Social and cultural history Books

Book SynopsisMinimal Motoring is a selective history of both the cyclecar and microcar, accompanied by period photographs, advertisements and artwork.

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Book SynopsisThe thought-provoking and compelling story of Oswald Grey, the last man to be hanged in Birmingham's Winson Green prison.

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Book SynopsisHow can we study the impact of rules on the lives of past people using archaeological evidence? To answer this question, Archaeologies of Rules and Regulation presents case studies drawn from across Europe and the United States. Covering areas as diverse as the use of space in a nineteenth-century U.S. Army camp, the deposition of waste in medieval towns, the experiences of Swedish migrants to North America, the relationship between people and animals in Anglo-Saxon England, these case studies explore the use of archaeological evidence in understanding the relationship between rules, lived experience, and social identity.

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive study of every aspect of chivalry and chivalric culture. Chivalry lay at the heart of elite society in the Middle Ages, but it is a nebulous concept which defies an easy definition. More than just a code of ethical behaviour, it shaped literary tastes, art and manners, as well as social hierarchies, political events and religious practices; its impact is everywhere. This work aims to provide an accessible and holistic survey of the subject. Its chapters, by leading experts in the field, cover a wide range of areas: the tournament, arms and armour, the chivalric society's organisation in peace and war, its literature and its landscape. They also consider the gendered nature of chivalry, its propensity for violence, and its post-medieval decline and reinvention in the early modern and modern periods. It will be invaluable to the student and the scholar of chivalry alike. ROBERT W. JONES is a Visiting Scholar in History, Franklin and Marshall College; PETER COSS is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, Cardiff University Contributors: Richard Barber, Joanna Bellis, Matthew Bennett, Sam Claussen, Peter Coss, Oliver Creighton, David Green, Robert W. Jones, Megan G. Leitch, Ralph Moffat, Helen J. Nicholson, Clare Simmons, David Simpkin, Peter Sposato, Louise J. Wilkinson, Matthew WoodcockTrade ReviewA Companion to Chivalry is an elegant, well-considered volume that is of interest to both students and specialists, [...] it is a must-have for university libraries. * NOTTINGHAM MEDIEVAL STUDIES *A Companion to Chivalry provides a masterful summary of half a century of scholarship on medieval chivalry, and will undoubtedly prove a useful reference point for graduate students, whilst clarifying for specialists the current state of the existing scholarship, as well as new avenues worth exploring in the future. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *Overall this is a superb collection, a suitable companion to Keen's 1984 masterpiece, Chivalry. It usefully updates and expands Keen's work, highlighting subsequent scholarship and serving as a roadmap for students and scholars interested in chivalric ideas. * H-NET *En conclusion, A Companion to Chivalry - qui aurait pu s'intituler A Companion to Chivalries, compte tenu de la multiplicité des démarches - remplit sa mission. Cet ouvrage trouvera sa place entre les mains des étudiants comme des spécialistes, d'autant plus que l'objet-livre lui-même, en couleurs sur papier glacé, est d'une facture admirable. * SOCIAL HISTORY / HISTOIRE SOCIALE *Table of ContentsIntroduction - Robert W. Jones The Origins and Diffusion of Chivalry - Peter Coss The Organisation of Chivalric Society - David Simpkin The Secular Orders: Chivalry in the Service of the State - David Green The Military Orders - Helen J. Nicholson Marshalling the Chivalric Elite for War - Robert W. Jones Chivalric Violence - Samuel A. Claussen and Peter Sposato Chivalry in the Tournament and Pas d'Armes - Richard Barber Heraldry and Heralds - Robert W. Jones Arms and Armour - Ralph Moffat Constructing Chivalric Landscapes: Aristocratic Spaces Between Image and Reality - Oliver H. Creighton Gendered Chivalry - Louise J. Wilkinson Chivalric Literature - Joanna Bellis and Megan G. Leitch Manuals of Warfare and Chivalry - Matthew Bennett The End of Chivalry? Survivals and Revivals of the Tudor Age - Matthew Woodcock Chivalric Medievalism - Clare A Simmons Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe reason for the huge commercial success of Sinclair McKay's The Secret Life of Bletchley Park was simple: for the first time it told the stories of the ordinary people (mostly women), who worked there, and what it was like. Sworn to secrecy, they never divulged their remarkable wartime service for decades. But what did they go on to achieve after the war? And what about those who did become household names, but whose Bletchley Park years remain unknown? Now Sinclair McKay tells the stories of a hundred such people, and the often equally extraordinary lives they went on to. Here are dozens of unsung heroes, who certainly made their mark after the war as well as during its finest hour: people like Home Secretary Roy Jenkins, or novelist Angus Wilson; or Jane Fawcett, a trained ballerina who went on to co-found the Victorian Society and save St Pancras Station; or James Bernard, a protege of Benjamin Britten who wrote all the music for the Dracula films; or Joan Clarke, Alan Turing's girlfriend, who became a senior codebreaker herself at GCHQ.Trade Review'Most codebreakers' families were unaware of their relatives' crucial work. This book does a great service in revealing the lives of 100 of them', Kate Green, Country Life; 'A great idea for a book', Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC Technology Correspondent and author of Always On

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Book SynopsisGaining insight into our deeper selves through the use of divination tools to help decide future actions has preoccupied mankind since ancient times. In Europe, cards which became known as Tarot have been used to map the soul and predict the future since the 16th century. The 78 cards in the Tarot deck each has its own imagery, symbolism and story. This beautiful hand-bound edition showcases each card from the Rider-Waite set, the one most commonly used by Tarot readers. Practitioners believe that the 22 Major Arcana cards represent life’s karmic and spiritual lessons, and the 56 Minor Arcana cards reflect the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Tarot offers an elegantly presented, concise guide to the 78 cards, from number 0 The Fool – who represents unlimited potential, through The Hermit – who represents a break from everyday life, to number 21 The World – which indicates a sense of wholeness, completion and fulfilment.Table of ContentsIntroduction ------- The standard modern tarot deck is based on the Venetian or the Piedmontese tarot. It consists of 78 cards divided into two groups: the major arcana, which has 22 cards, also known as trumps, and the minor arcana, which has 56 cards. The Rider-Waite card set featured was first issued in 1909 and is the most commonly-used set by readers worldwide. Major Arcana cards 0 The Fool 1 The Magician 2 The High Priestess 3 The Empress 4 The Emperor 5 The Hierophant 6 The Lovers 7 The Chariot 8 Strength 9 The Hermit 10 Wheel of Fortune 11 Justice 12 The Hanged Man 13 Death 14 Temperance 15 The Devil 16 The Tower 17 The Star 18 The Moon 19 The Sun 20 Judgement 21 The World Minor Arcana cards There are four different card suits that make up the Minor Arcana: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Every one of these suits contains 14 cards: 10 numbered cards, and four cards called "court cards" that include the Page, Knight, Queen, and King.

