History Books
Vintage Three Whys Of The Russian Revolution
Book SynopsisIt is my considered judgement that, had it not been for the Russian Revolution, there would very likely have been no National Socialism; probably no Second World War and no decolonization; and certainly no Cold War, which one dominated our lives. I will attempt here to distill the essence of my books The Russian Revolution and Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime by raising the three central questions addressed in those volumes: Why did tsarism fall? Why did the Bolsheviks gain power? Why did Stalin succeed Lenin?'' Richard Popes, from Three Whys of the Russian Revolution.Arguably the most important event of the twentieth century, the Russian Revolution changed for ever the course of modern history. Due to the Soviet clampdown on archives regarding the Revolution, many aspects of the event have been shrouded in mystery for over seventy years. However, since the collapse of Communism the archival depositories havebeen thrown open to interested parties.Trade ReviewOne of America's great historians. * Washington Post Book World *Pipes is not a mere communicator of facts but a philosopher examining the deeper, broader trends beneath the surface of history. * San Francisco Chronicle *
£999.99
Vintage Into That Darkness
Book SynopsisThe biography of Franz Stangl, commandant of the Treblinka extermination camp - a classic and utterly compelling study of evilOnly four men commanded Nazi extermination (as opposed to concentration) camps. Franz Stangl was one of the. Gitta Sereny''s investigation of this man''s mind, and of the influences which shaped him, has become a classic. Stangl commanded Treblinka and was found guilty of co-responsibility for the slaughter there of at least 900, 000 people. Sereny, after weeks of talk with him and months of further research, shows us this man as he saw himself, and ''as he was seen by many others, including his wife. To horrify is not Sereny''s aim, though horror is inevitable. She is seeking an answer to the question which beggars reason: How were human beings turned into instruments of such overwhelming evil?Gitta Sereny is of Hungarian-Austrian extraction and is trilingual in English, French and German. During the Second WTrade ReviewAn epic examination of a Nazi war criminal * Guardian *The most gripping and illuminating account of Nazi genocide that I have read, shedding light, as she intended, on "a whole dimension of reactions and behaviour we have never yet understood" -- Stephen Vizinczey * Sunday Telegraph *She takes us sharply and deeply into the hierarchy of the death camps; the methods used; the experiences of the very few survivors, both inmates and guards -- Philip Toynbee * Observer *It is no exaggeration to call it a masterpiece -- Michael Hilton * Daily Telegraph *
£17.09
Random House The Mottled Lizard
Book SynopsisElspeth Huxley was born in 1906, the daughter of Major Josceline Grant of Njoro, Kenya, where she spent most of her childhood. She was educated at the European School in Nairobi and at Reading University where she took a diploma in agriculture, and at Cornell University, USA. In 1929 she joined the Empire Marketing Board as a press officer. She married Gervas Huxley in 1931 and travelled widely with him in America, Africa and elsewhere. She was on the BBC General Advisory Council from 1952 to 1959, when she joined the Monckton Advisory Commision on Central Africa. She wrote novels, detective fiction, biography and travel titles, and her books include The Flame Trees of Thika (1959), The Challenge of Africa (1971), Livingstone and His African Journeys (1974), Florence Nightingale (1975), Scott of the Antarctic (1977), Nellie: Letter from Africa (1980), Whipsnade: Captive Breeding for Survival (1981), The Prince Buys the Manor (1982Trade ReviewShe knows East Africa and she loves it - the people, black and white, and the wild beauy of its countryside - with a critical and understanding sympathy * The Times *More lyrical than the first volume * The Washington Post *
£14.39
Vintage Microcosm
Book SynopsisThe story of Central Europe is anything but simple. As the region located between East and West, it has always been endowed with a rich variety of migrants, and has repeatedly been the scene of nomadic invasions, mixed settlements and military conquests. In order to present a portrait of Central Europe, Norman Davies and Roger Moorhouse have made a case study of one of its most colourful cities, the former German Breslau, which became the Polish Wroclaw after the Second World War. The traditional capital of the province of Silesia rose to prominence a thousand years ago as a trading centre and bishopric in Piast Poland. It became the second city of the kingdom of Bohemia, a major municipality of the Habsburg lands, and then a Residenzstadt of the kingdom of Prussia. The third largest city of nineteenth-century Germany, its population reached one million before the bitter siege by the Soviet Army in 1945 wrought almost total destruction. Since then Wroclaw has risen fTrade ReviewThis big, lucidly written and fact-filled book admirably achieves its purpose... Anyone who enjoyed Norman Davies's...The Isles will recognise the same qualities in this book: a gift for broad exposition, a marvellous eye for quirky but revelatory details, and, above all, a willingness to question the categories of traditional history, wherever they may come from. -- Noel Malcolm * Sunday Telegraph *Absorbing...clear...and persuasive...as even-handed, erudite and enlightening as history can be. * Herald *Microcosm tells the story of the city across the centuries. While not neglecting ethnic hatred and folly, the book is a hymn to diversity and cultural achievement. * Economist *The city is fortunate to have found such chroniclers as Davies and Roger Moorhouse. * Sunday Times *
