History Books

Book SynopsisDiscover the long and rich history of the island of Ireland, from the very earliest Mesolithic inhabitants to Vikings and Celts and the modern 21st-century nation of today.

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Book Synopsis'Oliver is an evocative storyteller, vividly bringing his tales to life' BBC HistoryFrom Genghis Khan's domination on earth to Armstrong's first steps on the moon, discover the 100 moments that defined humanity and shaped our world forever.Neil Oliver takes us on a whistle-stop tour around the world and through a million years to give us this unique and invaluable grasp of how human history pieces together.From the east to the west, north to south, these 100 moments act like stepping stones allowing us to make sense of how these pivotal events have shaped the world we know today.Including many moments readers will expect - from the advent of the printing press to the birth of the internet - there are also surprises, and with them, some remarkable, unforgettable stories that give a whole new insight on our past.From the bestselling author of The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places, this is outstanding new history of how our world was made from 5000 BC to the present.*********************Praise for Neil Oliver'Neil Oliver writes beautifully - bringing the past to life and letting us see ourselves in a new light.' - Professor Alice Roberts'Brilliantly demonstrates Neil's mastery of the broad sweep of British history and landscape.' - Dan Snow'Highly-crafted...a vivid, pungent history.' - TLS'Compelling' - Daily MailTrade ReviewFascinating...This reminds us of the great, enduring importance of looking back at the past in order to better understand the present and help us in the future. A must-read this year. * This England *Oliver continues to write his beautiful, lyrical stories, and refuses to be anything other than himself. Maybe the people who persist in throwing ideological toilet paper at him could learn something from that. Meanwhile, for the rest of us, the best way to see Neil Oliver as he really is, is to read his books. -- Helen Dale * Law & Liberty *

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Book SynopsisChronicles the transformation of a Dravidian socio-cultural movement into an electorally viable political party in Tamil Nadu.

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Book SynopsisThis volume analyses the transformation of social sectarianism into political sectarianism across the Arab world. Using a framework of social theories and socio-historical analysis, the book distinguishes between 'ta'ifa', or 'sect', and modern 'ta'ifiyya', 'sectarianism', arguing that sectarianism itself produces 'imaginary sects'. It charts and explains the evolution of these phenomena and their development in Arab and Islamic history, as distinct from other concepts used to study religious groups within Western contexts. Bishara documents the role played by internal and external factors and rivalries among political elites in the formulation of sectarian identity, citing both historical and contemporary models. He contends that sectarianism does not derive from sect, but rather that sectarianism resurrects the sect in the collective consciousness and reproduces it as an imagined community under modern political and historical conditions. Sectarianism Without Sects is a vital resource for engaging with the sectarian crisis in the Arab world. It provides a detailed historical background to the emergence of sect in the region, as well as a complex theoretical exploration of how social identities have assumed political significance in the struggle for power over the state.

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Book Synopsis Providing a comprehensive set of guidance to assist researchers wishing to carry out, curate and disseminate field research at a historic burial ground, chapters offer up to date methods for surface and subsurface survey and for the recording and archiving of burial monument data. Divided into three parts considering documentary research and recording of mortuary landscapes, reflections on memorial recording projects, and archiving and wider dissemination of data and interpretations. Also included is the archaeological potential of pet cemeteries and other pet memorials. Discussions therefore include how methodologies may or may not be applicable to both human and animal subjects.Trade Review “…the chapters provide a clear description of historic cemetery archaeological practices, giving individuals a better idea of potential archaeological projects and careers and the challenges faced by those in the field.” • Heather Garvin, Des Moines University “This is a timely, well-organized volume that focuses on new and updated approaches toward cemetery studies. The 14 chapters outline different but complimentary methodologies in cemetery studies and their application over a cross section of global locations.” • Nancy E. Tatarek, Ohio UniversityTable of Contents List of illustrations List of tables Acknowledgements Introduction Harold Mytum and Richard Veit Part I: Exploring Surface, Subsurface and Documentary Evidence Chapter 1. Applying Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to Record and Interpret Mortuary Monuments Harold Mytum Chapter 2. Reevaluating Empty Sections Within Historic Cemeteries: Discovering Victims of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic Mark Nonestied Chapter 3. Is Anyone Out There? Survey and Research Techniques for CRM Projects when Burial Grounds/Cemeteries Border Construction Projects Mickey Dobbin and Bob Dean Chapter 4. Who Lies Where? A Land and Air-based Survey Methodology for Documenting Historic Cemeteries Richard W. Hunter, James S. Lee III, Alexis Alemy and Evan Mydlowski Part II: Field Recording of Monuments and Burial Ground Management Chapter 5. Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Evaluating Earlier Cemetery Monument Records through Modern Recording Anne G. Giesecke and Dan Steffen Chapter 6. An International Mortuary Monument Recording System - From Site Analysis to International Comparative Studies Harold Mytum Chapter 7. “As Old as Pompeii or Herculaneum”: Kolkata, India’s South Park Street Cemetery, An Example of Rapid Recording Richard Veit Chapter 8. Standing for Sacred Spaces: NC Division of Cultural Resources and the African American Burial Ground Network Act Melissa A Timo Chapter 9. Mourning and Remembering Deceased Companion Species: Mortuary Monuments and Graves for Horses in Finland Tiina Äikäs, Janne Ikäheimo, Tuija Kirkinen, Karin Hemmann, and Päivi Laine Chapter 10. Preserving the Rainbow Bridge: Recording Pet Cemeteries Eric Tourigny Part III: Archiving and Dissemination Chapter 11. Discovering England's Burial Spaces (DEBS): Using Digital Tools in Graveyard Recording and Archiving Julian D Richards, Toby Pillatt, Debbie Maxwell, Gareth Beale and Nicole Smith Chapter 12. The Cemetery Surveyor Application: Non-paper data Collection Methods in Luxembourg Burial Grounds Christoph K. Streb, Cyrille Médard de Chardon, and Thomas Kolnberger Chapter 13. Burial Grounds on the Web: Reviewing the Role of Digital Data beyond Genealogy, and how Historical Archaeology can play its part Anna Fairley Nielsson Chapter 14. Burial Ground Recording and Analysis: Where Next? Harold Mytum and Richard Veit Index

