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Book SynopsisThe story of a modernist building with a significant place in the history of Soviet espionage in Britain, where communist spies rubbed shoulders with British artists, sculptors and writers The Isokon building, also know as Lawn Road Flats, in London was the haunt of some of the most prominent Soviet agents working against Britain in the 1930s and 40s, among them Arnold Deutsch, the controller of the group of Cambridge spies who came to be known as the "Magnificent Five" after the Western movie The Magnificent Seven; the photographer Edith Tudor-Hart; and Melita Norwood, the longest-serving Soviet spy in British espionage history (andinspiration for Judi Dench's character in Red Joan). However, it wasn't only spies who were attracted to the Lawn Road Flats. The crime writer Agatha Christie wrote her only spy novel N or M? in the Flats, and anumber of other artists, architects and writers were also drawn there, among them the Bauhaus exiles Walter Gropius, László Moholy-Nagy and Marcel Breuer; the sculptors and painters Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth; the novelist Nicholas Monsarrat; the writer and founder of The Good Food Guide Raymond Postgate; and the poet (and Bletchley Park intelligence officer) Charles Brasch. The Isokon building boasted its own restaurant and dining club, wheremany of the Flats' most famous residents rubbed shoulders with some of the most dangerous communist spies ever to operate in Britain. Agatha Christie often said that she invented her characters from what she observed going on around her. With the Kuczynskis - probably the most successful family of spies in the history of espionage - in residence, she would have had plenty of material. This book tells the story of a remarkable Modernist building and its even more extraordinary cast of characters. DAVID BURKE is a historian of intelligence and international relations and author of The Spy Who Came In From the Co-op: Melita Norwood and the Ending of Cold War Espionage and Russia and the British Left: From the 1848 Revolutions to the General Strike.Trade ReviewThe book is the product of excellent detective work on Burke's part [and is] a compelling, original and insightful read, often providing minute details of everyday espionage, while chronicling artistic movements and political upheavals engagingly. * HISTORY *Burke's book is constructed like the building itself: each chapter has at its centre a life story of one or other key resident of the ISOKON, and these stories are as interconnected as were the tenants at the Lawn Road Flats. ... [Its] history has now been meticulously restored by David Burke. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *A fascinating book. * CHARTIST *Burke intersperses his painstakingly detailed research with fascinating glimpses of life at the time, drawing on stories and letters that bring his account into vivid relief. * TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT *A lively and vivid chronicle of a generation shaped by war, political upheaval and idealism. * HISTORY TODAY *Cocktails, glamour, spies - Bond would love it. * SAGA MAGAZINE *Burke proves to be a brilliant sleuth...and is insightful on the...daily detail of a spy's life. * TIMES *This book, like the Lawn Road flats themselves, is full of surprises. -- Lynn Barber * SUNDAY TIMES *Reveals the staggeringly rich artistic and political machinations that took place within. * FINANCIAL TIMES *

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Book SynopsisOn the 2nd of August 1947 a young man gets off a train in a small Swedish town. He has survived the Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz, and the harrowing slave camps and transports during the final months of Nazi Germany. Now he has to learn to live with his memories. In this intelligent and deeply moving book, Göran Rosenberg returns to his own childhood in order to tell his father's story. It is also the story of the chasm that soon opens between the world of the child, suffused with the optimism, progress and collective oblivion of post-war Sweden, and the world of the father, haunted by the long shadows of the past.

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Book SynopsisFully updated in 2020 and now including every Lewis episode as well - from the Ashmolean Museum to the White Horse public house, The Oxford of Inspector Morse, is the official guide to Inspector Morse and Lewis published in conjunction with the Inspector Morse Society. It is the companion to Inspector Morse on Location, which covers all the locations outside of Oxford itself, and is the original guide to the various Oxford locations most associated with the books and the television productions of Inspector Morse, as well as all nine series of Lewis.It not only gives the Morse and Lewis connections, but concentrates on the historical aspects of more than seventy places used in filming the adventures. With a dozen editions, regularly updated, fully illustrated, cross-indexed by place and episode, and with a location map and Oxford walk, this publication quite rightly features at number six in the Blackwell’s Bestseller List.A must for any fans of Inspector Morse & Lewis as well as all lovers of Oxford 

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 FROM THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING CRITIC AND ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF NEGROLAND 'This is one of the most imaginative - and therefore moving - memoirs I have ever read' - Vivian Gornick, author of Fierce Attachments Margo Jefferson boldly and brilliantly fuses cultural analysis and memoir to probe race, class, family and art. Taking in the jazz and blues icons whom Jefferson idolised as a child in the 1950s, ideas of what the female body could be - as incarnated by trailblazing Black dancers and athletes - Harriet Beecher Stowe's Topsy reimagined in the artworks of Kara Walker, white supremacy in the novels of Willa Cather, and more, this breathtakingly eloquent account is both a critique and a vindication of the constructed self. 'Margo Jefferson's Constructing a Nervous System is as electric as its title suggests. It takes vital risks, tosses away rungs of the ladder as it climbs, and offers an indispensable, rollicking account of the enchantments, pleasures, costs, and complexities of "imagin[ing] and interpret[ing] what had not imagined you' - Maggie Nelson, author of The Argonauts 'If you want to know who we are and where we've been, read Margo Jefferson' - Edmund White, author of A Previous Life 'This is a moving portrait of the life of a brilliant African American woman's mind. Margo Jefferson is so real, her sensibility so literary, her learning such a joy. The gifts of reading her are many' - Darryl Pinckney, author of Sold and GoneTrade ReviewElectric [Jefferson] takes vital risks, tosses away rungs of the ladder as it climbs, and offers an indispensable, rollicking account of the enchantments, pleasures, costs, and complexities of "imagin[ing] and interpret[ing] what had not imagined you -- Maggie Nelson * author of The Argonauts *Margo Jefferson has created a startling and digressive form of auto-analysis... an intimate view of the aesthetic and political landscape of American culture and the secrets, longing, withholding and disavowal necessary to imagine oneself inside it and ward off its damage -- Saidiya Hartman * author of Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments *She knows everything and has felt it all deeply. If you want to know who we are and where we've been, read Margo Jefferson -- Edmund White * author of A Previous Life *Margo Jefferson is one of our most nuanced thinkers on the intersections of race, class, and feminism. Her latest Constructing a Nervous System is especially alive is both spiky and supple; jagged -- Cathy Park Hong * New York Times bestselling author of Minor Feelings *This is one of the most imaginative-and therefore moving-memoirs I have ever read -- Vivian Gornick * author of Fierce Attachments *Jefferson is as precise and sensitive as ever, nonpareil in her scope and ability to synthesize the circus of traditions, arcs, and performances that make up a life -- Most Anticipated Books of 2022 * Vulture *This is a moving portrait of the life of a brilliant African American woman's mind. Margo Jefferson is so real, her sensibility so literary, her learning such a joy. The gifts of reading her are many -- Darryl Pickney * author of Sold and Gone *A tour-de-force of personal narrative -- Keziah Weir * Vanity Fair *Margo Jefferson is the rare memoirist who is always daring the reader to keep up... It is impossible not to be stirred by her odes to fellow black American strivers of excellence * Observer *Constructing a Nervous System compresses memoir and cultural criticism into one slim, explosive volume, and in doing so the Pulitzer Prize-winning author makes both forms new. Hers is a wry, intimate portrayal of a passionate and intellectual woman coming to maturity... Jefferson has that rare ability to make her reader see things anew. -- Margie Orford * Spectator *Part autobiography, part cultural criticism, [Margo Jefferson] reminds us that the rules for how we structure memory, and how we tell our stories, are not immutable. -- Enuma Okoro * Financial Times *Lithe and always surprising... [Jefferson] paints a remarkable portrait of herself as a singular kind of performer * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisWhat if meeting new people were a gift, not a burden? How might we transform our lives if we set aside our fear of outsiders? When Will Buckingham's partner died, the shock of his grief told him to withdraw. Instead, he sought solace in throwing open the door to new people; travelling the world - from Birmingham to Myanmar - seeking out stories of loneliness, exile and friendship, from classical times to the modern day. Drawing from his travels, as well as insights from philosophy, anthropology, history and literature, Hello, Stranger is a powerful antidote to loneliness and xenophobia, and a heart-warming story of the power of kindness and compassion.Trade ReviewFollowing a personal tragedy, Will Buckingham propels himself out, alone, into the world, to explore what it means to be a stranger - the joys and pitfalls, the perennial truths. A glorious book, fabulously learned and funny, and filled with all manner of stirring stories * Philip Marsden, author of The Summer Isles *A treasure trove of all the possibilities strangers can be to each other. Read, learn and savour * Madeleine Bunting, author of Labours of Love: The Crisis of Care *Buckingham provides a map for others to follow, showing that when we show kindness to strangers, we may be entertaining angels unawares * John Paul Flintoff, author of How to Change the World (School of Life) *Humane and heart-warming -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller *A moving memoir of finding solace * Economist *Very excellent -- Reverend Richard Coles * BBC Radio 4 Saturday Live *

