History Books

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Book SynopsisLONDON: a settlement founded by the Romans, occupied by the Saxons, conquered by the Danes and ruled by the Normans. This changeful place became a medieval maze of alleys and courtyards, later to be chequered with grand estates of Georgian splendour. It swelled with industry and became the centre of the largest empire in history. And having risen from the rubble of the Blitz, it is now one of the greatest cities in the world.From the prehistoric occupants of the Thames Valley to the preoccupied commuters of today, Simon Jenkins brings together the key events, individuals and trends in London''s history to create a matchless portrait of the capital. He masterfully explains the battles that determined how London was conceived and built - and especially the perennial conflict between money and power.Based in part on his experiences of and involvement in the events that shaped the post-war city, and with his trademark colour and authority, Jenkins shows above all how London has taken shape over more than two thousand years. Fascinating for locals and visitors alike, this is narrative history at its finest, from the most ardent protector of our heritage.''A handsome book ... full of the good judgements one might hope for from such a sensible and readable commentator, and they alone are worth perusing for pleasure and food for thought'' Michael Wood, New Statesman on A Short History of England''Any passably cultured inhabitant of the British Isles should ask for, say, three or four copies of this book for Christmas...I can imagine no better companion on a voyage across England'' Max Hastings, Daily Telegraph on England''s Thousand Best HousesTrade ReviewFascinating and timely. Truly the story of the fabric we see before us. Required reading for every developer, planner or councillor who holds London in trust today -- Griff Rhys JonesJenkins's handling of the preceding two millennia is clear and informative . . . there are also nuggets and insights . . . accessible, clear and readable -- Rowan Moore * The Observer *Simon Jenkins has written a vivid and deeply well-informed account of London's history which is throughout much enlivened by his knowledge of London's planning, buildings and topography, his admiration for terrace housing and London squares, his interest in how London has been depicted and described, and his detestation of so much insensitive modern developmentExtremely informative and witty'He [Jenkins] brings much knowledge and experience to his defence of those streets, in this study of the battle for "London's appearance - why it looks as it does today, more variegated and visually anarchic than any comparable city" -- Christopher Howse * The Telegraph *A handsome book ... full of the good judgements one might hope for from such a sensible and readable commentator, and they alone are worth perusing for pleasure and food for thought * Michael Wood, New Statesman on A Short History of England *Any passably cultured inhabitant of the British Isles should ask for, say, three or four copies of this book for Christmas...I can imagine no better companion on a voyage across England * Max Hastings, Daily Telegraph on England’s Thousand Best Houses *A short, invigorating gallop over two and a half thousand years * Scotsman on A Short History of Europe *Simon Jenkins has written a remarkably brisk, vivid and deeply well-informed account of London's history which is throughout much enlivened by his knowledge of London's planning, buildings and topography, his admiration for terrace housing and London squares, his interest in how London has been depicted and described, and his detestation of so much insensitive modern development'I decided I'd reduce the height of a pile of recommended books by actually reading some of them. Thus I sampled the delights of Simon Jenkins's A Short History of London -- Sue MacGregor, broadcaster

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Book SynopsisThe definitive history of the druids in Britain, from their ancient origins to the present dayTrade ReviewShortlisted for the 2009 Katherine Briggs Folklore Award"A magisterial and eminently readable account of the druids and how they have been continually reinvented over the last three hundred years by visionaries, political radicals, angry academics and downright fraudsters. Recommended reading for anyone who has driven down the A303 late at night, slowed down as they approached Stonehenge and wondered for a moment if the original druids really did process round those gigantic stones wreathed in mistletoe and clutching blood-stained knives!" - Tony Robinson"Lucid, open-minded, encyclopaedic and yet still fascinating - almost perfect history if such a thing were possible." - Terry Jones"Everything that is known about the druids plus everything that is known about knowing about them! Ronald Hutton uses the quest for the druids as a mirror of how Europeans have seen themselves through the last thousand years. It's an enormous undertaking performed with even-handedness and a sense of joy in history." - Terry Jones

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Book Synopsis___________ A Waterstones Paperback of the Year 2022 A New Statesman Book of the Year 2022 ‘Fascinating… You’ll learn more about the psychological workings of Nazism by reading this superbly researched chronicle… than you will by reading a shelf of wider-canvas volumes on the rise of Nazism.’Daily Mail ‘An utterly absorbing insight into the full spectrum of responses from ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.’The Times ‘Boyd is an outstanding micro-historian.’iNews ___________ Hidden deep in the Bavarian mountains lies the picturesque village of Oberstdorf – a place where for hundreds of years people lived simple lives while history was made elsewhere. Yet even this remote idyll could not escape the brutal iron grip of the Nazi regime. From the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Travellers in the Third Reich comes A Village in the Third Reich: an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Germany under Hitler, shining a light on the lives of ordinary people. Drawing on personal archives, letters, interviews and memoirs, it lays bare their brutality and love; courage and weakness; action, apathy and grief; hope, pain, joy and despair. Within its pages we encounter people from all walks of life – foresters, priests, farmers and nuns; innkeepers, Nazi officials, veterans and party members; village councillors, mountaineers, socialists, slave labourers, schoolchildren, tourists and aristocrats. We meet the Jews who survived – and those who didn’t; the Nazi mayor who tried to shield those persecuted by the regime; and a blind boy whose life was judged ‘not worth living’. This is a tale of conflicting loyalties and desires, of shattered dreams – but one in which, ultimately, human resilience triumphs. These are the stories of ordinary lives at the crossroads of history. ___ ‘Exceptional... Boyd's book reminds us that even the most brutal regimes cannot extinguish all semblance of human feeling'Mail on Sunday ‘Masterly… [an] important and gripping book… [Boyd is] a leading historian of human responses in political extremis.’The Oldie ‘Gripping… vividly depicted… [a] humane and richly detailed book’ Spectator ‘Vivid, moving stories leave us asking "What would I have done?"’ Professor David Reynolds, author of Island Stories “An absorbing, thoroughly recommended read”Family Tree magazine ‘Laying bare the tragedies, the compromises, the suffering and the disillusionment. Exemplary microhistory.’ Roger Moorehouse, author of First to Fight ‘Compelling and evocative’All About History ’The rise of Nazi Germany through the prism of one small village in Bavaria. […] Astonishing’ Jane Garvey on Fortunately… with Fi and Jane ‘incredibly engaging’History of War magazine 'Intensely detailed, exhaustively researched and rendered in almost cinematographic detail, Julia Boyd's A Village In The Third Reich is deeply evocative, redolent of those times and truly revelatory. I learned so much. This is a book I will need to return to again and again, to relearn, refresh and remember. A triumph.' Damien Lewis, author of The Flame of ResistanceTrade Review‘A fascinating deep dive into one community as it experiences the rise and fall of Hitler.’ The Times ‘Boyd is an outstanding micro-historian.’ iNews ‘Masterly . . . [Boyd is] a leading historian of human responses in political extremis.’ The Oldie ‘Fascinating… You’ll learn more about the psychological workings of Nazism by reading this superbly researched chronicle… than you will by reading a shelf of wider-canvas volumes on the rise of Nazism.’ Daily Mail ‘Exceptional... Boyd's book reminds us that even the most brutal regimes cannot extinguish all semblance of human feeling' Mail on Sunday ‘Gripping… vividly depicted… [a] humane and richly detailed book’ Spectator ’An absorbing, thoroughly recommended read’ Family Tree magazine ‘Compelling and evocative’ All About History ’The rise of Nazi Germany through the prism of one small village in Bavaria. […] Astonishing’ Jane Garvey on Fortunately… with Fi and Jane ‘incredibly engaging’ History of War magazine

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Book Synopsis'A gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption' Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die 'A timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster' Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny Ours is the age of the strongman. Countries from Russia to India, Turkey to America are ruled by men who combine populist appeal with authoritarian policy. They have reshaped their countries around them, creating cults of personality which earn the loyalty of millions. And they do so by drawing on a playbook of behaviour established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler. So why - despite the evidence of history - do strongmen still hold such appeal for us? Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat draws on analysis of everything from gender to corruption and propaganda to explain who these political figures are - and how they manipulate our own history, fears and desires in search of power at any cost. Strongmen is a fierce and perceptive history, and a vital step in understanding how to combat the forces which seek to derail democracy and seize our rights.Trade ReviewWith a steady gaze and an eye for the telling detail, Ruth Ben-Ghiat delivers a timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster - and some valuable hints about how it can be resisted, and the virtues we will need to rebuild democracy -- Timothy Snyder, author of On TyrannyRuth Ben-Ghiat is an indispensable resource on authoritarianism, past and present. Everyone who cares about American democracy should read this book -- Sarah Kendzior, author of Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of AmericaBen-Ghiat's portrayal of fascist era tyrants, murderous Cold War dictators, and would-be tyrants in our own day gives us a gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption. History, Ben-Ghiat shows, offers clear lessons not only about how these regimes are built, but also how they must be opposed, and how they inevitably end -- Daniel Ziblatt, co-author How Democracies DieSimultaneously intimate and sweeping in scope, STRONGMEN brings us in close to dictators and would-be dictators across decades and continents. We are left with a disturbing look in the mirror. Throughout, Ben-Ghiat's clear prose rings with a rhythm and cadence that today's nonfiction too often lacks -- Sarah Chayes, author of On Corruption in America: And What Is at Stake and Thieves of StateDeep insight and a vigorous style ... a brilliant contribution to the political psychology of democracy -- Joy Connolly, President of the American Council of Learned SocietiesPraise for Ruth Ben-Ghiat: [A] surpassingly brilliant public intellectual... -- Virginia Heffernan on Slate Trumpcast

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Book SynopsisThucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War combines brilliant narrative and penetrating analysis; his writing has had more lasting influence on western thought than all but Plato and Aristotle. This masterly new translation is the most comprehensive single-volume edition currently available.Trade ReviewThe most accurate and readable translation we now have... the only choice for a serious reading of Thucydides. * Steven J. Willet, Arion *This book deserves to be the standard translation of Thucydides that everyone will use and enjoy. * Greece and RomeAutumn 2010 *The book is excellent value for money and the obvious choice for any reader of Thucydides. * John Taylor, The Anglo-Hellenic Review *H.'s new translation of Thucydides is a triumph. Fluent yet sinewy...It is both accurate and lucid. * James Morwood, Journal of Classical Teaching *Totally indispensable....it is stimulating as well as informative. * James Morwood, Journal of Classical Teaching *An excellent new translation, with superb notes and introduction. This will become the standard translation for this important author * Timothy Duff, Reading University *

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Book SynopsisA masterful introduction to world mythology, shedding light on the impact it has had on cultures past and present and untangling the complex web of deities, monsters and myths.From the signs of the zodiac to literature and art, the influence of world mythology can still be seen in everyday life. With a stunning array of fascinating tales, World Mythology in Bite-sized Chunks gets to grips with the ancient stories of Aboriginal, Sumerian, Egyptian, Mesoamerican, Maori, Greek, Roman, Indian, Norse and Japanese cultures, encompassing legends from the most diverse societies and the most ancient cultures from across the globe.Learn about why Odin, the Father of the Gods in Norse mythology, was so keen to lose an eye, the importance of the Osiris myth of Ancient Egypt, and much more besides.Entertaining, authoritative and incisive, this is an enlightening journey into the fascinating world of mythology.Trade ReviewThis handy little book documents different stories that proliferate across world mythology... it's all here in bite sized chunks * The Good Book Guide *

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Book SynopsisIllustrated with detailed artworks of SS tanks and their markings with exhaustive captions and specifications, Waffen-SS Divisions 193945: The Essential Vehicle Identification Guide is the definitive study of the equipment and organization of Himmler's armoured divisions. Organized chronologically by division and formation date, the book describes in depth the various models of tank and other armoured and soft vehicles in service with the fighting' SS, with listings of unit commanders, vehicle types and numbers and unit structure. Each divisional section is further broken down by campaign, accompanied by orders of battle, a brief divisional history of the campaign and any specific unit markings. Every SS division that saw combat is featured, from well-known units such as the elite Das Reich and Wiking divisions, to lesser-known divisions, such as the 11th Waffen SS Panzer Division Nordland and the Albanian-recruited 21st Waffen SS Gebirgs-Division Skanderbeg. W

