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It is a story crammed with drama and spectacle... but the real attraction of Holland''s book is the wit and contemporary sensibility that he brings to his often bloody tale'' Books of the Year, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''This is narrative history at its best... it really held me, in fact, obsessed me'' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTom Holland's excellent new study of the fall of the Republic... re-evaluating Rome for a new generation -- Robert Harris * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is the best one-volume narrative history of the Rome between King Tarquin and Emperor Augustus I have ever read\u003c\/b\u003e. The story of Rome's experiment with republicanism - peopled by such giants as Caesar, Pompey, Cato and Cicero - is told with perfect freshness, fine wit and true scholarship. * Andrew Roberts *\u003cbr\u003eHolland has the rare gift of making deep scholarship accessible and exciting. \u003cb\u003eA brilliant and completely absorbing study\u003c\/b\u003e * A.N Wilson, author of The Victorians *\u003cbr\u003eThe only way to kindle the interest of a new generation in the Greek and Roman world... Holland paints a vivid social portrait of the Roman World -- Max Hastings * Sunday Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eA modern, well-paced and finely observed history which entertains as it informs. * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eExplosive stuff...a seriously intelligent history... [written] with elan and gusto... It is a history for our times... Wickedly enjoyable. * Peter Jones, BBC History Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eHolland has the rare gift of making deep scholarship accessible and exciting. A brilliant and completely absorbing study * A. N. Wilson, author of The Victorians *\u003cbr\u003eThis is the best one-volume narrative history of the Rome between King Tarquin and Emperor Augustus I have ever read. The story of Rome's experiment with republicanism - peopled by such giants as Caesar, Pompey, Cato and Cicero - is told with perfect fre * Andrew Roberts *\u003cbr\u003eA modern, well-paced and finely observed history which entertains as it informs * OBSERVER *\u003cbr\u003eExplosive stuff ... a seriously intelligent history ... [written] with élan and gusto ... It is a history for our times ... Wickedly enjoyable * Peter Jones, BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *","brand":"Little, Brown Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47833041240407,"sku":"9780349115634","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780349115634.jpg?v=1710341118"},{"product_id":"persian-fire-9780349117171","title":"Persian Fire","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003eTom Holland''s bestselling account of the world''s very first clash of civilisations between the Persians and the Greeks in 480BC\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Magisterial... told with great authority and a novelistic colour and verve'' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBooks of the Year, \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Holland has a rare eye for detail, drama and the telling anecdote''\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDominic Sandbrook, \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''An unequivocal argument for the relevance of ancient history'' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Holland brings this tumultuous, epoch-making period dazzlingly to life'' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWilliam Napier, \u003ci\u003eIndependent on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the fifth century BC, a global superpower was determined to bring truth and order to what it regarded as two terrorist states. The superpower was Persia, incomparably rich in ambition, gold and men. The terrorist states were Athens and Sparta, eccentric cities in a poor and mountainous backwater: Greece. The story of how their citizens to\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is a testament to Holland's superlative powers as a narrative historian that he\u003cb\u003e brings this tumultuous, epoch-making period dazzlingly to life\u003c\/b\u003e -- William Napier * Independent on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003eHolland has a rare eye for the detail, drama and the telling anecdote... \u003cb\u003eA vibrant, bloodthirsty popular history\u003c\/b\u003e, told with a rich sense of irony and irresistible narrative timing * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagisterial\u003c\/b\u003e... told with great authority and a novelistic colour and verve * Independent on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003eA page-turning account of a conflict that genuinely was one of the pivots on which world history has turned... His descriptions of the great confrontations of the war provide miniature masterclasses in the art of exciting historical writing... This is \u003cb\u003ea terrific book, combining impeccable scholarship with the narrative drive of a fine novel\u003c\/b\u003e -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eThis book is \u003cb\u003ean unequivocal argument for the relevance of ancient history\u003c\/b\u003e... Holland never strains for modern references; they are implicit in the stories he tells with such scholarship and flair * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eExcellent... Holland is a cool-headed historian who writes no less authoritatively and engagingly on classical Greece than he did on ancient Rome -- Mary Beard * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eAmbitious... a sweeping popular account that seems \u003cb\u003edestined to become a classic\u003c\/b\u003e * Seattle Times *\u003cbr\u003eA welcome popularization of ancient history, with a nicely vengeful cliffhanger of an ending that begs for a sequel * Kirkus *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the sweep and vividness of his prose Tom Holland does the subject proud\u003c\/b\u003e, and he is also good at trying to look at the conflict as much through Persian eyes as Greek, and at getting inside the psyche of Darius and Xerxes * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003eHolland doesn't impose a modern sensibility on the ancient civilizations he describes, and he delves into the background histories of both sides with equally fascinating detail... the story of the Persian empire should be fresh and surprising to many readers, while \u003cb\u003eHolland's graceful, modern voice will captivate those intimidated by Herodotus\u003c\/b\u003e * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThrilling\u003c\/b\u003e... a fascinating insight into Europe's development * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eGripping and authoritative ... An awe-inspiring story of the struggle for freedom * Express *\u003cbr\u003eConfident, fluent and accessible, and with salutary lessons for our own times, this is history at its best * The Times *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Little, Brown Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47833043304791,"sku":"9780349117171","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780349117171.jpg?v=1710341157"},{"product_id":"hidden-histories-a-spotters-guide-to-the-british-landscape-9780711236936","title":"Hidden Histories A Spotters Guide to the British","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHidden Histories\u003c\/em\u003e will help you decipher the story of our landscape through the features you can see around you.