History Books

Book SynopsisA Hay Festival and The Poole VOTE 100 BOOKS for Women SelectionOne of the most famous accounts of living under the Nazi regime of World War II comes from the diary of a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl, Anne Frank. Today, The Diary of a Young Girl has sold over 25 million copies world-wide; this is the definitive edition released to mark the 70th anniversary of the day the diary begins. ''12 June 1942: I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support''The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the most celebrated and enduring books of the last century. Tens of millions have read it since it was first published in 1947 and it remains a deeply admired testament to the indestructible nature of the human spirit.This definitive edition restores thirty per cent if the original manuscript, which was deleted from the original edition. It reveals Anne as a teenage girl who fretted about and tried to cope with her own emerging sexuality and who also veered between being a carefree child and an aware adult.Anne Frank and her family fled the horrors of Nazi occupation by hiding in the back of a warehouse in Amsterdam for two years with another family and a German dentist. Aged thirteen when she went into the secret annexe, Anne kept a diary. She movingly revealed how the eight people living under these extraordinary conditions coped with hunger, the daily threat of discovery and death and being cut off from the outside world, as well as petty misunderstandings and the unbearable strain of living like prisoners.The Diary of a Young Girl is a timeless true story to be rediscovered by each new generation. For young readers and adults it continues to bring to life Anne''s extraordinary courage and struggle throughout her ordeal. This is the definitive edition of the diary of Anne Frank.Anne Frank was born on the 12 June 1929. She died while imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen, three months short of her sixteenth birthday. This seventieth anniversary, definitive edition of The Diary of a Young Girl is poignant, heartbreaking and a book that everyone should read.Trade ReviewA modern classic . . . Anne's diary tells a story that is true, memorable, important and strongly personalized . . . compelling reading * The Times *Rings down the decades as the most moving testament to the persecution of innocence * Daily Mail *One of the greatest books of the century * Guardian *A modern classic * The Times *Witty, funny and tragic * Sunday Times *A monument to the human spirit * Mail on Sunday *One of the greatest books of the century * Guardian *A modern classic * The Times *Rings down the decades as the most moving testament to the persecution of innocence * Daily Mail *Witty, funny and tragic * Sunday Times *A monument to the human spirit * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Literary Prize and the Wolfson History PrizeIn March of 1933, a disused factory surrounded by barbed wire held 223 prisoners in the town of Dachau. By the end of 1945, the SS concentration camp system had become an overwhelming landscape of terror. Twenty-two large camps and over one thousand satellite camps throughout Germany and Europe were at the heart of the Nazi campaign of repression and intimidation. The importance of the camps in terms of Nazi history and our modern world cannot be questioned.Dr Nikolaus Wachsmann is the first historian to write a complete history of the camps. Combining the political and the personal, Wachsmann will examine the organisation of such an immense genocidal machine, whilst drawing a vivid picture of life inside the camps for the individual prisoner. The book gives voice to those typically forgotten in Nazi history: the ''social deviants'', criminals and unwanted ethnicities that all faced the terror of the camps. Wachsmann explores the practice of institutionalised murder and inmate collaboration with the SS selectively ignored by many historians. Pulling together a wealth of in-depth research, official documents, contemporary studies and the evidence of survivors themselves, KL is a complete but accessible narrative.Trade ReviewIt is hard to imagine that Nik Wachsmann's superb book, surely to become the standard work on Nazi concentration camps, will ever be surpassed. Based on a huge array of widely scattered sources, it is a gripping as well as comprehensive and authoritative study of this grim but highly important topic -- Ian Kershaw, author of The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler’s Germany, 1944–1945This is the fullest and most comprehensive history of the Nazi concentration camps in any language: a magnificent feat of research, full of arresting detail and cogent analysis, readable as well as authoritative: an extraordinary achievement that will immediately take its place as the standard work on the subject -- Sir Richard J Evans, author of the Third Reich trilogyThis book is a remarkable achievement. Nikolaus Wachsmann has written the first integrated history of Nazi concentration camps, unifying in a single narrative the policies and measures governing the inception and growth of the system, the context in which the monstrous KL developed and how each of its stages and facets was recorded and remembered by its victims. The study is essential for a further understanding of the Third Reich -- Saul Friedlander, author of The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945 (winner of the Pulitzer Prize)Nikolaus Wachsmann has written an admirable historical overview of the Nazi concentration camps, effectively combining decades of recent scholarship with his own original research. He captures both the trajectory of dynamic change through which the camp system evolved as well as the experiences and agency - however limited - of the prisoner community. This is an impressive and valuable book -- Christopher R. Browning, author of Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in PolandTelling the story of the KL means facing up to a formidable challenge: how to make the camps relatable, as places where real people lived, worked and died, rather than transcendental symbols of evil? . . . [Wachsmann] proves himself equal to this challenge . . . thanks to Wachsmann's skill as a writer, it manages to be much more than a doleful trudge through a universe of ever-increasing death and terror * Independent *Monumentally impressive . . . seems certain to become the definitive history of the Nazi concentration camps . . . his scholarship brings new life to a familiar subject -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Profoundly important . . . exceptional . . . will surely become the standard work on the subject -- Laurence Rees * Mail on Sunday *Wachsmann has in effect united the best of the German and the British schools of grand World War II history: hugely but humbly exhaustive research with attention to character and to detailed narrative * Wall Street Journal *Wachsmann's meticulous research and unwavering eye for detail is never permitted to detract from the individual human tragedies . . . so much more than another academic record of the holocaust * Good Book Guide *Hugely impressive . . . Wachsmann has produced the standard historical work on the Nazi camps . . . KL represents the acme of what the historical disciple can achieve * BBC History magazine *[A] magnificent work of scholarship . . . every page of Nikolaus Wachsmann's magisterial account is suffused with humanity * Literary Review *Gripping, humane, and beautifully written * New York Review of Books *A work of prodigious scholarship * New York Times *Every page is suffused with humanity and anyone who wants to understand the Nazis should read it * Jewish Chronicle *Hugely impressive . . . Wachsmann pulls off a remarkable feat: he not only provides an account of Konzentrationslager, or KL of the books title, he does so in a readable, accessible way. KL represents an acme of what the historical discipline can achieve -- Dan Stone * BBC History magazine *It is difficult to do justice to the brilliance of Wachsmann's comprehensive history . . . engrossing as well as illuminating -- Joanna Bourke * New Statesman *Wachsmann's book is a world-making history * London Review of Books *In devastating and undeniable detail, KL sets out the full story of the camps -- Nicholas Shakespeare * Telegraph *A staggeringly well-informed and enormously moving record of suffering and evil . . .the terrifying lesson of Wachsmann's account is not that any of us might have been an inmate. It is that any of us might have been a guard -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *A truly excellent book on one of history's darkest moments * History Today *This is both a panoptic and an intimate history of the camps: we get the big picture as well as the telling detail(the SS officer who opened doors with his elbow rather than his hand because he was worried about germs). It is a huge and very necessary contribution to our understanding of this obscene subject. It makes us think anew: about how the camps worked, what it was like in them and how they fitted into the machinery of the state -- Nicholas Lezard * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA journey through the great mass-extinction events that have shaped our Earth: 'Deeply informed and readable' Nature In this vast sweep of our Earth's history, Michael Benton brings the deep past to life as never before. Deploying the cutting-edge tools in biology, chemistry, physics and geology that are transforming our understanding of previous environmental cataclysms including the incredible new discovery of a hitherto unknown extinction event he uncovers not only their lethal effects but also the processes that brought about such large-scale destruction. Beginning with the oldest extinction, Benton investigates the Late Ordovician, which set the evolution of the first animals on an entirely new course; the late Devonian, brought on by global warming; the cataclysmic End-Permian, which wiped out over 90 per cent of all life on Earth; and, book-ending the age of the dinosaurs, the newly discovered Carnian Pluvial Event and the End-Cretaceous asteroid. He examines how global warming, acid rain, ocean acidification, erupting volcanoes and meteorite impact have affected conditions on Earth, the drastic consequences for global ecology, and how life in turn survived, adapted and evolved. This expert retelling of scientific breakthroughs allows us to link long-ago upheavals to our modern crises. As today's climate scientists and political leaders grapple to understand these processes and our planet enters the sixth great extinction, these insights from the past may hold the key to survival.

