History Books

Book SynopsisIn Black Trans Feminism Marquis Bey offers a meditation on blackness and gender nonnormativity in ways that recalibrate traditional understandings of each. Theorizing black trans feminism from the vantages of abolition and gender radicality, Bey articulates blackness as a mutiny against racializing categorizations; transness as a nonpredetermined, wayward, and deregulated movement that works toward gender’s destruction; and black feminism as an epistemological method to fracture hegemonic modes of racialized gender. In readings of the essays, interviews, and poems of Alexis Pauline Gumbs, jayy dodd, and Venus Di’Khadijah Selenite, Bey turns black trans feminism away from a politics of gendered embodiment and toward a conception of it as a politics grounded in fugitivity and the subversion of power. Together, blackness and transness actualize themselves as on the run from gender. In this way, Bey presents black trans feminism as a mode of enacting the wholesale dismanTrade Review“In Marquis Bey's deeply creative and fiercely imaginative book, Black trans feminism describes a kind of worldly inhabitation and a radical form of theorizing power and refusal in ways that are not contingent on identity. In Bey's hands, Black trans feminism becomes a powerful call for vulnerability, fugitive hope, abolition, and freedom. Black Trans Feminism allows us to gesture to all that we want from this world but do not yet know how to name.” -- Jennifer C. Nash, author of * Birthing Black Mothers *“In its deep engagements with the three movements of its title, Black Trans Feminism is a very exciting book to read, digest, and think through. Marquis Bey’s focus on fugitivity and the elastic category of the fugitive stealing themself back is a highly salient and timely conceptual offering, and I’m astonished by the clarity, precision, and deep-digging that Bey brings to the material. Those working at the interstices of Black trans feminism need this gift of manifest lucidity to reference, teach, and expound on.” -- Eliza Steinbock, author of * Shimmering Images: Trans Cinema, Embodiment, and the Aesthetics of Change *“Black Trans Feminism constitutes an incisive critique and interrogation of the very grammars of gender normativity. . . . With this project, he attempts to reconfigure how we understand kinship, blackness, transness and Black feminism in order to establish a coalition that can be understood as a broadening of kinship network relationalities, affinities and affiliations.” -- Marietta Kosma * European Journal of American Culture *"Bey’s work is an important contribution to the conversations surrounding race, transgender identity, and feminist praxis, providing a hopeful mode for reimagining our world and ourselves. . . . Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty." -- D. E. Magill * Choice *“Black Trans Feminism is a deep philosophical and literary exploration of Black trans feminism. . . . The book offers critical and imaginative visions of gender radical and abolitionist futures. Bey tell us how we can possibly get there with a sense of hope that is so rare in academic writing.” -- Nishant Upadhyay * American Quarterly *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction: Abolition, Gender Radicality 1 Part 1 1. Black, Trans, Feminism 37 2. Fugitivity, Un/gendered 66 3. Trans/figurative, Blackness 88 Part 2 4. Feminist, Fugitivity 115 5. Questioned, Gendered 145 6. Trigger, Rebel 175 Conclusion: Hope, Fugitive 199 Notes 229 Bibliography 263 Index 283

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWhose fault is it that there's so much so horribly wrong with the world? 'The tension over womanhood as something to defend or transcend, prioritise of contextualise, remains central,' as Jolly cautiously puts it. 'The ongoing appeal of radical feminism is that it addresses primal fears of sexual violence, alongside equally primal pleasures in women's community, desire and love'. * Jenny Turner, London Review of Books *Jolly's approach is engagingly readable as well as theoretically lodged, drawing on voices that question and celebrate and highlighting issues that continue to challenge today. * Joanna Bornat, The Oral History Review *a highly readable and successful portrayal of the people at the heart of the Women's Liberation Movement as complex individuals whose work was life-changing for many people in the UK ... The preservation of the memories in this book, and in the archive, will be an invaluable resource for generations of future historians. * Charlotte James Robertson, Twentieth Century British History *Among oral historians of twentieth century women's history and some feminists of a certain age, Margaretta Jolly's Sisterhood and After has been much awaited....Jolly moves from the collective voices of a project to the individual voice of a book author. She confronts issues of choice, diversity, difference, and inequality inside and outside the movement, ambitiously covering the history of a movement that changed the culture, politics, and language of sex and gender as well as discussing the lives of the women who were activists - through all the debates and divisions - with recollections of landmark events, the invasion of the Miss World beauty pageant in 1970, and the founding conference at Ruskin College, Oxford, that same year. * Joanna Bornat, Open University, Emeritus, The Oral History Review *Table of ContentsPreface by Sally Alexander Introduction: The Sound of Feminist Memory Chapter 1: Telling Feminist Histories Chapter 2: Oral History and Feminist Method Chapter 3: Forming Feminists: Growing up in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s Chapter 4: Campaigning and Coming of Age in the 1970s Chapter 5: Guilty Pleasures? Feminism and Everyday Life in the 1980s Chapter 6: Friend or Foe? Men and Feminism Through the 1990s Chapter 7: Happiness: Late Feminist Lives and Beyond in the 2000s Conclusion: The Future of Feminist Memory

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Book SynopsisA work on the history of black dandyism. It examines the pivotal role that style has played in the politics and aesthetics of African diasporic identity formation.Trade Review“Miller’s study incites a much-needed dialogue between existing scholarship on the figure of the dandy—particularly its performative queering of modern narratives of masculinity and nationhood—and the legacies of imperialism and slavery that attest to the constant, if silent, presence of race and racializing discourse in those same narratives. . . . [A]n absorbing and timely study of the black dandy.” - Jaime Hanneken, Comparative Literature“Encompassing the genres of drama, fiction, photography, film, and sculpture, Miller's study highlights the ways in which diaspora can be located in the image and the imagination of the body and its garments. . . . The value of Miller's text is in its historical range.” - Alisa K. Braithwaite, Modern Fiction Studies“Monica L. Miller's book is the first of its kind: a lengthy written study of the history of black dandyism and the role that style has played in the politics and aesthetics of African and African American identity. She draws from literature, film, photography, print ads, and music to reveal the black dandy's underground cultural history and generate possibilities for the future. . . . [U]ncanny feats of scholarship that illustrate ways in which the figure of the black dandy has been an elephant-in-the-room — albeit a particularly well-dressed one.” - D. Scot Miller, San Francisco Bay Guardian“A model for cultural studies, Slaves to Fashion brings the rich,interdisciplinary scholarship of the black dandy into the twenty-first century, serving the fields of both black and American studies.” - Pamela J. Rader, MELUS“Miller has performed a cultural excavation, sifting through fragments of visual and literary culture to trace a history of black style and assemble the first history of black dandyism. Her work deserves a place among the finer recent contributions to black performance studies. . . .” - Kristin Moriah, Callaloo“Monica L. Miller’s close readings dazzle, and her historical reach—confident and unforced—is as long as the transnational arc of black dandyism here is wide. Arresting, discerning, responsible, and urgent, Slaves to Fashion is path-breaking. Literary criticism, visual history, and black Atlantic studies never looked so good.”—Maurice O. Wallace, author of Constructing the Black Masculine: Identity and Ideality in African American Men’s Literature and Culture, 1775–1995“Revising and augmenting scholarship on minstrelsy, literary representations of blackness, and black sartorial aesthetics and visual culture, Slaves to Fashion is an impressive and meticulously researched treatise on the history of the black dandy. It fills a gap in the scholarship on the cultural politics of black self-fashioning.”—E. Patrick Johnson, author of Appropriating Blackness: Performance and the Politics of Authenticity“Encompassing the genres of drama, fiction, photography, film, and sculpture, Miller's study highlights the ways in which diaspora can be located in the image and the imagination of the body and its garments. . . . The value of Miller's text is in its historical range.” -- Alisa K. Braithwaite * Modern Fiction Studies *“Miller has performed a cultural excavation, sifting through fragments of visual and literary culture to trace a history of black style and assemble the first history of black dandyism. Her work deserves a place among the finer recent contributions to black performance studies. . . .” -- Kristin Moriah * Callaloo *“Miller’s study incites a much-needed dialogue between existing scholarship on the figure of the dandy—particularly its performative queering of modern narratives of masculinity and nationhood—and the legacies of imperialism and slavery that attest to the constant, if silent, presence of race and racializing discourse in those same narratives. . . . [A]n absorbing and timely study of the black dandy.” -- Jaime Hanneken * Comparative Literature *“Monica L. Miller's book is the first of its kind: a lengthy written study of the history of black dandyism and the role that style has played in the politics and aesthetics of African and African American identity. She draws from literature, film, photography, print ads, and music to reveal the black dandy's underground cultural history and generate possibilities for the future. . . . [U]ncanny feats of scholarship that illustrate ways in which the figure of the black dandy has been an elephant-in-the-room — albeit a particularly well-dressed one.” -- D. Scot Miller * San Francisco Bay Guardian *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction. Stylin' Out 1 1. Mungo Macaroni: The Slavish Swell 27 2. Crimes of Fashion: Dressing the Part from Slavery to Freedom 77 3. W. E. B. Du Bois's "Different Diasporic Race Man 137 4. "Passing Fancies": Dandyism, Harlem Modernism, and the Politics of Visuality 176 5. "You Look Beautiful Like That": Black Dandyism and the Histories of Black Cosmopolitanism 219 Notes 291 Bibliography 347 Index 371

