History Books

Book SynopsisA Companion to the Roman Empire provides readers with a guide both to Roman imperial history and to the field of Roman studies, taking account of the most recent discoveries. Provides a guide both to Roman imperial history and to the field of Roman studies. Takes account of recent discoveries.Trade Review"Another admirable edition to Blackwell's large expanding series of Companions, it is of comparable length, but with just 30 contributors and 30 chapters … it gives each other more depth and breadth." (Ancient East and West, 2008) "For those with reservations about the 'companion' phenomenon, [this volume] is an excellent advertisement for the benefits of such an exercise.... This volume is almost uniformly good as a guide to central topics in Roman history from the first to the forth century, with a number of outstanding discussions," (The Classical Review, 2008) "A very impressive collection indeed, summarising and building on the latest scholarship, especially the view that there is more to history than politics and the powerful." (Journal of Classics Teaching) "Scholar, student, and interested layperson will all find much to ponder here, and the editor, publisher, and contributors are to be commended for the success of their undertaking. This Companion, at least, constitutes a welcome addition to the field, offers a clear statement of the current state of the discipline, and provides inspiration for future directions" (New England Classical Journal) "This Companion to the Roman Empire provides a fascinating and scholarly insight into our ancient past. It is an ideal reference tool for students and scholars alike, presenting new methods and modes of study that should provoke thought among the readership. It also brings together many disciplines of study that allow scholars to study an Empire as vast and influential as that created by the Romans." (Reference Reviews) "The thirty chapters in this latest title in Blackwell's excellent "Companions to the Ancient World" series are written by such experts in their fields as Maud Gleason, Judith Evans Grubbs, Amy Richlin and Ann Hanson ... No comparable handbook exists ... Essential. All levels/libraries." (Choice—A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2007) "This elegantly and carefully edited book is a resounding success." (Scholia Reviews) "David Potter has assembled an impressive array of scholars whose essays in this volume provide overviews and summarize the current state of scholarship on a variety of topics. A Companion to the Roman Empire succeeds in meeting the needs of its diverse audience and also offers a few surprises." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)Table of ContentsList of Illustrations x List of Tables xiii Notes on Contributors xiv Acknowledgments xvi Reference works: Abbreviations xvii Ancient authors: Abbreviations and Glossary xx The Emperors of Rome from Augustus to Constantine xxix Introduction: The Shape of Roman History: The Fate of the Governing Class 1David S. Potter PART I THE SOURCES 21 1 Constructing a Narrative 23Cynthia Damon 2 Roman Imperial Numismatics 35William E. Metcalf 3 Documents 45Traianos Gagos and David S. Potter 4 Art, Architecture, and Archaeology in the Roman Empire 75Lea Stirling 5 Interdisciplinary Approaches 98James B. Rives PART II NARRATIVE 113 6 The Emergence of Monarchy: 44 BCE–96 CE 115Greg Rowe 7 Rome the Superpower: 96–235 CE 126Michael Peachin 8 The Transformation of the Empire: 235–337 CE 153David S. Potter PART III ADMINISTRATION 175 9 The Administration of the Provinces 177Clifford Ando 10 The Transformation of Government under Diocletian and Constantine 193Hugh Elton 11 The Roman Army 206Nigel Pollard 12 Greek Cities Under Roman Rule 228Maud W. Gleason 13 Cities and Urban Life in the Western Provinces of the Roman Empire 30 BCE–250 CE 250Jonathan Edmondson PART IV SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE 281 14 The Imperial Economy 283David Mattingly 15 Landlords and Tenants 298Dennis P. Kehoe 16 The Family 312Judith Evans Grubbs 17 Sexuality in the Roman Empire 327Amy Richlin 18 On Food and the Body 354Veronika E. Grimm 19 Leisure 369Garrett G. Fagan 20 Spectacle 385David S. Potter PART V INTELLECTUAL LIFE 409 21 The Construction of the Past in the Roman Empire 411Rowland Smith 22 Imperial Poetry 439K. Sara Myers 23 Greek Fiction 453Joseph L. Rife 24 Roman Law and Roman History 477John Matthews 25 Roman Medicine 492Ann Hanson 26 Philosophy in the Roman Empire 524Sara Ahbel-Rappe PART VI RELIGION 541 27 Traditional Cult 543David Frankfurter 28 Jews and Judaism 70–429 CE 565Yaron Z. Eliav 29 Christians in the Roman Empire in the First Three Centuries CE 587Paula Fredriksen 30 Christian Thought 607Mark Edwards Bibliography 620 Index 681

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Book SynopsisA captivating exploration of the role in which Queen Victoria exerted most international power and influence: her role as matchmaking grandmother. In the late nineteenth century, Queen Victoria had over thirty surviving grandchildren. To maintain power in Europe, she hoped to manoeuvre them into dynastic marriages with royalty across the world. Yet her grandchildren often had plans of their own, fuelled by strong wills and romantic hearts. Her matchmaking plans were further complicated by tumultuous international upheavals; revolution was in the air and after her death, her most carefully laid plans fell to ruin. Queen Victoria's Matchmaking travels through the glittering palaces of Russia and Europe, weaving in scandals, political machinations and family tensions, to enthralling effect. It is at once an intimate portrait of the royal family and an examination of the conflict caused by the power, love and duty that shaped the marriages that Queen Victoria arranged. At tTrade ReviewWonderfully compelling and packed with new material - a gripping story beautifully told -- Jane RidleyCadbury is an adroit storyteller. Her lively, colourfully written book, Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking, recounts the courtships and marriages of a handful of the Queen’s grandchildren … a panoramic family saga, its players by turns pragmatic and romantic, wilful, dutiful, misguided and, occasionally, tragic … Cadbury writes with verve -- Matthew Dennison * Daily Telegraph *[An] absorbing book ... The fall of the Romanovs occupies the superb last pages of Cadbury’s book ... Dynastic mergers, we may deduce from Deborah Cadbury’s account, offer no defence against the whims of history. This catastrophe-laced slice of royal history offers a ripping read -- Miranda Seymour * Observer *Engrossing … Cadbury engagingly presents [Queen Victoria] as a mesmerising Mrs Bennet, summoning her children and then her grandchildren to Balmoral ... The stories of [Queen Victoria’s] descendants are mesmerising and often stranger than fiction … From the pen of a writer of skill and style, this surprising narrative leaves you wanting more -- Paula Byrne * The Times *A skilfully woven account -- Stephan Halliday * Times Higher Education Supplement *Cadbury’s account of Victoria’s attempts to bend her unruly grandchildren to her matrimonial will is the stuff of melodrama … covered with verve and insight by Deborah Cadbury in her new history -- Daisy Goodwin * Sunday Times *An entertaining, well-written and well-conceived book … perceptive and revealing in the light it throws on the mind and attitudes of Victoria. Cadbury has consulted sources in numerous archives, including the Royal Archives at Windsor, and has chosen her quotations with skill * Literary Review *In this enjoyable story for fans of royal machinations, Cadbury ably shows not just the successes, but also the damage inflicted by Victoria's single-mindedness. An instructive European history * Kirkus *Impeccably researched, and written with all the brio and understanding of a major historical novel, Princes at War takes us intimately and even shockingly into the human dynamics of a barely functional family at the time of our greatest peril -- Praise for 'Princes at War', David Kynaston, author of 'Austerity Britain'One of the most riveting tales of the nonfiction season, rendered with novelistic drama but deliberate detachment. The inner tensions of the palace during wartime and the inner tensions of a remarkable family make for one of the best, and ultimately most uplifting, stories of the war years -- Praise for 'Princes at War' * Boston Globe *A moving and deeply researched account ... Her story is gripping, illuminating and generous in its recognition of the central, dramatic role of the monarchy in Britain's finest years -- Praise for 'Princes at War', William ShawcrossDeborah Cadbury combines the family drama against the backdrop of the war with terrific narrative verve -- Praise for 'Princes at War', Daisy Goodwin * The Times *Fascinating, fresh insights into a story of four brothers -- Praise for 'Princes at War', Stephen Halliday * Times Higher Education Supplement *

