Social and cultural history Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Stowaway
£11.39
Scotland Street Press 10 Scotland Street: With a foreword from Val
Book SynopsisThis is a triumph. A love letter to the ghosts of Edinburgh. I feel its hand upon my shoulder. – Sara Sheridan As a writer of fiction, I found myself itching to lift some of these characters from the page into the fertile fields of my own imagination. – Val McDermid Anyone who loves Edinburgh and is fascinated by its private histories will be entranced by this book. – The Scotsman About the book 10 Scotland Street – the story of an Edinburgh home and its cast of booksellers, silk merchants, sailors, preachers, politicians, cholera and coincidence and its widespread connections over two centuries across the globe.Trade ReviewThis is a triumph. A love letter to the ghosts of Edinburgh. I feel its hand upon my shoulder. - Sara Sheridan The story that Leslie unfolds for us spreads its threads across the globe. And it moves through different strata of society, painting a kaleidoscopic portrait of social, political, fiscal and financial life in Scotland and beyond, all through the lens of a single flat in a single city [...] We learn how property and wealth were passed through families, not always in the straight lines we imagine inheritance to travel in. It’s not hard to read between the lines of wills and gifts to picture some of the loves and dislikes, the disapprovals and the determination to make good past wrongs. As a writer of fiction, I found myself itching to lift some of these characters from the page into the fertile fields of my own imagination. - Val McDermid A fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable book, a work of prodigious research […] Anyone who loves Edinburgh and is fascinated by its private histories will be entranced by this book. - Allan Massie, The Scotsman Hills proceeds with thorough scholarship […] Above all, she writes really well: fluent, authoritative, persuasive prose, sometimes anecdotal, often slyly colliding formality and contemporary colloquialism. - Broughton Spurtle The writing matches the process of researching in an archive when one’s eye is caught by something not directly concerned with the matter in hand, the so-called ‘rabbit holes’. There is a veritable warren of these […] I was genuinely sad to come to the final page of this book. I heartily recommend it. - Edward Duvall, Old Edinburgh Club
£23.74
Penguin Books Ltd The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches
Book SynopsisFrom Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama, discover the most significant speeches of the modern era!Whether it was Churchill rousing the British to take up arms or the dream of Martin Luther King, Fidel Castro inspiring the Cuban revolution or Barack Obama on Selma and the meaning of America, speeches have profoundly influenced the way we see ourselves and society.Gathered here are some of the most extraordinary and memorable speeches of the last century - from Lenin to Reagan, Thatcher to Malala. Some are well known, others less so, but all helped form the world we now inhabit.Trade ReviewIt would be hard to do better than MacArthur's selection, which is a tribute to the breadth of his knowledge * The Times *Time and again, MacArthur satisfies the reader's expectations. They are all here: Lloyd George's fit country for heroes, Woodrow Wilson's world made safe for democracy, Enoch Powell's River Tiber foaming with much blood. Those who hate the sound of public men may still find it hard to listen to MacArthur's voices and not be moved * The Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsFeaturing speeches from figures including: • Theodore Roosevelt • Mahatma Gandhi • Winston Churchill • Franklin Roosevelt • Martin Luther King Jr. • John F. Kennedy • Nelson Mandela • Ronald Reagan • Betty Friedan • Margaret Thatcher • Queen Elizabeth II • Bill Clinton • Barack Obama • Malala Yousafzai • Michelle Obama • Hillary Clinton
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC España: a Brief History of Spain
Book SynopsisBestselling author Giles Tremlett traverses the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible primer for visitors, curious readers and hispanophiles. 'Tremlett is a fascinating socio-cultural guide, as happy to discuss Spain's World Cup win as its Moorish rule' Guardian 'Negotiates Spain's chaotic history with admirable clarity and style' The Times Spain's position on Europe's south-western corner has exposed it to cultural, political and actual winds blowing from all quadrants. Africa lies a mere nine miles to the south. The Mediterranean connects it to the civilizational currents of Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, and Byzantines as well as the Arabic lands of the near east. Bronze Age migrants from the Russian steppe were amongst the first to arrive. They would be followed by Visigoths, Arabs, Napoleonic armies and many more invaders and immigrants. Circular winds and currents linked it to the American continent, allowing Spain to conquer and colonize much of it. As a result, Spain has developed a sort of hybrid vigour. Whenever it has tried to deny this inevitable heterogeneity, it has required superhuman effort to fashion a 'pure' national identity – which has proved impossible to maintain. In España, Giles Tremlett argues that, in fact, that lack of a homogenous identity is Spain's defining trait.Trade ReviewTremlett is a fascinating socio-cultural guide, as happy to discuss Spain's World Cup win as its Moorish rule * Guardian *Negotiates Spain's chaotic history with admirable clarity and style * The Times *Provides an excellent whistle-stop tour through the history that explains it all... Brisk and readable telling * New Statesman *Aimed at curious visitors and hispanophiles alike, this accessible trot through the country's history covers everything from Spain's connections to the ancient empires of Rome and Byzantium, to its colonisation of swathes of the Americas * BBC History Magazine *España is well researched, beautifully produced and, as far as generic primers go, an exemplar of its kind * TLS *Giles Tremlett is adept at grabbing the reader's attention, opening his brief history with a revealing vignette... Tremlett's book with appeal to anyone interested in Spain's past, present, or future * Literary Review *
£11.69
The History Press Ltd 1976
Book SynopsisA kaleidoscopic social history of the year that shaped the modern world
£19.54
Profile Books Ltd Shellshocked
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£21.25
John Murray Press The Golden Thread
Book Synopsis** A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK **''Fascinating . . . The history of the world through the eye of a needle . . . I recommend this book to anyone'' THE SPECTATOR''A charming, absorbing and history that takes us on a journey from the silk roads to sportswear, from ruffs to spacesuits . . . I devoured this quietly feminist book'' SUNDAY TIMES''Joyful and beautiful'' NATURE''Will make you rethink your relationship with fabric'' ELLE DECORATIONAll textiles begin with a twist. From colourful 30,000-year old threads found on the floor of a Georgian cave to what the linen wrappings of Tutankhamun''s mummy actually meant; from the Silk Roads to the woollen sails that helped the Vikings reach America 700 years before Columbus; from the lace ruffs that infuriated the puritans to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution, our continuing reinvention of cloth tells fascinating stories of human ingenuity. When we talk of lives hanging by a thread, being interwoven, or part of the social fabric, we are part of a tradition that stretches back many thousands of years. Fabric has allowed us to achieve extraordinary things and survive in unlikely places, and this book shows you how -- and why.With a cast that includes Chinese empresses, Richard the Lionheart and Bing Crosby, Kassia St Clair takes us on the run with escaped slaves, climbing the slopes of Everest and moonwalking with astronauts. Running like a bright line through history, The Golden Thread offers an unforgettable adventure through our past, present and future.Trade ReviewA history of fabric might not sound immediately exciting, but St Clair's book is a refreshing treat, every page bursting with surprising insights. Clothing, she argues, is central to history, from myths and legends to trade and technology. The threads woven by the Greek Fates, the bandages that wrapped Egyptian mummies, the wool that made medieval England rich, the lace in Vermeer's paintings : it all makes for a smart and entertaining historical tapestry * SUNDAY TIMES, History Book of the Year *The history of the world through the eye of a needle... Fascinating... I recommend this book to anyone * THE SPECTATOR *A charming, absorbing and quietly feminist history that takes us on a journey from the silk roads to sportswear, from ruffs to spacesuits... I devoured this book * SUNDAY TIMES *Remarkable . . . hugely ambitious, sparklingly erudite and wonderfully engaging -- Peter Frankopan, Book of the Year * HISTORY TODAY *A joyful commingling of text and textiles in 13 beautifully wrought stories. We visit a cave where dyed fibres more than 30,000 years old have been discovered; goggle at the starched intricacy of sixteenth-century lace ruffs; flinch over astronauts' nappies and the sodden sleeping bags of early polar expeditions; and savour the idea of materials spun from spiders' webs. * NATURE *The Golden Thread will make you rethink your relationship with fabric * ELLE DECORATION *Superb... this dazzling book puts fabric at the very heart of human history. * STRONG WORDS *A curious and illuminating history of fabric * HOUSE AND GARDEN *Vividly drawn . . . this beautifully presented tome is perfect for dipping in and out of * HISTORY REVEALED *The Golden Thread is worth a read for informing your political thinking, and it will entertain you far more than most 'political' books * Resurgence and Ecologist Magazine *Such a captivating read its likely you'll want to devour this engrossing patchwork of textile history in one sitting * Embroidery *
£9.74
Verso Books Mongrel Firebugs and Men of Property: Capitalism
