History Books

Book SynopsisAn Honorary Citizen of the U.S.A., and designated as one of the Righteous among the Nations by Israel, Raoul Wallenberg's heroism in Budapest at the height of the Holocaust saved countless lives, and ultimately cost him his own.A series of unlikely coincidences led to the appointment of Wallenberg, by trade a poultry importer, as Sweden's Special Envoy to Budapest in 1944. With remarkable bravery, Wallenberg created a system of protective passports, and sheltered thousands of desperate Jews in buildings he claimed were Swedish libraries and research institutes.As the war drew to a close, his invaluable work almost complete, Wallenberg voluntarily went to meet with the Soviet troops who were relieving the city. Arrested as a spy, Wallenberg disappeared into the depths of the Soviet system, never to be seen again.For this seminal biography, Ingrid Carlberg has carried out unprecedented research into all elements of Wallenberg's life, narrating with vigour and insight the story of a heroic life, and navigating with wisdom and sensitivity the truth about his disappearance and death.Translated from the Swedish by Ebba SegerbergTrade ReviewA truly fascinating, subtle and revelatory portrait of this enigmatic character and perhaps the closest any historian has got to the real man and the truth of his fate -- Simon Sebag MontefioreIngrid Carlberg's superb biography will doubtless be regarded as the standard work on Wallenberg. Richly detailed and thoroughly researched ... an atmospheric read that brings to life an extraordinary story of resistance and bravery during Europe's darkest hours. -- Adam Lebor * Literary Review *Authoritative and comprehensive -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *A fresh and forensic portrait of Raoul Wallenberg ... Carlberg has unearthed a staggering amount of detail -- Monica Porter * Jewish Chronicle *Absorbing, masterful ... a riveting biography of a remarkable man * Kirkus Review *Ingrid Carlberg has writtenwhat must be the definitive biography ofWallenberg -- Glyn Ford * Tribune *

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Book SynopsisFirst history of the real battles of Vlad the Impaler, detailing bloodthirsty tactics and campaigns

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Book SynopsisA long-overdue and dramatic reinterpretation of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots by one of the leading historians at work today. She was crowned Queen of Scotland at nine months of age, and Queen of France at sixteen years; at eighteen she ascended the throne that was her birthright and began ruling one of the most fractious courts in Europe, riven by religious conflict and personal lust for power. She rode out at the head of an army in both victory and defeat; saw her second husband assassinated, and married his murderer. At twenty-five she entered captivity at the hands of her rival queen, from which only death would release her. The life of Mary Stuart is one of unparalleled drama and conflict. From the labyrinthine plots laid by the Scottish lords to wrest power for themselves, to the efforts made by Elizabeth's ministers to invalidate Mary's legitimate claim to the English throne, John Guy returns to the archives to explode the myths and correct the inaccuracies that surround this most fascinating monarch. He also explains a central mystery: why Mary would have consented to marry – only three months after the death of her second husband, Lord Darnley – the man who was said to be his killer, the Earl of Bothwell. And, more astonishingly, he solves, through careful re-examination of the Casket Letters, the secret behind Darnley's spectacular assassination at Kirk o'Field. With great pathos, Guy illuminates how the imprisoned Mary's despair led to a reckless plot against Elizabeth – and thus to her own execution. The portrait that emerges is not of a political pawn or a manipulative siren, but of a shrewd and charismatic young ruler who relished power and, for a time, managed to hold together a fatally unstable country. MY HEART IS MY OWN is a compelling work of historical scholarship that offers radical new interpretations of an ancient story.Trade Review'Fascinating… A book based on gold-standard research, the kind of thing that puts most popular history writing to shame.' Kathryn Hughes, Mail on Sunday 'Certain to be a bestseller, and deservedly so. Rarely have first-class scholarship and first-class storytelling been so effectively combined.' John Adamson, Daily Telegraph 'An absorbing biography … meticulously researched… scholarly and intriguing.'Peter Ackroyd, The Times 'A biography that reads as thrillingly as a detective story, and is rich in details and authoritative in its analysis.' Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisIn this robust new account of the Vikings, Tom Shippey explores their mindset, and in particular their fascination with scenes of heroic death. The book recounts many of the great bravura scenes of Old Norse literature, including the Fall of the House of the Skjoldungs, the clash between the two great longships Ironbeard and Long Serpent and the death of Thormod the skald. The most exciting book on Vikings for a generation, Laughing Shall I Die presents them for what they were: not peaceful explorers and traders, but bloodthirsty warriors and marauders.Trade Review"A lively retelling of some great stories."--Judith Jesch "Times Literary Supplement" "As tough and uncompromising as the Viking heroes whose lives and deaths it recounts, Shippey's book also shares their dark sense of humor. . . . Shippey upsets entrenched positions, dissects legend from history, and reveals how the Vikings were able to dominate in the North for more than three centuries."--Carolyne Larrington, University of Oxford "author of The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes" "Fascinating . . . Spirited, engaging, and frequently very funny, this book is as memorable and enjoyable as the medieval stories it explores--an unmissable read for anyone interested in the Vikings."--Jennifer Bort Yacovissi "BBC History Magazine" "Here are two take-aways from Shippey's latest book: One, 'Viking' was a job description, not a racial or ethnic designation; and two, a quality demanded of those Vikings was a finely honed, mordant sense of humor that perhaps we modern nine-to-five cubicle-dwellers would find difficult to understand. That sense of humor includes composing, on the spot, even as the composer is being bitten to death by a pit-full of adders, a beautiful song that will be handed down through the ages. The song concludes with the line, 'Laughing shall I die, ' primarily because the dying Viking knows his sons are coming to wreak vengeance on the king who put him in the pit and will subject said king to a longer, slower, far grislier demise. It's pretty funny, apparently, if you're a Viking."--Jennifer Bort Yacovissi "Washington Independent Review of Books" "Magnificent. . . . Lively, friendly and occasionally barbed. . . . Shippey's magnum opus provides not only an exhilarating, mind-expanding appraisal and retelling of Viking history but also an invitation to discover the cold-iron poetry and prose of the medieval North. Take up that invitation."--Michael Dirda "Washington Post" "Shippey sails gallantly between the skerries of faculty-room 'comfort zones, ' defiantly portraying the Vikings 'in their own terms.' . . . He shows us that both literary and archaeological evidence can help to bring us closer to the Old Norse mindset, providing fascinating proof of the Vikings' own intellectual examination of their place in the world."--Karin Altenberg "Wall Street Journal" "Shippey's account of the mindset and motives of Vikings offers a judicious challenge to scholarly orthodoxies, while reaching out to a much broader readership. The horned helmets may have been banished, but the tough-minded and rapacious marauder now reappears in ways that deserve serious attention. . . . A tour de force. Its author has done Viking studies a memorable service."--Andrew Wawn, University of Leeds "author of "Viking Age Iceland" and "Viking Language: Learn Old Norse"" "This new book will become a classic. For me it was a must-read, and a very pleasant one at that. Shippey takes the reader deep into the world and thought of the Vikings. Along with exploring their violence, travels, and technology, he asks: 'what gave them their edge?, ' and 'how did they get away with it for so long?' His answers often focus on the strange (if I may say) amusements of Old Norse heroes. . . . A fine read written by someone who understands Old Norse sagas, myths, and legends."--Jesse Byock, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA "author of "Viking Age Iceland" and "Viking Language: Learn Old Norse"" "With his usual erudition and insight, Shippey has shed some light on an always interesting question: how different from us can a strange people (the Vikings) be and still be considered human? Put another way: what does the difference between how those people see themselves and how we see them say about our capacity for sympathy and understanding? In Shippey's hands the Vikings are a challenging subject, but an illuminating one."--Stephen R. Donaldson, author of "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" "author of "Viking Age Iceland" and "Viking Language: Learn Old Norse"" "Today, much of the popular discourse on the Vikings tends to be directed towards the rehabilitation of medieval Europe's northerly inhabitants as respectable people. In Laughing Shall I Die, Shippey blows this longship out of the water with a thought-provoking and entertaining exploration of the Viking mind-set, which he describes variously as 'psychopathic' and a 'death cult'. . . . Throughout, Shippey's distinctive voice comes across loud and clear: conversational, intelligent, irreverent, darkly comic--not unlike the Old Norse sagas and poems he explores. Psychopathic death cult or otherwise, I suspect the Vikings themselves would have approved of both the tone and the content."--Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough "Literary Review" "Shippey's irresistible new book Laughing Shall I Die is a densely-detailed excavation of the lives, battles, and deaths of the towering figures from the Norse sagas and poems. . . . Flinty, argumentative, bristling with energy--Laughing Shall I Die is not only entertaining and challenging . . . it's also the most Viking Viking book we'll likely see all year."--Steve Donoghue "Open Letters Review" "As a sprawling guide to Viking history, Laughing Shall I Die makes compelling reading. Shippey's wide-ranging survey of the literature is lucid and engaging, presenting his view in a way that's revealing even for readers already familiar with the subject material, and accessible for those who aren't . . . The author's voice is memorable and idiosyncratic, making this an easy and enjoyable read despite its scholarship. Laughing Shall I Die is an informative and entertaining read for anyone interested in the Viking age."--Jennifer Bort Yacovissi "Fortean Times"Table of ContentsMaps Preface Introduction Part I: Dying Hard 1 The Viking Mindset: Three Case Studies 2 Hygelac and Hrolf: False Dawn for the Vikings 3 Volsungs and Nibelungs: Avenging Female Furies 4 Ragnar and the Ragnarssons: Snakebite and Success 5 Egil the Ugly and King Blood-axe: Poetry and the Psychopath Part II: Moving to the Bigger Picture 6 Weaving the Web of War: The Road to Clontarf 7 Two Big Winners: The Road to Normandy 8 Furs and Slaves, Wealth and Death: The Road to Miklagard Part III: The Tale in the North 9 The Jarls and the Jomsvikings: A Study in Drengskapr 10 A Tale of Two Olafs; or, The Tales People Tell 11 A Tale of Two Haralds: Viking Endgame 12 Viking Aftermath: The Nine Grins of Skarphedin Njalsson Appendix A: On Poetry: Types, Texts, Translations Appendix B: On Sagas: Types, Texts, Translations Appendix C: Snorri Sturluson References Bibliography Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisA fascinating journey through this West Yorkshire town of Halifax highlighting its people, places and heritage across the centuries.

