European history: medieval period, middle ages Books

Book SynopsisPULITZER PRIZE WINNER • An “urgently readable” (Newsweek) biography of the captivating tsar who changed Russian history—from the New York Times bestselling author of Nicholas and Alexandra, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great “Enthralling . . . as fascinating as any novel and more so than most.”—The New York Times Book Review Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned co-tsar at the age of ten. Robert K. Massie delves deep into his life, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend—including his “incognito” travels in Europe, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his creation of an unbeatable army, his transformation of Russia, and his relationships with those

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Book SynopsisJ.R.R. Tolkien's experiences of the Battle of the Somme forever imprinted on his mind, and became a dramatic source of inspiration for The Lord of the Rings. This absorbing book charts Tolkien's life from 1914 to 1918, using old postcards, maps and photographs to paint a picture of the places and times that relate to one of the leading authors of the twentieth century. Tolkien joined the army in 1915 and trained in Bedford and Brocton Camp on Cannock Chase while his wife lived in the village of Great Haywood, close to the camp. A number of the places in and around Great Haywood were destined to appear in his later works. In 1916 Tolkien learnt of the death of two of his school friends in the bloody Battle of the Somme. He contracted Trench Fever in late October 1916 and returned to Birmingham, his hometown, by hospital ship and train. The final part of the book covers his time in England, an era in which he was blighted by illness. Richly illustrated, this

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Book SynopsisLondon was reborn in the fires of the Viking Age, transformed by immigrants and natives, kings and commoners, warriors and saints.In this short history, bestselling historian Thomas Williams explores the profound impact of the Vikings on London. Under the hammer of their assaults the city emerged as a hub of trade, a financial centre, a political prize, and a cauldron of voices and perspectives a place that, a thousand years ago, already embodied much of what London is today.Trade Review Praise for Viking Britain ‘Fresh, vivid and impeccably researched … the most rip-roaring work of nonfiction I read this year’ Tom Holland, Observer, Books of the Year ‘Williams’ infectiously enthusiastic book gives you everything you could want from a history of the Vikings’ Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times, Books of the Year ‘A debut that pulses with the author’s passion for his subject and his mastery of written sources, archaeology and legend. Williams narrates a complex story in enjoyable, lusty prose’ Dan Jones, Sunday Times ‘Viking Britain [is] an engrossing account … Williams is scrupulous to avoid the easy pub-chat message. He writes fluently and with feeling’ Thomas W. Hodgkinson, Spectator 'Williams is a master at conveying the atmosphere of Viking Britain … We are guests at a sensory feast, at times immersed … and at others guided by the comforting hand of firm historical evaluation. Viking Britain is a giddy ride … a real treat’ Philip Parker, Literary Review ‘Williams evocative prose puts flesh on sturdy academic bones. ‘Viking Britain’ is a pleasure to read… a lively, colourful book that explores in high definition what being a Viking really meant. Williams … succeeds where many have failed: to make the truth about the Vikings as entertaining as the fiction’ Giles Kristian, The Times ‘An exemplary work of popular history, at once full of the most up-to-date archaeology and international scholarly thought, and full of the literary flourishes which bring the past most vividly to life for readers: dramatic reconstruction, physical scene-setting and authorial intervention. It is a great success’ Ronald Hutton

