History Books

18986 products


  • The Only Woman in the Room

    Princeton University Press The Only Woman in the Room

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Prime Minister Golda Meir Prize, Golda Meir Institute for Leadership""A thoughtful portrait of a complex world leader." * Kirkus Reviews *"Ground-breaking." * Jewish News Life Magazine *"[Lahav’s] book is an important addition to our knowledge of one of the most significant leaders of the last century."---Matthew D’Ancona, Tortoise Media"An intriguing portrait of this most unlikely of influential twentieth-century leaders."---Abe Silberstein, Times Literary Supplement"A witty, engaging approach to a much-studied subject. . . .Lahav provides a nuanced understanding of Meir’s life, which throws new light on a great woman often unfairly critiqued by journalists and historians alike."---Julia Neuberger, Jewish Renaissance Magazine"This feminist biography of the only woman to become prime minister of Israel is a book which will appeal to the general reader interested in America and Israel."---Colin Schindler, Jerusalem Post

    4 in stock

    £28.50

  • Stalin

    Princeton University Press Stalin

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Honorable Mention for the Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize, ASEEES""Winner of the Deutscher Memorial Prize, Barry Amiel & Norman Melburn trust""The book’s strength lies . . . in its excavation of important episodes of the early years. . . . What I took from Passage to Revolution — and I agree with the idea — is that young Stalin was an angry optimist. . . . His hefty, demanding tome emphasizes the effects of changing circumstances that pivoted both Stalin and Russia into a vortex of revolution and civil war."---Robert Service, Washington Post"Joseph Stalin has been the subject of many biographical studies. . . . Ronald Grigor Suny's ‘Stalin: Passage to Revolution’ is a worthy contribution to this continuing enterprise. . . . In highly readable prose Mr. Suny . . . tells the story of the young Stalin's rise."---Joshua Rubenstein, Wall Street Journal"A Georgianist as well as a Russianist, equally comfortable with social, cultural and political history, Suny outclasses previous biographers of the young Stalin . . . It is a monumental work of history and its treatment and evocation of the young Stalin will never be bettered."---Geoffrey Roberts, Literary Review"A comprehensive, deeply researched study of one of the world’s most brutal dictators as he took the paths that would lead him to power."---Starred Review, Kirkus"This impressively researched biography provides remarkable and reliable details on the first part of Stalin’s life, along with the many fissures among the Left Communists. An important accomplishment. " * Library Journal, starred review *"Suny, using an abundance of newly available archival material, though there was no secret diary or introspective documents, provides an extraordinary telling, a detailed account, well written and engrossing, of the obscure and multiple layers of experience in Stalin's early life: church school, seminary, outlaw, exile, prison, attraction to Marxism."---Michael Curtis, American Thinker"He [Suny] is a lucid writer and a perspicacious scholar."---Stephen Lovell, Times Literary Supplement"The overriding merit of this book is that it takes Stalin seriously. It explains his life and development without feeling the need to impose a value judgement on the reader on every page."---Andrew Murray, Morning Star"Ronald Grigor Suny has written a massive, extensively researched biography of Josef Stalin’s early years—from his childhood days in Gori, Georgia, to the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917."---Francis P. Sempa, New York Journal of Books"Ronald Grigor Suny has created a detailed and unbiased biography of the first half of Joseph Stalin’s life. . . . one of the best on its subject."---Maria Timofeeva, International Journal of Military History and Historiography IJMH"This is Suny’s magnum opus, the product of decades of scholarly research."---Duncan Bowie, Chartist

    £22.50

  • American Maccabee

    Princeton University Press American Maccabee

    Book Synopsis

    £27.00

  • Porcelain

    Princeton University Press Porcelain

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Ralph Gomory Prize, Business History Conference""Finalist for the PROSE Award in European History, Association of American Publishers""[A] sweeping economic, social and cultural history of central Europe. . . . unorthodox and engaging."---Marc Levinson, Wall Street Journal"A wide-ranging and thorough study. . . . this is a riveting story, well told . . . by Marchand, who illuminates so much in an original and entertaining way."---Tim Blanning, Literary Review"As Suzanne Marchand shows in her meticulous new book, porcelain has been integral to German life since its reinvention in Saxony in 1708." * The Economist *"As an economic-business history, Marchand's work is a landmark achievement. . . . Porcelain is a monumental achievement in scope and breadth in illuminating porcelain's European beginnings and its increasingly fragile position in the markets of the present."---Megan Brandow-Faller, Central European History"Marchand paints a colourful picture of the day-to-day life of porcelain factories."---Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth, Apollo"To weave together cultural, economic, and social history so masterfully takes great historiographical experience and skill. All those who are interested in nineteenth-century German intellectual history admire Suzanne Marchand’s books on the reception of classical antiquity and orientalism. Now she has surprised us with something completely new"---Jürgen Osterhammel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"Marchand, a specialist in German history, writes with clarity."---Norma Clarke, Times Literary Supplement"The remarkable achievement of Suzanne Marchand’s new book, Porcelain, which focuses especially on Germany, is that she moves beyond the celebrated age of discovery in the eighteenth century...to explore modern manufacture and diffusion across a broader consumer society in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries .... While Meissen lies at the center of Marchand’s book, one of its great strengths is the broader survey of German porcelain manufacturing."---Larry Wolff, Journal of Modern History"N/A"---Monika Poettinger, Austrian History Yearbook

    £18.00

  • Toward a Free Economy

    Princeton University Press Toward a Free Economy

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Recommended and long overdue."---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution"One of the most comprehensive accounts of opposition politics as carried by key individuals and organisations, their initiatives, and its impact. . . . Within economics, economic history and history of economic thought are two separate disciplines. [Toward a Free Economy] traverses both and goes beyond in its effort to tell the story of India’s opposition in its early days. The book lays down a fertile ground for future researchers to further explore."---Kumar Anand, The Hindu"Exhaustively researched."---Archis Mohan, Business Standard"An instant classic."---Sanjeet Kashyap, Australian Outlook

    £32.30

  • Princeton University Press Worldly Afterlives

    a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

    £27.00

  • Psychology of Yoga and Meditation

    Princeton University Press Psychology of Yoga and Meditation

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £28.80

  • Rarities of These Lands

    Princeton University Press Rarities of These Lands

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Rarities of these Lands is a rich reflection on the gap between the enchanting facade we call the Dutch Golden Age, on display...in every exhibition of 17th-century Dutch painting, and the riches, rarities and loot in the warehouse behind."---Timothy Brook, Times Literary Supplement"Claudia Swan’s masterful study explores the Dutch taste for consumption, and the means by which distant lands were reached and foreign goods accessed, first by seizing and plundering Portuguese and Spanish cargoes, then by engaging in war and conquest. . . . Rarities of these Lands provides a rich narrative about the circulation of exotic material culture and the history of collecting in the seventeenth century."---Annemarie Jordan Gschwend, Journal of the History of Collections"The early modern phenomenon of the kunstcamer or rariteytencamer (cabinets of curiosities) is a recurrent theme for Swan, and indeed each chapter might be likened to its own self-contained kunstcamer, packed with amazing images and a wide array of intriguing anecdotes. . .All of these wonders and more await the reader in lavishly illustrated pages."---Ellsworth Hamann, CAA Reviews"Rarities of these Lands is a magnificent achievement. . . . [It] integrate[s] art historical and historical perspectives on the history of a single country into a compelling tale of global connections and entanglements."---Maarten Prak, Early Modern Low Countries ​​​​​​​"Rarities of these Lands not only makes important claims about the founding of the Dutch Republic but also speaks to the interdependence of commerce, art, and political self-fashioning among populations across the early modern world. . . . Rich in formal analysis, the passages describing individual works of art are beautifully articulated. . . . An essential work."---Dawn Odell, Historians of Netherlandish Art Reviews"Swan’s prose brings to life encounters in the Dutch Republic and overseas, as she introduces foreign visitors, travelers, and diplomats who were captured in text and images as they exchanged the types of goods discussed and depicted in this richly illustrated volume.—Marsely Kehoe, Renaissance Quarterly"

    15 in stock

    £51.00

  • The Political Machine

    Princeton University Press The Political Machine

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"The coherence and brevity of the book reflects its development from the 2013 Rostovtzeff Lecture Series at New York University. The book can be read quickly, and its significance for evolutionary studies can be assimilated thoughtfully. It deserves to be read broadly by academics, graduate students and an interested public."---Timothy Earle, Antiquity"I most strongly recommend this as a book with which to argue, for all interested in the newest forms of theory concerning politics and objects, as well as anyone examining ancient Eurasian cultural forms and connections."---Chris Gosden, American Anthropologist"The Political Machine surely succeeds in bringing the political back into the mainstream of archaeological theory. Smith's provocative work will be studied by all interested in ontology and the epistemology of things, and by archaeological theorists."---Geoffrey D. Summers, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

    1 in stock

    £27.00

  • Pantheon

    Princeton University Press Pantheon

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018"

