History Books

Book Synopsis''A brilliant concept, executed with enviable elegance'' Lucy Worsley''A gem of a book. Thanks to Daisy Dunn''s elegant and lively retelling of history, the women of the ancient world are restored to the centre of the story of classical antiquity. It was a joy to read.'' Peter FrankopanSpanning 3,000 years, from the birth of Minoan Crete to the death of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome, a magisterial new history of the ancient world told, for the very first time, through women. For centuries, men have been writing histories of antiquity filled with warlords, emperors and kings. But when it comes to incorporating women aside from Cleopatra and Boudica, writers have been more comfortable describing mythical heroines than real ones. While Penelope and Helen of Troy live on in the imagination, their real-life counterparts have been relegated to the margins. In The Missing Thread, Daisy Dunn inverts this tradition and pu

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Book SynopsisJourney through time and space with this graphic novel history of the science fiction genre, from Jules Verne, Jonathan Swift, and Mary Shelley to William Gibson and Philip K. Dick to Ken Liu and Ted Chiang, and beyond. Trace the progress of SF through modern times and learn why key figures and inventors like Thomas Edison have looked to science fiction to predict the future.For the first time in illustrated form, this comprehensive history of science fiction traces its origins and, in fascinating detail, charts its history from its beginnings as a “schlock” genre to its respected status today. Join author/historian Xavier Dollo and artist Djibril Morissette-Phan (All-New Wolverine, X-Men: Gold, Star-Lord) in their visual journey into the expansive universe of science fiction. Who is considered the world’s first science fiction author? How did American science fiction begin? What sci-fi novel is the alltime best-seller? What were the “Pulps” and how did they predict with uncanny accuracy the 21st century world around us? The answers are here, along with detailed chapters dedicated to the founders of the genre and their modern-day successors. Discover the origins of your favorite page-to-screen science fiction movies. Marvel at the behind-the-scenes stories of some of literature’s most imaginative writers. Find out why science fiction so effortlessly captures our imaginations and makes us dream of new worlds. Far more than just a list of facts, The History of Science Fiction is a roaring analytical reflection on the genre that continues to shape our world, presented in a stunning 8” x 11” hardcover sure to stand out on any bookshelf or serve as the coffee-table conversation starter for all things sci-fi!

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Book SynopsisAt the darkest moment of the year, when the nights seem endless and the days very short, comes that most joyful of festivals. Christmas is a truly magical season, bringing families and friends together to share the much-loved customs and traditions that over the centuries have come to surround this heart-warming and deeply symbolic occasion. Each family has their own personal traditions, and ways they celebrate the special day. Yet underneath the tinsel, fairy lights and wrapping paper are many long-standing traditions that we all know and love. Why do we drag a fir tree inside our house and decorate it? How long Santa has been delivering gifts to good children? What would Christmas be like without mince pies? We owe a lot to the Victorians. They transformed the way Britain celebrated Christmas in the 19th century and we continue with their traditions today. In 1848 a British confectioner by the name of Tom Smith came up with the idea of wrapping sweets inside a package that snapped when pulled apart. It was the Victorians that really centred Christmas round the family, with the eating of a Christmas dinner together, giving gifts and playing games. All these things have become central to a British Christmas Day.

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Book Synopsis-This is a collection of essays by world-famous author, Jean Améry, translated into English for the first time. -Although written prior to his death in 1978, their insights are as comptemporary and fresh as ever given the current political climate. -Améry's works have been a mainstay of IUP's Holocaust list of decades./Trade Review"Amery's searing and indispensable reflection on the Nazi death camps, At the Mind's Limits, has now been supplemented by this prescient collection that foresaw the rise of leftwing antisemitism and described its motivations and impact with exceptional clarity. The result is a book that interrogates the present moment from the moral and philosophical perspective of the Shoah. This is a compelling book that everyone concerned with our destiny should read."—Cary Nelson, author of Dreams Deferred and Not in Kansas Anymore"Remove the dates and historical markers on some of the essays, and you will think you are reading a contemporary critique of the left vis-à-vis the Jews and Israel. Jean Améry, for that reason, was, as much a major witness to the catastrophe, as a visionary intellectual who admonished those who had perverted the progressive project into the infamous "socialism of the fools." This collection of elegant translations prefaced by Alvin Rosenfeld shows an intellectual and a witness immune to all dogmas and whose heart and reason constitute the only measure of his ethical judgement."—Bruno Chaouat, author of Is Theory Good for the Jews? French Thought and the Challenge of the New Antisemitism"If there's a cure for today's woke antisemitism, this is it. Camouflaged as anti-Zionism, the world's oldest hatred runs amok on the left in new forms after World War II (which stigmatized old-fashioned, rightwing Jew-hatred for a time), as Améry saw ahead of the rest. Anti-Zionism is antisemitism, he recognized unflinchingly. In sum, there is no discussion worth having of campus antisemitism, the movement to boycott Israel, the upsurge in attacks on Jews around the world or Israeli-diaspora relations that ignores this prescient and piercing, achingly lucid volume"—Gabriel Noah Brahm, Northern Michigan UniversityTable of ContentsForewordIntroductionEssays1. On the Impossible Obligation to Be a Jew2. Between Vietnam and Israel3. Virtuous Antisemitism4. The New Left's Approach to "Zionism"5. Jews, Leftists, Leftist Jews6. The New Antisemitism7. Shylock, Kitsch, and Its Hazards8. Virtuous Antisemitism9. The Limits of Solidarity10. My JewishnessEpilogueNote on SourcesBiographical TimelineContributor BiographiesIndex

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Book SynopsisFifteen years in the making, a landmark reinterpretation of the life of a pivotal figure in British and European historyTrade Review"This is serious, definitive history, essential for undergraduates and academics. . . . Bates gets as close to the subject as any medieval biographer could wish."—Dan Jones, Sunday Times"Bates has devoted a lifetime of learning to William the Conqueror and his age. In this definitive biography of the man who forever changed England with hisinvasion of 1066, Bates contends that a full understanding of William’s place in history requires locating him in a longer period.”—Tony Barber, “Best books of 2016," Financial Times"The best ever biography of the ruthless Norman bastard — masterly and exciting, but always measured and scholarly."—Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Week, 22nd July 2017“A coherent, consistent and complete portrait by a single master. . . This book is a monument to Bates’s knowledge of William, his career and his times. It has significantly advanced our understanding of this imposing figure, and it will, and should, be the point of departure for future discussions of the reign.”—Mark Hagger, English Historical Review"Leading expert David Bates gives one of British History’s headline figures the in-depth treatment. . . . From his personality to the consequences of his military actions, this book will heartily extend your knowledge of 1066 and all that."—History Revealed"David Bates has given us a magnificent new biography of William the Conqueror to add to his superb edition of William’s royal charters. Reflecting many years of research, it is deeply learned, full of important new insights and . . . makes a major contribution to our knowledge and understanding, not only of the Conqueror but also of the world in which he lived. No scholar working in the field can afford to ignore this; all readers with an interest in the period will benefit from it."—Paul Dalton, TLS“There is surely no-one better placed than Prof. David Bates to write this biography. . . A magnificent achievement of detailed description and analysis.” —Matthew Bennett, Reviews in History “This thorough biography, bringing together so many medieval life histories, demonstrates what close, informed and imaginative engagement with the seemingly intractable remnants of the medieval past can accomplish.” —William M. Aird, French History“Richly detailed and nuanced in interpretation. . . a very considerable achievement, moving historical debate forward and, not least in importance, the publisher is to be thanked for a very reasonable price.” —Judith Green, History“A judicious and thoughtful study...The reader is rewarded not only with detailed handling of the rich, if rarely straightforward, testimony of the charter and narrative material, but also with masterful overviews of the period-defining and problematic record of the Bayeux Tapestry and the monumental and monumentally-detailed evidence of Domesday Book.”—H. F. Doherty, Northern HistoryWon the 2017 Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Title"David Bates's biography of William the Conqueror is a worthy culmination of a lifetime's study of one of England's greatest and in many ways most complex kings. Despite the 950 years which now lie between us and William's remarkable victory at Hastings, Bates conjures up the man in all his strengths, weaknesses and passions, and proves that there is still much new to learn about this man who changed the course of the histories of England, Britain and France."—David Crouch, author of The English Aristocracy, 1070–1272"This book tells of William the Conqueror as never before. David Bates recognizes a distinguished predecessor, yet where D.C. Douglas wrote from the outside in, Bates writes from the inside out to show how the biography of Duke-King William is what illuminates Normandy and England at a critical time in their histories. Bates writes with surpassing command of the sources to bring out the problematic contexts of challenges facing the Conqueror throughout his life. He shows that William's legacy of achievement and brutality was as troubling to the writers who knew or remembered him as it is for us. Moreover, the deployment of a vast new secondary literature renders this book virtually a tribute to the burgeoning Anglo-Norman field of research that it occupies. Bates' William the Conqueror is a monumental accomplishment."—Thomas N. Bisson, author of The Crisis of the Twelfth Century: Power, Lordship, and the Origins of European Government

