History Books

Book SynopsisFew people know that Ypres, centre of First World War remembrance, was once home to a thriving British community that played a heroic role in the Second World War. This expatriate outpost grew around the British ex-servicemen who cared for the war memorials and cemeteries of 'Flanders Fields'. Many married local women and their children grew up multi-lingual, but attended their own school and were intensely proud to be British. When Germany invaded in 1940 the community was threatened: some children managed to escape, others were not so lucky. But, armed with their linguistic skills and local knowledge, pupils of the British Memorial School were uniquely prepared to fight Hitler in occupied territory and from Britain. Still in their teens, some risked capture, torture and death in intelligence and resistance operations in the field. An exceptional patriotism spurred them on to feats of bravery in this new conflict. Whilst their peers at home were being evacuated to the English countryside, these children were directly exposed to danger in one of the major theatres of war.James Fox was a pupil at the British Memorial School in 1940 and he has made it his mission to trace his former school friends. The Children Who Fought Hitler is their story: a war story about people from an unusual community, told from a fresh and human perspective.Gardens of Stone: My Boyhood in the French Resistance, published recently by Hodder & Stoughton, tells the story of one of James's former school friends, Stephen Grady, and his role in the French Resistance.Trade Review'It's hard to come up with new, untold stories about World War Two, but this book succeeds in just that... [James Fox] has retraced all the individual stories with impressive detail and moving candour' * Military Illustrated *'Fascinating' * Best of British *'Extraordinary' * Sunday Express *'essential reading' * Families Journal *'A vivid slice of human history.' * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe 2020 toppling of slave-trader Edward Colston's statue by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol was a dramatic reminder of Britain's role in trans-Atlantic slavery, too often overlooked. Yet the legacy of that predatory economy reaches far beyond bronze memorials; it continues to shape the entire visual fabric of the country. Architect Victoria Perry explores the relationship between the wealth of slave-owning elites and the architecture and landscapes of Georgian Britain. She reveals how profits from Caribbean sugar plantations fed the opulence of stately homes and landscape gardens. Trade in slaves and slave-grown products also boosted the prosperity of ports like Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow, shifting cultural influence towards the Atlantic west. New artistic centres like Bath emerged, while investment in poor, remote areas of Wales, Cumbria and Scotland led to their 're-imagining' as tourist destinations: Snowdonia, the Lakes and the Highlands. The patronage of absentee planters popularised British ideas of 'natural scenery'--viewing mountains, rivers and rocks as landscape art--and then exported the concept of 'sublime and picturesque' landscapes across the Atlantic. A Bittersweet Heritage unearths the slavery-tainted history of Britain's manors, ports, roads and countryside, and powerfully explains what this legacy means today.Trade Review''A Bittersweet Heritage' illuminates how Caribbean profits shaped not only family trees, but the planting and painting of Britain's landscape--and the mansions erected thereon.' -- Church Times'An impressive, highly readable, and beautifully illustrated book.' -- The Round Table'[A] fine, well-illustrated work of (often painful) history.' -- Context'An important and engrossing contribution to the history of Britain's place in the global slave trade, and how it shaped our urban and rural, domestic and civic fabric. Perry successfully charts this brutal past and reminds us all of how its everyday legacies continue today.' -- Tristram Hunt, historian, former MP and Director, Victoria and Albert Museum'This book showing how profits from Black slavery helped to transform Britain's architecture and landscapes gripped me from beginning to end. Enhanced by a lucid and accessible prose style together with many fascinating images, it most certainly deserves a very wide readership.' -- Sir Tom Devine, Professor Emeritus, University of Edinburgh, and editor of 'Recovering Scotland's Slavery Past: The Caribbean Connection''This is a scholarly and timely history of great country seats created from the profits of plantation slavery. It is a fascinating story of how the political, cultural, social and economic milieu both shaped their history and informs our present.' -- Simon Allford, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects'This book is eye-opening. From her essay in the renowned volume Slavery and the British Country House to this magnificent new study, Victoria Perry continues to illuminate the myriad--and surprising--architectural, rural and cultural legacies of Britain's slavery business.' -- Corinne Fowler, Professor of Postcolonial Literature, University of Leicester'A captivating if uncomfortable account of the connections – strategic and individual – between the trans-Atlantic slave trade and Britain's built and natural heritage. The design ideals of this cruel historic period have been successfully buried for generations, but Perry's meticulous research and excellent storytelling bring them to new audiences.' -- Louise Thomas, Director, Historic Towns & Villages Forum

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Book SynopsisThe Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and one of the continent's principal arteries of movement, migration, conquest and commerce. In this book, historian Malyn Newitt quotes rarely used Portuguese sources that throw vivid light on the culture of the river peoples and their relations with the Portuguese creole society of the prazos. Hitherto unused manuscript material illustrates Portuguese and British colonial rule over the people of the long-lived Lunda kingdoms, and the Lozi of the Barotse Floodplain. The Zambezi became a war zone during the 'Scramble for Africa', the struggle for independence and the civil wars that followed the departure of colonial powers. Recent history has also seen the river's wild nature tamed by the introduction of steamers and the building of bridges and dams. These developments have changed the character of the waterway, and impacted--often drastically--the ecological systems of the valley and those settled along its course. 'The Zambezi' traces the history of the communities that have lived along this great river; their relationship with the states formed on the high veldt; and the ways they have adapted to the vagaries of the Zambezi itself, with its annual floods, turbulent rapids and dramatic gorges.Trade Review'Scholarly and readable... a fascinating tale of a creole society created by a fusion of European and African elements, shaped by the geography of the great river.' -- Times Literary Supplement'Few histories of natural landmarks capture the ebbs and flows of the economic, political and social life they engender like this history of the Zambezi. A remarkable tale of a river whose story may come to an end in the face of increased human pressure and global warming.' -- Benedito Machava, Assistant Professor of History, Yale University'A meticulously researched and nuanced longue-durée history of the Zambezi River, which, as Newitt points, has directly or indirectly shaped the destiny of Central Africa. This is an engaging elegy for grandeur of the river's diverse natural environment and the peoples who lived along its shores in rhythms of history.' -- Liazzat Bonate, Lecturer in African History, University of the West Indies'Newitt skilfully weaves travel and observation documents into a rich historical narrative, working his usual talent with Portuguese-language primary sources. As Newitt highlights, thousands of people of many different societies lived along the Zambezi. He tells a multitude of histories.' -- Jeanne Penvenne, Professor Emerita of History, Tufts University'Newitt masterfully connects the past and present through the history of Zambezi valley region, by exploring the influence of rivers on settlement strategies, state formation, environmental change, livelihood strategies, cultural interchange, political conflicts and technological developments.' -- Joel das Neves Tembe, Professor of African and Mozambican History, Eduardo Mondlane University, and former Director of Mozambique Historical Archives'This book demonstrates exactly what a regional historical account can achieve: Newitt relies on exemplary primary sources and colourfully woven quotes, gains insight from the leading historiography--and produces an impressive study of the Zambezi River region. This synthesis will be essential reading for students, scholars and anyone interested in learning about Africa's history from a Zambezi perspective.' -- Alexander Keese, Professor of African and Global History, University of Geneva