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Book SynopsisSee below for alternative language editions When the Romans arrived in this green valley nearly two thousand years ago they were captivated by the miraculous stream of endless hot water. The restored bath and temples complex and the splendid Abbey attract thousands of visitors to the city each year. Using this guide to explore today's Bath, visitors can once more experience the benefits of a dip in the natural mineral water and enjoy a lot more besides - stylish shops and restaurants, interesting galleries and museums, and the feel of a lively city with its historic past informing an exciting present. Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, including other titles in our popular City Guides series. Table of ContentsTwo Bath Walks, Welcome to Bath - A Short History, Abbey Church Yard, Pump Room, Roman Baths, Thermae Bath Spa, Sawclose, Queen Square, The Circus and Royal Crescent, Upper Town, Walcot Street, Grand Parade and Guildhall, Pulteney Bridge and Bathwick, Great Pulteney Street, North Parade, Information

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Book SynopsisA best-selling history of the Third Crusade, when the Catholic Church waged war against heretics in its own ranksIn 1208 Pope Innocent III called for a Crusade against a country of fellow-Christians. The new enemy was Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, one of the greatest princes in Western Christendom, premier baron of all the territories in southern France where the langue d'oc was spoken. So began the Albigensian Crusade (named after the French town of Albi), which was to culminate in 1244 with the massacre of Cathars at the mountain fortress of Montségur.This Crusade was the Catholic Church's response to the rapid growth of a rival Christian religion in the very heart of Christendom - the religion of the Cathars (or 'pure ones'). These heretics drew their strength from the consciousness of belonging to a faith that had never seen eye to eye with Catholicism and was more ancient than the Church itself. From the beginning this religious war was to show all the characteristics of a national resistance movement, so that in the end it was not just the survival of the Cathar faith that was at stake but also that of the Languedoc itself as an autonomous and independent region of France.

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Book SynopsisAt Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919, there occurred an event unique in naval history. The German High Seas Fleet, one of the most formidable ever built was deliberately sent to the bottom of the sea at the British Grand Fleet's principal anchorage at Orkney by its own officers and men.The Grand Scuttle became a folk legend in both Germany and Britain. However, few people are aware that Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter became the only man in history to sink his own navy because of a misleading report in a British newspaper; that the Royal Navy guessed his intention but could do nothing to thwart it; that the sinking produced the last casualties and the last prisoners of the war; and that fragments of the Kaiser's fleet are probably on the moon.This is the remarkable story of the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow. It contains previously unused German archive material, eye-witness accounts and the recollections of survivors, as well as many contemporary photos which capture the awesome spectacle of the finest ships of the time being deliberately sunk by their own crew.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating, personal and insightful account of the Iraq war from the bestselling author of THE BOOKSELLER OF KABULIn January 2003 Åsne Seierstad entered Baghdad on a ten-day visa. She was to stay for over three months, reporting on the war and its aftermath. A Hundred and One Days is her compelling account of a city under siege, and a fascinating insight into the life of a foreign correspondent. An award-winning writer, Seierstad brilliantly details the frustrations and dangers journalists faced trying to uncover the truth behind the all-pervasive propaganda. She also offers a unique portrait of Baghdad and its people, trying to go about their daily business under the constant threat of attack. Seierstad's passionate and erudite book conveys both the drama and the tragedy of her one hundred and one days in a city at war.'Åsne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation' Luke HardingTrade ReviewA story you won't be able to put down. * BOOKSELLER *

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Book SynopsisThis collection of Vera Brittain's poetry and prose, some of it never published before, commemorates the men she loved - fiancé, brother and two close friends - who served and died in the First World War. It draws on her experiences as a VAD nurse in London, Malta, and France, and illustrates her growing conviction of the wickedness of all war.Illustrated with many extraordinary photographs from Brittain's own albums, and edited with a new introduction by Mark Bostridge, BECAUSE YOU DIED is an elegy to men who lost their lives in a bloody conflict, and a beautiful volume of remembrance to mark the anniversary of the Armistice.

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Book SynopsisMarion Meade portrays Eleanor of Aquitaine as a woman of great intelligence and titanic energy who lived in a passionate and creative age.A comprehensive account of the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The wife of King Louis VII of France and then of King Henry II of England, and mother to Richard Coeur de Lion and King John, she became the key political figure of the 12th century.Eleanor's long life inspired a number of legends. At twenty-five she set out for the Holy Land as a Crusader and at seventy-eight she crossed the Pyreness to Spain to fetch the granddaughter whose marriage would be, she hoped, a pledge of peace between England and France. This is a compassionate biography of this charismatic queen and the world she ruled over.

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Book Synopsis'An incredible testament to one man’s determination' – The Sunday Herald Calum MacLeod had lived on the northern point of Raasay since his birth in 1911. He tended the Rona lighthouse at the very tip of his little archipelago, until semi-automation in 1967 reduced his responsibilities. 'So what he decided to do', says his last neighbour, Donald MacLeod, 'was to build a road out of Arnish in his months off. With a road he hoped new generations of people would return to Arnish and all the north end of Raasay'. And so, at the age of 56, Calum MacLeod, the last man left in northern Raasay, set about single-handedly constructing the 'impossible' road. It would become a romantic, quixotic venture, a kind of sculpture; an obsessive work of art so perfect in every gradient, culvert and supporting wall that its creation occupied almost twenty years of his life. In Calum's Road Roger Hutchinson recounts the extraordinary story of this remarkable man's devotion to his visionary project.Trade Review'wonderful, elegant and serious' * The Telegraph *'MacLeod defied powers outwith his control in the only way he could . . . paints a compelling picture of the man' * Sunday Times *'An incredible testament to one man’s determination' * The Sunday Herald *'This is an extraordinarily fine book, and one of the most important books to have come out of the Highlands and Islands in recent years' * West Highland Free Press *

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Book SynopsisWilliam Wallace has always been one of the great heroes of Scottish history. By no means prepared by birth, education or training for leadership, Wallace nevertheless rose to prominence during the Wars of Independence, leading forces which broke the sequence of English victories and inspiring his countrymen in the process. While others yielded and collaborated, Wallace set an example of constancy and perseverence and became the Guardian of Scotland. Even his terrible death in London in 1305 can be seen as a victory as it provided inspiration for the continuance of the struggle against English domination. Despite Wallace's almost mythical status, modern-day perceptions of him are not always based on objective analysis of the historical facts. In this revised and expanded edition of his best-selling biography, Andrew Fisher investigates the man and his times to create a more authentic picture of Wallace than has ever been available previously. Trade Review'a tremendously popular account of one of Scotland's genuine heroes' * Scottish Life *'the first well-researched and reliable biography of Wallace . . . lively and interesting' * History Teaching Review *'the smartest, most savvy account of Wallace' -- Mel Gibson

