European history Books

Book SynopsisThe Ruskin Society Book of The Year. Who was John Ruskin? What did he achieve - and how? Where is he today? One possible answer: almost everywhere. John Ruskin was the Victorian age's best-known and most controversial intellectual. He was an art critic, a social activist, an early environmentalist; he was also a painter, writer, and a determined tastemaker in the fields of architecture and design. His ideas, which poured from his pen in the second half of the 19th century, sowed the seeds of the modern welfare state, universal state education and healthcare free at the point of delivery. His acute appreciation of natural beauty underpinned the National Trust, while his sensitivity to environmental change, decades before it was considered other than a local phenomenon, fuelled the modern green movement. His violent critique of free market economics, Unto This Last, has a claim to be the most influential political pamphlet ever written. Ruskin laid into the smug champions of Victorian capitalism, prefigured the current debate about inequality, executive pay, ethical business and automation. Gandhi is just one of the many whose lives were changed radically by reading Ruskin, and who went on to change the world. This book, timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of John Ruskin's birth in 2019, will retrace Ruskin's steps, telling his life story and visiting the places and talking to the people who - perhaps unknowingly - were influenced by Ruskin himself or by his profoundly important ideas. What, if anything, do they know about him? How is what they do or think linked to the vivid, difficult but often prophetic pronouncements he made about the way our modern world should look, live, work and think? As important, where - and why - have his ideas been swept away or displaced, sometimes by buildings, developments and practices that Ruskin himself would have abhorred? Part travelogue, part quest, part unconventional biography, this book will attempt to map Ruskinland: a place where, two centuries after John Ruskin's birth, more of us live than we know.Trade Review'A glimpse into a vast and marvellous country' Spectator; 'A thoughtful book on why we need Ruskin now' Financial Times

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Book SynopsisStalinism on Trial analyzes judicial politics in Republican Spain during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. It examines the relationship between the Spanish Republican government and its Soviet ally by way of a micro-history of the prosecution and trial of a communist (but anti-Stalinist) party, the Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista (POUM; Workers' Party of Marxist Unification). The state prosecuted the POUM for espionage, treason, and rebellion against the government, but convicted its leaders only of the third charge. The prosecution took place amidst repressions and show trials in the USSR. Jonathan Sherry challenges interpretations of Soviet involvement in Spain that attribute political repression to vacuous notions of Stalinism and the reputed all-powerful hand of Moscow. Interrogating the notion of the Moscow Trial in Spain he evaluates the political influences that shaped the prosecution using materials from various archives, especially the Fundación Juan Negrin. The Republic's prosecution of the POUM leadership should be understood within the context of a broader effort to reconstruct the Republic's penal institutions. Throughout the prosecution, Negrin's judiciary remained dedicated to a liberal conception of justice that attempted to preserve the individual rights of the defendants. In the struggle for control between Spanish Republican officials and Soviet-affiliated advisors, the former prevailed over the latter, with Negrin acting as a skilled mediator. The trial represented the finale of the contentious debate about what form justice should take in a nation in the throes of revolution and civil war. The judiciary rejected the contemporaneous Moscow trials in both form and content, and sought to reinforce the legitimacy of the Republican government internally and internationally. Rather than providing Soviet representatives an opportunity to extend their campaign against Trotskyism to Republican Spain, the prosecution constituted a sharp rebuke of Soviet politics. Published in association with the Canada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies

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Book SynopsisFashioning Socialism is the first history of communist fashion in East Germany. Using clothing as a lens to read society, the author unveils wider tensions between the regime and the population and within the regime itself.In telling the surprising - and often bizarre - story of communist haute couture, fashion shows, seasonal clearance sales, the textile and garment industries, and everyday consumer practices, this book explores the paradoxical causes, forms, and consequences of East Germany's attempt to create a communist consumer culture during the Cold War. In attempting to compete with capitalism on the West's terms, East Germany unwittingly bred disgruntled consumers - consumers who ultimately tore down the Wall. Topics covered include gender and consumption, Americanization and Sovietization, women as consumer-citizens, and much more.A rare glimpse into consumerism under state socialism, this book offers unique insights into the Cold War, the dynamics and collapse of communism, and modern consumption.Trade Review'A fascinating and highly original study touching on two of the central goals of the East German socialist project: to improve the material living standard of working people, and to nurture a new and distinctive 'socialist culture'. This is a major contribution to the study of everyday life under state socialism that shows in compelling detail how the economic and political structures of the East German command society both shaped and were shaped by the desires of ordinary people.' Corey Ross, University of Birmingham and author of The East German Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives in the Interpretation of the GDR'Stitziel's great accomplishment in this well-researched book is to offer a multi-dimensional analysis that treats fashion as both a cultural phenomenon and a productive concern. He intertwines this cultural and political history with a fascinating discussion of what the textile-and-garment industry produced and which wares did (and did not) sell. A most impressTable of ContentsIntroduction * Ideologies and Politics of Consumption * The Logic and Contingencies of Planning, Producing, and Distributing * From "New Out of Old" to "Socialist Fashion":Patching Together an Alternative Consumer Culture * Economies of Value and Politics of Price * The Embarrassment of Surpluses * The Disillusionment of Dreams of Distinction:Hochmodisch Apparel, Fashion Boutiques, and Exquisit Stores * Shopping, Sewing, Networking, Complaining:Consumer Practices and the Relationship between State and Society * Epilogue * Bibliography

