History Books

Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2023 ORIGINS AWARDS FOR BEST MINIATURES GAME.An expanded edition of the Origins Award-nominated Lion Rampant, featuring new rules, scenarios, and sample armies.Take to the battlefield as Richard the Lionheart, Joan of Arc or William Wallace or forge your own legend with Lion Rampant: Second Edition. From the Dark Ages to the Hundred Years' War, raids, skirmishes, and clashes between small retinues were a crucial part of warfare, and these dramatic small-scale battles are at the heart of this easy-to-learn but tactically rewarding wargame. Lion Rampant: Second Edition is a new, updated version of the hit Osprey Wargames series title, and retains the core gameplay while also incorporating a wealth of new rules and updates from several years' worth of player feedback and development. Whether they are looking to recreate historical encounters or tell their own stories, the varied scenarios, unit types, and sample retinue lists found in thi

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONWATERSTONES'' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: HISTORYThe boldly original, dramatic intertwined story of Catherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots three queens exercising power in a world dominated by men.''Alluring, gripping, real: an astonishing insight into the lives of three queens'' ALICE ROBERTS''Takes us into the hearts and minds of three extraordinary women'' AMANDA FOREMAN''Conveys the vitality of the past as few books do. An enviable tour de force'' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMBCatherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots lived together at the French court for many years years that bound them to one another through blood and marriage, alliance and friendship, love and filial piety. When they scattered to different kingdoms, they would learn that to rule was to wage a constant war against the deeply entrenched m

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Book Synopsis'A story told with verve and passion' The Times, Book of the Week'An alternative and engaging biography...accessible and unpretentious' The Telegraph'A stunning portrayal of two of the most powerful women in European history' Tracy Borman'Exciting and compelling, packed full of tantalising details of diplomacy and court life, Paranque succeeds both in bringing history to life, but also in putting flesh on the bones of these two extraordinary women and rival queens' Kate Mosse'A smart and stylish portrait of two of Europe's most remarkable rulers, a compelling profile of female power and - that rarest of things - a truly original book about the Tudor period' Jessie ChildsIn sixteenth-century Europe, two women came to hold all the power, against all the odds. They were Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici. One a Virgin Queen who ruled her kingdom alone, and the other a clandestine leader who used her children to shape the dynasties of Europe, much has been written about these iconic women. But nothing has been said of their complicated relationship: thirty years of friendship, competition and conflict that changed the face of Europe. This is a story of two remarkable visionaries: a story of blood, fire and gold. It is also a tale of ceaseless calculation, of love and rivalry, of war and wisdom - and of female power in a male world. Shining new light on their legendary kingdoms Blood, Fire and Gold provides a new way of looking at two of history's most powerful women, and how they shaped each other as profoundly as they shaped the course of history. Drawing on their letters and brand new research, Estelle Paranque writes an entirely new chapter in the well-worn story of the sixteenth century.Trade ReviewBursting with fresh perspectives, this is a vibrant retelling of a story you thought you knew. * Dan Snow *Excellently told, this thrilling, lyrical story of two extraordinarily powerful women offers the missing piece in our understanding of Tudor England and Renaissance France. * Suzannah Lipscomb *Blood, Fire and Gold is a treasure house of historical detail that transports readers back to a time when court intrigue was quite literally a matter of life and death-especially for the women thrust into its dark heart. Spellbinding in its scope; cinematic in its rendering. Estelle Paranque is the perfect guide to this world, and an exciting, new voice in narrative history. * Lindsey Fitzharris *Utterly absorbing and beautifully crafted, Estelle Paranque navigates her way through the intrigues and power struggles of the English and French courts with an expert hand. Through her gripping narrative, she brings two extraordinary women who experienced love, heartbreak, triumph and disaster masterfully to life. Blood, Fire and Gold is pacy, colourful, and above all compulsively readable. A stunning debut. * Nicola Tallis *

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Book SynopsisA captivating new book from Wade Davis - winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Into the Silence - that brings vividly to life the story of the great Río Magdalena, illuminating Colombia's complex past, present, and future.For Wade Davis, Colombia was the first country that captured his heart and gave him license to be free. Here, he tells of his travels on the mighty Magdalena, the river that made possible the nation. Along the way, he finds a people who have overcome years of conflict precisely because of their character, informed by an enduring spirit of place, and a deep love of their remarkable land.Braiding together memoir, history and journalism, Magdalena is at once an absorbing adventure through a spectacular landscape and a kaleidoscopic picture of Colombia as it stands on the verge of a new period of peace.'Outstanding... Davis tells epic tales of passion, violence and ambition with tremendous narrative verve' Sunday Times, Books of the Year'A wonderful evocation of a lifetime's travel in Colombia' Spectator, Books of the YearTrade ReviewAnyone who wishes to understand this mysterious corner of the world deserves Magdalena. It is a capacious, generous and illuminating book -- —Juan Gabriel VásquezAfter all our agonies, Wade Davis, through the evocative power of his writing and the clarity of his understanding, gives us all reason to once again love Colombia. That is the wonder of his book, which in many ways reads as a love letter to a nation -- Héctor Abad, author of OblivionDavis stocks his lively narrative with piquant characters, dramatic historical set pieces, and lyrical nature writing. The result is a rich, fascinating study of how nature and a people shape each other * Publishers Weekly *Shimmering... Never wincing from dark histories, yet never abandoning hope, Wade Davis shows us why Colombia stole his heart as a young traveller and holds it still -- Kate Harris, author of Lands of Lost BordersA magnificent, hugely important book, breathtaking in its scope and vision … a masterpiece … an epic journey across the nation and into its beating heart …essential reading for anyone wanting to understand Colombia -- Anna Lewington

