Military History Books

19464 products


  • CH47 Chinook

    Schiffer Publishing Ltd CH47 Chinook

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn illustrated guide to one of the most important US military helicopters

    1 in stock

    £19.54

  • Panzer III vs T34

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Panzer III vs T34

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis illustrated study pits Germany's PzKpfw III against the Soviet Union's T-34 in the wake of Hitler's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union.This book evaluates the PzKpfw III and T-34 medium tanks fielded by Germany and the Soviet Union during 1941. Both designs were intended to be the primary medium tanks of their respective armies, but owing to manufacturing difficulties, neither was available in quite the numbers intended. Even though both tanks were relatively new, neither was deemed entirely satisfactory, and replacements for both were already on the drawing board. Nevertheless, it was these tanks that clashed in what the Soviet Union called the Great Patriotic War.While the T-34 rapidly established a fearsome reputation only sometimes borne out by its actual performance, the PzKpfw lII was smaller, lighter, and not as well armed as its Soviet opponent but benefited from the support of a more seasoned and better structured army. Full-colour artwork, archiv

    2 in stock

    £14.39

  • Secret Tactics

    Tuttle Publishing Secret Tactics

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisSecret Tactics offers ancient wisdom for contemporary readerswith new interpretations of Japanese martial arts classics In the tradition of Musashi, Kazumi Tabata, one of America's most experienced teachers of karate, distills invaluable lessons drawn from the most influential martial arts texts in Japanese history. This book includes fascinating essays on leadership, correct behavior, character, values and strategic thinking. The Hereditary Manual of Fighting Techniques by Yagyu Tajimanokami Munenori explores the relationship between Zen philosophy and warfare and the mental preparation needed for winning. The Ultimate Sword by Takuan Soho describes the unremitting effort needed to become a true master of martial strategy. The same author uses key aspects of sword-fighting tactics to shed light on the path to self-realization in The Miracle of Immovable Wisdom.The Technical Study of Kenpo by Kotoda Yahei Toshisada emphasizes the importance of training and learning practical techni

    1 in stock

    £9.49

  • The WaffenSS at Kharkov

    Casemate Publishers The WaffenSS at Kharkov

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAt the beginning of 1943, the German armed forces were in crisis on the southern front in Russia. The Soviets had launched a series of offensives from November 1942 that pushed the Germans back hundreds of kilometers. The Germans had no more significant reserves available, and enormous breaches had opened between defensive lines. In early January 1943, the Soviets attacked again, with the aim of reconquering the industrial city of Kharkov and destroying the remaining German and Axis troops in southern Ukraine, including the 4. Panzerarmee, 1. Panzerarmee, Armeeabteilung Hollidt and Armeeabteilung Fretter-Pico.After the encirclement of 6. Armee at Stalingrad and the destruction of the Axis forces there, the loss of these four armies would certainly have led to German defeat on the Eastern Front. Believing victory was near, Stalin and his generals decided to launch their new offensives even before the garrison of Stalingrad surrendered. The main effort fell on Army Group Don, newly formed and with little forces available. Facing a massive offensive, Commander Erich von Manstein was ordered to hold the city at any cost, risking the destruction of two divisions of the Waffen-SS and the Grossdeutschland army division. SS Panzer Corps commander Paul Hausser disobeyed Hitler's order and ordered the retreat from Kharkov, saving the two SS divisions. This meant that Manstein had at his disposal forces needed to launch his counteroffensive.The subsequent battles for Kharkov saw the three divisions of the Waffen-SSLeibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich and Totenkopf fighting together for the first time. In the first phase of the offensive, the SS Das Reich and Totenkopf marched 100 kilometers south of Kharkov, blocking the Soviet army from capturing the bridges over the Dnieper River, while the Leibstandarte successfully defended the corps supply base in Krasnograd. After protecting the bridges over the Dnepr, the Das Reich and Totenkopf units headed north and regained control of the vital railway network south of Kharkov. The Soviet 3rd Tank Army was forced to abandon its attack against Krasnograd to regroup south of Kharkov and protect the city from Hausser's divisions. At that point the Leibstandarte joined the other divisions of the corps SS to eliminate Soviet forces and recapture Kharkov. With its reconquest, Southern Ukraine returned firmly under German control.This is a fully illustrated account of the decisive victory attained by the SS Panzer Corps divisions at a time of serious crisis for the Axis forces.

    1 in stock

    £21.21

  • Pen & Sword Books Ltd The German Way of War on the Eastern Front

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisOn 22 June 1941, at 0410hrs, Operation Barbarossa began. More than 3 million German soldiers crossed the border with the Soviet Union and moved east, where 4.7 million Soviet soldiers were waiting for them. Hitler expected his troops would be on the Volga before the end of the year and that important cities such as Moscow and Leningrad would have been captured. But the reality was very different; the Germans made impressive territorial gains, but their offensive eventually came to a halt at Stalingrad in December 1942, which proved to be a turning point in the war.This titanic battle is illustrated here using eyewitness accounts from generals, soldiers and civilians. Attention is not only paid to the course of the battle, but also to the tactics and organizational dimensions of the armies involved, the challenges of the vastness of the country, the dilemmas for people in the conquered areas, and the way the Germans tried to conquer their hearts while at the same time fighting a fierce

    3 in stock

    £21.25

  • Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Imperial Armies of the Thirty Years War

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThis history of the Catholic armies of the Hapsburg Empire that fought in the Thirty Years'' War (1618-1648) explores the role of infantry and artillery during the last major religious war in mainland Europe. As the states of the Holy Roman Empire fractured along religious lines, all of Europe was plunged into a bloody conflict that lasted three decades, decimated populations, and annihilated communities. However, amidst this social, political, and religious catastrophe, important changes were experienced within the organization of armed forces. The war saw the end of the large mercenary forces and the beginnings of the well-disciplined national army. This book charts this progression, illustrating and explaining the forces of the key Catholic armies, while exploring the weapons, organization, tactics, and colorful uniforms used by the infantry and artillery.

    Out of stock

    £12.34

  • Panzer Battles

    The History Press Ltd Panzer Battles

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisBorn in 1904, von Mellenthin joined the Seventh Cavalry Regiment in 1924. In 1935, he began his general staff training and in 1939 was an intelligence officer. By the end of the war, he had risen in rank to Major General and was Chief of General Staff, Fifth Panzer Army, on the Western Front. Active in the Polish campaign of 1939, the conquest of France, the Balkans, the desert with Rommel, as well as in Russia, at Stalingrad and Kursk, he was in a unique position to write Panzer Battles, having been present at every major panzer campaign. In 1944, he was moved to the Western Front under Field Marshall von Rundstedt. Captured in 1945 by the Americans, he moved to South Africa after the war and became an executive for a major German airline.

