History Books

Book SynopsisFirst published in 1999, Uncommon Grounds tells the story of coffee from its discovery on a hill in ancient Abyssinia to the advent of Starbucks and the coffee crisis of the 21st century. Mark Pendergrast uses coffee production, trade, and consumption as a window through which to view broad historical themes: the clash and blending of cultures, slavery, the rise of brand marketing, global inequities, fair trade, revolutions, health scares, environmental issues, and the rediscovery of quality.As the scope of coffee culture continues to expand,Uncommon Grounds remains more than ever a brilliantly entertaining guide to one of the world's favorite drinks.

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Book SynopsisSouth Korea a democratic high-tech Asian Tiger and flamboyant host of the 2002 World Cup; North Korea a secretive dictatorship on Bush's notorious axis of evil', with a controversial nuclear program and a poverty-stricken population. These two Koreas seem worlds apart, separated along the 38th parallel by the last active cold war' frontier. But North and South Korea share a common history and culture of which both are deeply proud; the poignant scenes of reunited families when the borders were opened in 2000 show that, even though frustrated, the links between the two populations remain strong. Keith Pratt tells the story of this common heritage from the ancient states of Old Choson and Wiman Choson to the present relics of Cold War politics. He describes the physical and cultural landscape in which this history unfolds, dealing with religious identities and social aspects like food and drink, as well as more controversial issues such as punishment and torture, and the comfort women' of the Japanese occupation. In a series of short picture essays he introduces particular aspects of Korea's past, including the world's oldest observatory and the country's famous turtle boats. "Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea" reveals a country which, although sandwiched between the more familiar worlds of China and Japan, has a distinct and rich cultural identity of its own. With the DPRK's precarious relationship with the outside world brought to increasingly frequent crises in the aftermath of 9/11, the Korean peninsular looks certain to remain a geopolitical hotspot. The importance of understanding this part of the world has never been greater.Trade Reviewa full and fascinating study of Korean history The Guardian Everlasting Flower is significant because for the first time there is a single book which surveys the whole cultural history of Korea, showing Korea's development within the Chinese cultural world, and demonstrating how the civilization of the peninsula changed under the impact of western and Japanese cultural influences in the twentieth century ... Pratt brings a comparative perspective to his discussion of Korean history which gives the book a breadth often missing in other works. History ... a very solidly researched, well-balanced and enjoyable read peppered with glimpses of wit and personal observation. It will be a valuable introduction to Korean history for undergraduates, non-academics and more specialist readers alike - and one that will hopefully inspire further reading. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies ... highly readable, well organised study of Korean history from earliest times to the present day. Asian Studies Review a solidly researched, well-balanced and enjoyable read peppered with glimpses of wit and personal observation. It will be a valuable introduction to Korean history for undergraduates, non-academics and more specialist readers alike Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies This book provides an informative and comprehensive coverage of the history of Korea from the prehistorical era to the present ... What distinguishes this book from other general histories of Korea is its thorough and meticulous survey of Korean cultural history ... The author does a superb job in analyzing the factors behind changes in Korean culture, in presenting Korea's cultural accomplishments, and assessing its often underestimated or even neglected contributions to the East Asian tradition. Experts as well as non-experts will find interesting and insightful knowledge of Korea and East Asia ... an excellent choice as a textbook for college level classes ... and a wonderful companion for Korea-bound travellers Canadian Journal of History Everlasting Flower represents a step forward in the historiography of modern Korea -- Donald Clarke, Professor of History

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Book SynopsisIn this “forensic, unflinching, devastating work of historical recovery” (Sathnam Sanghera), Bud Dajo—an American atrocity bigger than Wounded Knee or My Lai, yet today largely forgotten—is revealed, thanks to the rediscovery of a single photograph.   In March 1906, American soldiers on the island of Jolo in the southern Philippines surrounded and killed 1000 local men, women, and children, known as Moros, on top of an extinct volcano. The so-called ‘Battle of Bud Dajo’ was hailed as a triumph over an implacable band of dangerous savages, a “brilliant feat of arms” according to President Theodore Roosevelt. Some contemporaries, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Mark Twain, saw the massacre for what it was, but they were the exception and the U.S. military authorities successfully managed to bury the story. Despite the fact that the slaughter of Moros had been captured on camera, the memory of the massacre soon disappear

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Book SynopsisShe was the last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty of Ptolemies who had ruled Egypt for three centuries. Highly educated (she was the only one of the Ptolemies to read and speak ancient Egyptian as well as the court Greek) and very clever (her famous liaisons with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony were as much to do with politics as the heart), she steered her kingdom through impossibly taxing internal problems and railed against greedy Roman imperialism. Stripping away preconceptions as old as her Roman enemies, Joyce Tyldesley uses all her skills as an Egyptologist to give us this magnificent biography.Trade ReviewTyldesley's strength has always been her storytelling, and here she is on top form. * Sunday Telegraph *This excellent biography scores with a wealth of splendid detail. -- Christopher Hirst * Independent *Magnificent ... strips away preconceptions to provide a rich, absorbing picture of a country and its Egyptian Queen. * Belfast Telegraph *A very readable account of the life of Cleopatra VII, and one that goes some way to redress the way in which she is often viewed ... Intriguing insights into life and society in the Egypt of the Ptolemies. * THES *4 Stars: [A] sympathetic biography...she is able to place Cleopatra securely in Egyptian culture and history. * Mail on Sunday *A lively and informative history...The book is a treasure trove of facts and figures... -- Toby Clements * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisBrilliant, painful, enlightening, tearful, tragic, sad, and funny, this photo-essay book is at its core about healing, and about the social justice work that still needs to be done in the era of hip-hop, Black Lives Matter, and the historic presidency of Barack Obama." ,Kevin Powell, author of The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood A brilliantly conceived volume. Bryan Shih and Yohuru Williams demonstrate why the Panthers'story,its lessons and failures,even fifty years after its founding remains key to understanding national and international struggles for freedom and justice today." ,Cheryl Finley, professor and director of visual studies, Cornell UniversityEven fifty years after it was founded, the Black Panther Party remains one of the most misunderstood political organizations of the twentieth century. But beyond the labels of extremist" and violent" that have marked the party, and beyond charismatic leaders like Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver, were the ordinary men and women who made up the Panther rank and file.In The Black Panthers , photojournalist Bryan Shih and historian Yohuru Williams offer a reappraisal of the party's history and legacy. Through stunning portraits and interviews with surviving Panthers, as well as illuminating essays by leading scholars, The Black Panthers reveals party members' grit and battle scars,and the undying love for the people that kept them going.Trade Review"The Black Panthers succeeds by destroying any assumptions you may have had [about the Black Panther Party]. The book tells the story of the Black Panthers through first-person accounts from people who were part of the movement but who mostly were not the stars-people who look like they could be my aunts and uncles...[It] does the much needed task of bringing the movement down to earth." ?Rembert Browne, New York Times Book Review "Shih's powerful black-and-white portraits...are by turn-and sometimes all at once-bold, unflinching, poetic, familiar, cloaked, direct, joyful, defiant, mischievous and suspicious...To many readers, these stories of nascent revolution and service will be enlightening, even eye-opening, giving a new view of an organization that was vilified, feared and opposed in history and the press. For others, they are a reminder of a time when black organizers and other people of color declared an unstinting willingness to improve their communities and radically change the trajectory of their people's lives." ?Tina McElroy Ansa, Washington Post "While no doubt rooted in the past, Portraits from an Unfinished Revolution focuses squarely on the present, with portraits and interviews with former members today. While the authors did an excellent job of tracking down higher-ups in the party, the book smartly turns its focus to the 'real heroes,' the group's rank-and-file members, giving us a fuller picture of life as a Black Panther, and the impact those years had on people's lives... A well-rounded primer on the Black Panther Party, then and now, top to bottom."?Mother Jones "A brilliantly conceived volume that offers a refreshing take on a well-trod history too often told from the perspective of its Oakland-based, male leaders and their iconic images. Uniquely, this powerful book is driven by Bryan Shih's recent portraits of local chapter rank-and-file members, whose gripping recollections told in oral histories illuminate the complexity and importance of the BPP's grassroots organizing structure in history and for our own times. This innovative volume boasts a remarkable series of essays by leading scholars on a range of topics including Black Power, women, the rank-and-file, ethnic nationalism, health activism and international outreach as well as a treasure trove of archival images from the Black Panther Newspaper. Together, Bryan Shih and Yohuru Williams demonstrate why the Panthers story-its lessons and failures-even fifty years after its founding, remains key to understanding national and international struggles for freedom and justice today." ?Cheryl Finley, Associate Professor and Director of Visual Studies, Cornell University "An hypnotic reflection pool on the movement, the mythologies, and the women and men who challenged oppression as no other organization made in America ever had before. Brilliant, painful, enlightening, tearful, tragic, sad, and funny, this photo-essay book is at its core about healing, and about the social justice work that still needs to be done in the era of hip-hop, Black Lives Matter, and the historic presidency of Barack Obama."?Kevin Powell, author of The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood "During our moment of Black Lives Matter on the one hand and Trump-enabled open racism and hatred on the other, connecting to the stories of a previous generation of activists feels vital, and in these portraits, quite stunning."?Flavorwire "An eye-opening experience...Reading The Black Panthers has changed a lot for me. The photos, the essays, the information found in this volume have now made my education on the Party paramount. Their movement will now be part of my activism, their fight, which sadly still rages on, is my fight."?Dan Arel, Patheos "Fifty years [since the party's founding], photojournalist Shih and historian Williams observe that the party remains 'one of the most misunderstood organizations of the twentieth century.' To dispel this fog, they met with 45 surviving rank-and-file members, men and women who went on to become teachers, professors, attorneys, elected officials, founders and directors of not-for-profit organizations, and artists. Each is present here in striking photographic portraits and revelatory oral histories...Incisive essays provide a larger historical context." ?Booklist, Starred Review "With a splendid assemblage of pictures and interviews, photographer Shih and historian Williams shine fresh light on the people in and the diverse activities of the Black Panther Party (BPP) on the 50th anniversary of its founding. Shih's photographs of the 45 interviewees have the vibrancy and immediacy of treasured family portraits. The interviewees' compelling recollections are buttressed by succinct but substantive essays...The special virtue of this book is as bottom-up, rather than top-down, history-an illuminating view of the everyday aspects of 'one of the most misunderstood organizations of the 20th century.'"?Publishers Weekly, "Most Anticipated Books for Fall 2016" "This highly recommended compilation of interviews and photographs of the Black Panther Party helps reframe its legacy to include the humanitarian work they performed across the United States. Readers interested in the current Black Lives Matter movement will find resonance in the Panthers' stories."?Library Journal "An intelligent, unapologetic book."?Shelf Awareness "An interesting celebration of a unique era's activism."?Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisWhen life (in a global pandemic) imitates art . . . Van Gogh's Starry Night made out of spaghetti? Cat with a Pearl Earring? Frida Kahlo self-portraits with pets and toilet paper? While the world reeled from the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), thousands of people around the globe, inspired by challenges from Getty and other museums, raided toy chests, repurposed pantry items, and enlisted family, roommates, and animals to re-create famous works of art at home. Astonishing in their creativity, wit, and ingenuity, these creations remind us of the power of art to unite us and bring joy during troubled times. Off the Walls: Inspired Re-Creations of Iconic Artworks celebrates these imaginative re-creations, bringing highlights from this challenge together in one whimsical, irresistible volume. Getty Publications will donate all profits from the sales of this book to Artist Relief, an emergency initiative offering resources to artists across the United States.

