European history Books

Book SynopsisDiscover 366 fun and surprising stories about Wales – each linked to a specific day of the year. Did you know that the recipe of Tennessee’s famous Jack Daniel’s whiskey is rumoured to have originated in Llanelli, or that the world’s first radio play was set in a Welsh coal mine? Why was a showing of the Jurassic Park film in Carmarthen so special, and how is Rupert Bear connected to Snowdonia? Delve in to discover the stories that most history books leave out.

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Book SynopsisWith her royal insider's knowledge and historical insight, Lady Colin Campbell turns her attention to People of Colour and the Royals. She herself is strongly vested in the subject of colour, being the proud product of one of the most prominent families in the multi-racial world of Jamaica.When she was born there in 1949 that country had, although inadequate, more progressive and inclusive race relations than anywhere else. In her first eighteen years she lived through the transitional period from colonial heyday to independence in 1962, to the subsequent political and demographic changes. Jamaicans hold very dear the concept of their national motto 'Out of Many One People', and she understands the nuances whereby all Jamaicans, irrespective of colour, are regarded as members of the Black Community. Her lack of prejudice allows her to examine the sometimes difficult past with welcome objectivity and refreshing candour, and Jamaica has continued to spearhead many of the positive changes taking place in larger countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Her book is full of welcome surprises. It takes her unique heritage, courage, insight and experience to write a book as illuminating and hopeful as People of Colour and the Royals. It is a work which she hopes will go some way to healing the divisions of the past and consolidating the unity of the present into an even more cohesive future.

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Book SynopsisMarianna Bussalai, the poet and anti-Fascist activist of the Barbagia region, wrote that she felt humiliated at school 'wondering why, in the history of Italy, Sardinia was never mentioned. I deduced that Sardinia was not Italty and had to have a separate history'. It is not surprising that islands tend to be different from the country to which they are in some way attached. But Sardinia's personality differs even more from that of Italy than one might expect. This book explores that difference through the island's women. Sardinia has been inhabited for longer than many European countries; of its earlier peoples, the best-known are the pre-historic Nuraghic. The hundreds of tall and mysterious megalithic towers which still grace the landscape are the most outward distinctive remnants of their civilisation. But it is from the myriad and tantalising clay statuettes found in ritual wells that it is possible to suggest aspects of women's lives. These are now in archaeological museums, such as that of Cagliari; many of the wells still exist. There followed invasions, colonisations and settlements - often bringing women exiles or landowners - by phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Muslims, Catalans, Genoese, Pisans, Spaniards and Savoyards, until finally the island became part of a united Italy, But, as the Swede Amelie Posse-Brazdova, sentenced to exile in Alghero during the First World War, was to write, 'For many centuries the Sardinians had been so fooled and exploited by the Italians, especially the Genoese merchants, that in the end they began to look upon them as their worst enemies.' However much that enmity is now little evident, Sardinia is still very much its own place, with its own languages. This is true of Alghero with its distinctive aura of Catalan occupation, of Marianna Bussalai's always intransigent Barbagia, and of Oristano where perhaps Sardinia's only well-known historical woman, Eleanora d'Arborea, ruled as Giudicessa in the fourteenth century. Although still particularly revered, she epitomised the strong and advanced women, from peasants to poitical activists, who emerge here from those often turbulent centuries.Trade ReviewI have immensely enjoyed reading this book about women from a wide range of backgrounds who might otherwise have remained unknown to history. Owain Wright, Leeds Beckett University

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Book SynopsisA first of its kind exploration of early modern European culinary history.Staging the Table in Europe represents the first book-length study of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century illustrated handbooks for cooking and dining that provided instruction for nearly every element of the dining experience, from expertly carving meats and fruits to folding napkins into animal forms, performing tableside magic tricks, and creating tablescapes for courtly banquets. Deborah L. Krohn opens a window into a world of culinary spectacle and sheds light on what became a pan-European culture of elaborate performance surrounding the preparation and presentation of food. Krohn shows that the rise of instructional manuals followed the decline of formalized, in-person modes of craft education, such as guilds and familial instruction. More broadly, she demonstrates how these manuals illuminate the material and social worlds of their readers. Beautifully illustrated, Staging the Table in Europe reveals the rich material culture that accompanied lavish banquets and state events as well as everyday dining, enabling readers to imagine the tastes, smells, and sights of Europe’s early modern culinary world. Trade Review"Deborah Krohn’s meticulous parsing of European table literature through the three centuries covered by this study makes her an eloquent and trustworthy guide. The book has been beautifully produced, with a rich hoard of visual materials gracing virtually every page." * The World of Fine Wine *"Referencing 16th and 17th century cookery manuals and artifacts, Staging the Table focuses on the highly respected skill of carving and explores how what was once reserved for the privileged became accessible to the masses, thanks to the broader publication of these manuals and the information within . . . Like its source material, Staging the Table in Europe is a collection of culinary resources, a thoughtfully documented compendium in and of itself, that can exist independently from its original purpose." * Culinary Historians of Canada *

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Book SynopsisThis book is a critical study of the interaction between Russian Church and society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. At a time of rising nationalist movement throughout Europe, Orthodox patriots advocated for the place of the Church as a unifying force, central to the identity and purpose of the burgeoning, yet increasingly religiously diverse Russian Empire. Their views were articulated in a variety of ways. Bishops such as Metropolitan Antony Khrapovitsky - a founding hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia - and other members of the clergy expressed their vision of Russia through official publications (including ecclesiastical journals), sermons, the organization of pilgrimages and the canonization of saints. On the other hand, religious intellectuals (such as the famous philosopher Vladimir Soloviev and the controversial former-Marxist Sergey Bulgakov) promoted what was often a variant vision of the nation through the publication of books and articles. Even the once persecuted Old Believers, emboldened by a religious toleration edict of 1905, sought to claim a role in national leadership. And many - in particularly famous painter Mikhail Vasnetsov - looked to art and architecture as a way of defining the religious ideals of modern Russia.Whilst other studies exist that draw attention to the voices in the Church typified as “liberal” in the years leading up to the Revolution, this work introduces the reader to a wide range of “conservative” opinion that equally strove for spiritual renewal and the spread of the Gospel. Ultimately neither the “conservative” voices presented here nor those of their better-known “liberal” protagonists were able to prevent the calamity that befell Russia with the Bolshevik revolution in 1917.Grounded in original research conducted in the newly accessible libraries and archives of post-Soviet Russia, this study is intended to reveal the wider relevance of its topic to an ongoing discussion of the relationship between national or ethnic identities on the one hand and the self-understanding of Orthodox Christianity as a universal and transformative Faith on the other.Table of ContentsForeword Introduction Part I: CULTIVATING HOLY RUSSIA 1 Russia’s Faithful Remnant 2 The Theology of Orthodox Patriotism 3 To the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel 4 The New Israel Part II: CONTESTING HOLY RUSSIA 5 The Crisis of Apostle-Like Statecraft 6 The Lure of Nationalism 7 The Lessons of Patriotic Religious Intellectuals 8 The Germogen Canonization Festival of 1913 Epilogue Conclusion Illustrations Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Illustrations Index

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Book SynopsisAncient Methone is situated in the northern Aegean in Greece, in the historical province of Macedonia; from the late eighth century B.C. it was a colony of the ancient Greek polis of Eretria (on the island of Euboia). Excavations carried out at the site since 2003 by the Greek Ministry of Culture have uncovered remains from the Late Neolithic period through the fourth-century B.C. destruction by Philip II of Macedon. These discoveries extend the history of the city by nearly three thousand years, into Greek prehistory. This 2-volume work presents results of the project in selected artifacts, burials and structures representing the chief phases of the city, in chronological order. An introduction covers historical sources, excavations from 2003 to 2013, and the unique location of Methone. Part I details the prehistoric settlement at Methone, from the fourth millennium to 1000 B.C., and the Bronze Age burials. Part II focuses on the copious artifacts and ecofacts from the Early Iron Age "Hypogeion" shaft. Part III presents artifacts and architecture from the Archaic and Classical periods, through the final days of the siege of the city in 354 B.C. The significance of this work lies in its interdisciplinary methods, combining stylistic analysis of artifacts and source-critical philology with natural history, bioarchaeology, materials analysis, and geochemistry. It reveals the long-term history of a site crucial to the economic and political history of Classical Greece and the north Aegean.Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Ancient Methone Archaeological Project. John K. Papadopoulos and Sarah P. Morris (with contributions by Antonis Kotsonas) Chapter 1 Excavations at Methone (2003-2013). Matthaios Bessios, Athena Athanassiadou, and Konstantinos Noulas Chapter 2 Methone in Ancient Sources. Yannis Z. Tzifopoulos Chapter 3 At the Water's Edge. Samantha L. Martin-McAuliffe PART I. METHONE BEFORE ERETRIA: THE LATE NEOLITHIC THROUGH EARLY IRON AGE SETTLEMENT Chapter 4 The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Settlement and Pottery. Marianna Nikolaidou Chapter 5 The Middle and Late Bronze Age Pottery. Trevor Van Damme Chapter 6 The Late Bronze Age Cemetery. Sarah P. Morris, Sevi Triantaphyllou, and Vaso Papathanasiou (With Contributions by John K. Papadopoulos, Vanessa Muros, Brian Damiata, and John Southon) Chapter 7 The Early Iron Age Settlement and Pottery: An Overview. John K. Papadopoulos PART II. TRADE, INDUSTRY, AND LIFEWAYS IN EARLY IRON AGE METHONE: THE HYPOGEION Chapter 8 The Excavation of the Hypogeion. Matthaios Bessios Chapter 9 Catalogue of Select Pottery from the Hypogeion. Matthaios Bessios Chapter 10 Lifeways and Foodways in Iron Age Methone: A Perishable Material Culture Approach. Alexandra Livarda, Rena Veropoulidou, Anastasia Vasileiadou, and Llorenç Picornell-Gelabert Chapter 11 Inscriptions, Graffiti/Dipinti, and (Trade)Marks at Methone (ca. 700 B.C.). Yannis Z. Tzifopoulos Chapter 12 Why was Methone Colonized? Transport Amphoras and Greek Colonization between History and Archaeology. Antonis Kotsonas Chapter 13 Metallurgical Activity at Methone: The Evidence of the Stone Artifacts from the Hypogeion. Ioannis Manos and Ioannis Vlastaridis Chapter 14 Metallurgical Ceramics from the Hypogeion. Samuel Verdan Chapter 15 Metal Finds from the Hypogeion. John K. Papadopoulos Chapter 16 Clay Textile Tools from Methone: Spindlewhorls and Loomweights from the Hypogeion. Sarah P. Morris Chapter 17 Cut Sherd Disks from the Hypogeion. John K. Papadopoulos PART III. METHONE IN THE ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL PERIODS Chapter 18 Building A on the East Hill of Ancient Methone. Samantha L. Martin-McAuliffe Chapter 19 a) Pottery Workshops of Ancient Methone. Matthaios Bessios b) Archaic Pottery from the Acropolis (West Hill) of Ancient Methone. Matthaios Bessios and Konstantinos Noulas Chapter 20 The Role of Methone in the Macedonian Timber Trade. Angelos Boufalis Chapter 21 Trade in the Archaic North Aegean: Transport Amphoras from the West Hill of Methone. Alexandra Kasseri Chapter 22 The East Greek Fine Pottery. John K. Papadopoulos Chapter 23 a) Selected Attic Black-Figure and Red-Figure Pottery from Methone. Seth Pevnick b) An Attic Red-Figure Cup by the Bonn Painter from Methone. Maria Tolia-Christakou Chapter 24 Terracotta Lamps. John K. Papadopoulos Chapter 25 Early Glass in Methone. Despina Ignatiadou (With a Contribution by Elissavet Dotsika, Petros Karalis, and Antonio Longinelli) Chapter 26 Metal Objects in Archaic and Classical Methone: Acropolis and its East Slope, the Agora, and the South Harbor Area. John K. Papadopoulos Chapter 27 Jewelry Molds from Methone from the Stamatios Tsakos Collection in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. Styliana Galiniki Chapter 28 The Lead Sling-Bullets from Methone: Warfare (Un)inscribed. Angelos Boufalis, Androniki Oikonomaki, and Yannis Z. Tzifopoulos Chapter 29 The Ancient Agora of Methone: Pottery from the Destruction Layer. Athena Athanassiadou

