History Books

Book SynopsisThe incredible true story of the librarian, the Nazi spy and Ireland's secret role in turning the tide of World War IIWhen unassuming librarian Richard Hayes, a gifted polymath and cryptographer, was drafted by Irish intelligence services to track the movements of a prolific Nazi spy, Hermann Görtz, Dublin became the unlikely venue for one of the most thrilling episodes in Irish history.In a complex game of cat-and-mouse that would wind its way through the city and its suburbs, Code Breaker reveals how Richard Hayes cracked a code that helped turn the tide of World War II, and uncovers a secret history of the capital that has remained hidden in plain view for the past 70 years.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe third book in the Little Library series. When your collection is complete, you'll have a little library and big knowledge!Discover the REVOLUTIONARY that was CONSTANCE MARKIEVICZ!Constance Markievicz grew up in Co. Sligo in the late 1800s with a dream: she wanted Ireland to become free and the people to be treated fairly. She spent her life working to make these things happen. With rebellion in the air, she was asked for advice on how a lady should dress. Her answer? Dress suitably in short skirts and strong boots, leave your jewels in the bank and buy a revolver.'And the Easter Rising began

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book tells the history of Northern Ireland from the Third Home Rule Bill right through to Derry Girls. Covering all aspects of the beginnings of Northern Ireland as a separate state, to gerrymandering and World War II, and on to the emergence of the Troubles and finally peace, this book is a guide to all the dramatic events of the past 100 years. Leaders such as Terrence O'Neill, Gerry Fitt, Ian Paisley, Gerry Adams, David Trimble and John Hume are profiled, along with terrorist organisations and political parties. The cultural history of Northern Ireland is also celebrated, from Seamus Heaney to Derry Girls and Game of Thrones.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA wonderful introduction to an Irish landmark.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOlder than Stonehenge, older than the Pyramids, Newgrange in Co Meath was built over 6,000 years ago. This remarkable Neolithic structure by the legendary River Boyne has fascinated visitors for millennia, but became a significant tourist site after its excavation and partial reconstruction by archaeologist Michael O'Kelly in the 1960s and 70s. Regarded as Ireland's greatest national monument, Newgrange has entered Irish mythology through its associations with ancient deities, and today it continues to fascinate archaeologists and visitors alike.A Pocket Guide to Newgrange and the Boyne Valley contains everything you need to know about one of Ireland's most significant historical landmarks.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf you follow the headlines, you could be forgiven for thinking that things in Ireland are worse than ever. In fact, we live longer than ever before, we have never been healthier or better educated, we earn five times more than our grandparents did, our personal freedoms exceed those of any previous generation, and the lives of women and children have been transformed for the better.At a time when some good news is welcome, this uplifting book tells our national story through facts and stats, placing Ireland under the microscope to chart 100 undeniable achievements of the past 100 years.When the State was formed, Ireland was one of the most poverty-stricken nations in Europe. Now it has the second-highest quality of life in the world. While there is still more to be done, In Fact illustrates that Ireland, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than you might think.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJohn Creedon has always been fascinated by place names, from growing up in Cork City as a young boy to travelling around Ireland making his popular television show. In this brilliant new book, he peels back the layers of meaning of familiar place names to reveal stories about the land of Éireann and the people who walked it before us.Travel the highways, byways and boreens of Ireland with John and become absorbed in the place names, such as The Cave of the Cats', Artichoke Road', The Eagle's Nest' and Crazy Corner'. All hold clues that help to uncover our past and make sense of that place we call home, feeding both mind and soul along the way.That Place We Call Home will foster or feed a love of local lore and cultivate an appreciation for the historical remnants scattered in plain sight all over Ireland's 63,000 townlands' Irish IndependentMarvellous' Paddy Kehoe, RTÉA beautiful book' Daithí Ó Sé, The Today Show

Read more less

Book SynopsisA triumph of family story-telling' Hugo Hamilton, author of The Pages.A tale of three journeys, the final one a successful pursuit of shadows' Myles DunganGrowing up in Waterford, Tom McGrath never noticed the odd gaps in the stories of his parents' lives before he was born; it was only many years after they died that he uncovered the unspoken truths, which did so much to explain the people they had been.Here he tells the incredible true story of his father's conscription into the British Army, his escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in Poland, his daring journey across Europe and subsequent recapture and the devastating news that awaited him in England. Tom's research also led him to discover that his mother also carried a heartbreaking secret.In writing this book Tom not only recreated his father's nail-biting escape but also embarked on a journey of his own to reconnect with previously unknown family members. Unspoken pieces together an extraordinarily rare tale that encompasses memoir, family history, and two parallel stories that were almost lost for ever.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIreland's Secret War is a thrilling account of the true extent of IrishAllied co-operation during World War II. It reveals strategic Nazi intentions for Ireland and the real role of leading government figures of the time, placing Dan Bryan and G2 firmly at the centre of Ireland's battle against Nazi Germany.With the help of over thirty-five hours of previously unpublished audio recordings that were held in storage in northern California for over fifty years, Marc McMenamin reveals the extraordinary unheard history of WWII in Ireland, told from the point of view of the main protagonists.Written with the verve and energy of a thriller, Ireland's Secret War reassesses the legacy of the Irish contribution to the Allied war effort through the voices of those involved at the time.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this people's history of Ireland, John Creedon introduces a fascinating collection of stories from the Schools' Collection. This treasure trove of old stories, ways and wisdom, which could have been lost for ever, was collected by schoolchildren as part of a nationwide project set up in the 1930s to preserve Irish folklore.Published here for the first time, this best of' selection includes chapters on ghost stories, agriculture, forgotten trades, schooling and pastimes. The result is an incredible arc of folk history that tells us about ourselves and how we lived long ago.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor over fifty years, Kevin C. Kearns trekked the rough-and-tumble streets of the heart of Dublin, hoping to record and preserve the city's vanishing oral history. Armed only with a Sony tape recorder, the ordinary people he encountered street traders, dockers, factory workers, tram drivers, housewives and midwives, children and grandparents shared private stories of hardship, joy, sorrow, suffering, survival and triumph.In Our Day is the culmination of a life's work a treasure trove bursting with whispers from the past 450 vignettes, memories and recollections gathered to present an evocative, poignant portrait of a forgotten Dublin.Without Kevin, the lives of ordinary decent Dubliners would be forgotten. This book is a celebration of them.' Joe Duffy