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Book SynopsisHow often does a visitor to Rome drift towards some landmark and wonder who created it? Why? What was their story? This fascinating book provides the answers. At once a history and a guide, it divides Rome into the districts dominated by the fabulously rich families of the Popes: the Colonna, della Rovere, Farnese, Borghese, Barberini and others. In each case we learn their story - powerful, bloody and vivid - with all the scandals and intrigues as well as their relationships with artists like Bernini and Michelangelo. As we stroll through Rome's history - either literally or in the imagination - we discover it afresh. Famous sites like the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and St Peter's take on new significance as we watch the city rise from cramped medieval streets to become a glorious panorama of piazzas and palaces, fountains, towers and domes.Trade Review[An] intriguing and original book...even the armchair tourist can benefit -- Tim Blanning * Sunday Telegraph *Elegant and informative...an entertaining mix of travelogue and history...we flit agreeably through the chequered history of the papacy -- Charles Nicholl * Sunday Times *Anthony Majanlahti wears his scholarship lightly and tempers his enthusiasm with humour; he has a thousand tales to tell... Enormously entertaining * Times Literary Supplement *Marvellous... For anyone interested in delving further into one of the world's most beautiful and extraordinary cities, this is essential reading * Tablet *Fascinating... A fine account of a decadent age and place * RA Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe definitive history of warfare told by Britain's foremost military historian.John Keegan’s masterpiece is a work of breath-taking scope that not only chronicles the history of warfare, but unearths lessons on the nature of humanity. Stretching across centuries and continents, from the Empire of Babylon to the Somme, A History of Warfare studies civilisations, psychology, archaeology, genetics, history and strategy with an expert’s eye. John Keegan’s unmissable and epic journey through military history has been widely acclaimed and remains vital reading today.Trade ReviewJohn Keegan is at once the most readable and the most original of military historians... His book is a work of massive sweep...the most remarkable study of warfare that has yet been written. -- Michael Howard * New York Times Review of Books *Masterpiece...one of those rare books which could still be required reading in its field a hundred years from now. * The New Yorker *Our finest military historian has produced a book of breathtaking scope...A tour de force. -- Niall Ferguson * Daily Mail *The best book I read in 1993 was A History of Warfare...a dazzling display of historical pyrotechnics. -- Paul Johnson * Sunday Times, Books of the Year *Magnificent * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisIn September 1847 coloured squares of paper were stuck to envelopes and used to send out admission cards to a fancy-dress ball on the tropical island of Mauritius. No-one at the party would have guessed that the envelopes bearing these stamps would one day be worth more than a million dollars.When a two pence 'Blue Mauritius' surfaced on the fledgling French stamp-collecting market in 1865 it gained instant celebrity. Then in 1903, when a perfect specimen, discovered in a childhood album, was bought at auction by the Prince of Wales, the Blue Mauritius gained super-star status. Even now, the stamps of 'Post Office Mauritius' remain synonymous with fame, wealth and mystery. Helen Morgan tells the fascinating story of the most coveted scraps of paper in existence, from Amuritius' Port Louis to Bordeaux, India and Great Britain, Switzerland and Japan, into the fantasies and imagination of stamp collectors everywhere.Trade ReviewWill strike a chord with anyone who has ever felt the thrill of buying a little glassine packet of stamps, tipping them out, finding the longed-for Missing One and making the proud, complete set... the stories of these stamps are often extraordinary. -- Ann Wroe * Daily Telegraph *Fascinating... not just an entertaining and meticulously researched history of Mauritius and its stamps, but also an absorbing look at the early development of one of the world's most widespread hobbies. -- Kieron Wood * Sunday Business Post *

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Book SynopsisReadable, enjoyable and provides a clear overview of runes and their importance to reading the past. EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE Runes, a unique functional writing system, exclusive to northern and eastern Europe, were used for some 1300 years in Scandinavia, from about AD 200 till around the end of the fourteenth century, when the runic alphabet finally gave way to the modern writing system. They were not written, but carved - in stone, and on jewellery, weapons, utensils and wood. The content of the inscriptions is very varied, from owner and carpenter attributions on artefacts to memorials to the deceased on erected stones; contrary to popular belief, they are not necessarily magical or mystical, and the post-it notes of today have their forerunners in such runic reminders as: "Buy salt, and don't forgetgloves for Sigrid." The typical medieval runic inscription varies from the deeply religious to the highly trivial [or perhaps crucial], such as "I slept with Vigdis when I was in Stavanger." This book presents an accessibleaccount of the Norwegian examples throughout the period of their use. The runic inscriptions are discussed not only from a linguistic point of view but also as sources of information on Norwegian history and culture. TERJE SPURKLAND is Associate Professor of Nordic Medieval Studies at the University of Oslo.Trade ReviewA hand-book full of surprising insights. A splendid guide to the Norwegian runes and it can be strongly recommended both to the beginner and to the advanced reader. * JOURNAL OF MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *A thorough, learned, and most attractively written examination of Norwegian runes and runic inscriptions. It provides an excellent introduction to the subject. * SPECULUM *This is a very accessible introduction to what can be a very arcane subject. [...] Readable, enjoyable and provides a clear overview of runes and their importance to reading the past. * EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE *An ideal teaching text. [...] This well illustrated book will make an excellent teaching tool. * TOEBI NEWSLETTER *Will probably be found useful and attractive by anyone interested in Old Norse of Norwegian history. * SAGA-BOOK *A very useful survey. * RUNA *A highly accessible resource for scholars interested in Norwegian runes and Scandinavian runology more generally [and] a useful introduction to the issues of reading and interpreting runic inscriptions. * JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN EARLY MEDIEVAL ASSOCIATION *

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Book SynopsisThe Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 16th century was one of the most important and cataclysmic events in history. Spanish expeditions endured incredible hardships in order to open up the lands of the 'New World', and few stories in history can match these for drama and endurance.In Conquistadors, Michael Wood follows in the footsteps of some of the greatest of the Spanish adventurers travelling from the forests of Amazonia to Lake Titicaca, the deserts of North Mexico, the snowpeaks of the Andes and the heights of Machu Picchu. He experiences the epic journeys of Cortes, Pizarro, Orellana and Cabeza de Vaca, and explores the turbulent and terrifying events surrounding the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires.Wood brings these stories to vivid life, highlighting both the heroic accomplishments and the complex moral legacy of the European invasion. Conquistadors is Michael Wood at his best - thoughtful, provocative and gripping history.Trade ReviewGripping... the book is a triumph * Observer *

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Book Synopsis'Outstanding...Overy has written a masterpiece of analytical history, posing and answering one of the great questions of the century' Niall Ferguson, Sunday TimesThe Allied victory in 1945 – though comprehensive – was far from inevitable. By 1942 almost the entire resources of continental Europe were in German hands and Japan had wiped out the western colonial presence in Asia. Democracy appeared to have had its day. In this remarkable study, Richard Overy provides a reinterpretation of the war through an account of the decisive military campaigns that created the astonishing revival in Allied fortunes. He also explores the deeper factors that determined success and failure: industrial stength, fighting ability, the skills of leaders and the moral contrasts between the two sides. Today the modern world is once more in the throes of painful transformation. It is essential to establish why and how the last great war was won. Richard Overy casts a brilliant light on the most important turning-point of the modern age.‘A compelling analysis...skilful and chilling’ The EconomistTrade ReviewA compelling analysis... skilful and chilling -- Ross Davies * Economist *A much needed book... He deserves the attention of a wide audience -- Donald Cameron * Independent *Richard Overy is writing at the height of his powers... The result is often startling, never less than fascinating -- Adam Sisman * Observer *A thought provoking reappraisal of the war - deeply researched, complex and yet beautifully lucid -- Correlli Barnett * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisFrom 1950 to 1962, John Richardson lived near Picasso in France and was a friend of the artist. With a view to writing a biography, the acclaimed art historian kept a diary of their meetings. After Picasso's death, his widow Jacqueline collaborated in the preparation of this work, giving Richardson access to Picasso's studio and papers. Volume one of this extraordinary biography establishes the complexity of Picasso's Spanish roots; his aversion to his native Malaga and his passion for Barcelona and Catalan "modernisme". Richardson introduces new material on the artist's early training in religious art; re-examines old legends to provide fresh insights into the artistic failures of Picasso's father as an impetus to his sons's triumphs; and includes portraits of Apollinaire, Max Jacob and Gertrude Stein, who made up "The Picasso Gang" in Paris during the "Blue" and "Rose" periods.Trade ReviewRichardson, it hardly needs repeating, is steeped in Picasso and his life (his own friendship with Picasso is the tacit bedrock of this biography) but the arguments he makes are always precise and cogent, never blithely assertive. -- William Boyd * The Spectator *