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Book SynopsisRonald Blythe's 1969 book Akenfield - a moving portrait of English country life told in the voices of the farmers and villagers themselves - is a modern classic. In 2004, writer and reporter Craig Taylor returned to the village in Suffolk on which Akenfield was based. Over the course of several months, he sought out locals who had appeared in the original book to see how their lives had changed, he met newcomers to discuss their own views, and he interviewed Ronald Blythe himself, now in his eighties. Young farmers, retired orchardmen and Eastern European migrant workers talk about the nature of farming in an age of computerization and encroaching supermarkets; commuters, weekenders and retirees discuss the realities behind the rural idyll; and the local priest, teacher and more describe the daily pleasures and tribulations of village life. Together, they offer a panoramic and revealing portrait of rural English society at a time of great change.Trade ReviewGentle, subtle, absorbing ... the most complex and supple account of that much-discussed idea, "modern rural life", that I have ever read -- Robert Macfarlane, author of MOUNTAINS OF THE MIND and THE WILD PLACES

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Book SynopsisONE OF THE TIMES' BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2021'The tale of the Phoenix Park murders is not unfamiliar, but Kavanagh recounts it with a great sense of drama... Kavanagh's account reminds me of the very best of true crime.' The Times (Book of the Week)On a sunlit evening in l882, Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke, Chief Secretary and Undersecretary for Ireland, were ambushed and stabbed to death while strolling through Phoenix Park in Dublin. The murders were carried out by the Invincibles, a militant faction of republicans armed with specially-made surgeon's blades. They ended what should have been a turning point in Anglo-Irish relations. A new spirit of goodwill had been burgeoning between Prime Minister William Gladstone and Ireland's leader Charles Stewart Parnell, with both men forging in secret a pact to achieve peace and independence in Ireland - with the newly appointed Cavendish, Gladstone's protégé, to play an instrumental role. The impact of the Phoenix Park murders was so cataclysmic that it destroyed the pact, almost brought down the government and set in motion repercussions that would last long into the twentieth century. In a story that spans Donegal, Dublin, London, Paris, New York, Cannes and Cape Town, Julie Kavanagh thrillingly traces the crucial events that came before and after the murders. From the adulterous affair that caused Parnell's downfall to Queen Victoria's prurient obsession with the assassinations and the investigation spearheaded by the 'Irish Sherlock Holmes', culminating in a murder on the high seas, The Irish Assassins brings us intimately into this fascinating story that shaped Irish politics and engulfed an empire. This is an unputdownable book from one of our most 'compulsively readable' (Guardian) writers.Trade ReviewJulie Kavanagh has done an adroit unpicking of the intricacies of the history, and her book is at once admirable for its scholarship and immensely enjoyable in its raciness. -- John Banville * New York Times Book Review *The tale of the Phoenix Park murders is not unfamiliar, but Kavanagh recounts it with a great sense of drama... Kavanagh's account reminds me of the very best of true crime...Kavanagh never hurries; she takes the time to describe characters and places with exquisite detail. An engaging story is rendered beautiful because of the tiny ephemera that a less sensitive author might have carelessly discarded. * The Times (Book of the Week) *What Julie Kavanagh has done here is to bring this most extraordinary of assassinations to life...one of the best researched and most enjoyable historical reads I have come across in quite some time. * Sunday Independent *The dramatic story of the Phoenix Park murders...is told with novelistic panache by Julie Kavanagh. -- Kim Bielenberg * Irish Independent *These tragic events are vividly recounted in Julie Kavanagh's lively and suspenseful The Irish Assassins...a fluent, well-researched study of Anglo-Irish relations in the Victorian era. * Wall Street Journal *A compelling blend of political history and true crime...a colourful, ambitious book...makes most other accounts of the period seem bloodless by comparison. * Sunday Business Post *this skilful, multi-faceted historical narrative...draws in the strands of the story with extraordinary dexterity -- Conor Brady * Sunday Times (Ireland) *[A] sweeping and compelling narrative of a story that more than bears retelling. -- Frank Callanan * Irish Times *You could think of this as the prequel to Patrick Radden Keefe's best seller Say Nothing...Although the events in these two books are set nearly a hundred years apart, they are linked by the push and pull in that country between Protestant and Catholic, between peace and violence, between independence and accord. * Amazon Editors' Pick *her account is gripping. But what makes her book fresh and different is her determination not just to tell a good story but to give full attention to the background and the aftermath...a fine book. -- Anne Chisholm * The Tablet *[A] page-turning history...This entertaining and richly detailed chronicle offers fresh insights into a conflict whose repercussions are still felt today. * Publishers Weekly *Kavanagh's gripping account of the murders is a stark reminder that history is a chaotic jumble of chance, circumstance, and opportunity, as much about what could have been as about what was. * Literary Hub *A cinematic, multilayered revenge tragedy centered on Ireland's fraught quest for independence. * Kirkus Reviews *Julie Kavanagh has taken a violent and sensational event, the assassination of two senior government official in Dublin in 1882, and placed it in a richly contextualised and many-layered historical setting. Using a wide range of sources and opening up new avenues of enquiry, she vividly demonstrates the convulsive reverberations of one violent act, tracing the shockwaves it sent into political salons at Westminster, cabins in County Donegal, court circles at Windsor, revolutionary cabals in Paris, the Irish leader Parnell's secret life in a London suburb, and the complex world of the transatlantic Irish diaspora. Consummately well-written and full of novel insights, this is the best kind of historical detective story. -- R.F. Foster, Emeritus Professor of Irish History, University of OxfordIn The Irish Assassins, Julie Kavanagh has brilliantly succeeded in making a complex sequence of events irresistibly accessible, providing an engrossing narrative that is violent, tragic, sometimes funny, extremely astute and remarkably well written. -- Selina HastingsThis is one of those rare books that is superbly written, tells me something I need to know and which grips the imagination from first word to last. Julie Kavanagh has produced an engrossing account of revolutionary violence, political folly and human weakness. It is a powerful work. -- Fergal Keane, BBC correspondent for IrelandA fascinating, beautifully written account of an event whose consequences reverberate even today...[It is] made of course all the more interesting by the extraordinary characters with leading roles in the drama. -- Tony BlairIn The Irish Assassins, Julie Kavanagh manages the extraordinary feat of guiding the reader through the complexities of Anglo-Irish politics while building the combined tension of an electric political thriller with a tragic love story. The people are real, the events still matter today and the impact is Shakespearean. -- Ralph FiennesEnlightening, absorbing and very exciting. -- Lady Antonia FraserTable of Contents1: The Leader 2: That Half-Mad Firebrand 3: The "Irish Soup" Thickens 4: Fire Beneath the Ice 5: Captain Moonlight 6: The Invincibles 7: Coercion-in-Cottonwool 8: Mayday 9: Falling Soft 10: Mallon's Manhunt 11: Concocting and "Peaching" 12: Who Is Number One? 13: Marwooded 14: An Abyss of Infamy 15: The Assassin's Assassin 16: Irresistible Impulse