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Book SynopsisA unique new window onto Tudor life, told through ordinary people''s untimely deaths. How did ordinary people live in Tudor England? This unique history unearths the ways they died to find out. Uncovering thousands of coroners'' reports, An Accidental History of Tudor England explores the history of everyday life, and everyday death, in a world far from the intrigues of Hampton Court Palace, Shakespeare''s plots and the Spanish Armada. Here, farming, building and travel were dangerous. Fruit trees killed more people than guns, and sheep killed about the same number as coalmines. Men stabbed themselves playing football and women drowned in hundreds fetching water. Going to church had its dangers, especially when it came to bell-ringing, archery practice was perilous and haystacks claimed numerous victims. Restless animals roamed the roads which contained some potholes so deep men could drown, and drown they did.From bear attacks in north Oxford to a bowls-on-ice-incident on the Thames, this book uses a remarkable trove of sources and stories to put common folk back into the big picture of Tudor England, bringing the reality of their world to life as never before.

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Book SynopsisThe essential introduction to the Middle Ages by the bestselling author of The Time Traveller''s Guide to Medieval EnglandWe tend to think of the Middle Ages as a dark, backward and unchanging time characterised by violence, ignorance and superstition. By contrast we believe progress arose from science and technological innovation, and that inventions of recent centuries created the modern world.We couldn''t be more wrong. As Ian Mortimer shows in this fascinating book, people''s horizons - their knowledge, experience and understanding of the world - expanded dramatically. Life was utterly transformed between 1000 and 1600, marking the transition from a warrior-led society to that of Shakespeare.Just as The Time Traveller''s Guide to Medieval England revealed what it was like to live in the fourteenth century, Medieval Horizons provides the perfect primer to the era as a whole. It outlines the enormous cultural changes that took place - from literacy to living standards, inequality and even the developing sense of self - thereby correcting misconceptions and presenting the period as a revolutionary age of fundamental importance in the development of the Western world.Praise for Ian Mortimer:''The endlessly inventive Ian Mortimer is the most remarkable medieval historian of our time'' - The Times

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Book SynopsisIn 1973, the film director Miguel Littín fled Chile after a U.S.-supported military coup toppled the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende. The new dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, instituted a reign of terror and turned Chile into a laboratory to test the poisonous prescriptions of the American economist Milton Friedman. In 1985, Littín returned to Chile disguised as a Uruguayan businessman. He was desperate to see the homeland he’d been exiled from for so many years; he also meant to pull off a very tricky stunt: with the help of three film crews from three different countries, each supposedly busy making a movie to promote tourism, he would secretly put together a film that would tell the truth about Pinochet’s benighted Chile—a film that would capture the world’s attention while landing the general and his secret police with a very visible black eye. Afterwards, the great novelist Gabriel García Márquez sat down with Littín to hear the story of his escapade, with all its scary, comic, and not-a-little surreal ups and downs. Then, applying the same unequaled gifts that had already gained him a Nobel Prize, García Márquez wrote it down. Clandestine in Chile is a true-life adventure story and a classic of modern reportage.

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive view of World War Two in the Asia Pacific.In early 1942, the Japanese Army and Navy were advancing on all fronts, humiliating their US, British and Dutch foes throughout the Asia Pacific. In a matter of just months, the soldiers and sailors of the Rising Sun conquered an area even bigger than Hitler's empire at its largest extent. They seemed invincible. Hawaiians and Australians were fearing a future under Hirohito. For half of mankind, fate was hanging in the balance.Fast forward to the end of 1943, and the tables had been turned entirely. A reinvigorated American-led military machine had kicked into gear, and the Japanese were fighting a defensive battle along a frontline that crossed thousands of miles of land and ocean. Japan Runs Wild, 1942-1943 by acclaimed author Peter Harmsen details the astonishing transformation that took place in that period, setting the Allies on a path to final victory against Japan.The middle installment in the trilogy, Japan Runs Wild, 1

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Book SynopsisThe Battle of Dybbøl, 1864. Prussian troops lay siege to an outpost in the far south of Denmark. The conflict is over control of the Duchy of Schleswig, recently annexed by Denmark to the alarm of its largely German-speaking inhabitants. Danish troops make a valiant attempt to hold out but are overrun by the might of the Prussian onslaught. Of little strategic importance, the struggle for Schleswig foreshadowed the same forces that, fifty years later, would tear Europe apart. Prussia's victory would not only rejuvenate its nascent militarism, but help it claim leadership of the new German Empire. Told in rich detail through first-hand accounts, Tom Buk-Swienty's magisterial account of the Schleswig conflict tells the story of this pivotal war. 1864 shows how a minor regional conflict foreshadowed the course of diplomacy that led to the First World War and brutally presaged the industrialised future of warfare. But most of all, in its human detail, from touching letters between husbands and wives to heartbreaking individual stories of loss, 1864 is a gripping, epic human drama that shows the effect all wars have on the soldiers, on families and on the individual men and women who must live its realities.Trade ReviewTom Buk-Swienty tells a story packed with vivid incident and intriguing characters, and which crackles with narrative energy -- Christopher Silvester * Financial Times *An irresistible read * Times *Excellently written * Morning Star *

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In February of 1917 Russia was a backward, autocratic monarchy, mired in an unpopular war; by October, after not one but two revolutions, it had become the world's first workers' state, straining to be at the vanguard of global revolution. How did this unimaginable transformation take place?In a panoramic sweep, stretching from St Petersburg and Moscow to the remotest villages of a sprawling empire, Miéville uncovers the catastrophes, intrigues and inspirations of 1917, in all their passion, drama and strangeness. Intervening in long-standing historical debates, but told with the reader new to the topic especially in mind, here is a breathtaking story of humanity at its greatest and most desperate; of a turning point for civilisation that still resonates loudly today. China Miéville tells the extraordinary story of this pivotal moment in history.

