History Books

Book SynopsisThis volume features the street scenes, fashions, road vehicles, adverts, street furniture and of course the trams of Leeds 50 years ago. Over 150 black and white photographs will revive strong memories of times past.

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Book SynopsisMarcus Bell presents a revealing portrait of white teachers in a majority Black schools to outline how white racial identity is constructed based on localized interactions and the ways whiteness takes a different form in predominantly Black spaces.Trade Review“A rich and insightful book, Whiteness Interrupted is an original contribution that will impact numerous disciplines—sociology, black studies, ethnic studies, whiteness studies, and education—while also appealing to a broader readership interested in the formation of racial identity.” -- Victor M. Rios, author of * Human Targets: Schools, Police, and the Criminalization of Latino Youth *“Whiteness Interrupted makes a crucial intervention by showing how whites are racialized when they are the minority. Marcus Bell's examination of white teachers in black schools raises important questions about racial asymmetry in all its forms. Framing the construction of race around spatial negotiation interrupts the theorizing of whiteness in much-needed ways.” -- Freeden Blume Oeur, author of * Black Boys Apart: Racial Uplift and Respectability in All-Male Public Schools *“Whiteness Interrupted is an important investigation on the contemporary ways in which White identity forms and reforms. Bell lays out a persuasive call for sociologists of race and ethnicity to pay more attention to locality.” -- Matthew W. Hughey * Social Forces *“Whiteness Interrupted tackles the complex subject of racial identity among white educators and makes it understandable for many Americans. . . . This is definitely a must-read for all, particularly as the US becomes a majority-minority society. Essential.” -- K. H. Jones * Choice *“Individuals who are interested in racial inequality within select institutions (education, government, the economy, etc.) will find this research stimulating, although graduate students, undergraduates, teachers, and professors should be particularly interested in [Whiteness Interrupted].” -- Michael Parrish * Ethnic and Racial Studies *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments vii Introduction: Whiteness in America 1 1. White Racelessness 17 2. The Color Line and the Classroom 38 3. Becoming White Teachers 63 4. The White Race Card 85 5. Colorblind 117 Conclusion: White Identity Politics and the Coming Crisis of Place 153 Appendix: Methodology and Research Design 166 Notes 179 Bibliography 219 Index 241

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Book SynopsisWith full access to the Bournville archives, Dr. Chinn has traced the history of this distinguished family and its long established business.

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Book SynopsisFor all its history of intersecting empires, the Balkans has been rarely framed as a global site of race and coloniality. This, as Piro Rexhepi argues inWhite Enclosuresis not surprising, given the perception of the Balkans as colorblind and raceless, a project that spans post-Ottoman racial formations, transverses Socialist modernity and is negotiated anew in the process of postsocialist Euro-Atlantic integration. Connecting severed colonial histories from the vantage point of body politic,Rexhepiturns to the borderland zones of the Balkans to trace past and present geopolitical attempts of walling whiteness. From efforts to straighten the sexualities of post-Ottoman Muslim subjects, to Yugoslav nonaligned solidarities between Muslims of the second and third world, to Roma displacement and contemporary emergence of refugee carceral technologies along the Balkan Route, Rexhepi points not only to the epistemic erasures that maintain the fantasy of whiteness but also to the disrupTrade Review"This book not only challenges Bosnian and Albanian dominant political discourses, which for decades have refused to acknowledge the unequal power dynamics between the Balkan periphery and the European centre. It also is a long overdue book. For it takes these Muslim-majority populations, despite their closeness to whiteness, as a starting point for imagining a different world in which internationalist solidarity among the oppressed is possible." -- Adem Ferizaj * Left East *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1. Nonaligned Muslims in the Margins of Socialism: The Islamic Revolution in Yugoslavia 43 2. Historicizing Enclosure: Refashioned Colonial Continuities as European Cultural Legacy 70 3. Enclosure Sovereignties: Saving Missions and Supervised Self-Determination 90 4. (Dis)Embodying Enclosure: Of Straightened Muslim Men and Secular Masculinities 107 5. Enclosure Demographics: Reproductive Racism, Displacement, and Resistance 128 Afterword 151 Notes 157 References 161 Index 181

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Book SynopsisIt is a thrill to have written a local history book in conjunction with the Express and Star. The paper is not only the biggest-selling evening newspaper in the country outside London, but also it is marked out by its commitment to its region and the people of that region. There can be few papers that are as local as the Express and Star and that commitment to localness affects positively every aspect of its reporting and coverage. The Black Country is fortunate to have a paper so dedicated to the well being of Black Country folk. I thank the editor of the Express and Star, Adrian Faber, and its management for giving me the opportunity to write so extensively about the Black Country.

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Book SynopsisThe earliest surviving instance of sustained first-person travel narrative in ArabicMission to the Volga is a pioneering text of peerless historical and literary value. In its pages, we move north on a diplomatic mission from Baghdad to the upper reaches of the Volga River in what is now central Russia. In this colorful documentary from the tenth century, the enigmatic Ibn Fadlan relates his experiences as part of an embassy sent by Caliph al-Muqtadir to deliver political and religious instruction to the recently-converted King of the Bulghars. During eleven months of grueling travel, Ibn Fadlan records the marvels he witnesses on his journey, including an aurora borealis and the white nights of the North. Crucially, he offers a description of the Viking Rus, including their customs, clothing, body painting, and a striking account of a ship funeral. Together, these anecdotes illuminate a vibrant world of diversity during the heyday of the Abbasid Empire, naTrade ReviewMontgomery's edition...is itself the product of many years' research, travel, and discussion and should become definitive. * Speculum *A compelling account which is, among other things, the earliest first-hand description of travel from the Muslim world. * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisDuring the Second World War Birmingham suffered 365 air raid alerts and 77 actual air raids. These raids took place between the 8th August 1940 and the 23rd April 1943. There were over 9,000 casualties of whom 2,241 were killed. This book contains the first hand accounts of some of those who survived. The Memorial shown on the front cover "The Tree of Life" by Lorenzo Quinn is dedicated to the memory of all victims of the Blitz on Birmingham. The memorial was donated to the City of Birmingham by the Halcyon Gallery on behalf of its founders Racna and Lionel Green, in association with Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Air Raids Remembrance Association.

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Book SynopsisWhen terrorists attacked on September 11, 2001, Lieutenant Brian Murphy rescued seven people from the World Trade Center. Even as steel girders buckled and groaned, Brian rushed back up the stairs of the North Tower in search of those in need. He died a hero, one of more than four hundred police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who perished that fateful day. Three years later, Vietnam veteran and retired NYPD detective-sergeant Jimmy Murphy is on a mission to find the truth behind his son''s death. Why was Brian in the tower that morning? Had he anticipated the attack? Suspecting a cover-up of a deeper truth, Jimmy must confront his family, friends, and old colleagues in the police department to discover what happened to Brian and who his eldest son really was.Murphy''s investigation takes him from his home turf in the Irish American enclave of Rockaway Beach to Muslim Atlantic Avenue and beyond in order to find his own truth about 9/11. Dry-eyed and Trade ReviewLarry Kirwan's sweeping novel, "Rockaway Blue," is a defiant and celebratory tour of Irish-American life in the town best known for the long-gone amusement park and the Ramones' 1970s siren song that gleefully beckons: "we can hitch a ride to Rock, Rock, Rockaway Beach." * Echo Book Review *Rockaway Blue is a well-told, emotional journey... Rockaway Blue is a great read, Highly Recommended, and a Top Shelf Selection. * Ohio Irish American News *

