History Books

The Cairo Genizah is considered one of the world’s greatest Hebrew manuscript treasures. Yet the story of how over a quarter of a million fragments hidden in Egypt were discovered and distributed around the world, before becoming collectively known as “The Cairo Genizah,” is far more convoluted and compelling than previously told. The full story involves an international cast of scholars, librarians, archaeologists, excavators, collectors, dealers and agents, operating from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and all acting with varying motivations and intentions in a race for the spoils. Basing her research on a wealth of archival materials, Jefferson reconstructs how these protagonists used their various networks to create key alliances, or to blaze lone trails, each one on a quest to recover ancient manuscripts. Following in their footsteps, she takes the reader on a journey down into ancient caves and tombs, under medieval rubbish mounds, into hidden attic rooms, vaults, basements and wells, along labyrinthine souks, and behind the doors of private clubs and cloistered colleges. Along the way, the reader will also learn about the importance of establishing manuscript provenance and authenticity, and the impact to our understanding of the past when either factor is in doubt.

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Book SynopsisThe best introduction to the terrible international impact of the Black Death. Unique, sensational and shocking, this revelatory book provides the best overview of the Europe-wide history of the Black Death. The author's painstakingly comprehensive research throws fresh light on the nature of the disease, its origin, its spread, on an almost day-to-day basis, across Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East and North Africa, its mortality rate and its impact on history. These latter two aspects are of central importance here, for it is demonstrated that the plague's death rates have consistently been under-estimated and that they were in fact much higher, making the disease's long-term effects on history even more profound. First paperback edition published 2006. OLE J. BENEDICTOW is Professor of History at the University of Oslo.Trade ReviewBenedictow's book is highly recommended. It is well written and accompanied by many helpful maps and tables of data. * STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING *The thoroughness and precision of [Benedictow's] research are admirable. [...] Opens a treasure trove of correct information. There is no doubt that [the book] should be acquired by all university libraries. * FIFTEENTH-CENTURY STUDIES *Every library that covers population studies, epistemology, or medieval history should have a copy of Benedictow's book. * POPULATION STUDIES & DEVELOPMENT *A book which should be on every Late-Medievalist's bookshelf. It is packed with valuable and well-considered accounts. ... A wonderful compilation of data which will be widely used for many years to come. * MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *[This] remarkable, engrossing and controversial study is the first to assemble and synthesize historical data from every region in which the Black Death wrought havoc. [...] An immense and entirely breathtaking feat of scholarship...and a moving quest to account for a cruel phenomenon. * TLS *[This] magisterial account mixes demographic research, meticulous reading of the chronicles and modern bacteriology. * THE GUARDIAN *The author...has achieved a Herculean task in reviewing a very large part of the literature on the pestilential disease or set of diseases that afflicted Europe from 1346 to 1353. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *A valuable addition to the historiography of the Black Death. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *Ambitious and contentious. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *Those looking for a vast compendium of local data will not be disappointed. * SPECULUM *

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Book Synopsis‘Magic that takes you out, far out, of this time and this world.' George Bernard Shaw, after a visit to Skellig This is the story of two of the world's most stunning and unspoilt islands, Skellig Michael and Small Skellig, which lie off the coast of Kerry. Lavelle explores the extraordinary, isolated Early Christian monastic settlement with its stone ‘beehive' huts. He describes the abundant bird life, including the huge colony of gannets, and tells of the history, legend, geology, plant life, the lighthouse, the seals and the underwater world. There has been a huge growth in interest in these spectacular islands, driven by Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way and the filming of Star Wars. A comprehensive, accessible and beautiful book on a unique and fascinating place.Trade Reviewhis intimate knowledge of and love for this special place seeps through his words so that the reader of this accessible overview of the various aspects of the islands cannot help but be sucked in. His detailed description of a boat trip from Valentia to Skellig … will strike a chord with anyone who has undertaken similar journeys or provide a pleasant alternative for those who, for whatever reason, cannot … All of this is written in the conversational and at times poetic style of an experienced storyteller and tour guide. A really lovely little book * Archaeology Ireland *This new work takes the reader on an intimate tour of the early Christian monastic settlement and its stone beehive huts, while the islands’ bird-life and underwater riches are also explored with a wealth of colour photos -- RTE.ie Culturethis book … has pushed a visit to Skellig Michael a few places up the bucket list -- Tuam Herald

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Book SynopsisNaval warfare is vividly brought to life, from first contact through how battles were won and lost to damage repair. Our understanding of warfare at sea in the eighteenth century has always been divorced from the practical realities of fighting at sea under sail; our knowledge of tactics is largely based upon the ideas of contemporary theorists[rather than practitioners] who knew little of the realities of sailing warfare, and our knowledge of command is similarly flawed. In this book the author presents new evidence from contemporary sources that overturns many old assumptions and introduces a host of new ideas. In a series of thematic chapters, following the rough chronology of a sea fight from initial contact to damage repair, the author offers a dramatic interpretation of fighting at sea inthe eighteenth century, and explains in greater depth than ever before how and why sea battles (including Trafalgar) were won and lost in the great Age of Sail. He explains in detail how two ships or fleets identified each other to be enemies; how and why they manoeuvred for battle; how a commander communicated his ideas, and how and why his subordinates acted in the way that they did.Trade ReviewWill become widely read by students and academics of the subject, in addition to those who are fascinated by the literary world of Hornblower or Aubrey. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY *A very valuable addition to the extensive literature on naval warfare in the age of sail, looking at a neglected topic. The events of individual battles have been extensively discussed, as have the technical aspects of ship construction, but this book fills the crucial gap between those two, and greatly expands our knowledge of the practicalities of naval warfare in this period. * HISTORY OF WAR.ORG *Is sure to become the standard reference on naval tactics in the Napoleonic era [and] is enthusiastically recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in this aspect of naval history. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY *As a reference work for what these ships were like, how they handled at sea, and how naval officers sought to capitalize on these material constraints for both offensive and defensive purposes, Fighting at Sea is not likely to be surpassed any time soon. * JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES *An excellent historical handbook with much to tell modern readers about military command. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *[A] superbly researched book [which] contains high-quality maps, many excellent illustrations, and an essential glossary, all of which give a better understanding of Willis's argument. * UNITED STATES NAVAL INSTITUTE *A detailed historical study based on extensive research. * . *When it comes to discussing shiphandling Willis is peerless. Not a page is wasted and virtually everything he writes is fascinating and provocative. This is indeed a wonderful book. Anyone interested in warships should have it on his or her bookshelf for frequent consultation. * NORTHERN MARINER *A clear and well-documented account. * SEA HISTORY *By emphasising the critical role of practical seamanship and unwritten rules, this book offers students of the subject a new angle on an old subject. * MILITARY HISTORY *An insightful analysis of the practical realities of sailing warfare that probes deeply into the technical skills, written and unwritten rules, command and control necessary for the Royal Navy's century of unrivalled success in naval combat. * NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL *An illuminating read. * SKIRMISH, October 2008 *Table of ContentsIntroduction Contact Chase and Escape I: Speed and Performance Chase and Escape II: The Tactics of Chasing Station Keeping Communication Unwritten Rules Command The Weather Gage Fleet Tactics Fighting Tactics Damage Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTimely essays from experienced contributors examine the damage recent conflict has caused to cultural heritage, and how it may best be safeguarded in future. `Laurie Rush, a senior archeologist with the U.S. Army, has assembled a seminal book on the threat to important cultural sites from combat operations, and none too soon. Spurred by the tragic and unnecessary loss of artefacts andarchaeology from the invasion of Iraq, she and her colleagues make a persuasive case that a minimum of common sense can not only protect this shared heritage but also enhance the likelihood that a military mission will succeed, and with fewer casualties. This book should be required reading for senior military and civilian leaders, not just in the United States but throughout the world, who are able to initiate the training and education necessary to ensure that planning and targeting personnel will be able to identify significant sites and take every reasonable step to avoid damaging them.' RICHARD MOE, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION, US From Lawrence of Arabia to the Monuments Men to the contributors within this volume, academic scholars have found themselves engaged in conflict areas, in topics involving conflict, and in unlikely partnerships with military professionals. Motives and methods have varied dramatically over the years, but the over-riding theme of this volume is stewardship. In each case, an author has encountered a situation where their expertise has offered the potential tohelp save archaeological properties, historical structures, and sacred places - or has documented the process. Drawing on major contributions from seven armed forces, amongst others, this book aims to set out the obligations to protect cultural heritage under international Conventions; provide a series of case studies of current military practice; and outline the current efforts to enhance this. Overall, it offers examples, anecdotes, and lessons learnedthat can be used for consideration in planning future efforts for global archaeological stewardship. Contributors: Patty Gerstenblith, Krysia Spirydowicz, Julian Radcliffe, Corine Wegener, Joris Kila, Martin Brown, JamesZeidler, Laurie Rush, Paul R. Green, Darrell C. Pinckney, Diane C. Siebrandt, Hugo Clarke, Friedrich Schipper, Franz Schuller, Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, Holger Eichberger, Erich Frank, Norbert Fürstenhofer, Stephan Zellmeyer,Sarah ParcakTrade ReviewOffers a snapshot of recent efforts to educate and train troops to recognize, protect and preserve cultural heritage during both armed deployments and peacetime. [Its] case studies offer good examples. * TLS *Table of ContentsArchaeology and the Military: an Introduction - Laurie W. Rush The Obligations Contained in International Treaties of Armed Forces to Protect Cultural Heritage in Times of Armed Conflict - Patty Gerstenblith Rescuing Europe's Cultural Heritage: The Role of the Allied Monuments Officers in World War II - Krysia Spirydowicz The UK's Training and Awareness Programme - Julian Radcliffe US Army Civil Affairs: Protecting Cultural Property, Past and Future - Corine Wegener Cultural Property Protection in the Event of Armed Conflict: Deploying Military Experts or Can White Men Sing the Blues? - Joris Kila Good Training and Good Practice: Protection of the Cultural Heritage on the UK Defence Training Estate - Martin Brown In-Theatre Soldier Training through Cultural Heritage Playing Cards: a US Department of Defense Example - James Zeidler In-Theatre Soldier Training through Cultural Heritage Playing Cards: a US Department of Defense Example - Laurie W. Rush Dealing the Heritage Hand: Establishing a United States Department of Defense Cultural Property Protection Program for Global Operations - Laurie W. Rush Teaching Cultural Property Protection in the Middle East: the Central Command Historical Cultural Advisory Group and International Efforts - Laurie W. Rush Cultural Resources Data for Heritage Protection in Contingency Operations - Paul R Green Time not on my side: Cultural Resource Management in Kirkuk, Iraq - Darrell C Pinckney US Military Support of Cultural Heritage Awareness and Preservation in Post-Conflict Iraq - Diane C Siebrandt Operation Heritage - Hugo Clarke Cultural Property Protection in the Event of Armed Conflict - Austrian Experiences - Friedrich Schipper Role of the Swiss Armed Forces in the Protection of Cultural Property - Stephan Zellmeyer Preserving Global Heritage from Space in Times of War - Sarah Parcak Appendices: 1954 Hague Convention and its two Protocols