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Book SynopsisTHE TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZEDrowned. Buried by sand. Decimated by plague. Plunged off a cliff.This is the forgotten history of Britain''s lost cities, ghost towns and vanished villages: our shadowlands.''Brilliant.'' TOM HOLLAND''A beautiful book, truly original . . . It is a marvellous achievement.''IAN MORTIMER, author of The Time Traveller''s Guide to Medieval England''Well researched, beautifully written and packed with interesting detail.''CLAIRE TOMALIN''An exquisitely written, moving and elegiac exploration.''SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB''Consistently interesting . . . Green's passion and historical vision bursts from the page, summoning up the past in surround sound and sensual prose.''CAL FLYN, THE TIMES, author of Islands of AbandonmentHistorian Matthew Green traTrade Review'A miraculous work of resurrection, stinging in a perpetual present'. - IAIN SINCLAIR, author of The Gold Machine'Beautifully written.' - SUNDAY TIMES'Startling.' - FINANCIAL TIMES'Splendid.' -THE HERALD'Compelling.' - HISTORY TODAY'Excellent.' - THE SPECTATOR'Fascinating.' -DAILY MAIL'Accomplished.' - CAUGHT BY THE RIVER'Outstanding.' - MIRROR

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Book SynopsisReaders accustomed to the precision and elegance of Edward Said's analytical prowess will not be disappointed . . . Those discovering Said for the first time will be profoundly impressed' Toni MorrisonFollowing his profoundly influential study Orientalism, Edward W. Said turned his attention to the Western world, tracing the connections between imperialism and European art, literature and music. From Jane Austen to Salman Rushdie, from Yeats to media coverage of the Gulf War, Culture and Imperialism initiates a dialogue between culture and the political and economic fabric of its time. Vast in its scope and stunning in its erudition, this collection of essays remains as urgent today as it was on first publication. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR

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Book SynopsisThe creator of the award-winning podcast series The History of Rome and Revolutions brings to life the bloody battles, political machinations, and human drama that set the stage for the fall of the Roman Republic.The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. Beginning as a small city-state in central Italy, Rome gradually expanded into a wider world filled with petty tyrants, barbarian chieftains, and despotic kings. Through the centuries, Rome's model of cooperative and participatory government remained remarkably durable and unmatched in the history of the ancient world.In 146 BC, Rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the Mediterranean. But the very success of the Republic proved to be its undoing. The republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the Republic.Chronicling the years 146-78 BC, The Storm Before the Storm dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. Abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the Republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way.

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Book SynopsisThis magnificent book highlights a vast selection of maps that range across the centuries and cover every part of the island, shedding light on the history and development of Ireland.Featuring over stunning 200 map and map extracts, thisbook will appeal to the general reader as well as map enthusiasts and specialists.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA masterful survey of one of the most influential but under-examined roles in politics.

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Book SynopsisCo-author of the groundbreaking Empire and Multitude, Michael Hardt examines The Declaration of Independence and other texts by Thomas Jefferson, arguing that his powerful concept of democracy provides a biting critique of the current American administration. Introducing this collection of Jefferson's writings, Michael Hardt makes a powerful case for re-examining the foundational writings of this American revolutionary in order to reignite the dialogue that first conceived of a "land of the free".Trade Review"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is its natural manure."--Thomas Jefferson

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Book SynopsisA masterpiece of local history, by the Queen of the genre; Gillian Tindall has acquired a devoted readership through her lovingly researched works, such as the prize-winning "The House" by the Thames and "Celestine: Voices from a French Village". A journey through time: from a scattering of cottages along a pre-roman horse track, to a medieval parish and staging post for travellers, onwards into a prosperous Tudor village favoured by gentlemen for their country seats and an 18th century resort of pleasure gardens eventually transformed by a warren of railway lines into a thickly populated working-class district. Fragments of this past can still be found by the observant eye. This is one of a precious handful of books (such as Montaillou and Akenfield) that in their precise examination of a particular locality open our understanding of the universal themes of the past. In this case it is Kentish Town in London that reveals its complex secrets to us, through the resurrection of its now buried rivers and wells, coaching house, landlords, traders, and simple tennants.

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Book SynopsisWritten by a noted authority, this fully illustrated study describes and depicts the machine guns equipping Soviet and Russian troops after 1945. Following the USSR's victory in World War II, the Soviet armed forces adopted a succession of new or improved machine guns. At squad level, the 7.62mm RPD and RP-46 light machine guns replaced the DPM, themselves being supplanted by the RPK from 1961. Firing the lighter 5.45×39mm cartridge, the RPK-74 was issued from 1974 and remains in use today. The 5.45mm RPK-16 entered Russian service in 2018. Having served alongside the 7.62mm PM M1910 Maxim during World War II, the 7.62mm SG-43 medium machine gun was updated as the SGM before being supplanted by the 7.62mm PK general-purpose machine gun, issued from 1961. The improved PKM made its debut in 1969 and still equips Russian troops today, being joined by the PKP in 2001 and the AEK-999 in 2008. First issued in 1938, the formidable 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun remains in Russian service today as the DShkM. It was joined by the 14.5mm KPV from 1949, the 12.7mm NSV from 1971 and the 12.7mm Kord from 1998. In this illustrated survey, Leroy Thompson investigates the origins, development, combat use and legacy of all of these machine guns since 1945, from the start of the Cold War to the 2020s, casting light on their battlefield effectiveness and tactical influence.