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Book SynopsisCovering a range of media and a wide geographical spread, Making Modernity in the Islamic Mediterranean reveals how 19th-century artists in the Middle East and North Africa reckoned with new tools, materials, and tastes from local perspectives.Trade Review"This book is a timely contribution to pressing debates about visual cultures of modernity across the modern Mediterranean. With a geographic diversity reaching from the Ottoman capital across North Africa, the essays in this book address a rich range of themes, from emergent forms of modern historicism to original readings of objects and images that trouble entrenched assumptions about aesthetic value. So too, this book's revisionary perspective makes clear the necessity to address the diversity of visual culture, from painting to photography, from craft work to infrastructure. The collective enterprise of this anthology transforms our understanding of what it meant to be modern across the Islamic Mediterranean."—Mary Roberts, author of Istanbul Exchanges: Ottomans, Orientalists and Nineteenth-Century Visual Culture, University of Sydney"Making Modernity in the Islamic Mediterranean combines a compelling and well-researched range of studies that make a valuable contribution to the pluralization of global modernisms in art history, with a focus on nineteenth-century Islamic art and visual culture. This volume is a welcome addition to the literature of Islamic modernity and modern art."—Berin Golonu, Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide"This attractive volume addresses the recent scholarly shift from the arts and architecture of the lands of Islam in the early caliphates of the Umayyads and Abbasids through the pre-modern Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal dynasties to modern and contemporary times. An introduction by Graves (Indiana Univ.) and Seggerman (Rutgers Univ., Newark) is followed by 11 essays focused on the different ways in which artists, artisans, and patrons in the Mediterranean lands from Morocco to Egypt and the Ottoman Empire in the 19th and 20th centuries engaged with European modernity and the colonial enterprise. The essays are roughly grouped around three topics: the introduction of photography and printing with movable type, new modes of craft production, and transportation by steamship and railroad. As with all such collections, the essays are uneven; some are unexpectedly fascinating—for example those on the exchange of photographic albums between the Ottoman sultan and the University of Pennsylvania to foster archaeological projects, the celebrations surrounding the opening of the Suez Canal, the introduction of Krupps' steel I-beam to Istanbul—but others are laden with academic jargon. (Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.)"—J. M. Bloom, Boston College, ChoiceTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsNote on TransliterationIntroduction: Making Modernity in the Islamic Mediterranean, by Margaret S. Graves and Alex Dika SeggermanPart I: Picturing Knowledge1. Well-Worn Fashions: Repetition and Authenticity in Late Ottoman Costume Books, by Ünver Rüstem2. Osman Hamdi and the Long Duration of History, by Gülru Çakmak3. Picturing Knowledge: Visual Literacy in Nineteenth-Century Arabic Periodicals, by Hala Auji4. The Muybridge Albums in Istanbul: Photography as Diplomacy in the Ottoman Empire, by Emily NeumeierPart II: Conceptualizing Craft5. The Double Bind of Craft Fidelity: Moroccan Ceramics on the Eve of the French Protectorate, by Margaret S. Graves6. The Manual Crafts and the Challenge of Modernity in Late Nineteenth-Century Damascus, by Marcus Milwright7. The Turn to Tapestry: Islamic Textiles and Women Artists in Tunis, by Jessica GerschultzPart III: Aesthetics of Infrastructure8. Alabaster and Albumen: Photographs of the Muhammad Ali Mosque and the Making of a Modern Icon, by Alex Dika Seggerman9. Tents and Trains: Mobilizing Modernity in the Late Ottoman Empire, by Ashley Dimmig10. Precious Metal: The I-Beam in the Late Ottoman Empire, by Peter Christensen11. November 1869: The Suez Canal Inauguration, by David J. RoxburghTimelineGlossaryIndex

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsNew Foreword by Ibtisam Barakat Foreword from 1989 by Alan Dundes Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration Key to References Introduction The Tales Notes on Presentation and Translation Group I • Individuals Children and Parents 1. Tunjur, Tunjur 2. The Woman Who Married Her Son 3. Precious One and Worn-out One 4. Šwēš, Šwēš! 5. The Golden Pail Afterword Siblings 6. Half-a-Halfling 7. The Orphans' Cow 8. Sumac! You Son of a Whore, Sumac! 9. The Green Bird 10. Little Nightingale the Crier Afterword Sexual Awakening and Courtship 11. The Little Bird 12. Jummēz Bin Yāzūr, Chief of the Birds 13. Jbēne 14. Sackcloth 15. Šāhīn Afterword The Quest for the Spouse 16. The Brave Lad 17. Gazelle 18. Lōlabe Afterword Group II • Family Brides and Bridegrooms 19. The Old Woman Ghouleh 20. Lady Tatar 21. Šōqak Bōqak! 22. Clever Hasan 23. The Cricket Afterword Husbands and Wives 24. The Seven Leavenings 25. The Golden Rod in the Valley of Vermilion 26. Minjal 27. Im ʿĒše Afterword Family Life 28. Chick Eggs 29. The Ghouleh of Trans-Jordan 30. Bear-Cub of the Kitchen 31. The Woman Whose Hands Were Cut Off 32. Nʿayyis (Little Sleepy One) Afterword Group III • Society 33. Im ʿAwwād and the Ghouleh 34. The Merchant's Daughter 35. Pomegranate Seeds 36. The Woodcutter 37. The Fisherman Afterword Group IV • Environment 38. The Little She-Goat 39. The Old Woman and Her Cat 40. Dunglet 41. The Louse Afterword Group V • Universe 42. The Woman Who Fell into the Well 43. The Rich Man and the Poor Man 44. Maʿrūf the Shoemaker 45. Im ʿAlī and Abū ʿAlī Afterword Folkloristic Analysis Appendix A: Transliteration of Tale 10 Appendix B: Index of Folk Motifs Appendix C: List of Tales by Type Selected Bibliography Footnote Index

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Book SynopsisA thrilling history of MI9—the WWII organization that engineered the escape of Allied forces from behind enemy linesTrade Review“Fry has undertaken prodigious research…The book is a fitting tribute to the hundreds of men and women who risked their lives in assisting Allied escapees, and a welcome salute to those who broke out of their PoW camps that they might be returned to the battlefront.”—Giles Milton, The Sunday Times“A finely researched appraisal of MI9, one of the least known agencies of the Second World War, whose principal role was to help British prisoners of war escape from enemy-occupied territory.”—The Sunday Times ‘Best Paperbacks of 2021’ “Helen Fry’s engrossing tale M19…details the exploits of the secret organisation that rescued allied troops from behind Nazi lines.”—Martin Chilton, The Independent“Several recent books have shone light on the heroic part women played in the story of intelligence, and Fry illuminates their role even more...[A] noble, moving and inspiring book”—Allan Mallinson, Spectator“Once started, this is an impossible book to put down.”—David Webb-Carter, Aspects of History“In a brilliantly researched, absorbing and at times gripping text, Helen Fry takes the reader on an awe-inspiring and riveting journey as she details the work of M19, the secret service for escape and evasion in World War Two.”—John T. Morris, Love Wrexham Magazine“Fry is fortunate to have enjoyed access to previously classified files and documents, which allows for a more in-depth study of the department than ever before. The combination of this material, eyewitness testimony and some truly breathtaking tales of heroism and survival make this a must-read for anyone with an interest in the history of the intelligence services of World War II.”—All About History“Supplemented by vivid and captivating personal accounts of espionage, along with daring and heroic escape and evasion reports of POWs, Fry further underscores the critical role of “ordinary” individuals of occupied Europe who risked their lives and the well-being of their families.”—Kevin T. Hall, Global Military Studies Review“A well-written book…[Fry] never loses sight of her research interest.”—Winfried Heinemann, International Journal of Military History and Historiography“There is so much content in this book, so many stories of remarkable bravery and endeavour, that the main feeling is simply to be thankful that Fry has moved them closer to a wider audience, and her enthusiasm for her subjects shines through.”—Karl Hornsey, On: YorkshireMagazine“Fry, through the diligent use of declassified material from the MI9 files at the Kew National Archives, published and unpublished memoirs from personnel within the organisation, and papers in family possessions shows how MI9ʹs escapers made an important contribution to intelligence during the war.”—Bailey Schwab, Intelligence and National SecurityShortlisted for the 2020 Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History“A thoroughly comprehensive study of a much-neglected secret wartime organisation.”-Nigel West, author of MI6"A masterful page turner you won't be able to put down. The story of MI9 is one of the most inspiring and exciting of all WWII narratives.”—Alex Kershaw, author of Avenue of Spies 'Behind every Allied great escape in WWII there stood the brave and resourceful men and women of MI9, an intelligence organisation today almost completely forgotten … A masterful retelling with a fascinating cast of characters straight out of a John le Carré thriller.' Mark Felton, author of Castle of the Eagles“Important, informative and engaging. Fry draws an engrossing picture of the commitment and courage of tens of thousands of agents who helped "escapers" and "evaders" in the European Theatre of Operations.’—Michael Jago, author of The Man Who Was George Smiley

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Book SynopsisIn Jihād in West Africa during the Age of Revolutions, a preeminent historian of Africa argues that scholars of the Americas and the Atlantic world have not given Africa its due consideration as part of either the Atlantic world or the age of revolutions.Trade Review“This book represents … a career-spanning synthesis of Lovejoy’s most influential work, as well as a challenging and original argument about the importance of ‘mainstreaming’ the history of the West African jihadist movements of the eighteenth and nineteenth century into broader accounts of the ‘Age of Revolutions’ in the Atlantic world.…Jihād in West Africa During the Age of Revolutions will undoubtedly become the standard reference in the field.” * Journal of Islamic Studies *“Jihād in West Africa is a hugely compelling book, prompting Africanists, Atlanticists and specialists of revolutionary Europe and the Americas to reconsider established paradigms and break from the silos imposed by a mixture of cultural divides, rigid geographic parameters and different linguistic specializations.” * Journal of Global Slavery *“Paul Lovejoy makes an original and important contribution to several major historiographies—of Africa, Islam, the Atlantic World, the Atlantic slave trade, slavery in the Americas, and the comparative history of slavery. Jihād in West Africa during the Age of Revolutions is grounded in deep research in both primary and secondary sources, and perhaps most importantly, in a professional lifetime spent thinking deeply and creatively about these topics.”

