History Books
Naval Institute Press Give Me a Fast Ship
Book SynopsisThere have been many books about the World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf, but this one is unique by focusing on the crew of one destroyer and her Medal of Honor winning captain, Ernest E. Evans. The courage and the sacrifice of the men of the USS Johnston (DD 557) may be equaled but never surpassed in the annals of American naval history. Going beyond the customary documentary research, award-winning author Thomas Cutler relies heavily on interviews he conducted with surviving crew members as well as his own experiences while serving as an enlisted man in a similar destroyer. The result is a you are there account of Johnston's year of service from her commissioning to her sinking at the Battle Off Samar in October 1944. Often reading like a novel, this is impressively accurate history, not only of the ship and her crew but the full career of her Native American skipper whoforced to retreat in the early days of the warfulfilled his commissioning day promise to never again run from the enemy. Evans was a 1935 Naval Academy graduate serving as executive officer in an aging destroyer in the far off Asiatic Fleet when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Left virtually behind the lines as the Japanese rampaged their way around the Western Pacific, Evans' ship was among only four U.S. warships to escape in the aftermath of the Battle of the Java Sea in February 1942. Spending the next year in frustratingly mundane operations until given command of the newly built Fletcher-class destroyer Johnston, Evans then led his ship in gunfire missions during island-hopping assaults in the Marshalls, Carolines, and Marianas before Johnston faced her ultimate challenges in the Philippines. In these pages, readers will vicariously relive the tedium and the terror of life at sea, the unique challenges of naval combat, and the horrors of trying to survive while adrift on a hostile sea. They will know the terrible waste and the agonies of war but will be awed by what human beings can do in the face of great travails and in the presence of inspirational leadership. This is a story for the ages. The causes for which these men fought and sacrificed have faded with time, the machines they used to carry out their deadly business are now rusted relics of another era, and the waters show no trace of their wakes. But the glory of their deeds will never be tarnished by time.
£19.79
Naval Institute Press War Plan Taiwan
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£28.79
Naval Institute Press The New Cold War at Sea
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£28.79
WW Norton & Co Ancient Skies: Constellation Mythology of the
Book SynopsisTales of the forty-eight classical constellations have captured the human imagination from ancient times to the present. Compiled from literature spanning from Homer to Claudius Ptolemy, with illustrations and star charts reconstructed from ancient sources, Ancient Skies immerses the reader in the world of ancient cosmology and constellation mapping.
£18.99
Transworld Publishers Ltd Passchendaele: The Bloody Battle That Nearly Lost
Book Synopsis'Outstanding . . . thought-provoking, readable and informative' SoldierOne hundred years on...On 18 July 1917, a heavy artillery barrage was unleashed by the Allied forces against an entrenched German army outside the town of Ypres. it was to be the opening salvo of one of the most ferociously fought and debilitating encounters of the First World War.Few battles would encapsulate the utter futility of the war better that what became known as the Battle of Passchendaele. By the time the British and Canadian forces finally captured Passchendaele village on 6 November, the Allies had suffered over 271,000 casualties and the German army over 217,000.Passchendaele: Requiem for Doomed Youth shows how ordinary men on both sides endured this constant state of siege, with a very real awareness that they were being gradually, deliberately felled. Here, Paul Ham tells the story of an army caught in the grip of an extraordinary power struggle – both global and national. As Prime Minister Lloyd George and Commander Haig’s relationship deteriorated beyond repair, so a terrible battle of attrition was needlessly and painfully prolonged.Ham lays down a powerful challenge to the ways in which we have previously seen this monumental battle. Through an examination of the culpability of governments and military commanders in a catastrophe that destroyed the best part of a generation, Paul Ham argues that Passchendaele, far from being a breakthrough moment, was the battle that nearly lost the Allies the war.‘Paul Ham brings new tools to the job, unearthing fresh evidence of a deeply disturbing sort. He has a magpie eye for the telling detail.’ Ben Macintyre, The TimesTrade ReviewExcellent * Spectator *Outstanding . . . thought-provoking, readable and informative * Soldier *In this centenary study, Australian military historian Paul Ham gives the strategic and political background to the battle. Which he sees as the defining tragedy in the greater disaster of the First World War * BBC History Magazine *
£12.34
Faithlife Corporation Sixteenth–Century Mission
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£21.24
Quirk Books Toil and Trouble : A Women's History of the
Book SynopsisFrom the celebrity spirit mediums of the nineteenth century to the TikTok witches hexing the patriarchy, women have long used magic and mysticism to seize back the power they re so often denied. Organized around different approaches women have taken to the occult over the decades creating new magical systems and symbols, using the supernatural for political gain, seeking fame and fortune as spiritual practitioners, questioning and investigating paranormal phenomena, and embracing their witchy identities this book shines a light on these under-appreciated magical pioneers, including: Dion Fortune, who tried to marshal a magical army against Hitler Tituba, the first woman in Salem accused of witchcraft Joan Quigley, personal psychic to Nancy Reagan Pamela Colman-Smith, the artist behind the Rider-Waite tarot deck Bri Luna, the Hoodwitch, social media star and serious magical practitioner Elvira, queer goth sex symbol who defied the Satanic Panic. And more mystical women from American history who found strength through the supernatural and those who are still forging the way today. Weird sisters are doin it for themselves!Trade ReviewA The Mary Sue Book Club Pick“A charming book full of fascinating historical figures.”—BoingBoing“A rich collection of short biographies of women and nonbinary people who were involved with an influence in the occult.”—The Feminist Book Club“A fascinating and at times infuriating look at the ways in which women have gained power through the occult, been persecuted by it, and forged relationships with one another through it.”—GeekMom“Anyone who has dabbled in the craft by way of #witchtok will deepen their knowledge immensely by reading this book. And with a final chapter titled “100% That Witch,” you know you’re going to learn a lot and have some fun.”—BookPage“Does an excellent job of exploring the cultural and racial differences concerning occult practices between women and nonbinary people”—Book Riot “Reclaims and celebrates forgotten foremothers..enjoyable, re-readable references.”—Horror DNA“A fun and informative read for anyone with an interest in women’s history, supernatural topics, or anyone who likes witchy romance and wants to go a little deeper into the world of witchy women.”—Smart Bitches Trashy Books“A thorough and efficient study of those who have come before.”—Chapter 16
£16.19
Rebel Girls Inc Junko Tabei Masters the Mountains
Book SynopsisFrom the world of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls comes the historical novel based on the life of Junko Tabei, the first female climber to summit Mount Everest.Junko is bad at athletics. Really bad. Other students laugh because they think she is small and weak. Then her teacher takes the class on a trip to a mountain. It's bigger than any Junko's ever seen, but she is determined to make it to the top. Ganbatte, her teacher tells her. Do your best.After that first trip, Junko becomes a mountaineer in body and spirit. She climbs snowy mountains, rocky mountains, and even faraway mountains outside of her home country of Japan. She joins clubs and befriends fellow climbers who love the mountains as much as she does. Then, Junko does something that's never been done before... she becomes the first woman to climb the tallest mountain in the world.Junko Tabei Masters the Mountains is the story of the first woman to climb Mount Everest. Even more than that, it's a story about conquering fears, personal growth, and never shying away from a challenge.This historical fiction chapter book includes additional text on Junko Tabei's lasting legacy, as well as educational activities designed to strengthen physical skills and conquer fears.About the Rebel Girls Chapter Book SeriesMeet extraordinary real-life heroines in the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls chapter book series! Introducing stories based on the lives of extraordinary women in global history, each stunningly designed chapter book features beautiful illustrations from a female artist as well as bonus activities in the backmatter to encourage kids to explore the various fields in which each of these women thrived. The perfect gift to inspire any young reader!
