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Book SynopsisThis visually stunning publication highlights the importance of an ocean that covers very nearly a third of the surface of the globe, and which has dramatically shaped the world and people around it.

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

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAnyone who is concerned about the future of democracy should read this brisk, accessible book. Anyone who is not concerned should definitely read it. -- Daron Acemoglu, co-author of Why Nations FailHow Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt is a useful primer on the importance of norms, institutional restraints and civic participation in maintaining a democracy - and how quickly those things can erode when we're not paying attention * President Barack Obama *With great energy and integrity [Levitsky and Ziblatt] apply their expertise to the current problems of the United States. -- Timothy Snyder, author of On TyrannyWe owe the authors a debt of thanks for bringing their deep understanding to bear on the central political issue of the day. -- Francis Fukuyama, author of Political Order and Political DecayWhat's the worst thing to happen to US democracy recently? Most answers to that question start and end with Donald Trump. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, though as horrified by Trump as anyone, try to take a wider view. This book looks to history to provide a guide for defending democratic norms when they are under threat, and finds that it is possible to fight back. Provocative and readable. -- David Runciman * The Guardian *There are two must-read books about the Trump presidency at the moment. This is the one you probably haven't heard of. It is also the one that is most useful to British readers. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt are anti-Donald Trump politics professors at Harvard. And the big advantage of political scientists over even the shrewdest and luckiest of eavesdropping journalists is that they have the training to give us a bigger picture.They set out some rules about the slow, internal collapse of democracies, which are entirely relevant to Britain... * The Times *The greatest of the many merits of Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt's contribution to what will doubtless be the ballooning discipline of democracy death studies is their rejection of western exceptionalism. They tell inspiring stories I had not heard before...excellent, scholarly and readable, alarming and level-headed. * The Guardian *The political-science text in vogue this winter is How Democracies Die. * The New Yorker *[An] important new book. * New York Times *Levitsky and Ziblatt show how democracies have collapsed elsewhere-not just through violent coups, but more commonly (and insidiously) through a gradual slide into authoritarianism.... How Democracies Die is a lucid and essential guide to what can happen here. * New York Times *We're already awash in public indignation-what we desperately need is a sober, dispassionate look at the current state of affairs. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, two of the most respected scholars in the field of democracy studies, offer just that. * The Washington Post *Grander, more didactic ambitions underpin "How Democracies Die" ... a more scholarly approach * The Economist *The most thought-provoking book comparing democratic crises in different nations * New York Review of Books *The most important book of the Trump era was not Bob Woodward's Fear or Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury or any of the other bestselling exposés of the White House circus. Arguably it was a wonkish tome by two Harvard political scientists, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, published a year into Donald Trump's presidency and entitled How Democracies Die * The Economist *

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Book SynopsisThe instant Sunday Times bestsellerThe UK's bestselling medieval historian brings unforgettably to life the astonishing rise of Henry V, who survived rebellion, a near-fatal arrow wound and a lengthy and precarious princely apprenticeship to become England's greatest warrior king.''A historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist.'' ObserverHenry V reigned over England for only nine years and four months, and died at the age of just 35, but he looms over the landscape of the late Middle Ages and beyond.The victor of Agincourt was a model king for his successors. Shakespeare's version of Henry V saw his youthful folly redirected to sober statesmanship, and in the dark days of World War II, Henry's victories in France were recounted in British propaganda. Churchill called Henry a gleam of splendour in the dark, troubled story of medieval England', while for one modern medievalist, Henry was, quite simply, the greatest man who ever ruled England'.For Dan Jones, Henry is one of the most intriguing characters in all medieval history, but one of the hardest to pin down. He was a hardened, sometimes brutal, warrior, yet he was also creative and artistic, with a bookish temperament. He was a leader who made many mistakes, who misjudged his friends and family members, yet always seemed to triumph when it mattered.As king, he saved a shattered country from economic ruin, put down rebellions and secured England's borders; in foreign diplomacy, he made England a serious player once more. Yet through his conquests in northern France, he sowed the seeds for three generations of calamity at home, in the form of the Wars of the Roses.Dan Jones's life of Henry V provides unprecedented insight into the critical first 26 years of his life before he became king. Both a standalone biography and a completion of Dan's sequence of English medieval histories that began with The Plantagenets and The Hollow Crown, Henry V is a thrilling and unmissable life of England's greatest king from our best-selling medieval historian.

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Book SynopsisThis is a riveting and disturbing account of the medical atrocities performed in and around Japan during WWII.