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Book SynopsisFor troops in the desert, Cairo meant fleshpots or brass hats. For well-connected officers, it meant polo at the Gezira Club and drinks at Shepheard's. For the irregular warriors, Cairo was a city to throw legendary parties before the next mission behind enemy lines. For countless refugees, it was a stopping place in the long struggle home. The political scene was dominated by the British Ambassador Sir Miles Lampson. In February 1942 he surrounded the Abdin Palace with tanks and attempted to depose King Farouk. Five months later it looked as if the British would be thrown out of Egypt for good. Rommel's forces were only sixty miles from Alexandria - but the Germans were pushed back and Cairo life went on. Meanwhile, in the Egyptian Army, a handful of young officers were thinking dangerous thoughts.Trade Review'As hard to put down as good fiction. The research is wide, detailed and scrupulous. It is hard to think, on finishing, how this demanding book could have been handled better, more lucidly or more entertaining' * Patrick Leigh Fermor, Times Literary Supplement *'This informative and enjoyable book puts political history side-by-side with the personal sub-history of the characters who determined it . . . a mine of entertaining anecdotes' * Rana Kabbani, Observer *'What lifts it out of the ordinary is the sparkle of the writing and its command of the background' * P. H. Newby, Sunday Telegraph *'Much more than a lively and amusing social history. With enormous skill she has shaped it into a gripping account of the progress of the war itself and of the fortunes of its major protagonists. The result is bracing and salutary and very readable indeed' * Charles Allen, Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisHistorians have long regarded fashion as something peculiarly Western. In this surprising, sumptuously illustrated book, Antonia Finnane challenges this view, which she argues is based on nineteenth- and twentieth-century representations of Chinese dress as traditional and unchanging. Fashions, she shows, were part of Chinese life in the late imperial era, even if a fashion industry was not then apparent. In the early twentieth century the key features of modern fashion became evident, particularly in Shanghai, and rapidly changing dress styles showed the effects. The volatility of Chinese dress throughout the twentieth century matched vicissitudes in national politics. Finnane describes in detail how the close-fitting jacket and high collar of the 1911 Revolutionary period, the skirt and jacket-blouse of the May Fourth era, and the military style popular in the Cultural Revolution gave way finally to the variegated, globalized wardrobe of today. She brilliantly connects China’s modernization and global visibility with changes in dress, offering a vivid portrait of the complex, subtle, and sometimes contradictory ways the people of China have worn their nation on their backs.Trade Review'It is clear from these pages how frequently the world of fashion has turned to China for inspiration.' -- Los Angeles Times'[A] beautifully illustrated book... with delightful analysis of how gender, class,and nationalism have influenced Chinese fashions through the ages.' -- The China Beat'Finnane has produced an impressive history of modern Chinese fashion and much more. It will be a vital cores text for students of Chinese cultural history for decades to come.' -- -- The Journal of Asian Studies'Changing Clothes in China is beautifully produced, offering readers a splendid visual presentation of its rich content.' -- Business History Review'This book makes important contributions to scholarship in the areas of both history and fashion.' -- American Historical Review'This attractive and approachable book presents an overview of Chinese dress, both male and female, from the late imperial period to the present. ... It is a significant addition to the literature and ... I know of no immediate competitors with which this can be compared.Its publication is to be welcomed as a contribution to the debates about culture, modernity and gender in twentieth-century China, and, more widely, to the growing body of work on clothing and identity. ' * Verity Wilson, formerly Curator of Costume, Victoria and Albert Museum, London' *'This is the long-awaited, authoritative and definitive study of fashion in modern China, a topic if not a nascent field that has attracted recent scholarly and media attention. The author, a pioneer in this area, has accomplished an incredible feat-producing a vigorously-argued book that would advance intellectual debates while remaining accessible to the general reader. This book has a great many strengths. Previous Anglophone monographs on Chinese dress-by Vollmer, Garrett and Wilson for example-were works of collectors and museum curators. They focus on the material construction of dress and their regional or social variations at the expense of systemic cultural and economic analyses. As a result, the meaning of "fashion" as a cultural-economic phenomenon in China remains dimly understood. This is the first book-length work that situates "fashion" in historical contexts, from the world trading system and urban development to revolutionary movements in modern China. ... The book will launch fashion study as a serious intellectual endeavor in the field of Chinese studies while appealing to scholars in comparative fields (fashion studies, socio-economic history, cultural history, and post-colonial studies) and the general reader alike. It would make an appropriate textbook in an advanced undergraduate class on modern Chinese history or comparative history of fashion.' - * Professor Dorothy Ko, Columbia University *

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Book SynopsisZimbabwe's party-internal 'coup' of 2017, and deposed president Robert Mugabe's death nearly two years later, demand careful, historically nuanced explanation. How did Mugabe gain and retain power over party and state for four decades? Did the suspected and nearly real 'coups', the conspiracies behind them, and their concurrent mythomaniacal conceits ultimately, ironically, spell his near-tragic end? Has Mugabe's particular mode of power reached a finality with his own downfall, as his successors struggle more to balance Zimbabwe's political contradictions? Will the phalanxes arrayed against Mugabe's control fray further, as Zimbabwe fades? Mugabe's Legacy delves deeply into such questions, drawing on more than forty years of archival and interview-based research on Zimbabwe's political history and current precariousness. Starting with the mid-1970s, it traces how Machiavellian moves allowed Mugabe to reach the apex of the Zimbabwe African National Union's already slippery slopes, through the complexities of Cold War, regional, ideological, generational, inter- and intra-party tensions. The lessons learned by the president and the nascent ruling party then turned gradually inward, ultimately arriving at a near-collapse that may now pervade all of the country's political space. David B. Moore vividly charts this rise and fall, all the way to Zimbabwe's tenuous chaos today.Trade Review'A fascinating account and analysis of the last five decades of the country's history... this book is a must-read for scholars interested not only in Zimbabwe (or Southern Africa) but also in politics and history in general.' -- Notebooks: The Journal for Studies on Power‘It’s difficult to call to mind another book in which the author has personally interviewed such a wide range of political players, and at the same time managed to support a political and historical reconstruction spanning forty years so succinctly.’ -- Zimbabwe Review'Moore's deft and dramatic political history of Mugabe's rise and humiliating fall unpacks a tragic and continuing Animal Farm legacy. Comprehensive in its treatment of Zimbabwe's major political events and actors, this is an intriguing and timely read.' -- NoViolet Bulawayo, Zimbabwean novelist'"Mugabe's Legacy" is sharp, erudite, often funny, and full of unexpected and unusual critical insights. I enjoyed reading it.' -- Joost Fontein, Professor of Anthropology, University of Johannesburg, and co-editor of 'Legacies of Struggle in Southern & Eastern Africa''What was the impact of Mugabe's life and death? Moore's answer is a fascinating journey through power, using Gramsci to give us an original reading of how it was conquered and how rule was exercised in Zimbabwe. A must-read!' -- Isabella Soi, Department of Social and Political Science, University of Cagliari'By far the best account I've ever read of the processes and events in and around Zimbabwe over the past 40 years. A most formidable work of scholarship and a sordid and sorry tale. This is Moore at the top of his game!' -- Ian Phimister, Senior Research Professor, University of the Free State, South Africa'An entertaining and rewarding read, combining personal memoir, rigorous scholarship, and an irreverent style. Moore links the generational struggles behind the military's overthrow of Mugabe to his violent purge of radical, younger challengers during the liberation war.' -- Norma J. Kriger, author of 'Zimbabwe's Guerrilla War''Insightful, impressively knowledgeable and masterfully presented, this analysis of decades of Mugabe's manipulative leadership and his legacy is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the forces that have shaped ZANU-PF's turbulent history and Zimbabwe's current crisis.' -- Alois Mlambo, Emeritus Professor of History and Heritage, University of Pretoria, and co-author of 'A History of Southern Africa''What Moore does well in analysing Mugabe’s legacy is to link the passage of time, struggle and political cultural practice (exercise of power) of what in academic circles we would refer to as ‘hegemony’.' -- Takura Zhangazha'A fascinating narrative addressing long-term questions on primitive accumulation, nation-building and democratisation, and interrogating the history of nationalist politics. Drawing on archival diplomatic sources, interviews, anecdotes and rumour, this is a compelling, radical critique, with an aura of magical realism.' -- Brian Raftopoulos, scholar, activist and co-author of 'Becoming Zimbabwe'