Read more less

Book SynopsisNeutrality has, supposedly, long been a pillar of the Irish national identity. But examining the concept reveals it to be a vague, flimsy and elastic notion that, throughout history, various governments have been happy to stretch or, in some cases, abandon entirely. Today, warfare has expanded to include cyberattacks, environmental concerns, election interference and disinformation. If our traditional idea of warfare is changing, should our idea of neutrality change, too?In this timely and thought-provoking examination of a core tenet of Irish society, Conor Gallagher explores the practical and ethical implications of choosing a side. He asks, in the face of aggression, is it right to sit back and do nothing?And is it even possible to be neutral in such an interconnected world?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Irish Civil War ended in 1923. Eighty years on, documentary-maker Tom Hurley wondered if there were many people left from across Ireland who experienced the years 1919 to 1923, their prelude and aftermath.In early 2003, he recorded the experiences of 18 people, conducting two further interviews abroad in 2004. Tom spoke to a cross-section (Catholic, Protestant, Unionist and Nationalist) who were in their teens or early twenties during the civil war. The chronological approach he has taken spans fifty years, beginning with the oldest interviewee's birth in 1899 and ending when the Free State became a republic in 1949.100 years after the Civil War ended, this book weaves aunique chronology of the revolutionary years through the experiences of 20 people.Together, theirs are the last voices of the Irish Revolution.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBarging Round Britain by David Bartley is a beautifully-illustrated guide to a unique and fascinating part of our history: the canal network.Explore the people and places that have forged this national treasure, from the birth of the Industrial Revolution to the leisure explosion on our waterways today. Fully-illustrated with maps and photographs, the book will trace canal routes across the UK, from the Georgian grandeur of Bath to the dramatic splendour of the Scottish Highlands.David Bartley''s Barging Round Britain includes a foreword and chapter introductions by the presenter of the TV series, John Sergeant.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPart of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES.____________Why was North Africa such a key component in Britain''s success over Mussolini and his Italian Army?How did they blunt Italy''s actions?What challenges did they face?And what new technologies were brought to bear?When fascist dictator Mussolini declared war against Britain he was taking a huge risk . . . Italy lacked natural resources, and Britain and France''s wealth.He hoped to create a new Roman Empire across the Mediterranean and into Africa. And with Hitler and the Nazi''s by his side he had a great chance of doing so - but what was it that stopped him?Discover the answers and more inside James Holland''s The Desert War, the thrilling and accessible account that explains what happened, who the key figures were and the tactics, triumphs and failures on both sides . . .Trade ReviewPraise for WW2 Ladybird Experts Series * - *Shines a light on some of the darkest and most dramatic moments of the six-year conflict. * Daily Mail *The artwork is gloriously retro, echoing the original Ladybird house style but containing completely up to date information. * Shiny New Books *

Read more less

Book SynopsisPart of the new Ladybird Expert series, The Bomber War is an accessible, insightful and authoritative introduction to the airborne Allied fight against Nazi Germany.- How did aeroplane technology change the theatre of war?- How did the Blitz affect Britain''s ability to fight?- How did the Allies finally triumph?DISCOVER how the complex impact of bomber technology shaped the outcome of World War II. From the Blitz to the Battle of the Ruhr, the Bomber War transformed the state of warfare in the twentieth century. GERMANY''S DEADLY TACTICS, THE ALLIES'' BRUTAL VICTORYWritten by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland and with immersive illustrations by Keith Burns, THE BOMBER WAR is an accessible and enthralling introduction to these critical battles and their impact on the outcome of World War II.Trade ReviewPraise for WW2 Ladybird Experts Series * - *Shines a light on some of the darkest and most dramatic moments of the six-year conflict. * Daily Mail *The artwork is gloriously retro, echoing the original Ladybird house style but containing completely up to date information. * Shiny New Books *

Read more less

Book Synopsis* PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW *- Why did the Allies decide to invade Southern Italy?- How did the weather and Italian terrain complicate the fighting?- How did General Mark Clark''s Allied Armies win the final battle?Discover the mounting conflict and complex campaigns of the war in Italy. From Operation HUSKY to Clark''s final offensive, the Allied campaign tightened the noose around Nazi Germany and saw the end of Italian Fascism, though it was at a cost of high civilian casualty and destruction.AN EPIC OF GRIT, DETERMINATION AND SACRIFICEWritten by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland and with immersive illustrations by Keith Burns, THE WAR IN ITALY 1943-1945 is an accessible and enthralling introduction to these critical battles and their impact on the outcome of World War II

Read more less

Book SynopsisBOOK 11 OF THE LADYBIRD EXPERT HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, FROM AWARD-WINNING HISTORIAN JAMES HOLLANDFeaturing stunning illustrations from Keith Burns, bringing the story to life in vivid detailWhat was Operation Bagration?Why did the Warsaw Uprising fail?How were the Nazis finally crushed?BRITAIN''S VICTORY IN EUROPE was a pivotal moment in the impending end of WW2, but it was no easy feat.With most of Europe under Axis control, the Allies battled through the brutal winter of 1945 to overcome German forces and finally defeat Hitler.THE PINNACLE MOMENT IN BRITAIN''S WW2 SUCCESSWritten by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland, Victory in Europe is an essential, accessible introduction to Britain''s triumph over the Nazis.__________Discover the full Ladybird Expert WW2 series:BlitzkriegThe Battle of BritainBattle of the AtlanticThe Desert WarThe Eastern FrontThe Pacific WarThe Bomber WarThe War in ItalyThe Battle for NormandyThe War in BurmaVictory in EuropeVictory Against Japan