£9.49
Cityfiles Press At Home in Chicago: A Living History of Domestic
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£61.75
Holland House Books The Tale of the Horse: A History of India on
Book SynopsisWithout the horse, India would not be this India ... The history of the horse in India is an epic tale of life and war, of migration and intermingling, and points towards a greater history throughout the world, the history of humans and animals in symbiosis.
£11.69
Nathaniel Ltd The Globalisation of War: The Great War, The
Book SynopsisCompared with Roosevelt, Stalin or Churchill Jan Smuts was a peripheral figure.He was born an Afrikaans and fought in the Boer War. Active in South African politics, made peace with the British, hebecame a general in their army, won a victory in East Africa and became a member of the British war cabinet.
£9.49
Newcastle Libraries & Information Service High Heaton, Cochrane Park, Benton: How we used
Book SynopsisAlan Morgan has lived in High Heaton for nearly 90 years and witnessed most of its growth from farmers’ fields and the residue of industrialisation to the pleasant and popular residential suburb it is today. Paddy Freeman’s Park, with easy access to Jesmond Dene, and the adjacent world-renowned Freeman Hospital are just two of the familiar landmarks celebrated in this book. Nearby, Cochrane Park developed into another sought-after residential estate following the demolition of two 18th century mansions in extensive grounds. At Benton, this much older village, pockets of smaller residential estates have appeared alongside earlier listed buildings now adapted for modern use. This book is liberally illustrated with photographs, maps and aerial views to help the reader discover the scale of development in this area and appreciate the many historic features that remain.
£12.00
Newcastle Libraries & Information Service Speaking as we Find: Women's Experience of
Book SynopsisThis book takes us back to the beginning of the 1980s against the background of the impending miners’ strike and the strained relationship between the unions and the Thatcher government. Caroline Barker Bennett recorded the experiences of twenty women industrial workers on Tyneside. The eldest of these women started work in 1934 and the youngest in 1981. These interviews are documented here and give a unique insight into the lives of working women at the time. Working as an industrial chaplain, Caroline got to know the women through visiting George Angus, an engineering company in Wallsend, and Louise Argyle, a women’s clothing co-operative, in Hebburn. These fascinating oral accounts document the changing conditions, struggles and everyday experiences of working in many different factories, shops and offices and are a valuable contribution to an important part of the region’s social history that is often overlooked.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Leaving School at Starting Work 2. Becoming Workers 3. Shop and Factory 4. Changing Jobs 5. Working in Engineering 6. A Way of Life that Went: The Colliery Shop 7. Experience as Supervisors 8. Views on Management and Trade Unions 9. The Clothing Industry 10. Working in a Co-operative Conclusion
£12.01
Newcastle Libraries & Information Service The North East Coast: Historic Tales from Grace Darling to the Mauretania
The North East Coast presents a selection of true-life accounts from the region's fascinating maritime and seafaring history. Including some of the best stories from his previous books, Newcastle author Ken Smith throws the spotlight on such exciting episodes as Grace Darling and the rescue of survivors from the Forfarshire, the birth of the first purpose-built lifeboat and the career of the illustrious Tyne-built liner Mauretania.
£12.01
Martello Tales from the Tower: A Personal History of the
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£13.49
Honford Star The Specters of Algeria
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£12.59
Orion Publishing Co The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of
Book SynopsisAn exceptionally dramatic life of Joan of Arc and her previously unchronicled mentor, Yolande of Aragon.How did an illiterate seventeen-year-old peasant girl manage to become one of histories most salient females? It is almost 600 years since Joan of Arc heard the voices of angels that would change her life for ever: in a breathtaking story her quest saved France from English domination and restored France's hereditary monarchy.Just thirteen when her life was turned upside down, Joan's holy guidance led her on an arduous eleven-day journey into the unknown, restoring the Dauphin back to his original birthright in an official coronation, allowing him to resume his rule as France's legitimate king. Joan summoned and led an impressive army of French loyalists against the English; the siege at Orleans was an exhilarating English defeat that liberated the city. The following year witnessed Joan's capture by the enemy. After a series of heroic endeavours to escape cruel adversaries, she was subjected to trial by inquisition and then in Rouen, the heart of France, Joan's courageous journey came to a heartbreaking conclusion. This is the story at the core of centuries of myth-making.But what if we no longer accept this tale? What if we question whether the Heavens and their angels were truly Joan's only source of strength and power? What if we demand a different narrative? This revisionist biography unearths the secular and verifiable basis for Joan's heroic exploits: Yolande of Aragon, a forgotten mentor. This is a story of not one life, but two; two lives that together were intertwined in the restoration of France's greatness.Trade ReviewThis new book attempts a revisionist sweep at the myth and proposes to unearth a secular basis for Joan's exploits in the form of her mentor, Yolande of Aragon. Ultimately, we can never know what really happened and this book is an entertaining look at what might have been. * CATHOLIC HERALD *Gripping. * THE LADY *Nancy Goldstone's account is clear and she brings the dramatis personae to life in a most engaging way in this excellent history. * OXFORD TIMES *A convincing revisionist biography of Joan. * FAMILY TREE magazine *Goldstone rewrites history with all the drama and pace of a good thriller. * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *An eye-opening book that shows that Joan was part of a greater narrative, much of its evidence taken from primary sources. * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *
£10.44
Orion Publishing Co Dangerous Days in the Roman Empire: Terrors and
Book SynopsisDANGEROUS DAYS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE is the first in a new adult series by Terry Deary, the author of the hugely bestselling Horrible Histories, popular among children for their disgusting details, gory information and sharp wit, and among adults for engaging children (and themselves) with history.The Romans have long been held up as one of the first 'civilised' societies, and yet in fact they were capable of immense cruelty. Not only that, but they made the killing of humans into a sport. The spoiled emperors were the perpetrators (and sometimes the victims) of some imaginative murders. DANGEROUS DAYS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE will include some of the violent ways to visit the Elysian Fields (i.e. death) including: animal attack in the Coliseum; being thrown from the Tarpeian Rock - 370 deserters in 214 AD alone (or if the emperor didn't like your poetry); by volcanic eruption from Vesuvius; by kicking (Nero's fatal quarrel with the Empress Poppea); from poison mushrooms (Claudius); by great fires; torturous tarring; flogging to death; boiling lead (the invention of 'kind' Emperor Constantine); or being skinned alive by invading barbarians. DANGEROUS DAYS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE looks at the back-story leading up to the victims' deaths, and in doing so gives the general reader a concise history of a frequently misunderstood era.