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Book SynopsisCatalogue of excavated household items from the middle ages provides an invaluable reference tool for experts and the general reader alike. This book brings together for the first time the astonishing diversity of excavated furnishings and artefacts from medieval London homes. These include roofing and other structural items, decorative fixtures and fittings, and assortment of culinary utensils, writing instruments, and toys and weights. Illustrating some 1,000 items, the catalogue provides a fascinating account of how metalwork and glassware manufacturing trends changed during the period covered, while close dating of many of the finds has resulted in many new insights into life at the time.Trade ReviewIt is possible, using this catalogue of finds, to consider new insights into life in medieval Britain during this period and, as such, this volume is ideal for anyone with an academic interest in the period historically or archaeologically. [...] It is a fascinating insight into a very small but significant period of British history and a volume which as part of a wider series nonetheless stands well on its own as an individual work of reference. * REFERENCE REVIEWS *This second edition is testament to the thorough research that underpinned the original. * MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *Illustrates and explains an astounding diversity of excavated furnishings and artefacts from medieval London homes. [...] It is possible, using this catalogue of finds, to consider new insights into life in medieval Britain during this period and, as such, this volume is ideal for anyone with an academic interest in the period historically or archaeologically. * REFERENCE REVIEWS *These finds give us a marvellous picture of London life in the later middle ages. [...] For historians and archaeologists alike, this catalogue provides a wealth of primary material for further analysis. The introductory essays and commentaries on individual categories and pieces are excellent. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *(reviewed together with 'Pilgrim Souvenirs') Republication of two volumes from the essential Medieval Finds from Excavations in London series, both from 1998, is very welcome. Print quality is excellent, and Boydell has hardbacked them, wise for reference books guaranteed a long life. * BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY *

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Book SynopsisShows how the image of Cornish wreckers as villains deliberately luring ships on to the rocks is a myth. Although the popular myth of Cornish wrecking is well-known within British culture, this book is the first comprehensive, systematic inquiry to separate out the layers of myth from the actual practices. Weaving in legal, social and cultural history, it traces the development of wreck law - the right to salvage goods washed on shore - and explores the responses of a coastal populace who found their customary practices increasingly outside the law, especially as local individual rights were being curtailed and the role of centralised authority asserted. This groundbreaking study also considers the myths surrounding wrecking, showing how these developed over time, and how moral attitudes towards wrecking changed. Overall, the picture of evil wreckers deliberately luring ships onto the rocks is dispelled, to be replaced by a detailed picture of a coastal populace - poor and gentry alike - who were involved in a multi-faceted, sophisticated coastal practice and who had their own complex popular beliefs about the harvest and salvage of goods washing ashore from shipwreck. CATHRYN J. PEARCE holds a PhD in Maritime History from Greenwich Maritime Institute. A former associate professor of history with the University of Alaska Anchorage's Kenai Peninsula College, she is now with University Campus Suffolk where she continues to research on the relationship of coastal people with the sea.Trade ReviewA painstaking, well-considered and persuasively argued account of wrecking that shatters the well-established image of the wreckers, and that engages with some of the central issues of crime and the law in Hanoverian and early Victorian England. [...] Pearce's book constitutes a significant addition to knowledge and understanding in a variety of areas that are of considerable interest to contemporary students of history. * JOURNAL FOR MARITIME RESEARCH *Cathryn Pearce has done a masterly job in challenging the traditional stereotype of the Cornish wrecker. ... Cornish Wrecking is full of interesting and well-chosen anecdotes, matching the violent with the humane. [...] This book can be warmly recommended. * THE LOCAL HISTORIAN *This pioneering work is helpful for legal and administrative historians, suggestive for social and literary historians, and necessary for maritime historians. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY *Maritime historian Cathryn Pearce has produced by far the best - in fact the only - authoritative study of wrecking in Cornwall. www.smuggling.co.uk * . *Provides one of the most detailed explanations of the Law and Rights of Wreck that I have read in any non-legal work, and written in clear and concise language. [...] This book really is an excellent piece of research on a subject which is more often told on the basis of myth. * SOUTH WEST SOUNDINGS *Must surely be the definitive study of the subject. [...] Well-researched, well-written and well-presented, Cornish Wrecking is a model study of a controversial practice in Cornish - and British - history which continues to this day. * CORNISH BANNER *A highly readable and intriguing examination of an often misunderstood subject. * PIRATES AND PRIVATEERS *Table of ContentsIntroduction: A Reputation for Wrecking Cornwall and the Sea 'Dead Wrecks' and the Foundation of Wreck Law Wrecking and Criminality The Cornish Wrecker Wrecking and the Popular Morality Wrecking and Enforcement of the Law Lords of the Manor and their Right of Wreck Wrecking and Centralised Authority The Wrecker, the Press and the Pulpit Conclusion: Myths and Reputations Reconsidered

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Book SynopsisThe historiography of modern India is largely a pageant of presumed virtues: harmonious territorial unity, religious impartiality, the miraculous survival of electoral norms in the world's most populous democracy. Even critics of injustices within Indian society still underwrite such claims. But how well does the 'Idea of India' correspond to the realities of the Union?In an iconoclastic intervention, Marxist historian Perry Anderson provides an unforgettable reading of the Subcontinent's passage through Independence and the catastrophe of Partition, the idiosyncratic and corrosive vanities of Gandhi and Nehru, and the close interrelationship of Indian democracy and caste inequality. The Indian Ideology caused uproar on first publication in 2012, not least for breaking with euphemisms for Delhi's occupation of Kashmir. This new, expanded edition includes the author's reply to his critics, an interview with the late Praful Bidwai of the Indian weekly Outlook, and a postscript on India under the rule of Narendra Modi. Anderson considers whether his regime is as much of a break with the practices and thought processes of Congress rule as is generally supposed.Trade ReviewA magnificent achievement. It is a product of his ability, near-unique in today's world of ideas, to distill a country's history and politics into a few thousand words that are at once combative and informative * Business Standard, New Delhi *Anderson's scepticism towards India's claim to be a postcolonial democracy uniquely untainted by repression, emergency powers and other dark arts of territorial "unity" is timely -- Maria Misra * Prospect *Perry Anderson brings together a set of arguments that will be received with disquiet by the scholars and ideologues who have constructed a celebratory, self-righteous consensus about the Indian Republic. Instead of writing off the unspeakable violence and egregious injustice in our society as aberrations in an otherwise successful model, Anderson points to serious structural flaws and the deep seated social prejudices of those who have administered the Indian State in the decades since Independence. It is important to read this book seriously, with equanimity and an open mind, instead of flinching and turning away from it -- Arundhati RoyWell sourced and artfully crafted, offering a comprehensive history of India's ideology -- Yahya Chaudhry * Jacobin *Anderson is unanswerable when he points to a consistent Indian pattern of silence, evasion, and distortion about India's military occupation of Kashmir and its attendant regime of extrajudicial execution, torture, and detention. Many readers will be struck by the evidence Anderson adduces of the insidious dominance of upper-caste Hindus in every realm of social and political life and by his portrait of the primordial politics of caste and religion, which have enshrined a patrimonial state built on nepotism and dynasty worship. Admirers of Gandhi and Nehru will encounter many awkward facts, especially regarding their roles in the partition of India, a calamity usually blamed on British colonial administrators and Indian Muslim leaders -- Pankaj Mishra * Foreign Affairs *Exposes some substantial faultlines in recent Indian writing about India and with some justice questions the emerging consensus around India's democratic successes -- David Arnold * Times Literary Supplement *With his sharp and lucid prose, Anderson strips away many of the liberal myths surrounding Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indian democracy itself. His incisive insights, his sweeping vision, his invocation of telling detail are all here in full measure -- Ravi Palat * Critical Asian Studies *

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Book SynopsisIn 1946 many Jewish soldiers returned to their homes in England imagining that they had fought and defeated the forces of fascism in Europe. Yet in London they found a revived fascist movement inspired by Sir Oswald Mosley and stirring up agitation against Jews and communists. Many felt that the government, the police and even the Jewish Board of Deputies were ignoring the threat; so they had to take matters into their own hands, by any means necessary.Forty-three Jewish servicemen met together and set up a group that tirelessly organised, infiltrated meetings, and broke up street demonstrations to stop the rebirth of the far right. The group included returned war heroes; women who went undercover; and young Jews, such as hairdresser Vidal Sassoon, seeking adventure. From 1947, the 43 Group grew into a powerful troop that could muster hundreds of fighters turning meetings into mass street brawls at short notice.The history of the 43 Group is not just a gripping story of a forgotten moment in Britain's postwar history; it is also a timely lesson in how to confront fascism, and how to win.Trade ReviewThrough interviews with veterans, and material from antifascist and Jewish community archives, Sonabend vividly reconstructs this story. It is a story both inspiring and uncomfortable, and the fundamental questions it raises have yet to disappear from our political landscape. -- Daniel Trilling * Guardian *A new, comprehensive history of the group. * The Economist *Brilliant, compelling and very timely. This is the sort of history we should all know about, especially in these troubled times, but were never taught at school. * Keith Lowe, author of The Fear and the Freedom *A great reminder of a post-war resistance to fascism amongst Jewish Londoners. It's a little-known story as it tends to get hidden behind the pre-war appearance of Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists but, as we read here, Mosley wasn't finished with his Jew-baiting. My own grandparents lived two hundred yards from the scene of action of most of this book and reading it brought it all to life for me. * Michael Rosen, author of So They Call You Pisher! *brilliantly chronicles the 43 Group's lightning-fast progress from a homespun organization with a handful of Jewish ex-servicemen...to a surprisingly sophisticated one with up to 2,000 members and intelligence and surveillance branches. * Haaretz *Sonabend combines academic rigour with an easy, readable style, all of which helps to throw into sharp relief the difficult questions the story raises. * New Statesman *This important book is not simply a trip down memory lane, but a warning from history. It should be mandatory for those who do not see themselves as bystanders. * Jewish Chronicle *Thrilling...full of unforgettable characters, clandestine activities, deception, surveillance and more than a few full-blooded street brawls...A must read for all antifascists * Hope Not Hate *

