European history Books

Book SynopsisIn the first half of the fifteenth century, Rome and the papal court were caught between conflicting realities--between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, conciliarism and papalism, an image of a restored republic and a dream of a papal capital. Elizabeth McCahill explores the transformation of Rome's ancient legacy into a potent cultural myth.Trade ReviewIn this masterful, original, and fluidly-written study of the intellectual and cultural milieu of the early Roman Renaissance, Elizabeth McCahill provides a rich and nuanced context for some of the most important humanist and artistic projects of the age. Readers of this book cannot help but come away with a richer and deeper appreciation of this foundational but surprisingly neglected era in early modern history. -- Brian Curran, Pennsylvania State UniversityMeticulous and riveting, Reviving the Eternal City offers a multifaceted history of the Roman Curia under Martin V and Eugenius IV. Through incisive readings of sources as diverse as a vintner's diary, the letters of established (and struggling) humanists, papal bulls and Filarete's bronze doors, McCahill proves that Rome's renewal began long before the first 'Renaissance' pope donned the tiara. -- Sarah Ross, Boston CollegeUsing unknown and little-studied sources, Elizabeth McCahill argues that Rome in the first half of the fifteenth century represented a site of intense study, contemporary cultural fascination, and, above all, interpretation. She offers readers access to worlds often hidden, from backstairs intrigue at the papal court to the desks of solitary scholars. This book is a fine example of socially-informed intellectual history, written with exemplary clarity and incisive intelligence. -- Christopher Celenza, Johns Hopkins University

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Book SynopsisIn 1482 Francesco Berlinghieri produced the Geographia, a book of over 100 folio leaves describing the world in Italian verse interleaved with lavishly engraved maps. Roberts demonstrates that the Geographia represents the moment of transition between printing and manuscript culture, while forming a critical base for the rise of modern cartography.Trade ReviewThrough Berlinghieri's The Seven Days of Geography (1482), Roberts provides a highly original focus on the book as material artifact and contests prevailing views of its place in the history of geography and cartography. Most compellingly, his account of the book as a cultural go-between leads to a critique of models of Italian–Ottoman exchange current in early modern studies over the past decade. -- Stephen Campbell, John Hopkins UniversityThrough his meticulous study of Francesco Berlinghieri's Geographia, Roberts deftly touches on some of the most timely and topical areas of recent research in the field of early modern studies: Artistic agency, materiality, patronage, print culture—and the nature of 'the Renaissance' itself. -- Giancarlo Casale, University of MinnesotaRoberts’s account of Berlinghieri’s intellectual biography is informed and rewarding. It uncovers the distinctive quality of fifteenth-century geography, and reveals the characteristic combination of classical geography, mythology, medieval history and legend found in The Seven Days of Geography. His discussion of the Renaissance reinvention of Ptolemaic mapping reflects his awareness of the recent paradigm shift in the history of cartography and of science. The old progressivist vision of history and universal concept of objectivity has no place in Sean Roberts’s exposition. This book has a good chance of becoming a classic on the subject. -- Alessandro Scafi * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisBy the summer of 1944, the western Allies and the Soviets possessed the initiative and forces capable of mounting strategic offensives against the German enemy. Writing a study of operations on first the Western then Eastern Front, military analyst C.J. Dick offers rare insight into the strengths and weaknesses of generalship on both fronts.Trade ReviewCharles Dick, formerly a senior lecturer at the Soviet Studies Research Center and senior fellow at the Defence Academy of the UK, proves to be a stellar author as well as instructor, and readers will surely learn a great deal from his book, in which the protagonists don't always receive passing grades. Fortunately for the GPAs of avid students of the war, the harsh marks handed out during this dazzling tour de force are reserved exclusively for Allied generals who ran the campaign on the western front during the summer of 1944." - Bill Stone, Stone & Stone

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Book SynopsisShows how the key cultural innovations from Central Asia revolutionized medieval Europe and gave rise to the culture of science in the West. This title traces how the recursive argument method was first developed by Buddhist scholars and was spread by them throughout ancient Central Asia.Trade Review"[W]arriors of the Cloisters convincingly establishes the Central Asian origins of both the scholastic method and the university."--Choice "To follow Beckwith is an enjoyable journey through many countries, civilizations, cultures and religions. This book is well worth reading for those who are interested in the spread of ideas and the interweaving of cultures, ideas and beliefs."--John Bowman, Middle Way "[T]his is a major work of great significance."--Jeremy Black, European Review of HistoryTable of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xv Abbreviations and Transcription of Foreign Languages xvii Chapter One Introduction 1 Chapter Two The Recursive Argument Method of Medieval Science 11 Chapter Three From College and Universitas to University 37 Chapter Four Buddhist Central Asian Invention of the Method 50 Chapter Five Islamization in Classical Arabic Central Asia 76 Chapter Six Transmission to Medieval Western Europe 100 Chapter Seven India, Tibet, China, Byzantium, and Other Control Cases 121 Chapter Eight Conclusion 147 Appendix A: On the Latin Translations of Avicenna's Works 167 Appendix B: On Peter of Poitiers 171 Appendix C: The Charter of the College des Dix-huit 186 References 187 Index 199

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Book SynopsisIt would be easy to assume that, in the eighteenth century, slavery and the culture of taste - the world of politeness, manners, and aesthetics - existed as separate and unequal domains, unrelated in the spheres of social life. This book demonstrates that these two areas of modernity were surprisingly entwined.Trade ReviewCo-Winner of the 2011 James Russell Lowell Prize, Modern Language Association Co-winner of the 2012 Melville J. Herskovits Award, African Studies Association Winner of the 14th Annual (2012) Susanne M. Glasscock Humanities Book Prize for Interdisciplinary Scholarship, Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research at Texas A&M University One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2012 "In this at times disturbing and often provocative book, Gikandi seeks to bring together two seemingly disparate areas of experience, African slavery and European high culture... This impressive, and in places startling, book is sure to redirect the tide of contemporary 18th-century studies; it exemplifies critical inquiry into the 'global 18th century' at its best."--Choice "[T]his is an absorbing and otherwise well-executed study. It is nuanced, erudite and wide-ranging, shedding much valuable new light on the vexed relationships between eighteenth-century aesthetic culture and the outrageous history that shadows it."--Carl Plasa, Review of English Studies "Among the many strengths of this study is that it will engage scholars and students from a variety of disciplines, including the Atlantic world, British history and/or literature, colonial history both North American and Caribbean--and the slave trade. Gikandi is an engaging author, but he assumes some prior knowledge of the materials that he so intricately weaves into his remarkably detailed narrative."--Dorothy Potter, Sixteenth Century Journal "Interdisciplinary in approach, Slavery and the Culture of Taste is a virtuoso performance that mobilizes a vast amount of secondary literature and deploys a dazzling array of theory."--Ryan Whyte, Journal of Curatorial Studies "Slavery and the Culture of Taste is an important book that should be widely read by students of slavery and the modern world."--Ed Rugemer, Literature & HistoryTable of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xvii Chapter 1: Overture: Sensibility in the Age of Slavery 1 Chapter 2: Intersections: Taste, Slavery, and the Modern Self 50 Chapter 3: Unspeakable Events: Slavery and White Self-Fashioning 97 Chapter 4: Close Encounters: Taste and the Taint of Slavery 145 Chapter 5: "Popping Sorrow": Loss and the Transformation of Servitude 188 Chapter 6: The Ontology of Play: Mimicry and the Counterculture of Taste 233 Coda: Three Fragments 282 Notes 287 Bibliography 321 Index 353

