History Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Last Dynasty
Book Synopsis''A truly splendid read, richly detailed and powered by an unfailing gift for storytelling' John Guy, author of Mary Queen of Scots''Superb and gripping'' Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The WorldA definitive and thrilling new account of the last great dynasty of ancient Egypt, from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra. When Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt, he overthrew the hated Persian overlords and was welcomed as a saviour. He repaid them by showing due reverence to their long-held traditions. After his death, as the Greek empire broke up and his closest advisers squabbled over the spoils, a Macedonian general named Ptolemy seized the Egyptian throne, ushering in a new dynasty that would last for 300 years.What followed was as dramatic and compelling as any period in Egyptian history. The unique blend of Greek and Egyptian cultures led to an unprecedented flowering of learning, as the new city of Alexandria bec
£21.25
Pan Macmillan That Dark Spring
Book SynopsisSusannah Stapleton is a historical researcher with over twenty years' experience unravelling mysteries for museums, organizations and private individuals. Her first book, The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective was shortlisted for a CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction. That Dark Spring is her second book. She lives in Shropshire.
£18.70
John Wiley and Sons Ltd A History of Ancient Egypt
Book SynopsisExplore the entire history of the ancient Egyptian state from 3000 B.C. to 400 A.D. with this authoritative volume The newly revised Second Edition of A History of Ancient Egypt delivers an up-to-date survey of ancient Egypt''s history from its origins to the Roman Empire''s banning of hieroglyphics in the fourth century A.D. The book covers developments in all aspects of Egypt''s history and their historical sources, considering the social and economic life and the rich culture of ancient Egypt. Freshly updated to take into account recent discoveries, the book makes the latest scholarship accessible to a wide audience, including introductory undergraduate students. A History of Ancient Egypt outlines major political and cultural events and places Egypt''s history within its regional context and detailing interactions with western Asia and Africa. Each period of history receives equal attention and a discussion of the problems scholars face in its Table of ContentsList of Illustrations xii Maps xxviii Preface to the Second Edition xxix 1 Introductory Concerns 1 1.1 What is Ancient Egypt? 1 Chronological boundaries 1 Geographical boundaries 2 What is ancient Egyptian history? 3 Who are the ancient Egyptians? 4 1.2 Egypt’s Geography 6 The Nile River 8 The desert 9 Climate 10 Frontiers and links 11 1.3 The Makeup of Egyptian Historical Sources 12 Papyri and ostraca 12 Monumental inscriptions 14 Historical criticism 14 1.4 The Egyptians and Their Past 15 King lists 15 Egyptian concepts of kingship 19 1.5 The Chronology of Egyptian History 20 Modern subdivisions of Egyptian history 20 Absolute chronology 20 1.6 Prehistoric Developments 21 The beginning of agriculture 21 Naqada I and II periods 24 2 The Formation of the Egyptian State (ca. 3400–2686) 27 2.1 Sources 29 2.2 Royal Cemeteries and Cities 31 The Late Naqada culture 31 Dynasty 0 31 2.3 The First Kings 33 Images of war 33 The unification of Egypt 34 2.4 Ideological Foundations of the New State 35 Kings 35 Cemeteries 36 Festivals 36 Royal annals and year names 37 Gods and cults 38 Bureaucracy 40 2.5 The Invention of Writing 42 Precursors at Abydos 42 Hieroglyphic script 42 2.6 Foreign Relations 47 The Uruk culture of Babylonia 47 Late 4th‐millennium Nubia 50 Late 4th‐millennium Palestine 50 3 The Great Pyramid Builders (ca. 2686–2345) 52 3.1 Sources 53 3.2 The Evolution of the Mortuary Complex 55 Djoser’s step pyramid at Saqqara 56 Sneferu’s three pyramids 57 The great pyramids at Giza 58 Solar temples of the 5th dynasty 61 3.3 Administrating the Old Kingdom State 62 Neferirkara’s archive at Abusir 62 Officialdom 64 3.4 Ideological Debates? 67 Problems of royal succession 67 The gods Horus and Ra 69 3.5 Foreign Relations 70 Contacts with Nubia 71 Contacts with Asia 72 The western desert 72 3.6 Later Traditions about the Old Kingdom 73 Djoser and Imhotep 73 Sneferu 74 The great pyramid builders 74 4 The End of the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period (ca. 2345–2055) 77 4.1 Sources 78 4.2 The Rise of the Regions and Political Fragmentation 79 Nomes and nomarchs 79 Officials’ biographies 79 Pepy II 83 Why did the Old Kingdom dissolve? 84 4.3 Foreign Relations 87 Nubian independence 87 The eastern desert and the Levant 89 Mercenaries 90 4.4 Competition between Herakleopolis and Thebes 90 Herakleopolis 90 Thebes 90 4.5 Appraising the First Intermediate Period 92 Middle Kingdom literary reflections 92 Historical critique 93 5 The Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055–1650) 95 5.1 Sources and Chronology 96 5.2 Kings and Regional Elites 98 Reunification and the 11th dynasty 99 The start of the 12th dynasty and the foundation of Itj‐tawi 99 Provincial powers in the early Middle Kingdom 101 Royal interference in the provinces 102 Administrative reorganization 104 Royal power in the 13th dynasty 104 5.3 Kings as Warriors 107 The annexation of Nubia 110 5.4 Egypt in the Wider World 112 The early Kingdom of Kush 112 The eastern desert and Sinai 112 Syria and Palestine 114 The world beyond 114 Rhetoric and practice in foreign relations 115 5.5 The Cult of Osiris 116 5.6 Middle Kingdom Literature and its Impact on Egyptian Culture 118 6 The Second Intermediate Period and the Hyksos (ca. 1700–1550) 122 6.1 Sources and Chronology 123 6.2 Avaris: Multiple Transformations of a Delta Harbor 124 A history of Avaris 124 Cultural hybridity 125 Other immigrants 127 6.3 The Hyksos 127 The name Hyksos 127 Hyksos origins 127 Egyptian cultural influences 128 Political history 130 The 14th and 16th dynasties 131 Hyksos rule in Palestine? 131 6.4 Nubia and the Kingdom of Kush 131 The independence of Lower Nubia 131 The Kingdom of Kush 132 Kerma 132 The extent of the Kingdom of Kush 134 6.5 Thebes in the Middle 136 Royal tombs 136 Seqenenra Taa 137 Kamose’s war 137 6.6 The Hyksos in Later Perspective 138 Queen Hatshepsut 139 The gods Ra and Seth 139 Manetho and Josephus 141 7 The Birth of Empire: The Early 18th Dynasty (ca. 1550–1390) 145 7.1 Egypt in a New World Order 148 7.2 Sources and Chronology 149 7.3 Egypt at War 150 War and society in the New Kingdom 150 The “war of liberation” 152 The annexation of Nubia 153 Wars in western Asia 157 7.4 Egypt and the Outside World 159 7.5 Domestic Issues 162 Royal succession 162 Hatshepsut 163 Royal funerary customs 167 New Kingdom bureaucracy 169 Building activity in the early 18th dynasty 171 8 The Amarna Revolution and the Late 18th Dynasty (ca. 1390–1295) 175 8.1 An International Age 177 The Club of the Great Powers 178 The administration of Syria and Palestine 179 The rise of the Hittites 181 A failed marriage alliance 182 8.2 Amenhotep III: The Sun King 182 Amenhotep III’s divinity and his building projects 183 The king’s family 186 The king’s court 187 8.3 From Amenhotep III to Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten 188 8.4 Akhenaten 189 Theban years (years 1 to 5) 191 Akhetaten (years 5 to 12) 192 Turmoil (years 12 to 17) 196 Akhenaten’s successors 197 8.5 Akhenaten’s Memory 199 9 The Ramessid Empire (ca. 1295–1213) 203 9.1 Domestic Policy: Restoration and Renewal 205 Sety I 205 Rameses II 206 9.2 International Relations: Reforming the Empire 209 Wars in Syria 209 Egyptian–Hittite peace 212 A new imperial structure 212 Foreigners in Egypt 214 9.3 Rameses’s Court 217 Officials 217 The royal family 219 9.4 A Community of Tomb Builders 222 10 The End of Empire (ca. 1213–1070) 229 10.1 Problems at Court 231 Sety II and Amenmessu 232 Saptah and Tausret 233 Sethnakht 233 10.2 Breakdown of Order 235 Tomb robberies 235 Workers’ strikes 236 10.3 The Decline of Royal Power 237 10.4 Pressures from Abroad 239 Libyans and Sea Peoples 239 The end of the international system 244 10.5 End of the New Kingdom 244 11 The Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1069–715) 249 11.1 Sources and Chronology 250 11.2 Twin Cities: Tanis and Thebes (the 21st dynasty, 1069–945) 253 Tanis 254 Thebes 256 A peaceful coexistence 258 11.3 Libyan Rule (22nd to 24th dynasties, 945–715) 260 Centralization and diffusion of power 260 The God’s Wife of Amun 263 11.4 The End of the Third Intermediate Period 265 Nubian resurgence 265 Saite expansion 267 12 Egypt in the Age of Empires (ca. 715–332) 272 12.1 Sources and Chronology 273 12.2 The Eastern Mediterranean in the 1st Millennium 275 12.3 Egypt, Kush, and Assyria (ca. 715–656) 279 Military incidents 279 12.4 Egypt, Greeks, and Babylonians (656–525) 283 Greek–Egyptian relations 283 Military activity 286 12.5 Recollections of the Past Under the Kings of Kush and Sais 286 12.6 Egypt and Persia (525–332) 290 Domination and resistance 291 Mixing cultures 296 13 Greek and Roman Egypt (332 bc–ad 395) 301 13.1 Sources and Chronology 302 13.2 Alexandria and Philae 304 Alexandria 304 Philae 307 13.3 Kings, Queens, and Emperors 308 The Ptolemies 309 Queen Cleopatra VII 311 Roman Egypt 312 13.4 Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians 313 Administration 313 Culture and religion 316 13.5 Economic Developments: Agriculture, Finance, and Trade 319 13.6 The African Hinterland 321 13.7 The Christianization of Egypt 324 Epilogue 327 Guide to Further Reading 329 Glossary 340 King List 343 Bibliography 349 Index 368
£36.86
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Mixed Signals
Book Synopsis
£20.00
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Sapiens A Graphic History
Book Synopsis
£32.00
Kensington Publishing Highland Knight
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Taylor & Francis Ltd Making Sense of World History
Book SynopsisMaking Sense of World History is a comprehensive and accessible textbook that helps students understand the key themes of world history within a chronological framework stretching from ancient times to the present day.To lend coherence to its narrative, the book employs a set of organizing devices that connect times, places, and/or themes. This narrative is supported by: Flowcharts that show how phenomena within diverse broad themes interact in generating key processes and events in world history. A discussion of the common challenges faced by different types of agent, including rulers, merchants, farmers, and parents, and a comparison of how these challenges were addressed in different times and places. An exhaustive and balanced treatment of themes such as culture, politics, and economy, with an emphasis on interaction. Explicit attention to skill acquisition in organizing information, cultural sensitivity, comparison, visual Table of ContentsPART I: Organizing world history 1. Making sense of world history PART II: Prehistory and ancient history 2. The Big History prelude: From the Big Bang to hominids 3. Evolution of human nature itself in early human history 4. A critical transformation: The development of agriculture, nomadism, and fishing 5. Some early impacts of agriculture: Key technologies and trade practices 6. Grappling with “civilization”: The development of cities, states, and writing 7. Early civilizations around the world 8. Belief systems: The nature and development of early religions PART III: Classical history 9. Political organization on an unprecedented scale: The classical empires 10. Similarities and differences: The Roman and Chinese Empires compared 11. The birth of missionary religions: Why and how did the world’s major religions emerge? 12. A new force in world history: The Islamic conquests 13. Eurasia in the centuries after the fall of the classical empires PART IV: The Middle Ages 14. Seeking global commonalities: Some key thematic trends 900–1500 and beyond 15. Regional developments: Eurasia after 900 16. Regional developments: Polynesia, the Americas, and Africa 17. The Mongols and the largest ever contiguous empire PART V: The Early Modern period 18. Thematic developments in the Early Modern period 1450–1800 19. Exploration and trade: Linking the continents 20. Comparing new empires in Asia 21. It seems so natural now: The emergence of the modern nation state 22. The Great Divergence: The rise of the European economy and military PART VI: The nineteenth and twentieth centuries 23. Key thematic transformations of the long nineteenth entury 24. Industrial revolutions: Innovation, factories, and economic growth 25. Political revolutions around the world: A diverse set of experiences with important commonalities 26. A unique historical transformation: The abolition of slavery and serfdom 27. Key thematic transformations of the twentieth century 28. Devastation and fear: War in the twentieth century 29. The worst of times and the best of times: The Great Depression and postwar recovery 30. An unprecedented development: Postwar decolonization 31. Population movements: Dramatic changes in the numbers, location, and health of humans PART VII: Drawing lessons 32. Drawing lessons from history: Why, how, and what