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Book SynopsisThe influence of the Moravian Church on the missionary awakening in England and its contribution to the movement's nature and vitality. The Moravian Church became widely known and respected for its "missions to the heathen", achieving a high reputation among the pious and with government. This study looks at its connections with evangelical networks, and its indirect role in the great debate on the slave trade, as well as the operations of Moravian missionaries in the field. The Moravians' decision, in 1764, to expand and publicise their foreign missions (largely to the British colonies) coincided with the development of relations between their British leaders and evangelicals from various denominations, among whom were those who went on to found, in the last decade of the century, the major societies which were the cornerstone of the modern missionary movement. These men were profoundly influenced by the Moravian Church's apparent progress, unique among Protestants, in making "real" Christians among the heathen overseas, and this led to the adoption of Moravian missionary methods by the new societies. Dr Mason draws on a wide range of primary documents to demonstrate the influences of the Moravian Church on the missionary awakening in England and its contribution to the movement. Dr J.C.S. Mason first became aware of both the International Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) and his La Trobe forebears, who appear in the book, whilst working for his degree as a mature student at Birkbeck College, University of London; he later completed his thesis at King's College London.Trade ReviewExcellent. * JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY *A very thorough study... The book, which is attractively illustrated, is well-written, and the author has a good eye for apt quotations. The treatment is also sophisticated. * HISTORY *Mason deserves our praise... broadens our understanding of this eighteenth-century religious movement. * ALBION *[A] solidly researched study. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *Thoroughly researched.... A solid and reliable account. * ANGLICAN AND EPISCOPAL HISTORY *

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Book SynopsisThe cold-blooded murder of revolutionary icons Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in the pitched political battles of post-WWI Germany marks one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century. No other political assassination inflamed popular passions and transformed Germany's political climate as that killing in the night of 15-16 January 1919 in front of the luxurious Hotel Eden. It not only cut short the lives of two of the country's most brilliant political leaders, but also inaugurated a series of further political assassinations designed to snuff out the revolutionary flame and, ultimately, pave the way for the ultra-reactionary forces that would take power in 1933. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of their untimely deaths, Klaus Gietinger has carefully reconstructed the events on that fateful night, digging deep into the archives to identify who exactly was responsible for the murder, and what forces in high-placed positions had a hand in facilitating it and protecting the culprits.Trade ReviewThe Murder of Rosa Luxemburgis the most painstaking account of the events, drawing on meticulous archival research and interviews with some of the last surviving participants in the events. * rs21 *History repeats itself "first as tragedy and then as farce", as Marx said, and Gietinger is good at bringing out the absurdity of the farce that followed the murder. * The Guardian *[Gietinger] tells a gripping if unsavoury tale of collusion, duplicity and mendacity. * Morning Star *Gietinger's book serves as a powerful historical document; a meta-narrative that seeks to right the wrongs of the past. * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisChina's resistance to Imperial Japan was the other great internationalist cause of the 'red 1930s', along with the Spanish Civil War. These desperate and bloody struggles were personified in the lives of Norman Bethune and others who volunteered in both conflicts. The story of Red Friends starts in the 1920s when, encouraged by the newly formed Communist International, Chinese nationalists and leftists united to fight warlords and foreign domination.John Sexton has unearthearthed the histories of foreigners who joined the Chinese revolution. He follows Comintern militants, journalists, spies, adventurers, Trotskyists, and mission kids whose involvement helped, and sometimes hindered, China's revolutionaries. Most were internationalists who, while strongly identifying with China's struggle, saw it as just one theatre in a world revolution. The present rulers in Beijing, however, buoyed by China's powerhouse economy, commemorate them as 'foreign friends' who aided China's 'peaceful rise' to great power status. Red Friends is part of Verso's growing China list, which includes China's Revolution in the Modern World and China in One Village. Founded on original research, it is a stirring story of idealists struggling against the odds to found a better future. The author's interviews with survivors and descendants add colour and humanity to lives both heroic and tragic.Trade ReviewA fascinating read, based on deep knowledge of the "red friends". People of all kinds and various nationalities, mostly Western, Sexton has an obvious sympathy with them, but also the ability to give the unvarnished truth where necessary. Sexton is sensitive, often witty and also innovative, uncovering hitherto unfamiliar material. Not only well written, but really excellent scholarship. -- Colin Mackerras, Professor Emeritus, Griffith University, AustraliaThis book is a comprehensive guide to an intricate history of the Chinese Communist movement seen through the eyes of foreign activists who contributed to its final victory. It is an enthralling collection of human stories well-written and captivating. Marked by abundant historical details and facts, yet elegantly designated for a general reader, it stands out as an extremely useful source of information for everyone who is interested in communist studies. It is an enchanting anthology of tales about foreign participants in the Chinese revolution - Russian, German, Dutch, American, Indian, New Zealand, British, Polish, and Japanese. Some of them are well-known, some others much less so. Some were staunch Stalinists, some others stubborn Trotskyists or Maoists, some were idealists, some others pure pragmatists. But all were inspired by a heroic struggle of the Chinese people for national and social liberation and were dedicated to the Chinese revolutionary course regardless of their political denominations. This book pays homage to every one of them shedding abundant light on their lives and fates. -- Alexander V. Pantsov, professor of history and holds the Edward and Mary Catherine Gerhold Chair in the Humanities at Capital University in Columbus, OhioRed Friends is a kind of book I've been waiting for a long time. The indispensable international dimension of the otherwise indigenous Chinese revolutions deserves an honest and fully explored history. In particular, the communist revolution in China was profoundly internationalist, in its self-consciousness and engagements as much as its regional and global magnetism. John Sexton most skilfully recounts important personal and collective experiences of 'red' foreign participants in China's protracted liberation struggle. These fascinating stories, involving far reaching and complex contextual narratives across national and partisan boundaries, are told in an elegant prose with great historical sensibility. At a perilous time of capitalist nationalism and imperialism, this book is a powerful and refreshing reminder of a lost world where revolutionary nationalism and internationalism were born twins. -- Lin Chun, Professor in Comparative Politics at the LSE, author of Revolution and Counterrevolution in China (2021).

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Book SynopsisThe story of arms in Western Europe from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. A treasury of information based on solid scholarship, anyone seeking a factual and vivid account of the story of arms from the Renaissance period to the Industrial Revolution will welcome this book. The author chooses as his starting-point the invasion of Italy by France in 1494, which sowed the dragon's teeth of all the successive European wars; the French invasion was to accelerate the trend towards new armaments and new methods of warfare. The authordescribes the development of the handgun and the pike, the use and style of staff-weapons, mace and axe and war-hammer, dagger and dirk and bayonet. He shows how armour attained its full Renaissance splendour and then suffered itssorry and inevitable decline, culminating in the Industrial Revolution, with its far-reaching effects on military armaments. Above all, he follows the long history of the sword, queen of weapons, to the late eighteenth century, when it finally ceased to form a part of a gentleman's every-day wear. Lavishly illustrated. EWART OAKESHOTT was one of the world's leading authorities on the arms and armour of medieval Europe. His other works on the subject include Records of the Medieval Sword and The Sword in the Age of Chivalry.Trade ReviewAn engaging book of great use to scholars and students. [It] demystifies the material culture of an important aspect of the military and tournament activities of early modern Europe. .. If one had room for only a single book on the subject, this volume should be it. * SEVENTEENTH CENTURY NEWS *This book represents part of the essential reading list for any student of the subject. [...] The coverage of the subject is comprehensive. The illustrations, both line drawings and photographs, are excellent. * HOBILAR *This seminal work makes a welcome return...Anyone who has read any of Mr Oakeshott's books will know well the clear, chatty style of his text...it is a pleasure to read. * CHRONICLE REGIA ANGLORUM *The contents of this book are comprehensive...woven into the background of history... A further volume by one of the world's leading authorities on [the subject] and a true work of reference not merely for any serious student of the subject but also those with an interest in a lively and most readable account of the artifacts of warfare during this period of development. * CLASSIC ARMS & MILITARIA *

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Book SynopsisProdigies, revolutionaries, defiers of the patriarchy; drunks, rebels and impassioned immigrants; queer pioneers, paint-spattered punks and proto-feminists: there have always been artists in London. Some were celebrated in their lifetime, others were out-of-step with the spirit of their age: too radical, too subversive, too modest, too female, too foreign. Art London is more than a guidebook. It will accompany you on a journey through this great city, telling stories, uncovering histories, sharing insights into those who have made, collected and influenced art past and present. Moving neighbourhood by neighbourhood, Art London travels the streets with you, revealing art in museums, galleries and beyond, from palace to pub to studio. Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, Mona Hatoum, John Akomfra, Rasheed Araeen, Sunil Gupta, Tracey Emin and Yinka Shonibare were among the artists who agreed to have their portraits taken for this book, while at work in their studios. Alex Schneiderman's exclusive photographs reveal the human element behind contemporary art, while pictures of streetside galleries place London's art scene within an ever-expanding cosmopolitan world. Fascinating, entertaining, full of anecdote and insights, Art London reflects the city itself: energetic, diverse, resilient, occasionally outrageous, and never short of fresh ideas. Also in the series: Vinyl London ISBN 9781788840156 Rock 'n' Roll London ISBN 9781788840163 London Peculiars ISBN 9781851499182Trade Review"Art London: A Guide to Places, Artists And Events is an indispensable volume for both art-world insiders familiar with the city and those who are new to it" - artnet news; "I love that you can stand in Mason's Yard where White Cube now is and know it is where Lennon and Ono first met. I wanted to capture London's layers of history, which go back hundreds of years." - Hettie Judah. "What really separates this from just a guidebook, however, is the inclusion of potted histories of art figures or movements that have shaped the artistic life of an area."-- V & A Winter 2019 Magazine