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the
Book Synopsis'An illuminating work of massive insight' Alan Moore'A sensational book. Heartily recommended' Rufus HoundIt is the century about which we know too much, yet understand too little. With disorientating ideas such as relativity, cubism, the id, existentialism, chaos mathematics and postmodernism to contend with, the twentieth century, John Higgs argues, cannot fit easily into a traditional historical narrative. Time, then, for a new perspective. Higgs takes us on a refreshingly eclectic journey through the knotty history of the strangest of centuries. In the company of radical artists, scientists, geniuses and eccentrics, he shows us how the elegant, clockwork universe of the Victorians became increasingly woozy and uncertain; and how in the twentieth century we discovered that our world is not just stranger than we imagine, but 'stranger than we can imagine'.Trade Review'It was formerly held that a comprehensive history of the last century would never be written, by virtue of the fact that we knew too much about that frenetic and eventful period. Now, with the era's ink barely dry, John Higgs demolishes this assumption with a breathtakingly lucid and coherent map of the tectonic shifts which drastically reshaped the human psyche, and the human world, within a hundred thrilling, terrifying years ... An illuminating work of massive insight, in STRANGER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE John Higgs informs us of exactly where we've been and, by extension, where we are. I cannot recommend this magnificent work too highly' -- Alan Moore, author of V FOR VENDETTA, WATCHMEN and LOST GIRLS'A beautiful, erudite, funny and enlightening tour of the widening boundaries of uncertainty revealed in the twentieth century, and who doesn't need a book that explains quantum behaviour with a boxing bout between Putin and a kangaroo?' -- Robin Ince'. . . a brilliantly stimulating tale.' * Financial Times *'. . . a challenging book that stimulates the reader to think radically.' * Daily Mail *'In Stranger Than We Can Imagine, [Higgs] broadens his intellectual reach to encompass modernism, situationism, chaos theory, indeterminacy and almost every other byway of that epoch. Higgs's plate-spinning act is a fine example of learning worn lightly.' -- Adam Roberts * New Scientist *'John Higgs takes a journey through some of the 'curious backwaters' of the last century in the excellent, and consistently intriguing STRANGER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE.' * CHOICE magazine *'Hugely entertaining and thought-provoking' -- Scott Pack'A great and truly enlightening read.' * History Revealed *'The best, most imaginative, most readable history book... No tired chronology of the Wars, Depression, or Vietnam here. No, instead you get a Bill Bryson-type rollercoaster ride of the ideas that made and broke the [twentieth] century.' * Tea In The Cloister.com *A sensational book. Heartily recommended -- Rufus Hound'To paraphrase Colonel Kurtz, reading John Higgs is like being shot with a diamond. Suddenly everything becomes terrifyingly clear' -- Andrew Male * Mojo *'STRANGER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE is a thought-provoking read. Its memorable anecdotes and signposts to further reading make it an enjoyable introductory text on twentieth century history, as well as an accessible guide to many of its more murky aspects.' * History Matters.co.uk *'an enjoyable and informative history' -- Alastair Mabbott * THE HERALD *'From Freud to fractals, cubism to corporations, the topics covered are impressive in such a short book. Even more striking is how well he ties them all together. It's a bravura performance that's unreservedly recommended.' -- Alwyn Turner * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *'Higgs recounts . . . with wide-ranging erudition and a delightful deadpan humour; a particular joy is the explanation of quantum theory via an example of Vladimir Putin fighting a kangaroo.' * Press Association *It was formerly held that a comprehensive history of the last century would never be written, by virtue of the fact that we knew too much about that frenetic and eventful period. Now, with the era's ink barely dry, John Higgs demolishes this assumption with a breathtakingly lucid and coherent map of the tectonic shifts which drastically reshaped the human psyche, and the human world, within a hundred thrilling, terrifying years ... An illuminating work of massive insight, in STRANGER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE John Higgs informs us of exactly where we've been and, by extension, where we are. I cannot recommend this magnificent work too highly -- Alan Moore, author of V FOR VENDETTA, WATCHMEN and LOST GIRLS
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Dangerous Days in Ancient Egypt: Pyramids, Plagues, Gods and Grave-Robbers
Think that Ancient Egypt is just a load of old obelisks?Don't bet your afterlife on it.Ancient Egypt should be deader than most of our yesterdays. After all it was at its height 5,000 years ago. Yet we still marvel at its mummies and ponder over its pyramids. It's easy to forget these people once lived and laughed, loved and breathed ... though not for very long.These were dangerous days for princes and peasants alike. In Ancient Egypt - a world of wars and woes, poverty and plagues - life was short. Forty was a good age to reach. A pharaoh who was eaten by a hippo ended up as dead as a ditch-digger stung by a scorpion. Unwrap the bandages and you'll find that the Egyptians' bizarre adventures in life were every bit as fascinating as the monuments they left to their deaths.
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Worktown: The Astonishing Story of the Project
Book SynopsisThe astonishing story of the project that launched Mass Observation In the late 1930s the Lancashire town of Bolton witnessed a ground-breaking social experiment. Over three years, a team of ninety observers recorded, in painstaking detail, the everyday lives of ordinary working people at work and play - in the pub, dance hall, factory and on holiday. Their aim was to create an 'anthropology of ourselves'. The first of its kind, it later grew into the Mass Observation movement that proved so crucial to our understanding of public opinion in future generations. The project attracted a cast of larger-than-life characters, not least its founders, the charismatic and unconventional anthropologist Tom Harrisson and the surrealist intellectuals Charles Madge and Humphrey Jennings. They were joined by a disparate band of men and women - students, artists, writers and photographers, unemployed workers and local volunteers - who worked tirelessly to turn the idle pleasure of people-watching into a science. Drawing on their vivid reports, photographs and first-hand sources, David Hall relates the extraordinary story of this eccentric, short-lived, but hugely influential project. Along the way, he creates a richly detailed, fascinating portrait of a lost chapter of British social history, and of the life of an industrial northern town before the world changed for ever. Published in partnership with the Mass Observation Archive at the University of Sussex, which holds the papers of the British social research organisation Mass Observation from 1937 to the early 1950s, as well as new material collected continuously since 1981 about everyday life in Britain. www.massobs.org.uk @MassObsArchiveTrade ReviewA great read -- Oscar Quine * THE INDEPENDENT *The book details how 90 observers (usually upper-class Oxbridge types), recorded minute details of everyday life, and how [Tom Harrisson's] experiment grew into the wider Mass Observation study. The social history is fascinating and class issues run throughout the book. A timely, readable reminder that while everything changes, everything also stays the same * GLASGOW HERALD *Hall's depiction of Harrisson's eccentricities is enthralling... there is much to enjoy - and plenty of contemporary resonance in an age when internet giants are collecting information about our tastes and habits -- Francis Wheen * THE MAIL ON SUNDAY *lively and accessible -- Peter Clarke * FINANCIAL TIMES *Drawing on vivid reports, photographs and first-hand sources (very little of which has ever been previously published) David Hall relates the extraordinary story of this eccentric and short lived but hugely influential project. He creates a detailed and fascinating portrait of a lost chapter of British social history and of the life of Bolton before the world would change forever. The photographs of Humphrey Spender are used in this fascinating book (these, of course are held by Bolton's Library and Museum Services) and they help to show how mass observation (from 1937 to the early 1950s as well as new material collected continuously since 1981) can tell us so much about our town and its people -- Gail McBain * THE BOLTON NEWS *Highly readable, anecdote-rich history -- Kevin Jackson * GUARDIAN *David Hall charts the first phase of the groundbreaking Mass-Observation project that examined working class life in Bolton... Including evocative photographs and stories from residents, the author takes us on a journey back to the 1930s and introduces us to life at street level. This fascinating and readable book throws light on the lives of many of our pre-WW2 relatives. -- Amanda Randall * FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE *
£10.44
Orion Publishing Co A Very Private Diary: A Nurse in Wartime