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Book SynopsisAs Stefan Ihrig shows in this first comprehensive study, many Germans sympathized with the Ottomans’ longstanding repression of the Armenians and with the Turks’ program of extermination during World War I. In the Nazis’ version of history, the Armenian Genocide was justifiable because it had made possible the astonishing rise of the New Turkey.Trade ReviewFascinating and highly readable… Ihrig brilliantly lays bare the ‘confluence’ between German anti-Semitic and anti-Armenian stereotypes. -- Lawrence Douglas * Irish Times *In this compelling narrative, Ihrig finds that the so-called Armenian Horrors were vigorously debated in the [German] government and in periodicals of the time… Ihrig’s deep, scrupulous research reveals the official pattern set by the Germans ‘vis-à-vis the Armenians’ as an ‘enabler’ for the Ottomans, later giving way to open justification, denial, and whitewashing of the horrors visited on the Armenian people… A groundbreaking academic study that shows how Germany derived from the Armenian genocide ‘a plethora of recipes’ to address its own ethnic problems. * Kirkus Reviews *Yet another excellent book by Stefan Ihrig about the uncanny German–Turkish connection. The story of the Armenian Genocide and its reception in post–World War I Germany thus becomes a German, not a Turkish or Armenian, story about racism and the road taken by Germany toward the Holocaust. A surprising answer to the question: How was the Holocaust possible in twentieth-century Germany of all places? -- Moshe Zimmermann, The Hebrew University of JerusalemThis book is a major contribution to the study of German attitudes toward the Armenian Genocide. It puts German policies and reactions to Ottoman Turkey in the general perspective of Germany’s policies before, during, and after World War I. It deals with the parallels between German attitudes to Armenians and to Jews, and permits us to understand the complexities and problems of different minority groups within German society relative to Turkey. -- Yehuda Bauer, Yad VashemAfter Atatürk in the Nazi Imagination, Stefan Ihrig again presents an intelligent book of uncommon originality. By exposing how ‘justificationalism’ led to an ethic-free thinking in concepts of ‘final solutions,’ he shows how this became a strong mental link between the Armenian Genocide and the Shoah. Written in the elegant style of a historical drama in several acts, this is a great achievement. -- Rolf Hosfeld, Lepsiushaus PotsdamIt is striking to see the ideological similarities between Germany in the late 1920s and Kemalist Turkey, or Mussolinian Italy. Written in a lively style, well-balanced and well-documented, this book will advance the debate on the relationship between mass violences that marked the twentieth century. -- Raymond Kévorkian, University of Paris VIII

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Book SynopsisBarbara J. Shapiro traces the surprising genesis of the "fact," a modern concept that, she convincingly demonstrates, originated not in natural science but in legal discourse. She follows the concept's evolution and diffusion across a variety of...Trade ReviewShapiro has written an excellent work in intellectual and cultural history. * Virginia Quarterly Review *The book is filled with quotes and references to a very wide range of primary as well as secondary sources. It will be of much heuristic value in studying the changing meanings of 'fact' in this period, quite apart from Shapiro's strong argument concerning the special role of the law. -- Peter Dear, Cornell University * Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences *This nutshell presentation does far from justice to the nuances of the basic argument of the book, still less to the striking nature of the supporting detail... It should be given a hearty welcome as a trenchant and well illustrated contribution to an ongoing debate. -- Paul Dukes * Journal of European Studies *

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Book SynopsisIn The Education of Cyrus, Xenophon confronts the vexing problem of political instability by exploring the character and behavior of the ruler.Trade ReviewThe Education of Cyrus is a major work of classical political philosophy that provides a portrait of extraordinary political ambition.... Ambler's precise translation makes it possible to engage in a close textual reading that establishes Xenophon as an important political thinker. * Translation Review *There are many reasons to welcome this fresh, precise, and graceful English rendering of the Cyropaedia, the first since 1914. It is, of course, a central text for the study of Greek military technique in the age of professional warfare that leads up to Alexander. But it is much, much more.... Ambler's superb translation, accompanied by a glossary that matches key terms in the Greek with their semantic fields in English, and excellent notes, is an unfailing guide to the nuances of the Greek text and is bound to become the standard English reference edition. * Journal of Military History *Wayne Ambler's elegant translation deserves to become the standard English version of this work. * The Weekly Standard *

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Book SynopsisWhere did the Berlin Wall actually stand? Why was it built? How did people keep managing to escape across it? And how many died in the attempt? Why did it come down in the end? Numerous previously unknown photographs document the construction of this barrier system of barbed wire, alarm fences and concrete. Spectacular escape stories and shocking deaths are chronicled here in words and images, as are the dramatic events surrounding the construction and the fall of the Wall. A stunning survey of the Berlin Wall - the central symbol of the Cold War.

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Book SynopsisThe extravagant gardens of the 16th- and 17th-century British aristocracy are well-documented and celebrated, but the more modest gardens of the rural county gentry have rarely been examined. Jill Francis presents new, never-before published material as well as fresh interpretations of previously examined sources to reveal gardening as a practical activity in which a broad spectrum of society was engaged from the laborers who dug, manured, and weeded, to the gentleman owners who sought to create gardens that both exemplified their personal tastes and displayed their wealth and status. Enhanced by beautiful and compelling illustrations, this book contributes to a broader understanding of early modern society and its culture by situating the activity of gardening within the wider social and cultural concerns of the age, reflecting the anxieties, hopes, and aspirations of people at the time. Published in association with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British ArtTrade Review“sumptuously produced” – John Carey, The Sunday Times“Handsomely designed, generously illustrated and packed full of information and detail.” – Lisa Hopkins, Times Higher Education Supplement“Francis has gathered together an impressive body of information, some of it previously unexplored” —Margaret Willes, Times Literary Supplement“This is a serious book on early- modern society, but we are drawn in by the personal nature of the evidence: the gardeners’ loves, extravagances, and preoccupations.”— Jamie Cable, Church Times“Francis introduces some very interesting new material”—Paula Henderson, Garden History “The book offers much detailed analysis and also demonstrates the diversity of gardens during this period.”— John Edmondson, Welsh Historic Gardens Trust BulletinLong listed for the Historians of British Art Book PrizeListed on Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles List for 2019

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewRomm has made a judicious selection of the most important passages from the Histories and he has joined them with concise summaries of the intervening events so as to make the book a unified, coherent whole. The translation (provided mainly by Shirley, although many key passages have been translated by Romm) is lively and readable, and Romm's notes provide just the sort of information that a first-time reader of Herodotus would need. Romm's 'Introduction' is perhaps the most valuable aspect of the book. By highlighting the main themes and explaining Herodotus' use of imaginative material, Romm helps the reader make sense of a text that is sometimes unwieldy. Romm also situates Herodotus' work within its historical context, providing sensible answers to important questions such as the publication date of the Histories and Herodotus' views on events in the Peloponnesian War. The volume also includes a chronology of the Archaic Age, maps, and a glossary of important characters and places. In short, Romm and Shirley have produced a valuable desideratum: an excellent, one-volume introduction to Herodotus' Histories. It would be eminently suitable for undergraduate readers, particularly in a Greek History or Ancient Greek Civilization class. --Susan O. Shapiro, The Classical OutlookThis compilation gathers the most significant stories in the Histories. Samuel Shirley's elegant translation is enhanced by James Romm's excellent introduction and epilogue and clear, informative notes. This is altogether a fine piece of work, which gives a good sense of the wonderful variety in Herodotus' text. --Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, Wesleyan UniversityThis crisp, user-friendly volume provides the historical essence of Herodotus' great Histories, emphasizing the growth of the Persian Empire and its momentous conflict with Greeks in the early fifth century B.C.E. The book includes substantial excerpts from the Histories, enhanced by connecting summaries; the selections include many of Herodotus' most fascinating anecdotes as well as the most important historical decisions and events. On the War for Greek Freedom is a remarkably successful introduction to the Histories. Samuel Shirley's fresh, contemporary translations recall the charm and diversity of Herodotus’ language, while James Romm's lively introduction, notes, and (best of all) summary passages allow even a casual reader to comprehend and enjoy this kaleidoscopic text. --Deborah Boedeker, Brown University

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Book SynopsisA vivid portrayal of life in Pompeii's sister city, this book includes a detailed description of the ancient Villa dei Papiri, on which the present Getty Museum in Malibu is modeled.

