History Books

Book SynopsisJohannes Kepler (1571-1630) was one of the most admired astronomers who ever lived and a key figure in the scientific revolution. A defender of Copernicus s sun-centred universe, he famously discovered that planets move in ellipses, and defined the three laws of planetary motion. Perhaps less well known is that in 1615, when Kepler was at the height of his career, his widowed mother Katharina was accused of witchcraft. The proceedings led to a criminal trial that lasted six years, with Kepler conducting his mother''s defence. In The Astronomer and the Witch, Ulinka Rublack pieces together the tale of this extraordinary episode in Kepler''s life, one which takes us to the heart of his changing world. First and foremost an intense family drama, the story brings to life the world of a small Lutheran community in the centre of Europe at a time of deep religious and political turmoil - a century after the Reformation, and on the threshold of the Thirty Years'' War.Kepler''s defence of his mother also offers us a fascinating glimpse into the great astronomer''s world view, on the cusp between Reformation and scientific revolution. While advancing rational explanations for the phenomena which his mother''s accusers attributed to witchcraft, Kepler nevertheless did not call into question the existence of magic and witches. On the contrary, he clearly believed in them. And, as the story unfolds, it appears that there were moments when even Katharina''s children wondered whether their mother really did have nothing to hide...Trade ReviewCompelling. * Hannah Murphy, Isis Review *Ulinka Rublack shows wonderful sensitivity about mothers, old age, and female struggles, as she unpicks the trial of Johannes Kepler's mother for witchcraft. * Marina Warner, Book of the Year 2015, Observer *An enthralling book. * Jennifer Rampling, Nature *Excellent ... meticulously researched and wonderfully readable. * John Banville, Literary Review *Ulinka Rublack's book about Katharina Kepler, and her sons extraordinary defence of her, is fine-grained microhistory, but it's also revealing of the larger ideas that framed their world ... Superstition and science, rather than being successive stages in the ascent of reason, co-existed so closely and dynamically that the definition of neither is reliable. The Astronomer and the Witch illustrates this complexity, and its transitions, with agility and sensitivity. * Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books *[an] important new book ... [which] offers an extended meditation on family relationships, and in particular that indelible but intangible bond between a mother and her son. * Jan Machielsen, Times Literary Supplement *[A] superb study ... The author wanted her book to provide a "better understanding of individuals, but also of families, a community, and an age". It succeeds triumphantly. * Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald *Rublack tells [this] story with a novelist's panache. Even if you know what happened, it's a compelling book. She sketches the vivid details that make the time, place and characters come to life ... The Tale of the Witch and the Mathematician - unmissable. * Mark Greener, Fortean Times *In 1615, an illiterate widow is accused of witchcraft in a German town. Her son, the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler, conducts her defence in a trial that drags on for six years. In this enthralling book, Ulinka Rublack reconstructs the struggle over Katharina Kepler's fate. We enter a small-town world of rivalries, friendships, deference, power and vulnerability, a world in which religious faith, scientific knowledge and folk belief are dangerously intertwined. Vividly drawn and subtly observed, The Astronomer and the Witch opens a window onto the inner life of a past that is strange and remote, but also unsettlingly familiar. * Christopher Clark *Table of ContentsTIMELINE OF JOHANNES KEPLER'S LIFE, 1571-1620; NOTE ON DATES; LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS; MAPS; PROLOGUE; NOTES; FURTHER READING AND VIEWING; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe Enlightenment that Failed explores the growing rift between those Enlightenment trends and initiatives that appealed exclusively to elites and those aspiring to enlighten all of society by raising mankind''s awareness, freedoms, and educational level generally. Jonathan I. Israel explains why the democratic and radical secularizing tendency of the Western Enlightenment, after gaining some notable successes during the revolutionary era (1775-1820) in numerous countries, especially in Europe, North America, and Spanish America, ultimately failed. He argues that a populist, Robespierriste tendency, sharply at odds with democratic values and freedom of expression, gained an ideological advantage in France, and that the negative reaction this generally provoked caused a more general anti-Enlightenment reaction, a surging anti-intellectualism combined with forms of religious revival that largely undermined the longings of the deprived, underprivileged, and disadvantaged, and ended by helping, albeit often unwittingly, conservative anti-Enlightenment ideologies to dominate the scene. The Enlightenment that Failed relates both the American and the French revolutions to the Enlightenment in a markedly different fashion from how this is usually done, showing how both great revolutions were fundamentally split between bitterly opposed and utterly incompatible ideological tendencies. Radical Enlightenment, which had been an effective ideological challenge to the prevailing monarchical-aristocratic status quo, was weakened, then almost entirely derailed and displaced from the Western consciousness, in the 1830s and 1840s by the rise of Marxism and other forms of socialism.Trade Review...brilliant... * Stewart J. Brown, Intellectual History Review *It is a credit to Israel's scholarship that the book is far broader than polemics ... he prose is precise throughout, and Israel's commitment to intellectual history -- his conviction that ideas are primary movers of history -- is compelling * Luke Nicastro, The University Bookman *Table of Contents1: Introduction: Radical Enlightenment and 'Modernity' Part I: The Origins of Democratic Modernity 2: The Rise of Democratic Republicanism 3: From Radical Renaissance to Radical Enlightenment 4: From Radical Reformation to the Cercle Spinoziste 5: English 'Deism' and its pre-1700 Roots 6: Great 'Moderates' and the Temptations of the Radical: Montesquieu and the Forbidden 7: D'Holbach against Voltaire and Rousseau: a triangular battle of Political Thought Systems 8: Revolution without Violence: The Nordic Model Part II: Human Rights and Revolution (1770-1830) 9: Parallel Revolutions: America and France (1774-1793) 10: General Will' and The Invention of Universal and Equal Human Rights (1750-1789) 11: Emancipating Women: Marriage, Equality, and Female Citizenship (1775-1815) 12: From Classical Economics to post-Classical redistributive Economics (1775-1820) 13: Reforming Europe's Law Codes 14: Unity of Humanity: Race Theory and the Equality of Peoples 15: Unity of Humanity: Property, Class, and the Emancipation of Man Part III: Revolution and Competing Revolutionary Ideologies (1789-1830) 16: Robespierre anti-philosophe, Or, the Battle of Ideologies during the French Revolution 17: The Swiss Revolution and the Hard Climb to Democratic Republicanism (1782-1848) 18: The Belgian Revolution (1787-1794) 19: Enlightening against Robespierre (and Napoleon): the Écoles centrales (1792-1804) 20: Revolution and the Universities: Germany's 'Philosophy Wars' (1780-1820) 21: Radicalism and Repression in the Anglo-American World (1775-1815) 22: The American Connection 23: The Spanish Revolution (1808-1823) 24: Black Emancipation, Universal Emancipation and the Haïtian Revolution (1775-1825) Part IV: The Enlightenment that Failed 25: Reaction and Radicalism: Germany and the Low Countries (1814-1830) 26: British Philosophical Radicalism (1814-1830) 27: Failed Restoration in France (1814-1830) 28: Bolívar and Spinoza 29: Karl Marx and the Left's Turn from Radical Enlightenment to Socialism (1838-1848) 30: Conclusion: The 'Radical Enlightenment Thesis' and Its Critics

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Book SynopsisThe vexed and sometimes shocking story of Martin Luther, one of the most important figures in modern European history, and his increasingly vitriolic attitudes towards the Jews - as well as the ominous legacy of Luther's anti-semitism for the future of Germany in the centuries to comeTrade ReviewThis is a learned, well-written, and carefully argued examination of Martin Luther's writings and the place of anti-Jewish motifs and arguments in many of these works. * Scott Ury, Tel Aviv University, Religious Studies Review *This book is a remarkable and timely volume that is the result of the confluence of a number of important lines of inquiry in epistemology, philosophy of religion and theology. . . this text provides helpful standalone essays that can accompany units on standard issues within the theology curriculum. . . the constructive systematician will find in many of these essays valuable guidance regarding how to go about constructive work in a manner that is epistemically responsible. . . This volume excels as such a cardinal text and will be a required resource for any wishing to make a future contribution to theological topics that touch in any way on epistemic issues. * International Journal of Systematic Theology *As this short, scholarly, and brilliantly-illuminating study shows, the line between anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism is both blurry and easily breached... No one is better able to make sense of Luthers views than Kaufmann, who has been working on the subject for the best part of 40 years. With a complete mastery of Luthers writings and the context in which he wrote, he uncovers the particular prompts that led Luther to sound so contradictory, while he also reveals the continuities in his thought. * William Whyte, Church Times *Scrupulously fair, crisply translated and surprisingly relevant. * Tom Moriarty, The Irish Times *Excellent * Peter Marshall, Tablet *An immaculately scrupulous and compelling study * Edward Pearce, Tribune *By showing the depth of Luther's anti-Judaism, and his commitment to early-modern anti-Semitism, Kaufmann hopes to break the reverence Protestants have for Luther, for this has retarded their efforts to come to terms with their relationship to the Jews after the Holocaust (151). Kaufmann does not hold Luther directly responsible for the Holocaust, but he insists that he was a factor in helping to make it possible. Hence, the only way forward is to accept 'that we can no more put our faith blindly in Luther's theology than responsible 21st century adults would voluntarily place themselves in the hands of a 16th-century surgeon' (11). * Reading Religion *Table of ContentsIntroduction: 'Luther's Jews' - an unavoidable topic 1: Neighbours yet strangers - Jews on the fringes of Luther's world 2: The Church's Enemies - Luther's early theological position on the Jews 3: The Jews' Friend? Luther's 'Reformation' of Attitudes towards the Jews 4: Hopes disappointed, expectations fulfilled: The late 1520s and the 1530s 5: The Final Battle for the Bible: Luther's Vicious Writings 6: Mixed Responses: The History of the Reception of Luther's Attitude to the Jews from the 16th to the 20th Century Conclusion: A Fallible Human Being Sources and bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Mexican Revolution defined the sociopolitical experience of those living in Mexico in the twentieth century. Its subsequent legacy has provoked debate between those who interpret the ongoing myth of the Revolution and those who adopt the more middle-of-the-road reality of the regime after 1940. Taking account of these divergent interpretations, this Very Short Introduction offers a succinct narrative and analysis of the Revolution. Using carefully considered sources, Alan Knight addresses the causes of the upheaval, before outlining the armed conflict between 1910 and 1920, explaining how a durable regime was consolidated in the 1920s, and summing up the social reforms of the Revolution, which culminated in the radical years of the 1930s. Along the way, Knight places the conflict alongside other ''great'' revolutions, and compares Mexico with the Latin American countries that avoided the violent upheaval. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. The old regime and the causes of the revolution (1876-1910) ; 3. The Madero revolt and regime (1910-11) ; 4. Counter-revolution and constitutionalism (1913-14) ; 5. The revolution in power (1914-20) ; 6. The institutional revolution: the Sonoran Dynasty (1920-34) ; 7. The Depression, Cardenas and after (1930 -)

