History Books

Book SynopsisThe British Empire, one of the most powerful forces in history, was also one of the most humane. Yet at its twilight, few were willing to defy the anti-colonial reaction that condemned millions to despotism under the regimes that replaced it. Sir Alan Burns was among them.In this lively and provocative work of history, Bruce Gilley vindicates Sir Alan’s view that decolonization was poorly managed and too swiftly executed, a view based not on imperialist nostalgia but on a sober assessment of the ravages of the twentieth century. Gilley demonstrates that Burns understood the benefits of colonial rule and correctly foretold the chaos that accompanied its rapid dissolution. Relying on previously unavailable documentation from Burns’s family, The Last Imperialist dethrones the revisionist historians and shatters their unbalanced accusations against European colonialism. This is history writing at its most courageous.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe 90s were an exciting time to be a gamer as most of the hard work had already been done by the pioneering developers during the 70s and 80s, meaning talented coders were able to take these existing themes and ideas and build upon them. As a result some of the greatest games of all time came from this halcyon period including Super Mario World, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Streetfighter II: The World Warrior. That being said the 90s were a transitional period as well, as 3-D gaming started to become the norm and many systems moved over to formats like CD-ROM. The 90s were also a time when home computer gaming was on the wane as more and more gamers were turning towards exciting new consoles that were coming out, including Sony PlayStation which would not only shake up the industry but help shape it into what we enjoy today. With that in mind this new book is dedicated to the greatest games that were available to play during this amazing decade, from the aforementioned of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to Super Mario World, Tomb Raider and the excellent Ridge Racer so...get ready for a serious nostalgia hit.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf we seal off the past, how will we ever know the truth? In 1942, in Nazi-occupied Poland, a Jewish child was smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto in a backpack. That child was Karen Kirsten’s mother, but she knew nothing about this extraordinary event until one day a letter arrived from a stranger. After Karen eventually discovered the grandparents she loved dearly were in fact not her biological grandparents, she travelled the globe to uncover her family’s past and to find the answers to baffling questions: why did her adoptive grandmother treat Karen’s mother so unkindly? Why did she hide the truth that she was her mother’s aunt? And why, if she appeared to dislike Karen’s mother, did she risk her life to save her and bring her to Australia? Irena’s Gift weaves together a mystery, history and memoir to tell the story of a family torn apart by war. From the glittering concert halls of interbellum Warsaw to the vermin-infested prison where a Jewish woman negotiates with an SS officer to save her sister’s child, Irena’s Gift is about the lies we tell to survive and what happens when those lies unravel. It is about the extraordinary resilience of three generations of women, and the sacrifices made for love. Trade Review'Deeply moving and beautifully written, Irena's Gift is a powerful unravelling of mysteries and memory. The journey of reconstruction and reconnection brilliantly evokes a lost era full of pain and love, as well as laying out the intricacies of intergenerational trauma. In addition to its value as Holocaust history, Irena's Gift deserves to become a classic of the memoir genre.' * Lucy Adlington, author of 'The Dressmakers of Auschwitz - the True Story of the Women who Sewed to Survive' *'Karen Kirsten’s debut is a harrowing family drama that spans the globe — from Jewish ghettos patrolled by Nazis to Melbourne suburbs of poodles, kookaburras, and refugees. Kirsten goes on a quest to piece together her family’s secrets and finds much more than a tale of survival from history’s nightmare. She tells a story of disillusionment and faith. She reminds us that sometimes heroes can be repulsive, and sometimes lies keep families together. Irena's Gift is beautifully written, deeply researched and deeply felt.' * Kevin Birmingham, NYT Bestselling author of 'The Sinner and the Saint' and 'The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses' *'With extremism and fascism again threatening democracies, 'Irena's Gift' is a must-read for our times. Stunningly researched, it explores themes of identity, secrets, grief and forgiveness. The author addresses the importance of naming our history and wrestles with the complexity of human nature - why a Nazi officer saved her mother.' * Michelle Bowdler, author of TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2020: 'Is Rape A Crime?' *'A family story as unique as a fingerprint. Enchanting.' * Thomas Keneally, author of Booker Prize-winning 'Schindler’s List' *'As Karen Kirsten sets out to solve the mystery of her mother’s past she takes us on a very personal journey of discovery. Skilfully, she unearths a thrilling story of war and survival against all odds. A keen researcher and sleuth, Karen uncovers a truth both astonishing and heartbreaking. Irena’s Gift is a beautiful, insightful, heartfelt and nuanced book. Masterfully crafted, it is both history and a memoir, but also so much more. Essential reading for anyone interested in WWII, trauma or family histories, this is one of the best second generation holocaust books ever published. I loved it and couldn’t put it down.' * Ariana Neumann, author of When Time Stopped. Winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, US National Jewish Book Award for Best Memoir. *'An epic story and an epic search for the truth that is beautifully written and meticulously weaved together, in a page-turning read I couldn’t put down. Karen Kirsten has captured her remarkable odyssey to place the final pieces of her family jigsaw in place, with moving and at times gut-wrenching detail. Alicja’s poignant words, "you think someone will want to know all of this?" will ring in your ears with every twist and turn that Kirsten’s journey takes to find the truth of who her family really are and how they were saved. Compulsive enough to read in a single-sitting, this is ultimately a story of love, healing, hope and humanity that will tug at your heartstrings. Irena’s Gift offers a prescient reminder, as Alicja says, that "we should never forget what happened".' * Sue Smethurst, author of The Freedom Circus *'An extraordinary story of how secrets and lies can tear a family apart.' * Maya Lee, author of The Nazis Knew My Name *‘Since I first learned about my Opa escaping the Nazis in occupied Holland, I have been taken with the heroic stories of everyday people during WWII. With author and refugee advocate Karen Kirsten, I find a kindred spirit. In Irena’s Gift, Kirsten brings to life the true and remarkable story of her family, including her mother and her grandmother, who like my Opa, sabotaged munitions at an armaments factory. This is a story of extraordinary women, survival and sacrifice. A must read.’ * Tara Moss, human rights and disability advocate, and author of The War Widow and The Ghosts of Paris *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn authoritative examination of Xi Jinping Thought--now the official dogma of the Chinese Communist Party--that marshals Xi''s personal words and writings to reveal his plan to make the China Dream of national rejuvenation a reality in the coming decades.Over the course of the last half dozen years, China''s supreme leader Xi Jinping has made extraordinary changes which have profound implications not only for the Chinese people but nations throughout the world. Given how swiftly and fundamentally China''s relations with the rest of the world are changing under Xi''s rule, it is imperative that we know what Xi Jinping Thought is, how it evolved, and why it is so important.In The Political Thought of Xi Jinping, Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung provide an authoritative overview of what Xi Jinping Thought is and is not and what it means for both China and the world. Xi, now effectively leader for life, has worked to ensure that Xi Jinping Thought becomes cemented as the new state ideology. CTrade ReviewThis is the first book-length study that not only offers a clear, systematic, and comprehensive reading of Xi Jinping's political thought, but further links it to the key policy initiatives that have shaped his tenure. Tsang and Cheung offer an impressively clear and comprehensive map of contemporary Chinese politics and is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand what China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong actually thinks, and why. * Patricia M. Thornton, University of Oxford China Centre *While many authors attempt to explain the nature of Xi Jinping's ideas and power, few if any do so better than Tsang and Cheung. By looking carefully at his actual words and policies through a careful reading of numerous Chinese-language sources, they provide an indispensable guide to understanding how Xi's thought is transforming rule in China. * Michael Auslin, Stanford University *A vivid and persuasive close reading of the words of CCP leader Xi Jinping which brilliantly clarifies Xi's ambitions for himself and the PRC. A marvelous analysis. * Edward Friedman, University of Wisconsin *This book is not a simple introduction to Xi Jinping's political thought, it brings to life of Xi's vision and ambition for China's totalitarian system and big power aspiration. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand China's totalitarian turn internally and increasingly assertive international behavior in Xi Jinping's new era. * Suisheng Zhao, Editor of Journal of Contemporary China *Tsang and Cheung make a very timely and valuable contribution to the study of contemporary China, with a solid and comprehensive analysis of 'Xi Jinping Thought' and also a masterful demonstration of how to read and translate Beijing's dogmata. * Fei-Ling Wang, Author The China Order, The China Record, and the forthcoming The China Race: Global Competition for Alternative World Orders *Tsang and Cheung have delivered this year's must-read China book. In clear and concise prose, they demystify 'Xi Jinping thought' -providing a road map for understanding Xi's thinking, how that thinking becomes policy, and why some Xi-directed policies succeed while others fall short. A fascinating account of one of the most important and least well-understood aspects of China today. * Elizabeth C. Economy, Council on Foreign Relations *[The Political Thought of Xi Jinping] will appeal to readers interested in current-day China, especially Chinese political philosophy. * Mark Jones, Library Journal *Table of ContentsDedication Figures and Tables Abbreviations Acknowledgments Preface Introduction 1. Political Thought of Xi Jinping 2. Reinvigorating the Chinese Communist Party 3. The Party Leads Everything 4. Building a Moderately Well-Off Society Comprehensively 5. Developing a Socialist Market Economy 6. Creating a Patriotic Chinese People 7. Building

