History Books
Oxford University Press The Roman Republic A Very Short Introduction Very
Book SynopsisHere, David Gwynn reflects on the remarkable legacy of the Roman Republic. The rise and fall of the Republic holds a special place in the history of Western civilization; it has been presented as a model, a source of inspiration, but also a warning. Placing the events in their wider context, he provides a fascinating history of culture and society.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; CHRONOLOGY; THE ROMAN CONSTITUTION; FURTHER READING; INDEX
£9.49
Oxford University Press Romes Mediterranean Empire Books 4145 and the
Book Synopsis''I will do as the Senate decrees.''These words from one of Rome''s opponents encapsulate the authority Rome achieved by its subjugation of the Mediterranean. The Third Macedonian War, recounted in this volume, ended the kingdom created by Philip II and Alexander the Great and was a crucial step in Rome''s eventual dominance. For Livy, the story is also a fascinating moral study of the vices and virtues that hampered and promoted Rome''s efforts in the conflict. He presents the war not so much as a battle against Perseus, Alexander''s last and unworthy successor, than as a struggle within the Roman national character. Only traditional moral strength, embodied in Lucius Aemilius Paullus, the general who ultimately defeats Perseus, ensures the Roman victory.This edition also includes the Periochae, later summaries of Livy''s entire original 142-book history of Rome from its founding to the age of Augustus (of which only 35 books survive).The complete Livy in English, available in five volumes from Oxford World''s Classics. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
£13.29
Oxford University Press Romes Italian Wars
Book SynopsisIn Books 6 to 10 of his monumental history of Rome, Livy deals with the period in which Rome recovered from its Gallic disaster to impose mastery over almost the entire Italian peninsula in a series of ever greater wars. Vivid portrayals of personalities, politics, warfare, and religion bring 4th-century Italy vividly alive in this new translation.
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd The Death of Yugoslavia
Book SynopsisThe Death of Yugoslavia is a survey of the pressures and events that contributed to the break-up of former Yugoslavia, considered from a historical rather than a political or sociological point of view.
£14.24
Oxford University Press The CompanyState Corporate Sovereignty And The
Book SynopsisAlmost since the event itself in 1757, the English East India Company''s victory over the forces of the nawab of Bengal and the territorial acquisitions that followed has been perceived as the moment when the British Empire in India was born. Examining the Company''s political and intellectual history in the century prior to this supposed transformation, The Company-State rethinks this narrative and the nature of the early East India Company itself. In this book, Philip J. Stern reveals the history of a corporation concerned not simply with the bottom line but also with the science of colonial governance. Stern demonstrates how Company leadership wrestled with typical early modern problems of political authority, such as the mutual obligations of subjects and rulers; the relationships among law, economy, and sound civil and colonial society; the constitution of civic institutions ranging from tax collection and religious practice to diplomacy and warmaking; and the nature of jurisdiction and sovereignty over people, territory, and the sea. Their ideas emerged from abstract ideological, historical, and philosophical principles and from the real-world entanglements of East India Company employees and governors with a host of allies, rivals, and polyglot populations in their overseas plantations. As the Company shaped this colonial polity, it also confronted shifting definitions of state and sovereignty across Eurasia that ultimately laid the groundwork for the Company''s incorporation into the British empire and state through the eighteenth century.Challenging traditional distinctions between the commercial and imperial eras in British India, as well as a colonial Atlantic world and a trading world of Asia, The Company-State offers a unique perspective on the fragmented nature of state, sovereignty, and empire in the early modern world.Trade ReviewWith great skill, Stern has extracted from the archives a cogent and highly engaging narrative of events that even participants found highly tremendously confusing. He deftly conveys the world of the East India company, marshaling striking visual materials and wonderfully evocative quotations from a wide array of Company documents. * Radical History Review *A thought-provoking reinterpretation that will compel us to reexamine assumptions about colonial companies in general. * H-Net *In a work of deep erudition and striking originality Philip Stern deftly demolishes many of the categories by which we try to organize our work: are states and companies really different animals, were the early modern Atlantic and Indian Oceans distinct worlds, what, if anything, was new about the post-Plassey British Indian empire? We are politely but firmly directed back to the drawing board. * P. J. Marshall, King's College London *In The Company-State, Philip Stern has made an important contribution not only to studies of empire, but to early modern history in general. This is an important and innovative reconsideration of the East India Company as a political actor in the first phase of its career. This incisively crafted book will be widely read, cited, and debated. * Sanjay Subrahmanyam, University of California, Los Angeles *A bracing re-thinking of the early modern East India Company and its role in shaping English practices of empire, governance, 'trade,' and polity, Philip Stern's book will replace all previous studies on the topic. * Kathleen Wilson, Stony Brook University *Table of ContentsIntroduction: "A State in the Disguise of a Merchant" ; Part I: Foundations ; Chapter 1 "Planning & Peopling Your Colony": Building a Company-State ; Chapter 2 "A Sort of Republic for the Management of Trade": The Jurisdiction of a Company-State ; Chapter 3 "A Politie of Civill and Military Power": Diplomacy, War, and Expansion ; Chapter 4 "Politicall Science and Martiall Prudence": Political Thought and Political Economy ; Chapter 5 "The Most Sure and Profitable Sort of Merchandice": Protestantism and Piety ; Part II: Transformations ; Chapter 6 "Great Warrs Leave Behind them Long Tales": Crisis and Response in Asia after 1688 ; Chapter 7 Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae": Crisis and Response in Britain after 1688 ; Chapter 8 "The Day of Small Things": Civic Governance in the New Century ; Chapter 9 "A Sword in One Hand & Money in the Other": Old Patterns, New Rivals ; Conclusion "A Great and Famous Superstructure" ; Abbreviations ; Glossary ; Notes ; Index
£32.79
Penguin Books Ltd An Imperial Possession
Book SynopsisPart of the Penguin History of Britain series, An Imperial Possession is the first major narrative history of Roman Britain for a generation. David Mattingly draws on a wealth of new findings and knowledge to cut through the myths and misunderstandings that so commonly surround our beliefs about this period. From the rebellious chiefs and druids who led native British resistance, to the experiences of the Roman military leaders in this remote, dangerous outpost of Europe, this book explores the reality of life in occupied Britain within the context of the shifting fortunes of the Roman Empire.