Read more less

Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZEThe extraordinary and essential story of how China became the powerful country it is today.Even at the high noon of Europe''s empires China managed to be one of the handful of countries not to succumb. Invaded, humiliated and looted, China nonetheless kept its sovereignty. Robert Bickers'' major new book is the first to describe fully what has proved to be one of the modern era''s most important stories: the long, often agonising process by which the Chinese had by the end of the 20th century regained control of their own country.Out of China uses a brilliant array of unusual, strange and vivid sources to recreate a now fantastically remote world: the corrupt, lurid modernity of pre-War Shanghai, the often tiny patches of ''extra-territorial'' land controlled by European powers (one of which, unnoticed, had mostly toppled into a river), the entrepôts of Hong Kong and Macao, and the myriad means, tTrade ReviewIt is a pleasure to read the fruits of his mature scholarship as he revisits familiar ground, puncturing myths and putting British and Chinese views into reciprocal perspective -- Michael Sheridan * The Sunday Times *Robert Bickers is a pre-eminent chronicler of China... a great story told with splashes of colour and sharp wit -- Jonathan Fenby * Literary Review *This detailed account valuably reconstructs the west's recent cultural malfeasance in China, and also challenges the simple, propaganda narrative that the CCP tells about its deliverance of China from Colonial aggressors -- Julia Lovell * Prospect *

Read more less

Book SynopsisJack Shenker is a journalist based in London and Cairo, whose reporting has spanned the globe. Formerly Egypt correspondent for The Guardian, his coverage of the Egyptian revolution received multiple prizes. In 2012, his investigation into the deaths of African migrants in the Mediterranean was named news story of the year at the prestigious One World media awards.Trade ReviewRefreshing... What distinguishes his writing from others' is his presence in the slums, factories and homes where Egyptians first began questioning their relations with their rulers. Mr Shenker evokes despair at the economy of this badly run country, but also surprising hope for its future, thanks to a young generation that says it is "no longer prepared to put up with the old crap". * Economist, Books of the Year *I started reading this and couldn't stop. It's a remarkable piece of work, and very revealing. A stirring rendition of a people's revolution as the popular forces that Shenker vividly depicts carry forward their many and varied struggles, with radical potential that extends far beyond Egypt -- Noam ChomskyThis superbly written book documents the great victories - and terrible setbacks - of a people thirsting for democracy and social justice. A courageous writer who gives voice to the hopes and fears of the people of Egypt -- Owen JonesMeticulous, carefully researched and passionately argued... The Egyptians is not just about the revolution, it is an act within it -- Ahdaf Soueif * Guardian *Well-researched and absorbing... a people's history of the revolution that avoids the drama of high politics to foreground instead the activists and campaigners who laid the foundations for Tahrir Square... A refreshing, original take on a country with an uncertain future -- Sameer Rahim * Daily Telegraph *Shenker's book understands the Egyptian Spring, and the counter-strikes against it, as a deeper social process that, far from being over, will continue driving revolutionary upheaval in the years to come. He reframes political events as the products of social and technological change. And, above all, he refuses to give up hope. This is the deepest and most comprehensive account of Egypt's revolution in the English language, and it will set the agenda for debate throughout the Arab world -- Paul MasonJack Shenker cuts through the complacent clichés and self-flattering illusions of foreign correspondents and experts to produce an intimate and comprehensive portrait of contemporary Egypt, which is as historically informed as it is politically shrewd -- Pankaj MishraInspirational... [Shenker's] analysis is acutely clear-sighted, given the chaos of recent events. The book mixes a hawk's eye view of the forces of global capitalism as applied to Egypt with a vivid worm's eye view of what it is like to be caught up in a revolution. This is a passionate book, but not an unbalanced one... it tells stories that need to be told, and which have been widely ignored -- George Arney * Independent *Riveting and elegantly written... an immense and humane portrait of the trials and aspirations of the Egyptian people - -- Gerald Butt * Literary Review *Shenker has written what amounts to a contemporary history of injustice... Shenker is a sensitive interlocutor; the stories he relates comprise a stirring mise en valeur of a struggle for human dignity -- Maria Golia * TLS *Shenker is one of the best observers of the current scene in Egypt -- Khaled Fahmy, Professor of history at the American University in Cairo