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Book SynopsisAt the end of World War II, the US Office of Military Government for Germany and Bavaria, through its Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives division, was responsible for the repatriation of most of the tens of thousands of artworks looted by the Nazis in the countries they had occupied. With the help of the US Army's Monuments Men-the name given to a hand-picked group of art historians and museum professionals commissioned for this important duty-massive numbers of objects were retrieved from their wartime hiding places and inventoried for repatriation. Iris Lauterbach's fascinating history documents the story of the Allies' Central Collecting Point (CCP), set up in the former Nazi Party headquarters at Koenigsplatz in Munich, where the confiscated works were transported to be identified and sorted for restitution. This book presents her archival research on the events, people, new facts, and intrigue, with meticulous attention to the official systems, frameworks, and logistical and bureaucratic enterprise of the Munich CCP in the years from 1945 to 1949. She uncovers the stories of the people who worked there at a time of lingering political suspicions; narrates the research, conservation, and restitution process; and investigates how the works of art were managed and returned to their owners.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Buscaglia's Spanish-English edition of Siguenza y Gongora's greatest work is a magnificent illustration of what the fields of history and literature can offer when they are brought together. And it is fun to read, to boot! The text takes readers on a fascinating, whirlwind tour through the interlocking worlds of seventeenth-century Mexico and Southeast Asia." -- Camilla Townsend * author of Malintzin's Choices: An Indian Woman in the Conquest of Mexico *“Buscaglia-Salgado’s bilingual edition of Infortunios de Alonso Ramirez/The Misfortunes of Alonso Ramirez is an essential contribution. Multi-faceted and meticulously researched, it situates the story in the context of a global history of empires and piracy, opening new channels for further analysis and research. Deftly deciphering documents in colonial archives, questioning editorial practices, sketching maps, and revisiting his own sailing voyages, Buscaglia-Salgado has tracked Ramírez’s routes, uncovering some of the mysteries surrounding the protagonist and making visible a global historical process.” -- Arcadio Díaz-Quiñones * Princeton University *Table of ContentsTable of Contents In the Footsteps of Alonso Ramírez: A decade in pursuit of the most elusive American pirate Maps and Illustrations Acknowledgements Misfortunes of Alonso Ramírez About the translation To the most excellent gentleman don Gaspar de Sandoval Cerda Silva y Mendoza Approval of the licentiate [in canonic law] don Francisco de Ayerra Santa María, chaplain of the King our lord in his Royal Convent of Jesús María in Mexico [City]. Summary of licenses Motives he had for leaving his home country. Jobs [he had] and travels he made through New Spain. Of his presence in México until crossing over to the Philippines. He leaves Acapulco for the Philippines . An account of the route of this voyage and of how he spent the time until he was captured by the English. A summary is given of the plundering and cruelties carried out by these pirates on land and sea until arriving in America. He is set free by the pirates and he remembers what he endured as their captive. Alonso Ramírez, and his shipmates, sails without knowing where they were or where they were going. The troubles and frights they suffered until running aground are retold. Thirst, hunger, disease, and death that aggrieved them in this coast. Unexpectedly they find Catholic folk and know themselves to be in Yucatan, on the mainland of North America. They go to Tihosuco and from there to Valladolid where they experience hardships. They arrive in Mérida. Alonso Ramírez returns to Valladolid and the hardships are greater. The reason why he came to Mexico City and what resulted from it. The history of the first American of universal standing: How Alonso Ramírez, a.k.a Felipe Ferrer, turned the world on its head by circumnavigating the globe. The discovery of Americanness and the presage of the end to empire Consummate impostors always tell the best piratical stories On motherhood, mentoring and being the best at what you do How Ramírez stole the name and reimagined the character of Felipe Ferrer An American con man takes on the English "King of the Sea" Lost at sea, or sailing the West Indies as an Englishman? The story comes together on the Coast of Bacalar From pirate to slave owner in search of legitimacy Putting to paper what "will be very advisable for the printing press to eternalize" Reader beware If and only "If" Bibliography About the Author Infortunios de Alonso Ramírez Acerca de la transcripción Al excelentísimo señor don Gaspar de Sandoval Cerda Silva y Mendoza Aprobación del licenciado don Francisco de Ayerra Santa María, capellán del Rey nuestro señor en su Convento Real de Jesús María de México Suma de las licencias Motivos que tuvo para salir de su patria. Ocupaciones y viajes que hizo por la Nueva España. [De] su asistencia en México hasta pasar a las Filipinas. Sale de Acapulco para las Filipinas. Dícese la derrota de este viaje y en lo que gastó el tiempo hasta que lo apresaron ingleses. Pónense en compendio los robos y crueldades que hicieron estos piratas en mar y tierra hasta llegar a la América. Danle libertad los piratas y trae a la memoria lo que toleró en su prisión. Navega Alonso Ramírez y sus compañeros sin saber dónde estaban ni la parte a que iban. Dícense los trabajos y sustos que padecieron hasta varar en tierra. Sed, hambre, enfermedades, [y] muertes con que fueron atribulados en esta costa. Hallan inopinadamente gente católica y saben estar en tierra firme de Yucatán en la Septentrional América. Pasan a Tihosuco [y] de allí a Valladolid donde experimentan molestias. Llegan a Mérida. Vuelve Alonso Ramírez a Valladolid y son aquellas [molestias] mayores. Causa por [la] que vino a México y lo que de ello resulta.

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Book SynopsisThe story of one woman''s journey from a cultured life in pre-war Europe, through the devastation of Hitler''s regime, to her commitment of helping the world understand the Holocaust.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1963, Ibrahim Abu-Lughod's pioneering work traces the role of the Arab intelligentsia in increasing Arab awareness of Europe and in shaping an Arab image of the West.Trade Review'Palestine's foremost academic and intellectual' Edward Said, Guardian 'One of the first Arab-American scholars to have a really serious effect on the way the Middle East is portrayed in political science and in America.' Rashid Khalidi, Columbia University 'A significant contribution to the study of Arab adjustment to the modern age. Abu-Lughod has combined insight and careful interpretation with thorough scholarship.' C. F. Dawn, University of IllinoisTable of ContentsPreface v Introduction: The Setting of Westernization 3 I Arab Awareness of the West: Modern Beginnings 11 The Napoleonic Proclamations * The Arab Chroniclers of the French Expedition II The Development of the Translation Movement 28 Unorganized Official Interpreting * Random Translation * Organized Period of Official Translation * The Decline of Official Translation * The Revival of the Translation Movement III The Nature of the Translated Material 46 Translations Undertaken * List of Translations * Content of the Translations * Other Translators of the Nineteenth Century * A Digression on Ninth and Nineteenth-Century Translation * Justifications for the Translations * Impact of Translations on Arab Intellectual Development IV Arab Travellers to Europe 66 Pre-Nineteenth-Century Travellers * Nineteenth- Century Travellers * Travel Accounts * The Subject Matter of Travel Books * Impact of the Travels V Travellers' Views of Europe: Political and Social Organization 86 The Political Organization of the State * Private Organizations VI Travellers' Views of Europe: The Educational 115 System and the Social Order Education and Learning * Miscellaneous Sociological Observations VII Arab Attitudes and Reactions to Western 135 Achievements Statements of Individual Writers * Reactions to th Invidious Comparisons VIII Conclusions and Subsequent Developments 155 Bibliography 169 Index 181

