History Books

Book SynopsisFrance is the most-visited country in the world. It attracts millions of tourists, most of whom come in search of beautiful architecture, good food, and fine art. But appearances can be deceptive. France is not only a place of culture and glamour; it also carries the bitter memories of violence, division and broken promises.In this arresting book, Emile Chabal, a leading specialist of contemporary France, tells the story of a paradoxical country. From the calamitous defeat by Hitler's armies in 1940 to the spectacular gilets jaunes protests, he explores the contradictions that have shaped French history over the last eighty years. The picture that emerges is one of a nation struggling to reconcile its core political values with the realities of a diverse society.Listen to the author talk about the book with Roxanne Panchasi on the New Books Network PodcastTrade Review'A refreshing and tightly written introduction to France’s recent history.'Arthur Asseraf, University of Cambridge 'In this highly polished introduction to contemporary France, Chabal combines a keen eye for detail with an admirable capacity for vivid narration and analytical generalisation. His focus on France’s modern paradoxes offers a stimulating and enjoyable point of entry into the ongoing fractures of its contemporary social and political life.'Sudhir Hazareesingh, Oxford University 'This superb analysis of how France’s current struggles--over diversity, state authority, the EU, and much else--emerged from its history since 1940 will enthrall newcomers to the subject and experts alike. A major achievement.'Herrick Chapman, New York University 'Superb… upon finishing Chabal’s France one comes away feeling that few authors could have compressed more pertinent discussion into so few pages. It is a truly remarkable book.'Art Goldhammer, Tocqueville 21'Emile Chabal's text has the great benefit of clarifying and offering up new perspectives on familiar issues... [his] reading of some of the questions posed to and by the French people is particularly stimulating in the way that it highlights the gap between a republican language that saturates the public sphere, and the political and social dynamics that have repeatedly forced it to adapt.'Emmanuel Jousse, Tocqueville 21 'The reader would be hard pressed to find a better introduction and guide to contemporary France.'Mark Thompson, History: Review of New Books'The reader will finish this synthetic, concise, and theoretically rich book armed with a narrative of French history since 1940, with an excellent list for further reading, with a snapshot of current debates in French studies and, perhaps most important, with a method to explore and explain events in France’s past, present, and future.'Evan Spritzer, Modern & Contemporary France'[D]eceptively easy to read and it makes difficult concepts accessible.'Minayo Nasiali, Modern & Contemporary France '[A] remarkable feat…. For those readers with little or no knowledge of modern and contemporary France, the book will provide an earnest and critical overview; for more knowledgeable readers there is still much to be gained from examining the multiple contradictions inherent in French society.'David Lees, Modern & Contemporary France 'manages the rare feat of combining sparkling prose with in-depth and lucid analysis of French history in the eighty years since the fall of France stunned the world…'Alice L. Conklin, H-France Review 'Whose Republic? Whose citizenship? Whose France? Such questions animate this well conceived book with its elegant and perspicacious review of key debates in French culture, politics, and society. This enjoyable survey will stimulate debate for expert readers, while also enlightening student audiences, and each chapter could easily form the basis for a lively discussion seminar.'Andrew W.M. Smith, French StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Maps Chronology Introduction: A paradoxical nation 1. Defeat and resistance 2. Colonialism and anti-colonialism 3. Grandeur and decline 4. Left and right 5. The Republic and its discontents 6. Local citizens in a global state Conclusion: An uncertain future Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisDigital history is an emerging field that draws on digital technology and computational methods. A global enterprise that invites scholars worldwide to join forces, it presents exciting and novel ways we might explore, understand and represent the past. Hannu Salmi provides the most compelling introduction to digital history to date. Beginning with an examination of the origins of the digital study of history, he goes on to discuss the question of how history exists in a digitized form. He introduces basic concepts and ideas in digital history, including databases and archives, interdisciplinarity and public engagement. Outlining the problems and methods in the study of big data, both textual and visual, particular attention is paid to the born-digital era: the contemporary age that exists primarily in digital form. What is Digital History? is essential reading for students of history and other humanities fields, as well as anyone interested in how digitization and digital cultures are transforming the study of history.Trade Review‘We are all “digital historians” now, and by interrogating the origins and content of this emerging discipline, Hannu Salmi charts an intellectual landscape we must all navigate. What is Digital History? provides a sure guide and a welcome companion.’Tim Hitchcock, Director of the Sussex Humanities Lab ‘I learned a great deal from this book. I appreciate its international coverage, and especially the range of examples described. It will be especially useful for introductory history courses where faculty seek to familiarize students with the breadth of online archives, and the scholarship that has been generated from them.’Jo Guldi, Southern Methodist University

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Book SynopsisAt the heart of how history sees the French Revolution lies the enigma of the Terror. How did this archetypal revolution, founded on the principles of liberty and equality and the promotion of human rights, arrive at circumstances where it carried out the violent and terrible repression of its opponents? The guillotine, initially designed to be a ‘humane’ form of capital punishment, became a formidable instrument of political repression and left a deep imprint, not only on how we see the Revolution, but also on how France’s image has been depicted in the world. This book reconstructs the Terror in all its complexity. It shows that the popular view of a so-called ‘system of terror’ was retrospectively invented by the group of revolutionaries who overthrew Robespierre, as a way of trying to exonerate themselves from culpability. What we think of as ‘the Terror’ is best understood as an improvised and sometimes chaotic response to events, based on the urgent needs of a revolutionary government confronted by a succession of political and military crises. It was a government of ‘exception’ – a crisis government. Terror brings together a wealth of factual elements, along with recent thinking on the ideological, emotional and tactical dimensions of revolutionary politics, to throw new light on how the phenomenon of terror came to demonise the image and memory of the French Revolution. It will be essential reading for students and scholars of the French Revolution and for anyone concerned with the ways in which political conflict can descend into violence.Trade Review“This brief and compelling book confronts all the major issues posed by ‘the Terror’ of the French Revolution and lays to rest the myths and distortions created at the time and propagated ever since. It will be a continuing point of reference for anyone interested in these epochal events and their continuing resonance.”Lynn Hunt, University of California, Los Angeles“This is historical scholarship at its finest. Two of our leading historians of the Revolution dissect its most contentious, confronting period with lucidity, conceptual skill and cutting-edge knowledge. The result is a wise and illuminating rethinking of ‘the Terror’.”Peter McPhee, The University of MelbourneTable of ContentsNote on the TextAcknowledgementsForeword by Timothy TackettIntroduction: The Demons of TerrorChapter 1: The Terror – a Concept Imposed by the Thermidoreans1. How the ’system of terror’ and the black legend of Robespierre were retrospectively invented2. Developing use of the word ‘terror’ between 1789 and 17943. ‘Terror as the order of the day’: an unsaid, unofficial yet widespread order from the ConventionChapter 2: The Meaning of ‘Terror’ Before the Revolution1. Terror and Enlightenment. A problematic connection2. The concept of ‘terror’ in the Ancien Régime3. The role of terror in political theoryChapter 3: Terror in the Heart: The Weight of Fear and Emotions1. The spectre of conspiracy and treason2. The flow of emotions and fears3. The impossible combination of virtue and terrorChapter 4: The Revolution and its Opponents: Clashes and the Intensification of Repression 1. Legislation targeting refractory clergy and émigrés2. ‘The suspects’: how the net of suspicion widened3. Repression against ‘federalism’ and the emblematic case of the Lyon revolt Chapter 5: Creating Revolutionary Law: A Time of Political Exception1. From ordinary law to ‘revolutionary’ law2. ‘Revolutionary institutions and their role in repression3. The recourse to extraordinary justiceChapter 6: Terror in the Convention: Political conflict as an engine of ‘terror’1. The Convention and the clubs: from political strife to ‘purging’2. From arrests to political trials3. Death as a means to eliminate opponents in the Convention4. The elimination of factions, the apogee of ‘terror’ or the will to end it? Chapter 7: Paris and the Vendée at the heart of the ‘terror’1. Paris, capital of the sans-culotte movement2. Paris, epicentre of the ‘terror’ 3. The ‘military Vendée’, a zone of civil warChapter 8: Who Lived and Who Died? The Difficult Balance Sheets of Terror1. Working out the death toll2. Fraternal France and fratricidal FranceConclusion: How the Convention Reconstructed Itself After ThermidorChronology for the Years of the ConventionMapsSome Further ReadingNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisWe take the edible trappings of flirtation for granted: chocolate covered strawberries and romance, oysters on the half shell and desire, the eggplant emoji and a suggestive wink. But why does it feel so natural for us to link food and sexual pleasure?Rachel Hope Cleves explores the long association between indulging in good food and an appetite for naughty sex, from the development of the Parisian restaurant as a place for men to meet with prostitutes and mistresses, to the role of sexual outlaws like bohemians, new women, lesbians and gay men in creating epicurean culture in Britain and the United States.Taking readers on a gastronomic journey from Paris and London to New York, Chicago and San Francisco,Lustful Appetitesreveals how this preoccupation changed the ways we eat and the ways we are intimate-while also creating stigmas that persist well into our own twenty-first century.