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Book SynopsisIn this work, the author presents the precise spots where the battle at Gallipoli took place with a range of contemporary photographs. It provides a link between past and present; from one century to the next; that the deeds of those whose bones lie buried in a foreign field shall not be forgotten.

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Book SynopsisWinner, James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference, History, and ScholarshipWinner, Harriet Tubman Prize“Slaves for Peanuts plumbs a fascinating and disturbing slice of history, shining a light on another glaring example of Western hypocrisy and oppression.” —NPR Books“A complex story crossing time and oceans” (National Public Radio), Jori Lewis’s prizewinning Slaves for Peanuts deftly weaves together the natural and human history of a crop that transformed the lives of millions. “With elegant prose and engaging details” (National Book Award-winner Imani Perry), Lewis reveals how demand for peanut oil in Europe ensured that slavery in Africa would persist well into the twentieth century, long after the European powers had officially banned it in the territories they controlled.“This informative and compassionate account unearths a little-know

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Book SynopsisSixty years ago over 100 aerodromes in east and north-eastern England were occupied by the men and machines of RAF Bomber Command. The tenure of the majority of the bases was brief - some six years - but during that time more than 55,000 men lost their lives while flying from them to attack targets on the Continent. Split into seven operational groups, the airfields of Bomber Command formed the cornerstone of Britain's efforts to carry on the war against Germany in the years before the landings in Normandy. Thereafter they played their part in the battle against the V-weapons with one of the last raids of the war being carried out against Hitler's personal mountain retreat. Each airfield has been explored and photographed in the "then and now" style of Roger Freeman's previous books for After the Battle on the US Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. The physical development, construction and operational history of every airfield is described in detail and all are illustrated with wartime and present-day aerial photographs.

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Book SynopsisIn December 1774, Benjamin Franklin met Caroline Howe, the sister of British Admiral Richard and General William Howe, in a London drawing room for “half a dozen Games of Chess”. As Julie Flavell reveals, the games concealed a matter of the utmost diplomatic urgency, a last-ditch attempt to forestall the outbreak of war. Aware that the Howes, both the men and the women, have seemed impenetrable to historians, Flavell investigated the letters of Caroline Howe, which have been overlooked for centuries. Using these revelatory documents, Flavell provides a compelling reinterpretation of England’s famous family across four wars, centring on their enigmatic roles in the American Revolution. The Howe Dynasty interweaves action-packed stories of North American military campaigns—including the Battles of Bunker Hill and Long Island—with parlour-room intrigues back in England, creating a riveting narrative that brings alive the influence of these extraordinary women in both peacetime and war.Trade Review"Spanning almost a century of the Georgian era, The Howe Dynasty presents a richly detailed and lively saga of one of its most distinguished families. Challenging and insightful, it reflects impressive scholarship, grounded in exhaustive archival research on both sides of the Atlantic... The Howe Dynasty shows how women whose supreme function in life was to produce male heirs could nonetheless find a voice through informal ‘networking,’ establishing crucial contacts in the drawing room or on the hunting field that could be mobilized to secure favors and control opinion." -- Stephen Brumwell, What to Read this Week - The Wall Street Journal"[A] vibrant biography of the accomplished, beguiling family… Flavell’s scholarship and deft storytelling add nuance, sympathy and granularity to the family portrait." -- Rick Atkinson - The New York Times Book Review"Flavell, an independent scholar, meticulously combs manuscripts held in numerous archives on both sides of the Atlantic… Melding family, political and military history, Flavell’s sympathetic account… shows the historical value of Caroline’s intriguing vantage point on the American Revolution." -- Mark G. Spencer - Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisNOW UPDATED AND IN COLOUR. From the Belgian coast, across the fields of Flanders, over the valley of the Somme and down the line to the Argonne: all the major battlefields of the First World War -- Ypres, Arras, Cambrai, Amiens, St Quentin, Mons, Le Cateau, Reims, Verdun and St Mihiel -- are criss-crossed in this book over more than thirty different routes, each clearly shown on a Michelin map. Every significant feature is described in detail. Indispensable for anyone contemplating a tour of the battlefields in Belgium and France, this book combines the years of knowledge, travel and research of its author, Rose Coombs, who worked at the Imperial War Museum in London for nearly forty years. Since her death in 1991, After the Battle's Editor, Karel Margry, has travelled every route, checking and revising the text where necessary, as well as re-photographing every -memorial. Many new ones are included, yet we have striven to keep true to the flavour of Rose's original concept ...before endeavours fade.Table of ContentsIntroduction by the Author; About this book; The Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Demarcation Stones; The Poppy Legend; Battlefield Debris; CALAIS-YPRES Route I via Bergues; CALAIS-YPRES Route II via Cassel; CALAIS-YPRES Route III via St Omer; ZEEBRUGGE-YPRES The Yser Battlefield - Battles of the Ypres Salient 1914-1918. Summary; YPRES; YPRES YPRES SALIENT BATTLEFIELD TOUR; Route I The Northern Sector; Route II The North-eastern Sector; Route III The Eastern Sector; Route IV The South-eastern Sector; Route V The Rear Areas; THE ROAD SOUTH; ARRAS THE BATTLES OF THE SOMME ARRAS-CAMBRAI; Route I via Monchy-le-Preux ARRAS-CAMBRAI; Route II via Bullecourt; FIVE ROUTES TO MONS; MONS; MONS MONS BATTLEFIELD TOUR; MONS TO LE CATEAU; LE CATEAU LE CATEAU TO AMIENS; AMIENS TO CALAIS; Route I via Abbeville; AMIENS TO CALAIS; Route II via St Pol-sur-Ternoise; ST QUENTIN TO REIMS; The Chemin des Dames and the Champagne Battlefields; REIMS TO VERDUN; The Argonne Battlefield; VERDUN; VERDUN BATTLEFIELD TOUR; THE ST MIHIEL SALIENT; REIMS TO COMPIEGNE; THE BATTLE OF FROMELLES; INDEX.