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Book SynopsisBarely two centuries ago, most of the world's productive land still belonged either communally to traditional societies or to the higher powers of monarch or church. But that pattern, and the ways of life that went with it, were consigned to history as a result of the most creative and, at the same time, destructive cultural force in the modern era: the idea of individual, exclusive ownership of land. This notion laid waste to traditional communal civilisations, displacing entire peoples from their homelands, and brought into being a unique concept of individual freedom and a distinct form of representative government and democratic institutions. Other great civilizations, in Russia, China, and the Islamic world, evolved very different structures of land ownership, and thus very different forms of government and social responsibility. The seventeenth-century English surveyor William Petty was the first man to recognise the connection between private property and free-market capitalTrade ReviewA sweeping history of land ownership is the final work of a master ... Linklater’s loss is felt all the more keenly because in Owning the Earth he has written a beautifully measured and extremely important book on the idea that “one person could own part of the Earth exclusively” * Sunday Telegraph Book of the Week *Powerful polemic of wide scope and scholarship * The Times *Andro’s own writing was as varied and colourful as his much-travelled life ... A comprehensive account of global land ownership … A sprawling, sparkling, off-the-wall political history of the globe * Scotsman *This impressive book fuses politics, economics, philosophy and anthropology as it explores the complex, often fraught relationship between humans and land * Sunday Times *Masterly ... His intellectual range is as wide as his geographic or temporal range, spanning from Hobbes to Greenspan and including philosophers, politicians, religious figures and academics; an extensive notes section and bibliography allow readers to further pursue his source ideas. By focusing on land ownership, the emphasis in historical interpretation shifts from economics to politics, giving a much different perspective. This reinterpretation of global history will give readers of history, politics, and economics much to think about * Publishers Weekly *Ambitious global history of land ownership ... Linklater succeeds in this gargantuan task * Independent *If the gentle reader has any concerns that a study of land ownership might tend to the dry, they will be dispelled in the very first pages of this book by the spectacular flamboyance of its opening ... A book that is never less than fascinating in its range, argument and erudition … In an age of pigmy specialisation, there is something heroically larger-than-life about the book’s global range and polymath accomplishment. And though Linklater did not live long enough to enjoy its plaudits, Owning the Earth is an appropriate monument to its author’s distinguished mind and ardent humanity * Spectator *Linklater is always an impartial and insightful referee ... The crucial insight of this book is that ownership depends not only on possession but on recognition ... Beguiling and provoking * Ferdinand Mount, London Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating book shows how the later years of the British Empire were characterised by accidental oversights, irresponsible opportunism and uncertain pragmatismTrade ReviewIt won't please jingoists, but this unsparing account of the British Empire... exposes the dangerous folly of imperial pretensions -- Sally Cousins * Sunday Telegraph *Refreshing, original and well-researched ... "Britain knows best" arrogance is unmasked in chapter after chapter of this devastating book ... No one will understand the political situation in the world today who has not grasped the truths enshrined in Kwarteng's brilliant book -- A.N. Wilson * Evening Standard *Highly thought-provoking ... original, stimulating and insightful * Times Literary Supplement *A successful and convincing biography of the empire's ruling elites and their modern day legacies * Economist *Well-written, witty, but above all fair-minded, this is the best general overview of the British Empire to appear in years. Kwasi Kwarteng has emerged as a significant scholar on the historical scene * Andrew Roberts *I learned something new on virtually every page of this fine book * Michael Burleigh *Smart, witty and personable ... This is a book alive with wild and wonderful characters ... A cracking debut from a very accomplished historian * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisIn the 1840s, Italy was a patchwork of states. The North was ruled by the Austrian Empire, the South by the Spanish-descended monarchy of the Two Sicilies. Over the next two decades, after wars led by Savoy/Piedmont and volunteers such as Garibaldi, an independent Kingdom of Italy emerged. These conflicts saw foreign interventions and shifting alliances among minor states, and attracted a variety of local and foreign volunteers. This second volume in a two part series covers the armies of the Papal States; the duchies of Tuscany, Parma, and Modena; the republics of Rome and San Marco (Venice) and the transitional Kingdom of Sicily; and the various volunteer movements. These varied armies and militias wore a wide variety of highly colorful uniforms which are brought to life in stunning, specially commissioned, full color artwork from Giuseppe Rava.Table of ContentsIntroduction: overview of 'Second War of Independence' (1859); Garibaldi's rising in the South (1860); events of 1861–66; and 'Third War of Independence' (1866–70)/ Chronology/ 1866 campaign: battle of Custoza, and naval clash off Lissa/ Conquest of Rome from Papal forces, 1870/ The Papal army, 1848–70: organization, uniforms, weapons, and tactical performance/ The minor states' armies, 1848–70: organization, uniforms, weapons and tactical performance of forces of Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Duchy of Parma and Duchy of Modena/ Patriots and volunteers: organization, uniforms, weapons and tactical performance of Italian patriots and foreign volunteers, 1848–70, particularly (1848–49) Roman Republic, San Marco Republic and Kingdom of Sicily, and (1848–61), Garibaldi's Redshirts and others/ Select Bibliography/ Plate Commentaries.

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Book SynopsisWas he influenced by the environment, he asks himself, and if so, how? Ginzburg uses his own experience to examine the elusive and constantly evolving nature of history and historical research.Trade ReviewGinzburg is known internationally for his studies of what might be called the interface between learned and popular culture. This collection of eight essays explores the methodological foundations of his historical analysis. -- David Herlihy Journal of Interdisciplinary HistoryTable of ContentsPreface to the 2013 EditionPreface to the Italian EditionTranslators' NoteBibliographical NoteWitchcraft and Popular Piety: Notes on a Modenese Trial of 1519From Aby Warburg to E. H. Gombrich: A Problem of MethodThe High and the Low: The Theme of Forbidden Knowledge in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth CenturiesTitian, Ovid, and Sixteenth-Century Codes for Erotic IllustrationClues: Roots of an Evidential ParadigmGermanic Mythology and Nazism: Thoughts on an Old Book by Georges DumézilFreud, the Wolf-Man, and the WerewolvesThe Inquisitor as AnthropologistNotesIndex of Names

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Book SynopsisIn his new preface, Ginzburg reflects on the interplay of chance and discovery, as well as on the relationship between anomalous cases and historical generalizations.Trade ReviewA work of genuine intellectual distinction. It is an unusually original contribution to the study of witchcraft in early modern Europe, but its importance is far from being exhausted by that description. -- Peter Burke New York Review of Books A tour-de-force of reconstruction, building out of scattered and fragmentary sources a whole world for the reader to inhabit. -- Anthony Pagden London Review of BooksTable of ContentsPreface to the 2013 EditionForeword by Eric J. HobsbawmTranslators' NotePreface to the English EditionPreface to the Italian EditionI. The Night BattlesII. The Processions of the DeadIII. The Benandanti between Inquisitors and WitchesIV. The Benandanti at the SabbatAppendixNotesIndex of Names

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Book SynopsisA fast-paced and thrilling history of London at the time of King Charles II, from the acclaimed co-author of The King's Revenge and The King's Bed.Trade ReviewPraise for The King's Revenge: Jordan and Walsh provide a thoroughly entertaining account of these extraordinary events . . . a vivid and consuming piece of historical narrative - Sunday TimesPraise for The King's Revenge: A fast-paced, lively work - BBC History MagazinePraise for The King's Revenge: In this beautifully detailed and seamlessly written book Jordan and Walsh shine a new light on Charles II . . . their energetic and masterful account makes for a Restoration romp worth reading - Sunday ExpressPraise for The King's Revenge: This is a terrific read - Spectator

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Co-Winner of the 2018 Allan Sharlin Memorial Award, Social Science History Association""Finalist for the 2017 Hayek Prize, The Manhattan Institute""Honorable Mention for the 2017 PROSE Award in European and World History, Association of American Publishers""One of MIT Technology Review’s Best Books of 2016""Fascinating.... [Mokyr] reminds us that the skirmishing of philosophers and their ideas, the preoccupation of popular historians, is in many ways a sideshow—that the revolution that gave Europe dominance was, above all, scientific, and that the scientific revolution was, above all, an artisanal revolution."---Adam Gopnik, New Yorker"A fine book. . . . One of our country's great economic historians has helped us better understand the greatest transformation in human welfare our planet has ever seen."---Richard Vedder, Wall Street Journal"Wide-ranging and erudite. . . . Mokyr offers a useful corrective to excessively deterministic and materialistic treatments of economic history, emphasizing ideas—the West, he argues, had a uniquely positive view about subjugating nature to human control—and individual agency in shaping broad socioeconomic shifts." * Publishers Weekly *"Ultimately, without the impetus of science, economic growth would have fizzled out after 1815. A Culture of Growth is certainly making me rethink."---Brad DeLong, Nature"A Culture of Growth is a brilliant book. You should buy it and even read it. It’s long, but consistently interesting, even witty."---Deirdre McCloskey, Prospect"In pointing to growth-boosting factors that go beyond either the state or the market, Mokyr's book is very welcome."---Victoria Bateman, Times Higher Education"Mokyr . . . dives into the mystery of how the world went from being poor to being so rich in just a few centuries. . . . Drawing on centuries of philosophy and scientific advancements, Mokyr argues that there's a reason the Industrial Revolution occurred in Europe and not, for example, in China, which had in previous centuries shown signs of more scientific advancement: Europe developed a unique culture of competitive scientific and intellectual advancement that was unprecedented and not at all predestined."---Ana Swanson, WashingtonPost.com's Wonkblog"The sheer elegance of Mr. Mokyr's theory . . . has much to commend it. And it is refreshing that an economist is taking seriously the idea that ideas and culture make a difference to economic growth." * The Economist *"Mokyr has written a book to read slowly and chew over thoroughly. . . . He is a wonderfully well-read lucid and continuously interesting guide to a vast literature and invariably thought provoking."---Alan Ryan, Literary Review"Someone needed to write a book like this, and there could have been no better author to do so than Mokyr."---Peer Vries, Foreign Affairs"Economic historian Joel Mokyr has written a capstone work on the dynamics of the industrial revolution."---Arnold Kling, Econlib"It is not often that a book leaves me gasping in admiration for the breadth and depth of an author's reading and knowledge, but this one did."---Ted Nield, Geoscientist Online"This book is the latest example of Mokyr's ability to explicate complex issues, illustrating his big-picture thesis with a myriad of fascinating details. He writes with clarity--enjoyable for the general reader as well as for the specialist in economic history. A Culture of Growth is a must-read for anyone interested in how Western society got where it is today and what this implies for the spread of technology in the global economy of the future." * Finance & Development *"A Culture of Growth is a book of immense importance for us Indians especially when we are getting comfortable, forever playing victim to the depredations of British imperialism instead of wholeheartedly focusing on beating the West at its game as the Chinese are doing. . . . Well worth tackling."---Uday Balakrishnan, Hindu Business Line"A Culture of Growth is an insightful quest into the economic history of the last five centuries. Mokyr’s historical laboratory is early modern Europe, when a small mass of highly skilled artisans, entrepreneurs, financiers and merchants laid the roots of what was to become the Industrial Revolution." * Progressive Post *"One has to admire the depth of knowledge and the subtlety of Mokyr’s argument. . . . For serious students of the Enlightenment itself, Mokyr’s magnum opus will be required reading for a long time to come."---Nicholas Crafts, History Today"A fresh historical treatment."---Darcy Allen, IPA Review"This is a tour d'horizon of an exciting new area of inquiry, which offers important insights into the future of our civilization and the evolution of an increasingly technical world. Mokyr's book is so rich and stimulating that no brief review can do it justice. So, dear reader, read the book!"---Wolfgang Kasper, Policy"The book represents recognition that culture has finally arrived as an important and legitimate concept in discussions of economic growth. In this endeavor, the book is an important landmark. . . . Students and scholars working in the field will benefit from the intelligent and rich discussion provided in A Culture of Growth."---Mark Koyama, Independent Review"What stands out from Mokyr’s approach is the highly contingent character of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. They happened because a lot ofdifferent things happened to fall into place; small deviations in the course of events could have given us an entirely different world of technological and economic power."---Diane Coyle, Financial Times"After reading this book, chances are that you won’t look at the economic, social, and political world in quite the same way as before."---Pierre Lemieux, Regulation"An important body of work. It contains ideas, propositions, historical facts, biographies of influential scholars, writersand scientists, and it is a confirmation of the author's expertise of a broad range of topics in the economics of culture and comparative economic history of an emerging Europe and China."---Dr Meltem Ince-Yenilmez, Rest Journal