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Book SynopsisIn the decades following the 9/11 attacks, complex webs of anti-terrorism laws have come into play across the world, promising to protect ordinary citizens from bombings, hijackings and other forms of mass violence. But are we really any safer? Has freedom been secured by active deployment of state power, or fatally undermined? In this groundbreaking new book, Conor Gearty unpacks the history of global anti-terrorism law, explaining not only how these regulations came about, but also the untold damage they have wrought upon freedom and human rights. Ranging from the age of colonialism to the Cold War, through the perennial crises in the Middle East to the exponential growth of terrorism discourse compressed into the first two decades of the 21st century, the coercion these laws embody is here to stay. The War on Terror' was something that colonial and neo-colonial liberal democracies had always been doingand something that is not going away. Anti-terrorism law no longer requires terrorism to survive. Wide-ranging, elegant and with a perceptive analytical sting, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the deep origins of terrorism and counter-terrorism, and how these concepts fundamentally shape the world we live in.

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Book SynopsisIn 1938 and 1939, some 10,000 children and young people fled to the UK to escape Nazi persecution. Known as the ‘Kindertransport’, this effort has long been hailed as a wartime success story – but there are uncomfortable truths at its heart. The Kindertransport was a complex visa waiver scheme, and its organizers did not necessarily act with altruism. The British government required a guarantee to indemnify itself against any expenses, and refused to admit the child refugees’ parents. The selection criteria prioritized those who were likely to make the best contribution to society, rather than the most urgent cases. And some children and young people were placed in unsuitable homes, where many arrangements irrevocably broke down. Written with striking empathy and insight, Andrea Hammel’s expert analysis casts new light on what really happened during the Kindertransport. Revelatory and impassioned, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of migration and refugees, and offers thought-provoking lessons for how we might make life easier for children fleeing conflict today.Trade Review‘Andrea Hammel’s overview of the Kindertransport is a remarkable achievement. With compassion and sensitivity, the author has managed to convey the full complexities of the scheme and has put at the forefront the experiences of these Jewish refugee children which ranged from love and understanding to economic and sexual abuse.’Tony Kushner, Parkes Institute, University of Southampton‘An impressively well researched account that is at once fascinating and deeply moving. Hammel skilfully balances compassion and insight to lay bare the detail of the Kindertransport in a remarkably detailed and nuanced way. It is sure to become a definitive text on the subject.’James Bulgin, Head of Public History, Imperial War Museums‘The Kindertransport…has always been regarded as a symbol of British generosity towards those in peril and seeking asylum. But it was all rather more complicated, as Andrea Hammel sets out to show.’The Spectator‘Andrea Hammel aims to dig deeper and remind the world that the story does not quite sparkle as brightly as some, particularly successive British governments, have wished to portray.’The Irish Times‘a model for good history writing... Hammel takes nothing for granted but examines all aspects with relentless precision. She gives us a welcome guide to critical thinking along with a compelling story.’New York Journal of BooksTable of Contents1. Myth 2. Persecution 3. Escape 4. Organisation 5. Placements 6. War 7. Death 8. Together/Apart 9. Life 10. Memory

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Book SynopsisINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick* *An Indie Next Great Read*'[A] vivid depiction of a family's heartbreak, its rending and rebuilding.' - Clare Lombardo, New York Times Book Review 'Spanning generations and continents, from pre-WWII Germany to current day midwestern America, Send For Me is a richly imagined testament to the ties that bind.' Whitney ScharerGermany 1930s. Annelise is a dreamer: imagining her future while working at her parents' popular bakery in Feldenheim, Germany, anticipating all the delicious possibilities yet to come. There are rumours that anti-Jewish sentiment is on the rise, but Annelise and her parents can't quite believe that it will affect them; they're hardly religious at all. But as Annelise falls in love, marries, and gives birth to her daughter Ruthie, the dangers grow closer: a brick thrown through her window; a childhood friend who cuts ties with her; customers refusing to patronise the bakery. Luckily Annelise and her husband are given the chance to leave for America, but they must go without her parents, whose future and safety are uncertain.Two generations later, in a small Midwestern city, Ruthie's daughter and Annelise's granddaughter, Clare, is a young woman newly in love. But when she stumbles upon her grandmother's letters from Germany, she sees the history of her family's sacrifices in a new light, and suddenly she's faced with an impossible choice: the past, or her future. A novel of dazzling emotional richness that is based on letters from Lauren Fox's own family, Send for Me is an epic and intimate exploration of mothers and daughters, duty and obligation, hope and forgiveness.Trade ReviewAn anthropological excavation... It is haunted throughout by the endlessly fascinating question of inheritance. How much of our stories - and which parts - truly belong to us?... The book is a real achievement - beautifully written, deeply felt, tender and thoughtful... The storytelling is patient, generous... The major accomplishment of Send for Me [is] its vivid depiction of a family's heartbreak, its rending and rebuilding. * Clare Lombardo, New York Times Book Review *A sense of foreboding shadows this bittersweet intergenerational tale of love and trauma... Subtle, striking, and punctuated by snippets of family letters.. Fox has imbued this deeply personal, ultimately hopeful novel, which she explains in an author's note is based on her own family's story, with emotion, empathy, and an essential understanding of the complicated bonds between generations and the importance of reckoning with the past in order to embrace the future. An intimate, insightful, intricately rendered story of intergenerational trauma and love. * Kirkus, starred *Fox deftly moves between generations as she illuminates the ways that choices echo through the lives of those who came after. This thoughtful, character-driven exploration of the unbreakable bonds of motherhood will appeal to fans of Alice Hoffman and Elizabeth Berg. * Booklist *A beautifully told story of intergenerational loves and sorrows. * Jennifer Rosner, author of The Yellow Bird Sings *Imbued with lyrical prose, Send For Me is a beautiful tale of heartbreak and renewal, and of the love and loss we carry with us, generation after generation. * Georgia Hunter, author of We Were The Lucky Ones *A rare and beautiful novel in luminous prose with great economy and precision... Fox seems to say, life is threaded with hope and joy and human connection... I loved this book. * Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train *Spanning generations and continents, from pre-WWII Germany to current day midwestern America, Send For Me is a richly imagined testament to the ties that bind... Lauren Fox's first historical novel is moving, heartfelt and filled with love. * Whitney Scharer, author of Age of Light *Fox satisfyingly brings this story of love and desire full circle, as Clare and Ruth reflect on what it means to be both a mother and a child in the darkest of times. This tender and deeply inspired story will move readers. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book Synopsis'Beautiful . . . insightful, fascinating and moving. It's a lovely LOVELY book' Marian Keyes'This book made me cry' Sara Cox After Emma Kennedy's mother Brenda passed away, she found herself floundering, unable to make sense of the mysterious, charismatic but unpredictable woman who had been her mum.And then she found Brenda's letters, forgotten for years in the attic. As Emma made her way through decades of correspondence, she started to piece together the fractured relationships and buried secrets that had left their indelible mark on Brenda. Finally, she allowed herself to ask the question she couldn't as a child: who, really, was her mother?'This honest, insightful book is a touching tribute to her complex, inimitable mother' Daily Express'Remarkable' Dawn French'A beautiful, hilarious and bittersweet book' Mel GiedroycTrade ReviewBeautiful . . . insightful, fascinating and moving. It's a lovely LOVELY book -- Marian KeyesRemarkable -- Dawn FrenchA very personal and poignant detective story -- Sue PerkinsA beautiful, hilarious and bittersweet book -- Mel GiedroycThis book made me cry -- Sara CoxAbsolutely stunning -- Emma FreudAbsolutely riveting -- Alice ArnoldThis honest, insightful book is a touching tribute to her complex, inimitable mother * Daily Express *A moving study in how to love an unreasonable person * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book Synopsis'A book of ideas [...] Strathern ably guides us through these moments of glory.' -- The Times ***Great cities are complex, chaotic and colossal. These are cities that dominate the world stage and define eras; where ideas flourish, revolutions are born and history is made.Through ten unique cities, from the founding of ancient capitals to buzzing modern megacities, Paul Strathern explores how urban centres lead civilisation forward, enjoying a moment of glory before passing on the baton.We journey back to discover Babylonian mathematics, Athenian theatre and intellectual debate, and Roman construction that has lasted millennia. We see Constantinople evolve into Istanbul, revolutionary sparks fly in Enlightenment Paris, and the railways, canals and ships that built Imperial London. In Moscow men build spaceships while other men starve, New York's skyscrapers rise up to a soundtrack of jazz, Mumbai becomes home to immense wealth and poverty, and Beijing's economic transformation leads the way.Each city has its own distinct personality, and Ten Cities that Led the World brings their rich and diverse histories to life, reminding us of the foundations we have built on and how our futures will be shaped.Trade ReviewHis command of his material is hugely impressive. * Irish Independent *

