History Books

Book Synopsis‘Taylor has done us a great service in making the personal stories of what it was actually like to live through the most crucial year of the twentieth century vivid, compelling and salutary.’ - Roland Philipps, author of A Spy Named Orphan: The Enigma of Donald MacleanIn the autumn of 1938, Europe believed in the promise of peace. Still reeling from the ravages of the Great War, its people were desperate to rebuild their lives in a newly safe and stable era. But only a year later, the fateful decisions of just a few men had again led Europe to war, a war that would have a profound and lasting impact on millions.Bestselling historian Frederick Taylor focuses on the day-to-day experiences of British and German people trapped in this disastrous chain of events and not, as is so often the case, the elite. Drawn from original sources, their voices, concerns and experiences reveal a marked disconnect between government and people; few ordinary citizens in either country wanted war.1939: A People’s History is not only a vivid account of that turbulent year but also an interrogation of our capacity to go to war again. In many ways it serves as a warning; an opportunity for us to learn from our history and a reminder that we must never take peace for granted.Trade ReviewA fascinating and well-written book about how two nations embraced the prospect of war. By examining a turbulent year from the ground up, Taylor has inadvertently exposed crucial differences in national characteristics. -- Gerard De Groot * The Times *Taylor has done us a great service in making the personal stories of what it was actually like to live through the most crucial year of the twentieth century vivid, compelling and salutary -- Roland PhilippsWell-researched and intriguing -- Tim Bouverie * Daily Telegraph *A sinister and thrilling picture of how the year 1939 developed into war * Who Do You Think You Are Magazine *Taylor . . . does an excellent job of telling the story of the Coventry raid . . . Taylor's thorough, authoritative account elegantly explains the horrors of that night, as well as the wider story of the raid's significance in the air war's collective descent into barbarism. -- Review of Coventry * Financial Times *Riveting . . . vivid . . . Taylor's account of flame and ruin in the Midlands in November 1940, superbly researched, shows how terror could come to anyone, anywhere, any time. It still can. -- Review of Coventry * Spectator *Taylor weaves a chilling narrative from eyewitness accounts and documentary research . . . His account of the air operation . . . is quite superb. -- Review of Dresden * The Times *This scholarly, objective, sane and well-written book . . . a tremendously powerful work, profoundly moving in the accounts of the ordinary German families who met their deaths that dreadful night. -- Review of Dresden * Evening Standard *Table of ContentsSection - i: List of Illustrations Section - ii: Maps Introduction - iii: Introduction Chapter - 1: September 1938: ‘So, No War!’ Chapter - 2: October 1938: ‘More Popular than Hitler’ Chapter - 3: November 1938: ‘We Are Being Hunted Like Hares’ Chapter - 4: Winter 1938/1939: ‘Does Conscription Mean That the Men Will Have to Go Away?’ Chapter - 5: Spring 1939: ‘It’s Hitler Again: But Don’t Worry!’ Chapter - 6: April/May 1939: ‘We All Love Him Very, Very Much’ Chapter - 7: June/July 1939: ‘Fine, Fine, Fine. Blue and Sunshine Everywhere’ Chapter - 8: 1–22 August 1939: ‘To Die for Danzig?’ Chapter - 9: 23–31 August 1939: ‘Grandmother is Dead’ Chapter - 10: 1–3 September 1939: ‘So the Madness Unfolds’ Acknowledgements - iv: Acknowledgements Section - v: Notes Section - vi: Sources Index - vii: Index

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Book SynopsisA Times Literary Supplement Book of the YearA riveting account of a forgotten holocaust: the slaughter of over one hundred thousand Ukrainian Jews in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. In the Midst of Civilized Europe repositions the pogroms as a defining moment of the twentieth century.‘Exhaustive, clearly written, deeply researched’ - The Times‘A meticulous, original and deeply affecting historical account’ - Philippe Sands, author of East West StreetBetween 1918 and 1921, over a hundred thousand Jews were murdered in Ukraine by peasants, townsmen, and soldiers who blamed the Jews for the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. In hundreds of separate incidents, ordinary people robbed their Jewish neighbours with impunity, burned down their houses, ripped apart their Torah scrolls, sexually assaulted them, and killed them. Largely forgotten today, these pogroms – ethnic riots – dominated headlines and international affairs in their time. Aid workers warned that six million Jews were in danger of complete extermination. Twenty years later, these dire predictions would come true.Drawing upon long-neglected archival materials, including thousands of newly discovered witness testimonies, trial records, and official orders, acclaimed historian Jeffrey Veidlinger shows for the first time how this wave of genocidal violence created the conditions for the Holocaust. Through stories of survivors, perpetrators, aid workers, and governmental officials, he explains how so many different groups of people came to the same conclusion: that killing Jews was an acceptable response to their various problems.Trade ReviewVeidlinger’s book ranks alongside Timothy Snyder’s Bloodlands in forcing our eyes eastwards. It is deeply researched and masterfully written, with a cool restraint that only intensifies its power. It reminded me of Faulkner’s line that “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.” -- Patrick Bishop * The Sunday Telegraph *[An] exhaustive, clearly written, deeply researched story of events in a time and place most of us know nearly nothing about - the pogroms of 1918-21 in Ukraine and Poland . . . [an] imortant and scholalry book. -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *We now know much more about the pogroms of 1918–21 because of Veidlinger’s painstaking research . . . he has succeeded in shining a bright scholarly light on a much less well-known attempt to exterminate European Jews two decades before the Holocaust. In its thoroughness and controlled passion, In the Midst of Civilized Europe is descriptive history at its best. -- David N Myers * Literary Review *Superbly researched . . . Jeffrey Veidlinger askes big historical questions that will change our understanding of the relation between pogroms immediately after the First World War and the Holocaust, barely twenty years later. -- David Herman * TLS *Revelatory . . . Veidlinger’s crisp prose and extensive research makes the scale of the tragedy immediate and devastating. This is a vital addition to understanding how the Holocaust happened. * Publishers Weekly *Chilling . . . unequivocal . . . A vital history that draws a direct line from Eastern European antisemitic violence to the Holocaust. * Kirkus Reviews *No history of that Jewish catastrophe comes close to the virtuosity of research, clarity of prose, and power of analysis of this extraordinary book. -- Timothy Snyder, author of BloodlandsThis brilliant account of the bloody pogroms, which were perpetrated in Ukraine during the Russian Revolution, represents an important advance on a neglected subject. -- Norman Davies, author of God's Playground, Europe: A History and Vanished KingdomsA work of singular importance: a meticulous, original and deeply affecting historical account, one that provides new insights into the conditions that catalyzed mass-murder on an industrial scale. -- Philippe Sands, author of East West StreetCompelling and well-written, the book will find a broad audience. This is a story that needs to be told. -- Ronald Grigor Suny, author of Stalin: Passage to RevolutionIn this deeply learned but highly readable book, Veidlinger demonstrates how the all-but-forgotten pogroms in the collapsing Russian Empire in 1918–21 set precedents for the horrors that were to follow just two decades later. -- Zvi Gitelman, author of A Century of Ambivalence