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Quarto Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47833320358231,"sku":"9780711236936","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780711236936.jpg?v=1710345224"},{"product_id":"the-beastly-battles-of-old-england-9780749953942","title":"The Beastly Battles Of Old England","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThroughout history the English have been a warlike lot. 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Now the remarkable story of King Richard's life and death - and the amazing journey of the intuitive woman who never gave up believing that she would one day find his body - has been brought together in this fascinating and informative book * Lancashire Evening Post *\u003cbr\u003eA history-making book which I had trouble putting down * Historical Novel Society *\u003cbr\u003eIt is being called once of the most significant finds in archaeological history, shedding light on a king's last resting place and solving a 500-year old mystery over his death -- Daily Telegraph\u003cbr\u003eArchaeologists described the find as one of the most significant 'in recent times' and said history books will be rewritten -- Daily Mail\u003cbr\u003eJones's historical chapters are measured, reasonable and elegantly written -- Sunday Times\u003cbr\u003e[Philippa Langley] has just written a compelling book with historian and friend Michael Jones . . . 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Evening Standard\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDr Tracy Borman has crafted an exceptional and compelling biography about one of the Tudor age's most complex and controversial figures. With expert insights based on a wealth of research, and riveting detail, she has brought Thomas Cromwell to life as never before. * Alison Weir *\u003cbr\u003eThis deeply researched and grippingly written biography brings Cromwell to life and exposes the Henrician court in all its brutal, glittering splendour. -- Kate Williams * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eTracy Borman tells us succinctly in 400 pages what we need to know about the man who rose to be the king's highest adviser ... a very good book. * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eTracy Borman's study makes clear his achievements, both admirable and despicable ... Borman has read an impressively wide range of modern historical literature on Cromwell. * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eBorman's is a highly readable account, and will add to the debate surrounding this ultimately elusive character. * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003eElegant...her prose, as ever, glides beautifully along. * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eAn engaging biography. * Evening Standard *\u003cbr\u003eBorman writes admirably; her prose trips along merrily and is full of intriguing titbits. * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003eAn excellent and readable biography. * The Tribune *\u003cbr\u003eA real and vital portrait, deftly drawn. * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003eBorman combines a mastery of historical detail with past-pace and an accessible style. 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This is exactly the kind of book I have longed to see white authors write, and I love it for its refusal to provide easy answers to the dilemma at the heart of the modern human condition.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Ruby Hamad, author of \u003ci\u003eWhite Tears\/Brown Scars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Refreshing … admirable.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Josephine Fenton * Irish Examiner *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Croggon is an autodidact and digs deepest into issues which interest her most. 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Not the physical kind which holds at least the potential for relief, but the emotional distress emerging from a breakdown in the author’s relationship with one of her two younger sisters: a connection that has grown increasingly poisonous over time … \u003ci\u003eMonsters\u003c\/i\u003e becomes the effort to draw a global map of human hurt using the fractal experience of one woman’s domestic discord.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Geordie Williamson * The Weekend Australian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eMonsters \u003c\/em\u003e is a hybrid memoir about family, colonialism and how external forces invisibly shape us, by renowned critic and impressive brain Alison Croggon.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Jo Case * InDaily *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Steady and acute self-scrutiny such as Croggon’s is necessary to a widening interrogation of privilege that underpins the illumination and refusal of racism and sexism and promised a historical pivot away from overt and covert violence … \u003cem\u003eMonsters\u003c\/em\u003e is full of gloriously expressed insights, such as the image of the internet as ‘a trauma machine, recording and reproducing millions of psychic wounds’ and, on the subject of #MeToo, the way an accumulation of incidents can contribute to a ‘deformation fo self’ … stylistically, the rhythms and sonic patterns of Croggon’s prose are a poet’s.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Felicity Plunkett * The Age *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Sometimes it is in the gulf between what we value and how we act that we are truly revealed … Croggon cares deeply about this idea, of sitting with complexity … in every scorching appraisal of hierarchy and patriarchy, there is a central thought: there must be some explanation … For Croggon, the legacy of British colonialism is the notion that you can take someone’s story away from them. \u003ci\u003eMonsters\u003c\/i\u003e fights to reclaim the narrative.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Sarah Walker * Australian Book Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘In language at once fiery and elegant, [Croggon] reckons with the collective failures of her imperialist ancestors and the personal shame of their legacy. It’s a book I will return to often for its power and its truths.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Marina Benjamin, author of \u003ci\u003eInsomnia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘The searing opening spares no one, least of all Croggon as she details a toxic relationship with her sister … Woven in and out of all this are other ugly but very differently scaled relationships, from colonialism through which she details her own history, to the patriarchy and how it distorts the way we see even ourselves. Croggon is a talented writer, librettist, playwright and thinker, and her focus here is to understand and, in some ways, reconcile with all this dysfunction.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Penelope Debelle * \u003ci\u003eSA Weekend\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eMonsters\u003c\/em\u003e brings up interesting insights on trauma, power relations and the pathology of families.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Alastair Mabbott * The Herald *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Young Adult author Croggon grapples with both personal and historical demons … [she] asks probing questions about self-perception and trauma … The monsters of the title are plentiful: throughout the essays she addresses her British colonialist ancestors, her abusive mother, the “traumatic tedium” of her relationship to her sister, and herself … Lyrically rendered, this reckoning will leave readers with plenty to think about.’\u003c\/p\u003e * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘With \u003ci\u003eMonsters\u003c\/i\u003e, [Croggon] tackles one of contemporary literature’s most electric (and eclectic) forms — a kind of glorious literary mutant that braids socio-cultural contemplation and memoir; anchoring high-theory with visceral intimacy. She joins a sorority of glittering thinkers … whose work mimics what it feels like to stretch an idea out in your brain. True to type, \u003ci\u003eMonsters\u003c\/i\u003e is digressive, kaleidoscopic, and alive with questions.