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating collection of photographs and stories traces the ways in which The Beatles' home town has changed over the past 50 years.

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Book SynopsisExplores the events of the Wars of the Roses through the eyes of the key players. Discover the personalities behind the fight for the throne.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Strickland expertly addresses this imbalanced legacy, building on his previous work to argue that Henry’s role in twelfth-century Angevin politics is not only more complex than has been previously considered, but is also crucial to understanding the nature of events at the time . . . in renegotiating familiar source material, Strickland has provided readers with a fresh picture of an important Medieval figure who has long been deserving of such an excellent biography.”—Thomas Chadwick, Royal Studies“Strickland’s detailed and very readable biography of Henry, the Young King will certainly ensure that his subject is no longer the least known of the Angevin kings.”—William M. Aird, Northern HistorySHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 WOLFSON PRIZE 'In Matthew Strickland’s study of King Henry, royal son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, we have not just the fascinating narrative of a flawed hero’s turbulent life but also a brilliant analysis of the culture of politics at the Angevin court.' - John Gillingham, author of Richard I'This important study of Henry II’s son, the Young King, provides many new insights into the culture and politics of the Angevin Empire, from tournaments to rebellions. The evidence is skilfully used to tease out the character of a neglected figure, and to set his career in a wide European context.' - Michael Prestwich, author of Edward I 'This book is brilliant; it is the best biography of a medieval ruler I have ever read. It will be a lasting monument to both the Young King Henry and to Matthew Strickland's considerable scholarship.' - Stephen Church, author of King John: England, Magna Carta and the Making of a Tyrant

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Book SynopsisUnseen Isle of Wight

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Book SynopsisShaped by eighteenth-century assumptions, Liverpool nonetheless laid the foundations for the nineteenth-century Britain that emerged from the Reform era. Robert Banks Jenkinson (1770-1828), 2nd Earl of Liverpool, was Britain's longest serving prime minister since William Pitt the Younger. Liverpool's tenure in office oversaw a series of seismic events including the War of 1812 withthe United States, the endgame of the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna, the Corn Laws, the Peterloo Massacre, and escalating contention over the issue of Catholic Emancipation. However, Liverpool's overall standing within British political history has been overshadowed by contemporaries such as Castlereagh and Canning, and his reputation and achievements were downplayed by the Reform period that followed. This new political biography explores Liverpool's career and puts his efforts at resisting change into context, bringing this period of transformation into sharp focus. It shows Liverpool as a defender of the eighteenth-century British constitution, documentinghis efforts at adapting institutions to the challenges of war and then the very different post-1815 world. Shaped by eighteenth-century assumptions, Liverpool nonetheless laid the foundations for the nineteenth-century Britain that emerged from the Reform era. This book uses his career and outlook as a way of exploring the crucial transition from the Georgian to the Victorian era. WILLIAM ANTHONY HAY is Associate Professor of history at Mississippi State University and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.Trade ReviewA very valuable study of early-19th-century British politics, with Liverpool squarely at its heart. * PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY *By way of a patient reexamination of all the available evidence, Hay's new biography has forged a fresh and convincing account that restores Liverpool to his proper role as a pivotal figure in the politics of early 19th century Britain. * LAW & LIBERTY *A well-written and thoroughly researched piece of scholarship which would be especially useful for those seeking an account of the major issues of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century politics. * CERCLES *Hay offers a brilliant guide to his subject and his period. He shows how careful scholarship can be made accessible to non-specialist readers of history. The clear, well-written narrative presents arguments effectively, along with the personalities and events behind them. Lord Liverpool captures the immediacy of decision-making and political action as they unfolded. * THE NEW CRITERION *Restores Liverpool to his proper place in British political history . . . Mr. Hay, a professor of history at Mississippi State University, guides the reader engagingly through the political maze. * WALL STREET JOURNAL *In this tightly compressed political biography, Hay . . . [builds] a well-supported case that Liverpool pragmatically shepherded Britain through foreign and domestic trials, employed judicious timely reforms, and held together governments of competing egos while deftly handling pressuring monarchs and opposition Whigs. * CHOICE *[A] work of impeccable scholarship. * LONDON MAGAZINE *If there must be one criticism of this work, it is that it is too short. . . . Hay's book is an impressive addition to the scholarship and a welcome look at an unjustly neglected figure in the history of conservative thought and governance. * NATIONAL REVIEW *A well-written and thoroughly researched piece of scholarship which would be especially useful for those seeking an account of the major issues of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century politics. * CERCLES *A lively, full and engaging narrative. * LITERARY REVIEW *[A] splendid new biography . . . Hay brings to the story a more biographical approach, which allows him to focus closely on Liverpool's personality, which is brilliantly evoked in a series of anecdotes and quotations from contemporary observers . . . Wonderful. * NEW STATESMAN *A brilliant new biography. -- ANDREW ROBERTS * iNEWS *Table of ContentsIntroduction Antecedents and Upbringing Apprenticeship and Public Life Politics and War Political Broker Pillar of State Prime Minister and Peacemaking The Challenges of Peace Revolution Resisted Reform and Stabilization Conclusion: Weathering the Storm Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisHow King’s Cross grew from tile kilns and dust heaps to a vital rail artery, and from decay and dereliction to a site of major redevelopment

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Book SynopsisHub of finance, home of the Royal Family, seat of government, centre for the arts, host to international sporting events: London is all of these but also home and workplace to over 8 million people, who go about their lives amid the celebrations and carnivals, parades and pageantry, protests and demonstrations, conflicts and catastrophes that punctuate the tale of their city. 100 Years of London presents a visual record of London at its best and worst, from the armistice at the end of the First World War through to the modern day. The story is told through 300 photographs from the Press Association's vast archives. Hand-picked by their own archivists, many of these pictures remained archived and unseen for years after they were first published in the newspapers and magazines of their day. Collected here in a new edition, they present an evocative and visual journey through the modern history that has made London the city it is today. SALES POINTS: . Over 300 photographs from the archives of the Press Association . Documents London's best and worst moments from the last 100 years . An informative souvenir or gift 300 colour and b/w photographs