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Book SynopsisThere was a German bomber flying right towards us a Dornier, one of their biggest. It was so low we could see the pilot flying it and the gunner in the nose of the bomber pointing his machine gun at usSchoolboy in Kent, during the Battle of BritainMy legs pressed harder around my father''s waist; my arms nearly choked him. The humming of Japanese aircraft was loud enough for everyone to hear now, and panic spread like ink on a blotter.Child saying goodbye to her parents, Singapore 1942In the early 2000s, the BBC set up one of its biggest oral history archives, recording the lives and experiences of the ordinary people who lived through World War Two. It amounted to 47,000 testimonies and over 400 diaries and letters, all of which have remained hidden in the archives for twenty years until now.In The People''s War, John Willis unearths untold stories of everyday bravery, moments of terror, and tales of life-affirming community, that guide us through the years of the Second World War. From soldiers in North Africa and prisoners of war in East Asia, to evacuees in the British countryside and women in the factories, The People''s War is a truly ambitious and comprehensive journey through a devastating and pivotal period of our history, as you''ve never read before.Follow the remarkable stories of ordinary individuals who lived, fought, grieved, loved, and survived through World War Two.

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Book SynopsisA rich and fascinating cultural history of the Mediterranean's enigmatic heart

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Book SynopsisThe transatlantic slave trade is too often reduced to a single module in a history course or chapter in a book. But - from the maps we use to the clothes we wear and the science that explains our world - its influence is everywhere. From the creators of the hit podcast, Human Resources explores how the slave trade transformed Britain, through places, objects, institutions, commodities and activities we encounter every day without ever pausing to think about their origins. Taking us into art galleries and sports events, offices and financial institutions, and even our own kitchen cupboards, it reveals the British Empire's true legacy, and how the past connects to the present in shocking and extraordinary ways.

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Book SynopsisGorgeous Collector's Edition. Mesoamerican culture is rooted in the region of modern Mexico where some 3500 years ago ancient peoples called the Olmecs farmed and created beautiful art and pottery at roughly the same time as the Middle Kingdom Ancient Egyptians, the Babylonians and a little after the Indus Valley societies of India. After the Olmecs many different groups emerged, amongst them the sophisticated Maya 200 years after the beginning of the Common Era. In turn they would be superseded by the Toltecs, during the long period that the Vikings swept across the length of Europe in search of silver. Another precious metal, gold, was plentiful in the Americas, the control of which was mastered by the successors of the Toltecs, the Aztecs, also known as the Mexica, who grew to dominate the region from the 13th to the 15th Century. Soon they would lend their name to the a great new city, Mexico. Through a fascinating selection of historical texts on the region and a thoughtful new introduction summarising how we understand the region today, his book traces the development of the early peoples, the emergence of some of the key civilizations of the many rich and varied societies of Mesoamerica, ending tragically with arrival of the Spanish explorers hungry for land, and for Aztec gold. Flame Tree Collector's Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction: authors, myths, tales and history without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new Introduction and a Glossary of Terms or lists of Ancient Leaders.

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Book SynopsisAn explosive new history about the whole canvas of slavery in Africa, including enslavement within the continent.

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Book SynopsisA fresh take on Greece's forgotten Near Eastern pastand its enduring cultural, political and economic ties with its eastern neighbours today. Greece lies in a geopolitical fault-zone. Popularly considered the birthplace of Western civilisation, it is a Christian Orthodox country on the edge of the Islamic world. Politically allied to NATO and the EU, its closest cultural relatives reside to its east. Sean Mathews reveals how Greece is being reabsorbed into the Near East. As Western Europe stagnates, Greece has emerged as a pivotal player in the Eastern Mediterranean, its economic boom fuelled by tourism and property investment much of this from the Middle East. New pipelines are being built in its borderlands, where Turkey vies for influence. Old Mediterranean trade routes are being revived to link Europe and Asia again. Meanwhile, global conflicts are driving mass migration into this frontier state. Travelling across the region, Mathews brings to life the story of a cosmopolitan melting-pot. He meets Istanbul's surviving Greeks, insightful witnesses to Turkey's break with the West; in Jerusalem, he explores the budding alliance between Greece and Israel; and in a faded Ottoman port, he encounters football hooligans loyal to a Russian oligarch. This bold reappraisal of Greece's position as a Near Eastern state shows how its Byzantine and Ottoman past can help it succeed in today's chaotic world.

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Book SynopsisChristian Wolmar has written for every national newspaper and appears frequently on TV and radio as a commentator on transport issues. His previous books include the widely acclaimed The Subterranean Railway; Fire and Steam; Blood, Iron and Gold; Engines of War; The Great Railway Revolution; To the Edge of the World; Railways and the Raj; Cathedrals of Steam; and British Rail.

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Book SynopsisThe best tales from around the country, chosen from our popular series of Folk Tales