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Book SynopsisMaurice O. Wallace explores the sonic character of Martin Luther King Jr.'s voice and how a mixture of architecture, acoustics, sound technology, and gospel influenced it.Trade Review"King's Vibrato provides the opportunity to listen to and hear black cultural history through the ears of Maurice O. Wallace." -- Diane Grams * Ethnic and Racial Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 I. Architectures of the Incantatory 1. Dying Words: The Aural Afterlife of Martin Luther King Jr. 21 2. Swinging the God Box: Modernism, Organology, and the Ebenezer Sound 43 3. The Cantor King: Reform Preaching, Cantorial Style, and Acoustic Memory in Chicago’s Black Belt 71 II. Nettie’s Nocturne 4. King’s Gospel Modernism: The Politics of Lament, the Politics of Loss 97 5. Four Women: Alberta, Coretta, Mahalia, Aretha 138 III. Technologies of Freedom 6. King’s Vibrato: Visual Oratory and the “Sound of the Photograph” 185 7. Dream Variations: “I Have a Dream” and the Sonic Politics of Race and Place 229 Epilogue. “It’s Moanin’ Time”: Black Grief and the End of Words 273 Notes 281 Bibliography 325 Index 343

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Book Synopsis''This was much more than a bunch of guys out on an exploring and collecting expedition. This was a military expedition into hostile territory''. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a pioneering voyage across the Great Plains and into the Rockies. It was completely uncharted territory; a wild, vast land ruled by the Indians. Charismatic and brave, Lewis was the perfect choice and he experienced the savage North American continent before any other white man. UNDAUNTED COURAGE is the tale of a hero, but it is also a tragedy. Lewis may have received a hero''s welcome on his return to Washington in 1806, but his discoveries did not match the president''s fantasies of sweeping, fertile plains ripe for the taking. Feeling the expedition had been a failure, Lewis took to drink and piled up debts. Full of colourful characters - Jefferson, the president obsessed with conquering the west; William Clark, the rugged frontiersman; Sa

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Book SynopsisThe story of one of the most brilliant, flamboyant and historically important men who ever lived.''A superb achievement'' LITERARY REVIEW''Combines scholarship with storytelling to bring the ancient world to life: in his masterly new CAESAR he shows us the greatest Roman as man, statesman, soldier and lover'' Simon Sebag Montefiore''Magnificent'' DAILY TELEGRAPHFrom the very beginning, Caesar''s story makes dazzling reading. In his late teens he narrowly avoided execution for opposing the military dictator Sulla. He was decorated for valour in battle, captured and held to ransom by pirates, and almost bankrupted himself by staging games for the masses. As a politician, he quickly gained a reputation as a dangerously ambitious maverick. By his early 30s he had risen to the position of Consul, and was already beginning to dominate the Senate. His affairs with noblewomen were both frequent and scandalous.His greaTrade ReviewGoldsworthy's magnificent biography places Caesar in the context of the Roman world and shows why we return to the great man * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Goldsworthy is renowned as a military historian, but his coverage here of messy late Republican politics is also authoritative and clear. He gives us a colourful sense of the wider world and Roman society at this time, and above all, the commanding, unmistakeable presence of the timelessly fascinating man himself * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Adrian Goldsworthy's account of this extraordinary period is a superb achievement. He writes at length and in detail, but with a light touch, never allowing the complexities to obscure the sharpness of the story line...It is a model of the way ancient biographies should be written * LITERARY REVIEW *Goldsworthy is the one of the new generation of young classicists who combine scholarship with storytelling to bring the ancient world to life: in his masterly new CAESAR he shows us the greatest Roman as man, statesman, soldier and lover -- Simon Sebag MontefioreThe analysis of Caesar's generalship is predictably excellent, the account of the Gallic wars, in particular, has rarely been bettered * SPECTATOR *This admirable biography... is so lucid, so comprehensive and so balanced -- Allan Massie * DAILY TELEGRAPH *A compelling biography of Julius Caesar, charting his fantastically eventful life * FINANCIAL TIMES *Goldsworthy is a fine military historian and his account of the Gallic Wars is exemplary * INDEPENDENT *[Goldsworthy] is careful and judicious in his analyses, seeking to integrate the man of action, the scholar, the showman, the lover, legal reformer, town planner * THE TABLET *Adrian Goldsworthy's 519-page work certainly does justice to the scale of his subject, and the evidence is masterfully assembled -- Boris Johnson * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Richness of detail illuminates to great effect the risk-taking, self-promotion and sheer force of will that fuelled Caesar's extraordinary career * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *A thorough and wide-ranging biography of a legendary figure * DAILY EXPRESS *Highly enjoyable... [Goldsworthy] writes well, and with real authority -- Simon Heffer * COUNTRY LIFE *Goldsworthy's magnificent biography places Caesar in the context of the Roman world and shows why we return to the great man. -- Toby Clements * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisMark Kurlansky is the author of 23 books of fiction, nonfiction, children's writing. His best-selling Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World won the 1999 James Beard Award for Food Writing and the 1999 Glenfiddich Award. His other works include: Salt, The Basque History of the World and the short story collection The White Man in the Tree. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.Trade ReviewRefreshing and invigorating, full of fascinating fact * Independent on Sunday *This is an extraordinary little book, unputdownable, written in the most lyrical, flowing style which paints vivid pictures and, at the same time, punches into place hard facts that stop you dead in your tracks. A compulsive read -- Sir Roy Strong * Express on Sunday *Crisply and elegantly written - piques the appetite and sharpens the senses * Sunday Telegraph *A rich stew about every salt-influenced concoction and creation, from the first sausages and cured hams and fish sauces to the invention of parmesan, tomato ketchup and Tabasco sauce * Financial Times *An entertainingly anecdotal and lovingly partisan history. * Independent *

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Book SynopsisJanuary, 1945. 14-year-old Moshe Kessler steps off the train at Buchenwald concentration camp. Having endured the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau, lost touch with his entire family, and survived the death march in the freezing European winter, he has seen more than his share of tragedy. Moshe knows only one thing about Buchenwald. Everyone knows it. If you want to survive, you have to get to Block 66. The Germans are cruel and determined – but they are not prepared for Buchenwald’s secret resistance, which rises up with one mission only: to protect the camp’s children from harm. This is the incredible true story of Moshe Kessler and Block 66 – the children’s block that was at the forefront of one of the most shocking and inspiring stories of Holocaust survival.Trade Review'An incredible and chilling story' -- Daily Express