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Book SynopsisThe three centuries which followed the conquests of Alexander are perhaps the most thrilling of all periods of ancient history. This was an age of cultural globalization: in the third century BC, a single language carried you from the Rhône to the Indus. A Celt from the lower Danube could serve in the mercenary army of a Macedonian king ruling in Egypt, and a Greek philosopher from Cyprus could compare the religions of the Brahmins and the Jews on the basis of first-hand knowledge of both. Kings from Sicily to Tajikistan struggled to meet the challenges of ruling multi-ethnic states, and Greek city-states came together under the earliest federal governments known to history. The scientists of Ptolemaic Alexandria measured the circumference of the earth, while pioneering Greek argonauts explored the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic coast of Africa. Drawing on inscriptions, papyri, coinage, poetry, art, and archaeology, in this Very Short Introduction Peter Thonemann opens up the history and culture of the vast Hellenistic world, from the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) to the Roman conquest of the Ptolemaic kingdom (30 BC).ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewHaving worked on the history and historiography of the Hellenistic world and Middle Roman Republic for over twenty-five years, I gained a firmer synoptic grasp of my subject from reading this book. I can think of no higher praise than that for a book of this type. * Craig B. Champion, The American Historical Review *Review from previous edition Those looking to find a concise and stimulating introduction to the Hellenistic world need look no further than this excellent pocket-sized volume. * Mark Thorne, The Classical Journal *A beautiful little jewel * Greece & Rome *Peter Thonemann's short, straightforward, but sharply written introductory volume, The Hellenistic Age, exemplifies a different trend, a miniature encapsulation of a complex world. * Carol Atack, Times Literary Supplement *In displaying his enthusiasm for the diversity of the Hellenistic world and the achievements funded by its monarchies, Thonemann rightly underlines the brutality of conflicts that spread far beyond the Mediterranean. * Carol Atack, Times Literary Supplement *Pocket-sized, highly engaging and packed full of varied and fascinating information the perfect introduction to an enthralling era. * Lucia Marchini, Minerva *Peter Thonemann's introduction to arguably one of the most fascinating of all epochs of human history may be very short but it is also very brilliant: wide-ranging, sharply focused, and deeply illuminating. * Paul Cartledge *most usefully, in a work that aims to inspire further investigation among sixth formers, undergraduates and interested general readers, there is an eclectic range of books and articles cited as further reading for each chapter. In a small compass Thonemann successfully evokes the great variety and complexity of Hellenistic civilisation * Claire Gruzelier, Classics for All *Table of ContentsPreface 1: The idea of the Hellenistic 2: From Alexander to Augustus 3: Demetrius the Besieger and Hellenistic kingship 4: Eratosthenes and the system of the world 5: Encounters 6: Priene Timeline Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisIn this penetrating analysis of the role of political leadership in the Cold War''s ending, Archie Brown shows why the popular view that Western economic and military strength left the Soviet Union with no alternative but to admit defeat is wrong. To understand the significance of the parts played by Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in East-West relations in the second half of the 1980s, Brown addresses several specific questions: What were the values and assumptions of these leaders, and how did their perceptions evolve? What were the major influences on them? To what extent were they reflecting the views of their own political establishment or challenging them? How important for ending the East-West standoff were their interrelations? Would any of the realistically alternative leaders of their countries at that time have pursued approximately the same policies? The Cold War got colder in the early 1980s and the relationship between the two military superpowers, Trade ReviewThe Human Factor is in many respects the culmination of Archie Brown's long and distinguished career as a scholar and writer. It is full of a lifetime's achievement of wisdom and thought. * Fiona Hill, Brookings Institution, Washington DC *Brown's book is a superb achievement, a balanced, judicious and authoritative account of a foundation event of our contemporary world * Christopher Read, Diplomacy and Statecraft *A fascinating and instructive read ... Everybody will learn something from this first-class book. * Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times *A masterly survey of the end of the cold war and the roles played in it by Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. * Tony Barber, The Financial Times *Lucidly written and scholarly. * The Spectator *Browns narrative is peppered with anecdotes that add texture to our knowledge of the period. At times he injects great humour. At others, as in his retelling of the failed coup against Gorbachev and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, he infuses the narrative with drama and gripping suspense * , English Historical Review *In The Human Factor, Brown zooms out from analyzing Soviet decision-making and asks a broader question about why the Cold War ended. Scholars have proposed multiple explanations for the Cold War's end... but Brown encourages readers to focus on the personalities at the top of both the Soviet party-state and Western governments. * Chris Miller, The Russian Review *It is often a challenge for historians to find the right balance between the human factor and the historical forces at play. The value of Archie Brown's study [...] is that it does precisely that. * Christopher Coker, Literary Review *What The Human Factor does do, and does so well, is provide a fascinating new perspective on already well-trodden ground. * All About History *Brown devotes several fine-grained biographical chapters to the "making" of Gorbachev, the "rise" of Reagan, and the "moulding" of the "Iron Lady", and then traces the three leaders interactions... The result is a compelling picture of what led [them] to act as they did and how the difference each one made differed from the impact of the others. * William Taubman, The Political Quarterly *... magisterial work... based on a wealth of sources in Russian and English... The Human Factor is as much a fine work of foreign policy analysis as it is Cold War history... a fascinating, close-structured narrative. * Christopher Hill, Cold War History *Brown's narrative is peppered with anecdotes that add texture to our knowledge of the period. At times... he injects great humour. At others, as in his retelling of the failed coup against Gorbachev and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, he infuses the narrative with drama and gripping suspense... * English Historical Review *... splendid new book...The Human Factor makes a major contribution to scholarship and policy analysis. * Bruce Parrott, Journal of Cold War Studies *...a thought-provoking book...I highly recommend this book to readers. Brown is right to highlight the human factor in the ending of the Cold War...the sharpness of many of Browns insights, condensed with commendable crispness in this 500-page [make the book an], eminently readable foray into a highly contentious subject. * Sergey Radchenko, Slavic Review *The book is crammed with information, is well-written, and shows that Brown has a dry sense of humour. * SCRSS Newsletter *Here and elsewhere, as he once did for the leaders about whom he now writes, Archie Brown's scholarship can provide wisdom and hope. * James Graham Wilson, H-DIPLO *Another tour de force from Archie Brown: detailed scholarship, elegant prose and a clear argument. Read this book to find why we should not ignore the human factor underpinning great historical shifts. A fascinating account of how the Cold War ended, explored through the personal interactions between three world leaders - Gorbachev, Reagan and Thatcher. * Bridget Kendall MBE, former BBC Diplomatic Moscow and Washington Correspondent *Table of ContentsIntroduction PART 1 1: The Cold War and its Dangers 2: The Making of Mikhail Gorbachev 3: Gorbachev's Widening Horizons 4: The Rise of Ronald Reagan 5: Reagan's First Term 6: Margaret Thatcher: The Moulding of the 'Iron Lady' 7: Thatcher and the Turn to Engagement with Communist Europe PART 2 8: Breaking the ice (1985) 9: Nuclear Fallout: Chernobyl and Reykjavik (1986 10: Building trust (1987) 11: The End of the Ideological Divide (1988) 12: The End of the Cold War (1989) 13: Why the Cold War Ended When it Did 14: Unintended Consequences (1990) 15: Final Year - of the USSR and of Gorbachev's Power (1991) 16: Political Leadership and the End of the Cold War: Concluding Reflections Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe story of Thermopylae, the battle that helped define the identity of the ancient Greeks: how it was fought, how it has been remembered, and what it means for us today.During the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, a Greek force of approximately 7,000 faced the biggest army ever seen in the Greek peninsula. For three days, the Persiansthe greatest military force in the worldwere stopped in their tracks by a vastly inferior force, before the bulk of the Greek army was forced to retreat with their rear guard wiped out in one of history''s most famous last stands.In strict military terms it was a defeat for the Greeks. But like the British retreat from Dunkirk or the massacre at the Alamo, this David and Goliath story has taken on the aura of success. Thermopylae has acquired a glamour exceeding the other battles of the Persian Wars, passing from history into myth, and lost none of that appeal in the modern era.In Thermopylae, Chris Carey analyses the origins and course of this pivotal batTrade ReviewThe book's best contribution: showing the impact Thermopylae had even in its own time-how its meaning resonated with ancient observers and how it helped both self perpetuate, and shaped the development of ancient culture. Carey then seamlessly connects this with the meaning the battle has to modern people and connects it firmly to the present day, tracing its lineage carefully through modern history. Carey shows Thermopylae's legend came to dominate our understanding of it nearly as soon as Xerxes fixed Leonidas's head to a pole and had it paraded before his cheering troops, a fact that greatly complicates efforts to interpret this critically important battle. Fortunately for readers, it's a complication Carey is well equipped to tackle. * Myke Cole, United States Commission of Military History, International Journal of Military History and Historiography *Carey is one of Britain's foremost students of ancient history. In this meticulous examination of the story he admits that most of the "facts" we have are speculative ... The value of Carey's book lies in its reflections upon a legend that continues to influence our culture and ideals. * Max Hastings, The Sunday Times *Excellent ... a considerable addition to the history and cultural legacy of one of the world's most significant battles. * Paul Cartledge, Literary Review *Highly readable and informative ... Carey's account of [the battle of Thermopylae] provides an absorbing exposition of both the facts and the fictions that underlie and surround it. * Diana Bentley, Minerva *Very readable, well researched and thought-provoking ... an excellent book and thoroughly recommended. * Chris May, Battlefield magazine *Thermopylae is a discerning examination of a still resonant battle and the problems it poses for ancient historians. Its author writes intelligently for non-specialist students of military history, without footnoting controversies. He has walked Xerxes's route. * Donald Lateiner, Michigan War Studies Review *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1: Reading Thermopylae: The Problems 2: The Pass 3: The Persians 4: The Greeks 5: The Battle 6: Thermopylae Refought 7: Thermopylae in the Ancient World 8: The Myth in the Modern Era 9: And Finally... Notes Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisWinston Churchill spent his early childhood in Ireland, had close Irish relatives, and was himself much involved in Irish political issues for a large part of his career. He took Ireland very seriously -- and not only because of its significance in the Anglo-American relationship. Churchill, in fact, probably took Ireland more seriously than Ireland took Churchill. Yet, in the fifty years since Churchill''s death, there has not been a single major book on his relationship to Ireland. It is the most neglected part of his legacy, on both sides of the Irish Sea. Distinguished historian of Ireland Paul Bew now, at long last, puts this right. Churchill and Ireland tells the full story of Churchill''s lifelong engagement with Ireland and the Irish, from his early years as a child in Dublin, through his central role in the Home Rule crisis of 1912-14 and in the war leading up to the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922, to his bitter disappointment at Irish neutrality in the Second World War and gradual rapprochement with his old enemy Eamon de Valera towards the end of his life. As this long overdue book reminds us, Churchill learnt his earliest rudimentary political lessons in Ireland. It was the first piece in the Churchill jigsaw and, in some respects, the last.Trade ReviewPaul Bew's book attempts to explain the almost unexplainable - Churchill's twists and turns in reguard to Ireland. It is a thoughtful and engaging exegesis... This book, first published in hardback in 2016, is now happily re-issued in paperback for a wider readership. * Ian d'Alton, The Irish Catholic *Bew's elegant, meticulous study of his [Churchill's] role in Irish history is filled with surprises, and gives nuance to Churchill's fiery rhetoric, particularly on Ireland's neutral stance in the Second World War. * Daily Telegraph *[An] informed, balanced study ... As a distinguished Irish historian, Bew brings much knowledge of the Irish background. * Roland Quinault, History Today *brings the methodology of a scrupulous historian to his task * Peter Clarke, Times Literary Supplement *The book provides excellent coverage of the 1916-22, and establishes a solid basis for understanding the later period. * Ryle Dwyer, Irish Examiner *[A] succinct and challenging overview of Winston Churchill's complex relationship with Ireland. * Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Times *Lord Bew's outstanding, sharply written account sets out, for the first time, how Winston Churchill's intellect, wit and, at times, deviousness, shaped the relationship between Britain and Ireland. [...] Paul Bew alters our perception of the great man by showing for the first time that he determined the shape of the relationship between and within the two islands more than any other British politician. In doing this, he confirms his reputation as one of the foremost Irish historians of his generation. * Lord Lexden, The House Magazine *a short but absorbing book ... Surprisingly, this is the first major study on a relationship which was literally central to Churchill's family, life and political career. * Keith Simpson, Iain Dale's blog *Lord Bew is a measured historian of notable experience ... [he] makes a real effort here to paint a well-rounded view of Churchill's relationship with Ireland, warts and all. * JP O'Malley, Irish Independent *Paul Bew has achieved the near impossible: he has somehow written a book on an important aspect of Winston Churchill's statecraft that is totally comprehensive, genuinely ground-breaking and yet capable of being read in an afternoon. In a life that has been trawled over literally thousands of times by historians, Churchill's relations with Ireland have not received anything like the attention they deserve, despite the significant role he played in Irish history and Ireland's equally significant role in his own career. That historiographical gap has now been definitively filled by Bew's scholarly, highly readable and fascinating book. * Andrew Roberts, Literary Review *Utterly compelling ... This is a provocative and fascinating book, all the more enjoyable for the energy and charm of its singular focus. * Eamon Delaney, Irish Independent *A well researched and elegantly written book ... Paul Bew is one of Irelands most interesting and important political historians. * Eion Ó Broin, Sunday Business Post *[A] fascinating book. * Evening Echo *The most balanced, and best informed, account I have read of the allegedly poisonous relationship between the arch-imperialist, Winston Churchill, and the benighted, traduced, occupied, exploited, mocked and murdered people of Ireland... * Ian Mitchell's Ireland-related book reviews *scholarly, readable and enjoyable ... As a study of a political chameleon and Ireland, this book can be highly recommended. * Robert McNamara, The Irish News *The most balanced and best informed account I have read... Smooth, and with enough "human interest" to bring the subject alive - history as it should be written, but so seldom is these days... * Ian Mitchell's Book Recommendations *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: A Father's Legacy 2: The Making of a Home Ruler 3: Churchill in Belfast 4: The 'Plot Against Ulster' 5: Ireland at the Front 6: War in Ireland 7: The Making and Breaking of the Treaty Settlement 8: The Disintegration of Churchill's Irish Legacy 9: Churchill and Irish Neutrality 10: 'Saving them from themselves' Conclusion Notes Index

