General and world history Books

Book SynopsisThe super-heavy tanks of World War II are heirs to the siege machine tradition – a means of breaking the deadlock of ground combat. As a class of fighting vehicle, they began with the World War I concept of the search for a ‘breakthrough’ tank, designed to cross enemy lines. It is not surprising that the breakthrough tank projects of the period prior to World War II took place in the armies that suffered the most casualties of the Great War (Russia, France, Germany). All of the principal Axis and Allied nations eventually initiated super-heavy development projects, with increasingly heavy armor and armament. Much as the casualties of World War I prompted the original breakthrough tank developments, as Germany found itself on the defensive, with diminishing operational prospects and an increasingly desperate leadership, so too did its focus turn to the super-heavy tanks that could turn the tide back in their favor.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Design and Development /Operational History /Conclusion and Analysis /Index

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Book SynopsisWorld’s Worst Military Disasters examines some of the worst battle defeats in military history from ancient times through to the present day, including some of the most famous battles in history. The accounts range from remarkable stories of how the world’s great powers met military defeat at the unlikely hands of ill-equipped native peoples, such as the events at Little Big Horn, to embarrassing technical failures and miscommunication evidenced during Operation Eagle Claw. World’s Worst Military Disasters investigates military catastrophes originating from all kinds of circumstances. Each fascinating account gives a full and detailed analysis of the events leading up to the disaster, followed by studies of the strategies used during the manoeuvres and the reasons for their failure. Learn about the blunders at Pearl Harbor, the attack at Stirling Bridge and find out the reasons for thousands of people dying at the siege and fall of Jerusalem. Each story is highly illustrated bringing every battle and military mishap to life, plus key facts outline the most important information and allows the reader the see facts at a glance. Whether the result of enemy action or pure human error, World’s Worst Military Disasters offers an educational and riveting read.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Ancient Battles 2000BC-300BC Battle of Megiddo (c.1479) Kadesh (c.1274 BC) Marathon (490 BC) Salamis (480 BC) Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC) 2. Roman Victories, Roman Defeats 300 BC-AD450 Cannae (216 BC) Battle of Zama (202 BC) Battle of Carrhae (53 BC) Battle of Actium (31 BC) Teutoburger Wald (AD 9) Battle of Adrianople (378) 3. The Dark Ages 450-1100 Battle of Vouille (507) Battle of Dara (530) Battle of Tours (733 or 734) Battle of Talas (751) Jerusalem (1099) 4. Medieval Melees (1100-1500) Hattin (1187) Stirling Bridge (1297) Bannockburn (1314) Crecy (1346) Nicopolis (1396) Battle of Tannenberg (1410) Agincourt (1415) Fall of Constantinople (1453) Nancy (1477) Battle of Bosworth (1485) 5. Early Modern Disasters 1500– 1763 Flodden (1513) Lepanto (1571) Battle of Nagashino (1575) Spanish Armada (1588) Yellow Ford (1598) Magdeburg (1631) Breitenfeld (1631) Blenheim (1704) Culloden (1746) Rossbach (1757) Leuthen (1757) Minden (1759) 6. Imperial Disasters 1760–1900 Saratoga (1777) Ulm (1805) Austerlitz (1805) Jena/Auerstadt (1806) Retreat from Moscow (1812) Burgos (1812) Afghanistan (1842) Antietam (1862) Fredericksburg (1862) Little Bighorn (1876) Isandlwana (1879) Adowa (1896) Spion Kop (1900) 7. Modern Catastrophes 1900–2000 Verdun (1916) Somme (1916) Dunkirk and the Fall of France (1940) Crete (1941) Kiev (1941) Pearl Harbor (1941) Singapore (1942) Midway (1942) Dieppe (1942) Stalingrad (1942/43) Kursk (1943) Byelorussia (1944) Warsaw uprising (1944) Arnhem (1944) Korea (1950) Dien Bien Phu (1954) Six-Day War (1967) Operation Eagle Claw (1980) Bravo Two Zero (1991) Mogadishu (1993) Fall of Mosul (2014) Index

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Book SynopsisIn history, this grand arterial 1500-mile waterway was always seen as the natural frontier between the northern provinces of the Iranian empires and the outer Turanian lands. It was for centuries central to Achaemenid and later Persian power. But, as the author shows, it has a prehistory which goes very much further back: and a succession of skilled yet still elusive Bronze Age cultures flourished here well before the rise of Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BCE. This richly illustrated book explores the fascinating history, art and archaeology of the region, including its primal trade in silk and foodstuffs; the mineral wealth of the Oxus basin; its exotic myths and beliefs; and the converging tribes and peoples which led to a new stability, economic growth and urbanism. The volume contains 150 full-colour photographs of notable artefacts, including silver decorated vessels, inlaid stone pots, agate beads and 25 'Bactrian Princesses': remarkable statuettes made in chlorite and limestone. Most of these rare objects have never been seen, let alone published, before.Trade Review'Treasures from the Oxus offers a comprehensive coverage of the region and its unique content, which includes previously unpublished artefacts of great importance. Although many of these objects are in private collections or have been acquired by museums from antique dealers, Professor Vidale has the requisite expertise, due to his long experience in the field, to identify the ones that have archaeological relevance. The author is one of the most highly accomplished among those scholars who have an intimate understanding of the materials, as well as wide experience in the surrounding regions; and this knowledge gives him a very balanced perspective in his discussions. This book, in short, is a major contribution to our knowledge of a region that is once again becoming an important crossroads linking cultures throughout Asia. Massimo Vidale is an excellent writer and one of the most prolific archaeologists that I know. I highly recommend his book, and am looking forward to being able to use it in my teaching for years to come.' - Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 'Dr Vidale's academic reach stretches from South Asia and across the Iranian plateau to include Central and Western Asia. His publications play an important role in my thinking about a raft of issues, and also in the courses that I teach to undergraduate and graduate students. Dr Vidale has published extensively on the archaeology of each of these regions, and his research consistently incorporates a careful balance between clever ideas and insights, on the one hand, and first rate archaeological investigation on the other. In many ways his background and approach make him the ideal person to write this interesting and innovative volume on the Oxus civilization, which I recommend with enthusiasm.' - Cameron Petrie, Senior Lecturer in South Asian and Iranian Archaeology, University of Cambridge