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Book SynopsisAn examination of daily life in the Middle Ages which reveals the intimate relations between age groups, between the living and the dead, and between people and things. An important and timely volume... an elegant summary of complex theory, and synthesis of an impressive body of material. It will be eagerly read by current and future generations of archaeologists, and will demonstrate the significance of historical archaeology to a much wider scholarly audience. Dr Kate Giles, University of York. The aim of this book is to explore how medieval life was actually lived - how people were born and grew old, how they dressed, how they inhabited their homes, the rituals that gave meaning to their lives and how they prepared for death and the afterlife. Its fresh and original approach uses archaeological evidence to reconstruct the material practices of medieval life, death and the afterlife. Previous historical studies of the medieval "lifecycle" begin with birth and end with death. Here, in contrast, the concept of life course theory is developed for the first time in a detailed archaeological case study. The author argues that medieval Christian understanding of the "life course" commenced with conception and extended through the entirety of life, to include death and the afterlife. Five thematic case studies present the archaeology of medieval England (c.1050-1540 CE) in terms of the body, the household, the parish church and cemetery, and the relationship between the lives of people and objects.A wide range of sources is critically employed: osteology, costume, material culture, iconography and evidence excavated from houses, churches and cemeteries in the medieval English town and countryside. Medieval Life reveals theintimate and everyday relations between age groups, between the living and the dead, and between people and things. Roberta Gilchrist is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading.Trade ReviewIn accessible language and compelling prose, Roberta Gilchrist applies a substantial corpus of archaeological evidence and anthropological theory on material culture to the social construction of the medieval life from c. 1050 to 1540. This book is essential reading for medievalists already working with material evidence, and provides an elegant example for historians and religious scholars of all periods interested in how material theory can shape their own projects. * RELIGIOUS STUDIES REVIEW *A significant book that has potential to open new areas of study and to bring innovative approaches to a wide audience of medievalists from different disciplines. * ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, vol. 170 *Gilchrist draws from an impressively wide range of evidence with skill. The volume is a detailed interrogation of the personal objects that furnished Medieval life [and] as a result it is a notable contribution to a growing body of complex interdisciplinary social archaeologies. * CURRENT ARCHAEOLOGY *A vital and innovative contribution to our understanding of how medieval people interacted with and comprehended the world they inhabited. . [It] is an exemplary model of interdisciplinary history. * JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY HISTORY *If you prefer your medieval studies written with sustained brilliance, elegant, concise prose and frequently ravishing insight, then this is the book for you. * MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *This important book is well written and supports every conjecture with evidence and citations. By organizing the book along thematic questions as opposed to categories of objects, Gilchrist gives a stimulating new perspective on the interdisciplinary topic of life cycles in medieval England. * MEDIEVAL REVIEW *This is an important book. The scope of the work is impressive [and] the presentation is excellent. * ANTIQUITY *A very original work of analysis and synthesis. [...] An unusual, and unusually interesting study. * NORTHERN HISTORY *Vivid and rich in humanity. [...] For anyone who wishes to sense what being medieval meant, it is a key text. * BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY *The great merit of Roberta Gilchrist's volume is that it shows us a past that was infinitely more complicated, and often complicated by people whose voices have left no articulate trace. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *A wonderful bringing-together of archaeology with standard history. * BIBLIOBUFFET *Table of ContentsArchaeology and the Life Course Experiencing Age: the Medieval Body Clothing the Body: Age, Sexuality and Transitional Rites The Medieval Household: the Material Culture of Everyday Life The Medieval Church and Cemetery: the Quick and the Dead Medieval Lives: People and Things Appendices Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAll aboard for a delicious ride on nine legendary railway journeys! Meals associated with train travel have been an important aspect of railway history for more than a century - from dinners in dining cars to lunches at station buffets to foods purchased from platform vendors. For many travellers, the experience of eating on a railway journey is often a highlight of the trip, a major part of the `romance of the rails'. Food on the Move focuses on the culinary history of these famous journeys on five continents, from the earliest days of rail travel to the present. The engaging story and vivid illustrations invite readers to discover an array of railway feasts: haute cuisine in the elegant dining carriages of the Orient Express, American steak-and-eggs on the Santa Fe Super Chief, and home-cooked regional foods along the Trans-Siberian tracks. Readers will be tempted to eat their way across Canada's vast interior and Australia's dusty Outback; grab an infamous `British railway sandwich' to munch on the Flying Scotsman; snack on spicy samosas on the Darjeeling Himalayan `Toy Train'; dine at high speed on Japan's `Bullet Train'; and sip South African wines in a Blue Train luxury lounge car featuring windows of glass fused with gold dust. Written by eight different authors who have travelled on those legendary lines, the book include recipes, from the dining cars and station eateries, taken from historical menus and contributed by contemporary chefs. Food on the Move is a veritable feast!Trade Review"Hudgins and seven other writers recount the glory days of train travel, specifically focusing on the cuisine that travelers used to partake of en route. It wasn't just the presence of cloth napkins, fine china, and real silverware that made the trip special; thought and care also went into crafting menus and selecting fine wine. Behind the scenes, chefs contended with the logistics of butchering meat (on board!) and keeping food cold, while the waitstaff made travelers feel like honored guests. Yes, once upon a time, it really was just like in the movies. Hudgins and her crew cover the globe from Japan's bullet train to the famed Orient Express to British Railways' Flying Scotsman. Even the United States, Canada, and Australia all once had train lines that knew how to 'put on a spread.' Readers will appreciate all of the research that shines in each chapter, but included photographs and recipes are sure to whet many a nostalgic appetite for a slower, more gentle, more genteel way of life and travel."--Booklist "Food and trains, my twin passions, are brought together brilliantly in this guided tour of the symbiotic relationship between railways and eating. Whether it is a simple aloo dum enjoyed in the hill town of Darjeeling, caviar on the Trans-Siberian or a feast on Orient Express, this book makes you want to go on every journey and eat every meal described in it." --Christian Wolmar, author of Engines of the Raj: How the Steam Age Transformed India

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Book SynopsisAccounts of specific communities and themes build to a comprehensive picture of Jews in England C11 - C13. Britain's medieval Jewish community arrived with the Normans in 1066 and was expelled from the country in 1290. This is the first time in many years that its life has been comprehensively examined for a student and general readership. Beginning with an introduction setting the medieval British experience into its European context, the book continues with three chapters outlining the history of the Jews' presence and a discussion of where they settled. Further chapters then explore themes such as their relationship with the Christian church, Jewish women's lives, the major types of evidence used by historians, the latest evidence emerging from archaeological exploration, and new approaches from literary studies. The book closes with a reappraisal of one of the best-known communities, that at York. Drawing together the work of experts in the field, and supported by an extensive bibliographical guide, this isa valuable and revealing account of medieval Jewish history in Britain. Patricia Skinner is a Wellcome Research Fellow in the College of Arts and Humanities, Swansea University. Contributors: ANTHONY BALE, SUZANNE BARTLETT, PAUL BRAND, BARRIE DOBSON, JOHN EDWARDS, JOSEPH HILLABY, D.A. HINTON, ROBIN MUNDILL, ROBERT C. STACEY.Trade ReviewThere are gems of information, excellent insights and a useful bibliography in this collection. * JOURNAL OF JEWISH STUDIES *As a review of the current state of scholarship, this collection combines concision with expertise. It covers a great deal of ground with commendable zest. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *A useful collection of essays which clearly adds to our understanding of Jewish life in medieval Britain. * HISTORY *A welcome sight...it proves that medieval Jewish history is finally gaining the recognition it deserves. * ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY *An invaluable guide to recent work and the present state of knowledge [in the subject]. * NORTHERN HISTORY *Table of ContentsJewish Colonisation in the Twelfth Century - Joe Hillaby The English Jews under Henry III - Robert C. Stacey Edward I and the Final Phase of Anglo-Jewry - Robin Mundill The Jewish Community in the Records of English Royal Government - Paul Brand The Church and the Jews in Medieval England - John Edwards Medieval Anglo-Jewry: the Archaeological Evidence - D A Hinton Women in the Medieval Anglo-Jewish Community - Suzanne Bartlet Fictions of Judaism in England before 1290 - Anthony P. Bale The Medieval York Jewry Reconsidered - Barrie Dobson

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Book SynopsisCollection of source material and crucial interpretations, offering a comprehensive guide to Anglo-Saxon warfare. Selected by Choice as an Outstanding Academic Title. The warfare of the late Anglo-Saxon period had momentous consequences for the development of the English state following Alfred the Great's reign. This book provides acomprehensive guide, with extracts in translation from the principal sources for our knowledge, accompanied by the most important interpretations by scholars through the ages, and new introductions by the present author. It looksat every aspect of the topic, from land and sea forces to logistics and campaigning, from fortifications and the battlefield to the final peacemaking. In so doing, it highlights the significance of warfare and its organisation for the late Anglo-Saxon state, and the multitude of ways in which it was recorded and remembered. Dr Ryan Lavelle is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Winchester.Trade ReviewWill surely become a go-to guide for those seeking to represent 'authentic' medieval warfare of the period in all its facets, as well as those who want to authoritatively critique such descriptions. * MEDIEVALLY SPEAKING *The most complete, authoritative insight into the military affairs of Alfred's rule and perfect for a thorough analysis of the warfare that he waged. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF HISTORY An important book. * SOUTHERN HISTORY *Students of Anglo-Saxon culture and warfare will find cause to grab Alfred's Wars off the shelf time and again. It is the most comprehensive treatment of its subject yet published. * JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY *A remarkably inclusive, detailed and wide-ranging account of the state of current scholarship on the subject of later Anglo-Saxon warfare [and] an indispensable overview of historical approaches. * MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *As thorough as one could possibly hope, and should become a standard point of reference for future research and teaching on Anglo-Saxon warfare. Essential. * CHOICE *In respect of the areas covered, the depth of discussion and the review of previous scholarship, this book has few equals. For the study of early medieval warfare, this book provides an exceptionally useful starting point and deserves a place on the bookshelf of every student of the period. Highly recommended! * MEDIEVAL WARFARE *

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Book SynopsisThe Italian sculptor known as Donatello helped to forge a new kind of art - one that defines the Renaissance. His work was progressive, innovative, challenging and even controversial. Using a variety of novel sculptural techniques and perspectives, Donatello depicted human sexuality, violence, spirituality and beauty. But to really understand Donatello one needs to understand a changing world, a transition from Medieval to Renaissance and to an art more personal and part of the modern self. Donatello was not just a man of his times, he helped create the spirit of the times he lived in, and those to come. In this beautifully illustrated book, the first monograph on Donatello for 25 years, A. Victor Coonin describes the full extent of Donatello's revolutionary contribution and shows how his work heralded the emergence of modern art.