£17.00
Vintage The Myth Of The Blitz
Book SynopsisThe Myth of the Blitz was nurtured at every level of society. It rested upon the assumed invincibility of an island race distinguished by good humour, understatement and the ability to pluck victory from the jaws of defeat by team work, improvisation and muddling through.In fact, in many ways, the Blitz was not like that. Sixty-thousand people were conscientious objectors; a quarter of London''s population fled to the country; Churchill and the royal family were booed while touring the aftermath of air-raids; Britain was not bombed into classless democracy.Angus Calder provides a compelling examination of the events of 1940 and 1941 - when Britain ''stood alone'' against the Luftwaffe - and of the Myth which sustained her ''finest hour''.Trade ReviewThis is a book written with style, scholarship and compassion, which can only enhance and deepen our understanding of a still critical episode in modern British history -- Ian S. Wood * Scotsman *Disturbing as it may be to those who were there, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz have to be understood on one level as media events, and this Angus Calder does supremely well -- John Vincent * Sunday Telegraph *
£21.25
Vintage Lynch M Scotland
Book SynopsisFrom Bannockburn and Robert the Bruce to the union of the crowns and Mary, Queen of Scots; from the Reformation and John Knox, to the Enlightenment and the Highland Clearances, and right up to devolution, Scotland is the definitive history of a country that has experienced centuries of dramatic change.Michael Lynch, named as ''one of the most influential historians in Scotland of the last thirty years'', has penned an extraordinary one-volume history of the country that spans twenty centuries, from the Picts to the present day. Thrilling, comprehensive, provocative and timely, Scotland is a monumental work of scholarship.Trade ReviewIt's a book that seems more like a multi-volume history, so sweeping is it; yet lucid and captivating even in detailed areas... Fundamental to Lynch's approach is a sense of connection between now and then, however far back; he continuously shows how Scottish identity refashions its heroes and myths, yet clings to survival -- Douglas GiffordA monumental achievement * Times Literary Supplement *Breathtaking and absorbing * Scottish Field *Fascinating...it ought to be compulsory reading for all MPs, journalists and commentators before they were permitted to talk about European economic and political union -- Tom Wilkie * Independent *
£21.25
British Museum Press Assyrian Palace Sculptures
Book SynopsisA superb visual introduction to what are undoubtedly some of the greatest works of art from the ancient world, showcasing a series of specially taken photographs of the British Museum's unrivalled collection of Assyrian sculptures.
£21.25
British Museum Press Hoards Hidden History
Book SynopsisInvestigates a broad selection of hoards that have come to light in recent times across the British Isles. The author looks at the variety of objects found and at the practice of hoarding itself. She also considers who the hoarders were and what might have compelled them - economic upheaval, war, or more complex social and ritual customs.
£11.69
British Museum Press The Cat in Ancient Egypt
Book SynopsisCats can be seen in ancient Egyptian homes, temples and adorning the heads of their gods. Cats in Egypt were probably domesticated by around 4,000 BC from wild ancestors. Over the following centuries, they became popular household pets. In this book, Dr Malek draws on a vast range of artistic and written sources to show how cats became one of the most widely esteemed and revered animals in Egypt.Table of ContentsRunning free: the wild cats; Together at last: the domestic cats; A poor man's lion: the divine cats; Pride goes before a fall: the story cats; Buried with full honours: the mummified cats; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index.
£10.44
British Museum Press Write Your Own Egyptian HieroglyphsNames
Book SynopsisA handy and colourful illustrated guide to reading, writing and understanding ancient Egyptian names, epithets, titles and phrases.Table of Contents1. The importance of names in Ancient Egypt; 2. People and their names: how Egyptian names are written and what they mean; 3. Gods' names and epithets; 4. The animal world: how animal names express the nature of the creature; 5. Secret names and names for posterity; 6. List of useful Egyptian words and phrases.
£8.54
British Museum Press The Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum
Book SynopsisIan Jenkins was senior curator at the British Museum, where he iwas responsible for the ancient Greek collections.