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Book Synopsis'A thrilling, defiant novel' FATIMA BHUTTO 'A masterpiece' MARC LAMONT HILL 'Wonderful ... Shines a ray of hope into some very dark places' MICHAEL PALIN 'A fearless work of imagination' AHDAF SOUEIF Winner of the Palestine Book Award Nahr has been confined to the Cube: nine square metres of glossy grey cinderblock, devoid of time, its patterns of light and dark nothing to do with day and night. Journalists visit her, but get nowhere; because Nahr is not going to share her story with them. The world outside calls Nahr a terrorist, and a whore; some might call her a revolutionary, or a hero. But the truth is, Nahr has always been many things, and had many names. She was a girl who learned, early and painfully, that when you are a second class citizen love is a kind of desperation; she learned, above all else, to survive. She was a girl who went to Palestine in the wrong shoes, and without looking for it found what she had always lacked in the basement of a battered beauty parlour: purpose, politics, friends. She found a dark-eyed man called Bilal, who taught her to resist; who tried to save her when it was already too late. Nahr sits in the Cube, and tells her story to Bilal. Bilal, who isn’t there; Bilal, who may not even be alive, but who is her only reason to get out.Trade ReviewA thrilling, defiant novel ... Reads as a riot act against oppression, misogyny, and shame -- FATIMA BHUTTOAbulhawa’s novel is a love story ... She elegantly crafts a world where the tension between desire and survival is laid bare * New Yorker *A powerful and subversive story of trauma and survival for fans of My Sister, The Serial Killer and Her Body and Other Parties * The Millions *Susan Abulhawa has reached greater heights with her new and courageous novel. Wide in its scope and breadth it is a lively, exciting book that is difficult to put down. The work of a seasoned, accomplished writer, this is a bold and dazzling work which is sure to arouse controversy -- RAJA SHEHADAHNahr is a wonderful creation, strong-willed, passionate, unapologetic and adventurous. Her refusal to accept the subordination expected of her propels the story at a thrilling pace. Her determination to find love in a loveless world and her unquenchable spirit in adversity shines a ray of hope into some very dark places -- MICHAEL PALINA fearless work of imagination and documentary gathering power and depth as it sweeps along -- AHDAF SOUEIFA masterpiece ... Forces us to wrestle with the complexities of love, freedom, struggle, and shame in ways that both inspire and challenge our very conceptions of what it means to be human. A major literary contribution that further cements Abulhawa’s status as one of the most important writers of our generation -- MARC LAMONT HILLThe writer's pain - and the beauty of her prose – are very real * Daily Telegraph *One of the most thought-provoking books I've read ... written with passion and honesty, and poetry * Daily Mail *Abulhawa's writing shines ... Friendship, adolescence, love: ordinary events, offset against extraordinary circumstances, make the story live * Independent *Hard to bear but impossible to ignore … Shows how history’s assault on each person is public, and how it nevertheless cannot extinguish the private experience of grief or the secret sense of eros. Abulhawa's vision is precise, courageous, and dazzling -- Teju ColeIn true Thousand and One Nights style, Abulhawa surprises us by continually unfolding new stories … Characters struggle to keep their secrets, but Abulhawa releases them. These are secrets we need to know, secrets that will educate us about ourselves * Guardian *A transformative literary grace. Abulhawa’s prose is luminous * Independent on Sunday *A fine observer of female kinship ... A powerful read * Financial Times *A family saga with global reach, these stories jump off the page and into the soul and reach far beyond any headline or statistic, past the head, to the heart -- Laleh KhadiviA giant step in the development of Palestinian fiction. The book is a great feat of imagination and storytelling * Raja Shehadeh *Readers … are sure to be charmed by Abulhawa’s glittering language and to remember (and love) the characters long after the book has ended * Washington Independent Review of Books *Powerful and moving * Stylist *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2023A WATERSTONES BOOK OF YEAR FOR POLITICS 2023I learned something new on every page of this totally essential book' Sathnam SangheraBy thinking about gendered inequality as rooted in something unalterable within us, we fail to see it for what it is: something more fragile that has had to be constantly remade and reasserted.'In this bold and radical book, award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression, uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present.Travelling to the world's earliest known human settlements, analysing the latest research findings in science and archaeology, and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia, she overturns simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far it goes back really depends on where you are.Despite the push back against sexism and exploitation in our own time, even revolutionary efforts to bring about equality have often ended in failure and backlash. Saini ends by asking what part we all play women included in keeping patriarchal structures alive, and why we need to look beyond the old narratives to understand why it persists in the present.