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Book SynopsisThe turbulent Tudor age never fails to capture the imagination. But what was it actually like to be a woman during this period? This was a time when death in infancy or during childbirth was rife; when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education of women was minimal at best. Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and characterful women in a way that no era had been before. Elizabeth Norton explores the seven ages of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister who died in infancy; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth's wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones.Trade ReviewEssential reading for Tudor fans and scholars alike! I could not put it down -- Alison WeirGroundbreaking... Widely researched and beautifully written, this is vivid and compelling history' -- Sarah GristwoodNorton has already published books on five of the Tudor Queens and is well-placed to write this book... Ideal for scholars (the bibliography covers almost twenty pages) while still remaining thoroughly accessible to the general reader' * The Bookbag *An impressive sweep through the Tudor period... A splendid book – highly readable, informative and impressively researched... Highly recommended for anyone interested in women's lives and/or in this fascinating period of English history' * Shiny New Books *A fascinating glimpse of Tudor life is presented... this is a potentially difficult brief handled with great success and can be warmly recommended' * History of Royals *Cleverly structured * Choice magazine *Thanks to this incredibly well written and fascinating book, the women who lined the routes of Coronation processions and royal progresses throughout the Tudor age will no longer be anonymous faces in the crowd -- Lady Jane GreyA brilliant idea for a book, and Norton executes it beautifully * BBC History magazine *Fascinating... Rises above the level of gallimaufry and, as so often, it's the little details about everyday life that will stay with you' * Catholic Herald. *The Seymour scandal [...] would lead to the creation of the Virgin Queen, a process chronicled in great depth in this extraordinary account of the early Elizabethan years * Historical Trips UK. *A highly illuminating and delightful read, and can be highly recommended -- Isabel Busch, Haus der FrauenGeschichte

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Book Synopsis'Another dark parable of society's vilification of women. Intelligent... A tantalizing investigation' Kate Colquhoun. On the night of 3 October 1922, in the quiet suburb of Ilford, Edith Thompson and her husband Percy were walking home after an evening spent at a London theatre, when a man sprang out of the darkness and stabbed Percy to death. The assailant was Frederick Bywaters, a twenty-year-old merchant seaman who had been Edith's lover. When the police learned of his relationship with Edith, she was arrested as his accomplice, despite protesting her innocence. The remarkably intense love letters Edith wrote to Freddy – some of them couched in ambiguous language – were read out at their trial for murder at the Old Bailey. They would seal her fate: Edith and Freddy were hanged for the murder of Percy Thompson in January 1923. Freddy was demonstrably guilty; but was Edith truly so? In shattering detail and with masterful emotional insight, Laura Thompson charts the course of a liaison with thrice-fatal consequences, and investigates what the trial and execution of Edith Thompson tell us about perceptions of women in early twentieth-century Britain.Trade ReviewIn this compelling book you enter [Edith's] world, root for her, and come out filled with rage and dismay at a society that showed her no mercy * Evening Standard *Laura Thompson has written a stunning, passionate and unforgettable book which will hopefully bring some balance to the story of Edith Thompson and Freddy Bywaters * Shiny New Books *Extraordinarily gripping: by turns titillating, moving, shocking, and in its final pages, producing feelings of sickened revulsion in this reader * TLS *The Thompson-Bywaters case was one of the most lurid murder trials of the Twenties. Edith Thompson and her young love Freddy Bywaters were hanged for the murder of Edith's husband, but Laura Thompson argues passionately that he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice * Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year *The author brilliantly evokes a world significantly different from our own in many ways – while remaining very much the same in others – and the organisation of her material is really impressive * Crime Review *The precursor to the Villa Madeira murder. The prewar justice system exacts terrible retribution on a woman who had the temerity to take a young lover * The Times *

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Book SynopsisArchestratus’ description of the foods, particularly fish, available, how they should be cooked and where found in the best condition is testimony of the strength of the Mediterranean tradition. His cooking contrasts piquantly with the strongly flavoured dishes of Apicius. The Greek verse has been translated into prose and set in context in the introduction. Archestratus has been the subject of a major new edition by Olsen & Sens. However, its price is prohibitive and it is less accessible to people interested in the history of food rather than Greek prosody.

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Book SynopsisThe streets and public spaces of London are rich with statues and monuments commemorating the city’s great figures and events – from Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square and Sir Christopher Wren’s Great Fire Monument to the charming Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens. Executed in stone, bronze and a range of other materials, London’s statues and monuments include work by some of the world’s greatest sculptors. This newly revised book takes account of the many statues erected between 2012 and 2017, including those of Mary Seacole at St Thomas’ Hospital and Amy Winehouse in Camden. London’s Statues and Monuments is a fully illustrated guide to these artworks and their stories: sometimes surprising and occasionally controversial, but always fascinatingTable of ContentsIntroduction Trafalgar Square Whitehall and Horse Guards Parliament Square and Victoria Tower Gardens Victoria Embankment Strand, Aldwych and Holborn The City: West The City: Central The City: East Soho Mayfair and Park Lane St James’s The Mall to Victoria Street Hyde Park Corner Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park Belgravia and Pimlico Kensington Chelsea Paddington and Bayswater Marylebone Bloomsbury, Euston and St Pancras South Bank Southwark Greenwich and Woolwich North London West London South London East London Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisSir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) is now mostly remembered as a genius of architecture – but he was also an accomplished polymath, who only came to architecture quite late in life. Most famous as the mastermind behind the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral and more than fifty parish churches after the Great Fire of London, among his countless other projects Wren also designed the Royal Hospital at Chelsea, the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich, and much of Hampton Court Palace. Replete with colourful images of his buildings, this concise biography tells the story of a man whose creations are still popular tourist attractions to this day, but also casts light on Wren’s credentials as an intellectual and a founding member of the Royal Society.Table of ContentsIntroduction Early Days and a Man of Science and Invention Discovering Architecture Churches and Cathedrals A Royal Architect of Distinction Latter Days and Secular Works Further Reading Places to Visit Index

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Book SynopsisWhat is so special about spring water? How are wells holy? Why are so many known for 'the healing of eyes'? The ancient holy wells of the British Isles are amongst the most beautiful and magical places anyone can visit. Often untouched by all but the most delicate hands, and located in some of the most secret nooks and crannies of the country, their stories evoke a lost world of pagan gods, healing forces, second sight and holy visions. This beautiful book, beautifully illustrated throughout by the author, tells the story of the holy waters of the British Isles through hand-picked examples. A useful gazetteer at the back of the book catalogues further rewarding sites to visit. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

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Book SynopsisA 1970s childhood was, for many, a life of happy-go-lucky freedom set against a soundtrack of pop music played on a transistor radio dangling from the handlebars of a Raleigh Chopper. It was a playground battlefield of Sindy versus Action Man or a dexterous display of how to handle Clackers without painfully rapping them across the knuckles. After-school television meant a choice of ‘Blue Peter’ or ‘Magpie’, while chewing on an Aztec chocolate bar and flicking through Shoot or Jackie magazine. Yet it was also a decade of strikes, the three-day week and the Winter of Discontent which passed most children by unless a power cut meant no television. This fully illustrated book is a celebration of that childhood, its highs, lows and scraped knees, that will readily bring back the forgotten memories of a generation that grew up without mobile phones, the internet and 24-hour shopping.Table of ContentsIntroduction Welcome Home: Family Life The Best Days of Your Life: School Extra Helpings: Food and Drink Running Free: Recreation Page-Turners: Books and Magazines Switched on: Television The Beat Goes On: Popular Music You Wear it Well: Fashion Epilogue Further Reading Image Acknowledgements Places to Visit Index

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Book SynopsisShowcasing IWM's extensive collection, this book includes works from the major artists of the time such as John and Paul Nash, Orpen, Spencer and Singer Sargent as well as other artists who are less familiar to us today. With an introductory essay by the late Roger Tolson, former Head of Art at Imperial War Museums, this book offers an insight into the huge range and power of wartime art during the First World War.