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Book SynopsisNo metropolis has been more loved or more hated. To its official boosters, "Los Angeles brings it all together." To detractors, LA is a sunlit mortuary where "you can rot without feeling it." To Mike Davis, the author of this fiercely elegant and wide-ranging work of social history, Los Angeles is both utopia and dystopia, a place where the last Joshua trees are being plowed under to make room for model communities in the desert, where the rich have hired their own police to fend off street gangs, as well as armed Beirut militias.In City of Quartz, Davis reconstructs LA's shadow history and dissects its ethereal economy. He tells us who has the power and how they hold on to it. He gives us a city of Dickensian extremes, Pynchonesque conspiracies, and a desperation straight out of Nathaniel West - a city in which we may glimpse our own future mirrored with terrifying clarity.Trade ReviewAbsolutely fascinating. -- William GibsonFew books shed as much light on their subjects as this opinionated and original excavation of Los Angeles from the mythical debris of its past and future. * San Francisco Examiner *A history as fascinating as it is instructive. -- Peter Ackroyd * The Times *As central to the L.A. canon as anything that Carey McWilliams wrote in the forties or Joan Didion wrote in the seventies. -- Dana Goodyear * New Yorker *Angelenos, now is the time to lean into Mike Davis's apocalyptic, passionate, radical rants on the sprawling, gorgeous mess that is Los Angeles. -- Stephanie Danler, author of Stray and SweetbitterCity of Quartz deserves to be emancipated from its parochial legacy...[It is] a working theory of global cities writ large, with as much to teach us about multiculturalism as it does racial apartheid in Los Angeles. -- David Helps * Los Angeles Review of Books *A wildly original analysis of the city on the threshold of the new millennium, the book synthesized knowledge about Los Angeles's history, politics, culture, architecture, policing, immigration, and more, painting a dark picture that embodied a kind of American urban dystopia on steroids after the nightmare of Reaganism and the "developers' millennium." -- Micah Uetricht * The Nation *Dazzling * Counterfire *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2016 George L. Mosse Prize, American Historical Association""Winner of the 2016 Cundill Prize in Historical Literature, McGill University""Winner of the 2016 Stansky Book Prize, North American Conference on British Studies""Winner of the 2018 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies, Nanovic Institute""Winner of the 2016 PROSE Award in European & World History, Association of American Publishers""2016 Gold Medal Winner in World History, Independent Publisher Book Awards""One of The Guardian’s Best Books of 2015, selected by Alison Light""One of Flavorwire’s 10 Best Books by Academic Publishers in 2015""One of Flavorwire’s 15 Best Nonfiction Books of 2015""Hardly a sentence in Laqueur's long book is wasted."---John Gray, New York Review of Books"[A] sprawling meditation on mortal remains. . . . Laqueur offers an intricate historical narrative about the place the dead occupy in our lives. . . . The Work of the Dead is a methodologically bracing book."---Thomas Meaney, London Review of Books"Laqueur effectively shows that remains of the dead matter long after they decompose . . . [and his] engaging writing style enlivens this somber subject." * Library Journal *"The product of prodigious research and a subtle and sophisticated knowledge of history, anthropology, and philosophy, The Work of the Dead is as magnificent--and mindboggling--as it is monumental."---Glenn C. Altschuler, Huffington Post"Enormously detailed and absorbing. . . . [A] remarkably supple and fascinating study, providing as it were the sociological and forensic underpinning of every ghost story ever told. . . . The Work of the Dead [is] both provocative and, you should pardon the term, lively (and readers should be sure not to miss the wonderfully argumentative end notes). It'll change the way you look at being dead and buried."---Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly"Laqueur's book is a monumental undertaking, teeming with so many absorbing anecdotes and so much vivid information that it can be read either compulsively or for an hour a day, just to keep in sight of the nub of our fears and the often romantic absurdity of our hopes and superstitions."---Gregory Day, Sydney Morning Herald"This massive, mesmerizing work contains much that's worth pondering." * Publishers Weekly *"Monumentally learned. . . . Laqueur's mastery of this history, and his limpid prose, make this a deeply engaging text."---Deborah Lutz, Times Higher Education"The Work of the Dead is an enormous, erudite, sprawling, garrulous, exhausting and brilliant piece of work. And it never forgets that thread of 'intuition and feeling'." * Economist *"A major work of scholarship on an undiscovered country, the land of the dead, which, as it turns out, has had major implications for the living. Laqueur's book. . . aims to show that our care for the dead (‘materially and imaginatively') marks ‘the sign of our emergence from the order of nature into culture.'"---Jonathan Sturgeon, Flavorwire"[The Work of the Dead] is, quite simply, an extraordinary book. . . . [I]n short, this is the work of a great historian doing what we all do, only better: reckoning with death as we bide time until our own."---Darrin M. McMahon, Literary Review"Magnificent. . . . Dazzling in its scope, expertly researched and crafted,The Work of the Dead shows us what is important about our humanity and longings. It is also a page-turner and a terrific read."---Sharon R. Kaufman, Los Angeles Review of Books"After being asked what he would like to have done with his body after he died, the Greek philosopher Diogenes replied that he wanted it thrown out for animals to devour. Thousands of years later, his answer can still shock. Thomas Laqueur explains why in his sweeping history of the way humans have grappled with death--an abstract terror made concrete by the bodies that remain when the dead have passed on. Combining anthropological reflections on the cultural functions of the dead with historical investigations of the shifting ways their bodies have been treated, Laqueur uses the stubborn resistance to Diogenes' provocation to explore the world the dead left behind."---Tim Shenk, Dissent"Poetically, powerfully sweeping across human history, Laqueur explores what the rituals of caring for the departed reveal about the living. Their story is ours; their absence shapes art and architecture, communities and civilizations. In every era and every culture, Laqueur finds the dead body imbued with meaning." * Swarthmore Bulletin *"Laqueur's venerable research all leads to one principal concluding thought, which is that while we can know logically that the human corpse is unrelated to the personality it once held, it is the most intimately connected material thing that is left of a life."---Juniper Quin, SevenPonds"Do the dead matter? This is the central question in this meticulously researched, all-encompassing exploration of our mortal remains. . . . In this intimate and often very personal reflection, Laqueur asserts that we need our rituals to serve the dead to smooth over the rent that is caused in the passing of those we love. . . This thought-provoking tome, erudite and finely written, seemingly encapsulates all past uttering on the dead in our fleetingly short lives."---Julie Peakman, History Today"[An] invariably fascinating treatment of a morbid subject." * Choice *"One meticulously argumented stroll through time and beliefs, highly attractive in its depth and far-reachingness. . . . Laqueur has succeeded where many others had not: he opened for us a tiny window on the concept of death and dying without violating historiographic objectiveness or trying to impose judgements or values."---Amir Muzur, European Journal of Bioethics"We look at the masterpiece with awe: How is it possible to do so much, to say so much about the dead in so many societies over such a broad sweep of time, even in a book as capacious as this?"----Annette Becker, American Historical Review"The Work of the Dead is packed with information, surprises, unaccustomed lore and learning, and Laqueur shows throughout a sturdy curiosity, as he digs unflinchingly around and into his chosen topic."---Marina Warner, London Review of Books"Monumental." * New English Landscape *"Laqueur brings prodigious compassion, erudition, and independence of thought to his task: every page is instructive, whether he is discussing the pollution caused by crematoria, the problems of pauper burials, the belief that undressing a corpse and opening windows makes it easier for the soul to leave the body, or just the listing of the names of the dead."---David Ganz, The Review of Politics"Historians of death in particular should thus keep this book at hand. Richly illustrated, detailed and accessible, The Work of the Dead is infused with approximately 35 years of travel, conversations, discoveries in archives and personal experience. It invites all readers to think further about the role that the dead play in the way that we live."---Martin Robert, Mortality"This book is a monumental Magnum Opus covering the cultural history of how we are treated mortal remains. . . . This is surely the definitive treatment of the subject, a landmark and highly readable work."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer

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Book SynopsisReza Aslan is an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions. He is also a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. At Harvard, Aslan was elected president of Harvard's chapter of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, a UN organisation committed to global understanding. His is first book, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam, has been translated into thirteen languages and named by Blackwells as one of the hundred most important books of the last decade. Currently teaching an introductory course on Islam at Iowa, Aslan is also at work on a novel.Trade ReviewA brief and lively history... Extraordinary. -- Alexander Waugh * Spectator *Aslan turns Genesis on its head. The extent of our divine anthropomorphism is fascinating. As an introductory biography of a figure who has good claim to be called the most influential of all time, it is interesting indeed. -- Catherine Nixey * The Sunday Times *Timely, riveting, enlightening and necessary. * Huffington Post *[Aslan’s] slim, yet ambitious book [is] the story of how humans have created God with a capital G, and it’s thoroughly mind-blowing. * Los Angeles Review of Books *Reza Aslan offers so much to relish in his excellent ‘Human History’ of God. In tracing the commonalities that unite religions, Aslan makes truly challenging arguments that believers in many traditions will want to explore further, and to mull over. This rewarding book is very ambitious in its scope, and it is thoroughly grounded in an impressive body of reading and research. * Philip Jenkins, author of Crucible of Faith *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The 2018 Medieval Book of the Year"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Ambitious and field-defining, Leila Ahmed’s Women and Gender in Islam laid the foundations for decades of scholarship on Muslim history and thought."—Kecia Ali, Boston University

