History Books

Book SynopsisThe astonishing drama of Cold War nuclear poker that divided humanity - reissued with a new Postscript to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the wall. During the night of 12–13 August 1961, a barbed-wire entanglement was hastily constructed through the heart of Berlin. It metamorphosed into a structure that would come to symbolise the insanity of the Cold War: the Berlin Wall. Frederick Taylor tells the story of the post-war political conflict that led to a divided Berlin and unleashed an East–West crisis, which lasted until the very people the Wall had been built to imprison breached it on 9 November 1989. Weaving together history, original archive research and personal stories, The Berlin Wall, now published in fifteen languages, is the definitive account of a divided city and its people in a time when humanity seemed to stand permanently on the edge of destruction.Trade ReviewA gripping, impassioned history of the Cold War’s most malevolent symbol * New York Times *Superb, fast-paced and readable history * Evening Standard *Masterful * Guardian *Compulsive reading -- London Review of Books

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Bestseller and insipration behind David Mitchell's Unruly'Entertaining and informative . . . Delightful' IndependentThere are many reasons to be fascinated by Germany: forests, architecture and fairy tales, not to mention its history and inhabitants’ penchant for very peculiar food. Our distant and often maligned cousin, this is a place in which innumerable strange characters have held power, in which a chaotic jigsaw of borders have moved about seemingly at random, and which at the dark heart of the 20th century fell into the hands of truly terrible forces. And now Simon Winder is here to tell us everything else there is to know about this mesmerizing, tortured and endlessly fascinating country.Germania is also a personal guide to the Germany that Simon Winder loves. In this startlingly vibrant account, Winder describes Germany’s past afresh, starting with the shaggy world of the ancient forests, all the way up to the present day – and in doing so, he sees and begins to understand a country much like our own: Protestant, aggressive and committed to betterment. Joining Danubia and Lotharingia in Winder’s endlessly fascinating retelling of European history, Germania is a brilliant, vivid and enthusiastic insight to the hidden wonders of GermanyTrade ReviewAn engrossing, informative and hilarious read * The Sunday Times *Magnificently crazy -- Will Self * Esquire *The high plateau of my year was my catching up with Simon Winder. Danubia and Germania are an idiosyncratic, often funny fusion of history writing, travel writing and disrespect. -- Sir Tom Stoppard * TLS *Travelogue and historical narrative are merged in a gloriously free-wheeling narrative of the entire sweep of German history. * The Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisWinner, 2021 Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize, given by the National Women''s Studies AssociationWinner, 2021 Harry Levin Prize, given by the American Comparative Literature AssociationWinner, 2021 Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ StudiesArgues that Blackness disrupts our essential ideas of race, gender, and, ultimately, the humanRewriting the pernicious, enduring relationship between Blackness and animality in the history of Western science and philosophy, Becoming Human: Matter and Meaning in an Antiblack World breaks open the rancorous debate between Black critical theory and posthumanism. Through the cultural terrain of literature by Toni Morrison, Nalo Hopkinson, Audre Lorde, and Octavia Butler, the art of Wangechi Mutu and Ezrom Legae, and the oratory of Frederick Douglass, Zakiyyah Iman Jackson both critiques and displaces the racial logic that has dominated scientific thought since the EnlighteTrade ReviewThis is a demanding, complex, and highly significant contribution to the literature on the nature of the moral and philosophical distinctions between human and nonhuman creatures...The implications for theological anthropology are, undoubtedly, shattering. * Literature and Theology *Within Western philosophy, Zakiyyah Iman Jackson shows, Black people historically have been 'animalized.' In examining these limitations of Western philosophy, Becoming Human shows that the fundamental idea of 'humanity' that has gained widespread credence in the West is flawed … Jackson makes an intervention by firmly placing Black literary and visual culture into philosophy. * Public Books *Jackson’s scholarship has been critical to my recent curatorial work. This groundbreaking book considers how Blackness can coincide with notions of the nonhuman and animality through imaginative and emancipatory modes of being, invoking a future that breaches contemporary ideas of humanism through thoughtful research and cultural references that center Black women as a site of origin. * Artforum, "Best of 2021" *Rewriting the pernicious, enduring relationship between Blackness and animality in the history of Western science and philosophy, Becoming Human: Matter and Meaning in an Antiblack World breaks open the rancorous debate between Black critical theory and posthumanism [...] What emerges is a radically unruly sense of a being, knowing, feeling existence: one that necessarily ruptures the foundations of 'the human. * Black Perspectives *Jackson states that real change will require “revolutionizing” the human body, and her prescription for freeing oneself from the limitations of gender and species requires the same “plasticity" by which Blackness and anti-Blackness continue to be defined. * CHOICE *The book presents a compelling argument and offers worthwhile suggestions. I will certainly have my undergraduates wrestle with some of this material in upcoming semesters. * Religions Journal *The sheer beauty, force, and ingenuity of Zakiyyah Iman Jackson's aesthetic strategies and gestures are on display as she performs the very risks and rewards she conjures. Offering a brilliant intervention into questions of the human, each of Jackson’s readings profoundly unsettle our presumed relations and prevailing ontologies. She reads western philosophy and science through African diasporic literatures, theories, and visual art to open us up to what is made—what might be made—in excess of the matrix of antiblackness and its constitutive forms of the human, animal, gender, and matter. In the book’s range of knowledges, reach, and scope, no field nor discipline would not benefit from a real and sustained engagement with the work that Jackson undertakes here. -- Christina Sharpe, author of In the WakeBrilliantly reframes the relation between blackened life and the category of the human, by shifting the terms of the debate. She maintains that neither dehumanization nor exclusion are sufficient to explain antiblackness and its descending scale of life. In so doing, Jackson's ‘ontological plasticity’ reveals the controlled depletion that produces the liquidity of life and fleshly existence, and enables blackened life to be anything, which is also to say nothing at all. Jackson’s rigorous and sustained meditation is relentless in exploring the possibilities for a generative disordering of being, inhabiting other senses of the world, and imagining the field of relation in ceaseless flux and directionless becoming. -- Saidiya Hartman, author of Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments

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Book Synopsis'I will be forever changed by Dr Eger's story' OPRAHThis practical and inspirational guide to healing from the bestselling author of The Choice shows us how to release your self-limiting beliefs and embrace your potential.The prison is in your mind. The key is in your pocket.In the end, it's not what happens to us that matters most - it's what we choose to do with it. We all face suffering - sadness, loss, despair, fear, anxiety, failure. But we also have a choice; to give in and give up in the face of trauma or difficulties, or to live every moment as a gift.Celebrated therapist and Holocaust survivor, Dr Edith Eger, provides a hands-on guide that gently encourages us to change the imprisoning thoughts and destructive behaviours that may be holding us back. Accompanied by stories from Eger's own life and the lives of her patients her empowering lessons help you to see your darkest moments as your greatest teachers and find freedom through the strength that lies within.'An essential read for tough times' RANGAN CHATTERJEE'Wise and provocative' THE DAILY MAILTrade ReviewEdith Eva Eger is my kind of hero… rather than let her painful past destroy her, she chose to transform it into a powerful gift – one she uses to help others heal -- Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass CastleDr Eger’s life reveals our capacity to transcend even the greatest of horrors and to use that suffering for the benefit of others. She has found true freedom and forgiveness and shows us how we can as well -- Desmond TutuI’ll be forever changed by Dr. Eger’s story… we all have the ability to pay attention to what we’ve lost, or to pay attention to what we still have -- OprahWise and provocative * The Daily Mail *Dr Edith Eger knows better than most how trauma and sadness can affect us all. This hopeful and helpful book explains how rather than limiting us they can transform our lives. An essential read for tough times -- Rangan Chatterjee

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Book SynopsisWhy did the Vikings sail to England? Were they indiscriminate raiders, motivated solely by bloodlust and plunder? One narrative, the stereotypical one, might have it so. But locked away in the buried history of the British Isles are other, far richer and more nuanced, stories; and these hidden tales paint a picture very different from the ferocious pillagers of popular repute.In this book, Eleanor Parker unlocks secrets that point to more complex motivations within the marauding army that in the late-9th century voyaged to the shores of eastern England in its sleek, dragon-prowed longships. Exploring legends from forgotten medieval texts, and across the varied Anglo-Saxon regions, she depicts Vikings who came not just to raid but also to settle personal feuds, intervene in English politics and find a place to call home. Native tales reveal the links to famous Vikings like Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons, Cnut, and Havelok the Dane. Each myth shows how the legacy of the newcomerTrade ReviewMeticulously researched, impressively informative, thoughtfully insightful, and an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Dragon Lords: The History and Legends of Viking England" is an extraordinary work of scholarship that is exceptionally accessible for both academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject. * Midwest Book Review *Summing Up: Recommended. -- D.J. Shepherd, independent scholar * CHOICE *An absorbing and authoritative account of the survival of Scandinavian legends and history in post-Conquest England. This beautifully written book succeeds in casting Viking invaders and settlers in an unexpected new light. -- Carolyne Larrington, University of Oxford, UKDragon Lords tells the fascinating and hitherto unknown story of how the Viking invasions of England were turned into myth and legend by those whom the Scandinavians raided and later ruled. -- Heather O'Donoghue, University of Oxford, UKPart literary study, part historical investigation and part folkloric inquiry, it makes a riveting and rewarding read. -- Levi Roach, University of Exeter, UKTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Timeline of Key Texts and Events Acknowledgements A Note on Names Map of Anglo-Saxon England Introduction 1. 'From the north comes all that is evil': Vikings, Kings and Saints, c. 985-1100 2. The Sons of Ragnar Lothbrok 3. The Story of Siward 4. Danish Sovereignty and the Right to Rule 5. 'Over the salt sea to England': Havelok and the Danes Epilogue: The Danes in English Folklore Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe history of Asia can be told through its great port cities: Guangzhou (Canton), Shanghai, Nagasaki, Basra, Aden, Jeddah, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Colombo, Batavia (Jakarta), Manila, Singapore, and many others. For millennia, port cities have been centres of global trade and the exchange of goods, peoples, cultures and ideas. They developed into cosmopolitan, multicultural societies and evolved distinctive, hybrid styles of art, architecture, material culture and ways of living. They were also crucibles of innovation, and have played an enormous, though under-appreciated, role in the spread of new technologies, new forms of creative expression and new ways of thinking throughout Asia. This book takes the reader on an epic journey across maritime Asia and the Indian Ocean, stopping at 60 port cities along the coasts and rivers of China, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, the Middle East and Africa. The timeframe of the book is equally sweepin

