Books by Jeremy Black

Book SynopsisJeremy Black MBE is one of the leading historians in Britain today. He is Visiting Professor to the Indonesian Staff College, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Exeter, Distinguished Fellow in the Center for Military History and Strategy at Hillsdale College, Senior Research Fellow of the British Foreign Policy Group, and Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. In 2008, he won the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize from the Society for Military History. He has written over 100 books covering 18th-century transatlantic history, international relations, the role of the press and the nature of warfare among other subjects. Many of his books have become staples of university courses across the United Kingdom. Some of his recent titles include A History of the 20th Century (2020), A Brief History of the Pacific (2023) and The Atlantic Slave Trade in World History (2024).

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Book SynopsisA concise history of France from prehistory to the present, recounting the great events and personalities and exploring France's cultural and political influence today. Artists, martyrs, kings, revolutionaries: France's sense of national identity is inextricably linked to its dramatic history, which fascinates the world and attracts millions each year to visit its chateaux and cathedrals, boulevards and vineyards. Ancient roots allied to a social, political and military history that has witnessed revolution, conflict and occupation mean that France holds a unique position in the modern world. In this short, easy-to-digest history of a vast subject, Jeremy Black succinctly narrates how France's past has created its distinct character. Country and destination, nation and idea, France has an incomparable cultural legacy, and exerts a powerful artistic, intellectual and political influence across the globe. Black's vivid take on history emphasizes the unexpected nature of events Trade Review'A superb account of 2,000 years of France and the French in the making by a master of his craft. Bold insights and evocative detail are combined in a narrative that is a pleasure to read. A tour de force' - Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford'Readers of his many previous works will not be disappointed by this addition to the Jeremy Black canon. Encyclopaedic knowledge and a lifelong enthusiasm for visiting French historical sites underpin his new concise survey of French history from prehistoric times right down to Emmanuel Macron' - William Doyle, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Bristol'An excellent and thought-provoking introduction to the history of France. Concisely and accessibly written, it skilfully interweaves long-term social, cultural and even climatic factors with the more familiar narrative of wars, revolutions and coups d’état. In particular, and in a highly stimulating way, it shows just how much the shape of today’s France, both geographical and political, owes to sheer chance' - Munro Price, Professor of Modern European History, University of Bradford'The perfect history book for anyone travelling to France. Packed with information from the Sun King to Monet, via chateaux and artists’ cafes, this is an adroit whistle-stop tour illuminating the very essence of La France ' - Waterstones, History Books of the YearTable of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. Prehistoric Legacies 2. Roman France 3. The Early Middle Ages 4. Medieval France 5. Renaissance France, 1494–1598 6. From Henry IV to Louis XIV, 1598–1715 7. The Ancien Régime, 1715–89 8. The Revolution, 1789–99 9. From Napoleon I to Napoleon III, 1799–1870 10. The Third Republic, 1870–1939 11. The Second World War, 1939–45 12. France Reborn, 1945–69 13. Modern France, 1969–2000 14. France Today, 2001– 15. Conclusions

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Book SynopsisLogistics is the vital subject in waging war. This book fills a gap in war studies with logistics as a huge subject at the centre of all conflict, globally and historically.

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Book SynopsisContinuing the thematic strand of the successful and proven British Library 100 Maps' series. This new volume traces the fully international history of railways from their beginnings in the north-west of England through to the inter-continental lines of today.

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Book SynopsisHow a distinctively British form of monarchical government emerged 1714-1830, while the crowned heads of Europe faced serious, often insuperable crises â despite the decidedly mixed bag of British kings involved!