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Book SynopsisAncient Egypt is one of the great wellsprings of human civilization, first developing around the city of Memphis on the Nile River in the fourth millennium BCE. Egyptian life was centred on a complex system of religious rituals, with the pharaoh (king) seen as a living god among the people. Mighty pyramids, tombs and monuments were built to celebrate the pharaohs, many of which can still be seen in all their grandeur today. Arranged by dynastic period, Pharaohs offers a compact history of the reign of these god- kings, from Menes, who united the north and south kingdoms, to the Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra, who was defeated along with her lover Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium (31 BCE) by imperial Rome. Along the way the reader will learn about the Great Pyramid constructed by Khufu, the last of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world; Queen Hatshepsut, a rare female pharaoh whose name means “foremost of noblewomen” and who launched a massive building programme at Luxor; the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered intact in the Valley of the Kings, complete with the fabulous trappings of his divine status; and Ramesses II (“the Great”), who is thought to have enslaved the Israelites, built the magnificent temple of Abu Simbel, and defeated the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE) riding his trade-mark chariot. Carefully researched, superbly entertaining and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Pharaohs is an accessible history of the kings who ruled Ancient Egypt for more than 4,000 years.Trade Review“Jestice has presented a beautiful, concise book designed to enlighten . . . Pharaohs: The Rulers of Ancient Egypt for over 3000 Years has an engaging narrative for the beginner worthy of its extensive color illustrations.” -- Robert S Davis * New York Journal of Books *Table of ContentsContents:Introduction1: The Great Age of the God Kings Menes: unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt Qa’a: Ruled very long, his tomb is the last one with subsidiary tombs. Neferkasokar: Old Kingdom legends claim that this ruler saved Egypt from a long-lasting drought. Djoser: Commissioned the first Pyramid in Egypt, created by chief architect and scribe Imhotep. Sneferu: Reigned 48 years, giving him enough time to build the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Khufu: Built the Great Pyramid of Giza. Khufu is depicted as a cruel tyrant by ancient Greek authors. Menkaure; A legend claims that his only daughter died due to an illness and Menkaura buried her in a golden coffin in the shape of a cow. Teti: According to Manetho, he was murdered. Neferkare: Possibly the longest reigning monarch of human history with 94 years on the throne.2: Royal Decline & Recovery Qakare: Built a pyramid at Saqqara inscribed with the last known instance of the Pyramid Texts. Sehertawy: First member of the dynasty to claim a Horus name. Tepia: Nominally a Theban nomarch (Tepy-a) but may have ruled independently. Wahankh: Conquered Abydos and its nome. Mentuhtep III: Commanded the first expedition to Punt of the Middle Kingdom Amenemhat: Assassinated by his own guards. Khakaure: Most powerful of the Middle Kingdom pharaohs Sobekkare: the first female pharaoh Senusret III (1878–1839 BC) was a warrior king, leading his troops deep into Nubia, and built a series of massive forts throughout the country to establish Egypt's formal boundaries with the unconquered areas of its territory. Amenemhat III (1860–1815 BC) is considered the last great pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom.3: Reimagining Egypt in a Wider World Second Intermediate Period (c. 1782–1570 BCE) Awybre: Famous for his intact tomb treasure and Ka statue Smenkhkare: marked by two colossal statues Sobekemsaf II: His tomb was robbed and burned during the reign of Ramesses IX. The Seventeenth Dynasty and a war of liberation: The two last kings of this dynasty were Seqenenre Tao and Kamose. Ahmose I completed the conquest and expulsion of the Hyksos from the Nile Delta, restored Theban rule over the whole of Egypt.4: The Age of Egyptian Empire New Kingdom (1570–1069 BCE) Ahmose I: conquered north of Egypt from the Hyksos. Thutmose III: Famous for his territorial expansion into the Levant and Nubia. Under his reign, the Ancient Egyptian Empire was at its greatest extent. Amenhotep III The Magnificent: Father of Akhenaten and grandfather of Tutankhamun. Ruled Egypt at the height of its power. Built many temples and monuments, including his enormous Mortuary Temple. Amenhotep IV: changed the state religion from the polytheistic Ancient Egyptian religion to the Monotheistic Atenism, centered around the worship of the Aten, an image of the sun disc Tutankhamun: He is thought to have taken the throne at around age eight or nine and to have died around age eighteen or nineteen, giving him the nickname "The Boy King." Tutankhamun was a weak ruler suffering from multiple health issues.5: An Age of Decline or Transformation? Ramesses II the Great: C ontinued expanding Egypt's territory until he reached a stalemate with the Hittite Empire at the Battle of Kadesh in 1275 BCE Ramesses III: Fought the Sea Peoples in 1175 BC. Possibly assassinated (Harem conspiracy). Third Intermediate Period (1069–664 BCE) Pasebakhenniut I: Ruled for 40 to 51 years. Famous for his intact tomb at Tanis. Known as "The Silver Pharaoh" due to the magnificent silver coffin he was buried in. Shoshenq I Meriamun: Possibly the biblical Shishaq Piye: King of Nubia; conquered Egypt in his 20th year; full reign at least 24 years, possibly 30 years Late Period (664–525 BCE) Nekau I: Was killed by an invading Kushite force in 664 BC under Tantamani. Wahibre: Fled Egypt after Amasis II (who was a general at the time) declared himself pharaoh following a civil war. Ahmose II: He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest. Psamtik III: Ruled for about six months before being defeated by the Persians in the Battle of Pelusium and subsequently executed for attempting to revolt. Darius III: Upper Egypt returned to Persian control in 335 BC. Nectanebo II was the last native king to rule Egypt. The Persian Empire was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.6: The End of Independent Egypt Aluksindres (Alexander the Great): Macedon conquered Persia and Egypt. Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy IV: Died in unclear circumstances, possibly by fire in the palace or murder. Cleopatra III: Murdered by her own son Ptolemy X. Ptolemy XI: Young son of Ptolemy X Alexander; installed by Sulla; ruled for 80 days before being lynched Cleopatra VII: Ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII, her brother Ptolemy XIII, her brother-husband Ptolemy XIV, and her son Ptolemy XV. Committed suicide after the defeat at Actium. Ptolemy XV Caesar: Infant son of Cleopatra VII; aged 3 when proclaimed co-ruler with Cleopatra. Last known ruler of ancient Egypt when Rome took over.Index

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Book SynopsisIn the struggle for a better world, setbacks are inevitable. Defeat can feel overwhelming at times, but it has to be endured. How then do the people on the front line keep going? To answer that question, Hannah Proctor draws on historical resources to find out how revolutionaries and activists of the past kept a grip on hope.Burnout considers despairing former Communards exiled to a penal colony in the South Pacific; exhausted Bolsheviks recuperating in sanatoria in the aftermath of the October Revolution; an ex-militant on the analyst’s couch relating dreams of ruined landscapes; Chinese peasants engaging in self-criticism sessions; a political organiser seeking advice from a spiritual healer; civil rights movement activists battling weariness; and a group of feminists padding a room with mattresses to scream about the patriarchy. Jettisoning self-help narratives and individualizing therapy talk, Proctor offers a different way forward - neither denial nor despair.

