European history Books
Atlantic Books The Sinner's Mark: The latest rich, evocative
Book Synopsis'Dramatic and colourful' SUNDAY TIMES'Beautiful writing' GILES KRISTIAN Treason, heresy and revolt in Queen Elizabeth's England . . . The year is 1600. With a dying queen on the throne, war raging on the high seas and famine on the rise, England is on the brink of chaos. And in London's dark alleyways, a conspiracy is brewing. In the court's desperate bid to silence it, an innocent man is found guilty - the father of Nicholas Shelby, physician and spy. As Nicholas races against time to save his father, he and his wife Bianca are drawn into the centre of a treacherous plot against the queen.When one of Shakespeare's boy actors goes missing, and Bianca discovers a disturbing painting that could be a clue, she embarks on her own investigation. Meanwhile, as Nicholas comes closer to unveiling the real conspirator, the men who wish to silence him are multiplying. When he stumbles on a plan to overthrow the state and replace it with a terrifying new order, he may be forced to make a decision between his country and his heart . . .Trade ReviewThe third in Perry's series is as dramatic and colourful as the previous two. * The Sunday Times *An absolute belter of a read and another fabulous addition to the Jackdaw Mysteries series... I just gobbled up the pages as the story fairly roars along battling spies and pirates on route... S. W. Perry ensures the sights, smells and sounds of London and Morocco entered my very being. I love this series. -- Liz Robinson * LoveReading, Picks of the month *The writing is of such a quality, the characters so engaging and the setting so persuasive that, only two books in, S.W. Perry's ingeniously plotted novels have become my favourite historical crime series. * S. G. MacLean on The Serpent's Mark *A satisfyingly convoluted plot. * Sunday Times on The Serpent's Mark *No-one is better than S. W. Perry at leading us through the squalid streets of London in the sixteenth century. * Andrew Swanston on The Serpent's Mark *The Serpent's Mark is an excellent evocation of Elizabethan England, with espionage, intricate conspiracies, strange medical practises and a gripping story. A rattling good read. * William Ryan on The Serpent's Mark *A gorgeous book - rich, intelligent and dark in equal measure. It immerses you in the late 16th century and leaves you wrung out with terror. This is historical fiction at its most sumptuous. * Rory Clements on The Angel's Mark *Wonderful! Beautiful writing, and Perry's Elizabethan London is so skilfully evoked, so real that one can almost smell it. * Giles Kristian on The Angel's Mark *
£9.49
Batsford Ltd A Victorian Christmas
Book SynopsisAt the darkest moment of the year, when the nights seem endless and the days very short, comes that most joyful of festivals. Christmas is a truly magical season, bringing families and friends together to share the much-loved customs and traditions that over the centuries have come to surround this heart-warming and deeply symbolic occasion. Each family has their own personal traditions, and ways they celebrate the special day. Yet underneath the tinsel, fairy lights and wrapping paper are many long-standing traditions that we all know and love. Why do we drag a fir tree inside our house and decorate it? How long Santa has been delivering gifts to good children? What would Christmas be like without mince pies? We owe a lot to the Victorians. They transformed the way Britain celebrated Christmas in the 19th century and we continue with their traditions today. In 1848 a British confectioner by the name of Tom Smith came up with the idea of wrapping sweets inside a package that snapped when pulled apart. It was the Victorians that really centred Christmas round the family, with the eating of a Christmas dinner together, giving gifts and playing games. All these things have become central to a British Christmas Day.
£6.00
Profile Books Ltd The French Revolution: From Enlightenment to
Book SynopsisThe fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 has become the commemorative symbol of the French Revolution. But this violent and random act was unrepresentative of the real work of the early revolution, which was taking place ten miles west of Paris, in Versailles. There, the nobles, clergy and commoners of France had just declared themselves a republic, toppling a rotten system of aristocratic privilege and altering the course of history forever. The Revolution was led not by angry mobs, but by the best and brightest of France's growing bourgeoisie: young, educated, ambitious. Their aim was not to destroy, but to build a better state. In just three months they drew up a Declaration of the Rights of Man, which was to become the archetype of all subsequent Declarations worldwide, and they instituted a system of locally elected administration for France which still survives today. They were determined to create an entirely new system of government, based on rights, equality and the rule of law. In the first three years of the Revolution they went a long way toward doing so. Then came Robespierre, the Terror and unspeakable acts of barbarism. In a clear, dispassionate and fast-moving narrative, Ian Davidson shows how and why the Revolutionaries, in just five years, spiralled from the best of the Enlightenment to tyranny and the Terror. The book reminds us that the Revolution was both an inspiration of the finest principles of a new democracy and an awful warning of what can happen when idealism goes wrong.Trade ReviewExemplary ... enough blood on the pages to make sure that we are kept enthralled * Prospect *Marvellous stuff and an indication of the perennially absorbing nature of the revolution. Davidson's book is a worthy addition to the canon. * Spectator *Terse, tightly written ... allows certain critical aspects of the Revolution to stand out in a way that doesn't usually happen. -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *On page after page, there are jolts and surprises, reminders and revelations. ... Lively, engaging ... a compelling single-volume history for the general reader. Recommended. * Irish Examiner *Written with authority, clarity and journalistic immediacy * The Catholic Herald *Praise for Voltaire: A Life A compelling read ... an insightful and entertaining picture of the man * Guardian *Davidson is a fastidious debunker of myths and restorer of balance. He tells his story from beginning to end, one year after the next, with an elegant lucidity -- Sam Leith * Spectator *There is no shortage of biographies of Voltaire ... but this is one of the best of them. -- Andrew Hussey * Financial Times *Written in the crisp, incisive prose of a practised journalist... his research is impressive ... [a] refreshing book which isn't afraid, occasionally, to draw its own conclusions against the grain of what has been written before * Independent on Sunday *Splendidly readable ... This is an entertaining and enlightening account of why Voltaire still matters -- Bee Wilson * Sunday Times *Voltaire can be a rather daunting figure, but emerges in very human colours in this excellent biography, which makes splendid use of the philosopher's letters * Sunday Telegraph *
£10.44
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd The Will to Survive: A History of Hungary
Book SynopsisThe Will to Survive describes how a small country, for much of its existence squeezed between two empires, surrounded by hostile neighbours and subjected to invasion and occupation, survived the frequent tragedies of its eventful history to become a sovereign democratic republic within the European Union. The Mongol, Ottoman, Habsburg, Nazi and Soviet empires have all since vanished; but Hungary, a victim of all five and despite suffering the consequences of being on the losing side in every war she has fought, still occupies the territory the Magyar tribes claimed for themselves in the ninth century. The author, whose interest in Hungary stems from his service there as British Ambassador during the declining years of Kadar's Communist regime, traces Hungary's story from the arrival of the Magyars in Europe to the accession of Hungary to membership of NATO and the European Union. The eleven hundred years covered by this stirring account embrace medieval greatness, Turkish occupation, Habsburg domination, unsuccessful struggles for independence, massive deprivation of territory and population after the First World War, a disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany motivated by the hope of redress, and forty years of Soviet-imposed Communism interrupted by a gallant but brutally suppressed revolution in 1956.Trade Review'Though this is a political history, the social and economic aspects are well covered. Cartledge has ... a perceptive eye and an elegant pen. The Will to Survive is set to become the standard work on Hungary.' * International Affairs *'... a very accessible and invaluable companion, both as a narrative of Hungarian history per se and as a constant source of information to complete the various bits of knowledge gathered during expeditions to museums, libraries and monuments.' * The Budapest Times *'The most detailed and balanced narrative of Hungarian history currently available in English.' * Franz A.J. Szabo, Canadian Journal of History *'This is the best history of Hungary in the English language.' * John Lukacs *
£20.25
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Blood and Faith: The Purging of Muslim Spain,
Book SynopsisIn 1609, the entire Muslim population of Spain was given three days to leave Spanish territory or else be killed. In a brutal and traumatic exodus, entire families were forced to abandon the homes and villages where they had lived for generations. In just five years, Muslim Spain had effectively ceased to exist: an estimated 300,000 Muslims had been removed from Spanish territory making it what was then the largest act of ethnic cleansing in European history.Blood and Faith is a riveting chronicle of this virtually unknown episode, set against the vivid historical backdrop of Muslim Spain. It offers a remarkable window onto a little-known period in modern Europe-a rich and complex tale of competing faiths and beliefs, of cultural oppression and resistance against overwhelming odds.Trade Review'Well-balanced and comprehensive … "Blood and Faith" is a splendid work of synthesis. … it is impossible to read this book without sensing its resonance in our own time.' * The New York Times *'Who remembers the last survivors of Muslim Spain, whom Spaniards contemptuously called Moriscos ("little Moors")? Impressive research on them has appeared in the last 30 years, yet until now, none of it has escaped beyond the walls of the academic ghetto. Matthew Carr's well-balanced and comprehensive book brings the story of their tragic fate to a wider public... Splendid.' * New York Times Book Review *'Matthew Carr['s] magnificent "Blood and Faith" charts the tragic end of the moriscos, … "a monumental historical crime" from which he seeks lessons for today.' -- The Guardian'Eloquently written and carefully researched, "Blood and Faith" is an important new study that synthesises much important scholarship on the moriscos, until now inaccessible to an English readership, and makes us aware of historical precedents to current ideological and cultural conflicts.' * European History Quarterly *'Balanced and thoroughly researched history.' * Literary Review *'Matthew Carr's well-researched account ... is carefully written and thoroughly documented. ... This is a reliable, if often harrowing, account of a sad episode in Spanish and European history, which deserves to be better known.' -- History Today'Carr navigates issues of assimilation and integration rather elegantly, and arrives at carefully considered conclusions with his deft analysis of the events that led to the expulsion and its aftermath. Indeed, Carr has written a valuable cautionary tale for the public on the pathways that crystallise imaginary evils.' -- LSE Review of Books'An estimated 350,000 Muslims were forced to abandon their homes; many died on the journey to the ships that would take them to North Africa, and many others were terrorized, raped, robbed and killed by forces that were supposed to protect them. Carr deftly narrates the complex events leading up to this little-known but horrific episode as a warning against religious intolerance and xenophobia.' * Publishers Weekly *'[A] sweeping panorama of a critical historical period . . . Carr's account is a powerful warning of the perils of intolerance of difference and of policies of forced conversion and assimilation.''A fascinating account of perhaps the first major episode of European ethnic cleansing and, just as importantly, the story of the beginning of the conviction that "blood" matters more than belief; a conviction that led, in the end, to modern racism. In an age when so many people, on both "sides", believe we face an historic confrontation between Christendom and Islam, it is essential to place the relations between these two global Abrahamic religions in a wider historical framework. This book does that eloquently and judiciously.' -- Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah'In this first comprehensive appreciation in many decades of the Muslim expulsion from Spain, "Blood and Faith" meticulously recaptures the fateful self-mutilation of a society that might have become Europe's first multicultural nation and offers a grim lesson about religious and racial repression in our contemporary age of contested faiths.' -- Professor David Levering Lewis, author of 'God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215'
