History Books

Book SynopsisExam Board: EdexcelLevel: AS/A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst Teaching: September 2015First Exam: June 2016Target success in Edexcel AS/A-level History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision; key content coverage is combined with exam preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.- Enables students to plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage, organised into easy-to-revise chunks- Encourages active revision by closely combining historical content with related activities- Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as they progress through activities set at three different levels- Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Edited by Philip Freeman, How to Run a Country is a brief introduction to Cicero's political philosophy... [I]t contains--in English and Latin--fragments from Cicero's books and speeches, as well as letters to friends and colleagues... [Cicero's] views on war and immigration will strike many readers as modern and sane."--Richard King, Australian "[A] delightful little book."--John Wilson, Christianity Today "[Freeman's] book is a collection of tidbits, of course, but if it sends its readers on a journey into Cicero's world it will have achieved Freeman's main purpose: the creation of citizen-readers who are a little bit more thoughtful about politics than they were before."--Brett Evans, Inside Story "Freeman frees the material from its context, selecting excerpts whose content is thought provoking on its own terms, and which demonstrate Cicero's outlook as a thinker in general. Freeman's book is an entry-point, an introduction; while it is simply too short ... to provide much traction for students in a typical college course, I certainly hope it will be successful in introducing Cicero to a wider audience."--Joanna Kenty, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "Organized by topic and featuring lively new translations, the book also includes an introduction, head notes, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading. The result is an enlightening introduction to some of the most enduring political wisdom of all time."--World Book IndustryTable of ContentsIntroduction vii How to Run a Country 1 *Natural Law 1 *Balance of Power 4 *Leadership 6 *Friends and Enemies 16 *Persuasion 24 *Compromise 30 *Money and Power 36 *Immigration 43 *War 46 *Corruption 49 *Tyranny 56 *Cicero's Epilogue: The Fallen State 66 Latin Texts 68 Passages Translated 115 Glossary 121 Further Reading 131

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Book SynopsisFocuses instead on the concept of identity to reveal a Roman society made up of far-flung populations whose experience of empire varied enormously. This title examines the nature of power in Rome and the means by which the Roman state exploited the natural, mercantile, and human resources within its frontiers.Trade Review"Imperialism, Power, and Identity is an ambitious attempt to map the transformation of lifestyles and experience among Rome's provincial subjects in the first three centuries AD... This is 'history from below' at its best."--Peter Thonemann, Times Literary Supplement "Essential."--Current Archaeology "Although appealingly and sometimes passionately written, this is a substantial and technically detailed book... An advanced and theoretically sophisticated approach, it will shift the centre of debate over the merits of Roman imperialism for many years to come."--Edith Hall, History Today "[T]his volume is provocative, passionate and personal. It ranges widely across time, space and categories of evidence. Importantly, it is a contribution which does not unquestioningly import and impose concepts such as post-colonial theory, but rather it critically examines their value, refines them and contributes back to wider contemporary debates."--Robert Witcher, Classical Review "Imperialism, Power, and Identity provides an excellent summation of both Roman imperialism and Mattingly's unique perspective on the relationship between empires and local peoples. His writing style, engrossing case studies, and distinctive interpretations are welcome additions to the study of Roman imperial encounters. The book should be of great interest to specialists and postgraduates, as well as anyone interested in understanding Roman imperialism from a vantage other than the traditional one."--Anna Lucille Boozer, British Archaeology "The title of Mattingly's book is no false advertising. His treatment of what empire and imperialism are; how power permeated all relationships and transactions--personal social, political, sexual and economic--throughout the Empire; in what ways the inexhaustible appetite for resources in Roman imperial times wasted human lives and did lasting damage to natural landscapes; and how individuals and groups conceived of their identities under Roman imperial rule, all make us experience what it was like to be part of its power system."--Tom Palaima, Times Higher Education Supplement "For a serious academic treatment--this is no light read--his conclusions can be surprisingly uncomfortable, especially for those who prefer to see the artistic fruits of Roman civilization without the human suffering that accompanied them. This latest volume is essential for anyone wishing to keep up with the debate."--Current Archaelogy "Mattingly presents a personal reflection on Roman imperialism in which he rejects the essentially static concept of Romanization in favor of a more dynamic model."--Choice "Mattingly's presentation of many cogent and well-supported arguments ... should be considered by all serious scholars of the Roman Empire."--Adam Kemezis, Journal of the Classical Association of Canada "The text is very well structured, with ample definitions, introductions, subtitling and conclusions reiterating the main points. Mattingly is a good writer and his prose makes good reading, regardless of whether or not one is willing fully to share his new readings of the issues involved. The scholarship of this book is admirable and the points well argued. Mattingly may not be such a lonely front line soldier defending a new paradigm as he sometimes implies, but there is no denying that he is a central figure in the discussion that more and more pervades archaeological studies dealing with the understanding of the implications of Roman imperialism... This book is a passionate, thought-provoking and necessary statement in this debate."--Pirjo Hamari, ARCTOS "Mattingly is one of the leading archaeologists of the Roman provinces, both in the quality of his fieldwork and his interpretive thinking. This book demonstrates why that position is fully deserved."--Louise Revell, Journal of Roman StudiesTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix List of Tables xiii Foreword by R. Bruce Hitchner xv Preface: My Roman Empire xvii Preface to the Paperback Edition xxv Part One: Imperialisms and Colonialisms Chapter 1: From Imperium to Imperialism: Writing the Roman Empire 3 Chapter 2: From One Colonialism to Another: Imperialism and the Maghreb 43 Part Two: Power Chapter 3: Regime Change, Resistance, and Reconstruction: Imperialism Ancient and Modern 75 Chapter 4: Power, Sex, and Empire 94 Part Three: Resources Chapter 5: Ruling Regions, Exploiting Resources 125 Chapter 6: Landscapes of Imperialism. Africa: A Landscape of Opportunity? 146 Chapter 7: Metals and Metalla: A Roman Copper-Mining Landscape in the Wadi Faynan, Jordan 167 Part Four: Identity Chapter 8: Identity and Discrepancy 203 Chapter 9: Family Values: Art and Power at Ghirza in the Libyan Pre-desert 246 Afterword: Empire Experienced 269 References 277 Index 325

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Book SynopsisExam Board: EdexcelLevel: AS/A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst Teaching: September 2015First Exam: June 2016Target success in Edexcel A-level History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision; key content coverage is combined with exam preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.- Enables students to plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage, organised into easy-to-revise chunks- Encourages active revision by closely combining historical content with related activities- Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as they progress through activities set at three different levels- Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample ans

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"If you want to understand why illiberal democracy is not the newest of ideas, or how a raft of leaders has emerged in Hungary, Poland and the Balkans who seem to echo a dark time in our continent’s history, this compelling book, covering the last 200 years in the region, is a good place to start. . . . Few recent works have made the past so relevant to our times."---Victor Sebestyen, Sunday Times"Connelly captures superbly the divergences and rivalries within his basket of nationalities: how little coordination took place between them; how little they recognised what he calls their ‘common predicament.’"---R.J.W. Evans, Literary Review"A rich narrative history of Central and Eastern Europe."---Damir Marusic, Washington Examiner"[From Peoples into Nations] will doubtless emerge as a landmark contribution to the study of nationalism as a political force in Eastern Europe." * Survival: Global Politics and Strategy *"The author has provided his reader not only with a detailed ‘crash course’ on how the people of Eastern Europe formednations there, but also with a ‘road map’ for further intellectual immersion. John Connelly’s monograph, therefore, serves as a valuable contribution to the broader understanding of Eastern Europe and an introductory textbook on a geographic space where more good and bad happened during the twentieth century than anywhere else."---Paweł Markiewicz, Slavonic and East European Review"A magisterial account about Eastern Europe that forcefully reminds us of the enduring and adaptable power of national passions in modern history. . . .Connelly is undeniably one of the best experts in regional history of central and eastern Europe, but most of all, he is a comparative historian of nation-states. . . .[B]efore any vast global comparisons can be made, we need rich, rigorous, and authoritative regional histories. From Peoples into Nations delivers just that."---Małgorzata Mazurek, H-Diplo"N/A"---Fabian Baumann, Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas

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Book Synopsis''Delightful'' A HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR / BOOK OF THE WEEK, Daily Mail''Goodwood curator James Peill writes with a wonderfully light touch . . . The Goodwood story is extraordinary and rightly celebrated'' Country LifeThe history of Goodwood, England''s greatest sporting estateGoodwood has been the home of English sport for centuries. The story of how a small hunting lodge became the iconic location for the globally-renowned Festival of Speed, Glorious Goodwood and Goodwood Revival events is inextricably intertwined with the tale of the Dukes of Richmond. The Dukes were, variously, patrons of the arts, political influencers, royal confidantes, architectural innovators, horticultural enthusiasts and stewards of the community. Above all, they were passionate about the sports for which Goodwood is best known: horseracing, motor sports, foxhunting, cricket, shooting and golf. Drawing upon the wealth of the Goodwood archives, JTrade ReviewGoodwood curator James Peill writes with a wonderfully light touch . . . and deftly weaves in the history of England using the experiences of the family . . . Anyone interested in Britain's sporting traditions, the life of country estates, how aristocratic families have evolved or the past 350 years of history will be fascinated by this book and its beautiful colour pictures. The Goodwood story is extraordinary and rightly celebrated -- Rupert Uloth * Country Life *Meticulously researched . . . anecdote-rich . . . A galloping, atmospheric and stylishly written account -- Rebecca Wallersteiner * The Lady *Delightful * Daily Mail *Well-paced history * Historic Houses *A cheerful, quick-paced, accessible overview * Times Literary Supplement *Delightful * Town & Country *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Finalist for the PROSE Award in Archaeology and Ancient History, Association of American Publishers""One of the Evening Standard's Best Books of 2019""One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2019: Economics"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Brilliant. . . . Using what is known about contemporary religious cults and the principles of social science, Stark fills many blanks in the historical and archeological records. The result is a fresh, blunt and highly persuasive account of how the West was won—for Jesus."---Kenneth L. Woodward, Newsweek"This book raises, simply and brilliantly, just the kinds of questions anyone concerned with early Christianity should ask." * Christian Century *"Stark uses contemporary social-scientific data, about why people join new religious movements and how religions recruit members, to investigate the formative history of Christianity. . . . Stark's conclusion that the rapid rise of early Christianity was due mainly to high fertility rates and social policies rather than to faith in the messianic message of Jesus is likely to generate spirited argument." * Publishers Weekly *"This book is an exciting and important addition to the literature on early Christianity. . . . It is a book of fascinating detail, yet its broad sociological assumptions will intrigue any person interested in church growth. It will challenge common theological assumptions. But, its creative and persuasive insights also will engage the thoughtful person. It is a very significant book." * Choice *"Compelling reading . . . highly recommended." * Library Journal *

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Book SynopsisIn 1945, Eddy Sackville-West, Desmond Shawe-Taylor and Eardley Knollys - writers for the New Statesman and a National Trust administrator - purchased Long Crichel House, an old rectory with no electricity and an inadequate water supply. In this improbable place, the last English literary salon began. Quieter and less formal than the famed London literary salons, Long Crichel became an idiosyncratic experiment in communal living. Sackville-West, Shawe-Taylor and Knollys - later joined by the literary critic Raymond Mortimer - became members of one another''s surrogate families and their companionship became a stimulus for writing, for them and their guests. Long Crichel''s visitors'' book reveals a Who''s Who of the arts in post-war Britain - Nancy Mitford, Benjamin Britten, Laurie Lee, Cyril Connolly, Somerset Maugham, E.M. Forster, Cecil Beaton, Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson - who were attracted by the good food, generous quantities of drink and exceTrade ReviewFascinating -- Laura Freeman * The Times *Very entertaining . . . the preservation of old houses, a cause with which many of the leading characters were involved one way or another, is skilfully used as a running theme in a book that, with a fine balance between nostalgia and clear-sightedness, commemorates a privileged world long since vanished. -- Peter Parker * Spectator *Highly evocative . . . a portrait of an enchanted world -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * Daily Mail *The Crichel boys . . . left behind merely a memory of charm, kindness and generosity, to which Fenwick pays a tender tribute * Financial Times *A rich, luscious account of a postwar Britain that often gets lost * Mail on Sunday *Fenwick, it must be said, is very much at home in this somewhat rarefied milieu, writes perceptively about the quartet'sachievements and is sensitive to some of the problems caused by having four neurotic personalities intermittently at large under a single roof -- D. J. Taylor * Literary Review *Absorbing new history -- Alexander Larman * Observer *Fenwick gives us some fascinating vignettes of the often downplayed cultural life of post-war Britain * The Lady *

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Book SynopsisWhat if our understanding of Israel/Palestine has been wrong all along?Trade Review'It is fashionable to say that the two-state solution to Israel-Palestine is dead. Jeff Halper thinks it was never born. In this brave, thought-provoking and highly original book, he presents both a searching critique of Zionist settler colonialism and a compelling case for one democratic state with equal rights for all its citizens' -- Avi Shlaim, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Oxford and author of 'The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World' (Penguin, 2014)'Strikes at the core of the political revolution boiling under the surface in Israel/Palestine. Halper serves a generous helping of hope for anyone who cares about the future of this land' -- Shir Hever, author of 'The Political Economy of Israel's Occupation' (Pluto Press, 2010)'An important chapter in the development of a conversation that will form the foundation of a just regime for the inhabitants of the country and the refugees' -- Eitan Bronstein Aparicio, founder and former director of the NGO Zochrot'Jeff Halper harnesses his extremely sharp and original mind alongside his prophetic voice to change the international debate. A gem for both the novice as well as the expert, his book offers a brilliant analysis of Israel's colonial project and outlines what a decolonial horizon might look like' -- Neve Gordon, author of 'Human Shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire' (University of California Press, 2020)'This is the first serious contribution in drawing a path to the project of liberating Palestine' -- Awad Abdelfattah, Former Secretary General of the Balad/Tajamu Party and Coordinator of the One Democratic State Campaign (ODSC)'Helps us to see light at the end of the tunnel. At a time when Israel is seeking to legalise its apartheid regime and colonisation of occupied Palestine, it is vital to imagine and discuss alternative futures' -- Haidar Eid is Associate Professor of Postcolonial and Postmodern Literature at Gaza al-Aqsa University'A powerful and convincing case - a must read for anyone looking for fresh ideas of how to end the long and bloody conflict in Palestine' -- Ilan Pappe, Professor of History and Director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter'With informed lucidity, political sophistication and moral integrity Halper depicts the path from here to there. What is most unexpected, given present realities, is that this manages to be a book of realistic hope, the finest work of advocacy scholarship I have ever read' -- Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, and author of 'Palestine's Horizon' (Pluto, 2017)'This is a serious work that deserves to be widely read. Halper is among the few who not only understands that we are at a critical historical juncture, but is also able to analyze its multiple dimensions and offer a transformative plan of action' -- Mouin Rabbani, Co-Editor of 'Jadaliyya''Amid a raft of failed policy choices, Halper's book is a cathartic practical vision of one possible way out of the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict' -- Sophia Akram, The New Arab'Halper's book is informative, offering an in-depth perspective that is lacking and addresses the concept of memory within the political framework of decolonisation' -- Middle East Monitor'An extremely convincing and persuasive argument that the only conceivable future for justice and peace necessitates a process of decolonization and equal rights for all' -- Electronic Intifada'He doesn’t pretend that creating one democratic state will be easy but he contends that it is the only way for Palestinians and Israelis to gain long-term security and a viable way of life' -- Jordan TimesAn essential and empowering text for anyone interested in the history and future of Israel-Palestine' -- Morning Star'Thoughtful' -- Labour Hub'[Halper] reframes Israel as a settler-colonial state necessitating a clear oppositional political strategy with an end-game of actively decolonizing the whole political structure' -- Counterpunch'A return to an explicitly anti-colonial Palestinian liberation politics' -- ROAR‘Timely’ -- ‘Counterfire’‘Powerful’ -- ‘Against the Current’Table of ContentsForeword by Nadia Naser-Najjab Acknowledgements Introduction: The Colonist Who Refuses, the Comrade in Joint Struggle PART I ZIONISM AS SETTLER COLONIAL PROJECT 1. Analysis Matters: Beginning with Settler Colonialism Acknowledgements 2. Zionism: A Settler Colonial Project PART II THREE CYCLES OF ZIONIST COLONIAL DEVELOPMENT 3. Settler “Invasion” and Foundational Violence: The Pre-State Cycle (1880s–1948) 4. The Israeli State Cycle (1948–67) 5. The Occupation Cycle (1967–Present): Completing the Settler Colonial Project PART III DECOLONIZING ZIONISM, LIBERATING PALESTINE 6. Decolonization: Dismantling the Dominance Management Regime 7. Constructing a Bridging Vision and Set of Acknowledgements 8. A Plan of Decolonization 9. Towards Post-coloniality 10. Addressing the Fears and Concerns of a Single Democratic State A Last Word: Being Political Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe Times Best Literary Non-fiction Books 2021 - ''a super yarn''''Rick Gekoski''s encyclopaedic knowledge of rare books is matched only by the enthusiasm and brio with which he writes about them'' Ian RankinRick Gekoski has been traversing the rocky terrain of the rare book trade for over fifty years. The treasure he seeks is scarce, carefully buried and often jealously guarded, knowledge of its hiding place shared through word of mouth like the myths of old.In Guarded by Dragons, Gekoski invites readers into this enchanted world as he reflects on the gems he has unearthed throughout his career. He takes us back to where his love of collecting began - perusing D.H. Lawrence first editions in a slightly suspect Birmingham carpark. What follows are dizzying encounters with literary giants as Gekoski publishes William Golding, plays ping-pong with Salman Rushdie and lunches with Graham Greene. A brilliant stroke of luck sees STrade ReviewRick Gekoski's encyclopaedic knowledge of rare books is matched only by the enthusiasm and brio with which he writes about them * Ian Rankin *Feisty, astutely dry, intellectually adroit - an intensely pleasurable and rewarding read * William Boyd *Shrewd and gossipy memoir * Observer *The great, renowned rare-book dealer Rick Gekoski is . . . like something out of a Raymond Chandler . . . an absorbing read . . . such fun * Spectator *Gekoski, a fine raconteur, does for bibliomania what James Herriot did for vets. As his previous books, such as Tolkien's Gown, remind us, he has a wealth of quirky stories, and you feel he could keep entertaining his readers for ever * The Times *Entertaining, beautifully written and deeply personal * The Critic *Combines a relish for commerce with tremendous joie de vivre. He loves literature . . . Guarded by Dragons is fresh and fun and bursting with good stories -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Many entertaining anecdotes . . . Gekoski - a larger-than-life character both on and off the page - writes with style,verve and just the right amount of self-deprecation . . . Gekoski proves a genial companion in the thrill of the chase * Financial Times *Gekoski is wonderful company on the page, with a fine flair for storytelling and an eye for fascinating eccentricities among his colleagues and customers . . . Gekoski lets us in on the intricacies of the trade with candour and insouciance -- John Banville * Irish Times *A cache of engaging tales . . . He is an incredibly gifted storyteller who spins yarns with broad literary appeal . . . Gekoski never fails to amuse and to amaze. Guarded by Dragons is a bibliophilic treasure * Fine Books & Collections magazine *Highly entertaining and frequently very funny * Jewish Chronicle *Wonderfully gossipy, sharply written memoir . . . Gekoski's swashbuckling stories reveal a trade that is certainly not for cissies. That's precisely what makes this book as engrossing as it is entertaining -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail *Entertaining and revelatory * The Chap *Gekoski, possibly the most important book dealer of the last 50 years, fills page after page with witty anecdotes on dealing with the rarest books in the world, the people who wrote them, and the people that collect them. Beyond great stories well told, it's an education on the book trade itself. An absolute must-read for book lovers. -- Mark Galeotti * War on the Rocks *