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Book SynopsisLicentious Worlds is a history of sexual attitudes and behaviour through 500 years of empire-building around the world. In a graphic and sometimes unsettling account, Julie Peakman examines colonization and the imperial experience from women’s points of view, showing how they were involved in the building of empires, but also how they were almost invariably exploited. Women acted as negotiators, brothel keepers, traders and peace keepers, but were also forced into marriages and raped. The book describes women in Turkish harems, Mughal zenanas and Japanese geisha houses, as well as in royal palaces, private households and on board ships. Their stories are drawn from many sources – from captains’ logs, missionary reports and cannibals’ memoirs to travellers’ letters, traders’ accounts and reports on prostitutes. From debauched clerics and hog-buggering Pilgrims to sexually-confused cannibals and sodomising samurai, Licentious Worlds takes history where it has not been before.

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Book SynopsisA powerful exploration of trees in both the real and the imagined Anglo-Saxon landscape. Trees played a particularly important part in the rural economy of Anglo-Saxon England, both for wood and timber and as a wood-pasture resource, with hunting gaining a growing cultural role. But they are also powerful icons in many pre-Christian religions, with a degree of tree symbolism found in Christian scripture too. This wide-ranging book explores both the "real", historical and archaeological evidence of trees and woodland, and as they are depicted in Anglo-Saxon literature and legend. Place-name and charter references cast light upon the distribution of particular tree species (mapped here in detail for the first time) and also reflect upon regional character in a period that was fundamental for the evolution of the present landscape. Della Hooke is Honorary Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Research in Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham.Trade ReviewClearly written, well-illustrated, and impressively broad-ranging in its methodology. The footnotes and bibliography make it an invaluable resource for further study. * PARERGON *Della Hooke's book is the first large-scale treatment of its subject, and could hardly be surpassed in its patient and thorough accumulation of data. Lovers of trees and students of early England have equal reason to be grateful to her. -- Ronald Hutton * TIME AND MIND *An enjoyable read and [...] a useful addition to our understanding of pre-Medieval landscapes. * SCOTTISH FORESTY *To look at any tree after reading [the] book is to have a clearer grasp of what someone might have made of it (literally and metaphorically) a thousand years ago. * SALON *An enormously detailed and authoritative study [which] has much to offer Anglo-Saxon scholarship. [...] An excellent volume. * LANDSCAPE HISTORY *[A] well-written and thoughtfully constructed book. * MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *[A] deeply researched and engagingly written book. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *

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Book SynopsisSince Antiquity few trees have had a greater impact on the world’s culture and economy than the mulberry. The sole food of the silkworm, the leaves of the mulberry brought prosperity not only to ancient China, but to all nations that learned the art of silk production. Mulberry bark was used to make the first paper and the succulent, blood-red fruit of the Black Mulberry has inspired poets from Ovid to Shakespeare. The medicinal properties of all parts of the tree have been known for millennia, making it a tree of choice for medieval monastery gardens, while its anti-diabetic effects are opening exciting avenues of research today. This sumptuously illustrated book tells the remarkable story of the mulberry tree and its migrations from China and Central Asia to almost every continent of the globe. It will appeal to all who wish to know more of the rich history of this emblematic tree.

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Book SynopsisThroughout his controversial life the alchemist, physician and social radical known as Paracelsus combined traditions that were magical and empirical, scholarly and folk, learned and artisanal. He read ancient texts and then burned some of them. He endorsed both Catholic and Reformation beliefs, but believed devoutly in a female deity. He travelled constantly, learning and teaching a new form of medicine based on the experience of miners, bathers, alchemists, midwives, barber-surgeons and executioners. He argued for changes in the way the body was understood, how disease was defined and how treatments were created, but he was also moved by mystical speculations, an alchemical view of nature and an intriguing concept of creation. Bruce T. Moran tells the story of how alchemy refashioned medical practice, and brings to light the ideas, workings and major texts of an important Renaissance figure, showing how his tenacity and endurance changed the medical world for the better, and brought new perspectives to the study of nature.

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Book SynopsisExamination of welfare during the last years of the Poor Law, bringing out the impact of poverty on particular sections of society - the lone mother and the elderly. Social welfare, increasingly extensive during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, was by the first third of the nineteenth under considerable, and growing, pressure, during a "crisis" period when levels of poverty soared. This book examines the poor and their families during these final decades of the old Poor Law. It takes as a case study the lived experience of poor families in two Bedfordshire communities, Campton and Shefford, and contrasts it with the perspectives of other participants in parish politics, from the magistracy to the vestry, and from overseers to village ratepayers. It explores the problem of rising unemployment, the provision of parish make-work schemes,charitable provision and the wider makeshift economy, together with the attitudes of the ratepayers. That gender and life-cycle were crucial features of poverty is demonstrated: the lone mother and her dependent children and the elderly dominated the relief rolls. Poor relief might have been relatively generous but it was not pervasive - child allowances, in particular, were restricted in duration and value - and it by no means approximated to the income of other labouring families. Poor families must either have had access to additional resources, or led meagre lives. Samantha Williams is a university lecturer in local and regional history at the Institute of ContinuingEducation, Cambridge, and a Bye-Fellow in History, Girton College, Cambridge.Trade ReviewAn important work for historians of poverty and poor relief, particularly for those interested in the lives of the poor. * FAMILY & COMMUNITY HISTORY *[A] finely researched book ... makes a very significant contribution to poor law history. ... [It] is a very fine piece of scholarship. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *Makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the nature of the old poor law. [...] Only Williams's careful, forensic approach allows her to defiantly make such claims. For this alone, the book has to be essential reading for all poor law specialists and welfare historians. * REVIEWS IN HISTORY *Table of ContentsPeople, place and poverty Policy and paupers Paying for poverty Gender, life-cycle and the life-course Work, unemployment and the makeshift economy

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Book Synopsis"Fascinating. . . . A fun and thorough look at how humans have tried to communicate with the dead over time."—Library Journal "An impressive piece of research. . . . A must-read for anyone fascinated with Spiritualism."—Alma Katsu, author of The Deep and The HungerCalling the Spirits investigates the eerie history of our conversations with the dead, from necromancy in Homer’s Odyssey to the emergence of Spiritualism, when Victorians were entranced by mediums and the seance was born. Among our cast are the Fox sisters, teenagers surrounded by “spirit rappings;” Daniel Dunglas Home, the “greatest medium of all time;” Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose unlikely friendship was forged, then riven, by the afterlife; and Helen Duncan, the medium whose trial in 1944 for witchcraft proved more popular to the public than news about the war. The book also considers Ouija boards, modern psychics and paranormal investigations, and is illustrated with engravings, fine art (from beyond), and photographs. A hugely entertaining contribution from the supernaturally adept Lisa Morton, Calling the Spirits begs the question: is anybody there . . . ?Trade Review"It’s not only fearful fiction that is having a moment. With the world full of real-life terrors, nonfiction writers are also responding. Informational texts about horror have traditionally been limited to local ghost tales or explorations of horror in film. Now, authors are entering new territory that goes beyond the confines of the genre. Morton, the world’s eminent expert on Halloween, has a fascinating new book, Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances, a fun and thorough look at how humans have tried to communicate with the dead over time." * Library Journal *"Morton is clearly skeptical of most of the claims made for séances and the phenomena of Spiritualism, but presents the claims of those involved in an even-handed manner, whilst also presenting the voices of those, throughout history, who have found no evidence for the reality of any form of postmortem communication. The fascinating history of séances is filled with mystery, deception, self-deception, genuine belief, scientific inquiry, and personal transformation, which is well described in this extremely interesting and readable account." * Magonia Review of Books *"While Victorian obsessions are the meat of Calling the Spirits, it is bookended by the necromancy of the ancients and modern séances. . . . Morton’s book will interest anyone whose ancestors claimed psychic powers." * Who Do You Think You Are? *"An ambitious primer on the history of Spiritualism, . . . Calling the Spirits is engagingly written, well illustrated, and up-to-date." * Journal of the Society for Psychical Research *"In Calling the Spirits, Morton has provided the immediate turn-to book on the subject of mediums and seances." * The Pilgrim *"An impressive piece of research. . . . Calling the Spirits is a must-read for anyone fascinated with Spiritualism." -- Alma Katsu, author of "The Deep" and "The Hunger"