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Book SynopsisA biography of one of the most remarkable women of the Tudor era - next to Queen Elizabeth the most powerful woman in EnglandBess of Hardwick, born into the most brutal and turbulent period of England''s history, did not have an auspicious start in life. Widowed for the first time at sixteen, she nonetheless outlived four monarchs, married three more times, and died one of the wealthiest and most powerful women the country has ever seen. The Tudor age was a hazardous time for an ambitious woman: by the time Frances, Bess''s first child, was six, three of her illustrious godparents had been beheaded. Plague regularly wiped out entire families, conspiracies and feuds were rife. But through all this Bess Hardwick bore eight children and built an empire of her own: the great houses of Chatsworth and Hardwick. ''The best account yet of this shrewd, enigmatic and remarkable woman'' Sunday Times''Lovell has excelled at bringing the Tudor age to exuberant life. A phenomenal story'' Mail on Sunday''Utterly absorbing... one of those biographies in which the reader really doesn''t want the subject to die'' Independent on SundayTrade ReviewLovell rehabilitates Bess's reputation, showing that she was shrewd rather than shrewish, kind rather than cold THE TIMES This wonderfully researched book is an intimate portrait of [Bess's] life and a vivid insight into life in Tudor society SUNDAY EXPRESS Lovell has excelled at bringing the Tudor Age to exuberant life... altogether this is a rattling good read Hugh Massingberd, MAIL ON SUNDAY The best account yet available of this shrewd, enigmatic and remarkable woman SUNDAY TIMES

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Book SynopsisProfessor Janina Ramirez is a Sunday Times bestselling author, an Oxford lecturer, BBC broadcaster and researcher. She is Director of Studies for History of Art at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, and Visiting Professor in Medieval Studies at the University of Lincoln. She has published widely on medieval history, art and literature, has written both fiction and non-fiction for adults and younger readers, and has taught and researched across a broad chronological sweep, covering everything from the sculptures of antiquity to post-modern architecture. She has also written and presented documentaries across the world for over 15 years. She is Lifelong President of Gloucester History Festival, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Royal Society of Arts, Universities of York and Gloucestershire and City Lit. Her book Femina was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.Trade ReviewRevelatory... Ramirez shows again and again that dark age Europe was a far more various place than we like to believe * Kathryn Hughes, The Guardian *One of Femina's greatest strengths is that it is not just a collection of medieval heroines, although there are inspirational stories aplenty in its pages, but also a readable and wide-ranging account of the Middle Ages - with the women put back in - that forces us to look at familiar stories in new ways * The Sunday Times *It's about time these stories had a wider audience. They've been waiting long enough. * Spectator *Passionate, provocative and brilliant, this book is a firecracker somehow captured between two covers * Lucy Worsley, bestselling author of Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman *Beautifully written, wonderfully free-ranging and gloriously original, Femina makes us look into the mists of history in new, exciting and provocative ways. A joyous read * Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of The Silk Roads *

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Book Synopsis“No single book is as relevant to the present moment.”—Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen“One of the defining books of the decade.”—Elizabeth Hinton, author of From the War on Poverty to the War on CrimeNEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • With a new preface • Fascist politics are running rampant in America today—and spreading around the world. A Yale philosopher identifies the ten pillars of fascist politics, and charts their horrifying rise and deep history.  As the child of refugees of World War II Europe and a renowned philosopher and scholar of propaganda, Jason Stanley has a deep understanding of how democratic societies can be vulnerable to fascism: Nations don’t have to be fascist to suffer from fascist politics. In fact, fascism’s roots have been present in the United States for more than a century. Alarmed by the pervasive rise of fascist tactics both at home and around the globe, Stanley focuses here on the structures that unite them, laying out and analyzing the ten pillars of fascist politics—the language and beliefs that separate people into an “us” and a “them.” He knits together reflections on history, philosophy, sociology, and critical race theory with stories from contemporary Hungary, Poland, India, Myanmar, and the United States, among other nations. He makes clear the immense danger of underestimating the cumulative power of these tactics, which include exploiting a mythic version of a nation’s past; propaganda that twists the language of democratic ideals against themselves; anti-intellectualism directed against universities and experts; law and order politics predicated on the assumption that members of minority groups are criminals; and fierce attacks on labor groups and welfare. These mechanisms all build on one another, creating and reinforcing divisions and shaping a society vulnerable to the appeals of authoritarian leadership. By uncovering disturbing patterns that are as prevalent today as ever, Stanley reveals that the stuff of politics—charged by rhetoric and myth—can quickly become policy and reality. Only by recognizing fascists politics, he argues, may we resist its most harmful effects and return to democratic ideals.“With unsettling insight and disturbing clarity, How Fascism Works is an essential guidebook to our current national dilemma of democracy vs. authoritarianism.”—William Jelani Cobb, author of The Substance of Hope