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Book SynopsisDwight D. Eisenhower is one of America’s greatest and least appreciated presidents. Behind the demeanour that made Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower so popular was a cold-as-steel intelligence that kept his country prosperous and out of danger. Because his operating methods were so deeply hidden, it is only in the past few decades that historians have grasped the full extent of his achievements.Ike in Love and War shows the hidden sacrifices that made Eisenhower remarkable. It probes the mission that was driving him: the quest to reconcile his skill as a fighter with his mother’s pacifism, which led him to become the greatest peacekeeper of his age. More than other biographies, this one explores the man’s emotions. It puts the long-standing dispute about his romance with Kay Summersby in a new perspective: tragedy. Here is the story of a unique American, the passion and brilliance he kept concealed, the ambition that propelled him, the sacrifices that wore down his health, and the sheer self-mastery that made it all look easy. It never was. His achievements are timely as Americans face unprecedented dangers. This is the story of the world Ike made, the things he achieved, and the surprises that may still be in store for us as we strive to understand his life in full.Trade Review“Richard Striner’s new book on Dwight Eisenhower presents a groundbreaking look into this genuinely great American leader’s sense of self and how and why he is such a defining historical figure. Striner pursues the depths of how Ike accomplished so much for America and the world - much of it unrecognized at the time. Who was this soldier-statesman and who and what shaped and motivated him? These questions and more are answered in this superbly engaging book of great consequence. A book that is especially relevant in our dangerously complicated and volatile world of today. Eisenhower’s quiet insightful and courageous leadership is the hallmark of leadership …..all leadership.” -- Chuck Hagel, Vietnam Veteran, Former U.S. Senator and Former Secretary of Defense“Richard Striner is an unapologetic admirer of the man humbly reared in Abilene, Kansas, and who rose to become the most important wartime commander in American history. Eisenhower served two terms as president at the height of the Cold War and was, Striner concludes, ‘a masterful president.’ Striner’s rigorous research and lively writing produce a compelling case for Ike’s leadership, in a book that itself is ‘masterful.’” -- David A. Nichols, author of A Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Civil Rights Revolution, Eisenhower 1956: The President’s Year of Crisis, and Ike and McCarthy: Dwight Ei"Richard Striner's new biographical study, Ike in Love and War, breaks new ground in depicting Dwight D. Eisenhower as the tragic hero of America's modern democracy. Deeply researched and accessible, as well as provocative, it fits old facts into new perspectives and, most useful of all, broadens our understanding of the shrewd, complex, principled, often-misunderstood man who was the preeminent soldier-statesman of our times." -- Philip Terzian, author of Architects of Power: Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and the American Century

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Book SynopsisTHE GREAT NORTH ROAD-- since 1922 classified officially as the A1 has been the main route between London and Edinburgh since earliest times, but roads change, and so much of the original has since been bypassed leaving an intriguing trail of discovery for author Chris 'Wolfie' Cooper. As we travel the 400 miles, we follow every twist and turn of the old road, past the remains of bygone carriageways, forgotten byways, dead ends, and wayside rest houses of distant memory, and even trace parts which have completely disappeared.

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Book SynopsisA sweeping saga of a Jewish family and community fighting for survival against the ravages of history.Set between events depicted in Fiddler on the Roof and Schindler’s List, Lisa Brahin’s Tears over Russia brings to life a piece of Jewish history that has never before been told. Between 1917 and 1921, twenty years before the Holocaust began, an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 Jews were murdered in anti-Jewish pogroms across Ukraine. Lisa grew up transfixed by her grandmother Channa’s stories about her family being forced to flee their hometown of Stavishche, as armies and bandit groups raided village after village, killing Jewish residents. Channa described a perilous three-year journey through Russia and Romania, led at first by a gallant American who had snuck into Ukraine to save his immediate family and ended up leading an exodus of nearly eighty to safety. With almost no published sources to validate her grandmother’s tales, Lisa embarked on her incredible journey to tell Channa’s story, forging connections with archivists around the world to find elusive documents to fill in the gaps of what happened in Stavishche. She also tapped into connections closer to home, gathering testimonies from her grandmother’s relatives, childhood friends and neighbors. The result is a moving historical family narrative that speaks to universal human themes—the resilience and hope of ordinary people surviving the ravages of history and human cruelty. With the growing passage of time, it is unlikely that we will see another family saga emerge so richly detailing this forgotten time period. Tears Over Russia eloquently proves that true life is sometimes more compelling than fiction.Trade Review"This is the kind of book one won’t want to put down, even as it could be written in blood as well as tears." * George Washington University Magazine *“A remarkably vivid account of life in the Old Country that reads at times like a novel—or a series of Sholem Aleichem stories. Aspects of Tears Over Russia have a mythic quality, with larger-than-life characters surmounting impossible circumstances. Riveting.” * The Forward *"Overall, Tears Over Russia is illuminating, well researched, and thoroughly sourced. It will be a boon for genealogists of Jewish ancestry and is a good example of how family lore can be placed in a broader historical context." * Washington Independent Review of Books *"While certainly an elegy to Jews dead, first by pogroms and later the Nazis, it is also a celebration of the essential work of librarians, archivists and genealogists. The bibliography alone makes this a valuable resource. This family history of Kyiv is especially potent in this season of Russian-Ukrainian strife, ironically with a Ukrainian Jew now at the helm...A timely and essential reading." * Library Journal, starred review *“An evocative and distressing account of her grandmother’s experiences during the wave of anti-Jewish pogroms that swept across Russia and Ukraine in the early 20th century. A vital personal record of Ukraine’s turbulent past.” * Publishers Weekly *"Strug­gle and resilience take cen­ter stage in Lisa Brahin’s Tears Over Rus­sia, a metic­u­lous attempt to recon­struct not only a family’s roots in present-day Ukraine and their tra­vails on their way to Amer­i­ca, but also the intri­ca­cies of the world they left behind....At a time of a record refugee cri­sis in Ukraine and the prospect of fur­ther mass migra­tion, Brahin offers us an oppor­tu­ni­ty to reflect on the pos­si­bil­i­ties and lim­i­ta­tions of the Amer­i­can Dream, and the dreams our fore­fa­thers saw extin­guished in pur­suit of it." * Jewish Book Council *"This meticulously researched book tells the story not only of the author’s family during the anti-Jewish pogroms, from 1917 until their escape to America in 1923, but also the brutalization of Jewish communities throughout Ukraine. [Tears Over Russia] gives the reader insight into the immigrant experience and the terrors that often force them to leave the land they love, losing everything, but gaining freedom." * Historical Novel Society *"Not only are the stories gripping, and the narrative history easy to read, but the historical timeline is right-on. There are appendices that provide historical detail, and the extensive footnoting provide is evidence of the careful scholarship that Brahin put into this book. May a careful look at this story be an inspiration for us to help those who are – right now – experiencing the same realities, and who – right now – are looking for safe havens somewhere in the world so that they can contribute their creativity, their energy, and their love to the rest of the world." * Englewood Reviews of Books *"The author has done a service to her grandmother and society by recording the stories of Channa and other Stavishche residents...In Tears Over Russia, Brahin has ensured that the light will stay on." * New York Journal of Books *

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Book SynopsisSlates from quarries in Wales once went to roof the world. By the late nineteenth century as many as a third of all the roofing slates produced worldwide came from Wales, competing withquarries in France and the United States. This book traces the industry from its origins in the Roman period, its slow medieval development, to its massive expansion in the nineteenthcentury.