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Book Synopsis''An outstanding work of historical artistry, a brilliantly woven and pacy story of the men who surrounded, influenced and sometimes plagued Henry VIII.'' Alison WeirHenry VIII is well known for his tumultuous relationships with women, and he is often defined by his many marriages. But what do we see if we take a different look? When we see Henry through the men in his life, a new perspective on this famous king emerges.Henry''s relationships with the men who surrounded him reveal much about his beliefs, behaviour and character. They show him to be capable of fierce, but seldom abiding loyalty; of raising men only to destroy them later. He loved to be attended and entertained by boisterous young men who shared his passion for sport, but at other times he was more diverted by men of intellect, culture and wit. Often trusting and easily led by his male attendants and advisers during the early years of his reign, he matured into a profoundly suspicious Trade ReviewIn this stunning book, Tracy Borman proves yet again that she is at the top of her field. It's an outstanding work of historical artistry, a brilliantly woven and pacy story of the men who surrounded, influenced and sometimes plagued Henry VIII. Borman is in complete command of the vast source material, and affords us a new perspective on a king who has dominated the national consciousness for centuries - no mean achievement. Masterful, and hugely impressive, this is one Tudor book you must not miss! * Alison Weir *An arching overview of Henry's reign with small surprises on virtually every page. Why wait for the final installment of Wolf Hall, when the real tale is every bit as compelling? We meet a Henry who for once is a wholly convincing man - neither a monster, nor the monolith of the Holbein portrait [Borman] unpacks so deftly. * Sarah Gristwood *A fresh and interesting approach to Henry VIII's story, revealing a new side to the famous king's character through the lives of the men who surrounded him. * Elizabeth Norton, author of The Lives of Tudor Women *This is a superbly told and impeccably researched account of Henry VIII's reign and the men who surrounded him. At the centre of Borman's narrative is the majestic horror created, and inflicted, by Henry's charisma. * Gareth Russell, author of Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard *Henry VIII and The Men Who Made Him is a meticulously researched and compellingly presented narrative, which presents the infamous Tudor King in a whole new light from the eyes of the men who knew him: family, friends, servants and enemies. It's a refreshingly brilliant approach to a well known story, which is beautifully and engagingly written. * Nicola Tallis, author of Crown of Blood *Praise for The Private Lives of the TudorsBorman approaches her topic with huge enthusiasm and a keen eye for entertaining...this is a very human story of a remarkable family, full of vignettes that sit long in the mind. * The Sunday Times *Tracy Borman's eye for detail is impressive; the book is packed with fascinating courtly minutiae...this is a wonderful book. * The Times *Borman is an authoritative and engaging writer, good at prising out those humanising details that make the past alive to us. * The Observer *Fascinating, detailed account of the everyday reality of the royals... This is a book of rich scholarship. Tracy Borman is a chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces and she knows her Tudor history inside out. * Daily Mail *Praise for Thomas CromwellThis deeply researched and grippingly written biography brings Cromwell to life and exposes the Henrician court in all its brutal, glittering splendour. * Independent *Dr Tracy Borman has crafted an exceptional and compelling biography about one of the Tudor age's most complex and controversial figures. With expert insights based on a wealth of research, and riveting detail, she has brought Thomas Cromwell to life as never before. * Alison Weir *Tracy Borman tells us succinctly in 400 pages what we need to know about the man who rose to be the king's highest adviser ... a very good book. * The Times *Borman's is a highly readable account, and will add to the debate surrounding this ultimately elusive character. * Financial Times *Elegant...her prose, as ever, glides beautifully along. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe First World War in the Middle East is an accessibly written military and social history of the clash of world empires in the Dardanelles, Egypt and Palestine, Mesopotamia, Persia and the Caucasus. Coates Ulrichsen demonstrates how wartime exigencies shaped the parameters of the modern Middle East, and describes and assesses the major campaigns against the Ottoman Empire and Germany involving British and imperial troops from the French and Russian Empires, as well as their Arab and Armenian allies. Also documented are the enormous logistical demands placed on host societies by the Great Powers' conduct of industrialised warfare in hostile terrain. The resulting deepening of imperial penetration, and the extension of state controls across a heterogeneous sprawl of territories, generated a powerful backlash both during and immediately after the war, which played a pivotal role in shaping national identities as the Ottoman Empire was dismembered. This is a multidimensional account of the many seemingly discrete yet interlinked campaigns that resulted in one to one and a half million casualties.It details not just their military outcome but relates them to intelligence-gathering, industrial organisation, authoritarianism and the political economy of empires at war.Trade Review'This is a splendid book we have long been waiting for: the first comprehensive account of the fierce fighting all over the Middle East during World War One. As good on the logistical nightmares facing military planners in a region with few proper road and rail communications as it is on the set-piece battles at Gallipoli, Gaza and up and down the Tigris in Iraq.' -- Roger Owen, A.J. Meyer Professor of Middle East History, and author of The Rise and Fall of Arab Presidents for LifeA welcome overview of the Great War in the Middle East. ... Ulrichsen manages to achieve a comprehensive synthesis of the military and diplomatic history of the war. Moreover, he captures the full extent of the conflict in the Middle East, from skirmishes in Aden to the Turco-Sanussi campaign against the British in the western deserts of Egypt. ... Its clarity and its concision will make this work of use to scholars of the Great War and the emergence of the modern Middle East alike.' -- Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of Oxford, and author of The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East, 1914-1920'In this concise yet deeply researched book, Ulrichsen seeks to correct widely held Western misperceptions about WWI and its role in staging the collapse of the Islamic Caliphate and the resultant shaping of arbitrary Middle Eastern borders. ... Relevant for anyone with an interest in the Middle East.' -- Publishers Weekly'...fascinating and insightful ... the most comprehensive single-volume history of the war in the Middle East available today. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen's The First World War in the Middle East presents readers with a single-volume, multidisciplinary history of the war across the entire region, and it does so brilliantly, filling an otherwise glaring gap in the subject's literature.' -- Middle East Policy'In this meticulously researched, engaging book, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen explores the devastating consequences of the Great War for the Middle East and the battles fought there on behalf of the European belligerents, as well as the lasting imprints of the War on the region's political geography. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the Middle East and the study of the formation of modern state-system in the region.' -- Mehran Kamrava, author of The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War'This is a timely and important book. In an age when the post-war imperial political system across the region is being eroded by warfare and turmoil, it is indeed edifying to reflect on the causes and consequences of the First World War in the Middle East. The significance of this book lies in the fact that it is not merely a military history, but also excellently weaves together the differing European and Middle Eastern perspectives on the war, situating it in its proper geo-political context by examining not just the war itself, but also what preceded it, and, above all, what the war brought about in terms of socio-economic, cultural, and political transformations.' -- Johan Franzen, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern History, University of East Anglia, and author of Red Star Over Iraq: Iraqi Communism Before Saddam'Lively and compelling...gives a particularly thorough account of the diplomatic relations between the powers, and also of the ways in which policy was formulated within and between Britain, France and Russia, and by the Ottoman government.' -- International Affairs'Kristian Coates Ulrichsen's important study is the first account of the Middle East during the First World War. It is both very readable and a scholarly synthesis of the military, political and social history of the region as well as detailing the legacy of the war.' -- Alan Jeffreys, Senior Curator, Social History at the Imperial War Museum'Ulrichsen's valuable new book...underscores how soldiers and local civilian populations in the Middle East often suffered as much as those in Europe.' -- W. Andrew Terrill, Middle East Journal, 2014'A comprehensive and thoughtful overview of the region's major battles and their consequences grounded in the social realities of the time.' -- Elizabeth F Thompson, H-Diplo'...impressive ... Concise but comprehensive, this book deftly synthesizes accounts of the various military campaigns [in the Middle East] with broader analysis of its massive social, geopolitical and economic consequences.' -- William Armstrong, Hurriyet Daily News'The book is academically robust, detailed and well sourced. It is written in an accessible style and the index and chapter headings enable the reader who does not have the time to read from cover to cover to identify areas of specific interest.' -- The Arab Banker'This book is an extremely interesting overview of events in Palestine and the wider Middle East during World War I and the resulting peace settlement.' -- C.W. Squire, HM Ambassador to Israel 1984-88, The Overseas Pensioner

