Social and cultural history Books

Book SynopsisDiscover the stories of Britain''s greatest ghosts and ghouls with this spooky supernatural page turner, the perfect gift this Halloween.Supported by the National Trust, who look after many of the haunted locations.Beautifully atmospheric illustrations.Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these gripping accounts of eerie apparitions and paranormal activity are bound to capture your imagination. Brace yourself for a journey into the strange and supernatural world of some of Britain's most historic and atmospheric places as we uncover the dark secrets and untimely fates of the people who once inhabited them.From mansions, inns and abbeys to forests, lakes and marshes you'll encounter smugglers, headless horsemen, mummified cats, phantom dogs, persecuted witches and many a lady in white in these uncanny tales from beyond the grave.

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Book SynopsisFrom the crowning of Charles III, thirty-nine coronations have been held in Westminster Abbey since the Norman Conquest. Only two monarchs – Edward V and Edward VIII – were uncrowned, and a further twenty or so Scottish monarchs were crowned elsewhere, usually at either Scone Abbey or Holyrood Abbey.In The Throne, Ian Lloyd turns his inimitable, quick-witted style to these key events in British royal history, providing fascinating anecdotes and interesting facts: William the Conqueror’s Christmas Day crowning, during which jubilant shouts were mistaken by his guards as an assassination attempt; the dual coronation of William and Mary in 1689; the pared-back ‘Half Crown-ation’ of William IV; and the televised spectacle of Elizabeth II’s 1953 ceremony.Detailing everything from the famous Coronation Chair made for Edward I and the Crown Jewels to the infamously uncomfortable Gold State Coach – this is a truly spectacular celebration of British culture and the ultimate pomp of royalty.

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Book SynopsisA lavishly illustrated history of tattoos and their evolution which goes back hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

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Book SynopsisMark Kurlansky's first global food history since the bestselling Cod and Salt; the fascinating cultural, economic and culinary story of milk and all things dairy – with recipes throughout While mother’s milk may be the essence of nourishment, it is the milk of other mammals that humans have cultivated ever since the domestication of animals more than 10,000 years ago. Today, milk is a test case in the most pressing issues in food politics, from industrial farming and animal rights to GMOs, the locavore movement and advocates for raw milk, who controversially reject pasteurisation. Profoundly intertwined with human civilisation, milk has a compelling and surprisingly global story to tell, and historian Mark Kurlansky is the perfect person to tell it. Tracing the liquid’s diverse history from antiquity to the present, he details its curious and crucial role in cultural evolution, religion, nutrition, politics, and economics.Trade Review[A] wonderfully wide-ranging study -- PD Smith * Guardian *[A] rich, fascinating and comprehensive history ... [A] highly readable volume, stuffed with colourful historical facts from all corners of the globe and epochs * Spectator *A feat of investigation, compilation and organization ... Altogether a complex and rich survey, Milk! is a book well worth nursing. * Wall Street Journal *A treasure trove of fascinating details * The Times *The sort of book that Proust might have written had Proust become distracted by the madeleine ... you step away from this book with a new vantage on history * New York Times Book Review *

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Book Synopsis'An exhilarating, urgent work . . . [Dark Laboratory] threads together ecological and human crises in an original, glittering web' Afua HirschFrom award-winning writer and theorist Tao Leigh Goffe, an urgent investigation into the intertwined history of colonialism and the climate crisis and the lessons we can learn to fight for a better world. Our planet is on the precipice of dramatic ecological breakdown and climate despair is at an all-time high. But there are many communities who have survived beyond the environmental destruction wrought on them by colonialism and they hold the solutions for climate repair. Using the Caribbean as a case study, Tao Leigh Goffe traces the vibrant and complex history of the islands back to 1492 and the arrival of Christopher Columbus when the Caribbean became the subject of Western exploitation. Charting the human and ecological forces that have shaped the islands, Goffe examines the legacy of fierce warrior Queen Nanny of the Maroons, engages in pressing cultural debate about stolen artefacts and human remains which are kept hidden in museum archives, and visits Indigenous farming cooperatives who are using ancestral knowledge to rebuild their communities. Using the Caribbean as a both a warning and a guide, Dark Laboratory takes hopeful and galvanizing teachings from the islands communities to offer illuminating solutions to the ecological crisis. From guano to sugarcane, coral bleaching to invasive mongoose populations, Dark Laboratory is a lyrical, vibrant and urgent investigation into the greatest threat facing humanity. Noble and necessary . . . Goffe's ear is tuned to songs of resistance, to what it looks like to make life amid (and after) colonial subjugation' New York TimesThoroughly compelling . . . Every page is mixed with heart and conviction' Monique Roffey

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Book SynopsisAn abridged edition of Peter Ackroyd''s magisterial biography of the city of London.Prize-winning historian, novelist and broadcaster, Peter Ackroyd takes us on a journey - historical, geographical and imaginative - through the city of London. Moving back and forth through time, Ackroyd is an effortless, exuberant guide to times of plague and pestilence, fire and floods, crime and punishment, and sex and theatre. He brings the ever changing streets alive for the reader and shows us what lies beneath our feet and above our heads. His biography is as rich in detail and fizzing with vitality as the city itself.Trade ReviewPeter Ackroyd is the greatest living chronicler of London * Independent *Peter Ackroyd was born to write the biography of London...a brilliant book * Sunday Telegraph *It would be no exaggeration to say that Peter Ackroyd's 'biography' of our captial is the book about London -- A N Wilson * Daily Mail *You will not find a better, more visionary book about a place we take for granted * Observer *[London] may be several years old but it remains one of the leading narratives as he cleverly weaves through centuries of history to reveal to us the hundreds of different cities within a city. -- Fiona Hamilton * The Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis is a fascinating and timely study of the far-flung sources of our food supply -- Jane Shilling * Daily Mail *After reading this you’ll never sit down to dinner without finding a trace of empire in your meal again * Strong Words *A wholly pleasing book, which offers a tasty side dish to anyone exploring the narrative history of the British Empire -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *Revelatory... Original, thought-provoking and highly entertaining -- Daisy Goodwin * The Times *Dazzling… This book’s treatment of food in the empire is innovative and exciting… A remarkable achievement * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSituated in an area roughly corresponding to present-day Iraq, Mesopotamia is one of the great, ancient civilizations, though it is still relatively unknown. Yet, over 7,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, the very first cities were created. This is the first book to reveal how life was lived in ten Mesopotamian cities: from Eridu, the Mesopotamian Eden, to that potent symbol of decadence, Babylon - the first true metropolis: multicultural, multi-ethnic, the last centre of a dying civilization.

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Book SynopsisPanoramic history of Russian culture - making it fresh, intimate and immediate. 18,000 copies sold in hardback to date. "Written beautifully, with striking wit, joie de vivre and learning worn lightly...this superb, flamboyant and masterful touTable of ContentsEuropean Russia; children of 1812; Moscow! Moscow!; the peasant marriage; in search of the Russian soul; descendants of Genghiz Khan; Russia through the Soviet lens; Russia abroad.