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Book SynopsisExposes the political and ideological links and dovetailing ethnonationalist projects of India and IsraelTrade Review‘Today’s Israel and Modi’s India are natural partners, sharing values of racist ethnocracy and illegal annexation, and for Israel, offering a market for military and other advanced technology. This valuable study traces the complex evolution of their relationship from their independence to its recent blossoming as the societies and the international context changed, providing particularly rich insights into India’s development through this period’ -- Noam Chomsky‘A brilliant and courageous book ... the definitive treatment of the overlooked alliance between the far-right wing governments of India and Israel. Essential reading for the escalating neo-fascist forces in our turbulent times’ -- Cornel West, American philosopher‘Extraordinary ... exposes a powerful alliance, hidden from the global attention and media, that will affect the lives of many of us. This crucial contribution challenges the distorted Western discourse on democracy, rights and justice, offers a new genealogy and a brave interpretation of these crucial human concerns’ -- Ilan Pappe, Historian and Social Activist‘Formidable and timely. Azad Essa lays bare the historically malignant roots of an often overlooked and underestimated kinship between two ideologies, Zionism and Hindutva, hungry for land and hungrier for dominance’ -- Mohammed El-Kurd, Author of 'Rifqa'‘A call for global solidarity. Essa reveals the mutual agenda of the unholy India-Israeli ethno-nationalistic alliance, showing just why both those states are a danger to progessive internationalism. In dealing with the rise of Zionism, along with Modi's capture of state power in India, he deals with their ramifications on Kashmir and Palestine, on Indian diaspora and Israel's role in Africa’ -- Ronnie Kasrils, former South African Intelligence Minister, author and activist‘For decades, India’s leaders spoke in hushed tones about their relationship with Israel. Essa reveals the long history of their alliance and shows how it is built on shared supremacist ideological projects whose devastating and inhumane consequences are borne by Palestinians and Kashmiris living under occupations. An essential, must-read book’ -- Mohamad Junaid, Anthropologist and Kashmiri writer‘A necessary and urgent account’ -- Siddhartha Deb, author of the 'Beautiful and The Damned: New Life in India'‘An authoritative study of the past and present of India-Israel relations. Essa reveals a troubling convergence of Hindu nationalist and Zionist worldviews. Equally, Hostile Homelands is a useful primer for thinking about how and why illiberal, authoritarian and Islamophobic forces are building alliances, globally’ -- Somdeep Sen, Associate Professor & Head of Studies, Global & Development Studies, Roskilde University, Denmark‘A revealing exposé … Challenges the typical understanding of Zionism as an exclusively European phenomenon and Hindu nationalism as a provisional Indian experience. An essential read’ -- Ramzy Baroud, author of 'Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders & Intellectuals Speak Out'‘Forces us to confront the grotesque end-game of colonial violence - Modi's India and Zionist Israel. The enduring and shape-shifting connections between these ethnonationalist entities offer a profound wake-up call, a realization that today, the most vocal among the world's purported democracies are, at their core, the most profoundly anti-democratic’ -- Nazia Kazi, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Anthropology, Stockton University, NJ‘Meticulously researched and well-crafted ... Examines the under-covered subject of the ever-evolving relationship between India and Israel. Essa insightfully explores what happens when a nation negotiates the tension between principles and interests — and what happens when, particularly under the ethnonationalism of Narendra Modi, they converge’ -- Laila Al-Arian, Journalist, Al Jazeera English‘The definitive book on Indian-Israel relations that we have been waiting for. Hostile Homelands is not only an intellectual tour de force. It will also help foster new solidarities and anti-imperialist organizing’ -- Jasbir Puar, author of 'The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Debility'‘A vital read … offers detailed insights into the politics of Zionism and Hindutva’ -- Ramona Wadi, ‘Middle East Monitor’‘Hostile Homelands has courage and integrity. It traces the beginning of India-Israel ties, unmasks successive governments, and carries a warning for the future’ -- Achin Vanaik, ‘The Wire’‘An important work ... Essa’s scholarship allows us to question the post-colonial national model which has allowed India and Israel to commit legal violence against those they deem inferior’ -- ‘Washington Report on Middle East Affairs’'Essa’s work is not only original but also well-researched and presented in a fluid style' -- ‘The New Arab’'Hostile Homelands is a supreme act of solidarity to help human rights activists around the world understand the forces aligned against two of the most important anti-colonial struggles in the world today' -- ‘Muslim Matters’‘Offers insights into the politics of Zionism and Hindutva’ -- ‘The Hindu’‘Brilliant’ -- ‘Jacobin’Table of ContentsForeword – Linah Alsaafin 1. A Story of Two Partitions 2. The Military-Industrial Complex 3. Hindutva and Zionism: A Story of Kinship 4. The Indian Diaspora and the Israeli Lobby in the United States 5. Kashmir and Palestine: A Story of Two Occupations Acknowledgements and Postscript

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Book SynopsisVoices from the Napoleonic Wars reveals in telling detail the harsh lives of soldiers at the turn of the eighteenth century and in the early years of the nineteenth - the poor food and brutal discipline they endured, along with the forced marches and bloody, hand-to-hand combat. Contemporaries were mesmerised by Napoleon, and with good reason: in 1812, he had an unprecedented million men and more under arms. His new model army of volunteers and conscripts at epic battles such as Austerlitz, Salamanca, Borodino, Jena and, of course, Waterloo marked the beginning of modern warfare, the road to the Sommes and Stalingrad. The citizen-in-arms of Napoleon''s Grande Armée and other armies of the time gave rise to a distinct body of soldiers'' personal memoirs. The personal accounts that Jon E. Lewis has selected from these memoirs, as well as from letters and diaries, include those of Rifleman Harris fighting in the Peninsular Wars, and Captain Alexander C