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Book SynopsisPeter Jones was educated at Cambridge University and taught Classics at Cambridge and at Newcastle University, before retiring in 1997. He has written a regular column, 'Ancient & Modern', in the Spectator for many years and is the author of various books on the Classics, including the bestselling Learn Latin and Learn Ancient Greek, as well as Vote for Caesar and Reading Virgil's Aeneid I and II.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.'At the peak of European Imperialism, steamboat captain Charles Marlow travels deep into the African Congo on his way to relieve the elusive Mr Kurtz, an ivory trader renowned for his fearsome reputation. On his journey into the unknown Marlow takes a terrifying trip into his own subconscious, overwhelmed by his menacing, perilous and horrifying surroundings.The landscape and the people he meets force him to reflect on human nature and society, and in turn Conrad writes revealingly about the dangers of imperialism.

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Book SynopsisHundreds of thousands of miles of paths reach into, and connect, communities across England and Wales. More than just a practical way for us to walk, ride and cycle around, they are an inheritance from the past, revealing how our ancestors interacted with and shaped their landscapes. But thousands of miles are still missing from our maps.Exploring the deep history of these pathways, Jack Cornish uncovers how this millennia-old network was created and has evolved - from prehistoric trackways to the modern creation of towns - reflecting the contours of the past and the changing fortunes of society.

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Book SynopsisIf BMW cars are the “ultimate driving machines,” then BMW’s M cars (and motorcycles) are the legendary manufacturer’s ne plus ultra offerings. BMW M celebrates the 50th anniversary of this prestigious German enthusiast brand.Trade Review"Verdict: Highly Recommended. This fine book by automotive writer and industry analyst Tony Lewin provides a level of detail which will satisfy even the most ardent BMW enthusiast." -- Joe Sherlock * The View Through The Windshield *Table of ContentsFOREWORD By Jochen Neerpasch, founding CEO of BMW Motorsport GmbH 1 The Power to Win Inside the performance culture of BMW’s M Division 2 Motorsport Is in BMW’s Blood A century of success on two wheels and four, in F1, Touring Cars, Le Mans—and in the air 3 From Racetrack to Road The heat of competition breeds brilliant cars for BMW customers 4 M1: The Elegant Inspiration The BMW supercar that became an icon—and how it nearly didn’t make it into production 5 The 1980s: M3, M5, M6—the Gen-1 Favorites First generation M-Division customer cars deliver dazzling performance 6 The 1990s: Hitting the Big Time Six-cylinder M3 and V-8 M5 raise the dynamic benchmark ever higher 7 The 2000s: Peak Performance, Peak Complexity More cylinders, more revs, more power and speed—and arguably the best M3 of all 8 Excursion Off-Road: The M SUVs Contentious at first, the hotshot X5M and X6M soon won the world over 9 The 2010s: First-Generation Turbos—M Takes a Chance From the wild 1M Coupé via the svelte M5 to the fast and furious M4 GTS 10 The 2010s: First-Generation Turbos—M Takes a Chance From the wild 1M Coupé via the svelte M5 to the fast and furious M4 GTS 11 M6, M8: The High-End Coupés Lavish lifestyle meets racetrack dynamics: a recipe for success? 12 M6, M8: The High-End Coupés Lavish lifestyle meets racetrack dynamics: a recipe for success? 13 Turning Down the Heat: The Nearly-M Cars M-Performance models are a Tempting halfway point to full-house M Cars 14 Shaping the M Story: Inside the Design Studio How does an M Car stand out from the crowd? Secrets from chief designer Marcus Syring’s studio 15 Today, Tomorrow, and into an Electric Future CEO Markus Flasch on why zero-emissions M Cars will deliver even more thrills ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe true story of the greatest battle of World War II and the basis of the film of the same name, directed by Richard Attenborough. The true story of the greatest battle of World War II and the basis of the 1977 film of the same name, directed by Richard Attenborough.Trade Review'The most brilliant reporter now alive' * Malcolm Muggeridge, 1973 *'I know of no other work of literature of World War II as moving, as awesome and as accurate in its portrayal of human courage.' * General James A Gavin *