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Book SynopsisAs a young child, Herman Lehmann was captured by a band of plundering Apache Indians and remained with them for nine years. This is his dramatic and unique story.Trade ReviewLehmann's memoir is quite fantastic-sounding at times, but is regarded as one of the best of that rare breed of book, the first-person 'captivity story' . . . One of the values of Lehmann's book is its no-holds-barred, unapologetic tone." —Rocky Mountain News"A fascinating account of [Lehmann's] subsequent life among both the Apache and Comanche people. . . . this is an engaging read." —German Life"Lehmann's true-life story features suspense and excitement that surpass even the skill of the most imaginative fiction writer." —Books of the Southwest

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Book Synopsis''Impossible to put down while you''re reading, and impossible to forget about when you''ve finished'' GlamourAfter a gruelling job interview where she was interrogated about everything from her political leanings to her family background, Sabrina Mahfouz realised that one unspoken question had pervaded her entire life: as a woman of Middle Eastern heritage, could she really be trusted?Years later, Sabrina found herself confronting this question and how it was specifically informed by the British Empire''s historical dominance in the Middle East. Taking us on a journey of the Middle-Eastern coastlines and waterways that were so vital to the Empire''s hold, and combining memoir, history, politics, myth and poetry, These Bodies of Water is a tapestry of writing that tells the unacknowledged story of Britain''s relationship with the Middle East in the most revealing terms.''A writer of staggering conviction, ingenuity and integrity'' Kae Trade ReviewSabrina Mahfouz is a tidal wave of truth swallowing the banks of empire with a torrent of information which will not be damned. These Bodies of Water is so vast, yet achingly intimate. It is a brilliant piece of work which had me hooked from start to finish. * Lemn Sissay *These Bodies of Water is a bold, brave look at the ways imperialism affects us all, from the universally political to the insightfully intimate -- Riz AhmedSabrina Mahfouz's poetic talents come to the forefront in this lyrical meditation on the influence of the British Empire in the Middle East. Part memoir, part history, These Bodies of Water defies categorisation in favour of a lucid, tumbling narrative that sweeps you along for the ride. Like all truly brilliant books, it's impossible to put down while you're reading, and impossible to forget about when you've finished * Glamour *Sabrina is a writer of staggering conviction, ingenuity and integrity. Her skills are mighty, her language is beautiful and precise. She's a real one -- Kae TempestBrilliant and profound...this book is about coastlines, cities, climate collapse and capitalism. There's so much going on in it. It's marvellous -- Nikseh ShuklaA brilliant and fascinating history of the Middle East, forcing us to rethink everything we thought we knew. A completely necessary book for us all as we sit in a post-Brexit world, once more considering boundaries and border lines. Sabrina writes beautifully, using prose, rhythm and poetry, to combine history and memoir in one of the most compelling journeys through the Middle East -- Salma El-WardanyI'm a huge fan of Sabrina Mahfouz and her unsurpassed talent to draw a reader in from the first line. These Bodies Of Water is a great example of her integrity, her essential honesty, this work is breathtaking and ferocious, uncompromising and powerful -- Salena GoddenI loved THESE BODIES OF WATER. It's fierce, intelligent, and wise, and everyone should read it -- Joanne HarrisJust wonderful . . . Such a brilliant and unique way to tackle the impacts of colonialism on a region. I absolutely loved it -- Alya MooroThis is a fearless and brilliant book. Each and every sentence is fire! * Nikita Gill *With fierce honesty and lyricism, Mahfouz maps out the story of British colonialism in the Arab world, grappling with the dark foundations of her privilege and challenging the lie of meritocracy on which modern Britain is built * Culture Whisper *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of BBC History Magazine's Best Books of 2020""A bracing stringency is one of the virtues of The Decline and Rise of Democracy. It sweeps across the globe in command of recent scholarship. . . . It shows how complex democracy’s patterns are and, on the evidence, how simpler accounts of its past and prospects stumble." * The Economist *"An outstanding volume that analyses the development of democracy and autocracy in a refreshing and relevant way."---Simon Sebag Montefiore, BBC History Magazine"Democracy is a naturally occurring condition in humanity societies. This single idea sets Stasavage apart from so many theorists who look to the past."---Justin Kempf, Democracy Paradox"I opened The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today, by David Stasavage (Princeton, 2020), hoping to find insights on the prospects for democracy in Russia, and China. And so I did. I closed the book with a better understanding of American democracy as well."---David Warsh, Economic Principals"A rich and coherent account of democracy’s evolution over millennia and across diverse geographical and environmental settings, "a deep history". . . . This volume helps us look into the future, and one might be unsettled by what can be seen."---Varghese K. George, The Hindu"This book’s optimism and wide-eyed wonder sprouts like T.S. Eliot’s lilac through the dead earth of current Western declinism."---David Muir, The American Interest"A fascinating voyage through time and place."---Pierre Lemieux, Regulation"David Stasavage offers a rich, international overview on the origins of democracy and the conditions under which democracy flourishes (or doesn’t). . . . an outstanding piece of scholarly writing not just because of the theory it develops, but how it does so: In clear, concise, and forceful prose — the rarest of combinations, which makes this book all the more enjoyable."---Felix Simon, Medium"[Stasavage's] approach is refreshing and inspiring."---Wim Blockmans, Parliaments, Estates, and Representation"Stasavage has written an excellent analysis of the concept of democracy that gives hope and a better understanding of how this concept can be salvaged from the threats that are rising and the challenges that lie ahead."---John M. Bublic, The European Legacy"A piece of remarkable scholarship."---George Tridimas, Constitutional Political Economy

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Book SynopsisDavid Wootton guides us through four centuries of Western thought to show how new ideas about politics, ethics, and economics stepped into a gap opened up by religious conflict and the Scientific Revolution. As ideas about godliness and Aristotelian virtue faded, theories about the rational pursuit of power, pleasure, and profit moved to the fore.Trade ReviewExplains how European thought came to abandon the old virtues and accept the ‘selfish system’ of utility…Wootton explicates complex social and political theories with admirable lucidity. -- Jeffrey Collins * Wall Street Journal *More relevant to our current political and cultural circumstance than any other I’ve read in the last four years…Truly wonderful. -- Lewis Lapham * The World in Time *Wootton presents the conceptual shift that gave birth to our life today in a book that is ambitious and impressive in its sweep…A gripping story of how ideas can change the world. -- John Gray * New Statesman *Wootton does not wish to take sides in the controversy between detractors and defenders of the Enlightenment: his purpose is rather to retrace the emergence of the intellectual and cultural revolution that radically transformed modern Western societies… Power, Pleasure, and Profit is an erudite book, full of learned asides. * Times Literary Supplement *This is decidedly not a traditional history of the Enlightenment as a philosophical or political project…Wootton’s Enlightenment ushered in a moral universe of unstoppable excess—one in which the pursuit of power, pleasure, and profit had no limit, for individuals or for societies…An unusual but fascinating foray into all the great themes of moral and political philosophy, from happiness to politics to commerce to love. -- James Chappel * Commonweal *His erudition is impressive and his range of inquiry is vast… Wootton traces the development of three interrelated notions that together, in his view, displaced the moral and religious inheritance bequeathed by classicism and Christianity. -- Darrin M. McMahon * Literary Review *Gripping…A fascinating story…The Enlightenment spawned a series of assumptions about what human beings are, why they do what they do, and what the good life looks like. We’re still hostage to those assumptions, whether we know it or not, and Wootton’s book asks us to consider the consequences. -- Sean Illing * Vox *In the brilliant, penetrating and amazingly erudite study by David Wootton…readers are treated to an engaging tour of the ‘Enlightenment paradigm’ gaining in the process a more profound understanding of our modern political economy and ethical situation…This book is essential reading for understanding the climate in which we still live and which is exported worldwide through neoliberalism and globalization. -- David Lorimer * Wall Street International *A work of exceptional merit. Wootton is one of the best intellectual historians in the Anglo-American world today. -- Steven Smith, Yale UniversityIn this deliciously written, stunningly erudite, and enchantingly combative book, one of our most free-spirited and original intellectual historians has helped us see the roots of the Enlightenment and thus our contemporary world with entirely new eyes. -- Stephen Holmes, New York UniversityFull of spirited engagement, Wootton’s writing exemplifies iconoclasm, imagination, and verve. -- Christopher Brooke, University of CambridgeWootton’s notion of modest, practical Aristoteilian-esque virtue in the face of limitless appetite is a compelling one, and he stakes his claims methodically and persuasively. -- Nicholas Cannariato * The Millions *Through the writings of great thinkers, Wootton describes the birth of a new concept of human nature during the years 1500 to 1800… Wootton demonstrates a consistent ability to make complex intellectual ideas approachable… A surprisingly lucid examination of a dramatic revolution in human thought. * Kirkus Reviews *Valuable as a wide-ranging…investigation into the philosophical revolution that made the modern Western world. * American Conservative *Erudite…Raises a number of timely ethical and historical questions for a world where the limitless pursuit of power and pleasure appears increasingly unsustainable. -- Anton M. Matytsin * Journal of Modern History *Engaging…The idea that we are driven by our remorseless quest for power, pleasure, and profit, Wootton argues, has come to dominate Western conceptions of politics and economics since the time of Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, and Adam Smith, and has largely replaced previously important theories of Christian morality and Aristotelian ethics…A pleasure to read. -- K. Steven Vincent * European Legacy *

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Book SynopsisThe time is right to learn what really happened on 9/11. The time is right to unearth what has been deliberately withheld from the public. Nearly twenty years ago, on 11 September 2001, four passenger aircraft were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon near Washington, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly three thousand people were killed. The narrative in the weeks and months that followed seemed straightforward: the attacks had been masterminded by al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, an embittered terrorist with an abiding hatred of the West. But, as the twenty-year anniversary approaches, that neat explanation still fails to answer some important questions surrounding that fateful day. How did World Trade Center Building 7 - 100 yards from the Twin Towers - collapse so quickly and symmetrically when it had not been hit?How could two rogue aircraft bring down three towers?Did the US government help orchestrate the attacks as an 'inside job'? 9/11: The Conspiracy Theories seeks the truth - not only of what we do know about 9/11, but also what has been intentionally hidden from us. Researching these stories with the help of strong first-person reporting and an in-depth examination of documentation released under freedom-of-information protocols, this book sheds new light on one of history's most tragic and troubling episodes, which shattered for ever the myth of America as a country immune to international terrorism.

