General and world history Books

Book SynopsisDynamic and meticulously researched, A History of Korea continues to be one of the leading introductory textbooks on Korean history. Assuming no prior knowledge, Hwang guides readers from early state formation and the dynastic eras to the modern experience in both North and South Korea. Structured around episodic accounts, each chapter begins by discussing a defining moment in Korean history in context, with an extensive examination of how the events and themes under consideration have been viewed up to the present day. By engaging with recurring themes such as collective identity, external influence, social hierarchy, family and gender, the author introduces the major historical events, patterns and debates that have shaped both North and South Korea over the past 1500 years.This textbook is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Korean or Asian history. The first half of the book covers pre-20th century history, and the second half the modern era, makTrade ReviewUnique in its discussion of women and marginalized groups, it gives readers a much fuller understanding of Korean society throughout history. It offers historical depth and accuracy for university use while engaging readers with its episodic narrative. I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more about Korea, past and present. * Jennifer Jung-Kim, University of California, Los Angeles, USA *Full of eye-catching episodes and illustrations, this is probably the most readable guide for anyone interested in learning Korean history from ancient to contemporary times. * Deokhyo Choi, The University of Sheffield, UK *Kyung Moon Hwang’s A History of Korea is the most reader-friendly guide for anyone who is interested in the historical changes of the Korean Peninsula. Hwang’s masterful selections of historical themes and episodes on Korean history from antiquity to the present are well organized in this book. An indispensable work for helping students and general readers understand one of the most dynamic countries in the world. * Seok-Won Lee, Rhodes College, USA *Table of ContentsList of Chronologies and Maps Brief Chronology Maps Acknowledgements Introduction Note on Romanization 1. Goguryeo and Ancient Korea 2. Queen Seondeok and Silla's Unification of Korea 3. The Unified Silla Kingdom 4. Founding of the Goryeo Dynasty 5. Religion and Regionalism in the Goryeo Order 6. The Mongol Overlord Period 7. Goryeo-Joseon Transition 8. Confucianism and the Family in the Early Joseon Era 9. The Great Invasions, 1592-1636 10. Ideology, Family, and Nationhood in the Mid-Joseon Era 11. Intellectual Opening in the Late Eighteenth Century 12. Popular Culture in the Late Joseon Era 13. Nineteenth-Century Unrest 14. 1894, A Fateful Year 15. The Great Korean Empire 16. The Japanese Takeover, 1904-1918 17. The Long 1920s 18. Nation, Culture, and Everyday Life in the Late Colonial Period 19. Wartime Mobilization, 1938-45 20. The Liberation Period, 1945-50 21. The Korean War^rth Korea 23. 1960s South Korea 24. Culture and Politics in 1970s South Korea 25. Monumental Life in North Korea 26. South Korean Democratization 27. South Korea in the 21st Century 28. Epilogue: Historical Reckoning in the Two Koreas, 2010-2020.- Further Readings Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith a foreword by William Boyd, Checkpoint Charlie is a vivid and poignant exploration of the history surrounding the Berlin Wall through the lens of interwoven first-person experiences.Trade ReviewGripping and revelatory * Tom Holland *MacGregor's intimate knowledge of the soldiers and spies who paid their dues in the forty-year undeclared war whose cockpit was Berlin, makes for some truly remarkable and gripping reading. Highly recommended * Frederick Taylor, author of The Berlin Wall and Dresden *MacGregor has put together a lively, evocative account of the life and death of the world's most notorious wall. In capturing the essence of the old Cold War he may just have helped us to understand a bit more about the new one * The Times *Full of harrowing stories and riveting eyewitness accounts of life in the East, but what lingers in the memory is a sense of human resilience and ingenuity . . . This history is an invaluable reminder of both why the Cold War needed to be fought and why totalitarianism must always be resisted * Mail on Sunday *A fascinating and telling reminder of what was perhaps the most potent symbol of the Cold War . . . MacGregor's book is, as well as being a history of the Wall, an invaluable scene-setter for the status quo ante . . . thorough and engaging . . . Iain MacGregor writes with great fluency and narrative drive . . . a powerful and moving experience * New Statesman *A rich collection of tales from cold war Berlin captures the city's mad complexities . . . Lively . . . the voices [MacGregor] has saved, and the richly researched skill of his narrative at big moments, rescue an echo of one of the many lost Berlins * Observer *Excellent * The Sun *This remarkable book about the Berlin Wall, which has been the subject of everything from diplomatic histories to spy thrillers, is different. Based on extensive, detailed interviews with people on both sides of the wall - soldiers and civilians, communists and anti-communists, spies, intellectuals and ordinary citizens - it offers a riveting panorama of everyday life as it was actually lived at ground zero of the cold war * William Taubman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Khrushchev: The Man and His Era *Fascinating and original... the story not just of the Berlin Wall, but of the people on either side of it * Jeremy Bowen *With its wealth of eyewitness stories, this book proves how understanding the last Cold War is crucial for anyone who wants to understand the new one * Martin Sixsmith *As an aspiring student of modern history in the 1980s, the Berlin Wall and the monstrous regime at its heart, dominated my thinking. It is difficult to believe now - much like the Cold War itself - that we all thought the Wall was so immortal. As a writer of oral history, I have enjoyed MacGregor bringing the stories of the people who populated this barrier to life. We need to remember * Joshua Levine, bestselling author of Dunkirk *A peoples' history of the wall that is tense, exciting and moving, telling us the stories of the families the wall tore apart, the soldiers who faced one another across it, the spies and journalists who operated behind it, and the East Germans who risked everything to break through it to freedom * James Barr, author of Lords of the Desert *MacGregor compellingly portrays Berlin's overarching geo-political story, and brings it alive through the personal experiences of the individuals at its heart * Jonathan Fenby, author of The General *The fall of the Berlin Wall was a seismic event in the story of the 20th century. In Checkpoint Charlie, Iain MacGregor re-creates the drama and meaning of that moment. With a gripping narrative and vivid interviews with those on all sides whose lives were directly affected by that grim symbol of the East-West divide that poisoned Europe for almost half a century, he has made an important contribution to the history of our times * Jonathan Dimbleby *A wonderful approach to the history of the Cold War, tackling the complex legacy of the Berlin Wall through the men and women who lived in its shadow. Weaving together personal testimonies, this book offers a valuable insight into history as it was lived, and shines an illuminating new light on an icon of the twentieth century * Duncan Barrett, New York Times bestselling author of GI Brides *Checkpoint Charlie is emblematic of both the tension and romance of the pivot between a third World War and peace. Iain MacGregor captures brilliantly and comprehensively both the danger and exhilaration that I and other reporters, soldiers, and people experienced intersecting with the wall, and the fears and the eventual hope that flowed through it - a must read for anyone who wants to understand the Europe we have inherited * Jon Snow *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING author Bettany Hughes''A wondrous wonderful achievement'' Stephen Fry ''Fascinating'' Observer ''Thrilling'' GuardianTheir names still echo down the ages: The Great Pyramid at Giza. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Temple of Artemis. The statue of Zeus at Olympia. The mausoleum of Halikarnassos. The Colossus at Rhodes. The Lighthouse of Alexandria. The Seven Wonders of the World were staggeringly audacious impositions on our planet. They were also brilliant adventures of the mind, test cases for the reaches of human imagination. Now only the great pyramid remains fully standing, yet the scale and majesty of these seven wonders still enthral us today. In a thrilling, colourful narrative enriched with the latest archaeological discoveries, bestselling historian Bettany Hughes walks through the landscapes of both ancient and modern time. This is a journey whose purpose is to ask Trade ReviewBettany Hughes is the most perfect tour guide I know. Her boundless enthusiasm, clarity and learning combined with a matchless gift for storytelling bring the Wonders of the World leapingly alive. A wondrous wonderful achievement. * Stephen Fry *A thrilling armchair journey from a very wise woman. Bettany Hughes is the eighth wonder of the world. * Lucy Worsley, author of Agatha Christie *A lively exploration of the ancient world, this fascinating book is brimming with stories of people and places, all told with Bettany's natural sense of wonder and adventure. * Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History *Taking us on a truly fascinating journey through the ancient world, Bettany Hughes not only rebuilds the wonders themselves in the reader's imagination, but also vividly conjures up the culture and environment in which they existed. It is a tale of people as well as places, and I loved learning about what the wonders meant to those who built and visited them, their stories told by Bettany Hughes with trademark passion and humour. * Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den *This is an entrancing book, at once a love letter to the ancient world and a learned introduction to some of the most astonishing feats of imagination and engineering in human history. It is a pleasure to wander lost realms and inspect (mostly) vanished marvels through Bettany Hughes' bright and erudite writing. * Dan Jones, author of Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages *So vividly written that it is as if the reader is there, discovering the Seven Wonders first hand. The stories behind them are endlessly fascinating, often surprising, and stay in the memory long after the last page has been turned. A dazzling achievement. * Tracy Borman *Every page of this generously illustrated travelogue yields a treasure house of information and reflection on Egyptian, Babylonian and Greek masterworks of architecture, urban planning and sculpture. * Paul Cartledge, author of Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece *Informed by careful research and enriched by inspired prose, this book is itself a wonder. Bettany Hughes has given new and powerful meaning to the ancient world's most iconic monuments. * James Romm, author of Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero *Thrilling, epic, exciting, Bettany Hughes' gripping and scrupulously researched Seven Wonders takes you as if by magic to the great, lost sites of ancient genius, these incredible feats of human imagination and breadth. With skill, scholarship and brilliant writing, Bettany Hughes explores these majestic sites in detail. A magical, sweeping, dazzling book. * Kate Williams *Egypt's The Great Pyramid, the only one of the Seven Wonders that survives virtually intact, reminds us of the overwhelming human desire to collaborate and create "beyond the possibilities of the individual," states Bettany Hughes in her rich historical study The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and learned that "paradise" comes from the Persian word for a beautiful walled garden -- Martin Chilton * Independent *A trip to modern-day Egypt is an appropriate starting point for Bettany Hughes's fascinating exploration of the impact such structures have had on our history and imagination. Mixing the latest archaeological and historical research with a bright, inquisitive style makes these places - and their peoples - come alive. -- Ben East * Observer *[A]well-researched travelogue, which draws heavily on recent archaeological discoveries. * The Times *A thrilling journey in the footsteps of the ancients... One of the great joys of Hughes's book is the way she follows her wonders into their own less-than-glorious afterlives... It is this capacity to move deftly between registers - mythic, historical, sacred, profane and pitifully personal - that makes her such a beguiling guide. * Guardian *Hughes has long been one of television's more vivacious historical guides, and here she doubles down on her enthusiasm in a book that transforms these ancient sites into vivid three dimensions for even the most armchair-bound of travellers. It is at once a travelogue and a textbook, and is possessed of an insatiable craving for knowledge ... That she loves her subject is given, but the fact that she manages to endlessly fascinate even those amongst us for whom the ancient world rarely intrudes into the modern is perhaps the real achievement here. History couldn't ask for a better ambassador -- Nick Duerden * i paper *Bettany Hughes's vivid book is a work of reconstruction in which she recreates not just the buildings themselves but the reactions of the travellers of antiquity... There is no hint of the dry-as-dust lecture here, rather a palpable sense of her own excitement in disinterring these extraordinary edifices. * New Statesman *This book will fire your imagination and take you on a wonderful tour of the ancient world. * Press Association *In an age of travel lists, Buzzfeed popularity-style polls, and online travelogues, this is a fascinating look at the ancient monuments that were a craze in their own times * Family Tree Magazine *Hugely engaging * The Herald, Glasgow *This fantastic new book from the brilliant Bettany Hughes...is a joy from the outset. * Peter Frankopan *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Simon Baker charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower, focusing on six momentous turning points that shaped Roman history. Welcome to Rome as you've never seen it before - awesome and splendid, gritty and squalid. From the conquest of the Mediterranean beginning in the third century BC to the destruction of the Roman Empire at the hands of barbarian invaders some seven centuries later, we discover the most critical episodes in Roman history: the spectacular collapse of the 'free' republic, the birth of the age of the 'Caesars', the violent suppression of the strongest rebellion against Roman power, and the bloody civil war that launched Christianity as a world religion. At the heart of this account are the dynamic, complex but flawed characters of some of the most powerful rulers in history: men such as Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero and Constantine. Putting flesh on the bones of these distant, legendary figures, Simon Baker looks beyond the dusty, toga-clad caricatures and explores their real motivations and ambitions, intrigues and rivalries. The superb narrative, full of energy and imagination, is a brilliant distillation of the latest scholarship and a wonderfully evocative account of Ancient Rome.Trade ReviewLively and well-researched: an excellent read -- Peter Heather, author of The Fall of the Roman EmpireThis is a history of Rome that combines vivid drama and a gripping storyline with a keen alertness to bigger historical questions -- Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge UniversityBrings the distant past to fully fleshed life * Good Book Guide *Highly recommended * Birmingham Evening Mail *Rome is revealed as it really was - gritty, magnificent and sometimes pretty sordid. Splendid stuff * Manchester Evening News *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1631 Barbary pirates kidnapped the inhabitants of Baltimore, West Cork in a daring night time raid. Only two of them ever returned. Here is the story of their kidnap, sale in the slave markets of Algiers and the political fallout from the attack.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIbn Battutah - ethnographer, biographer, anecdotal historian and occasional botanist - was just twenty-one when he set out in 1325 from his native Tangier on a pilgrimage to Mecca. He did not return to Morocco for another twenty-nine years, travelling instead through more than forty countries on the modern map, covering seventy-five thousand miles and getting as far north as the Volga, as far east as China and as far south as Tanzania. He wrote of his travels, and comes across as a superb ethnographer, biographer, anecdotal historian and occasional botanist and gastronome.With this edition by Tim Mackintosh-Smith, The Travels of Ibn Battutah takes its place alongside other indestructible masterpieces of the travel-writing genre.Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis* TOLKIEN * Now a major motion pictureAcclaimed as the best book about Tolkien', this award-winning biography explores J.R.R. Tolkien's wartime experiences and their impact on his life and his writing of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings.To be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than in 1939 by 1918 all but one of my close friends were dead.So J.R.R. Tolkien responded to critics who saw The Lord of the Rings as a reaction to the Second World War. Tolkien and the Great War tells for the first time the full story of how he embarked on the creation of Middle-earth in his youth as the world around him was plunged into catastrophe. This biography reveals the horror and heroism that he experienced as a signals officer in the Battle of the Somme and introduces the circle of friends who spurred his mythology to life. It shows how, after two of these brilliant young men were killed, Tolkien pursued the dream they had all shared by launching his epic of good and evil.JoTrade Review"Very much the best book about JRR Tolkien that has yet been written. Even if you are not a Lord of the Rings fan, I commend this book to you. It is all so interesting in itself, and I have rarely read a book which so intelligently graphed the relation between a writer's inner life and his outward circumstances."A.N.Wilson, Evening Standard “A highly intelligent book exploring Tolkien’s personal experience of the First World War… Garth displays impressive skills both as a researcher and writer.” Max Hastings “Garth’s brilliantly argued study convincinly portrays Tolkien in an entirely different leagues from other, more familiar writers on war.” Daily Mail

