History Books

Book SynopsisCanals of Britain is the most comprehensive and absorbing survey of Britain''s canal network ever published.It provides a fascinating insight into the linked up waterways as well as the isolated cuts and quiet waters which may not be fully navigable by larger craft. Infinitely varied, it passes picturesque open countryside, wild moorland, coastal harbours, historic industrial buildings, modern city centres, canalside public houses and abundant wildlife.Stuart Fisher looks at every aspect of the canals - their construction, rich history, stunning scenery, heritage, incredible engineering, impressive architecture and even their associated folklore, wildlife and art. Enticing photographs give a flavour of each place and places of interest close to the canals are included. Each canal is intricately mapped.For those who are keen to explore that little bit further, the book goes to points beyond which others usually turn back, with information on little-known parts of the systeTrade ReviewA must for any waterway user's bookcase * Towpath Talk *Author Stuart Fisher... has meticulously researched every canal included here from his trusty kayak - no mean achievement. But this is no mere travelogue, history, heritages, engineering, folklore and wildlife being among the topics covered. * Waterways World *Everything you will ever need to know about the canal network of the British Isles. * Britain magazine *Comprehensive, absorbing and fascinating. * All at Sea *Stuart Fisher looks at every aspect of our intricate network of waterways. Stunning scenery. Enticing photos. Popular with anyone wanting to get the most out of Britain's canals. * People's Friend *There's no denying its diligent authority. It deserves a place in every enthusiast's home library. * Waterways World *Lavishly illustrated with superb colour photographs ... this book is not one to be devoured in one long session but to be dipped into and enjoyed. * Towpath Talk *

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive and detailed look into the Scottish Highlands.Alistair Moffat tells the extraordinary story of the Highlands in the most detailed book ever written about this remarkable part of Scotland.This is the story of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland as it has never been told before. From the formation of the landscape millions of years ago to the twenty-first century, it brings to life the events and the people who have shaped Highland history, from saints, sinners and outlaws to monarchs, clan chiefs and warriors.Highly readable and informative, it mines a wide range of sources including medieval manuscripts and sagas, poetry and popular culture. Picts, Romans, Irish missionaries, Vikings, Jacobites and the flood of emigrants who left to forge new lives abroad are just some of the important players in the drama. As he paints the bigger picture, Alistair Moffat also introduces many key aspects of Highland culture and explores the experience of ordinary Highlanders and Islanders over thousands of years.

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Book SynopsisMax Hastings is a Sunday Times bestselling author of thirty books, most about conflict, including Das Reich, Abyss, All Hell Let Loose and Catastrophe. Between 1986 and 2002 he served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph, then editor of the Evening Standard. He has won many prizes both for journalism and his books. In his youth he was a foreign correspondent for newspapers and BBC television. He was knighted in 2002 for services to journalism.

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Book SynopsisLearn about the world''s greatest classical compositions and musical traditions in The Classical Music Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Classic Music in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Classical Music Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Classical Music, with:- More than 90 pieces of world-famous music - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understandingThe ClassicaTrade ReviewIt really is a fantastic book. * Steve Wright BBC Radio 2 *An engaging and informative read. * BBC Music Magazine *If you enjoy classical music and want to know more, The Classical Music Book is for you. * People's Friend *

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Book Synopsis'Gripping, heartbreaking and uplifting.' Christy Lefteri, author of the million-copy bestseller The Beekeeper of AleppoTHEIR STORY WILL BREAK YOUR HEARTTHEIR JOURNEY WILL FILL YOU WITH HOPEYOU WILL NEVER FORGET THEIR NAMESWhen they are little girls, Cibi, Magda and Livia make a promise to their father - that they will stay together, no matter what. Years later, at just 15, Livia is ordered to Auschwitz by the Nazis. Cibi, only 19 herself, remembers their promise and follows Livia, determined to protect her sister, or die with her. Together, they fight to survive through unimaginable cruelty and hardship.Magda, only 17, stays with her mother and grandfather, hiding out in a neighbour's attic or in the forest when the Nazi militia come to round up friends, neighbours and family. She escapes for a time, but eventually she too is captured and transported to the death camp.In Auschwitz-Birkenau the three sisters are reunited and, remembering their father, they make a new promise, this time to each other: That they will survive.Three Sisters is a beautiful story of hope in the hardest of times and of finding love after loss. Heather Morris is the global bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey, which have sold eight million copies worldwide. Three Sisters is her third novel, and the final piece in the phenomenon that is the Tattooist of Auschwitz series.Trade ReviewAt the heart of this unbearably sad, but ultimately uplifting novel is the unbreakable bond shared between three sisters . . . A gruelling read, but the vivid resilience of the girls, their constant care and affection for each other, is immeasurably comforting * Daily Mail *Offers a fascinating glimpse into life after the horrors of Auschwitz. And that's what makes this book stand out . . . A story of hope, spirit and sheer human resilience * Sunday Express *Emotionally affecting storytelling * Top page-turners selection for Daily Telegraph *Another heart-wrenching, deftly told tale . . . it is hard not to be moved by such a chronicle * Mail on Sunday *Heartbreaking yet inspiring, this is a moving tale of bravery, the power of love and survival against the odds * My Weekly *A stunning novel * People Magazine *Morris skillfully chronicles the lives of the sisters from childhood to old age, balancing fictional invention with extensive research and immersion into the Mellers' lives. Readers will be greatly inspired by this story of resilience * Publishers Weekly starred review *Readers of historical and World War II fiction will be gripped by the conclusion to Morris's trilogy * Library Journal *Emotional and inspiring * Platinum Magazine *This book! I loved it. The fact that this is a true story means a lot, but the author is so skilled that you really live through the experiences of these girls. Each of them comes to life and is very much her own person. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. * 5* Netgalley review *I really enjoyed this book because it was very different to the others as this was about the bond of three sisters and not giving up on the others, about sticking together no matter what and getting through the war and staying safe. There is a lot to be taken from these incredible women stories. I highly recommend this book to everyone!! * Steph Reads Blog *Heather Morris's books are written with such care and feeling. This is the story of three sisters and how they coped with the horrors they witnessed in the camps during WW2 and their fight and determination to survive. Excellent book and very emotional. * 5* Netgalley review *This novel is testament to the power that love and devotion can get you through everything. Just like Heather Morris' other works this is also well-written, you get sucked in and before you know it you have read 50 pages in an afternoon! It is interesting that this book doesn't just end with the sister's release from Auschwitz like most other WWII memoirs but carries on and explains how the sisters slowly heal and move on with the rest of their lives. * 5* Netgalley review *An incredible book from start to finish, so emotional and so powerful, every chapter left me desperate to read on. I felt so invested in the lives of the three sisters, and as a reader you become so connected to them, especially as this book spans more than just their lives in Auschwitz, looking at both before and after, meaning they become the three-dimensional people they deserve to be. This was just as excellent as Heather Morris' previous books! * Emma is Reading a Book blog *I absolutely adored Heather's two previous novels - The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey - so I was more than excited to see she'd written another book. I love that these stories are real, and Heather has been chosen as the guardian of them. She manages to portray the joy amongst the pain, fear, and desperation. What they went through was terrible, but she's managed to ensure we don't forget the beauty the sisters experienced too. * Books by my Bedside blog *I was deeply moved and an emotional wreck for great chunks of this book. If you have read and been moved by Heather Morris's previous books, this is a must read. If you've never read anything in this genre, this is a must read. A dark and bleak but ultimately life-affirming journey, with hope in the darkest days, a determination to survive and to care for those that you love. A vitally important book to never forget, and a reminder of the depth of human hope, love, and the will to survive. * Avid Reader blog *I am not normally one for historical reads, however, this has completely changed my perspective! I loved it! Incredibly gripping and heart-wrenching, would definitely recommend it. * Partridge Pages Blog *This book! I loved it. It was one of those that I was so sorry when I was finished it. The author is so skilled that you really live through the experiences of these girls. And each of them comes to life and is very much her own person. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. * 5* Review from Netgalley *Having read Heather Morris' previous two books, I could not wait to read Three Sisters and it really did not disappoint. Incredibly well written and atmospheric. Everything was handled sensitively and in an inspiring way. I would happily read more from Heather Morris in the future, and I can't wait to see what she does next. * 5* Review from Netgalley *The book is an honest, powerful, at times hard hitting recollection of what the Meller family went through. Once again Heather has taken the dreadful memories of Auschwitz survivors and created an amazing book. The way Heather writes these stories you feel like you have been on a journey and as you read you are almost an eyewitness to the atrocities survivors had to endure. * 5* Review from Netgalley *Prior to reading this book, I had read Heather Morris' The Tattooist of Auschwitz and found it incredibly moving. Three Sisters unveils a different, yet equally brutal side to the concentration camps, through the eyes of three fiercely loyal and brave sisters. Morris does such a wonderful job with such harrowing subject matter. Instead of highlighting or lingering on the horrors that occurred, she focuses on the sisters and their mother and grandfather. Their bond, courage and will to survive is astounding to read about and this is made all the more poignant by the strength of Morris' craft. The authors care for the real sisters' stories is evident throughout; her respect for them filters through the pages. It is no easy task to take someone's life story, particularly one so tragic, and craft it into a book like this. It takes a special person to do it. * 5* Netgalley review *My words are really not going to do this book justice. Heather Morris has (not surprisingly) delivered yet another deeply moving story of bravery, loyalty, survival and love, in defiance of the inconceivable horror and brutality faced at Auschwitz-Birkenau. A complete emotional rollercoaster, we follow sisters Cibi, Magda and Livi; their harrowing, eye opening story of resilience and strength shown throughout their journey and the story of their survival together. * 5* Netgalley review *Wow. I'm absolutely blown away. An extremely heart-breaking but wonderfully written book. What I say here will not do this book justice. Having read both The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey; I had to of course read Three Sisters too. I think this is possibly my favourite book of the three. I loved how there was so much detail into their lives afterwards, survival, love and family. I would highly recommend that if you do read this book, to read the authors note at the end along with the afterwords. * 5* Netgalley review *Wow, this is such an incredible read. Ciba, Magda and Livia have an indescribable story to tell. They live through so much and Morris gives them a voice and retells everything they endured; good and bad. The three sisters are such strong women and I loved getting to know them, reading about their life and seeing what happened to them and those around them. Three Sisters is an absolute must read. It is powerful, moving and thought-provoking. * 4* review on Netgalley *A heart wrenching, emotional, sad and poignant read. I think the author has captured her characters feelings, thoughts and emotions very eloquently and as a reader you can't help but be affected by their story which had me in tears a few times. A very powerful and poignant read that will stay on my mind for a while. * 4* Netgalley review *If you enjoyed the first two books (`The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey), then I think you'll equally enjoy this book. The three sisters fill the pages with bravery, family love and the ability to endure. At the end of the book, I had a lump in my throat as you see the large legacy that the three sisters grew: they endured, survived, and thrived which makes for a rewarding and inspiring read. * Between my Lines Blog *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018WINNER OF THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE 2018A SUNDAY TIMES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2019''A masterpiece of history and memoir'' Evening Standard''Superb. This is a necessary book - painful, harrowing, tragic, but also uplifting'' The Times__________________________________________________Little Lien wasn''t taken from her Jewish parents in the Hague - she was given away in the hope that she might be saved. Hidden and raised by a foster family in the provinces during the Nazi occupation, she survived the war only to find that her real parents had not. Much later, she fell out with her foster family, and Bart van Es - the grandson of Lien''s foster parents - knew he needed to find out why.His account of tracing Lien and telling her story is a searing exploration of two lives and two families. It is a story about loTrade ReviewAstonishing. Van Es has created a masterpiece of history and memoir, concluding on a note of reconciliation, hope and great love * Evening Standard *An extraordinary, harrowing story of loss, survival and love * Guardian *Deeply moving, this is a remarkable memoir * Sunday Times *Powerful . . . extraordinary * Irish Times *Brought to life with family photographs and diary entries that add further impact to Lien's harrowing memories and testimony - this deeply affecting and fascinating story is guaranteed to haunt you * Sunday Mirror *Remarkable - the story of one traumatic childhood, deeply moving, and told with great dexterity, allowing the wisdoms of today to run parallel with the absorbing narrative of wartime events * Penelope Lively *Compassionate and thoughtfully rendered, the book is both a memorable portrait of a remarkable woman and a testament to the healing power of understanding. A complex and uplifting tale * Kirkus *A nuanced, moving, and unusual "hidden child" account * Publishers Weekly *Superb. This is a necessary book - painful, harrowing, tragic, but also uplifting * The Times Book of the Week *Fascinating, beautifully written. Van Es carefully salvages Lien's story and creates a deeply moving and complex book about war, atrocity and human suffering * The Oldie *Sensational and gripping . . . shedding light on some of the most urgent issues of our time * Judges of the Costa Book of the Year Prize 2018 *Luminous, elegant, haunting - I read it straight through * Philippe Sands, Author of East West Street *Deeply moving. Writes with an almost Sebaldian simplicity and understatement * Guardian *Harrowing and beautiful * Bookseller *An awe-inspiring account of the tragedies and triumphs within the world of the Holocaust's "hide-away" children, and of the families who sheltered them * Georgia Hunter, author of We Were the Lucky Ones *The Cut Out Girl is a reminder of the extraordinary richness of archives and the treasures released by scholarly research * TLS *An extraordinary story, harrowing, deeply affecting. This fascinating story is guaranteed to haunt you * People *A moving story of personal and family history, with a scholar's objective eye for the bigger picture. * Irish Times *Harrowing . . . profoundly moving * Daily Express *

