History Books

Book SynopsisThe lives of the sons of Eleanor of Aquitaine are the stuff of legend. Her daughters, however, are less well known, and the fascinating personalities of her daughters-in-law have been almost entirely overlooked, as have those of the daughters she bore Louis VII of France. The Families of Eleanor of Aquitaine redresses this balance and showcases the lives, travels and careers of these ten very different women, who formed a great international network of political alliances that linked their parents, siblings, husbands and children all across Europe and the Holy Land.Some of these women found happiness; others endured lives of turmoil and conflict. Some of them were close; others never met. But two things linked them all: their connection to Eleanor and to the kingdoms over which she reigned – and their determination to exert authority on their own terms in a male-dominated world.Trade ReviewThis engaging read illuminates the lives of a group of fascinating medieval royal women. Many of these figures … are often only given brief mentions in histories of the period, yet here they come out of the shadow of the famous Eleanor of Aquitaine and get their own chance to shine. -- Elena Woodacre * Founder of the Royal Studies Network *Andrews offers a mesmerising tour of the intricate webs of female power in the medieval world. Through the lens of ten women closely connected to one of history’s most famous matriarchs, we get a unique perspective of the lives of women who were politically and dynastically of great importance … a lively, sparkling and intensely readable account of women who made history. -- Matt Lewis * author of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine *

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Book SynopsisWaterford, the Gentle County, can boast a proud sporting tradition that is as long as it is unusual. Ireland's oldest city has witnessed many trends, from blood sports like bull-baiting in Ballybricken to roller hockey at the Olympia Ballroom. But the towns and villages of County Waterford were not to be overshadowed, producing notable sports people such as basketballers and boxers.In I Love Me County', learn about everyone from camogie pioneers to World Champions, as this collection of stories records the lives, loves and losses of some of Waterford's forgotten sporting heroes, demonstrating the importance of sport and leisure in the history of the county.

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Book Synopsis‘A lively book that captures the essence of a modern monarchy and a new Elizabethan era’ - Lyndsy Spence, The Lady‘Down-to-earth and insightful’ - Daily MailIt is 1952 and Britain is changing. The Second World War is over, but the country is still scarred, recovering from six years of horror and still in the grip of food rationing. The British Empire is crumbling as countries fight for their independence both literally and physically. And George VI, the king who had refused to abandon London, is dead.Thorns in the Crown is the story of a country on the precipice, divided between those who held firm to old values and traditions and those who were fighting for modernity and progression. Featuring memories and reflections of those who were part of the coronation, Barry Turner presents a unique look at Britain as it came to terms with the second Elizabethan age.Trade Review"Down-to-earth and insightful" * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisVikings plagued the coasts of Ireland and Britain in the 790s. By the mid-ninth century vikings had established a number of settlements in Ireland and Britain and had become heavily involved with local politics. A particularly successful viking leader named Ivarr campaigned on both sides of the Irish Sea in the 860s. His descendants dominated the major seaports of Ireland and challenged the power of kings in Britain during the later ninth and tenth centuries. This book provides a political analysis of the deeds of Ivarr's family from their first appearance in Insular records down to the year 1014. Such an account is necessary in light of the flurry of new work that has been done in other areas of Viking Studies. In line with these developments Clare Downham provides a reconsideration of events based on contemporary written accounts.Trade Review"[Downham] gives us the history of the dynasty from contemporary and near contemporary sources and brings to bear the fruits of thirty years intense scholarship that has emerged since Smyth wrote, a period in which the study of Early Insular History has been revolutionised. In addition to the blow by blow account of the dynasty's deeds, which forms the bulk of the narrative, Downham has also appended a prosopography of 121 Scandinavian leaders active in the Insular World in the period, citing all the primary sources which mention each. This appendix will doubtless be a godsend to scholar and student alike." Early Medieval EuropeTable of ContentsPrefatory Note: Ethnicity and Viking-Age Politics; 1. Ivarr and his Dynasty; 2 Ireland; 3 England: from the Conquest of York to the Battle of Brunanburh, 866-937; 4 England: from the Battle of Brunanburh to the Danish Conquest, 937-1013; 5 North Britain; 6 The Kingdom of the Isles; 7 Wales; 8 Conclusion. Appendix: Prosopography of Viking-leaders named in Irish Chronicles to AD 1014. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisThere is something strangely compelling about the waterways. Isolated places on the edge of society, they have always had their own distinctive way of life and a certain shady reputation. Ever since the earliest days, canals have attracted crime, with sinister figures lurking in the shadows and bodies found floating in the water. When a brutal murder in 1839 created a national outcry, it seemed to confirm all the worst fears about boatmen – a tough breed of men surviving in harsh conditions, who were swiftly branded as outlaws by the press.Drawing on a rich collection of original sources, Dark Side of the Cut brings to life dramatic stories that are gruesome, shocking and tragic. These evocative snapshots of rough justice uncover the secret world of the waterways, revealing the real human cost of the Industrial Revolution.

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Book SynopsisNorfolk’s spectacular coastline, quaint villages, historic houses, bustling market towns and meandering rivers all provide the perfect backdrop for some of the most curious tales from across the centuries.Which eccentric cleric’s final words were ‘Did I make the front page?’ Which annual race’s participants only eat lettuce? Why on earth is there an elephant on one Norfolk village sign? Where is the most accident-prone church in the county? How did a single feather save a monarch? Which of Norfolk’s heroes gives his name to an unlucky sporting score?Enthralling to both residents and visitors alike, The A-Z of Curious Norfolk is a perfect book to dip into – unless, of course, you can’t wait to turn the page and read more!Trade ReviewAuthor interviewed on BBC Radio Norfolk

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Book SynopsisWhile their role has been all too often overlooked by historians, cattle played an integral part in the economy, ecology and culture of Highland life. Although many of these animals and their keepers have been abandoned in favour of sheep walks and deer forests, their legacy has remained through stories, paintings and songs. Infused by the author's own experiences of small holding at the end of the crofting era, this book offers an excellent insight into the social history and colourful customs assosiated with tending cattle on crofts, on shielings and on the drove roads of old, in an account that is populated by legendary figures, mighty beasts and characters larger than life. Perhaps most importantly of all, however, this is a history that looks to the future - a recent revival in cattle and traditional practices could pave the way for the truly sustainable agriculture practices so crucial to the fate of the planet at large.Trade Review'Katharine Stewart's new book reminds us of our ancestry and our heritage - a farming culture based on thousands of years of close partnership with cattle. She brings to the reader not only the pure pleasure of keeping cows, but also the friendships they create and the roles that the animals play in our history and culture.' ROY DENNIS MBE

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Book SynopsisThe story of herring is entwined in the history of commercial fishing. For over two millennia, herring has been commercially caught and its importance to the coastal peoples of Britain cannot be measured. At one point tens of thousands were involved in the catching, processing and sale of herring. They followed the shoals around the coast from Stornoway to Penzance and many towns on Britain's east coast grew rich on the backs of the silver darlings'.Fishing historian Mike Smylie looks at the effects of herring on the people who caught them, their unique ways of life, the superstitions of the fisher folk, their boats and the communities who lived for the silver darlings.With a wealth of illustrations, this fascinating book reveals the little-known history of the herring. And for those who've neglected the silver darlings for lesser fish such as cod and haddock, there are a number of mouth-watering recipes to try.

