European history: medieval period, middle ages Books

Book SynopsisBerlin was the nerve-centre of Hitler's Germany - the backdrop for the most lavish ceremonies, it was also the venue for Albert Speer's plans to forge a new 'world metropolis' and the scene of the final climactic bid to defeat Nazism.Trade ReviewRoger Moorhouse has a deep knowledge of Wartime Germany... Moorhouse has a nice eye for social detail -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *As a leading historian of modern Germany, Moorhouse has chronicled a largely unknown story with scholarship, narrative verve and, at times, an awful, harrowing immediacy -- Ian Thompson * Sunday Telegraph *Moorhouse's evocative social history of Hitler's capital brings all these aromas together, along with the sights, sounds, thoughts and feelings of the ordinary Germans who lived here -- Keith Lowe * Daily Telegraph *Few books on the war genuinely increase the sum of our collective knowledge of this exhaustively covered period, but this one does... By trawling through the complex, often deeply morally compromised personal stories of many survivors, Moorhouse has produced new insights into the way ordinary Berliners tried to escape the disastrous ill-fortune of living in the belly of the beast -- Andrew Roberts * Financial Times *Roger Moorhouse's measured, sympathetic book offers a fascinating corrective to that Anglocentric perspective... After reading this thorough and engaging book you'll never be able to watch a war film or even a World Cup football match in quite the same way -- James Delingpole * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisA history of Europe since Napoleon, covering all of the main topics of that period.

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Book SynopsisThe Pity of It All is a passionate and poignant history of German Jews, tracing the journey of a people and their culture from the mid eighteenth century to the eve of the Third Reich.As it is usually told, the story of the Jews in Germany starts at the end, overshadowed by their tragic demise in Hitler''s Reich. Now, in this important work of historical restoration, the acclaimed historian and social critic Amos Elon takes us back to the beginning, chronicling a 150-year period of achievement and integration that at its peak produced a golden age second only to the Renaissance.

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Book SynopsisChosen 16 times as a ''Book of the Year'' - the top non-fiction pick of 2012''The best work of modern history I have ever read'' A. N. Wilson, Financial TimesAt the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union unexpectedly found itself in control of a huge swathe of territory in Eastern Europe. Stalin and his secret police set out to convert a dozen radically different countries to a completely new political and moral system: Communism. Anne Applebaum''s landmark history of this brutal time shows how societies were ruthlessly eviscerated by Communist regimes, how opposition was destroyed and what life was like for ordinary people who had to choose whether to fight, to flee or to collaborate.A haunting reminder of how fragile freedom can be, Iron Curtain is an exceptional work of historical and moral reckoning.ANNE APPLEBAUM is a historian and journalist, a regular columnist for the Washington Post and Slate, and the au

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER''The best new narrative of the battle thus far, reflecting his gifts for fluent prose and moving quotations.'' Max Hastings, Sunday Times No conflict better encapsulates all that went wrong on the Western Front during World War I than the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The tragic loss of life and stoic endurance by troops who walked towards their death is an iconic image - but this critically-acclaimed bestseller, on the four months of battle, shows the extent to which the Allied armies were in fact able to break through the German front lines again and again. In eight years of research, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore -- the author of Dunkirk -- has found extraordinary new material from Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, and the British - from heartbreaking diaries and letters to hitherto unseen Red Cross files - recounting their experiences amid the horror of war. It has been hailed as the best Trade ReviewMagisterial, exemplary, heartbreaking. So original is the material, and so inventive is Sebag-Montefiore's approach . . . that this well-known tale is rendered strange again. Written with great style and sensitivity, superbly illustrated with many original plates and beautifully drawn maps, Sebag-Montefiore's brilliant new study will set the benchmark for a generation -- Saul David * David Telegraph *Sebag-Montefiore tells it with gusto, a remarkable attention to detail . . . The sense of confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, and intrepid courage which characterized this disastrous campaign is captured more successfully than any other existing account -- Richard Overy * Daily Telegraph *A beautifully crafted, blow-by-blow account with deep insight into the lives of these diverse young men * Kirkus Reviews *In his previous book, Dunkirk, one of Sebag-Montefiore's talents as a historian is never to lose sight of the variety of individual experience. It is impossible to read this book without being stuck afresh by the ripples of mourning and anxiety spreading out from the battlefield in France -- Daniel Todman * The Financial Times *Hugh Sebag-Montefiore's heroes are the junior officers and the ordinary soldiers. Their voices emerge loud and clear in his pages . . . The best historians of the war have always made good use of the words written by the participants themselves, but few have done so as effectively as here -- Nick Rennison * Daily Mail *The author's combination of thoughtful analysis with first-hand testimony from army soldiers, cameramen and diarists lends a gritty immediacy -- Ian Thomson * Observer *Comprehensive, authoritative and meticulously researched... [Of recent publications] it is the weightiest and best written -- Simon Humphrey * Mail on Sunday *Having read almost everything that has been written on this battle, I can vouch this is the best account yet. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Comprehensive, authoritative and meticulously researched... [Of recent publications] it is the weightiest and best written. -- Simon Humphrey * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England''s rulers - now in paperbackEdward I (1272-1307) is one of the most commanding of all English rulers. He fought in southwest France, in Wales, In Scotland and in northern France, he ruled with ruthlessness and confidence, undoing the chaotic failure of his father, Henry III''s reign. He reshaped England''s legal system and came close to bringing the whole island of Great Britain under his rule. He promoted the idea of himself as the new King Arthur, his Round Table still hanging in Winchester Castle to this day. His greatest monuments are the extraordinary castles - Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Harlech and Conwy - built to ensure his rule of Wales and some of the largest of all medieval buildings.Andy King''s brilliant short biography brings to life a strange, complex man whose triumphs raise all kinds of questions about the nature of kingship - how could someone who established so many key elements in England''s unique legal and parliamentary system also have been such a harsh, militarily brutal warrior?