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Book Synopsis''An outstanding history ... one of the best writers on the First World War'' Simon Sebag MontefioreShortlisted for the Duke of Westminster Medal for Military LiteratureThe Ottoman Endgame is the first, and definitive, single-volume history of the Ottoman empire''s agonising war for survival. Beginning with Italy''s invasion of Ottoman Tripoli in September 1911, the Empire was in a permanent state of emergency, with hardly a frontier not under direct threat. Assailed by enemies on all sides, the Empire-which had for generations been assumed to be a rotten shell-proved to be strikingly resilient, beating off major attacks at Gallipoli and in Mesopotamia before finally being brought down in the general ruin of the Central Powers in 1918. As the Europeans planned to partition all its lands between them and with even Istanbul seemingly helpless in the face of the triumphant Entente, an absolutely unexpected entity emerged: modern TTrade ReviewThere are many histories of World War One; few are as important or as readable as this one -- Walter Russell MeadIt is an enormous story, and McMeekin is a worthy chronicler of it ... The Ottoman Endgame is the most satisfactory and thought-through of the recent books on the subject that I have seen -- Norman StoneA wry, delightful book, which fills in a neglected face of the war and traces the emergence of the modern Middle East -- Geoffrey WawroA tour de force -- Philip ManselMasterful and sympathetic ... superb -- Charles King * Literary Review *Original and passionately written * Economist *A marvellous exposition of the historian's art -- Christopher de Bellaigue * Guardian *This readable, much-praised and opinionated work chronicles the Ottomans' entry into the war on Germany's side, its eventual defeat and its final dismemberment -- Gerard Russell * The Times *A well-timed, well-researched exploration of the empire whose dissolution continues to complicate making sense of the contemporary Middle East. Herein are explanations of how modern Turkey, Iraq, and Syria came to be, as well as how the division of the rest of the region affected its future. Scholars and practitioners alike will benefit from reading it -- Henry Kissinger

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Book SynopsisThe Penguin History of Europe series... is one of contemporary publishing's great projects.--New Statesman It was an age of hope and possibility, of accomplishment and expansion. Europe's High Middle Ages spanned the Crusades, the building of Chartres Cathedral, Dante's Inferno, and Thomas Aquinas. Buoyant, confident, creative, the era seemed to be flowering into a true renaissance-until the disastrous fourteenth century rained catastrophe in the form of plagues, famine, and war. In Europe in the High Middle Ages, William Chester Jordan paints a vivid, teeming landscape that captures this lost age in all its glory and complexity. Here are the great popes who revived the power of the Church against the secular princes; the writers and thinkers who paved the way for the Renaissance; the warriors who stemmed the Islamic tide in Spain and surged into Palestine; and the humbler estates, those who found new hope and prosperity until the long niTrade ReviewThe Penguin History of Europe series ... is one of contemporary publishing's great projects New Statesman With five volumes now out, the Penguin History of Europe series ... is shaping up to be the best general account available, superseding all previous ones EconomistTable of ContentsPart I Europe in the 11th century: Christendom in the year 1000; Mediterranean Europe; Northmen, Celts and Anglo-Saxons; Francia/France; central Europe. Part II The Renaissance of the 12th century: the investiture controversy; the first crusade; the world of learning; cultural innovations of the 12th century - vernacular literature and architecture; political power and its contexts I; political power and its contexts II. Part III The 13th century: social structures; the Pontificate of Innocent III and the Fourth Lateran Council; learning; the kingdoms of the north; Baltic and central Europe; the Gothic world; southern Europe. Part IV Christendom in the early 14th century: famine and plague; political and social violence; the church in crisis.

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Book SynopsisThe conflict between Palestine and Israel is one of the most highly publicized and bitter struggles in history. In this accessible and stimulating Very Short Introduction, Martin Bunton clearly explains the history of the problem, reducing it to its very essence - a modern territorial contest between two nations and one geographical territory.Adopting a fresh and original approach, each section covers a twenty-year span, to highlight the historical complexity of the conflict throughout successive decades. Each chapter starts with an examination of the relationships among people and events that marked particular years as historical moments in the evolution of the conflict, including the 1897 Basle Congress; the 1917 Balfour Declaration and British occupation of Palestine; and the 1947 UN Partition Plan and the war for Palestine.Providing a clear and fair exploration of the main issues, Bunton explores not only the historical basis of the conflict, but also looks at how and why partition has been so difficult and how efforts to restore peace continue today. 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 ReviewThe book brings forward a short (but not shallow), balanced, factual and easily read review of the topic. If other booklets in this series - on issues ranging from musicology to biology - are as practical as this one, the publishers should be thanked for providing a good platform for distributing and diseminating scientific knowledge beyond the walls of academia. * Dan Tamir, Political Studies Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Ottomon Palestine, 1897-1917 ; 2. Mandate Palestine, 1917-1937 ; 3. Partioning Palestine, 1937-1947 ; 4. Zamut and Nakba, 1947-1967 ; 5. Occupation, 1967-1987 ; 6. Peace process, 1987-2007 ; Conclusion ; References ; Further reading ; Timeline

