European history Books

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewHill is a magnificent historian and ... Time's Witness is a book to change the way you think about history. -- John Carey * Sunday Times *in this rich and absorbing study ... Hill has succeeded splendidly in her mission to rescue these often strange, eccentric but fascinating figures from "oblivion and the condescension of posterity". -- Paul Lay * The Times *Long meditated and meticulously researched, this book ... [is] presented in prose of unassertive grace and quiet wit ... what it offers is a rich feast, best consumed slowly and savoured, and Hill has assembled each course with magnificent erudition. -- Rupert Christiansen * Sunday Telegraph *immensely engaging... exceptional ... Antiquarianism was about making the past live again, and Hill makes the past of the antiquarians live again ... we can discern an innovative, sly and wry new form of non-fiction ... a beautifully written and very clever book which is psychologically astute -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday *Not many writers could control this wide-ranging narrative with such clarity or assurance as here. Nor has Dr Hill succumbed to the temptation to tell in a long book what could be presented in a relatively short one. The result is outstanding: an engaging, incisive and thought-provoking exploration of the history of history in Romantic Britain. -- John Goodall * Country Life *She has accumulated a vast amount of detailed material and organized it impeccably into a witty and intelligent narrative which is both erudite and readable. If only all history was written this well. -- Clare Pettitt * Times Literary Supplement *impressive and stimulating ... At its heart, Time's Witness is a social and intellectual history that pays tribute to the role of antiquaries in recasting the way that British people understood and came to respect their distant national past. Hill seeks to rescue the antiquaries from "the condescension of posterity", and in that she succeeds admirably -- Tony Barber * Financial Times *Time's Witness retraces the antiquarians' journey into the past through the revolutions of the present ... Hill is an elegant stylist and vivid storyteller, and her account brims with anecdotes gathered from the little-known papers of her protagonists ... few could resist this sensitive, learned and amusing plunge into the historical imagination. -- Tom Stammers * Apollo *In this engaging survey ... by marrying scholarship and sensibility ... she achieves her stated aim of restoring history to the antiquaries and the antiquaries to history. -- Andrew Lycett * Spectator *"The history we have," Rosemary Hill writes in her preface to Time's Witness "is the history we want. It is the picture we choose to see in the clouds." Hill's book accordingly recreates, in magnificent detail, the cloud pictures conjured into being by the historians, writers, architects and artists and, above all, antiquaries who, between 1789 and 1851, reimagined the relationship between past and present in both Britain and France. -- Daisy Hay * BBC History Magazine *Time's Witness, which records with such verve the steady extension of subjects deemed fit for scholarly investigation two hundred years ago, is published at a moment when much of the curiosity and many of the pursuits it documents are endangered. -- Nicholas Penny * London Review of Books *Not everything that was false was fake, a theme that runs through Time's Witness, pushing us to think differently about the past, challenging our expectations of how that past should be recorded and interpreted and, above all, placing the Romantic sensibility and its embracing of subjectivity and imaginative reconstruction at the heart of historical enquiry. -- Adrian Tinniswood * History Today *in the best Romantic antiquarian tradition, the book is an engaging and densely detailed scholarly tome that reads a bit like a love letter, or at least an expression of infectious intellectual enthusiasm. Throughout Time's Witness, 'history' becomes visible as a succession of ideas and theories about the past that are continuously overlaid and revised in an ongoing process of exchange and accumulation. -- Sarah Watling * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisAstolphe Louis Leonor, Marquis de Custine, was born in 1790. Both his grandfather and father were executed during the Terror. Raised by his remarkable mother, Custine became a diplomat and attended the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Custine's homosexuality became the subject of a public scandal in 1824 and ended his career. He devoted the rest of his life to travel and literature. In 1839 he made the journey that resulted in his masterpiece, Letters from Russia. Custine died in 1857.

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Book SynopsisThe incredible true story behind the creation of a masterpiece of world literature, Fyodor Dostoevsky''s Crime and Punishment''A dazzling literary detective story'' GuardianIn the summer of 1865, the former exile Dostoevsky found himself trapped in a cheap hotel in Wiesbaden, unable to leave until he''d paid the bill. Having lost the last of his money at the roulette table, his debts hung heavy over his head, his epileptic seizures were worsening, and his wife and beloved brother were dead. Desperate, a story came to him, a way to write himself out of his predicament: the murderer Raskolnikov, the hot, disorienting swirl of St Petersburg, the axe, the terrible crime, and the murderer''s paranoia. The book was Crime and Punishment, and from the moment it was published it was a sensation. But how did this haunting tale of guilt come to be, and why does it still hold such a sway over us all these years later? The SinnTrade ReviewI never imagined anyone could make Dostoevsky richer--deeper--knottier--than he already was. But by revealing the secret background behind Crime and Punishment, Kevin Birmingham reveals a depth of thought and feeling that makes this most shocking of novels even more shocking yet. After all, it's easy enough to say what makes a murderer bad. It's far harder to say what makes him good. -- Benjamin MoserBirmingham's impressive research combined with a flair for characterising the teeming intellectual debates of the day give absorbing insights into the origins of one of the world's great novels. -- Sue PrideauxA page turner about turning pages, The Sinner and the Saint: Dostoevsky and the Gentleman Murderer Who Inspired A Masterpiece not only brings us back into the fevered panic of Raskolnikov as he murders an old woman, his motives a mystery even to his own sputtering mind, but also to real-life characters, most vividly a Parisian dandy (we might now call him 'gay'), whose nihilism and thrill killings set Dostoevsky's imagination ticking. Compulsively readable, tautly drawn, and richly researched, here is the brilliant study Dostoevsky and his staggering Crime and Punishment-filled, we now find, with intimations of him-so deserves -- Brad Gooch, New York Times Bestselling author of Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’ConnorDostoevsky didn't have any choice about misery-the Siberian exile and the epilepsy, the despair and debts and the deaths of those he loved. All that just fell upon him, and none of us would want to be him, not even for the sake of those books. But wanting to know what it was like to be him-well, that's different, and I can't imagine a better guide than Kevin Birmingham. Dostoevsky was both sinner and saint, and this wonderfully pungent book presents his extraordinary life in the most vivid detail imaginable. Birmingham puts you in the room when Raskolnikov brings down the axe; and he puts you there too when the novelist discovers the face of redemptive love. -- Michael Gorra, author of The Saddest Words: William Faulkner’s Civil WarWith The Sinner and the Saint, Kevin Birmingham has scored a hat trick, delivering three biographies in one book-expertly chronicling the lives of the man who wrote Crime and Punishment and the murderer who inspired the tale, and the fascinating evolution of the novel itself. Birmingham's ingenious braided narrative offers an inspired new reading to those who already know and love Dostoevsky's masterpiece, and serves as an indispensable guide for first time readers. -- Megan Marshall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life and Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for BreakfastThe Sinner and the Saint is a gripping murder mystery - a dazzling literary "howdunnit" that meticulously reconstructs the political ferment that inspired Dostoevsky's most famous novel. At the heart of it all is Raskolnikov's real-life double, a charming gentleman murderer whose trial set Parisian society ablaze. -- Alex Christofi, author of Dostoevsky in LoveAn absorbing, thickly textured biography of Crime and Punishment that develops through fragments and shards... Kevin Birmingham has written a bold and rewarding book that will allow readers, whatever their own predispositions, to return to Dostoevsky's first masterpiece with a renewed and more capacious perspective. -- Oliver Ready * Literary Review *[an] inspired account of the genesis-philosophical and neurological-of Crime and Punishment...Birmingham is superb, in The Sinner and the Saint, on the intellectual environment, the vibrational stew -- James Parker * The Atlantic *[an] excellent biographical study... In pungent, well-researched pages, Birmingham reveals the "secret" background behind Dostoevsky's great murder novel ... a model of luminous exposition and literary detection, The Sinner and the Saint can be recommended to anyone interested in the dark twisted genius of "Dusty", as Nabokov (with a touch of mockery) nicknamed the ill-fated Russian maestro. -- Ian Thomson * The Observer *Birmingham has alchemized scholarship into a magisterially immersive, novelistic account of the author's life... Birmingham's book sometimes improves on even fiction like J. M. Coetzee's Dostoyevsky novel... The Sinner and the Saint is a magnificent and fitting tribute. -- Boris Fishman * The New York Times *Meticulously piecing together the debates that fired Dostoevsky's imagination, The Sinner and the Saint is filled with arresting details that bring the turbulence of the 1860s to life...The Sinner and the Saint is not just a fitting tribute to one of the great works of world literature, but a dazzling literary detective story in its own right. * Guardian, Book of the Day *

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Book Synopsis''Thrilling, tremendously enjoyable'' The New York Times''A nail-biting escape story'' Financial TimesAt the age of twenty-four, Winston Churchill already believed he was destined for greatness. This is the incredible story of how one incredible year in Churchill''s life - an adventure involving war in South Africa, imprisonment, endurance and escape - would be the making of one of the most extraordinary men in history. ''Few can match the originality and narrative power of Candice Millard''s elegantly written and surprisingly revealing account of the young Churchill''s exploits'' Saul David, Daily Telegraph''A thrilling account ... This book is an awesome nail-biter and top-notch character study rolled into one'' Jennifer Senior, The New York Times, Books of the YearGripping ... thrilling ... Millard tells it with gusto ... casts an interestingly oblique light on Churchill''s personality, and on a traumatic wTrade ReviewCompletely engrossing -- Andrew RobertsUsing many unpublished sources, she weaves into a nail-biting escape story a larger picture of Africa at the cusp of the 20th century. Her eye for humanising detail, her vivid topographical descriptions and her keen awareness of the realities (and surrealities) of war come together in a truly fascinating book. -- Lucy Lethbridge * Financial Times *A gripping story [that] casts an interestingly oblique light on Churchill's personality, and on a traumatic war. -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * Observer *This is a tremendously readable and enjoyable book ... She aims to retell the story in a thrilling contemporary style for a generation of readers, and in this she succeeds. Most historians will have cause to envy her narrative ability. -- Alex von Tunzelmann * The New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE LAURA SHANNON PRIZE 2021 AND ITALY''S CHERASCO HISTORY PRIZE 2021SHORTLISTED FOR THE LIONEL GELBER PRIZE 2020A TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019Migrants have stood at the heart of modern Europe''s experience, whether trying to escape danger, to find a better life or as a result of deliberate policy, whether moving from the countryside to the city, or between countries, or from outside the continent altogether. Peter Gatrell''s powerful new book is the first to bring these stories together into one place. He creates a compelling narrative bracketed by two nightmarish periods: the great convulsions following the fall of the Third Reich and the mass attempts in the 2010s by migrants to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. The Unsettling of Europe is a new history of the continent, charting the ever-changing arguments about the desirability or otherwise of migrants anTrade ReviewPeter Gatrell has produced a tour de force ... This important and timely work on one of the most challenging issues in modern Europe deserves to be widely read. -- Ian KershawA meticulously researched and documented survey ... Gatrell's closely focused studies help us to see this set of issues as illuminating some much wider questions about the way we live now. -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *Excellent ... an absorbing and highly readable narrative that ought to be required reading for anyone concerned with modern migration, and not just in Europe either. -- Richard Evans * BBC History *The Unsettling of Europe is a definitive book in which Peter Gatrell proves that 'what we used to have' is a chimerical idea ... A clearly written and essential history. -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *A calmly humanist history ... Surprisingly, I was left feeling optimistic - by Gatrell's informed vision of an unstoppably interconnected world, unsettled, not by migration but by inequality, yet full of possibilities, provided we have the courage to own our history. -- Kapka Kassabova * The Spectator *Gatrell's eye for detail and sensitivity make this a compelling account that challenges the "us" and "them" framing into which much discussion of migration is forced. Its great strength is that it treats the emotional and cultural aspects of the subject with as much respect as the historical facts and figures. -- Daniel Trilling * The Guardian *The Unsettling of Europe is a positive and sympathetic book that seeks to rebalance the conversation. It is a bold, meticulously researched and frequently compelling account ... Readers are taken on a fascinating, albeit troubling journey through the moments and revolutions that shaped postwar Europe. -- Matthew Goodwin * The Sunday Times *Gatrell's historical long view provides a valuable reminder of what Europe went through after 1945 ... These now-distant events have every right to a place in the history books, and Gatrell has done us a service in chronicling them so engagingly. -- Paul Morland * Financial Times *Timely and ambitious ... Gatrell [offers a] nuanced and sympathetic treatment of the variety of the immigrant experience - and its impact on European societies. -- Jonathan Portes * The Observer *The Unsettling of Europe is an immense achievement ... The range and the quality of scholarship are magnificent. But more than that, this is an optimistic and deeply humane book, qualities found all too rarely in our time. -- Randall Hansen, Canada Research Chair in Global Migration, University of TorontoWith migration often characterized as a new and threatening 'crisis' in Europe, acclaimed historian Peter Gatrell recasts the history of postwar Europe as a history of migration ... This timely and must-read book offers valuable lessons from the past as well as new ways to understand just what is at stake in the debate over immigration today. -- Erika Lee, author of The Making of Asian America

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Book Synopsis''Many books claim to tell an unknown story of the Second World War. Few of them actually do. Forgotten Bastards is a rare exception . . . This is gripping history'' Duncan Weldon, Prospect A riveting story of World War II from the author of Chernobyl, winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fictionIn November 1943, with the outcome of the Second World War hanging in the balance, the Allies needed a new plan. The Americans'' audacious suggestion to the Soviets was to open a second air front, with the US Air Force establishing bases in Soviet-controlled territory. Despite Stalin''s obvious reservations about the presence of foreign troops in Russia, he was persuaded. Operation Baseball and then Frantic were initiated in early 1944 as B-17 Superfortresses were flown from bases in Italy to the Poltova region in today''s Ukraine. Award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy tells the gripping, little-known story of this encounter bTrade ReviewPlokhy is an expert guide, marshalling the archival and memoir material skilfully and telling his story with flair * The Times *Many books claim to tell an "unknown" story of the Second World War. Few of them actually do. Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front is a rare exception. . . Plokhy is at his best when he turns to the human level, the culture clash experienced by US servicemen finding themselves inside Stalin's USSR under constant surveillance from the secret police -- Duncan Weldon * Prospect *Serhii Plokhy's fascinating account of American airmen operating in the Soviet Union toward the end of WWII is not only superb history. It is an important and timely reminder, seventy five years later, that victory in WWII involved allying with Stalinism and all its attendant evils -- Alex Kershaw, author of The First WaveA riveting read that brings together a unique story about American airmen on Soviet territory and US-Soviet wartime politics on the highest level. Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill and key events in World War II diplomacy are seamlessly woven into a compelling tale of the dramatic feats and fates of US servicemen in contact and conflict with their Soviet male and female 'comrades in arms.' At once utterly absorbing, enlightening and moving, this splendid book also unearths absolutely original evidence about the values wars that launched the Cold War even as the hot one was raging -- Nina Tumarkin, Professor of History and Director of Russian Area Studies, Wellesley CollegeA new and enlightening perspective on the collaboration between Soviet and American airmen in Ukraine during their mutual fight against the Nazis, taking the reader onto the airbases to show how cultural differences and the oppressive political oversight of the Russians ate away at the effort from early on. Using detailed accounts not previously available, Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front shows how the interpersonal relationships of Americans and Soviets at ground level were as important as any maneuvering by their country's leaders. An insightful account of a little-known story -- Gregory Freeman, author of The Forgotten 500Five stars. . . brilliantly researched * Daily Telegraph *