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe legacy of the French Revolution critiqued by the most important thinkers of the day.Gateway to the French Revolution features voices critical of the French Revolution and its aftershocks. Edmund Burke’s critique of the Revolution is widely known and set into motion the development of political Conservatism. Also decrying the excesses of the Terror is Friedrich Gentz, a lesser-known Austrian diplomat who would become an architect of European peace after Napoleon’s failed ambitions, and Joseph de Maistre, a Savoiard nobleman whose own reflections would form a current of counter-revolutionary reactionary that has continues to have implications in our contemporary world.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE ATWOOD GIBSON WRITERS' TRUST FICTION PRIZE 2023SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 AMAZON CANADA FIRST NOVEL AWARD COSMOPOLITAN'S 10 BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS OF 2023'Fresh and propulsive . . . a veneration of those whose tales are often forgotten' New York Times'A mesmerizing, lyrical testament to the power of storytelling' Atwood Gibson Writer's Trust Fiction Prize judgesFreedom, you can't get and bury, and keep it and keep it so it won't ever go away. No, child.You got to swing your freedom like a club.In 1859, deep in the forests of Canada, an elderly woman sits behind bars. She came to Dunmore via the Underground Railroad to escape enslavement, but an American bounty hunter tracked her down. Now she's in jail for killing him, and the fragile peace of Dunmore, a town settled by people fleeing the American south, hangs by a thread. Lensinda Martin, a smart young reporter, wants to gather the woman's testimony before she can be condemned, but the old woman has no time for confessions. Instead she proposes a barter: a story for a story. As the women swap stories - of family and first loves, of survival and freedom against all odds - Lensinda must face her past. And it seems the old woman may carry a secret that could shape Lensinda's destiny. Travelling along the path of the Underground Railroad from the American South to British Canada, from the Indigenous nations around the Great Lakes, to the Black refugee communities of Canada, In the Upper Country is an unforgettable debut about the interwoven history of peoples in North America, slavery and resistance, and two women reckoning with the stories they've been given, and the ones they want to tell. Trade ReviewThe harshly real and the fantastic mingle in ways that recall Ta-Nehisi Coates's The Water Dancer and Esi Edugyan's Washington Black. What's most impressive is Thomas's imaginative power; sure-handed, often lyrical prose; and strong, complex, resilient women. An exceptional work that mines a rich historical vein * Kirkus, starred review *In the Upper Country is not only fiction alive with history; it is historic. This masterful novel is the first to narrate the forging of the Afro-Métis - or Black & Indigenous - people out of European (or Indigenous) enslavement . . . practically every page turns up a sentence or a phrase that could have been penned by Toni Morrison or James Baldwin -- George Elliot Clarke, critically acclaimed poet and novelistA sweeping epic that imagines all the ways our ancestors tried to get free. This is an exciting voice in fiction, as interested in the complexities of land and belonging as in the vagaries of human love and connection -- Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of LibertieTremendous . . . In the Upper Country enlightens and empowers in a way few other literary sagas can, by humanizing people who have long been historical footnotes and bringing their stories to the centre. Kai Thomas is a visionary, an advocate, and overall a groundbreaking storytelling voice who has now contributed a classic to this country's canon. This novel will resonate for generations to come -- Waubgeshig Rice, bestselling author of Moon of the Crusted SnowStories within stories; until I read them, I hadn't realised these are ones I'd long been wanting, needing even. In this remarkable debut, Kai Thomas fills out the picture of a place, a time, peoples and their relationships, all previously neglected in the day-to-day unfolding of the nations. His immensely compelling details, and a host of voices so well-wrought you can see and hear the speakers long after you've finished reading, will leave you eager to see what he'll do next -- Shani Mootoo, author of Polar VortexMesmerizing . . . at once intimate and majestic, Thomas's ambitious work heralds a bright new voice * Publishers Weekly, starred review *The old woman will tell her story, if Lensinda shares one of her own. Thus begins an incredible exchange that reveals an interconnected history of love and survival for the Black and Indigenous peoples of North America. * Book Riot *A Gothic-tinged puzzle box of a novel . . . there's undeniable force to the embedded stories and the historical truths they bring to vivid life * Toronto Star *Groundbreaking . . . This fascinating series of stories within stories reflects the fragmentary history of African and Indigenous people experiencing the effects of enslavement. Engrossing and intensely readable, this book represents just the beginning of a larger narrative, with many chapters yet to be told; very highly recommended * Library Journal *Exceptional . . . Kai Thomas deftly and compassionately braids deeply engrossing stories within stories that explore a little-known aspect of Canadian history. In the Upper Country is a mesmerizing, lyrical testament to the power of storytelling, as this is among the protagonists' tools for survival in a harsh reality rife with violence and dehumanization. -- 2023 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize Jury (francescaekwuyasi, Alix Hawley, MG Vassanji)