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Book SynopsisThough the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, its impact on our lives is as recent as today''s news. Claims and counterclaims about the constitutionality of governmental actions are a habit of American politics. This document, which its framers designed to limit power, often has made political conflict inevitable. It also has accommodated and legitimized the political and social changes of a vibrant, powerful democratic nation. A product of history''s first modern revolution, the Constitution embraced a new formula for government: it restrained power on behalf of liberty, but it also granted power to promote and protect liberty. The U.S. Constitution: A Very Short Introduction explores the major themes that have shaped American constitutional history-- federalism, the balance of powers, property, representation, equality, rights, and security. Informed by the latest scholarship, this book places constitutional history within the context of American political and social history. We do not operate today under the same Constitution created by our founding fathers or the Constitution as completed by the Bill of Rights in 1791 or even the one revised by the Reconstruction amendments. Nor are we the same nation. As our circumstances have changed, so has our Constitution.Today we face serious challenges to the nation''s constitutional legacy. Endless wars, a sharply divided electorate and deadlocked government, economic inequality, immigration, cybersecurity and privacy, and foreign interference in the nation''s democratic processes, among a host of other issues, have placed demands on government and on society that test our constitutional values. Understanding how the Constitution has evolved will help us adapt its principles to the challenges of our age.Trade ReviewThe Constitution and words like impeachment are bandied about frequently when administrations and individual presidents run into trouble, and those engaged in the debate would do well to take refresher courses. For the rest of the world, it is a very useful introduction to the subject, it does what it says on the can and much more besides. * Dr David Cowan, The Global Legal Post *Table of ContentsList of illustrations1. The problematic Constitution2. The revolutionary Constitution3. Constitutional themes4. The future ConstitutionReferencesFurther readingIndex

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Book SynopsisSeneca (ca. AD 4 65) authored verse tragedies that strongly influenced Shakespeare and other Renaissance dramatists. Plots are based on myth, but themes reflect imperial Roman politics. John G. Fitch has thoroughly revised his two-volume edition to take account of scholarship that has appeared since its initial publication.

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Book Synopsis''A truly majestic work of scholarship, thought and literary imagination.'' Jan Morris, The Times ''Shot through with crystalline brilliance.'' Washington Post ''Fascinating.'' Sunday Times When Captain Scott died in 1912 on his way back from the South Pole, his story became a myth embedded in the national imagination. Everyone remembers the doomed Captain Oates's last words: I'm just going outside, and I may be some time.' Francis Spufford's celebrated and prize-winning history shows how Scott's death was the culmination of a national enchantment with vast empty spaces, the beauty of untrodden snow, and perilous journeys to the end of the earth.Winner of the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Writers'' Guild Non-Fiction Book of the Year and the Banff Mountain Book Prize.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This book will make you fret and question your moral integrity.”—Financial Times“Guilluy, whose work is not universally admired in France, particularly by academic geographers and many on the left, seems to have seen it all coming. So there will be considerable interest in his latest work, published in French as Le Crépuscule de la France d’en haut in 2016 and now, by Yale. In a further development of his now-familiar argument, he tackles head on – and with great virulence – the flip side of La France périphérique, those he considers largely responsible for the country’s profound social, economic and political dislocation: hipsters, who the French call bourgeois-bohèmes or bobos.”— Jon Henley, The Guardian“An indispensable guide to understanding the fears and frustrations of an increasingly permanent underclass—not just in France, but throughout the world. . . . Disturbing and affecting . . . [Guilluy] has hit on something profound that extends well beyond the borders of France.”—Jonathan A. Knee, New York Times“[Guilluy] argues that France now has all the conditions in place for a ‘slave rebellion.’ . . . [His] polemic seems all the more prescient in light of the gilets jaunes protesters, who have caused havoc in Paris.”—Philip Delves Broughton, Wall Street Journal"This is a book with direct relevance outside France. Observing that metropolisation is “the domestic corollary of globalisation”, Guilluy cites London as “the quintessential ... citadel city”. Condemning elites, speaking up for the disregarded, he writes scathing, analytical Marxist class history very effectively...essential reading"— David Sexton, Evening Standard"This is indeed a remarkably prescient and powerful work, which not only is a frightening and accurate analysis of what seems to be happening right now in France, but also may well be an insight into what happens next." — Andrew Hussey, Literary Review“Written long before the riots began, this acute analysis explains the gilets jaunes” —Peter Conradi, Sunday Times (London)“Writing two years before the advent of the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests), Guilluy convincingly shows how, once again, it’s all about class struggle.”—Pepe Escobar, Asia Times“There is much that is true in Guilluy’s book” —Lara Marlowe, The Irish Times “The book is already a cultural phenomenon” — John Tomaney, LSE Review of Books

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Book SynopsisFrom grandma to her grandchild with love: this fill-in keepsake journal is perfect for passing on family history. Grandma, what was your life like? This charmingly illustrated book will help grandchildren better know and understand their grandmother. On every page, grandma can collect and write down her thoughts, stories, experiences, and cherished memories. In addition to space for filling in the family tree and posting photos, questions throughout prompt her to discuss her childhood, wedding, honeymoon, birth of her children, and other precious moments. When the book is complete, it will be a record of the past the future generations will treasure forever.

