History: specific events and topics Books

Book SynopsisFrom prize-winning, bestselling author Colson Whitehead, a magnificent, wrenching, thrilling tour de force chronicling a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum SouthTrade ReviewIt has invaded both my sleeping and waking thoughts . . . Each character feels alive with a singular humanity . . . Whitehead is on a roll, the reviews have been sublime -- Bim Adewunmi * Guardian *An engrossing and harrowing novel * Sunday Times *[A] brutal, vital, devastating novel...This is a luminous, furious, wildly inventive tale that not only shines a bright light on one of the darkest periods of history, but also opens up thrilling new vistas for the form of the novel itself -- Alex Preston * Observer *This thrilling tale of escape from a deep south plantation takes in terror, beauty and the history of human tragedy..This uncanny novel never attempts to deliver a message - instead it tells one of the most compelling stories I have ever read. Cora's strong, graceful hands touch on the greatest tragedies of our history * Cynthia Bond, Guardian *It's so good it's hard to praise it without whipping out the cliches: it's an elegant, devastating powerhouse of a book, following a young black woman all over America as she tries to escape the horrors of slavery. When it was published with Oprah's imprimatur, in August, it was universally acclaimed. It deserved it -- Michelle Dean * Guardian *One of the best, if not the best, book I've read this year . . . Whitehead never exploits his subject matter, and in fact it's the sparseness of the novel that makes it such a punch in the gut -- Sarah Shaffi * Stylist *My book of the year by some distance...It's a profound and important novel, but more than anything it's an absurdly good read, gripping you in its tightly wound plot, astonishing you with its leaps of imagination. If Whitehead doesn't win every prize going next year, I'll appear on Saturday Review in my underpants -- Alex Preston * Observer, Best Fiction of 2016 *Whitehead is a superb storyteller . . . [he] brilliantly intertwines his allegory with history . . . writing at the peak of his game . . . Whitehead's achievement is truly remarkable: by giving the Underground Railroad a new mythology, he has found a way of confronting other myths, older and persistent, about the United States. His book cannot have enough readers * Telegraph *It is an extraordinary novel, a rich, confident work that will deservedly win - on the basis of literary merit as well as moral purpose . . . History and human experience as well as an artist's obligation to tell the truth have shaped a virtuoso novel that should be read by every American as well as readers across the world. And it will be, it should be -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *An utterly transporting piece of storytelling -- Alex Heminsley * The Pool *Bestselling author Colson Whitehead's novel is a searing indictment of slavery with a detailed inventory of man's inhumanity to man - and Cora's flight is a harrowing and shocking trip for the reader * Daily Mail *A stunning, brutal and hugely imaginative book. It's a favourite of both Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama. It is painful history re-imagined in a powerful and brilliant way * Emerald St *Recommended by none other than Obama AND Oprah, The Underground Railroad arrives deserving every last drop of hype that's come its way . . . There are many twists and turns in Cora's long, treacherous journey towards freedom and while The Underground Railroad is at times brutal and disturbing, it's also hopeful and an addictive, compulsive read. After reading it, a corner of your heart will always belong to Cora. An instant classic -- Sarra Manning * Red *Reaches the marrow of your bones, settles in and stays forever . . . a tour de force -- Oprah WinfreyThis bravura novel reimagines that same network as a real subterranean railway, upon which a girl named Cora flees the slave-catcher Ridgeway. Throughout, horrific experiences are rendered in lapidary prose, but it's Cora's daring that provides the story's redemptive oomph * Mail on Sunday *Inventive and hard-hitting * Metro *It is a bold way of reimagining the slave experience and, in the capable hands of Whitehead, succeeds triumphantly * Mail on Sunday *Brutal, tender, thrilling and audacious -- Naomi Alderman * Guardian *An enchanting tale . . . full of vivid images, learned allusions and astute observations . . . The most important and acclaimed American novel of the past year * London Review of Books *I stayed up way too late to finish this... It will be haunting me in the best way * Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You *A fantastical picaresque through the dark side of American history * Daily Telegraph *Thrilling and unsentimental * Scotsman *The Underground Railroad is a noble descendant of the great narratives of slavery, and among the very finest of its novels -- Wesley Stace * Times Literary Supplement *An audaciously imagined and profoundly moving novel -- Eithne Farry * Express *Stunning and unsentimental . . . required reading -- Jenny Niven * Herald *A charged and important novel that pushed at the boundaries of fiction -- Justine Jordan * Guardian, Best Books of 2016 *Leaves the reader with a devastating understanding of the terrible human costs of slavery . . . with echoes of Toni Morrison's Beloved, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, and with brush strokes borrowed from Jorge Luis Borges, Franz Kafka and Jonathan Swift . . . Colson Whitehead has told a story essential to our understanding of the American past and the American present -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *The Underground Railroad isn't the modern slave narrative it first appears to be. It is something grander and more piercing, a dazzling antebellum anti-myth...Whitehead's prose is quick as a runaway's footsteps * New York Review of Books *A book that resonates with deep emotional timbre. The Underground Railroad reanimates the slave narrative, disrupts our settled sense of the past and stretches the ligaments of history right into our own era . . . The story charges along with incredible power . . . The canon of essential novels about America's peculiar institution just grew by one -- Ron Charles * Washington Post *[The Underground Railroad] is really good - good, in fact, in just about every way a novel can be good . . . a grave and fully realized masterpiece, a weird blend of history and fantasy that will have critics rightfully making comparisons to Toni Morrison and Gabriel García-Márquez * Boston Globe *This book should be required reading in classrooms across the country alongside Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird. If this isn't Colson Whitehead's masterpiece, it's definitely the best book of the year and maybe the most important work of the decade * Chicago Tribune *Masterful, urgent . . . one of the finest novels written about our country's still unabsolved original sin -- Charles Finch * USA Today *The Underground Railroad has serious ambition, especially within the tradition of literary satire . . . With deadpan virtuosity and muted audacity, Whitehead integrates the historical details of slavery with the present * Los Angeles Review of Books *Whitehead is a fantastic novelist, one of the best in America today. (Certainly better than Franzen.)... Oprah is right: The Underground Railroad is Whitehead's best book yet... This is the rare critically acclaimed bestseller that deserves every ounce of its adoration, and more. The hype is real. You can believe Oprah, and its scores of other fans, including some guy who took The Underground Railroad on summer vacation and can't stop talking about its "terrific... powerful" portraiture of race in America. That fan's name is Barack Obama * Seattle Times *Magnetizing and wrenching . . . Each stop Cora makes along the Underground Railroad reveals another shocking and malignant symptom of a country riven by catastrophic conflicts, a poisonous moral crisis, and diabolical violence. Each galvanizing scene blazes with terror and indictment as Whitehead tracks the consequences of the old American imperative to seize, enslave, and profit . . . Hard-driving, lasersharp, artistically superlative, and deeply compassionate, Whitehead's unforgettable odyssey adds a clarion new facet to the literature of racial tyranny and liberation * Booklist *Startlingly original . . . Whitehead continues the African-American artists' inquiry into race mythology and history with rousing authority and razor-sharp ingenuity; he is now assuredly a writer of the first rank * Kirkus *In powerful, precise prose, at once spellbinding and ferocious, the book follows Cora's incredible journey north, step by step . . . the story is literature at its finest and history at its most barbaric. Would that this novel were required reading for every American citizen * Publishers Weekly *Colson Whitehead's staggering, haunted new novel . . . [is] a book that is fully expected to win all the awards this year - Pulitzer Prize, Booker Prize, National Book Award, etc - and it deserves every last one * Chapter 16 *Hard-driving, laser-sharp, artistically superlative, and deeply compassionate, Whitehead's unforgettable odyssey adds a clarion new facet to the literature of racial tyranny and liberation * Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence, shortlist announcement *

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Book SynopsisIf BMW cars are the “ultimate driving machines,” then BMW’s M cars (and motorcycles) are the legendary manufacturer’s ne plus ultra offerings. BMW M celebrates the 50th anniversary of this prestigious German enthusiast brand.Trade Review"Verdict: Highly Recommended. This fine book by automotive writer and industry analyst Tony Lewin provides a level of detail which will satisfy even the most ardent BMW enthusiast." -- Joe Sherlock * The View Through The Windshield *Table of ContentsFOREWORD By Jochen Neerpasch, founding CEO of BMW Motorsport GmbH 1 The Power to Win Inside the performance culture of BMW’s M Division 2 Motorsport Is in BMW’s Blood A century of success on two wheels and four, in F1, Touring Cars, Le Mans—and in the air 3 From Racetrack to Road The heat of competition breeds brilliant cars for BMW customers 4 M1: The Elegant Inspiration The BMW supercar that became an icon—and how it nearly didn’t make it into production 5 The 1980s: M3, M5, M6—the Gen-1 Favorites First generation M-Division customer cars deliver dazzling performance 6 The 1990s: Hitting the Big Time Six-cylinder M3 and V-8 M5 raise the dynamic benchmark ever higher 7 The 2000s: Peak Performance, Peak Complexity More cylinders, more revs, more power and speed—and arguably the best M3 of all 8 Excursion Off-Road: The M SUVs Contentious at first, the hotshot X5M and X6M soon won the world over 9 The 2010s: First-Generation Turbos—M Takes a Chance From the wild 1M Coupé via the svelte M5 to the fast and furious M4 GTS 10 The 2010s: First-Generation Turbos—M Takes a Chance From the wild 1M Coupé via the svelte M5 to the fast and furious M4 GTS 11 M6, M8: The High-End Coupés Lavish lifestyle meets racetrack dynamics: a recipe for success? 12 M6, M8: The High-End Coupés Lavish lifestyle meets racetrack dynamics: a recipe for success? 13 Turning Down the Heat: The Nearly-M Cars M-Performance models are a Tempting halfway point to full-house M Cars 14 Shaping the M Story: Inside the Design Studio How does an M Car stand out from the crowd? Secrets from chief designer Marcus Syring’s studio 15 Today, Tomorrow, and into an Electric Future CEO Markus Flasch on why zero-emissions M Cars will deliver even more thrills ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisCOMPLETELY REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION -- THE ESSENTIAL HISTORY OF THE TROUBLES''Compellingly written and very even-handed. By far the clearest account of what happened in the Northern Ireland conflict and more importantly why it happened'' Irish News''Extraordinarily well-balanced, sane, comprehensive and rich in sober understatement'' Glasgow Herald__________________________First published two decades ago, Making Sense of the Troubles is widely regarded as the most ''comprehensive, considered and compassionate'' (Irish Times) history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Written by a distinguished journalist and a teacher of history in Northern Ireland, it surveys the roots of the problems from 1921 onwards, the descent into violence in the late 60s, and the three terrible decades that followed.In this fully revised and updated version, McKittrick and McVea take into account the momentous events of the ten years that followed their first publication, including the disbanding of the IRA, Ian Paisley''s deal with the Republicans and the historic power-sharing government in Belfast.__________________________''An updated reissue of a collaborative study published 12 years ago to rave reviews as a frank, accurate and authoritative narrative of events which should be required reading for anyone hoping to understand what had been going on in the North'' Irish Independent''I would strongly advocate that it be made compulsory reading for everyone in Northern Ireland because for the first time it is our history, all of it warts and all, presented in a clear and understandable way'' Irish NewsTrade ReviewCompellingly written and very even-handed. By far the clearest account of what happened in the Northern Ireland conflict and more importantly why it happened * Irish News *Extraordinarily well-balanced, sane, comprehensive and rich in sober understatement -- Cal McCrystal * Glasgow Herald *Even-handed, clearly written, and set to become one of the definitive works on the subject * Scotland on Sunday *For those looking for a pragmatic understanding of the country known as Northern Ireland it is essential reading -- John Coulter * Sunday Business Post *

