European history Books, bestsellers and new releases

Manchester University Press The Great Exhibition 1851 A sourcebook

1 in stock

Book SynopsisAn invaluable compendium of sources relating to the Great ExhibitionTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Origins and organisation 2 Display 3 Nation, empire and ethnicity 4 Gender 5 Class 6 Afterlives Index

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1 in stock

£18.99

Cornell University Press The Occult in Russian and Soviet Culture

2 in stock

Book SynopsisA comprehensive account of the influence of occult beliefs and doctrines on intellectual and cultural life in twentieth-century Russia.Trade Review"This book succeeds in making a strong case for a relatively widespread fad for occult works in pre- and post-industrial Russia. . . . This rich, diverse collection of essays makes an enormous contribution to our understanding of the cultural history of late imperial and Soviet Russia. After reading this book, it will be impossible to approach the thinkers and writers of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries without taking into account the prevalence of mystical and occultist strains of thought."—Valerie A. Kivelson, The Russian Review"Casting a rather wide net, the essays in this book succeed in documenting an amazing array of occult or occult-like ideas and practices, not only during the symbolist age, but also in the seemingly rational, materialist, and antisuperstitious Soviet period. In this sense, the book offers a contribution to the ongoing reevaluation of the relationship between modernist and Stalinist culture. . . . The main intention of this collection, according to Rosenthal, was 'to raise new issues for research and discussion.' The book certainly fulfills this purpose admirably."—Adrian Wanner, Slavic Review"A valuable contribution toward a deeper understanding of the intellectual atmosphere in which Communism developed."—Shoshana Keller, H-Net Reviews"A fascinating exploration of occult themes in Russian culture, from turn-of-the-century modernism to the post-Communist scene, not excluding the nooks and crannies of the Soviet period. Admirable for its range and scholarly detail."—Laura Engelstein, Princeton University

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2 in stock

£31.35

John Wiley and Sons Ltd Greek Religion

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Book SynopsisThis synthesis of Greek religion aims to provide a structured survey for classical scholars and students, and provides an account of a polytheistic religious system. The text builds up a picture of the current state of knowledge about the religion of the Ancient Greeks.Trade Review"A powerful synthesis from the greatest living authority on the subject, but for all its depth and detail, it is never less than lucid and the text is constantly enlivened with vivid asides and illuminating analogies." The Times "The leading continental scholar ... his Greek Religion... already has the standing of a classic." London Review of Books "A masterpiece, packed with learning but also rich in ideas and connections of every sort ... nobody else could have produced an account of the subject of comparable range and power. This will be the best history of Greek religion for this generation." New York Review of BooksTable of ContentsIntroduction. A Survey of Scholarship. The Sources. The Scope of the Study. Part I: Prehistory and the Minoan-Mycenaean Age. 2. The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. 3. Indo-European. 4. The Minoan-Mycenaean Religion. 5. The Dark Ages and the Problem of Continuity. Part II: Ritual and Sanctuary. 6. ‘Working Sacred Things: Animal Sacrifice. 7. Gift Offerings and Libation. 8. Prayer. 9. Purification. 10. The Sanctuary. 11. Priests. 12. The Festival. 13. Ecstasy and Divination. Part III: The Gods. 14. The Spell of Homer. 15. Individual Gods. 16. The Remainder of the Pantheon. 17. The Special Character of Greek Anthropomorphism. Part IV: The Dead, Heroes, and Chthonic Gods. 18. Burial and the Cult of the Dead. 19. Afterlife Mythology. 20. Olympian and Chthonic. 21. The Heroes. 22. Figures Who Cross the Chthonic-Olympian Boundary. Part V: Polis and Polytheism. 23. Thought Patterns in Greek Polytheism. 24. The Rhythm of the Festivals. 25. Social Functions of Cult. 26. Piety in the Mirror of Greek Language. Part VI: Mysteries and Asceticism. 27. Mystery Sanctuaries. 28. Bacchica and Orphica. 29. Bios. Part VII: Philosophical Religion. 30. The New Foundation: Being and the Divine. 31. The Crisis: Sophists and Atheists. 32. The Deliverance: Cosmic Religion and Metaphysics. 33. Philosophical Religion and Polis Religion: Plato's Laws. Notes. Bibliography. Index of Greek Words. Index.

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£29.40

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Pen & Sword Books Ltd Aetius: Attila's Nemesis

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Book SynopsisIn AD 453 Attila, with a huge force composed of Huns, allies and vassals drawn from his already-vast empire, was rampaging westward across Gaul (essentially modern France), then still nominally part of the Western Roman Empire. Laying siege to Orleans, he was only a few days march from extending his empire from the Eurasian steppe to the Atlantic. He was brought to battle on the Cataluanian Plain and defeated by a coalition hastily assembled and led by Aetius. Who was this man that saved Western Europe from the Hunnic yoke? While Attila is a household name, his nemesis remains relatively obscure. Aetius is one of the major figures in the history of the Late Roman Empire and his actions helped maintain the integrity of the West in the declining years of the Empire. During the course of his life he was a hostage, first with Alaric and the Goths, and then with Rugila, King of the Huns. His stay with these two peoples helped to give him an unparalleled insight into the minds and military techniques of these barbarians which he was to use in later years to halt the depredations of the Huns. That this saviour of Rome was himself half Scythian is indicative of the complexity of the late Roman world. Ian Hughes assesses his fascinating career and campaigns with the same accessible narrative and analysis he brought to bear on Belisarius and Stilicho. This is a long-overdue biography of a major, yet neglected, player in the Late Classical world.Trade Review"...a lively, often insightful account of the declining years of Roman power in the West which will be of interest to students of Roman history, the onset of the Dark ages and early Byzantine history.-- "The NYMAS Review"