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Book SynopsisFrom Moses to Nelson Mandela, speeches have changed the way we see the world and the way the world is shaped.The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches gathers together the world''s greatest speeches, bringing together the words of over one hundred men and women. These brilliant and passionate declarations by Socrates, Robespierre, Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth I, Churchill, Washington, Pankhurst, Gandhi and many others provide a vivid glimpse of history in the making while retaining their power to move and inspire today.''Impeccable. MacArthur prefaces each address with a short but scholarly historical explanation that sets the scene perfectly. An attractive volume'' Andrew Roberts, Sunday Times''Works well not just as an anthology but as a history'' Independent on SundayTrade ReviewImpeccable. MacArthur prefaces each address with a short but scholarly historical explanation that sets the scene perfectly. An attractive volume with a splendidly pithy introducton -- Andrew Roberts * Sunday Times *MacArthur wisely [concentrates] on certain political conflicts - gathering together the oratory of the American Civil War or the campaign for female suffrage. His book works well not just as an anthology but as a history of those episodes * Independent on Sunday *A collection to stir the blood and lift the heart * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis''This is probably the best book ever written on the Habsburgs in any language, certainly the best I have ever read ... Students, scholars and the general reader will never find a better guide to Habsburg history'' Alan Sked, Times Literary SupplementIn The Habsburgs, Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium.From modest origins, the Habsburgs grew in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century. Then, in just a few decades, their possessions rapidly expanded to take in a large part of Europe stretching from Hungary to Spain, and from the Far East to the New World. The family continued to dominate Central Europe until the catastrophe of the First World War.With its seemingly disorganized mass of large and small territories, its tangle of laws and privileges and its medley of languages, the Habsburg Empire has always appeared haphazard and incomplete. But here Martyn Rady shows the reasons for the family''s incredible endurance, driven by the belief that they were destined to rule the world as defenders of the Roman Catholic Church, guarantors of peace and patrons of learning. The Habsburg emperors were themselves absurdly varied in their characters - from warlords to contemplatives, from clever to stupid, from idle to frenzied - but all driven by the same sense of family mission. Scattered around the world, countless buildings, institutions and works of art continue to bear witness to their overwhelming impact.The Habsburgs is the definitive history of a remarkable dynasty that, for better or worse, shaped Europe and the world.Trade ReviewThis is probably the best book ever written on the Habsburgs in any language, certainly the best I have ever read ... a brilliant achievement. Students, scholars and the general reader will never find a better guide to Habsburg history. No one will ever again know as much about the subject as Rady. -- Alan Sked * Times Literary Supplement *Riveting ... It is impossible to imagine a more erudite and incisive history of this fascinating, flawed and ultimately tragic dynasty. -- Paul Lay * The Times *In The Habsburgs, Martyn Rady has produced a Rolls-Royce of a narrative that motors through ten centuries of history with an effortlessness that belies the intellectual horsepower beneath the bonnet ... The vast cast of characters is depicted with a mix of insight, sympathy and astringent Gibbonian wit that makes them instantly memorable ... [Rady's] book sheds light on the present almost as brightly as it illuminates the past. -- John Adamson * Literary Review *Magnificent ... Rady maintains unerring poise as he steers through the depths and complexities of his material. His erudition seems effortless, he never gets bogged down in detail, his prose is pellucid, and he spices the narrative with delightfully dry asides and telling anecdotes. -- Rupert Christiansen * Daily Telegraph *Rady restores the Habsburgs to the heart of European history ... An enjoyable, clever and colourful introduction to the subject, with plenty of memorable details. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *The Habsburgs are a writer's gift, offering a regal cast of mad, colourful and deeply flawed characters ... Rady's sparkling study is certainly a good place to start. -- Mark Mazower * Financial Times *This volume takes it all in. That Mr. Rady can, in under 350 pages, cover everything from the division of the family's lands in the Swiss Argau in 990 to the surrender of power in 1918 by Charles, the last Habsburg monarch, without sacrificing essential details or losing the reader's attention, is a feat of both scholarship and storytelling. -- A. Wess Mitchell * Wall Street Journal *An ambitious, wide-ranging, briskly written narrative that crams a vast amount of often surprising information into twenty-nine dense but very readable chapters. -- Ritchie Robertson * Times Literary Supplement *Lucid and entertaining ... Rady is as good on the Habsburgs' artistic and cultural legacy as he is on the politics. -- David Crane * The Spectator *This panoramic account manages to make more sense of the European dynasty than its rulers often did. -- John Gallagher * The Guardian *The Habsburgs is gripping, colorful, and dramatic but also concise, scholarly, and magisterial ... Revealing a key player in world history for almost a thousand years, The Habsburgs is a chronicle of high politics and family intimacy involving religion, murder, incest, madness, suicide, assassination. History on an epic scale! -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of THE ROMANOVS and JERUSALEM: THE BIOGRAPHYIt's staggering how much of the continent we recognise today is the result of the machinations of one family, much of it inbred and with really weird chins, and Rady manages to condense the story into one pacy and highly readable account of generations of chancers, liars, political masterminds, battlefield heroes and ruthless schemers who shaped Europe for centuries. -- Charlie Connelly * New European *The Habsburgs were once Europe's foremost royal family. Rady tells their story with verve and authority, casting a curious eye over their eccentricities and peccadilloes while all the time revealing their extraordinary influence and global vision. A fascinating read! -- Alexander Watson, author of THE FORTRESS and RING OF STEELA tour de force. Thorough, accessible, and resolutely erudite, this is the volume that this vitally important subject so desperately needed. Martyn Rady should be congratulated. -- Roger Moorhouse, author of POLAND 1939: THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR IIMartyn Rady has written a splendid account of the grandest old dynasty of Europe: the Habsburgs. With wit and firm opinion, he takes the reader on something akin to a tour of the Wunderkammer of the dynasty's many-centuries-long career. Including vampires, an empress's waist size, and cocaine-laced health drinks, Rady's narrative glitters with apt quotes and telling, often ironic details. -- Steven Beller, author of THE HABSBURG MONARCHY 1815-1918This profile of the Habsburgs is concerned as much with the personal as it is the political. It is a tale of survival, from modest origins to control of an empire and, finally, twentieth-century catastrophe. * History Revealed *This is a first global history of Europe's most famous and durable dynasty, chronicling its exploits with great panache over nearly a millennium of rule across wide swathes of the continent and beyond. His text is accessible and entertaining, his ready wit providing a delectable counterpoint to the notorious humourlessness of so many of the dynasts he examines. -- Robert Evans, Regius Professor of History Emeritus at the University of OxfordAn engaging combination of fast-flowing narrative and insightful analysis. -- Tony Barber * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisThere are many stories we can tell about the past, and we are not, perhaps, as free as we might imagine in our choice of which stories to tell, or where those stories end. John Arnold''s Very Short Introduction is a stimulating essay about how we study and understand history. The book begins by inviting us to think about various questions provoked by our investigation of history, and explores the ways these questions have been answered in the past. Concepts such as causation, interpretation, and periodization, are introduced by means of concrete examples of how historians work, giving the reader a sense of the excitement of discovering not only the past, but also ourselves.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1. QUESTIONS ABOUT MURDER AND HISTORY; 2. THE HISTORY OF HISTORY; 3. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED: TRUTH, ARCHIVES, AND THE LOVE OF OLD THINGS; 4. ESCAPES FROM THE TOWER; 5. CAUSATION AND INTERPRETATIONS; 6. TELLING STORIES, TELLING TALES; 7. PERIODIZATION AND TIME; 8. OBJECTIVITY, TRUTH, AND JUDGEMENT; 9. THE ROLE OF THE PAST IN THE PRESENT; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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Book Synopsis'[A] comprehensive and important history of black Britain . . . Written with a wonderful clarity of style and with great force and passion.' – Kwasi Kwarteng, Sunday TimesIn this vital re-examination of a shared history, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga tells the rich and revealing story of the long relationship between the British Isles and the people of Africa and the Caribbean. This edition, fully revised and updated, features a new chapter encompassing the Windrush scandal and the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, events which put black British history at the centre of urgent national debate. Black and British is vivid confirmation that black history can no longer be kept separate and marginalised. It is woven into the cultural and economic histories of the nation and it belongs to us all.Drawing on new genealogical research, original records, and expert testimony, Black and British reaches back to Roman Britain, the medieval imagination, Elizabethan ‘blackamoors’ and the global slave-trading empire. It shows that the great industrial boom of the nineteenth century was built on American slavery, and that black Britons fought at Trafalgar and in the trenches of both World Wars. Black British history is woven into the cultural and economic histories of the nation. It is not a singular history, but one that belongs to us all.Unflinching, confronting taboos, and revealing hitherto unknown scandals, Olusoga describes how the lives of black and white Britons have been entwined for centuries.Winner of the 2017 PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize.Winner of the Longman History Today Trustees’ Award.A Waterstones History Book of the Year.Longlisted for the Orwell Prize.Shortlisted for the inaugural Jhalak Prize.Trade ReviewYou could not ask for a more judicious, comprehensive and highly readable survey of a part of British history that has been so long overlooked or denied. David Olusoga, in keeping with the high standards of his earlier books, is a superb guide. -- Adam HochschildGroundbreaking. * Observer *[A] comprehensive and important history of black Britain . . . Written with a wonderful clarity of style and with great force and passion. It is thoroughly researched and there are many interesting anecdotes. -- Kwasi Kwarteng * The Sunday Times *A radical reappraisal of the parameters of history, exposing lacunae in the nation’s version of its past. -- Arifa Akbar * Guardian *A thrilling tale of excavation -- Colin Grant * Guardian *[Olusoga] has discovered new and exciting research materials . . . Such sources give his writing freshness, originality and compassion . . . [Black and British] will inspire and will come to be seen as a major effort to address one of the greatest silences in British historiography -- David Dabydeen * New Statesman *Lucid and accessible. * Herald Scotland *Olusoga's account challenges narrow visions of Britain's past. By tracing the triangulated connections between Britain, America and Africa, he presents black British history in global terms [...] His subjects, even those who barely figure in the historical record, appear as individuals who matter, both in their own right and as historical exemplars. * The London Review of Books *An insightful, inclusive history of black people in Britain . . . Rich in detail and packed with strong personalities, this is an important contribution to our understanding of life in the UK. * History Revealed *An insightful, inclusive history of black people in Britain which is rich in detail and packed with strong, interesting characters. -- Stephanie Yeboah * GQ *Ambitious . . . Long overdue -- Hakim Adi * Spectator *Olusoga has single-handedly over recent years forced our forgotten history on the agenda . . . Written with an urgency it is a thrilling and engaging read. * Nigerian Watch *An erudite exploration of racism and how it continues to mutate . . . it is exhilarating to read a fine mind at work. -- Cathy Rentzenbrink * Guardian *Table of ContentsSection - i: List of Illustrations Section - ii: Preface Introduction - iii: ‘Years of Distant Wandering’ Chapter - One: ‘Sons of Ham’ Chapter - Two: ‘Blackamoors’ Chapter - Three: ‘For Blacks or Dogs’ Chapter - Four: ‘Too Pure an Air for Slaves' Chapter - Five: ‘Province of Freedom’ Chapter - Six: ‘The Monster is Dead’ Chapter - Seven: Moral Mission Chapter - Eight: ‘Liberated Africans’ Chapter - Nine: ‘Cotton is King' Chapter - Ten: ‘Mercy in a Massacre' Chapter - Eleven: ‘Darkest Africa’ Chapter - Twelve: ‘We are a Coloured Empire' Chapter - Thirteen: ‘We Prefer their Company' Chapter - Fourteen: ‘Swamped' Section - iv: Conclusion Acknowledgements - v: Acknowledgements Section - vi: Bibliography Section - vii: Notes Index - viii: Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn impressive exploration of Iran's development since 1979 into an unpredictable pseudo-democracy ... [a] calm and literate portrait of the Islamic Republic * Guardian *If you were to read only one book on present-day Iran you could not do better than this ... Axworthy revokes the sound and fury of the revolution itself -- Ervand Abrahamian * Times Higher Education *Balances scholarly precision with narrative flair ... Axworthy does the best job so far of describing the Iran-Iraq war ... Axworthy's analytical approach helps him demystify a revolutionary regime that has needed to feed off myths. He revisits, and convincingly reinterprets, defining moments of the Islamic republic ... [with] scholarly rigour and first-class analysis. Anyone interested in this most complex of revolutions would do well to read [this book] * Economist *Packed with gobbets of information and policy advice on how to deal with Iran * Telegraph *[A] meticulously fair and scholarly work ... passages from Iranian authors little known in the west as well as references to both popular and arthouse cinema bring depth [and] richness ... moving and vivid ... a very fine work that deserves to be read by anyone interested in the Middle East -- Jason Burke * Observer *Axworthy is a true Iranophile, learned in history and literature ancient and modern ... [A] subtle, lucid, and well-proportioned history ... his method casts theocracy in a refreshingly cold light, and embosses the Islamic Republic's well-established subordination of faith to power * Spectator *In this lucid, nicely written and well-paced work, Michael Axworthy provides a compelling overview of contemporary Iran and its relations with the outside world ... [Axworthy's] perspective is far more persuasive, and interesting, than the neocon line that has dominated the Iran debate * Independent *