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

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

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Book SynopsisThis book includes all the major and minor engagements between the IRA and Crown Forces; the actions described have never before been so extensively researched and published in such a comprehensive and balanced fashion.

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Book SynopsisExplore the legacy of one of the greatest battles in military history the Battle of Waterloo through this finely crafted collection of objects, each telling their own story of the day. Bullet-pierced armour and dramatic battledress bring you closer to the heart of the action, and the tragedy of the death toll is made ever more poignant by the personal mementoes left behind. From the grim reality of the teeth of the dead turned into dentures to the romance of Napoleon's steeds, swash-buckling swords and ballgowns, each object offers new insight into the incredible events that unfolded on 18 June 1815. This is a fascinating journey through 100 objects, from the rare to the memorable, in a unique testimony to the importance of the Battle of Waterloo, 200 years on.

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Book SynopsisTo paraphrase L.P. Hartley, “The past is a different country.” Stan L Abbott sets out to explore the visible clues to our mysterious past from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages: stone circles. Cumbria boasts more of these monuments than any other English county. Here, our tallest mountains are ringed by almost fifty circles and henges, most of them sited in the foothills or on outlying plateaux. Were these the earliest such monuments in Britain, placing Cumbria at the heart of Neolithic society? And what traces of that society remain today in the roads we travel, the food we eat, the words we speak, our work and play? By observing and comparing many sites in Cumbria and beyond, and researching many sources, a greater understanding emerges. Were some circles built for ritualistic purposes, or perhaps astronomical? Were they burial sites? Or were they just places for people to meet? Illustrated with linocut illustrations by artist Denise Burden, Ring of Stone Circles follows the search for the hidden stories these monuments guard – and might reveal if we get to know them.Trade Review'An energetic and informed historical adventure shining a light on Neolithic Cumbria.' -- Emily Atherton, Editor, Cumberland and Westmorland Herald

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Book SynopsisMiller provides a clear and comprehensible narrative, a coherent and accurate synthesis, intended as a guide for students and the general reader to an extremely complex period in British history. His aim is to help readers avoid getting lost in a maze of detail and rather to maintain a grasp of the big picture. Although the English Civil War is usually seen, in England at least, as a conflict between two sides, it involved the Scots, the Irish and the army and the people of England, especially London. At some points, events occurred and perspectives changed with such disorienting rapidity that even those who lived through these events were confused as to where they stood in relation to one another.As the 1640s wore on, events unfolded in ways which the participants had not expected and in many cases did not want. Hindsight might suggest that everything led logically to the trial and execution of the king, but these were in fact highly improbable outcomes.Since the 1980s, a 'three kingdoms' approach has become almost compulsory, but Miller's focus is unashamedly on England. Events in Scotland and Ireland are covered only insofar as they had an impact on events in England.

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Book SynopsisOn the first morning of Rome's Covid-19 lockdown Matthew Kneale felt an urge to connect with friends and acquaintances and began writing an email, describing where he was, what was happening and what it felt like, and sent it to everyone he could think of. He was soon composing daily reports as he tried to comprehend a period of time, when everyone's lives suddenly changed and Italy struggled against an epidemic, that was so strange, so troubling and so fascinating that he found it impossible to think about anything else. Having lived in Rome for eighteen years, Matthew has grown to know the capital and its citizens well and this collection of brilliant diary pieces connects what he has learned about the city with this extraordinary, anxious moment, revealing the Romans through the intense prism of the coronavirus crisis.Trade ReviewThe novelist Matthew Kneale has lived in Rome for 18 years and his response to the news of Italy's first Covid lockdown was to unburden himself by writing a long email to family, friends and even people he'd lost touch with years ago... Collected here, his wry and questioning meanderings lace an ordeal with charm. * New Statesman *Fascinating... It's a book to delight anyone with an interest in European culture. * NB Magazine *Joie de vivre radiates from every page. * Strong Words Magazine *An unflinching look at the Italian capital during its shutdown last year. * Monocle *