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Book SynopsisFrom one of America’s greatest non-fiction writers, an epic saga of the rise and fall of American power, from Vietnam to Afghanistan, told through the life of one man.**WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BIOGRAPHY PRIZE 2019****FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS 2020**Richard Holbrooke was one of the most legendary and complicated figures in recent American history. Brilliant, utterly self-absorbed, and possessed of almost inhuman energy and appetites, he was both admired and detested. From his days as a young adviser in Vietnam to his last efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, Holbrooke embodied the postwar American impulse to take the lead on the global stage. He was the force behind the Dayton Accords that ended the Balkan wars, America's greatest diplomatic achievement in the post-Cold War era. His power lay in an utter belief in himself and his idea of a muscular, generous foreign policy. But his sharp elbows and tireless self-promotion ensured that he never rose to the highest levels in government that he so desperately coveted. Holbrooke’s story is the story of the rise and fall of America during its era of supremacy: its strength, drive, and sense of possibility, as well as its penchant for overreach and heedless self-confidence. Drawing on Holbrooke’s diaries and papers, George Packer’s narrative is both intimate and epic in its revelatory portrait of this extraordinary and deeply flawed man, and the elite spheres of society and government he inhabited.A GUARDIAN, FINANCIAL TIMES, SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR Trade ReviewPortrays Holbrooke in all of his endearing and exasperating self-willed glory... Both a sweeping diplomatic history and a Shakespearean tragicomedy… Our Man not only revitalizes but in some ways reinvents the art of journalistic biography… If you could read only one book to comprehend America’s foreign policy and its quixotic forays into quicksands over the past 50 years, this would be it. -- Walter Isaacson * New York Times *Rarely in recent years has a work of non-fiction so clearly, ruthlessly, compassionately shown such a prominent person’s life from the inside out. It is a masterwork about diplomacy, government and the world. -- Anand Giridharadas * Guardian, *Books of the Year* *Holbrooke in all his capacious brilliance and arrogance has been captured by George Packer… [Our Man] is, I strongly feel, a classic. * Washington Post *Outstanding... Our Man is one of the most fascinating dissections of US power – its strengths and serious weaknesses – I’ve read. * Guardian *Packer is one of the most talented non-fiction writers in the US. In his hands, a biography of a diplomat who never quite made it to the top becomes a history of modern America’s entanglement with the world. -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times, *Books of the Year* *

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Book Synopsis'A deeply thought-provoking book full of wisdom, insight and common sense, by two of our foremost strategists' James Holland, bestselling author of The War in the WestFOREWORD BY SIR NICK CARTER, FORMER UK CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF How have the character and technology of war changed in recent times?Why does battlefield victory often fail to result in a sustainable peace?What is the best way to prevent, fight and resolve future conflict?The world is becoming a more dangerous place. Since the fall of Kabul and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US-led liberal international order is giving way to a more chaotic and contested world system. Western credibility and deterrence are diminishing in the face of wars in Europe and the Middle East, tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and rising populism and terrorism around the world. Can peace, mutual respect and democracy survive, or are we destined to a permanent chaos in which authoritarians and populists thrive?Using decades of experience as policy advisors in conflicts in Iraq and across Africa, and on recent fieldwork in Israel and Taiwan, the authors analyse the nature of modern war, considering state-on-state and intra-state conflicts. They investigate how technology can be a leveller for small powers against larger aggressors and the role of leadership, diplomacy and economic assistance. Weighing up past lessons, present observations and predictions about the future, The Art of War and Peace explores how wars can be won on the battlefield and how that success can be translated into a stable and enduring peace.

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Book Synopsis'A welcome ally in the fight against fake history' Eleanor Janega, author of The Middle AgesFrom the fall of Rome to the rise of the Wild West, David Mountain brings colour and perspective to historical mythmaking.The stories we tell about our past matter. But those stories have been shaped by prejudice, hoaxes and misinterpretations that have whitewashed entire chapters of history, erased women and invented civilisations. Today history is often used to justify xenophobia, nationalism and inequality as we cling to grand origin stories and heroic tales of extraordinary men.Exploring myths, mysteries and misconceptions about the past - from the legacies of figures like Pythagoras and Christopher Columbus, to the realities of life in the gun-toting Wild West, to the archaeological digs that have upset our understanding of the birth of civilisation - David Mountain reveals how ongoing revolutions in history and archaeology are shedding light on the truth.Full of adventures, and based on detailed research and interviews, Past Mistakes will make you reconsider your understanding of history - and of the world today.'Past Mistakes takes what we think we remember from history class and sets the record straight! Definitely worth reading if you're ready to have your mind blown and then be filled with rage that you've been hoodwinked for this long.' The Tiny ActivistTrade ReviewWhether discussing Pythagoras' legacy, Athenian democracy, the myth of Progress, or the Wild West, Mountain quickly points out how the truth is more nuanced than-or completely different from-stories we may know. ... the work's main thrust is the conversation between present and past and how our view of the past influences current behavior-most clearly outlined in a chapter about the Wild West mythos shaping American gun culture to this day. -- BooklistPast Mistakes takes what we think we remember from history class and sets the record straight! Definitely worth reading if you're ready to have your mind blown and then be filled with rage that you've been hoodwinked for this long. -- The Tiny Activist'A welcome ally in the fight against fake history' -- Eleanor Janega, author of The Middle Ages