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Book SynopsisA DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022''There is unlikely to be a fuller or more informative history of Birmingham than Vinen''s'' Jonathan Coe, Financial Times''Vinen has written a history of Birmingham, but it is also a theory of Birmingham. And also, perhaps, a theory of England. I buy it'' Daily TelegraphFor over a century, Birmingham has been the second largest town in England. In his richly enjoyable new book Richard Vinen captures the drama of a small village that grew to become the quintessential city of the twentieth century: a place of mass production and full employment that began in the 1930s, but which came to a cataclysmic halt in the 1980s. Birmingham has also been a magnet for migration, drawing in people from Wales, Ireland, India, Pakistan and the Caribbean. Indeed, much of British history can be explained, in large measure, with reference to Birmingham.Vinen roots his sweeping story in the experience of individuals. This is a book about figures everyone has heard of, from J. R. R. Tolkien to Duran Duran, and also about those that everyone ought to have heard of. It captures the ways in which hundreds of thousands of people - from the Welsh miners who poured into the car factories in the 1930s to the young women who danced to reggae in the basement of Rebecca''s nightclub in the 1980s - were caught up in the convulsions of social change.Birmingham is not a pretty place, and its history does not always make for comfortable reading. But modern Britain does not make sense without it.Trade ReviewVinen's biography of the city is a spirited attempt at uncovering the mystery of how Birmingham, in his view, has managed for so long to stand at the centre of Britain's modern industrial, economic, political and cultural history without anyone noticing... This absorbing book shows us how we did it. -- Lynsey Hanley * Observer *Richard Vinen's new history of his native city explains everything ... Vinen has written a history of Birmingham, but it is also a theory of Birmingham. And also, perhaps, a theory of England. I buy it. -- Matthew Sweet * Daily Telegraph *[A] sweeping history ... There's a much better story to be told [about Birmingham] - and it's revealed between the covers of this book. -- Pete Paphides * The Times *A superb retort to [the] slings and arrows of derision ... Birmingham's very mutability ... is the key to its survival. -- Stuart Jeffries * Spectator *Absorbing ... There is unlikely to be a fuller or more informative history of Birmingham than Vinen's. -- Jonathan Coe * Financial Times *Birmingham's ordinariness has prevented us from seeing what is extraordinary in its history. Brummies shaped our everyday world ... Vinen's book provides a template for how we might level up the way we write about England's northern and Midland cities. -- Robert Colls * Literary Review *Second City makes the case that Brum is, for all its amorphousness, England's second city, and rightly pays tribute to Joe Chamberlain for transforming it through his progressive policies in the 1870s. -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph Books of 2022 *A key text for understanding our times ... Highly recommended, truly thought provoking. -- Ruth Barbour * Open History *PRAISE FOR NATIONAL SERVICE: Written with compassion and insight, Vinen's book brilliantly recreates the atmosphere of postwar Britain. -- Tony Barber * Financial Times Books of the Year *I can't recall ever having read so unexpectedly fascinating a book... every single page has something of great interest on it. -- Nicholas Lezard * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisFrom the eighteenth century until the 1950s the British Empire was the biggest political entity in the world. The territories forming this empire ranged from tiny islands to vast segments of the world''s major continental land masses. The British Empire left its mark on the world in a multitude of ways, many of them permanent. In this Very Short Introduction, Ashley Jackson introduces and defines the British Empire, reviewing its historiography by answering a series of key questions: What was the British Empire, and what were its main constituent parts? What were the phases of imperial expansion and contraction and the general causes of expansion and contraction? How was the Empire ruled? What were its economic effects? What were the cultural implications of empire, in Britain and its colonies? What was life like for people living under imperial rule? What are the legacies of the British Empire and how should we view its place in world history?ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short IntroductTrade ReviewProfessor Jackson has crafted a wide-ranging yet remarkably short introduction that successfully condenses recent scholarship without overwhelming the non-expert. * N.C. Fleming, University of Worcester, Political Studies Review *Jackson's pithy survey will be a welcome guide for anyone wanting to explore the wider picture without drowning in the literature. * BBC History magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. What was the British Empire? ; 2. The British Empire: An empire among empires ; 3. Motives of imperial expansion and themes in imperial expansion ; 4. Writing about the British Empire ; 5. Legacies and audits of the British Empire

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Book SynopsisThis extraordinary re-creation of the life of a medieval Italian merchant, Francesco di Marco Datini, is one of the greatest historical portraits written in the twentieth century.Drawing on an astonishing cache of letters unearthed centuries after Datini''s death, it reveals to us a shrewd, enterprising, anxious man, as he makes deals, furnishes his sumptuous house, buys silks for his outspoken young wife and broods on his legacy. It is an unequalled source of knowledge about the texture of daily life in the small, earthy, violent, striving world of fourteenth-century Tuscany.''Datini has now probably become most intimately accessible figure of the later Middle Ages ... brilliant and intricate'' The Times''As a picture of Tuscany before the dawn of the Renaissance it is a complement to The Decameron'' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewFrancesco di Marco Datini, the fourteenth-century Tuscan merchant who forms the subject of Origo's brilliant study, has now probably become the most intimately accessible figures of the later Middle Ages ... paints, in brilliant and intricate detail, a picture of Italian domestic life on the eve of the Renaissance * The Times *As a picture of the daily round in Tuscany before the dawn of the Renaissance it is a complement to The Decameron * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisAn epic adventure: from the Vikings to the Enlightenment, from barbaric outpost to global hub, this book tells the dazzling history of northern Europe''s transformation by sea.''Pye writes like a dream. Magnificent'' Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps______________This is a story of saints and spies, of anglers and pirates, traders and marauders - and of how their wild and daring journeys across the North Sea built the world we know.When the Roman Empire retreated, northern Europe was a barbarian outpost at the very edge of everything. A thousand years later, it was the heart of global empires and the home of science, art, enlightenment and money. We owe this transformation to the tides and storms of the North Sea.Boats carried food and raw materials, but also new ideas and information. The seafarers raided, ruined and killed, but they also settled and coupled. With them they brought new tastTrade ReviewIt's fascinating to understand [these] historical trends and ideas -- Jeremy CorbynAn utterly beguiling journey into the dark ages of the north sea. A complete revelation . . . Pye writes like a dream. Magnificent -- Jerry Brotton, author of 'A History of the World in Twelve Maps'A closely-researched and fascinating characterisation of the richness of life and the underestimated interconnections of the peoples all around the medieval and early modern North Sea. A real page-turner -- Chris Wickham, author of 'The Inheritance of Rome: A History of Europe from 400 to 1000'Elegant writing and extraordinary scholarship . . . Miraculous -- Hugh Aldersey-Williams, author of 'Periodic Tales' and 'Anatomies'Splendid. A heady mix of social, economic, and intellectual history, written in an engaging style. It offers a counterpoint to the many studies of the Mediterranean, arguing for the importance of the North Sea. Exciting, fun, and informative -- Michael Prestwich, Professor of History, Durham UniversityBrilliant. Pye is a wonderful historian . . . bringing history to life like no one else. Who knew that the Irish invented punctuation? -- Terry JonesA masterly storyteller * Vogue *Pye has a great journalist's eye for a story and the telling anecdote as well as a great historian's ability to place it in the bigger picture. Here he fuses those talents in a hugely eclectic study of the very first stirrings of modernity in northern Europe -- Alexander McCall SmithPye draws on a dizzying array of documentary and archaeological scholarship, which he works together in surprising ways . . . He advances on several fronts at once, following the overlapping currents of customary, religious and empirical ways of thinking. He writes about difficult concepts with vivid details and stories, often jump-cutting from exposition to drama like a film. It's complicated, but fun * Economist *Hugely enjoyable. it is the measure of Pye's achievement that he can breathe life into the traders of seventh-century Frisia or the beguines of late-medieval Flanders as well as into his more celebrated subjects . . . Grey the waters of the North Sea may be; but Pye has successfully dyed them with a multitude of rich colours -- Tom Holland * Guardian *A dazzling historical adventure * Daily Telegraph *An extraordinary book . . . Pye makes astonishing discoveries. Brevity is the bane of the reviewer; the best books are impossible to summarise in just 900 words. That's especially true with a treasure chest like this one . . . The end result is brilliantly illuminating. Pye's creativity brings light to this once dark time * The Times *A multi-layered book that demands time to read and be digested but rewards by giving one plenty to chew on * Observer *Excellent. The Edge of the World does what good non-fiction should, in making the reader see the world in a different light * Scotland on Sunday *An inspiring book, full of surprises . . . this is the kind of book that can open up new vistas. It might just rekindle a sense that Britain really is a North Sea nation and not just a rootless post-Imperium searching for a niche in the global emporium * Independent *Bristling, wide-ranging and big-themed ... Pye's view of the North Sea and European history succeeds in reorienting our thinking about the past * New York Times Book Review *A joy to read and reread. Pye challenges all our notions of the Dark Ages and shows the vast accomplishments completed long before the Renaissance. This book must be ranked right up there with the works of Mark Kurlansky and Thomas Cahill as a primer of the steps that led to modern civilization * Kirkus, starred review *An eye-opening reexamination of of Europe during the Dark Ages, and delightfully accessible. Pye's style is leisurely yet authoritative, scholarly but engaging; his approach resembles that of a docent leading a group through a vast museum, with each section devoted to a different aspect of society * Publishers Weekly *Refreshing. Pye excels at painting a unique portrait of the political, economic, and cultural transformation that has occurred on the shores of the North Sea. His frequent use of primary sources as well as fictional literary works gives the work an ethereal nature * Library Journal *Wonderful - well researched and beautifully written; he weaves in glorious anecdotes that show the Viking world as it should be seen -- Dr Peter Frankopan, Director, The Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research