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Book Synopsis''A superb book ... Anybody interested in Scottish history needs to read it'' Andrew Marr, Sunday TimesEighteenth-century Scotland is famed for generating many of the enlightened ideas which helped to shape the modern world. But there was in the same period another side to the history of the nation. Many of Scotland''s people were subjected to coercive and sometimes violent change, as traditional ways of life were overturned by the ''rational'' exploitation of land use. The Scottish Clearances is a superb and highly original account of this sometimes terrible process, which changed the Lowland countryside forever, as it also did, more infamously, the old society of the Highlands.Based on a vast array of original sources, this pioneering book is the first to chart this tumultuous saga in one volume, with due attention to evictions and loss of land in both north and south of the Highland line. In the process, old myths are exploded and familiar assumptions undermined. With many fascinating details and the sense of an epic human story, The Scottish Clearances is an evocative memorial to all whose lives were irreparably changed in the interests of economic efficiency.This is a story of forced clearance, of the destruction of entire communities and of large-scale emigration. Some winners were able to adapt and exploit the new opportunities, but there were also others who lost everything. The clearances created the landscape of Scotland today, but it came at a huge price.Trade ReviewThe definitive word for an academic generation at least on this most controversial of topics in Scottish history ... Dramatic * Herald Scotland *Persuasive... A necessary book * Scotsman *Powerful ... admirable lucidity ... important. -- Ewen A Cameron * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisSteven Veerapen was born in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and a Mauritian father and raised in Paisley. Pursuing an interest in the sixteenth century, he was awarded a first-class Honours degree in English, focussing his dissertation on representations of Henry VIII's six wives. He is the author ofThe Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I, and lives in Glasgow.

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Book Synopsis*SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2025**SHORTLISTED FOR THE PUSHKIN HOUSE BOOK PRIZE 2025**ONE OF HISTORY TODAY'S BEST BOOKS OF 2024**'A TIMELY AND IMPORTANT BOOK' - ORLANDO FIGES**'SPELLBINDING' - ANDREI KURKOV*For more than a millennium, the Russian Orthodox Church has shown astonishing survival skills - from the Mongol yoke to tsarist demagoguery and enlightenment, from Soviet atheism to the chaotic 1990s. Now again, it is at the right hand of power, sanctifying Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. In this provocative new book, Lucy Ash reveals how, under Putin, religion is being stripped of its spiritual content and used as a weapon to control the population. Orthodox clerics and their acolytes distort theology as they preach Slav Christian supremacy and drag Russia backwards into a new Middle Ages. Combining historical research with vivid present-day reportage, The Baton and the Cross explores the impact the Church is having on millions of lives - from the tower blocks of big cities to far-flung villages in Siberia. Delving into the underbelly of politics, state security and big money, Ash shows how these forces have formed an unholy alliance with Orthodoxy in the dystopia of twenty-first century Russia.

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Book SynopsisIreland, 1919: When Sinn Féin proclaims Dáil Éireann the parliament of the independent Irish republic, London declares the new assembly to be illegal, and a vicious guerilla war breaks out between republican and crown forces. Michael Collins, intelligence chief of the Irish Republican Army, creates an elite squad whose role is to assassinate British agents and undercover police. The so-called 'Twelve Apostles' will create violent mayhem, culminating in the events of 'Bloody Sunday' in November 1920. Bestselling historian Tim Pat Coogan not only tells the story of Collins' squad, he also examines the remarkable intelligence network of which it formed a part, and which helped to bring the British government to the negotiating table.Trade ReviewA compelling work... this tale of murder and mayhem is also a labour of love. Written with pace and clarity, this is an important work that shows how desperate measures taken in desperate times don't easily go away' * Irish Independent *

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Book SynopsisA powerful and urgent explanation and vindication of our human rights and freedomsAfter the devastation of World War Two, the international community came together to enshrine fundamental rights to refuge, health, education and living standards, for privacy, fair trials and free speech, and outlawing torture, slavery and discrimination. Their goal was greater global justice, equality, and peace. That settlement is now in danger, attacked by opponents from across the political spectrum and populist and authoritarian movements worldwide. We are threatened by wars, inequality, new technologies and climate catastrophe, and we need our human rights now more than ever. In this powerful, accessible book, Shami Chakrabarti, lawyer, parliamentarian and leading British human rights defender, shows us why human rights are essential for our future.Outlining the historic national and international struggles for human rights, from the fall of Babylon, to the present day, Chakrabarti is an indispensable guide to the law and logic underpinning human dignity and universal freedoms. Her intervention will engage both sceptics and supporters, equipping believers in the battle of ideas and persuading doubters to think again. For human rights to survive, they must be far better understood by everyone.

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Book Synopsis'These stories of witchcraft, true and vividly told, demonstrate the potent reality of belief in evil and how in any era or place fear can be weaponised and marginal people, mostly women, labelled as wicked and dangerous. Together they comprise not just a history of witchcraft but a cautionary tale’Malcolm Gaskill, author of The Ruin of All Witches   'Thought-provoking and timely... Searing'Jessie Childs, The Times   In Witchcraft,  Professor Marion Gibson uses thirteen significant trials to tell the global history of witchcraft and witch-hunts. As well as exploring the origins of witch-hunts through some of the most famous trials from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century, it takes us in new and surprising directions.Three women were prosecuted under a version of the 1735 Witchcraft Act as recently as 2018.

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Book SynopsisIMAOBONG UMOREN is an associate professor of International History at the London School of Economics where she specialises in histories of racism, women and political thought in the Caribbean, Britain and US in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Empire Without End received the 20202021 British Library Eccles Centre and Hay Festival Writer's Award.

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling coauthor of Sex at Dawn explores the ways in which “progress” has perverted the way we live—how we eat, learn, feel, mate, parent, communicate, work, and die—in this “engaging, extensively documented, well-organized, and thought-provoking” (Booklist) book.Most of us have instinctive evidence the world is ending—balmy December days, face-to-face conversation replaced with heads-to-screens zomboidism, a world at constant war, a political system in disarray. We hear some myths and lies so frequently that they feel like truths: Civilization is humankind’s greatest accomplishment. Progress is undeniable. Count your blessings. You’re lucky to be alive here and now. Well, maybe we are and maybe we aren’t. Civilized to Death counters the idea that progress is inherently good, arguing that the “progress” defining our age is analogous to an advaTrade Review"Incredible . . . timely . . . clarifying." —Jack Dorsey, cofounder and CEO of Twitter “Engaging, extensively documented, well-organized, and thought provoking.” —Booklist “Entertaining and provocative.” —Publishers Weekly "Often zingy and colorful . . . Civilized to Death is unquestionably well-timed . . . Ryan is right to highlight the aspects of modern life that have gone off the rails.” —Undark “[A] prescient book about the nature of progress . . . Civilized to Death will make you see our so-called progress in a whole new light.” —Book Riot “This book takes on 'progress' as a guiding ethos—and does so with gusto.” —The Stranger “It is increasingly clear to many of us that the way we have been living is no longer sustainable, at least as long as we want the earth to outlive us. . . . Civilized to Death is an important guide in this conversation.” —Psychology Today "A fascinating read." —Seattle Times"Every great once in a while, a book comes along that makes you rethink everything you thought you knew. Civilized to Death is without question one of them." —Jesse Bering, PhD, author of The Belief Instinct“Christopher Ryan is one of the most interesting and provocative thinkers of our time. Everyone should read him—you might well disagree but you’ll definitely think differently." —Johann Hari, New York Times–bestselling author of Lost Connections

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Book Synopsis**THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POMPEII**''The best book on Pompeii I''ve ever read'' STEPHEN FRY''An essential read for anyone interested in this extraordinary place'' TELEGRAPH''Brilliant'' TOM HOLLANDA vast area of Pompeii is being excavated for the first time, revealing astonishing insights into how people really lived. In this revelatory new history, Director of Pompeii Gabriel Zuchtriegel shares the untold stories that are at last emerging.Pompeii is a world frozen in time. There are unmade beds, dishes left drying, tools abandoned by workmen, bodies embracing with love and fear. And alongside the remnants of everyday life, there are captivating works of art: lifelike portraits, exquisite frescos and mosaics, and the extraordinary sculpture of a sleeping boy, curled up under a blanket that''s too small.The Buried City reconstructs the catastrophe that destroyed Pompeii on 24 August 79 CE, but it also offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the city as it was before: who lived here, what mattered to them, and what happened in their final hours. It offers us a vivid sense of Pompeii''s continuing relevance, and proves that ancient history is much closer to us than we think.''A fascinating new book about what we are still learning about this most haunting of all lost cities... deeply moving'' MAIL ON SUNDAY''Makes the familiar magical'' DAN SNOW

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Book SynopsisTHE TIMES BOOK OF THE WEEKNamed one of The Telegraph''s ''Best Biographies of the Year 2024''Queen Victoria had forty-two grandchildren but the four Princesses of Hesse were held in her particular favour. After the sudden death of her daughter Alice, Queen Victoria took an obsessive interest in the marriage prospects of the four girls their mother had left behind, hoping this might secure for them a happy future. And each of the young women did indeed marry into a European dynasty: the Romanovs and the Hohenzollerns of Germany. However no one could have foreseen how the maelstrom of the twentieth century would bring tragedy and heartache to each one of them in turn. Drawing on hundreds of previously unseen letters from the sisters as well as from their grandmother Queen Victoria, The Princesses of Hesse takes us on a sweeping journey across the tumultuous landscape of the turn of the century - from the dramas of the Russian Court to the Russian Revolution, and through both World Wars in which the sisters often found themselves on opposing sides.Both intimate and epic in scope, Frances Welch''s biography sheds new light on the four sisters'' lives, illuminating a remarkable period of history in the process.''full of passions, royal peculiarities and misspelt letters...compellingly told'' Christopher Howse, The Daily Telegraph''Welch does a wonderful job of marshalling the different strands of this story, drawing on the sisters'' chatty, gossipy correspondence, some of which has never been published. It grips you until the very last page'' The Mail on Sunday ''Frances Welch''s elegant and intimate group biography returns us to the start of the 20th century, when Queen Victoria''s favourite grand-daughters were scattered between Germany, England and Russia'' Frances Wilson, The Daily Telegraph''eye-opening'' and ''harrowing'' The Daily Mail''Welch brings the four princesses vividly to life'' and ''will delight those who enjoy reading about the lives of royals'' The Times ''brings them vividly to life...a tonic...a gripping read'' Hugo Vickers, The Oldie''Frances Welch has a gift for bringing royal figures to life, making us care about them and showing us how their stories interweave...this is both a deeply affecting story of four sisters and an informative bit of history'' Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Spectator''splendid'', ''a fascinating family portrait'', ''Welch creates a tenderly intimate portrait of the last, doomed Tsarina and her three German-born sisters'' Miranda Seymour, Literary Review