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Book SynopsisInterdisciplinary approach to the Iberian and Italian perceptions and representations of the Battle of Lepanto and the Muslim “other” The Battle of Lepanto, celebrated as the greatest triumph of Christianity over its Ottoman enemy, was soon transformed into a powerful myth through a vast media campaign. The varied storytelling and the many visual representations that contributed to shape the perception of the battle in Christian Europe are the focus of this book. In broader terms, Lepanto and Beyond also sheds light on the construction of religious alterity in the early modern Mediterranean. It presents cross-disciplinary case studies that explore the figure of the Muslim captive in historical documentation, artistic depictions, and literature. With a focus on the Republic of Genoa, the authors also aim to balance the historical scale and restore the important role of the Genoese in the general scholarly discussion of Lepanto and its images.This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).Trade ReviewIn dit magistraal boek van een ongeëvenaard, intellectueel niveau, staan de gevarieerde vertelkunst en de vele visuele voorstellingen, die hebben bijgedragen aan de perceptie van de strijd in christelijk Europa, centraal. “Lepanto and Beyond” brengt nieuw licht op de constructie van religieuze alteriteit in het vroegmodern Middellandse Zeegebied. Het presenteert multidisciplinaire casestudy’s die de toenmalige moslims onderzoeken in historische documentatie, artistieke afbeeldingen en literatuur. Met een focus op de Republiek Genua, streven de auteurs naar een evenwicht tussen de historische betekenis en het historisch belang, en het herstel van de belangrijke rol van de Genuezen, in de algemene wetenschappelijke discussie over Lepanto.Michel Dutrieue, Stretto, 9 april 2021„Lepanto and Beyond“ is a collection of eleven articles dealing with the construction of perceptions surrounding the Battle of Lepanto and the „Muslim Other“ in earlymodern Italy and Spain. The volume is innovative in its study of Lepanto through Genoese sources, often disregarded in favour of their Venetian and Spanish counterparts.In addition to this, the collection offers several contributions on the representation of Ottoman subjects promoted by European states and patricians. [...] „Lepanto and Beyond“ achieves its dual aim of shedding new light on media campaigns following the Battle and of investigating representations of the Ottoman in the Christian Mediterranean.Achille Marotta, QFIAB 102 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1515/qufiab-2022-0032« The Battle of Lepanto, celebrated as the greatest victory of Christendom over its Ottoman archenemy, was soon transformed into a powerful myth »: la potenza generatrice, sul piano delle rappresentazioni culturali e della produzione di simboli, scaturita dall’esito dello scontro navale del 7 ottobre 1571, è un fatto largamente noto. Consentono ora di approfondirlo, con rimarchevole ricchezza di apporti originali, i saggi riuniti nella miscellanea a cura di Laura Stagno e Borja Franco Llopis.Danilo Zardin, Mediterranean International Journal on the transfer of knowledge, 7, 2022, https://doi.org/10.21071/mijtk.v7i.14091En fin, se trata de una obra de consulta obligada sobre las «representaciones» –en sentido amplio– de Lepanto, o mejor dicho, de los «Lepantos» hispánico y genovés, tanto por la calidad de los ensayos, como por el prestigio académico de los/as autores/as reunidos por los editores, Stagno y Franco Llopis.Iván Rega Castro, Boletín De Arte, (43), 268-269. https://doi.org/10.24310/BoLArte.2022.vi43.14355For those who are interested in seeing how the study of alterity can expose the lines of connection between art, politics, and religion, the entries in Lepanto and Beyond have much to commend them. In addition to the eleven essays, the volume includes twenty-nine color images of paintings and drawings depicting either the battle itself or individuals associated with it, such as Doria and Philip II. The image gallery alone makes this volume of value to historians of the 16th century, most especially to those specializing in art and in the print and media landscape of the period. Brent Gordon, SJ, Reading Religion, March 2023, https://readingreligion.org/9789462702646/Table of Contents Preface PART I. OTHERNESS AND CONFRONTATION IN EARLY MODERN SOUTHERN EUROPE 1. A Brief Review of the Scholarly Literature on Representation of the “Turk” and images of Lepanto in Italy and Iberia Laura Stagno and Borja Franco Llopis 2. Multiple Alterities in the Ottoman Empire Steven Hutchinson PART 2. LEPANTO: THE BATTLE, ITS NARRATIVES, ITS ICONOGRAPHIES 3. Event and Narration. Spanish Storytelling on the Battle of Lepanto in the Early 1570s Stefan Hanß 4. A Sea of Dead Turks: Lepanto and the Iconographies of Hell and the Flood Víctor Mínguez 5. Lepanto in Religious Iconographies: The Genoese Case Daniele Sanguineti 6. Accusation, Defense and Self-Defense: The Debate on the Action of Giovanni Andrea Doria in Lepanto Emiliano Beri 7. Celebrating Lepanto in the Republic of Genoa: Giovanni Andrea Doria’s and Other Aristocrats’ Patronage. Portraits, Paintings and Tapestries Laura Stagno Gallery Section 8. The Necessary Enemy: Reconsidering the Perception of the “Other” in a Society of War Contractors (Genoa, Spain and the Ottoman Empire – Sixteenth Century) Bastien Carpentier PART 3. AFTER THE BATTLE: SLAVES BETWEEN REALITY AND REPRESENTATION 9. In the Sign of Reciprocity: Muslim Slaves in Genoa and Genoese Slaves in Maghreb Andrea Zappia10. The Image of the Turkish Slave in a Peripheral Area of the Pontifical States: The Case of the Cycle of Villa Buonaccorsi in Potenza Picena Giuseppe Capriotti 11. ‘Cet obscur objet du désir’: Sex and Slavery in Early Modern Spanish Fiction Mercedes Alcalá Galán Illustration Credits About the Authors

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Illustrated History of the Holy Land covers the 3,000 years which saw the rise of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam--and relates the familiar stories of the sacred texts with the fruits of modern scholarship. Beginning with the origins of the people who became the Israel of the Bible, it follows the course of the ensuing millennia down to the time when the Ottoman Empire succumbed to British and French rule at the end of the First World War.Parts of the story, especially as known from the Bible, will be widely familiar. Less familiar are the ways in which modern research, both from archaeology and from other ancient sources, sometimes modify this story historically. Better understanding, however, enables us to appreciate crucial chapters in the story of the Holy Land, such as how and why Judaism developed in the way that it did from the earlier sovereign states of Israel and Judah and the historical circumstances in which Christianity emerged from its Jewish cradle. Later parts of the story are vital not only for the history of Islam and its relationships with the two older religions, but also for the development of pilgrimage and religious tourism, as well as the notions of sacred space and of holy books with which we are still familiar today. From the time of Napoleon on, European powers came increasingly to develop both cultural and political interest in the region, culminating in the British and French conquests which carved out the modern states of the Middle East. Sensitive to the concerns of those for whom the sacred books of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are of paramount religious authority, the authors all try sympathetically to show how historical information from other sources, as well as scholarly study of the texts themselves, enriches our understanding of the history of the region and its prominent position in the world''s cultural and intellectual history.Trade ReviewFor those interested in the Bible, history or spiritual pilgrimage, this is a captivating guide and will be a great asset to anyone who has travelled, or will travel, to the Holy Land. * Mark W. Scarlata, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament *The Oxford Illustrated History of the Holy Land is full of ... remarkable details. Thirteen fact-packed chapters, each by an expert in his or her field, take us on a tour from the earliest recorded history onwards. It is a remarkable, readable, and useful achievement one that will illuminate a thousand sermons and provide much to think about for anyone interested in the subject. * William Whyte, Church Times *Three great world faiths have invested so many hopes and passions in one relatively small part of the eastern Mediterranean seaboard and its hinterland, that there are risks even in calling it by a single name. This collective study of the "God-trodden land" is a richly informative, reliable, and sane guide to its troubled history: one valuable contribution to crafting it a more peaceful present and future. * Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, University of Oxford *A fascinating read overall. * Medieval Archaeology Journal vol 67.2 *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Avraham Faust: The Birth of Israel 2: Lester L. Grabbe: Iron Age: Tribes to Monarchy 3: André Lemaire: Israel and Judah: c. 931-587 BCE 4: H. G. M. Williamson: Babylonian Exile and Restoration: 587-325 BCE 5: John J. Collins: The Hellenistic and Roman Era 6: Konstantin Klein: A Christian Holy Land: 284-638 CE 7: Milka Levy-Rubin: The Coming of Islam 8: Carole Hillenbrand: The Holy Land in the Crusader and Ayyubid periods: 1099 - 1250 9: Nimrod Luz: The Holy Land from the Mamluk Sultanate to the Ottoman Empire: 1260-1799 10: Robert Fisk: From Napoleon to Allenby: the Holy Land and the wider Middle East 11: Robert G. Hoyland and Peter Walker: Pilgrimage 12: Richard S. Hess and Denys Pringle: Sacred Spaces and Holy Places 13: Adam Silverstein: Scripture and the Holy Land Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe history of Ireland is one that was long dominated by the question of land ownership, with complex and often distressing tales over the centuries of dispossession and colonisation, religious tensions, absentee landlordism, subsistence farming, and considerably more to sadden the heart. Yet with the destruction of much of Ireland's historic record during the Irish Civil War, and with the discriminatory Penal Laws in place in earlier times, it is often within land records that we can find evidence of our ancestors' existence, in some cases the only evidence, where the relevant vital records for an area may never have been kept or may not have survived. In Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, genealogist and best-selling author Chris Paton explores how the surviving records can help with our ancestral research, but also tell the stories of the communities from within which our ancestors emerged. He explores the often controversial history of ownership of land across the island, the rights granted to those who held estates and the plights of the dispossessed, and identifies the various surviving records which can help to tease out the stories of many of Ireland's forgotten generations. Along the way Chris Paton identifies the various ways to access the records, whether in Ireland's many archives, local and national, and increasingly through a variety of online platforms.

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Book SynopsisIn 1254 the teenage heir to the English throne married a Spanish bride, the sister of the king of Castile, in Burgos, and their marriage of thirty-six years proved to be one of the great royal romances of the Middle Ages. Edward I of England and Leonor of Castile had at least fourteen children together, though only six survived into adulthood, five of them daughters. _Daughters of Edward I_ traces the lives of these five capable, independent women, including Joan of Acre, born in the Holy Land, who defied her father by marrying a second husband of her own choice, and Mary, who did not let her forced veiling as a nun stand in the way of the life she really wanted to live. The women's stories span the decades from the 1260s to the 1330s, through the long reign of their father, the turbulent reign of their brother Edward II, and into the reign of their nephew, the child-king Edward III.