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Book Synopsis'Rich and moving' New York Times'A book that expands and breaks your heart' Adelle Waldman, author of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.A revelatory enquiry into selfhood, freedom, mortality, storytelling, and what it means to be a mother's daughterDuring one of the texting sessions that became our habit over the period I now think of as both late and early in our relationship, my mother revealed the existence of someone named Janis Jerome.So begins Michelle Orange's extraordinary inquiry into the meaning of maternal legacy - in her own family and across a century of seismic change. Jerome, she learns, is one of her mother's many alter egos: the name used in a case study, eventually sold to the Harvard Business Review, about her midlife choice to leave her husband and children to pursue career opportunities in a bigger city. A flashpoint in the lives of both mother and daughter, the decision forms the heart of a broader exploration of the impact of feminism on what Adrienne Rich called 'the great unwritten story': that of the mother-daughter bond.Through a blend of memoir, social history, and cultural criticism, Pure Flame pursues a chain of personal, intellectual, and collective inheritance, tracing the forces that helped transform the world and what a woman might expect from it.Trade ReviewThe best book I've read this year...unsparing, stylishly written, and profoundly loving, the book is as original as it is powerful... a book that expands and breaks your heart, not with sentimentality but with its intelligence and compassion. -- Adelle WaldmanA provocative, meditative, funny, feminist adventure about two women trying to tell each other the stories that matter while there's still time. -- Alexander CheeRich and moving . . . Orange skirts the traps of the mother-daughter memoir by going beyond personal history. . . Pure Flame may be Orange's legacy. -- Maggie Doherty * New York Times *Recasts the notion of maternal legacy and fills it with pointed mystery and informed sincerity. Pure Flame is a tutorial in bending creative non-fiction. -- Kiese LaymonSometimes achingly sad, but often warm and evocative... a brilliant work of feminist critique. -- Lauren Puckett-Pope * US Elle *Powerful . . .honest, fair, and compassionate. -- Veronica Esposito * Literary Hub *[A] nuanced and original memoir -- Terri Apter * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking work, Ellen Meiksins Wood rewrites the history of political theory, from Plato to Rousseau. Treating canonical thinkers as passionately engaged human beings, Wood examines their ideas not simply in the context of political languages but as creative responses to the social relations and conflicts of their time and place. She identifies a distinctive relation between property and state in Western history and shows how the canon, while largely the work of members or clients of dominant classes, was shaped by complex interactions among proprietors, labourers and states. Western political theory, Wood argues, owes much of its vigour, and also many ambiguities, to these complex and often contradictory relations.In the first volume, she traces the development of the Western tradition from classical antiquity through to the Middle Ages in the perspective of social history - a significant departure not only from the standard abstract history of ideas but also from other contextual methods. From the Ancient Greek polis of Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus and Sophocles, through the Roman Republic of Cicero and the Empire of St Paul and St Augustine, to the medieval world of Averroes, Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham, Wood offers a rich, dynamic exploration of thinkers and ideas that have indelibly stamped our modern world.In the second volume, Wood addresses the formation of the modern state, the rise of capitalism, the Renaissance and Reformation, the scientific revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, which have all been attributed to the "early modern" period. Nearly everything about its history remains controversial, but one thing is certain: it left a rich and provocative legacy of political ideas unmatched in Western history. The concepts of liberty, equality, property, human rights and revolution born in those turbulent centuries continue to shape, and to limit, political discourse today. Assessing the work and background of figures such as Machiavelli, Luther, Calvin, Spinoza, the Levellers, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, Ellen Wood vividly explores the ideas of the canonical thinkers, not as philosophical abstractions but as passionately engaged responses to the social conflicts of their day.Trade ReviewMeiksins Wood is a rare breed - an academic with the soul of a storyteller. * Morning Star *Few historians of comparative political thought are in the same league as Ellen Wood, who surveys the whole sweep of ancient and medieval thinkers with equal magisterial brilliance of insight. -- Professor Paul Cartledge, University of CambridgeA challenging analysis, which successfully integrates theory with historical changes. The clarity of the writing makes her account readily accessible to any reader ready to engage a fresh approach to the history of political theory. -- Sheldon WolinImmensely impressive, bold and erudite. Meiksins Wood's conclusions are undeniably nuanced, challenging and important. This book ought to be compulsory reading for us all. * Times Higher Education Supplement *This book is clearly written, incisively argued, and immensely informative. * CHOICE *A notable book, wide-ranging and perceptive. Wood addresses the heartland of the historiography of political thought from Machiavelli to Rousseau, the territory of its most successful recent practitioners. -- Jonathan Clark * Times Literary Supplement *The writing is so supple and accessible, and the argument so persuasive, it's like watching a cloudy mixture of ideas being turned into a clear solution. -- Adrienne RichWood was an extraordinarily rigorous and imaginative thinker, someone who breathed life into Marxist political theory and made it speak-not to just to me but to many others-at multiple levels: historical, theoretical, political. -- Corey Robin * Jacobin *