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Book SynopsisIn Catholicism, sainthood is the highest state of holiness for any soul in Heaven. There are more than 10,000 saints that have been canonized by the Catholic Church – some were exemplary models, others extraordinary teachers, while some worked miracles or changed the lives of millions through their guidance and good works. Arranged in chronological order, the book covers all the major saints, from St Paul, the Apostle who did most to spread Christianity following the death of Christ, and established Christian communities in Asia Minor – to Pope John Paul II, famous for being a peacemaker and providing spiritual inspiration during the fall of communism. In between, this compact volume covers well-known historical figures such as Joan of Arc, who defended the honour of France in the Medieval era, the philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, and lesser-known saints such as Zita, the 13th century patron saint of maids and domestic servants. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding and with 150 illustrations and artworks of saints from every part of the world, this book will fascinate anyone interested in inspiring – and often very human – religious figures from Biblical times to the present.Table of ContentsContents:BC St. Raphael the archangel (2/3rd century BC) St Mary the Blessed Virgin (18 BC) St Joseph (1st century BC) St. Joachim (75 BC) St. Anne (49 BC) St. Gabriel, the Archangel Anna the Prophetess (1st century) St. Elizabeth (biblical – 1st century BC)1st Century AD The Holy Innocents (contemporaries of Christ) St. Mary Magdalene St Philip (1st century AD) St Bartholomew (1st century) St Matthew (1st century) St Thomas (1st century) St James the Less (1st century) St Jude (1st century) St Simon (1st century) St Matthias (1st century) St James the Great (1st century) Luke the Evangelist (1 AD-16 AD) St. John the Baptist (1st century) St. Paul (5 AD) St. Peter (30/64 AD) St. Stephen (5 AD) St. Andrew the Apostle (5 AD) St John the Apostle (6 AD) St. Mark (12 AD) St Veronica (1st Century)AD 100-400 St. Felicitas of Rome (101 AD) St. Apollonia (2nd Century) St. Michael the Archangel (2nd/3rd century) St. Valentine (3rd Century) St. Christopher (3rd Century) St. Catherine of Alexandria (4th century) St. Julian the Hospitaller (4th Century) St. Lawrence (3rd century) St. Denis of Paris (3rd Century) St. Augustine of Hippo (354 AD) St. Agatha (231 AD) St Cyprian (210) St. Blaise (276) St. Lucy (3rd/4th century) St. Monica (332 AD) St. Sebastian (255 AD) St. Philomena (291 AD) St. Agnes (291 AD) St. Victor and Corona (170 AD) Sts Andronicus, Probus, and Tarachus (239AD) St Helena (246/248 AD) St. Basil the Great (330) St. Nicholas (270 AD) St. Anastasia (281 AD) St Devota (d. 303) St Martin of Tours (316) St. Ambrose (339AD) St. George (303 AD) St. Fortunatus of Spoleto (400 AD) St. Patrick (5th century)AD 400-1000 St. Leo the Great (400) St. Alexis of Rome (c.400 AD) St. Brigid of Ireland (451) St. Genevieve (419 AD) St. Benedict (480) St. Columba (521 AD) St. Gobnait (6th century) St. Emma (975 AD) St. Chrodegang (712 AD) St. Alena (640 AD) St. Scholastica (480) St. Florentina of Cartagena (612 AD) St. Wilibald (700 AD) St. Adelaide (931) St Gertrude of Nivelles (628 AD) St. Virgil of Salzburg (700) St. Paulinus II of Aquileia (726) St. Hunna St Theophanes the Confessor (c. 758/760) Sts. Cyril and Methodius (826 and 815) St Ansgar (801) St. Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor St. Edward Pope Saint Gregory the Great (540) St. Wenceslaus (907 AD)**AD 1000-1500 ** St. Edward St. Lidwina (1380) St Joan of Arc (1412) St Catherine of Siena (1347) St. Hedwig (1174) St. Francis of Assisi (1181) St. Anthony of Padua (1195) St. Rita (1381) St. Veronica of Milan (1445) St. Casimir (1458) St. Clare of Assisi (1194) St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207) St. Thomas Aquinas (1225) St. Gertrude the Great (1256) St. Roch (1295) St. Bridget of Sweden (1303) St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090) St. John of God (1495) St. Zita (1212) St. Peregrine Laziosi (1260) St. Colette (1381) St. Margaret of Scotland (1045) St. Juan Diego (1474) St. Angela Merici (1474) St. Ignatius Loyola (1491)AD 1500-2000 St. Teresa of Avila (1515) St. Vincent de Paul (1581) St. Lorenzo Ruiz (1594) St. Philip Neri (1515) St. Charles Borromeo (1538) St. John of the Cross (1542) St. Martin de Porres (1579) St Rose of Lima (1586) St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656) St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696) St. Junípero Serra (1713) St. Felix of Nicosia (1715) St. Mary Frances of the Five Wounds (1715) St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774) St. Gerard Majella (1726) St. Joseph of Cupertino (1603) St. Damien of Molokai (1840) St. Catherine Laboure (1806) St. Dominic Savio (1842) St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873) St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850) St. Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala (1878) St. Maria Goretti (1890) St. Bernadette (1844) St. Padre Pio (1887) St. Teresia Benedicta a Cruce (1891) St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894) St. Theresa of Los Andes (1900) Laura Montoya (1874) Toribio de Mogrovejo (1538) Mariana of Jesus Paredes (1618) St. Faustina Kowalska (1905) Benedict Daswa (1946) St. Ambrose of Optina (1812) Clelia Barbieri (1847) Andrew Kim Taegon (1821) Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910) Oscar Romero (1917) St John Paul II (1920)

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The deadly coronavirus spread across societies already riddled with political ills: rampant xenophobia and corruption, privatisation run amok, Brexiteer vainglory of 'a global Britain', a Euroland dominated by self-proclaimed nasty parties, and in America, the unspeakable Trump. As the acclaimed historian Donald Sassoon observes in this blistering polemic, there were morbid symptoms galore.Sassoon paints an unforgettable picture of our galloping descent into political barbarism, mixing blunt exposé and classical references with an astonishing array of data. Why does the United States proportionately have more civilians owning guns than Yemen, where there is a war on? Why did the UK enter the pandemic with fewer doctors than any EU country except Poland and Romania? In Morbid Symptoms he refuses to abandon what Antonio Gramsci termed the optimism of the will, instead recalling a line from Machiavelli's Istorie fiorentine: 'do not impute past disorders to the nature of the men, but to the times, which, being changed, give reasonable ground to hope that, with better government, our city will have better fortune in the future'.