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Book Synopsis'British prehistory will never look the same again.' Professor Colin Renfrew, University of CambridgeStephen Oppenheimer's extraordinary scientific detective story combining genetics, linguistics, archaeology and historical record shatters the myths we have come to live by. It demonstrates that the Anglo-Saxon invasions contributed just a tiny fraction (5%) to the English gene pool. Two-thirds of the English people reveal an unbroken line of genetic descent from south-western Europeans arriving long before the first farmers. The bulk of the remaining third arrived between 7,000 and 3,000 years ago as part of long-term north-west European trade and immigration, especially from Scandinavia - and may have brought with them the earliest forms of English language.As for the Celts - the Irish, Scots and Welsh - history has traditionally placed their origins in Iron Age Central Europe. Oppenheimer's genetic synthesis tells a different story. There is indeed a deep divide between the English and the rest of the British. But as this book reveals the division is many thousands of years older than previously thought.'Be prepared to have all your cherished notions of English history and Britishness swept away' - Clive GambleTrade ReviewBe prepared to have all your cherished notions of English history and Britishness swept away. * Clive Gamble *The historians' account is wrong in almost every detail. In DrOppenheimer's reconstruction of events, the principal ancestorsof today's British and Irish populations arrived from Spainabout 16,000 years ago. * New York Times *He upends some of the most deeply rooted notions of wherethe British people come from, and does so in a clear, painstakingand detailed way. The result is both fascinating and unexpected. * Geographical *Particularly illuminating ... The author carefully lays out the genetic data that show how three-quarters of Britishness dates to the repopulation after the northern ice sheets last retreated, andtakes us through a fascinating investigation of what this means for some cherished notions of Britishness. * Nature *

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Book SynopsisReligion, politics and fear: how England was transformed by the Tudors.The English Reformation was a unique turning point in English history. Derek Wilson retells the story of how the Tudor monarchs transformed English religion and why it still matters today. Recent scholarly research has undermined the traditional view of the Reformation as an event that occurred solely amongst the elite. Wilson now shows that, although the transformation was political and had a huge impact on English identity, on England's relationships with its European neighbours and on the foundations of its empire, it was essentially a revolution from the ground up. By 1600, in just eighty years, England had become a radically different nation in which family, work and politics, as well as religion, were dramatically altered. Praise for Derek Wilson:'Stimulating and authoritative.' John Guy.'Masterly. [Wilson] has a deep understanding of . . . characters, reaching out across the centuries.' Sunday Times.

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Book SynopsisIn BC 55 Julius Caesar came, saw, conquered and then left. It was not until AD 43 that the Emperor Claudius crossed the channel and made Britain the western outpost of the Roman Empire that would span from the Scottish border to Persia. For the next 400 years the island would be transformed. Within that period would see the rise of Londinium, almost immediately burnt to the ground in 60 AD by Boudicca; Hadrian's Wall which was constructed in 112 AD to keep the northern tribes at bay as well as the birth of the Emperor Constantine in third century York. Interwoven with the historical narrative is a social history of the period showing how roman society grew in Britain.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a unique account by a survivor of both the Soviet and Nazi concentration camps: its author, Margarete Buber-Neumann, was a loyal member of the German Communist party. From 1935 she and her second husband, Heinz Neumann, were political refugees in Moscow. In April 1937 Neumann was arrested by the secret police, and executed by the end of the year. She herself was arrested in 1938. In Under Two Dictators Buber-Neumann describes the two years of suffering she endured in the Soviet prisons and in the huge Central-Asian concentration and slave labour camp of Karaganda; her extradition to the Gestapo in 1940 at the time of the Stalin-Hitler Friendship Pact; and her five years of suffering in the Nazi concentration and death camp for women, Ravensbrück. Her story displays extraordinary powers of observation and of memory as she describes her own fate, as well as those of hundreds of fellow prisoners. She explores the behaviour of the guards, supervisors, police and secret police and compares and contrasts Stalin and Hitler's methods of dictatorship and terror. First published in Swedish, German and English and subsequently translated and published in a further nine languages, Under Two Dictators is harrowing in its depiction of life under the rule of two of the most brutal regimes the western world has ever seen but also an inspiring story of survival, of ideology and of strength and a clarion call for the protection of democracy.Trade ReviewMargarete Buber-Neumann's memoir, Under Two Dictators, is one of the great classics of the totalitarian age, but with a unique perspective, since she suffered as a prisoner of both Stalin and then Hitler. Moving, powerful and clear-sighted, it is an unforgettable book by a very courageous woman -- Antony BeevorAn extraordinary testament. Written in crisp, clear prose, without self-pity, it makes for an electrifying read * Daily Express *A dispassionate, even-handed account of totalitarian cruelty * Evening Standard *She describes clearly the paranoia of Russia during the 1930s and the brutality of the gulags. Her narrative of the last years of second world war in the German camps is horribly moving, in particular her portrayal of the women worked or gassed to death * Financial Times *A welcome memoir that still shocks. From this epic document comes a clear picture of violent, but conflicting, prison societies * Independent *