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Book SynopsisA spellbinding and magical narrative, this is the story of modern China through the women who lived through it.At the start of the twentieth century in China, the Hans were married in an elaborate ceremony before they were even born. They went on to have nine children and chose colours portrayed in some of their favourite poems as nicknames for them Red, Cyan, Orange, Yellow, Green, Green Tangerine, Purple, Blue and Rainbow. Fate, and the sweep of twentieth-century history, would later divide them.Xinran begins with the magic and tragedy of one young couple''s wedding night in 1949, and goes on to tell personal experiences of loss, grief and hardship through China''s extraordinary century. In doing so she tells a bigger story how traditional Chinese values have been slowly eroded by the tide of modernity and how their outlooks on love, and the choices they''ve made in life, have been all been affected by the great upheavals of Chinese history.Trade ReviewA brilliant storyteller. -- Hilary SpurlingThis book cracks the code of love, loneliness, and belonging in contemporary China. -- Xiaolu Guo, author of 'Once Upon a Time in the East'Reporting on four generations of one Chinese family and their diverging paths, Xinran shows how the country’s social norms have changed through politics and the rise of modernity. * New York Times *Xinran Xue is a gifted storyteller and The Promise reads like an unputdownable novel. William Spence’s translation from Chinese into English cannot be over-praised. * Washington Book Review *‘An absorbing, often startling, always persuasive exploration of contemporary China.’ -- Hilary Spurling on 'Buy Me The Sky' * The Spectator *[A] graceful work that restores a lost generation to history. * Kirkus Review *One would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved. * The Economist on 'Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother' *Groundbreaking… This intimate record reads like an act of defiance, and the unvarnished prose allows each story to stand as testimony. * The New Yorker on 'The Good Women of China' *‘Right here we see the red lines that many Chinese still draw for themselves in public discourse, or even privately, the boundaries they dare not cross even today. No other style of storytelling could have exhibited them with more clarity or greater rawness.’ -- Oliver August on 'China Witness' * THE TIMES *Exploring love and loss in modern China is a big job but it is in simplifying the overwhelming that Xinran excels. And in the introduction to this compelling and moving book, the author clarifies just how she has managed the task...In these carefully told vignettes, Xinran takes the reader through a century of tumult and change in China, her writing beautifully reflecting the intimate and honest voices of the women whose stories of love she tells. * The Weekend Australian *'Xinran writes with a fine balance of economy, compassion and wisdom, and manages to be at once proud, critical, forward-looking, nostalgic, sad, angry and hopeful.’ * The New Statesman *Table of ContentsPromises and ‘talking love’: my inspirations for this book Map of China Key Dates Introduction Note on the Text Part I. A Love Coloured by Wars and Political Movements First sister, Red Part II. A Communist Family Tree Second sister, Green Part III. A Bird’s Love during the Cultural Revolution Green’s daughter, Crane Part IV. Diverse ‘Lovers’ The 3D Generation: Lili, Yoyo, Wuhen Afterword: In and Out the Door of Life Author’s Heartfelt Thanks

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Book SynopsisMany Italian cities look back with pride to the days when they were independent republics: Naples, on the contrary, remembers its days as a royal capital, the brilliant administrative and political centre of The Kingdom of The Two Sicilies, ruled over successively by the house of Anjou, Aragon and Bourbon. Once ''the third city of Europe'', today it is one of the least visited of the continent''s great cities. The same bustling lively atmosphere and magnificent buildings that one finds in Paris or London exist here.This book is a topographical anthology which recreates for today''s tourist the drama, the history and the life of a city in buildings and locations that still exist today. An indispensable companion, it brings the past of Naples vividly to life for the traveller of the present. Extracts from chronicles, memoirs, biographies, letters and novels refer to the most important and beautiful buildings in and around Naples, as well as the lives of travellers to and resid

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Book SynopsisThe Times Book of the YearBBC History Magazine Book of the YearDaily Telegraph Book of the Year BOOK OF THE WEEK - The Times ‘The strength of this book lies in the cold realities it delivers. “The thirteen months of 1947-48,” writes Fenby, “provide trenchant examples of how realpolitik can serve a wider purpose if those in power know how to use it.” Crucible captures perfectly the urgency of the time…Read this book for the light it shines on a turbulent time; cherish it for the lessons it provides’ - Gerard DeGroot 'Looking back 70 years Jonathan Fenby argues convincingly that the period from 1947 to 1948 “really did change the world”.  His book is an assured gallop across the terrain of contemporary history in this fateful year. The global devastation of the second world war had smashed longstanding institutions and banTrade Review‘This is a work of history, but it is also a beguiling symphony performed in discordant rhythm. Too often historians impose order on the past, making mess into method. There’s little order here. That’s a good thing’ * The Times Books of the Year *'A truly global account of a crucial time that has rarely been examined in detail by historians...Fenby retells well-known episodes such as the 1948-49 Berlin airlift with a combination of stylish prose and immense command of the historical detail. But the real eye-openers are the deft analyses of less familiar crises' -- Rana Mitter * BBC History Magazine *‘The strength of this book lies in the cold realities it delivers. “The thirteen months of 1947-48,” writes Fenby, “provide trenchant examples of how realpolitik can serve a wider purpose if those in power know how to use it.” Crucible captures perfectly the urgency of the time…Read this book for the light it shines on a turbulent time; cherish it for the lessons it provides’ -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *‘Looking back 70 years Jonathan Fenby argues convincingly that the period from 1947 to 1948 “really did change the world”. His book is an assured gallop across the terrain of contemporary history in this fateful year. The global devastation of the second world war had smashed longstanding institutions and bankrupted empires, leaving behind the kind of power vacuums that were major openings for change and chaos. Crucible swings from one region to the next in a fast-moving account of how local actors filled those vacuums, often with violence.’ -- Mary Sarote * Financial Times *‘The months in question are June 1947 to June 1948, which also saw the foundation of Israel and the independence and partition of India, and the assertion of ever more brutal power in Eastern Europe by Stalin. He reminds us how, so soon after the horrors of Nazi occupation, hard-left workers in Czechoslovakia entered into “a state of battle” against those trying to secure democracy and liberty’ -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph *'The 13 months from June 1947 to June 1948 are when the modern world as we know it was forged ... Fenby plots these changes month by month as, across the globe, a brand new world emerged.' * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisPraise for the author''s A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths: ''Eminently sane, highly informative''PAUL CARTLEDGE, BBC History magazineThe year 2022 marks 2,500 years since the final defeat of the invasion of Greece by the Persian King Xerxes. This astonishing clash between East and West still has resonances in modern history, and has left us with tales of heroic resistance in the face of seemingly hopeless odds. Kershaw makes use of recent archaeological and geological discoveries in this thrilling and timely retelling of the story, originally told by Herodotus, the Father of History.The protagonists are, in Europe, the Greeks, led on land by militaristic, oligarchic Sparta, and on sea by the newly democratic Athens; in Asia, the mighty Persian Empire - powerful, rich, cultured, ethnically diverse, ruled by mighty kings, and encompassing modern Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Egypt.When the rich, sophisticated, Greek communities of IoniaTrade ReviewPraise for the author's A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths: Eminently sane, highly informative, and reasonably priced. -- Paul Cartledge * BBC History magazine *Praise for the author's A Brief History of Atlantis: As his exhaustive survey shows, Atlantis has been adapted to countless ideologies and agendas over time, serving the needs of every sort of reader - 'harmless hippies or Heinrich Himmler' in Mr Kershaw's memorable phrase. -- James Romm * Wall Street Journal *Praise for the author: The experts interviewed . . . [for the TV documentary series Barbarians Rising] are both entertaining and illuminating. -- Brian P. Kelly * Wall Street Journal *Kershaw has written an impressive and timely book that reminds us that the principles of freedom and democracy are powerful motivators in war. -- Saul David * The Times *One of the great virtues of Kershaw's book is the detailed knowledge he brings to bear on the war at sea. The description of the decisive naval battle of Salamis is superbly done. * Mail on Sunday *