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Book SynopsisThis study provides a new overview of chivalry, which formed a fundamental element of medieval society. Chivalry shaped elite warrior status and profession, influenced warfare and violence, took on religious piety, and shaped ideas of love and relations between men and women of high status throughout half a millennium of early European history.Trade Review'Professor Kaeuper is one of the foremost experts on medieval chivalry, equally at home with the evidence provided by literature and the sources normally used by historians. This new textbook draws together the important insights that he has offered on violence and religion within medieval chivalric culture, to provide a clear and exciting vision of this complex field.' Craig Taylor, University of York'Richard Kaeuper's new book is a tour de force. It presents chivalry as one of the great defining forces of medieval culture. Anyone wishing to grasp medieval chivalry and indeed the middle ages as a whole will have to read this book or run the risk of seriously misunderstanding the topic.' Christoph T. Maier, University of Zurich'Medieval Chivalry is a deeply erudite and multilayered analysis of a complicated and much misunderstood subject. Professor Kaeuper, the leading scholar in the field, examines chivalry in its political, social, economic and literary contexts. It is a tour de force that will set the terms for future discussion.' William Caferro, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee'In what is destined to become the standard work on the subject, Richard Kaeuper's Medieval Chivalry explores the historical evolution of this aristocratic military ethos from the ninth through the fifteenth century. Guided by his unrivalled mastery of chivalric literature, Kaeuper strips away the varnish of nineteenth-century romanticism to reveal a contested ideology that at its heart valorized the practice of violence by a social elite.' Richard Abels, United States Naval Academy, Maryland'In this masterly new study of the nature and development of European chivalry from the eleventh to the fifteenth century. Kaeuper takes us into the thought world of the medieval warrior aristocracy with verve and rare perception. He probes the essence of chivalric values and their expression in war and peace, elucidating with freshness and clarity chivalry's complex and subtly evolving interaction with religion, nobility, courtliness and the state. Impressive in its range and skilful synthesis, this valuable and thought-provoking study will be essential reading for specialists and students alike.' Matthew Strickland, University of Glasgow'Even though the medieval institutions of chivalry and knighthood have been the object of countless investigations, there is always the need for further analysis because we face a highly complex and often changing phenomenon. Richard W. Kaeuper accepted this challenge and here presents an extensive study of medieval chivalry, offering in-depth historical perspectives, cultural and literary reflections on chivalry, and he views chivalry even in light of the history of emotions.' Albrecht Classen, MediaevistikTable of ContentsPart I. An Approach to Chivalry: Was It Real and Practical?: 1. The reality of medieval chivalry; 2. Models of medieval chivalry; Part II. Three Broad Chronological Phases: 3. Phase one: knighthood becoming chivalry; 4. Phase two: knighthood and chivalry fuse; 5. Phase three: chivalry beyond formal knighthood; Part III. The Privileged Practice of Violence: 6. Chivalry and war; 7. Tournament; Part IV. Chivalry, Governing Institutions and Ideals: 8. Kings and knights; 9. Chivalry in dialogue with religious ideals; Part V. The World of Chivalric Emotions: 10. Love and amity, men and women; 11. Anger, wrath, fear, thirst for vengeance; Reflections; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisNow reissued in an updated paperback edition, this groundbreaking account of the Medieval Revival movement examines the ways in which the style of the medieval period was re-established in post-Enlightenment Englandfrom Walpole and Scott, Pugin, Ruskin, and Tennyson to Pound, Tolkien, and Rowling. Medievalism . . . takes a panoramic view of the recovery' of the Medieval in English literature, visual arts and culture. . . . Ambitious, sweeping, sometimes idiosyncratic, but always interesting.Rosemary Ashton, Times Literary Supplement Deeply researched and stylishly written, Medievalism is an unalloyed delight that will instruct and amuse a wide readership.Edward Short, Books & CultureTrade Review“Professor Alexander has made me want to search out many of the poets and writers, amongst others, whom he cites, particularly those of the twentieth century, and re-read them in the light of having learnt so much from this book about how significant the past will always be, and needs to be, in the creation of new work.” – Catriona Blaker, Present State

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Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive account of how the law and practice of child protection in Scotland has developed from its earliest origins to the present day, within the context of a changing world Key FeaturesPlaces the Scottish juvenile court in worldwide perspective and explores why the juvenile court ideals remain central to the contemporary children?s hearing system in Scotland, dealing with both child offenders and neglected and abused children.Gives detailed analysis of the legislation and explores the parliamentary debates surrounding Acts including the Children Act 1908, the Adoption of Children (Scotland) Act 1930, the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Acts 1932 and 1937, the Children Act 1948, the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014Preserves in accessible form many long-forgotten legal and social aims, cases and secondary legislation Kenneth Norrie traces the assumptions that underlay child protection law at particular periods of time and identifies the pressures for change ? giving a clearer understanding of how and why the contemporary law is designed and operates as it does.Particular issues are traced in legislative detail, including court processes, the changing thresholds for state intervention, the increasing regulation of children?s homes and foster care, the developing rules on corporal punishment and the earlier practice of compulsory emigration to the colonies of children removed from their parents. The transformation of adoption is also covered in comprehensive detail. In drawing out key themes and common threads, Norrie sets contemporary developments against their historical context and offers a fuller understanding of child protection law in Scotland.