£14.24
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India
Book Synopsis***THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER*** In the eighteenth century, India's share of the world economy was as large as Europe's. By 1947, after two centuries of British rule, it had decreased six-fold. Beyond conquest and deception, the Empire blew rebels from cannon, massacred unarmed protesters, entrenched institutionalised racism, and caused millions to die from starvation. British imperialism justified itself as enlightened despotism for the benefit of the governed, but Shashi Tharoor takes on and demolishes this position, demonstrating how every supposed imperial 'gift' from the railways to the rule of law was designed in Britain's interests alone. He goes on to show how Britain's Industrial Revolution was founded on India s deindustrialisation, and the destruction of its textile industry. In this bold and incisive reassessment of colonialism, Tharoor exposes to devastating effect the inglorious reality of Britain's stained Indian legacy.Trade Review'In Inglorious Empire, Shashi Tharoor documents the realities of the British empire in India and makes a compelling case for the need to acknowledge, and, atone for, these realities.' -- Book Riot, ’14 Must-Read Indian History Books’
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's
Book SynopsisThe terrible months between the arrival of the Red Army on German soil and the final collapse of Hitler's regime were like no other in the Second World War. The Soviet Army's intent to take revenge for the horror that the Nazis had wreaked on their people produced a conflict of implacable brutality in which millions perished. From the great battles that marked the Soviet conquest of East and West Prussia to the final surrender in the Vistula estuary, this book recounts in chilling detail the desperate struggle of soldiers and civilians alike. These brutal campaigns are brought vividly to life by a combination of previously untold testimony and astute strategic analysis recognising a conflict of unprecedented horror and suffering.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations /List of Maps /Author’s Note /Preface /Introduction: the Slavs and the Teutons /1 Fritz and Ivan: The Opposing Forces /2 Memel /3 Nemmersdorf /4 The Last Christmas /5 The House of Cards - the Great January Offensive /6 Cherniakhovsky and the Pregel Valley /7 Rokossovsky reaches the Coast /8 Encircled in East Prussia /9 Hannibal - The Baltic Evacuation Begins /10 The Riviera of Hades and the Fall of Pomerania /11 Heiligenbeil - Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea /12 Konigsberg /13 Danzig /14 The Last Command /15 The Long Road Home /Notes /Bibliography /Index
£15.29
Historic Environment Scotland Maeshowe and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney
Book SynopsisThe chambered tomb of Maeshowe sits in one of the richest and best preserved Neolithic landscapes in Europe. This was a place of stone circles, villages and burial monuments; a place where people lived, worshipped and honoured their dead. The surviving evidence tells us that about 5,000 years ago, Orkney was a thriving focus whose influence was felt many miles away. Aside from Maeshowe, visitors can discover Neolithic houses at Skara Brae and Barnhouse, dramatic stone-circled henges such as the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar, and the astonishing ceremonial centre at Ness of Brodgar, still being uncovered by archaeologists. The importance of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney was marked in 1999 when some of its key monuments were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This book will help you to explore and understand the Site, and discover other related monuments in the area.
£7.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd Jambusters: The remarkable story which has
Book SynopsisThe Second World War was the WI's finest hour. The whole of its previous history - two decades of educating, entertaining and supporting women and campaigning on women's issues - culminated in the enormous collective responsibility felt by the members to 'do their bit' for Britain. With all the vigour, energy and enthusiasm at their disposal, a third of a million country women set out to make their lives and the lives of those around them more bearable in what they described as 'a period of insanity'. Jambusterstells the story of the minute and idiosyncratic details of everyday life during the Second World War. Making jam, making do and mending, gathering rosehips, keeping pigs and rabbits, housing evacuees, setting up canteens for the troops, knitting, singing and campaigning for a better Britain after the war: all these activities played a crucial role in war time.
£9.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd Soldaten - On Fighting, Killing and Dying: The
Book SynopsisThe authors discovered 150,000 pages of transcriptions of secretly recorded conversations among German prisoners of war, of which approximately one third were made in P.O.W. camps in Britain, another cache was made by bugging prisoners in the Mediterranean theatre of the war (North Africa, Malta, Italy) and the remainder comes from the bugging of prisoners of war in the USA. These transcriptions are thus unmediated, uncensored, and unselfconsciously candid and that is what gives this book its historical significance and extraordinary impact. What emerges from these transcriptions and within these pages is a shocking and profoundly illuminating portrait of the typical German soldier of the time: their thoughts, their feelings and their ideologies. SOLDATEN is a book that explodes many of the myths that we hold on to about Germany and its people during the War.
£9.49
Verso Books To Kill a Nation: The Attack on Yugoslavia
Book SynopsisDrawing on a wide range of unpublished material and observations gathered from his visit to Yugoslavia in 1999, Michael Parenti challenges mainstream media coverage of the war, uncovering hidden agendas behind the Western talk of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and democracy.Trade ReviewProminent social critic Parenti pens a fierce, elegantly constructed elegy not just for the lives sacrificed in the Balkan wars, but for concepts of national sovereignty and constitutionality, which appear to be lost to a corporate-sanctioned new world order. Extremely disturbing, but, for the brave, jolting and necessary reading. * Kirkus Reviews *Thought-provoking ... Parenti makes compelling points about biased media coverage of Serbia. * Publishers Weekly *
£17.09
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus A Traveller's History of Cyprus
Book Synopsis"A Traveller's History of Cyprus" offers a complete and authoritative history of the island's past and also touches on the sensitive present-day issues for both sides of the island. Although Cyprus is a relatively small island, its position in the East Mediterranean has always given it strategic importance beyond its size. Well-placed for travel from all over the globe with plenty of sunshine throughout the year, Cyprus has become a favored tourist destination. All visitors, whether to the Greek or Turkish side of the island, discover the immensely rich history, which has resulted in so many civilizations making their mark upon its soil. With a historical gazetteer, chronology of major events, index, bibliography and historical and contemporary maps, this book is an invaluable companion to students or visitors to the island.Trade Review"Ideal before-you-go reading' The Daily Telegraph 'One of an excellent series of brief histories' The New York Times
£4.37
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bradshaw’s Handbook (Premium Edition)
Book SynopsisA luxury facsimile edition of Bradshaw’s Handbook of 1863, the book that inspired the BBC television series ‘Great British Railway Journeys’. The original Bradshaw's guides had been well known to Victorian travellers and were produced when the British railway network was at its peak and as tourism by rail became essential. It was the first national tourist guide specifically organised around railway journeys, and this luxuryleatherbound facsimile edition is a true collector’s item, offering a glimpse through the carriage window at a Britain long past.
£25.49
Old Street Publishing The Shortest History of Germany
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£8.54
Haus Publishing A History of Crete
Book SynopsisKnown by the Greeks as 'Megalonisos', the 'Great Island', Crete has been of paramount strategic importance for thousands of years thanks to its location close to the junction of three continents and the heart of the eastern Mediterranean. The island has been ruled for much of its history by foreign invaders - Mycenaeans, Dorians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Venetians, Ottoman Turks and, briefly, the Third Reich - and thus much of its past has revolved around how the Cretans themselves, fierce lovers of freedom, have interacted with their conquerors and the influence of foreign rule on their culture. Two periods at either end of these three thousand years of domination form an intriguing contrast: the dazzling apogee of the Minoan civilisation and the brief period of autonomy before union with Greece at the beginning of the twentieth century. Moorey has written an engaging and lively account of Crete from the Stone Age to the present day.Trade Review"...a fascinating journey through Cretan history, from its mythological past to its tourist-crowded present" - Mick Reed, Historian; 'Splendid stuff!' - Richard Lofthouse, Oxford University Quad MagazineTable of ContentsKnown by the Greeks as 'Megalonisos' - the 'Great Island' - Crete has been of paramount strategic importance for thousands of years thanks to its location close to the junction of three continents and the heart of the eastern Mediterranean. The island has been ruled for much of its history by foreign invaders - Mycenaeans, Dorians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Venetians, Ottoman Turks and, briefly, the Third Reich - and thus much of its past has revolved around how the Cretans themselves, fierce lovers of freedom, have interacted with their conquerors and the influence of foreign rule on their culture. Two periods at either end of these three thousand years of domination form an intriguing contrast: the dazzling apogee of the Minoan civilisation and the brief period of autonomy before union with Greeceat the beginning of the twentieth century.