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Fortress Malta this is the second book in the Mediterranean war trilogy. This book looks afresh at the conflict in Northern Africa, focusing for the first time on the involvement of the US and the way this early collaboration to defeat shaped the whole Anglo-American axis for the rest of the war in Europe.By June 1942, Britain had reached her lowest ebb. Her military command was in tatters, her armies beaten, and in the Middle East it seemed all might be lost. Her new ally, America, had only fledgling armed forces and was severely under-trained, yet it was this alliance of the weary combatant and naïve newcomer, coming together for the first time in North Africa, that would eventually bring about the defeat of Nazi Germany.This crucial period from defeat at Gazala through to the victories of Alamein and, ultimately, Tunisia was a time of learning for the Allies. Yet by the end Britain and America had finally gained material and certain tactical advantagTrade Review'Anyone who wants to know how it felt to fight in the desert war should read Holland's book. It represents a remarkable collation of personal experience and sensible historical judgments.'Sunday Telegraph, Max Hastings 'Holland has produced a wonderful book whose pace…never seems to flag … he is a master at evoking time and place, with haunting descriptions of the desert landscape … If there is a better book on the North African campaign, I haven't read it.'Daily Telegraph, Saul David 'Using personal testimony and private memoirs as effectively as official archives, he recreates the hardships and challenges faced by ordinary soldiers and reassesses the tactical and strategic innovations that finally gave the allies the upper hand.'Sunday Times 'as Holland shows, this period saw the realisation of how the war might eventually be won'BBC History Magazine 'stands out from the crowd’Literary Review, Nigel Jones 'The book gives the individuals, be they commander-in-chiefs or infantry, space that attests to their bravery and sacrifices … a comprehensive appraisal of the war in North Africa.'Good Book Guide 'Holland tells the story brilliantly. He has delved into archives for letters and diaries and diligently tracked down survivors … Vividly, intelligently, movingly, Holland's monumental chronicle tells it like it was.'Patrick Bishop, Mail on Sunday

Read more less

Book SynopsisA companion volume to his bestselling Armageddon', Max Hastings' account of the battle for Japan is a masterful military history.Featuring the most remarkable cast of commanders the world has ever seen, the dramatic battle for Japan of 194445 was acted out across the vast stage of Asia: Imphal and Kohima, Leyte Gulf and Iwo Jima, Okinawa and the Soviet assault on Manchuria.In this gripping narrative, Max Hastings weaves together the complex strands of an epic war, exploring the military tactics behind some of the most triumphant and most horrific scenes of the twentieth century. The result is a masterpiece that balances the story of command decisions, rivalries and follies with the experiences of soldiers, sailors and airmen of all sides as only Max Hastings can.Trade Review‘A monumental achievement…compassionate but unsparing in its judgements.’ Sunday Times ‘An outstandingly gripping and authoritative account of the battle for Japan, and a monument to human bravery and savagery.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Absolutely excellent.’ John Simpson, Observer ‘Magisterial…it is truly cathartic to reach the end of the Second World War in Hastings’s company.’ The Times ‘Brilliantly though Hastings lays out the strategic context, his real talent lies in his account of the “terrible human experience” that it involved…This is a book for anyone who wants to understand what happened in half the world during one of the bloodiest periods of the blood-soaked 20th century.’ Spectator ‘Spectacular…Hastings makes important points about the war in the East that have been all too rarely heard…excellent…compelling…searingly powerful.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘As Hastings brilliantly describes, conditions for fighting men on both sides were appalling…the fire-bombing of Tokyo and the decision to drop the atomic bombs were influenced by the urge to 'get this business over with', but the argument, as Hastings explains so well with his usual exemplary judgement, is far more complex.’ Financial Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisAdam Zamoyski first wrote his history of Poland two years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. This substantially revised and updated edition sets the Soviet era in the context of the rise, fall and remarkable rebirth of an indomitable nation.In 1797, Russia, Prussia and Austria divided Poland among themselves, rewriting Polish history to show that they had brought much-needed civilisation to a primitive backwater. But the country they wiped off the map had been one of Europe's largest and most richly varied, born of diverse cultural traditions and one of the boldest constitutional experiments ever attempted. Its destruction ultimately led to two world wars and the Cold War.Zamoyski's fully revised history of Poland looks back over a thousand years of turmoil and triumph, chronicling how Poland has been restored at last to its rightful place in Europe.Trade Review‘Invaluable and eye-opening’ Boyd Tonkin, Independent ‘An excellent book’ Financial Times ‘Fresh, different and brilliantly readable…It is the perfect introduction for those who know nothing about the country, yet will also provide some positive food for thought to those who imagined they knew it all too well’ Spectator ‘A dramatic history of Poland that captures the spirit of its people…Such an extraordinary national trajectory demands an accessible and scholarly accounting. Zamoyski succeeds admirably in providing both’ Daily Telegraph ‘For the past 25 years, thanks to the efforts of Adam Zamoyski, we have been better informed about the history and character of Poland than about any other East European country…Zamoyski’s new perspective on an old culture and its modern political liberty is…presented with a new, confident sense of freedom’ The Times ‘Eminently readable’ TLS ‘Shrewd…an excellent section on the country and its politics since ’89’ Independent on Sunday

Read more less

Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.Unless I am allowed to tell the story of my life in my own way, I cannot tell it at allMary Seacole traveller, nurse, businesswoman and radical for her time defied a prejudiced British government to care for soldiers wounded during the Crimean War.This ground breaking account, written by Seacole in 1857, brings to life her incredible journey from Jamaica to Central America and England, and then on to modern-day Ukraine, where she acted as nurse to injured soldiers while running her business, the ''British Hotel''. A witness to key battles, she gives vivid accounts of how she coped with disease, bombardment and other adversities during the Crimean War.In this extraordinary autobiography, Seacole shows how she navigated her way through racial injustice, poverty and ignorance to become the first woman of colour in Britain to publish her memoirs. It is a testament to her enduring legacy.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTUREOscar Nominated For Best Picture and Best Adapted ScreenplaySet amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA's African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America's space program.Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as Human Computers', calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts, these colored computers' used pencil and paper to write the equations that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.Moving from World War II through NASA's golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the women's rights movement, Hidden Figures interweaves a rich history of mankind's greatest adventure with the intimate stories of five courageous women whose work forever changed the world.Trade ReviewA TIME Magazine Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2016 ‘Clearly fueled by pride and admiration, a tender account of genuine transcendence and camaraderie.The story warmly conveys the dignity and refinements of these women’ New York Times Book Review ‘Much as Tom Wolfe did in The Right Stuff, Shetterly moves gracefully between the women’s lives and the broader sweep of history … Shetterly blends impressive research with an enormous amount of heart in telling these stories … Genuinely inspiring book’ Boston Globe ‘A fascinating and important document about the hitherto unknown impact of NASA’s endeavours’ BBC Sky at Night magazine ‘Shetterly’s highly recommended work offers up a crucial history that had previously and unforgivably been lost. We’d do well to put this book into the hands of young women who have long since been told that there’s no room for them at the scientific table’ Library Journal ‘Inspiring and enlightening’ Kirkus ‘Exploring the intimate relationships among blackness, womanhood, and 20th-century American technological development, Shetterly crafts a narrative that is crucial to understanding subsequent movements for civil rights’ Publishers Weekly ‘This an is incredibly powerful and complex story, and Shetterly has it down cold. The breadth of her well-documented research is immense, and her narrative compels on every level. The timing of this revelatory book could not be better, and book clubs will adore it’ Booklist ‘Meticulous … the depth and detail that are the book’s strength make it an effective, fact-based rudder with which would-be scientists and their allies can stabilise their flights of fancy’ Seattle Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisThroughout the centuries, royal mistresses have been worshiped, feared, envied, and reviled. They set the fashions, encouraged the arts, and, in some cases, ruled nations. Eleanor Herman''s Sex with Kings takes us into the throne rooms and bedrooms of Europe''s most powerful monarchs. Alive with flamboyant characters, outrageous humor, and stirring poignancy, this glittering tale of passion and politics chronicles five hundred years of scintillating women and the kings who loved them.Curiously, the main function of a royal mistress was not to provide the king with sex but with companionship. Forced to marry repulsive foreign princesses, kings sought solace with women of their own choice. And what women they were! From Madame de Pompadour, the famous mistress of Louis XV, who kept her position for nineteen years despite her frigidity, to modern-day Camilla Parker-Bowles, who usurped none other than the glamorous Diana, Princess of Wales.The successful royal mistress made herself irreplaceable. She was ready to converse gaily with him when she was tired, make love until all hours when she was ill, and cater to his every whim. Wearing a mask of beaming delight over any and all discomforts, she was never to be exhausted, complaining, or grief-stricken.True, financial rewards for services rendered were of royal proportions -- some royal mistresses earned up to $200 million in titles, pensions, jewels, and palaces. Some kings allowed their mistresses to exercise unlimited political power. But for all its grandeur, a royal court was a scorpion''s nest of insatiable greed, unquenchable lust, and vicious ambition. Hundreds of beautiful women vied to unseat the royal mistress. Many would suffer the slings and arrows of negative public opinion, some met with tragic ends and were pensioned off to make room for younger women. But the royal mistress often had the last laugh, as she lived well and richly off the fruits of her sins.From the dawn of time, power has been a mighty aphrodisiac. With diaries, personal letters, and diplomatic dispatches, Eleanor Herman''s trailblazing research reveals the dynamics of sex and power, rivalry and revenge, at the most brilliant courts of Europe. Wickedly witty and endlessly entertaining, Sex with Kings is a chapter of women''s history that has remained unwritten -- until now.Trade Review"Sexy, Dishy and Funny" -- New York Times "An irreproachably researched and amusingly written history of European monarchs' jezebels." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Sex With Kings is...a lot more fun than Danielle Steel or Dan Brown." -- Washington Post Book World "Addictively Good Dish" -- Entertainment Weekly An enlightening social history that is great fun to read" -- New York Times Book Review "With all the suspense of a thriller... this book is simply ideal for a historical bestseller!" -- Barbara Wegmann, Amazon Germany in-house critic "Herman's spirited history of royal "mistresshood" is certainly a catchy read... History made as buoyant as fiction." -- Booklist "An irresistible book... Deliciously bawdy, outrageously entertaining... Herman's writing sparkles off the pages." -- Boston Globe "A smart, keenly researched history written with wry wisdom." -- Dallas Morning News

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Cartoon History of the Modern World is a wickedly funny take on modern history. It is essentially a complete and up–to–date course in college level Modern World History, but presented as a graphic novel. In an engaging and humorous graphic style, Larry Gonick covers the history, personalities and big topics that have shaped our universe over the past five centuries, including the Industrial Revolution, the American Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the evolution of political, social, economic, and scientific thought, Communism, Fascism, Nazism, the Cold War, Globalization––and much more. Volume I of the Cartoon History of the Modern World picks up from Gonick''s award winning Cartoon History of the Universe Series. That series began with the Big Bang and ended with Christopher Columbus sailing for the New World. This book starts off with peoples that Columbus discovered and ends with the U.S. Revolution.Trade Review"I first discovered your Cartoon History series when I was in fifth grade. I was hooked. My mom noticed my interest in history, and she asked if I would be interested in competing in the National History Bee. To prepare, I didn’t study. I didn’t read textbooks or historical studies. Instead, I just kept reading your books, over and over again, and I found myself leading most of the rounds. By the end of the night, I had earned a spot in the national stage of the Bee." — Freshman, Brown University