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Book SynopsisIn a mix of historical fact and folklore, 'biker-historian' David R. Ross journeys across Scotland to tell the stories of some of Scotland's finest women. From the legend of Scota over 3,000 years ago to the Bruce women, Black Agnes and the real Lady Macbeth, through Kay Matheson - who helped liberate the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey - and Wendy Wood in the 20th century, these proud and passionate women shaped the Scotland of today. Leading his readers to the sites where the past meets the present, this is a captivating insight into some remarkable tales of the Scottish people that have previously been neglected, a celebration of and tribute to the Women of Scotland. Often in my daily life I find that it is the women of Scotland that have the true patriot sould their menfolk sometimes lack. Scotland means something to so many of them, and Caledonia burns deep within their collective memory. I hope that both Scots men and women are inspired or moved by some of the stories told here. Women of Scotland, it is you who will bear and nurture our future generations. Instil in them a pride in their blood that will inspire the generations yet to come, so that our land will regain its place, and remain strong and free, defiant and proud, for the Scots yet unborn. - DAVID R. ROSSTrade ReviewA wonderful book, written in Davie's usual inimitable style. I felt that he was right there speaking to me through the words and that was both a sad and lovely thing. - FIONA WATSON

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Book SynopsisUnder the Banner of King Death is a tale of mutiny, bloody battle, and social revolution, bringing to life an itinerant community of outsiders behind today's legends. This graphic novel breaks new ground in our understanding of piracy and pirate culture, giving us real reasons to love the rebellious and stouthearted marauders of the seas.At the pinnacle of the Golden Age of Atlantic piracy, three unlikely companions are sold into servitude on a merchant ship and thrust into a voyage of rebellion. They are John Gwin, an African American fugitive from bondage in South Carolina; Ruben Dekker, a common seaman from Amsterdam; and Mark (a.k.a. Mary) Reed, an American woman who dresses as a man.When the crew turn to mutiny, they and the freed slaves establish democracy aboard The Night Rambler. This new dispensation provides radical social benefits, all based on the documented practices of real pirate ships of the era: democratic decision-making, a social security net, health and disability insurance, and an equal distribution of spoils taken from prize ships. But before long the London elites enlist a war-hungry captain to take down The Night Rambler in a war that pitches high society against high-seas freebooters.Adapted from the scholarship and research of celebrated historian Marcus Rediker, Under the Banner of King Death is an inspiring story of the oppressed steering a course against adversity and injustice.

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Book SynopsisIn the 18th century shotgun weddings were not unusual, but in most cases it wasn't the bride that was holding the gun. So began the stormy marriage between Lord and Lady Grange, a marriage which was to end with Lady Grange's death on the Isle of Skye after 13 years in exile. The daughter of a convicted murderer, Lady Grange's behaviour, such as her fondness for drink, was so outrageous that her sudden disappearance from public life was not considered surprising. But few knew the true story of her disappearance. This book reveals, for the first time, how the unfortunate lady was violently kidnapped and transported to the remote islands off the west coast of Scotland, spending seven years on the island of St. Kilda's. Condemned to a very different lifestyle than she had enjoyed in Edinburgh, and baffled by the strange tongue of the Gaelic West, she still obstinately survived, finally dying in Skye in 1745.Trade Review... a tale of such scandal and drama that it reads almost like a work of fiction. - CATHERINE SALMOND, Edinburgh Evening News... this fascinating account of one of the most beguiling characters in Scotland's history... Despite the unhappy ending, it's a stunning story and Margaret Macaulay has done it full justice. - TREVOR ROYLE, The HeraldYet there's another story of human hardship in [St Kilda]'s history that's been much less analysed - not one of evacuation but of abduction. Not of escape, but of exile. A story of political intrigue, betrayal and personal tragedy. - SUNDAY POST

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Book SynopsisIn the twelfth-century, Pisa was a powerhouse of global trade, a city that stood at the centre of Medieval Europe. But Pisa had a problem. It was running out of coins. In the face of a looming financial crisis, the city's rulers and its moneylenders forged a deal that laid the foundations of the modern state and of present-day banking.In Money and Promises, the distinguished banker and scholar Paolo Zannoni examines the extraordinary relationship between states and banks. He draws upon seven case studies: the republic of twelfth-century Pisa, seventeenth-century Venice, the early years of the Bank of England, Imperial Spain, the Kingdom of Naples, the nascent USA during the American Revolution, and Bolshevik Russia in 191721. Spanning a multitude of countries, political systems and historical eras, Zannoni shows that at the heart of our institutions lies an intricate exchange of debt and promises that has shaped the modern world.Featuring pioneering research a

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Book SynopsisWhen I Were a Lad… looks at the glorious-yet-risky childhoods of yesteryear before the Health and Safety officers told us we couldn’t do everything because it was too dangerous. The sleeper hit of Christmas 2009 – more than 4,000 copies sold through Bookscan. A book to send shivers down the spine of any parent who has spent years protecting their children from the slightest bump and bash. A glorious romp though some of the most reckless photos from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, tagged with side-splitting captions. Ah, the past. A time when children could play in the snow without a helmet, crampons and a risk assessment report. When footballs were made from rhino hide and cricket was played with one pad, if you were lucky. When I Were a Lad… looks at the glorious-yet-risky childhoods of yesteryear before the Health and Safety officers told us we couldn’t do everything because it was too dangerous. It reflects on a time when children were allowed in with the animals at London Zoo; a time before the car seatbelt was invented (let alone used); a time when you were allowed to dress up endangered species in goalkeeping kit and take penalties against them. The authors have trawled through the major historic archives to find some glorious photo opportunities where the safety angle of the participants was the last thing anyone thought of. Children perch happily on lethal, limb-mangling machinery, stand all-smiles on live crocodiles, feed brown bears with their hands and get scooped from the street by passing tram conductors! These truly were the days that Health and Safety forgot, back when I were a lad…

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Book SynopsisA recipe-filled memoir of food, love, family and running a small neighbourhood restaurant that has survived recession and lockdowns to become an internationally-renowned haven of Italian home cooking.

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Book SynopsisAn authoritative survey of the history of common land in Great Britain from the medieval period to present day.

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Book SynopsisAnne McEntegart wanted to support the War Effort. Her Royal Air Force officer husband was working abroad and her only child was in Canada, evacuated for safety. Aged thirty-eight, Anne left London, and her life as the wife of an officer, to work on the land and deliver milk for Walter Gossling at New Park Farm, just outside the village of Brockenhurst, in the New Forest. Though not an official member of the Women's Land Army, Anne milked cows and stacked corn alongisde the land girls on the farm. Engagingly detailing the brim-full days of farm life during the build-up to the D-Day and after, this book celebrates the people and places - not to mention a wayward pony - which made up the wartime Brockenhurst community. The Milk Lady at New Park Farm is a World War Two diary of farmwork, friendship and fulfilment among the ponies and corn sheaves of the New Forest.Trade ReviewAnne's diary gives a tantalising sketch of a happy outgoing person who documented her incredibly hard physical work with a saint-like lightness of touch... Her artisitic nature is revealed in her desciptions of nature... What a vanished world to record. Though still recent in historical terms, it represents a bygone age, and Anne's diary is a treasure as it tells it just as it was. The NFU's British Farmer & Grower (South-East) February 2012 Reading the book The Milk Lady at New Park Farm is like discovering some long forgotten memories of life during the Second World War. Even if you are too young to have those memories in the first place, you are vivdly transported, through the reading of this honest account of British rural life against the backdrop of war. The Art Observer, December 2011 It reaches a wider audience: those who are interested in the land girls and in the Second World War; those who are interested in farming; animal lovers; and those who simply enjoy a feel good story. The Cumberland & Westmorland Herald, October 2011