£11.69
Imperial War Museum D-Day and Normandy: A Visual History
Book SynopsisOperation Overlord, the codename given to the Allied invasion of German-occupied Western Europe in 1944, was arguably the most challenging, complicated and risky military operation in history. It began on 6 June with Operation Neptune, the largest seaborne invasion ever seen, when 150,000 troops crossed the Channel and attempted to land on the beaches at Normandy. This assault would lay the foundation for the Allied victory on the Western Front, and is now commonly known as D-Day. This highly illustrated book, first published to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, will reconstruct the historic landings and the resultant battle for Normandy using artefacts, documents, interviews, film, art and photographs from the archives at IWM. Importantly, it will feature first-hand accounts of the action from the vast documents and sound collection, allowing the reader to follow a personal narrative throughout and experience what it was like to live through what was one of the most significant campaigns of the Second World War.Trade Review"Incredible photos reveal how D-Day unfolded hour-by-hour 75 years ago . . . . astonishing colour photographs . . . . The collected snaps vividly show the timeline of one of the most crucial military victories for the Allies in the Second World War."-- "The Sun" "Rare photos and historians' painstaking detective work map out [the] reality of how the Allies launched the world's biggest ever military op. . . . The shots, published chronologically for the first time ever, have brought to life one of the key turning points of the Second World War."-- "Daily Mail (UK)" "These images offer a rare insight into this decisive victory."-- "CNN Style"
£19.00
Jake Island Ltd Forty Farms
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£28.40
Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic Art Nouveau Prague
Book SynopsisSince the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Prague has become one of Europe’s—and the world’s—most popular tourist destinations. As in London, Paris, and Rome, visitors flock to the gorgeous buildings and monuments that grace the streets of Prague, entranced by structures ranging from Gothic and baroque to cubist and neoclassical. And while hundreds of thousands stroll over Charles Bridge and gaze up at St. Vitus Cathedral each year, far fewer venture away from the crowds to seek out the countless gems of art nouveau peppered throughout Prague. With Art Nouveau Prague, Petr Wittlich—one of Europe’s leading experts on nineteenth- and twentieth-century architecture—tours those monuments and buildings of Prague that are most representative of the art nouveau movement while offering insightful commentary on each. Along the way, Wittlich visits such sites as the Municipal House, the Wilson Railway Station, the Grand Hotel Europa, and works by sculptors František Bílek, Ladislav Šaloun, and Stanislav Sucharda. An introductory essay by Wittlich emphasizing the role of art nouveau within contemporary currents of modern European art accompanies more than one hundred color illustrations of some of the most stunning examples of art nouveau architecture and decoration in existence, and a detailed bibliography provides additional reading for each of the sites displayed in the book. Art Nouveau Prague is a must-have for those traveling to Prague for the first time or for anyone who appreciates or wants to learn more about art nouveau style.Trade Review“The color images of this small paperback are intelligently selected and gorgeously reproduced; the professionalism of Maly’s photography is evident in every page. Most heartening, the authors include not just a checklist of the illustrations but also precise addresses for the structures, making the book attractive and useful.” * West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture *“For many years Wittlich has been the most respected art historian of his generation in the Czech lands.” -- Otto M. Urban, National Gallery Prague * Slovo a Smysl *
£21.85
Lannoo Publishers Why Europe?: An Integration History From
Book SynopsisWill Ukraine ever be an EU member? Why don’t we have a European army yet? Does crisis make the EU stronger? The European Union has great influence on the lives of its citizens. That situation can prove to be controversial. Decisions made by the EU often lead to misunderstanding and resentment. Aside from these controversies, it is clear that the Union today, is the result of a myriad of choices by policy makers throughout the years. A better understanding of these choices and of the recent history of the EU allows us to better grasp its impact, and offers insight into why certain subjects are harder to place. Why Europe? offers a historical as well as thematical insight into the development of the European Union. Drawing from six questions that put main events, key figures as well as the defining moments of the past 70 years in the foreground, this book lays out the essence of European integration.
£25.50
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The 29th WaffenSS Grenadier Division Italienische
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£28.79
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Lysistrata
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA perfect Lysistrata for the new millennium: rich apparatus and a sparkling, metrical, accurate translation of this inexhaustible treasure of a play. --Rachel Hadas, Rutgers UniversityPresents a readable, clear translation with the assistance students will need to understand this play and the society that produced it. . . . A worthy addition to Hackett's growing series of translations of classical literature in accessible editions. --Anne Mahoney, New England Classical Journal
£11.39
University of Wales Press Rethinking the Ancient Druids: An Archaeological
Book SynopsisAncient Classical authors have painted the Druids in a bad light, defining them as a barbaric priesthood, who 2,000 years ago perpetrated savage and blood rites in ancient Britain and Gaul in the name of their gods. Archaeology tells a different and more complicated story of this enigmatic priesthood, a theocracy with immense political and sacred power. This book explores the tangible 'footprint' the Druids have left behind: in sacred spaces, art, ritual equipment, images of the gods, strange burial rites and human sacrifice. Their material culture indicates how close was the relationship between Druids and the spirit-world, which evidence suggests they accessed through drug-induced trance.Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Preface PROLOGUE: The untouched Cave CH. 1: Time and Space: contextualizing Druids in the ancient world CH. 2: Barbarians and Wise Men: rethinking Classical texts CH. 3: Spiritual Spaces: rites and beliefs in Iron Age Britain and Gaul CH. 4: Images and Symbols: sacred art and the Druids CH. 5: Welsh Connections: spotlight on Druidic Wales CH. 6: A Holy War: Boudica and the Druids against Rome CH. 7: Reading Runes and Telling Spoons: divining the divine CH. 8: Druids and Deities: changing spirits in Roman Gaul and Britain CH. 9: Ideas of Afterlife: death, burial and reincarnation EPILOGUE: The Untouched Cave Revisited BIBLIOGRAPHY
£42.75
Serif The Crowd in History: A Study of Popular
Book SynopsisWho took part in the widespread disturbances that periodically shook 18th-century London? What really motivated the food rioters who helped to spark off the French Revolution? How did the movement of agricultural laborers destroying new machinery spread from one village to another in the English countryside? How did the sans-culottes organize in revolutionary Paris? George RudŽ was the first historian to ask such questions and in doing so he identified "the faces in the crowd" in some of the crucial episodes in modern European history. An established classic of "history from below," The Crowd in History is remarkable above all for the clarity with which it deals with the full sweep of complex events. Whether in Belgrade or Jakarta, crowds continue to make history, and George RudŽ''s work retains all its freshness and relevance for students of history and politics and general readers alike. This is an innovative discussion of the role of ordinary people in some of the turning-points of European history.
£13.50
Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museum Second World War Flip Book:
Book SynopsisThe Imperial War Museum s archive is home to more than 20,000 hours of moving image material spanning the twentieth century in Britain. The clips range from documentary film and official newsreels, to unedited combat footage, and amateur shots. In the museum's early days the films could only be viewed through Mutoscope machines from the late nineteenth century that functioned much like a flipbook, giving life to a series of motionless images. The Mutoscope did not project images on a screen, rather the machine was used by one person at a time. To re-create the experience of watching these historical film reels, some of the most compelling scenes have been reproduced in these action-filled flipbooks. As you flip through the"Spitfire Flipbook," you ll come face to face with a 1940s Spitfire plane flying through the air. The single seat fighter aircraft dips and dives at lightning speeds as the pages progress. The Spitfire was the most commonly used airplane during the Battle of Britain and was used as both a fighter-bomber and for training. Replicating the action of old-time film strips, these flipbooks will be a delight for both children and adults, transporting those who flip the pages to Britain s wartime past."