Book SynopsisIn popular retellings of American history, capitalism generally doesn't feature much as part of the founding or development of the nation. Instead, it is alluded to in figurative terms as opportunity, entrepreneurial vigor, material abundance, and the seven-league boots of manifest destiny. ?In this collection of essays, Steve Fraser, the preeminent historian of American capitalism, sets the record straight, rewriting the arc of the American saga with class conflict center stage and mounting a serious challenge to the consoling fantasy of American exceptionalism. From the colonial era to Trump, Fraser recovers the repressed history of debtors' prisons and disaster capitalism, of confidence men and the reserve armies of the unemployed. In language that is dynamic and compelling, he demonstrates that class is a fundamental feature of American political life and provides essential intellectual tools for a shrew reading of American history.Trade Review"A spirited collection by an erudite and penetrating essayist. Fraser is an analyst of the culture of late capitalism and, among other things, he demonstrates with impressive clarity the connections between the economic changes we call neoliberalism and the psycho-cultural dramas generated by the siren song of faux populism." -- FRANCES FOX PIVEN, AUTHOR OF POOR PEOPLE’S MOVEMENTS"Steve Fraser is our most incisive and encompassing cultural historian of the two gilded ages that structured American society and its economic ethos in the decades that have bracketed the nation's fleeting New Deal interregnum. Fraser has captured the emotive logic of capitalist hegemony and the dark appeal it has so often held for millions of acquiescent Americans." -- NELSON LICHTENSTEIN, AUTHOR OF WHO BUILT AMERICA?"In this collection of bracing essays, Fraser brings to the fore the perils and promise of class warfare and the daunting challenges faced by everyone who hopes to defy history and work for a just society." -- JACQUELINE JONES, AUTHOR OF GODDESS OF ANARCHY"These essays show that Steve Fraser has long been one of the wisest and most eloquent historians of American capitalism and its discontents. Erudite, passionate, and laced with wit, they are essential reading during our era of great perils and budding hopes for change." -- MICHAEL KAZIN, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY"Fraser is our preeminent historian of America as a capitalist civilization. No one is more attuned to the inner vibrations of our monied culture." -- COREY ROBIN, AUTHOR OF THE REACTIONARY MINDOne of our best social historians set the record straight about the mythologies of American capitalism. -- Peter Dreier, author of Place Matters: Metropolitics for the Twenty-first Century[The essays] display his encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. history, especially working-class history. -- Gabriel Winant * New Republic *
£18.04
Transworld Publishers Ltd At Home: A Short History of Private Life
Book SynopsisIn At Home, Bill Bryson applies the same irrepressible curiosity, irresistible wit, stylish prose and masterful storytelling that made A Short History of Nearly Everything one of the most lauded books of the last decade, and delivers one of the most entertaining and illuminating books ever written about the history of the way we live. Bill Bryson was struck one day by the thought that we devote a lot more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of: centuries of people quietly going about their daily business - eating, sleeping and merely endeavouring to get more comfortable. And that most of the key discoveries for humankind can be found in the very fabric of the houses in which we live.This inspired him to start a journey around his own house, an old rectory in Norfolk, wandering from room to room considering how the ordinary things in life came to be. Along the way he did a prodigious amount of research on the history of anything and everything, from architecture to electricity, from food preservation to epidemics, from the spice trade to the Eiffel Tower, from crinolines to toilets; and on the brilliant, creative and often eccentric minds behind them. And he discovered that, although there may seem to be nothing as unremarkable as our domestic lives, there is a huge amount of history, interest and excitement - and even a little danger - lurking in the corners of every home.Trade ReviewA work of constant delight and discovery. Bryson's wit is both dry and charmingly goofy. His great skill is to make daily life simultaneously strange and familiar, and in so doing, help us to recognise ourselves. At Home is a treasure: don't leave home without it. -- Judith Flanders * Sunday Telegraph *Enchanting...a book about reinventing the ordinary, and finding the extraordinary in the humdrum business of living...Bryson tackled science in his brilliant A Short History of Nearly Everything. This new book could as easily be categorised as 'a short history of nearly everything else'...extraordinarily entertaining. -- Antonia Senior * The Times *The much-loved writer takes the attention to detail that made A Short History of Nearly Everything such a fantastic guide to all things science, and applies it to our homes. Written in his laid-back style, this is a wonderful celebration of what makes a house a home. * News of the World *Quite as ambitious as his A Short History of Nearly Everything. This is a genuinely compelling book...a kind of layman's encyclopaedia full of 'did you know' moments...This companionable volume is as dense as a rich fruit cake and, by the same measure, rewarding, too. * Country Life *A charming read that blends scholarship with warm writing and provides an endless source of banter for dinner parties. * Good Housekeeping *
£10.44
Pen & Sword Books Ltd A Dark History of Tea
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£13.49
Arcturus Publishing Oil
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£16.99
Headline Publishing Group Poison: The History of Potions, Powders and
Book Synopsis"As every amateur toxicologist knows, the difference between a poison and medicine is often simply the dose."There is no weapon as insidious, as seductive or as mysterious as poison. In this terrifying account of history's silent assassin, discover the gripping tales of users, abusers and victims of these mysterious substances, from Cleopatra and Catherine de' Medici to contemporary secret service agents and terrorists.Documenting royal scandal, political upheaval and personal tragedies, Poison details a gruesome thread that runs often undetected through human history.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Poison - a Recurring Story • Poisons of the Ancient World • Medieval and Renaissance Poisons • 17th and 18th Century Poisons • 19th Century Poisons • 20th Century Poisons • 21st Century Poisons.
£10.44
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Lost Pianos of Siberia: A Sunday Times
Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BEST PAPERBACK OF 2021* Shortlisted for the 2021 Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year prize* A critically-acclaimed Sunday Times, Spectator and Independent Book of 2020* Now with colour photography by Michael Turek'Richly absorbing... An impressive exploration of Siberia's terrifying past.' Guardian'Evocative and wonderfully original.' Colin Thubron__________Siberia's expansive history is traditionally one of exiles, bitter cold and suffering. Yet there is another tale to tell.Dotted throughout this remote and beautiful landscape are pianos created during the boom years of the nineteenth century. They tell the story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the influence of Catherine the Great, piano music has run through the country like blood. How these pianos made the journey into this snow-bound wilderness in the first place is remarkable. That they might be capable of making music in such a hostile landscape feels like a miracle.The Lost Pianos of Siberia is an absorbing story about a piano hunt - a quixotic quest through two centuries of Russian history and eight time zones stretching across an eleventh of the world's land surface. It reveals not only an unexpected musical legacy, but profound and brave humanity in the last place on earth you might expect to find it.__________What readers are saying about The Lost Pianos of Siberia:***** 'You know a book's good when, on finishing it, you just want to start again.'***** 'Beautifully written, full of compelling anecdotes celebrating Siberia's extraordinary history.'***** 'The most unusual and intelligent way to tell a travel story.'Trade ReviewAn extraordinary encounter with a wildly fascinating and astonishingly ill-known region... This is a wonderful book. * Sunday Times *The ultimate quest for the oddest objects - pianos - in the most unlikely place - Siberia. But Roberts makes it much more than that, an elegant and nuanced journey through literature, through history, through music, murder and incarceration and revolution, through snow and ice and remoteness, to discover the human face of Siberia. I loved this book. * Paul Theroux *An impressive exploration of Siberia's terrifying past. * Guardian *An exuberant, eccentric journey through Russian vastness, European history and Russian culture, The Lost Pianos of Siberia is a quixotic quest, a picaresque travel adventure and a strange forgotten story, all wrapped into one fascinating book. * Simon Sebag-Montefiore *What shines through in this book is Roberts' genuine, humane affection for and fascination with the people she meets in Siberia. * Literary Review *A stunning example of modern historical travel writing * Independent *A richly observed cultural history... thrilling. * New Statesman *Fascinating account of Siberia’s horrific legacy told with great verve… Roberts is a wonderfully lyrical writer. * The Observer *Beautifully written... A unique short history of Russia from Catherine the Great to Putin... A sense of the extraordinary marks every page. * History Today *Captures Siberia's wildness, but favours its enchantments. * Times Literary Supplement *Courage, patience, erudition and a sympathetic imagination… A travel book of rare quality. * Dervla Murphy *Roberts achievement is to vividly bring us into a hidden landscape that in an over-travelled world retains its mystique. Through her painterly depiction of the people she encounters, she infuses the epic with the intimate and reveals how sometimes looking is more important than finding * Business Post Magazine *Utterly absorbing - a wonderful addition to the story of resilience, tragedy and triumph that are the hallmarks of Siberia. Roberts displays an empathy and understanding worthy of this deeply haunted, strangely fascinating land. * Benedict Allen *Roberts' writing is beguiling. * The i *A modern-day Freya Stark. * Tatler *The Lost Pianos of Siberia is one of those magical books that captures the imagination and draws you into the beauty and majesty of Siberia. Idiosyncratic in style – part travelogue, part history, part detective trail – it is full of wonderful stories about human endurance through adversity and the transformative power of music in the most remote and forgotten outposts of this vast territory. A book to savour and remember. * Helen Rappaport, author of THE LAST DAYS OF THE ROMANOVS *Utterly fascinating and revealing to anyone who only knows Siberia through its Great Myth as a forgotten, frozen Nowhere. * Christopher Somerville *A thrilling adventure to the ends of the earth, where sunlight glitters in the snowdrifts and the strains of the exile's song floats through the air. Pack your suitcases for Siberia - Sophy Roberts' gorgeous prose will summon you there like a smell. * Cal Flyn, author of THICKER THAN WATER *What worlds this book traverses! From gilded recital halls to the haunts of Siberian tigers; from remote penal colonies to volcanic islands in the Bering Sea: I felt as if I had travelled through places I had only dreamed of, following these magical instruments through landscapes and histories so full of tragedy and hope. * Daniel Mason, author of THE PIANO TUNER *Absolutely intoxicating. Such vivid detail, rich atmosphere, heartbreak, and elegance. Sophy Roberts melds research and personal experience to trace the paths of political prisoners, convicts, and conscripts determined to find beauty in exile, and track down the regal pianos now scattered in villages, museums, and storehouses across the largest country on earth. Some cherished and some neglected, these pianos tell of the musical colonization of a continent, and their stories sing. * Jonathan C. Slaght, author of OWLS OF THE EASTERN ICE *Romance and tragedy, gulags and tower blocks, princes and oligarchs and of course tigers and pianos, Roberts captures all the wonder and heartbreak of an entire Empire in one feast of a book. * Ben Rawlence, author of CITY OF THORNS and RADIO CONGO *Not-to-be-missed travel. * The Tablet *Beautifully constructed, clear-eyed and generous-spirited. * Will Atkins, author of THE MOOR and THE IMMEASURABLE WORLD *Stories endure in this compelling debut. * Wanderlust *A noble quest to understand the dazzling respect for music embedded in Russian culture. * Country Life *
