialism of late 19th century Britain, seemingly baffled by 'India's exotic backwardness' and contrasts this with a deeper understanding of the country during the earlier years of British intervention. Betrayal came with the persistent lack of economic activity and a series of uninspired Viceroys. Growing demands for greater Indian representation in the governance of their own country temporarily halted during World War Two but resurfaced immediately afterwards and led to a hasty, botched, Independence that saw the great subcontinent divided for ever. An important book.' -- Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, author, inter alia, of The Last King In India: Wajid Ali Shah (Hurst, 2014)'Peace, Poverty and Betrayal succeeds in providing a wider understanding of Anglo-Indian history by illustrating the way in which divisions in Britain along party political lines shaped attitudes to the governance of India. Maintaining that a willing acceptance of the uncompromising and immutable nature of 'imperialism' in current historiography has tended to disguise the link between the frequent changes in fashion in British politics and the execution of colonial rule in India, Matthews skilfully weaves together the disparate strands of conservative and radical thought which influenced the most prominent British officials and statesmen on the Indian stage. Tackling the thorny issue of "divide and rule", the book argues that the British spent significantly more time uniting than dividing India and, taking advantage of the complex and highly flexible alliances which always existed between elite groups of British and Indians, cultivated loyalty where it could be found with the goal of avoiding rather than fostering civil tension and the subsequent threat to the stability of the Raj. Admittedly culpable in other areas, the British failed in Matthews' view by under-stimulating the Indian economy in which Indian interests were never properly represented and, by supporting the Indian conservative classes after 1857, betraying the hopes of those Indians who aspired to work in partnership with the British to build a modern India.' -- Dr Caroline Keen, author of, inter alia, Princely India and the British: Political Development and the Operation of Empire'One of the best things about this book is that it sidesteps the usual binaries and looks at British India as it actually was, as complex and confused as today's India, neither good nor bad but very, very messy. And, as usual, Matthews is a delight to read.' -- Pritish Nandy, former Rajha Sahba MP, poet, film-maker, journalist and former managing editor, Times of India, and editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India.'A fresh, engaging and challenging perspective on British rule in India, Roderick Mathew's lucidly written and well researched book will reset the debate on colonial rule and legacy in South Asia.' -- Dr Yaqoob Khan Bangash, Director, Centre for Governance and Policy, ITU Lahore, author of A Princely Affair: Accession and Integration of the Princely States of Pakistan; founder of ThinkFest Pakistan.

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Book SynopsisKyle Barrowman is Adjunct Professor of Media and Cinema Studies at DePaul University, USA. He is author of Understanding Objectivism: At the Movies with Ayn Rand (2023). He has published widely on film studies and philosophy, on subjects ranging from authorship, camera movement, and martial arts to skepticism, perfectionism, and ordinary language philosophy.

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Book SynopsisA gripping royal saga of charmed lives in a changing world. The Jaipurs were India’s mid-century golden couple; its answer to the Kennedys, or Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Jai and Ayesha, as they were known to friends like Frank Sinatra, Truman Capote and ‘Dickie’ Mountbatten, entertained lavishly at their magnificent palaces and hunting lodges in Rajasthan—and in the nightclubs of London, Paris and New York. But as the Raj gave way to the new India, Jaipur—the most glamorous and romantic of the princely states—had to find its place. The House of Jaipur charts a dynasty’s determination to remain relevant in a democracy set on crushing its privileges. Against the odds, they secured their place at the height of Indian society; but Ayesha would pay for her criticism of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency. From the polo field and politics to imprisonment and personal tragedy, the Jaipurs’ extraordinary journey of transformation mirrors the story of a rapidly changing country.Trade Review'John Zubrzycki does an impressive job of … building up a memorable picture of a glittering family brought to its knees.' -- Daily Mail'Thrilling, deeply satisfying ... a must-read.' -- The Week‘As historian John Zubrzycki dives into the lives of India’s most powerful ruling family in a new book, we look at the power players, past and present, of the grand royal dynasty.’ -- Tatler‘A riveting saga … assiduously researched.’ -- India Today'Extremely readable . . . a nuanced view of the failings and contributions of Indian princes.' -- Sir Mark Tully, former BBC Bureau Chief, New Delhi'Zubrzycki unearths hidden gems with his remarkable storytelling.' -- The Hindu'An intriguing book which will keep the readers hooked till the end.' -- The Times of India'Goes beyond the glitter and gold of the Jaipur royal household to dig out the obscure accounts of romantic jealousies, property feuds, fatal addictions, suppressed grief and more.' -- Indian Express'A fascinating and absorbing book with an unforgettable cast of characters.' -- Sagarika Ghose, author of Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister