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of Israel's founder by one of Israel's most celebrated historians. As the founder of Israel, David Ben-Gurion long ago secured his reputation as a leading figure of the twentieth century. Determined from an early age to create a Jewish state, he took control of the Zionist movement, declared Israel's independence, and navigated his country through wars, controversies and remarkable achievements. In this definitive biography, Tom Segev uses previously unreleased archival material to give an original, nuanced account that transcends the myths and legends that have built up around the man. He reveals Ben-Gurion's secret negotiations with the British on the eve of Israel's independence, his willingness to countenance the forced transfer of Arab neighbors, his relative indifference to Jerusalem, and his occasional eccentric moments – from UFO sightings to plans for Israel to acquire territory in South America. The result is a full and startling portrait of a man who sought a state 'at any cost' – at times through risk-taking, violence, and unpredictability, and at other times through compromise, moderation and reason. Segev's Ben-Gurion is neither a saint nor a villain but a twentieth-century leader whose iron will and complex temperament left a contentious legacy, and one of the world's most intractable national conflicts. Praise for A State at Any Cost: 'A must for anybody interested in both the glorious and the dark pages of the history of Zionism and Israel, as reflected throughout the life and times of the Jewish State's most important founding father' SAUL FRIEDLÄNDER 'The story of a hard-headed, pragmatic and ruthless politician, told without sentimentality or nostalgia. It also serves as a key to understanding today's Israel, which is still very much Ben-Gurion's creation' THE TIMES 'Fascinating... A masterly portrait of a titanic yet unfulfilled man... This is a gripping study of power, and the loneliness of power' THE ECONOMISTTrade ReviewTom Segev's meticulously researched and most elegantly written new biography of David Ben-Gurion is a must for anybody interested in both the glorious and the dark pages of the history of Zionism and Israel, as reflected throughout the life and times of the Jewish State's most important founding father -- Saul Friedländer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Nazi Germany and the Jews and Where Memory LeadsIn the course of six years of research, Segev [...] discovered a leader fraught with dramatic contrasts... The author has come up with significant historical revelations' * Ofer Aderet, Haaretz *Fascinating... A masterly portrait of a titanic yet unfulfilled man... This is a gripping study of power, and the loneliness of power' * Economist *[A] carefully researched and nonjudgemental biography... Tom Segev's A State at Any Cost aptly summarizes the lodestar of Ben-Gurion's life' -- Avraham Avi-hai, Jerusalem PostDeserves to be the definitive biography of Ben-Gurion. It is the story of a hard-headed, pragmatic and ruthless politician, told without sentimentality or nostalgia. It also serves as a key to understanding today's Israel, which is still very much Ben-Gurion's creation * The Times *Tom Segev has completed a monumental task. The work includes the research of a true detective -- Avner Cohen, author of Israel and the Bomb[A] body of work that has no equal either for the brilliance of his storytelling or the ironies of his analysis * London Review of Books *Without doubt one of the best biographies to have been written about David Ben-Gurion... Segev manages to hold the reader's attention' * Literary Review *The book offers an appreciation of the life of an extraordinary man and an understanding of the values, political attitudes and the very concept of the Zionist State... For readers with an interest in the subject, the book is worthwhile, informative and rewarding' * Pennant Magazine. *Authoritative... [Segev] gives us a many-sided character, showing Ben-Gurion's strengths and weaknesses, great moments and cruelties, successes and failures. If you want a balanced account of what has long been a controversial state, this is a good place to start, and Segev is already well known for the excellence of his writing on Israel' * Sorted. *

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Book SynopsisIt would be easy for the modern reader to conclude that women had no place in the world of early modern espionage, with a few seventeenth-century women spies identified and then relegated to the footnotes of history. If even the espionage carried out by Susan Hyde, sister of Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, during the turbulent decades of civil strife in Britain can escape the historiographer''s gaze, then how many more like her lurk in the archives? Nadine Akkerman''s search for an answer to this question has led to the writing of Invisible Agents, the very first study to analyse the role of early modern women spies, demonstrating that the allegedly-male world of the spy was more than merely infiltrated by women. This compelling and ground-breaking contribution to the history of espionage details a series of case studies in which women -- from playwright to postmistress, from lady-in-waiting to laundry woman -- acted as spies, sourcing and passing on confidential information on account of political and religious convictions or to obtain money or power. The struggle of the She-Intelligencers to construct credibility in their own time is mirrored in their invisibility in modern historiography. Akkerman has immersed herself in archives, libraries, and private collections, transcribing hundreds of letters, breaking cipher codes and their keys, studying invisible inks, and interpreting riddles, acting as a modern-day Spymistress to unearth plots and conspiracies that have long remained hidden by history.Trade ReviewAkkerman has a knack for telling a good story, and her vignettes of strong, independent, and clever women paint a lively picture of seventeenth-century female spies. What distinguishes her book from most other academic monographs, however, is her very personal approach, which more traditional scholars might frown upon...Most of all, however, the book is proof that there is no excuse any more for excluding women from the narratives of mid-seventeenth-century political activism either on the royalist or parliamentarian side. * Gaby Mahlberg, Journal of Modern History *Revelatory. * Simon Heffer, Books of the Year 2018: History, The Daily Telegraph *A history book that will surely inspire future fiction. A work of deep scholarship and clever detective work. * Leanda de Lisle, Books of the Year 2018, BBC History Magazine *A dense, hugely researched and admirably learned history of women spies during the Civil War. * Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times *A brilliant book. * Noel Malcolm, The Sunday Telegraph *A triumph of scholarly rigour, original thinking and crisp prose. It is, in every sense, a cracking book. * Jessie Childs, The Daily Telegraph *Invisible Agents is a work of deep scholarship that suggests Akkerman would have made an excellent spy catcher. * Leanda de Lisle, The Times *Brimming with fascinating detail ... Akkerman's archival dissections admirably emulate the painstaking vigilance of early modern spy masters. * Clare Jackson, The Times Literary Supplement *Pioneering ... a most valuable book, highlighting women's contribution to the conspiratorial world of mid-17th-century Britain, while also offering a thought provoking exercise in gender and historical methods. * Ann Hughes, BBC History Magazine *An intriguing book ... [Akkerman's] own remarkable ability to ferret out secrets is often as great as that of the spies she writes about. Time after time, women whose lives, careers and even names have been forgotten or misread spring into stealthy, double-dealing life on the page. * Adrian Tinniswood, Literary Review *Invisible Agents breaks significant new ground in its focus on the special roles of Royalist and Parliamentarian 'she-intelligencers' and their hidden world. This is a model monograph, meticulously researched and relentlessly questioning, which succeeds admirably in uncovering closely guarded secrets. * R. C. Richardson, Times Higher Education *immensely readable...Akkerman has a knack for telling a good story, and her vignettes of strong, independent, and clever women paint a lively picture of seventeenth-century female spies. * Gaby Mahlberg, Journal of Modern History *Richly illustrated, scrupulously researched. * Frances E. Dolan, Renaissance Quarterly *This is a book full of rich and engaging details...this is a testament to the thoroughness of her academic practice. Ultimately, Invisible Agents is a text that serves as an invaluable starting point for the re-situation of women into narratives of early modern spying, and political history, offering readers across disciplines a varied and voluminous history of women's roles in seventeenth-century espionage. * Rose Hilton, AC Review of Books *A ground-breaking book looking at a previously unexplored aspect of the world of espionage ... Founded on work in a wide variety of archives, many of them previously undiscovered, Akkerman shines a light on one of the dark corners of the world of spies. * Military History Monthly *For a serious examination of the role of women in intelligence, turn to Nadine Akkerman's Invisible Agents. Doubly invisible, both as agents and in historical records, these women were at the heart of the intelligence network, yet they have never hitherto received the 'glory of Martyrs'. * Teresa Levonian Cole, Country Life *Fascinating and insightful ... Akkerman lifts the veil not only on a number of individual she-intelligencers, but also on the complex and varied business of female espionage in mid-seventeenth-century Britain. * Lena Steveker, English Studies *Akkerman deftly handles the challenges of writing about [female spies], assembling fragments of evidence where she can, acknowledging gaps where she must. Her book has much to teach us not only about espionage but about the creation of historical narratives. * Rachel Weil, American Historical Review *A dazzling study of a truly neglected subject, which ably demonstrates the gendered dimension of early modern spy-craft, and the unique ways in which women were able to operate. It is written by one of the foremost early modern textual-historical scholars of her generation and marshals an almost unmatched expertise in working with an impressive range of European and international archives of the period. The book delivers a series of fascinating case studies - including Charles I's prison correspondence, Secretary Thurloe, as well as female practitioners Susan Hyde, Elizabeth Murray, Elizabeth Carey, Anne Halkett, and Aphra Behn - all of which rest on a remarkable and overwhelming weight of archival research. This is an important book that will be widely read and cited, and which will have significant impact on many fields not least those of early modern gender and women's writing, but also political and diplomatic history. * Professor James Daybell, University of Plymouth *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Invisible Agents, She-Intelligencers, or Spies Invisible by Birth 1. Ciphered Pillow Talk with Charles I in Prison, 1646-1649: 'intrigues, which at that time could be best managed and carried on by ladies' 2. The Credibility and Archival Silence of She-Intelligencers: Women on the Council of State's Payroll 3. Susan Hyde. a Spy's Gendered Fate Punishment: Hide and Seek the Sealed Knot 4.I Elizabeth Murray, Loyal Subject, Lover or Double Agent?: Rumour, Hearsay and the Sins of the Father 4.II Elizabeth Murray's Continental Foray: Incompetence, Invisible Inks, and Internal Wrangling 5. Elizabeth Carey, Lady Mordaunt: The 'Enigma' of the Great Trust 6. Anne, Lady Halkett's 'True Accountt': A Married Woman Is Never to Blame 7. Aphra Behn's Letters from Antwerp, July 1666-April 1667: Intelligence Reports or Epistolary Fiction? Epilogue: Invisibility and Blanck Marshall, the Nameless and Genderless Agent Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewHeywood has written a complete and focused account of Queen Njinga…Njinga of Angola seamlessly knits together the complete set of sources on the Queen, which include missionary accounts, letters, colonial records, previous histories of Angola and Dutch West India Company records…Heywood has cleared away the noise of [the] mostly fantastical accounts and assembled as straight a biography as is possible. Indeed, Njinga of Angola, which took nine years of research, sets out to replace interpretation and sensationalism with facts…Heywood preserves all of the complexity of Njinga and her politics in a book that provides the most complete and foundational history of Queen Njinga. -- Delinda J. Collier * Times Literary Supplement *Maintaining independence in the face of colonial encroachment, the seventeenth-century African queen Njinga fascinated Europeans…This fine biography attempts to reconcile her political acumen with the human sacrifices, infanticide, and slave trading by which she consolidated and projected power. * New Yorker *In her biography of this fascinating character, Linda Heywood seeks to blow away the smoke of infamy and adulation. She reveals a figure no less protean in life than her reputation has proved to be in the three and a half centuries since her death—an individual who overstepped boundaries of religion, gender and nationhood…Like its subject, Heywood’s book defies simple categorization, mixing anthropology, gender studies and history…This stimulating biography of a queen and resistance leader offers a timely reminder that gender fluidity is not something unique to the present age. -- David Gelber * Literary Review *Over her decades-long reign in the 17th century in central Africa, Queen Njinga was by far the most successful of African rulers in resisting Portuguese colonialism, argues Heywood. What’s more, as this detailed and engaging study with walk-on parts for Vatican plotters, Dutch traders and Brazilian slavers shows, she rivaled Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great for political nous and military prowess. Tactically pious and unhesitatingly murderous; a ‘subverter of gender norms,’ in the inevitable formulation; a national heroine in today’s Angola; a commanding figure in velvet slippers and elephant hair ripe for big-screen treatment; and surely, as our social media age puts it, one badass woman. -- Karen Shook * Times Higher Education *Queen Njinga of Angola has long been among the many heroes whom black diasporians have used to construct a pantheon and a usable past. Linda Heywood gives us a different Njinga—one brimming with all the qualities that made her the stuff of legend but also full of all the interests and inclinations that made her human. A thorough, serious, and long overdue study of a fascinating ruler, Njinga of Angola is an essential addition to the study of the black Atlantic world. -- Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and MeNjinga’s time has come. Heywood tells the fascinating story of arguably the greatest queen in sub-Saharan African history, who surely deserves a place in the pantheon of revolutionary world leaders, male and female alike. -- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Heywood gives us a biography well worthy of its complex subject: an insightful portrait of the person, smoothly narrated, with an eye for telling details, and solidly historical in its thoughtful probing of the currents in the African and Portuguese worlds Njinga skillfully navigated for more than four decades. This welcome book is a good read and a great story. -- Joseph C. Miller, author of The Problem of Slavery as HistoryHeywood offers a complex and layered narrative that significantly enhances our knowledge about Njinga, the memorable ruler who defied colonial power in seventeenth-century central Africa. In addition to being a tour de force of historical analysis that will mesmerize scholars, this powerful and moving book will delight Njinga’s many admirers, for the African queen occupies a vital place both in the national identity of Angola and in the memory of people of African descent in the Americas. -- Roquinaldo Ferreira, author of Cross-Cultural Exchange in the Atlantic World[Njinga] was powerful, committed, and brilliant in her manipulation of the situations and people around her…A necessary introduction to this pivotal figure in African and world history. -- Jacob Ivey * H-Net Reviews *Historically, various authors have demonized Njinga or downplayed the importance of her reign. Heywood, however, does a beautiful job of clearly depicting her subject and setting the context for her decisions. More than simply providing facts, the author humanizes Njinga, turning her into a sympathetic figure. In the end, it is clear that she is to be appreciated in both African and world history…A great book for any history buff By taking up the mantle to write such a biography, Heywood ensures that Njinga will not be forgotten. -- Sonnet Ireland * Library Journal *Njinga’s consummate skills as charismatic ruler, warrior, and diplomat enabled her to survive and eventually triumph over her foes, securing peace and making her a potent national symbol for modern Angolans. Heywood tells a thrilling story of pitched battles mixed with truces, internecine conflicts, strategic migrations, hair­-raising escapes, and deft international relations, including allying with the Dutch against Portugal…Njinga is among the best biographies of any African. It deserves a wide readership. -- T. P. Johnson * Choice *Heywood [has] meticulously stitched together academic sources, contemporary documents, and details passed down through oral traditions to create a fully fleshed-out portrait of Njinga and her accomplishments. -- Anne Thériault * Longreads *