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Book Synopsis''History at its scintillating best ... hard-hitting, revelatory and superbly researched'' Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny ''A rare achievement ... sure to become an instant classic'' John Lewis Gaddis, Yale University This gripping book dramatizes the extraordinarily compressed and terrifying period between the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Hitler''s declaration of war on the United States. These five days transformed much of the world and have shaped our own experience ever since. Simms and Laderman''s aim in the book is to show how this agonizing period had no inevitability about it and that innumerable outcomes were possible. Key leaders around the world were taking decisions with often poor and confused information, under overwhelming pressure and knowing that they could be facing personal and national disaster. And yet, there were also long-standing assumptions that shaped these decisions, bTrade ReviewAbsorbing ... Simms and Laderman give us a visceral sense of these events as they unfolded, in real time, with historical actors not always quite sure what was happening - a dimension of history that is both crucial and fiendishly difficult to recover. * New York Times Book Review *This is history at its scintillating best. The fate of the world tilted on the decisions made in those few days - hours even - in December 1941, and Simms and Laderman brilliantly strip away the many myths surrounding them in this hard-hitting, revelatory and superbly researched work. -- Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with DestinyAn extraordinary reconstruction of the fateful week following Pearl Harbor. -- Adam Tooze * Guardian *A very important book ... Truly eye-opening, myth-busting history. * Aspects of History *In Hitler's American Gamble, Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman grippingly retell the story of five days that not only shook but also shaped the world... All students of both World War II and the Holocaust will learn, as I did, from their careful use of neglected documents and their attention to 'counterfactuals' that, for contemporaries, were at least as likely as what actually happened. -- Niall FergusonOffers fine, well-researched insights into the psyches of leaders who made decisions that changed the course of world history ... For readers seeking a deeper understanding of the realpolitik that drove Germany to war against America, Hitler's American Gamble offers an outstanding narrative. -- Jonathan W. Jordan * World War 2 Magazine *A rare achievement: a microhistory that's global in scope. Filled with fresh insights, excitingly written, and meticulously documented, Hitler's American Gamble is sure to become an instant classic. -- John Lewis GaddisBrendan Simms and Charlie Laderman show how Hitler's mad decision to declare war on the United States on December 11, 1941 proved suicidal for the Axis, ensured a global catastrophe, and would radically redefine how World War II would end. And yet was Hitler really as unhinged and reckless as it has seemed? ... Hitler's American Gamble is revisionist, but in the best sense of sound research, rare originality, singular analysis, and riveting prose. -- Victor Davis HansonThe authors effectively prove their thesis in a key volume for World War II history collections. -- Michael Farrell * Library Journal *

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Book Synopsis*Shortlisted for the Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History*''An enthralling account of a pivotal moment in modern history. . . replete with startling revelations about the deception and mutual suspicion that brought the US and Soviet Union to the brink of Armageddon in October 1962'' Martin Chilton, IndependentThe definitive new history of the Cuban Missile Crisis from the author of Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy, winner of the Baillie Gifford PrizeFor more than four weeks in the autumn of 1962 the world teetered. The consequences of a misplaced step during the Cuban Missile Crisis could not have been more grave. Ash and cinder, famine and fallout; nuclear war between the two most-powerful nations on Earth.In Nuclear Folly, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy tells the riveting story of those weeks, tracing the tortuous decision-making and calculated brinkmanship of John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, aTrade ReviewAn immense achievement, engrossing and terrifying, surely one of the most important books ever written about the Cuban Missile Crisis and 20th-century international relations * Wall Street Journal *The story is extraordinary and Plokhy is an accomplished narrator . . . it's as authoritative a version of the Soviet side as we are likely to ever get -- Max Hastings * The Sunday Times *An enthralling account of a pivotal moment in modern history. . . replete with startling revelations about the deception and mutual suspicion that brought the US and Soviet Union to the brink of Armageddon in October 1962 -- Martin Chilton * Independent *A definitive new account of the Cuban Missile Crisis . . . masterly * The Economist *With access to recently declassified KGB material, this is the most detailed and dependable account of the crisis. It will be gladly plundered by students and scholars and highlighted until its pages are damp with neon yellow -- Julie McDowell * The Times *A dramatic story, compellingly told * BBC History Revealed *A magisterial work based on a bevy of U.S. and Soviet archival sources, including previously classified KGB documents. The perspective Plokhy provides exposes the perverse incentives that fueled dangerous nuclear power plays during the Cold War and, he suggests, beyond -- Andre Pagliarini * New Republic *A gripping narrative about the most dangerous Cold War crisis . . . Plokhy brings this turning point to spine-chilling life - it reads like a thriller * Tablet *Nearly sixty years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Serhi Plokhy, the author of multiple groundbreaking books on Soviet history, once again uses newly released KGB archives to offer a new perspective. In gripping, granular detail, he shows us just how close the U.S. and the Soviet Union came to Armageddon -- Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of DemocracyA fresh examination of the historical milestone. . . . Plokhy keeps the pages turning, and he includes far more Soviet material than earlier scholars. . . . superbly researched and uncomfortably timely * Kirkus *This important, absorbing work shows that the full story of the Cuban Missile Crisis must be told from its global perspective * Library Journal *Plokhy dives deep. . . . History buffs will savor this balanced and richly detailed look at both sides of the crisis * Publishers Weekly *If you think the story of the Cuban missile crisis has been told so often that nothing remains to be learned, think again. Drawing on KGB documents preserved in Ukrainian archives and Soviet military memoirs, as well as American documents and Cuban materials, Serhii Plokhy's almost hour-by-hour account freshly illuminates mistakes by the Kremlin and the White House that triggered the crisis, and snafus at sea and in Cuba that almost sparked a nuclear war -- William Taubman, author of GorbachevAn excellent overview of the Cuban missile crisis from one of America's leading Cold War historians. Serhii Plokhy has mined previously untapped Soviet archives to shed new light on the thirteen days that brought the world closer than ever before to nuclear destruction, and the pivotal roles of John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev. A thrilling read that justifies his sobering conclusion: we may not be so lucky next time -- Michael Dobbs, author of One Minute to Midnight

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Book SynopsisFINALIST: 2022 PULITZER PRIZE IN BIOGRAPHYA NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021''A revelation. Such a revolutionary literary discovery seems unlikely to be on offer again. It''s that good'' Sunday Times ''A masterpiece of literary biography. Zenith has produced a work in some ways as astonishing as those of Pessoa himself'' John Gray, New StatesmanFor many thousands of readers Fernando Pessoa''s The Book of Disquiet is almost a way of life. Ironic, haunting and melancholy, this completely unclassifiable work is the masterpiece of one of the twentieth century''s most enigmatic writers. Richard Zenith''s Pessoa at last allows us to understand this extraordinary figure. Some eighty-five years after his premature death in Lisbon, where he left over 25,000 manuscript sheets in a wooden trunk, Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) can now be celebrated as one of the great modTrade ReviewA masterpiece of literary biography ... a tour de force of cultural history. Zenith's achievement is extraordinary. By illuminating this elusive figure Zenith has produced a work in some ways as astonishing as those of Pessoa himself. -- John Gray * New Statesman *Mammoth, definitive and sublime. Zenith has written the only kind of biography truly permissible, an account of a life that plucks at the very borders and burdens of the notion of a self. * New York Times *A completely superb and magisterial life of Fernando Pessoa. Finally, this extraordinary poet gets the great biography he deserves. Unsurpassable. -- William BoydEven now, Fernando Pessoa remains one of the lesser-known of the truly great writers of the 20th century. This immense, magnificent biography is going to change that... here is a revelation: a modern master to rank alongside Joyce, Kafka, Beckett, say. Such a revolutionary literary discovery seems unlikely to be on offer again. It's that good. -- David Sexton * Sunday Times *Monumental ... To do justice to the magnitude and complexities of Pessoa Zenith, a translator and literary critic, spent more than a decade collating material. The result is a tour de force. -- Cláudia Pazos Alonso * Times Literary Supplement *Erudite, sensitive and entertaining, this multi-faceted portrait pays its giant homage to a man who wasn't there. -- Boyd Tonkin * Financial Times *Monumental ... Zenith brought to the task a depth of scholarship gained through more than 30 years of publishing, translating and promoting his subject's work; Pessoa, who had few intimates in life, is lucky to have found this posthumous friend ... Pessoa really did build an entire city. It was a city that needed a guide. Thanks to Zenith, it has one at last. -- Benjamin Moser * New York Times *A portrait with bags of personality ... Richard Zenith's massive biography of the Portuguese writer who constructed numerous identities captures his tragicomic oddity. -- Peter Conrad * Observer *A truly comprehensive representation of any one person is almost impossible. That very impossibility is largely what makes Richard Zenith's biography of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa so remarkable. -- Alberto Manguel * Literary Review *Ingenious ... with flashes of charm and wit. -- Stuart Kelly * The Spectator *A gloriously labyrinthine biography ... Zenith's dynamic prose, deep erudition, and incisive readings of Pessoa's poetry make for a meticulous portrait of one artist's brilliant and bewildering inner world. * Publishers Weekly *Finally! A brilliant biography that places Pessoa where he should have always belonged, with Joyce, Proust, and Musil - true giants, none of whom were Nobel laureates. -- André Aciman, author of CALL ME BY YOUR NAMEPessoa is a triumph of scholarship and verve that one cannot easily put down. -- Antonio Damasio, author of DESCARTES' ERRORRichard Zenith is his genius biographer who has given [Pessoa] fresh life. No one on earth knows more about Pessoa. With its historical sweep and novelistic execution, this biography will never be bested. -- William Giraldi, author of AMERICAN AUDACITYWhen you consider the fantastically vivid details of Fernando Pessoa's curious life contained in this biography, and the energetic and elegant quality of the writing, you might wonder if this book is actually a just discovered autobiography, written by one of Pessoa's heteronyms, 'Richard Zenith.' No one, it seems, could know so much or relate it so marvelously unless they had lived inside Pessoa's head. Zenith's Pessoa is magnificent. -- Forrest Gander, author of BE WITH