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Book Synopsis''A great subject for a cultural anthropologist and Bewes is a perfect guide'' Financial Times, Book of the YearA brand new edition of the international bestseller, with new sections on the Swiss elections, the Swiss citizenship test and how Brexit has affected Switzerland. One country, four languages, 26 cantons, and 7.5 million people (but only 80% of them Swiss): there''s nowhere else in Europe like it. Switzerland may be almost 400 km from the nearest drop of seawater, but it is an island at the centre of Europe. Welcome to the landlocked island. Swiss Watching is a fascinating journey around Europe''s most individual and misunderstood country. From seeking Heidi and finding the best chocolate to reliving a bloody past and exploring an uncertain future, Diccon Bewes proves that there''s more to Switzerland than banks and skis, francs and cheese. This book dispels the myths and unravels the true meaning of Swissness.Trade ReviewEurope's landlocked island is a great subject for a cultural anthropologist and Bewes is a perfect guide. - Financial Times, Book of the YearBewes has an engagingly light and comic touch. The narrative moves with ease between subjects as diverse as graffiti and recycling, and it's easy to dip in and out of. - The Sunday TelegraphInformative and entertaining. - The Mail on SundayDiccon Bewes has the Bryson touch, informing and entertaining readers with his observations, considerable knowledge and love for this little-known country. - LoveReading, Travel Book of the MonthEverything you wanted to know about Switzerland, and then some. Not just a travel book, Swiss Watching is a no-stone-unturned exploration of what makes (and has made) this enigmatic country tick. - Peter Kerr, author of the Snowball Orange seriesIt's a real page turner, a treasure trove. Absolutely jam-packed with fascinating facts that really got me thinking. - Margaret Oertig-Davidson, author of Beyond ChocolateA fascinating book, teeming with facts, figures, and anecdotes which even the Swiss don't know. A journalist, anthropologist and satirist, Diccon Bewes gives us a book that is serious without being academic and funny without ever falling into caricature. - L'Hebdo

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Book SynopsisA fascinating and detailed exploration of one of the most famous warships of the Ancient world - the trireme - and its tactical employment by the opposing sides in the 5th-century BC Graeco-Persian Wars.You may be familiar with the Athenian trireme but how much do you know about the ram-armed, triple-oared warships that it dueled against at the battles of Artemision, Salamis and the Eurymedon River? How similar or different were these warships to each other? And why did the Persians rely on Phoenician vessels to form much of their navy? Much attention has been devoted to the Greek trireme, made famous by modern reconstruction with only passing notice given to the opposing Persian navy's vessels in illustrated treatments. Join us on the Aegean as, for the first time, we reveal a rarely attempted colour reconstruction of a trireme in Persian service. Compare the form, construction, design, manoeuvrability, and tactical deployment of the opposing triremes, aided by stunning illusTable of ContentsIntroduction Chronology Design and Development Technical Specifications The Combatants Combat Statistics and Analysis Aftermath Glossary and Abbreviations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe first English-language collection of the titular artist, "The Art of Sachiko Kaneoya" chronicles the creator's work and themes for nearly a decade, showcasing the monstrous, the romantic, and the mortal suffering of her subjects. Inspired by anime and manga from the 50s and 90s, Kaneoya's global contingent of fans has never had a easily-obtainable volume of her work... until now.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of Operation Jericho, the spectacular prison break staged by an elite group of British, Australian and New Zealand bomber pilots, who flew a daring low-level mission to blow holes in the walls of Amiens jail and free French Resistance prisoners under the sentence of death during World War II. With D-Day looming, early 1944 was a time of massive intelligence activity across northern France, and many résistants were being captured and imprisoned by the Germans. Among the jails full of French agents was Amiens, where hundreds awaited likely execution for their activities. To repay their debt of honour, MI6 requested an air raid with a seemingly impossible brief: to simultaneously blow holes in the prison walls, free as many men and women as possible while minimizing casualties, and kill German guards in their quarters. The crews would have to fly their bomb-run at an altitude of just 20ft. Despite the huge difficulties, the RAF decided that the low-Trade Review...it includes some marvellous 3D diagrams clearly showing the flightpaths of the various aircraft over the prison site. -- Robin Buckland * Military Model Scene *The book is organised into four chapters with an introduction, the origins, the plan, and the raid along with an aftermath section, a bibliography, and a short index. The book is well illustrated throughout with a great selection of photographs along with superb artwork. There are three double page artworks that really leap off the pages. The diagrams showing the various attack axis is also noteworthy. And the abundance of first person accounts from the aircrew and prisoners alike is commendable. I did however find one editing error on the last page where a footnote says “VHS” instead of “VHF” for a frequency reference. This in no way detracts from the book and is a simple mistake to make. This is one of best and most affordable books out there on this somewhat controversial raid. RAMROD 564 as it was known then is one of the most famous low level bombing raids of World War Two and also one of the most controversial due to the mystery behind why it was actually ordered. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Mosquito operations, the French Resistance, or as a collector of the RAID Osprey series. -- Todd Shughart * Aviation News Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Target for Today Origins: The Aircraft - No.2 (Lighter Bomber) Group The Plan: The Reason Why - Group Captain Percy Charles Pickard The Raid: Take-off - The Attack - Aftermath in Amiens - The Deaths of Pickard and Broadley Aftermath Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn the decades since the end of the Second World War, it has been widely assumed that the western model of liberal democracy and free trade is the way the world should be governed. However, events in the early years of the twenty-first century – first, the 2003 war with Iraq and its chaotic aftermath and, second, the financial crash of 2008 – have threatened the general acceptance that continued progress under the benign (or sometimes not so benign) gaze of the western powers is the only way forwards. And as America turns inwards and Europe is beset by austerity politics and populist nationalism, the post-war consensus looks less and less secure. But is this really the worst of times? In a forensic examination of the world we now live in, acclaimed historian Michael Burleigh sets out to answer that question. Who could have imagined that China would champion globalization and lead the battle on climate change? Or that post-Soviet Russia might present a greater threat to the world’s stability than ISIS? And while we may be on the cusp of still more dramatic change, perhaps the risks will – in time – bring not only change but a wholly positive transformation.Incisive, robust and always insightful, The Best of Times, The Worst of Times by Michael Burleigh is both a dazzling tour d’horizon of the world as it is today and a surprisingly optimistic vision of the world as it might become.Trade ReviewA robust and unsentimental guide to global power politics * The Times *Burleigh has always had an eye for compelling hard detail * Sunday Times *Bracing … refreshingly pessimistic * Observer *In this wide-ranging book Michael Burleigh demonstrates a mastery of global affairs that would put most experts in any one of his chosen chapter headings to shame … quite brilliant. * Mail on Sunday *Brilliant, fact-packed, judicious and above all debunking … The Best of Times, the Worst of Times will not leave its readers cheered, but they will at least be superbly informed about the dramas to come. * Daily Telegraph *Swashbuckling … a breakneck geopolitical gallop across the globe in the hands of a historian and commentator at the peak of his powers. * Evening Standard *[A] trenchant and galloping account of the opening years of the century … ruthlessly impolite * Irish Examiner *A history of the modern world, set out clearly, with trenchant scholarship and wit * Daily Telegraph Books of the Year *Incisive and compelling. His style is always trenchant and sometimes blistering -- Piers Brendon * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisA practical guide to the Anglo-Saxon Futhark and how runes were used in Old England In the early Anglo-Saxon period, the region of Great Britain known as Northumbria was a kingdom in its own right. These lands, in what is now northern England and southeast Scotland, were the targets of the first Viking raids on Britain. This violent influx, followed by the establishment of trade routes with the Norse, brought the runes to the region, where they intermingled with local magical traditions and legends, resulting in the development of a practical runic wisdom entirely unique to Northumbria. In this guide to the Wyrdstaves, or runic practices, of Old Northumbria, Nigel Pennick examines the thirty-three runes of the Anglo-Saxon Futhark and how they were used in Old England for weaving the web of Wyrd. Sharing runic lore and legends from the area, he explains how the Northumbrian runes are unique because they contain elements from all the cultures of the region, including the Picts, Britons, Romans, Angles, Scots, and Norse. He illustrates how each rune in this tradition is a storehouse of ancient knowledge, detailing the meanings, historical uses, symbolism, and related tree and plant spirits for each of the thirty-three runes. The author describes the Northumbrian use of runes in magic and encryption and explores geomancy divination practices, the role of sacred numbers, and the power of the eight airts, or directions. He also shows how the Northumbrian runes have a close relationship with Ogam, the tree alphabet of the ancient Celts. Providing a magical history of Northumbria, as well as a look at the otherworldly beings who call these lands home, including boggarts, brownies, and dragons, Pennick explains how traditional spirituality is intimately tied to the landscape and the cycle of the seasons. He reveals how the runic tradition is still vibrantly alive in this area and ready for us to reawaken to it.Trade Review“In Runic Lore and Legend: Wyrdstaves of Old Northumbria, Pennick delivers the most thorough account of Anglo-Saxon history, mythology, and cosmology. His ability to weave their narrative into the use of the Northumbrian Runes and reveal their modern relevance is nothing less than magickal.” * S. Kelley Harrell, author of Runic Book of Days *“Nigel Pennick is one of the greatest living runic experts, bringing meticulous research and a profound magical understanding to his subject. This important book examines the distinctive Anglo-Saxon Futhark of Northumbria, essentially setting the thirty-three runes in the context of both time and place.” * Anna Franklin, author of Pagan Ways Tarot *“The magical runes of England have, ironically, been the most neglected of all the runic alphabets in writings in the English language. To have one of the leading authors on the wisdom of the runes pen this comprehensive manual on the Northumbrian wyrdstaves is a most valuable gift to all who follow the Northern Tradition. Pennick’s weaving of local history and lore around the runes illuminates his subject in a way that no other book has been able to achieve.” * Richard Rudgley, author of The Return of Odin: The Modern Renaissance of Pagan Imagination *“Nigel Pennick is a true initiate who can demonstrate to the reader how nature and cosmos correlate to each other. He explains runes, medieval traditions, and Celtic magic in a pedagogic way that helps us understand how these topics are universal--something that gives us knowledge about ourselves and is of highest relevance for humankind today. I regularly return to Nigel Pennick’s books and am delighted to add Runic Lore and Legend: Wyrdstaves of Old Northumbria to my shelf.” * Thomas Karlsson, Ph.D., author of Nightside of the Runes *"This book is far more than the cover promised--had I seen this in a bookshop I could have easily passed it over for something that appeared less intimidating but to have done so would have denied me the delightful, personable yet incredibly intelligent and thorough writing of this author... " * Em Chuter, Pagan Dawn: Journal of the Pagan Federation *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION Our Picture of Past Times CHAPTER 1The Kingdom of Northumbria A Brief History CHAPTER 2 The Spirit Landscape of Northumbria CHAPTER 3 Northumbrian Geomancy The Year, Time, and Space CHAPTER 4 Runes and Consciousness Weaving the Web of Wyrd CHAPTER 5The Runes of Northumbria CHAPTER 6 The First Airt of the Northumbrian RunesCHAPTER 7 The Second Airt of the Northumbrian Runes CHAPTER 8 The Third Airt of the Northumbrian Runes CHAPTER 9 The Fourth Airt of the Northumbrian RunesCHAPTER 10Runes in Magic and Encryption CHAPTER 11 Magical Symbols and Artifacts of Old Northumbria CHAPTER 12 Ing Legendary and Magical HistoryCHAPTER 13Yr The Outlaw Archers CHAPTER 14 Otherworldly Beings of the Northumbrian Landscape Boggarts, Hobs, Brownies, and Bogeymen POSTSCRIPT Ancestral TreasuresGlossaryBibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA is for Atlas: Wonders of Maps and Mapping is a fascinating exploration of maps, charts, atlases and globes. Through a series of unique themes, this book reveals stories about objects produced centuries apart, showing the very different worlds in which maps were produced and consumed. From sumptuous globes designed for display to sketches drawn on scrap paper, from tales of buried treasure to cutting political satire and from imperial mapping to twenty-first-century projects that challenge contemporary border policies, each object in this lavishly illustrated volume is valuable for what it reveals about the hands that made it and the society that shaped it.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review‘His biography, well researched, fresh and distinctive, knocks off the top perch G.W.S. Barrow’s Robert the Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland, published in 1965.’—Katie Stevenson, London Review of Books‘Penman’s book is first-class history: detailed, closely argued and ringing with the authority of one steeped in the period . . .Penman’s scholarship is commendable, his style clear, his contribution to this field a truly original and quietly groundbreaking addition to the known facts of Robert the Bruce. It is essential reading as midsummer draws near – and long after.’ —Rosemary Goring, The Herald'His biography, well researched, fresh and distinctive, knocks off the op perch G.W.S.Barrow's Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland, published in 1965.'—Katie Stevenson, World of Interiors'[T]his is an outstanding piece of work that shines a light on some extremely murky corners of history and allows King Robert's genius as a lawmaker and diplomat to rival his undoubted skill as a military leader.'—Fiona Watson, Reviews in History “[T]he fullest reappraisal of this crucial figure since the 1960s… [A] major advance in the study of this critical period in the shaping of the late medieval Scottish kingdom”—Michael H. Brown, Royal Studies Journal'Robert Bruce’s piety is one of the fascinating themes that characterise Michael Penman’s full and definitive account of the king’s life and reign. A magesterial study.'—Michael Prestwich, author of Edward I