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Book SynopsisHelen Rappaport is a historian with a specialism in the nineteenth century. She is the author of numerous books, including Four Sisters, Ekaterinburg: The Last Days of the Romanovs and Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert and the Death that Changed the Monarchy. She is also the author, with Roger Watson, of Capturing the Light.Trade ReviewRappaport is insightful in her analysis of Alexandra's vulnerability [and] illuminates the precise influence of Grigori Rasputin . . . An astoundingly intimate tale of domestic life lived in the crucible of power. * Observer *[Rappaport] brings to Four Sisters an encyclopedic knowledge of the minutiae of Nicholas and Alexandra's family life . . . Four Sisters is a study in unity. It demonstrates resoundingly the strength of family ties. * The Telegraph *A well-written gem . . . a fascinating, in-depth and comprehensively researched study of the imperial daughters. * Daily Express *Evocative and beautifully researched and told, this is narrative history at its best. * Bookseller *Poignant [and] well written ... Rappaport's sensitive portrayal of the doomed sisters draws the reader into an attachment to each one. * Mail on Sunday *One of the greatest skills a historian can possess is to make readers feel as if they have stepped back in time to witness the characters, places and events they describe. In her stunning composite biography, Helen Rappaport achieves this to dazzling and, at times, almost unbearably poignant effect. -- Tracy Borman * BBC History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisOn the evening of 18th March 1925, a devastating fire ripped through the Marylebone premises of Madame Tussaud’s. By the time the fire was extinguished the following morning, little was left of the world-famous waxworks beyond a few grotesquely distorted models and a pile of scrap iron, which was the remnants of one of Napoléon’s carriages. Those who now visit the waxworks probably assume that what was lost in 1925 was no very different to the present displays. However, the catalogues pre-dating the fire tell a very different story, for there was so much more to Madame Tussaud & Sons’ Exhibition than wax representations of the famous and the notorious. The fact is that the French model maker, and the three generations of her family who managed the business after her, were avid collectors of works of art, memorabilia and trivia relating to their displays: Madame Tussaud’s was, in fact, more of a cabinet of historical curiosities than a wax works. This is evidenced by the lost collection, which ranged from the bloodstained shirt of King Henri IV, worn when he was assassinated in 1610, to the blade of the original guillotine, via a large collection of 18th and 19th century pictures and sculptures by many of the leading artists of their day, furniture, clothing, and a priceless collection of Napoléonica from the Emperor’s tooth to three of his own carriages. Using contemporary accounts, the pre-fire catalogues, insurance inventories, and with unique access to the Madame Tussauds archives, Christopher Joll’s and Penny Cobham’s new illustrated book describes in chronological order the extraordinary items that were lost in 1925, set in the context of Madame Tussaud’s own story and the historical events surrounding the items in the lost collection – and, along the way, uncovers many fakes and forgeries, as well as a wealth of irreplaceable and priceless historical treasures.Trade Review“Today Madame Tussaud’s is one of the most successful and well-known brands in the location-based entertainment industry with 23 attractions spanning four continents.… But in many ways this is something of a miracle – for Madame Tussaud’s is a great British survival story… Penny and Christopher have brought our lost collection back to life. In so doing, they have also filled in much of the missing historical background relating to the collection and have uncovered some uncomfortable truths about the authenticity of some of the items that were on display.” Sir Nick Varney, founder of Merlin Entertainments Group – owners of Madame Tussaud.Table of ContentsForeword by Nick Varney 9; Preface by James Tussaud 11; Acknowledgements 13; Authors’ Note 14; Introduction 19; Prologue 23; 1. The Great Illusionist 31; 2. From Pharaohs to the Renaissance 45; 3. Stuart Sovereigns and French Fakes 57; 4. King George I to the French Consulate 75; 5. Napoléon and the Imperial Family 95; 6. Napoléonica 115; 7. The Paintings by Jacques-Louis David 131; 8. Elba, Waterloo and Wellington 145; 9. St Helena 167; 10. The Bourbon Restoration & the Second French Empire 179; 11. King George IV to Queen Victoria 195; 12. A Cabinet of Curiosities 217; Epilogue 225; Index 228; About the Authors 239.

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Book Synopsis'A gripping story about the personalities who initiated the mapping of Britain and their extraordinary skill and endurance' Max Hastings, Sunday Times The Ordnance Survey is a much beloved British institution, but in our modern map-obsessed world how much do we know about its curious origins and extraordinary challenges? Here at last is the remarkable story of the creation of the first complete, accurate, affordable map of the British Isles. What it reveals is a colourful and engrossing secret history of the Ordnance Survey and the obsessive and ambitious men who dreamt and delivered it. The Ordnance Survey's story is one of political revolutions, rebellions and regional unions that altered the shape and identity of the United Kingdom over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It makes for an engaging and page-turning account of one of the great untold British adventure stories, following those intrepid individuals who lugged brass theodolites up mountains to make the country visible to itself for the first time. 'This is a brilliant book, and it's astonishing that no one has thought of writing it before... History at its best' A N Wilson, Reader's Digest 'Endlessly absorbing... In her lively and informative narrative, Hewitt highlights the Ordnance project's legion of draughtsmen, surveyors, dreamers and eccentrics' Ian Thomson, ObserverTrade ReviewThis is a brilliant book, and it's astonishing that no one has thought of writing it before ... History at its best -- A N Wilson * Reader's Digest *Gripping [story] about the remarkable personalities who initiated the scientific mapping of Britain and their extraordinary feats of skill and endurance ... this is the first book of a young historian of whom more will be heard -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *Hewitt tackles the subject exuberantly ... the book won me over. The sweep of its history has true grandeur, and the incidentals of the tale are like desirables found in a cluttered antique shop -- Jan Morris * The Times *In this endlessly absorbing history, Rachel Hewitt narrates the history of our printed maps from King George II's "Scotophobic" cartographies to the three-dimensional computerised elevations of today ... In her lively and informative narrative, Hewitt highlights the Ordnance project's legion of draughtsmen, surveyors, dreamers and eccentrics -- Ian Thomson * Observer *An extremely handsome and scholarly account of the genesis of the OS map ... The next time I am in the Public House (wherever it is) I shall raise a pint to Rachel Hewitt and her band of map-makers -- Tom Fort * Sunday Telegraph *This is a solid account of how Britain's national mapping agency came into being ... she is good on the military, scientific and ideological impulses behind the OS and on its enormous appeal to the general public * Sunday Times *A diligent and very detailed book ... she has done justice to a neglected subject and to neglected but worthy men -- Peter Lewis * Daily Mail *The enthralling story of the creation of the Ordnance Survey map ... with wonderful tales of the intrepid individuals who lugged brass theodolites over hill and dale in order to make the country visible for the first time -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller *An exhaustively detailed study of the life and times of Ordnance Survey maps ... there are frequent nuggets of enjoyably recondite information -- Gillian Tindall * Literary Review *Tells the intriguing story of how the early productions of the theodolite-lugging surveyors who began the project in the 1790s developed into the digitalised OS of our own times -- Giles Foden * Conde Nast Traveller *A remarkable story of human endeavour in the name of Enlightenment values -- Claire Allfree * Metro *A fascinating account of British cartography ... In a compelling overview, Hewitt discusses how developments in scientific thinking, technological advances and an important dose of Anglo-French collaboration eventually led, in 1870, to the creation of the Ordnance Survey's First Series, a landmark as significant as The Oxford English Dictionary in shaping how the country thought about itself and its 'physical and intellectual' landscapes * Lady *An erudite, meticulously researched and fascinating history * Waterstone's Books Quarterly *A fascinating narrative... illuminates the process by which our nation redrew itself over a century -- Celia Brayfield * The Times *Hewitt's tale of cartography is pacy and - like the best historical writing - focused on human endeavour rather than dry facts -- Sarah Warwick * Liverpool Daily Post, the Yorkshire Evening Post, East Anglian Daily Times, Eastern Daily Press, Newsletter *More hugely impressive historical studies from 2010 which celebrate peaceful pursuits rather than blood and bigotry include Rachel Hewitt's great study of the British Ordnance Survey, Map of a Nation -- Stephen Howe * Independent *A lively, well-written and carefully researched evocation of how the landscapes of Britain (and Ireland) came to be revealed with such dramatic precision -- William J Smyth * Irish Times *In this lively overview, Hewitt explains how over the course of a century developments in scientific thinking, technological advances and a critical dose of Anglo-French collaboration eventually led to the creation of the OS's First Series in 1870 -- Emma Hagestadt * Independent *A scholarly account of the genesis of the OS map, and a route into the national psyche * Daily Telegraph *Hewitt tells a gripping story about the personalities who initiated the mapping of Britain and their extraordinary skill and endurance -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *this description of the origins of mapping in the UK covers lots of ground ... anyone who has used a map and a compass to puzzle their way out after getting lot on Britain's foggy moorland has cause to thank the painstaking work of the original pioneers -- Maggie Hartford * Oxford Times *Within the first few paragraphs the open and engaging nature of Rachel Hewitt's writing had me captured ... How the men of those early years observed that first triangulation and achieved such accurate results will never cease to amaze and this beautifully crafted book is a fitting tribute and long overdue recognition of their achievements ... Such authoritative books are rare things and I would recommend to all who have feelings for maps and our UK landscape to take time to read Map of a Nation -- John Levell * Caught by the River *Anyone whose world has been shaped by the familiar OS maps seriously needs to read this book -- Margaret Elphinstone * Sunday Herald *Erudite and compelling ... One of Map of a Nation's many accomplishments is to show how adventurous and imaginative engineering and mapmaking could - and still can - be. It is readable, informative and its content often unexpected * History Today *