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Book SynopsisIn 1485 the Battle of Bosworth marked an epoch in the lives of two great houses: the house of York fell to the ground when Richard III died on the field of battle; and the house of Tudor rose from the massacre to reign for the next hundred years. Michael Jones, co-author of The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III, rewrites this landmark event in English history. He shifts our perspective of its heroes and villains and puts Richard firmly back into the context of his family and his times.Trade ReviewSplendid . . . a very exciting re-interpretation of the battle which totally transforms our understanding of what actually happened on that fateful day * Professor A. J. Pollard *An extraordinary shift . . . puts this key English battle over the county line * Guardian *Insightful and rich study of the battle of Bosworth . . . no longer need Richard play the villain * Times Literary Supplement *An entirely new analysis of Bosworth . . . a lively read * BBC History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe epic story of a man born into Caribbean slavery, who defeated Napoleon’s armies and crowned himself a free black king. How did a man born enslaved on a plantation triumph over Napoleon’s invading troops and become king of the first free black nation in the Americas? This is the forgotten, remarkable story of Henry Christophe. Christophe fought as a child soldier in the American War of Independence, before serving in the Haitian Revolution as one of Toussaint Louverture’s top generals. Following Haitian independence, Christophe crowned himself King Henry I. His attempts to build a modern black state won the support of leading British abolitionists—but his ambition helped to plunge his country into civil war. Christophe saw himself as an Enlightenment ruler, and his kingdom produced great literary works, epic fortresses and opulent palaces. He was a proud anti-imperialist and fought off French plots against him. Yet the Haitian people chafed under his authoritarian rule. Today, all that remains is Christophe’s mountaintop Citadelle, Haiti’s sole World Heritage site—a monument to a revolutionary black monarchy, in a world of empire and slavery.Trade Review‘Black Crown' grasps the essential tragedy of history, in all its ambiguity and contingency.’ -- The Telegraph'With narrative verve and a deep understanding of the country's extraordinary past, Clammer opens a window on to the life and times of one of the most tragic figures of the francophone Antilles, le roi Christophe.' -- The Spectator'Paul Clammer brings this extraordinary story to life in his deeply researched biography of Christophe, the first to appear in decades... a detailed and rewarding read.' -- History Today‘An excellent record of many different aspects of Haiti’s little-known history.’ -- Liberation'An important contribution to Haiti's little-known history.' -- Morning Star‘A great historical narrative that introduces the reader to an array of fascinating characters in an age of revolution.’ -- Counterfire'A rich story... important and well-written.' -- The Zambia Daily Mail'Meticulously researched and compellingly written, Black Crown is the biography of Henry Christophe we have been waiting for. Through Christophe's story, Clammer describes the country's transition from plantation colony to independent nation-state. Essential reading, not only for those interested in the history of Haiti but also for anyone seeking to understand the emergence of the modern Atlantic world.' -- Charles Forsdick, co-author of Toussaint Louverture: A Black Jacobin in the Age of Revolutions'The majesty of Haiti's foundations is reflected in the almost unreal story of King Henry Christophe. Bold, nationalistic, and unrelenting, Christophe long occupied outside imaginations that for a century subjected him to myth and ridicule. Black Crown is a major corrective to this: a carefully researched, beautifully written and deeply absorbing biography. It shines on every page with subtle insights on a story too little understood. Paul Clammer's triumph is to recover the man, his country, and his age, and present Haiti's proud black king in all his conflicting glory.' -- Matthew J. Smith, Professor of History and Director of the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery, University College of London'This adds greatly to our growing understanding of the Haitian Revolution, its turbulent aftermath and the cutthroat politics of revolutionary Haiti. Clammer seems to have left no stone unturned in his research and brings a great deal to the table for both Haiti scholars and the general reader wishing to understand the reign of King Christophe. Black Crown also represents another point of evidence for an interesting question--do you have to be a professional academic to write a great history book? Clearly not.' -- Johnhenry Gonzalez, University of Cambridge, author of Maroon Nation: A History of Revolutionary Haiti

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Book SynopsisEight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining mission—to restore Russia’s sphere of influence and undo Ukraine’s surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin’s aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade? This book argues that Putin’s policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv. Samuel Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime’s legitimacy. How has Russia’s long-term political and foreign policy trajectory shifted? And how will the international response reshape the world order?Trade Review'[Ramani's] encyclopedic descriptions... yield interesting details and... solid tactical analysis.' -- The New York Times'Looks behind the headlines to determine the motivations for the invasion and the likely path forward. Ramani is convincing in his view that the war marks a seismic shift in the geopolitical landscape. Clear-minded and authoritative, this book is a thorough analysis of how Putin's gambit fits into the big picture.' -- Kirkus Reviews‘A strongly researched account of the events that led to the tragic Russo-Ukrainian war.’ -- The Washington Free Beacon‘An important, well-referenced book that covers the details and impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.’ -- CHOICE'Unpicks Putin's concocted rationales for invading Ukraine... [and] dissects Russia's strategic military failings.' -- Labour Hub‘The book represents an open-ended chronicle of a very short, but significant, phase in the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation.’ -- The Russian Review'This book will help those who cannot understand why and how a genocidal war of colonial reconquest came to be launched on Europe in the twenty-first century. But it also explains clearly the vital importance of that war for the future of Russia itself and of global security.' -- Keir Giles, Research Director, Conflict Studies Research Centre'This valuable study offers a compelling, detailed and well-sustained argument that Putin seeks to subjugate Ukraine through war, as part of a broader illiberal "counter-revolutionary" agenda for control of former Soviet territory.' -- Roy Allison, Professor of Russian and Eurasian International Relations, University of Oxford'Samuel Ramani's book on Russia's invasion of Ukraine will doubtless be followed by many others, but when it comes to meticulous research, balanced assessments, acute insights, and comprehensiveness, this superb volume has set a very high standard.' -- Rajan Menon, co-author of 'Conflict in Ukraine: The Unwinding of the Post-Cold War Order'

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Book Synopsis'A hell of a tale and Jonathan Beckman gives it all the verve and swagger it deserves . . . I read it with fascination, delight and frequent snorts of incredulity' The Spectator On 5 September 1785, a trial began in Paris that would divide the country, captivate Europe and send the French monarchy tumbling down the slope towards the Revolution. Cardinal Louis de Rohan, scion of one of the most ancient and distinguished families in France, stood accused of forging Marie Antoinette's signature to fraudulently obtain the most expensive piece of jewellery in Europe - a 2,400-carat necklace worth 1.6 million francs.Where were the diamonds now? Was Rohan entirely innocent? Was, for that matter, the queen? What was the role of the charismatic magus, the comte de Cagliostro, who was rumoured to be two-thousand-years old and capable of transforming metal into gold?This is a tale of political machinations and extravagance on an enormous scale; of kidnappings, prison breaks and assassination attempts; of hapless French police disguised as colliers, reams of lesbian pornography and a duel fought with poisoned pigs. It is a detective story, a courtroom drama, a tragicomic farce, and a study of credulity and self-deception in the Age of Enlightenment.Trade ReviewGlittering and gloriously goofy . . . This is a terrific tale, told with assurance and gusto * Guardian *Jonathan Beckman has an eye for a good story. His account of the affair is full of human drama, including illicit sex, assassination attempts and prison escapes . . . a superb piece of research that separates myth from reality * Sunday Business Post *A really fascinating history * Dan Stevens *Stranger than fiction and told with a verve that suggests the author relishes his dodgy tale * Country Life *Jonathan Beckman has tunnelled into the warren of misinformation . . . and has come out with what must be as near to the truth as we'll get * Daily Mail *Jonathan Beckman tells his complicated tale with gusto * Observer *A wonderfully enjoyable account of one of the most audacious cons ever perpetrated * John Preston, Evening Standard Books of the Year *Jonathan Beckman dazzlingly rehabilitates Marie Antoinette in an atmospheric and evocative account of diamonds, fraud, intrigue and a 1785 case that stoked antiroyalist feeling in France * Telegraph Books of the Year *A richly enjoyable account of one of the most audacious scams ever perpetrated * Mail on Sunday *Beckman's tale of the Diamond Necklace Affair is full of character and tawdry details, and glistens with wit and insight * Daily Telegraph *Beckman has waded through masses of evidence from the trial to retell this fascinating and complicated story * Daily Mail *Gripped me like a whodunnit . . . That's not surprising. It relates the story of the greatest crime caper of the 18th Century * The Times *Beckman has waded through masses of evidence from the trial to retell this fascinating and complicated story * Irish Daily Mail *Beckman's diligent detective work uncovers the murky truth behind this cause celebre * Mail on Sunday *Stranger than fiction but just as gripping, How to Ruin a Queen is a masterly exploration of the 'diamond necklace' affair * Hilary Mantel *A work of scholarship and imagination, that focusses new light on the famous and extraordinary affair of Marie Antoinette and the stolen diamonds. The narrative is like an ingenious chess game showing us the complex moves of bishops, knights and pawns round the king and queen. Jonathan Beckman is the new Wilkie Collins of biographical history * Michael Holroyd *How to Ruin a Queen is a fascinating and impeccably researched account of one of the great scandals of the 18th century. Beckman is a master-storyteller whose consummate skills are evident on every page * Amanda Foreman *A murky story of the Ancien Regime including diamonds and sex, brilliantly told * Lady Antonia Fraser *Necklace to neckless! This is the murky tale of the diamond heist that led to Marie Antoinette's demise * Tatler *A rollicking whodunit * Independent *A hell of a tale and Jonathan Beckman gives it all the verve and swagger it deserves . . . I read it with fascination, delight and frequent snorts of incredulity - and I strongly suspect you will too * The Spectator *Fascinating . . . a gripping detective story and a witty revelation of a scandal that shocked Paris * BBC History Magazine *In his intriguing history, Jonathan Beckman has spun out of this dirty tangle of source material a clear and compelling narrative line . . . with its exuberant use of language and subtly ironic storytelling, it is almost as colourful as the scandal it explores * Sunday Times *Gripped me like a whodunit . . . Beckman tells this scarcely believable story with flair * The Times *Jonathan Beckman skilfully unfolds the intricacies and absurdities of this extraordinary episode . . . Beckman provides us with an engaging and finely researched study of an affair that, despite having the plot of a frothy operetta, was of genuine historical significance * Literary Review *As gripping as a heist movie * Mail on Sunday *A gem . . . glistening with wit and insight * Sunday Telegraph *Fast-paced, colourful and rich * The Economist *Vivid and compelling * History Revealed *