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Book SynopsisBeautifully conceived and marvellously researched. I haven't read a better book on Berlin.' Gordon A. CraigIn Berlin, history is tangible. The sense of the past of Europe, of Germany, and of the 20th-century's myths, depravities, idealism and horror hangs in the air around the old Hinterhofs and deserted railway stations. No other city has played such a part in the tides of 20th-century European affairs.Faust's Metropolis' follows the rich and inspiring history of this city: from the revolutionary fervour of its teeming slums, the insufferable pomp of Imperial Berlin, and the frantic modernism of Weimar to the brutality of the Nazis and the symbolic defeat of Communism as the Wall came down. Writing superbly of Berlin's role as a crucible of change, Alexandra Richie reveals herself as an extraordinary new talent.Trade Review‘Thoroughgoing and engrossing. Modern Berlin was the hub of commerce, centre stage for politics, mecca for high culture, and a haven for extravagance and eccentricity. Alexandra Richie controls all this material superbly.’ Peter Gay ‘A wide-ranging book, full of fascinating detail, and compellingly written.’ Robert Conquest ‘A unique combination of an analysis of Berlin with a study of the entire history of Germany and of Germany’s problems of national and linguistic self-definition.’ Harold James

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Book SynopsisThe youngest of William the Conqueror''s sons, Henry I (1100-35) was never meant to be king, but he was destined to become one of the greatest of all medieval monarchs, both through his own ruthlessness and intelligence and through the dynastic legacy of his daughter Matilda, who began the Plantagenet line that would rule England until 1485. A self-consciously diligent and thoughtful king, his rule was looked back on as the real post-invasion re-founding of England as a new realm, integrated into the continent, wealthy and stable.Edmund King''s wonderful portrait of Henry shows him as a strikingly charismatic and thoughtful man. His life was dogged by a single great disaster, the death of his teenage heir William in the White Ship disaster. Despite astonishing numbers of illegitimate sons, Henry was now left with only a daughter. This fact would shape the rest of the 12th century and beyond.

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Book SynopsisOctober 1917, heralded as the culmination of the Russian Revolution, remains a defining moment in world history. Even a hundred years after the events that led to the emergence of the world''s first self-proclaimed socialist state, debate continues over whether, as historian E. H. Carr put it decades ago, these earth-shaking days were a landmark in the emancipation of mankind from past oppression or a crime and a disaster. Some things are clear. After the implosion of the three-hundred-year-old Romanov dynasty as a result of the First World War, Russia was in crisis--one interim government replaced another in the vacuum left by imperial collapse. In this monumental and sweeping new account, Laura Engelstein delves into the seven years of chaos surrounding 1917--the war, the revolutionary upheaval, and the civil strife it provoked. These were years of breakdown and brutal violence on all sides, punctuated by the decisive turning points of February and October. As Engelstein proves definitively, the struggle for power engaged not only civil society and party leaders, but the broad masses of the population and every corner of the far-reaching empire, well beyond Moscow and Petrograd. Yet in addition to the bloodshed they unleashed, the revolution and civil war revealed democratic yearnings, even if ideas of what constituted democracy differed dramatically. Into that vacuum left by the Romanov collapse rushed long-suppressed hopes and dreams about social justice and equality. But any possible experiment in self-rule was cut short by the October Revolution. Under the banner of true democracy, and against all odds, the Bolshevik triumph resulted in the ruthless repression of all opposition. The Bolsheviks managed to harness the social breakdown caused by the war and institutionalize violence as a method of state-building, creating a new society and a new form of power.Russia in Flames offers a compelling narrative of heroic effort and brutal disappointment, revealing that what happened during these seven years was both a landmark in the emancipation of Russia from past oppression and a world-shattering disaster. As regimes fall and rise, as civil wars erupt, as state violence targets civilian populations, it is a story that remains profoundly and enduringly relevant.Trade ReviewThe excellent Russia in Flames...covers not just the two revolutions and their prelude, but also the civil war that ensued... * Wall Street Journal *This is the first history of the Russian Revolution that takes seriously the fact that Russians were a minority in the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Russian empire. With verve and ambition, Engelstein chronicles the history of war and revolution as they swept across this vast empire. In this centenary year there will be many books on 1917, but none will be as original in conception and as bold in argument as this. This is history written on an epic scale by a historian at the height of her powers. * S. A. Smith, All Souls College, Oxford, author of Russia in Revolution *A simultaneously sweeping and focused history of the Bolshevik Revolution . . . A comprehensive, ideologically detached, and enormously enlightening work of Russian history. * Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW *[Engelstein] succeeds in presenting a thorough history of these wars and revolutions in an understandable and engaging manner. In this full, richly detailed study, the author effectively argues the Bolsheviks were ultimately triumphant because they focused on power and were more willing to employ violence against their adversaries, and one another, with horrific results. * Library Journal *Engelstein delivers a clear-eyed . . . account of the difficulties confronting the population, now citizens of a country where "the dream of democracy had been abandoned," and everyone was subject to the "arbitrary swing of the sword." * Publishers Weekly *Destined to become the standard English language history of this period. * Mark Edele, Australian Book Review *Laura Engelstein's magnificent volume provides a fresh and comprehensive...vision of the Russian Revolution. Positives abound...most important is her powerful and metaphorical language. * Slavic Review *The past year has seen a considerable wave of books on revolutionary Russia, few as good as Russia in Flames, which is likely to become a standard work on the subject. * Los Angeles Review of Books *It is meticulously researched and brilliantly written. * Washington Book Reveiw *Magisterial . . . . Engelstein's monumental achievement is to have wrestled the sprawling ideological, ethnic and social conflicts, the shifting fronts, the coalescing and disintegrating armies and political fiefdoms, and the foreign entanglements into a compelling account of the disintegration of the old empire and the birth of the new. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsList of Maps Author's Note Introduction Part I: Last Years of the Old Empire, 1904-1914 Part II: The Great War: Imperial Self-Destruction 1: The Great War Begins 2: Germans, Jews, Armenians 3: Tearing Themselves Apart 4: Conflict and Collapse Part III: 1917: Contest for Control 1: Five Days that Shook the World 2: The War Continues 3: From Putsch to Coup 4: Bolshevik October 5: Death of the Constituent Assembly 6: Politics from Below Part IV: Sovereign Claims 1: The Peace that Wasn't 2: Treason and Terror 3: Finland's Civil War 4: Baltic Entanglements 5: Ukrainian Drama, Act I 6: Colonial Repercussions Part V: War Within 1: The Unquiet Don 2: Foreign Bodies 3: Trotsky Arms, Siberia Mobilizes 4: Kolchak-the Wild East 5: Ukraine, Act II 6: War Against the Cossacks 7: Miracle on the Vistula 8: War Against the Jews 9: The Last Page 10: War Against the Peasants Part VI: Victory and Retreat 1: The Proletariat in the Proletarian Dictatorship 2: The Revolution Turns Against Itself Conclusion: Revolution Against Itself Acknowledgements Bibliography