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Book SynopsisExplore the entire history of the ancient Egyptian state from 3000 B.C. to 400 A.D. with this authoritative volume The newly revised Second Edition of A History of Ancient Egypt delivers an up-to-date survey of ancient Egypt''s history from its origins to the Roman Empire''s banning of hieroglyphics in the fourth century A.D. The book covers developments in all aspects of Egypt''s history and their historical sources, considering the social and economic life and the rich culture of ancient Egypt. Freshly updated to take into account recent discoveries, the book makes the latest scholarship accessible to a wide audience, including introductory undergraduate students. A History of Ancient Egypt outlines major political and cultural events and places Egypt''s history within its regional context and detailing interactions with western Asia and Africa. Each period of history receives equal attention and a discussion of the problems scholars face in its Table of ContentsList of Illustrations xii Maps xxviii Preface to the Second Edition xxix 1 Introductory Concerns 1 1.1 What is Ancient Egypt? 1 Chronological boundaries 1 Geographical boundaries 2 What is ancient Egyptian history? 3 Who are the ancient Egyptians? 4 1.2 Egypt’s Geography 6 The Nile River 8 The desert 9 Climate 10 Frontiers and links 11 1.3 The Makeup of Egyptian Historical Sources 12 Papyri and ostraca 12 Monumental inscriptions 14 Historical criticism 14 1.4 The Egyptians and Their Past 15 King lists 15 Egyptian concepts of kingship 19 1.5 The Chronology of Egyptian History 20 Modern subdivisions of Egyptian history 20 Absolute chronology 20 1.6 Prehistoric Developments 21 The beginning of agriculture 21 Naqada I and II periods 24 2 The Formation of the Egyptian State (ca. 3400–2686) 27 2.1 Sources 29 2.2 Royal Cemeteries and Cities 31 The Late Naqada culture 31 Dynasty 0 31 2.3 The First Kings 33 Images of war 33 The unification of Egypt 34 2.4 Ideological Foundations of the New State 35 Kings 35 Cemeteries 36 Festivals 36 Royal annals and year names 37 Gods and cults 38 Bureaucracy 40 2.5 The Invention of Writing 42 Precursors at Abydos 42 Hieroglyphic script 42 2.6 Foreign Relations 47 The Uruk culture of Babylonia 47 Late 4th‐millennium Nubia 50 Late 4th‐millennium Palestine 50 3 The Great Pyramid Builders (ca. 2686–2345) 52 3.1 Sources 53 3.2 The Evolution of the Mortuary Complex 55 Djoser’s step pyramid at Saqqara 56 Sneferu’s three pyramids 57 The great pyramids at Giza 58 Solar temples of the 5th dynasty 61 3.3 Administrating the Old Kingdom State 62 Neferirkara’s archive at Abusir 62 Officialdom 64 3.4 Ideological Debates? 67 Problems of royal succession 67 The gods Horus and Ra 69 3.5 Foreign Relations 70 Contacts with Nubia 71 Contacts with Asia 72 The western desert 72 3.6 Later Traditions about the Old Kingdom 73 Djoser and Imhotep 73 Sneferu 74 The great pyramid builders 74 4 The End of the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period (ca. 2345–2055) 77 4.1 Sources 78 4.2 The Rise of the Regions and Political Fragmentation 79 Nomes and nomarchs 79 Officials’ biographies 79 Pepy II 83 Why did the Old Kingdom dissolve? 84 4.3 Foreign Relations 87 Nubian independence 87 The eastern desert and the Levant 89 Mercenaries 90 4.4 Competition between Herakleopolis and Thebes 90 Herakleopolis 90 Thebes 90 4.5 Appraising the First Intermediate Period 92 Middle Kingdom literary reflections 92 Historical critique 93 5 The Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055–1650) 95 5.1 Sources and Chronology 96 5.2 Kings and Regional Elites 98 Reunification and the 11th dynasty 99 The start of the 12th dynasty and the foundation of Itj‐tawi 99 Provincial powers in the early Middle Kingdom 101 Royal interference in the provinces 102 Administrative reorganization 104 Royal power in the 13th dynasty 104 5.3 Kings as Warriors 107 The annexation of Nubia 110 5.4 Egypt in the Wider World 112 The early Kingdom of Kush 112 The eastern desert and Sinai 112 Syria and Palestine 114 The world beyond 114 Rhetoric and practice in foreign relations 115 5.5 The Cult of Osiris 116 5.6 Middle Kingdom Literature and its Impact on Egyptian Culture 118 6 The Second Intermediate Period and the Hyksos (ca. 1700–1550) 122 6.1 Sources and Chronology 123 6.2 Avaris: Multiple Transformations of a Delta Harbor 124 A history of Avaris 124 Cultural hybridity 125 Other immigrants 127 6.3 The Hyksos 127 The name Hyksos 127 Hyksos origins 127 Egyptian cultural influences 128 Political history 130 The 14th and 16th dynasties 131 Hyksos rule in Palestine? 131 6.4 Nubia and the Kingdom of Kush 131 The independence of Lower Nubia 131 The Kingdom of Kush 132 Kerma 132 The extent of the Kingdom of Kush 134 6.5 Thebes in the Middle 136 Royal tombs 136 Seqenenra Taa 137 Kamose’s war 137 6.6 The Hyksos in Later Perspective 138 Queen Hatshepsut 139 The gods Ra and Seth 139 Manetho and Josephus 141 7 The Birth of Empire: The Early 18th Dynasty (ca. 1550–1390) 145 7.1 Egypt in a New World Order 148 7.2 Sources and Chronology 149 7.3 Egypt at War 150 War and society in the New Kingdom 150 The “war of liberation” 152 The annexation of Nubia 153 Wars in western Asia 157 7.4 Egypt and the Outside World 159 7.5 Domestic Issues 162 Royal succession 162 Hatshepsut 163 Royal funerary customs 167 New Kingdom bureaucracy 169 Building activity in the early 18th dynasty 171 8 The Amarna Revolution and the Late 18th Dynasty (ca. 1390–1295) 175 8.1 An International Age 177 The Club of the Great Powers 178 The administration of Syria and Palestine 179 The rise of the Hittites 181 A failed marriage alliance 182 8.2 Amenhotep III: The Sun King 182 Amenhotep III’s divinity and his building projects 183 The king’s family 186 The king’s court 187 8.3 From Amenhotep III to Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten 188 8.4 Akhenaten 189 Theban years (years 1 to 5) 191 Akhetaten (years 5 to 12) 192 Turmoil (years 12 to 17) 196 Akhenaten’s successors 197 8.5 Akhenaten’s Memory 199 9 The Ramessid Empire (ca. 1295–1213) 203 9.1 Domestic Policy: Restoration and Renewal 205 Sety I 205 Rameses II 206 9.2 International Relations: Reforming the Empire 209 Wars in Syria 209 Egyptian–Hittite peace 212 A new imperial structure 212 Foreigners in Egypt 214 9.3 Rameses’s Court 217 Officials 217 The royal family 219 9.4 A Community of Tomb Builders 222 10 The End of Empire (ca. 1213–1070) 229 10.1 Problems at Court 231 Sety II and Amenmessu 232 Saptah and Tausret 233 Sethnakht 233 10.2 Breakdown of Order 235 Tomb robberies 235 Workers’ strikes 236 10.3 The Decline of Royal Power 237 10.4 Pressures from Abroad 239 Libyans and Sea Peoples 239 The end of the international system 244 10.5 End of the New Kingdom 244 11 The Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1069–715) 249 11.1 Sources and Chronology 250 11.2 Twin Cities: Tanis and Thebes (the 21st dynasty, 1069–945) 253 Tanis 254 Thebes 256 A peaceful coexistence 258 11.3 Libyan Rule (22nd to 24th dynasties, 945–715) 260 Centralization and diffusion of power 260 The God’s Wife of Amun 263 11.4 The End of the Third Intermediate Period 265 Nubian resurgence 265 Saite expansion 267 12 Egypt in the Age of Empires (ca. 715–332) 272 12.1 Sources and Chronology 273 12.2 The Eastern Mediterranean in the 1st Millennium 275 12.3 Egypt, Kush, and Assyria (ca. 715–656) 279 Military incidents 279 12.4 Egypt, Greeks, and Babylonians (656–525) 283 Greek–Egyptian relations 283 Military activity 286 12.5 Recollections of the Past Under the Kings of Kush and Sais 286 12.6 Egypt and Persia (525–332) 290 Domination and resistance 291 Mixing cultures 296 13 Greek and Roman Egypt (332 bc–ad 395) 301 13.1 Sources and Chronology 302 13.2 Alexandria and Philae 304 Alexandria 304 Philae 307 13.3 Kings, Queens, and Emperors 308 The Ptolemies 309 Queen Cleopatra VII 311 Roman Egypt 312 13.4 Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians 313 Administration 313 Culture and religion 316 13.5 Economic Developments: Agriculture, Finance, and Trade 319 13.6 The African Hinterland 321 13.7 The Christianization of Egypt 324 Epilogue 327 Guide to Further Reading 329 Glossary 340 King List 343 Bibliography 349 Index 368