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Book Synopsis'Fascinating analysis' Nigel West; 'Grippingly told, authoritative' Mail on Sunday; 'Meticulously researched...a remarkably good read' John Brennan, former CIA Director; 'Excellent...a detailed, highly professional account' Sir John Scarlett, former MI6 Chief ​The Special Relationship between America and Britain is feted by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic when it suits their purpose and just as frequently dismissed as a myth, not least by the media, which announces its supposed death on a regular basis. Yet the simple truth is that the two countries are bound together more closely than either is to any other ally. In The Real Special Relationship, Michael Smith reveals how it all began, when a top-secret visit by four American codebreakers to Bletchley Park in February 1941 - ten months before the US entered the Second World War - marked the Trade Review'A fascinating analysis of the greatest military-intelligence-political alliance of the modern era … warts and all' -- Nigel West'Smith compellingly conveys the conflicting currents in [the Special Relationship]. What Michael Smith has ingeniously written is a shadow history of the post-war world. It is a grippingly told, authoritative story roaming across continents and troubled regions, from Malaysia to the Middle East to Russia… This book is also a fascinating analysis of how empires dissolve, and of how new powers fill the vacuum.' -- Sinclair McKay * Mail on Sunday *‘As NSA Director for six years, I participated first hand in this special relationship. So special in fact that in the early days of the War on Terror, I told my British counterpart that in the event of a catastrophic loss at NSA Headquarters we would entrust management of the US SIGINT system to him. There is an unprecedented level of trust and this book is an excellent chronicle of the critical junctures that created this relationship, tested it and kept it strong.’ -- Michael Hayden, former Director of both NSA and the CIA'Michael Smith, a respected historian of spookery who himself served in army intelligence before becoming a journalist, here offers an insider’s view of the transatlantic partnership… This is a responsible, unsensational account of the interservice relationship, which eschews harsh judgements about personalities.' -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *‘This excellent book gives a detailed, highly professional account of the unique intelligence relationship, originally between the US and UK, now including Canada, Australia and New Zealand - the Five Eyes. For more than 80 years, this "special relationship" has been fundamental to the security of our countries and of liberal democracy. As the story makes clear, we certainly need each other now.’ -- Sir John Scarlett, former MI6 Chief'Michael Smith was an intelligence professional before turning to journalism. There are few as qualified as he to put the whole story together and few who could tell it with such cogency. He relates the 80 years’ cooperation between the intelligence communities (principally the SIS and CIA) in astonishing and revelatory detail, with pace, clarity and authority. It is, quite simply, magnificent.' -- Allan Mallinson * Country Life *'A fascinating, meticulously researched and deeply insightful book on what truly has been a "real special relationship" between British and American intelligence services over the past 80 years. Smith expertly chronicles the many secret conversations, decisions and joint activities that shaped not only the breadth and depth of the US-UK security relationship but also the course of major world events. The Real Special Relationship is a remarkably good read that will capture the interest of those with an understandable curiosity about how such close ties developed and why they continue to this day. As a former CIA Director, I can personally attest to the importance, strength and intimacy of the US-UK security partnership, which has no equal.' -- John Brennan, former CIA Director'[The Special Relationship's] history also makes for an engrossing, even thrilling, read. Michael Smith, a former military intelligence officer and author of several books about spying, handles the material judiciously and writes with élan. -- John Paul Rathbone * Financial Times *‘The US/UK intelligence relationship has quietly shaped world events over the last 80 years. Michael Smith convincingly explains how and why this unique partnership of trust came into being. He does not shy away from illuminating the difficulties and personality clashes in its early years but it is the account of the subsequent extraordinary joint successes that provide the most riveting read, successes that will ensure that the relationship will continue to be essential to our national security.’ -- Professor Sir David Omand, former Director GCHQ and UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator'One of the many strengths of Michael Smith’s account is his charting of its transition from co-operation through wartime expediency to Cold War collaboration. With this thorough and very readable account there’s no excuse for anyone failing to understand the Special Relationship. That’s quite apart from the gems and asides Smith engagingly sprinkles throughout...It all makes for an excellent read.' -- Alan Judd * Spectator *‘A well written and gripping overview of one of the closest intelligence and security relationships in the world - one that has served both the UK and the US incredibly well over the past 80-plus years and that continues to make a true difference today to each nation and their friends and allies. Amazing to see the twists and turns in the relationship laid out before the reader in such a compelling story.’ -- Admiral Mike Rogers, former NSA Director‘'What keeps us on an even keel is the extraordinary connections between the military establishments...above all between the code-breakers and eavesdroppers at the National Security Agency and GCHQ. Smith’s well-researched and topical book (he manages to get in Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine) provides the answer to the perennial White House head-scratching question: do we still need the Brits? Smith’s conclusion: yes, they do.' -- Roger Boyes * The Times *‘The pre-eminent historian of Bletchley Park cuts through the hype about the Special Relationship to tell the gripping stories of what has been achieved in secret through the ups and downs of this enduring 80-year partnership. His account reminds us why it is worth preserving.’ -- Robert Hannigan, former Director of GCHQ and Prime Minister's Security Adviser'A lucid account, rich in anecdote and detail, of events that defined Britain’s role during the Cold War and its aftermath.' -- Richard Norton-Taylor * Times Literary Supplement *'There is no more critical intelligence partnership than that between the US and the British secret services. Founded in the exceptional circumstances of the Second World War, it has been tested and developed in the confrontation with the Soviet Union, in every major foreign crisis in the post-World War II era and, most recently, in the war on terrorism, the tensions with China and the major confrontation with Russia over Ukraine and NATO expansion. Michael Smith has done a remarkable job in this book detailing the sheer depth of that historic collaboration. It is truly a "Special Relationship" built on trust and shared values and one that has been absolutely essential to protecting the national security of the US, Britain and the world.' -- Leon E. Panetta, former Director of the CIA and Secretary of Defense'[An] excellent overview from the Second World War to the present day. Smith’s account...covers over a broad span of years, all facets of what is not a single strand but a complex web of parallel arrangements between UK and US agencies. The trust and candour that makes the relationship so powerful has at times been undermined by lack of political support, or inter-agency rivalry. It is a challenge to convey all these elements over a period that includes the evolution from hot to cold war, and major turning points such as 9/11, but Smith rises to it in this very readable and well-researched account.' -- Gill Bennett, former chief historian of the FCO * Engelsberg Ideas *Michael Smith’s fascinating new book reminds us that both sides have been the winners in the 'special relationship' while not always following the same set of rules... This book should be read by anyone who wants to understand what this cooperation has done for each country. Smith ... has done us a great service. He is right that the real special relationship should be celebrated: but it must not be mythologised, and never taken for granted.' -- Nick Fishwick * The Cipher Brief *'The book is a brilliant illustration of the multiple strands of liaison on Sigint, Imint, human intelligence and other forms of sharing. Smith is excellent at documenting the issues from tensions over US activity in China to UK–US competition in the Middle East, yet the relationship remains as strong as ever. This is a meticulous study of the US–UK relationship...backed by intensive research of US and UK sources, and highly recommended reading.' -- Dan Lomas, Lecturer in Intelligence and Security Studies at Brunel University * RUSI Journal *‘A significant contribution to the literature of intelligence. It is a masterful, comprehensive exposition of a complex, compelling, often shrouded history’ -- Bowman H. Miller * International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence *'Smith approaches his work in the tradition of a seasoned researcher — exploring primary sources in archives, referencing other secondary literature, and conducting interviews — but he writes with the captivating prose of a crime novelist. Despite Smith’s laudable objectivity, his access to interviews with key players is illustrative of the trust that the US and UK intelligence communities place in him' -- David V. Gioe * Society *'Excellent … the book makes for an easy, well-organized read. The author’s style is clear and crisp and the substance backed by extensive research, much of it archival as well based on interviews with former intelligence officers' -- Srdjan Vucetic * Intelligence and National Security *‘Fascinating … A detailed, richly sourced, analysis of an enduring special relationship … an excellent introduction to the key international events from World War Two to the present day' * Journal of Intelligence History *

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Book SynopsisThe first publication on the personal and professional relationship between Manet and Degas, two giants of nineteenth-century French art Friends, rivals, and at times antagonists, Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas maintained a pictorial dialogue throughout their lives as they both worked to define the painting of modern urban life. Manet/Degas, the first book to consider their careers in parallel, investigates how their objectives overlapped, diverged, and shaped each other’s artistic choices. Enlivened by archival correspondence and records of firsthand accounts, essays by American and French scholars take a fresh look at the artists’ family relationships, literary friendships, and interconnected social and intellectual circles in Paris; explore their complex depictions of race and class; discuss their political views in the context of wars in France and the United States; compare their artistic practices; and examine how Degas built his personal collection of works by Manet after his friend’s premature death. An illustrated biographical chronology charts their intersecting lives and careers. This lavishly illustrated, in-depth study offers an opportunity to reevaluate some of the most canonical French artworks of the nineteenth century, including Manet’s Olympia, Degas’s The Absinthe Drinker, and other masterworks. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: Musée d’Orsay, Paris (March 27–July 23, 2023) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (September 24, 2023–January 7, 2024)

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Book SynopsisKhulu Radebe already had had a full life before discovering at the age of 50 that he was a king. As a teenager, he teamed with other Alexandra Township youth to carry out the 1976 uprisings just prior to the Soweto rising.

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Book SynopsisWith a keen eye for the juicy anecdote, Thévoz tells the fascinating and entertaining story of the rise, decline and resurgence of London''s private members'' clubs, from the late-eighteenth century to the present day. In doing so he looks at cultural and political developments beyond the clubs, revealing how while the clubs may have been products of their city and country, they also exerted significant influence on London, Britain and places far beyond. This is a chronicle, as informative as it is entertaining, of the ups and downs of London clubland, and how it had an impact on parts of the world far from London. It is packed with amusing anecdotes and illustrative examples of the growth of this quirky, unique institution, which grew to spread around the world. London, though, with its four hundred clubs, was always at its heart. Thévoz reveals how everything we might have thought we knew about these clubs is wrong. They may have started out as white, male, aristTrade ReviewAn entertaining glimpse into an anachronistic world * Guardian *A lively and comprehensive study of London clubs ... an entertainingly readable and well-researched glimpse into a world * Observer *[A] secretive world of arcane rules, unbelievable anecdotes and disreputable behaviour * The Times *Praise for Club Government: A fascinating forensic study of the period's networks of power. -- Ian Hislop, Editor, Private EyePraise for Club Government: We are in Seth Thévoz's debt for this splendid book, at once a scholarly work and an insider's account. -- Professor Eugenio Biagini, Cambridge UniversityPraise for Club Government: This definitive study shows how smart London clubs played a crucial role in shaping mid-Victorian politics . . . Presenting a wealth of new evidence, he has produced a tour de force of scholarship. -- Dr Piers Brendon, former Keeper of the Churchill Archives and author of The Decline and Fall of the British EmpirePraise for Club Government: Skilful presentation as well as uniquely well-informed content. -- Sir Peter Newsam, former Director of the Institute of Education, London UniversityPraise for Club Government: Magisterial. -- Professor Sunny Singh, novelistPraise for Club Government: Seth Thévoz has undertaken the most comprehensive and rational analysis of the part clubs played and how they were enabled to do so. He has demystified some of the aura that Trollope and Disraeli tried to create around clubland. * Journal of Liberal History *Praise for Club Government: Dr Thévoz's scholarly and readable book is an outstanding and important contribution to our understanding of politics in nineteenth-century Britain. * Sherlock Holmes Journal *Praise for Club Government: Compelling and detailed. -- David Palfreyman, author of London’s Pall Mall ClubsPraise for Club Government: Excellent . . . a carefully sourced study . . . It's an easy and educative read from someone who not only researches (and then writes) well, but whose understanding of what drives politicians to do what they do is weaved throughout the book. * Liberator *