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Book SynopsisThe aim of this book is to explore the characteristics of the medieval dragon and discuss the different and sometimes differing views found in the relevant medieval text types. This study is based on an intimate knowledge of the primary texts and presents new interpretations of well-known literary works and also takes into consideration paintings and other depictions of these beasts. Dragons were designed not only to frighten, but also to fire the imagination, and provide a suitably huge and evil creature for the hero to overcome - yet there is far more to them than reptilian adversaries. This book introduces the medieval dragon via brief, accurate and clear chapters on its natural history, religion, literature and folklore, and concludes with how the dragon is constantly revived - from Beowulf to Tolkien, Disney and Potter.Table of ContentsPreface List of illustrations Introduction The Dragon and Medieval Scholarship The Dragon and Medieval Religion The Medieval Dragon and Folklore The Dragon and Medieval Literature Outlook and Conclusion Endnotes Further reading Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe latter part of the fifteenth century bc saw Egypt's political power reach its zenith, with an empire that stretched from beyond the Euphrates in the north to much of what is now Sudan in the south. The wealth that flowed into Egypt allowed its kings to commission some of the most stupendous temples of all time, some of the greatest dedicated to Amun-Re, King of the Gods. Yet a century later these temples lay derelict, the god's images, names, and titles all erased in an orgy of iconoclasm by Akhenaten, the devotee of a single sun-god. This book traces the history of Egypt from the death of the great warrior-king Thutmose III to the high point of Akhenaten's reign, when the known world brought gifts to his newly-built capital city of Amarna, in particular looking at the way in which the cult of the sun became increasingly important to even 'orthodox' kings, culminating in the transformation of Akhenaten's father, Amenhotep III, into a solar deity in his own right.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Maps Abbreviations and Conventions Preface Introduction: Sunrise 1. The Noonday Sun 2. The Waning Sun 3. The Northern Problem 4. The Living Image of Amun 5. The Zananzash Affair 6. God’s Father to God 7. The Hawk in Festival 8. Sunset Notes Appendices 1. Chronology of Ancient Egypt 2. Relative Chronology of Egyptian and Foreign Kings of the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Dynasties 3. Royal Names of the Late Eighteenth Dynasty 4. Tentative Genealogy of the Late Eighteenth Dynasty Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis extraordinary New York Times bestseller reexamines a pivotal event of the civil rights movement—the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till—“and demands that we do the one vital thing we aren’t often enough asked to do with history: learn from it” (The Atlantic). * A New York Times Notable Book * A Washington Post Notable Book * Longlisted for the National Book Award * Winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award *An NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Best Book of the Year *In 1955, white men in the Mississippi Delta lynched a fourteen-year-old from Chicago named Emmett Till. His murder was part of a wave of white terrorism in the wake of the 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared public school segregation unconstitutional. Only weeks later, Rosa Parks thought about young Emmett as she refused to move to the back of a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Five years Trade Review“The Blood of Emmett Till is a work critical not just to our understanding of something that happened in America in 1955 but of what happens in America here and now. It is a jolting and powerful book... swift-flying and meticulously researched.” -- Leonard Pitts * The Washington Post *“An insightful, revealing and important new inquiry into the tragedy that mobilized and energized a generation of Americans to stand and fight against racial bigotry.” -- Bryan Stevenson, New York Times bestselling author of Just Mercy“Tim Tyson’s genius as a historian, author, and social visionary informs his unique commitment to write truth to power authentically and fearlessly.” -- Dr. Benjamin Chavis, former executive director of the NAACP“What sets Tyson's book apart is the wide-angle lens he uses to examine the lynching, and the ugly parallels between past and present… A terrific writer and storyteller, Tyson compels a closer look at a heinous crime and the consequential decisions, large and small, that made it a national issue.” * Minneapolis Star Tribune *“A critical book... [that] manages to turn the past into prophecy and demands that we do the one vital thing we aren’t often enough asked to do with history: learn from it.” -- Vann R. Newkirk II * The Atlantic *“The Blood of Emmett Till unfolds like a movie, moving from scene to reconstructed scene, panning out to help the reader understand the racism and bigotry that crafted the citadel of white supremacy and focusing in on intimate exchanges imbued with meaning....” -- Lawrence Jackson * The Atlanta Journal-Constitution *“No American historian working today captures the nuances of white supremacy and the ways in which it engulfs us all more convincingly than Tyson.” -- Steve Nathans-Kelly * First of the Month *“Astonishingly relevant.... At once thrilling and agonizing.” * Jezebel *“I couldn’t stop reading Timothy Tyson’s The Blood of Emmett Till. It is civil rights history that captivates the reader like a mystery novel....” -- Patricia Bell-Scott, author of The Firebrand and the First Lady“Eloquent and outraged.... A stunning success essential for our times.” -- Nell Irvin Painter, author of The History of White People“It's a beautifully written book, and its importance can't be overstated.” * NPR *“Tyson’s meticulous and absorbing retelling of the events leading up to the horrific lynching in 1955 includes an admission from Till’s accuser that some of her testimony was false.” * New York Times Book Review *“Tim Tyson has universalized the Emmett Till story to make it an American tragedy. His bracing, granular narrative provides fresh insight into the way race has informed and deformed our democratic institutions.” -- Diane McWhorter, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Carry Me Home“When good and evil are evident, moral indignation comes easily, and readers might feel self-congratulatory, relieved that we are nothing like that anymore. We need historians like Timothy Tyson to break that spell for us.” * Knoxville News Sentinel *“From one of our finest civil rights historians comes this harrowing, brilliant, and crucial book. The full story of Emmett Till has never before been told. It will terrify you; it should. It will inspire you; it must.” -- Jeff Sharlet, New York Times bestselling author of The Family“An account of absorbing and sometimes horrific detail. Comprehensive in scope....” * The New York Times * “Emotional and electric.” * Toronto Star *“Tyson’s powerful narrative sheds new light on the circumstances that led to the murder, makes the case that its influence stretches from the Montgomery bus boycott to the angry protests in Ferguson, Missouri – and argues that the country hasn’t yet come to grips with the roots of any of the above.” * Raleigh News & Observer *“Tyson’s remarkable achievement is that each thread is explored in detail, backstories as well as main events, while he maintains a page-turning readability for what might seem a familiar tale. Cinematically engaging, harrowing, and poignant, Tyson’s monumental work illuminates Emmett Till’s murder and serves as a powerful reminder that certain stories in history merit frequent retelling.” * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *“The Blood of Emmett Till is less concerned with the historical cowardice of Bryant and the white men who effectively lynched Till, and much more invested in the bravery of Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie, and of the courage of the black activists who worked for voting rights and justice amidst the violent horror of life in Mississippi....” * Yes! Weekly *“Neither lurid tale nor political iconography.... Tyson is best with intimacies, when he writes about local people and their relationship to one another and to place. He takes special care with mise en scene, providing a rich portrait of the world of Emmett Till.” * Chapter 16 *“In many ways, Timothy Tyson is the ideal author to explore new details surrounding the lynching death of Emmett Till....” * Winston-Salem Chronicle *“Tim Tyson’s profound eloquence and groundbreaking evidence capture the cries of Emmett Till and the rise of a movement, and will call us to the cause of justice today.” -- Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, president of the North Carolina NAACP and author of The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Social Justice Movement“A scathing re-examination.... [Tyson] makes it all new and relevant.” * Winston-Salem Journal *“Groundbreaking new evidence and Tyson’s masterful prose make The Blood of Emmett Till a devastating indictment of America, both past and present.” -- Danielle McGuire, author of At the Dark End of the Street“Tyson gives us a history that challenges everything we thought we knew about Emmett Till.” -- Crystal Feimster, author of Southern Horrors“More than simply a retelling of the story of Till’s death and the subsequent trial, the book incorporates new sources into the narrative… In the course of telling this story, Tyson explores larger, more important lessons about America’s long, bitter struggle with race.” * Greensboro News & Record *“Rip-roaring.... Tyson has produced a brief, sharp re-evaluation of the case, reminding us that a murder 61 years ago still has resonance.” * Star News *“This highly readable book is likely to remain the final account of the Till murder and trial and its impact in the United States and abroad. It will appeal to anyone interested in African American history and the judicial process.” * Library Journal * “Ripe for optioning.” * Hollywood Reporter *“Bolstered by prodigious research... the well-presented details... add atmosphere. In addition, Tyson is masterful at explaining how the Till murder became a major cause of the civil rights movement. Especially resonant today is the author's focus on obtaining voting rights for blacks in Southern states that denied those rights before the Till murder.... Tyson skillfully demonstrates how, in our allegedly post-racial country, a "national racial caste system" remains in place.” * Kirkus Reviews *“Till’s memory burns brighter with each passing year and remains a touchstone for understanding white violence against black men today.” -- William Ferris, co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture“Compelling.... With Tyson’s new book, and Carolyn Bryant Donham’s remarks, we have reason to revisit a period in our history when bigotry, blood, and sacrifice became a call to action. “ * Vanity Fair *“A riveting, richly detailed account of the crime that ignited the civil rights movement.” * Bookpage *“Clear, concise and well-documented.” * Florida Times-Union *“Apply[s] diligent research, scrupulous perspective and a vigorous aptitude for weaving pertinent public and intimate details.” * USA Today *“Skillfully tells the story of the gruesome murder and its still-resonant aftermath.” * Tampa Bay Times *“Drawing on Bryant’s only interview, Tyson reexamines the crime that launched the civil rights movement.” * AARP *“Tyson does an admirable job of condensing and updating information about the case, using a 2006 FBI report on Till’s murder to weave together a historical tapestry.” * Austin American-Statesman *“Tyson’s profound conclusion moves the Emmett Till tragedy into the present time.” * CounterPunch *

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Book SynopsisAn international bestseller, this intimate biography vividly brings to life the story of an exceptional and courageous woman, well ahead of her time, who lived through a remarkable period in Turkish history.Trade Review`Rich, surprising and profound' Orhan Pamuk; `A daring biography' Independent; `Latife played a pivotal role in shaping the new Turkey - an acknowledgement of her contribution is long overdue.' New Internationalist; `This fascinating retelling highlights an important moment in the struggle for women's suffrage ... Poignant' The Lady; `A shining example of how history can and should be written' The Jordan Times

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Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author, Carl ChinnThe Peaky Blinders as we know them, thanks to the hit TV series, are infused with drama and dread. Fashionably dressed, the charismatic but deeply flawed Shelby family have become cult anti-heroes. Well-known social historian, broadcaster and author, Carl Chinn, revealed the true story of the notorious gang in his bestselling Peaky Blinders: The Real Story and now in this follow-up book, he explores the legacy they created in Birmingham and beyond. What happened to them and their gangland rivals?In Peaky Blinders: The Legacy we revisit the world of Billy Kimber's Peaky Blinders, exploring their legacy throughout the 1920s and 30s, and how their burgeoning empires spread across the UK. Delve into the street wars across the country, the impact of the declaration of War on Gangs by the Home Secretary after The Racecourse War in 1921, and how the blackmailing of bookmakers gave way to new and daring opportunities for the likes of Sabini, Alfie Solomon and some new faces in the murky gangland underworld.Drawing on Carl's inimitable research, interviews and original sources, find out just what happened to this incredible cast of characters, revealing the true legacy of the Peaky Blinders.