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd Tyerman C Gods War
Book SynopsisThe story of how a group of warriors, driven by faith, greed and wanderlust, carved out new Christian-ruled states in the Middle East is one of the most extraordinary of all epics. The crusaders'' stunning initial success started a sequence of great Crusades, each with its own story, that fundamentally shaped the Christian and Muslim worlds for two centuries, until the last Crusader castles were finally expunged. The energy and commitment that sent army after army into the eastern Mediterranean also led to the invasion and conversion of Central and Baltic Europe, Spain, Portugal, the destruction of the Cathars in Provence and the settlement of America. Told with great verve and authority, God''s War is the definitive account of a fascinating but also horrifying story.We are still living with the images and legends of the crusadesTyerman tells us how the Church set about preaching the crusades, exploiting the perennial pessimism and guilt of the European nobility of the Middle Ages. He shows how crusading ideology penetrated the religious sensibility of the period, as well as its secular fiction and poetryOf all the modern histories of the crusades it is the shrewdest, the most reliable and the most complete.' The Spectator
£19.80
Penguin Books Ltd The Shadow of the Sun
Book Synopsis''Only with the greatest of simplifications, for the sake of convenience, can we say Africa. In reality, except as a geographical term, Africa doesn''t exist''. Ryszard Kapuscinski has been writing about the people of Africa throughout his career. In astudy that avoids the official routes, palaces and big politics, he sets out to create an account of post-colonial Africa seen at once as a whole and as a location that wholly defies generalised explanations. It is both a sustained meditation on themosaic of peoples and practises we call ''Africa'', and an impassioned attempt to come to terms with humanity itself as it struggles to escape from foreign domination, from the intoxications of freedom, from war and from politics as theft.
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd The Roman History The Reign of Augustus Penguin
Book SynopsisFollowing Rome's long road to peace after decades of civil war, Cassius Dio provides the fullest account of the reign of the first emperor in Books 50 through 60 of his Roman History.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 throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Table of ContentsRoman History: The Reign of AugustusIntroduction by John CarterBibliographical NoteAcknowledgmentsA Note on the TextThe Roman HistoryNotesChronological TableList of ConsulsKey to Place-NamesMaps1. Italy2. North-West Europe3. Germany4. South-East and Western Anatolia5. The Middle East6. North-Western Africa7. Egypt8. The Balkans9. South Russia10. Plan of Rome11. SpainIndex
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd The Conquest of New Spain
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.
£11.69
The University of Chicago Press Masters of Theory Cambridge and the Rise of
Book SynopsisAndrew Warwick shows how Britain educated many leading mathematical physicists during the 19th and early 20th century. Their knowledge transformed our understanding of everything from the flight of a boomerang to the structure of the universe.
£38.00
The University of Chicago Press What Soldiers Do
Book SynopsisPresents a devastating new perspective on the Greatest Generation and the liberation of France, one in which the US military use the lure of easy, sexually available French women to sell soldiers on the invasion, thus unleashing a tsunami of male lust among the war-weary GIs.Trade Review"Roberts has amassed an enormous amount of detailed information and her... book provides a refreshing view of the price of liberation." (Literary Review) "In this vivid account of GIs in wartime France, Roberts documents how the Greatest Generation was sometimes as badly behaved beyond the battlefield as it was brave in combat. What Soldiers Do is not a conventional history. It deeply-and often colorfully-textures our understanding of the experiences of men at war, the contours of mid-twentieth-century sexual (and racial) mores, and the frequently ignorant and even lurid attitudes toward other peoples that attended America's ascent to global hegemony." (David M. Kennedy, author of Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War) "This clear-eyed examination of what randy American soldiers got up to in France from D-Day through 1946 strips away the sentimentality from the overworked, cliched portrayal of the Greatest Generation." (Publishers Weekly)"
£19.00
Yale University Press Prince Henry the Navigator
Book SynopsisA re-evaluation of the life of the legendary 15th-century Portuguese prince, Henry the Navigator. It examines the full range of the Prince's activities as an imperialist and as a maritime, cartographical and navigational pioneer.Trade Review"To register the immense difference separating Henry's mind and world from what followed is the central achievement of this accomplished and delightfully written book. It rests not only on Professor Russell's mastery of the most recent scholarship, but on the closeness and acuteness of his own reading of often fragmentary and incomplete sources... The outcome may well be the finest work of history to be published this year." J. M. Roberts, Times Literary Supplement "An outstanding volume that will take decades to supersede." Frank McLynn, New Statesman "Russell presents a... fascinating man in a superbly written and thought-provoking book." Economist "An illuminating and well-written life of the founding figure of the Age of Exploration... A complete, scholarly, and thoroughly readable look at one of the key shapers of the modern world - lavishly illustrated with period maps and paintings." Kirkus Reviews
£24.71
Yale University Press The Destruction of the European Jews
Book SynopsisA three-volume study of the Holocaust. First published in 1961, Raul Hilberg's account of how Germany annihilated the Jewish community of Europe spurred discussion and shaped the field of Holocaust studies. This expanded edition includes new material, particularly from archives in Eastern Europe.
£185.25
Oxford University Press The Holy Land An Oxford Archaeological Guide
Book SynopsisA new, fully updated edition of the world's leading guide to the historical sites of the Holy Land, providing the ultimate guide to all the main Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sites.Trade ReviewAll who plan to visit the Holy Land in the coming years should buy a copy of this excellent guide * J. Day, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament *Table of ContentsPART 1; PART 2
£23.84
Pan Macmillan Stalin
Book SynopsisRobert Service is the author of Lenin: A Biography, and Russia: Experiment with a People and is the author of numerous other books on Russian history, including his History of Twentieth Century Russia
£15.29
Cornerstone Hanns and Rudolf
Book SynopsisMoving from the Middle-Eastern campaigns of the First World War to bohemian Berlin in the 1920s, to the horror of the concentration camps and the trials in Belsen and Nuremberg, this book tells the story of two German men whose lives diverged, and intersected, in an unusual way.Trade ReviewThomas Harding has shed intriguing new light on the strange poison of Nazism, and one of its most lethal practitioners... Meticulously researched and deeply felt. -- Ben Macintyre * The Times, Book of the Week *Fascinating and moving...This is a remarkable book, which deserves a wide readership. -- Max Hastings * The Sunday Times *A gripping thriller, an unspeakable crime, an essential history. -- John Le CarréThis is a stunning book...both chilling and deeply disturbing. It is also an utterly compelling and exhilarating account of one man's extraordinary hunt for the Kommandant of the most notorious death camp of all, Auschwitz-Birkenau. -- James HollandOnly at his great uncle’s funeral in 2006 did Thomas Harding discover that Hanns Alexander, whose Jewish family fled to Britain from Nazi Germany in the 1930s, hunted down and captured Rudolf Höss, the ruthless commandant of Auschwitz, at the end of World War Two. By tracing the lives of these two men in parallel until their dramatic convergence in 1946, Harding puts the monstrous evil of the Final Solution in two specific but very different human contexts. The result is a compelling book full of unexpected revelations and insights, an authentic addition to our knowledge and understanding of this dark chapter in European history. No-one who starts reading it can fail to go on to the end. -- David Lodge
£11.69
Seven Stories Press,U.S. Columbus And Other Cannibals: The Wetiko Disease
Book SynopsisUpdated edition of the classic anti-civilization text by celebrated American Indian thinker Jack Forbes.
