General and world history Books

Book SynopsisWe take the edible trappings of flirtation for granted: chocolate covered strawberries and romance, oysters on the half shell and desire, the eggplant emoji and a suggestive wink. But why does it feel so natural for us to link food and sexual pleasure?Rachel Hope Cleves explores the long association between indulging in good food and an appetite for naughty sex, from the development of the Parisian restaurant as a place for men to meet with prostitutes and mistresses, to the role of sexual outlaws like bohemians, new women, lesbians and gay men in creating epicurean culture in Britain and the United States.Taking readers on a gastronomic journey from Paris and London to New York, Chicago and San Francisco,Lustful Appetitesreveals how this preoccupation changed the ways we eat and the ways we are intimate-while also creating stigmas that persist well into our own twenty-first century.

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Book SynopsisHawaii, 7th December 1941, shortly before 8 in the morning: Japanese torpedo bombers launch a surprise attack on the US Pacific fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The devastating attack claims the lives of over 2,400 American soldiers, sinks or damages 18 ships and destroys nearly 350 aircraft. The US Congress declares war on Japan the following day. In this vivid and lively book, Takuma Melber breathes new life into the dramatic events that unfolded before, during and after Pearl Harbor by putting the perspective of the Japanese attackers at the centre of his account. This is the dimension commonly missing in most other histories of Pearl Harbor, and it gives Melber the opportunity to provide a fuller, more definitive and authoritative account of the battle, its background and its consequences. Melber sheds new light on the long negotiations that went on between the Japanese and Americans in 1941, and the confusion and argument among the Japanese political and military elite. He shows how US intelligence and military leaders in Washington failed to interpret correctly the information they had and to draw the necessary conclusions about the Japanese war intentions in advance of the attack. His account of the battle itself is informed by the latest research and benefits from including the planning and post-raid assessment by the Japanese commanders. His account also covers the second raid in March 1942 by two long-range seaplanes which was intended to destroy the shipyards so that ships damaged in the initial attack could not be repaired. This balanced and thoroughly researched book deepens our understanding of the battle that precipitated America’s entry into the war and it will appeal to anyone interested in World War II and military history.Trade Review"dramatic and highly readable"The Daily Telegraph "Melber offers a fresh, dramatic account of events in 1941, when Japan headed into a war with the United States that most Japanese policymakers knew their country was not likely to win.... Readers know how the story ends, but Melber's just-the-facts narrative re-creates the tension of the events as they were lived."Foreign Affairs "Melber clearly is on top of his subject matter, having mastered the story of Pearl Habor from the perspectives of both Japan and the United States. In so doing he offers fascinating new insights into what led to the attack on Pearl Harbor and thus to America's entry into the Second World War. He displays a thorough knowledge of the Japanese and American literature, and he writes in a manner that is both accessible and authoritative. This is an excellent book and it will find a ready readership both among university students and among the general public."Richard Bessel, University of York "There is no shortage of historical literature on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, so it is a brave historian who seeks to find a new way to present a familiar story. The great merit of Takuma Melber's new book on the battle is his access to Japanese sources and literature. This is the dimension commonly missing in most accounts, and it gives Melber the opportunity to provide a fuller, more definitive and authoritative account of the battle, its background, and its consequences. Melber writes with great economy on a big subject, and he writes with flair and precision: this book is a literary achievement as well as a work of exceptional scholarship."Richard Overy, University of Exeter "Here is a new look at the dramatic way Japan drew the United States into World War II. The drawing of additional details from a variety of Japanese sources as well as the published and archival material in English and German offers the reader an excellent and balanced introduction to a very important event."Gerhard L. Weinberg, William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor of History Emeritus, University of North Carolina"A fascinating look at the inner workings of Japanese political, military, and diplomatic circles."War on the Rocks "[A] penetrating study of one of the key events of the 20th century from the Japanese rather than the usual American perspective. Melber's nuanced picture of Japanese wartime decision-making exposes the deep rifts in the country's military and civilian leadership. His clinical analysis of the diplomatic to-and-fro between Tokyo and Washington in the months before the attack lays bare the inevitable slide towards war."The Australian "In this vivid book, Takuma Melber breathes new life into the dramatic events that unfolded before, during, and after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. By putting the Japanese attackers' perspective at the centre of his account, he provides a more comprehensive and authoritative history of the battle, its background, and its consequences."Military History"Pearl Harbor is a fine introduction to its subject, enhanced by useful additions from original Japanese sources."Michigan War Studies Review"His book eloquently synthesizes both Japanese and American secondary and primary sources on the attack, and the narrative is told primarily from the perspective of the Japanese. The result is an evenly balanced account that provides a “big picture” view of events."The Strategy Bridge"Melber’s ‘Pearl Harbor’ is an admirably concise and highly illuminating account. It mainly tells how things unfolded from the Japanese perspective. Melber's excellent book illustrates that so-called decisive attacks aiming to utterly destroy an enemy with a major attack can sometimes create terrible consequences for the perpetrators.”Iain Ballantyne, Warships International Fleet Review''Melber’s authoritative and persuasive book brings another vital and welcome dimension into play by revealing the Japanese side of the narrative''Shepherd "Melber provides a concise and judicious account of Pearl Harbor that makes good use of his familiarity with Japanese sources to provide a balanced narrative of the diplomatic run-up to the attack and the battle itself. Because Melber's book is comprehensive, clearly written,... it has the potential to become a gateway book for general readers interested in Pearl Harbor and a staple textbook in diplomatic and military history courses. ... a fascinating account of the planning and execution of the Pearl Harbor attack."Journal of American Culture“This is not purely a military history but one that interweaves diplomatic history into a vivid account of the battle. … Pearl Harbor serves as the most up-to-date, well-researched, and accessible account of the event for the broadest possible readership.”Japan ReviewTable of ContentsPrologue I. The background 1. The road to Pearl Harbor 2. The crisis intensifies 3. Japan’s proposals for resolving the conflict 4. The Hull Note II. The Japanese war plan 1. Admiral Yamamoto and Operation Hawaii 2. The plan of attack 3. The Kid Butai sets sail 4. Japanese spies in Hawaii 5. The first encounter III. The attack 1. The first wave 2. ‘Tora Tora Tora’ 3. Battleship Row in crossfire 4. The second attack wave 5. Egusa’s dive bombers IV. Consequences 1. The aftermath 2. The USA enters the war 3. The first prisoner-of-war 4. The Japanese-born victims of Pearl Harbor 5. Could Pearl Harbor have been prevented? 6. Conspiracy theories 7. Operation K Epilogue Select Bibliography Notes Index