£47.49
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Romes Greatest Emperor Vespasian
Book SynopsisTo anyone scanning the sea from the southern coast of Britain in the year 43 AD, the sight of hundreds of ships appearing one by one as dots on the horizon would have filled them with awe and dread. On a leading warship, a hundred and twenty oarsmen heaved at their work as one of the four legionary legates scanned the cliff tops expecting to see them lined with warriors as Julius Caesar had described nearly a hundred years before. Vespasian would lead the Second Augusta in the initial invasion and in a remarkable campaign across southern Britain, capturing a score of strongholds, oppida, such as the formidable Maiden Castle, along the way. His career later suffered from the intrigues of court politics during the reign of Nero, at one point making the near-fatal mistake of falling asleep during one of the emperor's artistic performances. Vespasian's fortunes were revived by the outbreak of revolt in Judea. Thus Vespasian found himself in the right place at the right time commanding
£21.25
Little, Brown Book Group All the Rage
Book Synopsis''No one else makes history this fun'' AMANDA FOREMAN''All the Rage sits you at the dressing table of history: a place of dreams, doubts, self-harm and hopes'' SARAH DITUM, SUNDAY TIMES''Wonderfully engaging'' HARPER''S BAZAARAt the heart of this history is the female body.The century-span between the crinoline and the bikini witnessed more mutations in the ideal western woman''s body shape than at any other period. In this richly detailed account, Virginia Nicholson, described as ''one of the great social historians of our time...'' (Amanda Foreman) takes us to the Frontline of Beauty to reveal the power, the pain and the pleasure involved in adorning the female body.The PowerWho determines which shape is currently ''all the rage''? Looking at how custom, colour, class and sex fit into the picture, this book also charts how the advances made by feminism collided with the changing shap
£18.75
Oxford University Press Lark Rise to Candleford
Book SynopsisFlora Thompson's classic evocation of a vanished world of agricultural customs and rural culture is reissued in a handsome hardback edition including the original wood-engravings by Julie Neild and a new introduction that looks at the background to the trilogy and its enduring popularity.Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Further Reading A Chronology of Flora Thompson Lark Rise Over to Candleford Candleford Green
£9.49
Yale University Press Henry III
Book SynopsisThe first in a groundbreaking two-volume history of Henry III’s rule, from when he first assumed the crown to the moment his personal rule endedTrade Review“[A] monumental, awesome yet highly readable book…Carpenter is the foremost scholar of England’s 13th century, and his spectacular erudition shines on every page. . . . Above all, he has narrative gifts that root this history of our medieval country in reality rather than in romance, and makes the lives of our distant forebears feel as comprehensible as our own.”—Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph“Professor Carpenter is one of Britain’s foremost medievalists. . . . No one knows more about Henry, and a lifetime of scholarship is here poured out, elegantly and often humorously. This is a fine, judicious, illuminating work that should be the standard study of the reign for generations to come.”—Dan Jones, Sunday Times“You are in for a colourful ride. . . . Yale University Press is to be congratulated on allowing Carpenter to explore so many aspects of 13th-century English government at such length. The glorious details—lamprey cooking included—are what make it a pleasure.”—Dominic Selwood, Spectator“[A] major new biography.”—BBC History Magazine“Carpenter’s view of Henry is essentially a benign one: he sees him as a generous and well-meaning man. . . . It is a persuasive view. This is a magisterial biography, authoritative and yet accessible.”—Nigel Saul, History Today“[F]ull of good judgment in good prose.”—Christopher Howse, Spectator, “Books of the Year”“A monumental biography . . . written in a blithe and energetic style, its narrative thread tracing the intrigues and intricacies of England’s first Plantagenet king.”—E. Andrew Darden, Aspects of History“Carpenter’s ability to grapple with something so enigmatic as a monarch’s character, particularly that of a medieval monarch, is convincing and compelling. . . . Carpenter has crafted something that very many of us can delight in.”—Benjamin Linley Wild, Royal Studies Journal“Few biographers of a medieval individual, however, can have got closer to their subject than Professor David Carpenter. . . . Carpenter infuses what will surely become the standard biography of England’s longest reigning medieval king with personal insights that add richness, colour and humour to a monumental 763-page study. Indeed, the author’s own personality drips from every page as much as that of his subject.”—Paul Dryburgh, Mortimer History Society Journal“Carpenter has created a valuable resource for those who wish to advance the scholarship of the period, illuminating new avenues in the study of kingship and thirteenth-century England, through his enduring passion for the topic and considerable expertise. It stands as the most significant modern addition to scholarship on Henry III and to the broader corpus of royal biographies, which will surely inspire others to explore his reign.”—Louis Pulford, Journal of Ecclesiastical History of Books“The whole period covering Henry’s minority and his emergence into personal rule is fascinating in its own right and deserves the close-focus treatment that Carpenter gives it.” —Ferdinand Mount, London Review of Books “Outstanding. Through sustained scholarship Carpenter provides the reader with all sorts of insights into the decisions and daily experience of this ambitious and complex medieval king.”—Michael Clanchy, author of England and its Rulers“This brilliant study by a leading historian of medieval England brings together a lifetime of research in a masterly way. Henry III is treated with humane understanding while his political failings and absence of a proper sense of priorities are emphasised with admirable clarity. Vivid and highly readable, this is a book of major significance.”—Michael Prestwich, author of Edward I “Rooted in his unrivalled understanding of the primary sources, Carpenter has created a sparkling and compelling narrative of this little-known English king.”—Stephen Church, author of Henry III“A monumental achievement. Never before has England’s place in the wider history of medieval Europe been revealed on quite this epic scope, and with so sharp an eye for personalities. Revisiting fifty years of history, Carpenter reveals Henry III—a supposedly ‘non-descript king’—as one of the more fascinating failures ever to have sat on the English throne.”—Nicholas Vincent, author of A Brief History of Britain 1066–1485
£16.14
Simon & Schuster Ltd Buried
Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘Tender, fascinating … Lucid and illuminating’ Robert Macfarlane Funerary rituals show us what people thought about mortality; how they felt about loss; what they believed came next. From Roman cremations and graveside feasts, to deviant burials with heads rearranged, from richly furnished Anglo Saxon graves to the first Christian burial grounds in Wales, Buried provides an alternative history of the first millennium in Britain. As she did with her pre-history of Britain in Ancestors, Professor Alice Roberts combines archaeological finds with cutting-edge DNA research and written history to shed fresh light on how people lived: by examining the stories of the dead.
£9.49
Octopus Publishing Group A Gypsy In Auschwitz: How I Survived the Horrors
Book Synopsis THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Otto Rosenberg is 9 and living in Berlin, poor but happy, when his family are first detained. All around them, Sinti and Roma families are being torn from their homes by Nazis , leaving behind schools, jobs, friends, and businesses to live in forced encampments outside the city. One by one, families are broken up, adults and children disappear or are 'sent East'.Otto arrives in Auschwitz aged 15 and is later transferred to Buechenwald and Bergen-Belsen. He works, scrounges food whenever he can, witnesses and suffers horrific violence and is driven close to death by illness more than once. Unbelievably, he also joins an armed revolt of prisoners who, facing the SS and certain death, refuse to back down. Somehow, through luck, sheer human will to live, or both, he survives.The stories of Sinti and Roma suffering in Nazi Germany are all too often lost or untold. In this haunting account, Otto shares his story with a remarkable simplicity. Deeply moving, A Gypsy in Auschwitz is the incredible story of how a young Sinti boy miraculously survived the unimaginable darkness of the Holocaust.
£7.59
Canelo This Accursed Land: An epic solo journey across
Book SynopsisSir Edmund Hillary described Douglas Mawson’s epic and punishing journey across 600 miles of unknown Antarctic wasteland as ‘the greatest story of lone survival in polar exploration’.This Accursed Land tells that story; how Mawson declined to join Captain Robert Scott’s ill-fated British expedition and instead lead a three-man husky team to explore the far eastern coastline of the Antarctic continent.But the loss of one member and most of the supplies soon turned the hazardous trek into a nightmare. Mawson was trapped 320 miles from base with barely nine days’ food and nothing for the dogs.Eating poisoned meat, watching his body fall apart, crawling over chasms and crevices of deadly ice, his ultimate and lone struggle for survival, starving, poisoned, exhausted and indescribably cold, is an unforgettable story of human endurance. Grippingly told by Lennard Bickel, this is the most extraordinary journey from the brutal golden age of Antarctic exploration. Perfect for fans of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air or Michael Palin’s Erebus.
£8.79
Michael O'Mara Books Ltd The History of the World in Bite-Sized Chunks
Book SynopsisHistory is a rich, varied and fascinating subject, so it's rare to find the whole lot in one book ... until now. The History of the World in Bite-Sized Chunks pulls it all together, from the world's earliest civilizations in 3500 BC to the founding of the United Nations in 1945, passing by the likes of Charlemagne, the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean War, to name a few.Here's your chance to introduce yourself to the full spectrum of world history, and discover just how the modern world came to be.