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Book Synopsis'The product of many years of detailed archival research, Wilson’s book is without question the best one-volume history of the Raj currently in print.' - William Dalrymple, The Guardian‘The core of the book is a virtuoso takedown of cherished shibboleths of Raj mythology’ Financial Times ‘A forceful reminder that Britain has its own messy past to come to terms with’ Guardian  In the nineteenth century, imperial India was at the centre of Britain’s global power. But since its partition between India and Pakistan in 1947, the Raj has divided opinion: some celebrate its supposed role in creating much that is good in the modern world; others condemn it as the cause of continuing poverty. Today, the Raj lives on in faded images of Britain’s former glory, a notion used now to sell goods in India as well as Europe. But its real character has been poorly Trade Review‘This is an inspirational book, a challenging source of controversy and an invaluable corrective to the many histories of British India that have scarcely escaped the self-reverential platitudes of imperial rule’ * Times Literary Supplement *‘Wilson understands the complexities of India, illuminating the cultures of the courts, the rivalries of the Marathas, the emergence and destinies of Pindari gangs of peasant-warriors.’ * Literary Review *‘The core of the book is a virtuoso takedown of cherished shibboleths of Raj mythology.’ * Financial Times *‘Conquest comes in many forms and Jon Wilson’s polemical India Conquered is a forceful reminder that Britain has its own messy past to come to terms with.’ * Guardian *‘He delves into every aspect of Indian life, from law to religion, the economy to education, to show how the interaction between rulers and the ruled played out in unexpected and often calamitous ways’ * Guardian *‘It’s a neat and modern telling that feels as necessary as a bucket of water in the face after a dizzying trip to the bazaar.’ * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThis history will endure; not only because Sir Winston has written it, but also because of its own inherent virtues its narrative power, its fine judgment of war and politics, of soldiers and statesmen, and even more because it reflects a tradition of what Englishmen in the hey-day of their empire thought and felt about their country''s past. The Daily Telegraph Spanning four volumes and many centuries of history, from Caesar's invasion of Britain to the start of World War I, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples stands as one of Winston S. Churchill's most magnificent literary works. Begun during Churchill's wilderness years' when he was out of government, first published in 1956 after his leadership through the darkest days of World War II had cemented his place in history and completed when Churchill was in his 80s, it remains to this day a compelling and vivid history.The first volume - The Birth of Britain - tells the story of the formation of the BritisTable of ContentsPreface Maps and Genealogical Tables Book I: The Island Race 1. Britannia 2. Subjugation 3. The Roman Province 4. The Lost Island 5. England 6. The Vikings 7. Alfred the Great 8. The Saxon Dusk Book II: The Making of the Nation 1. The Norman Invasion 2. William the Conqueror 3. Growth and Turmoil 4. Henry Plantagenet 5. The English Common Law 6. Coeur de Lion 7. Magna Carta 8. On the Anvil 9. The Mother of Parliaments 10. King Edward I 11. Bannockburn 12. Scotland and Ireland 13. The Long-Bow 14. The Black Death Book III: The End of the Feudal Age 1. King Richard II and the Social Revolt 2. The Usurpation of Henry Bolingbroke 3. The Empire of Henry V 4. Joan of Arc 5. York and Lancaster 6. The Wars of the Roses 7. The Adventures of Edward IV 8. Richard III Index

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Book SynopsisHaile Selassie I, the last emperor of Ethiopia, was as brilliant as he was formidable. An early proponent of African unity and independence who claimed to be a descendant of King Solomon, he fought with the Allies against the Axis powers during World War II and was a messianic figure for the Jamaican Rastafarians. But the final years of his empire saw turmoil and revolution, and he was ultimately overthrown and assassinated in a communist coup. Written by Asfa-Wossen Asserate, Haile Selassie s grandnephew, this is the first major biography on this final king of kings. Asserate, who spent his childhood and adolescence in Ethiopia before fleeing the revolution of 1974, knew Selassie personally and gained intimate insights into life at the imperial court. Introducing him as a reformer and an autocrat whose personal history with all of its upheavals, promises, and horrors reflects in many ways the history of the twentieth century itself, Asserate uses his own experiences and painstaking research in family and public archives to achieve a colorful and even-handed portrait of the emperor."Trade Review"Today, after centuries of oppression, a billion Africans are finally winning back the substance of their freedom but it is proving a long, vexed and sometimes violent fight. Asfa-Wossen Asserate s masterful, insider s account of Haile Selassie, the African emperor who led Ethiopia s struggle against colonial fascism only to deny liberty to his people, stands as inspiration and warning to an entire continent."--Alex Perry, author of The Rift: A New Africa Breaks Free"

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Book SynopsisWELCOME TO UHTRED'S FEAST . . .Over the course of writing the Last Kingdom series, Bernard Cornwell discovered an increasing fascination for the Anglo-Saxon world: its people, their culture, and their domestic lives beyond the battlefield. And so when he met renowned chef Suzanne Pollak, someone with a passion for Anglo-Saxon cookery, Uhtred's Feast was born.A combination of beautifully crafted recipes which incorporate Anglo-Saxon ingredients and cooking techniques, and brand new Uhtred stories by Bernard which show the iconic warrior behind the shield, Uhtred's Feast opens a door into the ordinary Saxon home and an extraordinary moment in our history.Trade ReviewPraise for Bernard Cornwell: 'Strong narrative, vigourous action and striking characterisation, Cornwell remains king of the territory he has staked out as his own' SUNDAY TIMES ‘Like Game of Thrones, but real’ OBSERVER 'Blood, divided loyalties and thundering battles' THE TIMES ‘The best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive’ George R.R. Martin ‘He’s called a master storyteller. Really he’s cleverer than that’ TELEGRAPH ‘A reminder of just how good a writer he is’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘Nobody in the world does this better than Cornwell’ Lee Child ‘Cornwell’s skill [is] in ageing his warrior-hero, who now creaks as he fights and is haunted by those he has loved and lost’ THE TIMES ‘The master still adding to his wonderful Saxon Chronicles’ SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE ‘Legendary … excellent storytelling, as ever’ SUNDAY SPORT 'A violent, absorbing historical saga, deeply researched and thoroughly imagined' WASHINGTON POST

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Book Synopsis‘His photographic skills enabled him to convert what he felt about Whitby and the countryside around it—the feelings he carried inside himself from the time he came from smoky Leeds as a child to first see the coast—into a visual tribute which goes far beyond mere documentary recording.’As one of the first men to devote his life and creative energy to photography, Frank Sutcliffe moved away from the confines of Victorian photographic conventions, which were based on artifice, and set himself the task of photographing the people and the countryside that he saw around him in as truthful and straightforward a manner as his equipment would allow. Despite his rarely leaving Whitby, Sutcliffe's work was known, exhibited and printed all over the world.Michael Hiley has traced Sutcliffe's writings on photography, many of which are to be found only in newspaper archives and specialist photographic libraries. As the son of a painter, Sutcliffe was aware both of the unique qualities of photography and of the debt it owed to painting. The years of his greatest success were those of unprecedented upheaval in both painting and photography, and Frank Sutcliffe: Photographer of Whitby sets out to establish the relationship between Sutcliffe's work and that of the leading photographers and painters of his time.

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Book SynopsisWho took part in the widespread disturbances that periodically shook 18th-century London? What really motivated the food rioters who helped to spark off the French Revolution? How did the movement of agricultural laborers destroying new machinery spread from one village to another in the English countryside? How did the sans-culottes organize in revolutionary Paris? George RudŽ was the first historian to ask such questions and in doing so he identified "the faces in the crowd" in some of the crucial episodes in modern European history. An established classic of "history from below," The Crowd in History is remarkable above all for the clarity with which it deals with the full sweep of complex events. Whether in Belgrade or Jakarta, crowds continue to make history, and George RudŽ''s work retains all its freshness and relevance for students of history and politics and general readers alike. This is an innovative discussion of the role of ordinary people in some of the turning-points of European history.

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Book SynopsisTaking readers on a global journey through human history, Natasha Tidd examines how lies can change the world around us, from Julius Caesar’s deceptive PR machine to the cover-ups that caused Chernobyl.From forgeries that created centuries worth of conflict and domination, such as The Donation of Constantine, the Protocols of Zion and the mysterious Testament of Peter the Great, to mass political and press cover-ups including Britain’s Boer War concentration camps, a Pulitzer Prize-winning whitewash of the Ukraine Famine and the infamous Dreyfus Affair in France.Alongside these are examinations of how our retellings of history can turn fiction into fact, including The Spanish Inquisition’s deceitful legacy. Plus, there is an in-depth look at how historic lies can still impact our lives today, such as the deadly legacy of America’s Tuskegee Experiment.Meet incredible people, including Jeanne de Clisson who became the fourteenth century's most feared pirate – all because of a lie.A Short History of the World in 50 Lies details the profound impact of this secretive side of history and shows that the truth really is stranger – and far more dangerous – than any fiction.Trade ReviewA Short History Of The World In 50 Lies shows that the march of truth isn’t always unstoppable. Lies have their own power and momentum. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisSince its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby has become one of the world's best-loved books. Careless People tells the true story behind F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, exploring in newly rich detail its relation to the extravagant, scandalous, and chaotic world in which the author lived.With wit and insight, Sarah Churchwell traces the genesis of a masterpiece, mapping where fiction comes from, and how it takes shape in the mind of a genius. Careless People tells the extraordinary tale of how F. Scott Fitzgerald created a classic and in the process discovered modern America.Trade Review[Sarah Churchwell] tells the story crisply and intelligently, judiciously deploying Fitzgerald's eminently quotable literary remains, and also Zelda's, which are often even better, in a sprightly, enjoyable and slightly strange book: part "biography" of the novel, part sketch of the roaring 1920s, part brief account of the second half of Fitzgerald's life. Churchwell is perceptive and well-informed * Guardian *A perfect book to read alongside The Great Gatsby. Excellent -- William Leith * Evening Standard *This book has as much spirit as gin fizz cocktails * Lady *A treasury of new material. Churchwell adds considerably to our understanding of the early 1920s, and how life for Fitzgerald played into the development of his art . . . Engaging deeply with the facts on the ground, the richly chaotic matrix that was Fitzgerald's life, Sarah Churchwell's Careless People takes us back there -- Jay Parini * Literary Review *A suggestive, almost musical evocation of the spirit of the time -- Thomas Powers * London Review of Books *The wonder of Careless People . . . is that it rewinds the years and allows the reader to appreciate again just how well Fitzgerald reflected his times - Book of the Week -- Nicholas Blincoe * Sunday Telegraph *Investigates subject after subject with subtle intelligence . . . you find yourself caught up in the excitement of her search - Book of the Week -- John Carey * Sunday Times *A literary spree, bursting with recherché detail, high spirits and the desperate frisson of the jazz age -- Robert McCrum * Observer *

