General and world history Books

Book SynopsisThis brief history of America will span the earliest migrations to the present, reflecting Paul S. Boyer''s interests in social, intellectual, and cultural history, including popular culture and religion. It will reflect his personal view of American history, in which a sense of paradox and irony loom large. While noting positive achievements--political, economic, social, and cultural--he will also discuss the United States''s failures to live up to its oft-stated ideals; although America has figured in the world''s imagination (and its own self-image) as a land of opportunity offering liberty and justice for all, the reality has often fallen short.For example, the establishment of the North American colonies had very different meanings for colonists from the British Isles and Europe, for Native peoples, and for enslaved Africans brought against their will. The late nineteenth century saw not only impressive industrial expansion and the creation of vast fortunes but also appalling conditions in urban-immigrant slums and a degraded, exploited labor force. The twentieth-century emergence of a suburban society of consumer abundance meant a better life for many and laid the groundwork for impressive cultural creativity, yet left behind crime-ridden inner cities and spawned a stultifying mass culture. The immigrants who have renewed and revitalized the nation have also stirred hostility and resentment. While American popular culture has demonstrated global appeal, the projection of U.S. military power abroad, from the Philippines early in the twentieth century to Iraq early in the twenty-first, has sometimes failed in its purpose and damaged the nation''s international standing. Although this book will not be a muckraking exposé or anachronistic moral tract, neither will it be a celebratory panegyric or a bland recital of facts. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Review"Paul Boyer, a scholar's scholar and a teacher's teacher, has here encompassed the entirety of American history in an account that testifies on every page to his lifetime of deep and thoughtful learning, and to his remarkable powers of synthesis, concision, balance, and trenchantly lucid writing."--David M. Kennedy, author of Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; Preface ; Chapter 1: Beginnings: Prehistory to 1763 ; Chapter 2: 1763-1789: Revolution, constitution, a new nation ; Chapter 3: 1789-1850: The promise and perils of nationhood ; Chapter 4: 1850-1865: Slavery and civil war ; Chapter 5: 1866-1899: Industrialization and its consequences ; Chapter 6: 1900-1920: Reform and war ; Chapter 7: 1920-1945: From conflict to global power ; Chapter 8: 1945-1968: Affluence and social unrest ; Chapter 9: To the present ; References ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisHe did not return to Morocco for another twenty-nine years, travelling instead through more than forty countries on the modern map, covering seventy-five thousand miles and getting as far north as the Volga, as far east as China and as far south as Tanzania. He wrote of his travels, and comes across as a superb ethnographer, biographer, anecdotal historian and occasional botanist and gastronome.With this edition by Mackintosh-Smith, Battuta's Travels takes its place alongside other indestructible masterpieces of the travel-writing genre.

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Book SynopsisFor millennia, mankind has devised ingenious and diabolical means of inflicting pain on fellow human beings. This deplorable but seemingly universal trait has eaten away at mankind's very claim to civilisation. Despite how repugnant the practice of torture appears to us today, for at least 3,000 years it formed part of most legal codes throughout Europe and the Far East. The Big Book of Pain is an exploration of the systematic use throughout the ages of various means of punishment, torture, coercion and torment. It takes the reader into the Ancient Roman Coliseum, the medieval dungeon, the Inquisitional interrogation, the auto-da-fe, the witch-trial, and the worst of prisons. It is a shocking and compelling study of the shameful methods and motives of the torturer and the executioner, and of the heinous duty they have performed through the ages.

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Book SynopsisTypically wide-ranging, informative, and illuminating . . . a lovely book Peter FrankopanWhen did globalization begin? Most observers have settled on 1492, the year Columbus discovered America. But as celebrated Yale professor Valerie Hansen shows, it was the year 1000, when for the first time new trade routes linked the entire globe, so an object could in theory circumnavigate the world. This was the ''big bang'' of globalization, which ushered in a new era of exploration and trade, and which paved the way for Europeans to dominate after Columbus reached America.Drawing on a wide range of new historical sources and cutting-edge archaeology, Hansen shows, for example, that the Maya began to trade with the native peoples of modern New Mexico from traces of theobromine - the chemical signature of chocolate - and that frozen textiles found in Greenland contain hairs from animals that could only have come from North America.Moreover, Hansen turns accepted Trade ReviewProvocative . . . a smart, broad-ranging survey of the global Middle Ages that is learned, thought-provoking - and perfectly tuned to our times -- Dan Jones * Sunday Times *Typically wide-ranging, informative, and illuminating, Valerie Hansen has written a lovely book that puts together the pieces of the global jigsaw puzzle of a millennium ago -- Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads: A New History of the WorldThe world has been connected longer than the schoolbooks tell you, a whole millennium longer at least: connections of gold and spices, dragons and slaves and faith. Valerie Hansen teases out the unfamiliar links between Chinese markets, Baghdad fortunes, strange blonds on the walls of Mayan temples, and Vikings on Russian rivers in a careful but accessible and truly global history -- Michael Pye, author of The Edge of the WorldValerie Hansen's sweeping tour of the world in the year 1000 is revelatory and full of eye-opening surprises. She tells a rich and fascinating story of the many ways that far-flung societies a millennium ago forged connections among themselves, a reminder that the forces of globalization that seem so potent today have been at work for centuries. A masterly work of scholarship -- Liaquat Ahamed, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lords of FinanceValerie Hansen takes us on an informative and entertaining romp around the world of a thousand years ago, on everything from Viking longboats to camel caravans in Central Asia. Anyone who thinks that globalization is something new in life needs to read this book! -- Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules - For NowIn a rich and fascinating account of the world around the year 1000, Valerie Hansen shows how people, goods, and ideas traversed vast spaces. Ranging by sea and land across six continents, she seeks out exciting and unexpected connections that show that globalization is by no means new to our own time -- David Abulafia, author of The Boundless SeaValerie Hansen has not only fashioned a coherent and original vision of the world in the year 1000, in itself a remarkable feat of scholarship, but described it in a clear, concrete and absorbing narrative that will entertain and enlighten every reader -- R.I. Moore, author of The First European Revolution and The War on HeresyWhat makes The Year 1000 so special is that it is the result of the author's unique fusion of firsthand, on-site investigations around the world and intensive research in far-flung libraries, archives, and museums. What's more, all of this energetic, scholarly activity is combined with a compelling argument for a new hypothesis concerning the origins of globalization, a topic that could hardly be more pertinent to our own age -- Victor H. Mair, editor of The Columbia History of Chinese Literature and coauthor of The History of Tea and Sacred DisplayThe myth of the 'European Middle Ages' dissolves in the ocean currents and trade winds of this stimulating account of early global connections. Bolstered by facts and enlivened by intriguing theories, Hansen's book presents a world of objects, ideas, people, animals, and know-how constantly on the move. A brisk and refreshing trip for us all -- Barbara H. Rosenwein, author of A Short History of the Middle Ages and Generations of FeelingA tour-de-force and offers many new ways of thinking about the past -- Katrina Gulliver * Spectator *A fascinating, gripping, all-encompassing read -- Giles CorenHighly impressive, deeply researched, lively and imaginative -- Christiane Bird * New York Times *A brilliant communicator... wonderful [book]...brilliant

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Book SynopsisHarald Jähner (Author) Harald Jähner is a cultural journalist and former editor of the Berliner Zeitung. He was also an honorary professor of cultural journalism at the Berlin University of the Arts. His book Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich was shortlisted for the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in the UK and won the Leipzig Book Fair Prize for Non-Fiction in his native Germany.Shaun Whiteside (Translator) Shaun Whiteside is an award-winning translator from French, German, Italian and Dutch. His most recent translations from German include Aftermath by Harald Jähner, To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann, Swansong 1945 by Walter Kempowski, Berlin Finale by Heinz Rein and The Broken House by Horst Krüger.