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Book SynopsisThrough a series of lively and accessible biographical essays, Red Valkyries explores the history of socialist feminism century Eastern Europe. By examining the revolutionary careers of five prominent socialist women active in the 19th and 20th centuries-the aristocratic Bolshevik, Alexandra Kollontai; the radical pedagogue, Nadezhda Krupskaya; the polyamorous firebrand, Inessa Armand; the deadly sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko; and the partisan turned scientist turned global women's activist, Elena Lagadinova-Kristen Ghodsee tells the story of the personal challenges faced by earlier generations of socialist and communist women. None of these women were "perfect" leftists. Their lives were filled with inner conflicts, contradictions, and sometimes outrageous privilege, but they still managed to move forward their own political projects through perseverance and dedication to their cause. Always walking a fine line between the need for class solidarity and the desire to force their sometimes callous male colleagues to take women's issues seriously, these five women pursued novel solutions with lessons for activists of today. In brief conversational chapters-with plenty of concrete examples from the history of the state socialist countries in Eastern Europe and contemporary reflections on the status of women in the world today-Ghodsee renders the big ideas of socialist feminism accessible to those newly inspired by the emancipatory politics of insurgent left feminist movements around the globe.Trade ReviewWe've needed this book longer than we know: celebrating and learning from revolutionary socialist women, Red Valkyries gifts us with models essential to today's struggles. Kristen Ghodsee breaks down the wall liberal feminism built in women's history, bringing to life a vision of emancipation that continues to be worth fighting for. -- Jodi Dean, author of ComradeWritten with clarity and zest, Red Valkyries is an illuminating introduction to the extraordinary lives of prominent socialist women in the Soviet Union and Bulgaria. -- Sheila RowbothamIn our historical moment, quotas of women in power positions and correct manners or expressions are obfuscating the long historical link between feminism and radical politics. Ghodsee's Red Valkyries is exactly the book needed to correct this misperception and help feminism to rejoin its radical past. The five figures analyzed were fighters who pursued the feminist cause through their full engagement in revolutionary political struggle. Can we still imagine this, in our era obsessed with victimization? -- Slavoj ZizekRed Valkyries is a fascinating alternative history of the feminist movement, told from the perspective of the east rather than the west. The women Ghodsee profiles are committed socialists who realise that women's liberation is incompatible with capitalism, and who also frequently struggle against the centralisation of power within their own countries. Required reading for anyone seeking out an alternative to #girlboss feminism. -- Grace BlakeleyA beautiful book about the intimate lives and bold ideas of a range of Communist women, people who built their revolutionary dreams into reality. Ghodsee lifts up the immense contradiction between the future-oriented social hopes of these revolutionaries, these exiles from the future, and the grip of the social conventions of the present. -- Vijay PrashadFunny and politically illuminating, Ghodsee writes with the clear-sighted directness of the revolutionary women she describes. Women's sexual, political and daily emancipation were the eye of the socialist storm for Kollantai, Krupskaya, Armand and Lagadinova. Ghodsee's book breathes new life into their stories of how to create a world without patriarchy. -- Elizabeth Armstrong, Smith CollegeKristen Ghodsee's new book is a well-documented and immensely personal guide to the 20th-century East European socialist women's movement. The author extracts from silence and saves from oblivion five women who have made an attempt to change not only their own, personal history, but also political, social and cultural history of women in Europe and worldwide. It is a story about a communist revolution in which women played a significant role, creating and implementing the project of a better world for all people. Reflections on the past are not, however, used to celebrate it nostalgically, but to draw conclusions for the future - how to act to build an alternative to the hegemony of capitalism and nationalism. This well-written, passionate story about the "red Valkyries" shows that socialism is not a song of the past, but still valid and long-awaited response to the challenges of the present world. Ghodsee argues that the history is not over, but rushes forward. Speeding up, however, it needs signposts to avoid falling into the abyss. The Red Valkyries will be perfect for this role. -- Agnieszka Mrozik, Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of SciencesUntil the late 20th century, you could pay close attention in school, graduate from a prestigious university with a degree in history and still never find out who Harriet Tubman was. Outrageous, right? But due to capitalist ideology and Cold War hangover, you could still do all that and never learn about Alexandra Kollontai or Inessa Armand, or any of history's great Communist women. Kristen Ghodsee's riveting account of these complicated, imperfect and inspiring lives is an outstanding corrective to our miseducation, one that's long overdue. -- Liza FeatherstoneCompelling...by telling unfamiliar and forgotten stories, [Red Valkyries] suggests there are other fronts on which the battle can be fought than those favoured by western feminists. -- Desmond Bullen * Northern Soul *Illuminating...Ghodsee equips us with five extraordinary role models whose tenacity, perseverance and dedication to revolutionary politics should serve as inspiration to anyone seeking to build a better world for all. -- Rachel Collett * Red Pepper *This is an eye-opening deep dive into an underexamined aspect of feminist history. -- Publishers WeeklyAs an expert in her field, [Ghodsee] deftly covers vast amounts of history, political theory, and complicated personal relationships....A timely and fascinating volume for those interested in Russian and socialist history. -- Halie Kerns * Library Journal *Ghodsee weaves these women's ideologies and feminist views into the larger picture of a time, that of multiple world wars, open revolution, burgeoning socialist societies, and the knowledge that extreme change was needed in dire circumstances. -- Kathleen Townsend * Booklist *A compelling book, a call for a broader understanding of the history of women's political practice, the ideas that informed it, and its implications for our own time. -- Ben Clarke * Chicago Review of Books *Any utopia first needs to be imagined. For that endeavor, Ghodsee's gripping book, with its important ideas distilled (yet not made banal) for those who might be encountering them for the first time, is available. -- Oana Uiorean * LIBER *