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'Beautifully-penned story on the harshness of life and how hope survives' – Sun'Absorbing . . . Marsh writes with a novelistic flair' – Daily Mail From the grimy streets of Acton and Notting Hill to the bright lights of the West End, Sunday Times bestselling author Beezy Marsh's All My Mother’s Secrets is a powerful, uplifting story of a young woman’s struggle to come to terms with her family’s tragic past.Annie Austin’s childhood ends at the age of twelve, when she joins her mother in one of the slum laundries of Acton, working long hours for little pay. What spare time she has is spent looking after her younger brother George and her two stepsisters, under the glowering eye of her stepfather Bill. In London between the wars, a girl like Annie has few choices in life – but a powerful secret will change her destiny.All Annie knows about her real father is that he died in the Great War, and as the years pass she is haunted by the pain of losing him. Her downtrodden mother won’t tell her more and Annie’s attempts to uncover the truth threaten to destroy her family. Distraught, she runs away to Covent Garden, but can she survive on her own and find the love which has eluded her so far?Trade ReviewBeautifully penned story on the harshness of life and how hope survives. * The Sun *Heartwarming. * Kimberley Chambers *Absorbing . . . Marsh writes with a novelistic flair. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisExam board: OCRLevel: A-levelSubject: History First teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016Target success in OCR AS/A-level History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision; key content coverage is combined with exam preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.- Enables students to plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage, organised into easy-to-revise chunks- Encourages active revision by closely combining historical content with related activities- Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as they progress through activities set at three different levels- Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample answers and commentary from expert authors and teachers- Boosts historical knowledge with a useful glossary and timeline

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Book SynopsisExam board: OCRLevel: A LevelSubject: History First teaching: September 2015First exams: AS: Summer 2016, A Level: Summer 2017An OCR endorsed resourceSuccessfully cover Unit Group 2 with the right amount of depth and pace; this bespoke series from the leading History publisher follows our proven and popular approach for OCR A Level, blending clear course coverage with focused activities and comprehensive assessment support.- Develops understanding of the period through an accessible narrative that is tailored to the specification content and structured around key questions for each topic- Builds the skills required for Unit Group 2, from explanation, assessment and analysis to the ability to make substantiated judgements- Enables students to consolidate and extend their topic knowledge with a range of activities suitable for classwork or homework- Helps students achieve their best by providing step-by-step assessment guidance and practice questions- Facilitates revision with useful summaries at the start and end of each chapter- Ensures that students understand key historical terms and concepts by defining them in the glossaryTrade ReviewThe book is clear and teacher/student friendly. It follows the order of the specification, which makes it much more accessible. The activities in the textbook are also useful and the end-of-chapter summaries and study skills are hugely beneficial to students. -- History and Politics Teacher, The Corsham School Academy

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Book SynopsisExam board: OCRLevel: A LevelSubject: History First teaching: September 2015First exams: AS: Summer 2016, A Level: Summer 2017An OCR endorsed resourceSuccessfully cover Unit Group 2 with the right amount of depth and pace. This bespoke series from the leading History publisher follows our proven and popular approach for OCR A Level, blending clear course coverage with focused activities and comprehensive assessment support.- Develops understanding of the period through an accessible narrative that is tailored to the specification content and structured around key questions for each topic- Builds the skills required for Unit Group 2, from explanation, assessment and analysis to the ability to make substantiated judgements- Enables students to consolidate and extend their topic knowledge with a range of activities suitable for classwork or homework- Helps students achieve their best by providing step-by-step assessment guidance and practice questions- Facilitates revision with useful summaries at the start and end of each chapter- Ensures that students understand key historical terms and concepts by defining them in the glossary

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Book SynopsisExam board: AQALevel: A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst teaching: September 2016First exams: Summer 2017 (AS); Summer 2018 (A-level)Target success in AQA AS/A-level History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision; key content coverage is combined with exam preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.- Enables students to plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage, organised into easy-to-revise chunks- Encourages active revision by closely combining historical content with related activities- Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as they progress through activities set at three different levels- Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample answers and commentary from expert authors and teachers- Boosts historical knowledge with a useful glossary and timeline

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Book SynopsisExam board: EdexcelLevel: A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016Target success in Edexcel A-level History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision; key content coverage is combined with exam preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.- Enables students to plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage, organised into easy-to-revise chunks- Encourages active revision by closely combining historical content with related activities- Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as they progress through activities set at three different levels- Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample answers and commentary from expert authors and teachers- Boosts historical knowledge with a useful glossary and timeline

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Book SynopsisNYC's notorious Mudd Club where art and music intersect with sex, drugs and the slumming glittering elite.

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Book SynopsisExam board: EdexcelLevel: A-levelSubject: History First teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016Target success in Edexcel A-level History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision; key content coverage is combined with exam preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.- Enables students to plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage, organised into easy-to-revise chunks- Encourages active revision by closely combining historical content with related activities- Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as they progress through activities set at three different levels- Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample answers and commentary from expert authors and teachers- Boosts historical knowledge with a useful glossary and timeline

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Book SynopsisExam board: EdexcelLevel: A-levelSubject: History First teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016Target success in Edexcel AS/A-level History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision; key content coverage is combined with exam preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.- Enables students to plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage, organised into easy-to-revise chunks- Encourages active revision by closely combining historical content with related activities- Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as they progress through activities set at three different levels- Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample answers and commentary from expert authors and teachers- Boosts historical knowledge with a useful glossary and timeline

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Book SynopsisA toolkit for thinkers and activists to understand and create new forms of common preservation.

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Book SynopsisExam board: EdexcelLevel: A-levelSubject: History First teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016Target success in Edexcel A-level History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision; key content coverage is combined with exam preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge.- Enables students to plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner- Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage, organised into easy-to-revise chunks- Encourages active revision by closely combining historical content with related activities- Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as they progress through activities set at three different levels- Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample answers and commentary from expert authors and teachers- Boosts historical knowledge with a useful glossary and timeline

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Book SynopsisAn accessible, diverse, and international history of the working class.

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Book SynopsisBuild, reinforce and assess students' knowledge throughout their course; tailored to the 2016 CCEA specification and brought to you by the leading History publisher, this study and revision guide combines clear content coverage with practice questions and sample answers. - Ensure understanding of the period with concise coverage of all Unit content, broken down into manageable chunks- Develop the analytical and evaluative skills that students need to succeed in A-level History- Consolidate understanding with exam tips and knowledge-check questions- Practise exam-style questions matched to the CCEA assessment requirements for every question type, including source-based examples- Improve students' exam technique and show them how to reach the next grade with sample student answers and commentary for each exam-style question- Use flexibly in class or at home, for knowledge acquisition during the course or focused revision and exam preparation

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Book SynopsisExam Board: EdexcelLevel: AS/A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016 (AS), Summer 2017 (A-level)Give your students the best chance of success with this tried and tested series, combining in-depth analysis, engaging narrative and accessibility. Access to History is the most popular, trusted and wide-ranging series for A-level History students.This title:- Supports the content and assessment requirements of the 2015 A-level History specifications- Contains authoritative and engaging content- Includes thought-provoking key debates that examine the opposing views and approaches of historians- Provides exam-style questions and guidance for each relevant specification to help students understand how to apply what they have learntThis title is suitable for a variety of courses including:- Edexcel: Option 1F: In Search of the American Dream: the USA, c1917-96

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Book SynopsisLearn the little-known history of the forgotten American Revolution Battle of Pell's Point and the heroism of John Glover. General William Howe and the mighty British-Hessian Army possessed the golden opportunity to cut-off, trap, and then destroy General George Washington’s Army before he could retreat north and escape from Harlem Heights, New York, when he landed his army at Pell’s Point north of New York City. Howe’s bold amphibious operation north of Washington’s Army threatened to end the life of the Continental Army and the revolution. However, the brilliant delaying actions of Colonel John Glover and a small force of New England Continental troops saved the day and Washington’s Army by preventing Howe’s advance inland to intercept Washington’s route of retreat to White Plains. Employing brilliant delaying tactics when outnumbered by more than five to one, Glover inflicted heavy losses on the attackers to ensure that Washington’s Army survived to fight another day. Ironically, the Battle of Pell’s Point has been perhaps the most important forgotten battle of the entire American Revolution. In Saving Washington's Army, renowned historian Phillip Thomas Ticker, PhD, recounts the little-known story of the Battle of Pell's Point and the heroism of Colonel John Glover with the care and attention-to-detail for which he is known.