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Book Synopsis??full of history, exploits, war stories, stunning photographs and art and insignia, a work of love for an aircraft much admired aviation enthusiasts the world over.? -SeapowerHalf Century, Baby! marks the 50th anniversary of the first two Grumman F-14A fleet squadrons (VF-1 and VF-2) receiving their first Tomcats during the summer of 1973. This lavishly illustrated volume tells the story of the aircraft from the beginning to its sunset of service with the US Navy in 2006; the longest operational career of any Naval Fighter to date. Preeminent Tomcat historian and former Tomcat RIO Dave Parsons explains the history of the F-14 decade by decade through the words of the aircrew who flew it. Artist Mads Bangsø brings his superlative illustration talents to the forefront with more than 120 F-14 profiles as well as highly accurate fully rendered recreations historical events featuring the Tomcat, highlighting the interesting markings of the aircraft (including helmets) as well as other aircraft associated with the Tomcat Community. The book features pertinent colour photography throughout, interwoven with the illustrations to complement the text.

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Book SynopsisAn urgent examination of the great wave of change breaking over today's world from the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and New York Times bestselling author of The Death of Truth A profoundly inspiring and prophetic perspective on the contemporary world' Ai Weiwei

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Book SynopsisBy the time the First World War ended in 1918, eight million people had died in what had been perhaps the most apocalyptic episode the world had known. This Very Short Introduction provides a concise and insightful history of the ''Great War'', focusing on why it happened, how it was fought, and why it had the consequences it did. It examines the state of Europe in 1914 and the outbreak of war; the onset of attrition and crisis; the role of the US; the collapse of Russia; and the weakening and eventual surrender of the Central Powers. Looking at the historical controversies surrounding the causes and conduct of war, Michael Howard also describes how peace was ultimately made, and the potent legacy of resentment left to Germany. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition Review from previous edition succinct, comprehensive and beautifully written. Indeed reading it is an experience comparable to scanning the clues of a well-composed crossword puzzle. Every allusion is eventually supplied with an answer, and the finished product defies the puzzler's disbelief that the intricacies can be brought to a convincing conclusion. . . . Michael Howard is the master of the short book * TLS *Howard expertly and succintly summarizes the Great War for the layperson... volume is an excellent way to get a grounding in this momentous subject * Forbes Global 21/03/03 *an enlightened idea to produce a very short account of the great war - a page per month - . . . . But if, in 2014, bright schoolchildren, their brains putified by GCSE, get around to asking what the first world war was about, Howard's book will be very valuable. * The Times, Culture *Professor Sir Michael Howard, . . ., is our best living military historian, and perhaps also strategic thinker. His new work is a masterly introduction to the Great War, desgined for those with no previous knowldge of the subject. . . . Any new student who reads Michael Howard should go on to address the first volume of Hew Strachan's huge new work on the same theme. There is great wisdom in both books, and wisdom on this subject is in short supply. * Sunday Telegraph *Table of Contents1. Europe in 1914 ; 2. The Coming of War ; 3. 1914: The Opening Campaigns ; 4. 1915: The War Continues ; 5. 1916: The War of Attrition ; 6. The United States Enters the War ; 7. 1917: The Year of Crisis ; 8. 1918: The Year of Decision ; 9. The Settlement ; Appendix I: President Wilson's Fourteen Points ; Appendix II: Total War Casualties ; Further Reading

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Book SynopsisWreckers sinks the old narratives of imperialism, revealing the violent, chaotic and improvised reality of empire-building from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. While figures such as Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan are celebrated for their maritime achievements reaching the Americas, India, and circumnavigating the globe focusing solely on these voyages distorts our perspective on the past. Many explorers ended up as castaways, clinging to the splintered timbers of their wrecked ships, while those who survived often faced resistance and ridicule from indigenous communities across the globe. Drawing on maritime stories from various languages and continents from Brazil and Southeast Africa to India and the Philippines Wreckers shares dramatic tales of the sea and the events on land that followed. This offers an alternative timeline for the century after Columbus' 1492 voyage and sheds light on the fractures and fault lines that accompanied the in

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Book SynopsisA singular, compassionate history of humanity, told through the lens of a misunderstood disease.''Superb.'' TELEGRAPH''Fascinating.'' SPECTATOR''Remarkable.'' LITERARY REVIEW''Shocking, moving and sensitive.'' TLS''Uplifting.'' THE TIMESGrippingly and humanely recounted.'PHILIPPE SANDS''It is impossible not to be moved by the lives unfolding in these pages, impossible not to be left transformed and enlightened. ''LEILA ABOULELAWINNER OF THE 2023 RSL GILES ST AUBYN AWARDThe story of leprosy is the story of humanity.It is a story of isolation and exclusion, of resilience and resistance, one which has permeated global cultures in myriad ways for thousands of years, dividing the world into the clean' and the unclean'.Oliver Basciano's journey to demystify leprosy takes him from the Romanian border, the hinterlands of Brazil and the fringes of Siberia to the Japanese archipelago, Robben Island and the northern provinces of Mozambique. It reveals the image of medieval leprosy to be a nineteenth-century myth invented to justify gross mistreatment of patients, a blueprint used for further state-sanctioned stigma: colonialism and racism, religious and economic exploitation.Basciano meets those living with leprosy today, those exiled to various leprosaria around the world and forced to find homes away from home; he hears stories of community and perseverance in the face of grave circumstances, of lives bound to each other through shared experience and a refusal to be cast aside.A work of outstanding empathy, Outcast shines new light on the human condition, asking: does a society's sense of itself always rely on ostracisation?''A new kind of travel book across continents and, more importantly, across the partitions that separate the healthy from the damned Outcast is a revisionist history that makes you realise, when you turn its last page, how differently you look at the world than you did when you first cracked its spine.''BENJAMIN MOSER

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Book SynopsisA spellbinding look at the history of the world through the stories of twelve carpets

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Book SynopsisBased on the powerful true story of Auschwitz prisoner number 3444 Wilhelm Brasse, whose photographs helped to expose the atrocities of the Holocaust.'Horror in sharp focus... important, because the world must know.' John Lewis-Stempel, Daily Express__________When Germany invaded Wilhelm Brasse's native Poland in 1939, he was asked to swear allegiance to Hitler and join the Wehrmacht. He refused. He was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp as political prisoner number 3444. A trained portrait photographer, he was ordered by the SS to record the inner workings of the camp. He began by taking identification photographs of prisoners as they entered the camp, went on to capture the criminal medical experiments of Josef Mengele, and also recorded executions. Between 1940 and 1945, Brasse took around 50,000 photographs of the horror around him. He took them because he had no choice.Eventually, Brasse's conscience wouldn't allow him to hide behind his camera. First he risked his life by joining the camp's Resistance movement, faking documents for prisoners, trying to smuggle images to the outside world to reveal what was happening. Then, when Soviet troops finally advanced on the camp to liberate it, Brasse refused SS orders to destroy his photographs. 'Because the world must know,' he said.For readers of The Librarian of Auschwitz and The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz, this powerful true story of hope and courage lies at the very centre of Holocaust history.__________'A remarkable tale of survival against the odds... an enthralling book.' The Sydney Morning Herald'Brasse has left us with a powerful legacy in images. Because of them we can see the victims of the Holocaust as human and not statistics.' Fergal KeaneTrade ReviewThe authors have woven a remarkable tale of survival against all the odds... They have done their research and created an enthralling book that, while telling an almost incredible tale, shows profound respect to the victims of one of history's darkest episodes.—The Sydney Morning Herald