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Book Synopsis''It reads like fiction, but it is, astonishingly, history'' THE TIMESIN 1917, AN ECCENTRIC BAND OF BRITISH SPIES IS SMUGGLED INTO NEWLY SOVIET RUSSIA.Their goal is to defeat Lenin''s plan to destroy British India and bring down the democracies of the West. These extraordinary spies, led by Mansfield Cumming, proved brilliantly successful. They found a wholly new way to deal with enemies, one that relied on espionage and dirty tricks rather than warfare. They were the unsung founders of today''s modern, highly professional secret services. They were also the inspiration for fictional heroes to follow, from James Bond to James Bond.''Readers will find themselves as gripped as they would be by the very best of Fleming or le Carré'' SUNDAY TIMES''Marvellous, meticulously researched and truly groundbreaking'' SIMON WINCHESTERTrade ReviewGiles Milton's fast-packed account of Britain's attempts to sabotage Lenin's revolution reads like a madcap thriller... Milton has synthesised and filleted a mass of material - old memoirs, official archives and newly released intelligence files - to produce a rollicking tale... which explains the long war against Russia with verve, wit and colour. It reads like fiction, but it is, astonishingly, history. * The Times *Giles Milton's fast-packed account of Britain's attempts to sabotage Lenin's revolution reads like a madcap thriller... Milton has synthesised and filleted a mass of material - old memoirs, official archives and newly released intelligence files - to produce a rollicking tale... which explains the long war against Russia with verve, wit and colour. It reads like fiction, but it is, astonishingly, history. * The Times *This gripping history of derring-do and invisible ink brings to life the exploits of the British spies who waged war against Russia during the Cold War ... Full of novelistic flourishes ... [readers] will find themselves as gripped as they would be by the very best of Fleming or le Carré. * The Sunday Times *This gripping history of derring-do and invisible ink brings to life the exploits of the British spies who waged war against Russia during the Cold War ... Full of novelistic flourishes ... [readers] will find themselves as gripped as they would be by the very best of Fleming or le Carré. * The Sunday Times *A terrific story, told with Milton's customary fluency and eye for detail. * Mail on Sunday *A terrific story, told with Milton's customary fluency and eye for detail. * Mail on Sunday *Milton is a compulsive storyteller whose rattling style ensures this is the antithesis of a dry treatise on espionage. And unlike 007, it's all true. * Daily Express *Milton is a compulsive storyteller whose rattling style ensures this is the antithesis of a dry treatise on espionage. And unlike 007, it's all true. * Daily Express *This chronicle of British undercover push back against Bolshevik world conspiracy proves to be an exciting ringside seat at the Russian Revolution... accomplished British author Milton does a fine job of keeping order without sparing suspense... A beguiling ride through a riotous time by a historian and able storyteller who knows his facts and his audience. * Kirkus (starred review) *This chronicle of British undercover push back against Bolshevik world conspiracy proves to be an exciting ringside seat at the Russian Revolution... accomplished British author Milton does a fine job of keeping order without sparing suspense... A beguiling ride through a riotous time by a historian and able storyteller who knows his facts and his audience. * Kirkus (starred review) *With this marvelous, meticulously researched and truly ground-breaking account of British spies working in Lenin's stripling Soviet Union, Giles Milton - with his best book so far - reminds us of a time when the spying game was dangerous, fun and even, dare one say it cool. * Simon Winchester, author of THE MAN WHO UNITED THE STATES *With this marvelous, meticulously researched and truly ground-breaking account of British spies working in Lenin's stripling Soviet Union, Giles Milton - with his best book so far - reminds us of a time when the spying game was dangerous, fun and even, dare one say it cool. * Simon Winchester, author of THE MAN WHO UNITED THE STATES *

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Book SynopsisEnlightenment studies are currently in a state of flux, with unresolved arguments among its adherents about its dates, its locations, and the contents of the ''movement''. This book cuts the Gordian knot.There are many books claiming to explain the Enlightenment, but most assume that it was a thing. J. C. D. Clark shows what it actually was, namely a historiographical concept. Currently ''the Enlightenment'' is a term widely accepted across popular culture and in a variety of academic disciplines, notably history, philosophy, political theory, political science, literary studies, and theology; Clark calls for a fundamental reconsideration in each. The Enlightenment: An Idea and Its History provides a critical historical analysis of the Enlightenment in England, Scotland, France, Germany, and the United States from c. 1650 to the present. It argues that the degree of commonality between social and intellectual movements in each--and, more broadly, between the five societies--has been ov

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Book SynopsisA timely, well-researched, and vibrant new history of Hong Kong that reveals the untold stories of the diverse peoples who have made it a multicultural world metropolis-and whose freedoms are endangered today.Hong Kong has always been many cities to many people: a seaport, a gateway to an empire, a place where fortunes can be dramatically made or lost, a place to disappear and reinvent oneself, and a mixing pot of diverse populations from literally everywhere around the globe. A British Crown Colony for 155 years, Hong Kong is now ruled by the Chinese Communist Party who continues to threaten its democracy and put its rich legacy at risk. Here, renowned journalist Vaudine England delves into Hong Kong''s complex history and its people-diverse, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan-who have made this one-time fishing village into the world port city it is today.Rather than a traditional history describing a town led by British Governors or a mere offshoot of a collapsinTrade ReviewAs a history of Hongkong, not just as a British colony, or an exotic Chinese enclave, but as a cosmopolitan city of many creeds and races, Asian and European, Vaudine England's book is unsurpassed. Her take on the so-called Eurasians, who have played such a large part in Hongkong's history, is fresh and essential to a better understanding of this unique place -- Ian BurumaAt last: a lively and carefully researched page turner about the individuals and social forces that have made Hong Kong the dynamic (and quirky) place it is -- Adi Ignatius, former Wall Street Journal Bureau Chief in BeijingVivid, atmospheric, packed with brilliant story-telling, Vaudine England brings to life the boiling pot of race, culture and ambition that made Hong Kong one of the world's great cities. Within its compelling read, Fortune's Bazaar boldly explodes the myth that Hong Kong is 'just another Chinese city.' Not at all, England gives us the story of the visionary, deal-making, itinerant Eurasian elite who created this unique, international place that is Hong Kong -- Humphrey Hawksley, former BBC Beijing, Hong Kong and Asia CorrespondentIf you love Hong Kong and have lost her, as have I, Vaudine England's marvellous account of the "in-between people," who made it the remarkable place it was, will fill you with wonder, understanding and a sadness for a place - and an idea - that no longer exists -- Richard Hornik, former TIME bureau chief in Beijing and Hong KongIn Fortune's Bazaar, Vaudine England rejects a tale-of-two-cities approach to the history of Hong Kong's colonization and this is what makes it so illuminating... [Fortune's Bazaar] offers lively, confounding and sometimes even inspiring stories about Eurasians and others, show[ing] that cities are constructed not from zero-sum games and political theory, but from generations of human interactions that defy us-and-them formulas * Thomas Dyja, New York Times Book Review *To call a history 'rollicking' may indicate that it isn't serious, but Fortune's Bazaar is both. Vaudine England's well-written take on the historical record is likely to delight anyone who loves Hong Kong * Peter Gordon, Asian Review of Books *In Fortune's Bazaar, Vaudine England examines [Hong Kongers], these 'in-between people,' as she calls them, and their often overlooked role in the development of Hong Kong into a cosmopolitan, world-class city. [With] impressive research, Fortune's Bazaar is less a straightforward narrative than a history told through the stories of Eurasians and other mixed-culture residents. The reader will be rewarded with an enhanced understanding of what it means to be a Hong Konger * Melanie Kirkpatrick, Wall Street Journal *A vivid, entertaining guide, rich in anecdote and understanding for an early globalised world thathas gone * Michael Sheridan, Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2018 NJSAA Author Award for Popular Non-Fiction, New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance"

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the bestselling ATLANTIS comes a thrilling novel of buried secrets, age-old mysteries and a conspiracy surrounding the fabled Ark of the Covenant. ''What do you get if you cross Indiana Jones with Dan Brown? Answer: David Gibbins'' Mirror586 BC The ancient world is in meltdown. The Babylonians have ravaged the Holy Land, and Jerusalem has fallen. In desperation, the temple priests look to the greatest navigators ever known to save their holiest of treasures.1943 A group of Allied codebreakers, under Churchill''s direct command, work to stop a top-secret exchange between the Nazis and the Japanese. Yet even they know nothing of the ancient artefact hidden on board a ship whose fate they have just sealed.Present-day Marine archaeologist Jack Howard and his friend Costas undertake a dangerous dive hunting for Nazi gold in a wreck perched on the edge of the continental shelf. What they glimpse there leads JackTrade ReviewA brilliantly written thriller that remains in the believable and yet rides the edge of the fantastical, the boundaries of exploration ... and expectation * Parmenion Books *The diving sequences are marvellous ... there isn't another thriller hero like Jack Howard and I treasure him * For Winter Nights *

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Book SynopsisReflecting both the interlocked web of politics, economics, and academics, as well as the evolving contours of Japan’s Americanists, these essays highlight the diverse paths through which individuals have come to be ‘Americanists’ and the complex meanings that identity carries for them.