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Book SynopsisCan she fix her family before the war is over?When Eileen, known to all as Sheena, is forced to move back to Kiltie Street from Devon by her landlady, she is unsure how she will start over again. With the help of friends old and new, she finds work at a garment factory. And though she catches the eye of some local men, her fiancé, Jimmy, overseas is never far from her mind.As life settles in, a surprise appears at Sheena's door: a woman named Amy, claiming to be her cousin. Amy has strange habits and a frantic personality - but Sheena agrees to house her for the time being. However, her suspicions grow around Amy's secretive ways, especially when Jimmy returns from war, and Amy refuses to leave the newlyweds.With war coming to a close, Amy is hiding more than Sheena imagined. With help from the rest of the Kiltie Street girls, can Sheena find a way to mend their differences, and be a family once again?A romantic and gripping World War Two Scottish saga that fans of Rosie Meddon and Rowena Summers will adore.Readers are loving The Kiltie Street Girls saga series:''This series just gets better and better...I didn''t want it to end. I''m already looking forward to reading the next book by Carol.'' ????? Reader ReviewFantastic characters, great setting, I was hooked and devoured this book in one sittingwas sad to finish it and keep thinking about the characters.' ????? Reader ReviewWOW. Loved this book. If you love family saga based in the war, you will love this.' ????? Reader ReviewBrilliant book family saga at its best. I love the characters; you feel you are part of the story.' ????? Reader ReviewFantastic characters, great setting, I was hooked and devoured this book in one sittingwas sad to finish it and keep thinking about the characters.' ????? Reader ReviewA great WWII-era historical fiction saga I truly enjoyed this one Through this story of love, loss, uncertainty, and finding one's place in life we also get a glimpse of history as well Beautifully written.' ????? Reader Review

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Book SynopsisFor two and a half thousand years The Art of War has been the core text of military strategy and planning, providing leaders with enduring insights into tactics, psychology, discipline and the nature of power. Favoured by countless great generals and military tacticians throughout history, over the last century the book has found a new lease of life, inspiring business leaders, politicians and sporting figures, and offering a profound understanding of such diverse topics as managing others and outwitting competitors.Trade ReviewAbsorb this book, and you can throw out all those contemporary books about management leadership. * Newsweek *

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Book SynopsisToday's Ireland has never lost the link with its pagan past, never forgotten the old ways. This book reveals the hidden world of pagan Ireland, showing it still exists among the people and in the landscape where it belongs.

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Book SynopsisA concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Will and Ariel Durant.With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.

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Book SynopsisSupporting great history teaching: an integrated approach to developing confident, articulate and successful historians.

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Book SynopsisPrisoners of Geography meets Bill Bryson: a funny, fascinating, beautifully illustrated and timely history of countries that, for myriad and often ludicrous reasons, no longer exist.Countries are just daft stories we tell each other. They're all equally implausible once you get up close'Countries die. Sometimes it's murder, sometimes it's by accident, and sometimes it's because they were so ludicrous they didn't deserve to exist in the first place. Occasionally they explode violently. A few slip away almost unnoticed. Often the cause of death is either got too greedy' or Napoleon turned up'. Now and then they just hold a referendum and vote themselves out of existence.This is an atlas of nations that fell off the map. The polite way of writing an obituary is: dwell on the good bits, gloss over the embarrassing stuff. This book fails to do that. And that is mainly because most of these dead nations (and a lot of the ones that are still alive) are so weird or borderline nonsensical that it's impossible to skip the embarrassing stuff.The life stories of the sadly deceased involve a catalogue of chancers, racists, racist chancers, conmen, madmen, people trying to get out of paying tax, mistakes, lies, stupid schemes and General Idiocy. Because of this and because treating nation states with too much respect is the entire problem with pretty much everything these accounts are not fussed about adding to all the earnest flag saluting in the world, however nice some of the flags are.Trade Review‘This entertaining atlas of nations that fell off the map is a joyously compiled catalogue of chancers, conmen, madmen, mistakes, lies and far fetches schemes that laid waste the genuine hopes of a nation or exploded the overreaching ambitions of bombastic megalomaniac … a riot of revisionist history and political ambition’ Traveller Magazine ‘A whirlwind tour through the pleasingly oddball tales of history's also-rans … If you’re looking for a delightful stocking stuffer for the travel and history aficionado in your life, look no further’ Frommers

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Book SynopsisThe stunning new book from Professor Alice Roberts, acclaimed and bestselling author of Ancestors and Buried.