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Book SynopsisThe battle of Omaha occupies a prevalent place in our collective memory due to the tragic events that took place there on June 6, 1944. The beach code-named Utah, located at the base of the Cotentin Peninsula, has attracted less attention. Wrongly. According to General Eisenhower, the U-Force mission was the most complex and risky because of its distance from the beach and the presence of many German divisions. The 4th Infantry division and the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions had to fight hard to secure the Utah area. The scale of the losses alone - 3,500 men in total - demonstrates that the Battle of Utah deserves to be investigated in a new light.

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Book SynopsisFrom the decision to land in Normandy up to the closing of the "Falaise Gap" this work describes the different phases of the Battle : strategy, diversion, the multiple operations undertaken, the sectors chosen for landing, the Armed Forces and their mission in each case. Maps trace the Army Corps and Units and their advance in the course of the Battle. A concentrated and instructive work on the main stages of the Battle of Normandy.

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Book SynopsisThis open access book explores the role of religion in England's overseas companies and the formation of English governmental identity abroad in the seventeenth century. Drawing on research into the Virginia, East India, Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New England and Levant Companies, it offers a comparative global assessment of the inextricable links between the formation of English overseas government and various models of religious governance across England's emerging colonial empire. While these approaches to governance varied from company to company, each sought to regulate the behaviour of their personnel, as well as the numerous communities and faiths which fell within their jurisdiction. This book provides a crucial reassessment of the seventeenth-century foundations of British imperial governance.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Introduction: ‘A Just Government’: Empire, Religion, Chaplains and the Corporation .- 2. The Virginia Company and the Foundations of Religious Governance in English Commercial Expansion .- 3. The Plymouth Company and Massachusetts Bay Company (1622–1639): Establishing Theocratic Corporate Governance .- 4. Apostasy and Debauchery (1601–1660): Behaviour, Passive Evangelism and the East India and Levant Company Chaplains .- 5. The Massachusetts Bay Company and New England Company (1640–1684): Exportation, Revaluation and the Demise of Corporate Theocratic Governance .- 6. The East India Company (1661–1698): Territorial Acquisition and the ‘Amsterdam of Liberty’ .- 7. Conclusion .- 8. Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisPerhaps the most extraordinary period in modern British history, the years between the Great Recession and Brexit have often been dubbed ‘the lost decade’ because of the economic and political turmoil caused by those two great events. Michael Burton outlines how the first led to the second, assisted by a rare confluence of other, often unrelated, social and political factors that delivered the shock Leave verdict in the EU referendum of 2016. These included the longstanding grievances of voters in former industrial areas feeling left behind by globalism, stagnant incomes after the recession, austerity, the rise of social media, the refugee and Eurozone crisis in Europe, the deep split in the Conservative and Labour parties over the EU and rising wealth inequalities. The author also charts the chaotic political landscape that ended in the final Brexit deal. This book is ideal for the general reader as well as for students of politics, history and economics needing a concise and well-explained account of this turbulent period in British history.Table of ContentsIntroductionThis will briefly outline the book, explaining as above why the decade was so momentous and why the recession, austerity economics and Brexit are all linked.Chapter one: Britain in the depths of the Great RecessionThis chapter sets the scene in 2009/2010 outlining the undercurrent tensions in British society even before the recession such as income inequalities, generational divides, immigration, regional disparities, globalism, which were later to become starkly apparent during the next decade.Chapter two: austerity BritainThis chapter looks at the Cameron government’s austerity policies and considers their impact and whether they were necessary. Chapter three: the great dividesThe recession exposed great divisions within UK society, between prosperous London and the poorer outlying regions, between wealthy homeowners in London and young people struggling to get on the property ladder in the capital, between the baby boomers and Generation X. The Cameron government initiated ‘the Northern Powerhouse’ to drive growth to poorer regions but it was in the secondary cities, the Rotherhams, Barnsleys and Blackburns where local economies were weakest and where welfare cuts as part of austerity as a result had the greatest impact.Chapter four: the rise of the far rightThis chapter looks at attitudes to the EU within the UK and at the rise of immigration as a political issue following the big influx of EU workers in the mid to late 2000s. It then examines the rise of UKIP and how, in response to its polling success, David Cameron responded with his fateful decision to hold a referendum on the EU which led to Brexit.Chapter five: interregnum: Olympic UKThis chapter looks at a year, 2012, which appeared to tell the world that the UK was a cosmopolitan, multi-racial, open-minded society, in contrast to the message sent out by the referendum result four years later. The chapter covers the London Olympics, the sense of optimism which it briefly generated and the impact on the public mood, symbolized by internationalist London Mayor Boris Johnson. Chapter six: the disruptersThis chapter looks at one of the features of the lost decade, the rise of social media which disrupted established media providers and led to the rise of ‘fake news’ when it came to election coverage and public perceptions of controversial political issues. Politicians on the fringes were able to bypass traditional media and appeal directly to the public without the intervening firewall of informed commentary. The EU referendum campaign would ultimately be won through social media.Chapter seven: foreign quarrelsThis chapter looks at how international issues impacted on the UK, primarily from the rise of Isis in the Middle East and its attraction for some young Muslim males in the UK, the fall of Gadaffi in Libya, and the Syrian civil war and consequent refugee crisis. These all contributed to a rise of xenophobia reflected in growing support for UKIP. By the time of the EU referendum refugees from the Middle East and Africa, asylum seekers, homegrown Islamic terrorists and EU working immigrants were all conflated by unscrupulous politicians into a single threat that would boost the Leave vote.Chapter eight: Cameron makes historyThis chapter covers the 2015 general election and examines the impact of the recession on the public and on the public finances and at the socio-economic challenges Cameron now faced. It also covers the 2014 Scottish referendum which should have been a wake-up call to the possibility that a EU referendum could end in Leave.Chapter nine: headlong into BrexitThis chapter looks at the eventful year following the 2015 election. It covers the referendum campaign and the poll itself, Cameron’s resignation, the election of Theresa May, Corbyn’s own post-referendum troubles with his Shadow Cabinet and the start of the Brexit process. In particular it considers the reasons why the country – to the shock of the political class – voted Leave and examines the socio-economic profile of the Remainers and Leavers that exposed the deep divide in the country. Chapter ten: capitalism in crisisThis chapter looks at the disastrous general election campaign which saw May lose her majority and Corbyn emerge as the unlikely hero of Labour, cementing its leftwards march. Political commentators attributed much of his electoral success to young voters, furious about the Brexit result and at the government’s austerity. In a sign of post-referendum confusion, the middle classes tended to vote Labour while working class voters – mainly Leavers – backed the Conservatives. The elections also saw the disappearance of UKIP.Chapter eleven: party loyalties under pressureThis chapter looks at the negotiations for a Brexit deal during 2018 and early 2019 and the way Brexit broke traditional party loyalties among Labour and Conservatives. This chapter will cover the negotiations up to when (or if) the UK leaves the EU.Conclusion:This summarises the key undercurrents of the decade and sees Brexit and its impact on the UK body politic as the expression of underlying socio-economic changes in Britain.

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Book SynopsisThis open access book explores the history of risk management in medieval and early modern European maritime business, focusing particularly on 'General Average' – a mechanism by which extraordinary expenses regarding ship or cargo, incurred during a voyage to save the venture, are shared between all participants to protect equity. This volume traces the history of this risk management tool from its origins in the pre-Roman Mediterranean through to its use in the shipping sector today. Contributions range from the Islamic Mediterranean to the Low Countries, and taken together, provide a wide-ranging analysis of social, cultural, and political aspects of pre-modern maritime commerce in Europe. Table of ContentsPart 1: Why and How Risk is Shared.- 1. Introduction: Sharing Risks, on Averages and Why they Matter; Maria Fusaro.- 2. General Average and All the Rest: The Law and Economics of Early Modern Maritime Risk Mitigation; Ron Harris.- 3. Risky Narratives: Framing General Average into Risk-Management Strategies (13th-16th Centuries); Giovanni Ceccarelli.- Part 2: Origins and Variants of Mutual Protection.- 4. General Average in Byzantium; Daphne Penna.- 5. Rules and Practices of General Average in the Islamic Mediterranean on the Eve of the Emergence of the Italian Communes; Hassan Khalilieh.- 6. Principles and Developments of General Average: Statutory and Contractual Loss Allowances from the Lex Rhodia to the Early Modern Mediterranean; Andrea Addobbati.- Part 3: The Iberian Experience.- 7. The ‘Mutualisation’ of Maritime Risk in the Crown of Castile, 1300-1550; Ana María Rivera Medina.- 8. General Average, Compulsory Contributions and Castilian Normative Practice in the Southern Low Countries (Sixteenth Century); Gijs Dreijer.- 9. The Nautical Republic of the Carrera de Indias: Commerce, Navigation, Casos Fortuitos and Avería Gruesa in the Sixteenth Century; Marta García Garralón.- Part 4: The Genoese Experience.- 10. General Average in Genoa: Between Statutes and Customs; Antonio Iodice.- 11. The Economic Structure of Maritime Trade Calling at the Port of Genoa through the Analysis of General Average Data (16th-17th centuries); Luisa Piccinno.- 12. Financing and Risk in Genoese Maritime Trade during the Eighteenth Century: Strategies and Practices; Andrea Zanini.- Part 5: Mature Systems.- 13. Divide and Rule: Risk Sharing and Political Economy in the Free Port of Livorno; Jake Dyble.- 14. GA Adjustments in Amsterdam: Reinforcing Authority through Transparency and Accountability (late Sixteenth - early Seventeenth Century); Sabine Go.- 15. ‘The Honour of Giving my Opinion’: General Average, Insurance and the Compilation of the Ordonnance de la Marine of 1681; Lewis Wade.