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£999.99

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Michael O'Mara Books Ltd Inside the World of Bridgerton: True Stories of

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“For anyone researching the subject, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.”—Washington Post“Magisterial . . . Hutton concerns himself with the bad, black version of the craft that has terrified poor souls for centuries. His approach blends a broad geographic sweep with the detailed attention of microhistory.”—Kathryn Hughes, Guardian“[A] panoptic, penetrating book.”—Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books“What he has done very valuably, though, is to put what most of us know already into a far wider context, both geographically and historically. It’s up to us then to examine our own notions of witches and witchcraft—no longer threatening, but still perfectly familiar.”—Wall Street Journal“Hutton, a leading authority on paganism and witchcraft, traces the idea of witches far beyond the Salem witch trials to beliefs and attitudes about witches around the world throughout history.”—Los Angeles Times“There are several over-familiar images that we jump to when we think of witches, even today: the hat, the broom, the cauldron. Yet this scholarly, engrossing take on the witch travels across centuries and continents to prove that it is a figure that is both more pervasive and more diverse than we might expect.”—History Revealed“Ronald Hutton is the doyen of British occult studies. Through his scrupulous, but always sympathetic, approach… his latest book offers a convincing account of how an early conspiracy theory, the spurious idea of an organised Satanic religion, came to obsess political and religious authorities, killing in the process so many simple healers and users of folk medicine.”—Ian Irvine, Prospect“The history of witchcraft and its persecution makes for compelling, often terrifying reading. . . what makes [Hutton’s] history unique is it provides a much longer – and broader – perspective. The Witch draws upon previously neglected anthropological and ethnographic findings to set the origins of witchcraft and its subsequent persecution in an ancient and global context.”—Tracy Borman, Literary Review“This is an extremely ambitious, thought-provoking, challenging and inspiring book.”—Dr. Willem de Blecourt, Reviews in History“Ronald Hutton’s The Witch is a true masterpiece which follows several intersecting strands of debate on these subjects to test if a global approach can illuminate the early modern witch hunts”— Gary K. Waite, Journal of Ecclesiastical History"An engrossing journey through the world of witches and witchcraft. Highly recommended for those fascinated by the nature and extent of the notorious European Witch Trials."—Tony Robinson "Eloquent, historically grounded, and global in reach, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the social and political context of witchcraft and the manipulation of supposed supernatural powers."—Timothy Darvill, OBE, author of Prehistoric Britain"Few historical concepts come as imbued with horror and intrigue as that slippery figure of the witch. Ronald Hutton has turned his considerable expertise to this always-current subject, illuminating the late Medieval and early modern idea of witches and witchcraft. Readers looking for a rigorous interdisciplinary approach to the history of witchcraft will devour this book."—Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane“The book we have all been waiting for.”—Diane Purkiss, author of The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-century Representations

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£12.99

Academic Studies Press Odessa Recollected: The Port and the People

1 in stock

Book SynopsisThe present Ukrainian city of Odessa, formerly an economic asset for the Russian Empire and a resort town for the Soviet Union, always a non-conformist city at once rambunctious and European in style, has become a contested area. Imperial Russian tsars and Soviet leaders maintained an ambivalent attitude towards the maverick city, appreciating the fame and fortune it generated, but also leery of the activities of secret foreign national societies, pogromists, revolutionaries, and simply the perceived lack of patriotism in the singular city so far away from the heart of Russia. With the withering of the lucrative grain trade by the time of the Soviet Union, Odessa became a neglected city, drained of its foreign flavor. With the independence of Ukraine in 1991, there were hopes raised that the architectural beauty and economic prospects of the city would be revived. Given the current hostilities in Eastern Ukraine, with the potential of the Odessa area becoming a possible land bridge to the Crimean Peninsula, the fate of the former Pearl of the Black Sea hangs in suspension.Trade Review"With a profound understanding of the multi-ethnic and multilingual character of the city, Herlihy brings together the life stories of famous Odessites with a rich discussion of Odessa’s unique political, sociocultural, and economic conditions across the centuries. In sum, Odessa Recollected: The Port and the People is a crucial read for all those studying or even visiting Odessa, the ‘Pearl by the Sea’." - Journal of European StudiesTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Culture The Persuasive Power of the Odessa Myth Odessa Memories How Ukrainian Is Odesa? From Odessa to Odesa Jewish Writers of Odessa Part 2: Community Death in Odessa: A Study of Population Movements in a Nineteenth-Century City The Ethnic Composition of Odessa in the Nineteenth Century Greek Merchants in Odessa in the Nineteenth Century The Greek Community in Odessa, 1861–1917 Part 3: Commerce Odessa: Staple Trade and Urbanization in New Russia Commerce and Architecture in Odessa in Late Imperial Russia Port Jews of Odessa and Trieste: A Tale of Two Cities Russian Wheat and the Port of Livorno, 1794–1865 The South Ukraine as an Economic Region in the Nineteenth Century

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1 in stock

£28.49

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Skyhorse Publishing Scottish Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted