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Book SynopsisTo anyone scanning the sea from the southern coast of Britain in the year 43 AD, the sight of hundreds of ships appearing one by one as dots on the horizon would have filled them with awe and dread. On a leading warship, a hundred and twenty oarsmen heaved at their work as one of the four legionary legates scanned the cliff tops expecting to see them lined with warriors as Julius Caesar had described nearly a hundred years before. Vespasian would lead the Second Augusta in the initial invasion and in a remarkable campaign across southern Britain, capturing a score of strongholds, oppida, such as the formidable Maiden Castle, along the way. His career later suffered from the intrigues of court politics during the reign of Nero, at one point making the near-fatal mistake of falling asleep during one of the emperor's artistic performances. Vespasian's fortunes were revived by the outbreak of revolt in Judea. Thus Vespasian found himself in the right place at the right time commanding

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Book Synopsis''No one else makes history this fun'' AMANDA FOREMAN''All the Rage sits you at the dressing table of history: a place of dreams, doubts, self-harm and hopes'' SARAH DITUM, SUNDAY TIMES''Wonderfully engaging'' HARPER''S BAZAARAt the heart of this history is the female body.The century-span between the crinoline and the bikini witnessed more mutations in the ideal western woman''s body shape than at any other period. In this richly detailed account, Virginia Nicholson, described as ''one of the great social historians of our time...'' (Amanda Foreman) takes us to the Frontline of Beauty to reveal the power, the pain and the pleasure involved in adorning the female body.The PowerWho determines which shape is currently ''all the rage''? Looking at how custom, colour, class and sex fit into the picture, this book also charts how the advances made by feminism collided with the changing shap

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Book SynopsisThe first in a groundbreaking two-volume history of Henry III’s rule, from when he first assumed the crown to the moment his personal rule endedTrade Review“[A] monumental, awesome yet highly readable book…Carpenter is the foremost scholar of England’s 13th century, and his spectacular erudition shines on every page. . . . Above all, he has narrative gifts that root this history of our medieval country in reality rather than in romance, and makes the lives of our distant forebears feel as comprehensible as our own.”—Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph“Professor Carpenter is one of Britain’s foremost medievalists. . . . No one knows more about Henry, and a lifetime of scholarship is here poured out, elegantly and often humorously. This is a fine, judicious, illuminating work that should be the standard study of the reign for generations to come.”—Dan Jones, Sunday Times“You are in for a colourful ride. . . . Yale University Press is to be congratulated on allowing Carpenter to explore so many aspects of 13th-century English government at such length. The glorious details—lamprey cooking included—are what make it a pleasure.”—Dominic Selwood, Spectator“[A] major new biography.”—BBC History Magazine“Carpenter’s view of Henry is essentially a benign one: he sees him as a generous and well-meaning man. . . . It is a persuasive view. This is a magisterial biography, authoritative and yet accessible.”—Nigel Saul, History Today“[F]ull of good judgment in good prose.”—Christopher Howse, Spectator, “Books of the Year”“A monumental biography . . . written in a blithe and energetic style, its narrative thread tracing the intrigues and intricacies of England’s first Plantagenet king.”—E. Andrew Darden, Aspects of History“Carpenter’s ability to grapple with something so enigmatic as a monarch’s character, particularly that of a medieval monarch, is convincing and compelling. . . . Carpenter has crafted something that very many of us can delight in.”—Benjamin Linley Wild, Royal Studies Journal“Few biographers of a medieval individual, however, can have got closer to their subject than Professor David Carpenter. . . . Carpenter infuses what will surely become the standard biography of England’s longest reigning medieval king with personal insights that add richness, colour and humour to a monumental 763-page study. Indeed, the author’s own personality drips from every page as much as that of his subject.”—Paul Dryburgh, Mortimer History Society Journal“Carpenter has created a valuable resource for those who wish to advance the scholarship of the period, illuminating new avenues in the study of kingship and thirteenth-century England, through his enduring passion for the topic and considerable expertise. It stands as the most significant modern addition to scholarship on Henry III and to the broader corpus of royal biographies, which will surely inspire others to explore his reign.”—Louis Pulford, Journal of Ecclesiastical History of Books“The whole period covering Henry’s minority and his emergence into personal rule is fascinating in its own right and deserves the close-focus treatment that Carpenter gives it.” —Ferdinand Mount, London Review of Books “Outstanding. Through sustained scholarship Carpenter provides the reader with all sorts of insights into the decisions and daily experience of this ambitious and complex medieval king.”—Michael Clanchy, author of England and its Rulers“This brilliant study by a leading historian of medieval England brings together a lifetime of research in a masterly way. Henry III is treated with humane understanding while his political failings and absence of a proper sense of priorities are emphasised with admirable clarity. Vivid and highly readable, this is a book of major significance.”—Michael Prestwich, author of Edward I “Rooted in his unrivalled understanding of the primary sources, Carpenter has created a sparkling and compelling narrative of this little-known English king.”—Stephen Church, author of Henry III“A monumental achievement. Never before has England’s place in the wider history of medieval Europe been revealed on quite this epic scope, and with so sharp an eye for personalities. Revisiting fifty years of history, Carpenter reveals Henry III—a supposedly ‘non-descript king’—as one of the more fascinating failures ever to have sat on the English throne.”—Nicholas Vincent, author of A Brief History of Britain 1066–1485

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Book SynopsisGeorge Washington spent most of his time farming, often employing experimental methods. Washington saw slave-powered scientific agriculture as the key to the nation's prosperity. Bruce Ragsdale argues that it was slave labor's inefficiency as much as its inhumanity that finally convinced Washington to emancipate the men and women bonded to him.Trade ReviewDelightfully instructive…In this reliable and thorough rendering of ‘the most celebrated farmer of the age,’ Ragsdale undeniably casts new light on Washington on the question of slavery. By bringing to life Washington’s farming world, he does more than that. Washington at the Plow reminds us of the importance of agriculture and its enlightened improvement to America’s founding. In doing so, it illuminates much for early-American specialists and general readers alike. -- Mark G. Spencer * Washington Post *George Washington is typically known as the first U.S. president and a general. But for most of his life he was a farmer, and the implications of this agrarian background are, Ragsdale argues, far-reaching. Washington’s understanding of nation-building was inextricably linked to the concept of land cultivation, and his attempt to modernize farming techniques led him to reconsider, and ultimately reject, slave labor. * Bloomberg *Ragsdale does a masterful job presenting the quandary that slavery created for the first president…[This book] adeptly uses the lenses of agricultural development and slavery to present a multidimensional representation of America’s first—and arguably most revered—president. Both scholars and lay readers will find Ragsdale’s account a strong contribution to the historiography of Washington as a landowner, a public leader, and a private citizen. -- Camille Davis * H-Net Reviews *Bruce Ragsdale’s excellent work advances the scholarship of Washington and slavery using the rich resources Washington left behind…The flowing prose and readability make this book accessible to scholars and a general audience looking for a unique perspective on George Washington the farmer. -- Lynn Price Robbins * North Carolina Historical Review *Washington played a cautious, often contradictory role with respect to slavery. Why he did so is the subject of [this] timely new book…A portrait of Washington deeply rooted in the culture and politics of his era. -- Nicolaus Mills * Daily Beast *A fascinating and richly informative portrait of George Washington focused on how ‘agricultural improvement and the work of nation building were firmly joined in [his] mind.’…Ragsdale’s lucid explanations of agricultural and financial matters and excellent usage of underexamined primary sources make this a must-read for fans of early American history. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *A landmark work that both deepens and complicates our understanding of George Washington. Ragsdale’s focus on farming—the subject the general and president cared most about—casts new light on nearly every other aspect of his life, not least the vexed issue of slavery. This fascinating book has done more to change my views on Washington than anything I have read in a long time. -- François Furstenberg, author of In the Name of the Father: Washington’s Legacy, Slavery, and the Making of a NationRagsdale depicts a wealthy white man in a slave society aspiring to be an enlightened farmer and a republican icon. Washington at the Plow is detailed, discerning, judicious. -- Richard Brookhiser, author of Founding Father: Rediscovering George WashingtonThis absorbing study of Washington as citizen farmer makes for compelling reading. Ragsdale is an authoritative guide to the famed Virginian’s embrace of agricultural innovations, then being pioneered in Britain, and to his attempts to make the enslaved workforce at Mount Vernon more productive, leading to his subsequent disillusionment with forced labor. He sheds new light on the African American communities on the Washington farms and the former president’s decision to emancipate his slaves after his death. -- Flora Fraser, author of The WashingtonsIn his engagingly written study of Washington as the ‘founding farmer,’ Bruce A. Ragsdale reveals that although the American Revolutionary War and the presidency would take Washington away from Virginia, the cultivation of the plantations at Mount Vernon were never far from his mind. Ragsdale convincingly argues that the ‘story of Washington’s life as a farmer fundamentally reshapes the familiar biography of the general and president.’ -- James MacKay * Agricultural History Review *An excellent book, clearly written and argued. What is most impressive is how far-reaching it is: Ragsdale helps us realize that agriculture tells us so much about Washington’s thought and character, from his plans for the political economy of the new nation to his view of slavery. Washington tried every device he could to make slavery work before eventually deciding the slave system was hopelessly flawed and must be abandoned. Better than anyone, Ragsdale explains Washington’s complicated decision to free his slaves in his will. -- Richard L. Bushman, author of The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century