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Book SynopsisA Times/Sunday Times Book of the Year''Powerful . . . there is rage in his ink. McKay''s book grips by its passion and originality. Some 25,000 people perished in the firestorm that raged through the city. I have never seen it better described'' Max Hastings, Sunday TimesIn February 1945 the Allies obliterated Dresden, the ''Florence of the Elbe''. Explosive bombs weighing over 1,000 lbs fell every seven and a half seconds and an estimated 25,000 people were killed. Was Dresden a legitimate military target or was the bombing a last act of atavistic mass murder in a war already won?From the history of the city to the attack itself, conveyed in a minute-by-minute account from the first of the flares to the flames reaching almost a mile high - the wind so searingly hot that the lungs of those in its path were instantly scorched - through the eerie period of reconstruction, bestselling author Sinclair McKay creates a vast canvas and brTrade ReviewPowerful . . . there is rage in his ink. McKay's book grips by its passion and originality -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *A shrewd, humane and balanced account of this most controversial target of the Anglo-American strategic bombing campaign, the ferocious consequence of the scourge of Nazism -- Allan Mallinson, author of Fight to the FinishAuthentic and authoritative, a masterpiece of its genre -- Damien Lewis, author of Zero Six BravoCompelling . . . Sinclair McKay brings a dark subject vividly to life -- Keith Lowe, author of Savage Continent

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Book SynopsisThe definitive account of the superior fighting force that powered the English RevolutionTrade Review“Authoritative and incisive. . . . This is far from just a military history. Gentles, formerly of York University, deals briskly with the key battles and sieges that made, for better or worse, the New Model’s reputation—Naseby, Dunbar, Colchester, Drogheda. . . . Gentles is fascinating too when writing about procurement.”—Paul Lay, Times (UK) “Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army won the decisive battles of the English civil war, overthrew the monarchy in 1649 and sustained the republic until its collapse in 1660. In this expanded version of a study published in 1992, Gentles shows why he is considered the leading authority on the army.”—Tony Barber, Financial Times, “Best Summer Books of 2022: History” “A thorough study. . . . The author’s mastery of the relevant manuscript and printed primary sources and secondary works is exemplary.”—Edward M. Furgol, Seventeenth-Century News “Explores not just the intricacies and complexities of the army, but also what made it such a formidable battlefield force.”—Military History Matters “This new account shows how powerful the New Model Army was at fighting not just with the sword but also with “The Word.” . . . New insight is given, proving that religion was beating strongly at its heart and that this faith was a force in building morale, military skill and ultimately victory.”—Bruce Kemble-Johnson, Let’s Talk “The purpose of this book is not to provide yet another military history of the wars, but to look beyond the accounts of the fighting, and to consider why the New Model Amy was so formidable on the battlefield, and why it had such an impact on politics and religion off it. Here the author succeeds admirably, delivering an indispensable study that is both insightful and thoroughly readable.”—David Flintham, Military History Matters “A richly detailed and authoritative survey of Parliament’s formidable army formed in 1645 and disbanded at the Restoration.”—Jackie Eales, History Today “Gentles provides a lively and accessible prose, without sacrificing scholarly rigour and analysis. The book will become a standard text for students of the Civil Wars in the Three Kingdoms for decades to come.”— Andrew Hopper, International Journal of Military History and Historiography Shortlisted for the 2023 Military History Matters Book of the Year “Ian Gentles has long been the leading authority on the most important and influential army in English history: and this latest book proves that he still is!”—Ronald Hutton, author of The Making of Oliver Cromwell “Gentles recovers the heart of revolutionary England in this indispensable and definitive landmark book. He masterfully charts the astonishing rise and successes of the New Model Army. Now, in this updated and fresh edition, he provides a view from the inside into the fears, failures, and wider aspirations of the army during its final and most elusive years.”—Polly Ha, associate professor of the history of Christianity, Duke University “Students of the English Revolution, for whom the first edition of The New Model Army has long been required reading, will be thrilled. . . . A tour de force which presents the New Model as a political phenomenon as well as a highly effective military force.”—David Appleby, author of Black Bartholomew’s Day “This is an important and timely reworking of a classic study of the military wrecking ball of the English Revolution. Authoritative yet accessible, the lively narrative guides the reader through a complex and transformative period in the histories of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Henceforth, Gentles’ account will be essential reading for those interested in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.”—Micheál Ó Siochrú, Trinity College Dublin, author of God’s Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the Conquest of Ireland

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Engagingly written…This is an effective entry point for those interested in the grand politics of crusader states.”—Andrew D Buck, BBC History Magazine “In this compelling book…Tibble argues persuasively that although the crusaders lacked the jargon and analytical apparatus of what we now (often incorrectly) call ‘strategy’, their ability to support policy by actions repeated over time and modified in the light of constraints properly amounted to just that.”—Ian Garrick-Mason, SpectatorShortlisted for the 2020 Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History“The Crusader Strategy tackles the fundamental problem faced by 'the defenders of the East' in the twelfth century. How did practical men implement God's will in almost impossible circumstances? Tibble's penetrative analysis shows that they responded by developing intelligent long-term strategies, skilfully adapted to the numerous challenges which confronted them.”—Malcolm Barber, author of The Crusader States “Viewing the crusader states' first century through the lens of strategic theory, Steve Tibble finds broad designs amid a whirlwind of battles, sieges, and negotiations. It is a compelling story vigorously-told of medieval men and the plans that they made.”—Thomas F. Madden, author of The New Concise History of the Crusades“Confident, brisk and engaging, Tibble offers a sharp new understanding of the Crusader States. He deftly reveals the strategic imperatives that shaped the early eras of conquest and consolidation, convincingly showing how and why the crusaders made their strategic choices. Pithy anecdote and clever analysis illuminate the crucial competition for Egypt, a race won by Saladin, who forced the crusaders out of their mighty castles and onto the fateful battlefield at Hattin. Insightful, original and persuasive - the perfect sibling to Tibble's Crusader Armies.”—Jonathan Phillips, author of The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin“Yes indeed! The kings of Jerusalem did have a strategy. The case is argued with great panache. Tibble brings a freshness and a breadth of knowledge to his subject and has clearly thought long and hard as to why things went wrong. A welcome addition to a lively debate.”—Peter W. Edbury, author of The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade

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Book Synopsis''Sharply observed, snappily written and thoroughly researched, She Merchants provides a fabulous panorama of a largely ignored area of social history. Katie Hickman successfully challenges the stereotype of the snobbish, matron-like memsahib by deploying a riveting gallery of powerful and often eccentric women ranging from stowaways and runaways through courtesans and society beauties to Generals'' feisty wives and Viceroys'' waspish sisters. It is full of surprises and new material and completely engaging from beginning to end'' William Dalrymple The first British women to set foot in India did so in the very early seventeenth century, two and a half centuries before the Raj. Women made their way to India for exactly the same reasons men did - to carve out a better life for themselves. In the early days, India was a place where the slates of ''blotted pedigrees'' were wiped clean; bankrupts given a chance to make good; a taste for adventure satisfiedTrade ReviewSharply observed, snappily written and thoroughly researched, She Merchants provides a fabulous panorama of a largely ignored area of social history. Katie Hickman successfully challenges the stereotype of the snobbish, matron-like memsahib by deploying a riveting gallery of powerful and often eccentric women ranging from stowaways and runaways through courtesans and society beauties to Generals' feisty wives and Viceroys' waspish sisters. It is full of surprises and new material and completely engaging from beginning to end -- William DalrympleAbsolutely brilliant . . . remarkable women, until now almost unknown. I was so gripped I couldn't put it down -- Antonia FraserGoes beneath the surface of imperial male history . . . a cast of extraordinary women. Wonderful -- Anita AnandFascinating . . . I was swept along by Hickman's concise chapters and her crisp, wry style * The Times *Thrilling tales of some of our wild colonial women . . . There have been other studies of the British memsahibs but none so focused on the adventurous and unconventional, and none more conscientiously researched, historically sound and compellingly written. An excellent book -- John Keay * Evening Standard *[A] fascinating and informative book -- Virginia Nicholson * Sunday Times *[A] colourful, witty and elegantly written new perspective on British India through the eyes of some of the women who were there . . . Hickman gives us a wealth of entertaining details * Daily Mail *Rich in detail and full of astonishing stories * Country Life *Hickman deftly negotiates the shifting politics of time and place . . . Hickman has a novelist's touch -- Jane Robinson * Times Literary Supplement *A welcome corrective to Raj-dominated, male-heavy histories of Britain's relationship with India * History Revealed *Eye-popping and extremely readable -- Jenny Colgan * Spectator *A history of the bolshy, pioneering British women who sailed for India * The Times *

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Book SynopsisIn 1688, a group of leading politicians invited the Dutch prince William of Orange over to England to challenge the rule of the catholic James II. When James''s army deserted him he fled to France, leaving the throne open to William and Mary. During the following year a series of bills were passed which many believe marked the triumph of constitutional monarchy as a system of government. In this radical new interpretation of the Glorious Revolution, Edward Vallance challenges the view that it was a bloodless coup in the name of progress and wonders whether in fact it created as many problems as it addressed. Certainly in Scotland and Ireland the Revolution was characterised by warfare and massacre. Beautifully written, full of lively pen portraits of contemporary characters and evocative of the increasing climate of fear at the threat of popery, this new book fills a gap in the popular history market and sets to elevate Edward Vallance to the highest league of popular historians.Trade ReviewAn account that is balanced without being anodyne, wide-ranging without being superficial, assured without being complacent . . . An up-to-date and well informed narrative * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Gripping . . . [Vallance] writes with considerable narrative flair . . . a tremendously exciting introduction to the period * TELEGRAPH *Lucid and perceptive * Blair Worden, LITERARY REVIEW *Vivid pen portraits of contemporary characters . . . a colourful, lively account * HERALD *

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Book SynopsisThe compelling story of the only concentration camp for women by the acclaimed author of A Life in Secrets.Trade ReviewCompelling ... [Helm] has painstakingly sought out many survivors and talked to them herself. The results are devastating ...What one is left with at the end of this momentous book is a sense of the power of human nature, both for good and evil Independent on Sunday A profoundly moving chronicle Observer An epic feat of scholarly investigation Spectator Where Helm's history excels is in her refusal to reduce any of the people in her history to stereotypes. Complexity is respected. She pays attention to the specificities of people's lives, including their religious beliefs, political aspirations and dreams. Even when discussing brutal female guards, Helm avoids demonisation -- Joanna Bourke Telegraph Helm has done us all a great service in this compelling, magisterial volume ... Read this book. Be appalled. Be moved. And be angry that so little action was taken to help, or to remember, until it was nearly too late. Read it, and weep Jewish Chronicle A sense of urgency infuses this history, which comes just in time to gather the testimony of the camp's survivors ... meticulous, unblinking ... [Helm's] book comes not a moment too soon The Economist Splendidly researched and tremendously moving ... Helm's book, based in part on interviews with survivors, is a model of sensitivity and seriousness Sunday Times Sarah Helm's momentous uncovering of Ravensbruck -- Rachel Holmes Guardian A groundbreaking chronicle -- Nicholas Shakespeare Telegraph It not only fills a gap in Holocaust history but it is an utterly compelling read -- Taylor Downing History Today