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Beejay Silcox * The Guardian *","brand":"Scribe Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850455695703,"sku":"9781913348717","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781913348717.jpg?v=1710699125"},{"product_id":"sacred-springs-holy-wells-in-great-britain-9781904263456","title":"Sacred Springs - Holy Wells in Great Britain","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat is so special about spring water? How are wells holy? Why are so many known for 'the healing of eyes'? The ancient holy wells of the British Isles are amongst the most beautiful and magical places anyone can visit. 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Packed with rare old engravings and great new research this timeless pocket guide to Europe's most extensive neolithic complex will leave you informed, intrigued and inspired! WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. \"Fascinating\" FINANCIAL TIMES. \"Beautiful\" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. \"Rich and Artful\" THE LANCET. \"Genuinely mind-expanding\" FORTEAN TIMES. \"Excellent\" NEW SCIENTIST. \"Stunning\" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.","brand":"Wooden Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850625892695,"sku":"9781904263159","price":8.18,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781904263159.jpg?v=1710616939"},{"product_id":"stonehenge-9781904263029","title":"Stonehenge","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow do you predict eclipses using Stonehenge? Why were `blue' stones brought all the way from Wales? 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It is cleverly constructed: in alternate chapters she tells the story of her quest, while Michael details the life of Richard colourfully. It reads like an up-all-night thriller -- Mail on Sunday\u003cbr\u003eThis is the year that Richard III rose up from his unmarked grave in a Leicester car park, and this is the book that describes the painstaking quest for the king's body, and the battle that destroyed him. Philippa Langley pursued his remains, Michael Jones pursued his reputation and together they have written a book which explains and defines the battle where he died, the grave that was lost, and the legend that followed him. This book is about an important excavation indeed, of the body from a lost grave, and of a king from a long libel -- Philippa Gregory\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe King's Grave . . .\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the remarkable story of how the remains came to be unearthed. 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It reads like an up-all-night thriller * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003eThis is the year that Richard III rose up from his unmarked grave in a Leicester car park, and this is the book that describes the painstaking quest for the king's body, and the battle that destroyed him. Philippa Langley pursued his remains, Michael Jones pursued his reputation and together they have written a book which explains and defines the battle where he died, the grave that was lost, and the legend that followed him. This book is about an important excavation indeed, of the body from a lost grave, and of a king from a long libel * Philippa Gregory *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe King's Grave . . .\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the remarkable story of how the remains came to be unearthed. 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Her confidential, breathy, diary-style chapters recreate the immediacy of the dig for the reader . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Search for Richard III\u003c\/i\u003e makes for compelling reading * TLS *\u003cbr\u003eJones's cogent and nuanced narrative provides the historical ballast to Langley's search * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eInteresting [and] engaging * Daily Express *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe King's Grave\u003c\/i\u003e tells two remarkable stories in alternating chapters * Wall Street Journal *\u003cbr\u003eFascinating * Bookseller *","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850702143831,"sku":"9781848548930","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781848548930.jpg?v=1710619492"},{"product_id":"last-of-the-ebb-the-battle-of-the-aisne-1918-9781848326118","title":"Last of the Ebb: the Battle of the Aisne, 1918","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1918, the Germans launched the Spring Offensive. 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It is the story that best explains Britain today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An eye-opening study of the empire within\u003c\/b\u003e' SHASHI THAROOR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Clear, bold, refreshing' \u003c\/b\u003eLUCY WORSLEY\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA masterful, ingeniously written telling of Britain's real history, stripped of its sugarcoating. Read this incisive and forensic book, and you won't look at Britain in the same way ever again -- OWEN JONES\u003cbr\u003eIncisive, important, and incredibly timely. An urgent and necessary account for anyone wanting to understand how Britain became the nation it is today -- Caroline Elkins, author of Legacy of Violence\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eImperial Island\u003c\/i\u003e shows us that Empire's legacy is soaked into Britain's landscapes and built into its cities and inescapably in the country's national DNA. 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This is an urgent book and fine example of why the past, and knowledge of the past, is so important in the present -- HELEN CARR, author of The Red Prince\u003cbr\u003eRiley’s absorbing new book … [is] a history of modern multicultural Britain and the myriad ways in which it has been shaped by empire and imperialism … Riley’s skills as a social historian are demonstrated to best effect in her use of personal testimonies, oral histories and popular culture sources to bring to life the everyday experiences of new migrants … The book is particularly rich on civil society campaigns against racism, and at documenting the political role played by the anti-war left in modern Britain … dexterously handled and carefully sourced * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003eA withering indictment of cruel Britannia … a chilling history of institutional and public prejudice … Riley gives injustices that ought to be better known their due * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eRiley shows that attitudes to empire in Britain were always complex and contested … provides some important corrections … [and] charts how, in the wake of decolonisation, imperialism continued to shape life in Britain … if the history of empire in Britain that \u003ci\u003eImperial Island\u003c\/i\u003e tells is a very modern one, Riley shows, too, that our “history wars” have a long history of their own -- Hannah Rose Woods * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003eAt a time when discussion of the subject [of empire] can quickly devolve into ill-informed polemic, this offers an extensively researched, thought-provoking alternative * History Revealed *\u003cbr\u003eRiley’s book … examin[es], with considerable skill, Britain’s postwar retreat from empire … [and] recounts, with particular sympathy, the experiences faced by immigrants from the former empire * Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eRiley's prose flows smoothly, connecting the dots to give the reader the wider picture. For anyone curious about Britain's colonial legacy in the modern era, \u003ci\u003eImperial Island\u003c\/i\u003e will certainly be an eye-opener * The National *\u003cbr\u003eThe familiar national story . . . is retold with the legacies of colonialism and racism front and centre. Other scholars have pioneered this approach . . . 