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Book SynopsisA lavishly illustrated military and social history of the forces in Germany, published to coincide with the winding down of the operation in 2019-20. The book is split into decades and covers important military strategy, political events such as the Berlin Airlift and the fall of the Wall, but also the experiences of British soldiers and the increasing integration of British troops and the German population, and their domestic and family lives.

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Conventional chronologies of world history concentrate on the reigns of kings and queens, the dates of battles and treaties, the publication dates of great books, the completion of famous buildings, the deaths of iconic figures, and the years of major discoveries. But there are other more interesting stories to tell - stories which can bring the past vividly and excitingly to life. Imagine a book that tells you the date of the ancient Roman law that made it legal to break wind at banquets; the name of the defunct medieval pope whose putrefying corpse was subjected to the humiliation of a trial before a court of law; the identity of the priapic monarch who sired more bastards than any other king of England; and last but not least the date of the demise in London of the first goat to have circumnavigated the globe - twice. Imagine a book crammed with such deliciously disposable information, and you have History without the Boring Bits. By turns bizarre, surprising, trivial, and enlightening, History without the Boring Bits offers rich pickings for the browser, and entertainment and inspiration aplenty for those who have grown weary of more conventional works of history.

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Book Synopsis'Excellent ... much to ponder' Financial Times 'Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the world of today' - Margaret MacMillan, author of War: How Conflict Shaped Us 'A masterpiece' David Motadel, author of Revolutionary World 1945. Europe lies in ruins - its cities and towns destroyed by conflict, its economies crippled, its societies ripped apart by war and violence. In the wake of the physical devastation came profound moral questions: how could Europe - once proudly confident of its place at the heart of the 'civilised world' - have done this to itself? And what did it mean that it had? In the years that followed, Europeans - from politicians to refugees, poets to campaigners, religious leaders to communist revolutionaries - tried to make sense of what had happened, and to forge a new concept of civilisation that would bring peace and progress to a broken continent. As they wrestled with questions great and small - from the legacy of colonialism to workplace etiquette - institutions and shared ideals emerged which still shape our world today. Rich with original sources and individual voices, this is a gripping, authoritative account of how Europe rose from the ashes of the Second World War - and forged itself anew.Trade ReviewRuin and Renewal is an erudite, rigorously researched, and elegantly written account of the post-war remaking of Europe. Paul Betts provides his reader with a breathtaking panorama of the world of the men and women who, pursuing varied visions for the creation of a new 'civilization', embarked on bold reforms to rebuild the continent on the ruins of the Second World War. His book will fundamentally reshape our understanding of modern Europe - a masterpiece. -- David Motadel, London School of EconomicsPaul Betts uses the concept of 'civilisation' like a radiographer's dye to reveal some deeply unsettling pathologies beneath the skin of post-war Europe. Ruin and Renewal is an impressively wide-ranging, original synthesis of cultural and political history. -- Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies, University of OxfordRuin and Renewal is a marvellously subtle and wide-ranging exploration of the ways in which Europe rebuilt itself materially and morally after the Second World War. Paul Betts boldly uses the much debated and controversial concept of civilization to show how Europeans, on both sides of the Cold War, redefined themselves and others. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the world of today. -- Margaret MacMillan, author of War: How Conflict Shaped UsExcellent ... much to ponder * Financial Times *Original and engrossing -- Richard J. Evans * LRB *

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Book Synopsis'Turner's seductive blend of political analysis, social reportage and cultural immersion puts him wonderfully at ease with his readers' David Kynaston 'Reading Alwyn Turner's account of life in the first two decades of the 21st century is a bit like trying to recall a dream from three nights ago ... uncannily familiar, but the details are downright implausible ' Kathryn Hughes, Guardian Weaving politics and popular culture into a mesmerising tapestry, historian Alwyn Turner tells the definitive story of the Blair, Brown and Cameron years. Some details may trigger a laugh of recognition (the spectre of bird flu; the electoral machinations of Robert Kilroy-Silk). Others are so surreal you could be forgiven for blocking them out first time around (did Peter Mandelson really enlist a Candomblé witch doctor to curse Gordon Brown's press secretary?). The deepest patterns, however, only reveal themselves at a certain distance. Through the Iraq War and the 2008 crash, the rebirth of light entertainment and the rise of the 'problematic', Turner shows how the crisis in the soul of a nation played out in its daily dramas and nightly distractions.Trade ReviewUp there with the best ... Reading it is almost like an out-of-body experience, in which you realise that your life and times will one day be as ancient to others as the Neolithic period is to us ... All In It Together zings along with such telltale facts and figures, often with an injection of black humour ... Wonderfully shrewd ... Brilliant -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Hugely engaging ... Turner's genius lies in finding the odd little stories that get under the nation's skin and reveal what people were really thinking ... He writes with a tremendous sense of fun. The result is a rare thing: not just a serious work of contemporary history, but an unashamed, 24-carat hoot -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Astute and entertaining -- Philip Johnston * Telegraph *Turner's seductive blend of political analysis, social reportage and cultural immersion puts him wonderfully at ease with his readers -- David KynastonReading Alwyn Turner's account of life in the first two decades of the 21st century is a bit like trying to recall a dream from three nights ago. The theme and the mood feel uncannily familiar, but the details are downright implausible ... His great skill lies in spotting themes that we might have missed the first time around -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian *Turner may be an anorak, but he is an acutely intelligent anorak -- Francis Wheen * New Statesman *Turner writes with great fluidity, his tone underpinned by a prevailing sense of irony: even the footnotes are enjoyable ... This is a serious undertaking by a popular historian -- Charlotte Henry * TLS *For the first draft of very recent history, there's no more entertaining writer than Alwyn Turner ... a gloriously funny romp ... amid the welter of anecdotes he also has a thoroughly compelling argument about the loss of trust, the rise of populism and the emergence of Nigel Farage as the most influential politician of the age -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times Books of the Year *