£7.59
Little, Brown Book Group Bethlehem
Book SynopsisThe town of Bethlehem carries so many layers of meaning--some ancient, some mythical, some religious--that it feels like an unreal city, even to the people who call it home. Today, the city is hemmed in by a wall and surrounded by forty-one Israeli settlements and hostile settlers and soldiers. The population is undergoing such enormous strains it is close to falling apart. Any town with an eleven-thousand-year history has to be robust, but Bethlehem may soon go the way of Salonica or Constantinople: the physical site might survive, but the long thread winding back to the ancient past will have snapped, and the city risks losing everything that makes it unique.Still, for many, Bethlehem remains the little town of the Christmas song. Nicholas Blincoe will tell the history of the famous little town, through the visceral experience of living there, taking readers through its stone streets and desert wadis, its monasteries, aqueducts and orchards, showing the city from every angTrade ReviewA lovely personal adventure through the history of Bethlehem from its origins up to the present day. Blincoe captures the continuities and contradictions, the myths and the history of one of the world's most famous towns with real flair * PETER FRANKOPAN, author of Silk Roads *[Bethlehem] brings within reach 11,000 years of history, centering on the beloved town's unique place in the world. Blincoe's love of Bethlehem is compelling, even as he does not shy away from the complexities of its chronicle * PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER *[Bethlehem] illuminates both the past and the present of the Middle East with countless instances of fantastic achievement and equally terrible human folly * YOTAM OTTOLENGHI, co-author of Jerusalem *A book by a talented chronicler who lovingly paints the city's many contradictions and bewildering complexity. Highly readable and informative, it leaves the reader not only with a profound admiration for this city of extremes and its resilient inhabitants who have endured such hardships, but also with a deep lament at the current suffering of the people of Bethlehem * RAJA SHEHADEH , author of Where the Line Is Drawn *An exuberant and erudite journey into the real Bethlehem. Each page leads the reader down new and fascinating tangents of history, cuisine, and personal anecdote, each time somehow finding its way back to Bethlehem and its habit of standing at the centre of world affairs * JACOB NORRIS, author of Land of Progress: Palestine in the Age of Colonial *Majestic . . . [a] book of many marvellous things -- John Lewis-Stempel * S magazine *A thorough and entertaining account -- Tibor Fischer * Standpoint *Masterful -- Emma Williams * Spectator *Blincoe's thoroughness is nothing short of impressive . . . Blincoe offers a biography so vividly imagined that I jumped when my phone buzzed, interrupting my reverie of Nabatean temples . . . The reward is in the lush prose and personal accounts. Blincoe is a joyful writer, well suited to the task of evoking place with passages . . . transporting the reader with mouthwatering specificity. Blincoe handles his own narratives of Bethlehem delicately, like a horticulturist pruning beloved orchids, following its many iterations through the rise and fall of civilizations . . . More than anything, his love for the place leaps off the page; for all its chronicling of incursions and defeat, this is ultimately a book about hope -- Hala Alyan * The New York Times Book Review *Part history, part travelogue and memoir, it reads like an extended love letter to a place on the brink . . . a highly discursive, frequently amusing, often tragic but always accessible history * Guardian *Blincoe proves an erudite and evocative guide to a city whose place in biblical history has proved to be more of a curse than a blessing -- John Preston * Mail on Sunday *
£9.74
HarperCollins Publishers Natures Ghosts
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the 2024 Wainwright Prize for Writing on ConservationSophie writes fantastically, chronicling the most important issues facing nature conservationists today.' Chris PackhamFor thousands of years, humans have been the architects of the natural world. Our activities have permanently altered the environment for good and for bad.In Nature's Ghosts, award-winning journalist Sophie Yeo examines how the planet would have looked before humans scrubbed away its diversity: from landscapes carved out by megafauna to the primeval forests that emerged following the last Ice Age, and from the eagle-haunted skies of the Dark Ages to the flower-decked farms of more recent centuries.Uncovering the stories of the people who have helped to shape the landscape, she seeks out their footprints even where it seems there are none to be found. And she explores the timeworn knowledge that can help to fix our broken relationship with the earth.Along the way, Sophie encounters the environmental d
£19.80
HarperCollins Publishers Britain AD
Book SynopsisLeading archaeologist Francis Pryor retells the story of King Arthur, legendary king of the Britons, tracing it back to its Bronze Age origins.The legend of King Arthur and Camelot is one of the most enduring in Britain''s history, spanning centuries and surviving invasions by Angles, Vikings and Normans. In his latest book Francis Pryor one of Britain's most celebrated archaeologists and author of the acclaimed Britain B.C.' and Seahenge' traces the story of Arthur back to its ancient origins. Putting forth the compelling idea that most of the key elements of the Arthurian legends are deeply rooted in Bronze and Iron Ages (the sword Excalibur, the Lady of the Lake, the Sword in the Stone and so on), Pryor argues that the legends'' survival mirrors a flourishing, indigenous culture that endured through the Roman occupation of Britain, and the subsequent invasions of the so-called Dark Ages.As in Britain B.C.', Pryor roots his story in the very landscape, from Arthur's Seat in EdinburTrade Review‘Controversial deceptively clever and a damn good read.’ BBC History Magazine Praise for ‘Britain B.C.’: ‘Francis Pryor has given us a remarkable, imaginative and persuasive account of those other Britons…its enthusiastic and confident approach deserves to be very influential.’ TLS ‘A compulsive narrative intertwining prehistory, the excitement of discovery and personalities. It bounds along, wonderfully enlivened by Pryor’s earthy enthusiasm.’ New Scientist Praise for ‘Seahenge’: ‘A magnificent book…a vivid story, superbly told. It gives a wonderfully clear explanation of how archaeology works, written in plain language which all can understand and enjoy.’ Magnus Magnusson
£11.69
Cornerstone Rival Queens
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIt takes a special kind of historian to turn an old story on its head. Eye-opening, provocative, this is the great rivalry re-imagined for the #MeToo generation. -- Lucy WorsleyThe perfect combination of scholarship and storytelling, meticulous research and emotional insight, Kate Williams brings Mary vividly to life in all her complexities and contradictions. -- Kate Mosse, author of The Burning ChambersBrings us a fresh Mary, set in a gloriously rich context, a tragic heroine - irresistibly real and relevant... There isn’t a line wasted in this taut, dramatic and utterly beguiling biography. -- Charles Spencer * author of Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I *Scintillating, provocative... An elegant synthesis of royal biography and political thriller. * Daily Telegraph *What makes [Rival Queens] special is William’s understanding of how gender shaped Mary’s life. This is a feminist history. * The Times *
£10.44
Cornerstone The Hiram Key
Book SynopsisWas Jesus a Freemason? The discovery of evidence of the most secret rites of Freemasonry in an ancient Egyptian tomb led authors Chris Knight and Bob Lomas into and extraordinary investigation of 4, 000 years of history. This astonishing bestseller raises questions that have challenged some of Western civilisation''s most cherished beliefs: Were scrolls bearing the secret teachings of Jesus buried beneath Herod''s Temple shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman''s? Did the Knights Templar, the forerunners of modern Freemasonry, excavate these scrolls in the twelfth century? And were these scrolls subsequently buried underneath a reconstruction of Herod''s Temple, Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland - where they are now awaiting excavation? The authors'' discoveries shed a new light on Masonic ceremony and overturn out understanding of history.Trade ReviewA breakthrough book. The last four thousand years are never going to look the same again * Graham Hancock, author of Fingerprints of the Gods *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd The Habsburgs
Book Synopsis''This is probably the best book ever written on the Habsburgs in any language, certainly the best I have ever read ... Students, scholars and the general reader will never find a better guide to Habsburg history'' Alan Sked, Times Literary SupplementIn The Habsburgs, Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium.From modest origins, the Habsburgs grew in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century. Then, in just a few decades, their possessions rapidly expanded to take in a large part of Europe stretching from Hungary to Spain, and from the Far East to the New World. The family continued to dominate Central Europe until the catastrophe of the First World War.With its seemingly disorganized mass of large and small territories, its tangle of laws and privileges and its medley of languages, the Habsburg Empire has always appeared haphazard and incomplete. But here Martyn Rady shows the reasons for the family''s incredible endurance, driven by the belief that they were destined to rule the world as defenders of the Roman Catholic Church, guarantors of peace and patrons of learning. The Habsburg emperors were themselves absurdly varied in their characters - from warlords to contemplatives, from clever to stupid, from idle to frenzied - but all driven by the same sense of family mission. Scattered around the world, countless buildings, institutions and works of art continue to bear witness to their overwhelming impact.The Habsburgs is the definitive history of a remarkable dynasty that, for better or worse, shaped Europe and the world.Trade ReviewThis is probably the best book ever written on the Habsburgs in any language, certainly the best I have ever read ... a brilliant achievement. Students, scholars and the general reader will never find a better guide to Habsburg history. No one will ever again know as much about the subject as Rady. -- Alan Sked * Times Literary Supplement *Riveting ... It is impossible to imagine a more erudite and incisive history of this fascinating, flawed and ultimately tragic dynasty. -- Paul Lay * The Times *In The Habsburgs, Martyn Rady has produced a Rolls-Royce of a narrative that motors through ten centuries of history with an effortlessness that belies the intellectual horsepower beneath the bonnet ... The vast cast of characters is depicted with a mix of insight, sympathy and astringent Gibbonian wit that makes them instantly memorable ... [Rady's] book sheds light on the present almost as brightly as it illuminates the past. -- John Adamson * Literary Review *Magnificent ... Rady maintains unerring poise as he steers through the depths and complexities of his material. His erudition seems effortless, he never gets bogged down in detail, his prose is pellucid, and he spices the narrative with delightfully dry asides and telling anecdotes. -- Rupert Christiansen * Daily Telegraph *Rady restores the Habsburgs to the heart of European history ... An enjoyable, clever and colourful introduction to the subject, with plenty of memorable details. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *The Habsburgs are a writer's gift, offering a regal cast of mad, colourful and deeply flawed characters ... Rady's sparkling study is certainly a good place to start. -- Mark Mazower * Financial Times *This volume takes it all in. That Mr. Rady can, in under 350 pages, cover everything from the division of the family's lands in the Swiss Argau in 990 to the surrender of power in 1918 by Charles, the last Habsburg monarch, without sacrificing essential details or losing the reader's attention, is a feat of both scholarship and storytelling. -- A. Wess Mitchell * Wall Street Journal *An ambitious, wide-ranging, briskly written narrative that crams a vast amount of often surprising information into twenty-nine dense but very readable chapters. -- Ritchie Robertson * Times Literary Supplement *Lucid and entertaining ... Rady is as good on the Habsburgs' artistic and cultural legacy as he is on the politics. -- David Crane * The Spectator *This panoramic account manages to make more sense of the European dynasty than its rulers often did. -- John Gallagher * The Guardian *The Habsburgs is gripping, colorful, and dramatic but also concise, scholarly, and magisterial ... Revealing a key player in world history for almost a thousand years, The Habsburgs is a chronicle of high politics and family intimacy involving religion, murder, incest, madness, suicide, assassination. History on an epic scale! -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of THE ROMANOVS and JERUSALEM: THE BIOGRAPHYIt's staggering how much of the continent we recognise today is the result of the machinations of one family, much of it inbred and with really weird chins, and Rady manages to condense the story into one pacy and highly readable account of generations of chancers, liars, political masterminds, battlefield heroes and ruthless schemers who shaped Europe for centuries. -- Charlie Connelly * New European *The Habsburgs were once Europe's foremost royal family. Rady tells their story with verve and authority, casting a curious eye over their eccentricities and peccadilloes while all the time revealing their extraordinary influence and global vision. A fascinating read! -- Alexander Watson, author of THE FORTRESS and RING OF STEELA tour de force. Thorough, accessible, and resolutely erudite, this is the volume that this vitally important subject so desperately needed. Martyn Rady should be congratulated. -- Roger Moorhouse, author of POLAND 1939: THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR IIMartyn Rady has written a splendid account of the grandest old dynasty of Europe: the Habsburgs. With wit and firm opinion, he takes the reader on something akin to a tour of the Wunderkammer of the dynasty's many-centuries-long career. Including vampires, an empress's waist size, and cocaine-laced health drinks, Rady's narrative glitters with apt quotes and telling, often ironic details. -- Steven Beller, author of THE HABSBURG MONARCHY 1815-1918This profile of the Habsburgs is concerned as much with the personal as it is the political. It is a tale of survival, from modest origins to control of an empire and, finally, twentieth-century catastrophe. * History Revealed *This is a first global history of Europe's most famous and durable dynasty, chronicling its exploits with great panache over nearly a millennium of rule across wide swathes of the continent and beyond. His text is accessible and entertaining, his ready wit providing a delectable counterpoint to the notorious humourlessness of so many of the dynasts he examines. -- Robert Evans, Regius Professor of History Emeritus at the University of OxfordAn engaging combination of fast-flowing narrative and insightful analysis. -- Tony Barber * Financial Times *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Inglorious Empire
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewTharoor convincingly demolishes some of the more persistent myths about Britain's supposedly civilising mission in India ... [he] charts the destruction of pre-colonial systems of government by the British and their ubiquitous ledgers and rule books ... The statistics are worth repeating. -- Victor Mallet * Financial Times *Inglorious Empire is a timely reminder of the need to start teaching unromanticised colonial history in British schools. A welcome antidote to the nauseating righteousness and condescension pedalled by Niall Ferguson in his 2003 book Empire * Irish Times *His writing is a delight and he seldom misses his target ... Tharoor should be applauded for tackling an impossibly contentious subject ... he deserves to be read. Indians are not the only ones who need reminding that empire has a lot to answer for. * Literary Review *Remarkable ... The book is savagely critical of 200 years of the British in India. It makes very uncomfortable reading for Brits -- Matt Ridley * The Times *Tharoor's impassioned polemic slices straight to the heart of the darkness that drives all empires. Forceful, persuasive and blunt, he demolishes Raj nostalgia, laying bare the grim, and high, cost of the British Empire for its former subjects. An essential read -- Niljana Roy * Financial Times *Ferocious and astonishing. Essential for a Britain lost in sepia fantasies about its past, Inglorious Empire is history at its clearest and cutting best -- Ben JudahThose Brits who speak confidently about how Britain's "historical and cultural ties" to India will make it easy to strike a great new trade deal should read Mr Tharoor's book. It would help them to see the world through the eyes of the ... countries once colonised or defeated by Britain -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times *Rare indeed is it to come across history that is so readable and so persuasive -- Amitav GhoshEloquent ... a well-written riposte to those texts that celebrate empire as a supposed "force for good" * BBC World Histories *Tharoor's book - arising from a contentious Oxford Union debate in 2015 where he proposed the motion "Britain owes reparations to her former colonies" - should keep the home fires burning, so to speak, both in India and in Britain. ... He makes a persuasive case, with telling examples * History Today *Brilliant ... A searing indictment of the Raj and its impact on India. ... Required reading for all Anglophiles in former British colonies, and needs to be a textbook in Britain -- Salil Tripathi, Chair of the Writers in Prison Committee, PEN International, and author of The Colonel Who Would Not RepentPersuasive and well-founded ... the book convincingly demolishes the nostalgic, self-serving arguments voiced by imperial apologists * Time Literary Supplement *
£10.44
Oxford University Press Gods Playground A History of Poland
Book SynopsisThis new edition of Norman Davies''s classic study of the history of Poland has been revised and fully updated with two new chapters to bring the story to the end of the twentieth century. The writing of Polish history, like Poland itself, has frequently fallen prey to interested parties. Professor Norman Davies adopts a sceptical stance towards all existing interpretations and attempts to bring a strong dose of common sense to his theme. He presents the most comprehensive survey in English of this frequently maligned and usually misunderstood country.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition Anyone who wants to understand what has happened in Poland must dig into Norman Davies's great opencast mine of Polish History...it is very accessible, strewn with vivid quotations from original sources, good anecdotes, and much verse... * Sunday Times *The magnificence of God's Playground is that Norman Davies has given ust the music as well as the libretto, the passion, poetry, myth, and ancedote as well as the facts...Davies writes with spirit, and his enjoyment is infectious. * Observer *A yawning gap in Anglophone historical literature has now been filled...Dr Davies writes interestingly and well. His moods vary between cool detachment, passionate involvement, and ironic comment. His range of sources is wide and imaginative...a very substantial achievement. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents1. MILLENIUM: A THOUSAND YEARS OF HISTORY ; 2. Polska: The Polish Land ; 3. Piast: The Polanian Dynasty (to 1370) ; 4. Anjou: The Hungarian Connection (1370-1386) ; 5. Jogaila: The Lithuanian Union (1386-1572) ; 6. ANTEMURALE: THE BULWARK OF CHRISTENDOM (RELIGION) ; 7. The Nobelman's Paradise (Society) ; 8. Handel: The Baltic Grain Trade (Economy) ; 9. Miasto: The Vicissitudes of Urban Life (The Cities) ; 10. Anarchia: The Noble Democracy (The Constitution) ; 11. Serenissima: Diplomacy in Poland - Lithuania (Foreign Affairs) ; 12. Valois: The French Experiment (1572-1575) ; 13. Bathory: The Transylvanian Victor (1576-1586) ; 14. Vasa: The Swedish Connection (1587-1668) ; 15. Michal: The Austrian Candidate (1669-1673) ; 16. Sobieski: Terror of the Turk (1674-1696) ; 17. Wettin: The Saxon Era (1697-1763) ; 18. Agonia: The End of the Eussian Protectorate (1764-1795)
£46.07
The University of Chicago Press Black Scare Red Scare
Book SynopsisA radical explication of the ways anti-Black racial oppression has infused the US government's anti-communist repression. In the early twentieth century, two panics emerged in the United States. The Black Scare was rooted in white Americans' fear of Black Nationalism and dread at what social, economic, and political equality of Black people might entail. The Red Scare, sparked by communist uprisings abroad and subversion at home, established anticapitalism as a force capable of infiltrating and disrupting the American order. In Black Scare / Red Scare, Charisse Burden-Stelly meticulously outlines the conjoined nature of these state-sanctioned panics, revealing how they unfolded together as the United States pursued capitalist domination. Antiradical repression, she shows, is inseparable from anti-Black oppression, and vice versa. Beginning her account in 1917the year of the Bolshevik Revolution, the East St. Louis Race Riot, and the Espionage ActBurden-Stelly traces the long duTrade Review“Burden-Stelly is not content with simply contributing to existing scholarship. She shakes things up. And Black Scare / Red Scare hits with volcanic force, sweeping away the prevailing tendency to underestimate the Black Marxist threat to racial capitalism and the embedded anti-Blackness driving state repression. Burden-Stelly details precisely how the ‘political economy of capitalist racism’ played a decisive role in the super-exploitation and subjugation of the Black working class, resulting in a protracted war on Black radical movements. A powerful, pathbreaking work that not only reorients the long history of anticommunism on Black liberation but moves the theory of racial capitalism to an entirely new level.” -- Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination“Burden-Stelly is one of our most brilliant radical thinkers and scholars. In Black Scare / Red Scare she recounts, reassesses, and reframes the historical relationship between white supremacy and anti-communism. In light of growing racist authoritarian movements today, the book could not be more timely. Powerful and powerfully relevant.” -- Barbara Ransby, historian, activist, and author of the award-winning Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement“Engaging various disciplines including Black studies and political theory, Black Scare / Red Scare is a highly sophisticated and timely book. Beginning with the Bolshevik Revolution and ending with contemporary federal campaigns aimed at surveilling and quelling radical Black thought and activism, Burden-Stelly’s deeply researched study presents the long history of two overlapping panics: the Black Scare and Red Scare. A major contribution to the field of African American history, Burden-Stelly brilliantly illuminates how anti-Black and anticommunist sentiments unfolded as the United States pursued capitalist and global dominance. Black Scare / Red Scare is certain to transform our understanding of the origins of anti-Black radicalism and histories of Black activists’ collective fight for liberation and struggle against ‘US Capitalist Racist Society.’” -- LaShawn D. Harris, Michigan State University“This book is truly one of a kind. The subject matter is timely, and its analysis could not be more original. Black Scare / Red Scare will spark widespread debate and continue to be read for many years to come.” -- Jonathan Fenderson, Washington University in St. Louis“Black Scare / Red Scare is a historical and theoretical tour de force. Burden-Stelly explains how the development of anti-Communism and the suppression of Black radicalism became intertwined central governing priorities that bolstered US capitalism from the First World War to the Cold War and beyond. The eventual construction by government officials of what Burden-Stelly calls ‘True Americanism’ legitimized business interests’ racialized profiteering by condemning its critics as radical alien outsiders. These trends reshaped all branches and levels of government. No previous book has analyzed the dizzying array of committees and organizations whose purpose was to quash democratic opponents to US capitalism: the FBI and its Dies Committee, paid informants and infiltrators, and the courts all dedicated untold resources to smashing threats to US racial hierarchy and the economic inequality it fostered. Black Scare / Red Scare ultimately reveals a countersubversive political tradition, developed over the past century, that connects to current attacks on ‘Black Identity Extremism’ and ‘wokeism’ as distractions from actual fascist developments in American society. All scholars and activists interested in antiracism and democracy in America need to engage with this pathbreaking book.” -- Erik Gellman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill“With Black Scare / Red Scare, Burden-Stelly enters the pantheon of Black radical thinkers, past and present. Analyzing phenomena ranging from the structural location of Blackness to the resurgence of fascism, Black Scare / Red Scare demystifies the processes that subjugate Black lives and sustain economic domination. Do not miss this meticulous and uncompromising study.” -- Vaughn Rasberry, Stanford UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Part I. Black Scare / Red Scare Foundation: Political Economy and the Threat of Radical Blackness 1. Theorizing US Capitalist Racist Society 2. The Black Scare, the Red Scare, and the Threat of Radical Blackness 3. Genres of Radical Blackness 4. The Negro Question as a National Question, the Structural Location of Blackness, and the Problem of Black Self-Determination 5. Wall Street Imperialism and Expropriation Abroad 6. War, Wall Street Imperialism, (Inter-)National Accumulation Part II. Black Scare / Red Scare Codification: Governance and Legitimating Architecture 7. Theorizing Anticommunism as a Mode of Governance 8. Loyalty, Criminality, and “Clear and Present Danger”: The Anticommunist Governance of the Executive and Judicial Branches 9. Sedition, Subversion, and National Security: The Anticommunist Governance of the Legislative Branch 10. The Countersubversive Political Tradition and the Threat of US Fascism 11. True Americanism: The Legitimating Architecture of US Capitalist Racist Society Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Index