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"The book succeeds in all ways. ... A highly readable, fascinating historical narrative." -- Providence Journal "Carlsen's cogent and well-written dual biography successfully illuminates the fascinating tale of these intrepid pioneers of a lost civilization. ... [An] adventure tale that make[s] Indiana Jones seem tame." -- Library Journal "[A] gripping, informative history." -- San Jose Mercury News "Thrilling. ... A captivating history of two men who dramatically changed their contemporaries' view of the past." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Lively. ... Ably researching [Stephens and Catherwood] and affectingly describing their friendship, Carlsen makes an exemplary contribution to the lost-cities genre." -- Booklist (starred review) "Jungle of Stone is a tale of two men that makes Indiana Jones look like a stay-at-home slacker. ... Full of astonishing adventures and breathtaking discoveries. ... [Carlsen] brings both research skills and a gift for narrative to this book. ... Thrilling." -- Tampa Bay Times "Carlsen is an engaging guide, at home in the jungle. ... There's plenty to like in [his] account." -- Wall Street Journal "Carlson's book brings these important explorers back to the limelight they so richly deserve." -- The Explorers Journal: The Official Quarterly of The Explorers Club "Carlsen's masterful chronicle of [Stephens and Catherwood's] explorations is a welcome excursion to a fascinating story set in the golden age of exploration." -- The Missourian "With verve and vigor... Carlsen finely explicates the challenges of the Catherwood-Stephens expedition and the wonders they found." -- Publishers Weekly "If you're hankering for a good adventure, there is no better book this spring. ... This account reads like an adventure novel, but it has the added benefit of being completely true. Armchair explorers, history buffs, and anyone who loves a good journey: Don't miss this book." -- Bookish

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Who would ever think that a book on cod would make a compulsive read? And yet this is precisely what Kurlansky has done'' Express on SundayThe Cod. Wars have been fought over it, revolutions have been triggered by it, national diets have been based on it, economies and livelihoods have depended on it. To the millions it has sustained, it has been a treasure more precious that gold. This book spans 1,000 years and four continents. From the Vikings to Clarence Birdseye, Mark Kurlansky introduces the explorers, merchants, writers, chefs and fisherman, whose lives have been interwoven with this prolific fish. He chronicles the cod wars of the 16th and 20th centuries. He blends in recipes and lore from the Middle Ages to the present. In a story that brings world history and human passions into captivating focus, he shows how the most profitable fish in history is today faced with extinction.Trade ReviewA must-have book for anyone who loves fish. Kurlansky was innovative (and is now much imitated) in writing a book about how a commodity shaped history. * The Week *This is an extraordinary little book, unputdownable, written in the most lyrical, flowing style which paints vivid pictures and, at the same time, punches into place hard facts that stop you dead in your tracks. Who would ever think that a book on cod would make a compulsive read? And yet this is precisely what Kurlansky has done -- Sir Roy Strong * Express on Sunday *An engrossing and timely little epic * Scotsman *To go out and buy a book on the subject (of cod) is to invite glances of suspicion. While a few eccentrics might think this is a good reason to purchase several copies, for the rest of us it requires a certain leap of faith. Cod...amply rewards such a leap. It is compact and beautifully produced * Mail on Sunday *Refreshing and invigorating, full of fascinating facts * Independent on Sunday *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSigned on 28 June 1919 between Germany and the principal Allied powers, the Treaty of Versailles formally ended World War I. Problematic from the very beginning, even its contemporaries saw the treaty as a mediocre compromise, creating a precarious order in Europe and abroad and destined to fall short of ensuring lasting peace. At the time, observers read the treaty through competing lenses: a desire for peace after five years of disastrous war, demands for vengeance against Germany, the uncertain future of colonialism, and, most alarmingly, the emerging threat of Bolshevism. A century after its signing, we can look back at how those developments evolved through the twentieth century, evaluating the treaty and its consequences with unprecedented depth of perspective. The author of several award-winning books, Michael S. Neiberg provides a lucid and authoritative account of the Treaty of Versailles, explaining the enormous challenges facing those who tried to put the world back togetherTrade ReviewNeiberg steers us illuminatingly through this flawed agreement that would eventually lead to a second world war. * Military History *Table of ContentsPreface 1. From War to Armistice to Treaty 2. The Big Three (or Four) 3. The Clash between Ideals and Interests 4. Drafting the Treaty 5. Signing the Treaty 6. Implementing the Treaty References Further reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics synthesizes the vast history of strategy's evolution in this consistently engaging and surprising account of how it came to pervade every aspect of life.Trade Review[Strategy: A History] elegantly synthesises strands of thought. * RUSI Journal *This is an epic undertaking, of considerable intellectual ambition. It displays the familiar Freedmanian virtues: clarity, economy, proficiency, sagacity a compound of deep immersion, practised exposition, and a certain practical wisdom in it... In strategy, everything is connected. Freedman shows us how. * The Guardian *To the best of my knowledge, this is the only book ever attempted on the entire historical and conceptual domain of strategy. Indeed, I am somewhat awestruck by the scope of the mission that Freedman set himself. ... Strategy is a very considerable, indeed monumental, product that no one else has had the temerity to attempt. * Colin Gray, International Affairs *A discursive account with many interesting passages ... There is much of interest in Freedman's book. * Jeremy Black, History Today *Arguably the best book ever written on strategy (in its widest sense). * Gerard DeGroot, Washington Post *Freedman offers a wide-ranging, scholarly and entertaining history of the concept. He ranges from David and Goliath to Peter Drucker, by way of Marx and Machiavelli - and emphasises the importance of responding flexibly to events. * Books of the Year, Financial Times *This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom. * Janan Ganesh, Financial Times *Magisterial ... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument. * The Economist *[A] fascinating, at moments playful book. * Bruce Anderson, The Sunday Times *Freedman's writing is admirably lucid, and the breadth of his knowledge and scholarship astonishing...Both as a history of ideas and as a work of reference, it is invaluable Erudite, wise and illuminating, Strategy is a book to be savoured and treasured. * Sir David Goodall, The Tablet *This is an original and intriguing approach. * Richard Overy, Literary Review *[A] vast exploration of strategy that is difficult to read, full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it. * Victor Davis Hanson, National Review *An ambitious and sprawling book ... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a "number of false starts" with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, it's been well worth the wait. * The Daily Beast *Will surely become a standard reference in the discipline ... ambitious and impressive. * strategy+business.com *A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes. * Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University *Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the world's leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest. * Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power *Erudite, wide-ranging, and covering an astonishing array of subjects relating to strategy. * Azar Gat, author of War in Human Civilization *Freedman's writing is admirably lucid, and the breadth of his knowledge and scholarship astonishing... Both as a history of ideas and as a work of reference, it is invaluable Erudite, wise and illuminating, Strategy is a book to be savoured and treasured, not least in its conclusion: that "in the end, all we can do is to act as if we can influence events. To do otherwise is to succumb to fatalism." * The Tablet *So erudite, so wide-ranging, and so knowledgeable ... impressive achievement. No single book on strategy is as intellectually intimidating; and none moves as easily as his does across time and space. * The World Today *Immensely learned and wide-ranging, beautifully written and full of insight ... a fine book. * Michael Williams, University of Hertfordshire *Table of ContentsDEDICATION ; PREFACE ; Part I ORIGINS ; 1 ORIGINS 1: EVOLUTION ; 2 ORIGINS 2: THE BIBLE ; 3 ORIGINS 3: THE GREEKS ; 4 SUN TZU AND MACHIAVELLI ; 5 SATAN'S STRATEGY ; Part II STRATEGIES OF FORCE ; 6 THE NEW SCIENCE OF STRATEGY ; 7 CLAUSEWITZ ; 8 THE FALSE SCIENCE ; 9 ANNIHILATION OR EXHAUSTION ; 10 BRAIN AND BRAWN ; 11 THE INDIRECT APPROACH ; 12 NUCLEAR GAMES ; 13 THE RATIONALITY OF IRRATIONALITY ; 14 GUERRILLA WARFARE ; 15 OBSERVATION AND ORIENTATION ; 16 THE REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS ; 17 THE MYTH OF THE MASTER STRATEGIST ; PART III STRATEGY FROM BELOW ; 18 MARX AND A STRATEGY FOR THE WORKING CLASS ; 19 HERZEN AND BAKUNIN ; 20 REVISIONISTS AND VANGUARDS ; 21 BUREAUCRATS, DEMOCRATS, and ELITES ; 22 FORMULAS, MYTHS, AND PROPAGANDA ; 23 THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE ; 24 EXISTENTIAL STRATEGY ; 25 BLACK POWER AND WHITE ANGER ; 26 FRAMES, PARADIGMS, DISCOURSES, AND NARRATIVES ; 27 RACE, RELIGION, AND ELECTIONS ; PART IV STRATEGY FROM ABOVE ; 28 THE RISE OF THE MANAGEMENT CLASS ; 29 THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS ; 30 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ; 31 BUSINESS AS WAR ; 32 THE RISE OF ECONOMICS ; 33 RED QUEENS AND BLUE OCEANS ; 34 THE SOCIOLOGICAL CHALLENGE ; 35 DELIBERATE OR EMERGENT ; PART V theories of strategy ; 36 THE LIMITS OF RATIONAL CHOICE ; 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE ; 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ; 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE ; 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Read more less

Book SynopsisCharts world history from the dawn of civilisation to the modern culture we live in today. From the origins of homo-sapiens to the release of Nelson Mandela, from the French Revolution to the Space Race, this book presents an exploration of the human timeline up to and including modern Islam, the world wide web, and the global financial crisis.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review“Woods is a knowledgeable and entertaining guide.”—Caleb Crain, The Guardian -- Caleb Crain * Guardian *"Without letting the purveyors of clichés about cliquish homosexuals off the hook, this lively history turns those stereotypes on their heads, taking seriously the queer networks that were central to modernism. Richly literary and attentive to networks of both men and women, Homintern also has a wide geographical range. Russian, Scandinavian and South American texts are thoughtfully integrated with accounts of New York, London, Berlin, Paris and their Mediterranean outposts. Gregory Woods writes with an insider’s flair, but does not sugarcoat the histories he tells. Frank about self-destructive behavior, he is also sensitive to divisions among sexual minorities along lines of ideology, class and generation."—Christopher Reed, author of Art and Homosexuality: A History of Ideas -- Christopher Reed"A well-researched, compelling study of how countless gay men have affected, influenced, and restructured the cultural climate for more than a hundred years. . . . An information-heavy book that provides a wonderful resource for those interested in learning about the rise of gay poetics at the onset of the twentieth century."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review * Kirkus Reviews *"Woods is a born storyteller, and he tells the story of the interlocking, international gay and lesbian networks in an unflaggingly lively way. This is a book that needs to be published."—David Bergman, author of The Violet Hour and Gay American Autobiography: Writings from Whitman to Sedaris -- David Bergman“Woods’ history of the ‘homintern’ is in turn hilarious and horrifying… documents shocking levels of persecution. Homophobia was pervasive and vicious… But this is not a gloomy book. Woods lovingly presents a range of gloriously outrageous gay and lesbian individuals and couples.”—Joanna Bourke, BBC History -- Joanna Bourke * BBC History Magazine *"Woods regales the reader with an avalanche of stories, ribald gossip, and lengthy asides that collectively confirm the book’s central thesis: gay culture, or at least gays and lesbians, did indeed liberate the modern world."—Brian Kenney, Booklist -- Brian Kenney * Booklist *“Homintern shines a fascinating spotlight on the diverse and informal networks of people who made up the gay communities worldwide which helped to shape art in its many forms over the decades, involving poets, dancers, actors, artists, designers, composers, politicians and spies. . . . This is a book which throws unreasonable prejudice in the trash can where it belongs, clears up misleading myths about gay people, and should be on the reading list of every fresher starting a university degree.”—Richard Edmonds, Hiskind -- Richard Edmonds * Hiskind *"Delicious, satisfying reading. Even readers knowledgeable about post-Oscar Wilde gay culture are unlikely to read more than a paragraph or two without learning something they did not know, and I cheerfully confess that my most frequent margin note was '!!!' . . . The range and depth of Woods' scholarship are remarkable, but the power of Homintern owes as much to the unabated vitality of his writing."—Tim Pfaff, Bay Area Reporter -- Tim Pfaff * Bay Area Reporter *"Gregory Woods’ Homintern is not just a first-rate work of literary and historical scholarship but a deeply moving narrative in its own right. In its global reach, it has no precedent, yet Woods never sacrifices intimacy for grandeur. In the future I have no doubt that scholars and readers will look to this as an essential text, one of those rare books that make other books possible."—David Leavitt, author of The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer -- David LeavittFinalist for the Lambda Literary Awards in the LGBTQ Studies category. -- Lambda Literary Awards * Lambda Literary Foundation *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe extraordinary, and largely unchronicled, account of the Cuban people’s struggle for survival in a post-Soviet worldTrade Review“Provides a mass of information missing from most accounts.”—Tony Wood, London Review of Books“[A] propitious new book.”—Dan Carrier, Camden New Journal“An insightful analysis of the political economy of Cuba’s socialist development strategy and the struggle to balance the need for growth with the commitment to social justice that has been a hallmark of the revolution since 1959.”—William LeoGrande, coauthor of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana“With her eye for all manner of detail and her ability to read Cuba well, Yaffe has given us a valuable analysis of the recent reforms in Cuba, placing them within their historical and ideological context. . . . It is a welcome contribution to our understanding of it all.”—Antoni Kapcia, author of Cuba: Island of Dreams“Yaffe’s book on the last thirty years of the Cuban Revolution explains why, in the absence of the two Castro brothers, it has not just survived but pioneered new forms of socialism suitable for the 21st century.”—Richard Gott, author of Cuba: A New History“Yaffe has lived in Cuba and shares the experiences, concerns and hopes of the Cuban people. . . . Written with clarity and flair, this book will help you understand how and why Cuba will survive in a post-Trump world.”—Ricardo Alarcón, former president of the Cuban National Assembly and representative at the United Nations“While presenting Cuba’s shortcomings and problems in the same way as she presents its impressive achievements, Yaffe has written the story of a people trying to build a more humane society.”—Al Campbell, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Utah