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Book Synopsis2 Kings provides a fast–paced narrative of insight into the history of Israel under its monarchy. This book is a continuation of the narrative begun in 1 Samuel, and continued through 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. Ralph finishes it off with a captivating and rewarding journey through 2 Kings. Written between 561 BC and 538 BC, 2nd Kings gives us a warning about the consequences of sin, especially the catastrophic repercussions of Israel’s love affair with idolatry. Through prophets such as Elisha and Elijah we see God’s compassion for his people and the opportunity for repentance. An opportunity spoilt by Judah, climaxing with the subjugation of the kingdom by the Babylonians. Illuminating, accessible and laced with his unique sense of humour, Davis’ practical devotional expository applies events to the contemporary reader providing parallels to alert us in the 21st century.Trade ReviewDavis is a helpful guide, not least because he explains the issues with the needs of contemporary Christians in mind. -- The Churchman, Matthew MasonToday there is a renewed emphasis on the preaching of OT narrative in evangelical circles... The six volumes of Ralph Dale Davis of which 2 Kings: The power and Fury is the culmination are excellent guides for contemporary expositor as he preaches from the "former prophets". Davis has laid an excellent foundation; may many expositors build upon his work as they preach OT narrative. -- The Master's Seminary Reviewed by Keith Essex, Assistant Professor of Bible Exposition (Associate Professor of Bible Exposition, The Master's Seminary, Sun Valley, California)

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Book SynopsisOffers a history of the monarchy of Belgium, a country artificially created in 1817. This book argues that the pan-European super-state resembles a ''Greater-Belgium'' rather than a ''Greater-Switzerland''.

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Book SynopsisThe fascinating history of how the antifascist movement of the 1930s created “the left” as we know it todayTrade Review“This stimulating and insightful volume is the first global and transnational history of antifascism during the mid-1930s. The author’s linguistic abilities and historiographical acumen have created a vital book on the subject.”—Michael Seidman, author of Transatlantic Antifascisms“In stunning prose, Joseph Fronczak re-creates the extraordinary birth of the modern left, speaking across generations to our own time.”—Beverly Gage, Yale University“Elegantly written and meticulously researched, Everything Is Possible is one of those rare books that has the boldness to assert what was in front of our faces the whole time.”—Christopher Vials, author of Haunted by Hitler“Fronczak gives fascism content again, examining it as a practice, a perspective that can help us understand the present and past. He reveals a global fascist network, beyond Europe and Japan, and American participation in it. An extremely valuable historical interpretation.”—Linda Gordon, New York University“Carefully documented and limpidly written, Joseph Fronczak’s book is much more than a magisterial history of antifascism as a global movement; it is a critical and inspiring insight into the identity of the Left. A timely meditation.”—Enzo Traverso, author of Revolution

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Book SynopsisAcknowledged as a masterpiece of materialist criticism, this book delves into the complex ways economic reality shapes the imagination. Surveying two hundred years of history and English literature – from George Eliot to George Orwell – Williams provides insights into the social and economic forces that have shaped British culture and society. Provocative and revolutionary in its day, this work overturned conventional thinking about the development of a common British mentality.Trade ReviewHe was the foremost political thinker of his generation in Britain who in his most formidable books, Culture And Society, The Long Revolution and The Country And The Town, redrew the map of our cultural history, and elsewhere made heroic interventions in the main political debates of his time * Guardian *For those who read English in the '60s, it was common to revere Williams as both a rock of integrity and a pathfinder for new ways of seeing culture, communication, class and democracy * Independent *Brave, intelligent, and disciplined...a most impressive work -- C. P. SnowPenetrating, lucid, objective, and also honestly engaged...the best reasoned plea that I have read for a common culture -- Angus WilsonBrilliantly intelligent...a good critic and also an original thinker -- Stuart Hampshire

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE 2017 SHORTLISTED FOR THE ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE 2017'A magnificent study of one of history's most compelling and divisive figures' Richard J. EvansWhen Martin Luther nailed a sheet of paper to the church door of a small university town in 1517, he set off a process that changed the Western world for ever.Within a few years Luther’s ideas had spread like wildfire. His attempts to reform Christianity by returning it to its biblical roots split the Western Church, divided Europe and polarised people’s beliefs, leading to religious persecution, social unrest and war; and in the long run his ideas would help break the grip of religion on every sphere of life.Yet Luther was a deeply flawed human being: a fervent believer tormented by spiritual doubts; a prolific writer whose translation of the Bible would shape the German language yet whose attacks on his opponents were vicious and foul-mouthed; a married ex-monk who liberated human sexuality from the stigma of sin but who insisted that women should know their place; a religious fundamentalist, Jew-hater and political reactionary who called ‘for the private and public murder of the peasants’ who had risen against their lords in response to his teaching. And perhaps surprisingly, the man who helped create in the modern world was not modern himself: for him the devil was not a figure of speech but a real, physical presence.As an acclaimed historian, Lyndal Roper explains how Luther’s impact can only be understood against the background of the times. As a brilliant biographer, she gives us the flesh-and-blood figure. She reveals the often contradictory psychological forces that drove Luther forward and the dynamics they unleashed, which turned a small act of protest into a battle against the power of the Church.A New Statesman, Spectator, History Today, Guardian and Sunday Times Book of the YearTrade ReviewThis is a smart, accessible, authoritative biography of one of the most dynamic figures in European history. Lyndal Roper writes with clarity and discernment, so that nothing stands between the reader and her grimly fascinating subject; she earths the reformer, situating him psychically as well as geographically in a Germany she describes as vividly as if we lived there: mining towns as well as lecture halls, courts as well as cathedrals. She creates a context for a man who arouses both admiration and horror in the modern reader. Here he stands: never more vocal, more controversial, more compelling -- Hilary MantelA fine achievement, deeply researched and fluently written, and it brings its difficult and cantankerous subject to life as no other biography has... A magnificent study of one of history’s most compelling and divisive figures -- Richard J. EvansImpeccable scholarship and painstaking fair-mindedness characterize his deeply illuminating biography. Roper has mined the correspondence, and Luther’s charisma and complexity shine through the letters -- Andrew Pettegree * New York Times *Lyndal Roper's new book is a compelling and provocative attempt to restore some flesh and blood to this static icon...the work of one of the most imaginative and pioneering historians of our generation -- Alexandrda Walsham * Guardian *Lyndal Roper provides a fine scholarly narrative of Luther’s extraordinary life...She paints the picture of a “difficult hero”, with full attention to both light and shadow. A compellingly readable and richly documented study -- Rowan WilliamsExcellent and wholly absorbing biography… Roper’s biography, distinguished by the excellence of its writing and research, is the beginning of wisdom in all things Reformation, anti-Roman and, alas, proto-Hitlerite. -- Ian Thomson * Guardian *[Martin Luther is] exemplary history: imaginative yet empirical, rounded and profound. -- Malcolm Gaskill * Financial Times *Roper’s immaculate scholarship…gives a complex account of his inner life, without ever straying beyond what the evidence will allow. -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian, Book of the Year *[It] deploys its considerable learning with the lightest of touches: a seductive, shimmering and significant retelling of a man whose rise to power was…as unlikely as it was extraordinary -- Thomas Penn * Guardian, Book of the Year *An impressive and fascinating read. -- David Crane * Spectator, Book of the Year *A superb evocation of Luther’s Germany… Roper captures so well his coarseness and cruelty. -- A.N. Wilson * New Statesman, Book of the Year *[A] magnificent book. * New Statesman *A revelation of psychological insight and breathtaking historical detail… Extensive and engaging biography… Very strong on the economic background and how it translates into spiritual questions… This book brings clarity to how complicate, strange, ennobling and disgusting the period was. -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday *Roper…has an extraordinary talent for making complex theological issues not just clear but entertaining. -- Gerrard DeGroot * The Times *Beautifully written… Among the most interesting, provocative and original biographies of Luther to appear in recent years… This unfailingly inventive and compelling account is a welcome gust of fresh air… Anyone seriously interested in one of the most influential figures of the last half-millennium will need to make time to read this one. -- Peter Marshall * Literary Review *[It is] fresh and captivating… A closely focused and compellingly intimate study of Luther’s perceptions. -- Alexandra Shephard * History Today, Book of the Year *[A] rewarding biography… Roper brings him alive as a very human figure. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times, Book of the Year *This is the book about Luther we’ve missed among all the holy books and the case studies: the whole engrossing story of a soul and a mind and the man who broke the old world and its old ways for ever. Lyndal Roper brings alive the struggle for ideas, adds a subtle sense of how human beings work, and distils a lifetime of scholarship to conjure Luther’s own world with its princes, demons, scandals and sheer brave defiance of a whole old order -- Michael Pye, author of The Edge of the WorldCompelling and above all deeply honest biography. -- David Crane * Spectator *This book will continue to bring the reformer and his theology to life for generations to come. -- Bridget Heal * History Today, Book of the Year *[An] excellent study. -- Jonathan Wright * BBC History Magazine ****** -- Christopher Howse * Sunday Telegraph *Roper’s Luther is an angry man: a renegade and a rebel… [She] paints a vivid picture of the political and economic context in Mansfeld, where Luther grew up, and of the situation of Wittenberg and its political governance. There are important findings here, particularly relating to Luther’s early life -- Charlotte Methuen * The Times Literary Supplement *Roper writes with the virtuosity of an unsurpassed archival researcher, the grace of an elegant stylist, and the compassion of a seasoned student of human nature. Her nuanced and insightful portrait brilliantly evokes the inner and outer worlds of the man Luther. The book is a complete triumph. -- Joel F. Harrington, author of The Faithful ExecutionerMagnificent and surely definitive – a work of immense scholarship, acute psychological insight and gloriously fluent prose. Lyndal Roper has got under the skin of her subject and the result is thrilling. -- Jessie Childs, author of Henry VIII’s Last Victim and God’s TraitorsRoper’s scholarly strengths plus 10 years of careful research have yielded a richly contextualised biography of a man whose influence has been and remains enormous, for good or ill or both. -- Brad Gregory * Tablet *This is a helpful and insightful examination of Luther’s attitudes and relationships… Highly recommended. -- Martin Wellings * Methodist Recorder *Roper portrays a deeply flawed but fascinating human being to rival any of the major personalities of Tudor England. -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller *I heartily commend Martin Luther… It is simply the best English-language biography of Luther I’ve read and I’d be amazed if its combination of rigorous scholarship and approachable tone is bettered. -- Francis Philips * Catholic Herald, Book of the Year *[A] superb new biography… A challenging and deeply stimulating study of a major historical figure. -- Elaine Fulton * History Today *