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From Edith Pargeter, who also wrote as Ellis Peters, A BLOODY FIELD BY SHREWSBURY is a vivid medieval tale of Henry IV's kingdom in crisis. 'Chivalry, treachery, conflict of loyalties... The clash of wills is as stirring as the clash of steel' Observer England, 1399. A treacherous plot has been hatched to depose King Richard and install Henry Bolingbroke on the English throne.With the aid of his powerful friend Hotspur, Henry is victorious. But, crowned Henry IV, he rules a kingdom in crisis. In Wales, rebellion threatens. Henry's heir, Hal, is named Prince of Wales but the Welsh have a prince of their own blood and he is calling them to arms.More dangerous still, a rift is opening between Henry, Hotspur and Hal. As tension mounts, the three men are inexorably drawn into a bloody collision on which the fate of the realm will hang...

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Book SynopsisThink more deeply and work more independently at A level History through a carefully thought-out enquiry approach from SHP.Enquiring History: It makes you think! The OFSTED report on school history suggests that the current generation of A Level students have been poorly served by exam-based textbooks which spoon-feed students while failing to enthuse them or develop deeper understandings of studying HistoryThe Schools History Project has risen to this challenge with a new series for the next generation. Enquiring History is SHP''s fresh approach to Advanced Level History that aims: - To motivate and engage readers - To help readers think and gain independence as learners- To encourage enquiry, and deeper understanding of periods and the people of the past- To engage with current scholarship - To prepare A Level students for universityKey features of each Student book:- Clear compelling narrative - books are desigTrade ReviewAn A level text that isn't produced by an exam board is always very welcome - this is very readable without being too simplistic (as some texts are). Challenging but accessible - I'll definitely keep a look out for more like this. * Amazon reviewer *Table of Contents : 1 The French Revolution: The essentials : 2 What were people complaining about in the early 1780s? : 3 Why did Louis XVI call the Estates-General? : 4 What sort of revolution took place in 1789? : 5 What caused the French Revolution? : 6 Was Louis XVI chiefly to blame for the failure of constitutional monarchy? : 7 Why did violence explode in August and September 1792? : 8 Why did violence increase to become the Terror, 1793-94? : 9 How successful was the Directory, 1795-99? : 10 Did all revolutionaries share Robespierre's motives? : Conclusion: Does the French Revolution still matter?

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of the famous English outlaw who rebelled against William the Conqueror

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Book SynopsisThe essential anti-racist book from one of the world''s leading voices for change''With This Is Why I Resist, Dr Shola is shaking a nation out of its slumber.'' Annie Lennox OBE''Smart and courageous, this book should be on everyone''s must-read list.'' Naomi Campbell''Written with fearless articulacy, this book recalibrates the conversation on race to ignite transformational change.'' David Lammy MP''This book is a passionate call to arms for anyone who wishes to look the other way. It is a must read.'' Professor Kate Williams''Inclusive, exciting and focused, This Is Why I Resist is a fantastic point of reference for intersectional anti-racism work, no matter who you are.'' Munroe BergdorfIn 2020 we have seen clearer than ever that Black people are still fighting for the right to be judged by the content of their character and not the colour of their skin. In tTrade ReviewThis Is Why I Resist is an urgent and timely anti-racist call to action * Diva Magazine *

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Book SynopsisDavid Remnick has been the editor of The New Yorker since 1998. He was a staff writer for the magazine from 1992 to 1998 and, previous to that, the Washington Post's correspondent in the Soviet Union. He won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1994 for his book Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire. He lives in New York City with his wife and children.Trade ReviewSucceeds more than any previous book in bringing Ali into focus . . . as a starburst of energy, ego and ability whose like will never be seen again * Wall Street Journal *Penetrating . . . reveals details that even close followers might not have known. . . . An amazing story * New York Times *Nearly pulse-pounding narrative power . . . an important account of a period in American social history * Chicago Tribune *A pleasure . . . haunting . . . so vivid that one can imagine Ali saying, "How'd you get inside my head, boy?" * Time *By now we all have our notions about what Ali meant - to his time and to the history of his sport. Of course David Remnick sheds light on these subjects, but where King of the World really shines is in the ring itself. With telling detail, Remnick captures the drama, danger, beauty, and ugliness of a generation's worth of big heavyweight fights -- Bob CostaAstute, double-hearted, irresistible. He is so completely in charge of his craft that it becomes an art. -- Toni Morrison, author of Beloved

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Book SynopsisSixty extraordinary years of Eurovision, from Céline Dion to Dustin the Turkey, from Abba to Conchita Wurst - the drag acts, the bad acts and all the nul points heroes.For 60 years the Eurovision Song Contest has existed in a parallel universe where a song about the construction of a hydro-electric power station is considered cutting-edge pop, where half a dozen warbling Russian grandmothers are considered Saturday night entertainment, where a tune repeating the word ''la'' 138 times is considered a winner, and where Australia is considered part of Europe During those sixty years we have witnessed scandals: in 1957, Denmark''s Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler enjoyed an outrageously long 13-second kiss because the stage manager forgot to say ''cut'' during the live broadcast. We have witnessed national outrage: the 1976 Greek entry was a savage indictment of Turkish foreign policy in Cyprus. But most have all we have witnessed silly costumes, terrible lyric

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Book SynopsisExplores Florida's colonial past, focusing particularly on interactions between maroons who escaped enslavement, and on Albery Whitman's The Rape of Florida, which also links Black people and Native Americans. Contributors consider film, folklore, and music, and key Black writers.Trade ReviewConvening a range of scholars of Florida’s African American literary and cultural history, Black Hibiscus offers a unique engagement with contemporary scholarship marked by clarity of vision and conceptual verve." - Keith Cartwright, professor of English at University of North Florida"Through interviews, first-person accounts, and traditional academic essays, Black Hibiscus disrupts typical racial and cultural narratives about Florida and shows the centrality of the Black experience to the state." - Julie Buckner Armstrong, author of Mary Turner and the Memory of Lynching

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Book SynopsisFrom the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, from the Balkans to Mesopotamia, gunboats played an influential part in the story of World War I. This detailed technical guide to the gunboats of all the major navies of the war means that, for the first time, the story can be told. Naval action in World War I conjures up images of enormous dreadnoughts slugging it out in vast oceans. Yet the truth is that more sailors were killed serving on gunboats and monitors operating far from the naval epicentre of the war than were ever killed at Jutland. Gunboat engagements during this war were bloody and hard fought, if small in scale. Austrian gunboats on the Danube fired the first shots of the war, whilst German, British and Belgian gunboats fought one of the strangest, most intriguing naval campaigns in history in far-flung Lake Tanganyika.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Chronology /Design & Development /Operational History /Armament /Operation /Gunboats in Action /Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn the 1960s, professors, students, and activists on the political Left viewed college curricula as useful sites for political transformation. They coordinated efforts to alter general education requirements at the college level to foster change in American thought, with greater openness toward people who had previously been excluded, including women, people of color, the poor and working classes, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ community. Their work reshaped American culture and politics, while prompting a significant backlash from conservatives attempting to, in their view, protect classical education from modern encroachment. Elizabeth M. Kalbfleisch details how American universities became a battleground for identity politics from the 1960s through the 1980s. Focusing on two case studies at Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, Making the Radical University examines how curricular changes led to polarizing discussions nationwide around academic standards and identity politics, including the so-called canon wars. Today, these debates have only become more politically charged, complex, and barbed.Trade ReviewThis origin story of identity politics illustrates how 1960s-era student activism led to the canon wars of the 1980s and illuminates their lingering effects on higher education and contemporary culture today. Kalbfleisch’s careful archival research and clear, crisp writing style make this book a valuable resource for the field." - Jerusha O. Conner, author of The New Student Activists: The Rise of Neoactivism on College CampusesTable of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 Curricular Activism on Campus, 1966–1971 Chapter 2 Identity, Politics, and Identity Politics Chapter 3 The Canon Wars and Identity Politics at Stanford Chapter 4 The Escalating Canon Wars and Racism and Sexism at the University of Texas, Austin Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisRoyal Prussian Jagdgeschwader Nr III was the third of Germany''s vaunted fighter wings to be formed during World War 1. Commanded by the Pour le Mérite winner and well-respected ace Hauptmann Bruno Loerzer for its entire existence, it was composed of the celebrated Jasta ''Boelcke'', along with Jagdstaffeln 26, 27 and 36. Equipped largely with the new Fokker triplane, these four units would play an important role in the Kaiserschlacht as part of the 17. Armee. As Germany''s fortunes waned in the summer of 1918, the aces of JG III nonetheless did their best to stem the tides of British, French and later American aircraft they encountered. Aces such as Carl Bolle, Paul Bäumer, Heinrich Bongartz, Hermann Frommherz, Rudolf Klimke and the infamous Hermann Göring all carved their names in the record books flying in this formidable formation. This book examines the tactics, achievements and personalities of one of the deadliest of Germany''s aerial units.Table of ContentsOrigins and Background /Kaiserschlacht /The Tide Turns /September Success Story /Bitter End /Appendices /Colour Plates Commentary /Index

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Bournemouth Airport has changed and developed over the last century.

