History Books

Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A call to reform our antiquated political institutions before it’s too late—from the authors of How Democracies Die“[Levitsky and Ziblatt] write with terrifying clarity about how the forces of the right have co-opted the enshrined rules to exert their tyranny.”—The Washington PostONE OF THE CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS’ TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A NEWSWEEK BEST BOOK OF THE YEARAmerica is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is democracy under assault here, and not in other wealthy, diversifying nations? And what can we do to save it?With the clarity and brilliance that made their first book, How Democracies Die, a global bestseller, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt offer a coherent framework for understanding these volatile times. They draw on a wealth of examples—from 1930s France to present-day Thailand—to explain why and how political parties turn against democracy. They then show how our Constitution makes us uniquely vulnerable to attacks from within: It is a pernicious enabler of minority rule, allowing partisan minorities to consistently thwart and even rule over popular majorities. Most modern democracies—from Germany and Sweden to Argentina and New Zealand—have eliminated outdated institutions like elite upper chambers, indirect elections, and lifetime tenure for judges. The United States lags dangerously behind.In this revelatory book, Levitsky and Ziblatt issue an urgent call to reform our politics. It’s a daunting task, but we have remade our country before—most notably, after the Civil War and during the Progressive Era. And now we are at a crossroads: America will either become a multiracial democracy or cease to be a democracy at all.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn her first book, popular TikTok historian J Draper uses her characteristic wit and intellect to introduce us to extraordinary figures marginalized by history, and the lessons we can learn from them.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA TIMES POLITICAL BOOK OF THE YEARA LONGMAN/HISTORY TODAY BOOK OF THE YEARThe award-winning history of the British Welfare State now fully revised and updated for the 21st Century.A masterpiece' Sunday TimesGiant Want. Giant Disease. Giant Ignorance. Giant Squalor. Giant Idleness.These were the Five Giants that loomed over the post-war reconstruction of Britain. The battle against them was fought by five gargantuan programmes that made up the core of the Welfare State: social security, health, education, housing and a policy of full employment.This book brilliantly captures the high hopes of the period in which the Welfare State was created and the cranky zeal of its inventor, William Beveridge, telling the story of how his vision inspired an entire country. The pages of this modern classic hum with the energies and passions of activists, dreamers and ordinary Britons, and seethe with personal vendettas, forced compromises, awkward contradictions, and the noisy rows of the succeeding seventy years. The Five Giants is a testament to a concept of government that is intertwined with so many of our personal histories, and a stark reminder of what we might stand to lose.Trade Review‘Why make a book that was first published in 1995 one of the political books of the year? Because this third edition of the classic history of the welfare state adds 16 years to the previous account. Anyone who hasn’t read Five Giants will want to start at the beginning, particularly for the excellent account of the founding of the NHS. But those with previous editions will find, for instance, the explanation of how the Lansley health reforms went wrong riveting’ Danny Finkelstein, The Times ‘For years now, old copies of The Five Giants have been changing hands in Westminster for dizzying sums – and for a simple reason. Other books just offer fragments of the story of British government, only this gives you the full picture. I lend my copy to new recruits at The Spectator not as history but as a guide to what they will encounter – and how the same problems keep surfacing again and again. The facts and the figures, the jokes and one-liners, the power and the personality – The Five Giants has it all. It's possible to understand modern Britain without reading this book, but it's just a lot harder (and a lot less fun)’ Fraser Nelson, Spectator ‘Nicholas Timmins has done something extraordinary: he has made a masterpiece of contemporary history even better. Updated, extended and more relevant than ever, this book is quite simply indispensable’ Matthew d'Ancona ‘A tour de force – thoroughly researched and vividly written’ Sunday Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisAgatha Christie's widower's recollections of his archaeological triumphs and life with Agatha.In these informal, often witty and always interesting memoirs, Sir Max Mallowan tells the story of his life, from his boyhood at Lancing where he was a contemporary of Evelyn Waugh, to the days when he was elected a Fellow of All Souls and succeeded another eminent archaeologist, his friend Sir Mortimer Wheeler, as a Trustee of the British Museum.The author was initiated into field archaeology at Ur by Leonard Woolley in 1925, and it was Woolley who first introduced him to a visiting novelist, Agatha Christie. After further excavations, Sir Max began working independently in Assyria, to which he returned each year until the outbreak of war. In 1939 he joined the Royal Air Force and was involved in several eccentric exploits before volunteering to go the Middle East where he filled various outlandish posts with skill and aplomb.Throughout the pre-war years, the author was accompanied on all his

Read more less

Book SynopsisHe knew nothing of celestial navigation or of the existence of the Pacific Ocean. He was a self-promoting and ambitious entrepreneur. His maps were a hybrid of fantasy and delusion. When he did make land, he enslaved the populace he found, encouraged genocide, and polluted relations between peoples. He ended his career in near lunacy.But Columbus had one asset that made all the difference, an inborn sense of the sea, of wind and weather, and of selecting the optimal course to get from A to B. Laurence Bergreen''s energetic and bracing book gives the whole Columbus and most importantly, the whole of his career, not just the highlight of 1492. Columbus undertook three more voyages between 1494 and 1504, each designed to demonstrate that he could sail to China within a matter of weeks and convert those he found there to Christianity. By their conclusion, Columbus was broken in body and spirit, a hero undone by the tragic flaw of pride. If the first voyage illustrates the rewards of exploration, this book shows how the subsequent voyages illustrate the costs - political, moral, and economic.Trade Review"Laurence Bergreen's Columbus was brillliant, audacious, volatile, paranoid and ruthless. What emerges in this biography, a worthy addition to the literature on Columbus is a surprising and revealing portrait of a man who might have been the title charcater in a Shakespearan tradegy." — The New York Times"Laurence Bergreen's ambitious new biography, Columbus: The Four Voyages [is] a spellbinding epic that's simultaneiously a profoundly private portrait of the most complex, compelling, controversial creature ever to board a boat. This scrupulously researched, unbiased account of four death-defying journeys to The New World reveals the Admiral's paradoxical personality." — USA Today"A compelling new book [that] details the explorer's trips to the New World, including three you haven't heard about." — Salon"Once you have read this superb acount of Columbus' four voyages, you will never be content with the cliche about the Italian-born explorer's sailing the ocean blue in 1492. Author of many prize-winning popular history books on topics as diverse as Marco Polo and Al Capone. Laurence Bergreen is a New York-based scholar whose portrayal of the life and times of Christopher Columbus is a tour de force." — Winnipeg Free Press"Laurence Bergreen's new book, refreshingly, is fluid in style in its style and comprehensive in its research. Richly illustrated and enhanced with maps that are as legible as they are relevant. Columbus: The Four Voyages is complex in its themes, intriguing in its substance and sparkling with suprises." — The Washington Times"In this scrupulously fair and often thrilling account of his four vorages to the "New World," Bergreen reveals Columbus as brilliant, brave, adventurous, and deeply flawed . . . A superb reexamination of the character and career of a still controversial historical agent." — Booklist