Read more less

Book SynopsisT.M. Devine (OBE) is University Research Professor and Director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen.Trade ReviewScotland's Empire is a fascinating work, replete with telling detail and continually throwing out observations which invite further speculation * Literary Review *A book that will be enjoyed by anyone interested in history, or who simply enjoys a good story, well told -- Laurence James * Herald *The history of the British empire will never look the same after this book -- Professor Christopher BaylyTom Devine, Scotland's foremost historian, follows up his majestic The Scottish Nation with a forensic analysis of Scotland's central role in the British Empire ... Devine creates a book that suits post-devolution Scotland - we only have ourselves to understand -- Frank McAvetty, MSP * Sunday Herald (Books of the Year 2003) *As a sophisticated and clearly argued statement of Scots and Empire this book could hardly be bettered * Scotsman *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWinner of the the National Book Critics Circle Award for Non-Fiction''Spellbinding ... a magisterial account of the great tragedy of our age ... it is a classic'' Evening Standard''In the finest traditions of American investigative journalism'' The Times''Spectacular ... makes Bourne movies pale in comparison'' Financial TimesFrom the Pulitzer Prize winning of the acclaimed Ghost Wars, this is the full story of America''s grim involvement in the affairs of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2016. In the wake of the terrible shock of 9/11, the C.I.A. scrambled to work out how to destroy Bin Laden and his associates. The C.I.A. had long familiarity with Afghanistan and had worked closely with the Taliban to defeat the Soviet Union there. A tangle of assumptions, old contacts, favours and animosities were now reactivated. Superficially the invasion was quick and efficient, but Bin Laden''s successful escape, togetTrade ReviewEvery assertion is carefully sourced and checked. This book is in the finest traditions of American investigative journalism. Coll is the thinking man's Michael Wolff. -- Sherard Cowper-Coles * The Times *A masterful and entertaining account ... the story is delivered with a literary prowess that has been absent in previous western accounts of America's longest running war -- Rafia Zakaria * Guardian *Spectacular ... Directorate S has a cast of characters that makes Bourne movies pale in comparison -- Demetri Sevastopulo * Financial Times *Impressively detailed, stylishly crafted and authoritative... as gloomy as it is compelling * Economist *

Read more less

Book SynopsisOtto Dov Kulka''s memoir of a childhood spent in Auschwitz is a literary feat of astounding emotional power, exploring the permanent and indelible marks left by the HolocaustWinner of the JEWISH QUARTERLY-WINGATE PRIZE 2014As a child, the distinguished historian Otto Dov Kulka was sent first to the ghetto of Theresienstadt and then to Auschwitz. As one of the few survivors he has spent much of his life studying Nazism and the Holocaust, but always as a discipline requiring the greatest coldness and objectivity, with his personal story set to one side. But he has remained haunted by specific memories and images, thoughts he has been unable to shake off.Translated by Ralph Mandel.''The greatest book on Auschwitz since Primo Levi ... Kulka has achieved the impossible'' - the panel of Judges, Jewish Quarterly-Wingate PrizeTrade ReviewThe greatest book on Auschwitz since Primo Levi ... Kulka has achieved the impossible: a mythological and strangely beautiful new language for living with Auschwitz ... a book as mighty as it is modestOf the many accounts of survival in the Nazi concentration camps - Jewish and non-Jewish - few approach Otto Dov Kulka's for the quality of its writing and attempt to understand the nature of contemporary barbarism ... one of the essential books of our age; not since Primo Levi's The Periodic Table has there been such a powerful holocaust memoir ... the writing, at times trance-like, creates an extraordinary sense of communion and intimacy with the reader ... in pained but lucid prose Kulka seeks to understand how his memory processed the trauma of Auschwitz * Telegraph *'A poetic masterpiece unlike anything else written on the subject' * Telegraph BOOKS OF THE YEAR *This is one of the most remarkable testimonies to inhumanity that I know. The deeply moving recollections of Dov Kulka's boyhood years in Auschwitz, interwoven with reflections of elegiac, poetic quality, vividly convey the horror of the death-camp, the trauma of family and friends, and the indelible imprint left on the memory of a young boy who became a distinguished historian of the Holocaust. An extraordinarily important work which needs to be readAstonishing ... [Landscapes] is, quite simply, extraordinary ... a sort of Modernist precipitate of a historical work, something strange and powerful formed from, but separate to, the solution of history ... I can't see how this book could be bettered * Times Higher Education *Almost unclassifiable ... Nothing else I have read comes close to this profound examination of what the Holocaust means ... [Kulka's] journey strikes me as a quest similar to the attempt to describe the face of God or the structure of the universe. They are too vast and too mysterious. Not that this stops us, or this author, from trying * New Statesman *Primo Levi's testimony, it is often said, is that of a chemist: clear, cool, precise, distant. So with Kulka's work: this is the product of a master historian - ironic, probing, present in the past, able to connect the particular with the cosmic. His memory is in the service of deep historical understanding, rendered in evocative prose that is here eloquently translated from Hebrew * Guardian *Beautiful, startling ... This is a great book: read it. And be grateful - its publication is, in every possible sense, a miracle ... It is the strange and shocking paradox, this child's world constructed in such proximity to death, that makes the book so startling and so beautiful. Every incident is, in effect, seen twice: through the eyes of the historian and the eyes of a boy ... This is not history, it is something else... his words enter the wider sphere of literature * Sunday Times *Kulka's reflections have an unsettling rawness ... yet even in Auschwitz, there are moments of protest, black humour and beauty ... This is a grave, poetic and horrifying account of the Holocaust which does not so much revisit the Auschwitz of the past, but the Auschwitz of Kulka's inner world * Independent *This is not so much a book about Auschwitz as one about coming to terms with the shock of survival ... Amid fragmentary, digressive impressions are images of terrible poetic concreteness ... What, ultimately, makes Kulka's book unlike any other first-hand account written about the camps is the authenticity of its vision of an 11-year-old boy... He has done the rest of us - and the world - so great a kindness by writing his book ... offer[ing] the barest glint of sunlight amid a thunderous darkness * Financial Times *A book of moments, hauntings and dreams ... it is unremitting and touches us all [with] a hallucinatory power * The Times *Otto Dov Kulka's brief, beautiful and unsettling Landscapes of the Metropolis of Death brings together childhood memories of Auschwitz with the reflections of a historian who has spent his life working on the Holocaust: a masterly interrogation of memory and the limitations of historical detachment * Times Literary Supplement BOOKS OF THE YEAR *A historian's memoir of Auschwitz, without sentimentality and almost without outrage, since it is an examination of a place where all human reactions are inadequate ... an overwhelming testimony to the human love of truth * Guardian *For the first time, [Kulka] has turned his academic eye inward to explore as unflinchingly as possible the ways in which his childhood encounter with Auschwitz has affected him. Landscapes of the Metropolis of Death makes for deeply disturbing but ultimately very rewarding reading, and is unlike any Holocaust memoir I have ever come across ... The book is not a memoir in the conventional sense, but an extraordinary collection of some of the memories, ideas and dreams that make up Kulka's internal landscape * Telegraph *In this short, powerful memoir, every word tells its story * Daily Mail *The term memoir barely seems adequate to the introspective, often poetic, sometimes hallucinatory moments that [Landscapes] captures ... such an important contribution to the literature on the Holocaust ... [it] unsettles presuppositions about the camp and its lasting psychological effects so thoroughly that even a reader steeped in the Holocaust canon is likely to experience a sense of defamiliarisation * Sydney Review of Books *Otto Dov Kulka's name should be as well known as Primo Levi's as a supreme writer of personal experience of the hell of Auschwitz. But his Landscapes of the Metropolis of Death is unlike any other Holocaust writing because it faithfully reproduces the sensibility of the eleven year old boy that Kulka was at the time. So, unnervingly there are blue skies and daring games and actual school classes along with the smell of the smoke of incinerated bodies. More than other writing except Levi's Kulka's book, excavated with great pain via his attempted therapy of memory, sets you, the reader there. It is an imperishable achievement born of strength of mind and body and a kind of glowing inner vitality that I was lucky enough to encounter when I met him a few years ago. Profound scholar, extraordinary writer some part of him remained miraculously boyish in his warm vitality. -- Simon Schama