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Book SynopsisIn this blistering book, David Andress shows how the West has abandoned its history and lost its memory. The former great powers of the historic 'West' have abandoned themselves to senile daydreams of recovered youth. They have stirred up old hatreds given disturbing voice to destructive rage, and risked the collapse of their capacity for decisive, effective and just government. At the core of this is an abandonment of political attention to history, understood as a clear empirical grounding in how we reached our present condition. In Britain, France and the USA, historical stories are deployed in public debate as little more than dangerous fantasies.Trade ReviewTo understand our current political situation [...] this book is to be recommended as a handy primer - particularly on France's postwar political travails * Spectator *A stimulating look at the way in which history shapes events * History Revealed *[Andress] repudiates a collective failure to come to terms with the collapse of a historical bubble, when racist empire underwrote domestic achievement and granted international prestige * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisNew paperback edition of critically acclaimed, lively and gripping account of the British invasion and occupation of Iraq and of the Arab revolt against it, the most serious armed uprising against British rule in the twentieth century. Vividly brings to life key players such as Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence, Gertrude Bell, Sir Mark Sykes.Trade Review'This brilliant book reveals the folly and delusion of invading Iraq. Read it and shudder' Nicholas Rankin, author of Churchill's Wizards: The British Genius for Deception 'The description of the military campaign is masterful - maintains a high level of suspense' Peter Sluglett, author of Britain in Iraq: Contriving King and Country 'Material with acute relevance to the crisis now tearing Iraq to pieces.' Robert Fisk, Independent 'Readers will find plenty of food for thought in Ian Rutledge's well-crafted and lively account ... The scenarios of occupation, foreign rule, jihad, resistance and counter-insurgency it depicts are unmistakably familiar, a reminder of the political instability and bloodshed that have tarnished Iraq since the 2003 US invasion - While offering abundant detail on military operations, lines of communications and warfare tactics, 'Enemy on the Euphrates' also makes for a very lively and human-centred read of imperial history ... Rutledge's account displays a novelist's taste for intrigue, espionage, gunboat diplomacy, personal hardship and murder.' BBC History Magazine 'An excellently produced book that admirably succeeds in illuminating an important episode in British imperial history' History Today 'Rutledge does an excellent job of conveying the logistical difficulties confronting any military leadership ... deserving of a wide readership' Middle East Journal 'As the legions of ISIS set up their proto-Caliphate in Iraq, the word 'prescience' comes forcibly to mind.' The Oldie 'A timely reminder of how we got here - an important book' The National 'Thought provoking - I like to think this book might find a place on the shelves of the libraries of the RUSI, Sandhurst or West Point' War History Online 'A readable and very useful contribution to the understanding of modern Iraq' Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online 'Eye-opening, fascinating and brilliantly-written - Excellent' The Long, Long Trail: The British Army in the Great War of 1914-1918, 'Compelling, rich with such colourful personalities as Winston Churchill, Gertrude Bell and T. E. Lawrence' Saudi Aramco World 'Much of Enemy on the Euphrates reads like a great adventure story, proving how fascinating real history can be ... a rare combination of in-depth information, fairness of analysis and readability, reinforced by excellent maps.' Jordan Times 'Timely and rich in detail - highly readable, lively and dramatic. [Rutledge] presents fascinating accounts of the main British and Iraqi personalities involved in the narrative and the conflicts that sometimes erupted between them' al-Hayat 'Anyone seeking an understanding of the role of oil in shaping modern Middle Eastern history will want to read this book' Michael Klare, author of The Race for What's Left: The Global Scramble for the World's Last Resources 'It vividly captures how the ground was prepared for much of the violence in today's Middle East ... A rewarding read ... [Rutledge] writes with the literary skill of a novelist who has the analytical mind of a social scientist. Enemy on the Euphrates is full of multidimensional character studies and we are provided with insight into all the major players, from Churchill to Hussein bin Ali and Gertrude Bell to General Haldane ... This is a story of imperial arrogance and plunder, and the inevitable reaction that it generates. There are many lessons here that, had they been taken on board earlier, could have prevented much of the folly of the last 15 years.' LSE Review of BooksTable of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Maps Note on Arabic Transliteration Glossary Abbreviations Preface The Principal Actors PART ONE: INVASION, JIHAD AND OCCUPATION 1 Indications of Oil 2 Lieutenant Wilson's First Mission 3 'Protect the oil refineries' 4 Arab Mobilisation on the Euphrates 5 The Jihad Defeated 6 Pacifying Arabistan 7 Imperial Objectives in the East 8 The Menace of Jihad and How to Deal with It 9 The Lieutenant from Mosul 10 The Peculiar Origins of an Infamous Agreement 11 Two British Defeats but a New Ally 12 Colonel Leachman and Captain Lawrence 13 Mosul and Oil 14 'Complete liberation' 15 Najaf 1918: First Uprising on the Euphrates 16 Britain's New Colony 17 The Oil Agreements 18 The Independence Movement in Baghdad 19 General Haldane's Difficult Posting 20 Trouble on the Frontiers PART TWO: REVOLUTION AND SUPPRESSION 21 The Drift to Violence 22 The Revolution Begins 23 Discord and Disputation 24 General Haldane's Indian Army 25 'The situation has come to a head' 26 The Destruction of the Manchester Column 27 'Further unfavourable developments' 28 The Structures of Insurgent Power 29 Trouble on the Home Front 30 The Siege of Samawa 31 Defeat 32 A Death on the Baghdad Road 33 The Punishment 34 A 'friendly native state' Afterword Appendix: Some Biographical Notes Acknowledgements Notes Bibliography Image Credits Index

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Book SynopsisThe first full account of an African secession that introduced the modern mercenary ‒ and killed the head of the United Nations

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Book SynopsisTrade Review[Lattimore] gets closer to the Greek than either of his two available rivals, Richard Crawley and Rex Warner. . . . Lattimore's uncompromising version now leads the field. --Peter Green, The Los Angeles Times Book ReviewLattimore . . . has produced the most rigorously accurate translation since Crawley and, in my view, the most true to all ellipses, contractions, twists, ambiguities, and syntactical knots of the original. His willingness to confront, not shirk, the challenges of Thucydides can be seen at every stylistic level, though perhaps more in the speeches and analytical portions than in the purely narrative passages. All this makes it demanding for students, but gives them the closest English experience of what it’s like to read Thucydides in Greek. --Steven J. Willett, Syllecta ClassicaLattimore's The Peloponnesian War challenges and may well supplant the currently popular translations of Rex Warner and Richard Crawley. The table of contents lists events and chapter numbers in detail, thoughtful and useful summaries introduce the eight books, and superb footnotes and a trenchant glossary accompany the text. Maps (of Greece and Sicily, Greece, Syracuse, Pylos and Sphakteria, Athens and its neighbors) are collected conveniently at the end of the text, following the list of works cited, an index of speeches, and a comprehensive general index. In an excellent, concise introduction, Lattimore describes current controversies in Thucydidean scholarship and assesses the historian's prose style. Although Thucydides' style is 'intense when it succeeds,' he 'occasionally passes beyond concentration into congestion' (p. xviii). Lattimore claims that accuracy is the translator's 'fundamental responsibility' and that whenever ‘the aims of fidelity, clarity and readability come into conflict with one another,' he has opted for 'fidelity' (p. xix). In general, this approach effectively transmits both the spirit and the substance of Thucydides' prose. For example, in 2. 65.7, defending his war strategy, Pericles assures the Athenians that if they should follow his advice, 'they would prevail.' Lattimore's translation keeps 'Athenians' as the subject of the verb and remains consistent with Pericles' war aims, which had more to do with survival through endurance than with active, aggressive action. (Cf. Warner’s over-stated ‘Athens would be victorious' and Crawley's mild but vague 'promised them a favorable result'.) Lattimore's ‘they would prevail' seems to strike the note exactly. --George Cawkwell, New England Classical Journal

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Book Synopsis"Weimar Centennial edition with a new preface by the author."--Title page.Trade Review"Weitz captures Weimar’s contradictions very well, its modernity and the adversaries of that modernity."---Robert Gerwarth, Five Books

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“For anyone researching the subject, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.”—Washington Post“Magisterial . . . Hutton concerns himself with the bad, black version of the craft that has terrified poor souls for centuries. His approach blends a broad geographic sweep with the detailed attention of microhistory.”—Kathryn Hughes, Guardian“[A] panoptic, penetrating book.”—Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books“What he has done very valuably, though, is to put what most of us know already into a far wider context, both geographically and historically. It’s up to us then to examine our own notions of witches and witchcraft—no longer threatening, but still perfectly familiar.”—Wall Street Journal“Hutton, a leading authority on paganism and witchcraft, traces the idea of witches far beyond the Salem witch trials to beliefs and attitudes about witches around the world throughout history.”—Los Angeles Times“There are several over-familiar images that we jump to when we think of witches, even today: the hat, the broom, the cauldron. Yet this scholarly, engrossing take on the witch travels across centuries and continents to prove that it is a figure that is both more pervasive and more diverse than we might expect.”—History Revealed“Ronald Hutton is the doyen of British occult studies. Through his scrupulous, but always sympathetic, approach… his latest book offers a convincing account of how an early conspiracy theory, the spurious idea of an organised Satanic religion, came to obsess political and religious authorities, killing in the process so many simple healers and users of folk medicine.”—Ian Irvine, Prospect“The history of witchcraft and its persecution makes for compelling, often terrifying reading. . . what makes [Hutton’s] history unique is it provides a much longer – and broader – perspective. The Witch draws upon previously neglected anthropological and ethnographic findings to set the origins of witchcraft and its subsequent persecution in an ancient and global context.”—Tracy Borman, Literary Review“This is an extremely ambitious, thought-provoking, challenging and inspiring book.”—Dr. Willem de Blecourt, Reviews in History“Ronald Hutton’s The Witch is a true masterpiece which follows several intersecting strands of debate on these subjects to test if a global approach can illuminate the early modern witch hunts”— Gary K. Waite, Journal of Ecclesiastical History"An engrossing journey through the world of witches and witchcraft. Highly recommended for those fascinated by the nature and extent of the notorious European Witch Trials."—Tony Robinson "Eloquent, historically grounded, and global in reach, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the social and political context of witchcraft and the manipulation of supposed supernatural powers."—Timothy Darvill, OBE, author of Prehistoric Britain"Few historical concepts come as imbued with horror and intrigue as that slippery figure of the witch. Ronald Hutton has turned his considerable expertise to this always-current subject, illuminating the late Medieval and early modern idea of witches and witchcraft. Readers looking for a rigorous interdisciplinary approach to the history of witchcraft will devour this book."—Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane“The book we have all been waiting for.”—Diane Purkiss, author of The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-century Representations