    1 in stock

    £14.24

  • Amazons of Black Sparta: The Women Warriors of

    C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Amazons of Black Sparta: The Women Warriors of

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisHistory is rife with tales of fighting women. More often than not, these stories prove more legend than history. Dating back to the Amazons of ancient Asia Minor, myths of fierce, autonomous women of martial excellence abound. And yet, the only thoroughly documented Amazons in world history are the women warriors of Dahomey, an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Western African kingdom. Once dubbed a "small black Sparta," residents of Dahomey shared with the Spartans an intense militarism and sense of collectivism. Moreover, the women of both kingdoms prided themselves on bodies hardened from childhood by rigorous physical exercise. But Spartan women kept in shape to breed male warriors, Dahomean Amazons to kill them. Originally palace guards, the Amazons had evolved by the 1760s into professional troops armed mainly with muskets, machetes and clubs. Theoretically wives of the king and quartered in his palaces, they were sworn to celibacy on pain of death. In compensation they enjoyed a semi-sacred status and numerous privileges, including the right to own slaves. By the 1840s their numbers had grown to 6,000. The Amazons served under female officers and had their own bands, flags and insignia: they outdrilled, outshot and outfought men, became frontline troops and fought tenaciously and with great valour till the kingdom's defeat by France in 1892. The product of meticulous archival research, Amazons of Black Sparta is defined by Alpern's gift for narrative and will stand as the most comprehensive and accessible account of the woman warriors of Dahomey.Trade ReviewAlpern draws together the available material on this peculiar institution into an interesting and readable book. The author's meticulous literary and archival research indicates that these females were indeed formidable warriors in the turbulent nineteenth-century era of the slave trade and subsequent European colonial conquest ... Alpern's work is an informative study. -- W. Arens, ChoiceAlpern does very well in assembling most of the evidence about these intimidating women whose courage impressed even the Foreign Legion. He produces a very detailed picture from a wide variety of European and African sources. He provides a readable narrative of Dahomean military history from the state's origins to its defeat by France in 1892, ... [and] a mass of information on what these women wore, ate and sang, how they were recruited, trained and mobilised. -- Richard Rathbone, The TimesAlpern has written an impressively comprehensive study covering all aspects of this extraordinary military force - he describes them in fascinating detail - Altogether he has made an important scholarly contribution to the history of nineteenth-century West Africa in which the Amazon achievement has until now been scarcely mentioned. -- Christopher Fyfe, Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History… and today they [the Amazons] exist as no more than footnotes to history. Only one scholarly work has been written about these women, Amazons of Black Sparta by Stanley B. Alpern. -- Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s NestA succint, yet comprehensive, survey of the history of Dahomey. ... Alpern is by no means the first writer to give an account of the Amazons of Dahomey. Yet, his is by far the most detailed and most convincing. ... Truly, Alpern's portrait of the Amazons is a well deserved encomium to the courage and dedication of these intrepid women warriors. ... [and] the feather in the cap of this extremely well-written book is [its] remarkable empathy. -- Africa Review of Books

    2 in stock

    £14.24

  • World War II German Motorized Infantry

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC World War II German Motorized Infantry

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn World War II Germany''s doctrine of mobile warfare dominated the battlefield. By trial and error, the Germans were the first to correctly combine the strength in tanks and in mobile infantry and artillery. This integration of mobile units, equipment and tactics underpinned Germany''s successes in the first half of the war. As the war dragged on, the Allies sought to copy German tactics but German armies remained supreme in this type of warfare until their losses had seriously degraded their capabilities. This study traces the development of the different types of unit that came together in the Panzergrenadier branch from the inter-war years through World War II. Using colour plates to display the changes in uniform, equipment and insignia in all theatres of operations throughout the conflict, this is a complete account of Hitler's elite armoured infantry.

    1 in stock

    £14.24

  • The M4 Carbine

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The M4 Carbine

    Book SynopsisUsing the latest technical, ballistic, and tactical research available, this book defines the reasons why the M4/M4A1 achieved its ascendancy, but also analyzes the question marks that hang over the weapon''s future.The M4 carbine has become one of the defining military firearms of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Developed as a fusion of the XM177E2 Colt Commando and the M16A2 assault rifle, the M4 offered a more convenient battlefield firearm than the full-length M16 variants, and the US Army adopted it as the standard infantry weapon in the 1990s. Today, military and law-enforcement personnel of more than 60 countries have adopted either the M4 or the M4A1 variant, both of which have been tested and proven in major combat operations worldwide.This study describes the development process in detail, from production of the first XM4 prototypes in 1984 through numerous modified types until it emerged into official use as the M4 in 1994. The M4 offered a Table of ContentsIntroduction Development Use Impact Conclusion Bibliography Index

    £13.29

  • German Guided Missiles of World War II

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC German Guided Missiles of World War II

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAlthough not as well-known as the V-1 buzz bomb and the V-2 missile, the first German missiles to see combat were anti-ship missiles, the Henschel Hs.293 guided missile and the Fritz-X guided bomb. These began to see extensive combat in the Mediterranean in 1943. In their most famous use, the Italian battleship Roma was sunk by a Fritz-X attack in September 1943 when Italy attempted to switch sides. The serious threat posed by these missiles led to a vigorous but little known Wizard War' by the Allies to develop electronic counter-measures, the first effort of its kind. Besides the anti-ship missiles, the other major category of German missiles were the air-defence missiles. Germany suffered extremely heavy losses from Allied strategic bombing attacks, and German fighter and flak defences proved increasingly unsuccessful. As a result, the Luftwaffe began an extensive programme to deploy several families of new air defence missiles to counter the bomber threat, includ

    1 in stock

    £11.39

  • The Spatha

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Spatha

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Roman long sword, the spatha, was central to the Romans'' defense of their empire--this title investigates the origins, development, combat use, and lasting legacy of this feared close-combat weapon. Adopted from the Celts in the 1st century BC, the spatha, a lethal and formidable chopping blade, became the primary sword of the Roman soldier in the Later Empire. Over the following centuries, the blade, its scabbard, and its system of carriage underwent a series of developments, until by the 3rd century AD it was the universal sidearm of both infantry and cavalry. Thanks to its long reach, the spatha was the ideal cavalry weapon, replacing the long gladius hispaniensis in the later Republican period. As the manner in which Roman infantrymen fought evolved, styles of hand-to-hand combat changed so much that the gladius was superseded by the longer spatha during the 2nd century AD. Like the gladius, the spatTable of ContentsIntroduction Development: Changing function Use: The cut and thrust Impact: The sword that defended an empire Conclusion Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £13.29

  • SAS Combat Vehicles 194291

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC SAS Combat Vehicles 194291

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA concise illustrated history of the Special Air Service''s lightweight, heavily armed vehicles and their combat use. The SAS, the world's most famous special operations unit, made its name in the desert of North Africa, shooting up Axis airfields from specially modified Willys jeeps. Following the start of the El Alamein offensive in October 1942, the SAS used jeeps effectively in reconnoitring and ambushing the retreating Afrika Korps. After the conclusion of the North African campaign, the Willys underwent several small but significant changes, including the introduction of the .303 Browning machine gun.Between June and October 1944, the SAS brigade operated deep inside Occupied France, harassing Germans reinforcements heading to Normandy, calling up air strikes on installations, and carrying out reconnaissance missions - all made possible with jeeps dropped by the RAF. Jeeps were also used in the push into Germany in the spring of 1945. Transported across the Rhine in ''BuffTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION SELF-SUFFICIENCY: THE BLITZ BUGGY SAS DESERT JEEPS THE ITALIAN JOB, 1943 SPROUTING WINGS: JEEPS IN FRANCE, 1944 INTO GERMANY POST-WAR: THE LAND ROVER ERA FURTHER READING INDEX