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Book SynopsisSet against the backdrop of war, revolution, and regicide, and moving from London to Venice, Mantua, Madrid, Paris and the Low Countries, Jerry Brotton’s colourful and critically acclaimed book, The Sale of the Late King's Goods, explores the formation and dispersal of King Charles I’s art collection. Following a remarkable and unprecedented Parliamentary Act for ‘The sale of the late king’s goods’, Cromwell’s republican regime sold off nearly 2,000 paintings, tapestries, statues and drawings in an attempt to settle the dead king’s enormous debts and raise money for the Commonwealth’s military forces. Brotton recreates the extraordinary circumstances of this sale, in which for the first time ordinary working people were able to handle and own works by the great masters. He also examines the abiding relationship between art and power, revealing how the current Royal Collection emerged from this turbulent period, and paints its own vivid and dramatic picture of one of the greatest lost collections in English history.Trade ReviewBrotton has taken on a cracking good story, confidently snaking through the complicated politics of seventeenth-century European art-dealership, from Venice and the Low Countries to the Escorial and back into the side-streets of turbulent London and the thousand-odd rooms of Whitehall Palace. He beds this vast mass of convoluted activity with its great cast of characters from de Critz to Van Dyck – its rivalries, frauds, enthusiasms, bankruptcies, brinkmanship and U-turns – deeply into the political, social and artistic context of the time. This is no pillow book: that Brotton maintains his authorial grip on both the grand sweep and the elaborate detail while controlling the drive of his multi-layered narrative is a superb achievement -- Kate Colquhoun * Daily Telegraph *Provocative . . . admirably researched and compellingly narrated -- Miranda Seymour * Sunday Times *Jerry Brotton, a young historian with an enviable command of the secondary literature, both historical and art-historical, and a good understanding of the way objects and works of art assume ideological significance, has told the amazing story of Charles I’s collection and its subsequent sale in full -- Charles Saumarez Smith * Literary Review *Jerry Brotton holds a magnifying glass to the amassing of the royal collection and its later dispersal . . . bustles with fascinating detail * History Today *Admirable * The Times *Colourful * Observer *Magnificent * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisMaster storyteller Brad Meltzer counts down and decodes the world’s top 10 most intriguing conspiracies stories. Wanted: the truth. In a riveting collection, Brad Meltzer guides us through the 10 greatest conspiracies of all time, from Leonardo da Vinci’s stolen prophecy to the Kennedy assassination. This richly illustrated book serves up those fascinating, unexplained questions that nag at history buffs and conspiracy lovers: Why was Hitler so intent on capturing the Roman “Spear of Destiny?” Where did all the Confederacy’s gold go? What is the government hiding in Area 51? And did Lee Harvey Oswald really act alone? Meltzer sifts through the evidence, weighs competing theories, separates what we know to be true and what’s still––and perhaps forever––unproved or unprovable, and in the end, decodes the mystery and arrives at the most likely explanation.

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Book SynopsisRoyals on Tour explores visits by European monarchs and princes to colonies, and by indigenous royals to Europe in the 1800s and early 1900s with case studies of travel by royals from Britain, France, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, the Dutch East Indies and French Indochina. Such tours projected imperial dominion and asserted the status of non-European dynasties. The celebrity of royals, the increased facility of travel, and the interest of public and press made tours key encounters between Europeans and non-Europeans. The reception visitors received illustrate the dynamics of empire and international relations. Ceremonies, speeches and meetings formed part of the popular culture of empire and monarchy. Mixed in with pageantry and protocol were profound questions about the role of monarchs, imperial governance, relationships between metropolitan and overseas elites, and evolving expressions of nationalism.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Empire Tours: Royal travel between colonies and metropoles - Robert Aldrich and Cindy McCreery 2. Royal tour by proxy: The embassy of Sultan Alauddin of Aceh to the Netherlands, 1601–1603 - Jean Gelman Taylor 3. French imperial tours: Napoléon III and Eugénie in Algeria and beyond - Robert Aldrich4. Something borrowed, something blue: Prince Alfred’s precedent in overseas British royal tours, c.1860–1925 - Cindy McCreery5. Royalty, loyalism, and citizenship in the late nineteenth-century British settler empire - Charles V. Reed6. The Maharaja of Gondal in Europe in 1883 - Caroline Keen7. Performing monarchy: The Kaiser and Kaiserin’s voyage to the Levant, 1898 - Matthew P. Fitzpatrick8. Colonial kings in the metropole: The visits to France of King Sisowath (1906) and Emperor Khai Dinh (1922) - Robert Aldrich9. Tensions of empire and monarchy: The African tour of the Portuguese crown prince in 1907 - Filipa Lowndes Vicente and Inês Vieira Gomes10. Belgian royals on tour in the Congo (1909–1960) - Guy Vanthemsche11. Royal symbolism: Crown Prince Hirohito’s tour to Europe in 1921 - Elise K. Tipton12. The Throne behind the Power? Royal tours of ‘Africa Italiana’ under fascism - Mark Seymour13. Strained encounters: Royal Indonesian visits to the Dutch court in the early twentieth century - Susie Protschky14. The 1947 royal tour in Smuts’ Raj: South African Indian responses - Hilary SapireIndex

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Book SynopsisMany disenchanted Kashmiris continue to demand independence or freedom from India. Written by a leading authority on Kashmir’s troubled past, this book revisits the topic of independence for the region (also known as Jammu and Kashmir, or J&K), and explores exactly why this aspiration has never been fulfilled. In a rare India-Pakistan agreement, they concur that neither J&K, nor any part of it, can be independent.Charting a complex history and intense geo-political rivalry from Maharaja Hari Singh’s leadership in the mid-1920s to the present, this book offers an essential insight into the disputes that have shaped the region. As tensions continue to rise following government-imposed COVID-19 lockdowns, Snedden asks a vital question: what might independence look like and just how realistic is this aspiration?Trade Review'Christopher Snedden’s lucidly written and well-researched book engages with the fraught question of the Kashmiri demand for independence for and over which so many have died over the decades. He traces its history, what it has meant to the various parties involved in defining, enabling and thwarting it, and is clear-eyed in presenting both the possibilities and impediments to its realization. The conclusions Snedden reaches may not please everyone but will certainly provoke thought and, in prompting debate, will ensure the question is not closed and forgotten about.'Mridu Rai, Professor of History, Presidency University, Kolkata'In a work that is bound to be fiercely debated, Snedden undertakes a challenging journey through the complexities of Kashmiri identity, the elusive concept of “azadi,” and the uncertainties surrounding the combination of the two.'Rajesh Basrur, Visiting Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and author of Rising India: Status and Power'A thought-provoking exploration of Kashmiris’ aspirations for independence (in different forms) over time, of the historic circumstances that helped to create this situation and of the one thing on which India and Pakistan agree – that it must not happen.'Gareth Price, Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House'A masterly account of the demand for independence in the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Drawing upon extensive primary sources, Christopher Snedden explains how the struggle - rooted primarily in the Kashmir valley - originated centuries ago because of the region’s unique location and cultural history, and why it remains a mirage.'Victoria Schofield, biographer, historian, author of Kashmir in Conflict, India, Pakistan and the Unending War -- .Table of ContentsGlossaryMapsIntroduction1 Decolonisation and the departure of the British from India2 Maharaja Hari Singh and his accession issue3 The significance of Kashmir and Kashmiri identity in J&K4 The rise of Kashmiri aspirations, 1924–475 Sheikh Abdullah’s pursuit of independence for ‘Kashmir’, 1946–536 Sheikh Abdullah’s pursuit of independence for ‘Kashmir’, post-19537 Kashmiris and independence since 1988Conclusion: to be independent, or not to be independent? That is the questionAppendix I: Comparison of Jammu and Kashmir with other entitiesAppendix II: Kashmir Valley Muslims in J&K and their numerical dominanceAppendix III: Border or territorial changes, actual or attempted, in South Asia since 15 August 1947NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisGlobal biographies provides an advanced and comprehensive analytical framework for historians to use biography as a method to write global history. Moving beyond the state-of-the-art, the volume defines and operationalises three uniquely tailored approaches to global biographies: ‘time and periodisation’, ‘exceptional normal’ and ‘space and scales’. From Icelandic communists and Jewish medical students, via Zambian Third Worldism and Albanian nationalism, to the Black/White Atlantic and Australian internationalists, the volume tests the prospects and pitfalls of the approaches it launches.Table of ContentsIntroduction – Laura Almagor, Haakon A. Ikonomou and Gunvor Simonsen PART I: Time and periodisation 1 Wilsonian moments: Thanassis Aghnides between empire and nation state – Haakon A. Ikonomou 2 Making sense of 1956: experiencing and negotiating the socialist project in Iceland – Rósa Magnúsdóttir3 Colonial masculinity: monarchy, military, colonialism, fascism and decolonisation – Diana M. Natermann 4 Jewish medical students in Vienna between two world wars – Natalia Aleksiun PART II: Exceptional normal5 ‘Just an African radical’? A Zambian at the edge of the third world – Ismay Milford 6 Exceptionally normal (post)Ottomans: how failure shaped the futures of Balkan heroes – Isa Blumi7 The exceptional normal: Hugh Lenox Scott (1853–1934) and the United States’ imperial expansion – Stefan Eklöf Amirell8 A fateful beginning: Mehmed Cavid Bey, politics and finance in the global Middle East, 1908–14 – Ozan OzavciPART III: Space and scales 9 Scholar, refugee worker, Jew: Koppel S. Pinson (1904–61) – Laura Almagor10 Transnational agitator and union activist: James W. Ford and the communist push into the Black Atlantic – Holger Weiss 11 A woman with a typewriter: the international career of Dorothea Weger – Benjamin Auberer12 A white Atlantic life: the money, books and family of Adrian Bentzon – Gunvor SimonsenIndex