Out of stock

1 in stock

Book SynopsisJonathan Fennell captures for the first time the true wartime experience of the ordinary soldiers from across the empire who made up the British and Commonwealth armies. He analyses why the great battles were won and lost and how the men that fought went on to change the world.Trade Review'[A] weighty, admirably uncomfortable account [by] an impressively diligent and thoughtful young historian … This is a fascinating and important book, which brings together a mass of information … never before assembled under one roof.' Max Hastings, The Sunday Times'Incredibly well-researched, brilliantly written and quite frankly, an outstanding book.' History of War'A richly documented, provocative and convincing study.' David French, The Times Literary Supplement'Fennell draws on a wide literature and deep archival research to explore how the Commonwealth armies fought key battles and campaigns, but he never loses sight of the role of citizen soldiers and how they exerted agency in calamitous defeats and gritty victories. Fighting the People's War offers new interpretations in the global fight against Fascism, and will be required reading for scholars and the historically-minded public.' Tim Cook, author of The Necessary War and Fight to the Finish'This is an outstanding book, based on immersion in archives across the globe. Rich in insights, it demands that we rethink the way we view the armies of the British Empire in the Second World War.' Gary Sheffield, author of A Short History of the First World War'Indispensable for understanding both World War II and the modern British experience. Fennell's major contribution integrates three themes usually compartmentalized. Its base is the analysis of Britain's development of an army able to fight and win a global war. That costly achievement both fostered and depended on growing cohesion within the participating societies. Wartime cohesion and comradeship in turn brought classes together in the postwar 'quiet revolution' that ended the Empire and redefined the Commonwealth.' Dennis Showalter, author of Hitler's Panzers: The Lightning Attacks that Revolutionized Warfare'Comprehensive, detailed and authoritative, Fennell breaks out of the national straitjackets that restrict our understanding of how the Commonwealth fought WWII - a triumph of multi-national research.' Peter Stanley, author of 'Terriers' in India'This is a hugely impressive, sweepingly ambitious book which brings together the military histories of all the British Commonwealth nations for the first time. It asks vital questions about the relationship between wartime experience, society, and politics in a unique transnational way. A remarkable and valuable achievement.' Alan Allport, author of Browned Off and Bloody-Minded: The British Soldier Goes to War 1939–1945'An absolutely fascinating and fresh account of the Commonwealth armies at war … very well written and totally accessible. It contains a wealth of information that is fresh and new, and Fennell's insights on subjects that many might imagine are familiar will be of real interest … Highly recommended.' Taylor Downing, Military History Matters'Jonathan Fennell's astonishing book is full of compelling arguments that complete the puzzle of British, Commonwealth and Imperial victory in WW2. It's quite fantastic and revealing … an incredible story. Absolutely recommend it.' Al Murray, Comedian and TV Personality'The size, scale, and significance of this book is nothing but staggering.' Munitions of the Mind (www.blogs.kent.ac.uk/munitions-of-the-mind)'Jonathan Fennell has produced a compelling and magisterial history of the British and Commonwealth armies between 1939 and 1945 … Fighting the People's War establishes Fennell as among the leaders of the next generation of Second World War scholars.' Jonathan Boff, History Today'This is a major contribution to the literature of the war, and a useful read for anyone interested in understanding how perceptions of war change over time.' New York Military Affairs Symposium Review'Fighting the People's War will serve for years to come as the standard work on the British and Commonwealth forces in the Second World War. It deserves the widest possible audience.' Mark Klobas, Michigan War Studies ReviewTable of ContentsList of illustrations; List of figures; List of maps; List of tables; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Overview of maps; Introduction; Part I. The Military and Political Context; 1. Interwar: 1.1 Materiel and manpower; 1.2 Doctrine; 1.3 Training and organisation; 1.4 Politics and public morale; 1.5 Structure and contingency; 2. Mobilisation: 2.1 The political context; 2.2 Mobilisation; 2.3 Equality of sacrifice?; 2.4 The social contract; 2.5 Rhetoric and reality; Part II. The Great Crisis of Empire; 3. Defeat in the West: 3.1 The 'Phoney War'; 3.2 The Norwegian campaign; 3.3 The Battle of France; 3.4 Assessments and recriminations; 3.5 Preparing for invasion; 4. The Middle East: 4.1 Operation 'Compass'; 4.2 From East Africa to the Balkans; 4.3 The Battle for Crete; 4.4 Strategic overstretch; 4.5 Operation 'Crusader'; 4.6 Spring 1942; 4.7 Gazala; 4.8 The July battles; 5. The Far East: 5.1 The strategic context; 5.2 Preparations; 5.3 The Malaya campaign; 5.4 The invasion of Burma; 5.5 The fall of Singapore; 5.6 Retreat to India; 5.7 The cost of failure; 6. The great imperial morale crisis: 6.1 The anatomy of defeat; 6.2 Morale crisis; 6.3 The ideological deficit; 6.4 The soldier and the state; Part III. Transformation; 7. Victory in North Africa: 7.1 No retreat; 7.2 Alam Halfa; 7.3 Colossal cracks; 7.4 War Office initiatives; 7.5 El Alamein; 7.6 The Tunisian campaign; 8. New Guinea and Burma: 8.1 The 'Battle for Australia'; 8.2 Kokoda; 8.3 Wau; 8.4 Quit India; 8.5 The Arakan; Part IV. The Limits of Attrition; 9. The Mediterranean: 9.1 Strategy and preparation; 9.2 The Sicilian campaign; 9.3 Opportunity lost; 9.4 The invasion of Italy; 9.5 Advance to the 'Gustav Line'; 9.6 Winter in Italy; 10. Remobilisation?: 10.1 The British Army and the Beveridge Report; 10.2 The New Zealand Furlough mutiny; 10.3 The UDF and the 'Blue Oath'; 10.4 Procedural justice; 11. Cassino: 11.1 Anzio and the First Battle of Cassino; 11.2 The Second Battle of Cassino; 11.3 The Third Battle of Cassino; 11.4 The Fourth Battle of Cassino (Operation 'Diadem'); 12. Transformation in the jungle: 12.1 Training and doctrine; 12.2 Institutional reform; 12.3 The South-West Pacific area; 12.4 Operation 'Postern'; 12.5 Burma; 12.6 Second Arakan; 12.7 Imphal and Kohima; 12.8 Turn around; Part V. Redemption; 13. D-Day: 13.1 Training and doctrine; 13.2 Selection and morale; 13.3 The assault; 13.4 Controversy; 14. Normandy: 14.1 The battle for Caen; 14.2 Operation 'Goodwood'; 14.3 Breakout; 14.4 Encirclement; 14.5 The trap; 15. The victory campaigns: 15.1 Operation 'Market Garden'; 15.2 Operation 'Olive'; 15.3 Manpower crisis; 15.4 The Scheldt and the 'Siegfried Line'; 15.5 Operational and tactical transformations; 15.6 Victory in Italy; 15.7 The surrender of Germany; 15.8 The South-West Pacific area; 15.9 Burma; 15.10 Operations 'Capital' and 'Extended Capital'; Part VI. The Post-War World; 16. Soldiers and social change: 16.1 From combat cohesion to social cohesion; 16.2 The forces vote and the 1945 British General Election; 16.3 The forces vote and New Zealand's great experiment in social citizenship; 16.4 The forces vote and the formalisation of apartheid in South Africa; 16.5 Soldiers, veterans and the partition of India; 16.6 Soldiers, veterans and social change; Conclusion: C.1 A deficit of political legitimacy; C.2 Military performance; C.3 Consequences; C.4 Fighting the people's war; Appendix 1. The censorship summaries; Appendix 2. The morale reports; Appendix 3. Quantitative indicators of morale; Appendix 4. Defining morale; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.