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Book SynopsisNo one personified the age of industry more than the miners. The Shadow of the Mine tells the story of King Coal in its heyday - and what happened to mining communities after the last pits closed. Coal was central to the British economy, powering its factories and railways. It carried political weight, too. In the eighties the miners risked everything in a year-long strike against Thatcher's shutdowns. Defeat foretold the death of their industry. Tens of thousands were cast onto the labour market with a minimum amount of advice and support. Yet British politics all of a sudden revolves around the coalfield constituencies that lent their votes to Boris Johnson's Conservatives in 2019. Even in the Welsh Valleys, where the 'red wall' still stands, support for the Labour Party has halved in a generation. Huw Beynon and Ray Hudson draw on decades of research to chronicle these momentous changes through the words of the people who lived through them.Trade ReviewA powerful study of tumultuous political events steeped in knowledge of the coalfields. Essential reading for all those who care about the future - and hence the past - of working-class politics. -- Hilary Wainwright, author of A New Politics from the LeftAfter defeat by Thatcher, the pits were levelled and the Miners' Welfare Halls, their social and intellectual centres, vanished. With carefully controlled passion, this book indicts such ruthless disregard for the values of care and association. -- Sheila Rowbotham, author of Daring to HopeDrawing on decades of research ... [The Shadow of the Mine] is a moving account of 150 years of coalfield history ... By tracing the "deep story" of the marginalisation of Britain's coalfields, it aims to understand the continuing exclusion of working-class people in deindustrialised areas from political and social life. -- Diarmaid Kelliher * Antipode *The Shadow of the Mine reminds us why this spirit [of solidarity and collectivism] has lived on in the coalfields, in spite of people feeling a sense of political betrayal going back decades ... enlightening. -- Conrad Landin * Guardian *Refreshing and necessary ... [The Shadow of the Mine] explains in loving, careful detail why working people's relationship with Labour in former industrial communities ... had become complex and ultimately soured. -- Laura Pidcock * Red Pepper *Beynon and Hudson ... write with authority and respect of the former mining communities of Britain. -- John Lloyd * Financial Times *Starmer and his allies in Renaissance would do better to pick up a copy of The Shadow of the Mine ... As Beynon and Hudson make clear, the succession of defeats inflicted on the trade unions over the last four decades has brought about the gradual fragmentation of old loyalties. -- Tom Blackburn * Tribune *A solid account of the history of the coalfields in Durham and South Wales and the impact of deindustrialisation and closure upon them. -- Mike Phipps * Labour Hub *A brave book ... anyone interested in the transformation that has reshaped Britain's former coalfields should read The Shadow of the Mine. -- Ewan Gibbs * Jacobin *Considered, comprehensive and insightful ... a book that deserves the widest distribution -- Steven Andrew * Morning Star *Elegiac ... [The Shadow of the Mine] provides essential economic and social context for both the Leave vote in 2016 and the consequent collapse of the so-called 'Red Wall'. -- Rhian E. Jones * Tribune *The work of two outstanding 'organic intellectuals' of the very communities they are giving voice to ... Anyone who wants to go beyond the 'Red Wall' platitudes of British politics ought to start with The Shadow of the Mine. * Spokesman *Excellent -- Robert Colls * New Statesman *Superb and timely ... full of lessons and insights for today -- Steve Davies * New Socialist *A concern for the dignity of those who made (and continue to make) their lives in the coalfields runs through the book like an unbroken seam. -- Gavin Bridge * AAG Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisIn the popular imagination MI5, or the Security Service, is known chiefly as the branch of the British state responsible for chasing down those who endanger national security-from Nazi fifth columnists to Soviet spies and today's domestic extremists. Yet, working from official documents released to the National Archives,distinguished historian Caute discovers that suspicion also fell on those who merely exercised their civil liberties, posing no threat to national security. In reality, this 'other history' of the Security Service, was dictated not only by the consistent anti-Communist and Imperial aims of the British state but also by the political prejudices of MI5's personnel. The guiding notions were 'Defence of the Realm' and 'subversion.' Caute here exposes the massive state operation to track the activities and affiliations of a range of journalists, academics, scientists, filmmakers, writers actors and musicians, who the Security Service classified as a threat to national security. Guilt by association was paramount. Letters were opened, phones were intercepted, private homes were bugged and citizens were placed under physical surveillance by Special Branch agents. Among the targets of surveillance are found such prominent figures as Arthur Ransome, Paul Robeson, J.B. Priestley, Kingsley Amis, George Orwell, Doris Lessing, Christopher Isherwood, Stephen Spender, Dorothy Hodgkin, Jacob Bronowski, John Berger, Benjamin Britten, Christopher Hill, Eric Hobsbawm, Kingsley Martin, Michael Redgrave, Joan Littlewood, Joseph Losey, Michael Foot and Harriet Harman. More than 200 victims are listed here but further MI5 files will be released to the National Archives.Trade ReviewRed List reintroduces us to lost generations of artists and writers, many of whom opposed imperial wars and British colonialism in India but disappeared into the annals of history - perhaps due to MI5 influence... [Caute] exemplifies how capitalist superpowers can control their own history and the legacy of radical art. -- Billy Anania * Hyperallergic *An exceptional and seminal work of impeccable scholarship and exhaustive research. * The Midwest Book Review *[Red List] provides a wealth of information about left-wing British intellectuals and artists in the postwar era. -- Richard J. Evans * The Nation *Caute has pieced together an extensive history of MI5 surveillance across the twentieth century...Red List demonstrates that the function of the security state is to foreclose political possibilities before they pose any direct threat to the established order, often ruining countless lives in the process. * Jacobin *Red List is a lucidly written account of MI5's surveillance of [Caute's] country's intelligentsia. * Shepherd Express *Table of ContentsNote on Sources ix List of Abbreviations x Introduction 1 PART I 9 1. MI5 and the First World War 11 2. MI5 and the Communist Party of Great Britain 30 PART II 45 3. Dangerous Voices, Disloyal Pens 47 4. Theatre and Players 98 5. Film Censorship 118 6. Discordant Musicians 125 PART III 133 7. History as Heresy 135 8. Veteran Academics 178 9. Black Liberation and the Africanists 186 PART IV 219 10. Science and Treachery 221 PART V 255 11. Not to Be Trusted 257 12. Illegitimate Lawyers 271 13. Publish and Be Damned 284 14. The BBC Toes the Line 300 15. Art and Design 312 PART VI 339 16. MI5 and the Labour Left 341 Conclusion. MI5 and 'Subversion' 356

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Book SynopsisThe last generation of Americans with a living memory of Jim Crow will soon disappear. They leave behind a collective memory of segregation shaped increasingly by its horrors and heroic defeat but not a nuanced understanding of everyday life in Jim Crow America. In The South, Adolph L. Reed Jr. - New Orleanian, political scientist, and according to Cornel West, "the greatest democratic theorist of his generation" - takes up the urgent task of recounting the granular realities of life in the last decades of the Jim Crow South.Reed illuminates the multifaceted structures of the segregationist order. Through his personal history and political acumen, we see America's apartheid system from the ground up, not just its legal framework or systems of power, but the way these systems structured the day-to-day interactions, lives, and ambitions of ordinary working people. The South unravels the personal and political dimensions of the Jim Crow order, revealing the sources and objectives of this unstable regime, its contradictions and precarity, and the social order that would replace it. The South is more than a memoir or a history. Filled with analysis and fascinating firsthand accounts of the operation of the system that codified and enshrined racial inequality, this book is required reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of America's second peculiar institution the future created in its wake. With a foreword from Barbara Fields, co-author of the acclaimed Racecraft.Trade ReviewErasing the Color Line -- Christopher Hitchens * New York Times *[A] trenchant history of the Jim Crow South....This spare, earnest recollection shines a unique light on the fight for racial equality in America. * Publishers Weekly *A remembrance of the author's early life below the Mason-Dixon line, while also making a case for class-based inequality as a historical constant -- Aaron Bogart * White Review, Best Books 2022 *Reed seeks to delineate exactly what Jim Crow was and wasn't. He is speaking directly to the errors of today, which threaten to calcify the reality of the past into doctrinaire historical misunderstandings. -- Jeremy Ray Jewell * Arts Fuse *If some observers today are tempted to look at the racial injustices that still abound... and claim that little has changed since the days of Jim Crow, Reed shows the folly of such a conclusion -- Jason Sokol * Washington Post *Part memoir, part history, and part political treatise, The South chronicles Reed's life under Jim Crow to correct what he sees as misleading representations of the past. -- Elias Rodriques * Bookforum *In The South, Reed recounts growing up in New Orleans while blending in his analysis of segregation. Like his criticisms of Obama or The 1619 Project, Reed's perspectives on Jim Crow are both incisive and incendiary. -- Jonah Goldman Kay * Los Angeles Review of Books *Reed has added nuance and insight to understanding the segregated South as it came to a formal end. -- Steve Suitts * Southern Spaces *