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Book SynopsisFrom the Great Exhibition''s showcasing of British national achievement in 1851 to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Stratford in 2012 and on to Brexit, an insightful exploration of the transformation of modern BritainThis revised and updated fourth and final volume in the concise Brief History of Britain series begins in the specially-constructed Crystal Palace, three times the length of St Paul''s Cathedral, in Hyde Park at the beginning of the second half of the nineteenth century. The Great Exhibition it housed marked a high point of British national achievement, at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, at the heart of a great empire, with Queen Victoria still to reign for fifty years. It was a time of confidence in the future, and exuberant patriotism for Britain''s role in it.The beginning of the Second World War in 1939 marks a turning point because of the great change it heralded in Britain''s global standing. At its peak, protected by thTrade ReviewPraise for Jeremy Black's The HolocaustA demanding but important work. -- R. S. Levy, University of Illinois at ChicagoPraise for Jeremy Black's Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A Global HistoryA significant and timely contribution to understanding the new meaning of war. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisA distinguished team of 26 military historians reveal the decisive conflicts that have shaped world history from the 5th century BC to the 21st century. The course of history rarely changes so swiftly and decisively as on the battlefield. In this masterly overview, an international team of historians reconstructs and analyzes seventy key clashes from 490 BC to the 21st century and appraises their impact on the world order. Their studies encompass not only the great land battles, but sieges such as Constantinople and Tenochtitlan; naval battles at Trafalgar and Tsushima; and aerial struggles including the Battle of Britain. Truly global in scope, the collection marches from the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, where the German tribes annihilated a Roman army, to Hakata Bay in 1281, where the Japanese defeated the Mongols, to the heart of the American Civil War at Gettysburg in 1863 and beyond. Together they show how technology and tactics advance in tandem, as battlefield commanders respond to advances in mobility, communications and firepower, how certain principles endure, and how victory in battle may not win the war. Illustrated with over 80 specially commissioned battle plans, this is an essential introduction to the great battles in history.Trade Review'Intelligently conceived and well written… brings out the great continuities of war' - The Scotsman'Essential reading for anyone interested in military history' - New Books NetworkTable of ContentsContributors World map Introduction Ancient World Introduction 1 Marathon (490 BC) 2 Salamis (480 BC) 3 Gaugamela (331 BC) 4 Cannae (216 BC) 5 Gaixia (203 BC) 6 Actium (31 BC) 7 Teutoburg Forest (AD 9) 8 Adrianople (378) Medieval World Introduction 9 Poitiers (732) 10 Lechfeld (955) 11 Hastings (1066) 12 Manzikert (1071) 13 Hattin (1187) 14 Liegnitz (1241) 15 Hakata Bay (1281) 16 Bannockburn (1314) 17 Crécy (1346) 18 Ankara (1402) 19 Agincourt (1415) 20 The Fall of Constantinople (1453) 21 Bosworth (1485) Sixteenth Century Introduction 22 Flodden (1513) 23 Tenochtitlan (1521) 24 Pavia (1525) 25 Panipat (1526) 26 Mohács (1526) 27 Lepanto (1571) 28 The Armada (1588) Seventeenth Century Introduction 29 Sekigahara (1600) 30 Breitenfeld (1631) 31 Nördlingen (1634) 32 Shanhaiguan (1644) 33 Naseby (1645) 34 Vienna (1683) Eighteenth Century Introduction 35 Blenheim (1704) 36 Poltava (1709) 37 Belgrade (1717) 38 Rossbach (1757) 39 Plassey (1757) 40 Quebec (1759) 41 Saratoga (1777) 42 Yorktown (1781) 43 Jemappes (1792) Nineteenth Century Introduction 44 Trafalgar (1805) 45 Leipzig (1813) 46 Waterloo (1815) 47 Ayacucho (1824) 48 Mexico City (1847) 49 Inkerman (1854) 50 Antietam (1862) 51 Gettysburg (1863) 52 Sadowa (1866) 53 Omdurman (1898) Modern Times Introduction 54 Tsushima (1905) 55 Tannenberg (1914) 56 Jutland (1916) 57 Verdun (1916) 58 The Western Front (1918) 59 Battle of Britain (1940) 60 Battle for Moscow (1941) 61 Stalingrad (1942-43) 62 Midway (1942) 63 Battle of the Atlantic (1940-43) 64 Battle for Normandy (1944)< br/> 65 Operation Bagration (1944) 66 The American Air Attack on Japan (1945) 67 Huai-Hai (1948-49) 68 Dien Bien Phu (1953-54) 69 The Tet Offensive (1968) 70 The Iraq War (2003) Further Reading Sources of Illustrations Sources of Quotations

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Book SynopsisThis brilliantly concise history of the Pacific Ocean nevertheless succeeds in examining both the indigenous presence on ocean''s islands and Western control or influence over the its islands and shores. There is a particular focus on the period from the 1530s to 1890 with its greater Western coastal and oceanic presence in the Pacific, beginning with the Spanish takeover of the coasts of modern Central America, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and continuing with the Spaniards in the Philippines. There is also an emphasis on the very different physical and human environments of the four quadrants of the Pacific - the north-east, the north-west, the south-east and the south-west - and of the ''coastal'' islands, that is the Aleutians, Japan and New Zealand, and continental coastlines. The focus is always on the interactions of Japan, California, Peru, Australia and other territories with the ocean, notably in terms of trade, migration and fishing.Black looks first at the Trade ReviewPraise for Jeremy Black's The Holocaust: A demanding but important work. -- R. S. Levy, University of Illinois at ChicagoPraise for Jeremy Black's Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A Global History: A significant and timely contribution to understanding the new meaning of war. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed British historian examines the layers of craft and insight in Tobias Smollett, and discusses the particular nature of his genius and influence on British culture. Once again, Black acquaints the reader with the full range of a prolific writer's works and offers a backstage tour of the meaning and context of Britain's most beloved stories and story-tellers.