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Book SynopsisJust as Kawasaki was about to green-light the world's first mass-produced across-the-frame four-cylinder motorcycle, Honda pulled the rug out from under them, unveiling the CB750-4 at the Tokyo Show in 1968. It lit the fuse for what was to become motorcycling's most explosive decade. In never before published interviews, with the men responsible for the bike code-named 'New York Steak, ' Dave Sheehan relates the story behind the Z1's development; the secret US testing programme in which a team including Imola-race winner Paul Smart rode pre-production bikes disguised as Hondas coast-to-coast across America. The Kawasaki Z1 Story examines the myth, truth and legend surrounding the Z1's first race win - of which even Kawasaki knew nothing. Here, too, is the full story of the epic three days at Florida's legendary Daytona Speedway when a trio of Z1s broke more than 50 speed endurance records.Trade ReviewA fascinating read. South East Biker Magazine with the pedigree of the first hand sources, this book has more accurate information about the birth and early days of the Z1 than you're likely to find anywhere else ... a fascinating book Z1 Owners Club newZletter Ian Fleming's James Bond franchise has nothing on Dave Sheehan's telling of the saga of the creation of the Kawasaki Z1. Ultimate MotorCycling a fascinating story Bike Rider Magazine A cracking good buy at GBP14.99 for a trip back in time when the launches of new bikes were actually exciting! Ian Kerr. The Kawasaki Z1 was baptised with the last letter of the alphabet to symbolise the definitive decantation of the motor vehicle as it was conceived in the decade of the 70s. On planes, the four high performance cylinders was known as the New York Steak, a much more succulent name. The Z1 was the first mass production sports bike, the first to offer DOHC distribution, the fastest motorcycle of all. Includes more then 100 never-been-seen-photos, and reveals the myths and truths of the Z1S featured in Daytona 1975. – La Moto.

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times Book of the YearQueen Of Our Times is the definitive biography of Queen Elizabeth II by one of Britain’s leading royal authorities, Robert Hardman. This commemorative edition includes an epilogue reflecting upon Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, her passing and her funeral.'Sensational' – Kirsty Young, The Platinum Pageant (BBC)With fascinating revelations from those who knew her best and special access to unseen royal papers granted by Elizabeth II herself, author and royal expert Robert Hardman explores the full, astonishing life of our longest reigning monarch in this authoritative yet intimate biography.The book also charts the way in which the Queen raised the future King Charles III as both son and heir.Elizabeth was not born to be queen, being third in line to the throne. Yet from her accession as a young mother of two in 1952 to the age of Covid-19, she proved an astute and quietly determined figure, leading her family and her people through more than seventy years of unprecedented social change. She faced constitutional crises, confronted threats against her life, unified the Commonwealth, saw fifteen British prime ministers come and go, charmed world leaders, and steered her family through a lifetime in the public eye. Her Platinum Jubilee was celebrated in June 2022 and her death mourned months later, both events a reminder of the huge impact she had made.Queen of Our Times is a must-read study of dynastic survival and renewal, spanning abdication, war, romance, danger and tragedy. It is a compelling portrait of a leader whose legacy of steadfast service lives on.Trade ReviewThe essential authoritative biography of the Queen that everyone needs to read - packed with new research, gripping details and telling anecdotes on every page, equally masterful on matters high and low, power and family. -- Simon Sebag MontefioreRobert Hardman has written a truly exceptional biography of an equally exceptional monarch, rich in new material, wit and original thought. With intimate and unrivalled access to those who really know the story. -- Andrew RobertsA compendious new biography . . . closely observed . . . I relished the incidental details * The Times (Book of the Week) *Hardman’s exhaustive and endlessly enthusiastic biography paints a vivid picture of a phenomenal sovereign * The Telegraph *Authoritative . . . scrupulously well researched, thoughtful and sensitive to the sweep of history * Mail on Sunday *Revelatory . . . Queen of Our Times shows why her extraordinary lifetime of service should be celebrated, honoured and cherished -- William Shawcross, The SpectatorThis is a beautifully-crafted, deeply informed and rounded portrait of the gold standard monarch and the age to which she has given her name. Queen of Our Times has depth, feel and insight in abundance -- Peter Hennessy, award-winning historian[A] fascinating and thoughtful biography from one of Britain's leading Royal writers . . . * Good Housekeeping *

