History Books
Orion Publishing Co Holy Madness Romantics Patriots And
Book SynopsisFrom America''s fight for independence to the Paris Commune - an exotic collection of fanatics, adventurers, poets and thinkers are brought vividly to life.Holy Madness probes into the psyche that was responsible for so many of the founding events of our modern world, and into the instincts that inspired its most generous and most murderous impulses. It explains how the Enlightenment dislodged Christianity from its central position in the life of European societies and how man''s quest for ecstasy and transcendence flooded into areas such as the arts, spawning the Romantic movement. This dramatic journey which begins in America in 1776 and goes right up to the last agony of the Paris Commune in 1871, takes in the French revolution, the Irish rebellion, the Polish risings, the war of Greek liberation, the Russian insurrection, the Hungarian struggles for freedom, the liberation of South America, and the Italian Risorgimento.''An ambitious andTrade ReviewA benchmark that will revise our reading of this vivid period: that between the onset of the two Industrial Revolutions, between Blake and Balzac, which saw the birth and rise, not just of nationalism, but of internationalism -- Amanda Hopkinson * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *An ambitious and in many ways brilliant book -- Hilary Mantel * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Adam Zamoyski's dashing account of the romantic movement, HOLY MADNESS, is bold narrative history at its most imaginative -- Michael Ignatieff * OBSERVER *HOLY MADNESS is deceptive, a scholarly work written so attractively that it is easy to miss the deep themes which bring unity and purpose to the book -- Alan Palmer * LITERARY REVIEW *Zamoyski's main narrative is a riveting tale of the standard bearers of nationalism from Jefferson to Garibaldi and from the American War of Independence to the Paris Commune of 1871. He achieves striking effects both through antinomy and a quasi-cinematic montage...a page-turner -- Frank McLynn * GLASGOW HERALD *Adam Zamoyski, thankfully, has done [History] a splendid service. In this provocative book he reveals the vitality and importance of the religious impulse in explaining the revolutions, turmoil and nationalism of the years 1776-1871...The scope of HOLY MADNESS extends from America's fight for independence to the Paris Commune. An exotic collection of fanatics, adventurers, poets and thinkers are brought to life...Readers will be moved by Zamoyski's arrestingly written book to admiration for those often deluded Lafayettes and Garibaldis -- Robbie Millen * SPECTATOR *Zamoyski is marvellous the way he develops so many ideas, showing the way that the new patriotism replaces religion and develops its own iconography in overtly religious terms, and the way that this revolutionary patriotism becomes, later, the parent to both fascism and communism -- Antony BeevorAmbitious, stimulating and disturbing....the parade of heroism and folly he presents makes a riveting spectacle -- Rupert Christiansen * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Adam Zamoyski's brilliant book will certainly become a classic of its kind. He covers not just France, Italy and Germany, but the whole of Europe - Spain, Poland, Ireland, Hungary, Russia, the Balkans, not forgetting Greece and, most significantly, America * CATHOLIC HERALD *Splendidly descriptive, full of music and colour...both charming and learned -- John Lukacs * THE TIMES *Zamoyski's canvas is so huge that sometimes he only skims the surface... But there will be few who will not learn much from him, and the elegance of his style makes him a real pleasure to read -- John Jolliffe * INDEPENDENT *
£17.00
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons: The Wars of King
Book SynopsisIn this compelling military and political history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Paul Hill explores England's birth amidst the devastation and fury of the Danish invasions of the ninth century. He provides insight into the English response to the new challenges of warfare in these years of turbulence and danger. Alfred the Great, youngest son of King thelwulf, took control of the last surviving Anglo-Saxon kingdom, bringing Wessex and the English' parts of Mercia together into a new Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons'. This is a story of betrayal and of vengeance, of turncoat oath-breakers and loyal commanders, of battles fought and won against the odds. But above all, this is the story of how England came into being. Warfare in Alfred's England changed from attritional set-piece battles to a grander strategic concern. This is explored, demonstrating how defence-in-depth fortification networks were built across the resurgent kingdom in the wake of Alfred's victory at Edington in 878\. The arrival of new Danish armies into England in the 890s would lead to campaigns quite unlike those of the Great Heathen Army of the previous generation. This is a human, as well as a military story: how a king demonstrated his right to rule was important. Alfred sought to secure the succession on his son Edward, who led his own forces as a young man in the 890s. But not everybody was happy in Alfred's England. Despite the ever-present threat from the Danes, the greatest challenge facing Alfred arose from his own kin, centred deep in the heart of ancient Wessex. Alfred knew very well that his was not the only branch of the family who claimed a right to rule.