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Book SynopsisA fascinating new insight into the epic conflicts between Spain's Philip III and Elizabeth I of England, culminating in the Spanish invasion of Ireland, the fateful Battle of Kinsale and the downfall of the Gaelic insurgent chieftains O'Neill and O'Donnell.

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Book SynopsisWarwick the Kingmaker was a fifteenth-century celebrity; a military hero, self-publicist and populist. For twelve years, he was the arbiter of English politics, not hesitating to set up and put down kings. In the dominant strand of recent English historical writing, Warwick is condemned as a man who hindered the development of the modern state, and yet in earlier centuries he was admired as an exemplar of true nobility who defied the centralising tendencies of the crown. A. J. Pollard offers a fresh assessment, to which neither approach is entirely appropriate, of the man whose nickname has become synonymous with power broking.Trade Review"Splendid" - Southern History"No wonder the 'Warwick phenomenon' so facinates A.J.Pollard and analysis its origins, nature and significance provide the central core of his splendidly readable book." - The Ricardian -- Keith Dockray"an illuminating and thought-provoking volume" BBC History Magazine, 1 December 2007 -- Ian Mortimer"...Pollard lucidly and succinctly illuminates many topics, challenges many presumptions, brings out why Warwick mattered, goes far towards explaining his amazing success, and reveals why for two hundred years his reputation stood so high. We are all in his debt." Northern History, 2009Table of ContentsPreface; List of illustrations; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part One: Politics; Chapter 1: Premier Earl, 1428-55; Chapter 2: York's Lieutenant, 1455-60; Chapter 3: England's Caesar, 1460-65; Chapter 4: The Third King, 1465-71; Part Two: Power; Chapter 5: Estates and Finances; Chapter 6: Lordship and Loyalty: East Anglia and the West Midlands; Chapter 7: Lordship and Loyalty: the north; Chapter 8: Calais and the Keeping of the Seas; Part Three: Fame; Chapter 9: The Idol of the Multitude; Chapter 10: The Flower of Chivalry; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'There was nothing extraordinary about my childhood or background. And yet I looked in vain for any aspect of my family's story when I went to university to read history, and continued to search fruitlessly for it throughout the next decade. Eventually I realised I would have to write this history myself.' What was it really like to live through the twentieth century? In 1910 three-quarters of the population were working class, but their story has been ignored until now. Based on the first-person accounts of servants, factory workers, miners and housewives, award-winning historian Selina Todd reveals an unexpected Britain where cinema audiences shook their fists at footage of Winston Churchill, communities supported strikers, and where pools winners (like Viv Nicholson) refused to become respectable. Charting the rise of the working class, through two world wars to their fall in Thatcher's Britain and today, Todd tells their story for the first time, in their own words. Uncovering a huge hidden swathe of Britain's past, The People is the vivid history of a revolutionary century and the people who really made Britain great.Trade ReviewI am delighted to see social class storm its way back into our contemporary history * Guardian *The most interesting academic work on British politics this year * Independent Books of the Year *Todd's account distinguishes itself in several respects, making copious use of oral histories . . . and giving more attention to domestic servants, who are usually overlooked in favour of industrial workers. Building to quite a polemical finish, Todd makes much of her own working-class background, which helps her sift nuggets of truth from myth, nostalgia and received wisdom * Herald *What an excellent book this is . . . The final chapters are its best, providing an analysis of what we have all lived through. Ms Todd's great ability as an academic is to avoid writing like one, so her book is accessible and entertaining. Even for those not engrossed by politics, the tales of the ordinary lives are compelling * Alistair Dawber, Independent *What differentiates Selina Todd's book from existing literature on this subject is the way her narrative actually documents the voices of working-class people. Through their words we come to a better understanding of how lives flourished or faltered, as various government policies were introduced, or taken away . . . Brilliant and well-researched * New Internationalist *Straightforward and useful * Juliet Gardiner, Daily Telegraph *The landscape is fascinating, and the distance travelled enormous . . . It is a colour tale too, taking in working class culture, music and dance crazes, and the move from a world of clerks, secretaries and manual workers to DIY superstores, Sunday working and the demise of trade union power . . . The scope and range of Todd's study is impressive * Scotsman *Todd is excellent in describing the effects that the Great War had on society and her use of servants as barometers of social change brings a fresh voice to this history * Alan Johnson, The Spectator *Selina Todd does not lack in courage and ambition. Her book, based on more than 10 years' research, is wide-ranging in its scope and packed with detail. Through her own extensive interviews in Coventry and Liverpool she provides new insights into the lives of working-class families, while she puts particular emphasis on the role of women, a theme often neglected in previous studies. She is good at contradicting some of the conventional wisdom about this period * Daily Express *The timing is apt for Selina Todd's examination of what she calls 'the rise and fall' of the working class . . . The People is a book we badly need . . . [It] offers a clear, compelling, broadly persuasive narrative of a century of British history as seen through working-class eyes and from a working-class perspective. Todd avoids hectoring, but by the end one is left suitably angry: the people have been screwed . . . She is a subtle as well as powerful historian. Retrospective oral testimony can be a problematic type of source, but she uses it with a dexterity and intelligence comparable to Orlando Figes in his masterly The Whisperers; weaving through her account the rollercoaster life story of the celebrated pools-winner Vivian Nicholson works beautifully; above all, she has an enviably assured grasp of the realities at any one time of working-class life . . . The underlying truth of the story - ultimately a tragic as well as a shocking story - that Todd tells remains essentially valid. And she tells it in a way that is, as Henry James might have said, the real thing * David Kynaston, Observer *Todd is insightful on servants . . . The bitterness of women forced back into domestic service is also captured well . . . [The People] is at its best when destabilising cliched narratives. Todd is strong on the 50s * Guardian *Why has revolution never broken out in Britain, because God knows there has been enough provocation. My feelings, after reading Selina Todd's great book, is that a little salutary use of the guillotine wouldn't go amiss . . . A brief century ago, if you weren't a toff, you lived in overcrowded slums, with neither drains nor electricity, 'grim rooms and surly faces', to use Todd's evocative phrase. Livelihoods were in constant peril. Welfare provision was scant. This book - all the more powerful for being written in a cool, seemingly neutral and factual fashion: Todd is a history don at the University of Oxford - recounts the hard and heroic slog, as ordinary men and women sought basic protection and regulation, decent homes, adequate remuneration, and compensation for horrifying injuries in factories . . . If this rousing book has an overriding theme, it is that such a (feudal) mentality accounts for the reluctance of the British to rise up and rebel - and it is why as of 2010, according to Todd, 'we are the most economically unequal country in the European Union', with Old Etonians and plutocratic villains as ever fully in charge and the likes of myself and everyone else I know, metaphorically if not literally, dining on cold baked beans in the cafeteria of Morrison's (Strood branch) * Roger Lewis, The Times *An impressively researched and passionately argued chronicle of hopes dashed. Todd's argument is interwoven with interviews and autobiographical extracts to demonstrate how lives changes - and also how they did not . . . Very good * Lucy Lethbridge, Financial Times *Selina Todd's impassioned, comprehensive history is a much-needed contribution to the revival of thinking about class in Cameron's Britain * New Statesman *Polemical and engaging * Times Higher Education *Writing the experiences of these forgotten groups into the history of class is overdue. Not only does Todd bust a few myths in the process . . . but she opens up new vistas on the social history of modern Britain * History Today *