£6.04
Oxford University Press Hannibals War
Book Synopsis''You know how to win a battle, Hannibal; you do not know how to use the victory!''Livy''s great history of Rome contains, in Books 21 to 30, the definitive ancient account of Hannibal''s invasion of Italy in 218 BC, and the war he fought with the Romans over the following sixteen years. Livy describes the bloody siege of the Spanish city of Saguntum, Rome''s ally, which sparked the war, and the Carthaginian leader''s famous march with elephants over the Alps into Italy. Livy''s gripping story-telling vividly conveys the drama of the great battles, the disastrous encounters at Trasimene and Cannae, and the final confrontation between Hannibal and the youthful Scipio Africanus. Individuals as well as events are brought powerfully to life, as the long course of the Second Punic War unfolds.This new translation captures the brilliance of Livy''s style, and is accompanied by a fascinating introduction and notes.The complete Livy in English, available in five volumes from Oxford World''s Classics. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Trade Review...has long been recognised as 'one of the most outstanding narratives in ancient historiography'. * John John Jacobs, Yale University *'Altogether, Yardley and Hoyos have collaborated to produce what will now become the authoritative English rendering of Livy 21-30. Yardley's exemplary translation strikes the right balance between a strict fidelity to the syntax of the Latin and the need to explain what Livy means while translating him.' * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
£13.29
HarperCollins Publishers The Scottish Enlightenment: The Scots’ Invention
Book Synopsis'Every Scot should read it. Scotland now has the lively, provocative and positive history it deserves.' Irvine Welsh, Guardian A dramatic and intriguing history of how Scotland produced the institutions, beliefs and human character that have made the West into the most powerful culture in the world. Arthur Herman argues that Scotland's turbulent history, from William Wallace to the Presbyterian Lords of the Covenant, laid the foundations for 'the Scottish miracle'. Within one hundred years, the nation that began the eighteenth century dominated by the harsh and repressive Scottish Kirk had evolved into Europe's most literate society, producing an idea of modernity that has shaped much of civilisation as we know it. He follows the lives and work of thinkers such as Adam Smith and David Hume, writers such as Burns and Boswell, as well as architects, technicians and inventors, and traces their legacy into the twentieth century. Written with wit, erudition and clarity, The Scottish Enlightenment claims the Scots' rightful place in the history of the western world.Trade Review'Herman's book tells an exciting story with gusto … entertaining and illuminating.' Jenny Uglow, Sunday Times 'Stimulating. A work which deserves to be bought by any interested reader.' Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph 'Compulsively readable.' Paul Henderson Scott, Sunday Herald 'Herman carries his thesis off with brio.' Arnold Kemp, Observer 'A sparkling book. Herman argues his case with an impressive accumulation of evidence.' New Statesman
£12.34
Everyman History of My Life
Book SynopsisThe name of Giacomo Casanova, Chevalier de Seingalt (1725-1798), in now synonymous with amorous exploits, and there are plenty of these, vividly narrated, in him memoirs. But Casanova was not just an energetic lover. In his time he was diplomat, business man, trainee priest, traveller, prisoner, magician, confidence trickster, gambler, professional entertainer and chalatan. He financed business projects, organised lotteries, wrote opera libretti and dabbled in high politics. Above all he was an autobiographer of enduring brilliance and subtlety who left behind him what is probably the most remarkable confession ever written. Casanova was a Venetian who explored to the full all the possibilities 18th century Venice offered by way of love and profit before being imprisoned, escaping from gaol, and fleeing from the city to begin travels which took him across Europe. In Moscow and London, Berlin and Constantinople, he met the famous men and women of the time - Catherine the Great, Voltaire, Louis XV, Rousseau - and recorded his encounters for the memoirs he wrote in retirement at the end of his life. These memoirs are by turns subtle, touching, thrilling, wonderfully comic and quite irresistible. Although the present edition includes one third of Casanova's enormous (though unfinished) book, it contains all his major adventures and all is greatest affairs of the heart. 'Casanova is unsurpassed as the recreator of the daily talking interests of 18th century Europe. he ranges from slut to patrician, from closet to cabinet, waterfront to palace.' - V S PRITCHETT
£18.00
Old Street Publishing The Shortest History of Europe
Book Synopsis
£8.54
The University of Chicago Press Athene Palace
Book SynopsisA striking combination of social intimacy and distinterested political analysis, this title evokes the elegance and excitement of the dynamic international community in Bucharest before the world had come to grips with the horrors of war and genocide.Trade Review"Excellent description and shrewd observation." (Times Literary Supplement) "The most vivid report, long or short, I have ever seen on Rumania... brilliantly written and mercilessly barbed. An unusually skillful and readable book." (Ralph Thompson, New York Times)"
£17.00
Fonthill Media Ltd Coastal Patrol: Royal Navy Airship Operations
Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1915 the Royal Naval Air Service found itself engaged in an unexpected war at sea, the fight to prevent the German submarine fleet from disrupting the flow of vital supplies to the British Isles, necessary for the conduct of the war. It was a war that had to be won because by the spring of 1917 the U-boat campaign against Allied merchant shipping was close to bringing the British war effort to the point of collapse. Airships of the RNAS played a vital part in this new war at sea. This book tells the story of the young men who ventured out over the often hostile waters around the British Isles in airships, who were expected to hunt down the German submarines and to attack them with the hopelessly inadequate weapons at their disposal. The story is told by those who took part in this new form of warfare, through pieces written by them or via interviews with veterans. It covers the entire experience of being an airship pilot, from initial training, through their numerous adventures while flying these frail craft over the coastal waters of the British Isles, to the final victory in 1918.
£24.00
Profile Books Ltd Steam Trains Today: Journeys Along Britain’s
Book Synopsis'A delightful book ... the perfect companion as you wait for the 8.10 from Hove' Observer After the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, many railways were gradually shut down. Rural communities were isolated and steam trains slowly gave way to diesel and electric traction. But some people were not prepared to let the romance of train travel die. Thanks to their efforts, many lines passed into community ownership and are now booming with new armies of dedicated volunteers. Andrew Martin meets these volunteer enthusiasts, finding out just what it is about preserved railways that makes people so devoted. From the inspiration for Thomas the Tank Engine to John Betjeman's battle against encroaching modernity, Steam Trains Today will take you on a heart-warming journey across Britain from Aviemore to Epping.Trade ReviewPraise for Andrew Martin: 'Compelling ... full of history and railway nuggets -- Michael Binyon * Sunday Times *Informative and witty * Cumbria Life *You do not have to be a trainspotter to enjoy this book. It is social history, a kind of epitaph to a way of travel that seems to be lost, at least in Europe -- Christian Wolmar * Spectator *A delightful book ... This book is the perfect companion as you wait for the 8.10 from Hove -- Nigel Jones * Observer *Martin is entertaining company, alive to the history of his route ... leaves you with renewed confidence that trains can still be the most civilised way to travel * Financial Times *
£9.99
HarperCollins Publishers William Pitt the Younger A Biography
Book SynopsisThe award-winning biography of William Pitt the Younger by William Hague, the youngest leader of the Tory Party since Pitt himself.William Pitt the Younger was one of the most extraordinary figures in British history. Prime minister at the age of twenty-four, he went on to dominate British politics for two decades, presiding over such complex and treacherous national crises as the madness of King George III, the beleaguered union with Ireland, the fallout from the French Revolution and the trauma of the Napoleonic Wars.With the keen eye of an experienced politician, William Hague examines the enigmatic life and tumultuous times of a man capable of both wit and arrogance, economic genius and financial mismanagement. A rich cast of characters and a vivid backdrop of global conflict make this riveting biography of Pitt the Younger compulsive reading.Trade Review‘A shrewd political biography and a sensitive portrait of one of our most enigmatic heroes.’ Simon Sebag Montefiore ‘One of the most enjoyable biographies for years…if you buy only one political biography this year, make it the one.’ John Major ‘A first-class work of history; informative, well written and captivating.’ The Times ‘What makes the book such an engrossing and stimulating read is the author’s passion for and understanding of politics.’ Sunday Times ‘A weighty and scholarly biography…the empathy, indeed the identification of subject with author, is remarkable. Hague deserves an accolade…he has written a serious, detailed and thoughtful study of one of Britain's greatest prime ministers.’ Shirley Williams, Guardian ‘Truly fine…The need for a distinguished, readable, single-volume work has long been recognised. William Hague has now triumphantly filled this gap.’ Scotsman ‘Narrated with a finely attuned sense of the politically dramatic.’ Andrew Roberts, Evening Standard ‘A reliable and readable account of an unusual politician and a tragic life.’ Spectator ‘A fascinating account.’ Christopher Foyle, Mail on Sunday
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd George III
Book SynopsisThe Times Book of the Year*Winner of the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography, 2022**Winner of the General Society of Colonial Wars'' Distinguished Book Award, 2021**Winner of the History Reclaimed Book of the Year, 2022**Shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize, 2021*Andrew Roberts, one of Britain''s premier historians, overturns the received wisdom on George IIIGeorge III, Britain''s longest-reigning king, has gone down in history as ''the cruellest tyrant of this age'' (Thomas Paine, eighteenth century), ''a sovereign who inflicted more profound and enduring injuries upon this country than any other modern English king'' (W.E.H. Lecky, nineteenth century), ''one of England''s most disastrous kings'' (J.H. Plumb, twentieth century) and as the pompous monarch of the musical Hamilton (twenty-first century).Andrew Roberts''s magnificent new biography takes entirTrade ReviewGeorge, Roberts writes, "more than filled the role of King of Great Britain worthily; he filled it nobly". After reading this mammoth, elegant and splendidly researched biography, no open-minded reader could possibly disagree - not even an American. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *'Andrew Roberts is our most prodigious biographer ... His demolition of the authors of the Declaration's case against George III is elegant and comprehensive. -- Dominic Lawson * Daily Mail *Magisterial ... George III is notorious for two reasons: losing America and going mad. Roberts provides a fresh and spirited account of both occurrences ... Roberts's fundamentally humane approach to his biographical subjects ... treats George III with as much respect and compassion when sick, blind and deaf as when powerful at the promising start of his reign. The result is a lengthy book that remains engaging throughout. -- Ruth Scurr * The Times *powerful ... a very fine book ... This book should be read by every American whose interest in history goes beyond the feel-good. It is challenging, but richly evidenced and scrupulously argued. ... Coming after his powerful studies of Halifax, Salisbury, Napoleon and Churchill, it consolidates Roberts's position as one of the greatest biographers in the English language today. -- Noel Malcolm * Daily Telegraph *If not for such fierce competition (in the form of such works as Salisbury: Victorian Titan, Churchill: Walking with Destiny and Masters & Commanders) one might be able to unequivocally say that George III is the author's masterpiece. This biography teems with detail, ideas and elegance. Roberts is a great writer - and this is one of his greatest achievements. Roberts sets himself a goal, that of challenging or overturning certain misconceptions that we might harbour about his subject. That George III was a tyrant, unintelligent and a victim of porphyria. Suffice to say, Roberts achieves his goal: mission impossible turns into mission accomplished. Roberts convinces through both persuasive prose and hard evidence (as opposed to just supposition). ... magnificent -- Richard Foreman * Aspects of History *George may become Britain's best-understood monarch, thanks to this impressive new biography. It is unashamedly revisionist. ... Roberts's account is masterly, combining a compelling narrative - one has to keep turning the pages even though one knows the outcome - with analysis that is both cogent and incisive. He appears to have read everything that is in the mainstream and much that isn't, including a wide range of archival sources. ... [George III] has had to wait two centuries for rehabilitation, but it has come at last. Roberts has got deep inside George and his world and has found a man of many sterling qualities. ... tremendous -- Tim Blanning * Literary Review *In this magisterial life of George III, Roberts burnishes his stellar reputation as biographer and historian, dismantling many of the myths that have beset the memory of the man who ruled Britain and Ireland for almost sixty years from 1760. Roberts marshals the evidence meticulously and persuasively to show that George was nothing like the capricious, overbearing, intolerable figure of legend ... It is bracing, too, to see that Roberts has lost none of his disdain for the "Whig interpretation of history" - the comfort blanket of those who believe that Britain's story is one of the steady institutional defeat of autocracy by liberal incrementalism. Now at the top of his game, he has not surrendered the irreverent, revisionist tone that has made him one of the most important public intellectuals of our times. -- Matthew d’Ancona * Tortoise *This superb royal biography ... A book so diligently researched cannot fail to be rich in curious detail and amusing turns of phrase. There are plums on almost every page. -- Hamish Robinson * The Oldie *The strength of this generous new biography is that it correctly portrays George III as a dedicated, benevolent ruler , scrupulous in his constitutional role as head of government and head of state. -- John Martin Robinson * Country Life *Andrew Roberts admires George III, and he is right to do so. The historical image of the king as a tyrant and a lunatic is not remotely true in the first case (a contention Roberts provides much evidence to substantiate) and true only for part of his reign in the second. ... A handsome and thorough biography ... but above all, Roberts has written a superlative political history of the period between 1760 and 1809. -- Simon Heffer * New Criterion *he does his scholarly homework. This is a compendious product of intricate investigation. Roberts has read everything ... It is a magnificent achievement. -- Kate Maltby * Spectator *Andrew Roberts makes a strong revisionist case for the generally maligned George III in this engrossing, brilliant biography -- Andrew Adonis * Prospect Magazine *As his outstanding books on Halifax, Salisbury and Churchill also demonstrate, he is a master of the biography. ... Roberts systematically, cogently and helpfully reinterprets his subject's role and reputation. -- Jeremy Black * History Today *In this mammoth and meticulous biography, Andrew Roberts presents a compelling case for the defence of George III. -- Book of the Week * The Week *Such is Roberts's persuasive interpretation, supported by a wide range of sources and argued with keen insight into political realities. ... It must be hoped that Andrew Roberts's important, serious and timely book plays an appropriate role in the rethinking that can now hardly be avoided. -- Jonathan Clark * Times Literary Supplement *magnificent ... In Andrew Roberts, George has found his Boswell, but one with the wit and erudition of a Johnson. Britain's most misunderstood monarch he may have been, but this biographer has entered into this conscientious king's troubled mind with more than customary empathy. -- Daniel Johnson * Spectator USA *Roberts harnesses a truly extraordinary amount of archival information to offer a comprehensive grasp of a rather tragic, thoroughly misunderstood king. -- Lindsay Chervinsky * Financial Times *This outstanding new biography of George III is timely. The first of the Hanoverians to identify as British was mocked, slandered and vilified during his lifetime and is still regularly cited in the American media as the epitome of tyranny. Over the past two centuries historians have dismissed him as incompetent and despotic. Andrew Roberts has no time for such ill-founded nonsense. ... George has found a true champion in Andrew Roberts, who has ridden up gallantly to challenge unfounded prejudice. ... This impressively researched and scholarly account of the King's life and travails is compulsively readable and, in its tragic end, deeply moving. It is full of fascinating detail, insightful vignettes and vivid local colour. -- Adam Zamoyski * The Critic *Andrew Roberts's mighty Life, drawing on masses of unseen papers locked up in Windsor Castle, turns on its head the lazy idea of George III as a tyrant halfwit...every page is entertaining -- Iona McLaren * Daily Telegraph Books of the Year *This hefty book - elegantly written, the fruit of extensive research - is the case for the defence of Britain's "most misunderstood monarch". -- Robbie Millen * The Times Book of the Year *Deeply researched, it ranges with equal authority from his private life to the military history of the American War of Independence; its tenacious fairness towards its subject gives it the sort of polemical edge that one finds in revisionist history at its best. -- Noel Malcolm * TLS Books of the Year *No other writer, except possibly Alan Bennett, has set out to make us love King George more. Or admire him more ... What makes Roberts's massive biographies so distinctively rewarding is that he provides the reader with enough evidence to undermine his own conclusions. -- Ferdinand Mount * London Review of Books *The book which impressed me most, and which I most enjoyed, this year is Andrew Roberts's George III. It is based on such astonishingly wide-ranging and original research that I felt I was reading about the period for the first time. Unknown facts and wonderful anecdotes had me turning the pages with a curiosity I seldom feel when reading about supposedly familiar events. Andrew Roberts is remarkably even-handed, and there is no special pleading on behalf of this genuinely misunderstood and wilfully misrepresented monarch who did his best to be a good constitutional ruler during a very choppy period in British history. -- Adam Zamoyski * Aspects of History Books of the Year *meticulously researched ... an eye-opening portrait of the man and his times * Publishers Weekly *A deep, expansive study not only of George III but also of the political and social complexities of England and the United States during his reign. -- Kathleen McCallister * Library Journal *a deeply textured portrait of George III [and] a capacious, prodigiously researched biography from a top-shelf historian. -- Kirkusan outstanding and surprisingly moving portrait of a misunderstood king, distinguished by refreshing revisionism but also illuminated by deep humanity. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Spectator World Books of the Year *Roberts is in a rich vein of form at present; after bestselling books on Napoleon and Churchill, yet another masterpiece has tumbled from his pen. -- Dan Jones * The Good Web Guide *Roberts has been justly acclaimed as one of his generation's leading historians ... His new biography seeks to challenge popular myths about the monarch. ... Roberts, employing the same flair for original research and ability to convey historical context and vivid prose that he used in previous books ... thoroughly debunks all the assumptions most people have about the king. -- Jonathan Tobin * Washington Examiner *exhaustively researched and written in accessible, non-jargony prose. Meticulous and forensic, it sometimes reads like a defense counsel's case for his client ... Roberts's defense of George III, though, is the fullest, the clearest, and likely to be the most definitive. -- Robert G. Ingram * National Review *Roberts has painted a masterful portrait of a patriotic, diligent and cultivated monarch. ... This new biography is a treasure-house of detail. ... George III is an engaging, humane and at times beautiful testament to the importance of giving our ancestors a fair hearing. -- Harrison Pitt * European Conservative *
£17.09
The University of Chicago Press Marlborough
Book SynopsisJohn Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough (1644-1722), was one of the greatest military commanders and statesmen in the history of England. His descendant, Sir Winston Churchill, wrote this work as both an act of homage, and as an historical insight into the man behind the statesman.Trade Review"The greatest historical work written in our century, an inexhaustible mine of political wisdom and understanding, which should be required reading for every student of political science." - Leo Strauss, University of Chicago "Rarely in the history of historical writing have author and subject seemed so made for each other." - Henry Steele Commager
£42.75
McGill-Queen's University Press May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth
Book SynopsisMay We Be Spared to Meet on Earth collects the private correspondence of the officers and sailors who set out in May 1845 on the Erebus and Terror for Sir John Franklin’s fateful Arctic expedition, providing new insights into the personalities of those on board, the voyage’s significance, and the dawning realization that they might never return.Trade Review“Graced with an appropriately light editorial touch, May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth is a worthy enterprise that will be read and used by a growing cohort of scholars and Franklin sleuths on both sides of the Atlantic.” Shane McCorristine, Newcastle University“May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth provides insight into the hopes and fears of the two crews, linking the officers and men to lives already lived: friendships and family connections of considerable complexity, magnetic and other scientific research, career prospects and reputation, and prospective marriages. Though the subject has inspired media interest around the globe, there is no other collection that assembles this material in a single volume, and the book will attract a wide readership.” Andrew Lambert, King’s College London“This is an exceptional collection of letters, offered complete, with exhaustive endnotes for most, explaining terms, expanding on the subject matter, adding details concerning the sender or receiver and tying letters to other letters in this collection and/or other archives. The opening essay is an excellent synopsis of the present historiography of the Franklin Expedition and the numerous efforts to find them. It details the twists and turns in telling the story from the disappearance up to present day. Touching on historical and fictional accounts the essay reminds the reader of the cultural impact the story of this misadventure has had. May We Be Spared To Meet On Earth, is an essential source for future historians and other writers, exploring the Franklin Expedition.” The Canadian Nautical Research Society 2023 Keith Matthews Prize jury“May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth is a labour of love. For those who are seriously interested in Arctic exploration, it is a must-have.” Canada’s History
£37.05
Penguin Books Ltd Revolutionary Spring