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Book SynopsisMaster storyteller Brad Meltzer counts down and decodes the world’s top 10 most intriguing conspiracies stories. Wanted: the truth. In a riveting collection, Brad Meltzer guides us through the 10 greatest conspiracies of all time, from Leonardo da Vinci’s stolen prophecy to the Kennedy assassination. This richly illustrated book serves up those fascinating, unexplained questions that nag at history buffs and conspiracy lovers: Why was Hitler so intent on capturing the Roman “Spear of Destiny?” Where did all the Confederacy’s gold go? What is the government hiding in Area 51? And did Lee Harvey Oswald really act alone? Meltzer sifts through the evidence, weighs competing theories, separates what we know to be true and what’s still––and perhaps forever––unproved or unprovable, and in the end, decodes the mystery and arrives at the most likely explanation.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines one of the most fundamental issues in twelfth-century English politics: justice. It demonstrates that during the foundational period for the common law, the question of judgement and judicial ethics was a topic of heated debate – a common problem with multiple different answers. How to be a judge, and how to judge well, was a concern shared by humble and high, keeping both kings and parish priests awake at night. Using theological texts, sermons, legal treatises and letter collections, the book explores how moralists attempted to provide guidance for uncertain judges. It argues that mercy was always the most difficult challenge for a judge, fitting uncomfortably within the law and of disputed value. Shining a new light on English legal history, Justice and mercy reveals the moral dilemmas created by the establishment of the common law.Trade Review‘Justice and Mercy is a remarkable book…the book resounds with the historiographic traditions and conflicts among the different schools of legal history and of intellectual history, both in Britain and on the continent. While the author is obviously well aware of them, she manages to avoid the pitfalls of adding to these ongoing conflicts.’Esther Cohen, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Medieval Review'I dearly wish this excellent book had been available twenty years ago when I was writing one of my own on the changing ways that the human urge to vengeance were expressed c. 1000–1300. Philippa Byrne, a first-time author, has assembled an amazing amount of difficult theological material, much direct from manuscript, to make a persuasive and novel case that judges had to include in their sentencing policy what she calls “reciprocal mercy,” a kind of subset of “deliberative” justice, generated in the schools by “a sophisticated and long-running debate about judicial ethics”. [...] This is an enviably able, solid, fresh, and exciting first book that will give all kinds of readers much to think about.'Paul R. Hyams, Speculum -- .Table of ContentsPrologue: the vanishing adulteress1 Introduction2 The problem with mercy: the schools3 The problem with mercy: the courts4 Twelfth-century models of justice and mercy5 Who should be merciful?6 Judgement in practice: the Church7 Histories of justice: the crown, persuasion and lordship8 Love your enemies? Popular mercy in a vengeance culture9 ConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisIn celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War: The definitive Civil War classic as Sam wanted it revised complete with his edits, new perspectives, authoritative text, and images of his changes. Company Aytch has reigned as one of the most memorable and honest depictions of the American Civil War since its original publication in 1882. Sam R. Watkins's firsthand account of life as a Confederate soldier eloquently captured the realities of war, the humor and pathos of soldiering, and the tragic, historic events in which he participated. Although there have been other versions of Company Aytch published, this is the first with new material and revisions by Sam Watkins himself. Featuring over forty images, including his own pencil-marked edits, this volume combines the ageless text with Sam's intended revisions a treasure for lovers of history, academia, and Civil War enthusiasts alike.Trade Review“This is a marvelous expansion of the best memoir of a fighting soldier south of the Mason-Dixon Line we have.” —Ken Burns, producer of the PBS documentary The Civil War “All of us have something to celebrate in this edition of Company Aytch with Sam’s own revisions.” —Robert Hicks, author, The Widow of the South ""Long considered indispensible reading for any Civil War buff, the book's droll candor and sense of irony provide an unforgettable glimpse into the experience—both the drudgery and the extraordinary—of the average Civil War soldier."" —The History Channel's Daily History “Watkins’s revision and additions enhance and refine his story. Some of them are pointed, others hilarious, but they all add depth to one of the must-read soldier narratives.” —William C. Davis, Director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech ""Historians, documentarians, and novelists—from Ken Burns to Margaret Mitchell—all rely, for Civil War period detail, on the text of Company Aytch . . . this edition, revised according to Watkins's notes from the 1890s, includes many corrections and additions and should be considered the definitive text of the book."" —Ralph Bowden, Chapter 16 ""When it comes to books about the Civil War, many people agree wholeheartedly, Company Aytch is the best ever written."" —GenealogyBlog ""The Civil War memoir of Sam Watkins, veteran of every hard-fought battle of Company H, First Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, remains the premier source of the private's view of that colossal struggle. . . . This volume is an updated, well-edited—by his great-granddaughter—republication of Watkins's original 1882 work. . . . No serirous student of the Civil War should be without a copy."" —Roanoke Times

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE DUFF COOPER PRIZE 2022 A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2022 _______________ 'Rigorous, deft and entertaining ... a sparkling read' - The Spectator 'The ride is thrilling ... a work of serious scholarship' - Sunday Telegraph _______________ For centuries, Ferdinand Magellan has been celebrated as a hero: a noble adventurer who circumnavigated the globe in an extraordinary feat of human bravery; a paragon of daring and chivalry. Now historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto draws on extensive and meticulous research to conduct a dazzling investigation into Magellan’s life, his character and his ill-fated voyage. He reveals that Magellan did not attempt – much less accomplish – a journey around the globe, and that in his own lifetime, the explorer was abhorred as a traitor, reviled as a tyrant and dismissed as a failure. Fernández-Armesto probes the passions and tensions that drove Magellan to adventure and drew him to disaster: the pride that became arrogance, audacity that became recklessness, determination that became ruthlessness, romanticism that became irresponsibility, and superficial piety that became, in adversity, irrational exaltation. And as the real Magellan emerges, so too do his true ambitions, focused less on circumnavigating the world or cornering the global spice market than on exploiting Filipino gold. Offering up a stranger, darker and even more compelling narrative than the fictional version that has been glorified for half a millennium, Straits untangles the myths that made Magellan a hero. _______________Trade ReviewThis excellent book is a model of elegant argument and authoritative research ... If this account of Magellan's voyage sounds like a history of failure, not success, that is because it was just that. The real triumph is that of Felipe Fernández-Armesto, who has exposed the fallacies of five hundred years of literature about Magellan. * David Abulafia, Literary Review *Rigorous, deft and entertaining ... a sparkling read -- Horatio Clare * The Spectator *The ride is thrilling ... a work of serious scholarship -- Paul Lay * Sunday Telegraph *A brilliant display of virtuosity ... A masterfully persuasive book -- Matthew Restall * Times Literary Supplement *The enormously confident Fernández-Armesto tells this story with gusto, rendering Magellan much more interesting because of his flaws than the cardboard hero we’ve been sold ... [He] is endearingly contemptuous of academic convention, inventing dialogue where appropriate and taking the reader down blind alleys simply because they’re picturesque. He’s not afraid of being funny, weaving into his analysis quirky remarks that reveal his mischievous side. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *A brilliant triumph -- Fernando Cervantes * History Today *Felipe Fernández-Armesto is not just a pioneering scholar of the Spanish empire and the Age of Exploration, but a historian who tells wonderfully readable stories * Financial Times *In Straits, we see a master of his craft at work. Fernández-Armesto is arguably the leading scholar of our times in making the early European Age of Discovery accessible to a wider audience. -- Margaret Small * BBC History Magazine *This is the story of a voyage that was in reality one of the most disastrous in the history of overseas exploration but which has now become one of its greatest triumphs - and of a man who failed at almost everything he set out to do and yet became one of the great heroes of modernity. Scintillating and compelling, and told with all of Felipe Fernández-Armesto's habitual verve and wit, it is at the same time a sobering insight into how we have come to conceive our own increasingly globalized world -- Anthony Pagden, author of 'Worlds at War'Straits is a triumph of biographical writing. With his characteristic vigor and panache, Felipe Fernández-Armesto circumnavigates Magellan's life and times with a clearer object in mind and far greater success than ever imagined for this subject. He shows us not only the skills and bravado but also the intrigues, the self-deception, and even the insanity that animated Magellan's quest -- Lincoln Paine, author of 'The Sea and Civilization'By pulling apart the usually willfully misread sources in their original languages with a detective's eye for contradiction and inconsistency, Straits unravels a yarn of unmitigated failure punctuated by hubris, meanness, and crafty power grabs. The Ferdinand Magellan who emerges from these freshly disinterred sources is no hero but rather a ruthless gentleman of fortune who died to tell the tale -- Kris Lane, author of 'Potosi'