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Book SynopsisIn 1940s India, revolutionary and nationalistic feeling surged against colonial subjecthood and imperial war. Two-and-a-half million men from undivided India served the British during the Second World War, while 3 million civilians were killed by the war-induced Bengal Famine, and Indian National Army soldiers fought against the British for Indian independence. This captivating new history shines a spotlight on emotions as a way of unearthing these troubled and contested experiences, exposing the personal as political. Diya Gupta draws upon photographs, letters, memoirs, novels, poetry and philosophical essays, in both English and Bengali languages, to weave a compelling tapestry of emotions felt by Indians in service and at home during the war. She brings to life an unknown sepoy in the Middle East yearning for home, and anti- fascist activist Tara Ali Baig; a disillusioned doctor on the Burma frontline, and Sukanta Bhattacharya's modernist poetry of hunger; Mulk Raj Anand's revolutionary home front, and Rabindranath Tagore's critique of civilisation. This vivid book recovers a truly global history of the Second World War, revealing the crucial importance of personal documentation in challenging a traditional focus on the wartime experiences of European populations. Seen through ordinary Indian eyes, this was not the 'good' war.Trade Review'Excellent' -- Kavita Puri, BBC History Magazine‘[This] is an excellent book, innovative, well-constructed, and superbly written.’ -- Asian Affairs'It is impossible not to be impressed and moved by Diya Gupta's humane, thoughtful writing. This book is full of rich academic insight on the far-reaching impact of the Second World War on South Asia. It is also a must-read for all that it poignantly teaches us about how humans have coped with and made sense of brutal conflict and major socio-political change.' -- Priya Atwal, author of 'Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire''Explores the delicate yet often compromised textures of Indian soldiers' lives in the western spheres of the Second World War, separated from home, and trying valiantly, uncertainly, to make their way. A beautifully illustrated, sensitively researched emotional history.' -- Elleke Boehmer, Professor of World Literature in English, University of Oxford'A significant book for anyone interested in the Second World War, the history of the subcontinent, or Indian literature, drawing on extensive, multilingual archival research and conveyed in lively, smart prose.' -- Daniel Ryan Morse, Director of Core Humanities and Associate Professor of English, University of Nevada, Reno, and author of 'Radio Empire''An engaging, persuasive and innovative read, bringing an emotional history lens to the subject while seamlessly integrating Indian combatant and civilian experiences of the war.' -- Jonathan Saha, Associate Professor of South Asian History, Durham University

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Book SynopsisDetails the epic struggle between the mighty Chinese dynasties and their Mongol foesBased on first class research and told in accessible, compelling styleThrilling tale culminating in the Ming revolution and the Mongols expulsion from China

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Book SynopsisSanjay Subrahmanyam is becoming well known for the same sort of reasons that attach to Fernand Braudel and Carlo Ginzburg, as the proponent of a new kind of history - in his case, not longue durée or micro-history, but 'connected history': connected cross-culturally, and spanning regions, subjects and archives that are conventionally treated alone. Not a research paradigm, he insists, it is more of an oppositionswissenschaft, a way of trying to constantly break the moulds of historical objects. The essays collected here, some quite polemical - as in the lead text on the notion of India-as-civilization, or another, assessing such a literary totem as V. S. Naipaul - illustrate the breadth of Subrahmanyam's concerns, as well as the quality of his writing. Connected History considers what, exactly, is an empire, the rise of 'the West' (less of a place than an idea or ideology, he insists), Churchill and the Great Man theory of history, the reception of world literature and the itinerary of subaltern studies, in addition to personal recollections of life and work in Delhi, Paris and Lisbon, and concluding remarks on the practice of early-modern history and the framing of historical enquiry.Trade ReviewAn acerbic but highly respected historian. These essays are an absolute delight -- T. C. A. Srinivasa-Raghavan * Business Standard, New Delhi *A riveting read -- Srinath Raghavan * Caravan *The most brilliant promoter of the new history. Heretical and highly stimulating. * Books and Ideas *Subrahmanyam reminds us of the need for different prisms. * Times Literary Supplement *Subrahmanyam is an exemplary scholar. His knowledge of the subject is unsurpassed * Sunday Times (for The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama) *Subrahmanyam reminds us of the need for different prisms. His lucid insights deserve to be far better known -- Elizabeth Buettner * Times Literary Supplement (for Europe's India) *Covering an impressive geographical area and chronological span, this is an extraordinarily elegant study of individuals who lived at the intersection of cultures, religions, and political systems -- Laura Nenzi * American Historical Review (for Three Ways to Be Alien) *