Book SynopsisThe newly discovered diary of a wartime nurse - a fascinating, dramatic and unique insight into the experiences of a young nurse in the Second World War.'I always seem to be saying good-bye to men whom I might have loved had there been enough time...'1939: 18-year-old trainee nurse Mary Mulry arrives in London from Ireland, hoping for adventure. Little did she know what the next seven years would bring.In her extraordinary diary, published now for the first time, Mary records in intimate detail her life as a nurse, both on the Home Front and on the frontline. From nursing children during bombing raids in London to treating Allied soldiers in Normandy, Mary's experiences gave her vivid and unforgettable material for the private diary she was dedicated to keeping.Filled with romance, glamour and inevitably sadness, too, these are the rich memories of an irrepressible personality, living through the turbulent years of the Second World War.Trade ReviewWe know so much about Mary's war because she broke the rules. Keeping a diary was strictly forbidden while on active service, which makes Mary's remarkably complete account all the more exceptional * DAILY EXPRESS *Mary Morris's absorbing diary is a tonic to so many outsized histories of the second World War by those who had not been there. ....In pithy, occasionally sardonic entries, Morris builds a picture of the pity of war and, above all, the moral and material ruins of post-Hitler Germany, where she danced the nights away in Allied officers clubs but also got to know the stench of diphtheria ("so foul and sickly") and gangrene. The scenes of horror and distress she recorded are leavened by childhood reminiscences of the Connemara coast and the glories of whiskey fruit cake. * THE IRISH TIMES *Keeping a diary during active service was forbidden, so this book offers a rare insight into the important roles of nurses, both on the Home Front and the frontline during the Second World War from their own viewpoint. * WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE *Diaries transport us back to the events they describe with a vividness other sources cannot match. This diary, recently discovered in the archives of the Imperial War Museum, was kept by Irish nurse Mary Morris to record her experiences during and after the Second World War. Her strength of character and spirit shine through. ....day and night she faced the grim experience of nursing battle casualties. The constant hunger from insufficient rations, catching diphtheria, and being injured by shrapnel failed to daunt her. * NURSING STANDARD *Throughout it all, Mary's sense of humour and her high spirits rarely failed ... Mary is a talented writer and a humane observer of her remarkable experiences. Her diary is full of vivid, sometimes shocking vignettes ... [A] fascinating and deeply moving book * DAILY MAIL *A remarkable work ... [Mary] was a lucid observer of some of the most cataclysmic events in history * IRISH TIMES *
£8.54
Reaktion Books A Brief History of Nakedness
Book SynopsisConfrontations with naked human bodies can provoke powerful, and often contradictory, impressions and feelings. Just as they might either thrill or revolt, they can signal innocence or sexiness, frankness or madness, a oneness with nature or a separation from society. Advertisers and the media are very aware of the complex and highly subjective associations that most of us have towards nakedness, and use images incessantly to compete for our attention. Yet mystics have embraced nudity to get closer to God or to some other remote power, while political activists have discovered that baring all is one of the most effective ways to gain publicity for a cause. In "A Brief History of Nakedness", Philip Carr-Gomm traces our preoccupation with nudity in three distinct areas of human endeavour: religion, politics and popular culture. Rather than study the history of the fine-art nude, or detail the ways in which the naked body has been denigrated or imprisoned, this book explores new territory - revealing the ways in which religious teachers, politicians, protestors and cultural icons have used nudity to enlighten or empower themselves, or simply to entertain us. From the naked sages of India and St Francis of Assisi to modern-day druids and Christian nudists, from "The Full Monty" and "Calendar Girls" to Lady Godiva and Lady Gaga, "A Brief History of Nakedness" surveys the touching, sometimes tragic, and often bizarre story of our relationship with our own and with others' naked bodies.Trade Review'Philip Carr-Gomm has an idea: Stop reading and take off your clothes' - Chronicle of Higher Education 'Being naked in public can be fun, or naughty, or provocative, or health-giving, or political. It is almost always illegal. And, as anyone who has visited a nudist resort can testify, it is rarely, if ever, sexy. But, as Philip Carr-Gomm reveals in his academic romp through two millenniums of public exhibitionism from the ancient Greeks to animal-rights activists, you can be naked anywhere. You are only nude if someone is watching. Nakedness on its own is straightforward - it's the context and the audience of nudity that make it interesting ... wonderful illustrations' - Sunday Times 'Once you've finished this thought-provoking book, go back to the mirror. Slip off the bathrobe and have another look. Unless you were reading it in the waiting room of a plastic surgeon, nothing much will have changed. Yet something seems different. If it weren't anatomically impossible, you'd swear your whole body was smiling.' - Daily Telegraph
£21.25
Reaktion Books Pain and Retribution: A Short History of British
Book SynopsisPain and Retribution charts the rise and rise of a form of punishment that takes place behind the walls of the institution we have come to call 'prison'. It is the first single volume history of British prisons, charting their history from the time of the Norman Conquest to the present day. Written by a former prison governor who is now one of the country's leading criminologists, the book offers unrivalled insight into the prison system in England, Scotland and Wales. David Wilson, using criminological theory, looks at the way in which the prison has needed to satisfy the demands of three interested parties: first, the public, including politicians and media commentators; second, prison staff; and third, the prisoners themselves. The inability of the prison to satisfy all three groups at the same time means that the prison system is perpetually in crisis, and is therefore seen as a failure. Ironically, the prison system continues to prosper in terms of the numbers of prisoners incarcerated and the vast amount of money that society invests in keeping them locked up. Pain and Retribution explores prison as an institution and discusses not only who gets imprisoned but also what happens to people when they are 'banged up'. David Wilson investigates how prisons are designed and how they are organized and managed, allowing the reader access to all areas, from the prison landing to the people behind the locked doors, including the prison staff. He asks searching questions about the purpose of Britain's current prison system and why prison exerts such a hold on the collective psyche and imagination.
£25.50
Reaktion Books The Pleasure's All Mine
Book SynopsisHomosexuals, transvestites, transsexuals, sado-masochists, necrophiliacs - all of these have been, or still are, considered 'deviants'. Concomitantly there has been almost universal acceptance that unembellished vaginal penetration, performed by one man and one woman, is 'normal' sex. This is now contested. But what is perverse sex and what isn't? The Pleasure's All Mine explores the gamut of sexual activity that has been seen as strange, abnormal or deviant over the last 2,000 years. This first comprehensive history of sexual perversion examines an abundance of original sources - letters, diaries, memoirs, court records, erotic books, medical texts and advice manuals - and shows how, for ordinary people, different kinds of sex have always offered myriad different pleasures. There never was a 'normal'. Almost all sexual behaviours have travelled to and fro along a continuum of proscription and acceptance. Attitudes have changed towards masturbation, leatherwear, 'golden showers' and sado-masochism.From the specialized cultures of pain, necrophilia and bestiality to the social world of plushies and furries, and lovers of life-sized sex dolls, some previously acceptable behaviour now provokes social outrage, while activities as diverse as sodomy and wife-swapping have moved on the spectrum of acceptance from sin to harmless fun. Each 'perversion' is explored from the time it was first visible in history, to how it is viewed today, and along the way the book asks why we can be so intolerant of other people's sexual preferences. Carefully researched as well as a fascinating read, and featuring a wide array of illustrations, The Pleasure's All Mine reaches conclusions that are surprising and sometimes shocking. This is an essential volume for anyone interested in the art, history and culture of sex.Trade Review'For those with an erudite interest in debauchery, this latest from author, historian, and sex scholar Peakman is just the ticket... Peakman's broad overview is stunning, sweeping, and very carefully nonjudgmental. She recounts the history of each so-called perversion from its earliest recorded occurrence through the present, showing how the shifting mores of society color our views on this endlessly fascinating subject ... Exhaustively researched and packed with startling images, this work is a fact-filled, entertaining read for sex history neophytes and scholars alike.' - Library Journal 'Throughout history, sexual norms have shifted drastically: an act that is seen as deviant at one time may be widely accepted at another. Peakman argues that sexual acts have not changed much through the ages, but the cultural response to them has. Today, discussions about sexual preferences are still taboo in many parts of the world, and many opinions are still colored by society's long-held beliefs ... This is a history for the general reader, primarily covering Western thought; it's also a wonderful reference source for sexual studies and research ... Peakman asks readers to think about how society dictates their own opinions, and her work helps pave the way for more open discussions of sexuality in the future.' - Publishers' Weekly 'Serious, historically informed, and as close to an exhaustive account as we are likely ever to see of the extravagant creativity that humans have invested in sex. A masterpiece.' - Thomas W. Laqueur, Helen Fawcett Distinguished Professor in the Department of History, University of California, Berkeley