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Book SynopsisWhether any advantage or benefit will be drawn from the suspension - or effective abolition - of the rank of Field Marshal is debatable. What is certain, however, is that Dr Tony Heathcote's idea of compiling a definitive biographicaldictionary of holders of this illustrious rank since its introduction by George II in 1736, is opportune and inspired.Those readers who anticipate a dry recitation of bare facts and statistics are in for a disappointment. A reference work this may be but the author, by dint of his depth of knowledge, has created a shrewd and highly readable commentary as well.As General Sir Charles Guthrie (the first soldier to be denied promotion to Field Marshal on appointment to Chief of Defence Staff) observes in his Foreword, this book embraces the history of the British Army over the last 250-300 years. It covers not only the careers of key individuals but provides an understanding of their contribution to the successes and failures of our military past. The diversity of personalities, who have only the honour of wearing the coveted crossed batons in common, is fascinating. Alongside the household names of the great strategists and distinguished leaders lie little known and forgotten figures, who gained their exalted rank by either luck, accident of birth or diplomatic gesture.The British Field Marshals merits a place on the bookshelf of any military historian but is likely to be found on his or her bedside table. Whether or not the rank is ever resurrected, as it has been in the past and as many will hope it will be again, this delightful and useful book will remain the authoritative guide to all those who have held the highest military rank in the British Army