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Book SynopsisThe Caledonian Canal records the history of one of Scotland's most massive engineering projects, from Thomas Telford's first survey in 1801 into the twenty-first century. Telford's plan, to connect Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy with each other and the sea, was a huge undertaking which brought civil engineering to the Highlands on a heroic scale. Deep in the Highlands, far from the canal network of England, engineers forged their way through the Great Glen to construct the biggest canal of its day: twenty-two miles of artificial cutting and no fewer than twenty-eight locks.A.D. (Sandy) Cameron's book has long been recognised as the authoritative work on the canal as well as a reliable and useful guide to the surrounding area. There are intriguing old plans, not discovered until 1992, and a survey of the dramatic rise in pleasure-craft traffic during the last two decades. But the highlight of the recent past was undoubtedly the Tall Ships passing through the canal in stately proces

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Book SynopsisWhen Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) began writing in 1660 he was a young clerk living in London, struggling to pay his rent. Over the next nine years as he kept his journal, he rose to be a powerful naval administrator. He became eyewitness to some of the most significant events in seventeenth-century English history, among them, the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 (he was in the ship that brought back Charles II from exile), the plague that ravaged the capital in 1665, and the Great Fire of 1666, described with poetry and horror. Pepys's diary gives vivid descriptions of spectacular events, but much of the richness of the diary lies in the details it provides about the minor dramas of daily life. While Pepys was keen to hear the King's views, he was also ready to talk with a soldier, a housekeeper, or a child rag-picker. He records with searing frankness his tumultuous personal and professional life: the pleasures and frustrations of his marriage, together with his infidelities, his ambitions, and his power schemes. All of this was set down in shorthand, to protect it from prying eyes. The result is a lively, often astonishing, diary and an unrivalled account of life in seventeenth-century London.

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Book SynopsisThe author of the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind looks at covert operations and assassination plots in the medieval period, matching anything to be found in our own era. Alongside the familiar pitched battles, regular sieges, and large-scale manoeuvres, medieval and early modern wars also involved assassination, abduction, treason and sabotage. These undercover operations were aimed chiefly against key individuals, mostly royalty or the leaders of the opposing army, and against key fortified places, including bridges, mills and dams. However, because of their clandestine nature, these deeds of "derring-do" have not been studied in any detail, a major gap which this book fills. It surveys a wide variety of special operations, from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. It then analyzes in greater depth six select and exciting operations: the betrayal of Antioch in 1098; the attempt to rescue King Baldwin II from the dungeon of Khartpert in 1123; the assassination of Conrad of Montferrat in 1192; the attempt to storm Calais in 1350; the "dirty war" waged by the rulers of France and Burgundy in the 1460s and 1470s; and the demolition of the flour mill of Auriol in 1536. "A portrait of espionage, covert operations, assassination squads, and the deep penetration of seemingly invulnerable fortresses or security systems matching anything to be found in the war stories of the modern era." MATTHEW BENNETT, SANDHURST. Professor YUVAL NOAH HARARI teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is the author of the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.Trade ReviewUnequivocally illustrate[s] the importance of special operations and of small scale initiatives in medieval warfare. Harari's prose and research will appeal to both academics and enthusiasts of military history. Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550 is a great contribution to the field and should inspire many more studies. * DE RE MILITARI *The prose is detailed but very clear and coloured plates, maps, etc., help. * BIBLIOTHÈQUE D'HUMANISME ET RENAISSANCE *A scholarly but eminently readable account of undercover operations in medieval warfare. * CLASSIC ARMS & MILITARIA *An entertaining but also learned book, from which it is possible to glean much about medieval military history. * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *A wide-ranging study, which sets medieval warfare in a novel perspective. * EHR *Highly readable.[...] This is a popular book, but a scholarly one and a worthy addition to the well-known series Warfare in History. * CRUSADES *Recommended. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsSpecial Operations, Strategy and Politics in the Age of Chivalry: An Analytical Overview The Gateway to the Middle East: Antioch, 1098 Saving King Baldwin: Khartpert, 1123 The Assassination of King Conrad: Tyre, 1192 For a Sack-full of Gold Écus: Calais, 1350 Princes in the Cross-Hairs: The Rise and Fall of Valois Burgundy, 1407-1483 The Mill of Auriol: Auriol, 1536 Conclusions Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisThe ruined silhouette of the Parthenon on its hill above Athens is one of the world's most famous images. Its 'looted' Elgin Marbles are a global cause celebre. But what actually are they? In a revised and updated edition, Mary Beard, award winning writer, reviewer and leading Cambridge classicist, tells the history and explains the significance of the Parthenon, the temple of the virgin goddess Athena, the divine patroness of ancient Athens.Trade ReviewSophisticated, engaging ... she unravels the intricacies with the light and deft touch which characterises the whole book ... something for classicists and laymen alike -- Gavanndra Hodge * Independent on Sunday *The classical world still rouses fierce passions, and books like this help to make the study of ancient Greece urgent and relevant -- Tom Holland * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisHow do you predict eclipses using Stonehenge? Why were `blue' stones brought all the way from Wales? What is the secret geometry of seven eights? Packed with rare old engravings, clear explanations and exciting new research, this beautiful and enlightening little book for wizards of all ages by renowned author and lecturer Robin Heath will leave you fascinated, educated, amused and amazed. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

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Book SynopsisThe Essential Pocket Guide.