    1 in stock

    £11.39

  • The Luger

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Luger

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisPatented in 1898 and produced from 1900, Georg Luger's iconic semi-automatic pistol became synonymous with Germany's armed forces throughout both world wars. Initially chambered for the 7.65×21mm round, from 1902 the Luger was designed for DWM's 9×19mm round, which even today remains the most popular military handgun cartridge. It was adopted by the Imperial German Navy in 1904, followed by the German Army in 1908, receiving the name Pistole 08. Despite being supplanted by the Walther P38, the Luger remained in widespread service with all arms of Nazi Germany's armed forces throughout World War II, and even equipped East Germany's Volkpolizei in the years after 1945.Featuring full-colour artwork, expert analysis and archive and present-day photographs, this engaging study tells the story of the Luger, the distinctive and deadly semi-automatic pistol that has come to symbolize Germany's armed forces in the 20th century.

    1 in stock

    £14.24

  • Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 'Hermann Goering': A

    Greenhill Books Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 'Hermann Goering': A

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn the early years of the Third Reich, Hermann Goring, one of the most notorious leaders of the Third Reich, worked to establish his own personal army to rival Himmler's SS and Reichswehr. The result: a private Prussian police force which grew into one of the most powerful armoured units in Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht. This unit fought throughout the Second World War, meeting Anglo-American forces in vicious battles across the European theatres of Tunisia, Sicily and Italy before finally being defeated by the Red Army on the Eastern Front. The Hermann Goring Panzer Division incorporates technical details of these battles with the turbulent politics and Machiavellian manoeuvring of Hitler's inner circle, giving military-history enthusiasts fresh insights into the development and role of this unusual division through the war. Drawing on first-hand accounts and extensive archive material, World War II historian Lawrence Paterson presents a comprehensive and unbiased history of the establishment of the famous 1\. Fallschirm-Panzer Division.

    4 in stock

    £21.25

  • B25 Mitchell Vol. 2

    Schiffer Publishing Ltd B25 Mitchell Vol. 2

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisVolume 2 of our two-volume visual history of the North American B-25 Mitchell.

    2 in stock

    £17.09

  • Fighter Pilot

    The History Press Ltd Fighter Pilot

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisOriginally published in September 1941, it was the first such account of air combat against the Luftwaffe in France in the Second World War, and it struck an immediate chord with a British public enthralled by the exploits of its young airmen.

    1 in stock

    £9.99

  • The Heroines of SOE

    The History Press Ltd The Heroines of SOE

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisBritain’s war in the shadows of male spies and subterfuge in the heart of occupied France is a story well known, but what of the women who also risked their lives for Britain and the liberation of France?In 1942 a desperate need for new recruits, saw SOE turn to a previously overlooked group – women.Trade Review‘They were the war’s bravest women, devoted to defeating the Nazis yet reluctant ever to reveal their heroic pasts. Now a new book tells their intrepid tales.’ * Daily Express *

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • USS Yorktown CV5

    Schiffer Publishing Ltd USS Yorktown CV5

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £17.09

  • British Aircraft Carriers 1939–45

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC British Aircraft Carriers 1939–45

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisWith war against Germany looming, Britain pushed forward its carrier program in the late 1930s. In 1938, the Royal Navy launched the HMS Ark Royal, its first-ever purpose-built aircraft carrier. This was quickly followed by others, including the highly-successful Illustrious class. Smaller and tougher than their American cousins, the British carriers were designed to fight in the tight confines of the North Sea and the Mediterranean. Over the next six years, these carriers battled the Axis powers in every theatre, attacking Italian naval bases, hunting the Bismark, and even joining the fight in the Pacific. This book tells the story of the small, but resilient, carriers and the crucial role they played in the British war effort.Table of ContentsIntroduction 350 words Outlines the origins of naval aviation, and the growing importance of aircraft carriers in naval warfare. Design & Development 2,400 words Covers the chronological development of these Carriers, and covering modifications made during their operational lives. Operational History 2,250 words Follows the service history of each of the 14 Fleet Aircraft Carriers covered in this volume. Carrier Operation 2,150 words Describes the way aircraft were handled on a typical British wartime fleet aircraft carrier, including a description the wat launcing operations were conducted. Carrier Aircraft 2,000 words This section provides a brief description of the types of aircraft carried by these carriers, and their relative merits, and touches on the way they were used in action. Carriers in Action 2,400 words Provides a brief description of three actions involving British aircraft carriers; Taranto (1940), Matapan (1941) and the sinking of the Bismarck (1941) Bibiography 250 words

    1 in stock

    £12.34

  • The Day Of Battle

    Little, Brown Book Group The Day Of Battle

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn An Army at Dawn - winner of the Pulitzer Prize - Rick Atkinson provided a dramatic and authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa. Now, in The Day of the Battle, he follows the strengthening American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943 and then, mile by bloody mile, fight their way north.The Italian campaign''s outcome was never certain; in fact, Roosevelt, Churchill and their military advisors engaged in heated debate about whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even a good idea. But once underway, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizingly high price. The battles at Salerno, Anzio, and Monte Cassino were particularly difficult and lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to push the Germans up the Italian peninsula. And with the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory at last began to seem inevitable.Drawing on a

    3 in stock

    £15.29

  • Lion Rampant: The Memoirs of an Infantry Officer

    Bonnier Books Ltd Lion Rampant: The Memoirs of an Infantry Officer

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisLion Rampant is Robert Woollcombe's graphic account of his experiences as a front-line infantry officer with the King's Own Scottish Borderers during the desperate battle for Normandy and the Allied advance into Germany. Vividly evoking the confusion, horror and comradeship of war - from the killing fields of Normandy bocage, through house-to-house fighting in shattered Flemish towns, to the final Rhine crossing - Lion Rampant is a powerful, authentic and moving story, telling with extraordinary clarity how the author, his fellow officers and the men of his company lived through one of the most bitter campaigns in history.Trade Review"'One of the most vivid personal memoirs of the Second World War. Few writers have bettered his description of the experiences of front line infantrymen under the stress of battle.' (Max Hastings) 'Lion Rampant is much more than the story of one man's war: it speaks for many, with modesty, eloquence, and a fine blend of objectivity and enthusiasm. It is a story of comradeship, endurance and sheer fighting skill.' (Cecil Day-Lewis) 'Perhaps the best picture - painted in dark colours shot through by the bright light of valour - that has yet been given of war.' (Glasgow Herald)"