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Book SynopsisThis volume documents the (in)visibility of women in science in the twentieth century. It combines individual and collective portraits with discussions of institutional structures, work cultures, science and domesticity, the pedagogy of science and the gendered dimensions of science communication. -- .

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Book SynopsisThe origin of the names of many English towns, hamlets and villages date as far back as Saxon times, when kings like Alfred the Great established fortified borough towns to defend against the Danes. A number of settlements were established and named by French Normans following the Conquest. Many are even older and are derived from Roman placenames. Some hark back to the Vikings who invaded our shores and established settlements in the eighth and ninth centuries. Most began as simple descriptions of the location; some identified its founder, marked territorial limits, or gave tribal people a sense of their place in the grand scheme of things. Whatever their derivation, placenames are inextricably bound up in our history and they tell us a great deal about the place where we live.

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Book SynopsisOver a thousand years ago the Chinese discovered that the slender filaments that formed the cocoon of the silk moth, could be woven into beautiful shimmering fabrics. For centuries they were able to keep the process a secret, but eventually started to trade the valuable cloth with the west, along the silk road. Silk was a luxury item that bestowed prestige, so it was inevitable that the wealthy wanted their silks to be as elaborate as possible, beautiful designs were produced in the Islamic world and gradually a European industry developed. In the 19th century mechanisation of the time consuming hand weaving process, had resulted in products being produced using the Jacquard loom, which used punched cards to create a pattern. Silk remains the most beautiful woven material in the world, moving from its origins in ancient China to help transform the whole world.

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Book Synopsis'We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed' Martin Luther King, Jr.In an era where our liberties are often under threat, Letters to Change the World sends reminders from history that standing up for - and voicing - our personal and political beliefs is not merely a human right but our duty, if we want to make change happen.Featuring Emmeline Pankhurst rallying her suffragettes, George Orwell's warning against totalitarianism, Nelson Mandela's consoling his children from prison, Time's Up condemning abuses of power, and much more, this collection will inspire you to stand up and speak up - now, for what really matters.'Remarkable, timely ... At a time of political uncertainty, the collection demonstrates the importance of speaking truth to power' GuardianTrade ReviewVisionaries, idealists and ordinary citizens speak out in this remarkable, timely anthology... At a time of political uncertainty, the collection demonstrates the importance of speaking truth to power. * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'A book of ideas [...] Strathern ably guides us through these moments of glory.' -- The Times ***Great cities are complex, chaotic and colossal. These are cities that dominate the world stage and define eras; where ideas flourish, revolutions are born and history is made.Through ten unique cities, from the founding of ancient capitals to buzzing modern megacities, Paul Strathern explores how urban centres lead civilisation forward, enjoying a moment of glory before passing on the baton.We journey back to discover Babylonian mathematics, Athenian theatre and intellectual debate, and Roman construction that has lasted millennia. We see Constantinople evolve into Istanbul, revolutionary sparks fly in Enlightenment Paris, and the railways, canals and ships that built Imperial London. In Moscow men build spaceships while other men starve, New York's skyscrapers rise up to a soundtrack of jazz, Mumbai becomes home to immense wealth and poverty, and Beijing's economic transformation leads the way.Each city has its own distinct personality, and Ten Cities that Led the World brings their rich and diverse histories to life, reminding us of the foundations we have built on and how our futures will be shaped.Trade ReviewHis command of his material is hugely impressive. * Irish Independent *

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Book SynopsisA panoramic, 'persuasive and inspiring' (New Yorker) new history of the revolutionary decades between 1760 and 1825, from North America and Europe to Haiti and Spanish America, showing how progress and reaction went hand in hand The revolutions that raged across Europe and the Americas over seven decades, from 1760 to 1825, created the modern world. Revolutionaries shattered empires, toppled social hierarchies, and birthed a world of republics. But old injustices lingered on and the powerful engines of revolutionary change created new and insidious forms of inequality.    In The Age of Revolutions, historian Nathan Perl-Rosenthal offers the first narrative history of this entire era. Through a kaleidoscope of lives both familiar and unknown—from John Adams, Toussaint Louverture, and Napoleon to an ambitious French naturalist and a seditious Peruvian nun—he retells the revolutionary epic as a generational story. The

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Book SynopsisA revelatory global history shows how cheap American grain toppled the world's largest empires To understand the rise and fall of empires, we must follow the paths traveled by grain-along rivers, between ports, and across seas. In Oceans of Grain, historian Scott Reynolds Nelson reveals how the struggle to dominate these routes transformed the balance of world power. Early in the nineteenth century, imperial Russia fed much of Europe through the booming port of Odessa. But following the US Civil War, tons of American wheat began to flood across the Atlantic, and food prices plummeted. This cheap foreign grain spurred the rise of Germany and Italy, the decline of the Habsburgs and the Ottomans, and the European scramble for empire. It was a crucial factor in the outbreak of the First World War and the Russian Revolution. A powerful new interpretation, Oceans of Grain shows that amid the great powers' rivalries, there was no greater power than control of grain.