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Book SynopsisA unique military and cultural history that chronicles the reigns of Philip and Alexander the Great in one sweeping narrative.Trade ReviewA steady stream of fascinating stories of brilliant military tactics interspersed with rampant post-Classical gore. From the slaughter of whole villages to unbridled violations of human dignity, By the Spear reminds us of the ugliness of war, especially when military leaders are apparently void of morality filters ... By the Spear is loaded with compelling details ... but they aren't simply piled on helter-skelter; rather, they are embedded in Ian Worthington's coherent narrative about Macedonian ascendancy in the 4th century BC. This celebrated professor at the University of Missouri convincingly gives Philip II his due in Hellenism's spread, and masks not his thesis that Philip 'has lived too long in Alexander's shadow'. * Books & Culture *Most histories extolling Alexander the Great pay modest attention to his father, Philip II, but Worthington gives him equal billing in this admirable, scholarly dual biography. * Kirkus Reviews *By the Spear is an impressive book * Gerard DeGroot, The Times (UK) *Ian Worthington is one of this generation's leading historians of ancient Greece and Macedonia. In this book he provides for the first time in a single volume a comparative perspective on Philip and Alexander's empire building, and he admirably succeeds in making this complex and convoluted story accessible to the uninitiated. * Joseph Roisman, author of Alexander's Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors *As Ian Worthington reminds us, without Philip II there would have been no Alexander the Great, and by considering together the accomplishments and foibles of both father and son, By the Spear raises a larger question: do great conquerors make great kings? Alexander inherited the legacy of Philip, an ascendant Macedonian empire, but what was the legacy of Alexander, and to whom was it left? By considering the larger picture, Worthington provides new insight into one of ancient history's most fascinating sagas. * Steven Saylor, author of Raiders of the Nile and Roma: A Novel of Ancient Rome *The Macedonian empire that reshaped the Mediterranean world was the creation of two remarkable men. Worthington's provocative thesis is that Alexander was a conqueror whose legacy was chaos. Philip was a king who left Alexander the basis of empire. Was the father, then, greater than the son? By the Spear offers an unconventional answer in a narrative that is both persuasive and engaging. * Dennis Showalter, author of Armor and Blood: The Battle of Kursk *What father-son duo is more mesmerizing than Philip and Alexander of Macedon? Too often historians have focused on one, marginalizing the other, thus Ian Worthington's even-handed treatment of both is to be celebrated. Concise yet clear, Worthington masterfully explores Philip's career and the dazzling, violent, and world-changing reign of his son. * Lawrence A. Tritle, author of A New History of the Peloponnesian War *this will be a great text for Greek history collections ... Highly recommended. * J. M. Williams, CHOICE *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Timeline Quotations from Ancient Works and Special Abbreviations Maps 1. The Architect and the Master Builder 2. Greece and Macedonia 3. Philip II and the Rise of Macedonia 4. The New Player in Greek Politics 5. The Gathering War Clouds 6. The Downfall of Greece 7. Philip's Assassination and Legacy 8. Alexander's Early Kingship - and Persia 9. From Europe to Asia 10. Alexander: Master Strategist and Emerging God 11. The Decline and Fall of the Persian Empire 12. The War in Afghanistan 13. Passage to India 14. Retreat from India 15. Alexander's Final Years 16. Death in Babylon and Alexander's Legacy Appendix: The Sources of Information Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhile existentialism has long been associated with Parisian Left Bank philosophers sipping cocktails in smoke-filled cafés, or with a brooding, angst-filled outlook on life, Gosetti-Ferencei shows how vital and heterogeneous the movement really was.In this concise, accessible book, Gosetti-Ferencei offers a new vision of existentialism. As she lucidly demonstrates, existentialism is a rich and diverse philosophy that encourages meaningful engagement with the world around us, offering a host of fascinating concepts that pertain to life as we experience it. The movement was as heterogeneous as it is now misunderstood, influenced by jazz music, involving diverse thinkers from around the world, challenging received ideas about the meaning of human existence. Part of the difficulty in defining existentialism is that it was never a unified philosophy, but came to identify a set of shared concerns about the meaning and possibility of human freedom, as it may be expressed in authentic choices, actions, and projects. Existentialists all explored how, in the absence of traditional reassurances about the meaning of life, we may transcend our present circumstances, and give our situation new meaning. With existentialism, concrete, lived experience of the single individual emerged from the shadow of abstract systems and long-defended traditions, and became subject-matter in its own right for philosophical inquiry. Far from solipsistic, Gosetti-Ferencei shows that existentialist attention to the human self can be intertwined with ways of conceiving the world, our being with others, the earth, and the encompassing concept of being. Fully appreciating what existentialism has to offer requires recognizing the rich diversity of its prospects, which involve not only anxiety, absurdity, awareness of death and the loss of religious meaning, but also hope, the striving for happiness, and a sense of the transcendent. On Being and Becoming unpacks this philosophical movement''s insights, and reveals how its core ideas promote creative responses to the question of life''s meaning.Trade ReviewOn Being and Becoming not only offers help to those wanting to understand what existentialism was: it also makes a valuable contribution to showing what existentialism could mean for us today. * MLN *In this deceptively easy to read book, Jennifer Gosetti-Ferencei packs three treatises in one: a smart introduction to continental philosophy, a brisk guide for living well and not dying stupid in an age of selfie-narcissism, and a new bridge between European and American culture linking Sartre with Kerouac, Rilke with Frost, de Beauvoir with Wright, Camus with Ellison, Heidegger with Du Bois, all asking the key question 'Why am I here?' The answer? You'll find it yourself in these pages. * Jean-Michel Rabaté, University of Pennsylvania, American Academy of Arts and Sciences *On Being and Becoming is a timely book, as existentialism is an evocative response to the deep crises challenging our mortal and vulnerable existence. This book explores the existentialist answer to create our own meaning through our individual choices, not just in solitude but in engaged action seeking to transform the social world. The broad existential movement is sympathetically and accurately portrayed by Gosetti-Ferencei. This book is richly packed with insights and fluidly written for a general audience. It is not just a work of academic philosophy--discussing, among others, Martin Heidegger, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and Frantz Fanon--but it also documents the influence of existentialism on African-American thinkers, such as W.E.B. DuBois, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright. * Dermot Moran, Boston College *This small book weaves together a generous discussion of the history of philosophy and an erudite presentation of key themes of existentialism....Gosetti-Ferencei erases naïve formulations of existentialist themes and replaces them with rigorous, sometimes uplifting, accounts of freedom, responsibility, self-creation, and the inescapability of death. This work serves as both an excellent introduction to existentialist thought and a provocative read for those familiar with the works of such figures as Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Fyodor Dostoevsky, W. E. B. Du Bois, Ralph Ellison, Martin Heidegger, Franz Kafka, Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Richard Wright...Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsPart I: Encountering Existentialism Prologue Chapter 1:Existentialism in Style and Substance Part II: Existentialism: from Antiquity to Modern Europe Chapter 2. The Rise of Existentialism: A Philosophy for Human Existence Chapter 3. Historical Roots of Existentialism Chapter 4. Romantic Upheavals, Modern Movements Chapter 5. Literature and Art of Existentialism: the 20th Century Part III. Existentialism in Living Dimensions Chapter 6. Self Chapter 7. Others Chapter 8. World Chapter 9. Earth Chapter 10. Being Part IV. Living Existentialism 11. Existentialist Lives: Imitation, Inspiration, and Authenticity 12. Seeking and Taking (and Giving) Advice 13. Being in the Crowd: Anonymity and Individuality in Modern Life 14. Into One's Own, or on 'Finding' Oneself 15. I Selfie, Therefore I Am: On Self-Imaging Culture 16. Being and Waiting (Tables), or The Roles We Play 17. Seizing the Day: On the Present and Presence 18. Love in the Time of Existentialism 19. Existential Suffering, Happiness and Hope 20. Life as a Work of Art: an Existential Need for Creativity Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn 431 BC, the long simmering rivalry between the city-states of Athens and Sparta erupted into open warfare, and for more than a generation the two were locked in a life-and-death struggle. The war embroiled the entire Greek world, provoking years of butchery previously unparalleled in ancient Greece. Whole cities were exterminated, their men killed, their women and children enslaved. While the war is commonly believed to have ended with the capture of the Athenian navy in 405 and the subsequent starvation of Athens, fighting in Greece would continue for several decades. Sparta''s authority was challenged in the so-called Corinthian War (395-387) when Persian gold helped unite Athens with Sparta''s former allies. The war did not truly end until, in 371, Thebes'' crack infantry resoundingly defeated Sparta at Leuctra, forever shattering the myth of Spartan military supremacy.Jennifer Roberts'' rich narrative of this famous conflict is the first general history to tell the whole story, from the war''s origins down to Sparta''s defeat at Leuctra. In her masterful account, this long and bloody war affected every area of life in Athens, exacerbated divisions between rich and poor in Sparta, and sparked civil strife throughout the Greek world. Yet despite the biting sorrows the fighting occasioned, it remains a gripping saga of plots and counter-plots, murders and lies, thrilling sea chases and desperate overland marches, missed opportunities and last-minute reprieves, and, as the war''s first historian Thucydides had hoped, lessons for a less bellicose future. In addition, Roberts considers the impact of the war on Greece''s cultural life, including the great masterworks of tragedy and comedy performed at this time and, most infamously, the trial and execution of Socrates. A fast-paced narrative of one of antiquity''s most famous clashes, The Plague of War is a must-read for history enthusiasts of all ages.Trade ReviewA narrative that is readable and worth reading for Greek history novice and junkie alike. The affordable paperback, furthermore, is suitable for undergraduate classroom use. Roberts is an engaging and entertaining story-teller with a sense of humor. * Classical Journal-Online *She illuminates every complex situation, having the essential but often obscure details at her fingertips; she uses her sources as old friends, responsibly but critically.... You are in good hands with Roberts; this is a sad tale, excellently told. * The Heythrop Journal *A welcome contrast from traditional studies of the war ... Impressive * Journal of Hellenic Studies *Roberts presents the reader with a clear, straightforward and chronological narrative of events from the background to and origins of the war through to its grim conclusion and inconclusive war-torn aftermath... this is a good read and a good overview of the events that shaped the Classical Age. The events it describes will long continue to invite debate. * Mathew Trundle, H Soz Kult *This work is based on impressive scholarship. Roberts maintains a smooth, highly readable narrative flow. In addition to a careful analysis of Thucydides, the author interweaves discussions of fifth- and fourth-century drama, philosophy, architecture, and art. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. * A. J. Papalas, CHOICE *An impressively informed and informative work of exceptionally detailed and documented scholarship, "The Plague of War: Athens, Sparta, and the Struggle fro Ancient Greece" reads from beginning to end with an inherently engaging narrative that reads with the smoothness of a well tuned novel. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library World History collections in general, and Hellenic History supplemental studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readres with an interest in the subject that "The Plague of War" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.39). * Margaret Lane, The Midwest Book Review *[Roberts's] in-depth knowledge of the period's players, locations, and events are all woven expertly into the narrative, providing the reader with a broad, expansive view of the war and its consequences for Greek culture and the future of Western civilization." -Military HeritageJennifer Roberts brings her accustomed cool expertise to bear on this hottest of hot topics: not just any old war, but one that in ancient Greek terms counted as a world war and, like those of the last century, produced almost equally as ghastly and irredeemably nasty consequences. Worst of all, in some ways, this was in her concluding epitaph 'War Without Victory'. * Paul Cartledge, author of Democracy: A Life *In this riveting narrative, Jennifer Roberts breaks new ground with a full-length portrait of the classical Greek world as viewed through a dramatic account of the Peloponnesian War. Roberts breathes new life into the familiar succession of campaigns and battles through the scope of her vision, which gives equal attention to the war's many impacts on the home-front in both Athens and Sparta. In The Plague of War, we see how social upheavals, economic crises, family life, and even philosophy and drama were drawn inexorably into the war-zone. * John R. Hale, author of Lords of the Sea *Jennifer Roberts recreates the agony of Athens and Sparta with a deft hand and a knowing eye. She tells the story of the war that ruined Greece in all its power and pathos. This is a learned, sympathetic and readable account. * Barry Strauss, author of The Death of Caesar *Table of ContentsList of Maps and Images A Note on Sources Introduction Chapter 1: Setting the Stage Chapter 2: The Greek States at War and Peace Chapter 3: Sparta Provoked, Athens Intransigent Chapter 4: The War Begins Chapter 5: The Plague of War Chapter 6: New Challenges and New Leaders Chapter 7: The Fortunes of War Chapter 8: War Throughout the Mainland, and the Call of the West Chapter 9: Moving Towards Peace Chapter 10: The Peace that Was Not Peace Chapter 11: An Invitation and Two Scandals Chapter 12: Deliverance for Syracuse Chapter 13: The Empire Strikes Back Chapter 14: Dramatic Developments for the Athenians Chapter 15: Alcibiades, Cyrus, and Lysander Chapter 16: A Seeming Victory Chapter 17: Athens After the Amnesty Chapter 18: The Greek States in a Changing World Chapter 19: Continuing Warfare in an Age of Reflection Chapter 20: The End for Sparta Chapter 21: War Without Victory Cast of Characters Bibliography

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Book Synopsis''One could not ask for a more meticulous or scholarly assessment of what Britain meant to the Romans, or Rome to Britons, than Peter Salway''s Monumental Study''Frederick Raphael, Sunday Times From the invasions of Julius Caesar to the unexpected end of Roman rule in the early fifth century AD and the subsequent collapse of society in Britain, this book is the most authoritative and comprehensive account of Roman Britain ever published for the general reader. Peter Salway''s narrative takes into account the latest research including exciting discoveries of recent years, and will be welcomed by anyone interested in Roman Britain.Trade ReviewThere will be new discoveries; but this is a book that will surely stand the test of time. * TLS *Table of ContentsI. The First Roman Contacts ; II. The Roman Conquest ; III. Imperial Crisis and Recovery ; IV. The End of Roman Britain ; V. Britain Under Roman Rule ; Further Reading ; List of Roman Emperors ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe First World War did not end in Central Europe in November 1918. The armistices marked the creation of the Second Polish Republic and the first shot of the Central European Civil War which raged from 1918 to 1921. The fallen German, Russian, and Austrian Empires left in their wake lands with peoples of mixed nationalities and ethnicities. These lands soon became battle grounds and the ethno-political violence that ensued forced those living within them to decide on their national identity. Civil War in Central Europe seeks to challenge previous notions that such conflicts which occurred between the First and Second World Wars were isolated incidents and argues that they should be considered as part of a European war; a war which transformed Poland into a nation.Trade Review...[T]he book is definitely very important and valuable: it shows the formation of the Polish state in a new light that undermines traditional nationalist historiography and popular ideas...The book allows us to go beyond nationalist conventional wisdom. * Krzysztof Jaskulowski, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Nationalities Papers *[an] intriguing and thought-provoking study ... There is no doubt that this book will find a well-deserved place in the growing body of historical works on East and Central Europe. It challenges the nationally oriented narrative of nation-making, and offers a fresh perspective, which invites us to rethink the role of violence in the creation of nation-states in the post-imperial era. * Tomas Balkelis, Lithuanian Historical Studies *The author regarded it as crucial not to look for new facts, but to find a balance between the facts already presented and to consolidate them. He did it brilliantly. Thanks to the author, the reader is presented with a synthesis of secondary literature, and thus also by a holistic historical narrative, which was hitherto lacking ... The book serves as a signpost, providing the necessary historiographic overview ... By means of source diversity the author is able to sketch a hitherto unpresented picture of violent excesses. The book is written very legibly, which will certainly be welcomed by both the lay and professional public ... The study helps to understand the interbellum and subsequent crimes of the Second World War, the origin of which is often found in the wrongs of the violent period following the First World War. * Jan Kutílek, Slovanský p%rehled [translated] *The last chapter finally deals with "Violence and Crimes Beyond the Battlefields", with Böhler also relying on archive finds and diaries ... In this chapter, Böhler focuses on the regional level, where political goals were often of secondary importance. In the countryside, small paramilitary groups were masters of life and death. As reports from the high command and local authorities show, in 1919 and 1920, crime, corruption and banditry were the order of the day. Pogroms against Jews were particularly perpetrated by soldiers, led by officers with little experience and close ties to the national democracy. With the successful formation of the state, the violence subsided ... Böhler has succeeded in shedding more light on a dark chapter in Polish history. * Detlev Brandes, Historische Zeitschrift [translated] *This book contributes not just to rising scholarship on European paramilitary violence at the war's end, but to wider areas, such as the social history of warfare in twentieth-century Europe, nationalism and "national indifference," border studies, and transnational history, in addition to the interwar history of Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. * Peter Polak-Springer, Qatar University, Journal of Modern History *Böhler's work successfully challenges both established and mythical narratives of Polish nation-building, revealing the contingent and violent nature of Poland's struggle for land and loyalty after World War I. * Brendan Karch, Louisiana State University, Central European History *Jochen Böhler's book is, without a doubt, important. Any scholar of twentieth-century European history will find it worth reading, and particularly useful when considering the question of the reconstruction and re-emergence of Central European nation-states after the Great War. * Pawel Markiewicz, Slavonic and East European Review *According to Böhler, "self-determination" was an unsuitable recipe for structuring a multi-ethnic region. This becomes particularly clear in his fourth chapter "Violence and Crimes Beyond the Battlefields", in which Böhler draws a panorama where anti-Semitic pogroms, skirmishes, violent oppression of the rural population and death blend into each other. Hunger, disease and other hardships plagued the country. [...] Böhler has presented a differentiated description of these violence scenarios, largely reconstructed on the base of a variety of sources. * Jost Dulffer, editor of Peace, War and Gender from Antiquity to the Present. Cross-cultural Perspectives *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations and Maps Introduction 1: Nations, States, and Conflicts in Central Europe 2: How to Mobilize the Polish Nation 3: The Central European Civil War 4: Violence and Crimes Beyond the Battlefields Conclusion Epilogue

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Book SynopsisGambling captures as nothing else the drama of the long eighteenth century between the age of religious wars and the age of revolutions. The society that was confronted with games of chance pursued as commercial ventures also came to grips with unprecedented social mobility, floated by new wealth from new sources that created fortunes from trade in sugar, cotton, ivory, silk, tea, or enslaved human beings. Likewise, play for money was prominent in the public imagination as money itself, deployed through an ever expanding and ever more sophisticated range of mechanisms, increasingly invaded public awareness, as when prospective spouses in period fiction were rated in terms of annual income as if they were municipal bonds. Similarly, the archetypal figure of the gambler captured the imagination of the public in fiction, media, and politics. At the same time, new interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics - encouraged and bankrolled by those in power - fostered a new anTable of Contents0: Introduction: The Gambling Century 1: Probability and its Discontents 2: Court to City: Gaming in Baroque Europe 3: Sons of Hazard: The Sharper in Literature, Media, and Law 4: In the Shade of the Royal Oak: Commercial Gaming by Royal Patent 5: Making Bank: The Emergence of Metropolitan Gaming Concerns 6: The Groom Porter's Dodge: The Court and Commercial Gaming 7: The Bench Versus the Banks: Policing Gaming in Westminster 8: Commercial Gaming in the Wake of the Georgian Statutes 9: The Pilgrimage to Saint James's, or, Clubs are Trumps 10: Harmless Amusements: High Politics and High Stakes 11: At Home with Faro's Daughters 12: Breaking Even: Gaming Entrepreneurship at Century's End 13: Toward the Victorian Reconfiguration of Gaming, and Afterward

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Book SynopsisCovering the period 1390-1488, MacKay publishes the second portion of the Lord Stewartby Collection, the most important collection of Scottish coins ever put together by a private individual. Shortly before his death in March 2018, the collection was gifted to The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow. Comprising 5000 coins, the collection was formed between c. 1950 and c. 2010 by Ian Stewart, a banker and later a politician, initially as a Member of Parliament 1974-92 and from 1992 sitting in the House of Lords as Lord Stewartby. He was a highly regarded numismatist and the foremost scholar of Scottish coins in his generation. This exceptional collection has a depth and range across all metals and denominations which make it an important academic resource for researchers, whether numismatists or historians, or as a reference point for collectors.Table of ContentsPreface The Lord Stewartby Collection of Scottish Coins Overview of the Coinage Source of the Collection Hoards and Single Finds Abbreviations and Bibliography Arrangement and Ordering of the Catalogue Plates 1-65