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Book SynopsisThe war on heresy obsessed medieval Europe in the centuries after the first millennium. R. I. Moore's vivid narrative focuses on the motives and anxieties of those who declared and conducted the war: what were the beliefs and practices they saw as heretical? How might such beliefs have arisen? And why were they such a threat? In western Europe at AD 1000 heresy had barely been heard of. Yet within a few generations accusations had become commonplace and institutions were being set up to identify and suppress beliefs and practices seen as departures from true religion. Popular accounts of events, most notably of the Albigensian Crusade led by Europe against itself, have assumed the threats posed by the heretical movements were only too real. Some scholars by contrast have tried to show that reports of heresy were exaggerated or even fabricated: but if they are correct why was the war on heresy launched at all? And why was it conducted with such pitiless ferocity? To find the answers to these and other questions R. I. Moore returns to the evidence of the time. His investigation forms the basis for an account as profound as it is startlingly original.Trade ReviewThis is a jaw-dropping book. Thrilling, unsettling, revelatory. -- Tom HollandMoore makes a very powerful case ... if only half of his revolutionary new claims are accepted, every encyclopedia entry on the Cathars will have to be completely rewritten * Daily Telegraph *Brilliantly told, profoundly thought-provoking. * History Today *Moore's latest book is as good, and as provocative, as anything he has produced. The book is one of the finest accounts of medieval heresy that you are likely to encounter ... serves to enhance Moore's status as one of the finest historians of medieval heresy. * BBC History Magazine *Elegant and intelligent. * Literary Review *Wide-ranging, beautifully written, and compellingly argued, this is a book that overturns the traditional picture. * Times Literary Supplement *Moore's approach to Catharism is intriguing and provocative. [This is] an accessible and up-to-date history of the rise of heresy persecution in the medieval West. The book will inspire ample criticism and defenses among scholars. Amateur historians will find a pleasing expository style burnished with colorful details. * America *A bold new vision. * The Historian *An intellectual thriller ... An absolute page-turner ... Startling, unsettling and revelatory, The War on Heresy is Homeland in cowls. -- Tom Holland * Toronto Globe and Mail *The The War on Heresy is an important and well-argued book that will force scholars to re-examine the history of medieval heresy and provides the methodological blueprint for the study of heresy in the Middle Ages. * The Medieval Review *A very impressive study, made all the more accessible by the author's admirably lucid writing style * Church History *The book under review here is a brilliant and sobering meditation on this theme ... The War on Heresy is a triumph. * Standpoint *Beautifully written, measured, searching, and sublimely free from jargon. We are presented with eye-witness accounts that are not knocked into pre-conceived patterns. The effect is to draw the reader into not just the story but into how the story became a story in the first place. Inevitably this affords a double-take perspective, in which history and stories excitingly grow together and the reader becomes a participant. -- René Weis * Professor of English, University College London, and author of The Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars, 1290-1329 *The War on Heresy is social and religious history at its best, the fruit of many decades of intense engagement with one of the most complex and difficult problems of medieval history. With admirable clarity, R. I. Moore tells the deeply troubling story of how heretics became a persecuted minority, not so much because of their beliefs, but because of the anxieties, needs, and ambitions of their persecutors. This is a masterfully researched and deeply thought book that tells its exciting and still relevant story with verve and with sympathy for the victims of the war on heresy. -- Anders Winroth * Professor of History, Yale University, and author of The Conversion of Scandinavia: Vikings, Merchants, and Missionaries in the Remaking of Northern Europe *Fierce competition for power produces fierce discursive competition. In this grand and sane book, armed with many lights (intelligence, narrative skill, learning) R. I. Moore re-enters the territory of Europe's ferocious medieval competition for theological orthodoxy; wherever he ventures, he illumines what had been dark. -- James Simpson * Professor of English, Harvard University, and author of Idolatry and Iconoclasm *

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Book Synopsis'An astonishingly rich story... wonderfully informative' The Times 'Rappaport does a terrific job of bringing respectful rigour to her account of Seacole's extraordinary life' Daily MailIn Search of Mary Seacole is a superb and revealing biography that explores her remarkable achievements and unique status as an icon of the 19th century, but also corrects some of the myths that have grown around her life and career. Having been raised in Jamaica and worked in Panama, Mary Seacole came to England in the 1850s and volunteered to help out during the Crimean War. When her services were turned down, she financed her own expedition to Balaclava, where she earned her reputation as a nurse and for her compassion. Popularly known as ‘Mother Seacole’, she was the most famous Black celebrity of her generation – an extraordinary achievement in VTrade Review'I salute Helen Rappaport for taking us to this place so completely with all her imagination, research and thinking. This is an astonishingly rich story... This wonderfully informative book presents Seacole in all her roundness: a ministering angel who was no angel; a driven woman who basked in adulation, and was forgotten for 90 years after her death.' -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * The Times *'Lively and entertaining... Seacole has become such an iconic figure that many legends have grown up around her, but Rappaport's book is a more valuable monument to Seacole's legacy than that painting [she discovered], or many of the other books and poems celebrating her life. Myth is important; but not as important as history.' -- Tomiwa Owolade * Sunday Times *'Scholarly biographer Helen Rappaport says that...the authors of school textbooks have failed to check the facts...[and] Rappaport crisps up the details. Rappaport does a terrific job of bringing respectful rigour to her account of Seacole's extraordinary life.' -- Helen Brown * Daily Mail *'The story of Seacole's life is riven with holes and clouded with myth. And it's these absences and confusions that Helen Rappaort seeks to fill in and smoooth out in her impressive...new biography. The Seacole we meet in these pages is enterprising, intrepid, and...really rather shrewd.' -- Lucy Scholes * Daily Telegraph *'Richly detailed...much of the book reads like a detective story. What leaps from these pages, as well as Seacole's remarkable deeds and character, is the great esteem, indeed love, in which she was held. In this wonderful book, Dr Rappaport has created a fitting tribute.' -- Jacqueline Riding * Country Life *'Well-researched...Rappaport leaves no shred of evidence unexamined... And her work pays off; the Crimean section of In Search of Mary Seacole is the book’s beating heart... A comprehensive and much-deserved tribute to an incredible life' -- Linda Villarosa * New York Times *'An invaluable contribution to the scholarship on Seacole... Rappaport paints a vivid picture of Seacole's portly and brightly dressed figure treating grateful soldiers... Rappaport's biography is a welcome contribution to our understanding of this truly remarkable medical pioneer.' -- Wendy Moore * Literary Review *'Strips away the layers of mystery from the life of the heroine of the Crimean War. I love history books like this that describe the author’s voyage through the archives.' -- Lucy Worsley * Irish Independent *'Inevitably comparisons have been made with Florence Nightingale, who also achieved fame for her nursing exploits in the Crimea, but this is unfair to both women... Rappaport’s eloquently argued work sets the record straight by revealing the life story of a most extraordinary woman.' -- Trevor Royle * Herald *'Rappaport fleshes out Seacole's own account...she throws light on her subject's family [and] there are vivid passages about British and Caribbean society. Rappaport is particularly good at addressing her subtitle [The Making of an Icon]. This portrait of an outstanding woman is timely.' -- Andrew Lycett * Spectator *'A carefully researched piece of scholarship, balanced and informative... I was also struck by an insightful analysis of the impact that Seacole’s pioneering work has had on the development of the nursing profession. This book will serve specialists in the field and casual readers equally well, and opens a window into the life of a unique and remarkable woman about whom there is still much to be discovered.' -- Nick Goulding * Church Times *'A major new study...Rappaport's work is thoroughly documented. She has discovered a significant amount of new material. Various myths are demolished... In Search of Mary Seacole presents its subject as a woman and writer who overcame much and resists the too easy categorisations of both her own time and ours.' -- John T. Gilmore * History Today *'Rappaport’s fascination with her subject started twenty years ago when she discovered the 1869 portrait of Seacole that now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. This image of an older woman, resolute, unfussy yet proudly wearing her honours, seems incredibly modern. The book, equally measured and impressive, feels like the biography Seacole has so long deserved.' -- Clare Mulley * Historia *'This is an excellent book... She has doggedly pursued and expanded the leads thrown up by her methodology with consummate success. The tone of the book is engaging.' -- Glenn Fisher * The War Correspondent: Journal of the Crimean War Research Society *'A welcome addition to the growing body of scholarship on the presence of people, especially women, of African ancestry in the UK. Detailed and interesting...the book highlights the joys, frustrations, and often unrecognised challenges in all history writing.' -- Meleisa Ono-George * Lancet *

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Book SynopsisCapitalism has transformed the world and increased our productivity, but at the cost of enormous human suffering. Our shared values equality and fairness, democracy and freedom, community and solidarity can both provide the basis for a critique of capitalism, and help to guide us towards a socialist and democratic society. In this elegant book, Erik Olin Wright has distilled decades of work into a concise and tightly argued manifesto analyzing the varieties of anti-capitalism, assessing different strategic approaches, and laying the foundations for a society dedicated to human flourishing. How to Be an Anticapitalist is an urgent and powerful argument for socialism, and a unparalleled guide to help us get there. Another world is possible.Trade Review"Deserves to be widely read. In 150-odd pages, Wright makes the case for what's wrong with capitalism, what would be better, and how to achieve it. This is the rare book that can speak to both the faithful and the unconverted. You could buy it for your skeptical uncle or your militant cousin: there is something here for the reader who needs persuading that another world is possible, and the reader who wants ideas for bringing that world into being." --Ben Tarnoff, Guardian "His ideas captured the imagination of audiences, intellectuals and activists across the globe ... Wright reinvented the meaning of socialism." --New York Times "Erik Olin Wright was a visionary writer gifted with the imagination to foresee what life after capitalism might look like, but he was much more than that. He embodied an entire way to think about capitalism and the world: clear, precise, and free of bullshit. This book, his last, should be an indispensable reference point for those who want to change the world for the better." --Bhaskar Sunkara, founder and publisher of Jacobin magazine "Erik will be remembered as the most important theorist of class in the second half of the twentieth century, and the greatest Marxist sociologist of his time." --Vivek Chibber, author of Postcolonial Theory and the Specter of Capital "Possessed of an unlimited capacity to render his ideas precise and simple, without diluting them, Erik gave activists a vision of a collective project to which each could contribute. Given the resurgent interest in 'socialism' among a new generation of thinkers and activists, Erik had an ever-increasing following." --Michael Burawoy, from the afterword "[An] eloquent and accessible volume." --Tom Mayer, Colorado Daily