£18.75
Orion Publishing Co Civilization of Angkor
Book SynopsisA short history of the ancient civilization of Angkor, home to the spectacular temple of Angkor Wat.In the late sixteenth century a mythical encounter was reported on an elephant hunt in the dense jungle north of the Tonle Sap, or Great Lake, of central Cambodia. King Satha of Cambodia and his retainers were beating a path through the undergrowth when they were halted by stone giants, and then a massive wall. The King, the fable reported, ordered 6,000 men to bring down the wall, thereby exposing the city of Angkor 'lost' for over a century.Subsequent reports from Portuguese missionaries described its four gateways, with bridges flanked by stone figures leading across a moat. There were idols covered in gold, inscriptions, fountains, canals, and 'a temple with five towers, called Angor [sic]'. For four centuries, this huge complex has inspired awe amongst visitors from all over the world, but only now are its origins and history becoming clear.This book begins with the progress of the prehistoric communities of the area and draws on the author¿s recent excavations to portray the rich and expansive chiefdoms that existed at the dawn of civilization. It covers the origins of early states, up to the establishment, zenith and decline of this extraordinary civilization, whose most impressive achievement was the construction of the gilded temple mausoleum of Angkor Wat, in the twelfth century, allegedly by 70,000 people.
£9.99
Little, Brown Book Group This Sceptred Isle
Book SynopsisWhat is Britishness? What allowed one small island group to rule a quarter of the world and, even today, to have the most spoken language after Chinese? What makes Americans admire the guts, traditions and loyalties of these island Anglo-Saxon and Celtic peoples? What is it that makes cynical Europeans and once-dominated Asians look to the British for opinion, literature, social norms and justice? The answers lie within the creation of British institutions, both Commoner and Aristocracy, during the past 2000 years.Following the thought-provoking style of the original This Sceptred Isle, this new volume brings to life the character and frustrations so carefully studied by allies and enemies for twenty-one centuries - from Romans to al-Qaeda. Here Lee makes all the connections with institutions and changing industrial and social characteristics that even show us that Britishness is not exclusively British.At a time when a major section of the British, the English, appear to be less and less sure who they are and who they are meant to be, This Sceptred Isle confirms who it is we really are.Trade ReviewHas there ever been a more user-friendly means to the history of Britain? * Spectator *A tour de force * Daily Express *A staggering achievement that is not only readable and interesting but user-friendly. * The Observer *Extraordinary and compelling history ... Amazing stuff: insightful, accessible and hugely addictive ... It makes you begin to understand your place in the chronological scheme of things. * Time Out *Thought provoking ... selective but objective, it interprets without being unduly opinionated. * Daily Mail *
£15.29
Helion & Company Between Scylla and Charybdis: The Army of Elector
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£18.95
Helion & Company With the Guards in Flanders: The Diary of Captain
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£16.95
Helion & Company In the Emperor's Service: Wallenstein'S Army,
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£22.50
Helion & Company Wars and Soldiers in the Early Reign of Louis
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£23.96
Mortons Media Group We Together: 451 and 453 Squadrons
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£13.49
Mortons Media Group Railway Magazine - Archive Series 1
Book SynopsisThe last great age of steam in Britain is revisited in this new collection of superb photographs from the extensive archive of the Railway Magazine. Author Pete Kelly, editor of The Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling, looks back to a time when streamlined steam express trains charged headlong through the English countryside every day of the week. The 1930s would see a host of iconic engines constructed - such as the legendary LNER A4s, the beautiful LMS Coronation Class locos, the rare LMS Princess Royal Class and the workhorse LNER Class V2 engines built in large numbers for mixed traffic. This new volume collects rare images offering a glimpse of the days when these incredible engines could be found hard at work all over Britain.