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Book Synopsis''outstanding ... one of the most valuable contributions ever made to our knowledge of the history of our own land''English Historical Review This book covers the emergence of the earliest English kingdoms to the establishment of the Anglo-Norman monarchy in 1087. Professor Stenton examines the development of English society, from the growth of royal power to the establishment of feudalism after the Norman Conquest. He also describes the chief phases in the history of the Anglo-Saxon church, including the Conversion of the various English kingdoms, and the unification of Britain by the kings of Mercia and completed by the kings of Wessex. Drawing on many diverse examples-place-names, coins and charters, wills and pleas, archaeology, and the laws of the Anglo-Saxons-the result is a fascinating insight into this period of English history.Trade Reviewone of the most valuable contributions ever made to our knowledge of the history of our own land. * English Historical Review *Table of Contents1. The Age of Migration ; 2. The Kingdoms of the Southern English ; 3. Anglian Northumbria ; 4. The Conversion of the English People ; 5. The English Church from Theodore to Boniface ; 6. Learning and Literature in Early England ; 7. The Ascendancy of the Mercian Kings ; 8. The Age of Alfred ; 9. The Structure of Early English Society ; 10. The Conquest of Scandinavian England ; 11. The Decline of the Old English Monarchy ; 12. England and the Scandinavian World ; 13. The Tenth Century Reformation ; 14. England before the Conquest (i) The Peasants and their Lords, (ii) The Danelaw, (iii) Towns and Trade ; 15. The Last Years of the Old English State ; 16. The Norman Conquest ; 18. The Reorganization of the English Church ; Epilogue: The Anglo-Norman State ; Bibliography ; Key to Anglo-Saxon Place Names ; Index

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Book SynopsisBirkbeck traces the 200-year history of Birkbeck, University of London from its founding at a time when social elites deplored the notion of educated working people to the present day. Joanna Bourke writes a lively history of the institution, and how it contributed to the shaping of modern British higher education.Trade ReviewThe book succeeds in establishing Birkbeck as unique and with many special achievements. There are illustrations...There is a great deal to cover but reading it will certainly help convince anyone of its contribution to the world. In the chapter on teaching Bourke reminds us that the nature of the student cohorts meant lecturers had to be entertaining as well as knowledgeable. She has extended this approach to this impressive book. * Tim Lomas, The Local Historian *Table of ContentsPreface 1: Introduction Part I: From Mechanics to Graduates 2: The Crown and Anchor Tavern 3: Education for Whom? 4: Useful Knowledge 5: The Birkbeck Schools 6: Ravenscroft's Birkbeck Bank 7: Governing the College 8: What is a University? Part II: Pleasure and Preferences 9: Art and Architecture 10: Dancing the Polka 11: The New Woman 12: Minoritised Communities Part III: Student Life 13: 'Tea and Kippers' 14: Rabbits v. Hares; Or, Social Lives 15: Man v. Rabbits 16: Students' 'Joy-Night' Part IV: War and Politics 17: Worlds at War, 1914-1918 18: Worlds at War, 1939-1945 19: Reds in the Classroom 20: Radical Intellectuals Part V: Classrooms 21: Science in the World 22: Disciplines 23: Numerical Automation; Or, Computing 24: Paranormal Sciences 25: Teaching Part VI: Battles for Birkbeck 26: 'Birkbeck's Unique Mission?' 27: Containing the Crisis Part VII: Conclusion 28: Into the Twenty-First Century