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Book SynopsisTo the colonized, the term ''research'' is conflated with European colonialism; the ways in which academic research has been implicated in the throes of imperialism remains a painful memory.This essential volume explores intersections of imperialism and research - specifically, the ways in which imperialism is embedded in disciplines of knowledge and tradition as ''regimes of truth.'' Concepts such as ''discovery'' and ''claiming'' are discussed and an argument presented that the decolonization of research methods will help to reclaim control over indigenous ways of knowing and being.Now in its eagerly awaited third edition, this bestselling book includes a co-written introduction features contributions from indigenous scholars on the book's continued relevance to current research. It also features a chapter with twenty-five indigenous projects and a collection of poetry.Table of ContentsIntroduction to the Third Edition Foreword Introduction 1. Imperialism, History, Writing and Theory 2. Research through Imperial Eyes 3. Colonizing Knowledges 4. Research Adventures on Indigenous Land 5. Notes from Down Under 6. The Indigenous People's Project: Setting a New Agenda 7. Articulating an Indigenous Research Agenda 8. Twenty-Five Indigenous Projects 9. Responding to the Imperatives of an Indigenous Agenda: A Case Study of Maori 10. Towards Developing Indigenous Methodologies: Kaupapa Maori Research 11. Choosing the Margins: The Role of Research in Indigenous Struggles for Social Justice 12. Getting the Story Right, Telling the Story Well: Indigenous Activism, Indigenous Research Conclusion: A Personal Journey Twenty Further Indigenous Projects Poems Index

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Book Synopsis'An incredible human being with an extraordinary story to share' Dr Rangan Chatterjee'A beautiful, life-changing manifesto' Brené Brown'I will be forever changed by Dr Eger's story' Oprah'Her story is a testament to our true human potential. She's a gift' Nicole LePeraEach moment in Auschwitz was hell on earth. It was also my best classroom. Subjected to loss, torture, starvation and the constant threat of death, I discovered tools for survival and freedom that I continue to use every day.In her darkest moments, Edith Eger discovered that the most damaging prison was the one in her mind. Drawing on her incredible story and experience as a celebrated therapist, she shares valuable life lessons to heal and inspire so that we too can break free from whatever's holding us back.Trade ReviewI'll be forever changed by Dr. Eger's story * Oprah *This woman will change your life ... The Gift should be required reading for all humans * Marie Forleo *

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Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive account of the rise and fall of what historians consider to be the world's very first empire: Assyria''A work of remarkable synthesis. The range of its sources is truly extraordinary . . . Frahm punctures a fair share of myths too'' Pratinav Anil, The TimesAt its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen.Here, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history. Assyria's wide-ranging conquests have long been known from the Hebrew Bible and later Greek accounts. But nearly two centuries of research now permit a rich picture of the Assyrians and their empire beyond the battlefield: their vast libraries and monumental sculptures, their elaborate trade and information networks, and the crucial role played by royal women.Although Assyria was crushed by rising powe

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Book SynopsisIn 1664, England decided to invade the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York, had dreams of empire, and their arch-rivals, the Dutch, were in the way. But Richard Nicolls, who led the English flotilla bent on destruction, changed his strategy once he began parleying with Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch leader on Manhattan. Bristling with vibrant characters, Taking Manhattan reveals the founding of New York to be an invention: the result not of a violent English takeover, but of clever negotiations that led to the fusing of the multiethnic, capitalistic society the Dutch had pioneered to the power of the rising English empire. But the birth of what might be termed the first modern city is also a story of the brutal dispossession of Native Americans and of the roots of American slavery. Based on newly translated sources, Taking Manhattan shows how the paradox of New York's origins boundless opportunity coupled with subjugation and displacement reflect America's promise and failure to this day.

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Book SynopsisNew York City, 1929. A sanatorium, a deadly disease, and a dire nurse shortage.So begins the remarkable true story of the Black nurses who helped cure tuberculosis, one of the world''s deadliest plagues, told alongside the often strange chronicle of the cure''s discovery.SHORTLISTED FOR THE PEN HESSELL-TILTMAN PRIZE 2024''A tour de force'' PEN''Gripping'' New York Times''Wonderfully told . . . an invaluable restoration of another of history''s racially biased omissions'' Diana Evans''Their triumphant story has until now been almost completely neglected'' The Bookseller''Informative, enthralling, and sometimes appalling, this is history at its best'' BooklistDuring those dark pre-antibiotic days, when tuberculosis killed 1 in 7 people, white nurses at Sea View, New York''s largest municipal hospital, began quitting. Desperate to avert a public health crisis, city officials summoned Black southern nurses, luring them with promises of good pay, a career, and an escape from the strictures of Jim Crow. But after arriving, they found themselves on an isolated hilltop in the remote borough of Staten Island, yet again confronting racism and consigned to a woefully understaffed facility, dubbed ''the pest house'' where ''no one left alive''.Spanning the Great Depression and moving through World War II and beyond, this story follows the intrepid young women, the ''Black Angels'', who, for twenty years, risked their lives working under dreadful conditions while caring for the city''s poorest - 1,800 souls languishing in wards, waiting to die or become ''guinea pigs'' for experimental (often deadly) drugs. Yet despite their major role in desegregating the NYC hospital system - and vital work in the race for the cure for tuberculosis and subsequently helping to find it at Sea View - these nurses were completely erased from history. The Black Angels recovers the voices of these extraordinary women and puts them at the centre of this riveting story celebrating their legacy and spirit of survival.

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Book SynopsisWhy did Western countries become so much wealthier than the rest of the world? What explains the huge rise in incomes during the Industrial Revolution - and why did Britain lead the way?In the years between the Glorious Revolution and the Great Exhibition, the British economy was transformed. Joel Mokyr''s landmark history offers a wholly new perspective for understanding Britain''s extraordinary rise during the Industrial Revolution, showing how intellectual, rather than material, forces were the driving force behind it. While empire, trade, resources and other factors all played a part, above all it was the creative ferment of the Enlightenment - with its belief in progress and scientific advancement - that affected the economic behaviour of thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs and artisans, taking Britain into the modern era.Linking ideas and beliefs to the heart of modern economic growth, The Enlightened Economy will transform the way we view the Industrial Trade ReviewHe buttresses his argument with deep knowledge of the times and massive scholarship. Everyone interested in history should read this great work. -- George A. Akerlof * University of California at Berkeley *A great economic historian gives us a sweeping perspective on a pivotal period of history: Britain during the Industrial Revolution. Tracing a long series of economic innovations and political reforms back to the ideas of the Enlightenment, Joel Mokyr shows us the foundations of the modern world. -- Roger B. Myerson * University of Chicago *Mokyr utilises deep knowledge of technological and industrial history, often narrated at the level of the individual inventor, thinker, factory owner or craftsman...[He] narrates brilliantly a rich story of modern economic growth.... Mokyr has made a deeply impressive contribution. -- David Greasley * BBC History *This is a large, learned and challenging book ... [which] anyone interested in history and the current economy needs to read -- Maxine Berg * TLS *