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Book SynopsisThe English seaside has long been seductive. For 200 years, punters have sought out its quirky thrills from bingo to Wurlitzer organ dances, glamorous granny parades to child-jockeyed donkey races, lewdly shaped rock candy to harrowingly bad karaoke. But recently, many seaside towns have been pummelled by poverty, unemployment, underinvestment, addiction, Brexit, Covid-19 and the climate emergency. Writer Tom Sykes and illustrator Louis Netter take you on a Gonzo tour of 21 English coastal communities in an age of anxiety and absurdity. Their encounters are comical, sad, weird and beguiling - sometimes all at once. A post-lockdown beach party turns violent in Bournemouth. The Hampshire shores pile up with plastic waste and sewage dumped by a water company. St Osyth and Jaywick's trailer parks and makeshift homes have come to resemble a Global Southern shanty town. Covid disinformation is daubed on walls and benches across the Dorset coast. A pub in Scarborough celebrates Ulster paramilitarism. Portsmouthians come to terms with the imperial past. A Blackpudlian musician confesses an intimate connection to the serial killer Harold Shipman. But there's good news too. Combers and mudlarkers are cleaning our beaches. Art projects are drawing attention to coastal erosion and other ecological menaces. In an increasingly uniform England of red-brick estates and retail parks, seaside towns might just be our last outposts of eccentricity and individuality.Trade Review'An enjoyable read. The illustrations have a mutant Donald McGill vibe.'-- Will Self; ‘This is a unique book . . . [with] a rigorous sense of the reasons for economic and cultural decline. . . This is a very radical book, but it is never propagandist or dull. It made me laugh aloud several times: the plight of the observers is very well drawn. It left me wanting more: more piers, more takeaways, more grubby stopovers.’—The London Magazine; ‘Immersively gonzo, febrile and slapstick, written with the gusto of a gourmand relishing a (beggars’) banquet.’—Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place and Nature; ‘The mix of forensic observation of people by Sykes and the sketches by the very talented Louis Netter makes for a very unusual book indeed. . . If you want to read a very different travelogue of Britain then this is a brilliant place to start.’—Half Man, Half Book

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Book SynopsisThe Legend is the remarkable autobiography of Steve Ward, the world's oldest ever professional boxer. It details the astonishing obstacles Steve has overcome to become a three-times Guinness World Record holder after taking up the sport he loves again at the age of 54. Steve's unstinting ambition is driven by a promise made by his late father Bernard, who introduced him to boxing and told allcomers his son would be a world champion. His story is an inspiration to anyone who has hit hard times and proof of the old adage that all things are possible. A very serious foot injury sustained in a freak accident at work eventually led to Steve planning to kill himself before he bounced back to confound the medical profession and achieve his dream of winning a world title in his very last fight, at 64 years of age.