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn The Coloniality of the Secular, An Yountae investigates the collusive ties between the modern concepts of the secular, religion, race, and coloniality in the Americas. Drawing on the work of Édouard Glissant, Frantz Fanon, Aimé Césaire, Sylvia Wynter, and Enrique Dussel, An maps the intersections of revolutionary non-Western thought with religious ideas to show how decoloniality redefines the sacred as an integral part of its liberation vision. He examines these thinkers’ rejection of colonial religions and interrogates the narrow conception of religion that confines it within colonial power structures. An explores decoloniality’s conception of the sacred in relation to revolutionary violence, gender, creolization, and racial phenomenology, demonstrating its potential for reshaping religious paradigms. Pointing out that the secular has been pivotal to regulating racial hierarchies under colonialism, he advocates for a broader understanding of Trade Review“How are religious sensibilities mobilized in decolonial thought, a tradition that rebels against the legacy of Christianity in shaping colonial ideologies? Challenging the widespread assumption of decolonial thought as ‘secular,’ The Coloniality of the Secular offers an attentive and insightful reading of some of its most celebrated theorists, surfacing their gestures toward a notion of the sacred. This is an indispensable contribution to theorizing religion in the Americas and reconceiving decolonial thought and practice!” -- Mayra Rivera, author of * Poetics of the Flesh *“The Coloniality of the Secular takes on, with critical precision and erudition, the thorny concepts of religion and secularism as both have been mediated by the colonizing and hegemonic yoke of Christianity and its mirror images. Drawing upon a rich array of Africana and decolonial scholarship to make his case, An Yountae presents a provocative decolonial analysis and theory in which creolizing the sacred shines through, transcending the colonial religion/secular divide. A valuable contribution not only to decolonial thought but also to critical modernity studies, religious studies, race studies, and global southern thought.” -- Lewis R. Gordon, author of * Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction. A Decolonial Theory of Religion 1 Part I. Genealogies 1. Modernity/Coloniality/Secularity: The Cartography of Struggle 25 2. Crisis and Revolutionary Praxis: Philosophy and Theology of Liberation 57 Part II. Poetics 3. Phenomenology of the Political: Fanon’s Religion 97 4. Phenomenology of Race: Poetics of Blackness 113 5. Poetics of World-Making: Creolizing the Sacred, Becoming Archipelago 139 Conclusion 177 Notes 181 Bibliography 205 Index 223