£19.02
The University of Chicago Press Unfinished Gestures Devadasis Memory and
Book SynopsisPresents the social and cultural history of courtesans in South India who are generally called devadasis, focusing on their encounters with colonial modernity in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This title charts the historical fissures that lie beneath cultural modernity in South India.Trade Review"Sensitive, sympathetic, and very well-written, Unfinished Gestures moves the debate about devadasis in a new and interesting direction and will be the standard bearer in the field. Soneji's ethnographic work supports his historical claims and brings to life the poignancy of contemporary devadasis' lives." (Janaki Bakhle, Columbia University)"
£26.60
Yale University Press Henry V
Book SynopsisBased on primary sources in both English and French archives, this biography depicts the reign of Henry V in the broad European context of the period. It concludes that through his personality the king united the country in war but also provided domestic security and solid government.
£23.75
Yale University Press Fighting for the Cross Crusading to the Holy Land
Book SynopsisIn a series of massive military undertakings that stretched from 1095 to 1291, Christendom's armies won, defended, and lost the sacred sites of the Holy Land. This book recreates the experience of crusading, from the elation of taking up the cross to the difficult adjustments at home when the war was over.Trade Review"Accessible to a general audience. . . . A study that succeeds in providing us with a better understanding of what the experience of crusading entailed."—Vincent Ryan, America -- Vincent Ryan * America *“Distinctive and compellingly contemporary . . . fascinating.” —Timothy Renick, Christian Century -- Timothy Renick * Christian Century *"Housley demonstrates an effortless familiarity with a wide variety of primary sources, iconography, and secondary literature. . . . It essentially represents the state of crusade studies in the twenty-first century. . . . Fighting for the Cross will both inform and entertain students and the general public. At the same time the work is deeply grounded in the source material and current secondary literature about crusading. The fact that it covers so many topics concisely, but well, is what makes the book particularly valuable."--Laurence W. Marvin, Canadian Journal of History -- Laurence W. Marvin * Canadian Journal of History *". . . it does a fantastic job of drawing readers into the medieval world and describing the crusades in light of that world. . . . for anyone seeking to understand the events and ethos of the crusading enterprise in the Holy Land, Fighting for the Cross is highly recommended."—Adam S. Francisco, Concordia Theological Quarterly -- Adam S. Francisco * Concordia Theological Quarterly *
£30.88
Yale University Press The Persians Ancient Mediaeval and Modern Iran
Book SynopsisIran has gained attention mostly for negative reasons but there is much more to the story of this ancient land than can be gleaned from the news. This comprehensive history of Iran covers the history of the area from the foundation of the ancient Persian empire to Iranian state.Trade Review"Katouzian is a convincing analyst of Iranian history."—Robert Carver, The Tablet"Maybe the broadest and best overview available in English of a country which we need urgently to understand better. It should be required holiday readings in the Foreign Office, and maybe the White House too."—Stephen Howe, Independent (History Book of the Year selection)"Iran’s has been a history full of glories, and they’re all here . . . in this distinguished study . . . [Persians is] awe-inspiring in its scope and its scholarly reach."—Scotsman"Homa Katouzian’s book [is] well on its way to becoming a standard text on this complex and culturally rich country."—Belinda Webb, Tribune". . . a compelling and thought-provoking introduction to this history of the Persian people from Cyrus the Great to Ahmadinejad."—David Blow, Journal of the Iran Society
£18.99
Yale University Press The Virgin Warrior
Book SynopsisFrance's great heroine and England's great scourge: whether a lunatic, a witch, a religious icon, or a skilled soldier and leader, Joan of Arc's contemporaries found her as extraordinary and fascinating as the legends that abound about her today. This book paints a portrait of Joan as a self-confident, charismatic and supremely determined figure.Trade Review"Larissa Juliet Taylor seeks the Joan of Arc who actually lived. It is a stunning portrayal rarely encountered. Joan is intelligent, strong, articulate, and above all inspirational. If you have been looking for one book that explains how this remarkable teenage girl could accomplish all that she achieved, then this is it." - Mack P. Holt, author of The French Wars of Religion -- Mack P. Holt"Larissa Juliet Taylor has written a fresh and provocative biography of La Pucelle by emphasizing her transformation from a naive girl to a strong-willed, bold, and gifted captain of war who imposed her will on a kingdom and on history. This is an absorbing book that is almost impossible to put down." - Frederic J. Baumgartner, author of France in the Sixteenth Century -- Frederic J. Baumgartner"This fine biography brings Joan fully to life not as a symbol for other eras but as a remarkable flesh and blood woman, who shaped her country and her times." - Keith P. Luria, North Carolina State University -- Keith P. Luria"Larissa Juliet Taylor goes deep into Joan of Arc's heart and soul and shows us the maiden, the warrior and the heroine. She brings fourteenth century France to teeming, vibrant life and tells Joan's story with true sensitivity. Fascinating." - Kate Williams, author of Becoming Queen -- Kate Williams‘An admirably nuanced, critical biography, which, in its straightforward approach to the sources, serves as a necessary corrective to much current scholarship…Taylor uses original and hitherto unexploited source material to great effect.’—Brenda Bolton, Church Times -- Brenda Bolton * Church Times *"Taylor succeeds in producing a clear and exceptionally accessible biography. When she describes how 'The subtleties of court politics... were lost on Joan, pieces of a puzzle she never figured out. She heard what she wanted to hear, that the king would no longer make truces with Burgundy and that she would be able to take the fight to them' (p. 113), the reader cannot help but think that this portrait of Joan is an authentic one."—David J. Hay, The Journal of Military History -- David J. Hay * Journal of Military History *"By providing a straightforward narrative of Joan's life, reliant primarily upon English-language sources, Taylor orients this book towards a general audience. By attempting to make sense of this life and, in doing so, to make it less strange, she renders the book of interest to scholarly readers."—Karen Sullivan, Renaissance Quarterly -- Karen Sullivan * Renaissance Quarterly *‘Larissa Juliet Taylor succeeds in presenting Joan differently…not simply as a saint in the making which is what many previous biographers have done…This account however is a clear, concise and illuminating one, which goes some way to present Joan in a more human light.’ — Belinda Webb, Tribune -- Belinda Webb * Tribune *'An extraordinary story that is here told with understanding, sympathy, and authority.' — Contemporary Review * Contemporary Review *". . . fresh points and analysis derived from many years of in-depth research and even more pondering. . . . [Joan's] story will doubtlessly continue to be told. But few will tell it as well as Larissa Taylor has."—Kelly DeVries, Speculuma Journal of Medieval Studies -- Kelly DeVries * Speculuma Journal of Medieval Studies *
£14.24
Yale University Press Captain Cook
Book SynopsisThe age of discovery was at its peak in the eighteenth century, with heroic adventurers charting the furthest reaches of the globe. Foremost among these explorers was navigator and cartographer Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy. This book reveals Cook's place in history as a brave and brilliant seaman.Trade Review"'McLynn's biography is well researched and respectful.' (John de Falbe, The Spectator) 'Frank McLynn has no doubt about Captain Cook's status... the finest maritime explorer in the history of the world... He proves it in a meticulous rollercoaster chronicle.' (Duncan Fallowell, Daily Express) 'A first-class biography by a prominent British historian, Frank McLynn.' (John M. Taylor, The Washington Times)"
£18.04
Yale University Press The Spanish Inquisition
Book SynopsisA survey of the Spanish Inquisition, that sets the notorious Christian tribunal into the broader context of Islamic and Jewish culture in the Mediterranean, reassesses its consequences for Jewish culture, measures its impact on Spain's intellectual life, and rebuts the myths and exaggerations that have distorted understandings of the Inquisition.Trade Review"Kamen’s 1965 The Spanish Inquisition set a standard of clarity and objectivity in a traditionally contentious field. This new edition, the fruit of 50 years of scholarship and meditation, corrects with hard facts and penetrating analysis many entrenched myths about Spain and her 350-year-long Inquisition. It will set the agenda for the next generation of Spanish intellectual historians."—David Gitlitz, author of Secrecy and Deceit: The Religion of the Crypto-Jews"Kamen's work remains the most accessible, comprehensive, and substantively argued English-language introduction to the Spanish Inquisition."—Kimberly Lynn, Western Washington University
£21.38
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group The Great War for Civilisation
Book SynopsisA sweeping and dramatic history of the last half century of conflict in the Middle East from an award-winning journalist who has covered the region for over forty years, The Great War for Civilisation unflinchingly chronicles the tragedy of the region from the Algerian Civil War to the Iranian Revolution; from the American hostage crisis in Beirut to the Iran-Iraq War; from the 1991 Gulf War to the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. A book of searing drama as well as lucid, incisive analysis, The Great War for Civilisation is a work of major importance for today's world.