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Book SynopsisIf there is anything that distinguishes us from animals, it is our ability to understand that such a thing as the future exists and our willingness to try and look into it. But how have people through the ages gone about making predictions? What were their underlying assumptions, and what methods did they use? Have increased computer power and the newest algorithms improved our success in anticipating the future, or are we still only as good (or as bad) at it as our ancestors? From the ancients watching the flight of birds to the murky activities of Google and Facebook today, Seeing into the Future gives us an insight into the past, present and future of prediction.Trade Review"What will the weather be like tomorrow, next week, next year? Will there be another war, famine, global pandemic? Will the stock market rise or fall? In Seeing into the Future, military historian and theorist Martin van Creveld provides an overview of some of the myriad methods humans have devised over the millennia to foretell what is to come, from the ancients’ use of prophecy and astrology to today’s mathematical algorithms. In addition to delving into when, where, why, and how those techniques originated, he discusses such questions as why prediction is so difficult, whether modern humans are any better at making predictions than our ancestors were, and whether knowing the future is a good thing." * Physics Today *"Van Creveld summarizes this book by considering just how accurate these models can be, and indeed how accurate they should be. Any real ability to foresee the future is, he suggests, likely to be just as dangerous as past rulers thought they would be when they sentenced prophets and mystics to the flames or the axe! . . . This is an interesting book on a topic which we have all pondered at some time, and provides a great deal of food for thought." * Magonia Review of Books *"Creveld covers a broad range, from tribal shamans to Greek sibyls, Israeli prophets, the Prophet Muhammed, Hildegard of Bingen, Nostradamus, and contemporary mediums. In addition, Creveld describes such systematic approaches to prediction as omens, numerology, and the Bible and looks at the contemporary use of mathematical models, artificial intelligence, war games, algorithms, and the Delphi method, which solicits predictions from a number of people, all using their preferred methods for assessing the future. . . . Recommended." * Choice *"Creveld’s new book, Seeing into the Future, examines the principal methods that have been used for looking into the future throughout history. . . . Creveld’s original emphasis on the historical methods of prediction enriches previous scholarship. The book explores a number of predictive methods prevailing over time: speculation, deduction, extrapolation, polling, and modelling. . . . Creveld’s historical overview could have modified Abraham Lincoln’s aphorism: the best way to predict your future is to engineer it." * Technology and Culture Journal *"Martin van Creveld’s Seeing into the Future is a widely informed and deeply thoughtful examination of a critical area of human concern. Anyone seeking insight into the futurology and forecasting, with its manifold involvements in religion, sociology, science, and practical affairs will profit from this instructive and insightful work." -- Nicholas Rescher, distinguished professor of philosophy, University of PittsburghTable of ContentsPart I: A Mysterious Journey 1 A Villain of a Magician 2 In the Name of the Lord 3 Oracles, Pythias and Sibyls 4 A Dream to Remember 5 Consulting the Dead Part II: Be Sober and Reasonable 6 Searching the Heavens 7 Clear and Manifest 8 On Birds, Livers and Sacrifices 9 The Magic of Numbers 10 Decoding the Bible Part III: Enter Modernity 11 From Patterns to Cycles 12 With Hegel on the Brain 13 Ask, and You'll Be Answered 14 The Most Powerful Tools 15 War Games Here, War Games There Part IV: The Lord of the Universe 16 Looking Backward 17 Why is Prediction So Difficult? 18 Is Our Game Improving? 19 A World Without Uncertainty? References Further Reading Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisA story of wartime intelligence, super-power relations and spies and their handlers - seen through the experience of Melita Norwood. On September 11th 1999 The Times newspaper carried the front page article "Revealed: the quiet woman who betrayed Britain for 40 years. The spy who came in from the Co-op." Melita Norwood, the last of the atomic spies, hadfinally been run to ground, but at 87 she was deemed too old to prosecute. Her crime: the shortening of the Soviet Union's atomic bomb project by up to 5 years. At a time when the world faces fresh dilemmas caused by the proliferation of nuclear weapons, this is the remarkable story of a much earlier drama. After the atomic bomb strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, British and American intelligence estimated the earliest date for the production of a Soviet bomb to be 1953. In fact, the Soviet Union went nuclear in 1948, and tested an atomic bomb in 1949. The Soviet Union's bomb coincided with the onset of The Cold War, and threatened humankind with extinction. Melita Norwood was a member of one of those communist spy networks in America and Britain, who by guaranteeing those weapons of mass destruction threw down a challenge to America as sole superpower in the post-Second World War era. This fascinating book sets her in the context of the times, and uses her as a prism and focus through which to investigate the whole milieu. Dr DAVID BURKE is a Supervisor for the Rise of the Secret World: Governments and Intelligence Communities since 1900 at the University of Cambridge.Trade ReviewAn absolutely riveting story of the boiling cauldron of angry conflicting beliefs in Europe and Britain between and during the World Wars. It is brilliantly and concisely told and is essential reading - some of it worryingly apposite today. * BELSIZE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER *[A] fascinating volume. * EAST WEST *Burke's knowledge of Russian exiles enables him to provide a thorough and fascinating account of the fervid political and social world from which Norwood emerged. * THE WEEKLY STANDARD (US) *Presents not just a study of a now infamous individual and her motives but a narrative of a hidden but important part of British left-wing history. This book should not be missed. * CHARTIST *This is a splendid book, exhaustively researched and written in a clear, unpretentious style. * GUARDIAN *A valuable addition to the expanding library of works on the history of East-West espionage. * TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION *

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Book SynopsisThose They Called Idiots traces the little-known lives of people with learning disabilities from the communities of eighteenth-century England to the nineteenth-century asylum and care in today's society. Using evidence from civil and criminal court-rooms, joke books, slang dictionaries, novels, art and caricature, it explores the explosive intermingling of ideas about intelligence and race, while bringing into sharp focus the lives of people often seen as the most marginalized in society.Trade Review"Jarrett is a mesmerizing historian. He has an ear for tender, and sometimes even funny, stories about people with learning disabilities, while never shying away from the shocking abuse and casual indignities they experienced in the past and continue to be subjected to today. Jarrett overturns many assumptions about the history of disabled people and their interactions with different communities. His book is a history of medicine, science, law, philosophy, and psychology. Most of all, though, it is a history of lived experience. Jarrett's story is not only a nuanced analysis of the lives of 'idiots' from 1700 to the present; it is also a tribute to their struggles, needs, and desires."--Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck, University of London "Jarrett's elegant and provocative book brings into focus for the first time the history of people with intellectual disabilities over three centuries. Drawing on a fascinating set of sources, Jarrett traces the 'idiot's' journey from community life to institutionalization and back again, and in the process uncovers the richness and variety of lives lived by people with intellectual impairments in the past. This is a history marked by cruel stereotyping and harmful policies underpinned by the pseudoscience of eugenics, but it is also a history of love, protection, and integration. This humane history teaches us how society can adapt to accommodate all its members."--David Turner, author of Disability in Eighteenth-Century England "Simon Jarrett's The Idiot is a major re-thinking of intellectual disability, from eugenics and the views of institutional authorities of the late nineteenth century to the thoughts and practice of our modern society. Jarrett examines new sources to argue that, while recognized as different in the social structures of a preindustrial or transitional age, there have always been accommodations for the 'idiot'. Thus our present view of mental incapacity is in fact a continuation of a long-standing awareness of how those with intellectual disabilities can be integrated into society." -- Sander L. Gilman, Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry at Emory UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Part One: Idiocy and Imbecility in the Eighteenth Century, c. 1700-1812 1 Poor Foolish Lads and Weak Easy Girls: Legal Ideas of Idiocy 2 Billy-noodles and Bird-wits: Cultural Ideas of Idiocy 3 Idiots Abroad: Racial Ideas of Idiocy Part Two: New Ways of Thinking, 1812-1870 4 Medical Challenge: New Ideas in the Courtroom 5 Pity and Loathing: New Cultural Thinking 6 Colonies, Anthropologists and Asylums: Race and Intelligence 7 Into the Idiot Asylum: The Great Incarceration Part Three: From Eugenics to Care in the Community, 1870 to the Present Day 8 After Darwin: Mental Deficiency, Eugenics and Psychology, 1870-1939 9 Back to the Community? 1939 to the Present References Selected Secondary Reading Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisMany more people encountered newspapers, business press products or jobbing print than the glamorous books of the Enlightenment. This book looks at the way in which print effected a business revolution. Publishing Business in Eighteenth-Century England assesses the contribution of the business press and the publication of print to the economic transformation of England. The impact of non-book printing has been long neglected. A raft of jobbing work serviced commerce and finance while many more practical guides and more ephemeral pamphlets on trade and investment were read than the books that we now associate with the foundations of modern politicaleconomy. A pivotal change in the book trades, apparent from the late seventeenth century, was the increased separation of printers from bookseller-publishers, from the skilled artisan to the bookseller-financier who might have noprior training in the printing house but who took up the sale of publications as another commodity. This book examines the broader social relationship between publication and the practical conduct of trade; the book asks what itmeant to be 'published' and how print, text and image related to the involvement of script. The age of Enlightenment was an age of astonishing commercial and financial transformation offering printers and the business press new market opportunities. Print helped to effect a business revolution. The reliability, reputation, regularity, authority and familiarity of print increased trust and confidence and changed attitudes and behaviours. New modes of publication and the wide-ranging products of printing houses had huge implications for the way lives were managed, regulated and recorded. JAMES RAVEN is Professor of Modern History at the University of Essex and a Fellow of Magdalene College Cambridge.Trade ReviewThe delight of this study is actually in the many surprising discoveries that Raven has collected as the basis for his larger argument. * LIBRARY *The breadth and nuance of this study make its arguments persuasive and make it a significant contribution to the history of the book and of printing. * PAPERS OF THE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA *An innovative and exciting book [which] represents a major scholarly achievement and step forward not simply in linking the history of printing and trade, but in challenging influential trends in eighteenth-century historiography more broadly.. It deserves to be read by anyone interested in the social, economic, educational or political history of eighteenth-century Britain. * HISTORY *[An] exceptionally fertile and knowledgeable book. * ARCHIVES *With Publishing Business in Eighteenth-Century England, Raven makes his position as the doyen of eighteenth-century book trade historians pretty much unassailable.. Raven has cleared the way for a new wave of financially literate research into the knowledge economies of eighteenth-century Britain. * SHARP NEWS *Convincingly shows that the printing business did more than profit from the new information age - it had a key role in sustaining the 'English miracle'. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Table of ContentsThe Mediation of the Press England and the Uneven Economic Miracle The Printed and the Printers Serviced by Stationery and Printing Printing and the City of London Advertising The Advertisers Intelligence Instruction and Guidance Widening Discussion Business, Publishing and the Gentleman Reader Conclusion Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn recent decades digital devices have reshaped daily life, while tech companies' stock prices have thrust them to the forefront of the business world. In this rapid, global development, the promise of a new machine age has been accompanied by worries about accelerated joblessness thanks to new forms of automation. Jason E. Smith looks behind the techno-hype to lay out the realities of a period of economic slowdown and expanding debt: low growth rates and an increase of labour-intensive jobs at the bottom of the service sector. He shows how increasing inequality and poor working conditions have led to new forms of workers' struggles. Ours is less an age of automation, Smith contends, than one in which stagnation is intertwined with class conflict.Trade Review"One of the very best books on the social consequences of technological change I have read, far more insightful than the technology books that get so much attention in the mainstream press." -- Tony Smith * Brooklyn Rail *"In his book Smart Machines and Service Work, Smith offers a reality check to the effects of automation in an age of stagnated production and wages. . . . Workers usurped from administrative as well as industrial roles have recomposed themselves on behalf of service industries as a massively expanded, desiccated and low-paid servant class, the new 'precariat.' . . . Smith dials up his Marx to probe several fascinating and troubling effects of this current dynamic." * Morning Star *"One thing that has puzzled academic economists is why, given the spread in recent years of IT, AI, and automation generally, productivity has hardly gone up. In Smart Machines and Service Work: Automation in an Age of Stagnation, Smith offers an explanation which also challenges those like Paul Mason who see a society of abundance and leisure as in the process of gradually evolving." * Socialist Standard *"[A] vital guide . . . carefully charting how our economic system is unable to deliver further social progress." * Roar *"To understand the future, we must first understand the present. In Smart Machines and Service Work,Smith critically examines the rhetoric on automation, robots taking over jobs and a future without work in the context of a stagnating global economy. . . . Smith combines a detailed theoretical argumentation with rigorous empirical analysis to produce an enlightening explanation of the technological, economic, and social conditions that have shaped and continue to shape the world of work today. Overall, Smart Machines and Service Work is targeted critique of today’s decontextualized automation rhetoric and an impressively broad analysis of the US economy and labor market." -- Sigurd M. N. Oppegaard * Journal of Extreme Anthropology *"A novel and persuasive explanation of why the technological advances of the computer age have been accompanied by a significant slowdown in productivity growth, with an increasing proportion of the labor force in low productivity—and low paid—service industries. This well-written book should be of interest to everyone who wants to understand—and end—the 'near depression' of the US economy." -- Fred Moseley, professor of economics, Mount Holyoke College, author of "Money and Totality""The technological advances of the last four decades have brought only insignificant productivity gains. This 'productivity paradox' remains an abiding mystery in mainstream economics. Smith removes the mystery, explaining how rates of investment, economic growth, and real wage increases have been abysmally low not despite capitalism's technological dynamism, but because of it. This important book should be read by anyone interested in the social consequences of technological change today." -- Tony Smith, professor of philosophy, Iowa State University, author of "Technology and Capital in the Age of Lean Production"