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Book SynopsisThe best oils are made by authentic artist-craftsmen, who marry centuries-old agricultural wisdom with cutting-edge extraction technology, and now produce the finest oils in history. However, these producers are being steadily driven from the market: extra-virgin olive oil is difficult and expensive to make, yet alarmingly easy to adulterate. Skilled oil criminals are flooding the market with low-cost, faux extra-virgins, reaping rich profits and undercutting honest producers, whilst authorities in Italy, the US and elsewhere turn a blind eye.From the feisty pugliese woman of sixty struggling to keep the family business afloat to her industrialist neighbour who has allegedly grown wealthy on counterfeit oil, to Benedictine monks in Western Australia and poker-playing agriculture barons in northern California who make this ancient foodstuff in New World ways, Mueller distils the passions and life stories of oil producers, and explores the conflict, culinary vitality and cultural importance of great olive oil.Trade ReviewThis fascinating investigation shows there's no trade more slippery than olive oil * Guardian *An eye-opening and brilliantly researched expose of the olive oil industry * Sunday Times *Tom Mueller is, in turn, chemist, explorer, scholar and bard, infusing the narrative with a sense of wonder * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisWith a biographer's eye for detail and a novelist's comprehension of the creative process, A. N. Wilson paints a masterful portrait of Dante Alighieri and unlocks one of the seminal works of literature for a new generation of readers.In Dante in Love, A. N. Wilson presents a glittering study of an artist and his world, arguing that without an understanding of medieval Florence, it is impossible to comprehend the meaning of Dante's great poem. He explains how the Italian States were at that time locked into violent feuds, mirrored in the ferocious competition between the Holy Roman Empire and the papacy. He explores Dante's preoccupations with classical mythology, numerology and the great Christian philosophers which inform every line of the Comedy. Dante in Love also lays bare the enigma of the man who never wrote about the mother of his children, yet immortalized the mysterious Beatrice, whom he barely knew.Trade ReviewThis is a book for all of us who enjoy poetry and want to think about sdome of the big questions such as the nature of love, the ide aa of redemption, and the possibility of a just society, but cannot tell our Guelphs from our Ghibellines or our Boniface from our Borgias... The narrative is exceptionally lucid and the detail is always vivid. This is biography done by a novelist at the height of his powers. Wilson moves seamlessly between Dante's life, his poems and the historical context... Wilson accomplishes his task with economy and balance... He has written a loving book that is worthy of the divine poet of love. -- Jonathan Bate, Sunday Telegraph Magazine

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Book Synopsis* `The Loneliest Boy in the World – he has only seagulls as playmates.’ 1949 newspaper article * Gearóid Cheaist Ó Catháin had a unique childhood – he was the last child brought up on the Blasket Islands of Ireland’s southwest coast. The nearest in age was his uncle who was thirty years older. In this affectionate memoir, Gearóid recalls growing up on the island without a doctor, priest, school, church or electricity. Despite public perception of this small, vulnerable fishing community, he remembers a wonderful childhood, cherished by parents and neighbours. His memories are entwined with the beliefs and customs handed down through the generations and are an insight into life on the Blaskets. He speaks with authority of the difficulties and challenges facing the final generation on the island. The Blaskets, with their deserted, crumbling cottages, will live on, in part due to the invaluable memories of the last child of the Great Blasket Island. • Also available: From the Great Blasket to America by Michael CarneyTrade Review'Simply written but richly detailed.' * Sunday Times *'Fascinating, touching book.' * The Wild Geese *'Contributes significantly to the existing literature on Blasket living.' * Sunday Independent *'Simply written [ - ] O Cathain's observations of the more ordinary aspects of life are sharp and valuable.' * The Irish Times *'Remarkable.' * The Irish Catholic *

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Book Synopsis`Well, I’ve helped to wind up the clock – I might as well hear it strike.’ Michael Joseph O’Rahilly. The Easter Rising of 1916 was a seminal moment in Ireland’s turbulent history. For the combatants it was a no-holds-barred clash: the professional army of an empire against a highly motivated, well-drilled force of volunteers. What did the men and women who fought on the streets of Dublin endure during those brutal days after the clock struck on 24 April 1916? For them, the conflict was a mix of bloody fighting and energy-sapping waiting, with meagre supplies of food and water, little chance to rest and the terror of imminent attacks. The experiences recounted here include those of: 20-year-old Sean McLoughlin who went from Volunteer to Captain to Commandant-General in five days: his cool head under fire saved many of his comrades; Volunteer Robert Holland, a sharpshooter who continued to fire despite punishing rifle recoil; Volunteer Thomas Young’s mother, who acted as a scout, leading a section through enemy-infested streets; the 2/7th Sherwood Foresters NCO who died when the grenade he threw at Clanwilliam House bounced off the wall and exploded next to his head; 2nd Lieutenant Guy Vickery Pinfield of the 8th Royal Hussars, who led the charge on the main gate of Dublin Castle and became the first British officer to die in the Rising. This account of the major engagements of Easter Week 1916 takes us onto the shelled and bullet-ridden streets of Dublin with the foot soldiers on both sides of the conflict, into the collapsing buildings and through the gunsmoke.Trade Review'Reads like a gripping novel and is one of the standout recent books on the Rising.' * The Irish Times *'Outstanding book.' * Irish American News *'Fast paced, graphic retelling of events that will appeal to a new generation.' * An Cosantoir *'A fantastic book.' * The Last Word, Today FM *