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Book SynopsisCanada is not one nation, but three: English Canada, Quebec, and First Nations. Yet as a country Canada is very successful, in part because it maintains national diversity through bilingualism, multiculturalism, and federalism. Alongside this contemporary openness Canada also has its own history to contend with; with a legacy of broken treaties and residential schools for its Indigenous peoples, making reconciliation between Canada and First Nations an ongoing journey, not a destination.Drawing on history, politics, and literature, this Very Short Introduction starts at the end of the last ice age, when the melting of the ice sheets opened the northern half of North America to Indigenous peoples, and covers up to today''s anthropogenic climate change, and Canada''s climate politics. Donald Wright emphasizes Canada''s complexity and diversity as well as its different identities and its commitment to rights, and explores its historical relationship to Great Britain, and its ongoing relationship with the United States. Finally, he examines Canada''s northern realities and its northern identities.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewIt takes a brave person to write a history of Canada in 109 small pages of text but Donald Wright has made a very good stab at it ... I would happily recommend this thoughtful and elegantly-written survey to anyone looking for a very short history of Canada. * Phillip Buckner, British Journal of Canadian Studies *I very much enjoyed reading this book. I wholeheartedly recommend it to readers, both expert and general, although it will probably be more useful for the latter. If you have ever been fascinated to learn more about this vast country of the north then this book will be a wonderful introduction. * Jatinder Mann, Journal of Australian, Canadian, and Aotearoa New Zealand Studies *Table of ContentsList of illustrations Introduction 1: Beginnings 2: Dispossessions 3: Nationalisms 4: Rights 5: Borders 6: Norths Conclusion Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe three centuries which followed the conquests of Alexander are perhaps the most thrilling of all periods of ancient history. This was an age of cultural globalization: in the third century BC, a single language carried you from the Rhône to the Indus. A Celt from the lower Danube could serve in the mercenary army of a Macedonian king ruling in Egypt, and a Greek philosopher from Cyprus could compare the religions of the Brahmins and the Jews on the basis of first-hand knowledge of both. Kings from Sicily to Tajikistan struggled to meet the challenges of ruling multi-ethnic states, and Greek city-states came together under the earliest federal governments known to history. The scientists of Ptolemaic Alexandria measured the circumference of the earth, while pioneering Greek argonauts explored the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic coast of Africa. Drawing on inscriptions, papyri, coinage, poetry, art, and archaeology Peter Thonemann opens up the history and culture of the vast HellenisticTrade ReviewA beautiful little jewel [of a book]... which impressively manages to pack in an immense amount of evidence and issues, presented in a lucid and stimulating way. * Kostas Vlassopoulos, Greece & Rome *A fine entry-level study of the Hellenistic Age ... Highly recommended. * Choice *A thoroughly enjoyable short book and serves as an excellent introduction to the Hellenistic age. * Conor P. Trainor, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Those looking to find a concise and stimulating introduction to the Hellenistic world need look no further than this excellent pocket-sized volume. * Mark Thorne, The Classical Journal *Peter Thonemann's short, straightforward, but sharply written introductory volume, The Hellenistic Age, exemplifies a different trend, a miniature encapsulation of a complex world. * Carol Atack, Times Literary Supplement *In displaying his enthusiasm for the diversity of the Hellenistic world and the achievements funded by its monarchies, Thonemann rightly underlines the brutality of conflicts that spread far beyond the Mediterranean. * Carol Atack, Times Literary Supplement *Pocket-sized, highly engaging and packed full of varied and fascinating information the perfect introduction to an enthralling era. * Lucia Marchini, Minerva *Peter Thonemann's introduction to arguably one of the most fascinating of all epochs of human history may be very short but it is also very brilliant: wide-ranging, sharply focused, and deeply illuminating. * Paul Cartledge *most usefully, in a work that aims to inspire further investigation among sixth formers, undergraduates and interested general readers, there is an eclectic range of books and articles cited as further reading for each chapter. In a small compass Thonemann successfully evokes the great variety and complexity of Hellenistic civilisation * Claire Gruzelier, Classics for All *Table of ContentsPREFACE; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe Romans first set military foot on Greek soil in 229 BCE; only sixty or so years later it was all over, and shortly thereafter Greece became one of the first provinces of the emerging Roman Empire. It was an incredible journey - a swift, brutal, and determined conquest of the land to whose art, philosophy, and culture the Romans owed so much. Rome found the eastern Mediterranean divided, in an unstable balance of power, between three great kingdoms - the three Hellenistic kingdoms that had survived and flourished after the wars of Alexander the Great''s Successors: Macedon, Egypt, and Syria. Internal troubles took Egypt more or less out of the picture, but the other two were reduced by Rome. Having established itself, by its defeat of Carthage, as the sole superpower in the western Mediterranean, Rome then systematically went about doing the same in the east, until the entire Mediterranean was under her control. Apart from the thrilling military action, the story of the Roman conqueTrade ReviewThe story Waterfield tells is complex, but he tells it well. * Peter Jones, BBC History *This sorry story is told with great verve and pace by Waterfield. * Literary Review *Table of ContentsPreface Prelude: Clouds in the West 1: Rome Turns East 2: The Illyrian Wars 3: Barbarians, Go Home! 4: King Philip of Macedon 5: The Freedom of the Greeks 6: The Road to Thermopylae 7: The Periphery Expands 8: Remote Control 9: Perseus' Choice 10: The End of Macedon 11: Imperium Romanum 12: The Greek World after Pydna Key Dates Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTwelve of the greatest voices from ancient Greece and Rome - and why they still inspire and affect us in the 21st century. A book for all readers who want to know more about the literature that underpins Western civilization.Trade ReviewIn this engaging book, the authors make a powerful case for the enduring relevance of the Classics ... From the impact of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey on young men in the trenches of the Great War, to Sappho's intriguing and passionate verses ... Pelling and Wyke take us on an enlightening journey. * JC, The Lady *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Homer 2: Sappho 3: Herodotus 4: Euripides 5: Thucydides 6: Plato 7: Caesar 8: Cicero 9: Virgil 10: Horace 11: Juvenal 12: Tacitus Epilogue Index

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Book SynopsisIndia is widely recognised as a new global powerhouse. It has become one of the world''s emerging powers, rivalling China in terms of global influence. Yet people still know relatively little about the economic, social, political, and cultural changes unfolding in India today. To what extent are people benefiting from the economic boom? Does caste still exist in India? How is India''s culture industry responding to technological change? And what of India''s rapidly changing role internationally?This Very Short Introduction looks at the exciting world of change in contemporary India. Craig Jeffrey provides a compelling account of the recent history of the nation, investigating the contradictions that are plaguing modern India and the manner in which people, especially young people, are actively remaking the country in the twenty first century. One thing is clear: India is a country that is going to become increasingly important for the world over the next decades. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewIt is a feat to condense the history of India into a snappy pocket-size book. Craig Jeffrey's vividly and lucidly written ^ * Debjani Bhattacharyya, The American Historical Review *A short and serious account of present-day India * Indian Link *A remarkable achievement, to provide such an inclusive introduction to a diverse, vast, and ancient country so concisely. * Sir Mark Tully *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; REFERENCES; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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Book SynopsisMany commentators tell us that, in today''s world, everyday life has become selfish and atomised--that individuals live only to consume. But are they wrong?In Me, Me, Me, Jon Lawrence re-tells the story of England since the Second World War through the eyes of ordinary people--including his own parents-- to argue that, in fact, friendship, family, and place all remain central to our daily lives, and whilst community has changed, it is far from dead. He shows how, in the years after the Second World War, people came increasingly to question custom and tradition as the pressure to conform to societal standards became intolerable. And as soon as they could, millions escaped the closed, face-to-face communities of Victorian Britain, where everyone knew your business. But this was not a rejection of community per se, but an attempt to find another, new way of living which was better suited to the modern world. Community has become personal and voluntary, based on genuine affection rather thTrade ReviewA vivid and convincing argument about the eternal tug between individualism and community. * Peter Mandler, History Today, Books of the Year 2019 *[A] lively and generous study ... Lawrence's argument is stronger for the way in which it goes against the grain of prevailing thought about social change ... Me, Me, Me? gives its readers a vital alternative prism through which to view present-day social divisions. * Lynsey Hanley, The Financial Times *This richly researched history [...] uncovers the reality behind romantic cliches of our postwar past. [Lawrence] convincingly suggests that the real history of community is one in which people have combined solidarity with self-reliance and privacy ... He makes his case with great clarity. * Selina Todd, The Guardian *A refreshingly optimistic and generally convincing study. * A. W. Purdue, The Times Higher Education Supplement *An evocative exploration of how working-class attitudes have evolved over time in Britain [...] which reads with the colour and interest of a novel. * Gordon Parsons, The Morning Star *Well-researched, engaging and highly informative, with real world examples from all over the country, this book is a must-read for anybody interested in learning about the complexities of British cultural heritage and society. * Colour PR Blog *Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Family and Place 3: Community and Private Life in Post-war England 4: Moving Out 5: Getting On: The Booming South 6: The Swinging Sixties on Tyneside 7: The Dream is Over 8: Into the Millennium 9: Postscript: Where are We Heading? Appendix - Note on anonymity and sources Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe end of the Cold War makes it possible, for the first time, to begin writing its history from a truly international perspective, one reflecting Soviet, East European, and Chinese as well as American and West European viewpoints. In a major departure from his earlier scholarship, John Lewis Gaddis, the pre-eminent American authority on the United States and the Cold War, has written a comprehensive comparative history of that conflict from its origins through to its most dangerous moment, the Cuban missile crisis. We Now Know is packed with new information drawn from previously unavailable sources; it also reflects the findings of a new generation of Cold War historians. It contains striking new insights into the role of ideology, democracy, economics, alliances, and nuclear weapons, as well as major reinterpretations of Stalin, Truman, Khrushchev, Mao, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. It suggests solutions to long-standing puzzles: Did the Soviet Union want world revolution? Why was GermanyTrade Review'A masterly review of the early phases of the conflict between the United States, Russia, China and their respective allies...it is clear, thorough and judicious; in short, magnificent.' * The Economist Review *'A new narrative of the first half of the Cold War up to the Cuban missile crisis...We Know Now is an important book. It deserves a wide readership.' * Taylor Downing, The Observer *Table of Contents1. Dividing the World ; 2. Cold War Empires: Europe ; 3. Cold War Empires: Asia ; 4. Nuclear Weapons and the Early Cold War ; 5. The German Question ; 6. The Third World ; 7. Economics, Ideology, and Alliance Solidarity ; 8. Nuclear Weapons and the Escalation of the Cold War ; 9. The Cuban Missile Crisis ; 10. The New Cold War History: First Impressions ; Notes, Bibliography, Index