£21.25
British Museum Press Latin inscriptions
Book SynopsisDirk Booms is a curator of Roman archaeology at the British Museum. He has special interests in Roman architecture, sculpture, glass and inscriptions and is co-author of Roman Empire: Power and People (British Museum Press, 2013).Table of Contents1. Who put up inscriptions and why? • 2. The Latin language and its Latin script • 3. How to read inscriptions • 4. Imagery and inscription • 5. The art of the stone cutters • 6. Inscriptions today
£9.99
British Museum Press Nero
Book SynopsisThorsten Opper is Curator of Greek and Roman sculpture at the British Museum. He is the author of Hadrian: empire and conflict and curator of the exhibition Nero at the British Museum.Table of ContentsIntroduction – approaches to Nero; the source tradition 1. Nero and the family of Augustus – Augustus and the system of the principate; Julio-Claudian society; Nero’s family 2. Power and succession – Nero’s accession; expectations of the new reign; poetry and imagery 3. Conflict and reform – Nero and the military; external conflicts; the Armenian War; Britain and the Boudicca rebellion 4. Spectacle and splendor – Nero’s reforms and major projects; public entertainment; Nero on stage 5. Passion and discord – the imperial family; Nero’s wives and daughter 6. Fire – the great fire of Rome of AD 64 7. The new Apollo – Nero’s palaces and the Domus Aurea; luxury and elite society; diplomacy and triumph 8. Crisis and death – internal conflict and elite resistance; rebellion; Nero’s death; civil war; ‘False Neros’ and Nero’s enduring popularity Bibliography Credits Index
£21.25
British Museum Press The Greek Vase Art of the storyteller
Book SynopsisWonderfully preserved Greek vases are a unique source of information about the mythology, religion, drama and daily life of the ancient Greek world. This sumptuous photographic book offers a superb visual introduction to the artistry of ancient Greek vases, exploring them not merely as beautiful vessels to bear water and wine, but also as instruments of storytelling and bearers of meaning. Presenting the vases and their imagery in their full narrative glory, The Greek Vase interprets their forms and stories along a variety of themes, from the adventures of gods and mythological heroes, to expressive scenes of sexual intimacy and depictions of social, family and domestic life. This beautifully illustrated book highlights what these pictures would have meant to the people who lived with and used them, how they have been received by later generations, and the profound influence of their form, decoration and narrative on subsequent art, architecture and literature.
£13.50
British Museum Press The Viking Ship
Book SynopsisThe Viking ship is one of the most iconic images of the Vikings and the longship in particular has been central to our understanding of the Vikings. This book explores the evolution of their sea-going vessels and celebrates this outstanding feature of the Viking Age.
£9.49
British Museum Press Ancestors Artefacts Empire
Book Synopsis
£54.00
British Museum Press Chinas hidden century
Book SynopsisHandsomely illustrated' Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide The book is a resounding success a valuable guide to laypeople, students and scholars on the late Qing for years to come.' SEHEPUNKTE The exhibition catalogue's seven essaysare a guide to [a] re-reading of the past, threading the relics on display into a rich tapestry of what life entailed under the last century of Manchu reign.' Rhoda Kwan, The Mekong Review Cultural creativity in China between 1796 and 1912 demonstrated extraordinary resilience at a time of intense external and internal warfare and socioeconomic turmoil. Innovation can be seen in material culture (including print, painting, calligraphy, textiles, fashion, jewellery, ceramics, lacquer, glass, arms and armour, silver, and photography) during a century in which China's art, literature, crafts and technology faced unprecedented exposure to global influences. 1796 the official end of the reign of the Qianlong emperor is viewed as the close of the high QingTable of ContentsForewordsChronologyIntroduction: China’s long 19th century – Julia LovellChapter 1: The court – Mei Mei RadoChapter 2: The military – Stephen R. PlattChapter 3: Elite art – Chia-ling YangChapter 4: Vernacular culture – Jessica Harrison-HallChapter 5: Global Qing – Anne GerritsenChapter 6: Reform to revolution – Jeffrey WasserstromBibliographyList of lendersAcknowledgements and image creditsIndex
£36.00
British Museum Press Burma to Myanmar
Book SynopsisReveals the rich and complex histories and cultures of Burma/Myanmar from their early development and powerful imperial expansions to their positions as colonial subjects and then as a war-torn nation. From influential superpower to repressive regime, Myanmar also known as Burma has seen dramatic fluctuations in fortune over the past 1,500 years. Interconnected yet isolated, rich in natural resources such as jade, rubies and teak but with many of its peoples living below the poverty line, Myanmar is a country that defies categorisation. Its cultures have been shaped by their engagements with religious networks, expansionist empires and global trade routes from India and China to Africa, the Middle East and Europe. It was once home to different kingdoms, principalities and chiefdoms that interacted with one another and further afield. The colonial period under British rule saw dramatic changes and upon independence in 1948, the