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Book SynopsisIn The Cold War from the Margins, Theodora K. Dragostinova reappraises the global 1970s from the perspective of a small socialist stateBulgariaand its cultural engagements with the Balkans, the West, and the Third World. During this anxious decade, Bulgaria''s communist leadership invested heavily in cultural diplomacy to bolster its legitimacy at home and promote its agendas abroad. Bulgarians traveled the world to open museum exhibitions, show films, perform music, and showcase the cultural heritage and future aspirations of their ancient yet modern country. As Dragostinova shows, these encounters transcended the Cold War''s bloc mentality: Bulgaria''s relations with Greece and Austria warmed, émigrés once considered enemies were embraced, and new cultural ties were forged with India, Mexico, and Nigeria. Pursuing contact with the West and solidarity with the Global South boosted Bulgaria''s authoritarian regime by securing new allies and unifyinTrade ReviewIt is not possible to do justice to such a rich book in a review of this length. Theodosia K. Dragostinova has written an excellent book, full of concrete examples and pertinent comments, which is a valuable contribution to the comparative history of the Cultural Cold War. It is sophisticated, theoretically aware, and scholarly. * Eurasian Geography and Economics *There are major contributions that this study brings to the history of the Cold War, Eastern Europe, and even world history. * H-Net Reviews *In six detailed chapters, the author presents a wealth of information meant to reveal the ability of that small Balkan state to chart an active international agenda at a time when small states dominated discussions of the new world order. * Choice *In a remarkable new book, Theodora Dragostinova offers a thought-provoking account of the efforts of a small state to attain global cultural stature during the final decades of the Cold War.This provocative argument forces us to rethink our standard conceptualizations of power hierarchies during the Cold War. * The Middle Ground Journal *Theodora K. Dragostinova account indicates that Bulgaria's case is critical for understanding simultaneously the actorness and the historical experience of small states on the margins in playing on the world stage. * Ab Imperio *Dragostinova's vibrant account of Bulgarian cultural initiatives in the long 1970s is driven by a method-as-argument she calls a "pericentric approach." * Ab Imperio *This fine book meets all its stated goals and offers more. At its simplest, it narrates the story of national branding through culture (aptly defined as cultural extravaganza), when tiny Bulgaria organized 38,854 cultural events across the world between 1977 and 1981 to highlight its history and achievements, coinciding with the 1,300th anniversary of the state's creation. * Austrian History Yearbook *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Bulgaria on the Global Cultural Scene of the 1970s 1. The Contradictions of Developed Socialism 2. Goodwill between Neighbors 3. Culture as a Way of Life 4. Forging a Diaspora 5. Like a Grand World Civilization 6. Culture under Special Conditions Epilogue: The Socialist Past Today

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Book SynopsisA mischievous ghost lurks in the Palace Theatre, Redditch; the Technical Manager has seen it three times. The Bull's Head at Inkberrow is haunted by a young seamstress. A female spirit has been seen four times in room 307 at the Falcon Hotel, Stratford. A courting couple went to Henley for the day and were advised by the ghost of an elderly lady to finish their relationship. These and over a hundred ghost stories, both ancient and modern, are packed into this book including many eye-witness accounts and spinechilling anecdotes.

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Book SynopsisWith this nuanced and interdisciplinary work, political theorist Mihaela Mihai tackles several interrelated questions: How do societies remember histories of systemic violence? Who is excluded from such histories' cast of characters? And what are the political costs of selective remembering in the present? Building on insights from political theory, social epistemology, and feminist and critical race theory, Mihai argues that a double erasure often structures hegemonic narratives of complex violence: of widespread, heterogeneous complicity and of "impure" resistances, not easily subsumed to exceptionalist heroic models. In dialogue with care ethicists and philosophers of art, she then suggests that such narrative reductionism can be disrupted aesthetically through practices of "mnemonic care," that is, through the hermeneutical labor that critical artists deliver—thematically and formally—within communities' space of meaning. Empirically, the book examines both consecrated and marginalized artists who tackled the memory of Vichy France, communist Romania, and apartheid South Africa. Despite their specificities, these contexts present us with an opportunity to analyze similar mnemonic dynamics and to recognize the political impact of dissenting artistic production. Crossing disciplinary boundaries, the book intervenes in debates over collective responsibility, historical injustice, and the aesthetics of violence within political theory, memory studies, social epistemology, and transitional justice.Trade Review"Elegantly written and masterfully argued, Mihai's book contributes to debates about the critical role of art in resisting systemic violence and its political oblivion. With outstanding theoretical sophistication, exceptional interdisciplinary breadth, and remarkable empirical depth,it theorizes critical artistic practices as forms of mnemonic care for healthy hermeneutical climates. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the difficult work of resisting the mystification of the past and working toward social justice."—José Medina, Northwestern University"An eloquent and pathbreaking work of political theory that is deeply engaged with history and culture. Resolutely interdisciplinary and comparative, it provides stunningly illuminating insights into the everyday forms of complicity that prop up unjust regimes and the ordinary forms of resistance through which citizens contest domination."—Michael Rothberg, University of California, Los Angeles"Mihai once again challenges received wisdoms about the right way for nations to deal with histories of systemic violence. She makes a compelling case for messier, less triumphalist narratives of the past in favour of the ethical ambiguity of how resistance and complicity actually unfold."—Danielle Celermajer, University of Sydney"Mihaela Mihai has written a daring book that transcends disciplinary, linguistic, and national boundaries."—Catherine Guisan, Contemporary Political Theory"Mihai's book shows us how to understand action differently. In the present moment, as we struggle against the writing of political memory within enclosed perceptual experiences and hermeneutics, we might draw from Mihai's theorization of mnemonic care."—Sue Shon, Krisis: A Journal for Contemporary Philosophy"With Political Memory and the Aesthetics of Care... Mihai not only offers a rich resource for scholars working on questions of complicity and implication across different fields and disciplines – from history, to sociology, to political theory and philosophy, to memory studies, and to comparative literature among others. She also lays the foundation for new and deeper critical inquiries into the ethical demands and political stakes of studying complex involvement in violence."—Sofía Forchieri, CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture"In an argumentative tour de force, Mihai manages to dislocate petrified demarcation lines 'between the good and the bad, to reveal the relationality that underpins even the most exemplary practices of resistance'."—Maria Alina Asavei, The Review of PoliticsTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Tracing the Double Erasure 2. The Aesthetics of Care 3. France's "Dark Years" 4. Romania's Horizons of Hope and Despair 5. The Spectrum of Apartheid in South Africa Conclusion: Heretic Visions, Responsible Futures

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Book SynopsisTony Aston was born in 1953 in Redditch, Worcestershire and grew up there until he was sixteen years old. In this book Tony explores his memories of ordinary day-to-day life when the town, like hundreds of other towns and cities at that time, was striving to repair and re-invent itself after World War II. Tony recalls the demolition of the old town and the building of the new as well as his personal memories of Christmas, food and drink, the big freeze of 1962/63, incidents and accidents, special people in his life, radio and television, all intertwined with significant national and international events. Tony is a former Scotland Yard detective and counter-espionage specialist within the UK Defence Industry and in this, his first book, he has triumphed in weaving a narrative that will make readers both laugh and cry whilst rekindling their own memories.

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Book SynopsisIran's prison system is a foundational institution of Iranian political modernity. The Incarcerated Modern traces the transformation of Iran from a decentralized empire with few imprisoned persons at the turn of the twentieth century into a modern nation-state with over a quarter million prisoners today. In policing the line between "bad criminal" and "good citizen," the carceral system has shaped and reshaped Iranian understandings of citizenship, freedom, and political belonging. Golnar Nikpour explores the interplay between the concrete space of the Iranian prison and the role of prisons in producing new public cultures and political languages in Iran. From prison writings of 1920s leftist prisoners and communiqués of 1950s militant Islamists, to paintings of 1970s revolutionary guerrillas and mapping projects organized by contemporary dissident prisoners, carceral confinement has shaped modern Iranian political movements. Today, mass incarceration is a global phenomenon. The Incarcerated Modern connects Iranian history to transnational carceral histories to illuminate the shared architectures, economies, and techniques of modern punishment. Trade Review"Prisons that purport to isolate from public view nevertheless have a public life, Golnar Nikpour contends in this revelatory study. The Incarcerated Modern's depiction of transnational solidarity and human rights movements attempting to confront carcerality worldwide is acute and indispensable."—Samuel Moyn, Yale University"The Incarcerated Modern tells the story of Iran's transformation from a fading empire into a modern nation-state. Steeped in rich archival research, the book brilliantly unpacks the foundational significance of the carceral system and reveals the paradox of this massive system of surveillance—stabilizing the state while creating the space in which modern political movements came into being. A must read!"—Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, Princeton University"The Incarcerated Modern is one of those exceptionally rare, original books that transcends academic disciplines and opens up myriad terrains of inquiry. Golnar Nikpour powerfully and convincingly illustrates how the modern prison is global in scope—linked to colonial histories, nation-states, and global politics."—Shahla Talebi, Arizona State UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: On the Significance of the Iranian Prison 1. Lawlessness and Order: The Qajar Roots of Modern Prisons in Iran 2. The Criminal Is the Patient, the Prison Will Be the Cure: Building the Carceral Imagination in Pahlavi Iran 3. Like a Fertile Storm: Prisons and Revolutionary Worldmaking in the Iranian Guerrilla Era 4. The Iranian Prison Goes Global: Iranian Revolutionaries and the International Human Rights Movement 5. Making an Example: Carceral Utopianism and Prison Expansion in Revolutionary Iran 6. Carcerality beyond Prisons?: The Politics of Punishment in the Contemporary Islamic Republic Conclusion: Politics and Prisons beyond Reform Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOn 13 November 2015, Paris suffered the second wave of brutal terrorist attacks in a year, leaving 130 dead and many more seriously injured. How are we to make sense of these violent acts and what do they tell us about the forces shaping our world today?In this short book the influential philosopher Alain Badiou argues that while these violent events are commonly portrayed as acts of Islamic terrorism, in fact they attest to a much deeper malaise that is connected to the triumph of global capitalism and to new forms of imperialism that involve the weakening of states, such that whole regions of the world have been turned into ungovernable zones run by armed gangs in which ordinary people are forced to live the most precarious lives. These zones have become the breeding ground for a new kind of nihilism that seeks revenge for the domination of the West. And it is this new nihilism, on to which Islam has been grafted, that exerts a particular appeal to the young men and women on the margins who carried out the atrocities in Paris. The tragedy of 13 November might appear at first sight to be rooted in immigration and Islam but our wound is not so recent: it is rooted in a deeper set of transformations that have reshaped our world, creating small islands of privilege amidst large masses of the destitute and depriving us of a politics that would offer a serious alternative to the present.Trade Review"Badiou�s short book on the roots of recent terrorist attacks can be compared to a single long cinematographic take, which begins with a close-up of an object and then gradually withdraws, so that we see its historical context. This wider context is the dynamics of global capitalism and it is only from such a perspective that we can locate the causes of the attacks. The book reads like a theoretical detective fiction - it is simply unputdownable." Slavoj Zizek