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

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Book SynopsisThe Monk (1796) is a masterpiece of Gothic fiction and the first horror novel in English literature. It tells of the pious monk Ambrosio's descent into depravity, his passion leading to rape, blasphemy, black magic, incest, and murder. Its sensational story also reflects the terrors of the French Revolution.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the HWA Non-Fiction Crown Award 2023 The history of a demonic tradition that was stolen from women – and then won back again. 'Remarkable work... Extraordinary, meticulous detail' Literary Review 'Deftly fuses scholarly rigour, control of literary and archaeological sources' BBC History Magazine Creatures like Lilith, the seductive first wife of Adam, and mermaids, who lured sailors to their death, are familiar figures in the genre of monstrous temptresses who use their charms to entice men to their doom. But if we go back 4,000 years, the roots of these demons lie in horrific creatures like Lamashtu, a lion-headed Mesopotamian demon who strangled infants and murdered pregnant women, and Gello, a virgin ghost of ancient Greece who killed expectant mothers and babies out of jealousy. Far from enticing men into danger and destruction, these monsters were part of women’s ritual practices surrounding childbirth and pregnancy. So how did their mythology evolve into one focused on the seduction of men? Sarah Clegg takes us on an absorbing and witty journey from ancient Mesopotamia to the present day, encountering a multitude of serpentine succubi, a child-eating wolf-monster of ancient Greece, the Queen of Sheba and a host of vampires. Clegg shows how these demons were appropriated by male-centred societies, before they were eventually recast as symbols of women’s liberation, offering new insights into attitudes towards womanhood, sexuality and women’s rights.Trade Review[A] remarkable work... Extraordinary, meticulous detail * Literary Review *A rewarding and profound study * Literary Review *A delightful romp through four thousand years’ worth of sinister superstition, offering an empathetic interpretation of these supernatural creatures, so-called monsters, with a particular focus on women’s experiences of them. Sarah Clegg provides thought-provoking insights into a range of beliefs and practices so often overlooked by mainstream history. * Jane Draycott *Woman's Lore is a fascinating exploration of the mythology and trope of the 'demonic woman' that has existed for centuries and persists even today. Thoughtfully researched, it is an empowering and enlightening read. * Catherine Cho *Deftly fuses scholarly rigour, control of literary and archaeological sources, an accessible, entertaining style, wonderful illustrations and a warm-hearted sympathy with women's plight across the centuries * BBC History Magazine *Well-written and engaging.... This combination of the classics and women's lib makes it an enlightening read * The Lady *

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Book SynopsisIn August 1941 Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt met secretly on HMS Prince of Wales, moored just off the coast of Newfoundland. H. V. Morton was invited to accompany the Prime Minister and his entourage and this is H. V. Morton's account of the trip, now re-published to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the event.

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Book SynopsisHow Europe Underdeveloped Africa is an ambitious masterwork of political economy, detailing the impact of slavery and colonialism on the history of international capitalism. In this classic book, Rodney makes the unflinching case that African maldevelopment is not a natural feature of geography, but a direct product of imperial extraction from the continent, a practice that continues up into the present. Meticulously researched, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa remains an unshakably relevant study of the so-called "great divergence" between Africa and Europe, just as it remains a prescient resource for grasping the the multiplication of global inequality today. In this new edition, Angela Davis offers a striking foreword to the book, exploring its lasting contributions to a revolutionary and feminist practice of anti-imperialism.Trade ReviewWalter Rodney's magisterial opus is recognized globally as a landmark in African studies, not to mention the history of colonialism and imperialism. Beautifully written and expertly argued, it is that rare book that can be called a classic. It belongs on every bookshelf. -- Gerald Horne, historian and author of The Counter-Revolution of 1776 and Confronting Black JacobinsThis book is a legendary classic that galvanized freedom fighters around the world. -- Cornel West, philosopher, author, critic, and activistWalter Rodney was a pioneering scholar who provided new answers to old questions and posed new questions in relation to the study of Africa. -- Professor Winston McGowanThis classic work of black political thought, political economy, and Africa history inspired scholars and political activists in the struggle against colonialism and its misrepresentations of the past. I applaud this reissue, which should bring Rodney's prescient analysis to a new generation struggling from below, in whose hands, he would have reminded us, is no less than the future of humankind. -- Lewis R. Gordon, Author of An Introduction to Africana Philosophy"Appearing in 1972, HEUA was a genuine tour de force. It fused, as had never been done in a single volume before, African history in the global sense and underdevelopment theory, Marxism and black nationalism, intellectual passion and political commitment. HEUA instantly joined a select pan-Africanist canon that would be read at least as much outside as within the academy, an exclusive category that included the two texts that had greatly influenced Rodney's intellectual development, notably James's Black Jacobins and Williams's Capitalism & Slavery, along with Black Reconstruction, W. E. B. Dubois's magisterial work on the struggle for democracy in the United States during the post-Civil War, post-slavery era. HEUA, however, differed from the above-mentioned works, which were written long after the events they charted occurred. HEUA, by contrast, was more urgent and immediate, having been produced in the heat of battle, which is to say amid the ongoing struggle of Africans against capitalist and neocolonialist underdevelopment. His purpose in writing the book, Rodney explained in the Preface, was "to try and reach Africans who wish to explore further the nature of their exploitation, rather than to satisfy the 'standards' set by our oppressors and their spokesmen in the academic world." -- Michael West * Groundings: Development, Pan-Africanism, Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2018 *A masterpiece. -- Andy Higginbottom * Redline *Rodney's analysis remains as relevant as it was when first published - a call to arms in the class struggle for racial equality. * LA Review of Books *This groundbreaking literary powerhouse performed a vital function in resistance to institutional racism. -- Paul Boateng * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisChristian Grataloup is a specialist in geohistorical research and Professor Emeritus at Paris Diderot University. He has written or contributed to numerous books and atlases about world history. Patrick Boucheron is a historian and professor at the College de France. He has been a member of the scientific committee of the popular French history magazine L'Histoire since 1999 and has written numerous books on global history and the history of the Middle Ages in particular. Legendes Cartography has produced the maps for the magazine L'Histoire as well as many atlases and textbooks for over two decades.Trade Review'Finally: a historical atlas for 21st-century readers!' - Le Monde'An accessible, informative volume … that invites one to explore [the] world with curiosity and agency' - Geographical'Remarkable' - Wanderlust'A very worthy addition to this history of cartographic literature and iconography … exceptionally useful and stimulating' - ARGO'Informative, meticulously researched, and endlessly fascinating' - The MirrorTable of ContentsForeword: Stories of space by Patrick Boucheron Introduction: Making an Atlas by Christian Grataloup Part 1: A Single Human Race, 3000 BCE Part 2: Worlds Unto Themselves Part 3: Resources of the Ancient World from the Neolithic to the 15th century Part 4: Peoples of the Ancient World up to the 7th century CE Part 5: The societies along the axis of the Ancient World Part 6: The world in the 15th century Part 7: A world interconnected by Europe 16th–18th century Part 8: Europe 16th–18th century Part 9: A world dominated by Europe: Late 18th century to 1914 Part 10: Non-European powers in the late 18th–19th century Part 11: Europe 1789–1914 Part 12: A world dominated by the West 1914–89 Part 13: The world since 1989: 1989–2019