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Book SynopsisChapters include: Dress of the Qing Manchu Rulers 1644-1911 Dress of the Manchu Consorts 1644-1911 Attire of Mandarins and Merchants Attire of Chinese Women Republican Dress 1912-1949 Clothing of the Lower Classes Clothing for Children Dress in New China 1950-Present DayTrade Review"Valery Garrett's research on Chinese dress, especially that worn by the local people, has been a constant inspiration to me as a fashion designer in New York." --Vivienne Tam, fashion designer"…the book is a serious, if brief, history of the period, but what sets it apart from similar academic books is that there are many background details such as where or why certain customs originated." --Journal of the Oriental Rug and Textile Society of Great Britain"…an excellent introduction into Chinese dress and Chinese history for any individual who is interested in expanding their knowledge of dress history or knowledge of Chinese culture." --The Journal of Dress History

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Book SynopsisNicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz reconnects the Philippine Revolution to the histories of Southeast and East Asia through an innovative consideration of its transnational political setting and regional intellectual foundations. She charts turn-of-the-twentieth-century Filipino thinkers’ and revolutionaries’ political organizing and proto-national thought.Trade ReviewIn restoring the intellectual history of the Philippine Revolution, at long last, to its pan-Asian context, Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz offers a startling new perspective not only on the history of the Philippines in that era but on the evolution of anticolonial modernity in Asia writ large. -- Erez Manela, Harvard UniversityBy merging a rich national historiography with novel transnational trends, CuUnjieng Aboitiz accomplishes a provocative new interpretation of the Philippine revolution of 1896. Through a masterly juxtaposition of the rooted particulars of “place” with an evolving Pan-Asian sensibility, she reveals the revolution’s deep yet long overlooked Asian resonances. In a deftly paradoxical twist, her innovative international focus illuminates this seminal event’s profound import for the Philippine nation. -- Alfred W. McCoy, author of Policing America’s Empire: The United States, the Philippines, and Rise of the Surveillance StateDislodging the Philippine Revolution and Japan-centric Pan-Asianism from the familiar frames of national history and East-West relations, CuUnjieng Aboitiz examines the transnational affinities and networks connecting the Philippines to Japan, Vietnam, and the region and foregrounds the vital work of non-Western thinkers in creating the modern nation-state in Asia. This is a fresh, keenly intelligent contribution to Asian intellectual history. -- Resil B. Mojares, author of Brains of the Nation: Pedro Paterno, T.H. Pardo de Tavera, Isabelo de Los Reyes and the Production of Modern KnowledgeThe volume will become an important point of reference for specialists and generalists alike. It would be suitable for adoption in courses on intellectual history, Asian history, Southeast Asian history, nationalism, anti-colonialism, the Philippines, imperial Japan, or World War II. * Global Intellectual History *Aboitiz's book allows us to see the Filipino nation as an Asian place, integral to its developments. It is a salutary achievement. * SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia *An impressive work of global intellectual history...an important addition to graduate courses, and of interest to any scholar of global history, nationalism, and Pan-Asianism. * H-Diplo *I would recommend the inclusion of this text to history AP, honors, undergraduate, and graduate level classes that study the Philippines, Asia, Asian nationalisms, and the Third World. * The Middle Ground Journal *Carefully researched and finely argued...an important intervention into our understanding of where the Philippines are in world history, a wide range of educators would benefit from working her conclusions into their courses. -- Michael G. Vann, California State University * World History Connected *Overall an incisive and illuminating depiction of the Philippine revolution’s Asian dimensions. * Pacific Affairs *One of the potential benefits that Asian Place, Filipino Nation might bring is a revision of the way the history of the 1898 revolution is taught for young Filipino students. * LSE Southeast Asia Blog *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1. A Transnational Turn of the Century in Southeast Asia 2. Constructing Asia and the Malay Race, 1887–1895: Early Attempts to Transnationalize Pan-Asianism3. The Philippine Revolution Mobilizes Asia, 1892–1898: Spanish Imperial Anxieties, the Vietnamese Đông Du Movement, and a Coming Race War 4. The First Philippine Republic’s Pan-Asian Emissary, 1898–1912: Transnational Cooperation, Affective Relations, and the Pacific Empires 5. The Afterlife of the Philippine Revolution: Reverberations from China to India to Third Worldist Futures NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTalented historian Maya Jasanoff offers an alternative history of the British Empire. It is not about conquest but rather a collection of startling and fascinating personal accounts of cross-cultural exchange from those who found themselves on the edges of Empire.A Palladian mansion filled with Western art in the centre of old Calcutta, the Mughal Emperor's letters in an archive in the French Alps, the names of Italian adventurers scratched into the walls of Egyptian temples: in this imaginative book, Maya Jasanoff delves into the stories behind artefacts like these to uncover the lives of collectors in India and Egypt who lived on the frontiers of European empire. Edge of Empire' traces their exploits to tell an intimate history of imperialism.Written and researched on four continents, Edge of Empire' tells a story about the making of European empires, ones that break away from the grand narratives of power, exploitation, and resistance, to delve into the personal dimensions of imperTrade Review‘Maya Jasanoff…triumphs in this memorable debut. This is partly because, mirroring her subject, she has adopted a vivacious methodology that defies category. Jasanoff’s investigation of the world that made her evokes the midday sun, the unforgettable stench and blare of the East, but populates it with characters to whom the reader can relate, as strange as fiction, but actually found in real life.’ Robert McCrum, Observer ‘This is a very clever and wonderfully researched and written book which illuminates French as well as British imperial existence, artifacts and culture, and which looks at all the actors invoved in a vivid and nuanced fashion. An original new voice.’ Linda Colley ‘This is an extraordinary debut. Maya Jasanoff is one of the most exciting historians to emerge in years. Her crackling prose and outstanding research have resulted in a ground-breaking book. “Edge of Empire” is a “must-read”.’ Amanda Foreman, author of ‘Georgina Duchess of Devonshire’