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Book SynopsisMarxism was the loser in the Cold War, but Oleg Kharkhordin is not surprised that liberal democracy failed to take root after the Soviet Union’s dissolution. He suggests that Russians find a path to freedom by looking to the classical tradition of republican self-government and civic engagement already familiar from their history and literature.Trade ReviewA fascinating study, empirically informed but normatively oriented, of Russia’s republican prospects. It is imaginatively shaped by political theory, the history of ideas, and a multiply-documented belief in the power of words to change things. -- Philip Pettit, Princeton University and Australian National UniversityKharkhordin argues that Russia has a tradition of ‘republican thought’ of a distinct genealogy, not that of the French Revolution but originating in the ancient world (especially Cicero) and then charting its own line through the Russian Decembrists of the early nineteenth century up to the present. These ideas were frequently submerged in the Russian history of authoritarianism, but survived through the medium of literature throughout the later nineteenth century and during the Soviet era. Recouped, they could form the basis for a new politics in Russia. This is original thinking of the first order, and enjoyable reading too. -- Caroline Humphrey, University of CambridgeThis is a brilliant, highly original, and ambitious book. Kharkhordin sets out an agenda for the creation in Russia of a meaningful social order constituted around res publica, cleverly anchoring this vision in a deeply historically grounded analysis that marries multiple Russian intellectual traditions with classical elements of republican thought. The result is a philosophical foundation for an alternative way forward in Russian politics. Breaking new ground amidst rigid analytical paradigms and highly politicized debates, this is a remarkable achievement. -- Jessica Pisano, The New School for Social ResearchA startling synthesis of empirical data, conceptual and social history, and political theory. Most commentators examine Russian transformation through the prism of western models of liberalism. Kharkhordin, in contrast, derives a novel theory of Russian republicanism from observation of the practices, language, and histories of Russian activists, poets, politicians, thinkers, and entrepreneurs. This leads him to cautious optimism that new spheres of liberty and public life may yet emerge from areas in Russian society that typically escape our attention: practices of friendship, institutions of the commons, cultures of scientific innovation, and shared desires to remake the world. -- Kevin M. F. Platt, University of PennsylvaniaKharkhordin’s argument is novel and deeply grounded in the history of ideas and community in Russia…Sews together a set of complex ideas to demonstrate that liberal democracy is not the only option for Russian society to have representative governance. -- Kathryn Stoner * Russian Review *

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Book SynopsisPhotographic historian Edwards looks at the popularity of the amateur photographic survey movement in England between the mid-1880s and the end of World War I, when over a thousand amateur photographers took well over 50,000 photographs documenting nearby churches, cottages, and other local features. Edwards sees this movement as a form of popular history.Trade Review"The Camera as Historian offers groundbreaking insights into the entangled relations of photography and history, the recording impulse in modern British history, the complex links between visual practices and the historical imagination, and the intellectual and cultural traditions that frame representations of the past. It is significant as the first in-depth look at the fascinating and important work of the British survey movement: its participants, driving impulses, economies, audiences, values, and successes and failures. The book is made all the more important by Elizabeth Edwards's insistence on attention to the ways that photographs were produced and translated, and her demonstration of a mode of historical interpretation that not only links critical theory and archival practice, but illustrates their inseparability."—Jennifer Tucker, author of Nature Exposed: Photography as Eyewitness in Victorian Science"In this magnificent study, Elizabeth Edwards approaches the photographic survey movement in England above all as a practice: a relation between photographers, photographic technologies, photographs, and the material traces of the past in landscapes. This practice, as Edwards shows in rich detail, was extensive, amateur, public, local, and reflexive. With its empirical depth and conceptual reach, this book enhances immensely our understanding of the mediation of both history and geography by photography."—Gillian Rose, author of Doing Family Photography: The Domestic, the Public and the Politics of Sentiment“The The Camera as Historian provides a dense amount of information about the photographic survey movement, as well as aspects of Victorian and Edwardian Britain that shaped the survey movement. . . . But the content and ideas are interesting and provide an original perspective, making any extra effort in the read a tremendously worthwhile venture.” -- Mary Desjarlais * Photogram *“The Camera as Historian is unquestionably a major work of the new photographic history. As I have indicated it is now the benchmark study of mass photographic practice; it is inventively conceived, meticulously researched, and full of new ways of thinking about photography, history, and many other things.” -- Steve Edwards * Oxford Art Journal *“[A] fascinating and remarkable new book. . . . It is also a pleasure to use, being beautifully produced, with (as would be expected) a wonderful collection of photographs, magnificently reproduced—and. . . it is outstandingly good value.” -- Alan Crosby * Local Historian *“Probably because of the scope, British survey photography has lacked extensive studies, so this thoughtful analysis by Edwards of a complex set of practices and narratives is welcome. . . . Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above.” -- S. Spencer * Choice *“This is a great book on a great subject by a great author (and, yes, by a great publisher as well, for the amount and quality of the often never published images in this well designed and impressive volume is exemplary). . . . If good history is a dialogue between past, present and future, then The Camera as History is best history.” -- Jan Baetens * Leonardo Reviews *”This is the only comprehensive monograph on the survey movement, for which Edwards has identified 73 surveys, or regional bodies of work that were focused on particular towns, counties, and cities. Her analysis of the pictures is commendable as she describes the ‘historical imagination’ that these amateur photographers articulated through the surveys. . . . Serious researchers on this topic will appreciate the thorough work offered here, which is well documented in notes and appendixes.” -- Eric Linderman * Library Journal *“Essential and exciting reading for anyone interested in the visual culture of this period. Edwards’s achievement is to make the activities of one group—or linked groups—of people speak to the nation’s sense of itself and of how its physical character should be preserved and remembered. No less important is the way in which she makes us think about how photography may best be understood as history and what its responsibilities may be.” -- Kate Flint * Journal of British Studies *“Building on her groundbreaking work on anthropological photography, The Camera as Historian establishes Edwards as a role model in the field of photographic history. Addressing both the concerns of theory and the riches of the archive, Edwards exposes the foibles of these Edwardian amateurs without any bad-faith assumption of chauvinism. Adorned with over a hundred illustrations and a useful bibliography, scholars and graduate students in the fields of photography, visual culture, social, and cultural history will receive multiple dividends from reading and discussing this book.” -- Nicole Hudgins * Journal of Social History *“Edwards demonstrates a true mastery over her material and an adept use of critical theory, such that the book remains wholly engaging. The Camera as Historian positions Edwards as anexemplar in the writing of history and ethnography within the fields of photography and visualculture. With over one hundred illustrations and a comprehensive bibliography of primary andsecondary sources, this book will surely remain a useful reference on British survey photography and a model historiography of both British history and photography.” -- Taylor J. Acosta * Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide *"I am Australian, and thus very distant in space and experience from these landscapes — but just holding and looking through Edwards’s beautiful book fills me with nostalgia and longing for a landscape I have never known.... Erudite and nuanced, this rich and suggestive book raises many issues and points to further work." -- Jane Lydon * Victorian Studies *Table of ContentsPreface xi Acknowledgments xiii 1. "Sacred Monuments of the Nation's Growth and Hope": Amateur Photography and Imagining the Past 1 2. "A Credit to Yourself and Your Country": Amateur Photographers and the Survey and Record Movement 31 3. Unblushing Realism: Practices of Evidence, Style, and Arachive 79 4. "To Be a Source of Pride": Local Histories and National Identities 123 5. "Doomed and Threatened": Photography, Disappearance, and Survival 163 6. "To Quicken the Instincts": Photographs 7. Afterlives and Legacies: An Epilogureas Public History 209 7. Afterlives and Legacies: An Epilogue 243 Appendix 259 Illustrations 269 Notes 273 Bibliography 305 Index 321