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Book SynopsisThe politics of grief, in an era marked by loss, shows us how we can find our humanity once more. From one of our most vital and far-seeing social critics. Our era is one of significant and substantial loss, yet we barely have time to acknowledge it. The losses range from the personal grief of a single COVID death to the planetary disaster wrought by climate change. We are in an age of unraveling hopes and expectations, of dreams curtailed, of aspirations desiccated. What can we do?  This is capitalism’s death phase. It has become clear that the cost of wealth creation for a few is enormous destruction for others. The marginalized and the vulnerable have been feeling the crisis for a long time, but it is increasingly coming for all of us. At the same time, we are denied the means of mourning the futures that are being so brutally curtailed.  At such a moment, taking the time to grieve is a radical act. Through in

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Book SynopsisKarl Marx saw the ruling class as a sorcerer, no longer able to control the ominous powers it has summoned from the netherworld. Today, in an age spawning the likes of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, our society has never before been governed by so many conjuring tricks, with collusions and conspiracies, fake news and endless sleights of the economic and political hand. And yet, contends Andy Merrifield, as our modern lives become ever more mist-enveloped, the works of Marx can help us penetrate the fog. In Marx, Dead and Alive – a book that begins and ends beside Marx’s recently violated London graveside – Merrifield makes a spirited case for a critical thinker who can still offer people a route toward personal and social authenticity. Bolstering his argument with fascinating examples of literature and history, from Shakespeare and Beckett, to the Luddites and the Black Panthers, Merrifield demonstrates how Marx can reveal our individual lives to us within a collective perspective – and within a historical continuum. Who we are now hinges on who we once were – and who we might become. This, at a time when our value-system is undergoing core “post-truth” meltdown.Trade Review“This enchanting portrait of Marx at work, with his legendary overcoat and shuffling ways, is brilliant, informative, and beautifully written. Merrifield then puts the insights he derives from reconnecting with Marx's writing to work to illuminate everything from the writings of Gogol and Dickens to the architectural disaster of New York's Hudson Yards.” —David Harvey, author, A Companion to Marx’s Capital and Marx, Capital and the Madness of Economic Reason

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Book SynopsisKarl Marx saw the ruling class as a sorcerer, no longer able to control the ominous powers it has summoned from the netherworld. Today, in an age spawning the likes of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, our society has never before been governed by so many conjuring tricks, with collusions and conspiracies, fake news and endless sleights of the economic and political hand. And yet, contends Andy Merrifield, as our modern lives become ever more mist-enveloped, the works of Marx can help us penetrate the fog. In Marx, Dead and Alive – a book that begins and ends beside Marx’s recently violated London graveside – Merrifield makes a spirited case for a critical thinker who can still offer people a route toward personal and social authenticity. Bolstering his argument with fascinating examples of literature and history, from Shakespeare and Beckett, to the Luddites and the Black Panthers, Merrifield demonstrates how Marx can reveal our individual lives to us within a collective perspective – and within a historical continuum. Who we are now hinges on who we once were – and who we might become. This, at a time when our value-system is undergoing core “post-truth” meltdown.Trade Review“This enchanting portrait of Marx at work, with his legendary overcoat and shuffling ways, is brilliant, informative, and beautifully written. Merrifield then puts the insights he derives from reconnecting with Marx's writing to work to illuminate everything from the writings of Gogol and Dickens to the architectural disaster of New York's Hudson Yards.” —David Harvey, author, A Companion to Marx’s Capital and Marx, Capital and the Madness of Economic Reason

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Book SynopsisThe story of the Special Forces in World War II has never fully been told before. Information about them began to be declassified only in the 1980s. Known as the Jedburghs, these Special Forces were selected from members of the British, American, and Free French armies to be dropped in teams of three deep behind German lines. There, in preparation for D-Day, they carried out what we now know as unconventional warfare: supporting the French Resistance in guerrilla attacks, supply-route disruption, and the harassment and obstruction of German reinforcements. Always, they operated against extraordinary odds. They had to be prepared to survive pitched battles with German troops and Gestapo manhunts for weeks and months while awaiting the arrival of Allied ground forces. They were, in short, heroes. The Jedburghs finally tells their story and offers a new perspective on D-Day itself. Will Irwin has selected seven of the Jedburgh teams and told their stories as gripping personal narratives. He has gathered archival documents, diaries and correspondence, and interviewed Jed veterans and family members in order to present this portrait of their crucial role , a role recognized by Churchill and Eisenhower , in the struggle to liberate Europe in 1944-45. This is narrative history at its most compelling a vivid drama of the battle for France from deep behind enemy lines.Trade Review"A gripping and authoritative account of the soldiers whose exploits formed the basis for modern special warfare." General Wesley Clark, author of Winning Modern Wars and Waging Modern War "Will Irwin's timely chronicle of (the Jedburghs) many hair-raising missions will delight both military history buffs and those looking for a genuine page-turner." Alex Kershaw, author of The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter"

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Book SynopsisWho founded China? Are Chinese people religious? What is Chinese culture and how has it changed over time? The accessible and fun Understanding China Through Comics series answers those questions and more. For all ages, Foundations of Chinese Civilization covers China's early history in comic form, introducing philosophies like Confucianism and Daoism, the story of the Silk Road, famous emperors like Han Wudi, and the process of China's unification. Includes a handy timeline. This is volume one of the Understanding China Through Comics series. Jing Liu is a Beijing native now living in Davis, California. A successful designer and entrepreneur who helped brands tell their stories, Jing currently uses his artistry to tell the story of China.Trade Review"A great way to learn about China's vast history!"--Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club Excels at clarifying the often-confusing transitional periods between dynasties... An excellent introduction to the large trends of early Chinese history."--School Library Journal "The lucid, economical text makes one eager for the successive volumes."--Booklist "Simple and effective...This direct, appealing introduction to the foundations of one of the world's oldest civilizations is recommended for teens and adults."--Library Journal "An excellent history that clearly explains the great (and ordinary) people who have made China what it is and the conflicts and debates that have shaped Chinese history. There is nothing else like it in English or Chinese."--Alan Baumler, Professor of History at Indiana University of Pennsylvania "No more burying yourself in text-heavy history books to learn about China, this comic-style book manages to be rich in information and bring Chinese history to readers in a more clear, fun, and accessible way than it's ever been done before. Easily integrated into a social studies or Chinese culture curriculum, I can't wait to get a copy for my class."--Grace Zeng, Chinese Teacher and Middle School Chinese Curriculum Area Leader at International School of Beijing "It is certainly a fascinating look at Chinese history, and doing it in comics has certainly made it more accessible to people, especially for the Western world."--Radio Australia "Jing Liu has brought to life the long and complex early period of Chinese history in this wonderful graphic novel. Foundations of Chinese Civilization is a delight to read; humorous, informative, and truly captivating."--Alexandra Pearson, Founder of The Bookworm Literary Festival "This book is "The Magic School Bus" for those starting to explore Chinese culture."--Dan Cao, Instructor at Confucius Institute at UC Davis "Since the 1990s, Jing Liu has been entertaining and informing foreigners about China with his cartoons. His new series of comic books is a fun, easy, accessible way to gain a basic understanding of Chinese history and culture."--Jeremy Goldkorn, Founder of Danwei 4.5/5 Stars "Entertaining, engaging, and informative, this is a perfect doorway for the student new to ancient China."--Seattle Book Review "Informed and informative, Division to Unification in Imperial China is especially recommended for young readers ages 11 to 17 and should be a part of every school and community library's History of China collection."--The Midwest Book Review "The book does what it says it does: a child will come away with a basic understanding of early Chinese history, what makes the Chinese tick as a people and culture."--Asian Review of Books "With Donald Trump's focus on China, with no signs of letting up, it is a perfect time to gain a better understanding of a very misunderstood country. This is a highly accessible work tailored to fast learning while also very entertaining."--The Comics Grinder