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Book SynopsisWhether ruined or opulent, castles have the power to fire the imagination. For almost a millennium, they have studded the Irish countryside. The concept of using building methods to protect territory was introduced from overseas in the twelfth century, when the Irish term caislean began to appear in manuscripts. By the sixteenth century, Ireland had become the most castellated country in Europe.In this latest book, Tarquin Blake takes us on a breathtaking tour of Anglo-Norman fortresses, medieval towers, fortified houses and the neo-Gothic piles of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The castles - including lesser-known gems like Fiddaun Castle in County Galway as well as luxury hotels such as Ashford Castle in County Mayo - are captured in atmospheric photos and brought to life through the true stories of the families whose adventures, struggles and ambitions are reflected in the fortified residences they constructed. By pairing the castles' romantic appearances with in-depth tales of siege, intrigue, conflict and capture, Blake reveals our rich past and startling architectural legacy. Exploring Ireland's Castles is sure to delight any history buff or armchair traveller.

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Book SynopsisVice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson KB (1758 - 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. Admired for his leadership, strategy and tactics, he led many decisive British naval victories, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. Known for his bold actions, and sometimes disobeying his seniors, Nelson was taken into the hearts of the British people. This slightly built, battle-scarred, often vain man, of dubious private life and few known accomplishments beyond his profession, became a legendary figure in British history. When Admiral Horatio Nelson died, people who had never seen him wept because they felt they had lost someone special and irreplaceable. How that came about, this book describes. Nelson helped to capture Corsica and saw the battle of Calvi (where he lost the sight in his right eye). He later lost his right arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797. Nelson destroyed Napoleon's fleet at the Battle of the Nile in 1798, and thus gained a direct trade route to India. Over the period 1794 to 1805, under Nelson's leadership, the Royal Navy proved its supremacy over the French. Nelson's most famous engagement, at Cape Trafalgar, saved Britain from threat of invasion by Napoleon, but it would be his last. Before the battle on 21 October 1805, Nelson sent out the famous signal to his fleet 'England expects that every man will do his duty'. Killed by a French sniper just a few hours later, while leading the attack on the combined French and Spanish fleet, Nelson's body was preserved in brandy and transported back to England where he was given a state funeral. He is buried in St Paul's Cathedral, London.

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Book SynopsisTowards the end of the 18th century the attention of mapmakers, explorers and travellers turned to the north of Scotland. The mountains that rise north of Stirling formed a formidable barrier for anyone wanting to visit the Highlands, and travellers to the Far North were even rarer: there were no roads at all into most of Sutherland, and Ross and Cromarty until the early years of the 19th century. Who did go there, and why? This book follows the early mapmakers who gradually revealed the area, including Timothy Pont and Alexander Bryce who published the first accurate map of the north coast. General Roy covered the whole of Scotland for his remarkable 'Great Map', and later, the indomitable and energetic General Colby dragged his reluctant Ordnance Survey team across much of the north, as documented by Robert Kearsley Dawson. Meanwhile, Culloden led to increased interest in the area, as is evident not only from the visit of Dr. Johnson, but also those from Thomas Pennant, Bishop Pococke and the Rev. Charles Cordiner, all of whom managed to reach the far north-west and leave fascinating accounts of what they found. The poverty that was apparent to these visitors from the south led to action from the British government, not least an important road-making scheme under Thomas Telford which is documented in this book using not only the official reports, but also an enthusiastic account left by the Poet Laureate of the time, Robert Southey. With the new roads came the tourists, flocking to sites like Loch Katrine, in search of signs of Sir Walter Scott's heroes and heroines. But it was only the bolder few who made it to the far north-west, men like the Rev. James Hall, 'making love' under the table at Caithness, or James Hogg, ever the ladies' man at Lochs Duich and Maree. The book follows this story, which has barely been mentioned in popular literature, and delights in choice anecdotes from all these accounts, touching on a number of disciplines: cartography, early geology and botany. But above all, it gives a picture of this unknown region, as it seemed to those exploring it, an area of astonishing beauty, with inhabitants that showed notable warmth and generosity in spite of their poverty. The book ends with an account of the Highlands Controversy, a debate that divided the geological community for much of the 19th century, culminating in discoveries that revealed that the area contained some of the most remarkable geology not just in Britain, but in the whole world. Thus recognition was at last achieved for a region that contains some of the most striking scenery in the United Kingdom.