Read more less

Book SynopsisStories of real-life bravery and courage-under-fire contribute to a unique and poignant record of a club created for heroes.Trade Review‘Rayment uncovers astonishing depths of courage and resourcefulness.’ Sarah Sands, Evening Standard ‘Sean Rayment has gathered wartime experiences that have an extra resonance. For his veterans served in the Special Forces… [a] brilliant and often deeply moving book.’Sinclair McKay, Sunday Telegraph ‘An outstanding book offering a vital insight into the wartime adventures of that small community of Britain's war heroes who rarely speak publicly.’ Chris Hughes, Daily Mirror ‘A cracking read, couldn't put it down.’ Neil Chandler, Daily Star Sunday

Read more less

Book SynopsisWidely considered to be the most important biography of Nelson Mandela, Antony Sampson's remarkable book has been updated with an afterword by acclaimed South African journalist, John Battersby.Long after his presidency of South Africa, Nelson Mandela remained an inspirational figure to millions both in his homeland and far beyond. He has been, without doubt, one of the most important figures in global history. His death, on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95, resonated around the world.Mandela's opposition to apartheid and his 27 year incarceration at the hands of South Africa's all-white regime are familiar to most. In this utterly compelling book, eminent biographer Anthony Sampson draws on a fifty year-long relationship to reveal the man who rocked a continent and changed its future.With unprecedented access to the former South African president the letters he wrote in prison, his unpublished jail autobiography, extensive conversations, and interviews with hundreds of colleagues, Trade Review‘A magisterial, detailed and invaluable account of one of this century’s greatest figures … it is hard to believe that a better biography will ever be written.’ Justin Cartwright, Sunday Telegraph ‘Warmly to be welcomed, not least because it is more substantial and revealing than Mandela’s bestselling autobiography…a great leap forward in our understanding of a man who is both enigmatic and private…Anthony Sampson has carried out his difficult commission with skill and sensitivity’ Independent ‘This will be the last word on Mandela for years to come…it will be hard to improve upon this crowning conclusion to Sampson’s long career as a loving and expert chronicler of South Africa’ Evening Standard ‘Measured, detailed without a moment of tedium, incisive in its perceptions and at times, profoundly moving’ Observer

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe authorised life story of the king who gave up his throne for love, by one of our most distinguished biographers.In this masterly authorized biography, Philip Ziegler reveals the complex personality of Edward VIII, the only British monarch to have voluntarily renounced the throne.With unique access to the Royal Archives, Ziegler overturns many myths about Edward and tells his side of the story from his glamorous existence as Prince of Wales to his long decline in semi-exile in France. At the heart of the book is an unflinchingly honest examination of Edward's all-consuming passion for Wallis Simpson, which led to his dramatic abdication.Elegant and devastating, this is the most convincing portrait of Edward ever published.Trade Review‘Philip Ziegler is a master of biographical narrative …Seldom has such exhaustive research been made so compellingly readable’ Michael Holroyd ‘Ziegler has told Edward’s story with consummate skill’ Sarah Bradford, Sunday Times ‘Beautifully written and constructed’ Michael Bloch, Sunday Telegraph ‘Ziegler writes with urbanity and generosity but is unflinching in his judgements … an exemplary biography’ Richard Davenport-Hines, Times Literary Supplement ‘A splendid book of impeccable scholarship, admirably written, moving, ironical and at times very amusing …’ Robert Blake, Country Life ‘A book of such compelling interest and frankness that it is difficult to put down … a very fine book’ New York Times Book Review ‘I found Ziegler’s book riveting’ Paul Barker, Listener ‘He writes brilliantly’ Christopher Hudson, Evening Standard

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1912, the largest passenger ship ever built set sail for America, but she never got there. Find out what happened to the Titanic and her passengers.Orange/Band 6 books offer varied text and characters, with action sustained over several pages.Text type: An information book.Pages 22 and 23 show a map of the route the Titanic took, allowing children to retrace the events of the sinking.Curriculum links: History: How do we know aboutThis book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (1884), was a provocative and profoundly influential critique of the Victorian nuclear family. Engels argued that the traditional monogamous household was in fact a recent construct, closely bound up with capitalist societies. Under this patriarchal system, women were servants and, effectively, prostitutes. Only Communism would herald the dawn of communal living and a new sexual freedom and, in turn, the role of the state would become superfluous.

Read more less

Book SynopsisVictor Sebestyen was born in Budapest and was an infant when his family left Hungary as refugees. As a journalist, he was worked on numerous British newspapers, including The Times and the Daily Mail. He reported widely from Eastern Europe when Communism collapsed in 1989 and covered the war in former Yugoslavia. At the London Evening Standard he was foreign editor, media editor and chief leader writer. He is the author of the acclaimed Twelve Days, which documents the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, and Revolution 1989, an account of the fall of the Soviet empire.Trade ReviewThis is an exceptionally involving and horrifying book . . . heaven knows [Sebestyen] can tell a story. His short chapters are full of sharp judgements, apt and really colourful quotations and (I mean this as a compliment) grindingly awful detail. * Spectator *