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Book SynopsisIn english for the first time, this meticulously detailed account of the Nazi 'Deep State' by one of its leading counterintelligence chiefs reveals the deepest secrets, and names foreign Gestapo agents whose identities have never before been public knowledge. Heinrich Pfeifer, the 'man of a thousand names', was one of the strangest spy chiefs of the Nazi SD (Security Police of the SS and Gestapo). He reported directly to Himmler's chief deputy, Reinhard Heydrich. He accomplished many daring and incredible missions in various countries. Heydrich insisted that Pfeifer work under a pseudonym even in his own office. And he had at least twenty aliases, including 'Heinrich Orb', the name he used for this book. Pfeifer joined the Nazi spy service as a German nationalist and Catholic before Himmler and Heydrich had moved to Berlin. He later became disgusted by the anti-Semitism, the concentration camps, the murders and corruption, and what he called the 'satanic' character of Heydrich. He defected in September 1939 and lived in fear of his life until his assassination in 1949. Before his death, Pfeifer left this priceless record of the mechanism of evil of the Nazi Deep State, its methods, its procedures, and its zoo of crazed personnel, all of whom he knew intimately as his own working colleagues. He reveals their peculiarities and personal characteristics, and even their private nicknames for each other. Pfeifer's account was not illustrated and Eglantyne has added more than 250 photos, many of them never before seen, presented with extended commentary.

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Book SynopsisWise, compassionate, and urgent.' Robert Macfarlane, author of UnderlandA Bookseller Nonfiction Editor's Choice for March 2024Plunge into the depths of the unknown in this thrilling work of nonfiction that combines science, history, and nature writing to explore the deepest recesses of the natural world. Oceans created, shaped, and sustain not just human life, but all life on Earth, and perhaps beyond it. They are our history from evolution to exploration and colonialism; our present from beach holidays to transporting food and goods; and, as rising sea levels and warming water reshape coastlines and the climate, our future. Deep Water is a reckoning with humankind's complex relationship with the ocean, a book shaped by tidal movements and vast currents, and lit by the presence of other minds and other ways of being. It speaks directly and uncompromisingly of the urgency of the environmental catastrophe that is overtaking us, but is also suffused with the glories of the ocean, and alert to the extraordinary efforts of the scientists and researchers whose work helps us understand its secrets. Immense in scope but also profoundly personal, it offers vital new ways of understanding humanity's place on our planet, and shows that the oceans might yet save us all.

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Book SynopsisThis volume brings together leading scholars from across disciplines to discuss genocide denial in the twenty-first century, concentrating on communication, social networks, and public spheres of daily life.Trade Review"Der Matossian's Genocide Denial in the Twenty-First Century is essential reading as it keeps horrific losses from genocide at the forefront of our memories, while expanding our understanding of the myriad ways in which genocide has been and continues to be denied."—Jeff Bachman, H-Diplo"An extremely important book."—J. A. Drobnicki, Choice“An understanding of denial is essential to an understanding of genocide. This book makes a powerful contribution to the field. It is admirably wide-ranging and comparative. Each chapter is engaging, compelling, and thought-provoking—perhaps not surprising given the eminence and reputations of its contributors.”—John Cox, author of To Kill a People: Genocide in the Twentieth Century“Providing an updated and comprehensive analysis of the ongoing phenomenon of genocide denial and its origins, motivations, and repercussions by experts in the field, this volume clarifies the prevalent and lamentable practice of both perpetrating mass murder and erasing its memory.”—Omer Bartov, author of Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz“With chapters by leading scholars, this volume provides key insights about how genocide denial has played out in some of the major cases of our times. It is a welcome and much-needed addition to the field of genocide studies.”—Alexander Laban Hinton, author of It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the U.S.“Extremely important and urgent. As we, scholars and the public, are faced with rising denialist attempts in various countries regarding various genocides, this volume [is a] very timely and an important contribution to a developing subfield of genocide studies and political education. Denial of genocide in itself and also in its comparative perspective is still relatively under-researched.”—Stefan Ihrig, author of Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to HitlerTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Genocide Denial in the Twenty-First Century Bedross Der Matossian 1. Denial of Genocide of Indigenous People in the United States Robert K. Hitchcock 2. Armenian Genocide and Its Denial: A Comprehensive Tool of Supremacism? Talin Suciyan 3. Weaponizing the First Amendment: Denial of the Armenian Genocide and the U.S. Courts Marc A. Mamigonian 4. Coalition Politics and Parliamentary Paralysis: The Armenian Genocide Bill during the Netanyahu Administration, 2009–2021 Eldad Ben Aharon 5. Denying the Shoah: Distorting History in the Twenty-First Century Gerald J. Steinacher 6. Aversions to Acknowledging the Khmer Rouge Genocides in Cambodia, 1990–2021 Ben Kiernan 7. Denial of the Guatemalan Genocide, 1981–2020 Samuel Totten 8. Regional Political Implications of Bosnian Genocide Denial Jelena Subotić 9. Mainstreaming the Denial of the Genocide against the Tutsi Roland Moerland 10. A Multifront War of Narratives: The Assad Regime’s Emerging Denialism Uğur Ümit Üngör and Annsar Shahhoud Epilogue: Denials of Reality Remove the Capacity to Think Straight and Logically in Order to Feel Protected and Safe Israel W. Charny Contributors Index