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review“Written with vigor, full of absorbing stories and important insights, Croatia deserves to be read.” —New York Times “Stimulating … A long-overdue corrective to the onesidedly negative view long entertained about Croatia by the educated British public." —Times Higher Education Supplement “A lucid, expert account of Croatia's past at the bloody crossroads of big-power ambitions – Turks, Austrians, Italians, Russians – leads smoothly into a riveting close-up view of the 1990s fight for independence.” —Boyd Tonkin, Independent "Lucid and accessible."—Melanie McDonagh, Evening Standard "Croatia has often but not always been at war. After the Habsburgs historic victory over the Turks in the 1690s, northern Croatia enjoyed the benefits of peace and orderly government with few interruptions until the First World War. The 20th century has undone those gains. The last three generations have known warfare on a scale not seen since the Middle Ages. After the carnage of the First World War, followed the disastrous 'Independent State of Croatia' in 1941, a poisoned chalice, tainted with a Fascist ideology and an alliance with Hitler's Germany. The result was to plunge Croatia into civil war between left-wing Partisans and the Fascist Ustashe. And, after emerging into independent statehood once again in the 1990s, the Croats have continued to be dogged by the legacy of the past. The fighting of the 1940s and the mass killings of Croatia's Serb community came back to haunt the country 50 years on."—From the preface"Croatia has often but not always been at war. After the Habsburgs historic victory over the Turks in the 1690s, northern Croatia enjoyed the benefits of peace and orderly government with few interruptions until the First World War. The 20th century has undone those gains. The last three generations have known warfare on a scale not seen since the Middle Ages. After the carnage of the First World War, followed the disastrous 'Independent State of Croatia' in 1941, a poisoned chalice, tainted with a Fascist ideology and an alliance with Hitler's Germany. The result was to plunge Croatia into civil war between left-wing Partisans and the Fascist Ustashe. And, after emerging into independent statehood once again in the 1990s, the Croats have continued to be dogged by the legacy of the past. The fighting of the 1940s and the mass killings of Croatia's Serb community came back to haunt the country 50 years on."—From the preface

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Examining nearly every aspect of Vietnamese politics and society, from the economy and family life, to religion and the plight of indigenous minorities, Hayton gives a balanced, intelligent account of a country whose history so differs from our own."—Justin Wintle, Financial Times "This is a cleverly pitched book, one that will appeal equally to a businessman or investor seeking a briefing on Vietnam, an old Asia hand, or an inquisitive backpacker."—Petroc Trelawny, Irish Times"[An] insightful book."—Leanda de Lisle, The Spectator". . . a shrewd and compelling analysis of the growth of capitalism…a very readable introduction to the recent history of Vietnam. It contrasts personal individual stories with the big picture and as a result illuminates both."—Beverley Pullen, Permanent Revolution"Bill Hayton’s Vietnam: Rising Dragon is welcome. . . . He writes with clarity and crispness. . . . Hayton is at his most valuable and incisive."—Paul Cheeseright, Asian Affairs"Hayton has a keen eye for the detail of everyday life as well as larger cultural, economic, social, and political currents. This book leaves one with the feeling of having been in the hands of an expert craftsman, and illuminates some of the major issues confronting contemporary Vietnam."—Carlyle A. Thayer, author of Vietnam People’s Army

Read more less

Book SynopsisA groundbreaking account of Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Pius VII, and the kidnapping that would forever divide church and stateTrade Review“We can now see clearly that industrialisation, secularism and the emergent nation-state spelt not the end of religious faith, but rather its transformation into a political force in its own right. . . . But it was the Catholic church and its response to the French Revolution that paved the way. To Kidnap a Pope tells the story of this epic struggle.”—Mark Mazower, Financial Times“Try Ambrogio A. Caiani’s To Kidnap a Pope: Napoleon and Pius VII. . . . It is the story of the struggle, fought with cunning, not force, between the forgotten Roman nobleman Barnaba Chiaramonti, who became Pope Pius VII, and the all-too-well-remembered Napoleon.”—Jonathan Sumption, Spectator, “Books of the Year”“Caiani leads the reader expertly through diplomatic and theological disputes, a dynastic marriage, international relations and war. He handles this complex narrative deftly, without too much assumption of prior knowledge.”—David Laven, Times Literary Supplement“Ambrogio A. Caiani tells the story of Napoleon’s second papal hostage-taking: an audacious 1809 plot to whisk Pius VII (1742–1823) from Rome in the dead of night and to break his stubborn resolve through physical isolation and intrusive surveillance. . . . Caiani’s unique contribution in this work is to have set aside traditional, partisan tellings of this tale as good versus evil, secular versus religious, or state versus church. Instead, this version, even-handed and detailed in its contextualisation, is about two charismatic leaders going mano a mano.”—Miles Pattenden, Australian Book Review“A marvelous account of one cause celebre.”—Michael Broers, GQ Magazine“In this enthralling study, Ambrogio Caiani gives a vivid account of the struggle between the two men, which would continue virtually unabated until Napoleon’s death on St Helena in 1821. He is commendably even-handed in his analysis, presenting it both as a personal tussle between two dogged opponents and as a clash between contrasting visions of the world: a Catholicism ever more drawn to counter-revolutionary reaction, and an emperor consciously pursuing his own brand of modernity.”—Alan Forrest, BBC History Magazine“Caiani relates this dramatic story in telling detail but never loses sight of the broader picture, and uses his archival discoveries to excellent effect. The result is both an exciting narrative and a fine work of scholarship, shedding new light on Napoleonic history and that of the modern Catholic Church.”—Munro Price, Literary Review“Caiani uses newfound research from the Vatican Archives and isn’t afraid to provide readers with the unusual conclusion that neither Napoleon nor Pope Pius emerge as the victor of the decade-long confrontation.”—Eleanor Longman-Rood, Reaction“Ambrogio Caiani has undertaken a serious reassessment of Pius VII’s kidnapping and imprisonment, an important episode in the nineteenth-century history of the papacy that was last examined by E. E. Y. Hales in 1962. Caiani provides us with a careful, detailed account of the turbulent relationship between the Pope and Napoleon, using new archival material which he unearthed in Italy, France and Britain. . . . This very readable and vivid account of the relationship between Pius VII and Napoleon is truly a work of fine scholarship.”—John Pollard, The Tablet“A scholarly monograph that reads like a thriller; and is a work of narrative history which ably threads ideas into the heart of its presentation.”—Alexander Faludy, Church Times“Brilliantly written, based on meticulous research in the archives and beautifully produced, it is a book that should be on the shelves of any serious Napoleonist as well as one that ought to be read with particular attention by those who continue to be mesmerized by visions of ‘Napoleon the Great.’”—Charles J. Esdaile, European History Quarterly“Caiani is excellent on the local and particular, and is especially good on the physical encounters between his two principals, which he recounts with colourfully telling detail. But his enthralling narrative widens out from the intertwined lives of the two men and their very contrasting entourages to illuminate international relations and the place of religion in the politics of the revolutionary and Napoleonic age.”—Colin Jones, French Studies“Ambrogio Caiani gives us a bold, provocative new assessment of the French Emperor and his relationship with the Catholic Church. In gripping, vivid prose, Caiani brings to life the struggle for power that would shape modern Europe. It all makes for a historical read which is both original and enjoyable.”—Antonia Fraser, author of Marie Antoinette“The decade-long struggle between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII is one of the great dramas of the revolutionary era, but remains little-known. Now, and for the first time in English, Ambrogio Caiani recounts this riveting story in full—and offers insight into one of the great conflicts that has shaped, and continues to shape, the modern world, the rivalry between religion and the state.”—Munro Price, author of Napoleon: The End of Glory“A riveting and compelling account of how the soft power of the Pope proved more durable than the military might of Napoleon.”—Tim Blanning, author of The Pursuit of Glory“An outstanding milestone. The relations between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII have never been examined in such detail before. Ambrogio Caiani takes Napoleon away from the battlefield to show him grappling with the Catholic Church, in what he admitted was the most difficult problem he ever faced. This beautifully written book will now be the essential guide to understanding why and how the greatest soldier of modern times failed to subdue a pope.”—William Doyle, author of The Oxford History of the French Revolution

Read more less

Book SynopsisA major study of the collapse of the Soviet Union—showing how Gorbachev’s misguided reforms led to its demiseTrade Review“A deeply informed account of how the Soviet Union fell apart.”—Rodric Braithwaite, Financial Times “A compelling account. . . . [A] masterly analysis.”—Joshua Rubenstein, Wall Street Journal “An excellent study. . . . There have been several books over the past quarter century that have covered this territory. Zubok’s is the most comprehensive, detailed and original.”—Victor Sebestyen, Sunday Times “This new take on the unexpected collapse of the Soviet empire, by an eminent Soviet-born historian, zooms in on the economic failings and pressures that drove the collapse. . . . Zubok depicts a fateful coalition of idealists, grifters, and thugs that ended up shaping the disastrous 1990s.”—James Palmer, Foreign Policy "By far the best book on the history of the fall of the USSR."—Branko Milanovic “Thoroughly and deeply researched and emotionally engaging for the reader, it is difficult to envisage how there could be a better book on the subject.”—Geoffrey Roberts, Irish Times “[A] remarkably reliable narrative, effectively covering two years, 1990 and 1991. [Zubok’s] exactitude punctures many a myth, especially on the economy, as he sifts an immense body of research to discover, among other things, that egregious financial mismanagement, not excessive defence outlays, proved fatal.”—Stephen Kotkin, Times Literary Supplement “An impressive history.”—Literary Review of Canada “The first comprehensive political history of the Gorbachev years to be based almost exclusively on original (mostly Russian-language) archival sources. . . . Zubok makes the most convincing case to date for considering seriously ‘the decisive and implacable role of money in the Soviet demise.’”—Yana Skorobogatov, Russian Review “No book will likely be produced soon that matches Zubok’s in detail, power, and depth in marshalling the evidence. This book is a central, indispensable work on the end of the USSR.”—Canadian-American Slavic Studies Review “No book will likely be produced soon that matches Zubok’s in detail, power, and depth in marshalling the evidence. This book is a central, indispensable work on the end of the USSR.”—Bradley D. Woodworth, Canadian-American Slavic Studies “Zubok . . . has cutting insights on the ‘who’ and the ‘what’ and the ‘where’ and the ‘when.’”—Gabriel Gavin, Reaction “Such a huge event in world history as the collapse of the Soviet Union will undoubtedly be retold. When it is, Zubok’s impressive book will have to be consulted.”—James Rodgers, History Today “The author seems to have read practically everything currently available, both published and unpublished, of relevance to his subject. . . . [Zubok] writes very stylish and idiomatic English, which makes his work a real pleasure to read.”—Martin Dewhirst, East-West Review “Excellent. . . . Zubok’s lengthy and detailed study is easy to read. It is crafted with a strong narrative approach to relate an unfolding drama. This not only keeps the reader’s attention, but also provides a wealth of detail and analysis that can only be undertaken by someone with Zubok’s lifetime of work on the subject.”—William B. Whisenhunt, LSE Review of Books “Zubok’s book is important and deserves broad attention. It provides an excellent basis for the discussion of the collapse, necessary to understand how it affects politics and our life in Europe even today.”—Stephan Merl¸ Journal of Contemporary History “With its engaging style and unmatched wealth of sources, this volume is bound to remain the work of reference for years to come.”—Kaspar Pucek, SEER “Collapse . . . is a work of outstanding richness and novelty. No matter how familiar you are with the last days of the USSR there is something in this book that you do not know.”—Neil Robinson, Society “The first comprehensive political history of the Gorbachev years to be based almost exclusively on original (mostly Russian-language) archival sources. . . . Zubok makes the most convincing case to date for considering seriously ‘the decisive and implacable role of money in the Soviet demise.’”—Yana Skorobogatov, Russian Review “Zubok has studied various sources and linked many events into a master narrative of a steady collapse of the world’s second power produced by its domestic forces. Collapse should be a standard text for generations of students.”—Ivan Kurilla, Journal of Cold War Studies “Vladislav Zubok was a witness to the end of the Soviet Union, and with this impressive book, Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union, he has become one of, if not the, leading historians of its downfall.”—Norman M. Naimark, H-Diplo “Vladislav Zubok has presented the most detailed historical analysis of the end of the Soviet Union to date.”—Tobias Rupprecht, Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas Finalist for the 2022 Cundill History Prize Winner of the Reginald Zelnik Book Prize, sponsored by ASEEES “As lucid as it is even-handed, this book will become the new standard for anyone seeking to make sense of the chaos, optimism and foolishness that led to the end of Mikhail Gorbachev’s attempts at reform and the downfall of the Soviet Union.”—Mark Galeotti, author of A Short History of Russia “A drama of epic proportions, the Soviet collapse never looked so contingent on human courage and follies, accidents and missed opportunities, as in this book. . . . The best narrative of the Soviet Union’s end we have so far.”—Vladimir Pechatnov, coeditor of The Kremlin Letters “This is a deeply researched indictment of Mikhail Gorbachev’s timidity and mercurial policies that backfired. Zubok invokes George Kennan’s hope at the dawn of the Cold War that the USSR would experience ‘gradual mellowing.’ Instead, Russia at the turn of the twenty-first century was ripe for the rise of Putin.”—Strobe Talbott, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and author of The Great Experiment “A deeply researched, gripping account of the final Soviet unravelling: Gorbachev’s growing weakness, infighting among his opponents, breakaways to independence by the USSR’s constituent republics, including Russia itself, all in the face of growing reluctance of the Bush administration and the Western alliance to help Gorbachev salvage a democratic union.”—William Taubman, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, and of Gorbachev: His Life and Times “In this provocative, deeply-researched retelling of Mikhail Gorbachev’s turbulent six years in the Kremlin, Zubok challenges the conventional wisdom that the USSR was destined to collapse. He attributes the demise to Gorbachev’s ideological messianism, his failed reforms and repeated policy zig-zags. A must-read for those seeking to understand how a nuclear superpower could have imploded peacefully—and why today’s Russian leaders are so determined to restore Russia’s great power status.”—Angela Stent, author Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn engaging guide to the various ways in which war is now waged—and how to adapt to this new realityTrade Review“This brisk everyman’s guide—straight-talking and free of jargon—is a useful tasting menu to a fast moving, constantly evolving set of problems. . . . A lively reminder that war adapts to technology, that civilians are part of modern conflict whether they like it or not.”—Roger Boyes, Times (UK)“Galeotti’s field guide is an admirably clear overview (in his words, ‘quick and opinionated’) of a form of conflict which is vague and hard to grasp. Variously described as hybrid, sub-threshold or grey-zone warfare, this is the no man’s land between peaceful relations and formal combat.”—Helen Warrell, Financial Times“A valuable and accessible guide to the insidious methods adopted regularly by the Russians and others to wage war by more covert means.”—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs “The Weaponisation of Everything needs to be on the curriculum of every military and national security college in the Western world. . . . [Galeotti] has done more to decode the environment in which we find ourselves than all the think tanks put together.”—Jason Logue, Australian Journal of Defence and Strategic Studies“A thought-provoking and important work. Galeotti wears his considerable knowledge lightly.”—Mark Urban, author of The Skripal Files: The Life and Near Death of a Russian Spy“Necessary reading for the strategically inclined. Wars are no longer won on battlefields, and Galeotti explains where and how to win. Governments around the world will find it a necessary wake-up call.”—Sean McFate, author of The New Rules of War: How America Can Win Against Russia, China, and Other Threats“Consistently interesting and always accessible, a book that contributes greatly to the public debate on the future of war.”—Jeremy Black, author of Military Strategy: A Global History“A terrific book written in a fast and lively style, and covering all the relevant issues. . . . Galeotti is a well-known authority in this field.”—Chris Bellamy, author of Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War