various parts of the country were brought together, manTable of ContentsForeword Introduction – Alexandra Green 1. Natural resources and geography – Alexandra Kaloyanides 2. Bagan: a cosmopolitan Buddhist kingdom – Thaw Zin Latt, P.P.K. and Alexandra Green 3. States and networks: expansion and contraction, 1500–1900 – Alexandra Green 4. The British colonial period – Alexandra Green 5. Karen peoples and their textiles: from natural to synthetic dyeing practices – Caroline Cartwright, Joanne Dyer, Diego Tamburini and Alexandra Green 6. Myanmar in the world: the Second World War – Maitrii Aung-Thwin and Arthur Swan Ye Tun 7. Thinking about minoritised communities – Mandy Sadan 8. Material culture after independence – Alexandra Green and Anonymous 9. Modern and contemporary art activism (1948–present) – Melissa Carlson Appendix Notes Bibliography List of contributors Acknowledgements Picture credits Index
£28.00
British Museum Press Ancient India
Book SynopsisExplores ancient India (c. 100 BCE600 CE) through three of its major religions Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism to illuminate how they reflect political power, artistic innovation and changes in peoples' daily lives. Ancient India was a dynamic, cosmopolitan centre of creativity. The visual traditions of its major indigenous religions were closely interrelated, reflecting political power, changes in peoples' daily lives and artistic innovation. Exported beyond the Indian subcontinent in antiquity, these three major religions Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism are living traditions and their devotional works of art impact on the daily life of billions of people across the world. This major new publication traces the development of religious imagery from around 100 BCE, when it focused on the depiction of nature spirits, to 600 CE, by which time devotional images of Jain, Buddhist and Hindu deities and teachers had taken shape. Moving from symbolic to human form, such imagery employed at
£36.00
British Museum Press The Vikings in Britain and Ireland
Book SynopsisJayne Carroll is Director of the Institute for Name-Studies and Associate Professor in the History of English at the University of Nottingham. Her main academic interests include place-names and language and literature in Old English and Old Norse. Stephen H. Harrison is an Honorary Research Associate in medieval history at Trinity College Dublin, having previously worked in museums, universities and commercial archaeology. He specializes in the social context of Scandinavian burials in the early Viking Age and has wider interests in Viking Age Britain and Ireland, particularly early settlement activity. Gareth Williams is Curator of early medieval coins at the British Museum. He has worked extensively on warfare, coinage, wealth and exchange, and towns in the Viking Age. Gareth was also lead curator of the British Museum exhibition Vikings: life and legend.
£10.44
British Museum Press The Rosetta Stone Objects in Focus
Book SynopsisThis book tells the fascinating story of one of archaeology's icons, from its creation in the second century BC, to its discovery in 1799 during Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, to the subsequent race to decipher its hieroglyphic text.
£6.00
British Museum Press Roman Britain
Book SynopsisAn accessible, highly illustrated introduction to the history, society, culture and art of Britain when it was a province of the Roman Empire
£11.69
British Museum Press The Meroe Head of Augustus
Book SynopsisMade from Bronze with eyes inlaid with glass pupils set in metal rings, the 'Meroe Head' is a magnificent portrait of Julius Caesar's great nephew and adopted heir Augustus (63 BC-AD 14).
£6.00
British Museum Press The Standard of Ur
Book SynopsisThe Standard of Ur is one of the most famous objects to be discovered from ancient Mesopotamia. It was un earthed in a tomb in 1927 by Leonard Woolley during his archaeological excavations of the Royal Cemetery' of Ur located in present - day Iraq. This beautifully illustrated short introduction tells the story of discovery and significance of this splendid object.
£6.00
Taylor & Francis Paradoxes of Strategic Intelligence
Book SynopsisPart of a three part collection in honour of the teachings of Michael I. Handel, one of the foremost strategists of the late 20th century, this collection explores the paradoxes of intelligence analysis, surprise and deception from both historical and theoretical perspectives.Trade Review'Admirers of the late Michael Handel will welcome this short volume of essays' - Foreign AffairsTable of ContentsIntelligence and the problem of strategic surprise, Michael I. Handel; politicization of intelligence - costs and benefits, Richard K. Betts; intelligence failures - forecasting and the lessons of epistemology, Woodrow J. Kuhns; theory of surprise, James J. Wirtz; "FORTITUDE" in context - the evolution of British military deception in two world wars, 1914-1945, John Ferris; intelligence failure and the need for cognitive closure - the case of Yom Kippur, Uri Bar-Joseph; Grant vs. Sherman - paradoxes of intelligence and combat leadership, Mark M. Lowenthal.
£56.04
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Ste. Croix G Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek
Book SynopsisG.E.M. de Ste. Croix was Fellow of New College, University of Oxford, and best known as the author of The Origins of the Peloponnesian War and The Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World.