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Book SynopsisThis is the quest for a lost wonder of the world, in the author's words his 'ridiculous obsession', arose from the chance discovery of some dusty memoirs that told of a mighty hedge spanning the Indian subcontinent in the nineteenth century. The hedge was set in place to allow the collection of the Salt Tax by British customs officers, Inspired by the concept of this amazing living barrier, now forgotten, Roy Moxham set off to find out what has happened to it and whether any remnant existed today. His travels in India, and what he found there, form the basis for this illuminating book.Writer Jan Morris comments, 'At first I thought this remarkable book must be a hoax . . . It tells the story of one of the least-known wonders of Queen Victoria's India - a customs barrier 2,300 miles long, most of it made of hedge. It was patrolled by 12,000 men and would have stretched from London to Constantinople, yet few historians mention it and most of us have never heard of it. Could anything be more astonishing?'Trade ReviewThe Great Hedge is part history, part detective story, part travel book. Above all, it's a great read. * Mail on Sunday *Moxham has written a parable at once light-handed and melancholy about the cruelty and folly fo the empire. * Financial Times *Both scholarly and funny - a rare combination, It surprised me and I hugely enjoyed it. -- Eric NewbyMoxham has pulled out a jewel. * The Times *Marvellous....Moxham sets out to find the remnants of this qunitessentially English folly, writing an affectionate and scholarly narrative'. * Observer *

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Book SynopsisThe six wives of Henry VIII- Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and catherine Parr- have become defined in popular sense not so much by their lives but by the the way their lives ended. But, as Antonia Fraser conclusively proves, they were rich and feisty characters. They may have been victims of Henry's obsession with a male heir, but they were not willing victims. On the contrary, they displayed considerable strength and intelligence at a time when their sex supposedly possessed little of either. Inevitably there was great rivalry between them, and there was jealousy too- the desperate jealousy of the King who discovered himself betrayed. The story Antonia Fraser tells is romantic and cruel, funny and sad, dramatic and enthralling.Trade ReviewFraser's book is lively, enjoyable and ... judicious -- Susan Brigden * Observer *Henry VIII's matrimonial history is full of high farce, and Antonia Fraser is adept at exploiting her subject's comic possibilities. Yet for all the black humour, we are never allowed to forget that the story takes place against a backdrop of judicial murder, torture and religious persecution ... Henry's wives ... emerge from this supremely readable and ably researched biographical survey not simply as appendages to their husband, but as intriguing individuals in their own right -- Anne Somerset * Literary Review *This is one of the best popular histories I have read in years, full of spice and anecdotes of the Tudor Court -- Hilary Pratt * Irish Independent *Fulfils the promise of the title: it is solid biography ... Fraser must be commended for lengthy and arduous research and the production of another substantial history to please her many fans -- Philippa Gregory * Sunday Times *[Fraser's] lovingly thorough approach to such rich material has resulted in a book of high drama. Six complex, vital characters step out from behind the familiar portraits with such startling, almost contemporary vividness that the Tudor court seems doubly barbaric by contrast * The Oldie *An intoxicating mixture of sex, sentiment and court intrigue * Sunday Times *Our leading historical entertainer, a writer whose command of sources, eye for detail, perception of character and shrewd judgement enable her to bring the past truthfully to life ... she lays bare the battle of the sexes among the early Tudor ruling classes in a way that has never been done before -- Paul Johnson * Sunday Telegraph *Thank goodness this is not one more book about the old monster, but about the women in his life and from their point of view. It is a miracle of impartiality -- A. L. Rowse * Evening Standard *Learned and serious -- John Bossy * The Times *