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Book SynopsisFor generations, the study of Greek and Latin was used to train the elites of the western world. Knowledge of classical culture, it was believed, produced more cultivated, creative individuals; Greece and Rome were seen as pinnacles of civilization, and the origins of western superiority over the rest of the world. Few today are willing to defend this elitist, sometimes racist, vision of the importance of classics, and it is no longer considered essential education for politicians and professionals. Shouldn’t classics then be obsolete? Far from it. As Neville Morley shows, the ancients are as influential today as they ever have been, and we ignore them at our peril. Not only do they have much to teach us about the past, but they can offer important lessons for the complex cultural, social and political worlds of the present.Introducing Polity’s Why It Matters series: In these short and lively books, world-leading thinkers make the case for the importance of their subjects and aim to inspire a new generation of students.Trade Review"Professor Morley not only justifies his long-standing commitment to classics but also provokes his readers to reflect upon its nature and significance. A brilliant success!" —Paul Cartledge, Clare College, Cambridge "Morley shows how the ideas, arts and interpretations of Graeco-Roman culture have shaped the present, for both good and ill, and demonstrates how a new generation of scholars are revitalizing the study of classics." —Sarah Bond, University of Iowa

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Book SynopsisWhat is Cultural History? has established itself as an essential guide to what cultural historians do and how they do it. Now fully updated in its third edition, leading historian Peter Burke offers afresh his accessible account of the past, present and future of cultural history, as it has been practised not only in the English-speaking world, but also in Continental Europe, Asia, South America and elsewhere. Burke begins by discussing the ‘classic’ phase of cultural history, associated with Jacob Burckhardt and Johan Huizinga, and the Marxist reaction to it, from Frederick Antal to Edward Thompson. He then charts the rise of cultural history in more recent times, concentrating on the work of the last generation, often described as the ‘New Cultural History’. He places cultural history in its own cultural context, noting links between new approaches to historical thought and writing and the rise of feminism, postcolonial studies and an everyday discourse in which the idea of culture plays an increasingly important part. The new edition also surveys the latest developments in the field and considers the directions that cultural history has been taking in the twenty-first century and may take in the future. This landmark book will continue to be essential reading for students of history, anthropology, cultural studies and literary studies.Trade Review‘Here is a classic, fluently updated to include recent developments in the field. This is a must for all students of cultural history, a feast prepared by a master.’Jay Winter, Yale University ‘Peter Burke has done it again! This lucid book will delight any reader who wants to understand cultural history.'Natalie Zemon Davis, University of TorontoTable of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The Great Tradition Classic Cultural History Culture and Society The Discovery of the People 2. Problems of Cultural History The Classics Revisited Marxist Debates The Paradoxes of Tradition Popular Culture in Question What is Culture? 3. The Moment of Historical Anthropology The Expansion of Culture The Moment of Historical Anthropology Under the Microscope Postcolonialism and Feminism 4. A New Paradigm? Four Theorists Practices Representations Material Culture The History of the Body 5. From Representation to Construction The Rise of Constructivism New Constructions Performances and Occasions Deconstruction 6. Beyond the Cultural Turn? Burckhardt’s Return Politics, Violence and Emotions The Revenge of Social History Frontiers and Encounters Narrative in Cultural History 7. Cultural History in the Twenty-First Century A changing scene Cultural History and its Neighbours Culture in Question The Natural Turn Conclusion Notes Select Publications: A Chronological List Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisJapan, anchored by its traditions, transformed by American post-war Occupation, and globally recognized for its technological innovations, manufacturing prowess, and pop culture, faces powerful challenges from within and without. How Japan chooses to handle these problems and opportunities will determine its future for decades to come. In this book, Jeff Kingston – one of the most lucid analysts of Japan today – takes readers on a fascinating journey through this country's contemporary history, exploring the key developments and forces, both at home and abroad, that are shaping Japan in the twenty-first century. Whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s transformative agenda of “Abenomics” and “proactive pacifism” toward a rising China and a belligerent North Korea can set Japan on the path to greater prosperity and security remains to be seen. But having won a third term as president of the Liberal Democratic Party in 2018, Japan’s ongoing transformation is very much in Abe’s hands.Trade Review“There is no better way to understand where this always intriguing, vitally important, and often pioneering country is heading than to read this book.”Bill Emmott, Chairman, Japan Society of the UK and author of The Fate of the West. “Much of the world seems to have forgotten Japan, being mesmerized by the spectacular rise of China. Jeff Kingston’s informative and remarkably entertaining book reminds us that, despite its many problems, Japan still matters deeply, rebounding in many fields in unexpected ways.”Arthur Stockwin, Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, Oxford"Scholar Jeff Kingston has penned a new 'compact and lively book' looking at Japan in the 21st century. Japan promises to be a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of this country."The Japan Times ‘A concise, highly readable overview of Japan’s political evolution from 1945 to the present’ The Japan Times Table of ContentsMap Chapter 1 Bouncing Back? Chapter 2 Japan, Inc. Chapter 3 American Alliance Chapter 4 Lost Decades and Disasters Chapter 5 Dissent Chapter 6 Abe's Japan Further Reading Notes