Read more less

Book SynopsisPaige West's searing study of Papua New Guinea reveals how a range of actors produce and reinforce inequalities in today's globalized world. She shows how racist rhetorics of representation underlie all uneven patterns of development and seeks a more robust understanding of the ideological work that capital requires for constant regeneration.Trade ReviewThis is a brilliant work with theoretical force and wide-ranging epistemological and ethical implications. Rigorously researched and historically grounded, West documents how representational strategies - discursive, semiotic, and visual - in relation to Papua New Guinea underpin the enduring boundary between the nature/culture divide, which produces destructive material effects while entrenching white supremacy and capitalism in the globalized world of the twenty-first century. Rich, lucid, and incisive, Dispossession and the Environment is a must-read for scholars in anthropology, environmental studies, Pacific studies, and beyond. -- J. Kehaulani Kauanui, professor of anthropology and American studies, Wesleyan University Provocative and absorbing, Dispossession and the Environment clarifies the roles that ideologies of 'nature' and 'culture' play in the production of global inequalities. West demonstrates how indigenous philosophy and political ecology can offer new grounds for theorizing worlds remade by dispossession. A much-needed intervention in current debates over ontology and epistemology, this is decolonial anthropology at its best. -- Ty P. Kawika Tengan, author of Native Men Remade: Gender and Nation in Contemporary Hawai'i How do we ensure that anthropology does not set the stage for dispossession? This brilliant, powerful collection of essays by Paige West demonstrates the profoundly material effects of disabling colonial and anthropological representations of Melanesia. Papua New Guinean lives and environments matter, and hardly just for the benefit of capitalists, tourists, conservationists, and social scientists. -- Katerina Teaiwa, author of Consuming Ocean Island: Stories of People and Phosphate from Banaba In this intellectually groundbreaking study of uneven development, Paige West demonstrates how non-material representations of people and place in Papua New Guinea have profound material consequences. Her masterful analysis examines accumulation by dispossession through representational strategies that allow surfers, development experts, and other expatriates to dispossess Papua New Guineans of both their culture and their environment. A unique and powerful contribution to political ecology and environmental studies. -- Jerry Jacka, author of Alchemy in the Rain Forest: Politics, Ecology, and Resilience in a New Guinea Mining Area In this wide-ranging, passionately argued and beautifully written book, West examines the discursive, semiotic and visual strategies that work to dispossess Papua New Guineans of their land, livelihoods and sovereignty. Through lively case studies, she demonstrates not only the depth of ethnographic insight that only results from long-term engagement with communities, but also makes important connections between diverse sets of theory. This book is an important reminder of what anthropology can, and should, be. -- Joshua A. Bell, curator of globalization, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Drawing from the author's two decades of research experience in Papua New Guinea, this engaging, lively, and lucid manuscript discusses how structural inequalities are produced, lived, and reinforced in today's globalized world. -- Molly Doane, author of Stealing Shining Rivers: Agrarian Conflict, Market Logic, and Conservation in a Mexican ForestTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Map of the Island of New Guinea Introduction 1. "Such a Site for Play, This Edge": Tourism and Modernist Fantasy 2. "We Are Here to Build Your Capacity": Development as a Vehicle for Accumulation and Dispossession 3. Discovering the Already Known: Tree Kangaroos, Explorer Imaginings, and Indigenous Articulations 4. Indigenous Theories of Accumulation, Dispossession, Possession, and Sovereignty Afterword. Birdsongs: In Memory of Neil Smith (1954-2012) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA remarkable popular history of the English Civil War, from the perspectives of those involved in this most significant turning point in British history.The compelling narrative draws on new sources such as letters, memoirs, ballads and plays to bring to life the Roundheads and Cavaliers, the foot soldiers, war widows and witchfinders of one of the most significant turning points in British history, culminating in Oliver Cromwell's triumph and the execution of Charles I.By blending the political and the personal, Diane Purkiss illuminates both the ideologies behind the English Civil War and the fears of those who fought in it; the men who were destroyed by the conflict and those, such as Oliver Cromwell, who were defined by it.Trade Review‘Rich, vivid and passionate…a moving, lyrical and principled piece of writing…Purkiss has a gift for evocation.’ Independent ‘You begin to get close to what it would have been like to live through the nine momentous years from 1640 to 1649…it would be hard to imagine anything more irresistible than this rich layer cake of a book, crammed with the stories and the voices that make history human.’ Guardian ‘Purkiss has an eye for the narrative vignette that can illuminate the age.’ Sunday Times ‘Wonderful…Purkiss offers a sumptuous portrait gallery of the men and women who lived, wrote and died during this turbulent period…A joyous read.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Narrative history at its best: gripping, heartfelt, complex.’ Mail on Sunday ‘This book vigorously brings the horror and humanity of the conflict to life.’ Financial Times ‘Light in touch, though grounded in an enormous wealth of documentary material this “people's history” shows how England’s men and women coped with quite extraordinary times.’ Scotsman