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Book SynopsisAt an auction in Edinburgh in 2010, the sale of an old walking stick belonging to a British officer, Captain Gill, shed new light on one of the mysterious crimes of the Victorian era. Captain William Gill and his companions, the noted Arabist Professor Edward Palmer of Cambridge University and a young naval lieutenant, Harold Charrington, were killed in an ambush by Bedouin in the Sinai Desert in 1883. The trio had been tasked with informal diplomacy in the region, specifically to prevent the Arab sheikhs from joining the Egyptian rebels and to secure their non-interference with the Suez Canal. The gruesome murders shocked late-Victorian Britain, and led to pressure from the Queen, Parliament and the Press for the British government to launch a manhunt for the killers in a vast desert area with mountainous terrain. This book traces the story behind the murder of the three men, uncovering the reason for their journey to the desert, the story of the murder itself and the backlash home in England. It shines light on a fascinating, forgotten crime, as well as on early intelligence operations in the Middle East.

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Book Synopsis'Magnificent ... this book is unlikely to be surpassed' TelegraphThis is the first major history of the Himalaya: an epic story of peoples, cultures and adventures among the world's highest mountains.SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 DUFF COOPER PRIZEAn epic story of peoples, cultures and adventures among the world's highest mountains: here Jesuit missionaries exchanged technologies with Tibetan Lamas, Mongol Khans employed Nepali craftsmen, Armenian merchants exchanged musk and gold with Mughals.Featuring scholars and tyrants, bandits and CIA agents, go-betweens and revolutionaries, Himalaya is a panoramic, character-driven history on the grandest but also the most human scale, by far the most comprehensive yet written, encompassing geology and genetics, botany and art, and bursting with stories of courage and resourcefulness.'Magisterial' The Times'His observations are sharp...his writing glows' New York Review of BooksSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 BOARDMAN TASKER AWARD FOR MOUNTAIN LITERATURETrade ReviewMagnificent ... a far-reaching, compendious and elegantly turned examination of a region and its peoples, this book is unlikely to be surpassed * Telegraph *A magisterial account of the complex human history of the greatest mountains on Earth ... fascinating ... scrupulously and movingly detail[ed] ... Douglas weaves a far richer tapestry, showing how this is a sacred landscape influenced by very worldly concerns * The Times *A panoramic history of the region ... Such a complex range of subjects is not easy to press into a coherent narrative ... Douglas ... does so with extraordinary aplomb ... rigorous and informative ... highly readable ... never lacking freshness and rich in compelling detail * Literary Review *A scholarly yet entertaining synthesis of hundreds of years of history ... [Douglas] portrays not only nuns and monks but also courtesans, mountaineers, kings, horse-traders, tea merchants, spies, architects, botanists, soldiers and politicians from Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Sikkim, China and India - as well as from Britain, the British Raj, American, Russia and continental Europe ... a labour of love twenty-five years in the making * Financial Times *In the suitably immense Himalaya, Ed Douglas logs the achievements and travails from Paleolithic times to the present day of the peoples who have laboured in and around Asia's mountain spine ... enlivening Himalaya's history with a host of minor characters ... Such unsung endeavours are a delight ... The research is impressive ... always authoritative ... Anyone with a serious interest in the Himalayan region will want to buy it and will find it invaluable * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisAncient Trees in the Landscape is the outcome of many years research into the history of trees in Norfolk, and represents the first detailed, published account of the ancient and traditionally managed trees of any English county. Yet it is far more than a regional survey. It is an exploration of how trees can be studied as part of the landscape. It discusses how accurately trees can be dated; explains why old trees are found in certain contexts and not in others; discusses traditional management practices and how these changed over time; and looks at the various ways in which trees have been used in parks and gardens. Above all, it considers how trees were regarded by people in the past, and how this has affected their survival to the present. Ancient Trees in the Landscape is a fascinating and original study which sets out a new agenda in landscape history. It will be essential reading for countryside managers and conservationists, and for all those interested in landscape history, arboriculture, and the history of the English countryside.Trade ReviewThe authors present an interesting study of the ancient trees in an English county.' -- Chicago Botanic Garden Chicago Botanic Garden 'Expertly written, this clear, lucid account is supported by an extensive selection of illustrations, including photographs, a map and diagrams...In sum, this book can be regarded as an iconoclastic account that will successfully assist in debunking the myths and perceptions that dominate our understanding of the role and age of tress in the landscape.' -- Agricultural History Agricultural History 'The book is very readable and well-illustrated; it deserves to be widely read amongst the conservation community as well as by landscape historians.' -- The Archaeological Journal The Archaeological JournalTable of Contents1. Ancient Trees in the Landscape 2. Dating Trees 3. Trees of Farmland and Hedgerow 4. Woods and Wood-Pastures 5. Meaning, Beauty and Commemoration 6. Orchards, Pine Rows and Willow Lines 7. Conclusion Index

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Book SynopsisKnown the world over as a symbol of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack is an intricate construction based on the crosses of St George, St Andrew and St Patrick. Nick Groom traces its long and fascinating past, from the development of the Royal Standard and seventeenth-century clashes over the precise balance of the English and Scottish elements of the first Union Jack to the modern controversies over the flag as a symbol of empire and its exploitation by ultra-rightwing political groups. The Union Jack is the first history of the icon used by everyone from the royalty to the military, pop stars and celebrities.Trade ReviewEnterprising and challenging... engaging and interesting history - history as seen from a specific and highly appropriate vantage. -- Peter Ackroyd * The Times *Fascinating... works well as a potted history of Britain right back to the days when warriors carried dragon standards, and also as a pot pourri of useful trivia. -- James Delingpole * Mail on Sunday *'Masterly.' -- Julia Keay * Literary Review *Groom is an illuminating essayist in various aspects of British culture; humour and flashes of historical oddity make the book immensely readable... Groom explores this history with an unfailing inquisitiveness... Union Jack establishes itself as essential reading in the background to current debates about British identity. -- Mike Phillips * Guardian *Vivid, fascinating and carefully researched history... Groom enters a robust, positive and wholly persuasive defence of the retention of the Union Jack as a symbol of coherence and unity in a multiracial society and what has become a federal kingdom... Bravo. -- Jeffrey Richards * Times Higher Education Supplement *A pertinent contribution to the enduring conversation about what it means to be British. -- Claire Allfree * Metro *A wonderfully exuberant book... marvellously rich... Groom's scope is formidable and this, together with the acuity of his judgements and the brio of his deployment of a vast wealth of resources, makes the work a model of cultural history for our time. -- Hugh Lawson-Tancred * The Liberal *Fascinating -- Paul Callan * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times BestsellerA ground-breaking history of the class system in America, which challenges popular myths about equality in the land of opportunity.In this landmark book, Nancy Isenberg argues that the voters who boosted Trump all the way to the White House have been a permanent part of the American fabric, and reveals how the wretched and landless poor have existed from the time of the earliest British colonial settlements to today's hillbillies.Poor whites were central to the rise of the Republican Party in the early nineteenth century and the Civil War itself was fought over class issues nearly as much as it was fought over slavery. Reconstruction pitted white trash against newly freed slaves, which factored in the rise of eugenics - a widely popular movement embraced by Theodore Roosevelt that targeted poor whites for sterilization. These poor were at the heart of New Deal reforms and Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society; they are now offered up as entertainment in reality TV shows, and the label is applied to celebrities ranging from Dolly Parton to Bill Clinton. Marginalized as a class, white trash have always been at or near the centre of major political debates over the character of the American identity.Surveying political rhetoric and policy, popular literature and scientific theories over four hundred years, Isenberg upends assumptions about America's supposedly class-free society - where liberty and hard work were meant to ensure real social mobility - and forces a nation to face the truth about the enduring, malevolent nature of class.Trade ReviewMasterly and ambitious * New York Times (Notable Book of the Year) *A bracing surprise * Sunday Times *A bracing reminder of the persistent contempt for the white underclass. * The Atlantic *A gritty and sprawling assault on American mythmaking * Washington Post *Are we supposed merely to laugh at the Spucklers? Or do we not secretly admire their backwoods morality and survivalism? It's one great measure of Isenberg's success that even after 450 detailed pages you keep looking for new examples and new questions... An important book. * The Herald *