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Book SynopsisNiccolò Machiavelli provides a remarkably uncompromising picture of the true nature of power, no matter what era or by whom it is exercised. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library, a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold-foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an afterword by Oliver Francis.Drawing on examples from the ancient Greeks and Romans and from Machiavelli’s contemporaries, The Prince offers – some believed with satirical intent – advice on how a ruler should preserve his power, conduct and warfare, and maintain his reputation. Machiavelli not only influenced many of the great statesmen of his age, but was also one of the founding fathers of modern political thought. The Prince, written in 1513 and published in 1532, is one of the most famous pieces of writing of all time.Trade ReviewFew books have attracted such an influential readership as The Prince -- Michael Arditti * Telegraph *Machiavelli was showing how to achieve power and hold on to it -- Lesley McDowellAt a time when pious drivel, feckless rhetoric and fatal arrogance too often rule the affairs of us all, a realist dollop of Machiavellianism might well be added to the cauldron of post-modern statecraft -- Ronald K. L. Collins * Washington Independent Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisBourbons. Custard Creams. Rich Tea. Jammie Dodgers. Chocolate Digestives. Shortbread. Ginger snaps. Which is your favourite? British people eat more biscuits than any other nation; they are as embedded in our culture as fish and chips or the Sunday roast. We follow the humble biscuit's transformation from durable staple for sailors, explorers and colonists to sweet luxury for the middling classes to comfort food for an entire nation. Like an assorted tin of biscuits, this charming and beautifully illustrated book has something to offer for everyone, combining recipes for hardtack and macaroons, Shrewsbury biscuits and Garibaldis, with entertaining and eye-opening vignettes of social history.Trade ReviewFascinating * Prue Leith *A jam-packed book about our favourite teatime nibble * Daily Mail *An incredible journey * Daily Express *Fascinating... Collingham has pulled it off again * Spectator *[A] fascinating book... Collingham is a wonderful researcher, combining academic rigour with an eye for the captivating details that make the world more interesting -- Rachel Duffett * BBC History *

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Book Synopsis''Grimly funny and superbly written, with a twist on every page'' Hilary Mantel''Delightfully compulsive and unforgettably original'' Hadley Freeman''Wonderful, funny and wise'' Kate SummerscaleShortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize 2021A Sunday Times, TLS, Spectator and New Statesman Book of the Year Aunt Munca never told the truth about anything. Calling herself after the mouse in a Beatrix Potter story, she was already a figure of mystery during the childhood of her nephew Ferdinand Mount. Half a century later, a series of startling revelations sets him off on a tortuous quest to find out who this extraordinary millionairess really was. What he discovers is shocking and irretrievably sad, involving multiple deceptions, false identities and abandonments. The story leads us from the back streets of Sheffield at the end of the Victorian age to the highest echelons of English sTrade ReviewAunt Munca flees the streets of Sheffield for a suite at Claridges, getting younger by the year and leaving behind her a trail of brazen lies and shattered pieties. In his family memoir, Ferdinand Mount pursues her with wit and skill through a career in which crime pays, marriage is for a week, and children are lost like old gloves. Kiss Myself Goodbye is grimly funny and superbly written, with a twist on every page. -- Hilary Mantel, author of the Wolf Hall TrilogyDelightfully compulsive and unforgettably original. Mount unpeels the layers of this mysterious life with the tenacity of an experienced detective and the excitement of a fresh-eyed enthusiast. -- Hadley Freeman, author of House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish FamilyExtraordinary … shed[s] a brilliant light on the strangeness of people’s lives, the need for disguise and masquerade, the shame that drives people to act in the most peculiar ways, the ghosts that reside, unburied, within us. -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Wonderful, funny and wise -- Kate Summerscale, author of The Suspicions of Mr WhicherDelicious … As well as an ear for the cadences of a sentence, Mount has a remarkable ability to convey the feeling of place … Beneath the surface of this sparklingly wry book you sense all kinds of unexplored feelings of abandonment and loss. * The Oldie *Mount is one of our finest prose stylists and Kiss Myself Goodbye is a witty, moving and beautifully crafted account of one woman’s determination to live to the full. * Daily Telegraph *An extraordinary book * Tatler *Unique and immensely enjoyable. I only wish it were longer. * Spectator *Kiss Myself Goodbye is a work of beauty. The simple truthfulness of Ferdinand Mount’s storytelling is irresistible. * Literary Review *...A superbly written and jaw-dropping memoir. * Daily Telegraph *Veering giddily from grand guignol to poignant melancholy, this is an exquisitely wrought portrait of a wickedly fascinating woman. -- Jane Shilling * Daily Mail *...this book, which is partly a family history and partly a detective novel, with extraordinary revelations and an impressive cast of characters dotted through the narrative. -- Roland White * The Sunday Times (Culture) *Witty, moving and beautifully crafted, Kiss Myself Goodbye is a “masterclass” in bringing long-buried secrets to light. * The Week *[Mount ]… vividly captures bygone Britain. * Daily Record *It needs a writer of wit, imagination and empathy to carry me along from one layer of the tissue to the next. Mount is such a writer. * The Oldie *A wonderful memoir of the author’s aunt – deadpan, shrewd and very dryly funny. -- William Boyd, bestselling authorTable of Contents1 Angmering-on-Sea 2 Georgie 3 Buster 4 Charters 5 Brightside 6 Crawford Mansions 7 Eileen and Elizabeth 8 W. F. 9 Brightside Revisited 10 Seven Hills Postscripts Thanks Picture and Text Credits

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Book Synopsis''Bill Bryson on two wheels'' IndependentScaling a new peak of rash over-ambition, Tim Moore tackles the 9,000km route of the old Iron Curtain on a tiny-wheeled, two-geared East German shopping bike. Asking for trouble and getting it, he sets off at the Arctic winter''s brutal height, bullying his plucky MIFA 900 through the endless and massively sub-zero desolation of snowbound Finland. Haunted throughout the journey by the border detritus of watchtowers and rusted razor wire, Moore reflects on the curdling of the Communist dream, and the memories of a Cold War generation reared on the fear of apocalypse - at a time of ratcheting East-West tension. After three months, 20 countries and a 58-degree jaunt up the centigrade scale, man and bike finally wobble up to a Black Sea beach in Bulgaria, older and wiser, but mainly older.Trade ReviewOne hundred per cent self-inflicted … Beyond stupid … It's hilarious. -- Adrian Chiles * Radio 5 Live *Bill Bryson on two wheels. * Independent *The world's funniest travel writer. * Observer *A good, entertaining writer, laugh-out-loud funny in parts. * Irish Independent *It’s a hoot. -- Michael Kerr * Daily Telegraph, Book of the Year *It’s a hoot. -- Michael Kerr * Daily Telegraph, Book of the Year *

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Book Synopsis'Monumental . . . A wonderful book.' Peter Frankopan'Magisterial . . . remarkable.' Guardian'Erudite and highly readable . . . An authoritative guide to the countless ways in which Greek words and ideas have shaped the modern world.' Financial TimesThe Greeks is a story which takes us from the archaeological treasures of the Bronze Age Aegean and myths of gods and heroes, to the politics of the European Union today. It is a story of inventions, such as the alphabet, philosophy and science, but also of reinvention: of cultures which merged and multiplied, and adapted to catastrophic change. It is the epic, revelatory history of the Greek-speaking people and their global impact told as never before.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA work of serious ambition —Times, Best Books of 2022Exhilarating . . . a work of scholarship, but also inspiration. The detail is fascinating, the prose lively, the analysis convincing and the message surprisingly hopeful. . . Go and read Jablonka and change the world —The Sunday TimesA surprise bestseller in France. . . his work has now found a much wider audience in a lucid English translation—New StatesmanJablonka marshals an impressive body of historical, anthropological, biological and sociological evidence in his compelling history of masculinity. A man who passionately supports the feminist cause, Jablonka's argument for gender justice is both radical and promising —TLSIlluminating. . . a history and a call to arms, almost a manifesto, for how to create a society of "just men"—The Sunday TimesA vivid, opinionated take on centuries of gender relations . . . a thought provoking, occasionally troubling big history - which also offers up some possible futures—BBC History MagazineJablonka's history of how one half of the world's population has consistently oppressed the other has control and poise—SpectatorThe present and future of masculinity have been hotly debated for some years now, which perhaps explains why this history of the topic became a bestseller in France before finding a publisher in the UK. Social historian Ivan Jablonka travels from Mesopotamia to Confucianism to the revolutions of the 18th century to offer a fresh slant on gender and to define what it means to be a good man, father and friend today—Mr PorterIn this ambitious book, Jablonka explores the history of patriarchy, explains its longevity and shows what men should do next—Les InrocksJablonka's work is remarkable. . . erudite and lucid, personal and rigorous —Le MondeFascinating and necessary—PsychologiesEnlightening. . . crucial for democracy and our daily lives —Marie ClaireAn unexpected bestseller in France. . . it has sparked conversations—Challenges

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Book SynopsisThe Greek Myths contains some of the most thrilling, romantic and unforgettable stories in all human history. From Achilles rampant on the fields of Troy, to the gods at sport on Mount Olympus, from Icarus flying too close to the sun, to the superhuman feats of Heracles, Theseus and the wily Odysseus, these timeless tales exert a fascination and inspiration that have endured for millennia. There are few people as steeped in the Ancient World as Robin and Kathryn Waterfield, and in their hands the heroism, humour, mystery, sensuality and brutality of the Greek Myths are brought brilliantly to life.Trade Review'A magnificent new book which explains and retells some of the most thrilling stories in human history' Lancashire Evening Post. * Lancashire Evening Post *Table of ContentsGenealogies. Introduction. HOPE FOR HUMANKIND: The Population of the Earth. THE ASCENT OF THE OLYMPIAN GODS: In the Beginning. War against the Titans. War against the Giants. Zeus and His Brothers. THE GODS OF OLYMPUS: Zeus the King. Hera. Hestia. Demeter. Aphrodite. Ares. Hephaestus. Athena. Apollo. Artemis. Hermes. Dionysus. THE AGE OF HEROES: The Flood. The Line of Deucalion. The Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. The Calydonian Boar Hunt. Io and the Danaids. Perseus and the Gorgon. Bellerophon. THEBES IN THE AGE OF HEROES: Cadmus, Europa, and the Foundation of Thebes. Oedipus. The Seven against Thebes. MYCENAE IN THE AGE OF HEROES: The Curse of the House of Atreus. Atreus and Thyestes. The End of the Atreid Curse. ATHENS IN THE AGE OF HEROES: The First Athenian Kings. The Labours of Theseus. Theseus and the Minotaur. King Theseus. HERACLES: The Birth of Heracles. The Twelve Labours of Heracles. Heracles the King-Maker. Heracles Becomes a God. THE TROJAN WAR: The Marriage of Peleus and Thetis. The Judgement of Paris. The Abduction of Helen. The Greeks Prepare for War. The Greek Landing. Achilles Withdraws. Agamemnon's Dream. Menelaus and Paris. Diomedes' Day of Glory. Hector Triumphant. Envoys and Spies. The Assault on the Ships. The Deception of Zeus. The Death of Patroclus. The Return of Achilles. The Death of Hector. Two Funerals. The Death of Achilles. The Wooden Horse. The Fall of Troy. ODYSSEUS' RETURN: Trouble on Ithaca. Telemachus' Journey. Odysseus on Scheria. The Cyclops Polyphemus. Aeolus, the Laestrygonians, and Circe. The Underworld. Dangers at Sea. The Cattle of the Sun. Odysseus Reaches Ithaca. At the Swineherd's Hut. In the Palace. Penelope Meets the Beggar. Vengeance. Reunion. THE END OF HOPE: Pandora. Select Bibliography. Index of Names and Places. Index of Subjects.