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Book Synopsis“Stress,” “burn out,” “mental overload”: the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have witnessed an unrelenting expansion of the meaning of fatigue. The tentacles of exhaustion insinuated themselves into every aspect of our lives, from the workplace to the home, from our relationships with friends and family to the most intimate aspects of our lives. All around us are the signs of a “burn-out society,” a society in which fatigue has become the norm. How did this happen? This pioneering book explores the rich and little-known history of fatigue from the Middle Ages to the present. Vigarello shows that our understanding of fatigue, the words used to describe it, and the symptoms and explanations of it have varied greatly over time, reflecting changing social mores and broader aspects of social and political life. He argues that the increased autonomy of people in Western societies (whether genuine or assumed), the positing of a more individualized self, and the ever expanding ideal of independence and freedom have constantly made it more difficult for us to withstand anything that constrains or limits us. This painful contradiction causes weariness as well as dissatisfaction. Fatigue spreads and becomes stronger, imperceptibly permeating everything, seeping into ordinary moments and unexpected places. Ranging from the history of war, religion and work to the history of the body, the senses and intimacy, this history of fatigue shows how something that seems permanently centered in our bodies has, over the course of centuries, also been ingrained in our minds, in the end affecting the innermost aspects of the self.Trade Review“Georges Vigarello is a pioneer in the history of the body with a gift for tracing the evolution of concepts over the long term. A History of Fatigue combines these talents to explore shifting understandings of fatigue from the Middle Ages right up to our present world of ‘stress’ and ‘burn out’, in the process making an original argument about the challenges and consequences of individual autonomy. Nancy Erber’s lively translation preserves the engaging style that has made Vigarello so well known in his home country and will bring this important work to new audiences.”Robert Priest, Royal Holloway, University of London“‘Everything has a history, more complex than it seems.’ Georges Vigarello shows this very clearly in a wide-ranging and well-organized book on a topic that might have been dismissed, before his research, as either unnecessary or impossible. A tour de force.”Peter Burke, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge“Georges Vigarello has an extraordinary talent for telling stories while simultaneously providing us with highly original, broad narratives about change over time. In this new book, he changes the way we think about the power of exhaustion in our lives, demonstrating that what makes us tired, nervous and stressed is also what makes us human.”Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck College, University of London“In A History of Fatigue, the dean of ‘intimate’ histories of the body gives ‘burn out’ a place beside his earlier studies of hygiene, beauty and obesity. Weariness and stress are essential to the human condition, but the particulars matter: the exhaustion of the peasant, the ennui of the poet, the worn-out worries of the modern single mom. From the Middle Ages to the ‘post-industrial’ era, Vigarello illuminates the evolution of fatigue: how it is imagined, how it feels and how it is repaired.”Steve Zdatny, University of Vermont “In Vigarello’s account, fatigue has become something of a modern-day obsession—yet the more 'visibility' it has, the more it can add to our stress and existential discomfort. The corollary of the 21st-century ideal of the autonomous individual who 'performs' at a high level is the alienated, mentally and physically exhausted individual who can contribute nothing.”Prospect“captivating… an important study of an increasingly important topic.”Times Literary Supplement“’A History of Fatigue’… is stoutly industrious and inquisitive, and, in the corralling of evidence, Vigarello shows such dedication that he should seriously consider moonlighting as a homicide detective.”The New YorkerTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Part I: The Medieval World and the Challenge of Landmarks Chapter 1: A Clear Picture with Cloudy Landmarks Chapter 2: The Renowned Fatigue of the Warrior Chapter 3: The ‘Necessary’ Suffering of the Traveler Chapter 4: ‘Redemptive’ Fatigue Chapter 5: Ordinary Work and Everyday Workers, a relative “silence”? Chapter 6: Between Occult Power and the Healing Virtues of Refreshments Part II: The Modern World and the Challenge of Categories Chapter 7: The Invention of Degrees Chapter 8: Inventing Categories Chapter 9: The Advent of Numbers Chapter 10: Diversifying Influences Chapter 11: The Diversification of Remedies Chapter 12: Poverty and “Exhaustion” Part III: The Enlightenment and the Challenge of the Perceptible Chapter 13: Feelings at Stake Chapter 14: Nerves: From a Stimulus to a Whirlwind Chapter 15: Speaking of Strength Chapter 16: Suffering from Fatigue, the Beginning of Compassion Chapter 17: Fatigue is in Demand; The Challenge Begins Chapter 18: The Beginning of Training and the Review of Time Part IV: The Nineteenth Century and the Challenge of Numbers Chapter 19: The Steadfast Citizen Chapter 20: A World of Numbers: From Mechanics to Energy Chapter 21: A Universe Under Threat: The Poverty of the Workers Chapter 22: The World of Output Chapter 23: The World of “Mental Fatigue” Chapter 24: Resistance and Growth Part V: The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries and the Challenge of Psychology Chapter 25: Revealing the Psyche Chapter 26 From Hormones to Stress Chapter 27 From the “New Man” to Tragedy Chapter 28: The Promise of Well-Being? Chapter 29: From Burnout to Identity Afterword Chapter 30: Surprises and “Viral” Dangers Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe declaration of the Republic of China in 1912 signalled an entirely new era. Not only did the revolution of 1911–12 bring about the fall of the Qing dynasty: it also brought an end to the entire series of dynasties that had marked Chinese history for over two millennia. Radical reforms since 1901 had culminated in the ending of the political status quo and the rejection of the very idea of empire. Drawing on the most recent historical research, Xavier Paulès provides a comprehensive account of the crucial but chaotic period that stretched from the founding of the Republic of China in 1912 to the civil war of 1945–9, which ended with the victory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Paulès challenges various common claims about this period. It is often assumed that the CCP was instrumental in bringing about key events by skilfully mobilizing the population to serve its ends. Paulès argues, by contrast, that the CCP took advantage of fortunate circumstances and that, even then, it was only in a position to challenge the supremacy of the Guomindang as late as 1944. His analysis takes a broad view by considering the importance of political actors both within and external to the revolutionary movement, enabling him to offer a balanced interpretation of the republican period which sheds new light on China’s political, cultural and economic development.Trade Review‘All too often the Chinese Republic is overlooked as a wretched interlude between imperial collapse and communist victories. Yet its contribution to a Chinese modernity that a century later is still in the making was essential. Paulès’ nuanced and erudite synthesis introduces us to the paradoxes of these creative and dramatic decades like no other book I know of.’Pierre-Etienne Will, Collège de France‘The Republic was a short but transformative period for China. Xavier Paulès shows its importance as a time of political possibility, covering conflict, economics and culture with flair and precision.’Rana Mitter, University of Oxford‘Paulès presents a fascinating account of the decades that followed the collapse of China’s imperial order, highlighting the effects of political fragmentation, imperialism, industrialization, domestic and international migration, and world war. This lively book analyses current debates about the politics and personalities of the era, arguing that the decades before 1949 demonstrate the fluidity and resilience of Chinese culture.’Kristin Stapleton, University at BuffaloTable of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations and Maps Introduction Chapter 1: The 1911 Revolution The flashpoint in Wuhan The last dynasty’s unorthodox downfall 1912, the year of many possibilities The years under Yuan Shikai (1913-1916) The international context and the influence of the war in Europe The fall of Yuan Shikai Chapter 2: Cliques And Warlords (1916-1928) The rivalry amongst North China's major cliques for control of the government Who were the warlords? The implausible identikit portrait The driving forces behind junfa power Conflicts, alliances and viscosity Was national unity in jeopardy? The diplomatic context, May Fourth Movement (1919) and the rise of nationalism Two decades of spectacular diplomatic recovery for China (1906-1926) Disappointed expectations from the Versailles negotiations A movement without precedent The rise of the Guomindang (1917-1926) and the Canton decade 925: the death of Sun Yat-sen and its aftermath, the May Thirtieth Movement The Northern Expedition Phase 1: the defeat of Wu Peifu and Sun Chuanfang Phase 2: the time of divisions Phase 3: Zhang Zuolin’s defeat Chapter 3: The Nanking Decade (1928-1937) 1928-1932: Troublesome former allies The period of stabilisation: 1932-1935 The Guomindang’s achievement The looming Japanese threat Warlords on the wane The successful marginalization of the Chinese Communist Party The successful marginalisation of the Chinese Communist Party The run up to the Sino-Japanese war: 1935-1937 Chapter 4: The War Against Japan (1937-1945) The war of movement: 1937-1939 Why did Chiang Kai-shek choose confrontation? Japan’s first victories The Second United Front and Soviet aid 938, the difficult conquest of the Middle Yangtze River basin 1939, settling in for a long war The war of position (1940-1944) Stabilisation of the front Population movements China and the Allies 1940: the beginning of the Guomindang state’s disintegration The CCP, a new force Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek, the crossed paths of destiny Occupied China and the collaborating governments 1944-1945: return to the war of movement From the Ichig offensive to the surrender The war's outcome Chapter 5: Civil War (1945-1949) A very favourable situation for the Guomindang The political and symbolic dividends of victory The economic rebound in the immediate post-war period Immediately post-war: 1945-1946 The role of the USSR and the USA Locking of horns for the first time The Guomindang’s post-war failure The military era: 1946-1949 Sclerosis of the Guomindang The issue of corruption Lack of renewal within the Guomindang The impossible democratic transformation The CCP's policy A third force gone missing The withdrawal to Taiwan, a victory for the Guomindang? Chapter 6: Overview of the Chinese Economy China in an international context The financial and monetary system The shortcomings of the financial system Progress and crisis in the monetary system The primary sector The very slow evolution of the agricultural sector Mining: the triumph of coal and emergence of oil The secondary sector Industry and the rise of Chinese capitalism Maintaining cottage industries The service sector Transport Traditional services The effects of the 1937-1945 war and the civil war Relocation and state control of the economy The origins of Communist China's planned economy? Chapter 7: Building the State Political culture Inventing a political culture Continuities with the New Policies period Continuity with an older political order The Guomindang and the party-state model post 1928 Sun Yat-sen, a guiding light Institutional structure Cliques and clique struggles The endless return of revolution The question of fascism The extension of the State's scope, a fundamental trend The question of the relationship between the State and local elites A plurality of State-building trajectories Chapter 8: Changes in Society The Population Demographic Data Migrations Social groups The proletariat The urban middle classes The recomposition of elites Highly resilient intermediary bodies Living standards and lifestyles The issue of the impoverishment of Chinese peasants Did the Guomindang lose interest in the countryside? Endemic insecurity in the countryside ‘Problems’ in Chinese society New leisure activities Can we call it westernisation? Women Chapter 9: Cultural Renewal The dissemination of ideas The development of primary and secondary education Higher education The media Passing influences New interest in the non-Western world The May Fourth Movement 1919 and that of the new culture (xin wenhua yundong ) Chinese Culture’s Western Crisis A reinvented language The wenti The competition of 'isms’ Religious revivals China's cultural influence. The undiminished prestige of classical culture China as a conduit for knowledge from the West Transmission of popular culture Conclusion And Epitaph Timeline Appendixes Sun Yat-sen’s Last Will (yizhu ) Comparison of China’s population with that of other major countries Comparison of the length of China's rail network with that of other countries (in kilometres) The Song family simplified family tree Maps Bibliography Notes Index