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Book SynopsisSex with animals is one of the last taboos but, for a practice that is generally regarded as abhorrent, it is remarkable how many books, films, plays, paintings, and photographs depict the subject. So, what does loving animals mean? In this book the renowned historian Joanna Bourke explores the modern history of sex between humans and animals. Bourke looks at the changing meanings of “bestiality” and “zoophilia,” assesses the psychiatric and sexual aspects, and she concludes by delineating an ethics of animal loving.Trade Review"Bourke believes society should take a more nuanced approach to the matter. In her new book, Loving Animals, she points out that studies suggesting a link between bestiality and psychosis should be treated with caution due to sampling bias, because they were conducted on people already within the penal system, rather than a cross-section of the population. The sexually frustrated young farm-hand who interferes with one of his mares shouldn’t necessarily occupy the same taxonomic box as the bona fide sex pest; his indiscretion is, in the words of the psychiatrist Philip Q. Roche, an 'adaptive expedient of bucolic loneliness'—a matter of circumstance rather than proclivity; contingent rather than pathological." -- Houman Barekat * Times Literary Supplement *"In this courageous book, Bourke combines scholarship and clear prose to tackle head-on one of our most stigmatized taboos—sexual relations between humans and nonhumans. In doing so, she provides an illuminating perspective on a subject too often swept under the rug. Even if so-called zoophilia were a rare aberration, it ought to be addressed. That it is far more widespread than commonly believed justifies the need for thorough, contemporary examination." -- Jonathan Balcombe, author of "What a Fish Knows" and "Super Fly"“This bold and imaginative book is thoughtful and—inevitably—provocative. With characteristic compassion and insight, Bourke undertakes a tour de force of historical and cultural attitudes towards human-animal relations to guide us through serious ethical and political questions concerning sexuality, power, and consent.” -- Julie-Marie Strange, Durham University"Bourke’s post-anthropocentric approach to human–animal love and lust is a remarkable and much-needed contribution to both queer studies and animal studies. She offers a critical and thorough analysis of the joys, hopes, and dangers of intimacy with the most vulnerable of all lovers—animals." -- Monika Bakke, Philosophy Department, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan (Poland)

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Book SynopsisFresh assessments of Edgar's reign, reappraising key elements using documentary, coin, and pictorial evidence. King Edgar ruled England for a short but significant period in the middle of the tenth century. Two of his four children succeeded him as king and two were to become canonized. He was known to later generations as "the Pacific" or"the Peaceable" because his reign was free from external attack and without internal dissention, and he presided over a period of major social and economic change: early in his rule the growth of monastic power and wealth involved redistribution of much of the country's assets, while the end of his reign saw the creation of England's first national coinage, with firm fiscal control from the centre. He fulfilled King Alfred's dream of the West Saxon royalhouse ruling the whole of England, and, like his uncle King Æthelstan, he maintained overlordship of the whole of Britain. Despite his considerable achievements, however, Edgar has been neglected by scholars, partly becausehis reign has been thought to have passed with little incident. A time for a full reassessment of his achievement is therefore long overdue, which the essays in this volume provide. CONTRIBUTORS: SIMON KEYNES, SHASHI JAYAKUMAR, C.P. LEWIS, FREDERICK M. BIGGS, BARBARA YORKE, JULIA CRICK, LESLEY ABRAMS, HUGH PAGAN, JULIA BARROW, CATHERINE KARKOV, ALEXANDER R. RUMBLE, MERCEDES SALVADOR-BELLOTrade ReviewA welcome cheaper reprint of important papers. * NORTHERN HISTORY *[An] academic history, aimed at those with a serious interest in Anglo-Saxon history. It will be of great value for them, casing light on this otherwise obscure reign. * WWW.HISTORYOFWAR.ORG *A timely reassessment of this monarch and reign. * YEAR'S WORK IN ENGLISH STUDIES *Illuminates aspects of Edgar's reign that have not been well covered in most general works, and its consistently high standard will ensure that it becomes essential reading for those who wish to understand the life and times of Edgar the Peaceable. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *Table of ContentsEdgar: Rex admirabilis - Simon D Keynes A Conspectus of the Characters of King Edward, 957-975 - Simon D Keynes Eadwig and Edgar: Politics, Propaganda, Faction - Shashi Jayakumar Edgar, Chester, and the Kingdom of the Mercians, 957-9 - C P Lewis Edgar's Path to the Throne - Frederick M. Biggs The Women in Edgar's Life - Barbara Yorke Edgar, Albion and Insular Domination - Julia C Crick King Edgar and the Men of the Danelaw - Lesley Abrams The Pre-Reform Coinage of Edgar - Hugh Pagan The Chronology of the Benedictine "Reform" - Julia Barrow The Frontispiece to the New Minster Charter and the King's Two Bodies - Catherine E. Karkov The Laity and Monastic Reform in the Reign of Edgar - Alexander R. Rumble The Edgar Panegyrics in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - Mercedes Salvador-Bello

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Book SynopsisIn this rich and surprising book, Frances F. Berdan casts fresh light on the enigmatic ancient Aztecs. She casts her net wide, covering topics as diverse as ethnicity, empire-building, palace life, etiquette, origin myths and human sacrifice. While often described as ‘stone age’, the Aztecs’ achievements were remarkable. They constructed lofty temples and produced fine arts in precious stones, gold and shimmering feathers. They crafted beautiful poetry and studied the sciences. They had schools and libraries, entrepreneurs and money, and a bewildering array of deities and dramatic ceremonies. Based on the latest research and lavishly illustrated, this book reveals the Aztecs to be a civilization of sophistication and finesse.Trade Review"In Mexico, the Aztecs are far from lost, argues archaeologist and anthropologist Berdan. . . . Most of this knowledgeable and accessible introduction to the Aztecs—the fruit of a lifetime’s study—is concerned with matters such as food and drink, textiles and dress, pottery and art objects, dwellings and architecture, the social divisions of society, trade and the economy, religion and mythology, and, inevitably, the notorious Aztec penchant for human sacrifice. This latter custom was integral to Aztec myths and ceremonies. 'Humans were burdened with a debt to their gods for their very existence,' and they believed they must repay it with their blood, and sometimes with their lives." * Science *“The Aztecs is wonderfully informative and insightful, totally up to date, and draws together a large body of evidence about Aztec society and culture, from codices to ethnohistory and archaeology. Written by a leading Aztec scholar who has spent decades producing pivotal and groundbreaking research, this book is a delight—accessible yet intellectually challenging, and full of stimulating information and captivating detail.” -- Elizabeth Baquedano, Senior Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London

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Book SynopsisSatan is not God’s enemy in the Bible, and he’s not always bad – much less evil. Through the lens of the Old and New Testaments, Erik Butler explores the Devil through literature, theology, visual art, and music from antiquity up to the present, discussing canonical authors (Dante, Milton, Goethe) and a wealth of lesser-known sources. Since his first appearance in the Book of Job, Satan has pursued a single objective: to test human beings, whose moral worth and piety leave plenty of room for doubt. Satan can be manipulative, but at worst he facilitates what mortals are inclined to do, anyway. ‘The Devil made me do it’ does not hold up in the court of cosmic law. With wit and surprising examples, this book explains why.Trade Review"Butler, a researcher at the Yale School of Drama, explores the character of the devil in literature, theology, visual art, and music from antiquity up to the present, discussing canonical authors such as Dante, Goethe, and Milton." * Publishers Weekly *"Butler's book is a scholarly tour-de-force citing the widest range of thinkers. From St Augustine to Nietzsche, Freud, and Foucault. And from the world of literature and the arts come Byron, Shelley, Mann, Blake , and Mozart; even Hannibal Lecter gets a mention. Notwithstanding the heavy duty material, the book remains a hellish good read." * Fortean Times *"In this remarkable and thought-provoking book, Butler demonstrates that far from being the goat-horned, cloven-hoofed, and barbed-tail demon of popular culture, the Devil has in fact been constantly on the move in Christian thinking. . . . Like Virgil leading Dante, Butler steers the reader through the labyrinthine intricacies of early Christian philosophy, the writings of Luther and Milton, and the profane excesses of the French Decadence. . . . Brimful with erudite and recherché learning, and written with a compelling combination of scintillating intelligence and apocalyptic verve, The Devil and His Advocates presents a grand sweep of Western intellectual history that amounts to an alternative history of evil in the Christian world. In Butler, the Devil has found his most eloquent, sophisticated, and measured advocate to date." -- Nick Groom, Professor of Literature in English, University of Macau“In this devilishly clever and fiendishly erudite tour de force, Butler tracks the peregrinations of Satan and figurations of the Satanic across millennia and genres. . . . Butler masterfully weaves history, theology, folklore, music, philosophy, literary criticism, and more into a dazzling account of the Devil's many functions in Western thought and culture. The result is the perfect genealogical demonology for our present moment—an achievement that is at once accessible, provocative, and profound.” -- Patrick Blanchfield, author of "Gunpower: The Structure of American Violence"