£23.75
Yale University Press The Retreat of the Elephants
Book SynopsisPresenting an environmental history of China, this book is based on literary, political, aesthetic, scientific, and religious sources that reveal the views of the Chinese people toward their environment and landscape.Trade Review"by far the best history of the interaction between the traditional Chinese and their surroundings... stupendously learned." Jonathan Mirsky, Literary Review "majestic depth and brutal detail... a heavyweight work.' Simon Barnes, The Times "Masterly and engaging... Essential for those who want to understand the long sweep of Chinese history, and it will enhance the perspective of those who think they already understand it. A scholarly tour de force." J. R. McNeill, Wilson Quarterly "Elvin combines an illuminating account of the 4,000 year-long collision of humans and nature with delightful tidbits about everything under the Chinese sun... A magisterial work." Nicholas D. Kristof, Scientific American"
£18.99
Oxford University Press Radical Enlightenment
Book Synopsis"The Radical Enlightenment" was a set of ideas which helped lay the foundations of the modern world on the basis of equality, democracy, secularism, and universality. This study by cultural historian, Jonathan Israel, shows how Spinoza and his thought set the intellectual current towards the political revolutions of the later 18th century.Trade ReviewThe tributes which Israel has received for Radical Enlightenment are thoroughly merited; this book will become a modern classic upon the subject. * David J. Sturdy, Cultural and Social History 2004-2006 *Deserves to be widely read because it is an example of ground-breaking vastly well-informed and thoroughly new history * David Horspool, The Guardian *The scholarship is breathtaking. Israel has read everything, absorbed every nuance, followed up every byway ... Five years from now, our views of the Enlightenment will have been enormously influenced by Israel. * Peter Watson, New Statesman *There is much to praise in Israel's majestic account of the Enlightenment and his detective work in placing Spinoza at the heart of it. * A.C. Grayling, FT Weekend *Magnificent and magisterial, Radical Enlightenment will undoubtedly be one of truly great historical works of the decade. * John Adamson, Sunday Telegraph *We have gained a much more detailed and fine-grained view of the sheer diversity and intellectual creativity not just amongst those who may have been influenced by Spinoza, but also amongst their critics, and those who may be deemed part of either the moderate Enlightenment or even a Counter-Enlightenment. * Professor Thomas Munck, Reviews in History *Table of ContentsI. THE 'RADICAL ENLIGHTENMENT'; II. THE RISE OF PHILOSOPHICAL RADICALISM; III. EUROPE AND THE 'NEW' INTELLECTUAL CONTROVERSIES 1680-1720; IV. THE INTELLECTUAL COUNTER-OFFENSIVE; V. THE CLANDESTINE PROGRESS OF THE RADICAL ENLIGHTENMENT 1680-1750
£52.25
Vintage Publishing Lords of the Horizons
Book SynopsisPerhaps the most readable history ever written' Time OutLords of the Horizons charts the Ottoman Empire''s swirling epic history; dramatic detailed and alive a journey, and a world all in one.The Ottoman Empire has long exerted a strong pull on Western minds and hearts. For over six hundred years the Empire swelled and declined; rising from a dusty fiefdom in the foothills of Anatolia to a power which ruled over the Danube and the Euphrates with the richest court in Europe. But its decline was prodigious, protracted, and total.A fascinating read...a perfect companion for anyone who visits Turkey and wants to make sense of it' The TimesTrade ReviewA fascinating read... a perfect companion for anyone who visits Turkey and wants to make sense of it and those countries it once ruled' * The Times *As plush as a Turkish carpet... Godwin weaves together the threads of barbarism and civilisation with dazzling panache -- Piers Brendon * Mail on Sunday *So rich, so detailed and so astonishing as to be a book of wonders in itself -- Jan Morris * Independent *Perhaps the most readable history ever written on anything * Time Out *
£11.69
Picador When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin
Book SynopsisMore addictive and mind-blowing true tales from history, told by Giles Milton-one of today's most entertaining and accessible yet always intelligent and illuminating historiansIn When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin Robbed a Bank, the second installment in his outrageously entertaining series, History's Unknown Chapters, Giles Milton shows his customary historical flair as he delves into the little-known stories from history, like when Stalin was actually assassinated with poison by one of his inner circle; the Russian scientist, dubbed the Red Frankenstein, who attempted to produce a human-ape hybrid through ethically dubious means; the family who survived thirty-eight days at sea with almost no water or supplies after their ship was destroyed by a killer whale; or the plot that served as a template for 9/11 in which four Algerian terrorists attempted to hijack a plane and fly it into the Eiffel Tower.