Read more less

Book SynopsisA sweeping account of the rise and evolution of liberal internationalism in the modern era, selected as a Best Book of 2021 by Foreign AffairsTrade Review“The most articulate expression of the liberal international order is A World Safe for Democracy by John Ikenberry.”—Fareed Zakaria on the Ezra Klein ShowCHOICE 2021 Outstanding Academic TitleShortlisted for the 2021 Arthur Ross Book Award, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations“John Ikenberry once more shows why he remains the most intelligent and most articulate defender of a world built over two centuries by Britain and the United States. Yet another tour de force by one of the most important voices in international relations today.”—Michael Cox, emeritus professor of international relations, London School of Economics“The foremost proponent of liberalism amongst current international relations scholars has delivered a timely and penetrating critical assessment of liberalism’s origins, development, contradictions, and prospects. This book is a thoughtful and valuable counterweight to the shallow and seductive blandishments of both populists and authoritarians.”—Barry Buzan, London School of Economics and Political Science“A World Safe for Democracy is a wide-ranging and masterly genealogy of liberal internationalism. While outlining the serious crises liberal internationalism faces today, Ikenberry presents an eloquent plea for its value and a thoughtful prescription for its survival.”—Michael Doyle, Columbia University“John Ikenberry is the preeminent theorist of liberal internationalism in the world. A World Safe for Democracy is the product of decades of study, including thoughtful and honest debates with realist and revisionist critiques of the liberal international order. The book couldn’t be more timely. . . . A must-read.”—Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America“At a time when the liberal internationalist project is under sustained attack, a rigorous defense of it by a leading scholar is greatly to be welcomed. With deep research and careful analysis, John Ikenberry shows how the liberal world has worked in the past and can be made to work in the current era.”—Robert Jervis, author of How Statesmen Think

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe West and Islam--the sword and the scimitar--have clashed since the mid-seventh century, when, according to Muslim tradition, the Byzantine emperor rejected Prophet Muhammad''s order to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam, unleashing a centuries-long jihad on Christendom.Sword and Scimitar chronicles the significant battles that arose from this ages-old Islamic jihad, beginning with the first major Islamic attack on Christian land in 636, through the occupation of the Middle East that prompted the Crusades and the far-flung conquests of the Ottoman Turks, to the European colonization of the Muslim world in the 1800s, when Islam largely went on the retreat--until its reemergence in recent times. Using original sources in Arabic, Greek, Latin, and Turkish, preeminent historian Raymond Ibrahim describes each battle in vivid detail and explains the effect the outcome had on larger historical currents of the age and how the military lessons of the battle reflect the cultural faultlines between Islam and the West.The majority of these landmark battles are now forgotten or considered inconsequential. Yet today, as the West faces a resurgence of this enduring Islamic jihad, Sword and Scimitar provides the needed historical context to understand the current relationship between the West and the Islamic world, and why the Islamic State is merely the latest chapter of an old history.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAnyone interested in military history or indeed history in general will find it fascinating to read.' The SpectatorTrade Review"'Anyone interested in military history or indeed history in general will find it fascinating to read.' Spectator 'Pure, almost illicit pleasure... What makes these essays tremendously diverting is how little they strain one's sense of credibility.' Andrew Roberts, Sunday Telegraph 'These informed, elegant essays authoritively analyse incidents over the past 3,000 years.' The Times 'One of the delights of the book is that broad speculative analysis is built from a mass of exciting detail. This make for a top-class bed-side read.' Financial Times"

Read more less

Book SynopsisChristian Grataloup is a specialist in geohistorical research and Professor Emeritus at Paris Diderot University. He has written or contributed to numerous books and atlases about world history. Patrick Boucheron is a historian and professor at the College de France. He has been a member of the scientific committee of the popular French history magazine L'Histoire since 1999 and has written numerous books on global history and the history of the Middle Ages in particular. Legendes Cartography has produced the maps for the magazine L'Histoire as well as many atlases and textbooks for over two decades.Trade Review'Finally: a historical atlas for 21st-century readers!' - Le Monde'An accessible, informative volume … that invites one to explore [the] world with curiosity and agency' - Geographical'Remarkable' - Wanderlust'A very worthy addition to this history of cartographic literature and iconography … exceptionally useful and stimulating' - ARGO'Informative, meticulously researched, and endlessly fascinating' - The MirrorTable of ContentsForeword: Stories of space by Patrick Boucheron Introduction: Making an Atlas by Christian Grataloup Part 1: A Single Human Race, 3000 BCE Part 2: Worlds Unto Themselves Part 3: Resources of the Ancient World from the Neolithic to the 15th century Part 4: Peoples of the Ancient World up to the 7th century CE Part 5: The societies along the axis of the Ancient World Part 6: The world in the 15th century Part 7: A world interconnected by Europe 16th–18th century Part 8: Europe 16th–18th century Part 9: A world dominated by Europe: Late 18th century to 1914 Part 10: Non-European powers in the late 18th–19th century Part 11: Europe 1789–1914 Part 12: A world dominated by the West 1914–89 Part 13: The world since 1989: 1989–2019

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Hilarious, heartbreaking and utterly extraordinary.'' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times Books of the YearSuperbly entertaining.' Financial TimesJaw-dropping.' Sunday TimesFascinating.' GuardianGripping.' The TimesTerrific . . . A page-turning history of imperial hubris and nemesis, deceit and delusion, love and betrayal on a grand scale.' Sunday TimesIn 1864, a young Austrian archduke by the name of Maximilian crossed the Atlantic to assume a faraway throne. He had been lured into the voyage by a duplicitous Napoleon III. Keen to spread his own interests abroad, the French emperor had promised Maximilian a hero's welcome. Instead, he walked into a bloody guerrilla war. With a head full of impractical ideals and a penchant for pomp and butterflies the new emperor' was singularly ill-equipped for what lay in store.This is the vivid history of this barely known, barely b

Read more less

Book SynopsisBetween 1870 and 1945, advances in communication and transportation simultaneously expanded and shrank the world. In five interpretive essays, A World Connecting goes beyond nations, empires, and world wars to capture the era’s defining feature: the profound and disruptive shift toward an ever more rapidly integrating world.Trade ReviewA World Connecting should be of interest to American specialists precisely because of the rich empirical data marshaled, the fruitful hypotheses embedded in the arguments, and the myriad of scholarly works cited and included in the bibliography. This book should become a standard reference tool not only for global history, but also for supplying the wider contexts for conceptualizing American history from a transnational angle... [This] is a very large book of over a thousand pages, and each of the five sections could well command a detailed review in itself. In many ways, the individual chapters qualify as tour-de-force achievements in the agendas they have set. Not only is the material handled in a magisterial fashion, but arresting interpretations also appear at almost every turn. Historians of specific periods of national history like the American Gilded Age will profit from consulting this work. -- Ian Tyrrell * H-Net Reviews *Each of its five chapters draws on a massive range and quantity of source material. Each manages not only to synthesize this material, but also to make fresh arguments about it. Taken together, the chapters provide a broad picture of the way certain sorts of global connections changed between 1870 and 1945...In sum, the contributions bring together a remarkable body of insights about global connections and networks. -- David A. Bell * New Republic *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSynopsis coming soon.......Trade ReviewDavid Denby Los Angeles Times A magnificent edition of the great historian's The Peloponnesian War.Donald Kagan author of On the Origins of War and Pericles of Athens This is the best book with which to start study of Thueydides and the Peloponnesian War.Paul A. Rahne The Washington Times Without question, this is the finest edition of Thueydides history ever produced; It is a treasure.The Boston Globe Thoroughly readable....Anyone interested in the culture of conflict -- political as well as military, contemporary as well as ancient -- can learn much from this durable work.Table of ContentsCONTENTSIntroduction by Victor Davis HansonEditor's NoteKey to Map SymbolsCalendar of the Peloponnesian WarBook OneBook TwoBook ThreeBook FourBook FiveBook SixBook SevenBook EightEpilogueTheaters of Operation in the Peloponnesian WarAppendix A The Athenian Government in ThucydidesAlan L. Boegehold, Brown UniversityAppendix B The Athenian Empire in ThucydidesAlan L. Boegehold, Brown UniversityAppendix C Spartan Institutions in ThucydidesPaul Cartledge, Clare College, Cambridge UniversityAppendix D The Peloponnesian League in ThucydidesPaul Cartledge, Clare College, Cambridge UniversityAppendix E The Persians in ThucydidesRobert B. StrasslerAppendix F Land Warfare in ThucydidesVictor Davis Hanson, California State University at FresnoAppendix G Trireme Warfare in ThucydidesNicolle Hirschfeld, University of Texas at AustinAppendix H Dialects and Ethnic Groups in ThucydidesWilliam F. Wyatt, Brown UniversityAppendix I Religious Festivals in ThucydidesGregory Crane, Tufts UniversityAppendix J Classical Greek Currency in ThucydidesThomas R. Martin, College of the Holy CrossAppendix K Calendars and Dating Systems in ThucydidesThomas R. Martin, College of the Holy CrossGlossaryBibliography of Ancient SourcesConcise Bibliography of Modern SourcesAcknowledgmentsIndexReference Maps

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntends to understand war, both in its internal dynamics and as an instrument of policy.Trade Review"Undoubtedly one of the most useful books ever written."--The New Republic