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Book SynopsisIn 1830, the little Hebridean island of Lismore was one of the granaries of the West Highlands, with every possible scrap of land producing bere barley or oats. The population had reached its peak of 1500, but by 1910, numbers had dwindled to 400 and were still falling. The agricultural economy had been almost completely transformed to support sheep and cattle, with ploughland replaced by the now familiar green grassy landscape. With reference to documentary sources, including Poor Law reports, the report of the Napier Commission into the condition crofters in the Highlands and Islands, as well as local documents and letters, this book documents a century of emigration, migration and clearance and paints an intimate portrait of the island community during a period of profound change. At the same time, it also celebrates the achievements of the many tenants who grasped the opportunities involved in agricultural improvement.

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Book SynopsisFor almost 150 years until the late twentieth century, French Onion Johnnies (or ‘Ingan Johnnies’, as they were usually known in Scotland) were a familiar group of seasonal workers in towns and cities throughout Britain. In this book, nine Onion Johnnies (including one ‘Jenny’) who worked in Scotland at one time or another between the 1920s and the 1970s recount their lives. The recollections, recorded in interviews in Brittany and at Leith in 1999 by the Scottish Working People’s History Trust, provide a fascinating insight into the lives and experience of those whose livelihood and way of life have vanished forever. It paints a poignant picture of the past and a way of life about nothing in any detail has ever been published before.Trade Review'[A] meticulous approach to recording their stories, packed with fine detail of the lives, incidents and thoughts' -- Sandra Dick * Herald *

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Book SynopsisThis revised and updated edition of Aileen Smart's best-selling book paints a fascinating picture of those villages north of the Clyde that helped forge Glasgow into one of Britain's most energetic and vibrant cities. Although now subsumed within Glasgow proper, these places nevertheless maintain a tremendous sense of pride and identity. Each has its own story to tell, its own heroes and villains, its own myths and traditions. Packed with intriguing detail and enhanced with numerous maps and photographs, Villages of Glasgow is a stimulating introduction to Glasgow and those communities that have formed its lifeblood over the centuries.

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Book SynopsisKnown as ''Britain''s most beautiful shortcut'', the Crinal Canal runs from Ardrishaig on Loch Fyne nine miles across the Kintyre peninsula to the west coast of Scotland. Designed by John Rennie after initial survey work by James Watt in 1771, the canal was opened in 1801, with further improvements made by Thomas Telford in the second decade of the nineteenth century.The canal was originally planned to save commercial ships having to make the long journey from the industrial region around Glasgow round the Mull of Kintyre to reach the west coast and Hebridean islands. By 1854, 33,000 passengers, 22,000 sheep and 2000 cattle had been transported along it. These days the canal is a popular route for leisure craft.In the book Marian Pallister tells the story of the canal from its origins to the present day, discussing how it was built, who built it, how it changed life in the surrounding areas, and how it has been used.

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Book SynopsisTrailblazing women of Australian Public Broadcasting, 1945 – 1975 offers a compelling new perspective of Australian radio and television history. It chronicles how a group of female producers defied the odds and forged remarkable careers in the traditionally male domain of public-affairs production at the ABC in the post-war decades. Kay Kinane, Catherine King, Therése Denny and Joyce Belfrage were ambitious and resourceful producers, part of the vanguard of Australian broadcasters who used mass media as a vehicle for their social and political activism. Fiercely dedicated to their audiences, they wrote, directed and produced ground-breaking documentaries and current affairs programs that celebrated Australian life, while also challenging its cultural complacency, its racism and sexism. They immersed themselves in the ABC’s many networks of collaboration and initiated a range of strategies to expand their agency and authority. With vivid descriptions of life at the ABC, this book traces their careers as they crossed borders and crossed mediums, following them as they worked on location shoots and in production offices, in television studios, control rooms and radio booths. In doing so it highlights the barriers, both official and unofficial, that confronted so many women working in broadcasting after World War II.Trade Review‘Kylie Andrews’ fascinating book is a tour-de-force of feminist scholarship and media history. In rescuing the pioneering women of radio and television from the footnotes of history, it offers us not just a vivid panorama of highly talented programme-makers but an endlessly illuminating new take on post-war Australian broadcasting.’ — David Hendy, Emeritus Professor, University of Sussex, England.‘A lively, impressively researched, and informative look at barriers faced, and battles won, by a select group of talented female producers at the ABC and beyond – battles won not only for themselves, but for the status of all women who have confronted the same attitudes and obstacles. An inspiring read.’ — Michele Hilmes, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.‘This is an important, overdue ‘remembering’ of women’s role in the creation of the ABC - an entertaining read to set the historical (‘herstorical’) record straight - with startling insights into the good old days when the boys ‘owned the game’. It’s an eye-opener for younger program-makers to meet the feisty women who paved the way for them.’ — Caroline Jones AO, Veteran ABC broadcaster and national patron of Women in Media.‘This compelling and impeccably researched book uncovers the story of four colourful individuals, Joyce Belfrage, Therese Denny, Kay Kinane and Catherine King, and their outstanding contribution to Australian, and transnational, broadcasting. Battling a culture that was largely unsupportive of working women, Andrews brings their careers and achievements vividly to life.’ — Dr Kate Murphy, Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Media and Communication, Bournemouth University, UK.‘This is a brilliant book unearthing the forgotten women of radio and television. Too often, male exploits take precedence in Australian historical recounts. Kylie Andrews has produced a work that is both entertaining and academic. Highly recommended!’ — Tracey Spicer, Broadcaster and Author.‘In the post-war years, the ABC carved out a distinctive role as a national broadcaster, both shaping and questioning Australian identity. Kylie Andrews’ passionate, highly engaging history tells the stories of groundbreaking women who worked for the ABC in those years, demonstrating that the ABC was not only ‘built by men’; it was built by women, too’. — Professor Michelle Arrow, Department of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, AUS.‘In this lively and accessible work of historical reclamation, Kylie Andrews brings vividly to life the careers of four indomitable women at the ABC in the decades after World War II.' — Professor Bridget Griffen-Foley, Macquarie University, Table of ContentsList of Figures; List of Abbreviations; Preface; 1. Introduction, Showrunners, Shot Callers and Flying Typewriters, Notes; 2. Career Snapshots, Kay Kinane, Catherine King, Therése Denny, Joyce Belfrage, Notes; 3. Welcome to the ABC, Ladies, How and Why ‘Women’s Work’ Was Marginalized at the ABC, Trapped in the Typing Pool, Acceptable Behaviour, Birds, Chicks and Old Ducks , Forbidden Domains, Contesting ‘Women’s Worlds’, Notes; 4. The New Nation-Builders, A Cuckoo in the ABC’s Nest, The Adelaide Legacy, The ‘Schoolie with the Motorbike’, The Scholarly Troublemaker, Nation-builders and Citizens but Not Feminists?, Notes; 5. Talent Was Not Enough, ABC Mentors and Gatekeepers, Opportunities Arising during Times of Disruption, Bargaining from a Position of Strength and Refusing to Be Bullied, Joyce and the ABC’s Transition to Television: A Cautionary Tale, Notes; 6. Thinking Outside the Box, Moving between Radio and TV , Manipulating the Message: Using the Press to Shape Public Personas, Embracing ‘Platform Agnostic’ Careers, Notes; 7. Timely Escapes and Bittersweet Homecomings, ‘New Ways of Living and Loving’, Notes; 8. International Adventures and Global Networking, Kay’s First Big Adventure: The Imperial Relations Trust, Some Benefits of Membership, Reversing the Tide: Taking Advantage of Polarities of Exchange, Joyce Makes the Most of Empire Employment Networks, Turning a Negative into a Positive: Therése Exploits Her Colonial Identity, Kay’s American Adventure, Networks of Collaboration and Support, Broadcasting Advocacy Goes Global, Notes; 9. Farewell to the ABC, Notes; 10. Epilogue, Revising Limited Historical Narratives, Notes; Reference List, Primary Sources, Industry Memos, Intra-ABC Communications and Reports, Personal Correspondence and Diary Entries, Audio and Audio-Visual Projects, Press, Newspaper and Magazine Articles, Interviews and Oral Histories, Industry Reports, Archive Reports and Legislation, Secondary Sources, Books and Book Chapters, Journal Articles, Conference Papers and Speeches, Websites; Index