Read more less

Book SynopsisLike a modern Viking 32-year-old Nansen set sail from Norway in 1893 to reach the North Pole. Experts warned him that his voyage was tantamount to suicide. Compact and nimble, his ship the Fram had been specially built to withstand the relentless, devastating pressure of the polar ice cap. At the right moment, he intended to strike out into the polar desert and finish the final leg by sledge.Nansen's vivid memoir became an international phenomenon when, having been given up for dead, he emerged three years later. His epic struggle against snowdrifts, ice floes, polar bears, scurvy, gnawing hunger and the loneliness of the polar night would inspire young explorers such as Scott and Amundsen a generation later to make new conquests. This first unabridged edition since 1897 includes photographs not previously published.Trade Review'Nansen was the last of the Nordic gods... Tall, blond, and ridiculously handsome... The First Crossing Of Greenland is a... thrilling account of his earliest adventure... It was a hideous journey... Hair froze fast to headgear, beards solidified so that the lips could not be opened to speak... Polar exploration tends to attract more testosterone than talent... One man towers over the other ice-encrusted sledgers: Fridtjof Nansen, colossus of the glaciers... Of all the frozen beards... only Nansen communicated a sense of the true subjugation of the ego that endeavour can bring. Failure, he acknowledged, would mean "only disappointed human hopes, nothing more".' Sara Wheeler, Guardian; 'Seminal... demythologised the polar environment and revolutionised modern polar travel with the introduction of skis.' Roland Huntford, The Times; 'Nansen defied that conventional wisdom, which dictated explorers proceed from the known to the unknown to maintain a line of retreat, by sailing first to the largely uncharted eastern coast of Greenland.' Times Higher Education; 'The visionary Norse explorer.' Jon KrakauerTable of ContentsThe Route of the Fram and Nansen and Johansen's Sledge JourneyPreliminary-Sketch Map of Franz Joseph LandIntroduction by Fergus FlemingThe FramI. IntroductionII. Preparations and EquipmentIII. The StartIV. Farewell to NorwayV. Voyage Through the Kara SeaVI. The Winter NightVII. The Spring and Summer of 1894VIII. Second Autumn in the IceThe Sledge JourneyIX. We Prepare for the Sledge ExpeditionX. The New Year, 1895XI. We Make a StartXII. We Say Good-bye to the FramXIII. A Hard StruggleXIV. By Sledge and KayakXV. Land at LastXVI. The New Year, 1896XVII. The Journey SouthwardConclusion by Fridtjof NansenEndnotesList of Equipment Used for the Sledge Journey

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Introduction. 2. The Ancient World. 3. Rome and the Middle Ages. 4. Renaissance Science and Philosophy. 5. Empiricism, Sensationalism, and Positivism. 6. Rationalism. 7. Romanticism and Existentialism. 8. Physiology and Psychophysics. 9. Early Approaches to Psychology. 10. Evolution and Individual Differences. 11. American Psychology and Functionalism. 12. Behaviorism. 13. Neobehaviorism. 14. Gestalt Psychology. 15. Early Considerations of Mental Illness. 16. Psychoanalysis. 17. Humanistic (Third-Force) Psychology. 18. Psychobiology. 19. Cognitive Psychology. 20. Psychology Today.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntroduction to Forensic Anthropology provides comprehensive coverage of key methods and issues in forensic anthropology. Using terminology and best practices recommended by the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology (SWGANTH) and the Anthropology Consensus Body of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI/ACB), it introduces students to all the major topics in the field, with material ranging from the attribution of ancestry and sex, to various forms of bone trauma, to identification through radiography.This fully updated, sixth edition incorporates new and improved methods, new data and worked examples from North America and across the globe. It also includes a new discussion on probabilities and centiles, increased emphasis on quantification of error rates of both old and new methods, an updated ancestry chapter, and updated URLs with free software to calculate various characteristics.This is a self-contained textbook that is ideal for a lower-division college-level class for non-majors and majors alike. This accessible and engaging text offers an array of features to support teaching and learning, including: boxed case studies extensive figures and photographs chapter summaries and student exercises a glossary of terms additional reading lists critical resources hands-on application for students when used with accompanying lab manual further instructor and student resources via a companion website: https://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9781032255590/. Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Bones, Teeth, Measurements, and Methods 3. Establishing Medicolegal Significance 4. Recovery Scene Methods 5. Estimating Postmortem Interval 6. Initial Treatment and Examination 7. Attribution of Population Affinity 8. Attribution of Sex 9. Estimation of Age at Death 10. Calculation of Stature 11. Death, Trauma, and the Skeleton 12. Projectile Trauma 13. Blunt Trauma 14. Sharp and Miscellaneous Trauma 15. Antemortem Skeletal Conditions 16. Postmortem Changes to Bone 17. Additional Aspects of Individualization 18. Obtaining an Identification 19. Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisWater may separate islands and the mainland, but the sea also offers a vital link. This volume is one of three major outputs of the research and public engagement project Being an Islander': Art and Identity of the Large Mediterranean Islands, implemented between 2019 and 2024 at the University of Cambridge. This project aimed to elucidate what defines island identity in the Mediterranean. It explored how insularity affects and shapes cultural identity by integrating transdisciplinary research methodologies, for example, by producing an awarded documentary on insularity and island identity, drawing on the principles of visual anthropology, social anthropology and environment studies. This volume is the culmination of the project's research strands, undertaken by our key research teams in Cambridge, Cyprus, Greece and Italy. It disseminates our research across our main project themes: insularity, connectivity, mobility, migration, island art and material culture production, hybridity and diachronicity, and provides cross-disciplinary arguments and suggestions on the future of island archaeology and associated disciplines. Contributions included suggest that the relationship between people, place and material culture is what reveals important aspects of island identity and reframe the concept of the islands as a dynamic interplay shaped by social and historical episodes, connectivity and mobility, rather than geography or political boundaries. The volume advocates that the complex histories of the Mediterranean islands can also be a story of connections.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA history of tomb-raiders in Egypt since antiquity.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the first account in English of how Islamic religious orders dating back to Ottoman times have risen to dominate and define the future of Turkey, Europe's awkward neighbour and the major power in the Eastern Mediterranean.Given its determined programme of secularising the people both under and after the Atatürk regime, Turkey is often projected as a model for the compatibility of Islam with parliamentary democracy. In this absorbing book, journalist and writer David S. Tonge reveals the limitations of that secularisation, and its progressive reversal, in what continues to be a profoundly religious country. He describes how Muslim Turks' religious identity has been taken over by branches of one of Islam's great religious orders, the Naqshbandis, whose profoundly anti-Western ethos was honed by British and French colonial incursions into the heartland of their faith.Tonge's history offers a salutary alternative to the wishful narrative devel

Read more less

Book SynopsisChronicles Plato's thought through the lens of his turbulent life.