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Book SynopsisA beautiful and sweeping historical novel that takes the reader from the west coast of New Zealand, to Scotland and Melbourne in the 1870s'Its portrayal of life in a gold-rush town is vivid, and Rose's story is absorbing' The Times'Worth reading for its occasional streaks of brilliance and insight' Telegraph India'A epic read . . . a beautifully written, evocative novel that I anticipate you reading and re-reading for years to come' Woman's Way'A gripping page-turner' Woman 1866. Will Stewart is one of many who have left their old lives behind to seek their fortunes in New Zealand's last great gold rush. The conditions are hostile and the outlook bleak, but he must push on in his uncertain search for the elusive buried treasure.Rose is about to arrive on the shores of South Island when a storm hits and her ship is wrecked. Just when all seems lost she is snatched from the jaws of death by Will, who risks his life to save her. Drawn together by circumstance, they stay together by choice and for a while it seems that their stars have finally aligned.But after a terrible misunderstanding they are cruelly separated, and their new-found happiness is shattered. As Will chases Rose across oceans and continents, he must come to terms with the possibility that he might never see her again. And if he does, he will have to face the man who took her . . .Readers love Alchemy and Rose:'A real rollercoaster of emotions' 5* reader review'One of her best yet' 5* reader review'Both gripping and romantic (quite a combination!) and keeps you hooked right up to the end' 5* reader review'One of those books that you need to find out what happened, but at the same time you don't want it to finish' 5* reader review'Couldn't put it down, a real page turner' 5* reader reviewTrade ReviewIts portrayal of life in a gold-rush town is vivid, and Rose's story is absorbing * The Times *Maine reworks the conventions of historical romance in a narrative that regularly undercuts expectations of what is to come * The Sunday Times (Culture) *A gripping page-turner * Woman Magazine *Worth reading for its occasional streaks of brilliance and insight * Telegraph India *This feels like an epic read, and it is a beautifully written, evocative novel that I anticipate you reading and re-reading for years to come * Woman's Way *

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Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author, Carl ChinnAs Britain emerges into the mid-twentieth century, change is afoot. Cities are beginning to shift from smog-filled industrial hubs to more efficient metropolitan centres of commerce and, despite the country once again being blighted by war, society is beginning to shift towards a more modern, forward-thinking era. But change is not only limited to regular men and women; under the shifting tides of development, the criminal underbelly, too, is evolving, anxious for new avenues of exploitation and expansion . . .And so, in the third instalment of his best-selling series, historian Carl Chinn examines this new era in the landscape of Britain's gangs. After the violent reign of the Peaky Blinders, the intimidation of the Birmingham gang and frequent gang wars up and down the country, from the wreckage new groups are emerging with new ways of making money and causing trouble, and, like those who came before them, they leave havoc and destruction in their wake.Peaky Blinders: The Aftermath will bring this new generation of criminals into focus. And up and down the length of the country, from the dog tracks to the pubs of the East End, it delves into the murky world of the country's most villainous criminals.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Deeply researched and written in a scholarly but engaging style, the book breaks new ground in Korean art history, counteracting the dominant role of the yangban in earlier studies. Kim's book is a welcome addition to recent monographs and exhibition catalogues on Korean art history." * Choice *"Richly detailed, comprehensively resourced, and meticulously researched . . . call[s] into question existing narratives on Chosŏn painting by reading artworks in consideration of their collective agency and their roles in negotiating values, taste, and status at a critical historical juncture. [Flowering Plums and Curio Cabinets] will hence contribute significantly to the literature and ultimately enrich scholarly discussion of early modernity in East Asia." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[C]omprehensive analyses of the late Chosŏn dynasty...Kim's Flowering Plums and Curio Cabinets boldly presents the academic possibility that the artworks and cultural objects of late Chosŏn Korea can be examined through visual and cultural studies." * European Journal of Korean Studies *"Kim’s scholarship makes an important addition to understandings of late Chosǒn arts and culture and is a must-read volume for students and researchers alike." * Asian Affairs: An American Review *"[A] model of scholarship...opens new insights..offering fresh and exciting readings." * The Art Bulletin *

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Book SynopsisUsing specially commissioned artwork, this is the engrossing story of the victory at Kulikovo in 1380 that heralded the birth of Russian statehood.The 13th-century Mongol conquest of the Rus''--the principalities of Russia--was devastating and decisive. Cities were lain waste, new dynasties rose, and for a hundred years the Russians were under unquestioned foreign rule. However, the Mongols were conquerors rather than administrators and they chose to rule through subject princes. This allowed the Rurikid dynastic princes of Moscow to rise with unprecedented speed. With the famed ''Mongol Yoke'' loosening, Grand Prince Dmitri of Moscow saw in this an unparalleled opportunity and rebelled. On September 7 1380, his 60,000 troops crossed the Don to take the battle to Mamai''s 125,000, which included Armenian and Cherkessk auxiliaries and Genoese mercenaries.Table of ContentsOrigins of the campaign /Chronology /Opposing commanders /Opposing armies /Orders of battle /Opposing plans /The campaign /Aftermath /The battlefields today /Further reading /Index

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Book SynopsisThe present Ukrainian city of Odessa, formerly an economic asset for the Russian Empire and a resort town for the Soviet Union, always a non-conformist city at once rambunctious and European in style, has become a contested area. Imperial Russian tsars and Soviet leaders maintained an ambivalent attitude towards the maverick city, appreciating the fame and fortune it generated, but also leery of the activities of secret foreign national societies, pogromists, revolutionaries, and simply the perceived lack of patriotism in the singular city so far away from the heart of Russia. With the withering of the lucrative grain trade by the time of the Soviet Union, Odessa became a neglected city, drained of its foreign flavor. With the independence of Ukraine in 1991, there were hopes raised that the architectural beauty and economic prospects of the city would be revived. Given the current hostilities in Eastern Ukraine, with the potential of the Odessa area becoming a possible land bridge to the Crimean Peninsula, the fate of the former Pearl of the Black Sea hangs in suspension.Trade Review"With a profound understanding of the multi-ethnic and multilingual character of the city, Herlihy brings together the life stories of famous Odessites with a rich discussion of Odessa’s unique political, sociocultural, and economic conditions across the centuries. In sum, Odessa Recollected: The Port and the People is a crucial read for all those studying or even visiting Odessa, the ‘Pearl by the Sea’." - Journal of European StudiesTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Culture The Persuasive Power of the Odessa Myth Odessa Memories How Ukrainian Is Odesa? From Odessa to Odesa Jewish Writers of Odessa Part 2: Community Death in Odessa: A Study of Population Movements in a Nineteenth-Century City The Ethnic Composition of Odessa in the Nineteenth Century Greek Merchants in Odessa in the Nineteenth Century The Greek Community in Odessa, 1861–1917 Part 3: Commerce Odessa: Staple Trade and Urbanization in New Russia Commerce and Architecture in Odessa in Late Imperial Russia Port Jews of Odessa and Trieste: A Tale of Two Cities Russian Wheat and the Port of Livorno, 1794–1865 The South Ukraine as an Economic Region in the Nineteenth Century