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring The myths surrounding Sparta are as old as the city itself. Even in antiquity, Sparta was a unique society, and considered an enigma. The Spartans who fought for freedom against the Persians called themselves ''equals'' or peers, but their equality was reliant on the ruthless exploitation of the indigenous population known as helots. The Spartans'' often bizarre rules and practices have the capacity to horrify as much they do to fascinate us today. Athenian writers were intrigued and appalled in equal measure by a society where weak or disabled babies were said to have been examined carefully by state officials before being dumped off the edge of a cliff. Even today their lurid stories have shaped our image of Sparta; a society in which cowards were forced to shave off half their beards, to dress differently from their peers, and who were ultimately shunned to the extent that suicide seemed preferable. The legend of Sparta was even perpetuated by later Spartans, who ran a thriving tourist industry that exaggerated the famed brutality of their ancestors.This Very Short Introduction separates myth from reality to reveal the best--and the worst--of the Spartans. Andrew Bayliss explores key aspects of Spartan society, including their civic structure, their day-to-day lifestyle, and traditions such as the krypteia, a brutal rite of passage where teenagers were sent into the countryside and ordered to eliminate the biggest and most dangerous helots. Alongside this, Bayliss also sheds light on the many admirable qualities of ancient Sparta, such as their state-run education system, or the fact that this society was almost unparalleled in the pre-modern world for the rights given to Spartan women.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewWith a succinctness worthy of his subjects - whose 'linguistic austerity' inspired the word 'laconic' - Bayliss distils extensive research to offer an engaging, lucid insight into this unique society. * Madeleine Finney, The Mail on Sunday *A new history of these extraordinary and often terrifying people, which is both scholarly and highly entertaining. * Christopher Hart, Mail Online *The Spartans will prove of value not only to the layman interested in learning something about this most famous ancient warrior culture, but also the seasoned student of the subject. * A. A. Nofi, New York Military Affairs *With deceptive ease, [Bayliss] guides his readers not just across well-trodden ground but sometimes to unexpected vantage points from where he can challenge orthodox views... The Spartans punches above its weight, and with 14 black-and-white illustrations (including two maps), references, suggestions for further reading and an index, it's a knockout. Anyone interested in Sparta should read it, and every school library should own it. * David Stuttard, Classics for All *Throughout the book, Bayliss never shouts. Yet, in his quiet, succinct way, he has produced a book that can with some justice claim, 'This is Sparta.' * Alastair Brans, Australian Book Review *Table of Contents1: Introduction: the legend of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae 2: Sparta's civic structure 3: Raising a Spartan 4: The Spartan lifestyle 5: Helots and perioikoi 6: Spartan women 7: The Spartan mirage and normalising Sparta 8: The modern reception of Sparta Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisVenice''s Secret Service is the untold and arresting story of the world''s earliest centrally-organised state intelligence service. Long before the inception of SIS and the CIA, in the period of the Renaissance, the Republic of Venice had masterminded a remarkable centrally-organised state intelligence organisation that played a pivotal role in the defence of the Venetian empire. Housed in the imposing Doge''s Palace and under the direction of the Council of Ten, the notorious governmental committee that acted as Venice''s spy chiefs, this ''proto-modern'' organisation served prominent intelligence functions including operations (intelligence and covert action), analysis, cryptography and steganography, cryptanalysis, and even the development of lethal substances. Official informants and amateur spies were shipped across Europe, Anatolia, and Northern Africa, conducting Venice''s stealthy intelligence operations. Revealing a plethora of secrets, their keepers, and their seekers, Venice''s Secret Service explores the social and managerial processes that enabled their existence and that furnished the foundation for an extraordinary intelligence organisation created by one of the early modern world''s most cosmopolitan states.Trade ReviewThis book includes many of the kinds of stories one hopes to find in a history of espionage: state-ordered poisonings; letter interceptions and invisible ink ... This is an intriguing twist on recent works. * Rosa Salzberg, Jahrbuch für Kommunikationsgeschichte *I found much to admire in this work, and I expect I will find myself returning to it repeatedly. Iordanou has done a great service to the field in parsing the complexity of the Venetian intelligence system. * Eric R. Dursteler, Journal of Modern History *This is a book that will fascinate anyone interested in intelligence services, the history of information management, the development of cryptography, or the history of Venice. * Professor Tom Wilson, Information Research *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Venice and Venetian Intelligence in the European Panorama 2: State Secrecy, a Venetian Virtue 3: Renaissance Venice's Intelligence Organisation 4: Venice's Department of Cryptology 5: Venice's Secret Agents 6: Extraordinary Measures Epilogue: Venice's Secret Service: An Evaluation

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Book SynopsisThe sugar planter Simon Taylor, who claimed ownership of over 2,248 enslaved people in Jamaica at the point of his death in 1813, was one of the wealthiest slaveholders ever to have lived in the British empire.Slavery was central to the eighteenth-century empire. Between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries, hundreds of thousands of enslaved people were brought from Africa to the Caribbean to toil and die within the brutal slave regime of the region, most of them destined for a life of labour on large sugar plantations. Their forced labour provided the basis for the immense fortunes of plantation owners like Taylor; it also produced wealth that poured into Britain. However, a tumultuous period that saw the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions, as well as the rise of the abolitionist movement, witnessed new attacks on slavery and challenged the power of a once-confident slaveholder elite.In White Fury, Christer Petley uses Taylor''s rich and expressive letters to allow us aTrade ReviewWhite Fury tells a highly readable complete story... the volume is thoroughly researched and it is well-illustrated. * Robert Davis, New York Review of Books *[A]n exceptional book that will become a major point of reference for historians of the 18th-century Caribbean and scholars investigating the sudden abolition of the British slave trade in 1807... White Fury is a powerful contribution to scholarship on the British Atlantic in the age of revolutions, and it deserves to be widely read. * Reviews in History *Petleys brilliant biography of [Simon] Taylor (17401813)... not only describes the complicated feelings of a patriotic planter whose warm regard for his British heritage was increasingly not reciprocated by a Britain coming to think of planters as evil and retrograde but also captures the many challenges and opportunities available within the plantation economy during the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. * , Reviews in American History *Petley mines hundreds of extant letters written by Taylor, as well as a wide range of printed sources, to craft a highly readable account of the aspirations, everyday realities and crises faced by Jamaica's richest sugar planter... Petley has produced a smart, accessible biography of one of the most important slaveholders in the eighteenth-century British empire. * Brooke Newman, Journal of Eighteenth Century Studies *A subtle, sensitive and marvellously evocative biography of Jamaica's richest and most powerful planter, bringing powerfully to life the brutal but highly productive slave system which undergirded the success of the British Empire in the late eighteenth century. * Trevor Burnard, University of Melbourne *A revealing and persuasive account of one man's life at the centre of Britains slave empire in the Caribbean. In subtly tracing Simon Taylor's 'white fury' provoked by the movement for abolition Petley offers an original and provocative account of British slavery as it entered its death throes. * James Walvin, author of A Short History of Slavery *[A]n exceptional book that will become a major point of reference for historians of the 18th-century Caribbean and scholars investigating the sudden abolition of the British slave trade in 1807... White Fury is a powerful contribution to scholarship on the British Atlantic in the age of revolutions, and it deserves to be widely read. * Reviews in History *Table of ContentsIntroductionPart I: Foundations and Aspiration1: A West Indian Life2: Slave Empire3: Sugar and StrifePart II: Crises and Frustration4: The American Revolution5: Reactions6: New Revolutions7: War and AbolitionConclusions and LegaciesNotesFurther ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book is about anonymity, emotion, and detection. Gathering surviving anonymous letters penned in England between 1760-1939 together, it identifies possible authors and explores the impact they had on individuals and communities, charting how developments in postal services, detection, and the media influenced writers and their targets.

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Book SynopsisBetween the winter of 1936 and the autumn of 1938, approximately three quarters of a million Soviet citizens were subject to summary execution. More than a million others were sentenced to lengthy terms in labour camps. Commonly known as ''Stalin''s Great Terror'', it is also among the most misunderstood moments in the history of the twentieth century. The Terror gutted the ranks of factory directors and engineers after three years in which all major plan targets were met. It raged through the armed forces on the eve of the Nazi invasion. The wholesale slaughter of party and state officials was in danger of making the Soviet state ungovernable. The majority of these victims of state repression in this period were accused of participating in counter-revolutionary conspiracies. Almost without exception, there was no substance to the claims and no material evidence to support them. By the time the terror was brought to a close, most of its victims were ordinary Soviet citizens for whom ''Trade ReviewHarris does an admirable job of bringing the major fears and concerns of the Soviet leadership into focus, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Japan's incursions deep into China to resentment of the regime among peasants. * Robert W. Thurston, Journal of Modern History *One can only applaud him [Harris] for tackling the most vexing and morally charged issues in Soviet history, and for doing so in a crisply, succinctly written volume ... A brief review such as this cannot do justice to Harris's nuanced argument and careful use of sources. The volume is not only a valuable contribution to the literature but also a book that, because of its coverage and readability, will work well in undergraduate classes. * William J. Chase, The Russian Review *[a] well-researched and tightly argued study ... [Harris] has produced the most important book we have on the origins of the great purges. But in the process he has done more than that. The chapters tracing the story up to the perfect storm of 1937 are in themselves a very attractive general survey of the first two decades of Soviet history. This clearly written book will be required reading for specialists in the field; general readers will find it useful as a compact survey of the state of the field. * Arch Getty, History *The Great Fear presents a nuanced reading of history drawing on a number of primary sources; its strength is to see the Great Terror in the context of world and Russian events which contribute to the structure of society and mindset of the people in power, rather than as the result of one's man's paranoia or capriciousness ... for those with a keen interest in Soviet history, this excellent book is a must for the light it throws on a dramatic and appalling period of the regime's history. * Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings blog *sparkles with learning * Andre van Loon, The Australian *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Fear and Violence 2: Peace and Insecurity 3: The Uncertain Dictatorship 4: The Great Break 5: Relaxation? 6: Tensions Mount 7: The Perfect Storm Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis book surveys the history of concentration camps from their beginnings in colonial warfare to the present, but it questions facile assumptions about their origins.