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Book SynopsisWhen the Romans came north to what is now modern Scotland they encountered the fierce and proud warrior society known as the Picts, who despite their lack of discipline and arms, managed to prevent the undefeated Roman Army from conquering the northern part of Britain, just as they later repulsed the Angles and the Vikings. A New History of the Picts is an accessible true history of the Picts, who are so often misunderstood. New historical analysis, recently discovered evidence and an innovative Scottish perspective will expose long held assumptions about the native people. This controversial text contests that Scottish history has long since been dominated and distorted by misleading perspectives. A New History of the Picts discredits the idea that the Picts were a strange historical anomaly and shows them to be the descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, living in a series of loose tribal confederations gradually brought together by external forces to create one of the earliest states in Europe: a people, who after repulsing all invaders, merged with their cousins, the Scots of Argyll, to create modern Scotland. All of Scotland descends from the fierce Picts.Trade ReviewWritten and arranged in a way that is both accessible and scholarly, this is an excellent addition to the growing body of work on the Picts. THE COURIER A New History is a very valuable contribution to historical debate and cultural understanding. It also serves to bring issues often reserved to specialists to a general readership. DONALD SMITH, SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE

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Book SynopsisThe riveting, powerful and profoundly moving story of the AIDS epidemic.Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-FictionWinner of The Green Carnation Prize for LGBTQ literatureWinner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT non-fictionShortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize 2017How to Survive a Plague by David France is a social and scientific history of AIDS, and the grass-roots movement of activists, many of them facing their own life-or-death struggles, who grabbed the reins of scientific research to help develop the drugs that turned HIV from a mostly fatal infection to a manageable disease. Around the globe, the 15.8 million people taking anti-AIDS drugs today are alive thanks to their efforts.Not since the publication of Randy Shilts's now classic And the Band Played On in 1987 has a book sought to measure the AIDS plague in such brutally human, intimate, and soaring terms.Weaving together the stories of dozens of individuals, this is an insider's account of a pivotal moment in our history and one that changed the way that medical science is practised worldwide.'This superbly written chronicle will stand as a towering work in its field' - Sunday Times'Inspiring, uplifting and necessary reading' - Steve Silberman author of Neurotribes, Financial TimesTrade ReviewHow to Survive a Plague is epoch-making: the whole social and scientific history of AIDS, brilliantly told. Informative, entertaining, suspenseful, moving, and personal. -- Edmund WhiteAs one generation grows up with the misconception that AIDS is nothing more than a manageable illness, another grows old with the fear that the epidemic's early days will disappear into the fog of history. How to Survive a Plague is the book for both generations. France has pulled off the seemingly impossible here, invoking the terror and confusion of those dark times while simultaneously providing a clear-eyed timeline of the epidemic's emergence and the disparate, often dissonant forces that emerged to fight it. -- Dale PeckHeroic and heartbreaking and magnificent history throughout, How to Survive a Plague is one of the great tales of our time: the story of incredibly brave and determined men and women who defied government, the pharmaceutical industry, vicious homophobia, and the death sentence of AIDS to overwhelm an awful scourge. -- Carl BernsteinThis is a masterpiece of intimate storytelling with moral purpose, a contemplation not so only of an epidemic of illness but also of an epidemic of resilience. It's a book about courage and kindness and anger and joy, written with fierce, passionate intensity and utter conviction. -- Andrew SolomonHow to Survive a Plague is both a great and an important book, and we owe David France an enormous debt of gratitude for writing it. At once global and achingly intimate, his story provokes righteous rage, despair, the blackest of humor, heartbreak and, finally, blessedly, hard-won hope . . . for all of us. You will not soon forget these smart, courageous, dying young men. In fact, let's call them heroes, since they were. -- Richard RussoDavid France is uniquely positioned to bear witness to the science and politics of the AIDS epidemic, its deeply personal impact, and the activists who refused to be silenced by it: courageous and brilliant, often selfless, willing to fight even as they struggle with death, but always fully human. From the story's beginning, France was on the ground doing hard-hitting reporting on the plague while living its toll in the most intimate of ways. How to Survive a Plague is a definitive, long-awaited and essential account of the plague years - haunting and hopeful, devastating and uplifting. Incredibly important. -- Rebecca Skloot

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Book Synopsis'A brilliant tour-de-force' - Times Literary SupplementBomber Command is acclaimed historian Sir Max Hastings' compelling account of one of the most controversial struggles of the Second World War.RAF Bomber Command’s offensive against the cities of Germany was one of the epic campaigns of the Second World War. More than 56,000 British and Commonwealth aircrew and 600,000 Germans died in the course of the RAF’s attempt to win the war by bombing. The struggle began in 1939 with a few primitive Whitleys, Hampdens and Wellingtons, and ended six years later with 1,600 Lancasters, Halifaxes and Mosquitoes razing whole cities in a single night.Max Hastings traced the developments of area bombing using a wealth of documents, letters, diaries and interviews with key surviving witnesses. Bomber Command is, in turn, a fascinating, meticulously-researched, and vivid assessment of the RAF's integral role in the Second World War.Trade ReviewProbably the most brilliant use of anecdotal material that has so far come out of the Second World War . . . A brilliant tour-de-force. * Times Literary Supplement *This is the most critical book yet written about Bomber Command . . . it is also far and away the best * The Economist *Table of ContentsSection - i: List of Illustrations Section - ii: Foreward Section - iii: Prologue: Norfolk and Heligoland Bight, 18 December 1939 Chapter - 1: In the Beginning, Trenchard: British Bomber Policy, 1917-40 Chapter - 2: 82 Squadron, Norfolk, 1940-41 Chapter - 3: 10 Squadron, Yorkshire, 1940-41 Chapter - 4: Crisis of Confidence, 1941-42 Chapter - 5: The Coming of Area Bombing Chapter - 6: 50 Squadron, Lincolnshire, 1942 Chapter - 7: Protests and Policy, 1942-43 Chapter - 8: 76 Squadron, Yorkshire, 1943 Chapter - 9: The Other Side of the Hill: Germany 1940-44 Chapter - 10: Bomber Command Headquarters, Buckinghamshire, 1943-44 Chapter - 11: Conflict and Compromise, 1943-44 Chapter - 12: Pathfinders: 97 Squadron, Lincolnshire, 1944 Chapter - 13: 'A Quiet Trip All Round': Darmstadt, 11/12 September 1944 Chapter - 14: Saturation Chapter - 15: The Balance Sheet Section - iv: Appendix A: Bomber Command sorties dispatched and aircraft missing and written off, 1939-45 Section - v: Appendix B: Specifications and performance of the principal aircraft of Bomber Command and Luftwaffe night-fighters, 1939-45 Section - vi: Appendix C: Letter to Sir Norman Bottomley from Sir Arthur Harris Section - vii: Appendix D: British and German production of selected armanents, 1940-44 Section - viii: Appendix E: Schedule of German Cities subjected to area attack by Bomber Command, 1942-45 Section - ix: Appendix F: Comparative Allied and German aircraft production, 1939-45 Section - x: Bibliography and a note on sources Section - xi: Notes and references Section - xii: Glossary od ranks, abbreviations and codenames Acknowledgements - xiii: Acknowledgements Index - xiv: Index