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Book SynopsisAt the beginning of each decade for 200 years the national census has presented a self-portrait of the British Isles.The census has surveyed Britain from the Napoleonic wars to the age of the internet, through the agricultural and industrial revolutions, possession of the biggest empire on earth and the devastation of the 20th century''s two world wars.In The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker, Roger Hutchinson looks at every census between the first in 1801 and the latest in 2011. He uses this much-loved resource of family historians to paint a vivid picture of a society experiencing unprecedented changes.Hutchinson explores the controversial creation of the British census. He follows its development from a head-count of the population conducted by clerks with quill pens, to a computerised survey which is designed to discover ''the address, place of birth, religion, marital status, ability to speak English and self-perceived national identity oTrade ReviewA quirky mix of broad-sweep history and fascinating nuggets of fact or biography . . . Hutchinson traces the real-life social changes behind Flora Thompson's Lark Rise novels, winkles out Britain's longest-lived citizens and its most prolific mother (Mary Jonas, who bore 33 children before dying aged 85 in 1899). But beneath these eye- catching incidental details lie deeper swells -- Nick Curtis * Evening Standard *A warm-hearted book about a uniquely British triumph, a resource of a depth unrivalled anywhere in the world . . . His achievement, beneath the joy of the detail, teeming with Dickensian energy, is to suggest that the census is also a story of enterprise, vision, trust and reliability - a force of enlightenment. This is not a dense book. Rather it is light, wry and compassionate * The Times *Compelling . . . Hutchinson's book is a sobering reminder of how often we have ignored facts and listened to panic merchants * Sunday Telegraph *Using the census records as the basis for a history of Britain is clearly an excellent idea for a book. Even so. Roger Hutchinson has carried it out particularly well . . . Happily, too. he manages to do this without the result ever becoming merely a blizzard of statistics. Admittedly, if you have ever wondered how many Brits made artificial flowers for a living in 1851. then here's where you'll find out. (Spoiler alert: it was 3.510.) Yet Hutchinson's sharp eye for the telling detail, his deft use of individual stories to illustrate the wider trends and his willingness to throw in any vaguely related facts that he (rightly) thinks we might find interesting make this a book to read with much pleasure * Spectator *Filled with interesting titbits, the book burrows into the official records to present a story that is sometimes uplifting and, at others, brutally stark * i *Absorbing . . . uplifting * Scotsman *Roger Hutchinson combines the history of the census itself with what the census can tell us about British society over the past 200 years, in a remarkably entertaining way * Times Literary Supplement *This combination of personality and wider perspective, character study and big history, makes for a compelling read. * History Revealed *so rich in personality and character that we are left wondering where those stories of marriage, migration and ambition went next. Hutchinson can weave a fine tale * BBC History *Outstanding . . . This is a quite splendid piece of research . . . The private evidence of futility is quietand compelling. Hard, bright anecdote and exhausted futility stand proud - memorially! The vainglory of war, butalso of ingenuity and courage ultimately lit up death, and are magnificently served in this calm and brilliant narrative -- Edward Pearce * Tribune *Fascinating . . . what it tells us about who we are is simply priceless * Mail on Sunday *Enthralling * Readers Digest *

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Book SynopsisIt is often assumed that the national identity must be a matter of values and ideas. But in Robert Winder''s brilliantly-written account it is a land built on a lucky set of natural ingredients: the island setting that made it maritime; the rain that fed the grass that nourished the sheep that provided the wool, and the wheat fields that provided its cakes and ale. Then came the seams of iron and coal that made it an industrial giant.In Bloody Foreigners Robert Winder told the rich story of immigration to Britain. Now, in The Last Wolf, he spins an English tale. Travelling the country, he looks for its hidden springs not in royal pageantry or politics, but in landscape and history.Medieval monks with their flocks of sheep . . . cathedrals built by wool . . . the first shipment of coal to leave Newcastle . . . marital contests on a village green . . . mock-Tudor supermarkets - the story is studded with these and other English things.And it starts

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Book SynopsisContaining sample exam questions at both AS and A2 levels, this text aims to show students what makes a good answer and why it scores high marks. It should help students grasp the difference between a GCSE and an A-level mark in history.Table of ContentsAS SECTION: NARRATIVE AND EXPLANATION - 1 The Weaknesses of Liberal Italy 2 Fascism's appeal, 1919-22 3 Consolidating the fascist regime, 1922-5 4 Fascist political life, 1925-43 5 Fascist Italy: the economy 6 Fascist society 7 Italian foreign policy, 1922-40 8 Italy at War AS Assessment A2 SECTION: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION - 1 Why did Mussolini become prime minister in 1922? 2 Why was Mussolini able to acquire dictatorial powers? 3 What were the main features of fascism? 4 Was fascist Italy a totalitarian state? 5 What was Mussolini's Role in the fascist state? 6 Analysing fascist Italy: central issues 7 Analysing Italian foreign policy, 1935-40 A2 Assessment

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Book SynopsisEngland is a small country with a big history. Unfortunately, of the millions of people who have collectively made the nation what it is, the history books remember only a handful. Along the way, we lose sight of some of the most colorful characters and intriguing episodes of English life. Did you know that for three centuries no king of England spoke English as his first language? Or that Charles II spent two million pounds trying to build an English settlement in Tangiers? Can you say where England?s bloodiest battle took place? Or how the legend of King Arthur came about?England?s Forgotten PastEngland?s Forgotten PastTrade Review'Glorious, fact-filled stuff for history lovers of all types' - Family Tree'An enlightening repository of timeless titbits … quirky, amusing, engaging. Five stars' - All About HistoryTable of Contents1. Making England English • 2. Lost Landscapes • 3. Royalty Remembered • 4. The Blast of War • 5. Fading Fame • 6. Inner Man and Woman • 7. Believe It or Not • 8. England Abroad

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Book SynopsisAn engaging range of period texts and theme books for AS and A Level history.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Opposition and resistance from Social Democrats, communists and industrial workers; 2. Youth protest; 3. The White Rose; 4. Opposition and resistance from the Christian churches; 5. The conservative and military resistance against Hitler; 6. Stauffenberg and the bomb attempt on Hitler's life; 7. The historical debate; Chronology; select bibliography.

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Book SynopsisAn engaging range of period texts and theme books for AS and A Level history.Table of Contents1. The question of authority; 2. Law and Power; 3. The church, religion and authority; 4. The great web - informal authority; 5. The mid-Tudor crisis; 6. The Celtic nations; 7. Elizabeth I and the recovery of monarchy; 8. Puritanism, the Church of England and the Queen's peace; 9. Tudor rebellions; 10. The flowering of the Elizabethan state; Select biography; Chronology; Index.

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Book SynopsisA provocative and rousing essay collection from one of Europe's greatest writers.The people of Central Europe cannot be separated from European history; they cannot exist outside it; but they represent the wrong side of this history; they are its victims and outsiders.In a moment of historic peril and uncertainty in mainland Europe, Milan Kundera makes the case for Central Europe as the nucleus of European values and as a lightning rod for its potential dangers.For the countries that make up this region where democracy is under continued threat from Russian oppression, language and culture play an active role in affirming national identity. And each of these countries Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia has been historically overlooked by the major powers of Western Europe. But Kundera cautions that this blindness puts Europe's cultural and political independence at risk, a warning that feels increasingly relevant to our current m

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of The English comes Empire, Jeremy Paxman''s history of the British Empire accompanied by a flagship 5-part BBC TV series, for readers of Simon Schama and Andrew Marr.The influence of the British Empire is everywhere, from the very existence of the United Kingdom to the ethnic composition of our cities. It affects everything, from Prime Ministers'' decisions to send troops to war to the adventurers we admire. From the sports we think we''re good at to the architecture of our buildings; the way we travel to the way we trade; the hopeless losers we will on, and the food we hunger for, the empire is never very far away.In this acute and witty analysis, Jeremy Paxman goes to the very heart of empire. As he describes the selection process for colonial officers (''intended to weed out the cad, the feeble and the too clever'') the importance of sport, the sweating domestic life of the colonial officer''s wife (''the challenge with