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Book SynopsisA Change is Gonna Come chronicles more than forty years of black music: from the hopeful, angry refrains of the Freedom movement to the slick pop of Motown; from Woodstock and the 'Summer of Love' to Vietnam and the race riots; from disco inferno to the Million Man March. This is an insightful and riveting study which looks at the place black music occupies in social history, its battle for the desegregation of popular music and its contribution to social change outside the recording studio

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1964, twenty-one-year-old Gillies MacBain arrives in Dublin off the ferry from England with only his bicycle, a suitcase and a tent to his name. Young, handsome and charismatic, he begins work as a footman in one of the houses of the `dying aristocracy'. Thus begins his foray into the upper echelons of Irish society. The Adventures of an Irish Footman is an irresistible narrative which describes a fading part of Irish society that MacBain subverts with wry humour. MacBain finds himself in a precarious niche: the borderland in between `upstairs' and `downstairs'. Here, he rubs shoulders with a cast of characters from the bohemian socialites to the chancer `Sketchly' and the hippes with their dewy-eyed `morals'. MacBain's memoirs run the gamut of Irish social classes, from his friendship with County Monaghan small farmers and tenants, to working with a dubious cast of actors and producers on a film set at Castle Leslie, to eventually marrying into the circle of the `idle rich'. An irresistible story told by a charming storyteller, this memoir sheds light on an era of Irish domestic industry, and Irish social history, that has all but been forgotten.Trade ReviewThe Last Footman, is a very funny, often bizarre account of life above and below stairs in some of Ireland’s great houses in the 1960s and 1970s. -- Orna Mulcahy * The Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisIn 1938, Arthur Calder-Marshall, a young British novelist and communist visited Trinidad, just a year after the ‘Butler Riots’ had rocked the oil-belt in the south of the island and demonstrated that the British colonial hold over the island could not be sustained for long. Calder-Marshall’s account of his stay, first published in 1939, is insightful, unsparing in its exposure of appalling social conditions, and sometimes just humanly entertaining in its satirical description of, for instance, the hypocrisy of those of the middle-class who thought of themselves as radicals but would not perform in a play with actors who were too black. It is highly readable, with a novelist’s eye for characters and situations, adding to the slim body of writing about 1930’s Trinidad by C.L.R. James, A.H. Mendes and Ralph de Boissiere. It documents just how stifling was the hand of Crown Colony government in reinforcing white privilege in Trinidad, and it shows the huge gulf between the Trinidad being promoted as a destination for tourists, and the abysmal quality of housing and health-care that inflicted premature death on the urban poor. If Calder-Marshall does not have enough to say about the lives of rural Indo-Trinidadians, he is acute on the growth of race and revolutionary political consciousness amongst the most advanced sections of the Afro-Trinidadian working class. One valuable chapter records his interview with the then trade union leader, Adrian Cola Rienzi, on the global nature of radical anti-colonialism, connecting Rienzi’s work with Sinn Fein in Ireland and the workers’ struggle in Trinidad. Calder-Marshall’s was a sadly rare voice amongst the white British left as a critic of empire, in comparison to the covertly racist paternalism of the mainstream of the Labour Party.

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Book SynopsisA history of slate quarrying at Corris from its beginning in Tudor times to the wentieth century. Black-and-white photographs and maps. First published in 1994.

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Book SynopsisLlyn, the north-western peninsula of Wales, is strongly influenced by its coastal nature. Nowadays, its walking paths and beaches attract many to explore their heritage and natural beauty. These also open doors to the past and several layers of Welsh history.

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Book SynopsisThis is a revised guide of Alun John Richards'' Gazetteer of Slate Quarrying in Wales of 2007, itself a revision of his first one published in 1991. The guide does not purport to be totally complete although as complete as possible with 769 entries.

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Book SynopsisThe Spirit of Venice is a history of the first great economic and naval power of the modern Western world, from its struggle to ascendancy, through the arc of its glory - when its trading empire reached as far afield as China, Syria and West Africa - to the beginning of its long and fascinating decline.Told through the lives of the brilliant and often wayward individuals who are inextricably bound to the Republic, this is the story of the Venice of Marco Polo, Titian, Tintoretto, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Casanova, and a scintillating array of equally captivating heroes and villains. It reveals a vibrant city of invention, which pioneered banking, presided over the first bond-market crash, and whose renowned Arsenal became the world's first assembly line. And while Venice had no Statue of Liberty or mother of parliaments, it was for many years the nearest the modern western world came to a liberal democracy. Gloriously rich with detail and intrigue, The Spirit of Venice constitutes a refreshing and authoritative new way into the history of the most evocative of cities.Trade ReviewFascinating. A readable and delightful book. -- Harry Reid * Herald *Strathern sketches out fascinating aspects of the social life of Venice... Vivid. * BBC History Magazine *Colourful. * Sunday Times *The rise and fall of La Serenissima is vividly depicted. -- Christopher Hirst * Independent *Perfect holiday companion * The Lady *