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Book Synopsis'Highly persuasive ... a well-organised and solid dossier that alerts us to legalised chemical trickery.'Joanna Blythman, The Spectator'A bombshell book' Daily Mail'Eye-opening and important . . . a book full of righteous anger' Bee Wilson, from her ForewordDid you know that bacon, ham, hot dogs and salami are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as 'category 1 carcinogens'?Would you eat them if you knew they caused bowel cancer?Following ten years of detailed investigation, documentary film-maker Guillaume Coudray presents a powerful examination of the use of nitro-additives in meat. As he reveals, most mass-produced processed meats, and now even many 'artisanal' products, contain chemicals that react with meat to form cancer-causing compounds. He tells the full story of how, since the 1970s, the meat-processing industry has denied the health risks because these additives make curing cheaper and quicker, extending shelf life and giving meat a pleasing pink colour.These additives are, in fact, unnecessary. Parma ham has not contained them for nearly 30 years - and indeed all traditional cured meats were once produced without nitrate and nitrite. Progressive producers are now increasingly following that example.?Who Poisoned Your Bacon? - featuring a foreword by acclaimed food writer Bee Wilson - is the authoritative, gripping and scandalous story of big business flying in the face of scientific health warnings. It allows you to evaluate the risks, and carries a message of hope that things can change.Trade ReviewEye-opening and important ... a book full of righteous anger' * Bee Wilson, from her Foreword *A bombshell book. * Daily Mail *Highly persuasive ... a well-organised and solid dossier that alerts us to legalised chemical trickery. -- Joanna Blythman * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisHistory is full to the brim with untold tales of heroics and villainy, gruesome battles, hilarious happenings and downright bizarre coincidences. Meet the war veteran who lost an eye and amputated his own fingers. Discover the original Die Hards, whose bravery would put even Bruce Willis to shame. Just who stole the still-missing Irish crown jewels and how did Adeline, Countess of Cardigan, scandalise society so completely? In Lessons from History, Alex Deane takes us on an uproarious romp through the tales you didn't hear at school. With stories ranging from the little-known characters who played their vital parts in the world's most famous wars to the remarkable adventures of figures across the centuries, to events so extraordinary as to be almost - almost - unbelievable, this book proves that fact is almost always wilder than fiction. Bringing these stories joyfully and often poignantly back to life, Deane finally shines a light on the tales lost to history, and on what we might learn from them today.Trade Review"It's never too late to establish the reputation of a hero. This remarkable book reminds us of the giants who never stepped from the shadows and the events which soundlessly shaped history. These are the people and places we forgot to remember, until Alex Deane revivified them. With a light touch, we are introduced to the quiet men, the natural leaders, the reluctant and accidental heroes whose song is now, finally, being sung." - Colin Brazier, journalist and presenter, GB News "Deane's stories skip from joyful to absurd to touching and back again, with generous helpings of humour. Highly recommended." - Gavin Esler "Provocative, memorable and humorous - Deane never fails to entertain." - Kwasi Kwarteng MP "In this fascinating collection of short vignettes and biographies Alex Deane gives us an insight into people and episodes that are mostly forgotten but immensely interesting and entertaining. The short pieces are full of humour and interest but are also inspiring and they teach many lessons of continuing value, showing the persistent relevance of the past and past lives for the present. A great read, strongly recommended." - Stephen Davies, Head of Education, Institute of Economic Affairs "I loved reading this book. At one moment funny, another moment moving, I recommend Lessons from History to all who enjoy stories from our past – with a gentle message for our present, and future too." - Iain Dale, Broadcaster "Short stories with a lot of heart. Heroes and heroines galore, and most of them hitherto unknown. I loved it." - Julia Hartley-Brewer "A fine collection of unexpected stories" - John Rentoul

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Book SynopsisA magisterial and sweeping history of modern Africa.The end of the Second World War signalled the rapid end of the European African empires. In 1945, only four African countries were independent; by 1963, thirty African states created the Organization of African Unity. Despite formidable problems, the 1960s were a time of optimism as Africans enjoyed their new independence, witnessed increases in prosperity and prepared to tackle their political and economic problems in their own way. By the 1990s, however, the high hopes of the 1960s had been dashed. Dictatorship by strongmen, corruption, civil wars and genocide, widespread poverty and the interventions and manipulations of the major powers had all relegated Africa to the position of an aid 'basket case', with some of the world's poorest and least-developed nations. By exploring developments over the last fifteen years, including the impact of China, new IT technology and the Arab Spring, the rise of Nigeria as Africa's leading country and the recent refugee crisis, Guy Arnold brings his landmark history of modern Africa up to date and provides a fresh and insightful perspective on this troubled and misunderstood continent.Trade ReviewIt is difficult to imagine a better source for reading up on Africa's history. -- Gordon Brewer * Scotland on Sunday *Vast and brilliant... orderly but still managing to nip down a fascinating byway when necessary... a groundbreaking book. -- Giles Foden * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'History as you've never seen it before.' Dan SnowDid you know that the history of the beard is connected to the Crimean War; that the history of paperclips is all about the Stasi; and that the history of bubbles is all about the French Revolution? And who knew that Heinrich Himmler, Tutankhamun and the history of needlework are linked to napalm and Victorian orphans? In Histories of the Unexpected, Sam Willis and James Daybell lead us on a journey of discovery that tackles some of the greatest historical themes - from the Tudors to the Second World War, from the Roman Empire to the Victorians - but via entirely unexpected subjects. By taking this revolutionary approach, they not only present a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveal the everyday world around us as never before.Trade ReviewHistory as you've never seen it before. -- Dan SnowIrreverent, witty and fabulously well-informed, Histories of the Unexpected is a blast of historical treats and full to the gunwales of extraordinary connections and trivia from the past. -- James HollandHistory isn't straightforward. It's a complex web of twists and turns. This book will show you how surprising, exciting and downright unexpected history can be. -- Janina RamirezThis is a wonderful, eclectic and entertaining history of everything, full of fascinating, surprising stories. -- Suzannah LipscombFun, witty, and fast-paced, you'll enjoy this innovative approach to telling history * BBC History Weekend *Table of Contents1: The Hand 2: Gloves 3: Perfume 4: The Bubble 5: Shadows 6: Beards 7: Clouds 8: Dust 9: Clocks 10: Needlework 11: The Itch 12: Holes 13: The Bed 14: Dreams 15: Hair 16: The Paper Clip 17: Letters 18: Boxes 19: Courage 20: Mountains 21: Chimneys 22: Tears 23: Lions 24: Rubbish 25: Snow 26: Cats 27: The Smile 28: The Scar 29: The Lean 30: The Signature

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Book SynopsisWhile electorally weak, the Communist Party of Great Britain and its Welsh Committee was a constant feature of twentieth century Welsh politics, in particular through its influence in the trade union movement. Based on original archival research, the present volume offers the first in-depth study of the Communist Party's attitude to devolution in Wales, to Welsh nationhood and Welsh identity, as well as examining the party's relationship with the Labour Party, Plaid Cymru and the labour and nationalist movements in relation to these issues. Placing the party's engagement of these issues within the context of the rapid changes in twentieth century Welsh society, debates on devolution and identity on the British left, the role of nationalism within the communist movement, and the interplay of international and domestic factors, the volume provides new insight into the development of ideas by the political left on devolution and identity in Wales during the twentieth century. It also offers a broad outline of the party's policy in relation to Wales during the twentieth century, and an assessment of the role played by leading figures in the Welsh party in developing its policy on Wales and devolution.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: Conspicuous by its Absence, 1920-1932 Chapter Two: The Awakening of a National Consciousness within the Communist Party in Wales, 1933-1950 Chapter Three: Praxis, Neglect and Renewal, 1950-1969 Chapter Four: Devolution, Defeat and Dissolution, 1970 -1991 Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis is the first general history of early modern Wales for more than a generation. The book assimilates new scholarship and deploys a wealth of original archival research to present a fresh picture of Wales under the Tudor and Stuart monarchs. It adopts novel perspectives on concepts of Welsh identity and allegiance to examine epochal events, such as the union of England and Wales under Henry VIII; the Reformation and the Break with Rome; and the British Civil Wars and Glorious Revolution. It argues that Welsh experiences during this period can best be captured through widespread attachments to a shared history and language, and to ideas of Britishness and monarchy. The volume looks beyond high politics to examine the rich tapestry of early modern Welsh life, considering concepts of gender and women's experiences; the role of language and cultural change; and expressions of Welsh identity beyond the principality’s borders.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Locating Early Modern Wales Chapter 2: ‘They Value Themselves Much upon their Antiquity’: History, Myth and Identity Chapter 3: ‘Awake Now Thou Lovely Wales!’: The Reformation and its Legacies Chapter 4: Alternative Visions: Catholicism, Puritanism and Dissent Chapter 5: ‘The Communion of One Tongue’: Language and Society Chapter 6: ‘A Prince of our Own Natural Country and Name’: Welshness, Britishness and Monarchy Chapter 7: Politics, Officeholding and Participation Chapter 8: Women and Gender in Early Modern Wales Chapter 9: ‘A Brittain by Nation Born’: Welsh Diasporas