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Book SynopsisThe No. 1 Sunday Times and international bestseller - a major reassessment of world history in light of the economic and political renaissance in the re-emerging east For centuries, fame and fortune was to be found in the west in the New World of the Americas. Today, it is the east which calls out to those in search of adventure and riches. The region stretching from eastern Europe and sweeping right across Central Asia deep into China and India, is taking centre stage in international politics, commerce and culture and is shaping the modern world. This region, the true centre of the earth, is obscure to many in the English-speaking world. Yet this is where civilization itself began, where the world's great religions were born and took root. The Silk Roads were no exotic series of connections, but networks that linked continents and oceans together. Along them flowed ideas, goods, disease and death. This was where empires were won and where they were lost. As a new eTrade ReviewBrilliant and fearlessly wide-ranging … undaunted by the complexity of the material, and the scale of the subject he has taken on, Frankopan marches briskly through the centuries, disguising his erudition with an enviable lightness of touch, enlivening his narrative with a beautifully constructed web of anecdotes and insights, backed up by an impressively wide-ranging scholarly apparatus of footnotes drawing on works in multiple languages … This is history on a grand scale, with a sweep and ambition that is rare … a remarkable book on many levels, a proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement -- William Dalrymple, Books of the Year * Guardian *Breathtaking and addictively readable - History Book of the Year * Daily Telegraph *Many books have been written which claim to be “A New History of the World”. This one fully deserves the title…It is difficult, in a short review, to do justice to a book so ambitious, so detailed and so fascinating as this one -- Gerald DeGroot * The Times *The author’s gift for vividness is reminiscent of Jan Morris, while his command of revealing facts or fancies is not far short of Gibbon’s -- Felipe Fernández Armesto * Literary Review *A book that roves as widely as the geography it describes, encompassing worlds as far removed as those of Herodotus and Saddam Hussein, Hammurabi and Hitler…It is a tribute to Frankopan’s scholarship and mastery of sources in multiple languages that he is as sure-footed on the ancient world as he is on the medieval and modern -- Justin Marozzi * The Sunday Times *Splendid ... tightly researched ... invigorating and profound [with] enough storytelling to excite the reader and enough fresh scholarship to satisfy the intellect...charismatic and essential -- Dr Bettany Hughes * Daily Telegraph *The Silk Roads, which covers several continents and many centuries, is based on astonishingly wide and deep reading and in all areas draws on the latest research...it is full of vivid and recondite details * Independent *This is, to put it mildly, an ambitious book...Frankopan writes with clarity and memorable detail * Economist *Timely … it deserves a place by the library fireplace * Country Life *Dazzlingly good ... [Frankopan blends] deep scholarly skill with a real literary talent -- Dan Jones * Evening Standard *Bold and ambitious * Tablet *Full of intriguing insights and fascinating details -- Anthony Sattin * Observer *With extraordinary erudition and a vivid style, [Frankopan] takes us on a dazzling tour ... from the rise of the first empires right through to the present * Open (Weekly) *It’s the details that win it. Did you know that Attila’s Huns wore coats made from mouse skin? * Sunday Express *[Frankopan] tells a good story … with great panache. [The Silk Roads] is full of enthralling anecdotal details … Frankopan’s research is impeccable. The Silk Roads is based on information from sources in well over a dozen languages. It has a sweeping canvas and covers more than 2,000 years of history …[an] exhilarating rollercoaster ride * New Delhi Business Standard *Hugely ambitious in its scope * China Today *A compelling narrative and is jam-packed with stories. It contains numerous snippets of information that shed new light on major world events * China Daily *Essential reading * MoneyWeek *A compelling political, economic and social history that is as much about how we will live as how we once did * World Travel Guide *Beautifully constructed, a terrific and exhilarating read and a new perspective on world history -- Averil Cameron * History Today *An often exhilarating tour of 2,000 years of history ... Frankopan upends the usual world-history narrative oriented around ancient Rome and Greece and the irrepressible rise of Europe ... In The Silk Roads, Peter Frankopan has provided a bracing wake up call. * The National AE *As incongruous it may seem to call an intensely-researched 600-page tome with 100 pages of footnotes a romp, The Silk Roads is a fluent, page-turning gallop through the roughly 2500 years from ancient Persia and Alexander the Great to the present day ... If one had to choose an up-to-date volume from which to glean an overview of world history, this might well be it * Asian Review of Books *As well-written, entertaining, disturbing and exciting as a detective story * Svenska Dagbladet *Frankopan handles his material deftly and has an eye for telling details...a clear theme is that globalisation is not a new phenomenon. This is essential reading * Prosper Magazine *A dazzling piece of historical writing * South China Morning Post *The most illuminating book of the year ... A healthy antidote to Eurocentric accounts of history [and] an impressive, if depressing account of the disastrous Western interventions in Central Asia -- Books of the Year * Times Literary Supplement *A very well-written and wide-ranging study, founded on reading of staggering breadth and depth ... Strikingly up to date. The author has used the most recent scholarship to impressive effect ... And he is evidently constantly rethinking in the light of new scholarship ... The book is full of fascinating insights ... No one could read it without learning a great deal, or without having their conception of the course of history radically challenged * Times Literary Supplement *Frankopan casts his net widely in this work of dizzying breadth and ambition ... Frankopan approaches his craft with an acerbic wit, and his epochal perspective throws the foibles of the modern age into sharp relief * Publisher's Weekly *This book lives up to its claim to be a new history of the world because of its geopolitical paradigm shift … He is a Herodotus of the twenty first century * Irish Left Review *Breathtaking … inverts received wisdom … superb history charts mankind’s flirtation with global disaster * New Zealand Herald *Enticing, sometimes enchanting … An exceptionally, eclectically, eccentrically wide range of subjects * Sydney Morning Herald *A thumping good read * Sunday Times, South Africa *Frankopan shows that even in ancient times trade and culture bound distant people togethers ... A rare book that makes you question your assumptions about the world * Wall Street Journal *'Superb … Peter Frankopan is an exceptional storyteller … The lands of the Silk Roads are of renewed importance, and Frankopan’s book will be indispensable to anyone who wants to make sense of this union of past and present * Dallas Morning News *Sumptuous, intriguing and surprising -- Sir Paddy Ashdowne * The Week *‘Magisterial’ -- Books of the Year * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisAlison Weir is one of Britain's top-selling historians. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and Tudor periods. Her bestselling history books include The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth of York and The Lost Tudor Princess. Her novels include Innocent Traitor, Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession. She is an Honorary Life Patron of Historic Royal Palaces and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She lives and works in Surrey.Trade ReviewFast-paced, lively and boldly coloured, Weir's book gives us a vivid portrait of courtly life * Sunday Times *Weir combines high drama with high passion while involving us in the domestic life of a most remarkable woman in an equally remarkable book * Scotland on Sunday *Gripping...immaculately researched * Daily Telegraph *Highly enjoyable * Literary Review *Weir's sound scholarship and storyteller's gift for rich, telling detail constantly engages and enthrals the reader * The Times *

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Book SynopsisHenrietta Leyser considers the problems and attitudes fundamental to every woman of the time: medieval views on sex, marriage and motherhood; the world of work and the experience of widowhood for peasant, townswoman and aristocrat. The intellectual and spiritual worlds of medieval women are also explored.MEDIEVAL WOMEN celebrates the diversity and vitality of English women's lives in the Middle Ages.

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Book SynopsisVivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a first-person account of one of the most startling military episodes in history: the overthrow of Montezuma''s doomed Aztec Empire by the ruthless Hernan Cortes and his band of adventurers. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, himself a soldier under Cortes, presents a fascinatingly detailed description of the Spanish landing in Mexico in 1520 and their amazement at the city, the exploitation of the natives for gold and other treasures, the expulsion and flight of the Spaniards, their regrouping and eventual capture of the Aztec capital.Table of ContentsThe expedition of Francisco Hernandex de Cordoba; the expedition of Juan de Grijalva; the expedition of Hernando Cortes - preparations; the voyage; Dona Marina's story; a pause on the coast; the stay at Cempoala; the foundation of Vera Cruz; the march to Cingapacinga and return of Cempoala; events at Vera Cruz - the destruction of the ships; the Tlascalan campaign; peace with Tlascala - embassies from Mexico; the march to Mexico; the entrance into Mexico; the stay in Mexico; Montezuma's captivity; Cortes in difficulties; the flight from Mexico; Cortes collects fresh strength; expeditions around the lake; the siege and capture of Mexico.

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Book SynopsisCharles Spencer tells the shocking stories and fascinating fates of the men who signed Charles I's death warrant in this Sunday Times bestseller''Seamless, pacy and riveting ... exceptional'' ALISON WEIR''The virtues of a thriller and of scholarship are potently combined'' TOM HOLLAND''Outstanding: a thrilling tale of retribution and bloody sacrifice'' JESSIE CHILDS__________________January, 1649. After seven years of fighting in the bloodiest war in Britain's history, Parliament faced a problem: what to do with a defeated king, a king who refused to surrender?Parliamentarians resolved to do the unthinkable, to disregard the Divine Right of Kings and hold Charles I to account for the appalling suffering and slaughter endured by his people. On an icy winter's day on a scaffold outside Whitehall, the King of England was executed.When the dead king's son, Charles II, was restored to the throne, he set about enacting a deadly wave of retribuTrade ReviewBeautifully written and meticulously researched * Evening Standard *History with the pace of a thriller ... I learned much I never knew -- Julian Fellowes * Observer *Brilliant ... A thrilling tale of regicide and revenge * Independent *Very good … Dense and well-researched … Some of the stories are extraordinary … Spine-tingling detail * The Times *A pacy, well-researched and beautifully written story of intrigue, betrayal and Realpolitik, but above all cold-blooded institutionalized revenge on a massive international scale * Andrew Roberts *Accomplished and gruesome, this masterful account of the fate of the regicides breaks all barriers in weaving the lives – and the grim fates – of many into a seamless, pacy and riveting read, underpinned by the depth of scholarship for which Charles Spencer is renowned. An exceptional and highly original history book that sheds new light on one of England’s bloodiest episodes * Alison Weir *Imagine The Odessa File re-written by Christopher Hill, and you will have some idea of the pleasure to be had in reading Killers of the King. The virtues of a thriller and of scholarship are potently combined * Tom Holland *Outstanding: a thrilling tale of retribution and bloody sacrifice, unflinching idealism and craven miscreancy. In fluent, measured, often witty prose, Killers of the King brilliantly evokes that febrile time when the hunters became the hunted and vengeance was avenged. Like all the best history books, it succeeds not only in telling a remarkable story, but also in illuminating the entire age * Jessie Childs *