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Book SynopsisThese essays offer a detailed insight into the planning of English campaigns in France in the late 14th century and into the structure and financing of the English armies and navies. James Sherborne's scholarship went beyond military matters and focused also on the wider political and cultural scene.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the demise of the Carolingian dynasty in 987 the French lords chose Hugh Capet as their king. He was the founder of a dynasty that lasted until 1328. Although for much of this time, the French kings were weak, and the kingdom of France was much smaller than it later became, the Capetians nevertheless had considerable achievements and also produced outstanding rulers, including Philip Augustus and St Louis. This wide-ranging book throws fascinating light on the history of Medieval France and the development of European monarchy.Trade Review"Bradbury's text is a delightful read ... Bradbury has a wonderful sense of humour ... The text is complete. It fleshes out the important, or lack thereof, of each Capetian." Richard CusimanoReviewed 27/07/07 -- Times Higher Education Supplement * TES *Table of ContentsPreface; List of Illustrations; 1. Carolingian Francia; 2. The Rise of the Robertians; 3. The New Principalities, 800-1000; 4. The First Capetian Kings, 987-1108; 5. Successful Failures, 1031-1108; 6. The Fat and the Young, 1108-80; 7. Philip the Great; 8. King and Saint, Louis IX, 1226-70; 9. The Bold and the Fair, 1270-1314; 10. The End of the Line, 1314-1328; 11. Achievements and Legacy.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the result of a partnership research initiative between Limerick Travellers Development Group and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick in which four Traveller women were trained to conduct a qualitative educational study with Traveller children. Through a series of one-to-one interviews, a small group of primary school Traveller children were invited to chat about home and school. The Traveller children’s experience of school was a particular focus of the study.In Part One the Traveller researchers talk about their experience of participating in this unique project. Part Two covers the setting up of the research programme, the development of the process and a description of the study. Finally Part Three presents the research data, followed by an interpretative commentary and offers a series of recommendations.What is outlined in this report represents a small but significant beginning in the training of a group of local Traveller researchers. It is hoped that in making the limitations and successes of the process available to a public audience, other Traveller Community Development groups may be encouraged to engage with similar educational research endeavours.

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Book SynopsisFrance had a population of between 22 and 25 million at this time, and maintained the largest standing army in Europe. In peacetime it might have amounted to about 200,000 men; in times of war, it could be anything up to half a million. A substantial part of Louis XV's army consisted of numerous regiments of guard cavalry, heavy cavalry and dragoon regiments, which were considered the best and noblest part. These many units form the subject matter in this first of five fascinating volumes [Men-at-Arms 296, 302, 304, 308 & 313] by René Chartrand covering the army of Louis XV's.Table of ContentsIntroduction · The Royal Guard Cavalry · Heavy Cavalry · Dragoons · Standards and Guidons · The Plates

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Book SynopsisPeople make history in the place they call home. This book briefly describes the lives of twenty-nine Brummies, native and adopted, who shaped, influenced and made Birmingham the cosmopolitan city it has become today. In some cases, their impact was not only local, but national or global. Their lives are seen within the context of Birmingham's development from a Middle Age settlement in Deritend to Britain's second city. Virtually all are forgotten or barely known today. They include: John Rogers, martyred for his beliefs; James Brindley, father of the canals; William Hutton, Birmingham's historian; Joseph Priestley, who provoked a four day riot; Thomas Attwood, universal suffrage campaigner; Josiah Mason, big-hearted philanthropist; Peter Stanford, Birmingham's first black minister; Austen Chamberlain, overshadowed Nobel Prize winner and Hilda Lloyd, women's health care pioneer, along with twenty other Forgotten Brummies.

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Book Synopsis'Old Bill' began as the cartoon creation of Captain Bruce Bairnsfather: born amidst the carnage of WWI 'Old Bill' lampooned life within the trenches and went on to become a beloved character within the play The Better 'Ole which filled the music halls of the United Kingdom. But who was 'Old Bill'? Certainly, there was no agreement amongst professional historians. So, when John Belcher was handed a collection of documents and photographs by an elderly relative, he was both surprised and intrigued to discover that 'Old Bill' was apparently his great uncle, Thomas Rafferty. This discovery set the author off on a journey to find out more. Who exactly was this remarkable man, a Lance Corporal in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment who had died at the Second battle of Ypres? What was his connection with Bruce Bairnsfather? Why had Bairnsfather denied to his widow Kate that he had known Rafferty as 'Old Bill'? Kate would, all the same, eventually be acknowledged and accepted by the public as the wife of 'Old Bill' and be presented with a Commemorative Peace Medal. Over time, however, Rafferty - the man behind the myth - was quietly forgotten. This book is the culmination of several years' research by John Belcher, his great nephew, that collates a range of evidence to establish Rafferty's claim to be the real 'Old Bill' of the western trenches. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.