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Book Synopsis'Searing and timely' Tarana Burke, founder of the MeToo movement, and author of You Are Your Best Thing'Carefree Black Girls is the testimony I've been waiting to witness.'Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets; creator of Son of Baldwin'Standout... one you'll struggle to put down.'Bad FormINCLUDES A FOREWORD WITH CLARA AMFOIn 2013, film and culture critic Zeba Blay was one of the first people to coin the viral term #carefreeblackgirls on Twitter. As she says, it was "a way to carve out a space of celebration and freedom for Black women online."In this collection of essays, Blay expands on this initial idea by delving into the work and lasting achievements of influential Black women in Pop Culture - writers, artists, actresses, dancers, hip-hop stars - whose contributions often come in the face of bigotry, misogyny, and stereotypes. Blay celebrates the strength and fortitude of these Black women, while also examining the many stereotypes and rigid identities that have clung to them.In writing that is both luminous and sharp, expansive and intimate, Carefree Black Girls seeks a path forward to a culture and society in which Black women and their art are appreciated and celebrated.Trade ReviewBlay is a talent, mixing an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, past and present, with incisive commentary on race and gender. * Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness and Surpassing Certainty *Blay's welcome voice is candid, vulnerable and necessary. Her observations about the impact Black women have had and continue to have on pop culture are searing and timely and will have a lasting impact on how much the world sees and understands us. * Tarana Burke, founder of the MeToo movement, and author of You Are Your Best Thing *Alongside perceptive ruminations on everything from colourism to Cardi B, Blay writes with refreshing candour on topics that will resonate with Black women, the world over. Her passion and incredible knowledge on all things race, gender and pop culture-related make this book a standout and one you'll struggle to put down. * Morgan Cormack, Bad Form *Blay's idea of Black womanhood is an inclusive one, where liberation is not just possible, but doable because it has the space for all Black women?cisgender, transgender, rich, poor, old, young, local, global?magnifying the potential for unity (and success) against the forces which mean them harm. Each essay carries with it truths that feel ancestral. Carefree Black Girls is the testimony I've been waiting to witness. * Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets; creator of Son of Baldwin *"Blay's personal experiences with astute cultural analysis to explore how joy has become one of the most useful weapons in a Black woman's arsenal. * Bitch Media *

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Book SynopsisHow an elite cabal rewrote the American dream for their gain – and left the rest of world behind.Evil Geniuses is the secret history of how, over the last half century, from even before Ronald Reagan through Donald Trump, America has sharply swerved away from its dream of progress for the many to a system of unfettered profit and self-interest for the few. As the social liberation of the 1960s finally ended in the chaos of Vietnam and Watergate, a cabal of rich industrialists, business chiefs, wide-eyed libertarians and right-wing economic radicals were waiting, determined to claw back everything they saw as rightfully theirs. Largely out of sight, they rapidly built and funded a new empire of think tanks and academic institutions and professional organisations, lobbying and political groups, using them to transform politics, media, finance, the legal system and US laws to reinvent and control the political economy. A throwback to the robber barons of a century earlier, they sold the remade system to the people as a nostalgic return to traditional American values. Within a decade, America’s flourishing forward-thinking vision was incarcerated by the unchecked financial accumulation and political power of the super-rich. Now, the moneymen are running the show. In this hugely entertaining and deeply researched cultural and economic exposé, New York Times bestselling author Kurt Andersen maps the rich history of intricate networks, unlikely connections and dark truths which are controlling a nation, revealing how on earth America got to where it is now – and what it might do to win its progressive future back.Trade ReviewEssential, absorbing, infuriating, full-of-facts-you-didn't-know, saxophonely written. This is one of those situations where the book is better than the review, so you should read it... a radicalized moderate's moderate case for radical change. * Anand Giridharadas, The New York Times Book Review *Nostalgia is the antithesis of history. Anderson brilliantly exposes how nostalgia — the strategic oversimplification of our past — has erased complexity and friction from our country’s narrative to serve a single goal: to preserve the status quo for the benefit of those in power. As such, Evil Geniuses documents how history and nostalgia are engaged in a hand to hand combat that may determine our future. * Ken Burns, director of The Civil War and The Roosevelts: An Intimate History *Evil Geniuses is Kurt Andersen at his riveting best - a genuinely original exploration of the forces that have shaped today's economy and society, and what can be done to repair the damage. A route map out of the strange season of pandemic. * Matthew D'Ancona, editor and partner of Tortoise Media and author of Post-Truth *Elegantly written, full of insight, and ultimately optimistic, Evil Geniuses challenges America to do better, to be better. A wry look at what went wrong and sober thinking about what needs to happen now. If you want to know why America is where it is and how it can change, this is your book. * Justin Webb, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme *This is the one book everyone must read. . . With lucid writing and head-snapping insights, Kurt Andersen explores how the right and big business, with unabashed greed, deliberately reengineered our economy. To fix that will require understanding the roots of the problem. . . A triumph. * Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci *

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Book Synopsis'Alive with human detail and acute political judgement, this book marks the arrival of a formidably gifted historian.' – Dan Jones, author of The Plantagenets and The TemplarsIt was around half-past eight in the morning, with summer rainclouds weighing heavy in the sky, that Simon de Montfort decided to die. It was 4 August 1265 and he was about to face the royal army in the final battle of a quarrel that had raged between them for years. Outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and certain to lose, Simon chose to fight, knowing that he could not possibly win the day. The Song of Simon de Montfort is the story of this extraordinary man: heir to a great warrior, devoted husband and father, fearless crusader knight and charismatic leader. It is the story of a man whose passion for good governance was so fierce that, in 1258, frustrated by the King’s refusal to take the advice of his nobles and the increasing injustice meted out to his subjects, he marched on Henry III’s hall at Westminster and seized the reins of power. Montfort established a council to rule in the King’s name, overturning the social order in a way that would not be seen again until the rule of Oliver Cromwell in the seventeenth century. Having defeated the King at the Battle of Lewes in 1264, Montfort and his revolutionary council ruled England for some fifteen months, until the enmity between the two sides exploded on that August day in 1265. When the fighting was over, Montfort and a host of his followers had been cut down on the battlefield, in an outpouring of noble blood that marked the end of chivalry in England as it had existed since the Norman Conquest. Drawing on an abundance of sources that allow us to trace Montfort’s actions and personality in a depth not possible for earlier periods in medieval history, Sophie Thérèse Ambler tells his story with a clarity that reveals all of the excitement, chaos and human tragedy of England’s first revolution.Trade ReviewOne of the finest medieval biographies of recent years. -- Gareth Russell * The Times *This is an astonishingly assured debut by an extremely talented young historian. Exhaustively researched and beautifully written, it traces the remarkable life of a military and political giant of the medieval period who has never been more convincingly portrayed -- Saul David * Daily Telegraph *It’s hard to get into the heads of people who lived 800 years ago. This book goes further than you might think possible, by a clever use of letters, legal documents and chronicles; at times, we really can hear this man speak . . . This is a remarkable book: beautifully presented (with good maps and illustrations), finely written and based on a deep, scholarly knowledge of the sources. It’s rare to find a story and a storyteller so well matched. -- Noel Malcolm * Sunday Telegraph *Sophie Therese Ambler’s engaging new biography will enthral and horrify in equal measure … The Song of Simon de Montfort is a well-researched, elegantly written and lively portrait of a problematic figure. Sunday Times * Sunday Times *Amid the valley of dry bones, Ambler breathes life into sources that might otherwise seem arid or dull. Her narrative is expertly paced. Whenever the story threatens to sag or falter, she skips over the drier deserts of fact, moving us from the routine to the remarkable . . . From Evesham to the killing fields of the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of the Roses, Simon de Montfort's chief legacy was slaughter and woe. This is, therefore, a song more of lament than of triumph. It is a song that Sophie Therese Ambler sings supremely well. -- Nicholas Vincent * Literary Review *Riveting . . . a vivid psychological portrait of the charismatic knight through small but enlightening details of character . . . The Song of Simon de Montfort is an engaging foray from a talented historian into one of the most important but least understood eras in English history. -- Emma J. Wells * TLS *A dramatic story, told here with clarity and insight * History Revealed *Sophie Thérèse Ambler is a dazzlingly talented historian and in her debut biography offers a bold and brilliantly written reassessment of one of (British) history’s most misunderstood figures – the reformer, rebel and scourge of the Plantagenets, Simon de Montfort. Alive with human detail and acute political judgement, this book marks the arrival of a formidably gifted historian. -- Dan JonesGripping, detailed, and ingenious, The Song of Simon de Montfort is a compelling and thrilling story of England's very first revolution. With her beautiful prose, Sophie Ambler successfully crosses the gap between narrative and academic history and brings Simon de Montfort vividly to life -- Dr Estelle Paranque, author of Elizabeth I of England Through Valois EyesFor such a pivotal figure in English history, Simon de Montfort’s remarkable story is one that has been sadly neglected by mainstream history books. Ambler’s riveting volume redresses the balance brilliantly, recounting the electrifying build-up to the nation’s first revolutionary movement and the emergence of a nascent Parliament with page-turning skill. -- Dan Jones * Waterstones Top History Books of 2019 *Table of ContentsSection - i: List of Illustrations Section - ii: Maps Section - iii: Epigraph Section - iv: Prologue Introduction - v: Introduction Section - vi: A Note on Money Chapter - 1: A Way of Living, and a Way of Dying Chapter - 2: A New Kingdom Chapter - 3: Love Chapter - 4: Holy War Chapter - 5: An Exemplar of Defeat Chapter - 6: Ruler of Gascony Chapter - 7: A New Enemy Chapter - 8: The Seizure of Power Chapter - 9: The Reform of the Kingdom Chapter - 10: Rule by Conscience Chapter - 11: Betrayal Chapter - 12: Revolution Chapter - 13: Triumph Chapter - 14: Disaster Chapter - 15: Evesham Section - vii: Epilogue Section - viii: Notes Index - ix: Index