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Book SynopsisReconsidering the German tendency to define itself vis-à-vis an eastern "Other" in light of fresh debate regarding the Second World War, this volume and the cultural products it considers expose and question Germany's relationship with its imagined East. Germany has long defined itself in opposition to its eastern neighbors: its ideas around cultural prestige and its expressions of xenophobia seem inevitably to return to an imagined eastern "Other." Central to the consideration of such projections is the legacy of the Second World War, the subject of fresh debate since 1989: after four decades of political antagonism and cultural disjuncture, the events of the war on the Eastern Front have been rediscovered by Western audiences and have come to occupy complex, shifting positions in the memory culture of the postsocialist states. However, German ignorance of Eastern European experiences of war and genocide, enduring stereotypes, and prescriptive ideas about remembrance have been major stumbling blocks to the emergence of a transnational memory culture considered just by all parties. Despite mass immigration to Germany from the east and intensive contact between German speakers and its cultures, German-language cultural production continues largely to represent Eastern Europe as unknown, wild, and inaccessible. By contrast, the writers and filmmakers under discussion in the present volume have worked with and against such tropes to put forward alternative perspectives. Like their works, the contributions to this volume place the conflicts and prejudices of the twentieth century into a wider historical perspective, exposing and questioning the nature of Germany's relationship with its imagined East. Contributors: Deirdre Byrnes, Raluca Cernahoschi, Shivani Chauhan, Enikő Dácz, Olha Flachs, Daniel Harvey, Jakub Kazecki, Amy Leech, Paul Peters, Ernest Schonfield, Karolina Watroba.Table of ContentsBetween Estrangement and Entanglement: An Introduction to German Visions of Eastern Europe in the Twentieth (and Twenty-First) Century - Jenny Watson Colonizing a Central European City: Transnational Perspectives on Kronstadt/Brașov/Brassó in the First Half of the Twentieth Century - Enikő Dácz Exile as a Literary-Political Mission: Leo Katz's Antifascist Bukovina Novel Totenjäger (1944) - Olha Flachs Brunnenland: The Image of the Bukovina in Paul Celan - Paul Peters "Auch bei uns im fernen Transsilvanien": The Transylvanian Saxons and the Long Shadow of the Third Reich in the Work of Bettina Schuller - Raluca Cernahoschi Through an Orientalist Lens: Colonial Renderings of Poland in German Cinema after 1989 - Jakub Kazecki The Nazi Ghost and the Sinti Woman in Kerstin Hensel's Bell Vedere (1982) - Ernest Schonfield The Haunted Landscape of Babi Yar: Memory, Language, and the Exploration of Holocaust Spaces in Katja Petrowskaja's Vielleicht Esther (2014) - Deirdre Byrnes "dann hüpfe ich auch, komisch und ungeschickt, wie eine Nadel auf einer abgespielten Platte...": The Ethics and Affects of Translation in Katja Petrowskaja's Vielleicht Esther (2014) - Daniel Harvey Expanding the Nationalgeschichte: Entangled European Memory in Nino Haratischwili and Saša Stanišić - Amy Leech Reading Photographic Images and Identifying Mnemonic Threads of the Post-Memorial Project in Sie kam aus Mariupol (2017) by Natascha Wodin - Shivani Chauhan Navid Kermani's Entlang den Gräben (2018) and Its Readers: Remapping Europe's East - Karolina Watroba

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Book SynopsisThe inspiring story of how one woman forged a series of unprecedented partnerships across national, tribal, and religious boundaries to impact an overwhelming crisis against near impossible odds.Set against the backdrop of the Syrian civil war and the massive humanitarian crisis it produced, Georgette Bennett tells the largely untold story of how sworn enemies—Syrians and Israelis, Jews and Muslims—came to trust each other with their lives in order to alleviate terrible suffering. The dramatic tale of their unlikely collaboration illustrates what a few determined individuals can do in the face of inertia, inefficiency, and widespread indifference. It also shows how the novel concept of humanitarian diplomacy offers a beacon of hope for all the hate-based clashes occurring around the world today.Trade Review"Thou Shalt Not Stand Idly By is the story of one of the most important and improbable humanitarian initiatives of our time. In turn inspiring, heartbreaking, and exhilarating, this book is above all a testament to how a few determined people can change one tortured corner of the world. Anyone concerned with the future of the Middle East—with the future of humanity—should read this powerful book." -- Yossi Klein Halevi, Senior Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute, Author, "Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor""Georgette Bennett is not one to stand idly by, and when confronted with the Syrian refugee crisis of historic proportions, she dove in to find a way to help. She never took no for an answer, pulled out all the stops to corral governments, armies, organizations, and civil society to stop their real wars and their turf wars to cooperate, at least in the 'crevices,' to help people most in need on a huge scale. This is humanitarian diplomacy at its best, engineered by a civilian Jewish woman of conviction in a region where any or all of those can get you in huge trouble. Not only is the blow by blow riveting, but here is a story to inspire all of us to use what we have at our disposal to help each other as humans, and to get past the rigidities which have left way too many as collateral damage." -- Anthony Marx, President and CEO, New York Public Library"Georgette Bennett has turned her life story into a force for humanity. When she sees suffering, she takes personal and moral responsibility to do something about it. The Syria war is a stain on humanity and this book shows what it means to stand by Syrians suffering at the hands of their own government. The world needs more people like Georgette." -- David Miliband, President, International Rescue Committee and former UK Foreign Secretary"Georgette Bennett is truly one of our better angels, caretaking all of us by caretaking those most in need: Syrian refugees. A child of the Holocaust, she is also the woman who established the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian refugees. Refugees everywhere need everyone's help all over the world and Georgette Bennett is on the front lines of it all. We owe her a debt of gratitude." -- Mandy Patinkin, Actor, Activist on behalf of refugees"This remarkable book is a testament to three things: first, the inhumanity that persists in the world, seen in the brutal treatment by the Syrian regime of millions of its own people. Second, the painstaking, behind-the-scenes and largely thankless work that goes into trying to help those suffering on a massive scale. And third, the difference one person can make. It's the story of Georgette Bennett, private citizen with a steely determination to come to their rescue, who found the unlikeliest of benefactors, and to this day, simply refuses to give up." -- Judy Woodruff, Anchor and Managing Editor, The PBS NewsHour"Blessed are the peacemakers and blessed is Georgette Bennett. In this fascinating and well-written book, she describes her dogged efforts to help those devastated by conflict and search for ways to bring people of differing faiths together. The stories she tells us an important reminder that we could all do more to try to make the world a better place." -- Fareed Zakaria, Host, CNN GPS

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Book Synopsis*NATIONAL BESTSELLER* “From foot-binding to corsets, patriarchal societies have found ways to immobilize women, but now, marathoners and Olympians are proving that women can run like the wind!” —GLORIA STEINEM 'A look behind the curtain that all women who love running and sport should read.” —KARA GOUCHER, Olympic runner and New York Times-bestselling author of The Longest RaceMore than a century ago, a woman ran in the very first modern Olympic marathon. She just did it without permission. Award-winning journalist Maggie Mertens uncovers the story of how women broke into competitive running and how they are getting faster and fiercer every day—and changing our understanding of what is possible as they go. Despite women proving their abilities on the track time and again, men in the medical establishment, media, and athletic associations have fought to k

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Book SynopsisFollows the usual Railway Memories style illustrating the railways in the Chesterfield area of North Derbyshire as they used to be mainly in the 1950s and 1960s when the olde worlde market town of Chesterfield was surrounded by a tangled mass of collieries, coke works, iron works and railways. Begins with in-depth descriptive text.Table of ContentsPage 4. A Story of Rails, Coal and Iron Page 35. The Midland: Clay Cross to Killamarsh & Branches Page 80. Tapton Junction to Chinley Page 93. The Great Central Lines Page 118. The Ashover Light Railway Page 121. On Industrial Lines

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Book SynopsisThis is the intimate and revealing autobiography of the late Margaret Rhodes, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and the niece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Margaret was born into the Scottish aristocracy, into a now almost vanished world of privilege. Royalty often came to stay and her house was run in the style of Downton Abbey. In the Second World War years she 'lodged' at Buckingham Palace while she worked for MI5. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. Three years later the King and Queen attended her own wedding; Princess Margaret was a bridesmaid. In 1990 she was appointed as a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen Mother, acting also as her companion, which she describes in touching detail. In the early months of 2002, she spent as much time as possible with her ailing aunt, and was at her bedside when she died at Easter that year. The next morning she went to Queen Elizabeth's bedroom to pray, and in farewell dropped her a final curtsey.

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Book SynopsisAt the time of its construction, the Forth Bridge was the largest bridge in the world, and to this day it remains a breathtaking monument to the vision and confidence of the Victorian age which created it. For seven years, thousands of men from all over Europe worked beneath the waters of the Forth and hundreds of feet in the sky on what was widely regarded as the eighth wonder of the modern world. Sheila Mackay vividly recounts the story of the bridge from its inception to the opening ceremony in 1890. Featuring more than a hundred archive photographs which detail every stage of the project, this book is a magnificent celebration of one of humankind’s most impressive engineering achievements.Trade Review'Dramatic photographs of the Bridge under construction ... masterpieces of clarity and precision from the early days of photography' * The Scotsman *'A book to stir wonder and pride' * The Herald *