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Book SynopsisAn intimate history of an ordinary Parisian citizen and his neighbors that reflects on the origins and radicalization of the French Revolution.What was it like to live through one of the most transformational periods in world history? In The Glory and the Sorrow, eminent historian Timothy Tackett answers this question through a masterful recreation of the world of Adrien Colson, a minor lawyer who lived in Paris at the end of the Old Regime and during the first eight years of the French Revolution. Based on over a thousand letters written by Colson to his closest friend, this book vividly narrates everyday life for an ordinary citizen during extraordinary times, as well as the life of a neighborhood on a small street in central Paris. It explores the real, day-to-day experience of a revolution: not only the thrill, the joy, and the enthusiasm, but also the uncertainty, the confusion, the anxiety, and the disappointments. While Colson reported on major events such as the storming of the Bastille and the King''s flight to Varennes, his correspondence underscores the extent to which the great majority of Parisians--and no doubt of the French population more generally--in no way anticipated the Revolution; the incessant circulation and power of rumors of impending disasters in Paris, not just in the summer of 1789 but continually from the autumn of 1789 throughout the Revolutionary decade; and how this affected popular psychology and behavior. In doing so, this account demonstrates how a Parisian and his neighbors were radicalized over the course of the Revolution.An evocative account of Colson''s time and place, The Glory and the Sorrow is a compelling microhistory of Revolutionary France.Trade ReviewThis fine book emphasises and dramatizes complexity and contingency in the lives of the capital and its residents. It reminds us how such quotidian topics as cnanine leashes, tenants leases, and urban gossip can open windows into another place and time. * Jeffrey Merrick, New Perspectives on the Eighteenth Century *A fascinating and tantalizing volume...that can be read with pleasure and recognition...by any scholar of the late Eighteenth century and its turbulent social and political histories. * David Andress, French History *In 1920, the Soviet Union became the first country in the world to legalize abortion on demand. But in 1936, the Soviet leadership criminalized abortion: the collectivization of the early 1930s was followed by famine that took the lives of millions of people, and the government grew eager to recover the population. Drawing on an amazing wealth of archival material, Nakachi traces the dynamic of Soviet reproductive policies that were invariably guided by pronatalist goals but almost always had damaging consequences. * Foreign Affairs *The Glory and the Sorrow is a stunning account that integrates a lifetime of research, knowledge, and deep understanding of one's historical actors. It wrestles with enduring questions regarding the local nature of popular activism and the political radicalization of most Parisians. It is a masterclass in animating history as experience, and it will be a gift for generations of scholars and students to come. * Katie Jarvis, H-France Forum *There are many reasons why Tim Tackett's contribution to our knowledge of the French Revolution commands such attention, but...one aspect in particular...[is its] place...in scholarship on emotions in the Revolution....While The Glory and the Sorrow centres on the life of one man, our understanding of his experience of the Revolution is couched very much in terms of his profound and shifting emotions—from the dizzying heights of 1789...to the 'sorrow' of 1794, as the intense expectations of the early years foundered against the crashing impact of war, betrayal and fear. Tim's unfolding of the events of the Revolution through the emotional registers of one man, offer us, as readers in the twenty-first century a way into understanding what the Revolution meant for the generation that lived through it....We must be grateful that...Colson's letters remain to us as a window on a tumultuous time in world history. * Marisa Linton, H-France Forum *Evocative and engaging.... Colson's own experience reveals the state of tension that existed throughout the revolutionary years, between inspiration and hope for a better future on the one hand, and anxiety, desperation and sheer terror on the other. This was not helped by the swirl of rumour and speculation that enveloped the political conversations among Colson's neighbours and friends. Yet it is equally clear that Colson worked hard to disentangle reliable from misleading and downright false information. This may have been because as a lawyer he was especially well-equipped to examine the evidence critically...but it is none the less a reminder to historians that just because a rumour was recorded, it did not mean that everyone credulously believed it. It also holds up a mirror to our own age, enveloped as it is in fake news, misinformation and gossip, no less than was Colson's world. * Michael Rapport, H-France Forum *In The Glory and the Sorrow, Tackett's lively depiction of the initial years of the Revolution challenges us all to match the vivacity and rigor of his analysis and apply them to the entire Revolutionary era....Tackett has painted a detailed portrait of how a small-time, single lawyer from a small, frontier town lived quietly in Paris until the shocks of 1789 transformed his world....By implication and example, it makes a number of important arguments about the causes and consequences of Revolutionary political transformation. * Jeff Horn, H-France Forum *On one level The Glory and the Sorrow can be read as a beautifully written biography, resurrecting a life that had been lost to history. But it is so much more than that, offering a compelling insight into both revolutionary dynamics and popular emotions in a city in crisis. * ALAN FORREST, University of York, FAMILY & COMMUNITY HISTORY *Adrien-Joseph Colson was the Mr Ordinary of ancien régime France....But 1789 also effected a radical change on Mr Ordinary Colson, a startling political awakening....Historians of the Revolution will warmly welcome this fine microhistorical biography. It shows Revolutionary radicalization at work on an utterly unremarkable figure who, in the Revolution, along with his neighbourhood, discovered a new set of values and a new political identity within a wider national fraternity. * Colin Jones, Times Literary Supplement *Drawing on an extraordinarily riche cache of letters, this biography of an ordinary eighteenth-century Parisian gives a marvelously vivid sense of what it was like to live through the last years of France's Old Regime and to participate, at ground level, in the French Revolution. Timothy Tackett has drawn on his unparalleled expertise in the period to produce a biography that is also an illumination—and one that college students in particular will appreciate. * David A. Bell, author of Men on Horseback: The Power of Charisma in the Age of Revolution *This rich and evocative microhistory brings the late Old Regime and French Revolution alive through the experiences of one small-time Parisian lawyer. Adrien-Joseph Colson turns out to be a likeable and very human figure. As Timothy Tackett explores his reflections and quandaries, The Glory and the Sorrow makes for compelling reading. Once again, Tackett analyzes revolutionary dynamics with insight and vision. * Suzanne Desan, author of The Family on Trial in Revolutionary France *Adrien Colson's letters reveal how utterly unexpected the French Revolution was for all who lived through it and how everyday citizens of Paris managed to ride the successive waves of optimism, excitement, uncertainty, and fear. Beautifully contextualized by one of the leading historians of the French Revolution, this book makes you feel like a witness to history. Unless you know how to travel through time, you can't get much closer to the events of the French Revolution than this. * Paul Friedland, Cornell University *There is no better way to experience the hopes, anxieties, and terrors churned out by the French Revolution than this very personal account of an ordinary man in Paris and no better guide to making sense of that experience than Tim Tackett. He has that rare talent for finding archival gems and then gracefully revealing their significance. The reader can't help but feel what Adrien Colson feels as he encounters the excitement, mysteries, and disappointments of revolutionary Paris. * Lynn Hunt, author of History: Why It Matters *Adrien Colson was a Parisian lawyer who lived through the waning ancien régime and the most turbulent years of the French Revolution. He would have disappeared from history were it not for the 1,000 letters he sent to a friend in central France. In them he gave eyewitness testimony of the revolution as it caught flame in ways neither he nor his neighbour...could have predicted. Timothy Tackett deftly uses the correspondence to create a vivid picture of Colson and his thrilling, terrifying times: his book stands in the tradition of Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's Montaillou. Colson is revealed as representative of the masses - a man caught up in events, in thrall to rumour and the bewildering speed of events.. * Michael Prodger, New Statesman *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue Chapter 1 Arrival in Paris Chapter 2 Life in Paris before the Revolution Chapter 3 Making a Living Chapter 4 Understanding the World Chapter 5 The World Changes Chapter 6 Days of Glory Chapter 7 Rumor and Revolution Chapter 8 Becoming a Radical Chapter 9 Days of Sorrow Conclusion Appendix: Translations of Selected Letters Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe belligerent country that literally started the First World War, the Habsburg Empire suffered grievously during the global conflict. At the end of the war, it was estimated that 1.2 million soldiers, out of 8 million men and 100,000 women mobilized from an empire of 52 million, perished in service. Among those who lived, the wounded, the disabled, and their dependents constituted at least several million people whose survival was endangered both during and after the war. How did the Habsburg Empire confront the scale of the casualties brought about by the First World War? What care and support were offered to disabled soldiers and dead soldiers'' surviving dependents? Victims'' State offers the first integrated account of how the Austrian half of the empire and the successor Austrian Republic responded to the needs of citizen-soldiers and their families from the nineteenth century to the interwar years. Ke-Chin Hsia traces the policies, ideas, and administrative practices developed Trade ReviewAn exciting new interpretation of welfare practices in Habsburg Central Europe that spans the Imperial and Republican periods. Hsia's pioneering arguments demonstrate that innovative welfare practices rarely came solely from the state but developed as much from claims by socially diverse groups of actors and interest groups from below. Readers may be surprised to learn that in the multinational Habsburg empire, when it came to popular demands for welfare programs, nationalist concerns apparently took a back seat to more pressing social, economic, and regional interests. * Pieter M. Judson, European University Institute *An impressive, original study of the neglected history of the emergence of the Austrian welfare state out of World War I and its centrality to the transition from the elite Habsburg Empire to the cohesive, democratic Austrian Republic, permanently transforming its politics and culture, an experience more similar to other European states than is usually recognized. Thoroughly researched and accessibly written, it is a major contribution to the history of Austria and of European welfare states. * Pat Thane, author of The Foundations of the Welfare State *This meticulously researched study offers a new and compelling interpretation of wartime and postwar politics. Centering social welfare as an integral part of total war, Ke-Chin Hsia reconceptualizes links between imperial Austria and the postwar republic. He reveals continuities in late Habsburg and early republican welfare policies without defaulting to the nationalities prism. As such, the book is a pioneering 'next generation' work that extends the recent historiographical re-examination of the significance of 1918 in Austrian history. * Maureen Healy, author of Vienna and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire *Ke-Chin Hsia's excellent book energetically addresses these strands of scholarship, as he explores the ebbs and flows of the making and unmaking of Austria's welfare mechanisms vis-à-vis war victims. [This study] is an ideal example of this tight and mutually informing and reinforcing relationship between state and society, as he pays attention to the war victims' own leverage in welfare reform-making. * Doina Anca Cretu, CEU Review of Books *Without a doubt, Hsia's book pushes for further reflection on the story of welfare,...the book lives up to the promise outlined in the title and in its introduction. * Doina Anca Cretu, CEU Review of Books *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 Government Poverty and Incentive Pensions in the Nineteenth Century Chapter 2 The Emergence of the War Welfare Field from Peace to War Chapter 3 A Social Offensive on the Home Front Chapter 4 The Last-Ditch Effort to Save the Monarchy Chapter 5 War Victims as a New Power Factor Chapter 6 A Republic with "the Correct National and Social Sensibilities" Chapter 7 "The Public's Interest in Invalids Has Waned" Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction: Women, Normal Schools, and the Politics of the Third Republic 1. Directrices and Their Mission in Republican Normal Schools 2. Training Future Teachers: Knowledge, Values, Conduct 3. Representing Republican Education: Directrices, Official Observers, and the Public 4. Directing Normal Schools in Petites Patries: Brittany and the Vendée, Algeria 5. Approaches to Feminism 6. Old Issues, New Challenges: From World War I to World War II Beyond the Third Republic: Epilogue and Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Heresy of Jacob Frank is the first monograph length study on the religious philosophy of Jacob Frank (1726-1791), who, in the wake of false messiah Sabbetai Zevi, led the largest mass apostasy in Jewish history. Based on close readings of Frank''s late teachings, recorded in 1784 and 1790, this book challenges scholarly presentations of Frank that depict him as a sex-crazed degenerate, and presents Frank as an original and prescient figure at the crossroads of tradition and modernity, reason and magic, Kabbalah and Western Esotericism.Frank''s worldview combines a skeptical rejection of religious law as ineffectual and repressive with a supernatural, esoteric myth of immortal beings, material magic, and worldly power. With close readings of the theological and narrative passages of Frank''s teachings, Michaelson shows how the Frankist sect evolved from its Sabbatean roots and the infamous 1757-59 disputations before the Catholic Church, into a Western Esoteric society based on alchTrade ReviewIn the mainstream of Jewish collective memory, Jacob Frank was portrayed as an egomaniacal and depraved ignoramus, a false messiah, and a cynical serial convert-to Islam, then Christianity...Jay Michaelson makes a complementary theoretical argument in The Heresy of Jacob Frank, which received last year's National Jewish Book Award for scholarship...Michaelson, well known as a popular writer on religion and spirituality and an activist for gay rights both in Jewish life and the broader world, has been studying Jacob Frank for almost two decades...In a recent essay, he described being "seduced" by the "allure" of Frank's vigorous confrontation with traditional Jewish law and norms in The Words of the Lord, the late miscellany of Frank's oral teachings and anecdotes. * Benjamin Weiner, Jewish Review of Books *Michaelson reconstructs Frank's teachings with critical methodology, tracing how Frank both followed and resisted the disciplines of reason, magic, Kabbalah, and esotericism. * Yale Law Report *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Boundary Crosser Chapter 1.

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Book SynopsisPlease note this title is suitable for any student studying:Exam Board: AQALevel/Subject: AS and A Level HistoryFirst teaching: 2015First exams: June 2017Retaining all the well-loved features from the previous editions, The English Revolution has been approved by AQA and matched to the 2015 specification. With a strong focus on skills building and exam practice, this book covers a period of major change in-depth, focusing on key ideas, events and developments with precision. Students can further develop vital skills such as historical interpretations and source analyses via specially selected sources and extracts. Practice questions and study tips provide additional support to help familiarise students with the new exam style questions, and help them achieve their best in the exam.