£36.09
Duckworth Books Scheisse Were Going Up
Book SynopsisScheisse! recounts the extraordinary story of Union Berlin, the German Bundesliga's most spirited football club, interwoven with a witty history of contemporary Berlin.Trade Review'Fascinating' Daily Mail'A wonderful journey into the heart of a very unique club' Raphael Honigstein'The history and culture of a special football club deserve a special kind of chronicling – and Holden has executed it to perfection' Patrick Barclay'An engrossing portrait' Philip Oltermann'For the first time, Scheisse is a good thing! A captivating read on one of the most unique clubs in world football' Archie Rhind-Tutt'A beautifully crafted set of stories that reveal a personal history of one of Germany’s most special clubs and cities' Jonathan Harding'Holden superbly captures the myth, history and spirit that make Union so very special and beloved' Andreas Michaelis'A fascinating tale that is expertly told' Adam Bate'A must-read for any football romantic, regardless of where you're from and what team you support' Cristian Nyari
£13.49
Duckworth Books Black Victorians
Book SynopsisBlack Victorians shows how Black lives were visible, present and influential â not temporary presences but established and rooted; and how paradox and ambivalence characterised the Victorian view of race.Trade Review‘The history of Black people in this country is woven into the tapestry that is the United Kingdom. Black Victorians shows us, in vivid detail, how Black people didn't just take part in the Victorian era, they shaped it’ David Lammy MP, author of Tribes‘Meatily researched and illuminating... [brings] to swaggering life a group of Britons who have spent too long in the shadows’ Susie Goldsbrough, The Times‘An important survey of the subject based on painstaking research. Woolf and Abraham's Black Victorians: Hidden in History provides an indispensable introduction to the subject told through the lives of some of the most eminent personalities of the era, as well as those hitherto little known. A significant contribution to the field’ Hakim Adi'This book will generate discussion and change mindsets. It is brilliant’ Dr Maggie Semple OBE‘The book's telling details are liberating for, in spite of the Black Victorians' subjection and degradation, they are presented not as victims, but rather as resourceful, inventive, assertive human beings in their quests for betterment. Their cumulative experiences are skilfully woven into an engaging, richly textured book – an insightful work of scholarship’ Ron Ramdin, author of The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain‘Fascinating, thorough, well-researched and extremely readable, Black Victorians provides invaluable insight into a history of Victorian Britain that is not often told’ Hafsa Zayyan, author of We Are All Birds of Uganda‘Engaging, informative and accessible, Black Victorians shines a light on a little-known aspect of British history. It is written with passion and attention to detail. I highly recommend this book’ Stephen Bourne, author of Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War‘Revelatory. Exposing whitewashing, tackling archival obfuscation, and returning little known figures to history, this book restores colour to our vision of Victorian Britain’ Suzannah Lipscomb, author of What is History, Now?
£11.69
Duckworth Books Vagabonds
Book SynopsisDickensian London is brought to real and vivid life in this Wolfson History Prize-shortlisted portrait by a rising-star historian and New Generation Thinker.Trade Review‘Rich in research… a telling account’ Martin Chilton, Independent (Books of the Month)'Compellingly written, utterly captivating... Jensen’s book is stuffed to bursting with original voices and sources alongside his well-crafted expert analysis… every page of Vagabonds rings with the thrum and bass of a city that saw itself as the centre of the world' Fern Riddell, BBC History magazine'Vagabonds is a collection of exquisite stories. Open the cover and a beguiling crowd of characters run amok... Jensen gives these past lives a monument, a dignity and recognition they deserve. Jensen is the real deal; I’ve never encountered a historian quite like him’ Gerard de Groot, The Times (Book of the Year)'Jensen’s fascinating, delightfully readable book is animated by a formidable passion for recovering the stories of some of metropolitan London’s poorest, most precarious, but also most creative people, a passion that is all too rare in accounts of the period... Vagabonds narrates their lives with a sympathy and sensitivity that is often moving' Matthew Beaumont, author of Nightwalking: A Nocturnal History of London'A very readable and historically well researched picture of the nineteenth-century poor' Gareth Stedman Jones, Professor of the History of Ideas, Queen Mary University of London, and author of Outcast London'Not only a notable accumulation, from original sources, of the horrors of survival on the streets of nineteenth-century London, but a devastating exposure of pseudo-charity as a form of coercive policing. A vigorous and necessary account made timely by the widening chasm between obscene wealth and dire poverty in our contemporary metropolis' Iain Sinclair, author of The Last London'Oskar Jensen's Vagabonds is an elegantly-written and vivid account of the people that lived and worked in Georgian and Victorian London. Jensen doesn't just present these hitherto marginalised figures on the page; like a delightful sorcerer, he brings them back to life' Tomiwa Owolade, award-winning author of This is Not America‘Oskar Jensen has coaxed out of the archives a vast range of original voices of the street poor of London. With great sensitivity and scholarly rigour, he ensures that, once again, we hear the lived experiences of those who lived and died on the margins of metropolitan life’ Sarah Wise, author of The Blackest Streets and Inconvenient People'Superb... Writing with an elegance and emotional intelligence that exceeds many novels, he presents us with the lives of beggars (children and adults), match sellers, buskers, milkmaids, pickpockets, prostitutes and the odd famous actor... We are left with the sense that despite poverty, monotony and grinding hard work, these people’s human spirit, optimism and humour helped them triumph over their surroundings... This book provides an invaluable source to anyone setting their fiction in this world, which is also an immensely entertaining and informative read in its own right. One of the best history books I have read recently' The Historical Novel Society