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Book SynopsisA provocative history of violence--from the "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Stuff ofTrade ReviewOne of the most important books I've read - not just this year, but ever ... For me, what's most important about The Better Angels of Our Nature are its insights into how to help achieve positive outcomes. How can we encourage a less violent, more just society, particularly for the poor? Steven Pinker shows us ways we can make those positive trajectories a little more likely. That's a contribution, not just to historical scholarship, but to the world -- Bill GatesBrilliant, mind-altering...Everyone should read this astonishing book -- David Runciman * Guardian *A supremely important book. To have command of so much research, spread across so many different fields, is a masterly achievement. Pinker convincingly demonstrates that there has been a dramatic decline in violence, and he is persuasive about the causes of that decline -- Peter Singer * New York Times *[A] sweeping new review of the history of human violence...[Pinker has] the kind of academic superbrain that can translate otherwise impenetrable statistics into a meaningful narrative of human behaviour...impeccable scholarship -- Tony Allen-Mills * Sunday Times *Written in Pinker's distinctively entertaining and clear personal style...a marvellous synthesis of science, history and storytelling -- Clive Cookson * Financial Times *A salutary reality-check...Better Angels is itself a great liberal landmark -- Marek Kohn * Independent *Pinker's scholarhsip is astounding...flawless...masterful -- Joanna Bourke * The Times *Selected by the New York Times as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2011 * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisHave you ever wished that you could read the beautiful hieroglyphic script of ancient Egypt for yourself? Now you can, with the help of this practical step-by-step guide. It is suitable for complete beginners, or for anyone who would like to improve their knowledge of the language and culture of ancient Egypt. Mark Collier and Bill Manley have many years of experience teaching non-specialists at courses around the UK, so their approach is tried and tested. From the very beginning you will be introduced to genuine texts from ancient monuments. Each chapter introduces a new aspect of the ancient Egyptian language's hieroglyphic script and encourages you to develop your growing reading skills with practical exercises. The authors concentrate on a fascinating and rewarding group of monuments funerary inscriptions, coffins and tomb scenes. The texts and supporting notes offer a first-hand insight into topics such as the pharaonic administration, family life in ancient Egypt, and anci

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Book SynopsisSupporting great history teaching: developing confident, articulate and successful historians. Our new resources* include 16 Student Books – one for every option in the Edexcel GCSE (9–1) History specification – for first teaching from September 2016.