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringIs religion a force for war, or a force for peace? Some of the most terrible wars in history have been caused and motivated by religion. Much of the violence that fills our screens today springs from the same source. Yet some of the bravest pacifists have also been deeply religious people, and many of the laws and institutions that work to soften or prevent war have deep religious roots. This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of the history of religion and war, and a framework for analysing it. Ranging from the warrior gods of Ancient Greece and Rome, and the ethical drama of the Mahabharata, through the Islamic wars of conquest and the Crusades, to present day conflicts in Sri Lanka and the Balkans, it considers the entanglement of war and religion. Yet from Just War theory and the restraints on war-making imposed by Islamic jurisprudence, through the Pax Christi of the middle ages, to the non-violence of Gandhi and Bacha Khan; there is also a story to be told of peace and religion as well. Jolyon Mitchell and Joshua Rey consider both sides of the age long drama of war and religion, challenging assumptions at the most fundamental level. Throughout, they encourage a more sophisticated and well-grounded view on these issues that have had such weight in the past, and continue to shape our present and future. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewWar and Religion is written in a clear, accessible style that offers concise, informative details. It would be a useful introductory text for undergraduate students in political science and war and religious studies, as well as the core program. * Arab Studies Quarterly *Mitchell and Rey offer a panoramic narrative of the historical and contemporary relationship between war and religion. Though brief (as expected of a title in the "Very Short Introductions" series), the book covers a lot of ground. Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; graduate students; general readers. * M. S. Hill, Liberty University, CHOICE *Table of ContentsList of illustrations Acknowledgements 1: Remembering wars 2: Waging holy wars 3: Sanctifying secular wars 4: Softening the horrors of war 5: Invoking peace 6: Questioning religion and war References Further Reading

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Book SynopsisThe crusade movement needed women: their money, their prayer support, their active participation, and their inspiration...This book surveys women''s involvement in medieval crusading between the second half of the eleventh century, when Pope Gregory VII first proposed a penitential military expedition to help the Christians of the East, and 1570, when the last crusader state, Cyprus, was captured by the Ottoman Turks. It considers women''s actions not only on crusade battlefields but also in recruiting crusaders, supporting crusades through patronage, propaganda, and prayer, and as both defenders and aggressors. It argues that medieval women were deeply involved in the crusades but the roles that they could play and how their contemporaries recorded their deeds were dictated by social convention and cultural expectations. Although its main focus is the women of Latin Christendom, it also looks at the impact of the crusades and crusaders on the Jews of western Europe and the Muslims of Trade ReviewSelected as a Book of the Year 2023 by Medievalists.netA significant and timely addition to the field. * Natasha Hodgson, BBC History Magazine *4*: Nicolson's careful and detailed retelling of women of all socioeconomic classes during the crusades makes Women and the Crusades one of the most helpful new publications for history enthusiasts and students. * Zhihui Zou, World History Encyclopedia *Nicholson...covers her subject with all the comprehensiveness and breadth readers might expect from a scholar of her caliber. * L. W. Marvin, CHOICE Reviews *The main contribution of Nicholson's book is her mere emphasis on women's involvement in the crusades movement for centuries. Based on an impressive breadth of sources, she convincingly shows that beyond fighting in the front line, women indeed made an important contribution to the Holy War of Christendom. * Professor Sophia Menache, University of Haifa *Widely researched from a wide spectrum of sources and broadly focused, Helen Nicholson's comprehensive study reveals the considerable and varied roles women played in the promotion, conduct, support and memorialisation of crusading and crusaders over more than four centuries. Using telling vignettes of participation, she shows how women of different social status and economic condition were integral to crusading culture and practice, not just marginal or ornamental. * Professor Christopher J. Tyerman, University of Oxford *This book is evidently the product of decades of accumulated research expertise and is panoramic in its scope...Nonetheless, this book undoubtedly succeeds as a detailed and convincing reminder that the history of the crusades is so much more than just a history of men on battlefields. * Beth C. Spacey, University of Queensland, Cerae Journal Vol. 10 *Women and the Crusades is teeming with fascinating insights. * Nicholas Morton, Engelsberg Ideas *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Chronology of the Crusades List of Popes List of Maps and Figures A note on names Maps Figures 1: Locating Women in the Crusades: Definitions and Evidence 2: Initialising crusades 3: Crusade Campaigns 4: The Home Front: Supporting the Crusade 5: After the Crusade: Memory and Imagination Summing Up Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisInternational Relations since 1945 is a comprehensive introduction to the global history of International Relations. The text has been fully updated for the third edition and features three new chapters covering Brexit, Trump, the rise of major powers in the Middle East, and the Syrian war.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent introduction to international political history since 1945 with a strong focus on the Cold War. The book is clearly structured and rigorously researched. Undergraduate politics students will find it very useful. * Dr Eli Gateva, Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics, School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham *Thorough, well-written, informative, well-organized, but above all it is accessible for students. * Dr James Hamill, Lecturer in Politics, School of History, Politics, and International Relations, University of Leicester *This authoritative text offers greater historical depth than its rivals and is a serious piece of work that will support good scholarship amongst my students. * Dr Robert Smith, Lecturer in International Relations, School of Humanities, Coventry University *Table of ContentsPART 1: THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLD WAR 1945-531. Tensions in the Grand Alliance and the Growing Confrontation, 1945-472. Two Worlds East and West, 1945-483. Empire, Cold War, and Decolonisation, 1945-534. The Cold War Intensifies: Containment Superseded, 1948-53PART 2: COLD WAR: CRISES AND CHANGE, 1953-635. Soviet-American Relations: Avoiding Hot Water and the Search for Stability6. Maintaining the Spheres of Influence7. Fighting the Cold War: The Offensive Strategies8. Collapsing Empires: The Cold War Battle for Hearts and Minds, 1953-63PART 3: THE COLD WAR OF PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE AND THE RISE OF MULTIPOLARITY 1963-719. The Eastern and Western Blocs in the 1960s10. The Vietnam War11. Other Regional ConflictsPART 4: THE DÉTENTE ERA, 1972-80 12. An Era of Negotiations, 1972-7313. Stagflation and the Trials of Détente, 1973-7614. Détente in Decline, 1977-7915. The Return to Confrontation, 1979-80PART 5: FROM CONFRONTATION TO COMMUNIST COLLAPSE, 1981-8916. The 'Second' Cold War, 1981-8517. Middle East Conflicts in the 1980s18. Instability in Latin America19. The Decline of the Cold War, 1985-89PART 6: THE POST-COLD WAR WORLD, 1990-200120. Europe and the Former Soviet Union21. US Predominance and the Search for a Post-Cold War Order22. Stability and Instability in the Less Developed WorldPART 7: THE AGE OF INSTABILITY AND CONFLICT: TERROR, ECONOMIC CHAOS AND POLITICAL CHANGE, 2001-11 23. The 'War on Terror' and the War in Afghanistan24. The War in Iraq25. Economic Problems in the West and the Economic Rise of China in the EastPART 8: THE AGE OF UNCERTAINTY: CHAOS AND CONFUSION IN PART VIII The Age of Uncertainty: Chaos and Confusion in a GLOBALIZED WORLD, 2011-1826. Conflict and Chaos in the Middle East27. Threats to the existing Global Order: Instability in the West28. Threats to the Existing Global Order: Challenges from the East

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Book SynopsisFrom prompting a transition from hunter-gatherer to an agrarian lifestyle in ancient Mesopotamia to bankrolling Britain''s imperialist conquests, strategic taxation and the regulation of beer has played a pivotal role throughout history. Beeronomics: How Beer Explains the World tells these stories, and many others, whilst also exploring the key innovations that propelled the industrialization and consolidation of the beer market.At the same time when mega-mergers in the brewing industry are creating huge transnationals selling their beer across the globe, the craft beer movement in America and Europe has brought the rich history of ancient brewing techniques to the forefront in recent years. But less talked about is the economic influence of this beverage on the world and the myriad ways it has shaped the course of history. Beeronomics covers world history through the lens of beer, exploring the common role that beer taxation has played throughout and providing context for recognizable brands and consumer trends and tastes.Beeronomics examines key developments that have moved the brewing industry forward. Its most ubiquitous ingredient, hops, was used by the Hanseatic League to establish the export dominance of Hamburg and Bremen in the sixteenth century. During the late nineteenth century, bottom-fermentation led to the spread of industrial lager beer. Industrial innovations in bottling, refrigeration, and TV advertising paved the way for the consolidation and market dominance of major macrobreweries like Anheuser Busch in America and Artois Brewery in Belgium during the twentieth century. We''re now in the era of global integration-- one multinational AB InBev, claims 46% of all beer profits-- but there''s a counterrevolution afoot of small, independent craft breweries in both America, Belgium and around the world. Beeronomics surveys these trends, giving context to why you see which brands and styles on shelves at your local supermarket or on tap at the nearby pub.Trade ReviewHighly recommended, this book isnt a dry tome. Its essential reading for those turned on by history, economics, fun facts and, erm, beer. * Paul Howard, On: Yorkshire Magazine *If you care about beer and its impact on our world, Beeronomics is a smart and entertaining primer on the subject, that deserves its place in any beer lover's library. * American Craft Beer *Highly recommended, this book isn't a dry tome either. It's essential for those turned on by history, economics, fun facts and, erm, beer. * Paul Howard, winealchemy.co.uk *This book is aimed at serious students of economics and business -- it's more investment strategies and market consolidation than tales from the pub. But even in the analysis, there are interesting moments. * Mark Mason, Daily Mail *Don't be put off by the allusion to economics; there is only a moderate amount of economics in this wide-ranging book, and most of it will be easily understood by the average reader ... All of it, no matter how far afield it seems from economics, will be put to work proving the author's thesis that beer explains the world ... you don't have to be a specialist to enjoy this book. The chapters are short - usually about eight pages - and they are well-written and understandable. * Ted Child, What's Brewing *This impressive, all-encompassing, and accessible book is a tour de force and must-read for anybody interested in history, economics, and obviously beer. Cheers! * Bart Minten, Senior research fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute *For much of human history beer was central a safe source of fluids, calories that fed the work force, and tax revenues that reshaped the political world. Monks, generals, scientists, kings, and robber barons are all part of the books journey that ends with craft beer. A must on all business schools list of case studies and your holiday gift list! * Professor Harry de Gorter, Cornell University *Beeronomics: How Beer Explains the World is a significant book. It covers diverse aspects of the economics of beer in world history, providing fascinating reading for beer enthusiasts and others alike. Each chapter is a revelation. Drawing it all together leaves us with a much changed view of this wonderful, historically important beverage. * Julian M. Alston, Professor and Director of the Robert Mondavi Institute Center for Wine Economics, UC Davis, and author of The Effects of Farm and Food Policies on Obesity in the United States *For several years now, Jo Swinnen has been devoting serious scholarly attention to a neglected topic, and uncovering intriguing stories along the way. Finally, these insights are made available to a broader public in this refreshing read. * Koen Deconinck, Former Management Consultant at Bain & Company; Economist at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development *This is a fascinating book on beer, history, and economics by the leading beer economists from the world's beer capital. In fifteen chapters, Swinnen and Briski tell the story of how the world has shaped beer and how beer has shaped the world. * Karl Storchmann, New York University, Managing Editor of the Journal of Wine Economics *Beeronomics provides an excellent addition to the literature. It addresses and explores multiple aspects and issues related to beer and brewing worldwide, using several interesting approaches to highlight new trajectories and trends in the field. Definitely worth a read! * Professor Ignazio Cabras, Chair in Entrepreneurship and Regional Economic Development and Faculty Director (International Development), Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University *Table of ContentsIntroduction: From Monastries to Multinationals and Back 1: The World's Oldest Profession: Brewing in the Cradle of Civilization 2: A Revolution Every Thousand Years: How Hops Jumpstarted Commercial Brewing in Medieval Europe 3: The Brew that Launched a Thousand Ships: How Porter Paid for the British Royal Navy 4: A Revolution Every Thousand Years, Part II: How Bottom-Fermentation Made Beer the Darling of the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions 5: How TV Killed the Local Brewery 6: Beer Monopoly: How the Belgian Beer Barons Dethroned the King 7: Socialist Lubricant: Liberalization, Take-Overs, and Restructuring of the East European Brewery Industry 8: The Belgian White: Reincarnation of an Old World Brew 9: The Reinheitsgebot: Protection Against Competition or Contamination? 10: From Land to Brand: How Nineteenth-Century Nationalist Politics Planted the Seeds for the Global Trademark Battle Over "Budweiser" 11: The Great Convergence: The Fall of the Beer-Drinking Nation, the Rise of the Beer-Drinking World 12: From Vodka to Baltika: Deciphering Russia's Recent Love Affair with Beer 13: Trading Water or Terroir? The Changing Nature of the Beer Trade 14: Craft Nation: How Belgium's "Peasant Beers" Became the Best in the World 15: Hop Heads and Locaholics: Strategies of the American Craft Beer Movement