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Book Synopsis''A landmark in social thought. Henrich may go down as the most influential social scientist of the first half of the twenty-first century'' MATTHEW SYEDDo you identify yourself by your profession or achievements, rather than your family network? Do you cultivate your unique attributes and goals? If so, perhaps you are WEIRD: raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. Unlike most who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, nonconformist, analytical and control-oriented. How did WEIRD populations become so psychologically peculiar? What part did these differences play in our history, and what do they mean for our collective identity? Joseph Henrich, who developed the game-changing concept of WEIRD, uses leading-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics and evolutionary biology to explore how changing family structures, marriage practices and religious beliefs in the Middle Ages shaped the Western mind, laying the foundations for the world we know today. Brilliant, provocative, engaging and surprising, this landmark study will revolutionize your understanding of who - and how - we are now. ''Phenomenal ... The only theory I am aware of that attempts to explain broad patterns of human psychology on a global scale'' Washington Post''You will never look again in the same way at your own seemingly universal values'' Uta Frith, Professor of Cognitive Development, University College LondonTrade ReviewA masterpiece. Staggering in range, intricate in detail, thrilling in ambition, this book is a landmark in social thought. Henrich may go down as the most influential social scientist of the first half of the twenty-first century. -- Matthew Syed * bestselling author of 'Black Box Thinking' and 'Bounce' *Illuminates a journey into human nature that is more exciting, more complex and ultimately more consequential than has previously been suspected. * Nature *A massively ambitious work that explains the transition to the modern world ... Significantly contributes to our understanding -- Francis Fukuyama, author of The Origins of Political OrderEngagingly written, excellently organized and meticulously argued . . . This is an extraordinarily ambitious book, along the lines of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel ... We will all have to change our perspective. -- Daniel C. Dennett * New York Times *The most absorbing, provocative and compelling book I have read in a long time. Joseph Henrich's thrilling exposé of cultural variety and evolution is grounded in meticulous science, and his arguments go beyond the milestone of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel. You will never look again in the same way at your own seemingly universal values. -- Uta Frith * Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development, University College London *Phenomenal ... The only theory I am aware of that attempts to explain broad patterns of human psychology on a global scale. -- Coren Apicella, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania * Washington Post *This anthropology-meets-big-data approach is not merely innovative, but underpins a fascinating and creative book, brimming with provocative ideas. * Financial Times *There's nothing so fascinating as a social anthropologist's analysis of his own tribe. Henrich shows how strange and exceptional Western society is when compared with most of the world -- John Barton, author of A History of the BibleHenrich has thought more deeply about cultural evolution than anybody alive. His fascinating insights into just how weird people like he and I are, with our western lifestyles, and what the implications of that are for better and for worse, are a great contribution to scholarship. -- Matt Ridley * author of 'How Innovation Works' *Propelled by a bold vision, this landmark study is required reading for anyone curious about the origins of modernity -- Walter Scheidel, author of The Great LevelerHenrich and his colleagues are shaking the foundations of psychology and economics - and hoping to change the way social scientists think about human behaviour and culture. * Pacific Standard *[A] sweeping and magisterial book, likely to become as foundational to cultural psychology as the WEIRD acronym [Henrich] and his colleagues coined a decade ago. -- Alex Mackiel * Quillette *Joseph Henrich's The WEIRDest People in the World . . . makes for stunning reading. (It is also written with such wit and humor, and luminous clarity.) Probably an understatement to say that it is one of the most important books of the year. -- Cass Sunstein * author of Nudge *One of the most interesting books I've read this year. -- James Marriot (via Twitter)A brilliant performance - accessible, playful and scholarly, turning conventional history on its head and approaching it in a new way. -- Simon Sebag-Montefiore * BBC History Books of the Year *

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Book Synopsis'These stories of witchcraft, true and vividly told, demonstrate the potent reality of belief in evil and how in any era or place fear can be weaponised and marginal people, mostly women, labelled as wicked and dangerous. Together they comprise not just a history of witchcraft but a cautionary tale’ Malcolm Gaskill, author of The Ruin of All Witches   The world of witch-hunts and witch trials sounds archaic and fanciful, these terms relics of an unenlightened, brutal age. However, we often hear ‘witch-hunt’ in today’s media, and the misogyny that shaped witch trials is all too familiar. Three women were prosecuted under a version of the 1735 Witchcraft Act as recently as 2018. In Witchcraft – a stunning hardback with 16 pages of beautiful illustrations – Professor Marion Gibson uses thirteen significant trials to tell theTrade Review'These stories of witchcraft, true and vividly told, demonstrate the potent reality of belief in evil and how in any era or place fear can be weaponised and marginal people, mostly women, labelled as wicked and dangerous. Together they comprise not just a history of witchcraft but a cautionary tale of the uncomfortably human habits of paranoia and persecution' -- Malcolm Gaskill, author of The Ruin of All Witches'It is wonderful to come across a book that breathes such fresh life and energy into a well-worked subject, covering a huge range of time and space with a unified, passionate and convincing message. Any expert is going to learn something new from it, any newcomer to be enthralled and motivated' -- Ronald Hutton, author of The Witch'Thought-provoking and timely... Searing' -- Jessie Childs * The Times *'A vital and vivid study on the history of witch trials. Fantastic’ -- Anya Bergman, author of The Witches of Vardo’Thirteen witch trials are brought vividly to life in Gibson’s wide-ranging book’ * Daily Mail *'Inventive and compelling... A work of restitution and historical reparation, an attempt to give voice to those who have been silenced over the centuries' -- Laura Kounine * Times Literary Supplement *'The trials of the accused people in Witchcraft return to us, in detail, lives about which we might otherwise know nothing' * New Yorker *

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Book Synopsis*JEWISH CHRONICAL CRITICS' CHOICE: NON-FICTION OF THE YEAR 2022*'A devastatingly affecting book. . . Bunce Court! I keep saying the name to myself because it encapsulates all that is gentle and comically charming about wartime England' The Times 'Emotionally compelling' Observer'All the violence I had experienced before felt like a bad dream. It was a paradise. I think most of the children felt it was a paradise.'In 1933, as Hitler came to power, schoolteacher Anna Essinger hatched a daring and courageous plan: to smuggle her entire school out of Nazi Germany. Anna had read Mein Kampf and knew the terrible danger that Hitler's hate-fuelled ideologies posed to her pupils. She knew that to protect them she had to get her pupils to the safety of England. But the safe haven that Anna struggled to create in a rundown manor house in Kent would test her to the limit. As the news from Europe continued to darken, Anna rescued successive waves of fleeing children and, when war broke out, she and her pupils faced a second exodus. One by one countries fell to the Nazis and before long unspeakable rumours began to circulate. Red Cross messages stopped and parents in occupied Europe vanished. In time, Anna would take in orphans who had given up all hope; the survivors of unimaginable horrors. Anna's school offered these scarred children the love and security they needed to rebuild their lives, showing them that, despite everything, there was still a world worth fighting for.Featuring moving first-hand testimony, and drawn from letters, diaries and present-day interviews, The School That Escaped the Nazis is a dramatic human tale that offers a unique child's-eye perspective on Nazi persecution and the Holocaust. It is also the story of one woman's refusal to allow her beliefs in a better, more equitable world to be overtaken by the evil that surrounded her.Trade Review**Praise for The School That Escaped the Nazis**A devastatingly affecting book. [Cadbury's] chapters alternate between the nightmarish experiences of Jewish children in the Third Reich, and a kind of earthly paradise. . . Bunce Court! I keep saying the name to myself because it encapsulates all that is gentle and comically charming about wartime England. * The Times *Emotionally compelling. . . Cadbury has constructed a lively and compelling narrative * Observer *A stirring account of a German schoolteacher's efforts to build an oasis for children fleeing the Nazi advance across Europe . . . Impressively researched and vividly told, this is a captivating portrait of courage and resilience in the face of unspeakable horror. * Publishers Weekly *Extraordinary . . . Cadbury researched her book meticulously and spoke to many people with first-hand knowledge of the school and the horrors of Nazism. A wealth of references will allow other researchers to explore the same sources and references. * Who Do You Think You Are Magazine *I just loved this book. It's full of hope in terrible times, a recognition of how children develop, and how they experience pain and anxiety, and it tells the story of a remarkable woman who made hope possible and nurtured every child in her school. It's a celebration of what the human spirit can achieve. * BARONESS JULIA NEUBERGER *Anna Essinger's wartime school for Jewish refugees reminds us of the lifelong impact which one person's compassion and imagination can make on others - even in the darkest of times. Cadbury's story packs a real emotional punch. * CAROLINE SHENTON, author of National Treasures *What gives this book its immediacy and freshness is the fact that Deborah Cadbury has spoken to so many of the witnesses to a phenomenal story. The woman who brought an entire school to Kent from Germany, and saved so many children from the Nazis, was a completely heroic figure. This story is an uplifting reminder of how courage, high virtue and intelligence can overcome even the most appalling odds. At many points, with tearful eyes, I cheered - it is a book which stirs up deep emotion, and high admiration, for the author as well as its subject. * A N WILSON *A moving and meticulously documented account of how one woman first rescued and then educated hundreds of Jewish children from the horrors of Nazi Europe. A powerful story of hope at a time of tragedy and one which even though set more than eighty years ago sadly has a resonance today. * ALEX GERLIS, author of Best of Our Spies and Agent in Berlin *An inspiring, well-researched life portrait of a spectacularly heroic teacher * Kirkus *By turns heartbreaking and inspiring, I could not stop reading Deborah Cadbury's remarkable book. -- Josh Ireland, author of CHURCHILL & SONAn astonishing book. It is a both a granular catalogue of unbelievable cruelty and at the same time a testament to the determination of hundreds of thousands of kind, compassionate people of every nationality who stood up to the evils of Nazism in defence of children. But the book is not just that. It describes a woman of great guile and incredible organizational talent who outwitted Eichmann, Himmler and that whole shower of bandits whose talents for murder knew no bounds. * SIR JOHN CARR ***PRAISE FOR DEBORAH CADBURY**A gripping story beautifully told * Jane Ridley on QUEEN VICTORIA'S MATCHMAKING *From the pen of a writer of skill and style, this surprising narrative leaves you wanting more -- Paula Byrne * The Times, on QUEEN VICTORIA'S MATCHMAKING *Irresistible. This is history brought bang up to date in the hands of a master storyteller * Juliet Nicolson on CHOCOLATE WARS *Engaging and scholarly, confident and compassionate -- Kate Colquhoun * Daily Telegraph on CHOCOLATE WARS *An affecting human story, fluent and highly readable * Hilary Mantel on THE LOST KING OF FRANCE *Absolutely stupendous... This is history as it should be. I can't praise it highly enough * Alison Weird on THE LOST KING OF FRANCE *

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

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Book SynopsisAn accessible PB edition carrying forward the momentum of this gripping readable true life mystery/tragedy, compellingly solved by the author.