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Book SynopsisIn a world historically dominated by male rulers, the women who have sat on thrones of their own shine out brightly. Some queens and empresses were born to greatness, while others fought their way to power. Queens ranges from the ancient world to the present day, telling the stories of these women who ruled, from murderous former courtesan Wu Zetian in 7th century China to Elizabeth I, the ‘Virgin Queen’ of England. In 6th century Constantinople, Empress Theodora, who had been a street performer before catching the eye of Emperor Justinian, extended rights for women, passing laws that allowed them to divorce and own property and made rape a crime punishable by death. In 12th century Europe, Eleanor of Aquitaine first married the king of France and then the king of England. At the Mughal court in Lahore in the early 17th century, Nur Jahan, wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was the political powerhouse behind the throne. In more recent history, the book explores the reigns of Catherine the Great, revealing how a minor German aristocrat came to rule and expand the Russian Empire, Queen Victoria, whose family dominated the world in the early 20th centuty, and her more recent descendent, Elizabeth II, the longest-ruling queen in history. Female rulers are often described as ambitious rather than bold, as devious rather than diplomatically astute and as intriguers and meddlers, all characterizations that are destructive to the reality of women’s lives in the world’s monarchies. Even genealogies still often leave out the women of royal families, overlooking their genuine contributions. To some extent, we will never know these great women of history as well as we know their menfolk; the sources simply leave too many gaps. However, we can and will do better in giving the women rulers of history the recognition they deserve Carefully researched, superbly entertaining and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Queens highlights the true personalities and real lives of the women who became monarchs and empresses.Trade Review[A] brilliant tour of the nature of queenship throughout history and all over the world. Rather than the usual list of European monarchs, Jestice demonstrates an impressive range as she introduces readers to queens from Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, South America—wherever she can find evidence for women rulers… The book is more than an engaging history of women who all deserve to be better known. Each page features illustrations carefully chosen to represent the wide cultures these women came from… Even better, Jestice succeeds in proving that queens have played important parts throughout history—and continue to do so. -- Marissa Moss * New York Journal of Books *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Ancient World Hatshetsup, Pharaoh of Egypt (c.1493–1479 BCE) – the first and longest reigning woman pharaoh in Egyptian history. After her husband Thurmose’s death, Hatshetsup reigned for 20 years. She restored her country’s prosperity by rebuilding trade routes. One expedition returned with myrrh trees for making scent – the first recorded transplant of foreign trees. Hatshetsup left an extraordinary legacy of buildings including her mortuary temple at the entrance to Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Queen Tomyris of the Massagetae, a nomadic people in Central Asia. Artemisia I of Caria (484–460 BCE) Greek queen in Asia Minor, she helped Persian king Xerxes at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE. Cleopatra (51–30 BCE) – The last the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Cleopatra was diplomat, naval commander, linguist, and medical author. Boudicca – led a revolt against the Romans in England in 60 CE. Trung Sisters – a pair of fantastically brave Vietnamese warrior women who fought to oust their Chinese overlords in the first half of the 1st century CE. Zenobia (267–272 CE) – queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria The Early Medieval World Theodora (500–548 CE) – Empress of Byzantium, wife of Emperor Justinian. A street performer who caught the emperor’s eye, Theodora rose to rule the empire alongside her husband. She extended rights for women, passing laws that allowed them to divorce and own property and made rape a crime punishable by death. Wu Zetian (690–705 CE) – the sole officially recognized empress regnant of China in more than two millennia. She entered court as a concubine and may have strangled her daughter and poisoned her son to advance her status. Skulduggery aside, the importance to history of Wu Zetian’s period of political and military leadership includes the major expansion of the Chinese empire, extending it deep into Central Asia. Within China, besides the more direct consequences of her struggle to gain and maintain supreme power, Wu’s leadership resulted in important effects regarding social class in society and in relation to state support for Taoism, Buddhism, education, and literature. Æthelflæd (911–918) – Daughter of Alfred the Great and married to the ruler of the kingdom of Mercia, the fierce Queen became known as the ‘Lady of the Mercians’. The High Middle Ages Eleanor of Aquitaine – the richest woman in 12th century Europe. She married first the king of France, introduced courtly literature to the French court and accompanied him on crusade. With the marriage annulled, she then married the king of England. The Renaissance Mary Queen of Scots (1552–67) – ultimately, reluctantly executed by her cousin Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (1558–1603) – After the short reigns of her half-siblings, Elizabeth I’s 44- year-rule brought welcome stability, relative religious tolerance, no major foreign wars and managed to see off the Spanish Armada. Plots and rebellions against her failed and culturally England flourished. Early Modern Nur Jahan (1611–1645) – the twentieth (and last) wife of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, Nur Jahan was a far sharper intellect than her incompetent husband and would whisper advice to him at court. From their court at Lahore, she built up diplomatic and trading relationships across Asia. Catherine the Great (1762–1796) – Catherine was a minor German princess who married the heir to the Russian throne, Tsar Peter III, who turned out to be mentally unstable. When the Tsar was assassinated after only two years in power, Catherine assumed command of Russia. Helped by her lovers Giorgy Orlov and Giorogy Potemkin, she conquered the Ukraine extending the Russian empire to the shores of the strategically important Black Sea. She gave the nobility greater powers following peasant unrest. Late Modern Queen Victoria (1837–1901) – As the British Empire expanded to cover quarter of the globe, she came to rule over more subjects than any other woman in history. Empress Dowager Cixi (1861–1908) – Cixi effectively controlled the late Qing dynasty in China for 47 years after the death of her husband, the Xianfeng Emperor. Queen Elizabeth II (1952–Present) – the world’s longest reigning queen regnant and female head of state, the oldest and longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state. Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia” – Winston Churchill, 5 March 1946 Following the Allies’ victory in World War II, the European continent was soon divided into two broad zones of influence, with Eastern Europe coming under communist Soviet control, and the west under the oversight of the liberal democracies led by the United States. What developed over the next 40 years was a military and ideological stand-off that defined Europe and much of the world until 1989. In countries such as Germany, the Cold War divided families between the two zones of control. The two opponents competed for global dominance, building up ever greater arsenals of nuclear weapons, funding and fighting costly proxy wars in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America, deploying espionage and trade embargoes, and even seeking technological advantage in space exploration, which became known as the “Space Race”. The Cold War provides a pictorial examination of this crucial era in 20th century history, offering the reader an instant understanding of the key events and figures in this 40-year period through 150 dramatic photographs.Table of ContentsContents: Introduction For the decades between 1946 and 1991, the Soviet Union and its allies in the Eastern Europe – the so-called ‘Soviet bloc’, united under the banner of the Warsaw Pact – and the United States of America and its allies in Western Europe, united under the banner of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) – were involved in a massive geo- political and military stand-off, known as the Cold War. 1940s • Best of Enemies. Yalta Conference, Feb. 1945. Decided post-war reorganization of Europe. • Thinking the Unthinkable. Britain’s plans for ‘Operation Unthinkable’, June 1945. Didn’t happen, but intriguing straw in wind/indication of the way western strategists were thinking. NB Britain’s assumption of continued leadership role (despite recognition that plan couldn’t succeed without US help). All this about to change ... • Big Boy. Bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Aug. 1945 doesn’t just end WWII secures superpower status for USA • A War of Rhetoric. Stalin/Churchill speeches – incompatibility capitalism and communism (Feb. 1946)/’Iron Curtain’ (Mar. 1946) • Gifts to the Greeks. Civil war in newly-liberated Greece. Communists backed by USSR; monarchists by Britain. Civil War breaks out (May 1946). US support for Greek anti-communists (and, by implication, other comparable groups) firmed up in ‘Truman Doctrine’, March 1947. • Au Revoir, Indochine. First Indochina War, 1946–54. Against French, of course – though they had discreet support from USA, while Viet Minh openly assisted by Soviets. Final defeat for French at Dien Bien Phu, March–May 1954. (Maybe just mention Algeria here? Not sure it merits own entry in this context ...) Ho Chi Minh’s communists in control in North; succession of US-backed dictatorships in Republic of Vietnam. • ‘People’ Power. Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia, Feb. 1948. Quick sketch of situation in other Iron Curtain countries. • Buying Allegiance? Marshall Plan inaugurated, Apr. 1948. (NB aid offered to Soviet Bloc as well but refused. Underlined East–West divide.) • Blockade! Berlin Blockade and Air Lift, Jun. 1948–May 1949. Dramatically highlighted Europe’s new divisions. • Colonial Concerns. Malayan Emergency, Jun. 1948–60. (Paradigmatic for succession of liberation struggles in former European colonies now vacated by Japan.) • The Yugoslav Exception. Tito’s split with Stalin, 1948–9. Leadership of Non- Aligned Movement, from 1955. • A Dismal Prophecy. Having already ruffled Soviet feathers with his satirical allegory Animal Farm (1945), Eng. writer George Orwell summed up the dismal achievements of the totalitarian in Nineteen Eighty-Four, published Jun. 1949. • Parity Restored. Soviet nuclear bomb tested, August 1949. • ‘Bamboo Curtain’. Establishment of PRC, Oct (and of west-orientated RoC, Taiwan, Dec.) 1949 1950s • ‘I have here in my hand ...’ Joe McCarthy speech, 9 Feb. 1950. Start of witchhunt. HUAC hearings; Hollywood Blacklist, etc. • The Red Rosenbergs. Julius and Ethel arrested as Soviet spies, July 1950. Convicted and executed 1953. (Despite strenuous campaign to save their posthumous reputations, and suggestions that the charges against them had been antisemitic in origin, discoveries in Soviet archives later confirmed their status as Russian agents. • A Friend in Francisco. A reluctant Pres. Truman prevailed on to mend fences with Franco’s dictatorship as bulwark against Communism. Marshall aid, hitherto withheld, made available to Spain from late 1950. • Cambridge Reds. Defection of Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean. Cambridge 5. Kim Philby to follow Jan. 1963. • ‘The Forgotten War’. Korea, Jun. 1950–Jul. 1953 • An Escalating Arms Race. British A-Bomb detonated, 3 October, 1952; US H-Bomb first detonated, 1 Nov, 1952 • ‘Dissolve the People ...’ Workers’ Uprising in E. Berlin, 1953. Violent suppression famously satirized by leftist playwright/poet Bertolt Brecht. • Playing Dominos. US interventions Iran, Guatemala, both March 1954. Eisenhower introduces idea of ‘domino theory’ in speech that April. • ‘His Intolerance, His Brutality and His Abuse of Power’. Stalin’s rule denounced by Khrushchev at 20th Congress Sov. Comm. Party, 25 Feb. 1956. • Repression Resumed. Soviet interventions Posnan, Poland, Jun., Hungary, Oct. 1956 • Stand-Off in Suez. Row over Nasser’s Egypt buying arms from the Soviet bloc prompts West to withdraw aid from Aswan Dam project. Nasser retaliates by nationalizing Suez Canal. Attempt by Britain, France and Israel to topple him. Suez Crisis, Oct. 1956 • The Frontier Above. Sputnik 1957; prompted Kennedy’s ‘New Frontier’ speech Jul. 1960. • Look Before You Leap. China inaugurates ‘Great Leap Forward’ Jan. 1958. Will end in catastrophic famine. • What the Doctor Ordered. Poet and novelist Boris Pasternak (author of Doctor Zhivago, 1957) wins Nobel Prize for Literature, 1958. Soviets furious. • ‘Socialism or Death!’ Cuban Revolution (broke out 1953) prevails, Jan. 1959. (Explicitly aligned with USSR from Dec. 1960.) • Law or Brigandage? Khrushchev’s shoe-banging address at UN, Sept. 1959. Angry at intrusions by US spy-planes. Main content of speech largely about USSR’s support for winding up of colonialism. • Road of Resistance. NVA begin opening up ‘Ho Chi Minh Trail’ to south, where Viet Cong are campaigning against Ngo Dinh Diem’s US-backed government. (Much of it ran through Laos, drawing that country into conflict later.) 1959. 1960s • The Man Who Fell to Earth. U2/Gary Powers, May 1960 • Red Flag Rift. Sino-Soviet Split. Jun. 1960. • Castro Comes to Harlem. Cuban leader arrives in NY to address UN; meets Malcolm X, Allen Ginsberg and other US figures as well as leading ‘Third World’ statesmen. Sept. 1960. • ‘No Longer Your Monkeys’. Life and death of Patrice Lumumba. Quote is from 1960. Republic of Congo (now DRC) independent from June 1960; Lumumba its PM but for just a few weeks before being overthrown by US-(and France- and Belgium-)backed Mobutu. Killed 17 Jan. 1961. • Counterrevolutionary Carve-Up. Bay of Pigs, Apr. 1961 • Dancing for Democracy. Rudolf Nureyev defects, Jun. 1961 • The Concrete Curtain. Berlin Wall built, Aug. 1961 • Superpower Poker. Cuban Missile Crisis 1963 • The False Flag of Freedom. Gulf of Tonkin Incident, Aug. 1964. • The Atomic Orient. China tests A-Bombs, Oct. 1964 • Confusion in the Caribbean. US Marines sent to Dominican Republic, Apr. 1965. Some years of instability after Trujillo’s death, 1961. Overthrow of military dictatorship spooked Johnson Administration after Cuba. Glance at situation Nicaragua, Haiti, etc. • Thunderstorm. US presence in Vietnam, established by JFK, 1961, beefed up with launch of Operation Rolling Thunder against NVA and Viet Cong positions in Vietnam and Laos (Feb. 1965) and dispatch of additional 60,000 US troops (more from allies) Apr. 1965 • Big News from Bangkok. Anti-communist ASEAN alliance launched, Aug. 1967. • ‘Shoot, Coward ...’ Che Guevara killed, La Higuera, Bolivia, 9 Oct. 1967 • ‘Never Forget History’. Quote’s from Indonesian leader Sukarno, now deposed at second attempt by Suharto (sworn in as Pres., Mar. 1968). Wave of anti- Communist repression ensues. • Spring Turns Sour. Prague Spring. Uprising crushed August, 1968. 1970s • The Storm Spreads. Tet Offensive of early 1968 had underlined ineffectiveness of what should have been irresistible US assault in Vietnam and Laos up to that point. Mounting US frustration reflected in extension of conflict to Cambodia, Apr. 1970. • Egypt Swings West. Nasser having died in 1970, Sadat’s ‘Corrective Revolution’ de-Nasserized the govt in Egypt. Soviet advisers expelled, May 1971. • Meeting Mao. Pres. Nixon’s visit to PRC, Feb. 1972. • Bobby Beats Boris. Fischer–Spassky, Reykjavik, Sept. 1972. • Saving Face. Loss of US momentum in Vietnam – and increasing ‘Vietnamization’ of the conflict, from 1970 (maybe even 1969 – despite ‘Storm Spreads’ entry above) led, slowly but inevitably, to ceasefire with North, Jan. 1973. • A Chilean Tragedy. Pinochet’s US-backed Coup in Chile, Sept. 1973. Death of Allende. • Aleksandr in Exile. Novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsy, Nobel Prizewinner 1970, stripped of Soviet citizenship, 1974. • The Scientist and the State. Physicist and peace activist Andrei Sakharov, Nobel Peace Prize, 1975. Not allowed to go to Stockholm to collect it. • Red Ruin. Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge come to power in Cambodia, ushering in era of ‘Killing Fields’. • Fall of Saigon. Republic of Vietnam left fighting increasingly futile rearguard action. State finally collapsed and capital taken, Apr. 1975. • Democracy and Death. East Timor’s declaration of independence (Nov. 1975) sparks long and bloody programme of repression by Suharto’s Indonesia. • African Agony. Soviet- (and Cuban-)backed MPLA take power in Angola, Feb. 1976. Lengthy civil war with UNITA (till 2002) ensues. Parallel conflict in Mozambique, where FRELIMO govt beset by RENAMO insurgency, 1977–92. • A Thorn in the Flesh. CIA’s persistent (and sometimes bizarre) attempts to assassinate Castro over the years revealed by Church Committee, 1975–6. • A Post-Mao Mellowing? Death of Mao, 1976. Economic reforms in China announced by Deng Xiaoping, Dec. 1978 • Of Socialists and Sonsofbitches. Sandinistas come to power in Nicaragua, Jul. 1979 • Afghan Outrage. Soviet-supported government in Afghanistan tottering. Russian intervention, Dec. 1979 1980s • Time Out. Moscow Olympics. Boycotted by 66 countries, following US example, in aftermath of Afghanistan invasion. Jul./Aug. 1980. (Will lead to retaliatory boycott of LA, 1984.) • Faith, Hope and Solidarity. Poles inspired by visit of Pope JPII (1979). Gdansk shipyard protests, Poland: birth of Solidarity, Aug. 1980. Lech Walesa becomes international hero. (But Gen. Jaruzelski will introduce martial law, Dec. 1981.) • ‘Star Wars’. Couple of weeks after his ‘Evil Empire’ speech, Pres. Reagan’s SDI announced, Mar. 1983 • Rematch in Moscow. Shades of Fischer–Spassky (1972) in Karpov v Kasparov Chess Match, 1984–5 • A New Broom. Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet Premier (Mar. 1985). Policies of Perestroika and Glasnost. Moratorium on nuclear weapons testing. • Out of Afghanistan. After accession of Mohammad Najibullah’s National Reconciliation govt the previous year, Sov. withdrawal from Afghanistan begins, May 1988. • Drawing the Curtain. Gorbachev announces USSR will no longer intervene militarily in Eastern Europe, Dec. 1988. Consequences in e.g. Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania in months that follow. (See also Berlin Wall bit below ...) • Beijing Bloodshed. Massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, Jun. 1989 • Breaking Down the Wall. Fall of Berlin Wall, Nov. 1990 1990s • Under New Management. Boris Yeltsin elected Pres. Russia, May 1990. (Though NB, Gorbachev’s USSR still exists, at least in theory, as overarching state.) • Breaking Free. Referendums in Baltic states and Georgia lead to their independence, early months of 1991; other Caucasian and Central Asian states follow in course of the year. • Red Reaction. Unsuccessful (but scary while it lasts) ‘August Coup’ in Russia, Aug. 1991. • A Post-Communist Christmas. Gorbachev resigns; Soviet Union essentially wound up; Yeltsin calls George H.W. Bush, who announces end of the Cold War. Time for a ‘New World Order’ ... • The End of History? Fukuyama’s study. Glance at other potential problems, from gangsterism in states of former Soviet Union to Islamic radicalism elsewhere.