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Book SynopsisPast andpresent converge asLinda Cracknelldoubles back to follow in the footsteps of others.Across Norway, Kenya, the Isle of Skye and Lindisfarne,DoublingBacktraces the contours of history. Following paths long mythologised bywriters and relatives gone before, Linda Cracknell charts how placesimmortalised in writing and memory create portals; wrinkles in time andgeography that allow us to walk in the footsteps of others.Join Linda as she traverses the dangerous crevasses of the Swissalps to retrace the mountaineering past of the father she barely knew, follows the escape route ofaNorwegian scientist on the run in the second world war,or simplycelebrates the joy found in the friendly paths' of her local, regular terrain, and the ritual of returning home.Originally published in 2014 to rave reviews and serialised on BBC radio, this revised edition includesan account of a new journey through northern Scotland's Flow Country,the peatlandth

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Book SynopsisSally Faulkner stared at the woman across the table and began to comprehend her situation. The reigning Queen of European Cinema, Leni Riefenstahl, was thirty-seven years old, at the height of her creative powers, an international celebrity.

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Book SynopsisThe invasion of the Soviet Union saw the Red Army's vast tank fleets crushed by the outnumbered Germans. Fully illustrated and packed with data, this book explains how and why. Contrary to popular belief, the largest tank battles of World War II were not during the Kursk campaign of 1943, but during Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941. The Soviet tank fleet was enormous about 24,000 tanks facing about 3,500 Panzers. But despite the gross numerical imbalance in their favor, the summer 1941 campaign was a disaster for the Red Army. In this book, based on documents previously unpublished in the English language, world-renowned armor expert Steven J. Zaloga analyses why the Red Army performed so badly in Barbarossa. During the summer months, the Red Army lost about 15,000 tanks including most of its best new tanks such as the T-34s and KVs, and by winter, most of the pre-war arsenal had been lost. It was dubbed the Tankoviy pogrom: the Tank Massacre. Illustrated with archive photos and meticulously detailed original illustrations, it examines the organization and doctrine of the Red Army in 1941 as well as the principal tank types, including information and illustrations on unusual and little-known types such as the multi-turreted T-28 and T-35 heavy tanks.

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Book SynopsisTen historic pilgrim routes of Western Europe, inspiration for today''s long distance walker.Pilgrimage in Europe is thriving on a massive scale. In 1990 the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela recorded less than 5000 pilgrims: today that figure is at least 200,000 a year. Author Derry Brabbs’ previous book, Roads to Santiago, focused exclusively on the ''camino'' through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela; Pilgrimage revisits this classic route, and nine other inspirational journeys across Europe.Whether you’re truly making a pilgrimage, exploring the world, or simply hiking, Pilgrimage will lead you along deeply historical routes like the ''Jakobsweg'' in Germany, between Cologne and Trier. You’ll find great walks in Britain and France, like St. Cuthbert''s Way which winds around the Scottish Borders to the holy island of Lindisfarne, and the World Heritage Site of Mont-St-Michel built on the tiny island off the coast of Normandy.The most notable addition to the rejuvenated era of pilgrimage is the Via Francigena, now a very well established path through Switzerland and Italy. The Italian section begins on the bleak summit of the Great St Bernard Pass where a hospice still caters to the needs of passing pilgrims before heading down to Rome through some of Italy’s most beguiling countryside interspersed with medieval hilltop towns and villages.Astounding photographs combine with an absorbing text that describes the history and key features of each route, as well as brief details of the distances and the number of days it takes to walk, and a list of websites to help plan your journey.

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Book SynopsisA visual history of mourning and of the culture surrounding the commemoration of death. Focusing on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and travelling from Victorian England across to the US, the book is a visual tour through this curious world, charting the often peculiar and at times macabre ways of how the living memorialise the dead.