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Book SynopsisIt's in our instant noodles and chocolate bars, our lipsticks and fuel tanks. But what even is palm oil, and how has it come to dominate our lives so completely? Jocelyn C. Zuckerman travels across four continents and back two centuries to find answers about the most widely used vegetable oil on Earth. The little oil palm fruit has played an outsized role in world history and economic development. But the multi-billion-dollar palm oil business has been built on stolen land and slave labour; it spurred colonisation and swept away lives and cultures. Today, its fires and mass deforestation generate carbon emissions to rival those of entire industrialized nations, and they've pushed animals like the orangutan to the brink of extinction. Combining history, travelogue and investigative reporting, Planet Palm offers an unsettling, urgent look at a global industry that has become an environmental, public health, and human rights disaster.Trade Review‘Planet Palm will and should enrage you. […] Troubling, thoroughly researched and thrilling from beginning to end, [Jocelyn Zuckerman’s] book traverses four continents in a broad sweep of the history, power and politics behind palm oil.’'Planet Palm is an illuminating read, as engrossing as it is informative. Those who take some time with it will understand palm oil as a force of modern history and see just how much of the world map has been stained in red oil.' -- Mongabay

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Book SynopsisThe history of the Second World War in Yugoslavia was for a long time the preserve of the Communist regime led by Marshal Tito. It was written by those who had battled hard to come out on top of the many-sided war fought across the territory of that Balkan state after the Axis Powers had destroyed it in 1941, just before Hitler's invasion of the USSR. It was an ideological and ethnic war under occupation by rival enemy powers and armies, between many insurgents, armed bands and militias, for the survival of one group, for the elimination of another, for belief in this or that ideology, for a return to an imagined past within the Nazi New Order, or for the reconstruction of a new Yugoslavia on the side of the Allies. In fact, many wars were fought alongside, and under cover of, the Great War waged by the Allies against Hitler's New Order which, in Yugoslavia at least, turned out to be a 'new disorder'. Most surviving participants have since told their stories; most archival sources are now available. Pavlowitch uses them, as well as the works of historians in several languages, to understand what actually happened on the ground. He poses more questions than he provides answers, as he attempts a synoptic and chronological analysis of the confused yet interrelated struggles fought in 1941-5, during the short but tragic period of Hitler's failed 'New Order', over the territory that was no longer the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and not yet the Federal Peoples' Republic of Yugoslavia, but that is now definitely 'former Yugoslavia'.Trade ReviewPavlowitch has brought fresh interest to the study of the Second World War in Yugoslavia, in an elegantly written history. -- Professor James Gow, King’s College University of Londonreading your manuscript has provided me with many new insights and has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience -- Dr Klaus Schmider, Royal Military Academy, SandhurstHighly recommended. * Choice *'Hitler's New Disorder' promises to become essential reading . . . Pavlowitch has made an outstanding contribution. -- Christof N. Morrissey, H-GermanAn indispensable addition to the library of every Balkan historian or student. -- Marcus Tanner, Balkan InsightPresents the clearest analyses that this reviewer has seen of the complicated interactions of the various political and military forces engaged . . . this is detailed, fine-grained history . . . a major achievement. -- Robert M. Hayden, International History ReviewA very solid 'synthetic treatment' that has long been needed. It must have been a herculean effort to keep track of various events, let alone make sense of all of the interweaving elements. * Historian *

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Book SynopsisA Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2022 In 1935, Fascist Italy invaded the sovereign state of Ethiopia--a war of conquest that triggered a chain of events culminating in the Second World War. In this stunning and highly original tale of two Churches, historian Ian Campbell brings a whole new perspective to the story, revealing that bishops of the Italian Catholic Church facilitated the invasion by sanctifying it as a crusade against the world's second-oldest national Church. Cardinals and archbishops rallied the support of Catholic Italy for Il Duce's invading armies by denouncing Ethiopian Christians as heretics and schismatics, and announcing that the onslaught was an assignment from God. Campbell marshalls evidence from three decades of research to expose the martyrdom of thousands of clergy of the venerable Ethiopian Church, the burning and looting of hundreds of Ethiopia's ancient monasteries and churches, and the instigation and arming of a jihad against Ethiopian Christendom, the likes of which had not been seen since the Middle Ages. Finally, Holy War traces how, after Italy's surrender to the Allies, the horrors of this pogrom were swept under the carpet of history, and the leading culprits put on the road to sainthood.Trade Review'Three cheers for Holy War [which] has turned the caring Italian Army myth upside down and inside out in what is the perfect antidote to Louis de Bernieres’ Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. […] Holy War is the ‘go for’ book if you want to learn as much as you need to know about an invasion that helped shape the rest of the 1930s, a paving stone towards World War in 1939.' -- ColdType

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Book SynopsisInstant History pulls together all the pivotal moments in modern history into one concise volume. Each page contains a discrete 'cheat sheet', which tells you the most important facts in bite-sized chunks, meaning you can become an expert in an instant. From the Boston Tea Party to the Cold War, the Grand Tour to the Great Depression, the Industrial Revolution to the Russian Revolution, every key event, character or turning point is expressed in succinct and lively text and graphics. Perfect for the knowledge hungry and time poor, this collection of graphic-led lessons makes history interesting and accessible. Everything you need to know is here. Table of ContentsThe Renaissance in Europe • The Kings and Queens of England • The Wives of Henry VIII • The Works of Shakespeare • The Defeat of the Spanish Armada • The US Constitution • The Presidents of the USA • The British East India Company • The French Revolution • The Battle of Waterloo • Queen Victoria's Reign • The American Civil War • The Abolition of Slavery • Charles Darwin and The Voyage of the Beagle • The Industrial Revolution • Louis Pasteur Finds a Cure • The Discovery of Antarctica • The Causes of the American Civil War • Captain James Cook and Australia • The Invention of the Light Bulb • The Invention of the Car • The Wright Brothers' First Flight • Women's Suffrage • The Sinking of the Titanic • The Causes of World War I • The Battle of the Somme • The Russian Revolutions • Mussolini and the Rise of Fascism • The Hindenburg Airship Crash • The Great Depression • The Causes of World War II • The Evacuation of Dunkirk • The Attack on Pearl Harbor • The D-Day Landings • VE Day Celebrations • Hiroshima • Atomic Bomb • India and Pakistan Gain Independence • Mao and Communist China • The Start of the Korean War • Pele's World Cup Performance • The Cuban Missile Crisis • Martin Luther King's Speech • The Vietnam War • The Assassination of JFK • Beatlemania • The Moon Landings • The Famine in Ethiopia • The Explosion of Challenger Spacecraft • Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster • Tiananmen Square Massacre • The Fall of the Berlin Wall • The Release of Nelson Mandela • The Death of Princess Diana.