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Book SynopsisKathy E. Ferguson explores the importance of anarchist letterpress printers and presses, whose printed materials galvanized anarchist movements across the United States and Great Britain from the late nineteenth century to 1940s.Trade Review“By focusing on letterpress Ferguson presents a novel way of looking at the history of Anarchism. Letterpress as a way of working generates an active hands-on ambition to build and embody new and creative ideas. . . . Ferguson’s history promotes the message that meaningful radical development builds from face-to-face, hand-to-hand, cooperative endeavour.” -- Peter Good * Kate Sharpley Library *"Ferguson's half-century of involvement in radical politics and her painstaking research in anarchist collections (many of them ill organized) qualifies her to write this dense but compelling history. . . . Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty." -- T. S. Martin * Choice *"In fluid prose, Ferguson offers a fresh historical look at the anarchist movement through a focus on lesser-known figures and their lesser-known labours, including printing and letter-writing." -- Layla Saleh * LSE Review of Books *"Letterpress Revolution is essential reading. It is a result of exhaustive and detailed research that clarifies instead of obscures. ... It enriches anarchist history allowing us to appreciate the nuances and bravery of people as well as their complexities." -- Barry Pateman * KSL: Bulletin of the Kate Sharpley Library *Table of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction. Anarchist Letters 1 1. Printers and Presses 21 2. Epistolarity 83 3. Radical Study 129 4. Intersectionality and Thing Power 185 Appendix A. Compositors, Pressmen, and Bookbinders 215 Appendix B. Brief Biographies 225 Appendix C. Printers Interviewed 231 Notes 233 Letters Referenced 281 Bibliography 287 Index 317

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Book SynopsisA fascinating account of Russia''s Five-Day War against Georgia in 2008, notable for its strategic mistakes which prompted President Putin to undertake major military reforms.After Georgia''s independence from Russia in 1991, President Saakashvili invited NATO advisers to assist in military reforms. Separatist groups in Georgia''s border provinces rebelled which led to fighting in South Ossetia during August 2008. The Russian Army invaded Georgia alongside these forces, stripped it of these rebellious provinces, and garrisoned them to maintain a threat over Georgia. But despite the inevitable outcome of this hugely unbalanced conflict, it revealed serious Russian military weaknesses and incompetence, and the NATO-trained and partly Western-equipped Georgian Army put up a much more successful local resistance than Russia had expected. The conflict also demonstrated the first use of Russian cyber-warfare, and its so-called ''hybrid warfare'' doctrine.Author MarkTrade ReviewThis book augments the Georgia War chapter in the writer’s recent Osprey release “Putin’s Wars” with extra information, photos and eight detailed uniform plates. Recommended. * Tankette *I came away from this book far more informed than I was before I read it and I recommend it to those with an interest in this topic or as a primer. * Army Rumour Service *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION - Background - Medvedev’s War? REFORMING THE GEORGIAN ARMY - Expenditure - Contingents for multi-national forces and Western training - Rearmament - Contradictory doctrine - Additional armed personnel - Organization of infantry brigades - Georgian Army order of battle, August 2008 RUSSIAN & ALLIED FORCES - Forces in readiness and in place - South Ossetian forces - Abkhazian forces THE STRATEGY OF TENSION THE WAR: DAY ONE, AUGUST 8 - The Georgian plan - Major-General Zaza Gogava - Initial bombardment - Confusion in Moscow - The advance on Tskhinvali - Street fighting - The turning-point - The Russian ground advance DAY TWO, AUGUST 9 - Moscow strikes back DAYS THREE TO FIVE, AUGUST 10-12 - The South Ossetian front - Russian order of battle - Continuing Russian advance - Georgian failures of command - Ceasefire - The Abkhaz front - Russian order of battle - The Kodori Gorge THE WAR IN THE AIR - The combatants - Operations and losses THE WAR AT SEA - The naval combatants - Operations and losses ANALYSIS - Summary - Georgia - Russia AFTERMATH - Russian gains - Georgians in Afghanistan FURTHER READING INDEX

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Book SynopsisA fascinating account of an often overlooked naval action of World War II, and one of the bloodiest chapters in the history of the Royal Navy. In April 1941, following the Axis invasion of Greece, the British Mediterranean Fleet was ordered to evacuate Allied survivors, many of which were taken to Crete. The Luftwaffe established itself in airfields on the Greek mainland, and formed plans to invade Crete by air and sea, under the cover of 500 fighters and bombers of the Luftwaffe''s Fliegerkorps VIII. Facing them were a small and scattered garrison on the island, a handful of under-strength RAF squadrons and the hard-pressed warships of the Mediterranean Fleet. What happened next was a costly, but ultimately inspiring, naval battle, in which Royal Navy crews were placed under intense strain.Using period photographs, stunning battlescene artworks, detailed maps and an authoritative narrative, world-leading maritime historian Angus Konstam tells the fascinating Trade ReviewA gripping story. -- Duncan Evans * The Armourer Magazine *This eloquent campaign analysis of an eventually unsuccessful Royal Navy defence of Crete contains a host of well-illustrated lessons relevant to many studies of maritime warfare * The Naval Review *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION Origins of the campaign CHRONOLOGY OPPOSING COMMANDERS Allied Axis OPPOSING FORCES Allied Allied order of battle Axis Axis order of battle OPPOSING PLANS Allied Axis THE CAMPAIGN The prelude The fleet deploys The invasion The first clashes The Luftwaffe strikes Black Thursday Mountbatten’s sortie Keeping up the pressure The evacuation AFTERMATH THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY FURTHER READING INDEX