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1 in stock

£22.99

Pen & Sword Books Ltd Walking Gallipoli

1 in stock

Book SynopsisAn unseen selection of rare photographs and primary sources from the campaign. This is the essential travelling companion to walking the Gallipoli battlefields.

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1 in stock

£14.39

Faber & Faber This Is Not Propaganda Adventures in the War

Book Synopsis**HOW TO WIN AN INFORMATION WAR: THE PROPAGANDIST WHO OUTWITTED HITLER AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW**WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2020A TIMES and GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR''Quietly frightening.'' Guardian''Essential reading.'' Irish Times''Consistently chilling.'' Herald''Shocking and entertaining.'' Daily TelegraphWhen information is a weapon, everyone is at war.We live in a world of influence operations run amok, a world of dark ads, psy-ops, hacks, bots, soft facts, ISIS, Putin, trolls, Trump. We've lost not only our sense of peace and democracy but our sense of what those words even mean. As Peter Pomerantsev seeks to make sense of the disinformation age, he meets Twitter revolutionaries and pop-up populists, behavioural change' salesmen, Jihadi fan-boys, Identitarians, truth cops, and much more. Forty years after his dissid

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£10.44

Duke University Press A View of Venice

20 in stock

Book SynopsisJacopo de’ Barbari’s View of Venice, a woodcut first printed in the year 1500, presents a bird’s-eye portrait of Venice at its peak as an international hub of trade, art, and culture. An artistic and cartographic masterpiece of the Renaissance, the View depicts Venice as a vibrant, waterborne city interconnected by canals and bridges and filled with ornate buildings, elaborate gardens, and seafaring vessels. The contributors to A View of Venice: Portrait of a Renaissance City draw on a high-resolution digital scan of the over nine-foot-wide composite print to examine the complexities of this extraordinary woodcut and portrayal of early modern Venetian life. The essays show how the View constitutes an advanced material artifact of artistic, humanist, and scientific culture. They also outline the ways the print reveals information about the city’s economic and military power, religious and social infrastructures, and cosmopolitan resideTrade Review“This intriguing book guides the reader on a compelling journey around the physical and social milieu of Renaissance Venice. Its magisterial essays invite the viewer to take an imaginary walk through the city’s empty streets, as seen in Jacopo de’ Barbari’s celebrated bird's-eye view of 1500. The book guides us step-by-step from the map’s stunning artistic virtuosity into the cosmopolitan lives of the people who inhabited the fabric of the city.” -- Deborah Howard, Professor Emerita, University of Cambridge“A View of Venice offers an engaging consideration of the ideation, creation, historical significance, idiosyncrasies, and scholarly potential of Jacopo de’ Barbari’s View. A fascinating and valuable collection of research and analysis of de' Barbari’s remarkable print and of the Venice in which he lived and worked, this volume will greatly interest general readers and specialists alike.” -- Gary M. Radke, Professor Emeritus of Art History, Syracuse University"One of the most remarkable Venice books in decades, the kind of thorough and detailed study of a city caught in time that scholars can only dream about for most other hinge-points in history. De’ Barbari’s View cost the hefty sum of three florins, and as these scholars make clear, there were plenty of buyers for something that must have seemed borderline miraculous in an era before photography. A View of Venice is the definitive anatomy of that miracle." -- Steve Donoghue * Open Letters Review *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations xi Abbreviations xvii Acknowledgments xix Prologue. Story of the Edited Volume / Kristin Love Huffman and Andrea Bellieni xxiii Plates xxvii Introduction. The View as an Urban Portrait / Kristin Love Huffman 1 I. The View as a Printed Cartographic and Artistic Visualization 1. The View of Venice in a Genealogy of City Views and Government Mapping / Karen-edis Barzman 25 2. A City as a World: Jacopo de’ Barbari’s View in 1500 / Piero Falchetta 40 3. A Perspectival Investigation of Jacopo de’ Barbari’s View of Venice / Cosimo Monteleone 50 4. An Artist’s Address Book: Notes on Venice’s Artistic Geography / Giorgio Tagliaferro 62 5. Beyond Venice: At the Margins of the View / Anna Christine Swartwood House 75 6. Vessels of Political Communication / Monique O’Connell 86 7. Navigating the Business of Print in Venice with Jacopo de’ Barbari / Bronwen Wilson 96 8. On the Collection History of the View’s Matrices / Valeria Cafá 107 9. The Graphic Inventions of Jacopo de’ Barbari / Kristin Love Huffman 119 10. Revisiting “lontani et altra fantaxia”: An Eyckian Perspective on Giovanni Bellini and Jacopo de’ Barbari / Mary Pardo 136 11. Jacopo de’ Barbari, a Wandering Court Artist in the North: Changing Perspectives on His Role in Northern Renaissance Art / Rangsook Yoon 150 II. The View as a Reflection of Venice and Venetian Life 12. Toward the Perfect City: Urban Development in the Quattrocento / Richard Goy 163 13. The Wellhead as an Amenity of Venetian Urban Space / Patricia Fortini Brown 176 14. Hidden in Plain Sight (and Hearing): Venetian Bells and Their Towers / Jonathan Glixon 189 15. Santa Lucia and Corpus Domini at the Turn of the Sixteenth Century: The View and Urban Patterns / Saundra Weddle 199 16. Monastic and Convent Life as a City Phenomenon / Ludovica Galeazzo 212 17. Gendered Space(s) and the View / Holly Hurlburt 226 18. Wifely Mobility in Renaissance Venice / Stanley Chojnacki 238 19. Two Palaces, a Chapel, and an Art Collection on the Grand Canal: The World of Domenico di Piero in Jacopo de’ Barbari’s View of Venice / Giada Damen 250 20. Luxury Goods in Jacopo de’ Barbari’s Venice / Blake de Maria 260 21. “Both by Sea and Land”: Venetian Trade and Retail in the View / Julia A. DeLancey 273 22. Imagining Social and Political Relations in the View: From Piazza San Marco to Murano / Maartje van Gelder and Claire Judde de Larivière 23. Cosmopolitanism in Venice and State Strategies / Martina Massaro 295 Epilogue. Venice Lost, and Found / Tracy E. Cooper 307 Appendix 1. The View and Its Relevance Today: Venice Then and Now / Kristen Love Huffman 315 Appendix 2. Anton Kolb’s Copyright Permission and Export License Request for the View of Venice 336 Appendix 3. Will of Anton Kolb, October 12, 1541 338 Bibliography 341 Contributors 381 Index 391 Image Credits 409

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20 in stock

£23.74

Book SynopsisThe Crusader States and their Neighbours (Winner, The Verbruggen Prize, The Society for Medieval Military History) explores the military history of the Medieval Near East, piecing together the fault-lines of conflict which entangled this much-contested region. This was an area where ethnic, religious, dynastic, and commercial interests collided and the causes of war could be numerous. Conflicts persisted for decades and were fought out between many groups including Kurds, Turks, Armenians, Arabs, and the crusaders themselves. Nicholas Morton recreates this world, exploring how each faction sought to advance its own interests by any means possible, adapting its warcraft to better respond to the threats posed by their rivals. Strategies and tactics employed by the pastoral societies of the Central Asian Steppe were pitted against the armies of the agricultural societies of Western Christendom, Byzantium, and the Islamic World, galvanising commanders to adapt their practices in response to their foes. Today, we are generally encouraged to think of this era as a time of religious conflict, and yet this vastly over-simplifies a complex region where violence could take place for many reasons and peoples of different faiths could easily find themselves fighting side-by-side.Trade Review'For general readers, perhaps the most important conclusion of Morton's book is that because such a complex and evolving political, cultural, and religious climate characterized the Near East, both alliances and wars were not driven by religious ideology alone ... This volume therefore breaks new ground in military history and should become required reading for those interested in the history of the crusades, conflicts in the Near East, and the Mediterranean.' * Jessalynn Bird, Sehepunkte *'Morton ambitiously sets out to offer a comprehensive analysis of all the military activity of the region in the twelfth century, with as many military episodes considered as possible, from the smallest to the largest. In this, he has succeeded impressively. The results of his extensive research have led to not only an invaluable book on warfare in the Middle East in the twelfth century, but one which also contributes notably to our understanding of medieval warfare in general. It is a thoroughly engrossing read.' * Sean McGlynn, Global Military Studies Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Frankish Expansion 2: Friends and Foes (1099-1129) 3: Aleppo and Damascus (1117-1129): The challenge of the Big Cities 4: The evolving balance of power (1130s-1148) 5: The rise of Nur al-Din 1149-1174 6: Saladin and the battle Hattin 7: Innovation and cross-cultural exchange in the evolution of Near Eastern warfare Why did the Crusader States lose the contest for the Near East?