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Book SynopsisPierre Bourdieu and Abdelmalek Sayad met in their twenties in the midst of the Algerian war of independence. From their first meeting, a strong intellectual friendship was born between the French philosopher and the activist from the colony, nourished by the same desire to understand the world in order to change it. The work of both men was driven by the necessity of putting knowledge to use, whether by unveiling the relations of domination that structured life in Algeria or by opening emancipatory perspectives for the Algerian people. Colonies were, of course, a customary site of ethnographic work, but Bourdieu and Sayad refused to sacrifice scientific rigor to political expediency, even as Algeria descended deeper into war. Indeed, the act of understanding as a political commitment to the transformation of society lay at the heart of their project. Based on extensive interviews and deep archival work, Amín Pérez rediscovers the anticolonial origins of the pathbreaking social thought of these brilliant thinkers. Bourdieu and Sayad, he argues, forged another way of doing politics, laying the foundations of a revolutionary pedagogy, not just for anticolonial liberation but for true social emancipation.​Trade Review“This book is a revelation. Pérez uniquely offers insights into the anticolonial thought of two major social theorists of our times: Pierre Bourdieu, and his collaborator and friend Abdelmalek Sayad. Anyone interested in social theory, anticolonialism, and postcolonialism will have to read and reread this innovative, illuminating, and clarifying work of committed scholarship.”Julian Go, author of Postcolonial Thought and Social Theory“Deeply researched and fluidly argued, Pérez’s book is essential reading for anyone wishing to grasp the anti-colonial roots of Bourdieu’s sociology and a stunning document on the entanglement of social science and empire.”Loïc Wacquant, author of The Invention of the “Underclass” and Bourdieu in the City“A landmark study of the history of social science. Based on exhaustive archival research and original interviews with their contemporaries, Amín Pérez argues compellingly that Bourdieu and Sayad always attempted to articulate politics with social science, and that this did not contradict Bourdieu’s familiar arguments in favor of scientific autonomy.”George Steinmetz, author of The Colonial Origins of Modern Social ThoughtTable of ContentsPart One: Sociology as Emancipation Chapter 1: The Origins of Subversive Knowledge Chapter 2: Resisting in War-torn Algeria Chapter 3: A Sociology of the Colonial Order Part Two: Liberation through Knowledge Chapter 4: Listening, Observing, and Testifying in Times of War Chapter 5: Renewing the Social Sciences out of Political Necessity Chapter 6: From Colonial Liberation to Social Emancipation Conclusion

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Book SynopsisExam board: OCRLevel: A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016Target success in OCR 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 answers and commentary from expert authors and teachers- Boosts historical knowledge with a useful glossary and timeline

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Book SynopsisThis title is endorsed by Cambridge Assessment International Education to support the History of the USA 1820-1941 Option from the Cambridge AS Level History syllabus for first examination from 2021.Develop knowledge and analytical skills with engaging comprehensive coverage of the History of the USA 1820-1941 Option from the Cambridge AS Level History syllabus for first examination from 2021. - Trust in the clear and authoritative content written by topic experts- Develop source skills through questions on a wide range of sources- Stay focused on the key issues you need to understand with questions throughout each chapter - Improve study and understanding through detailed chapter summary diagrams- Build confidence with applying your knowledge through exam guidance and exam-style questions

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Book SynopsisExam board: WJECLevel: AS/A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016 (AS); Summer 2017 (A-level)Build, reinforce and revise the historical knowledge and exam skills required for WJEC AS/A-level History.Matched to the 2016 specification for Wales, this study guide contains clear content summaries and annotated sample answers to exam questions.- Concisely covers the key issues and content in the specification, breaking the Unit down into manageable chunks- Consolidates understanding with regular knowledge-check questions, plus useful tips- Builds the analytical and evaluative skills that students need to succeed in AS/A-level History- Improves students' exam technique, providing sample student answers to past paper questions, with commentary to explain the number of marks awarded- Helps students to learn the content throughout the course, study independently and revise for their exams

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Book Synopsis“My greatest aim has been to advance the art of photography and to make it what I think I have, a great and truthful medium of history.” —Mathew Brady Mathew Brady and his team of assistants risked their lives to capture up-close images of the fury of the American Civil War and its aftermath. Brady actually got so close to the action during the First Battle of Bull Run that he only narrowly avoided capture. Brady's Civil War Journal chronicles the events of the war by showcasing a selection of Brady's moving, one-of-a-kind images and describing each in terms of its significance. Brady’s team not only captured thousands of portraits of the combatants, the generals, the fighting men, the sick, the dead, and the dying, but also documented the infrastructure of the war machine itself, recording images of artillery pieces, the early railroads, and extraordinary engineering feats. The text by Theodore P. Savas, an expert on the Civil War, adds context to Brady's memorable photographs, creating an unrivaled visual account of the most costly conflict in American history as it unfolded. His unique record of the war gives modern readers a fascinating insight into the terrible maelstrom that shaped our nation.

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Book Synopsis'Not all lost cities are real, but this one was.' The extraordinary story of Alexander the Great's lost city, and a quest to unravel one of the most captivating mysteries in ancient history. ‘Superb … impeccably researched, but with the pace and deftly woven plot complexity of a John le Carré novel ... utterly brilliant’ William Dalrymple, Guardian ‘[An] exceptional biography ... This is a jewel of a book’ Sunday Times ‘A brilliant and evocative biography, written with consummate scholarship, great style and wit’ Daily Telegraph ______ For centuries the city of Alexandria Beneath the Mountains was a meeting point of East and West. Then it vanished. In 1833 it was discovered in Afghanistan by the unlikeliest person imaginable: Charles Masson, an ordinary working-class boy from London turned deserter, pilgrim, doctor, archaeologist and highly respected scholar. On the way into one of history’s most extraordinary stories, Masson would take tea with kings, travel with holy men and become the master of a hundred disguises; he would see things no westerner had glimpsed before and few have glimpsed since. He would spy for the East India Company and be suspected of spying for Russia at the same time, for this was the era of the Great Game, when imperial powers confronted each other in these staggeringly beautiful lands. Masson discovered tens of thousands of pieces of Afghan history, including the 2,000-year-old Bimaran golden casket, which has upon it the earliest known face of the Buddha. He would be offered his own kingdom; he would change the world, and the world would destroy him. This is a wild journey through nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan, with impeccably researched storytelling that shows us a world of espionage and dreamers, ne’er-do-wells and opportunists, extreme violence both personal and military, and boundless hope. At the edge of empire, amid the deserts and the mountains, it is the story of an obsession passed down the centuries. **Chosen as a Book of the Year by the Spectator, Listener and Sydney Morning Herald**Trade ReviewCharles Masson is the quixotic and wildly colourful subject of this exceptional biography ... This is a jewel of a book. It rescues Masson from history's cutting-room floor and brings him richly, ripely to life ... Brave, dedicated, endlessly curious, Masson deserves his rediscovery -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *Only now, with this superb biography, is Masson’s tale told in full for the first time. The result, evocatively written, impeccably researched and minutely footnoted, but with the pace and deftly woven plot complexity of a John le Carré novel, is a small masterpiece. It solves most of the mysteries of Masson’s story and deserves all the acclaim it will undoubtedly win ... utterly brilliant -- William Dalrymple * Guardian *Enthralling … A remarkable story, full of grandeur and violence … [and] a powerful commentary on the horrors inflicted by the East India Company … Richardson’s colourful and compelling account gives this forgotten figure his due. -- Joshua Hammer * New York Times *Masson was one of the most extraordinary of many extraordinary Europeans roaming between Persia and India in the 19th century ... A brilliant and evocative biography, written with consummate scholarship, great style and wit. Through the study of one man, Richardson illuminates an entire world -- Harry Sidebottom * Daily Telegraph *Masson’s story is brilliantly retold by Edmund Richardson … A lucid, thrilling and poetic narrative that does justice to the subject. -- Bijan Omrani * Literary Review *History in the best sense of the word – a well-told story that shines a clear and penetrating light on the past. While thoroughly researched and extensively documented, it reads like a thriller by John Grisham. But this is not only a story about Masson and his life. The book helps us understand the mystery of Central Asia and why the struggle to control it is such a central feature of our time … Marvellously readable. -- Terry W. Hartle * Christian Science Monitor *Rarely has a work of non-fiction so brilliantly wrong-footed its readers as Edmund Richardson’s Alexandria: The Quest for the Lost City, which expertly subverts expectations, interweaving narrative, history and biography throughout ... A remarkable achievement, and that rare thing, a book guaranteed to change your perspective on the world -- Sebastian Milbank * Tablet *Immensely enjoyable … a highly entertaining representation of the world of 19th-century India and Afghanistan, and of the daredevil antics of an adventurer hooked on the past, looking to survive, prosper and make his mark in a world of shifting sands and shadows * BBC History Magazine *Richardson is a natural teller of such exuberant stories and the book is full of colourful characters -- A. S. H. Smyth * Spectator *Richardson skillfully weaves the tale of Alexander’s empire with Masson’s adventures, using a novelistic approach rather than dry academic one that focuses on the action without sacrificing key details about the history. -- Andrew DeMillo * AP News *Impressive. In a string of spirited encounters classicist Edmund Richardson tails the vagabond antiquarian who called himself Charles Masson to 1830s Afghanistan ... Masson has at last found the intrepid biographer he has so long deserved. -- John Keay