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Book SynopsisThe articles of this comprehensive edited volume offer a multidisciplinary, global and comparative approach to the history of empires. They analyze their ends over a long spectrum of humankind’s history, ranging from Ancient History through Modern Times. As the main guiding question, every author of this volume scrutinizes the reasons for the decline, the erosion, and the implosion of individual empires.All contributions locate and highlight different factors that triggered or at least supported the ending or the implosion of empires. This overall question makes all the contributions to this volume comparable and allows to detect similarities, differences as well as inconsistencies of historical processes.Table of ContentsIntroductionDecline, Collapse, Fall, or just Transformation: Diverging Ends of Empires through Time and SpaceAntiquityDer Zusammenbruch des mesopotamischen Staates von AkkadeThe Decline of the Ur III dynasty – The End of an Empire and its Afterlife in the Collective Memory of Mesopotamian SocietiesThe Collapse of the Hittitie KingdomThe End of New Kingdom EgyptThe End of the Neo-Assyrian EmpireThe “End” of the Achaemenid-Persian Empire: Caesura and Transformation in DialogueThe End of the Roman Empire: Civil Wars, the Imperial Monarchy, and the End of AntiquityThe End of the Parthian Arsacid EmpireThe End of the Ērānšahar: The Decline of the Sasanian EmpireThe End of the Kushan EmpireIslam/Muslim WorldFrom Universalism to RegionalismThe Question of the Break-Up of the Abbasid Empire RevisitedThe End of the Mongol EmpireThe End of the Timurid EmpireAfrica, Asia, ChinaThe Decline and Collapse of the Kingdom of Aksum (6th-7th cent. AD): An Environmental Disaster or the End of a Political Process?What Role did Climate Change Play in the Decline of the Tang Dynasty?Thoughts about The Decentralization of the Mughal EmpireHow do Empires Fall? Two Case Studies from Pre-modern Southeast AsiaThe AmericasThe Decline and Fall of the Inca Empire The Downfall of Aztec Rule, 1519-21Middle Age and Modern HistoryThe Fall of the Napoleonic EmpireDas Ende des Spanischen KolonialreichesThe End of the Portuguese Colonial EmpireDas Ende des polnisch-litauischen Großreichs als DiskussionsfrageThe End of World War IStructural Problems, Personal Failure or just Contingency? The End of the Russian EmpireThe End of the German Empire 1918?The End of the Habsburg MonarchyThe Long Lasting End of the Ottoman EmpireThe End of World War II and the Cold WarDas Ende des faschistischen ImperiumsThe Rise and Fall of Hitler’s Empire (1933–1945)The End of the USSRA Never – Ending Empire? The Decline of the United KingdomAmerica’s Decline on Display: The Presidential Transition

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Book SynopsisIn her Four Essays on World War II, Olena Stiazhkina inscribes the Ukrainian history of World War II into a wider European and world context. Among other aspects, she analyses the mobilization measures on the eve of the war, and reconsiders Soviet narratives on them. Scrutinizing social and political processes initiated by the Bolshevik leadership in the 1920s and 1930s, she outlines how mobilization and militarization became integral parts of Soviet politics. Today, the Kremlin uses Soviet and post-Soviet Russian narratives of World War II to justify its aggressive policies towards a number of democratic countries. Russia is engaged in falsification of the past to underpin claims of a so-called Russian World and its ongoing war against Ukraine. Against this background, Stiazhkina offers a new understanding of what happened in Ukraine before, during, and after World War II.Trade Review"Here you get answers that will change your knowledge both of Ukrainian history and how the building of a new society by a totalitarian regime affected everyone, even children. This fascinating book reinforces interest not only in the history of Ukraine, but in the history of all Eastern Europe. -- Andriy Kurkov, novelist and President of PEN UkraineTable of ContentsPreface; Essay I: World War II in the Life and Death of Ukrainians: An Attempt to Adjust the Methodological Framework; Essay II: The Regime of Continuous War: Mobilization, Militarization, and Practices of Maintaining an Undeclared State of Emergency in Soviet Ukraine From the 1920s to the 1940s; Essay III: Occupation Regimes in Ukrainian Lands: Establishment and Fall/Stabilization, Similarities and Differences; Essay IV: Ukraine in 19431953: Re-Sovietization and an Unexpected Turn of the Unfinished War; Abbreviations; Index.

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Book SynopsisFor over fifty years, between around 1870 and 1914, there was a thriving trade that saw translucent block ice exported to Great Britain from the fjords and lakes of Norway. By 1899, the volume of ice landed in Britain had reached over half a million tons, with the port of London often accounting for 40-50 per cent of that total. The ice was needed for food preservation as Britain''s increasingly urban and industrial population grew exponentially over the later nineteenth century and, over time, to satisfy Britons'' taste for iced drinks and ice cream. For Norway, the trade yielded economic benefits across coastal communities of the south and south-east. In effect, ice production was a form of agriculture that gave rise to a regular labour force, multiple ice stores, and ingenious wooden chutes for moving ice blocks down to loading wharves. Ice Blocks from Norway: The Importation of Natural Ice to Britain, Circa 1870-1925 is a richly illustrated, definitive account of the history of this unique trade. The book will appeal to general, informed readers as well as academic specialists.

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Book SynopsisA Smaller History of Greece, authored by William Smith, offers readers a concise yet comprehensive journey through the rich historical tapestry of ancient Greece. Drawing upon his expertise as a classicist and historian, Smith presents a condensed narrative that captures the essence of Greek civilization, from its mythical origins to its pivotal contributions to philosophy, politics, arts, and warfare. The book navigates through key epochs such as the rise of city-states, the flourishing of Athens' democratic governance, and the influence of philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It delves into the Persian Wars, highlighting the Greeks' steadfast defense against overwhelming odds. Smith also explores the complexities of Spartan society and the transformative campaigns of Alexander the Great. With a skillful blend of narrative and analysis, A Smaller History of Greece provides readers with a clear understanding of Greece's impact on Western civilization. The author's concise style doesn't compromise the depth of knowledge shared, making this work a valuable resource for students, history enthusiasts, and anyone seeking a succinct yet informative exploration of ancient Greece's legacy. William Smith's expertise shines in this accessible yet scholarly account, offering readers a compelling journey through the triumphs, conflicts, and enduring legacy of one of history's most influential civilizations.

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Book SynopsisEminent Victorians is a seminal work of biography and social commentary published by British writer and critic Lytton Strachey. By offering four unique portrayals of notable Victorian people, the book challenges the standard approach to biography. Cardinal Manning, Florence Nightingale, Dr. Thomas Arnold, and General Charles Gordon are among Strachey's subjects. Strachey takes a sarcastic and critical perspective to their lives, rather than offering hagiographic narratives. He examines their shortcomings, paradoxes, and character complexity, presenting the human side of these great figures. Strachey's style is funny and astute, providing readers with a new perspective on these great figures. When it was initially released, the book's satirical tone and unorthodox biographical format generated quite a stir. Strachey's presentation of these illustrious Victorians as flawed and deficient questioned the conventional veneration for the era's heroes and heroines. Eminent Victorians is more than just a biography compilation; it's a critique of the Victorian society and beliefs that these figures embodied. Strachey's work was influential in altering the biography genre and encouraging a more nuanced and critical assessment of historical characters.

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Book SynopsisOnce the steel storm of the industrial war had passed, the idyllic Flanders Fields region in Belgium was left as a desolate moon landscape. The First World War had wiped dozens of villages and cities completely off the map. The fields had been destroyed by grenades, mine craters, scrap, trenches, bunkers, railways and infrastructure of the war machine. But Flanders Fields rose again, like a Phoenix from the ashes. Even before the end of the war, the first people returned to their previous homes. A traditional architecture was supposed to remove all traces from the war and restore the former beauty of the area. With the first fairs and processions from 1919 onwards, the social fabric started to heal. Pilgrims started to come from all the corners of the earth to visit the many memorials and cemeteries. By the end of the twenties the reconstruction was largely finished. It is this post-war reconstruction that continues to define the characteristics of the region to this very day. This book has been published to commemorate the centenary of the recovery as guide for iconic sites of reconstruction, thematic exhibitions, public events, and walking and cycle routes that will take you to many striking sites of the reconstruction in the Westhoek. It also contains an historical overview of the revival of a region so heavily scourged by the Great War and new insights a century on.