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Book SynopsisThe Times Book of the Year*Winner of the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography, 2022**Winner of the General Society of Colonial Wars'' Distinguished Book Award, 2021**Winner of the History Reclaimed Book of the Year, 2022**Shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize, 2021*Andrew Roberts, one of Britain''s premier historians, overturns the received wisdom on George IIIGeorge III, Britain''s longest-reigning king, has gone down in history as ''the cruellest tyrant of this age'' (Thomas Paine, eighteenth century), ''a sovereign who inflicted more profound and enduring injuries upon this country than any other modern English king'' (W.E.H. Lecky, nineteenth century), ''one of England''s most disastrous kings'' (J.H. Plumb, twentieth century) and as the pompous monarch of the musical Hamilton (twenty-first century).Andrew Roberts''s magnificent new biography takes entirTrade ReviewGeorge, Roberts writes, "more than filled the role of King of Great Britain worthily; he filled it nobly". After reading this mammoth, elegant and splendidly researched biography, no open-minded reader could possibly disagree - not even an American. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *'Andrew Roberts is our most prodigious biographer ... His demolition of the authors of the Declaration's case against George III is elegant and comprehensive. -- Dominic Lawson * Daily Mail *Magisterial ... George III is notorious for two reasons: losing America and going mad. Roberts provides a fresh and spirited account of both occurrences ... Roberts's fundamentally humane approach to his biographical subjects ... treats George III with as much respect and compassion when sick, blind and deaf as when powerful at the promising start of his reign. The result is a lengthy book that remains engaging throughout. -- Ruth Scurr * The Times *powerful ... a very fine book ... This book should be read by every American whose interest in history goes beyond the feel-good. It is challenging, but richly evidenced and scrupulously argued. ... Coming after his powerful studies of Halifax, Salisbury, Napoleon and Churchill, it consolidates Roberts's position as one of the greatest biographers in the English language today. -- Noel Malcolm * Daily Telegraph *If not for such fierce competition (in the form of such works as Salisbury: Victorian Titan, Churchill: Walking with Destiny and Masters & Commanders) one might be able to unequivocally say that George III is the author's masterpiece. This biography teems with detail, ideas and elegance. Roberts is a great writer - and this is one of his greatest achievements. Roberts sets himself a goal, that of challenging or overturning certain misconceptions that we might harbour about his subject. That George III was a tyrant, unintelligent and a victim of porphyria. Suffice to say, Roberts achieves his goal: mission impossible turns into mission accomplished. Roberts convinces through both persuasive prose and hard evidence (as opposed to just supposition). ... magnificent -- Richard Foreman * Aspects of History *George may become Britain's best-understood monarch, thanks to this impressive new biography. It is unashamedly revisionist. ... Roberts's account is masterly, combining a compelling narrative - one has to keep turning the pages even though one knows the outcome - with analysis that is both cogent and incisive. He appears to have read everything that is in the mainstream and much that isn't, including a wide range of archival sources. ... [George III] has had to wait two centuries for rehabilitation, but it has come at last. Roberts has got deep inside George and his world and has found a man of many sterling qualities. ... tremendous -- Tim Blanning * Literary Review *In this magisterial life of George III, Roberts burnishes his stellar reputation as biographer and historian, dismantling many of the myths that have beset the memory of the man who ruled Britain and Ireland for almost sixty years from 1760. Roberts marshals the evidence meticulously and persuasively to show that George was nothing like the capricious, overbearing, intolerable figure of legend ... It is bracing, too, to see that Roberts has lost none of his disdain for the "Whig interpretation of history" - the comfort blanket of those who believe that Britain's story is one of the steady institutional defeat of autocracy by liberal incrementalism. Now at the top of his game, he has not surrendered the irreverent, revisionist tone that has made him one of the most important public intellectuals of our times. -- Matthew d’Ancona * Tortoise *This superb royal biography ... A book so diligently researched cannot fail to be rich in curious detail and amusing turns of phrase. There are plums on almost every page. -- Hamish Robinson * The Oldie *The strength of this generous new biography is that it correctly portrays George III as a dedicated, benevolent ruler , scrupulous in his constitutional role as head of government and head of state. -- John Martin Robinson * Country Life *Andrew Roberts admires George III, and he is right to do so. The historical image of the king as a tyrant and a lunatic is not remotely true in the first case (a contention Roberts provides much evidence to substantiate) and true only for part of his reign in the second. ... A handsome and thorough biography ... but above all, Roberts has written a superlative political history of the period between 1760 and 1809. -- Simon Heffer * New Criterion *he does his scholarly homework. This is a compendious product of intricate investigation. Roberts has read everything ... It is a magnificent achievement. -- Kate Maltby * Spectator *Andrew Roberts makes a strong revisionist case for the generally maligned George III in this engrossing, brilliant biography -- Andrew Adonis * Prospect Magazine *As his outstanding books on Halifax, Salisbury and Churchill also demonstrate, he is a master of the biography. ... Roberts systematically, cogently and helpfully reinterprets his subject's role and reputation. -- Jeremy Black * History Today *In this mammoth and meticulous biography, Andrew Roberts presents a compelling case for the defence of George III. -- Book of the Week * The Week *Such is Roberts's persuasive interpretation, supported by a wide range of sources and argued with keen insight into political realities. ... It must be hoped that Andrew Roberts's important, serious and timely book plays an appropriate role in the rethinking that can now hardly be avoided. -- Jonathan Clark * Times Literary Supplement *magnificent ... In Andrew Roberts, George has found his Boswell, but one with the wit and erudition of a Johnson. Britain's most misunderstood monarch he may have been, but this biographer has entered into this conscientious king's troubled mind with more than customary empathy. -- Daniel Johnson * Spectator USA *Roberts harnesses a truly extraordinary amount of archival information to offer a comprehensive grasp of a rather tragic, thoroughly misunderstood king. -- Lindsay Chervinsky * Financial Times *This outstanding new biography of George III is timely. The first of the Hanoverians to identify as British was mocked, slandered and vilified during his lifetime and is still regularly cited in the American media as the epitome of tyranny. Over the past two centuries historians have dismissed him as incompetent and despotic. Andrew Roberts has no time for such ill-founded nonsense. ... George has found a true champion in Andrew Roberts, who has ridden up gallantly to challenge unfounded prejudice. ... This impressively researched and scholarly account of the King's life and travails is compulsively readable and, in its tragic end, deeply moving. It is full of fascinating detail, insightful vignettes and vivid local colour. -- Adam Zamoyski * The Critic *Andrew Roberts's mighty Life, drawing on masses of unseen papers locked up in Windsor Castle, turns on its head the lazy idea of George III as a tyrant halfwit...every page is entertaining -- Iona McLaren * Daily Telegraph Books of the Year *This hefty book - elegantly written, the fruit of extensive research - is the case for the defence of Britain's "most misunderstood monarch". -- Robbie Millen * The Times Book of the Year *Deeply researched, it ranges with equal authority from his private life to the military history of the American War of Independence; its tenacious fairness towards its subject gives it the sort of polemical edge that one finds in revisionist history at its best. -- Noel Malcolm * TLS Books of the Year *No other writer, except possibly Alan Bennett, has set out to make us love King George more. Or admire him more ... What makes Roberts's massive biographies so distinctively rewarding is that he provides the reader with enough evidence to undermine his own conclusions. -- Ferdinand Mount * London Review of Books *The book which impressed me most, and which I most enjoyed, this year is Andrew Roberts's George III. It is based on such astonishingly wide-ranging and original research that I felt I was reading about the period for the first time. Unknown facts and wonderful anecdotes had me turning the pages with a curiosity I seldom feel when reading about supposedly familiar events. Andrew Roberts is remarkably even-handed, and there is no special pleading on behalf of this genuinely misunderstood and wilfully misrepresented monarch who did his best to be a good constitutional ruler during a very choppy period in British history. -- Adam Zamoyski * Aspects of History Books of the Year *meticulously researched ... an eye-opening portrait of the man and his times * Publishers Weekly *A deep, expansive study not only of George III but also of the political and social complexities of England and the United States during his reign. -- Kathleen McCallister * Library Journal *a deeply textured portrait of George III [and] a capacious, prodigiously researched biography from a top-shelf historian. -- Kirkusan outstanding and surprisingly moving portrait of a misunderstood king, distinguished by refreshing revisionism but also illuminated by deep humanity. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Spectator World Books of the Year *Roberts is in a rich vein of form at present; after bestselling books on Napoleon and Churchill, yet another masterpiece has tumbled from his pen. -- Dan Jones * The Good Web Guide *Roberts has been justly acclaimed as one of his generation's leading historians ... His new biography seeks to challenge popular myths about the monarch. ... Roberts, employing the same flair for original research and ability to convey historical context and vivid prose that he used in previous books ... thoroughly debunks all the assumptions most people have about the king. -- Jonathan Tobin * Washington Examiner *exhaustively researched and written in accessible, non-jargony prose. Meticulous and forensic, it sometimes reads like a defense counsel's case for his client ... Roberts's defense of George III, though, is the fullest, the clearest, and likely to be the most definitive. -- Robert G. Ingram * National Review *Roberts has painted a masterful portrait of a patriotic, diligent and cultivated monarch. ... This new biography is a treasure-house of detail. ... George III is an engaging, humane and at times beautiful testament to the importance of giving our ancestors a fair hearing. -- Harrison Pitt * European Conservative *

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Book SynopsisIf your response to a mention of the Wars of the Roses, the Sumerians or the Reformation is, ‘Hmm, I’ve heard of that – what was that again?’, then this is the book for you. This entertaining yet informative book travels back through time to fill in those embarrassing gaps in your knowledge, from the invasions of Britain, the Renaissance and the Cold War, to the American, French and Russian Revolutions, the World Wars ... and everything else you have forgotten from your school history lessons. In I Used to Know That: History, information is broken down into manageable, bite-sized chunks, refreshing your memory of all those things you once knew but have forgotten, and filling you in on the bits that the school syllabus didn’t include. From building the pyramids in Egypt to the fall of the Berlin Wall, everything you used to know – and much that you didn’t – is here.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[An] imaginative retelling of world history."---Thomas E. Ricks, New York Times

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Book SynopsisRoswell, 1947. Washington, DC, 1952. Quarouble, 1954. New Hampshire, 1961. Pascagoula, 1973. Petrozavodsk, 1977. Copley Woods, 1983. Explore how sightings of UFOs and aliens seized the world''s attention and discover what the fascination with flying saucers and extraterrestrial visitors says about our changing views on science, technology, and the paranormal.In the summer of 1947, a private pilot flying over the state of Washington saw what he described as several pie pan-shaped aircraft traveling in formation at remarkably high speed. Within days, journalists began referring to the objects as flying saucers. Over the course of that summer, Americans reported seeing them in the skies overhead. News quickly spread, and within a few years, flying saucers were being spotted across the world. The question on everyone''s mind was, what were they? Some new super weapon in the Cold War? Strange weather patterns? Optical illusions? Or perhaps it was all a case of mass hysteria? Some, however,

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Book SynopsisA set of wargaming rules for fighting large battles set during the American Civil War.From the First Bull Run to Appomattox Court House, enter one of the defining conflicts of American history. With shot, shell, and sabre, guide the armies of the Blue and the Grey through this first modern war to determine the fate of a nation.With Hot Lead and Cold Steel is a large-scale, mass-battle wargame for recreating the American Civil War. Designed to handle brigade and divisional level engagements while providing a balance between ease of play and period detail, With Hot Lead and Cold Steel is ideal for new gamers and wargaming veterans alike. It contains everything players need to raise armies and craft scenarios, whether based upon historical campaigns and orders of battle or those of their own devising.