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Book SynopsisThe European Union (EU) stands out as a fascinatingly unique political organisation. On the one hand, it has shown the potential for developing deep and wide-ranging cooperation between member states, going far beyond that found anywhere else in the world. On the other, it is currently in the throes of a phase of profound uncertainty about its viability and future.Showing how and why the EU has developed from 1950 to the present day, this Very Short Introduction covers a range of topics, including the Union''s early history, the workings of its institutions and what they do, the interplay between ''eurosceptics'' and federalists, and the role of the Union beyond Europe in international affairs and as a peace-keeper. In this fully updated fourth edition, Pinder and Usherwood cover the migrant crisis and the UK''s decision to leave the Union, set in the context of a body that is now involved in most areas of public policy. Discussing how the EU continues to draw in new members, they conclude by considering the future of the Union and the choices and challenges that may lie ahead. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThis slim little volume is quite simply the best place to start for anyone who aspires to understand the European Union. * Professor Anand Menon, Kings College and Director, UK in a Changing Europe *Table of ContentsREFERENCES; FURTHER READING; GLOSSARY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisFor thousands of years bloodlines have been held as virtually unassailable credentials for leadership, with supreme political power perceived as a family affair across the globe and throughout history. At the heart of royal dynasties, kings were inflated to superhuman proportions, yet their status came at a price: whilst they may have reigned, they were very often ruled by others who sheltered behind the ruler''s proclaimed omnipotence. Descent through the female line also occurred, subverting our common view of dynasty as built on father-son succession. Everywhere, women were important as mothers of boy-kings, and could even rule in their own right in some places.In this Very Short Introduction Jeroen Duindam connects the earliest history of kings and queens to contemporary examples of family-based leadership. His sweeping overview of five millennia of dynastic rule brings to light recurring predicaments of families on the throne. Examining persistent family conflict and the dilemmas of leadership, he shows how the challenge of governing the family was balanced by the necessity of family scions, close or distant, for the survival of dynasties. Tensions between ageing fathers and eager sons can be found among ancient kings as well as in modern business empires. Guidebooks for rulers throughout history provided counsel that will appear strikingly familiar to contemporary leaders. The thoughts and confessions of rulers added a more personal touch to these rules of thumb. Throughout, Duindam sheds light not only on similarities, but also on divergence and change in dynastic practice. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1: Dynasties past and present 2: Shaping the family 3: Paterfamilias: its hard to be the boss 4: Women and dynastic power 5: Embedding the family 6: Persistence and change 7: The dynastic impulse in the modern world 8: Epilogue All in the family: conclusions Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisFor three hundred years the ghetto defined Jewish culture in the late medieval and early modern period in Western Europe. In the nineteenth-century it was a free-floating concept which travelled to Eastern Europe and the United States. Eastern European ghettos, which enabled genocide, were crudely rehabilitated by the Nazis during World War Two as if they were part of a benign medieval tradition. In the United States, the word ghetto was routinely applied to endemic black ghettoization which has lasted from 1920 until the present. Outside of America the ghetto has been universalized as the incarnation of class difference, or colonialism, or apartheid, and has been applied to segregated cities and countries throughout the world. In this Very Short Introduction Bryan Cheyette unpicks the extraordinarily complex layers of contrasting meanings that have accrued over five hundred years to ghettos, considering their different settings across the globe. He considers core questions of why and when urban, racial, and colonial ghettos have appeared, and who they contain. Exploring their various identities, he shows how different ghettos interrelate, or are contrasted, across time and space, or even in the same place.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThis overview of the changing meaning of the ghetto across the globe and through time is highly recommended for readers new to the subject, as well as for those who wish to deepen their knowledge through its excellent bibliography. * Laura Vaughan, LSE Review of Books *Bryan Cheyette has vigorously met the challenge of looking at ghettos in history and literature from 16th-century Italy to present-day America. * David Abulafia, Jewish Renaissance *Revealing new details and insights on almost every page. * Howard Cooper, Jewish Chronicle *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments List of illustrations 1: Why ghetto? 2: The age of the ghetto 3: Ghettos of the Imagination 4: Nazism and the ghetto 5: The americanization of the ghetto 6: Global ghettos References Further reading Publishers acknowledgements

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Book Synopsis''A compassionate, wide-ranging study.'' Terry Eagleton, The GuardianDespite 21st-century fears of a modern ''epidemic'' of loneliness, its history has been sorely neglected.A Biography of Loneliness is the first history of its kind to be published in English, offering a radically new interpretation of loneliness as an emotional language and experience. Using letters and diaries, philosophical tracts, political discussions, and medical literature from the eighteenth century to the present, historian of the emotions Fay Bound Alberti argues that loneliness is not an ahistorical, universal phenomenon. It is, in fact, a modern emotion: before 1800, its language did not exist. As Alberti shows, the birth of loneliness is linked to the development of modernity: the all-encompassing ideology of the individual that has emerged in the mind and physical sciences, in economic structures, in philosophy and politics. While it has a biography of its own, loneliness impacts on people differently, according to their gender, ethnicity, religion, outlook, and socio-economic position. It is, Alberti argues, not a single state but an ''emotion cluster'', composed of a wide variety of responses that include fear, anger, resentment and sorrow. In spite of this, loneliness is not always negative. And it is physical as well as psychological: loneliness is a product of the body as much as the mind. Looking at informative case studies such as Sylvia Plath, Queen Victoria, and Virginia Woolf, A Biography of Loneliness charts the emergence of loneliness as a modern emotional state. From social media addiction to widowhood, from homelessness to the oldest old, from mall hauls to massages, loneliness appears in all aspects of 21st-century life. Yet we cannot address its meanings, let alone formulate a cure, without attention to its complex, protean history.Trade ReviewIn addition to Alberti's sharp political analysis, one of the most powerful themes in her book is how varied loneliness is, how embedded it is in our lives, how extensively it evades generalisation. Maybe loneliness is a 21st-century epidemic, a modern illness requiring an urgent response, but its also so much more than that. * Sophie McBain, The New Statesman *Alberti conveys the ambivalence of loneliness as we now conceive of it, its mingling of horror and desirability in a machine age. * Jane O'Grady, Literary Review *A wonderful biography of loneliness by a brilliant socio-cultural historian. * James Daybell, Histories of the Unexpected *Beginning with the intriguing argument that loneliness is a modern emotional phenomenon, Fay Bound Alberti traces many facets and factors leading up to the current loneliness dilemma. The book contributes both to several facets in the history of emotion over the past two centuries, and to a humane understanding of the issues and possibilities involved today. * Dr Peter Stearns, George Mason University *This fascinating book explores an increasingly central experience in our society-loneliness. Bound Alberti does a wonderful job of explaining where do all lonely people come from, and where do they all belong. The nuanced picture she draws has real potential to help us better understand, cope with, and reduce the most significant epidemic of our time. The author makes a particularly valuable distinction between fleeting and chronic loneliness. While fleeting loneliness can boost creativity and enhance emotional and spiritual clarity, chronic lonelinesswhich involves an existential sense of meaningless lackis devastatingly destructive. I highly recommend this important book for all readers. * Aaron Ben-Ze'ev, author of The Arc of Love *Why is loneliness such a major concern in western societies? In this thoughtful, thought-provoking book Fay Bound Alberti traces modern loneliness from its nineteenth-century cultural and demographic origins to its latest incarnation as a health emergency, a scourge of western society. Exploring diverse experiences of loneliness - from William Wordsworths famous lonely as a cloud to Sylvia Plaths desperate description of it as a disease of the blood - Bound Alberti provides a compelling account of the causes and consequences of loneliness in an age when community solidarities are at a premium. * Barbara Taylor, Professor of Humanities at Queen Mary University of London; principal investigator on Wellcome Trust funded project, 'Pathologies of Solitude, 18th-21st Century' *A compassionate, wide-ranging study. * Terry Eagleton, The Guardian *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface: No (Wo)man is an island Introduction: Loneliness as a 'modern epidemic' 1: When 'oneliness' became loneliness: the birth of a modern emotion 2: A 'disease of the blood'? The chronic loneliness of Sylvia Plath 3: Loneliness and lack: romantic love, from Wuthering Heights to Twilight 4: Widowhood and loss: from Thomas Turner to the Widow of Windsor 5: Instaglum? Social media and the making of online community 6: A 'ticking timebomb'? Rethinking loneliness in old age 7: Roofless and rootless: no place to call 'home' 8: Feeding the hunger. Materiality and the neglected lonely body 9: Lonely clouds and empty vessels. When loneliness is a gift Conclusion: reframing loneliness in a neoliberal age Further reading Appendix

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Book SynopsisBrazil is associated in many people''s minds with conviviality, sensuality, and natural beauty. Yet the country behind these images and associations is something of an enigma. It is alternately praised as the country of the future, a rising power ready to take its place at the top tables of global governance, or written off as a perennial disappointment, a country forever failing to reach its potential, mired in corruption, inequality, poverty, and violence. These oscillations between euphoria and despair obscure a country with its own unique trajectory through the 20th and 21st centuries. This Very Short Introduction offers an account of modern Brazil that covers some of the major features of the country''s transformation, including the rise of the modern state in the mid-20th century, the violent repression of dictatorship, the domestic economic, political, and social challenges faced by the country today, and the role Brazil plays in dealing with some of the most important contemporary global problems. In doing so, Anthony Pereira highlights some of the peculiar features of Brazil''s development, such as the tendency of its political leaders to engage in complicated, informal political deals; the state''s welfare institutions that often exacerbate, rather than improve, the country''s deep economic inequalities; and Brazil''s long history of peaceful relations with its neighbours despite a high level of state violence against citizens.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsList of illustrations Introduction 1: The Vargas era and its legacy 2: Dictatorship and repression 3: Rich country, poor people: economic challenges 4: Development or decay? Citizenship and political representation 5: Brazil and the multipolar world Conclusion Further reading Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisDo you touch wood for luck, or avoid hotel rooms on floor thirteen? Would you cross the path of a black cat, or step under a ladder? Is breaking a mirror just an expensive waste of glass, or something rather more sinister? Despite the dominance of science in today''s world, superstitious beliefs - both traditional and new - remain surprisingly popular. A recent survey of adults in the United States found that 33 percent believed that finding a penny was good luck, and 23 percent believed that the number seven was lucky. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today?This Very Short Introduction explores the nature and surprising history of superstition from antiquity to the present. For two millennia, superstition was a label derisively applied to foreign religions and unacceptable religious practices, and its primary purpose was used to separate groups and assert religious and social authority. After the Enlightenment, the superstition label was still used to define groups, but the new dividing line was between reason and unreason. Today, despite our apparent sophistication and technological advances, superstitious belief and behaviour remain widespread, and highly educated people are not immune. Stuart Vyse takes an exciting look at the varieties of popular superstitious beliefs today and the psychological reasons behind their continued existence, as well as the likely future course of superstition in our increasingly connected world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewStimulating and informative. * Alexander Faludy, Church Times *This succinct summary of the history of and psychology behind superstition is so superb that I am adopting it for my college course on critical thinking and recommend it be required reading for all social science students. Stuart Vyse is such a marvelous writer and clear thinker, in fact, that this book should be required reading for all humans susceptible to superstitions, which is to say all of humanity. * Michael Shermer, Publisher, Skeptic magazine *Stuart Vyse has packed a lot into this little book, including a comprehensive discussion of the way in which the concept of superstition has changed across the ages, the psychology of superstition, and the implications of superstitious thinking for the modern world - all presented in an engaging and informative style. Highly recommended! * Professor Chris French, Goldsmiths, University of London *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: The meanings of superstition 2: Religious superstition 3: Secular superstition 4: Superstition today 5: Why do people believe? 6: The future of superstition Further reading Index