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1 in stock

£29.38

Oxford University Press This is the BBC Entertaining the Nation Speaking

1 in stock

Book SynopsisIn the hundredth year of the British Broadcasting Corporation, historian Simon J. Potter looks back over the hundred year history, asking if the BBC is really the ''voice of Britain'', and what comes next for British public broadcasting.2022 marks the centenary year of the British Broadcasting Corporation. As Britain''s most famous and influential broadcaster, the BBC faces a range of significant challenges to the way it operates, and perhaps to its existence, from the government but also from a rapidly changing media environment. Historian Simon J. Potter explores the hundred year history of this corporation, drawing out the roots of these challenges and understanding how similar threats - hostile politicians and prime ministers, the advent of television - were met and overcome in the past.Potter poses the question ''Is the BBC the voice of Britain?'', exploring its role in changing wider culture and society, promoting particular versions of British national identity, both at home and overseas. The BBC has long claimed to speak for the British people, to the British people, and with a British accent, and Potter explores how far these claims have been justified with this exciting new study which covers the establishment of the BBC Empire Service and the World Service, and focuses on people, programmes, and politics to understand the Corporation''s engagement with changing ideas about culture and society in Britain, including issues of class, gender, and race.Trade ReviewIn just over 300 pages the author gives a comprehensive history of the BBC and also provides much in the way of analysis of the relationship between the broadcaster and state. * David Harris, Radio Listeners Guide 2023 *A sharp-eyed survey of the BBC's increasingly fraught relations with other people, notably politicians and listeners. * Dominic Green *In my view, this book is a masterpiece because it blends perceptive political analysis and thorough historical perspective with an informed evaluation of future challenges. * David Harris, Radio User *Like a good physician, [Potter] is not squeamish about sticking in the scalpel to reveal some grisly realities * Oscar Jelley, Oxford Review of Books *... lucid book provides a useful account of the key staging posts in the life of this national institution... leads readers on a pleasant canter, starting from the BBC's small beginnings... this book offers value for money as a general introduction to the BBC and a good read overall. * Chandrika Kaul, BBC History Magazine *... academic and astringent... [earns its] place on the ever lengthening shelf of Beebology. * Stefan Collini *Potter's book This is the BBC can best be seen as a summarising study of the abundant BBC literature, with a special focus on broadcasting's international function. * Huub Wijfjes, TMG journal *Table of ContentsIntroduction - A Century of the BBC 1: Public Utility, 1922-1939 2: Propaganda, 1939-1945 3: Losing Control, 1945-1959 4: Transformation and Stagnation, 1960-1979 5: On the Market, 1980-1999 6: Going Digital, 2000-2022 Prospect - The BBC after Broadcasting

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£23.49

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Pegasus Books The Tsarina's Lost Treasure: Catherine the Great,

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Book SynopsisA riveting history and maritime adventure about priceless masterpieces originally destined for Catherine the Great.On October 1771, a merchant ship out of Amsterdam, Vrouw Maria, crashed off the stormy Finnish coast, taking her historic cargo to the depths of the Baltic Sea. The vessel was delivering a dozen Dutch masterpiece paintings to Europe’s most voracious collector: Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. Among the lost treasures was The Nursery, an oak-paneled triptych by Leiden fine painter Gerrit Dou, Rembrandt’s most brilliant student and Holland’s first international superstar artist. Dou’s triptych was long the most beloved and most coveted painting of the Dutch Golden Age, and its loss in the shipwreck was mourned throughout the art world. Vrouw Maria, meanwhile, became a maritime legend, confounding would-be salvagers for more than two hundred years. In July 1999, a daring Finnish wreck hunter found Vrouw Maria, upright on the sea floor and perfectly preserved. The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure masterfully recounts the fascinating tale of Vrouw Maria—her loss and discovery—weaving together the rise and fall of the artist whose priceless masterpiece was the jewel of the wreckage. Gerald Easter and Mara Vorhees bring to vivid life the personalities that drove (and are still driving) this compelling tale, evoking Robert Massie’s depiction of Russian high politics and culture, Simon Schama’s insights into Dutch Golden Age art and art history, Gary Kinder’s spirit of, danger and adventure on the beguiling Archipelago Sea.Trade Review“What defines a treasure, and who controls its fate? Easter and Vorhees expertly weave the story of the ship and the painting into history. They plumb the two decades of drama that followed The Nursery’s rediscovery to combine important questions about the value of art and culture and the meaning of hertitage and to create an entertaining tale." -- Sara Jorgensen * Booklist *"Wide-ranging and meticulously researched. Easter and Vorhees braid the various threads of the story together and make a persuasive case. Readers will covet this intriguing portrait of an art world mystery." -- Publishers Weekly"An apprentice to Rembrandt, Gerritt Dou eventually surpassed his teacher in fame and wealth. Over the centuries, however, Dou’s reputation has shifted repeatedly with the tides of fashion in the arts. His story makes up one strand of this engaging new book by Easter and Vorhees. An intriguing narrative, and an entertaining yarn whose ending is yet to be written." -- Kirkus Reviews“Gerald Easter and Mara Vorhees skillfully weave the shipwreck of the Vrouw Maria and its secret cargo with the lives of Dutch Golden Age painter Gerrit Dou and Russia’s art-loving Catherine the Great. The high stakes search for the tsarina’s lost treasure, 18th century and modern, reads like a detective story. A true delight for fans of art, mystery, and maritime archeology.” -- Susan Jaques, author of The Empress of Art and The Caesar of Paris"As the ‘Sea Hunters,’ we had seen wrecks as scattered fragments on coral reefs, as steel structures torn apart by storms and battles in deep water, as rusted, collapsed hulks, and as exquisitely preserved time capsules. We’d found ships with profound historical and cultural connections. . . . Others were filled with cargo of exceptional value to science or archaeology—or had actual treasure. But until Vrouw Maria, we had never seen a ship that had all of that. Lost art masterpieces? A wreck found thanks to dedicated archival research and focused ocean surveys? A wreck discovered incredibly intact, nestled between a shoal of rocks as sharp as dragon’s teeth? This was a wreck that should have been in a Clive Cussler novel." -- James P. Delgado, Maritime Archaeologist and Author"The Vrouw Maria was initially of no great importance—less than 100 feet in length it was just a two-masted wooden cargo ship. But what a cargo and what a story it harbors. The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure takes this long-lost ship and its priceless cargo, and blends in the story of Dutch art and its competitive owners. And that is just the beginning of the story of Catherine the Great’s lost artworks." -- Tony Wheeler, co-founder of LONELY PLANET