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Book SynopsisLong before Greeks dominated the ancient Mediterranean, Phoenicians were the lords of the sea. Setting out from their Levantine cities, they introduced their alphabet, art, technology, and gods to places as far as off as Iberia. Carolina López-Ruiz highlights the enduring Phoenician imprint, displacing the Hellenocentric model of the ancient world.Trade ReviewA masterclass in historiographic and cultural research aiming to upend common stereotypes regarding Phoenicians and their role ‘in the making of the Mediterranean.’ It demonstrates solid, up-to-date research and a thoughtful approach to a variety of topics. -- Vadim Jigoulov * H-Soz-Kult *A real plea in favor of Phoenician studies, this volume offers an original and welcome contribution to research on the archaic Mediterranean. -- Hédi Dridi * American Journal of Archaeology *[A] substantial and important contribution…to the ancient history of the Mediterranean. López-Ruiz’s work does justice to the Phoenicians’ role in shaping Mediterranean culture by providing rational and factual argumentation and by setting the record straight. -- Hélène Sader * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *This is an important and substantial contribution to our understanding of the development of the Mediterranean in a crucial period. -- Hugh Bowden * Middle Ground Journal *An important new book…Phoenicians and the Making of the Mediterranean offers a powerful call for historians of the ancient Mediterranean to consider their implicit biases in writing ancient history and it provides an example of how more inclusive histories may be written. -- Denise Demetriou * New England Classical Journal *Ground-breaking…Succeeds in its goal of showcasing the Phoenician imprint on the Mediterranean world and challenging the Hellenocentric model that has dominated scholarship of this region. The author is to be congratulated on her landmark study. -- Ann E. Killebrew * Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies *For generations, the Phoenicians have been an invisible culture, overwritten by Greek historians. Phoenicians and the Making of the Mediterranean restores their rightful position as the principal engine of the early Iron Age, connecting the eastern Mediterranean to North Africa and Spain. With a light touch and a masterful command of the literature, López-Ruiz replaces old ideas with a subtle and more accurate account of the extensive cross-cultural exchange patterns and economy driven by the Phoenician trade networks that ‘re-wired’ the Mediterranean world. A must read. -- J. G. Manning, author of The Open SeaA call to recognize the role of the Phoenicians and acknowledge our own preconceptions and prejudices about ancient history, López-Ruiz’s magnum opus will not only revolutionize our understanding of the Early Iron Age Mediterranean but also how we write the history of this region in the future. -- Denise Demetriou, author of Negotiating Identity in the Ancient MediterraneanLópez-Ruiz weaves together evidence from diverse scholarly fields to spotlight the central role played by Phoenicians in shaping the ancient Mediterranean world. The result is a study as rich as the Phoenicians’ own famed luxury arts. -- Tamar Hodos, author of The Archaeology of the Mediterranean Iron Age

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Book SynopsisAn outspoken opponent of pro-Russian, authoritarian, and far-right streams in contemporary Czech society, Martin C. Putna received a great deal of media attention when he ironically dedicated the Czech edition of Rus–Ukraine–Russia to Miloš Zeman—the pro-Russian president of the Czech Republic. This sense of irony, combined with an extraordinary breadth of scholarly knowledge, infuses Putna’s book.Examining key points in Russian cultural and spiritual history, Rus–Ukraine–Russia is essential reading for those wishing to understand the current state of Russia and Ukraine—the so-called heir to an “alternative Russia.” Putna uses literary and artistic works to offer a rich analysis of Russia as a cultural and religious phenomenon: tracing its development from the arrival of the Greeks in prehistoric Crimea to its invasion by “little green men” in 2014; explaining the cultural importance in Russ of the Vikings as well as Pussy Riot; exploring central Russian figures from St. Vladimir the Great to Vladimir Putin.Unique in its postcolonial perspective, this is not merely a history of Russia or of Russian religion. This book presents Russia as a complex mesh of national, religious, and cultural (especially countercultural) traditions—with strong German, Mongol, Jewish, Catholic, Polish, and Lithuanian influences—a force responsible for creating what we identify as Eastern Europe.Trade Review“Finally a book on the development of Russian spirituality arising from extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of Russian history. In an era where many speak and write about the politics of Russia, be it positively or negatively, studying the roots is vital.” -- Karel, Prince of Schwarzenberg, former Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs * on the Czech edition *“An ideal textbook for diplomats and politicians.” -- Martin Bedrich, managing editor of "Salve" * on the Czech edition *“A fascinating examination of Russian history with unrivaled connections to culture and religion. It explores the eternal struggle between East and West, between patriotism and religious devotion—forces upwelling under Putin’s rule today.” * Respekt Magazine, Books to Buy column, on the Czech edition *

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Book SynopsisStalin''s Gulag at War places the Gulag within the story of the regional wartime mobilization of Western Siberia during the Second World War. Far from Moscow, Western Siberia was a key area for evacuated factories and for production in support of the war effort. Wilson T. Bell explores a diverse array of issues, including mass death, informal practices such as black markets, and the responses of prisoners and personnel to the war. The region''s camps were never prioritized, and faced a constant struggle to mobilize for the war. Prisoners in these camps, however, engaged in such activities as sewing Red Army uniforms, manufacturing artillery shells, and constructing and working in major defense factories. The myriad responses of prisoners and personnel to the war reveal the Gulag as a complex system, but one that was closely tied to the local, regional, and national war effort, to the point where prisoners and non-prisoners frequently interacted. At non-priority campTrade Review"...an excellently researched and thought-provoking study which will no doubt influence the direction of future research." -- Mark Vincent * History *"Although Bell touches on and evaluates various theories and arguments, his book is a close, source-based archival study of what happened in practice, on the ground. [This] is a good example of careful empirical research. He went where his sources took him and lets readers make up their own minds rather than prosecuting an a priori theoretical case." -- J. Arch Getty * Slavic Review *"As a careful empirical researcher, Bell eschews a single overarching argument, pointing repeatedly to paradoxes and contradictions in administrative intention and ground-level reality. While he insists on the primacy of economic motivations in running individual Gulag outposts, he reveals Gulag labor as costly and inefficient compared to alternative approaches to economic output. While he highlights the contribution that Gulag labor made to Soviet victory, he reminds us that those contributions were a tiny part of the total mobilization of the Soviet workforce outside the Gulag during the war." -- Steven A. Barnes, George Mason University * Russian Review *"Suffice it to say that our understanding of Gulag operations during World War II is significantly deeper thanks to Bell’s scrupulous attention to the intricacies of parsing documents from the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, coupled with a close reading of memoir literature and supported by previous Gulag scholarship. Scholars, students, and World War II buffs will benefit from this engaging volume." -- Cynthia A. Ruder, University of Kentucky * University of Toronto Quarterly: Letters in Canada 2018 *"Wilson Bell’s excellent book, Stalin’s Gulag at War, is a detailed and dispassionate contribution to this growing body of research. Drawing on in-depth archival research and focused on camp operations and everyday camp life in Western Siberia during World War II, Bell reveals the extent to which the imperatives of Stalinist wartime mobilization molded the camps in these crucial years." -- Peter Whitewood, York St. John University * Europe-Asia Studies *"Bell has synthesized a huge amount of material to create a lasting contribution to the field, but this is a book that should also be read by historians beyond the Soviet field: environmental historians, historians of penal systems, or those of colonization too can find much to learn from Stalin’s Gulag at War." -- Victor Petrov, University of Tennessee Knoxville * H-Nationalism *Table of Contents1. Ready for Total War? 2. Total War, Total Mobilization 3. Patriotic Prisoners 4. Patriotic Personnel 5. The Gulag’s Victory