    2 in stock

    £7.59

  • Napoleon

    Orion Publishing Co Napoleon

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisA short and vivid biography, which deconstructs the Napoleonic myth and reveals the reality of his rule.'Written with his customary verve and certainty' Andrew Roberts, SUNDAY TELEGRAPHWritten with great wit and panache, this biography also has a serious purpose: to make us face up to the moral bankruptcy of Napoleon's dictatorship. Johnson tells the whole story: his astonishing gift for battle tactics and his complete control of propaganda. His audacious, hyperactive and aggressive leadership alongside his failure as an international statesman, as Europe grew to hate him. His marshals and ministers; his wives, mistresses. The mistakes he made; the escape from Elba, and the world-changing events leading up to Waterloo and the battle itself. This riveting account is a fascinating look at one of the most notorious military leaders of all time.Trade ReviewIt is lucidly written, and enlivened by personal details and well-chosen quotations -- William Doyle * TLS *Written with his customary verve and certainty -- Andrew Roberts * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Thoughtful and incisive * INDEPENDENT *

    2 in stock

    £9.99

  • The SAS in World War II

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The SAS in World War II

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA gripping history of the SAS in World War II, supported by a collection of rare images from the SAS Regimental Association.The SAS are among the best-trained and most effective Special Forces units in existence. This book is the incredible story of their origins, told in their own words. During the summer of 1941, a young Scots Guard officer called David Stirling persuaded MEHQ to give its backing to a small band of 60 men christened ''L Detachment''.With a wealth of stunning photographs, many from the SAS Regimental Association, the book captures the danger and excitement of the initial SAS raids against Axis airfields during the Desert War, the battles in Italy and those following the D-Day landings, as well as the dramatic final push into Germany itself and the discovery of such Nazi horrors as Belsen. An exhaustive account of an elite organization''s formative years, The SAS in World War II is the fruit of Gavin Mortimer''s expertise and his unprecedented access to tTrade ReviewPraise for the SAS in World War II 'Recounted with breathless pace and very effective use of first-hand testimonies, and supported by a superb collection of photographs and documents, this is a fascinating and hugely enjoyable book. It should prove an important starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about the early years of this legendary regiment.' BBC History MagazineTable of ContentsDedication Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Stirling’s leap of faith Chapter 2: L Detachment takes wings Chapter 3: Stirling’s capture Chapter 4: The SRS in Sicily and Italy Chapter 5: Bill Stirling and the boys of 2SAS Chapter 6: Roy Farran: from Toronoto to Termoli Chapter 7: Back to Blighty Chapter 8: D-Day for 1SAS Chapter 9: 2SAS earn their wings Chapter 10: 2SAS return to Italy Chapter 11: Operation Archway: the drive into Germany Chapter 12: Operation Howard: Paddy Mayne’s last hurrah Chapter 13: Delighted then demobbed Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • The SBS in World War II

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The SBS in World War II

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Special Boat Squadron was Britain''s most exclusive Special Forces unit during World War II. Highly trained, totally secretive, and utterly ruthless, the SBS was established as an entity in its own right in early 1943, having previously operated under the auspices of the SAS during the war in North Africa. Unlike its sister unit, which numbered more than one thousand men, the SBS never comprised more than one hundred. Led by men such as the famed Victoria Cross recipient Anders Lassen, the SBS went from island to island in the Mediterranean, landing in the dead of night in small fishing boats and launching savage hit-and-run raids on the Germans. By the end of the war they had served in Italy, the Balkans, and mainland Greece, and following the cessation of hostilities, their deeds were airbrushed out of history by an establishment that had never warmed to their piratical exploits. Through unrivaled access to the SBS archives and interviews with the surviving members ofTable of ContentsDedication /Acknowledgements /Introduction /Chapter 1. Birth of the Boat Service /Chapter 2. From Service to Squadron /Chapter 3. Sick in Sardinia /Chapter 4. A Close Call in Crete /Chapter 5. Armistice and Uncertainty /Chapter 6. The Germans Fight Back /Chapter 7. Defeat in the Dodecanese /Chapter 8. New Recruits for a New Year /Chapter 9. Piracy on the High Seas /Chapter 10. Turkish Deceit for the SBS /Chapter 11. Caught, Questioned, Vanished /Chapter 12. Vengeance /Chapter 13. Germany on the Run /Chapter 14. Into the Balkans /Chapter 15. The Nazis’ Greek Tragedy /Chapter 16. Adriatic Offensive /Chapter 17. Andy Lassen’s Big War /Chapter 18. The End of the Odyssey /Glossary /Notes /Bibliography /Index

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • A Thirst for Wine and War

    McGill-Queen's University Press A Thirst for Wine and War

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisTo maintain morale amongst soldiers in the wretched trenches of World War I, the French army provided regular rations of wine and other alcohol that became a defining feature of French soldiers’ experience. A Thirst for Wine and War explores the French army’s strategic distribution of alcohol as a method of emotional and behavioural control.Trade Review“This book not only contributes substantially to the history of intoxicants and their consumption, but it also extends well beyond these topics to expand our understanding of the histories of France, of the Great War, and of war more generally. It is hard to see the events of the First World War in France in quite the same way after reading this work.” Richard S. Fogarty, University at Albany, SUNY and author of Race and War in France: Colonial Subjects in the French Army, 1914–1918

    7 in stock

    £30.60

  • Vietnam War Booby Traps

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Vietnam War Booby Traps

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisDuring the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong were frequently unable to hold their own in stand-up fights against US and allied forces who were superior in strength, firepower, mobility, and logistics. They relied instead on traditional guerrilla warfare tactics including small-scale hit- and-run attacks, ambushes, terrorist actions, and precision attacks against bases. These included one of the oldest of guerrilla weapons the boobytrap.Booby traps could be made in large numbers in village workshops and jungle camps using locally available materials as well as modern munitions. The VC were adept at making booby traps invisible' in the varied terrain of Vietnam, often emplacing them in locations and surroundings totally unexpected by their enemies. Booby traps could be incredibly simple or startlingly complex and ingenious, ranging from pointed sticks to command-detonated submerged floating river mines. Besides a wide variety of booby traps, they also used land and water mines, bothTable of ContentsIntroduction Non-Mechanical Booby Traps Mechanical Or Non-Explosive Booby Traps Hand Grenades As Booby Traps Explosive Booby Traps And Mines The Military Use Of Booby Traps Free World Forces’ Mines And Booby Traps Conclusion Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Three Came Home

    Eland Publishing Ltd Three Came Home

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhen the Japanese take Borneo in 1942, Agnes Keith is captured and imprisoned with her two-year-old son. Fed on minimal rations, forced to work through recurrent bouts of malaria and fighting with rats for scraps of food, Agnes Keith's spirit never completely dies. Keeping notes on scraps of paper which she hides in her son's home-made toys or buries in tins, she records a mother's pain at watching her child go hungry and her poignant pride in his development within these strange confines. She also describes her captors in all their complexity. Colonel Suga, the camp commander, is an intelligent, highly educated man, at times her adversary, at others a strange ally in a distorted world.Trade Review"one of the most remarkable books you will ever read" John Carey, Sunday Times