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Book SynopsisThis collective work analyzes the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, providing a coherent picture of Ukraine and Eastern Europe in the period 2013–2020. Giving voice to different social groups, scholarly communities and agencies relevant to Ukraine’s recent history, The War in Ukraine's Donbas goes beyond simplistic media interpretations that limit the analysis to Vladimir Putin and Russian aims to annex Ukraine. Instead, the authors identify the deeper roots linked to the autonomy and history of Donbas as a region. The contributions explore local society and traditions and the alienation from Ukraine caused by the events of Euromaidan, which saw the removal of the Donetsk-based president Viktor Yanukovych. Other chapters address the refugee crisis, the Minsk Accords in 2014 and the impact of the new president Volodymyr Zelensky and his efforts to bring the war to an end by negotiations among Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany. The book concludes with four proposals for a durable peace in Donbas: territorial power-sharing; the conversion of rebels into legitimate political parties; amnesty for all participants of the armed conflict; and a transitional period of several years until political institutions are fully re-established.Trade Review"Overall, this book offers food for thought on a number of important issues relevant to understanding developments in the Donbas and their wider consequences. It is eminently accessible in a way which will make it of interest to more general readers as well as scholars and students of international relations, law and history. Although focused upon the Donbas region in the period prior to the start of the much greater conflict in Ukraine as a whole in 2022, many of the observations carry wider relevance in making sense of the current war." http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/115885/1/usappblog_2022_07_03_book_review_the_war_in_ukraines_donbas_origins.pdf -- Gary Wilson * LSE Review of Books *"It is here that Marples’s gifts for editing such a collection shine through. As the book’s title promises, the origins and contexts of the Donbas conflict are elucidated, and the final chapter effectively brings the work to a close by offering possible futures and a better state of peace for all involved—via a negotiated settlement based on power sharing, deployment of peacekeepers and election monitors, amnesty for combatants, and establishment of a truth commission." https://networks.h-net.org/node/12840/reviews/12874234/mcintosh-marples-war-ukraines-donbas-origins-contexts-and-future -- Scott McIntosh * H-War *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements David R. Marples, Introduction William Jay Risch, Prelude to War? The Maidan and Its Enemies in the Donbas Alina Cherviatsova, Hybrid War and Hybrid Law: Minsk Agreements in the Context of International Law and Ukrainian Legislation Kimitaka Matsuzato, The First Four Years of the Donetsk People’s Republic: The Differentiating Elites and Surkov’s Political Technologists Oksana Mikheieva, Motivations of Pro-Russian and Pro-Ukrainian Combatants in the Context of the Russian Military Intervention in the Donbas Nataliia Stepaniuk, Limited Statehood, Collective Action, and Reconfiguration of Citizenship in Wartime: Volunteer Engagement Amidst the Donbas War Ernest Gyidel, Ukrainian Internally Displaced Persons and the Future of Donbas Oleksandr Melnyk, War Dead and (Inter)-Communal Ethics in the Russian-Ukrainian Borderlands: 2014–2018 Alla Hurska, Russia's Hybrid Strategy in the Sea of Azov: Divide and Antagonize Sergey Sukhankin, Russian Private Military Contractors in the Donbas: Rehearsing Future Voyages Serhiy Kudelia, Civil War Settlements and Conflict Resolution in the Donbas List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisO perigo rondava sob as águas frias e cinzentas do Mar do Norte e as ondas azuis cintilantes do Atlântico tropical durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, enquanto o Terceiro Reich de Adolf Hitler tentava estrangular as rotas de navegação aliadas com ataques de U-boat. Submarinos alemães e britânicos vasculharam o vasto campo de batalha oceânico em busca de presas, enquanto os cientistas desenvolviam novas tecnologias e contramedidas. A guerra submarina começou provisoriamente durante a Guerra Civil Americana (embora os Países Baixos e a Inglaterra tenham feito pequenos protótipos séculos antes, e o sargento americano Ezra Lee pilotou o Turtle sozinho em vão contra o HMS Eagle perto de Nova York em 1776). A invenção do torpedo pelo britânico Robert Whitehead introduziu a arma mais tarde usada com mais frequência por submarinos. Melhorias constantes no design de Whitehead levaram aos torpedos militares implantados contra a navegação durante as duas guerras mundiais. A Primeira Guerra Mundial testemunhou a Primeira Batalha do Atlântico, quando o Kaiserreich lançou seus U-boats contra a Inglaterra. Durante os 52,5 meses de guerra, os submarinos alemães enviaram grande parte da marinha mercante britânica para o fundo. Na verdade, a dependência alemã dos U-boats tanto na Primeira quanto na Segunda Guerra Mundial derivou em grande parte da geografia de seu país. Os alemães acabaram reconhecendo a primazia da Marinha Real e sua capacidade de bloquear a curta costa da Alemanha em caso de guerra. Embora os britânicos pudessem interditar facilmente os navios de superfície, os submarinos escaparam de suas ancoragens em Kiel ou Hamburgo sem serem vistos, podendo atacar os navios mercantes da Inglaterra. Durante a Primeira Guerra Mundial, os submarinos alemães operaram sozinhos, exceto em uma ocasião. Inicialmente, os britânicos e as nações que abasteciam a Inglaterra com alimentos e material espalharam navios isoladamente pelo oceano, tornando-os vulneráveis aos submarinos solitários. No entanto, a ampla retomada do sistema de comboio no final da guerra derrubou as probabilidades a favor dos navios de superfície, conforme descrito por um capitão de submarino: Os oceanos imediatamente ficaram vazios; por longos períodos de tempo, os U-boats, operando individualmente, não veriam absolutamente nada; e então, de repente, surgia uma enorme multidão de navios, trinta ou cinquenta ou mais deles, cercados por uma forte escolta de navios de guerra de todos os tipos. (Blair, 1996, 55). A Primeira Guerra Mundial provou o valor dos submarinos, garantindo seu emprego generalizado no próximo conflito. Além da Alemanha e da Grã-Bretanha, o Japão e os Estados Unidos também construíram extensas frotas de submarinos antes e / ou durante a guerra. Uma inovação crítica nas operações do submarino atlântico da Segunda Guerra Mundial consistia em táticas de matilha de lobos, nas quais o almirante Karl Dönitz confiava muito: Quanto maior o número de U-boats que pudessem ser trazidos simultaneamente para o ataque , os mais favoráveis seriam as oportunidades oferecidas a cada atacante individual. [...] era óbvio que, por motivos estratégicos e táticos gerais , os ataques a comboios devem ser realizados por uma série de U-boats que atuam em uníssono. (Dönitz, 1990, 4). No entanto, mesmo a matilha se mostrou insuficiente para derrotar os comboios do Atlântico e parar o comércio aliado - o oposto exato do teatro do Pacífico, onde as excelentes forças submarinas da América aniquilaram grande parte da marinha mercante do Japão e infligiram graves danos à Marinha Imperial Japonesa. Os submarinos exerceram um impacto decisivo no desfecho do Teatro do Pacífico na Segunda Guerra Mundial. A frota de submarinos dos Estados Unidos, em grande parte, embora não exclusivamente sob o comando geral do vice-almirante Charles Lockwood, ultrapassou as linhas de abastecimento e o tráfeg

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2022 Ab Imperio Award for the Best Study in New Imperial History and History of Diversity in Northern EurasiaThis first English-language synthesis of the history of Dnipro (until 2016 Dnipropetrovsk, until 1926 Katerynoslav) locates the city in a broader regional, national, and transnational context and explores the interaction between global processes and everyday routines of urban life. The history of a place (throughout its history called ‘new Athens’, ‘Ukrainian Manchester’, ‘the Brezhnev`s capital’ and ‘the heart of Ukraine’) is seen through the prism of key threads in the modern history of Europe: the imperial colonization and industrialization, the war and the revolution in the borderlands, the everyday life and mythology of a Soviet closed city, and the transformations of post-Soviet Ukraine. Designed as a critical entangled history of the multicultural space, the book looks for a new analytical language to overcome the traps of both national and imperial history-writing.Trade Review“Overall, the book offers a vivid assemblage of interwoven storylines and episodes from the city’s multi-dimensional past, which combined result in an entangled history of Dnipro as a European city. This book is an essential read for everyone wishing to understand the multi-layered history of Ukraine and diversity of its regions.”— Olena Palko, European History Quarterly“Andrii Portnov has written a fascinating, well-illustrated book about an ‘entangled’ history of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro/Dnipropetrovsk… After reading Portnov’s amazing study about a history of the city of my youth, I reevaluated Dnipro’s complicated past… Portnov’s book is a most interesting and important contribution to the field of the Ukrainian studies, demonstrating the role of such multinational cities as Dnipro in the Ukrainian struggle against the Russian and Soviet empires.”— Sergei I. Zhuk, Russian Review“It is rare to find a book title more apt than the one selected by Andrii Portnov for his monograph Dnipro. An Entangled History of a European City. … I claim so because Portnov, in publishing the first English-language monograph on the history of Katerynoslav (1776–1926), then Dnipropetrovsk (1926–2016), and now Dnipro (since 2016), today the fourth largest city in Ukraine by population, has expertly demonstrated how to apply this approach to the past in practice. … Portnov’s historical tale of Katerynoslav / Dnipropetrovsk / Dnipro faithfully and consequently reflects the entangled character of the city’s history.”— Tomasz Stryjek, Kultura i Społeczeństwo“One outstanding feature of the book is its ability to bring different strands of Ukrainian historiography into dialogue. … [T]he footnotes are a priceless treasure trove of source material, secondary literature in Western languages, Russian, and, most importantly, Ukrainian and Polish. The book is written in straightforward, relatable English and is easily accessible to readers possessing no prior knowledge of Ukrainian or Russian history. … Although Portnov’s book ends before Russia’s attempted total invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it offers very timely reading, integrating different strands of Ukraine’s history into the story of a city. … In combining a multitude of different sources, research literature, and narrative styles (from interviews to close reading of sources to birds-eye geopolitical analyses), this book highlights the complexity and often contradictory nature of Dnipro’s history. This does not always make for easy reading, but following the different paths of this European city is worthy of the reader’s time.”— Boris Belge, H-Soz-Kult“This book is a great example of a history of a place that resists any linear genealogy. Andrii Portnov introduces this place—Dnipro (Ekaterynoslav/Katerynoslav, Dnipropetrovsk/Dnepropetrovsk)—as a city without ‘a single national majority, well-established self-identification, or a broadly recognizable mythology,’ and manages to avoid ascribing it one. His ‘entangled history’ approach combines a thorough, sometimes truly fascinating exploration of local circumstances with a broader perspective on the dynamics that Dnipro embodied in the pre-1917 and Soviet imperial formations. The book discusses the overlapping (national and social) revolutions, cultural movements in the city, considerable economic transformations, local religious and linguistic patterns, and aspects of basic everyday coexistence, cooperation, and competition of the city’s various ethnic and confessional communities. Dnipro is simultaneously a microhistory and a decentered history of ‘European,’ imperial, and national modernity. Finally, Portnov’s ‘entangled history’ explains the evolution of typically ‘Eastern Ukrainian’ Dnipropetrovsk into a center of Ukrainian resistance against pro-Russian separatism after the Euromaidan (2013–14) and later, its defiance of Russian aggression. The book thus offers a unique view, still lacking in English, on modern Ukrainianness. It deserves to be broadly read by all those interested in historical complexity and human agency’s potential to overcome the determinism of the past.”— Marina Mogilner, Edward and Marianna Thaden Chair in Russian and East European Intellectual History, University of Illinois at Chicago"This is a brilliant study of Katerynoslav-Dnipropetrovsk-Dnipro – the changes of the name are a first indicator of the dramatic fate of this extraordinary urban project. Andrii Portnov draws a fascinating portrait of the city that evolved from a new Athens in Southern Russia to a Soviet Manchester and finally to a stronghold of Ukrainian independence. He explains the rather surprising resistance against the covert Russian aggression in 2014 against the background of the multifaceted history of the city. Portnov takes an innovative, methodologically reflected approach and includes cultural, religious, social and political aspects in his nuanced analysis. As Portnov convincingly shows, the entangled history of Dnipro can be read as a history of Ukraine in nuce.”— Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schmid, Eastern European Studies, University of St. Gallen (Switzerland)“The fascinating city of Dnipro on the river bearing the same name is indispensable for understanding modern Ukraine and modern Eastern Europe. Surprisingly for the city of its size and importance, very little has been written about Dnipro. Andriy Portnov’s pathbreaking study finally gives the city its due. Portnov promises and delivers an ‘entangled history’ at its very best. Not only are the fates of the city’s many ethnic groups intertwined and interdependent, the city itself is written into a broader story of global processes and events that have shaped the modern world. As the book shows those global forces themselves are interlocked and materialize in all their complexity only in concrete tangible places, and Andriy Portnov’s Dnipro is one of those places.”— Andriy Zayarnyuk, Professor of History, University of Winnipeg“Professor Portnov has written an outstanding history of Dnipro, one of the most interesting cities in Ukraine. He reveals how, by the turn of the twentieth century, this Russian imperial outpost in the, South named Katerynoslav after Catherine II, became a ‘new Manchester,’ an industrial hub straddling a major river, the Dnipro. In 1926 the Soviets renamed it Dnipropetrovsk after the local Bolshevik leader Hryhorii Petrovsky. A major center of Jewish settlement that produced important Zionist leaders, Dnipropetrovsk saw the brutal murder of its Jews during the Holocaust. The Soviets then turned it into a well-supplied ‘closed city’ producing intercontinental ballistic missiles. By examining the situational responses of the local elites and civil society, Portnov solves the puzzle of present-day Dnipro, now stripped of Petrovsky’s ghost: how this eastern Ukrainian city became a Ukrainian stronghold against Russian aggression. This book makes a major contribution to the field.”— Serhy Yekelchyk, author of Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to KnowTable of ContentsIntroduction: “The Unfinished City” and Its Histories1. The Potemkin City2. Manchester on the Dnipro3. The Symphony of Revolutions4. The Soviet Dnipropetrovsk5. A City at War 6. Brezhnev’s CapitalEpilogue: Neither the City Number One nor the City Number Two BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA fascinating, richly illustrated exploration of the poignant origins of Rudyard Kipling’s world-famous children’s classicTrade Review“A scrupulous and poignant account of how love and loss inspired the Just So Stories”—Kathryn Hughes, The Guardian“In this concise and remarkable book...Batchelor guides us expertly...drawing on multiple sources and making intriguing connections between Kipling’s stories for children and for adults.”—John Carey, The Sunday Times “Fluent, engaging and gently erudite”—Boyd Tonkin, The Economist“Batchelor, who places the Just So Stories directly in the context of Kipling's private and public life, acknowledges that the stories contain traces of racism and imperialism, traits which were much more evident in Kipling's later works [and] highlights the stories for their humour and the deliverance of moral lessons.”—Colin Steele, Canberra Times “Intelligent, balanced, finely-written...John Batchelor, an academic whose own head teems with Edwardian history and books, opens [Kipling] up like a splayed tangerine, each segment of which is tagged to a Just So story.”—Nicola Shulman, The Oldie“Reading Kipling through the lens of his best-loved book makes a good introduction to his work.”—Janet Montefiore, Times Literary Supplement“Batchelor discusses each of the stories in turn, interweaving his erudite commentary with a penetrating exploration of Kipling's own story, and of his genius as a writer — not overlooking the brilliance of Kipling as illustrator of his own work.”—John Pridmore, Church Times“Batchelor’s book brings out the beauty of Kipling’s original volume and reveals much about this sad and complex man.”—Angela Wintle, Sussex Life'Batchelor’s achievement is to interweave a close reading of Kipling’s Just so Stories and their illustrations with a richly suggestive exploration of Kipling’s complexity as a man and his protean genius as a writer.’—Phillip Mallett, author of Rudyard Kipling: A Literary Life‘Beautiful … How the Just so Stories Were Made cracks through the imperial crustiness that many detest to reach into the warm heart and cool art of the great craftsman that so many admire. Batchelor movingly illuminates how personal grief and sorrow were integral to Kipling’s finest and most enduring work.’—Nicholas Rankin, author of Dead Man’s Chest: Travels after Robert Louis Stevenson'John Batchelor is the perfect commentator on the Just so Stories: unobtrusive, knowledgeable, striking just the right balance between literary gossip and erudite illumination. He renews the delight of reading Kipling at his best.’—Alberto Manguel