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Book Synopsis‘The courtier has to imbue with grace his movements, his gestures, his way of doing things and in short, his every action’In The Book of the Courtier (1528), Baldesar Castiglione, a diplomat and Papal Nuncio to Rome, sets out to define the essential virtues for those at Court. In a lively series of imaginary conversations between the real-life courtiers to the Duke of Urbino, his speakers discuss qualities of noble behaviour – chiefly discretion, decorum, nonchalance and gracefulness – as well as wider questions such as the duties of a good government and the true nature of love. Castiglione’s narrative power and psychological perception make this guide both an entertaining comedy of manners and a revealing window onto the ideals and preoccupations of the Italian Renaissance at the moment of its greatest splendour.George Bull’s elegant translation captures the variety of tone in Castiglione’s speakers, from comic interje

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Book SynopsisThis rich history of Antwerp was a Times Book of the Year and Radio 4 Book of the WeekEven before Amsterdam there was a dazzling North Sea port at the hub of the known world: the city of Antwerp.Antwerp was sensational like nineteenth-century Paris or twentieth-century New York, somewhere anything could happen or at least be believed: killer bankers, easy kisses, a market in secrets and every kind of heresy. For half the sixteenth century, it was the place for breaking rules - religious, sexual, intellectual.In Antwerp, things changed. One man cornered all the money in the city and reinvented ideas of what money meant. Another gave Antwerp a new shape purely out of his own ambition. Jews fleeing the Portuguese Inquisition needed Antwerp for their escape, thanks to the remarkable woman at the head of the grandest banking family in Europe.Thomas More opened Utopia there, Erasmus puzzled over money and exchanges, William Tyndale shelTrade ReviewAntwerp is the star of this charming and rather lovely history ... Pye writes beautifully, has a lovely eye for detail and an obvious affection for this period of Antwerp's history. -- Peter Frankopan * The Observer *In the 16th century Antwerp was Europe's marketplace, a tolerant, secular city governed by money. It was a spectacular place, a rogue's paradise where everything seemed possible. The city's story is as convoluted as its streets. There is no single plot and there are no straight narrative lines. Michael Pye is the perfect chronicler of this extraordinary place, being a writer of deep complexity, immense imagination and opulent prose. His cornucopia of Antwerp's abundant delights is as voluptuous as the city itself. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times Books of the Year *wondrous ... a book of imaginative historical reconstruction that reads as brilliantly as a novel by Hilary Mantel -- Kathryn Hughes * Mail on Sunday *in his exhilarating new history of Renaissance Antwerp ... Pye captures Antwerp's greatest decades in character studies, stories and vignettes, encompassing not just trade but buildings and books too. It is pieced together with great skill and art, and the effect is dazzling. If you want a linear history of 16th century Antwerp, stay away. But if you want a sense of the city's anarchic splendour, its potent, unsustainable originality, then this is the book for you. Pye conjures up exactly the glamour that drew people to Antwerp's gates in its pomp: the city as idea; the city as improvisation; the city as possibility. -- Matthew Lyons * Literary Review *Antwerp, Pye's galloping and flavoursome account of the city's heyday [is] a lustrous gem of a book. Studded with racy anecdotes but firmly embedded in archival research, it shows why the city that nurtured "a pragmatic kind of tolerance" rose so fast - and why, almost as rapidly, it fell ... Pye unrolls a sparkling string of stories rather than a heavy tapestry of contexts, hinterlands and aftermaths ... In this swarming fresco, which merits a place near Simon Schama's The Embarrassment of Riches or Robert Hughes' homage to Barcelona, Pye not only rescues Antwerp's lost "world of liberty", he leads entranced readers through its grubby, glittering streets. -- Boyd Tonkin * Financial Times *Capturing the essence of 16th-century Antwerp is difficult; its story is as convoluted as its streets. That story does not lend itself to linearity; there's no single plot, no straight narrative lines. Michael Pye - journalist, broadcaster and prolific author - is the perfect chronicler of this extraordinary place, since he revels in complexity and never hesitates to use his abundant imagination. His prose is as opulent as the city itself. ... Pye provides a cornucopia of Antwerp's abundant delights. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *Pye offers a master class on how to tell the story of a city. Fascinating and gloriously good fun. -- Gerard DeGroot * Twitter *Now a museum-like gem, for much of the 16th century, Antwerp thrived as Europe's most vibrant center of commerce, intellectual life, and free thought. Pye offers a colorful depiction of the city's 'exceptional years.' Entertaining. An impressionistic portrait of its institutions and great men (Bruegel, Erasmus, et al.), emphasizing the lives of now-obscure traders, bankers, entrepreneurs, officials, printers, and booksellers, including a surprising number of successful women and Jews. A vivid look at a great Renaissance city. -- KirkusIn a highly readable new book, Michael Pye argues that, during Europe's ages of discovery, it became one of the earliest genuinely global cities too ... If we understood more about Antwerp, though, we might understand more about ourselves and our long umbilical links to Europe. * The Guardian *exuberant ... Pye creates a thematic mosaic, drawing on a mass of accounts and original sources, from wills and inventories to doodles and self-help books. The book is dense with stories ... [which] reflect Antwerp's volatile, opportunistic, profit-grabbing ethos, loose ends and all ... Antwerp was, Pye claims, "the emporium for ideas as well as goods." Its trade in knowledge and its deals in art, books, and luxury goods were renowned across Europe. -- Jenny Uglow * New York Review of Books *

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Book Synopsis* A TIMES BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR *From the prize-winning author of Adventures in the Anthropocene, the astonishing story of how culture enabled us to become the most successful species on Earth''A wondrous, visionary work'' Tim Flannery, author of The Weather MakersHumans are a planet-altering force. Gaia Vince argues that our unique ability - compared with other species - to determine the course of our own destiny rests on a special relationship between our genes, environment and culture going back into deep time. It is our collective culture, rather than our individual intelligence, that makes humans unique. Vince shows how four evolutionary drivers - Fire, Language, Beauty and Time - are further transforming our species into a transcendent superorganism: a hyper-cooperative mass of humanity that she calls Homo omnis. Drawing on leading-edge advances in population genetics, archaeology, palaeontology and neuroscience, Transcendence compels us to reimagine ourselves, showing us to be on the brink of something grander - and potentially more destructive.''Richly informed by the latest research, Gaia Vince''s colourful survey fizzes like a zip-wire as it tours our species'' story from the Big Bang to the coming age of hypercooperation'' Richard Wrangham, author of The Goodness Paradox''Wonderful ... enlightening'' Robin Ince, The Infinite Monkey CageTrade ReviewA hugely enjoyable sprint through human evolutionary history . . . Read it. -- Tim Radford * Nature *Beautifully written . . . At her best Vince takes dizzying leaps, making connections between archaeology, anthropology, genetics and psychology. She is especially good on the delicate interplay between genes, environment and culture. Vince steps with lightness. -- Tom Whipple * The Times *The storming success of Yuval Noah Harari's books has inspired many others that aim to span the epic sweep of human history with grand theories and cor-blimey factoids. This book does both. -- The Times * Best Science and Medicine Books of the Year *Here is the miraculous creature we are: unlikely, poignant, astonishing ... Much to think about. This book gives rise to many such thoughts and is written with merciful clarity. -- Sebastian BarryWonderful ... enlightening. -- Robin InceRichly informed by the latest research, Gaia Vince's colourful survey fizzes like a zip-wire as it tours our species' story from the Big Bang to the coming age of hypercooperation. -- Richard Wrangham, Professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University and author of The Goodness ParadoxAn imaginative and inspiring adventure into the origins and evolution of what we hold most dear: our human culture. -- Uta Frith, Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development UCLThis book goes from the Big Bang to the Hundred Thousand Genome Project to make a convincing case that Homo sapiens has become a super-organism. I learned a lot from it and so will you. -- Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics UCL, author of Almost Like a Whale