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Book SynopsisKing Arthur is probably the most famous and certainly the most legendary medieval king. From the early ninth century through the middle ages, to the Arthurian romances of Victorian times, the tales of this legendary figure have blossomed and multiplied. And in more recent times, there has been a continuous stream of books claiming to have discovered the ''facts'' about, or to unlock the secret or truth behind, the ''once and future king''. Broadly speaking, there are two Arthurs. On the one hand is the traditional ''historical'' Arthur, waging a doomed struggle to save Roman civilization against the relentless Anglo-Saxon tide during the darkest years of the Dark Ages. On the other is the Arthur of myth and legend - accompanied by a host of equally legendary people, places, and stories: Lancelot, Guinevere, Galahad and Gawain, Merlin, Excalibur, the Lady in the Lake, the Sword in the Stone, Camelot, the Round Table. The big problem with all this is that ''King Arthur'' might well never have existed. And if he did exist, it is next to impossible to say anything at all about him. As this challenging new look at the Arthur legend makes clear, all books claiming to reveal ''the truth'' behind King Arthur can safely be ignored. Not only the ''red herrings'' in the abundant pseudo-historical accounts, even the ''historical'' Arthur is largely a figment of the imagination: the evidence that we have - whether written or archaeological - is simply incapable of telling us anything detailed about the Britain in which he is supposed to have lived, fought, and died. The truth, as Guy Halsall reveals in this fascinating investigation, is both radically different - and also a good deal more intriguing.Trade ReviewAn excellent antidote to fantasising. * Steve Moore, Fortean Times. *Table of ContentsPART I: OLD WORLDS; PART II: PRESENT WORLDS; PART III: MAD WORLDS; PART IV: NEW WORLDS?

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Book SynopsisThe Rise and Fall of Christian Ireland describes the emergence, long dominance, sudden division, and recent decline of Ireland''s most important religion, as a way of telling the history of the island and its peoples.Throughout its long history, Christianity in Ireland has lurched from crisis to crisis. Surviving the hostility of earlier religious cultures and the depredations of Vikings, evolving in the face of Gregorian reformation in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and more radical protestant renewal from the sixteenth century, Christianity has shaped in foundational ways how the Irish have understood themselves and their place in the world. And the Irish have shaped Christianity, too. Their churches have staffed some of the religion''s most important institutions and developed some of its most popular ideas.But the Irish church, like the island, is divided. After 1922, a border marked out two jurisdictions with competing religious politics. The southern state turned to the Catho