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] masterly reading that is undoubtedly necessary for understanding the history of the medieval and contemporary Maghrib, as well as for its anthropologists and philologists. It involves a lesson in methodology for approaching and reflecting on written sources, but also in maturity, critical thinking, and exposition of ideas. It is an update that provides a profound analysis of the historical term. Inventing the Berbers has become perhaps the most up-todate work that has not invented the Berbers." * Comitatus *"Inventing the Berbers is an essential contribution to the history of the Maghrib, not only in the Middle Ages, but in our own time as well. It will, no doubt, be controversial, for it touches on issues of colonial historiography and ethnic definition that remain politically sensitive, especially in Algeria and Morocco. But Ramzi Rouighi's arguments are firmly grounded in the sources-and are overwhelmingly convincing." * Dominique Valérian, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne *Table of ContentsIntroduction PART I. MEDIEVAL ORIGINS Chapter 1. Berberization and Its Origins Chapter 2. Making Berbers PART II. GENEOLOGY AND HOMELAND Chapter 3. The Berber People Chapter 4. The Maghrib and the Land of the Berbers PART III. MODERN MEDIEVAL BERBERS Chapter 5. Modern Origins Chapter 6. Beacons, Guides, and Marked Paths Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis absorbing study casts light on the tactics, weapons and combat effectiveness of the US Marines and North Korean soldiers who fought one another in August and September 1950.Equipped with Soviet tanks and bolstered by a cadre of combat veterans returning from the Chinese Civil War, North Korea's army launched its surprise offensive against the Republic of Korea on 25 June 1950; within days Seoul had fallen and the majority of South Korea's divisions had been shattered. American ground troops rushed to Korea also seemed incapable of stopping the rapidly advancing North Koreans. By August, the remnants of the South Korean and US Army divisions had been pushed into a small corner around the port of Pusan, their backs to the sea. Time was also running out for the North Koreans; virtually all of their planning and preparations were based on a two-month campaign. Although the North Korean People's Army had enjoyed an impressive string of victories, its losses were no longer being Table of ContentsIntroduction The Opposing Sides Hill 342, August 2-9, 1950 Obong-ni Ridge, August 17-18, 1950 Seoul, September 25-27, 1950 Analysis Aftermath Unit Organizations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisItalian motorcycles have a place in history - and many enthusiast's hearts - out of all proportion to the numbers that been built. If the number of motorcycles built by Italian manufacturers is small, the sheer number of Italian motorcycle factories will surprise readers. A-Z of Italian Motorcycle Manufacturers is the most complete directory of Italian motorcycles available today. In addition to covering the most famous Italian factories, this is a definitive guide to the marques that have had little or no coverage. Some might be familiar, while others are remembered for their racing achievements, and many will never had been heard of by most readers. This new book includes: entries for every marque where it was possible to establish when and where the factories were active; details of the most important motorcycles each manufacturer built, and the marques' greatest achievements; the history of the once great factories and finally, an appendix lists the other, less well-known manufacturers.

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Book Synopsis''Fascinating, full of original material and shrewd insights ... a masterful historian of air power'' Leo McKinstry, Literary ReviewThe RAF was the world''s first air force. This is the story of its founding in 1918, as a response to the new terror of aerial warfare, the struggles to keep it alive amid controversy and opposition, its crucial role in the Second World War and its unique place in Britain''s history.''Brilliantly lucid'' Noel Malcolm, Daily Telegraph''Richard Overy is to be congratulated on creating a concise exposition of the formation of the RAF ... this is a book that makes you think'' Peter Hart, BBC History Magazine''A skilful pocket history of the founding of the Royal Air Force in 1918 ... a fine introduction'' Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisArtemis is a literary, iconographic, and archaeological study of the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, who presided over the transitions and mediations between the wild and the civilized, youth and maturity, life and death. Beginning with a study of the early origins of Artemis and her cult in the Bronze and Archaic Ages, Budin explores the goddess'' persona and her role in the lives of her worshippers.This volume examines her birth and childhood, her place in the divine family, her virginity, and her associations with those places where the wilds become the cities of just men. The focus then turns to Artemis' role in the lives of children and women, particularly how she helps them navigate the transition to adulthood and, perhaps too often, death. Budin goes on to reconsider some of the more harrowing aspects of Artemis' mythology, such as plague and bloodshed, while also examining some of her kinder, oft overlooked associations. Finally, the role of Artemis in theTrade Review"Stephanie Budin’s Artemis is a richly detailed and engaging study that offers a welcome contribution to the fields of Greek religion and mythology. Expertly weaving together evidence from literary texts and inscriptions, archaeology and the visual arts, Budin uncovers the many meanings and layers of Artemis through her origin stories, her iconic roles as virgin and huntress, and her mediating function as a goddess of critical female transitions. With the passion and wit of a great teacher, Budin convincingly demonstrates that the worship of Artemis was truly a life-or-death matter for the ancient Greeks." - Monica S. Cyrino, University of New Mexico"Although principally writing for undergraduates, historian Budin not only surveys the current scholarship but also argues for revisions; most compellingly, that Artemis was not associated with warfare, and that the evidence claimed for that view is from the Roman period, or is methodologically flawed. While rigorous, the volume remains clear and approachable: all Greek is translated; arguments based on Greek language are judiciously chosen and lucid. An important book for collections supporting study of mythology, religion, and literature, and likely to appeal to a broader audience...Summing Up: Highly recommended." - P. E. Ojennus, Whitworth University, CHOICETable of ContentsIntroduction: Why Artemis?1 An Early History of Artemis2 The Childhood and Perpetual Virginity of Artemis3 Artemis of the Wilds4 Artemis and Children5 Artemis and Women6 Artemis as Goddess of Plague and Cruelty7 Some Underappreciated Aspects of Artemis8 Artemis Afterwards

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"With a mixture of sober social science analysis and engaging personal travelogue, Lieberman defends the country’s record, particularly its ability to sustain for several decades a dynamic democracy with free and fair elections, a vibrant press, and an independent judiciary. He also ably documents South Africa’s achievements in improving education, housing, and public health, showing that, over the last 25 years, the country has mostly matched or surpassed the accomplishments of comparable upper-middle-income countries. . . . He writes lucidly about the economic and political shortcomings on which other accounts focus, but he makes an eloquent case for the remarkable progress South Africa has made in the wake of apartheid’s brutal legacy."---Nicolas van de Walle, Foreign Affairs"Lieberman’s analysis evaluates South Africa as a country, not as a miracle. Rather than being the bearer of the promise of democracy, the world can evaluate South Africa, Lieberman says, on its record of government performance, which has much to laud. . . . Important."---Carolyn Holmes, Washington Post

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Spectator Book of the Year""A Prospect Best History Book of the Year""A FiveBooks Best Economic History Book of the Year""Finalist for the PROSE Award in European History, Association of American Publishers""Shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize""An Australian Most Anticipated Book""A fantastic display of scholarship."---Talha Burki, The Lancet"[A] sweeping revisionist history. . . . Rich in erudition and startling new insights, this fresh look at the impact of the Black Death upon world history is a must for history lovers and plague aficionados alike." * Library Journal *"A provocative and impressive history of an earth-shattering event." * Publishers Weekly *"[A] bold, tremendously researched work."---Jordan Michael Smith, Undark"The World the Plague Made is worth reading simply as a narrative of these extraordinary events by a historian who combines command of detail with a grandiose vision of factors driving human expansion. Belich is sweeping in his range, provocative in his assertions and ambitious in his conceptions. His writing is full of colourful metaphors, unexpected turns of phrase and elegant put-downs of the many scholars who lack the imagination to share his insights."---Jonathan Sumption, Literary Review"Sweeping, ambitious."---Peter Frankopan, The Spectator"There is much to learn from this carefully considered book."---Peter Sarris, The Critic"The World the Plague Made convincingly demonstrates that the Black Death influenced many aspects of human life. In short, it is global history."---Okori Uneke, International Social Science Review"Belich draws on a vast array of bang-up-to-date material with the latest historical research, from plague pathogens to the role of war in centralising the early modern and modern state. The ride is a provocative and often exhilarating one. . . . Belich asks profound questions and does so with considerable elan."---Peter Frankopan, Prospect"Terribly interesting and educational. . . . [A] fascinating book. It obviously comes recommended to students of the history of infectious disease, but also to readers receptive to the idea that history can be decisively shaped by curveballs thrown by nature."---Leon Vlieger, Inquisitive Biologist"Packed with extensive and detailed information. . . .The World the Plague Made is a monumental book that will be required reading for anyone interested in the transition to modernity and it offers much food for thought about the methodology of ‘global history’ and history over a longue durée."---Justine Firnhaber-Baker, History Today"Deeply-researched and erudite."---Sheldon Kirshner, The Times of Israel"James Belich is one of our absolutely necessary historians; his lens is wide as the world itself."---Geordie Williamson, The Australian

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Book SynopsisRobert Conquest's The Great Terror is the book that revealed the horrors of Stalin's regime to the West. This definitive fiftieth anniversary edition features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum.One of the most important books ever written about the Soviet Union, The Great Terror revealed to the West for the first time the true extent and nature Stalin’s purges in the 1930s, in which around a million people were tortured and executed or sent to labour camps on political grounds. Its publication caused a widespread reassessment of Communism itself.This definitive fiftieth anniversary edition gathers together the wealth of material added by the author in the decades following its first publication and features a new foreword by leading historian Anne Applebaum, explaining the continued relevance of this momentous period of history and of this classic account.Trade ReviewMore than any other writer, Conquest has been responsible for bringing to the attention of the West the extent of the crimes committed against humanity in the name of Soviet Communism * Sunday Times *Stalin was not only the master criminal; he was the master concealer. It took a master detective, and a poet, like Mr Conquest, to unmask him completely * New York Times *Monumental * Washington Post *A very important book. No one has written about Stalin's terror so deeply -- Milovan Djilas