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Book SynopsisExam board: OCRLevel: AS/A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016 (AS); Summer 2017 (A-level)Put your trust in the textbook series that has given thousands of A-level History students deeper knowledge and better grades for over 30 years.Updated to meet the demands of today's A-level specifications, this new generation of Access to History titles includes accurate exam guidance based on examiners' reports, free online activity worksheets and contextual information that underpins students' understanding of the period.- Develop strong historical knowledge: in-depth analysis of each topic is both authoritative and accessible- Build historical skills and understanding: downloadable activity worksheets can be used independently by students or edited by teachers for classwork and homework- Learn, remember and connect important events and people: an introduction to the period, summary diagrams, timelines and links to additional online resources support lessons, revision and coursework- Achieve exam success: practical advice matched to the requirements of your A-level specification incorporates the lessons learnt from previous exams- Engage with sources, interpretations and the latest historical research: students will evaluate a rich collection of visual and written materials, plus key debates that examine the views of different historians

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Book Synopsis''The most comprehensive narrative of intelligence compiled ... unrivalled'' Max Hastings, Sunday Times''Captivating, insightful and masterly'' Edward Lucas, The TimesThe history of espionage is far older than any of today''s intelligence agencies, yet the long history of intelligence operations has been largely forgotten. The first mention of espionage in world literature is in the Book of Exodus.''God sent out spies into the land of Canaan''. From there, Christopher Andrew traces the shift in the ancient world from divination to what we would recognize as attempts to gather real intelligence in the conduct of military operations, and considers how far ahead of the West - at that time - China and India were. He charts the development of intelligence and security operations and capacity through, amongst others, Renaissance Venice, Elizabethan England, Revolutionary America, Napoleonic France, right up to sophisticated moTrade ReviewTo write a world history of intelligence, from the dawn of recorded history to the present day, is a daunting task. To make such a work accurate, comprehensive, digestible and startling, and all in a single volume, is a stellar achievement. But that is what Christopher Andrew has done in The Secret World. -- Edward Lucas * The Times *Brilliant in its sweep and near-miraculous in the detail and confident judgements provided on two and a half millennia of spying ... The book is a crowning triumph of one of the most adventurous scholars of the security world -- John Lloyd * Financial Times *Christopher Andrew delivers a stunning secret archaeology of a subject that he himself helped to create -- Richard J. Aldrich * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisSELECTED AS A 2018 SUMMER READ BY THE SUNDAY TIMES, OBSERVER, I-PAPER AND THE BIG ISSUE''Enormously entertaining'' SUNDAY TIMES''Fascinating'' NEW STATESMAN''Excoriating, brilliant'' ALI SMITH''Enthralling'' GUARDIAN''My number one contributor when it comes to US politics'' DAN SNOWThe American dream is dead,' Donald Trump said when announcing his candidacy for president in 2015. How would he revive it? By putting America First'. The American Dream' and America First' are two of the most loaded phrases in America today and also two of the most misunderstood. As divides within America widen, Sarah Churchwell looks to the past to reveal what the surprising history of these two phrases can tell us about today.Trade ReviewA ripping yarn ... Behold, America is an enthralling book ... Passionate, well-researched and comprehensive * Guardian *Excoriating, brilliant -- Ali Smith * Big Issue, Summer Reads *Enormously entertaining. Churchwell is a careful and sensitive reader, writes with great vigour and has a magpie’s eye for a revealing story -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *A fascinating history of the two intersecting tropes of modern America * New Statesman *Lively and eminently readable … Churchwell has produced a timely and clearly argued book that makes a clear case for the intellectual parallels between the first third of the 20th century and our own * Financial Times *[An] enlightening new cultural history … The shadow of the 45th President hangs over all 300 pages of Behold, America, a book designed expressly to demonstrate just how that history rhymes with the present … While it is indeed a history of two phrases, Behold, America is also a history of the people who used them … An American in the UK, [Churchwell] has the benefit of an outside perspective on the country of her birth, which is prone to national self-delusions just as grand as Britain’s, if not more so. Behold, America punctures many of them * The i *The Trump administration has prompted a veritable landslide of books about the current state of US culture and politics. Literary journalist and professor Sarah Churchwell digs a little deeper than most, providing a thoughtful long view on a highly topical subject * BBC History Magazine, Summer Reads *Churchwell takes us on a whirlwind tour of the first decades of the 20th century … We hear the discordant voices of American reformers, immigrants, reactionaries and nativists, satirists and polemicists, Ku Klux Klansmen and ersatz Hitlers … Churchwell is well attuned to the nuances of the national conversation * Literary Review *The figure of Donald Trump looms over Sarah Churchwell’s new history of American national identity, which highlights the ugliest features of the country’s ingrained traditions of intolerance and bigotry. But it is the current president’s father, Fred, who first leaps off the page in a startling cameo appearance ... Churchwell is at her best when she relates in horrific detail the once commonplace public lynching of blacks, both in the North and in the South, and she is astute about the crackpot/booster strains in American culture * Spectator *Churchwell’s thorough, fascinating history of the birth of the America First movement uses the past to throw disturbing light on present-day politics in the US -- What to read in 2018 * i *Churchwell’s thoroughness in delineating America’s decade-by-decade bigotry through primary sources from speeches to newspapers to novels is a marvel. But it is more than a history lesson. She’s constructing the case for how the US elected Donald Trump, a catastrophe many of us struggle to understand * Prospect Magazine *

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Book Synopsis**WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING****WINNER OF THE ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY***Book of the year: The Times, Sunday Times, New Statesman, Spectator, Evening Standard*'Outstanding . . . We still live in the society that was shaped by Clement Attlee' Robert Harris, Sunday Times'The best book in the field of British politics' Philip Collins, The Times'Easily the best single-volume, cradle-to-grave life of Clement Attlee yet written' Andrew RobertsClement Attlee was the Labour prime minister who presided over Britain's radical postwar government, delivering the end of the Empire in India, the foundation of the NHS and Britain's place in NATO. Called 'a sheep in sheep's clothing', his reputation has long been that of an unassuming character in the shadow of Churchill. But as John Bew's revelatory biography shows, Attlee was not only a hero of his age, but an emblem of it; and his life tells the story of how Britain changed over the twentieth century. Here, Bew pierces Attlee's reticence to examine the intellect and beliefs of Britain's greatest - and least appreciated - peacetime prime minister. This edition includes a new preface by the author in response to the 2017 general election.Trade ReviewWinner of The Orwell Prize for Political WritingEasily the best single-volume, cradle-to-grave life of Clement Attlee yet written. Professor Bew updates but also betters all the other biographies with this intelligent, well-researched and highly readable book. Scholarly and perceptive, it tells the story of how quiet determination and impeccable political timing wrought a peaceful revolution * Andrew Roberts *If Labour is to return to power, it is not to Tony Blair and Harold Wilson to whom it should turn for inspiration but to the ethos and example of Attlee . . . Citizen Clem promises to be one of the highlights of the autumn season -- Jason Cowley * New Statesman *The brilliant young historian John Bew urges Labour to recapture something of the ethos of the Attlee period * Telegraph *In this monumental biography, John Bew sets out to explore, not just the scale of the achievement, but to discover what made Attlee tick . . . A good book about a remarkable man -- Chris Mullin * Guardian *Fascinating . . . He writes with flair and considerable intellectual confidence . . . Bew believes that Labour has lost a sense of historical mission . . . This insight seems right to me -- Jason Cowley * Financial Times *This biography makes a strong case for Attlee's greatness . . . Such contradictions deserve a discerning biographer, and in John Bew, Attlee has the man he deserves. He has written with verve and confidence a first-rate life of a man whom he correctly argues has been under-appreciated . . . What a life and what a man -- Daniel Finkelstein * The Times *Outstanding . . . This excellent new life of Labour's greatest leader . . . We still live in the society that was shaped by Clement Attlee . . . Bew's achievement is not only to bring this curious and introverted man to life, but to make him oddly loveable. He steps out like a character from the pages of the social novels of H. G. Wells or George Orwell . . . To read this book in the shadow of the present Labour leadership election is a salutary experience -- Robert Harris * Sunday Times *An absorbing new life of Clement Attlee shows how a quiet man from the suburbs became Labour's unlikely postwar hero . . . So how did a man who was the object of so much private derision by his peers come to preside over Labour's greatest (some might say only) radical government? Bew puts the question at the core of his story. He answers it convincingly by mixing arresting narrative with a thorough study of the people and policies of the Labour movement at a time of hardship interspersed by war and fierce ideological difference . . . The book is replete with amusing vignettes . . . This book will become required reading for the present-day Labour party -- John Kampfner * Observer *Magisterial . . . A great work of personal biography, social history, political philosophy, international relations and ferrets-in-a-sack Labour Party infighting . . . Bew explores in great detail Attlee's pilgrim's progress toward socialism with a thorough critique of his literary, cultural and political reading. . . As the Labour Party retreats towards ideological self-immolation, as Britain stumbles on the world stage, and as European social democracy stands in peril, we need another Attlee more than ever. In the absence of which, we have Bew's brilliant book -- Tristram Hunt * Prospect *Read this book to understand what Labour once was and what has been lost because of its embrace of identity politics and ultra-liberalism. Book of the Year -- Jason Cowley * New Statesman *A masterful portrait of a man who led the Labour Party for 20 years and arguably did more than any other UK politician to shape the postwar world . . . Attlee was a patriot who believed that tolerance was Britain's greatest gift to the world. Now, more than ever, it is tolerance we need. Book of the Year -- Tom Watson * New Statesman *Attlee was a distant and austere figure by reputation, but the book sweeps that away from the start, recalling Clem the street agitator and war hero. Book of the Year -- Roland White * Sunday Times *The author sets out to claim a place among the greats for his subject and succeeds . . . The lessons for modern politics are made clearly. Book of the Year -- Daniel Finkelstein * The Times *Bew has the detachment of a professional historian, but an understanding of politics and personalities. Book of the Year -- Kwasi Kwarteng * Evening Standard *The best book in the field of British politics. Book of the Year. -- Philip Collins * The Times *Bew is particularly good on the dynamics of his close relationship with Churchill . . . Bew's revelatory biography explains that achievement. But it also brings us a 3D, flesh and blood Citizen Clem, and boy, does he make him shine! -- Gordon Marsden * Times Higher Education *This is a big book in scope and depth and is a very good read besides. It is not just a political biography, but an explanation of the man, what made him, the roots of his patriotism, his military experience in the First World War, his love of literature . . . in a way Citizen Clem is a history of the twentieth century * Tablet *His true political genius and unflinching moral purpose are brilliantly reappraised in John Bew's Citizen Clem . . . This book is a rare beast - political biography at its finest, yet one that is deeply moving -- David Bell * Times Literary Supplement *Winner of the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical BiographyBoth a magnificent renewal of the art of political biography and a monument to the greatest leader the Labour party has ever had. It presents us with a man whose socialism was learned, not acquired * Jonathan Derbyshire, Judge of The Orwell Prize *John Bew's survey of Labour's post-war hero Clement Attlee resurrects the idea of the political biography almost thought lost: encyclopaedic, analytical, massive in scope but intimate in understanding. * Waterstones Weekly *