£7.59
Ex Libris Press PHILIP DE CARTERET R.N.: Jersey's exceptional but
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£11.97
ELSP ALIEN ALOFT: Unravelling identity in pursuit of
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£13.73
Macat International Limited An Analysis of Ernest Gellner's Nations and
Book SynopsisTo the dismay of many commentators – who had hoped the world was evolving into a more tolerant and multicultural community of nations united under the umbrellas of supranational movements like the European Union – the nationalism that was such a potent force in the history of the 20th-century has made a comeback in recent years. Now, more than ever, it seems important to understand what it is, how it works, and why it is so attractive to so many people. A fine place to start any such exploration is with Ernest Gellner's seminal Nations and Nationalism, a ground-breaking study that was the first to flesh out the counter-intuitive – but enormously influential – thesis that modern nationalism has little if anything in common with old-fashioned patriotism or loyalty to one's homeland. Gellner's intensely creative thesis is that the nationalism we know today is actually the product of the 19th-century industrial revolution, which radically reshaped ancient communities, encouraging emigration to cities at the same time as it improved literacy rates and introduced mass education. Gellner connected these three elements in an entirely new way, contrasting developments to the structures of pre-industrial agrarian economies to show why the new nationalism could not have been born in such communities. He was also successful in generating a typology of nationalisms in an attempt to explain why some forms flourished while others fizzled out. His remarkable ability to produce novel explanations for existing evidence marks out Nations and Nationalism as one of the most radical, stimulating – and enduringly influential – works of its day.Table of ContentsWays in to the Text Who was Ernest Gellner? What does Nations and Nationlism Say? Why does Nations and Nationlism Matter? Section 1: Influences Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context Module 2: Academic Context Module 3: The Problem Module 4: The Author's Contribution Section 2: Ideas Module 5: Main Ideas Module 6: Secondary Ideas Module 7: Achievement Module 8: Place in the Author's Work Section 3: Impact Module 9: The First Responses Module 10: The Evolving Debate Module 11: Impact and Influence Today Module 12: Where Next? Glossary of Terms People Mentioned in the Text Works Cited
£8.58
Macat International Limited An Analysis of Eric Hobsbawm's The Age Of
Book SynopsisThe Age of Revolution is the first of four works by Eric Hobsbawm that collectively synthesize the ideas he developed over a lifetime spent studying the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Hobsbawm's vision is important – he was a lifelong Marxist whose view of history was shaped by a fascination with social and economic history, yet who privileged evidence over political theory – but the real power of these works, and especially The Age of Revolution, emanates from the wide range of the author's reading and his mastery of the critical thinking skill of evaluation. It is this skill that allows Hobsbawm to combine insights drawn from decades of reading into an original thesis that sees the crucial "long 19th century" as a period shaped by "dual revolution" – the twin impacts of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, and the French Revolution on the continent. Hobsbawm supplemented his evaluative excellence with a firm grasp of reasoning, crafting a volume that contains brilliant, clearly-structured arguments which explain complicated ideas via well-chosen examples in ways that make his work accessible to intelligent general readers and scholars alike.Table of ContentsWays in to the Text Who was David Brion Davis? What does The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789-1848 Say? Why does The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789-1848 Matter? Section 1: Influences Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context Module 2: Academic Context Module 3: The Problem Module 4: The Author's Contribution Section 2: Ideas Module 5: Main Ideas Module 6: Secondary Ideas Module 7: Achievement Module 8: Place in the Author's Work Section 3: Impact Module 9: The First Responses Module 10: The Evolving Debate Module 11: Impact and Influence Today Module 12: Where Next? Glossary of Terms People Mentioned in the Text Works Cited
£8.58
Macat International Limited An Analysis of Elaine Tyler May's Homeward Bound:
Book SynopsisElaine Tyler May’s 1988 Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era is a ground-breaking piece of historical and cultural analysis that uses its findings to build a strong argument for its author’s view of the course of modern US history. The aim of May’s study is to trace the links between Cold War politics and the domestic lives of everyday American families at the time. Historians have long noted the unique domestic trends of 1950s America, with its increased focus on the nuclear family, neatly divided traditional gender roles and aspirational, suburban consumer lifestyles. May’s contribution was to analyse the interplay between the domestic scene and the political ideologies of American government, and then to build a carefully-constructed argument that draws attention to the ways in which these seemingly disparate forces are in fact related. May’s key achievement was to use her analytical skills to understand the relationships between these different factors. She traced ways in which domestic life and US foreign policy mirrored one another, showing that the structures and processes they aimed for, while different in scale, were essentially the same. She then carefully brought together different types of historical data, organizing her study to produce a carefully reasoned argument that the American suburban home was in certain direct ways the product of the ‘containment’ policies that ruled American foreign policy at the time.Table of ContentsWays in to the Text Who was Elaine Tyler May? What does Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era Say? Why does Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era Matter? Section 1: Influences Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context Module 2: Academic Context Module 3: The Problem Module 4: The Author's Contribution Section 2: Ideas Module 5: Main Ideas Module 6: Secondary Ideas Module 7: Achievement Module 8: Place in the Author's Work Section 3: Impact Module 9: The First Responses Module 10: The Evolving Debate Module 11: Impact and Influence Today Module 12: Where Next? Glossary of Terms People Mentioned in the Text Works Cited
£8.58
Macat International Limited An Analysis of Georges Lefebvre's The Coming of
Book SynopsisGeorges Lefebvre was one of the most highly-regarded historians of the 20th century – and a key reason for the high reputation he enjoys can be found in The Coming of the French Revolution. Lefebvre's key contribution to the debate over what remains arguably one of history's most contentious and significant events in history was to deploy the critical thinking skill of evaluation to reveal weaknesses in existing arguments about the causes of the Revolution, and analytical skills to expose hidden assumptions in them. Rather than seeing events as driven by the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie – which then lost power to the urban workers – as was usual at the time, Lefebvre deployed years of research in regional archives to argue that the Revolution had had a fourth pillar: the peasantry. Painting the upheaval as complex and multi-layered – while still privileging a predominantly economic interpretation – Lefebvre provides a compelling new narrative to explain why the French monarchy collapsed so suddenly in 1789: one that stressed the significance of a ‘popular revolution’ in the rural countryside.Table of ContentsWays in to the Text Who was Georges Lefebvre? What does The Coming of the French Revolution Say? Why does The Coming of the French Revolution Matter? Section 1: Influences Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context Module 2: Academic Context Module 3: The Problem Module 4: The Author's Contribution Section 2: Ideas Module 5: Main Ideas Module 6: Secondary Ideas Module 7: Achievement Module 8: Place in the Author's Work Section 3: Impact Module 9: The First Responses Module 10: The Evolving Debate Module 11: Impact and Influence Today Module 12: Where Next? Glossary of Terms People Mentioned in the Text Works Cited
£8.58
Helion & Company Between Scylla and Charybdis: The Army of Elector
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£18.95
Graffeg Limited Lost Lines of Wales: Rhyl to Corwen
Book SynopsisAuthors Paul Lawton and David Southern continue this series of pocket books exploring Wales'' railway heritage, each revealing a ''lost line'' of Wales. In this addition, take a nostalgic, fully illustrated, steam-powered journey back in time on the long-closed service between Corwen and Rhyl. A historic line dating back to 1856, passenger services were depleted and finally withdrawn.