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

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Royal Society Science Book.'Exhilaratingly whizzes through billions of years . . . Gee is a marvellously engaging writer' - The TimesFor billions of years, Earth was an inhospitably alien place – covered with churning seas, slowly crafting its landscape through volcanic eruptions, the atmosphere in a constant state of chemical flux. And yet, despite facing literally every conceivable setback that living organisms could encounter, life has been extinguished and picked itself up to evolve again.From that first foray to the spread of early hominids who later became Homo sapiens, life has persisted, undaunted. A (Very) Short History of Life: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Chapters is an enlightening story of survival, of persistence, illuminating the delicate balance within which life has always existed, and continues to exist today. It is our planet like you’ve never seen it before.Dr Henry Gee presents creatures from ‘gregarious’ bacteria populating the seas to duelling dinosaurs in the Triassic period, to magnificent mammals with the future in their grasp. Life’s evolutionary steps – from the development of a digestive system to the awe of creatures taking to the skies in flight – are conveyed with an up-close intimacy.'Henry Gee makes the kaleidoscopically changing canvas of life understandable and exciting.' – Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and SteelTrade ReviewA scintillating, fast-paced waltz through four billion years of evolution, from one of our leading science writers . . . His poetic prose animates the history of life, from the first bacteria to trilobites to dinosaurs to us. -- Steve Brusatte, University of Edinburgh paleontologist and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the DinosaursExhilaratingly whizzes through billions of years . . . Gee is a marvellously engaging writer, juggling humour, precision, polemic and poetry to enrich his impossibly telescoped account . . . [making] clear sense out of very complex narratives * The Times *This is now the best book available about the huge changes in our planet and its living creatures, over the billions of years of the Earth’s existence . . . Henry Gee makes this kaleidoscopically changing canvas of life understandable and exciting. Who will enjoy reading this book? Everybody! -- Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and SteelHenry Gee’s whistle-stop account of the story of life (and death — lots of death) on Earth is both fun and informative. Even better, it goes beyond the natural human inclination to see ourselves as special and puts us in our proper place in the cosmic scheme of things -- John GribbinDon’t miss this delightful, concise, sweeping masterpiece! Gee brilliantly condenses the entire, improbable, astonishing history of life on earth — all 5 billion years - into a charming, zippy and scientifically accurate yarn. -- Daniel E. Lieberman, Professor of Biological Sciences, Harvard University'Gee's prose is so infectiously enthusiastic, and his tone so accessible, that you'll find yourself racing through as if you were reading a novel - and you'll never find yourself scrambling for a good fact to wheel out at an awkward pause in conversation again.' * Reader's Digest *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA work of serious ambition —Times, Best Books of 2022Exhilarating . . . a work of scholarship, but also inspiration. The detail is fascinating, the prose lively, the analysis convincing and the message surprisingly hopeful. . . Go and read Jablonka and change the world —The Sunday TimesA surprise bestseller in France. . . his work has now found a much wider audience in a lucid English translation—New StatesmanJablonka marshals an impressive body of historical, anthropological, biological and sociological evidence in his compelling history of masculinity. A man who passionately supports the feminist cause, Jablonka's argument for gender justice is both radical and promising —TLSIlluminating. . . a history and a call to arms, almost a manifesto, for how to create a society of "just men"—The Sunday TimesA vivid, opinionated take on centuries of gender relations . . . a thought provoking, occasionally troubling big history - which also offers up some possible futures—BBC History MagazineJablonka's history of how one half of the world's population has consistently oppressed the other has control and poise—SpectatorThe present and future of masculinity have been hotly debated for some years now, which perhaps explains why this history of the topic became a bestseller in France before finding a publisher in the UK. Social historian Ivan Jablonka travels from Mesopotamia to Confucianism to the revolutions of the 18th century to offer a fresh slant on gender and to define what it means to be a good man, father and friend today—Mr PorterIn this ambitious book, Jablonka explores the history of patriarchy, explains its longevity and shows what men should do next—Les InrocksJablonka's work is remarkable. . . erudite and lucid, personal and rigorous —Le MondeFascinating and necessary—PsychologiesEnlightening. . . crucial for democracy and our daily lives —Marie ClaireAn unexpected bestseller in France. . . it has sparked conversations—Challenges

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Book SynopsisThe riveting, powerful and profoundly moving story of the AIDS epidemic.Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-FictionWinner of The Green Carnation Prize for LGBTQ literatureWinner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT non-fictionShortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize 2017How to Survive a Plague by David France is a social and scientific history of AIDS, and the grass-roots movement of activists, many of them facing their own life-or-death struggles, who grabbed the reins of scientific research to help develop the drugs that turned HIV from a mostly fatal infection to a manageable disease. Around the globe, the 15.8 million people taking anti-AIDS drugs today are alive thanks to their efforts.Not since the publication of Randy Shilts's now classic And the Band Played On in 1987 has a book sought to measure the AIDS plague in such brutally human, intimate, and soaring terms.Weaving together the stories of dozens of individuals, this is an insider's account of a pivotal moment in our history and one that changed the way that medical science is practised worldwide.'This superbly written chronicle will stand as a towering work in its field' - Sunday Times'Inspiring, uplifting and necessary reading' - Steve Silberman author of Neurotribes, Financial TimesTrade ReviewHow to Survive a Plague is epoch-making: the whole social and scientific history of AIDS, brilliantly told. Informative, entertaining, suspenseful, moving, and personal. -- Edmund WhiteAs one generation grows up with the misconception that AIDS is nothing more than a manageable illness, another grows old with the fear that the epidemic's early days will disappear into the fog of history. How to Survive a Plague is the book for both generations. France has pulled off the seemingly impossible here, invoking the terror and confusion of those dark times while simultaneously providing a clear-eyed timeline of the epidemic's emergence and the disparate, often dissonant forces that emerged to fight it. -- Dale PeckHeroic and heartbreaking and magnificent history throughout, How to Survive a Plague is one of the great tales of our time: the story of incredibly brave and determined men and women who defied government, the pharmaceutical industry, vicious homophobia, and the death sentence of AIDS to overwhelm an awful scourge. -- Carl BernsteinThis is a masterpiece of intimate storytelling with moral purpose, a contemplation not so only of an epidemic of illness but also of an epidemic of resilience. It's a book about courage and kindness and anger and joy, written with fierce, passionate intensity and utter conviction. -- Andrew SolomonHow to Survive a Plague is both a great and an important book, and we owe David France an enormous debt of gratitude for writing it. At once global and achingly intimate, his story provokes righteous rage, despair, the blackest of humor, heartbreak and, finally, blessedly, hard-won hope . . . for all of us. You will not soon forget these smart, courageous, dying young men. In fact, let's call them heroes, since they were. -- Richard RussoDavid France is uniquely positioned to bear witness to the science and politics of the AIDS epidemic, its deeply personal impact, and the activists who refused to be silenced by it: courageous and brilliant, often selfless, willing to fight even as they struggle with death, but always fully human. From the story's beginning, France was on the ground doing hard-hitting reporting on the plague while living its toll in the most intimate of ways. How to Survive a Plague is a definitive, long-awaited and essential account of the plague years - haunting and hopeful, devastating and uplifting. Incredibly important. -- Rebecca Skloot