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Book Synopsis''A short but quietly devastating book, in which Overy adds new perspectives to a subject that has often been approached from a narrowly American angle... Overy''s book is a sombre reminder that the border between civilisation and savagery is wafer-thin.'' - Philip Snow, Literary Review A remarkable account of the terrible climax of the Second World War in Asia, published to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.In the closing months of the Second World War hundreds of thousands of Japanese, mostly civilians, died in a final outburst of violence from the air. American planes were beginning to run low on plausible targets when it was decided to use two atomic weapons in a final, terrible flourish to try to end the war. Richard Overy's remarkable new book rethinks how we should regard this last stage of the war and the role of the bombing. This book explores the way in which the willingness to kill civilians and destroy cities became normalized in the course of a horrific war as moral concerns were blunted and scientists, airmen, and politicians followed a strategy of mass destruction they would never have endorsed before the war began. But it also engages with the new scholarship that shows how complex the effort to end the war was in Japan, where surrender' was entirely foreign to Japanese culture.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2010 Non-Fiction National Book Award Patti Smith''s definitive memoir is an evocative, honest and moving coming-of-age story of her extraordinary relationship with the artist Robert MapplethorpeSharp, elegiac and finely crafted'' Sunday TimesTerrifically evocative ... The most spellbinding and diverting portrait of funky-but-chic New York in the late ''60s and ''70s that any alumnus has committed to print'' New York TimesRender, harrowing, often hilarious'' VogueIn 1967, a chance meeting between two young people led to a romance and a lifelong friendship that would carry each to international success never dreamed of. The backdrop is Brooklyn, Chelsea Hotel, Max''s Kansas City, Scribner''s Bookstore, Coney Island, Warhol''s Factory and the whole city resplendent. Among their friends, literary lights, musicians and artists such as Harry Smith, Bobby Neuwirth, Allen Ginsberg, Sandy Daley, Sam Shepherd, William Burroughs, etc. It was a heightened time politically and culturally; the art and music worlds exploding and colliding. In the midst of all this two kids made a pact to always care for one another. Scrappy, romantic, committed to making art, they prodded and provided each other with faith and confidence during the hungry years--the days of cous-cous and lettuce soup. Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. Beautifully written, this is a profound portrait of two young artists, often hungry, sated only by art and experience. And an unforgettable portrait of New York, her rich and poor, hustlers and hellions, those who made it and those whose memory lingers near.

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Book SynopsisA radical case for a one-state solution from the renowned Palestinian writer and Nakba survivorTrade Review'An intelligent, sensitive writer' -- 'Financial Times''Ghada Karmi's storytelling eloquence is celebrated' -- John Pilger‘Her bold vision of a single egalitarian state is the only way to break the current log jam and bring an end to apartheid Israel' -- Nur Masalha, Palestinian historian‘Karmi has a wonderfully uncluttered intelligence. She writes with a lucid, unsentimental clarity reminiscent of James Baldwin and Maya Angelou’ -- ‘Middle East Eye’Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Problem of Zionism 2. Israel and the Arabs 3. The Israeli-Palestinian 'Peace Process' 4. The One-State Solution 5. Eleven Days in May Epilogue: The End of Zionism?

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Book SynopsisGet lost in the labyrinthine life of Grigori Rasputin, an enigmatic figure that continues to puzzle historians to this day. Drawing on major new sources hitherto unexamined by western historians, Douglas Smith offers an unparalleled biography that exposes the mysteries and myths surrounding this extraordinary figure.Rasputin. A horse thief and a hard-drinking ruffian in his youth. A devout Orthodox Christian – or a just a fake holy man. This book scrutinises the myths – of his debauchery and sexual exploits, his healing powers and uncanny influence over Russia's empress and emperor, and whether he manipulated the Russian government at his own behest, or under the influence of forces more sinister.Smith scrutinises his murder and the players involved, with focus on Prince Yusupov and his fellow conspirators – questioning broader conspiracy theories involving British secret agents and Freemasons, and discussing the long shadow his murder caTrade ReviewDouglas Smith has delivered the definitive biography that is brilliantly gripping, as hypnotic, wild and erotic in its revelations as the Mad Monk himself, sensitive in its human portrait, astute in its political analysis, superbly researched with rich new material gathered in faraway archives, and populated with the zaniest cast of the deranged Romanovs, depraved bishops, whores, mountebanks, adventuresses, mystics and murderers. -- Simon Sebag MontefioreThe most comprehensive account of Rasputin to date, brimming with complexities and fascinating detail, and stands as an enlightening re-evaluation of this crucial figure in Russian history. * Daily Telegraph *Douglas Smith begins this impressive biography by rubbishing almost everything previously written, stripping away a century of myth, fabrication, gossip and lies . . . a fascinating, often entertaining, biography. * The Times *Utterly fascinating and foreniscally detailed . . .There are plenty of Rasputin biographies already, but its superlative scholarship and attention to detail put this one in a class of its own. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *This brilliantly written, meticulously researched account of the life of Rasputin is the best, most complete and accurate I have ever read. Step by step, day by day, week by week in this life, Douglas Smith tells the story from its humble beginnings, through its obscene sexual chapters, to its violent end. He describes how a peasant became 'Our Friend' to the last emperor and empress of Russia. He explains why this dependency came at terrible cost for the imperial couple, for their children, for Russia, and for the Twentieth Century world. Readers will begin by saying that this is an impossible story to believe. They will read on because, in Douglas Smith's mesmerizing telling, it must be believed. And because it did happen. -- Robert K. Massie, author of Nicholas and AlexandraSome years ago when working on a historical novel I had to read all the existing Rasputin biographies, and they do abound - in all literary styles and in many languages. What a pity that Douglas Smith's Rasputin had not yet been published, it would have saved me a lot of time. If you are interested in the story of the Romanovs' pet prophet this is the book to read. -- Boris AkuninA prodigious piece of scholarship. Doug Smith's exhaustive and forensic examination of a wealth of new and previously unseen evidence finally lays to rest the tired old myth of 'the mad monk' and rightly positions Rasputin as a crucial figure in late Imperial Russian history. -- Helen Rappaport, author of Four SistersDouglas Smith understands that history is not only what happened, but what people think happened. In Rasputin, he deftly unpicks myth, legend and fact, separating and examining each thread, before weaving them back to create a pattern not merely of a man, but of a time, and a place, and a revolution. It is, itself, revolutionary. -- Judith Flanders, author of A Circle of SistersFew figures in 20th century history have been more obscured by myth and legend than Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin, the mystic confident of the last tsar and tsarina. In his research, comprehensive to the nth degree, Douglas Smith has dug up previously unseen archives, followed previously unexplored leads, and connected the dots across the Russian landscape. They're dots of blood. Rasputin reveals the true character of the man without minimizing his malign hold on the loathsome, feckless Romanovs. -- Ken Kalfus, author of The Commissariat of EnlightenmentThe very best biographies illuminate an individual and the time and place in which they lived. In this magisterial, exhaustively-researched work on Rasputin, Douglas Smith paints a rich, detailed portrait of one of history's most fascinating individuals while also chronicling the dramatic last days of the Tsar. It's a wondrous read. -- Neal Bascomb, author of The Winter FortressIt is hard to imagine a historical figure more barnacled with myth than Rasputin. Douglas Smith unravels Rasputin's complex narrative in unprecedented detail, showing how he was a kind of chimera onto which could be hung all the ills of a disintegrating Russia. In the process Smith vividly exposes the astonishing blindness of the ruling class that made its tragic end inevitable. A brilliant achievement. -- Rosemary Sullivan, author of Stalin’s DaughterThe most complete and masterful study of Rasputin that I've read. Douglas Smith's work is not only extraordinarily readable, but rich in detail. -- Robert Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen BoyTable of ContentsSection - i: List of Illustrations Section - ii: Maps Section - iii: Notes on Dates and Spelling Unit - Part One: HOLY PILGRIM 1869-1904 Chapter - 1: Origins Chapter - 2: The Pilgrim Chapter - 3: Nicholas and Alexandra Chapter - 4: Monsieur Philippe Chapter - 5: Alexei Chapter - 6: The Burning Torch Chapter - 7: The Mad Monk Unit - Part Two: OUR FRIEND: 1905–1909 Chapter - 8: To the Throne Chapter - 9: Rasputin-Novy Chapter - 10: Sects and Whips Chapter - 11: Demons of the Silver Age Chapter - 12: Anna Vyrubova Chapter - 13: The Eyes Chapter - 14: “. . . prayers that purify and protect us.” Chapter - 15: The Investigation: Part I Chapter - 16: The First Test Chapter - 17: “better ten Rasputins . . .” Unit - Part Three: SCANDALS: 1910–1911 Chapter - 18: Trouble in the Nursery Chapter - 19: The Press Discovers Rasputin Chapter - 20: In Search of Rasputin Chapter - 21: Prince Yusupov Chapter - 22: Holy Land Chapter - 23: Rasputin in His Own Words Chapter - 24: Iliodor’s Triumph Chapter - 25: Two Murders Chapter - 26: Confronting the “Antichrist” Unit - Part Four: A TIME OF MIRACLES: 1912–July 1914 Chapter - 27: Germogen’s Fall Chapter - 28: Iliodor, Apostate Chapter - 29: Quousque tandem abutere patientia nostra? Chapter - 30: The Blow to the Alcove Chapter - 31: The Investigation II: Was Rasputin a Khlyst? Chapter - 32: The Miracle at Spala Chapter - 33: War and Celebration Chapter - 34: Gutter Talk, Name-Glorifiers, and Murder Plots Chapter - 35: On the Edge of a Precipice Chapter - 36: The Attack Chapter - 37: “This time it didn’t work . . .” Chapter - 38: Iliodor’s Flight Unit - Part Five: WAR: July 1914–1915 Chapter - 39: A Menacing Cloud Chapter - 40: The Incident at the Yar Chapter - 41: Rasputin’s Women Chapter - 42: Dinner with Rasputin Chapter - 43: The Religious Faces of Rasputin Chapter - 44: A Summer of Troubles Chapter - 45: The Tovarpar Chapter - 46: Nicholas Takes Command Chapter - 47: Rasputin, Favorite Chapter - 48: Fresh Scandal Chapter - 49: The Troika Chapter - 50: Gorokhovaya, 64 Chapter - 51: Dark Forces and Mad Chauffeurs Chapter - 52: Another Miracle Unit - Part Six: THE FINAL YEAR: 1916 Chapter - 53: Revolution in the Air Chapter - 54: The Minister Plots Murder Chapter - 55: Iliodor in America Chapter - 56: With Us or With Them Chapter - 57: Rasputin the Spy? Chapter - 58: Rasputin and the Jews Chapter - 59: “The sun will shine . . .” Chapter - 60: Apotheosis Chapter - 61: Stupidity or Treason Chapter - 62: “Vanya has arrived.” Chapter - 63: “My hour will soon strike” Chapter - 64: The Last Day Chapter - 65: A Cowardly Crime Chapter - 66: The Investigation Chapter - 67: The Body in the Water Chapter - 68: The Romanov Family Drama Chapter - 69: Orgies, Gay Love, and the Secret Hand of the British Chapter - 70: The End of the Tobolsk Yoke Unit - Part Seven: THE AFTERMATH: 1917-1918 Chapter - 71: A Time for Dominoes Chapter - 72: Here Lies the Dog Chapter - 73: The Myth Chapter - 74: Unsettled Business Section - iv: Epilogue Acknowledgements - v: Acknowledgements Section - vi: Bibliography Section - vii: Endnotes Index - viii: Index

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Book SynopsisAn impressively presented guide to the 47 incumbents who have held the highest-ranking political office in the United States government.