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Yes, he was a good man -- he ran the \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ewhole country -- and he did it on a worker's\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ewages.' \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe view of a Red Army veteran is in contrast to that of a young Russian entrepreneur: 'Lenin and Trotsky were totally evil -- they turned my country into a nightmare.' The Revolution of 1917 remains controversial though much is known about its key political players. 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And if Spain can take Ireland, England will be more vulnerable than ever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen England's greatest living poet, Edmund Spenser, sends Robert Cecil an enigmatic and mysterious plea for help from his Irish fastness, Cecil dispatches Nicholas to investigate. Soon he and Bianca find themselves caught up not just in bloody rebellion, but in the lethal power-play between Cecil and the one man Elizabeth believes can restore Ireland to her, the unpredictable Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe third in Perry's series is as \u003cb\u003edramatic and colourful \u003c\/b\u003eas the previous two. * The Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn absolute belter of a read\u003c\/b\u003e and another fabulous addition to the \u003ci\u003eJackdaw Mysteries s\u003c\/i\u003eeries... I just gobbled up the pages as the story fairly roars along battling spies and pirates on route... S. W. Perry ensures the sights, smells and sounds of London and Morocco entered my very being. \u003cb\u003eI love this series.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Liz Robinson * LoveReading, Picks of the month *\u003cbr\u003eThe writing is of such a quality, the characters so engaging and the setting so persuasive that, only two books in, S.W. Perry's ingeniously plotted novels have become \u003cb\u003emy favourite historical crime series.\u003c\/b\u003e * S. G. MacLean on The Serpent's Mark *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA satisfyingly convoluted plot\u003c\/b\u003e. * Sunday Times on The Serpent's Mark *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo-one is better than S. W. Perry\u003c\/b\u003e at leading us through the squalid streets of London in the sixteenth century. * Andrew Swanston on The Serpent's Mark *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Serpent's Mark\u003c\/i\u003e is an \u003cb\u003eexcellent \u003c\/b\u003eevocation of Elizabethan England, with espionage, intricate conspiracies, strange medical practises and a gripping story. \u003cb\u003eA rattling good read.\u003c\/b\u003e * William Ryan on The Serpent's Mark *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA gorgeous book - rich, intelligent and dark in equal measure.\u003c\/b\u003e It immerses you in the late 16th century and leaves you wrung out with terror. \u003cb\u003eThis is historical fiction at its most sumptuous.\u003c\/b\u003e * Rory Clements on The Angel's Mark *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWonderful\u003c\/b\u003e! \u003cb\u003eBeautiful writing\u003c\/b\u003e, and Perry's Elizabethan London is so skilfully evoked, so real that one can almost smell it. * Giles Kristian on The Angel's Mark *","brand":"Atlantic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850864836951,"sku":"9781838954000","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781838954000.jpg?v=1710623470"},{"product_id":"the-rome-plague-diaries-a-writer-and-his-city-in-the-pandemic-9781838953034","title":"The Rome Plague Diaries: A Writer and His City in","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the first morning of Rome's Covid-19 lockdown Matthew Kneale felt an urge to connect with friends and acquaintances and began writing an email, describing where he was, what was happening and what it felt like, and sent it to everyone he could think of. He was soon composing daily reports as he tried to comprehend a period of time, when everyone's lives suddenly changed and Italy struggled against an epidemic, that was so strange, so troubling and so fascinating that he found it impossible to think about anything else. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHaving lived in Rome for eighteen years, Matthew has grown to know the capital and its citizens well and this collection of brilliant diary pieces connects what he has learned about the city with this extraordinary, anxious moment, revealing the Romans through the intense prism of the coronavirus crisis.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe novelist Matthew Kneale has lived in Rome for 18 years and his response to the news of Italy's first Covid lockdown was to unburden himself by writing a long email to family, friends and even people he'd lost touch with years ago...\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eCollected here, his wry and questioning meanderings lace an ordeal with charm.\u003c\/b\u003e * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFascinating... 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In contrast we think of the past as static, 'frozen in time'. But archaeologists have in fact always found evidence for humanity's irrepressible restlessness. Now, latest developments in science and archaeology are transforming this evidence and overturning how we understand the past movement of humankind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In this book, archaeologist Jim Leary traces the past 3.5 million years to reveal how people have always been moving, how travel has historically been enforced (or prohibited) by people with power, and how our forebears showed incredible bravery and ingenuity to journey across continents and oceans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With Leary to show the way, you'll follow the footsteps of early hunter-gatherers preserved in mud, and tread ancient trackways hollowed by feet over time. Passing drovers, wayfarers and pilgrims, you'll see who got to move, and how people moved. And you'll go on long-distance journeys and migrations to see how movement has shaped our world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEngaging, authoritative and full of fascinating stories of the past.\u003c\/b\u003e This book shows that life is not centred on hearth and house, as we are so often told, but is shaped by relentless movement, along tracks and trails. By focusing on mobility, \u003cb\u003eJim Leary has managed to reanimate the past\u003c\/b\u003e, revealing the hidden but vital contribution that migration has always made to the shaping of the world -- Ray Mears\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA gentle, personal and very readable book\u003c\/b\u003e that gives life to the dynamic sequence of activity, effort and extraordinary determination that makes up our human past -- Julia Blackburn, author of Time Song\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eI loved this book.