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Book SynopsisFirst Published in 1989. Tackling the problem of Germany's role in the history of world politics in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is one of the most interesting tasks of historiography. Furthermore, the relationship between Britain and Germany is of central significance in understanding this role.Table of ContentsPart 1 The European Order between German Unification and the First World War; Chapter 1 Great Britain and the foundation of the German Reich; Chapter 2 Lord Clarendon, Bismarck and the problem of European disarmament, 1870.; Chapter 3 Between alliance and antagonism.; Chapter 4 The crisis of July 1914; Part 2 The Revolution in the International Order in the Twentieth Century; Chapter 5 Hitler’s policy towards France until 1936; Chapter 6 War in peace and peace in war.; Chapter 7 The German Resistance and its proposals for the political future of Eastern Europe; Part 3 The Federal Republic and its Policies towards East and West; Chapter 8 The provisional state and ‘eternal France’.; Chapter 9 Adenauer and Soviet Russia, 1963–7.; Chapter 10 The German Eigenweg;

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1 in stock

£128.25

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Random House Diana Mosley

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Book SynopsisDiana Mosley was one of the most fascinating and controversial figures of recent times. For some, she was a cult; for many, anathema. Born in 1910 Diana was the most beautiful and the cleverest of the six Mitford sisters. She was eighteen when she married Bryan Guinness, of the brewing dynasty, by whom she had two sons. After four years, she left him for the fascist leader, Oswald Mosley, and set herself up as Mosley''s mistress - a course of action that horrified her family and scandalised society. In 1933 she took her sister Unity to Germany; soon both had met the new German leader, Adolf Hitler. Diana became so close to him that when she and Mosley married in 1936 the ceremony took place in the Goebbels drawing room and Hitler was guest of honour. She continued to visit Hitler until a month before the outbreak of war; and afterwards, for many, years, refused to believe in the reality of the Holocaust. This gripping book is a portrait of both an extraordinary individual and the stranTrade ReviewI defy anyone not to be interested in this book...convincing and compelling. De Courcy's book takes the ruthless moon goddess of 20th-century myth and turns her into a human being, and that is more than many biographies would have done * Independent on Sunday *Moseley undoubtedly led a fascinating - if frequently unsavoury - life. This gripping biography tells her unique story * Red *Anne de Courcy has a riveting tale to tell and she does it with an ergomatic deftness that is enviable. Bold lady; compelling book * Literary Review *

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Vintage Publishing The Devils Alliance

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Book SynopsisRoger Moorhouse is an historian and author specialising in modern German history. He is the co-author, with Norman Davies, of Microcosm: Portrait of a Central European City, and the author of Killing Hitler and Berlin at War.Trade ReviewThe Devils' Alliance is a marvellous achievement. No event was more crucial to the outbreak of the Second World War than the Nazi-Soviet Pact of August 1939, and no one is better qualified to explore its grim implications than Roger Moorhouse -- Norman DaviesSuperbly researched and academically impeccable, yet written with all the pace of a thriller, The Devils' Alliance shines a powerful beam into one of the undeservedly least known aspects of the Second World War -- Andrew RobertsMeticulous and vividly readable… Moorhouse’s grim and compelling book could not be more topical * Sunday Telegraph *A highly enjoyable history written with verve and attention to detail * Financial Times *Superb -- Brendan Simms * Wall Street Journal *