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Book SynopsisAn accessible book to draw on popular interest in transport history, routes, vehicles and experiences. Transport history is social and industrial national history. Passengers and freight will be covered including all types of transport from walking and packhorses, that predominated for much of national history, both of which tend to be underrated, to changes brought by improvements to road transport from the Romans to medieval bridgebuilders and eighteenth-century turnpikes, and, in parallel, river, coastal and canal travel, again from the Romans to the eighteenth century. The story moves to the age of rail, motoring and lastly air. All forms overlap. as well as being sequential.

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Book SynopsisJeremy Black is Professor of History at the University of Exeter, UK. He is the author of thirty books, including Maps and History and War and the World 1450-2000.Donald M. MacRaild is Professor of History at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, UK. His publications include Social History and Social Theory and Nineteenth Century Britain.Table of ContentsAuthors' Preface PART ONE 1. The Scope of History 2. Varieties of History (i): 'Traditional History' 3. Varieties of History (ii): 'the New History' PART TWO 4. Approaches to History: Sources, Methods and Historians 5. Theories and Concepts PART THREE 6. Studying History 7. The Learning Environment 8. Writing History (i): The Essay 9. Writing History (ii): The Dissertation 10. History Exams Afterword Suggestions for Further Reading Index.

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Book SynopsisJeremy Black turns his trenchant eye to the development of English culture since the eighteenth century - how does it reflect political and social conditions of the time? Here, Black looks at this question while offering an important and original account of English history.

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Book SynopsisNew paperback edition - Is it possible to overestimate the impact of the railway in history? Jeremy Black analyses that impact from the beginning to today. And of course it's not all a triumph. The network of the Congo today operates on three gauges run by separate companies; and a lot of it doesn't work.

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Book SynopsisA concise, accessible account of strategy and the Second World War. How the war was won . . . and lost..In 1941, the Second World War became global, when Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union; Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor; and Germany declared war on the United States.In this timely book, which fills a real gap, Black engages with the strategic issues of the time - as they developed chronologically, and interacted - and relates these to subsequent debates about the choices made, revealing their continued political resonances.Beginning with Appeasement and the Soviet-German pact as key strategic means, Black examines the consequences of the fall of France for the strategies of all the powers. He shows how Allied strategy-making was more effective at the Anglo-American level than with the Soviet Union, not only for ideological and political reasons, but also because the Americans and British had a better grasp of the global dimension

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Book SynopsisA thought-provoking and important book that raises essential issues crucial not only for understanding our past but also the present day.In this panoramic history, Jeremy Black tells how slavery was first developed in the ancient world, and reaches all the way to the present in the form of contemporary crimes such as trafficking and bonded labour. He shows how slavery has taken many forms throughout history and across the world - from the uprising of Spartacus, the plantations of the West Indies, and the murderous forced labour of the gulags and concentration camps.Slavery helped to consolidate transoceanic empires and helped mould new world societies such as America and Brazil. Black charts the long fight for abolition in the nineteenth century, looking at both the campaigners as well as the harrowing accounts of the enslaved themselves.Slavery is still with us today, and coerced labour can be found closer to home than one might expect.Trade ReviewA truly horrifying account of human cruelty. * Catholic Herald *A thought-provoking and important book that raises essential issues crucial not only for our past but also the present day. * Spartacus Review *