£19.95
Dorling Kindersley Ltd The Classical Music Book
Book SynopsisLearn about the world''s greatest classical compositions and musical traditions in The Classical Music Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Classic Music in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Classical Music Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Classical Music, with:- More than 90 pieces of world-famous music - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understandingThe ClassicaTrade ReviewIt really is a fantastic book. * Steve Wright BBC Radio 2 *An engaging and informative read. * BBC Music Magazine *If you enjoy classical music and want to know more, The Classical Music Book is for you. * People's Friend *
£17.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Cut Out Girl
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018WINNER OF THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE 2018A SUNDAY TIMES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2019''A masterpiece of history and memoir'' Evening Standard''Superb. This is a necessary book - painful, harrowing, tragic, but also uplifting'' The Times__________________________________________________Little Lien wasn''t taken from her Jewish parents in the Hague - she was given away in the hope that she might be saved. Hidden and raised by a foster family in the provinces during the Nazi occupation, she survived the war only to find that her real parents had not. Much later, she fell out with her foster family, and Bart van Es - the grandson of Lien''s foster parents - knew he needed to find out why.His account of tracing Lien and telling her story is a searing exploration of two lives and two families. It is a story about loTrade ReviewAstonishing. Van Es has created a masterpiece of history and memoir, concluding on a note of reconciliation, hope and great love * Evening Standard *An extraordinary, harrowing story of loss, survival and love * Guardian *Deeply moving, this is a remarkable memoir * Sunday Times *Powerful . . . extraordinary * Irish Times *Brought to life with family photographs and diary entries that add further impact to Lien's harrowing memories and testimony - this deeply affecting and fascinating story is guaranteed to haunt you * Sunday Mirror *Remarkable - the story of one traumatic childhood, deeply moving, and told with great dexterity, allowing the wisdoms of today to run parallel with the absorbing narrative of wartime events * Penelope Lively *Compassionate and thoughtfully rendered, the book is both a memorable portrait of a remarkable woman and a testament to the healing power of understanding. A complex and uplifting tale * Kirkus *A nuanced, moving, and unusual "hidden child" account * Publishers Weekly *Superb. This is a necessary book - painful, harrowing, tragic, but also uplifting * The Times Book of the Week *Fascinating, beautifully written. Van Es carefully salvages Lien's story and creates a deeply moving and complex book about war, atrocity and human suffering * The Oldie *Sensational and gripping . . . shedding light on some of the most urgent issues of our time * Judges of the Costa Book of the Year Prize 2018 *Luminous, elegant, haunting - I read it straight through * Philippe Sands, Author of East West Street *Deeply moving. Writes with an almost Sebaldian simplicity and understatement * Guardian *Harrowing and beautiful * Bookseller *An awe-inspiring account of the tragedies and triumphs within the world of the Holocaust's "hide-away" children, and of the families who sheltered them * Georgia Hunter, author of We Were the Lucky Ones *The Cut Out Girl is a reminder of the extraordinary richness of archives and the treasures released by scholarly research * TLS *An extraordinary story, harrowing, deeply affecting. This fascinating story is guaranteed to haunt you * People *A moving story of personal and family history, with a scholar's objective eye for the bigger picture. * Irish Times *Harrowing . . . profoundly moving * Daily Express *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Book SynopsisThe classic Cold War thriller, published as a Penguin Essential for the first time.Alec Leamas is tired. It''s the 1960s, he''s been out in the cold for years, spying in Berlin for his British masters, and has seen too many good agents murdered for their troubles. Now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment. He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country, a job that he will do with his usual cynical professionalism. But when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended, Leamas''s mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done. In le Carré''s breakthrough work of 1963, the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining.''Superbly constructed, with an atmosphere of chilly hell'' J.B. Priestley''The best spy story I have ever read'' Graham Greene''The master storyteller ... has lost none of his cunning'' A. N. Wilson''I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be'' Malcolm Gladwell''One of those very rare novels that changes the way you look at the world. Unflinching, highly sophisticated, superb'' William BoydTrade ReviewPassionate, intense, wonderful -- David NichollsThe best spy story I have ever read -- Graham GreeneA masterpiece, the best espionage novel ever written -- John BanvilleOne of those writers who will be read a century from now -- Robert Harris
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches
Book SynopsisFrom Moses to Nelson Mandela, speeches have changed the way we see the world and the way the world is shaped.The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches gathers together the world''s greatest speeches, bringing together the words of over one hundred men and women. These brilliant and passionate declarations by Socrates, Robespierre, Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth I, Churchill, Washington, Pankhurst, Gandhi and many others provide a vivid glimpse of history in the making while retaining their power to move and inspire today.''Impeccable. MacArthur prefaces each address with a short but scholarly historical explanation that sets the scene perfectly. An attractive volume'' Andrew Roberts, Sunday Times''Works well not just as an anthology but as a history'' Independent on SundayTrade ReviewImpeccable. MacArthur prefaces each address with a short but scholarly historical explanation that sets the scene perfectly. An attractive volume with a splendidly pithy introducton -- Andrew Roberts * Sunday Times *MacArthur wisely [concentrates] on certain political conflicts - gathering together the oratory of the American Civil War or the campaign for female suffrage. His book works well not just as an anthology but as a history of those episodes * Independent on Sunday *A collection to stir the blood and lift the heart * Daily Mail *
£13.49
Yale University Press Theoderic the Great
Book SynopsisThe first full-scale history of Theoderic and the Goths in more than seventy-five years, tracing the transformation of a divided kingdom into a great powerTrade Review“Hans-Ulrich Wiemer’s Theoderic the Great: King of Goths, Ruler of Romans is a monumental exploration of the life and times of this remarkable leader. It is the most important treatment of its subject since Wilhelm Ensslin’s 1947 biography, and since Mr. Wiemer’s book (here in John Noël Dillon’s fluid English translation) surpasses its predecessor in breadth and sophistication, the author can claim the laurel of having written the best profile of Theoderic we have.”—Kyle Harper, Wall Street Journal“Thanks to John Noël Dillon’s magnificent translation, which came out this year, Theoderic’s world, in all its complexity, can now be reached by an Anglophone audience.”—Samuel Rubenstein, Engelsberg Ideas, “Books of the Year 2023”“[A] meticulously researched and superbly presented argument. . . . This is a book which offers much to inspire any reader and gives Theoderic the foundation he emphatically deserves.”—David M. Gwyn, History Today“An intellectual feast. A sobering portrait of a much caricatured king, sensitive to the many resonances of his Roman and Gothic worlds.”—Douglas Boin, author of Alaric the Goth“So much more than biography, this masterly survey is a window into an entire world at a moment of extreme change, when the western Roman empire had fallen and the future was unwritten. An indispensable book.”—Michael Kulikowski, author of The Tragedy of Empire: From Constantine to the Destruction of Roman Italy“The English translation of Hans-Ulrich Wiemer’s path-breaking study of Theoderic the Great is most welcome. This is a major new view of Theoderic that shows his importance to Gothic and Roman worlds. John Noël Dillon’s translation is excellent.”—Michele Renee Salzman, author of The Falls of Rome: Crises, Resilience, and Resurgence in Late Antiquity“This meticulously researched, lucidly written, and beautifully translated book goes in search of the nature and legacy of Theodoric’s reign in Italy. Wiemer explores concepts of migration, tolerance, cultural segregation, and the twilight of empires.”—Julia Hillner, author of Helena Augusta: Mother of the Empire“This beautifully written and immensely useful book offers a lively narrative that readers will find invaluable, and a pleasure to read.”—Kate Cooper, author of Queens of a Fallen World
£40.56
Princeton University Press Eros the Bittersweet
Book Synopsis
£12.59
John Murray Press The Great Game On Secret Service in High Asia
Book Synopsis'Peter Hopkirk is truly the Laureate of the Great Game' Jan MorrisTrade Review'Brilliant' * Patrick Leigh Fermor, Daily Telegraph *'There can be few more fascinating subjects, or few authors better qualified to write about it' * Fitzroy Maclean, Independent *'Immensely readable and magisterially detached. A gripping and impressive narrative of adventure and war' * Financial Times *'Hopkirk's brilliant and engrossing account remains the classic text on how to handle the various and often dangerous people who inhabit the region, fill of tips and warnings for the Game's current players.' * BBC History Magazine *'Fans of political history and adventure are in for a treat as publishing house John Murray reissues its Peter Hopkirk series' * Siân Gibson, Geographical Magazine *
£13.49
Ebury Publishing The Volunteer
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewTotally gripping … A fascinating, revelatory and surreal WWII story of almost incredible courage and unspeakable horror – how a Polish resistance fighter helped reveal the secret of the final solution from inside Auschwitz * Simon Sebag Montefiore *A remarkable book. Fairweather’s account is often harrowing; but it is an important account of the suffering and tragedy in Nazi death camps, told using many previously unpublished sources - and from a new perspective. * Peter Frankopan *Well-researched, well-written and searingly memorable, Jack Fairweather’s book reminds us of the capacity for nobility in the human soul in times of unimaginable peril * Andrew Roberts, bestselling author of ‘Churchill: Walking with Destiny’ *Few books have enthralled, incensed and haunted me as “The Volunteer” has done. There were times I felt compelled to set it aside. There were others when hours of reading passed in what felt like moments … This is a story that has long deserved a robust, faithful telling, and he has delivered it * Wall Street Journal *An extraordinary story * The Times *Superbly written and breathtakingly researched … a story of incalculable value delivered in the most compelling prose I have read in a long time * Sebastian Junger, #1 New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist *What distinguishes The Volunteer is Fairweather’s meticulous attention to accuracy … if it sometimes seems as though there is nothing left to uncover about the Holocaust, Fairweather’s gripping book proves otherwise * The Spectator *Combines the verve of a thriller with the detailed evidence of the sober, hideous truth -- Anne de Courcy * The Telegraph *A searing account … a fitting memorial to one of Poland’s greatest war heroes and a shaming indictment of the western allies’ failure to act * Sunday Times *A forceful narrative with unstoppable reading momentum, Fairweather has created an insightful biography of a covert war hero and an extraordinary contribution to the history of the Holocaust. * Starred booklist review *Witold Pilecki is one of the great—perhaps the greatest—unsung heroes of the second world war ... Jack Fairweather's meticulous and insightful book is likely to be the definitive version of this extraordinary life * Economist *An outstanding achievement ... a harrowing tale, revealing the depths of human depravity, redeemed by the shining courage and nobility of one of humanity's heroes. * Patrick Bishop, bestselling author FIGHTER BOYS *