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Book SynopsisAntiblackness investigates the ways in which the dehumanization of Black people has been foundational to the establishment of modernity. Drawing on Black feminism, Afropessimism, and critical race theory, the book's contributors trace forms of antiblackness across time and space, from nineteenth-century slavery to the categorization of Latinx in the 2020 census, from South Africa and Palestine to the Chickasaw homelands, from the White House to convict lease camps, prisons, and schools. Among other topics, they examine the centrality of antiblackness in the introduction of Carolina rice to colonial India, the presence of Black people and Native Americans in the public discourse of precolonial Korea, and the practices of denial that obscure antiblackness in contemporary France. Throughout, the contributors demonstrate that any analysis of white supremacy---indeed, of the world---that does not contend with antiblackness is incomplete. Contributors. Mohan Ambikaipaker, Jodi A. Byrd, Iyko Day, Anthony Paul Farley, Crystal Marie Fleming, Sarah Haley, Tanya Katerí Hernández, Sarah Ihmoud, Joy James, Moon-Kie Jung, Jae Kyun Kim, Charles W. Mills, Dylan Rodríguez, Zach Sell, João H. Costa Vargas, Frank B. Wilderson III, Connie WunTrade Review“These essays arrive right on time, and with no apparent expiration date. Moon-Kie Jung and João H. Costa Vargas have assembled a collection that forcefully unravels, analyzes, and exposes how slavery and global antiblackness structure and produce meaning in the modern world. The essays theorize, analyze, and provide us field notes for understanding how and why antiblackness does not just underwrite the modern world but actively produces it in multiple modalities. After encountering these essays, any analysis that does not contend with antiblackness as central to modern life is an analysis blind to what exactly the modern means.” -- Rinaldo Walcott, author of * The Long Emancipation: Moving toward Black Freedom *“Moon-Kie Jung and João H. Costa Vargas have assembled an impressive cross section of thinkers who write from a host of methodological and philosophical positions and approaches and who work toward a necessary language to situate antiblackness in and beyond Black studies. The need for this project could not be more urgent.” -- Shana L. Redmond, author of * Everything Man: The Form and Function of Paul Robeson *"This book could be used in courses on Black studies, sociology, history, political science, and social justice studies. Alongside the text, which is incredibly relevant to the current sociopolitical moment, instructors might also have students view the film 13th (2016), which resonates most strongly with the theme of intentionally scaffolded racial injustice in the American criminal justice system in part 3 of Antiblackness. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals." -- C. L. Lalonde * Choice *“Every educator, scholar, and researcher of antiblack violence and racism is encouraged to engage with Antiblackness. . . . Recognizing the framework of antiblackness can heighten awareness in understanding how the afterlife of global enslavement functions in our interconnected realities every single day.” -- Tiffany N. Peacock * Transforming Anthropology *“[Antiblackness] is an important tool that will allow readers to articulate the travesties done to Black people all over the world and combat the narrative that race has nothing to do with how our world has been structured. . . . Knowledge is power and this book will certainly educate anyone who is interested in portions of history that are often untold in the media and in educational institutions.” -- Jordannah Elizabeth * Amsterdam News *“Antiblackness . . . is highly recommended to students of African Studies, History, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Political Science. . . . Significantly, the book will be useful to teach students in high schools and universities to understand the long history of Anti-Blackness and how to combat such problems in our societies.” -- Kofi Johnson * International Social Science Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction. Antiblackness of the Social and the Human / João H. Costa Vargas and Moon-Kie Jung 1 Part I. Openings 1. The Illumination of Blackness / Charles W. Mills 17 2. Afropessimism and the Ruse of Analogy: Violence, Freedom Struggles, and the Death of Black Desire / Frank B. Wilderson III 37 3. Afro-feminism before Afropessimism: Meditations on Gender and Ontology / Iyko Day 60 4. Toward a General Theory of Antiblackness / Anthony Paul Farley 82 Part II. Groundings 5. Limited Growth: U.S. Settler Slavery, Colonial India, and Global Rice Markets in the Mid-Nineteenth Century / Zach Sell 107 6. Flesh Work and the Reproduction of Black Culpability / Sarah Haley 131 7. "Not to Be Slaves of Others": Antiblackness in Precolonial Korea / Jae Kyun Kim and Moon-Kie Jung 143 Part III. Captivities 8. "Mass Incarceration" as Misnomer: Chattel/Domestic War and the Problem of Narrativity / Dylan Rodríguez 171 9. Gendered Antiblackness and Police Violence in the Formations of British Political Liberalism / Mohan Ambikaipaker 198 10. Schools as Sites of Antiblack Violence: Black Girls and Policing in the Afterlife of Slavery / Connie Wun 224 11. Presidential Powers in the Captive Maternal Lives of Sally, Michelle, and Deborah / Joy James 244 Part IV. Unsettlings 12. On the Illegibility of French Antiblackness: Notes from an African American Critic / Crystal M. Fleming 263 13. Latino Antiblack Bias and the Census Categorization of Latinos: Race, Ethnicity, or Other? / Tanya Katerí Hernández 283 14. Born Palestinian, Born Black: Antiblackness and the Womb of Zionist Settler Colonialism / Sarah Ihmoud 297 15. Not Yet: Indigeneity, Antiblackness, and Anticolonial Liberation / Jodi A. Byrd 309 References 325 Contributors 369 Index 373

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Book Synopsis"A wonderful guide to the many megaliths of Britain's Neolithic and Bronze Age."Mike Parker Pearson, Professor of British Later Prehistory at UCLThis is the most comprehensive and thought-provoking field guide ever published to the iconic standing stones and prehistoric places of Britain and Ireland. The ultimate insiders' guide, it gives unparalleled insight into where to find prehistoric sites and how to understand them, by drawing on the knowledge, expertise and passion of the archaeologists, theorists, photographers and stones aficionados who contribute to the world's biggest megalithic website - the Megalithic Portal. Including over 30 maps and site plans and hundreds of colour photographs, it also contains scores of articles by a wide range of contributors, from archaeologists and archaeoastronomers to dowsers and geomancers, that will change the way you see these amazing survivals from our distant past.Locate over 1,000 of Britain and Ireland's most atmospheric prehistoric places, from recently discovered moorland circles to standing stones hidden in housing estates. Discover which sites could align with celestial bodies or horizon landmarks. Explore acoustic, colour and shadow theory to get inside the minds of the Neolithic and Bronze Age people who created these extraordinary places. Find out which sites have the most spectacular views, which are the best for getting away from it all and which have been immortalized in music. And don't forget to visit the Megalithic Portal website and get involved by posting your discoveries online.Trade Review"A wonderful guide to the many megaliths of Britain's Neolithic and Bronze Age." --Mike Parker Pearson, Professor of British Later Prehistory at UCL '[A]s if by magic, along came this remarkable guide, a glorious celebration of standing stones [...] attractively laid out by region with many good photos [...] It's well done, but there is something else which makes it extraordinary. Its editor is the founder and editor of the Megalithic Portal, "the world's most-visited standing-stone website." He has devised the book's contents around what the website has shown to be most popular, and the whole thing is a collaborative venture of browsers, travellers, visionaries and scholars, all given free rein. Vicki Cummings has written a long, and very good introduction, and other well-known archaeologists pop up among the geomancers, dowsers and bog waders with no favours [...] The reader is left to judge for themself, with powerful effect.' --British Archaeology magazine