    3 in stock

    £27.00

  • Dweller in Shadows

    Princeton University Press Dweller in Shadows

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards""The most comprehensive [biography] to date. . . . Dweller in Shadows has many virtues. . . . The deepest impress of [the] book, however, is that it grows into the portrait of a hero."---Anthony Lane, New Yorker"Kate Kennedy finally does justice to the neglected poet, whose musician’s ear for the sounds of the war captures the reality of trench life like no other . . . . Enthralling, meticulously researched and deeply sympathetic."---Andrew Motion, The Spectator"[A] poignant biography of Gurney. . . . [Kennedy] captures not only her subject’s melancholy and angst but also his unique artistic accomplishments. For this Ms. Kennedy is particularly well-suited. . . . Her longtime interest in the intersection of words and music is evident in her sensitive analysis of Gurney’s songs and her careful, probing readings of his verse."---David Yezzi, Wall Street Journal"This substantial and, for the most part, unusually readable biography gives us a rich picture of the world and terrible existence of an astonishing, multitalented artist whose true time is long overdue."---Lachlan Mackinnon, Times Literary Supplement"Compelling and extraordinary."---Sean Rafferty, BBC Radio 3 ‘In Tune’"[A] fine, well-researched and intelligent biography. . . . This painstaking biography will do much to enhance [Gurney's] reputation."---Simon Heffer, Literary Review ​​​​​​​"[An] admirably detailed and perceptive biography. . . . [Kennedy] examines in some detail the extraordinary depth and talent of Gurney’s creative genius—she is particularly illuminating in talking about his poetry—while being candid about his erratic behaviour and impractical approach to adult life."---Daniel Jaffé, BBC Music Magazine ​​​​​​​"A particularly rich and detailed account. . . . This will certainly prove to be a valuable reference tool."---Jeremy Dibble, Gramophone"This is an impeccably and thoroughly researched biography, carefully analytical and elegantly presented. Kate Kennedy has left no stone unturned in her endeavours. It certainly makes for rewarding reading. Although Gurney has long dwelt on the shadowy periphery of musical life, this outstanding biography does much to redress the balance. It has to be one of the most heart-rending books I’ve ever read."---Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International"Written with enormous empathy, Kennedy’s account is heart-wrenching in places. A compelling work"---Elizabeth Fitzherbert, The Lady"Gurney deserved much better treatment. He deserved a much better society. His work began to give expression to his incipient sense of the need for social change. It’s to be hoped this thorough, sympathetic book will bring him the attention he was denied while he lived, and perhaps also prevent today’s or tomorrow’s Gurney suffering a similar fate."---Alan Dent, Penniless Press"This is a wonderful book that is an affectionate tribute to a truly great man."---Candia McKormack, Cotswold Life"The book deftly sheds light on how Gurney produced his much respected work." * Library Journal *"Kate Kennedy’s comprehensive biography of the early-20th-century British poet and composer Ivor Gurney, Dweller in Shadows, is an enormous feat of meticulously detailed scholarship. No stone has been left unturned and no aspect of his life has been left untouched (or at least not speculated upon) by Kennedy.. . . . In Dweller in Shadows Kennedy has created a fully realized portrayal of a complex historical figure’s life and reclaimed it for the good of historians and laypeople alike."---Walter Holland, Rain Taxi Review of Books"A stunning contribution to the fields of psychiatric historiography, musicology, literary studies, psychoanalytical scholarship, and many more disciplines, I learned a great deal from this beautifully constructed text, and I hope that Dr. Kennedy will continue to produce other such gripping biographies in years to come."---Brett Kahr, Confer"Authoritative and exhaustively researched"---Roger Ebbatson, Journal of the Friends of the Dymock Poets

    £29.75

  • Distant Shores

    Princeton University Press Distant Shores

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Bentley Book Prize, World History Association""[A] deeply researched study. . . . Distant Shores succeeds in its objective to further nuance the conventional narrative of China’s decline throughout the long 19th century by shifting the gaze to the southeastern littoral."---Yorim Spoelder, Asian Review of Books"[An] excellent study. . . . This compelling work not only provides a fresh look at the rationale behind the first Opium War, but also importantly deconstructs the rhetoric of the widely accepted fundamental divergence of Europe and China supposed to have developed starting in the eighteenth century."---Bart Dessein, Journal of the European Association for Chinese Studies

    5 in stock

    £31.50

  • The Other Windrush

    Pluto Press The Other Windrush

    Book SynopsisThe history and legacy of Indian and Chinese Caribbean indentured labourers who were part of the Windrush generationTrade Review'This illuminating, vivid volume is a fitting tribute to the experiences of migration, struggle and celebration that shaped those communities born out of the system of Caribbean indenture' -- Hanif Kureishi, author of 'The Buddha of Suburbia' (Faber & Faber, 2009) 'Through moving and insightful stories and testimonies, the legacies of indenture are powerfully inscribed' -- Hannah Lowe, author of 'Long Time No See' (Periscope, 2015) 'This kaleidoscopic survey illuminates corners of modern Britain that have been overlooked. Filed with vivid stories about the Chinese and Indian contribution to Caribbean culture, it is also a vibrant history of immigration to the UK: a colourful work in every sense' -- Sibghat Kadri QC 'I cried when I read this beautifully furious book on the life, loves and heroic struggles of my brave ancestors, the unfree indentured Indian and Chinese men and women who have been consciously and cruelly written out of British and Caribbean history' -- Heidi Safia Mirza, Professor of Race, Faith and Culture at Goldsmith College, University of London 'Indentured labour was a unique form of labour invented and perfected by the British. This book analyses its history, development and human consequences with remarkable insight and points to its dark moral underside' -- Bhikhu Parekh, political theorist, academic and member of the House of LordsTable of ContentsList of figures Introduction: 'My Father's Journey Made Me Who I Am' Maria del Pilar Kaladeen and David Dabydeen 1. What's in a Face? - Jonathan Phang 2. Black Turkey - David Dabydeen 3. From BG to GB - Elly Niland 4. Made through Movement - Nalini Mohabir 5. Interview: 'Trinidad Implants in you this Wonderful Sense of Carnival' - Bob Ramdhanie 6. A Tribute to the Life of Rudy Narayan (1938-1998) - Lainy Malkani 7. Pepperpot - Gordon Warnecke 8. Scratching the Surface: A Speculative Feminist Visual History of other Windrush Itineraries - Tao Leigh Goffe 9. Everything of Us - Maria del Pilar Kaladeen 10. Three Rivers - Mr Gee 11. Interview: 'Invited then Unwelcomed' - Charlotte Bailey Contributor Biographies Index

    £16.14

  • Never Pure  Historical Studies of Science as if

    Johns Hopkins University Press Never Pure Historical Studies of Science as if

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis wide-ranging and intensely interdisciplinary collection by one of the most distinguished historians and sociologists of science represents some of the leading edges of change in the scholarly understanding of science over the past several decades.Trade ReviewWhat makes his essays so enjoyable and alive... is their leaping range of reference, always running one step ahead and urging us to catch up. -- Jenny Uglow New York Review of Books 2010 Professor Shapin has a sense of humor, a good eye for an anecdote and the ability to turn a phrase. -- Katherine Bouton New York Times 2010 While it might not be for novices, anyone who is interested in how and why science enjoys a privileged position as a source of knowledge should read Shapin's take on the authority given to it vis-a-vis religion and morality, why it is compliment to be both a gentleman and a scholar, and why it matters whether Newton ate chicken or Darwin farted. Seed Magazine 2010 An impressive work and one that scientists will benefit from reading. Shapin reminds us that... neither scientists nor science itself can be separated from the context of peoples' minds, bodies, cultures, societies. Expectations based on any other understanding are simply unrealistic. -- Sam Lemonick Chemical and Engineering News 2010 He is a graceful and engaging essayist, and the ample selection of essays in Never Pure ... affords an excellent basis for reflecting on what he has had to say about the life of science. -- Robert E. Kohler Science 2010 Never Pure will enrich the bookshelf of any historian of science. -- Katy Barrett Endeavour 2010Table of ContentsPreface1. Lowering the Tone in the History of Science: A Noble CallingPart I: Methods and Maxims2. Cordelia's Love: Credibility and the Social Studies of Science3. How to Be Antiscientific4. Science and Prejudice in Historical PerspectivePart II: Places and Practices5. The House of Experiment in Seventeenth-century England6. Pump and Circumstance: Robert Boyle's Literary TechnologyPart III: The Scientific Person7. "The Mind Is Its Own Place": Science and Solitude in Seventeenth-century England8. "A Scholar and a Gentleman": The Problematic Identity of the Scientific Practitioner in Seventeenth-century England9. Who Was Robert Hooke?10. Who Is the Industrial Scientist? Commentary from Academic Sociology and from the Shop Floor in the United States, ca. 1900–ca. 1970Part IV: The Body of Knowledge and the Knowledge of Body11. The Philosopher and the Chicken: On the Dietetics of Disembodied Knowledge12. How to Eat Like a Gentleman: Dietetics and Ethics in Early Modern EnglandPart V: The World of Science and the World of Common Sense13. Trusting George Cheyne: Scientific Expertise, Common Sense, and Moral Authority in Early Eighteenth-century Dietetic Medicine14. Proverbial Economies: How an Understanding of Some Linguistic and Social Features of Common Sense Can Throw Light on More Prestigious Bodies of Knowledge, Science for Example15. Descartes the Doctor: Rationalism and Its TherapiesPart VI: Science and Modernity16. Science and the Modern WorldNotesIndex

    1 in stock

    £28.98

  • Myth and Meaning

    University of Toronto Press Myth and Meaning

    Book SynopsisEver since the rise of science and the scientific method in the seventeenth century, we have rejected mythology as the product of superstitious and primitive minds. Only now are we coming to a fuller appreciation of the nature and role of myth in human history. In these five lectures originally prepared for the CBC, Claude Lévi-Strauss, one of the world's greatest living thinkers, offers the insights of a lifetime spent interpreting myths and trying to discover their significance for human understanding.The lectures begin with a discussion of the historical split between mythology and science and the evidence that mythic levels of understanding are being reintegrated in our approach to knowledge. In an extension of his theme, Professosr Lévi-Strauss analyses what we have called 'primitive' thinking and discusses some universal features of human mythology. The final two lectures outline the functional relationship between mythology and history and the structural relationship b

    £11.39

  • Conflicted Antiquities  Egyptology Egyptomania

    Duke University Press Conflicted Antiquities Egyptology Egyptomania

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisA cultural history of European and Egyptian interest in ancient Egypt and its material culture, from the early nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth.Trade Review“Conflicted Antiquities is superb, the definitive work on the place of ancient Egypt in the imaginations and politics of Europe and Egypt. Elliott Colla presents translations and analyses of Arabic literature not previously available, and he brings together for the first time European and modern Egyptian appropriations of and discourses on ancient Egypt. The range of materials that he analyzes is astounding and rich; the footnotes alone are worth the price of the book.” — Lila Abu-Lughod, author of Dramas of Nationhood: The Politics of Television in Egypt“Written in an engaging, thoughtful, and provocative style, Conflicted Antiquities provides a unique perspective on the ‘consumption’ of ancient Egypt. What makes it distinctive is Elliott Colla’s focus on Egyptian readings of the ancient past, an area which has been greatly neglected. Colla has much that is fresh and new to contribute, especially since the resources on which he draws are not widely known nor easy to get hold of.”— Stephanie Moser, author of Wondrous Curiosities: Ancient Egypt at the British Museum“Conflicted Antiquities presents an exhaustively researched and sharply written account of how Egyptian Pharaonic monuments, the sites and buildings that house them, and the personnel who have worked to uncover and care for them have acquired and changed meaning over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. . . . Anyone who picks up Conflicting Antiquities will come away from its reading with a more complete understanding of the relationship between science and colonialism, of the politics inherent to modern tourism, and of the power of the ancients to shape the governing practices of the present. In every case, readers will be delighted by Colla’s prose, impressed with his erudition, and engaged by the connections he forges between the appropriated past and the contested present.” -- Lisa Pollard * International Journal of Middle East Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction: The Egyptian Sculpture Room 1 1. The Artification of the Memnon Head 24 Ozymandias 67 2. Conflicted Antiquities: Islam’s Pharaoh and Emergent Egyptology 72 The Antiqakhana 116 3. Pharaonic Selves 121 Two Pharaohs 166 4. The Discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb: Archaeology, Politics, and Literature 172 Nahdat Misr 227 5. Pharaonism after Pharaonism: Mahfouz and Qutb 234 Conclusion 273 Notes 279 Bibliography 311 Index 329