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Book SynopsisThe No. 1 Sunday Times and international bestseller - a major reassessment of world history in light of the economic and political renaissance in the re-emerging east For centuries, fame and fortune was to be found in the west in the New World of the Americas. Today, it is the east which calls out to those in search of adventure and riches. The region stretching from eastern Europe and sweeping right across Central Asia deep into China and India, is taking centre stage in international politics, commerce and culture and is shaping the modern world. This region, the true centre of the earth, is obscure to many in the English-speaking world. Yet this is where civilization itself began, where the world's great religions were born and took root. The Silk Roads were no exotic series of connections, but networks that linked continents and oceans together. Along them flowed ideas, goods, disease and death. This was where empires were won and where they were lost. As a new eTrade ReviewBrilliant and fearlessly wide-ranging … undaunted by the complexity of the material, and the scale of the subject he has taken on, Frankopan marches briskly through the centuries, disguising his erudition with an enviable lightness of touch, enlivening his narrative with a beautifully constructed web of anecdotes and insights, backed up by an impressively wide-ranging scholarly apparatus of footnotes drawing on works in multiple languages … This is history on a grand scale, with a sweep and ambition that is rare … a remarkable book on many levels, a proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement -- William Dalrymple, Books of the Year * Guardian *Breathtaking and addictively readable - History Book of the Year * Daily Telegraph *Many books have been written which claim to be “A New History of the World”. This one fully deserves the title…It is difficult, in a short review, to do justice to a book so ambitious, so detailed and so fascinating as this one -- Gerald DeGroot * The Times *The author’s gift for vividness is reminiscent of Jan Morris, while his command of revealing facts or fancies is not far short of Gibbon’s -- Felipe Fernández Armesto * Literary Review *A book that roves as widely as the geography it describes, encompassing worlds as far removed as those of Herodotus and Saddam Hussein, Hammurabi and Hitler…It is a tribute to Frankopan’s scholarship and mastery of sources in multiple languages that he is as sure-footed on the ancient world as he is on the medieval and modern -- Justin Marozzi * The Sunday Times *Splendid ... tightly researched ... invigorating and profound [with] enough storytelling to excite the reader and enough fresh scholarship to satisfy the intellect...charismatic and essential -- Dr Bettany Hughes * Daily Telegraph *The Silk Roads, which covers several continents and many centuries, is based on astonishingly wide and deep reading and in all areas draws on the latest research...it is full of vivid and recondite details * Independent *This is, to put it mildly, an ambitious book...Frankopan writes with clarity and memorable detail * Economist *Timely … it deserves a place by the library fireplace * Country Life *Dazzlingly good ... [Frankopan blends] deep scholarly skill with a real literary talent -- Dan Jones * Evening Standard *Bold and ambitious * Tablet *Full of intriguing insights and fascinating details -- Anthony Sattin * Observer *With extraordinary erudition and a vivid style, [Frankopan] takes us on a dazzling tour ... from the rise of the first empires right through to the present * Open (Weekly) *It’s the details that win it. Did you know that Attila’s Huns wore coats made from mouse skin? * Sunday Express *[Frankopan] tells a good story … with great panache. [The Silk Roads] is full of enthralling anecdotal details … Frankopan’s research is impeccable. The Silk Roads is based on information from sources in well over a dozen languages. It has a sweeping canvas and covers more than 2,000 years of history …[an] exhilarating rollercoaster ride * New Delhi Business Standard *Hugely ambitious in its scope * China Today *A compelling narrative and is jam-packed with stories. It contains numerous snippets of information that shed new light on major world events * China Daily *Essential reading * MoneyWeek *A compelling political, economic and social history that is as much about how we will live as how we once did * World Travel Guide *Beautifully constructed, a terrific and exhilarating read and a new perspective on world history -- Averil Cameron * History Today *An often exhilarating tour of 2,000 years of history ... Frankopan upends the usual world-history narrative oriented around ancient Rome and Greece and the irrepressible rise of Europe ... In The Silk Roads, Peter Frankopan has provided a bracing wake up call. * The National AE *As incongruous it may seem to call an intensely-researched 600-page tome with 100 pages of footnotes a romp, The Silk Roads is a fluent, page-turning gallop through the roughly 2500 years from ancient Persia and Alexander the Great to the present day ... If one had to choose an up-to-date volume from which to glean an overview of world history, this might well be it * Asian Review of Books *As well-written, entertaining, disturbing and exciting as a detective story * Svenska Dagbladet *Frankopan handles his material deftly and has an eye for telling details...a clear theme is that globalisation is not a new phenomenon. This is essential reading * Prosper Magazine *A dazzling piece of historical writing * South China Morning Post *The most illuminating book of the year ... A healthy antidote to Eurocentric accounts of history [and] an impressive, if depressing account of the disastrous Western interventions in Central Asia -- Books of the Year * Times Literary Supplement *A very well-written and wide-ranging study, founded on reading of staggering breadth and depth ... Strikingly up to date. The author has used the most recent scholarship to impressive effect ... And he is evidently constantly rethinking in the light of new scholarship ... The book is full of fascinating insights ... No one could read it without learning a great deal, or without having their conception of the course of history radically challenged * Times Literary Supplement *Frankopan casts his net widely in this work of dizzying breadth and ambition ... Frankopan approaches his craft with an acerbic wit, and his epochal perspective throws the foibles of the modern age into sharp relief * Publisher's Weekly *This book lives up to its claim to be a new history of the world because of its geopolitical paradigm shift … He is a Herodotus of the twenty first century * Irish Left Review *Breathtaking … inverts received wisdom … superb history charts mankind’s flirtation with global disaster * New Zealand Herald *Enticing, sometimes enchanting … An exceptionally, eclectically, eccentrically wide range of subjects * Sydney Morning Herald *A thumping good read * Sunday Times, South Africa *Frankopan shows that even in ancient times trade and culture bound distant people togethers ... A rare book that makes you question your assumptions about the world * Wall Street Journal *'Superb … Peter Frankopan is an exceptional storyteller … The lands of the Silk Roads are of renewed importance, and Frankopan’s book will be indispensable to anyone who wants to make sense of this union of past and present * Dallas Morning News *Sumptuous, intriguing and surprising -- Sir Paddy Ashdowne * The Week *‘Magisterial’ -- Books of the Year * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisIn the first two volumes of his bestselling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted how the American-led coalition fought through North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now he tells the most dramatic story of all - the titanic battle for Western Europe. D-Day marked the commencement of the European war''s final campaign, and Atkinson''s riveting account of that bold gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows. The brutal fight in Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the disaster that was Market Garden, the horrific Battle of the Bulge, and finally the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich - all these historic events and more come alive with a wealth of new material and a mesmerizing cast of characters. With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Rick Atkinson''s remarkable accomplishment is manifest. He has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that unshackled a continent and preserved freedom in the West.

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Book SynopsisThe dramatic and little-known story of how, in the summer of 1920, Lenin came within a hair''s breadth of shattering the painstakingly constructed Versailles peace settlement and spreading Bolshevism to western Europe.In 1920 the new Soviet state was a mess, following a brutal civil war, and the best way of ensuring its survival appeared to be to export the revolution to Germany, itself economically ruined by defeat in World War I and racked by internal political dissension.Between Russia and Germany lay Poland, a nation that had only just recovered its independence after more than a century of foreign oppression. But it was economically and militarily weak and its misguided offensive to liberate the Ukraine in the spring of 1920 laid it open to attack. Egged on by Trotsky, Lenin launched a massive westward advance under the flamboyant Marshal Tukhachevsky.All that Great Britain and France had fought for over four years now seemed at risk. By the middle of August the Russians were onlyTrade Review‘The book I have most enjoyed this year…has the quality and excitement of the very best historical novel…marvellous.’ John Bayley, TLS (Book of the Year) ‘Zamoyski writes with thrilling immediacy and dramatic effect about a conflict of huge import that has been overlooked by almost everyone but the Poles themselves.’ Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times (Book of the Year) 'The mark of a great military historian is not only to do the battlefield descriptions and explain the tactics, but to give the political context and bring the characters of the commanders to life. Zamoyski manages it all in this concise and thrilling account of a forgotten war.' Daily Telegraph 'Zamoyski shows himself to be a master…across the battlefields [he] proves to be a sure-footed guide with a rare capacity for casting light into dark corners, to pierce the fog of war and to make what at first seems incomprehensible easy to understand …Zamoyski's battle pictures, indeed, are reminiscent of Tolstoy.' Spectator 'Elegant and fascinating … the bulk of the book is given over to a deft and gripping battle narrative …"Warsaw 1920" is battle history of the best kind.The international setting and the political context are gracefully sketched in, and Zamoyski integrates the voices of contemporaries to create a symphonic, three-dimensional chronicle.' Sunday Times 'A thorough, beautifully written account of one of the great turning-points in Europe's history … Zamoyski … writes with the dash of a Polish cavalry officer.' Independent