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Book SynopsisBased on the landmark Radio 4 series, this beautifully illustrated modern history of the connections between science and art offers a new perspective on what that relationship has contributed to the world around us. __________ Throughout history, artists and scientists have been driven by curiosity and the desire to experiment. Both have wanted to make sense of the world around them, often to change it, sometimes working closely together, certainly taking inspiration from each other's disciplines. The relationship between the two has traditionally been perceived as one of love and hate, fascination and revulsion, symbiotic but antagonistic. But art is crucial to helping us understand our science legacy and science is well served by applying an artistic lens. How exactly has the ingenuity of science and technology been incorporated into artistic expression? And how has creative practice, in turn, stimulated innovation and technological change?The Art of Innovation is a history of the past 250 years viewed through the disciplines of art and science. Through fascinating stories that explore the sometimes unexpected relationships between famous artworks and significant scientific and technological objects - from Constable's cloudscapes and the chemist who first measured changes in air pressure, to the introduction of photography and the representation of natural history in print - it offers a new way of seeing, studying and interpreting the extraordinary world around us.Trade ReviewA timely and compelling history of the springs of thought. * Melvyn Bragg *A wonderful insight into the way art and science can be interwoven. * Cornelia Parker *

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Book SynopsisThe Great Adaptation tells the story of how scientists, governments and corporations have tried to deal with the challenge that climate change poses to capitalism by promoting adaptation to the consequences of climate change, rather than combating its causes. From the 1970s neoliberal economists and ideologues have used climate change as an argument for creating more "flexibility" in society, that is for promoting more market-based solutions to environmental and social questions. The book unveils the political economy of this potent movement, whereby some powerful actors are thriving in the face of dangerous climate change and may even make a profit out of itTrade ReviewThis is an excellent and very important book. -- Geoff Mann * Antipode *A trenchant essay * Libération *Thanks to its solid argumentation and the quality of its writing, this extremely well documented book offers a judicious interpretation at a time when it is essential to ensure that the solutions to serious problems do not, in turn, become problems in their own right. -- Lucile Maertens * Books and Ideas *

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Book SynopsisLicentious Worlds is a history of sexual attitudes and behaviour through 500 years of empire-building around the world. In a graphic and sometimes unsettling account, Julie Peakman examines colonization and the imperial experience from women’s points of view, showing how they were involved in the building of empires, but also how they were almost invariably exploited. Women acted as negotiators, brothel keepers, traders and peace keepers, but were also forced into marriages and raped. The book describes women in Turkish harems, Mughal zenanas and Japanese geisha houses, as well as in royal palaces, private households and on board ships. Their stories are drawn from many sources – from captains’ logs, missionary reports and cannibals’ memoirs to travellers’ letters, traders’ accounts and reports on prostitutes. From debauched clerics and hog-buggering Pilgrims to sexually-confused cannibals and sodomising samurai, Licentious Worlds takes history where it has not been before.

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Book SynopsisDisgrace is the first truly global history of sexual violence. The book explores how sexual violence varies widely across time and place, from nineteenth-century peasant women in Ireland who were abducted as a way of forcing marriage, to date-raped high-school students in twentieth-century America, and from girls and women violated by Russian soldiers in 1945 to Dalit women raped by men of higher castes today. It delves into the factors that facilitate violence – including institutions, ideologies and practices – but also gives voice to survivors and activists, drawing inspiration from their struggles. Ultimately, Joanna Bourke intends to forge a transnational feminism that will promote a more harmonious, equal and rape- and violence-free world.Trade Review'Bold in its global vision and eminently readable, Disgrace is a work of scholarship that is full of empathy and conviction. Joanna Bourke builds upon decades of her research and brings a historian's omniscient eye to a topic which may be called "timely", but in fact has long been a part of human history. Across geographies, cultures, and eras, the reality of sexual violence has always served as a sobering reminder of humanity's flaws and cruelties. Here is an eye-opening book to help us understand that reality more fully - and to help us envision a future free of rape.' - Winnie M Li, author of Dark Chapter and Complicit, activist and rape survivor

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Book SynopsisA vivid account of Marco Polo's astounding, continent-spanning adventures.

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Book SynopsisNetwork theory and methodologies have become central to exploring and explaining social, economic and political relationships and connections in past societies. However, in archaeology, the deployment of networks has sometimes been more descriptive than analytical. Methodologies have often depended upon underlying assumptions which inevitably simplify relationships that were complex and multi-faceted. However, the fragmentary, heterogenous and usually proxy data we possess are not always amenable to reconstructing that complexity.In ancient societies, we must infer the movement of knowledge about 'how to make things' largely from objects themselves. This is because we usually lack direct evidence of the human relationships that entwined people with objects and their makers, and hence have only imperfect understanding of the full range of diverse factors that shaped the relationships that constituted these networks.The chapters in this volume aim to interrogate the interpretative potential of network concepts for understanding the movement over time and space of ideas about making, using and moving things through a range of archaeological case studies, which reveal both functional and dysfunctional relationships. The purpose is to consider how more broadly contextualised and multi-faceted studies can both enhance, and be enhanced by, network and related approaches. The volume contributes to the search for greater understanding of the movement and transmission of knowledge (or in some cases their absence), and to debates about how best to expand the utility of network concepts and approaches.Table of ContentsList of illustrations Author biographies Introduction Lin Foxhall 1. Materiality, methodologies and the agency of things in archaeological networks Lin Foxhall 2. Zeitgeist: materialised worldviews in archaeology Susanne Hakenbeck, Katharina Rebay-Salisbury and Roderick B. Salisbury 3. From systems of power to networks of knowledge: the nature of El Argar culture (southeastern Iberia, c. 2200–1500 BC) Borja Legarra Herrero 4. The breakdown of knowledge: people and pottery at the Bronze Age tell at Százhalombatta-Földvár, Hungary Joanna Sofaer 5. Connecting the world of the Bronze Age Anthony Harding 6. Innovation through recoil from networks Julie Hruby 7. Networks and assemblages: a view from Archaic Sicily Carla M. Antonaccio Index