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Book SynopsisBy the mid-1980s, public opinion in the USSR had begun to turn against Soviet involvement in Afghanistan: the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989) had become a long, painful, and unwinnable conflict, one that Mikhail Gorbachev referred to as a "bleeding wound" in a 1986 speech. The eventual decision to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan created a devastating ripple effect within Soviet society that, this book argues, became a major factor in the collapse of the Soviet Union. In this comprehensive survey of the effects of the war on Soviet society and politics, Yaacov Ro'i analyzes the opinions of Soviet citizens on a host of issues connected with the war and documents the systemic change that would occur when Soviet leadership took public opinion into account. The war and the difficulties that the returning veterans faced undermined the self-esteem and prestige of the Soviet armed forces and provided ample ammunition for media correspondents who sought to challenge the norms of the Soviet system. Through extensive analysis of Soviet newspapers and interviews conducted with Soviet war veterans and regular citizens in the early 1990s, Ro'i argues that the effects of the war precipitated processes that would reveal the inbuilt limitations of the Soviet body politic and contribute to the dissolution of the USSR by 1991. Trade Review"Encyclopedic and compelling, this meticulously researched book synthesizes the latest scholarship on the Soviet Afghan war. With original survey data and the comprehensive analysis of a decade of Soviet media and public opinion, Yaacov Ro'i shows clearly how Soviet participation in the Afghan war undermined faith in Soviet ideals and accelerated the Soviet collapse."—Karen Petrone, University of Kentucky"Yaacov Ro'i had the prescience to study the Soviet-Afghan War's effect on veterans and civilians at a time when most observers could only speculate about how the war would affect the USSR and the newly independent states. This book brings his original research into dialogue with new work and materials that have become available in intervening decades. An important and timely study that anyone interested in the region should read."—Artemy Kalinovsky, Temple University"Ro'i has done students of the Soviet-Afghan War a great service in synthesizing a wealth of sources and setting out a highly detailed account of the effects of the war, and has done so in a readable style that makes the book accessible for novice and expert alike. This thorough book is a very welcome addition to the field and is set to become a standard work."—Markus Balázs Göransson, The Russian Review"Ro'i's gift for weaving a galaxy of sources, and many different methodologies, into one elegant narrative, makes this book unique. It is both an excellent introduction for the more intrepid general reader and, more obviously, a key reference work about the Afghan War and the Soviet 1980s."—Eren Tasar, Journal of Interdisciplinary History"Reckoning with the costs of the Soviet war—in Afghanistan, in the former Soviet Union, and elsewhere—is urgent work, and Ro'i is to be thoroughly commended for undertaking and completing it."—Robert Rakove, H-Diplo"Ro'i presents a social history of those who participated in the war: ordinary soldiers, their officers, women, medics, and a high number of Central Asians.... Ro'i is scrupulous in recording the variety of opinions and attitudes, many of them contradictory, toward the war and those who fought in it, who are known as afgantsy."—Ronald Grigor Suny, H-Diplo"Reading The Bleeding Wound against the backdrop of the current Russian war in Ukraine, I was struck by numerous parallels between the Soviet war in Afghanistan and what we see every day in accounts of the war in Ukraine. These observations cause not only horror and sadness but incredulity."—Sarah Mendelson, H-Diplo"Besides being a fascinating work of scholarship, The Bleeding Wound is also a harrowing reminder of what warfare really is."—Alessandro Iandolo, H-Diplo"The Bleeding Wound is a laudable effort, providing a much-needed and extensive overview of how the Soviet-Afghan War changed Soviet society, ideology and institutions."—Vassily A. Klimentov, Europe-Asia Studies

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Book SynopsisThis wide-ranging book elucidates the symbolism of veils and highlights the power of drapery in Italian art from Giotto to Titian. In the cities of the Renaissance, display of luxury dress was a marker of status.Florentines decked out their palaces and streets with textiles for public rituals.But cloths are also the stuff of fantasy: throughout the book, the author moves from the material to the metaphorical.Curtains and veils, swaddling and shrouds, evoke associations with birth and death. The central chapters address the sculpture of Ghiberti and Donatello, focusing on how they deployed drapery to dramatic effect. In the final chapters the focus shifts to the paintings of Bellini, Lotto, and Titian, where drapery both clothes the figures and composes the picture. In the work of Titian, the veiled presence of the body is absorbed within the materials of oil-paint on canvas: medium and subject become one.Trade Review“Paul Hills is one of the most creative scholars of Italian Renaissance art”—Bruce Boucher, The Art Newspaper“This thought-provoking study, with its ravishing illustrations, made me long to book the earliest flight to Italy, to drown myself anew in the masterpieces of Tuscany and Venice. It is a model of erudition and attentive looking, and of intelligent book design.”—Ariane Bankes, The Spectator“Marvellous book…It will open your eyes”—Martin Gayford, The Spectator“Enchanting book”—Donal Cooper, Apollo Magazine“As a theologian I rarely read a book of art history that is quite so fruitful to think with as this one.”—Ben Quash, Art and Christianity“Paul Hills is held in high regard by artists for his special sensitivity to the physical and formal beauties specific to painting and sculpture [. . .] Steadily and deeply the insights mount up, always particular and placed in context, but nevertheless tending to the subtler realm of symbolism and revelation, until they reach their apogee with chapters devoted to Donatello and Bellini, Lotto and Titian [. . .] [An] exceptionally handsome book”— Christopher Le Brun, RA Magazine“In his richly illustrated book, Paul Hills discusses the motif of the veil and the act of unveiling in the arts of the early to High Renaissance, focusing on formal variety and changes of meaning”—Joachim Poeschke, Burlington Magazine

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Beatrice E. Kitzinger explores the power of representation in the Carolingian period, demonstrating how images were used to assert the value and efficacy of art works. She focuses on the cross, Christianity''s central sign, which simultaneously commemorates sacred history, functions in the present, and prepares for the end of time. It is well recognized that the visual attributes of the cross were designed to communicate its theology relative to history and eschatology; Kitzinger argues that early medieval artists also developed a formal language to articulate its efficacious powers in the present day. Defined through form and text as the sign of the present, the image of the cross articulated the instrumentality of religious objects and built spaces. Whereas medieval and modern scholars have pondered the theological problems posed by representation, Kitzinger here proposes a visual argument that affirms the self-reflexive value of art works in the early medieval West. InTrade Review'Over the past decades, multiple studies have analysed early medieval representations of the Cross, but Beatrice Kitzinger's fresh approach to the subject sets this book apart from previous publications … Kitzinger's probing, thoughtful, highly original study stands as a major contribution not only to modern understanding of Carolingian crosses and illuminated gospel books, but to medieval image theory as a whole.' Celia Chazelle, The Burlington Magazine'This active component of the iconography is well articulated throughout Kitzinger's scholarly volume.' Eric Ramírez-Weaver, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval StudiesTable of ContentsPart I. The Cross and the Work of Art: Introduction: temporality, utilitas, and the signum crucis; 1. Making the multitemporal cross; Part II. The Cross and the Gospels: 2. Otfrid of Weissenburg's Book of the Gospels; 3. Cross-image and Gospel Book; 4. The angers gospels: sign and story; Conclusion: the fact of manufacture.

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Book SynopsisAn Instant New York Times Bestseller!China has concentration camps now. Why do Westerners claim our sins are unique?It is now in vogue to celebrate non-Western cultures and disparage Western ones. Some of this is a much-needed reckoning, but much of it fatally undermines the very things that created the greatest, most humane civilization in the world.In The War on the West, Douglas Murray shows how many well-meaning people have been fooled by hypocritical and inconsistent anti-West rhetoric. After all, if we must discard the ideas of Kant, Hume, and Mill for their opinions on race, shouldn?t we discard Marx, whose work is peppered with racial slurs and anti-Semitism? Embers of racism remain to be stamped out in America, but what about the raging racist inferno in the Middle East and Asia?It?s not just dishonest scholars who benefit from this intellectual fraud but hostile nations and human rights abusers hoping to distract from their own ongoing villainy. Dictators who slaughter their own people are happy to jump on the ?America is a racist country? bandwagon and mimic the language of antiracism and ?pro-justice? movements as PR while making authoritarian conquests.If the West is to survive, it must be defended. The War on the West is not only an incisive takedown of foolish anti-Western arguments but also a rigorous new apologetic for civilization itself.