Read more less

Book SynopsisExplores the transformations of the notion of 'the people' from the late Ottoman to current Turkish political discourses

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Diogenes the Cynic, Jean-Manuel Roubineau presents a moving and authoritative portrait of one of the most idealized and mocked intellectuals in antiquity.Trade ReviewAs terse and clear as its unsentimental subject could have wished * Thomas W. Hodgkinson, The Oldie *Diogenes the Cynic was a radical and a disruptive public intellectual of the best kind, challenging the conventions of his day and forcing people to rethink their values and life choices. In a fast-paced and entertaining narrative, this wide-ranging introduction to the ancient traditions about Diogenes sheds fresh light on the idea of philosophy as a way of life. The vigorous translation from Jean-Manuel Roubineau's original French is complemented by a hard-hitting foreword by classical scholar Phillip Mitsis. * Brad Inwood, author of Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction *Diogenes the Cynic was an ancient philosopher like no other who, as a consequence, has been mythologized for centuries. In this excellent new book--compact yet comprehensive--Roubineau carefully sifts through all the ancient evidence to separate fact from myth, shedding new light on many familiar stories and anecdotes. At last we can appreciate Diogenes in his historical context, while also gaining a clearer picture of his 'philosophy with no holds barred.' This should be required reading for anyone interested in ancient philosophy. * John Sellars, author of The Pocket Epicurean *The book is well produced and an effective and thought-provoking contribution to a somewhat underconsidered area of classical philosophy. * Classics for All *A rich, carefully woven historical tapestry out of which Diogenes' philosophical profile emerges more forcefully than in other recent accounts of his life. Roubineau has a gift for rendering the abstract in concrete forms; in his book we see and hear and even smell Diogenes in his natural habitat. * Times Literary Supplement *The Dangerous Life and Ideas of Diogenes the Cynic is a rich, carefully woven historical tapestry out of which Diogenes' philosophical profile emerges more forcefully than in other recent accounts of his life. * Costica Bradatan, TLS *A good, quick read about somebody who embodied his philosophy. * Nigel Warburton, Five Books *I don't think Diogenes had been given enough airtime until very recently, and now that's happening... [This] a good, quick read about somebody who embodied his philosophy. * Nigel Warburton, The Best Philosophy Books of 2023 *Table of ContentsForeword Introduction 1. Diogenes, Foreigner 2. Rich as Diogenes 3. Diogenes, or the Proper Use of the Body 4. Diogenes, Mentor Acknowledgements

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn late November 1623, Edward Blount finally took delivery to his bookshop at the sign of the Black Bear near St Paul’s a book that had been long in the making. Master William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies was the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays, appearing some seven years after their author’s death in 1616. There was no fanfare at the book’s arrival. There was nothing of the marketing that marks an important new publication in our own period: no advertising campaign, no reviews, interviews, endorsements or literary prizes. Nevertheless, it is hard to overstate the importance of this literary, cultural and commercial moment. Generously illustrated in colour with key pages from the publication and comparative works, this new edition combines the recent discovery of a hitherto unknown edition of the First Folio at Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute with the human, artistic, economic and technical stories of the birth of this landmark publication – and the birth of Shakespeare’s towering reputation.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements vii Prologue viii Introduction 1 Chapter one: The Plays & their Presentation 7 Chapter two: Shakespeare’s Reputation 77 Chapter three: Team Shakespeare: The Backers 114 Chapter four: Printing & Publishing 187 Chapter five: Becoming ‘The First Folio’ 215 Notes 242 Further reading 249 Picture credits 252 Index 254