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewFull of interesting ideas, insightful and thought-provoking ... A stimulating book that perhaps leaves the reader with more questions than answers. That, in case you are wondering, is intended as praise -- Tony Mann * Times Higher Education *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPollan is always an entertaining writer, and a deep thinker with a light touch ... it's a trip - engrossing, eye-opening, mind altering. -- Sophie McBain * New Statesman *This fascinating insight into our relationship with mind-altering plants weaves personal experimentation with cultural history ... Pollan is the perfect guide through this sometimes controversial territory; curious, careful and, as his book progresses, increasingly open minded. -- Tim Adams * The Guardian *Expert storytelling ... Pollan masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs, plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways. -- Rob Dunn * New York Times Book Review *Brilliant, compulsively readable ... Pollan's storytelling is deft, forthright and fascinating. -- Charles Foster * The Oldie *Like it or not, we are undergoing a drugs revolution ... thankfully Pollan is here to guide us through this putative challenge ... [this] relatable, middle class New York plant fancier might be the ideal standard bearer for today's calmer, more scientific approach to the subject. -- Josh Glancy * Sunday Times *Pollan's intertwining of reportage, citizen science and historical scholarship is a delightful and informative read ... [he] has a rational optimism that might tempt even the most sober and sceptical to try to broaden their horizons. -- AJ Lees * Literary Review *Pollan is a gentle, generous writer. -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *Michael Pollan weaves tales of drug experimentation into a historical account of our long relationship with them. -- Simon Ings * New Scientist *This Is Your Mind on Plants is witty, entertaining and polite, but it is not trivial. Subtly but assuredly, Pollan argues that which plants (and fungi) we are allowed and how depends, consciously or otherwise, on the interests of power. -- Josh Raymond * Times Literary Supplement *The descriptions of London's coffee house culture and Honoré de Balzac's barbarous habit of ingesting dry coffee grounds to fuel all-night scribbling sessions are worth the book's price alone ... The book is really about the relation between each plant and the humans who consume it, tackled in a non-judgmental and objective way that seeks to dispel the ignorance, prejudice and demonisation they attract. * Financial Times *Fascinating and occasionally terrifying ... His opium chapter is mesmerising. -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail *A tour around three substances: caffeine, mescaline and opium. The first is legal, the others remain mostly illegal. Pollan offers us rich historical contexts for them that are often surprising. -- Peter Carty * Independent *Every now and then to be put in touch with what really matters - what could be more important than that? -- Emily Hourican * Irish Independent *

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Book SynopsisFirst published as part of the best-selling The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain, John Blair''s Very Short Introduction to the Anglo-Saxon Age covers the emergence of the earliest English settlements to the Norman victory in 1066. This book is a brief introduction to the political, social, religious, and cultural history of Anglo-Saxon England.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The English settlements ; 2. The seventh century ; 3. Christianity and the monastic culture ; 4. The Mercian supremacy ; 5. The Viking invasions and the rise of the house of Wessex ; 6. Aethelred and Cnut: the decline of the English monarchy ; 7. The end of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom ; Further reading ; Chronology ; Index

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Book Synopsis Koritha Mitchell analyzes canonical texts by and about African American women to lay bare the hostility these women face as they invest in traditional domesticity. Instead of the respectability and safety granted white homemakers, black women endure pejorative labels, racist governmental policies, attacks on their citizenship, and aggression meant to keep them in 'their place.' Tracing how African Americans define and redefine success in a nation determined to deprive them of it, Mitchell plumbs the works of Frances Harper, Zora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansberry, Toni Morrison, Michelle Obama, and others. These artists honor black homes from slavery and post-emancipation through the Civil Rights era to 'post-racial' America. Mitchell follows black families asserting their citizenship in domestic settings while the larger society and culture marginalize and attack them, not because they are deviants or failures but because they meet American standards. Powerful and pTrade Review"Brilliant scholar and literary critic, Koritha Mitchell, shows us just how radical the act of successful homemaking was for Black women in the face of the violence it elicited from white people. Analyzing canonical Black women's texts, she shows us just how committed, loving, and defiant Black women have been in creating home in the world and in literature." ―Michael Eric Dyson, New York Times Bestselling author of What the Truth Sounds Like"This project on homemade citizenship will reframe the conversation around anti-blackness by mapping how black women intellectuals, activists and artists continually respond–and with great success–to attacks and infringements upon their collective creative efforts. This work is a needed subtlety, as it approaches categories like 'achievement' and 'success' from the fabric of black cultural production, rather than the font of white supremacy’s violent response to black existence. From Slave Cabins to the White House encourages us to ask new questions, one of which is certainly how did we/do we make a home and sustain it creatively in the midst of ongoing hostilities?"--Sharon Patricia Holland, author of The Erotic Life of Racism"This deeply researched, thoughtful volume made me think in new ways about how Black women have navigated, redefined and articulated concepts of home, domesticity, family, place and citizenship in American culture and politics; it is also a true pleasure to read."--Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author of All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation"An essential, scholarly volume for academic and larger public library collections devoted to the literary traditions and history of African American women throughout U.S. history." * Library Journal *"Mitchell sheds light on Black homemaking in the midst of anti-Blackness and oppression." * Ms. *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: House Slaves, Housekeepers, Homemakers Chapter 1. A Home of One’s Own Chapter 2. No, Really: A Home of One’s Own Chapter 3. New Negroes, New Homes Chapter 4. Home as Human Right and Black Power Chapter 5. Still the Master’s House? Chapter 6. The Ultimate Home: Michelle Obama in the White House Coda: From Mom-in-Chief to Predator-in-Chief Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisA portrait of Jane Austen’s England told through the career paths of younger sons—men of good family but small fortuneTrade Review“Energetic and scholarly.”—Paula Byrne, Times (UK)“A readable book.”—Jonathan Guthrie, Financial Times“Muir gives us plenty of detail—numbers recruited at different periods, premiums paid and salaries earned—he illuminates the hard facts with vignettes of actual lives lived.”—Richard Francis, Spectator“Meticulously researched and eminently readable.”—Fergus Butler-Gallie, Literary Review“Jane Austen’s brothers are among the examples considered here, as the options are explored in fascinating detail.”—Discover Britain“[Rory Muir] writes eloquently and entertainingly about his subject matter, giving anecdotal detail alongside the financial, and so brings these men and their careers to life.”—Matilda Harden, The Georgian“Written with the light, engaging style, and deft balancing of detail, analysis and anecdote. . . . Muir has achieved an admirable mastery of a wider-ranging topic, offering a ground-breaking comparative study of the career options that faced younger sons of the gentry.”—Zack White, Romance, Revolution & Reform

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Book SynopsisThis definitive biography of rap supergroup, Wu-Tang Clan, features decades of unpublished interviews and unparalleled access to members of the group and their associates.This is the definitive biography of rap supergroup and cultural icons, Wu-Tang Clan (WTC). Heralded as one of the most influential groups in modern music—hip hop or otherwise—WTC created a rap dynasty on the strength of seven gold and platinum albums that launched the careers of such famous rappers as RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and more. During the ‘90s, they ushered in a hip-hop renaissance, rescuing rap from the corporate suites and bringing it back to the gritty streets where it started. In the process they changed the way business was conducted in an industry known for exploiting artists. Creatively, Wu-Tang pushed the boundaries of the artform dedicating themselves to lyrical mastery and sonic innovation, and one would be hard

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Book SynopsisThis is the definitive biography of rap supergroup, Wu-Tang Clan (WTC). Widely regarded as one of the most influential groups in modern music--hip hop or otherwise--WTC has released seven albums [including four gold and platinum studio albums, as well as the genre-defining Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)] and has launched the careers of famous rappers like RZA, Ol'' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and more. Beyond the musicians in the group itself, WTC has also collaborated with many of the biggest names in the game-from Busta Rhymes and Redman to Nas and Kanye West), and one is hard pressed to find a group who''s had a bigger impact on the evolution of the hip hop genre.S.H. Fernando, Jr. is a journalist who has interviewed WTC several times over the past several decades for publications like Rolling Stone, Vibe, and The Source. Over the years, he has built up a formidable archive--including over 100 pages of unpublished transcribed

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Book SynopsisA LOUDER THAN WAR BOOK OF THE YEARA riveting journey into the psyche of Britain through its golden age of television and film; a cross-genre feast of moving pictures, from classics to occult hidden gems, The Magic Box is the nation's visual self-portrait in technicolour detail. 'The definition of gripping. Truly, a trove of wyrd treasures.'BENJAMIN MYERS'A lovingly researched history of British TV [that] recalls the brilliant, the bizarre and the unworldly.'GUARDIAN'A reclamation, not just of a visual 'golden age', but of Britain as a darkly magical place.'THE SPECTATOR'A feat of argument, description and affection.' FINANCIAL TIMES'Young unearths the ghosts of TV past - and Britain's dark psyche.' HERALD'Highly entertaining . . . [A] fabulous treasure trove.' SCOTSMAN'Young is a phenomonal sc