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Book SynopsisSet against the backdrop of war, revolution, and regicide, and moving from London to Venice, Mantua, Madrid, Paris and the Low Countries, Jerry Brotton’s colourful and critically acclaimed book, The Sale of the Late King's Goods, explores the formation and dispersal of King Charles I’s art collection. Following a remarkable and unprecedented Parliamentary Act for ‘The sale of the late king’s goods’, Cromwell’s republican regime sold off nearly 2,000 paintings, tapestries, statues and drawings in an attempt to settle the dead king’s enormous debts and raise money for the Commonwealth’s military forces. Brotton recreates the extraordinary circumstances of this sale, in which for the first time ordinary working people were able to handle and own works by the great masters. He also examines the abiding relationship between art and power, revealing how the current Royal Collection emerged from this turbulent period, and paints its own vivid and dramatic picture of one of the greatest lost collections in English history.Trade ReviewBrotton has taken on a cracking good story, confidently snaking through the complicated politics of seventeenth-century European art-dealership, from Venice and the Low Countries to the Escorial and back into the side-streets of turbulent London and the thousand-odd rooms of Whitehall Palace. He beds this vast mass of convoluted activity with its great cast of characters from de Critz to Van Dyck – its rivalries, frauds, enthusiasms, bankruptcies, brinkmanship and U-turns – deeply into the political, social and artistic context of the time. This is no pillow book: that Brotton maintains his authorial grip on both the grand sweep and the elaborate detail while controlling the drive of his multi-layered narrative is a superb achievement -- Kate Colquhoun * Daily Telegraph *Provocative . . . admirably researched and compellingly narrated -- Miranda Seymour * Sunday Times *Jerry Brotton, a young historian with an enviable command of the secondary literature, both historical and art-historical, and a good understanding of the way objects and works of art assume ideological significance, has told the amazing story of Charles I’s collection and its subsequent sale in full -- Charles Saumarez Smith * Literary Review *Jerry Brotton holds a magnifying glass to the amassing of the royal collection and its later dispersal . . . bustles with fascinating detail * History Today *Admirable * The Times *Colourful * Observer *Magnificent * Daily Express *

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Book Synopsis'Basu's account of how Arthur Conan Doyle set about trying to get a pardon for Edalji is in itself a fine piece of detective work.' The Times ‘Compulsive reading.’ A.N. Wilson 'Nails the nastiness of a peculiarly English scandal.' The Spectator 'A potent mix of racial injustice, Sherlockian mystery and Shrabani's signature storytelling.' Lucy Worsley In the village of Great Wyrley near Birmingham, someone is mutilating horses. Someone is also sending threatening letters to the vicarage, where the vicar, Shahpur Edalji, is a Parsi convert to Christianity and the first Indian to have a parish in England. His son George – quiet, socially awkward and the only boy at school with distinctly Indian features – grows up into a successful barrister, till he is improbably linked to and then prosecuted for the above crimes in a case that leaves many convinced that justice hasn’t been served. When he is released early, his conviction still hangs over him. Having lost faith in the police and the legal system, George Edalji turns to the one man he believes can clear his name – the one whose novels he spent his time reading in prison, the creator of the world’s greatest detective. When he writes to Arthur Conan Doyle asking him to meet, Conan Doyle agrees. From the author of Victoria and Abdul comes an eye-opening look at race and an unexpected friendship in the early days of the twentieth century, and the perils of being foreign in a country built on empire.Trade ReviewBasu's account of how Arthur Conan Doyle set about trying to get a pardon and compensation for Edalji is in itself a fine piece of detective work. * The Times *Compulsive reading. The bizarre story of Conan Doyle as detective and champion of justice has all the hallmarks of Shrabani Basu’s genius. * A.N. Wilson *It nails the nastiness of a peculiarly English scandal. * The Spectator *A potent mix of racial injustice, Sherlockian mystery and Shrabani's signature storytelling. -- Lucy WorsleyCompelling. * Prospect *

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Book SynopsisThe story of Henry Tudor's march to Bosworth and the throne of England began long before the fatal summer of 1485, with his birth in Pembroke Castle. The gigantic fortress where he spent his childhood years lay some 12 miles inland from the spot where Henry was supposed to have landed in Milford Haven when he came to challenge Richard III in August 1485. Henry's landing and progress to Bosworth Field were a gamble, but by 1485 the last of the Lancastrian princes had little option but to chance his arm'. He had worn out his welcome on the Continent and, despite his unpopularity in some quarters of English society, there was the real risk that Richard's reign might finally begin to create stability and financial success - Yorkist stability and success. A gamble, yes, but one that had to be taken if the House of Lancaster was to survive. In Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor, we hear of the many fascinating stories from Henry's march and the places he visited - a journey that took just over two weeks. It was a time of treachery and double dealing but it culminated with the establishment of the Tudor dynasty, the end of the Wars of the Roses and the beginnings of the modern world.

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Book SynopsisWhat did it mean to be a ‘rebel woman’ in the interwar years? Taking the form of a multiple biography, this book traces the struggles, passions and achievements of a set of ‘fearlessly determined’ women who stopped at nothing to make their mark in the traditionally masculine environments of mountaineering, politics, engineering and journalism. From the motorist Claudia Parsons to the ‘star’ reporter Margaret Lane, the mountaineer Dorothy Pilley and the journalist Shiela Grant Duff, the women charted in this book challenged the status quo in all walks of life, alongside writing vivid, eye-witness accounts of their adventures. Recovering their voices across a range of texts including novels, poems, journalism and diaries, Rebel women between the wars reveals their inch by inch gains won through courageous and sometimes controversial and dangerous actions.Trade Review'I loved this engaging and often thrilling glimpse of a cohort of women between the wars who defied social expectations, and lived the lives they wanted to live. Their interweaving stories of quiet subversion and bold visibility provoked me to both admiration and the irrepressible urge to keep reading bits out to people.'Lissa Evans, bestselling author of Old Baggage and Crooked Heart'A brilliant book which brings to life the incredible stories of inspirational women. Their acts of courage changed the world for good. This wonderful book is a must read for the next generation of rebels.'Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress 'Every rebel heart will be uplifted by the lives of these women; they broke with convention, rocked boats, and dared to do the unexpected. This book sends the message loudly ‘yes you can’ and should be read by everyone putting their own toe in the water, seeking courage to live out their dreams.'Baroness Helena Kennedy QC'Lonsdale’s subjects are [...] pioneering journalists who weaponize words to attack the citadels of the Establishment. This, with their energy, is what draws them together.'TLS'Engaging and pacily written'.History Today'Truly inspiring reading.'T P Fielden, Daily Express (Books of the Year 2020)'There is so much of interest in this book, from revelations of the female support networks that helped somewomen to occasional female rivalry. It will clearly be a valuable resource for anyone who wants to understand how women who wanted to defy social expectations and lead fulfilling lives in the early part of the 20th century used writing as a weapon.'Anne Sebba, British Journalism Review'Rebel women between the wars is structured around multiple biography and focuses on individuals that most people, including journalists, would accept have been ‘lost to history.’ The names Shiela Grant Duff, Margaret Lane, Rose Macauley, Leah Manning, Stella Martin, Claudia Parsons, Dorothy Pilley, Naomi Royde-Smith, Alison Settle, Edith Shackleton, and Kylie Tennant do not stir the mainstream memory of cultural history. Dr. Lonsdale’s research and writing in this valuable and significant book makes it very clear that they should.'Tim Crook, Journal of the Chartered Institute of Journalists' This interesting book explores the lives of some determined women who, between the wars in 20th-century Britain, were keen to make their mark in the masculine public sphere. Drawing on letters, diaries and published commentary, Lonsdale paints a vivid picture of the motorist Claudia Parsons, the reporter Margaret Lane, the mountaineer Dorothy Pilley and the journalist Shiela Grant Duff, among others. While personal papers have been carefully preserved for many of these figures, the journalist Edith Shackleton proves a more elusive figure because she left no diary and very few letters. Informative and absorbing, this book adds much to our knowledge of how some neglected women in the 1920s and 1930s dared to break free from social convention.'June Purvis, Times Higher Education -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: ‘The women at the gate’1 Female friendship, work and collaboration2 Alternative channels3 Parallel platforms and safe havens4 Risk-takers5 Parental influence and family networks6 Rejecting the feminine7 Formal networks8 Explosive engagement9 Hiding in plain sightConclusionIndex