Read more less

Book SynopsisTranslation of: Kafka, die Jahre der Entscheidungen.Trade ReviewOne of The Guardian Best Books of 2013, chosen by Colm Toibin "Most impressive is Stach's recounting of the creation of his subject's writings... Stach's own writing is wonderfully expressive."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A scrupulous, discriminating, and highly instructive account of Kafka's life."--Robert Alter, New Republic "[S]uperbly tempered... [T]hrough this robustly determined unearthing he rescues Kafka from the unearthliness of his repute... Shelley Frisch, Stach's heroic American translator, movingly reproduces his intended breadth and pace and tone... In this honest and honorable biography there is no trace of the Kafkaesque; but in it you may find a crystal granule of the Kafka who was."--Cynthia Ozick, New Republic "Stach aims to tell us all that can be known about [Kafka], avoiding the fancies and extrapolations of earlier biographers. The result is an enthralling synthesis, one that reads beautifully... I can't say enough about the liveliness and richness of Stach's book... Every page of this book feels excited, dynamic, utterly alive."--Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World "Stach's is a splendid effort and will be hard to surpass."--William H. Gass, Harper's Magazine "A masterpiece of inspired biographical writing."--Choice "Probing... Essential reading."--Booklist (starred review) "Magnificent."--Die Zeit "Stach develops the various elements that play a role in Kafka's life brilliantly."--Der Spiegel "The first great biography of Franz Kafka ... exciting and instructive from the first to the last page."--Tagesanzeiger "This extraordinary biography fills the empty spaces between Kafka's own writings and the writings of friends, family, and contemporaries with so much empathy and imagination that one can't put it down."--Frankfurter Rundschau "[M]onumental... [A] superb English-language translation by Shelly Frisch ... now reprinted in a handsome paperback by Princeton... In this first volume, Stach sifts through that rubble with huge amounts of energy and discretion (and Frisch follows him without a misstep; it feels like exactly the book I read ten years ago in its original language)... His letters and journals are marshaled with sometimes breathtaking ingenuity, and the sheer scope of the work allows Stach to be expansive when painting his backgrounds... Always in these recountings, Stach is searching for his elusive subject, trying--as all previous biographers have tried, though none so well--to hear Kafka's strange, singular voice in the noise... Kafka: The Decisive Years was greeted with a loud chorus of praise when it first appeared in English, and the passage of almost a decade has cast no doubt on that verdict. Princeton has re-issued this classic so that it can stand next to the following volume, Kafka: The Years of Insight, newly published in hardcover. No one interested in Kafka (or, by almost inevitable extension, 20th century literature) should miss either."--Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly "[F]lawlessly translated... [A] wonderfully intelligent and perceptive portrait of a uniquely powerful writer."--PD Smith, Guardian "Stach reads the work and the life with minute care and sympathy. He has a deep understanding of the world that Kafka came from and this is matched by an intelligence and tact about the impulse behind the work itself."--Colm Toibin, Irish Independent "[T]he definitive biography."--Jonathon Sturgeon, Flavorwire "Superbly translated from German by Shelley Frisch... Illuminating facts and intelligent commentary... The three volumes are so carefully composed and densely woven--blending history, literary analysis, psychological insights, quotes and commentary from others--that it would be practically impossible to produce an abridged version in a single volume."--Alexander Adams, Spiked ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 PROLOGUE: The Black Star 16 1At Home with the Kafkas 21 2Bachelors, Young and Old 42 3Actors, Zionists, Wild People 54 4Literature and Loneliness: Leipzig and Weimar 71 5Last Stop Jungborn 86 6A Young Lady from Berlin 94 7The Ecstasy of Beginning: "The Judgment" and "The Stoker" 108 8A Near Defenestration 119 9The Girl, the Lady, and the Woman 134 10Love and a Longing for Letters 145 11Exultant Weeks, Little Intrigues 159 12The Bauer Family 169 13America and Back: The Man Who Disappeared 175 14The Lives of Metaphors: "The Metamorphosis" 192 15The Fear of Going Mad 206 16Balkan War: The Massacre Next Door 226 171913 231 18 The Man Who Disappeared: Perfection and Disintegration 242 19Invention and Exaggeration 253 20Sexual Trepidation and Surrender 266 21The Working World: High Tech and the Ghostsof Bureaucracy 281 22The Proposal 297 23Literature, Nothing but Literature 324 24Three Congresses in Vienna 350 25Trieste, Venice, Verona, Riva 368 26Grete Bloch: The Messenger Arrives 379 27An All-Time Low 390 28Kafka and Musil 401 29Matrimonial Plans and Asceticism 413 30Tribunal in Berlin 433 31The Great War 444 32Self-Inflicted Justice: The Trial and "In the Penal Colony" 464 33The Return of the East 484 34The Grand Disruption 493 35No-Man's-Land 508 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 517 TRANSLATOR'S NOTE 519 KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS 521 NOTES 523 BIBLIOGRAPHY 551 PHOTO CREDITS 563 INDEX 565

Read more less

Book SynopsisTakes readers inside the wily world of late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century pirates. With swashbuckling irreverence and devilish wit, this book uncovers the hidden economics behind pirates' notorious, entertaining, and sometimes downright shocking behavior.Trade ReviewOne of San Francisco Chronicle's 100 Best Books for 2009 Winner of the 2009 Best International Nonfiction Book, Week Winner of the 2009 Gold Medal Book of the Year Award in Business and Economics, ForeWord Reviews "A brisk, clever new book, The Invisible Hook, by Peter T. Leeson, an economist who claims to have owned a pirate skull ring as a child and to have had supply-and-demand curves tattooed on his right biceps when he was seventeen, offers a different approach. Rather than directly challenging pirates' leftist credentials, Leeson says that their apparent espousal of liberty, equality, and fraternity derived not from idealism but from a desire for profit."--Caleb Crain, New Yorker "[S]urprising and engaging ... [Leeson's] seminars must be wildly popular."--Stephen Sedley, London Review of Books "Economist Leeson leads readers though a surprisingly entertaining crash course in economics in this study of high seas piracy at the turn of the 18th century... Illustrated with salty tales of pirates both famous and infamous, the book rarely bogs down even when explaining intricate economic concepts, making it a great introduction to both pirate history and economic theory."--Publishers Weekly "Mr. Leeson's book represents a serious attempt to use the tools of economics to make sense of the institutions of piracy. The book is another example of economic imperialism, the use of economics to make sense of real world phenomena that are outside the standard realm of economic science. It addresses an important force that did, and does, impact world trade. But as the skull and crossbones on its spine suggests, the book is also just fun... [T]he book manages to be entertaining and informative. It is a fun read and provides parents with something to teach their children while looking for pirate treasure left long ago at the beach."--Edward Glaeser, Economix blog, NYTimes.com "The Invisible Hook is an excellent book by one of the most creative young economists around."--Steven D. Levitt, Freakonomics blog "Peter T. Leeson has done his part to dispel the pirate myths by using economic theory to explain pirate behavior and organization in his exemplary new book... Mr. Leeson has produced a fresh perspective on an old topic... The Invisible Hook is quick-paced but thought-provoking. Based on this work, the reader should look forward to more books by the author."--Claude Berube, Washington Times "Piracy has not been Leeson's only obsession. The other has been economics. When he was 17 years old he had supply and demand curves tattooed on his right bicep ... now the professor has brought his two enthusiasms together in a wonderful (and wonderfully titled) new book. The Invisible Hook is his study of the hidden economics of piracy."--Daniel Finkelstein, Times "Jauntily characterising the typical pirate ship as akin to 'a Fortune 500 company', [Leeson] reorients pirates as precursors of Milton Friedman and the Chicago school of economics."--Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, Financial Times "One of the finest introductory courses in economics since Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson... The Invisible Hook is a good addition to the genre of popular economics: a fun and enlightening read, and rock solid in its scholarly bona fides."--Michael Shermer, Nature "From countless films and books we all know that, historically, pirates were criminally insane, traitorous thieves, torturers and terrorists. Anarchy was the rule, and the rule of law was nonexistent. Not so, dissents George Mason University economist Peter Leeson in his myth-busting book, The Invisible Hook, which shows how the unseen hand of economic exchange produces social cohesion even among pirates."--Michael Shermer, Scientific American "Given the flurry of piracy off the Somali coast in 2009, this relatively short narrative could not be timelier. The Invisible Hook, a play on Adam Smith's famous 'invisible hand,' is an engaging, informative look at the economics of piracy and pirates."--Choice "Peter Leeson, an economics professor at George Mason University, offers a fascinating perspective into the world of Blackbeard, 'Black Bart' Roberts and 'Calico Jack' Rackham in his highly readable book The Invisible Hook."--J. Peter Pham, San Francisco Chronicle "An engaging and thorough portrait of high seas banditry that goes beyond the pop-culture stereotypes to argue that though often brutal and always mercenary, pirates were ahead of their time when it came to matters of economic fairness and progressive labor practices."--Kevin Canfield, Mother Jones "[I]n The Invisible Hook, Peter Leeson deftly explodes piratical myths ... [The Invisible Hook] offers many colourful, meticulously researched insights into the behaviour of some of history's most colourful anti-heroes, and it will appeal to anyone with even passing interests in history, politics, sociology and/or economics."--Michelle Baddeley, Times Higher Education "Leeson says history cannot explain all piratical paradoxes. Only economics can disentangle the different strands."--Leon Gettler, The Age "Leeson hangs the meat of his pirate tale on a sturdy skeleton of economics... The Invisible Hook is a delightful read, thanks to Leeson's engaging writing. He reduces a veritable mountain of facts and history into an entertainingly educational experience."--Lewis Perdue, Barron's "This engaging account is fun to read and full of humor, qualities not often associated with an explanation of economic theory... This reviewer speculates that if more economic texts were written like this one, there would be a glut of economics majors to compensate for the shortage of pirates roaming the Atlantic."--Karl Helicher, Foreword Magazine "Peter T. Leeson digs into the dollars and cents of piracy. He urges us to see pirates as economic actors, their behavior shaped by incentives, just like the rest of us. Once you're in an economic state of mind, you can begin to understand actions such as lighting one's beard on fire, voting, being decent to black people, and torturing captives 'for fun'--all equally nutty behaviors to the average 18th--century observer. When Leeson is done guiding you through the pirate world, life on a rogue ship starts to look less like a Carnival cruise with cutlasses and cannons and more like an ongoing condo association meeting at sea."--Katherine Mangu-Ward, Reason "Cleverly written and witty... [Casts] a penetrating glance at the social and political motives of these odd outlaw communities."--Daniele Archibugi, Open Democracy "Delightful... Examines the hidden order behind the literal anarchy of pirates... Entertaining and educational."--Roger K. Miller, Tampa Bay Tribune "What possible connection could there be between economics and a book on piracy? A lot, it turns out. Peter Leeson explains this seemingly bizarre connection in page after page of his witty new book, The Invisible Hook."--David R. Henderson, Regulation Magazine "[Offers] not only a thumbnail history of piracy but important insights into the economic way of thinking... Fascinating, entertaining and educational."--Alan W. Bock, Orange County Register "[A]n eye-opener... The Invisible Hook is a gripping read that sheds as much light on 21st century economics ... as it does on 17th and 18th century piracy."--Ethical Corporation Magazine "The book wittily demonstrates that economic theories and principles, if not the be-all and end-all, can illuminate notable historical trends."--Stephen Saunders, Canberra Times "[W]ell-documented and very readable ... covers pirates from bow to stern. In addition to some descriptions of high seas navigation, maneuvers and stealth that border on high adventure, Leeson supplies plenty of counterintuitive, even surprising, revelations about pirates... And Leeson explains it all with economics... Bottom line: Peter T. Leeson's The Invisible Hook is an insightful hoot, and scores a couple of extra points for originality. Economics-minded readers who enjoy historical adventure or relish over-the-top 'freakonomics' should get a hearty yo-ho-ho out of this book. Not to mention a 360-degree brain twist before diving into that new Michael Crichton novel."--Seeking Alpha "This is an enjoyable read that discusses the management style, branding, employee recruitment and retention, compensation and incentives and strategic planning of pirates and why these systems were effective. There are some valuable lessons to be learned."--Bill Sutton, Sports Business Journal "Peter Leeson's The Invisible Hook argues that many of the founding principles of capitalist, liberal democracies are not rooted in the Glorious Revolution or the writing of the Declaration of Independence; but the incentive structures necessary to keep a group of rowdy ocean-bound outlaws working as a team of ruthless sea bandits."--Tim Wilson, IPA Reviews "It's Freakonomics meets Pirates of the Caribbean. Jack Hirshleifer meets Jack Sparrow. Fischer Black meets Blackbeard. Adam Smith meets Captain Hook... Peter Leeson claims, 'A pirate ship more closely resembled a Fortune 500 company than the society of savage schoolchildren depicted in William Golding's Lord of the Flies.' And by the end of the book, he had me convinced of it."--Rick Lax, Las Vegas Weekly "Leave it to an economist to take our current obsession [with pirates] and peer under it in search of a new interpretation... The Invisible Hook is an entertaining economic history of an era and a way of business rarely considered in such a way. Pirates were rational!"--MIT Sloan Management Review "Peter T. Leeson ... puts salty flesh on the bones of the pirates' legend in The Invisible Hook, pulling off the formidable trick of being both rigorous and cheeky... Leeson's lights ... are bright and convincing... [A] jaunty gem of a book... [H]is argument assuredly does bolster the Chicago School case that the dismal science pervades every human endeavor."--Jonathan Stevenson, Democracy "Leeson's book is stimulating, provocative, and, of course, a fun read."--Douglas Marcouiller, Journal of World Trade Review "For those who are interested in a quick course in free-market political economy, or in a fresh approach to the history of piracy, The Invisible Hook provides many pleasures and provocations."--Philip Smallwood, Eighteenth-Century Studies "The Invisible Hook is certainly a worthwhile read for various audiences. It can serve as an effective introduction to several key economic concepts with pirate society serving as an excellent vehicle for grabbing a reader's interest. This book would be an ideal supplemental reading for undergraduate principles of microeconomics or economic history classes... The book can also be valuable to any historian of piracy seeking a uniquely economics-based perspective on their subject."--Andrew Young, Southern Economic Journal "[Leeson] clearly is ... an undoubtedly excellent teacher, because the style and tone of the book are that of an engaging lecturer who makes economics entertaining for his undergraduate students."--Mark G. Hanna, International Journal of Maritime History "[T]here is much to be learned from Blackbeard and his compatriots: social order can arise without explicit design, and economics provides a powerful set of ideas for understanding how. This is the central idea of The Invisible Hook, and part of the reason why it is among the best popular works of economics in recent years."--Francis J. DiTraglia, Journal of Value Inquiry "I guarantee that after the first few pages you won't be able to put this book down, and you will come away with a set of refreshing insights that you may very well find relevant to your own research agenda... To put it bluntly, this book is a must read, or at least a 'should read,' for comparative political scientists, particularly those with a taste for the world of economics... Leeson should at least get a couple doubloons of your hard-earned booty."--Anthony Gill, Comparative Political Studies "The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates, stands out as a novel contribution to international economics and, by extension, international relations."--Mitchell A. Belfer, Central European Journal of International and Security Studies "Well shiver me timbers, this surely is a wickedly good book! In fact, Peter Leeson has produced a book applying the dismal science that is both fun to read, and entertaining. Arrgh-uably, it also has more economic relevance than 95 percent of the articles in mainstream economics journals. Furthermore, it is accessible to virtually any reader."--Bruce L. Benson, Public Choice "With all the books on these colorful criminals, Leeson's is the only one to focus on the economic side of the matter. That is his great advantage."--Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance "The Invisible Hook is a great read. I recommend it without hesitation to professional academics, students, anyone interested in a clear exposition of the economic way of thinking, and every scurvy dog who is interested in pirating."--Bruce L. Benson, Public ChoiceTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xi Preface and Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1: The Invisible Hook 1 Chapter 2: Vote for Blackbeard The Economics of Pirate Democracy 23 Chapter 3: An-arrgh-chy The Economics of the Pirate Code 45 Chapter 4: Skull & Bones The Economics of the Jolly Roger 82 Chapter 5: Walk the Plank The Economics of Pirate Torture 107 Chapter 6: Pressing Pegleg The Economics of Pirate Conscription 134 Chapter 7: Equal Pay for Equal Prey The Economics of Pirate Tolerance 156 Chapter 8: The Secrets of Pirate Management 176 Epilogue: Omnipresent Economics 194 Postscript: You Can't Keep a Sea Dog Down The Fall and Rise of Piracy 197 Where This Book Found Its Buried Treasure A Note on Sources 207 Notes 213 Index 2