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Book Synopsis• An epitomy of all surviving English medieval recipes • The great advantage for students of medieval English cookery is that there is an identifiable corpus of evidence in the manuscripts that have survived to the present day. Although there may be some new discoveries, in general terms the corpus is relatively stable. The beauty of this book is that it addresses the corpus as a whole and abstracts from it paradigm recipes for every medieval dish that we know about. The book is organised by category of dish (Pottage; Meat Dishes; Poultry and Game Birds; Fish; Eggs and Dairy Dishes; Sauces and Condiments, and Baked Dishes). For each dish the editor has chosen what is in her view the most typical example and, citing the source, translates the original text.

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Book Synopsis 180 photographs giving an illustrated history of D-Day Expert text explains the full context of the ''Longest Day'' as it became known Ideal introduction to the topic with informative captions

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Book SynopsisDiscover more about Robert the Bruce and other unforgettable figures that made Scotland the great nation it is today. Through fascinating images and expert text, A History of Scotland takes you through each decade of Scotland's varied and dramatic past up to the present day. A History of Scotland provides a pictorial exploration from the times of the Neolithic stone circles of Orkney to the turbulent referendums of the contemporary era. The book is arranged chronologically, from the roman invasion of Scotland in the 1st century to Mary Queen of Scots and her downfall, David Hume and Adam Smith, Dolly the Sheep in 1997 and the construction of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in the 21st Century.

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Book SynopsisA feisty, entertaining and historical account of Anglo Saxon cooking and eating, with reconstructed recipes of the period circa 400 to 1066. Emma Kay believes that the modern world has a huge amount to learn from ancient times. We are now interested in the preservation of original species and plants to nourish the human race. Her book gives us evidence based information from historical artefacts and museum articles, to show us what our ancestors had at their disposal for survival. It discusses the nature of culinary transitions in terms of Roman and Scandinavian influences, as well as providing a social and political backdrop to the Anglo Saxon communities, 400 to 1066 BCE, the time of the Norman invasions, the early Medieval era.

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Book SynopsisWhat is heritage? When was it invented? What is its place in the world today? What is its place tomorrow? Heritage is all around us: millions belong to its organisations, tens of thousands volunteer for it, and politicians pay lip service to it. When the Victorians began to employ the term in something approaching the modern sense, they applied it to cathedrals, castles, villages and certain landscapes. Since then a multiplicity of heritage labels have arisen, cultural and commercial, tangible and intangible – for just as every era has its notion of heritage, so does every social group, and every generation. In Heritage, James Stourton focuses on elements of our cultural and natural environment that have been deliberately preserved: the British countryside and national parks, buildings such as Blenheim Palace and Tattershall Castle, and the works of art inside them. He charts two heroic periods of conservation – the 1880s and the 1960s – and considers whether threats of wealth, rampant development and complacency are similar in the present day. Heritage is both a story of crisis and profound change in public perception, and one of hope and regeneration.Trade ReviewA fascinating, erudite, engaging — and much needed — book. * Neil MacGregor *Compelling and thought-provoking, this book not only explores how Britain's rich and diverse heritage has been conserved (and in some cases destroyed) in the past, but offers a ray of hope for its future -- Tracy Borman[A] huge, energetic and tightly written tome on the two-and-half-century history of conservation battles in our homeland... A masterful, dynamic and extremely readable survey of one the major issues of our times. Or all times * Literary Review *It not only covers the conservation and protection of our buildings and landscapes, but also the wider cultural aspects * This England *PRAISE FOR JAMES STOURTON: 'Richly detailed, colourful and astute and it moves at a cracking pace... A resplendent biography' The Sunday Times. 'The deft weaving of architectural, social and contemporary history will reveal unexpected pleasures' Art Quarterly. 'This lavishly illustrated compendium suggests that the age of elegance endures' Mail on Sunday. 'Wonderfully learned, gossipy and instructive... The historical research is formidable... Witty, informative and endlessly fascinating' * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisWho became Britain's first Prime Minister on 3 April 1721?When was Karl Marx born?Where and when was the first battle of the Wars of the Roses?When did Big Ben first bong?When did the first British woman cast her vote? (Clue: It wasn't 1918.)Find the answers to these questions and many more in this landmark political history.From the first meeting of an elected English parliament on 20 January 1265 to the tabling of the Bill of Rights on 13 February 1689; from the Peterloo massacre of 16 August 1819 to Britain voting to leave the EU on 23 June 2016, there is a growing thirst for knowledge about the history of our constitutional settlement, our party system and how our parliamentary democracy has developed.Writing as an observer of political history, but also as someone with an opinion, acclaimed political broadcaster Iain Dale charts the main events of the last few hundred years, with one event per page, per day.'The indefatigable Iain Dale always cuts to the nub of politics.' Adam BoultonTable of Contentsi: Foreword 1: January 2: February 3: March 4: April 5: May 6: June 7: July 8: August 9: September 10: October 11: November 12: December ii: Acknowledgements iii: Index

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Book Synopsis'A compelling history of the dark arts of statecraft... Fascinating' Jonathan Rugman'Rich in anecdote and detail.' The TimesToday's world is in flux. Competition between the great powers is back on the agenda and governments around the world are turning to secret statecraft and the hidden hand to navigate these uncertain waters. From poisonings to electoral interference, subversion to cyber sabotage, states increasingly operate in the shadows, while social media has created new avenues for disinformation on a mass scale.This is covert action: perhaps the most sensitive - and controversial - of all state activity. However, for all its supposed secrecy, it has become surprisingly prominent - and it is something that has the power to affect all of us. In an enthralling and urgent narrative packed with real-world examples, Rory Cormac reveals how such activity is shaping the world and argues that understanding why and how states wield these dark arts has never been more important.Trade ReviewRich in anecdote and detail... Cormac, you can see, is an engaged teacher, the kind of lecturer who holds his students' attention with illustrative stories of derring-do and dirty tricks. They will like this book, as I do, with its relish of good yarns... A zippy read. * The TImes *A compelling history of the dark arts of statecraft - from assassination and sabotage through to disinformation, election interference and cyberattack. Rory Cormac combines the best true-life spy stories with thoughtful analysis of the perils of covert government operations. So full is it of fascinating and astutely examined examples of these murky practices that you wouldn't want his book to fall into the wrong hands. * Jonathan Rugman, author of The Killing in the Consulate *Even as major powers flaunt their military hardware and brazenly trample over borders, their struggles also continue in the shadows. Rory Cormac's raid into this confusing terrain is daring, incisive and exact, an intellectual special operation in itself. In particular, it reveals the hard choices and delicate trade-offs practitioners must consider, between secrecy, control and impact. Much that is written on this subject is overblown and vapid. Cormac's work, by contrast, is a much-needed correction. Britain needs Cormac. * Patrick Porter, author of The False Promise of Liberal Order *A dazzling journey through the subterranean world of covert action: from assassination, secret wars, cyberattacks and sabotage, to rigging elections, spreading influence, and subverting democracy. This major new book is stacked full of fascinating examples from around the world, perceptive analysis and careful warnings. A must read for anyone interested in international politics and secret statecraft. * Jamie Gaskarth, author of Secrets and Spies *An absolute must read for understanding the wide range of tools states pursue in the realm of covert statecraft. It has immense lessons for cyber operations, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and more. * Michael Poznansky, author of In the Shadow of International Law *Rory Cormac offers a delightfully incisive and much needed corrective to the opacity surrounding covert action. He shows that reality is, in fact, far more interesting than fiction... It may sound odd to say, but despite it being about some of the most underhanded behaviors a state can undertake, it is a fun book to read. It is a must read for both practitioners of the dark arts and the curious general public alike. * Diplomatic Courier *A must read for those interested in intelligence, secret warfare and the hidden hand. * Intelligence and National Security *A valuable and thought-provoking work, the most thorough treatment of the topic to date. * Studies in Intelligence *An important public service... Cormac's book has an ambitious scope, and its arguments and information are truly timeless. * International Affairs *Table of Contents1: How to assassinate your enemies 2: How to get away with murder 3: How to influence others 4: How to subvert governments and undermine democracy 5: How to rig an election 6: How to stage a coup 7: How to wage a secret war 8: How to pick your rebels 9: How to sabotage 10: How to cyberattack 11: How to wield the hidden hand