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Book SynopsisIn November 1945, two French officers secretly entered the Führerbunker, the air raid shelter near the Chancellery in Berlin. The bunker was the last home of Adolf Hitler, the background of the last months of his life, and the war, where he married Eva Braun on April 29, 1945, and where he killed himself less than two days later. In the middle of a heap of furniture and broken objects, the two officers found hundreds of documents littering the ground. Among the documents that they retrieved were a dozen telegrams of historic importance that allow us to understand the spirit of the last leaders of the Third Reich as well as the events that took place between April 23 and 26, 1945. These and other documents are presented for the first time in this book, presented in their proper context and with an expert commentary.Trade ReviewBut although the building may have gone, troves of historic documents survived. Now, many have been published for the first time in this new visual history, an excellent guide to the horrendous final days, hours, and minutes of the Third Reich. * Military History Matters (Book Reviews) *...offers a layer of detail that will be appreciated by anyone who guides Berlin. * Battlefields Trust Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Reich Chancellery The subterranean complex The last landmark Running the War from the Bunker The last days of the Bunker The Bunker of Apocalypse A visit to the Chancellery Reconnecting the Thread of History The documents

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Book SynopsisBagration was the code word that the Soviet Army gave for their summer offensive in 1944. This massive offensive led to the destruction of the German Army Group Center and was the greatest military defeat ever experienced by the German Army during World War Two. This book provides an absorbing insight into the German defeat and the Russian offensive using a wide variety of rare and previously unpublished photographs. With detailed captions and text together with 20 artist profiles and maps, the book shows the compelling story of how German Army Group Center tried to counter the overwhelming might of the Soviet Army as it poured thousands of men, weapons and armor across the German lines, smashing its way through.What ensued was a swift and bloody battle of attrition as the German Army tried to contain the might of its unstoppable enemy. In the days and weeks that followed German units fought and gradually retreated under the constant hammer blows of Russian ground and aerial bombardments, and endless armored and infantry attacks. Many German units fighting to the grim death were duty-bound not to withdraw, and what followed was a disaster of a colossal magnitude. As the Soviet might punched a massive hole in the German lines it sent huge shock waves through Army Group Center forcing them to retreat or face total annihilation.However, the Russian offensive was so quick that many of the German units with their precious panzer and infantry divisions quickly became encircled and destroyed - its remnants retreating west in order to save itself. By the end of the battle this cataclysm was bigger than that experienced at Stalingrad. It saw the German Army being pushed out of Russia towards Poland with the loss of over 300,000 men and most of its weaponry lost.The story of the destruction of Army Group Center during the summer of 1944 has been completely overshadowed by the D-Day campaign in Normandy three weeks earlier. Yet, the battle in which the German forces endured on the Eastern Front that fateful summer was more catastrophic than that experienced by the Allies on the Western Front, but little is known of the operation. This book reveals the lesser-known battle in the East and shows how the German forces fought and lost against overwhelming odds.Trade ReviewIt is recommended for the general reader, the modeller and vehicle enthusiast and those with an interest in the Eastern Front. * Miniature Wargames *The photographs really make this book, as I do not recall seeing many in print before. Recommended. * Scale Military Modelling International Magazine *Table of ContentsPreparations Operation Bagration: The Attack: 22 June–28 June 1944 Fighting for Survival: 29 June–6 July 1944 Destruction: 6 July–11 July 1944 Aftermath: The fate of Army Group Center Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisAn impassioned history of the final, turbulent years of The Clash under the dark shadow of Reagan and Thatcher.

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Book SynopsisThe best single-volume history of the Revolution I have read. Howard Zinn Upon its initial publication, Ray Raphael's magisterialA People's History of the American Revolutionwas hailed byNPR's Fresh Airas relentlessly aggressive and unsentimental. With impeccable skill, Raphael presented a wide array of fascinating scholarship within a single volume, employing a bottom-up approach that has served as a revelation. A People's History of the American Revolutiondraws upon diaries, personal letters, and other Revolutionary-era treasures, weaving a thrilling you are there narrativea tapestry that uses individual experiences to illustrate the larger stories. Raphael shifts the focus away from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to the slaves they owned, the Indians they displaced, and the men and boys who did the fighting (Los Angeles Times Book Review). This remarkable perspective on a familiar part of American history helps us

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Book SynopsisOver There in the Air tells the little known story of the contribution of Texas A&M University to early aviation in World War I. Over two thousand students served in the war in one capacity or another, and of those about 250 were involved in the newest martial development-military aviation. The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, as it was then known, was regarded as one of the top leading academic institutions in the country for contributions to the nation's effort in the Great War. Through painstaking research-using unit records, after-action reviews, alumni newsletters, and countless other university documents-John A. Adams Jr. paints a portrait of the Aggie aviator in the Great War. Texas A&M aviators flew in European air forces, hunted German U-boats, went on scouting missions, and served as attack pilots. Adams has identified, often for the first time, those Aggies who served and follows them through training, life on the front, and the return home. While much of the World War I story occurred "over there", just as much took place "over here." Adams explores the home front as well as the battlefront, capturing campus life in the midst of mobilization, recruitment, and a devastating influenza epidemic that claimed as many as fifty campus lives.Over There in the Air is a riveting book about an important contribution of a university to the World War I effort. It is sure to catch the attention of all Aggies and those interested in aviation history.

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Book SynopsisNYC's notorious Mudd Club where art and music intersect with sex, drugs and the slumming glittering elite.

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Book SynopsisWith Germany in the World, award-winning historian David Blackbourn radically revises conventional narratives of German history, demonstrating the existence of a distinctly German presence in the world centuries before its unification—and revealing a national identity far more complicated than previously imagined. Blackbourn traces Germany’s evolution from the loosely bound Holy Roman Empire of 1500 to a sprawling colonial power to a twenty-first-century beacon of democracy. Viewed through a global lens, familiar landmarks of German history—the Reformation, the Revolution of 1848, the Nazi regime—are transformed, while others are unearthed and explored, as Blackbourn reveals Germany’s leading role in creating modern universities and its sinister involvement in slave-trade economies. A global history for a global age, Germany in the World is a bold and original account that upends the idea that a nation’s history should be written as though it took place entirely within that nation’s borders.Trade Review"[A] rich and full-throated book"" -- Neal Ascherson - The Observer"[An] all-embracing history of Germany's relationship with the outside world... readers of this book will never see Germany in quite the same way again. " -- The Economist"In this detailed and original study, David Blackbourn argues that Germany's influence stretches around the world and has done so since long before there was a unified German geopolitical entity. " -- The New European

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Book SynopsisAlthough the ultimate prize of the Great Game played out between Great Britain and Imperial Russia in the 19th century was India, most of the intrigue and action took place along its northern frontier in Afghanistan, Turkestan and Tibet. Maps and knowledge of the enemy were crucial elements in Britain’s struggle to defend the ‘jewel in the crown.’The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India had been founded in the 18th century with the aim of creating a detailed map of the country. While most people today are readily able to identify the world’s highest mountain, few know of the man, George Everest, after whom it was named, or the accomplishment that earned him this singular honor. Under his leadership, the Survey of India mapped the Great Arc, which was then lauded as ‘one of the greatest works in the whole history of science,’ though it cost more in monetary terms and human lives than many contemporary Indian wars.Much of the work of the Survey was undertaken by native Indians, known as Pundits, who were trained to explore, spy out and map Central Asia and Tibet. They did this at great personal risk and with meager resources, while traveling entirely on foot. They would be the first to reveal the mysteries of the forbidden city of Lhasa, and discover the true course of Tibet’s mighty Tsangpo River. They were the greatest group of explorers the world has seen in recent history – yet they remain the classic unsung heroes of the British Raj.The story of these extraordinary pioneers who explored much of Asia during the 19th century to fill in large portions of its map, and spy out the region for military reasons is often forgotten, but Riaz Dean’s vivid account of their exploits, their adventurous spirit and their tenacity in the face of great adversity, all set within the context of the Great Game and the Survey of India, will finally bring them the attention they deserve.