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Book SynopsisThe story of Central Europe is anything but simple. As the region located between East and West, it has always been endowed with a rich variety of migrants, and has repeatedly been the scene of nomadic invasions, mixed settlements and military conquests. In order to present a portrait of Central Europe, Norman Davies and Roger Moorhouse have made a case study of one of its most colourful cities, the former German Breslau, which became the Polish Wroclaw after the Second World War. The traditional capital of the province of Silesia rose to prominence a thousand years ago as a trading centre and bishopric in Piast Poland. It became the second city of the kingdom of Bohemia, a major municipality of the Habsburg lands, and then a Residenzstadt of the kingdom of Prussia. The third largest city of nineteenth-century Germany, its population reached one million before the bitter siege by the Soviet Army in 1945 wrought almost total destruction. Since then Wroclaw has risen fTrade ReviewThis big, lucidly written and fact-filled book admirably achieves its purpose... Anyone who enjoyed Norman Davies's...The Isles will recognise the same qualities in this book: a gift for broad exposition, a marvellous eye for quirky but revelatory details, and, above all, a willingness to question the categories of traditional history, wherever they may come from. -- Noel Malcolm * Sunday Telegraph *Absorbing...clear...and persuasive...as even-handed, erudite and enlightening as history can be. * Herald *Microcosm tells the story of the city across the centuries. While not neglecting ethnic hatred and folly, the book is a hymn to diversity and cultural achievement. * Economist *The city is fortunate to have found such chroniclers as Davies and Roger Moorhouse. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisBlack Victorians shows how Black lives were visible, present and influential â not temporary presences but established and rooted; and how paradox and ambivalence characterised the Victorian view of race.Trade Review‘The history of Black people in this country is woven into the tapestry that is the United Kingdom. Black Victorians shows us, in vivid detail, how Black people didn't just take part in the Victorian era, they shaped it’ David Lammy MP, author of Tribes‘Meatily researched and illuminating... [brings] to swaggering life a group of Britons who have spent too long in the shadows’ Susie Goldsbrough, The Times‘An important survey of the subject based on painstaking research. Woolf and Abraham's Black Victorians: Hidden in History provides an indispensable introduction to the subject told through the lives of some of the most eminent personalities of the era, as well as those hitherto little known. A significant contribution to the field’ Hakim Adi'This book will generate discussion and change mindsets. It is brilliant’ Dr Maggie Semple OBE‘The book's telling details are liberating for, in spite of the Black Victorians' subjection and degradation, they are presented not as victims, but rather as resourceful, inventive, assertive human beings in their quests for betterment. Their cumulative experiences are skilfully woven into an engaging, richly textured book – an insightful work of scholarship’ Ron Ramdin, author of The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain‘Fascinating, thorough, well-researched and extremely readable, Black Victorians provides invaluable insight into a history of Victorian Britain that is not often told’ Hafsa Zayyan, author of We Are All Birds of Uganda‘Engaging, informative and accessible, Black Victorians shines a light on a little-known aspect of British history. It is written with passion and attention to detail. I highly recommend this book’ Stephen Bourne, author of Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War‘Revelatory. Exposing whitewashing, tackling archival obfuscation, and returning little known figures to history, this book restores colour to our vision of Victorian Britain’ Suzannah Lipscomb, author of What is History, Now?

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Book SynopsisFrom the ''House in the Midst of the Boar Wood'' to its present position at the heart of Scotland''s burgeoning ''Silicon Glen'', Bathgate and it surrounds have played a subtly significant part in Scotland''s history. The preceptory of the Knights of St. John, where William Wallace last met his nobles before the ill-fated battle of Falkirk in 1298, can still be seen at Torphichen. Birthplace of the inventor of chloroform, James Simpson, and site of the world''s first oil refinery, the area may claim indeed a worldwide importance. But this book presents the reader with a more vivid picture of the past than even famous names can. The 200 photographs on its pages record the Procession Days, charabanc outings and everyday working lives of a vanished era. Here both the children''s games in the quiet streets of old Bathgate and the hard labours of their elders almost come alive again for us. Nor yet is the more recent, equally rich, history neglected. The post-war years were not easy ones, w

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Book SynopsisAn account of the events, personalities and repercussions of the Irish rebellionThe Easter Rising began at 12 noon, 24 April, 1916 and lasted for six short but bloody days, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians, the destruction of many parts of Dublin, and the true beginning of Irish independence.The 1916 Rising was born out of the Conservative and Unionist parties'' illegal defiance of the democratically expressed wish of the Irish electorate for Home Rule; and of confusion, mishap and disorganisation, compounded by a split within the Volunteer leadership.Tim Pat Coogan introduces the major players, themes and outcomes of a drama that would profoundly affect twentieth-century Irish history. Not only is this the story of a turning point in Ireland''s struggle for freedom, but also a testament to the men and women of courage and conviction who were prepared to give their lives for what they believed was right.

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Book SynopsisFrom rag-gatherers to royalty, from fish knives to Freemasons: everyday life in Victorian London.Like its acclaimed companion volumes, Elizabeth''s London, Restoration London and Dr Johnson''s London, this book is the product of the author''s passionate interest in the realities of everyday life so often left out of history books. This period of mid Victorian London covers a huge span: Victoria''s wedding and the place of the royals in popular esteem; how the very poor lived, the underworld, prostitution, crime, prisons and transportation; the public utilities - Bazalgette on sewers and road design, Chadwick on pollution and sanitation; private charities - Peabody, Burdett Coutts - and workhouses; new terraced housing and transport, trains, omnibuses and the Underground; furniture and decor; families and the position of women; the prosperous middle classes and their new shops, such as Peter Jones and Harrods; entertaining and servants, fooTrade ReviewI was delighted, as usual, by Liza Picard's Victorian London, the fourth of her grand series on life in the capital -- Jan Morris * OBSERVER *This book is a feast of tit-bits, bringing 19th-century London to life piecemeal with the accumulation of facts ... a valuable addition to the literature of London -- Jad Adams * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Whether she is describing the music halls, such as the Alhambra in Leicester Square, or the criminal underworld, or the foundation of London University, or the lives of the costermongers, or the expansion of the middle-class suburbs, she never loses her eye for the telling detail. Reading her book is like gazing at one of those energetic, crowded canvases by the Victorian painter William Powel Frith, who brought the age to life through a multiplicity of detail -- A. N. Wilson * EVENING STANDARD *The glories of Picard's magpie style are immediately apparent. She paints a picture with deft, sure strokes, then finds the perfect quotation -- Judith Flanders * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *She cannot be denied her bid for the heavyweight crown. She writes the old history, descriptive and unanalytical, painted in exhilarating colours -- Simon Jenkins * SUNDAY TIMES *She is an engaging companion, always wondering out loud about the sort of questions which you've asked yourself ... an enjoyable book -- Philip Hensher * SPECTATOR *Thus the book proceeds, by typifying anecdotes, which are well chosen and impeccably annotated, and all linked together by Picard's untroubling, readable prose -- Adam Newey * GUARDIAN *Liza Picard's Victorian London is a mine of information and very readable -- Tony BennA wonderful achievement -- Claire TomalinThis is a comprehensive history by anecdote, so the enlightening facts come thick and fast, from the suggestion that Queen Victoria had a slight German accent to the idea that linoleum is best washed with milk. And while there is certainly no pretence at some grand narrative, there is a genuine sense of time and place. It makes it a book to pick at - where else could one find out about velocipedes, costermongers and the "Monster School"? - but it's also one that adds incalculable depth to a walk round the capital. From houses to cemeteries, Picard enforces the idea that history really is all around us * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Her vivid panorama of London between 1840 and 1870 -- Michael Leapman * INDEPENDENT *Picard enjoys recounting the gruesome daily mechanics of living in what Cobbett described as "the great wen" -- Tristram Hunt * NEW STATESMAN *Vividness is the book's aim, and this is achieved splendidly * ECONOMIST *A highly readable account of nineteenth-century London... Picard's book is a mine of information told with great enthusiasm and passion. * EXPRESS (7/7/06) *This is a comprehensive history by anecdote, so the enlightening facts come thick and fast... Picard enforces the idea that history really is all around us. * TELEGRAPH (8/7/06) *Her survey of Victorian London is as enjoyably wide-ranging as her previous volumes, and her curiosity about apparent trivia resurrects the realities of the past more successfully than many more solemn works of social and political analysis do. * SUNDAY TIMES (30/7/06) *