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Book SynopsisA landmark study of the history of male-male sex in early modern Europe, including the European colonies and the Ottoman world.Until quite recently, the history of male-male sexual relations was a taboo topic. But when historians eventually explored the archives of Florence, Venice and elsewhere, they brought to light an extraordinary world of early modern sexual activity, extending from city streets and gardens to taverns, monasteries and Mediterranean galleys. Typically, the sodomites (as they were called) were adult men seeking sex with teenage boys. This was something intriguingly different from modern homosexuality: the boys ceased to be desired when they became fully masculine. And the desire for them was seen as natural; no special sexual orientation was assumed.The rich evidence from Southern Europe in the Renaissance period was not matched in the Northern lands; historians struggled to apply this new knowledge to countries such as England or its North American colonies. And whTrade ReviewAfter Forbidden Desire ...sexuality studies has been moved into a new space. * Todd Reeser, Author of Setting Plato Straight: Translating Ancient Sexuality in the Renaissance, and Professor of French and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, USA *Sir Noel Malcolm continues to produce books of the highest quality. I have had the privilege of reading the typescript of his latest book, Forbidden Desire in Early-Modern Europe: Male-Male Sexual Relations, 1400-1750. It is a work of stunning erudition, drawing upon material in most European languages. About 170, 000 words long, and written with Sir Noel's customary elegance and lucidity, it is far and away the best book to have been written on this challenging subject. * Sir Keith Thomas, Author of Religion and the Decline of Magic, and Honorary Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford *A book of startling originality and depth. The abundance of Malcolm's archival research, the range of languages and the geographical diversity of his material are stupendous... No one else has had the temerity or linguistic skills to attempt so comprehensive a survey. * Richard Davenport-Hines, The Spectator *Ambitious... full of real scholarly inquisitiveness and human sensitivity. * Daniel Brookes, Daily Telegraph *[A] magnificently researched and gripping book. * Andrew Hadfield, Irish Times *[A] learned forensic analysis... timely work. * Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Times *Noel Malcolm's survey... debunks many myths, but mostly catalogues the extreme violence perpetrated against those judged to have broken religious doctrine. * Peter Conrad, The Observer *A masterclass of what historians can and cannot do with evidence... Malcolm is one of the few preternaturally gifted linguists who could take on such a diverse source base... Noel Malcolm's sweeping survey has given us a lot to chew on. It is a powerful indictment of a priori theorizing. His answers raise new questions that need further investigation. * Jan Machielsen, TLS *[A] deeply erudite, highly original and epoch-making book... This is a work of formidable scholarship that will transform its subject but, like all the best historians, Malcolm is also an elegant writer who never allows his vast corpus of material to obscure his argument... this is an academic page turner. * Daniel Johnson, Engelsberg Ideas *An important [book], put together with the ambition and carefulness that those familiar with Malcolm's work on other topics have come to expect... this is likely to be an epochal study in its field. Powered by breathtaking care and scholarship, it is a book that specialists will be grappling with for years to come. * Tim Smith-Laing, Literary Review *Marshaling an impressive array of sources, Malcolm's lucid prose conveys a vivid sense of the lived realities of his subjects. The result is a landmark volume of social history. * Publishers Weekly *The sweep of this book is impressive and its erudition is without question. It moves easily from broad analysis to specific detail... a scholarly work of history, taking a measured and informed view. * Lucy Wooding, The Tablet *Table of ContentsGregorio and Gianesino Diplomats, Renegades, and Catamites Prejudices Ottoman Realities Western Mediterranean Realities: Men and Boys Contexts of Sexual Life Typical and Untypical The Western Mediterranean Lands Theology and Religion Law and Punishment Literary Works Western Mediterranean Attitudes Ottoman Religion, Law, and Culture Northern Europe: Broad Patterns Northern Europe: Forms of Sexual Behaviour Northern Europe: Contexts of Sexual Life Northern Europe: Literary Works European Colonial Societies England after 1700 France and the Netherlands after 1700 Conclusion: From Sodomy to Homosexuality

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Book SynopsisAfter surviving the fifth century fall of the Western European Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire flourished as one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in Europe for a thousand years.In this Very Short Introduction Peter Sarris introduces the reader to the unique fusion of Roman political culture, Greek intellectual tradition and Christian faith that took place in the imperial capital of Byzantium under the emperor Constantine and his heirs. Using examples from Byzantine architecture, art and literature, Sarris shows how their legacy was re-worked and re-invented in the centuries ahead, in the face of external challenges and threats. Charting the impact of warfare with the Persian and Islamic worlds to the east, Sarris explores the creativity of Byzantine statecraft and strategy, as well as the empire''s repeated (but ultimately forlorn) attempts to enlist aid from the Christian powers of Western Europe to ensure its survival. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Reviewa broad perspective on Byzantine history which will be useful for readers with some background in the topic who want to learn more. * Paul England, Medieval Warfare *thorough and informative * Northern Echo, Stephen Craggs *a brilliantly distilled introduction to the idea of Byzantium, its reality and its legacy. * Adrian Spooner, Classics for All *Table of Contents1. What was Byzantium? ; 2. Constantinople, 'the ruling city' ; 3. From antiquity to the middle ages ; 4. Byzantium and Islam ; 5. Strategies for survival ; 6. Text, image, space, and spirit ; 7. End of empire ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe fourteenth century was a time of fabled crusades and chivalry, glittering cathedrals and grand castles. It was also a time of ferocity and spiritual agony, a world of chaos and the plague.Here, Barbara Tuchman masterfully reveals the two contradictory images of the age, examining the great rhythms of history and the grain and texture of domestic life as it was lived: what childhood was like; what marriage meant; how money, taxes and war dominated the lives of serf, noble and clergy alike.Granting her subjects their loyalties, treacheries and guilty passions, Tuchman recreates the lives of proud cardinals, university scholars, grocers and clerks, saints and mystics, lawyers and mercenaries, and, above all, knights. The result is an astonishing reflection of medieval Europe, a historical tour de force.Trade ReviewA beautiful, extraordinary book . . . Tuchman at the top of her powers . . . She has done nothing finer * Wall Street Journal *Wise, witty, and wonderful . . . a great book, in a great historical tradition * Commentary *Beautifully written, careful and thorough in its scholarship . . . What Ms. Tuchman does superbly is to tell how it was. . . . No one has ever done this better * New York Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisHistorical introduction to William Tyndale and his continuing influence on the world and how we see it.Trade Review"Bragg has established himself over the past decades as a fearlessly dedicated, popular educator.', The Sunday Times;'Our most trusted intellectual interpreter.', Evening Standard';It's is a terrific read, and really hits the spot - everything the non-specialist needs to know in a readily accessible format.', John Guy;'Eloquent...brilliant and very moving.', Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek culture, University of Cambridge;'An enjoyably pacey read.', Times Literary Supplement"