    3 in stock

    £21.59

  • Aiding Ireland

    New York University Press Aiding Ireland

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisLooks at the ways that disparate groups used Irish famine relief in the 1840s to advance their own political agendasFamine brought ruin to the Irish countryside in the nineteenth century. In response, people around the world and from myriad social, ethnic, and religious backgrounds became involved in Irish famine relief. They included enslaved Black people in Virginia, poor tenant farmers in rural New York, and members of the Cherokee and Choctaw nations, as well as plantation owners in the US south, abolitionists in Pennsylvania, and, politicians in England and Ireland. Most of these people had no personal connection to Ireland. For many, the famine was their first time participating in distant philanthropy.Aiding Ireland investigates the Irish famine as a foundational moment for normalizing international giving. Anelise Hanson Shrout argues that these diverse men and women found famine relief to be politically useful. Shrout takes readers from Ireland to Trade ReviewAn important addition to famine historiography. Shrout has produced a rigorous and excellent analysis of the complex relationship between international philanthropy and the Irish famine. -- Christine Kinealy, Emmy-award winner of The Great Hunger and the Irish DiasporaIn this elegant, meticulously-researched book, Anelise Shrout uncovers the ways in which international charitable responses to a nineteenth-century catastrophe in Ireland were rooted in local concerns and anxieties. Aiding Ireland is landmark work on the birth pains of global philanthropy. -- Cian T. McMahon, author of The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea during the Great Irish FamineAiding Ireland is an important contribution to the growing literature on the history of philanthropy. It not only examines a significant chapter in transnational giving, but also explores the underlying agendas that surrounded donations by groups such as slaves and Native Americans, broadening our understanding of the breadth and uses of philanthropy in the United States. -- Kathleen McCarthy, author of American Creed: Philanthropy and the Rise of Civil SocietyAn impressive and valuable contribution to both Irish history as well as the history of international philanthropy. -- David Gleeson, Northumbria University, NewcastleIn Aiding Ireland, historian Anelise Hanson Shrout addresses [the motivations behind humanitarian aid] in relation to the transnational philanthropic response to the Great Famine. Her convincing study explores why people from so many places and backgrounds donated, and reveals their underlying agendas. Without minimising the generosity of donors, she complicates prevalent and often simplistic narratives about famine-era philanthropy … a well-argued and highly welcome monograph that offers a compelling account of the political and ideological dimensions of humanitarian aid during the Famine. * The Irish Times *

    2 in stock

    £25.19

  • The Crusade of 1456

    University of Toronto Press The Crusade of 1456

    Book SynopsisThe Crusade of 1456 offers translations of key sources from an often overlooked yet consequential event in fifteenth-century Europe.Trade Review"A description of Belgrade in 1456 is to be found in many a book on the Medieval Balkans, on the Papacy and the Levant, or on Hungarian history but never with such specificity and depth. It is as if long lost voices are heard again for the first time after the sleep of ages, with startling freshness and power." -- Alberto M. Fernandez * European Conservative *Table of ContentsIntroduction Historical Frames: Political and Military Developments Sources in Scholarly Context: The Middle Ages, the Crusades, and the Problem of “Lateness” Framing the Sources: Selection, Structure, and Significance Part One: Preparations for Crusade, 1453–1456 1. Pope Nicholas V, Etsi Ecclesia Christi 2. Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, Constantinopolitana Clades 3. Correspondence of 1455–1456 4. Liturgy for Taking the Cross 5. A Pope’s Call to Prayer 6. Pope Callixtus III, Omnipotentis dei misericordia Part Two: The Earliest Accounts 7. John of Capistrano to Pope Callixtus III 8. John of Capistrano to Pope Callixtus III 9. John Hunyadi to Denis Szécsi, Archbishop of Esztergom 10. John Hunyadi to Ladislaus Garai, Palatine of Hungary 11. John Hunyadi to King Ladislaus Posthumous 12. John of Tagliacozzo to James of the Marches 13. John of Capistrano to Pope Callixtus III Part Three: News and Propaganda 14. Ambassador of the Bishop of Šibenik to Callixtus III 15. Cardinal Juan Carvajal to Francesco Sforza 16. Letters of John Goldener 17. Ladislaus Posthumous to Duke Francesco Sforza of Milan 18. The City of Nuremberg to the City of Weissenburg 19. Pope Callixtus III to Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan 20. Letters of Bernard of Kraiburg 21. Callixtus III, Letter to Juan Soler 22. Anonymous (Pseudo-John of Capistrano), to all Christians 23. Anonymous, Letter to Henry of Eckenfelt 24. Liturgical Commemorations of Belgrade Part Four: John of Tagliacozzo’s The Story of the Victory of Belgrade 25. John of Tagliacozzo, The Story of the Victory of Belgrade Part Five: Memoir and Chronicle 26. Thomas Ebendorfer, Chronica Austriae 27. Laonikos Chalkokondyles, The Histories 28. Michael Kritopuoulos (Kritovulos), History of Mehmed the Conqueror 29. Jacopo da Promontorio, Recollecta 30. şıkpaşazade, Memories and Chronicles of the House of Osman 31. John Thurocz, Chronicle of the Hungarians 32. Tursun Beg, History of the Conqueror 33. The Oxford Anonymous Chronicle 34. Konstantin Mihailović, Memoirs Timelines: General Timeline The Crusade of 1456 Maps: Central and Southeastern Europe, c. 1450 The Siege and Relief of Belgrade, 1456 The City and Fortress of Belgrade, c. 1450

    £25.19

  • Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and

    Getty Trust Publications Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and

    Book SynopsisThis abundantly illustrated book examines the figure of Balthazar, one of the biblical magi, and explains how and why he came to be depicted as a Black African king. According to the Gospel of Matthew, magi from the East, following a star, traveled to Jerusalem bearing precious gifts for the infant Jesus. The magi were revered as wise men and later as kings. Over time, one of the three came to be known as Balthazar and to be depicted as a Black man. Balthazar was familiar to medieval Europeans, appearing in paintings, manuscript illuminations, mosaics, carved ivories, and jewelry. But the origin story of this fascinating character uncovers intricate ties between Europe and Africa, including trade and diplomacy as well as colonization and enslavement. In this book, experts in the fields of Ethiopian, West African, Nubian, and Western European art explore the representation of Balthazar as a Black African king. They examine exceptional art that portrays the European fantasy of the Black magus while offering clues about the very real Africans who may have inspired these images. Along the way, the authors chronicle the Black presence in premodern Europe, where free and enslaved Black people moved through public spaces and courtly circles. The volume's lavish illustrations include selected works by contemporary artists who creatively challenge traditional depictions of Black history.Trade Review"This beautifully illustrated book on Balthazar, the African king believed to be one of the "wise men" who traveled from afar to acknowledge the divinity of the infant Christ, is a real gift. The range of related topics covered spreads out into the early modern world-the rise of African kingdoms as well as pertinent aspects of the slave trade-something readers today are looking for. The authors, experts all, know how to write concisely and to be enjoyed as well as impart insight."- Joaneath Spicer, The James A. Murnaghan Curator of Renaissance and Baroque Art, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; "This gorgeously illustrated volume gathers together cutting-edge articles to probe the image of the Black magus in European art. As a marker of real historical contacts, imaginary kingdoms, and known Christian princes, the presence of the Black king at the scene of Christ's Nativity is here read within a diverse range of possible interpretations. The book's strength is its polyvocality: no one story is put forward to explain the Black Balthazar. Rather, it tells the complicated history of the early modern period, in which connections among a whole variety of sub-Saharan African communities and western Europe were on the rise. Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art is required reading for those curious about how the past informs current debates about race in the West."-Sarah M. Guerin, Assistant Professor, History of Art, University of Pennsylvania

    £33.25

  • Victoria County History of Oxfordshire XXI

    Victoria County History Victoria County History of Oxfordshire XXI

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn in-depth historical study of the Cotswold market town of Chipping Norton and of half a dozen surrounding rural parishes, including Hook Norton and the Rollrights.

    1 in stock

    £85.50

  • Biographic: Churchill

    GMC Publications Biographic: Churchill

    Book SynopsisThe Biographic series presents an entirely new way of looking at the lives of the world's greatest thinkers and creative. It takes the 50 defining facts, dates, thoughts, habits and achievements of each subject, and uses infographics to convey all of them in vivid snapshots. Many people know that Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was a British statesman and prime minister, a speechmaker who led Britain through the dark days of the Second World War. What, perhaps, they don't know is that he came under enemy fire over 50 times; took 36 bottles of wine, 18 of scotch and 6 of vintage brandy to the Boer War; painted over 600 works of art and won the Nobel Prize for Literature; and developed his taste for Havana cigars while working as a war correspondent in the Cuban War of Independence.

    £8.99

  • The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages

    Reaktion Books The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn illuminating exploration of the surprisingly familiar sex lives of ordinary medieval people. The medieval humoral system of medicine suggested that it was possible to die from having too much-or too little-sex, while the Roman Catholic Church taught that virginity was the ideal state. Holy men and women committed themselves to lifelong abstinence in the name of religion. Everyone was forced to conform to restrictive rules about who they could have sex with, in what way, how often, and even when, and could be harshly punished for getting it wrong. Other experiences are more familiar. Like us, medieval people faced challenges in finding a suitable partner or trying to get pregnant (or trying not to). They also struggled with many of the same social issues, such as whether prostitution should be legalized. Above all, they shared our fondness for dirty jokes and erotic images. By exploring their sex lives, the book brings ordinary medieval people to life, revealing details of their most personal thoughts and experiences. Ultimately, it provides us with an important and intimate connection to the past.Trade Review"A lively and readable account rooted in a deep knowledge of the scholarly literature on sexuality in medieval western Europe. Harvey's specialism in the history of medicine provides particular depth, and is integrated with legal and cultural material to create a sparkling and convincing whole." -- Ruth Mazo Karras, Trinity College Dublin "Masterful. There is no better guide to what occurs betwixt the sheets of the medieval bedroom than Harvey. The Fires of Lust-an absolute triumph." -- Kate Lister, author of "A Curious History of Sex and Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts" "With unabashed directness, a delicate touch of wit, and constant humanity, Harvey surveys the world of medieval sex and sexuality. Throughout The Fires of Lust she situates the twin themes of morality and medicine in the social and material world that medieval people inhabited. What those people thought, felt, feared, and hoped for all play a part, alongside the pronouncements of theologians, lawmakers, and intellectuals. Here, in its messy complexity, is medieval life-life laid bare, but always with respect and care. A triumph." -- John H. Arnold, Professor of Medieval History, University of Cambridge, author of "Belief and Unbelief in the Middle Ages" "Learned, fun, and full of surprises-a fascinating, wide-ranging guide to medieval sexual attitudes and experiences." -- Fara Dabhoiwala, author of "The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution"