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Book SynopsisA major new biography of the Black Prince. 'A clear-eyed and thrilling vision of the man behind the legend' DAN JONES. 'Pacy, vivid and extremely readable' TLS. In 1346, at the age of sixteen, he won his spurs at Crécy; nine years later he conducted a brutal raid across Languedoc; in 1356 he captured the king of France at Poitiers; as lord of Aquitaine he ruled a vast swathe of southwestern France. He was Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of Edward III, but better known to posterity as 'the Black Prince'. Michael Jones tells the remarkable story of a great warrior-prince – and paints an unforgettable portrait of warfare and chivalry in the late Middle Ages.Trade ReviewPacy, vivid and extremely readable... its extensive research and questioning approach also make it an important work for specialists to consult' * TLS *It is not often that a work of medieval history provokes a news story in the Daily Mail * The Oldie *The Black Prince is one of the great romantic heroes of the Hundred Years War and in Michael Jones he has a worthy biographer. This is a clear-eyed and thrilling vision of the man behind the legend and a splendid introduction to one of the most fascinating periods in medieval history -- Dan JonesJones has done an excellent job... It is not easy to make somebody so far back in history really come alive, but this book has pulled it off extremely well. It is supplemented with several pages of maps, battle plans and a detailed timeline' * The Bookbag *Michael Jones superbly brings to life the campaigns and battles which made the Black Prince's name... The hero and the villain were one man and Jones does justice to this complexity' * The Times *Splendid... Jones convincingly argues that Edward should not be too readily condemned [...] with great skill and lightly worn erudition... Will enthral a wide audience' * Spectator *Get to know the heir of Edward III in all his guises in this accomplished volume * Historical Trips UK *Fascinating... restores one of our great heroes to his rightful position' * Daily Mail *Sure to enlighten and entertain thanks to the author's use of new archival research and his pacy, atmospheric writing style * History Revealed. *Offers a thoughtful, rounded picture of a man who led not solely by virtue of birth, but through personality and achievement, too * The Tablet *A gripping read; it has that 'just one more chapter' quality that keeps you going late into the night... A compelling and humane portrait of a medieval warrior, bringing the Black Prince and his world triumphantly to life' -- David SantiusteA thoroughly riveting biography of Edward of Woodstock * Military History Monthly *Pacy, vivid and extremely readable, Jones's book [...] will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers, but its extensive research and questioning approach also make it an important work for specialists to consult * TLS *A fascinating biography of England's greatest king that never was... Jones brings to life the achievements of a man whose contemporary popular appeal has been dimmed by time' * BBC History Magazine Book of the Year (2017) *Essential reading for those who prefer fact to fantasy * Historical Novel Society *The author is set on uncovering the man behind the myth of the Black Prince. It is an endeavour in which he largely succeeds, convincingly portraying the Prince as an exemplary military commander who is undeserving of the bad reputation he has received... This book will undoubtedly become the first port of call for anyone interested in the Black Prince for years to come' * Royal Studies Journal *

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Book SynopsisNew volume of the best-selling review of the year made up of the wry and astute observations of the unpublished Telegraph letter writers.

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Book SynopsisChina Miéville's brilliant reading of the modern world's most controversial and enduring political document: The Communist Manifesto. 'It's thrilling to accompany Miéville... as he wrestles – in critical good faith and incandescent commitment – with a manifesto that still calls on us to build a new world' Naomi Klein 'Read this and be dazzled by its contemporaneity' Mike Davis 'A rich, luminous reflection of and on a light that never quite goes out' Andreas Malm 'Reading with [Miéville] today sharpens our senses to contemporary internationalist movements from below' Ruth Wilson Gilmore '[Written] with diligence and a ruthlessly critical eye worthy of Marx himself' Sarah Jaffe In 1848, a strange political tract was published by two German émigrés. Marx and Engles's apocalyptic vision of an insatiable system, which penetrates every corner of the globe, reduces every relationship to that of profit, and bursts asunder the old forms of production and of politics, remains a picture of our world. And the vampiric energy of that system is once again highly contentious. The Manifesto shows no sign of fading into antiquarian obscurity, and remains a key touchstone for modern political debate. China Miéville is not a writer hemmed in by conventions of disciplinary boundaries or genre, and this is a strikingly imaginative take on Marx and what his most haunting book has to say to us today. Like the Manifesto itself, this is a book haunted by ghosts, sorcery and creative destruction.Trade ReviewThe Manifesto is one of history's most profound prophecies. In Miéville's brilliant interpretation it is like a great comet whose periodic return blinds the sky with its light and urgency. Read this and be dazzled by its contemporaneity -- Mike DavisChina Miéville's elegant book patiently explains composition – style, structure, class – to reveal the Communist Manifesto's spectral energies. Reading with him today sharpens our senses to contemporary internationalist movements from below -- Ruth Wilson GilmoreAn excellent book, very lively and engaging, written in clear and readable prose... For today's readers Miéville does excellent work presenting and reviewing a huge amount of twentieth-century history -- Professor Terrell CarverIt's thrilling to accompany Miéville, one of the greatest living world-builders, as he wrestles – in critical good faith and incandescent commitment – with a manifesto that still calls on us to build a new world -- Naomi KleinVery enjoyable and well done... Properly scholarly and thorough in its apparatus of discussion and issue-identification... Lively, politically driven appreciation -- Professor Gregor McLennanWith diligence and a ruthlessly critical eye worthy of Marx himself, China Miéville expands upon the Communist Manifesto, calling us into renewed struggle for the best of what humanity could be. Against the million little cruelties and death-making of capitalism, this book builds a case for the value of the Manifesto to today's struggles without demanding fealty. It turns long-standing complaints about Marx on their heads to challenge the reader even while seducing with luminous prose. I didn't know I needed this book, but I did -- Sarah JaffeA book about another book might sound boring, but The Communist Manifesto is more than a book: it represents a bulging galaxy of historical struggle, ever moving and shining, even if only on the periphery of our vision. Here, China Miéville opens up the pages of the Manifesto and transmits the energy of communism across the pallid present. Close reading, historical essay, political commentary and a manifesto of sorts: A Spectre, Haunting is a rich, luminous reflection of and on a light that never quite goes out -- Andreas MalmChina Miéville, mind, soul and pen ablaze, guides his readers through Marx and Engels's unignorable, inextinguishable, eternally uncomfortable and always essential Manifesto. This is both a history of critical thought and a magnificent exemplar of reading and thinking critically. Miéville has written a thrillingly lively and lucid exegesis on the Manifesto, its contents and its discontents. He's gathered together an astonishingly heterogenous array of voices and responses, making a case for the Manifesto as a locus of politically engaged analysis and argument for nearly two centuries. Miéville adjudicates and synthesizes with unfailing clarity, wit, courage, decency and passion, writing brilliantly about nationalism, race, gender, literary style, and – my particular favorite section – about the perils and necessity of hate. He gives us a Manifesto that is simultaneously a central artifact of our species and a means for understanding our present, hazardous moment, a historical work that remains absolutely, ferociously alive -- Tony Kushner, author of Angels in AmericaA rare combination, both scholarly and exciting to read * The Prisma *Whatever the reader's position on these questions, A Spectre, Haunting ultimately succeeds. It is a clear, fair, and non-doctrinaire introduction * TLS *

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Book Synopsis'It's a little book of wonder, it's fantastic' Chris Evans 'A fabulously sparky, wide-ranging and horizon-broadening little study ... joyously unboring' Sunday Times Friends do it, strangers do it and so do chimpanzees - and it's not just deeply embedded in our history and culture, it may even be written in our DNA. The humble handshake, it turns out, has a rich and surprising history. So let's join palaeoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi as she embarks on a funny and fascinating voyage of discovery - from the handshake's origins (at least seven million years ago) all the way to its sudden disappearance in March 2020. Drawing on new research, anthropological insights and first-hand experience, she'll reveal how this most friendly of gestures has played a role in everything from meetings with uncontacted tribes to political assassinations - and what it tells us about the enduring power of human contact. Because the story of the handshake ... is far from over.Trade ReviewAl-Shamahi's beguiling book has a more general claim to attention than merely being an account of the crisis in manners that Covid has made ... cheerful, witty and well-researched. -- Stephen Bayley * Spectator *Witty and wide-ranging -- PD Smith * Guardian *It's a little book of wonder, it's fantastic -- Chris EvansA fabulously sparky, wide-ranging and horizon-broadening little study ... joyously unboring * Sunday Times *Having not particularly missed shaking hands over the past year, I ended this very engaging little book so desperate to get started again that I'm in danger of becoming a super-spreader. * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisHenrietta Leyser considers the problems and attitudes fundamental to every woman of the time: medieval views on sex, marriage and motherhood; the world of work and the experience of widowhood for peasant, townswoman and aristocrat. The intellectual and spiritual worlds of medieval women are also explored.MEDIEVAL WOMEN celebrates the diversity and vitality of English women's lives in the Middle Ages.