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Book SynopsisWe''re living in an age of division. From abortion rights to immigration, gun control to climate change, civil debate has gone out the window. Manners, order, and respect are being eroded. Why can''t we all be reasonable? The trouble is, what''s ''reasonable'' to one person is outrageous to another. Is it okay to let children play in the garden while others are working from home? To do your makeup on a train, or recline your seat on an aeroplane? What''s the right way to breastfeed? To protect your neighbourhood? To protest against injustice and oppression? In a world where we all think we''re being reasonable, how can we figure out what''s right? Looking back through history and around the world, Kirsty Sedgman set out to discover how unfairness and discrimination got baked into our social norms, dividing us along lines of gender, class, disability, sexuality, race... Instead of measuring human behaviour against outdated standards of rules and reason,

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Book SynopsisGeoffrey Hosking is one of the foremost historians of Russia and its people. The result of a lifetime''s knowledge, this monumental and authoritative work has been acclaimed as the definitive single-volume history of Russia, tracing its story from the settlement of Kiev through to the present day. This second edition is updated throughout, with a new chapter on the recent role of Putin and Medvedev, and their impact on Russia''s economy, politics and its citizens.

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Book SynopsisWhat remains of the colours of our childhood? What are our memories of a blue rabbit, a red dress, a yellow bike and were they really those colours? What colours do we associate with our student years, our first loves, our adult lives? How does colour leave its mark on memory? In an attempt to answer these and other questions, Michel Pastoureau presents us with a journal about colours that covers half a century. Drawing on personal recollections, he retraces the recent history of colours through an exploration of fashion and clothing, everyday objects and practices, emblems and flags, sport, literature, museums and art. This text playful, poetic, nostalgic records the life of both the author and his contemporaries. We live in a world increasingly bursting with colour, in which colour remains a focus for memory, a source of delight and, most of all, an invitation to dream.Trade Review“The Colours of Our Memories is…history, memoir, semiotics, a study of material culture and perceptual change – all wrapped into an engagingly readable, accessible narrative full of intriguing topics that few people ever think about unprodded but will find invariably interesting, even fascinating.” Consciousness, Literature and the ArtsTable of Contentsolour. An aide-mémoire I. CLOTHING In the beginning was yellow Turbulent stripes The navy-blue blazer Subversive trousers A particular blue From the garment to the myth Colour against flesh Neutral shades in good taste Mitterand beige Slimming colours In the London Underground II. DAILY LIFE My mother's pharmacy The sad tale of young Philippe Sweet-dispensers Choosing a colour: an impossible undertaking? Greyness Metro tickets Red or blue? Traffic lights Colour and design: a missed chance? Eating colours III. THE ARTS AND LETTERS In a painter's studio A painter caught between two volumes In darkened halls Ivanhoe 'Vowels' The Red and the Black Chrétien de Troyes at the cinema Pink pigs and black pigs When Dalí assigned marks The colours of a great painter Historians without colours The workings of time IV. ON SPORTS GROUNDS Goals and referees The yellow bike Bartali and the Italian flag The Tour de l'Ouest Colour by default Easy colours and difficult ones Pink and orange V. MYTHS AND SYMBOLS Little Red Ridinghood Long live school Latin My discovery of heraldry The black cat Green superstitions The colour of destiny Furling the colours A historical object that is alarming Playing chess Wittgenstein and heraldic colours VI. ON TASTES AND COLOURS An American gift Sunbathing through the years The 'bling' of the 1950s A brief history of gold A mysterious shade of green Do you see red clearly? No purple for children The whims of memory Preferences and opinion polls VII. WORDS Brown and beige Spelling and grammar A day at the races The zero degree of colour A part that stands for the whole The Greek blue The demise of nuances Speaking of colours without showing them What is colour? Bibliography Index A few helpful chronological details

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Book SynopsisThe unlikely history of women's empowerment through widowhood

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Book SynopsisAn informative, illustrated history of a unique area of HastingsTrade ReviewA "beautifully produced and illustrated book.""A new book by author Steve Peak has revealed the fascinating history of a unique area of Hastings.""This book documents the history thoroughly, in an engaging and accessible style. It is well-illustrated with historical maps and photographs of the area and there are appendices dedicated to the people who lived in the America Ground, the houses that were moved stone by stone to St Leonards, and later history of the area including the Rock Fair.""Peak’s long-awaited book on the America Ground has been published with the support of Historic England as part of the Trinity Triangle Heritage Action Zone initiative.""Steve Peak, curator of Hastings Fishermen's Museum, has written an absorbing and well-illustrated account.""Fascinating look into past of the town."

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling historian finds a new way to look at the most famous English royal dynastyTrade Review‘Sarah Gristwood’s book is a masterclass in marshalling a vast canon of research into a riveting, pacy page-turner… Here are the Tudors – and a good few others – as you have never seen them before.’ -- Alison Weir‘One of the most important books to be written about the Tudors in a generation.’ -- Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors‘This book stands out on the crowded bookshelves… [Gristwood] does a superb job in distilling the vast amount of modern scholarship on this topic… The Tudors in Love also expertly tells the story of a two-way love affair — that of the Tudors with their imagined past and ours with the Tudors.’ -- Gareth Russell, The Times‘Just when we think we know everything about the Tudors, along comes a book that turns that all on its head… The prose is as seductive as the subject matter. Be prepared to fall in love.’ -- BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year 2021‘With verve and erudition Gristwood takes us to the dark heart of courtly love and exposes the deadly Tudor dance of sex and power.’ -- Leanda de Lisle, author of Tudor: The Family Story‘Meticulously researched and beautifully crafted into a narrative that reads like a romance, prepare to see the Tudors as you’ve never seen them before. The Tudors in Love is a magnificent work of art painted by one of our most exceptional historians. Nobody writes like Sarah Gristwood, truly stunning.’ -- Nicola Tallis, author of Uncrowned Queen‘Captivating and entrancing, the exquisitely detailed The Tudors in Love explores the entanglements of love, sex, marriage and politics in the Tudor dynasty, revealing how the famously spectacular love affairs intersected with political propaganda and the business of governing, and how the medieval game of courtly love became pressed into the business of shoring up a brand-new monarchy. Full of insight and fascinating.’ -- Kate Williams, author of Rival Queens‘One of the most important books to be written about the Tudors in a generation. The seductively rich prose and endlessly engaging narrative bring an entirely fresh perspective to this celebrated dynasty. By placing courtly love on an equal footing with war, politics and religion, Sarah Gristwood unlocks the Tudor mindset – with fascinating and often surprising results. Never mind the Tudors, I’m in love…with this book.’ -- Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors‘A highbrow chronicle.’ -- Daily Mail‘Reading The Tudors in Love feels like having a cipher to decode the letters that passed between Mary, Queen of Scots, and her Catholic conspirators. For the first time there are satisfying answers to such conundrums as why Henry VIII took six wives (and executed two of them) and why the male favorites of his daughter Elizabeth I worshipped her as a goddess, even in old age.’ -- Wall Street Journal, Best Books on the British Monarchy'Passionately written.' -- The Economist‘The ideas and analysis are fascinating.’ -- Tudor Times‘It is rare that a book doesn’t just offer new knowledge (previously ignored facts or under-reported quirky episodes) but new ways of thinking. This is what The Tudors in Love does: it invites and encourages an entirely new way of considering how these well-known figures interacted with one another… there is much here that will be new. This marvellously readable book is like discovering a Rosetta Stone, whereby we don’t just discover what people did and how they did it but come to understand the language of courtship and love as something quite alien to modern conceptions and expectations.’ -- Aspects of History, Best Books of 2021‘The Tudors in Love provides a unique lens on this period and shows how courtships shaped everything, down to power and politics… this fascinating read presents Tudor history as you’ve never seen it before, and provides a compelling insight into the evolution of the social codes of romance.’ -- This England‘Sarah Gristwood is one of our finest historians, and a great writer. Her latest book is a masterclass in marshalling a vast canon of research into a riveting, pacy page-turner. She takes us on a virtuoso romp through the loves and tropes of medieval and Tudor royalty, all seen from the novel perspective of courtly love… here are the Tudors (and a good few others) as you have never seen them before… Gristwood’s inimitable style is elegant, her approach concise, measured and incisive.’ -- Alison Weir, Catholic Herald