    1 in stock

    £17.00

  • The Louth St James Churchwardens Accounts

    Boydell and Brewer The Louth St James Churchwardens Accounts

    20 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    20 in stock

    £36.00

  • Wasteland with Words: A Social History of Iceland

    Reaktion Books Wasteland with Words: A Social History of Iceland

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIceland appears to many a country shrouded in mystery and legend, and marked by contradiction: a part of Europe, and yet separated from it by the Atlantic Ocean; seemingly inhospitable, and yet home to more than 300,000 souls. Wasteland with Words explores the evolution and transformation of Icelandic society and culture, investigating the literary and historical factors that created the rich cultural heritage enjoyed by Icelanders today. Sigurdur Gylfi Magnusson presents a wide-ranging and detailed analysis of the island's history, examining how a nineteenth-century economy based on the industries of fishing and agriculture - one of the poorest in Europe - grew to become a disproportionately large economic power in the late twentieth century, while retaining its strong sense of cultural identity. The recent economic and political collapse of the country is also assessed, in the light of the historical development of the island. With a focus on the lives of individual Icelanders throughout, the book seeks to chart the vast changes in this country's history through the impact and effect on the Icelandic people themselves. "Wasteland with Words" is a comprehensive study of the island's social and historical development, from tiny fishing settlements to a global economic power. It will appeal to anyone interested in or studying this most enigmatic of islands, and also to those interested in cultural and social history as a whole.Trade Review'Magnusson narrates a well-timed history of Iceland through the lives of ordinary people and local communities in a pointillist style that evokes a rich heritage. He shows how a localised barter economy, based in fishing and agriculture, became a financial system with a global strategy that fatally overreached itself with embarrassing international political and financial consequences. The dust has yet to settle.' - The Times '[a] combination of cultural depth and material backwardness is the central message of Sigurdur Gylfi Magnusson's social history of one of Europe's smallest and remotest countries ... This book, drawing on Icelanders' astonishingly detailed diaries and letters in past centuries, gives the outsider a rare glimpse into the past lives of an extraordinary people.' - Edward Lucas, The Economist 'Magnusson's ambitious work provides a unique perspective on the development of Iceland's cultural heritage ... an unflinching look into Iceland's past through the literary legacy of many average Icelanders and attempts to construct a clearer picture of the development of Iceland's culture and educational past ... well researched and full of rich resources, the book provides unique insight into a truly unparalleled country and culture, not found in many works available to English readers ... an important work. Highly recommended.' - Choice 'an intimate and personal history of Iceland ... Anyone planning to travel to Iceland will find that this well-written book offers a valuable background on the island's unique social and cultural history.' - Sydney Morning Herald 'an indispensible book for everyone who is interested in the history of Iceland. It is a highly informative piece of solid scholarly work, with a clear methodology and it is simply very well written. Finally, just a word of praise about the superior choice of illustrations throughout the book and the highly informative captions that accompany them.' - TijdSchrift voor Skandinavistiek 'a very welcome addition to the small number of books about Iceland's modern history available in English. The few other works on modern Icelandic history are largely written in Icelandic for local consumption. This means that the rest of the world is largely starved of any broader or deeper understanding of Iceland beyond the headline-grabbing activities of its bankers and volcanoes ... as an introduction to 19th- and 20th-century Icelandic history it is excellent.' - Reviews in History 'An unusual approach to social history, with the emphasis on the last two centuries but looking back also to earlier periods, this study is impressive methodologically and conceptually and has much to offer those working on the social history of other countries. Good in its range which includes cultural history. Fascinating range of sources.' - The Historian '[Magnusson] tells the story of Iceland from the bottom up, through examples culled from diaries, newspapers, and the histories of particular families. He avoids discussing the ceremonial and official. He has read an amazing number of Icelandic autobiographies. His writing is fluid, lithe and informal.' - The Grapevine, IcelandTable of ContentsIntroduction: Blind Spots in History 1 Modern Times: Society, Work and Demography 2 People and Politics 3 The Feeling of Swallowing a Hunchback: Material Culture 4 Icelandic Connections: The Lure of the New World 5 Tactics for Emotional Survival: Education, Work and Entertainment 6 Death and Daily Life 7 Childhood, Youth and the Formation of the Individual 8 A True Passion: Writing as Personal Expression 9 The Shaping of Modern Man 10 The Middle Ages and Beyond: A Cultural Foundation 11 The Barefoot Historians and the 'People's Press' 12 Urban Living: Industry, Labour and Living Conditions 13 The Myth of the Modern Woman: Gender Roles in Urban and Rural Iceland 14 Death in the City 15 Children in Urban Areas 16 Monsters from the Deep and the Icelandic Way of Thinking 17 Selective Modernization and Capitalist Euphoria 18 'Iceland Sucks!' References Select Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

    1 in stock

    £25.00

  • The Slow Moon Climbs The Science History and

    Princeton University Press The Slow Moon Climbs The Science History and

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the PROSE Award in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology, Association of American Publishers"

    £15.29

  • Country House Secrets: Behind Closed Doors

    Rydon Publishing Country House Secrets: Behind Closed Doors

    Book SynopsisWith a foreword by Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey who concludes that: `This is the world that Ruth Binney has brought so wonderfully to life in her book'. Inside the country house, what exactly were the duties of the master's valet and the lady's maid? How did these fit into the daily routine? And what were the protocols for visitors? The answers to these, and many more questions, are revealed in this entertaining and intimate guide to the self-contained world of the country house. Here you'll learn the rules of etiquette essential both upstairs and down -for both residents and visitors -marvel at the intricacies of housekeeping, and enter a bygone age of hunts, house parties and grand balls. All these aspects of country house life, and many more, are introduced here through the contemporary maxims used to instruct the members of the household and their guests, from running a large kitchen to entertaining royalty. Each is brought to life with both practical detail and direct, compelling quotes and illustrations from period manuals and advice books, giving every entry a totally authentic feel and `voice'. Rounding off the book is an informative list of houses to visit, stressing the features that relate directly to the descriptions included in the book.Table of Contents1 Foreword by Julian Fellowes 4 2 Introduction 6 3 Keeping House 8 4 The Daily Routine 44 5 The Country House Kitchen 78 6 A Matter of Manners 112 7 Entertainment, Leisure and Sport 150 8 Gardens and Grounds 176 9 Houses to Visit 216 10 Book Reference List 221

    £12.74

  • Dweller in Shadows

    Princeton University Press Dweller in Shadows

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards""The most comprehensive [biography] to date. . . . Dweller in Shadows has many virtues. . . . The deepest impress of [the] book, however, is that it grows into the portrait of a hero."---Anthony Lane, New Yorker"Kate Kennedy finally does justice to the neglected poet, whose musician’s ear for the sounds of the war captures the reality of trench life like no other . . . . Enthralling, meticulously researched and deeply sympathetic."---Andrew Motion, The Spectator"[A] poignant biography of Gurney. . . . [Kennedy] captures not only her subject’s melancholy and angst but also his unique artistic accomplishments. For this Ms. Kennedy is particularly well-suited. . . . Her longtime interest in the intersection of words and music is evident in her sensitive analysis of Gurney’s songs and her careful, probing readings of his verse."---David Yezzi, Wall Street Journal"This substantial and, for the most part, unusually readable biography gives us a rich picture of the world and terrible existence of an astonishing, multitalented artist whose true time is long overdue."---Lachlan Mackinnon, Times Literary Supplement"Compelling and extraordinary."---Sean Rafferty, BBC Radio 3 ‘In Tune’"[A] fine, well-researched and intelligent biography. . . . This painstaking biography will do much to enhance [Gurney's] reputation."---Simon Heffer, Literary Review ​​​​​​​"[An] admirably detailed and perceptive biography. . . . [Kennedy] examines in some detail the extraordinary depth and talent of Gurney’s creative genius—she is particularly illuminating in talking about his poetry—while being candid about his erratic behaviour and impractical approach to adult life."---Daniel Jaffé, BBC Music Magazine ​​​​​​​"A particularly rich and detailed account. . . . This will certainly prove to be a valuable reference tool."---Jeremy Dibble, Gramophone"This is an impeccably and thoroughly researched biography, carefully analytical and elegantly presented. Kate Kennedy has left no stone unturned in her endeavours. It certainly makes for rewarding reading. Although Gurney has long dwelt on the shadowy periphery of musical life, this outstanding biography does much to redress the balance. It has to be one of the most heart-rending books I’ve ever read."---Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International"Written with enormous empathy, Kennedy’s account is heart-wrenching in places. A compelling work"---Elizabeth Fitzherbert, The Lady"Gurney deserved much better treatment. He deserved a much better society. His work began to give expression to his incipient sense of the need for social change. It’s to be hoped this thorough, sympathetic book will bring him the attention he was denied while he lived, and perhaps also prevent today’s or tomorrow’s Gurney suffering a similar fate."---Alan Dent, Penniless Press"This is a wonderful book that is an affectionate tribute to a truly great man."---Candia McKormack, Cotswold Life"The book deftly sheds light on how Gurney produced his much respected work." * Library Journal *"Kate Kennedy’s comprehensive biography of the early-20th-century British poet and composer Ivor Gurney, Dweller in Shadows, is an enormous feat of meticulously detailed scholarship. No stone has been left unturned and no aspect of his life has been left untouched (or at least not speculated upon) by Kennedy.. . . . In Dweller in Shadows Kennedy has created a fully realized portrayal of a complex historical figure’s life and reclaimed it for the good of historians and laypeople alike."---Walter Holland, Rain Taxi Review of Books"A stunning contribution to the fields of psychiatric historiography, musicology, literary studies, psychoanalytical scholarship, and many more disciplines, I learned a great deal from this beautifully constructed text, and I hope that Dr. Kennedy will continue to produce other such gripping biographies in years to come."---Brett Kahr, Confer"Authoritative and exhaustively researched"---Roger Ebbatson, Journal of the Friends of the Dymock Poets