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe American Lab is highly recommended reading not just for science collections; but for anyone who would better understand the intersection of and connections between political, scientific, educational, and military communities.—Donovan's Literary ServicesUp to now, the growing lexicon of scholarship on the U.S. national laboratories has lacked work on the history of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, aside from one dissertation and a classified document. This book by a former laboratory director, which covers the defense laboratory's history from its beginnings to 2008, provides the first comprehensive, easily accessible account . . . Given the enormous national investment in this complex, the work and devices it produces, and its impact on research and development, Tarter's book offers crucial, previously missing information.—Catherine Westfall, Michigan State University, IsisToday we know Silicon Valley as a veritable field of dreams for startups, but in The American Lab, the former director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, C. Bruce Tarter, recounts how a culture that valued debate, questioning, and passion made Livermore not only the first successful startup in the San Francisco Bay Area but a uniquely American lab.—Sarah Wells, MIT Technology ReviewTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Part I. Making the Cold War Cold, 1952-1971 Chapter 1. Origins Chapter 2. Getting Started Chapter 3. The Foundation of Deterrence Chapter 4. Arms Control, Atoms for Peace, and the Test Ban Chapter 5. Organization and Evolution of the Laboratory Chapter 6. Development of the Stockpile Chapter 7. Nuclear Excursions Chapter 8. Transition Part II. Lasers, Lasers, Nothing but Lasers, 1971-1988 Chapter 9. Changing of the Guard Chapter 10. The Nuclear Weapons Program Chapter 11. Lasers Chapter 12. The Energy Crisis and New Programs Chapter 13. Evolution of the Broader Lab Chapter 14. Star Wars Chapter 15. End of the Era Part III. Renaissance, Repression, and Reorganization, 1988-2008 Chapter 16. End of the Cold War Chapter 17. Post-Cold War Changes Chapter 18. Early Days with the New Administration Chapter 19. Stockpile Stewardship and the Presidential Decision Chapter 20. Growth of the Lab Chapter 21. The Troubles and Their Weathering Chapter 22. Summing UpChapter 23. Transitional Years Epilogue Acronyms and Abbreviations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe first critical examination of magical techniques and the practice of the magician in Ancient Egypt , revealing their widespread appearance and pivotal significance for all Egyptian 'religious' practices from the earliest periods through the Coptic era, influencing as well the Greco-Egyptian magical papyri.

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Book SynopsisAchille Mbembe is one of the world’s most profound critics of colonialism and its consequences. In Out of the Dark Night, he offers a rich analysis of the paradoxes of the postcolonial moment that points toward new liberatory models of community and humanity.Trade ReviewAn important, provocative, and powerful intervention into the politics and the production of knowledge after colonialism in France and about the French empire's former colonies after they became independent. -- Mamadou Diouf, Leitner Family Professor of African Studies, Columbia UniversityAchille Mbembe’s work awakens the written word, bursts the limits of language, calls prophetically, warms the flesh. The profane rubs up against the sacred, the incisive mind impels the reaching hand. Mbembe is a brilliant diagnostician, not only of postcolonial space and time but of the world of power and possession, enclosure and sovereignty. He writes from and of and for Africa, and he writes for a more African humanity. Every work of his offers tools to build a new world. -- Anne Norton, Henry and Stacey Jackson President’s Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of PennsylvaniaAchille Mbembe declares that Frantz Fanon is one of the few who have tackled the philosophical significance of decolonization, not just as a considerable historic moment of transfer of power but above all as a movement of recreation of humanity and a sense of futurity. That was sixty years ago, at the dawn of African independences. We can declare as well today that with this examination of decolonization as the continuing process of coming out of the dark night and as the manifestation of a will to life, which he shows to be currently at work in the experimentations and innovations taking place on the continent, Mbembe has produced one of the very best works in the spirit of Fanon’s thought. -- Souleymane Bachir Diagne, author of Open to Reason: Muslim Philosophers in Conversation with the Western TraditionOut of the Dark Night offers a reading of the contemporary world quite unlike any other. Its erudition is breathtaking, its critical acuity singular. Scarcely anything of significance to our troubled age goes unmentioned; race, colonialism/decolonization/decoloniality, globalization, capitalism, democracy, knowledge, history, and much besides are theorized anew from an Afropolitan perspective, leavened by both Francophone and Anglophone critique. This is a foundational exercise in intellectual “disenclosure,” the shattering of old boundaries in pursuit of a visionary grasp of the history of the present. -- John Comaroff, Hugh K. Foster Professor of African and African American Studies and of Anthropology, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Planetary Entanglement2. Disenclosure3. Proximity Without Reciprocity4. The Long French Imperial Winter 5. The House Without Keys6. AfropolitanismEpilogue: The Politics of the Future WorldNotes

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Book SynopsisIndia was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire, an Empire that needed a rail network to facilitate its exploitation and reflect its ambition. But, by building India's railways, Britain radically changed the nation and unwittingly planted the seed of independence. As Indians were made to travel in poor conditions and were barred from the better paid railway jobs a stirring of resentment and nationalist sentiment grew.The Indian Railways network remains one of the largest in the world, serving over 25 million passengers each day. In this expertly told history, Christian Wolmar reveals the full story, from the railway's beginnings to the present day, and examines the chequered role this institution has played in Indian history and the creation of today's modern state.Trade ReviewAn engaging and welcome account of this magnificent institution and its dramatic history up to the present day. * Spectator *Wolmar entertainingly examines the complicated legacy of the [Indian] railway, the most palpable element of British imperialism. * Michael Portillo *Railways and the Raj is valuable not only as a lively history of the Indian railways, but as an intervention in our own political moment. * TLS *Instructive, inspiring and even endearing, Railways and The Raj is a captivating read. * Shashi Tharoor, author of INGLORIOUS EMPIRE *Railways & The Raj is brilliant - absorbing, engrossing and definitive. * Michael Williams, author of ON THE SLOW TRAIN *Wolmar tells an epic story, at once shocking and inspiring. Stripped of false nostalgia for the Raj and all its deceptions, India's railways emerge greater than ever, and still central to the nation's identity and future. -- Simon Bradley * Author of THE RAILWAYS *Christian Wolmar brings to life the early days of trains in India and describes with great clarity and wit how railways have spread across the vast country over the years. This is not a dry, stuffy read merely for rail enthusiasts. It's full of energy, enthusiasm and erudition, explaining the role of railways at key moments in the country's history from early mutinies against the colonialists to independence and beyond. Highly recommended. -- Tom Chesshyre * Author of TICKET TO RIDE *This is one up-to-date book on Indian Railways that captures its history, life, stories and status... A must-read for all those keen followers of India's railways and for those who want to know all about it. -- Rajendra B. Aklekar * Author of HALT STATION INDIA *

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Book Synopsis''A scout must always be prepared at any moment to do his duty, and to face danger in order to help his fellow-men.''A startling amalgam of Zulu war-cry and imperial and urban myth, of borrowed tips on health and hygiene, and object lessons in woodcraft, Robert Baden-Powell''s Scouting for Boys (1908) is the original blueprint and ''self-instructor'' of the Boy Scout Movement. One of the all-time bestsellers in the English-speaking world, this primer of ''yarns and pictures'' constitutes probably the most influential manual for youth ever published. Yet the book is at the same time a roughly composed hodge-podge of jingoist lore and tracker legend, padded with lengthy quotations from adventure fiction and Baden-Powell''s own autobiography, and seamed through with the multiple anxieties of its time: fears of degeneration, concerns about masculinity and self-restraint, invasion paranoia. Elleke Boehmer''s edition of Scouting for Boys reprints the original text and illustrations, and her Trade Reviewvery good fun * Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph *the value of Elleke Boehmer's well-annotated text of the original edition is to show us the anxieties, contradictions and excitements of the Boy Scout movement at its inception * Alan Hollinghurst, Guardian *Elleke Boehmer's erudite introduction makes you wish she would get around to writing a full-length biogaphy of the first Chief Scout * William Cook, New Statesman *this fascinating volume tells us a lot about Baden-Powell, his movement and even to some extent the particular point in time when scouting was born' * Washington Times *Baden-Powell's work is well worth reading and re-reading, and that researchers with various interests and theoretical persuasions may find in its pages a great deal of interesting and rewarding material. * Thomas Kullman, Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen *a gripping read * The Oldie *