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Book SynopsisKing of Britain for sixty years and the last king of what would become the United States, George III inspired both hatred and loyalty and is now best known for two reasons: as a villainous tyrant for America''s Founding Fathers, and for his madness, both of which have been portrayed on stage and screen.In this concise and penetrating biography, Jeremy Black turns away from the image-making and back to the archives, and instead locates George''s life within his age: as a king who faced the loss of key colonies, rebellion in Ireland, insurrection in London, constitutional crisis in Britain and an existential threat from Revolutionary France as part of modern Britain''s longest period of war.Black shows how George III rose to these challenges with fortitude and helped settle parliamentary monarchy as an effective governmental system, eventually becoming the most popular monarch for well over a century. He also shows us a talented and curious individual, committed to music, art, architecture and science, who took the duties of monarchy seriously, from reviewing death penalties to trying to control his often wayward children even as his own mental health failed, and became Britain''s longest reigning king.Trade ReviewThis volume forms part of the Penguin Monarchs series, an impressive collection of short biographies written by renowned historians ... Their aim is not simply to summarise, but to offer genuine insights in accessible format. Black's analysis of George III is a welcome addition. [He] ... manages to pepper his trim narrative with lovely frills. The mark of a good short book is its ability to inspire curiosity and further investigation. Black achieves just that. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Black brilliantly demolishes the paranoiac Whig view of George as trying to accrete powers to himself unconstitutionally. The George who emerges is a far more attractive figure than the Whig historians depicted, let alone Thomas Jefferson with his 28 histrionic and inaccurate accusations against George in the Declaration of Independence, and especially Lin-Manuel Miranda's hilarious but profoundly historically incorrect caricature. -- Andrew Roberts * The Critic *

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Book SynopsisAn engagingly accessible introduction to war, from ancient times to the present and into the futureTrade Review“Jeremy Black’s extraordinary body of work regularly returns to themes in military history. . . . His latest book distills his achievements as the most prolific historian in the English language into 40 short chapters that describe war from the ancient world to the present day. . . . A Short History of War offers an expansive and often evocative account of great causes that are never lost or won.”—Crawford Gribben, Wall Street Journal“This is a feat of remarkable compression and erudition...Studded with thought-provoking comparisons and insights and offers a handy introduction to the subject, and to Black’s oeuvre.”—Jonathan Boff, Spectator “Black has demonstrated an enormous capacity for the length, breadth and depth of global military history which will prompt readers to explore further into campaigns they know little about.”—Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, Aspects of History“This book should be a ‘must read’ for people entering into a study of military history. It will also be a valuable resource for those who already have some broader knowledge in the field or are already possessed of some expertise. This is a book well worth reading more than once, keeping as a reference, and as a start-point for future study.”—Rob Ellis, Royal United Services Institute of Victoria ‘Jeremy Black has somehow managed to condense a vast and complex subject into a very compact and compelling book. His global range, avoidance of repetition of the standard topics, and ability to capture the variety of warfare in all its forms throughout history is truly remarkable.’—Professor Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny ‘This is an excellent overview of the history of war. Highly recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand the evolution of war around the globe from prehistory to the present day.’—Professor Heather Jones, University College London‘This is a truly global survey which amounts to a miracle of compression. Indispensable for students and scholars alike.’— Professor Gary Sheffield, University of Wolverhampton

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Book SynopsisA global account of histories of war, from Antiquity to the present day, this thoughtful book shows how the varied modes of representation record political, cultural and social developments as well as military events. Covers all forms of discussion and commemoration from statuary to scholarship, films to novels. Important not only to those interested in the history of war but also to those concerned with culture and history in general. This erudite volume on the theory and practice of military history will interest a wide readership including both professional historians of war and those concerned with its broader philosophical dimension. The author - a well established authority in European history - has provided an informed, rigorous analysis of a difficult topic. It will delight those who seek enlightenment of the historian's craft, military or otherwise.

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Book SynopsisNew paperback edition - Esteemed historian Jeremy Black examines the technological, social, political and economic reasons for the industrial revolution taking place in Britain.

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Book SynopsisDespite being relatively brief, this very readable history covers environmental, political, social, economic, cultural and artistic elements, and is very open to regional variations and to the extent that the history of the peninsula and of its political groupings was far from inevitable. Its tone is accessible, supported by boxes providing supplemental information, and is perfect for travellers to Spain.Trade ReviewPraise for Jeremy Black's The Holocaust'A demanding but important work.'Praise for Jeremy Black's Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A Global History'A significant and timely contribution to understanding the new meaning of war.' - Choice