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Book SynopsisWith Germany in the World, award-winning historian David Blackbourn radically revises conventional narratives of German history, demonstrating the existence of a distinctly German presence in the world centuries before its unification—and revealing a national identity far more complicated than previously imagined. Blackbourn traces Germany’s evolution from the loosely bound Holy Roman Empire of 1500 to a sprawling colonial power to a twenty-first-century beacon of democracy. Viewed through a global lens, familiar landmarks of German history—the Reformation, the Revolution of 1848, the Nazi regime—are transformed, while others are unearthed and explored, as Blackbourn reveals Germany’s leading role in creating modern universities and its sinister involvement in slave-trade economies. A global history for a global age, Germany in the World is a bold and original account that upends the idea that a nation’s history should be written as though it took place entirely within that nation’s borders.Trade Review"[A] rich and full-throated book"" -- Neal Ascherson - The Observer"[An] all-embracing history of Germany's relationship with the outside world... readers of this book will never see Germany in quite the same way again. " -- The Economist"In this detailed and original study, David Blackbourn argues that Germany's influence stretches around the world and has done so since long before there was a unified German geopolitical entity. " -- The New European

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

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Book Synopsis'A beautiful work that is in turn haunting, touching and redemptive' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE ‘A profoundly emotional book, and a brave one’ THE NEW YORKER 'Generous in spirit, devoid of self-pity, and an authentic literary achievement' ANDREW SOLOMON When Luiz Schwarcz was a child, he knew very little about his grandfather Láios, a Hungarian Jew. Only later would he learn that Láios had ordered his son, Luiz’s father, to leap from a train taking them to a Nazi death camp, while Láios himself was carried on to his death. What Luiz did know was that his father’s melancholia haunted the house he grew up in. Compassionate and tender, The Absent Moon interrogates a personal story of inherited trauma through a family history of murder, silence and the long echo of the Holocaust across generations. 'Brave, honest, devastating, and hopeful ... Schwarcz is a masterful storyteller’ ARIANA NEUMANN 'A lyrical and intimate portrait of the author’s lifelong, harrowing battle with depression' ABRAHAM VERGHESETrade ReviewFascinating, elegiac, heartbreaking and inspiring, this book is both a chronicle of the killing of the Holocaust, a memoir of unbearable suffering witnessed and felt for decades after; and an analysis of psychological trauma and memory – a beautiful work that is in turn haunting, touching and redemptive -- Simon Sebag MontefioreBrave, honest, devastating, and hopeful – a beautiful exploration of a man trying to understand his father, of how Holocaust trauma is passed down the generations and how we are all shaped by words and silences. Schwarcz is a masterful storyteller -- Ariana Neumann, author of WHEN TIME STOPPEDThis tender and lovely memoir of a child growing up in Brazil in a household whose characters were scarred by the Holocaust is unlike anything I can think of. It is also a lyrical and intimate portrait of the author’s lifelong, harrowing battle with depression -- Abraham Verghese, author of CUTTING FOR STONEIn this intimate and profound description of a life often marked by depression, Luiz Schwarcz touches on the insidious power of intergenerational trauma; on the terrible challenges of functioning despite a crippling disease; and on the burden of carrying a disability in relative silence. His is ultimately a book about identity, about how the author has managed, both despite and because of his depression, to inhabit a good marriage, an excellent career, a lovely family, and, perhaps most crucially, a coherent sense of self. It is generous in spirit, devoid of self-pity, and an authentic literary achievement -- Andrew SolomonA profoundly emotional book, and a brave one * The New Yorker *In The Absent Moon, Luiz Schwarcz, a legendary Brazilian publisher and global tastemaker, shares little of the glamorous life, focusing instead on the lifelong pain of clinical depression * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Nobel laureate Otto Warburg was widely regarded as one of the most important biochemists of the twentieth century. A Jewish homosexual living openly with his partner, he was also among the most despised figures in the Third Reich. Yet top Nazi officials—perhaps even Hitler himself—dreaded cancer and protected Warburg in the hope he could cure it. Using new archival sources and interviews with current cancer authorities, Sam Apple depicts a relentless figure, hungry for fame, who pursued his research even as the world around him disintegrated. Remarkably, Warburg’s theory about the metabolic origins of cancer has been revived in our own time, as scientists investigate the dangers of sugar and the link between obesity and cancer. Ravenous is a book for readers of Alan Turing and The Emperor of All Maladies: a tale of scientific discovery, personal peril and the race to end a disastrous disease.Trade Review"While millions of other Europeans with Jewish heritage were being rounded up and sent to their deaths, Otto Warburg enjoyed Nazi protection and a comfortable life in Berlin. Sam Apple, author of a new book, Ravenous, explores his remarkable tale of survival." -- BBC History Revealed"The research that Warburg is best known for today, and the work that forms the backbone of Ravenous, is his discovery that cancer cells behave differently from healthy cells in two very specific ways: They consume massive amounts of glucose — Apple compares them to ravenous shipwrecked sailors — and they eschew aerobic respiration in favor of fermentation... Apple covers everything from Hitler’s obsessive preoccupation with cancer to how the German Empire’s transformation into an industrial powerhouse led to a Romanticism-fueled movement that emphasized both environmental and racial purity. The fact that Apple can make these stories... feel so immediate is a testament to his canny knack for choosing apposite details." -- Seth Mnookin - The New York Times Book Review"Eye-opening... filled with... outrageous and entertaining stories... I walked away from Ravenous thinking of Otto Warburg as a sort of Sigmund Freud of cancer research." -- Sam Kean - The Wall Street Journal"Ravenous tells the story of an extraordinary life, and of the visionary work that sustained it... Apple has a gift for elegant analogies and illuminating similes… [An] exceptionally interesting and well-written book..." -- Thomas Morris - Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisA SPECTATOR and PROSPECT Book of the Year'Ceaselessly interesting, knowledgeable and evocative' Spectator'A fresh way to write history' Alan Johnson'A quirky, amused, erudite homage to France . . . ambitious and original' The Times_____France: An Adventure History is a profoundly original and endlessly entertaining history of France, from the first century BC to the present day, based on countless new discoveries and thirty years of exploring France on foot, by bicycle and in the library.Beginning with the Roman army’s first recorded encounter with the Gauls and ending with the Gilets Jaunes protests in the era of Emmanuel Macron, each chapter is an adventure in its own right. Along the way, readers will find the usual faces, events and themes of French history – Louis XIV, the French Revolution, the French Résistance, the Tour de France – but all presented in a shining new light.Graham Robb does not offer a standard dry list of facts and dates, but instead a panorama of France, teeming with characters, full of stories, journeys and coincidences, giving readers a thrilling sense of discovery and enlightenment. France: An Adventure History is a vivid, living history of one of the world’s most fascinating nations by a ceaselessly entertaining writer in complete command of subject and style._____'A rich and vibrant narrative . . . clear-eyed but imaginative storytelling' Financial Times'Full of life' ProspectTrade ReviewRobb's concise and fast-paced writing pedals along with never a dull paragraph . . . a dazzling and moving contribution to a long tradition. * Sunday Times *A stunning history of France... Graham Robb deserves to be a national treasure. * Spectator *A quirky chronicle of our neighbour . . . a witty, free-ranging homage to the French people. * The Times *Delightful, discerning, and charmingly irreverent. * Kirkus *Robb's perspectives are refreshing as well as deeply researched. * Booklist *With joy, curiosity and more than a dash of ambition Robb brings 2,000 years of French history to life. * Washington Post *A complete history of France from Caesar's time to now . . . Thanks to the way Robb does his research - often literally getting on his own bike to sniff things out - it is tres facile to go along with him. * Prospect *Graham Robb writes history on two wheels and in four dimensions. * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe bald eagle is regal but fearless, a bird you’re not inclined to argue with. For centuries, Americans have celebrated it as “majestic” and “noble” yet savaged the living bird behind their national symbol as a malicious predator of livestock and, falsely, a snatcher of babies. Taking us from before the United States’ founding through inconceivable resurgences of this enduring all-American species, Jack E. Davis contrasts the age when native peoples lived beside it peacefully with that when others, whether through hunting bounties or DDT pesticides, twice pushed Haliaeetus leucocephalus to the brink of extinction. Filled with spectacular stories of Founding Fathers, rapacious hunters, heroic bird rescuers and the lives of bald eagles themselves—monogamous creatures, considered among the animal world’s finest parents—The Bald Eagle is a much-awaited cultural and natural history that demonstrates how this bird’s wondrous journey may provide inspiration today, as we grapple with environmental peril on a larger scale.