    2 in stock

    £13.49

  • The Histories Volume II

    Harvard University Press The Histories Volume II

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn his history, Polybius (ca. 200–118 BC) is centrally concerned with how and why Roman power spread. The main part of the work, a vital achievement despite the incomplete state in which all but the first five books of an original forty survive, describes the rise of Rome, its destruction of Carthage, and its eventual domination of the Greek world.Trade ReviewPolybius found a brilliant subject for his history in the Roman drive to supremacy in the Mediterranean. As an experienced Greek politician who lived as a hostage among the elite in Rome from 167 to 159 BC, he was ideally positioned to write it. He had formidable organizational powers, and he really did know what he was talking about. Without him, our understanding of the whole period and of the dynamics of Roman imperialism would be inconceivably impoverished. -- Denis Feeney * Times Literary Supplement *These are the first two volumes of a revised text and translation of the Histories of Polybius. Polybius was the Greek historian who wrote of the rise of Rome to Mediterranean power, and who is usually ranked as one of the ancient world’s great historians. This edition is based on that of W. R. Paton (1922), which has long served scholars but has been in sore need of updating and correction. This new version comes thanks to Frank W. Walbank (1909–2008), the great Polybius scholar of the modern world, whose monumental three-volume A Historical Commentary on Polybius (1957–79) is the starting point for all modern studies of the historian and the era he chronicled. While writing his commentary, Walbank systematically corrected Paton’s edition in hundreds of places, and these changes have now been incorporated by Christian Habicht, himself one of the great historians of the Hellenistic age. Habicht has provided a new introduction, bibliography, and notes, and the result is a splendid, reliable, and up-to-date edition of Polybius that will be accessible to students and scholars alike. One looks forward eagerly to the remaining volumes that are to appear over the next year. -- J. M. Marincola * Choice *

    1 in stock

    £23.70

  • British Battle Tanks

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC British Battle Tanks

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe idea of British soldiers using American tanks was not viewed with a great deal of enthusiasm by the British Army. They perceived American tanks as being crudely made, mechanically unsophisticated and impossible to fight in. However, once British crews got used to them and learned to cope with some of their difficulties, such as limited fuel capacity and unfamiliar fighting techniques, they started to see them in a far more positive light, in particular their innate reliability and simplicity of maintenance. This book, the last in a three-part series on British Battle Tanks by armor expert David Fletcher, concentrates on World War II and studies American tanks in British service, some of which were modified in ways peculiar to the British. It shows how the number of these tanks increased to the point that they virtually dominated, as well describing some types, such as the T14 and M26 Pershing, that were supplied but never used in British service.

    1 in stock

    £24.00

  • Blackpool at War

    The History Press Ltd Blackpool at War

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAlthough it escaped bombing raids, Blackpool played an important role in the Second World War as a centre for training — with numerous airfields and factories surrounding the area.

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Troop Leader

    The History Press Ltd Troop Leader

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisBill Bellamy was a young officer in the 8th King''s Royal Irish Hussars from 1943 to 1955. He served in 7th Armoured Division in the North West Europe campaign, landing in Normandy on D+3, fought throughout the Battle for Normandy and into the Low Countries as a troop leader in Cromwell tanks, and was latterly a member of the initial occupying force in Berlin in May 1945. Against the rules, Bill kept diaries and notes of his experiences. His account is fresh and open, and his descriptions of battle are vivid. He witnessed many of his contemporaries killed in action, and this life-altering experience clearly informs his narrative. The accounts of tank fighting in the leafy Normandy bocage in the height of summer, or in the iron hard fields of Holland in winter, are graphic and compelling.

    5 in stock

    £13.49

  • The Cretan Runner

    Penguin Books Ltd The Cretan Runner

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe legendary story of a resistance hero''Full of death and excitement'' - Sunday Times''Unique'' - TLSGeorge Psychoundakis was a young shepherd boy who knew the island of Crete intimately when the Nazis invaded by air in 1941. He immediately joined the resistance and took on the crucial job of war-time runner.It was not only the toughest but the most dangerous job of all. It involved immense journeys carrying vital messages, smuggling arms and explosives and guiding Allied soldiers, agents and commandos through heavily garrisoned territory. And George did not escape capture and torture on his many forays.This brilliant account of George''s activities across mountainous terrain, come blazing summer or freezing winter, is a gripping story of bravery against impossible odds.Trade ReviewFull of death, and the excitement of a fighter who wildly enjoys his own part of the dangerous business * Sunday Times *Unique * The Times Literary Supplement *

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Hitler and the Final Solution

    University of California Press Hitler and the Final Solution

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisHitler and the Final Solution.Table of ContentsIntroduction Author's Preface 1. The Growth of an Obsession 2. The Art of Dissembling 3. Hitler's Influence on the Conduct of War 4. Four Key Commissions 5. Himmler on Responsibility 6. Hitler's Cunning 7. The Execution of the Final Solution in the Occupied East 8. The Mass Shootings Outside Riga,30 November and 8 December 1941 9. The Wannsee Conference 10. The Interrogation of Friedrich Jeckeln 11. Hitler's Visitor on 28 November 1941 12. "On Orders from the Highest Level" 13. The Camp of the German Jews in Minsk 14. Reichskommissar of the Ukraine, Erich Koch 15. "It Is the Fuhrer's Wish" 16. "The Fuhrer Has Taken Note: Destroy" 17. An Official Report from Auschwitz-Birkenau 18. "Toward a Swift Solution" 19. "KaltenbrunnerContra Himmler" 20. "Duty at Auschwitz Is Frontline Duty" 21. "They Shall Go Under with Us!" 22. The Beginning of the End 23. The End of an Obsession Epilogue Augmenting the Historical Record File 17/9, Topf and Sohne, Erfurt, Russian Central State Archive, Moscow Appendix: jewish Casualties Due to the Final Solution Select Bibliography Acknowledgments Index

    1 in stock

    £24.30

  • Ian Flemings War

    The History Press Ltd Ian Flemings War

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe first book to explore in detail the link between the work of Ian Fleming at Naval Intelligence during the Second World War and the 007 plots

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Napoleon

    Oxford University Press Napoleon

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe story of the dramatic two years leading to Napoleon's abdication in 1814 - in which he lost control of his empire and, ultimately, of France itself.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition ... an exciting story and it is one to which Munro Price has devoted himself with consummate skill * Reviews in History *Price's book is well paced, cleanly written and thoughtful. * John Bugg, The Times Literary Supplement *Price has rewritten the history of the decline and fall of Napoleon in a highly original and wholly convincing manner. It is an enthralling story, brilliantly told. * T. C. W. Blanning, Emeritus Professor of European History, University of Cambridge *Price has unearthed a wealth of unpublished material that sheds a fascinating light on the motives of the principle players in this extraordinary drama... * Simon Shaw, Mail on Sunday *Munro Price has pulled off a genuine sensation. * Stephan Speicher, Die Zeit, *Nobody who regards history as matter for serious reflection rather as mere colourful epic can afford to ignore this book. * Gustav Seibt, Süddeutsche Zeitung *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Napoleon and his empire, December 1812 2: Plots and alarms, 1812-1813 3: Russia, Austria and Napoleon, 1812-1813 4: War and diplomacy, spring 1813 5: Napoleon and Metternich 6: The congress of Prague 7: From Dresden to Leipzig 8: The battle of the nations 9: Natural frontiers 10: Challenge from within 11: The congress of Chatillon 12: The beginning of the end 13: Talleyrand 14: The End of Glory Epilogue: The hundred days Notes Index