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"An original and remarkably complete portrait ... give[s] a marvellous picture of the evolution, complexity, and decline of the ancient city."--James E. Packer, Journal of Roman Archaeology "Magnificent ... an impressive monument of historical outreach."--T. P. Wiseman, Journal of Roman Studies

Read more less

Book SynopsisTranslation of: Kafka, die Jahre der Erkenntnis.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2014 Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize Finalist for the 2013 National Jewish Book Award in History, Jewish Book Council One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2014 One of The Guardian Best Books of 2013, chosen by Colm Toibin Longlisted for the 2014 PEN Translation Award, Pen American Center "[S]cholars and specialists lost and absorbed in the many rooms of the Kafka factory will find much to discuss in the labors of Reiner Stach."--Joy Williams, New York Times Book Review "[Stach's] resplendent Kafka: The Years of Insight, tracking Kafka's final eight years, meditates on the limits of the knowable even as it exhibits unparalleled dedication to the Kafka's life and work."--Gary Giddins, Wall Street Journal "This well-researched new biography details the last nine years of Franz Kafka's life and explores the personal, social, and political events that shaped his writing... Despite the narrow time frame, this insightful book is likely to become a standard by which future biographies are measured."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "[S]uperbly tempered... [T]hrough this robustly determined unearthing he rescues Kafka from the unearthliness of his repute... Shelley Frisch, Stach's heroic American translator, movingly reproduces his intended breadth and pace and tone... In this honest and honorable biography there is no trace of the Kafkaesque; but in it you may find a crystal granule of the Kafka who was."--Cynthia Ozick, New Republic "Stach's book succeeds brilliantly at clearing a path through the thick metaphysical fog that has hung about Kafka's work almost since his death... [I]lluminating... It is common to say of biography that it sends you back to the work. Stach's book does this in spades, but, importantly for English readers, it also presents new aspects of the work in Shelley Frisch's superb and lucid translations... Between them, she and Stach have produced a superbly fresh imaginative guide to the strange, clear, metaphor-free world of Kafka's prose."--Tim Martin, Telegraph "Stach reads the work and the life with minute care and sympathy. He has a deep understanding of the world that Kafka came from and this is matched by an intelligence and tact about the impulse behind the work itself."--Colm Toibin, Irish Independent "This work is a monumental accomplishment with a first-rate translation by scholar Frisch."--Library Journal (Starred Review) "Conclusion of a massive, comprehensive life of the famed Czech/German/Jewish writer, chockablock with neuroses, failures and moments of brilliance... An illuminating book built, like its subject's life, on small episodes rather than great, dramatic turning points. Essential for students and serious readers of Kafka."--Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) "With impressive insight into imaginative artistry, Stach illuminates the way Kafka responds to personal trauma and global firestorm, sometimes incorporating his negative circumstances into his fiction, but sometimes transcending those circumstances in metaphysical creations informed by a profoundly personal myth. This literary-biographical analysis will help scholars penetrate major Kafka works, including The Castle and The Trial, The Hunger Artist and The Burrow. Thanks to a lucid translation, English-speaking readers can now share the German enthusiasm for this masterful portrait."--Bryce Christensen, Booklist (Starred Review) "[T]he definitive biography of Kafka... [A] supple and accurate English translation by Shelley Frisch... Stach presents a full, nuanced treatment of Kafka's feelings about Jewishness. He is particularly adept in his depiction of Kafka's relationships with the women he loved."--David Mikics, Forward.com "[M]agnificent."--John Carey, Sunday Times "[S]uperlative, readable and ... genuinely gripping... Stach manages to recreate the worlds through which Kafka moved and in which he suffered in a manner that reads ... like high-quality fiction... Stach on Kafka is more than worthy to be put on a shelf of the magisterial literary biographies of the last few decades... It is quite splendid."--Kevin Jackson, Literary Review "No one will ever be able to write Kafka's story as well as he could, but Reiner Stach, a first-class German scholar, does remarkably well in Kafka: The Years of Insight."--Robert Fulford, National Post "The second volume of Reiner Stach's epic biography of Franz Kafka ... [is] a tangle of counter-grained and often under-sourced life stories, but reading Stach's magnificent narrative (wonderfully translated by Shelley Frisch) straight through brings death, not life, to the forefront. Stach is a compulsively readable writer... [A]s in the previous volume, the prose in The Years of Insight is supple and very appealingly complex--all of which, once again, is perfectly rendered by Frisch."--Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly "[H]ighly readable."--Ian Thomson, Financial Times "[M]onumental... [A] superb English-language translation by Shelly Frisch ... now reprinted in a handsome paperback by Princeton... In this first volume, Stach sifts through that rubble with huge amounts of energy and discretion (and Frisch follows him without a misstep; it feels like exactly the book I read ten years ago in its original language)... His letters and journals are marshaled with sometimes breathtaking ingenuity, and the sheer scope of the work allows Stach to be expansive when painting his backgrounds... Always in these recountings, Stach is searching for his elusive subject, trying--as all previous biographers have tried, though none so well--to hear Kafka's strange, singular voice in the noise... Kafka: The Decisive Years was greeted with a loud chorus of praise when it first appeared in English, and the passage of almost a decade has cast no doubt on that verdict. Princeton has re-issued this classic so that it can stand next to the following volume, Kafka: The Years of Insight, newly published in hardcover. No one interested in Kafka (or, by almost inevitable extension, 20th century literature) should miss either."--Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly "A definitive biography of a rare writer... [M]asterful... [T]his biography makes for an excellent read. Mr Stach, a German academic, expertly presents Kafka's struggles with his work and health against a wider background of the first world war, the birth of Czechoslovakia and the hyperinflation of the 1920s."--The Economist "A definitive biography of a writer as transcendent as Franz Kafka might be unattainable, but in his massive trilogy, Stach comes as close as one can."--Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs "[A] further passionate attempt to reinscribe works such as Metamorphosis, A Report To An Academy, and The Castle on 21st century readers... Stach does us a great service... By dint of a rhythmic sequencing of narration and discussion, Stach illuminates the symbiosis of Kafka's inner catastrophes and vocational ardour with the violent military devastation of Europe, the birth of the Czech Republic and his frail body's tortuous decline."--Gregory Day, The Age Praise for Kafka: The Years of Insight: "It would be impossible to describe the work and essence of this key artist of the twentieth century in a livelier and more vibrant style... A masterpiece of the art of interpretation and of empathy."--Der Tagesspiegel Praise for Kafka: The Years of Insight: "Reiner Stach has recounted Kafka's life more vividly than any other biographer. The reader moves through his Kafka biography, which reads like a novel, in breathless anticipation... No one has written about Kafka as suggestively and insightfully, and in such a beautiful and clear language, as Reiner Stach."--Ulrich Greiner, Die Zeit "[E]xtensive ... impeccably translated... Each volume is crafted such that one simply must read the other two: Stach peppers his writing with tantalizingly vague references and foreshadowings to elsewhere in the series, and his allusions compel the reader to absorb Kafka's complete biography from start to finish... The author's meticulous chronicle of Kafka's life by no means precludes examination of the literary legacy that it produced; rather, it sharpens our understanding of some of Kafka's most obscure and abstract works... An utterly thorough biography, the three-volume set will prove a treasure to any admirer of Franz Kafka--or good research."--Nat Bernstein, Jewish Book Council "Kafka: The Years of Insight ... wonderfully translated ... is Volume III of what will surely be the definitive biography. Kafka is brought to vivid life by an author at once scholarly and entertaining."--John Banville, New Statesman "Stach's declared aim is to find out what it felt like to be Kafka, and he succeeds."--John Banville, Irish Times "Countering the prevailing notion that Kafka was out of touch with reality, Stach details how this quixotic modernist was actually well informed about the crisis and how this knowledge altered the course of his writing. In addition to being a skillful biographer, Stach is an authority on Kafka, having worked for more than a decade on the definitive critical edition of Kafka's writings... [T]his biography is an extraordinary accomplishment."--Choice "Stach's riveting narrative, which reflects the latest findings about Kafka's life and works, draws readers in with a nearly cinematic power, zooming in for extreme close-ups of Kafka's personal life, then pulling back for panoramic shots of a wider world."--World Book Industry "Reiner Stach's biography of Franz Kafka, planned for three volumes, has assumed a commanding position in a crowded field: this is a work that simply must be studied by anyone with a serious interest in Kafka... The appearance in English of this groundbreaking work is a publishing event of major importance."--Peter Zusi, Slavic Review "Stach pursues what can be known of Kafka so far and so exhaustively... Sometimes I thought of Stach as the captive and Kafka as the captor... Vivid and valuable."--Rivka Galchen "Masterly ... Stach's great achievement is to place the literary work into a biographical context that emphasises the interplay of memory, experience and symbolism in the writing... A triumph of biography and literary scholarship."--PD Smith, Guardian "[A] brilliant, authoritative portrait."--John Yargo, The Millions "Superbly translated from German by Shelley Frisch... Illuminating facts and intelligent commentary... The three volumes are so carefully composed and densely woven--blending history, literary analysis, psychological insights, quotes and commentary from others--that it would be practically impossible to produce an abridged version in a single volume."--Alexander Adams, Spiked ReviewTable of ContentsPROLOGUE The Ants of Prague 1 CHAPTER ONE Stepping Outside the Self 8 CHAPTER TWO No Literary Prize for Kafka 31 CHAPTER THREE "Civilian Kavka": The Work of War 46 CHAPTER FOUR The Marvel of Marienbad 83 CHAPTER FIVE What Do I Have in Common with Jews? 105 CHAPTER SIX Kafka Encounters His Readers 129 CHAPTER SEVEN The Alchemist 141 CHAPTER EIGHT Ottla and Felice 157 CHAPTER NINE The Country Doctor Ventures Out 170 CHAPTER TEN Mycobacterium tuberculosis 186 CHAPTER ELEVEN Zurau's Ark 201 CHAPTER TWELVE Meditations 222 CHAPTER THIRTEEN Spanish Influenza, Czech Revolt, Jewish Angst 244 CHAPTER FOURTEEN The Pariah Girl 266 CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Unposted Letter to Hermann Kafka 287 CHAPTER SIXTEEN Merano, Second Class 311 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Milena 319 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Living Fires 332 CHAPTER NINETEEN The Big Nevertheless 353 CHAPTER TWENTY Escape to the Mountains 380 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Fever and Snow: Tatranske Matliary 387 CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO The Internal and the External Clock 404 CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE The Personal Myth: The Castle 423 CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Retiree and Hunger Artist 451 CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE The Palestinian 475 CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Dora 497 CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN The Edge of Berlin 512 CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Last Sorrow 546 EPILOGUE 573 Acknowledgments 577 Translator's Note 579 Key to Abbreviations 581 Notes 583 Bibliography 647 Photo Credits 665 Index 667