Read more less

Book SynopsisA childhood book is much more than just a storyfor the presidents, it may represent a turn in the course of history. What the Presidents Read catalogs presidents' early reading accompanied by commentary from eye-witness reporters, historians, journalists, curators, biographers, literary scholars, U.S. presidents and White House families. Together they offer non-specialists brief, surprising insights. Readers will jump at the chance to compare their own favorite books as they learn how these publications resonated with national myths and leaders in the making.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawn to the Promised Land charts the dramatic history of Palestine from the Balfour Declaration to the creation of the state of Israel. Through the acerbic wit of leading political cartoonists from Britain, the United States and other countries, we see how Britain''s policies changed repeatedly after it captured Palestine from the Ottomans in 1917. From the Arab riots through to the Nazi persecution of European Jews and the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, cartoonists captured every painful twist and agonising turn of events. The first book of cartoons to be published on this contentious subject, Drawn to the Promised Land offers a truly unique visual insight into a period of history that still reverberates to this day.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSunil Khilnani is the author of the acclaimed and influential The Idea of India (Penguin). He is currently Avantha Professor and Director of the India Institute at King's College London.Trade ReviewDefies historical conventions...scholarly and accessible, lively and deeply serious. I confess I recognised only about 20 of the names and what I thought I knew was wrong or incomplete... revelatory, bold and contemplative. -- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown * The Independent *A majestic sweep of 2,500 years of Indian history...Khilnani is a rare blend of scholar and cracking travel writer, and his book is replete with distinguished characters little known in the West. -- Tarquin Hall * The Sunday Times *A tour de force of intellectual history, engagingly written and peppered with wry personal anecdotes. -- James Crabtree * Financial Times *Scholarly and playful * The Telegraph *Khilnani is a warm, personable voice on the radio and in this beautifully illustrated book his personal touch has been preserved. It is hard to think of this mammoth task being executed any better.... Superb, ***** -- Sameer Rahim * The Telegraph *Beautifully written with both scholarship and an enviably light touch, thoughtfully constructed and enviably erudite in its wide-ranging references, and as much at ease discussing higher mathematics and philosophy as politics and art, Incarnations is a major work by one of India's most impressive minds, and the best possible introduction to both the complexities and the charms of Indian history. -- William Dalrymple * The Guardian *An exceptionally liberating intellectual journey to take. Mr Khilnani's prose is light and fast-paced... [and his] ability to empathise with people long dead is also astonishing -- Nilanjana S Roy * Business Standard, New Delhi *I enjoyed everything about this book -- Charles Allen * Literary Review *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFocussing on how the Romans made Europe work as a homogenous civilisation and looking at why we are failing to make the EU work in modern times, this is an authoritative and amusing study from bestselling author Boris Johnson.In addition to his roles as politician, editor, author and television presenter, Boris Johnson is a passionate Roman scholar. The recent Dream of Rome' TV series saw him travelling throughout the Roman Empire in order to uncover the secrets of the governance of the empire, and the reasons behind why the Romans held such power and prestige for so long.Fiercely interested in Europe and the current issues facing the European Union, Boris Johnson will look at the lessons we could learn from the Romans and how we could apply them to our modern politics.Boris Johnson was the editor of the Spectator, MP for Henley and is now the new Shadow Minister for Education. He writes a column for the Daily Telegraph and lives in London and Oxfordshire with his wife and their childrTrade Review'As an introduction to the history of the Roman empire, this book is hugely stimulating. I read it in two sittings, completely gripped. If Ruth Kelly has an ounce of sense, she will make this book compulsory reading for every 16-year old in the country.' Toby Young, New Statesman 'History comes alive only when written from the heart and Johnson's is full of swashbuckling japes, bloodthirsty yells and energetic sideswipes.' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday 'Written with all the wit and zest that have helped to make him Britain's favourite celebrity MP.' Tom Holland, Daily Telegraph 'Johnson has not been intimidated by dry classics masters: his style is bright, breezy, populist and pacy.' The Times 'Described with his special combination of sharp-eyed intelligence and golly-gosh exclamation…the sublime and the bizarre are richly represented in this portrayal of ancient Rome…a splendid romp through the Roman world.' Sunday Telegraph 'Lovers of Latin and ancient history unite! At long last there is a warm, funny, erudite introduction to the Roman empire…The success of “The Dream of Rome” lies in the modern twang of the author. It is an art Boris Johnson has to perfection…a marvellous reader-friendly account of Rome.' Independent

Read more less

Book SynopsisA new perspective on the spatial complexity and plurality of Japanese videogames.Unboxing Japanese Videogames uncovers the complex and plural spatialities of commercial videogames published in Japan between 1985 and 2015. Rejecting the ?boxing? inherent in the phrase ?Japanese videogames,? Martin Roth explores a series of spatialities that unfold in videogame production and distribution. The book develops a notion of spatialization that is applied in the analysis of contents or genre distributions in Japan, the US, the UK, Germany, and France, the distribution of videogame works across different important markets, the geography of actors involved in videogame production and their gradual spatialization over time, and the functional spatialization of game production across a diverse range of platforms.This book is the first English-language study to provide an overview of the subject and also the first to explore the spatial history of FromSoftware games. It stands out because it does so quantitatively, offering a macro-perspective on the field of commercial videogames instead of relying on sales statistics or case studies. In addition to a wide range of related scholarship in English, the book engages actively with scholarship and other relevant resources in Japanese. Over thirty visualizations make the findings of the book tangible and invite the reader to explore the spatial complexity of commercial videogames further.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLeanda de Lisle brings the story of nine days' queen, Lady Jane Grey and her forgotten sisters, the rivals of Elizabeth I, to vivid life in her fascinating biography' Philippa GregoryThe dramatic untold story of the three tragic Grey sisters, all heirs to the Tudor throne, all victims to their royal blood.Lady Jane Grey is an iconic figure in English history. Misremembered as the Nine Days Queen', she has been mythologized as a child-woman destroyed on the altar of political expediency. Behind the legend, however, was an opinionated and often rebellious adolescent who died a passionate leader, not merely a victim. Growing up in Jane's shadow, her sisters Katherine and Mary would have to tread carefully to survive.The dramatic lives of the younger Grey sisters remain little known, but under English law they were the heirs and rivals to the Tudor monarchs Mary and Elizabeth I. The beautiful Katherine ignored Jane's dying request that she remain faithful to her beliefs, changing her relTrade Review‘A deep and fascinating account. Leanda de Lisle’s close focus draws us into palace corridors, country houses and city streets where the excitement, intrigue and danger of the times are palpable.’ Jane Dunn ‘Utterly grippring…de Lisle reminds us on each page what terror felt for those in the 16th century…This is a marvellously told and quite terrifying biography.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A thrilling read that could sit comfortably beside any novel by Philippa Gregory…de Lisle wears her learning lightly, though the details are carefully crafted and researched.’ Spectator ‘“The Sisters Who Would Be Queen” brings the Tudor world to life in a story about siblings Katherine, Mary and Lady Jane Grey.… The author rehabilitates [Lady Jane Grey] as less a victim of history than a headstrong individual with a sense of her own destiny.…this fascinating tale relates how her plucky sisters adapted to life at court in an atmosphere of distrust and paranoia.…It was a miracle they lasted as long as they did.’ Sebastian Shakespeare, Tatler