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Book SynopsisA global account of military strategy throughout history, from imperial strategies to those of anti-imperial insurgentsTrade Review“This book offers valuable insights into strategy.”—Beatrice Heuser, Financial Times“Black’s greatest strength is his deep knowledge of international history, which is fully on display.”—Lawrence Freedman, History Today“Once again, Jeremy Black has shown that he can meld incisive historical insight with important modern-day lessons. Anyone connected with strategic decision-making, even far beyond the military sphere, will profit from reading this hugely readable and scholarly work, as will anyone interested in seeing how the great decision-makers of the past got things so right occasionally, but so wrong all too often.”—Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny“Jeremy Black is one of Britain’s foremost historians and a world leader in the subject of military strategy. He has expanded his purview to the global story of strategy in a bold and imaginative study.”—John Bew, author of Citizen Clem: A Life of Attlee“This book succeeds in communicating the dynamics of strategy across a huge canvas in an intelligent, engaging but also an extremely erudite fashion. . . . It not only informs the reader of many aspects of the global history of strategy, it encourages readers to think about the subject matter and the historical challenges as they read.”—Alaric Searle, author of Armoured Warfare: A Military, Political and Global History

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1985, this is a scholarly analysis of the Grand Tour, undertaken by young men in the eighteenth century to complete their education - a tour usually to France, Italy and Switzerland, and sometimes encompassing Germany.Table of Contents1. Numbers, Routes and Destinations 2. Transport 3. Accomodation, Food and Drink 4. War, Disputes, Accidents and Crime 5. Love, Sex, Gambling and Drinking 6. Health and Death 7. Cost and Finance 8. Social and Political Reflections 9. Religion 10. The Arts 11. The Debate over the Grand Tour: Conclusions

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Book SynopsisA wonderfully concise and readable, yet comprehensive, history of the Mediterranean Sea, the perfect companion for any visitor -- or indeed, anyone compelled to stay at home.''The grand object of travelling is to see the shores of the Mediterranean.''Samuel Johnson, 1776The Mediterranean has always been a leading stage for world history; it is also visited each year by tens of millions of tourists, both local and international. Jeremy Black provides an account in which the experience of travel is foremost: travel for tourism, for trade, for war, for migration, for culture, or, as so often, for a variety of reasons. Travellers have always had a variety of goals and situations, from rulers to slaves, merchants to pirates, and Black covers them all, from Phoenicians travelling for trade to the modern tourist sailing for pleasure and cruising in great comfort.Throughout the book the emphasis is on the sea, on coastal regions and on port cities vTrade ReviewPraise for Jeremy Black's The Holocaust'A demanding but important work.'Praise for Jeremy Black's Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A Global History'A significant and timely contribution to understanding the new meaning of war.' - Choice

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Book SynopsisAs the United Kingdom left the European Union, during a period of international and domestic turmoil, London found itself at a turning point. This critical moment presents an opportunity to look back, with a distinctive perspective, a focus on London in its national and, perhaps even more importantly, its international contexts, rather than on the city itself in isolation. It is the interactions of London that Black considers, and he does so in order to address the question as to why London became the foremost international city, how it sustained that position, and what its future holds. The book is as much about economics and culture as it is about politics and society. It deals with migration, communications, empire and cultural energy, rather than the mechanisms of parish vestries. London''s earlier period is covered, but the principal focus is on the last half millennium, the period during which London became a major trader with the trans-oceanic world, and the rTrade ReviewPraise for Jeremy Black's The Holocaust: A demanding but important work. -- R. S. Levy, University of Illinois at ChicagoPraise for Jeremy Black's Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A Global History: A significant and timely contribution to understanding the new meaning of war. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisKing of Britain for sixty years and the last king of what would become the United States, George III inspired both hatred and loyalty and is now best known for two reasons: as a villainous tyrant for America''s Founding Fathers, and for his madness, both of which have been portrayed on stage and screen.In this concise and penetrating biography, Jeremy Black turns away from the image-making and back to the archives, and instead locates George''s life within his age: as a king who faced the loss of key colonies, rebellion in Ireland, insurrection in London, constitutional crisis in Britain and an existential threat from Revolutionary France as part of modern Britain''s longest period of war.Black shows how George III rose to these challenges with fortitude and helped settle parliamentary monarchy as an effective governmental system, eventually becoming the most popular monarch for well over a century. He also shows us a talented and curious individual, committed to musTrade ReviewThis volume forms part of the Penguin Monarchs series, an impressive collection of short biographies written by renowned historians ... Their aim is not simply to summarise, but to offer genuine insights in accessible format. Black's analysis of George III is a welcome addition. [He] ... manages to pepper his trim narrative with lovely frills. The mark of a good short book is its ability to inspire curiosity and further investigation. Black achieves just that. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Black brilliantly demolishes the paranoiac Whig view of George as trying to accrete powers to himself unconstitutionally. The George who emerges is a far more attractive figure than the Whig historians depicted, let alone Thomas Jefferson with his 28 histrionic and inaccurate accusations against George in the Declaration of Independence, and especially Lin-Manuel Miranda's hilarious but profoundly historically incorrect caricature. -- Andrew Roberts * The Critic *