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Book SynopsisTravelling showfolk have been entertaining Scots for centuries and a visit to 'the shows' was a highlight of the year until recent memory. The Codonas are one of the longest and most established show families, having arrived from the continent in the late eighteenth century. The book is based almost entirely on original research and draws on interviews with three generations to give a vivid and richly anecdotal account of this ever-changing world. Illustrations, mostly previously unpublished, enhance the text. The interviews have been kept intact as much as possible, to keep the flow of overlapping individual life stories but are organised chronologically from the 1890s, when it enters living memory, up to the present. The hundred years from 1790 are described in a lively introduction including many first-hand accounts and following the family fortunes in the United Kingdom, the United States where members reached the top of the circus profession and as far afield as Hawaii.Trade Review' ... a fascinating book ... a very worthy addition to the library of fairground books.' Fairground Mercury ' ... a rare insider's view of fairground life in Scotland.' Romany Routes ' ... oral testimonies that recall their remarkable family story across the last two centuries ... The book is structured around the interviews, which have been kept largely intact, but still manages to progress the family story in chronological order ... All the fun of the fair and more.' Discover My Past Scotland ' ... Bruce's volume illustrates the world of the showfolk, and shows that this was a business that required constant innovation and a careful juggling, within a closely knit community, between competition and co-operation.' Ayrshire Notes ' ... this book is a valiant effort to capture and record the lives of those who might be on the periphery of local lives, but played an important part in local leisure activities.' The Local HistorianTable of ContentsThe fair familiar faces Geggies, gallopers and the ghost show The fun city Four brothers and thirteen cousins The rides, the people and the winter ground Family and fairground community Travelling and Settling Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Codona family tree Glossary Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAn incisive history revealing Britain’s conquest of the Kingdom of Benin and the plunder of its fabled Bronzes. The Benin Bronzes are among the British Museum’s most prized possessions. Celebrated for their great beauty, they embody the history, myth and artistry of the ancient Kingdom of Benin, once West Africa’s most powerful, and today part of Nigeria. But despite the Bronzes’ renown, little has been written about the brutal imperial violence with which they were plundered. Paddy Docherty’s searing new history tells that story: the 1897 British invasion of Benin. Armed with shocking details discovered in the archives, Blood and Bronze sets this assault in its late Victorian context. As British power faced new commercial and strategic pressures elsewhere, it ruthlessly expanded in West Africa. Revealing both the extent of African resistance and previously concealed British outrages, this is a definitive account of the destruction of Benin. Laying bare the Empire’s true motives and violent means, including the official coverup of grotesque sexual crimes, Docherty demolishes any moral argument for Britain retaining the Bronzes, making a passionate case for their immediate repatriation to Nigeria.Trade Review'A powerful and thoughtful exploration of the deep history behind the looting of some of Africa's greatest artistic treasures. If you want to understand why the Benin Bronzes must be returned to Nigeria, read this book.' -- David Olusoga, historian, broadcaster, and author of 'Black and British''This compelling account of the plunder of Benin provides a deeply disquieting snapshot of the workings of the British Empire in Africa and beyond. There is a manifestly powerful case for restitution and reparation.' -- Priyamvada Gopal, Professor of Postcolonial Studies, University of Cambridge, and author of 'Insurgent Empire''"Blood and Bronze" is a scholarly, forensic and wonderfully readable account of the circumstances leading to the fateful Benin Expedition of 1897 and the looting of the bronzes. Vivid, passionate and compelling, it deserves to be widely read--and surely will be.' -- John Darwin, Professor of Global and Imperial History, University of Oxford, and author of 'Unfinished Empire: The Global Expansion of Britain''An absorbing, original and beautifully written historical horror story. Docherty skilfully weaves a rich tale of the almost primal evil inflicted on Benin by the British Empire. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the unvarnished truth of the "glorious" days of Empire.' -- Louise Raw, historian, broadcaster, and author of 'Striking a Light''An audacious and brave narrative about how the Benin Bronzes were looted during the colonial era and exhibited in the British Museum. Careful and lucid, "Blood and Bronze" weaves an engrossing narrative explaining how the theft of cultural artifacts is the theft of culture itself.' -- Rafia Zakaria, writer, political philosopher, attorney, and author of 'Against White Feminism''This is, hands down, the most granular and compelling account yet of the 1897 British invasion of Benin. After reading this book, I dare you to make any reasonable argument against restitution of Benin's looted treasures.' -- Chika Okeke-Agulu, Director of the Program in African Studies, Princeton University, and author of 'Postcolonial Modernism: Art and Decolonization in Twentieth-Century Nigeria''Docherty gives vivid access to a place and time we don't know but should: the resource-rich Niger Delta when the British Empire still believed its own myths. An impassioned plea to understand our colonial past in all its greed and ruthlessness--and to return the spoils of Empire to where they belong.' -- Llewelyn Morgan, Professor of Classical Languages and Literature, University of Oxford

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Book SynopsisThis dictionary – an assemblage of more than 10,000 archaeological words and terms – is intended to assist in the reading of archaeological books and publications (from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages), and in the writing of papers and articles in both English and French. The aim is to help, in particular, students and archaeologists in the field to find quickly words relating to a specific period, a specific area, or a research field. Of course, the dictionary is also for everyone fond of archaeology, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages.

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Book SynopsisCharts the incredible rise of South Korea, from colonisation and civil war to today’s thriving nation. South Korea has a remarkable history. Born from the ashes of imperial domination, partition and a devastating war, back in the 1950s there were real doubts about its survival as an independent state. Yet South Korea endures: today it is a boisterous democracy, a vibrant market economy, a tech powerhouse, and home to the coolest of cultures. In just seventy years, this society has grown from a shrimp into a whale. What explains this extraordinary transformation? For some, it was individual South Koreans who fought to change their country, and still strive to shape it. For others, it was forward-looking political and business leaders with a vision. Either way, it’s clear that this is the story of a people who dreamt big, and whose dreams came true. Shrimp to Whale is a lively history of South Korea, from its millennia-old roots, through the division of the Peninsula, dictatorship and economic growth, to today’s global powerhouse.Trade Review'Captures South Korea’s triumphant postwar ascent from abject poverty and trauma.’ -- The Guardian'This is a book by someone who adores South Korea and has done so since his first trip there as a student. […] Pacheco Pardo captures the remarkable scope of recent triumphs that give South Korea both agility — as Moon’s diplomacy has shown — and the affection of a global audience.' -- Financial Times'[An] engaging account.' -- New Statesman'[A] well-told story of South Korea’s rise to spotlight.' -- The Korea Herald''Shrimp to Whale' is an enthusiastic and breezy book that trumpets the success of South Korea... It surveys the country's complex and fascinating story, and its rise from the bottom to where it is today.' * Diplomatic Courier *'A wonderful introduction to contemporary Korean history. This book shows how a small "hermit nation" in Northeast Asia has transformed into a vibrant, dynamic society. A must-read for those who want to understand Korea today.' -- Sung-Hwan Kim, Chairman of the East Asia Foundation, former South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade'A fluid and informative read. Pacheco Pardo's recounting of Korea's remarkable odyssey is accessible to a general audience, as well as an important contribution to the scholarship in the field. Highly recommended!' -- Victor Cha, author of 'The Impossible State', and former Director for Asian Affairs, US National Security Council'A wide-ranging, lucidly written history. The author tracks South Korea's dizzying and rapid transformation into one of the world's most notable middle powers and regional dynamos--from independence to the Covid-19 pandemic.' -- Ankit Panda, author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb'Pacheco Pardo observes Korea with empathy and admiration, as only a Spaniard might. He understands the profound pain that was inflicted on the Koreans by a civil war, and the dictatorship that preceded the feisty democracy they enjoy today. In this beautiful account, he celebrates the uncommon resilience and courage of the Korean people, giving the world the benefit of their genius and industry.' -- Meredith Woo, East Asian politics expert and President of Sweet Briar College'With passion, comprehensive depth and a bird’s eye view from afar and up close, this is a valuable read for anyone with an intellectual curiosity in South Korea and its remarkable journey, achieving in several decades what has taken others centuries or millennia.' -- Eun Mee Kim, President of Ewha Womans University, Seoul'Since the Korean War, Korea has established itself as a "Global Korea". This book introduces Korean politics, economy and democratisation, and the global phenomenon K-pop, which have transformed from shrimps to whales. Pacheco Pardo's book will be an insightful guide for the general public as well as experts who seek to gain a deeper understanding of Korea.' -- Sang Hyun Lee, President of the Sejong Institute