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Book Synopsis'Where are you from?' was the question hounding Hazel Carby as a girl in post-World War II London. One of the so-called brown babies of the Windrush generation, born to a Jamaican father and Welsh mother, Carby's place in her home, her neighbourhood, and her country of birth was always in doubt. Emerging from this setting, Carby untangles the threads connecting members of her family to each other in a web woven by the British Empire across the Atlantic. We meet Carby's working-class grandmother Beatrice, a seamstress challenged by poverty and disease. In England, she was thrilled by the cosmopolitan fantasies of empire, by cities built with slave-trade profits, and by street peddlers selling fashionable Jamaican delicacies. In Jamaica, we follow the lives of both the 'white Carbys' and the 'black Carbys', as Mary Ivey, a free woman of colour, whose children are fathered by Lilly Carby, a British soldier who arrived in Jamaica in 1789 to be absorbed into the plantation aristocracy. And we discover the hidden stories of Bridget and Nancy, two women owned by Lilly who survived the Middle Passage from Africa to the Caribbean.Moving between the Jamaican plantations, the hills of Devon, the port cities of Bristol, Cardiff, and Kingston, and the working-class estates of South London, Carby's family story is at once an intimate personal history and a sweeping summation of the violent entanglement of two islands. In charting British empire's interweaving of capital and bodies, public language and private feeling, Carby will find herself reckoning with what she can tell, what she can remember, and what she can bear to know.Trade ReviewAn elegant memoir which pivots beautifully around those twin imposters, 'belonging' and 'home'. Richly suffused with a love of people and place, Carby's familiar intellectual rigor never lets us drift off course towards nostalgia. -- Caryl Phillips, author of A View of the Empire at SunsetA heartbreaking and beautiful account of growing-up in the impossible space between mutually exclusive terms-Black and British. The history of empire, slavery and colonialism unfolds in the exquisite and painful details of this unflinching auto-portrait. Carby deftly captures the ways that relations of power are lived, intimately, quietly, destructively, and profoundly. What an achievement. -- Saidiya Hartman, author of Wayward Lives, Beautiful ExperimentsThis beautifully written book raises the bar for political life-writing. Hazel Carby invites readers to follow a reconstructive quest propelled by memory, archive and imagination. It is a journey of discovery that forcefully contextualises the injustice dished out by British governments to the 'Windrush generation' and their rebel offspring. Carby disrupts fixed notions of racial identity that contort our understanding of Britain's colonial and postcolonial history. -- Paul Gilroy, author of Darker Than Blue and The Black AtlanticHazel Carby is a foundational scholar of race, class, and empire as critical lenses for understanding culture. In Imperial Intimacies she shares the way that stories-often difficult to mine and face-are at the core of how her indispensable world view was formed. Imperial Intimacies is an epic, generous book that illuminates black Britain as never before and shows us how a great thinker and educator was formed. It is beautifully told, a treasured look into how a girl came to believe that reading and critical thinking could help mend a broken world and give us tools not only for living in it, but for understanding it. I'll treasure this book forever. * Elizabeth Alexander, author of The Light of the World and American Sublime *Hazel Carby assembles a sprawling account of how imperialism--a web of social relations, labor markets, and trade networks-conditions private feeling. The resulting narrative is something like an affective history of the British Empire. -- Maya Binyam * New Yorker *Carby's book lies somewhere between what is recorded in official archives, what is remembered in family lore, and what is considered an affective draw to intellectual questions. The spiny precision of the historical...allows the reader to feel erudite, but Carby's most captivating writing is when she feels on the page. -- Tiana Reid * Bookforum *Captivating. . . offers interesting perspectives on the personal impact of capitalism and colonialism. -- Bernardine Evaristo * TLS Books of the Year, 2019 *Exceptional...By using examples from her own background, she brilliantly demonstrates that 'the personal' is indeed political. -- LSE Review of Books * Manuela Latchoumaya *At every turn, Carby refuses to tell a tidy or convenient story and instead produces an account of empire that is as expansive as it is heartbreaking. -- Saidiya Hartman * Paris Review *While the minotaur of the British imperial past is very far from dead and buried, Carby's memoir offers a course, a set of clues; it brings us a bit closer to the mouth of the maze. -- Phoebe Braithwaite * Dissent *An arresting, courageous, and urgently needed memoir that doubles as social, cultural, and political history. -- Gaiutra Bahadur * The Nation *The poignancy in this moving and patient memoir-Carby writes with equal eloquence about work on the Great Western Railway, lichen and the neglected materiality of black British life-centres on her dedication to discovering (to paraphrase James Baldwin) from whence she came. -- Paul Mendez * Times Literary Supplement *Imperial Intimacies is part of a well-established and growing body of literature that explores the margins and gaps in the historical record. ... For those interested in imperialism, postcolonialism, black studies, black British history, and archival studies, this is an essential book to consider. -- Gabriella Rodriguez * Ethnic and Third World Literatures *In Imperial Intimacies, Carby delicately balances the critical distance of the scholar with the profound subjectivity of the memoirist. ... By exploring the relations between working class Welsh life and the Jamaican colony, Bristol's industrial center and the transatlantic slave economy, and the racial transgressions in the intimacies between her own parents, Carby's critical project illuminates the histories of the British empire that are embedded in the spaces of our everyday lives. -- Sabrina Alli * Guernica *[Carby] poignantly portrays how her father, a man of great dignity, had believed in the promises and ideals proclaimed by the British. Carby moves the reader through every possible response to the complex patterns of family lineage under empire. -- Madeleine Bunting * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThis definitive biography of Anne Boleyn establishes her as a figure of considerable importance and influence in her own right. A full biography of Anne Boleyn, based on the latest scholarly research. Focuses on Anne's life and legacy and establishes Anne as a figure of considerable importance and influence in her own right.Trade Review"[Ives is] splendidly successful... Ives's Boleyn, a portrait at all points supported by the evidence he gives, is clever, independent-minded and politically astute. Ives has gone as far as anyone can... in solving the enigma of Boleyn in a narrative at once profoundly researched and lively." Antonia Fraser, The Sunday Times "Eric Ives has made it unnecessary for anyone else to even make the attempt [to write a biography of Anne Boleyn]. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn is a stunning portrait of the most controversial woman ever to have been queen consort of England." The Independent on Sunday "Eric Ives, a scholar utterly at home in early Tudor politics, has been writing about the Boleyns for more than two decades. His book represents a triumphant culmination of all that research, presented with clarity, wit and human sympathy." Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Telegraph "Ives has written an excellent book on Anne Boleyn. Its great strength is its sophisticated understanding of aristocratic women's involvement in 16th-century politics, and precisely how this worked in practice. ...Ives rises effectively to the human drama of Anne Boleyn's life and in the process illuminates both the inner workings of the Tudor court and its relationship to the larger dramas of the Reformation and European politics." Jane Stevenson, Scotland on Sunday "The best full-length life of Anne Boleyn and a monument to investigative scholarship." David Starkey "Magnificently researched. Eric Ives has written the finest, most accurate study of Anne Boleyn we are ever likely to possess. He leaves no stone unturned in his quest to discover the truth. Never has the historical Anne been so satisfyingly portrayed." John Guy "What is most exciting about The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn is not just that it has confirmed and solidified Ives's earlier work and presented it in a more accessible format. (Like John Guy, Ives has discovered that the Starkey model really does work and that popularisation -- 'to place among the people' -- should not be a term of opprobrium.) Rather, it is the development in methodology, the indication that cultural studies and the history of the book have provided us with new ways to evaluate evidence, to interpret the past." The Spectator "Eric Ives achieves the notable feat of combining magisterial historical authority with a gripping style, and sets the reader's mind buzzing with debate about the complex reasons behind the astounding events of Anne's life." Times Literary Supplement "[Ives] delicately pieces together a believable identity ... [and] gives, too, a lucid and coherent exposition of the circumstances that led to Anne's death." The Guardian "What Ives doesn't know ... about the high politics and court life of Henry VIII's England will either never be known or is not worth knowing. If there is a truth about Anne Boleyn's rise and fall, he will tell it to us." London Review of Books "There is no questioning the impact of Professor Eric Ives on the historiography of Tudor England. There is a keen sense of the evidence, of diplomatic affairs, of the minutiae of the record and its context. The writing is fluent and well-paced, drawing the reader along." The Tyndale Society Journal "This is a moving and compelling account by an author who is the absolute master of his subject. I read it with great excitement and admiration." Susan Brigden, Lincoln College, Oxford "Ives demonstrates triumphantly the potential of the biographical approach in a pre-modern setting. He evinces a deep empathy for his subject without ever becoming an apologist for her, and ... he provides a narrative which is genuinely moving. He has also given us a fully rounded and persuasive account of Anne’s life as a whole, and its significance for understanding the politics and political culture of the early Tudor decades." Reviews in History "The best book on Anne Boleyn ever written. This is a must for all lovers of Tudor history, academics and general readers alike." Alison Weir, BBC History Magazine Books of the Year "Eric Ives has cut through the myths and misconceptions. The result surpasses all previous work.When Ives describes Anne herself. he is utterly convincing." Renaissance QuarterlyTable of ContentsPreface. List of Illustrations. Part I: Background and Beginnings. 1. A Courtier’s Daughter. 2. A European Education. 3. Debut at the English Court. 4. The Sources. 5. Passion and Courtly Love. 6. A Royal Suitor. Part II: A Difficult Engagement. 7. A Marriage Arranged. 8. Anne Boleyn and the Fall of Wolsey. 9. Stalemate, 1529–1532. 10. The Turning-point, 1532–1533. 11. Wedding Nerves. 12. A Coronation and a Christening. Part III: Anne the Queen. 13. A Royal Marriage. 14. Anne the Queen: Influence, Power and Wealth. 15. Anne Boleyn: Image. 16. Anne Boleyn: Art and Taste. 17. Anne Boleyn: Life at Court. 18. Anne Boleyn and the Advent of Reform. 19. Personal Religion. Part IV: A Marriage Destroyed. 20. The Rival, 1535–1536. 21. The Coup, April–May 1536. 22. The Response, January–April 1536. 23. Judgment. 24. Finale. Epilogue. Bibliographical Abbreviations.

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'Witches occupy a clear place in contemporary imagination. We can see them, shadowy, in the corners of the past: mad, glamorous, difficult, strange. They haunt the footnotes of history - from medieval witches burning at the stake to the lurid glamour of the 1970s witchcraft revival. But they are moving out of history, too. Witches are back. They're feminist, independent, invested in self-care and care for the world. They are here, because they must be needed.'What it means to be a witch has changed radically throughout history; where 'witch' was once a dangerous - and often deadly - accusation, it is now a proud self-definition. Today, as the world becomes ever more complicated and as we face ecological, political and economic crisis - witchcraft is experiencing a resurgence. Witches are back.In A Spell in the Wild, Alice Tarbuck explores what it means to be a witch today. Rooted in the real world, but filled with spells, rituals and recipes, this book is an accessible, seasonal guide to witchcraft in the twenty-first century. Following the course of a witch's calendar year while also exploring the history and politics of witchcraft, A Spell in the Wild is the perfect primer for the contemporary witch.