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Book SynopsisDid the Trojan War really happen?Spectacular new archaeological evidence suggests that it did. Recent excavations and newly translated Hittite texts reveal that Troy was a large, wealthy city allied with the Hittite Empire. Located at the strategic entrance to the Dardanelles, the link between the Aegean and Black Sea, it was a tempting target for marauding Greeks, the Vikings of the Bronze Age. The Trojan War may have been the inevitable consequence of expanding Greek maritime commerce.Written by a leading expert on ancient military history, the true story of the most famous battle in history is every bit as compelling as Homer''s epic account - and confirms many of its details. In The Trojan War, master storyteller Barry Strauss puts legend into its historical context, without losing its poetry and grandeur.Trade ReviewImaginative, sympathetic and plausible -- Bettany HughesAn exciting tale written in a lively style that brings Homer's heroes and the world in which they lived to vibrant and colourful life -- Donald KaganStrauss's brilliant interweaving of the mythic and the modern archaeological records makes for exhilarating [...] reading * The Scotsman *Consumed in one of those burning-the-midnight-oil situations... I really enjoyed it -- Michael WoodA military epic of the first order, weaving together fact and fiction in a beguiling tapestry of blood, guts, gore - and terrible feminine beauty -- Paul Cartledge, professor of Greek History, Cambridge University

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Book SynopsisAl Qaeda expert and CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen paints a multi-dimensional picture of the hunt for bin Laden over the past decade, as well as the recent campaign that gradually tightened the noose around him. Other key elements of the book include:* A careful account of Obama''s decision-making process throughout the final weeks and days during which the raid was planned, as well as what NSC cabinet members were advising him. The fascinating story of a group of (mostly female) analysts at the CIA in the HVT (High Value Target) section, who never gave up assembling the tiniest clues about OBL''s whereabouts.* The untold and action-packed history of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and the SEALs, which accounts for the confidence Obama had in tasking them with the mission.* An analysis of what the death of OBL means for al Qaeda, for the wider jihadist movement that looked to him for inspiration and strategic guidaTrade ReviewTells the story of the search with considerable authority and conviction -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *His narrative has authority... Manhunt is packed with satisfying observations * The Economist *Meticulously reported, pacy and authoritative -- Jason Burke * Observer *A very good, well-sourced account, as good on the White House, the military and the CIA as on what happened in Abbottabad, and as good as we're likely to get, short of an official version -- Alan Judd * Spectator *The book makes for a rattling and thoroughly researched read on the last days of the world’s most notorious terrorist * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisSix Records of a Floating Life (1809) is an extraordinary blend of autobiography, love story and social document written by a man who was educated as a scholar but earned his living as a civil servant and art dealer. In this intimate memoir, Shen Fu recounts the domestic and romantic joys of his marriage to Yun, the beautiful and artistic girl he fell in love with as a child. He also describes other incidents of his life, including how his beloved wife obtained a courtesan for him and reflects on his travels through China. Shen Fu's exquisite memoir shows six parallel layers of one man's life, loves and career, with revealing glimpses into Chinese society of the Ch'ing Dynasty.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the

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Book SynopsisChurchill''s description of the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, after Lt-Gen Percival''s surrender led to over 100,000 British, Australian and Indian troops falling into the hands of the Japanese, was no wartime exaggeration. The Japanese had promised that there would be no Dunkirk in Singapore, and its fall led to imprisonment, torture and death for thousands of allied men and women. With much new material from British, Australian, Indian and Japanese sources, Colin Smith has woven together the full and terrifying story of the fall of Singapore and its aftermath. Here, alongside cowardice and incompetence, are forgotten acts of enormous heroism; treachery yet heart-rending loyalty; Japanese compassion as well as brutality from the bravest and most capricious enemy the British ever had to face.