£14.40
Macmillan Learning Slave Revolution in the Caribbean 17891804
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£23.74
Pathfinder Press Socialism and Man in Cuba
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£6.93
Haymarket Books On Palestine
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£12.77
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Big History and the Future of Humanity
Book Synopsisbig history and the future of humanity This remains the best single attempt to theorize big history as a discipline that can link core concepts and paradigms across all historical disciplines, from cosmology to geology, from biology to human history. With additional and updated material, the Second Edition also offers a fine introduction to the history of big history and a superb introductory survey to the big history story. Essential reading for anyone interested in a rapidly evolving new field of scholarship that links the sciences and the humanities into a modern, science-based origin story.David Christian, Macquarie University Notable for its theoretic approach, this new Second Edition is both an indispensable contribution to the emerging big history narrative and a powerful university textbook. Spier defines words carefully and recognizes the limits of current knowledge, aspects of his own clear thinking.Cynthia Brown, EmTable of ContentsList of Figures viii List of Text Boxes x Preface and Acknowledgments xi A Short Time Line of Big History xx Chapter One Introduction to Big History 1 Introduction 1 Studying the Past 2 A Very Short History of Academic History 12 A Short History of Big History 18 A Historical Theory of Everything? 29 Chapter Two General Approach 42 Introduction 42 Matter and Energy 45 Complexity 48 Energy Flows and the Emergence of Complexity 54 The Goldilocks Principle 63 Chapter Three Cosmic Evolution: The Emergence of Simple Forms of Complexity 74 Introduction 74 The Big Bang: No Complexity 75 Recent Issues Concerning the Big Bang Scenario 77 The Radiation Era: The Emergence of Complexity at the Smallest Scales 80 The Matter Era: The Emergence of Complexity at Atomic and Molecular Scales 86 Galaxy Formation: The Emergence of Complexity at Larger Scales 89 The Emergence of Stars 95 Stars as Nuclear Forges 100 Chapter Four Our Cosmic Neighborhood: The Emergence of Greater Complexity 107 Introduction 107 The Galactic Habitable Zone 110 The Emergence of Our Cosmic Neighborhood 111 The Solar System Habitable Zone 116 Major Characteristics of Earth 118 Early Inner Planetary History 122 Early Earth History 125 Life Is Very Special 126 The Emergence of Life 130 Chapter Five Life on Earth: The Widening Range of Complexity 140 Life, Energy and Complexity 140 Planetary Energy Flows and Life 147 The Gaia Hypothesis 149 The Emergence of Energy Harvesting from Outside 153 The Emergence of the Biological Food Web 156 The Emergence of Multicellular Organisms 160 The Emergence of Brains and Consciousness 162 The Increase and Expansion of Biological Complexity 166 Conquest of the Land 168 Further Increasing Complexity 170 Chapter Six Early Human History: The Emergence of the Greatest Known Complexity 179 Introduction 179 What Makes Humans Different 180 Energy and Complexity 183 The Emergence of Early Humans 185 Improving Social Coordination 188 Tool Making and Brain Growth 189 Brains and Intestines 193 Fire Control 194 Migration 197 The Rise of Modern Humans 200 Early Religion 205 Chapter Seven Recent Human History: The Development of the Greatest Known Complexity 214 Introduction 214 The Agrarian Revolution 220 The Developing Agrarian Regime 229 Social Effects of the Agrarian Revolution 232 The Emergence of Agrarian Religions 234 Increasing Agricultural Complexity and Declining Untamed Complexity 235 Early State Formation 240 The Emergence of Big States 245 The Emergence of Moral Religions 247 Energy and Complexity in State Societies 251 The First Wave of Globalization 256 Industrialization: The Second Wave of Globalization 264 Informatization: The Third Wave of Globalization 271 Energy, Complexity and Goldilocks Circumstances 276 Chapter Eight Facing the Future 295 Introduction 295 A Very Short Overview of the Long Future of the Universe 299 The Future of Earth and Life 300 The Future of Humanity 301 The Availability of Matter and Energy 304 Exhaustion of Critical Resources and Growing Entropy 309 Will Humans Migrate to Other Planets? 311 Final Words 313 Index 318
£23.70
Vintage Publishing Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Book SynopsisThe American West, 1860-1890: years of broken promises, disillusionment, war and massacre.Beginning with the Long Walk of the Navajos and ending with the massacre of Sioux at Wounded Knee, this extraordinary book tells how the American Indians lost their land, lives and liberty to white settlers pushing westward.Trade ReviewOriginal, remarkable and finally heartbreaking...Impossible to put down * New York Times *Shattering, appalling, compelling * Washington Post *An essential insight into modern America * Daily Telegraph *Calculated to make the head pound, the heart ache and the blood boil * The Times *
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Weir A Eleanor Of Aquitaine
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 ReviewHer biography reads like a medieval romance, a marvellous intermingling of fact with legend...fascinating...splendid * Literary Review *Weir approaches Eleanor's story with an objective eye and a mass of primary and secondary source material. The result is as vivid as it is informative * The Times *Sensible and eminently readable * Times Literary Supplement *When you finish the book you feel you have been put painlessly (but not necessarily without tears) in possession of the facts of this extraordinary, indefatigable woman, her sufferings and triumphs -- Bevis Hillier * Spectator, Books of the Year *Triumphantly done * Sunday Times *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing A Train in Winter
Book SynopsisA moving and extraordinary book about courage and survival, friendship and endurance a portrait of ordinary women who faced the horror of the holocaust together.On an icy morning in Paris in January 1943, a group of 230 French women resisters were rounded up from the Gestapo detention camps and sent on a train to Auschwitz the only train, in the four years of German occupation, to take women of the resistance to a death camp. Of the group, only 49 survivors would return to France. Here is the story of these women told for the first time. A Train in Winter is a portrait of ordinary people, of their bravery and endurance, and of the friendships that kept so many of them alive. A story of stunning courage, generosity and hope' Mail on SundaySerious and heartfelt...profound' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewThis serious and heartfelt book does deliver on its promise of a tale of how female friendship "can make the difference between living and dying"... Profound -- Brian Schofield * Sunday Times *A harrowing but also uplifting shared story of friendship, courage and endurance * Independent *A story of stunning courage, generosity and hope. They risked their lives to defeat Fascism, by printing subversive literature, hiding Jewish friends or, in the case of one girl, simply insulting a French youth because he had decided to co-operate with the Nazis. The price they paid for their bravery was terrible. A Train in Winter could have been a sad, almost morbid book. In Moorehead's expert hands it is a triumphant one -- Kathryn Hughes * Mail on Sunday *Compassionate, meticulous and compulsively enthralling... This book is essential reading. The litany of names at the end, with their brief biographies (Yolande, Cecile, Poupette, Mitzy, Lucie...) reminds us weeping is not enough. It bears witness - and warns -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail *Moorehead tells her appalling story in measured prose that sets off perfectly the reader's growing sense of wonder that such heroism is possible * Guardian *
£10.44
Birlinn General The Cairngorms: A Secret History