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Book SynopsisThe rise of capitalism to global dominance is still largely associated – by both laypeople and Marxist historians – with the industrial capitalism that made its decisive breakthrough in 18th century Britain. Jairus Banaji’s new work reaches back centuries and traverses vast distances to argue that this leap was preceded by a long era of distinct “commercial capitalism”, which reorganised labor and production on a world scale to a degree hitherto rarely appreciated.Rather than a picture centred solely on Europe, we enter a diverse and vibrant world. Banaji reveals the cantons of Muslim merchants trading in Guangzhou since the eighth century, the 3,000 European traders recorded in Alexandria in 1216, the Genoese, Venetians and Spanish Jews battling for commercial dominance of Constantinople and later Istanbul. We are left with a rich and global portrait of a world constantly in motion, tied together and increasingly dominated by a pre-industrial capitalism. The rise of Europe to world domination, in this view, has nothing to do with any unique genius, but rather a distinct fusion of commercial capitalism with state power.Trade ReviewEndorsements“In this majestic work of critical historical scholarship, Jairus Banaji has built a de?finitive argument that commercial capitalism is the essence of capitalism, that it has dominated eras usually asserted to be pre-capitalist, and that it has persisted into the present.”—BARBARA HARRISS-WHITE, emeritus professor of development studies, Wolfson College, Oxford University“This book is Jairus Banaji at his scholarly and provocative best. With his remarkable knowledge of world literatures, Banaji has produced a major exercise in the global and historical analysis of capitalism, affecting how we grasp capitalism today and how we understand and use Marx to do so—theory as history indeed.” —HENRY BERNSTEIN, emeritus professor of development studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London“With mind-boggling erudition, command over an extraordinary range of historical materials in multiple languages, and a theoretically sophisticated irreverence for received dogma, Jairus Banaji dislodges many a eurocentric account to offer an absorbing, thought-provoking, and truly global story of the emergence and varieties of capitalism.”—LALEH KHALILI, professor of international politics, Queen Mary University of London and author, Sinews of War and Trade More praise for Jairus Banaji“From the impact of slavery, the rise of the poor taking control, and the role of other philosophies and faiths impacting the discussion, Theory as History is a unique way to discuss history, economics, and the people behind it, a core addition to any community library history collection.”—Midwest Book Review“The great merit of this volume is that it establishes an approach for [the debates about the nature and origin of capitalism] that is deeply theoretical, but at the same time refreshingly unhampered by the kind of doctrinaire attachment to a perceived (and often misread) orthodoxy that plagued so much of “historical materialism” for the past century. It is scholarly, without being purely academic ... Banaji’s book deserves to be read and debated as one of the starting points for a new wave of Marxist historiography, still in the process of liberating itself from the ghost of its formalist past." ”—Pepijn Brandon, International Socialism“Banaji’s seemingly idiosyncratic but in fact highly sophisticated and original approach to historical analysis provides not only a welcome stimulus and a challenge for scholars today, but also will give them plenty to think about for many years to come." ”—Marcel van der Linden, research director of the International Institute of Social History“Theory as History is a book written at the summit of a lifetime’s engagement with issues of Marxist theory and practice ... Banaji’s work demonstrates that no aspect of human history is irrelevant to the present. His scholarship shows immense skill, depth and range … [proving] it is not the Marxist method that has been at fault, but the dominance of non-Marxist theory and method in the minds of Marxist.”—CounterfireTable of ContentsChapter One: Reinstating Commercial CapitalismChapter Two: The Infrastructure of Commercial CapitalismChapter Three: The Competition of Capitals: Struggles for Commercial Dominance from the 12th to 18th CenturiesChapter Four: British Mercantile Capitalism and the Cosmopolitanism of the Nineteenth CenturyChapter Five: Commercial Practices : Putting-Out, or the Capitalist Domestic IndustriesChapter Six: The Circulation of Commercial Capitals: Competition, Velocity, VerticalityAppendix: Islam and CapitalismNotesSelect bibliography

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Book SynopsisRenowned Marxist scholar Michael Löwy offers an indispensable assessment of an enduringly fascinating revolutionary.Vibrant, insightful, and wide-ranging, Löwy’s essays illuminate the heroic, tough-minded idealist and martyr, Rosa Luxemburg. Active in the labor and socialist movements of Germany, Poland, and Russia, Luxemburg had international standing as an original and sharp-minded theorist during her life and remains one of the most admired and studied revolutionaries in the Marxist tradition.Löwy follows Luxemburg in blending diverse intellectual disciplines—philosophy, history, political science, sociology, anthropology, and economics—to make sense of global realities in her time and our own. Luxemburg’s creative intellectual endeavors were shaped by her genuine devotion to the free development of all people, and her fierce opposition to all forms of tyranny and authoritarianism. These commitments guided her analyses of exploitation and mass struggle, the dynamics of trade unions and of bureaucracy, the origins and impacts of economic crisis, the nature of war and imperialism, and the interconnections of reform and revolution.In accessible and stimulating prose, Löwy explores Luxemburg’s many political and theoretical contributions, as well as her links to revolutionaries including Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Antonio Gramsci, Georg Lukács, José Carlos Mariátegui, and Leon Trotsky. Through Löwy’s expansive engagement with Luxemburg‘s political trajectory and influence, we are able to see her wrestle with political problems that remain relevant today.