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Book SynopsisNow a Major Feature Length Documentary: 'Cassius X: Becoming Ali’ (Cinema release Spring 2023) Miami, 1963. A young boy from Louisville, Kentucky, is on the path to becoming the greatest sportsman of all time. Cassius Clay is training in the 5th Street Gym for his heavyweight title clash against the formidable Sonny Liston. He is beginning to embrace the ideas and attitudes of Black Power, and firebrand preacher Malcolm X will soon become his spiritual adviser. Thus Cassius Clay will become ‘Cassius X’ as he awaits his induction into the Nation of Islam. Cassius also befriends the legendary soul singer Sam Cooke, falls in love with soul singer Dee Dee Sharp and becomes a remarkable witness to the first days of soul music. As with his award-winning soul trilogy, Stuart Cosgrove’s intensive research and sweeping storytelling shines a new light on how black music lit up the sixties against a backdrop of social and political turmoil – and how Cassius Clay made his remarkable transformation into Muhammad Ali.Trade Review'Cassius X is a delightful ride in a cherry-red Cadillac, with soul music on the radio and a steady hand at the wheel. A thoroughly enjoyable journey' -- Jonathan Eig, author of Ali: A Life'Crisply written, fast-paced, and original, this book surges with the kind of effervescence we have long associated with a young Cassius Clay ... Filled with colourful details, with a learned eye toward the music of the era, Cassius X hits all the right notes' -- Michael Ezra, author of Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon'An exciting trip through the urban worlds of boxing, soul music, and crime, as Cassius Clay joins the Nation of Islam, becomes Muhammad Ali, and ascends the ranks of boxing to become World Heavyweight Champion during the early 1960s' -- Lewis Erenberg, author of The Rumble in the Jungle'There are many books about Muhammad Ali, but none like Stuart Cosgrove's Cassius X ... The book is a deeply personal look at one of 'The Greatest' public figures of the last one hundred years and is a model of how biographies of African Americans should be written' -- Ray Winbush, author of Belinda’s Petition: A Concise History of Reparations for the Transatlantic Slave Trade'Fascinating ... a different take on its subject, like a wayward B-side of a highly familiar tune' * Scotsman *'A vivid, knowing close-up of a crucial year in the life of boxing’s most iconic figure' * Kirkus *'Stuart Cosgrove's deep research and very human storytelling highlights how black music lit up the Sixties against a backdrop of political turmoil - and how Cassius Clay began his remarkable transformation into Muhammad Ali winning the world heavyweight title from scratch three times in the process' * Harrogate Advertiser *'You can almost smell the liniment and sweat and hear the classic songs of Tamla Motown when you start reading Mr Cosgrove’s work Cassius X... a compelling reminder of why he [Muhammad Ali] made such an impression' * Dundee Courier *'An engrossing and revelatory read.. and a great playlist. You do not have to be a fan of boxing or soul music to love this book' -- Val McDermid at Edinburgh International Book Festival'A benediction of a book about the early years of the sporting deity. Cassius X is a unique take – no easy feat when faced with an athlete who has been embalmed in books over the decades' * Sunday Times *'Equivalent to a biopic which portrays the fast-moving 1960s social, political and cultural scene and gives a fascinating insight into a lesser-known part of the legendary champion's life' * Dundee Courier *'A riveting profile of one of the world’s greatest sportsmen and the world he moved in' * Herald *'No ordinary tale of the life of The Greatest. Tells the story of the many social forces that shaped the life of the former world champion' * Press & Journal *'A terrifically fresh insight into sport’s greatest superstar' * The Scotsman, Best Sports Books of 2020 *'Another belter from The Soul Trilogy author... shines a light on how black music lit up politically turbulent 1960s America' * Sunday Post *

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Book SynopsisThe Front Room: Diaspora Migrant Aesthetics in the Home, originally published in 2009, has become a beloved and much-praised source, providing fascinating revelations into the post-war British experience of immigrants, the decoration of their living spaces and their position in society in relation to decolonisation. The 'front room' (emanating from the Victorian parlour) provides an outlet to respond to the feelings of displacement, exile and alienation and the rebuilding of a home in a strange land. Primarily concerned with Caribbean homes, The Front Room also looks at Moroccan, Surinamese, Antillean and Indonesian migrant groups in Holland—encompassing, through texts, archival documents and artistic photographs, the important cultural markers that are expressed through the domestic interiors of migrants. The author examines how this intimate space within the home raises issues of class, race, migration, aspiration, religion, family, gender, identity and alienation. He also looks at the transition from the colonial post-colonial modernity by placing the book in the context of his own family’s migrant experience. While this revised edition includes updates of the original essays from leading social commentators Stuart Hall, Denise Noble, Carol Tulloch and Dave Lewis, as well as poems by Khadijah Ibrahiim and Dorothea Smartt, and paintings by Sonia Boyce, Kimathi Donkor and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. It also examines the iteration of the 'front room' in post apartheid South Africa and discusses how sound system culture emerged from the front room, as well as adding to the rich oral histories from different generations reflecting on their personal experiences of the front room and discussing the artefacts and objects found in them in terms of their cultural significance. The Front Room documents how the 'Windrush' generation's settlement in Britain contributed to the making of multicultural society, and raises questions about our lived experience and notions of the ‘home’, as many more people globally look for a roof over their heads in the 21st century. The book is richly illustrated with intriguing photographs of installations based on front rooms of the time and the contemporary living room and their associated objects.Trade ReviewSelected as one of FAD Magazine's 'Top Art Books To Read This Summer', 2023: 'This is an interesting look at how the front room of a household of first generation immigrants reflects their values, culture and the history of colonialism – a fascinating topic. It’s largely focused on Caribbean households, but the display cabinets and doilies also reminded me of my own parent’s household.' – Tabish Khan, FAD MagazineTable of ContentsGrandad's Home Brew by Khadijah Ibrahiim; Diaspora Migrant Aesthetics in the Front Room; The 'West Indian' Front Room by Stuart Hall; The Arrivants; The Pardner Hand, Green Shield Stamps and Mr Sheen; The top ten things in the Front Room; Front Room Angel by Dorothea Smartt; Children ... in the Front Room!; Dressed by Women and Used by Men - 'A Room of her own' by Denise Noble; Familial Dress Relations and the West Indian Front Room by Carol Tulloch; Saturday Night, Sunday Morning; Rebellion, Revolts and Resistence; Van Huis Uit: The Living Room of Migrants in the Netherlands; the Front Room 'Inna Joburg'; Returnees and Remittances; A Time Has Passed.

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Book SynopsisIn early 2018, Erin Darcy created an online art project, In Her Shoes – Women of the Eighth, to safely and anonymously share private stories of the real and devastating impact of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland. In the five months leading up to the referendum on abortion, the project asked a simple question of undecided voters: put yourself in her shoes. Within weeks, Erin was receiving hundreds of stories from a broad spectrum of experiences of planned and unplanned terminations. By the time Ireland historically voted Yes to Repeal the Eighth on 25 May 2018, the page had gathered over 100,000 followers, was reaching over four million readers each week and had been featured by international news outlets. What began as a solo act of grassroots activism by a mother and an artist had unleashed a national conversation on human rights that would change Ireland forever. Where once there had been silence and shame, now there was honesty and empathy. For 43 per cent of voters, it was ‘stories in the media’ that influenced their decision to vote Yes. But for Erin Darcy, In Her Shoes was also a distraction from her own heartbreaking loss, loneliness and depression as she grieved her mother’s death and sought a community of her own. In time, it became an act of healing, as she connected with other women, mothers and campaigners who felt the same overwhelming need to do something. Here, In Her Shoes: Women of the Eighth reproduces thirty-two of those anonymous stories, representing the entire island of Ireland. Published with their authors’ consent and illustrated by Erin, they are powerful testimonies to storytelling as salvation from heartache, stigma and threat. Together, they record lived truths previously omitted from history and signal a monumental change in the social landscape of our country.