£10.44
Duckworth Books Hotbed
Book SynopsisThe never-before-told story of the club whose audacious ideas and unruly acts transformed an international feminist agenda into a modern way of life.Trade Review‘Joanna Scutts’ fascinating secret US club of early twentieth-century feminists… An enthralling story of rebellion but also of the power of female friendship… Rigorous social history is enlivened by brio and belief throughout’ Hephzibah Anderson, Observer‘Sets out to recover these forgotten activists, women who were engaged in some of the most important campaigns of the twentieth century... A series of illuminating vignettes that remind us how far feminism has come over the past century, but also how much remains familiar and yet to be achieved’ Kathryn Hughes, Sunday Times'[A] lively and absorbing new social history… it was only after I read Hotbed that I realized the type of feminist friendship from which I am more directly descended was that of the Heterodites' New York Review of Books'Incredibly resonant in today’s times, and a profound read' Fiona Davis, New York Times-bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue'Deeply researched and deftly rendered... a spirited, inspiring history' Lauren Elkin, author of Flâneuse'A transporting tour-de-force of storytelling' Janice P. Nimura, author of The Doctors Blackwell'Spirit and panache... one for anyone interested in the history of feminism, friendship, or New York City' Ruth Franklin, award-winning author of Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life'A wonderful tribute to the "restless audacious [and] creative spirit" that pushes a culture beyond convention and complacency and toward something new... fascinating' Maggie Doherty, award-winning author of The Equivalents: A Story of Art, Female Friendship, and Liberation in the 1960s‘This enlightening book covers the first ten or so years of the club’s existence. It is also the story of the early feminist movement in the US, and highlights the underacknowledged part that these activist women played in psychology, education, theatre, journalism, anti-lynching legislation and the early-twentieth-century American labour movement’ Ann Kennedy Smith, Times Literary Supplement‘A deeply researched and kinetic historical telling of Heterodoxy’s fruitful, if also fraught, period, from its inception until the early 1920s. In vibrant prose that summons the idealism and daring of the very existence of Heterodoxy as a center for sisterhood and women-led political thought, Scutts brings to life the stories of women who formed friendships among their ranks, the majority of whom were upper-middle-class authors, journalists, sociologists and artists’ Washington Post'Joanna Scutts hones in on one particularly fascinating corner of this world: the Heterodoxy Club, a coterie of women that included Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Alice Kimball, Alison Turnbull Hopkins, and Susan Glaspell, among other influential figures. Hotbed brings you to the heart of the social world that sustained and supported them, and it is filled with fascinating details for anyone remotely interested in this history’ LitHub
£11.69
Gill A Short History of Ireland
Book SynopsisSince its first publication in 1994 Richard Killeen's Short History of Ireland has been widely accepted as the most accessible introduction to Irish history. It presents the history of Ireland in attractive double paged spreads, which can be quickly read to give an easy overview of the key events of Irish history. It is superbly illustrated with over 150 full colour photographs, paintings and drawings.Over the past 10 years almost 150,000 copies have been sold in English, French and German language editions. This new edition brings the story up to date including the days of the Celtic Tiger and the Good Friday agreement.
£6.50
Gill Dublin Tenement Life
Book SynopsisThis book is totally unique. It is based on the original and wholly authentic testimonies of survivors of the old Dublin tenements. For nearly 150 years, the wretched, squalid tenements of Dublin were widely judged to be the worst slums in all of Europe. By the 1930''s, 6400 tenements were occupied by almost 112,000 tenants. Some districts had up to 800 people to the acre, up to 100 occupants in one building and twenty family members crammed into a single tiny room. It was a hard world of hunger, disease, high mortality, unemployment, heavy drinking, prostitution and gang warfare. But despite their hardship, the tenement poor enjoyed an incredibly close knit community life in which they found great security and indeed, happiness. As one policeman recalls from over half a century ago, they were ''extraordinarily happy for people who were so savagely poor''.
£17.09
Gill A Short History of the Irish Revolution
Book SynopsisThe Irish revolution began with the Ulster crisis of 1912 followed by the Irish Nationalist Party securing the passage of the Home Rule Act in 1914. By then, however, the Great War had broken out: the Act was suspended for the duration of the war, with the violent Ulster opposition to it still unresolved.But the war changed everything. Over thirty thousand Irish troops died. A radical nationalist minority rebelled against British rule at Easter 1916, an event that established itself as the foundation date of a new, more assertive nationalism. In 1918 Sinn Féin supplanted the old Nationalist party and formed its own assembly in Dublin. At the same time the IRA began an armed campaign against British Rule.By 1922, Britain had withdrawn from twenty-six of the thirty-two counties of Ireland which now constituted the Irish Free State. The Ulster problem had, however, never been resolved. The result was partition and the establishment of two states on the island something u
£11.39
Gill The Irish Times Book of the 1916 Rising
Book SynopsisThis bestselling book recreates the actual course of events during that tumultuous week, based on contemporary witnesses, memoirs and later recollections. It adds up to the most comprehensive and accessible account of Easter Week in print and has received praise in all quarters.