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Book SynopsisColm Tóibín's Lady Gregory's Toothbrush is a beautiful insight into the life of outspoken Irishwoman, Augusta Gregory.A remarkable figure in Celtic history, she was married to an MP and land-owner, yet retained an unprecedented independence of both thought and deed, actively championing causes close to her heart. At once conservative and radical in her beliefs, she saw no conflict in idealizing and mythologizing the Irish peasantry, for example, while her landlord husband introduced legislation that would, in part, lead to the widespread misery, poverty and starvation of the Great Famine. Nevertheless, as founder of the Abbey Theatre, an outspoken opponent of censorship, and mentor, muse, and mother-figure to W. B. Yeats, Augusta Gregory played a pivotal role in shaping Irish literary and dramatic history. Moreover, despite her parents’ early predictions of spinsterhood, she was no matronly figure, engaging in a passionate affair while Trade ReviewBiographical portraits are too often nowadays smudged in a surfeit of words . . . this one is a brilliant illumination. * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisA New Statesman Best Book of the Year 2023. A Waterstones Book of the Year 2023. An Economist Book of the Year. One of Smithsonian Magazine''s Ten Best History Books of 2023. A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year 2023. Winner of the Voltaire Medal.''An untold story of colonial history, both epic and intimate, and a thrilling revelation'' Adam Rutherford''Mind-blowing . . . this is how history should be told'' Benjamin ZephaniahIn this groundbreaking new history, Caroline Dodds Pennock recovers the long-marginalised stories of the Indigenous Americans who - as enslaved people, diplomats, explorers, servants and traders - left a profound impact on European civilisation in the ''Age of Discovery''. On Savage Shores is a sweeping account of power and influence in America and Europe - one which could forever change the way we understand our global history.Trade ReviewOn Savage Shores is a work of historical recovery . . . few books make as compelling a case for such a reimagining -- David Olusoga * GUARDIAN, Book of the Day *In On Savage Shores, Dodds Pennock has performed a monumental work of historical excavation. Beautifully written and painstakingly researched, this is first-rate scholarship -- Susannah Lipscomb * FINANCIAL TIMES *A thrilling, beautifully written and important book that changes how we look at transatlantic history, finally placing Indigenous peoples not on the side-lines but at the centre of the narrative. Highly recommended -- PETER FRANKOPANDodds Pennock's unpeeling of the indigenous experience from obscure manuscripts . . . is a much-needed and refreshing take on our all-too Eurocentric telling of the past -- Andrea Wulf * THE TIMES *Not only changes how we think about the first contact between America and Europe but also sets the methodological standard for a new way of understanding the origin of the modern world * NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS *On Savage Shores is mind-blowing, and it's an important contribution to struggle for a fair and more balanced telling of history - I felt genuinely enlightened. Dodds Pennock is a truth teller of the highest order, and a first class communicator. This is how history should be told -- BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAHOn Savage Shores offers a welcome non-Eurocentric narrative about how the great civilisations of the Americas discovered Europe . . . an important book * INDEPENDENT *An untold story of colonial history, both epic and intimate, and a thrilling revelation, not about the invasion of the Americas by Europeans, but the journeys of Indigenous people to Europe. Caroline Dodds Pennock is the perfect guide, cannily and eloquently shifting the axis of global history away from its Eurocentric grip -- ADAM RUTHERFORDCaroline Dodds Pennock's utterly original book is chock full of remarkable stories . . . there is much to enjoy in this unusual history of a forgotten corner of our past * DAILY MAIL *Deftly weaves diverse and fascinating tales of the exciting adventures, complex diplomatic missions, voyages of discovery, triumphant incursions, and heartbreaking exploitations - of the many thousands of Indigenous travellers to new lands. Essential reading for anyone interested in how the events of the "Age of Exploration" shaped the modern world -- JENNIFER RAFF, author of ORIGINInspiring and important . . . Expertly researched, convincingly argued, erudite yet readable, and introduces new readers to the reality of Indigenous American experience * HISTORY TODAY *Caroline Dodds Pennock offers a remarkably fresh and compelling account of the so-called Age of Discovery. Whether arriving as ambassadors or enslaved, these travellers experienced Europe as a new and disorienting world: a place of shocking violence and perplexing social norms. Pennock, a leading authority on Indigenous Mexico, tells their stories with insight and humanity. A must read -- BRETT RUSHFORTH, author of BONDS OF ALLIANCE: INDIGENOUS AND ATLANTIC SLAVERIES IN NEW FRANCEPennock has pieced together hundreds of fragments to create a new and remarkable portrait of the travellers who crossed the Atlantic not to the Americas but from them, and who found in Europe a strange, often hostile, sometimes intriguing society, vastly different from their own -- CATHERINE FLETCHER, author of THE BEAUTY AND THE TERROR[A] fascinating and fluidly written revisionist history . . . This innovative and powerful account breaks down long-standing historical assumptions * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred review *An impressive and consequential act of research and interpretation that consistently acknowledges the profound and ongoing . . . fissure caused to indigenous identities by colonisation, enslavement, violence and displacement. * GEOGRAPHICAL *As Caroline Dodds Pennock shows, there were many thousands of Native Americans in early modern Europe who have long been forgotten . . . an overdue diversion of attention towards people marginalised by race . . . Dodds Pennock's skilful method involves subtly layering European accounts -- Malcom Gaskill * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *Imaginative and passionately argued * Wall Street Journal *An excellent exploration of Indigenous presence in and contribution to Europe and nascent globalization. Pennock, by recognizing and voicing a space for Indigenous Peoples in Europe, has told a story that needs to form a part of every history class from grade school to university. On Savage Shores is an original and important recasting of sixteenth-century Europe . . . a decolonizing and un-whitening approach to the past * Anishinabek News *On Savage Shores not only changes how we think about the first contact between America and Europe but also sets the methodological standard for a new way of understanding the origin of the modern world. * New York review of Books *

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Book SynopsisA unique lens through which to view the modern world: 28 insider accounts of national histories, now available in B-format paperback.Trade Review'Bold and intriguing ... deft and revelatory' - BBC History Magazine'Immaculately edited ... rich and multi-layered' - History Today'If you want to get a sense of what it means to be Greek, French, German, Egyptian or Ghanaian, then make the excellent Histories of Nations your first port of call' - Geographical MagazineTable of ContentsSweden • Mexico • Egypt • Germany • Britain • India • Ireland • Canada • Ghana • Netherlands • Iran • Russia • Hungary • France • Italy • Greece • Argentina • China • Australia • Finland • Brazil • Japan • United States • Poland • Czech Republic • Turkey • Israel • Spain

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Book SynopsisComprehensive guide to what remains of the North East's Mining Heritage