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Book SynopsisFrom the green hilltops of Kampala, to the terraced houses of London, Neema Shah’s extraordinarily moving debut Kololo Hill explores what it means to leave your home behind, what it takes to start again, and the lengths some will go to protect their loved ones.'[An] incredible debut' Stylist'Shah is excellent on the theme of home . . . an absorbing storyteller' – Daily MailWhen you’re left with nothing but your secrets, how do you start again? Uganda 1972 A devastating decree is issued: all Ugandan Asians must leave the country in ninety days. They must take only what they can carry, give up their money and never return. For Asha and Pran, married a matter of months, it means abandoning the family business that Pran has worked so hard to save. For his mother, Jaya, it means saying goodbye to the house that has been her home for decades. But violence is escalating in Kampala, and people are disappearing. Will they all make it to safety in Britain and will they be given refuge if they do? And all the while, a terrible secret about the expulsion hangs over them, threatening to tear the family apart.Trade ReviewAn impressive, confident debut about family and survival, against the backdrop of a history that is not written about often enough. -- Nikesh ShuklaDevastatingly beautiful . . . every sentence is a revelation. -- Nikita Gill, author of The Girl and the GoddessThis is a novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates. * Irish Times *Shah explores the chaos and fear of ordinary people’s lives during Amin’s rule, weaving personal stories of love and betrayal into heightening tension and violence . . . nail-biting. * Independent *Utterly heartbreaking and so moving . . . a thoughtful reflection on what home and belonging mean. -- Haleh Agar, author of Out of TouchA moving portrayal of a family uprooted from a life they have worked so hard for. At times devastating, I found myself gripped to this story rooted in our history yet scarily still relevant. -- Louise Hare, author of This Lovely CityKololo Hill offers a glimpse into a terrifying and fascinating period of history. Neema Shah evokes Amin’s Uganda and early 1970s suburban England with both nuance and a fresh and wonderful vivacity. This is a book with a huge amount of heart; I was entirely captured by the stories of Asha, Jaya and Vijay. Their dreams and dilemmas resonate with many of today’s key questions around culture, identity and the places – and people – we can each call ‘home’. -- Joanne Sefton, author of The Guilty FriendA searing, timely, and beautifully written tale of displacement, the meaning of home, and developing identity across generations. I loved it. -- Stephanie Scott, author of What’s Left Of Me Is Yours

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Book Synopsis'We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed' Martin Luther King, Jr.In an era where our liberties are often under threat, Letters to Change the World sends reminders from history that standing up for - and voicing - our personal and political beliefs is not merely a human right but our duty, if we want to make change happen.Featuring Emmeline Pankhurst rallying her suffragettes, George Orwell's warning against totalitarianism, Nelson Mandela's consoling his children from prison, Time's Up condemning abuses of power, and much more, this collection will inspire you to stand up and speak up - now, for what really matters.'Remarkable, timely ... At a time of political uncertainty, the collection demonstrates the importance of speaking truth to power' GuardianTrade ReviewVisionaries, idealists and ordinary citizens speak out in this remarkable, timely anthology... At a time of political uncertainty, the collection demonstrates the importance of speaking truth to power. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisFirst published to mark the centenary of Nelson Mandela's birth, The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela sparked celebrations around the globe. Featuring 94 letters selected from that landmark collection, as well as new introductory material and six new letters that have never been published, this historic paperback provides an essential political history of the late twentieth century and illustrates how Mandela maintained his inner spirit while imprisoned. Whether they are longing love letters to his wife, Winnie; heartrending notes to his beloved children; or articulations of a human-rights philosophy that resonates today, these letters reveal the heroism of a man who refused to compromise his moral values in the face of extraordinary human punishment, invoking a "story beyond their own words" (The New York Times). This new paperback edition—essential for any literature lover, political activist and student—positions Mandela amongst the most inspiring historical figures of the twentieth century.Trade Review"Madiba's words give us a compass in a sea of change. Firm ground amidst swirling currents." -- Barack Obama"A veritable treasure trove, they grant a forensic insight into his courage, superhuman fortitude and clarity of political judgment; into his agony at failing in his duties as a husband and father of two girls, toddlers when he was snatched away; and his torment at being refused permission to attend either his mother's or his son’s funeral. To me, even as a biographer of Mandela, it is a revelatory volume." -- Peter Hain - The Daily Telegraph"... this mesmerising book of prison letters... through these compelling letters the thinking, feeling, loving man he was comes back to us." -- Gillian Slovo - The Guardian"Venter has done an excellent job of sifting through the South African national archives, which alone contain 57 boxes of his prison letters and papers, and smaller collections that are scattered all over the place." -- Ivan Fallon - The Sunday Times"So much rubbish has been written over the years by those who feared, revered or pretended to know Nelson Mandela that it is useful, finally, to be able to read about him and the privations of his prison years in his own contemporaneous, understated prose." -- The Spectator"Nelson Mandela’s long, thoughtful letters, written during his 27 years in prison, display an unwavering certainty that change would prevail." -- Tim Adams, Book of the Day - The Guardian"... as a series of illuminating snapshots into one of the most important political icons of post-colonial Africa, the book will have a timeless value." -- The Irish Times"Remarkably, this collection only serves to enhance and consolidate Mandela’s reputation as a defining figure of the last century and the present one. The letters are in multiple languages, English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa, but they speak the language of humanity, which is the language of that fraught but loaded prison word: time." -- The Herald"To commemorate what would have been his 100th birthday, a book of 250 letters has just been published, providing a remarkable insight into the man, his tenacity and endurance and the struggle for his country's freedom." -- The Independent"A superbly edited collection of the ANC chief's prison letters paint a portrait of Mandela the family man, the political thinker and the inmate... As well as presenting 255 letters across 640 pages here, the South African journalist Sahm Venter does a fine job of putting them into historical context." -- The Irish Independent"The back cover of The Prison Letters Of Nelson Mandela is adorned with several quotes from the book, all expressing the kind of noble sentiments you might expect from one of the Great Men of History. In fact, though, this is a bit misleading — because, taken as a whole, the book itself gives us a far more rounded, interesting and, above all, human portrait of Mandela than that." -- The Daily Mail"It may seem unlikely summer reading, nearly 600 pages of letters which Mandela spends trying to sort out problems, whether in the prison—he refused to take a blanket when only he was allowed one—or with the ANC or his family who were often in turmoil. But they are utterly gripping, inspiring and often mind-boggling. How did he remain calm, just and loving in such circumstances?" -- Rachel Billington - The Tablet