£11.69
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Henry VIIIs True Daughter
Book SynopsisThe lives of Tudor women often offer faint but fascinating footnotes on the pages ofhistory. The life of Catherine or Katryn as her husband would one day pen her name Carey, the daughter of Mary Boleyn and, as the weight of evidence suggests, Henry VIII, isone of those footnotes.As the possible daughter of Henry VIII, the niece of Anne Boleyn and the favourite ofElizabeth I, Catherine's life offers us a unique perspective on the reigns of Henry and hischildren. In this book, Wendy J. Dunn takes these brief details of Catherine's life and turns theminto a rich account of a woman who deserves her story told. Following the faint trailprovided of her life from her earliest years to her death in service to QueenElizabeth, Dunn examines the evidence of Catherine's parentage and views her worldthrough the lens of her relationship with the royal family she served.This book presents an important story of a woman who saw and experienced muchtragedy and political turmoil during the reigns of Hen
£19.80
Orion Publishing Co Ajax The Dutch The War
Book Synopsis''Football history at its best'' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY''Hugely moving... a very good book indeed'' FOUR FOUR TWO''Kuper is an original, sophisticated and adventurous writer. The story he has to tell... is fascinating and pressing'' SUNDAY TIMESIn FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY Simon Kuper crossed the globe in search of the links between football, politics and culture. In AJAX, THE DUTCH, THE WAR he skilfully pieces together an alternative account of World War II. He looks at the lives of the footballers who played for the Dutch club, the officials and the ordinary fans during this tumultuous period and challenges the accepted notion of the War in occupied Europe. With almost 80 per cent of Amsterdam''s Jewish Corner wiped out during the war, the long-held belief that, by and large, half the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance has, of late, come into question. Kuper explores this issue and looks deeper into the role Trade ReviewAt last, the long-awaited follow-up from the author of the classic FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY... hugely moving... a very good book indeed * FOUR FOUR TWO *An intriguing social history, full of quirky observations and anecdotes, written with winning geniality... Kuper has produced a beguiling book, not only for aficionados of the beautiful game or connoisseurs of Jewish history, but for anyone curious about our not-so-distant past * FINANCIAL TIMES *Passionate and moving * GUARDIAN *Football history at its best * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY *His writing combines scholarly graft, a feel for political complexity, and quiet but powerful wit * INDEPENDENT *Kuper is an original, sophisticated and adventurous writer. The story he has to tell... is fascinating and pressing * SUNDAY TIMES *
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group One Life
Book SynopsisThe book that inspired major motion picture ONE LIFE, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter.''Remarkable'' - GuardianSir Nicholas Winton rescued 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia at the brink of World War II. Most never saw their parents again; nearly all left behind were murdered. This is his story.In 1938, 29-year-old ''Nicky'' cancelled a ski holiday and instead spent nine months masterminding a seemingly impossible plan to rescue hundreds of Jewish children and find them homes in the UK. Over 6,000 people are alive today because of his efforts.What motivated an ordinary man to do something so extraordinary? This book, written by his daughter, Barbara, explores the 106-year life of an incredible humanitarian, a man whose legacy only came to public light decades later.His life story is a clarion call to choose action over apathy in the face of injustice, and a reminder that every one of us ca
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan
Book Synopsis'A remarkable and deeply moving book' Henry Marsh, bestselling author of Do No Harm'A breathtaking, extraordinary work of non-fiction' Times Literary SupplementOn 11 March 2011, a massive earthquake sent a 120-foot-high tsunami smashing into the coast of north-east Japan. It was Japan's greatest single loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, lived through the earthquake in Tokyo, and spent six years reporting from the epicentre. Learning about the lives of those affected through their own personal accounts, he paints a rich picture of the impact the tsunami had on day to day Japanese life.Heart-breaking and hopeful, this intimate account of a tragedy unveils the unique nuances of Japanese culture, the tsunami's impact on Japan's stunning and majestic landscape and the psychology of its people.Ghosts of the Tsunami is an award-winning classic of literary non-fiction. It tells the moving, evocative story of how a nation faced an unimaginable catastrophe and rebuilt to look towards the future.**WINNER OF THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE**Trade ReviewThe definitive book on the quake which killed more than 15,000 people and led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. * Mail Online *Every time I think of it, I’m filled with wonderment... This book is a future classic of disaster journalism, up there with John Hersey’s Hiroshima. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Mr Lloyd Parry offers a voice to the grieving who, too often, found it hard to be heard. It is a thoughtful lesson to all societies whose first reaction in the face of adversity is to shut down inquiry and cover up the facts. You will not read a finer work of narrative non-fiction this year. * Economist *A stunning book from the man who has a strong claim to be the most compelling non-fiction writer in the world. -- Johann HariA book of absolute, harrowing truth and beauty. I'd give up four of my novels to have written this book. -- Jim Crace * Guardian *A breathtaking, extraordinary work… Parry writes with great fluency and timing, like a novelist alternating cadences and withholding information from the reader so as to create moments of tension and surprise. And there is something of the folklorist in the way he discusses the tradition of ghost stories in places such as Tohoku and Sendai. -- Gavin Jacobson * Times Literary Supplement *Compassionate and piercing... giving it the character of a finely conceived crime fiction or a psychological drama… Tragic, engrossing. -- Eri Hotta * Guardian *Parry, a journalist and long-time Tokyo resident, is able to draw something meaningful, even lovely, from the well of misery… Overall, the strength of the book lies in its stories, its observations and its language… The language is daring throughout. -- David Pilling * Financial Times *Ghosts of the Tsunami is alert to the social and political ramifications and transfixed by the spectral quality of the post-disaster landscape… These twin streams – one universal, the other intensely particular – come together in the mystery that is at this book’s core… Some of his most fascinating chapters take in the disaster’s psychological aftermath… It is full of stories of human endeavor, of individual and collective triumph over well-nigh insuperable odds… As well as being full of ghosts, Lloyd Parry’s A-grade reportage is also full of metaphors. -- D. J. Taylor * The Times *A remarkable and deeply moving book – describing in plain and perfect prose the almost unimaginable devastation and tragedy of the Japanese tsunami. -- Henry MarshGhosts of the Tsunami is enthralling and deeply moving, fully conveying and involving the reader in the sheer horror and tragedy of all that happened yet with such beauty, honesty and sincerity. Richard Lloyd Parry has returned the trust and done justice to the victims and their families a hundredfold. -- David PeaceWhen Lloyd Parry wrote Ghosts of the Tsunami, he was seeking “the gift of imagination… the paradoxical capacity to feel tragedy on the surface of the skin, in all its cruelty and dread, but also to understand it… with calm and penetration”. It is to his great credit that, once he attained this gift, he so generously shared it with us here. -- Yo Zushi * New Statesman *Ghosts of the Tsunami is a deeply moving and powerfully intimate work about the enduring strength of community and family in the face of unimaginable destruction and loss. This is a haunting, beautiful, and unforgettable book. -- Héctor Tobar, author of DEEP DOWN DARKA well-researched, polyphonic narrative of what happened on the day 133-ft waves swept in — and how the story continued long after the news cameras left… Lloyd Parry offers a rare glimpse into the history and culture of a region where entire villages were wiped out… By gaining the trust of those on the ground, the author has created an unrivalled account of how Tohoku grieved, and is still grieving. -- Emily Finch * Prospect *The character sketches are colourful; the chapters end on cliffhangers. Lloyd Parry’s prose is fast-flowing, occasionally stopped short by a blunt sentence… His treatment evokes John Hersey’s Hiroshima, published a year after the dropping of the bomb… He has done a fine job of fashioning a focused story, and some powerful arguments, from the tsunami’s wreckage. But his book gives vivid expression to what should be obvious: there is nothing neat or aesthetic about a natural disaster like this. -- Alex Dudok de Wit * Daily Telegraph *Extraordinary… Lloyd Parry writes movingly about the emotional chasm that now separates the parents who saved their children and those who assumed the authorities knew best… God isn’t very popular in the West these days, so it’s striking to read a book written in civilized, elegant prose that doesn’t rip apart Buddhist priests and Christian pastors at the first mention. -- John Sweeney * Literary Review *Ghosts of the Tsunami is a brilliant chronicle of one of the modern world's worst disasters, but it's also a necessary act of witness. The stories Parry tells are wrenching, and he refuses to mitigate the enormity of the tsunami with false optimism or saccharine feel-good anecdotes. Above all, it's a beautiful meditation on grief. * NPR *Parry studs the story with gems of language and detail... The result is a spellbinding book that is well worth contemplating in an era marked by climate change and natural disaster. -- Kathleen Rooney * Chicago Tribune *Parry spoke to the parents and friends of the children and staff involved, and his relating of first-hand accounts of the tragedy is almost unbearable to read at times… Not an easy read, but a rewarding one all the same. -- Doug Johnstone * Big Issue *The human cost of the deadly Japanese tsunami is examined in this powerful and absorbing work that exposes the emotional trauma the mountain of water left in its wake… Parry, who has worked in Japan for years, documents with great closeness and insight the impact of such staggering loss on people living in a society not noted for its emotionality. -- David Wilcock * Belfast Telegraph Morning *His central narrative swirls around the black hole formed in those 45 critical minutes between quake and tsunami. He knows that its awful gravity may pull some readers in, and push others away. -- Stephen Phelan * Herald Scotland *Natural disaster is given a jarringly human constitution in Ghosts Of The Tsunami… This is "literary non-fiction", full of gilded language and sensations as Parry recounts the scene he was met with when he travelled up the coast of Japan to where the giant waves had hit. A transcendental reading experience. -- Hilary A White * Irish Independent *Ghosts of the Tsunami deals mainly with the aftermath of the tragedy – days, weeks and months in which parents continued doggedly looking in the mud for their children, knowing full well that there was no chance of finding them alive. Their testimonies are unbearably moving. -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *This is a haunting account of Okawa’s loss and it is almost unbearably sad. Parry rarely speaks of his own reactions but he is the most compassionate of writers, allowing the voices of those he encounters to be heard… Exceptional. * Lady *Powerful and absorbing. * i *A sobering and compelling narrative of calamity. * Kirkus *This is a piercing look at the communities ravaged by the tsunami -- Eri Hotta * Guardian *
£10.44
Stenlake Publishing Old Mauchline
Book Synopsis
£11.35
Clairview Books Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution: The