£18.00
Reaktion Books Berlin
Book SynopsisBerlin is a party in a graveyard. It is Europe's youth capital, and its guilty war conscience. It is a disputed construction site, built on the ruins of regimes. Today's diversity - refugees, immigrants, arty expats, East and West - emerges from a history of violence. Berlin is as cutting-edge and contemporary as it is wary of its extreme past. Berlin is a comprehensive short history and portrait of the German capital today. The story of Berlin's vagaries over nine centuries - from a dry place in a bog to the control centre of modern Europe - is expertly portrayed by historian Joseph Pearson. The dynamic present is a palimpsest on this unsettling past. A long-time flaneur of Berlin's streets, Pearson explores how the city's history is visible today in bombsites, museums and industrial club spaces (and a lake hosting a man-nibbling monster). In this book, we find that elements of the city that for some can be unnerving - its emptiness, its provincialism, its ramshackle industrial eclecticism, its sexual freedoms, its confrontation with a murderous past - are precisely what give the city its charge.Pearson poses provocative questions as he reveals the city's many layers and varied neighbourhoods. He argues, ultimately, that Berlin's centrality in European and cultural affairs is only just beginning to be felt.Trade Review'For the travelers, artists, flaneurs, coders and students fascinated by Berlin, the historian Joseph Pearson masterfully offers a close reading of the metropolis in all its brutal immediacy. Berlin is an exploration of the German capital as it should be, drawing us into the teeming, tumbling life its streets, clubs and Kieze as well as the dark recesses of the city's scarred history.' - Patrick Donahue, political correspondent for Bloomberg News in Berlin; 'A comprehensive yet eminently readable - even exhilarating - romp through Berlin's history, coupled with a native's view of its colorful present. Everything you need to know about the German capital, and more.' - Kimberly Bradley, culture journalist and correspondent for Berlin and Vienna, Monocle magazine
£15.15
Reaktion Books Zombies: A Cultural History: A Cultural History
Book SynopsisZombies: A Cultural History, now available in paperback, sifts materials from anthropology, folklore, travel writing, colonial histories, long-forgotten pulp literature, B-movies, medical history and cultural theory to give a definitive short introduction to the zombie, exploring the manifold meanings of this compelling, slow-moving yet relentless monster.Trade ReviewLuckhurst s wide-ranging history of this cult phenomenon is a richly detailed and eminently readable, nuanced, and rigorous story. He outlines the different shapes the complex, colonially driven monster takes in its century-long journey through the imperial American sub-Zeitgeist including its surprising global resurrection in the new millennium. Everyone from Zora Neale Hurston to 1950s pulp comics to esoteric space scientists and Kirkman had a hand in fashioning the imaginary creature we know today as the zombie. --Victoria Nelson, author of Gothicka and The Secret Life of Puppets"
£10.79
Reaktion Books The Goths: Lost Civilizations
The Goths are truly a 'lost civilization'. Sweeping down from the north, ancient Gothic tribes sacked the imperial city of Rome and set in motion the decline and fall of the western Roman Empire. Ostrogothic and Visigothic kings ruled over Italy and Spain, dominating early medieval Europe. Yet the last Gothic kingdom fell more than a thousand years ago, and the Goths disappeared as an independent people. Over the centuries that followed, the vanished Goths were remembered both as barbaric destroyers and as heroic champions of liberty. This engaging history brings together the interwoven stories of the original Goths and the diverse Gothic legacy: a legacy that continues to shape our modern world. From the ancient migrations to contemporary Goth culture, through debates over democratic freedom and European nationalism and across the work of writers from Shakespeare to Bram Stoker, David M. Gwynn explores the ever-widening gulf between the Goths of history and the Goths of popular imagination. Historians, students of architecture and literature and general readers alike will learn something new from The Goths.
£16.20
Reaktion Books Ugliness: A Cultural History
Book SynopsisIn this riveting book Gretchen E. Henderson explores perceptions of ugliness through history, from ancient Roman feasts to medieval grotesque gargoyles, from Mary Shelley's monster cobbled from corpses to the Nazi Exhibition of Degenerate Art. Covering literature, art, music and even Uglydolls, Henderson reveals how ugliness has long posed a challenge to aesthetics and taste. Following ugly bodies and dismantling ugly senses across periods and continents, Ugliness: A Cultural History draws on a wealth of fields to cross cultures and times, delineating the changing map of ugliness as it charges the public imagination. Now available in paperback, this book is illustrated with a range of artefacts and offers a refreshing perspective that moves beyond the surface to ask what `ugly' truly is, even as its meaning continues to shift.Trade Review`Gretchen Henderson's cultural history of ugliness skates, at an entertainingly high speed, across large swathes of territory, cultural, historical and biological, always fascinating.' - Times Literary Supplement; `Ugliness in Henderson's generous handling becomes a synonym for whatever is shocking, difficult, displeasing in one moment but reveals itself as containing real value and delight in the next.' - The Guardian
£11.39
Reaktion Books Vast Expanses: A History of the Oceans
Book SynopsisVast Expanses is a cultural, environmental and geopolitical history that examines the relationship between humans and oceans, reaching back across geological and evolutionary time and exploring different cultures around the globe. Our ancient connections with the sea have developed and multiplied with industrialization and globalization, a trajectory that runs counter to Western depictions of the ocean as a place remote from and immune to human influence. This book argues that knowledge about the ocean - discovered through work and play, scientific investigation, and also through the ambitions people have harboured for the sea - has played a central role in defining our relationship with this vast, trackless and opaque place. It has helped people exploit marine resources, control ocean space, extend imperial or national power, and attempt to refashion the sea into a more tractable arena for human activity. An understanding of the ocean has animated and strengthened connections between people and their seas. To comprehend this history we must address questions of how, by whom and why knowledge of the ocean was created and used, in both the past and the present; through this, we can forge a healthier relationship with the sea for the future.Trade Review`Vast Expanses is thought-provoking, intelligent, entertaining, and yet still compact. It could be read in a graduate seminar or on a beach holiday. Professor Rozwadowski has written a great book on an important subject, and it is anything but a dry history!' – Kurk Dorsey, Associate Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire and author of Whales and Nations: Environmental Diplomacy on the High Seas
£22.50
Colourpoint Creative Ltd The Ulster Covenant: An Illustrated History of
Book SynopsisOn the 28th September 1912, over 470,000 men and women signed Ulster's Solemn League and Covenant. By signing they proclaimed that they would surrender neither their 'civil and religious freedom' nor 'their cherished position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom'.Through photos and illustrations from the period, this book tells the story of that event 100 years on, and the determination and self-discipline aroused by the government's Home Rule Bill.
£9.36
Colourpoint Creative Ltd For the Sins of My Mother
Book SynopsisIn rural Ireland in 1950, a respectable widow has an affair with a visiting stranger. To conceal her pregnancy, she travels to Belfast, where she gives birth to a baby girl called Marie Therese. She returns to her village life, leaving her daughter to face a life of misery in Nazareth House Orphanage. Cruelly bullied and beaten by the nuns that were supposed to care for her, Marie Therese grows up withdrawn and an outsider. At 17, uneducated and afraid, she is forced to leave the orphanage to live with a manipulative couple that cause her to have a breakdown. Yet, astonishingly in the midst of this turmoil, Marie Therese strives to take control of her life, educating herself and gaining the confidence to establish a nursing career. Determined to find out who she really is, she finally sets out to trace a mother who the nuns told her did not exist. Marie Therese's story is about the resilience of the human spirit and the need we all have to discover who we really are. Nazareth House is one of the institutions currently under investigation by the Historical Abuse Inquiry.