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Book SynopsisThe third volume in the much-admired The Colour of Time series. A Woman's World, 1850–1960 explores the many roles – domestic, social, cultural and professional – played by women across the world before second-wave feminism took hold. Using Marina Amaral's colourized images and Dan Jones's words, this survey features women both celebrated and ordinary, whether in the science lab or protesting on the streets, performing on stage or fighting in the trenches, running for election or exploring the wild. This vivid and unique history brings to life and full colour the female experience in a century of extraordinary change. Photographs include: Queen Victoria, Edith Cavell, Josephine Baker, Eva Peron, Virginia Woolf, Clara Schumann, Martha Gellhorn, Rosa Parks, Agatha Christie, Frida Kahlo, Harriet Tubman, Florence Nightingale, Hattie McDaniel and Gertrude Bell; as well as revolutionaries from China to Cuba, Geishas in Japan, protestors on the Salt March, teachers and pilots, nurses and soldiers.Trade ReviewEvery bit as fascinating and revelatory as its predecessors. Jones's text is authoritative and witty, but the main appeal lies in Amaral's delicate colourisation of photographs, bringing subjects including Frida Kahlo back to life... This fine book is a moving testament to the power of social change * Observer *[These] striking images offer a new window on to fascinating, inspiring lives * History Revealed *Transform[s] them into people you feel you could meet today, making their stories all the more fascinating * Waitrose Magazine *A beautiful thing to keep on your coffee table or bookshelf. 5* * All About History *PRAISE FOR DAN JONES AND MARINA AMARAL: 'I have long considered colourisation sacrilege... after reading this book, I've changed my mind' The Times, on The Colour of Time. 'Amaral's colourisation process is most moving when applied to pictures of children. To see it more as the photographer saw it, and the way it actually was. The photographer might not have had the choice, or the technology, to take a picture in colour. But looking through the viewfinder, that's what they saw; the past – even its grimmest, darkest hours – was not in black and white' Guardian, on The World Aflame. 'There is something of The Wizard of Oz about Marina Amaral's photographs. She whisks us from black-and-white Kansas to shimmering Technicolor Oz... When you see Amaral's coloured portraits, you think: phwoar!... She changes the way we see a period or a person' Spectator, on The Colour of Time. '[Amaral] breathes new life, immediacy and human connection into black-and-white pictures. Even familiar shots are transformed in a breathtaking way' * Irish News, on The Colour of Time *

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Book SynopsisThe end is in sight but the fight is long: the epic and terrifying conclusion to the greatest conflict in historyGoing into 1944, the Allies knew the tide was turning in their favour. But they still faced a monumental task to get to victory.From the beaches of Normandy on D-Day to those of the Pacific stormed by American marines, from the air drops at Arnhem and the Battle of the Bulge to the final dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, from the sacking of Berlin to the delicate peace that followed, this is a gripping and impeccably researched account of two years that forever changed the world.Filled with both the grand sweep of history, and small, unforgettable details and stories of ordinary soldiers, this is military writing of the very highest calibre, perfect for fans of Jonathan Dimbleby and Ben Macintyre.

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Book Synopsis'David Christian's approach to understanding history can help all of us learn to prepare for the future' - Bill GatesA user's guide to the future: from the algorithms in DNA to why time is like a cocktail glass, interstellar migrations, transhumanism, the fate of the galaxy, and the last black hole...Every second of our lives - whether we're looking both ways before crossing the street, celebrating the birth of a baby, or moving to a new city - we must cope with an unknowable future by telling stories about what will happen next. Where is the future, the place where we set those stories? Can we trust our future stories? And what sort of futures do they show us?David Christian, historian and bestselling author of Origin Story, is renowned for pioneering the emerging discipline of Big History, which surveys the whole of the past. But with Future Stories, he casts his sharp analytical eye forward, offering an introduction to the strange world of the future, and a guide to what we think we know about it at all scales, from the predictive mechanisms of single-celled organisms and tomato plants to the merging of colossal galaxies billions of years from now.Drawing together science, history and philosophy from a huge range of places and times, Christian explores how we prepare for uncertain futures, including the future of human evolution, artificial intelligence, interstellar travel, and more. By linking the study of the past much more closely to the study of the future, we can begin to imagine what the world will look like in the next hundred years and consider solutions to the biggest challenges facing us all.Trade ReviewDavid Christian's approach to understanding history can help all of us learn to prepare for the future that lies ahead and the big challenges facing humanity. -- Bill GatesIn this erudite and immersive study, Big History Project cofounder Christian (Origin Story) examines the science and history of "future thinking" and sketches what the distant future might look like... Christian lucidly explains complex scientific, philosophical, and historical concepts. The result is a stimulating look ahead. * Publisher's Weekly *Future Stories is simultaneously entertaining and sobering, and is recommended reading for anyone who may be curious about what's ahead of us. * Shelf Awareness *A fascinating journey... reminiscent of Peter Godfrey-Smith's writings on the octopus... Future Stories is rich with insights... Most dangerous threats arise from technological and economic overreach... Future Stories not only shows how we have approached such choices through history - it helps us to understand the odds. * New Scientist *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisFirst full survey of how transhumance operated in Ireland from the sixteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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The deadly coronavirus spread across societies already riddled with political ills: rampant xenophobia and corruption, privatisation run amok, Brexiteer vainglory of 'a global Britain', a Euroland dominated by self-proclaimed nasty parties, and in America, the unspeakable Trump. As the acclaimed historian Donald Sassoon observes in this blistering polemic, there were morbid symptoms galore.Sassoon paints an unforgettable picture of our galloping descent into political barbarism, mixing blunt exposé and classical references with an astonishing array of data. Why does the United States proportionately have more civilians owning guns than Yemen, where there is a war on? Why did the UK enter the pandemic with fewer doctors than any EU country except Poland and Romania? In Morbid Symptoms he refuses to abandon what Antonio Gramsci termed the optimism of the will, instead recalling a line from Machiavelli's Istorie fiorentine: 'do not impute past disorders to the nature of the men, but to the times, which, being changed, give reasonable ground to hope that, with better government, our city will have better fortune in the future'.