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Book SynopsisChurchill's War in Words transports the reader back to the storm-struck days of the Second World War. Focussing only on words used at the time, it reveals the way that Winston Churchill talked about the conflict in public and in private - and the way that he himself was viewed at the time by family, friends, politicians, military leaders, staff , voters, allies and enemies.Presented in chronological order and accompanied by short year-by-year introductions, the quotations convey afresh the full force of Churchill's oratory, the wit he displayed in the face of often appalling odds, and the hopes and fears that he inspired in those around him. Together they reveal to the modern reader what it was truly like to be locked in a struggle in which victory - or total defeat - was yet to be decided. Together they tell the extraordinary story of Churchill's War in Words.Trade Review"[A] pleasantly prepared small-sized coffee table book. Heavily illustrated with photographs, the volume provides quotes by Winston Churchill drawn mostly from his speeches as well as observations and comments about him by friends (Violet Bonham Carter), members of parliament (Henry Channon, Harold Nicholson), cabinet ministers (Anthony Eden), members of his private staff (John Colville), and enemies (Josef Goebbels)."--Winston Churchill Blog

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"In this remarkably thorough, articulate portrait of Hezbollah, Norton . . . analyzes how the organization was formed, how it evolved and its current role in Lebanese politics." * Publishers Weekly *"Augustus Richard Norton's timely Hezbollah chronicles [a] dramatic evolution and its sweeping implications for the region and beyond. His lucid primer is the first serious reappraisal of the radical Shiite group since [the 2006] war shattered six years of relative calm on one of the world's most volatile frontiers."---Jonathan Finer, Washington Post Book World"Norton, who has been studying Lebanon, and especially the Lebanese Shiites, for longer than Hezbollah has been in existence . . . offers here a brisk and balanced history . . . of Hezbollah while situating the party in the larger Lebanese and regional contexts."---L. Carl Brown, Foreign Affairs"The best recent study of Hezbollah."---Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek"Augustus Richard Norton, an American academic and former U.S. army officer, has studied that Islamic fundamentalist organization since its formation. And now, in Hezbollah . . . he offers a cogent analysis of its emergence and impact on Lebanese politics."---Sheldon Kirsher, Canadian Jewish News"A clear, concise history of Hezbollah with specific reference to its relevant sociopolitical context. Piquant anecdotes and richly textured details make the book enjoyable reading."---Kristian P. Alexander, Middle East Policy Council"This short, authoritative book, based on first-hand experience, efficiently analyses [Hezbollah's] status."---Iain Finlayson, The Times"This excellent short history of Hezbollah . . . demonstrates that dismissing it as a 'terrorist organization' is both glib and dishonest. . . . . Everyone who wants to understand the complexities of the Middle East, and particularly those of Lebanon and Israel, and wants to reach the truth beyond the political rhetoric, should read this book."---Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald"How do you classify and develop policy toward an organization that has committed acts of terrorism in the past, that currently provides important social services . . . that defends its country from occupation . . . that plays by the rules in official Lebanese national politics? . . . Norton elucidates these domestic and international complexities in Hezbollah: A Short History. . . With other similarly complex organizations on the rise, such as Hamas in Palestine, Norton provides a model of how we might begin to think through their multidimensional, seemingly contradictory natures."---Allen McDuffee, In These Times"In his new book Hezbollah, Augustus Richard Norton . . . provides a succinct account of the group's rise from the chaos created by Israel's invasions and occupation of Lebanon in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which ended only in 2000. Mr. Norton also explores the origins and political orientation of the group, now led by the Shiite cleric Hasan Nasrallah, in a complex web of religious and political identities in Lebanon--with a special emphasis on the role of Shia Islam in the organization."---Richard Byrne, Chronicle of Higher Education"The most fluent survey of Hezbollah to date. This extremely accessible yet scholarly read covers the Lebanese resistance group from its inception to the current Lebanese political crisis, aided by a collection of poignant photographs and maps."---Margeret Hall, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs"The many complex and often changing dimensions of Hezbollah are presented in the book in a clear, concise manner that allows for a more accurate and complete understanding of what the group represents and aspires to achieve. . . . Wherever one may stand on this spectrum of views, a vital starting point--offered in this small but rich volume--is an accurate, comprehensive view of why Hizbullah has succeeded as a political party, a sectarian representational group, a social services agency, and a resistance force, and why it continues to generate so much opposition at the same time."---Rami G. Khouri, Daily Star"In an easily read, easily comprehended book, Norton traces the origins and history of Hezbollah.... The twisting allegiances of the players, the role of Syria and other neighboring states, the emergence of discord and sectarianism as the young movement matured and began to intrude on the elected government, all take place in the pressure cooker of a land and people long torn, used by factions for their own purposes."---Suzi Brozman, Atlanta Jewish Times"In this highly informative, jargon-free book, Norton, one of America's top experts in Lebanese politics, provides an objective account of the genesis and development of Hezbollah, explaining its central role in contemporary Lebanon." * Choice *"The book is a must read for anyone wanting to have an idea of the Lebanese puzzle and the role played in it by one of the most interesting political actors emerging in the Middle East." * International Spectator *"A good, concise survey by a perceptive student of the Lebanese Shia."---David Gardner, Financial Times"A dedicated researcher and writer, Norton has contacts all across Lebanon who are both his friends and informants. He writes with the same fluency about Shi'a religious customs as he does about Lebanese politics. The book comes with advance praise from scholars who tell us Norton has written an accessible and balanced account of a movement poorly understood by many in the United States who too often view the Middle East through the 'terrorist' lens."---Donna Robinson Divine, Democratiya"The book is a dynamic and multifaceted account. . . . Overall, Norton's book balances international political factors with the local and regional conditions that shaped the outlook and activities of Hezbollah. Norton deserves praise for writing an insightful and multilayered work accessible to a wide and often uninformed readership."---Rula Abisaab, Journal of Palestine Studies"Norton's work is essential for those more concerned with an approach that rejects the rhetoric of the 'war on terror.' His historical and social analysis of Hezbollah's origin and subsequent evolution into its current manifestation is as objective an analysis as one can hope for--not to mention timely and fascinating."---Michael Teague, Al Jadid Magazine"Few scholars are as qualified to situate Hezbollah in local, regional, and socio-religious contexts as Augustus Richard Norton."---Joel Gordon, Journal of Military History"[T]his new edition of Norton's book is probably the best introduction to Hezbollah for a general reader, or even college students. The author cannot be accused of writing apologetically about the party because he does not shy away from dealing with Hezbollah's practice and ideology of violence. Amid the intense and ongoing propaganda surrounding Hezbollah, this short volume succeeds in rising above the passions of the debate."---As'ad AbuKhalil, Journal of Palestine Studies

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Book SynopsisFirst-generation Palestinian refugees recall life before and after the NakbaTrade Review'Through the pages of this book the reader can hear, feel, experience and understand more about the Nakba than by reading any other book on the subject' -- Raja Shehadeh, author of 'Going Home: A Walk Through Fifty Years of Occupation''Moving and thoughtful [...] With their silences, ellipses and jags of storytelling, the refugee voices invite us to imagine the lives torn asunder by the violence of the Nakba' -- Laleh Khalili, Queen Mary University of London and author of 'Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine: The Politics of National Commemoration' (CUP, 2019)‘Brings to life the experiences of ordinary Palestinians in pre-1948 Palestine and the traumatic experience of war and exile, written by leading scholars in the field. Of special value in this volume is the section on control and resistance during the Mandate dealing with policing, and narratives of rebellion’ -- Salim Tamari, Professor of Sociology (Emeritus), Birzeit University'A truly impressive collection [...] An opportunity to reconsider whether what the Palestinians faced was victimhood rather than an act of colonialism' -- Dawn Chatty, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration, University of Oxford'Imaginatively curated and framed [...] A brilliant contribution to the current moment as the world finally understands the true nature of the Palestinian struggle' -- Ahdaf Soueif, author of 'The Map of Love''The stories gathered here are the fruit of perseverant gathering. Their careful, deliberate, loving translation bear the sense and sensualities of Palestinian existence. 'Voices of the Nakba' shows how and why those who will not forget will never be forgotten' -- Fred Moten, cultural theorist and author of 'The Feel Trio''The oral history of colonised people is a lifeline against the coloniser's official history with its violent erasure. This excellent book centres the marginalised voices of Palestinians, reflecting the rich and complex tapestry of their experiences' -- Ibtisam Azem, author of 'The Book of Disappearance''A comprehensive, illuminating, and moving work of scholarship, which is also, quite simply, a work of art' -- Liron Mor, Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Literature, University of California, Irvine‘A monumental achievement [...] Enhancing the use of oral history as a research methodology, this book is a major addition to Nakba Studies and the living history of modern Palestine. A must read for those interested in the roots of the Palestinian refugee question and a just future for Palestine.’ -- Professor Nur Masalha, Palestinian historian and formerly Director of the Centre for Religion and History at St. Mary's University, TwickenhamTable of ContentsList of Figures Map of Palestine Acknowledgements Note on Translation and Transliteration Foreword by Mahmoud Zeidan Introduction: Past Continuous by Diana Allan PART I: Life in Pre-1948 Palestine 1. Village Life in Palestine - Rochelle Davis 2. Of Forests and Trees: City Life in 1930s Palestine - Sherene Seikaly 3. The Margin and the Centre in Narrating Pre-1948 Palestine - Amirah Silmi 4. Mandated Memory: The Schooling of Palestine in Nicola Ziadeh’s and Anis Sayigh’s Pre-1948 Recollections - Dyala Hamzah PART II: The British Mandate and Palestinian and Arab Resistance 5. Motivations and Tensions of Palestinian Police Service under British Rule - Alex Winder 6. Storying the Great Arab Revolt: Narratives of Resistance During 1936–39 - Jacob Norris 7. Songs of Resistance - Ted Swedenburg PART III: War and Ethnic Cleansing 8. The Roots of the Nakba - Salman Abu Sitta 9. Four Villages, Four Stories: Ethnic Cleansing Massacres in al-Jalil - Saleh Abdel Jawad 10. Remembering the Fight - Laila Parsons PART IV: Flight and Exile 11. The Dispossession of Lydda - Lena Jayyusi 12. Scars of the Mind: Trauma, Gender and Counter-Memories of the Nakba - Ruba Salih 13. The Politics of Listening - Cynthia Kreichati Afterword: Oral History in Palestinian Studies by Rosemary Sayigh Contributors and Translators Glossary Notes Index