    £19.00

  • Waterloo Sunrise

    Princeton University Press Waterloo Sunrise

    Book Synopsis

    £18.00

  • Notes on Hospitals

    Rydon Publishing Notes on Hospitals

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn this classic historical text on hospitals, Florence Nightingale voices the importance of hygiene, fresh air and water, cleanliness, proper drainage, and ample light as well as ongoing consideration for patients' feelings. Nightingale's ability to effectively articulate her ideas impressed her contemporaries and continues to influence readers of today. During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale achieved renown as "The Lady with the Lamp", the tireless caretaker of wounded soldiers. Later, Nightingale searched Europe for innovations to help the army improve its hospital care. This report of her findings and suggestions had a profound effect on the medical community and reestablished the author as an international healthcare authority. Despite the advances in medical knowledge since Nightingale's era, her common sense-approach continues to form a solid foundation for nursing. Publishing in conjunction with the Florence Nightingale Museum, Notes on Hospitals celebrates the bicentenary anniversary of Florence Nightingale. This volume serves as a companion to Nightingale's classic of nursing literature, Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not 9781910821374. AUTHOR: Florence Nightingale (12 May 1820-13 August 1910) was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager of nurses trained by her during the Crimean War, where she organised the tending to wounded soldiers. She gave nursing a highly favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of "The Lady with the Lamp" making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.Table of ContentsPreface 7 Foreword 8 Sanitary Condition of Hospitals and Hospital Construction Part I 10 Part II 23 Answers to Written Questions 35 Note A 92 Note B 94 Note C 97 Note D 100 Note E 102 Note F 106 Appendix 112 Construction of Hospitals - the Ground Plan 117 Index 140

    3 in stock

    £8.99

  • The Perils of Interpreting

    Princeton University Press The Perils of Interpreting

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Kenshur Prize, Bloomington Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies""Shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize""Shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize, McGill University""A History Today Book of the Year""Harrison digs equally in Chinese and European archives, finding abundant vivid material from which to reconstruct [Li and Staunton’s] stories, weaving them together to rewrite the opening chapter of Sino–British relations as a series of unfortunate events in which a word, a look or a gesture could alter the course of the encounter. . . . An invigorating re-vision. . . . Harrison’s strength is in narrating lives lived and reminding us that the consequences were never preordained."---Timothy Brook, Times Literary Supplement"Today the fiasco of 1793 is the postulate for an elaborate paradigm that is supposed to explain China’s decline in power in the 19th century. . . . But the paradigm is problematic: it isn’t only ahistorical but, as Henrietta Harrison suggests in The Perils of Interpreting, it focuses on the wrong people."---Pamela Crossley, London Review of Books"Harrison could not have picked two more fascinating men to focus her book on. Both Li and Staunton lived truly extraordinary lives and the reader is led vividly through each. . . . Not only is The Perils of Interpreting an empathetic portrait of two men, it also deftly reveals the critical importance of translation and of interpreters—for without them neither cross-cultural interactions nor cross-cultural understanding can even begin."---Sarah Bramao-Ramos, History Today"Often the most readable books on Chinese history are those that use detailed accounts of the lives of individuals to illuminate the great events of their time. Oxford professor Henrietta Harrison’s The Perils of Interpreting: The Extraordinary Lives of Two Translators between Qing China and the British Empire is a fine example, providing a fresh description of the 1793 embassy from Britain’s King George III to the Manchu Qianlong emperor through the eyes of those who mediated, rather than those of the principals."---Peter Neville-Hadley, South China Morning Post Magazine"[The Perils of Interpreting] reads like a swashbuckling adventure novel. . . . [A] vivid reconstruction of an era."---John Krich, Nikkei Asia"[The Perils of Interpreting] takes a familiar story—the deteriorating diplomacy between Britain and Qing China from the 1793 Macartney Mission and the Opium War—and masterfully retells it through the lives of two translators." * History Today *"[Harrison’s] prose is pictorial and vivacious, effortlessly carrying the reader into a new domain of empathy and historical awareness. The unique and intimate stories of translators offer an antidote to simplistic accounts. . . . The result is a book that thoroughly transforms what we know about Sino-British encounters leading up to the Opium War."---Jenny Huangfu Day, Journal of Chinese History"Marvelous."---Haun Saussy, Journal of the American Oriental Society"The Perils of Interpreting offers extraordinarily fresh information deftly crafted into a narrative embracing biography, imperial history, maritime history, British political history, religious history, and the history of Chinese and British relations. Harrison, an adroit storyteller, designed the book as a chronologically told story of two men, two cultures, and two imperial powers attempting to communicate between worlds. . . . Harrison’s attention to interpretation, its delicacy, its omissions as well as its expressions reveals how power inheres in language, and power is as much in the hands of translators as in the hands of leaders of state. This fascinating, deeply researched, highly informed account is microhistory at its very best."---Carla Mulford, The Eighteenth-Century Intelligencer"Harrison’s rich book opens up so many lines of inquiry that it is bound to produce a wealth of follow-up studies. Let us hope that they will be as eye-opening and enjoyable to read."---Eun Kyung Min, Eighteenth-Century Studies"Fascinating."---Hamish Gobson, Think Scotland

    3 in stock

    £29.75

  • The Perils of Interpreting  The Extraordinary

    Princeton University Press The Perils of Interpreting The Extraordinary

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Kenshur Prize, Bloomington Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies""Shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize""Shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize, McGill University""A History Today Book of the Year""Harrison digs equally in Chinese and European archives, finding abundant vivid material from which to reconstruct [Li and Staunton’s] stories, weaving them together to rewrite the opening chapter of Sino–British relations as a series of unfortunate events in which a word, a look or a gesture could alter the course of the encounter. . . . An invigorating re-vision. . . . Harrison’s strength is in narrating lives lived and reminding us that the consequences were never preordained."---Timothy Brook, Times Literary Supplement"Today the fiasco of 1793 is the postulate for an elaborate paradigm that is supposed to explain China’s decline in power in the 19th century. . . . But the paradigm is problematic: it isn’t only ahistorical but, as Henrietta Harrison suggests in The Perils of Interpreting, it focuses on the wrong people."---Pamela Crossley, London Review of Books"Harrison could not have picked two more fascinating men to focus her book on. Both Li and Staunton lived truly extraordinary lives and the reader is led vividly through each. . . . Not only is The Perils of Interpreting an empathetic portrait of two men, it also deftly reveals the critical importance of translation and of interpreters—for without them neither cross-cultural interactions nor cross-cultural understanding can even begin."---Sarah Bramao-Ramos, History Today"Often the most readable books on Chinese history are those that use detailed accounts of the lives of individuals to illuminate the great events of their time. Oxford professor Henrietta Harrison’s The Perils of Interpreting: The Extraordinary Lives of Two Translators between Qing China and the British Empire is a fine example, providing a fresh description of the 1793 embassy from Britain’s King George III to the Manchu Qianlong emperor through the eyes of those who mediated, rather than those of the principals."---Peter Neville-Hadley, South China Morning Post Magazine"[The Perils of Interpreting] reads like a swashbuckling adventure novel. . . . [A] vivid reconstruction of an era."---John Krich, Nikkei Asia"[The Perils of Interpreting] takes a familiar story—the deteriorating diplomacy between Britain and Qing China from the 1793 Macartney Mission and the Opium War—and masterfully retells it through the lives of two translators." * History Today *"[Harrison’s] prose is pictorial and vivacious, effortlessly carrying the reader into a new domain of empathy and historical awareness. The unique and intimate stories of translators offer an antidote to simplistic accounts. . . . The result is a book that thoroughly transforms what we know about Sino-British encounters leading up to the Opium War."---Jenny Huangfu Day, Journal of Chinese History"Marvelous."---Haun Saussy, Journal of the American Oriental Society"The Perils of Interpreting offers extraordinarily fresh information deftly crafted into a narrative embracing biography, imperial history, maritime history, British political history, religious history, and the history of Chinese and British relations. Harrison, an adroit storyteller, designed the book as a chronologically told story of two men, two cultures, and two imperial powers attempting to communicate between worlds. . . . Harrison’s attention to interpretation, its delicacy, its omissions as well as its expressions reveals how power inheres in language, and power is as much in the hands of translators as in the hands of leaders of state. This fascinating, deeply researched, highly informed account is microhistory at its very best."---Carla Mulford, The Eighteenth-Century Intelligencer"Harrison’s rich book opens up so many lines of inquiry that it is bound to produce a wealth of follow-up studies. Let us hope that they will be as eye-opening and enjoyable to read."---Eun Kyung Min, Eighteenth-Century Studies"Fascinating."---Hamish Gobson, Think Scotland

    £16.19

  • London's New Scene: Art and Culture in the 1960s

    Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art London's New Scene: Art and Culture in the 1960s

    Book SynopsisA groundbreaking and extensively researched account of the 1960s London art scene In the 1960s, London became a vibrant hub of artistic production. Postwar reconstruction, jet air travel, television arts programs, new color supplements, a generation of young artists, dealers, and curators, the influx of international film companies, the projection of “creative Britain” as a national brand—all nurtured and promoted the emergence of London as “a new capital of art.” Extensively illustrated and researched, this book offers an unprecedented, rich account of the social field that constituted the lively London scene of the 1960s. In clear, fluent prose, Tickner presents an innovative sequence of critical case studies, each of which explores a particular institution or event in the cultural life of London between 1962 and 1968. The result is a kaleidoscopic view of an exuberant decade in the history of British art.Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British ArtTrade Review“[E]loquent moments are investigated and analysed in a style that reminds us of the author’s academic credentials, at the same time as showing a wide and warm immersion in her subject and a generous range of reference.”—Julia Sutherland, Financial Times “A scholarly, beautifully constructed survey of the London art scene of the 1960s that focuses on a fascinating cast of glamorous characters and gritty drama, with much that resonates with today's art world”—Hettie Judah, Art Newspaper“Tickner unpicks the myths of London’s Pop Art counterculture, investigating the transformational moments that allowed the avant-garde to flourish.”—Holly Black, Elephant magazine“[A] handsome new volume, well-illustrated…which tells of the emergence of London as an international art scene, during the years that followed World War II”—Edward Lucie-Smith, ArtLyst“Tickner’s case studies range across institutions and events, from films and exhibitions to books and even protests.”—Dance Gazette“Lisa Tickner takes an in-depth look at the conditions that made 1960s London such a vibrant cultural hub.”—The Arts Society Magazine, ‘Best Books for June’“The YBA years had nothing on the London art scene of the '60s…Tickner offers a fresh account…through a series of original case studies.”—Apollo Magazine“[A] comprehensive survey of the burgeoning art scene in London 60 years ago, taking in everyone from Gilbert & George to David Hockney”—The Herald“London’s New Scene is full of unfamiliar material and original ideas…packed with information and reflection, [it] will prove invaluable to students and scholars but is written with a lightness of touch that will also appeal to the general reader.”—Art Daily “Chapters include examinations of Ken Russell’s seminal TV documentary Pop Goes the Easel, the influence of the Kasmin Gallery (the original white cube) and Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Blow Up, which perfectly captured the look and feel of the times. Well written and copiously illustrated, this is about as perfect a biography of a decade as you could wish for.”—Henry Walt, The Artist “London's New Scene is thus at once a corrective and an act of reappropriation. Our current reading of the 1960s comes from the populism of its initial writing, or, perhaps, packaging. All this needs careful unpicking, and Tickner provides it.”—Charles Darwent, Times Literary Supplement“Collectively, the texts represent one of the most imaginative sources on the 1960s London art world.”—Anne Massey, The Burlington Magazine“This richly illustrated book about the emergence of London as an international art scene is as much social history as art book. Besides bringing very precise details and perspective to key moments and subjects of the period, what it demonstrates clearly is that Sixties London was the crucible from which the new notion of a creative Britain emerged.”—Charlotte Gould, Cercles“An exceptionally well-researched and extensive study.”—Paul Flux, Albion Magazine