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Book SynopsisThe Muqaddimah, often translated as "Introduction" or "Prolegomenon," is the most important Islamic history of the premodern world. Written by the great fourteenth-century Arab scholar Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406), this monumental work established the foundations of several fields of knowledge, including the philosophy of history, sociology, ethnography,Trade Review"Ibn Khaldun, the great 14th-century Arab scholar, is the most authoritative and most beguiling of Arabic polymaths... His learning and ideas have an astonishingly modern relevance. His encyclopaedic work is a wonderfully readable mixture of history, sociology, ethnography, economics, science, art, literature, cookery, and medicine."--Iain Finlayson, Times "[The] most remarkable book written during the entire Middle Ages, one of the great intellectual achievements of all time."--Virginia Quarterly Review From review of Princeton's original edition: "[N. J. Dawood] has, by skillful abridgement and deft but unobtrusive editing, produced an attractive and manageable volume, which should make the essential ideas of Ibn Khaldun accessible to a wide circle of readers."--Times Literary Supplement From review of Princeton's original edition: "Undoubtedly the greatest work of its kind that has ever been created by any mind in any time or place ... the most comprehensive and illuminating analysis of how human affairs work that has been made anywhere."--Arnold J. Toynbee, Observer

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Book Synopsis'Very beautiful and illuminating' Mariella Frostrup Edward Brooke-Hitching, author of the international bestseller The Phantom Atlas delivers an atlas unlike any other. The Devil’s Atlas is an illustrated guide to the heavens, hells and lands of the dead as imagined throughout history by cultures and religions around the world. Packed with colourful maps, paintings and captivating stories, the reader is taken on a compelling tour of the geography, history and supernatural populations of the afterworlds of cultures around the globe. Whether it’s the thirteen heavens of the Aztecs, the Chinese Taoist netherworld of ‘hungry ghosts’, or the ‘Hell of the Flaming Rooster’ of Japanese Buddhist mythology (in which sinners are tormented by an enormous fire-breathing cockerel), The Devil’s Atlas gathers together a wonderful variety of beliefs and reprTrade Review'A funny and phantasmagoric tour of humanity’s attempts to survey the afterlife, both high and low. If you’d like to know which author wrote about the bordellos in hell, where to find a tree that grows devil heads, or what angels’ houses might smell like, this book is for you.' -- Bess Lovejoy, author of Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses'Stunning and utterly fascinating' -- Dan Schreiber – No Such Thing As A Fish'A sumptuous collection of artworks, from all over the world, and through the ages, depicting visions of heaven and hell.' * Booktime magazine *‘In this world of mental exploration, Edward Brooke-Hitching is a delightful and indispensable guide…For all their horrors, Brooke-Hitching’s hells are ultimately comforting because their solid boundaries keep the dead away from us.’ -- Diane Burkiss * Literary Review *‘The Devil’s Atlas entertainingly gathers the hells and underworlds of numerous ages and schools of belief, together with limbos and purgatories, and – at last – the heavens, paradises and utopias. Written in sparkling scholarship studded with glittering trivia, abundant education and monstrous images.’ * Strong Words *'The perfect shelf-mate to The Madman's Library, brimming with vibrant imagery - from the Book of the Dead to Islamic manuscripts to William Blake, and, of course, an entire section devoted to Dante. Clever writing and astonishing illustrations.' * Fine Books magazine *

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Book SynopsisThis brief history of America will span the earliest migrations to the present, reflecting Paul S. Boyer''s interests in social, intellectual, and cultural history, including popular culture and religion. It will reflect his personal view of American history, in which a sense of paradox and irony loom large. While noting positive achievements--political, economic, social, and cultural--he will also discuss the United States''s failures to live up to its oft-stated ideals; although America has figured in the world''s imagination (and its own self-image) as a land of opportunity offering liberty and justice for all, the reality has often fallen short.For example, the establishment of the North American colonies had very different meanings for colonists from the British Isles and Europe, for Native peoples, and for enslaved Africans brought against their will. The late nineteenth century saw not only impressive industrial expansion and the creation of vast fortunes but also appalling conditions in urban-immigrant slums and a degraded, exploited labor force. The twentieth-century emergence of a suburban society of consumer abundance meant a better life for many and laid the groundwork for impressive cultural creativity, yet left behind crime-ridden inner cities and spawned a stultifying mass culture. The immigrants who have renewed and revitalized the nation have also stirred hostility and resentment. While American popular culture has demonstrated global appeal, the projection of U.S. military power abroad, from the Philippines early in the twentieth century to Iraq early in the twenty-first, has sometimes failed in its purpose and damaged the nation''s international standing. Although this book will not be a muckraking exposé or anachronistic moral tract, neither will it be a celebratory panegyric or a bland recital of facts. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Review"Paul Boyer, a scholar's scholar and a teacher's teacher, has here encompassed the entirety of American history in an account that testifies on every page to his lifetime of deep and thoughtful learning, and to his remarkable powers of synthesis, concision, balance, and trenchantly lucid writing."--David M. Kennedy, author of Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; Preface ; Chapter 1: Beginnings: Prehistory to 1763 ; Chapter 2: 1763-1789: Revolution, constitution, a new nation ; Chapter 3: 1789-1850: The promise and perils of nationhood ; Chapter 4: 1850-1865: Slavery and civil war ; Chapter 5: 1866-1899: Industrialization and its consequences ; Chapter 6: 1900-1920: Reform and war ; Chapter 7: 1920-1945: From conflict to global power ; Chapter 8: 1945-1968: Affluence and social unrest ; Chapter 9: To the present ; References ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisFrom a leading expert in Japanese history, this is one of the first full histories of the art and culture of the Samurai warrior. The Samurai emerged as a warrior caste in Medieval Japan and would have a powerful influence on the history and culture of the country from the next 500 years. Clements also looks at the Samurai wars that tore Japan apart in the 17th and 18th centuries and how the caste was finally demolished in the advent of the mechanized world.

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