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Book SynopsisThis study of Edward I, first published in 1988, is an account of one of the leading monarchs of the Middle Ages. Examining manuscript sources, the book reveals a capable monarch who pioneered legal and parliamentary change, conquered Wales and came close to conquering Scotland.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Farge’s work is an eloquent testimony to the materiality of the archive and its power to astonish and delight."—Arnold Hunt, TLSReceived second place for the 2014 translation prize in non-fiction given by the French-American Foundation and the Florence Gould Foundation"In The Allure of the Archives, one of France's leading historians offers the reader a stunning phenomenology of archival practice. Arlette Farge combines an unparalleled account of the immediacy and excess of the archive with a profound meditation on converting archival research into historical narrative and argumentation. This book is essential reading for anyone seriously interested in the production of historical knowledge. Its translation is long overdue."—Kunal Parker, University of Miami School of Law"This reflexive, gendered ethnography of the historian’s craft – already a French classic – delicately explores what the author calls the organized topography that lies beneath the archives. Every student of history should read this book."—Richard Price, author of First-Time, Alabi’s World, and Travels with Tooy"Deciphering nearly illegible texts, recopying them endlessly, passing from document to document, each day burrowing deeper into the archives in order to retrieve the words of the past: these are the historian's tasks that Arlette Farge brings to life with a touch that is both tangible and subtle. Her book illuminates the strange task that is the historian's, whose aim is to enter the past, find the long lost and the long dead, and listen to their reasons, their misfortunes, their words."—Roger Chartier, Collège de France "The Allure of the Archives is the ars poetica of a particularly gifted and eloquent historian. The reading room may be brutally unheated and the volumes unwieldy, the occasions of transcription quite flatly hostile or indifferent to the voices we most wish to hear, but the archive’s pull is all the more profound: its holdings bear witness that the world is larger than our preconceptions."—Linda Gregerson, University of Michigan"A captivating introduction to the pleasures of the archive. The allure, le goût de l’archive: Scott-Railton’s translation captures the full flavor of Farge’s remarkable prose."—Kathryn Burns, University of North Carolina

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Book SynopsisIn this gloriously original social history, Travis Elborough argues that our national character - our snobbishness and willingness to laugh at ourselves, our attitudes to sex and fair play and our chequered relationship with national pride - has been forged against a backdrop of stormy skies and pebbly beaches. Covering everything from Agatha Christie to the Prince Regent via Billy Butlin and Brighton Rock, this is a book for anyone who has ever wrestled with a deckchair, braved a sopping esplanade or felt the crunch of sand in a sandwich.Trade ReviewElborough is an English nostalgist in the mode of John Betjeman... as a cultural commentator [Elborough] is a terrific companion... Wish You Were Here is quirky, chatty, charming and optimistic - an ideal read for the English beach. * Frances Wilson, Sunday Times *Meticulously researched and trenchantly expressed, Wish You Were Here is as bright and breezy as a trip in a pleasure steamer. * Daily Mail *[Elborough] has done his research thoroughly and writes with enormous wit and feeling. His book punches far above its weight in both style and substance. * Mail on Sunday *a charming study of our national beachside frolics * Independent *Timely, bittersweet beach reading * Telegraph *The perfect beach book * Marie Claire *

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Book SynopsisJan Morris tells the epic story of the rise of the British Empire, from the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 to her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. In this celebrated masterwork she vividly evokes every aspect of the ''great adventure'', ranging from ships and botanical gardens to hill stations and sugar plantations, as she traces the impact of empire on places as diverse as Sierra Leone and Fiji, Zululand and the Canadian prairies. The Pax Britannica Trilogy also includes Pax Britannica: The Climax of an Empire and Farewell the Trumpets: An Imperial Retreat. Together, these three works of history trace the dramatic rise and fall of the British Empire, from the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 to the death of Winston Churchill in 1965. Jan Morris is also world-renowned for her collection of travel writing and reportage, spanning over five decades and including such titles as Venice, Coronation Everest, Hong Kong, Spain,