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Book Synopsis''That politics was the most exciting of all the exciting things in the world I never doubted''Shirley Williams was born to politics. As well as being influenced by her mother, Vera Brittan, her father George Catlin, a leading political scientist, encouraged his daughter to have high ambitions for herself - including daring to climb the bookshelves in his library. Elected as MP for Hitchin in 1964, she was a member of the Wilson and Callaghan governments and was also the Secretary of State for Education. As one of the ''Gang of Four'' Shirley Williams famously broke away from the Labour Party to found the SDP in 1981 and later supported its merger with the Liberal Party to form the Liberal Democrats. This is her story.Praise for Climbing the Bookshelves''Very few politicians are loved, but Shirley Williams was one'' Independent''She speaks human, which is a surprisingly rare political talent'' Guardian''Decent,

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA classic. It provides an invaluable aid to anyone seeking to understand Plato and Aristotle in their historical context. Dover uses a variety of literary sources to set out, with clarity and deep sensitivity, popular views on moral, political, and religious matters in fourth-century Greece. --Michael Morgan, Indiana University

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Book SynopsisMeineck and Woodruff''s new annotated translations of Sophocles'' Ajax, Women of Trachis, Electra, and Philoctetes combine the same standards of accuracy, concision, clarity, and powerful speech that have so often made their Theban Plays a source of epiphany in the classroom and of understanding in the theatre. Woodruff''s Introduction offers a brisk and stimulating discussion of central themes in Sophoclean drama, the life of the playwright, staging issues, and each of the four featured plays.Trade ReviewIn these new translations Meineck and Woodruff have struck a near-ideal balance between accuracy and readability, formality and colloquialism. Their versions are simply a pleasure to read, conveying with remarkable vividness the powerful characterizations and poetic variety of the originals. The addition of succinct but illuminating notes makes this an exemplary volume for anyone interested in Sophocles' dramatic art. --Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, Department of Classics, Wesleyan University[T]his sequel to the same pair's well-received translation of the Theban plays hits an appropriate mean . . . a text that I could happily adopt for teaching. --Malcolm Heath in Greece and RomeTable of ContentsIntroduction; Notes on the Translations; Map: Sophoclean geography; House of Pelops Family Tree; Ajax; Women of Trachis; Electra; Philoctetes; Endnotes.

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Book SynopsisA Waterstones Best History Book of 2023The incredible true story of the SAS' daring mission to liberate EuropeIn the summer of 1943, the largest invasion fleet ever assembled sailed for fortress Europe, aiming to bulldoze its way onto Nazi shores. At its vanguard went a few hundred elite forces soldiers, the Royal Navy warship carrying them bearing the iconic winged dagger emblem on its prow, plus the motto 'Who Dares Wins'. Led by the legendary SAS commander Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, these war-bitten, piratical raiders were tasked to do the impossible - to bludgeon their way through the most heavily defended enemy shoreline, so enabling the ensuing forces to follow on.If they succeeded, it would mark the turning point in the war. If they failed, the consequences were unthinkable. Against all odds, outnumbered some fifty-to-one, and facing a ferocious series of cliffside defences, they would have to dare all as never before. So begins the incredible true story of the SAS's mission to liberate Europe.Action-packed and filled with heroic endeavour, SAS Forged in Hell is breath-taking combat writing at its best, in true Damien Lewis style.Trade ReviewThe real Guns of Navarone . . . Damien Lewis reveals how Paddy Mayne's SAS triumphed in their 1943 mission to blow up Nazi shore guns . . . while outnumbered fifty to one * Daily Mail *The Great SAS Train Robbery . . . as in stealing a whole train. Damien has given a step-by-step account of the top-secret breakout in his new book * Daily Mirror *Damien Lewis brings the Commander of the SAS, and the most decorated British soldier, gloriously to life. The book is full of jaw-dropping accounts of derring-do * Stratford Herald *This is the book that needs to be the basis for a film * Colonel Tim Collins OBE *Writer Damien Lewis keeps things edge-of-the-seat as usual. Expect this book like several of his others, to be snapped up by Hollywood soon. * The Radio Times *

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Book SynopsisThe pages of history recall scarcely any parallel episode at once so romantic in character and so extensive in scale." ,Winston S. ChurchillIn 1917, two empires that had dominated much of Europe and Asia teetered on the edge of the abyss, exhausted by the ruinous cost in blood and treasure of the First World War. As Imperial Russia and Habsburg-ruled Austria-Hungary began to succumb, a small group of Czech and Slovak combat veterans stranded in Siberia saw an opportunity to realize their long-held dream of independence.While their plan was audacious and complex, and involved moving their 50,000-strong army by land and sea across three-quarters of the earth's expanse, their commitment to fight for the Allies on the Western Front riveted the attention of Allied London, Paris, and Washington.On their journey across Siberia, a brawl erupted at a remote Trans-Siberian rail station that sparked a wholesale rebellion. The marauding Czecho-Slovak Legion seized control of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and with it Siberia. In the end, this small band of POWs and deserters, whose strength was seen by Leon Trotsky as the chief threat to Soviet rule, helped destroy the Austro-Hungarian Empire and found Czecho-Slovakia.British prime minister David Lloyd George called their adventure one of the greatest epics of history," and former US president Teddy Roosevelt declared that their accomplishments were unparalleled, so far as I know, in ancient or modern warfare."Trade Review"An epic story unknown even to many World War I history buffs...With admirable energy [McNamara] has assembled the story by piecing together archival records and the memoirs of the gallant men who served in the rejuvenated Czech Legion during the fateful spring and summer of 1918...A fascinating narrative." --Wall Street Journal "This incredible story lives up to its billing. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it, though, is that it's a fable that's remained largely untold. Until now...A captivating tale, brilliantly told." --History of War "Extraordinary... McNamara, an impressive storyteller armed with a treasure of documents only recently available, ably narrates the remarkable feats of these men who fought every inch of the way... A fantastic addition to the shelves of World War I histories." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "In this captivating narrative history, foreign policy scholar McNamara reveals the obscure yet grand story of how a small, motley, and hastily organized army ushered in the founding of the nation of Czechoslovakia." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "A valuable story that is relatively unknown and understood in the West... McNamara's work presents a vital first entry that opens the doors on this integral part of World War I history and the shaping of the Soviet-influenced Eastern European political and social fabric." --Library Journal "Kevin J. McNamara highlights this bizarre and heroic story...Much of his extensive source material is only recently available, and he uses it well. The brave misadventures of the Czech Legion deserve the wider recognition this fascinating history should provide." --Shelf Awareness "The saga of the Czech-Slovak Legion is one of the great unknown stories of the twentieth century. Kevin J. McNamara brings these fighters back to life by presenting their firsthand account of their travails in World War I and the Russian Civil War. His engaging and valuable work should be required reading for students of the period--and for anyone interested in stories of hardship and heroism." --Max Boot, author of Invisible Armies