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Book SynopsisThis is the absorbing story of the handguns credited to Nambu Kijiro, the principal personal-defence weapons of the Imperial forces.Featuring full-color artwork and carefully chosen photographs, this book charts the origins, development, combat use, and legacy of the Nambu pistols. Cutaway artwork reveals the inner workings of these important handguns, while specially commissioned battlescenes depict them in use in action.Influenced by the German C 96 and other semi-automatic pistols, the first Nambu model was never accepted for universal issue, being confined largely to purchase by Japanese officers. Adopted in 1925, the 14th Year Type was to become the best-known of these handguns, serving in every campaign undertaken by the Japanese in the 1930s and then throughout World War II. It served alongside the bizarrely conceived Type 94, intended as the weapon of airmen, tank crew, and anyone to whom its compact dimensions were useful.When World War II endTrade ReviewWithout a doubt the author has done a great service to those interested in Japanese personal weapons. -- Stuart Blank * Military Archive Research *With a mix of archive and modern photos, along with artwork that does include fine cutaway diagrams, the story of the design is well illustrated. * Military Model Scene *Table of ContentsIntroduction Development Use Impact Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOn 21 October 1966, thousands of tonnes of coal tip waste slid down a mountainside and devastated the mining village of Aber-fan. The black mass crashed through the local school. 144 people were killed. 116 were schoolchildren. Gaynor Madgwick was there. She was eight and severely injured. In this book, Gaynor tells her own story and interviews people affected by the day''s events. Reprint.

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Book SynopsisAs the horror of Nazism tightened its grip on Germany, Jews found themselves trapped and desperate. For many, their only hope of salvation came in the form of a small, bespectacled British man: Frank Foley. Working as a Berlin Passport Control Officer, Foley helped thousands of Jews to flee the country with visas and false passports, personally entering the camps to get Jews out, and sheltering those on the run from the Gestapo in his own apartment. Described by a Jewish leader as 'the Pimpernel of the Jews', Foley was an unsung hero of the Holocaust.But why is this extraordinary man virtually unknown, even in Britain? The reason is simple: Foley was MI6 head of station in Berlin, bound to secrecy by the code of his profession.Michael Smith's work uncovering the remarkable truth led to the recognition of Frank Foley as Righteous Among Nations, the highest honour the Jewish state can bestow upon a Gentile. Foley is a story of courage and quiet heroism in the face of great evil - a reminder of the impact that one brave individual can have on the lives of many.Trade Review'One of the great heroic figures of the Holocaust, equal at least to Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg.' - Jerusalem Post; 'A fascinating book. Smith writes well: coolly and unexaggeratedly, sensibly and authoritatively' - Alan Judd, Daily Telegraph; 'Gripping. An outstanding book. The last word on the Final Solution' - Phillip Knightley, Mail on Sunday; 'Crisp and informative. Very effectively conveys the atmosphere of cumulative danger experienced by Jews in Germany under the Nazis.' - The Times; 'A reminder that goodness can triumph over evil.' - Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisExploring the origins and influences of maritime camouflageTrade Review‘What an achievement! In Dazzle, Disruption & Concealment, David Williams clearly defines, analyses and explains the complexities of ship camouflage, supported by a series of stunning illustrations.’ - Camilla Wilkinson, grand-daughter of Norman Wilkinson and Senior Art Lecturer at the University of Westminster‘What an achievement! It’s the best book on the subject. What an extraordinary resource for those who engage in future research.’ - Roy R. Behrens, artist, author and Emeritus Professor of Art and distinguished scholar at the University of Northern Iowa'Visually Stunning.' - Ships Monthly

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Book SynopsisPart of the SECOND WORLD WAR VOICES series in partnership with the podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk, presented by comedian Al Murray and bestselling historian James Holland.With a new introduction by James HollandEclipse was the code name given by the Allies to the occupation of Germany. Moorehead''s book describes his experiences in Sicily and southern Italy in 1943, which culminated in the capture of Rome. He tells the electrifying story of D-Day, the liberation of Paris, and the Allied advance through northern France and Belgium, the crossing of the Rhine.The author reconstructs, in terrifying detail, the collapse of Germany, the wholesale destruction, mass surrenders, and the unimaginable horrors of the concentration camps.

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Book SynopsisThe story of Culloden, one of the most important battles in Scottish history - how it was fought, how it has been remembered, and what it has come to mean.Trade ReviewUnlike too much writing on places of memory, this is fresh, concise, free from jargon and well informed about realities. * Jeremy Black, Books of the Year 2016, History Today *deep and thoughtful study * Michael Russell, MSP, Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland's Place in Europe, Books of the Year 2016, Herald *an admirably balanced volume on Culloden which should be required reading for non-Scottish MPs * Keith Simpson, Iain Dale's blog *a fascinating read * Battlefield Trust *Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Conflicts and Armies: The Rising of 1745 3: Culloden Moor 4: Aftermath and Occupation 5: The Battle that Made Britain ? Historiography and Evidence in the case of Culloden 6: Culloden in British Memory: Objects, Artifacts and Representations of the Conflict

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Book SynopsisMy Story: Mary Prince is the incredible true story of the first Blackwoman and former slave to have her life story printed in theUnited Kingdom.

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Book SynopsisAn enthralling guide to one of the world's great cities that blends history and insights into the present day from one of the most astute commentators on the politics of Istanbul'' PETER FRANKOPAN''A love letter to this ancient capital'' THE TIMESWalking along the crumbling defensive walls of Istanbul and talking to those he passes, Alexander Christie-Miller finds a distillation of the country's history, a mirror of its present, and a shadow of its future.Caught between two seas and two continents, Istanbul lies at the centre of the most pressing challenges of our time. With environmental decay, rapacious development and tightening authoritarianism straining its social fabric to breaking point, it represents the precipitous moment civilizations around the world are currently facing.In and around its crumbling Byzantine-era fortifications, Alexander Christie-Miller meets people who are experiencing the looming crisis and fighting back, sometimes triumphing despite the odds.To the City Trade Review EARLY PRAISE FOR TO THE CITY 'A love letter to this ancient capital…a work of storytelling skill and passion, a handsome tribute to a city that always transfixes' The Times 'The author is a sensitive and patient presence, piecing together these stories over many pages. Spending time at a teahouse, an animal shelter and a former Dervish hall that is now an academic institution, he brings to life the rich variety of these neighbourhoods. While Christie-Miller’s focus remains on the streets surrounding the walls, his characters offer broader insights into Turkey’s social and political make-up. He is also sensitive to the poetry of his surroundings, captured in moments of lyrical precision: “Behind them I saw the remains of the Byzantine sea wall hanging like a scrap of old parchment strung out to dry in the sun' Financial Times ‘Alexander Christie-Miller is an exceptionally fluent and imaginative writer who knows Turkey intimately’ Max Hastings 'An absorbing and thoroughly engaging study of modern-day Turkey. His research is first class, and he writes very well…Christie-Miller’s love of the city and its people shines through this wonderful book' Literary Review 'Between the ancient minarets that punctuate the city’s skyline, the author seeks out the real soul of Istanbul in its diverse peoples, past and present, by raising up voices rarely heard' National Geographic Magazine 'Alexander Christie-Miller has written a gripping portrait, with both the sweeping scope of a historian and the intimate, laser-like eye of a travel writer. This also a deeply humane account of a legendary city, not always well served by its leaders' Daniel Metcalfe author of Blue Dahlia

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Book SynopsisThe delightful tale of a young couple who in the late 1970s, on impulse, became the new landlords of the most remote, bleak and lonely pub - The Tan Hill Inn - located in the desolate landscape of the Yorkshire Dales. Having seen an article in the newspaper about the pub's search for a new manager, they arrived just three weeks later as the new landlords of the The Tan Hill Inn. It is a wild, wind-swept place, set alone in a sea of peat bog and heather moorland that stretches unbroken as far as the eye can see. With only sheep and grouse for company, their closest neighbour was four miles away and the nearest town twelve. They had no experience of licensed trade or running a pub, no knowledge of farming and a complete inability to understand the dialect of the sheep farmers who were their local customers. Eager, well-meaning, but in over their heads, our two heroes embarked on a disaster-strewn career that somehow also turned into a lifelong love affair with the Dales.The Inn at the Top is an entertaining ramble around the Inn, the breath-taking Dales countryside and a remarkable array of local characters, giving an insight into life in a very different different time and place.Trade ReviewA tribute to a way of life which is long gone and a celebration of the Dales * Yorkshire Post *Neil Hanson's anecdote-laden memoir is reminiscent of James Herriot * The Dalesman *One of the funniest, most entertaining and life-affirming books of the year... A warm and often hilarious account of tenacity and survival, The Inn at the Top is packed with true Yorkshire-style anecdotes, brushes with the law, late night lock-ins, adventures with colourful locals and weather stories to make your hair curl. Sit back and enjoy... * Lancashire Evening Post *Richly entertaining... a wonderful history lesson * Ilkley Gazette *Engaging and entertaining... warm memories to last a lifetime -- Jeff Evans * Inside Beer *A warm, amusing and at times sad book... it's also beautifully written -- Roger Protz * Protz on Beer *Happy holiday reading.. highly diverting -- Mike Amos * The Northern Echo *One of the most funniest, most entertaining and life-affirming books of the year * Lancaster Guardian *A delightful Christmas present, especially for lovers of community pubs * The London Drinker Mag *Wonderfully readable and often very funny * Waterstones Bradford Blog *A heartwarming and hilarious tale * Darlington & Stockton Times *