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Book SynopsisOne of the most famous queens in history, Mary Stuart lived in her homeland for just twelve years: as a dauntless child who laughed at her friendsʼ seasickness as they sailed to safety in France and later, on her return as a 18-year-old widow to take control of a nation riven with factions, dissent and religious strife. Brief though her time in Scotland was, her experience profoundly influenced who she was and what happened to her. In this book, Rosemary Goring tells the story of Mary’s Scottish years through the often dramatic and atmospheric locations and settings where the events that shaped her life took place and also examines the part Scotland, and its tumultuous court and culture, played in her downfall. Whether or not Mary Stuart emerges blameless or guilty, in this evocative retelling she can be seen for who she really was. Locations included: Linlithgow Palace * Stirling Castle * Dumbarton Castle * Leith * Holyrood Palace * Crichton Castle * Darnaway Castle * Huntly Castle * Spynie Palace * Falkland Palace * Seton Palace * St Andrews and Fife * Dunbar Castle * Edinburgh Castle * Traquair House * Hermitage Castle * Jedburgh, Mary Queen of Scots House * Craigmillar Castle * Edinburgh and Kirk o’ Field * Borthwick Castle * Carberry Hill * Lochleven Castle * Langside * Dundrennan AbbeyTrade Review'Brings into vibrant focus some lesser-known, intimate details about the young queen that make her wholly relatable today' -- Sally McDonald * Sunday Post *'Like Mary, Homecoming is fresh and flighty, maddening, but irresistibly unbuttoned' -- Jessie Childs * Times *'If anyone was able to add anything fresh to the story of Mary's life...then it would be Rosemary Goring, who has carved out an eminent role for herself as a highly respected author of books about Scottish history' -- Ken Lussey * Undiscovered Scotland *'Rosemary's book breathes life into this legendary Queen' * Southern Reporter *'Whether or not Mary Stuart emerges blameless or guilty, she can be seen for who she really was... thanks to Rosemary's painstaking research' -- Julie Currie * East Fife Mail *'a nicely measured book, intelligent, engaging and well-balanced' -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *‘tells the story of Mary's Scottish years through the often dramatic and atmospheric locations and settings where the events that shaped her life took place’ * History Scotland Magazine *'a fresh, richly detailed biography' * Scottish Field *'Do we really need another book on Mary, Queen of Scots? Yes, because this is the most easily understood of the quagmire that Mary found herself in on her return to Scotland as its queen. Wonderfully written and fascinating for its social history of the era. I can't recommend it highly enough' * The Watermill Bookshop, Aberfeldy *'In this beautifully crafted and deeply researched biography, Rosemary Goring delivers a fascinating account of the twelve years Mary Stuart resided in her native Scotland, and the events that shaped her life as well as the Scottish nation' * Waterstones Bookseller *'This is a fascinating account of the Scottish years of a remarkable Queen. Mary’s life is vividly and dramatically portrayed here by Rosemary Goring' -- Alexander McCall Smith * Little Brown Book Group *'Refreshingly, Goring presents a very even-handed view of Mary, as a queen and as a woman, and the book is full of small details that bring her and her world to life' -- Wilson Smith * Book of the Old Edinburgh Club *

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Book SynopsisRobin Lloyd-Jones has been exploring the west coast and islands of Scotland in his sea kayak for more than forty years. In this book he recalls many a memorable expedition to wild and beautiful shores. Amongst magnificent scenery and ever-changing seas, we are transported to Jura, Scarba, the Garvellach Isles, Mull, Staffa, the Treshnish Isles, the Monach Isles, Iona, Lewis and the Uists, Skye, the Orkneys, and the Shetland Isles. Along the way, he explains a great deal about kayaking, about the wildlife and history of the areas he visits. More than that, however, he makes us feel that we are with him in his kayak. Through his vivid and beautifully crafted prose, we experience the terror of a force nine gale, the tranquillity of moonlit trips, and the lure of tiny bays and seal-meadows accessible only to a slim kayak. We encounter dolphins, otters, unidentified monsters and nuclear submarines. This is a book to set the imagination adrift and appeal to the Robinson Crusoe in all of us; a book for those seeking wider horizons, be their vessel an armchair or a kayak.Trade Review'This was a delight to read with both beautiful yet accessible writing capturing the essence of sea-kayaking in Scotland' * Scottish Field *'A thrilling tale of natural beauty and the survival instinct of the human spirit' * The Wee Review *'The author takes a trip down memory lane ... all described in vivid and lyrical prose' * Scots Magazine *'That this book has been around on people’s bookshelves and in their imaginations for more than thirty years is testament to the enduring fascination people have with islands, the sea and exploration' * Autumn Voices *'Superbly written, by turns gripping, funny and evocative, this a classic of Scottish outdoor adventure literature and should prove entertaining and interesting even to those who have never lifted a paddle' * Scottish Mountaineering Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe written history and archaeological records of Central Scotland takes us back to Pictish times some 5,000 years ago. The geology of the area stretches back a further 400 million years. The oldest rocks are found near Lesmahagow and in the Pentland Hills. Known geologically as ‘inliers’– small areas of rocks from an older age, surrounded by younger strata – these strata have yielded some of the oldest fish on earth and are highly prized for what they tell us about early life on the planet. Rocks of the Old Red Sandstone and the succeeding Carboniferous era underlie the rest of Central Scotland in almost equal measure. Explosive volcanic rocks, thick layers of lava, desert sandstones, limestones and productive coal measures make up this bedrock patchwork. Then, sometime later, a covering of ice, some two kilometres thick, blanketed the landscape. It sandpapered and burnished the bedrock into the familiar scenes we see today – our matchless Scottish landscape. The coal and iron ore which lay beneath the ground between Edinburgh and Glasgow provided the raw materials that drove the Industrial Revolution in Scotland, and the early focus on understanding the rocks beneath our feet was unsurprisingly initially concentrated on the most useful minerals resources.Trade Review'Alan McKirdy’s insights are valuable because he is the author of a string of accessible and informative short illustrated books on the geological history of Scotland' * West Highland Free Press *'Not only are they a wealth of information on Scotland's past, they offer valuable insight as Scotland’s future becomes increasingly uncertain due to climate change' * Dundee Courier *

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Book SynopsisPlacenames are a constant source of debate. Who was Edwin, whose name is said to live on in that of Scotland's capital city? Are the 'drum' and 'chapel' still to be found in Drumchapel? And which 'king' had a 'seat' in Kingseat in Perthshire? The answers to these and many similar questions are often not what might be expected at first sight and have their origins in many languages – including Gaelic, Pictish, Brythonic, Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Scots and Modern English – that have been spoken in Scotland. This is the essential companion to the fascinating world of Scottish placenames. It features more than 8,000 placenames, from districts, towns and villages to rivers, lochs and mountains, and also includes a comprehensive introduction and maps.

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Book SynopsisMasterCheffinalist Sarah Rankin has a passion for Scottish produce and flavours and for feeding people. Being a food lover encompasses not just a passion for the ingredients themselves, but also for the seasons and weather which nurture them, and the people who tend, harvest and prepare them. Taking those ingredients and creating something delicious for those you love is the highest compliment you can pay any vegetable, beast, fish or fowl.InKith, Sarah shares stories on her family favourites, the inspirationfor her recipes, and why food is the greatest way to show your love.Kithis a collection of practical and inviting seasonal dishes, mixing the traditional and the contemporary, and celebrating the extraordinary versatility of Scotland's larder in a hundred recipes: from Grouse with beetroot and cherry, to Arbroath smokie souffle, Squash ravioli with sage butter, and Lemon posset with caramelised white chocolate and oat crumble. It also includes a section of drinks and canapes.The ch