    1 in stock

    £12.59

  • Helion & Company Hitlers Last Levy

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • On The Natural History Of Destruction

    Penguin Books Ltd On The Natural History Of Destruction

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisSebald''s On the Natural History of Destruction explores German writers'' silence about a moment of mass destructionIn the last years of World War II, a million tons of bombs were dropped by the Allies on one hundred and thirty-one German towns and cities. Six hundred thousand civilians died, and three and a half million homes were destroyed. When it has cast such a very dark shadow over his life and work, Sebald asks, how have so many writers allowed themselves to write it out of their experience and avoid articulating the horror? W.G. Sebald''s On the Natural History of Destruction sparked a wide-ranging debate in the German press.''Sebald makes exquisite art out of vile history'' Boyd Tonkin, Independent''One of the most important writers of our time'' A.S. Byatt, New Statesman ''Demands to be read for its grand emotional power ... it absorbs and horrifies and illuminates'' Scotsman''Brilliant and disturbing'' Antony Beevor, The TimesW . G. Sebald was born in Wertach im Allgäu, Germany, in 1944 and died in December 2001. He studied German language and literature in Freiburg, Switzerland and Manchester. In 1996 he took up a position as an assistant lecturer at the University of Manchester and settled permanently in England in 1970. He was Professor of European Literature at the University of East Anglia and is the author of The Emigrants, The Rings of Saturn, Vertigo, Austerlitz, After Nature, On the Natural History of Destruction, Campo Santo, Unrecounted, For Years Now and A Place in the Country. His selected poetry is published in a volume called Across the Land and the Water.

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • Masters and Commanders

    Penguin Books Ltd Masters and Commanders

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAndrew Roberts''s Masters and Commanders: The Military Geniuses who led the West to Victory in WWII tells the story of how four great leaders fought each other over how best to fight Hitler. During the Second World War the master strategy of the West was shaped by four titanic figures: Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, and their respective military commanders - General Sir Alan Brooke and General George C. Marshall. Each man was tough-willed and strong minded. And each was certain he knew best how to achieve victory. Drawing on previously unpublished material, including for the first time verbatim reports of Churchill''s War Cabinet meetings, Andrew Roberts''s acclaimed history recreates with vivid immediacy the fiery debates and political maneuverings, the rebuffs and the charm, the explosive rows and dramatic reconciliations, as the masters and commanders of the Western Alliance fought each other over the best way to fight Adolf Hitler. Trade Review'This is an important book which ! sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian' Economist 'A masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality' Daily Express 'His interpretation of British/US strategic relations is unlikely to be superseded' - Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times

    1 in stock

    £19.55

  • Hennessey P The Junior Officers Reading Club

    Penguin Books Ltd Hennessey P The Junior Officers Reading Club

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisPatrick Hennessey''s The Junior Officers'' Reading Club is a lucid, witty account of all the horror, boredom and exhilaration of war. Patrick Hennessey is pretty much like any other member of Generation X: he spent the first half of the noughties reading books at university, going out, listening to house music and watching war films. He also, as an officer in the Grenadier guards, fought in some of the most violent combat the British army has seen in decades. Telling the story of how a modern soldier is made, from the testosterone-heavy breeding ground of Sandhurst to the nightmare of Iraq and Afghanistan, The Junior Officers'' Reading Club is already being hailed as a modern classic. ''Soldiers who can write are as rare as writers who can strip down a machinegun in 40 seconds'' Christopher Hart, Sunday Times ''An extraordinary memoir ... Hennessey has a reporter''s eye for detail and a soldier''s nose for bullshit'' JoTrade ReviewSoldiers who can write are as rare as writers who can strip down a machinegun in 40 seconds, but Patrick Hennessey is one of the few * Sunday Times *High-tempo, full-on . . . honest and revealing . . . a memoir brimming with vinegar and testosterone * Evening Standard *The military memoir of the moment * Times *A very fine book, a powerful dispatch from the front line ... what impresses is the sheer candour and immediacy * Spectator *An extraordinary memoir . . . Hennessey has a reporter's eye for detail and a soldier's nose for bullshit * Guardian *Outstanding . . . A classic of its kind * William Boyd, Sunday Herald, Books of the Year *Harrowing and frequently funny . . . sparkles with wit, wisdom and boyish glee . . . His generation owns the war * Times *Must rank as the most accomplished work of military witness to emerge from British war-fighting since 1945 * Independent *Remarkable . . . conveys vividly what it's like to experience combat * Jeremy Paxman, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *An engaging mix of war reporting, stream of consciousness and reflections on the nature of conflict in the twenty-first century * Caroline Moorehead, Spectator, Books of the Year *All politicians need to read honest accounts of war - at no time more than now - and Patrick Hennessey's The Junior Officers' Reading Club is one of the very best * David Cameron, Observer, Books of the Year *A vivid account of a rollercoaster tour of duty . . . testosterone-charged, expletive-splattered * Phil Jacobson, Daily Mail *A compelling read . . . Hennessey's book ought to be read by all officers that have yet to experience combat . . . He has written an important portrait of contemporary warfare and the nature of battle - a portrait that can claim a line of descent from Sassoon's Memoirs of an Infantry Officer * Will Pike, British Army Review *An honest acknowledgment of the darkness within us, of the unwelcome emotions that combat can bring about ... Smart and funny ... The Junior Officers' Reading Club is a humdinger -- Jonathan Yardley * Washington Post *

    1 in stock

    £10.44

  • Battle of the Atlantic

    The History Press Ltd Battle of the Atlantic

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisWorld War II was only a few hours old when the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest campaign of the Second World War and the most complex submarine war in history, began with the sinking of the unarmed passenger liner Athenia by the German submarine U30. Based on the mastery of the latest research and written from a mid-Atlantic rather than the traditional Anglo-centric perspective, Marc Milner focuses on the confrontation between opposing forces and the attacks on Allied shipping that lay at the heart of the six-year struggle. Against the backdrop of the battle for the Atlantic lifeline he charts the fascinating development of U-boats and the techniques used by the Allies to suppress and destroy these stealth weapons.