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Book SynopsisThe true story of Victorian entrepreneurship that led to the construction of one of Britain's most recognisable landscapes.

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Book SynopsisFor the British Empire it was a military disaster, but for Imperial Japan the conquest of Malaya was one of the pivotal campaigns of World War II. Giving birth to the myth of the Imperial Japanese Army''s invincibility, the victory left both Burma and India open to invasion. Although heavily outnumbered, the Japanese Army fought fiercely to overcome the inept and shambolic defense offered by the British and Commonwealth forces.Detailed analysis of the conflict, combined with a heavy focus on the significance of the aerial campaign, help tell the fascinating story of the Japanese victory, from the initial landings in Thailand and Malaya, through to the destruction of the Royal Navy''s Force Z and the final fall of Singapore itself.Table of ContentsOrigins of the campaign /Chronology /Opposing commanders /Opposing armies /Orders of battle /Opposing plans /The operation /Aftermath /The battlefields today /Further reading /Index

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Book SynopsisThe ancient standing stones, stone circles and burial chambers of Wales - remarkable feats of construction that are surrounded by legend.

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Book SynopsisAs the final month of fighting in Europe in 1945 dawned, the Allies embarked upon a series of mopping-up operations, destroying the last centers of German resistance as the essentially defeated Wehrmacht fought on in increasingly desperate conditions, driven by the explicit no-surrender order issued by Hitler.Yet at the same time, the Allies were already on shaky ground--as German resistance was crushed, the Allies began to eye one another nervously across a battle-torn Europe. These politically driven military decisions would have a huge impact on the future of the continent. This book traces the final operations of the war, from the liberation of Denmark, the Allied drive toward the Baltic straits, incursions in Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and engagements in Eastern and Western Germany, while also analyzing how the Allied strategies in the final days of the war were a hint of the future difficulties that would drive the Cold War.Table of ContentsIntroduction/Chronology/Opposing commanders/Opposing armies/Opposing plans/The campaign/Aftermath/The battlefield today/Further reading/Index

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Book SynopsisExam Board: AQA, Edexcel, OCR & WJECLevel: A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst Teaching: September 2015First Exam: June 2016Give your students the best chance of success with this tried and tested series, combining in-depth analysis, engaging narrative and accessibility. Access to History is the most popular, trusted and wide-ranging series for A-level History students.This title:- Supports the content and assessment requirements of the 2015 A-level History specifications- Contains authoritative and engaging content- Includes thought-provoking key debates that examine the opposing views and approaches of historians- Provides exam-style questions and guidance for each relevant specification to help students understand how to apply what they have learntThis title is suitable for a variety of courses including:- Edexcel: Ireland and the Union c.1774-1923<

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Book SynopsisIn the mid-1960s, the Soviet Union unveiled the BMP, the first true infantry fighting vehicle. A revolutionary design, the BMP marked a significant departure from the traditional armoured personnel carrier, with a lower silhouette and heavier armament than rival APCs. One of the most fearsome light-armoured vehicles of its day, it caused great consternation on the other side of the Iron Curtain as the Americans scrambled to design a machine to rival the BMP. The result was the M2/M3 Bradley. These Cold War icons first clashed not on the plains of Europe, but in southern Iraq during the Gulf War of 1991. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this is the absorbing story of the origins, development and combat performance of the BMP and Bradley, culminating in the bloody battles of the Gulf War.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Chronology /Design and Development /The Strategic Situation /Technical Specifications /The Combatants /Combat /Statistics and Analysis /Conclusion /Further Reading /Index

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Book SynopsisThe Greek war for independence (1821–1830) goes missing from the narrative of the Age of Revolutions, yet the overthrow of Ottoman rule was of profound political significance. The Greek Revolution offers short essays detailing the activities, personalities, intellectual underpinnings, and global resonances of a pivotal episode in modern history.Trade ReviewAn outstanding contribution to our understanding of the Greek Revolution and its immense consequences on global history, from an impressive group of distinguished scholars covering an astonishing range of topics on the revolutionary decade of the 1820s. This attractive, monumental work will be indispensable as we reflect on the bicentennial and the significance of the simultaneously old and young nation of Greece. -- Georgios Varouxakis, Queen Mary University of LondonContemporaries saw the Greek Revolution as a liberal beacon in an age of reaction; two centuries later, it seems to anticipate later independence movements, nationalist uprisings, civil wars, and refugee crises. The Greek Revolution magisterially reframes its significance within a global age of revolutions. A more impressive bicentennial tribute would be hard to imagine. -- David Armitage, Harvard University

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""A thought-provoking reexamination of the recipe for Vietnam’s back-to-back victories against Western powers." * Publishers Weekly *"[A] zestfully granular history of the Vietminh war against the French."---Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs"In this important book, Christopher Goscha . . . offers new insight into a post-colonial struggle that emerged from the Second World War. . . . Goscha’s command of French, English, and Vietnamese sources is a great strength in drawing out this neglected history."---Tim Cook, Literary Review of Canada"In The Road to Dien Bien Phu, Goscha tries to answer the question posed by Frantz Fanon, the Martiniquais psychiatrist who supported anti-colonial revolutions in Algeria and other parts of the world. ‘What must we do to realize a Dien Bien Phu? How do we go about doing it?’ Goscha details the recipe in a book of more than 500 pages—a recipe not duplicated in North Africa or any anti-colonial struggle outside Asia. . . . Like any great work of history, Christopher Goscha’s book resonates with connections to the present."---Thomas A. Bass, Mekong Review"Eye-opening. . . . It is the best work in English, French, or Vietnamese on the First Indochina War as a whole."---Shawn F. McHale, American Historical Review"The greatest merit of Christopher Goscha’s splendid history of the First Indochina War . . . is his unsparing devotion to letting facts inform his assessments and conclusions."---Francis P. Sempa, Asian Review of Books"[A] thrillingly acute and serious piece of work."---Rana Mitter, Literary Review"[A] magisterial account."---David Luhrssen, Shepherd Express"The Road to Dien Bien Phu showcases the ingenuity and resourcefulness of ideologically driven authorities obstinately struggling to overcome technological, economic and other deficits with a view to satisfying aspirations that were, in the final analysis, as narrow as they were unshakable."---Pierre Asselin, History Today ​​​​​​​"The Road to Dien Bien Phu will become a classic volume in the history of the Indochinese Wars standing alongside Bernard B. Fall’s Street Without Joy. . . . Required reading for anyone studying the post-World War II era of Southeast Asian politics. Goscha has provided keen insight into the war through his travels and interviews in the region. The Road to Dien Bien Phu belongs on the bookshelf of any historian studying this area of history or politics."---David A. Mattingly, International Social Science Review"One of the most important accounts of the First Indochina War to date. . . . [The Road to Dien Bien Phu] emphatically deserve[s] the attention of military historians of the Vietnam Wars and beyond."---Justin Simundson, Journal of Military History"Magisterial. . . . Goscha’s work, along with Sean McHale’s The First Vietnam War, fills a considerable void in the anglophone historiography of the First Indochina War from the perspective of the Vietnamese. It is a magnificent scholarly effort that will remain the standard text on its subject for years to come."---Daniel R. Hart, Michigan War Studies Review"[A]n extensive and comprehensive account of the lesser-known First Indochina War. . . . There is much to commend in The Road to Dien Bien Phu."---Seb Rumsby, LSE Review of Books"To the growing literature on Vietnam during this crucial period, Christopher Goscha has added an illuminating study that is ambitious in scope, copious in detail, and original in interpretation. . . . A deeply satisfying work by a prolific scholar and masterful writer."---Christian C. Lentz, Journal of Vietnamese Studies ​​​​​​​"The Road to Dien Bien Phu is the best academic book yet written about the First Indochina War."---Stein Tønnesson, H-Diplo"A compelling and well-written history."---Nathaniel L. Moir, War In History

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Book SynopsisOne of the most feared weapons in the ancient world, the gladius was lethal both on the battlefield and in the arena. Literary sources tell of the terror it inspired, while archaeological evidence of wounds inflicted is testament to its deadly effect. By pulling together strands of literary, sculptural and archaeological evidence renowned expert M.C. Bishop creates a narrative of the gladius' development, exploring the way in which the shape of the short sword changed as soldiers and gladiators evolved their fighting style. Drawing together historical accounts, excavated artefacts and the results of the latest scientific analyses of the blades, this volume reveals the development, technology, training and use of the gladius hispaniensis: the sword that conquered the Mediterranean.Table of ContentsIntroduction / Development / Use / Impact / Conclusion / Bibliography / Index

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