    £33.25

  • The Kings of Algiers

    Princeton University Press The Kings of Algiers

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Kalman tells the story of the Bacris and the Busnachs with verve and a certain wry panache, liberally quoting from primary sources which can be entertainingly theatrical."---Peter Gordon, Asian Review of Books

    £25.20

  • Princeton University Press Drawing Down the Moon

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisOne of the foremost experts on magic, religion, and the occult in the ancient world provides an unparalleled exploration of magic in the Greco-Roman world, giving insight into the shifting ideas of religion and the divine in the ancient past and in the later Western tradition.Trade Review"[An] ambitious and enthusiastic study of magic in classical antiquity."---Marina Warner, New York Review of Books"An insightful and approachable survey of magical (or non-normative) practices and the beliefs thereto attached in Greco-Roman antiquity. The reasonable price and the attractive design of the volume, with high-quality pictures, make it particularly useful to students and general readers."---Leonardo Constantini, Classical Review"[Edmonds] does a terrific job of covering a vast amount of ground, adducing a phenomenal amount of evidence, and providing a synoptic but detailed overview of the most significant magical phenomena. . . . [Drawing Down the Moon] should, from now on, be the first port of call for anyone who wants to be introduced to the field."---Andrej Petrovic, Greece and Rome"Drawing Down the Moon can be recommended as an updated gateway into ancient 'magic' for English-speaking academic and public readers. Edmonds offers a rich overview of the present state of knowledge in the field announced by the subtitle: Magic in the Ancient Greco-Roman World."---Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Thomas Galoppin"In Drawing Down the Moon, Edmonds has produced an extensive, engaging and, crucially, accessible overview which is likely to establish itself quickly as essential reading for anyone seeking to learn more about the vast array of topics that fall under the sweeping category of magic. . . . Ultimately, this work should be considered a resounding success and Edmonds is to be congratulated for providing an extensive and accessible introduction to such a wide-ranging and complex subject."---Jack Lennon, Bryn Mawr Classical Review"[A] careful scholarly study of ancient Mediterranean ‘magical’ practices and discourses of alterity—a significant advance in conceptualizing these historical subjects."---David Frankfurter, Review of Biblical Literature"Not only is Drawing Down the Moon for readers interested in magic, it is also one for readers interested in social history. An unmissable one, at that."---Owain Williams, Ancient History"Wide-ranging and meticulously researched."---Andrew Teverson, Folklore"A fresh approach and welcome comprehensive account. . . . [Drawing Down the Moon] will undoubtedly become a benchmark in the field of ancient magic scholarship.—David B. Levy, Classical World"

    1 in stock

    £33.25

  • A Revolution on Canvas: The Rise of Women Artists

    Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art A Revolution on Canvas: The Rise of Women Artists

    Book SynopsisThe first collective, critical historical study of women artists in Britain and France during the Revolutionary era In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, hundreds of women in London and Paris became professional artists, exhibiting and selling their work in unprecedented numbers. Many rose to the top of their nations’ artistic spheres and earned substantial incomes from their work, regularly navigating institutional inequalities expressly designed to exclude members of their sex. In the first collective, critical history of women artists in Britain and France during the Revolutionary era, Paris Spies-Gans explores how they engaged with and influenced the mainstream cultural currents of their societies at pivotal moments of revolutionary change. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of the experiences of these narrative painters, portraitists, sculptors, and draughtswomen, this book challenges longstanding assumptions about women in the history of art. Importantly, it demonstrates that women built profitable artistic careers by creating works in nearly every genre practiced by men, in similar proportions and to aesthetic acclaim. It also reveals that hundreds of women studied with male artists, and even learned to draw from the nude. Where traditional histories have left a void, this generously illustrated book illuminates a lively world of artistic production. Featuring an extensive range of these artists’ paintings, drawings, sculptures, and writings, alongside contemporary prints, satires, and works by their male peers, A Revolution on Canvas transforms our understanding of the opportunities and identities of women artists of the past. Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British ArtTrade Review“Revelatory.”—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post“Exhaustive, groundbreaking research. . . . [A] beautifully produced book.”—Jacqueline Riding, Art Newspaper, “Top Art Books of 2022”“By making its points compellingly and driving the agenda forward, A Revolution on Canvas is an important contribution to the field.”—Tabitha Barber, Art Newspaper“This publication, which might be one of the most anticipated art history books of the year, draws heavily on new research and statistical analysis on the subject of women artists during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.”—Sothebys.com“A wave of women pursued public recognition and commercial reward for their art at this time. It was a surge of activity, as Spies-Gans thoughtfully charts, hitherto unprecedented in history.”—Royal Academy Magazine“A Revolution on Canvas is an important contribution to our understanding of the history of art in the 18th century.”—WSG BulletinWinner of the 2023 Stansky Book Prize, sponsored by NACBSShortlisted for the 2023 Berger Prize, sponsored by The British Art JournalReceived Honorable Mention from the Louis A. Gottschalk Prize, sponsored by American Society for Eighteenth-Century StudiesName One of the Top Art Books of 2022 by The Art NewspaperOn the 2022 Top Art Books List by The Conversation

    £42.75

  • Rome Is Burning

    Princeton University Press Rome Is Burning

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"Intriguing. . . . A lucid analysis of Nero and the Great Fire, enhanced by Barrett’s clear, engaging style, his obvious love of his subject, and an extensive selection of maps, schematics and photographs. Historically minded visitors to Rome as well as Roman-history enthusiasts will appreciate the erudition and context with which he illuminates one of the great stories—and personalities—of the ancient world."---Diana Preston, Washington Post"Barrett’s central and most timely theme is the role of rumour and conspiracy theory in accelerating political change. . . . What matters for Barrett isn’t so much whether Nero started the fire as what it meant to Rome to believe that he had."---James Romm, London Review of Books"A thorough, high-quality work on Emperor Nero and the fire that destroyed Rome in 64 CE. . . . Sure to be the most enduring treatment of this major historical event for some time." * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *"Anthony Barrett has produced arguably the most comprehensive and detailed treatment of the fiery disaster. . . .Barrett’s work exemplifies the latest, most detailed and generously illustrated narrative about the Great Fire to date, and would be an asset on the shelf of anyone, scholar or enthusiast, interested in the archaeology and history of Rome." * Popular Archaeology *"[Rome Is Burning brings] together wide-ranging and up to date evidence to present the state-of-the-art view of the fire of 64, and its reception down the millennia in film and ballet etc., that will satisfy both scholar and interested layman."---Adrian Spooner, Classics for All"Rome Is Burning is a lucid analysis of Nero and the Great Fire, enhanced by Barrett’s clear, engaging style, his obvious love of his subject, and an extensive selection of maps, schematics and photographs. Any person with even a passing interest in the history of Rome will find this book interesting and illuminating."---Dr. LF Ivings, Journal of Classics Teaching

    £15.19

  • The Price of Collapse

    Princeton University Press The Price of Collapse

    20 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"The Price of Collapse is a little gem."---Rana Mitter, Literary Review

    20 in stock

    £22.50

  • Building Greater Britain: Architecture,

    Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Building Greater Britain: Architecture,

    Book SynopsisThis innovative study reappraises the Edwardian Baroque movement in British architecture, placing it in its wider cultural, political, and imperial contexts The Edwardian Baroque was the closest British architecture ever came to achieving an "imperial" style. With the aim of articulating British global power and prestige, it adorned civic and commercial structures both in Britain and in the wider British world, especially in the "white settler" Dominions of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa. Evoking the contemporary and emotive idea of "Greater Britain," this new book by distinguished historian G. A. Bremner represents a major, groundbreaking study of this intriguing architectural movement in Britain and its empire. It explores the Edwardian Baroque’s significance as a response to the growing tide of anxiety over Britain’s place in the world, its widely perceived geopolitical decline, and its need to bolster confidence in the face of the Great Power rivalries of the period. Cross-disciplinary in nature, it combines architectural, political, and imperial history and theory, providing a more nuanced and intellectually wide-ranging understanding of the Edwardian Baroque movement from a material culture perspective, including its foundation in notions of race and gender.Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British ArtTrade Review"Bremner’s wonderfully assured and richly illustrated Building Greater Britain is … a timely book. [He] proposes buildings as an overlooked source for the study of Edwardian angst, one which he suggests might lead us to ‘ponder afresh the dilemmas of our own age." —Michael Ledger-Lomas, Jocobin "Where the Empire goes, the historians will follow. G.A. Bremner’s recent book, Building Greater Britain, traces the development of a genre of architecture intended to give a common face to government institutions in the dominions and other settlements, where a visual display of British values was seen to be important."—Timothy Brittain-Catlin, Apollo Magazine "This significant gap in British architectural history has now been redressed … . Bremner’s achievement is to have recovered, in its complex diversity, a major architectural movement that was global in scope. The breadth of research required to bring this off, ranging across four continents, is an achievement in itself." —Ian Lochhead, The Burlington Magazine "As G. A. Bremner sets out in his luxuriously weighty new book, BuildingGreater Britain, the English Baroque … was for decades close to the official architectural style of the British Empire. There is growing interest … in the architecture of high imperialism. Much has changed … in how we view architectural history and the imperial, and Bremner’s focus on the toxic masculinity swirling around the Empire and its symbolism is well justified. … Building Greater Britain is … rich in detail, and absorbing." —Robert Bevan, Times Literary Supplement "This impressive book makes an excellent case for considering Edwardian Baroque part of the imperial project of building a Greater Britain. Thoroughly researched and splendidly illustrated, it covers an important period of history, with sensitive insights concerning the many uncertainties of the time, handled with intelligence and depth." —James Stevens Curl, The Critic "Building Greater Britain is an account of baroque revival architecture in Britain and the white settler areas of the British empire. It is an impressive, even formidable work. As well as the extent of its treatment (architecture in six countries beyond Britain is considered), it is monumental in its scholarship." - Mark Crinson, Architectural History "This is a challenging, thought-provoking book which deals with fascinating issues of the relationship between society and architecture. It confronts what is, on the face of it, the bewildering question of why what has been called 'bankers’ baroque' became the universal international architectural language of empire. [It] addresses in a mature and lucid way such difficult issues as colonialism, race and masculinity. The result [is] a mass of original research illuminated by high intelligence." - shortlist citation, William M. B. Berger Prize for British Art History (2023)