£11.40
Colourpoint Creative Ltd Ireland Under the Union 1800-1900 for CCEA A2
Book SynopsisConflict in 19th Century Ireland, has been updated and revised to assist teachers and students to meet the requirements of the CCEA GCE History A2 1 Unit 2, `Ireland Under the Union 1800-1900'. This comprehensive account of the birth of the modern era in Irish politics by a highly regarded author explores the development of unionism and nationalism, and the relationship between Ireland and the British government. Covering topics such as Catholic emancipation and the Home Rule movement. Complemented by an index and a photographic section to visually support the study of the period. Contents: Chapter 1 Opposition to the Union Constitutional Nationalism 1800-1845 Revolutionary Nationalism 1800-1900 Constitutional Nationalism 1845-1900 Cultural Nationalism 1800-1900 Opposition to the Union - Conclusion Chapter 2 The Significance of Social and Economic Issues Chapter 3 The British Government's Response to Irish Nationalism Chapter 4 Supporters of the Union Conclusion Table of ContentsContents: Opposition to the Union The Significance of Social and Economic Issues The British Government's Response to Irish Nationalism Supporters of the Union Conclusion
£14.70
Colourpoint Creative Ltd Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People
Book SynopsisFirst published in 2000, 'Northern Protestants - An Unsettled People' was an instant success and is widely recognised as a ground-breaking book. Based on over sixty in-depth interviews with a wide range of northern Protestants, Susan McKay presents an uncompromising and clear-eyed examination of her own people - the Protestants of Northern Ireland. Her analysis of the upheavals within the Protestant community and unionist politics is a thought-provoking contribution to current debates about Northern Ireland. This updated edition includes a new introduction, and provides the backdrop to her new title 'Northern Protestants - On Shifting Ground'.
£16.14
Colourpoint Creative Ltd Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground
Book SynopsisTwenty years on from her critically acclaimed book, Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People, Susan McKay talks again to the people she ‘uneasily’ called ‘her own’, those from a Protestant background in Northern Ireland. Against the backdrop of social justice movements, Brexit, the centenary of the foundation of the Northern Ireland state, and the prospect of a poll on Irish Unity, McKay interviews a wide range of people from all over Northern Ireland. They include students, politicians, ex-security force members, victims and survivors, former paramilitaries, business people, religious leaders, community workers, writers and many others. She seeks to understand how the Northern Protestant community is negotiating the ‘shifting ground’ on which it stands. She gives space to the Lundys, those who find in banishment the freedom to grow. The result is a vivid and multi-layered portrait of a surprisingly diverse and fluid community. Written with McKay’s trademark passion and conviction, and full of vulnerable and valiant testimony, this book is compelling, essential reading. A fascinating and constantly thought-provoking book. Sean O’Hagan, Observer Seamlessly weaves together personal stories and political events with deep emotional intelligence … Vital reading in all senses of the word. Claire Mitchell, Irish Times
£16.14
Colourpoint Creative Ltd 100 Years of the Ulster Grand Prix: A Century of
Book SynopsisFrom the first race in 1922, the Ulster Grand Prix has been one of the most thrilling events in the international motorcycling calendar, attracting enormous crowds of spectators to watch the world’s great riders in action. Now, a century on, the UGP holds a special place in the hearts of fans here in Northern Ireland and across the world. A lifelong fan, Norman Windrum has been attending the UGP for seventy-five years and has an unmatched knowledge of the race and its history. In this new book, he vividly captures the excitement of the event, from Hubert Hassall’s win in the first race in 1922 to Tom Herron’s magnificent treble in 1978 and the domination of the Dunlop dynasty from the 1980s on. With over 100 photographs, alongside lively commentary and stories, and bringing together statistics about the race from across its entire history, this is the definitive account of one hundred years of the Ulster Grand Prix.Trade ReviewAs sports books go, this has to be one of the very best I have ever read and has over 100 pages packed with information, facts, figures, stats and pictures, which really chronicles Norman’s account of his favourite motorcycle road race. … If you bike fans want all of the facts then you’ll find them in the book. -- Liam Beckett * Sunday Life *The story of the UGP is told via Norman Windrum’s detailed and loving narrative enhanced by historical programme covers and many action photographs. The forty-five pages of statistics at the end are fascinating in themselves. The book … is a beautiful production. Anyone with even just an inkling of interest in motorcycle racing and Northern Irish sport generally would do themselves a favour and buy this book. -- Joe Cushnan * Dropped the Moon *Windrum writes engagingly about the shift from the Clady to the Dundrod circuit and about the heroes of the event – champions Mike Hailwood and John Surtees, Tom Herron and his 1978 triple victory, Ron Haslam, and the triumphant Dunlop dynasty, most of whom he’s seen in action – but also the organisational and sponsorship problems which have been constant. Even the supporters’ club rebelled one year. In some ways it’s not so much the safety aspect of racing between kerbs and lamp-posts that makes the event’s survival remarkable, precarious as it remains, as the relentlessly uphill organisational battles it has faced. -- Gordon Cruickshank * MotorSport Magazine *
£18.00
Colourpoint Creative Ltd Reporting the Troubles 2: More Journalists Tell
Book SynopsisIn this follow-up to their landmark first book, Deric Henderson and Ivan Little have gathered new stories from seventy journalists who have worked in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. These contributors write powerfully about the victims they have never forgotten, the events that have never left them, and the lasting impact of working through those terrible years. Reporting the Troubles 2, which includes contributions from a new generation of journalists, who came up in the years leading to the Good Friday Agreement, provides a compelling narrative of the last fifty years, and covers many of the key events in Northern Ireland’s troubled history, from Bloody Sunday in 1972 to the inquest into the Ballymurphy Massacre in 2021. Grounded in the passionate belief that good journalism and good journalists make a difference, Reporting the Troubles 2 is a profoundly moving act of remembrance and testimony. 'I am sometimes asked to identify the most important story that I dealt with while I was editor of the Irish Times … I answer that the most important story was not published in a single day but over years. And it was not put together by any one journalist but by a whole cohort of reporters, photographers, feature writers and editors … For the most part they just got by-lines and the satisfaction of knowing that what they were doing was important, that the story had to be told, day by day, hour by hour. And that telling it could make a difference. It is difficult to imagine that there could ever have been a peace process without that.’ CONOR BRADY, former editor, Irish Times Contributions from - Gordon Adair, Don Anderson, Ciaran Barnes, Colin Bateman, Jilly Beattie, Charlie Bird, David Blevins, Declan Bogue, Conor Brady, Stephen Breen, Eugene Campbell, Peter Cardwell, Mark Carruthers, Niall Carson, Paddy Clancy, Simon Cole, Liam Collins, Mark Davey, Donna Deeney, Michael Denieffe, Patricia Devlin, Michael Donnelly, Roisín Duffy, Gavin Esler, Michael Fisher, Jim Flanagan, Mike Gaston, Gareth Gordon, Jim Gracey, Paul Harris, Deric Henderson, Mark Hennessy, Gary Honeyford, Paul Johnson, Fergal Keane, Vincent Kearney, Gerry Kelly, Will Leitch, Ivan Little, Robin Livingstone, David Lynas, Darragh MacIntyre, Michael Macmillan, Kevin Magee, Stanley Matchett, Don McAleer, Roisin McAuley, Barry McCaffrey, Jonny McCambridge, Freya McClements, Sir Trevor McDonald, Lindy McDowell, Mark McFadden, Hugh McGrattan, Seamus McKee, Fearghal McKinney, Allison Morris, Rod Nawn, Malachi O’Doherty, Maggie O’Kane, Mike Parry, Lance Price, Colin Randall, Paul Reynolds, Maggie Taggart, Eric Villiers, John Ware, Nicholas Watt, Johnny Watterson, David Young.