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Book Synopsis''Deighton is a marvel ... a tale told by an author at the height of his power'' Chicago TribuneWorld-weary agent Bernard Samson is losing control of his personal and professional life. Sent to Mexico to aid the defection of a KGB agent to the West, he has a chance to prove his worth. Instead he is torn between conflicting loyalties, and lost in a maze of double-dealing and duplicity. The second novel in the Game, Set and Match trilogy is a gripping portrayal of a man who can trust no one, not even those closest to him. A BERNARD SAMSON NOVELTrade ReviewDeighton is back in his original milieu, the bleak spy world of betrayers and betrayed. * Observer *Deighton's outstanding achievement is the nine-volume series chronicling the life and times of Bernard Samson ... Deighton's Samson trilogies are as much about the elusiveness of human interactions as espionage. Spying is not a secret world sealed off from ordinary life but an extension of the world we all live in. -- John Gray * New Statesman *Deighton is a marvel ... few authors writing in the rigorous and finite genre of spy fiction have mastered the craft as well as Deighton ... Mexico Set is a pure tale, told by an author at the height of his power. * Chicago Tribune *For sheer readability he has no peer. * Evening Standard *Like lying back in a hot bath with a large malt whisky - absolute bliss. * Sunday Telegraph *Len Deighton's spy novels are so good they make me sad the Cold War is over. -- Len Deighton

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The Historians of Ancient Rome is the most comprehensive collection of ancient sources for Roman history available in a single English volume. After a general introduction on Roman historical writing, extensive passages from more than a dozen Greek and Roman historians and biographers trace the history of Rome over more than a thousand years: from the cityâs foundation by Romulus in 753 B.C.E. (Livy) to Constantineâs edict of toleration for Christianity (313 C.E.)Selections include many of the high points of Romeâs climb to world domination: the defeat of Hannibal; the conquest of Greece and the eastern Mediterranean; the defeat of the Catilinarian conspirators; Caesarâs conquest of Gaul; Antony and Cleopatra; the establishment of the Empire by Caesar Augustus; and the Roman Peace under Hadrian and long excepts from Tacitus record the horrors of the reigns of Tiberius and Nero.The book is intended both for undergraduate courses in Roman history and for the gen

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Book SynopsisA biography of the historian and public intellectual Sir Lewis Namier from his origins in a secular Jewish family in Poland to recognition as the most important historian of his day, whose ‘revolutionary’ method was enshrined in the verb to Namierise.Trade Review'Judicious, balanced, thorough … David Hayton’s book will be accepted as the definitive biography of a fascinating man.' Adam Sisman, author of A.J.P. Taylor and Hugh Trevor-Roper‘Hayton has left hardly any relevant archive or printed source uncombed … The result is a definitive account of its subject. As histories of historians go, it definitely ranks with Haslam on E. H. Carr, Sisman on Taylor and Trevor-Roper, and Bentley on Butterfield.’ Miles Taylor, author of The Age of Asa: Lord Briggs, Public Life and History in Britain since 1945 'One of the most important books in British historiography for decades. Nobody is better placed than David Hayton to recover Namier’s unsurpassed technical mastery of historical problems. But Hayton is equally alert to Namier’s chequered life and overpowering personality, while his deft and unobtrusively witty style makes this a pleasure to read. A masterpiece.'Colin Kidd, author of The Forging of Races: Race and Scripture in the Protestant Atlantic World, 1600–2000 'An important and compelling study. The product of many years of research, this scholarly and well-written biography goes beyond a familiar English environment to expand Namier's significance as a major figure in European and Jewish historiography.' Michael Bentley, author of The Life and Thought of Herbert Butterfield: History, Science and God 'Lewis Namier (1888-1960), has long held a legendary status among historians. When I was an undergraduate, my teachers told me he had revolutionised the study of our subject. DW Hayton’s startlingly honest biography, Conservative Revolutionary: The Lives of Lewis Namier (Manchester University Press), puts him in his contexts – a Polish-Jewish immigrant to the UK, a painstakingly exact scholar, a Freudian who thought that ideas played no part in history or in the motivation of individuals, a Zionist who disliked Israel, and a thoroughly unpleasant man. Hayton shows both why his work on 18th-century politics was hailed as revolutionary on its first appearance, and why it is no longer influential today. Masterly. 'New Statesman'That is a bald summary of a life brilliantly covered by Hayton, and with a great mastery not only of obvious sources but also of an astonishing range of obscure ones. The back cover has Adam Sisman claim the book as definitive, which is wrong as no historical work can be, but it is certainly excellent. Hayton’s conclusion makes it apparent that he came to like Namier, a difficult man; but not even Namier’s most devoted pupils and friends were blind to his faults and this is an even-handed biography. It is not the sort of cosy study recently produced for Hobsbawm. Instead, this is a psychologically grittier work and one that asks tougher questions of a man who struggled to provide a consistency to his life and work.'History Today'Until now the standard version of Namier’s life was the biography by his widow, whose inclinations were mystical rather than historiographical. Hayton’s is triumphantly comprehensive, unobtrusively weaving high politics with historiography, the life of the mind (and its whimsies) with the body: Namier’s minor obsession with graphology, his years in psychoanalysis, the botched sinus operation of his adolescence, his writer’s cramp, his insomnia.' London Review of Books ‘Namier, an extraordinarily talented man, had an extraordinarily unhappy life … This book is especially good in revealing the central European and Zionist dimensions of Namier's work and knowledge, including his writings on nineteenth- and twentieth-century European history … a carefully researched biography'J. C. D. Clark, The Critic‘deeply researched… a work of mature and exact scholarship’Jim Smyth, Dublin Review of Books‘D. W. Hayton’s biography – scrupulous, humane and leavened with dry wit – does its subject justice.’Richard Viven, Literary Review'Books are often described as definitive when they are nothing of the sort. This magnificent biography truly deserves the accolade.'Lord Lexden, Conservative History -- .Table of ContentsPrologue: In search of Namier1 Avenues of history: the child and the man, 1888–19132 Personalities and powers, 1913–19173 Facing east, 1917–1920 4 In the margin of history,1920–19285 Skyscrapers, 1928–326 Europe in decay, 1932–87 In the Nazi era, 1938–478 Crossroads of power, 1947–569 Conflicts, 1956–6010 Vanished supremacies: Namier in retrospectIndex