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Book SynopsisA multi-disciplinary investigation of the links between people and animals, in reality and representation. Domestic animals played a range of roles in the imaginative world of medieval Icelanders: from partners in settlement and household allies, to violent offenders, foster-kin and surrogate wives, they were vital and effective members of the multispecies communities established from the ninth century onwards. This book examines the domestic animals of early Iceland in their physical and textual contexts, through detailed analysis of the spaces and places of the Icelandic farm and farming landscape, and textual sources such as The Book of Settlements, the earliest Icelandic laws, and various episodes from the Sagas and Tales of Icelanders. Taking a multidisciplinary approach to animal-human relationships, it sees animals not solely as symbols, metaphors, or objects, but as subjects in affective relationships with their human co-settlers who become the focus of intense exploration, delight, anxiety and condemnation in later textual narratives. By inviting readers to question how these sources form, embrace, or reject animal-human relationships, it provides a resource for understanding these archaeological sites and textual narratives differently: as products of multispecies communities in which animals and humans lived, worked, and died together.Trade ReviewThe book offers a rich array of evidence for the varied interactions between humans and multiple domestic animals, with horses playing a significant and distinctive part among other non-human species. -- Anastasija Ropa * Cheiron *Table of ContentsThe Animal Acts... An Animal-Human Settlement Home, Sweet Home: Meeting Points on the Animal-Human Farm The Animal-Human Community: Legal Tradition in Iceland Fostering Relations: The Animal-Human Home in the Íslendingasögur The Negative Animal: Absence, Precarity, and Danger ... and the Man Responds Bibliography

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Book SynopsisHuman twins have many meanings and different histories. They have been seen as gods and monsters, signs of danger, death and sexual deviance. They are taken as objects of wonder and violent repression, the subjects of scientific experiment. Now millions are born through fertility technologies. Their history is often buried in philosophies and medical theories, religious and scientific practices, and countless stories of devotion and tragedy. In this history of superstitions and marvels, fantasies and experiments William Viney – himself a twin – shows how the use and abuse of twins has helped to shape the world in which we live. This book has been written for twins and for anyone interested in their historical, global and political impact.Trade Review"When Viney writes about twins, he knows whereof he speaks. The author is himself a twin and his meticulously researched narrative of superstitions, fantasies, and experiments reveals the way in which twins have long fascinated us and played a part in shaping our world." * Geographical *“This is a book of probing intelligence, curiosity, and wit, of quickened fascination, and sometimes fear. Viney takes us on an ever-expanding and ever-more intimate journey through our ways of thinking about and with twins, the poetry, science, and theater of twin-ship. He explores what these help us to know of the human, and what they can make us blind to. Twins shifts the ways you see familiar things, and the ways we name the stranger ones.” -- Kenneth Gross, author of “Puppet: An Essay on Uncanny Life”“Viney unfolds what he calls the secret history of wonder attaching to twins, in a book that, in its intelligence and sinuous, intent inquisitiveness, is itself a thing of wonder. Ranging from ancient mythology to contemporary biotechnology, Viney explores the dualities that themselves define twins, as figures both of miracle and of menace. Mirroring with its polymorphous subject, Twins is a positive feat of superfetation.” -- Steven Connor, University of Cambridge

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Book SynopsisAvian Illuminations examines the many roles birds have played in human society, from food, messengers, deities and pets, to omens, muses, timekeepers, custodians, hunting companions, decorative motifs and, most importantly, embodiments of our aspirations. It narrates the history of our relationships with a host of birds including crows, owls, parrots, falcons, eagles, nightingales, hummingbirds, and many more. Along the way the book describes how birds’ nesting has symbolised human romance, how their flight has inspired inventors throughout history, and concludes by showing that the interconnections between birds and humans are so manifold that a world without birds would effectively mean an end to human culture itself. Beautifully illustrated, this is a superb overview of our long and rich association with our feathered friends.Trade ReviewThe wonderful Avian Illuminations traces in rich and fascinating detail the cultural relationships between humans and birds through history, philosophy, religion and art. This is a book for difficult times—it entertains, educates, elucidates and, in its assessment of what might be necessary to repair a damaged world, gives us hope.'-Esther Woolfson, author of 'Corvus: A Life with Birds' (2009) and 'Between Light and Storm: How We Live with Other Species' (2020) 'Boria Sax has long been my most trusted guide to understanding the complex relationships between humans and animals. In Avian Illuminations, I feel very fortunate to follow his wonderful mind once again as he weaves a complex portrait of the symbolic richness of our portrayals of birds throughout history and myth.', Ceridwen Dovey, author of 'Blood Kin' (2007) and 'Only the Animals' (2014) 'From Homer to Harry Potter and Plato to Rachel Carlson, Boria Sax provides a masterful overview of the role of birds in human cultural and psychological life. Drawing on history, literature, mythology and art, Avian Illuminations is a beautifully written intellectual treat that will delight anyone interested in the feathered creatures we share our world with.'-Hal Herzog, Professor of Psychology, University of North Carolina, and author of 'Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals' 'Birds have provided models in almost every aspect of human culture. Their songs inspired our music; their courtship rituals, our dance; their plumage, our fashion . . . Avian Illuminations by Boria Sax covers the vast range of practices that diverse cultures have taken from birds with extraordinary thoroughness. It also goes beyond listing the colorful array of practices and motifs in isolation to show how they have provided much of the emotional and intellectual foundation of human culture.'-Roberto Marchesini, Director, Centro Studi Filosofia Postumanista (Center for Posthuman Philosophy), and author of 'Over the Human: Post-humanism and the Concept of Animal Epiphany' 'A fascinating exploration of those ecstatic moments when a human becomes enraptured by contemplation of a bird – moments which, as Boria Sax explains, can approach a religious level of intensity. I never imagined that birds had occupied so many roles in human lives and imaginings and through such a deep swath of history. An inspiring and fascinating read.'-Clive Wynne, Professor of Psychology and Animal Studies, University of Arizona, co-author of 'Animal Cognition', and author of 'Dog is Love' 'In Avian Illuminations, Boria Sax, with the deep probing intellect of a renaissance scholar, reveals how human culture has been informed and shaped by birds. His history covers thousands of years and has something special for everyone, whether a poet, artist, historian, folklorist, falconer or birder.'-John Marzluff, author of 'Welcome to Surbirdia', 'Gifts of the Crow' and 'In Search of Meadowlarks'

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Book SynopsisFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA. 'Miss du Maurier creates on the grand scale . . . observation, sympathy, courage, a sense of the romantic, are here' OBSERVER 'It is my pick of the Spring biographical material for sheer entertainment value . . . a gifted story teller' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'Daphne du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH When Daphne du Maurier wrote this book she was only thirty years old and had already established herself both as a biographer with the acclaimed Gerald: A Portrait and as a novelist. Here, she further explores her fascinating family history.The Du Mauriers was written during a vintage period of her career, between two of her best-loved novels: Jamaica Inn and Rebecca.Her aim was to write her family biography 'so that it reads like a novel' and it was due to du Maurier's remarkable imaginative gifts that she was able to breathe life into the characters and depict with affection and wit the relatives she never knew, including her grandfather, the famous Victorian artist and Punch cartoonist - and creator of Trilby.Trade ReviewMiss du Maurier creates on the grand scale; she runs through the generations, giving her family unity and reality . . . a rich vein of humour and satire . . . observation, sympathy, courage, a sense of the romantic, are here * Observer *It is my pick of the Spring biographical material for sheer entertainment value - and Daphne du Maurier is a gifted story teller, and makes no bones about the shortcomings of her own forebears, albeit she does it with a sympathetic - at times a tender - touch * Kirkus Reviews *Daphne du Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *One of the last century's most original literary talents * Daily Telegraph *Miss du Maurier creates on the grand scale; she runs through the generations, giving her family unity and reality . . . a rich vein of humour and satire . . . observation, sympathy, courage, a sense of the romantic, are here * Observer *

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Book SynopsisThis book examines those who wore glasses through history, art and literature, from the green emerald through which Emperor Nero watched gladiator fights to Benjamin Franklin’s homemade bifocals, and from Marilyn Monroe’s cat-eye glasses to Emma Bovary and Harry Potter. Spectacles are objects that seem commonplace, but this book shows that because they fundamentally changed people’s lives, glasses were the wellspring of a quiet social, cultural and economic revolution. Indeed, one can argue that modernity itself began with the paradigm shift that transformed poor eyesight from a severely limiting disease, treated with pomades and tinctures, into a minor impairment that can be remedied with mechanisms constructed from lenses and wire.Trade Review“Spectacles not only enhance our vision; they contribute to our understanding of reality. Sabin’s charming history-in-miniature reveals how history, culture, and politics have been shaped over centuries by paired discs of polished glass, and why, every once in a while, they inspire such unease, such contempt, and even, sometimes, fear.” -- Simon Ings, author of "The Eye: A Natural History" and "The Smoke"

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Book SynopsisPierrot, Little Bo Peep, cowboy: these characters and many more form part of this colourful story of dressing up, from the accession of Queen Victoria to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Fancy dress became a regular part of people’s social lives over this period, and the craze for it spread across Britain and the Empire, reaching every level of society. Spectacular and witty costumes appeared at street carnivals, victory celebrations, fire festivals and extravagant balls. From the Victorian middle classes performing ‘living statues’ to squads of Shetland men donning traditional fancy dress and setting fire to a Viking ship at the annual Up Helly Aa celebration, this lavishly illustrated book provides a unique view into the quirky, wonderful world of fancy dress.

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Book SynopsisRejecting the deadening conventions of their Victorian elders, the rebel girls demanded new freedoms and new rights. They took their suffrage message out to the remotest Yorkshire dales and fishing harbours, to win Edwardian hearts and minds. 16-year-old Huddersfield weaver Dora Thewlis on arrest was catapulted onto the tabloid front-pages as 'Baby Suffragette'. Her life was transformed. Dancer Lilian Lenton waited till her twenty-first birthday - then determined to burn two buildings a week until the Liberal government granted women the vote. Rebel Girls shows how this daring campaigning shifted from community suffragettes to militant mavericks.

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Book SynopsisIncomparable Realms offers a vision of Spanish culture and society during the Golden Age, the period from 1500 to 1700 when Spain unexpectedly rose to become the dominant European power. But in what ways was this a ‘Golden Age’, and for whom? The relationship between the Habsburg monarchy and the Church shaped the period, with both constructing narratives to bind Spanish society together. Incomparable Realms unpicks the impact of these on thought and culture, and examines the people and perspectives such powerful projections sought to eradicate. The book shows that the tension between the heavenly and earthly realms, and in particular the struggle between the spiritual and the corporeal, defines Golden Age culture. In art and literature, mystical theology and moral polemic, ideology, doctrine and everyday life, the problematic pull of the body and of the material world is the unacknowledged force behind early modern Spain. Life is a dream, as the title of Calderón’s famous play of the period proclaimed, but there is always a body dreaming it.

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