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review“Hindley paints a picture of magic’s place in medieval England, producing an eye-opening study of ‘words at their most powerful’ . . . that promise[s] to change the way we think about magic in the medieval world.” -- Mary Flannery * Times Literary Supplement *"A thought-provoking look at the distinctive ways medieval English people viewed language [that] intrigues. It’s an enlightening deep dive." * Publishers Weekly *“Hindley carefully and fruitfully rethinks what charms tell us about written and oral aspects of culture, drawing on a wonderfully abundant collection of source material from a period in which charms proliferated but were often kept secret. A valuable contribution to the history of magic, her book sheds light on both an impressively diverse archive and the implications of their textuality.” -- Richard Kieckhefer, Northwestern University“Hindley guides readers through the complete history of spoken and written charms in medieval England with seasoned ease. Through close readings and the latest archaeological insights, Textual Magic offers an indispensable introduction to medieval English charms, packed with examples in both their original language and modern English translation.” -- Lea Olsan, University of Louisiana at Monroe“Textual Magic is a significant new work in medieval studies, generously illustrated with images and transcriptions of charm texts. In particular, Hindley’s focus on the instructions accompanying charms and her awareness of their multilingual contexts are welcome additions to the literature on verbal charms.” -- Jonathan Roper, University of TartuTable of ContentsList of Boxes Note on Translation and Transcription Abbreviations Introduction Reading, Writing, and Charming Chapter 1 The Powers of Charm-Words and Relics Chapter 2 Before 1100: “Textual Magic” in Pre-Conquest England Chapter 3 1100 to 1350: Charm Language and the Boundaries of Text Chapter 4 1350 to 1500: “A Fayre Charme on Englysh” Conclusion The Changing Power of Words Acknowledgments Manuscripts Cited Works Cited Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA riveting, immersive account of the agonizing decision to use nuclear weapons against Japana crucial turning point in World War II and geopolitical historywith you-are-there immediacy by the New York Times bestselling author of Ike's Bluff and Sea of Thunder.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOur Colonial Inheritance explores the complex ways in which slavery and colonialism continue to shape the present, and examines the many entanglements of colonial knowledge systems and infrastructures with our everyday lives. This publication comes at a time when important conversations are happening about the role that the colonial past has played in shaping our society, and how we can engage with this past in the present. The use of the term "inheritance" in the title is a conscious choice, used to provoke what in our view is a different kind of relationship to the past. Throughout the publication, the authors interrogate what it means to inherit the (infra)structures of the colonial past, its categories, its relations and even its objects, and how we can deal with such bequests.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe prequel to The Crown: the first truly candid portrait of George V and Mary, the Queen''s grandparents and creators of the modern monarchyShortlisted for the Elizabeth Longford Historical Biography prize and the History Reclaimed Book of the Year prizeThe lasting reputation of George V is for dullness. However throughout his reign, the monarch navigated a constitutional crisis, the First World War, the fall of thirteen European monarchies and the rise of Bolshevism. The suffragette Emily Davison threw herself under his horse at the Derby, he refused asylum to his cousin the Tsar Nicholas II and he facilitated the first Labour government.How this supposedly limited man steered the Crown through so many perils is a gripping tale. With unprecedented access to the Royal archives, Jane Ridley has been able to reassess the many myths associated with this dramatic period for the first time.''Wonderful... Never a dull paragraph'' Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Times''Magnificent... An evocative and touching portrait of a surprisingly impressive man'' Philip Hensher, Spectator''A big, beautiful beast of a book. Fair, thorough and unexpectedly funny'' Lucy WorsleyTrade ReviewMost biographers would shy away from the notoriously dull George V. Not so Ridley, whose biography of the stamp-collecting, bird-shooting king is top-notch -- Robbie Millen * The Times, *Books of the Year* *Superb -- Iona McLaren * Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year* *Jane Ridley's George V is so sparklingly incisive about both the king and Queen Mary that it almost counts as a double biography. The pheasant-shooting, stamp-collecting, moderating monarch and his bejewelled, shopaholic consort are beautifully portrayed in all their complexities -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * Spectator, *Books of the Year* *Superb . . . a perfectly candid portrait of our present Queen's grandfather: demythologised, certainly, and with spades called spades, but not trivialised, and not denied full credit for the massive amount he achieved . . . Ridley's convincing thesis [is] that George V was the true begetter of modern constitutional monarchy . . . this book makes it clear we were lucky to have him -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph *There have been few monarchs quite as discreet and inscrutable as George V . . . There's much to enjoy here about George's nerdy, hypochondriacal and rather humourless character. Yet, as Ridley portrays with great fairness, he somehow managed to be a king loved and revered by the people . . . Ridley has a wonderful ability to push the story along, luring us with salient details . . . riveting . . . Never a dull paragraph -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * The Times *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn illustrated history of the long Cold War careers of the US Navy''s last gun destroyers, from the modernized World War II-era Fletcher-class to the Forrest Sherman-class. The finest American destroyers of World War II had surprisingly long careers into the Cold War and the missile age. The 175-strong Fletcher-class was the largest class of US Navy destroyers ever built, and most received some modernization after World War II. A handful were converted into ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) escorts and one was even converted into the US Navy's first guided missile destroyer. Many Sumner-class destroyers were also kept in service, with the last decommissioned in 1973. The Gearing class was the classic US Navy wartime destroyer to have a second Cold War career, some being modified into picket ships and others into ASW escorts. Ninety-five were extensively modernized under the Fleet Modernization and Rehabilitation (FRAM) program which allowed them to serve until 1980. The majority ofTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION USN COLD WAR DESTROYER DESIGNS USN COLD WAR DESTROYER WEAPONS Guns Missiles Torpedoes ASW weapons USN COLD WAR DESTROYER SENSORS Radars ASW sensors COLD WAR GUN DESTROYERS AT WAR AND IN PEACE THE DESTROYER CLASSES The Fletcher class Sumner class Gearing class Norfolk class Mitscher class Forrest Sherman class ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION FURTHER READING INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fascinating exploration of the dramatic battles and Allied operations to wrest back control of Burma (Myanmar) from the Japanese.The Allied reconquest of Burma was not part of Allied Grand Strategy in 1944 and 1945. It happened despite it in particular, because of the dramatic failure of the Japanese invasion of India (Operation U-Go), which ended ignominiously for the Japanese Empire in August 1944. The reconquest was one of the longest campaigns of World War II. It comprised 11 distinct battles and offensives that were part of the overall continuum of operations that resulted in the Allied victory.Written by a foremost expert on the British Army in World War II, this superbly illustrated work details the Allied operations to retake Burma from Japanese control. Accounts of Operation Capital, the capture of Meiktila and Mandalay, the Allied advance in the Arakan, the race for Rangoon, Operation Dracula, the Battle of the Sittang Bend anTable of ContentsORIGINS OF THE CAMPAIGN CHRONOLOGY OPPOSING COMMANDERS Japanese Allied OPPOSING FORCES Japanese Allied OPPOSING PLANS THE CAMPAIGN Operation Capital The Masterstroke at Meiktila Advance in Arakan The Race for Rangoon AFTERMATH The Battle of the Breakout THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisUsing specially commissioned artwork and detailing technical specifications, this book explores the Bf 109''s different roles occasioned by wartime necessity, from its employment as a fighter to its evolution as a fighter-bomber.One of the principal types in the Luftwaffe''s inventory at the beginning of World War II, the piston-engined Bf 109 was central to the many initial victories that the Germans achieved before coming up against the unbeatable RAF during the Battle of Britain. Nevertheless, by the second half of 1940 the Bf 109''s operability was widened due to operational needs and it was flown as a fighter-bomber for precision attacks in Southern England. At first ad hoc conversions were made ''in the field'' to allow the aircraft to carry a bomb or extra fuel tank. Such modifications were soon formalised by Messerschmitt, which created the Jabo Bf 109s.Drawing from pilots'' first-hand accounts, author Malcolm V. Lowe explores the number of specialisedTrade ReviewTheir story is told with generous use of first-hand accounts. * Aeroplane *Table of ContentsTable of contents 1. In the Beginnings 2. Deadly Combat 3. New Challenges 4. Grand Finale Appendices - Colour plates commentaries Selected Sources Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWang Hui asks what it means for China to be modern and for modernity to be Chinese. Is there a rupture between tradition and modernity in China? How has Confucian thought evolved? Did China become modern in the Middle Ages? A deep intellectual history, The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought revises our senses of both modernity and Chinese philosophy.Trade ReviewA monumental contribution to the debate in China about how to respond to the civilizational challenge of the West. -- David K. Schneider * Law & Liberty *An important book…In his account of Chinese history, Wang aims to dissolve the binary between two views: one sees China as an empire opposed to the modern Western nation-state; the other argues that an early nation-state structure built upon a system of centralized administration (junxian zhi) appeared long ago in Chinese history. -- B.V.E. Hyde * Intellectual History Review *This is the long story of modern Chinese intellectual and philosophical scholarship, with a cast of thousands and an array of conceptual categories…and yet somehow Hill makes it all inviting reading. -- Steve Donoghue * Open Letters Review *Reading The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought is a little like sitting down for a hundred-course banquet. Wang Hui’s Summa Theologica for China helps us better understand how the historical glide path of Chinese culture (about which even many ‘China specialists’ have gaps to fill) somehow led to the embattled twentieth century. -- Orville Schell, Director of the Center on U.S.–China Relations at the Asia Society and author of Wealth and Power: China's Long March to the Twenty-First CenturyWang Hui’s masterful work guides the reader through more than a thousand years of China’s intellectual, philosophical, and political discourse with sophistication and nuance. Its analytical power is evident on almost every single page. -- Jude Blanchette, author of China's New Red Guards: The Return of Radicalism and the Rebirth of Mao ZedongA deliberately paradoxical, remarkably sourced, magical history of ideas. After finishing this fastidiously edited English translation, you may concur with or take distance from the categories Wang Hui uses, but there is no question that your basic assumptions about writing Chinese intellectual history will have shifted. Wang's challenge cannot be ignored. -- Tani Barlow, author of In the Event of WomenThis translation is a monumental achievement, and not only for bringing the work to new audiences. This masterful and comprehensive book effectively mobilizes Chinese political and social thought—including Wang’s own ideas as well as the historical texts he engages, some of which are presented in English for the first time—as a living resource for addressing the global dilemmas of our time. -- Leigh K. Jenco, author of Making the Political: Founding and Action in the Political Theory of Zhang ShizhaoAfter almost two decades, Wang Hui’s magnum opus finally arrives in the English-speaking world with this fine translation. The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought has been important in China. The volume before you now promises to change the global conversation on Chinese intellectual history. -- Isabella M. Weber, author of How China Escaped Shock Therapy: The Market Reform DebateThrough historical analysis Wang not only uncovers resources that could be useful in envisioning a new future, but also attempts to redefine China…This is an extremely important gesture in contemporary China because Wang is one of the rare intellectuals who combine critical thought about modernity with serious reflection on tradition. -- Viren Murthy * Modern Intellectual History *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Mongol Empire in Global History and Art History includes essays on topics from historical chronicles to contemporary historiography, and case studies from textile production to map-making and historical linguistics. Contributors include specialists of Mongol history and historiography as well as Islamic, East Asian, and European art.Trade ReviewThe various contributions are of high scholarly standard, yet accessible to nonspecialists as well, and the combination of historical and art historical approaches, with a large role for material culture, is a valuable one. -- Josephine van den Bent * Asian Review of World Histories *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe legends collected in Saints at the Limits, despite sometimes being viewed with suspicion by the Church, fascinated Christians during the Middle Ages—as cults and retellings attest. These Byzantine Greek stories, translated into English here for the first time, continue to resonate with readers seeking to understand universal fears and desires.Trade ReviewWhat makes this volume truly invaluable is the translations. As knowledge of ancient languages diminishes, the translations make these texts more accessible than ever. It seems likely that all these texts will attract more scholarly interest over the next few years…This is a very valuable volume to have. -- Roger Pearse