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Book SynopsisTaking us from the beginning of our story to the present day, A Cold Spell examines how ice has shaped our thoughts, actions and societies – and what it means for us that it is rapidly disappearing from our planet 'A warm-hearted tale of the bizarre, something to cuddle up with in the bleak midwinter . . . Astonishing' THE TIMES 'Bracingly original . . . As the earth warms threateningly, there could hardly be a more pertinent time for a story like this’ MICHAEL PALIN 'A book of limitless fascinations' OLIVIA LAING 'Brightly written, nimbly researched and really quite delightful' LITERARY REVIEW Ice has confounded, delighted and fascinated us since the first sparks of art and culture in Europe and it now underpins the modern world. Without ice, we would not feed ourselves or heal our sick as we do, and our towns and cities, countryside and oceans would look very different. Science would not have progressed along the avenues it did and our galleries and libraries would be missing many masterpieces. A Cold Spell uses this vital link to understanding our past to tell a surprising story of obsession, invention and adventure – how we have lived and dreamed, celebrated and traded, innovated, loved and fought over thousands of years. It brings together a sacrificial Incan mummy, Winston Churchill’s secret plans for unusual aircraft carriers, strange bones that shook Victorian beliefs about the world and a macabre journey into the depths of the human body. It is an original and unique way of looking at something that is literally all around us, whose loss confronts us daily in the news, but whose impact on our lives has never been fully explored. [An] extraordinary, complete and utter history of the human experience of the cold stuff' JOHN LEWIS-STEMPEL, COUNTRY LIFE ‘A thought-provoking chronicle of humanity . . . Leonard consistently frames ice in surprising and insightful ways, and in doing so lends it a magical quality’ GEOGRAPHICALTrade ReviewCharming and quirky . . . This is a warm-hearted tale of the bizarre, something to cuddle up with in the bleak midwinter . . . It’s astonishing how Leonard has managed to cram so much into such a relatively short volume -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *A fascinating exploration of how ice has shaped human existence . . . Ranging from the last ice age to the Anthropocene, Max Leonard’s beguiling history considers the nature of ice as well as its place in “the popular imagination” -- William Atkins * Guardian *[An] extraordinary, complete and utter history of the human experience of the cold stuff . . . Max Leonard is the most assiduous researcher and has scratched down to the very base of the ice-berg -- John Lewis-Stempel * Country Life *‘A Cold Spell appears when even the most boneheaded climate sceptics are conceding that something is up. Max Leonard, naturally, engages with this. Climate change provides a political dimension, but the book is about far more than that . . . Brightly written, nimbly researched and really quite delightful . . . A Cold Spell brims with such colourful stories -- Peter Moore * Literary Review *A thought-provoking chronicle of humanity through an icy lens. From its hand in shaping the birth and birthplace of the human race to its modern status as a metaphor for civilisation, Leonard charts the role ice has played, and continues to play, in our lives with great curiosity. The book’s success is rooted in Leonard’s ability to weave something so ubiquitous into a journey of twists and turns. Traversing history, culture, language, science and human nature via evocative tangents, he consistently frames ice in surprising and insightful ways, and in doing so lends it a magical quality. Nowhere is this truer than in stories of icy obsession – adventurers sacrificing their lives to navigate its polar domains, scientists dedicating theirs to unravelling the secrets it holds * Geographical *Leonard’s charting of the history of humanity’s interactions with ice is a brisk and fascinating piece of work, encompassing the last hours of Ötzi the Iceman, polar tourism, George Mallory’s Everest camera, and the man who almost two centuries ago came up with the wheeze of exporting ice from America to India. Climate change obviously thrums through the narrative but this is not a didactic read, rather a thoroughly entertaining and absorbing one * New European *Despite its single subject, this is a book that thinks big – or at least, widely and in unexpected places . . . An unusually wide-ranging cultural and intellectual journey . . . Max Leonard’s writing is engaging and well-paced, and he breezily summarises the fruits of voluminous research with a deft touch . . . [A book] of striking revelations, intriguing connections and thought-provoking questions about how the human relationship with ice might yet develop -- Jonathan Dore * TLS *As this entertaining tale reveals, ice has the power to grind mountains to dust, destroy ships – and even swallow up a secret American nuclear bunker . . . This is a book about the marvel of nature and our intrepid, frequently crazy efforts to understand and harness that marvel -- Simeon House * Mail on Sunday *In a bracingly original book, Max Leonard makes something we all take for granted into an absorbing pathway into history, geography and science . . . A highly readable feast of insights and surprises . . . As the earth warms threateningly, there could hardly be a more pertinent time for a story like this -- Michael PalinA book of limitless fascinations, an elegant and subtle accounting of how ice has shaped and changed human life, and how in turn humans have imperilled the existence of icy places -- Olivia LaingA brilliant and surprising book on unexpected ways ice has influenced not just Western thought but the way we live now. Come for the research, stay for the unexpected cameos -- Jennifer Lucy AllanA pleasure on every page. It's packed with fascinating stories and unexpected connections. What you’ve done so successfully is to give the reader the chance to care for ice and to understand the role it’s had in our lives, real and imaginary. Everybody who reads your book will be captivated each time ice chinks and bobs in a glass. Ice is now our destiny. By melting en masse, it is bringing chaos to Earth systems -- Nicholas CraneBeautiful, thoughtful and utterly fascinating on everything from cave paintings to Captain Birdseye – the kind of book you feel compelled to share bits from as you’re reading -- Felicity CloakePut everything on ice and read this book - a wonderful history of ingenuity, wanderlust, preservation and exploitation. Max Leonard has written an original chronicle of human nature, and you’ll skate through it with enduring insight and pleasure -- Simon GarfieldFrom Otzi the Iceman to Alpine adventurers, the invention of the cold chain to cloud seeding, A Cold Spell fills the cryosphere with stories to reconnect us to this all-too-fragile, frozen world. Europeans may have sought mastery over ice for hundreds of years, but Leonard shows how ice has shaped us too: in his deft hands it becomes a mirror revealing "the extraordinary in the ordinary", bringing home both the awe and the unease of the Anthropocene -- Jay Owen