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Book SynopsisThis timely book provides a general overview of Great Power politics and world order from 1500 to the present. Jeremy Black provides several historical case-studies, each of which throws light on both the power in question and the international system of the period, and how it had developed from the preceding period. The point of departure for this book is Paul Kennedyâs 1988 masterpiece, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. That iconic book, with its enviable mastery of the sources and its skilful integration of political, military and economic history, was a great success when it appeared and has justifiably remained important since. Written during the Cold War, however, Kennedyâs study was very much of its time in its consideration of the great powers in âWesternâ terms, and its emphasis on economics. This book brings together strategic studies, international relations, military history and geopolitics to answer some of the contemporary questions left open by PrTable of Contents1.Introduction: The Kennedy Thesis Considered 2.Bids for Mastery, 1500-1590 3.Seventeenth-Century Crises, 1590-1680 4.The Rise of the Great Powers, 1680-1774 5.A Reshaped World, 1775-1860 6.Accelerated Change, 1860-1913 7.Bids for Power, 1914-1943 8.The Fall of Empires, 1944-1991 9.American Hegemony, 1991-2007? 10.Into the Future 11.Conclusions

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Book SynopsisIn A History of Britain in 100 Maps Jeremy Black takes readers deep into the unparalleled collections of the British Library Map Room to tell a new story of the British Isles through acknowledged treasures and previously undiscovered and unpublished items.

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Book SynopsisLooking beyond the trappings of Stuart romance

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Book SynopsisNow in its fourth edition, Introduction to Global Military History is an accessible, up-to-date account of modern warfare from the eighteenth century to the present.The book engages with the social, cultural, political and economic contexts of war, examining the causes and consequences of conflict beyond national and chronological boundaries. It challenges the dominant Western-centric, technologically focused view of military history and instead emphasises the ranges of circumstances faced by both Western and non-Western powers and the absence of any one direction of development. The chapters present integrated discussions of land, naval and air conflicts, addressing continuities and the ways in which common experiences affected different spheres. This edition revises the text throughout, has increased focus on the developments of the 2000s and 2010s, and adds a new chapter on the 2020s.Supported by a variety of illustrations, maps and case studies, this study i

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Book SynopsisBringing strategy, foreign policy, domestic and imperial politics together, this book challenges the conventional understanding as to why the British Empire, at perhaps the height of its power, lost control of its American colonies. Critiquing the traditional emphasis on the value of alliance during the Seven Years' War, and the consequences of British isolation during the War of American Independence, Jeremy Black shows that this rests on a misleading understanding of the relationship between policy and strategy. Encompassing both the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence and grounded in archival research, this book considers a violent and contentious period which was crucial to the making of modern Britain and its role in the wider world. Offering a reinterpretation of British strategy and foreign policy throughout this time, To Lose an Empire interweaves British domestic policy with diplomatic and colonial developments to show the impact this period and its evTrade ReviewIt is refreshing, therefore, when a scholar seeks to break out of standardised chronological frameworks. Jeremy Black does so in To Lose an Empire ... It is ... a highly welcome addition to the corpus of literature on eighteenth-century international history. * Diplomacy & Statecraft *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. The Means of Policy 2. The Context of Debate 3. To Win America, 1758-60 4. Winning a Peace, 1761-3 5. A Post-war Order? 1763-70 6. Muddling Through? 1771-4 7. Strategies under Pressure, 1775-8 8. Strategies Collapse, 1778-82 9. Picking up the Pieces, 1783-1790 10. Conclusions Bibliography

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Book SynopsisJeremy Black charts the story of Britain's rise to naval supremacy across the long eighteenth century.

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Book SynopsisNew in paperback - Life, Society, Family, Economy, and Politics in early and mid-Victorian England mediated through the life and writings of arguably the nation's greatest novelist.

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Book SynopsisThe infantryman always bears the brunt' according to Field-Marshal Wavell in 1945. The Poor Bloody Infantry,' The Grunts on the Ground,' the infantry have often been seen as the humble, indeed shunned, relations of others, from cavalry to tanks. This book is their story, one from the dawn of human conflict to the present day, a study that looks round the world to consider fighting, weaponry, recruitment, contexts and impact. Infantry as the shock of assault as well as firepower, as the force in state-to-state conflict and in civil warfare, in symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare, are considered, as are the different accounts of development that are offered. Central to the military and to combat, infantry has also served many non-combat roles, notably as the arm of government. Indeed, infantry can be crucial to political history and nation-building, from coups to iconic battles

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Book SynopsisIt is a picture of the universal role of cavalry in warfare from earliest times to the present - and future.