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisM. Porcius Cato (234–149 BC) remains legendary for his political and military career, his integrity and austere morality, his literary works, his pithy sayings, and his drive to define and to champion the Roman national character. This edition supplies all testimonia about, and all fragments by or attributed to him.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA sweeping exploration of the shaping role of animal skins in written culture and human imagination over three millenniaTrade ReviewEcocritical Book Award Finalist, sponsored by ASLE“This book of remarkable conception—from bioarcheology to contemporary book art, across many millennia and cultures—surpasses previous routine responses to reveal parchment as a deep archive of both human and animal history.”—Daniel Wakelin, University of Oxford“On Parchment has great range: it spans millennia, treats Jewish, Muslim, and Christian literatures, and matches stories of a Dun Cow with studies of its distant relatives’ DNA. This book is erudite and provoking by turns; an enriching, unsettling, and necessary challenge to established ideas about the literary past.”—Alexandra Gillespie, University of Toronto“In an epic sweep, Bruce Holsinger examines both the medieval fascination with this precious material and the modern fixation. On Parchment is an intelligent and engaging book that will capture the attention of medievalists and students.”—Raymond Clemens, coauthor of Introduction to Manuscript Studies“Elegant, capacious, and engaging, this is an astoundingly broad yet detailed investigation into the manufacture, use, and imaginative understandings of parchment across a range of cultures from antiquity to the present.”—Peggy McCracken, University of Michigan“In this deeply researched and creative book, distinguished medievalist and novelist Bruce Holsinger grapples with the manifold ways in which humans have literally enrolled animals in the task of memorializing the past. This book puts conversations about archival methods and historical memory in direct contact with the natural sciences, and it does so in ways that are deeply important for the humanities.”—Michael Witmore, director of the Folger Shakespeare Library

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisNordic Fascism is the first comprehensive history in English of fascism in the Nordic countries.Transnational cooperation between radical nationalists has especially been the case in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, where fascism has not only developed through interdependent processes but also through interactions between and beyond national boundaries, and where âœracial relationshipâ has been a core argument. With chapters ranging from the inception of fascism in the interwar years up to the present day, this book offers the first fragments of an entangled history of Nordic fascism. It illuminates how The North occupies a special place in the fascist imagination, articulating ideas about the Nordic people resisting the supposed cultural degeneration, replacement, or annihilation of the white race. The authors map ideological exchange between fascist organisations in the Nordic countries and outline past and present attempts at pan-Nordic state building.