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMagnificent, authoritative and deeply-researched... a supreme work of scholarship. -- Simon Heffer * The Telegraph *Clark has achieved the impossible: a synoptic history of a subject which defies synopsis... this is history on an epic scale... a masterpiece and one of the best history books you will read this decade. -- Jonathan Boff * History Today *Refreshingly original... it's fascinating, suspenseful, revelatory, alive. Familiar characters are given vibrancy and previously unknown players emerge from the shadows.. Clark's prose is beautiful but also crystal clear -- Gerard de Groot * The Times *Magnificent... does a remarkable job weaving together the myriad strands that make up the narrative, allowing us to see the events in granular detail and with synoptic, Europe-wide vision. -- Kenan Malik * Observer *Full of characters, colour and story, but also makes the arresting case that the revolutions ... changed Europe and the world in ways felt to this day... the history teacher you wished you'd had. -- Jonathan Freedland * Daily Mail *A marvel of research and analysis. No corner of Europe, from the Ukrainian borderlands to the Greek islands, escapes his gaze.. a titanic monument to historical scholarship. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Exhilarating, heroic, horrifying and tragic, the events of the mid-19th century in Europe invite a good retelling ... Christopher Clark's new book is, arguably, the best to date ... deeply researched, rich, engaging and though-provoking. There is now no better place to turn for readers who want to immerse themselves in this period and to reflect on how it resonates today. -- Mike Rapport * Literary Review *Thrills with unexpected energy ... this is narrative history in the grand style ... superb. -- Abigail Green * Times Literary Supplement *An engrossing dissection of a revolutionary year in European society. * The Independent *Scintillating ... [a] magnificent chronicle of the events leading up to and beyond 1848 ... he tackles the complexity by giving sufficient space to the often thrilling stories of every uprising. * Economist *Magnificent ... Sophisticated analysis and beautiful prose ... The author vividly depicts a Europe grasping toward the future. -- Michael F. Bishop * Wall Street Journal *Combines over-arching analysis and explanation with a ground-level reporter’s skill at narrating events and capturing character with vividness and compassion … a historian working at the height of his powers. -- Michael Ignatieff * CEU Review of Books *
£31.50
Yale University Press Ancient Greece
Book SynopsisOffers a comprehensive history of ancient Greece. This title brings alive Greek civilization from its Stone Age roots to the fourth century B C E. Focusing on the development of the Greek city-state and the society, culture, and architecture of Athens in its Golden Age, it integrates political, military, social, and cultural history.Trade Review"This is a superb introduction to the Greek world for beginning students, precise and stimulating without overwhelming students with too many details."—David Graf, University of Miami"A polished and informative work that will be useful for general readers and students."—Daniel Tompkins, Temple University
£17.09
Yale University Press The World of the Crusades
Book SynopsisA lively reimagining of how the distant medieval world of war functioned, drawing on the objects used and made by crusadersTrade Review“Tyerman is a judicious and scholarly guide and readers will feel that they are drinking the distillation of a lifetime’s work on its subject”—James Barr, The Times“Tyerman's new book offers a pleasing entry point. With 500 pages of detailed text and an array of images of art and artefacts, it combines the weight of an in-depth history with the flavouring of a visual history to help bring the subject to life.”—History Revealed (Book of the Month) “The World of the Crusades has a mass of new insights, many little-known anecdotes and a fresh approach to the subject” —Jonathan Sumption, Spectator“Tyerman's narrative is rich and detailed, interspersed with the author's characteristically mordant humour”—Helen J. Nicholson, Times Literary Supplement“This book succeeds magnificently in giving a clear picture of the Crusades as a whole, providing, at the same time, much fascinating detail” —Alan Borg, Church Times“Excellently written and incredibly comprehensive. It is clear from the structure and careful pace of the book that Tyerman is an expert on the crusades—he guides the reader skilfully through the many complicating aspects of the topic without ever letting them become confusing…This book has set a new bar for works on the crusades and, without doubt, it is a high one.”—Flora Guijt, Parergon (Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies)
£27.50
Random House Publishing Group Churchill Hitler and The Unnecessary War
Book SynopsisWere World Wars I and II inevitable? Were they necessary wars? Or were they products of calamitous failures of judgment? In this monumental and provocative history, Patrick Buchanan makes the case that, if not for the blunders of British statesmen– Winston Churchill first among them–the horrors of two world wars and the Holocaust might have been avoided and the British Empire might never have collapsed into ruins. Half a century of murderous oppression of scores of millions under the iron boot of Communist tyranny might never have happened, and Europe’s central role in world affairs might have been sustained for many generations. Among the British and Churchillian errors were: • The secret decision of a tiny cabal in the inner Cabinet in 1906 to take Britain straight to war against Germany, should she invade France • The vengeful Treaty of Versailles that mutilated Germany, leaving her bitter, betrayed, and receptive
£15.19
Basic Books The Great Cat Massacre
Book SynopsisWhen the apprentices of a Paris printing shop in the 1730s held a series of mock trials and then hanged all the cats they could lay their hands on, why did they find it so hilariously funny that they choked with laughter when they reenacted it in pantomime some twenty times? Why in the eighteenth-century version of Little Red Riding Hood did the wolf eat the child at the end? What did the anonymous townsman of Montpelier have in mind when he kept an exhaustive dossier on all the activities of his native city? These are some of the provocative questions Robert Darnton answers in this classic work of European history in what we like to call The Age of Enlightenment.
£15.19
University of California Press History of the Goths
Book SynopsisIncorporating exciting new material that has come to light since the last German edition of 1980, Herwig Wolfram places Gothic history within its proper context of late Roman society and institutions. He demonstrates that the barbarian world of the Goths was both a creation of and an essential element of the late Roman Empire.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Gothic History as Historical Ethnography 1. The Names The Gothic Name The Dual Names of the Two Gothic Peoples Visigoths and Ostrogoths as Western Goths and Eastern Goths The Epic and the Derisive Names of the Goths Biblical and Classical Names for the Goths Gothic Royal Houses and Their Names 2. The Formation of the Gothic Tribes before the Invasion of the Huns Gutones and Guti Politics and Institutions of the Gutones The Trek to the Black Sea The Goths at the Black Sea The Gothic Invasions of the Third Century The Gothic Advance into the Aegean Aurelian and the Division of the Goths The Tervingian-Vesian Confederation at the Danube The Events of 291 to 364 The Era of Athanaric, 365-376/381 Ulfilas and the Beginning of the Conversion of the Goths The Ostrogothic Greutungi until the Invasion of the Huns Ermanaric's Greutungian Kingdom and Its Dissolution Political Organization and Culture of the Goths at the Danube and the Black Sea The Gutthiuda: The Land of the Tervingi and Taifali The Kuni: Community of Descent and Subdivision of the Gutthiuda The Harjis, the Tribal Army Gards, Batirgs, Sibja: Lordship, Retainers, Community of Law Haims (Village): The Social World of the Gothic Freeman Cult and Religion among the Goths Language and Daily Life The Ostrogothic-Greutungian Kingship 3. The Forty-year Migration and the Formation of the Visigoths, 376/378 to 416/418 The Invasion and Settlement of the Goths in Thrace From the Crossing of the Danube (376) to the Battle of Adrianople (378) Theodosius and the Settlement of the Goths in Thrace The Balkan Campaigns of 395-401 The Foedus of 397 and the Settlement of the Goths in Macedonia Alaric's Elevation to the Kingship Fravitta and Eriulf Gainas and Tribigild The Goths in the Western Empire, 401-418 Alaric's Italian Wars Athaulf and the Gothic Trek Westward Athaulf 's Contribution to the Visigothic Ethnogenesis The Visigoths Become Horsemen Radagaisus and His Contribution to the Visigothic Ethnogenesis Valia and the Goths "in Roman Service" 4. The Kingdom of Toulouse, 418 to 507 The Aquitanian Federates, 418-466 The Visigothic "Superpower," 466-507 Euric (466-484) and the Breach of the Foedus of 416/418 The Conquest of the Auvergne and Tarraconensis The Last Battles with the Empire The Organization and Development of Dominion Alaric II (484-507) The Legal and Ecclesiastical Policies of Euric and Alaric II The Legislation of Euric and Alaric II The Ecclesiastical Policies of Euric and Alaric II The King and the Royal Clan The Royal Family The King Court Life: Religion, Language, and Culture The Kingship: Its Functions and Functionaries Military Organization The Courtiers Royal Estates and Finances The Settlement of the Visigoths The Peoples of the Kingdom of Toulouse: Ethnic and Social Composition Goths and Romans in the Kingdom of Toulouse Jews, Greeks, and Syrians The Native Barbarians The Immigrant Barbarians Conditions of Dependency The End That Was No End 5. The "New" Ostrogoths The Division and Reunification of the Amal Goths, 375-451 Pannonian Greutungi, Hunnic Goths, and Ostrogoths The Ostrogothic Kingdom in Pannonia, 456/457-473 The Ostrogoths in the Balkans, 473-488 Theodoric's Battle for Italy, 488-493 The Ostrogothic March to Italy The Battles in Italy, 489-493 Flavius Theodericus Rex: King of the Goths and Italians, 493-526 Theodoric's Efforts To Obtain Imperial Recognition, 490/493-497 Some Questions Theodoric's Kingdom: An Attempt at a Constitutional Analysis Theodoric's Rule in Theory and Practice Exercitus Gothorum Comites Gothorum, Duces, Saiones, Millenarii, Mediocres, Capillati The Settlement of the Gothic Army Polyethnicity, Social Status, and Compulsory Military Service Ostrogothic Weapons and Fighting Techniques Theodoric's Barbarian Policy and the Securing of Italy The Vandals The Visigoths The Burgundians The Franks Raetia and Western Illyricum under Ostrogothic Dominion Barbarian Traditions and Ethnography Theodoric's Roman Policy and the End of His Kingship, 526 The Amal Successors of Theodoric, 526-536 Athalaric (526-534) Theodahad (534-536) The Non-Amal Kings and the Fall of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, 536-552 Vitigis (536-540) Hildebad and Eraric (540/541) Totila (541-552) The Epilogue: Teja (552) Appendixes 1. Roman Emperors 2. A Survey of Gothic History 3. Genealogical Charts of the Balthi and Amali Notes List of Abbreviations Bibliography Index Maps
£28.05
University of California Press Roman Honor
Book SynopsisAn exploration of the emotional and spiritual life of the ancient Romans, focusing on the sentiments of honour that shaped the Romans' sense of themselves and their society. The book draws on contemporary theories of the self and social theory to deepen the reader's understanding of ancient Rome.Trade Review"A bold book. . . . written with passion. Like her earlier Sorrows of the Ancient Romans, it is also likely to arouse passionate responses, positive and negative, among her professional colleagues. The pace is rapid, the argument built up under short vivid sub-sections." * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. A Sort of Prelude: The Tao of the Romans PART ONE: The Moment of Truth in Ancient Rome: Honor and Embodiment in a Contest Culture 3. Light and Fire 4. Stone and Ice: The Remedies of Dishonor PART TWO Confession and the Roman Soul 5. The Spirit Speaking 6. Confession and the Remedies of Defeat PART THREE: On the Wire: The Experience of Shame in Ancient Rome 7. The Poise of Shame 8. The Poison of Shame{--} and Its Antidotes 9. Conclusions: Choosing Life Philosophical Coda: The Sentiment and the Symbol Bibliography Index
£25.50
Faber & Faber Empires of the Sea The Final Battle for the
Book SynopsisEmpires of the Sea shows the Mediterranean as a majestic and bloody theatre of war. Opening with the Ottoman victory in 1453 it is a breathtaking story of military crusading, Barbary pirates, white slavery and the Ottoman Empire - and the larger picture of the struggle between Islam and Christianity. Coupled with dramatic set piece battles, a wealth of riveting first-hand accounts, epic momentum and a terrific denouement at Lepanto, this is a work of history at its broadest and most compelling.