    1 in stock

    £10.79

  • From War Hero to Peace Promoter

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd From War Hero to Peace Promoter

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisOn 13 July 1917 a thirty-year-old junior officer on leave from the Western Front arrived at London's Euston Station, with its famous arch and great hall. Siegfried Sassoon was heading for Liverpool on a journey likely to end in his arrest. His destination was the headquarters of his battalion. A week earlier he had written to tell his commanding officer that he was refusing further military service. He enclosed a statement written to be read out in Parliament declaring that Britain's war aims were no longer worthy. He was committing, as he admitted', an act of wilful defiance of military authority'. He was ready to face court-martial and imprisonment (or worse). He was known in the Army as a brave and efficient soldier, already decorated and now recommended for a DSO. His speciality was in bombing. Now he had delivered a bombshell of a different kind. He hated what the war had become. He had lately turned his poetic talent into a new kind of satire. A recent composition, The One-Legged

    1 in stock

    £22.10

  • German Command Headquarters in the West

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd German Command Headquarters in the West

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £18.75

  • The German Army Medical Corps in World War II

    Schiffer Publishing Ltd The German Army Medical Corps in World War II

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £19.54

  • Spitfire Portrait of a Legend

    John Murray Press Spitfire Portrait of a Legend

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. ''Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,'' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Göring thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to prove him wrong. By late September 1940, the RAF had proved invincible, thanks to the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. It exceeded anything that any other air force possessed. RJ Mitchell, a shy and almost painfully modest engineer, was the genius behind the Spitfire. On the 5th March 1936, following its successful maiden flight, a legend was born. Prize-winning historian Leo McKinstry''s vivid history of the Spitfire brings together a rich Trade ReviewPraise for ROSEBERY: * . *Stunning ... As well as being meticulously researched, it is beautifully written and has tremendous pace * Literary Review *Absorbing ... McKinstry has here proved himself to be a first-class historical biographer * Mail on Sunday *With masterly skill and sympathy, Leo McKinstry resurrects him as the Hamlet of late Victorian England * Daily Mail *An authoritative and original biography which is also a riveting read' * Spectator *Superbly well-researched and well-written ... A truly first-class addition to the genre of Prime Ministerial biography * Sunday Telegraph *'An absolutely wonderful biography ... gripping and entertaining' * Evening Standard *'A first class biography, scholarly, judicious and always interesting' * Glasgow Herald *'Remarkable' * Country Life *'Judicious, well-researched and engrossing' * Sunday Times *'This is undoubtably the definitive biography of Rosebery. Written with elegance, clarity and well-judged colour' * Jonathan Parry, Times Literary Supplement *'It does a wonderful job of conjuring up the lost world of late Victorian politics' * Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph *'Admirable biography of a paradoxical figure whose tenure at No 10 was a disaster' * Jeremy Lewis, Sunday Times *

    2 in stock

    £12.34

  • In Time of War

    Gill In Time of War

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhen the Union Jack was hauled down over the Atlantic naval ports of Cobh, Berehaven and Lough Swilly in 1939, the Irish were jubilant. But in London, Churchhill brooded on the ''incomprehensible'' act of surrendering three of the Royal Navy''s finest ports when Europe was about to go to war.Eighteen months later, Churchill was talking of military action against Ireland. He demanded the return of the ports and the Irish made ready to defend their country against British as well as German invasion.In Northern Ireland, a Unionist Government vainly tried to introduce conscription. Along the west coast British submarines prowled the seas searching for German U-boats sheltering in the bays; British agents toured the villages of Donegal in search of fifth columnists while their German counterparts tried to make contact with the IRA.This is a fasinating study of Ireland during the Second World War.Anybody interested in Irish affairs will have to get Fisk''s book

    2 in stock

    £18.69

  • Now All Roads Lead to France The Last Years of

    Faber & Faber Now All Roads Lead to France The Last Years of

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisEdward Thomas was perhaps the most beguiling and influential of First World War poets. Now All Roads Lead to France is an account of his final five years, centred on his extraordinary friendship with Robert Frost and Thomas''s fatal decision to fight in the war.The book also evokes an astonishingly creative moment in English literature, when London was a battleground for new, ambitious kinds of writing. A generation that included W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, Robert Frost and Rupert Brooke were ''making it new'' - vehemently and pugnaciously. These larger-than-life characters surround a central figure, tormented by his work and his marriage. But as his friendship with Frost blossomed, Thomas wrote poem after poem, and his emotional affliction began to lift. In 1914 the two friends formed the ideas that would produce some of the most remarkable verse of the twentieth century. Their writing was far more than just war poetry, but it was World War I that put an ocean b

    1 in stock

    £12.34

  • The Birth of the Modern World 1780  1914

    John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Birth of the Modern World 1780 1914