£8.99
Graffeg Limited Lost Lines of Wales: Bangor to Afon Wen
Book SynopsisAuthors Paul Lawton and David Southern continue this series of pocket books exploring Wales'' railway heritage, each revealing a ''lost line'' of Wales. In this edition, take a nostalgic steam-powered journey back in time on the long-closed service between Bangor and Afon Wen, cut as part of the Beeching Axe in 1964. Fully illustrated with black and white photographs.
£8.99
Graffeg Limited Lost Tramways of Wales: Swansea and Mumbles
Book SynopsisThis series documents a second strand of Wales'' transport heritage, namely its now lost tramways. This rigorously researched account, photo-illustrated throughout, details the history of Swansea''s tramway and the city at the time when these services were in regular use, guiding you through its story station by station.
£8.99
Graffeg Limited Tudor Book of Days
Book SynopsisThe Tudor Book of Days is a beautifully produced perpetual diary inspired by The Tudor Book of Hours, designed for keeping important dates, events and seasonal notes in a personal day book. Important events from Tudor history are listed alongside each day and at the start of each month, with ample space for all of your own notes and reminders throughout the year.
£17.10
Watkins Media Limited Darkly: Black History and America's Gothic Soul
Book SynopsisHaunted houses, bitter revenants and muffled heartbeats under floorboards — the American gothic is a macabre tale based on a true story. Part memoir and part cultural critique, Darkly reveals the heart of America’s darkness in the specters left from chattel slavery and the persistence of white supremacy. Locating the gothic in technologies of terror, the insurgency of melancholy, and the guilty conscience of a country that got away with murder, Darkly shows how this trauma has been metabolized into art, music, film, and literature. America's story is founded in horror, with a culture shaped from the Black experience, proving that you can’t get more goth than Black.Trade Review"I am struck by the depth of Leila Taylor's vision. The generosity shown in the way a history (and present) is illuminated. This book does so much beautiful work to widen the expectations and understandings of blackness, and I am immensely thankful for it." — Hanif Abdurraqib, author of Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest and They Can't Kill Us Until they Kill Us"A powerful and deeply personal exploration of what it means to be an outsider within an outsider culture. Between the black aesthetic of goth culture and the Blackness of America, Leila Taylor navigates seamlessly between cultural critique, personal history, and a history of America's troubled past in writing that is incessant, curious, and generous, and a voice that is at turns both searing and vulnerable. Powerful and strange, uncanny and unforgettable." — Colin Dickey, author of Ghostland"Takes us on a path that connects the Middle Ages, Edgar Allen Poe, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, Afropunk, Prince, Black Lives Matter, and Hot Topic. It’s an incredible journey..." — Baratunde Thurston"Fascinating. A revelatory exploration of blackness, goth culture and the ramifications of inherited trauma."—Irenosen Okojie“A rare glimpse into American gothic from an African American perspective.”—Library Journal
£10.44
Helion & Company The Battle of the White Mountain 1620 and the
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£22.50
Helion & Company Air War Over the Putumayo: Colombian and Peruvian
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£16.10
Helion & Company Commanding Far Eastern Skies: A Critical Analysis
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£21.25
Helion & Company King Arthur's Wars
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£16.96
Helion & Company Aerial Operations in the Revolutions of 1922 and
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£16.10
Helion & Company The Collectors: Us and British Cold War Aerial
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£18.95
New Haven Publishing Ltd DNA of the Celts
Book SynopsisImagine you are standing in a line. Your father is behind you, his father behind him, his father behind him, his father behind him and so on back 1000 generations.... This group of people wouldn't fill the average pop concert venue, yet the last man in the line would have lived in around 30,000BC. What would each man in the line look like? Where would he live? Who else would he be the ancestor of? Discovery of this lineage cannot be found in church records, census documents, ancient histories or hieroglyphics. This knowledge is found within your own DNA. It is encrypted into the genetic code that each of us carry. In unlocking that code, we can go on a journey through time back to the very beginning of human history. This book begins with one such line. An old Irish family (Keegan or Clann MacAodhagain) with a Celtic pedigree. In it we discover kings, shamans, sorcerers, fathers of entire nations - and the first King of the Celts. For the first time, a single family's origins is traced back to our most distant ancestors. This is the story of a DNA journey that began with looking for information on a simple stone mason, and ended up with the discovery of the first king of the Celts and a bloodline back to the start of human history. Simon Keegan (author of Pennine Dragon and The Lost Book of King Arthur) was researching his family history but he reached an obstacle that could not be negotiated through the usual Family Tree Detective methods - of tracking down census documents and marriage certificates. So instead he took a series of DNA tests and working with other Keegans around the world, he demonstrated how a family can trace its family history not just back to their clan founder about a thousand years ago, but to the very beginning of human history - and he shows how you might be able to do the same.