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Book SynopsisThe geology of the Thames Valley provides little good building stone, so the towns are made very largely of local brick. Reading is particularly rewarding for the brick-fancier, thanks to the variety of colours available and the inventive patterns that Victorian bricklayers loved to make. Illustrated throughout with photographs of surviving examples, Bricks and Brickwork in Reading gets back to basics with bonding, tells the 100-year story of a successful Victorian brick maker, pays homage to Alfred Waterhouse and revels in the delights of air bricks and crinkle-crankle walls. A walking tour gives the reader the opportunity to see the more notable examples of Reading's brickwork for themselves.

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Book SynopsisA rip-roaring lost worlds thriller written in the early 1900s by a pioneering black writer of black fiction. The story of Reuel is fuelled by love, betrayal and a heavy undertow of the supernatural; an impulsive medical student, he travels from Boston to Ethiopia, discovers a hidden city, ancient treasure and his own heritage. A new edition with a new introduction which considers Pauline Hopkin's development of the social and racial themes also explored by W.E.B. Du Bois. A new title in Foundations of Black Science Fiction series. FLAME TREE 451: From mystery to crime, supernatural to horror and myth, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and robots, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales, ancient and modern gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic. The Foundations titles also explore the roots of modern fiction and brings together neglected works which deserve a wider readership as part of a series of classic, essential books.

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Book SynopsisStarting with a wild taxi ride into town from Ataturk airport, Tillinghast takes his readers on a voyage of discovery through the storied city of Istanbul, known in Byzantine times as the 'Queen of Cities' and to the Ottoman Turks as the 'Abode of Felicity'. As comfortable talking about the distinctive and delicious Turkish cuisine as he is about Byzantine mosaics, dervish ceremonies, Iznik ceramics, Anatolian carpets, and the imperial mosques, Tillinghast illuminates Istanbul's great buildings with stories that bring Ottoman and Byzantine history to life and is adept at discovering both what the city remembers and what it chooses to forget. Easily overlooked mosaics in the church of Hagia Sophia yield stories of a Byzantine emperor who died playing polo while drunk and an empress with several husbands. From an obscure gravestone, the author brings to life the sacking of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade, when the Doge of Venice, though over ninety and practically blind, led the assault on the city.

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Book SynopsisThis book is an account of the people of Fife and their villages and hamlets, from medieval times to the present day. At one time or another, these habitations were the core of the country's community life, and their individual stories provide a rich source of Scotland's local and national history. Fife has seen many of the major events in Scottish history, and this book covers the places, parishes and people; their leaders, labour and leisure, and the part all strata of village society played in the vibrant country with the pretentions of a kingdom. From Kingsbarns to Saline and from Wormit to Dysart, Raymont Lamont-Brown reveals the myriad of villages, showing how they are as alive today as they ever were, still contributing to the ongoing story of Fife. In addition, he also seeks out the lost villages, the almost vanished prehistoric settlements, and shows what village names can tell us about locations, historical events and personages, and the life and industry of the people who lived in them. He also reviews the village heart of such larger places as St Andrews, Cupar, Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy.

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Book SynopsisThis revised and updated edition of Aileen Smart's best-selling book paints a fascinating picture of those villages north of the Clyde that helped forge Glasgow into one of Britain's most energetic and vibrant cities. Although now subsumed within Glasgow proper, these places nevertheless maintain a tremendous sense of pride and identity. Each has its own story to tell, its own heroes and villains, its own myths and traditions. Packed with intriguing detail and enhanced with numerous maps and photographs, Villages of Glasgow is a stimulating introduction to Glasgow and those communities that have formed its lifeblood over the centuries.

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Book SynopsisIn 1918 Lord Leverhulme bought the island of Lewis with ambitious plans to massively expand its fishing industry and increase its population. In 1923, when his plans had failed, he offered it free of charge to the islanders in two parts. One part, which included impoverished rural areas, was economically unviable. But the other, based around the busy fishing port and administrative centre of Stornoway, was a different matter. In accepting Leverhulme’s offer, the hardheaded, churchgoing business class of Stornoway took on the responsibility of making the radical slogan ‘Land for the People’ a reality. It was an unlikely coupling, but it worked to perfection. The 20th century was a tumultuous time for Lewis. Migration and depopulation were exacerbated by two world wars. Such problems could not be addressed in the lottery of private landownership, but in the stable, democratic government of the Stornoway Trust, town and country alike would weather the storms. Roger Hutchinson tells the story of those storms, and of the people who guided their pioneering estate into the relative security and prosperity of the 21st century. In doing so he paints a vivid portrait of a unique landholding experiment, of Highland land struggle and of the island of Lewis itself.

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Book SynopsisThe story of Netley in Southampton – its hospital, its people and the secret history of the 20th-century. Now with a new afterword uncovering astonishing evidence of Netley's links with Porton Down & experiments with LSD in the 1950s. It was the biggest hospital ever built. Stretching for a quarter of a mile along the banks of Southampton Water, the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley was an expression of Victorian imperialism in a million red bricks, a sprawling behemoth so vast that when the Americans took it over in World War II, GIs drove their jeeps down its corridors. Born out of the bloody mess of the Crimean War, it would see the first women serving in the military, trained by Florence Nightingale; the first vaccine for typhoid; and the first purpos- built military asylum. Here Wilfred Owen would be brought along with countless other shell-shocked victims of World War I – captured on film, their tremulous ghosts still haunted the asylum a generation later. In Spike Island, Philip Hoare has written a biography of a building. In the process he deals with his own past, and his own relationship to its history.Trade Review‘“Spike Island” has kept me company these past few days. It is an astonishing book not only for what it contains but also for its synoptic vision and for its wonderful prose style. If 10% of the population read it, the place we live in would be much improved’. W.G.Sebald ‘Philip Hoare’s deeply personal foray into the past is a tour-de-force'.’ Michael Bracewell, Independent on Sunday ‘The story of the Royal Victoria Hospital is a fascinating one, and Mr Hoare’s book extremely valuable.’ Anthony Daniels, Sunday Telegraph ‘Hoare develops a gothic theme that marries glamour with morbidity and runs throughout the work…His literary tones – ghostly, haunting, reminiscent of du Maurier – find their echo is Netley's grim history…’ Nicola McAllister, Observer