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Book SynopsisDebates about the origins and effects of European rule in the non-European world have animated the field of economic history since the 1850s. This pioneering text provides a concise and accessible resource that introduces key readings, builds connections between ideas and helps students to develop informed views of colonialism as a force in shaping the modern world. With special reference to European colonialism of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in both Asia and Africa, this book: • critically reviews the literature on colonialism and economic growth; • covers a range of different methods of analysis; • offers a comparative approach, as opposed to a collection of regional histories, deftly weaving together different themes. With debates around globalization, migration, global finance and environmental change intensifying, this authoritative account of the relationship between colonialism and economic development makes an invaluable contribution to several distinct literatures in economic history.Table of ContentsColonial and Indigenous Origins of Comparative Development Origins of Colonialism: Is There One Story? Colonialism as an Agent of Globalization Growth and Development in the Colonies Debates about Costs and Benefits How Colonial States Worked Did Institutions Matter ? Colonialism and the Environment Business and Empires Decolonization and the End of Empire Summary and conclusion

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Book Synopsis*** ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2021 ***'One of the most moving books of the new year' STYLIST'Gorgeous and unsettling' NEW YORK TIMES'Brilliant and devastating . . . tender and lacerating' PANDORA SYKES'One of the literary world's most promising new voices' REDNadia Owusu is a woman of many languages, homelands and identities. She grew up in Rome, Dar-es-Salaam, Addis Ababa, Kumasi, Kampala and London. And for every new place there was a new language, a new identity and a new home. At times she has felt stateless, motherless and identity-less. At others, she has had multiple identities at war within her. It's no wonder she started to feel fault lines in her sense of self. It's no wonder that those fault lines eventually ruptured.Aftershocks is the account of how she hauled herself out of the wreckage. It is the intimate story behind the news of immigration and division dominating contemporary politics. It is a nuanced portrait of globalisation from the inside in a fractured world in crisis.Trade ReviewA beautiful and ultimately redemptive story, written in lyrical prose that calls to mind Audre Lorde, Natasha Trethewey, and Toni Morrison. -- Vogue.com, The Absolute Best Summer ReadsOne of the literary world's most promising new voices . . . An intimate look behind the division of today's world. * Red *Triumphant: the survivor's account of a thoughtful, passionate young writer grappling with life's demons -- Claire Messud * Harper's Magazine *Powerful . . . [a] remarkable [story] of displacement, heartache and resilience. -- Fiona Sturges, Best biographies and memoirs of 2021 * Guardian *Gripping . . . Tackling themes of belonging, identity, race, notions of home and the ripple effects of trauma . . . Owusu's prose is as poignant as it is emotionally charged . . . Triumphant. * Cosmopolitan *Striking * Vogue US *Owusu's personal history intertwines with the political and geographical to create one of the most moving books of the new year. * Stylist *A devastating memoir about identity, immigration and fractured society from the daughter of an Armenian American mother and Ghanaian father. * Independent *In a literary landscape rich with diaspora memoirs, Owusu's painful yet radiant story rises to the forefront. The daughter of an Armenian-American mother who abandoned her and a heroic Ghanaian father who died when she was thirteen, Nadia drifted across continents in a trek that she renders here with poetic, indelible prose. * Oprah.com *An engaging and reflective new memoir focused on universal themes of home, abandonment, identity and autonomy. * Ms. Magazine *A memoir that broods on lost identity and statelessness. * Elle UK *A timely memoir, revealing the real lives behind the headlines of immigration that dominate our media, as Owusu - who grew up in Rome, Dar-es-Salaam, Addis Ababa, Kumasi, Kampala and London - shares her fascinating story. * Grazia *Extraordinarily intense . . . the way [Owusu] sustains her intensity is astonishing. Her fierce intelligence and commitment embrace the complexity and urgency of the issues . . . This is a book of almost ceaseless questions but undoubtedly the key one is: what is home? * Irish Examiner *Nadia Owusu's debut book tells the incredible story of her childhood. How does a girl - abandoned by her mother at age 2 and orphaned at 13 when her beloved father dies - find her place in the world? Aftershocks is the story of Nadia creating her own solid ground across countries and continents. This is an exceptionally gripping and hard-to-put-down memoir of a remarkable young woman - I can't wait to see what she does next. -- Malala Yousafzai * Recommended *A stunningly written, heart wrenching book that completely took me by surprise. The best book I've read so far this year. -- Abi Dare, author of The Girl With the Louding VoiceBrilliant and devastating, this memoir is an exploration of displacement, told through earthquakes both real and allegorical. Nadia, abandoned by her mother as a young child, and moved all over the world by a diplomat father, writes about her struggle to find a peace she can call home in a way that is both tender and lacerating. -- Pandora SykesA white-hot interrogation of the stories we carry in our bodies and the power they have to tear us apart. Owusu illuminates the blood and bones wrought by our borders and teaches us the necessity of owning our narratives when personal and collective histories have been shattered by violence. -- Jessica Andrews, author of SaltwaterIn reading Aftershocks, I went on an incredible (and moving) journey with a young woman whose past and present play out across Africa, Europe and America. I felt acutely Owusu's pain and the joy of her self-discovery through her intense and intimate prose. What a moving and beautifully written personal history, one infused with questions of post-colonial identity and the challenge of modern womanhood. I loved the book. I loved her voice. -- Xiaolu Guo, author of Once Upon a Time in the East and A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for LoversAftershocks is brilliant and devastating. Nadia Owusu employs language with precision and care, reckoning with herself and her various histories with a beautiful, tender rhythm. Her words will stay with me for a long time. -- Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open WaterNadia Owusu has lived multiple lives. And each has demanded much of her. She has met and surpassed those demands with her memoir, Aftershocks. Owusu is half-Armenian, half-Ghanaian; socially privileged and psychologically wounded. Her task and burden are threefold: to chronicle the historical wounds and legacies of each country; to chart her own descent into grief, mania and madness; to begin the work of emotional reconstruction. She does so with unerring honesty and in prose that is both rigorous and luminous. -- Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland: A MemoirNadia Owusu's Aftershocks bleeds honesty. It is a majestically rendered telling of all the history, hurt and love a body can contain. A wonderful work of art made of so many stories and histories it is bursting with both harshness and perseverance. An incredible debut. * Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of New York Times bestseller Friday Black *Aftershocks is more than just a book - it is delicate, intricate choreography. This memoir is a testimony to how certain books and writers can tell you their story in a way that mirrors your own. Even if the facts of that story are different, the emotion is familiar. Owusu is that writer. She has created a book full of shared emotional memories and I wanted to sit in those memories with her for as long as I could. Nadia Owusu is powerful, beautiful, poetic, and Aftershocks is a testimony to her commitment to constructing towering, lovingly-rendered sentences. Quite simply, Aftershocks is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. -- Bassey Ikpi, New York Times bestselling author of I'm Lying but I'm telling the TruthAftershocks is a triptych feat of style: the lucid language, the masterful handling of time, the brilliance of its seismic theme. It's also an astute exploration of the long legacy of colonialism. Owusu is a product of that political and cultural collision, and one of the great gifts of this compelling memoir is the moving narrative of her reconciling that identity. And if that weren't enough, Aftershocks is an indelible portrait of Owusu's resilience in the face of almost unfathomable familial trauma as well as her immortal love for her father. -- Mitchell S. Jackson, author of Survival MathThis earth-shattering memoir uses the aftershock - both literal and metaphorical - as a framing device and inspiration. Owusu explores the geopolitical, geological, and psychological traumas that have marked her young life, from moving between countries across Africa and Europe as the daughter of a United Nations employee to her estrangement from her mother and her father's eventual death, as well as living through a civil war in Ethiopia and the 9/11 attacks (to name a few!). * Entertainment Weekly *A stunning, visceral book about the ways that our stories-of loss, of love, of borders-leave permanent marks on our bodies and minds. * Booklist *Extraordinary . . . A writer to watch. -- Bookseller, Editor’s ChoiceEngrossing . . . an impressive debut memoir. [Owusu is] a promising writer. * Kirkus *In her enthralling memoir, Whiting Award-winner Owusu (So Devilish a Fire) assesses the impact of key events in her life via the metaphor of earthquakes . . . Readers will be moved by this well-wrought memoir. * Publisher's Weekly *In her aching memoir, she embarks on a tour de force examination of her childhood . . . In lyrical and lush prose, she crafts an intimate and piercing exploration of identity, family and home. -- Best Books of 2021 * Time Magazine (Europe) *