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement'' Simon Sebag Montefiore Winner of the Wolfson History Prize and shortlisted for the Duff Cooper PrizeIn the summer of 1812 Napoleon, the master of Europe, marched into Russia with the largest army ever assembled, confident that he would sweep everything before him. Yet less than two years later his empire lay in ruins, and Russia had triumphed. This is the first history to explore in depth Russia''s crucial role in the Napoleonic Wars, re-creating the epic battle between two empires as never before. Dominic Lieven writes with great panache and insight to describe from the Russians'' viewpoint how they went from retreat, defeat and the burning of Moscow to becoming the new liberators of Europe; the consequences of which could not have been more important.Ultimately this book shows, memTrade ReviewA compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Evening Standard *Radically alters our assumptions about how Napoleon was beaten -- Andrew Roberts * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *(He creates) an historic canvas that is both overwhelming and meticulous ... he inevitably touches the nerve points of modern power politics. * The Economist *A compulsive read. This master storyteller and scholar has written an instant classic that is awesome, remarkable and exuberant. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * The Scotsman *An essential reference ... the Princess would have approved. * The Spectator *(An) erudite, monumental piece of historial research ... it's a great tale with a clear argument, baked by an impressive array of sources and detail. -- Charles Clover * Financial Times *A superbly crafted book -- Alexander M. Martin * TLS *A lucid and detailed account -- Geoffrey Hosking * London Review of Books *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAMERICAN COLONIES starts with the earliest years of human colonization of the American continent and environs with the Siberian migrations across the Bering Strait 15,000 years ago. It ends in around 1800 when the rough outline of the contemporary North America could be perceived.Dropping the usual Anglocentric description of North America''s fate, Taylor brilliantly conveys the far more vivid and startling story of the competing interests--Spanish, French, English, Native, Russian--that over the centuries shaped and reshaped both the continent and its ''suburbs'' in the Caribbean and the Pacific. It is one of the greatest of all human stories.Trade Review"Formidable...provokes us to contemplate the ways in which residents of North America have dealt with diversity." -The New York Times Book Review"A superb overview of colonial America." -Christian Science Monitor"Compelling, readable, and fresh, American Colonies is perhaps the most brilliant piece of synthesis in recent American historical writing." —Phillip J. Deloria, Carroll Smith-Rosenberg Collegiate Professor of American Culture and History at the University of Michigan“Even the serious student of history will find a great deal of previously obscure information. The book offers a balanced understanding of the diverse peoples and forces that converged on this continent and influenced the course of American history.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Crammed full of fascinating material uncovered by historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists in the past half-century.” —NewsdayTable of ContentsIntroductionPart I. Encounters1. Natives, 13,000 B.C.-A.D. 14922. Colonizers, 1400-18003. New Spain, 1500-16004. The Spanish Frontier, 1530-17005. Canada and Iroquoia, 1500-1660Part II. Encounters6. Virginia, 1570-16507. Chesapeake Colonies, 1650-17508. New England, 1600-17009. Puritans and Indians, 1600-170010. The West Indies, 1600-170011. Carolina, 1670-176012. Middle Colonies, 1600-1700Part III. Empires13. Revolutions, 1685-173014. The Atlantic, 1700-8015. Awakenings, 1700-7516. French America, 1650-175017. The Great Plains, 1680-180018. Imperial Wars and Crisis, 1739-7519. The Pacific, 1760-1820AcknowledgmentsBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A superb little book that is micro-history at its best'' Washington Post''The brevity of this remarkable book belies the amount of work that went into it. One can only marvel at how well Professor Simms has gone through the original sources - the surviving journals, reminiscences and letters of the individual combatants - to produce a coherent and gripping narrative'' Nick Lezard, GuardianThe true story, told minute by minute, of the soldiers who defeated Napoleon - from Brendan Simms, acclaimed author of Europe: The Struggle for SupremacyEurope had been at war for over twenty years. After a short respite in exile, Napoleon had returned to France and threatened another generation of fighting across the devastated and exhausted continent. At the small Belgian village of Waterloo two large, hastily mobilized armies faced each other to decide the future of Europe.Unknown either to Napoleon or Wellington the bTrade ReviewThe brevity of this remarkable book belies the amount of work that went into it. One can only marvel at how well Professor Simms has gone through the original sources - the surviving journals, reminiscences and letters of the individual combatants - to produce a coherent and gripping narrative -- Nick Lezard * The Guardian *A superb little book that is micro-history at its best -- Paul O’Keeffe * Washington Post *Mr. Simms's fluent and meticulously researched narrative provides enough context to engage not only specialists, but also readers unfamiliar with the broader historical background...by focusing upon a particular episode, rather than the bigger picture, Mr. Simms manages to reflect the grim reality of Waterloo better than some more comprehensive surveys -- Stephen Brumwell * The Wall Street Journal *[Simms] tells more about realities of boots-on-the-ground combat than any other Waterloo book I have encountered. A five-gun read. -- Joseph C. Goulden * Washington Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisMagnificent history of the common British soldier from 1700 to 1900 by one of Britain's best-known and accomplished military writers and broadcasters. Red Coat is non-fiction Sharpe, filled with anecdote and humour as well as historical analysis.Redcoat is a wonderful book. It is not just a work of history but one of enthusiasm and unparalleled knowledge.'' BERNARD CORNWELLRedcoat is the story of the British soldier from c.1760 until c.1860 surely one of the most enduring and magnetic subjects of the British past. Solidly based on the letters and diaries of the men who served and the women who followed them, the book is rich in the history of the period. It charts Wolfe''s victory and death at Quebec, the American War of Independence, the Duke of York''s campaign in Flanders, Wellington''s Peninsular War, Waterloo,the retreat from Kabul, the Sikh wars in 1845-9, the Crimean war and the Indian Mutiny.The focus of Redcoat, however, is the individual recollection and experience of the oTrade Review'I have never met Richard Holmes, but I am deeply jealous of him for Redcoat opens with the re-enactment of a Napoleonic battle that I wish I had written myself… The redcoat and his family were never appreciated, but Richard Holmes has written them a marvellous memorial. Redcoat is a wonderful book, full of anecdote and good sense. Anyone who has enjoyed a Sharpe story will love it, anyone who likes history will want to own it and anyone who cherishes good writing will read it with pleasure.' BERNARD CORNWELL, Daily Mail