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Book SynopsisKaren Klaiber Hersch is Associate Professor of Greek and Roman Classics at Temple University, Pennsylvania, USA. She is the author of The Roman Wedding: Ritual and Meaning in Antiquity (2010).Table of ContentsList of Illustrations General Editor’s Preface, Joanne M. Ferraro (San Diego State University, USA) Introduction, Karen Klaiber Hersch (Temple University, USA) 1. Courtship and Ritual, Katherine Wasdin (George Washington University, USA) 2. Religion, Matthew P. J. Dillon (University of New England, Australia) 3. State and Law, Matthew J. Perry (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, USA) 4. The Ties That Bind, Katariina Mustakallio (University of Tampere, Finland) 5. The Family Economy, Judith P. Hallett (University of Maryland, College Park, USA) 6. Love, Sex, and Sexuality, Vered Lev Kenaan (University of Haifa, Israel) 7. Breaking Vows, Eva Cantarella (University of Milan, Italy) 8. Representation, Noelle Zeiner-Carmichael (College of Charleston, USA) Notes Bibliography Contributors Index

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Book Synopsis''This is a wonderful book, exhaustively researched, vigorously argued and teeming with the furious joy of seventeenth-century life'' THE TIMES''A brilliant, bloody account of England''s most dramatic century . . . Thrilling'' TELEGRAPHThe most entertaining general history of seventeenth-century England I have read' TOM HOLLANDThe seventeenth century began as the English found themselves ruled by a Scotsman, and ended in the shadow of a Dutch invasion. Midway through, society collapsed into a civil war, followed by army coup and regicide. For a short time for the only time in history England was a republic. In coffee shops and alehouses, ordinary people fizzed with ideas that were angry, populist and almost impossible to control.Despite these radical changes, few today fully understand the story of this revolutionary age. Leaders like Oliver Cromwell, Charles II and William of Orange have been reduced to caricatures, while

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Book SynopsisGet ready to meet the goddesses.In Divine Might, Natalie Haynes, the bestselling author of Stone Blind and Pandora's Jar, introduces us to the stories of the Greek goddesses. As fearsome, powerful and beloved as their male counterparts, it’s time to look beyond the columns of a ruined temple to the awesome power within . . .We meet Hera, who, whilst most often known for enacting vicious, creative revenge on the women – mortal or otherwise – who catch the wandering eye of her husband Zeus, turns out not to be such a villain after all.We meet Demeter, a mother who will go to any lengths, no matter the cost, to retrieve her daughter Persephone from Hades’ clutches.We’ll be introduced to The Furies, three women who will literally go to the ends of the earth to enact bloody vengeance but who, surprisingly, are the goddesses who can teach us the most about the way we live now.Examining the role of these goddesses and more, Divine Might will change everything you thought you knew about our most ancient stories. Full of fire, fury and devotion, Natalie Haynes brings the divine women of Olympia kicking and screaming into the modern age.Trade ReviewCheerfully erudite . . . academically rigorous . . . combining immense scholarship with a sarky easy-going tone * The Times *Full of wonderful stories . . . packed with detail from ancient source material * The New Statesman *Incredible stories about timeless emotions. * NB Magazine *The great champion of women in Greek myth . . . One of the delights of the book is that Haynes reacquaints us with forgotten goddesses. * Daily Mail *A powerful read that really opens a new dialogue on the Greek goddesses * Independent *

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Book SynopsisMatthew Longo is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Leiden University and the award-winning author of The Politics of Borders. He lives in The Netherlands.

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Book Synopsis‘A monumental yet intimate biography, a vivid portrait of the man, the statesman and the saint’ The TimesMahatma Gandhi became a legend in his own time. A tireless fighter for human rights and for Indian independence, his strategy of satyagraha, or passive resistance, earned him the admiration of millions. Louis Fischer's biography is the definitive account of Ghandi's life; it tells the astonishing story of one man who changed the world forever. This is the perfect read to celebrate and understand Ghandi in the year of the 150th anniversary of his birth.Trade ReviewThe best biography of Gandhi... I was enthralled from the first page...it changed my life * Sir Richard Attenborough *A monumental yet intimate biography, a vivid portrait of the man, the statesman and the saint * The Times *An important work * London Review of Books *Generous and conscientious... You feel Gandhi would have liked it that way * New York Herald Tribune *Equally successful in presenting the world figure with a cure for the world's woes and the plain little man with the kind look and smile * The Times *

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Book Synopsis"Five thousand years have now elapsed since the creation of the world, and still it is undecided whether or not there has even been an instance of the spirit of any person appearing after death. All argument is against it; but all belief is for it." --Samuel Johnson Ghosts are woven into the very fabric of life. In Britain, every town, village, and great house has a spectral resident, and their enduring popularity in literature, art, folklore, and film attests to their continuing power to fascinate, terrify, and inspire. Our conceptions of ghosts--the fears they provoke, the forms they take--are connected to the conventions and beliefs of each particular era, from the marauding undead of the Middle Ages to the psychologically charged presences of our own age. The ghost is no less than the mirror of the times. Organized chronologically, this new cultural history features a dazzling range of artists and writers, including William Hogarth, William Blake, Henry Fuseli, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, Susan Hiller and Jeremy Deller; John Donne, William Shakespeare, Samuel Pepys, Daniel Defoe, Percy and Mary Shelley, Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Henry James, Thomas Hardy, Muriel Spark, Hilary Mantel, and Sarah Waters.Trade Review`A lively guide to the most persistent of spooky figures' The Economist. ; `Illuminating and entertaining, with lavish illustrations and eloquent narration' The Telegraph. ; `The Ghost: A Cultural History is a work of profound scholarship and imaginative engagement, beautifully written and elegantly constructed. It's the finest study of its kind I've read.' - The Literary Review, review by John Harwood.

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Book SynopsisBased on the podcast with over 200 million streams,Fall of Civilizationsbrilliantly explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse.

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Book SynopsisTHE AGE OF EXTREMES is eminent historian Eric Hobsbawm''s personal vision of the twentieth century. Remarkable in its scope, and breathtaking in its depth of knowledge, this immensely rewarding book reviews the uniquely destructive and creative nature of the troubled twentieth century and makes challenging predicitions for the future.Trade ReviewA magnificent piece of historical exposition... an essential read. * INDEPENDENT *A masterpiece * GUARDIAN *A brilliant and stimulating book. * FINANCIAL TIMES *The power of Hobsbawm's exploration of the age of hot and cold wars lies in its brilliant synthesis of familiar, though sometimes forgotten, facts and ideas. It combines an Olympian, multi-lingual erudition and an addictive, readable style. * Ben Pimlott, INDEPENDENT on Sunday Books of The Year *

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Book Synopsis'Essential reading' Françoise Vergès, author of A Decolonial Feminism'Profound and compelling ... A book that I couldn't put down' Adam Hanieh, author of Crude CapitalismWhether it's pumping oil, mining resources or shipping commodities across oceans, the global economy runs on extraction. Promises of frictionless trade and lucrative speculation are the hallmarks of our era, but the backbone of globalisation is still low-cost labour and rapacious corporate control. Extractive capitalism is what made - and is still making - our unequal world. Professor Laleh Khalili reflects on the hidden stories behind late capitalism, from seafarers abandoned on debt-ridden container ships to the nefarious reach of consultancy firms and the cronyism that drives record-breaking profits. Piercing, wry and constantly revealing, Extractive Capitalism brings vividly to light the dark truths behind the world's most voracious industries.