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Book SynopsisDuine de shárscéalaithe na Gaeilge In Eanáir 1952, sé bliana sula bhfuair Peig Sayers bás, thionscain Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann agallaimh léi agus í in ospidéal Naomh Anna, Baile Átha Cliath. Bhí Peig thar a bheith sásta labhairt lena cuairteoirí a raibh Gaeilge Chiarraí ar a dtoil acu agus seanaithne aici orthu. Foilsítear den chéad uair in Níl Deireadh Ráite na hagallaimh sin mar aon le réamhrá tathagach, tráchtaireacht agus aistriúchán Béarla ar an iomlán. Cuireann Peig i láthair anseo seanscéalta idirnáisiúnta, scéal Fiannaíochta, finscéalta taistealacha, seanchas stairiúil agus sísheanchas, roinnt paidreacha, agus tá cúpla léaráid óna mac, Mícheál Ó Gaoithín, mar anlann leo. Léiríonn na taifeadtaí a bua mar scéalaí oilte, a hacmhainn grinn, a móreolas ar scéalta traidisiúnta agus a cumas máistriúil á gcur i láthair trí shúile mná. Buanaíonn an saothar seo ionad Pheig mar dhuine de shárscéalaithe na Gaeilge agus cinntíonn sé go bhfuil a cuid scéalaíochta le háireamh ar scoth na healaíne béil sa tír seo. Among the first rank of Irish storytellers In January 1952, six years before she died, Peig Sayers was interviewed by a team from the Irish Folklore Commission in St Anne’s Hospital, Dublin. She was more than happy to be recorded, and pleased to be visited by old friends, all of whom spoke fluent Kerry Irish. In Not the Final Word these interviews are published for the first time, in both Irish and English, along with a substantial introduction and detailed annotation. Here Peig tells her versions of international folktales, a Fenian tale, some prayers, migratory legends and historical and supernatural lore, illustrated in paintings by her son, Mícheál Ó Gaoithín. She emerges as a warm and authentic storyteller, with a ready sense of humour, a deep knowledge of traditional narrative and highly skilled in its presentation. This collection reaffirms Peig Sayers’s position in the first rank of Irish storytellers and firmly establishes her tales in the canon of Irish oral literature.Trade ReviewThe rescuing of the great storyteller Peig Sayers from the bored contempt of generations of school students is one of the noblest causes in Irish letters. Any remaining doubts about her status as an artist are banished by Bo Almqvist and Pádraig Ó Héalaí[s] wonderful bilingual edition of interviews she gave in 1952, complete with two CDs of the recordings, Níl Deireadh Ráite/Not the Final Word. -- Fintan O'Toole * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisEason Favourite Book of the Year 2022 ‘she is no small town, and this is no small story . . .’ BASED ON THE POPULAR DUBLIN HISTORY PODCAST A companion to the hugely successful podcast of the same name by Donal Fallon, THREE CASTLES BURNING is an enjoyable wander through some of Dublin's less obvious but more interesting streets and roads such as Henrietta Street, Watling Street, Fownes Street and Kildare Road. On the Dublin streets we walk every day, there are hidden reminders of the lesser-known heroes and events that have contributed to the evolving story of our capital. The city’s motto, ‘the obedience of the citizens produces a happy city’, may feel outdated and loaded today but the three burning castles of its ancient coat of arms have come to represent the indomitable spirit, creativity and vision that define this big town. Inspired by the No. 1 podcast, Three Castles Burning: A History of Dublin in Twelve Streets champions the activists, workers, architects, poets, migrants, artists and merchants who have made and remade the city we know and love by going beneath the many layers of twelve key streets where they lived and worked. Because, in the city Joyce called the ‘Hibernian Metropolis’, the disobedience of its citizens is the cornerstone of its past, present and future. This combination of social, cultural, industrial and commercial, and political history, through the prism of the places where revolutions great and small were sparked, offers the reader a fresh and unexpected take on Ireland's capital city.Trade Review'Readers will enjoy learning about hidden architectural details or unassuming plaques marking important events that might otherwise escape notice throughout the city. Archived and present-day photographs accent interesting facts and historical vignettes, pairing nicely with Fallon’s accessible writing. Well-researched and full of interesting facts, this book is sure to surprise even Dubliners and makes a perfect companion for any walking—or armchair—tour around the city.’ -- Grace Rosean * Booklist *‘A delightful potted history of Dublin . . . that refrain, “who knew?” is one the reader might find themselves repeating on every page, such is the mine of information contained in each chapter of this little book.’ -- Anne Cunningham * Irish Independent *‘Entertaining stories from Dublin’s past allows hidden gems to shine.’ -- John Walshe * Sunday Business Post *‘If Los Angeles feels like it was designed for the driver, and New York City for the subway passenger, Dublin, one could say, was made for the pedestrian. Its reputation as a city best experienced on foot was secured a century ago with the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses, a novel with an emphasis on perambulation. It remains true today; few places better suit a weekend of wandering. And you’ll find few better guides than historian Donal Fallon, author of the new book Three Castles Burning: A History of Dublin in Twelve Streets, and host of a popular social history podcast. On a recent stroll, Mr. Fallon was repeatedly stopped by denizens, eager to share discoveries and pose for selfies. That a historian can be a local celebrity testifies to the degree to which the past remains present here.’ -- Matt Kronsberg * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisSimms and his team's meticulous work are proof positive that well-built social housing can add immensely to the tone and style of a city. His work remains a touchstone and an inspiration.