Book SynopsisWhy did the 1917 American Red Cross Mission to Russia include more financiers than medical doctors? Rather than caring for the victims of war and revolution, its members seemed more intent on negotiating contracts with the Kerensky government, and subsequently the Bolshevik regime. In a courageous investigation, Antony Sutton establishes tangible historical links between US capitalists and Russian communists. Drawing on State Department files, personal papers of key Wall Street figures, biographies and conventional histories, Sutton reveals: the role of Morgan banking executives in funneling illegal Bolshevik gold into the US; the co-option of the American Red Cross by powerful Wall Street forces; the intervention by Wall Street sources to free the Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky, whose aim was to topple the Russian government; the deals made by major corporations to capture the huge Russian market a decade and a half before the US recognized the Soviet regime; and, the secret sponsoring of Communism by leading businessmen, who publicly championed free enterprise. "Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution" traces the foundations of Western funding of the Soviet Union. Dispassionately, and with overwhelming documentation, the author details a crucial phase in the establishment of Communist Russia. This classic study - first published in 1974 and part of a key trilogy - is reproduced here in its original form. (The other volumes in the series include "Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler" and a study of Franklin D. Roosevelt's "1933 Presidential election in the United States").Trade Review'Sutton comes to conclusions that are uncomfortable for many businessmen and economists. For this reason his work tends to be either dismissed out of hand as 'extreme' or, more often, simply ignored.' - Richard Pipes, Baird Professor Emeritus of History, Harvard University (quoted from Survival Is Not Enough: Soviet Realities and America's Future)Table of ContentsPreface Chapter I: The Actors on the Revolutionary Stage Chapter II: Trotsky Leaves New York to Complete the Revolution Woodrow Wilson and a Passport for Trotsky Canadian Government Documents on Trotsky's Release Canadian Military Intelligence Views Trotsky Trotsky's Intentions and Objectives Chapter III: Lenin and German Assistance for the Bolshevik Revolution The Sisson Documents The Tug-of-War in Washington Chapter IV: Wall Street and the World Revolution American Bankers and Tsarist Loans Olof Aschberg in New York, 1916 Olof Aschberg in the Bolshevik Revolution Nya Banken and Guaranty Trust Join Ruskombank Guaranty Trust and German Espionage in the United States, 1914-1917 The Guaranty Trust-Minotto-Caillaux Threads Chapter V: The American Red Cross Mission in Russia - 1917 American Red Cross Mission to Russia - 1917 American Red Cross Mission to Rumania Thompson in Kerensky's Russia Thompson Gives the Bolsheviks $1 Million Socialist Mining Promoter Raymond Robins The International Red Cross and Revolution Chapter VI: Consolidation and Export of the Revolution A Consultation with Lloyd George Thompson's Intentions and Objectives Thompson Returns to the United States The Unofficial Ambassadors: Robins, Lockhart, and Sadoul Exporting the Revolution: Jacob H. Rubin Exporting the Revolution: Robert Minor Chapter VII: The Bolsheviks Return to New York A Raid on the Soviet Bureau in New York Corporate Allies for the Soviet Bureau European Bankers Aid the Bolsheviks Chapter VIII: 120 Broadway, New York City American International Corporation The Influence of American International on the Revolution The Federal Reserve Bank of New York American-Russian Industrial Syndicate Inc. John Reed: Establishment Revolutionary John Reed and the Metropolitan Magazine Chapter IX: Guaranty Trust Goes to Russia Wall Street Comes to the Aid of Professor Lomonossoff The Stage Is Set for Commercial Exploitation of Russia Germany and the United States Struggle for Russian Business Soviet Gold and American Banks Max May of Guaranty Trust Becomes Director of Ruskombank Chapter X: J.P. Morgan Gives a Little Help to the Other Side United Americans Formed to Fight Communism United Americans Reveals "Startling Disclosures" on Reds Conclusions Concerning United Americans Morgan and Rockefeller Aid Kolchak Chapter XI: The Alliance of Bankers and Revolution The Evidence Presented: A Synopsis The Explanation for the Unholy Alliance The Marburg Plan Appendix I: Directors of Major Banks, Firms, and Institutions Mentioned in This Book (as in 1917-1918) Appendix II: The Jewish-Conspiracy Theory of the Bolshevik Revolution Appendix III: Selected Documents from Government Files of the United States and Great Britain Selected Bibliography Index
£11.69
Parthian Books Old Soldiers Never Die
Book SynopsisArguably the greatest of all published memoirs of the Great War, Old Soldiers Never Die is Private Frank Richards' classic account of the war from the standpoint of the regular soldier, and a moving tribute to the army that died on the Western Front in 1914.Trade Review'...the greatest account of trench warfare...' --Phil Carradice, BBC
£9.99
HarperCollins Publishers Einsteins Fridge The Science of Fire Ice and the
Book SynopsisHugely readable and entertaining' JIM AL-KHALILIAn accessible and crystal-clear portrait of this discipline's breadth, largely told through its history' PHIL BALL, PHYSICS WORLDEinstein's Fridge tells the story of how scientists uncovered the least known and yet most consequential of all the sciences, and learned to harness the power of heat and ice.The laws of thermodynamics govern everything from the behaviour of atoms to that of living cells, from the engines that power our world to the black hole at the centre of our galaxy. Not only that, but thermodynamics explains why we must eat and breathe, how the lights come on, and ultimately how the universe will end. The people who decoded its laws came from every branch of the sciences they were engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, cosmologists and mathematicians.Their discoveries, set over two hundred years, kick-started the industrial revolution, changed the course of world wars and informed modern understanding of black holesTrade Review‘Sen knows how to grab the attention of an audience … [An] elegantly written and engaging book … It’s a measure of Sen’s achievement that by combining science, history, and biography he takes us on a successful tour through thermodynamics.’ Manjit Kumar, Financial Times ‘When you combine some of the most profound concepts in physics with exceptional storytelling, this is what you get: popular science writing at its very best. Einstein’s Fridge is a hugely readable and entertaining history of thermodynamics and how it has created and shaped our world.’ Jim Al-Khalili, author of The World According to Physics ‘Makes a strong case that thermodynamics is every bit as lively as those other fields – and vastly more useful for understanding what makes the universe tick … Thermodynamics does not bow to other fields; other fields bow to it.’ Sam Kean, Wall Street Journal ‘Superb … Einstein’s Fridge offers an accessible and crystal-clear portrait of this discipline’s breadth … [The book] wanders widely while never losing its connection to the central theme … Splendid’ Phil Ball, Physics World ‘Although thermodynamics has been studied for hundreds of years, film-maker Sen writes, few nonscientists appreciate how its principles have shaped the modern world.’ Scientific American ‘Sen makes a convincing case for the importance of thermodynamics in his impressive debut … He accomplishes all of this with splendid prose, making ample use of analogies to explain complex scientific ideas. Sen’s history of hot and cold is pop-science that hits the mark.’ Publisher’s Weekly ‘This entertaining, eye-opening account of how the laws of thermodynamics are essential to understanding the world today – from refrigeration and jet engines to calorie counting and global warming – is a lesson in how to do popular science right.’ Kirkus Reviews ‘Sen performs an exquisite examination of an ostensibly simple distinction, the difference between hot and cold.’ Booklist
£9.49
Columbia University Press Ethical Loneliness
Book SynopsisEthical loneliness is the experience of being abandoned by humanity, compounded by the cruelty of wrongs not being acknowledged. Jill Stauffer examines the root causes of ethical loneliness and difficult truths about the desire and potential for political forgiveness, transitional justice, and political reconciliation.Trade ReviewA timely book-rarely has the fecundity of the Continental approach to ethics been so clearly and persuasively on display. -- Robert Bernasconi, Penn State University To read Ethical Loneliness is to undergo the page-turning yet profoundly uncomfortable experience of struggling to hear the fractured stories told by survivors. Jill Stauffer's voice leads us carefully and thoughtfully through an unsettling hell of testimonies, showing us how difficult it is for us to linger in the discomfort of hearing about violent injustice without rushing through the ugly parts, forgetting the hard parts, dismissing the odd parts, straightening out the chronology, watering down the anger, denying the complicity, enforcing forgiveness or victimhood, whitewashing the ending, and missing what is not said and what cannot be put into words. This book, or rather, this experience of listening, is destined to become, like Elaine Scarry's The Body in Pain, a classic text in the field. It is really that good. -- Linda Meyer, Quinnipiac University Stauffer's book breaks through legalistic approaches to mass violence and oppression to uncover the conditions of the repair of lives and worlds in human interdependence. Her bold claims for widely diffused reparative responsibilities are built on close discussions of how together we author-or destroy-selves and worlds. Her impressive blending of contemporary events and philosophical reflection reveals the wide scope of responsibility that implicates us in the repair of others' suffering in ways we are usually glad to ignore or resist. -- Margaret Urban Walker, Marquette University Our relationship to our past is shifting, multiple, and emotive. In Ethical Loneliness, Stauffer builds on this dialogic conception of the self over time to develop a communicative theory of justice as a 'reparative' mode of giving the past its due. Lucid, attentive, and nuanced, this scintillating and surprising work installs a finely filigreed protocol of listening, a duty of hearing, in the heart of law. -- Peter Goodrich, Cardozo School of Law Stauffer involves us in ways of being and of being-together that are imperative yet elusive. And while a ready resolution is neither offered nor possible, the book itself is an absorbing vade mecum. -- Peter Fitzpatrick, Birkbeck, University of London A small book with immense breadth and insight into the difficulties of and harms incurred through the process of political reconciliation in the aftermath of atrocity. APA Newsletter on Feminism and PhilosophyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. Ethical Loneliness 2. Repair 3. Hearing 4. Revision 5. Desert Epilogue Notes Index
£19.80
University of Texas Press Amazigh Arts in Morocco
Book SynopsisIn southeastern Morocco, around the oasis of Tafilalet, the Ait Khabbash people weave brightly colored carpets, embroider indigo head coverings, paint their faces with saffron, and wear ornate jewelry. Their extraordinarily detailed arts are rich in cultural symbolism; they are always breathtakingly beautiful—and they are typically made by women. Like other Amazigh (Berber) groups (but in contrast to the Arab societies of North Africa), the Ait Khabbash have entrusted their artistic responsibilities to women. Cynthia Becker spent years in Morocco living among these women and, through family connections and female fellowship, achieved unprecedented access to the artistic rituals of the Ait Khabbash. The result is more than a stunning examination of the arts themselves, it is also an illumination of women''s roles in Islamic North Africa and the many ways in which women negotiate complex social and religious issues.One of the reasons Amazigh women are artists is that the Table of Contents A Note on Transcription and Transliteration Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One. Ait Khabbash Textiles: Weaving Metaphors of Identity Chapter Two. The Art of Dressing the Body Chapter Three. Dance Performances: Negotiating Gender and Social Change Chapter Four. Women as Public Symbols of Identity: The Adornment of the Bride and Groom Chapter Five. Performing Amazigh Gender Roles: Wedding Ceremonies Chapter Six. Oh, My Sudanese Mother: The Legacy of Slavery in Ait Khabbash Art Chapter Seven. Contemporary Amazigh Arts: Giving Material Form to Amazigh Consciousness Appendix 1. Selected Songs from Ait Khabbash Weddings Notes References Index
£17.99
Yale University Press Henry VIII
Book SynopsisFocusing on what the author considers to be the flamboyant personality of Henry VIII, this text explores a king whose impact on government, society and religion of England is still felt more than four centuries on.