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn authoritative and entertaining account by one of our most talented writers of the courageous and unusual women who have been the backbone of the British Empire and foreign service.English ambassadresses are usually on the dotty side and leaving their embassies drives them completely off their rockers' Nancy MitfordFrom the first exploratory expeditions into foreign lands, through the heyday of the British Empire and still today, the foreign service has been shaped and run behind the scenes by the wives of ambassadors and minor civil servants. Accompanying their spouses in the most extraordinary, tough, sometimes terrifying circumstances, they have struggled to bring their civilization with them. Their stories from ambassadresses downwards never before told, are a feast of eccentricity, genuine hardship and genuine heroism, and make for a hilarious, compelling and fascinating book.Trade ReviewHer last book, A Trip to the Light Fantastic, received extraordinarily good reviews: ‘The most ambitiously imaginative sort of travel writing’- Patrick Skene Catling ‘Magic is at the heart of Hickman’s narrative. Her characters would not seem out of place in the oeuvre of Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Isabel Allende’- Sunday Times ‘Mexico will not have been portrayed more vividly since Graham Greene’s The Lawless Roads… Enchanting’- Geoffrey Moorhouse, Daily Telegraph

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE DEFINITIVE, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL ''Football conquered the world with its capacity to astonish, and this is its definitive history'' The IndependentThere may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final. In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of football''s rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world''s most popular sport. The Ball Is Round illuminates football''s role in the political and social histories of modern societies, but never loses sight of the beauty, joy, and excitement of the game. ___________________________________''Goldblatt writes with authority, humour, and passion, not least in the accounts of famous or significant matches scattered throughout the book'' Times Literary Supplement''Since it became a worldwide phenomenon, nobody has attempted to write an overall history of the game. Now David Goldblatt''s stunning book will be the measure against which all other such volumes are judged'' The Guardian ''Goldblatt''s magnum opus . . . Anyone with a brain and an interest in football will enjoy this book'' The Daily Telegraph (London)

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWhat Salvatore Lupo captures particularly well, against all the stereotypes, is the Mafioso as a modern character: the pure distillate of entrepreneurial and criminal intelligence that illuminates the history of both Italy and contemporary Europe. If we can truly break ourselves of the habit of thinking of the Mafia as a belated survival of Sicilian feudalism and the product of underdevelopment, we will have taken a major step forward, and perhaps even be on the road toward a solution. -- Roberto Saviano, author of Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System History of the Mafia is a tour de force bringing Salvatore Lupo's virtually unequaled expertise about the Mafia, Sicilian history, and Italian politics into play. The book is essential reading for anyone who hopes to be well informed about the Mafia. -- Nelson Moe, Columbia University, and author of The View from Vesuvius: Italian Culture and the Southern Question For anyone who has grown weary of the fond treatment of the Mafia in American popular culture this book is a tonic. The New Yorker This is not a book of dramatic shoot-outs or even one that lingers long on individual characters. It is a sober assessment of the history of a movement. -- Hugh MacDonald Scotland Sunday Herald With Lupo's History, you become a lot more knowledgeable about the phenomenon. -- Lee Lamothe Toronto Globe & Mail [Lupo] provides a useful spectrum of first-hand historic sources. -- Guy Dinmore Financial Times Lupo carefully indicates and assesses the many ways in which the mafia has been understood...Recommended Choice Well-researched... compellingly argued book, -- Richard Drake H-Italy Lupo... is the preeminent scholar of the nineteenth- and twentieth- century Sicilian Mafia whose research is widely respected for its theoretical analysis thoroughly grounded in original archival sources...but newcomers to the field will nonetheless treasure his brilliant introduction. Italian American Review

Read more less

Book SynopsisOffers the best essays from the acclaimed collection originally published in French. This monumental work examines how and why events and figures become a part of a people's collective memory, how rewriting history can forge new paradigms of cultural identity, and how the meaning attached to an event can become as significant as the event itself.Trade ReviewThis is an indispensable guide to understanding France and the French. As usual, Arthur Goldhammer's translation is superb. Foreign Affairs This unusual book deals fascinatingly with everything from the creation of the rousing anthem "La Marseillaise" to the changing role of Joan of Arc in France's collective memory. Even the Eiffel Tower shines forth in surprising new facets. Chicago Tribune Provides arresting genealogies of a number of the major cleavages in French history, with chapters on the embattled relationship of Jews to the French republic, the peculiar affinities of Gaulism and Communism, and... Paris' haughty condescension toward la province... Without resorting to polemics, the volume reminds us that the image of the French past is confected as much out of amnesia as out of memory. Lingua Franca A magisterial attempt to define what it is to be French. Times Literary Supplement A magnificent achievement... [The essays included] are the high-carat jewels of the project. The New RepublicTable of ContentsIntroduction, by Pierre Nora Part I: Emblems 1. The Three Colors: Neither White nor Red, by Raoul Girardet 2. La Marseillaise: War or Peace, by Michel Vovelle 3. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, by Mona Ozouf 4. Bastille Day: From Dies Irae to Holiday, by Christian Almavi Part II: Major Sites 1. Lascaux, by Jean-Paul Demoule 2. Reims, City of Coronation, by Jacques Le Goff 3. The Louvre, Royal Residence and Temple of the Arts, by Jean-Pierre Babelon 4. Versailles, the Image of the Sovereign, by Edouard Pommier 5. The Pantheon, The Ecole Normale of the Dead, by Mona Ozouf 6. The Eiffel Tower, by Henry Loyette 7. Verdun, by Antoine Prost Part III: Identifications 1. The Gallic Cock, by Michael Pastoureau 2. Joan of Arc, by Michael Winock 3. Descartes, by Francois Azouvi 4. Paris, A Traversal from East to West, by Maurice Agulhon 5. The Genius of the French Language, by Marc Fumaroli 6. The Era of Commemoration, by Pierre Nora Notes Index of Names Index of Subjects