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Book SynopsisHow did you clean your teeth in the 1660s? What make-up did you wear? What pets did you keep?Making use of every possible contemporary source, Liza Picard presents an engrossing picture of how life in London was really lived in an age of Samuel Pepys, the libertine court of Charles II and the Great Fire of London. The topics covered include houses and streets, gardens and parks, cooking, clothes and jewellery, cosmetics, hairdressing, housework, laundry and shopping, medicine and dentistry, sex education, hobbies, etiquette, law and crime, religion and popular belief. The London of 350 years ago is brought (and sometimes horrifyingly) to life.'A joy of a book ... It radiates throughout that quality so essential in a good historian: infinite curiosity' ObserverTrade ReviewImagine Samuel Pepys re-incarnated as a 20th-century woman lawyer, and looking back at 17th-century London not as a diarist but as a social analyst. Imagine P. D. James deciding to set a thriller in the time of Charles II and assembling her background materials ... There is almost no aspect of life in Restoration London that is not meticulously described in these 300-odd pages -- Jan Morris * INDEPENDENT *A potpourri of the ordinary and the extraordinary, the predictable and the astonishing * Literary Review *This is a joy of a book. Its style is both simple and evocative ... and it radiates throughout that quality so essential in a good historian: infinite curiosity -- Roy Porter * Observer *An encyclopedic overview of the London of Pepys and Wren ... Answers all those questions about the Great Fire of London you wanted to ask but never knew where to look for the answer -- Andrew Roberts * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Anyone who enjoys the minutiae of life in the past will have great fun exploring -- Juliet Townsend * SPECTATOR *A beautifully produced reference work ... [an] entertaining historical bran tub -- Rose Tremain * FINANCIAL TIMES *A densely textured accumulation of physical detail for the period, a history of the prosaic written with clarity and modesty ... An engagingly eccentric book which adds texture to existing accounts of the time -- Helen Simpson * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Picard has a delicious sense of humour, an insatiable curiosity and an acute eye for detail. And she tells you all the things you really want to know about everyday life in London between 1660 and 1670 ... A truly wonderful book * Sydney Morning Herald *How our seventeenth-century ancestors ate, slept, travelled, worshipped, loved, clothed themselves, tried to keep healthy ... A marvellous source-book for historical novelists and film-makers out for authenticity, and a near-perfect bedside book for anyone else * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisBritain is celebrated for having avoided the extremism, political violence and instability that blighted many European countries between the two world wars. But her success was a closer thing than has been realized. Disillusionment with parliamentary democracy, outbreaks of fascist violence and fears of communist subversion in industry and the Empire ran through the entire period. Fascist organizations may have failed to attract the support they achieved elsewhere but fascist ideas were adopted from top to bottom of society and by men and women in all parts of the country. This book will demonstrate for the first time the true spread and depth of fascist beliefs - and the extent to which they were distinctly British.Rich in anecdotes and extraordinary characters, Hurrah for the Blackshirts! shows us an inter-war Britain on the high-road to fascism but never quite arriving at its destination.Trade ReviewThis scholarly book shows how widespread fascism was before and in tandem with Mosley's New Party, the British Union of Fascists, half the Conservative Party and many royals -- Philip Howard * The Times *Pugh is one of the most well-respected, diligent and honest scholars working in British history today. This book deserves to be read -- Gerard DeGroot * Scotland on Sunday *The link between a distinct wing of Conservatism and the Italian form of fascism is substantiated in this outstandingly revelatory book * Herald *Fascism did not just come from the East-End toughs. It also came from women, the countryside and from parts of the industrial North. Pugh explores these various strands with a keen eye for detail and a lively sense of the absurd * Independent *Superb * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisFrom the beginning in 1935 this attractive book describes the different elements that went into the Panzer-Divisions. It describes how the Germans carefully built up their assault forces utilizing all available reserves and resources into making an effective fighting machine. It depicts how these awesome formations grew to be used four years later in war, and provides much historical information and facts about the vehicles and its components that fought in all the campaigns of the war from the early victorious Blitzkrieg in Poland and France to the last ditch defence in Germany in 1945. Each chapter features unseen photographs of light tanks, main battle tanks, assault guns, anti-tank destroyers, artillery, reconnaissance units, support vehicles, pioneers with their bridge building platforms and the motorized infantry or Panzergrenadiers. This book is a visual treat for the military enthusiast and collector and a worthy addition to the Images of War series.

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Book SynopsisIn the dictionary, a ''hero'' is described as a very brave person or someone who possesses incredible powers. Heroes are people who accomplish great feats that change the world somehow. In this book we read about 20 special heroes. Welsh heroes. Suitable for Welsh Learners at Intermediate Level.