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Book SynopsisChristmas has been all things to all people: a religious festival, a family celebration, a time of eating and drinking. Yet the origins of the customs which characterize the festive season are wreathed in myth.When did turkeys become the plat du jour? Is the commercialization of Christmas a recent phenomenon, or has the emphasis always been on spending? Just who is, or was, Santa Claus? And for how long have we been exchanging presents of underwear and socks?Food, drink and nostalgia for Christmases past seem to be almost as old as the holiday itself, far more central to the story of Christmas than religious worship. Thirty years after the first recorded Christmas, in the fourth century, the Archbishop of Constantinople was already warning that too many people were spending the day not in worship, but dancing and eating to excess. By 1616, the playwright Ben Jonson was nostalgically recalling the Christmases of yesteryear, confident that they had been better then. In Christmas: A History, acclaimed social historian and bestselling author Judith Flanders casts a sharp and revealing eye on the myths, legends and history of the season, from the origins of the holiday in the Roman empire to the emergence of Christmas trees in central Europe, to what might just possibly be the first appearance of Santa Claus – in Switzerland! – to draw a picture of the season as it has never been seen before.Trade ReviewFlanders covers every aspect of Christmas . . . [Christmas] is . . . a catalogue of colourful information, and as surprising an assortment of items as any you might find heaped up under a tree. -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * Observer *A well-researched account. There are more footnotes here than there are presents under a Rockefeller Christmas tree. Indeed, the book is stuffed with facts – enough to satiate even the most ravenous postprandial taste for quizzing. * Sunday Times *[An] entertaining biography . . . Following the fine tradition of light entertainment Christmas books, Judith Flanders provides lots of trivia . . . However, there is much more to it than that. Flanders is a respected social historian, best known for studies on Victorian life, and the strength of this warm book lies in its quiet erudition. * The Times *If you do want to think about the actual meaning of Christmas, why it still matters to us so much, the book you need is Christmas by the cultural historian Judith Flanders . . . which traces its “strange hybrid growth” all the way back to its origins. -- David Sexton * Evening Standard *A definitive, myth-busting new book . . . [Christmas] tells the full history of the festival that owes it beginning to Roman celebrations of the winter solstice with some fascinating revelations along the way. * The Lady *Who could say bah-humbug to this sprawling-yet-accessible history, which examines traditions with all the trimmings. * Sunday Independent *A superabundance of information about holiday practices, drawn not just from Britain, North American, the Commonwealth and Continental Europe (especially Germany), but from wherever Christmas is celebrated – even, at its most secular and idiosyncratic, in Japan. * TLS *Little escapes Flanders’s notice, as she reflects on the film It’s a Wonderful Life, the nation-binding importance of Britain’s annual carol concert from King’s College, Cambridge, or the financial dependence of local ballet companies on performances of The Nutcracker. Throughout, too, her writing remains brisk and witty: She alludes to the seasonal tradition of reading ghost stories, “while the children break their new toys around you.” * Washington Post *Judith Flanders . . . likes Christmas (I think), but she loves reality and its awkward, amusing facts. (A previous book of hers, Inside the Victorian Home, is deep, bright and encompassing.) * New York Times *This informative and entertaining history is an absolute delight. * Woman & Home *

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Book SynopsisDiscover how the modern world came to be with this easy-to-follow and up-to-date history companion Want to get a taste of the entirety of human history in a single book? With World History For Dummies, you'll get an overview of the history of, well, everything, from the Neanderthal experience to the latest historical developments of the 21st century. Re-live history from your armchair as you ride into battle alongside Roman generals, prepare Egyptian pharaohs for the afterlife, and learn from the great Greek poets and philosophers. Written in the easy-to-digest style the For Dummies series is famous for, you'll discover: How religion, philosophy, and science shaped, and were shaped by, the great figures of historyThe human consequences of warfare, from historical battles to more modern conflicts from the 20th centuryWhat's influencing events in the 21st century, from climate change to new regimes and economies World History For Dummies is the perfect gift for the lifelong learner who wants to brush up on their world history knowledge. It's also an indispensable resource for AP World History students looking for a supplemental reference to help them with their studies.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part 1: Getting into History 5 Chapter 1: Tracing a Path to the Present 7 Chapter 2: Digging Up Reality 19 Chapter 3: Putting History into Perspective 29 Part 2: Finding Strength in Numbers 41 Chapter 4: Getting Civilized 43 Chapter 5: Rising and Falling Empires 61 Chapter 6: Splitting Eras: The Middle Ages 77 Chapter 7: Struggling for Dominance 93 Chapter 8: Grabbing the Globe 113 Chapter 9: Pulling Empires Together as Subjects Push Back 135 Part 3: Seeking Answers 161 Chapter 10: Worshipping through the Ages 163 Chapter 11: Loving Wisdom: Philosophy’s Impact 185 Chapter 12: Being Christian, Thinking Greek 201 Chapter 13: Awakening to the Renaissance 211 Chapter 14: Breaking Away: The Reformation 229 Chapter 15: Opening Up to Science and Enlightenment 251 Part 4: Fighting, Fighting, Fighting 267 Chapter 16: Wielding Sticks and Stones: Old-Fashioned War 269 Chapter 17: Upgrading the War Machine 283 Chapter 18: Modernizing Mayhem 297 Part 5: Meeting the Movers and Shakers 313 Chapter 19: Starting Something Legendary 315 Chapter 20: Battling Toward Immortality 329 Chapter 21: Exploring and “Discovering” 343 Chapter 22: Turning Tables: Rebels and Revolutionaries 357 Part 6: The Part of Tens 373 Chapter 23: Ten Unforgettable Dates in History 375 Chapter 24: Ten Essential Historical Documents 383 Index 393

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Book SynopsisSir Edmund Hillary described Douglas Mawson’s epic and punishing journey across 600 miles of unknown Antarctic wasteland as ‘the greatest story of lone survival in polar exploration’.This Accursed Land tells that story; how Mawson declined to join Captain Robert Scott’s ill-fated British expedition and instead lead a three-man husky team to explore the far eastern coastline of the Antarctic continent.But the loss of one member and most of the supplies soon turned the hazardous trek into a nightmare. Mawson was trapped 320 miles from base with barely nine days’ food and nothing for the dogs.Eating poisoned meat, watching his body fall apart, crawling over chasms and crevices of deadly ice, his ultimate and lone struggle for survival, starving, poisoned, exhausted and indescribably cold, is an unforgettable story of human endurance. Grippingly told by Lennard Bickel, this is the most extraordinary journey from the brutal golden age of Antarctic exploration. Perfect for fans of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air or Michael Palin’s Erebus.

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Book SynopsisExplore Britain's remaining historic lines with railway expert Julian Holland. The essential guide to exploring Britain’s last remaining historic lines, Britain’s Heritage Railways is ideal for anyone planning or looking for a nostalgic railway trip. From bestselling railway author Julian Holland.Trade Review“If the author is Julian Holland, and the subject is railways, you know you’re going to be in for a treat” Cotswold Life

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Book SynopsisThe world’s leading expert on Osama bin Laden delivers for the first time the “riveting” (The New York Times) definitive biography of a man who set the course of American foreign policy for the 21st century and whose ideological heirs we continue to battle today.In The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden, Peter Bergan provides the first reevaluation of the man responsible for precipitating America’s long war with al-Qaeda and its decedents, capturing bin Laden in all the dimensions of his life: as a family man, as a zealot, as a battlefield commander, as a terrorist leader, and as a fugitive. The book sheds light on his many contradictions: he was the son of a billionaire yet insisted his family live like paupers. He adored his wives and children, depending on his two wives, both of whom had PhDs, to make critical strategic decisions. Yet, he also brought ruin to his family. He was fanatically religious but willing to kill thousands of civilians in the name of Islam. He inspired deep loyalty, yet, in the end, his bodyguards turned against him. And while he inflicted the most lethal act of mass murder in United States history, he failed to achieve any of his strategic goals. In his final years, the lasting image we have of bin Laden is of an aging man with a graying beard watching old footage of himself, just as another dad flipping through the channels with his remote. In the end, bin Laden died in a squalid suburban compound, far from the front lines of his holy war. And yet, despite that unheroic denouement, his ideology lives on. Thanks to exclusive interviews with family members and associates, and documents unearthed only recently, Bergen’s “comprehensive, authoritative, and compelling” (H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World) portrait of Osama bin Laden reveals for the first time who he really was and why he continues to inspire a new generation of jihadists.Trade Review"Meticulously documented, fluidly written and replete with riveting detail... Equally revealing about the Americans and their pursuit of him." — The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "Of the raft of books that are marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and its aftermath, few are likely to be as meticulously documented, as fluidly written or as replete with riveting detail as Peter Bergen’s The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden... A page-turner." — The New York Times Book Review "The portrait [Bergen] draws is intimate and detailed."— The Washington Post "The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden does much more than reveal a human side to a mass murderer, offering the general reader an authoritative and convincing portrait of a man whose misdeeds changed all our lives in many ways, none for the better." — The Guardian "Comprehensive, authoritative, and compelling." — H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World

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Book Synopsis THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Otto Rosenberg is 9 and living in Berlin, poor but happy, when his family are first detained. All around them, Sinti and Roma families are being torn from their homes by Nazis , leaving behind schools, jobs, friends, and businesses to live in forced encampments outside the city. One by one, families are broken up, adults and children disappear or are 'sent East'.Otto arrives in Auschwitz aged 15 and is later transferred to Buechenwald and Bergen-Belsen. He works, scrounges food whenever he can, witnesses and suffers horrific violence and is driven close to death by illness more than once. Unbelievably, he also joins an armed revolt of prisoners who, facing the SS and certain death, refuse to back down. Somehow, through luck, sheer human will to live, or both, he survives.The stories of Sinti and Roma suffering in Nazi Germany are all too often lost or untold. In this haunting account, Otto shares his story with a remarkable simplicity. Deeply moving, A Gypsy in Auschwitz is the incredible story of how a young Sinti boy miraculously survived the unimaginable darkness of the Holocaust.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBryant has an encyclopedic knowledge of public affairs and popular culture ... The result is riveting, often revelatory, crammed with facts … The great strength of Bryant’s book is his ability to make large structural changes vivid through outsized personalities and his own personal experiences … Readable, powerful and instructive. * Washington Post *A masterclass from an outstanding chronicler of modern America ... Insightful, thoughtful, and beautifully written. -- Orla GuerinNick Bryant writes like a dream, and is one of those very rare things on TV - a man who makes you want to turn up the sound. His eye for description is sublime, and he has a way of showing you what you’ve been missing from the whole story, whilst never leaving you feeling stupid. -- Emily MaitlisAn absolutely belting achievement ... An elegy for a lost nation and a lost cause. -- Justin WebbThere are all too many people who can opine about the United States but there are very few with Nick Bryant’s depth of knowledge, experience and empathy for the country and his ability to communicate intelligently, engagingly and entertainingly. -- Nick RobinsonBryant is a genuine rarity, a Brit who understands America. * Washington Post *A scathing indictment of the polarization and degradation that has transformed the US … [A]n adroit political critique. * Kirkus Reviews *Few outsiders explain America better than Nick Bryant or write about it as well. This is a must-read guide to an extraordinary time. -- Katty Kay[Bryant] has a deeper understanding than many of the ebb and flow of history ... [His] breezy prose displays a keen eye for good quotations and telling anecdotes. * TLS *Listeners who want a perspective that’s both outside and inside and crucially, that comes from a place of love for the US, should look out for When America Stopped Being Great. * The New Statesman *Terrific. Very much recommended. * The Monocle Daily *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Face to Face with ‘The Donald’ 1 It’s Morning Again in America 2 Goodbye to the Greatest Generation 3 Bill and Newt 4 The Three Convulsions 5 No You Can’t 6 The Donald Trump Show 7 American Carnage 8 The Descent into January 6th Conclusion: Present at the Destruction Afterword: Code Red for American Democracy Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“A convincing book that could make a big difference in the way we think about modern economic problems.”—Peter Passell, New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisThis is the first in-depth and analytical biography of an Asian woman scientistâEdavaleth Kakkat Janaki Ammal (1897â1984). Using a wide range of archival sources, it presents a dazzling portrait of the twentieth century through the eyes of a pioneering Indian woman scientist, who was highly mobile, and a life that intersected with several significant historical eventsâthe rise of Nazi Germany and World War II, the struggle for Indian Independence, the social relations of science movement, the Lysenko affair, the green revolution, the dawn of environmentalism and the protest movement against a proposed hydro-electric project in the Silent Valley in the 1970s and 1980s.The volume brings into focus her work on mapping the origin and evolution of cultivated plants across space and time, to contribute to a grand history of human evolution, her works published in peer-reviewed Indian and international journals of science, as well as her co-authored work, Chromosome Atlas of Cult