£10.44
Canongate Books The Game Changers
Book Synopsis
£10.44
Little Toller Books Wanderers in the New Forest
Book SynopsisKnown as the 'grandmother of herbalism', Juliette de Bairacli Levy travelled throughout Europe and North America in pursuit of her passion for herbs and holistic medicine, living mostly in rural places whose nomadic communities helped expand her knowledge of plants and living from the land. In the early 1950s, she settled in a thatched 'cabin' in the New Forest for three years and raised her children in the woods.Originally published in 1958, Wanderers in the New Forest describes an extraordinary family life living wild: drawing spring water from Abbots Well, bathing in Windmill Hill Pond and sharing the water with their animal neighbours, foraging for fruits and fungi or tending to their forest garden of herbs, flowers and vegetables. Juliette's friendships within the local Gypsy community enabled her to record the impact that post-war modernisation was having on their traditions, ancient rights and intimate knowledge of the New Forest. This new edition is illustrated throughout with photographs taken by Juliette while living in the forest.
£13.50
Penguin Books Ltd The History of Sexuality 1
Book Synopsis''A brilliant display of fireworks, attacking the widespread and banal notion that in the beginning sexual activity was guilt-free and delicious, being repressed and blighted only by the gloom of Victorianism'' Spectator We talk about sex more and more, but are we more liberated? The first part of Michel Foucault''s landmark account of our evolving attitudes in the west shows how the nineteenth century, far from suppressing sexuality, led to an explosion of discussion about sex as a separate sphere of life for study and examination. As a result, he argues, we are making a science of sex which is devoted to the analysis of desire rather than the increase of pleasure. ''A wealth of insights, original conceptualizations and provocative ideas'' The Times Literary SupplementTrade ReviewA wealth of insights, original conceptualizations and provocative ideas -- Peter Oborne * Daily Telegraph *A brilliant display of fireworks, attacking the widespread and banal notion that 'in the beginning' sexual activity was guilt-free and delicious, being repressed and blighted only by the gloom of Victorianism -- Jasper Griffin * Spectator *Foucault is at his polemical best. He brilliantly succeeds in turning commonplaces on their heads -- Hayden White * The Times Literary Supplement *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd On Antisemitism
£21.25
Verso Books The US Antifascism Reader
Book SynopsisSince the birth of fascism in the 1920s, well before the global renaissance of "white nationalism," the United States has been home to its own distinct fascist movements, some of which decisively influenced the course of US history. Yet long before Antifa became a household word in the United States, they were met, time and again, by an equally deep antifascist current. Many on the left are unaware that the United States has a rich antifascist tradition, because it has rarely been discussed as such, nor has it been accessible in one place. This reader reconstructs the history of US antifascism the twenty-first century, showing how generations of writers, organisers, and fighters spoke to each other over time.Trade ReviewPraise for Haunted by Hitler:With insight and grace, Christopher Vials demonstrates compelling new ways of understanding a complicated tradition of the Left and U.S. culture. The steady flow of astute interpretations and commentary adds up to scholarship of enduring importance, a treasure trove for the specialist and general reader alike. -- Alan Wald, author of American Night: The Literary Left in the Era of the Cold WarPraise for: Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World RevolutionUn-American is a bold and long overdue inquiry into 'the late Du Bois,' full of keen originality and brilliantly associative thinking. With his signature level of professional competence, Mullen defies easy categorizations to track the black radical scholar's diasporic identity through the optic of 'world revolution.' This investigation, vexed by the political horrors of imperialism, fascism, and Stalinism, yields unexpected and revealing parallels with the ideas of revolutionary thinkers such as Leon Trotsky and C. L. R. James. The result is a landmark study in the contours of affiliation, expanding the archive and breaking down polarized thought. This is a book to engage, chew over, and debate. -- Alan Wald, H. Chandler Davis Collegiate Professor of American Culture, University of MichiganPraise for: Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World Revolution:In this expansively researched and expertly crafted biography of W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) on the global stage, Mullen revisits the often contradictory and dialectical actions, thoughts, hopes, and writings of the sociologist and civil rights activist through post-World War II toward the end of the Cold War.... Mullen has considerable depth and nuance for the work of revisiting his subject as an international figure.... Mullen succeeds in weaving a revisionist narrative that positions Du Bois as a world actor within the revolutionary movements of the 20th century. VERDICT For readers interested in historical biographies situated in international politics and Cold War history. * Library Journal *Praise for: Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World Revolution:Bill Mullen's new book Un-American explores...Du Bois' thought more thoroughly than any previous work. While every commentator on Du Bois has acknowledged his politics, Mullen shows us how central revolutionary thought was to Du Bois' entire intellectual trajectory in the twentieth century.... This book will open an entirely new window on the radical politics that animated most of his life's work.... Mullen's intervention will surely be felt...for years to come and deserves to be read by everyone with an interest in Black politics and the history of American socialism. * International Socialist Review *Praise for: Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World Revolution:This is the sort of thoughtful and challenging book that remains with you, that gets you nodding your head unconsciously in agreement, muttering disapprovals, racing to the bookshelf to look up something. It is an essential addition to the canon of W. E. B. Du Bois scholarship.... Mullen wonderfully braids Du Bois's intellectual journey to an eclectic group of revolutionaries likewise drawn-at various times and in different ways-to the project of communist internationalism.... And he explores Du Bois's engagements with liberation struggles in India and China, Japan's global emergence, the specter of Stalinism, and the global peace work engendered by a dynamic cadre of leftist black women, particularly Claudia Jones and Shirley Graham Du Bois. Mullen's treatment of Smedley, Strong, and Jones is particularly sharp and illuminating. * Journal of American History *Praise for: Popular Fronts: Chicago and African-American Cultural Politics 1935-1946:Mullen marries investigation and a well-executed idea of story in this well-researched piece of scholarship on black art, black literature and literary publications, and the cultural politics of Chicago's African American community. * Choice *Praise for: Popular Fronts: Chicago and African-American Cultural Politics 1935-1946:Mullen's mission is to refresh our cultural memories. He wants to remind us not only of African American cultural production in the 'Chicago Renaissance' that took place before and during World War II, but also that the U.S. Left--in the form of the Communist Party and the individuals and organizations of its Popular Front--played a significant role in the period. * American Historical Review *Praise for: Popular Fronts: Chicago and African-American Cultural Politics 1935-1946:All readers who are interested in the history of Chicago, African American culture, and leftist politics are sure to find some benefit from Mullen's richly detailed and boldly revisionist study. * Journal of Illinois History *Praise for Afro-Orientalism:In Afro-Orientalism, Bill Mullen produces an alternative history to the postcolonial present that is rich with theoretical interest and political promise. -- Amitava Kumar, author of Passport Photos and Bomba–London–New YorkPraise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:W. E. B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line serves as a timely introduction to this impressive and somewhat imposing figure, while also reframing Du Bois's life and work beyond the boundaries of the American context. * Inside Higher Ed *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:In this new biography, Mullen interprets the seismic political developments of the Twentieth Century through the revolutionary life of W.E.B. Du Bois-focusing not just on his Civil Rights work, but also examining Du Bois's attitudes towards socialism, the USSR, China's Communist Revolution, and the relationship between capitalism, poverty and racism. * Critical Theory *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:With Du Bois's Marxist leanings in mind, Mullen's strategy is to reinterpret much of what is already known. As biography, the book is very well written, informative, and insightful. * Choice *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:While some scholars have tried to domesticate DuBois and confine his intellectual and political life within the boundaries of capitalist hegemony, DuBois was in fact a life-long revolutionary committed to socialism, Pan-Africanism and Black Liberation, a man who late in life - partly as a direct challenge to McCarthyism and the Cold War - joined the Communist Party, USA. Mullen's