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Book Synopsis'Fascinating ... illuminating ... Stephenson examines ordinary life, painting a vivid and intriguing picture.' The Times Long before Rome fell to the Ostrogoths in AD 476, a new city had risen to take its place as the beating heart of a late antique empire, the glittering Constantinople: New Rome. In this magisterial work, Professor Paul Stephenson charts the centuries surrounding this epic shift of power. He traces the cultural, social and political forces that led to the empire being ruled from a city straddling Europe and Asia, placing all into a rich natural and environmental context informed by the latest scientific research. Blending narrative with analysis, he shows how the city and empire of New Rome survived countless attacks and the rise of Islam. By the end, the wide world of linked cities had changed into a world founded on new ideas about government and God, art and war, and the very future of a Christian empire: Byzantium.Trade ReviewBrings the world of New Rome alive with exceptional learning and a magnificent openness to modern scientific methods that breathe life into conventional narratives of political and social history. * The New York Review of Books *A wonderfully sharp eye for data and detail. ... I have been quoting passages and surprising facts to everyone around me ever since putting it down. * The Critic *Conventional histories of the last days of the Roman Empire will no longer suffice after you read this book. -- Averil Cameron, author * Byzantine Matters *The most compelling fusion yet of narrative history with the recent findings of environmental research and scientific data. -- Anthony Kaldellis, author * Romanland *Stephenson's gift for narrative is matched by an eye for arresting images and quirky anecdotes that will surprise and delight even jaded readers. -- Michael Kulikowski, author of Imperial TragedyCasts brilliant shafts of light on the material conditions and spiritual quests of the ruling and the ruled ... masterly -- Jonathan Shepard, editor of The Cambridge History of the Byzantine EmpireA new book from the historian Paul Stephenson centers on the Byzantine world in the period 395-700 A.D., combining modern scientific methods with traditional history to explain which parts of Rome migrated east and what became of them. * The New Criterion *Stephenson explores evidence of climate change caused by volcanic eruption and earthquakes not so much as an engine for political change as a permanent threat to the human environment ... [he] draws with great skill and an eye for detail on the stories embedded in surviving papyri, on laws, and on saints' lives. -- Andrew Louth * Los Angeles Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisIn 1659, a vast and unusual map of China arrived in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It was bequeathed by John Selden, a London business lawyer, political activist, former convict, MP and the city's first Orientalist scholar. Largely ignored, it remained in the bowels of the library, until called up by an inquisitive reader. When Timothy Brook saw it in 2009, he realised that the Selden Map was 'a puzzle that had to be solved': an exceptional artefact, so unsettlingly modern-looking it could almost be a forgery. But it was genuine, and what it has to tell us is astonishing. It shows China, not cut off from the world, but a participant in the embryonic networks of global trade that fuelled the rise of Europe - and which now power China's ascent. And it raises as many question as it answers: how did John Selden acquire it? Where did it come from? Who re-imagined the world in this way? And most importantly - what can it tell us about the world at that time? Brook, like a cartographic detective, has provided answers - including a surprising last-minute revelation of authorship. From the Gobi Desert to the Philippines, from Java to Tibet and into China itself, Brook uses the map (actually a schematic representation of China's relation to astrological heaven) to tease out the varied elements that defined this crucial period in China's history.Trade ReviewThe quest is fascinating and picaresque, a sort of cartographical Tristram Shandy with a sure-handed narrator steering us from Ming dynasty China to pre-Civil War Oxford to the Spice Islands of South-East Asia. -- Rana Mitter * Sunday Telegraph *The great charm of this book lies not only in its illustrative, erudite detail but in the serendipity that regularly seizes Brook and adds spice to a spellbinding story. -- Iain Finlayson * The Times *A fascinating look at the story behind the map. -- Sally Newall * The Independent *Mr Selden's Map of China is a picaresque journey, laced with asides, yet each digression contains a jewel of insight... Alternating between early modern and modern history, England and China, biography, science and culture, Brook holds us spellbound, just as he did in his earlier compelling series of interwoven tales of China and the west, Vermeer's Hat (2008).. Brook has brought an entire, largely unknown, set of cross-cultural exchanges vividly to life. -- Lisa Jardine * Financial Times *[the map] has inspired a book filled with historical detective work that is one of the best I have read for years... [Brook] embarks on an extraordinary series of physical, historical and linguistic journeys... Brook has an enviable gift for picking his way through a vast amount of arcane historical and scientific material to produce a fast-moving, conversational narrative, which flies by before you realise you have just been guided through some of the more esoteric aspects of Chinese science or folklore. It is punctuated by telling personal anecdotes and trenchant observations on how the past continues to shape the present - especially when dealing with China... This book shows that we all need Timothy Brook to keep switching on the lights. -- Jerry Brotton * Literary Review *The book is an enjoyable read and, in an age where China is flexing its muscles and where the South China Sea is a growing source of contention, there is no better time to look closely at a long-forgotten map of the region that highlights, through its unique history and features, the early interchange between foreign lands, cultures and individuals. * South China Morning Post *The book is an enjoyable read and, in an age where China is flexing its muscles and where the South China Sea is a growing source of contention, there is no better time to look closely at a long-forgotten map of the region that highlights, through its unique history and features, the early interchange between foreign lands, cultures and individuals. * South China Morning Post *

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Book SynopsisEdwin Lutyens' Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval in Northern France, visited annually by tens of thousands of tourists, is arguably the finest structure erected by any British architect in the twentieth century. It is the principal, tangible expression of the defining event in Britain's experience and memory of the Great War, the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916, and it bears the names of 73,000 soldiers whose bodies were never found at the end of that bloody and futile campaign. This brilliant study by an acclaimed architectural historian tells the origin of the memorial in the context of commemorating the war dead; it considers the giant classical brick arch in architectural terms, and also explores its wider historical significance and its resonances today. So much of the meaning of the twentieth century is concentrated here; the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing casts a shadow into the future, a shadow which extends beyond the dead of the Holocaust, to the Gulag, to the 'disappeared' of South America and of Tianenmen. Reissued in a beautiful and striking new edition for the centenary of the Somme.Trade Review[a] moving and eloquent book * Literary Review *as a piece of architectural analysis it is impressive * The Spectator *Stamp has provided an invaluable, detailed and illuminating study * Guardian *the value of Stamp's book lies in its eloquent account of the genius of the vision of Edward Lutyens ... who created in the Monument to the Missing at Thiepval the central metaphor of a generation's experience of appalling loss. * Observer *This book is a gem...an eloquent, moving lament for the futile waste and industrialised killing of the First World War, and indeed of the 20th Century - an elegy which resonates powerfully today. * Sunday Telegraph *Much, much more than architectural history, for here, encapsulated in marmoreally angry prose, is an account of that collective act of mass murder, without parallel in history, known as the Great War. An unforgettable, passionate book. -- A.N. Wilson * Evening Standard *Perfectly formed and beautifully written, this book is a minor masterpiece, a paragon of its genre. It will move all but the hardest heart to tears at the folly, and the glory, that is man. -- Ross Leckie * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe trial of the Knights Templar is one of the most infamous in history. Accused of heresy by the king of France, the Templars were arrested and imprisoned, had their goods seized and their monasteries ransacked. Under brutal interrogation and torture, many made shocking confessions: denial of Christ, desecration of the Cross, sex acts and more. This book follows the everyday reality of the trial, from the early days of scandal and scheming in 1305, via torture, imprisonment and the dissolution of the order, to 1314, when leaders Jacques de Molay and Geoffroy de Charnay were burned at the stake. Through first-hand testimony and written records of the interrogations of 231 French Templars, this book illuminates the stories of hundreds of ordinary members, some of whom testified at the trial, as well as the many others who denied the charges or retracted their confessions. A deeply researched and immersive account that gives a striking vision of the relentless persecution, and the oft-underestimated resistance, of the once-mighty Knights Templar.Trade ReviewPraise for The Last Templar: Scrupulously detailed. -- Jerty Brotton * The Times *This is probably the definitive account not only of de Molay, but also of the political and financial factors at play in the closing years of the Temple. -- Kevin McClure * Fortean Times *A scrupulously scholarly analysis. -- C. J. Tyerman * Times Literary Supplement *A well-researched and thorough book. -- Alex Heminsley * Observer *a fine scholarly narrative of the fall of the Templars. -- Jonathan Sumption * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating history, recounted from both the American and Japanese perspectives, follows the course of the Empire of the Sun's ultimately unequal struggle against the great allied powers. Drawing on archive material, this new history provides the reader with piercing strategic and political insights which debunk many of the enduring myths which encompass Japan's apocalyptic drive for hegemony in Southeast Asia. Why did Japan invade China? Was war with America and the British Empire inevitable? Why was the Japanese mobile fleet defeated so decisively at Midway? Why did the Japanese continue fighting when defeat was inevitable? Was Emperor Hirohito merely a puppet of the militarists? Why did the Japanese people acquiesce in the occupation of their homeland? Whilst unsparing in its treatment of Japan's ultimate culpability for unleashing the Second World War, 'Japan at War 1931-1945' is an objective appraisal of the tragedy that engulfed much of the territories under Japanese control, and eventually Japan itself.