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Book SynopsisA SPECTATOR, NEW STATESMAN AND THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR ‘The best biography I have read in years' Philippe Sands ‘Spectacular’ Observer ‘A remarkable portrait’ Guardian W. G. Sebald was one of the most extraordinary and influential writers of the twentieth century. Through books including The Emigrants, Austerlitz and The Rings of Saturn, he pursued an original literary vision that combined fiction, history, autobiography and photography and addressed some of the most profound themes of contemporary literature: the burden of the Holocaust, memory, loss and exile. The first biography to explore his life and work, Speak, Silence pursues the true Sebald through the memories of those who knew him and through the work he left behind. This quest takes Carole Angier from Sebald’s birth as a second-generation German at the end of the Second World War, through his rejection of the poisoned inheritance of the Third Reich, to his emigration to England, exploring the choice of isolation and exile that drove his work. It digs deep into a creative mind on the edge, finding profound empathy and paradoxical ruthlessness, saving humour, and an elusive mix of fact and fiction in his life as well as work. The result is a unique, ferociously original portrait.Trade ReviewA remarkable biography . . . The first major study of revered author and academic WG Sebald reveals an obsessive and brilliant mind . . . In her long and scholarly book, a testament to the powers of research and detailed dissection, Angier has presented a remarkable portrait of a writer consumed by work * Guardian *Meticulously researched … The brilliance of [this] biography, a spectacularly agile work of criticism as well as a feat of doggedly meticulous research, lies in Angier’s ability to look her subject straight in the eye while holding on to the sense of adoration that made her want to write it in the first place * Observer *The product of years of sleuthing … Angier’s openness about the difficulties she has encountered in trying to untangle [Sebald’s] enigma if anything adds to her portrait … The portrait which ultimately emerges convinces: of a tormented man, an isolated misfit, riven by self-doubt, who wrote to stave off depressive breakdowns and even madness and suicidal impulses * Spectator *It is a considerable achievement to unpick, so convincingly, mysteries Sebald has taken care to contrive. And to do it with such respect, and indeed generosity, that the great originals are burnished -- Iain SinclairSpeak, Silence is an extraordinary achievement. Carole Angier has been able to capture the genius of Sebald without trapping him in facile definitions, allowing his portrait the many hues and changing angles that those who knew him will recognize as profoundly true -- Alberto ManguelSebald once wrote to me that he would just like to be “a guardian of the lesser domains”. His work is enough, but this enticing and thorough book on his life and art proves that he was, in spite of his tragic and early death, an absolute master of the highest domains of literature -- Javier MaríasCarole Angier extends the scope of biography by turning her intense admiration for Sebald’s work into a personal quest for this enigmatic and disturbing writer -- Hilary SpurlingA biographer of great sympathy -- Michael HolroydEnthralling . . . I was exhilarated from start to finish, by subject, style and substance. It is the best biography I have read in years -- Philippe SandsA suitably unorthodox life of this singular writer . . . Angier’s strategy pays off: this is an insightful, compulsively readable book * Atlantic *W.G. Sebald so deliberately and cunningly blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction in his books that every reader longs for a clear-eyed guide to what is invented and what is ‘real’, while at the same time dreading the damage this might do to the delicate webs he weaves. Carole Angier’s tireless detective work has cleared up many of the mysteries, both in his life and in his work, while her critical acumen and manifest admiration for the latter ensures that it emerges enhanced rather than diminished from her labours. A riveting book -- Gabriel JosipoviciRemarkable, the definitive biography . . . Deeply researched, subtle, sympathetic * Claire Tomalin on 'Jean Rhys' *An acute literary intelligence . . . The reader comes to trust instinctively Angier’s assessments * New York Times on 'Jean Rhys' *Allows us to see Levi’s life in its full historical meaning * Financial Times on 'The Double Bond: Primo Levi' *Marvellous and visionary . . . Remarkable in all senses of the word * New York Times on 'The Double Bond: Primo Levi' *Angier writes with brio and occasional brilliance . . . By the end, I felt convinced that she had got to the heart of Levi * Guardian on 'The Double Bond: Primo Levi' *

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Book Synopsis'The Book Collectors of Daraya celebrates the political and therapeutic power of the written word . . . defiant and cautiously optimistic' Financial Times'[An] incredible chronicle . . . The book tells the kind of story that often gets buried beneath images of violence' LitHub In 2012 the rebel suburb of Daraya in Damascus was brutally besieged by Syrian government forces. Four years of suffering ensued, punctuated by shelling, barrel bombs and chemical gas attacks. People’s homes were destroyed and their food supplies cut off; disease was rife. Yet in this man-made hell, forty young Syrian revolutionaries embarked on an extraordinary project, rescuing all the books they could find in the bombed-out ruins of their home town. They used them to create a secret library, in a safe place, deep underground. It became their school, their university, their refuge. It was a place to learn, to exchange ideas, to dream and to hope. Based on lengthy interviews with these young men, conducted over Skype by the award-winning French journalist Delphine Minoui, The Book Collectors of Daraya is a powerful testament to freedom, tolerance and the power of literature.Translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud.Trade ReviewThere is something seductive about the idea of knowledge as a bulwark against brutal force, and it’s an idea that immediately resonates with Minoui . . . She makes up for the lack of on-the-ground access with an abundance of attention and empathy. -- Mythili Rao * Guardian *The Book Collectors of Daraya celebrates the political and therapeutic power of the written word . . . defiant and cautiously optimistic -- Houman Barekat * Financial Times *[An] incredible chronicle . . . The book tells the kind of story that often gets buried beneath images of violence. -- Corinne Segal * LitHub *Just like prisons across the region, rebel strongholds are sometimes universities in exile; witnessing the unexpected joy of learning in such circumstances is both sobering and inspiring. -- Lisa Anderson * Foreign Affairs *A haunting portrait . . . Fluidly translated and emotionally powerful, this devastating account pays tribute to the "dream of a better world that never fully came true" * Publishers Weekly *This compassionate portrayal of an engaging group of rebels serves as a testament to both the resilience of the human spirit and to the power of story. Highly recommended for those interested in current events, Middle East history and politics, and personal accounts of war. * Library Journal *An extraordinary story . . . Heartbreaking, inspiring, and beautifully told * Kirkus Reviews *Readers will be moved by the plight of the people of Daraya, and inspired by their faith in the power of books to give information, release, and hope. * Booklist *The Book Collectors of Daraya is about hope and connection against unspeakable violence, deprivation, and tragedy. It is a meaningful addition to the literary subgenre that covers books and libraries. -- Martha Anne Toll * NPR *Precise yet passionate . . . The Book Collectors of Daraya is a phenomenal story of hope in the midst of complete devastation. -- Alice Cary * BookPage *The Book Collectors of Daraya hurt me like never before, because I hold this country I have never visited, my country, close to my heart . . . Readers discover how the magic of books kept the rebels motivated, hopeful, sane and, most importantly, alive . . . Honest and brutal, it opens your eyes to the nightmares of war but also to the glory of books and reading. -- Bader Saab * Patheos *This is an urgent and compelling account of great bravery and passion. Delphine Minoui has crafted a book that champions books and the individuals who risk everything to preserve them. -- Susan Orlean, author of The Library BookAbsolutely essential reading. With masterful storytelling, Delphine Minoui recounts the struggle and tenacity of the youth of Daraya who, in the shadow of a merciless war, rescue books from the rubble and bring to life a library unlike any other. Each page connects us to their strength and their spirit as well as to the power of words in a crumbling world. This book is an ode to resistance, to freedom, and to life. -- Négar Djavadi, author of DisorientalAfter reading this book, there can be no doubt. Not about the power of words versus the words of those in power. Not about the importance of literature in times of despair. And not about the strength of Delphine Minoui's pen, as she honors the act of resistance against the disaster of war. -- Atiq Rahimi, author of A Curse on DostoevskyI was so moved by this account of the young rebels of Daraya, Syria, who, in the midst of a four-year blockade by Assad’s forces (including having poison gas used against them), set up a library with books rescued from bombed and destroyed buildings, an underground (in both senses of the word) library that grew to more than 15,000 titles, ranging from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People to Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, and everything in between. In this testimony to the power of reading, these lines stood out: ‘Books are their best way to escape the war, if only temporarily. A melody of words against the dirge of bombs.’ -- Nancy Pearl, author of Book Lust and George and Lizzie