Read more less

Book SynopsisWalzer defends the trial and execution of Louis XVI as necessary, since it not only tried to destroy mystique and divine right, but also required the deputies to fully explain their guiding philosophies and applied the rules of judicial process to establish equality before the law.Trade ReviewA very provocative essay, fecund with insights into the enduring problems of citizenship, servitude, political responsibility and legislative statesmanship." The New RepublicTable of ContentsPreface to the Morningside Edition Preface to the Original Edition Translator's Preface Regicide and Revolution 1. Two Kinds of Regicide 2. The Old Regime 3. The King and the Law 4. The Revolutionary Argument 5. A Defense of the Trial and Execution of Louis XVI The Speeches 1. Maihle: 7 November 1792 2. Morisson: 13 November 1792 3. Saint-Just: 13 November 1792 4. Paine: 21 November 1792 5. Robespierre: 3 December 1792 6. Condorcet: 3 December 1792 7. Marat: 3 December 1792 8. Saint-Just: 27 December 1792 9. Robespierrre: 28 December 1792 10. Vergniaud: 31 December 1792 11. Paine: 7 January 1793 Appendix 1. Revolutionary Justice by Ferenc Feher 2. The Kind's Trial and the Political Culture of the Revolution by Michael Walzer 3. Excerpts from the Constitution of 1791 Index of Names

Read more less

Book Synopsis''This is a very personal book, about being alone and lost''. In 1975 Kapuscinski''s employers sent him to Angola to cover the civil war that had broken out after independence. For months he watched as Luanda and then the rest of the country collapsed into a civil war that was in the author''s words ''sloppy, dogged and cruel''. In his account, Kapuscinski demonstrates an extraordinary capacity to describe and to explain the individual meaning of grand political abstractions.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisHoward Carter, who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, began his career as an artist working for the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1891. By shining a spotlight on Carter's watercolour painting of a scene from the shrine to Anubis in Hatshepsut's temple, Carl Graves uncovers the life and legacy of one of Egypt's greatest archaeologists.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf we in Great Britain are resolute and wise there will emerge from this catastrophe something which may well give hope to the world First published in 1939 as a Penguin Special, this is the original best-selling account of why Britain went to war with Germany. In simple terms it describes the stages of Adolf Hitler''s ruthless pursuit for power, identifies his methods of deception and false diplomacy, and details his terrifying use of force that rendered peaceful negotiation increasingly difficult, and finally impossible. Shining a light on Hitler''s early life and character, Harold Nicolson reveals the dictator''s political theories in Mein Kampf, and explains the strategies he adopted in seizing the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia and later Poland. Written with clarity and insight, and read widely by soldiers during World War II, the final message of hope and peace is as relevant today as it was in 1939.This facsimile edition includes a new intro