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Book SynopsisKRAUS FAMILY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR AT THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDSWINNER OF THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE‘Beautifully told' – John le Carré ‘More than just history’ – Michael PalinIn this remarkably moving memoir, Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father’s past: years spent hiding in plain sight in wartorn Berlin, the annihilation of dozens of family members in the Holocaust, and the courageous choice to build anew. When her father dies and leaves her a box of clues, Ariana Neumann uncovers a heritage she knew nothing about. Exploring the joys and sorrows of the Neumann family, she learns through her tireless investigations why her father, a successful entrepreneur in Venezuela, never spoke about his past. How as a young man from Prague he boldly deceived the Gestapo by doing the unimagiTrade Review‘When Time Stopped is a beautifully told story of personal discovery, of almost unimaginable human bravery and sacrifice, and a harrowing portrait of living, dying and surviving under the yoke of Nazism.’ -- John Le Carre‘When Time Stopped is Ariana Neumann’s journey of discovery, lyrically set down in this truly exceptional book. She shines an intimate light upon a time unique in its horror, and tells a story of bravery, and rare survival. Yet the events she describes happened more than two decades before she was born. To a man to whom she was very close, but whose secrets she was only able to pursue after his death - thanks to the one hoard of evidence he never destroyed. This is a work of very great talent.’ -- Jon Snow, journalist and Channel 4 television presenter.'The story Neumann uncovers is worthy of fiction with hairpin plot twists, daredevil acts of love and unexpected moments of humor in dark times. Given the slew of colorful characters and dramatic details, she could have turned her painstaking research into a historical novel. Instead she has written a superb family memoir that unfolds its poignant power on multiple levels. Yes, her account of one Jewish-Czech family’s race to outwit the Nazis makes for thrilling reading. But just as important is her lucid investigation of the nature of memory, identity and remembrance.' * The New York Times Book Review *‘Ariana Neumann’s story may strike a chord, and rightly so. The slow and pitiless brutality that took hold of much of Europe in the 1930s is a story that can never be told too often. What makes this account so effective is that it’s personal and, because of the dogged extensiveness of her research, Neumann reminds us of the small details that make the Nazi persecution of the Jews all the more chilling. It’s not always a grim story. Alongside anger and despair there is love and hope. But the message is stark. This is the way bullies work. When Time Stopped is more than just history. It’s a warning.’ -- Michael Palin‘Absolutely remarkable’ -- Edmund de Waal‘Grippingly readable, chillingly sad but above all deeply sympathetic and suffused with love and understanding throughout. A compelling and humane portrait of Ariana Neumann’s father and his courageous decision to survive.’ -- Anne Sebba, bestselling biographer and historian‘When Time Stopped is a remarkable and beautifully written book. Hans Neumann's story is astonishing, confirming that when it comes to the Holocaust we should expect only the unexpected. This is one of the most powerful and profoundly moving family stories of the Holocaust to have been published in many years and a must read.’ -- Professor Dan Stone, Professor of Modern History and Director, Holocaust Research Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London‘When Time Stopped is an astonishing family memoir that will imprint itself on your psyche as only the best books can, forever changing the way you look at your own family. With a mastery of the dogged art of research rarely seen, and with an exquisite narrative sensibility to match, Ariana Neumann has breached the hidden surface of her family’s tumultuous past and brought not only their tragedies and sorrows, but also their joys and loves, to indelible light. I will carry the experience of this book with me for a very long time.’ -- John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Red Daughter, Reservation Road and The Commoner‘In a grand house in Caracas in the 1970s, a young girl comes of age dreaming of becoming a detective and solving mysteries, particularly the mystery of her charismatic, enigmatic father. Four decades later, after he dies, and herself a mother, she embarks on an extraordinary journey through Central Europe and South America to uncover her father's past. Through pre-war Prague's intelligentsia to the rise of fascism in Europe to the horror of Hitler's camps, she combines a daughter's love with a profound yearning for truth. The result is a love letter to a father who, out of sheer will and determination, did not allow the Nazis to destroy him - and who rose to become one of Venezuela's most successful industrialists. Part literary memoir, part mystery tale, Ariana Neumann's tribute to her father is a classic story of redemption and love.’ -- Janine di Giovanni, 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria‘This book is utterly riveting: Ms. Neumann's memoir reads like a detective novel, as she unravels her late father's complex, agonizing yet inspiring trajectory. Conjuring the lives of her relatives murdered in the Holocaust, she brings their lost world to vivid life.’ -- Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children and The Woman Upstairs‘I’ve read countless memoirs. I’ve read hundreds of books about the Holocaust and mysteries and detective stories and rigorously researched tomes of history and psychological studies of the effects of trauma. But never in my reading life have I ever come across anything akin to this magical, brilliant and gripping work of art combining all of these elements into a lyrical tapestry of one woman’s quest to understand her father’s mysterious past and therefore her own. To call this moving is an understatement. It is a journey of untold grace, sorrow and love.’ -- Deborah Copaken, bestselling author of Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War and The Red Book‘Growing up in a comfortable Caracas home, surrounded by joy, gaiety and the ‘birds of paradise’ -- and a father so revered that he had streets named after him in Venezuela -- Ariana Neumann willed an adventure to come her way. But nothing could have prepared her for the true-life story which was to unfold upon her beloved father’s death, back into the darkest depths of human history. Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent * Sunday Telegraph *‘Remarkable...Through painstaking, meticulous research Neumann tells the true story-part memoir, part history-of her heart-wrenching and ultimately life-affirming journey in uncovering her family's long hidden past.’ -- Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones‘Ariana Neumann's beautiful, meticulously researched memoir is an extraordinarily moving story of a family’s lost history, a father’s well-kept secret, and a daughter who pieces it all together with courage, tenacity, and most of all, love.’ -- Dani Shapiro‘Neumann’s efforts to tell [her father] Hans’s story chronologically, rather than in the order she unravelled the mystery, is especially effective. At times the revelations are so extraordinary to modern eyes that the memoir has an almost fictional feel.’ * Financial Times *‘… to unearth such stories takes great determination, patience and sensitivity, not least because so many of those who survived did so by suppressing the truth. ‘Sometimes you have to leave the past where it is – in the past,’ Hans told his daughter. But he didn’t entirely let it go, and nor, on his and our behalf, did she.’ * The Guardian *‘Compelling … brilliant …This remarkable, beautifully written book is full of sadness but it also full of great beauty and joy.’ * Daily Mail, Book of the Week *‘A meticulously researched, gripping and poignant memoir.’ * The Observer *‘[When Time Stopped is] a treasure to be savored as testament of the human will to survive.’ -- Anne Sebba * The Spectator *‘Full of tales of courage … this meticulously researched work is unforgettable.’ * Sunday Mirror *‘This book will be an important addition to Holocaust literature … we have heard many of the atrocities recounted in these pages before. But we must go on hearing them. This is a very fine book indeed.’ * The TLS *‘Extraordinary life-affirming book of survival against the odds, of love and hope, and the threads of humanity that unite us all’ * Surrey Life *‘… a book of exhaustive historical scholarship and profound emotional dedication.’ * The Jewish Chronicle *‘A beautifully wrought book that is both a detective story and a family history.’ * The Times of Israel *‘Occasionally there appears a book so devastating that the only response is stunned silence … When Time Stopped is about the triumph of the human spirit.’ -- Francis Wilson * The Oldie *‘This deeply personal narrative tells the story of Ariana Neumann’s family, many of whom were killed by Nazis, and grapples with Neumann’s attempt to uncover secrets left behind by her Holocaust-survivor father after his death.’ * Vogue *‘Reads like a thriller and it is so, so timely. The work and emotion put into [the] book is unbelievable.’ * Buzzfeed *‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘When Time Stopped is a remarkable and beautifully written book. Hans Neumann's story is astonishing, confirming that when it comes to the Holocaust we should expect only the unexpected. This is one of the most powerful and profoundly moving family stories of the Holocaust to have been published in many years and a must read.’ -- Professor Dan Stone, Professor of Modern History and Director, Holocaust Research Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London‘When Time Stopped is an astonishing family memoir that will imprint itself on your psyche as only the best books can, forever changing the way you look at your own family. With a mastery of the dogged art of research rarely seen, and with an exquisite narrative sensibility to match, Ariana Neumann has breached the hidden surface of her family’s tumultuous past and brought not only their tragedies and sorrows, but also their joys and loves, to indelible light. I will carry the experience of this book with me for a very long time.’ -- John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Red Daughter, Reservation Road and The Commoner‘In a grand house in Caracas in the 1970s, a young girl comes of age dreaming of becoming a detective and solving mysteries, particularly the mystery of her charismatic, enigmatic father. Four decades later, after he dies, and herself a mother, she embarks on an extraordinary journey through Central Europe and South America to uncover her father's past. Through pre-war Prague's intelligentsia to the rise of fascism in Europe to the horror of Hitler's camps, she combines a daughter's love with a profound yearning for truth. The result is a love letter to a father who, out of sheer will and determination, did not allow the Nazis to destroy him - and who rose to become one of Venezuela's most successful industrialists. Part literary memoir, part mystery tale, Ariana Neumann's tribute to her father is a classic story of redemption and love.’ -- Janine di Giovanni, 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria‘This book is utterly riveting: Ms. Neumann's memoir reads like a detective novel, as she unravels her late father's complex, agonizing yet inspiring trajectory. Conjuring the lives of her relatives murdered in the Holocaust, she brings their lost world to vivid life.’ -- Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children and The Woman Upstairs‘I’ve read countless memoirs. I’ve read hundreds of books about the Holocaust and mysteries and detective stories and rigorously researched tomes of history and psychological studies of the effects of trauma. But never in my reading life have I ever come across anything akin to this magical, brilliant and gripping work of art combining all of these elements into a lyrical tapestry of one woman’s quest to understand her father’s mysterious past and therefore her own. To call this moving is an understatement. It is a journey of untold grace, sorrow and love.’ -- Deborah Copaken, bestselling author of Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War and The Red Book‘Growing up in a comfortable Caracas home, surrounded by joy, gaiety and the ‘birds of paradise’ -- and a father so revered that he had streets named after him in Venezuela -- Ariana Neumann willed an adventure to come her way. But nothing could have prepared her for the true-life story which was to unfold upon her beloved father’s death, back into the darkest depths of human history. Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent, Sunday Telegraph‘Remarkable...Through painstaking, meticulous research Neumann tells the true story-part memoir, part history-of her heart-wrenching and ultimately life-affirming journey in uncovering her family's long hidden past.’ -- Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones‘Ariana Neumann's beautiful, meticulously researched memoir is an extraordinarily moving story of a family’s lost history, a father’s well-kept secret, and a daughter who pieces it all together with courage, tenacity, and most of all, love.’ -- Dani Shapiro‘Neumann’s efforts to tell [her father] Hans’s story chronologically, rather than in the order she unravelled the mystery, is especially effective. At times the revelations are so extraordinary to modern eyes that the memoir has an almost fictional feel.’ * Financial Times *‘… to unearth such stories takes great determination, patience and sensitivity, not least because so many of those who survived did so by suppressing the truth. ‘Sometimes you have to leave the past where it is – in the past,’ Hans told his daughter. But he didn’t entirely let it go, and nor, on his and our behalf, did she.’ * The Guardian *‘Compelling … brilliant …This remarkable, beautifully written book is full of sadness but it also full of great beauty and joy.’ * Daily Mail, Book of the Week *‘A meticulously researched, gripping and poignant memoir.’ * The Observer *‘[When Time Stopped is] a treasure to be savored as testament of the human will to survive.’ -- Anne Sebba * The Spectator *‘Full of tales of courage … this meticulously researched work is unforgettable.’ * Sunday Mirror *‘This book will be an important addition to Holocaust literature … we have heard many of the atrocities recounted in these pages before. But we must go on hearing them. This is a very fine book indeed.’ * The TLS *‘Extraordinary life-affirming book of survival against the odds, of love and hope, and the threads of humanity that unite us all’ * Surrey Life *‘… a book of exhaustive historical scholarship and profound emotional dedication.’ * The Jewish Chronicle *‘A beautifully wrought book that is both a detective story and a family history.’ * The Times of Israel *‘Occasionally there appears a book so devastating that the only response is stunned silence … When Time Stopped is about the triumph of the human spirit.’ -- Francis Wilson * The Oldie *‘This deeply personal narrative tells the story of Ariana Neumann’s family, many of whom were killed by Nazis, and grapples with Neumann’s attempt to uncover secrets left behind by her Holocaust-survivor father after his death.’ * Vogue *‘Reads like a thriller and it is so, so timely. The work and emotion put into [the] book is unbelievable.’ * Buzzfeed *‘Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent. * Sunday Telegraph *‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘When Time Stopped is Ariana Neumann’s journey of discovery, lyrically set down in this truly exceptional book. She shines an intimate light upon a time unique in its horror, and tells a story of bravery, and rare survival. Yet the events she describes happened more than two decades before she was born. To a man to whom she was very close, but whose secrets she was only able to pursue after his death - thanks to the one hoard of evidence he never destroyed. This is a work of very great talent.’ -- Jon Snow, journalist and Channel 4 television presenter.The story Neumann uncovers is worthy of fiction with hairpin plot twists, daredevil acts of love and unexpected moments of humor in dark times. Given the slew of colorful characters and dramatic details, she could have turned her painstaking research into a historical novel. Instead she has written a superb family memoir that unfolds its poignant power on multiple levels. Yes, her account of one Jewish-Czech family’s race to outwit the Nazis makes for thrilling reading. But just as important is her lucid investigation of the nature of memory, identity and remembrance. * The New York Times Book Review *‘Ariana Neumann’s story may strike a chord, and rightly so. The slow and pitiless brutality that took hold of much of Europe in the 1930s is a story that can never be told too often. What makes this account so effective is that it’s personal and, because of the dogged extensiveness of her research, Neumann reminds us of the small details that make the Nazi persecution of the Jews all the more chilling. It’s not always a grim story. Alongside anger and despair there is love and hope. But the message is stark. This is the way bullies work. When Time Stopped is more than just history. It’s a warning.’ -- Michael Palin‘When Time Stopped is a remarkable and beautifully written book. Hans Neumann's story is astonishing, confirming that when it comes to the Holocaust we should expect only the unexpected. This is one of the most powerful and profoundly moving family stories of the Holocaust to have been published in many years and a must read.’ -- Professor Dan Stone, Professor of Modern History and Director, Holocaust Research Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London‘When Time Stopped is an astonishing family memoir that will imprint itself on your psyche as only the best books can, forever changing the way you look at your own family. With a mastery of the dogged art of research rarely seen, and with an exquisite narrative sensibility to match, Ariana Neumann has breached the hidden surface of her family’s tumultuous past and brought not only their tragedies and sorrows, but also their joys and loves, to indelible light. I will carry the experience of this book with me for a very long time.’ -- John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Red Daughter, Reservation Road and The Commoner‘In a grand house in Caracas in the 1970s, a young girl comes of age dreaming of becoming a detective and solving mysteries, particularly the mystery of her charismatic, enigmatic father. Four decades later, after he dies, and herself a mother, she embarks on an extraordinary journey through Central Europe and South America to uncover her father's past. Through pre-war Prague's intelligentsia to the rise of fascism in Europe to the horror of Hitler's camps, she combines a daughter's love with a profound yearning for truth. The result is a love letter to a father who, out of sheer will and determination, did not allow the Nazis to destroy him - and who rose to become one of Venezuela's most successful industrialists. Part literary memoir, part mystery tale, Ariana Neumann's tribute to her father is a classic story of redemption and love.’ -- Janine di Giovanni, 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria‘This book is utterly riveting: Ms. Neumann's memoir reads like a detective novel, as she unravels her late father's complex, agonizing yet inspiring trajectory. Conjuring the lives of her relatives murdered in the Holocaust, she brings their lost world to vivid life.’ -- Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children and The Woman Upstairs‘I’ve read countless memoirs. I’ve read hundreds of books about the Holocaust and mysteries and detective stories and rigorously researched tomes of history and psychological studies of the effects of trauma. But never in my reading life have I ever come across anything akin to this magical, brilliant and gripping work of art combining all of these elements into a lyrical tapestry of one woman’s quest to understand her father’s mysterious past and therefore her own. To call this moving is an understatement. It is a journey of untold grace, sorrow and love.’ -- Deborah Copaken, bestselling author of Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War and The Red Book‘Growing up in a comfortable Caracas home, surrounded by joy, gaiety and the ‘birds of paradise’ -- and a father so revered that he had streets named after him in Venezuela -- Ariana Neumann willed an adventure to come her way. But nothing could have prepared her for the true-life story which was to unfold upon her beloved father’s death, back into the darkest depths of human history. Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent, Sunday Telegraph‘Remarkable...Through painstaking, meticulous research Neumann tells the true story-part memoir, part history-of her heart-wrenching and ultimately life-affirming journey in uncovering her family's long hidden past.’ -- Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones‘Ariana Neumann's beautiful, meticulously researched memoir is an extraordinarily moving story of a family’s lost history, a father’s well-kept secret, and a daughter who pieces it all together with courage, tenacity, and most of all, love.’ -- Dani Shapiro‘Neumann’s efforts to tell [her father] Hans’s story chronologically, rather than in the order she unravelled the mystery, is especially effective. At times the revelations are so extraordinary to modern eyes that the memoir has an almost fictional feel.’ * Financial Times *‘… to unearth such stories takes great determination, patience and sensitivity, not least because so many of those who survived did so by suppressing the truth. ‘Sometimes you have to leave the past where it is – in the past,’ Hans told his daughter. But he didn’t entirely let it go, and nor, on his and our behalf, did she.’ * The Guardian *‘Compelling … brilliant …This remarkable, beautifully written book is full of sadness but it also full of great beauty and joy.’ * Daily Mail, Book of the Week *‘A meticulously researched, gripping and poignant memoir.’ * The Observer *‘[When Time Stopped is] a treasure to be savored as testament of the human will to survive.’ -- Anne Sebba * The Spectator *‘Full of tales of courage … this meticulously researched work is unforgettable.’ * Sunday Mirror *‘This book will be an important addition to Holocaust literature … we have heard many of the atrocities recounted in these pages before. But we must go on hearing them. This is a very fine book indeed.’ * The TLS *‘Extraordinary life-affirming book of survival against the odds, of love and hope, and the threads of humanity that unite us all’ * Surrey Life *‘… a book of exhaustive historical scholarship and profound emotional dedication.’ * The Jewish Chronicle *‘A beautifully wrought book that is both a detective story and a family history.’ * The Times of Israel *‘Occasionally there appears a book so devastating that the only response is stunned silence … When Time Stopped is about the triumph of the human spirit.’ -- Francis Wilson * The Oldie *‘This deeply personal narrative tells the story of Ariana Neumann’s family, many of whom were killed by Nazis, and grapples with Neumann’s attempt to uncover secrets left behind by her Holocaust-survivor father after his death.’ * Vogue *‘Reads like a thriller and it is so, so timely. The work and emotion put into [the] book is unbelievable.’ * Buzzfeed *‘Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent. * Sunday Telegraph *‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘When Time Stopped is a beautifully told story of personal discovery, of almost unimaginable human bravery and sacrifice, and a harrowing portrait of living, dying and surviving under the yoke of Nazism.’ -- John Le Carre‘When Time Stopped is Ariana Neumann’s journey of discovery, lyrically set down in this truly exceptional book. She shines an intimate light upon a time unique in its horror, and tells a story of bravery, and rare survival. Yet the events she describes happened more than two decades before she was born. To a man to whom she was very close, but whose secrets she was only able to pursue after his death - thanks to the one hoard of evidence he never destroyed. This is a work of very great talent.’ -- Jon Snow, journalist and Channel 4 television presenter.The story Neumann uncovers is worthy of fiction with hairpin plot twists, daredevil acts of love and unexpected moments of humor in dark times. Given the slew of colorful characters and dramatic details, she could have turned her painstaking research into a historical novel. Instead she has written a superb family memoir that unfolds its poignant power on multiple levels. Yes, her account of one Jewish-Czech family’s race to outwit the Nazis makes for thrilling reading. But just as important is her lucid investigation of the nature of memory, identity and remembrance. * The New York Times Book Review *‘Ariana Neumann’s story may strike a chord, and rightly so. The slow and pitiless brutality that took hold of much of Europe in the 1930s is a story that can never be told too often. What makes this account so effective is that it’s personal and, because of the dogged extensiveness of her research, Neumann reminds us of the small details that make the Nazi persecution of the Jews all the more chilling. It’s not always a grim story. Alongside anger and despair there is love and hope. But the message is stark. This is the way bullies work. When Time Stopped is more than just history. It’s a warning.’ -- Michael Palin‘When Time Stopped is a remarkable and beautifully written book. Hans Neumann's story is astonishing, confirming that when it comes to the Holocaust we should expect only the unexpected. This is one of the most powerful and profoundly moving family stories of the Holocaust to have been published in many years and a must read.’ -- Professor Dan Stone, Professor of Modern History and Director, Holocaust Research Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London‘When Time Stopped is an astonishing family memoir that will imprint itself on your psyche as only the best books can, forever changing the way you look at your own family. With a mastery of the dogged art of research rarely seen, and with an exquisite narrative sensibility to match, Ariana Neumann has breached the hidden surface of her family’s tumultuous past and brought not only their tragedies and sorrows, but also their joys and loves, to indelible light. I will carry the experience of this book with me for a very long time.’ -- John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Red Daughter, Reservation Road and The Commoner‘In a grand house in Caracas in the 1970s, a young girl comes of age dreaming of becoming a detective and solving mysteries, particularly the mystery of her charismatic, enigmatic father. Four decades later, after he dies, and herself a mother, she embarks on an extraordinary journey through Central Europe and South America to uncover her father's past. Through pre-war Prague's intelligentsia to the rise of fascism in Europe to the horror of Hitler's camps, she combines a daughter's love with a profound yearning for truth. The result is a love letter to a father who, out of sheer will and determination, did not allow the Nazis to destroy him - and who rose to become one of Venezuela's most successful industrialists. Part literary memoir, part mystery tale, Ariana Neumann's tribute to her father is a classic story of redemption and love.’ -- Janine di Giovanni, 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria‘This book is utterly riveting: Ms. Neumann's memoir reads like a detective novel, as she unravels her late father's complex, agonizing yet inspiring trajectory. Conjuring the lives of her relatives murdered in the Holocaust, she brings their lost world to vivid life.’ -- Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children and The Woman Upstairs‘I’ve read countless memoirs. I’ve read hundreds of books about the Holocaust and mysteries and detective stories and rigorously researched tomes of history and psychological studies of the effects of trauma. But never in my reading life have I ever come across anything akin to this magical, brilliant and gripping work of art combining all of these elements into a lyrical tapestry of one woman’s quest to understand her father’s mysterious past and therefore her own. To call this moving is an understatement. It is a journey of untold grace, sorrow and love.’ -- Deborah Copaken, bestselling author of Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War and The Red Book‘Growing up in a comfortable Caracas home, surrounded by joy, gaiety and the ‘birds of paradise’ -- and a father so revered that he had streets named after him in Venezuela -- Ariana Neumann willed an adventure to come her way. But nothing could have prepared her for the true-life story which was to unfold upon her beloved father’s death, back into the darkest depths of human history. Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent, Sunday Telegraph‘Remarkable...Through painstaking, meticulous research Neumann tells the true story-part memoir, part history-of her heart-wrenching and ultimately life-affirming journey in uncovering her family's long hidden past.’ -- Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones‘Ariana Neumann's beautiful, meticulously researched memoir is an extraordinarily moving story of a family’s lost history, a father’s well-kept secret, and a daughter who pieces it all together with courage, tenacity, and most of all, love.’ -- Dani Shapiro‘Neumann’s efforts to tell [her father] Hans’s story chronologically, rather than in the order she unravelled the mystery, is especially effective. At times the revelations are so extraordinary to modern eyes that the memoir has an almost fictional feel.’ * Financial Times *‘… to unearth such stories takes great determination, patience and sensitivity, not least because so many of those who survived did so by suppressing the truth. ‘Sometimes you have to leave the past where it is – in the past,’ Hans told his daughter. But he didn’t entirely let it go, and nor, on his and our behalf, did she.’ * The Guardian *‘Compelling … brilliant …This remarkable, beautifully written book is full of sadness but it also full of great beauty and joy.’ * Daily Mail, Book of the Week *‘A meticulously researched, gripping and poignant memoir.’ * The Observer *‘[When Time Stopped is] a treasure to be savored as testament of the human will to survive.’ -- Anne Sebba * The Spectator *‘Full of tales of courage … this meticulously researched work is unforgettable.’ * Sunday Mirror *‘This book will be an important addition to Holocaust literature … we have heard many of the atrocities recounted in these pages before. But we must go on hearing them. This is a very fine book indeed.’ * The TLS *‘Extraordinary life-affirming book of survival against the odds, of love and hope, and the threads of humanity that unite us all’ * Surrey Life *‘… a book of exhaustive historical scholarship and profound emotional dedication.’ * The Jewish Chronicle *‘A beautifully wrought book that is both a detective story and a family history.’ * The Times of Israel *‘Occasionally there appears a book so devastating that the only response is stunned silence … When Time Stopped is about the triumph of the human spirit.’ -- Francis Wilson * The Oldie *‘This deeply personal narrative tells the story of Ariana Neumann’s family, many of whom were killed by Nazis, and grapples with Neumann’s attempt to uncover secrets left behind by her Holocaust-survivor father after his death.’ * Vogue *‘Reads like a thriller and it is so, so timely. The work and emotion put into [the] book is unbelievable.’ * Buzzfeed *‘Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent. * Sunday Telegraph *‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘When Time Stopped is a beautifully told story of personal discovery, of almost unimaginable human bravery and sacrifice, and a harrowing portrait of living, dying and surviving under the yoke of Nazism.’ -- John Le Carre‘When Time Stopped is Ariana Neumann’s journey of discovery, lyrically set down in this truly exceptional book. She shines an intimate light upon a time unique in its horror, and tells a story of bravery, and rare survival. Yet the events she describes happened more than two decades before she was born. To a man to whom she was very close, but whose secrets she was only able to pursue after his death - thanks to the one hoard of evidence he never destroyed. This is a work of very great talent.’ -- Jon Snow, journalist and Channel 4 television presenter.The story Neumann uncovers is worthy of fiction with hairpin plot twists, daredevil acts of love and unexpected moments of humor in dark times. Given the slew of colorful characters and dramatic details, she could have turned her painstaking research into a historical novel. Instead she has written a superb family memoir that unfolds its poignant power on multiple levels. Yes, her account of one Jewish-Czech family’s race to outwit the Nazis makes for thrilling reading. But just as important is her lucid investigation of the nature of memory, identity and remembrance. * The New York Times Book Review *‘Ariana Neumann’s story may strike a chord, and rightly so. The slow and pitiless brutality that took hold of much of Europe in the 1930s is a story that can never be told too often. What makes this account so effective is that it’s personal and, because of the dogged extensiveness of her research, Neumann reminds us of the small details that make the Nazi persecution of the Jews all the more chilling. It’s not always a grim story. Alongside anger and despair there is love and hope. But the message is stark. This is the way bullies work. When Time Stopped is more than just history. It’s a warning.’ -- Michael Palin‘When Time Stopped is a remarkable and beautifully written book. Hans Neumann's story is astonishing, confirming that when it comes to the Holocaust we should expect only the unexpected. This is one of the most powerful and profoundly moving family stories of the Holocaust to have been published in many years and a must read.’ -- Professor Dan Stone, Professor of Modern History and Director, Holocaust Research Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London‘When Time Stopped is an astonishing family memoir that will imprint itself on your psyche as only the best books can, forever changing the way you look at your own family. With a mastery of the dogged art of research rarely seen, and with an exquisite narrative sensibility to match, Ariana Neumann has breached the hidden surface of her family’s tumultuous past and brought not only their tragedies and sorrows, but also their joys and loves, to indelible light. I will carry the experience of this book with me for a very long time.’ -- John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Red Daughter, Reservation Road and The Commoner‘In a grand house in Caracas in the 1970s, a young girl comes of age dreaming of becoming a detective and solving mysteries, particularly the mystery of her charismatic, enigmatic father. Four decades later, after he dies, and herself a mother, she embarks on an extraordinary journey through Central Europe and South America to uncover her father's past. Through pre-war Prague's intelligentsia to the rise of fascism in Europe to the horror of Hitler's camps, she combines a daughter's love with a profound yearning for truth. The result is a love letter to a father who, out of sheer will and determination, did not allow the Nazis to destroy him - and who rose to become one of Venezuela's most successful industrialists. Part literary memoir, part mystery tale, Ariana Neumann's tribute to her father is a classic story of redemption and love.’ -- Janine di Giovanni, 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria‘This book is utterly riveting: Ms. Neumann's memoir reads like a detective novel, as she unravels her late father's complex, agonizing yet inspiring trajectory. Conjuring the lives of her relatives murdered in the Holocaust, she brings their lost world to vivid life.’ -- Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children and The Woman Upstairs‘I’ve read countless memoirs. I’ve read hundreds of books about the Holocaust and mysteries and detective stories and rigorously researched tomes of history and psychological studies of the effects of trauma. But never in my reading life have I ever come across anything akin to this magical, brilliant and gripping work of art combining all of these elements into a lyrical tapestry of one woman’s quest to understand her father’s mysterious past and therefore her own. To call this moving is an understatement. It is a journey of untold grace, sorrow and love.’ -- Deborah Copaken, bestselling author of Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War and The Red Book‘Growing up in a comfortable Caracas home, surrounded by joy, gaiety and the ‘birds of paradise’ -- and a father so revered that he had streets named after him in Venezuela -- Ariana Neumann willed an adventure to come her way. But nothing could have prepared her for the true-life story which was to unfold upon her beloved father’s death, back into the darkest depths of human history. Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent, Sunday Telegraph‘Remarkable...Through painstaking, meticulous research Neumann tells the true story-part memoir, part history-of her heart-wrenching and ultimately life-affirming journey in uncovering her family's long hidden past.’ -- Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones‘Ariana Neumann's beautiful, meticulously researched memoir is an extraordinarily moving story of a family’s lost history, a father’s well-kept secret, and a daughter who pieces it all together with courage, tenacity, and most of all, love.’ -- Dani Shapiro‘Neumann’s efforts to tell [her father] Hans’s story chronologically, rather than in the order she unravelled the mystery, is especially effective. At times the revelations are so extraordinary to modern eyes that the memoir has an almost fictional feel.’ * Financial Times *‘… to unearth such stories takes great determination, patience and sensitivity, not least because so many of those who survived did so by suppressing the truth. ‘Sometimes you have to leave the past where it is – in the past,’ Hans told his daughter. But he didn’t entirely let it go, and nor, on his and our behalf, did she.’ * The Guardian *‘Compelling … brilliant …This remarkable, beautifully written book is full of sadness but it also full of great beauty and joy.’ * Daily Mail, Book of the Week *‘A meticulously researched, gripping and poignant memoir.’ * The Observer *‘[When Time Stopped is] a treasure to be savored as testament of the human will to survive.’ -- Anne Sebba * The Spectator *‘Full of tales of courage … this meticulously researched work is unforgettable.’ * Sunday Mirror *‘This book will be an important addition to Holocaust literature … we have heard many of the atrocities recounted in these pages before. But we must go on hearing them. This is a very fine book indeed.’ * The TLS *‘Extraordinary life-affirming book of survival against the odds, of love and hope, and the threads of humanity that unite us all’ * Surrey Life *‘… a book of exhaustive historical scholarship and profound emotional dedication.’ * The Jewish Chronicle *‘A beautifully wrought book that is both a detective story and a family history.’ * The Times of Israel *‘Occasionally there appears a book so devastating that the only response is stunned silence … When Time Stopped is about the triumph of the human spirit.’ -- Francis Wilson * The Oldie *‘This deeply personal narrative tells the story of Ariana Neumann’s family, many of whom were killed by Nazis, and grapples with Neumann’s attempt to uncover secrets left behind by her Holocaust-survivor father after his death.’ * Vogue *‘Reads like a thriller and it is so, so timely. The work and emotion put into [the] book is unbelievable.’ * Buzzfeed *‘Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent. * Sunday Telegraph *‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘When Time Stopped is a beautifully told story of personal discovery, of almost unimaginable human bravery and sacrifice, and a harrowing portrait of living, dying and surviving under the yoke of Nazism.’ -- John Le Carre‘When Time Stopped is Ariana Neumann’s journey of discovery, lyrically set down in this truly exceptional book. She shines an intimate light upon a time unique in its horror, and tells a story of bravery, and rare survival. Yet the events she describes happened more than two decades before she was born. To a man to whom she was very close, but whose secrets she was only able to pursue after his death - thanks to the one hoard of evidence he never destroyed. This is a work of very great talent.’ -- Jon Snow, journalist and Channel 4 television presenter.The story Neumann uncovers is worthy of fiction with hairpin plot twists, daredevil acts of love and unexpected moments of humor in dark times. Given the slew of colorful characters and dramatic details, she could have turned her painstaking research into a historical novel. Instead she has written a superb family memoir that unfolds its poignant power on multiple levels. Yes, her account of one Jewish-Czech family’s race to outwit the Nazis makes for thrilling reading. But just as important is her lucid investigation of the nature of memory, identity and remembrance. * The New York Times Book Review *‘Ariana Neumann’s story may strike a chord, and rightly so. The slow and pitiless brutality that took hold of much of Europe in the 1930s is a story that can never be told too often. What makes this account so effective is that it’s personal and, because of the dogged extensiveness of her research, Neumann reminds us of the small details that make the Nazi persecution of the Jews all the more chilling. It’s not always a grim story. Alongside anger and despair there is love and hope. But the message is stark. This is the way bullies work. When Time Stopped is more than just history. It’s a warning.’ -- Michael Palin‘When Time Stopped is a remarkable and beautifully written book. Hans Neumann's story is astonishing, confirming that when it comes to the Holocaust we should expect only the unexpected. This is one of the most powerful and profoundly moving family stories of the Holocaust to have been published in many years and a must read.’ -- Professor Dan Stone, Professor of Modern History and Director, Holocaust Research Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London‘When Time Stopped is an astonishing family memoir that will imprint itself on your psyche as only the best books can, forever changing the way you look at your own family. With a mastery of the dogged art of research rarely seen, and with an exquisite narrative sensibility to match, Ariana Neumann has breached the hidden surface of her family’s tumultuous past and brought not only their tragedies and sorrows, but also their joys and loves, to indelible light. I will carry the experience of this book with me for a very long time.’ -- John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Red Daughter, Reservation Road and The Commoner‘In a grand house in Caracas in the 1970s, a young girl comes of age dreaming of becoming a detective and solving mysteries, particularly the mystery of her charismatic, enigmatic father. Four decades later, after he dies, and herself a mother, she embarks on an extraordinary journey through Central Europe and South America to uncover her father's past. Through pre-war Prague's intelligentsia to the rise of fascism in Europe to the horror of Hitler's camps, she combines a daughter's love with a profound yearning for truth. The result is a love letter to a father who, out of sheer will and determination, did not allow the Nazis to destroy him - and who rose to become one of Venezuela's most successful industrialists. Part literary memoir, part mystery tale, Ariana Neumann's tribute to her father is a classic story of redemption and love.’ -- Janine di Giovanni, 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria‘This book is utterly riveting: Ms. Neumann's memoir reads like a detective novel, as she unravels her late father's complex, agonizing yet inspiring trajectory. Conjuring the lives of her relatives murdered in the Holocaust, she brings their lost world to vivid life.’ -- Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor’s Children and The Woman Upstairs‘I’ve read countless memoirs. I’ve read hundreds of books about the Holocaust and mysteries and detective stories and rigorously researched tomes of history and psychological studies of the effects of trauma. But never in my reading life have I ever come across anything akin to this magical, brilliant and gripping work of art combining all of these elements into a lyrical tapestry of one woman’s quest to understand her father’s mysterious past and therefore her own. To call this moving is an understatement. It is a journey of untold grace, sorrow and love.’ -- Deborah Copaken, bestselling author of Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War and The Red Book‘Growing up in a comfortable Caracas home, surrounded by joy, gaiety and the ‘birds of paradise’ -- and a father so revered that he had streets named after him in Venezuela -- Ariana Neumann willed an adventure to come her way. But nothing could have prepared her for the true-life story which was to unfold upon her beloved father’s death, back into the darkest depths of human history. Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent, Sunday Telegraph‘Remarkable...Through painstaking, meticulous research Neumann tells the true story-part memoir, part history-of her heart-wrenching and ultimately life-affirming journey in uncovering her family's long hidden past.’ -- Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones‘Ariana Neumann's beautiful, meticulously researched memoir is an extraordinarily moving story of a family’s lost history, a father’s well-kept secret, and a daughter who pieces it all together with courage, tenacity, and most of all, love.’ -- Dani Shapiro‘Neumann’s efforts to tell [her father] Hans’s story chronologically, rather than in the order she unravelled the mystery, is especially effective. At times the revelations are so extraordinary to modern eyes that the memoir has an almost fictional feel.’ * Financial Times *‘… to unearth such stories takes great determination, patience and sensitivity, not least because so many of those who survived did so by suppressing the truth. ‘Sometimes you have to leave the past where it is – in the past,’ Hans told his daughter. But he didn’t entirely let it go, and nor, on his and our behalf, did she.’ * The Guardian *‘Compelling … brilliant …This remarkable, beautifully written book is full of sadness but it also full of great beauty and joy.’ * Daily Mail, Book of the Week *‘A meticulously researched, gripping and poignant memoir.’ * The Observer *‘[When Time Stopped is] a treasure to be savored as testament of the human will to survive.’ -- Anne Sebba * The Spectator *‘Full of tales of courage … this meticulously researched work is unforgettable.’ * Sunday Mirror *‘This book will be an important addition to Holocaust literature … we have heard many of the atrocities recounted in these pages before. But we must go on hearing them. This is a very fine book indeed.’ * The TLS *‘Extraordinary life-affirming book of survival against the odds, of love and hope, and the threads of humanity that unite us all’ * Surrey Life *‘… a book of exhaustive historical scholarship and profound emotional dedication.’ * The Jewish Chronicle *‘A beautifully wrought book that is both a detective story and a family history.’ * The Times of Israel *‘Occasionally there appears a book so devastating that the only response is stunned silence … When Time Stopped is about the triumph of the human spirit.’ -- Francis Wilson * The Oldie *‘This deeply personal narrative tells the story of Ariana Neumann’s family, many of whom were killed by Nazis, and grapples with Neumann’s attempt to uncover secrets left behind by her Holocaust-survivor father after his death.’ * Vogue *‘Reads like a thriller and it is so, so timely. The work and emotion put into [the] book is unbelievable.’ * Buzzfeed *‘Lucidly-written, this is a gripping, heart-wrenching journey back to wartime Prague and Berlin. Ariana Neumann has written the book that her remarkable father simply couldn’t.’ -- Tom Gross, former Prague and Jerusalem correspondent. * Sunday Telegraph *‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘The story Ariana Neumann has to tell – a true one – is both exotic and extraordinary. Her combination of impeccable research with a pitch-perfect sense of narrative and suspense kept this early bird up reading, utterly captivated for every single moment, until long after dawn. I can’t begin to remember how many people I’ve since urged to buy this moving and highly original tribute to a remarkable man. What is truly astonishing is that it marks Neumann’s debut.’ -- Miranda Seymour‘When Time Stopped is a beautifully told story of personal discovery, of almost unimaginable human bravery and sacrifice, and a harrowing portrait of living, dying and surviving under the yoke of Nazism.’ -- John Le Carre‘When Time Stopped is Ariana Neumann’s journey of discovery, lyrically set down in this truly exceptional book. She shines an intimate light upon a time unique in its horror, and tells a story of bravery, and rare survival. Yet the events she describes happened more than two decades before she was born. To a man to whom she was very close, but whose secrets she was only able to pursue after his death - thanks to the one hoard of evidence he never destroyed. This is a work of very great talent.’ -- Jon Snow, journalist and Channel 4 television presenter.The story Neumann uncovers is worthy of fiction with hairpin plot twists, daredevil acts of love and unexpected moments of humor in dark times. Given the slew of colorful characters and dramatic details, she could have turned her painstaking research into a historical novel. Instead she has written a superb family memoir that unfolds its poignant power on multiple levels. Yes, her account of one Jewish-Czech family’s race to outwit the Nazis makes for thrilling reading. But just as important is her lucid investigation of the nature of memory, identity and remembrance. * The New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisExam Board: OCRLevel: A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst Teaching: September 2015First Exam: June 2016This is an OCR endorsed resource.Build strong subject knowledge and skills in A Level History using the in-depth analysis and structured support in this tailor-made series for OCR''s British period studies and enquiries.- Develops the analytical skills required to succeed in the period study by organising the narrative content around the key issues for students to explore- Enhances understanding of the chosen historical period, supplying a wealth of extracts and sources that offer opportunities to practise the evaluative skills needed for the enquiry- Progressively improves study skills through developmental activities and advice on answering practice exam questions- Helps students to review, revise and reflect on the course material through chapter summaries and revision activTable of Contents Enquiry Topic: Churchill 1929–1951 Chapter 1: Churchill’s view of events, 1929–1934 Chapter 2: Churchill as wartime Prime Minister Chapter 3: Churchill and international diplomacy 1939–1951 Revise, Review, Reflect: Churchill 1929–1951 British Period Study: Britain 1951–1997 Chapter 4: Conservative domination, 1951–1964 Chapter 5: Labour and Conservative governments 1964–1979 Chapter 6: Thatcher and the end of consensus 1979–1997 Chapter 7: Britain’s position in the world, 1951–1997 Revise, Review, Reflect: Britain 1951–97