W.E.B. DuBois: Revolutionary Across The Color Line corrects the record, highlighting a side of DuBois many would like us to forget. It is a must read for anyone interested in the life and work of this pioneering Black revolutionary. * People's World *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:Examines the life of W. E. B. Du Bois and his relationship to key questions of the revolutionary left in the twentieth century, placing Du Bois within a framework of figures of the global left and demonstrating the centrality of radical internationalism to his life and thought. * Journal of Economic Literature *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:Mullen's illuminating biography is essential for understanding the political, personal, and intellectual challenges Du Bois faced in his lifetime search for a black revolutionary praxis. -- Mary Helen Washington, University of MarylandPraise for Haunted by Hitler:Vials's rehabilitation of the long-standing and abiding American antifascist tradition is a game-changer for those interested in the 'f word' (fascism) and for those who want to understand both liberal and left politics in the 'American Century. -- Doug Rossinow, author of Visions of Progress: The Left-Liberal Tradition in AmericaPraise for Haunted by Hitler:Vials's scholarship-its mix of secondary sources drawn from a wide array of contemporary and current scholars and archival and primary materials-produces a rich matrix that grounds the argument. This is a compelling read. -- Paula Rabinowitz, author of American Pulp: How Paperbacks Brought Modernism to Main StreetPraise for Haunted by Hitler:An involved study . . . Vials's exploration of Rod Serling's concern about right-wing extremism is worth the price of this volume and provides fascinating reflections about The Twilight Zone. Recommended. * Choice *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:Vials has much to offer. His sources are many and varied, ranging from interviews with some of those engaged in antifascist efforts in the earliest days to material culled from the electronic databases of American newspapers and the recent work of other scholars. He has insightful commentary and a cogent argument for recognizing the value of antifascists movements of the past eight decades and understanding their relevance today. * Yearbook of German American Studies *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:The governing idea for the author is that properly evaluating these troublesome political trends is essential to the ability to counter them effectively. In service of this project, he offers readers three crucial tools: clear definition, astute historical grounding, and perhaps most absorbing, and indexical view of a fascinating repository of left-liberal, antifascist scholarly and cultural articulations. * Against the Current *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:[An] impressive study of the history and vitality of antifascism, . . . clear and eminently readable. * Journal of American History *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:Haunted by Hitler is rich and exciting to read and leaves no doubt that a history of anti-fascism in America exists. * Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:Christopher Vials's impressively researched and politically important book is the first to argue that 'anti-fascism has . . . constituted a coherent body of cultural work in the United States'. * Science & Society *This is a crucial reader for our current political moment. It is a massive and rich archive, historicizing, theorizing, querying, and interrogating fascism in its many US varieties. This reader unearths and connects the anti-fascist responses in a plethora of sites-the Black Panthers and other anti-racist movements, LGBT pink triangle activists, and the Antifa. It will give you the knowledge to embolden yourself to resist and revolt. -- Zillah Eisenstein * Anti-Racist Feminist Activist, Ithaca College *This volume should be read by everyone who thinks they know what fascism is, and everyone who does not, for it provides a rich and indispensable set of materials to give depth and meaning to the word 'fascism', precisely when we need a comprehensive and varied archive to inform anti-fascist struggles. If you want to know what fascism has been and can be, read this book. We ignore it at our peril. -- David Palumbo-Liu, Stanford UniversitySerious about destroying fascism? Study the US Antifascism Reader. -- Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist HandbookExceptionally well organized and presented. -- Midwest Book Review
£18.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Starwatchers
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£9.49
Footnote Press Ltd Smart A History of Intelligence
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£17.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Palestine
Book SynopsisProfessor Nur Masalha is a Palestinian writer, historian and academic. He is currently a member of the Centre for Palestine Studies, SOAS, University of London. He is editor of the Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies. His books include: Expulsion of the Palestinians (1992); A Land Without a People (1997); The Politics of Denial (2003); The Bible and Zionism (Zed 2007); The Palestine Nakba (Zed 2012); and An Oral History of the Palestinian Nakba (with Nahla Abdo, Zed 2018).Trade ReviewNur Masalha has produced an impressive work that challenges those who are trying to erase the Palestinians from history. * International Socialism *The attention to detail, as well as the rigorous explanation is impeccable. Every reading, or re-reading, of this book, will provoke new contemplation. * Middle Eastern Monitor *A sharp, powerfully understated denunciation of Israel’s founding mythology. Masalha’s narratives provide ballast and backstory to the contemporary claims of the dispossessed. * Publishers’ Weekly *Masalha has done an extraordinary job, collating evidence from an abundance of rich sources, to give us a stunning narrative substantiating these identities. * Socialist Review *The most comprehensive English language history of Palestine to date. This book is a painstakingly researched and well-documented deconstruction of the myths too many Zionists and their western apologists have convinced the world to be factual history. * Counterpunch *Masalha has now admirably unearthed this forgotten Palestine. He settles securely and authoritatively into a narrative that commands respect and is not impaired by the passion behind it ... Masalha’s confidence that all will not be extinguished offers hope in the face of a still-uncertain future. He has written his history to encourage the survivors and to enlighten those who sympathise with them. He strives to keep alight the flame of Palestinian culture that, despite every attempt to snuff it out, still burns brightly in the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish and in the world he never left behind. * New York Times Review of Books *A work of broad and impressive scholarship. It fills a critical gap in our knowledge of Palestinian history and provides a long overdue corrective to traditional histories. * Ghada Karmi, author of Return: A Palestinian Memoir *This book by Nur Masalha is the fullest and richest text he has produced to date, bringing together his decades of work as a historian to produce a master narrative on Palestine. * Haim Bresheeth, SOAS, University of London *A significant contribution to the restoration of the history of ancient Palestine, written by a prolific indigenous historian of international repute. Brilliantly explicating the relationship between history and colonial ideology in Palestine, with this book Masalha puts Palestinian history back on track. * Hamdan Taha, archaeologist and former Deputy Minister for Tourism and Antiquities, Palestine *An amazing book, long overdue. A tour de force which demystifies the distortions and fabrications around Palestine and the people living in it. * Ilan Pappé, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine *A masterpiece of history writing. It serves to set the record straight, methodically and rigorously debunking the myth that Palestine is a new concept. * Mazin Qumsiyeh, Founder and Director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History *This erudite, comprehensive study of Palestine explodes many myths. Essential reading for a proper understanding of the efforts to deny the deep historical rootedness of this name, and of its indigenous people. * Rashid Khalidi, Columbia University *Masalha’s meticulous and multifaceted coverage of the history of Palestine from the late Bronze Age to modern times is essential reading for all who hope to understand its people’s irrepressible struggle against occupation and exile. * Rosemary Sayigh, author of The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Philistines and Philistia as a Distinct Geo-political Entity: Late Bronze Age to 500 BC 2. The Conception of Palestine in Classical Antiquity and During the Hellenistic Empires (500?135 BC) 3. From Philistia to Provincia ‘Syria Palaestina’ (135 AD?390 AD): The Administrative Province of Roman Palestine 4. The (Three in One) Provincia Palaestina: The Three Administrative Provinces of Byzantine Palestine (4th?Early 7th Centuries AD) 5. Arab Christian Palestine: The Pre-Islamic Arab Kings, Bishops and Poets and Tribes of Provincia Palaestina (3rd?Early 7th Centuries AD) 6. The Arab Province of Jund Filastin (638?1099 AD): Continuities, Adaption and Transformation of Palestine under Islam 7. Between Egypt and al-Sham: Palestine during the Ayyubid, Mamluk and Early Ottoman Periods 8. Palestinian Statehood in the 18th Century: Early Modernities and Practical Sovereignty in Palestine 9. Being Palestine, Becoming Palestine: Rediscovery and New Representations of Modern Palestine and their Impact on Palestinian National Identity 10. Settler-colonialism and Disinheriting the Palestinians: The Appropriation of Palestinian Place Names by the Israeli State
£10.99
Birlinn General Scottish Gaelic in Twelve Weeks: With Audio
Book SynopsisThis new 2023 edition includes an audio download link. Scottish Gaelic in Twelve Weeks has been written both as a self-tuition course for beginners and also for use within the classroom. You may want to learn Gaelic because of a general interest in Celtic or Scottish history and culture, or because it was the everyday language of your ancestors. The cynical observer may wonder if the exercise is worthwhile, when only 1.5 per cent of Scotland’s population speak the language. However, Gaelic is far from dead; in some parts of the Highlands and Western Isles it is the everyday language and it represents an important part of the United Kingdom’s cultural mix. There are Gaelic-learning classes in almost every area of Scotland. Each lesson in the book contains some essential points of grammar explained and illustrated, exercises, a list of new vocabulary (with a guide to pronunciation, using the International Phonetics Alphabet), and an item of conversation.