£16.14
Colourpoint Creative Ltd A Force Like No Other 3: The Last Shift: The
Book SynopsisIn this final part to his bestselling A Force Like No Other series, Colin Breen brings together more compelling insider stories from RUC officers who served during the Troubles. ‘A most powerful and unique insight into the world’s most dangerous job in policing in the 1970s and ’80s.’ Henry McDonald, Observer and Guardian ‘This book of real RUC insider anecdotes … has, of course, the best possible sources – the cops themselves.’ Hugh Jordan, Sunday World ‘A Force Like No Other recalls the horrors of the Troubles but also some of the funnier stories of everyday life as a cop.’ Stephen Gordon, Sunday Life
£999.99
Colourpoint Creative Ltd Rails Through Wexford: The North and South
Book SynopsisRAILS THROUGH WEXFORD is a photographic journey across the two scenic railway routes in the south of the county, which once upon a time connected Waterford city with Wexford town and points further afield, by two different routes. The photographs are mainly from the collection of acclaimed railway photographer Barry Carse, who has been taking photographs of railway operations in the area for some fifty years. Many of the scenes depict operations which not only have long since ceased, but of which little or no trace now remains. We commence our journey around the county by tracing the erstwhile North Wexford line, from Waterford city up through New Ross and onwards through Palace East to join the Dublin - Rosslare line at Macmine Junction. From Macmine Junction, we head south to Wexford and onwards to Rosslare Harbour, before returning to Waterford via the South Wexford line through Wellington Bridge. Despite both being opened as through routes in 1906 and serving a similar hinterland, the two lines would have a very different history. As a through route the North Wexford line was closed in 1963, although the section from Waterford to New Ross would remain in use for freight trains until 1995. However, largely due to the sugar beet loading facility at Wellington Bridge, and Rosslare - Cork passenger trains in times past, the South Wexford line would survive until the untimely demise of the domestic beet industry in 2006 and the end of passenger services in 2010. The beet traffic, for so long a staple on this line, has been covered in detail in the book. Today, only the section from Dublin to Wexford and on to Rosslare remains in use for passenger trains only.
£19.00
Quercus Publishing Great Speeches of Our Time: Speeches that Shaped
Book Synopsis'Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfil themselves.' These powerful words, spoken by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural address as the new president of South Africa, are taken from just one of the forty important and thought-provoking speeches in this collection. Ranging from 1945 to the present day, they provide an important insight into the modern world. Inspirational speeches by Winston Churchill, Mikhail Gorbachev, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama and many others are supplemented with biographies of each speaker, as well an exploration of their words' significance and an historical account of the consequences of their oratory. This is a history of the recent and contemporary world told through the speeches that shaped it.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Eamon de Valera: 'It is, indeed, hard for the strong to be just to the weak' - 16 May 1945. Winston Churchill: 'An iron curtain has descended across the Continent' - 5 March 1946. George Marshall: 'Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos' - 5 June 1947. Jawaharlal Nehru: 'A new star rises, the star of freedom in the east' - 14 August 1947. David Ben-Gurion: 'This is our native land, it is not as birds of passage that we return to it' - 2 October 1947. Eleanor Roosevelt: 'The basic problem confronting the world today ... is the preservation of human freedom' - 9 December 1948. Douglas MacArthur: 'Old soldiers never die, they just fade away' - 19 April 1951. Nikita Khrushchev: 'The cult of the individual brought about rude violation of party democracy' - 25 February 1956. Aneurin Bevan: 'The government resorted to epic weapons for squalid and trivial ends' - 5 December 1956. Mao Zedong: 'Let a hundred flowers blossom. Let a hundred schools of thought contend' - 27 February 1957. Harold Macmillan: 'The wind of change is blowing through this continent' - 3 February 1960. John F. Kennedy: 'We stand today on the edge of a New Frontier' - 15 July 1960. John F. Kennedy: 'Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country' - 20 January 1961. John F. Kennedy: 'Mankind must put an end to war - or war will put an end to mankind' - 25 September 1961. Charles de Gaulle: 'There is no independence imaginable for a country that does not have its own nuclear weapon' - 15 February 1963. Martin Luther King: 'I have a dream' - 28 August 1963. Harold Wilson: 'The white heat of the technological revolution' - 1 October 1963. Nelson Mandela: 'An ideal for which I am prepared to die' - 20 April 1964. Barry Goldwater: 'Extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice ... moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue' - 16 July 1964. Martin Luther King Jr: 'The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit' - 4 April 1967. Julius Nyerere: 'Socialism is an attitude of mind' - 10 April 1967. Gamal Abdel Nasser: 'We are determined that the Palestine question will not be liquidated or forgiven' - 26 May 1967. Gamal Abdel Nasser: 'We are now ready to deal with the entire Palestine question' - 29 May 1967. Richard Nixon: 'North Vietnam cannot defeat or humiliate the United States. Only Americans can do that' - 3 November 1969. Richard Nixon: 'Mistakes, yes. But for personal gain, never' - 9 August 1974. Pierre Trudeau: 'The bringing home of our constitution marks the end of a long winter' - 17 April 1982. Neil Kinnock: 'I warn you that you will have pain' - 7 June 1983. Neil Kinnock: 'We are democratic socialists. We care all the time' - 15 May 1987. Ronald Reagan: 'Isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments' - 6 June 1984. Mario Cuomo: 'For the love of God: Please, make this nation remember how futures are built' - 16 July 1984. Jesse Jackson: 'Suffering breeds character. Character breeds faith. In the end, faith will not disappoint' - 18 July 1984. Richard von Weizsacker: 'Anyone who closes his eyes to the past is blind to the present' - 8 May 1985. Margaret Thatcher: 'Let Europe be a family of nations ... relishing our national identity no less than our common European endeavour' - 20 September 1988. Mikhail Gorbachev: 'Freedom of choice is a universal principle to which there should be no exceptions' - 7 December 1988. Nelson Mandela: 'A rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world' - 10 May 1994. Seamus Heaney: 'The Ireland I now inhabit is one that these Irish contemporaries have helped to imagine' - 7 December 1995. Fidel Castro: 'Socialism or death!' - 1 January 1999. Anita Roddick: 'By putting our money where our heart is ... we will mould the world into a kinder, more loving shape' - 27 November 1999. Tony Blair: 'Our policies only succeed when the realism is as clear as the idealism' - 2 October 2001. Orhan Pamuk: 'Whatever the country, freedom of thought and expression are universal human rights' - 25 April 2006. Kevin Rudd: 'As of today, the time for denial, the time for delay, has at last come to an end' - 13 February 2008. Barack Obama: 'Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward' 6 November 2012. Index. Acknowledgements/credits.
£11.69
DB Publishing The History of Ipswich
Book SynopsisThe Anglo-Saxon ''Gipeswic'' was among the first formal urban centres to be established after the Romans quit the British Isles and rightly lays claim to being one of our longest inhabited boroughs. The History of Ipswich provides an overview of around 1,400 years of life in Suffolk''s primary conurbation. It traces the story of how, from the collection of a few Roman farmsteads, the Saxons quickly established a town that developed and flourished, thus laying the foundations for the later Tudor prosperity. The Borough of Ipswich is both ancient and modern, retaining traces of the great days of medieval trade and the shipbuilding industry that made it famous in the 18th century.
£9.49
JMD Media Southampton's Lost Streets: St Mary's and Golden
Book Synopsis
£13.49
The Mercier Press Ltd Police Casualties in Ireland 1919–1922
Book SynopsisThe Royal Irish Constabulary are often portrayed as the villains of the War of Independence in Ireland, Irishmen who betrayed their country by serving the British regime. No memorial has been raised in Ireland to those who died during the conflict and their names are largely forgotten, apart from a few who gained notoriety through the fact that Michael Collins himself ordered their killing. As a result, while their deaths are recorded in histories of the time, little attention is paid to the men themselves. In Police Casualties in Ireland 1919 - 1922, Richard Abbott addresses this imbalance by recording in detail the deaths of over 500 police casualties during the war, not only from the RIC, but also the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the Auxiliaries, Black and Tans and Ulster Special Constabulary. His portrayals of these men remind us that behind the villainous caricatures were human beings, who left behind devastated families and friends, just as the victims on the other side did.