Read more less

Book SynopsisSELECTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019 BY THE GUARDIAN, DAILY MAIL, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH AND BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE ''A gripping, complex and sensational story, told with calm narrative command ... With insight and skill, Penn cuts through the thickets of history to find the heart of these heartless decades'' Hilary MantelThe gripping new history by the author of the acclaimed bestseller Winter KingIt is 1461 and England is crippled by civil war. One freezing morning, a teenage boy wins a battle in the Welsh marches, and claims the crown. He is Edward IV, first king of the usurping house of York... Thomas Penn''s brilliant new telling of the wars of the roses takes us inside a conflict that fractured the nation for more than three decades. During this time, the house of York came to dominate England. At its heart were three charismatic brothers - Edward, George and Richard - who became the figureheTrade ReviewA gripping, complex and sensational story, told with calm narrative command. It's a story we think we know - but most accounts leave the personnel as frozen as portraits in stained glass. Here, the three York brothers spring to ferocious life, and you need strong nerves to meet them. With insight and skill, Penn cuts through the thickets of history to find the heart of these heartless decades. -- Hilary MantelThe Brothers York is not just a magisterial work of sublime scholarship, it's a pure page-turner. I couldn't put it down. The wonderful thing about Thomas Penn is that he makes some of the most familiar stories in English history feel fresh and exciting. -- Amanda ForemanAn immense, sinewy political thriller. Thomas Penn has the enviable skill of presenting hard research with a light touch. The Brothers York is savage, exciting, blisteringly good. -- Jessie Childs, author of God's TraitorsAn epic orgy of colour and character: there are soldiers and townsmen, poets and pirates, battlefield massacres and hidden murders ... One of the great strengths of Brothers York is the attention paid to the European stage. -- Leanda de Lisle * The Times *A rip-roaring account ... Pacy, engrossing and evocative in its details (of feasts and jousts as well as battles and diplomatic skulduggery), it engages the reader's emotions as well as intellect. -- Chris Given-Wilson * Times Literary Supplement *Superb. The tragedy and brutality of the Wars of the Roses jumps out from every page of Penn's book ... An impressive and engaging read. -- Kate Maltby * Financial Times *Thrilling, pacy ... Brings a novelist's verve to his telling of events ... Penn's history of betrayal, backstabbing and paranoia strikes notes that still resonate today. -- John Gallagher * The Guardian *Fresh and lively narrative swagger ... Peppered with delightful, telling anecdotes and details. Some are comical and others grisly, but all breathe life into their subject ... Perhaps the greatest strength of Penn's entertaining book is his understanding of the warping effects of European affairs on English domestic stability. -- Dan Jones * The Sunday Times *Epic, racy, breaks new ground ... Penn combines a keen sense of time, place, circumstance and anecdote with a firm grasp of human psychology, of the macabre, the comic and the tragic, and - perhaps as important as any of these - an instinct for the rhythm of a sentence. -- John Guy * London Review of Books *An exceptionally detailed and absorbing narrative history with a gallantly sustained human touch ... Penn's Yorkist England is an excellent place to take an exciting, and instructive, holiday from 2019. -- Minoo Dinshaw * The Telegraph *Gripping, richly contextualised and meticulously researched ... a vital corrective to the ongoing, polarising battle over Richard III's legacy. -- Marcus Nevitt * The Spectator *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA controversial, detailed examination of the decisive events of the Falklands war, focusing on the Battle of Goose Green and questioning the media's presentation of the heroic victory for the British.Trade Review"As a service to history, this is commendable" Major Ali Ahmed, USI Journal "His argument that Col. Jones leaned too heavily towards restrictive control is convincing ... a remarkably outspoken book." Soldier "Controversial and readable, explains clearly the two contradictory systems of tactical command under consideration at Goose Green. This is a fascinating book which looks at a very recent piece of our history from a new and disturbing angle." Forces News "Exhaustive research ... A masterly study of this confused action." Eastern Daily PressTable of ContentsList of Maps and Sketches Acknowledgements Introduction Part One: Preliminaries to Battle Part Two: The Battle Part Three: Conclusions Appendices Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisDust is a witty and highly original investigation into the development of modern history writing. This book considers how history writing belongs to the currents of thought shaping the modern world, and suggests that, like dust, the 'matter of history' can never go away or be erased.Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsPreface1. In the Archon's house2. 'Something she called a fever'3. The magistrates4. The space of memory: In an archive5. Middlemarch: Without benefit of archive6. What a rag rug means7. On how the end is different from an ending8. The story of Dust