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Book SynopsisMany disenchanted Kashmiris continue to demand independence or freedom from India. Written by a leading authority on Kashmir’s troubled past, this book revisits the topic of independence for the region (also known as Jammu and Kashmir, or J&K), and explores exactly why this aspiration has never been fulfilled. In a rare India-Pakistan agreement, they concur that neither J&K, nor any part of it, can be independent.Charting a complex history and intense geo-political rivalry from Maharaja Hari Singh’s leadership in the mid-1920s to the present, this book offers an essential insight into the disputes that have shaped the region. As tensions continue to rise following government-imposed COVID-19 lockdowns, Snedden asks a vital question: what might independence look like and just how realistic is this aspiration?Trade Review'Christopher Snedden’s lucidly written and well-researched book engages with the fraught question of the Kashmiri demand for independence for and over which so many have died over the decades. He traces its history, what it has meant to the various parties involved in defining, enabling and thwarting it, and is clear-eyed in presenting both the possibilities and impediments to its realization. The conclusions Snedden reaches may not please everyone but will certainly provoke thought and, in prompting debate, will ensure the question is not closed and forgotten about.'Mridu Rai, Professor of History, Presidency University, Kolkata'In a work that is bound to be fiercely debated, Snedden undertakes a challenging journey through the complexities of Kashmiri identity, the elusive concept of “azadi,” and the uncertainties surrounding the combination of the two.'Rajesh Basrur, Visiting Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and author of Rising India: Status and Power'A thought-provoking exploration of Kashmiris’ aspirations for independence (in different forms) over time, of the historic circumstances that helped to create this situation and of the one thing on which India and Pakistan agree – that it must not happen.'Gareth Price, Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House'A masterly account of the demand for independence in the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Drawing upon extensive primary sources, Christopher Snedden explains how the struggle - rooted primarily in the Kashmir valley - originated centuries ago because of the region’s unique location and cultural history, and why it remains a mirage.'Victoria Schofield, biographer, historian, author of Kashmir in Conflict, India, Pakistan and the Unending War -- .Table of ContentsGlossaryMapsIntroduction1 Decolonisation and the departure of the British from India2 Maharaja Hari Singh and his accession issue3 The significance of Kashmir and Kashmiri identity in J&K4 The rise of Kashmiri aspirations, 1924–475 Sheikh Abdullah’s pursuit of independence for ‘Kashmir’, 1946–536 Sheikh Abdullah’s pursuit of independence for ‘Kashmir’, post-19537 Kashmiris and independence since 1988Conclusion: to be independent, or not to be independent? That is the questionAppendix I: Comparison of Jammu and Kashmir with other entitiesAppendix II: Kashmir Valley Muslims in J&K and their numerical dominanceAppendix III: Border or territorial changes, actual or attempted, in South Asia since 15 August 1947NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisBrilliant, volatile and invariably male, the surgeon stereotype is a widespread and instantly recognisable part of western culture. Setting out to anatomise this stereotype, Cold, hard steel offers an exciting new history of modern and contemporary British surgery. The book draws on archival materials and original interviews with surgeons, analysing them alongside a range of fictional depictions, from the Doctor in the House novels to Mills & Boon romances and the pioneering soap opera Emergency Ward 10. Presenting a unique social, cultural and emotional history, it sheds light on the development and maintenance of the surgical stereotype and explains why it has proved so enduring. At the same time, the book explores the more candid and compassionate image of the surgeon that has begun to emerge in recent years, revealing how a series of high-profile memoirs both challenge the surgical stereotype and simultaneously confirm it.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Sir Lancelot Spratt and the myth of the modern surgeon1 Self-made myths2 Surgeons in film, fiction, and on TV screens 3 Surgical conduct and surgical communities4 Gender in surgery5 Race and ethnicity in surgery6 Surgical time7 Military myths and metaphorsConclusion: moving mythsBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAt a time of climate crisis, isolation and social breakdown, Driving with strangers is a manifesto to alter how we think about our place in the world. Veteran hitchhiker and lifelong aficionado of hitchhiking culture, Purkis journeys through the history of hitchhiking to explore the unique opportunities for cooperation, friendship, sustainability and openness that it represents.Join Purkis on the kerbside, in search of Woody Guthrie as he examines the politics of the travelling song, deep on a Russian hitch-hiking expedition, or considering the politics of travel and risk on the ‘Highway of Tears’ in British Columbia, Canada. The reader is taken on a panoramic road trip through a century of hitchhiking across different decades, countries and continents.Purkis, a self-styled ‘vagabond sociologist’, is the perfect passenger to accompany you on a journey away from isolation, social distancing, closed borders and into a better understanding of why and how strangers can enrich our lives.Trade Review'This book is an ambitious, comprehensive and fascinating celebration of the righteous pursuit of hitchhiking. I hope it inspires new hitchers and convinces uncertain readers.' Amy Liptrot, author of The Outrun'A marvelous, profound look at the art of hitchhiking: it is a journeying, questing book, opening up avenues of exploration, following curiosity-paths, creating networks of thoughts and discursive, fascinating politics. This is a book with a world within its covers: I am richer for having read it.'Jay Griffiths, writer and author of Wild: An Elemental Journey'At a time when cultivating human connection has never been more important, Driving with strangers is a wonderful tribute to the great art of hitchhiking and what it can teach us. Purkis takes us on a fascinating journey and opens up worlds of wisdom, story, and possibility. This is a captivating book that pays tribute to the remarkable power of the thumb to connect humanity.'Ruairí McKiernan, Irish Times No. 1 bestselling author of Hitching for Hope: A Journey into the Heart and Soul of Ireland 'The hope expressed in Driving with Strangers is that the continuing presence of young hitchhikers – long before middle age when most of us, including Purkis himself, appear to give it up – and others who share their general outlook means an alternative future remains possible. Though the capacity-building and political re-imagining that Purkis would like to see emerge seems almost unrealisable in these conflictual and alienating times, we should not forget the mutuality and generosity that were brought to the forefront of everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic. If that could be harnessed in a political movement, we might even find ourselves hitchhiking again.' Professor Tim Newburn, LSE Review of Books'Whether you are a scholar or a (former) hitchhiker, I reckon it will be difficult for you not to like Jonathan Purkis' book.'Patrick Laviolette, Sociology'From the emotion of the first ever "thumb out" experience and the immediate discovery of all manner of life on the road, through to the fascinating unfolding history of how hitching has ebbed and flowed through the decades. Crossing continents, political time-zones and yesteryear travel scenes, this delightful narrative continues through to today’s world of technology dominated travel environments. On the basis that travel will always be a force for good, enhanced by direct human communications, Jonathan Purkis’ commentary, observations and stories will remain travel relevant for further decades to come. A cracking read and wonderful journey.'Jono Vernon-Powell, Founder and Managing Director, Nomadic Thoughts (Worldwide Travel)'Purkis sees hitchhiking as a symbol of an alternative economic system and more sensible way of interacting between people than the doomed conditions that now prevail.'Svenska Dagbladet -- .Table of ContentsPrologue: ‘A Romantic, gallant and even brilliant adventure’1 The intention of a tradition: Definitions of hitchhiking 2 How to think like a hitchhiker: An introduction to vagabond sociology3 In search of Woody Guthrie: Singing the politics of hitchhiking4 ‘Maybe we will meet a nice person’: Hitchhiking, conflict, human nature5 The great European adventure trail: Hitchhiking as a measure of freedom6 The Alaska Highway hitchhiker’s visitor’s book: The personality of the ‘extreme hitchhiker’7 The power of the gift without return: Hitchhiking as economic allegory8 The myth of the great decline: Hitchhiking and the increasing levels of trust in the world9 Climatic dangers: Hitchhiking and the relative realities of risk10 Good news from Vilnius: The rich life of hitchhiking in former communist countries11 A prescription for hitchhiking? Travel and talk in the age of pandemics and extinctionAfterword: The bookcase at the end of the roadAcknowledgments: A hitchhiker’s guide to the journeyNotesBibliography