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Book SynopsisThe Communist International was the first organised attempt to bring about worldwide revolution and left a lasting mark on 20th-century history. The book offers a new and fascinating account of this transnational organisation founded in 1919 by Lenin and Trotsky and dissolved by Stalin in 1943, telling the story through the eyes of the activists who became its "professional revolutionaries". Studer follows such figures as Willi Münzenberg, Mikhail Borodin, M.N. Roy and Evelyn Trent, Tina Modotti, Agnes Smedley and many others less well-known as they are despatched to the successive political hotspots of the 1920s and '30s, from revolutionary Berlin to Baku, from Shanghai to Spain, from Nazi Germany to Stalin's Moscow. It traces their journeys from revolutionary hope to accommodation, defeat or death, looking at questions of motivation and commitment, agency and negotiation, of life and love, conflict and frustration. In doing so, it reveals a forgotten Comintern, the expression of a multi-dimensional revolutionary moment, which attracted not only working-class but feminist, anti-racist, anti-colonial and anti-imperialist activists, highlighting the role of women in the Comintern and the centrality of anti-colonialism to the Communist project. The book concludes with a reflection on the ultimate demise of a historically unique undertaking.Trade ReviewOver the past quarter of a century, Brigitte Studer has established herself as the world's most original and creative historian of the Comintern. She has pioneered a style of history that transcends the Cold War story of leaders, institutions, ideological clashes, and organizational acronyms in order to explore the lives of those individuals who dedicated themselves to making communist revolution. In Travellers of the World Revolution she explores with verve and insight the lives of two dozen Comintern activists, men and women who were sent by Moscow across the world to set up communist parties, found newspapers, organize and finance political uprisings and military action, or engage in espionage on behalf of the Soviet motherland. Living out of suitcases, they were at constant risk of arrest, interrogation, torture, and even death; yet Studer also shows that much of their lives comprised a dull routine of keeping Moscow informed of what they were doing. As a study of revolutionary commitment it is a first-class piece of work. -- Steve A. Smith, All Souls College, OxfordTravellers of the World Revolution is a fascinating history of the Comintern from the perspective of the women and men who in the 1920s and 1930s staffed its offices from Moscow to Berlin, Shanghai, and Madrid. Tracking these polyglot border crossers, who worked as translators, bookkeepers, propagandists, instructors, couriers, and sometimes spies, Brigitte Studer uncovers their efforts to revolutionize the world and themselves. Her account of the everyday lives of the Comintern's daring world travellers reveals the appeal -- and the limits -- of dreams of economic, racial, and gender equality. -- Lisa A. Kirschenbaum, West Chester UniversityUsually, historians of the Communist International have focused on parties, congresses, and strategies. Brigitte Studer changes the perspective: she reconstitutes the epic, exciting, and tragic itinerary of a few generations of human beings who made revolution a form of life. She merges the carefulness of historical scholarship with the sensitivity of feminism and a postcolonial gaze, thus offering a completely new portrait of the Communist International. Her magisterial work is irreplaceable both for our historical knowledge and for the memory of the left in the twenty-first century. -- Enzo TraversoExpansive and impeccably researched, this is a valuable addition to scholarship on early 20th-century communism. * Publishers Weekly *A landmark publication...Studer's book is a fascinating and informative read for anyone wishing to understand this momentous period and the part played by the Comintern. -- John Green * Morning Star *Studer focuses on the thousands of professional revolutionaries who kept the International running. These polyglot activists earned very little money, traveling from country to country, often illegally, doing myriad jobs, and sometimes ending up in prison. They converged at different hotspots of world revolution: Moscow 1920, Berlin 1923, Shanghai 1925-27, Madrid 1936. Theirs is the story of the Comintern as a workplace. -- Nathaniel Flakin * Left Voice *

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Book SynopsisSo far, the history of football has been written by sport historians who have considered the history of this sport in isolation from the context in which it emerged. In the second half of the nineteenth century, football was created by educators and students as part of school reform. Football served as a new and enticing teaching tool that gave students freedom, encouraged self-determination, and fostered teamwork. After the game had been developed at English public schools, it was introduced by teachers and students at high schools and colleges in England, Germany, Argentina, and the United States during the 1870s. The game proved particularly popular among the children of parents who engaged in trade and industry since this new sport offered an introduction to essential modern values such as teamwork and collaboration that were needed in an industrialized society.Football was, furthermore, part of the social reform movement that emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century in response to the social ills of urban life. Adults and children spent more and more time inside badly ventilated buildings. Even physical education was conducted inside high school gymnasiums. Beginning in the 1870s, social reformers and teachers called for the introduction into school curricula of physical exercises that could be conducted on the meadows and sport fields outside cities. Those educators joined the calls for the introduction of football into high school curricula found themselves in the company of social reformers who championed the creation of public parks, tenement gardens, and clothing reform.These two contexts have not mattered in books about the history of football written by sport historians. Sport historians have always separated football from the social and cultural contexts in which it emerged and have paid little attention to the reasons for which football was introduced into German, Argentinian, or American society in the first place. Historians of education have likewise ignored the role of football within school reform. The result is a narrative that provides vertical (national, regional, or local) accounts of this sport from its introduction into a specific geographic space (i.e., city, region, or country) from its first occurrence to the present time. Thisbook, by contrast, will offer a horizontal perspective that focusses on the spread of football in the 1870s from its English cradle to Germany, the United States, and Argentina. It will be the very first account of football that does not treat this sport in isolation but brings together the phenomenon of football with the conditions in nineteenth-century high schools and the crisis of urban living and, thereby, explains why this sport was so willingly and quickly accepted into various societies and cultures around the globe.

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Book SynopsisThe Austrian artillery of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was a creation of the renowned Lichtenstein system of the early 1750s. This weight system produced a series of weapons of 3-, 6- and 12-pdr. calibre along with 7- and 10-pdr. howitzers. In the 1780s they were joined by Cavalry artillery guns with their Wurst seats. In 1811 Austria also began the establishment of rocket troops based upon the British invention, whilst their heavy and siege pieces remained the 12 -,18- and 24-pdrs throughout the period. This book describes the system as well as its operational use during the Napoleonic Wars.

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Book SynopsisThe German destroyer fleet of World War II consisted of nine classes: the Diether Von Roeder Class, the Leberecht Maas Class and the wartime classes Z23, Z35, Z37, Z40, Z43, Z46 and Z52. These vessels, though fewer in number than the British destroyer fleet, tended to be much bigger and more powerful than their allied counterparts. They served their country well in operations in the Channel, North Sea, the Far North and in the rescue of civilians from East Prussia during the final days of the war. This title describes their design, development and operational use from the fjords of Narvik to the final days of the war.

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Book SynopsisDuring the middle decade of the 16th century a new type of sailing vessel emerged, designed to carry the wealth of the Americas to Spain. This was the galleon, and over the next century these vessels would serve Spain well as treasure ships and warships, becoming a symbol of Spanish power and wealth during the period. The development and construction of the Spanish galleon are discussed in this book, and the ordnance and crewing needed to produce and maintain these stately vessels is covered. The author also examines the role of the galleon as a treasure ship, and describes how these ships were manned and fought in action.