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Book SynopsisIn early 1945, the Red Army marched into East Prussia. Having advanced across Poland, relentlessly pushing back German forces, the Red Army built up forces along the Oder River, preparing for the final push towards Berlin. But before that battle could take place, it was necessary to clear and destroy German forces in Pomerania and West Prussia. In February 1945, the 2nd Byelorussian Front was advanced west north of the Vistula River toward Pomerania and the major port city of Danzig, with the primary aim of protecting the right flank of Zhukov's 1st Byelorussian Front, which was pushing towards Berlin. The opening of the offensive saw a series of heavy attacks east of Neustettin against the towns of Kontiz and Koslin. The fighting was bitter, resulting in the entire left wing of the 3rd Panzer Army being cut off.Forward Soviet tank units reached the Baltic, and the German forces in Pomerania became trapped in a series of encirclements. Russian troops then pushed on to Danzigstrategic location and the last German stronghold in the regionreaching it in early March and putting it under siege. A third stage was the operation to take the Arnswalde and Kolberg areas. Kolberg was one of the key German positions in the Pomeranian wall, the vital link between Pomerania and Prussia. The German high command had planned to use the port facilities for the logistical supply of nearby German forces, and hoped that the presence of this stronghold would lure Soviet forces away from the main thrust toward Berlin. The ensuing battle was brutal, with Soviet troops eventually seizing Kolberg. Finally, spearheads of the 1st Byelorussian Front advanced against the German Eleventh SS Panzer Army, which was being assembled in Pomerania. What followed was a bitter and bloody battle for the town of Altdamm.The offensive successfully cleared the remnants of German forces northeast of Berlin, allowing Zhukov's forces to finally launch the battle of Berlin from the Seelow Heights on the Oder on April 16, 1945.

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Book SynopsisIn 1960, SAC's B-52s began a nonstop, eight-year, nuclear-armed patrol. Fully illustrated, this study explains how one of the Cold War's most challenging operations was conceived and flown. Operation Chrome Dome was Strategic Air Command''s unprecedented nuclear deterrence operation, a hugely elaborate and costly response to the perceived nuclear missile threat from the Soviet Union. In this book, Cold War aviation historian Peter E. Davies explains how for eight years, Chrome Dome required 12 B-52 Stratofortresses to maintain a ceaseless airborne alert within striking distance of Soviet targets, orbiting over the Mediterranean and north of Alaska. Each bomber stayed aloft for 24 hours, flying for around 10,000 miles until relieved by another. In each cockpit a top-secret Combat Mission Folder contained details of the routes and procedures for a nuclear attack on a pre-determined Soviet target.Dramatic and controversial, the years

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Book SynopsisGants Hill, a suburb of the London Borough of Redbridge, Essex, has long been a thriving community and shopping area, all centred around the famous and, at times, difficult to negotiate roundabout. Home to the iconic Moscow Metro-inspired underground station, Gants Hill is thirty-five minutes east of Oxford Circus on the Central Line. There are schools, offices, colleges, businesses, entertainment venues, religious centres, a library, and the beautiful Valentines Park, which stretches from Gants Hill to Ilford town centre.Let expert local historians Vincent Goodman and Jef Page take you on a journey with over 180 carefully selected photographs and images of Gants Hill, illustrating how it has developed over the years. The book is the first collection of its kind to be published specifically on Gants Hill and includes a comprehensive history of the area.Trade Review“The book is neatly divided into section covering streets and roads, buildings, houses, and schools. If you remember Gants Hill with affection than this is a book you will treasure.” * Essex Jewish News *

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Book SynopsisA new framework contextualizes crucial international security issues at sea in the Indo-Pacific Competition at sea is once again a central issue of international security. Nowhere is the urgency to address state-on-state competition at sea more strongly felt than in the Indo-Pacific region, where freedom of navigation is challenged by regional states’ continuous investments in naval power, and the renewed political will to use it to undermine its principles. The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific provides an original framework in which five “factors of influence” explain how and why naval power matters in this pivotal part of the world. An international group of contributors make the case that these five factors draw upon a longstanding influence of naval power on regional dynamics and impact the extent to which different states in the region use naval power: the capacity to exert control over sea-lanes, the capacity to deploy a nuclear deterrent at sea, the capacity to implement the law of the sea in an advantageous way, the ability to control marine resources, and the capacity for technological innovation. The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific offers a fresh approach for academics and policy makers seeking to navigate the complexity of maritime security and regional affairs.Trade ReviewAn impressively timely contribution to our military strategy debates with respect to dealing with Chinese naval aggression in the Indo-Pacific, a new framework contextualizes crucial international security issues at sea. * Midwest Book Review *The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific is a most incisive and valuable study, defining maritime power as a control feature of regional security. The book's contributors provide a comprehensive macro-overview with interlinked sub-regional analyses. * Australian Naval Institute *Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsForeword: Vice Adm. Anne Rondeau, (USN, Ret.)AcknowledgmentsList of Acronyms1. Naval Power and a Framework for Regional Security in the Indo-PacificAlessio Patalano, James A. Russell, and Catherine L. Grant Part I: The Factors of Influence in Indo-Pacific Security2. Geopolitics and Strategic Geography in Sino-US CompetitionChristopher Twomey3. Law, Order, and Maritime (In)StabilityPeter Dutton4. Maritime Resources and Regional CompetitionClive Schofield5. Nuclear Order at SeaNicola Leveringhaus6. Technology, Escalation, and War in the Indo-PacificJames A. Russell Part II: Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific as History7. Asian States and Early Imperial Competition in the Indian OceanRyan Gingeras8. The “Problem of Asia” and Imperial Competition before WWIRichard Dunley9. The Far East Between the World WarsDaniel Moran 10. Superpower Rivalry and the Strategic Balance in the Cold WarKevin Rowlands Part III: Naval Power and Contemporary Security in the Indo-Pacific 11. Northeast AsiaIan Bowers12. East and South China SeasAlessio Patalano and Julie Marionneau13. The Taiwan StraitSheryn Lee14. South PacificJames Goldrick15. Indian OceanJames Wirtz and Abhijit SinghConclusions: Strategy, Order, and Regional Security in the Indo-PacificAlessio Patalano, James A. Russell, and Catherine L. GrantIndexList of Contributors

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA fast-paced debut...Espionage buffs will savor this vibrant account. — Publishers WeeklyA U.S. naval counterintelligence officer working to safeguard Pearl Harbor; a Japanese spy ordered to Hawaii to gather information on the American fleet. On December 7, 1941, their hidden stories are exposed by a morning of bloodshed that would change the world forever. Scrutinizing long-buried historical documents, NCIS star Mark Harmon and co-author Leon Carroll, a former NCIS Special Agent, have brought forth a true-life NCIS story of deception, discovery, and danger. Hawaii, 1941. War clouds with Japan are gathering and the islands of Hawaii have become battlegrounds of spies, intelligence agents, and military officials - with the island''s residents caught between them. Toiling in the shadows are Douglas Wada, the only Japanese American agent in naval intelligence, aTrade Review'A fast-paced debut...Espionage buffs will savor this vibrant account.' * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisMasterful historian Nathen Amin charts the rise of Henry Tudor. From Penmynydd to Bosworth, this is the enthralling, action-packed story of the Tudors, but not as you know it.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Seminary Co-Op Notable Book of the Year""A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""A vital reconsideration of world history." * Publishers Weekly *"Ehret provides a vital new perspective on Africa’s significant role in the ancient world. This is an essential book on early African history that uses several types of evidence to demonstrate how different groups in Africa impacted each other and eventually the world." * Library Journal *"Ehret charts the many pathways of interconnection between Africa and the world. . . . At a time when people seem more divided than ever, it’s refreshing and rather moving to read a book which humanely reminds us of how much we all have in common."---Toby Green, Daily Telegraph"Although the ancestors of all human beings alive today lived in Africa, the continent and the history of its peoples occupy remarkably little space in histories of the ancient world. Ancient Africa goes a long way toward rectifying that. . . . This masterful, accessible summary of a brilliant historian's life's work will appeal to everyone interested in ancient world history." * Choice Reviews *"Ancient Africa: A Global History, to 300 CE is a passionate, provocative, engaging, and eye-opening account that has swept away any preconceived notions I had of a part of the world that is certainly deserving of more attention." * Ancient History *

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Book SynopsisThe full history of how the United States targeted and destroyed the Japanese capital from the air, in a ten-month long campaign by the US Army Air Force and the US Navy.In November 1944, the US Army Air Force launched a 111-plane B-29 strike against Tokyo, the first raid since the morale-boosting Doolittle Raid of 1942. From then until August 13, 1945, the United States would attack Tokyo 25 times, 20 from B-29s based in the Marianas and five from US Navy carrier task forces. The campaign included the single deadliest air raid in human history, when around 100,000 people were killed by the firestorm created by the Operation Meetinghouse raid of March 10, 1945.This book, the first to examine the full history of the United States' air campaign against the greatest target in Japan, looks at the USAAF's and US Navy's efforts to use air power to eliminate Tokyo's strategic value to the Empire. It considers how the campaign developed from daylight bombing toTable of Contents(Subject to confirmation) Introduction Chronology Attacker's Capabilities Defender's Capabilities Campaign Objectives The Campaign Aftermath and Analysis Conclusion Bibliography Index

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