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Book SynopsisIn the late 1990s, Manchester was a city in upheaval. The devastation of the IRA bomb and the closure of the notorious Haçienda nightclub were seismic events that rocked the city’s confidence at a time when identikit bands were flooding its clubs and bars, fuelled on anthemic guitar rock and swagger. Stereotypes were everywhere, while the spirit of Manchester was silently suffocating.Mancunians: Where do we start, where do I begin? is the story of those who didn’t fit the typecast: the musicians of colour, the football fans alienated by rampant commercialism, frustrated public figures, optimistic developers and ambitious artists.Through a mixture of memoir and interviews with well-known Mancunians such as Guy Garvey, Tunde Babalola, Sylvia Tella, Badly Drawn Boy and Stan Chow, David Scott portrays the city at the turn of the century in a way never seen before.Trade Review‘Witty and wise... Mancunians is everything a book about Mancunians should be.’Daniel Harris, The Guardian‘Here is someone who is fiercely "Mancunian", with an understanding of the city’s recent past, but not bogged down by the baggage and beholden to it... Highly recommended.'Iain Key, Louder Than War‘A great read from one of Manchester’s finest wordsmiths.’Clint Boon‘An honest love letter to the city.’Christine Bottomley‘A touching and brilliant balance of the personal and the popular, from a time when there was so much change in the city.’Mr Scruff -- .Table of ContentsPreface: A view from the Low1 'Manchester was miserable' / 15 June 19962 'The city that lets down its pupils' / Youth3 'It’s the world of the drama series The Wire' / Crime4 'He’s going to have sex with that girl on stage!' / Nightlife5 'A different success for Manchester' / Music6 'Did horse semen lead to their downfall?' / Football7 'And Tony Wilson didn’t even say it!' / Media8 'Proper Manc' / Identity9 (There is no) ConclusionIndex

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Book SynopsisA household name throughout India, B. R. Ambedkar is one of the country’s most important figures, second only to Mahatma Gandhi. He played a major role in drafting the constitution for a newly independent India and led the fight against caste-based discrimination.Ambedkar was born into a Dalit caste (the so-called ‘untouchables’), but his academic brilliance saw him study at Columbia University and London School of Economics. As a politician, he fought to overturn centuries of discrimination and promoted liberal constitutionalism in a traditionally illiberal society. He did more than anyone to articulate a cogent and enduring case for the principles of democracy in a country emerging from imperial rule.This book is also a reminder of how far the practice of politics has strayed from the high standards Ambedkar set – of intellectual distinction, policy positions animated by serious scholarship, the infusion of moral values and the upholding of democracy for the many, not just the privileged few.Trade Review'During his lifetime, as well as after his death, Ambedkar remains a controversial figure, highly admired, almost deified by some, and attacked by others. A judiciously balanced view of him has been eluding Indians, partly because the cause for which he fought continues to do so. Shashi Tharoor’s book marks a welcome departure. Well researched, beautifully written, and skilfully argued, it traces the development of Ambedkar’s thought and explains why he remains a powerful presence in India’s political and cultural life. I strongly recommend it and hope it will generate a much needed public debate on the man and his legacy.'Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh'Shashi Tharoor's B.R. Ambedkar is no ordinary biography. It is the first major book to evaluate not only Ambedkar's life, but also to delve deeply into his enduring legacy -- to follow Ambedkar not only through his own times, but to place him firmly into our own. That already is a remarkable achievement. The fact that this is done by one statesman looking at another makes it all the more remarkable.'Aakash Singh Rathore, author of Becoming Babasaheb: The Life and Times of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar -- .Table of ContentsPrefacePart I: Life1 Laying the foundations 2 Mounting the podium 3 Scaling the peaks4 View from the mountaintop 5 Triumph and disillusion Part II: Legacy6 A life well-lived Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisConstantius is an important, but almost forgotten, figure. He came to the fore in or around 410 when he was appointed Magister Militum (Master of Troops) to Honorius, the young Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. His predecessor, Stilicho, had been murdered by his own troops and much of Gaul and Hispania had been overrun by barbarians or usurpers. One by one Constantius eliminated the usurpers and defeated or came to terms with the various invading groups. Most notoriously, he allowed the Visigoths to settle in Gaul in return for their help in defeating the Vandals and Alans who had seized parts of Hispania, a decision with far-reaching consequences. Constantius married Honorius' sister and was eventually proclaimed his co-emperor. However, the Eastern Roman Emperor, Honorius' nephew, refused to accept his appointment and Constantius was preparing a military expedition to enforce this recognition when he died suddenly, having been emperor for just seven months. Ian Hughes considers his career, assessing his actions in the context of the difficult situation he inherited.

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Book SynopsisTracing Your Potteries Ancestors introduces readers to the wealth of information available to those wishing to trace their North Staffordshire roots. Michael Sharpe gives a fascinating insight into the history of this part of the Midlands which was for so long dominated by the pottery industry. The six pottery towns Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton are at the heart of the story. His handbook is an essential guide for anyone researching the life of an individual or family connected with the area, bringing together all the relevant local and national archives for the first time. In a series of short information-packed chapters it describes the lives and experiences of ordinary people in this most extraordinary of landscapes. It charts the transition of the Six Towns from scattered farming communities to a thriving industrial conurbation. The living conditions of the urban poor, health and welfare, the influence of religion and migration, education, leisure pursuits, and the traumatic experience of war are all explored, and the many different archives and sources that are open to family history researchers are explained.

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive and fascinating guide from genealogist and historian Celia Heritage will be an invaluable tool for all family and local historians wanting to track down documentary sources relating to people buried over the centuries. A wide-ranging examination of historical and archaeological findings means that the book will also appeal to anyone with an interest in death and burial. Celia throws light on changing social attitudes to death and burial from pre-historic times to the modern day, investigates the origins and evolution of cemeteries and graveyards, and discusses the many different types of graves and memorials. She details a wide range of online and offline sources that will help locate burials and memorials, while also offering vital advice regarding good research practice and what to do if you struggle to find a burial for a particular person. One chapter takes an in-depth look at the origins of the parish churchyard, while another looks at graveyards associated with nonconformist churches and institutions, including workhouses, asylums, hospitals and gaols. There is plenty of detail about less well-known genealogy sources such as undertakers' and stonemasons' records, together with better known sources such as burial registers and memorial inscriptions. Celia opens up a world in which the meaning of symbols used on gravestones becomes clear and she takes us below ground to investigate the different types of burial spaces in which our ancestors were laid to rest. She also explains why so many gravemarkers no longer survive - not just through weathering. Throughout, there is a wide range of hands-on case studies which bring the subject to life and put it right into the hands of the researcher. This is far more than just genealogy, and Celia portrays this fascinating subject from the view of both historian and archaeologist.

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Book SynopsisDeep in the heart of North Yorkshire, at a place called Walkington Wold, there lies a rather unusual burial ground, an Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery. Twelve skeletons were unearthed by archaeologists, ten without skulls, later examination of the skeletons revealed that their owners were all subjected to judicial execution by decapitation, one of which required several blows. Similar fates have befallen other wretched souls, the undignified burial of suicides - in the Middle Ages, the most profound of sins - and the desecration of their bodies, go largely unrecorded. Whilst plague pits, vast cemeteries where victims of the Black Death were tossed into the ground, their bodies festering one on top of another, are only today betraying their secrets. Although unpalatable to some, these burial grounds are an important part of our social heritage. They have been fashioned as much by the people who founded and used them, as by the buildings, gravestones and other features which they contain. They are records of social change; the symbols engraved upon individual memorials convey a sense of inherent belief systems, as they were constructed, adapted or abandoned depending on people's needs. Symbols of Mortality explores how these attitudes, practices and beliefs about death have undergone continual change. By studying the development of society's funerary spaces, the author will reveal how we continue to reinforce our relationships with the dead, in a constant and on-going effort to maintain a bond with them.

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Book SynopsisWhen the world held its breath It is more than 25 years since the end of the Cold War. It began over 75 years ago, in 1944 long before the last shots of the Second World War had echoed across the wastelands of Eastern Europe with the brutal Greek Civil War. The battle lines are no longer drawn, but they linger on, unwittingly or not, in conflict zones such as Syria, Somalia and Ukraine. In an era of mass-produced AK-47s and ICBMs, one such flashpoint was the Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was the closest the world has yet come to nuclear war, a time when the hands of the Doomsday Clock really did inch towards the witching hour of midnight. By placing nuclear missiles on the Caribbean island of Cuba where, potentially, they were able to threaten the eastern seaboard of the USA, Nikita Khrushchev and the Soviet Union escalated the Cold War to a level that everyone feared but had never previously thought possible. In a desperate and dangerous game of brinkmanship, for thirteen nerve-wracking days Premier Khrushchev and President Kennedy held the fate of the world in their hands. Kennedy, in particular, wrestled with a range of options allow the missiles to stay, launch an air strike on the sites or invade Cuba. In the end, he did none of these but the solution to one of the deadliest dilemmas of the twentieth century proved to be a brave and dramatic moment in human history.