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Book SynopsisFrom fleeing the Warsaw Ghetto and living underground to fighting for social justice in 1960s’ Seattle and helping smash the communist system in 1980s’ Poland, this is a narrative that erupts into critical moments in Jewish, Polish, and American history. It is also a story of the hidden anguish that accompanies and courses through that history, of the living haunted by the dead. The story is told through a conversation, often contentious, between Michael Steinlauf, historian of Polish-Jewish culture and child of Holocaust survivors, and the anthropologist and artist Elżbieta Janicka. It is illustrated with scores of photographs and documents.Table of Contents1. Poland, 1980s 2. Columbia, 1960s 3. Seattle, first half of the 1970s 4. Brighton Beach, 1950s 5. Brandeis, 1979-88 6. Bondage to the Dead, first time around 7. Bondage to the Dead, second time around 8. Moses, Moyshe, Michał, Maryś, Michel, Michael first time around 9. Moses, Moyshe, Michał, Maryś, Michel, Michael second time around 10. PostscriptsAcknowledgements

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Book SynopsisTranslated into English for the first time, this is a fascinating history of intelligence practices and their impact on great power rivalries in the early modern eraIn the sixteenth century, an intense rivalry between the Ottoman Empire and the Spanish Habsburg Empire and its allies spurred the creation of early modern intelligence. Translated into English for the first time, Emrah Safa Gürkan's Spies for the Sultan reconstructs this history of Ottoman espionage, sabotage, and bribery practices in the Mediterranean world. Then as now, collecting political, naval, military, and economic information was essential to staying one step ahead of your rivals. Porous and shifting borders, the ability to assume multiple identities, and variable allegiances made conditions in this era ripe for espionage around the Mediterranean. The Ottomans used networks of merchants, corsairs, soldiers, and other travelers to move among their enemies and report intelligence from points far and wide. The Otto

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Book SynopsisAn innovative, interdisciplinary perspective on soft power in history, moving beyond the framework of the nation-stateStarting in the nineteenth century, as world events became more interconnected than ever, and as public opinion began to weigh on democratic governments, nations employed new communication strategies and propaganda to gain global influence and prestige. Soft power strategies were used by different nation-states, and by supranational and nonstate actors, that wanted to gain influence on the international stage. Soft Power Beyond the Nation takes a distinct approach to the study of soft power in history, moving beyond the framework of the nation-state. The volume editors use soft power to refer to the processes through which persuasion, the search for influence and power, and public opinion converge in the international arena. The book is organized on the basis of three central themes: the transnational circulation of knowledge and strategies of public diplomacy across borders, collaboration of intermediary actors of soft power whose interests did not always coincide with those of the state, and the role played by nonnational identities, such as gender and race, in soft power. Soft Power Beyond the Nation enriches the historiographical study of soft power, broadening its temporal and spatial scope and refreshing it with new perspectives on transnationalism, gender, and race. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of history and international relations.

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Book SynopsisAccording to author Joe Holley, the story of the Texas Electric Cooperatives, a collective of some 76 member-owned electric providers throughout the state, is a story of neighborliness and community, grit and determination, and persuasion and political savvy. It's the story of a grassroots movement that energized rural Texas.

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Book Synopsis Nuclear signaling is defined as the deliberate maneuvering of nuclear forces to deter and influence an adversary's actions. Author Sean Maloney shows how Russian leader Vladimir Putin has systematically employed nuclear signaling to force desired behavior from both NATO and the United States. This strategy has escalated greatly during the Russo-Ukraine War as Putin seeks to deter Western intervention and support of Ukraine. Putin uses many forms of nuclear signaling, including ordering jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons to fly in western European airspace, staging a joint bomber exercise with China near Alaska, and instructing submarines carrying nuclear weapons to surface through the Arctic icepack. The frequency of this signaling far exceeds that of similar activity during the Cold War and has escalated to more dangerous levels than before. When Russia experienced setbacks on the battlefield, Putin often intensified his nuclear-force posturing by paring it with thinly veiled threats to use tactical nuclear weapons. Maloney argues convincingly that in the postCold War era, Putin has skillfully combined his use of nuclear signaling with advances in information technology to more effectively manipulate Western nations. He asserts that the United States was initially late in recognizing this development, but as the situation worsened, America and NATO have devised a series of responses that now hold Russia in check. The question is, for how long? Maloney concludes that Putin's nuclear posturing has produced mixed results. First and foremost, Putin did successfully deter the United States and other NATO countries from outright military action in defense of Ukraine following the 2022 invasion. However, Russia's nuclear signaling did not prevent the West from providing weapons and intelligence to Ukraine, nor did it stop NATO's expansion. Nevertheless, the partial success of Russia's Cool War activity does not lessen the significance of this new reality or the scope of the problems that face the West moving forward.

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Book SynopsisExplore all of the murder, madness and mayhem in Ancient Rome during the reign of the mad emperor, Caligula. In this book about Rome’s most infamous emperor, expert author, Stephen Dando-Collins’ chronicles all the palace intrigues and murders that led to Caligula becoming emperor, and details the horrors of his manic reign and the murderous consequences brought about at the hand of his sister Agrippina the Younger, his uncle Claudius and his nephew Nero. Skillfully researched, Dando-Collins puts the jigsaw pieces together to form an accurate picture of Caligula’s life and influences. Dando-Collins’ precise and thorough examination of the emperor’s life puts Caligula’s paranoid reign into perspective, examining the betrayals and deaths he experienced prior to his time in power and the onset of a near-fatal illness believed to have affected his mental-health.Trade Review"The short, sordid and violent life of the Roman emperor some have compared to Donald Trump."— Kirkus Review "Was Caligula really mad, bad and dangerous to know? Discover whether he deserves his infamy – or not – in this engrossing character study of the famous emperor." –Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of The Confessions of a Young Nero and The Splendor Before the Dark "A compelling page-turner. It reads like a political thriller. Which it is. It reads like a work of investigative journalism. Which it is. It reads like a myth-busting period history. Which it is... It takes narrative history to a virtuosic level, with a timeless story extremely well told." –Ralph Benko, US columnist "There have been many biographies of Caligula, but none that have such spark and vivacity." –Manda Scott, author of the Boudica and Rome series and A Treachery of Spies, and former president of the Historical Writers Association of the UK "A marvelous book… A lively, engaging volume that is a true pleasure to read." –Professor Lee Fratantuono, Ohio Wesleyan University, author of Caligula: An Unexpected General “Caligula: The Mad Emperor of Rome is a compelling page-turner, a timeless story. It reads like a political thriller. Which it is. It reads like a work of investigative journalism. Which it is. It reads like a myth-busting period history. Which it is. The author, clearly familiar with, yet never pedantic about, all the primary sources, dispels many old libels masquerading for centuries as fake news. Meanwhile, he provides us with an abundance of documented stories so lurid as to dwarf the overhyped misdemeanors of today. Long ago I was tipped off to on an open secret: Colleen McCulloch's pulp masterpieces in Masters of Rome were so accurate as to be held in awe as a kind of quasi-history by the ‘Secret Fraternity of Latin Teachers.’ If you enjoy historical fiction you will love this historical fact of Caligula (the book, not the Emperor!). Caligula may herald the perfection of a new literary genre: "forensic history." It takes narrative history to a virtuosic level with a timeless story extraordinarily well-told." –Ralph Benko, columnist "A marvelously readable popular biography. It's studded with atmospheric, well-crafted set pieces highlighting both the excesses of this emperor's reign and his imperial milieu." –Washington Independent Review of Books "A marvelous book. Stephen Dando-Collins offers a fresh scholarly perspective on the notorious emperor Caligula that succeeds admirably in being of interest both to professional scholars of the early Roman Empire and to the general reader. This is a lively, engaging volume that is a true pleasure to read. Anyone interested in ancient Rome will want to acquire and enjoy this great new addition to the bibliography." –Dr. Lee Fratanuono, Professor of Classics, Ohio Wesleyan University, author of Caligula: An Unexpected General

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Book SynopsisIn more than five decades as a reporter, editor and publisher, Peter Osnos has had an especially good view of momentous events and relationships with some of the most influential personalities of our time.As a young journalist for I.F. Stone''s Weekly, one of the leading publications of the turbulent 1960s and in 18 years at The Washington Post , he covered the war in Vietnam and Cambodia, the Soviet Union at the height of Kremlin power, Washington D.C. as National Editor, "Swinging London" in the 60s and Thatcher''s Britain in the 1980s.At Random House and the company he founded, PublicAffairs, he was responsible for books by four presidents -Carter, Clinton, Obama and Trump; celebrated Washington figures including Robert McNamara, House Speaker Tip O''Neill and Vernon Jordan, first ladies Rosalynn Carter and Nancy Reagan, the billionaire George Soros, basketball superstars Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson, legendary spies, political dissidents and the writers, Molly Ivins and Peggy Noonan, among many others.In this unusually wide-ranging memoir, Osnos uses a reporter''s skills to portray historic events and encounters beginning with his parents'' extraordinary World War II experiences escaping Europe to India, where he was born, to the present day. He shares unique portraits of the famous people he worked with and an insider''s perspective of the news and publishing businesses. As he charts the evolution of his career and recent history, he also explores the influence and impact of family, character, curiosity, luck, resilience, a well-pressed suit and some unexpected wrinkles.Also featuring a "virtual attic" of photographs, documents and video at anespeciallygoodview.com.