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Book SynopsisSo shattering were the after-effects of Kishinev, the rampage that broke out in Russia in April 1903, that one historian remarked that it was “nothing less than a prototype for the Holocaust itself”. In three days of violence, 49 Jews were killed and 600 raped or wounded, whilst more than 1,000 Jewish-owned houses and stores were ransacked and destroyed. Recounted in lurid detail by newspapers throughout the Western world, the pre-Easter attacks seized the imagination of an international public, quickly becoming the prototype for what would become known as a “pogrom” and providing the impetus for efforts as varied as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the NAACP. With new evidence from Russia, Israel and Europe, Steven J. Zipperstein brings historical insight and clarity to a much-misunderstood event.Trade Review"Pogrom is an outstanding mix of detailed social history, close readings of texts and historical storytelling. It is never dry or merely academic. Zipperstein moves between the details of what happened in Kishinev but always has an eye for the bigger story, especially for what it tells us about both modern Russian and Jewish history, and what pogroms came to symbolise for generations of American immigrants, Zionists and socialists. It is a superb work." -- New Statesman"Zipperstein deserves praise for the detail, balance and originality of his book. His unwinding of the events, his careful analysis of the evidence and his sensitive description of the actors are commendable. Pogrom comes as close as we shall ever get to an authoritative account of one of the most awful chapters in modern times." -- Literary Review"... impressive, heart-wrenching new book on the subject... Zipperstein gives us a strong, clear narrative as well as appalling details... masterly work…" -- The International New York Times"This book is fascinating..." -- The Jewish Chronicle"The methodical slaughter of forty-nine Jews on the streets of Kishinev, the capital of Moldova, over the course of three days in April, 1903, was a pivotal event in the history of modern anti-Semitism, the rise of Zionism, and, as a symbol of racist violence, a catalyst for the rise of the N.A.A.C.P. With extraordinary scholarly energy, Zipperstein uncovers sources in Russian, Yiddish, and English that show not only why this bloody event ignited the Jewish imagination, its sense of embattlement in exile, but also why it had such lasting resonance internationally." -- The New Yorker"A riveting, often painful and vivid picture of a pogrom which captured attention worldwide, Zipperstein looks beyond the event itself and demonstrates how the tragedy at the heart of Russia served as a catalyst for the widest range of institutions including the NAACP. Written with the insight of an impeccable historian, his account—that will intrigue scholars as well as the widest array of readers—can be seen as a harbinger of what would come but four decades later." -- Deborah Lipstadt, author of The Eichmann Trial

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Book SynopsisA seasonal meander through the wilds of Scotland.'If Clanlands was a gentle road trip through Scotland, this almanac is a top down, pedal to the metal up and down odyssey through the many byways of a Scottish year. An invitation to anyone who picks up the book to join us on a crazy camper van exploration over 12 glorious, whisky fuelled months. Mountains, battles, famous (and infamous) Scots, the alarming competitiveness of Men in Kilts, clans, feuds, flora, fauna, with a healthy sprinkling of embarrassing personal reminiscences thrown in. Much is explored, all is shared. It is a camper van cornucopia of all things Alba'.From First Footing to Samhain, Fringe Festival follies to whisky lore, Sam & Graham guide readers through a year of Scottish legends, traditions, historical and contemporary events, sharing personal stories and tips as only these two chalk-and-cheese friends can.As entertaining as it is practical, The Clanlands Almanac is a light-hearted education in Scottish history and culture, told through the eyes of two passionate Scotsmen. The perfect escapist guide, The Clanlands Almanac is intended as a starting point for your own Scottish discoveries.

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Book SynopsisA harmless, unassuming caravan of women and children was ambushed by masked gunmen in northern Mexico on 4 November 2019. In a massacre that produced international headlines, nine people were killed and five others gravely injured. The victims were members of the La Mora and LeBarón communities—fundamentalist Mormons whose forebears broke from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and settled in Mexico when polygamy was outlawed. In The Colony, the best-selling investigative journalist Sally Denton picks up where initial reporting on the killings left off, and in the process tells the violent history of the LeBarón clan and their homestead, from the first polygamist emigration to Mexico in the 1880s to the LeBaróns’ internal blood feud in the 1970s to the family’s recent alliance with the NXIVM sex cult. Drawing on sources within Colonia LeBarón itself, Denton creates a mesmerising work of investigative journalism in the tradition of Under the Banner of Heaven and Going Clear.Trade Review"Meticulously researched….The author couldn’t have found a more bizarro clan to profile than the LeBarons, whose history of murdering family members, mental illness and incest rivals that of the Hapsburgs….Denton provides an excellent history of a polygamist subculture… [her] book is a testament to what happens when male power, under the guise of religious conviction, goes unchecked." -- Julia Scheeres - The New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisSelected as one of the Sunday Times best gardening books of 2023Discover the lavish beauty and fascinating history of the 40 most important and inspiring botanic gardens from across the globe.From the Renaissance gardens of Italy to the futuristic botanic gardens of Singapore, this gorgeous book tells the story of these unique institutions. It is a history of science and learning, of politics and national interests, of societal concerns and conservation. But, most of all, it is a compelling exploration of the power and possibility of the natural world, that we are still merely scratching the surface of.Expert garden historian Deborah Trentham has selected the world's most important gardens and delves deep into the history of these horticultural institutions - sharing stories of exploration, extraordinary plants and the scientific breakthroughs which have shaped these stunning gardens.Filled with rare and beautiful plants and incredible locations from around the globe - from Norway to Morocco, Kyoto to Kew, Brooklyn to Buenos Aires, and Madrid to Malaysia - this book will transport you to far-flung places and bygone eras, and consider the future of our botanical havens and the natural wonders they protect.