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Book SynopsisThe figure of Sejanus has fascinated from ancient to more modern times. Sejanus, the emperor Tiberius' infamous Praetorian Prefect, is synonymous with over-reaching ambition, murder, conspiracy and betrayal. According to the traditional storyline, this man craved the imperial throne for himself and sought it by isolating the naive emperor in his island pleasure palace on Capri whilst using his control over the Praetorian Guard, coupled with his immense power and influence in Rome, to purge the capital of potential opponents. His victims supposedly included the emperor's son, Drusus, poisoned by his own wife who had been seduced by Sejanus. The emperor, forewarned of Sejanus' ambition, struck first. The Prefect was arrested in the Senate, strangled and his corpse cast down the Gemonian Stairs. Study of Sejanus has generally been overshadowed by focus on Tiberius. John McHugh makes a fresh appraisal of the sources to offer the first full-length study in English to focus on this highly influential figure and his development of the Praetorian Prefecture.

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Book SynopsisAt midnight on 5th July 1948, the National Health Service was born with the founding principal to be free at the point of use and based on clinical need rather than on a person's ability to pay. Seventy years since its formation, these core principals still hold true, although the world we now live in is a very different place to the post war era in which it was formed, and the long term sustainability of the service in its current form is questionable. This book traces the history of our health service, from Victorian healthcare in the early 20th century, through a timeline of change to the current day, comparing the problems and illnesses of 1948 to those we face seventy years later. Politics, funding, and healthcare systems around the world are demystified and we present case studies, views and snapshots from history from people who have experienced our changing NHS.

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Book SynopsisAt the height of the savage and bitter Indian Mutiny, the British garrison at Cawnpore found itself surrounded in June 1857\. Through a lack of resources, its commander, Major General Wheeler, agreed to surrender the city providing all the British inhabitants were granted free passage out of Cawnpore. But, just as the men women and children were about to embark on the boats that would take them to safety, the Mutineers attacked. All the British troops were killed, as were some of the women and children, with others being wounded. Those who survived, approximately 200 in number, were moved to a small villa called Bibighar. Held in awful conditions, many subsequently died from cholera and dysentery. When the rebel leader, Nana Sahib, learned that a large British force was approaching to relieve the captives, he ordered all the women and children to be killed. Though some of the sepoys refused to act, others began to hack about them with swords and cleavers. In the orgy of horror that followed, women were raped and mutilated, children stripped and murdered. In a bid to conceal the atrocity from the revengeful British troops, the corpses were thrown into a deep well. Just four of the original 200 people captured at Cawnpore lived to tell the gruesome tale by hiding under the bodies of the dead. Over many years James Bancroft has collected information on the victims and has interviewed some of the descendants. This has enabled him to examine the events at Cawnpore in 1857 through the lives of those who died and survived the atrocity, throwing new light on this very dark tale. The book is completed with photographs of the sites in India taken by one the families of the victims.

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Book SynopsisThe origin of the names of many English towns, hamlets and villages date as far back as Saxon times, when kings like Alfred the Great established fortified borough towns to defend against the Danes. A number of settlements were established and named by French Normans following the Conquest. Many are even older and are derived from Roman placenames. Some hark back to the Vikings who invaded our shores and established settlements in the eighth and ninth centuries. Most began as simple descriptions of the location; some identified its founder, marked territorial limits, or gave tribal people a sense of their place in the grand scheme of things. Whatever their derivation, placenames are inextricably bound up in our history and they tell us a great deal about the place where we live.

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Book SynopsisOxfordshire has a proud history as an agricultural county, relying for centuries on the wool trade for its prosperity. It is also famous for the founding of Oxford University in the eleventh century and for the Morris Motors car factory established in Oxford in 1912\. The county is richly endowed with churches, museums, stately homes, industrial heritage sites and other places of interest, all offering a fascinating insight into its past and its present. In this informative and practical guide, Nicola Lisle explores Oxfordshire's diverse history, including its industries and occupations, education, religion, transport, law and order, health services, migration and immigration, leisure pursuits and the impact of both world wars. Each chapter includes details of relevant archives, libraries, online resources, further reading and places to visit, together with case studies and research tips. This is an essential handbook for anyone with an interest in Oxfordshire local and family history, and is suitable both for beginners and for more experienced researchers.

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Book SynopsisFor a long time, the Norman Conquest has been viewed as a turning point in English history; an event which transformed English identity, sovereignty, kingship, and culture. The years between 1066 and 1086 saw the largest transfer of property ever seen in English History, comparable in scale, if not greater, than the revolutions in France in 1789 and Russia in 1917. This transfer and the means to achieve it had a profound effect upon the English and Welsh landscape, an impact that is clearly visible almost 1,000 years afterwards. Although there have been numerous books examining different aspects of the British landscape, this is the first to look specifically at the way in which the Normans shaped our towns and countryside. The castles, abbeys, churches and cathedrals built in the new Norman Romanesque style after 1066 represent the most obvious legacy of what was effectively a colonial take-over of England. Such phenomena furnished a broader landscape that was fashioned to intimidate and demonstrate the Norman dominance of towns and villages. The devastation that followed the Conquest, characterised by the Harrying of the North', had a long-term impact in the form of new planned settlements and agriculture. The imposition of Forest Laws, restricting hunting to the Norman king and the establishment of a military landscape in areas such as the Welsh Marches, had a similar impact on the countryside.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a whistle-stop guide to the history of spinning and weaving. The story begins in prehistory when people first wove yarns to create clothing and blankets. The book explores the ways in which spinning and weaving has continued to be important throughout human history (or should that be herstory), in artistic, economic and functional terms. The second part of the book brings us up to date, via interviews with modern day spinning and weaving artisans. These textiles artists generously allowed the author a window into their studios and discussed the way they use and adapt traditional methods, techniques and tools for the twenty first century. Photos of their work, and their working environment offers a unique view into the world of this ancient craft. Finally, if you are inspired to try your hand at this fascinating and most ancient of crafts, the book also has a resources section. It includes a valuable list of suppliers of fibre, dyes, tools and yarn, as well as information about training courses, useful websites and more - everything you need to get started.

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Book SynopsisThere is no doubt that Rome developed one of the most efficient and successful military systems of the ancient world. The famous legions conquered from the Atlantic to the Euphrates, from the Scottish Highlands to the sands of the Sahara, defeating all manner of enemies. Although their victories were many, they were never invincible and did suffer significant defeats. Ian Hughes looks at thirteen such occasions, narrating the course of the fighting (in as much detail as the sources allow), describing the forces involved, the strategy and tactics employed and the reasons for the Roman defeat. The chosen battles span the centuries, from the disastrous battle against invading Celts at the Allia River in (387 or 386 BC) to the naval defeat by the Vandals off Cap Bon in AD 468\. They are selected either for the magnitude of the tactical defeat or the political and strategic significance of the outcome. Apart from the inherent interest in the individual battles, this study offers a survey of the development of the Roman forces evolving to survive.

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Book SynopsisCrammed into cattle trucks and deported to camps, shot and buried in mass graves, or force-marched to death, over 1.5 million Armenians were murdered by the Turkish state, twenty years before the start of Hitler's Holocaust. The United States' government called it a crime against humanity and Turkey was condemned by Russia, France and Great Britain. But two decades later the genocide had been conveniently forgotten. Hitler justified his Polish death squads by asking in 1939: 'Who after all is today speaking about the destruction of the Armenians?' Armenian Genocide is a new, gripping account that tells the story of the 'Megh Yeghern' - the Great Crime - against the Armenians through the stories of the men and women who died, the few who survived, and the diplomats who tried to intervene.

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Book SynopsisOne of the great tragedies of Africa is not only the fact that a million people-mostly civilians and a large proportion of them children-died in one of Africa's first post-independence wars, but that until it happened the world thought Nigeria was immune from the wasting disease of tribalism. It certainly was not because the Biafran War is still the most expansive tribal conflagration that the continent has experienced-barring perhaps the ongoing Great Lakes conflict-involving the forces of East and West, only this time, with the British siding with the Soviets. Worse, some of the religious differences that emerged before and after that dreadful carnage are still with us today. During the course of hostilities that lasted almost four years, a lot of other shortcomings surfaced in Africa's most populous nation, including the kind of corruption that, until then, had always been linked to countries rich in oil. Disunity, incompetence and instability-from which Nigeria never really recovered-also emerged. Two bloody army coups followed after the rebels capitulated, together with an appalling series of massacres, mostly of southern Christians by Muslim northerners. Half a century later the slaughter continues.