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"[An] imaginative retelling of world history."---Thomas E. Ricks, New York Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"An intellectual tour de force that does not mince words."---Abdullah Drury, Muslim World Book Review"An impressive book, well written, making good use of both Ottoman and Western sources, and crafted to keep the reader engaged." * Michigan War Studies Review *"[W]hen it comes to the role of the Ottomans in the history of central Europe . . . the book succeeds brilliantly… Ágoston has also succeeded in what I think will stand for a long time as the definitive political and military narrative of the Ottomans in southeastern and central Europe. Over and over again his command of the facts provides the reader with a strong basis for comparing the various powers and their capabilities at the level of population, natural resources, military technology and so on and so forth. . . . Any future research on this area in the early modern period will find Ágoston’s book to be enormously useful, indeed essential, when writing their own studies."---Molly Greene, European Legacy"Gábor Ágoston has written a much-needed overview of Ottoman warfare from the early state along the Byzantine frontier to the empire’s wars with the Holy League in the late seventeenth century. The Last Muslim Conquest successfully combines the work of several regional historiographies and makes important interventions. Along with a narrative and analysis of the wars in this period, Ágoston includes detailed chapters on Ottoman military organization, tactics, and technology. The Last Muslim Conquest also balances both older historiography that over-emphasized religious antagonism as well as newer research that focuses more on cultural contacts between the Ottomans and Europe."---Samuel Stevens, International Journal of Military History and Historiography"Ottomanists, military historians, and non-specialists will find The Last Muslim Conquest an accessible book and one that can provide starting points for further research. Ágoston’s work is an analytical narrative of early modern Ottoman military history that has been needed for some time."---Samuel Stevens, International Journal of Military History and Historiography"Unique."---Colin Imber, Journal of the American Oriental Society"Remarkable in combining a high level of detail with a remarkable clarity of exposition. . . . The richness and brilliant organization of his material and the careful attention to detail invite wider speculation."---Colin Imber, Journal of the American Oriental Society"An outstanding, highly readable study of the Ottoman military, a calm defense of the emphasis on Europe and on conflict on the European frontier in Ottoman historiography, and a work of deeply informed, mature scholarship."---Douglas Howard, Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"The memorable thing about Cline's book is the strangely recognizable picture he paints of this very faraway time. . . . It was as globalized and cosmopolitan a time as any on record, albeit within a much smaller cosmos. The degree of interpenetration and of cultural sharing is astonishing."---Adam Gopnik, New Yorker"A fascinating look at the Late Bronze Age, proving that whether for culture, war, economic fluctuations or grappling with technological advancement, the conundrums we face are never new, but merely renewed for a modern age."---Larry Getlen, New York Post"Cline has created an excellent, concise survey of the major players of the time, the latest archaeological developments, and the major arguments, including his own theories, regarding the nature of the collapse that fundamentally altered the area around the Mediterranean and the Near East."---Evan M. Anderson, Library Journal"A remarkable book that brings forth not just a piece of history, but also lessons from the past."---Mihai Andrei, ZME Science"Fresh and engaging."---Andrew Robinson, Current World Archaeology"The 12th century BCE is one of the watershed eras of world history. Empires and kingdoms that had dominated late Bronze Age western Asia and the eastern Mediterranean collapsed." * Choice *"Cline explores a vast array of variables that could have led to the disruption of the society of this era, including earthquakes, famines, droughts, warfare, and, most notably, invasions by the 'Sea Peoples.'" * Publishers Weekly *"A detailed but accessible synthesis. . . . [O]ffers students and the interested lay antiquarian a sense of the rich picture that is emerging from debates among the ruins."---Scott McLemee, Inside Higher Ed"In this enjoyable new book, Eric H. Cline has set himself an ambitious task: Not only must he educate a popular audience about the wealth and power of the eastern Mediterranean civilizations of the Bronze Age, he must then make his readers care that, some time around the year 1200 B.C., these empires, kingdoms, and cities suffered a series of cataclysms from which they never recovered."---Susan Kristol, Weekly Standard"[An] engaging book. . . . Cline builds a convincing case for his theory over a long and absorbing tour of the Late Bronze Age.”"---Josephine Quinn, London Review of Books"A wonderful example of scholarship written for the non-expert. Cline clearly pulls together the engaging story of the interactions among the major empires of the Late Bronze Age and puts forth a reasonable theory explaining why they seem to have evaporated as quickly as moisture on a hot afternoon."---Fred Reiss, San Diego Jewish World"Cline's work reveals eerie parallels between the geopolitics of the first years of 12th century B.C. and today's 21st century. 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed is history, but reads like a good mystery novel. Cline draws readers into his tale, revealing surprises throughout. It is all the more fascinating for being true, and for its relevance to today's world."---Mark Lardas, Daily News"Cline has written one of this year's most interesting books."---Jona Lendering, NRC Handelsblad"Extremely valuable for scholars, yet . . . easily understandable by general readers."---Richard A. Gabriel, Military History Quarterly"Cline is clearly in command of the textual record and his reading of it is the book's real strength."---A. Bernard Knapp, History Today"Written in a lively, engaging style."---Michael McGaha, Middle East Media and Book Reviews"1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed is a thoughtful analysis of one of the great mysteries of human history. . . . Highly recommended."---James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review"[T]his work masterfully incorporates the present state of research into a welcome reevaluation of a period less known to the general public, the crisis of Late Bronze Age civilization. . . . [E}ven more brilliant is the spin on the similarities between the predicament of this area three millennia ago and now."---Barbara Cifola, American Historical Review"There are few published titles which focus on the tumultuous events that took place in the Eastern Mediterranean at approximately 1200 BCE. . . . Cline's 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed stands out among the rest as one of the best and most thoroughly researched. . . . This book is presented as a mystery novel. . . . One thing is for certain, once started, you will not want to put it down." * Ancient Origins *"A gripping mystery story with clues to follow and evidence to analyze."---SG, Ancient Egypt Magazine"Essential."---Thomas F. Bertonneau, Brussels Journal"Well-written, very fairly argued, and excellent value, it will set the agenda for Late Bronze Age studies for some time to come."---Peter Jones, Classics for All"Fascinating. . . . [A]voids the tedium of so many academic writers."---Bruce Beresford, filmmaker"Eric H. Cline has written a work of great scholarship, but has written in a manner so that the non-expert . . . can not only understand, but also appreciate it."---Don Vincent, Open History"I don't know when I've appreciated a book as much as 1177 B.C. If you enjoy learning, you will enjoy this book! Highly recommended."---Thomas A. Timmes, UNRV History"Cline expertly and briskly takes the reader through the power politics of the fifteenth, fourteenth, and thirteenth centuries BC with excursuses on important archaeological discoveries and introductions for each of the major players. No reader with a pulse could fail to be captivated by the details."---Dimitri Nakassis, Mouseion"Cline's book is something special in ancient history writing. . . . The book is up to date in its research, covers a lot of ground, is careful in its conclusions, and will be referred to and cited by students of Aegean and eastern Mediterranean prehistory, discussed by the scholarly community, as well as read by the interested public. Cline has done a good job of bringing the Late Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean to a very wide audience."---Guy D. Middleton, American Journal of Archaeology"Remarkably prescient. . . . [A] convincing case for the relevance of ancient history to the modern world." * Canadian Journal of History *"The end of the Late Bronze Age, around the turn of the twelfth century BCE, was a civilizational collapse similar to the much better known fall of the Roman Empire seventeen centuries later. . . . The causes of this collapse have been among the enduring mysteries of ancient history and archaeology, a complicated detective story for which Eric Cline deftly serves as guide. Cline . . . presents for educated general readers a survey of the evidence and scholarship concerning the end of the Late Bronze Age. He also engagingly establishes the historical and geographical context of the collapse, complete with a motley and compelling cast of characters."---Matthew A. Sears, Canadian Journal of History"This collapse has been a popular subject for scholars, not least our author, for a very long time. Here he usefully assembles the evidence and deduces that it was the very complexity of powers, their interrelationships through trade or war, that brought about the collapse, and he is probably right."---John Boardman, Common Knowledge"The most analytically satisfying, accessible, and of course up-to-date treatment of one of the great enigmas of the ancient world."---Christoph Bachhuber, Historian"Cline admirably acknowledges areas of existing scholarly controversy, while understandably emphasizing the consensus view in order to maintain the flow of his narrative. . . . He has a firm command of the textual, archaeological, and environmental evidence, and brings together a wealth of recent scholarship in an accessible form, a treatment which has been sorely lacking for this pivotal period. . . . [A] fine book."---Erin Warford, European Legacy"1177 BC still offers the best treatment of the subject that is currently available. If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend that you do."---Josho Brouwers, Ancient World Magazine

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"The 2018 Medieval Book of the Year"

Read more less

Book SynopsisAtlas of Vanishing Places takes you on a voyage to all corners of the world in search of the lost, disappearing and vanished places. Table of ContentsINTRODUCTIONANCIENT CITIES MOHENJO-DARO-PAKISTAN HATTUSA-TURKEY LEPTIS MAGNA-LIBYA XANADU-MONGOLIA/CHINA CIUDAD PERDIDA-COLOMBIA MAHABALIPURAM-INDIA PALENQUE-MEXICO HELIKE-GREECE PETRA-JORDAN TIMGAD-ALGERIA ALEXANDRIA-EGYPTFORGOTTEN LANDS CHAN CHAN-PERU ROANOKE-NORTH CAROLINA, USA THE MOSQUE CITY OF BAGERHAT-BANGLADESH RIVER FLEET-LONDON, UK LION CITY-CHINA OLD ADAMINABY-AUSTRALIA PORT ROYAL-JAMAICA ESANBEHANAKITAKOJIMA-JAPAN THE LOST SEA-CRAIGHEAD CAVERNS, TENNESSEE, USA BODIE-CALIFORNIA, USA FLAGSTAFF-MAINE, USASHRINKING PLACES RIVER DANUBE-EUROPE THE DEAD SEA-JORDAN/ISRAEL SLIMS RIVER-YUKON, CANADA SKIPSEA-YORKSHIRE, UK THE EVERGLADES-FLORIDA, USATHREATENED WORLDS GLACIER NATIONAL PARK-MONTANA, USA CHIHUAHUAN DESERT-MEXICO/USA TIMBUKTU-MALI SKARA BRAE-ORKNEY YAMUNA RIVER-INDIA VENICE-ITALY THE CONGO BASIN RAINFOREST-DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF-AUSTRALIA THE GREAT WALL-CHINA TUVALU-SOUTH PACIFIC SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY PICTURE CREDITS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisA wise and witty compendium of the greatest thoughts, greatest minds, and greatest books of all time''listed in accessible and succinct form''by one of the world''s greatest scholars.From the ''Hundred Best Books'' to the ''ten Greatest Thinkers'' to the ''ten Greatest Poets, here is a concise collection of the world''s most significant knowledge. For the better part of a century, Will Durant dwelled upon''and wrote about''the most significant eras, individuals, and achievements of human history. His selections have finally been brought together in a single, compact volume. Durant eloquently defends his choices of the greatest minds and ideas, but he also stimulates readers into forming their own opinions, encouraging them to shed their surroundings and biases and enter ''the Country of the Mind, a timeless realm where the heroes of our species dwell. From a thinker who always chose to exalt the positive in the human species, The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time stays true to Durant''s optimism. This is a book containing the absolute best of our heritage, passed on for the benefit of future generations. Filled with Durant''s renowned wit, knowledge, and unique ability to explain events and ideas in simple and exciting terms, this is a pocket-size liberal arts and humanist curriculum in one volume.Table of ContentsContentsIntroductionChapter OneA Shameless Worship of HeroesChapter TwoThe Ten "Greatest" ThinkersChapter ThreeThe Ten "Greatest" PoetsChapter FourThe One Hundred "Best" Books for an EducationChapter FiveThe Ten "Peaks" of Human ProgressChapter SixTwelve Vital Dates in World HistoryIndexCopyright © 2002 by John Little, Monica Ariel Mihell, and William James Durant Easton

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review‘Mehring’s book is a remarkable achievement: an intellectual biography that illuminates a whole era while taking very seriously the intimate connections between the theory and the restless and obsessive personality of its main character. It is bound to remain a fundamental reference in the vast literature on one of the most decisive chapters in European constitutional history: the Weimar Republic.’Political Studies Review ‘By presenting a complete account of Schmitt’s life, heretofore absent, Mehring has done a great service. This biography will no doubt be the point of departure for studies of Carl Schmitt and his intellectual legacy for a long time.’Constellations

Read more less