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Book Synopsis''That was how things stood in the city at the time. With no one in charge, murders were taking place almost every day and the elections could not be held.''Books 36-40 of the Roman History by Cassius Dio (born ca. 163 CE), covers 69-50 BCE, the last twenty years before the Roman Republic collapsed in a long series of civil wars, leading to the monarchy of the emperors. Although Dio''s history was written over 250 years later, it provides the fullest surviving account of this crucial period in Roman history and is a key source of information on many of the chief developments. Dio fashions his account of these years to foreshadow the coming civil war, exposing the violence and corruption of the political life of the time, and portraying the gradual eclipse of the great general Pompey by his younger rival Caesar.Robin Waterfield''s lively and up-to-date translation is accompanied by an introduction by John Rich, which sets Dio''s work in its context and explores both literary and historiTable of ContentsIntroduction Translator's Note Select Bibliography Structure A Chronology of Events ROMAN HISTORY, BOOKS THIRTY-SIX TO FORTY Appendix: Roman Names; Roman Money and Measures of Distance; The Roman Calendar Explanatory Notes Glossary Index of Proper Names

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Book SynopsisXenophon recounted several Socratic dialogues which included his Symposium and Oeconomicus and both are concerned with Athenian private life. They are literary creations that reveal Xenophon as a skilled literary artist, an innovative thinker, and far from merely reflecting the conventional thinking of the world around him.Trade ReviewThis edition of Xenophon's Oeconomicus and Symposium features a high-quality translation by Anthony Verity and a thought-provoking introduction by Emily Baragwanath. It is Baragwanath's introduction that makes this edition stand out from the competition. * David M. Johnson, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Baragwanath guides the reader through the two works, highlighting areas of interest and possible influences upon Xenophon's choice of topics. Baragwanath also provides a succinct description of a Socratic dialogue, which both Estate Management and Symposium are, emphasizing that the genre is most likely one of fiction in which "an author uses Socrates as a vehicle for exploring his own ideas". The repeated comparisons between Xenophon's Symposium and Plato's work of the same name were particularly illuminating in this regard, demonstrating how students of the same teacher could reach vastly different conclusions....Verity has done an admirable job of rendering the Greek in readable English. * Owain Williams, Ancient History *This little book gives a fine account of these two works of Xenophon, both for those who are familiar and unfamiliar with him. * Colin McDonald, Classics for All *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography OECONOMICUS SYMPOSIUM Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisWhile the Big Three and their continental Allies fought against Nazi Germany, another war was under way on the continent: the war to shape the political landscape of post-war Europe. In the Balkans, the war overlapped with political and ethnic conflicts, engulfing the region in bloody civil wars. In Central and Eastern Europe, partisan movements engaged the Germans without losing sight of the danger posed by the arrival of the Red Army. In France and in Italy, the adoption of the slogans of national liberation provided the communist parties with a formidable democratic legitimacy, which established them as key players in the political lives of their countries.The British and the Americans worked to stir up, support, control, and direct these resistance groups. London created the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Washington the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), both of whom sent agents into occupied Europe to liaise directly with the guerilla groups. Through the Comintern, MoscowTable of ContentsPART 1 1: Resistance and diplomacy in occupied Europe (September 1939-June 1940) 2: The Special Operations Executive at war (July 1940 - June 1941) 3: The communists enter the scene (June 1941 - November 1941) PART 2 4: Uncertain times (December 1941 - December 1942) 5: The militarization of British policy and the beginning Of US challenge in the Mediterranean (January - December 1943) 6: The communist movement on the offensive (January - December 1943) PART 3 7: Civil war and liberation in the Balkans (1944-1945) 8: Central and Eastern Europe between liberation and Soviet occupation (1944-1945) 9: The liberation of Western Europe (1944-1945) 10: Conclusion