Read more less

Book SynopsisShortlisted for the André Simon Food & Drink Book AwardAn intoxicating interconnected history of booze and medicine, from one of the world's foremost cocktail writers.Consider the Negroni. The bittersweet cocktail dating to the early 1900s is made of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. Gin takes its name and flavour from the juniper tree, which medieval doctors burned to ward off bubonic plague and other miasmas. Vermouth' comes from the German word for wormwood, a herb famous for its ability to rid the body of intestinal parasites. Campari is a brand of liqueur dating to 1860 with a secret recipe probably containing gentian (effective against indigestion) and rhubarb root (used as a laxative). The perfect cocktail of curative ingredients is now self-prescribed as an aperitif.The intertwined stories of medicine and alcohol stretch back to the ancient world, and involve alchemy, madness and monks, not to mention microbiology, biochemistry and germ theory. Now, in The Perfect ToTrade Review'In the last decade and a half, few people have documented or contributed more to the growth of cocktail culture than Camper English' Bartender Atlas ‘At last, a definitive guide to the medicinal origins of every bottle behind the bar! From prehistoric beer to exotic French liqueurs, a swig of alcohol has always served as tonic and treatment. With a cocktail nerd’s love of obscure ingredients and a passion for odd historical details, Camper English illuminates the murky, confounding, and even grotesque history of booze as medicine. This is the cocktail book of the year, if not the decade.’ Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist ‘A cheerfully informative highlights tour — the literary equivalent of a bowl of tasty bar snacks to consume between sips of social history … English’s inclusion of previous pandemic practices gives [The Perfect Tonic] an extra dose of insight into human nature.’ New York Times Book Review ‘A rollicking, quirky story’ Washington Post ‘With immense wit and charm, author Camper English traces millennia to explore how civilizations used fermented and distilled beverages to do everything from hydrating the workforce to fending off the Black Death. English takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to his subject matter, resulting in wildly compelling stories, such as how Buckfast, a tonic wine created by monks to treat colds and influenza, became the “U.K.'s version of Four Loko”. It is every bit as entertaining as it is educational.’ Scientific American ‘Camper English’s exploration of the medicinal history of libations is jam-packed with factoids about the history of distilling and medicine and arranged in thematic and roughly chronological order. The writing is lively and accessible, easily enjoyed by a medical anthropologist, home mixologist, or seasoned bartender.’ Science Magazine

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe story of how the nations of Europe spied on Hitler's Third Reich in the tense years of appeasement leading up to the Second World War.Trade Reviewincisive * Colin Shindler *RT Howard does an admirable job * NS, History of War *remarkably thorough and well-researched * Zareer Masani, Literary Review *R.T. Howard has done an admirable job, given [the] limitations. Spying on the Reich is substantial and engaging. * John Foster , The Battleground *extraordinarily fertile and captivating book * Richard Lofthouse, QUAD *fascinating * Francis P. Sempa, New York Journal of Books *Profitable reading for students of spycraft and the early stirrings of the war in Europe. * Kirkus Reviews *a well-researched and revealing account...Packed with a colorful cast of characters and offering pinpoint analysis of where the Allies went wrong, this will delight espionage buffs. * , Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Germany Reawakens 2: Foreign Spies Keep Watch 3: The Rise of Hitler 4: The New Mood in Berlin 5: The Anglo-French Spy Networks Inside Germany 6: 'The Reliable Source' 7: The French and Czechs Watch the Reich 8: 'The Dark Continent' 9: The International Spy Effort 10: Searching for New Sources of Information 11: Spying on the German Navy 12: Colonel Z and Other Agents 13: The French Step Up Their Operations 14: The British and the Czechs Watch the Reich 15: The 'Spies' Who Never Were 16: Watching Anschluss 17: Intelligence and the Sudeten Crises 18: Predicting Hitler's Next Move 19: Intelligence and the Anglo-French Alliance 20: The 'Spies' Who Caused Panic 21: Signals from the Reich 22: The Nazi-Soviet Pact 23: The Countdown to War Conclusion: In Retrospect

Read more less

Book SynopsisInvestigates the history and evolving appearance of the Grossdeutschland' Division, the German Army's premier combat unit during World War II.Featuring eight pages of original artwork and carefully chosen photographs depicting personalities, uniforms, insignia and personal equipment, this is the absorbing story of the German Army's elite fire brigade' during 193945. The unit began its life as an elite guard detachment; expanded to regimental size in 1939, it saw action in France in 1940 and Yugoslavia in 1941 before participating in the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union.Reinforced to divisional status, Grossdeutschland' fought on the Eastern Front in 194244, notably at Rzhev in late 1942 and Kharkov in early 1943. Refitted and redesignated a Panzergrenadier-Division, Grossdeutschland' played a key role in the battle of Kursk in July 1943, before acting as the Wehrmacht's fire brigade' in 194344.In late 1944, Grossdeutschland' was expanded to PanTable of Contents[subject to confirmation] Introduction Blitzkrieg 1939–40 Barbarossa 1941 Fall Blau 1942 Zitadelle 1943 In Retreat 1944–45 Conclusion Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA groundbreaking exploration of a debilitating disorder that's underdiagnosed and misunderstood.Most days, Shalene Gupta was the person she'd always aspired to be. She was hardworking, excelled at work, and had a long-term boyfriend who she desperately loved.Then, every month like clockwork, it all came crashing down in fits of rage and inconsolable sorrow. Work became meaningless, and she struggled to get through the day. The lows were subterranean.After years of struggling to get an answer from doctors, Shalene learned she was one of millions who live with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of PMS. The physical and mental effects of this disorder are undeniable, but for decades some doctors didn't even consider PMDD a real condition. How could so many people be suffering at the hands of a chronic condition that doesn't even exist?The Cycle uncovers a hidden epidemic, delivering the definitive portrait of a widespread

Read more less