£13.49
Pan Macmillan Underdogs
Book SynopsisJoel Budd has written for the Economist magazine since 2003. He has covered topics as wide-ranging as crime, California, international development and demography, as well as writing many lead stories about Britain. Before joining the Economist he taught European history at New York University. He is a photographer, a baritone singer and an enthusiastic hiker, who is sadly not as young as he was. Underdogs is his first book.
£17.00
Penguin Books Ltd The Vikings
Book Synopsis
£13.68
Hachette Books Ireland Old Ways to New Days
£17.09
Granta Books How the World Eats
Book SynopsisHow we live is shaped by how we eat. You can see this in the vastly different approaches to growing, preparing and eating food around the world, such as the hunter-gatherer Hadza in Tanzania whose sustainable lifestyle is under threat in a crowded planet, or Western societies whose food is farmed or bred in vast intensive enterprises. And most of us now rely on a complex global food web of production, distribution, consumption and disposal, which is now contending with unprecedented challenges. The need for a better understanding of how we feed ourselves has never been more urgent. In this wide-ranging and definitive book, philosopher Julian Baggini expertly delves into the best and worst food practises in a huge array of different societies, past and present. His exploration takes him from cutting-edge technologies, such as new farming methods, cultured meat, GM and astronaut food, to the ethics and health of ultra processed food and aquaculture, as he takes a forensic look at the effectiveness of our food governance, the difficulties of food wastage and the effects of commodification. Extracting essential principles to guide how we eat in the future, How the World Eats advocates for a pluralistic, humane, resourceful and equitable global food philosophy, so we can build a food system fit for the twenty-first century and beyond.
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC A Short History of the World According to Sheep
Book Synopsis'This book deserves a place in your bookcase next to Harari's Sapiens. It's every bit as fascinating and is surely destined to be just as successful' Julian Norton From the plains of ancient Mesopotamia to the vast sheep farms of modern-day Australia, sheep have been central to the human story. Since our our Neolithic ancestors' first forays into sheep-rearing nearly 11,000 years ago, these remarkable animals have fed us, clothed us, changed our diet and language and financed the conquest of large swathes of the earth. Sally Coulthard weaves this fascinating story into a vivid and colourful tapestry of engaging anecdotes and extraordinary ovine facts, whose multiple strands celebrate just how pivotal these woolly animals are to almost every aspect of human society and culture. This title was published also in the United States under the title Follow the Flock. 'A snappy, stimulating book, and certainly not just for shepherds' Mail on Sunday 'Full of fascinating social history' Independent 'You won't look at a sheep in the same way again' Country LivingTrade ReviewSally Coulthard's story of how sheep shaped the human story is full of rich pickings... Full of fascinating social history' * Independent *Global in scope, with fascinating vignettes from the ancient world to the present day, this is anything but woolly * BBC History Magazine *A snappy, stimulating book, and certainly not just for shepherds * Mail on Sunday *Overflows with anecdotes and ovine facts with Coulthard showing how intrinsic sheep have been to human society and culture * This England *This book deserves a place in your bookcase next to Harari's Sapiens. It's every bit as fascinating and is surely destined to be just as successful -- Julian NortonI absolutely LOVE this... It's a perfect light-hearted informative history' -- Philippa SandallSally Coulthard weaves the rich and fascinating story of sheep into a vivid and colourful tapestry... Sally's book is threaded with engaging anecdotes and remarkable ovine facts' * Yorkshire Post *[An] intriguing book... You won't look at a sheep in the same way again' * Country Living *Love a sheep? Yorkshire writer Sally Coulthard has the ovis covered! * Yorkshire Life *You often see them on walks, but what do you really know about the woolly bleaters? Sally Coulthard reveals mind-boggling facts in her new book * Country Walking *The rich and fascinating story of the sheep, masterfully told. Such a splendid book * Waterstones *Over the course of some 300 pages, Sally Coulthard weaves the rich and fascinating story of sheep into a suitably colourful woollen tapestry' * Countryside *I've been listening to A Short History of the World According to Sheep... Light-hearted and fun, it is also fascinating and I feel like I have learnt so much' * Scottish Book Trust *Author Sally Coulthard stitches together fascinating tidbits, exploring the sheep's relationship to human civilization and culture * Spin Off *Coulthard's lively history celebrates the millennia-old relationship between humans and ovines from prehistoric times to The Yorkshire Shepherdess, and looks to a future in which sheep play a part in sustainable agriculture * Daily Mail *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Edible Economics
Book SynopsisRADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK Economic thinking - about globalisation, climate change, immigration, austerity, automation and much more - in its most digestible formFor decades, a single free market philosophy has dominated global economics. But this is bland and unhealthy - like British food in the 1980s, when bestselling author and economist Ha-Joon Chang first arrived in the UK from South Korea. Just as eating a wide range of cuisines contributes to a more interesting and balanced diet, so too is it essential we listen to a variety of economic perspectives.In Edible Economics, Chang makes challenging economic ideas more palatable by plating them alongside stories about food from around the world. He uses histories behind familiar food items - where they come from, how they are cooked and consumed, what they mean to different cultures - to explore economic theory. For Chang, chocolate is a life-long addiction, but more exciting are the insights it offers into post-industrial knowledge economies; and while okra makes Southern gumbo heart-meltingly smooth, it also speaks of capitalism''s entangled relationship with freedom and unfreedom. Explaining everything from the hidden cost of care work to the misleading language of the free market as he cooks dishes like anchovy and egg toast, Gambas al Ajillo and Korean dotori mook, Ha-Joon Chang serves up an easy-to-digest feast of bold ideas.Myth-busting, witty and thought-provoking, Edible Economics shows that getting to grips with the economy is like learning a recipe: if we understand it, we can change it - and, with it, the world.Trade ReviewExcellent... Chang has been working hard at providing an alternative to neoliberalism for two decades... Now he's reached the summit of the profession -- Dan Davies * Guardian *Chang has a rare gift for explaining complex ideas... whether he is dealing with food or economics, Chang is a delightful writer -- Bee Wilson * Sunday Times *The only book I've ever read that made me laugh, salivate and re-evaluate my thoughts about economics - all at the same time. A funny, profound and appetising volume -- Brian EnoA brilliant riposte to the myth that policymakers can survive on plain neoliberal fare. Edible Economics is a moveable feast of alternative economic ideas wrapped up in witty stories about food from around the world. Ha-Joon Chang proves yet again that he is one of the most exciting economists at work today -- Owen JonesA fascinating stew of food, history and economics -- Tim SpectorHa-Joon Chang has done it again. His prose delights and nourishes in equal measure. Somehow he manages to smuggle an urgent discussion of the relevance of economics to our daily lives into stories about food and cooking that are charming, funny and sweet (but never sour). In taking on the economic establishment, Chang is like a teddy bear savaging a rottweiler -- David PillingHa-Joon Chang blends culinary facts and economic expertise in this rollicking guide... Chang infuses the survey with food-related trivia, covers an impressive swatch of economics, and concludes with a call that readers scrutinize, think imaginatively, and be open-minded in their quest for economic knowledge * Publishers Weekly *
£10.44
Thames and Hudson Ltd Graveyards
Book SynopsisAn arresting and poignant cultural history of graveyards, from early burial sites to now. Why, how and where do we inter our dead? How do we set out to remember them? The Pyramids of Giza, the catacombs and columbaria of Rome and the cenotaphs erected to the world's war dead are but some of the answers. In inimitable style, Roger Luckhurst probes the often moving, sometimes contested ways in which people throughout history have responded to the problem' of laying the dead to rest. Blending history, art, literature and popular culture, Graveyards explores the various different aspects of the treatment of the dead. Chapters range from early burials and the emergence of necropolises and catacombs, to grave-robbing, garden cemeteries and the perilous overcrowding of the urban dead, to monuments for deceased heroes and rulers and the development of modern memorial culture. The products of our persistent fascination with graveyards are everywhere in literature, art, film and television, and Luckhurst engages these cultural afterlives alongside grave sites' particular social and historical contexts. Illustrations throughout offer insights into the rich and unusual visual culture of the grave: helpful guides and provisions for the afterlife, tender dedications, gravestones and effigies sit with memento mori paintings, artistic visions of the underworld and stills from classic horror. Beautifully designed and carefully researched, this book takes a lyrical, unexpected look at graveyards as both site and symbol.