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Book SynopsisA sweeping history of Athens, telling the three-thousand-year story of the birthplace of Western civilization, from Runciman Award winner Bruce Clark 'A stunning retrospect and beautifully written overview of one of the world's greatest cities' Paul Cartledge 'Courageously grand in scale yet sensitive to the details that make Athens' extraordinary history come alive' Sofka Zinovieff 'Bruce Clark brings an eye for the quirky, human detail, a pithy turn of phrase, and an affection for his subject honed over many decades' Roderick Beaton 'Bruce Clark's enchantingly readable history revealed how little I knew' Literary Review Dominated by the pillars and pediments of the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom, the ancient Greek city of Athens is for many synonymous with civilization itself. Athens: City of Wisdom tells the tale of a city that occupies a unique place in the cultural memory of the West. Each of the book's twenty-one chapters focuses on a critical 'moment' in the city's long history, from the reforms of the lawmaker Solon in the sixth century BCE to the travails of early twenty-first-century Athens, as a rapidly expanding city struggles with the legacy of a global economic crisis. Bruce Clark has a rich and revealing sequence of stories to tell – not only of the familiar golden age of Classical Athens, of the removal from the Acropolis of the Parthenon marbles by agents of the 7th Earl of Elgin in the early nineteenth century, or of the holding of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896; but also of the less fêted later years of antiquity, when St Paul preached on the Areopagus and neo Platonists refounded the Academy that Sulla's legions had desecrated. He also delves into Athens' forgotten medieval centuries, unearthing jewels gleaming in the Byzantine twilight, and tales of Christian fortitude and erratic Turkish governance from the four centuries of Ottoman rule that followed. Few places have enjoyed a history so rich in artistic creativity and the making of ideas as Athens; or one so curiously patterned by alternating cycles of turbulence and quietness. Writing with scholarly rigour and undisguised affection, Bruce Clark brings three thousand years of Athenian history vividly to life.Trade ReviewFrom Pheidias' Parthenon to Calatrava's Olympic Stadium, Bruce Clark has pulled off a stunning retrospect and beautifully written overview of one of the world's greatest cities. Athenophiles of all ages and stripes will find in Athens a cornucopia of city-related treasures -- Paul CartledgeA magnificent tour de force, drawing on the testimony of eye-witnesses across a span of 2,500 years. Bruce Clark brings an eye for the quirky, human detail, a pithy turn of phrase, and an affection for his subject honed over many decades -- Roderick BeatonA remarkable achievement. Courageously grand in scale yet sensitive to the details that make Athens's extraordinary history come alive, right up to the present day -- Sofka ZinovieffBruce Clark's enchantingly readable history revealed how little I knew and, perhaps more importantly, how little I knew of the ways it all fits together * Literary Review *A classic journalistic and academic analysis of the ancient and the modern * Irish News *An exhaustive yet compelling history of the Greek capital... Unmissable and highly informative * Financial Times *A triumph of a book that should be read by those who already know this city's importance and charm and those who want to. It is an extraordinary achievement * Economist *A comfortable, entertaining read which glides seamlessly from one chapter to the next * Kathimerini *

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Book SynopsisContinuing the Archaeopress series of pocket-sized Dictionaries of Archaeological Terms, here is a dictionary of useful terms compiled to assist in the reading of archaeological books and publications, and in the writing of papers and articles, in both English and Greek. It covers Aegean prehistory through to Hellenistic and Roman times.

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Book SynopsisJournalist Marie Le Conte was born in 1991, the same year the World Wide Web was made publicly available. She had her first blog at 12, a successful music website at 16 and, at 31, has just under 100,000 followers on Twitter. She spent her formative years on MSN, MySpace, Tumblr and forums; like many people her age, she grew up online as the internet itself was growing up. It was a joy until it wasn't - where did it all go wrong?How did the internet go from a haven you hid in to escape real life to a place where real life is shaped? A space where you could be yourself and find like-minded people to a world sullied by bad algorithms, annoying brands and endless trolling? When did it become the place we're all trying to run away from?Escape is a fascinating exploration of the rise and demise of the internet. It's a look back on the people and platforms that came and went before everything started collapsing. It's an analysis of the lessons being online has taught us, and a celebration of the tools it gave us to feel less alone.

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Book SynopsisThis concise dictionary is intended to be helpful in the reading of archaeological books and publications from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages, and in the writing of papers and articles in both English and Spanish. The aim of this work is to help, in particular, students and on-site archaeologists to find quickly a word relating to a specific period, a specific area or a research field, in a book easy to carry everywhere. But this dictionary is also intended for everyone fond of archaeology, from prehistory to the Middle Ages.

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Book SynopsisWhy has Madagascar has failed to make any meaningful progress since independence? A mix of journalism and scholarship, the book is the result of almost nine months spent on the ground in Madagascar travelling and interviewing a wide range of political leaders at the national and local levels, including an unprecedented interview with the country’s former president, Marc Ravalomanana. The book takes as its point of departure the military coup in 2009 that replaced Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina, and all of the negative aftershocks that followed, as well as including chapters on the bleak economic prospects of young people across the island, the unsustainable population growth that threatens so much of its future and a unique chapter on the effects of climate change on the southern region of Madagascar, where worsening droughts have left millions in humanitarian peril.

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Book SynopsisRoman Britain is vividly portrayed in this fascinating and authentically detailed story about a year in the life of an ordinary woman and her family.The year is AD 133. Hadrian is Emperor of Rome and all its vast empire, including Britannia. The greater part of that island has long been under imperial rule and the Roman legions control most of the land, quelling uprisings and building new forts and towns. Around the fortress of Eboracum (now known as York), a bustling garrison settlement is developing, while along the north-west frontier of Hadrian’s empire, the legions are completing the construction of a mighty wall.Introducing us to this world is Senovara, born into the Parisi, a local tribe whose customs have been little changed by Roman rule. But she is also the young wife of Quintus, a veteran of the 6th Legion Victrix. Settling in Quintus’s home is both bewildering and awe-inspiring for Senovara as she seeks to adjust to Eboracum’s cosmopolitan environment, come to terms with new customs and reconcile their cultural differences.Senovara finds that daily life in the settlement can be harsh; a constant struggle to provide her family with fresh food, water and warmth. Yet there is much enjoyment to be had as well, at the public baths or with new friends. There is also the excitement of religious festivals and in the regular news from the frontier, and peril in the form of a deadly fever which sweeps through Eboracum, forcing Senovara and her children to flee to her brother in the countryside.Roman Woman is an immersive, compelling narrative which gets to the heart of what life was like for everyday people in Roman Britain.

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Book SynopsisThis concise dictionary is intended to be helpful in the reading of archaeological books and publications, and in the writing of papers and articles in both English and Italian. The aim of this work is to help, in particular, students and on-site archaeologists to find quickly a word relating to a specific period, a specific area or a research field, in a book easy to carry everywhere; but this dictionary is also intended for those with a general interest in archaeology wishing to broaden their vocabulary!