\u003c\/b\u003e It's a \u003cb\u003ehighly readable account of how and why people have moved \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003earound \u003c\/b\u003eon the surface of the earth, across land and sea ... What makes this book so special is that everything is discussed within the context of life at the time: who were using the paths or the boats and why were they doing it? Most importantly it is so relevant to us today, as we try to steer our way\u003cbr\u003ethrough times of increasing instability\u003c\/p\u003e -- Francis Pryor, archaeologist and author\u003cbr\u003eArchaeologists have a superpower: time travel. Their digs show us cold hearths and colder graves, but \u003cb\u003eas Jim Leary shows in this gripping read, the past was hot-blooded and alive with the movement of people who loved and laughed as we do\u003c\/b\u003e. Yet history and archaeology are written as though humans and our creations are fixed, frozen entities: screenshots of past lives, not videos. Our ideas of our origins, history and ourselves today must all change, and those new ideas are not only more exciting, but tell us more about both our past and our future. They are also true -- John Harrison, award winning travel writer\u003cbr\u003eJim Leary takes us into the little explored realm of ancient movement. We walk with hominins and Neanderthals, explore deep caves, herd cattle, and become pilgrims, ocean voyagers and long-distance walkers. Leary is a passionate walker, who combines science with his first-hand experience and observation out and about. This \u003cb\u003ebeautifully written\u003c\/b\u003e, entertaining essay \u003cb\u003emelds personal experience with archaeological and historical wisdom\u003c\/b\u003e. The result is \u003cb\u003ea truly remarkable and original book\u003c\/b\u003e that thinks profoundly about the past. \u003cb\u003eRead this and be inspired!\u003c\/b\u003e -- Brian Fagan, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of California and author\u003cbr\u003eA book about the movements of humans could be a little dull, don't you think? Well, not a bit of it. Jim Leary's archaeological passion is \"paths over pyramids\" and \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFootmarks\u003c\/i\u003e is as lively and entertaining an exploration of human wanderings\u003c\/b\u003e as you could ever hope to read. It links our colourful and complex history to how we live today, clearing up a few notable misconceptions along the way.\u003cb\u003e This compelling, highly original book will change the way you think about landscape and our place within it \u003c\/b\u003e -- Ian Carter, author of Human, Nature\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEngaging and impassioned\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFootmarks\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ean enchanting stroll through the deep history of human wanderings\u003c\/b\u003e across the world. \u003cb\u003eThis book will delight and entice\u003c\/b\u003e all who muse on the ways in which we have ever walked upon this earth. \u003cb\u003eA triumph!\u003c\/b\u003e -- James Canton, author of The Oak Papers\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFootmarks\u003c\/i\u003e takes us on \u003cb\u003ea magnificent voyage\u003c\/b\u003e tracing the fascinating history and restless patterns of human movement. Leary explores the many ways archaeology can reveal the dynamism of past lives and the way in which we both make and are made by the paths we take. \u003cb\u003eBrimming with detail yet written lightly\u003c\/b\u003e and with unashamed affection, \u003cb\u003ethis delightful book\u003c\/b\u003e shows how we are all part of a vast, whirling dance that's been going on for millennia -- Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred\u003cbr\u003eLeary awakes in the reader the desire to walk, to wander, to meander and ponder. \u003cb\u003eWith charm, wit and warmth\u003c\/b\u003e, we are led through an alternative archaeology, one where movement and mobility take precedence over settlement and sedentism. \u003cb\u003eThought-provoking\u003c\/b\u003e and sustained by a depth of knowledge \u003cb\u003eof human cultures\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFootmarks\u003c\/i\u003e reminds us that the restless journey and some of the most meaningful experiences along its path leave no trace but the imprints where feet have trodden -- Alex Langlands, author of Craeft\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eArchaeological writing at its best: lucid, rational and deeply woven with the real lives of real people from the past\u003c\/b\u003e. You'll never think about - or walk around - historic sites the same way again -- Mary-Ann Ochota, broadcaster and anthropologist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFootmarks\u003c\/i\u003e is a joy.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eA dance with our predecessors\u003c\/b\u003e, through settings that feel by turns intimate and familiar, then questing and bold. By \u003cb\u003eanimating the ancient past\u003c\/b\u003e Leary reminds us that far from being distant observers of the ancient past, we are a product of it, in both spirit and substance -- Amy-Jane Beer, naturalist and author of The Flow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLucid, poetic and fascinating\u003c\/b\u003e - a \u003cb\u003ebeautiful\u003c\/b\u003e journey through time and across diverse landscapes. From ancient hominin footprints to hollow ways, from cattle drovers to pilgrims, Leary explores how journeys make us human -- Alice Roberts, anatomist, author and broadcaster\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA touching, illuminating and fascinating book\u003c\/b\u003e. Leary is a great guide through our restless history -- Rob Cowen, author Common Ground\u003cbr\u003eAn engrossing tour of the ways in which \"people have moved over millions of years\" ... This is a trip worth taking. * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003eIn this \u003cb\u003ebeautifully written\u003c\/b\u003e book, archaeologist Jim Leary explains how stretching back millions of years, our ancestors have moved across their landscapes ... Intertwined with explanations of discoveries and the methods used to examine historical journeys, the book \u003cb\u003epaints a vivid picture of how mobility has shaped our societies and the world we live in\u003c\/b\u003e -- Cat Jarman * British Archaeology *\u003cbr\u003eFootmarks is a \u003cb\u003ethoroughly engaging\u003c\/b\u003e stroll through the mystery and complexity of human history with a knowledgeable and amusing guide. It would make a great present for anyone with general interest in archaeology or history. * Current Archaeology *","brand":"Icon Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850913136983,"sku":"9781837730247","price":17.09,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781837730247.jpg?v=1710624221"},{"product_id":"the-stable-boy-of-auschwitz-a-heartbreaking-true-story-of-courage-and-survival-9781804190869","title":"The Stable Boy of Auschwitz: A heartbreaking true","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe instant \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e and Amazon charts bestseller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eI found myself in the Auschwitz stables, and I felt an ember of hope. If I could make myself useful, helping these horses, maybe I could stay alive.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the darkest moment of history, one child found the courage and strength to survive the unimaginable. This is Henry's true story.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne hot, humid day in July, 1944, the Gestapo abducted fifteen-year-old \u003cb\u003eHenry\u003c\/b\u003e and his mother, forcing them onto cramped cattle cars in the Lódz Polish Ghetto. Like so many Jews before them, they had been selected to disappear - they were being sent to \u003cb\u003eAuschwitz\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExhausted after hours of traveling, they finally emerged from the stifling, filth-ridden cattle car. Already devastated at having lost his father to starvation, Henry clutched his mother's frail hand, knowing she was all he had left in the world, and that he was the only one left to protect her. In a flash, he felt them being brutally torn apart. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCrying out for her, his heart shuddered as he watched her disappear into a sea of other women. \u003cb\u003eHenry knew that was\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e the\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e last time he would ever see her\u003c\/b\u003e, and he felt like he had failed her. He was now completely alone in the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStarving, and close to giving up all hope, Henry volunteered to work in the stables, responsible for breeding horses for the war effort. As he watched other prisoners leave and never return, Henry quickly realised these horses were his only lifeline - because every morning he was sent to the stables, was one more morning he escaped the gas chambers. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore long, caring for the horses became a passion, and their comfort and strength gave Henry a glimmer of life and hope in an ocean of death. Although with every second that passed, Henry knew if he became too weak or made one mistake, he would be mercilessly replaced...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ethe heart-wrenching and inspirational true account of a courageous little German boy who, against\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e all odds, after losing almost everything a human being can lose, survived to tell his story.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book was originally published as \u003ci\u003eThe Kindness of the Hangman\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eHeartbreaking. Eye opening. Tear jerking\u003c\/b\u003e... kept having to tell myself that this was a real account of the Holocaust.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003ePhenomenal\u003c\/b\u003e... I learned more about the Holocaust than anything I have read in the past... \u003cb\u003eI can't express how much this book affected me\u003c\/b\u003e.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e '\u003cb\u003eInspiring book - a Must Read!!\u003c\/b\u003e' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eSpellbinding\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e... I could not put this book down.\u003c\/b\u003e The events are recorded in a human voice, not the history book version. I learned so much that was left out of my history books.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA truly amazing story\u003c\/b\u003e.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A moving and powerful story of survival\u003c\/b\u003e.'Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eBrought me to tears\u003c\/b\u003e.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eAn incredible story. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eOnce I started reading, I couldn't put this down\u003c\/b\u003e.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eAmazing story\u003c\/b\u003e. One that needs to be told over and over to the next generations.'  Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eRiveting, couldn't put it down\u003c\/b\u003e. An \u003cb\u003eamazing and heart wrenching\u003c\/b\u003e recollection of unimaginable events. What an inspiring story of bravery, perseverance and finding the will to go on.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eI could not put the book down\u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003ewill make you appreciate everything that you have in this world\u003c\/b\u003e.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I have never written an amazon review BEFORE finishing a book, but I'm doing it today... it is direct, evocative, and emotionally impossible to deal with all at once. \u003cb\u003eIMO if you want to read about the Holocaust from a survivor, you owe it to yourself to read this book\u003c\/b\u003e.' Amazon Reviewer, \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf; \u0026amp;starf;\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Octopus Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850924802391,"sku":"9781804190869","price":8.09,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781804190869.jpg?v=1710624692"},{"product_id":"building-britannia-a-history-of-britain-in-twenty-five-buildings-9781801108751","title":"Building Britannia: A History of Britain in","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn ambitious history of Britain told through the stories of twenty-five notable structures, from the Iron Age fortification of Maiden Castle in Dorset to the Gherkin.\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003ci\u003eBuilding Britannia\u003c\/i\u003e is a chronicle of social, political and economic change seen through the prism of the country's built environment, but also a sequence of closely observed studies of a series of intrinsically remarkable structures: some of them beautiful or otherwise imposing; some of them more coldly functional; all of them with richly fascinating stories to tell.  Steven Parissien tells both a national story, tracing how a growing sense of British nationhood was expressed through the country's architecture, and also examines how these structures were used by later generations to signpost, mythologise or remake British history.  Rubbing shoulders with some 'expected' building choices – the Roman baths at Aquae Sulis, the early Gothic splendour of Lincoln Cathedral and the Tudor jewel that is Little Moreton Hall – are some striking inclusions that promise to open doors into what will be, for many readers, less familiar areas of social history: these include The Briton’s Protection, a Regency pub close in Manchester city centre and the Edwardian Baroque Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, one of the country's oldest working cinemas. Thus as well as identifying the relevance of certain iconic structures to the unfolding of the national story, \u003ci\u003eBuilding Britannia\u003c\/i\u003e finds fascination and meaning in the everyday and the disregarded.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSteven Parissien has an extraordinary ability to present the complex story of buildings with both wisdom and humour; each chapter in this book is a memorable cultural encounter with place, each illuminating in different ways the shifting story of British nationhood. * Jeremy Musson *\u003cbr\u003eAn ingeniously personal journey through British history written with authority, flair and humour. * Jacqueline Riding *\u003cbr\u003eSteven Parissien brings a fresh eye and a new perspective to Britain’s architectural history. A hugely enjoyable read, both erudite and entertaining. * Adrian Tinniswood *\u003cbr\u003eThis book offers a surgically precise section through the nation to reveal – with great clarity – how people have lived and built in Britain during the last 2,600 years. Erudition and insights coupled with lightness of touch makes \u003ci\u003eBuilding Britannia\u003c\/i\u003e as entertaining as it is informative. * Dan Cruickshank *\u003cbr\u003eSteven Parissien vividly recaptures the rich variety of life in ancient and historic Britain in just twenty-five buildings, getting to the heart of each structure and revealing what motivated people to create it. The range here is extraordinary, from an Iron Age hill fort to Paul McCartney’s post-war family home in Liverpool. \u003ci\u003eBuilding Britannia\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable book, full of surprises. * Francis Pryor *\u003cbr\u003eThoroughly enjoyable * Country and Town House *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR STEVEN PARISSIEN\u003c\/b\u003e:   'The most stunning art books of the year' Sir Roy Strong, Sunday Express.   'An outstanding work of reference and beauty' Interiors Magazine.   