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Book SynopsisThe tomato gets no respect. Never has. Lost in the dustbin of history for centuries, accused of being vile and poisonous, subjected to being picked hard-green and gassed, even used as a projectile, the poor tomato has become the avatar for our disaffection with industrial foods - while becoming the most popular vegetable in America (and, in fact, the world). Each summer, tomato festivals crop up across the country; the Heinz ketchup bottle, instantly recognizable, has earned a spot in the Smithsonian; and now the tomato is redefining the very nature of farming, moving from fields into climate-controlled mega-greenhouses the size of New England villages. Supported by meticulous research and told in a lively, accessible voice, Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World seamlessly weaves travel, history, humor, and a little adventure (and misadventure) to follow the tomato's trail through history. A fascinating story complete with heroes, con artists, conquistadors, and-no surprise-the Mafia, this book is a mouth-watering, informative, and entertaining guide to the food that has captured our hearts for generations.

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Book SynopsisJust as The Color of Law provided a vital understanding of redlining and racial segregation, Marcia Chatelain’s Franchise investigates the complex interrelationship between black communities and America’s largest, most popular fast food chain. Taking us from the first McDonald’s drive-in in San Bernardino to the franchise on Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri, in the summer of 2014, Chatelain shows how fast food is a source of both power—economic and political—and despair for African Americans. As she contends, fast food is, more than ever before, a key battlefield in the fight for racial justice.Trade Review"[A] smart and capacious history. . . . Throughout this impressively judicious book, [Chatelain] is attuned to the circumstances that encouraged increasingly intricate ties between McDonald’s and black communities across the country. This isn’t just a story of exploitation or, conversely, empowerment; it’s a cautionary tale about relying on the private sector to provide what the public needs, and how promises of real economic development invariably come up short. . . . Franchise is a serious work of history. . . . [Chatelain's] sense of perspective gives this important book an empathetic core as well as analytical breadth, as she draws a crucial distinction between individuals actors, who often get subjected to so much scrutiny and second-guessing, and larger systems, which rarely get subjected to enough." -- Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, "Times Critics Best Books of 2020""An impeccably researched examination of McDonald’s and how the franchise was once intended as a path to economic freedom in Black communities. A fascinating, overlooked perspective on a US institution." -- Karla Strand, Ms. Magazine"Well-written... Emphasizes how today’s conversations around fast food in America were shaped by government policies, and examines how the fast-food industry is connected to Black Lives Matter and other social change movements.... Invaluable for those studying the intersections of race, economics, and business in the United States." -- Sarah Schroeder, Library Journal"Chatelain makes a convincing case that racial tension, the civil rights movement, and fast food all combined to change the dynamic of mostly black communities ignored by white power structures. Chatelain’s impressive research and her insertion of editorial commentary will prove educational and enlightening for readers of all backgrounds. An eye-opening and unique history lesson." -- Kirkus Reviews"Franchise is a stunning story of post-1960s urban black America, a tale of triumph and good intentions, but also of tragic consequences for race relations, poverty, and dietary health. Marcia Chatelain has done superb research and writes as a great storyteller. This is an important book, showing that civil rights successes led to burgers under black ownership as much as ballots for social change. Chatelain makes us see black capitalism in all its mixed blessings." -- David W. Blight, Yale University, and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom"Thanks to Marcia Chatelain, I’ll never look at fast food the same way. She pairs burgers and fries with civil rights and black wealth, showing readers exactly what ‘opportunity’ in America really looks like." -- Alexis Coe, author of You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington"Marcia Chatelain uses the complex interrelationship of black communities with McDonald’s to explore the history of American racism and the struggle for civil rights. Franchise is an eye-opener for anyone who cares about why diet-related chronic disease is more prevalent in these communities and what it is really like to be black in America." -- Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, emerita, and author of Food Politics

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Book SynopsisA "superb" and "ambitious" (New York Times) intellectual and political history of the last century of American conservatism When most people think of modern conservatism, they think of Ronald Reagan. Yet this narrow view leaves many to question: How did Donald Trump win the presidency? And what is the future of the Republican Party? In The Right, Matthew Continetti gives a sweeping account of movement conservatism's evolution, from the Progressive Era through the present. He tells the story of how conservatism began as networks of intellectuals, developing and institutionalizing a vision that grew over time, only to see their creation buckle under new pressures from national populist movements. Drawing out the tensions between the desire for mainstream acceptance and the pull of extremism, Continetti argues that the more one studies conservatism's past, the more one becomes convinced of its future. Updated with a new epilogue, The Right is essential reading for anyone looking to understand American conservatism.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE IN HISTORY! An "important, deeply affecting-and regrettably relevant" (New York Times Book Review) chronicle of a sinister idea of freedom: white Americans' freedom to oppress others and their fight against the government that got in their way American freedom is typically associated with the fight of the oppressed for a better world. But for centuries, whenever the federal government intervened on behalf of non-white people, many white Americans fought back in the name of freedom-their freedom to dominate others.In Freedom's Dominion, prizewinning historian Jefferson Cowie traces this complex saga by focusing on a quintessentially American place: Barbour County, Alabama, the ancestral home of political firebrand George Wallace. In a land shaped by settler colonialism and chattel slavery, freedom became a weapon. With freedom as their cry, white Americans seized Native lands, championed secession, overthrew Reconstruction, questioned the New Deal, and fought against the civil rights movement.Through a riveting account of two centuries of local clashes between white people and federal authorities, Freedom's Dominion offers a radically new history of federal power, democracy, and American freedom. This history summons us today to embrace a vigorous model of American citizenship, backed by a federal government that is not afraid to fight the many incarnations of the freedom to dominate.

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Book SynopsisLike trigger warnings and gender-neutral bathrooms, pronouns spark debate, prompting new policies about what pronouns to use. More than a by-product of the culture wars, gender-neutral pronouns are, however, nothing new. Pioneering linguist Dennis Baron puts them in historical context, noting that Shakespeare used singular they, women invoked the generic use of he to assert the right to vote (while those opposed to women’s rights asserted that he did not include she) and people have been coining new gender pronouns for centuries. An essential work in understanding how 21st century culture has evolved, What’s Your Pronoun? chronicles the story of the role pronouns have played—and continue to play—in establishing both our rights and our identities.Trade Review"Dennis Baron’s What’s Your Pronoun? is a delightful account of the search for what Baron, a professor of English and linguistics at the University of Illinois, calls ‘the missing word’: a third person singular, gender-neutral pronoun." -- Amia Srinivasan - London Review of Books"Dennis Baron has spent years researching the quest for a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun in English. Lively, accessible and full of fascinating details, What’s Your Pronoun? will appeal to anyone with an interest in linguistic and cultural history." -- Deborah Cameron, Worcester College, University of Oxford"Into the breach comes a useful corrective in the form of Dennis Baron's well-timed new book, "What's Your Pronoun?"" -- The Economist"In this learned and entertaining book, Dennis Baron provides vital historical context to today's impassioned debates over gender-neutral and non-binary pronouns... Baron knows what he's talking about and provides a much-needed dose of scholarship leavened with good sense in the language wars. The book is timely, for pronouns are suddenly politically sexy." -- The Times"A scrupulous and absorbing survey. Its great virtue is to show that these issues are nothing new… This scholarly assiduousness, though, also makes him the ideal pilot through these contentious political-linguistic waters. If you want to know why more people are asking ‘what’s your pronoun?’ then you (singular or plural) should read this book." -- Joe Moran - The New York Times Book Review"His [Dennis Baron's] new book, What's Your Pronoun? Beyond He and She is a meticulous, consummate dissection of the pronoun wars..." -- Attitude

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