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERIn his ground-breaking new book, Sathnam Sanghera traces the legacies of British empire around the world. A wonderful book' Rory StewartNuanced and deeply researched' Financial TimesNot just a welcome corrective but a book for our times' Peter Frankopan_____________________________________________________The British empire was built on slavery, but it also pioneered abolition. It spread democracy, but it also seeded geopolitical instability. It devastated nature but it also gave birth to modern notions of environmentalism. In this urgent sequel to Empireland, award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera extends his examination of British imperial legacies beyond Britain to the wider world. Travelling across outposts of the former empire from Barbados and Mauritius to India and Nigeria and beyond, Sanghera puts to bed the conventional balance-sheet view of imperial history where the good is merely weighed up against the bad. In Empireworld, Sanghera instead seeks out nuance to reveal how contradictory forces of the British empire have shaped our world and what they mean for our place within it today. _____________________________________________________An absolute masterpiece' James O'BrienPuts Sanghera in the firmament of great imperial historians' Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, i Profoundly moving' Elizabeth Day

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Book SynopsisBased on explosive new evidence, bestselling author David Talbot tells America's greatest untold story: the United States' rise to world dominance under the guile of Allen Welsh Dulles, the longest-serving director of the CIA.America's rise to world dominance under the guile of the CIA's longest-serving director, Allen Dulles, is its greatest untold story. Acting beyond the law, Dulles manipulated presidents, protected German war criminals and colluded with Mafiosi, all in pursuit of his interests and those of his friends. As David Talbot's shocking new evidence reveals, Dulles' tactics at home and abroad would include the fixing of assassinations, and even culminate in the death of his political enemy, John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert. This disturbing expose of American power is a gripping story of the rise of the national security state and the battle for America's soul.Trade Review“A Cold War villain of realpolitik whose successes and blunders were unrivaled. As framed by Talbot, Dulles’s extra-legal interventions, coups, slush funds, and ex-Nazi collaborations were as much pro-corporate as anti-Communist, more Cheneyish than Nixonian…. He’d fit right into our globalized, subcontracted, and hypersurveilled era.” (New York Magazine) “Dulles is unmasked as the backstage manipulator of US policy (foreign and domestic) from the Cold War up to his skillful defense of the highly suspect Warren Commission report. Those who scoff at conspiracy theories might have a change of mind after reading this book.” (Boston Globe, Pick of the Week) “A frightening biography of power, manipulation, and outright treason…The story of Allen Dulles and the power elite that ran Washington, D.C., following World War II is the stuff of spy fiction…All engaged American citizens should read this book and have their eyes opened.” (Kirkus, starred review) “A damning biography—of the CIA’s longest standing director—and an exposé of American politics…. One would be hard pressed to find a book that is better at evoking the strange and apocalyptic atmospherics of the early Cold War years in America…. Neither le Carré nor Graham Greene could do any better.” (Daily Beast) “Offers a portrait of a black-and-white Cold War-era world full of spy games and nuclear brinkmanship.” (Mother Jones) “This year’s best spy thriller isn’t fiction — it’s history…. By the time ‘The Devil’s Chessboard’ eventually climaxes with the events that unfolded in Dallas in 1963, Talbot’s argument that Dulles had both the power and temperament to execute such a plot is more than believable.” (Salon) “A chilling psychological depiction…. The vast surveillance system so dramatically revealed to the world by Edward Snowden could never have come to pass without the culture of fanatical secrecy and habitual lawlessness handed down by Dulles and his loyal agents.” (Justyn Dillingham, Bookslut.com)