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Book SynopsisA lighthearted and informative narrative about the history of herring and our love affair with the silver darlings. Scots like to smoke or salt them. The Dutch love them raw. Swedes look on with relish as they open bulging, foul-smelling cans to find them curdling within. Jamaicans prefer them with a dash of chilli pepper. Germans and the English enjoy their taste best when accompanied by pickle's bite and brine. Throughout the long centuries men have fished around their coastlines and beyond, the herring has done much to shape both human taste and history. Men have co-operated and come into conflict over its shoals, setting out in boats to catch them, straying, too, from their home ports to bring full nets to shore. Women have also often been at the centre of the industry, gutting and salting the catch when the annual harvest had taken place, knitting, too, the garments fishermen wore to protect them from the ocean's chill. Following a journey from the western edge of Norway to Trade ReviewThe story is told with great charm, and tinged with a spirit of loss and yearning. * Philip Marsden, The Spectator *Mr Murray is a gregarious and engaging raconteur as he flips between the diverse aspects of this versatile little creature. * The Economist *This is a splendid book, filled with passion, wit, and wonderful facts. * Geographical magazine *...a fine, scholarly, restless and keen-brained work. -- John Macleod * Scottish Review of Books *It's a fascinating book and worth a read. * The Glasgow Herald *Like the herring, this is a book that darts across time and oceans. It gleams with story. A wonderful read. -- Sally MagnussonThese herring tales are far more tasty than you might expect. * The Scotsman *Donald S. Murray takes us to places we’ve never been before as he explores the world of herring in a sweet, pellucid, often poetic prose. -- Jay PariniHerring Tales offers a fascinating view of the coastal cultures of northern Europe, of how a 12-inch fish has affected human activity there for hundreds of years. * Philip Marsden, The Spectator *Murray's account of the herring industry has almost as many facets as his slippery subjects have scales ... and offers fillets of history, culture and zoology, with an emphasis on the eclectic. * The Economist *Herring Tales is the story of close-knit communities based around a particular kind of fishing, a world that is both present and, alas, fading. I strongly recommend this eloquent and finely detailed book. -- Jay PariniMurray is one of my favourite authors in any genre, and this quirky book on how the "silver darlings" shaped human taste and history doesn't disappoint. * Guardian *Murray mixes folklore, personal reminiscence, cookery... and intertwines herring culture with political history. -- Brian Morton * Times Literary Supplement *After reading author, poet and Gaelic playwright Donald S Murray's quirky book you may never look at the humble herring in quite the same way! * Countryside *It provides interesting facts and observations about the fish and fishing industry, it's historical and economic impact, some amusing anecdotes, and even a couple of Woody Allen jokes. * Countryside *Who knew fermented fish could be so much fun? -- Anna Burnside * Daily Record *The herring is an unsung hero in the tale of the land and the sea. Its trade brought prosperity, but herring fishing brought misery and loss too. In his lyrical voice Donald Murray sings this tale so we can fathom its depths. And, as is always the case with good poetry, all of it is true. -- Huib Stam, author of Herring: A Love StorySearch as you might, you may be reasonably assured that no other subject of the Emperor Herring will publish a better book about the reign of the silver darlings. ‘Herring Tales’ is a glorious piece of non-fiction … a fast, lively, funny and altogether irresistible book. ‘Herring Tales’ is a tour de force. It may not bring the shoals back, but it will immortalise their memory. * West Highland Free Press *Donald weaves a herring tapestry as beautiful and as intricate as a piece of Harris Tweed. * The New Shetlander *Coated in oatmeal and fried, kippered or pickled or eaten raw, the herring is the best of fish, and Donald Murray’s social, economic and cultural history of the herring fisheries of northern Europe is worthy of it, rich in observation, reflection and anecdote. It’s an entrancing work in which learning is worn lightly and an all but vanished way of life is brought vividly before us. There’s the taste of the sea in the herring and in this book. -- Allan MassieA rare and precious book which is both erudite and humane. Herring Tales takes a humble, overlooked phenomenon and shows how all of life is interwoven with it. Totally life-affirming and inspirational. -- Ewan MorrisonA fascinating, vividly written account of the role of the herring in the history, culture, folklore, festivities as well as cuisine of life all over the North Sea. The canvas is wide, and the author looks at Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Norway, Holland, with an unexpected glance at Italy thrown in. An informative work and an enthralling read. Donald Murray shows that there is more to the herring than an accompaniment to a plate of chips on a Saturday night after an evening at the pub. -- Joseph FarrellIt is a fascinating read – written with wit and a deep rooted understanding of the subject. * fallonsangler.net *This delightful book celebrates the strong cultural bond between herring and human. * Daily Mail *Table of ContentsMap of The Major Herring Ports of Northern Europe Chapter 1: 'Them Belly Full' Chapter 2: 'When the Seagulls Follow the Travellers' Chapter 3: 'Return to Sender' Chapter 4: 'There's a Ghost in My House' Chapter 5: 'Get Off of My Cloud' Chapter 6: 'Starman' Chapter 7: 'Celebration of the Lizard' Chapter 8: 'Seven Seas of Rhye' Chapter 9: 'Blowing' in the Wind' Chapter 10: 'Dweller on the Threshold' Chapter 11: 'Spirit in the Sky' Chapter 12: 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?' Bibliography 'Reasons to be Cheerful' Index Photographic Credits Plates

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Book SynopsisKnowledge is power. Time is money. Justice is blind.Western civilisation is a powerful brand, and full of accepted wisdoms like these that we rarely question. Taking cues from Greek philosophy and honed in the Enlightenment, certain notions about humanity and society grew into the tenets many of us still live by today.But if we take a closer look at these ideas, it seems they are not all they are cracked up to be. In fact, some of them are outright lies - and we can start to ask who really benefits from them. What is the value of a scientific worldview that conjured up ''race''? Are the Western concepts of ''saving'' and ''wasting'' time really the best ways to live? Who are our laws actually designed to serve? And the real question: is the West as civilised as it likes to think it is? In an age of division and entrenched inequality, Uncivilised is a timely, provocative and entertaining counter to the ideas and assumptions that have shaped the WTrade ReviewA witty and accessible survey of the shortcomings of western civilisation as many people imagine it -- Angela Saini, author of SUPERIORA vital piece of work in our challenging times that reminds us of the rich history and influences outside the West. Das writes with passion and humour to open our eyes to the history that has shaped our world -- Roma AgrawalA stunning debut. Subhadra Das shows how a word - civilisation - became a lie. She traces how that lie was repeated and transformed in universities and museums, and how it came to be embedded in the idea of 'western' culture itself. Clearly and passionately, Uncivilised shows us how to begin to dispel such enduring untruths - with seriousness and humour in equal measure -- Dan Hicks, author of THE BRUTISH MUSEUMSWith cutting wit and incisive insight, Uncivilised makes minced meat out of the leviathan known as 'Western civilization'. Imagine a brilliant curator-comedian guiding you on an irreverent tour through a grand museum - exposing its attics, sewers, and closets full of real and metaphoric skeletons. Subhadra guides us out of hallowed, hypocritical halls of the 'Ten Lies That Made the West', and shares with us the histories, knowledges, and ingenuity of those peoples and cultures dismissed as 'uncivilised' -- Xine YaoThere is a quiet, righteous rage that steams off the pages of this book. I can't help but wish it was a book I'd read many decades ago -- Alom ShahaEverything you never knew you needed to know, told with wit and charm. Das unveils the hidden history that shapes every so-called 'fact' of civilisation with a wry sense of humour and an expert's knowledge. -- Brenna HassettDas traces the lies coiled serpent-like around the foundations of Western 'civilisation' with wit and elan, in a paradigm-shifting yet highly accessible tome. If there's one book you read this year, let it be this -- Lindsey FitzharrisSubhadra Das expertly takes us on journey, weaving wit and vulnerability within years of research. Uncivilised balances brilliant storytelling with academia, resulting in an unflinching debut that's hard to put down -- Yomi SodeUsing a fast-paced mixture of memoir, historical analysis and zingers, Das asks how well the Western world has lived up to the ideals it has set for itself, from impartial justice to the scientific method -- Professor Erin Thompson, author of SMASHING STATUESUncivilised will make the intelligent reader question everything they thought they knew, in the best possible way. Clever, funny and shrewd - everyone who cares about ideas needs to read this book -- Caroline Crampton, author of THE WAY TO THE SEA