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Book SynopsisWitches and Neighbours is a highly original and unconventional analysis of a fascinating historical phenomenon. Unlike other studies of the subject which focus on the mechanisms of persecution, this book presents a rich picture of witchcraft as an all-pervasive aspect of life in early modern Europe. This book is not available from Blackwell in the United States and the Philippines. A fascinating and accessible account of the central role of witchcraft in early modern Europe. A standard work on the subject of witchcraft now available in a revised edition with an updated bibliography. Presents an unconventional interpretation of the role and influence of witchcraft Argues that witchcraft was as complex and changing as the society of which it formed a vital part. Draws on a range of original sources to vividly illustrate the arguments. Trade Review"In this learned and meticulously researched book, Robin Briggs lays to rest many of the modern myths about the witch craze, without in any way diminishing its horror... Briggs skilfully shows how the myths of witchcraft were linked with fundamental human experiences of pain and anxiety... Lucid and important." Karen Armstrong, The Times "Briggs provides a fascinating psychological insight into the ideological system that produced the trials. To understand them within their own historical context, he argues, is to realize that a belief in the witches' power was neither irrational nor absurd... the evidence from this compelling book suggests that human actions are far more determined by irrational fears than our social selves are willing to accept." Julia Wheelwright, New Statesman "I salute [Briggs's] rigorous and thoughtful scholarship." James Morrow, The GuardianTable of ContentsMaps ix Preface to the Second Edition xiv Preface to the First Edition xv Introduction 1 1 Myths of the Perfect Witch 12 2 The Experience of Bewitchment 51 3 Supernatural Power and Magical Remedies 82 4 The Projection of Evil 115 5 Witch-Finders and Witch Cures 146 6 Love and Hatred: Spouses and Kin 191 7 Men against Women: The Gendering of Witchcraft 224 8 The Age of Iron 250 9 The Web of Power 276 10 Internal and External Worlds 321 Conclusion 343 Notes 357 Further Reading 377 Additional Bibliography 386 Index 390

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Book SynopsisThis book is about the formative period of the Roman state.

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Book SynopsisA compelling account of how Rome became supreme power in Europe and the Mediterranean world. The book highlights the significance of Rome''s success in the wars against Pyrrhys, Carhage, the Hellenistic kingdoms and in Spain that led to empire, and it shows how the Republic''s success in conquering an empire changed the conquerors.It is unusual in focusing on a discrete, vital period in Roman history rather than attempting to cover all of it or even just the Republic.Trade Review"Nathan Rosenstein's book provides an authoritative and accessible account of the Roman Republic's acquisition of Mediterranean-wide empire, combining a vivid narrative of the wars with searching analysis of political, social and military structures." -- Professor John Rich, University of Nottingham "Nathan Rosenstein's book provides an authoritative and accessible account of the Roman Republic's acquisition of Mediterranean-wide empire, combining a vivid narrative of the wars with searching analysis of political, social and military structures."Table of ContentsIllustrations; Tables; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Series Editor's Preface; Maps; 1. Introduction; The Aristocracy of the Middle Republic; 2. Rome, Pyrrhus, and Carthage; 3. The Imperium and the Army; 4. Hannibal; 5. The Conquest of Gaul, Greece, and Spain; 6. The New Brutality; 7. The Impact of Imperium; Chronology; Guide to Further Reading; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating new volume by well-known local author and photographer Douglas Whitworth takes a nostalgic look back at his home town of Nottingham, focusing on the thirty years after the end of the Second World War. This was a time of change for the city, when many historic properties disappeared to be replaced by Maid Marian Way and the Victoria and Broad Marsh shopping centres. Douglas Whitworth was on hand to capture the changing scene old streets, apparently unchanged for centuries, their demolition, and the new buildings arising in their place. Major industries that shaped the city and employed so many people in the postwar period such as Boots, Players and Raleigh together with shops and small businesses, are among some of the 200 illustrations featured here. Images of leisure and entertainment include evocative photographs of the famous Goose Fair, while the golden age of steam is recalled in nostalgic views of railway stations and locomotives.

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Book SynopsisThis book contains hundreds of strange but true' stories about Scottish history. Arranged into a miniature history of Scotland, and with bizarre and hilarious true tales for every era, it will delight anyone with an interest in Scotland's past.

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