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The North East Coast presents a selection of true-life accounts from the region's fascinating maritime and seafaring history. Including some of the best stories from his previous books, Newcastle author Ken Smith throws the spotlight on such exciting episodes as Grace Darling and the rescue of survivors from the Forfarshire, the birth of the first purpose-built lifeboat and the career of the illustrious Tyne-built liner Mauretania.

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Book SynopsisAlan Morgan has lived in High Heaton for nearly 90 years and witnessed most of its growth from farmers’ fields and the residue of industrialisation to the pleasant and popular residential suburb it is today. Paddy Freeman’s Park, with easy access to Jesmond Dene, and the adjacent world-renowned Freeman Hospital are just two of the familiar landmarks celebrated in this book. Nearby, Cochrane Park developed into another sought-after residential estate following the demolition of two 18th century mansions in extensive grounds. At Benton, this much older village, pockets of smaller residential estates have appeared alongside earlier listed buildings now adapted for modern use. This book is liberally illustrated with photographs, maps and aerial views to help the reader discover the scale of development in this area and appreciate the many historic features that remain.

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Book SynopsisThis book takes us back to the beginning of the 1980s against the background of the impending miners’ strike and the strained relationship between the unions and the Thatcher government. Caroline Barker Bennett recorded the experiences of twenty women industrial workers on Tyneside. The eldest of these women started work in 1934 and the youngest in 1981. These interviews are documented here and give a unique insight into the lives of working women at the time. Working as an industrial chaplain, Caroline got to know the women through visiting George Angus, an engineering company in Wallsend, and Louise Argyle, a women’s clothing co-operative, in Hebburn. These fascinating oral accounts document the changing conditions, struggles and everyday experiences of working in many different factories, shops and offices and are a valuable contribution to an important part of the region’s social history that is often overlooked.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Leaving School at Starting Work 2. Becoming Workers 3. Shop and Factory 4. Changing Jobs 5. Working in Engineering 6. A Way of Life that Went: The Colliery Shop 7. Experience as Supervisors 8. Views on Management and Trade Unions 9. The Clothing Industry 10. Working in a Co-operative Conclusion

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Book Synopsis?Few artists are also historians, and few historians have the talent to illustrate the people and events they study. [Gordon Miller?s] paintings of ships under sail, wrecked on a lee shore, in storms and in cities are luminous.??Pacific Yachting In Western myths and imagination, the Pacific is the home of soft, warm, gentle trade winds, idyllic island lagoons and waving palms?the exotic earthly paradise of escapists, adventurers and romantics. Until James Cook showed otherwise, eighteenth-century Europeans also believed this ocean to contain a great southern continent of untold riches and beauty. The islands of the South Pacific can indeed be enchanting, their charm often exceeding expectations, but as European mariners realized when they first arrived here in the sixteenth century, the Pacific Ocean is also a region of ferocious tropical cyclones, treacherous, reef-littered atolls, wearying doldrums and mind-numbing distances.This book is maritime artist and historian Gordon Miller?s tribute to the humble little ships that first ventured across the great Pacific, and the brave sailors that manned them. It is a brief, selective and condensed story of the charting, exploitation and occupation of the Pacific Ocean, mostly in small, wooden ships, with only wind and human muscle for power. These maritime pioneers united North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, the entire Pacific Ocean, all the coasts that surround it, and all the islands within.Even confined to the last four centuries of oceangoing sail, this is a large and complex story?a story brought to life by Miller?s carefully researched text and masterfully rendered maritime paintings.

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Book SynopsisIn response to right-wing extremism in the United States and around the world, Ken McGoogan offers lessons from history by looking back at the rise of authoritarianism and the collapse of European democracies in the lead-up to World War II. In Shadows of Tyranny, historian Ken McGoogan warns against the future by drawing on the past, setting the emergence of alt-right fascism in the US against what happened last century in Europe. Incorporating conventional history, political analysis, biographical sketches and literary criticism—referencing visionary works by Margaret Atwood, George Orwell, H.G. Wells, Yevgeny Zamyatin, Jack London, Sinclair Lewis and Philip Roth—Shadows of Tyranny honors those who defied dictatorship and exposed totalitarianism in all its guises. McGoogan traces the ways democracy succumbed to paranoia, polarization, scapegoating and demagoguery less than a hundred years ago in the days of

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Book SynopsisTrading Territories tells the compelling story of maps and geographical knowledge in the early modern world from the fifteenth to the early seventeenth century. Examining how European geographers mapped the territories of the Old World -Africa and Southeast Asia - this book shows how the historical preoccupation with Columbus's `discovery' of the New World of America in 1492 obscured the ongoing importance of mapping territories that have since been defined as `eastern', especially those in the Muslim world. In this book, now available in paperback and updated with a new preface by the author, Jerry Brotton shows that trade and diplomacy defined the development of maps and globes in this period, far more than the disinterested pursuit of scientific accuracy and objectivity, and challenges our preconceptions about not just maps, but also the history and geography of what we call East and West.Trade Review`A beautifully illustrated account of the status, construction and purposes of maps in the Early Modern world.' - History Today; `Jerry Brotton's elegant Trading Territories shows how historically maps were about facilitating trade and celebrating (and exerting) influence.' - The Independent

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Book SynopsisPassages from Antiquity to Feudalism is a sustained exercise in historical sociology that shows how the slave-based societies of Ancient Greece and Rome eventually became the feudal societies of the Middle Ages. In the course of this study, Anderson vindicates and refines the explanatory power of historical materialism, while casting a fascinating light on the Ancient world, the Germanic invasions, nomadic society, and the different routes taken to feudalism in Northern, Mediterranean, Eastern and Western Europe.Through this work and its companion volume, Lineages of the Absolutist State, Anderson presents a Marxist history of Western political development that takes readers from the first stirrings of political consciousness in the classical world to the rise of absolutist monarchies in Europe and the birth of the modern epoch.Trade ReviewA complex, beautifully interwoven account of Europe from the ancient Greeks to modern absolutist monarchies ... exhilarating. * Guardian *Quite splendid ... A powerful and lucid intelligence. -- Eric Hobsbawm * New Statesman *The breath-taking range of conception and the architectural skill with which it has been executed make his work a formidable intellectual achievement. * New York Review of Books *

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