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Book SynopsisHenry VIII is one of history's most memorable monarchs. Popularly known for his six wives, and the unfortunate fate which befell Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, Henry initiated many reforms and changes which still affect our lives today. The annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon set in motion the separation of the English church from Rome and the establishment of the Church of England, which in turn led to the dissolution of the monasteries, the hauntingly evocative remains of which can be seen across the United Kingdom. Henry also oversaw the legal union between England and Wales, and he is also known as the father of the Royal Navy', with one of his great warships, the Mary Rose, lost in 1545 and recovered in 1982, becoming one of the most famous wrecks in maritime history. In addition to the monasteries, other buildings around the UK continue to remind us of the times of the Tudors - there is the site of Greenwich Palace at the Royal Naval College Greenwich, where Henry was born; his great palace at Hampton Court; Lambeth Palace where Thomas More refused to sign the oath to make Henry the Head of the Church, and the Bell Tower in the Tower of London where More was imprisoned before he was beheaded. Henry's breach with the Pope led to the threat of war with Catholic France and Spain, which prompted Henry to construct a series of powerful forts around the English and Welsh coasts. These elegant and symmetrical defensive structures are still awe-inspiring. In this engaging and hugely informative book, the author takes us on a journey across the country, from Deal Castle on the south coast, to Tower Green where Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard lost their heads, and far north to Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire. Along the way we see places where Henry stayed, where the Mary Rose was recovered, the homes of his consorts and Smithfield where prominent individuals convicted of heresy were burned at the stake. Travel, then, not just across the country, but also back in time through 100 objects from the days of the second Tudor monarch - Henry VIII.

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Book SynopsisEliza de Feuillide seemed fascinating and outlandish to her cousins in rural eighteen century England. When she visited their village, her appearance was electrifying. She was an attractive, accomplished French countess with a vivacious personality who inspired their imaginations and regaled them with stories of life in London and Paris where she hobnobbed with French nobility and wore the latest fashions. One of these impressionable younger cousins would find Eliza's stories so fascinating that she would incorporate elements of Eliza's life into some of the most famous novels in English literature. This cousin was Jane Austen. Yet Eliza's life was not as glamorous as Jane or her Austen cousins might have thought. She faced many tragedies in her life that wealth and social class could not protect her against. She was also forced to adapt and re-examine her priorities in a way that would dramatically change her life choices and result in a more sedate lifestyle. Read about the perseverance and courage of the real person behind several fictional characters in Jane Austen's writings and novels and the deeper connection Eliza had to the Austen family.

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Book SynopsisWhen William the Conqueror died in 1087 he left the throne of England to William Rufus his second son. The result was an immediate war as Rufus's elder brother Robert fought to gain the crown he saw as rightfully his; this conflict marked the start of 400 years of bloody disputes as the English monarchy's line of hereditary succession was bent, twisted and finally broken when the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, fell at Bosworth in 1485. The Anglo-Norman and Plantagenet dynasties were renowned for their internecine strife, and in Lost Heirs we will unearth the hidden stories of fratricidal brothers, usurping cousins and murderous uncles; the many kings - and the occasional queen - who should have been but never were. History is written by the winners, but every game of thrones has its losers too, and their fascinating stories bring richness and depth to what is a colourful period of history. King John would not have gained the crown had he not murdered his young nephew, who was in line to become England's first King Arthur; Henry V would never have been at Agincourt had his father not seized the throne by usurping and killing his cousin; and as the rival houses of York and Lancaster fought bloodily over the crown during the Wars of the Roses, life suddenly became very dangerous indeed for a young boy named Edmund.

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Book SynopsisThough pressed many times to write about his battles and campaigns, the Duke of Wellington always replied that people should refer to his published despatches, and he refused to add further to his official correspondence, famously remarking that: The history of a battle, is not unlike the history of a ball. Some individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great result is the battle won or lost, but no individual can recollect the order in which, or the exact moment at which, they occurred, which makes all the difference as to their value or importance.' Yet Wellington did, in effect, write a history of the Peninsular War in the form of four lengthy memoranda, summarising the conduct of the war in 1809, 1810 and 1811 respectively. These lengthy accounts demonstrate Wellington's unmatched appreciation of the nature of the war in Spain and Portugal, and relate to the operations of the French and Spanish forces as well as the Anglo-Portuguese army under his command. Unlike personal diaries or journals written by individual soldiers, with their inevitably limited knowledge, Wellington was in an unparalleled position to provide a comprehensive overview of the war. Equally, the memoranda were written as the war unfolded, not tainted with the knowledge of hindsight, providing a unique contemporaneous commentary. Brought together by renowned historian Stuart Reid with reports and key despatches from the other years of the campaign, the result is the story of the Peninsular War told through the writings of the man who knew and understood the conflict in Iberia better than any other. These memoranda and despatches have never been published before in a single connected narrative. Therefore, Wellington's History of the Peninsular War 1808-1814 offers a uniquely accessible perspective on the conflict in the own words of Britain's greatest general.

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Book SynopsisDebtors' prisons are infamous but very little has been written about the records of those confined within them in London or elsewhere in the country. Even less has been written about the trials of those who were often incarcerated following misfortune or mismanagement rather than criminal intent. That is why Paul Blake's handbook will be so useful for researchers who want to find out about forebears who may have been caught up in the insolvency system. In a series of information-filled chapters he covers the historical background to the handling of debt and debtors, and bankruptcy and bankrupts. In addition he describes the courts and procedures faced by both creditors and debtors, and the prisons where so many debtors were confined. Throughout the book details are given of the records that researchers can turn to in order to explore the subject for themselves. Many are held at The National Archives, but others are to be found at local record offices around the country. Paul Blake's book will be appreciated by local, social and family historians, as well as those with an interest in debtor crime and punishment, and bankrupts in general.

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Book Synopsis"Seeking Sanctuary" explores the history of people looking for refuge in this country. It starts with those protestant refugees fleeing oppression and persecution from Catholic Spain who ruled the Netherlands in the 16th century. It traces successive waves of peoples in the context of why they fled. At various times this was due to religious persecution, political upheaval, war and ethnic cleansing.

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Book SynopsisPharaoh Seti I ruled Egypt for only 11 years (1290-1279 BC), but his reign marked a revival of Egyptian military and economic power, as well as cultural and religious life. Seti was born the son of a military officer in northern Egypt, far from the halls of power in Memphis and Thebes. However, when the last king of the 18th Dynasty, Horemheb, died without an heir, Seti's father was named king. He ruled for only two years before dying of old age, leaving Seti in charge of an ailing superpower. Seti set about rebuilding Egypt after a century of dynastic struggles and religious unrest. He reasserted Egypt's might with a series of campaigns across the Levant, Libya and Nubia. He despatched expeditions to mine for copper, gold, and quarry for stone in the deserts, laying the foundations for one of the most ambitious building projects of any Egyptian Pharaoh and his actions allowed his son, Ramesses the Great to rule in relative peace and stability for 69 years, building on the legacy of his father.

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Book SynopsisWelcome to What's Tha up to Next?, the fifth volume of Martyn Johnson's acclaimed series of stories about policing during the 1960s and 1970s. Whether 'on the beat' or 'as CID', once again Martyn enthrals, surprises and shocks his readers with tales set in an almost forgotten era: a veritable Lost World of people, places and phrases in his beloved Sheffield. Steven Spielberg please note. This book will focus on Martyn's final years as a beat bobby, with more unbelievable true life tales told with Martyn's wicked sense of humour and candour. As usual, Martyn's down-to-earth honesty and humour shines through the pages; but he never loses sight of the human condition in all its forms: good, bad, sad and happy.

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Book SynopsisFrom Henri Fabre's first successful take off from water and landing near Marseilles, to the introduction of a hull rather than floats by American Glenn Curtiss, to the world-wide development of huge, ocean-crossing flying boats on both sides of the Atlantic - the passenger flying boat era continues to fascinate aviation enthusiasts and historians alike. Wartime necessity for paved runways to support long-range, high flying land-planes and the faster movement of airmail, overcame in peacetime the unique ability enjoyed by such craft to economically utilise the natural waterways of the world, thus depriving passengers of the ability to enjoy the panorama unfolding below in luxurious accommodation and ease. A sadly missed epoch of flight: though related in clear and vivid detail by Leslie Dawson in his account of a pre-war Imperial Airways flight from Southampton to South Africa. This extended pictorial edition of the author's previous book Fabulous Flying Boats, A History Of The World's Passenger Flying Boats provides a fast-moving journey from the first pioneers to the very last use of such craft in regions still reliant on waterborne communication with the outside world. From the Americas and the United Kingdom, to France, Germany and Italy, and on to Australia and New Zealand. Supported by world-wide private, public and corporate images, the work boasts a comprehensive and well-researched Appendix.

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