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Book SynopsisA highly illustrated, fascinating description of the lost country houses of North and East Yorkshire

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Book SynopsisExplore a stunning collection of photographs revealing the life of hill farmers in the north of England.Trade Review'The book is a visual portrait of a remarkable way of life and part of Britain’s farming heritage.' -- Country Squire Magazine, November 2023'Hill Farming in the North of England – provides an insider’s perspective on rural life during a time of upheaval.' -- The Yorkshire Post, November 2023'A photographer whose stunning images of upland agriculture in northern England are at the heart of a new book says he "developed a deep respect and appreciation of the hill farming community" as he gathered his material.' -- Farm & Countryside, Winter 2023'The book features some spectacular landscapes and covers the seasonal activities on upland farms, such as lambing, haymaking and tupping.' -- Settle News, December 2023'It’s full of atmospheric images that show the realities of life on a hill farm and reveals the unique challenges farmers face every day in the stunning but often harsh landscape of the North of England.' -- NFU Countryside Magazine, February 2024'Settle based photographer John Bentley's book Hill Farming in the North of England will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about hill farming a swell as those who know and love the area.' -- Craven Herald & Pioneer, December 2023

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Book SynopsisNew paperback edition - Before 'the greatest showman' P.T. Barnham there was Philip Astley, a British man who completely changed popular entertainment. This is his extraordinary story.Trade Review‘The definitive work on this enigmatic showman … a wonderful insight into the lives of people and popular entertainment of the late eighteenth century.’ -- Neil Calladine, writer and circus academic

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Book SynopsisA detailed historical celebration of village halls, and the crucial role they play in rural communities.

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Book Synopsis'Alpha has become a global phenomenon and, in this well-researched and compelling account, it has now found its historian.' —Professor Timothy Larsen (Wheaton College) for the Times Literary Supplement Alpha is a global phenomenon,  one of the most famous and controversial brands in Christian evangelization. Launched internationally in 1993, it has attracted wide public commentary over the decades, not only among churches but also in mainstream television, radio and newspapers such as TheEconomist and TheNew York Times. Even Elle and Fabulous have covered Alpha. Over a million participants attend the course every year and it has been a powerful driver of Christian innovation and resurgence in a secular culture.   Alpha’s presiding genius, Nicky Gumbel, has won plaudits as a new Billy Graham for the modern age. As Alpha prepares to mark its thirtieth anniversary in 2023, RepackaTrade ReviewA tale of vision, determination and extraordinary marketing . . . It's a fascinating story * The Sunday Times *It is a sympathetic picture, but not sycophantic. Space is given to the critics ... a well-written account of the early years of this significant and encouraging Christian enterprise. * Church Times *A good read . . . Atherstone writes well. * Baptist Times *A riveting and well-written story * Premier Christianity *Accessible and lucid . . . a thoroughly theological history, weighing the full range of views on Alpha, positive and negative * English Churchman *Meticulously researched * Life and Work *Fascinating and informative * Prophecy Today *Alpha has become a global phenomenon and, in this well-researched and compelling account, it has now found its historian. * TLS *It's a tale of vision, determination and extraordinary marketing. It's a tale of controversy too... And it's a tale that hasn't been told before, or not as a full history... It's a fascinating story and Atherstone tells it well. Clearly keen not to sensationalise, he keeps the tone calm and quotes critics as well as enthusiasts. * The Sunday Times * 'an accessible and lucid summary...Repackaging Christianity is a thoroughly theological history, weighing the full range of views on Alpha, positive and negative. Privileged archival access at Alpha International has permitted fascinating insight on the doctrinal discussion behind the well-manicured façade.' - English Churchman

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Book SynopsisEvery voice raised against racism chips away at its power. We can't afford to stay silent. This book is an attempt to speak'The book that sparked a national conversation. Exploring everything from eradicated black history to the inextricable link between class and race, Why I''m No Longer Talking to White People About Race is the essential handbook for anyone who wants to understand race relations in Britain today. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS NON-FICTION NARRATIVE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018FOYLES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEARBLACKWELL''S NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEARWINNER OF THE JHALAK PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONLONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR A BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARDTrade ReviewThis is a book that was begging to be written. This is the kind of book that demands a future where we’ll no longer need such a book. Essential * Marlon James, author of Man Booker Prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings *One of the most important books of 2017 -- Nikesh Shukla, editor of 'The Good Immigrant'A book that's set to blow apart the understanding of race relations in this country * Stylist *An incisive and uncompromising commentator on the iniquities of oppression ... Comprehensive and journalistic, the book leaves a devastating trail of case histories, statistical and anecdotal evidence, personal stories and opinion about the manifestation of overt and covert racism ... Eddo-Lodge is a gifted writer, with a talent for bringing together debates around race, gender and class in a timely and accessible way * Times Literary Supplement *Daring, interrogatory, illuminating. A forensic dissection of race in the UK from one of the country's most critical young thinkers. Reni's penetrative voice is like a punch to the jugular. Read it, then tell everyone you know -- Irenosen Okojie, author of 'Butterfly Fish'I’ve never been so excited about a book. Thank God somebody finally wrote it … Blistering … Absolutely vital writing from one of the most exciting voices in British politics. A stunningly important debut … Fellow white people: It’s our responsibility as to read this book … This book is essential reading for anyone even remotely interested in living in a fairer, kinder and more equal world -- Paris LeesIt’s deep, it's important and I suggest taking a deep breath, delving in and I promise you will come up for air woke and better equipped to understand the underlying issues of race in our society -- Sharmaine Lovegrove * ELLE *A riveting deep-dive into the history and communication of race in Britain. From white-washing to intersectional feminism, it is an eviscerating and hugely educational read … This book is destined to become cult * Red *A wake-up call to a nation in denial about the structural and institutional racisms occurring in our homes, offices and communities * Observer *Laying bare the mechanisms by which we internalise the assumptions, false narratives and skewed perceptions that perpetuate racism, Eddo-Lodge enables readers of every ethnicity to look at life with clearer eyes. A powerful, compelling and urgent read * Ann Morgan, author of A Year of Reading the World *A strong assessment of our current conversations and the beginnings of a new framework for grappling with racism * Emerald Street *A seething take-down of commonly held attitudes towards race and racism in the UK and beyond ... Entirely essential … Eddo-Lodge reveals why anti-racist work should be a universal objective, even if racism isn’t a universal concern. The book is ultimately a defiance against the silencing of people of colour * The List *Eddo-Lodge is digesting history for those white readers who have had their ears and eyes shut to the violence in Britain’s past … An important shift that undermines the idea that racism is the BAME community’s burden to carry. The liberation that this book offers is in the reversal of responsibilities * Arifa Akbar, Financial Times *Eddo-Lodge accurately takes the temperature of racial discussions in the UK. In seven crisp essays, she takes white British people to task for failing to accept that “racism is a white problem” … She’s strong on the pervasive racial marginalisation of black people * Guardian *Thought-provoking (and deeply uncomfortable) ... What Eddo-Lodge does is to force her readers to confront their own complicity … Her books is a call to action ... What makes the book radical is the way it shifts the burden of ending racism on to white people * Sunday Herald *Searing … A fresh perspective, offering an Anglocentric alternative to the recent status-quo-challenging successes of Get Out and Dear White People. This book’s probing analysis and sharp wit certainly make us pray she will continue talking to white people about race * Harper's Bazaar *The black British Bible … I discovered more about Black British history in that one chapter than I ever did through my secondary school education ... I owe Reni for doing much of the hard work and instigating dialogue that I’ve never had time to do, often put off, or simply found too painful * Gal-Dem *‘Reni Eddo-Lodge is that rarest of delights – a young, working –class black woman from Tottenham with a voice in public life … This book is a real eye-opener when it comes to Britain’s hidden history of discrimination … A book like this matters now * Refinery 29 *Now it’s out of her head, it’s on the shelves and accompanied by a hugely successful regional tour that sees people of all colours, all races and all genders queuing up to ask questions, to share their own frustrations and to thank Reni for finally giving them a voice * i-D *Her searing examination of what it means to be a person of colour in Britain today covers a lot of ground, from the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the whitewashing of feminism to the casting of a black actress as Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child * Independent *Eddo-Lodge explores the nuanced ways in which racial prejudice continues and is ignored * Vogue *Vital dialogue from a powerful voice * Daily Telegraph *To anyone who has not thought much about the subject, what she finds will be a revelation … Impassioned and often moving … Undoubtedly essential * Ellah Allfrey, Spectator *This book has a vital role as a tool that people of colour can refer others to, particularly when called upon, yet again, to parrot the ABCs of racism ... This is the book to give your problematic family friend/neighbour/uncle … Marks the beginning of a national conversation that many have been trying to have for a long time * New Humanist *Shines a light on a conversation about race, racism and whiteness that must be had in every village, town and city in the UK and beyond. This is an absolute must-read -- Simon Blake, Chief Executive of the National Union of Students * Resurgence & Ecologist *The political book of the year – and one all your friends will be engrossed in * Pride Magazine *Fresh and challenging * Mslexia *