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Book Synopsis‘Ambitious, defiant, angry and gripping . . . the bitter story of slavery through the experience of four women’ Guardian'Jackie Kay’s work, formally expansive and inclusive . . . is always about the opening up of our notions of identity' Ali Smith, author of How to Be BothIn The Lamplighter award-winning poet and Scottish Makar Jackie Kay takes us on a journey into the dark heart of Britain’s legacy in the slave trade.First produced as a play, on the page it reads as a profound and tragic multi-layered poem. We watch as four women and one man tell the story of their lives through slavery, from the fort, to the slave ship, through the middle passage, following life on the plantations, charting the growth of the British city and the industrial revolution. Constance has witnessed the sale of her own child; Mary has been beaten to an inch of her life; Black Harriot has been forced to sell her body; and our lead, the Lamplighter, was sold twice into slavery from the ports in Bristol. Their different voices sing together in a rousing chorus that speaks to the experiences of all those brutalised by slavery, and lifts in the end to a soaring and powerful conclusion. Stirring, impassioned and deeply affecting, The Lamplighter remains as essential today as the day it was first performed. This is an essential work by one of our most beloved writers.Trade ReviewOne of Scotlands most celebrated living writers. * Spectator *Kay’s strength as a poet has always been her clear, plain style, and its fearless spoken poignancy * Daily Telegraph *Ambitious, defiant, angry and gripping . . . the bitter story of slavery through the experience of four women * Guardian *Jackie Kay’s work, formally expansive and inclusive, often an exploration of the hurt done by small-mindedness and its attendant exclusivity, is always about the opening up of our notions of identity . . . Kay has always been a watcher, a tracer of the “true” story. -- Ali Smith, author of How to Be BothI am still reeling from The Lamplighter . . . It reads like the ballad of four enslaved women as they tell us their personal horrors. This book lays bare Britain’s role in the slave trade and it is an illuminating look at truths we would rather leave in the darkness. It is as beautiful as it is devastating. -- Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie BainThe Lamplighter is a heart-breaking ­ballad about four enslaved women and also a necessary look at Britain’s ­silent history in the slave trade. Ms. Kay is incredibly warm and humane as a writer; every line is tender and suffused with love. * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisHow are borders built in the modern world? What does Brexit mean for Ireland's border? And what would happen if Elon Musk declared himself president of the Moon?In Border Wars, Professor Klaus Dodds takes us on a journey into the geopolitical conflict of tomorrow in an eye-opening tour of the world's best-known, most dangerous and most unexpected border conflicts from the Gaza Strip to the space race.Along the way, we'll discover just what border truly mean in the modern world: how are they built; what do they mean for citizens and governments; how do they help understand our political past and, most importantly, our diplomatic future?

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Book SynopsisThe success of 1994’s Pinner, Hatch End, North Harrow and Rayners Lane. A Pictorial History gave Pinner Local History Society unrivalled access to old photographs that had previously languished unseen in private collections. Descendants of families which once lived here have also been inspired to ransack cellars and attics and the results of these searches are published here for the first time.Showing historical people, places and events, they offer the starkest and most immediate reminder of the Pinner our ancestors knew. In the century and half that has passed since the invention of photography the former country village has grown into the modern London suburb. The changes have been captured by the camera, and old photographs illustrate vividly just what has remained and what has changed in the High Street and in the hamlets such as East End, West End and Hatch End. They show how Pinner came to be distinguished by the hills, trees and parks which make it such a desirable place to live today, and how historical events impacted on the life of the community.Individual houses have come down or gone up in the world, whilst bombs, floods and developers have cleared others away altogether. World wars and extreme weather conditions have been caught on film, as have the less dramatic activities of local sporting and other recreational societies such as the local hunt. There are reminders here, too, of the Harrow Bowl, the Royal Commercial Travellers’ School, the Cannon Lane gasholder, the vegetable stall in Bridge Street, and the Headstone Hotel. The last 150 years have brought some of the most significant changes to this corner of Middlesex.The illustrations in this delightful volume, captioned throughout in an informed and readable style, help us understand those changes and go some way to uncovering what makes this district a special one. The book will be enjoyed by all those who know or think they know the area.

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Book SynopsisHow did Russia manage to emerge resurgent on the world stage and play a weak hand so effectively? Is it because Putin is a brilliant strategist? Or has Russia stepped into a vacuum created by the West's distraction with its own domestic problems and US ambivalence about whether it still wants to act as a superpower? Putin's World examines the country's turbulent past, how it has influenced Putin, the Russians' understanding of their position on the global stage and their future ambitions -- and their conviction that the West has tried to deny them a seat at the table of great powers since the USSR collapsed.This book looks at Russia's key relationships -- its downward spiral with the United States, Europe, and NATO; its ties to China, Japan, the Middle East; and with its neighbors, particularly the fraught relationship with Ukraine. Putin's World will help Americans understand how and why the post-Cold War era has given way to a new, more dangerous world, one in which Russia poses a challenge to the United States in every corner of the globe -- and one in which Russia has become a toxic and divisive subject in US politics.

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Book SynopsisAn “extraordinary…must-read” (Steven Levitsky, New York Times–bestselling coauthor of How Democracies Die) look at how support from foreign superpowers propped up—and pulled down—authoritarian regimes during the Cold War, offering lessons for today’s great power competition Throughout the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union competed to prop up friendly dictatorships abroad. Today, it is commonly assumed that this military aid enabled the survival of allied autocrats, from Taiwan’s Chiang Kai-shek to Ethiopia’s Mengistu Haile Mariam.    In Up in Arms, political scientist Adam E. Casey rebuts the received wisdom: aid to autocracies often backfired during the Cold War. Casey draws on extensive original research to show that, despite billions poured into friendly regimes, US-backed dictators lasted in power no longer than those without outside help. In fact, America

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Book SynopsisGwynedd - the north-west quadrant of Wales - is particularly rich in the archaeology of the industrial and modern periods. It was once the major producer of roofing slates worldwide, and for a while it dominated the international trade in copper ore. This is the first comprehensive study of the industrial archaeology of this fascinating region, and takes a wide-ranging view of its scope and nature. The mines, quarries and narrow-gauge railways for which the area is famous are covered in detail, as are well-known works of engineering such as the Menai and Britannia bridges. Also explored are lesser-known industries such as textile production, electricity generation and metal-processing, and other economic activities such as agriculture, which are not generally considered to be part of the industrial landscape.Using a wide range of fascinating evidence, the author tells the remarkable story of the society which evolved in Gwynedd, with its vigorous minority language and its radical politics. The legacies of industrial housing, churches and chapels, along with retailing and consumer goods, are all examined within the broader context of a globalising economy. This attractive volume will appeal to residents and local historians alike. In addition, anyone concerned with emerging issues in archaeology, such as the relationship between documentary, artefact and landscape evidence, the ways of reading the cultural landscape, the regional dimension to worldwide change, and the ways in which we approach the past through its material remains, will find this pioneering study of interest.

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Book SynopsisIn Faces at the Bottom of the Well, civil rights activist and legal scholar Derrick Bell uses allegory and historical example to argue that racism is an integral and permanent part of American society. African American struggles for equality are doomed to fail so long as the majority of whites do not see their own well-being threatened by the status quo. Bell calls on African Americans to face up to this unhappy truth and abandon a misplaced faith in inevitable progress. Only then will blacks, and those whites who join with them, be in a position to create viable strategies to alleviate the burdens of racism. "Freed of the stifling rigidity of relying unthinkingly on the slogan 'we shall overcome,'" he writes, "we are impelled both to live each day more fully and to examine critically the actual effectiveness of traditional civil rights remedies."With a new foreword by Michelle Alexander, Faces at the Bottom of the Well is urgent and essential reading on the problem of racism in America.

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Book SynopsisLincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as Peterborough City Council, all lay claim to a part of the Fens. Since Roman times, man has increased the land mass in this area by one third of the size. It is the largest plain in the British Isles, covering an area of nearly three-quarters of a million acres and is unique to the UK. The fen people know the area as marsh (land reclaimed from the sea) and fen (land drained from flooding rivers running from the uplands). The Fens are unique in having more miles of navigable waterways than anywhere else in the UK. Mammoth drainage schemes in the seventeenth and eighteenth changed the landscape forever – leading slowly but surely to the area so loved today. Insightful, entertaining and full of rich incident, here is the fascinating story of the Fens.

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Book SynopsisIn Mortal Republic, prize-winning historian Edward J. Watts offers a new history of the fall of the Roman Republic that explains why Rome exchanged freedom for autocracy. For centuries, even as Rome grew into the Mediterranean's premier military and political power, its governing institutions, parliamentary rules, and political customs successfully fostered negotiation and compromise. By the 130s BC, however, Rome's leaders increasingly used these same tools to cynically pursue individual gain and obstruct their opponents. As the center decayed and dysfunction grew, arguments between politicians gave way to political violence in the streets. The stage was set for destructive civil wars--and ultimately the imperial reign of Augustus. The death of Rome's Republic was not inevitable. In Mortal Republic, Watts shows it died because it was allowed to, from thousands of small wounds inflicted by Romans who assumed that it would last forever.

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