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Book SynopsisThe armed conflict in the east of Ukraine brought about an emergence of a distinctive trend in contemporary Ukrainian poetry: the poetry of war. Directly and indirectly, the poems collected in this volume engage with the events and experiences of war, reflecting on the themes of alienation, loss, dislocation, and disability; as well as justice, heroism, courage, resilience, generosity, and forgiveness. In addressing these themes, the poems also raise questions about art, politics, citizenship, and moral responsibility. The anthology brings together some of the most compelling poetic voices from different regions of Ukraine. Young and old, female and male, somber and ironic, tragic and playful, filled with extraordinary terror and ordinary human delights, the voices recreate the human sounds of war in its tragic complexity.Trade ReviewFeatured in the TLS (June 22 2018)"Maksymchuk and Rosochinsky note in their introduction that poetry has often been used in the service of political power.""...Through their collection, they "sought to patch together the pieces of this disintegrating world".""The kind of poetry included in these collections is the antithesis of propaganda; these poetic dialogues are a valuable reminder that there is nothing immutable about Russian-Ukrainian enmity." "The words and images create an impression of a shimmering landscape that keeps shifting and changing. It is these moments that move us most – the moments when things no longer make sense, but are about to start making sense again. Meanings change, old words acquire new connotations, language itself wrings out of the usual course and meanders. In principle, there is nothing strange about language evolving to describe the changing reality. What’s uncanny is how quickly this happens. It’s like watching a blossom burst out of a bud, open and close rapidly a dozen of times, wilt away, and disappear, all in a matter of seconds. War puts language change in fast-forward." - Poetry International Online“These are poems in which the spirit of creative imagination, free expression, emotional clarity, and ethical courage reigns supreme.” – Stephanie Sandler, Harvard UniversityTable of Contents Preface Oksana Maksymchuk and Max Rosochinsky Introduction: “Barometers” Ilya Kaminsky ANASTASIA AFANASIEVA she says we don’t have the right kind of basement in our building You whose inner void from Cold She Speaks On TV the news showed from The Plain Sense of Things Untitled Can there be poetry after VASYL HOLOBORODKO No Return I Fly Away in the Shape of a Dandelion Seed The Dragon Hillforts I Pick up my Footprints BORYS HUMENYUK Our platoon commander is a strange fellow These seagulls over the battlefield When HAIL rocket launchers are firing Not a poem in forty days An old mulberry tree near Mariupol When you clean your weapon A Testament YURI IZDRYK Darkness Invisible Make Love ALEKSANDR KABANOV This is a post on Facebook, and this, a block post in the East How I love — out of harm’s way A Former Dictator He came first wearing a t-shirt inscribed “Je suis Christ” In the garden of Gethsemane on the Dnieper river A Russian tourist is on vacation Fear is a form of the good Once upon a time, a Jew says to his prisoner, his Hellenic foe KATERYNA KALYTKO They won’t compose any songs, because the children of their children April 6 This loneliness could have a name, an Esther or a Miriam Home is still possible there, where they hang laundry out to dry He Writes Can great things happen to ordinary people? LYUDMYLA KHERSONSKA Did you know that if you hide under a blanket and pull it over your head How to describe a human other than he’s alone The whole soldier doesn’t suffer A country in the shape of a puddle, on the map Buried in a human neck, a bullet looks like a eye, sewn in that’s it: you yourself choose how you live I planted a camellia in the yard One night, a humanitarian convoy arrived in her dream When a country of — overall — nice people Leave me alone, I’m crying. I’m crying, let me be the enemy never ends every seventh child of ten — he’s a shame you really don’t remember Grandpa — but let’s say you do BORIS KHERSONSKY explosions are the new normal, you grow used to them all for the battlefront which doesn’t really exist people carry explosives around the city way too long the artillery and the tanks stayed silent in their hangars when wars are over we just collapse modern warfare is too large for the streets my brother brought war to our crippled home Bessarabia, Galicia, 1913–1939 Pronouncements MARIANNA KIYANOVSKA I believed before in a tent like in a nest we swallowed an air like earth I wake up, sigh, and head off to war The eye, a bulb that maps its own bed Their tissue is coarse, like veins in a petal Things swell closed. It’s delicious to feel how fully Naked agony begets a poison of poisons HALYNA KRUK A Woman Named Hope like a blood clot, something catches him in the rye someone stands between you and death like a bullet, the Lord saves those who save themselves OKSANA LUTSYSHYNA eastern europe is a pit of death and decaying plums don’t touch live flesh he asks — don’t help me I Dream of Explosions VASYL MAKHNO February Elegy War Generation On War On Apollinaire MARJANA SAVKA We wrote poems Forgive me, darling, I’m not a fighter january pulled him apart OSTAP SLYVYNSKY Lovers on a Bicycle Lieutenant Alina 1918 Kicking the Ball in the Dark Story (2) Latifa A Scene from 2014 Orpheus LYUBA YAKIMCHUK Died of Old Age How I Killed Caterpillar Decomposition He Says Everything Will Be Fine Eyebrows Funeral Services Crow, Wheels Knife SERHIY ZHADAN from Stones“We speak of the cities we lived in . . .” “Now we remember: janitors and the night-sellers of bread . . .” from Why I’m not on Social MediaNeedleHeadphonesSectRhinocerosThey buried him last winter Three Years Now We’ve Been Talking about the War“A guy I know volunteered . . .”“Three years now we’ve been talking about the war . . .” “So that’s what their family is like now . . .” “Sun, terrace, lots of green . . .”“The street. A woman zigzags the street . . .” “Village street – gas line’s broken . . .”“At least now, my friend says . . .” Thirty-Two Days Without Alcohol Take Only What Is Most Important A city where she ended up hiding Afterword: “On Decomposition and Rotten Plums: Language of War in Contemporary Ukrainian Poetry” Polina Barskova Authors Translators Glossary Geographical Locations and Places of Significance Notes to Poems Acknowledgements Acknowledgement of Prior Publications

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Book Synopsis"This fascinating volume is a major contribution to our understanding of the Russian Revolution, from World War I to consolidation of the Bolshevik regime. The seven myths include the exaggeration of Rasputin's influence; a purported conspiracy behind the February Revolution; the treasonous Bolshevik dependence on German support; the multiple Anastasia pretenders to the royal inheritance; the antisemitic claims about 'Judeo-Bolsheviks'; distortions about America’s intervention in the civil war; and the 'inevitability' of Bolshevism. In each case the authors analyze the facts, uncover the origins of the myth, and trace its later perseverance (even in contemporary Russia). To assist readers, the volume includes three reference guides (people, terms, dates), nine maps, and twenty-nine illustrations. The result is immensely valuable for undergraduate courses in Russian history." —Gregory L. Freeze, Raymond Ginger Professor of History, Brandeis UniversityTrade Review"The authors' succinct discussions of historical events and evidence allow readers to contextualize and evaluate these myths. . . . The results are highly engaging and often very relevant to current events. The volume makes good use of historical source material to illustrate points and themes—this is particularly the case in the final chapter, which looks at varieties of revolutionary experiences by considering the lives of three people who were not famous political figures. These attributes make this a useful and usable text for a variety of courses on modern history. Moreover, it should appeal to general readers." —Michael Hickey, Emeritus, Bloomsburg University"Daly and Trofimov provide a service to us all in laying out concise, clear refutations of some of the most intractable myths about the Russian Revolution. I plan to have a copy on hand to lend to the next person who seems to find one or more of these myths convincing. The chapters provide a nice balance of background information and argumentation that will make them approachable and convincing for people who don’t know the topic very well." —Eric Lohr, American University

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Book SynopsisHenry VIII changed the course of English life more completely than any monarch since the Conquest. In the portraits of Holbein, Henry Tudor stands proud as one of the most powerful figures in renaissance Europe. But is the portrait just a bluff?In his brilliant new history of the life of Henry VIII, Derek Wilson explores the myths behind the image of the Tudor Lion. He was the monarch that delivered the Reformation to England yet Luther called him 'A fool, a liar and a damnable rotten worm'. As a young man he gained a reputation as an intellectual and fair prince yet he ruled the nation like a tyrant. He treated his subjects as cruelly as he treated his wives. Based on a wealth of new material and a lifetime's knowledge of the subject Derek Wilson exposes a new portrait of a much misunderstood King.PRAISE FOR DEREK WILSON'S PREVIOUS WORKS:The Uncrowned Kings of England: 'Stimulating and authorative' - John Guy'Masterly. [Wilson] has a deep understanding of . . . characters, reaching out accross the centuries' - Sunday TimesHans Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man:'Fascinating' Sarah Bradford, Daily Telegraph'Highly readable . . . The most accurate and vivid portrayal to date' Alison WeirTrade ReviewPerfect for anyone wanting a readable account that gets behind the myth to the man. * The Good Book Guide *This masterful biography breaks new ground in its portrayal of a monarch who, perhaps more than any other, changed the course of our history ... Wilson does an excellent job of separating myth from fact. * Choice Magazine *Derek Wilson, author of two well-received Tudor history books, has written an enjoyable and readable account of the man. In a year when we are going to be inundated with Prince Hal, this is a worthy addition. * Catholic Herald *

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Book SynopsisLucas Haasis found a time capsule: A complete mercantile letter archive of the merchant Nicolaus Gottlieb Luetkens who lived in 18th century Hamburg. Luetkens travelled France between 1743-1745 in order to become a successful wholesale merchant. He succeeded in this undertaking via both shrewd business practice and proficient skills in the practice of letter writing. Based on this unique discovery, in this microhistorical study Lucas Haasis examines the crucial steps and activities of a mercantile establishment phase, the typical letter practices of Early Modern merchants, and the practical principles of persuasion leading to success in the 18th century.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Making of a Merchant; Shipping Business; Commission Trade; High-Risk Trade; Finding a Business Partner and a Merchant Clerk to Open up a Merchant House; Marriage Preparations; Conclusion; References.