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Book SynopsisIn the early nineteenth century China remained almost untouched by British and European powers - but as new technology started to change this balance, foreigners gathered like wolves around the weakening Qing Empire. Would the Chinese suffer the fate of much of the rest of the world, carved into pieces by Europeans? Or could they adapt rapidly enough to maintain their independence?This important and compelling book explains the roots of China''s complex relationship with the West by illuminating a dramatic, colourful and sometimes shocking period of the country''s history.Trade ReviewPowerful, astute and readable ... meticulously researched in contemporary English-language records and journals, and written with flair and feeling, its rhetoric eschews rant and is never misplaced -- John Keay * Literary Review *Compellingly erudite and clear-sighted history -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *At every airport bookshop, the business traveller is offered shelves of volumes that purport to tell us how an emerging, powerful China will deal with the world, and how the rest of us should make the most of the commercial opportunities opened up by its rise. Those who wish to understand these issues more closely might be better advised to read this fair and fascinating account -- Chris Patten * Financial Times *

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Book Synopsis''Masterfully opens up a little explored realm: how the quest for religion and spirituality drives hundreds of millions of Chinese'' Pankaj Mishra''A fascinating odyssey ... a nuanced group portrait of Chinese citizens striving for non-material answers in an era of frenetic materialism'' Julia Lovell, Guardian ''The reappearance and flourishing of religion is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the dramatic changes in China in recent decades...this is a beautiful, moving and insightful book'' Michael SzonyiIn no society on Earth was there such a ferocious attempt to eradicate all trace of religion as in modern China. But now, following a century of violent antireligious campaigns, China is awash with new temples, churches, and mosques - as well as cults, sects, and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty - over what it means to be Chinese, and how to live aTrade ReviewIan Johnson has long been a resourceful and bracing guide to the biggest national transformation of modern history. In The Souls of China he masterfully opens up a little explored realm: how the quest for religion and spirituality drives hundreds of millions of Chinese -- Pankaj MishraJohnson succeeds in having produced a nuanced group portrait of Chinese citizens striving for non-material answers in an era of frenetic materialism. -- Julia Lovell * Guardian *Extraordinarily rich and intimate... This vividly written, deeply researched book will be the primary work about religious faith in China for years to come. -- Leslie T. ChangThis entrancing and engaging book challenges the modern assumption that religion is a thing of the past -- Karen ArmstrongIan Johnson breaks new ground with a brilliant approach, mixing theoretical explorations with real life vignettes from a convincing insider-outsider-combined perspective, making them commenting each other, illuminating in the same way as through the traditional Chinese criticism paradigm of 'I commentate the six classics which commentate me.' The Souls of China is a must read for an understanding of China -- Qiu Xiaolong * author of The Inspector Chen Novels *The great Chinese writer Lu Xun once wrote that when many men pass along the same way, a new road is made. The Souls of China shows us how the Chinese people, some with heroic steps and others with hesitant ones, are making a new road for Chinese religion in the twenty-first century. The reappearance and flourishing of religion is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the dramatic changes in China in recent decades. With great sensitivity Ian Johnson guides us on a tour of the rituals, festivals, and above all some of the remarkable characters who make up this new Chinese religious world. This is a beautiful, moving and insightful book -- Michael Szonyi * author of Cold War Island *The Souls of China is a rich, informative, and timely book, which explores a major aspect of Chinese life. Ian Johnson carries erudition lightly and describes the people and events with deep insights and personal involvement. Section by section, the writing shows long-term dedication and meticulous research. At heart this is also a personal book, full of feelings and exuberance. It's a tremendous accomplishment -- Ha JinHis tripartite masterpiece Wild Grass and his newest book, The Souls of China, are the most remarkable works to come from a western author in the past two decades. -- Liao Yiwu * exiled Chinese author of God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China *Through interviews conducted with a wide variety of practitioners, Johnson paints a vivid picture of the diversity of Chinese religious life....He provides a fascinating account of how traditional activities recovered after enduring severe repression during China's Cultural Revolution (1966-76). An excellent work that is highly recommended for readers interested in Chinese culture or religion * Library Journal *

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