Book SynopsisCairngorms: A Secret History is a series of journeys exploring barely known human and natural stories of the Cairngorm Mountains. It looks at a unique British landscape, its last great wilderness, with new eyes. History combines with travelogue in a vivid account of this elemental scenery. There have been rare human incursions into the Cairngorm plateau, and Patrick Baker tracks them down. He traces elusive wildlife and relives ghostly sightings on the summit of Ben Macdui. From the search for a long-forgotten climbing shelter and the locating of ancient gem mines, to the discovery of skeletal aircraft remains and the hunt for a mysterious nineteenth-century aristocratic settlement, he seeks out the unlikeliest and most interesting of features in places far off the beaten track. The cultural and human impact of this stunning landscape and reflections on the history of mountaineering are the threads which bind this compelling narrative together.Trade Review'Describing a series of walks, Baker illuminates the bleak landscape, revealing the many stories linked to its ruined bothies, ancient gem mines and even haunted summits' * FT Weekend *'Packed with great stories and vivid descriptions' * Scotland Outdoor *'Exploring the Cairngorms has been a lifetime fascination for Patrick Baker and in this book he generously shares the results' * Scotland Magazine *
£10.44
Cornerstone 102 Minutes
Book SynopsisJim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, native New Yorkers, veteran newspaper reporters, and winners of many awards together and separately, now work at the New York Times. Dwyer is the co-author of Two Seconds Under The World, an account of the 1993 effort to knock down the World Trade Centre, and of Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution and Other Dispatches from the Wrongly Convicted. He is also the author of Subway Lives: 24 Hours in the Life of the New York City Subway. Flynn, a special projects officer at the Times, was the newspaper's police bureau chief on September 11th 2001. He previously worked as a reporter for the New York Daily News, New York Newsday and the Stamford Advocate.Trade ReviewA heart-stopping, meticulous account ... a fitting tribute to the people caught up in one of the great dramas of our time ... a cathartic release * New York Times *Heartbreaking and inspiring * Boston Herald *With its tragic and preordained conclusion, the book becomes a tearjerker in the most essential way * Entertainment Weekly *Writing in a way that confers dignity on each subject ... This is one book that will stay with readers for a long time * People *Insightful, compassionate and unrelievedley tense * Baltimore Sun *
£10.44
Oxford University Press The Oxford Handbook of the History of
Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law provides an authoritative and original overview of the origins, concepts, and core issues of international law. The first comprehensive Handbook on the history of international law, it is a truly unique contribution to the literature of international law and relations. Pursuing both a global and an interdisciplinary approach, the Handbook brings together some sixty eminent scholars of international law, legal history, and global history from all parts of the world. Covering international legal developments from the 15th century until the end of World War II, the Handbook consists of over sixty individual chapters which are arranged in six parts. The book opens with an analysis of the principal actors in the history of international law, namely states, peoples and nations, international organisations and courts, and civil society actors. Part Two is devoted to a number of key themes of the history of international law, such as peace and war, the sovereignty of states, hegemony, religion, and the protection of the individual person. Part Three addresses the history of international law in the different regions of the world (Africa and Arabia, Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean, Europe), as well as ''encounters'' between non-European legal cultures (like those of China, Japan, and India) and Europe which had a lasting impact on the body of international law. Part Four examines certain forms of ''interaction or imposition'' in international law, such as diplomacy (as an example of interaction) or colonization and domination (as an example of imposition of law). The classical juxtaposition of the civilized and the uncivilized is also critically studied. Part Five is concerned with problems of the method and theory of history writing in international law, for instance the periodisation of international law, or Eurocentrism in the traditional historiography of international law. The Handbook concludes with a Part Six, entitled People in Portrait, which explores the life and work of twenty prominent scholars and thinkers of international law, ranging from Muhammad al-Shaybani to Sir Hersch Lauterpacht.The Handbook will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of international law. It provides historians with new perspectives on international law, and increases the historical and cultural awareness of scholars of international law. It is the standard reference work for the global history of international law.Trade ReviewThe Handbook on the History of International Law is an excellent and up-to-date contribution to a broad topic that has increasingly attracted the interest of academia in the last years. The editors certainly succeeded in bringing together a broad range of renowned experts on the various fi elds covered. It certainly deserves its place in the bookshelves of any international lawyers library. * Ralph Janik, Austrian Review of International and European Law Online *Shelley's interlocutor in Ozymandias paints a bleak picture of the fate which has befallen the Pharaoh's statue: 'Nothing beside remains. Round the decay / Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away ' ... Thanks to interventions such as those organised by Fassbender and Peters in this excellent volume, the historians of international law need not fear such a fate befalling their discipline-indeed, its future has never seemed brighter or more vibrant. * Cameron A. Miles, The British Yearbook of International Law *By any measure, the book is a substantial achievement, and it will be widely and rewardingly consulted for many years to come. * Jacob Katz Cogan, University of Cincinnati, American Journal of International Law *Impressive and timely volume * Rose Parfitt, Global Law Books *The volume does a marvelous job of hemming the topic in, but pays a price for its breadth and the erudition of its contributors by leaving the reader ungratefully greedy for further contextualization and (historical) policy detail - sparking this hunger in the reader though is a true vindication of a handbook of this sort. * Wouter P. F. Schmit Jongbloed, ASIL Cables *The Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law innovatively and comprehensively provides a timely and ambitious global history of international law from the sixteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Under the skilled editorship of Bardo Fassbender and Anne Peters, the contributors, experts who themselves come from all parts of the world, present a history that imagines international law as the product of different regions, cultures, actors, and eras. Setting a new agenda for the field, the Handbook will be the indispensable starting point for students and researchers exploring the history of international law. * ASIL Award Citation *There is no doubt that The Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law will become what editors and authors intended," the new standard reference work for the global history of international law," provides the reader with a broad spectrum of useful information on a high level which is not easily assembled. * Karl Heinz Ziegler, German Yearbook of International Law *Table of ContentsPART ONE: ACTORS; PART TWO: THEMES; PART THREE: REGIONS; I. AFRICA AND ARABIA; II. ASIA; III. THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN; IV. EUROPE; V. ENCOUNTERS; PART FOUR: INTERACTION OR IMPOSITION; PART FIVE: METHODOLOGY AND THEORY; PART SIX: PEOPLE IN PORTRAIT
£53.00
Oxford University Press Mona Lisa