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Book SynopsisThe Morris Minor is one of the great car designs, and it is part of the family history of thousands. Few cars can match the popularity, and the longevity of the Minor: this book tells its story.

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Book SynopsisThe first book to feature the lost country houses of the âGarden of Englandâ.

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Book Synopsis'A mesmerizingly fascinating tale, one astonishing adventure after another. I could not stop reading this beautifully written book.' Michael Finkel, author of The Stranger in the Woods'A unique history of a culturally and scientifically important netherworld most people barely know exists.' Booklist'An unusual and intriguing travel book ... A vivid illumination of the dark and an effective evocation of its profound mystery.'Kirkus (starred review) When Will Hunt was sixteen years old, he discovered an abandoned tunnel that ran beneath his house in Providence, Rhode Island. His first tunnel trips inspired a lifelong fascination with exploring underground worlds, from the derelict subway stations and sewers of New York City to sacred caves, catacombs, tombs, bunkers and anciTrade Review'A thrilling journey ... Underground will change the way you see the ground beneath your feet.' * The Herald *'Throughout this fascinating book he ties together the ancient and the modern, the familiar and the distant with remarkable deftness and sympathy.' * Literary Review *'Beautifully written. Hunt has attuned to the smells and textures of subterranean places (in the dark, visual comparisons don't get you very far) ... winningly obsessive history of our relationship with underground places.' * The Guardian *'Anthropology goes underground in Will Hunt's unclassifiably brilliant foray into human cultures beneath the skin of city streets and rural scapes ... Hunt leads us into illuminating depths and darkness.' * Nature *'Few books have blown my mind so totally, and so often. In Will Hunt's nimble hands, excursion becomes inversion, and the darkness turns luminous. There are echoes of Sebald, Calvino, and Herzog in his elegant and enigmatic voice, but also real warmth and humor. An intrepid—but far from fearless—journey, both theoretically and terrestrially.' -- Robert Moor, New York Times best-selling author of On Trails'Underground is, literally, a revelation. Hunt, a fearless, eloquent and truly insightful guide, takes us underground, around the world, from guerrilla art galleries, to ancient sacred chambers, to lost worlds inhabited by lost souls. In so doing, Hunt initiates us into a suite of subterranean mysteries that span geography, culture and time, awakening the dormant, but profound allure the underworld holds for us and, as he so persuasively demonstrates, for all of humankind.' -- John Vaillant, author of international bestseller The Tiger'Will Hunt has pulled off a stunning feat of reportorial magic with this book. He has taken what may be our worst fear—being underground, where many of us will spend eternity—and transformed it into a mesmerizingly fascinating tale, one astonishing adventure after another. I could not stop reading this beautifully written book.' -- Michael Finkel, author of The Stranger in the Woods'As a sunlight-craving claustrophobe, I’m not normally drawn to sewers or mine shafts plunged a mile into the earth, but Will Hunt is an irresistible guide. I followed Underground’s global tour of subterranean cultures with astonishment and joy, happy to meet a cast of cataphiles, compulsive diggers, ochre priests, spelunkers, and various seekers of the dark. I will never look at a hole in the ground in quite the same way again.' -- Justin Davidson, author of Magnetic City and architecture critic of NYMag'Will Hunt’s Underground left me, for days, wanting to go there—down, down, down, into the moisture and the mystery. It succeeds as reportage, as memoir, as historical survey and philosophical reflection. Hunt is a generous and literate moleman, beckoning us always to look lower.' -- Ted Conover, author of Newjack'Underground is for anyone who's ever peered into a crack in the earth and felt that peculiar blend of unease and curiosity. Read this and you will never look at the ground beneath you in the same way again.' -- Steve Rinella, author of Meat Eater'Hunt’s rich descriptions of dark and forbidden subterranean landscapes will raise goose bumps while offering a unique history of a culturally and scientifically important netherworld most people barely know exists.' * Booklist *'An unusual and intriguing travel book, into the world beneath the world we know ... As Hunt reveals the scientific, historic, literary, psychological, spiritual, and metaphorical qualities of his exploration, it begins to seem less idiosyncratic than universal, a pull that has persisted throughout civilization and a mystery that has yet to be solved. The underground may represent hell to some, but it has also provided spiritual solace for centuries ... A vivid illumination of the dark and an effective evocation of its profound mystery.' * Kirkus (Starred Review) *'Urban explorer Hunt serves as a genial guide to the clandestine communities, unexpected lives, and hidden histories existing in subterranean realms. … [Hunt] is always entertaining, and this brisk work, rife with intriguing characters and little-known traditions and communities, will leave many readers wanting to dig deeper into the worlds hiding beneath their feet.' * Publishers Weekly *'What is it about that unseen world beneath our feet that both calls to us and repels us at the same time? Are there secrets just beyond a rusted No Trespassing sign? Why do some of us seek to unseal the catacombs of the dead? In Underground Will Hunt explores the subterranean world in all of its historic and psychological grandeur. This tour de force just might make you want to pull on a pair of rubber boots and strap on a headlamp to get a peek at the places we've forgotten.' -- Scott Carney, author of New York Times bestseller What Doesn't Kill Us

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Bestseller and #1 international bestseller'A moving and bittersweet story' Sun Keeping My Sister’s Secrets by Beezy Marsh is the heartwarming true story of three sisters and their fearless fight to survive the hardships of poverty and war - by whatever means necessary.Born into a close-knit working class family in the slums of London’s Waterloo, Eva, Peggy and Kathleen are three remarkably different, but very loving sisters. Desperate to escape their violent father, they find different ways to survive. Beautiful Kathleen escapes into marriage with an abusive man, and during the horrors of the Second World War, falls in love again - this time with an American GI. Peggy, serious and studious, is appalled by conditions in the factories and becomes a communist, desperate to help her fellow workers. The rebellious sister, Eva, will do anything to protect her family - even if it means breaking the law to put dinner on the table.Living closely together, the sisters support each other through thick and thin - their story is a moving tale of unconditional love, the one constant in a changing world.Trade ReviewA moving and bittersweet story * The Sun *