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Book SynopsisEveryday life in the teeming metropolis during William Shakespeare's time in the city. Shakespeare's London was a bustling, teeming metropolis that was growing so rapidly that the government took repeated, and ineffectual, steps to curb its expansion. From contemporary letters, journals and diaries, a vivid picture emerges of this fascinating city, with its many opportunities and also its persistent problems. By far the largest city in the country, it was the centre of government, the law and the church, the focus of politics and culture. It had a vigorous economy, with a range of industries and a lucrative trade in luxury goods for the courtiers and wealthy citizens. Growth produced overcrowding and high mortality, with shockingly high death tolls during the periodic plague epidemics, yet London attracted an endless stream of people, who were absorbed into its diverse communities and economic structures. Here the first playhouses were built, patronised by large audiences, who were treated to a rich and varied diet of plays to keep them, and the court, entertained. The London that Shakespeare knew was an expanding, changing and exciting city.Trade ReviewA meticulous recreation of a vibrant world - echoes with the living voices of Londoners' -- GILLIAN TINDALLA lucid and cogent narrative of everyday life in Shakespeare's place of work' * SHAKESPEARE BIRTHPLACE TRUST *A vivid account' * THES *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements 1. A Little World in Itself 2. A Great Multitude of People 3. The Greatest City of the Christian World 4. The World Runs on Wheels 5. The Whole Trade of Merchandise 6. The Time of Life is Short 7. A Quick Eye & a Nimble Hand 8. A World of People References Bibliography List of Illustrations Index

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Book SynopsisA ceremonial journey to reconnect with the essence of indigenous spirituality and awaken to its beauty, power and potential in contemporary society.In this book, Apela Colorado, the inspirational authority on indigenous wisdom, shares her lifelong journey of connecting with the essence of indigenous spirituality and culture. From China to Alaska, Benin to France, Apela recounts her passionate work to communicate, conserve, and celebrate sacred indigenous ways, all while reawakening to the wisdom of her Native American and French Gaul ancestors and reclaiming her own truth, healing, and story.With gentle grace and generous insight, this book lovingly teaches us to honor the power, beauty, and potential of indigenous wisdom, and explores how it continues to resonate in modern life. Apela's experiences form a ceremony of remembrance and renewal, a spiritual guide to help you reconnect to the wisdom of your ancestors, apply sacred ways of knowing and being to your life, and reclaim your own Creation Story.

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Book Synopsis'The real world of Jane Austen is brought vividly to life in this beautifully written, endlessly captivating and often surprising account of Regency women. Not to be missed' Tracy Borman'If Georgette Heyer had written non-fiction it might have looked like this' Helena Kelly, author of Jane Austen, The Secret Radical'It rackets along - a thoroughly researched, often tantalising, account of the occasional ups and horrifying downs of the Georgian marriage market' - Gill Hornby, author of Godmersham ParkThe stories of the real women of Regency high society, revealing the facts behind the fiction of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.From glossy costume dramas to gripping reads, the glamorous world of Regency London's Bon Ton is synonymous with romance - a place where dashing heroes and independently minded heroines flirt, fight and side-step scandal, all while in pursuit of the perfect match. But who were the real women who went looking for love in the age of elegance, and what were their lives really like?Taking us behind drawing room doors and into high society ballrooms, The Game of Hearts follows six leading ladies and their family, friends, and contemporaries as they move from matchmaking to matrimony and beyond. Candid insights into the competitive world of the marriage mart; real stories of rakish husbands and rich heiresses; and true tales of lost and long-lasting love, reveal not just Regency courtship customs, but truly captivating lives.Using diaries, letters and stories of scandal from the newspapers, author Felicity Day pieces together a rich and intimate view of this most beloved period of British history, showcasing the voices and opinions, hopes and desires of the real women who lived and loved in the Regency era.Trade Review'If Georgette Heyer had written non-fiction it might have looked like this. In The Game of Hearts, Felicity Day uncovers the real lives and loves of the Regency super-rich, ushering us into a world filled with heiresses, parties, grand estates, and more scandal than Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown. Moving from ballrooms to courtrooms and on to the battlefields of Waterloo, Day marries fine historical sense with romantic sensibility, proving that Regency fact is even more fascinating than Regency fiction' -- Helena Kelly - author of Jane Austen, The Secret Radical'The real world of Jane Austen is brought vividly to life in this beautifully written, endlessly captivating and often surprising account of Regency women. Not to be missed' -- Tracy Borman'It rackets along - a thoroughly researched, often tantalising, account of the occasional ups and horrifying downs of the Georgian marriage market' -- Gill Hornby * author of Godmersham Park *

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Book SynopsisPeckham & Nunhead Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of London. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of Peckham and Nunhead, the famous streets and the famous faces, and what they meant to the people in these communities throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set, and through the author's factual captions for every picture and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of this area's history. Readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and watch the changing face of Peckham and Nunhead, as we are guided through the local streets. There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in the area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting. It also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.

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Book SynopsisThe Caribbean Irish explores the little known fact that the Irish were amongst the earliest settlers in the Caribbean. They became colonisers, planters and merchants living in the British West Indies between 1620 and 1800 but the majority of them arrived as indentured servants. This book explores their lives and poses the question, were they really slaves? As African slaves started arriving en masse and taking over servants’ tasks, the role of the Irish gradually diminished. But the legacy of the Caribbean Irish still lives on.

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Book SynopsisHermine Reuss of Greiz is perhaps better known as the second wife of the Kaiser (Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany) whom she married shortly after the death of his first wife Auguste Viktoria and while he was in exile in the Netherlands. She was by then a widow herself with young children. She was known to be ambitious about wanting to return to power, and her husband insisted on her being called 'Empress'. To achieve her goal, she turned to the most powerful man in Germany at the time, Adolf Hitler. Unfortunately, her dream was not realised as Hitler refused to restore the monarchy and with the death of Wilhelm in 1941, Hermine was forced to return to her first husband's lands. She was arrested shortly after the end of the Second World War and would die under mysterious circumstances while under house arrest by the Red Army.

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The photographs in this fascinating collection enable the reader to explore the differences that passing time has wrought on the urban landscape of Portsmouth and Southsea, and place unrecognisable scenes in context in place and time. Archive images, including Victorian scenes, Edwardian postcards, and unique colour photographs from the 1960s and '70s, are compared and contrasted with a similar view today. These absorbing images, from professional and amateur photographers, include many street scenes alongside subjects ranging from a military band at Clarence Barracks in the 1910s, commercial shipping at the Camber in the 1930s, Billy Smart's circus in the 1950s and Dockyard pickets in the 1970s. Portsmouth Through Time is sure to evoke a wealth of personal memories and interest to anyone who knows and loves the city and would enjoy a trip into its recent past.

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Book SynopsisYork, founded by the Romans as Eboracum, the capital of Britannia Inferior, is considered one of Europe's best-loved cities. It boasts a wealth of ancient buildings and historic associations. But although the city has a number of attractions of terrific significance, Curiosities of York concentrates on the street furniture and oddities that are easily overlooked when perambulating around its streets. A discursive and idiosyncratic A to Z, the book will introduce residents - and maybe a few locals - to such local secrets as York's labyrinth of snickelways, its twenty medieval churches, and its innumerable public houses. Father-and-son team David and Ed Brandon tour the bar walls, looking for ghosts and unusual street names, and on the way they run into Minerva, Frankie Howerd and the Devil himself. They tell the stories of York's best-known malefactors Dick Turpin and Guy Fawkes, and explore the legacy of rival railway men George Leeman and George Hudson. York is almost 2,000 years old, so no single history can hope to be exhaustive, but Curiosities of York is nevertheless brimming with unexpected treasures. Illustrated with a selection of artful black-and-white photographs, it offers a new perspective on a beloved city.

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Book SynopsisWe spend our lives moving through passages, hallways, corridors, and gangways, yet these channeling spaces do not feature in architectural histories, monographs, or guidebooks. They are overlooked, undervalued, and unregarded, seen as unlovely parts of a building's infrastructure rather than architecture. This book is the first definitive history of the corridor, from its origins in country houses and utopian communities in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, through reformist Victorian prisons, hospitals, and asylums, to the "corridors of power," bureaucratic labyrinths, and housing estates of the twentieth century. Taking in a wide range of sources, from architectural history to fiction, film, and TV, Corridors explores how the corridor went from a utopian ideal to a place of unease: the archetypal stuff of nightmares.