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Book SynopsisDiscover the hidden history of Britain through the stories of its 'lost' or abandoned places and buildings.Portillo’s Secret History of Britain presents a compelling and wonderfully evocative history of Britain through the stories of its ‘lost’ or abandoned places and buildings. The chapters cover a variety of historical themes: Crime and Punishment, Health and Medicine, Defence and Warfare, and Entertainment and Leisure. Using a combination of his own investigations and archive research, plus memories and quotations from the contributors he interviewed for the series, Michael Portillo explains what the buildings were used for and by whom, why they were abandoned, and what they can tell us about our past. For example:– Learn what the ruins of London Road Fire and Police Station in Manchester reveal about the history of the emergency services in the last 100 years– How Bradford’s art deco Odeon cinema encapsulates a century of film-making and movie-going With evocative text that brings each location vividly to life, Michael Portillo describes the building and its activities in its heyday and compares this past life with its faded grandeur or melancholic abandonment seen today. Filled with fascinating insights and observations, his narrative provides a compelling and original perspective on Britain’s social and military history. Portillo's Hidden History of Britain features deserted villages, abandoned prisons, closed-down cinemas, empty hospitals, derelict military bases, sewers and much more. Complementing the text are 16 pages of atmospheric and informative photographs.Trade ReviewBolstered by atmospheric photos, it's a really insightful read. * Culture Fly *

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Book SynopsisThis study (the second volume in the Archaeopress series devoted to the publication of ceramics in the Roman Mediterranean and outlying territories from the late Republic to late Antiquity) addresses the level of interregional trade of ceramic building material (CBM), traditionally seen as a high bulk low value commodity, within the ancient Mediterranean between the third century BC and the seventh century AD. It examines the impact of different modes of production, distribution and consumption of CBM and how archaeological assemblages differ from what is predicted by current models of the ancient economy. It also explores how CBM can be used to investigate cultural identity and urban form. CBM has great potential in investigating these topics. It survives in large quantities in the archaeological record; it is transported as a commodity in its own right, not as a container for other products like amphorae. The amount of CBM used in a building can be estimated, and this can be extrapolated to urban centres to model consumption in ways that are not possible for other goods. This allows the potential derivation of economic information to a higher level of precision than is the case for other materials. The material used in this study derives from stratified assemblages from two major ports of the ancient Mediterranean: Carthage and Beirut. CBM as a material is comparable to pottery, only it does not exhibit the same range of forms. This leaves fabric as a major means of analysing CBM samples. For this reason a programme of petrological thin sectioning has been carried out on these assemblages. These data have been combined with the taphonomic and dating evidence from the excavations. The results showed that the levels of imports of CBM into these two cities were much higher than would normally be expected from the orthodox model of the consumer city. They also suggest that CBM can be used as a tool to investigate cultural identity.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction and Theory ; Chapter 2: Methodology ; Chapter 3: Analysis of the Fabrics ; Chapter 4: Taphonomic and Other Analysis ; Chapter 5: The Cultural Biography of CBM ; Chapter 6: Conclusions and Further Work

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Book SynopsisHow much do you know about the Victorian novelist who outsold Dickens? Or the woman who became the first published poet in America? Do you know what connects Homer’s Iliad to Aesop’s Fables?The Secret Library explores these intriguing morsels of lesser-known history, along with the familiar literary heavyweights we know and love. Bringing together an eclectic literary mix of novels, plays, travel books, science books and joke books, author Oliver Tearle explores how the history of the Western World has intersected with all kinds of books over the last 3,000 years. Delve into this treasure trove of curious literary examples to learn how our history and books are inextricably linked.

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Book SynopsisThe day is 8 August 1963. It is the early hours of the morning, and a group of men are waiting at a railway bridge in Buckinghamshire. They are about to rob a mail train, on its way to London from Glasgow, and they have no idea that on board they will find approximately £2.5 million (over £50 million in today's money) in cash - the largest of its time. Among their number is Ronnie Biggs. He will be remembered long after most of the other names are forgotten, and the money spent or lost. What is it about Ronnie Biggs that fascinates people sixty years on from the crime that made his name? Is it the man or the myth that makes Ron a latter-day Robin Hood - the odd man in the confederation of criminals who held up a train on that fateful day? This is Ronnie Biggs' official autobiography. It tells of one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century. From Ron's daring escape from HMP Wandsworth, to how he managed to outwit and outrun a posse of law enforcement officers as one of the world's most wanted men; from plastic surgery in Paris, and his years on the run in Brazil - complete with two kidnappings and an attempted suicide - to his return to the UK after 13,087 extraordinary days on the run. Published for the sixtieth anniversary of Britain's most famous crime, this is a daring, exciting and often misunderstood life of a man who has seen and done it all, told in his own words.

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Book Synopsis'The events of the first and second world wars are brought to vivid, startling life thanks to Amaral's skill at colourising contemporary images' Observer The epic, harrowing and world-changing story – in words and colourized images – of global conflict from the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand to the obliteration of Hiroshima by the dropping of the first atom bomb. The World Aflame embraces not only the total conflagrations of 1914–18 and 1939–45 and the international tensions, conflicting ideologies and malign economic forces that set them in train, but also the civil wars of the interwar period in Ireland and Spain, wars in Latin America, Britain's imperial travails in such places as Ireland, Somalia and Palestine, and events on the domestic 'fronts' of the belligerent nations. Like The Colour of Time, this is a collaboration between the gifted Brazilian artist Marina Amaral, and the leading British historian Dan Jones. A fusion of amazing pictures and well-chosen and informative words, The World Aflame offers a moving – and often terrifying – perspective on the bloodiest century in human history. 'A new perspective on the bloodiest half-century in history' Daily Mail 'Immensely vivid' Sunday Times 'Brings history to life in breaktaking technicolour' Financial Times 'Revelatory' Daily Express 'The past – even its grimmest, darkest hours – was not in black and white' GuardianTrade ReviewThe events of the first and second world wars are brought to vivid, startling life thanks to Amaral's skill at colourising contemporary images * Observer *Amaral's colourised images bring history to life in breathtaking technicolour. Although, actually, Amaral's palette is far more nuanced and beautiful than that * Financial Times *Frequently stark and sometimes bleak... but this is a testament to the quality of Amaral's work, and its effect on the human eye' * Military History *The past – even its grimmest, darkest hours – was not in black and white * Guardian *A new perspective to the bloodiest half-century in history * Daily Mail *For the first time, we are seeing the scenes in colour as images from a new book show how much changes but how much stays the same as history unfolds. Covering the years between 1914-1945, The World Aflame shows the planet gripped by wars, the rise of right-wing governments and a deadly pandemic * Sunday Post *You may need a strong stomach for some of the images, but they are immensely vivid, and Jones's text is crisp * Sunday Times *While many can claim to show you Winston Churchill as he's never been seen before, this photograph is perhaps a true first * Discover Britain *To see Winston Churchill's youthful freckly face in 1911 is revelatory. In a single image, we see how far the journey was from a somewhat gadabout sea lord to Our National Saviour * Daily Express *Stunning * People's Friend *Jones's commentaries are small miracles of compression... Amaral's achievement in bringing colour as 'an emotional enhancing agent' to these photographs is extraordinary' * World of Interiors *You may feel that you have seen it all before; this book triumphantly suggests otherwise * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisA haunting and delicately observed description of the last days of Mandarin culture before the revolution, "Peking Story" is a testimony to a way of life, a culture, an aesthetic and a civilisation which has since completely disappeared. As the American son-in-law of a revered official from an ancient Chinese family, David Kidd had unqiue access to the life - their sprawling mansion, the visits to ancestral temples, the moonlit picnics, demure servants, opulent ceremonies, lavish entertainments and cherished antique heirlooms, such as the set of braziers which had never lost the heat of their original founding due to the meticulous care of successive generations of owners. But it is the brooding sense of the inevitability of great change, and Kidd's sympathy with many of the goals of the revolution, which transforms this memoir into something tragically profound.

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Book SynopsisBeatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, later Princess Henry of Battenberg, was the last-born – in 1866 – of Victoria and Albert's children, and she would outlive all of her siblings to die as recently as 1944. Her childhood coincided with her mother's extended period of mourning for her prematurely deceased husband, a circumstance which may have contributed to Victoria's determination to keep her youngest daughter as close to her as possible. She would eventually marry Prince Henry of Battenberg in 1885, but only after overcoming her mother's opposition to their union. Beatrice remained Queen Victoria's favourite among her five daughters, and became her mother's constant companion and later her literary executor, spending the years that followed Victoria's death in 1901 editing her mother's journals and voluminous correspondence. Matthew Dennison's elegantly written biography restores Beatrice to her rightful place as a key figure in the history of the Victorian age, and paints a touching and revealing portrait of the life and family of Britain's second-longest-reigning monarch.Trade ReviewEmotionally sympathetic and beautifully written, its detail meticulous... Confidant and disarmingly impressive debut' * DailyTelegraph *An engrossing tale of a mother and daughter who were also a queen and her subject * Good Book Guide *Beautifully written * Tatler *Readable and empathetic biography * Independent *

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Book SynopsisA monumental and exhilarating history of European thought, from the fall of Rome in the fifth century AD to the Scientific Revolution thirteen centuries later.The Awakening traces the recovery and refashioning of Europe''s classical heritage from the ruins of the Roman Empire. The process of preservation of surviving texts, fragile at first, was strengthened under the Christian empire founded by Charlemagne in the eighth century; later, during the High Middle Ages, universities were founded and the study of philosophy was revived. Renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought provided the intellectual impetus for the Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, whose ideas aesthetic, political and scientific were disseminated across Europe by the invention of the printing press. Equally momentous was Europe''s encounter with the New World, and the resulting maritime supremacy which conferred global reach on Europe''s merchants and colonists.