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Book SynopsisThe Historia Augusta is a biographical collection written by a single author under six pseudonyms that covers the lives of the Roman emperors from Hadrian (r. 117–138) to Carinus (r. 283–285). While it is our most detailed surviving source for this period, it has more value as an enigmatic work of literary fiction than as history.Trade ReviewThe task of editing and revising the work of another scholar cannot be an easy task. Yet Rohrbacher has handled his endeavour with admirable skill and respect. The result is a welcome and, one might add, needed addition to the Loeb Classical Library, and will surely serve anglophone readers of this most beguiling of texts for years to come. -- Christopher Mallan * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary array of images included in this volume reveals the full and rich history of the Middle Ages. Exploring material objects from the European, Byzantine and Islamic worlds, the book casts a new light on the cultures that formed them, each culture illuminated by its treasures. The objects are divided among four topics: The Holy and the Faithful; The Sinful and the Spectral; Daily Life and Its Fictions, and Death and Its Aftermath. Each section is organized chronologically, and every object is accompanied by a penetrating essay that focuses on its visual and cultural significance within the wider context in which the object was made and used. Spot maps add yet another way to visualize and consider the significance of the objects and the history that they reveal. Lavishly illustrated, this is an appealing and original guide to the cultural history of the Middle Ages.Trade Review'A splendid visual feast, this compelling account of the Middle Ages will fascinate and engage students, specialists and general readers alike. This is Medieval History with a difference - of approach, scope, and content - that is as stimulating as it is enjoyable.' Julia M. H. Smith, University of Oxford'The Middle Ages in 50 Objects will appeal to anyone with a passion for history and delight in things. Evocatively bringing the medieval world alive, it unearths buried weapons, de-codes enigmatic images, and rewards the curious with details of materials and makers, myths and movements. An outstanding resource for instructors and visual learners, this volume satisfies both the intellect and the senses.' Maureen C. Miller, University of California, Berkeley'The recent turn to 'materiality' among medievalists has paid off handsomely in this informative and beautifully presented study. The book testifies to the added value of collaboration in scholarship and of the utility of integrating different scholarly approaches to the study of objects. The authors obviously experienced great joy in executing the project, and I experienced the same emotion in reading it.' William Chester Jordan, Princeton University, New Jersey'The luxury items and ordinary medieval artefacts this volume showcases range across the full chronological and geographical scope of the capacious Middle Ages. They comprise a splendid cabinet of curiosities, a wondrous collection of images and stories, wrapped in rich contextualizations, that allows the reader to assemble a complex, multifaceted image of the Middle Ages.' Asa Simon Mittman, California State University, Chico'With its focus on carefully selected objects and its attention to material culture, this book is both a masterpiece of methodology and a must-read volume for scholars, students and interested public alike. Using the objects to address broad interdisciplinary questions concerning Islamic, Byzantine and European societies, it brings the Middle Ages back to life in a sophisticated and intelligent way.' Claudia Bolgia, University of Edinburgh'The Middle Ages in 50 Objects, as its name suggests, places objects front and center in the telling of history. Using select works from the rich collections of the Cleveland Museum of art, the authors present an admirably broad and diverse picture of the medieval era. Written in an engaging, approachable style, and with an authoritative erudition, this work will offer students an excellent introduction to the field.' Christina Maranci, Tufts University, Massachusetts'An appealing and original guide to the cultural history of the Middle Ages.' Antiques and Auction News'This handsome publication represents the collaborative effort of two well-regarded medievalists, an art historian (Gertsman, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland) and a scholar known primarily for her studies of the history of the emotions (Rosenwein, Loyola University, Chicago). They selected 50 objects they deemed illustrated salient aspects of the Middle Ages, and each object is the subject of informative yet accessible commentary. The objects appear under four headings: 'The Holy and the Faithful', 'The Sinful and the Spectral', 'Daily Life and Its fictions', 'Death and Its Aftermath'. … Recommended.' W. Cahn, Choice'… the book is a wonderful introduction to the objects of the museum's collection, and Gertsman and Rosenwein are to be congratulated for distilling these objects' complexity and historical context for a broader readership, and for painting a picture of the field that showcases the richness of both its objects and methodologies.' Karl Whittington, Speculum'These extraordinary objects remind us of the sheer strangeness of this world, and the volume is beautifully illustrated.' Hannah Skoda, BBC History MagazineTable of ContentsPart I: The Holy and the Faithful: 1. Jonah Cast Up, c.280–290, marble; 2. Altar Front, c.540–600, marble; 3. Pilgrim's Flask with Saint Menas, 6th–7th century, terracotta; 4. Calyx (Chalice), 900s–1000s, blood jasper (heliotrope) with gilt-copper mounts; 5. Christ's Mission to the Apostles, c.970–980, ivory; 6. Feline Incense Burner, 1100s, copper alloy, cast and chased; 7. Leaf from a Qur'an, 1100s, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper; 8. Arm Reliquary of the Apostles, c. 1190, gilt silver, champlevé enamel, oak; 9. Virgin and Child, late 13th century; wood (oak) with polychromy and gilding; 10. Christ and Saint John the Evangelist, early 14th century, polychromed and gilded oak; 11. The Coronation of the Virgin with the Trinity, c.1400, oil on panel; 12. Christ Carrying the Cross, 1400s, painted and gilded alabaster; 13. Leaf from an Antiphonary: Initial H with the Nativity, c.1480, ink, tempera and gold on vellum; Part II. The Sinful and the Spectral: 14. Adam and Eve, late 400s-early 500s, marble and stone tesserae; 15. Curtain Panel with Scenes of Merrymaking, 6th Century, undyed linen and dyed wool; 16. Plaque from a Portable Altar Showing the Crucifixion, 1050–1100, walrus ivory; 17. Dragon's Head, 1100–1150, walrus ivory; 18. Bowl with Engraved Figures of Vices, 1150–1200, bronze; 19. Engaged Capital with a Lion and a Basilisk, 1175–1200, marble; 20. Leaf from a Cocharelli Treatise on the Vices: Acedia and Her Court, c.1330, ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; 21. Miniature from a Mariegola: The Flagellation, 1359–1360, tempera and gold on parchment; 22. The Madonna of Humility with the Temptation of Eve, c.1400, tempera and gold on wood panel; 23. Grotesques from the Hours of Charles the Noble, c.1404, ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; 24. The Virgin Mary Overcoming a Devil, ca.1473, hand-colored woodcut; 25. Demon in Chains, c.1453, opaque watercolor and gold on paper; Part III. Daily Life and Its Fictions: 26. S-Shaped Fibula, 500s, silver with garnets; 27. Button, 500s, rock crystal, garnet, granulated gold; 28. Solidus with Busts of Constans II and Constantine IV (obverse), 659–661, gold; 29. Bifolium Excised from a Carolingian Gradual, c.830–860, gold and silver ink on purple parchment; 30. Jug, 900s, gold with repoussé and chased and engraved decoration; 31. Lion Aquamanile, 1200-1250, copper alloy; 32. Luster Wall Tile with a Couple, 1266, fritware with luster-painted design; 33. Leaf Excised from Henry of Segusio's 'Summa Aurea': Table of Consanguinity, c. 1280, ink, tempera, and gold on parchment; 34. Albarello with Two Hares, 14th century, tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica); 35. Mirror Case with a Couple Playing Chess, 1325–1350, ivory; 36. Table Fountain, c.1320–1340, gilt-silver and translucent enamels; 37. Barbute, 1350–1420, iron; 38. Time, from Chateau de Chaumont Set, 1512–1515, silk and wool; Part IV. Death and Its Aftermath: 39. Columbarium Tomb Plaque with the Monogram of Christ, 500–800, terracotta; 40. Single-Edged Knife (Scramasax), 600s, iron, copper, and gold foil; 41. Inscribed Tombstone of Shaikh al-Husain ibn Abdallah ibn al-Hasan, 1110, limestone; 42. Condemnation and Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, c.1180, gilded copper, champlevé enamel; 43. Leaf from a Psalter: The Crucifixion, c.1300–1330, ink, tempera and gold on vellum; 44. Diptych with Scenes from the Life of Christ, c. 1350–1375, ivory; 45. Death of the Virgin, c.1400, tempera and oil with gold on panel; 46. Mourner from the Tomb of Philip the Bold, 1404–1410, alabaster; 47. The Last Judgment: Leaf from a Book of Hours, 1430s, ink, tempera and gold on vellum; 48. Initial T from a Choral Book with Isaac and Esau, c.1460–1470, ink, tempera, and gold on parchment; 49. A Bridal Couple, c.1470, oil on panel; 50. Dance of Death: The Pope, cut c.1526–27, woodcut.