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs a showcase for the latest thinking on the Scottish witch-hunt, this collection of essays examines both a wide range of topics relevant to the subject during its full history and places Scottish witchcraft in a wider global context.Table of ContentsPrefaceList of FiguresList of AbbreviationsNotes on contributors1. Introduction - Julian Goodare2. The global context of the Scottish witch-hunt - Ronald Hutton3. In search of the Devil in Fife witchcraft cases, 1560-1705 - Stuart MacDonald4. The Scottish witchcraft panic of 1597 - Julian Goodare5. The Devil and the domestic: witchcraft, quarrels and women’s work in Scotland - Lauren Martin6. Devices and directions: folk healing aspects of witchcraft practice in seventeenth-century Scotland - Joyce Miller7. Hunting the rich witch in Scotland: high-status witchcraft suspects and their persecutors, 1590-1650 - Louise Yeoman8. Witch-hunting and the Scottish state - Julian Goodare9. The western witch-hunt of 1697-1700: the last major witch-hunt in Scotland - Michael Wasser10. The decline and end of Scottish witch-hunting - Brian P. Levack11. Witch-hunting, witchcraft and witch historiography: England and Scotland compared - James A. Sharpe12. The last of the witches: the survival of Scottish witch belief - Edward J. Cowan and Lizanne HendersonFurther Reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisNo British social movement captured contemporary imaginations as Chartism did. This unique book is the only history to offer complete, in-depth coverage of the full chronological spread of its activities (1838-58), based throughout on detailed research. -- .Table of ContentsIllustrationsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations1 May-September 1838: ‘I have in my hand a charter – the people’s charter’Chartist lives: Abram and Elizabeth Hanson2 October-December 1838: ‘The people are up’Chartist lives: Patrick Brewster3 January-July 1839: ‘The People’s Parliament’Chartist lives: Thomas Powel4 July-November 1839: ‘Extreme excitement and apprehension’ Chartist lives: John Watkins5 November 1839-January 1840: After NewportChartist lives: Samuel Holberry6 February 1840-December 1841: ‘The Charter and nothing less’Chartist lives: Elizabeth Neesom7 1842: ‘Toasting muffins at a volcano’Chartist lives: Richard Pilling8 1843-1846: Doldrums YearsChartist lives: Ann Dawson9 July-1846-April 1848: ‘A time to make men politicians’Chartist lives: William Cuffay10 April 1848-1852: ‘Decent revolutionaries’?11 Chartist Lives: ‘Ever present to the progressive mind’Money, prices and wages: a noteA note on sources and further readingIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisExamines the experiences of the convict men and women transported to the British penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land between 1803 and 1852, challenging the received notions of convict women as a particularly oppressed and exploited group, supposedly dominated by convict men as much as by the imperial and colonial states.Table of ContentsGeneral editor’s introductionIntroduction 1. Visions of order: gender, sexual morality and the state in early Van Diemen’s Land2. Regulating society, purifying the state: gender, respectability and colonial authority3. Production and reproduction: colonial order, convict labour and the convict private sphere, c. 1803–174. Sex and slavery: convict servitude and the reworking of the private sphere, c. 1817–425. ‘A nation of Cyprians and Turks’: convict transportation, Colonial Reform and the imperial body politic6. Sodomy and self-government: convict transportation and colonial independenceConclusionSelect bibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume in the Issues in Historiography series examines the changing scholarly debate on individuals and events in African American history from the 1890s to the present. It highlights how over time the work of scholars has reflected both advances in academic understanding and wider developments in race relations in American society. -- .Table of ContentsGeneral Editor’s ForwordPrefaceIntroduction 1. Segregation and Accommodation, 1895-19152. The Great Migration and the ‘New Negro’, 1915-19303. The Great Depression and the Second World War, 1930-19454. The Post-war Civil Rights Movement, 1945-19655. Malcolm X and Black Power, 1960-19806. The New Conservatism, 1980-20027. African Americans and U. S. Popular Culture, 1895-2002ConclusionGuidance on Further Reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the first full-length history of the Scottish cotton industry, from its beginnings in the late eighteenth century to its premature decline in the years leading up to the First World War. -- .Trade Reviewthis is very good social and economic history(The rise and fall of the Scottish cotton industry) has clearly elaborated the multi-dimensional character of the Scottish textile industryTony Cooke has made a notable contribution to our understanding of early industrialisation and its impact...This is a significant studyvery well written...an excellent study of the cotton industry in Scotlanda book of quality that acts as a welcome addition to historical analyses of this important area of Scottish manufacturing...helps to deliver new and interesting information on the historiography of the cotton industryA very well-written account of a Scottish industry...(photographs and colour plates, for example of the sari shawl peacock design) add yet more to this very accessible studyThis is a well-written and informative general history of Scottish cotton manufacturing from its emergence out of the linen industry down to its shrinking almost to insignificance by the First World War....the book is rich in technological and social detail. It is rightly concerned with the social and political context within which the industry operates, without succumbing too much to a 'culturalist' reading of the industry's demise"... Cooke has explored a range of personal manuscript papers, correspondence, Chamber of Commerce records, wills, fire insurance and Court of Session records, to piece together a convincing history.""... much ground is covered.""Cooke is adept at demonstrating the operation of myriad forms of production - the old combined with the new - which comprised the industry.""... the main strength of Cooke's study is its clarification of the strands of diversity of the industry.""This is a careful piece of research in which the author reveals his mastery of a huge subject. Cooke is to be congratulated on his successful assimilation of evidence from a range of issues and rendering it accessible.""In a study which is so thoroughly researched and which so skilfully incorporates a diversity of themes..." -- .Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsList of tablesList of illustrationsAbbreviationsIntroduction1. Beginnings: The pre-history of the industry2. Expansion: 1778–18303. Foreign competition, diversification and decline: 1830–19144. Technology5. Workers 6. Employers 7. ConclusionAppendix I. Wills and probate inventories BibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisExposes the inner workings of inquisitions in medieval France through expert translations of primary sources.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Heretics’ texts2. Chronicles3. Treatises4. Sermons5. Letters and papal bulls6. Councils and statutes7. Legal consultations and inquisitorial manuals8. Inquisition trialsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom Partition to Brexit provides an authoritative and accessible analysis of how successive Irish governments have tried to overcome the challenges presented by the division of Ireland, including the decades-long conflict that claimed thousands of lives.Trade Review'Enthralling, insightful and meticulously researched. Anyone who wants to understand how successive Irish Governments have engaged with Northern Ireland should read it.'Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach, 1997-2008, key negotiator of the Good Friday and St Andrews Agreements ‘Brilliant, lucid and thought-provoking - required reading for anyone who wants to understand relations between these islands and the importance of the Border.’David McCullagh. Presenter of the current affairs television programme Prime Time, and Political Correspondent with RTÉ News‘successfully expose[s] … the true extent of the [Irish Government’s] ambivalences and inconsistencies, using an impressive wealth of archival material in both Britain and Ireland unavailable to an earlier generation of researchers.’Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Times, 5 January 2019‘The book is superb for anyone who wants to know why Ireland is where it is now and how the two parts of Ireland have treated each other for nigh on to a century.’Frank MacGabhann, Irish Examiner, 23 February 2019‘Ó Beacháin has broken new ground and provided a useful map for a generation of political scientists and historians.’Seán Donlon (former Secretary-General of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs), History Ireland, March-April 2019'Ó Beachain’s familiarity with the subject and impressive archival research deserves recognition for composing a text that is both enjoyable and informative … This book offers a concise and engaging narrative of the evolution of Irish government policy towards Northern Ireland … Ó Beacháin’s sharp wit and eye for an entertaining quotation penetrates the weighty subject matter with great success'Aaron Ó Maonaigh, The Irish Story‘Donnacha Ó Beacháin’s lively, illuminating and occasionally tendentious study…provides not only a new perspective on the history of Northern Ireland, but also a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings and identity crises of the Irish government itself… It is particularly valuable for explaining the path that Dublin took from impotent onlooker to key participant in the peace process, and for the clarity with which it explains the competing pressures shaping Dublin’s policies at key moments. It will be essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the full sweep of Northern Ireland’s troubled near-century of existence.’Professor Mark Doyle, Middle Tennessee State University, USA, Irish Studies Review, June 2019'Ó Beacháin has made good use of governmental papers and political party archives and he has conducted interviews with a wide range of Irish and British politicians. He has marshalled these sources into a text that is admirably clear and informative … Brexit has raised profound questions regarding the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as the relationship between Ireland and Britain. How the Irish government attempts to answer these questions will play a part in shaping the futures of both Ireland and the United Kingdom. Given the fine manner in which Ó Beacháin has explained the Northern Ireland policies of successive Irish governments, he would be ideally placed to write the next chapter of that history.'Small States and TerritoriesOne of the most striking features of Ó Beacháin’s timely overview is his assured tone on a particularly contentious topic. This reflects his experience in researching and writing on the complex, multi-faceted problem of the partition of Ireland that has afflicted the country, as well as its abettor, Britain, for 100 years. This is a work of mature assessment and often unexpected nuance. His preface and introduction contain very useful guidance on terminology, political parties and key themes for anyone reading themselves into the subject. Given the extraordinary breadth of the topic, it is to be expected that a volume of this nature would have something of the character of a synthesis. From Partition to Brexit does indeed comprise an amalgam of sources and its fresh take is rooted in the careful selection of items for the author’s skilful assessment.Studi irlandesi -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: Parties and policy making in Ireland 1 The politics of partition, 1920–19322 De Valera’s Northern Ireland policy, 1932–19483 Failed campaigns, 1948–19694 War, 1969–1974 5 In fear of Armageddon, 1974–19796 Totality of relationships, 1980–1992 7 The age of consent, 1992–2018ConclusionAppendix 1: A century of government in Ireland, 1919–2018Appendix 2: Key personalities BibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive survey of women in the Weimar Republic, exploring the diversity and multiplicity of women's experiences in the economy, politics and society. -- .Trade Review'This book was long overdue... a very successful and readable synthesis -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Women in the First World War2. Women and politics3. Women and work4. Women, the family and sexuality5. Women in the public realmConclusionBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisTakes stock of the ‘new British queer history’. Topics range from newspaper reporting of sodomy cases, to homoerotic representations in art, to queer autobiographical accounts, to oral histories of Scottish lesbians, and much else besides.Trade Review'The historians are coming and they’re bringing the New Queer History. The essays collected in British queer history present original perspectives and fascinating new data on the social, sexual and gendered past. Recommended!'Jonathan Ned Katz, author of The Invention of Heterosexuality and founder of OutHistory.org -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: British queer history – Brian Lewis1. Politics and the reporting of sex between men in the 1820s – Charles Upchurch2. Naturalism, labour and homoerotic desire: Henry Scott Tuke – Jongwoo Jeremy Kim3. Bricks and Flowers: Unconventionality and queerness in Katherine Everett’s life writing – Mo Moulton4. ‘A peculiarly obscure subject’: The missing ‘case’ of the heterosexual – Laura Doan 5. ‘These young men who come down from Oxford and write gossip’: Society gossip, homosexuality and the logic of revelation in the interwar popular press – Ryan Linkof6. Thinking queer: The social and the sexual in interwar Britain – Matt Houlbrook 7. ‘I conformed; I got married. It seemed like a good idea at the time’: Domesticity in post-war lesbian oral history – Amy Tooth Murphy8. Mr Grey goes to Washington: The homophile internationalism of Britain’s Homosexual Law Reform Society – David Minto9. The homosexual as a social being in Britain, 1945–68 – Chris Waters10. Films and filming: the making of a queer marketplace in pre-decriminalisation Britain – Justin Bengry11. The cultural politics of gay pornography in 1970s Britain – Paul R. DeslandesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisA hands-on study skills guide that explores how film and moving image can be used as sources.Trade Review‘Using Film as a Source is a true research guide. It will succeed in familiarizing students new to the medium film with its characteristics, and can also inspire those already pursuing film studies to understand film as more than a text. Most importantly, Barber’s direct style of writing and the structure of the book can convince that the at times challenging or even intimidating project of conducting genuine research is not only manageable but also exciting.’Maraike M. Marxsen, Hamburg University, HJFRT Vol 36, No 4‘Using Film as a Source offers a concise summary for those wanting an intelligent and intelligible general introduction to the use of film as a scholarly resource, while also acting as a jumping-off point for those wanting to delve deeper.’Richard Farmer, University of East Anglia, Journal of British Cinema and Television, Volume 14 Issue 2 -- .Table of Contents1. Introduction2. Film and history 3. Film form and aesthetics 4. Film historiography 5. Formulating research questions 6. Theory and methodology 7. Resources 8. Using sources 9. Writing up your findingsBibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book is a highly original and long overdue examination of the ways that European concepts of time were imposed on other cultures as a component of colonisation. It brings together two complex subjects – time and colonialism – in an engaging, non-theoretical and accessible style.Trade ReviewThis impressive book is the first sustained treatment of the effective British colonisation of indigenous time practices. Analysing both the Cape Colony and Australia, Nanni deftly draws our attention to the enormous significance of the temporal as well as the spatial, for the making of the colonial world'.Alan Lester, Professor of Historical Geography at the University of Sussex'A very fine study, one that has much to offer the broad range of scholars interested in understanding colonial struggles and their ongoing legacy.'Kirsten McKenzie, University of Sydney in American Historical Review (April 2013)[...] if the measure of a good book is that it should ignite the reader’s imagination and suggest all kinds of questions for future research, then this monograph delivers and is a welcome addition to the literature on colonial studies. -- .Table of ContentsGeneral Editor’s introductionIntroduction1. Clocks, Sabbaths and seven-day weeks: The forging of temporal identities 2. Terra sine tempore: Colonial constructions of ‘Aboriginal time’ 3. Cultural curfews: The contestation of time in settler-colonial Victoria 4. ‘The moons are always out of order’: Constructions of ‘African time’ 5. Empire of the seventh day: Time and the Sabbath beyond the Cape frontiers 6. Lovedale, missionary schools and the reform of ‘African time’ 7. Conclusion: From colonisation to globalisationSelect bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn absorbing account of a turning-point in British historyTrade Review'An absorbing presentation...colourful and cinematic' * Piers Brendon, Sunday Times *'Vivid... illuminating... four stars' * Mail on Sunday *'Stimulating and highly readable... absorbing' * Geoffrey Wheatcroft, New Statesman *'Witty... there are many good stories... a keen eye for telling detail... a lively book' * Michael Burleigh, Spectator *"Absorbing... the divided society of time is lucidly portrayed... colourful and cinematic. It vividly recapulates key themes played out during the 1930s" * Sunday Times *'Denys Blakeway has triumphed with this book, writing with humour and sophistication about all forms of British life' * Lady *'A surprisingly vivid and enjoyable study of what turns out to be a semina year - 1936 . . . Blakeway brings a TV producer's eye to the sweep of history and enlives it with a plethora of fresh insights and anecdotes' * Anthony Horowitz, Sun Tel Christmas books *'Politicians, poets and pacifist clerics share a brilliant, crowded canvas, with the sinister figure of Hitler looming in the background. Blakeway hardly misses a trick' * Sunday Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Y8 book from the best selling Schools History Project course for Key Stage 3. In a single volume it covers two units: Britain 1500-1750 and The French Revolution.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides a detailed study of the causes and consequences of the Italian Renaissance, and describes the spread of its cultural ideas throughout Europe. The text combines case studies, source material and stimulating author text to explore a series of enquiries. CONTENTSSection 1 Introduction: What was the Renaissance?Section 2 What changed?2.1 Italy in the fifteenth century2.2 Leonardo da Vinci: a Renaissance man?2.3 How did art change?2.4 How did a Renaissance artist work?2.5 A Renaissance portrait gallery2.6 A tour through Florence: how did architecture change?2.7 What was the role of women through the Renaissance?2.8 Did health and medicine improve?2.9 Was the Earth the centre of the universe?Section 3 How and why did the Renaissance spread?3.1 Was there a Renaissance in other parts of Europe?3.2 Would the Renaissance have spread without the printing press?3.3 Why did the Renaissance start in Italy?Section 4 ConclusionWhat has the Renaissance given us?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fascinating story of the role played by Britons in uncovering the origins of Buddhism on the Indian subcontinent.Trade ReviewFew books have so succinctly yet accessibly investigated such a lesser-known yet seminally important corner of Indian history * Martin Booth, Sunday Times *Allen has excelled himself, and this highly cultured and also finely illustrated offering is a thoroughly absorbing distraction * Justin Wintle, Financial Times *In the nineteenth century, a group of enthusiastic Europeans . . . set about unearthing evidence in India of ancient Buddhist teachings. Their fascinating story is told by Allen in an intriguing mixture of part detective work and part evocative storytelling * Daily Express *

Read more less