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Book SynopsisSince its first publication in 1984, Night Falls in Ardnamurchan has become a classic account of the life and death of a Highland community. The author weaves his own humorous and perceptive account of crofting with extracts from his father's journal - a terse, factual and down to earth vision of the day-to-day tasks of crofting life. It is an unusual and memorable story that also illuminates the shifting, often tortuous relationships between children and their parents. Alasdair Maclean reveals his own struggle to come to terms with his background and the isolated community he left so often and to which he returned again and again. In this isolated community is seen a microcosm of something central to Scottish identity - the need to escape against the tug of home.Trade Review'Funny, moving, and full of intriguing factual knowledge' * Scots Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe Emperors of Rome charts the rise and fall of the Roman Empire through profiles of the greatest and most notorious of the emperors, from the autocratic Augustus to the feeble Claudius, the vicious Nero to the beneficent Marcus Aurelius, through to the maniac Commodus and beyond. Interwoven with these are vivid descriptions of sports and art, political intrigues and historic events. In this entertaining and erudite work, acclaimed classical scholar David Potter brings Imperial Rome, and the lives of the men who ruled it, to vivid life.Trade Review'This is a useful guide to the men who were elevated to command Rome and rule the Roman Empire' Good Book Guide. * Good Book Guide *Table of ContentsPrologue: Being Caesar. GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST: A Succession of Strong Men - Rome from Gaius Marius to Caesar 107-44 BC. A Time of Turmoil - Octavian and Antony 44-30 BC. Foundations of the Empire - The House of Augustus 29 BC-AD 14. Eccentric Stability - Emperors from Tiberius to Nero AD 14-68. CAESARS AND THEIR SUBJECTS: New Dynasties - From the Flavians to the Antonines AD 68-180. Running the Empire - Emperors and Administrators AD 68-180. Civic Pride - Caesars and Their Cities AD 68-180. The Imperial Melting Pot - Roman Culture AD 68-180. REINVENTING CAESAR: The Slippery Slope - The Beginnings of Rome's Decline AD 180-211. Inadequates and Misfits - Emperors of the Early Third Century AD 211-238. Anarchy and Disorder - The Crisis of the Third Century AD 239-270. Steadying the Ship of State - Restoration of the Imperial Office AD 270-305. Beginnings of the Christian Empire - The Reign of Constantine AD 305-337. LOSING CAESAR: Carving up the Empire - From Constantine's Sons to Valens AD 337-375. Enemies at the Gate - The Barbarian Invasions AD 376-411. Final Decline and Fall - The Collapse of the Western Empire AD 411-476. Epilogue: Dido's Revenge. Glossary. Index.

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Book Synopsis'A masterful work of social history and cultural commentary, told with much wit. It almost makes you feel as if you were there' ROGER LEWIS, Mail on Sunday The 1970s. They were the best of times and the worst of times. Wealth inequality was at a record low, yet industrial strife was at a record high. These were the glory years of Doctor Who and glam rock, but the darkest days of the Northern Ireland conflict. Beset by strikes, inflation, power cuts and the rise of the far right, the cosy Britain of the post-war consensus was unravelling - in spectacularly lurid style. Fusing high politics and low culture, Crisis? What Crisis? presents a world in which Enoch Powell, Ted Heath and Tony Benn jostle for space with David Bowie, Hilda Ogden and Margo Leadbetter, and reveals why a country exhausted by decline eventually turned to Margaret Thatcher for salvation.Trade Review'Turner's narrative is quite compelling... This is about as far away from sober, stuffy history as you can get and deserves a wide readership' Publishing News 'Turner combines a fan's sense of populism (weaving in references to a rapidly expanding popular culture) with a keen grasp of the political landscape, which gives his survey of an often overlooked decade its cutting edge' Metro 'An ambitious, entertaining alternative history of the 1970s which judges the decade not just by its political turbulence but by the leg-up it gave popular culture' Time Out 'Turner has certainly hit upon a rich and fascinating subject, and his intertwining of political and cultural history is brilliantly done... This is a masterful work of social history and cultural commentary, told with much wit. It almost makes you feel as if you were there' -- Roger Lewis Mail on Sunday 'Vivid, brilliantly researched... Turner may be an anorak, but he is an acutely intelligent anorak' -- Francis Wheen New Statesman 'This well-researched and witty text recounts how the media reflected politics in an era of glamour, bad fashion and inflation... displays wit, colour and detail' -- Brian Groom Financial Times 'An adventurous and enjoyable reassessment of a much-maligned decade' -- Nick Rennison BBC History Magazine 'A real lesson in social history but without the stuffiness... A good fun reminder of the "decade that taste forgot"' Manchester Evening News 'Excellent ... this trilogy is about the most authoritative account of the late 20th century as you are likely to get' Choice Magazine