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Book SynopsisThe war in Spain and those who wrote at first hand of its horrors.From 1936 to 1939 the eyes of the world were fixed on the devastating Spanish conflict that drew both professional war correspondents and great writers. Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Josephine Herbst, Martha Gellhorn, W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender, Kim Philby, George Orwell, Arthur Koestler, Cyril Connolly, André Malraux, Antoine de Saint Exupéry and others wrote eloquently about the horrors they saw at first hand.Together with many great and now largely forgotten journalists, they put their lives on the line, discarding professionally dispassionate approaches and keenly espousing the cause of the partisans. Facing censorship, they fought to expose the complacency with which the decision-makers of the West were appeasing Hitler and Mussolini. Many campaigned for the lifting of non-intervention, revealing the extent to which the Spanish Republic had been betrayed. Peter Preston's exhilarating account illuminates the moment when war correspondence came of age.Trade ReviewExcellent...a splendid monument to scholarship. Always absorbing, frequently moving...it fills a crucial gap in the historiography of the Spanish civil war. * The Sunday Times *I cannot commend it enough. The story of those who fought to tell the story, at risk to their own lives and against the natural grain of their readers, is a cracker of a subject. [Preston] unpicks the tangles of lies, allegations and half-truths; revives reputations that have unjustly faded; and presents us with an overview that is lucid, unhurried and fresh to read -- Nicholas Shakespeare * Daily Telegraph *A pioneering investigation of those foreign correspondents who did so much to influence world opinion at the time ... Preston sweeps the reader along with the lucidity of his prose, his passionate commitment to the subject, and, above all, his concern to rescue the reputations of those unjustly neglected and courageous figures who worked alongside far more famous names such as Hemingway, Dos Passos, Kim Philby and Martha Gellhorn. * Literary Review *Paul Preston has become a hugely influential historian of the Spanish Civil War, not only for his scholarship, but for his eye for detail and skill as a storyteller. In We Saw Spain Die these talents come to the fore, aided not only by the richness of the material, but also Preston's deep enthusiasm for his subject. -- Jason Webster * New Statesman *This testament to their testimony could not have been supplied by a more erudite expert. Preston is a peerless historian of Spain, and the only one who writes as readably as a professional journalist * Independent *A work of impressive scholarship. * BBC History Magazine *What marks out his work is not just an understanding of the period ... but also an ability to choose an angle from which to make old history seem new. * The Herald *There is much to inspire in the courage and commitment of these journalists and Preston has done us proud in telling their stories * Morning Star *A copper-bottomed tour de force * Catholic Herald *Compelling .... required reading for anyone in Spain or war reporting. * The Tablet *Anyone interested in the personal experiences of foreign journalists in the Spanish Civil War should start with this book * Times Higher Education *This meticulous history book adds an invaluable insight into these events as documented in the heat of the struggle and as such is highly recommended. * Socialist Review *Essential reading * Good Book Guide *Passionate and absorbing * The Guardian *A splendid monument to scholarship. Absorbing, funny, frequently moving ... it fills a crucial gap in the historiography of the Spanish conflict * Sunday Times *A fascinating book on two levels. It's a great political adventure story laced with sex, politics and death but it is also a profound book about journalism ... meticulously researched. * Tribune *Excellent * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisJohn Richardson draws on the same combination of lively writing, critical astuteness, exhaustive research, and personal experience which made a bestseller out of the first volume and vividly recreates the artist's life and work during the crucial decade of 1907-17 - a period during which Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque invented Cubism and to that extent engendered modernism. Richardson has had unique access to untapped sources and unpublished material. By harnessing biography to art history, he has managed to crack the code of cubism more successfully than any of his predecessors. And by bringing a fresh light to bear on the artist's often too sensationalised private life, he has succeeded in coming up with a totally new view of this paradoxical man of his paradoxical work. Never before has Picasso's prodigious technique, his incisive vision and not least his sardonic humour been analysed with such clarity.Trade ReviewJohn Richardson's second volume on Picasso confirms what his first suggested: that this is a masterpiece in the making, the most illuminating biography yet written on a twentieth-century visual artist... A continuous pleasure to read -- Richard HughesMagisterial...Richardson's ambitious project dwarfs all previous biographies of Picasso... [He] has a gift for telling pen-portraits and makes vivid an entire gallery of pioneering dealers and early collectors. -- Frances Spalding * Sunday Times *Richardson covers [the] momentous ten years from 1907 to the end of the First World War with great elegance and quiet authority... What makes the two published volumes so outstanding is the sense of Picasso the man emerging - in all his complexity - alongside the superb analysis of Picasso the artist -- William Boyd * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisIn late eighteenth-century Britain a handful of men brought about the greatest transformation in human history. Inventors, industrialists and entrepreneurs ushered in the age of powered machinery and the factory, and thereby changed the whole of human society, bringing into being new methods of social and economic organisation, new social classes, and new political forces. The Industrial Revolution also dramatically altered humanity's relation to the natural world and embedded the belief that change, not stasis, is the necessary backdrop for human existence.Iron, Steam and Money tells the thrilling story of those few decades, the moments of inspiration, the rivalries, skulduggery and death threats, and the tireless perseverance of the visionaries who made it all happen. Richard Arkwright, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and Josiah Wedgwood are among the giants whose achievements and tragedies fill these pages. In this authoritative study Roger Osborne also shows how and why the revolution happened, revealing pre-industrial Britain as a surprisingly affluent society, with wealth spread widely through the population, and with craft industries in every town, village and front parlour. The combination of disposable income, widespread demand for industrial goods, and a generation of time-served artisans created the unique conditions that propelled humanity into the modern world.The industrial revolution was arguably the most important episode in modern human history; Iron, Steam and Money reminds us of its central role, while showing the extraordinary excitement of those tumultuous decades.Trade ReviewAbly handling a mass of material, Osborne explores both the technological side of his subject and its human aspect -- Christopher Smith * UK Regional Press Syndication *Osborne fires [the Industrial Revolution] up with great gusto -- Iain Finlayson * The Times *Detailed and scholarly -- Steve Craggs * UK Regional Press Syndication *A truly rattling good yarn -- Jonathan Glancey * Country Life *Detailed and scholarly * UK Regional Press Syndication *