    £45.00

  • Fool

    Princeton University Press Fool

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"A History Today Book of the Year""[An] excellent new study."---Andrew Hadfield, Times Literary Supplement"A fascinating window onto Tudor life at its best, worst and most complicated."---Noel Malcolm, Daily Telegraph"Thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening."---Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal"Andersson profiles in this diligent study 16th-century court jester William Somer, Henry VIII’s favored ‘fool.’ . . . The result is an illuminating look into Somer’s role as a source of broad humor and stress relief in a tumultuous court ruled by a mercurial king." * Publishers Weekly *"Andersson has given us a vivid, tantalising portrait of [Will Somer] and a nuanced exploration of how he and those around him negotiated one another. . . .Will Somer’s ghost has life in it yet."---Matthew Lyons, History Today"Anyone who wants to know about this oddly central figure in Tudor life will find Andersson’s book worthwhile."---Alec Ryrie, The Conversation"A fascinating look at Will Somer, Henry VIII’s court fool. . . .A book that makes a great case for looking at history through those who are often disregarded."---Nandini Das, History Today"Even by the end of this biography, you will wonder how much you know about Will Somer, and that is all to the good. . . . [Andersson] provides a therapeutic rebuke to much of the nonsense written about Somer."---Carl Rollyson, New York Sun

    £19.80

  • Revolution in Rojava  Democratic Autonomy and

    Pluto Press Revolution in Rojava Democratic Autonomy and

    Book SynopsisThe first full-length book of the unique and extraordinary political situation in Rojava, SyriaTrade Review'Written by long-time activists of the Kurdish freedom movement, this book is the first authentic insight into the complex dimensions of Rojava's radical revolution' -- Dilar Dirik, author and activist of the Kurdish Women's Movement'The Kurdish revolution of Democratic Autonomy is of enormous importance for the future of the world. It points a possible way forward out of the tragedy of the Middle East, and more than that: a possible way forward out of the catastrophe that is capitalism. This book is of great help... A careful and detailed account that is filled with personal narrative, it is both easily accessible and very informative' -- John Holloway, Professor of Sociology, Autonomous University of Puebla, author of Crack Capitalism (Pluto, 2010)'A deeply insightful contribution to understanding the Kurdish movement's achievements in Rojava' -- ROAR'Gives a profound insight' -- Firat News Agency'A comprehensive and readable guide to the complex situation. This hugely exciting and important book has wider lessons for feminists, ecosocialists and others who want to create an anti-capitalist alternative' -- Green Left Weekly'Provides excellent background information about this important but little understood struggle' -- The MonthlyTable of ContentsList of Figures Translator’s Note Foreword by David Graeber Introduction Prologue: On the Road to Til Koçer 1. Background 2. Rojava’s Diverse Cultures 3. Democratic Confederalism 4. The Liberation 5. A Womens' Revolution 6. Democratic Autonomy in Rojava 7. Civil Society Associations 8. Defense: The Theory of the Rose 9. The New Justice System 10. The Democratization of Education 11. Health Care 12. The Social Economy 13. Ecological Challenges 14. Neighbors 15. Prospects Afterword: The Philosophy of Democratic Autonomy by Asya Abdullah Glossary About the Authors Index

    £22.49

  • James Gillray: A Revolution in Satire

    Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art James Gillray: A Revolution in Satire

    Book SynopsisA lavishly illustrated biography of James Gillray, inventor of the art of political caricature James Gillray (1756–1815) was late Georgian Britain’s funniest, most inventive, and most celebrated graphic satirist and continues to influence cartoonists today. His exceptional drawing, matched by his flair for clever dialogue and amusing titles, won him unprecedented fame; his sophisticated designs often parodied artists such as William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, and Henry Fuseli, while he borrowed and wittily redeployed celebrated passages from William Shakespeare and John Milton to send up politicians in an age—as now—where society was fast changing, anxieties abounded, truth was sometimes scarce, and public opinion mattered. Tim Clayton’s definitive biography explores Gillray’s life and work through his friends, publishers—the most important being women—and collaborators, aiming to identify those involved in inventing satirical prints and the people who bought them. Clayton thoughtfully explores the tensions between artistic independence, financial necessity, and the conflicting demands of patrons and self-appointed censors in a time of political and social turmoil. Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British ArtTrade Review“James Gillray: A Revolution in Satire describes not just the caricaturist’s life and tragic end as creeping insanity took hold, but also the bracing effect he had on the art of satire itself.”—Michael Prodger, Times (UK), “Top 10 Art Books”“Mr. Clayton’s well-researched . . . study makes a strong case for Gillray as the creator of a genre of graphic art—and as a forceful commentator. . . . [The] selection takes readers on a journey through Georgian politics and society with a guide who spared no one . . . and reminds us just how potent satire can be.”—William Anthony Hay, Wall Street Journal“Tim Clayton’s new biography, the product of meticulous attention to the milieu printmakers worked in, suggests that in Gillray’s case circumstance and exceptional skill went hand in hand.”—Clare Bucknell, New York Review of Books“Nuanced and convincing. . . . The level of detail in this massive and masterly book is breathtaking.”—Martin Rowson, The Guardian“A fascinating, well-rounded life of Gillray. . . . Clayton has done an impressive, thorough job.”—Peter Brookes, Times (UK)“Clayton’s book is a magisterial study . . . and a biography that warrants comparison with the best ever done on an 18th-century artist.”—David Bromwich, London Review of Books“Exploring the tensions between patrons and censors, artistic independence, and financial necessity, this lavishly illustrated biography lights up a life and an anxious fast-changing society.”—Damian Thompson, World of Interiors, “Holiday Roundup”“A wonderful book. . . . Clayton guides us through every aspect—technical, practical, commercial and collaborative—of platemaking and printmaking in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and explains the markets at home and abroad to whose demanding tastes Gillray had to cater.”—Freya Johnston, Literary Review“The diversity of Gillray’s work across four decades displays both a rare technical ability to imbue his prints with dynamic energy and an imaginative, excoriating wit.”—Nicholas Babbington, Apollo

    £45.00

  • A Peoples History of the Portuguese Revolution

    Pluto Press A Peoples History of the Portuguese Revolution

    Book SynopsisA rich history of Portugal's Carnation Revolution, told by its trade unionists, activists, workers and women.Trade Review'An excellent, well-written, and radical introduction to a complex and immensely important history. Varela has reconstructed the Portuguese Revolution of 1974-75 consistently from the perspective of workers and peasants, revealing the strong impact of African forced labourers' struggles in Portugal's colonies on events in the "mother country"' -- Marcel van der Linden, International Institute of Social History 'Lively, brilliantly documented and filled with the voices of Portugal's ordinary people, Raquel Varela's book recovers the revolution from below that shook Portugal in 1974-5, a 'democratic transition' that revealed another world is possible. This book deserves the widest circulation' -- Colin Barker, author of 'Festival of the Oppressed: solidarity, reform and revolution in Poland, 1980-81'Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface Foreword 1. Introduction 2. The Seeds of Change 3. April 29 1974: 'The People are No Longer Afraid' 4. Who Governs? 5. The Anti-Colonial Movements and the Myth of a 'Bloodless Revolution' 6. Strike, that is, 'Disrupt the Production Process' 7. Self-Management and the Struggle Against Redundancies 7. 'The Creche is Here' - Land Ownership, Urban Struggles and Residents' Commissions in the Revolution 8. Women in a Democracy Are Not Mere Decoration: Social Reproduction and Private Life in the Revoution 9. Artists and the Revolution 10. Workers' Commissions and Unions 11. 'Here is the Nursery': Urban Struggles and Resident Commissions 12. Workers' Control, March 11 and Nationalism 13. The Birth of the Welfare State 14. Scheming for Power 15. The Land for its Workers: Agrarian Reform 16. The 'Hot Summer' of 1975 and the Fifth Government's Frail Governance 17. Spain and Other 'Links in the Chain' 18. The Crisis 19. Democracy and Revolution: the Meaning of the Carnation Revolution 20. In Celebration Appendices Index

    £18.99

  • Here to Stay Here to Fight

    Pluto Press Here to Stay Here to Fight

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA unique anthology of Race Today (1973-88), featuring original contributions from C. L. R. James, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Darcus HoweTrade Review'[I am] grateful for this anthology of the writings of the Race Today Collective ... It comes from the heart of black British struggle ... I could have really done with this when I was writing [my book]' -- Reni Eddo-Lodge, author of 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race''Those people inspired me - there was Darcus Howe, Linton Kwesi Johnson, the Race Today Collective, that inspired me...' -- Benjamin Zephaniah, Poet'required reading for any black activist of the time...' -- Diane Abbott MP'The radical journal Race Today...was hugely influential in black political movements in the 1970s' -- Kehinde Andrews, author of 'Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century''a serious black journal that was both politically and theoretically nuanced' -- Denise Noble, author of 'Decolonizing and Feminizing Freedom''A beacon for anyone interested in race in Britain' -- New SocialistTable of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction - Leila Hassan, Robin Bunce and Paul Field 1. Race Today and British Politics 2. Black Youth in Revolt 3. Sex, Race and Class 4. Asian Communities, Asian Workers and Race Today I: THE ASIAN SELF DEFENCE MOVEMENT II: TIGER STRIKES: BHAG AND THE STRUGGLE FOR HOUSING III ASIAN WORKERS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE 5. Challenging British (In)Justice 6. ‘Creation For Liberation’: Race Today and Culture 7. For Black and Third World Liberation 8. Legacies Notes on Contributors Index

    1 in stock

    £18.99

  • Tudor Liveliness: Vivid Art in Post-Reformation

    Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Tudor Liveliness: Vivid Art in Post-Reformation

    Book SynopsisA groundbreaking approach to the problem of realism in Tudor art In Tudor and Jacobean England, visual art was often termed “lively.” This word was used to describe the full range of visual and material culture—from portraits to funeral monuments, book illustrations to tapestry. To a modern viewer, this claim seems perplexing: what could “liveliness” have meant in a culture with seemingly little appreciation for illusionistic naturalism? And in a period supposedly characterised by fear of idolatry, how could “liveliness” have been a good thing? In this wide-ranging and innovative book, Christina Faraday excavates a uniquely Tudor model of vividness: one grounded in rhetorical techniques for creating powerful mental images for audiences. By drawing parallels with the dominant communicative framework of the day, Tudor Liveliness sheds new light on a lost mode of Tudor art criticism and appreciation, revealing how objects across a vast range of genres and contexts were taking part in the same intellectual and aesthetic conversations. By resurrecting a lost model for art theory, Faraday re-enlivens the vivid visual and material culture of Tudor and Jacobean England, recovering its original power to move, impress and delight. Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British ArtTrade Review“The achievement of this wonderfully illustrated and bountifully referenced book is to make us question how we should look at post-Reformation art, and to find delight in its eccentricities.”—Brett Dolman, History Today