£17.09
The Mercier Press Ltd Cork Burning
Book Synopsis‘A tale of arson, loot and murder’ was how one source described the events that would befall Cork city on the night of 11–12 December 1920. In a scene of almost unprecedented destruction, members of the British forces bent on revenge for the ambushes at Kilmichael and Dillon’s Cross set fire to both the commercial and the civic heart of the city. One side of Patrick Street and the area surrounding it were razed to the ground, while City Hall and the neighbouring Carnegie Library were gutted as Auxiliaries and Black and Tans shot at Cork’s firemen and cut their hoses in an effort to ensure maximum damage. Then, to add insult to injury, as the smoke cleared the British government tried to blame Cork’s own citizens for the devastation. Using eyewitness accounts and contemporary sources, and illustrated with exceptional images from the period, Cork Burning tells the story of the events before, during and after that infamous night. It covers such topics as Cork City before December 1920, the Black and Tans, Auxiliaries and K Company, Republican Cork, a timeline of events before the burning of Cork City, early fires and arson by crown forces in Cork, the Kilmichael Ambush, the Dillon’s Cross Ambush, premises destroyed, official investigations into the causes, compensation and rebuilding.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements 9 Introduction 11 Timeline of Events before the Burning of Cork City 19 Cork City Before December 1920 25 The British Forces in Cork in 1920 49 Republican Cork 59 Arson Rampant in Cork 77 The Kilmichael Ambush 89 The Dillon’s Cross Ambush 93 The Burning of the City 103 Business Premises destroyed 145 Local Reaction to the Burning 155 British Reaction 169 Bishop Cohalan’s Decree 177 Compensation Claims 181 Rebuilding Cork City 191 Epilogue 217 Appendix 1 The Higginson Inquiry 221 Appendix 2 The Strickland Inquiry 227 Bibliography 243 Index 249
£15.29
The Mercier Press Ltd West Cork Railways: Birth, Beauty and Betrayal
Book SynopsisThis wonderful publication provides a unique visual and historical record of the West Cork Railway as rail enthusiast and historian Chris Larkin warmly remembers the lifetime of the rail system in a travelogue which allows readers to hop onto a West Cork train and savour the journey of a bygone era. Highly illustrated with 188 images, while on board, you might even meet a celebrity! Fully illustrated throughout, material from Irish Railway Records is complemented by unique and rare images from private collections and the London Illustrated News. Photographs, vintage posters, postcards, colour slides, tickets, advertisements and images of railway paraphernalia fill the pages. West Cork Railways takes the reader time travelling from the famine right through to the rocking 1960s. Sit on a seat and be whisked from your West Cork home to villages and towns carrying along the dreams, needs and aspirations of bygone travellers. Observe railway life and the harmonious existence of dogs, cats, hens, ducks and geese at the level crossings. Railway enthusiasts will savour detailed accounts of railway stations, length of lines together with steam locomotives and wagons, while those interested in social history will enjoy accounts of halt-keeper’s houses and lists of people including those that worked on the Cork - Beara line. The railway brought much prosperity to the region; however, decades have passed since its 1961 demise and the rapid physical decay of the line. West Cork life continued, albeit in a different way. While today connectivity is measured in speed, this railway is fondly remembered for linking its people. Heartbreakingly, if it had held its ground for a further 12 years until EEC entry (1973), the railway right of way for future generations would have been preserved.
£20.40
The Mercier Press Ltd Inis Oírr – The Jewel of the Aran Islands
Book SynopsisInis Oírr is the smallest and most easterly of the Aran Islands situated at the mouth of Galway Bay, Ireland. Renowned for its captivating beauty, this unique book documents the island from the 1970s to the present day in stunning photographic form, offering an intimate look into aspects that make Inis Oírr such a treasured destination. As you turn the pages, you'll be transported to the enchanting world of Ireland's most visited off-shore island, where the past and present intertwine to create a truly unforgettable experience. 'Inis Oírr: The Jewel of the Aran Islands' is a tribute to the island's beauty and its resilience and spirit. The book is a celebration of both heritage and progress, from its warm-hearted people and rich history to its breathtaking landscape and vibrant cultural life. This visual anthology presents the island's stunning landscape, historical and archaeological sites, as well as the charm of everyday life. Fascinating images highlight the hardworking islanders and their visitors and showcase the diverse aspects of the island's economy and infrastructure, from traditional fishing to modern tourism. Discover the evolution of transportation on the island, from humble donkeys to electric vehicles, and immerse yourself in the rich cultural tapestry of Inis Oírr through its music, art, and sporting events. Special moments are captured in this exquisite photographic journey, providing a deep connection to the heart and soul of Inis Oírr. Let this photographic book be your guide as you explore the wonders of Inis Oírr and fall in love with this magical island.
£24.64
Pen & Sword Books Ltd How Our Ancestors Died: A Guide for Family
Book SynopsisWhat were the principal causes of death in the past? Could your ancestor have been affected? How was disease investigated and treated, and what did our ancestors think about the illnesses and the accidents that might befall them? Simon Wills's fascinating survey of the diseases that had an impact on their lives seeks to answer these questions. His graphic, detailed account offers an unusual and informative view of the threats that our ancestors lived with and died of. He describes the common causes of death - cancer, cholera, dysentery, influenza, malaria, scurvy, smallpox, stroke, tuberculosis, typhus, yellow fever, venereal disease and the afflictions of old age. Alcoholism is included, as are childbirth and childhood infections, heart disease, mental illness and dementia. Accidents feature prominently - road and rail accidents, accidents at work - and death through addiction and abuse is covered as well as death through violence and war. Simon Wills's work gives a vivid picture of the hazards our ancestors faced and their understanding of them. It also reveals how life and death have changed over the centuries, how medical science has advanced so that some once-mortal illnesses are now curable while others are just as deadly now as they were then. In addition to describing causes of death and setting them in the context of the times, his book shows readers how to find and interpret patient records, death certificates and other documents in order to gain an accurate impression of how their ancestors died.Trade ReviewIn this fascinating book, well-known genealogy writer and NHS advisor Simon Wills brings his two interests together to explore the most common causes of death and how we can learn about them to illuminate our ancestors' lives. Inevitably, the focus is on the last 200 years, thanks to civil registration providing death certificates with details of the cause of death, but Wills looks back through time at the history of diseases such as the plagues of the past centuries and other issues such as famine. He also shows how parish records, newspapers, legal records and monumental inscriptions can sometimes tell us more. Your Family Tree This is a fascinating guide to a bygone way of death. The Guide
£13.49
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Hawker VC: The First RFC Ace
Book SynopsisThis fascinating book was written by the brother of Lanoe Hawker VC DSO as a tribute. The Hawkers came from a distinguished sporting family with strong military and naval records and Lanoe from the outset set his sights on flying for the RFC. After the Central Flying School he crossed to France in October 1914 with 6 Squadron equipped with BE2s and Henri Farmans. As the war in the air progressed so Hawker came more and more into his own both as a combat pilot and commander. He was rapidly promoted and given command of 24 Squadron. He, like other pilots, flew numerous machines such as Bristol Scouts, FE4227s and the famous DH2s. This book contains many combat reports by pilots of their missions and these make the most graphic reading. The relative merits, qualities and characteristics of the aircraft both British, French and German are discussed with pilots' opinions. For a better insight into combat air operations Hawker VC - The First RFC Ace is unlikely to be surpassed, thanks to the extensive use of first-hand accounts. Casualty/death rates were appalling but this special band of brothers flew on regardless until their turn came.
£16.99