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Book SynopsisThe day of 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794) is universally acknowledged as a major turning-point in the history of the French Revolution. At 12.00 midnight, Maximilien Robespierre, the most prominent member of the Committee of Public Safety which had for more than a year directed the Reign of Terror, was planning to destroy one of the most dangerous plots that the Revolution had faced.By 12.00 midnight at the close of the day, following a day of uncertainty, surprises, upsets and reverses, his world had been turned upside down. He was an outlaw, on the run, and himself wanted for conspiracy against the Republic. He felt that his whole life and his Revolutionary career were drawing to an end. As indeed they were. He shot himself shortly afterwards. Half-dead, the guillotine finished him off in grisly fashion the next day.The Fall of Robespierre provides an hour-by-hour analysis of these 24 hours.Trade ReviewVital, incisive, revelatory, The Fall of Robespierre offers a crisis anatomised, 'by the map and by the clock.' Its close-focus intensity makes us question everything we thought we knew about the bloody events of Thermidor Year II. It takes us to the place, to the instant, to the heartbeat of revolution in the making. * Hilary Mantel, author A Place of Greater Safety and the Wolf Hall trilogy *In this admirable account, Jones meticulously reconstructs the day on an hour-by-hour basis, criss-crossing the city as he does so to convey how revolutions messily unfold. * 'The best new paperbacks for July 2023', The Times *The melodramatic story of Maximilien Robespierre's fall has been told many times before, but never in such gloriously sensual detail... Colin Jones brings the French Revolution to life in all its colour and horror... Above all he is brilliant on the psychological twists of politics, which would cost Robespierre his life. * Dominic Sandbrook, 21 Best History Books of 2021, The Times *The book is suspenseful because, even though we know the way things end, it relates the build-up to Robespierre's execution in breathless detail. Mining abundant archival material (from the reports of government functionaries, soldiers and spies to the diaries and letters of private citizens of all political beliefs), Jones shows how turbulence, confusion and contingency shaped each moment of that day. * Caroline Weber, London Review of Books *... a thrilling blow-by-blow account of that fateful day in the summer of 1794. One can almost hear the ticking of the clock, minute by minute, second by second, counting down to the guillotine. * Joseph Hone, Books of the Year 2021, History Today *A brilliant hour-by-hour recreation... He has a marvellous eye for colour: the sweat and fear in the Parisian prisons, the exhausted paranoia of the government committees, the stench of the guillotined bodies in the death pits outside the city. He is excellent on the contingency of political history... And, above all, he is brilliant on the psychology of politics, the way the mood of an assembly can switch in a moment with devastating consequences. * Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times *Jones insists that to understand 9 Thermidor it's necessary to dig down to the level of "infinitely small" details. In his admirable account he meticulously reconstructs the day on an hour-by-hour basis, crisscrossing the city as he does so. * Gerard deGroot, The Times *Colin Jones, a professor of history at Queen Mary University of London, handles a huge amount of material with skill and verve. He creates an extraordinarily vivid minute-by-minute portrait of Paris and its people on that pivotal day... * Constance Craig Smith, Daily Mail *The Historian Colin Jones has a gift for examining events afresh. * New Statesman *... minutely detailed and unfailingly gripping... Jones's superbly researched and strikingly original book produces an optic of a radically different kind. 'Only by getting "up close" and drilling down into the "infinitely small" details of the revolutionary process', its author insists, can the day's course and outcome be understood. And for once this counsel of perfection can be put into practice. * John Adamson, Literary Review *The greatest merit of Colin Jones's microscopic study of those deadly days in the summer of 1794 is that he succeeds in conveying the terrified uncertainty of the many actors, including large numbers of ordinary Parisians...His account required a massive amount of archival work, and his bibliography is testimony to his labors... The broader educated public with an interest in this extraordinary period will enjoy Jones's lively narrative... * Peter McPhee, H-France *An incisively argued and thrilling moment-by-moment examination of one of the French Revolution's most dramatic days... Colin Jones achieves the exceptional feat of putting 9 Thermidor in a new perspective... Jones's enthralling, incisively argued book is a fine contribution to the debate. * Tony Barber, Financial Times *Behind the books general reader-friendly narrative structure, academics will find historical virtuosity on display. * Katie Jarvis, The English Historical Review *The story of the Ninth of Thermidor has been told many times, but never so well as in Colin Jones's The Fall of Robespierre. * David A Bell, The New York Review *... Colin Jones, as well informed about eighteenth century France as any professor of history could be, leads us through Paris on the exceptional day of 9 Thermidor, Year II. * Johan Hakelius, Engelsberg Ideas *Jones offers a new perspective on the Terror and nature of the Thermidorian Reaction. The unconventional narrative structure and style bring contingency to the fore and, in so doing, lead to new interpretations not only of Maximilien Robespierres downfall but of the course of the French Revolution. * Katlyn Carter, Age of Revolutions *... overall this is a classic: living up to the title exactly, it does so with full marks for style and substance... If you have any interest in the French Revolution, or politics in general, or the "processes of history" you will find The Fall of Robespierre a riveting, rigorous and thought-provoking read. * Anthony Webb, Popular History *The work Jones produced to support his point is remarkable... With its minute detailing of human characters, The Fall of Robespierre has the texture of literature and is good material for a mini-series or...how about another Hamilton?... * David Luhrssen, Shepherd Express *This is an astoundingly scholarly book, written with a beautifully assured hand... a book for the historian of the French Revolution itself... The minutiae of detail, and the ability to convey it, along with the mounting tension, is a specific talent, and which has been so obviously achieved by the author of this fascinating and superb volume. * Sandra Callard, On: Yorkshire Magazine *This is a remarkable, barnstorming doorstop of a book. * David Andress, French History *Colin Jones's micro-history can be fundamental reading. * Timothy Tackett, University of California, Irvine, Journal of Modern History *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION: THE FALL OF ROBESPIERRE UP CLOSE PRELUDE: AROUND MIDNIGHT PART 1: ELEMENTS OF CONSPIRACY (Midnight to 05.00 a.m.) PART 2: SETTINGS FOR A DRAMA (5.00 a.m. to Midday) PART 3: A PARLIAMENTARY COUP (Midday to 5.00 p.m.) PART 4: A PARISIAN JOURNÉE (5.00 p.m. to Midnight) PART 5: AT MIDNIGHT, AROUND MIDNIGHT, AFTER MIDNIGHT AFTERWORD: 9 THERMIDOR FROM AFAR NOTES LIST OF CHARACTERS NOTE ON SOURCES BIBLIOGRAPHY AND PRINTED SOURCES INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe Easter Rising of 1916 not only destroyed much of the centre of Dublin -- it changed the course of Irish history. But why did it happen? What was the role of ordinary people in this extraordinary event? What motivated them and what were their aims? These basic questions continue to divide historians of modern Ireland. The Rising is the story of Easter 1916 from the perspective of those who made it, focusing on the experiences of rank and file revolutionaries. Fearghal McGarry makes use of a unique source that has only recently seen the light of day -- a collection of over 1,700 eye-witness statements detailing the political activities of members of Sinn Féin and militant groups such as the Irish Republican Brotherhood. This collection represents one of the richest and most comprehensive oral history archives devoted to any modern revolution, providing new insights on almost every aspect of this seminal period. The Rising shows how people from ordinary backgrounds became politicized Trade ReviewMcGarry easily organises rich evidence, offers insightful analysis, and writes a compelling narrative. For this reader, The Rising has joined Charles Townshend's Easter 1916 and Clair Will's Dublin 1916 as essential to anyone interested in the Easter Rising. * Mr John Borgonovo, Reviews in History *Review from previous edition Review from previous edition McGarry brings us close to the terrifying and exhilarating experience that was 1916. He seamlessly weaves together these richly evocative witnesses with current historiography and narrative. * America Magazine *Beautifully produced. * Mary E. Daly, The Irish Times *The Rising not only provides a lucid explanation of what happened in 1916, it also gives us the best account yet of what it was like to be there: with Pearse and Connolly in the GPO, under de Valera's command defending Mount Street Bridge, or just suffering through it all as a helpless civilian. Fearghal McGarry has a keen biographer's eye for human detail and uses it here to weave together the myriad stories of the Easter rebellion. * Peter Hart, author of The I.R.A. at War *A vivid and compelling narrative that explores the thoughts, fears, and motivations of the revolutionaries in this seminal event. * The Boston Globe *'The Rising' offers invaluable insights into the insurrection from ground level. * The Boston Globe *McGarry offers a poignant mosaic of idealism, bravery, and humanity. * The Boston Globe *'The Rising' is rich with tales of the acts of ordinary Dubliners. * The Boston Globe *The novelty of the book lies in its perspective. * America *A very readable, yet historically important book that will appeal to general readers and to experts. * Mary E. Daly, The Irish Times *judicious and compelling * Alvin Jackson, The Journal of Modern History *[An] excellent and judicious account of the Easter Rising ... [McGarry's] purpose in he Rising: Ireland: Easter 1916 - first published in 2010 and now reissued in a handsome centenary edition - is to tell the story of the rebellion "from within and below", to convey "what it actually felt like" to participate ... the account he constructs is rich and nuanced. * Vincent Boland, Financial Times *possibly the most balanced account of the Rising that has yet been attempted ... his is an excellent introduction for anyone who seeks to understand the beginning of the modern Irish Republic and its enduring legacy. * History of War *Riveting ... in this illuminating study, McGarry allows those who took part in the Rising, and those who witnessed it, to speak for themselves. * Andy Ffrench, Oxford Times *Table of ContentsEASTER 1916 IN 2016; LIST OF PLATES AND MAPS; LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS; CHRONOLOGY; INTRODUCTION; GUIDE TO FURTHER READING; NOTES; INDEX

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Book SynopsisIn October 1726, newspapers began reporting a remarkable event. In the town of Godalming in Surrey, a woman called Mary Toft had started to give birth to rabbits. Several leading doctors - some sent directly by King George I - travelled to examine the woman and she was moved to London to be closer to them. By December, she had been accused of fraud and taken into custody. Mary Toft''s unusual deliveries caused a media sensation. Her rabbit births were a test case for doctors trying to further their knowledge about the processes of reproduction and pregnancy. The rabbit births prompted not just public curiosity and scientific investigation, but also a vicious backlash. Based on extensive new archival research, this book is the first in-depth re-telling of this extraordinary story. Karen Harvey situates the rabbit-births within the troubled community of Godalming and the women who remained close to Mary Toft as the case unfolded, exploring the motivations of the medics who examined her, Trade ReviewThe story is told well, and its different dimensions all carefully analysed * Mark Knights, Cultural and Social History *In a captivating new interpretation, Karen Harvey takes on the well-known tale of Mary Toft giving birth to rabbits and resituates it, bringing considerable erudition, empathy, and energy to the task. * Linda A. Pollock, Early Modern Women: An Interdisciplinary Journal *[Harvey's] book provides fascinating insights into the social context surrounding the "Rabbit Woman" case while never losing sight of what remains a rattling good story - a potboiler indeed. * Wendy Moore, The Guardian *The cultural historian Karen Harvey returns [Mary Toft] to the centre of her own story - and, through her, examines the place of poor women in the 18th century ... Harvey deserves credit for the immense amount of research that has produced what feels like a definitive account ... there is much to be said for the timeliness of this story about credulity and hysteria in the age of science. * Robert Leigh-Pemberton, The Daily Telegraph *The Imposteress Rabbit Breeder is a cracking read of a story that seems impossible to believe but it was all too true. * Paul Donnelley, The Express *[An] amply detailed study ... Harvey fills out the case fascinatingly, to create a view of the country and city in a shifting era ... her extraordinary narrative will surely be savoured by a wide audience. * Christopher Hawtree, The Spectator *Harvey's clear-eyed authority and strenuous examination of Toft's story lays bare a fascinating moment in English society. * Tanya Sweeney, The Irish Independent *The book's neat and rigorous analysis provides a thought-provoking glimpse into the England of 1726. It is also, rightly, an effort to restore some dignity to the woman at the centre of the story. * Louise Perry, Standpoint *Powerful and detailed ... The Imposteress Rabbit Breeder is an engaging and emotive volume, capturing an extraordinary event from the early Georgian era. It should appeal to anyone with an interest in this period, but its broad scope and thorough analysis suggest it will find a much wider readership. * All About History *[The Imposteress Rabbit Breeder] is absolutely superb. It's one of the best microhistories that I've read. * James Daybell, Histories of the Unexpected *Harvey's account of Mary Toft's "births" and their social, medical and cultural contexts, is an excellent demonstration of modern historical scholarship: scrupulously researched from a wide variety of sources, but empathetic in its delivery and tone. It is also an exemplary model for what can be achieved when seemingly anomalous events are examined by way of a deeper dive into their wider social and cultural contexts. * Ross MacFarlane, The Fortean Times *[Harvey] has quarried out information about the culture at the time - the medical world, the world of rich courtiers and noblemen, the condition of the poor both male and female. It is rich in footnotes and in the specialized language of cultural studies ... The story still fascinates. * Celia Haddon, The Salisbury Review *Harvey's remarkable achievement is to have gripped our attention with this extraordinary but true story. * Anthony Fletcher, History *Harvey offers [...] a new and valuable perspective from which scholars with interests in histories of midwifery, medicine, and gender will gain a great deal ... Harvey's deliberate and well-calculated focus on questions of town and country, man and woman, practitioner and patient is a key strength of this book, and one which changes our perspective on a story we thought we knew well. Accessible and enjoyable for scholars, students, and the public, this book is a valuable and insightful addition to any bookshelf. * Dr Ashleigh Blackwood, De Partu (History of Midwifery and Childbirth Research Group) *A fantastically rich and beautifully executed book. * Helen Berry, author of Orphans of Empire: The Fate of London's Foundlings *Harvey uses the famous rabbit birth fraud to train a light on country, town and city, social divisions, female touch and patriarchal power, medicine, the law and politics - and at the heart of it all a piteous woman testifying to her bodily sufferings and visceral losses. A detective story in the noble tradition of Natalie Zemon Davis' The Return of Martin Guerre. * Amanda Vickery, author of Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England *Table of ContentsPrelude I: Surrey 1: The town: 'peaceable neighbours who are willing to live quietly' 2: The women: 'they workt for me' 3: The births: 'a Fact of which there was no Instance in Nature' II: London 4: The bagnio: 'several persons of distinction' 5: Confession: 'I was loath She should touch me' 6: The punishment: 'some judge very hard of ye poor woman' III: The public 7: The press: a 'filthy story at best' 8: Body politics: 'the beautiful uniform Order' 9: Afterlife: 'The Impostress Rabbett breeder'