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Book SynopsisMedieval knights, their origins, status, training, military exploits and adventures, sumptuously illustrated throughout.

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Book SynopsisFrances Millard is Professor Emerita in the Department of Government, Member of the Human Rights Centre and former Dean of Social Sciences at the University of Essex. She is twice winner of the George Blazyca Prize of the British Association of Slavonic and East European Studies for the best book on Central and Eastern Europe.Trade ReviewIn this insightful and detailed account Frances Millard deftly charts and explains the twists and turns of Poland’s three decades of debates about transitional justice. The book deserves to be on the shelves of all scholars and students concerned with how states and societies deal with difficult pasts, but also those interested in the consequences that decisions to punish, prosecute or draw lines have on the health and fate of democracy. * Tim Haughton, University of Birmingham, UK *This is an extremely detailed and wide-ranging account of attempts to achieve transitional justice since the collapse of the Polish communist regime in 1989. It is a meticulously-researched piece of history writing, which explains the chequered progress of transitional justice with reference to developing political circumstances and without recourse to simplistic, one-sided explanations. Millard provides a thorough analysis of the legislation regarding each separate strand of transitional justice. * Anne White, UCL, UK *Table of Contents1. Introduction: Approaches to the Study of Transitional Justice 2. The Politics of Transitional Justice in Poland 3. The Prosecution of Past Crimes 4. Reparation through Rehabilitation and Compensation 5. The Restitution of Property 6. Lustration 1989-2005 7. Lustration after the fall of the SLD: The Return of the Right 8. Transitional Justice and the Role of the Constitutional Tribunal 9. The Role of the Institute of National Remembrance: The Politics of History and Memory 10. PiS: The End of Transitional Justice and the New Project of Social Transformation Index

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Book SynopsisIn this chronicle of a fascinating people, Hugh Agnew offers a single-volume survey of Czech history, providing an introduction to its major themes and contours. Agnew presents a detailed chronology of the region, from prehistory and the first Slavs to the Czech Republic's entrance into the European Union. Taking into account both Western and Marxist insights—as well as the input of the newest generation of Czech historians—he furnishes a comprehensive fusion of three different aspects of Czech history: a political-diplomatic view, a social-economic view, and a cultural-intellectual view.

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Book SynopsisTransactions of the Royal Historical Society is an annual collection of articles based on papers given to the Society by distinguished invited speakers and winners of RHS prizes. Volume 31 of the Sixth Series includes the following articles: 'Material Turns in British History: IV. Empire in India, Cancel Cultures and the Country House,' 'Responding to Violence: Liturgy, Authority and Sacred Places, c. 900âc. 1150,' 'Baroque around the Clock: Daniello Bartoli SJ (1608â1685) and the Uses of Global History,' 'What Happens when a Written Constitution is Printed? A History across Boundaries,' 'An Ottoman Arab Man of Letters and the Meanings of Empire, c. 1860,' and 'Revisiting RHS's 'Race, Ethnicity & Equality in UK History: A Report and Resource for Change.''Table of Contents1. Presidential Address: material turns in British history: IV. Empire in India, cancel cultures and the country house Margot C. Finn; 2. Responding to violence: liturgy, authority and sacred places, c. 900–c.1150 Sarah Hamilton; 3. Baroque around the clock: Daniello Bartoli SJ (1608–1685) and the uses of global history Simon Ditchfield; 4. What happens when a written constitution is printed? A history across boundaries Linda Colley; 5. An Ottoman Arab man of letters and the meanings of empire, c. 1860 Andrew Arsan; 6. Revisiting RHS's 'Race, Ethnicity & Equality in UK History: A Report and Resource for Change' Shahmima Akhtar.

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Book SynopsisFrom Margaret of Anjou to Katherine Parr, All the Queen's Jewels examines the jewellery collections of the ten queen consorts of England between 14451548 and investigates the collections of jewels a queen had access to, as well as the varying contexts in which queens used and wore jewels.The jewellery worn by queens reflected both their gender and their status as the first lady of the realm. Jewels were more than decorative adornments; they were an explicit display of wealth, majesty and authority. They were often given to queens by those who wished to seek her favour or influence and were also associated with key moments in their lifecycle. These included courtship and marriage, successfully negotiating childbirth (and thus providing dynastic continuity), and their elevation to queenly status or coronation. This book explores the way that queens acquired jewels, whether via their predecessor, their own commission or through gift giving. It underscores thTrade Review‘This study offers a fresh interpretation of queenship and the ways in which queens wielded power in late Medieval and early modern society. Jewellery is often dismissed as a trivial topic when in fact it is at the heart of politics. Tallis remarkably reveals its true importance in defining and challenging power--especially when it came to queens. Thoroughly researched and with an accessible prose, this book is undeniably a significant contribution to the field and is going to be a great resource for students, scholars, and members of the public alike who have an interest in queens and power.’Estelle Paranque, New College of the Humanities, UK‘This exciting new work is an excellent example of innovative new work in queenship studies, tracing the evolution of the queen’s jewel collection during a particularly turbulent period from the Wars of the Roses to the last of Henry VIII’s six wives. This engaging read demonstrates the importance of the queen’s jewels in underpinning her role by projecting majesty as well as enhancing her networks through gift exchange.’Elena Woodacre, University of Winchester, UK‘This study of the jewel collections of the queens consort of England between 1445 and 1548 offers a fluent, engaging, and very informative account of an important aspect of female royalty. Nicola Tallis’s book contributes original research to a generation of scholarship into the material history of late-medieval European queenship, drawing on evidence from inventories, wills, portraiture, commissions to artisans, and correspondence. The book presents a comprehensive account of the production, acquisition and care of the queens’ jewels and their use as personal adornment and gifts in a wide range of contexts. It ably demonstrates how the deployment of the queens’ jewels was an integral part of the magnificence of Plantagenet and Tudor monarchy.’Glenn Richardson, St Mary's University, UK"Nicola Tallis has justifiably established herself as an expert not just on the English queens’ jewellery collection but how these pieces advertised power, augmented influence, and shaped reputations in the early modern era. An important, groundbreaking, and fascinating book." Gareth Russell, Historian and Broadcaster.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. An Introduction to Jewellery and the Queenly Use of Jewels 2. The Wills of the Queens of England, 1445-1548 3. The Jewel Inventories of Jane Seymour, Katherine Howard and Kateryn Parr 4. Portraiture 5. Goldsmiths and Commissioning Jewels 6. Gifts of Jewels 7. The Crown Jewels 8.Conclusion