Read more less

Book SynopsisAndrew Roberts''s Masters and Commanders: The Military Geniuses who led the West to Victory in WWII tells the story of how four great leaders fought each other over how best to fight Hitler. During the Second World War the master strategy of the West was shaped by four titanic figures: Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, and their respective military commanders - General Sir Alan Brooke and General George C. Marshall. Each man was tough-willed and strong minded. And each was certain he knew best how to achieve victory. Drawing on previously unpublished material, including for the first time verbatim reports of Churchill''s War Cabinet meetings, Andrew Roberts''s acclaimed history recreates with vivid immediacy the fiery debates and political maneuverings, the rebuffs and the charm, the explosive rows and dramatic reconciliations, as the masters and commanders of the Western Alliance fought each other over the best way to fight Adolf Hitler. Trade Review'This is an important book which ! sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian' Economist 'A masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality' Daily Express 'His interpretation of British/US strategic relations is unlikely to be superseded' - Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe bestselling and prize-winning study of one of the most legendary American Presidents in history, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin is the book that inspired Barack Obama in his presidency.When Barack Obama was asked which book he could not live without in the White House, his answer was instant: Team of Rivals. This monumental and brilliant work has given Obama the model for his presidency, showing how Abraham Lincoln saved America by appointing his fiercest rival to key cabinet positions. As well as a thrilling piece of narrative history, it''s an inspiring study of one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen.''A wonderful book . . . a remarkable study in leadership'' Barack Obama''A portrait of Lincoln as a virtuosic politician and managerial genius'' The New York Times''I have not enjoyed a history book as much for years'' Robert HarrisDoris Kearns Goodwin is the doyenne of US presidential historians, and one of Trade ReviewA wonderful book ... a remarkable study in leadership -- Barack ObamaThe most uplifting book that I have read in the last two decades. Sensational -- Jon SnowI have not enjoyed a history book as much for years -- Robert Harris * The Observer (Books of the Year) *A fabulously engrossing, exciting narrative in the grand old style ... overflowing with colour and character -- Dominic SandbrookA brilliant book ... I couldn't get enough of it -- Alex FergusonGoodwin's narrative abilities are on full display here. A portrait of Lincoln as a virtuosic politician and managerial genius -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA provocative history of violence--from the "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Stuff ofTrade ReviewOne of the most important books I've read - not just this year, but ever ... For me, what's most important about The Better Angels of Our Nature are its insights into how to help achieve positive outcomes. How can we encourage a less violent, more just society, particularly for the poor? Steven Pinker shows us ways we can make those positive trajectories a little more likely. That's a contribution, not just to historical scholarship, but to the world -- Bill GatesBrilliant, mind-altering...Everyone should read this astonishing book -- David Runciman * Guardian *A supremely important book. To have command of so much research, spread across so many different fields, is a masterly achievement. Pinker convincingly demonstrates that there has been a dramatic decline in violence, and he is persuasive about the causes of that decline -- Peter Singer * New York Times *[A] sweeping new review of the history of human violence...[Pinker has] the kind of academic superbrain that can translate otherwise impenetrable statistics into a meaningful narrative of human behaviour...impeccable scholarship -- Tony Allen-Mills * Sunday Times *Written in Pinker's distinctively entertaining and clear personal style...a marvellous synthesis of science, history and storytelling -- Clive Cookson * Financial Times *A salutary reality-check...Better Angels is itself a great liberal landmark -- Marek Kohn * Independent *Pinker's scholarhsip is astounding...flawless...masterful -- Joanna Bourke * The Times *Selected by the New York Times as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2011 * New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThomas Friedman has won the Pulitzer Prize three times for his work at The New York Times. He is the author of two best-selling books, From Beirut to Jerusalem, and The Lexus and the Olive Tree.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Arabic Science, Jim al-Khalili celebrates the forgotten pioneers who helped shape our understanding of the world. For over 700 years the international language of science was Arabic. Surveying the golden age of Arabic science, Jim Al-Khalili reintroduces such figures as the Iraqi physicist Ibn al-Haytham, who practised the modern scientific method over half a century before Bacon; al-Khwarizmi, the greatest mathematician of the medieval world; and Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, a Persian polymath to rival Leonardo da Vinci. ''Jim Al-Khalili has a passion for bringing to a wider audience not just the facts of science but its history ... Just as the legacy of Copernicus and Darwin belongs to all of us, so does that of Ibn Sina and Ibn al-Haytham''  Independent ''He has brought a great story out of the shadows''   Literary Review ''His command of Arabic and mathemaTrade ReviewBrings alive the bubbling invention and delighted curiosity of the Islamic world ... his command of Arabic mathematical physics invests his story with sympathy as well as authority -- Tim Radford * Guardian *A fascinating and user-friendly guide to this whole scientific movement -- Noel Malcolm * Seven, Sunday Telegraph *Jim Al-Khalili has a passion for bringing to a wider audience not just the facts of science but its history ... Just as the legacy of Copernicus and Darwin belongs to all of us, so does that of Ibn Sina and Ibn al-Haytham. To think otherwise, as this book so powerfully reveals, is to do disservice to the tradition to which they belong -- Kenan Malik * Independent *Spry, informative and timely ... Al-Khalili takes the reader through a brisk survey of the highlights of the period -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday *A fascinating introduction to a neglected area. His approachable style and ability to distil extensive knowledge into simple narrative makes Pathfinders an absorbing read -- Siobhan Murphy * Metro *Enjoyable and informative ... provides ample evidence for the compatibility of Islam and science -- Sameer Rahim * Daily Telegraph *He has brought a great story out of the shadows * Literary Review *This captivating book is a timely reminder of the debt owed by the West to the intellectual achievements of Arab, Persian and Muslim scholars * The Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA remarkable historical account of the chaos and uncertainty that followed the liberation of Paris in August, 1944''A beautifully written book about a vast tapestry of military, political and social upheaval. Remarkably well-researched, wise, balanced, very funny at times'' Dirk Bogarde______________ Post-liberation Paris: an epoch charged with political and conflicting emotions. Liberation was greeted with joy but marked by recriminations and the trauma of purges. The feverish intellectual arguments of the young took place amidst the mundane reality of hunger and fuel shortages. This is a thrilling, unsurpassed account of the drama and upheaval of one of history''s most fascinating eras.______________''A dashing, multi-dimensional story. This book covers all aspects of life - diplomacy, strategy, rationing, politics and politicking (from Churchill, Pétain''s and de Gaulle''s point of view), the international theatricals and the tourist invasion, blitzkrieg and Ritzkrieg'' Olivier Todd, Sunday Times''Absorbing . . . a rich, many-layered account, selecting from official documents, private archives, memoirs and histories with a wonderful lightness of touch, so that the most complex events become clear'' Jenny Uglow, Independent on SundayTrade ReviewA rich and intriguing story which the authors disentangle with great skill -- Piers Paul Read * Sunday Telegraph *Skilfully balances historical narrative with social analysis, and tempering the appalling with the absurd -- Jan Morris * Independent *Outstanding. Enormously enjoyable to read - exciting, lively, funny, and admirably tolerant and objective in its opinions. It is hard to see how it could have been better done -- Philip Ziegler * Daily Telegraph *Held me gripped by every page and I was impatient at any interruption. The details of this book are spellbinding, often frightening and sometimes funny -- Alec Guinness * Daily Mail *This book, like the city it discusses, oscillates satisfyingly between blunt history and roistering gossip -- Frank Delaney * Sunday Express *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow is fashion linked to our identity? How are we influenced to buy into fashion trends? How can we make the fashion industry more ethical and sustainable?The Psychology of Fashion offers an up-to-date insightful introduction to the exciting and dynamic world of fashion in relation to human behaviour. It explores consumer motivations, how fashion influences our thoughts and feelings, and why we develop certain shopping behaviours. It provides insights into how fashion design can impact healthy body image; how psychology can inform more sustainable views on the production, consumption, and disposal of clothing; and the potential for the industry to be a force for good. This thoroughly updated second edition includes new material on fashion and social media including TikTok and Instagram, a new chapter on the future of fashion which includes discussion of virtual and augmented reality in fashion, and an in-depth exploration of fashion sustainability. There is also a grea

Read more less

Book SynopsisNames are very important and can unlock vast amounts of information about places and their origins. The placename of Scotland are a goldmine of information about times past and the lives of early inhabitants.This comprehensive book features more than 300 names and is an essential book for all interested in Scottish history and culture.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn essential primary source on Roman history and a fascinating achievement of scholarship covering a critical period in the EmpireAs private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, the scholar Suetonius had access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eyewitness accounts) to produce one of the most colourful biographical works in history. The Twelve Caesars chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero and the recovery that came with his successors. A masterpiece of observation, anecdote and detailed physical description, The Twelve Caesars presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn—and all too human—individuals. James B. Rives has sensitively updated Robert Graves's now classic translation, reinstating Latin terms and updating vocabulary while retaining the

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Agricola is both a portrait of Julius Agricola—the most famous governor of Roman Britain and Tacitus' well-loved and respected father-in-law—and the first detailed account of Britain that has come down to us. It offers fascinating descriptions of the geography, climate and peoples of the country, and a succinct account of the early stages of the Roman occupation, nearly fatally undermined by Boudicca's revolt in AD 61 but consolidated by campaigns that took Agricola as far as Anglesey and northern Scotland. The warlike German tribes are the focus of Tacitus' attention in the Germania, which, like the Agricola, often compares the behaviour of barbarian peoples favourably with the decadence and corruption of Imperial Rome.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throu

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis work analyzes the politics of anthropological knowledge from an critical perspective that alters existing understandings of colonialism. At the same time, it produces fresh insights into the history of anthropology.Table of ContentsText and context - anthropology and settler colonialism; white manAs flour - virgin birth in anthropology and Australian settler discourse; science, colonialism and anthropology - the logic of global transformation; mother-right - sex and property in Victorian anthropology; totemism yesterday, today and tomorrow - Victorian anthroplogyAs eternal dichtomy; survival in paradism shift - E.B. Taylor and the problem of text; repressive authenticity.

Read more less