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Book SynopsisNot For Turning is the first volume of Charles Moore''s authorized biography of Margaret Thatcher, the longest serving Prime Minister of the twentieth century and one of the most influential political figures of the postwar era. Charles Moore''s biography of Margaret Thatcher, published after her death on 8 April 2013, immediately supersedes all earlier books written about her. At the moment when she becomes a historical figure, this book also makes her into a three dimensional one for the first time. It gives unparalleled insight into her early life and formation, especially through her extensive correspondence with her sister, which Moore is the first author to draw on. It recreates brilliantly the atmosphere of British politics as she was making her way, and takes her up to what was arguably the zenith of her power, victory in the Falklands. (This volume ends with the Falklands Dinner in Downing Street in November 1982.) Moore is clearly an admirer of his suTrade ReviewMoore has produced a biography so masterly ... that it comes as close as biography can come to being a work of art -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Moore's great gift is his ability to make Thatcher's story fresh again, and above all to remind us of how odd she was ... the access to her family and friends enabled Moore to produce a multifaceted picture of a compelling life ... [this] will now become the definitive account -- Anne Applebaum * Daily Telegraph *Intricate, elegant and laced with dry humour -- Andrew Rawnsley * Observer *Outstandingly good -- A.N. Wilson * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisPankaj Mishra''s provocative account of how China, India and the Muslim World are remaking the world in their own image - shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2013SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2013Viewed in the West as a time of self-confident progress, the Victorian period was experienced by Asians as a catastrophe. As the British gunned down the last heirs to the Mughal Empire or burned down the Summer Palace in Beijing, it was clear that for Asia to recover a new way of thinking was needed. Pankaj Mishra re-tells the history of the past two centuries, showing how a remarkable, disparate group of thinkers, journalists, radicals and charismatics emerged from the ruins of empire to create an unstoppable Asian renaissance, one whose ideas lie behind everything from the Chinese Communist Party to the Muslim Brotherhood, and have made our world what it is today.Reviews:''Arrestingly original ... this penetrating and disquieting book should be on the reading list of anybody who wants to understand where we are today'' John Gray, Independent ''A riveting account that makes new and illuminating connections ... deeply entertaining and deeply humane'' Hisham Matar''Fascinating ... a rich and genuinely thought-provoking book'' Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph''Provocative, shaming and convincing'' Michael Binyon, The Times ''Lively ... engaging ... retains the power to shock'' Mark Mazower, Financial Times''Subtle, erudite and entertaining'' Economist, New DelhiAbout the author:Pankaj Mishra is the author of Butter Chicken in Ludiana, The Romantics, An End to Suffering and Temptations of the West. He writes principally for the Guardian, The New York Times, London Review of Books and New York Review of Books. He lives in London, Shimla and New York.Trade ReviewMeticulous scholarship ... History, as Mishra insists, has been glossed and distorted by the conqueror ... [This] passionate account of the relentless subjugation of Asian empires by European, especially British, imperialism, is provocative, shaming and convincing -- Michael Binyon * The Times *One can only be thankful for writers like Mishra. From The Ruins Of Empire is erudite, provocative, inspiring and unremittingly complex; a model kind of non-fiction for our disordered days ... May well be seen in years to come as a defining volume of its kind -- Stuart Kelly * Scotsman *Deeply researched and arrestingly original ... this penetrating and disquieting book should be on the reading list of anybody who wants to understand where we are today -- John Gray * Independent *From the Ruins of Empire gives eloquent voice to [the] curious, complex intellectual odysseys ... of some of Asia's most educated, thoughtful men -- Julia Lovell * Guardian *Fascinating ... a rich and genuinely thought-provoking book -- Noel Malcolm * Telegraph *Superb and ground-breaking. Not just a brilliant history of Asia, but a vital history for Asians -- Mohsin HamidLively ... engaging ... From the Ruins of Empire retains the power to instruct and even to shock. It provides us with an exciting glimpse of the vast and still largely unexplored terrain of anti-colonial thought that shaped so much of the post-western world in which we now live -- Mark Mazower * Financial Times *Brilliant ... Mishra reverses the long gaze of the West upon the East, showing modern history as it has been felt by the majority of the world's population - from Turkey to China. These are the amazing stories of the grandfathers of today's angry Asians. Excellent -- Orhan PamukJolts our historical imagination ... a book of vast and wondrous learning and delightful and surprising associations that will give a new meaning to liberation geography -- Hamid Dabashi (Professor of Iranian Studies, Columbia University, New York)After Edward Said's masterpiece Orientalism, From the Ruins of Empire offers another bracing view of the history of the modern world. Pankaj Mishra [is] a brilliant author of wide learning ... skillful and captivating narration -- Wang Hui (Professor of Chinese Intellectual History, Tsinghua University, Beijing)Pankaj Mishra has produced a riveting account that makes new and illuminating connections. He follows the intellectual trail of this contested history with both intelligence and moral clarity. In the end we realise that what we are holding in our hands is not only a deeply entertaining and deeply humane book, but a balance sheet of the nature and mentality of colonisation -- Hisham MatarHighly readable and illuminating ... Mishra's analysis of Muslim reactions is particularly topical -- David Goodall * Tablet *Enormously ambitious but thoroughly readable, this book is essential reading for everyone who is interested in the processes of change that have led to the emergence of today's Asia -- Amitav Ghosh * Wall Street Journal *Sophisticated ... not so much polemic as cri de coeur, motivated by Mishra's keen sense of the world, East and West, hurtling towards its own destruction * Tehelka, New Delhi *Outstanding ... Mishra wears his scholarship lightly and weaves together the many strands of history into a gripping narrative ... The insights afforded by this book are too many to be enumerated ... Mishra performs a signal service to the future - by making us read the past in a fresh light * The Hindu, New Delhi *[Full of] complexity and nuance * Mail Today *Subtle, erudite and entertaining * Financial Express *Mishra allows the reader to see the events of two centuries anew, through the eyes of the journalists, poets, radicals and charismatics who criss-crossed Europe and Asia * Free Press Journal *A vital, nuanced argument ... prodigious * Mint *

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Book SynopsisIn the first two volumes of his bestselling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted how the American-led coalition fought through North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now he tells the most dramatic story of all - the titanic battle for Western Europe. D-Day marked the commencement of the European war''s final campaign, and Atkinson''s riveting account of that bold gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows. The brutal fight in Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the disaster that was Market Garden, the horrific Battle of the Bulge, and finally the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich - all these historic events and more come alive with a wealth of new material and a mesmerizing cast of characters. With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Rick Atkinson''s remarkable accomplishment is manifest. He has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that unshackled a continent and preserved freedom in the West.

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Book SynopsisA journey along the greatest land route on earth, from the master of travel writing Colin Thubron On buses, donkey carts, trains, jeeps and camels, Colin Thubron traces the drifts of the first great trade route out of the heart of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey. Covering over 7000 miles in eight months Thubron recounts extraordinary adventures - a near-miss with a drunk-driver, incarceration in a Chinese cell during the SARS epidemic, undergoing root canal treatment without anaesthetic in Iran - in inimitable prose. Shadow of the Silk Road is about Asia today; a magnificent account of an ancient world in modern ferment. ''It is hard to think of a better travel book written this century'' Times''Thubron is the pre-eminent travel writer of his generation'' Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewIt is hard to think of a better travel book written this century * The Times *Shadow of the Silk Road is a work of boundless riches. Every paragraph carries a captivating phrase...offering up an understanding of our world today that is as immediate as tomorrow's news, yet infinitely profound -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *One of Thubron's great strengths is his compassion...his shimmering prose creates a wonderful book, so multilayered that, when I reached the end, I wanted to read it all over again * Sunday Times *Rich in humour, compassion and history, another confirmation, if any more were needed, that Thubron is the pre-eminent travel writer of his generation * Sunday Telegraph *A poetic volume - interesting, shocking and deeply engaging, the work of a mature writer at the top of his game -- Sara Wheeler * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisJournalism entered the twenty-first century caught in a paradox. The world had more journalism, across a wider range of media, than at any time since the birth of the western free press in the eighteenth century. Western journalists had found themselves under a cloud of suspicion: from politicians, philosophers, the general public, anti-globalization radicals, religious groups, and even from fellow journalists. Critics argued that the news industry had lost its moral bearings, focusing on high investment returns rather than reporting and analysing the political, economic, and social issues of the day.Journalism has a central and profound impact on our worldview; we find it everywhere from newspapers and television, to radio and the Internet. In the new edition of this thought-provoking and provocative Very Short Introduction, Ian Hargreaves examines the world of contemporary journalism. By looking not only at what journalism has been in the past, but also what it is becoming in the digital age, he examines the big issues relating to reportage, warfare, celebrity culture, privacy, and technology worldwide.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 ReviewReview from previous edition Hargreaves has written a timely and disturbing account of journalism in peril. * Martin Bell, The Times *Ian Hargreaves is a distinguished journalist and academic with a fine track record of editorial integrity and incisive thought. * Chris Cramer, Director of News, CNN *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The power paradox ; 1. Born free: a brief history of news media ; 2. Big brother: journalism and the altered state ; 3. The first casualty: journalists at war ; 4. Star-struck: journalism as entertainment ; 5. Up to a point, Lord Copper's: who owns journalists? ; 6. Hacks v. flacks: journalism and public relations ; 7. Murder is my meat: the ethics of journalism ; 8. Digital: after the deluge ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisWhat has been the dish of kings, the subject of myths and the traveller of epic and mysterious journeys? The eel.Beginning life in the Sargasso Sea, the eel travels across the ocean, lives for twenty or so years, and then is driven by some instinct back across the ocean to spawn and die. And the next generation starts the story again. No one knows why the eels return, or how the orphaned elvers learn their way back. One man discovered, after many adventures, the breeding ground of all eels and he is the hero of this book.Eels were being caught and consumed 5000 years before the birth of Christ Aristotle and Pliny wrote about them; Romans regarded them as a peerless delicacy; Egyptians accorded them semi-sacred status; English kings died of overeating them. There are many strange practices among eel fishers all over the world, and many great fortunes based upon the eel harvest.The Book of Eels, a combination of social comment, biography and natural history, is also a fascinating and wTrade Review‘This is a captivating study…Tom Fort is incapable of writing a dull sentence.' Financial Times ‘A fascinating, beautifully written and deeply peculiar book.’ New Scientist ‘In this wonderful book, Tom Fort elevates Anguilla anguilla from the lowly to the exalted…The Book of Eels is a delightful surprise; Fort does wonders with his esoteric and fascinating subject.’ The Times ‘What a joy, a whole book on eels. It’s a very good book too, and a very English book…I suppose it is inevitable that somone will call this book ‘enchanting’. Take no notice. Buy it anyway. Give it to someone you like or, for even more fun, to someone you don’t.’ Spectator ‘Tom Fort is the Alan Bennett of the angling scene.’ Literary Review

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Book SynopsisAn absorbing journey through a region caught between history, geography and ideology.