'There's plenty here to fuel the petrolhead and the social historian for many miles' Literary Review.   'A read to fascinate anyone interested in the history of the industry' Daily Express.   'A beautiful, highly original book' * Apollo Magazine *","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850971595095,"sku":"9781801108751","price":28.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781801108751.jpg?v=1710625945"},{"product_id":"love-in-a-time-of-hate-art-and-passion-in-the-shadow-of-war-1929-39-9781800811140","title":"Love in a Time of Hate: Art and Passion in the","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Financial Times 'Book to Read in 2023'  1930s Europe - as the Roaring Twenties wind down and the world rumbles towards war, the great minds of the time have other concerns.   Jean-Paul Sartre waits anxiously in a Parisian café for his first date with no-show Simone de Beauvoir. Marlene Dietrich slips from her loveless marriage into the dive bars of Berlin. Father and son Thomas and Klaus Mann clash over each other's homosexuality. And Vladimir Nabokov lovingly places a fresh-caught butterfly at the end of Verá's bed. Little do they all know, the book burning will soon begin.  Love in a Time of Hate skilfully interweaves some of the greatest love stories of the 1930s with the darkening backdrop of fascism in Europe, in an irresistible journey into the past that brings history and its actors to vivid life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA brilliantly conceived and uniquely different cultural history of the 1930s, written with confident, alluring poise. Fascinating and revelatory -- William Boyd, author * Trio *\u003cbr\u003eFlorian Illies's whirling cultural history, Love in a Time of Hate, captures an era of unmatched hedonism ... there's the thrill of discovery on every page -- Jasper Rees * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eThe experimental sex lives of the artists and thinkers of the roaring 20s are set against the burgeoning threat of fascism in this wickedly amusing and timely book -- Peter Conrad * The Observer *\u003cbr\u003ePartly as a result of the book's organising conceit, and Illies's often arch prose style, Love in a Time of Hate achieves something that is really rather impressive - turning the great moral dramas of the 20th century into breathless melodrama. -- John Maier * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eA brilliantly readable and evocative social history ... beginning with the build up to the Great Depression and ending with the outbreak of war, Florian Illies's superb new book explores the complicated personal and creative lives of everyone from Marlene Dietrich and the Mann family to Salvador Dalí, and F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003eIt takes a skilful hand to arrange these vignettes into a dramatic image of the world slipping into catastrophe ... This erudite history covers much ground -- Anna Aslanyan * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003eIn a revealing, offbeat slice of cultural history, Florian Illies traces the tangled affairs of Europe's intelligentsia against the backdrop of the rise of fascism ... Illies, a German writer, brings a light touch and conversational style to his mosaic view of a pivotal period ... he astutely weaves these diverse stories into a fluent, widescreen narrative * Business Post *\u003cbr\u003eEngaging ... Illies immerses us in a stream of gossip and political rumour, in love affairs past and present, somehow carried on amid great personal achievements and terrible folly. There is a Freudian element and no little writerly brilliance in the way Illies asks: what did these people mean by love? ... This, then, was Europe in love * TLS *\u003cbr\u003eHighly novelistic ... wisecracking ... skilfully composed * History Today *\u003cbr\u003eLove in a Time of Hate invites us to consider that history is as much an accretion of small gestures as it is a catalogue of battles and speeches. At once intimate and epic, this dazzling book illuminates the human desire to seek connection and coherence as the world descends into chaos. A brilliant and imaginative tour de force -- Rebecca Donner, author * All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler *\u003cbr\u003eSet against the relentless rise of Nazi terror,  this ingenious  narrative evokes the 1930s through the loves, foibles and tragedies of the cultural elite. Strikingly original, utterly absorbing. -- Julia Boyd, author * Travellers in the Third Reich *\u003cbr\u003ePlease do read this book - it is gorgeous. I learned so many new things about love, art and the horror of history -- Ferdinand von Schirach, author * The Collini Case *\u003cbr\u003eThis is candid, unsparing and gripping social history viewed through the prism of two- and three-person relationships - simultaneously disenchanting and endearing. A bravura performance -- Harald Jähner, author * Aftermath *\u003cbr\u003ePraise for Florian Illies: 'Illies is as astute a researcher as he is an observer of the zeitgeist * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eA vivid, richly textured book that chronicles a world crackling with talent, energy and foreboding * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003eAn absolute gem of a book * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eThorough and fascinating * Time Out *\u003cbr\u003eLove in a Time of Hate assembles a huge multinational cast of celebrity couples, from Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir to Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, or Erich Maria Remarque and Marlene Dietrich. It races them through a hyper-mobile frieze of lovemaking and art-making against darkening skies. Illies moves fast along a Paris-Berlin axis, with brisk side-trips to Bavaria, the Riviera and New York ... Spats, scandals and seductions unroll like a conveyor-belt of fruity, lurid Jazz Age cocktails. To enjoy it best: sip, don't gulp. However, the narrative picks up weight and urgency as fascism imperils his luminaries, body and soul. -- Financial Times * Financial Times *","brand":"Profile Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850980901207,"sku":"9781800811140","price":18.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781800811140.jpg?v=1710626175"},{"product_id":"the-history-of-europe-in-bite-sized-chunks-9781789294163","title":"The History of Europe in Bite-sized Chunks","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn accessible and succinct account of the story of Europe from its ancient foundations to the twenty-first century, \u003ci\u003eThe History of Europe in Bite-sized \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eChunks\u003c\/i\u003e details the events, personalities, ideas and disasters that have shaped our continent.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book is broken down into six easily digestible chapters:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClassical Antiquity (2600 BCE to 600 CE); Medieval (600-1500); Reform and Enlightenment (1500-1780); Age of Revolutions (1780-1914); the Wars (1914-45); and the Making of Contemporary Europe (1945 to present). It begins with the first ancient culture to emerge in Europe: the Minoans. It then proceeds chronologically to the present day, taking in not just significant historical events but also overarching social, technological and cultural trends and their impact.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout the book there are mini-biographies of notable individuals (such as Julius Caesar, Catherine the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte) who have been most significant in European history. It is also packed with amazing facts, details and maps that will give the reader a vivid understanding of Europe’s past.