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Book SynopsisThis book brings the forgotten pages of history back to passionate life. Doreen Ingrams has sieved through secret cabinet documents, Foreign and War office memorandum and their cryptic annotations to observe the creation of a Zionist homeland out of the Palestine Protectorate. Cock-up or conspiracy? Judge Curzon, Churchill, Weizmann, Blafour, TE Lawrence by their own words.

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Book SynopsisA strikingly original book about a terrible photograph – an exceptionally rare image documenting the horrific final moment of the murder of a family in Ukraine. A Times Book of the Year 'A very rare kind of picture... To the murdered others, this book is an act of restitution' David Aaronovitch, The Times 'Detective work of the highest and most gripping order' Philippe Sands 'Lower's pursuit of the truth is both captivating and meticuous' TLS 'Extraordinary and spell-binding' Daily Mail 'One photograph. That's what it took to start Wendy Lower on an incredible journey of discovery' Deborah Lipstadt The terrible mass shootings in Poland and the Ukraine are often neglected in studies of the Holocaust, because the perpetrators were meticulously careful to avoid leaving any evidence of their actions. Wendy Lower stumbled across one such piece of evidence – a photograph documenting the shooting of a mother and her children and the men who killed them – and has crafted a forensically brilliant and moving study that brings the larger horror of the genocide into focus. Shortlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Non-Fiction Crown.Trade ReviewA very rare kind of picture... A quest that would last, off and on, for more than a decade... To the murdered others, this book is an act of restitution -- David Aaronovitch, Book of the Week, The Times[Lower] hopes to recreate the details of that day in Miropol and thus reveal the networks of complicity that made the Holocaust possible. Here, she succeeds with a vengeance * New York Times *A forensic look at the Holocaust in Ukraine... The combination of Lower's original conceit and careful but compelling prose provides a powerful new route into this neglected area of Holocaust history' * Historical Writers' Association Non-Fiction Crown Shortlist *Lower's pursuit of the truth is both captivating and meticulous as she attempts to find answers to these questions... Reads like a compelling detective novel' * TLS *'An extraordinary and spell-binding new book' Daily Mail. * Daily Mail *A riveting and extraordinary expression of historical excavation and literary non-fiction – detective work of the highest and most gripping order -- Philippe Sands, author of East West StreetLower certainly leaves no stone unturned as she recounts her mission in this fascinating book * Jewish News *Lower meticulously probes the background of the photo, which was dated October 13, 1941 and labeled 'Miropol' * Times of Israel *An important and moving contribution to Holocaust literature. The Ravine demonstrates how meticulous research, seventy years after the murder took place, can lift the veil of anonymity from both victims and perpetators -- Jan T. Gross, author of Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, PolandSeventy years after the crime, Lower, a historian dedicated to unveiling truths, solves what would otherwise have remained a 'cold case'. Her story is breathtaking -- Father Patrick Desbois, author of The Holocaust by BulletsOne photograph. That was what it took to start Wendy Lower on an incredible journey of discovery... The Ravine is a compelling read that is micro and macro history at its very best' -- Deborah Lipstadt, author of Antisemitism: Here and NowA compelling and forensic investigation of mass shooting during the Holocaust in Ukraine. Lower turns detective and works from a single photograph to uncover the truth about a previously unknown atrocity. Brilliant microhistory * Aspects of History *A forensic look at the Holocaust in Ukraine * Spectator *The gargantuan horror of the Holocaust is distilled through a meticulous reconstruction of a single shocking crime. Justice, although delayed, is achieved, but that horror lurks like a menacing fog * The Times, '21 best history books of 2021' *