£17.09
Gill A Pocket History of Ireland
Book SynopsisEncompassing stories of some of Ireland's best known characters as well as key moments in Ireland's past, this pocket history recalls the country's struggles through dark times, its successes, its people and places. The wealth of Irish culture and tradition is described as well as the key events and people that have shaped the country today.
£6.99
Gill Atlas of Irish History
Book SynopsisThis book tells the story of the Irish past in graphic cartography, beautifully rendered and augmented by an authoritative text. It is an essential reference tool for any student of Irish history. This new edition covers recent momentous events such as the transformative boom and bust of the Republic''s economy and the extraordinary course of developments in Northern Ireland that resulted in the power-sharing administration of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein.
£17.09
Gill Just Mary My Memoir
Book SynopsisAlthough they have become more frequent in recent years, Irish political memoirs are still relatively rare. Even rarer still are political memoirs that still are frank, newsworthy and fun, like this one from Mary O'Rourke.She writes of personal and political events; of her family background and her early involvement in politics: of the many senior political figures to whom she was close, especially Charles Haughey and Bertie Ahern; of her two beloved Brians, her brother and nephew, both of whom died before their time; of her successes and disappointments. She does all this with honesty, energy and a complete absence of self-pity or self-justification.Mary O'Rourke has been one of the most successful and influential women in Irish public life in a generation. She has stories to tell that will surprise and amuse, as well as recalling moments of personal and political sadness. The book is like the woman herself: open, warm and shrewd.Trade Review'It's a fascinating story...a great read' -- John Spain * Irish Independent *This memoir is a fairly honest self-portrait of the Mary O’Rourke whom we have all come to love and hate. The Mary we have all seen over the years is the Mary we get in this book: emotional and exasperating; schoolmarmish and quite contrary; imbued with the Fianna Fáil gene and very party-political. -- Geraldine Kennedy * The Irish Times *
£12.34
Gill The Islander
Book SynopsisThis superb account of life on the Great Blasket Island off the west coast of Kerry, written as the nineteenth century draws to its close and the dawn of a new era trespasses on the lives of its small community, is both a shocking and captivating read.Here is the first complete translation of Tomás O'Crohan's autobiography An tOileánach, first published in 1929. This edition is based on Professor Seán Ó Coileáin's definitive 2002 Irish language edition. It contains many passages omitted from the previous English language translation by Robin Flower from the 1930s, some of which were thought too earthy for the times.Tomás O'Crohan, a fisherman who, at around the age of forty, has taught himself to read and write in his own native tongue, depicts in unaffected, vivid language a very unforgiving landscape of human experience. The Islander reflects life as it was on the Blaskets, raw, real and extremely challenging.
£11.39
Gill The Great Irish Famine A History in Four Lives
Book SynopsisThe Great Irish Famine of 184552 was the defining event in the history of modern Ireland. At least one million people died, and double that number fled the country within a decade.The Great Irish Famine surveys the history of this great tragedy through the testimonies of four key contemporaries, conveying the immediacy of the unfolding disaster as never before.They are: John MacHalethe Catholic Archbishop of Tuam John Mitchelthe radical nationalist Elizabeth Smiththe Scottish-born wife of a Wicklow landlord Charles E. Trevelyanthe assistant secretary to the Treasury Each brings a unique perspective, influenced by who they were, what they witnessed, and what they stood for. It is an intimate and compelling portrayal of these hungry years. The book shows how misguided policies inspired by slavish adherence to ideology worsened the effects of a natural disaster of catastrophic proportions.Reviews:Trade Review“There are many books on this terrible event, but this is one of the most fluent and original. Although it is based on large amounts of primary research its style is accessible and engaging, and the result is a valuable study of a truly harrowing crisis”. * The Times Higher Education Supplement. *
£15.29
Gill Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf
Book SynopsisBrian Boru is the most famous Irish person before the modern era, whose death at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 is one of the few events in the whole of Ireland's medieval history to retain a place in the popular imagination. Once, we were told that Brian, the great Christian king, gave his life in a battle on Good Friday against pagan Viking enemies whose defeat banished them from Ireland forever. More recent interpretations of the Battle of Clontarf have played down the role of the Vikings and portrayed it as merely the final act in a rebellion against Brian, the king of Munster, by his enemies in Leinster and Dublin.This book proposes a far-reaching reassessment of Brian Boru and Clontarf. By examining Brian's family history and tracing his career from its earliest days, it uncovers the origins of Brian's greatness and explains precisely how he changed Irish political life forever.Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf offers a new interpretation of the role of the Vikings in Irish affairs and explains how Brian emerged from obscurity to attain the high-kingship of Ireland because of his exploitation of the Viking presence. And it concludes that Clontarf was deemed a triumph, despite Brian's death, because of what he averteda major new Viking offensive in Irelandon that fateful day.Reviews:I cannot recommend enough Seán Duffy's book for its readability and the enormity of backbreaking historical scholarship lightly borne and compellingly presented.'Dr Pat Wallace, Director Emeritus of the National Museum of IrelandThis scholarly, sympathetic book expertly unpicks legend and propaganda to uncover the real figure, offering an important reassessment of his place in Irish history.' Donnchadh Ó Corraín, Irish Times Weekend ReviewTrade Review‘I cannot recommend enough Seán Duffy’s book for its readability and the enormity of backbreaking historical scholarship lightly borne and compellingly presented.’ -- Dr Pat Wallace, Director Emeritus of the National Museum of Ireland
£16.19
Gill Pocket Irish Wit Wisdom
Book SynopsisThe Irish famously have a way with words and thisbeautifully illustrated selection includes the best of Irish witand wisdom to amuse and entertain on any occasion.Enjoy the stunning wit of some of Ireland''s finestwriters, as well as words of unparalleled wisdom that are woven into the fabric of the language of this island.