£16.14
Y Lolfa John Jenkins - The Reluctant Revolutionary? -
Book SynopsisAuthorised biography of Welsh nationalist and activist John Barnard Jenkins, one of the most iconic figures in recent Welsh history. The leader of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (MAC), he masterminded their 1960s bombing campaign protesting British state oppression and exploitation of Wales' natural resources. Hardback edition: 9781912631070Trade ReviewDr Wyn Thomas was the author of Hands Off Wales (Gomer, 2013), a study based on his doctoral thesis. This previous volume analysed the nationalist militancy which characterized the heady 1960s, culminating in the violent protests which took place during the period just before the Investiture at Caernarfon Castle on 1 July 1969. Several government institutions in the various parts of Wales and Welsh water pipe lines were targeted and, sadly, there were to be a number of casualties as a result. The view expressed by Wyn Thomas in the study is that the militant Welsh nationalism of the 1960s is now an integral part of our history as a nation and should certainly not be emulated in the 21st century. What, however, is clear to Dr Thomas is that the record of Welsh militancy in the 1960s tended to be airbrushed from history on the grounds that it was not wholly academically respectable and might well prevent the career progression of our Welsh historians. In a sense the present volume is a natural offshoot from the earlier study for it examines the extraordinary life and quite unique career of John Barnard Jenkins who, at 86, still remains fully convinced of the justice of his cause to this very day. Jenkins spent his early career as an officer within the British Army and later assumed the position of the leading light within the nationalist paramilitary organisation Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru. It was he who was primarily responsible for organising the daring bombing campaigns of the late 1960s and was sentenced to a prison term of ten years. He was eventually released from Albany Prison in July 1976. John Jenkins is one of the most alluring but hitherto understudied figures in modern Welsh political history. As is revealed in this book, it was his heartfelt conviction that the Welsh voice received no hearing in the corridors of power at Westminster which were ever ready to exploit the exploitation of the natural resources of Wales. The campaigns did undoubtedly achieve a measure of success, as they drew attention to the desperate need for a measure of administrative devolution for Wales and the holding of the first abortive referendum on 1 March 1979. We are told by the author, 'After fifteen years of interviews and 2½ years of write-up, I am happy and relieved to state that I have completed John Jenkins: the Reluctant Revolutionary?' The backbone of the research is a long series of interviews (conducted between 2004 and 2019) with John Jenkins who has clearly been outstandingly candid, if defiantly outspoken, throughout, and with a number of former police officers who worked (usually as low-key plain clothes officers) to counter the machinations of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, other active supporters of the movement and various members of their families. Much previously long-buried information has come to light and the dark world of the MAC, with its distinctive political and social background, has been probed as a result. Throughout the author's tone and approach is highly sympathetic, a feature which may well jar with some of the book's readers. Full attention is given in these pages to John Jenkins's childhood and upbringing, his relationship with his mother Minerva and her own background, his early spirituality and Christian beliefs, his evolving political awareness, in part as a result of the horrific Aber-fan disaster of October 1966, and his personal life, including his marriage to his wife Thelma and their subsequent divorce in June 1972, and his role as a father to their two sons Vaughan and Rhodri. Later sections of the book analyse Jenkins's gradual 'conversion' to the ideals embraced by the MAC, and, eventually, his comparative 'rejection' by much of Welsh society. The immediate and long-term outcomes of the MAC campaigns are then discussed. It was Jenkins's proud assertion only this year, 'Never again will Whitehall take us [Wales] for granted'. The vigilant reader must judge for himself the veracity of this bold assertion. The MAC is compared with other contemporary protest movements, and the volume ends with a compelling, astute pen-portrait of the unrepentant John Jenkins as he is today. The volume discusses his 'legacy' and his so-called 'mortality'. Finally, brief attention is given to history's verdict on Jenkins and his contribution. Throughout, one is struck by the completeness of the underlying research and the validity of the shrewd historical analysis. The author also informs us: 'I am working on another title which addresses (primarily, although not entirely) the judicial process of the Tryweryn Reservoir Bill.' It will certainly be eagerly awaited. -- J. Graham Jones @ www.gwales.com
£12.34
Y Lolfa Charles and the Welsh Revolt - The explosive