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Book SynopsisEast Dulwich Through Time contains 180 images of East Dulwich in London, of which 90 are old photographs, (some printed in a sepia tone and some in full colour). Each photograph is printed alongside a contemporary full colour photograph illustrating the same scene. The contrasting illustrations show how the area has changed and developed during the last 100 years. The photographs are of shops, schools, garages, churches, houses and street scenes and each photograph is captioned. The book also has an introduction which gives a brief overview of the history of the area.

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Book SynopsisWhen students gathered in a London coffeehouse and smoked tobacco, Yorkshire women sipped sugar-infused tea, or a Glasgow family ate a bowl of Indian curry, were they aware of the mechanisms of imperial rule and trade that made such goods readily available? In Eating the Empire, Troy Bickham unfolds the extraordinary role that food played in shaping Britain during the `long’ eighteenth century (c. 1660-1837), when coffee, tea, and sugar went from rare luxuries to some of the most ubiquitous commodities in Britain, reaching even the poorest and remotest of households. Bickham reveals how the trade in the empire’s edibles underpinned the emerging consumer economy, fomenting the rise of modern retailing, visual advertising and consumer credit, and, via taxes, financed the military and civil bureaucracy that secured, governed and spread the empire.

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Book SynopsisTeignmouth Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of the country. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of Teignmouth, the famous streets and the famous faces, and what they meant to the people of this area throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set, and through the author's factual captions for every picture and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of this area's history. Readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and watch the changing face of this town, as the author guides us through the local streets. There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in the area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting this fabulous market town. It also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.

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Book SynopsisRobin Hood is one of the most enduring and well-known figures of English folklore. Yet who was he? In this intriguing book, Lesley Coote re-examines the early tales about Robin in light of the stories, both English and French, that surrounded them - stories with which they shared many elements of form and meaning. In the process, she returns to questions such as `Where did Robin come from?' and `What did these stories mean?' The Robin who reveals himself is as spiritual as he is he is secular and as much an `insider' as he is an outlaw. And in the context of current debates about national identity and Britain's relationship with the wider world, Robin emerges to be as European as he is English - or perhaps, as the author suggests, that is precisely the quality which made him fundamentally English all along.Trade Review"Coote's scholarly study of the storyworlds of the early Robin Hood tradition broadens our understanding of the interconnectivity of medieval outlaw tales, romance, the fabliau tradition, miracle of the Virgin stories, trickster tales, and pastourelles."--Alexander L. Kaufman, Reed D. Voran Distinguished Professor of Humanities, Ball State UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction: Who Was Robin Hood? 1 Robin Hood and the Written Word 2 Robin Hood and the Printed Word 3 Robin Hood and `Maid' Marian 4 Robin Hood and the Virgin Mary 5 Robin Hood and Romance Narratives 6 Robin Hood and Other Tricksters 7 Robin Hood and the Comic Tale 8 Robin Hood and the Medieval `Past' Appendix: The Texts in Modern English Translation References Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisThe Private Lives of Pictures offers a new history of British art, seen from the perspective of the home. Focusing on the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century, the book takes the reader on a tour of an imaginary Victorian or Edwardian house, stopping in each room to look at the pictures on the walls. The book opens up the intimate history of art in everyday life, and examines many issues including how pictures were chosen for each room, how they were displayed, and what role they played in interior design. Superbly illustrated, The Private Lives of Pictures appeals to readers interested in both art and social history, and the history of interiors.

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Book SynopsisFrom the late eighteenth century, the Industrial Age transformed Belper from a small village of nail-makers to a busy and successful town. Thanks to the Strutt family, the town was the first in the world to have water-powered cotton mills, and the hundreds of people that flocked to work in those mills were provided with homes, chapels, schools and much more. Since Belper was inscribed on to the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Derwent Valley Mills Site in 2001, the drive to save, enhance and restore the historic town has never been greater. By comparing views from years past, this book helps to define what has survived, what has been lost, and what we can do to ensure Belper remains the unique historic community it is today.

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Book SynopsisGiven the historical and cultural richness of countries in the Middle East region, as well as the economic development many have exhibited in recent years, tourism planning and development gains much significance for both scholars and practitioners. Turbulence, conflicts and crises exhibited in the area add further dimensions that need to be incorporated in tourism strategies and planning, and be taken into consideration by experts at an institutional, corporate and educational level. Furthermore, in order to effectively deal with aspects of sustainability, visions and strategies in the region need to build upon good practices. As a result, a greater understanding is required of the factors influencing decision-making on tourism matters as well as on the impacts and implications of sustainable tourism development.This book, written by an international team of experts, addresses the need to examine tourism development and planning in the Middle East from a sustainability perspective by embracing case studies and examples from the region. Through its collection of chapters, the book considers tourism planning and development from the economic, socio-cultural, environmental and regulatory perspectives of sustainability. Thus, the book advances understandings of the positive and negative impacts of tourism development as well as how turbulence, crisis, synergies and the top-down and bottom-up approaches to tourism development are connected to different problems and implications for local communities, the region and the relationship of the Middle East with the rest of the world.An essential resource for tourism practitioners, decision-makers in private and public organisations, government bodies and consultants, not only from the Middle East, but for all those who want an encompassing view of global tourism.

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Book SynopsisA great variety of activities to test your knowledge, whether highbrow or low culture. Proving you know it all about history has never been such fun – or so tricky.Do you think you know all about history? Can you tell your Tudors from your Habsburgs, and the Ming dynasty from the Mughals? Could you put the US presidents in order? Can you say what century the Elgin Marbles or Benin bronzes were crafted, or who were the husbands of famous women? Perhaps you like the history of art or of great inventions? Or maybe you think you know all about the great battles of the world?Whatever your area of interest or depth of knowledge, this quiz will have some testing questions for you. From the Stone Age up to the Second World War and covering all corners of the earth as well as all areas of human endeavour, Think You Know It All: History will challenge your knowledge of what happened, who did it, where and when.Along with the straightforward quizzes, there are maps questions, silhouettes to identify, mazes to follow – a great variety of activities to test your knowledge, whether highbrow or low culture. Proving you know it all about history has never been such fun – or so tricky.Trade ReviewA cracking general knowledge test * The Quiz Addict blog on Think You Know It All? *

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Book SynopsisRoyal Leamington Spa Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of Warwickshire. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of Leamington Spa, the famous streets and the famous faces, and what they meant to the people of this town throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set, and through the author's factual captions for every picture, and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of this town's history. Readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and watch the changing face of this diverse and vibrant area, as Jacqueline Cameron guides us through Leamington's streets. There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in this area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting Warwickshire and Leamington Spa for the first time. This book also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.

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Book SynopsisTony Brooks was unique. He was barely out of school when recruited in 1941 by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the wartime secret service established by Churchill to 'set Europe ablaze'. After extensive training he was parachuted into France in July 1942 - being among the first (and youngest) British agents sent to support the nascent French Resistance. Brook's success was primarily due to his exceptional qualities as a secret agent, although he was aided by large and frequent slices of luck. Among much else, he survived brushes with a British traitor and a notorious double agent; the Gestapo's capture of his wireless operator and subsequent attempts to trap Brooks; brief incarceration in a Spanish concentration camp; injuries resulting from a parachute jump into France; and even capture and interrogation by the Gestapo - although his cover story held and he was released.In an age when we so often take our heroes from the worlds of sport, film, television, music, fashion, or just 'celebrity', it is perhaps salutary to be reminded of a young man who ended the war in command of a disparate force of some 10,000 armed resistance fighters, and decorated with two of this country's highest awards for gallantry, the DSO and MC. At the time, he was just twenty-three years old.This remarkable, detailed and intimate account of a clandestine agent's dangerous wartime career combines the historian's expert eye with the narrative colour of remembered events. As a study in courage, it has few, if any, equals.