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Book Synopsis''A masterly debut... If Bernard Cornwell and George R.R. Martin had a lovechild, it would look like A Mighty Dawn. I devoured it late into the night, and eagerly await the sequel'' THE TIMES''Gripping. Gut-wrenching'' ERIC SCHUMACHER An epic, spellbinding Viking fantasy of blood and battle, weaving together history, fantasy and ancient myth. Perfect for fans of The Northman and Game of Thrones. Byzantium, 718ADThe great siege is over.Crippled warrior, Erlan Aurvandil, is weary of war. But he must rally his strength to lead a band of misfit adventurers back to the North, to reclaim the stolen kingdom of his lover, Lilla Sviggarsdottir. For this, they need an army. To raise an army, they need gold.Together they plot a daring heist to steal the Emperor''s tribute to his ally. Barely escaping with their lives, they voyage north, ready for the fight. But when fate strand

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Book SynopsisMarcy Norton tells a new history of the European colonization of the Americas, one that places wildlife and livestock at the center of the story. She reveals that it was, above all, the encounters between European and Native American beliefs about animal life that transformed societies on both sides of the Atlantic.Trade ReviewRelationships—between animals and humans, and between humans and other humans—are at the heart of Marcy Norton’s original and ambitious The Tame and the Wild. -- Alexander Bevilacqua * London Review of Books *[Norton] argues that biology cannot be separated from culture — a stance that allows her to reconsider why animals were treated in a certain way in the past and how they could be treated in the future… A fascinating book. -- Henry Mance * Financial Times *The Tame and the Wild reads like a revelation. Norton’s groundbreaking work compellingly shows how the history of nonhuman animals in the Atlantic world, and their transformation from beings to things, is intrinsically entangled with the history of the early-modern European extractivist and genocidal colonial project in the Americas. At the same time, it luminously recovers and foregrounds early-modern American Indigenous ways of being in the world and knowing it that emphasize the shared nature of human and nonhuman flesh and subjectivity. Her book shows us new ways for writing both our histories and those of our ‘fellow creatures.’ -- Pablo F. Gómez, author of The Experiential Caribbean: Creating Knowledge and Healing in the Early Modern AtlanticMarcy Norton offers an erudite and innovative perspective on the relationships between humankind and animals in the context of the European colonization of Mexico and South America. By analyzing the history of the clash between Indigenous and Western conceptions of hunting, domestication, and coexistence with pets, this book reveals the origins of consumption practices and objectification of the animal world, as well as the struggles to recognize animal rights. -- Guilhem Olivier, National Autonomous University of MexicoNorton revolutionizes our understanding of the world after 1492. Until now theories of ecological imperialism have conceived of animals a lot like diseases: as biological forces undermining colonized societies. She refutes that determinist story by showing animals as subjects in relationships—sometimes tender, sometimes violent, sometimes extractivist—with Indigenous people and Europeans in the Americas. The Tame and the Wild puts animals and human relationships at the center of the history of contact. -- Nancy J. Jacobs, author of Birders of Africa

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Book SynopsisThe chambered tomb of Maeshowe sits in one of the richest and best preserved Neolithic landscapes in Europe. This was a place of stone circles, villages and burial monuments; a place where people lived, worshipped and honoured their dead. The surviving evidence tells us that about 5,000 years ago, Orkney was a thriving focus whose influence was felt many miles away. Aside from Maeshowe, visitors can discover Neolithic houses at Skara Brae and Barnhouse, dramatic stone-circled henges such as the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar, and the astonishing ceremonial centre at Ness of Brodgar, still being uncovered by archaeologists. The importance of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney was marked in 1999 when some of its key monuments were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This book will help you to explore and understand the Site, and discover other related monuments in the area.

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Book SynopsisKampfgruppe Peiper was the spearhead of the German 6th Panzer-Army in the Ardennes, responsible for clearing the way for the German tanks towards the Meuse and Antwerp. It was endowed with considerable firepower and brought together the most motivated veterans of the Third Reich. It had to rush forward without regard to its flanks, seizing the bridges over the Meuse before the American army had time to react. After a difficult start, the German armoured column broke through the defensive curtain of Gis and set off on its mission. It had to cross the Ardennes, an easy-to-defend area that the American command used to gain time. One after the other, bridges were being blown in front of Peiper. His fuel ran out, and he found himself at a standstill isolated on a promontory at La Gleize. Using combat reports from both sides, this book analyzes the events as they occurred, minute by minute, explaining the reasons for Peiper''s failure, even though, on paper at least, he had everything he nee

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Book SynopsisA fully illustrated study of the French armies that were inspired by Saint Jeanne d'Arc, reformed under King Charles VII and eventually victorious over England in the Hundred Years' War. Saint Jeanne d'Arc remains a central figure in France's national legend, having ushered the country's flagging military forces into a period of extraordinary reform and revival that culminated some 22 years after her death in the French emerging triumphant from the Hundred Years' War. France's 1429 victory at Orléans, which was headed by Saint Jeanne, marked the first major setback to a long series of English successes and led directly to the coronation of King Charles VII, who would transform France's fortunes by making peace with Burgundy, gathering foreign allies and creating permanent armed forces under royal control.In this engaging new study, French military historian Philippe Gaillard examines the events and individuals that brought about such a pivotal shift in the

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Book Synopsis'Dramatic and colourful' SUNDAY TIMES'Beautiful writing' GILES KRISTIAN Treason, heresy and revolt in Queen Elizabeth's England . . . The year is 1600. With a dying queen on the throne, war raging on the high seas and famine on the rise, England is on the brink of chaos. And in London's dark alleyways, a conspiracy is brewing. In the court's desperate bid to silence it, an innocent man is found guilty - the father of Nicholas Shelby, physician and spy. As Nicholas races against time to save his father, he and his wife Bianca are drawn into the centre of a treacherous plot against the queen.When one of Shakespeare's boy actors goes missing, and Bianca discovers a disturbing painting that could be a clue, she embarks on her own investigation. Meanwhile, as Nicholas comes closer to unveiling the real conspirator, the men who wish to silence him are multiplying. When he stumbles on a plan to overthrow the state and replace it with a terrifying new order, he may be forced to make a decision between his country and his heart . . .Trade ReviewThe third in Perry's series is as dramatic and colourful as the previous two. * The Sunday Times *An absolute belter of a read and another fabulous addition to the Jackdaw Mysteries series... I just gobbled up the pages as the story fairly roars along battling spies and pirates on route... S. W. Perry ensures the sights, smells and sounds of London and Morocco entered my very being. I love this series. -- Liz Robinson * LoveReading, Picks of the month *The writing is of such a quality, the characters so engaging and the setting so persuasive that, only two books in, S.W. Perry's ingeniously plotted novels have become my favourite historical crime series. * S. G. MacLean on The Serpent's Mark *A satisfyingly convoluted plot. * Sunday Times on The Serpent's Mark *No-one is better than S. W. Perry at leading us through the squalid streets of London in the sixteenth century. * Andrew Swanston on The Serpent's Mark *The Serpent's Mark is an excellent evocation of Elizabethan England, with espionage, intricate conspiracies, strange medical practises and a gripping story. A rattling good read. * William Ryan on The Serpent's Mark *A gorgeous book - rich, intelligent and dark in equal measure. It immerses you in the late 16th century and leaves you wrung out with terror. This is historical fiction at its most sumptuous. * Rory Clements on The Angel's Mark *Wonderful! Beautiful writing, and Perry's Elizabethan London is so skilfully evoked, so real that one can almost smell it. * Giles Kristian on The Angel's Mark *

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Book SynopsisThis illustrated study assesses the British Crusader and the Italian M13/40, two medium tanks that played crucial roles in World War II's Desert War. Making its combat debut in North Africa during December 1940, Italy's M13/40 medium tank was armed with a 47mm main gun. Its British opposite number, the Crusader I, was armed with a 2-pdr (40mm) main gun; it entered the fighting in June 1941. While the M13/40 could fire armour-piercing rounds but also high-explosive ammunition against infantry and towed-gun targets, the Crusader could only fire armour-piercing ammunition. In this book, David Greentree charts the evolution of these two tanks as the Desert War raged on.While the Crusader III, making its debut at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, was armed with the much more effective 6-pdr (57mm), the M13/40 could not be upgunned or uparmoured; new types such as the US-built M3 Grant tipped the balance in favour of the British. Joined in the front l

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Book SynopsisThe lives of Tudor women often offer faint but fascinating footnotes on the pages ofhistory. The life of Catherine or Katryn as her husband would one day pen her name Carey, the daughter of Mary Boleyn and, as the weight of evidence suggests, Henry VIII, isone of those footnotes.As the possible daughter of Henry VIII, the niece of Anne Boleyn and the favourite ofElizabeth I, Catherine's life offers us a unique perspective on the reigns of Henry and hischildren. In this book, Wendy J. Dunn takes these brief details of Catherine's life and turns theminto a rich account of a woman who deserves her story told. Following the faint trailprovided of her life from her earliest years to her death in service to QueenElizabeth, Dunn examines the evidence of Catherine's parentage and views her worldthrough the lens of her relationship with the royal family she served.This book presents an important story of a woman who saw and experienced muchtragedy and political turmoil during the reigns of Hen

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Book SynopsisWorld-renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass weaves a spellbinding narrative about how the pyramids were built and why, new in paperbackNearly five thousand years ago, the fourth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom reigned over a highly advanced civilization. Believed to be gods, the royal family lived amid colossal palaces and temples built to honor them and their deified ancestors. In Mountains of the Pharaohs, Zahi Hawass brings these extraordinary historical figures to life, detailing a soap opera-like saga complete with murder, incest, and the triumphant ascension to the throne of one of only four queens ever to rule Egypt. It was during this dynasty that the magnificent pyramids of Giza were built. These monuments attest not only to the dynasty's supreme power, but also to the engineering expertise and architectural sophistication that flourished under its rule. Hawass tells the complete story of the pyramids, weaving archaeological data with a history of Egypt's powerful pharaohs, and a

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