Book SynopsisRead this book and the world''s most famous image will never look the same again. For the world''s greatest cultural icon still has secrets to reveal - not the silly secrets that the ''Leonardo loonies'' continue to advance, but previously unknown facts about the lives of Leonardo, his father, Lisa Gherardini, the subject of the portrait, and her husband Francesco del Giocondo. From this factual beginning we see how the painting metamorphosed into a ''universal picture'' that became the prime vehicle for Leonardo''s prodigious knowledge of the human and natural worlds. We learn about the new money of the ambitious merchant who married into the old gentry of Lisa''s family. We discover Lisa''s life as a wife and mother, her association with sexual scandals, and her later life in a convent. We meet, for the first time, previously undiscovered members of Leonardo''s immediate family and discover new information about his early life. The tiny hill town of Vinci is placed before us, with itTrade ReviewKemp analyses the painting as a key to all of Leonardos thinking and works, describing it as the 'window of the soul', in which is reflected all the knowledge acquired by the artist-scientist in the course of his life spent in the study of anatomy, optics, perspective, geology, atmosphere, hydrology and the science of painting. * Pietro C. Marani, The Burlington Magazine *Elegantly-produced study. * Richard Owen, The Tablet *This well-researched book is also highly readable: after so many bunkum theories, the sober truth about the Mona Lisa's origins comes across as surprisingly radical and refreshing. * Alastair Smart, Prospect *Riveting reading... This book is a veritable mine of information. Beautifully written, it reaches out in an engaging and fluid way to those who know relatively little about the subject, whilst still imparting fascinating new evidence to the more experienced on the origins of the painting, and also about Mona Lisa herself. It is not just a further paean to 'the most famous painting in the world', it also offers to the reader a rich and tantalising picture of the world in which Leonardo da Vinci inhabited, and the huge part that an insignificant bourgeois woman, Mona Lisa del Gioconda, played in history. * Sandra Callard, On: Yorkshire Magazine *This book is state of-the-art informative and will be mightily useful for students. * James Hall, Literary Review *A model of clear-headed rationality, succinct, intriguing and marvellously readable. * Michael Bird, Daily Telegraph *[Kemp & Pallanti] marshal meticulous research into the family histories of painter, patron and subject; deep knowledge of the traditions and allusions of Renaissance art; and scientific analyses of the venerated object. * Philip Ball, Nature *Brings the portrait of the enigmatic Lisa into a sharper focus than ever before. * Ross King, Woodstock and Bladon News *Fascinating... revelatory... with their scholarly and fluent book Kemp and Pallanti have given Lisa Gherardini, mother and silk merchants wife, a new lease of authentic life and re-established the Mona Lisa as an extraordinary painting with ordinary origins. * Michael Prodger, The Sunday Times *[A] stimulating study grounded in documentary and literary sources, not to mention the painting itself.Readable and informative, this book is invaluable for offering a better understanding of the painting.Essential * na, CHOICE *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction 1: Old Gentry and New Money: Lisa and Francesco 2: Leonardo from Vinci 3: Ser Piero and Francesco 4: An intermittent History 1: Renaissance Records 5: An intermittent History 2: The Rise to Fame 6: From Portrait to Poetry 1: Dolce still nuovo 7: From Portrait to Poetry 2: Painter and Poets 8: The Universal Picture 9: Close Observation: Science Intervenes Conclusion Index Further Reading
£24.64
Oxford University Press Babylonia
Book SynopsisThe history of Ancient Babylonia in ancient Mesopatamia is epic. After playing host to three great empires, the Hammurabic and Kassite empires, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire ruled by Nebuchadnezzar, it was conquered by the Persians. Entered triumphantly by Alexander the Great, it later provided the setting for the Conquerer''s deathbed. Squabbled over by his heirs, Babylonia was subsequently dominated by the Parthian and Roman empires.In this Very Short Introduction, Trevor Bryce takes us on a journey of more than 2,000 years across the history and civilization of ancient Babylonia, from the emergence of its chief city, Babylon, as a modest village on the Euphrates in the 3rd millennium BC through successive phases of triumph, decline, and resurgence until its royal capital faded into obscurity in the Roman imperial era. Exploring key historical events as well as the day-to-day life of an ancient Babylonian, Bryce provides a comprehensive guide to one of history''s most profound civilizations. 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 ReviewIntroductory, readable, no footnotes. Excellent for the general reader seeking a starting point. * Ancient East & West *Fast-paced and gripping, written by a master scholar, this is a sweeping yet concentrated history of Babylon and Babylonia in the full context of the ancient Near East, from Sumerians to Romans. Jam-packed with details, maps, and interesting information, from Hammurabi's Law Code to Nebuchadnezzar's Ishtar Gate and beyond, this brief volume is well worth reading and rereading! * Eric H. Cline, George Washington University *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: The Old Babylonian Period 2: Babylonian Society through the perspective of Hammurabi's Laws 3: Old Babylonian Cities 4: The Kassites 5: Writing, Scribes and Literature 6: The Long Interlude 7: The Neo-Babylonian Empire 8: Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon 9: In the Aftermath Appendix: Astrology and astronomy Chronology of major events, periods, and rulers Further Reading References Index
£9.49
Oxford University Press The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon
Book SynopsisWhere was the Hanging Garden of Babylon and what did it look like? Why did the ancient Greeks and Romans consider it to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World? Renowned Babylonian expert Stephanie Dalley delves into the legends filled with myth and mystery to piece together the enigmatic history of this elusive world wonder.Trade ReviewThis wonderfully readable and meticulously researched book... is as gripping as any thriller, beautifully written and illustrated, with an astonishing conclusion. * Good Book Guide *Table of ContentsDEDICATION; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; LIST OF COLOUR PLATES; LIST OF FIGURES; TIME-LINE; GENERAL MAP
£15.29
Inner Traditions Bear and Company The Witches' Ointment: The Secret History of
Book SynopsisIn the medieval period preparations with hallucinogenic herbs were part of the practice of veneficium, or poison magic. This collection of magical arts used poisons, herbs, and rituals to bewitch, heal, prophesy, infect, and murder. In the form of psyche-magical ointments, poison magic could trigger powerful hallucinations and surrealistic dreams that enabled direct experience of the Divine. Smeared on the skin, these entheogenic ointments were said to enable witches to commune with various local goddesses, bastardized by the Church as trips to the Sabbat--clandestine meetings with Satan to learn magic and participate in demonic orgies. Examining trial records and the pharmacopoeia of witches, alchemists, folk healers, and heretics of the 15th century, Thomas Hatsis details how a range of ideas from folk drugs to ecclesiastical fears over medicine women merged to form the classical "witch" stereotype and what history has called the "witches' ointment." He shares dozens of psychoactive formulas and recipes gleaned from rare manuscripts from university collections from all over the world as well as the practices and magical incantations necessary for their preparation. He explores the connections between witches' ointments and spells for shape shifting, spirit travel, and bewitching magic. He examines the practices of some Renaissance magicians, who inhaled powerful drugs to communicate with spirits, and of Italian folk-witches, such as Matteuccia di Francisco, who used hallucinogenic drugs in her love potions and herbal preparations, and Finicella, who used drug ointments to imagine herself transformed into a cat. Exploring the untold history of the witches' ointment and medieval hallucinogen use, Hatsis reveals how the Church transformed folk drug practices, specifically entheogenic ones, into satanic experiences.Trade Review“The Witches’ Ointment is, remarkably, the first full-length treatment of a topic that is central to our understanding of European witchcraft. Did the witches use psychoactive substances or not? This has long been debated but often on the basis of prejudice or inadequate information. We are fortunate that Hatsis has written an authoritative account, drawing deeply on primary sources and pursuing original lines of thought. Entertaining and highly readable, this book seems destined to be the definitive work on the subject. No doubt it will inspire others to see the witch cult in a new light. Highly recommended to all those who are interested in witchcraft, the history of drugs, and the more unusual byways of culture. A fascinating book.” * Richard Rudgley, author of The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances *“Hatsis’s treatment of this woefully neglected area in the body of drug history scholarship is sublimely applied