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Book SynopsisA concise history of the Caribbean''s long and fascinating history, from pre-contact civilisations to the present day This is a concise history, intended for travellers, but of inestimable value to anyone looking for an overview of the Caribbean and its mainland coastal states, with a focus on the past few centuries. The history of the Caribbean does not make much sense without factoring in the cities - Pensacola, New Orleans, Galveston - and the ambitions of the states on its continental shores, notably the United States. This account is grounded in a look at the currents and channels of the sea, and its constraints, such as the Mosquito Coast, followed by the history of ''pre-contact'' civilisations, focusing on the Maya and the Toltec Empire.With the arrival of the Europeans, from the late fifteenth century to the early years of the seventeenth century, the story becomes one of exploration, conquest and settlement. Black charts the rise of Trade ReviewPraise for Jeremy Black's The HolocaustA demanding but important work. -- R. S. Levy, University of Illinois at ChicagoPraise for Jeremy Black's Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A Global HistoryA significant and timely contribution to understanding the new meaning of war. * Choice *

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Book Synopsis''Jeremy Black skilfully sketches social, cultural and political trends'' - Christina Hardyment, Times audiobook of the week''A remarkable mixture of cold history, wide culture and personal experience''Ciro Paoletti, Secretary General of the Italian Commission of Military HistoryDespite the Roman Empire''s famous 500-year reign over Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East, Italy does not have the same long national history as states such as France or England. Divided for much of its history, Italy''s regions have been, at various times, parts of bigger, often antagonistic empires, notably those of Spain and Austria. In addition, its challenging and varied terrain made consolidation of political control all the more difficult. This concise history covers, in very readable fashion, the formative events in Italy''s past from the rise of Rome, through a unified country in thrall to fascism in the first half of the twentieth century rigTrade ReviewJeremy Black skilfully sketches social, cultural and political trends -- Christina Hardyment * Times *A remarkable mixture of cold history, wide culture and personal experience. -- Ciro Paoletti, Secretary General of the Italian Commission of Military History

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Book SynopsisThe next in this series of admirably concise yet nevertheless comprehensive titles looks at the history of all Americans as well as America; its environmental history and its linkage to economic history; the political shaping of America; and America in the world, from being a colony to post-Cold War America.Black examines the environmental history of America and its linkage to economic history, crucially, the clearing of forests; the spread of agriculture; mineral, coal and iron extraction; industrialisation; urbanisation; and current and growing climate-crisis concerns.He explores the political shaping of America: indigenous American polities; free European and unfree African settlements; the creation of an American State, and its successes and failures from 1783 to 1861; Civil War; democratisation; the rise of the federal Government from the 1930s; the Civil Rights movement from the 1950s onwards, and tensions in more recent governance. The book cons

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Book SynopsisThe British monarchy is at a turning point. Concise and engaging, this book charts the very beginnings of British reign through to the longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II - and looks forward to the reign of King Charles III. Much more than a linear history, this is the intertwined story of royalty and state, of divisions, invasions, rivalries, death and glory; the story of nation fates deeply tied with the personal endeavours of monarchs through the ages. Black expertly weaves together thematic chapters from the origins of monarchy, medieval times and sixteenth-century developments, to the crises of the seventeenth-century, settlement and imperialism, and the challenges of the modern age. Exploring the House of Wessex, the Norman Conquest, Henry VIII and the Tudors, Victorianism and key events such as abdication of Edward VIII, this book is a necessary and comprehensive guide to the British Monarchy and how it has shaped history - and our lives today.Trade ReviewBlack expertly weaves together thematic chapters from the origins of monarchy, medieval times and sixteenth-century developments, to the crises of the seventeenth-century, settlement and imperialism, and the challenges of the modern age . . . This book is a necessary and comprehensive guide to the British Monarchy and how it has shaped history - and our lives today -- Charles Coutinho, PH. D., Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society