Book SynopsisAccording to Saunders Lewis the Investiture of 1969 was a turning point in Welsh history. This book tells the story through the voices of the most prominent characters: protesters, journalists and politicians. It tells of the bickering within some of Wales' most prominent institutions, such as the Urdd and Gorsedd, as well as the absurd and intense events leading up to the ceremony in Caernarfon. We read about Cymdeithas yr Iaith rallies, demonstrations by Aberystwyth and Bangor students, dramatic appearances by the FWA, the bombing campaign by Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru and the suspicious activities of the secret police. This book creates a picture of the turbulent years of the sixties and gives an idea of what it was like to be a part of the battle between Welsh nationalists and the British institution of the time.Trade ReviewReviews of the original Welsh-language version of this book: "Here we have everything: the lies and the shame, the betrayal and the wounds, the servility and the courage, the pageantry and the presumptuousness" - Lyn Ebenezer; "The glory of this volume us the way it shows the completely seismic effect of the Investiture on Wales... All I need to say is, buy it." - Vaughan Hughes, Barn magazine; "This is an essential volume which looks back and reveals the whole thing in an immediate, gripping style, but which is also a clear handbook on how to deal with similar situations in the future, if we ever see this kind of nonsense again. - Myrddin ap Dafydd, Llafar Gwlad; "...A volume which reads like a thriller, and thanks to the author for such an entertaining and comprehensive contribution to our understanding of 1969." - Tweli Griffiths, Western Mail WeekendTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. End of a royal family 2. Lloyd George's investiture 3. 'To present Wales to the world in her Sunday best' 4. No peace at the Temple 5. 'Charles Windsor Shall Not Pass' 6. Gwynfor's Dilemma 7. George and the Dragon's Tongue 8. On Manoeuvres 9.'Hymn of hate' 10. Political policing 11. Children of the revolution 12. Crushing the FWA 13. Aber under siege 14. Activists and spies 15. Generational conflict 16. Agent Provocateurs? 17. Cilmeri 18. Hostages and Martyrs 19. 'An awful lot of people watching other people' 20. 'A peculiar royal salute..' 21. Investiture's Aftermath 22. ' A national therapy' Sources Index
£9.99
Y Lolfa Tryweryn: A New Dawn?
Book SynopsisDefinitive account of the cultural and political impact on Wales of the flooding of the Tryweryn Valley. The failure of the nation to block the move politically led to increased Welsh national consciousness and to a period of militant activism which eventually led to the process of devolution. -- Cyngor Llyfrau CymruTrade ReviewThis substantial publication offers a detailed re-assessment of the decision by the officials of the Liverpool City Council to drown the village of Capel Celyn in Merionethshire during the early 1960s in order to provide a water supply for some of the citizens of Liverpool, a total of around a million individuals. The book's release was timed to coincide broadly with the 65th anniversary of the passing of the Tryweryn Reservoir Bill. This volume is the result of over twenty years of research, combining traditional archival research with a series of interviews with many of the individuals involved in the story. Dr Thomas has also quarried a large number of the scripts of relevant television and radio programmes. The analysis in Tryweryn is exceptionally detailed and based on exhaustive research work. It pays sympathetic attention to the story from the perspective from the standpoint of the Liverpool City Council, and charts the progress of the Tryweryn Water Bill through parliament where it completed its journey following the final reading of the highly contentious measure on 31 July 1957. These events caused much embarrassment and heart-searching for many of the inhabitants of north Wales who considered Liverpool with affection to be their capital city. They also caused, of course, personal tragedies to those individuals who lost their ancestral homes, some of whom are given full and sympathetic attention in this study. Attention is also given to the long-term effects of these events on the political and social evolution of the Welsh nation. No one escapes judgement in this fair-minded study. The author condemns the Labour members of the Liverpool City Council who were renowned for being stubborn and obdurate. Among them was the fiery and headstrong Councillor Bessie Braddock and her husband John. (Interestingly, in October 2005, on the suggestion of Lord Roberts of Llandudno, the officials of the Liverpool City Council announced their intention to make a full public apology for the events of a full half century earlier.) The incompetent, pusillanimous members of the Merioneth County Council are also much criticised here for their failure to respond positively to this course of events. Some of the inhabitants of Capel Celyn are also judged for their failure to act while losing their homes. Some of them, it would seem, actually welcomed the opportunity to acquire homes of a higher standard in the wake of these events. Dr Thomas also tends to suggest that the leaders of Plaid Cymru failed to reap the potential political advantage from these events. Dr Wyn Thomas said: 'Two aspects of the Tryweryn story have attracted particular attention and comment in Wales: what is deemed to be Liverpool’s dubious justification for flooding Cwm Tryweryn and the traditional belief, often strenuously expressed, that the threatened Welsh-speaking community was united in opposing Liverpool’s reservoir construction project.’ He challenges both these deeply-held opinions in his book. The use of extensive archival testimony convincingly demonstrates that Liverpool’s need to construct a reservoir to combat the city’s municipal water and employment problem was genuine. This seminal volume fills a gap in the historiography of Wales and is fair-minded throughout. It succeeds admirably in looking beyond the mythology and the heated emotions which accompanied the drowning of Capel Celyn in the Welsh heartland. The text is penned in clear, fluid prose, and the volume includes relevant photographs and other illustrations. The endnote references, index, full bibliography and the list of sources used are very helpful. This study will be respected and used for many years to come, and will prove of immense interest to everyone who takes an interest in Welsh history and politics during a highly formative period in the nation's development. -- J. Graham Jones @ www.gwales.com
£18.99
Graffeg Limited Lost Tramways of England: Coventry
Book SynopsisThe city of Coventry suffered devastating damage during World War II. Amongst the casualties was the city''s small tramway network, and the disastrous raid by the Luftwaffe of 14 November 1940 saw the final trams operate. Little remains now to remind people of this once important form of transport other than historic photographs.
£8.99
Graffeg Limited Lost Lines of Wales: The Heads of the Valleys
Book SynopsisAuthor Geoffrey Lloyd continues this series of pocket books exploring Wales''s railway heritage, each revealing one of the nation''s ''lost lines''. The closure of many of these lines has had significant and lasting impact, and the recovery of some routes is of public relevance and a source of debate today.
£8.99
Helion & Company Richard III and the Battle of Bosworth
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£23.96
Helion & Company They Fought with Extraordinary Bravery!: The III
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£21.25
Helion & Company Hot Skies of the Cold War: The Bulgarian Air
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£16.96
Danann Media Publishing Limited The History of the Civil Rights Movement: The
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£17.00
Clairview Books Searching for the Spirit of the West: Social
Book SynopsisHow can the West rediscover its authentic spirit? Exploring the period from 1899 to 1945 – from the end of the US frontier and the writing of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to the conclusion of World War II and the dropping of the atom bomb – Luigi Morelli traces the events that led the United States to become the world’s dominating imperial force. America, he demonstrates, is deeply connected to Britain, Germany and Eastern Europe, particularly Russia. Yet despite their tragic collective histories, there is hope for the future – if only America can claim its true task. --- Searching for the Spirit of the West challenges many of the falsehoods that pass for mainstream history. Utilizing a wealth of documented evidence from the research of overlooked historians, economists, social and spiritual thinkers, the author takes a symptomatic view of the past, revealing hidden, longer-term trends. This approach offers a new understanding of events such as the rise of Nazism, the Great Depression, the new Deal, and even the roles of banking and clandestine ‘brotherhoods’ in world history. Morelli also appraises The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in parallel with America’s cultural achievements. Through imagination, L. Frank Baum’s contemporary fairy-tale enables us to intuit the true mission of the West and its potential contribution to world culture, now and in the future.Table of ContentsIntroduction – Chapter 1: America at the End of the Frontier – Chapter 2: America 1900 to 1914 – Chapter 3: World War I and Building Up Communism: 1914–1933 – Chapter 4: The Year 1933: The Legacy of the Past – Chapter 5: 1933: America’s New Image – The year 1933 in the Soviet Union and in Germany – Chapter 6: The Spiritual Scientific Significance of the Year 1933 – Interlude: From East to West; the Life of Frank Baum – Chapter 7: Building Up Nazi Germany – Chapter 8: World War II and the Atomic Bomb – Chapter 9: America and the Transformation of the Will – Conclusions: Looking at the Future – Appendix 1: Karl Marx’s Early Soul Trials – Appendix 2: Montagu Norman – Bibliography
£19.12
Old Street Publishing The Shortest History of India
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£11.69
Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd Through the Leopard's Gaze
Book SynopsisIn her captivating memoir Through the Leopard's Gaze, Njambi McGrath details the harrowing circumstances of her life as a young girl in Kenya, who one fateful night was beaten to a pulp and left for dead. Thirteen-year-old Njambi, fearing her assailant would return to finish her, courageously escaped, walking through the night in the Kenyan countryside, risking wild animals, robbers and murderers, before being picked up by two shabbily dressed but safe men. She buries the memories of that fateful day and night, and years later ends up in London with a British husband and children. Then one day a simple unassuming wedding invitation arrives in her mailbox causing her to have to confront the remnants of a past she had thought was behind her.This is a book about survival, and courage when all else fails. It's a searingly honest examination of human cruelty and strength in equal measure.Trade ReviewImportant voice * The Times *Deliciously tart lines * Evening Standard *Compelling rarely heard perspective * FESTMAG *Cutting edge confident comedian * FRINGEREVIEW *A must see * The Scotsman *Trail blazing * Guardian *