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Book SynopsisJohannes Kepler (1571-1630) was one of the most admired astronomers who ever lived and a key figure in the scientific revolution. A defender of Copernicus s sun-centred universe, he famously discovered that planets move in ellipses, and defined the three laws of planetary motion. Perhaps less well known is that in 1615, when Kepler was at the height of his career, his widowed mother Katharina was accused of witchcraft. The proceedings led to a criminal trial that lasted six years, with Kepler conducting his mother''s defence. In The Astronomer and the Witch, Ulinka Rublack pieces together the tale of this extraordinary episode in Kepler''s life, one which takes us to the heart of his changing world. First and foremost an intense family drama, the story brings to life the world of a small Lutheran community in the centre of Europe at a time of deep religious and political turmoil - a century after the Reformation, and on the threshold of the Thirty Years'' War.Kepler''s defence of his mother also offers us a fascinating glimpse into the great astronomer''s world view, on the cusp between Reformation and scientific revolution. While advancing rational explanations for the phenomena which his mother''s accusers attributed to witchcraft, Kepler nevertheless did not call into question the existence of magic and witches. On the contrary, he clearly believed in them. And, as the story unfolds, it appears that there were moments when even Katharina''s children wondered whether their mother really did have nothing to hide...Trade ReviewCompelling. * Hannah Murphy, Isis Review *Ulinka Rublack shows wonderful sensitivity about mothers, old age, and female struggles, as she unpicks the trial of Johannes Kepler's mother for witchcraft. * Marina Warner, Book of the Year 2015, Observer *An enthralling book. * Jennifer Rampling, Nature *Excellent ... meticulously researched and wonderfully readable. * John Banville, Literary Review *Ulinka Rublack's book about Katharina Kepler, and her sons extraordinary defence of her, is fine-grained microhistory, but it's also revealing of the larger ideas that framed their world ... Superstition and science, rather than being successive stages in the ascent of reason, co-existed so closely and dynamically that the definition of neither is reliable. The Astronomer and the Witch illustrates this complexity, and its transitions, with agility and sensitivity. * Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books *[an] important new book ... [which] offers an extended meditation on family relationships, and in particular that indelible but intangible bond between a mother and her son. * Jan Machielsen, Times Literary Supplement *[A] superb study ... The author wanted her book to provide a "better understanding of individuals, but also of families, a community, and an age". It succeeds triumphantly. * Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald *Rublack tells [this] story with a novelist's panache. Even if you know what happened, it's a compelling book. She sketches the vivid details that make the time, place and characters come to life ... The Tale of the Witch and the Mathematician - unmissable. * Mark Greener, Fortean Times *In 1615, an illiterate widow is accused of witchcraft in a German town. Her son, the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler, conducts her defence in a trial that drags on for six years. In this enthralling book, Ulinka Rublack reconstructs the struggle over Katharina Kepler's fate. We enter a small-town world of rivalries, friendships, deference, power and vulnerability, a world in which religious faith, scientific knowledge and folk belief are dangerously intertwined. Vividly drawn and subtly observed, The Astronomer and the Witch opens a window onto the inner life of a past that is strange and remote, but also unsettlingly familiar. * Christopher Clark *Table of ContentsTIMELINE OF JOHANNES KEPLER'S LIFE, 1571-1620; NOTE ON DATES; LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS; MAPS; PROLOGUE; NOTES; FURTHER READING AND VIEWING; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe vexed and sometimes shocking story of Martin Luther, one of the most important figures in modern European history, and his increasingly vitriolic attitudes towards the Jews - as well as the ominous legacy of Luther's anti-semitism for the future of Germany in the centuries to comeTrade ReviewThis is a learned, well-written, and carefully argued examination of Martin Luther's writings and the place of anti-Jewish motifs and arguments in many of these works. * Scott Ury, Tel Aviv University, Religious Studies Review *This book is a remarkable and timely volume that is the result of the confluence of a number of important lines of inquiry in epistemology, philosophy of religion and theology. . . this text provides helpful standalone essays that can accompany units on standard issues within the theology curriculum. . . the constructive systematician will find in many of these essays valuable guidance regarding how to go about constructive work in a manner that is epistemically responsible. . . This volume excels as such a cardinal text and will be a required resource for any wishing to make a future contribution to theological topics that touch in any way on epistemic issues. * International Journal of Systematic Theology *As this short, scholarly, and brilliantly-illuminating study shows, the line between anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism is both blurry and easily breached... No one is better able to make sense of Luthers views than Kaufmann, who has been working on the subject for the best part of 40 years. With a complete mastery of Luthers writings and the context in which he wrote, he uncovers the particular prompts that led Luther to sound so contradictory, while he also reveals the continuities in his thought. * William Whyte, Church Times *Scrupulously fair, crisply translated and surprisingly relevant. * Tom Moriarty, The Irish Times *Excellent * Peter Marshall, Tablet *An immaculately scrupulous and compelling study * Edward Pearce, Tribune *By showing the depth of Luther's anti-Judaism, and his commitment to early-modern anti-Semitism, Kaufmann hopes to break the reverence Protestants have for Luther, for this has retarded their efforts to come to terms with their relationship to the Jews after the Holocaust (151). Kaufmann does not hold Luther directly responsible for the Holocaust, but he insists that he was a factor in helping to make it possible. Hence, the only way forward is to accept 'that we can no more put our faith blindly in Luther's theology than responsible 21st century adults would voluntarily place themselves in the hands of a 16th-century surgeon' (11). * Reading Religion *Table of ContentsIntroduction: 'Luther's Jews' - an unavoidable topic 1: Neighbours yet strangers - Jews on the fringes of Luther's world 2: The Church's Enemies - Luther's early theological position on the Jews 3: The Jews' Friend? Luther's 'Reformation' of Attitudes towards the Jews 4: Hopes disappointed, expectations fulfilled: The late 1520s and the 1530s 5: The Final Battle for the Bible: Luther's Vicious Writings 6: Mixed Responses: The History of the Reception of Luther's Attitude to the Jews from the 16th to the 20th Century Conclusion: A Fallible Human Being Sources and bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe three centuries which followed the conquests of Alexander are perhaps the most thrilling of all periods of ancient history. This was an age of cultural globalization: in the third century BC, a single language carried you from the Rhône to the Indus. A Celt from the lower Danube could serve in the mercenary army of a Macedonian king ruling in Egypt, and a Greek philosopher from Cyprus could compare the religions of the Brahmins and the Jews on the basis of first-hand knowledge of both. Kings from Sicily to Tajikistan struggled to meet the challenges of ruling multi-ethnic states, and Greek city-states came together under the earliest federal governments known to history. The scientists of Ptolemaic Alexandria measured the circumference of the earth, while pioneering Greek argonauts explored the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic coast of Africa. Drawing on inscriptions, papyri, coinage, poetry, art, and archaeology, in this Very Short Introduction Peter Thonemann opens up the history and culture of the vast Hellenistic world, from the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) to the Roman conquest of the Ptolemaic kingdom (30 BC).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 ReviewHaving worked on the history and historiography of the Hellenistic world and Middle Roman Republic for over twenty-five years, I gained a firmer synoptic grasp of my subject from reading this book. I can think of no higher praise than that for a book of this type. * Craig B. Champion, The American Historical Review *Review from previous edition Those looking to find a concise and stimulating introduction to the Hellenistic world need look no further than this excellent pocket-sized volume. * Mark Thorne, The Classical Journal *A beautiful little jewel * Greece & Rome *Peter Thonemann's short, straightforward, but sharply written introductory volume, The Hellenistic Age, exemplifies a different trend, a miniature encapsulation of a complex world. * Carol Atack, Times Literary Supplement *In displaying his enthusiasm for the diversity of the Hellenistic world and the achievements funded by its monarchies, Thonemann rightly underlines the brutality of conflicts that spread far beyond the Mediterranean. * Carol Atack, Times Literary Supplement *Pocket-sized, highly engaging and packed full of varied and fascinating information the perfect introduction to an enthralling era. * Lucia Marchini, Minerva *Peter Thonemann's introduction to arguably one of the most fascinating of all epochs of human history may be very short but it is also very brilliant: wide-ranging, sharply focused, and deeply illuminating. * Paul Cartledge *most usefully, in a work that aims to inspire further investigation among sixth formers, undergraduates and interested general readers, there is an eclectic range of books and articles cited as further reading for each chapter. In a small compass Thonemann successfully evokes the great variety and complexity of Hellenistic civilisation * Claire Gruzelier, Classics for All *Table of ContentsPreface 1: The idea of the Hellenistic 2: From Alexander to Augustus 3: Demetrius the Besieger and Hellenistic kingship 4: Eratosthenes and the system of the world 5: Encounters 6: Priene Timeline Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisIn this penetrating analysis of the role of political leadership in the Cold War''s ending, Archie Brown shows why the popular view that Western economic and military strength left the Soviet Union with no alternative but to admit defeat is wrong. To understand the significance of the parts played by Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in East-West relations in the second half of the 1980s, Brown addresses several specific questions: What were the values and assumptions of these leaders, and how did their perceptions evolve? What were the major influences on them? To what extent were they reflecting the views of their own political establishment or challenging them? How important for ending the East-West standoff were their interrelations? Would any of the realistically alternative leaders of their countries at that time have pursued approximately the same policies? The Cold War got colder in the early 1980s and the relationship between the two military superpowers, Trade ReviewThe Human Factor is in many respects the culmination of Archie Brown's long and distinguished career as a scholar and writer. It is full of a lifetime's achievement of wisdom and thought. * Fiona Hill, Brookings Institution, Washington DC *Brown's book is a superb achievement, a balanced, judicious and authoritative account of a foundation event of our contemporary world * Christopher Read, Diplomacy and Statecraft *A fascinating and instructive read ... Everybody will learn something from this first-class book. * Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times *A masterly survey of the end of the cold war and the roles played in it by Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. * Tony Barber, The Financial Times *Lucidly written and scholarly. * The Spectator *Browns narrative is peppered with anecdotes that add texture to our knowledge of the period. At times he injects great humour. At others, as in his retelling of the failed coup against Gorbachev and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, he infuses the narrative with drama and gripping suspense * , English Historical Review *In The Human Factor, Brown zooms out from analyzing Soviet decision-making and asks a broader question about why the Cold War ended. Scholars have proposed multiple explanations for the Cold War's end... but Brown encourages readers to focus on the personalities at the top of both the Soviet party-state and Western governments. * Chris Miller, The Russian Review *It is often a challenge for historians to find the right balance between the human factor and the historical forces at play. The value of Archie Brown's study [...] is that it does precisely that. * Christopher Coker, Literary Review *What The Human Factor does do, and does so well, is provide a fascinating new perspective on already well-trodden ground. * All About History *Brown devotes several fine-grained biographical chapters to the "making" of Gorbachev, the "rise" of Reagan, and the "moulding" of the "Iron Lady", and then traces the three leaders interactions... The result is a compelling picture of what led [them] to act as they did and how the difference each one made differed from the impact of the others. * William Taubman, The Political Quarterly *... magisterial work... based on a wealth of sources in Russian and English... The Human Factor is as much a fine work of foreign policy analysis as it is Cold War history... a fascinating, close-structured narrative. * Christopher Hill, Cold War History *Brown's narrative is peppered with anecdotes that add texture to our knowledge of the period. At times... he injects great humour. At others, as in his retelling of the failed coup against Gorbachev and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, he infuses the narrative with drama and gripping suspense... * English Historical Review *... splendid new book...The Human Factor makes a major contribution to scholarship and policy analysis. * Bruce Parrott, Journal of Cold War Studies *...a thought-provoking book...I highly recommend this book to readers. Brown is right to highlight the human factor in the ending of the Cold War...the sharpness of many of Browns insights, condensed with commendable crispness in this 500-page [make the book an], eminently readable foray into a highly contentious subject. * Sergey Radchenko, Slavic Review *The book is crammed with information, is well-written, and shows that Brown has a dry sense of humour. * SCRSS Newsletter *Here and elsewhere, as he once did for the leaders about whom he now writes, Archie Brown's scholarship can provide wisdom and hope. * James Graham Wilson, H-DIPLO *Another tour de force from Archie Brown: detailed scholarship, elegant prose and a clear argument. Read this book to find why we should not ignore the human factor underpinning great historical shifts. A fascinating account of how the Cold War ended, explored through the personal interactions between three world leaders - Gorbachev, Reagan and Thatcher. * Bridget Kendall MBE, former BBC Diplomatic Moscow and Washington Correspondent *Table of ContentsIntroduction PART 1 1: The Cold War and its Dangers 2: The Making of Mikhail Gorbachev 3: Gorbachev's Widening Horizons 4: The Rise of Ronald Reagan 5: Reagan's First Term 6: Margaret Thatcher: The Moulding of the 'Iron Lady' 7: Thatcher and the Turn to Engagement with Communist Europe PART 2 8: Breaking the ice (1985) 9: Nuclear Fallout: Chernobyl and Reykjavik (1986 10: Building trust (1987) 11: The End of the Ideological Divide (1988) 12: The End of the Cold War (1989) 13: Why the Cold War Ended When it Did 14: Unintended Consequences (1990) 15: Final Year - of the USSR and of Gorbachev's Power (1991) 16: Political Leadership and the End of the Cold War: Concluding Reflections Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe sugar planter Simon Taylor, who claimed ownership of over 2,248 enslaved people in Jamaica at the point of his death in 1813, was one of the wealthiest slaveholders ever to have lived in the British empire.Slavery was central to the eighteenth-century empire. Between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries, hundreds of thousands of enslaved people were brought from Africa to the Caribbean to toil and die within the brutal slave regime of the region, most of them destined for a life of labour on large sugar plantations. Their forced labour provided the basis for the immense fortunes of plantation owners like Taylor; it also produced wealth that poured into Britain. However, a tumultuous period that saw the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions, as well as the rise of the abolitionist movement, witnessed new attacks on slavery and challenged the power of a once-confident slaveholder elite.In White Fury, Christer Petley uses Taylor''s rich and expressive letters to allow us aTrade ReviewWhite Fury tells a highly readable complete story... the volume is thoroughly researched and it is well-illustrated. * Robert Davis, New York Review of Books *[A]n exceptional book that will become a major point of reference for historians of the 18th-century Caribbean and scholars investigating the sudden abolition of the British slave trade in 1807... White Fury is a powerful contribution to scholarship on the British Atlantic in the age of revolutions, and it deserves to be widely read. * Reviews in History *Petleys brilliant biography of [Simon] Taylor (17401813)... not only describes the complicated feelings of a patriotic planter whose warm regard for his British heritage was increasingly not reciprocated by a Britain coming to think of planters as evil and retrograde but also captures the many challenges and opportunities available within the plantation economy during the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. * , Reviews in American History *Petley mines hundreds of extant letters written by Taylor, as well as a wide range of printed sources, to craft a highly readable account of the aspirations, everyday realities and crises faced by Jamaica's richest sugar planter... Petley has produced a smart, accessible biography of one of the most important slaveholders in the eighteenth-century British empire. * Brooke Newman, Journal of Eighteenth Century Studies *A subtle, sensitive and marvellously evocative biography of Jamaica's richest and most powerful planter, bringing powerfully to life the brutal but highly productive slave system which undergirded the success of the British Empire in the late eighteenth century. * Trevor Burnard, University of Melbourne *A revealing and persuasive account of one man's life at the centre of Britains slave empire in the Caribbean. In subtly tracing Simon Taylor's 'white fury' provoked by the movement for abolition Petley offers an original and provocative account of British slavery as it entered its death throes. * James Walvin, author of A Short History of Slavery *[A]n exceptional book that will become a major point of reference for historians of the 18th-century Caribbean and scholars investigating the sudden abolition of the British slave trade in 1807... White Fury is a powerful contribution to scholarship on the British Atlantic in the age of revolutions, and it deserves to be widely read. * Reviews in History *Table of ContentsIntroductionPart I: Foundations and Aspiration1: A West Indian Life2: Slave Empire3: Sugar and StrifePart II: Crises and Frustration4: The American Revolution5: Reactions6: New Revolutions7: War and AbolitionConclusions and LegaciesNotesFurther ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisBetween the winter of 1936 and the autumn of 1938, approximately three quarters of a million Soviet citizens were subject to summary execution. More than a million others were sentenced to lengthy terms in labour camps. Commonly known as ''Stalin''s Great Terror'', it is also among the most misunderstood moments in the history of the twentieth century. The Terror gutted the ranks of factory directors and engineers after three years in which all major plan targets were met. It raged through the armed forces on the eve of the Nazi invasion. The wholesale slaughter of party and state officials was in danger of making the Soviet state ungovernable. The majority of these victims of state repression in this period were accused of participating in counter-revolutionary conspiracies. Almost without exception, there was no substance to the claims and no material evidence to support them. By the time the terror was brought to a close, most of its victims were ordinary Soviet citizens for whom ''Trade ReviewHarris does an admirable job of bringing the major fears and concerns of the Soviet leadership into focus, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Japan's incursions deep into China to resentment of the regime among peasants. * Robert W. Thurston, Journal of Modern History *One can only applaud him [Harris] for tackling the most vexing and morally charged issues in Soviet history, and for doing so in a crisply, succinctly written volume ... A brief review such as this cannot do justice to Harris's nuanced argument and careful use of sources. The volume is not only a valuable contribution to the literature but also a book that, because of its coverage and readability, will work well in undergraduate classes. * William J. Chase, The Russian Review *[a] well-researched and tightly argued study ... [Harris] has produced the most important book we have on the origins of the great purges. But in the process he has done more than that. The chapters tracing the story up to the perfect storm of 1937 are in themselves a very attractive general survey of the first two decades of Soviet history. This clearly written book will be required reading for specialists in the field; general readers will find it useful as a compact survey of the state of the field. * Arch Getty, History *The Great Fear presents a nuanced reading of history drawing on a number of primary sources; its strength is to see the Great Terror in the context of world and Russian events which contribute to the structure of society and mindset of the people in power, rather than as the result of one's man's paranoia or capriciousness ... for those with a keen interest in Soviet history, this excellent book is a must for the light it throws on a dramatic and appalling period of the regime's history. * Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings blog *sparkles with learning * Andre van Loon, The Australian *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Fear and Violence 2: Peace and Insecurity 3: The Uncertain Dictatorship 4: The Great Break 5: Relaxation? 6: Tensions Mount 7: The Perfect Storm Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisBefore Winston Churchill made history, he made news. To a great extent, the news made him too. If it was his own efforts that made him a hero, it was the media that made him a celebrity - and it has been considerably responsible for perpetuating his memory and shaping his reputation in the years since his death. Churchill first made his name via writing and journalism in the years before 1900, the money he earned helping to support his political career (at a time when MPs did not get salaries). Journalistic activities were also important to him later, as he struggled in the interwar years to find the wherewithal to run and maintain Chartwell, his country house in Kent. Moreover, not only was journalism an important aspect of Churchill''s political persona, but he himself was a news-obsessive throughout his life. The story of Churchill and the news is, on one level, a tale of tight deadlines, off-the-record briefings and smoke-filled newsrooms, of wartime summits that were turned into stage-managed global media events, and of often tense interactions with journalists and powerful press proprietors, such as Lords Northcliffe, Rothermere, and Beaverbrook. Uncovering the symbiotic relationship between Churchill''s political life and his media life, and the ways in which these were connected to his personal life, Richard Toye asks if there was a ''public Churchill'' whose image was at odds with the behind-the-scenes reality, or whether, in fact, his private and public selves became seamlessly blended as he adjusted to living in the constant glare of the media spotlight.On a wider level, this is also the story of a rapidly evolving media and news culture in the first half of the twentieth century, and of what the contemporary reporting of Churchill''s life (including by himself) can tell us about the development of this culture, over a period spanning from the Victorian era through to the space age.Trade ReviewWinston Churchill - A Life in the News is also the story of a rapidly evolving media and news culture in the first half of the twentieth century, and of what the contemporary reporting of Churchill's life (including by himself) can tell us about the development of this culture, over a period spanning from the Victorian era through to the space age. * Cosmopolis *Winston Churchill: A Life in the News sheds a fresh light on one of the best-studied statesmen, exploring the "symbiotic relationship" between Churchill's political life, journalistic career, and media persona. * Stefan Goebel, Journal of British Studies *[An] original study ... Toye is surely correct in seeing the journalism as central to the career of a man whose life was dominated by the news he did much to create. * A.W. Purdue, Times Higher Education *[Toyes] research underpins a clear-eyed, not uncritical but almost always fairminded account of a man whose heroic stature he recognizes but whose prejudices and blunders he also wants on the record. [His] energetic and dedicated scrutiny of Churchills actions, language and image is important and useful work, of interest far beyond academia. There is much good and even original stuff in [this book]. * Anne Chisholm, Times Literary Supplement *A timely and engaging volume ... With Winston Churchill: A Life in the News, Toye has made another significant contribution to Churchill studies. * W. Mark Hamilton, Finest Hour, the journal of the International Churchill Society *This meticulously researched and engaging book shows how the consummate statesman created his public image and why his fame and accomplishments have endured. * Dean Jobb, Washington Independent Review of Books *In Churchill: A Life in the News we encounter both the bombastic and the deeply insecure sides to Churchill's complex personality. The book stands not only as a testament to the effects of the media on personal leadership styles, but it forces us to reflect on how the changing media environment affects the way we are governed. It is a timely reminder of the excesses and limitations of the press in the modern political age. * Professor Jo Fox, Institute of Historical Research *Richard Toye once again brilliantly illuminates a critical side of Winston Churchill's complex life. This original, important, and highly-readable book is teeming with shrewd judgements and fresh insights. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Churchill's political career or modern news culture. * Christopher M. Bell, author of Churchill and the Dardanelles and Churchill and Sea Power *Fascinating ... The attention to detail in this book is admirable. * Chris Green, Suffolk and Norfolk Life *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: A Pushing Age 2: Stage Thunder 3: Any Home News? 4: Hell with the Lid Off 5: Born to Trouble 6: 'Worse than the Nazis' 7: 'The War is not Fought to Amuse the Newspapers' 8: Whose Finger? Conclusion