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Book SynopsisAt the end of the 1970s, Manchester seemed to be sliding into the dustbin of history. Today the city is an international destination for culture and sport, and one of the fastest-growing urban regions in Europe. This book offers a first-hand account of what happened in between.Arriving in Manchester as a wide-eyed student in 1979, Andy Spinoza went on to establish the arts magazine City Life before working for the Manchester Evening News and creating his own PR firm. In a forty-year career he has encountered a who’s who of Manchester personalities, from cultural icons such as Tony Wilson to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and influential council leaders Sir Richard Leese and Sir Howard Bernstein.His remarkable account traces Manchester’s gradual emergence from its post-industrial malaise, centring on the legendary nightclub the Haçienda and the cultural renaissance it inspired.Trade Review‘Every great city needs a great chronicler. We are lucky to have Andy. Read on.’Lemn Sissay‘This is a fabulous, compelling book with a cast of larger-than-life characters. First as observer, then as participant, Andy has enjoyed a ring-side seat in the renaissance and development of Britain's most exciting city.’Michael Crick‘Andy Spinoza knows the real story.’Jon Savage'The strength of the book is its immediacy. I think he also considers it a book not just about Mancunians but for them too. It is a love letter to his adopted city.'Jon Talbot, Literary Review'The author draws the “key players” in the rebirth of modern Manchester with a vividness that might have eluded a conventional historian.'Jonathan Derbyshire, Financial Times'A flamboyant hybrid, conveying the nitty-gritty of municipal politics and private-public property deals with the zest and wit of the best journalism. [...] it is likely to become a touchstone for all chroniclers of modern Manchester.'Andrew Martin, Times Literary Supplement'Elegantly interweaving his own biography with that of the city, Spinoza narrates with panache the story of how the place once known as Cottonopolis has reinvented itself.' Julian Coman, The Observer'A personal and sociological look at how its fortunes changed, featuring encounters with all the expected characters like Tony Wilson and even Alex Ferguson.'Eoghan O'Sullivan, The Irish ExaminerOne of their best music books of 2023‘Beautifully written – a great read that feels important. The musical thread through the different eras is persuasive without feeling forced. This is an inspiring personal story, in which the power of Manchester rises from the page.’Paul Unger, Editor, Place North West'A compelling retelling of the origin story of the original modern city.'Thom Hetherington, Manchester Art Fair'It’s a fantastic book.'Ian King, Sky News'You’ve got to buy a copy of this book, it’s a great read... It really embraces the Manchester we see out of our windows today. The stories in it are just fantastic.'Phil Trow, BBC Radio Manchester'Manchester unspun sorts the truth from the spin of the city’s stories to reveal a remarkable journey, describing the hubris,scandal, money and politics which played out during its remarkable reinvention.'John Robb, Louder than War 'As books about Manchester go, there are plenty to choose from, but there are few as well sourced, well written and expansive as this one.'Michael Taylor, The Business Desk NW'Andy Spinoza has had a front row seat to the transformation of this city, and it really comes across in his magnificent book.'Dr Vikas Shah MBE, author of Thought Economics'This is a fantastic book for anybody interested in Manchester's unprecedented modern renaissance.'Thom Hetherington, founder of Landing Light 'What a great read! At last someone who was there and knows, telling a fascinating story of a city’s rebirth. Wonderfully written too. I couldn’t put it down once I’d started.'Mike Pickering, musician and DJ 'Overall, Spinoza's memoir is very well written and he offers an antidote to the deficient journalism we have suffered over the popular music history of Manchester and its story as Britain's "second city".'Richard Witts, Popular Music -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: how a city got high on music page Place names: a stranger’s guide 1 The city calls 2 A meeting in Moon Grove 3 Dirty old town 4 All the news not fit to print 5 A fiend dropping in 6 Left turn, U-turn 7 Village people and rock-star developers 8 Haçienda hitman 9 Cash E-conomy 10 Simply regeneration 11 Planet Hulme, city conversations 12 Suited, booted and branded 13 Manc mafia on the Med 14 PR potholes on the road to hell 15 Football, fashion and food 16 University challenge 17 The Haçienda must be built 18 The merchandising of memory 19 Pop and politics, Wilson and Burnham 20 Devolution and dissent 21 Who wants to live in a city without culture? 22 ‘Intention: To restore a sense of place’ Index

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Book SynopsisTaking us from the beginning of our story to the present day, A Cold Spell examines how ice has shaped our thoughts, actions and societies and what it means for us that it is rapidly disappearing from our planet''A warm-hearted tale of the bizarre, something to cuddle up with in the bleak midwinter . . . Astonishing'' THE TIMES ''Bracingly original . . . As the earth warms threateningly, there could hardly be a more pertinent time for a story like this' MICHAEL PALIN''A book of limitless fascinations'' OLIVIA LAING''Brightly written, nimbly researched and really quite delightful'' LITERARY REVIEWIce has confounded, delighted and fascinated us since the first sparks of art and culture in Europe and it now underpins the modern world. Without ice, we would not feed ourselves or heal our sick as we do, and our towns and cities, countryside and oceans would look very different. Science woul

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Book Synopsis'A novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates' - Irish TimesUganda, 1972. A devastating decree is issued: all Ugandan Asians must leave the country in ninety days. They must take only what they can carry, give up their money and never return.For Asha and Pran, married a matter of months, it means abandoning the family business that Pran has worked so hard to save. For his mother, Jaya, it means saying goodbye to the house that has been her home for decades. But violence is escalating in Kampala, and people are disappearing. Will they all make it to safety in Britain and will they be given refuge if they do?And all the while, a terrible secret about the expulsion hangs over them, threatening to tear the family apart.From the green hilltops of Kampala, to the terraced houses of London, Neema Shah’s extraordinarily moving debut Kololo Hill explores what it means to leave your home behind, what it takes to start again, and the lengths some will go to protect their loved ones.‘[An] incredible debut’ - StylistTrade ReviewAn impressive, confident debut about family and survival, against the backdrop of a history that is not written about often enough. -- Nikesh ShuklaDevastatingly beautiful . . . every sentence is a revelation. -- Nikita Gill, author of The Girl and the GoddessShah is excellent on the theme of home . . . an absorbing storyteller. * Daily Mail *This is a novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates. * Irish Times *Shah explores the chaos and fear of ordinary people’s lives during Amin’s rule, weaving personal stories of love and betrayal into heightening tension and violence . . . nail-biting. * Independent *Utterly heartbreaking and so moving . . . a thoughtful reflection on what home and belonging mean. -- Haleh Agar, author of Out of TouchA moving portrayal of a family uprooted from a life they have worked so hard for. At times devastating, I found myself gripped to this story rooted in our history yet scarily still relevant. -- Louise Hare, author of This Lovely CityKololo Hill offers a glimpse into a terrifying and fascinating period of history. Neema Shah evokes Amin’s Uganda and early 1970s suburban England with both nuance and a fresh and wonderful vivacity. This is a book with a huge amount of heart; I was entirely captured by the stories of Asha, Jaya and Vijay. Their dreams and dilemmas resonate with many of today’s key questions around culture, identity and the places – and people – we can each call ‘home’. -- Joanne Sefton, author of The Guilty FriendA searing, timely, and beautifully written tale of displacement, the meaning of home, and developing identity across generations. I loved it. -- Stephanie Scott, author of What’s Left Of Me Is Yours

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Book SynopsisRainbow History Class is your entry into LGBTQ+ history, sharing queer and trans stories from Ancient civilisations all the way up to the internet. So much of queer and trans history and culture has been erased, but Hannah McElhinney, writer and creator of Rainbow History Class (as seen on TikTok), is here to help us all with this crash course. This history lesson isn’t dry and academic, nor is it glitter-soaked and reductive. It’s a comprehensive and entertaining romp through queer and trans history, full of secret queer codes, gender-bending icons, pop-culture knowledge and incredible activists. More than anything, Rainbow History Class will make you feel connected to the stories of our rich and vibrant community. This knowledge will help spark conversations between your friends and family and be a source of comfort as you stand up for yourself and your community. This illustrated hardback book is a celebration for all LGBTQ+ people, and an invitation to the newly out that says, ‘Welcome to the club, let’s get you caught up!’