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Book SynopsisThis landmark book uncovers for the first time in detail one of the greatest horrors of the twentieth century: the vast system of Soviet camps that were responsible for the deaths of countless millions.Gulag is the only major history in any language to draw together the mass of memoirs and writings on the Soviet camps that have been published in Russia and the West. Using these, as well as her own original research in NKVD archives and interviews with survivors, Anne Applebaum has written a fully documented history of the camp system: from its origins under the tsars, to its colossal expansion under Stalin''s reign of terror, its zenith in the late 1940s and eventual collapse in the era of glasnost. It is a gigantic feat of investigation, synthesis and moral reckoning.

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Book SynopsisA compelling account of the Red Army''s epic struggle to drive the Germans out of Russia and back to Berlin.Beginning with the destruction of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad, THE ROAD TO BERLIN is the story of how the Red Army drove the Germans from its territory, and finally invaded the Reich. Using an enormous range of primary sources - Soviet, German and Eastern European - John Erickson describes fighting and hardship on a scale almost unimaginable in the West. He provides a detailed narrative of all the battles on all the fronts, and also of the Soviet system of war which achieved, under maximum stress, near impossible feats in the field and in the factories. The book also tells of the diplomatic moves and counter-moves, including the all-important conferences at Tehran and Yalta. Comprehensive, compelling, and immensely readable, it is an indispensable book for any student of the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisFew literary masterpieces cast quite as awesome a shadow as Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Captain Ahab's quest for the white whale is a timeless epic a thrilling tale of vengeance and obsession, and a searing parable about humanity lost in a universe of moral ambiguity.Inspired by true events, Moby Dick is a work of astonishing psychological depth. It is perhaps the greatest sea story ever told and one of the great classics of literature.Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee'

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Book Synopsis''A compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement'' Simon Sebag Montefiore Winner of the Wolfson History Prize and shortlisted for the Duff Cooper PrizeIn the summer of 1812 Napoleon, the master of Europe, marched into Russia with the largest army ever assembled, confident that he would sweep everything before him. Yet less than two years later his empire lay in ruins, and Russia had triumphed. This is the first history to explore in depth Russia''s crucial role in the Napoleonic Wars, re-creating the epic battle between two empires as never before. Dominic Lieven writes with great panache and insight to describe from the Russians'' viewpoint how they went from retreat, defeat and the burning of Moscow to becoming the new liberators of Europe; the consequences of which could not have been more important.Ultimately this book shows, memTrade ReviewA compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Evening Standard *Radically alters our assumptions about how Napoleon was beaten -- Andrew Roberts * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *(He creates) an historic canvas that is both overwhelming and meticulous ... he inevitably touches the nerve points of modern power politics. * The Economist *A compulsive read. This master storyteller and scholar has written an instant classic that is awesome, remarkable and exuberant. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * The Scotsman *An essential reference ... the Princess would have approved. * The Spectator *(An) erudite, monumental piece of historial research ... it's a great tale with a clear argument, baked by an impressive array of sources and detail. -- Charles Clover * Financial Times *A superbly crafted book -- Alexander M. Martin * TLS *A lucid and detailed account -- Geoffrey Hosking * London Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling and prize-winning study of one of the most legendary American Presidents in history, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin is the book that inspired Barack Obama in his presidency.When Barack Obama was asked which book he could not live without in the White House, his answer was instant: Team of Rivals. This monumental and brilliant work has given Obama the model for his presidency, showing how Abraham Lincoln saved America by appointing his fiercest rival to key cabinet positions. As well as a thrilling piece of narrative history, it''s an inspiring study of one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen.''A wonderful book . . . a remarkable study in leadership'' Barack Obama''A portrait of Lincoln as a virtuosic politician and managerial genius'' The New York Times''I have not enjoyed a history book as much for years'' Robert HarrisDoris Kearns Goodwin is the doyenne of US presidential historians, and one of Trade ReviewA wonderful book ... a remarkable study in leadership -- Barack ObamaThe most uplifting book that I have read in the last two decades. Sensational -- Jon SnowI have not enjoyed a history book as much for years -- Robert Harris * The Observer (Books of the Year) *A fabulously engrossing, exciting narrative in the grand old style ... overflowing with colour and character -- Dominic SandbrookA brilliant book ... I couldn't get enough of it -- Alex FergusonGoodwin's narrative abilities are on full display here. A portrait of Lincoln as a virtuosic politician and managerial genius -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Agricola is both a portrait of Julius Agricola—the most famous governor of Roman Britain and Tacitus' well-loved and respected father-in-law—and the first detailed account of Britain that has come down to us. It offers fascinating descriptions of the geography, climate and peoples of the country, and a succinct account of the early stages of the Roman occupation, nearly fatally undermined by Boudicca's revolt in AD 61 but consolidated by campaigns that took Agricola as far as Anglesey and northern Scotland. The warlike German tribes are the focus of Tacitus' attention in the Germania, which, like the Agricola, often compares the behaviour of barbarian peoples favourably with the decadence and corruption of Imperial Rome.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throu

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Book SynopsisFrom a small Iron Age settlement on the banks of the Tiber, Rome grew to become the centre of an Empire that dominated the Western world. Powerful in war, Rome was magnificent in peace, so that even today her poets, artists, philosophers and historians exert their influence over Western thought and civilisation.Michael Grant, the renowned classical historian, recreates the evolution of this astonishing city and community. He describes the individuals and events that made Rome a political and cultural conqueror, and defines the dramatic circumstances of her eventual decline and fall.

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Book SynopsisThe dramatic and little-known story of how, in the summer of 1920, Lenin came within a hair''s breadth of shattering the painstakingly constructed Versailles peace settlement and spreading Bolshevism to western Europe.In 1920 the new Soviet state was a mess, following a brutal civil war, and the best way of ensuring its survival appeared to be to export the revolution to Germany, itself economically ruined by defeat in World War I and racked by internal political dissension.Between Russia and Germany lay Poland, a nation that had only just recovered its independence after more than a century of foreign oppression. But it was economically and militarily weak and its misguided offensive to liberate the Ukraine in the spring of 1920 laid it open to attack. Egged on by Trotsky, Lenin launched a massive westward advance under the flamboyant Marshal Tukhachevsky.All that Great Britain and France had fought for over four years now seemed at risk. By the middle of August the Russians were onlyTrade Review‘The book I have most enjoyed this year…has the quality and excitement of the very best historical novel…marvellous.’ John Bayley, TLS (Book of the Year) ‘Zamoyski writes with thrilling immediacy and dramatic effect about a conflict of huge import that has been overlooked by almost everyone but the Poles themselves.’ Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times (Book of the Year) 'The mark of a great military historian is not only to do the battlefield descriptions and explain the tactics, but to give the political context and bring the characters of the commanders to life. Zamoyski manages it all in this concise and thrilling account of a forgotten war.' Daily Telegraph 'Zamoyski shows himself to be a master…across the battlefields [he] proves to be a sure-footed guide with a rare capacity for casting light into dark corners, to pierce the fog of war and to make what at first seems incomprehensible easy to understand …Zamoyski's battle pictures, indeed, are reminiscent of Tolstoy.' Spectator 'Elegant and fascinating … the bulk of the book is given over to a deft and gripping battle narrative …"Warsaw 1920" is battle history of the best kind.The international setting and the political context are gracefully sketched in, and Zamoyski integrates the voices of contemporaries to create a symphonic, three-dimensional chronicle.' Sunday Times 'A thorough, beautifully written account of one of the great turning-points in Europe's history … Zamoyski … writes with the dash of a Polish cavalry officer.' Independent

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Book SynopsisFrom Larry Siedentop, acclaimed author of Democracy in Europe, Inventing the Individual is a highly original rethinking of how our moral beliefs were formed and their impact on western society today''Magisterial, timeless, beautifully written ... Siedentop has achieved something quite extraordinary. He has explained us to ourselves'' SpectatorThis ambitious and stimulating book describes how a moral revolution in the first centuries AD - the discovery of human freedom and its universal potential - led to a social revolution in the west. The invention of a new, equal social role, the individual, gradually displaced the claims of family, tribe and caste as the basis of social organisation. Larry Siedentop asks us to rethink the evolution of the ideas on which modern societies and government are built, and argues that the core of what is now our system of beliefs emerged much earlier than we think. The roots of liberalism - belief in individTrade ReviewMagisterial, timeless, beautifully written ... Siedentop has achieved something quite extraordinary. He has explained us to ourselves * Spectator *One of the most stimulating books of political theory to have appeared in many years ... a refreshingly unorthodox account of the roots of modern liberalism in medieval Christian thinking -- John Gray * Literary Review *A brave, brilliant and beautifully written defence of the western tradition -- Paul Lay * History Today *Thoroughly interesting and fundamentally convincing ... admirably nuanced ... formidable ... Inventing the Individual is written with effortless lucidity -- Jeffrey Collins * TLS *An engrossing book of ideas ... illuminating, beautifully written and rigorously argued -- Kenan Malik * Independent *A most impressive work of philosophical history -- Robert Skidelsky

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Book SynopsisColm Tóibín's Lady Gregory's Toothbrush is a beautiful insight into the life of outspoken Irishwoman, Augusta Gregory.A remarkable figure in Celtic history, she was married to an MP and land-owner, yet retained an unprecedented independence of both thought and deed, actively championing causes close to her heart. At once conservative and radical in her beliefs, she saw no conflict in idealizing and mythologizing the Irish peasantry, for example, while her landlord husband introduced legislation that would, in part, lead to the widespread misery, poverty and starvation of the Great Famine. Nevertheless, as founder of the Abbey Theatre, an outspoken opponent of censorship, and mentor, muse, and mother-figure to W. B. Yeats, Augusta Gregory played a pivotal role in shaping Irish literary and dramatic history. Moreover, despite her parents’ early predictions of spinsterhood, she was no matronly figure, engaging in a passionate affair while Trade ReviewBiographical portraits are too often nowadays smudged in a surfeit of words . . . this one is a brilliant illumination. * Spectator *

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