£24.00
Guardian Faber Publishing Super Nintendo
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£17.00
St David's Press Arthur Gould: Rugby's First Superstar
Book SynopsisArthur Gould is the definitive biography of the record-breaking Welsh international player who is widely acknowledged as the first superstar of rugby. Such was his fame and renown, that upon his tragic, early death in 1919, aged just 54, Gould's funeral in Newport was reported as the biggest Wales had ever seen. Nicknamed 'Monkey' due to his childhood fondness for climbing trees, Gould played the majority of his club rugby for Newport RFC and won a then-record 27 Welsh caps; 25 of which were at centre (a record only bettered by Steve Fenwick in 1980); and captained his country 18 times (a record only beaten in 1994 by Ieuan Evans). A true sporting sensation, when he retired in 1899 Gould had played more first-class matches and scored more tries and drop goals than any other player. Gould's superstar status was illustrated late in his career when a testimonial appeal received widespread public support and resulted in the Scottish and Irish unions cancelling their fixtures with Wales in protest at the apparent breach of the game's strict amateur ethos. The controversy deepened when the Welsh Football Union (now the WRU) stood firmly behind their iconic player and withdrew from the International Rugby Board. Fearing that lucrative fixtures with Welsh clubs might be lost and that Wales might join forces with the newly established Northern Union of professional rugby, England's Rugby Football Union brokered a 'one-off' dispensation which enabled Gould to benefit from the testimonial while retaining his amateur status, and ensured that international fixtures were resumed. Comprehensively researched and written by acclaimed rugby historian, Gwyn Prescott, with the full support and encouragement of the Gould family, Arthur Gould - Rugby's First Superstar includes over 100 illustrations and will be enjoyed by all who love rugby and treasure its sporting and cultural heritage.Trade Review'We may never have seen him play but there is no doubt that those who did regarded Arthur Gould as one of the greatest sportsmen ever to wear the red shirt of Wales. His fame extended beyond the rugby field too and it is no exaggeration to describe him as the game's first superstar. This book is a fitting tribute to Gould. Intelligent, lively and intriguing, it matches its subject in its verve. Prescott's research is meticulous and he has done Gould and the histories of rugby and Wales itself proud.' Prof Martin Johnes; 'In vividly chronicling the life of rugby's first superstar, Gwyn Prescott has combined impeccable scholarship with an assured readability to produce a terrific book that enthrallingly evokes the world in which Welsh rugby union grew from infancy towards international importance and produced, in Arthur Gould's Newport, its first great club.' Huw Richards; 'The Gould family are delighted that the complete and definitive story of Arthur's colourful life and illustrious rugby career has at last been written, and in such a brilliant manner by Gwyn Prescott.' Gareth Harvey (Great-Great-Nephew of Arthur Gould)Table of ContentsIntroduction: "Arthur Gould Stands Alone" 1. A Sequence of Chance Events 2. Bob Leads the Way 3. "Monk" Breaks Through 4. History at Crown Flatt 5. Back in the "War Paint" 6. "Newport's Football King" 7. A Testimonial for a Football Prodigy 8. The Testimonial Comes Home 9. Extra Time Afterword Gould Brothers' International Matches & Scoring Record Bibliography Index
£16.19
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Radium Girls
Book SynopsisEmma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf book club choiceNew York Times bestseller ‘Fascinating’ Sunday Times ‘Thrilling’ ★★★★★ Mail on SundayAll they wanted was the chance to shine. Be careful what you wish for…‘The first thing we asked was, “Does this stuff hurt you?” And they said, “No.” The company said that it wasn’t dangerous, that we didn’t need to be afraid.’ As the First World War spread across the world, young American women flocked to work in factories, painting clocks, watches and military dials with a special luminous substance made from radium. It was a fun job, lucrative and glamorous – the girls shone brightly in the dark, covered head to toe in dust from the paint. However, as the years passed, the women began to suffer from myTrade Review'Kate Moore’s new book will move, shock and anger you.' * The Big Issue *‘This fascinating social history – one that significantly reflects on the class and gender of those involved – [is] Catherine Cookson meets Mad Men . . . The importance of the brave and blighted dial-painters cannot be overstated.’ * Sunday Times *‘Thrilling and carefully crafted.’ * Mail on Sunday *‘Heartfelt.’ * Sunday Telegraph *‘Kate Moore . . . writes with a sense of drama that carries one through the serpentine twists and turns of this tragic but ultimately uplifting story.’ * The Spectator *‘Fascinating yet tragic.’ * The Sun *‘Heartbreaking . . . what this book illustrates brilliantly is that battling for justice against big corporations isn’t easy.’ * BBC Radio 4, Woman’s Hour *‘A perfect blend of the historical, the scientific and the personal, this richly detailed book sheds a whole new light on this unique element and the role it played in changing workers’ rights. The Radium Girls makes it impossible for you to ignore these women’s incredible stories, and proves why now, more than ever, we can’t afford to ignore science, either.’ * Bustle *‘Carefully researched, the work will stun readers with its descriptions of the glittering artisans who, oblivious to health dangers, twirled camel-hair brushes to fine points using their mouths.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Moore’s harrowing but humane story describes the struggle of a few brave women who took their case to court in a fight for justice that is still resonant today.’ * Saga *‘Kate Moore’s The Radium Girls tells the story of a cohort of women who made history by entering the workforce at the dawn of a new scientific era . . . Moore sheds new light on a dark chapter in American labour history; the radium girls . . . live again in her telling.’ -- Megan Marshall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author‘Kate Moore’s gripping narrative about the betrayal of the radium girls – gracefully told and exhaustively researched – makes this a non-fiction classic. Moore’s compassion for her subjects and her story-telling prowess . . . bring alive a shameful era in America’s industrial history.’ -- Rinker Buck, author of The Oregon Trail
£9.49
Scribe Publications Pty Ltd Baltic Souls
Book Synopsis
£15.29
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Haves and HaveYachts
Book Synopsis
£20.00
Headline Publishing Group A Tomb With a View The Stories Glories of
Book Synopsis**WINNER OF THE SCOTTISH NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021****A FINANCIAL TIMES, I PAPER AND STYLIST BOOK OF THE YEAR**''In his absorbing book about the lost and the gone, Peter Ross takes us from Flanders Fields to Milltown to Kensal Green, to melancholy islands and surprisingly lively ossuaries . . . a considered and moving book on the timely subject of how the dead are remembered, and how they go on working below the surface of our lives.'' - Hilary Mantel''Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject. He has written a delightful book.'' - The Guardian''The pages burst with life and anecdote while also examining our relationship with remembrance.'' - Financial Times (best travel books of 2020)''Among the year''s most surprising sleeper successes is A Tomb with a View. In a year witTrade ReviewAbsorbing . . . considered and moving. * Hilary Mantel *Fascinating . . . Ross makes a likeably idiosyncratic guide and one finishes the book feeling strangely optimistic about the inevitable. * The Observer *The pages burst with life and anecdote while also examining our relationship with remembrance. * Financial Times *Among the year's most surprising "sleeper" successes is A Tomb with a View, Peter Ross's critically acclaimed ode to "the stories and glories of graveyards". In a year with so much death, it may have initially seemed a hard sell, but the author's humanity has instead acted as a beacon of light in the darkness. * The Sunday Times *Never has a book about death been so full of life. James Joyce and Charles Dickens would've loved it - a book that reveals much gravity in the humour and many stories in the graveyard. It also reveals Peter Ross to be among the best non-fiction writers in the country. * Andrew O'Hagan *I have nothing but admiration for his way to winkle out a story from the living as well as paying homage to the dead. * The Scotsman *Ross has written [a] lively elegy to Britain's best burial grounds. * Evening Standard *A brilliant buy * Stylist *A startling, delight-filled tour of graveyards and the people who love them, dazzlingly told. * Denise Mina *Beautifully written and strangely life affirming. * Norman Blake, Teenage Fanclub *A walk through the graveyards of Britain guided by one of the most engaging wordsmiths willing to take you by the hand. * The Big Issue *It is not too fanciful to talk of the soul of A Tomb With A View. It is replete with stories but it echoes with something profound. * The Herald *Scottish journalist Ross's meander around graveyards raises profound questions about the way in which we mourn * I News - Christmas Gift Guide 2020 *Peter Ross makes a fine contribution to the library of books about "being planted". . . I have nothing but admiration for his way to winkle out a story from the living as well as paying homage to the dead * The Scotsman’s Scottish Books of the Year *Everyday humanity, an acknowledgement of how life continues in the presence of the dead. . . is writ large in A Tomb with a View, in Ross's encounters with tour guides, local historians, a gardener, a stonecutter, even a recent widow. * Prospect *Ross's book is an engaging ramble among the gravestones and burial plots of Britain and Ireland * Irish Examiner *I'm a card-carrying admirer of Peter Ross. * Robert Macfarlane *His stories are always a joy. * Ian Rankin *An evocative and uplifting exploration of cemeteries, where every headstone has a story to tell. . . Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject. He has written a delightful book. * The Guardian Book of The Day *Ross' development into a sensitive and empathetic observer of social ritual has culminated in this treasure * The Big Issue *A phenomenal, lyrical, beautiful book * Frank Turner *A startling, delight-filled tour of graveyards and the people who love them, dazzlingly told. * Denise Mina *[a] celebration of life and of love. It confronts our universal fate but tends towards a comforting embrace of mortality. It is also imbued with something deeply moving. * The Herald *
£10.44
Cornerstone The Gods of New York
Book SynopsisJonathan Mahler is a longtime staff writer for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the best-selling Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, which was adapted as an ESPN mini-series, and The Challenge, a New York Times Notable Book. His journalism has been featured in The Best American Sports Writing, and has received numerous awards. He lives in Brooklyn.