£9.49
Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd Breaking the Maafa Chain
Book SynopsisBreaking the Maafa Chain chronicles two sisters' struggle for true freedom in the mid-nineteenth century, when transporting slaves from Africa to America was an illegal but lucrative businessNineteenth century—Two sisters, Fatmata and Salimatu, are captured and sold separately into slavery. Forced to change their names to Faith and Sarah, they end up in two different countries with opposite slavery laws. Faith ends up in America, where slavery is still legal and slaves don't have any rights. Sarah ends up in a Victorian England and as the goddaughter of Queen Victoria. Can the two sisters reclaim their freedom and identity in a world that is trying to break them down and mold them to its coloniser's will?Based on the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Breaking the Maafa Chain will take the readers on a journey of loss, survival, hope, identity and tradition.Trade ReviewPart fact, part fiction, Breaking the Maafa Chain is an important book, beautifully told. Domingo's premise is a bold and uncompromising one - taking what is known, the story of Salimatu, the 'black princess', Sarah Forbes Bonetta, and weaving through it the story of her fictionalised sister, Fatmata, Faith. Domingo makes an eloquent point: that although the sisters suffered different fates, both were unfree: Fatmata enslaved in North America and Salimatu gifted to Queen Victoria, and utterly at her whim.It is a story that has resonance today, where Meghan Markle was expected to shape herself to a white institution, to belong. * Guinevere Glasfurd *Part fact, part fiction, Breaking the Maafa Chain is an important book, beautifully told. Domingo's premise is a bold and uncompromising one - taking what is known, the story of Salimatu, the 'black princess', Sarah Forbes Bonetta, and weaving through it the story of her fictionalised sister, Fatmata, Faith. Domingo makes an eloquent point: that although the sisters suffered different fates, both were unfree: Fatmata enslaved in North America and Salimatu gifted to Queen Victoria, and utterly at her whim.It is a story that has resonance today, where Meghan Markle was expected to shape herself to a white institution, to belong. * Guinevere Glasfurd *The story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, extraordinary even in extraordinary times, known to some in Sierra Leone , though virtually unknown elsewhere. Now Anni Domingo has brought her vividly to life in this richly imagined and compellingly told tale. Breaking the Maafa Chain is a gift to readers everywhere. * Aminatta Forna *Anni Domingo's Breaking the Maafa Chain is so rich in detail and dialogue, it is simply seductive. She captures so well, a little girl, Salimatu, who recalls the security of her family life, who is transported to a bewildering future in England to become Sarah, where she has to stand strong and survive. Not only will this book be read for the sheer enjoyment of a beautifully written novel, but for the learning gained. It is a historical novel that cannot be ignored. * Kadija Sesay, Literary Activist, author of Irki *Anni Domingo brings great sensitivity to her fictionalised account of the remarkable young life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, the 'African Princess', who became a god-daughter to Queen Victoria. The internal struggles of Salimatu (Sarah) are movingly explored as she struggles to remain true to her identity as an African after being taken from her homeland and brought to England as a gift from "the King of the Blacks to the Queen of the Whites." A comparable story is told of Salimatu's sister Fatmata (Faith) who is transported to the United States before emancipation. Carefully constructed with a keen eye for historical accuracy, Domingo reveals a compassionate and affectionate Queen Victoria who is devoted to her African god-daughter. This is also an epic story of two sisters who are separated towards the end of the transatlantic slave trade, but never forget each other. * Stephen Bourne, author of War to Windrush and Evelyn Dove *
£9.49
Helion & Company An Unappreciated Field of Endeavour: Logistics
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£999.99
Helion & Company Tropic Thunder in Suriname: Revolution, Coups and
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£16.96
Helion & Company The Commotion Time: Tudor Rebellions of 1549
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£999.99
Helion & Company The Lion from the North: The Swedish Army During
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£23.96
Helion & Company More Like Lions Than Men: Sir William Brereton
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£23.96
Graffeg Limited Lost Lines of England: The Cheddar Valley Line
Book SynopsisThe Yatton to Witham line was one of the prettiest and best-loved railways in Somerset and is remembered with great affection by locals and railway enthusiasts alike. It ran along the edge of the Mendip Hills through Cheddar, Wells and Shepton Mallet. Today, walkers and cyclists enjoy stretches of it as the Cheddar Valley path.
£8.99