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Book Synopsis"Superb" NICK COHEN, author of What's Left? "Tremendously entertaining" DOMINIC SANDBROOK, Sunday Times "Like his previous histories of the Seventies and Eighties, A Classless Society is an extraordinarily comprehensive work. Turner writes brilliantly, creating a compelling narrative of the decade, weaving contrasting elements together with a natural storyteller's aplomb...engaging and unique" IRVINE WELSH, Daily Telegraph "Ravenously inquisitive, darkly comical and coolly undeceived...Turner is a master of the telling detail" CRAIG BROWN, Mail on Sunday When Margaret Thatcher was ousted from Downing Street in November 1990, after eleven years of bitter social and economic conflict, many hoped that the decade to come would be more 'caring'; others dared to believe that the more radical policies of her revolution might even be overturned. Across politics and culture there was an apparent yearning for something the Iron Lady had famously dismissed: society. Yet the forces that had warred over the country during the 1980s were to prevent any simple turning back of the clock. The 'New Britain' to emerge under John Major and Tony Blair would be a contradiction: economically unequal but culturally classless. While Westminster agonised over sleaze and the ERM, the country outside became the playground of the New Lad and his sister the Ladette, of Swampy and the YBAs, of Posh and Becks and Jarvis Cocker. A new era was dawning which promised to connect us via the 'information superhighway' and entertain us with 'docusoaps'. It was also a period that would see old moral certainties swept aside, and once venerable institutions descend into farce - followed, in the case of the Royal Family, by tragedy. Opening with a war in the Gulf and ending with the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, A Classless Society goes in search of the decade when modern Britain came of age. What it finds is a nation anxiously grappling with new technologies, tentatively embracing new lifestyles, and, above all, forging a new sense of what it means to be British. "Deserves to become a classic" EDWINA CURRIE "Rich and encyclopaedic" ROGER LEWIS, Daily Mail "Excellent" D.J. TAYLOR, IndependentTrade Review***** "The field of instant history now attracts some of this country's liveliest and most intelligent writers ... Alwyn W. Turner ranks high among them: ravenously inquisitive, darkly comical and coolly undeceived... Turner is a master of the telling detail... His research is phenomenal. There seems to be no haystack through which he has not rummaged in search of every needle... Turner has a talent for zooming in and out from the general to the particular and back again. This means he is able at one and the same time to see both the wood and the trees... A Year In Provence, Squidgygate, the Chippendales, Cool Britannia, Black Wednesday, Swampy, Robert Maxwell, 'Something of the Night'; Alwyn W. Turner conjures them all up, as vivid and eerie as a dream." -- Craig Brown Mail on Sunday - 'Book of the Week' "Like his previous histories of the Seventies and Eighties, A Classless Society is an extraordinarily comprehensive work. Turner writes brilliantly, creating a compelling narrative of the decade, weaving contrasting elements together with a natural storyteller's aplomb... engaging and unique." -- Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting and Skagboys Daily Telegraph "Superb. I was a journalist throughout the 1990s, but did not notice a tenth of what Turner has seen or write about it half as well." -- Nick Cohen, author of What's Left? "John Major may have struggled to create a country at ease with itself, but Alwyn Turner's seductive blend of political analysis, social reportage and cultural immersion puts him wonderfully at ease with his readers." -- David Kynaston, author of Austerity Britain "Alwyn Turner comprehensively explodes the notion that knowing so much about the 20th century makes a coherent historical account impossible. A Classless Society is an illuminating, admirably inclusive and perhaps essential guide to understanding what just happened. An invaluable English document." -- Alan Moore, author of Watchmen and From Hell "[Turner has] immense gifts as a chronicler and historian - as a first take on a decade whose wounds remain partially open, this is essential reading." Daily Telegraph - 'Books of the Year' "Tremendously entertaining... As a historian Turner is probably his own worst enemy - which I mean as a compliment. His book has plenty of acute insights, as well as a sensible thesis that the 1990s saw the establishment of a new post-Thatcher settlement, based on economic and social liberalism. But the stories are just so good, and often so funny, that you keep forgetting about the argument... How often, after all, do you read a book that has equally interesting things to say about Britain's exit from the ERM, the advent of Loaded magazine and the rise of Alan Partridge?" -- Dominic Sandbrook Sunday Times "Lively and illuminating ... To read Turner's book is like looking back over the recent past through a new set of eyes." -- John Preston Daily Mail - 'History Books of the Year' "This was the decade dominated by Sir John Major and his Tory government's slow walk to electoral annihilation: a time of rows over Europe and over traffic cones, of a political promise to restore Victorian values and then a rash of Westminster sex scandals. It was the decade of New Labour's gilded rise... Yet these developments, Alwyn Turner argues compellingly, were not the point of Britain's fin de siecle. What mattered was happening elsewhere... meticulously and magnificently described." The Economist "His many-tentacled frame of reference is staggering... Scarcely a paragraph goes by without a killer detail or illuminating anecdote... the value of this book lies, above all, in the extraordinary amount of material it synthesises. It's easy to see it becoming still more essential as time goes on." Metro "Ingenious... valuable and entertaining... Turner's compellingly readable account of a decade that we ought to remember as if it was yesterday reminded me of plenty I had forgotten. There are details here that will bring a warm rush of nostalgia or make you groan with embarrassment. And beneath this teeming surface of telling details there is a profound analysis of the broader themes of the decade before the one before this. This 600-page history of the 1990s manages to be a page-turner. It also weighs less than a 1990s mobile phone." -- David Stenhouse Scotland on Sunday "To Alwyn W. Turner this was a decade of adaptation and realignment, in which the British began to acclimatise themselves to a series of moral and behavioural shifts, technological revolutions and a brand of politics in which 'managerialism' had kicked ideology into touch... His eye for the salient quotation is horribly acute." -- D. J. Taylor Prospect "Tremendous! His judgements on Blair and Major are brilliant. The conclusion, on the gap between the meritocratic instinct of both compared with the anti-establishment tone of the decade, is masterly. The book deserves to become a classic" -- Edwina Currie "Rich and encyclopaedic... A particular pleasure of this wonderful, hilarious book is Turner's contempt for politicians, who are 'perverts, liars and conmen', on the whole." -- Roger Lewis Daily Mail - 'Book of the Week' "Turner is at his strongest when scrutinizing what he feels became the growing interdependence between politicians and the media." -- K. Biswas Times Literary Supplement "Excellent" -- D. J. Taylor Independent "Describes, with sanity and a light touch, more or less everything that took place between Thatcher leaving Downing Street and Nick Bateman's departure from the Big Brother house." -- Leo Robson Evening Standard - 'Books of the Year' "A tremendous book ... takes you there, and reminds you of the taste and feel of those times ... proves beyond doubt that the Nineties were a very important decade. One day, there will be lots of books about this period. I suspect that the first may well be the best." -- Dan Atkinson, co-author of The Gods That Failed Mail Online "Detailed and expansive... readable and accessible to a degree that may make the sniffier critics suspicious... this is a diverting book that induces a kind of nostalgia for those times without a jot of desire to relive them. On almost every page, you encounter a name from the past with the evocative twang of an old pop song or TV theme, be it Nigel de Gruchy, Swampy or the Maastricht Treaty." -- Stuart Maconie New Statesman "One of the great strengths of this ... very readable and enjoyable book is Turner's use of the telling vignette. An early one is the story of how Major, a few weeks after becoming PM, crossed the floor of the Commons to kneel beside the old leftie Eric Heffer, who was obviously dying but had left his sickbed to vote against Britain's involvement in the first war against Saddam Hussein. This sweet and most un-Thatcherite gesture provoked applause in the House, a bipartisan and possibly unprecedented breach of protocol... Reading A Classless Society is like a safari through vaguely familiar country, illuminated by a shrewd, fair-minded guide with an elephantine memory." -- Matthew Engel Financial Times "Isn't it too soon for a history of the Nineties - their recentness carrying an inherent danger of not seeing the wood for the trees? Turner's solution is to anchor his narrative firmly in the era's politics, splitting the decade into the Major and Blair years - resulting in a very credible first draft... Turner has a good ear too for political gossip - Major's flirtatiousness (to Margaret Beckett: 'Would you like a nibble of my mace?') and Blair's impatience (on Roy Hattersley: a 'fat, pompous bugger')." -- Andrew Neather London Evening Standard "It was refreshing to dip into A Classless Society, the third volume of Alwyn Turner's history of Britain since the 1970s... I enjoyed it a great deal." -- Toby Young Spectator "Excellent ... this trilogy is about the most authoritative account of the late 20th century as you are likely to get." Choice Magazine "I was captivated, almost smothered, by the incessant flow of facts, opinion and conclusion. Turner, as he proved in the other two books, can sew events together seamlessly... This is a wonderful panorama of the 1990s, as fluid as a mountain stream with encyclopedic ripples, a strict adherence to the facts, and all 600 pages as readable as a letter from your mother." -- Illtyd Harrington Camden New Journal "He is amusing, perceptive and reminds the reader of the TV programmes and musical artists they have loved and then forgotten." -- David Aaronovitch The Times - 'Critics Choice'

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The Age of the Silk Roads (c 200 BC- c 900 AD) shaped the course of the future. The foundation by the Han dynasty of an extensive network of interlinking trade routes, collectively known as the Silk Road, led to an explosion of cultural and commercial transactions across Central Asia that had a profound impact on civilization. In this second volume of his authoritative history of the region, Christoph Baumer explores the unique flow of goods, peoples and ideas along the dusty tracks and wandering caravan routes that brought European and Mediterranean orbits into contact with Asia. The Silk Roads, the author shows, enabled the spread across the known world of Christianity, Manichaeism, Buddhism and Islam, just as earlier they had caused Roman citizens to crave the exotic silk goods of the mysterious Far East. Tracing the rise and fall of empires, this richly illustrated book charts the ebb and flow of epic history: the bitter rivalry of Rome and Parthia; the lucrative mercantile empire of the Sogdians; the founding of Samarkand; and Chinese defeat at the Battle of Talas (751 AD) by the forces of Islam.

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Book SynopsisOrkney lies only 20 miles north of mainland Scotland, yet for many centuries its culture was more Scandanavian than Scottish. Strong westerly winds account for the scarcity of trees on Orkney and also for the tradition of well-constructed stone structures. As a result, the islands boast a large number of exceptionally well-preserved remains, which help us to form a detailed picture of Orcadian life through the ages. Sites and remains to be explored include settlements from the Stone Age, stone circles and burials from the Bronze Age, Iron Age brochs, Viking castles, the magnificent cathedral of St Magnus in Kirkwall, Renaissance palaces, a Martello tower from the Napoleonic Wars and numerous remains from the Second World War. In this updated edition of her best-selling book, Caroline Wickham-Jones, who has worked extensively on Orcadian sites for many years, introduces the history of the islands and provides a detailed survey of the principal places and sites of historic interest.Trade Review'Wickham-Jones' clear writing, expertise and obvious enthusiasm for her subject make her brand-new 2015 Guide a must-read for anyone drawn to this approximately 70-island-strong historical treasure trove' - Joan Lennon, History Girls blog

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