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Book SynopsisGraeme Lawson is an archaeologist, musician and historian with a lifelong fascination for music's fossil record. He has held senior research fellowships at Cambridge and the Freie Universität Berlin, pioneering the application of science to music's prehistory and tracing musical continuities through time and across continents.An acknowledged authority in his field, his ability to communicate with the wider public has made him much sought after, both as performer and speaker, and has done much to raise the profile of music archaeology. His writing brings into sharp focus humankind's profound and enduring relationship with sound and music.

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

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Book SynopsisThe World in a Grain of Sand offers a framework for reading literature from the global South that goes against the grain of dominant theories in cultural studies, especially, postcolonial theory. It critiques the valorization of the local in cultural theories typically accompanied by a rejection of universal categories - viewed as Eurocentric projections. But the privileging of the local usually amounts to an exercise in exoticization of the South. The book argues that the rejection of Eurocentric theories can be complemented by embracing another, richer and non-parochial form of universalism. Through readings of texts from India, Sri Lanka, Palestine and Egypt, the book shows that the fine grained engagement with culture, the mapping of ordinary lives not just as objects but subjects of their history, is embedded in much of postcolonial literature in a radical universalism - one that is rooted in local realities, but is able to unearth in them the needs, conflicts and desires that stretch across cultures and time. It is a universalism recognized by Marx and steeped in the spirit of anti-colonialism, but hostile to any whiff of exoticism.Trade ReviewPraise for The Other Side of Terror An Anthology of Writings on Terrorism in South Asia:"A brave attempt to locate political violence in a milieu that neocons are averse to. It succeeds in raising questions that the establishment seeks to drown in its shrill rhetoric and shattering sounds of carpet-bombing." * New Indian Express *Praise for The Other Side of Terror An Anthology of Writings on Terrorism in South Asia:"The anthology aims to give the subject of terror a genealogy other than the one ascribed to it by the Bush doctrine, to examine its impacts in places other than the United States of the 21st century, but most importantly to allow us to engage with the phenomenon in the most complex, situated, historicized, and empathetic way possible. The attempt to canvas literature to make these arguments is quite unique." -- Aparna Sundar * Against The Current *Praise for The Other Side of Terror An Anthology of Writings on Terrorism in South Asia:"It privileges literary texts as forms of media where imaginative and empathetic dialogues can be forged with the histories of occluded and supposedly silent others." -- Amit R Baishya * North East Review *Praise for The Other Side of Terror An Anthology of Writings on Terrorism in South Asia:"An attempt to represent a holistic view that is contrary to the new global understanding of terrorism with rich philosophical insights [and] an innovative way to counter the idea of methodological universalism in understanding social reality." -- Bhagat Oinam * South Asian Popular Culture *A bracing critique of postcolonial orthodoxy from a standpoint decisively to the left of it. Some books are enjoyable but not necessary; this one is both. -- Terry EagletonA bracing critique of postcolonial orthodoxy from a standpoint decisively to the left of it. Some books are enjoyable but not necessary; this one is both. -- Terry EagletonMore than three decades after its intellectual and institutional beginnings, postcolonial theory must still learn to read-and how not to read-postcolonial literature. So argues, convincingly, Nivedita Majumdar in this careful and militantly progressive new work of postcolonial literary criticism and interpretation. A theory launched by high poststructuralism and a then stylish postmodernism's cult of difference and allergy to universals trips over literary narratives that, on the contrary, have everything to do with the concrete universals inseparable from struggles against gender and class oppression. Whether, as Majumdar carefully demonstrates, these narratives (here mostly Anglo- and, refreshingly, non-Anglo-Indian) ultimately prove to be truthful reflections of such struggles and their underlying social realities or not, their genuinely critical reading presupposes a radical universalism at odds with many of the originating texts of postcolonial theory-a theory that Majumdar here goes a long way towards rectifying and redeeming. -- Neil LarsenIn crisp, honest, prose, Majumdar treats the academy's postcolonial royalty with remarkable candor in a series of sharp, often acerbic, close readings. We too often call dissent what are really acts of accommodation, she argues, and ignore the real-world fiction of the periphery - the work, say, of Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay, Mahasweta Devi, and A. Sivanandan - who take their stand not with a classless "difference" but with radical universalism. A compelling case that the darling texts of the Western awards industry (the novels of Ondaatje, Lahiri, and Neel Mukherjee) reflect troubling neo-Orientalist or neoliberal ideas. -- Timothy BrennanIn this vigorously discriminating and deeply engaged book, Professor Majumdar seeks to restore to Postcolonial Studies its pristine political purpose. Going beyond or behind the pervasive complicities of the Postcolonial with Cultural Studies, World Literature and the New Left, she argues for a more meaningful resistance based on the older certitudes of class struggle. She proposes an alternative Postcolonial canon in which the little-known Sharatchandra and Sivanandan are put forward as being more particular and therefore more universal than liberal global figures such as Tagore and Ondaatje. This return to the local, in her affirmation, is a more radical and universalist new turn. -- Harish Trivedi, University of Delhi