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Book SynopsisDays after the assassination of his prime minister in the middle of Rome in November 1848, Pope Pius IX found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The wave of revolution that had swept through Europe now seemed poised to put an end to the popes'' thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not indeed to the papacy itself. Disguising himself as a simple parish priest, Pius escaped through a back door. Climbing inside the Bavarian ambassador''s carriage, he embarked on a journey into a fateful exile.Only two years earlier Pius''s election had triggered a wave of optimism across Italy. After the repressive reign of the dour Pope Gregory XVI, Italians saw the youthful, benevolent new pope as the man who would at last bring the Papal States into modern times and help create a new, unified Italian nation. But Pius found himself caught between a desire to please his subjects and a fear--stoked by the cardinals--that heeding the people''s pleas would destroy the church. The resultinTrade ReviewGrippingly written, pageturning and scholarly, this book is an immense achievement which few can hope to equal. This is a magni?cent book; analysis and narrative at their ?nest. * Ambrogio A. Caiani, Journal Of Ecclesiastical History *Table of ContentsProloguePart 1: The Beloved1: The Conclave2: The Fox and the Crow3: An Impossible Dilemma4: Papal Magic5: The Tide Turns6: Fending Off Disaster7: The Assassination8: The EscapePart II: The Reviled9: The Reactionary Turn10: Revolution11: Pressuring the Pope12: The Friendly Army13: The French Attack14: Negotiating in Bad Faith15: Battling For Rome16: The Conquest17: The OccupationPart III: The Feared18: Applying the Brakes19: Louis Napoleon and The Pope20: The Unpopular Pope21: "Those Wicked Enemies of God"22: Returning to RomeEpilogueNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisBased the author's Carlyle lectures, Useful Enemies explores the theme of Western ideas of Islam and the Ottoman empire across three centuries.Trade ReviewNoel Malcolm has provided a masterpiece in the history of ideas... * Ritchie Robertson, The Times Literary Supplement, Books of the Year 2019 *The author is one of the great scholars of our time ... Malcolm has here uncovered an entirely new field of inquiry, ranging from Machiavelli to Montesquieu, and embracing many less familiar but fascinating thinkers en route... * Daniel Johnson, Mosaic, Best Books of 2019 *A timely look at how the perceived threat of Islam shaped early modern Europe... This is a potentially polarising topic, ripe for ill-informed claims and tendentious commentary. Malcolm is one of the handful of people capable of taking it on with scholarly rigour and clarity... Anyone who wants to understand how we got to where we are today should read this book. * Tim Laing Smith, The Daily Telegraph *[A] wise and beautifully judged book... * Christopher de Bellaigue, The Guardian *With its breadth and perspicacity, this book will be the standard history for decades to come. * Nabil Matar, American Historical Review *Useful Enemies is an exhaustive study of such uses of the Ottomans and Islam in early modern European political writing. * Jan Loop, Journal of Modern History *Noel Malcolm's impressive inquiry ... is remarkable for its insight, order and clarity of exposition. * Rolando Minuti, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Useful Enemies offers a balanced and nuanced view on how and why the Westerners perceived the otherness and how, over time, different authors and different testimonies about the Ottomans intertwined one with another in a construction of a complicate 'image'... This book also may be seen as an invitation for scholars to think about how the Ottomans were perceived in Eastern Europe. * Ovidiu Cristea, Institute of History 'Nicolae Iorga', European History Quarterly *Noel Malcolm's brilliant study ... a wealth of scholarship drawing on primary sources in many languages ... The book's importance is thus not only to do with its nuanced account of the varieties of western European responses to Islam - though this is valuable enough... * Rowan Williams, New Statesman *Learned and fascinating account... * Sameer Rahim, Prospect Magazine *[A] richly research and commendably lucid new book ... As with all Malcolm's work, the power of the underlying scholarship in Useful Enemies - the archives visited, the languages mastered - is deeply impressive. Perhaps still more impressive, however, is the way Malcolm has organised and shaped his material into a subtle, many-faceted exposition that is always clear and never feels forced or sophisticated... * David Womersely, Standpoint *An indispensable guide to that encounter that combines deep learning, refined historical judgment, and an elegant authorial voice. Malcolm describes his book as "a study of Western political thinking about Islam and the Ottoman Empire in the early modern period," roughly 1450 to 1750. But the book offers much more than that. * James Hankins, New Criterion *Useful Enemies provides a model for how a book that articulates its core objective with judicious precision can open a window, simultaneously, onto a landscape of intellectual cross-fertilization. * World History Connected *... impressive inquiry, which is remarkable for its insight, order and clarity of exposition... , strongly grounded on philological and historical inquiry. * Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Noel Malcolm displays an overwhelming erudition and vast linguistic abilities which underline why Useful Enemies will be a mandatory reference book for any scholar who, from now on, intends to study the interactions between the Ottomans and the Christian world. This book also may be seen as an invitation for scholars to think about how the Ottomans were perceived in Eastern Europe. * Ovidiu Cristea, European History Quarterly *Table of ContentsPreface 1: The Fall of Constantinople, the Turks, and the Humanists 2: Views of Islam: standard assumptions 3: Habsburgs and Ottomans: 'Europe' and the conflict of empires 4: Protestantism, Calvinoturcism, and Turcopapalism 5: Alliances with the infidel 6: The new paradigm 7: Machiavelli and Reason of State 8: Campanella 9: Despotism I: the origins 10: Analyses of Ottoman strength and weakness 11: Justifications of warfare, and plans for war and peace 12: Islam as a political religion 13: Critical and radical uses of Islam I: Vanini to Toland 14: Critical and radical uses of Islam II: Bayle to Voltaire 15: Despotism II: seventeenth-century theories 16: Despotism III: Montesquieu Conclusion List of manuscripts Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisHaving spent centuries in the shadows of its neighbours China and Japan, Korea is now the object of considerable interest for radically different reasons-- the South as an economic success story and for its vibrant popular culture; the North as the home to one of the world''s most repressive regimes, at once both bizarre and menacing. This Very Short Introduction explores the history, culture, and society of a deeply divided region. Michael Seth considers what it means to be Korean, and analyses how the various peoples of the Korean peninsula became one of the world''s most homogeneous nations, before exploring how this nation evolved, in a single lifetime, into today''s sharply contrasting societies. He also discusses how Korea fits into the larger narrative of both East Asian and world history, economically, politically, and socially.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsChronology List of illustrations Introduction 1: Creating a peninsular kingdom 2: A Confucian society 3: From kingdom to colony 4: From colony to competing states 5: Competing states, diverging societies 6: Globalizing south, inward north Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe study of human evolution is advancing rapidly. Newly discovered fossil evidence is adding ever more pieces to the puzzle of our past, whilst revolutionary technological advances in the study of ancient DNA are completely reshaping theories of early human populations and migrations.In this Very Short Introduction Bernard Wood traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to the very latest fossil finds. In this new edition he discusses how Ancient DNA studies have revolutionized how we view the recent (post-550 ka) human evolution, and the process of speciation. The combination of ancient and modern human DNA has contributed to discoveries of new taxa, as well as the suggestion of ''ghost'' taxa whose fossil records still remain to be discovered. Considering the contributions of related sciences such as paleoclimatology, geochronology, systematics, genetics, and developmental biology, Wood explores our latest understandings of our own evolution.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewConcise but with wide coverage, this is your ideal pocket guide to human evolution. * Chris Stringer, Natural History Museum *This is a well written, concise survey of research on our origins. Bernard Wood writes with an authority that few in the discipline can approach. The text is accessible, and the coverage is comprehensive. * Professor Peter Ungar, University of Arkansas *Wood presents a concise but comprehensive treatment of our own evolutionary history. Any reader interested in the topic of human origins will greatly benefit from this work. * Professor Zeray Alemseged, University of Chicago *Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Finding our place 3: Fossil hominins: their discovery and context 4: Fossil hominins: analysis and interpretation 5: Early hominins: possible and probable 6: Archaic and transitional hominins 7: Pre-modern Homo 8: Modern Homo Timeline of thought and science relevant to human origins and evolution Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe Ordnance Survey and Modern Irish Literature offers a fresh new look at the origins of literary modernism in Ireland, tracing a history of Irish writing through James Clarence Mangan, J.M. Synge, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Samuel Beckett. Beginning with the archives of the Ordnance Survey, which mapped Ireland between 1824 and 1846, the book argues that one of the sources of Irish modernism lies in the attempt by the Survey to produce a comprehensive archive of a land emerging rapidly into modernity. The Ordnance Survey instituted a practice of depicting the country as modern, fragmented, alienated, and troubled, both diagnosing and representing a landscape burdened with the paradoxes of colonial modernity. Subsequent literature returns in varying ways, both imitative and combative, to the complex representational challenge that the Survey confronts and seeks to surmount. From a colonial mapping project to an engine of nationalist imagining, and finally a framework by which to evade the claims of the postcolonial nation, the Ordnance Survey was a central imaginative source of what makes Irish modernist writing both formally innovative and politically challenging. Drawing on literary theory, studies of space, the history of cartography, postcolonial theory, archive theory, and the field Irish Studies, The Ordnance Survey and Modern Irish Literature paints a picture of Irish writing deeply engaged in the representation of a multi-layered landscape.Trade Reviewan important new study ... startlingly original schema * Sinéad Sturgeon, Times Literary Supplement *... convincingly describes a uniquely Irish modernist aesthetic which is grounded in one of the islands most intense moments of cultural and material cartography, and should prove useful for a wide range of scholars interested in the intersections of history, geography, and literature. * Sinéad Sturgeon, Stephen O'Neill, Irish Studies Review *The Ordnance Survey and Modern Irish Literature opens fertile new ground and will surely encourage scholars with nicely polished looking glasses to further scrutinize the relationship between the British Empire's cartographic project and Ireland's modernist literary projects. * Vivian Valvano Lynch, Léirmheasanna: Reviews *The Survey, for Parsons, is one of the "many possible and actual starting points of a history of Irish modernity and modernism," and what emerges in the book is a brilliant and fresh analysis of the ways in which James Clarence Mangan, John Millington Synge, James Joyce, and Samuel Beckett engage with such a cartographical heritage and postcolonial imperative. * Malcolm Sen, Breac: A Digital Journal of Irish Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Maps, Modernity, Modernism I. Archives 1: Archive: The Ordnance Survey Letters 2: Anarchive: James Clarence Mangan among the Ruins II. Scales 3: The Scales of Modernity I: The Aran Islands 4: The Scales of Modernity II: Ulysses' Encyclopedic Narrative Epilogue 5: "Accursed Progenitor!": Beckett's Abstract Landscapes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of Neolithic Europe provides the first comprehensive, geographically extensive, thematic overview of the European Neolithic - from Iberia to Russia and from Norway to Malta - offering both a general introduction and a clear exploration of key issues and current debates surrounding evidence and interpretation.Trade ReviewThe Oxford Handbook of Neolithic Europe represents an important contribution to world literature. * Jaromír Bene and Tereza Majerovicová, IANSA: Interdisciplinaria archaeologica *The Oxford Handbook of Neolithic Europe is a great scholarly achievement and a valuable offering essential to everyone interested in the archaeology of the European Neolithic. * Evita Kalogiropoulou, European Journal of Archaeology *Table of ContentsPart I: Introduction 1: Chris Fowler, Jan Harding, and Daniela Hofmann: Defining the 'Neolithic in Europe': Diverse and Contemporaneous Communities, c. 6500-2500 BC Part II: Mobility, Change, and Interaction at the Large Scale 2: Tony Brown, Geoff Bailey, and Dave Passmore: Environments and Landscape Change Movement of Plants, Animals, Ideas, and People 3: Joannes Müller: South-East Europe 4: Jean Guilaine: The Neolithization of Mediterranean Europe: Mobility and Interactions from the Near East to the Iberian Peninsula 5: Wolfram Schier: Central and Eastern Europe 6: Anne Tresset: Moving Animals and Plants in the Early Neolithic of North-Western Europe 7: Stephen Shennan: Language, Genes, and Cultural Interaction Sequences of Cultural Interaction and Cultural Change 8: John Chapman: South-East Europe 9: Caroline Malone: The Neolithic in Mediterranean Europe 10: Detlef Gronenborn and Pavel Dolukhanov DR: Central and Eastern Europe 11: Nick Thorpe: Northern and Western Europe Part III: Neolithic Worlds and Neolithic Lifeways Houses, Habitation, and Community 12: Pál Raczky: Tells and Settlements in South-East Europe 13: Demetra Papaconstantinou: Domestic Space in the Mediterranean 14: Jonathan Last: Longhouse Lifestyles in the Central European Neolithic 15: Francesco Menotti: Lakeside Dwellings of the Circum-Alpine Region 16: Anick Coudart: Households and Communities in Neolithic France 17: Kenneth Brophy: Houses, Halls, and Occuptation in Britain and Ireland 18: Mats Larsson: Places of Settlement in Southern Scandanavia Subsistence and Social Routine 19: Rich Schulting: Stable Isotopes and Neolithic Subsistence: Pattern and Variation 20: Amy Bogaard: Subsistence Practices and Social Routine in Neolithic Southern Europe 21: László Bartosiewicz and Malcolm Lillie: Subsistence Practices in Central and Eastern Europe 22: Tony Legge DR and Peter Rowley-Conwy: Subsistence Practices in Western and Northern Europe 23: Dimitrij Mleku%z: The Neolithic Year 24: Roy Loveday: Religious Routine and Pilgrimage in the British Isles Materiality and Social Relations 25: Marjorie de Grooth: Invention and European Knapping Traditions 26: Pedro Díaz-del-Río and Mara Capote: Shared Labour and Large Scale Action: European Flint Mining 27: Gabriel Cooney: Stone and Flint Axes in Neolithic Europe 28: Mihael Budja: Pottery of South-East Europe 29: Joachim Pechtl: Linearbandkeramik Pottery and Society 30: Rick Peterson and Johannes Müller: Ceramics and Society in Northern Europe 31: Marc Vander Linden: Bell Beaker Pottery and Society 32: Stratos Nanoglou: A Miniature World: Models and Figurines in South-East Europe 33: John Chapman and Bisserka Gaydarska: Spondylus and Shell Ornaments 34: Tony Axelsson, Morten Ramstad, and Anders Strinnholm: Amber 35: Volker Heyd and Katherine Walker: The First Metalwork and Expressions of Social Power 36: Mark Pearce and Martin Bartelheim: Early Metallurgy in Iberia and the Western Mediterranean 37: Ben Roberts and Catherine Frieman: Early Metallurgy in Western and Northern Europe 38: Duncan Garrow: Deposition in Pits 39: Arkadiusz Marciniak and Joshua Pollard: Animals and Social Relations Monuments, Rock Art, and Cosmology 40: Jörg Petrasch: Central European Enclosures 41: Robin Skeates: Italian Enclosures 42: Niels Andersen: Causewayed Enclosures in Northern and Western Europe 43: Vicki Cummings, Magdalena Midgeley DR, and Chris Scarre: Chambered Tombs and Passage Graves of Northern and Western Europe 44: Sara Fairen-Jiminez: Rock Carvings in Iberia 45: Angelo Fossati: Rock Carvings in South Central Europe 46: Andrew Cochrane, Andrew Jones, and Kalle Sognnes: Rock Carvings in Northern Europe 47: Robin Skeates: Underground Religion in the Central Mediterranean Neolithic 48: Michael Hoskin: A Place in the Cosmos: Monuments and Celestial Bodies Death, Bodies, and Persons 49: Du%san Bori'c: Mortuary Practices, Bodies, and Persons in the Neolithic and Early-Middle Copper Ages of South-East Europe 50: John Robb: Burial and Human Body Representations in the Central Mediterranean Neolithic 51: Daniela Hofmann and Jörg Orschiedt: Mortuary Practices, Bodies, and Persons in Central Europe 52: Karl-Göran Sjögren: Mortuary Practices, Bodies, and Persons in North-East Europe 53: Chris Fowler and Chris Scarre: Mortuary Practices and Bodily Representations in North-West Europe Part IV: Conclusion: Debates in Neolithic Archaeology 54: Alasdair Whittle: Unexpected Histories? South-East and Central Europe 55: Julian Thomas: What Do We Mean By 'Neolithic Societies'? 56: Kristian Kristiansen: The Decline of the Neolithic and the Rise of the Bronze Age Society

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Book SynopsisThis textbook provides a comprehensive scholarly introduction to Classical Chinese and its texts. Classical Chinese is the language of Confucius and Mencius and their contemporaries, who wrote the seminal texts of Chinese philosophy more than 2,000 years ago. Although it was used as a living language for only a relatively short time, it was the foundation of Chinese education throughout the Imperial age, and formed the basis of a literary tradition that continues to the present day. This book offers students all the necessary tools to read, understand, and analyse Classical Chinese texts, including: step-by-step clearly illustrated descriptions of syntactic features; core vocabulary lists; introductions to relevant historical and cultural topics; selected readings from classical literature with original commentaries and in-depth explanations; introductions to dictionaries and other reference works on the study of ancient China; and a guide to philological methods used in the critical aTable of ContentsPreface List of figures List of abbreviations Abbreviated book titles Introduction Part I 1: Word Classes and Constituents 2: Noun Phrases 1 3: Nominal Clauses 4: Verbal Clauses 5: Objects and Questions 6: Noun Phrases 2 7: Adverbial Modification 8: Prepositional Phrases I 9: Prepositional Phrases II 10: Reference to Time 11: Complements 12: Nominalization 13: Themes 14: Anteposition and Inversion 15: Complex Sentences 1 16: Complex Sentences 2 Part II 17: Lunyu 18: Mengzi 19: Xunzi 20: Zuozhuan 21: Guoyu 22: Laozi 23: Zhuangzi 24: Mozi 25: Guanzi 26: Military Texts 27: Shangjun shu 28: Han Feizi 29: Lüshi chunqiu 30: Zhanguo ce 31: Shiji 32: Yijing 33: Ritual Texts Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAristotle''s Eudemian Ethics was until recently treated as a poor cousin of the better-known Nicomachean Ethics - poor enough even to have to borrow its three central books (IV-VI) from the latter. The work has now emerged from its relative obscurity; many scholars, indeed, now claim - on the basis of what appear to be sound statistical arguments - that it is the Nicomachean Ethics that has to borrow its Books V-VII from the Eudemian. This critical edition of Aristotle''s Eudemian Ethics treats this particular issue as unresolved, including as it does only five books (I-III, VII-VIII), but without prejudice, the three disputed books being treated as already available in the edition of the Nicomachean Ethics in the same series. The new edition of the Eudemian Ethics completes the task, begun by Walzer and Mingay''s 1991 Oxford Classical Text edition, of restoring the corrupted text on the basis of a new understanding of the relationships between the extant Greek manuscripts. The three pTable of ContentsPreface Stemma Codicum Notes on some aspects of the text and apparatvs criticvs Auctores Citati Sigla Book I Book II Book III Book VII Book VIII Index

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Book SynopsisA new translation of the complete, unabridged text of Galileo's Dialogue, with a detailed introduction and explanatory notes, giving contemporary readers access in English to Galileo's authentic text with comprehensive and up-to-date notes.Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text and Translation Select Bibliography A Chronology of Galileo Dialogue on the Two Greatest World Systems Explanatory Notes

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