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisPresents a thematic history of the world from 1780 to the onset of the First World War which reveals that the world was far more 'globalised' at this time than is commonly thought. This book considers various themes of the nineteenth-century world, including the rise of the modern state, industrialization and liberalism.Trade Review"With its dazzling erudition and its vast scope, The Birth of the Modern World is a masterpiece of distance-annihilating synthesis…At a stroke, all other general histories of the nineteenth century have become parochial…I cannot think of any living historian who could match this feat. The rest of us must simply applaud." Niall Ferguson, University of Oxford "Bayly's work is awe-inspiring in its breadth and authority. To write a history of this kind, the author must possess a command of his sources... outstanding lucidity and a capacity to organise immensely complex and disparate material; above all, perhaps, a sense of proportion and the ability to balance striking detail against swooping vision. All these Bayly enjoys in abundance. Readers will enjoy an invigorating and enriching experience." The Telegraph "A truly global history, a work of great richness and jaw-dropping erudition that ranges effortlessly across the continents, laying out a complex, multifaceted picture of modernity. A brilliantly told global story." The Sunday Times "A remarkable achievement. As an accomplished and innovative historian, Bayly has the rare ability not just to indicate the need for a 'global approach to historical change' but also to deliver, with scrupulous regard for the complexity of his subject. Empire and genocide, nationalism and modernity - these are grand themes enough for many a work of history, but they do not exhaust the range of Bayly's ambition and erudition. It is a tribute to Bayly's skill that his discussion can be read with as much profit by those who are familiar with the historical debates he engages with as by those previously innocent of them." Times Literary Supplement "Chris Bayly's erudite and engrossing account of the global birthpangs of modernity is not only a landmark contribution to historical literature but, indirectly and without a hint of overt engagement, a pertinent addition to contemporary debates about globalisation and the world order. This is a book that historians, foreign policy elites and protagonists on both sides of the debate need to read.... Bayly has produced the most compelling and significant historical synthesis to appear for many years." London Review of Books "An enormously important book in its approach to global history, it is also a riveting account of modern warfare, empire, nationalism and religion. Bayly holds the reader's attention across a history of kingdoms ... In turn, what he delivers is a fascinating challenge to contemporary understandings of globalisation, religious belief and the threads of Empire." The Times "Christopher Bayly’s book will be essential reading for anyone seeking an historical angle on globalisation, and in particular on its impact on the world before 1914…No book I have ever read combines Bayly’s level of knowledge, clarity and insight on this vast and hugely important theme." Dominic Lieven, London School of Economics and Political Science "The impact of this book will be as broad as its originality, currency, and force." Linda Colley, Princeton University "This brilliant history of the 19th century offers remarkably lucid, supple analyses of the concepts around which this story revolves: modernity, nationalism, imperialism, the state, industrialisation. Bayly not only deftly summarises a startling range of complex previous literature, as well as integrating it effectively into his bigger picture, but also pushes many of those theoretical debates forward." Stephen Howe "This book, by one of the foremost scholars of modern Indian history, is a sprawling smorgasbord ... a challenging and thought-provoking piece of world history." Journal of World History Winner of the Wolfson History Prize 2004 Winner of the H-Soz-u-Kult Book Prize (World and International History) "[A] magisterial synthesis" Journal of Modern History "This is a brilliant book. Bayly's analytical approach merits high praise and the wealth of information he presents is admirable." IberoamericanaTable of ContentsList Of Illustrations. List Of Tables And Maps. Series Editor’s Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. The Organization Of The Book. Problem One: ‘Prime Movers’ And The Economic Factor. Problem Two: Global History And Post-Modernism. Problem Three: The Continuing ‘Riddle Of The Modern’. Conforming To Standards In Bodily Practice. Building Out From The Body: Communications And Complexity. Afterword. Part I: The End of The Old Regime:. 1. Old Regimes And ‘Archaic Globalisation’:. Peasants And Lords. The Politics Of Difference. Powers On The Fringes Of States. Harbingers Of New Political Formations. The Pre-History Of ‘Globalisation’. ‘Archaic’ And Early Modern Globalisation. Prospect. 2. Passages From The Old Regimes To Modernity:. The ‘Last Great Domestication’ And ‘Industrious Revolutions’. New Patterns Of Afro-Asian Material Culture, Production And Trade. The Internal And External Limits Of Afro-Asian ‘Industrious Revolutions.’. Trade, Finance And Innovation: European Competitive Advantages. The Activist, Patriotic State Evolves. Critical Publics. The Development Of Asian And African Ecumenes. Conclusion: ‘Backwardness’, Lags And Conjunctures. 3. Convergent Revolutions, 1780–1820:. Contemporaries Ponder The World Crisis. A Summary Anatomy Of The World Crisis, C. 1720–1820. Sapping The Legitimacy Of The State: From France To China. The Ideological Origins Of The Modern State. Nationalities Versus States And Empires. The Third Revolution: Polite And Commercial Peoples Worldwide. Prospect. Part II: The Modern World In Genesis:. 4. Between World Revolutions, C. 1815–1860. Assessing The ‘Wreck Of Nations’. British Maritime Supremacy, World Trade And Agrarian Recovery. Emigration: A Safety Valve. The Losers In The ‘New World Order’, C. 1815–65. Problems Of Hybrid Legitimacy – Whose State Was It?. The State Gains Strength – But Not Enough. Wars Of Legitimacy In Asia: A Summary Account. Economic And Ideological Roots Of The Asian Revolutions. The Years Of Hunger And Rebellion In Europe, 1848–51. The American Civil War As A Global Event. Convergence Or Difference?. Reviewing The Argument. 5. Industrialisation And The New City:. Historians, Industrialisation And Cities. The Progress Of Industrialisation. Cities As Centres Of Production And Consumption. The Urban Impact Of The Global Crisis, 1780–1820. Race And Class In The New City. Working Class Politics. World-Wide Urban Cultures And Their Critics. Conclusion. 6. Nation, Empire And Ethnicity: C. 1860–1900:. ‘Theories’ Of Nationalism. When Was Nationalism?. Whose Nationalism?. Perpetuating Nationalisms: Memories, National Associations And Print. From Community To Nation: The Eurasian Empires. Where We Stand With Nationalism. Peoples Without States; Persecution Or Assimilation?. Imperialism And Its History In The Late Nineteenth Century. Dimension Of The ‘New Imperialism’. A World Of Nation States?. The Persistence Of Old Patterns Of Globalisation. From Globalisation To Inter-Nationalim. Inter-Nationalism In Action. Conclusion. Part III: State And Society In The Age of Imperialism:. 7. Myths And Technologies Of The Modern State. Dimensions Of The Modern State. The State And The Historians. Problems Of Defining The State. The Modern State Takes Root; Geographical Dimensions. Claims To Justice And Symbols Of Power. The State’s Resources. The State’s Obligations To Society. Tools Of The State. State, Economy And Nation. A Balance Sheet: What Had The State Achieved?. 8. The Theory And Practice Of Liberalism, Rationalism, Socialism And Science. Contextualising ‘Intellectual’ History. The Corruption Of The Righteous Republic: A Classic Theme. Righteous Republics World-Wide. The Advent Of Liberalism And The Market: Western Exceptionalism?. Liberalism And Land Reform: Radical Theory And Conservative Practice. Free Trade Or National Political Economy. Representing The Peoples. Secularism And Positivism: Trans-National Affinities. The Reception Of Socialism And Its Local Resonances. Science In Global Context. Professionalisation At World Level. Conclusion. 9. Empires Of Religion:. Religion In The Eyes Of Contemporaries. The View Of Recent Historians. The Rise Of New-Style Religion. Modes Of Religious Domination, Their Agents And Their Limitations. Formalising Religious Authority, Creating ‘Imperial Religions’. Formalising Doctrines And Rites. The Expansion Of ‘Imperial Religions’ On Their Inner And Outer Frontiers. Pilrimage And Globalisation. Printing And The Propagation Of Religion. Religious Building. Religion And The Nation. Conclusion: The Spirits Of The Age. 10. The World Of The Arts And The Imagination:. Arts And Politics. Hybridity And Uniformity In Art Across The Globe. Levelling Forces: The Market, The Everyday And The Museum. The Arts Of The Emerging Nation And Empire 1760–1850. Arts And The People 1850–1914. Outside The West: Adaptation And Dependency. Architecture: A Mirror Of The City. Towards World Literature. Conclusion: Arts And Societies. Prospect. Part IV: Change, Decay And Crisis:. 11. The Reconstitution Of Social Hierarchies:. Change And The Historians. Gender And Subordination In The ‘Liberal Age’. Slavery’s Indian Summer. The Peasant And Rural Labourer As Bond Serf. The Peasant That ‘Got Away’. Why Rural Subordination Survived. The Transformation Of ‘Gentries’. Challenges To The Gentry. Routes To Survival: State Service And Commerce. Men Of ‘Fewer Board Acres’ In Europe. Surviving Supremacies. Continuity Or Change?. 12. The Destruction Of ‘Native Peoples’ And Ecological Depredation:. What Is Meant By Native Peoples?. Europeans And Native Peoples Before C. 1820. Native Peoples In The Age Of Hiatus?. The White Deluge 1840–1890. The Deluge In Practice: New Zealand, South Africa And The U.S.A. Ruling Savage Natures: Recovery And Marginalisation. 13. Conclusion: The Great Acceleration: C.1890–1914:. Predicting ‘Things To Come’. The Agricultural Depression, Inter-Nationalism And The New Imperialism. The Strange Death Of Inter-National Liberalism. Summing Up: Globalisation And Crisis 1780–1914. Global Interconnections 1780–1914. What Were The Motors Of Change?. Power In Global And Inter-National Networks. Contested Uniformity And Universal Complexity Revisited. August 1914. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

    2 in stock

    £27.50

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