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Book SynopsisWhat has been the dish of kings, the subject of myths and the traveller of epic and mysterious journeys? The eel.Beginning life in the Sargasso Sea, the eel travels across the ocean, lives for twenty or so years, and then is driven by some instinct back across the ocean to spawn and die. And the next generation starts the story again. No one knows why the eels return, or how the orphaned elvers learn their way back. One man discovered, after many adventures, the breeding ground of all eels and he is the hero of this book.Eels were being caught and consumed 5000 years before the birth of Christ Aristotle and Pliny wrote about them; Romans regarded them as a peerless delicacy; Egyptians accorded them semi-sacred status; English kings died of overeating them. There are many strange practices among eel fishers all over the world, and many great fortunes based upon the eel harvest.The Book of Eels, a combination of social comment, biography and natural history, is also a fascinating and wTrade Review‘This is a captivating study…Tom Fort is incapable of writing a dull sentence.' Financial Times ‘A fascinating, beautifully written and deeply peculiar book.’ New Scientist ‘In this wonderful book, Tom Fort elevates Anguilla anguilla from the lowly to the exalted…The Book of Eels is a delightful surprise; Fort does wonders with his esoteric and fascinating subject.’ The Times ‘What a joy, a whole book on eels. It’s a very good book too, and a very English book…I suppose it is inevitable that somone will call this book ‘enchanting’. Take no notice. Buy it anyway. Give it to someone you like or, for even more fun, to someone you don’t.’ Spectator ‘Tom Fort is the Alan Bennett of the angling scene.’ Literary Review

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Book Synopsis'We all know about Queen Victoria, Edward VIII and Queen Elizabeth II, but how much do we really know about other monarchs? Yes, we know William the Conqueror beat King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. We know George III was mad, but what else do we know about his 60 year long reign? We know Henry VIII famously had six wives, but do we know much more about him, other than he was very fat?'The British monarchy is one of the oldest in the world - dating so far back that even its origins are the subject of debate. Was William the Conqueror the first king of England, or was it Alfred the Great? In this third instalment of the series that began with The Prime Ministers and The Presidents, Iain Dale charts this long history of the English and British monarchy, with 64 essays by journalists, historians and politicians on every individual to have sat on the throne, as well as some who didn't.From Alfred the Great to Charles III, each essay examines the monarch, their role and what they tell us about British history. Why has the British monarchy, unlike so many others, endured? Kings and Queens will attempt to answer this question, and many others, providing valuable insight into British history and how Britain is ruled today.Trade Review'Entertaining, well-researched and eminently readable.' * Entertainment Focus *

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Book SynopsisA NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021''A model of research and analysis ... Townshend''s concise and intelligent book tells a painful story that is probably not yet over'' Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph A compelling history of the turbulent journey to Irish independence, published for the centenary of the Partition In the aftermath of the horrors of the Irish Famine, the grim, distrustful relationship between Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom deteriorated into a generations-long argument about ''Home Rule''. The unprecedented nature of the Irish problem - with most Irish people wanting to break away from the world''s largest Empire - made it extraordinarily difficult for either side to come up with a compromise. For many years actual independence seemed inconceivable. And then, as these bitter disputes continued, it became clear that under no circumstances would the Protestants be party to any of it. The Partition is a remarkable, clear-sighted and thoughtful account of how two unthinkable events - full Irish independence and the creation of the state of Northern Ireland - came to pass. The Irish nationalist claim to leave ran into a loyalist demand to remain, increasingly centred on the north-eastern Protestant community, threatening large-scale violent resistance. Here Charles Townshend lays out what is ultimately a tragic story, as partition became the only answer to an otherwise insoluble problem. The settlement of the Irish question drew in every major politician, conjured up heroes and villains, led to civil war and finally to Ulster''s catastrophic Troubles. The hard border has always been seen as a failure of both British and Irish statecraft, but has endured now for a century. The Partition brilliantly brings to life the contingency and uncertainty that created it. ''A timely and important book ... so much of its content remains relevant to understanding contemporary preoccupations and controversies'' Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish TimesTrade ReviewA model of research and analysis ... Townshend's concise and intelligent book ... tells a painful story that is probably not yet over. -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph *A layered and mostly fair assessment of the dynamics, deal, prejudices and delusions that created the Border in Ireland ... This is a timely and important book, not just because of the centenary of the creation of Northern Ireland but because so much of its content remains relevant to understanding contemporary preoccupations and controversies. -- Diarmaid Ferriter * Irish Times *The completion of the trilogy is delivered with Townshend's characteristic scholarly panache ... he brings into unforgiving focus the carelessness, double-dealing and myopia which has bedevilled Britain's government of Ireland ... laconic but conclusive. -- Roy Foster * The Spectator *Townshend, a leading scholar of modern Irish history, has written an authoritative study of the origins of Ireland's partition. -- Tony Barber * Financial Times *An important book that provides not only a background to events one hundred years ago but is highly relevant to events that are still unfolding today ... Well written, full of insights and impressively topical. -- Taylor Downing * Aspects of History *

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Book SynopsisIn this unique work some of today's greatest educators present concise, accessible summaries of the great educators of the past. Covering a time-span from 500 BC to the early twentieth century each essay gives key biographical information, an outline of the individual's principal achievements and activities, an assessment of their impact and influence, a list of their major writings and suggested further reading. Together with Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education, this book provides a unique reference guide for all students of education.Table of ContentsPreface, Joy A. Palmer, Liora Bresler, E. Cooper; Confucius 551–479 BCE, Jianping Shen; Chapter 102 Socrates 469–399 BCE, Christopher J. Rowe; Chapter 103 Plato 427–347 BCE, David E. Cooper; Chapter 104 Aristotle 384–322 BCE, Peter Hobson; Chapter 105 Jesus of Nazareth 4 BCE– AD 29, Connie Leean Seraphine; Chapter 106 Saint Augustine 354–430, P.J. FitzPatrick; Chapter 107 Al-Ghazzali 1058–1111, Hani A. Tawil; Chapter 108 IBN Tufayl c. 1106–85, Dalal Malhas Steitieh; Chapter 109 Desiderius Erasmus (Gerrit Gerritszoon) 1466–1536, G.R. Batho; Chapter 110 Jan Amos Comenius 1592–1670, Jaroslav Peprnik; Chapter 111 John Locke 1632–1704, Richard Smith; Chapter 112 John Wesley 1703–91, Henry D. Rack; Chapter 113 Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1712–78, Timothy O’Hagan; Chapter 114 Immanuel Kant 1724–1804, Adam B. Dickerson; Chapter 115 Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi 1746–1827, Daniel Tröhler; Chapter 116 Mary Wollstonecraft 1759–97, Jane Roland Martin; Chapter 117 Johann Gottlieb Fichte 1762–1814, James A. Clarke; Chapter 118 Wilhelm von Humboldt 1767–1835, Jürgen Oelkers; Chapter 119 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 1770–1831, James A. Clarke; Chapter 120 Johann Friedrich Herbart 1776-1841, Jürgen Oelkers; Chapter 121 Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel 1782–1852, Daniel J. Walsh, Shunah Chung, Aysel Tufekci; Chapter 122 John Henry Newm 1801–90, P.J. FitzPatrick; Chapter 123 John Stuart Mill 1806–73, David E. Cooper; Chapter 124 Charles Darwin 1809–82, Louis M. Smith; Chapter 125 John Ruskin 1819–1900, Anthony O’Hear; Chapter 126 Herbert Spencer 1820–1903, G.R. Batho; Chapter 127 Matthew Arnold 1822–88, Anthony O’Hear; Chapter 128 Thomas Henry Huxley 1825–95, David Knight; Chapter 129 Louisa May Alcott 1832–88, Susan Laird; Chapter 130 Samuel Butler 1835–1902, Nel Noddings; Chapter 131 Robert Morant 1863–1920, G.R. Batho; Chapter 132 Eugenio María de Hostos 1839–1903, Angel Villarini Jusino, Carlos Antonio Torre; Chapter 133 Friedrich Nietzsche 1844–1900, Thomas E. Hart; Chapter 134 Alfred Binet 1857–1911, David A. Bergin, Gregory J. Cizek; Chapter 135 Émile Durkheim 1858–1917, William Pickering; Chapter 136 Anna Julia Haywood Cooper 1858–1964, Arlette Ingram Willis, Violet Harris; Chapter 137 John Dewey 1859–1952, Michael W. Apple, Kenneth Teitelbaum; Chapter 138 Jane Addams 1860–1935, Nel Noddings; Chapter 139 Rudolf Steiner 1861–1925, Jürgen Oelkers; Chapter 140 Rabindranath Tagore 1861–1941, Krishna Dutta, Andrew Robinson; Chapter 141 Alfred North Whitehead 1861–1947, Nancy C. Ellis; Chapter 142 ÉMile Jaques-Dalcroze 1865–1950, Joan Russell; Chapter 143 William Edward Burghardt Du Bois 1868–1963, Violet Harris, Arlette Ingram Willis; Chapter 144 M.K. Gandhi 1869–1948, Devi Prasad; Chapter 145 Maria Montessori 1870–1952, Jane Roland Martin; Chapter 146 Bertrand Russell 1872-1970, Ray Monk; Chapter 147 E.L. Thorndike 1874–1949, William L. Bewley, Eva L. Baker; Chapter 148 Martin Buber 1878–1965, Christine Thompson; Chapter 149 José Ortega Y Gasset 1883–1955, Diego Sevilla; Chapter 150 Cyril Lodovic Burt 1883—1971, Jim Ridgway;

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Book SynopsisIn the early 21st century, radically changing work locations and patterns have jolted society to reflect more on the ways that employment affects the body and the mind. This book provides historical context and insights to aid our understanding of this contemporary crisis, critically examining the history of a neglected area.In this oral-history based study, Arthur McIvor explores the history of health and safety from Second World War to the present, drawing extensively upon workers'' own personal stories of occupational accidents, disasters, injury, disease, overwork and disability. It covers a wide range of workplace issues, from stories of TNT poisoning and overwork in wartime, through to the asbestos and black lung disasters, and the modern-day epidemics' of stress, burn-out and Covid-19.Opening conversations surrounding the harms caused by work, this book analyses how people have lived with occupational illness and disability, critiquing risk and work-health cultures, and the struTrade ReviewThis is deeply moving and important account of how work is embodied; how the jobs British people have done damaged them physically and mentally. McIvor is the leading scholar of occupational illness and industry. His humanity and care for the subject is apparent on every page. -- Tim Strangleman, Professor of Sociology, University of Kent, UKMcIvor takes us into the lived interior of the destructive history of structural violence at work. I appreciated how much care went into weaving these difficult stories together to create a national history from below and from within. It is a model of how to geographically scale-up our analysis without losing our grounding in people’s lives. It represents oral history at its humanistic best. * Steven High, Professor of History, Concordia University, Canada *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements 1. Memory, Context and the Working Body 2.Talking Dirty: Narrating Toxic Exposure and Danger Stories 3. Industrial Legacies; Damaged Bodies 4. 'Fit for the Scrap Heap’: Remembering Losing Work and Health 5. Stress and Burn-Out: Narrating the Modern Work-Health Epidemic 6. Infected Bodies: From Anthrax to Covid-19 in the Workplace 7. Pushing Back: Health and Safety Activism and Environmentalism Conclusion Bibliography Index

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