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Book Synopsis**SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER** **RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK** **WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH**''An astonishing feat''Christina Patterson, Sunday Times''An inspiring and moving sideways look at history''Eithne Farry, Sunday Express An eloquent blend of history and memoir, Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we all have to tell our story.From political propaganda in medieval France to secret treason in Tudor England, from the mothers of the desaparecidos in Argentina to First World War soldiers with PTSD, from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland, Threads of Life is a global chronicle of identity, protest, memory and politics. Banner-maker, community textile artist and textile curator Clare Hunter chronicles the stories of the men and women, over centuries and across continents, who have used the language of sewing to make their voiTrade ReviewIt's an astonishing feat, this patchwork quilt of history, culture and politics, which takes us from Saxon England to colonised African tribes, Palestinian villages, rural China and the cramped homes of American slaves . . . Her highly impressive debut is a richly textured and moving record of a history that has largely being lost. -- Christina Patterson * Sunday Times *Triumphant . . . an inspiration to anyone who has ever thought of picking up a needle and thread. -- Jane Shilling * Mail on Sunday *Astonishing . . . Hunter studied creative writing and cleverly uses personal narrative to create a persona one will instantly like . . . so well written. * TLS *Fascinating * Daily Telegraph *A blend of history and memoir, the book roves across centuries and continents to reveal how sewing has played a crucial part in our lives - from courts and battlefields to prisons and drawing rooms... Many of the stories in Threads of Life are heart-breaking...This beautiful, moving book makes you want to rush out and grab a needle. -- Liz Hoggard * Radio Times *Enchanting * S Magazine *Enthralling... By unpicking the seams of the clothes on our backs, Clare Hunter has brought to light elements of history that have languished in our collective attic for far too long. Threadsof Life is a terrific book. -- Susan Flockhart * The Herald *Enthralling...beautiful... An inspiring and moving sideways look at history. -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express *Threads of Life is a beautifully considered book that reminds us of how much sewing plays a crucial part in expressing the many facets of our lives. Clare Hunter has managed to mix the personal with the political with moving results. Reading it made me pick up my needle with a new perspective. -- Tracy ChevalierHunter's non-fiction debut reframes needlework as a powerful and political medium . . . Threads of Life is a compelling and beautifully written account of how marginalised peoples throughout history have used the language of sewing, embroidery and textiles to tell their neglected stories. -- Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller *A rich and moving history of sewing and embroidery * Sunday Times (Culture) *A compelling account of how needlework has given a voice to the voiceless * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis''The First World War from a refreshingly unfamiliar angle . . . masterly'' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times ''Compelling . . . The Eastern Front is essential reading'' Margaret Macmillan, Financial TimesA masterwork . . . This is the history of the Eastern Front I've waited all my life to read' Simon Sebag MontefioreThe definitive history of the Eastern Front in the First World War, from the acclaimed military historian and author of Passchendaele and The Western Front***********In the second volume of his landmark First World War trilogy, Professor Nick Lloyd tells the story for the first time of what Winston Churchill once called the ''unknown war'': the vast conflict in Eastern Europe and the Balkans that brought about the collapse of three empires.Much has been written about the fighting in France and Belgium, yet the Eastern Front was no less bloody. Between 1914 and 1917, huge numbers of people - perhaps as many as 16 million soldiers and two million civilians - were killed, wounded or maimed in enormous battles that sometimes ranged across a front of 100 km in length. Through intimate eyewitness reports, diary entries and memoirs - many of which have never been translated into English before - Lloyd reconstructs the full story of a war that began in the Balkans as a local struggle between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, and which sucked in Russia, Germany and Italy, right through to the final collapse of the Habsburg Empire in 1918.The Eastern Front paints a vivid and authoritative picture of a conflict that shook the world, and that remains central to understanding the tragic, blood-soaked trajectory of the twentieth century, and the current war in Ukraine.

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Book SynopsisA DAILY MAIL BOOK OF THE WEEKA SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEARA DAILY TELEGRAPH BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2023ASPECTS OF HISTORY BOOKS OF THE YEARA GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023A DAILY MAIL BEST CHRISTMAS BOOK OF 2023The prequel to Frank McDonough's bestselling Hitler Years series, covering the dramatic era of German history that culminated in the rise to power of Adolf Hitler in 1933.Established in the wake of German defeat in the First World War, the Weimar Republic held out the hope that democracy, stability and prosperity would take root in Germany. From the start, however, it was beset by political and economic upheaval and spasms of violence between left and right. Year by year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough describes the major events in both domestic and foreign policy and the personalities who shaped them, together with developments in Weimar's flourishing cultural sphere. McDonough place

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Book SynopsisIn rich and telling detail, Alistair Moffat relates the remarkable story of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The north is being renewed, the land is coming alive once more and this unique story ends on an upbeat note as the Highlands and Islands of Scotland look forward to a future of possibilities.

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Book SynopsisA magisterial history of the greatest and most terrible event in history, from one of the finest historians of the Second World War. A book which shows the impact of war upon hundreds of millions of people around the world- soldiers, sailors and airmen; housewives, farm workers and children..Reflecting Max Hastings's thirty-five years of research on World War II, All Hell Let Loose describes the course of events, but focuses chiefly upon human experience, which varied immensely from campaign to campaign, continent to continent.The author emphasises the Russian front, where more than 90% of all German soldiers who perished met their fate. He argues that, while Hitler's army often fought its battles brilliantly well, the Nazis conducted their war effort with stunning incompetence'. He suggests that the Royal Navy and US Navy were their countries' outstanding fighting services, while the industrial contribution of the United States was much more important to allied victory than that of thTrade Review“This is the book he was born to write: a work of staggering scope and erudition, narrated with supreme fluency and insight, it is unquestionably the best single-volume history of the war ever written….. he writes with a wonderfully clear, unsentimental eye……and has a terrific grasp of the grand sweep and military strategy……But what makes his book a compelling read are the human stories……at the end of this gruesome, chilling but quite magnificent book, you never doubt that the war was worth fighting”. Sunday Times “No other general history of the war amalgamates so successfully the gut-wrenching personal details and the essential strategic arguments. Melding the worm’s eye view and the big picture is a difficult trick to pull of – but Hastings has triumphed”. The Times “majestic…it is impossible to emerge without a sense of the sheer scale of human tragedy…..To gather all these anecdotes together is a task in itself, but to assemble them in a way that makes sense is something entirely different….Hastings shapes all these stories, almost miraculously, into a single coherent narrative”. Daily Telegraph “In this massive work, the crowning volume of the 10 impressive books he has written about the Second World War, Sir Max Hastings spares us nothing in portraying the sheer bloody savagery of the worst war that the world has yet seen….this magnificent book….is hypnotically readable from the first page to the last”. Sunday Telegraph “A fast-moving, highly readable survey of the entire war…Hastings combines a mastery of the military events with invariably sound judgment and a sharp eye for unusual telling detail….this is military history at its most gripping. Of all Max Hastings’s valuable books, this is possibly his best – a veritable tour de force”. Evening Standard