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Book SynopsisThis is the smoking gun of all your research. -- Professor Richard E Holmes (18 February 2001). Birds of Prey is a microhistory of the Nazi occupation of Białowieźa Forest, Polands national park. The narrative stretches from Görings palatial lifestyle to the common soldier on the ground killing Jews, partisans, and civilians. Based entirely on previously unpublished sources, the book is the synthesis of six areas of research: Hitlers Luftwaffe, the hunt and environmental history, military geography, Colonialism and Nazi Lebensraum, the Holocaust, and the war in the East. By weaving together a narrative about Hermann Göring, his inner circle, and ordinary soldiers, the book reveals the Nazi ambition to draw together East Prussia, the Bialystok region, and Ukraine into a common eastern frontier of the Greater German state, revealing how the Luftwaffe, the German hunt, and the state forestry were institutional perpetrators of Lebensraum and genocide. Up until now the Luftwaffe had not been identified in specific acts of genocide or placed at large scale killings of Jews, civilians, and partisans. This gap in the historical record had been facilitated by the destruction of the Luftwaffes records in 1945. Through a forensic and painstaking process of piecing together scraps of evidence over two decades, and utilizing Geographical Information System software, Philip W. Blood managed to decipher previously obscure reports and expose patterns of Nazi atrocities.Trade ReviewIn the heart of Philip W. Bloods Birds of Prey: Hitlers Luftwaffe, Ordinary Soldiers and the Holocaust in Poland lies Białowieża Primeval Forest, recognized as UNESCOs Biosphere Reserve nowadays, and during WWII serving as a centre gear wheel of Görings degenerate plan of creating a Germanic hunting reserve, Germania, by resettlement and extermination of the local dwellers. The books novel approach combining previously unpublished archival sources with GIS analysis of deciphered reports on Nazi troop movements and killings in Białowieża Primeval Forest results in a striking picture of common German soldiers participating in Holocaust crimes through everyday, routine killing of local dwellers. The book goes well beyond Białowieża and ties the events reconstructed by the author with the larger narrative of Nazi regime and Holocaust. Philip W. Bloods meticulous precision in linking fragments of surviving archival documents and undeniable literary craft make this book a fascinating, yet terrifying read. In times when history seems to be so easily forgotten, this voice is a much-needed cold shower for our consciousness, exposing mechanisms that engage seemingly ordinary people into horrid acts. Dr. Tomasz Samojlik, Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, PolandIn what today is the East of Poland, there is a famous nature reserve, the Białowieża Forest. The remains of an immense primeval forest, a hunters paradise. Already a royal hunting ground since the Middle Ages, it was renowned for its wildlife in the centuries when Poland was occupied by Russia and Prussia, with bison and wild boar aplenty. The knowledge of this was not lost in Germany during the years of Polish independence.Thus, when German troops occupied the area in the Second World War, the hunters returned. But a terrible secret has since lain on this area: the bison hunters were followed by man hunters. Where Hitlers henchman Herman Göring created a large hunting domain for himself, the Luftwaffe and the SS followed.Philip Bloods book illustrates most chillingly how the Polish and Soviet partisans hid in this area, and how the German occupation forces hunted them down, then turning on the Jewish and Christian villagers of the area, embarking on killing sprees evoking the driven hunts they had engaged in against big game. Recalling Barbara EhrenreichsBlood Rites,the author explains some of the worst excesses in their larger cultural context ofthe hunt. Professor Beatrice Heuser, University of GlasgowEven though the myth that the German Wehrmacht had fought chivalrously and did not commit war crimes was successfully destroyed two decades ago, the role of the German Luftwaffe (air force) in the war of extermination in Eastern Europe has not been systematically researched to this day. In the process, the 'warriors of the skies' were also used as ground troops in the increasingly fierce fight for German Lebensraum (living space) in the East, and thus also came into direct contact with the local population. Another footnote of history - the hunting passion of the second man behind Hitler, once a WWI flying ace and now Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, has been illuminated at best anecdotally to this day. Yet an examination of the importance of hunting in the Third Reich provides valuable clues to the National Socialist image of masculinity and the German Herrenrasses (master race) attitude towards so-called Untermenschen (sub-humans). In his innovative micro-study of the northeast of German-occupied Poland, Goering's personal hunting ground of Bialowieś (now Europes last primeval forest), Philip Blood combines both seemingly unrelated currents into a masterful narrative. He traces how ordinary Luftwaffe soldiers became murderers who hunted down not only animals, but people. Since the German eastern frontier also overlapped with the former tsarist Pale of Settlement where the better part of Russian Jews had lived, this fascinating study also writes an important new chapter in the history of the Holocaust.Jochen Böhler, Acting Chair of Eastern European History at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, GermanyToday, the Białowieża Forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but as Philip Blood shows in this absorbing and innovative study, this forest is also the site of memories of atrocity and horror from the Second World War. During the German occupation of Białowieża between 1941 and 1944, Nazi colonial fantasies of Lebensraum were projected onto the primeval forest at the behest of Hermann Göring. The master not only of the Luftwaffe but also forestry and hunting in the Third Reich, Görings plans for Białowieża sent two units of Luftwaffe hunters and foresters, one after the other, into the forest to cleanse the woods of Jews, partisans and ordinary Polish and Belarusian villagers. Exploring the unit war diaries of these remarkably ordinary Luftwaffe soldiers as they evacuated villages, carried out reprisal executions and engaged in Jew hunts, by literally mapping the movements of the Luftwaffe battalions onto the forest using GIS analysis,Birds of Preyis microhistory at its best. This landmark study reveals the participation of ordinary Luftwaffe soldiers in the German colonial war of extermination in the east as well as their involvement in the Holocaust in Poland. Nicholas Terry, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History, University of Exeter

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Book SynopsisFew themes in history have had as strong a hold on people''s imagination. Fewer still have managed to alter the course of civilization. This is Charles Allen''s definitive account of the Aryans, offering a grand sweep of language, mythology, contested histories and conflict. Spanning continents, cultures and societies: from the Russian steppe to the Indus valley, the Iliad to the Mahabharata, Greek to Sanskrit, Putin to Trump, and Müller to Vivekananda, Aryans astonishes with its scope. Allen, true to a style that has endeared him to a legion of admirers, weaves a narrative that is startling and illuminating. The product of a great investigation and meticulous scholarship, Aryans, Allen''s last book, is his crowning achievement and marks the end of an illustrious career.

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Book SynopsisThe volume focuses on violence during the breakdown of East Central European states brought by one of the most violent periods in modern European history: from the start of the Great War in 1914 until 1923 when Europe, finally, achieved peace after a series of civil conflicts and interstate wars. The contributors offer several case studies that cover the vast region stretching from the Baltic states to Hungary. They explore different types of violence against its civilian populations with a particular focus on communal violence committed by civilians onto their neighbors. They suggest that disintegration of state power brought by the Great War was a key condition that produced violence. Yet the process of post-WWI state building was equally or more violent as nascent East Central European states institutionalized the use of violence to achieve their political agendas.Trade Review“East Central Europe was transformed by war, revolution, and the birth of nation-states after the First World War. The Shaken Lands excels by examining 1914 to 1923 as an interconnected ‘Greater War’. Combining conceptual insights with solid case studies, it suggests both national comparisons and transnational overviews of the manifold violence that shaped the entire region, including the Baltic states. It is an indispensable study in this rapidly emerging field.”— John Horne, emeritus Professor of History, Trinity College Dublin“Based on the latest scholarship and written by some of the leading historians in the field, this volume makes an outstanding contribution to a better understanding of one of the most violent periods in modern European history and the deeper historical origins of present-day conflicts such as Russia’s current war against Ukraine.” — Prof. Robert Gerwarth, University College DublinTable of ContentsAcknowledgements IntroductionTomas Balkelis and Andrea Griffante Contributors 1. The Evolution of Wartime Criminality in Lithuania, 1914–1920 Vytautas Petronis 2. War Violence and Its Representation: A Comparison of Civilian Experiences of the Great War on Both Sides of the Former Russian-German Border Vasilijus Safronovas, Vygantas Vareikis, and Hektoras Vitkus 3. The Military Pogroms in Lithuania, 1919–1920 Darius Staliūnas 4. Scandinavian Volunteers as Perpetrators of Violence and Crime in the Estonian War of Independence Mart Kuldkepp5. The Rich and the (In)famous: Social Conflicts and Paramilitary Violence in Hungary during the Counterrevolution, 1921–1923 Béla Bodó 6. The Polish Central Government, Regional Authorities, and Local Paramilitaries during the Battle for the Western Borderlands, 1918–1921 Jochen Böhler7. Eisenbahnfeldzug: Railway War in East Central EuropeMaciej Górny 8. Beyond Comparison? The Challenges of Applying Comparative Historical Research to ViolenceJulia Eichenberg