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth analysis of how drones have revolutionized ground combat, including combat experience from recent wars.In 2020, Azerbaijan used drones to defeat Armenia, and large-scale use of small drones in Ukraine since 2022 has been so effective that it has rendered large-scale maneuver warfare largely impossible. Drones enable a military force to operate over enemy-held territory at little risk to its soldiers. Used to enable detailed observation and accurate direct mortar and artillery fire, they can also be the weaponattacking specific targets or suppressing enemy fire or forces. On these missions a drone might be closely controlled by a trained pilot, or it might use its own sensors and software to make decisions on routes and actions. Yet despite the dramatic effect drones have already had on the battlefield, drone technology is still in its infancyperhaps comparable to the stage of development that aircraft reached during World War I.As drones will surely continue to disrupt the

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Book SynopsisRead the devastating story of the Spanish flu - the twentieth century's greatest killer – and discover what it can teach us about the current Covid-19 pandemic.'Both a saga of tragedies and a detective story... Pale Rider is not just an excavation but a reimagining of the past' Guardian With a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people and a global reach, the Spanish flu of 1918–1920 was the greatest human disaster, not only of the twentieth century, but possibly in all of recorded history. And yet, in our popular conception it exists largely as a footnote to World War I. In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of an overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Odessa. She shows how the pandemic was shaped by the interaction of a virus and the humans it encountered; and how this devastating natural experiment put both the ingenuity and the vulnerability of humans to the test. Laura Spinney demonstrates that the Spanish flu was as significant – if not more so – as two world wars in shaping the modern world; in disrupting, and often permanently altering, global politics, race relations, family structures, and thinking across medicine, religion and the arts.‘Weaves together global history and medical science to great effect ... Riveting.’ Sunday TimesTrade ReviewWith superb investigative skill and a delightfully light-hearted writing style, Spinney extends her analysis far beyond the relatively short duration of the plague... I’ve seldom had so much fun reading about people dying. * The Times *Weaves together global history and medical science to great effect ... Riveting. * Sunday Times *Both a saga of tragedies and a detective story... Pale Rider is not just an excavation but a reimagining of the past. * Guardian *Vividly recreated, grimly fascinating… Coolly, crisply and with a consistently sharp eye for the telling anecdote, Spinney ... demonstrates how the Spanish flu cast a long shadow over the 20th century. * Daily Mail *Magisterial. * Observer *

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Book SynopsisSuitable for the GCE 2008 specification, this title provides students with the best preparation possible for their examinations and coursework.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisA riveting, comprehensive history of the Arab peoples and tribesTrade Review“Although Mackintosh-Smith’s book is perfectly scholarly, it is not a dutiful plod through a succession of slaughtered sultans and viziers or a tallying of gains and losses in forgotten battles in unpronounceable places. On the contrary, Arabs keeps throwing out brilliant insights, like sparks from a Catherine wheel.”—Robert Irwin, Literary Review“A fascinating and richly detailed chronicle of Arab language and culture offers some thought-provoking historical parallels”—Ian Black, The Observer“Commanding erudition and a swashbuckling style define this history of the Arabs”—Justin Marozzi, The Sunday Times"Sweeping book [. . .] It addresses vital questions of Arab identity and nationhood. There can hardly be a better guide than Mackintosh-Smith, who has near- mythical status among western observers of the Middle East"—Richard Spencer, The Times Ireland"[Mackintosh-Smith] is ideally positioned to make the tangled past vividly present. . . . [He] handles his complex account with great aplomb."—Eric Ormsby, Wall Street Journal“A long time in the making, Tim Mackintosh-Smith’s erudite study, Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires was worth the wait”—Justin Marozzi, Evening Standard (Best summer holiday reads)“[An] extraordinary new survey” —Shiraz Maher, New Statesman“Extraordinarily comprehensive history of the Arabs and their culture, which covers 3,000 years and explains why unity in the Arab world “remains a mirage”. Sumptuous package, with gold foil on the jacket.” —The Bookseller (Editor’s Choice)“One of the many significant achievements of Mackintosh-Smith's brilliant new book is to put this current moment into a long and rich context, explaining how it fits into the 3,000- year history of peoples, tribes, empires and a language [. . .] An important book” —Anthony Sattin, Spectator“A long-term resident of Yemen, the author is duly famous for his brilliant travel writing. He is also among the most gifted Arabic translators alive today. These qualities make him an ideal guide to the vicissitudes of the Arabs throughout history, from the first moment they appear in the historical record [. . .] to the painful present of civil wars, refugees and would be caliphates”— Christian Sahner, Times Literary Supplement“The bulk of this astounding book portrays grand personalities, national journeys and thrilling adventures, all seen through the prism of Arabic language” —Steve Donoghue, The National“[A] discursive and fascinating analysis of ‘Arabness’”—Alan Mackie, Asian Affairs“Superb. What really distinguishes this book from others is the sheer number of its insights into Arab history, all of which are tantalizing. There is also a poignancy to the telling of the complex story of the Arabs because of the circumstances Mackintosh-Smith finds himself in while writing, in virtual lock-down in Sana’a during the ongoing civil war and invasion of Yemen by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”—Steven C. Caton, Professor of Contemporary Arab Studies at Harvard University“This controversial new work by Mackintosh-Smith strips away centuries of erroneous myth-making and returns the turbulent history of the Arab peoples to the secure bedrock of their language. Anyone hoping to understand, let alone write about the Middle East, will need to read and inhale this profound, witty and scholarly achievement.”—Barnaby Rogerson, author of The Last Crusaders“Arabs is a refined and pleasing tour through the history of a remarkable people, civilization and language. It’s in touch with the poetry of the desert a millennium and a half ago and the trauma of war in the mountains today"—Jonathan A.C. Brown, Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization at Georgetown University"Masterly and brilliant. Arabs is a beautifully written narrative and acute analysis, both fresh and original, filled with fascinating characters and ideas, with as much depth before Islam as after and a true feeling not just for the Arab experience in history and faith but also for its language and culture. This book could only be written by a writer with a knowledge of the geography of the Arab soul as well as the Arab land."—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem"Quite brilliant. Arabs is well written with personal touches of someone who has experienced the last thirty years of Arab history at the very centre of things. I am full of admiration for this inspiring book, with its quite original and timely view of Arab historical identity, and cannot wait to see it on the shelves."—Philip Kennedy, author of Recognition in the Arabic Narrative Tradition

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

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

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