£11.69
John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Etruscans
Book Synopsis* The first, full account of Etruscan politics, culture and society, placing Etruscans in their Mediterranean context. * Incorporate up--to--date finding from landscape archaeology. * Includes unique practical guide to more than 60 Etruscan sites.Trade Review"Written with scholarly precision but without condescension The Etruscans deserves to be on the shelves of all those who want an up-to-date overview of the subject." History Today, Volume 48, Sept 98. "As well as offering new approaches and interpretations the book presents the reader with concise summaries of, often highly contentious, recent debates." Vedia Izzet, Christ's College, Cambridge. "In an impressively comprehensive book, they weave together material from a wealth of sources, classical literature, land surveys and excavation - their text providing a lesson in itself in how to recreate ancient history." History Today.Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. The Landscape. 2. Origins. 3. Sources and Society. 4. Cultural Transformations. 5. Settlement and Territory. 6. Subsistence and Economy. 7. Life, Cult, and Afterlife. 8. Romanization. Appendix: Etruscan Places - A Rough Guide. Bibliography. Index.
£33.26
Harvard University Press Metternich
Book SynopsisWolfram Siemann tells a new story of Clemens von Metternich, the Austrian at the center of nineteenth-century European diplomacy. Known as a conservative and an uncompromising practitioner of realpolitik, in fact Metternich accommodated new ideas of liberalism and nationalism insofar as they served the goal of peace. And he promoted reform at home.Trade ReviewA superb biographical portrait and work of historical analysis…Basing his account on a wealth of new documentation from the family archive, Siemann locates the man firmly within the intertwined history of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy…The most comprehensive, absorbing and authoritative biography of the man we have, defying the stereotypes that usually adhere to him. Let us hope that it will serve if not as a manual then at least as an inspiration—good statesmanship is needed more than ever. -- Brendan Simms * Wall Street Journal *This impressive biography is welcome. It covers every aspect of Metternich’s life with a wealth of detail, and dishes up some delightful gems… The real strength of the book lies in its coverage of the internal politics of the Habsburg Empire, Metternich’s attempts to reorganize it, and the power struggles at its heart after the death of Emperor Francis I in 1835. -- Adam Zamoyski * The Times *[An] evocative and deeply researched biography…Siemann brilliantly refreshes our understanding of Metternich and his era…Metternich was an intellectual in politics of a kind now rare in the modern world…And Siemann is as good on his subject’s emotional life as on his intellectual life. -- Christopher Clark * London Review of Books *A very extensive and well-researched chronicle of the subject’s monumental career…Metternich deserves, and here thoroughly receives, re-examination. It’s a biography for anyone who seriously wants to learn about its remarkable subject. * The Spectator *The culmination and encapsulation of a life’s work…it is a running joy, full of winking sidelights and delightful detours. * Times Literary Supplement *Vast in scope and profound in learning, Wolfram Siemann’s masterpiece, deftly translated by Daniel Steuer, refreshes every theme it touches and situates its protagonist in a landscape charged with texture and new meaning. At its center is a compelling and humane portrait of one of the most gifted and interesting statesmen of modern times. But this is more than a biography—it is a window into the heart of Europe’s nineteenth century. -- Christopher Clark, author of Iron Kingdom and The SleepwalkersMagisterial…As well as providing a first-rate intellectual biography and a spirited defense of his policies, Siemann reveals Metternich to us as a man of flesh and blood…If great biography, like great literature, permits us to peer into another person’s soul, then Siemann has succeeded admirably. The portrait of Metternich that emerges is one of a cosmopolitan rationalist and problem solver with empathetic qualities, rather than the die-hard reactionary of legend…As new tensions between the forces of nationalism and globalization emerge in our own day, Metternich’s efforts appear more relevant than ever. -- Mark Jarrett * Literary Review *Succeed[s] in forcing readers to wonder whether Metternich’s efforts to defend an essentially conservative order against populists and terrorists are so different from the struggles that liberal democracies face today. -- Andrew Moravcsik * Foreign Affairs *The first independent treatment of Metternich in the modern era. This was long overdue, and the scale of Siemann’s accomplishment would be hard to overstate…Siemann’s greatest achievement, however, lies in bringing new evidence to bear that changes our view of Metternich the statesman…Magnificent and fun to read…Metternich’s wait for a historian to properly judge his place in history took longer than he probably expected. But in Wolfram Siemann, he got his man. -- A. Wess Mitchell * Standpoint *[An] engaging and comprehensive biography…Excellent…Siemann has greatly advanced our knowledge of and admiration for [Metternich]. -- Andrew Roberts * New Criterion *One of the best biographies to appear on the American market in 2019…[An] enormously interesting life of the great diplomat. * Open Letters Review *In an era when supposedly benevolent interventions in other people’s countries have once again become fashionable, the case for leaving things alone needs to be made…This is why [Metternich] remains important…Fascinating. -- Peter Hitchens * First Things *So rich is this wonderful book in insight and information, so brilliantly does it illuminate Metternich’s exciting times, that no review can hope to do justice to its author’s achievement. Every general history of the period between the outbreak of the French Revolution and the revolutions of 1848 will need to be rewritten. It is a long book, but consistently stimulating, entertaining, even enthralling. -- Tim Blanning * GHIL Bulletin *[An] excellent biography…An exhaustive work of scholarship intended to set the historical record straight…History has credited him with crafting much of the European peace that lasted between 1815 and 1914; he deserves much more, and Siemann has given it to him. * Washington Examiner *A great reassessment of one of the most dazzling and controversial statesmen of the nineteenth century. * Lesart *A masterpiece. * Neue Zürcher Zeitung *This outstanding German historian offers the definitive biography of the Austrian statesman and completely collapses our negative image of him—a brilliant book that leaves nothing to be desired. * NRC Handelsblad *A work of unusual clarity and depth. * Choice *Should long serve as the standard biography. -- James Baresel * University Bookman *Very few historical figures have played so integral a role in so many events of world-historic importance…A profoundly engaging work of such depth and breadth that it is often possible to see Metternich more as a framing device for a sprawling history of the German region in a period of profound change…What Wolfram Siemann achieves in this magisterial work is to present Metternich as a man of his time. -- Bodie A. Ashton * German History *Siemann is the first biographer to mine Metternich’s family archive in Prague…Compels us to rethink virtually every aspect of Metternich’s career…Likely to be the standard life of Metternich for a very long time. -- Jack Cunningham * International Journal *
£18.86
Princeton University Press Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things
Book SynopsisFrom its earliest centuries, one of the most notable features of Christianity has been the veneration of the saints--the holy dead. This ambitious history tells the fascinating story of the cult of the saints from its origins in the second-century days of the Christian martyrs to the Protestant Reformation. Robert Bartlett examines all of the mostTrade ReviewWinner of the 2015 Otto Grundler Book Prize, The Medieval Institute of Western Michigan University Winner of the 2013 PROSE Award in European and World History, Association of American Publishers "[A]n indispensible point of departure for anyone interested in the cult of the saints in the Middle Ages. The book is based on an awe-inspiring familiarity with the hagiographical sources of both Eastern and Western churches, and is packed with intelligent, measured, and well-informed discussions of everything from the hierarchy of precedence of feasts in the old Roman calendar to the managerial problems of running a shrine. Students, scholars, and the general reader will all find it invaluable."--Eamon Duffy, New York Review of Books "Robert Bartlett's monumental study provides a comprehensive account of the development of the cult of the saints from the cult of martyrs (those who had died as witnesses for their faith during the Roman persecutions) and illustrates the centrality of saintly devotion in the lives and beliefs of Christians across Europe over the whole medieval period... Bartlett has a gift for succinct summary, both of complex (and confusing) narratives and for explaining theological controversy; his obvious abilities as a teacher appear throughout and his book will manifestly appeal to students... Robert Bartlett's achievement lies in his capacity to draw out the distinctive, and often amusing, attributes of different saints while showing how the cult of saints operated in medieval Europe."--Sarah Foot, Times Literary Supplement "[M]assive, erudite compendium of saint lore ... For a book so deeply grounded in original research ... The volume is remarkably accessible."