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Book SynopsisThis highly original case study, which adopts a material culture perspective, is unprecedented in social and cultural histories of the Soviet period and provides a unique window on social relations. The author demonstrates how Moisei Ginzburg's Constructivist masterpiece, the Narkomfin Communal House, employed classic Marxist understandings of material culture in an effort to overturn capitalist and patriarchal social structures. Through the edifying effects of architectural forms, Ginzburg attempted to induce socialist and feminist-inspired social and gender relations. The author shows how, for the inhabitants, these principles manifested themselves, from taste to hygiene to gender roles, and how individuals variously appropriated architectural space and material culture to cope with the conditions of daily life, from the utopianism of the First Five Year Plan and Stalin's purges to the collapse of the Soviet Union. This book makes a major contribution to: the history of socialism in the Soviet Union and, more generally, Eastern Europe; material culture studies; architectural history; archaeology and social anthropology.Trade Review'Buchli has admirably countered ... considerable difficulties in a multi-faceted investigative process which could be characterized as an 'archaeology of socialism', in a sense reminiscent of Foucault's 'Archaeology of Knowledge'.'Journal of Design History'An Archaeology of Socialism is a fascinating and well written book based on the intellectually charming premise that theories of the function of material culture were heavily tested and found wanting by the Russian socialist byt (life-style) reform programs of the last 80 years ... The value of the book lies in the clarity of Buchli's prose as he navigates the choppy seas of postmodern philosophy. In some cases, his explications of theory are more elegant than the writings of the original authors.'American Ethnologist'There is much of interest here, particularly in the analysis of the Stalin period.'Slavonica'While Buchli has much to say about wallpaper, the types and uses of furniture available to inhabitants, and othTable of ContentsRevolution and the restructuring of the material world; Soviet hygiene and the battle against dirt and petit-bourgeois consciousness; the Narkomfin Communal House and the material culture of socialism; Stalinism and the domestication of Marxism; the Narkomfin Communal House and Marxist domesticity; de-Stalinization and the reinvigoration of Marxist understandings of the material world; the Narkomfin Communal House and the material culture of de-Stalinization.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first comprehensive post-war history of one of Europe's most vibrant cities throughout an extraordinary period of social, cultural and economic change. The capital of Italy's economic miracle of the 1950s and 60s, Milan was a magnet for immigrants, as industry, design and culture created a heady mix of wealth, innovation and conflict. By the 1980s, heavy industry had all but disappeared and the city had reinvented itself as the world capital of fashion and a dynamic post-industrial metropolis. Meanwhile, the urban landscape was darkened by the bleak estates of the peripheries and the corruption scandals that exploded in what became known as 'Tangentopoli', or Bribesville. This fascinating book traces Milan's 'biography' through its buildings, design, fashion, cinema, families, immigrants and television. The city emerges as a potent economic power-house and laboratory for change, where art and culture converge in a modern but problematic urban space. Anyone interested in Italian history, urban studies or the future of Europe's cities will find this book an essential read.Trade Review'A pathbreaking book, drawing from a range of academic disciplines, which analyses in compelling fashion the history and culture of one of Europe's great cities.'Paul Ginsborg, University of Florence'John Foot's remarkable book reveals the many facets of a major European city over the last half-century, from the industrial growth and labour migrations of the 1950s and 1960s to the deindustrialisation, economic restructuring and new immigration of the 1990s. Milan's transition to fashion and design capital in a globalised economy is examined alongside an analysis of the degradation of its suburbs and the images of the city generated by cinema and fiction. What emerges is a unique in-depth study which will be indispensable for anyone who wants to makes sense of our changing urban landscapes.'Professor David Forgacs, University College London'A rare book ... unique.'Corriere della Sera'(The author is) the only historian who has taken the trouble to tell the story of MilanTable of ContentsCh. 1 Introduction: City of Fragments, Places, Dates, Books and Films Ch. 2 Mass Cultures and Popular Cultures in Milan, 1950-2000 Ch. 3 Families, Cultures and Social Change Since the Boom Ch. 4 Divided City, Milan and Cinema, 1945-1999 Ch. 5 Television and the City. The Impact of Television in Milan Since 1954 Ch. 6 City of Design. Urban Change and Design Cultures in Milan Ch. 7 Motorisation and the City. Lambretta, Alfa Romea and Urban Space Ch. 8 Immigration and the City. Milan and Mass Immigration Since the 1950s Ch. 9 The Urban Periphery, Myth and Reality. Milan, 1950-1990 Ch. 10 Fashion and the City. The Impact of Mass Fashion and the Fashion Industry in Milan Ch. 11 From Boomtown to Bribesville. The Images of the City. Milan, 1980-1997 Conclusion: The Identities of Milan

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Book SynopsisThat notions of femininity were seriously disrupted during the First World War has become obvious in recent years. But what happened to masculinity at the same time? Based on letters, diaries and oral histories, "Dismembering the Male" explores the impact of the 'war to end all wars' on the male body. Joanna Bourke argues convincingly that military experiences led to a greater sharing of gender identities between men of different classes and ages. She concludes that attempts to construct a new type of masculinity failed as the threat of another war, and with it the sacrifice of a new generation of men, intensified.Trade ReviewBourke evokes a real tenderness and understanding for the men who were pushed to breaking point and beyond ... in a book well illustrated with contemporary photographs and sketches from men's letters and diaries ... a fine work Times Higher Education Supplement cogent insights into wartime experience Independent on Sunday stunning The Observer

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