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Book SynopsisThe Crimean War (1853-1856) was the first modern war. A vicious struggle between imperial Russia and an alliance of the British, French and Ottoman Empires, it was the first conflict to be reported first-hand in newspapers, painted by official war artists, recorded by telegraph and photographed by camera. In her new short history, Trudi Tate discusses the ways in which this novel representation itself became part of the modern war machine. She tells forgotten stories about the war experience of individual soldiers and civilians, including journalists, nurses, doctors, war tourists and other witnesses. At the same time, the war was a retrograde one, fought with the mentality, and some of the equipment, of Napoleonic times. Tate argues that the Crimean War was both modern and old-fashioned, looking backwards and forwards, and generating optimism and despair among those who lived through it. She explores this paradox while giving full coverage to the bloody battles (Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman), the siege of Sebastopol, the much-derided strategies of the commanders, conditions in the field and the cultural impact of the anti-Russian alliance.Trade Review‘Provides an authoritative account of the origins of the conflict, its principal engagements and its geopolitical consequences. The book also makes a very welcome contribution to current debate on the lasting historical and cultural significance of the Crimean War. An excellent introduction.’ -- Philip Shaw, Professor of Romantic Studies, University of LeicesterTable of ContentsList of Illustrations and Maps Acknowledgements Timeline Introduction 1. The Drift to War and the Battle of the Alma 2. The Siege Established and the Battle of Balaklava 3. Scutari, Inkerman and the Siege 4. Sebastopol: The Fallen City 5. The Baltic Campaign 6. The End of the War Further Reading Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe Victorians called him 'Bobby' after Sir Robert Peel, the Home Secretary who created the Metropolitan Police in 1829. The generations that followed came to regard the force in which he served as 'the best police in the world'. If twenty-first century observers sometimes take a more jaundiced view of his efforts, the blue-helmeted, unarmed policeman remains an icon of Britishness, and a symbol of the relatively peaceful nature of our social evolution. In The Great British Bobby, Clive Emsley traces the development of Britain's forces of law and order from the earliest watchmen and constables of the pre-modern period to the police service of today. He examines in detail such milestones in police history as the establishment of the Bow Street Runners in the 1740s, the Police Acts of 1839, the introduction of women police officers during the First World War, and the Macpherson Report of 1999 into the death of Stephen Lawrence. Threaded through his narrative are case-studies of real-life Bobbies, drawn from police archives, evoking the day-to-day reality of the policeman's lot over two and a half centuries: the boredom of patrolling on foot in all weathers, the threats to life and limb of policing rough areas, and the diverse historical challenges of industrial unrest, the growth of cities, the arrival of the motor car and the ethnic diversification of society. From Robert Grubb, patrolling the mean streets of Georgian London with rattle and cudgel, to Norwell Roberts, the first black officer to be appointed to the Metropolitan Police, The Great British Bobby presents a cast of mostly honest coppers performing a testing role to the best of their ability. A distinguished historian and criminologist, Clive Emsley is ideally placed to tell - candidly but affectionately - the fascinating story of Britain's police force. The Great British Bobby is nothing less than a social history of Britain over the last 250 years, viewed through the prism of one of its most remarkable and distinctive institutions.Trade ReviewInformative jaunt through the history of the modern bobby … worth reading' Daily Telegraph. * Daily Telegraph *A thoroughly learned, clear-eyed and engaging read' Sunday Times. * Sunday Times *The doyen of police history has produced a well-informed, thoughtful account of the British police over some 200 years that is a pleasure to read' BBC History Magazine. * BBC History Magazine *Exhaustively researched account … fascinating' Brian Paddick, Guardian. * Guardian *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. List of illustrations. Introduction. Policing Georgian Liberty. The First Bobbies, 1829-1860. Country Cousins: Policing outside London, 1839-1860. Further Afield: A United Kingdom, an Empire and Two Models. 'An Institution Rather than a Man': The Victorian Police Officer, 1860-1880. Hard Men and Harder Coppers: Bobby on the Front Line, 1860-1914. War, Women and Wages: Policing the Home Front, 1914-1918. Good Cop, Bad Cop: Bobby Between the Wars, 1919-1939. A New War, a New World, 1939-1970. Everything Changes, Everything Stays the Same. Appendix: Timeline of main legislative and institutional changes. Abbreviations in the Notes. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisJohn R Hume is Scotland’s foremost expert on industrial heritage. John’s greatest passion was – and is – industry. Over the course of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, he took over 25,000 photographs of late-industrial and post-industrial Scotland. His collection is a remarkable portrait of a way of life that has now all but vanished. His drive to act as a witness to Scotland’s industrial empire, and its steady disintegration, took him to every corner of the country. John’s photography produces an exhaustive and objective record. Yet it also reveals remarkable and poignant glimpses of domestic life – children playing in factory ruins, high-rises emerging on the city skylines, working men and women dwarfed by the incredible scale of an already crumbling industrial infrastructure. In A Life of Industry, author Daniel Gray tells John’s story, and the story of what has been lost – and preserved.Trade Review‘Looking deeper into each image reveals a poignant glimpse into the lives of the people intertwined with the bricks and mortar’ * Sunday Post *'This emotional and personal link to bricks and slate and steel is at the heart of Hume’s philosophy' * The Herald *'a simply magnificent book: a book that should be considered essential reading/viewing by anyone who lives in or visits Scotland and has the slightest interest in how what they see around themselves came to be; and what went before' * Undiscovered Scotland *'This book of John R Hume's photography is a treat... a loving celebration of person and place' -- Peter Ross

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Book SynopsisPraise for the first edition: 'Royle calls on an impressive range of materials (supported by an excellent bibliography) to offer a judicious review of most of the issues currently confronted by social historians. His agenda contains both traditional and novel elements [...] all are presented with admirable clarity and balance. [...] A volume which shows an astonishing command of such a wide range of material will long prove essential reading.' Times Literary Supplement This popular work provides an in-depth historical background to issues of contemporary concern, tracing developments over the past two and a half centuries. It promotes accessibility by adopting a thematic approach, with each theme treated chronologically. Major themes are chosen partly by their importance to an understanding of the past and partly by their relevance to students of contemporary Britain - rather than by imposing current fashions in historical study on the past. Thoroughly revised, the third edition of Modern Britain reviews and brings up to date the content to take account of developments since 1997 and reconsiders emphases and interpretations in light of more recent scholarship. It incorporates new currents in historical writing on matters such as the language of class, the position of women, and the revolution worked by the Internet and mobile technologies. Modern Britain is vital reading for students of history and the social and political sciences.Trade ReviewThe author has updated several aspects of Modern Britain ... [including] the extensive bibliography, to reflect developments in social history in the past thirty years ... The book is refreshingly traditional in manner, style and approach ... [It paints] a varied picture of life in Britain, analysed through a number of lenses, and presented in a number of guises. * Family & Community History *Table of ContentsList of maps and tables Preface 1. The changing environment 2. People 3. Class 4. Poverty and welfare 5. Life and leisure 6. Religion 7. Education Conclusion Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisHow long is an ell? What is the largest size of champagne bottle? How do you measure the heat of a chilli pepper? Why is the depth of water measured in fathoms? And what is a cubit? The Curious History of Weights & Measures tells the story of how we have come to quantify the world around us. Looking at everything from carats, pecks and pennyweights to firkins and baker’s dozens through to modern science-based standards such as kilograms and kilometres, this book considers both what sparked the creation of myriad measures and why there were so many efforts to usher in standardisation. Full of handy conversion charts and beautiful illustrations The Curious History of Weights & Measures is a treasure trove of fun facts and intriguing stories about the calculations we use every day.Trade ReviewEye opening facts on almost every page...A joy of a book. -- Wynn Wheldon * The Spectator *Table of ContentsContents Introduction Weights Length and Area Volume Culinary and Informal Measures Scales and Scores Appendix: Conversion Tables Further Reading Index Picture Credits

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Book SynopsisThe Great North Road is part of British folklore, the Route 66 of Britain, except instead of gas stations and diners we have magnificent coaching inns, part of the living history of our islands. Taking in the history of these buildings (including a feature on highwaymen, who often concealed themselves in secret rooms and tunnels in these inns,) as well as the literature that has celebrated them - from Charles Dickens through to J B Priestley - Roger Protz describes these coaching houses with an expert and discerning eye, producing not only a great pub guide but a gazetteer of the history and culture that are draped along this iconic road.

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