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Book SynopsisXenophon recounted several Socratic dialogues which included his Symposium and Oeconomicus and both are concerned with Athenian private life. They are literary creations that reveal Xenophon as a skilled literary artist, an innovative thinker, and far from merely reflecting the conventional thinking of the world around him.Trade ReviewThis edition of Xenophon's Oeconomicus and Symposium features a high-quality translation by Anthony Verity and a thought-provoking introduction by Emily Baragwanath. It is Baragwanath's introduction that makes this edition stand out from the competition. * David M. Johnson, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Baragwanath guides the reader through the two works, highlighting areas of interest and possible influences upon Xenophon's choice of topics. Baragwanath also provides a succinct description of a Socratic dialogue, which both Estate Management and Symposium are, emphasizing that the genre is most likely one of fiction in which "an author uses Socrates as a vehicle for exploring his own ideas". The repeated comparisons between Xenophon's Symposium and Plato's work of the same name were particularly illuminating in this regard, demonstrating how students of the same teacher could reach vastly different conclusions....Verity has done an admirable job of rendering the Greek in readable English. * Owain Williams, Ancient History *This little book gives a fine account of these two works of Xenophon, both for those who are familiar and unfamiliar with him. * Colin McDonald, Classics for All *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography OECONOMICUS SYMPOSIUM Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisThe Ordnance Survey and Modern Irish Literature offers a fresh new look at the origins of literary modernism in Ireland, tracing a history of Irish writing through James Clarence Mangan, J.M. Synge, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Samuel Beckett. Beginning with the archives of the Ordnance Survey, which mapped Ireland between 1824 and 1846, the book argues that one of the sources of Irish modernism lies in the attempt by the Survey to produce a comprehensive archive of a land emerging rapidly into modernity. The Ordnance Survey instituted a practice of depicting the country as modern, fragmented, alienated, and troubled, both diagnosing and representing a landscape burdened with the paradoxes of colonial modernity. Subsequent literature returns in varying ways, both imitative and combative, to the complex representational challenge that the Survey confronts and seeks to surmount. From a colonial mapping project to an engine of nationalist imagining, and finally a framework by which to evade the claims of the postcolonial nation, the Ordnance Survey was a central imaginative source of what makes Irish modernist writing both formally innovative and politically challenging. Drawing on literary theory, studies of space, the history of cartography, postcolonial theory, archive theory, and the field Irish Studies, The Ordnance Survey and Modern Irish Literature paints a picture of Irish writing deeply engaged in the representation of a multi-layered landscape.Trade Reviewan important new study ... startlingly original schema * Sinéad Sturgeon, Times Literary Supplement *... convincingly describes a uniquely Irish modernist aesthetic which is grounded in one of the islands most intense moments of cultural and material cartography, and should prove useful for a wide range of scholars interested in the intersections of history, geography, and literature. * Sinéad Sturgeon, Stephen O'Neill, Irish Studies Review *The Ordnance Survey and Modern Irish Literature opens fertile new ground and will surely encourage scholars with nicely polished looking glasses to further scrutinize the relationship between the British Empire's cartographic project and Ireland's modernist literary projects. * Vivian Valvano Lynch, Léirmheasanna: Reviews *The Survey, for Parsons, is one of the "many possible and actual starting points of a history of Irish modernity and modernism," and what emerges in the book is a brilliant and fresh analysis of the ways in which James Clarence Mangan, John Millington Synge, James Joyce, and Samuel Beckett engage with such a cartographical heritage and postcolonial imperative. * Malcolm Sen, Breac: A Digital Journal of Irish Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Maps, Modernity, Modernism I. Archives 1: Archive: The Ordnance Survey Letters 2: Anarchive: James Clarence Mangan among the Ruins II. Scales 3: The Scales of Modernity I: The Aran Islands 4: The Scales of Modernity II: Ulysses' Encyclopedic Narrative Epilogue 5: "Accursed Progenitor!": Beckett's Abstract Landscapes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA book of social commentary informed by the history of England. It forms an analysis of the problems of newly industrialized England both by invoking historical events and by dissecting contemporary issues.Trade ReviewIt is delightful to come across a polished textbook such as this one that invites scholars to use its resources, and then guides them towards further research. * Anna Faktorovich, Pennsylvania Literary Journal *Students and teachers of this book will find this to very beneficial...it is delightful to come across a polished textbook such as this one that invites scholars to use its resources, and then guides them towards further research. It is absolutely necessary for all types of international libraries to include this edition of this socially-impactful classic. * Pennsylvania Literary Journa *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle Context and Chronology of Chronica Jocelini de Brakelond PAST AND PRESENT Explanatory Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe police are constantly under scrutiny. They are criticized for failings, praised for successes, and hailed as heroes for their sacrifices. Starting from the premise that every society has norms and ways of dealing with transgressors, A Short History of Police and Policing traces the evolution of the multiple forms of ''policing'' that existed in the past. It examines the historical development of the various bodies, individuals, and officials who carried these out in different societies, in Europe and European colonies, but also with reference to countries such as ancient Egypt, China, and the USA. By demonstrating that policing was never the exclusive dominion of the police, and that the institution of the police, as we know it today, is a relatively recent creation, Professor Emsley explores the idea and reality of policing, and shows how an institution we now call ''the police'' came to be virtually universal in our modern world.Table of ContentsIntroduction: What's in a Name 1: From the Classical World to the Medieval 2: Monks, Bailiffs, Constables, and Others 3: Frome Concepts to Institutions 4: Shaping Institutions 5: Patrolmen, Detectives, and Policing by the Community 6: Beyond Europe 7: International Policing, Wartime, and Innovations 8: Another War; Another Peace Conclusion

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Book SynopsisRussia today is as prominent in international affairs as it was at the height of the Cold War. Yet the role that the economy plays in supporting Russia''s position as a ''great power'' on the international stage is poorly understood. For many, Russia''s political influence far exceeds its weight in the global economy. However, Russia is one of the largest economies in the world; it is not only one of the world''s most important exporters of oil and gas, but also of other natural resources, such as diamonds and gold. Its status as one of the largest wheat and grain exporters shapes commodity prices across the globe, while Russia''s enormous arms industry, second only to the United States, provides it with the means to pursue an increasingly assertive foreign policy. All this means that Russia''s economy is crucial in serving the country''s political objectives, both within Russia and across the world. Russia today has a distinctly political type of economy that is neither the planned economy of the Soviet era, nor a market-based economy of the Euro-Atlantic variety. Instead, its economic system is characterised by a unique blend of state and market; control and freedom; and natural resources alongside human ingenuity. The Russian Economy: A Very Short Introduction introduces readers to the dimensions of the Russian economy that are often ignored by the media and public figures, or exaggerated and misunderstood. In doing so, it shows how Russia''s economy is one of global significance, and helps explain why many of Russia''s enduring features, such as the heavy hand of the state and the emphasis on military-industrial production, have persisted despite the immense changes that took place after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.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 ReviewPresents an overview of the Russian economy over the last 500 years, chronicling its developments and characteristics from the first emergence of the Russian empire to the twenty-first-century regime of Vladimir Putin. * Journal of Economic Literature (Volume 59, no. 1) *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of illustrations 1: Factors shaping Russian economic development 2: The Soviet planned economy 3: The creation of a market 4: The reassertion of the state 5: From modernisation to isolation 6: Russia in the global economy 7: Whither the Russian economy? References Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe story of the British army, from its inception in the late seventeenth century to the present.This new concise history by one of Britain''s leading military historians explores the British army from the creation of a permanent standing army in the seventeenth century to the present. It sets the institutional development of the British army, and its often ambiguous relationship with state and society, as well as the army''s wider political, social, economic, and cultural role within international, imperial, national, regional, and local contexts. An army exists to fight, however, and the British army''s story cannot be separated from those wars and conflicts that have punctuated its evolution. Consequently, attention is also paid to the army''s commanders, operations, and battlefields from the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the seventeenth century to Iraq and Afghanistan in the twenty-first. Beckett traces the army''s evolution through five chronological phases: the standing army of tTrade ReviewAn impressive account of a key force not only in British but also in world history. * Jeremy Black, Emeritus Professor *Beckett has provided an intellectual treat. * Edward M. Spiers, Emeritus Professor *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction 1: A Standing Army 2: A National Army 3: An Imperial Army 4: A People's Army 5: A Global Army Appendix: Major Wars and Campaigns since 1661

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Book SynopsisNegotiating a Settlement in Northern Ireland, 1969-2019 addresses the topical question of Northern Ireland's peace process and the manner in which it was negotiated.Trade ReviewA valuable, timely, and important book. Based on first-hand sources, the volume rightly stresses the long-term complexity of an extraordinary process. * Richard English, author of Does Terrorism Work? A History *This remarkable book combines historical archive, candid political interviews, and insightful scholarly analysis. Having had the foresight to gather recollections of those on all sides of Northern Ireland's long peace process in the wake of the 1998 Agreement, Coakley and Todd now bring this rich resource to deepen understanding of such negotiations and, indeed, of a painstakingly-crafted peace. * Katy Hayward, Queen's University Belfast *Coakley and Todd have delivered a first-class volume, a very impressive piece of work measured against any standard, coming out at a time when British-Irish relations, and the Northern Ireland institutions, are in a profound crisis because of Brexit. * John McGarry, Queens University Ontario *This is a wonderfully rich and insightful study of repeated efforts by the British and Irish governments to bring an end to violent conflict in Northern Ireland. It is both an original work of political analysis and a treasure trove of primary materials. No scholar can write in the future about the role of the two governments in peace-making in Northern Ireland without reference to this book. * Niall O' Dochartaigh, Administration *Table of Contents1: Introduction: Defining Moments in the British-Irish Relationship 2: The Sunningdale Agreement, 1973 3: The Anglo-Irish Agreement, 1985 4: The Downing Street Declaration and Framework Documents, 1993-95 5: The Good Friday Agreement, 1998: Negotiation 6: The Good Friday Agreement, 1998: Implementation 7: Conclusion: Benchmarks from the British-Irish Process

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Book Synopsis''I am doing your Majesty some service here, whilst I am preparing the story of your sufferings; that posterity may know by whose default the nation was even overwhelmed with calamities, and by whose virtue it was redeemed.''Clarendon''s massive History has since its first publication in 1702-4 dominated our images of the English Civil War. Written by a man who for over a quarter of a century was one of the closest advisers to Charles I and Charles II, it contains a remarkably frank account of the inadequacies of royalist policy-making as well as an astute analysis of the principles and practice of government. Clarendon chronicles in absorbing detail the factions and intrigues, the rise of Cromwell and the death of Charles I, the bloody battles and the eventual Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 after the Interregnum. He brings to life the key players in a series of brilliant character portraits, and his account is admired as much for its literary quality as its historical value. This