£21.25
Unbound Carpe Diem Regained: The Vanishing Art of Seizing
Book SynopsisExistentialism is backCarpe diem – ‘seize the day’ – is one of the oldest pieces of life advice in Western history. But its true spirit has been hijacked by ad men and self-help gurus, reduced to the instant hit of one-click online shopping, or slogans like ‘live in the now’. We need to reclaim it to make sense of our complex, confusing times.The last great expression of carpe diem was in the electrifying existential philosophy of the 1940s. Today it’s an idea that challenges us to confront our mortality and live with greater passion and intention rather than scroll mindlessly on our phones or allow freedom to become a mere choice between brands. In Carpe Diem Regained,Roman Krznaric reinvents existentialism for our age of information and choice overload. An essential and empowering work of contemporary philosophy, the book unveils the surprising ways of seizing the day that humankind has discovered over the centuries, ones we urgently need to revive.Carpe diem is the Nexistentialism for our times.Trade Review"I’ve started reading Roman Krznaric’s Carpe Diem Regained: The Vanishing Art of Seizing the Day – and it’s brilliant. One of those rare books that forces you to ask what the hell you’re doing with your life." -- George Monbiot * Guardian *"I have always been inspired by carpe diem so I'm delighted to have your book." -- Dame Judi Dench"With more than ever distracting us, it’s an insightful guide to staying foc – er, what did you want?" -- Best Books for Summer * Forbes *"A rather wonderful new book is trying to seize back the noble art of day-seizing." -- Viv Groskop * The Pool *"As always Roman takes a unique look at the world we’ve created. Insightful and thought provoking." -- Tim Lovejoy
£8.54
Faber & Faber The Log Books
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£17.00
Ebury Publishing Vertigo
Book SynopsisHarald Jähner (Author) Harald Jähner is a cultural journalist and former editor of the Berliner Zeitung. He was also an honorary professor of cultural journalism at the Berlin University of the Arts. His book Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich was shortlisted for the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in the UK and won the Leipzig Book Fair Prize for Non-Fiction in his native Germany.Shaun Whiteside (Translator) Shaun Whiteside is an award-winning translator from French, German, Italian and Dutch. His most recent translations from German include Aftermath by Harald Jähner, To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann, Swansong 1945 by Walter Kempowski, Berlin Finale by Heinz Rein and The Broken House by Horst Krüger.
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd How to be a Victorian
Book SynopsisTRAVEL BACK IN TIME WITH THE BBC''S RUTH GOODMANWe know what life was like for Victoria and Albert. But what was it like for a commoner - like you or me?How did it feel to cook with coal and wash with tea leaves? Drink beer for breakfast and clean your teeth with cuttlefish? Catch the omnibus to work and do the laundry in your corset?How to be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman is a radical new approach to history; a journey back in time more personal than anything before. Moving through the rhythm of the day, this astonishing guide illuminates the overlapping worlds of health, sex, fashion, food, school, work and play. Surviving everyday life came down to the gritty details, the small necessities and tricks of living and Ruth will show you how.If you liked A Time Traveller''s Guide to Medieval England or 1000 Years of Annoying the French, you will love this book.*****''Goodman skilfully creates a portrait of daily Victorian life with accessible, compelling, and deeply sensory prose'' Erin Entrada Kelly''We''re lucky to have such a knowledgeable cicerone as Ruth Goodman . . . Revelatory'' Alexandra Kimball''Goodman''s research is impeccable . . . taking the reader through an average day and presenting the oddities of life without condescension'' Patricia HagenTrade ReviewWritten with such passion that one cannot help but be carried along . . . Will fascinate and inform anyone who is in any way interested in Victorian ways of life -- Dr Ian Mortimer, author of 'The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England'A delightful read . . . allows us to see how the Victorians lived from day to day. A triumph -- Judith Flanders, author of 'The Victorian City'Shocking, exciting, wonderful -- Clive Anderson * BBC Radio 4 *Written with such passion that one cannot help but be carried along . . . Will fascinate and inform anyone who is in any way interested in Victorian ways of life -- Dr Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval EnglandA delightful read . . . allows us to see how the Victorians lived from day to day. A triumph -- Judith Flanders, author of The Victorian CityShocking, exciting, wonderful -- Clive Anderson * BBC Radio 4 *I absolutely love this book. Exuberant, absorbing ... there's scarcely a detail of Victorian life Ruth has not tried -- A N Wilson * Mail on Sunday *Ruth - a woman who possesses so much elbow grease that she could probably can the overflow to sell on the side * Independent *Goodman's enthusiasm for history is as palpable as her contempt for misty-eyed interpretations of it * Telegraph *Beetonian, compendious * Guardian *Highly readable, often amusing and sometimes shocking, this is popular history at its best * BBC Who Do You Think You Are magazine *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd A Short History of Drunkenness
Book SynopsisTHE PERFECT GIFT FOR ANYONE WHO ENJOYS A TIPPLE . . . OR TWO . . . OR TEN! Almost every culture on earth has drink, and where there''s drink there''s drunkenness. But in every age and in every place drunkenness is a little bit different. Tracing humankind''s love affair with booze from our primate ancestors through to Prohibition, it answers every possible question:What did people drink? How much? Who did the drinking? Of the many possible reasons, why? On the way, learn about the Neolithic Shamans, who drank to communicate with the spirit world (no pun intended), marvel at how Greeks got giddy and Romans got rat-arsed, and find out how bars in the Wild West were never like the movies.This is a history of the world at its inebriated best.''This book is a laugh riot. I mean the way the author has presented it is hilarious and to the point'' Goodreads Reviewer ''Highly entertaining. Cheers! Bottoms up! Good health!'' Goodreads Reviewer''It can make a good gift for someone with a sense of humour and appreciation for the magical powers of alcohol'' Goodreads ReviewerTrade ReviewMy favourite book of this and possibly any other Christmas is Mark Forsyth's A Short History of Drunkenness -- Marcus Berkmann * The Spectator *Forsyth's jokes are snappy and well delivered. Unlike most comical writers he never falls into the trap of confusing long-windedness with irony -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Haha! . . . Highly suitable for Xmas! -- Margaret AtwoodThis entertaining study of drunkenness makes for a racy sprint through human history -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *A brisk and brilliant romp through our hiccoughing history, drenched with wit. Bloody marvellous from first sip to last burp -- Jason Hazeley, co-author of the Ladybird series (including 'The Ladybird Book of the Quiet Night In' and 'The Ladybird Book of the Hangover'Reading like a TED talk delivered by a stand-up comedian, this made me laugh out loud more than my first ever night out on absinthe. As essential as a hip flask or a pack of pork scratchings for any true connoisseur of booze. A Short History of Drunkenness is this year's Châteauneuf-du-Pape of Christmas books, no less. Bloody entertaining. -- Emlyn Rees, author of 'The Very Hungover Caterpillar' and 'We're Going on a Bar Hunt'Sometimes you see a book title that simply gladdens the heart. Everyone I showed this book to either smiled broadly or laughed out loud . . . This is a book of some brilliance - probably best consumed with a restorative glass of something by your side. -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail *As Mark Forsyth brilliantly shows, civilisation is built on booze. Egypt (beer), Greece and Rome (wine) depended on alcohol to create their mighty works. Where man drinks, he prospers, and vice versa. A toast to this spirits-fuelled spirits-lifter. Staggering! -- Harry Mount, editor of The OldieI thought I knew quite a bit about drinking but A Short History of Drunkenness made me look at inebriation anew. Each chapter amazed, challenged and stimulated me so much that I needed a stiff drink at the end of it. -- Henry Jeffreys, author of Empire of BoozeWith a great eye for a story and a counterintuitive argument, Mark Forsyth has enormous fun breezing through 10,000 years of alcoholic history in a little more than 250 pages. -- Henry Jeffreys * The Guardian *Well researched and recounted with excellent humour, Forsyth's alcohol-ridden tale is sure to reduce anyone to a stupor of amazement. -- William Hartson * Daily Express *This charming book proved so engrossing that while reading it I accidentally drank two bottles of wine without realising. -- Rob Temple, author of Very British ProblemsEverything we ever thought about Christmas is wrong! Great stuff -- Matthew Parris on 'A Christmas Cornucopia'Mark Forsyth wears his considerable knowledge lightly. He also writes beautifully -- David Marsh, on 'The Elements of Eloquence' * Guardian *This year's must-have stocking filler ... the essential addition to the library in the smallest room is Mark Forsyth's The Etymologicon -- Ian Sansom * Guardian *Mark imparts knowledge about Christmas traditions from the essential to the (very) abstruse in wry and sardonic style. An effortless and enjoyable way to learn more about this fulcrum of our calendar -- Paul Smiddy, Former Head of pan-European retail research, HSBC, on 'A Christmas Cornucopia'With his casual elegance and melodious voice, Mark Forsyth has an anachronistic charm totally at odds with the 21st century * Sunday Times South Africa on'The Horologicon' *[The Etymologicon is] a perfect bit of stocking filler for the bookish member of the family, or just a cracking all-year-round-read. Highly recommended * The Spectator *A treat for the connoisseur who enjoys a robust anecdote from the past with his drink -- Sumit Chakrabarti * The Telegraph, India *As good as promised - could have been thrice as long -- Ben Schott, on 'The Elements of Eloquence'