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Book SynopsisAn entertaining and concise collection of biographies of writers and artists with a Sussex connection.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WINGATE LITERARY PRIZE 2024 A WALL STREET JOURNAL BOOK OF THE YEAR NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER 'Beautiful, sober and affecting - a testament to remembrance and friendship' - DALIA SOFER 'A momentous historic retrieval and work of literary art' - PHILLIP LOPATE Nearly a century of life behind her, Stella Levi had never shared the full details of her past with anyone. That is until she met Michael Frank, and asked him to help her polish a talk she was to give about life in the Juderia of Rhodes. Neither of them could know that this was the first of one hundred Saturdays that they would spend in each other's company. Courageous and sharp, elegant and sly, Stella is a formidable modern Scheherazade whose Saturday instalments give a window into the vibrant, vanished world of the Jews of Rhodes. She unspools for the first time the long threads of her history - from the sun-soaked shores of her childhood, to the fifteen harrowing months she spent in camps scattered throughout Europe, and finally to the United States and New York as one of only 150 Jews from Rhodes to survive. Featuring colour illustrations based on Stella's family photographs, One Hundred Saturdays is an unusual and extraordinary memoir. It is a testament to the soul-saving power of relationships; to memories revisited; to resilience. It's not only a vital slice of history that has largely been ignored, but a story of the possibility of an ever-evolving self, even after confronting Hell.Trade ReviewNever underestimate the power of friendship at any stage in life. That's one of the lessons from Michael Frank's beautiful portrait of the wise and charming nonagenarian, Stella Levi, one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors from the vanished Sephardic community of the Juderia on the Greek island of Rhodes. In relaying her life story, Mr. Frank has pulled off something special: One Hundred Saturdays is a sobering yet heartening book about how friendship, remembrance, and being heard can help assuage profound dislocation and loss. It is also a reminder that the ability to listen thoughtfully is a rare and significant gift. -- Heller McAlpin * The Wall Street Journal *Gifted... Told from the author's point of view over the course of 100 meetings, each with its own short chapter, this story is a unique glimpse at a forgotten history that we all must learn. * Good Morning America (Most Anticipated September 2022) *This intimate story of one remarkable woman is also the history of a people. One Hundred Saturdays is an important book, brilliantly told and illustrated, and profoundly moving. -- Hilma Wolitzer, author of Today a Woman Went Mad in the SupermarketA stunning achievement-both as a momentous historic retrieval and a work of literary art. I was gripped throughout by this thoughtful, psychologically rich conversation. -- Phillip Lopate, film critic and editor of The Art of the Personal EssayThrough the polyphonic story of Stella Levi, a woman severed from her origin but deeply connected to it through memory, Michael Frank conjures up not only the eradication of the Jewish community in Rhodes, but also what preceded it: the life. His book-beautiful, sober, and affecting-is a testament to remembrance and friendship. -- Dalia Sofer, author of The Septembers of ShirazIn One Hundred Saturdays Michael Frank entices readers to fall in love with Jewish Rhodes and its perspicacious bard, Stella Levi, a nonagenarian for whom he, too, seems to have fallen in the course of one hundred Saturdays of intimate, evocative, sometimes painful conversation. Maira Kalman's dreamy illustrations are the perfect companion to this moving book. -- Sarah Abrevaya Stein, author of Family PapersIncandescent... Distilled through Frank's intelligent prose and enlivened with eye-catching illustrations from [Maira] Kalman, Levi's recollections bring to vivid life the unique culture of the Juderia, its complicated colonial history, and her colorful, multilingual family as she describes how, under Italian Fascist rule in the 1920s and '30s, all traces of Judaism vanished from the public eye... Frank's narrative shines with an ebullience, thanks to the 'unusually rich, textured, and evolving' life of his utterly enchanting muse. The result provides an essential, humanist look into a dark chapter of 20th-century history. * Publishers Weekly *Michael Frank has beautifully preserved the lost world of the Jews of Rhodes. He manages to give us-deftly and with great economy-both Stella's moving personal story and a vivid sense of the society that shaped her: a unique blend of Judeo-Spanish, Italian, French, Turkish, and Greek languages and cultures, an insular and yet cosmopolitan world that the Nazis effectively extinguished. -- Alexander Stille, author of Excellent Cadavers: the Mafia and the Death of the First Italian RepublicStella Levi, now in her late nineties, is a reluctant Scheherazade. Michael Frank, her interlocutor, has a storyteller's genius for listening. Theirs is a bond that transcends generations, languages, and lived experience. Together they have collaborated on a riveting portrait of a singular young woman who grew up in the old Jewish quarter of Rhodes, dreamed of a vibrant life in Europe, suffered deportation to a series of Nazi death camps, lost her family and her bearings, and made it to the other side. But Scheherazade told stories to survive. Stella Levi's story illuminates the mysteries of survival. -- Judith Thurman, author of Cleopatra’s NoseLike his subject, Stella Levi, Michael Frank is a master storyteller. He knows how to dole out information in a way that is nothing short of brilliant, and in One Hundred Saturdays he even manages to infuse the ghostly past with an air of lively, sympathetic suspense. -- Wendy Lesser, author of Why I ReadA poignant and absolutely necessary addition to the canon of Holocaust literature. Through Michael's questions, which showcase trust and friendship that grows between interviewer and interviewee, and gorgeous illustrations from artist Maira Kalman, One Hundred Saturdays paints remarkable dual portraits. The first is of a vibrant Sephardic community which was decimated by the Nazis and is still often omitted from Holocaust histories. And the second is, of course, of Stella Levi and the chapters of her life: child, prisoner, survivor, wanderer, wife and mother and, now, storyteller. * Hey Alma *Reading [One Hundred Saturdays] is like watching an artist piece together a mosaic. A splash of blue sea here. A mother's song over there. The smell of Purim pastries. The flash of first love... Maira Kalman's illustrations, heavily influenced by Matisse with their deceptive simplicity, rich colors and delicate textures, are perfect complements to Levi's story, portraying vanished scenes from life on Rhodes before the Holocaust. Together with the text of Frank's beautiful book, they create a sensitive portrait of an extraordinary woman. * BookPage *One Hundred Saturdays is, quite simply, essential reading. * BookTrib. *Praise for The Mighty Franks -- :A marvelous, clear-eyed memoir ... almost thriller-like ... beautifully written * Wall Street Journal *It was so good that I had to read it twice * The New Statesman *Frank is a master of self-reflection, under the bowl of blue sky and in those closeted canyons. He says nothing in an ordinary way; everything has a dreamlike smoothness, born out of his extended act of retrieval and the remembered violence of emotion and inconstancy ... I doubt you'll read a better memoir this year * Guardian *Witty, moving ... beautifully written and timely * The Times Literary Supplement *[Michael Frank] seems to have had an unearthly quality of perspective ... There is a lastingly sane quality to his riveting memoir that's reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird ... an extraordinary tale * Daily Telegraph *A narrative that could unfold only in a place where fantasy and reality blur with treacherous ease ... The author connects the dots subtly between his relatives' capacity for self-invention and their employment in the dream factory ... [A] probing and radiantly polished account * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisFighting Men of London explores the lives of seven former professional boxers who fought in the capital between the 1930s and 1960s. Set around a series of interviews, it resurrects a golden age of the sport when boxing was as popular as football and Britain's leading fighters were working-class heroes. Dramatic, poignant, inspiring and at times funny, the book covers such subjects as booth fighting, exploitation in boxing, East End poverty, World War Two London, Jewish culture, fame and success, crime, prison life and encounters with such figures as the Kray twins, the Great Train Robbers and Britain's most infamous inmate, Charles Bronson. Fighting Men of London takes us on a journey through a lost era of smoky fight halls, ramshackle boxing arenas and courageous fighting men. It features the previously untold stories of 1950s boxing star Sammy McCarthy, Bethnal Green knockout specialist Ted Berry (an associate of the Kray twins) and Sid Nathan, who as one of Britain's last surviving 1930s boxers once shared a fight bill with the great Jack Kid Berg. This isn't a single story, but seven stories of seven very different men. The common bond they shared was boxing.

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Book SynopsisThe North Britons are the least-known among the inhabitants of early medieval Scotland. Like the Picts and Vikings they played an important role in the shaping of Scottish history during the first millennium AD but their part is often neglected or ignored. This book aims to redress the balance by tracing the history of this native Celtic people through the troubled centuries from the departure of the Romans to the arrival of the Normans. The fortunes of Strathclyde, the last-surviving kingdom of the North Britons, are studied from its emergence at Dumbarton in the fifth century to its eventual demise in the eleventh. Other kingdoms, such as the Edinburgh-based realm of Gododdin and the mysterious Rheged, are examined alongside fragments of heroic poetry celebrating the valour of their warriors. Behind the recurrent themes of warfare and political rivalry runs a parallel thread dealing with the growth of Christianity and the influence of the Church in the affairs of kings. Important ecclesiastical figures such as Ninian of Whithorn and Kentigern of Glasgow are discussed, partly in the hope of unearthing their true identities among a tangled web of sources. The closing chapters of the book look at how and why the North Britons lost their distinct identity to join their old enemies the Picts as one of Scotland's vanished nations.Table of ContentsForeword Introduction 1 Origins 2 Forth and Clyde 3 Early Christianity 4 Four Kings 5 Two Battles 6 Northumbria 7 Victors and Vanquished 8 Friends and Foes 9 Strathclyde 10 Identities Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisRichly imagined and recounted in vivid prose of extraordinary beauty, this book is a stunning illustration of Ransmayr’s talent for imbuing a captivating tale with intense metaphorical, indeed metaphysical force. The world’s most powerful man, Qiánlóng, emperor of China, invites the famous eighteenth-century clockmaker Alister Cox to his court in Beijing. There, in the heart of the Forbidden City, the Englishman and his assistants are to build machines that mark the passing of time as a child or a condemned man might experience it and that capture the many shades of happiness, suffering, love, and loss that come with that passing. Mystified by the rituals of a rigidly hierarchical society dominated by an unimaginably wealthy, god-like ruler, Cox musters all his expertise and ingenuity to satisfy the emperor’s desires. Finally, Qiánlóng, also known by the moniker Lord of Time, requests the construction of a clock capable of measuring eternity—a perpetuum mobile. Seizing this chance to realize a long-held dream and honor the memory of his late beloved daughter, yet conscious of the impossibility of his task, Cox sets to work. As the court is suspended in a never-ending summer, festering with evil gossip about the monster these foreigners are creating, the Englishmen wonder if they will ever escape from their gilded cage. More than a meeting of two men, one isolated by power, the other by grief, this is an exploration of mortality and a virtuoso demonstration that storytelling alone can truly conquer time. Trade Review"Time is naturally Ransmayr’s plaything in this tale, which in Simon Pare’s whisper-quiet translation from the German calls to mind Orhan Pamuk’s charming historical contraptions. The novel explores the way that excitement can cause it to race, boredom to stretch and slow it down, grief to bring it to a halt. . . . [A] quicksilver fantasy." * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisTogo Heihachiro (1848-1934) was born into a feudal society that had lived in seclusion for 250 years. As a teenage samurai, he witnessed the destruction wrought upon his native land by British warships. As the legendary Silent Admiral, he was at the forefront of innovations in warfare, pioneering the Japanese use of modern gunnery and wireless communication. He is best known as the Nelson of the East for his resounding victory over the Tsar's navy in the Russo-Japanese War, but he also lived a remarkable life studying at a British maritime college, witnessing the Sino-French War, the Hawaiian Revolution, and the Boxer Uprising. After his retirement, he was appointed to oversee the education of the Emperor, Hirohito. This new biography spans Japan's sudden, violent leap out of its self-imposed isolation and into the 20th century. Delving beyond Togo's finest hour at the Battle of Tsushima, it portrays the life of a diffident Japanese sailor in Victorian Britain, his reluctant celebrity in America where he was laid low by Boston cooking and welcomed by his biggest fan, Theodore Roosevelt , forgotten wars over the short-lived Republics of Ezo and Formosa, and the accumulation of peacetime experience that forged a wartime hero.

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