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Book SynopsisWhereas the life of her husband, the dashing Napoleonic general and diplomat Charles de Flahaut, is well known, Margaret has remained in the shadows. Yet this biographical study, based on unpublished and intimate correspondence in the Archives Nationales, Paris, reveals her to have been the more interesting of the two. It shows how much he depended on her brains, political judgment and artistic taste as well as her fortune to guide him in his career. More than that, their letters to each other also confirm that she made a success of her controversial marriage and that the bond between them was strengthened through all the vicissitudes of their life together. A faithful and sincere friend, she could be an implacable enemy: Talleyrand's companion, the duchesse de Dino, whom she dubbed `that horrid little serpent', and the Duke of Wellington, `that bully', were favourite targets. Her lively, observant but wicked pen takes us with her on visits to Talleyrand at Valencay, to the marquis de Lafayette, to the duchesse de Praslin at Vaux-le-Vicomte, to house parties in stately homes of England and Scotland - Arundel, Woburn, Bowood, Chatsworth, Grimsthorpe and Drummond Castle. Acknowledged a superb hostess, her descriptions of the menus, and entertainments organized in her homes in Scotland, London, and Paris and at the Flahaut embassies in Vienna and in London capture the flavour of those cosmopolitan gatherings. Her guests were also drawn to the display of her fine French furniture and collection of works of art, acquired during her years in Paris which set a new fashion in decoration. Interesting, too, are her accounts of sightseeing in Rome before the city of the Grand Tour changed into the capital of united Italy. The enjoyable social life in the continental watering places is also described, for Margaret believed in the curative effects of spas. A lifelong liberal in politics and an upholder of Whig principles, her politicomanie inspires sharp comments on the opponents of Reform in England and on the self-seeking ministers of Louis-Philippe in France. Unusually, for a British woman, the daughter of Admiral Keith, an inveterate enemy of the French, she shared her husband's admiration for Napoleon and joined with him in supporting Napoleon III. Born before her time she could have made a name for herself in today's world as a professional artist or politician in her own right. As it was, she used her talents to become an expert in the art of living the life so amusingly and vividly evoked in letters to her husband, her children and her close friends. These relationships, which are the heart of the book, are presented to the reader by an English woman historian, herself a Francophile.Trade Review'Diana Scarisbrick tells Margaret’s story expertly and elegantly in this sumptuously produced and illustrated book. She evokes a fascinating world peopled by a cast of striking individuals—including one of the most terrifying mothers-in-law in history, the marquise de Souza.’ The Art Newspaper; 'An . . . extraordinary story . . .' The Victorian; 'Much new information on Princess Charlotte (from whom she received 575 letters), the Duc d'Orleans, son of Louis Philippe, and Napoleon III, and their households, as well as on her husband, Napoleon's favourite ADC, Charles de Flahaut.' The Society for Court StudiesTable of Contents1) The Admiral's Ambitious Daughter; 2) Friendship with Princess Charlotte; 3) Margaret's Man Friends and Suitors; 4) Charles de Flahaut before his Marriage; 5) Charles in England: November 1815-December 1816; 6) A Mutual Attraction; 7) Weathering the Storm; 8) Early Married Life in Scotland; 9) Country Life in Scotland: Meikleour and Tulliallan; 10) The Great World: Paris I; 11) Home and Garden: Paris II; 12) The Orleans Monarchy: Paris III; 13) Margaret and Talleyrand; 14) Margaret's Friendships; 15) Margaret's Travels; 16) Margaret's Cult of Napoleon; 17) The Vienna Embassy I, 1841-8; 18) The Vienna Embassy II; 19) London, 1848-64; 20) Tulliallan and the London Embassy, 1848-64; 21) The Final Phase: Paris I; 22) The Final Phase: Paris II; Epilogue

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Book SynopsisOutside of the Nazi hierarchy, Odilo Globocnik is almost certainly the most culpable in the planned and almost successfully executed attempt to annihilate all the Jews of Europe. In producing this book, the author was soon to discover several interesting facets to the history of this unsavory character. Not only did he play a leading role in the process of murdering the Jews, he was also the arch highwayman in the plunder of their possessions. Additionally, he was responsible for the compulsory uprooting of thousands of Polish non-Jewish citizens, the destruction of their communities, and the trafficking of enforced slave laborers. Often justifiably vilified for his crooked dealings as Gauleiter of Vienna, his function as asset stripper of the Polish Jews is overshadowed by his unquestionable major role in their physical destruction. The ultimate crime of mass murder far outweighs the less significant, but nevertheless considerable, offenses of robbery and human trafficking, for obvious reasons. Odilo Globocnik was guilty of them all.Table of ContentsForeword; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Early Days; 2 City of Music; 3 Gauleiter; 4 The New Man in Town; 5 The First Grand Strategy; 6 The Globus Clique; 7 Quest for Germanic Blood; 8 Head Office in Berlin; 9 The Psychopath’s Club; 10 The Road to Heaven; 11 Aktion Reinhardt; 12 Bełżec; 13 Sobibor; 14 Treblinka, the Assembly Line of Death; 15 Jilted; 16 Harvest Festival in Utopia; 17 Golden Boy Tarnished; 18 OZAK; 19 Rumbled; 20 A Life Evaluated ; Appendix I Himmler’s Posen Speech; Appendix II The Stroop Report; Appendix III The Globocnik Reports; Appendix IV Department of the Army Pamphlet (Extract); Appendix V General Government as at 1 September 1941; Appendix VI The Jewish Population of Lublin District; Appendix VII Aktion Reinhardt Camps Personnel; Appendix VIII The Katzmann Report; Appendix IX T4 Reviewers; Appendix X The Confessions of Kurt Gerstein (Extract); Appendix XI The Franke-Griksch Report (Extract); Appendix XII List of Globocnik’s Awards and Decorations; Appendix XIII Christian Wirth—Observations by Franz Suchomel; Endnotes; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThe first book that acknowledges cameralism as a European rather than just a German historical phenomenon. This book discusses the impact of cameralism on the practices of governance, early modern state-building and economy in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. It argues that the cameralist conception of state and economy - aform of 'science' of government dedicated to reforming society while promoting economic development, and often associated mainly with Prussia - had significant impact far beyond Germany and Austria. In fact, its influence spread into Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Portugal, Northern Italy and other parts of Europe. In this volume, an international set of experts discusses administrative practices and policies in relation to population, forestry, proto-industry,trade, mining affairs, education, police regulation, and insurance. The book will appeal to early modernists, economic historians and historians of economic thought. MARTEN SEPPEL is Associate Professor of Early ModernHistory at the University of Tartu, Estonia. He holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge. KEITH TRIBE has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and taught at the University of Keele (UK) from 1976 to 2002, retiring as Reader in Economics. He is now working as a highly regarded professional translator and independent scholar. Forthcoming work includes a new translation of Max Weber, Economy and Society Part One (Harvard University Press, 2018). His publications include Strategies of Economic Order (CUP, 1995/2007); The Economy of the Word. Language, History, and Economics (OUP, 2015); and (edited with Pat Hudson) The Contradictions of Capital in the Twenty-First Century (Agenda, 2016). Contributors: ROGER BARTLETT, ALEXANDRE MENDES CUNHA, HANS FRAMBACH, GUILLAUME GARNER, LARS MAGNUSSON, INGRID MARKUSSEN, FRANK OBERHOLZNER, GÖRAN RYDÉN, MARTEN SEPPEL, KEITH TRIBE, PAUL WARDETrade ReviewThis erudite collection is a welcome addition to the admittedly sparse literature on the 'cameral sciences' that emerged in late-17th-century Germany. Recommended. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Cameralism in Practice - Marten Seppel Comparing Cameralisms - the Case of Sweden and Prussia - Lars Magnusson Baltic Cameralism? - Keith Tribe Cameralism in Russia: Empress Catherine II and Population Policy - Roger Bartlett Cameralist Population Policy and the Problem of Serfdom, 1680-1720 - Marten Seppel Cameralist Writing in the Mirror of Practice: the Long Development of Forestry in Germany - Paul Warde Cameralist Theoretical Writings on Manufacturing and Administrative Practice in the German Principalities: Conflict and Coherence - Guillaume Garner Administrative Centralisation, Police Regulations and Mining Sciences as Channels for the Dissemination of Cameralist Ideas in the Iberian World - Alexandre Mendes Cunha Balancing the Divine with the Private. The Practices of Hushållning in Eighteenth-Century Sweden - Göran Rydén Johan Ludvig Reventlow's Master Plan at the Brahetrolleborg Estate: Cameralism in Denmark in the 1780s and 1790s - Ingrid Markussen 'Maasreguln wider die Unglücksfaelle' - Cameralism and its Influence on the Establishment of Insurance Schemes - Frank Oberholzner The Decline of Cameralism in Germany at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century - Hans Frambach Concluding Remarks - Keith Tribe Bibliography

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