£23.75
Yale University Press The Reconstruction of Nations
Book SynopsisTimothy Snyder traces the emergence of four rival modern nationalist ideologies from common medieval notions of citizenship.Trade Review“Charting the passages to nationhood and to national reconciliation in this impossibly complex region is the aim of Timothy Snyder’s erudite and engrossing book. . . . An illuminating historical essay. . . . This important book is also elegantly written.”—Charles King, Times Literary Supplement“[A] fresh and stimulating look at the path to nationhood.”—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs“[Snyder] utilizes poetry, monuments, symbols, and mini-biography, and family-and village-centered micro-history to make his points, and he succeeds in integrating a common-sense, democratic, and tolerant morality into a set of essentially objective, parallel story-lines. . . . A great book for the professional, scholar, student, and curious reader.”—David Goldfrank, The International History Review"Ambitiously conceived and superbly executed. . . . The Reconstruction of Nations isdistinguished by its clear structure, lucid prose, uncompromising judgements, and cogent argument. It marks the debut of a hugely talented historian."—Richard Butterwick, English History ReviewWinner of the 2003 George Louis Beer Prize given by the American Historical AssociationWinner of the 2003 Eastern Review PrizeWinner of the 2004 American Association for Ukrainian Studies Book Award"This is by far the best English-language survey of northeastern Europe’s multicultural past. Snyder offers us an innovative and unconventional re-reading of the broad narrative of Polish, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian history, exploring and explaining issues of national identity without getting trapped within the categories of nationalist historiography. His ambition to cover four centuries of history was a bold move in today’s era of academic specialization, but he has succeeded brilliantly."—Brian Porter, Professor of History, University of Michigan; author of When Nationalism Began to Hate: Imagining Modern Politics in 19th Century Poland"This is an excellent book. The research is impressive. Snyder asks the right questions and then delivers.”—John Micgiel, executive director, East Central European Center, Columbia University"The Reconstruction of Nations isa brilliant and fascinating analysis of the subtleties, complexities, and paradoxes of the evolution of nations in Eastern Europe. Snyder highlights the success of contemporary leaders of Poland in bringing an end to the centuries of war, conquest, and ethnic cleansing, which have plagued that part of the world. His study has major implications for all of us who want to understand the processes of state collapse and nation-building in the world."—Samuel P. Huntington, Chairman, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies"This book is a work of profound scholarship and considerable importance. It represents a highly original approach to a neglected area of Europe—but also has wider implications for all those interested in questions of nationalism and state-building."—Timothy Garton Ash, Director, European Studies Centre, St Antony’s College, Oxford, author of The Polish Revolution
£18.99
Yale University Press Simon Bolivar A Life
Book SynopsisSimon Bolivar was a revolutionary who freed six countries, an intellectual who argued the principles of national liberation, and a general who fought a cruel colonial war. This book illuminates the inner world of Bolivar, the dynamics of his leadership, his power to command, and his modes of ruling the diverse peoples of Spanish America.Trade Review"'A readable and up-to-date life, which will be the first resort of the curious for some time to come.' Economist 'Given the difficulty of separating man from myth, this soberly objective, well-researched biography is welcome. Professor Lynch has devoted much of his career as a Latin Americanist historian to the study of the independence war... It is fortunate that he has now chosen to bring it to bear on a biography which is both professional and readable. In all its complexity John Lynch's impressive, objective scholarship is an invaluable antidote to previous historians' and politicians' attempts to mould Bolivar to their particular ends.' David Gallagher, Times Literary Supplement 'expertly researched and elegantly written.' The Oldie"
£14.99
Yale University Press Theodor Herzl
Book SynopsisTrade Review“An engrossing account of a leader who, by converting despair into strength, gave an exiled people both political purpose and the means to attain it.”—Benjamin Balint, Wall Street JournalWinner of the 2020 Canadian Jewish Literary Award in the history category, sponsored by the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies“Derek Penslar, the most original scholar on the history of Zionism today, has written a masterful book, which may indeed become the definitive Herzl biography of our age.”—Michael Brenner, author of A Short History of the Jews“Theodor Herzl was the indispensable catalyst of the Zionist movement that began before him, developed independently of him, and prevailed on its own decades after his death. Penslar’s book unlocks this paradox, and in richly providing the historical context of his leadership, magnifies its achievement.”—Ruth R. Wisse, author of Jews and Power “Derek Penslar has found in Theodor Herzl an amazingly complex character and tells his story with deep insight and great fairness. This biography is innovative, carefully balanced, and engrossing.”—Tom Segev, author of A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion“In his pitch-perfect biography for a new century, accomplished historian Derek Penslar portrays the psychic traits that allowed Theodor Herzl to be elevated by the longings of a fledgling Zionist movement, which he in turn elevated into a political cause that has redefined Jewish and world history down to our present. An elegant masterpiece.”—Samuel Moyn, Yale University
£18.04
Yale University Press The Theory That Would Not Die
Book SynopsisDrawing on primary source material and interviews with statisticians and other scientists, this book offers an account of Bayes' rule for general readers, It traces its discovery by an amateur mathematician in the 1740s through its development into roughly its modern form by French scientist Pierre Simon Laplace.Trade Review"If you're not thinking like a Bayesian, perhaps you should be."—John Allen Paulos, New York Times Book Review"A masterfully researched tale of human struggle and accomplishment . . . Renders perplexing mathematical debates digestible and vivid for even the most lay of audiences."—Michael Washburn, Boston Globe"[An] engrossing study. . . . Her book is a compelling and entertaining fusion of history, theory and biography."—Ian Critchley, Sunday Times"This account of how a once reviled theory, Baye’s rule, came to underpin modern life is both approachable and engrossing."—Sunday Times"Makes the theory come alive . . . enjoyable . . . densely packed and engaging . . . very accessible . . . an admirable job of giving a voice to the scores of famous and non-famous people and data who contributed, for good or for worse."—Significance Magazine"A very compelling documented account . . . very interesting reading."—José Bernardo, Valencia List Blog"McGrayne explains [it] beautifully. . . . Top holiday reading."—The Australian"Engaging . . . Readers will be amazed at the impact that Bayes' rule has had in diverse fields, as well as by its rejection by too many statisticians. . . . I was brought up, statistically speaking, as what is called a frequentist. . . . But reading McGrayne's book has made me determined to try, once again, to master the intricacies of Bayesian statistics. I am confident that other readers will feel the same."—The Lancet"The Theory That Would Not Die is a rollicking tale of the triumph of a powerful mathematical tool."—Andrew Robinson, Nature"The Theory That Would Not Die is the first popular science book to document the rocky story of Bayes’s rule. At times, her tale has everything you would expect of a modern-day thriller. . . . To have crafted a page-turner out of the history of statistics is an impressive feat. If only lectures at university had been this racy."—David Robson, New Scientist"The Theory That Would Not Die is an impressively researched, rollicking tale of the triumph of a powerful mathematical tool."—Andrew Robinson, Nature Vol. 475"McGrayne is such a good writer that she makes this obscure battle gripping for the general reader."—Engineering and Technology Magazine"Scientists and statisticians have fought over a deep philosophical divide about probability, which Sharon Bertsch McGrayne explores with great clarity and wit."—Christine Evans-Pughe, Engineering and Technology Magazine"McGrayne holds the hand of the general reader as she lays out the history of the theorem and how it is now used in just about every walk of life. . . . Science writing at its absolute peak."—The BooksellerEditor's Choice, New York Times Book Review"We now know how to think rationally about our uncertain world. This book describes in vivid prose, accessible to the lay person, the development of Bayes' rule over more than two hundred years from an idea to its widespread acceptance in practice."—Dennis Lindley, University College London"A book simply highlighting the astonishing 200 year controversy over Bayesian analysis would have been highly welcome. This book does so much more, however, uncovering the almost secret role of Bayesian analysis in a stunning series of the most important developments of the twentieth century. What a revelation and what a delightful read!"—James Berger, Arts & Sciences Professor of Statistics, Duke University, and member, National Academy of Sciences"Well known in statistical circles, Bayes’s Theorem was first given in a posthumous paper by the English clergyman Thomas Bayes in the mid-eighteenth century. McGrayne provides a fascinating account of the modern use of this result in matters as diverse as cryptography, assurance, the investigation of the connection between smoking and cancer, RAND, the identification of the author of certain papers in The Federalist, election forecasting and the search for a missing H-bomb. The general reader will enjoy her easy style and the way in which she has successfully illustrated the use of a result of prime importance in scientific work."—Andrew I. Dale, author of A History of Inverse Probability From Thomas Bayes to Karl Pearson and Most Honorable Remembrance: The Life and Work of Thomas Bayes"Compelling, fast-paced reading full of lively characters and anecdotes . . . A great story."—Robert E. Kass, Carnegie Mellon University"Fascinating . . . I truly admire [McGrayne’s] style of writing, and . . . ability to turn complex mathematical ideas into intriguing stories, centered around real people."—Judea Pearl, winner of the 2012 Turing Award
£12.34
Little, Brown Book Group The Island at the Center of the World
Book SynopsisWhen the British wrested New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, the truth about its thriving, polyglot society began to disappear into myths about an island purchased for 24 dollars and a cartoonish peg-legged governor. But the story of the Dutch colony of New Netherland was merely lost, not destroyed. Drawing on the archives of the New Netherland Project, Russell Shorto has created a gripping narrative that transforms our understanding of early America.The Dutch colony pre-dated the ''original'' thirteen colonies, yet it seems strikingly familiar. Its capital was cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic, and its citizens valued free trade, individual rights, and religious freedom. Their champion was a progressive, young lawyer named Adriaen van der Donck, who emerges in these pages as a forgotten American patriot and whose political vision brought him into conflict with Peter Stuyvesant, the autocratic director of the Dutch colony. The struggle between these two strong-willed men laid Trade ReviewThe Island at the Center of the World must always be near the top of the list of great books about New York Guardian
£12.34