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Book Synopsis'Strikingly original, utterly absorbing' Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the Third Reich A Financial Times 'Book to Read in 2023' 1930s Europe - as the Roaring Twenties wind down and the world rumbles towards war, the great minds of the time have other concerns. Jean-Paul Sartre waits anxiously in a Parisian café for his first date with no-show Simone de Beauvoir. Marlene Dietrich slips from her loveless marriage into the dive bars of Berlin. Father and son Thomas and Klaus Mann clash over each other's homosexuality. And Vladimir Nabokov lovingly places a fresh-caught butterfly at the end of Verá's bed. Little do they all know, the book burning will soon begin. Love in a Time of Hate skilfully interweaves some of the greatest love stories of the 1930s with the darkening backdrop of fascism in Europe, in an irresistible journey into the past that brings history and its actors to vivid life.Trade ReviewA brilliantly conceived and uniquely different cultural history of the 1930s, written with confident, alluring poise. Fascinating and revelatory -- William Boyd, author * Trio *An enthralling and insightful cultural history - one that shows how, over the course of one pivotal decade, love, freedom and the freedom to love gave way to fear, madness and despair * Washington Post *Florian Illies's whirling cultural history, Love in a Time of Hate, captures an era of unmatched hedonism ... there's the thrill of discovery on every page -- Jasper Rees * Daily Telegraph *The experimental sex lives of the artists and thinkers of the roaring 20s are set against the burgeoning threat of fascism in this wickedly amusing and timely book -- Peter Conrad * The Observer *Partly as a result of the book's organising conceit, and Illies's often arch prose style, Love in a Time of Hate achieves something that is really rather impressive - turning the great moral dramas of the 20th century into breathless melodrama. -- John Maier * The Times *A brilliantly readable and evocative social history ... beginning with the build up to the Great Depression and ending with the outbreak of war, Florian Illies's superb new book explores the complicated personal and creative lives of everyone from Marlene Dietrich and the Mann family to Salvador Dalí, and F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald * Irish Times *It takes a skilful hand to arrange these vignettes into a dramatic image of the world slipping into catastrophe ... This erudite history covers much ground -- Anna Aslanyan * Spectator *In a revealing, offbeat slice of cultural history, Florian Illies traces the tangled affairs of Europe's intelligentsia against the backdrop of the rise of fascism ... Illies, a German writer, brings a light touch and conversational style to his mosaic view of a pivotal period ... he astutely weaves these diverse stories into a fluent, widescreen narrative * Business Post *Engaging ... Illies immerses us in a stream of gossip and political rumour, in love affairs past and present, somehow carried on amid great personal achievements and terrible folly. There is a Freudian element and no little writerly brilliance in the way Illies asks: what did these people mean by love? ... This, then, was Europe in love * TLS *Highly novelistic ... wisecracking ... skilfully composed * History Today *A cultural history of some of the 1930s greatest love stories, interwoven with the darkening backdrop of fascism in Europe * Bookseller *Love in a Time of Hate invites us to consider that history is as much an accretion of small gestures as it is a catalogue of battles and speeches. At once intimate and epic, this dazzling book illuminates the human desire to seek connection and coherence as the world descends into chaos. A brilliant and imaginative tour de force -- Rebecca Donner, author * All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler *Set against the relentless rise of Nazi terror, this ingenious narrative evokes the 1930s through the loves, foibles and tragedies of the cultural elite. Strikingly original, utterly absorbing. -- Julia Boyd, author * Travellers in the Third Reich *Please do read this book - it is gorgeous. I learned so many new things about love, art and the horror of history -- Ferdinand von Schirach, author * The Collini Case *This is candid, unsparing and gripping social history viewed through the prism of two- and three-person relationships - simultaneously disenchanting and endearing. A bravura performance -- Harald Jähner, author * Aftermath *Praise for Florian Illies: 'Illies is as astute a researcher as he is an observer of the zeitgeist * Guardian *A vivid, richly textured book that chronicles a world crackling with talent, energy and foreboding * Financial Times *An absolute gem of a book * Observer *Thorough and fascinating * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisThe three-thousand-year-old rock-cut temples at Abu Simbel and the story of their rescue from the rising waters of Lake Nasser in the 1960s are almost as familiar worldwide as the tale of the gold funerary mask and brief life of the boy king Tutankhamun. Yet although they remain among the most celebrated, visited, and photographed archaeological sites in the world, the lower Nubian temples-from Philae in the north to Abu Simbel in the south-are some of the least understood by the visitor. In this lucidly written, beautifully illustrated book, Nigel Fletcher-Jones places the temples in their historical context, telling the story of the discovery of the Abu Simbel temples, and why and how they were moved, explaining what the Nubian temples teach us about ancient Egypt, which gods and goddesses were worshiped there, and the place of Rameses II in the long line of ancient Egyptian kings and queens. With over 80 new photographs, diagrams, and maps, and packed with fascinating insights, Abu Simbel and the Nubian Temples is an ideal introduction to one of the world's great regions of archaeological splendor.Trade ReviewAbu Simbel and the Nubian Temples: A New Travelers Companion is an ideal, information-packed, gorgeously photographed, and easy-to-follow guide to Abu Simbel and other Nubian temples. Author Nigel Fletcher-Jones has a rare gift-to see the whole and the detail simultaneously, to provide us with the whole context, on the one hand, but also those brilliant little elements of a place easily missed without the expert's eye. His photographs are exactly what makes this travelers companion special. This book is a wonderful addition to the libraries of globe-trotters as well as explorers of the imagination. -- Kara Cooney A fine companion for a visit to the iconic Nubian temples. -- Aidan DodsonTable of Contents1. Understanding Abu Simbel 2. From Discovery to the Grand Tour 3. The Great and Small Temples 4. The Gods of Abu Simbel 5. Rameses at Home 6. Rameses at War 7. Saving Abu Simbel 8. The Nubian Temples Further Reading

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Book SynopsisPink Triangle Legacies traces the transformation of the pink triangle from a Nazi concentration camp badge and emblem of discrimination into a widespread, recognizable symbol of queer activism, pride, and community. W. Jake Newsome provides an overview of the Nazis'' targeted violence against LGBTQ+ people and details queer survivors'' fraught and ongoing fight for the acknowledgement, compensation, and memorialization of LGBTQ+ victims. Within this context, a new generation of queer activists has used the pink trianglea reminder of Germany''s fascist pastas the visual marker of gay liberation, seeking to end queer people''s status as second-class citizens by asserting their right to express their identity openly. The reclamation of the pink triangle occurred first in West Germany, but soon activists in the United States adopted this chapter from German history as their own. As gay activists on opposite sides of the Atlantic grafted pink triangle memoriesTrade ReviewFor those interested in the "problems" of queer history, this book is an excellent introduction to the issues associated with confronting queer historical memory. * The Gay & Lesbian Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: "Beaten to Death, Silenced to Death" 1. "They are Enemies of the State!": The Fate of LGBTQ+ People in Nazi Germany 2. "For Homosexuals, the Third Reich Hasn't Ended Yet": Paragraph 175 and the Nazi Past in West Germany 3. "The Only Acceptable Gay Liberation Logo": The Reclamation of the Pink Triangle in West Germany 4. "It's a Scar, but In Your Heart": The Pink Triangle in American Gay Activism 5. "Remembrances of Things Once Hidden": Piecing Together the Pink Triangle Past on Stage and on Page 6. "We Died There, Too": Commemoration and the Construction of a Transatlantic Gay Identity Epilogue: "Remembering Must Also Have Consequences"

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Book SynopsisFor better or worse, what we are is often determined by our family; the events that occurred many years before we were born, and the choices that were made by our forebears are our inheritance - we are the inexorable product of family history. So it is with nations. The history of Great Britain has been largely defined by powerful and influential families, many of whose names have come down to us from Celtic, Danish, Saxon or Norman ancestors. Their family names fill the pages of our history books; they are indelibly written into the events which we learned about at school. Iconic family names like Wellington, Nelson, Shakespeare, Cromwell, Constable, De Montfort and Montgomery... there are innumerable others. They reflect the long chequered history of Britain, and demonstrate the assimilation of the many cultures and languages which have migrated to these islands over the centuries, and which have resulted in the emergence of our language. This book is a snapshot of several hundred such family names and delves into their beginnings and derivations, making extensive use of old sources, including translations of The Domesday Book and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, as well as tracing many through the centuries to the present day.

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The battles fought between the Allied armies and the German Wehrmacht at Monte Cassino in 1944 were key episodes in the protracted Italian campaign, and the eventual Allied victory was a decisive step in the wider war to liberate Europe from German occupation. Much has been written about Cassino, but few books have chosen to tell the story through photographs - to give a visual insight into the fighting and the forces involved, the conditions in which they fought, and the landscape around the Monte Cassino abbey which became a battlefield. That is why Jeffrey Plowman's photographic history is of such value. Using almost 200 wartime images, many of which have not been published before, he gives a graphic impression of the realities of the fighting as it was experienced by the troops on the ground. He focuses on the tanks - the array of armoured vehicles deployed by both sides which played a critical role. This aspect of Cassino has rarely been covered in such detail and in such a vivid way. The book will be of special interest to modellers and historians of armoured warfare, but it will also appeal to readers who have a more general interest in the Italian campaign.

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Book SynopsisRed Flag is the world's premier air-to-air combat exercise. Run by the US Air Force from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, its aim is to provide aircrew with a safe environment in which to take part in interview air combat sorties. It takes place over the vast Nevada Test and Training Range and is attended by participants from allied nations around the world, with 29 countries having taken part with the US since 1975. These visitors bring with them their own variety of aircraft, adding to the diverse array gracing the skies over Las Vegas. Illustrated with over 140 full-colour photographs, this stunning collection looks at the many aircraft involved in Red Flag, including firefighters such as the Eagle, Super Hornet, and Raptor; support aircraft such as the Stratotanker and Sentry; helicopters such as the Black Hawk and Apache; and a multitude of other aircraft from both sides of the Atlantic. Also included are 'Red Force' fighters, with their unique paint schemes, which aim to replicate the look and tactics of potential adversaries. 140 illustrations

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