and will no doubt become an important fixture in the canon of pharmacography. Superb!” * Robert Dickins, publisher and editor of Psychedelic Press UK *“Tales of witches and toads, broomsticks and belladonna--documented herein are the exotic herbal potions and demonic flights of fancy that terrified and confounded the religious authorities of the Middle Ages. Exquisitely written and meticulously researched, Hatsis clears the supernatural mists of yore and roots out the various psychoactive agents lying at the heart of European witchcraft. A remarkably informative and wholly compelling read!” * Simon G. Powell, author of Magic Mushroom Explorer and The Psilocybin Solution *“In this remarkable book, Thomas Hatsis reveals the hidden truth behind history’s most legendary ointments--the medieval bewitching potions--that supposedly lubricated broomsticks and fueled extracorporeal mystical journeys and hallucinogenic night flights, setting the stage for strange entity encounters and unholy copulations, animal transformations, and miraculous healings as well as diabolical poisonings, dangerous delusional deceptions, and harmful “black magic.” In this impeccably researched and compulsively readable volume, Hatsis recovers the lost history of these magical medicinal brews and psychoactive formulas that have been hidden for centuries and hinted at in the mythic portrayal of witchcraft and sorcery. Hatsis’s scholarly research shines an illuminating spotlight on what is actually known about these visionary (and sometimes deadly) herbal mixes, and he expertly blends his meticulous studies with keen intuition in this uniquely envisioned volume, overflowing with rare historical treasures and fascinating speculations as well as the secret psychedelic ingredients for re-creating the legendary ointments. This book will appeal to anyone interested in herbal folk remedies, entheogenic medicine, the relationship between alchemy and science, and how heretical notions of healing influenced Western religious systems and modern medicine. A few words of caution: history compels you to use this book wisely or you may get burned at the stake!” * David Jay Brown, author of The New Science of Psychedelics and Frontiers of Psychedelic Consciousnes *“This wonderful book brews up a heady potion of folk herbs and psychedelics to intoxicate the conspiracy theorists and passionate disbelievers alike. With his objectivity and beautiful writing, Hatsis shines a light on the destructive Christocentric misogyny of the medieval world, whose holistic pagan medicine was certainly no more diabolical than our own modern Pharma Industry.” * Ben Sessa, MBBS, MRCPsych, author of The Psychedelic Renaissance *“A Historian of witchcraft, magic, Western religion, contemporary psychedelia, entheogens and medieval pharmacopeia, Thomas Hatis is well qualified to describe dozens of psychoactive formulas and recipes gleaned from rare manuscripts from all over the world as well as the practices and magical incantations necessary for their preparation. He also examines the various forms of sorcery such as poison magic and ecstatic trance, and explores the connections between the ointments and spells for shape shifting, spirit travel and bewitching magic. ” * New Dawn, Robert Black, December 2015 *This book is fascinating and reads like a well-written novel. But it is not a novel; it is a meticulously researched history, based on primary sources that were not easy to find. It is the beautiful fruit of a long, arduous scientific investigation that is presented in a light, easily readable style. * Giovanna Serenelli, Journal of Folklore Research *Table of ContentsForeword by Edward Bever, Ph.D. Acknowledgments Preface Introduction 1 Helen’s Tears 2 In the Silence of Deepest Night 3 The Heretics’ Potion 4 Roots of Bewitchment 5 Veneficia 6 Soporific Spells 7 Inception of the Satanic Witch 8 Lamiarum Unguentum 9 Morning on Bare Mountain Notes Bibliography Index
£14.24
NMSE - Publishing Ltd Crucible of Nations
Book SynopsisA new look at National Museums Scotland collections covering the period 800-1200: the fall of the Pictish kingdoms and rise of the Viking Age; the emergence of new players like Alba, Moray, Strathclyde, Galloway and the Norse Earldom of Orkney. Out of this turmoil were forged the roots of the kingdoms of Scotland and England.National Museums Scotland houses one of the most significant collections of Viking-age and early medieval artefacts in the world. This book offers new perspectives on star objects which have been on display for decades, and on lesser-known artefacts which have never been seen in public, and shows these in photographs taken specially for third part of The Glenmorangie Company Research Project.The previous two books coming out of the project are Early Medieval Scotland and Scotland's Early Silver.
£22.50
Yale University Press Prestige Manipulation and Coercion
Book SynopsisHow succession in authoritarian regimes was less a competition of visions for the future and more a settling of scoresTrade Review“[Torigian] is less interested in coalitions than the mechanics of transfers. Challenging conventional analyses of how authoritarian leaders are chosen, he argues that factors such as ideology and patronage matter less than brass-knuckle tactics.”—Ian Johnson, New York Review of Books“Do read Torigian’s Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion. . . . It’s great.”—Stuart Lau, Politico“Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion . . . is . . . useful for those interested in understanding how actors in Leninist systems fight for power.”—Martin Laflamme, Los Angeles Review of Books“[Torigian’s] ambitious first book re-examines critical junctures in Soviet and Chinese history, putting up a revisionist case against the consensus view of Deng Xiaoping and Nikita Khrushchev as reformers.”—John Delury, Global Asia“[S]pecialists will find much to ponder in this careful, detailed examination of a critical question in the functioning of authoritarian regimes.”—Mary Elise Sarotte, Engelsberg Ideas“[A] thought-provoking, rigorous contribution to the literature on elite politics under authoritarianism. . . . This book deserves to be widely read by scholars and students of Soviet and Chinese politics, communism, and authoritarianism in general.”—Cheng Chen, Russian Review“A careful and systematic comparison of the dynamics of leadership transition in the post-Stalin Soviet Union and post-Mao China.”—Peter Rutland, Political Science Quarterly“[Torigian’s] work is absolutely outstanding.”—Stephen Kotkin, ChinaTalk“The book makes a compelling case for the value of Sino-Soviet-Russian comparisons. . . . Must-reading for social scientists. . . . A major achievement.”—Thomas P. Bernstein, China Journal“Joseph Torigian makes a major contribution to the literature on authoritarian politics.”—Victor Shih, China Quarterly“There is much to ponder . . . [in] the novelty, analytical rigour and excellence of what is a demanding comparative study.”—S. A. Smith, Slavonic and Eastern European Review“The best account of the transition from Mao to Hua to Deng is Joseph Torigian’s book Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion.”—Neil Thomas, Asia Society Policy Institute“Joseph Torigian’s stellar research and personal interviews have produced a brilliant, meticulous study. It fundamentally undermines what political scientists have presumed to be the way Chinese Communist and Soviet politics operate.”—Dorothy J. Solinger, University of California, Irvine“Joseph Torigian combines history and political science in a remarkably acute and innovative study of leadership politics in the Soviet Union and China. It will help us understand authoritarian regimes today.”—David Holloway, Stanford University
£47.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The British on the Somme 1916 Images of War Rare
Book SynopsisPrimary source engravings, drawings and paintings with 100 images from the Great War period.
£11.24
Taylor & Francis Ltd (Sales) Boudica The British Revolt Against Rome AD 60 Roman Conquest of Britain The Roman Conquest of Britain
Book SynopsisQueen Boudica, leader of the Iceni, revolted against the Romans in AD60 only to have her efforts avenged by a humiliated Roman army. This lively and fascinating book examines in detail the evidence and theories which surround these events.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Chapter 1 Sources; Chapter 2 The Opposing Forces and the State of Britain 54 BC; Chapter 3 Britain between the Invasions 54 BC—AD 43; Chapter 4 The Conquest of AD 43; Chapter 5 The Storm Breaks AD 60; Chapter 6 The Evidence from the Ground; Chapter 7 The Trail of Destruction;
£36.09