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Book SynopsisModern political culture features a deep-seated faith in the power of numbers. But quantitative evidence has not always been revered, as William Deringer shows. After the 1688 Revolution, as Britons learned to fight by the numbers, their enthusiasm for figures arose not from efforts to find objective truths but from the turmoil of politics itself.Trade Review[Statistics] are center stage again now for reasons of both political conflict and epistemological uncertainty. Once again, some politicians wield numbers without any great concern about their accuracy or meaningfulness; the victory in debate is all that matters. Once again, given the profound changes in the structure of the economy, we can’t be sure what categories and methods will give us the understanding we would like. This is a terrific book for reflecting on contested and uncertain statistical terrain. -- Diane Coyle * Enlightened Economist *[Deringer] focuses on the early 18th century, with its increasingly vitriolic debates over government expenditure, taxation, and debt as well as the trade balance… Deringer tells these vivid stories with a richness of research that brings to life not only the events surrounding them but also the many famous characters involved. We can learn from the 18th century debate, he says, by promoting new and diverse computational approaches to stimulate public debate and offset what he fears is growing anti-quantitative sentiment. -- Robert Heath * Finance & Development *A thoroughly impressive work…[Deringer] recontextualizes the skepticism about numbers and suspicion of ‘experts’ in our time as something that has existed from the beginning rather than a recent disillusionment… A book this insightful about the past and with such a trenchant analysis of the present is a rare pleasure indeed. -- Chris Dudley * Journal of British Studies *Tells the coming-of-age story of (early) modern public fascination with numbers…A great book that should be on the shelves of everyone who takes history of economic thought seriously. -- Gábor Bíró * History of European Ideas *Highly original in its research, highly intelligent in its analysis, and highly sophisticated in its argumentation, there is much to impress in this book. Calculated Values resonates with our own financial obsessions. -- Theodore Porter, University of California, Los AngelesEngaging, learned, and beautifully written, Calculated Values is a major scholarly work. Deringer builds on his own experiences as a financial calculator to imbue material that otherwise might be a tad dry with a sense of wonder and adventure, not to mention an adroit sentiment of happy-go-lucky deceitfulness. It is a must-read for a wide variety of scholars and interested general readers—truly impressive and timely in the extreme. -- Sophus A. Reinert, Harvard Business SchoolDeringer’s inspired and insightful book shows how mathematics and accounting mixed with politics to create modern finance. The story is so important, and yet, until now, has not been told. There is no way to understand the birth of economics without reading it. -- Jacob Soll, University of Southern CaliforniaShows how numerical calculation has both worked and failed in political life and what we can learn from it to help us use numbers more effectively in the future…A tour de force of intellectual and social history to explain how numerical thinking became the way to understand the world. Original in its approach and sophisticated in its argument. -- Lee Trepanier * VoegelinView *

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Book SynopsisThe Hippodrome of Constantinople was constructed in the fourth century AD, by the Roman Emperor Constantine I, in his new capital. Throughout Byzantine history the Hippodrome served as a ceremonial, sportive and recreational center of the city; in the early period, it was used mainly as an arena for very popular, competitive, and occasionally violent chariot races, while the Middle Ages witnessed the imperial ceremonies coming to the fore gradually, although the races continued. The ceremonial and recreational role of the Hippodrome somehow continued during the Ottoman period. Being the oldest structure in the city, the Hippodrome has witnessed exciting chariot races, ceremonies glorifying victorious emperors as well as the charioteers, and the riots that shook the imperial authority. Today, looking to the remnants of the Hippodrome, one can imagine the glorious past of the site.Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. History of the Hippodrome; 3. The Architechture of the Hippodrome; 4. Monuments and Sculptures; 5. The Hippodrome as the Ceremonial Setting of the City; 6. Circus Factions and Chariot Races; 7. The Church's Opposition to the Chariot Races; 8. The Hippodrome during the Ottoman Period; 9. Archaeological Research and Excavations Conducted in the Hippodrome and Vicinity; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThe Resistance in Western Europe is a sweeping analytical history of the underground anti-Nazi forces during World War II. Examining clandestine organizations in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Italy, Olivier Wieviorka sheds new light on the factors that shaped the resistance and its place in Anglo-American military strategy.Trade ReviewWith a subject like this, where the stories are almost always saturated with romanticism, and tend to look at events in just one country, Wieviorka's transnational accounting provides a useful antidote. -- Thomas E. Ricks * New York Times Book Review *Olivier Wieviorka treats the resistance in Western Europe as a multinational coalition. Anglo-Americans supplied arms and funding to resistance groups on the continent, and Resistance movements in turn aided in the Allied war effort. It was part tug-of-war, résistants striving to maintain autonomy, and part pas de deux, the two sides working together in a common effort that helped shape what Wieviorka calls an incipient “European consciousness.” This is a history on a grand scale commensurate with the epic character of the complex struggle it recounts. -- Philip Nord, Princeton UniversityWieviorka presents a clear-eyed view of the achievements and limitations of resistance efforts, moving beyond romanticized tales of valor and dismissive tales of military ineffectiveness. Above all, the book shows the vital role played first by the British and, later, American secret services—all too often forgotten in Europe since the war—in coordinating and directing the efforts of disparate movements across Western Europe. -- Clifford Rosenberg, City College of New YorkThis book is as richly informative about the Allies as about the resistance. Wieviorka examines more fully than any previous work the complicated three-way negotiations among the Anglo-American authorities, the exiled governments of France, Holland, Belgium, and Norway in London, and the underground movements that together made it possible to plan and execute clandestine operations. -- From the foreword by Robert O. Paxton[An] impressive overview of Western European resistance during the war. * New York Review of Books *Masterfully analyzes the resistance to the German occupations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway during World War II. * Foreign Affairs *With a subject like this, where the stories are almost always saturated with romanticism, and tend to look at events in just one country, Wieviorka’s transnational accounting provides a useful antidote. * New York Times Book Review *His study is a welcome addition to WWII collections. * Choice *Table of ContentsForeword, by Robert O. PaxtonList of MapsList of AbbreviationsPrelude: A Glowing Picture1. Reinventing a Coalition2. Set Europe Ablaze!3. Internecine Struggles4. Ententes Cordiales?5. Legitimacy at Stake6. The Dual Shock of 1941 and Its Consequences7. Coming of Age8. Developments9. Compulsory Labor: An Opportunity or a Curse?10. Mixed Results11. Taking Up Arms12. Propaganda13. Cadres14. Minor Maneuvers, Major Policies15. Italian Complexities16. Planning for Liberation17. Plans and Instructions18. Political Liberation19. Action!20. Peripheries21. Order or Chaos?EpilogueAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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