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Book SynopsisThe Knights Templar were the most powerful military religious order of the Middle Ages. Formed to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land, they participated in the Crusades and rapidly gained wealth, lands and influence and were answerable to none save the Pope himself. In addition to having a fearful military reputation, they were also Christendom's first bankers, and played a large part in inventing the modern banking system. They were also involved in developments in navigation, architecture, medicine, and engineering, amongst others. Seemingly untouchable for nearly two centuries, the Templars fell from grace spectacularly after the loss of the Holy Land. In 1307, all Templars in France were arrested on charges of heresy, homosexuality, denial of the cross and devil worship. The order was suppressed by the Pope in 1312, and Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master, was burnt at the stake as a heretic two years later. The myth of the Templars was born and in the ensuing centuries, they have occupied a unique position in European history. Orthodox historians see them as nothing more than soldier-monks whose arrogance was their ultimate undoing, while others see them as occultists of the first order, the founders of Freemasonry, possessors of the Holy Grail and the Turin Shroud. Sean Martin considers both the orthodox and conspiratorial version of events, and includes the latest revelations from the Vatican Secret Archives.Trade Reviewa well written and easily enjoyed introduction to the history of this extraordinary crusading Order of military monks whose account still manages to fascinate even after all this time -- Michael Baigent * Freemasonry Today *...do not be deceived by the book's seeming brevity. For this book contains more information than many recent books on the Templars weighing in at three to four times this one -- Stephen Dafoe * Templar History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThere is more to St Helena than an exiled emperor; the tiny island in the middle of the wild South Atlantic Ocean has a rich garden heritage and an extraordinarily diverse flora, both exotic and endemic. This was the consequence of St Helena being the stopover for the vast East India Company fleets from the east on the way to Europe, their cargos carrying, along with spices, plants from China, Malaysia and India. In the age of sail only a small proportion of plants survived lengthy sea voyages, so plants being transported north were rested in gardens on the island before the final leg of their voyage. In this way Jamestown became a storeroom for plants coming in from the east and south Asia, resting in the gardens and then being shipped on to botanic gardens and wealthy collectors, or to be trialled for horticulture or agricultural economic potential. And some of these plants remained, giving the 47 square-mile (122 sq km) island a controversially globally diverse flora today. St Helena became a botanical hub and the East India Company and private plantation houses on the island developed extraordinarily botanically diverse gardens, which were maintained by enslaved labour and Chinese gardeners. This included the now re-established Emperor Napoleon’s Garden (it is a curious fact that the most enthusiastic gardener St Helena ever had was the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte!) as well as the governor’s country estate garden at Plantation House. Illustrated throughout with stunning drawings, maps, and archival manuscript material, Napoleon’s Garden Island looks both to St Helena’s future and to its past, taking the reader on a botanical exploration of the island’s native and introduced flora, and its place in the botanical world today. The book ultimately appeals for a botanic garden to be re-established but to showcase the island’s endemic plants.Trade ReviewSt Helena is a tiny island in the middle of the wild South Atlantic Ocean, rich in garden heritage and exotic and endemic flora. The island was once the stopover for vast East India Company fleets, carrying cargos of spices and plants from China, Malaysia and India. In the age of sail, only a small number of plants survived such voyages, so they were placed to rest on the island, before their last voyage. Maintained by enslaved labour and Chinese gardeners, once such place is the Emperor Napoleon’s Garden at Plantation House. This amazing book is illustrated throughout, with stunning drawings, maps, and manuscripts and looks at St Helena’s future and its past, taking the reader on a botanical exploration of the island’s native and introduced flora and placing it in context today. Featuring 45 colour photographs and 30 b/w illustrations. -- Ship Management International

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Book SynopsisNaval warfare is vividly brought to life, from first contact through how battles were won and lost to damage repair. Our understanding of warfare at sea in the eighteenth century has always been divorced from the practical realities of fighting at sea under sail; our knowledge of tactics is largely based upon the ideas of contemporary theorists[rather than practitioners] who knew little of the realities of sailing warfare, and our knowledge of command is similarly flawed. In this book the author presents new evidence from contemporary sources that overturns many old assumptions and introduces a host of new ideas. In a series of thematic chapters, following the rough chronology of a sea fight from initial contact to damage repair, the author offers a dramatic interpretation of fighting at sea inthe eighteenth century, and explains in greater depth than ever before how and why sea battles (including Trafalgar) were won and lost in the great Age of Sail. He explains in detail how two ships or fleets identified each other to be enemies; how and why they manoeuvred for battle; how a commander communicated his ideas, and how and why his subordinates acted in the way that they did.Trade ReviewWill become widely read by students and academics of the subject, in addition to those who are fascinated by the literary world of Hornblower or Aubrey. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY *A very valuable addition to the extensive literature on naval warfare in the age of sail, looking at a neglected topic. The events of individual battles have been extensively discussed, as have the technical aspects of ship construction, but this book fills the crucial gap between those two, and greatly expands our knowledge of the practicalities of naval warfare in this period. * HISTORY OF WAR.ORG *Is sure to become the standard reference on naval tactics in the Napoleonic era [and] is enthusiastically recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in this aspect of naval history. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY *As a reference work for what these ships were like, how they handled at sea, and how naval officers sought to capitalize on these material constraints for both offensive and defensive purposes, Fighting at Sea is not likely to be surpassed any time soon. * JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES *An excellent historical handbook with much to tell modern readers about military command. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *[A] superbly researched book [which] contains high-quality maps, many excellent illustrations, and an essential glossary, all of which give a better understanding of Willis's argument. * UNITED STATES NAVAL INSTITUTE *A detailed historical study based on extensive research. * . *When it comes to discussing shiphandling Willis is peerless. Not a page is wasted and virtually everything he writes is fascinating and provocative. This is indeed a wonderful book. Anyone interested in warships should have it on his or her bookshelf for frequent consultation. * NORTHERN MARINER *A clear and well-documented account. * SEA HISTORY *By emphasising the critical role of practical seamanship and unwritten rules, this book offers students of the subject a new angle on an old subject. * MILITARY HISTORY *An insightful analysis of the practical realities of sailing warfare that probes deeply into the technical skills, written and unwritten rules, command and control necessary for the Royal Navy's century of unrivalled success in naval combat. * NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL *An illuminating read. * SKIRMISH, October 2008 *Table of ContentsIntroduction Contact Chase and Escape I: Speed and Performance Chase and Escape II: The Tactics of Chasing Station Keeping Communication Unwritten Rules Command The Weather Gage Fleet Tactics Fighting Tactics Damage Conclusion Bibliography Index

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