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Book SynopsisThe British monarchy is at a turning point. Concise and engaging, this book charts the very beginnings of British reign through to the longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II - and looks forward to the reign of King Charles III.Much more than a linear history, this is the intertwined story of royalty and state, of divisions, invasions, rivalries, death and glory; the story of nation fates deeply tied with the personal endeavours of monarchs through the ages. Black expertly weaves together thematic chapters from the origins of monarchy, medieval times and sixteenth-century developments, to the crises of the seventeenth-century, settlement and imperialism, and the challenges of the modern age. Exploring the House of Wessex, the Norman Conquest, Henry VIII and the Tudors, Victorianism and key events such as abdication of Edward VIII, this book is a necessary and comprehensive guide to the British Monarchy and how it has shaped history - and our lives today.Trade ReviewBlack expertly weaves together thematic chapters from the origins of monarchy, medieval times and sixteenth-century developments, to the crises of the seventeenth-century, settlement and imperialism, and the challenges of the modern age . . . This book is a necessary and comprehensive guide to the British Monarchy and how it has shaped history - and our lives today -- Charles Coutinho, PH. D., Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society

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Book SynopsisHistorian Jeremy Black is comprehensive, as ever, but in his treatment of the British Gothic novel his greatest service is the preservation of the detail––namely, the human impetus behind art that is often undervalued. Gothic novelists were purposeful, thoughtful, and engaged questions and feelings that ultimately shaped a century of culture. Black notes that the Gothic novel is also very much about "morality and deploying history accordingly." The true interest of the Gothic novel is more remarkable than it is grisly: the featured darkness and macabre are not meant to usurp heroism and purity, but will fall hard under the over-ruling hand of Providence and certainty of retribution. Black's understanding of the Gothic writer is a remarkable contribution to the legacy of British literature and the novel at large. Once again, in Black thoroughness meets fidelity and the reader is overcome with his own insights into the period on the merit of Black's efforts. In The Weight of Words Series, Black is devoted to the preservation of the memory of British literary genius, and in so doing he is carving out a niche for himself. As in the Gothic novel where landscapes give quarter to influences that seem to interact with the human fates that freely wander in, reading Black is an experience of suddenly finding oneself in possession of an education, and his allure takes a cue from the horrific Gothic tempt.

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Book SynopsisWritten by the renowned British historian who has been described as both utterly thorough and humanely delicate, Jeremy Black offers a guided tour through the mind of Agatha Christie and life during the Great World Wars. His incomparable treatment of literary craft developing alongside global military engagement nearly overshadows the natural draw of the crime drama that is the subject of his book. Indeed, the “prurience and sensationalism” of crime is not as exciting as Black’s aptitude for drawing the reality from the fiction (and periphery sources), giving Christie a much louder voice than she might ever have dreamed. If Christie is also moralist and mirror to her times, Black here plays his part as the detective and reveals layers of previously unmined truths in her stories. Hercule Poirot as a character is masterfully imagined, but Black shows us how he is inseparable from Christie’s turbulent and changing world. He also illuminates significant social commentary in Christie’s fiction, and in so doing Black often uses his authority to vindicate Christie’s work from hastily, at times stupidly, applied labels and interpretations. He is especially magnificent in his chapters, “Xenophobia” and “The Sixties.” Black nevertheless gives due recognition to Christie’s critics when they have something relevant and reasonable to say, and hence the reader finds yet another service in Black’s comprehensive review of the reviewers over the expanse of Christie’s writing career. For all this, Black proves himself to be a worthy history-teller because he can aptly ‘detect’ the meaning of stories that seeks to answer the past and guide the present. His erudition runs much deeper than his ability to navigate the stores of resources available on the subject, and the reader gets a glimpse of this early on when in the introduction he proffers his own defense for writing about the importance of a Hercule Poirot. Black writes, “the notion of crime had a moral component from the outset, and notably so in terms of the struggle between Good and Evil, and in the detection of the latter. Indeed, it is this detection that is the basis of the most powerful strand of detection story, because Evil disguises its purposes. It has to do so in a world and humanity made fundamentally benign and moral by God.” The Golden Age of detective novels represents much more than a triumph of a literary genre. It is in its own right a story of how the challenge to address the problem of evil was accepted. Its convergence with the plot-rich narrative of the twentieth century in the modern age renders Black’s account a thrilling masterpiece, seducing historians to read fiction and crime junkies to read more history.

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Book SynopsisBritain yesterday; America today. The reality of being top dog is that everybody hates you. In this provocative book, noted historian and commentator Jeremy Black shows how criticisms of the legacy of the British Empire are, in part, criticisms of the reality of American power today. He emphasizes the prominence of imperial rule in history and in the world today, and the selective way in which certain countries are castigated. Imperial Legacies is a wide-ranging and vigorous assault on political correctness, its language, misuse of the past, and grasping of both present and future.

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