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE 2017Born into nobility and married into the royal family, Catherine Howard was attended every waking hour secrets were impossible to keep. In this thrilling reappraisal of Henry VIII's fifth wife, Gareth Russell's history unfurls as if in real time to explain how the queen's career ended with one of the great scandals of Henry's reign. This is a grand tale of the Henrician court in its twilight, a glittering but pernicious sunset during which the king's unstable behaviour and his courtiers' labyrinthine deceptions proved fatal to many, not just to Catherine Howard.Trade ReviewA Daily Mail Book of the Week ‘A stunning reappraisal of the tragic life of Henry VIII’S fifth wife’ The Times ‘A timely and powerful re-examination of Henry's fifth queen … Gareth Russell has done some beautiful new research to indicate that Catherine was not as foolish as some historians have suggested, and that her death was managed and manipulated by her offended husband, purely for his own revenge … I love it when historians take the women who have been neglected by history seriously and study their lives rather than accepting stereotypes’ Philippa Gregory ‘“Young and Damned and Fair” is everything a historical biography should be’ Kathryn Warner, author of "Edward II: The Unconventional King" ‘Russell marries slick storytelling with a great wealth of learning about sixteenth-century personalities and politics. The result is a book that leads us deep into the nightmarish final years of Henry VIII's reign, wrenching open the intrigues of a poisonous court in a realm seething with discontent. At the heart of it all is the fragile, tragic figure of Catherine Howard, whose awful fate is almost unbearable to watch as it unfolds. This is authoritative Tudor history written with a novelist's lightness of touch. A terrific achievement’ Dan Jones ‘A magnificent account of the rise and fall of Henry VIII's tragic fifth queen – compelling, thought-provoking and above all real. In Russell's meticulously researched narrative Catherine Howard and her household are brought to life as never before. Hugely enjoyable’ Adrian Tinniswood ‘This fascinating and ultimately heartbreaking account of Henry VIII's doomed fifth wife brings to life the cruel, gossip-fuelled, back-stabbing world of the court in which Catherine Howard rose and fell. The uncommonly talented Gareth Russell has produced a masterly work of Tudor history that is engrossing, sympathetic, suspenseful, and illuminating’ Charlotte Gordon, author of Romantic Outlaws

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Book Synopsis''This brilliant book is a bombshell! Jane Seymour the shy mouse type? Think again!'' Kate WilliamsAlison Weir, historian and author of the Sunday Times bestsellers Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King''s Obsession, draws an enthralling portrait of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII''s third queen, as you''ve never seen her before. Essential reading for fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick.''This six-book series looks likely to become a landmark in historical fiction'' The TimesTHE WOMAN HAUNTED BY THE FATE OF HER PREDECESSOR. Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn, Jane is dressing for her wedding to the King.She has witnessed at first hand how courtly play can quickly turn to danger and knows she must bear a son . . . or face ruin.This new Queen must therefore step out from the shadows cast by Katherine and AnTrade ReviewThis six-book series looks likely to become a landmark in historical fiction * The Times *Alison Weir gives a fresh take on Jane Seymour's life . . . A brilliant and engaging read * Good Housekeeping *Gripping and utterly compelling . . . Henry VIII's third and - allegedly - best-loved wife is brought vividly to life . . . Not to be missed -- Tracy BormanWritten with the verve of fiction and the authority of history, this is a Jane who is neither a puppet, a pious victim nor a po-faced schemer, but a living, breathing woman, launched on her own emotional journey. Meticulous research is magically transformed into a riveting narrative which takes us into the places non-fiction history cannot reach. It's what Alison Weir does better than anybody - and what historical fiction was created to do -- Sarah GristwoodDeft, authoritative biographical fiction * Kirkus Reviews *This brilliant book is a bombshell! Jane Seymour the shy mouse type? Think again! . . . She is vibrant, determined and she sets the King's court on fire . . . A magnificent novel - you'll never forget her! -- Kate WilliamsHugely enjoyable . . . Alison Weir knows her subject and has a knack for the telling and textural detail * Daily Mail *Combining her authority as a historian with her skill as a novelist, in telling Jane Seymour's story Alison has once again brought the past enthrallingly to life, as only she can. The Haunted Queen is another classic - in the great tradition of historical fiction -- Josephine RossVivid characters and a wonderful sense of time and place combine with the story of a gentle, kind heroine who I really cared about, the more so because she was so cruelly robbed of her life at the moment of her greatest happiness -- Barbara ErskineWeir does an excellent job of bringing the pages of history to life; creating living, breathing characters with flaws and weaknesses like our own * Bookbag *Weir's impressive novel shows why Jane deserves renewed attention . . . This third volume in Weir's exceptional Six Tudor Queens series offers new angles on its earlier subjects [Katherine and Anne] . . . Weir keeps the tension high, breathing new life into a familiar tale and making us wish for a different ending * Booklist *This retelling portrays Jane as a lady of principle. Meticulously researched and richly rewarding * Candis Magazine *A triumph of fine detail and research and offers a complex depiction of an endlessly fascinating woman -- Elizabeth FremantleAlison Weir's wonderfully detailed novel offers a spellbinding solution to the mystery of Anne [Boleyn's] true nature . . . Enthralling -- Sarah GristwoodWell researched and engrossing * Good Housekeeping *Alison Weir makes history come alive as no one else -- Barbara Erskine

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Book SynopsisFor over three thousand years, the Mediterranean Sea has been one of the great centres of civilization. David Abulafia''s The Great Sea is the first complete history of the Mediterranean, from the erection of temples on Malta around 3500 BC to modern tourism. Ranging across time and the whole extraordinary space of the Mediterranean from Gibraltar to Jaffa, Genoa to Tunis, and bringing to life pilgrims, pirates, sultans and naval commanders, this is the story of the sea that has shaped much of world history.Trade ReviewThe greatest living historian of the Mediterranean -- Andrew RobertsA towering achievement. No review can really do justice to the scale of Abulafia's achievement: in its epic sweep, eye for detail and lucid style. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Brocaded with studious observation and finely-tuned scholarship, the overall effect is mesmerising. -- Ian Thomson * Independent *A memorable study, its scholarship tinged with indulgent humour and an authorial eye for bizarre detail. -- Jonathan Keates * Sunday Telegraph *The story is teeming with colourful characters, and Abulafia wears his scholarship lightly, even dashingly. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Financial Times *

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