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Book SynopsisThe history of National Socialism as movement and regime remains one of the most compelling and intensively studied aspects of twentieth-century history, and one whose significance extends far beyond Germany or even Europe alone. This volume presents an up-to-date and authoritative introduction to the history of Nazi Germany, with ten chapters on the most important themes, each by an expert in the field. Following an introduction which sets out the challenges this period of history has posed to historians since 1945, contributors explain how Nazism emerged as ideology and political movement; how Hitler and his party took power and remade the German state; and how the Nazi ''national community'' was organized around a radical and eventually lethal distinction between the ''included'' and the ''excluded''. Further chapters discuss the complex relationship between Nazism and Germany''s religious faiths; the perverse economic rationality of the regime; the path to war laid down by Hitler''Trade ReviewExcellent...work of exceptional quality. It is difficult to think of a better guide to Nazi Germany (even in German). It should gain an immediate place at the top of all reading lists. * Joachim Whaley, Journal of European Studies *In a brief format it provides a broad, state-of-the-art picture of Nazi Germany. The editor and the authors deserve credit for this service to scholars and teachers of the field. * Moritz Follmer, English Historical Review. *Jane Caplan's book encompasses overviews on the most important topics on an up-to-date level by experts who have established reputations from major research publications on their area...in their effort to combine precise information with balanced reflection of historical perspectives, most of those chapters achieve a remarkably high level of density while still being readable. This is no small achievement. * Magnus Brechtken, Times Higher Education Supplement *Caplan and her team of authors have succeeded in producing an extremely useful volume, which will definitely become standard reading for all university courses on National Socialism. * Patrick Bernhard, European History Quarterly. *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Emergence of Nazi Ideology ; 2. The NSDAP, 1919-34: From Fringe Politics to the Seizure of Power ; 3. Hitler and the Nazi State: Leadership, Hierarchy, and Power ; 4. Inclusion: Building the National Community in Propaganda and Practice ; 5. The Policy of Exclusion: Repression in the Nazi State, 1933-9 ; 6. Religion and the Churches ; 7. The Economic History of the Nazi Regime ; 8. Foreign Policy in Peace and War ; 9. Occupation, Imperialism and Genocide, 1939-45 ; 10. The Third Reich in Postwar German Memory ; Further Reading ; Chronology ; Maps

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Book SynopsisThis beautifully illustrated volume tells the story of Britain and its people over two thousand years, from the coming of the Roman legions to the present day. Encompassing political, social, economic, and cultural developments throughout the British Isles, the dramatic narrative is taken up in turn by ten leading historians who offer the fruits of the best modern scholarship to the general reader in an authoritative form, illuminating their text with carefully chosen pictures and maps. A vivid, sometimes surprising picture emerges of a continuous turmoil of change in every period, and the wider social context of political and economic tension is made clear. But consensus, no less than conflict, is a part of the story: in focusing on elements of continuity down the centuries, the authors bring out that special awareness of identity which has been such a distinctive feature of British society. By relating both these factors in the British experience, and by exploring the many ways in whTrade ReviewReview from previous edition belongs in every school satchel, on every student's desk, in every library's catalogue... on everyone's coffee table... wherever readers have a real curiosity to discover, in words and pictures, the current stage of historical inquiry in the field of British history * Peter Clarke, History Today *Here is a book to intrigue the mind and gladden the eye * Max Beloff, Art International *A lively and stimulating overview by a selection of our best historians, scholarly but very readable * John Kenyon, Observer *All ten authors... embody the very qualities Kenneth Morgan hopes his quite exceptional history will instil in its readers: clarity, subtlety, enthusiasm and even affection * TES *An essential part of the high culture of our times, something which every educated person will be expected to have read * Vernon Bogdanor, Encounter *For those who want a one-volume history of Britain this is ideal and with the superb illustrations a bargain * Glasgow Herald *Table of ContentsForeword to the new edition ; 1. Roman Britain (c.55 BC - c. AD 440) ; 2. The Anglo-Saxon Period (c. 440-1066) ; 3. The Early Middle Ages (1066-1290) ; 4. The Later Middle Ages (1290-1485) ; 5. The Tudor Age (1485-1603) ; 6. The Stuarts (1603-1688) ; 7. The Eighteenth Century (1688-1789) ; 8. Revolution and the Rule of Law (1789-1851) ; 9. The Liberal Age (1851-1914) ; 10. The Twentieth Century (1914-2000) ; Epilogue (the years since 2000) ; Further Reading ; Chronology ; Genealogies of Royal Lines ; Prime Ministers 1721-2008 ; Index

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Book SynopsisHerodotus has come to be respected by most scholars as a responsible and important historian. Herodotus was both a critical thinker and a lively storyteller, a traveller who was both tourist and anthropologist. Like Homer, he set out to memorialize great deeds in words; more narrowly, he determined to discover the causes of the wars between Greece and Persia and to explain them to his fellow Greeks. In his hands, the Greeks'' unforeseeable defeat of the Persian kings Darius and Xerxes, with their vast hosts, made for fascinating storytelling. Influenced by the work of the natural scientists and philosophers of his own and earlier eras, Herodotus also brought his literary talents to bear on a vast, unruly mass of information gathered from many interviews throughout his travels and left behind him the longest work that had ever been written in Greek - the first work of history, and one which continues to be read with enjoyment today. Herodotus: A Very Short Introduction introduces readers to what little is known of Herodotus''s life and goes on to discuss all aspects of his work, including his fascination with his origins; his travels; his view of the world in relation to boundaries and their transgressions; and his interest in seeing the world and learning about non-Greek civilizations. We also explore the recurring themes of his work, his beliefs in dreams, oracles, and omens, the prominence of women in his work, and his account of the battles of the Persian Wars. 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.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The world of Herodotus ; 2. Origins and the historian ; 3. Greeks and Persians at war ; 4. Herodotus as Ethnographer ; 5. Women in history, women in the histories ; 6. Herodotus and the divine ; 7. Herodotus as storyteller ; 8. Herodotus as historian

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive history of the Nazi persecution and murder of European Jews, paying detailed attention to an unrivalled range sources. Focusing clearly on the perpetrators and exploring closely the process of decision making, Longerich argues that anti-Semitism was not a mere by-product of the Nazis'' political mobilization or an attempt to deflect the attention of the masses, but that anti-Jewish policy was a central tenet of the Nazi movement''s attempts to implement, disseminate, and secure National Socialist rule - and one which crucially shaped Nazi policy decisions, from their earliest days in power through to the invasion of the Soviet Union and the Final Solution. As Longerich shows, the ''disappearance'' of Jews was designed as a first step towards a racially homogeneous society - first within the ''Reich'', later in the whole of a German-dominated Europe.Trade ReviewThe most thorough and reliable account...deserves to be in the library of everyone interested in the history of the greatest genocide in history. * Richard J Evans, Times Literary Supplement. *Table of ContentsPART I: RACIAL PERSECUTION, 1933-1939; PART II: THE PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS, 1939-1941; PART III: MASS EXECUTIONS OF JEWS IN THE OCCUPIED SOVIET ZONES, 1941; PART IV: GENESIS OF THE FINAL SOLUTION ON A EUROPEAN SCALE, 1941; PART V: THE EXTERMINATION OF THE EUROPEAN JEWS, 1942-1945

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Book SynopsisEgypt, Greece, and Rome is regarded as one of the best general histories of the ancient world, having sold more than 80,000 copies in its first two editions. It is written for the general reader and the student coming to the subject for the first time and provides a reliable and highly accessible point of entry to the period. Beginning with the early Middle Eastern civilizations of Sumer, and continuing right through to the Islamic invasions and the birth of modern Europe after the collapse of the Roman empire, the book ranges beyond political history to cover art and architecture, philosophy, literature, society, and economy. A wide range of maps, illustrations, and photographs complements the text.This third edition has been extensively revised to appeal to the general reader with several chapters completely rewritten and a great deal of new material added, including a new selection of images.Trade ReviewCharles Freeman is my favourite universal historian of the ancient world, which he interprets in the broadest geographical and temporal senses ... This new edition of Egypt, Greece, and Rome cannot be recommended too highly as the one-stop shop for all historically curious travellers in these eternally and endlessly fascinating lands. * Professor Paul Cartledge, Cambridge University *Freeman's survey of the ancient world is a remarkable achievement ... The book is written in a clear and approachable style ideally suited to the target audience, which is defined as the general reader and students in need of a foundation text to guide them into the study of the great and important cultures of antiquity. This new edition will certainly ensure that Freeman's study will continue to hold its place as a classic introduction to the ancient world in all its aspects. * Professor Alan B. Lloyd, President of the Egypt Exploration Society *This admirably ambitious work provides a very useful introduction to three of the great civilizations of the Ancient World: Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Charles Freeman should be applauded for having taken on this gargantuan task. * Professor Richard Miles, University of Sydney *Charles Freeman's work on updating this, the third edition of Egypt, Greece and Rome, has ensured this book continues to be a must-read, offering clear insights into the latest thinking and discoveries about the ancient Mediterranean world in an engaging and thought-provoking manner. * Dr Michael Scott, University of Warwick *an enormously ambitious book ... The text is approachable and readable. It can be used both for sustained study as well as for idle browsing and dipping into. It is informative, succinct. There are no tedious digressions or woolly bits. It offers an opinion where an opinion is useful but does not dogmatically press an agenda. For the general reader, it is difficult to imagine how it could have been better done. * Annabel Barber, Blue Guides *Freeman is to be commended for the scope and detail of the work ... [it] is beautifully illustrated and written in clear and clever prose. Freeman writes with the authority not only of a historian, but also an archaeologist ... and a traveler who has trod the well-worn paths of our ancient forebears. His rigorous approach ensures that the book will continue to be an authoritative survey of the history and culture of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. * Carrie L. Sulosky Weaver, The Classical Journal Online *Table of ContentsDEDICATION; FOREWORD TO THE THIRD EDITION; AUTHOR'S PREFACE; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; LIST OF PLATES; LIST OF MAPS; LIST OF FIGURES; WHAT TO READ NEXT; DATE CHART; LIST OF EVENTS; INDEX

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Book SynopsisA journey through the life and thought of George Orwell, from public school satirist and imperial policeman to Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four.Trade Reviewan honest and at times brilliant essay in biography and intellectual history-writing...the book really does offer a nuanced and fresh view * The Journal of Bertrand Russell Studies *Robert Colls's fine study of Orwell... is sympathetic yet sceptical in tone, crammed with persuasive insights, bracing in its judgments and written in a pleasingly informal and occasionally idiosyncratic style * Dublin Review of Books, Enda O'Doherty *Scholarly and intriguing, it is a lovely semi-biography and a fascinating treatment of an English writer. * Les Gofton, Book of the Year 2014, Times Higher Education *In [Colls'] book, the reader catches echoes of the kind of spirited English conversation in which Orwell fervently believed. * Christopher Hilliard, History Today *No book about Orwell can be perfect; the man was too contradictory and too bloody minded to be an easy study. But Colls really gets it ... puts his finger on it... * Spiked *An eloquent reminder that George Orwell loved his country rebelliously ... both timely and necessary. * Calum Mechie, TLS *Full of learning and insight ... Colls is a lovely writer, who is fearless in a way that academics too often are not. He is happy to subvert clichés, make little speeches and is willing to permit useful generalisations ... There are several ways in which - quite apart from the success or otherwise of Colls' thesis - this book is a kind of Orwellian triumph. * David Aaronovitch, New Statesman *This is an excellent, provocative addition to Orwell ... an exceptionally interesting book ... Colls is now entitled to consider himself a prime ornament ... of Orwell studies. * D J Taylor, The Guardian *Colls is an honest and intelligent writer, interrogating a mind that he very much admires, about issues that he deeply cares about. * Roger Scruton, The Times *Illuminating insights ... [a] thought-provoking study. * Yvonne Sherratt, Times Higher Education Supplement *This is the most sensible and systematic interpretation of George Orwell's books that I have ever read ... This biography's achievement is to give us back Orwell the writer - neither a saint, nor an infallible sage, but a perverse, intelligent commentator on his time, and also, on occasion, a superb critic. * A. N. Wilson, The Spectator *a stunning piece of work, well researched, tautly written and often funny ... It is the best book on Orwell to appear for several years, erudite and original. It catches the extent to which Orwell lived on his wits better than any other account of his life. It's up there with Crick, Gordon Bowker and DJ Taylor. * Paul Anderson, Tribune *A compact intellectual biography with much political and social content ... There are useful critiques of Orwell's early "angry" novels, his gradual appreciation of the working class, and the political contradictions that he never fully resolved ... General readers will benefit from Colls's deft analysis of Orwell's writings and his attempt to pin down the author's politics. * Library Journal *[A] lucid work of intellectual biography Colls's engaging style and frequent bursts of astringent wit make for lively reading suitable for any Orwell enthusiast. * Publishers Weekly *Subtle, probing and refreshingly original study the closest and most intimate portrait of Orwell to date * John Gray, Literary Review *Short, witty and intelligent performing a valuable service by situating Orwell in the context of interwar history. * Robin McGhee, Prospect *There have been many books written about George Orwell but this is surely among the best. Rob Colls has taken on the man's Englishness, his personality, warts and all, and the elusive notion that he was a rebel in his own land. It's full of zesty prose, fine insights and a freshness of interpretation which made it a pleasure to read. It's a major achievement and a major work on George Orwell. * Melvyn Bragg *a lovely semi-biography and a fascinating treatment of an English writer. * Les Gofton, Times Higher Education *Colls's book is innovative and rewarding, despite covering a well-trodden field. * Gal Gerson, The European Legacy *Colls identifies and analyses a strand of Orwell's authorship the importance of which has been consistently underestimated: Orwell's highly problematic relations with his English inheritance By showing how this concern changed its shape over time Colls has changed our view of Orwell's life and work, and offered a fresh perspective on a pivotal period in English intellectual and political history. * John Gray, author of Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals *This book should interest both informed general readers and serious students of Orwell's work, for it represents a judicious and all-too-rare example of being an absorbing intellectual biography undergirded by scrupulous literary scholarship. * John Rodden, editor of The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell *Colls has written a highly entertaining book in the good plain jargon-free prose style so valued by its subject it has much for the general reader and student, and will ruffle a few ideological feathers which, as Orwell well knew, is always a good thing. * Spokesman *Thought-provoking and illuminating. * London Magazine *Refreshingly vibrant and all round excellent book ... George Orwell: English Rebel is as much a stimulating read as it is inspiring. Although more importantly, it's acutely informative. * David Marx Book Reviews *Superb. * Spiked *In his book the reader catches echoes of the kind of spirited English conversation in which Orwell fervently believed. * Christopher Hilliard, History Today *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements ; Introduction ; 1. Angry Old Etonian ; 2. North Road ; 3. Eye Witness in Barcelona, 1937 ; 4. Mr Bowling Sees it Through ; 5. England the Whale ; 6. Not Quite Tory ; 7. Last of England ; 8. Death in the Family ; Life After Death: A Bibliographical Essay ; Notes ; Index

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