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1975, The Economic Modernisation of France presents the study of economic developments in France between 1730 and 1880. This period is conceived as one of growth in production within pre-industrial economic structures, succeeded from 1840-50 by rapid structural transformation and the creation of an industrial economy. Divided into four major parts it discusses themes like communication and the development of commerce; agriculture; industrial development; and population. Rich in primary sources, this will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of French history, European history, economic history, and history in general.

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Book SynopsisGraham Robb was born in Manchester in 1958 and is a former fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. He has published widely on French literature and history. The Discovery of France won both the Duff Cooper and Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prizes. For Parisians the City of Paris awarded him the Grande Médaille de la Ville de Paris. He lives on the English-Scottish border.

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Book SynopsisThe dramatic story of Richard III, England's last medieval king, captured the world's attention when an archaeological team led by the University of Leicester identified his remains in February 2013.Trade Review“an informed, readable account, with much useful detail, that gives the historical and archaeological background to the medieval city and the king, and describes the excavations, the forensic sciences and genealogy, and the events leading up to the reburial.” (British Archaeology, 1 May 2015) Table of ContentsIllustrations vi The Greyfriars Research Team ix Acknowledgements xii 1 Investigating the Bones of a King 1 2 So How Did He Get There? (rb, mm) 5 3 The Bigger Picture 35 4 The Bones Tell Their Tale 57 5 Who was Richard? 78 6 The Cousins in the Swabs (tk, ks) 109 7 What Did Richard Look Like? 127 8 The Big Announcement 139 9 The Afterlife of Richard III and the City That Never Forgot 158 10 Richard Laid to Rest 174 Appendix 1 191 Appendix 2 209 Index 211

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Book SynopsisMarking the third centenary of the office of Prime Minister, this book tells its extraordinary story, explaining how and why it has endured longer than any other democratic political office in world history. Sir Anthony Seldon, historian of Number 10 Downing Street, explores the lives and careers, loves and scandals, successes and failures, of all our great Prime Ministers. From Robert Walpole and William Pitt the Younger, to Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher, Seldon discusses which of our Prime Ministers have been most effective and why. He reveals the changing relationship between the Monarchy and the office of the Prime Minister in intimate detail, describing how the increasing power of the Prime Minister in becoming leader of Britain coincided with the steadily falling influence of the Monarchy. This book celebrates the humanity and frailty, work and achievement, of these 55 remarkable individuals, who averted revolution and civil war, leading the country through times of peace,Trade Review'A tremendous, magisterial book, informed and underpinned by brilliant historical and political insight. A triumph.' William Boyd, author of Trio, Restless and Any Human Heart'Anthony Seldon enriches our understanding of what it takes to run Britain, with some intriguing ideas for improving the Premiership.' Camilla Cavendish, former Head of No. 10 Policy Unit, and author of Extra Time: Ten Lessons for Living Longer Better'A brilliant, panoramic survey of the fifty-five individuals who have been prime minister since Robert Walpole - and their families too. The most moving sentence is right at the end. On the evening of David Cameron's resignation, his daughter asks him at bedtime: 'Daddy, when are we going back home?' By then, you feel you know many of the holders of the office of prime minister intimately, how they changed it and it and how it changed them. A must read.' Andrew Adonis, former transport minister, education minister and Head of No. 10 Policy Unit, and author of Ernest Bevin, Labour's Churchill'Three hundred years of one of the world's most difficult jobs is worth some reflection - and there is no better way to go about that than to read this excellent book. With a rich knowledge of our prime ministers and the eye of an expert historian, Anthony Seldon has produced a stimulating and enjoyable study of the unceasing development of their power and role. There is much here to inform everyone from the general reader to the political addict, and some important indicators of what the future may hold.' William Hague, former Leader of the Opposition, First Secretary of State, Foreign Secretary, and Leader of the House of Commons'A fascinating review of the role of the prime minister and those who have filled it. How were they constrained, how did they change the role, and how did it change them and the country. Anthony Seldon also suggests some improvements including making No. 10 more streamlined, agile and diverse and ensuring that prime ministers and those around them understand the role. Reading this book would give them a good start.' Jacqui Smith, former Home Secretary'Anthony Seldon has a brilliant ability to capture the humanity of prime ministers as well as their role in history which is why this fascinating account is so readable as well as authoritative. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand both how Downing Street works and the extraordinary characters of those who have lived there.' Rachel Sylvester, The Times'A good guide to the constitutional position of the Sovereign's Minister.' Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph'… an intelligent and insightful account of the evolution of the role.' Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer (Book of the Week)'… chockful of fascinating Prime Ministerial history …' Paul Donnelley, Daily Express'The author [is to be] congratulated on producing a readable, lively, amusing, and serious account of the office of prime minister.' Michael Wheeler, Church Times'We need some answers, and Anthony Seldon is one of the few prime ministerial biographers to seek to provide them. He does so insightfully and mischievously …' Steve Richards, Literary Review'… a readable, lively, amusing, and serious account of the office of prime minister.' Michael Wheeler, Church Times'… a remarkable and important work.' John Bartle, Department of Philosophy'Over the last 30 years, Seldon has established himself as the court historian of Downing Street. Here he provides a history of the premiership and its antecedents and an analysis of the challenges, potentialities, and 'constraints' of an office 53 men and two women have held so far … the anecdotes about the prime ministers, their families, and their colleagues are engaging … Recommended.' D. R. Bisson, Choice ConnectTable of ContentsPreface; 1. The Bookend Prime Ministers: Walpole and Johnson; 2. A Country Transformed, 1721–2021; 3. The Liminal Premiership: From the Saxons to 1806; 4. The Transformational Prime Ministers, 1806–2021; 5. The Powers of the Prime Minister, 1721–2021; 6. The Constraints on the Prime Minister, 1721–2021; 7. The Falling Power of the Monarchy, 1660–2021; 8. The Rise and Fall of the Foreign Secretary, 1782–2021; 9. The Rise, and Rise of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1660–2021; 10. The Impossible Office: The Prime Minister by 2021.

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