--Barbara Newman, London Review of Books "It is a treat ... to see such erudition amassed this way; it is hard to imagine any aspect of the cult of the saints that Bartlett has left out in this extraordinarily comprehensive text. Yet there is enormous entertainment here as well... [W]ho, and when and where--this enormous and humane reference work gives all that, along with stories that are appalling and ghoulish and mysterious and funny."--Rob Hardy, The (Columbus, OH) Dispatch "[T]here is much to enjoy in the array of human behaviour, sacred and by our standards profane or just downright mad, chronicled in Bartlett's excellent study."--Diarmaid MacCulloch, Guardian "[T]his magisterial work of scholarship."--Richard Holloway, Independent "Devotion to the saints is manifestly still alive and well in the Catholic Church, and Bartlett's impressive compendium will serve to explain the cult's historical origins and evolution."--John Cornwell, Financial Times "Rich in original research, full of illuminating case studies, Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things? is a major achievement from a distinguished medieval historian and a gold mine for those interested in religious history."--Helen Fulton, Times Higher Education "Bartlett convincingly explains how the 12th-century papacy sought to control a potentially anarchic process by demanding strict examination of cases, of which only about half were successful... With great thoroughness, Bartlett examines issues such as types of saint, relics, miracles, hagiography and doubt, more as an observer than as judge... Some of Bartlett's most valuable insights relate to the diversity of ways in which saints were revered and what they reveal about visions of the social order."--Constant Mews, Sydney Morning Herald "This is a remarkable book, which is thankfully both wonderfully informative and wonderfully readable... His book is just the kind of great scholarly synthesis that was once the norm, but which may well become rarer than now in the future. This is a long and very detailed book, but the patience of the reader in encompassing nearly 800 closely printed pages will be well rewarded."--Peter Costello, Irish Catholic "Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things is an excellent survey of the cult of the saints in the pre-modern period. The reader looking for explanations of the social and cultural functions of the holy dead could do far worse."--Frank McGough, Origins "It is hard to overemphasize the scholarship evident in this book... One could associate a work such as this with a certain dryness of tone but this is not the case. The book is very engaging and at the same time quite modular, that is, allowing the readers to jump around to concentrate on their areas of special interest. Bartlett is one of the world's leading medieval historians and he brings his expertise to bear on this very ambitious project."--Richard Rymarz, Catholic Books Review "[M]agisterial... [A] fascinating and illuminating read... Bartlett's book will also be welcome to those who have experienced something of the power of the cult of the saints in their own time and place... [H]is style balances rigor and a near-encyclopedic breadth with accessibility and humor... Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things? will remain a classic study of the saints, their cults and their faithful for a long time... Robert Bartlett's masterpiece."--Holly J. Grieco, America "Bartlett's work is astonishingly comprehensive, and the balance he strikes between narration and analysis is admirable."--David J Collins, Theological Studies "Bartlett is not content to simply refer to the findings of others second-hand. Rather, he returns to the sources, the great majority of them in Latin, and does the spade-work himself. This particular approach, and the concern for meticulous research that it evinces, puts Bartlett's magisterial study in a different league from so many others. The result is a volume that is at once staggeringly scholarly and yet, owing to Bartlett's light touch, surprisingly accessible. No library should be without a copy."--Salvador Ryan, Irish Theological Quarterly "Bartlett writes with relish for his subject, tells its marvelous stories well, injects judicious doses of good humor, and leaves one with the sense that the cult of the saints is a pervasive feature of Christianity's historical texture."--Anne Thayer, Sehepunkte "The history book I most enjoyed this year was also my first of 2014. I tucked into Robert Bartlett's Why Can The Dead Do Such Great Things (Princeton University Press) on New Year's Day and could not have hoped for a more stimulating festive read. A sweeping study of medieval saints, covering the entire Christian world from Late Antiquity to the Reformation, it is also a compendium of anecdotes, such as one rarely finds in a work of scholarship. Whether it be St Modwenna of Burton and her red cow, the Bishop of Lincoln who bit off two chunks of Mary Magdalene's arm, or Queen Bathildis cleaning out toilets, all of human--and much of divine--life is here."--Tom Holland, History Today "This is a fascinating book and one to which to return."--Martin Wellings, Methodist Recorder "In addition to being readable and fascinating, Bartlett's book forms a virtual curriculum on medieval religion in particular and medieval history in general."--Thomas F. X. Noble, American Historical Review "Bartlett has provided readers interested in hagiography and the medieval cult of the saints with a magisterial and wholly engrossing book."--Rachel Koopmans, Biography "With this book Robert Bartlett serves up a wondrous synthesis: awesome in its breadth, saturating in its detail, and delightful in its humanity... This is a book that has a long reach and should hold a place in every medievalist's library."--Anne E. Lester, Catholic Historical Review "This is a very important book that offers the first comprehensive study of the cult of the saints from late antiquity to the Reformation in both Western and Eastern Christianity. Such work rests on an extraordinary knowledge of the textual and iconographic sources and of the vast scholarship that exists on these topics... An impressive achievement."--Andre Vauchez, Speculum "The author of this study has produced what is to this reviewer's knowledge the first textbook on the premodern cult of the saints and at--I cannot resist the temptation--a miraculously low price. Luckily, Robert Bartlett is more than equal to the task... Bartlett's writing is measured and deft, as one would expect from a scholar of his caliber."--David Defries, The HistorianTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xv Preface xvii Part I Developments 1 Chapter 1 Origins (100-500) 3 The Martyrs 3 The Religious Revolution of the Fourth Century 7 Translations 10 Rituals of Commemoration and Invocation 13 Confessor Saints 16 The Birth of Hagiography 19 The First Miracle Books 22 Chapter 2 The Early Middle Ages (500-1000) 27 The View from the 590s 29 Gregory the Great 43 The Benedictine Centuries 47 New Christendoms: Eastern and Northern Europe 52 Chapter 3 The High and Later Middle Ages (1000-1500) 57 Papal Canonization 57 Mendicant Saints 65 Lay Female Saints 71 New Devotions 77 Chapter 4 The Protestant Reformation 85 Part II Dynamics 93 Chapter 5 The Nature of Cult 95 Name, Body, Text 95 Patronage and Invocation: The Mutual Relationship 103 Chapter 6 Saints' Days 113 Liturgy 113 The Hierarchy of Feast-days 120 Saints' Days and Local Identity 129 Holy Days and Holidays 133 Chapter 7 Types of Saint 137 Counting Saints 137 Categorizing Saints 150 Saints as Patrons 221 Chapter 8 Relics and Shrines 239 Body Parts 239 Contact Relics 244 The Shrine in the Church 250 Running a Shrine 259 Reliquaries 263 Relic Collections 276 Relics in Movement 282 Relics in Law and War 311 Relics in Dispute 324 Chapter 9 Miracles 333 The Meaning of Miracle 333 Patterns of Miracles 342 Healing Miracles 349 Miracles of Provision 365 Visions, Prophecy, and Rapture 368 Saints in War 378 Saints and Demons 383 Saints and Animals 390 Liberation 398 Punitive Miracles 401 Chapter 10 Pilgrimage 410 Origins and Definitions 410 Pilgrim Garb and Status 417 Motives 421 The Shrines of Medieval Christendom 425 Logistics 433 Pilgrim Guides and Pilgrim Badges 439 Chapter 11 Dedications and Naming 444 Dedication of Churches and Altars 444 Place Names 454 Personal Names 459 Chapter 12 Images of the Saints 471 The Image in Early Christianity 471 Byzantine Iconoclasm 475 Images in the Medieval West 480 Chapter 13 The Literature of Sanctity 504 Types of Hagiography 504 Reasons for Writing 510 The Hagiographers 513 The Life 518 Legendaries 546 Miracle Books 558 Sermons 570 The Literature of Canonization Proceedings 576 Vernacular Hagiography 578 Chapter 14 Doubt and Dissent 587 Early Polemics 587 Western Heretics 591 Sceptics and Scoffers 596 Policing the Saints 602 Chapter 15 Reflections 609 Saints and Gods 609 Saints and Nature 618 Saints and the Dead 621 Tomb-shrines in Judaism and Islam 626 Saints and Ancestors 630 Comparisons and Conclusions 633 Glossary 639 Bibliography of Works Cited 641 Index 735
£25.20
British Museum Press Treasures from Sutton Hoo
Book SynopsisThis beautifully designed introduction to the treasure details the most significant pieces contained within it and explores the circumstances of its burial, discovery and excavation, as well as its lasting legacy and fame.
£5.99
British Museum Press The Lacock Cup Objects in Focus
Book SynopsisThe Lacock Cup is a rare object with a unique English history. Made in the 1430s, it is one of a handful of pieces of secular silver from the Middle Ages, which both survived the changing culture of Tudor fashion and the turmoil of the Reformation. The remarkable story of this special cup is brought to life in this short and accessible book.
£6.05