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION A spectacular, definitive portrait of ordinary life within one of the world's most repressive states - North Korea. 'A most perceptive and eye-opening account of everyday life in North Korea' Jung Chang North Korea is Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four made reality: it is the only country in the world not connected to the internet; where Gone with the Wind is a dangerous, banned book; and where during political rallies, spies study your expression to check your sincerity. Nothing to Envy weaves together the stories of adversity and resilience of six residents of Chongin, North Korea's third-largest city. From extensive interviews and with tenacious investigative work, Barbara Demick has recreated the concerns, culture and lifestyles of North Korean citizens in a gripping narrative, and vividly reconstructed the inner workings of this extraordinary and secretive country. Includes an updated afterword by the author. 'Impossible to put down ... helps restore humanity to some of the world's most oppressed people' ObserverTrade ReviewA rare and valuable insight ... Nothing to Envy is a searchlight shining on a country cloaked in darkness -- Alastair Mabbott * Herald *Barbara Demick's achievement is to restore a measure of humanity to 23 million human beings. Many scholars have pored over North Korea's atrocious history, its fearful politics, abysmal economics and blood-curdling propaganda. No writer I know has done a better job of clothing these academic concerns with the rich detail of the lives of ordinary people - explaining, simply, what it feels like to be a citizen of the cruellest, most repressive and most retrograde country in the world -- Richard Lloyd Parry * The Times *A most perceptive and eye-opening account of everyday life in North Korea -- Jung ChangThis report on the lives of six of the citizens of totalitarian penal colony is unputdownable and deeply affecting, a worthy winner this week of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction -- David Sexton * Evening Standard *Taking the cases of six individuals and their families, Demick constructs a harrowing narrative of the North's slide into famine following the death of the elder Kim in 1994 ... The Kim dynasty, whose Stalinist cruelty Demick graphically chronicles, has shown remarkable staying power -- Simon Scott Plummer * Daily Telegraph *I loved it - I couldn't pull myself away. This is the first book I've read which tells me about the inner lives of individual North Koreans and the universal cruelty of that regime. Reading this book, I've learnt something about how it feels to be North Korean - it's not unimaginable anymore, but it's even more painful than I could have predicted -- Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 NewsDemick weaves stories derived from interviews and conversations, conducted over a number of years, into a compelling narrative. Her book is a reminder that oral history is one of our greatest resources. Its use in Nothing to Envy makes for a valuable contribution to the literature on North Korea -- Charlotte Middlehurst * New Statesman *A fascinating study in the oral history of Korea in the last decade of the twentieth century ... Nothing to Envy is a fascinating work which highlights in the lives of the individuals concerned the triumph of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity -- Oliver Rafferty * Irish Times *The shroud of silence and misinformation surrounding North Korea means these stories of six lives inside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as told to Los Angeles Times journalist Barbara Demick by "defectors", are a revelation -- Emmanuelle Smith * Financial Times *Barbara Demick, the Beijing bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times, has occasionally been to the north, but on visits so strictly controlled as to be worthless. Talking with émigrés and escapees now living in the south has provided the material for this terrific, often gruelling work of reportage. It gives a harrowing, surreal glimpse of what she calls "this hermit kingdom", which is so secretive and little known that it is the only country on earth not connected to the internet -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *A fair, modest and informative book about North Korea, a country little known and less understood ... most of what her informants say is repeated in indirect speech, and I found their testimonies varied and convincing ... There is much to learn form this carefully written book that draws few conclusions beyond well-grounded individual cases. Barbara Demick says that in satellite pictures of the Far East, North Korea is an "area of darkness". She makes this black hole at least medium grey -- Jonathan Mirsky * Literary Review *Beijing-based journalist Demick draws on extensive interviews with North Koreans who have defected to the South, revealing the truth of ordinary life within Kim Jong-Il's bizarre and repressive Stalinist state * New Humanist *A lovely work of narrative non-fiction ... that offers extensive evidence of the author's deep knowledge of this country while keeping its sights firmly on individual stories and human details -- Dwight Garner * Scotland on Sunday *Eye-opening portrait of the downtrodden and monochrome lives of six ordinary citizens of North Korea ... Granta's comparisons with Stasiland are apt and you keep having to remind yourself this isn't fiction -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller *Nothing To Envy is based on her in-depth interviews with defectors - and their accounts are as harrowing as you would expect -- Siobhan Murphy * Metro *Writing a properly researched book on North Korea seems next to impossible. But in Nothing to Envy, Barbara Demick has done it ... Demick is thorough and fair on the troubled history of Korea -- Roger Hutchinson * Scotsman *In a detailed account of North Korea, Demick looks beyond the country's politics to engage with the human experience and suffering of its residents * Sunday Times *This remarkable book confirms our fears but does much more and is the deserving winner of the 2010 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize ... Barbara Demick is a reporter of impressive tenacity and thoroughness ... Many of those who defected have found their freedom hard to handle. Theirs have been lives twice blighted. But Demick does them proud -- Joan Bakewell * The Times *Barbara Demick, who has an easy winning style, introduces us to a county of suppressed impulses and state propaganda ... This compelling book, a worthy winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson prize, details the experiences of six North Koreans who defected to China or South Korea -- Ian Pindar * Guardian *I've never read anything quite like it ... Demick has unearthed some heartbreaking human stories -- William Leith * Evening Standard *Awarded this year's Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction, this book by the former Korea correspondent of the Los Angeles Times uses the accounts of six defectors to reconstruct everyday life under the secretive communist regime * New Statesman *A fascinating portrait of a population bred from birth to be state automatons ... Alongside the daring prison breaks and midnight escapes through icy rivers to reach China, the tales of everyday love and loss make Nothing to Envy impossible to put down ... Demick's important book, by illuminating previously hidden aspects of North Korean life, helps restore humanity to some of the world's most oppressed people -- Imogen Carter * Observer *This is an extreme book ... I've never read anything like it ... Demick has unearthed some heartbreaking human stories * Scotsman *This compelling account of life and death in Korea is eye-opening and often heart-rending. Demick's perceptiveness in describing the inner life of individual North Koreans both enthrals and horrifies. One of the most fascinating books of the year * Independent on Sunday *An elegant, honourable and meticulously referenced account of a country the author calls "grimly dysfunctional". It is an inspiring read. -- Celia Brayfield * The Times *Thoroughly deserving winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize. * Independent on Sunday *Much-praised 2010 winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, this is a painstakingly researched and gruelling account of the hardships and cruelties of life in the world's most isolated, eccentric and oppressive state -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times *A story of epic stoicism and suffering and illuminated by such jaw-dropping details as the doctors who have to donate their own skin to conduct operations -- Brian Schofield * Sunday Times *A brilliant, timely work of very modern history and a deserving winner of the 2010 BBC Samuel Johnson prize -- Rob Attar * BBC History Magazine *Amy Bloom turned her unflinching gaze on the map of the human heart, finding solace in our ability to love no matter what -- Claire Allfree * Metro *gripping, revealing, enraging and unexpectedly inspiring -- Ursula Doyle, editorial director of Virago as the 2010 book she wished she had published * Guardian *A vivid picture of life in the Hermit Kingdom. It deserved the awards it has been winning * The Times *Redolent and disturbing, an account of real lives drawn from interviews with defectors from the shadowy (actually dark) and sinister world of North Korea -- Pete Irvine * Scotland on Sunday *A rare light on so hidden a country, and all the more remarkable for its unfailingly engaging humanity * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThe untold story of the birth of Impressionism from the ashes of war

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Book SynopsisThis is the poignant account of twenty-five years spent in Orkney. After her marriage to an islander, Christine Muir went to live on the tiny island of North Ronaldsay, where she and her husband brought up their four children and ran a small croft. Her story is abeautifully observed record of life on one of Britain's northernmost islands.

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Book SynopsisOn July 31, 1975, Stephen Travers' life was shattered when a Loyalist gang ambushed the band, murdering three of his friends in an attack that would become one of the darkest moments of The Troubles. This book is both a deeply personal reckoning and a song for all those silenced by conflict, offering a path toward healing and, finally, peace.

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Book SynopsisFrom mermaids to dragons, 16 ancient Celtic fairy tales retold with their histories The Celtic cultures of the British Isles – Ireland, Scotland and Wales – have produced some of the richest traditional tales in Europe. Three words best sum up their themes and flavour: adventure, enchantment and romance. In this book, Rosalind Kerven has revived the best Celtic fairy tales for a new generation. The stories are sourced from old folk tale collections from all three regions, alongside selected medieval Welsh and Irish texts. • Visit mysterious Otherworlds inside the hills and below the sea – including a land where only the truth is ever spoken. • Meet iconic characters such as the first great Welsh poet, Taliesin, and the mighty Irish hero, Fionn mac Cumhaill. • Cheer on bold Scots lasses such as Mallie Whuppy, as she outwits a fearsome giant, and Kate Crackernuts, who rescues a prince from bewitchment. • Encounter witches, fairies, a bogle, talking animals and strange underwater beings. Each story is retold from the medieval texts and oral storytelling traditions of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with fascinating background notes and a long list of sources and further reading included. The background notes feature a list of source material, analyses of themes, and examples of similar legends from all over Europe. Trade Review'A gorgeous hardback.' Author of Times Bestseller 'SISTERSONG' and 'Song of The Huntress' Lucy Holland

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Book SynopsisThe twelve books of Meditations were written over 2,000 years ago by the Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius as a personal diary of notes, nudges and mental exercises to help him live a good life. Yet, with their gentle instructions on living stoically, in harmony with nature and in pursuit of the common good', they seem the perfect fit for managing the modern malaise. Little wonder that legions of text-only translations are dominating the bestseller lists. The Illustrated Meditations takes all that is admirable about Aurelius, and elevates it. A curated selection of his most significant life lessons are arranged thematically in chapters, and carefully edited to make them mindful of today's readers. Introductions explain their history and philosophy, and a commentary is provided by a modern philosopher. Most significantly, a selection of fifty meditations are beautifully illuminated with thoughtful and witty commissioned artworks to bring them to life. Whether you wish to be the bee that maintains the good order of the hive, or the rocky cliff that happily endures the constant waves, The Illustrated Meditations is the perfect stoic starting point.