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Book Synopsis'A joyous and celebratory tribute to all those who battled to be heard, who fought for their achievements to be recognised and honoured, who simply kept going' Kate MosseThe tried and tested 'On This Day in History' format has elevated the stories of many people and their impact on the wider world. However, of those considered noteworthy by the Establishment, just a fraction are women. But this is not the whole story - not by half.Our past is full of influential women, many of whom have been unfairly confined to the margins of history. Politicians, troublemakers, explorers, artists, writers, scientists and even the odd murderer; these women have shaped society around the globe.From Beyoncé to Doria Shafik, Queen Elizabeth I to Lillian Bilocca, On This Day She sets out to redress this imbalance and give voice to both those already deemed female icons, alongside others whom the history books have failed to include: the good, the bad and everything in between - this is a record of human existence at its most authentic.

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Book SynopsisHemel Hempstead's history goes back a long way and is mentioned in the Domesday Book survey. St Mary's Parish Church is one of the oldest buildings and dates from 1150. Henry VIII came to Hemel Hempstead and granted a Charter in 1539 which also put the town on the map. In more recent times Hemel Hempstead was designated to be a New Town in 1946 which caused it to grow from being a market town of 22,000 to one of the largest in the county. This book shows how the town has changed - many people consider it to be improved while others wish time could hark back to the days when small shops were the norm and areas such as Apsley, Boxmoor and Leverstock Green were individual villages where everyone knew each other. The photographs will help those who have forgotten what Hemel was like years ago and shows the places and buildings that have replaced them.

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Book SynopsisAdolf Hitler was one of six children born to his mother, and one of eight born to his father from two of his three marriages. Alois Hitler, né Schicklgruber, was an official of the Austrian customs service, and the combination of an imperial uniform and a severe drinking habit seems to have ensured that Hitler's father was a drunken bully given to beating his children if they were not instantly obedient.Alois had two children, Alois junior and Angela, by his second wife, and six by his third, Hitler's mother Clara, of whom four, all boys, died at birth or in infancy. Young Adolf was therefore left with a half-brother, Alois, and half-sister, Angela, and a full sister, Paula, who died in 1960. When Hitler killed himself in April 1945, all his siblings were still living and some had children of their own. So, what happened to them?The answer is that no one was really certain until David Gardner published this book in 2001, having patiently and steadfastly tracked down Hitler's living relations to the USA, and made contact with some of them. Now revised and updated, this is a fascinating study of a little-known side of Hitler's history, as well as a riveting account of how the author traced and contacted the survivors of a bloodline that most of the world probably hoped had become extinct.

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Book SynopsisPithy put-downs, hard-boiled snarlings, words of love and regret... All the Best Lines presents 500 memorable movie quotes, embracing both one-liners ('My name is Pussy Galore') and slices of snappy dialogue from pictures as diverse as When Harry Met Sally and Pulp Fiction. Arranged under such timeless themes as Dreams, Friends, Libido and Memories, the quotes juxtapose films and stars from every era and every genre. Dotted throughout the text are feature capsules focusing on themes and stories in the movies from Goldwynisms to Mae West, plus a generous scattering of cinema anecdotes, making the book both a joy to browse and an authoritative reference. Lavishly illustrated with full-colour photographs, All the Best Lines will delight and entertain you in equal measure, reacquainting you with your favourite movies and introducing you to some forgotten classics.Trade ReviewA treasury of great screen lines... This is high-end QI material for the movies' * The Times *A lavish compilation of one-liners, poster quotes and opening scenes * Daily Mail *Pithy put-downs, sparkling one-liners, moving monologues and hilarious quips... Fascinating' * Mirror *A brilliant book * Mail on Sunday *Stylish and substantial, this collection of the finest lines in film dialogue is also a brief history of cinema itself * Daily Telegraph *Sublime... Lavish... A book of inspiring trivia' * Total Film *Celebrating the silver screen in all of its glory Tiffin's book offers a history of the medium as seen through the lens of its most sparkling lines and memorable scenes... A treasure trove of cinematic gems... Alfred Hitchcock famously said, "to make a great film you need three things: the script, the script and the script." And Tiffin's book amply demonstrates the truth of the assertion' * Good Book Guide *Interspersed with brilliant anecdotes and enlightening mini-essays on particular films. It is the kind of book that any cinephile will want to return to time and again * Choice *

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Book Synopsis'Go where we will throughout England, there is no spot which is not boundup with our history. The New Forest is, perhaps, as good an example as could be wished of what has been said of English scenery, and its connection with our history. It remains after some eight hundred years still the New Forest. True, its boundaries are smaller, but the main features are the same as on the day when first afforested by the Conqueror.' The words of John R. Wise, author of The New Forest: Its History and its Scenery, echo across one and a half centuries since its first publication in 1863. The Forest boundaries are still tweaked and altered today but the 'essential Forest' remains. The illustrations in this book celebrate the things which make the New Forest unique and the contrasting images chronicle the similarities as well as the changes that have taken place over time.

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Book SynopsisThe number one Irish Times bestseller In 1970, Taoiseach Jack Lynch accused two cabinet ministers, Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney, of smuggling arms to the IRA in Northern Ireland. The criminal prosecution that followed was a cause célèbre at the time. All the accused were acquitted, but it generated a political crisis that would be one of the major events of modern Irish history. In the fifty years since, myth and controversy has surrounded the trial and its aftermath. Michael Heney has unearthed astonishing new evidence, raising serious questions about Lynch and his relationship with Haughey. The Arms Crisis of 1970 is the first comprehensive investigation into the arms trial prosecution, and how the jury came to their verdict of acquittal. Reviews: 'An indisputable, forensic interpretation of the events of 1970... Impressive for its methodology, and is indispensable for anyone interested in what actually happened 50 years ago' Colm Tóibín, Irish Times, Books of the Year 'Persuasive... A real life whodunnit written with the pace and drama of a political thriller' Eilis O'Hanlon, Irish Independent 'Heney strips away the lies associated with the great Irish scandal of 1970... A ground-breaking book' Diarmaid Ferriter 'Brilliant de-bunking of the myths, heroes and villains of the Arms Crisis' Mary O'Rourke, Sunday IndependentTrade ReviewFinally, a path has been cleared through the dirty fog of the Arms Crisis. Michael Heney has provided us with an original and textured history of one of the most controversial and misunderstood episodes of modern Irish history. Driven by evidence and attention to detail, and with dynamism and doggedness, Heney strips away the lies, myths and speculation surrounding the events and personalities associated with the great Irish scandal of 1970 and uncovers the realities. His clarity and painstaking research have resulted in a ground-breaking book -- Diarmaid FerriterA brilliant, forensic investigation of the 1970 arms trial, with much new material -- Vincent BrownePacked with astonishing detail and absorbing observations, interpreted anew through study of the State Papers of 2001, [The Arms Crisis of 1970] will leave you gasping with interest as you turn the pages... I cannot recommend this book highly enough' -- Mary O'Rourke, Sunday IndependentHeney's book is a reminder of how a version of the frictions that led to splits in Sinn Féin and the foundation of Fianna Fáil in the 1920s surfaced again in the late 1960s and early 1970s * RTÉ *Michael Heney, a former RTÉ journalist who has spent the 50 years since the Arms Crisis considering it more deeply, has written a fascinating and thoroughly researched book about this episode and found new evidence * The Times *As a former journalist with RTÉ for over 40 years, Heney knows how to tell a story and keep an audience hooked... It's written with the pace and drama of a political thriller, with characters that you just couldn't invent' * Irish Independent *Heney tracks these key players' movements like pieces on a chess board, constantly asking the fundamental questions of who knew what and when... Heney's detective skills deserve great respect and he has written an undeniably important book' * Sunday Business Post *An indisputable, forensic interpretation of the events of 1970... Heney's book is impressive for its methodology, and is indispensable for anyone interested in what actually happened 50 years ago' * Irish Times. *