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Book SynopsisDuring the Second World War, it is hard to imagine a situation where the British High Command could think that one of the only ways they could attack Hitler was to send ten canoeists with limpet mines to paddle one hundred miles up the Gironde estuary, in the middle of winter, in an attempt to sink German blockade ships in Bordeaux harbour. Yet this is precisely what happened in 1942. The man who gave the go-ahead for the audacious commando raid - Lord Louis Mountbatten, head of Combined Operations - fully anticipated that all ten men would die in the attempt.Mountbatten wasn''t far wrong - two ripped their collapsible canoes as they were manhandling them out of the submarine; two drowned when their canoes capsized entering the Gironde estuary; and a further six were captured by the Germans and later executed. By complete chance, the two canoeists who managed to escape - Major ''Blondie'' Hasler and Marine Bill Sparks - stumbled into the arms of the French resistance. Once i

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Book SynopsisAn exhilarating real-life Cold War thriller about the Americans who fought for Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution - then switched sides to try to bring him down Back in 1957, Castro was a hero to many in the USA for taking up arms against Cuba's dictatorial regime. Two dozen American adventurers joined his rebel band in the mountains, including fervent idealists, a trio of teens from the Guantanamo Bay naval base, a sleazy ex-con who liked underage girls, and at least two future murderers. Castro's eventual victory delighted the world - but then he ran up the red flag and some started wondering if they'd supported the wrong side. A gang of disillusioned American volunteers - including future Watergate burglar Frank Fiorini and journalist Alex Rorke, whose 1963 disappearance remains unsolved - changed allegiances and joined the Cuban exiles, CIA agents and soldiers of fortune who had washed up in Miami ready to fight Castro's regime by any means necessary. These larger-than-life characters wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and went on to be implicated in President Kennedy's assassination, a failed invasion of 'Papa Doc' Duvalier's Haiti and the downfall of Richard Nixon. The Cold War had arrived in Miami, and things would never be the same again.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the ancient power of Japanese wisdom. A beautiful collection of timeless lessons to live by.

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Book SynopsisEric Hobsbawm traces with brilliant anlytical clarity the transformation brought about in evry sphere of European life by the Dual revolution - the 1789 French revolution and the Industrial Revolution that originated in Britain. This enthralling and original account highlights the significant sixty years when industrial capitalism established itself in Western Europe and when Europe established the domination over the rest of the world it was to hold for half a century.Trade ReviewThe work is challenging, learned, brilliant in its analytical power, wide-ranging in its lucid exposition of literary, aesthetic and scientific achievments and packed with novel insight. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *Brilliant. * TLS *

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Book Synopsis''No one knows why or how standing stones were set upright thousands of years ago and yet, amazingly, here they still are, in our modern world, waiting for us to go out and find them. They are totems of longevity, endurance and mystery; they are symbols of survival set in contrast to our ephemeral human lives.''A few months after discovering that her beloved husband, Stephen, had incurable stage 4 gallbladder cancer, Fiona Robertson began to write this book. As a megalith enthusiast, something resonated profoundly from the ancient monuments as she faced the prospect of losing him. Ideas of death, the deep past, survival and memory lie within the stones, and they offer a way to understand our collective history alongside our individual fates.Journeying across twelve ''stone lands'', from West Penwith and Avebury to the Lake District and Orkney, this book uncovers the magic and rich history of Britain''s most incredible megaliths - and what they mean in the shadow of p

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Book Synopsis

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

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