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Book SynopsisColin MacFarlane was born in the Gorbals in the 1950s, 20 years after the publication of No Mean City, the classic novel about pre-war life in what was once Glasgow's most deprived district. He lived in the same street as its fictional 'razor king', Johnnie Stark, and subsequently realised that a lot of the old characters represented in the book were still around as late as the 1960s. Men still wore bunnets and played pitch and toss; women still wore headscarves and treated the steamie as their social club. The razor gangs were running amok once again, human waste ran down the tenement stairs, and filth, violence, crime, rats, poverty and drunkenness abounded, just like they did in No Mean City. MacFarlane witnessed the last days of the old Gorbals as a major regeneration programme, begun in 1961, was implemented, and, as a street boy, he had a unique insight into a once great community in rapid decline. He witnessed drunken fights, gang battles, police corruption and even the occasional stabbing, slashing and murder. But the Gorbals had another side: one where ordinary hard-working people were trying to survive in what was arguably once the most notorious area in the world. In this engrossing new book, MacFarlane reveals what it was really like to live in the old Gorbals.Trade ReviewA fascinating portrait of the area, full of detail and colour and memories of characters now long gone * The Herald *

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Book Synopsis'Thaim wi a guid Scots tongue in their heid are fit tae gang ower the warld' In The Scottish World, renowned broadcaster Billy Kay takes us on a global journey of discovery, highlighting the extraordinary influence the Scots have had on communities and cultures on almost every continent. While others have questioned the self-confidence of the Scots, Kay has travelled the world from Bangkok to Brazil, Warsaw to Waikiki and found ringing endorsements for the integrity and intellect, the poetry and passion of the Scottish people in every country he has visited. He expands people's view of Scotland by relating remarkable stories of the wealthy Scottish merchant community in Gdansk; of national geniuses of Scots descent, such as Lermontov in Russia and Grieg in Norway; of an American Civil War blamed on Sir Walter Scott and initiated in the St Andrew's Society of Charleston; of inspirational missionaries in Calabar and Budapest; of Scotch professors establishing football in soccer strongholds such as Barcelona and São Paulo; of pioneers like Sandeman and Cockburn, and the Scottish roots of many of the great wines of Europe; and of their amazing involvement in liberation movements in Malawi, Chile, Peru, Greece, Corsica and India. The Scottish World is a celebration of the enormous contribution the Scots have made to the modern world.Trade ReviewFull of revelations about the Scottish diaspora overlooked by most historians * Sunday Herald *Makes clear Scotland's contribution to world history * Sunday Post *A well-researched study of the real influence Scots have had on the modern world * Scots Independent *Intelligent and engaging * The Big Issue *Kay brings a fresh eye to the impressive legacy of the Scottish diaspora. Every page brings another hero * National Trust Magazine *

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Book SynopsisIreland in the aftermath of Cromwell during this period Catholicism and nationalism became linked and priests were outlawed.The Priest Huntersshines a light on four of the men who hunted them:Sean na Sagart, Edward Tyrrell, Barry Lowe and John Garzia, the most hated men in Ireland.

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Book SynopsisThe story of Jim Larkin and the lockout of Dublin workers in 1913 led by William Martin Murphy, told in graphic novel form. On August 26th 1913, the trams of Dublin stopped. The Great Dublin Lockout had begun. Over the next four months, James Larkin would lead the workers of Dublin against William Martin Murphy and the Employers Federation in a conflict that would change the face of Irish industrial relations. Dublin was brought to its knees by the food shortages and the aftermath of Bloody Sunday. As winter approached, Larkin lead his Firey Cross campaign to England, hoping to rally the entire United Kingdom to strike in support of the Irish workers. Trade Reviewwith an evident respect for history, they bring the pages of textbooks to life for the young adult reader -- Children’s Books Ireland Recommended Reads Guide 2013enlightening -- Children’s Books Ireland Recommended Reads Guide 2013even-handed in its representation, Paddy Lynch’s understated artwork complements McConville’s engaging and historically accurate material -- Children’s Books Ireland Recommended Reads Guide 2013a wonderful atmospheric ambiance -- Books Irelandeffective text and graphics have brought the episodes vividly to life -- Books Irelandone to be highly recommended -- Books Irelandthis graphic novel is important -- http://girlslikecomics.comMcConville’s writing is at all times very tight; Big Jim is clearly a work that’s been edited and rewritten and edited some more, but the process stands to the finished product -- http://girlslikecomics.comI had my stepfather read it, to see what he thought. He’s a huge history buff. It was the first graphic novel he’d ever seen, He said – I think it would be a great introduction for young people coming to history for the first time, who want to know what happened and get a taste of the era, but don’t want to have to go diving into some big tome. -- http://girlslikecomics.comaccessible format -- eastwallforall.iebeautifully illustrated -- eastwallforall.iethe children … were fascinated by their [Rory and Paddy’s] presentation -- eastwallforall.ieMcConville’s writing is skilful -- Look LeftLynch’s artwork is extremely effective, as rough and dark as the era it depicts, and interesting use is made of archival photographs cleverly interspersed throughout -- Look Leftquite witty in places -- Look Leftan enjoyable and unique read, as well as being a great introduction to the Lockout in it its centenary year -- Look Leftan immersive, almost thriller-like, storytelling style -- NewsFourenjoyable to read ... a good sense of the time -- thecomiccast.comwould highly recommend people buy it -- thecomiccast.com'the Irish comics industry has never been in better form, something which this offering from Rory McConville and Paddy Lynch only serves to confirm' -- Sunday Business Post'[O’Brien Press graphic novels] appeal as much to children as to older readers' -- Evening Echo'a valuable and refreshing look at an important part of Irish history' -- Evening Echo

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