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Book SynopsisImran Khan was born in 1952 and grew up playing cricket in Lahore, Pakistan. He played his first international match for his country in 1971. In 1972, he began his studies at Oxford University, where he was a contemporary of Benazir Bhutto. He went on to play cricket for Pakistan until 1992, and was captain of the team from 1982. In 1994 he established a hospital in Pakistan offering free cancer treatment to the poor and is in the process of setting up a second. He also founded Namal College (2007), the only private sector university outside the cities. In April 1996 Imran Khan established his own political party, the Tehrik-e-Insaf, which aims to bring good governance and social justice to the people of Pakistan, and make Pakistan a just and humane society.Trade ReviewA must-read for anyone interested in the intrigue of politics in the most dangerous country on earth * The Sunday Times *An intelligently written mix of Pakistan's history and his own autobiography * Independent *A compelling story, plainly told. It reveals a great deal about Pakistani life and politics, as well as about the great cricketer's strengths and failings * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Mbokodo Award for Women in the Arts for Literature, the ATKV (Afrikaans Language and Culture Association) Award for non-fiction and the kykNet/Rapport Award for non-fiction. ''Here was Emily . . . in these diaries and scrapbooks. An unprecedented, intimate angle on the real Emily''Elsabé Brits has drawn on a treasure trove of previously private sources, including Emily Hobhouse''s diaries, scrap-books and numerous letters that she discovered in Canada, to write a revealing new biography of this remarkable Englishwoman. Hobhouse has been little celebrated in her own country, but she is still revered in South Africa, where she worked so courageously, selflessly and tirelessly to save lives and ameliorate the suffering of thousands of women and children interned in camps set up by British forces during the Anglo-Boer War, in which it is estimated that over 27,000 Boer women and children died; and where her ashes are enshrinedTrade ReviewThis engaging and thoroughly researched account of her life draws on fresh material, including diaries, letters and photographs . . . This beautifully written biography restores her to her rightful place as one of the 20th century's feminist heroines -- Rebecca Wallersteiner * The Lady *

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Book SynopsisDiscover over 40 of the best-loved video games from the 80s and 90s and relive those awesome moments from your childhood. Packed with creativity and charm, classic video games provide endless fun – one press of the power button and you’re instantly in pixelated paradise. But what are the ultimate games from this hallowed chapter in gaming history? Were you a Nintendo die-hard and Mario loyalist or seduced by Sonic and SEGA? Maybe you obsessed over GoldenEye or perhaps Tekken 3 on the Playstation was more your scene? Retro Games celebrates some of the most influential shoot-em-ups, platformers, role-players and more that ripped up the rule book for what we believed video games were capable of. It’s a must read for anyone who has fallen in love with this golden age of gaming. How many have you completed?

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Book SynopsisChristmas in Tudor times was a period of feasting, revelry and merrymaking ‘to drive the cold winter away’. A carnival atmosphere presided at court, with a twelve-day-long festival of entertainments, pageants, theatre productions and ‘disguisings’, when even the king and queen dressed up in costume to fool their courtiers. Throughout the festive season, all ranks of subjects were freed for a short time from everyday cares to indulge in eating, drinking, dancing and game-playing.We might assume that our modern Christmas owes much to the Victorians. In fact, as Alison Weir and Siobhan Clarke reveal in this fascinating book, many of our favourite Christmas traditions date back much further. Carol-singing, present-giving, mulled wine and mince pies were all just as popular in Tudor times, and even Father Christmas and roast turkey dinners have their origins in this period. The festival was so beloved by English people that Christmas traditions survived remarkably unchanged in this age of tumultuous religious upheaval.Beautifully illustrated with original line drawings throughout, this enchanting compendium will fascinate anyone with an interest in Tudor life – and anyone who loves Christmas.Trade Review[A] jewel of a book. -- Tracy Borman * BBC History Magazine, **Books of the Year** *My favourite fireside read on the run-up to Yule… From food and festivities to religion and the origins of customs, this book has it all * Northern Soul, *Christmas Gift Guide 2023* *

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Book SynopsisTony Judt provides a sharp and intellectual ideological description of mid-twentieth century French intellectualsPast Imperfect is a forthright and uncommonly damning study of those intellectually volatile years [1944-1956]. Mr. Judtdoes more than simply describe the ideological acrobats of his subjects; he is a sharp, even a vindictive moralist who indicts these intellectuals for their inhumanity in failing to test their political thought against political reality.John Sturrock, New York Times Book ReviewTrade Review...Past Imperfectis a well researched, passionately written hatchet job on the illusions and follies of a generation of post-war French Intellectuals. Judt begins by asking why communism dominated political and philosophical conversation in postwar France...Having put this period in context, Judt chronicles the emergence of a new generation of French postwar intellectuals and describes the central issues which preoccupied them: the legacy of four years of which came in their wake; Anti-Americanism and the Cold War; and the battles over French colonialism, especially in Algeria. He points out the key turning points; the Kravchenko and Rousset trials, brought by authors whose accounts of Soviet Communism met with disbelief and worse in Paris; the break between Stalin and Tito; the Rajk and Slansky show trials in east Europe; and finally in 1956, the suppression of the Hungarian uprising. Through it all, Judt traces certain disturbing patterns, especially the almost pathological flirtation of French intellectuals with violence and terror, from the French Revolution to Satre's support for political terrorism and Maoism. * Jewish Quarterly *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsINTRODUCTIONPART ONE: THE FORCE OF CIRCUMSTANCES? 1. Decline and Fall2. In the Light of Experience3. Resistance and Revenge4. What is Political Justice? PART TWO: THE BLOOD OF OTHERS 5. Show Trials6. The Blind Force of History7. Today Things Are Clear PART THREE: THE TREASON OF THE INTELLECTUALS 8. The Sacrifices of Russian People9. About the East We Can Do Nothing10. America Has Gone Mad11. We Must Not Disillusion the Workers PART FOUR: THE MIDDLE KINGDOM 12. Liberalism, There Is the Enemy13. Gesta Dei per Francos14 Europe and the French Intellectuals CONCLUSION: GOODBYE TO ALL THAT?SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READINGINDEX

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Book SynopsisBefore Winston Churchill made history, he made news. To a great extent, the news made him too. If it was his own efforts that made him a hero, it was the media that made him a celebrity - and it has been considerably responsible for perpetuating his memory and shaping his reputation in the years since his death. Churchill first made his name via writing and journalism in the years before 1900, the money he earned helping to support his political career (at a time when MPs did not get salaries). Journalistic activities were also important to him later, as he struggled in the interwar years to find the wherewithal to run and maintain Chartwell, his country house in Kent. Moreover, not only was journalism an important aspect of Churchill''s political persona, but he himself was a news-obsessive throughout his life. The story of Churchill and the news is, on one level, a tale of tight deadlines, off-the-record briefings and smoke-filled newsrooms, of wartime summits that were turned into stage-managed global media events, and of often tense interactions with journalists and powerful press proprietors, such as Lords Northcliffe, Rothermere, and Beaverbrook. Uncovering the symbiotic relationship between Churchill''s political life and his media life, and the ways in which these were connected to his personal life, Richard Toye asks if there was a ''public Churchill'' whose image was at odds with the behind-the-scenes reality, or whether, in fact, his private and public selves became seamlessly blended as he adjusted to living in the constant glare of the media spotlight.On a wider level, this is also the story of a rapidly evolving media and news culture in the first half of the twentieth century, and of what the contemporary reporting of Churchill''s life (including by himself) can tell us about the development of this culture, over a period spanning from the Victorian era through to the space age.Trade ReviewA fascinating reflection on our current time. * , Suffolk and Norfolk Life *Winston Churchill - A Life in the News is also the story of a rapidly evolving media and news culture in the first half of the twentieth century, and of what the contemporary reporting of Churchill's life (including by himself) can tell us about the development of this culture, over a period spanning from the Victorian era through to the space age. * Cosmopolis *Review from previous edition [An] original study ... Toye is surely correct in seeing the journalism as central to the career of a man whose life was dominated by the news he did much to create. * A.W. Purdue, Times Higher Education *Winston Churchill: A Life in the News sheds a fresh light on one of the best-studied statesmen, exploring the "symbiotic relationship" between Churchill's political life, journalistic career, and media persona. * Stefan Goebel, Journal of British Studies *In Churchill: A Life in the News we encounter both the bombastic and the deeply insecure sides to Churchill's complex personality. The book stands not only as a testament to the effects of the media on personal leadership styles, but it forces us to reflect on how the changing media environment affects the way we are governed. It is a timely reminder of the excesses and limitations of the press in the modern political age. * Professor Jo Fox, Institute of Historical Research *Richard Toye once again brilliantly illuminates a critical side of Winston Churchill's complex life. This original, important, and highly-readable book is teeming with shrewd judgements and fresh insights. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Churchill's political career or modern news culture. * Christopher M. Bell, author of Churchill and the Dardanelles and Churchill and Sea Power *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: A Pushing Age 2: Stage Thunder 3: Any Home News? 4: Hell with the Lid Off 5: Born to Trouble 6: 'Worse than the Nazis' 7: 'The War is not Fought to Amuse the Newspapers' 8: Whose Finger? Conclusion