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Book SynopsisThe third volume in the much-admired The Colour of Time series. A Woman's World, 1850–1960 explores the many roles – domestic, social, cultural and professional – played by women across the world before second-wave feminism took hold. Using Marina Amaral's colourized images and Dan Jones's words, this survey features women both celebrated and ordinary, whether in the science lab or protesting on the streets, performing on stage or fighting in the trenches, running for election or exploring the wild. This vivid and unique history brings to life and full colour the female experience in a century of extraordinary change. Photographs include: Queen Victoria, Edith Cavell, Josephine Baker, Eva Peron, Virginia Woolf, Clara Schumann, Martha Gellhorn, Rosa Parks, Agatha Christie, Frida Kahlo, Harriet Tubman, Florence Nightingale, Hattie McDaniel and Gertrude Bell; as well as revolutionaries from China to Cuba, Geishas in Japan, protestors on the Salt March, teachers and pilots, nurses and soldiers.Trade ReviewEvery bit as fascinating and revelatory as its predecessors. Jones's text is authoritative and witty, but the main appeal lies in Amaral's delicate colourisation of photographs, bringing subjects including Frida Kahlo back to life... This fine book is a moving testament to the power of social change * Observer *[These] striking images offer a new window on to fascinating, inspiring lives * History Revealed *Transform[s] them into people you feel you could meet today, making their stories all the more fascinating * Waitrose Magazine *A beautiful thing to keep on your coffee table or bookshelf. 5* * All About History *PRAISE FOR DAN JONES AND MARINA AMARAL: 'I have long considered colourisation sacrilege... after reading this book, I've changed my mind' The Times, on The Colour of Time. 'Amaral's colourisation process is most moving when applied to pictures of children. To see it more as the photographer saw it, and the way it actually was. The photographer might not have had the choice, or the technology, to take a picture in colour. But looking through the viewfinder, that's what they saw; the past – even its grimmest, darkest hours – was not in black and white' Guardian, on The World Aflame. 'There is something of The Wizard of Oz about Marina Amaral's photographs. She whisks us from black-and-white Kansas to shimmering Technicolor Oz... When you see Amaral's coloured portraits, you think: phwoar!... She changes the way we see a period or a person' Spectator, on The Colour of Time. '[Amaral] breathes new life, immediacy and human connection into black-and-white pictures. Even familiar shots are transformed in a breathtaking way' * Irish News, on The Colour of Time *

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Book SynopsisAudley Through Time is a unique insight into the illustrious history of this part of the country. Reproduced in full colour, this is an exciting examination of Audley, its well-known streets and famous faces, and what they meant to the people of this town throughout the 19th and into the 20th Century. Looking beyond the exquisite exterior of these well-kept photos, readers can see the historical context in which they are set, and through the author's factual captions for every picture, and carefully-selected choice of images, the reader can achieve a reliable view of this village's history. Readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and watch the changing face of Audley, as Tony Lancaster guides us through the local streets. There is something for everyone here, whether they have lived in the area all their lives, or whether they are just visiting for the first time. Audley Through Time also shows how photography has continually evolved to keep up with an ever changing society.

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Book Synopsis'Gripping and all too timely' James Hawes 'A brilliant mix of detailed research and vivid storytelling' Julia Boyd 'History at its very best – and a fabulous translation, too' Graham Hurley In March 1930, after the collapse of the coalition that had ruled Germany since 1928, President Hindenburg asked Heinrich Bruning, bespectacled and scholarly leader of the Catholic Centre Party, to form a government. Some three years later, in January 1933, Hindenburg appointed as chancellor the demagogic, virulently anti-Semitic leader of the National Socialist party. Within weeks, Adolf Hitler has begun the process of dismantling the flawed democracy of the Weimar Republic and replacing it with a one-party totalitarian state. Darkness Falling depicts in compelling fashion the serial crises and mounting violence of a febrile era. Peter Walther examines the slow death of Weimar through the prism of nine colourful protagonists, including leading German politicians of right, left and centre, the clairvoyant and occultist, Erik Jan Hanussen and the formidable American journalist Dorothy Thompson. He profiles these heterogeneous characters in intriguing detail, pulling together the threads of their lives to chart the demise of German parliamentary democracy and the rise of National Socialist tyranny. Along the way we gain fascinating insights into the machinations in the corridors of power to keep the 'Bohemian corporal' from the chancellorship, and the venality of the Nazi elite and its fellow travellers from the demi-monde of early 1930s Berlin. Walther evokes the louche nightlife of the German capital – 'a playground for charlatans and prophets, madmen and crooks' – memorably and atmospherically. A masterly fusion of meticulously researched historical writing and vividly propulsive storytelling, Darkness Falling is a distinctive and enthralling account of Germany's slide from democracy to dictatorship. Translated by Dr Peter Lewis.Trade ReviewGripping both as German history and as a timely warning for us all of how otherwise sane people can fatally overestimate the survivability of democracy, and keep scrabbling for petty advantage even as the darkness gather -- James Hawes, author of The Shortest History of GermanyA brilliant mix of detailed research and vivid storytelling, this intriguing account of Germany's terrifying slide from democracy to dictatorship is truly hard to put down -- Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the Third ReichAn astonishing achievement, meticulously researched, beautifully written, full of surprises both terrifying and deeply revelatory. This is history as its very best – and a fabulous translation, too -- Graham Hurley, author of Last Flight to Stalingrad

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Book SynopsisThe story of a single family during the Irish Revolution, Four Killings is a book about political murder, and the powerful hunger for land and the savagery it can unleash. 'A vivid and chilling narrative... Confronts uncomfortable questions that still need answering' Roy Foster 'Marries acute storytelling skills with scholarship, fortified throughout by the author's wry sense of humour' Michael Heney 'Narrative history, told through a unique prism' Irish Sunday Independent 'Dungan knows his history; he also knows how to tell a story... A gem of a book' RTÉ Culture 'Sober and intelligent... Dungan does a fine job of showing that little people can make history too' Business Post Myles Dungan's family was involved in four violent deaths between 1915 and 1922. Jack Clinton, an immigrant small farmer from County Meath, was murdered in the remote and lawless Arizona territory by a powerful rancher's hired assassin; three more died in Ireland, and each death is compellingly reconstructed in this extraordinary book. What unites these deaths is the violence that engulfed Ireland during the war of independence, but also the passions unleashed by arguments over the ownership of the soil. In focusing on one family, Four Killings offers an original perspective on this still controversial period: a prism through which the moral and personal costs of violence, and the elemental conflict over land, come alive in surprising ways.Trade ReviewDungan knows his history; he also knows how to tell a story... A gem of a book' -- David McCullagh, RTÉ CultureA vivid and chilling narrative... Confronts uncomfortable questions that still need answering' -- Roy Foster, Emeritus Professor of Irish History, University of OxfordSober and intelligent... Dungan does a fine job of showing that little people can make history too' -- Andrew Lynch, Business PostNarrative history, told through a unique prism * Irish Sunday Independent *Marries acute storytelling skills with scholarship, fortified throughout by the author's wry sense of humour -- Michael Heney, author of The Arms Crisis of 1970An engrossing account of the intimacies of political violence through the meticulous excavation of an Irish family's entanglements with struggles over land and nation across two continents -- Maurice Walsh, author of Bitter FreedomNot just a riveting story of the fortunes of an extended family, but an object lesson in the interrogation of changing versions of history over time -- Catriona Crowe, author of Dublin 1911The book is written in a lively and flowing style, and the selection of black and white family photos provides a fascinating peek into the lives of those whose stories are portrayed * Family Tree Magazine *The story, told skilfully and coherently, holds the attention throughout and draws attention to an often-neglected aspect of the independence struggle – land hunger. The killings are treated sensitively, as are the consequences for all concerned * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisThe communities that feature in this book lie to the east of Edinburgh and all have fallen prey over the years to its inevitable expansion. Portobello accepted merger with Edinburgh in 1896 when this proudly independent burgh was not only Scotland's premier seaside resort but also boasted a strong local economy based on its thriving pottery, brick and glass manufacturing works. All of these underpinned a wide range of retail and commercial enterprises. Suburban sprawl spread to the west of Portobello in the 1930s when a mix of local authority and private housing was built over the fields of Restalrig, Lochend and Craigentinny. This book chronicles the early changes and also those caused by industrial collapse and urban development from the second half of the twentieth century. Inevitably, some of these changes have produced scars on the landscape but there are many positive images of regeneration.

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