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group POWER AND THE PALACE
Book SynopsisWhen Sir Keir Starmer visited Donald Trump in the White House and produced a letter from King Charles inviting the president for a second state visit, it was a gesture that spoke volumes about the continuing importance of the monarchy for Britain''s international relations. It was also a vivid illustration of the relationship between Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street.Power and the Palace lifts the lid on the mysterious power dynamic at the heart of the British state: the secretive and little understood relationship between the monarchy and the government. In vivid, page-turning prose, Valentine Low examines the extraordinary political life of Queen Victoria, who exerted her will in a way that no monarch has done since, the effect that had on her son Edward VII, and the turbulent and fascinating political times of George V. We are taken behind the scenes of the wartime meetings between George VI and Winston Churchill (the origin of the weekly audience) and discover how Elizabeth II played a crucial role in modernising - and saving - the monarchy.At the heart of the book are the famous meetings between sovereign and prime minister. Low shows how, from Victoria and Benjamin Disraeli to Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher, personal chemistry proved just as important as the constitutional relationship.Based on nearly 100 interviews with senior politicians, top civil servants, royal aides and constitutional experts, Power and the Palace rewrites our understanding of the political power of the monarchy.
£21.25
Little, Brown Book Group The Handbook of Historical Drinking Games
£15.29
Wilton Square Books Where Are the Fellows Who Cut the Hay
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£10.44
John Murray Press The Stonemason
Book SynopsisA stonemason''s story of the building of Britain: part archaeological history, part deeply personal insight into an ancient craft. In his thirty-year career, stonemason Andrew Ziminski has worked on many of our greatest monuments. From Neolithic monoliths to Roman baths and temples, from the tower of Salisbury Cathedral to the engine houses, mills and aqueducts of the Industrial Revolution and beyond, The Stonemason is his very personal history of how Britain was built - from the inside out. Stone by different stone, culture by different culture, Andrew Ziminski (with his faithful whippet in tow) takes us on an unforgettable journey by river, road and sea through our countryside showing how the making of Britain''s buildings offers an unexpected and new version of our island story.''My school history lessons were focused around flat pages of facts, events and royal personalities, but for me it was the material aspects of the past, the tangible remnaTrade ReviewThe author is a beguiling companion to the very bones of the Wessex landscape . . . I hope he has plenty left from his notebooks for another volume * Sunday Telegraph *In attempting to reconnect us to this continuous narrative of English history and architecture, Ziminski is undertaking something more profound than the charm of this delightful book first suggests. Delicate as the threads that tie us to the past can seem, thanks to work like Ziminski's, both as mason and as author, we can hope they will remain unbroken * Daily Telegraph *Andrew Ziminski is the man who rebuilt the West Country. For 30 years, this skilled stonemason has renovated some of Britain's greatest buildings . . . The author skilfully explains the history of these stones and - this is what makes his book so entertaining - relates them to jobs he has done . . . Ziminski is one of those lucky souls with rural X-ray spectacles. He looks at the countryside and sees a series of historical slides going back over several millennia . . . Ziminski has a wonderful way of describing the look and feel of stone . . . What a magician! * The Spectator *The author's eagerness to experience the past physically sets him apart from drier academic historians . . . Ziminski's writing is vividly evocative and craftsmanlike . . . it's a fascinating book and a wise one * Daily Mail *Like nurses, masons must know in detail about the lives of the buildings they care for. This intimate knowledge has given Andrew Ziminski unique insights into some of England's oldest and most beautiful structures. But this book is as much about people as mortar and stone. It's a conversation with the past, from which I learnt so much. My book of the year! * Francis Pryor, Time Team archaeologist and author of THE MAKING OF THE BRITISH LANDSCAPE *Thoughtful, observant and well-informed, as much at ease with words and emotions as with the stone he works with * History Today *A wonderful behind-the-scenes history, where time works on a different scale and stone is a living, breathing entity . . . by a master craftsman whose expertise connects him to the generations that came before him * BBC Countryfile Magazine *There are few reading pleasures that compare with a passionate expert describing their work, and Ziminski stands proudly in this field . . . Remarkable . . . Ziminski weaves together architecture, craft, landscape, archaeology and natural history, all the time keeping a sharp eye on modern everyday life around him * Literary Review *Most of us won't be jetting off to foreign adventures in the next few weeks, so there has probably never been a better time to discover or rediscover this magical land * The Times *This is a compelling book: part travel journal - paddling along misty streams in the South-West by canoe - part builder's manual - you learn about formwork and lateral thrust - and part hymn to the art of sustaining stone structures over centuries . . . it is rooted in the making of England and is a magical read * Evening Standard *[A] surrogate travel book, part memoir, part history, in which Andrew Ziminski describes his career as an itinerant craftsman. Refreshingly, he too recognizes how Eastern skills and styles arrived in Europe * Times Literary Supplement *In this delightful book about the places he's worked (from Wells Cathedral to Bath's Roman ruins) [Ziminski] reconnects us to our past * Daily Telegraph *Lyrical as much as it is factual and quickly grips the reader * The Langport Leveller *Enthralling . . . Along with riveting personal insights into this ancient craft, he immerses us in the past lives of the long-forgotten everyday craftspeople whose legacy is the buildings we so treasure today * Bookseller *
£10.44
Canongate Books Feeding the Machine
Book SynopsisFeeding the Machine examines the latest global technology through the eyes of the people who produce it: this is the story of the army of underpaid and exploited workers powering artificial intelligence
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS
Book SynopsisThe most engaging, surprising and revealing look at the Beatles story you'll read.Everyone knows a Beatles tune. But their story goes beyond the omnipresent songs and iconic albums. Theirs is a tale that has become one of the core stories we tell about ourselves as a nation. The Beatles narrative has both shaped and reflected the country we live in today. Four lads from Liverpool have taken a seat alongside Shakespeare as one of our key cultural exports to the world, a world they changed and re-made in their own image in a blaze of creativity. But these four distinct personalities changed the world not in isolation but with more than a little help from their friends.Like all the best stories there's an incredible supporting cast, and all the most compelling elements of the great dramas: ambition, power, triumph, disaster, heartbreak, tragedy, drama, intrigue, lustand of course, love.Split into 3 sections, Before The Beatles, With the Beatles and Beyond the Beatles, bestselling writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie tells the epic tale of the people who made the band who made Britain, and along the way adds his own experiences, encounters and conversations that show the Beatles like you've never seen them before.
£17.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Granite Kingdom
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year Award 2024Tim Hannigan undertakes an epic eastwest journey on foot through his own homeland, from the woodlands of the Tamar Valley to the remote western region of Penwith. As he walks, he explores how the Cornwall of the popular imagination has been constructed by writers, artists and others, and how myths, projections and tropes intersect with the real Cornwall its landscapes, histories, communities and sense of self.A richly informative tour of one of the most popular regions of Britain, The Granite Kingdom can be read as an evocative travelogue, a celebration of Cornwall's landscapes, a fascinating account of its history and cultural significance, and an unflinching exploration of uneasy questions about regional identity.
£10.44