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Book SynopsisWhile the topic of queer sexuality in imperial Russia and the Soviet Union has been investigated for decades by scholars working in the fields of sociology, history, literary studies, and musicology, it has yet to be studied in any comprehensive or systematic way by those working in the visual arts. Queer(ing) Russian Art: Realism, Revolution, Performance is meant to address this lacuna by providing a platform for new scholarship that connects "Russian" art with queerness in a variety of ways. Situated at the intersection of Visual Studies and Queer Studies and working from different theoretical and disciplinary perspectives, the contributors expose and explore the queer imagery and sensibilities in works of visual art produced in pre-Soviet, Soviet and post-Soviet contexts and beneath the surface of conventional histories of Russian and Soviet art.Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsNote on TransliterationIntroductionBrian James Baer and Yevgeniy Fiks Part One. Theoretical Framings 1. Between Semiotics and Phenomenology: The Problem of Queer BeautyBrian James BaerPart Two. Queer Beauty in Context2. “In Appearance, Both a Lad and Lass”: Images of Androgyny in Eighteenth-century Russian ArtOlga Khoroshilova (translated by Aleksei Grinenko)3. The Queer Opacity of Alexander Ivanov’s Nudes: Between Biblical Themes and Greek Love Nikolai Ivanov (translated by Aleksei Grinenko)4. Prostitutes, Pierrots, and Priapus: The Queer Modernism of Konstantin SomovBrian James Baer 5. Modernism as the Uncanny of Stalinism: On Alexander Deineka’s Wartime DrawingsGleb Napreenko (translated by Aleksei Grinenko with Brian James Baer)6. Carnivalesque Carnality: The Queer Potential of Sergei Eisenstein’s Homoerotic Drawings Ada Ackerman7. Moscow Conceptualism’s Erotic ObjectsYelena Kalinsky8. Queering Socialist Realism: The Case of Georgy GuryanovMaria Engström (translated by Ryan Green)9. A Russian Schizorevolution?: Observations on the New Academy of Fine Arts and Queer Issues in the Late 1980s and Early 1990sAndrei Khlobystin (translated by Aleksei Grinenko)10. The Lure of Implied Transgression as Revolutionary Retrospective: The Illicit as la Belleza in Bella Matveeva’s ArtHelena Goscilo11. Sexual and Gender Dissent in a Bipolar World: Georgy Guryanov and Vladislav Mamyshev-MonroeAndrey Shental 12. “My Nationality Is My Sexuality”: The Post-Soviet, Diasporic, Non-Russian Queerness of Babi BadalovRoman Osminkin (translated by Innokenty Grekov)Part Three. Beyond Queer Beauty? Contemporary Post-Soviet Perspectives on Queer(ing) Art, Art History, and Artists 13. Architecture, Outer Space, Sex: Queering the Kollontai Commune in 1970s FrunzeGeorgy Mamedov and Oksana Shatalova (translated by Aleksei Grinenko with Adrienn Hruska)14. Soviet Union, July 1991Yevgeniy Fiks15. LGBT Violence and the Limits of Realism: Polina Zaslavskaya’s Material EvidenceVictoria Smirnova-Maizel (translated by Ryan Green)16. The Battle over Names: Radical Queer on the Russian Activist Art SceneSeroe Fioletovoe (with translations by Innokenty Grekov)17. Queer in the Land of the Bolsheviks, or the Archeology of DissentNadia Plungian (translated by Aleksei Grinenko)18. A Queer (Re)Claiming of Russian and Soviet Art: An Interview with Slava Mogutin 19. “Queer and Russian Art?”: A Conversation between Katharina Wiedlack and Masha Godovannaya20. Queering Sexual Minorities,: An Interview with Yevgeniy FiksIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book comprises interviews with the last veterans of the Jewish Fighting Organization (ŻOB), accompanied by never previously published photographic “postcards” from ghettos in the Warsaw region, and a reconstruction of the only existing list of the (ŻOB) soldiers.The first part of the book, a collection of conversations with the last soldiers of the ŻOB, which fought in the Warsaw ghetto uprising, is called “Still Circling”. The first of the interviews was recorded in 1985 with ŻOB commander Marek Edelman, and the last another conversation with him from 2000. Grupińska’s other interlocutors are also ŻOB veterans—rank-and-file soldiers, men and women. They relate the stories of their homes and backgrounds—some were Bundists, others from Zionist or religious families—followed by their recollections of how they experienced and remembered the uprising. This provides several unique perspectives on shared episodes. Images include portraits of Grupińska’s interlocutors, as well as never previously published photographs of the ghetto and its surroundings that are reminiscent of postcards.The second part of the book, “Rereading the List,” is intended to function like a litany of the names of the ŻOB members who fought in the Warsaw ghetto uprising. This list was compiled by a group of fighters in 1943 and rediscovered by the author in 2000. Each name is accompanied by a short story about the fighter—sometimes only a sentence or two—as well as any available photograph of them. The list is followed by a reconstruction of the ŻOB army, its divisions, and the places they fought. Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsPart One. Still Circling: Conversations with Soldiers of the Jewish Fighting OrganizationRecording the HolocaustWhat Was of Importance in the Ghetto? Nothing! Nothing! Don’t Be Ridiculous! Back Then, There Were Many Legends . . .Someone Must Have Pushed That Closet up Flush from Outside . . .I’m Telling You so Superficially Because I Don’t Remember Well, I’m Here, Aren’t I?! Truth Be Told, I Left My House in 1942 and Never Went Back And That’s All My Life Story I Know What I Know, And I Remember What I Remember None of It Is of Any SignificancePart Two. Rereading the List: Stories about the Soldiers of the Jewish Fighting Organization List of Those Who Fell in the Defense of the Warsaw Ghetto A Rereading of the List A Cemetery of Letters, a Cemetery of Words Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn Collected Studies (Volume 4): Jews in the Medical Profession, Joseph Shatzmiller, the prominent scholar of Provence Jewry, presents a fascinating glimpse into the world of Jewish doctors and medicine in medieval Western Europe. Drawing on a wealth of archival sources and intellectual history, Shatzmiller delves into the lives and experiences of Jewish physicians who played a crucial role in the medical profession during the Middle Ages. From their scientific collaborations with Christian colleagues to their role as leaders within the Jewish community, this book provides a rich portrait of the complex and dynamic world of medieval medicine. The book covers topics such as the Jewish students in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montpellier, Jewish women in medicine, doctors’ salaries, pharmacology, and medical books. With its insightful analysis and meticulous research, Jews in the Medical Profession is a valuable contribution to the history of medicine and Jewish studies.“The collection of studies that these four volumes offer is the result of more than sixty years of commitment to scholarship. Like many colleagues, I relied in the beginning on printed material in books that dealt with law, religion, and secular literature. Then, as a disciple of George Duby, I discovered the world of archives and hand-written Latin manuscripts. The present collection relies, to a great extent, on previously unknown information discovered during years of search in the archives of Southern France, mostly on those of the county of Provence. They are situated in the cities of Marseille and Aix-en-Provence as well as the town of Digne. The legal registers of the High Middle Ages (1250-1350) as well as those produced by the counties’ administration introduce us to the ordinary people of the region, to their daily life and to their preoccupations; their names are spelled out, the dates are recorded and the localities in which they were active are designated. At times these documents encourage us to endorse information found in contemporary literary sources and to overcome our hesitation and excessive caution concerning their value as historical evidence.”— Joseph ShatzmillerTrade Review“Joseph Shatzmiller, the foremost expert on Provençal Judaism, has throughout the course of his career provided a rich and powerful mosaic of Jewish society in Provence. Known for his insightful analysis of historical documents and primary sources, Shatzmiller’s research consistently illuminates the significance of Provence Jewry within the larger framework of Jewish communities in the Mediterranean and western Europe during the Middle Ages. Drawing on a wealth of archival sources and intellectual history, his work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Jewish communities in medieval Europe.”— Ram Ben-Shalom, Professor of the History of the Jewish People, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; author of The Jews of Provence and LanguedocTable of ContentsI The Making of Jewish Doctors1 On Becoming a Jewish Doctor in The High Middle Ages* 2 Apprenticeship or Academic Education: The Making of Jewish Doctors3 Livres médicaux et éducation médicale : à propos d’un contrat de Marseille en 1316 II Attending the Medieval University 1 Un cercle de savants de Montpellier vers 1300 : Contacts et Échanges entre erudits juifs et chretiens2 Étudiants juifs à la faculté de médecine de Montpellier, dernier quart du XIVe siècle 3 La faculté de médecine de Montpellier et son influence en Provence: Témoignages en hébreu, en latin et en langue vulgaireIII Activity North and South 1 Notes sur les médecins juifs en Provence au Moyen ge2 Médecins municipaux en Provence, Catalogne et autres régions de l’Europe méridionale (1350–1400)3 Jewish Physicians in Sicily 4 Doctors and Medical Practice in Germany around the Year 1200: The Evidence of Sefer Hasidim5 Doctors and Medical Practices in Germany around the Year 1200: The Evidence of Sefer AsaphIV The Medicalization of Society1 Femmes médecins au Moyen ge: Témoignages sur leurs pratiques (1250–1350)2 Doctors’ Fees and Their Medical Responsibility: Evidence from Notarial and Court Records*3 Médecins et expertise médicale dans la ville médiévale: Manosque 1280–13484 The Jurisprudence of the Dead Body: Medical Practitioners at the Service of Civic and Legal AuthoritiesV The Range of Medical Services 1 Médecine et gynécologie au Moyen- ge : un exemple provençal 2 Soigner le corps souffrant : Pratiques médicales au tournant du XIVe siècle3 Soins de beauté, image et image de soi : le cas des juifs du Moyen ge4 Herbes et drogues dans la médecine provençale du Moyen ge5 Roger Bacon’s Critique of the Pharmaceutics of His Day

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Book SynopsisObjects found on the banks of the Thames tell the stories of Londoners through the centuries.

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Book SynopsisThis compact book, packed with glorious colour photography joins a series on the stand out holdings of the British Museum. It describes the discovery, conservation and analysis of the corpse of Lindow Man, Britain's best preserved bog body, dating to the late Iron Age.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the meaning and history of this fascinating object, and tells the tale of its remarkable survival and eventual passage to the British Museum.

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Book Synopsis A personal journey through some of the darkest moments of the cold war and the early days of television news Marvin Kalb, the award-winning journalist who has written extensively about the world he reported on during his long career, now turns his eye on the young man who became that journalist. Chosen by legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow to become one of what came to be known as the Murrow Boys, Kalb in this newest volume of his memoirs takes readers back to his first days as a journalist, and what also were the first days of broadcast news. Kalb captures the excitement of being present at the creation of a whole new way of bringing news immediately to the public. And what news. Cold War tensions were high between Eisenhower''s America and Khrushchev''s Soviet Union. Kalb is at the center, occupying a unique spot as a student of Russia tasked with explaining Moscow to Washington and the American public. He joins a cast of legendary figures along the way

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Book SynopsisA fascinating record of how London and Londoners were shaped by nearly 700 years of public executions. More frequent in London than in any other city or town in Britain, these morbid spectacles often attracted tens of thousands of onlookers at locations across the capital and were a major part of Londoners' lives for centuries. From Smithfield to Kennington, Tyburn to Newgate Prison, public executions became embedded in London’s landscape and people’s lives. Even today, hints of this dark chapter in London’s history can still be seen across the city. Featuring the lives and legacies of those who died or who witnessed public executions first hand from 1196 to 1868, this book tells the rarely told and often tragic human stories behind these events. It includes a range of fascinating objects, paintings and documents, many from the Museum of London’s collections, such as the vest said to have been worn by King Charles I when he was executed, portraits of ‘celebrity criminals’, and last letters of the condemned. From the sites of execution to the thriving ‘gallows’ economy, the book reveals the role that Londoners played as both spectators and participants in this most public demonstration of state power over the life and death of its citizens.Trade ReviewIt’s a fantastic new book in its own right and well worth checking out. * History Answers *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Condemned to a public death 2. City of gallows 3. Preparing for execution 4. The day of execution 5. The executed body 6. Ending the spectacle Conclusion: Executions move inside Index

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Book SynopsisBehind the celebrated code-breaking at Bletchley Park lies another secret…The men and women of the ‘ Y’ (for Wireless’ ) Service were sent out across the world to run listening stations from Gibraltar to Cairo, intercepting the German military’s encrypted messages for decoding back at the now-famous Bletchley Park mansion. Such wartime postings were life-changing adventures – travel out by flying boat or Indian railways, snakes in filing cabinets and heat so intense the perspiration ran into your shoes - but many of the secret listeners found lifelong romance in their far-flung corner of the world. Now, drawing on dozens of interviews with surviving veterans, Sinclair McKay tells their remarkable story at last.Trade Review'As McKay argues in this well-told story, the Y Service has been "sadly and curiously" uncelebrated. Yet were it not for all those encoded messages relayed with such care, the codebreakers at Bletchley would have had little to go on. It was their efforts that made the revolutionary leaps of Bletchley possible. They should be commemorated properly as having played their parts in one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century, he says. And he has done them proud.''The Secret Listeners draws our attention to the important contribution made by modest, patriotic men and women engaged in war work where individual decorations were rarely awarded and secrecy demanded that even their closest relatives were denied an insight into their contribution to the Allied victory.’‘Sinclair McKay has gathered together memories, from published works and from interviews with surviving veterans. This book is full of delightful episodes.’'A fascinating read' ‘ McKay’ s focus is rather on the personal experiences of the individual Y Service operators — it brings home not only the reality of what these people were doing but also the daily privations endured with remarkable resilience by so many in that war. As with those at Bletchley, the silence of that generation, their disciplined restraint for decades afterwards, is as impressive as their achievements. They felt the powerful pull of common cause and (mostly) had the privilege of knowing that their contribution was significant. Awful as it was for much of the time, for many nothing that followed ever quite lived up to it. We should be grateful that the survivors are talking now.’ 'As McKay argues in this well-told story, the Y Service has been "sadly and curiously" uncelebrated. Yet were it not for all those encoded messages relayed with such care, the codebreakers at Bletchley would have had little to go on. It was their efforts that made the revolutionary leaps of Bletchley possible. They should be commemorated properly as having played their parts in one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century, he says. And he has done them proud.' ‘ Sinclair McKay has gathered together memories, from published works and from interviews with surviving veterans. This book is full of delightful episodes.’ ‘ Sinclair McKay’ s account of this secret war of the airwaves is as painstakingly researched and fascinating as his bestselling The Secret Life Of Bletchley Park, and an essential companion to it.’ ‘ Their contribution enabled the code-breakers to achieve their break-through, something that, in turn, shortened the war and saved countless lives.’ 'The veterans who monitored radio traffic and transcrived Morse code are given full, overdue credit in this intriguing book' 'Author Sinclair McKay has once again unearthed a fascinating compendium of memories from surviving veterans whose vital contribution to the war effort had been shrouded in secrecy.' 'The Secret Listeners draws our attention to the important contribution made by modest, patriotic men and women engaged in war work where individual decorations were rarely awarded and secrecy demanded that even their closest relatives were denied an insight into their contribution to the Allied victory.’ 'McKay’ s story of the wireless interceptors is one of willing amateurs and gifted eccentrics, of patience, accuracy, and endurance. A fine book with a genuinely new angle on a familiar topic, full of vivid and fascinating characters.’

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