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£11.69

Vintage Publishing The Battle of London 193945 Endurance Heroism and

1 in stock

Book Synopsis''Endlessly fascinating. . . White is such a brilliant historian'' Mail on SundayLasting for six long years, the Blitz transformed life in the capital beyond recognition, marking a time of almost constant anxiety, disruption, deprivation and sacrifice for Londoners. With the capital the nation''s frontline during the Second World War, by its end, 30,000 inhabitants had lost their lives.While much has been written about ''the Myth of the Blitz'', its riveting social history has often been overlooked. Unearthing what it was actually like for those living through those tempestuous years, Jerry White paints a fascinating portrait of the daily lives of ordinary Londoners, telling the story through their own voices.''As a history of the capital in wartime, it is probably unsurpassable'' Sunday Telegraph''An impressive history of the capital at war. . . White, an accomplished chronicler of London''s history, tells it with brio and a cTrade ReviewJerry White is one of London's best historians...and in this enveloping book he tries to scrape away the myths that have obscured our view of the Second World War and reintroduce us to what life in the city between 1939 and 1945 was actually like -- Andrew Holgate * Sunday Times *The Battle of London 1939-45... benefits hugely from a vast and well-chosen range of quotes and anecdotes, conjuring the atmosphere of a city under siege with vivid force. What's most striking in this raw and comprehensive portrait of a city on fire is just how enchanting and appealing it is: you actually start wishing you had been alive to witness it -- Sebastian Milbank * Tablet *[An] impressive history of the capital at war... White, an accomplished chronicler of London's history, tells it with brio and a confident mastery of the sources. He has a good nose for a piquant anecdote and clear-eyed awareness of the failings as well as the fearlessness of Londoners -- Alan Allport * Literary Review *Jerry White has a unique relation to London and Londoners. More than a historian, he is the city's witness, champion and town-crier... White does not rehearse the cliché of the Blitz spirit. Instead, by giving narrative commentary to the bit players in the drama...he presents a more complex, bleak and confused tale -- Frances Wilson * Oldie *As a history of the capital in wartime, it is probably unsurpassable... From the Myra Hess lunchtime concerts at the National Gallery, to the extraordinary resilience and bravery of Londoners... all can be found in this book -- Anne de Courcy * Sunday Telegraph *

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1 in stock

£12.34

Penguin Books Ltd Hitlers Pope

1 in stock

Book SynopsisJohn Cornwell is Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge, and an award-winning journalist and author. His THIEF IN THE NIGHT: THE DEATH OF POPE JOHN PAUL I (1989) was a world bestseller. He has written on Catholic issues for many publications including the Sunday Times, Independent, Observer and the Tablet.Table of ContentsThe Pacellis; hidden life; Papal power games; to Germany; Pacelli and Weimar; the glittering diplomat; Hitler and German Catholicism; Hitler and Pacelli; the Concordat in practice; Pius XI speaks out; darkness over Europe; triumph; Pacelli, Pope of peace; friend of Croatia; the holiness of Pius XII; Pacelli and the Holocaust; the Jews of Rome; saviour of Rome; Church triumphant' absolute power; Pius XII Redivivus. Sources: the "Silence" debate, and Sainthood.

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1 in stock

£15.29

Penguin Books Ltd Pawn in Frankincense

1 in stock

Book SynopsisBefore George R. R. Martin there was Dorothy Dunnett . . . PERFECT for fans of A Game of Thrones. ''She is a brilliant story teller, The Lymond Chronicles will keep you reading late into the night, desperate to know the fate of the characters you have come to care deeply about.'' The Times Literary SupplementPawn in Frankincense is the fourth book in the series -----------------------------''It seems to me that on the whole we run more risks with Mr Crawford''s protection than without it . . .''It is 1552 and the royal galley Dauphine, under the command of Francis Crawford of Lymond, sails the glittering but dangerous Mediterranean looking for a lost son. Yet as the search grows more urgent, Lymond knows he is being drawn deeper into the intricate web of his enemy Gabriel, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St John, who is already weaving a subTrade ReviewPraise for Dorothy Dunnett * - *A storyteller who could teach Scheherazade a thing or two about pace, suspense and imaginative invention * New York Times *Marvellous, breathtaking * The Times *A masterpiece of historical fiction * Washington Post *One of the greatest tale-spinners since Dumas * Cleveland Plain Dealer *Lashings of excitement, colour and subtlety * The Times *Vivid, engaging, densely plotted - are almost certainly destined to be counted among the classics of popular fiction * New York Times *

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Penguin Books Ltd A Circle of Sisters

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Book SynopsisThe Macdonald sisters -- Alice, Georgiana, Agnes and Louisa -- started life among the ranks of the lower-middle classes, with little prospect of social advancement. But as wives and mothers they made a single family of the poet Rudyard Kipling, the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones, Edward Poynter, President of the Royal Academy, and the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin. In telling their remarkable story, Judith Flanders displays the fluidity of Victorian society, and explores the life of the family in the 19th century.

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Penguin Books Ltd On Sparta

3 in stock

Book SynopsisPlutarch?s vivid and engaging portraits of the Spartans and their customs are a major source of our knowledge about the rise and fall of their remarkable Greek city-state between the sixth and third centuries BC. Through his Lives of Sparta?s leaders and his recording of memorable Spartan Sayings, he depicts a people who lived frugally and mastered their emotions in all aspects of life, who disposed of unhealthy babies in a deep chasm, introduced a gruelling regimen of military training for boys, and treated their serfs brutally. Rich in anecdote and detail, Plutarch?s writing brings to life the personalities and achievements of Sparta with unparalleled flair and humanity.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theseries to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators.

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3 in stock

£11.69

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