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Book Synopsis''A searing, nourishing journey through a history the world needs'' - Bettany Hughes, bestselling author of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World ''Please read it!'' - Philippa Gregory, bestselling author of Normal Women''Poetic and fierce'' - Olivette Otele, author of African Europeans''An exciting and rich work for anyone who is curious about African history'' - Paterson Joseph, author of The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho''Beautiful and thought-provoking'' - Stylist_____________________________________________________There are women who ruled vast swathes of the African continent. They led, loved and fought for their kingdoms and people and their impact can still be felt today. However, beyond the lands they called home, so few of us have heard their names. From pre-colonial Nigeria to the rich plains of Rwanda, from the hills of Madagascar to apartheid South Africa, historian Akpan traces the lives of these powerful queens and takes you on a spellbinding, enrapturing and immersive journey that is nothing short of revelatory.Beautifully researched and filled with fascinating stories of royalty, ancient civilisations, conquest and colonisation, When We Ruled is a gripping new history where women take centre stage._____________________________________________________''A rich, sumptuous and beautifully written tapestry'' - Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of Queenie''A treasure trove'' - Bolu Babalola, bestselling author of Love in Colour and Honey & Spice

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“The Great Plague of 1665 is too often seen as a metropolitan disaster, even though it brought death and dislocation across much of southern and eastern England. This timely study of Cambridge provides a thorough and imaginative account of the crisis which the epidemic inflicted upon the town, describing the impact upon its society and the experiences of individual families. In doing so it makes a valuable addition to both the literature on the Great Plague and the history of the town.”—Stephen Porter, author of The Great Plague“Rich in the sights and sounds and smells of a seventeenth-century city, this is an evocative portrait of a teeming social world shattered by epidemic disease. Evelyn Lord’s adroit and sensitive reconstruction of daily routines and the urban landscape cranks up the tension as plague advances steadily towards its victims. We follow people down winding streets and alleys and peer into homes, finding there pitiful scenes of the dead and the dying and the distressed. Lord’s tale is horrific yet ultimately uplifting as life crowds back into the spaces left by the grim reaper—panic and misery followed by hope and recovery.”—Malcolm Gaskill, author of Witchfinders: A Seventeenth-Century English Tragedy

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Book SynopsisFormation tracks the unlikely series of events and characters that led to the creation of the modern Nigerian nation: from 1804 when the first Jihadists began their attack on a collection of independent nations to 1914 when the current shape of Nigeria was completed as a British colony through amalgamation. Formation sheds light on an increasingly forgotten and largely mythologised period of Nigeria's history; revealing an incredibly complicated portrait of a nation with a tangled history, where violence was and remains a primary organising principle for elite competition and political negotiations. Influential figures loom large over the narrative including: Usman dan Fodio, Modibbo Adama, Fred Lugard, Samuel Ajayi-Crowther, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Flora Shaw, Joseph Chamberlain alongside other well-known and many less familiar names.

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

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Book Synopsis'Lively and amusing [...] an engaging read. Ryan successfully makes this ancient civilisation more immediate and accessible.' - Current World Archaeology _____________________'[Donald] Ryan - who has worked in and on Egypt for decades, as an archaeologist, historian and popular writer - has succeeded in bringing all of his characters to life. This is a great little volume.' - KMT Magazine_____________________'Very readable [...] its originality lies in the clever construction of the content. The variety of characters covered allows for a considerable breadth of information on life for the rich and poor.' - Ancient Egypt Magazine_____________________Spend 24 hours with the inhabitants of the most powerful kingdom in the ancient world.Ancient Egypt wasn’t all pyramids, sphinxes and gold sarcophagi. For your average Egyptian, life was tough, and work was hard, conducted under the burning gaze of the sun god Ra.During the course of a day in the ancient city of Thebes (modern-day Luxor), Egypt’s religious capital, we meet 24 Egyptians from all strata of society – from the king to the bread-maker, the priestess to the fisherman, the soldier to the midwife – and get to know what the real Egypt was like by spending an hour in their company. We encounter a different one of these characters every hour and in every chapter, and through their eyes see what an average day in ancient Egypt was really like.

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Book SynopsisThe Imperium series continues in this asymmetric card-based civilisation building game for 14 players, charting the rise and fall of fourteen of the greatest civilisations from history.Formidable adversaries are arrayed against you. Your people stand ready. History beckons.In your hands lies the destiny of one of the most storied peoples of history. Under constant threat of attack, you must conquer new lands, oversee dramatic scientific and cultural advances, and lead your people into the era of empire. Expand too rapidly and unrest will bring your civilisation to its knees; build up too slowly, however, and you might find yourself a mere footnote of history. As one of fourteen radically asymmetric civilisations, you will compete to become the most dominant empire the world has ever seen.Imperium: Horizons is a standalone game that contains the Abbasid, Askumite, Cultist, Gupta, Inuit, Japanese, Magyar, Martian, Mayan, Polyn

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Book SynopsisDiscover hidden gems around Manchester with 20 walking routes. Featuring 20 walks in and around the city, including lesser-known circuits and details on popular walks. Accompanied by guided walking instructions and written by a local expert, A-Z Manchester Hidden Walks is the perfect way to explore the city in a new light.

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Book SynopsisJapanese woodblock printing is a beautiful art that traces its roots back to the eighth century. It uses a unique system of registration, cutting and printing. This practical book explains the process from design drawing to finished print, and then introduces more advanced printing and carving techniques, plus advice on editioning your prints and their aftercare, tool care and sharpening. Supported by nearly 200 colour photographs, this new book advises on how to develop your ideas, turning them into sketches and a finished design drawing, then how to break an image into the various blocks needed to make a print. It also explains how to use a tracing paper transfer method to take your design from drawing to woodblock and, finally, explains the traditional systems of registration, cutting and printing that define an authentic Japanese woodblock.

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Book SynopsisThe classic Cold War thriller, published as a Penguin Essential for the first time.Alec Leamas is tired. It''s the 1960s, he''s been out in the cold for years, spying in Berlin for his British masters, and has seen too many good agents murdered for their troubles. Now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment. He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country, a job that he will do with his usual cynical professionalism. But when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended, Leamas''s mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done. In le Carré''s breakthrough work of 1963, the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining.''Superbly constructed, with an atmosphere of chilly hell'' J.B. Priestley''The best spy story I have ever read'' Graham Greene''The master storyteller ... has lost none of his cunning'' A. N. Wilson''I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be'' Malcolm Gladwell''One of those very rare novels that changes the way you look at the world. Unflinching, highly sophisticated, superb'' William BoydTrade ReviewPassionate, intense, wonderful -- David NichollsThe best spy story I have ever read -- Graham GreeneA masterpiece, the best espionage novel ever written -- John BanvilleOne of those writers who will be read a century from now -- Robert Harris

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Book SynopsisThe international million copy bestseller recounting the epic turning point of the WW2______________In October 1942, an officer wrote ''Stalingrad is no longer a town . . . Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure''.The battle for Stalingrad became the focus of Hitler and Stalin''s determination and its citizens endured unimaginable hardship as a result. But the eventual victory of the Red Army, and the failure of Hitler''s Operation Barbarossa, was the first defeat of Hitler''s territorial ambitions in Europe, and the start of his decline.An extraordinary story of tactical genius, civilian bravery, obsession, carnage and the nature of war itself, Stalingrad will act as a testament to the vital role of the soviet war effort.______________''He reveals the full awfulness and human cost of the conflict with scholarly verve and deep sympathy'' Ben Macintyre''A superb re-telling. Beevor combines a soldier''s understanding of war''s realities with the narrative techniques of a novelist'' Orlando Figes, Sunday Telegraph''A brilliantly researched tour de force of military history'' Sarah Bradford, The TimesTrade Review'Captivating . . . Jingoistic statues never pay a proper tribute to the dead, but honest books, like this one, certainly do' -- Vitali Vitaliev * Guardian *Antony Beevor gained access to the unplumbed records, and he reveals the full awfulness and human cost of the conflict with scholarly verve and deep sympathy. The pity of war has seldom been rendered so well -- Ben MacintyreA brilliantly researched tour de force of military history -- Sarah Bradford * The Times *Antony Beevor's account of this historic turning-point is truly powerful, written with a compelling narrative drive . . . This is a fine achievement -- David Pryce-Jones * Daily Mail *A superb re-telling. Beevor combines a soldier's understanding of war's realities with the narrative techniques of a novelist . . . This is a book that lets the reader look into the face of battle -- Orlando Figes * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing AwardsIn The Hidden Ways, Alistair Moffat traverses the lost paths of Scotland - its Roman roads tramped by armies, its byways and pilgrim routes, drove roads and railways, turnpikes and sea roads - in a bid to understand how our history has left its mark upon our landscape. As he retraces the forgotten paths that shaped and were shaped by the lives of the now forgotten people who trod them, Moffat charts a powerful, surprising and moving history of Scotland.Trade ReviewOur ancestors walked everywhere, unless they lived by a river or loch and travelled by boat, or were rich enough to keep a horse or pony. So Moffat will walk. He will walk over much of Scotland, following, sometimes struggling to follow, old roads that are now sometimes hard to find. This book is the story of a dozen such walks. This is a splendidly rich book - a treasure-house of information, memories and speculation -- Allan Massie * * The Scotsman * *This fascinating and compelling narrative will leave you spellbound and in no time you'll be looking for your hiking boots and waterproofs . . . An absorbing and thought-provoking addition to the literature of Scotland's byways * * Countryfile * *The Hidden Ways makes us think about Scotland and its history in a completely different way . . . A truly fascinating read * * Sunday Mail * *Retracing and walking Scotland's lost paths makes Alistair Moffat reflect upon the country's history in a different sort of way . . . From Perthshire to Ballachulish, Moffat explores the land in a personal, inquisitive way and searches for evidence of the people who helped shape it * * Outdoor Photography * *A treasure trove of stories * * The Great Outdoors * *A fine history of the wild, walkable country * * Wanderlust * *Praise for The Great Tapestry of Scotland: 'Not just visually stunning but intensely moving and occasionally very funny * * The Times * *Praise for The Border: 'Quirky, learned and utterly absorbing -- ALLAN MASSIEPraise for The Scots: 'Truly fascinating * * Scotsman * *Praise for Scotland: 'A very readable, well-researched and fluent account * * Scotland on Sunday * *

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Book SynopsisIn MAFIA REPUBLIC, John Dickie, Professor of Italian Studies at University College, London and author of the international bestsellers COSA NOSTRA and MAFIA BROTHERHOODS, shows how the Italian mafias have grown in power and become more and more interconnected, with terrifying consequences. In 1946, Italy became a democratic Republic, thereby entering the family of modern western nations. But deep within Italy there lurked a forgotten curse: three major criminal brotherhoods, whose methods had been honed over a century of experience. As Italy grew, so did the mafias. Sicily''s Cosa Nostra, the camorra from Naples, and the mysterious ''ndrangheta from Calabria stood ready to enter the wealthiest and bloodiest period of their long history.Italy made itself rich by making scooters, cars and handbags. The mafias carved out their own route to wealth through tobacco smuggling, construction, kidnapping and narcotics. And as criminal business grew exponentially, the maTrade ReviewJohn Dickie combines narrative skills in his description of skulduggery with excellent pen portraits of striking individuals...no one anywhere writes with such authority on Italy's criminal gangs. * Times Literary Supplement *Chilling and eye-opening. -- Bill Emmott * The Times *'I've been so unsettled by John Dickie's Mafia Republic - his angry and moving new history of the power of the Italian criminal fraternities since the Second World War.' -- Samira Ahmed * Big Issue *REVIEWS FOR MAFIA BROTHERHOODS: * . *His narrative bowls along, powered by the sort of muscular prose one associates with great detective fiction. An exhilarating history. * Financial Times *'Exciting and well-written... like a 19th-century Sopranos'. * Shortlist *'Fine social history and hair-raising true crime'. * Independent *By shining a light so powerfully into the darkest recesses of mafia mythology and history, Dickie's new book will certainly provide a concrete tool in the anti-mafia struggle to which many Italians and Calabrians in Australia and Italy are passionately committed. * Australian Literary Review *Magisterial ... absorbing. * Scotsman *BLOOD BROTHERHOODS is almost certainly the most ambitious true-crime assignment ever. The result is a stunning success: a sprawling, powerful historical narrative that is the definitive story of Sicily's Mafia, the Camorra of Naples, and Calabria's 'Ndrangheta. * The Adelaide Advertiser *Yet Dickie thinks there are "more reasons for optimism today than at any point in the past"... it's a point well made. * Financial Times *

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThe modern nation of Finland is the heir to centuries of history, as a wilderness at the edge of early Europe, a borderland of the Swedish empire, and a Grand Duchy of tsarist Russia. And, as Jonathan Clements' vivid, concise volume shows, it is a tale paved with oddities and excitements galore: from prehistoric reindeer herders to medieval barons, Christian martyrs to Viking queens, and, in the twentieth century, the war heroes who held off the Soviet Union against impossible odds. Offering accounts of public artworks, literary giants, legends, folktales, and famous figures, Clements provides an indispensable portrait of this fascinating nation.This updated edition includes expanded coverage on the Second World War, as well as new sections on Finns in America and Russia, the centenary of the republic, and Finland's battle with COVID-19, right up to its historic application to join NATO.Trade Review'Highly entertaining' Nordic Reach; 'Lively and humorous... a good introduction to Finland' Scandinavian Journal of History

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