    £42.75

  • Bread and Roses

    Pluto Press Bread and Roses

    Book SynopsisA passionate journey through the history of feminism by the founder of ‘Pan Y Rosas’Trade Review'At a time when women's economic, political and reproductive rights are under attack worldwide, Andrea D'Atri's exhilarating historical survey of the world's great socialist feminist movements brings us the knowledge we need to fight back!' -- Wendy Z. Goldman, Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of History, Carnegie Mellon UniversityTable of ContentsPreface to the English Edition Acknowledgments Biography Introduction Gender and Class on International Women’s Day Oppression and Exploitation Gender Unites Us, Class Divides Us Capitalism and Patriarchy: A Well-Matched Marriage Women’s Struggle and Class Struggle 1. Grain Riots and Civil Rights Bread, Cannons, and Revolution Female Citizens Demand Equality Liberty, Fraternity, and Inequality of Class and Gender 2. Bourgeois Women and Proletarian Women Steam Engines, Looms, and Women Women Workers Organize to Fight A Government of the Working People of Paris The Women Incendiaries and the Ladies with Parasols 3. Between Philanthropy and Revolution Voting Rights or Charity? Reform or Revolution? A Woman Living Between Two Eras On the Need to Welcome Foreign Women Petition to Reinstate Divorce The Workers’ Union The Tour de France 4. Imperialism, War, and Gender Debates in the Second International Women at War Women and Nations Freedom During Wartime, Oppression During Peacetime? 5. Women in the First Workers’ State in History The Spark that Could Light the Flame Bread, Peace, Freedom, and Women’s Rights Harrowing Contradictions The Philosophy of a Priest, the Powers of a Gendarme Comrade Kollontai Oppositional Women 6. From Vietnam to Paris, Bras to the Bonfire Economic Boom and Baby Boom Liberty, Equality, Sorority Radical and Socialist Feminists Against Patriarchy 7. Difference of Women, Differences Between Women The Imperialist Offensive Sweeps Everything Away Autonomous and Institutionalized Feminists in Latin America Revaluing the Feminine Integrated or Marginalized Intersection of Differences 8. Postmodernity, Postmarxism, Postfeminism The 1990s: NGO-ization and Gender Technocracy Performativity, Parody, and Radical Democracy Consumerism, Individualism, and Skepticism By Way of Conclusion Appendix Bread and Roses: International Manifesto (2020) Bibliography Index

    £18.04

  • Africas Last Colonial Currency

    Pluto Press Africas Last Colonial Currency

    Book SynopsisHow the CFA Franc enabled France to continue its colonies in AfricaTrade Review'For decades, the CFA Franc question has been, for the elite of Francophone Africa, more than a mere taboo subject, a sort of shameful wound. Tongues are starting to loosen, and this book comes at a perfect time' -- Boubacar Boris Diop, Senegalese novelist and essayist'A masterpiece that uncovers, in wonderful detail, the neo-colonial politics behind the CFA Franc. It makes a passionate, convincing case for dismantling the CFA Franc, and will become a classic study in how monetary relationships are intertwined with power and national interest' -- Professor Daniela Gabor, Professor of Economics and Macro-Finance, University of the West of England'An impressive read' -- Arndt Hopfmann, Senior Advisor on Economic and Trade Policy at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation'This book makes the CFA Franc's role in the perpetuation of French neo-colonialism in Africa all too visible - thereby adding to the arsenal of knowledge for the decolonization of Africa and African development' -- Anthony Victor Obeng, author of 'Decolonizing Africa and African Development: The Twenty-First Century Pan Africanist Challenge' (Peter Lang AG, 2016)'A fascinating inquiry' -- Olivette Otele, historian, author of 'African Europeans: An Untold History' (Hurst, 2020)'A must read that engages the political economy of the post-colony by taking us back to where it all started: from De Gaulle's neo-colonial independence to Macron's fake colonial currency, showing that the transition is simply imperial domination par excellence' -- Ibrahim Abdullah, Professor of History at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone'Excellent ... it exposes the reality behind that 'invisible weapon' used by France to continue to influence the fate of its former colonies' -- Demba Moussa Dembele, economist and co-author of 'Ending Africa's Monetary Servitude: Who Profits from the CFA Franc?''An excellent book showing that a common currency area between an advanced and a backward region is a mechanism for perpetuating the latter's backwardness and making its products available cheap for the former. A must read for students of development' -- Prabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University'A brilliant book which will be a highly efficient weapon in the fight for the financial sovereignty of the African States and the complete abolition of the CFA' -- Jean Ziegler, Former Professor of Sociology at the University of Geneva and the Sorbonne, Paris and former Vice-President of the Advisory Committee to the United Nations Human Rights Council'A scathing critique of France's most powerful colonial tool in Africa, revealing a radical, yet practical alternative path for African economic and monetary sovereignty' -- Fadhel Kaboub, President of the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity‘Addresses one factor most experts overlook … Pigeaud and Sylla make the case that preservation of the CFA has been an overlooked but crucial motivation for France’ -- ‘The New York Review of Books’‘A crystal-clear dissection of a purposefully opaque economic system … at once exposé, history, and economics explainer’ -- ‘Society and Space’‘An immensely important contribution’ -- ‘Brave New Europe’‘Demolishing the shallow rhetoric surrounding the CFA system, the authors are excellent guides to its political, diplomatic and technical history … offering a book that will be particularly of interest to economic historians, postcolonial theorists and political scientists’ -- ‘LSE Review of Books’Table of ContentsForeword by William F. Mitchell Map Introduction 1. A Currency at the Service of the ‘Colonial Pact’ 2. The CFA System 3. Resistance and Reprisal 4. France in Command 5. At the Service of the Françafrique 6. An Obstacle to Development 7. An Unsustainable Status Quo Epilogue Postface Notes Index

    £18.99

  • Panhellenism and the Barbarian in Archaic and

    Classical Press of Wales Panhellenism and the Barbarian in Archaic and

    Book SynopsisLynette Mitchell is Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter. She has published widely on Greek history of the archaic and classical periods, including Greeks Bearing Gifts (1997). She has also edited, with P.J. Rhodes, The Development of the Polis in Archaic Greece (1997).

    £30.00

  • Abolition Revolution

    Pluto Press Abolition Revolution

    Book SynopsisAn abolitionist manifesto for everyone fighting for revolutionTrade Review‘A powerful analysis of the transformative potential of the abolitionist project. Day and McBean show why we must go beyond shifting a few dollars around to directly challenge the logics of capitalism, racism and patriarchy at the heart of the carceral state’ -- Alex S. Vitale, author of ‘The End of Policing’'Vibrantly chronicles the cultural and political landscape of abolitionist practices in the UK. Day and McBean weave a powerful array of analysis, histories and voices - from organisers, scholars, unionists and/or incarcerated people - to offer profoundly necessary historical lessons that formulate the pathways that shape our abolition feminist revolutions' -- Erica R. Meiners, co-author of ‘Abolition. Feminism. Now.’'Aviah Sarah Day and Shanice Octavia McBean speak with such eloquence, conviction and passion that readers will want to join their struggle for abolition revolution. Their trenchant and concrete analysis of the criminalisation of the Black and Asian youth, of carceral white bourgeois feminism, gentrification, police and state violence make essential reading. Let's heed their call for an abolitionist future' -- Francoise Vergès, author of A Decolonial Feminism'Not only does this superlative book expertly dismantle the dogmas of liberal anti-racism and carceral feminism which reproduce the systems of power, it also points the way forward to a post-abolitionist future in a meticulous, clear-headed way. Highly recommended' -- Silvia Federici, author of ’Caliban and the Witch’'A thorough, engaging and important read - that held me through new information whilst never sacrificing depth. I’m so glad this book exists!' -- Travis Alabanza, award winning writer, performer and theatre maker'An essential contribution to the debate on strategies for effective political action against systems of criminalisation. A must for read for activists and those who seek a deeper understanding of the development of international abolitionist movement and its relevance to radical and revolutionary politics today' -- Leila Howe, founding member of the Race Today Collective'An energising, and timely contribution to global debates about abolition and the growing interest in the UK in building on the organising and resistance to state violence and challenging the racism, misogyny and harms of policing and incarceration. A book to help us imagine and develop a world without carceral injustice but transformative social and racial justice.' -- Deborah Coles, Director of INQUEST'This book adds to the excellent emerging literature about police, prison and border abolition in a UK specific context. Abolition Revolution is very special because McBean and Day combine deep theoretical and historical knowledge with practical organising experience, specifically in the context of violence against women and austerity. If you feel that there must be a better way to deal with harm and violence then this book is for you.' -- Yara Rodrigues Fowler, ‘Guardian’'Amazing!' -- A reviewerTable of ContentsIntroduction Thesis 1. A national abolitionist movement has erupted in Britain. Abolition is a tool to reimagine revolutionary politics. Thesis 2. Our journey to abolition in Sisters Uncut was long and bumpy: abolition is a road, not a destination! Part 1 - The Tools of Police Power Thesis 3. Race is at the heart of policing; without race policing can’t function. Dismantling the police means dismantling race. Thesis 4. The police need public consent in order to exist. Withdrawing our consent brings us closer to abolition. Thesis 5. Coercion and control are the tactics of abusers, and coercing and controlling the working class is the job of the police. Abolition is class struggle! Thesis 6. Women have always experienced the sharp end of state violence: if your feminism is carceral, it’s bullshit. Part 2 - Roots In Empire: The History of Criminalisation and Resistance Thesis 7. Class struggle in the 18th century sparked a prison abolitionist fire. Abolition is nothing new. Thesis 8. The UK rehearsed its strategies of control and punishment in the colonies. Abolition continues anti-colonial and class struggle in Britain today. Part 3 - Systems of Criminalisation Today Thesis 9. From student revolt to urban rebellion, abolition must harness the radical energy of our youth! Thesis 10. Bordering and policing protects colonial, imperialist and capitalist wealth. Open borders is abolition and abolition is open borders! Thesis 11. From the streets to the cell block incarcerated people have organised to resist state violence. Thesis 12. The 'War on Terror' expanded policing powers into everyday institutions. Fighting Islamophobic racism is central to abolitionist struggle. Thesis 13. Capitalist crisis, neoliberalism and gentrification drive racist ‘gangs’ policing in Black communities. Abolition is a struggle against the whole system! Part 4 - Abolitionist Futures Thesis 14. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities have led fierce resistance to state violence. Abolition must unite different struggles. Thesis 15. Crime is a social construct, but harm is real. Revolution is an essential ingredient to building transformative approaches to harm from the community level up. Thesis 16. Revolution needs you… Part 5 - Symposium: Abolition in the UK

    £14.24

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