£10.34
Gill A Pocket History of the 1916 Rising
Book SynopsisThe Easter Rising was arguably the most important event in Irish history. It was an armed insurrection that occurred mainly in Dublin during Easter Week, 1916, mounted by Irish republicans intent on ending British rule in Ireland and establishing an independent Irish Republic. While not immediately successful, its consequences changed the course of Irish history forever.This book explains what happened in the years before and after the Rising, as well as providing an exciting day-by-day account of the events themselves, and biographies of the leading figures.
£6.99
Gill The Pocket Book of the GAA
Book SynopsisA fully illustrated history of Ireland's most famous sporting institution, published in association with the GAA museum in Croke Park. This is a fascinating and colourful introduction to Gaelic games, covering football, hurling, camogie and handball. This pocket sized book features all the key events in the GAA's illustrious history, as well as biographies of famous players, rolls of honour, county information and the stories behind some of the GAA's cups and trophies.
£6.99
Gill Historopedia The Story of Ireland From Then
Book SynopsisIT’S A TIME-TRAVELLING JOURNEY THROUGH IRELAND … IT’S A HISTOROPEDIA!
£22.09
Gill Historopedia Activity Book
Book SynopsisColour spot the difference test your knowledge join the dots search and find the Historopedia Activity Book provides hours of entertainment for you and your family!Name the Irish presidents, design your own stained-glass window, record your family tree and pull out the full-colour timeline and hang it on your wall. Get ready to plan your next time-travelling adventure!
£9.49
Gill Humanology
Book SynopsisTaking us on an incredible journey across centuries and galaxies, accompanied by his characteristic wit, Professor Luke O'Neill explains how it all began, how it all will end and everything in between. Readers will benefit from Luke's insatiable curiosity for life when they dive into this ultimate journey through life and death.Among many fascinating facts, you'll discover the science behind how we got to be so smart, why sex with a caveman was a good idea, the science of finding love, why we follow religions, and how robots will become part of everyday life. Humanology is a humbling reminder that we're just a small speck in a big universe so sit back and embrace the adventure.A man who can explain 4.2 billion years of life on Earth and make me laugh at the same time sheer genius.' Pat Kenny, Newstalk
£23.79
Gill A Narrow Sea
Book SynopsisThe first history of the special relationship between Ireland and Scotland from acclaimed historian Jonathan Bardon, based on his BBC Radio seriesBased on the popular BBC Ulster radio series of the same name, A Narrow Sea traces the epic sweep of Ireland's relationship with Scotland, exploring the myriad connections, correlations, personalities and antagonisms that have, over the centuries, defined the relationship between these two spirited neighbours.In 120 brief, episodic chapters, A Narrow Sea offers a stirring and panoramic view of a connection that has shaped the course of history. Roving freely across the centuries, from the first migrations of the regions' paleolithic tribes and their encounters with Greek and Roman explorers, to the grand colonial projects of the Vikings, Normans and Stuarts, this is the story of how a shared culture laid the basis for two very different nations.Jonathan Bardon's lively and engaging history of the interactions between Ireland and Scotland over two millennia is a vastly pleasurable read and history at its most accessible.' Dublin Review of Books
£22.94
Gill When the Hangman Came to Galway
Book SynopsisThe paths of a secret paramour, a jilted lover and a reluctant hangman cross in one fateful winter week in Galway, 1885James Berry was the notorious hangman who ended the lives of over 100 criminals in Victorian Britain and Ireland. Tortured by nightmares as he tried to come to terms with the toll his gruesome work took on him, he played a central role in some of the crimes of the century, including the hanging of William Bury, the man suspected of being Jack the Ripper.The Hangman Who Came to Galway focuses on a winter week in Irish history where Berry was tasked with bringing to a conclusion the case of two notorious murders in Galway, keeping readers transfixed as they journey with this fascinating character through nineteenth-century Ireland in all its gruesome glory.
£15.29