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Michael O'Mara Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47851009245527,"sku":"9781789294163","price":7.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781789294163.jpg?v=1710627155"},{"product_id":"ruin-and-renewal-civilising-europe-after-the-second-world-war-9781788161091","title":"Ruin and Renewal: Civilising Europe After the","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Excellent ... much to ponder' Financial Times  In 1945, Europe lay in ruins - its cities and towns destroyed by conflict, its economies crippled, its societies ripped apart by war and violence. In the wake of the physical devastation came profound moral questions: how could Europe - once proudly confident of its place at the heart of the 'civilised world' - have done this to itself? And what did it mean that it had?  In the years that followed, Europeans - from politicians to refugees, poets to campaigners, religious leaders to communist revolutionaries - tried to make sense of what had happened, and to forge a new understanding of civilisation that would bring peace and progress to a broken continent. As they wrestled with questions great and small - from the legacy of colonialism to workplace etiquette - institutions and shared ideals emerged which still shape our world today.   Drawing on original sources as well as individual stories and voices, this is a gripping and authoritative account of how Europe rose from the ashes of the Second World War, forging itself anew in the process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRuin and Renewal is an erudite, rigorously researched, and elegantly written account of the post-war remaking of Europe. Paul Betts provides his reader with a breathtaking panorama of the world of the men and women who, pursuing varied visions for the creation of a new 'civilization', embarked on bold reforms to rebuild the continent on the ruins of the Second World War. His book will fundamentally reshape our understanding of modern Europe - a masterpiece. -- David Motadel, London School of Economics\u003cbr\u003ePaul Betts uses the concept of 'civilisation' like a radiographer's dye to reveal some deeply unsettling pathologies beneath the skin of post-war Europe. Ruin and Renewal is an impressively wide-ranging, original synthesis of cultural and political history. -- Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies, University of Oxford\u003cbr\u003eRuin and Renewal is a marvellously subtle and wide-ranging exploration of the ways in which Europe rebuilt itself materially and morally after the Second World War.  Paul Betts boldly uses the much debated and controversial concept of civilization to show how Europeans, on both sides of the Cold War, redefined themselves and others.  Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the world of today. -- Margaret MacMillan, author of \u003ci\u003eThe War that Ended Peace\u003cbr\u003eExcellent ... much to ponder * Financial Times *\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Profile Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47851068064087,"sku":"9781788161091","price":21.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781788161091.jpg?v=1710628426"},{"product_id":"the-hidden-horticulturists-the-working-class-men-who-shaped-britains-gardens-9781786495082","title":"The Hidden Horticulturists: The Working-Class Men","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Delightful... \u003ci\u003eThe Hidden Horticulturists\u003c\/i\u003e pulsates with the extraordinary energy and excitement of the time.' \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChosen as one of the \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph's \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Top Ten Gardening Books of the Year' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e_____________________\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe untold story of the remarkable young men who played a central role in the history of British horticulture and helped to shape the way we garden today.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2012, whilst working at the Royal Horticultural Society's library, Fiona Davison unearthed a book of handwritten notes that dated back to 1822.  The notes, each carefully set out in neat copperplate writing, had been written by young gardeners in support of their application to be received into the Society's Garden.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmongst them was an entry from the young Joseph Paxton, who would go on to become one of Britain's best-known gardeners and architects.  But he was far from alone in shaping the way we garden today and now, for the first time, the stories of the young, working-class men who also played a central role in the history of British horticulture can be told.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing their notes, Fiona Davison traces the stories of a selection of these forgotten gardeners whose lives would take divergent paths to create a unique history of gardening. The trail took her from Chiswick to Bolivia and uncovered tales of fraud, scandal and madness - and, of course, a large number of fabulous plants and gardens. This is a celebration of the unsung heroes of horticulture whose achievements reflect a golden moment in British gardening, and continue to influence how we garden today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDelightful... \u003ci\u003eThe Hidden Horticulturists\u003c\/i\u003e pulsates with the extraordinary energy and excitement of the time. * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eThe chance discovery by the author, the RHS's chief librarian, of a notebook led to this excellent page-turner. * 'Top Ten Gardening Books of the Year', Sunday Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eThis book by the head librarian of the RHS is a cracker... A highly original piece of research into the lives of jobbing gardeners in the early 19th century, with plenty of fascinating social background. -- Tim Richardson * Gardens Illustrated *\u003cbr\u003eThe rise and progress of the Victorian head gardener is a tale of ever-increasing professionalism in a developing world of technological progress, artistic revolution and endless plant novelties... It's time their story was told. * Country Life *\u003cbr\u003eThe story of a cadre of promising young men who qualified as gardeners in the early 19th century... What is refreshing is that nearly all the names unearthed will be unfamiliar, even to garden historians... Davison has conducted deep research into the later careers of most of these gardeners, discovering what happened to them after they left Chiswick. The result is a revealing insight into the lives of aspiring working men in this period. * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1: \t'The beau ideal': The Horticultural Elite 2: \t'Much judgement and good taste': The Gardeners Who Set Standards 3: \t'A great number of deserving men': Life Lower Down the Horticultural Ladder 4: \t'The most splendid plant I ever beheld': The Collector 5: \t'Much attached to Egypt': Travelling Gardeners 6: \t'Young foreigners of respectability': Trainees from Abroad 7: \t'A little order into chaos': The Fruit Experts 8: \t'For sale at moderate prices': The Nurserymen 9: \t'A solitary wanderer': The Australian Adventurer 10: \t'Habits of order and good conduct': The Rise and Fall of a Head Gardener 11: \t'A very respectable-looking young man': Criminals in the Garden","brand":"Atlantic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47851218436439,"sku":"9781786495082","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781786495082.jpg?v=1710630506"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/collections\/european-history.oembed?page=10","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}