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Book Synopsis"Kramer ranked among the world's foremost Sumerologists... The book will interest both the scholar and the general educated reader."-Religious Studies BulletinTrade Review"Kramer ranked among the world's foremost Sumerologists. . . . The book will interest both the scholar and the general educated reader." * Religious Studies Bulletin *"[Kramer] possesses the enviable ability to speak authoritatively in a lively and captivating style." * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface to the First Edition List of Illustrations Photographic Sources Introduction Chapter 1 Education: The First Schools Chapter 2 Schooldays: The First Case of "Apple-Polishing" Chapter 3 Father and Son: The First Case of Juvenile Delinquency Chapter 4 International Affairs: The First "War of Nerves" Chapter 5 Government: The First Bicameral Congress Chapter 6 Civil War in Sumer: The First Historian Chapter 7 Social Reform: The First Case of Tax Reduction Chapter 8 Law Codes: The First "Moses" Chapter 9 Justice: The First Legal Precedent Chapter 10 Medicine: The First Pharmacopoeia Chapter 11 Agriculture: The First "Farmer's Almanac" Chapter 12 Horticulture: The First Experiment in Shade-Tree Gardening Chapter 13 Philosophy: Man's First Cosmogony and Cosmology Chapter 14 Ethics: The First Moral Ideals Chapter 15 Suffering and Submission: The First "Job" Chapter 16 Wisdom: The First Proverbs and Sayings Chapter 17 "Aesopica": The First Animal Fables Chapter 18 Logomachy: The First Literary Debates Chapter 19 Paradise: The First Biblical Parallels Chapter 20 A Flood: The First "Noah" Chapter 21 Hades: The First Tale of Resurrection Chapter 22 Slaying of the Dragon: The First ''St. George" Chapter 23 Tales of Gilgamesh: The First Case of Literary Borrowing Chapter 24 Epic Literature: Man's First Heroic Age Chapter 25 To the Royal Bridegroom: The First Love Song Chapter 26 Book Lists: The First Library Catalogue Chapter 27 World Peace and Harmony: Man's First Golden Age Chapter 28 Ancient Counterparts of Modern Woes: The First "Sick" Society Chapter 29 Destruction and Deliverance: The First Liturgic Laments Chapter 30 The Ideal King: The First Messiahs Chapter 31 Shulgi of Ur: The First Long-Distance Champion Chapter 32 Poetry The First Literary Imagery Chapter 33 The Sacred Marriage Rite: The First Sex Symbolism Chapter 34 Weeping Goddesses: The First Mater Dolorosa Chapter 35 U-a A-u-a: The First Lullaby Chapter 36 The Ideal Mother: Her First Literary Portrait Chapter 37 Three Funeral Chants: The First Elegies Chapter 38 The Pickaxe and the Plow: Labor's First Victory Chapter 39 Home of the Fish: The First Aquarium Corrigenda and Addenda to the Second Edition Glossary Appendix A. A Curse and a Map: New Gleanings from the Tablets of Sumer Appendix B. The Origin and Development of the Cuneiform System of Writing and Other Comments on the Illustrations

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Book SynopsisThe story of the extraordinary relationship between a former slave and England’s most distinguished man of lettersTrade Review“Bundock is elegant and precise in this detailed account of the life of Samuel Johnson’s black servant and eventual heir.”—The Sunday Times ‘Best Paperbacks of 2021’ “A remarkable work of detection, a biography of a black Briton from the eighteenth century that brings to life a rich and vital aspect of our shared history.”—David Olusoga“At last, the biography that Francis Barber deserves. A meticulous yet imaginative book which teases out the full humanity of Dr. Johnson’s servant—and of the affection and hostility he generated among contemporaries.”—James Walvin, author of The Zong: A Massacre, the Law and the End of Slavery“Michael Bundock has written the first biography in over one hundred years of Francis Barber, Samuel Johnson’s black servant and heir. Acknowledging the groundwork laid over a century ago, Bundock goes well beyond earlier commentators in exploring the evolving relationship between Johnson and Barber.”—Vincent Carretta, University of Maryland“Like James Boswell before him, Michael Bundock is a lawyer, and in his biography of Samuel Johnson’s servant that background serves him well. Reading the evidence, some newly discovered, he brings Francis Barber to life, deepens our understanding of Johnson, enriches our sense of quotidian eighteenth-century London, and provides an unusual contribution to black history in England.”—Robert Folkenflik, University of California, Irvine“The Fortunes of Francis Barber is the most complete and accurate account of the life of Francis Barber that has ever been produced or is ever likely to be produced. This book far outstrips all earlier accounts.”—Robert DeMaria, Jr., Vassar College“A remarkable work of detection, a biography of a black Briton from the eighteenth century that brings to life a rich and vital aspect of our shared history.”—David Olusoga -- David Olusoga“No longer a footnote to Johnson’s story, Barber emerges as a man whose complicated story gives an inside view of what it was like to be a black man in 18th-century Britain.”—Gretchen Gerzina, author of Black London -- Gretchen Gerzina“Commendable not only for its careful research, but also for harnessing the considerable power of Barber's untold story. It will appeal to those who care about history, but it should appeal to those who care about humanity as well.”—Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton -- Sara Collins“Elegant, precise, formidably informed. Bundock clears away a fog of falsehoods and rebalances the story.”—John Carey, Sunday Times -- John Carey * The Sunday Times *“Bundock weaves into the absorbing tale of Barber’s life a wealth of material relating to black people in England, especially in London, throughout the 18th century… He writes with clarity, sympathy and tact.”—Freya Johnston, Literary Review -- Freya Johnston * Literary Review *“A supremely skilled biography … Barber’s extraordinary and varied career allows Bundock to explore what life felt like for a black man in Georgian England.”—Kathryn Hughes, Guardian -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian *“Bundock’s lively biography offers a fresh perspective on Johnson and locates Barber both in Johnson’s household and in the context of an empire beginning to debate the political and moral legitimacy of slavery.”—Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly *‘[Bundock] imaginatively recreates the textures of life in 18th-century England and shows an admirable determination to question received wisdom’—Henry Hitchings, the Guardian. -- Henry Hitchings * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisOn fire for God—a sweeping history of puritanism in England and AmericaTrade Review“Hot Protestants is a fine work of scholarship, written in a gracefully understated style, and is among the fairest and most readable accounts of the glorious failure that was trans-Atlantic Puritanism.”—Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal“Exhilarating popular history...convincingly captures in one bold retelling decades of scholarship on Puritanism’s origins, developments and characteristics”—Johanna Harris, Times Literary Supplement“The rise and fall of transatlantic puritanism is told through political, theological, and personal conflict in this exceptional history. . . . With a clear narrative tied together with helpful clarifications, Winship’s cogent work nicely lays out the history of how puritans emerged from Protestantism.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review“Hold on to your hats. Michael Winship has written one of the finest and most challenging studies of early modern Puritanism—and this in a field replete with gifted scholars.”—Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald“Michael P. Winship tells an ocean-spanning story with a light touch and an ear for compelling vignettes.”—Alec Ryrie, BBC History Magazine“Puritanism was inescapable: it led to vicious conflict, rebellion, and civil war on both sides of the Atlantic from the 1540s onwards. Michael P. Winship has written an admirable and fascinating survey of this movement, learned and full of insight”—Jonathan Clark, Church Times“The scope and comprehension of all aspects of Puritanism in Hot Protestants is remarkable."—Glenn A. Moots, Journal of Religious History “An immensely enjoyable and informative read.”—Pierre Lurbe, Cercles “A sweeping and cogently argued survey of Puritan political ambitions in the Atlantic world…Winship is right that Puritanism changed due to fragmentation and the loss of power in Old and New England, and most modern Protestants baulk at their rigid views on matters of church, state and the habits of godliness.”—Matthew Rowley, Bunyan Studies Listed on Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles List for 2019 “A fresh retelling of the ups and downs of the Puritan movement in England and New England, a story conveyed through vignettes that capture its dynamics in unusually insightful ways.”—David D. Hall, author of A Reforming People“An important work by one of our leading scholars of puritanism, placing the movement in its proper Atlantic context and offering valuable insights in a way accessible to all readers.”—Francis J. Bremer, author of First Founders"A compelling read. This is the only genuinely trans-Atlantic history of puritanism, taking in the full sweep of the story from the 1540s to the 1690s. Throughout, Winship displays an unmatched command of the field, astute judgment, and independence of mind. Hot Protestants is a tremendous achievement."—John Coffey, author of Exodus and Liberation“A long needed study of the transatlantic Puritan movement, knitting together its disparate elements into a coherent whole. Winship's mastery of the subject on both sides of the Atlantic is unparalleled, and his forceful account, told in vigorous and lucid prose, will remind readers why Puritanism had a powerful influence in shaping the modern world.”—Mark A. Peterson, author of The Price of Redemption

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Book SynopsisA History of Dangerous Assumptions features over two hundred illuminating and intriguing case-studies of this fascinating subject, including some of the most disastrous assumptions ever foisted upon the human race. This book began as an experiment, to discover if acting on assumptions could be discerned through the ages. In fact, this matter of assuming… of jumping to conclusions… of lacking sufficient evidence… of taking things for granted… seems to have caused far more problems for civilisation than expected. From Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps, to Bonaparte’s march on Moscow; from the hubris of Icarus and Phaeton, to the toppling towers of the Tay Bridge; from the maddening phantoms of a Northwest Passage, to the sinking of the Titanic; from the Schlieffen Plan of the First World War, to the creation of assumptions in the approach to D-Day; from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Sherlock Holmes, here lies a highly contrasted trove of stories, episodes and anecdotes, their common link the mysterious mischief of assumption.

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Book SynopsisCastles are among the most visited tourist sights in Britain and Ireland, and the book will act as a companion and historical guide.

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Book SynopsisComplete history of the patrols of a key U-boat and its notorious commander.

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