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Book SynopsisQueen Elizabeth I’s reign is amongst the most exciting and fascinating of any period of English history. She was a glamourous queen who ruled a vibrant nation full of legendary figures: Robert Dudley, Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh, the Earl of Essex were all international celebrities of their day. Great events unfolded, with triumphs such as the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and tragedies, including the long-term imprisonment and execution of Mary Queen of Scots. With love affairs, wily politicians, sinister plots and intrigues at the royal court, Elizabeth’s reign was a long-running drama; it is appropriate that William Shakespeare was writing at the time, and characters and events of his plays often mirrored Elizabethan life. But it was Queen Elizabeth who was the star of the story, holding centre stage over a glittering royal court. In this seminal Pitkin text by G.W.O. Woodward, revised and updated by Gill Knappett for 2019, read how Gloriana reigned in dazzling majesty over an exciting new age of exploration, discovery, artistic brilliance, architectural achievement, foreign conquest and prosperity. This beautifully illustrated biography is part of the Pitkin Royal Collection series, celebrating the lives of the British royal family. Other notable titles in this insightful series include Royal Babies, The Queen and Her Family and Queen Elizabeth II.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER AWARD 2016'Undoubtedly the most powerful work of crime fiction I have read this year' Independent'Vivid and harrowing' Sunday Times'Police procedural, romance, thriller The Murderer in Ruins has a bit of everything and it's one hell of a read.' BücherHamburg, 1947A ruined city occupied by the British, who bombed it, experiencing the coldest winter in living memory. Food and supplies are rationed; refugees and the homeless are crammed into concrete bunkers and ramshackle huts; trade on the black market is rife. A killer is on the loose, and all attempts to find him or her have failed. Plagued with worry about his missing son, Frank Stave is a career policeman with a tragedy in his past that is driving his determination to find the killer. With frustration and anger mounting in an already tense city, Stave is under increasing pressure to find out why - in the wake of a wave of atrocity, the grim Nazi past and the bleak attempts by his German countrymen to recreate a country from the apocalypse - someone still has the stomach for murder. The first of a trilogy, The Murderer in Ruins vividly describes a poignant moment in British-German history, with a riveting plot that culminates in a shocking denouement.Translated from ther German by Peter MillarTrade ReviewUndoubtedly the most powerful work of crime fiction I have read this year * Independent *Vivid and harrowing * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisOn 8 March, 1965, 3,500 United States Marines of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade made an amphibious landing at Da Nang on the south central coast of South Vietnam, marking the beginning of a conflict that would haunt American politics and society for many years, even after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973. For the people of North Vietnam it was just another in a long line of foreign invaders. For two thousand years they had struggled for self-determination, coming into conflict during that time with the Chinese, the Mongols, the European colonial powers, the Japanese and the French. Now it was the turn of the United States, a far-away nation reluctant to go to war but determined to prevent Vietnam from falling into Communist hands. A Short History of the Vietnam War explains how the United States became involved in its longest war, a conflict that, from the outset, many claimed it could never win. It details the escalation of American involvement from the provision of military advisors and equipment to the threatened South Vietnamese, to an all-out shooting war involving American soldiers, airmen and sailors, of whom around 58,000 would die and more than 300,000 would be wounded. Their struggle was against an indomitable enemy, able to absorb huge losses in terms of life and infrastructure. The politics of the war are examined and the decisions and ambitions of five US presidents are addressed in the light of what many have described as a defeat for American might. The book also explores the relationship of the Vietnam War to the Cold War politics of the time.

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Book SynopsisAn exceptional reference work to pilgrim and secular badges of the middle ages. This is the first major catalogue in English devoted to medieval badges. These fascinating objects provide us with a guide to the popularity of different cults and pilgrim centres, supplying evidence of the sometimes arduous journeys not only to famous and far-off sanctuaries like Compostela, but to native shrines such as that of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury, or the tombs of local, unofficial saints. Often mass-produced and sold in tens of thousands, pilgrim souvenirs offer pointers to fashion in contemporary precious jewellery. The secular badges include a wealth of non-religious imagery, playful and amatory, satirical, celebratory and heraldic. Illustrating nearly 800 items ofpopular medieval jewellery, the catalogue contained within the book describes previously unpublished finds retrieved from datable archaeological London waterfront deposits, and provides the basis of a chronological framework for future excavations. BRIAN SPENCER was the Senior Keeper at the Museum of London, with special responsibility for the Museum's collection of medieval everyday objects.Trade Review[A] valuable volume. * MEDIAEVISTIK *The need for more copies of this invaluable reference work in the wake of the success of the Portable Antiquities Scheme is evident. * MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *It is good to see that these riches - long concealed in the layers of mud beneath our capital city - have been excavated, restored and put on view. * THE ART NEWSPAPER *[reviewed together with 'The Medieval Household'] Republication of two volumes from the essential Medieval Finds from Excavations in London series, both from 1998, is very welcome. Print quality is excellent, and Boydell has hardbacked them, wise for reference books guaranteed a long life. * BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY *

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Book SynopsisAward-winning authors Scott L. Mingus Sr. and Eric J. Wittenberg are back with the second and final installment of “If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania”: The Army of Northern Virginia’s and Army of the Potomac’s March to Gettysburg. This compelling and bestselling study is the first to fully integrate the military, political, social, economic, and civilian perspectives with rank-and-file accounts from the soldiers of both armies during the inexorably march north toward their mutual destinies at Gettysburg.Gen. Robert E. Lee’s bold movement north, which began on June 3, shifted the war out of the central counties of the Old Dominion into the Shenandoah Valley, across the Potomac, and beyond. The first installment (June 3-22, 1863) carried the armies through the defining mounted clash at Battle of Brandy Station, after which Lee pushed his corps into the Shenandoah Valley and achieved the magnificent victory at Second Winchester on his way to the Potomac. Caught flat-footed, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker used his cavalry to probe the mountain gaps, triggering a series of consequential mounted actions. The current volume (June 23-30) completes the march to Gettysburg and details the actions and whereabout of each component of the armies up to the eve of the fighting.The large-scale maneuvering in late June prompted General Hooker to move his Army of the Potomac north after his opponent and eventually above the Potomac, where he loses his command to the surprised Maj. Gen. George G. Meade. Jeb Stuart begins his controversial and consequential ride that strips away the eyes and ears of the Virginia army. Throughout northern Virginia, central Maryland, and south-central Pennsylvania, civilians and soldiers alike struggle with the reality of a mobile campaign and the massive logistical needs of the armies.Untold numbers of reports, editorials, news articles, letters, and diaries describe the passage of the long martial columns, the thunderous galloping of hooves, and the looting, fighting, suffering, and dying. Mingus and Wittenberg mined hundreds of primary accounts, newspapers, and other sources to produce this powerful and gripping saga. As careful readers will quickly discern, other studies of the runup to Gettysburg gloss over most of this material. It is simply impossible to fully grasp and understand the campaign without a firm appreciation of what the armies and the civilians did during the days leading up to the fateful meeting at the small crossroads town in Adams County, Pennsylvania.

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Book SynopsisEssays on the nature, production, and presentation of art, craft, and architecture in Japan, inspired by the author’s experiences in Kyoto. Illusory Dwellings is not a guide concerning what to see in Kyoto, but a philosophical meditation on how to travel and observe in this capital of traditional Japanese art. Both intimate and scholarly, the book accompanies the reader on visits to famed gardens like Ryōan-ji, investigates the complex symbolism of the tea ceremony and the important role of the tea room, reveals the beauty of Japanese cuisine, and delves into the world of contemporary ceramics. It also provides context for the tensions and harmony between traditional and modern forms of art and craft in Kyoto and throughout Japan, and contrasts these with how they are received at home versus their treatment by Western museums in modernist contexts. Altogether this is an er

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