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Book SynopsisA NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITINGLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZEA searing portrait of Britain's hostile environment by the journalist behind the Windrush exposé. 'A timely reminder of what truly great journalists can achieve.' DAVID OLUSOGA'[Gentleman's] reporting proves why an independent press is so vital.' RENI EDDO-LODGE'A book that keeps you informed and makes you angry.'GARY YOUNGE'It is impossible to overstate the importance of this heartbreaking book.' JAMES O'BRIENHow do you pack for a one-way journey back to a country you left when you were eleven and have not visited for fifty years?Amelia Gentleman's exposé of the Windrush scandal - where thousands of British citizens were wrongly classified as illegal immigrants with life-shattering consequences - shocked the nation and led to the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary. Here, Gentleman tells the full story for the first time.'Essential . . . a damning indictment.' SIR LENNY HENRY'Gentleman boldly chronicles the devastating reality of a scandal that illegalised, imbruted and abandoned British citizens.'DAVID LAMMY MP'I'm thankful for the truth and hope [. . .] in Amelia Gentleman's The Windrush Betrayal.'ALI SMITH'A devastating account.'CLAIRE TOMALIN

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Book SynopsisLynsey Hanley was born and raised just outside of Birmingham on what was then the largest council estate in Europe, and she has lived for years on an estate in London's East End. Writing with passion, humour and a sense of history, she recounts the rise of social housing a century ago, its adoption as a fundamental right by leaders of the social welfare state in the mid-century and its decline - as both idea and reality - in the 1960s and '70s. Throughout, Hanley focuses on how shifting trends in urban planning and changing government policies - from Homes Fit for Heroes to Le Corbusier's concrete tower blocks, to the Right to Buy - affected those so often left out of the argument over council estates: the millions of people who live on them. What emerges is a vivid mix of memoir and social history, an engaging and illuminating book about a corner of society that the rest of Britain has left in the dark.Trade ReviewA rich, thought-provoking book * Observer *Estates, a journey through the world of British social housing, is both a history and a personal reckoning * Financial Times *A wonderful book ... explains with verve and insight how one's mental landscape is moulded by physical environment ... Simple lessons for planners, architects and developers leap off the pages * Guardian *Lynsey Hanley's vivid, powerful book is about a dream gone sour. Her descriptions of hopelessness, drunkenness and yobbery in Tower Hamlets cry out to be engraved by a new Hogarth * Independent *Hanley's Estates is many things - social history, memoir, mild polemic ... she catalogues her experience in a manner that is honest, informed and never whimsical. A well-timed and truthful book * Daily Telegraph *[A] celebrated slice of myth-busting * Metro *

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Book SynopsisJewish radicals manned the barricades on the avenues of Petrograd and the alleys of the Warsaw ghetto; they were in the vanguard of those resisting Franco and the Nazis. They originated in Yiddishland, a vast expanse of Eastern Europe that, before the Holocaust, ran from the Baltic Sea to the western edge of Russia and incorporated hundreds of Jewish communities with a combined population of some 11 million people. Within this territory, revolutionaries arose from the Jewish misery of Eastern and Central Europe; they were raised in the fear of God and taught to respect religious tradition, but were caught up in the great current of revolutionary utopian thinking. Socialists, Communists, Bundists, Zionists, Trotskyists, manual workers and intellectuals, they embodied the multifarious activity and radicalism of a Jewish working class that glimpsed the Messiah in the folds of the red flag.Today, the world from which they came has disappeared, dismantled and destroyed by the Nazi genocide. After this irremediable break, there remain only survivors, and the work of memory for red Yiddishland. This book traces the struggles of these militants, their singular trajectories, their oscillation between great hope and doubt, their lost illusions-a red and Jewish gaze on the history of the twentieth century.Trade ReviewIts impact on me was immense. I devoured it; my political horizons radically expanded. Not only, I came to realise, was there no contradiction between Judaism, socialism and internationalism, but, until the Nazi genocide, they existed in a profoundly interrelated way. -- Sai Englert * Salvage *An eye-opening oral history. -- Gabriel Levy, author of Judaic Technologies of the WorldA haunting, inspiring and often tragic book, Revolutionary Yiddishland uses first-hand interviews, deep archival research and sharp analysis to bring to life a complex landscape of factory workers, partisans, poets, party leaders, refugees, ghetto fighters and movement intellectuals. -- Ben Lorber * In These Times *This rich and poignant and often enthralling record traces the Yiddishland revolutionaries from their East European roots through the years of hope and struggle and hideous crimes to the heroic anti-Nazi resistance and beyond, with fascinating asides on Spain and Palestine. There are many lessons for today, not least the significance ofthe lively interaction of revolutionary intellectuals and workers and the efforts to integrate the commitment to radical social and economic change with the formation of a Jewish identity that would break sharply from the stultifying tradition and open the way to the aspirations of the Jewish workers' movement that was at the forefront of revolutionary struggle from its earliest days. -- Noam ChomskyCould there have been a future for pre-war Jewry in which Israel did not exist and Jews were gathered in a nation state within a federated Soviet Union? This is one of the questions brought up in Alain Brossat and Sylvia Klingberg's book. There is hope for the spirit and aims behind the stories this book tells. Jewish radicalism did not die out in 1942 with the Final Solution. It now expresses itself without Yiddish. -- Clive Bloom * Times Higher Educational Supplement *A fascinating window onto a lost world. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the complex relationship between the Jewish left, the general left, and Zionism. The gripping testimonies collected in these pages give the lie to the idea that Jews in the Shoah went like sheep to the slaughter. Brossat and Klingberg do not try to iron out the wrinkles of the past. Their insightful commentary illuminates the passions, paradoxes, triumphs and defeats of the witnesses who populate their book. -- Brian Klug, author of Being Jewish and Doing JusticeNowadays we know more and more about the Nazi Genocide. Unfortunately, we have much less knowledge about the everyday life which preceded the horror and was so brutally terminated. For opening up this world we must praise Alain Brossat and Sylvia Klinberg for their vital new book, Revolutionary Yiddishland. Here, life is given priority over death, and the struggles of so many in the Yiddishland allow us to see past the catastrophes. -- Shlomo Sand, author of The Invention of the Jewish PeoplePraiseworthy * Jewish Currents *Brossat and Klingberg's book is a memorial to a missing world. As an aesthetic composition, it is beautiful. -- Max Ajl * Mondoweiss *Altogether, Revolutionary Yiddishland is a thoroughly engaging read. It's an important historical document preserving the memory of this radical period of Jewish and European history. -- JP O'Malley * Haaretz *

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Book SynopsisIn this monumental book, Chris Harman achieves the impossible-a gripping history of the planet from the perspective of the struggling people throughout the ages.From earliest human society to the Holy Roman Empire, from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, from the Industrial Revolution to the end of the millennium, Chris Harman provides a brilliant and comprehensive history of the planet. Eschewing the standard histories of 'Great Men,' of dates and kings, Harman offers a groundbreaking counter-history, a breathtaking sweep across the centuries in the tradition of 'history from below.' In a fiery narrative, he shows how ordinary men and women were involved in creating and changing society and how conflict between classes was often at the core of these changes. While many pundits see the victory of capitalism as now safely secured, Harman explains the rise and fall of societies and civilizations throughout the ages and demonstrates that history never ends. This magisterial study is essential reading for anyone interested in how society has changed and developed and the possibilities for further radical change.Trade ReviewI have had many people ask me if there is a book which does for world history what my book A People's History of the United States does for this country. I always responded that I know of only one book that accomplishes this extremely difficult task, and that is Chris Harman's A People's History of the World. It is an indispensable volume on my reference bookshelf. -- Howard ZinnThe left ... has few accounts which convey as well as this book does the broad sweep of human history. -- Robin Blackburn

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