Social and cultural history Books
Dorling Kindersley Ltd The LGBTQ History Book Big Ideas Simply
Book SynopsisDiscover the rich and complex history of LGBTQ+ people around the world - their struggles, triumphs, and cultural contributions.Exploring and explaining the most important ideas and events in LGBTQ+ history and culture, this book showcases the breadth of the LGBTQ+ experience. This diverse, global account explores the most important moments, movements, and phenomena, from the first known lesbian love poetry of Sappho to Kinsey''s modern sexuality studies, and features biographies of key figures from Anne Lister to Audre Lorde.Dive deep into the pages of The LGBTQ + History book to discover: - Thought-provoking graphics and flow-charts demystify the central concepts behind key moments in LGBTQ+ history, from eromenos and erastes in the Ancient World to political lesbianism.- Features insightful quotes from leading historians, philosophers, cultural commentators, economists, anthropologists, sociologists, activists, and politicians.- Inclu
£16.99
Faber & Faber Bad Friend
Book Synopsis''A blueprint for how to sustain friendships.'' GUARDIAN''Thought-provoking, open-hearted.'' FINANCIAL TIMES''A brilliant ode to the necessity and complexity of female friendship.'' SPECTATOR''A generous, timely book.'' OBSERVER''Will leave you moved, hopeful and inspired in equal measure.'' DAISY HAY''I urge you to read it.'' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMBA rebellious new history of female friendship and timely reclamation of the ''bad friend''.Move over idealised BFFs, glossy gal pals and indestructible work wives. Meet the bad friends. The dangerously romantic school girls of the 1900s. The office gossips of the 1930s. The mum cliques of the 1950s. The angry activists of the 1970s. The coven women who choose to live together in old age of the present day. These bad' friends broke the rules about femininity they didn't write. Their relationships were controlled, patrolled and judged too intimate, too consuming and in some cases, too powerful.In this history of women''s friendship, celebrated cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith reckons with the ways we understand this complex and vital connection. She takes us from Japan to the Ivory Coast, The Mindy Project to Zadie Smith''s Swing Time, from prisons to film sets to hospital wards and elder communities, untangling the assumptions about good and bad friends we live by. Weaving together history, interviews and memoir, Bad Friend offers what's long overdue: a more expansive, more rebellious vision of friendship fit for twenty-first-century life.
£17.09
Amberley Publishing The Arboretum
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£14.39
ESSEX HUNDRED PUBLICATIONS The Struggle to Build Southends First Pier
Book Synopsis
£9.99
Octopus Publishing Group Scotlands Clans their Tartans
Book SynopsisScotland''s Clans & their Tartans offers an authoritative exploration of the origins and evolution of Scotland''s unique clan system, tracing its roots back to the 5th century in Ireland, where the Scots originally lived. From the Abercrombies to the Wemyss clan, this comprehensive book provides detailed entries on the history of each clan, including their geographical origins, notable clansmen, and the evolution of their distinctive tartan patterns.With over 150 tartans beautifully displayed in full colour images, this guide serves as both a visual celebration and an exhaustively researched reference for historians, enthusiasts, and anyone with an ancestral connection to Scotland alike.Whether you''re a proud Scot or simply fascinated by the intricacies of Scottish heritage, Scotland''s Clans & their Tartans will make an essential addition to your collection.
£15.29
Reaktion Books Winter Dreams
Book Synopsis
£17.00
Taylor & Francis Ltd The European World 15001800
Book SynopsisThe European World 1500â1800 provides a concise and authoritative textbook for the centuries between the Renaissance and the French Revolution. It presents early modern Europe not as a mere transition phase, but a dynamic period worth studying in its own right.Written by an experienced team of specialists, and derived from a successful undergraduate course, it offers a student-friendly introduction to all major themes and processes of early modern history. This fully updated fourth edition is structured in six parts â Starting Points, Society and Economy, Religion, The Wider World, Culture, Politics â and includes two new chapters on the Environment and Food and Drink Cultures.Specially designed to assist learning, The European World 1500â1800 features: expert surveys of key topics written by an international group of historians suggestions for seminar discussion and further reading extracts from primary sources and generous illustrations, including maps a glossary of key terms and concepts a full index of persons, places and subjects and a companion website, offering colour images, direct access to primary materials, and interactive features which highlight key events and locations discussed in the volume. The European World 1500â1800 is essential reading for all students embarking on the discovery of the early modern period.For support with the early modern historiographical debates see the partnering volume Interpreting Early Modern Europe edited by C. Scott Dixon and Beat KÃmin.- https://www.routledge.com/Interpreting-Early-Modern-Europe/Dixon-Kumin/p/book/9781138799011. Trade Review'This is one of the only textbooks to portray the early modern period as a distinctive era in its own right and to fully explore its richness and diversity. The European World provides an authoritative survey of the period's characteristic developments, an overview of the latest scholarly perspectives and an original selection of easily accessible source fragments.'Bart Lambert, University of York, UK‘An informative, synthetic account of the major themes in early modern European history. The authors introduce readers to an array of "histories" (social, economic, religious, etc.) which they may not have encountered before and encourage further specialised reading . . . the illustrative examples are useful and pertinent.’Stephen Bowd, University of Edinburgh ‘This impressive textbook provides a firm basis for any further student research. Easy to read, it delivers in-depth considerations of the most important developments of the European early modern period.’Renate Dürr, University of Tübingen‘Didactically, it is all brilliantly executed, especially compared to some German textbooks and it is easy to read, without being simplistic.’Wolfgang Reinhard, Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung‘One of the best introductions to this period I have seen.'Retha Warnicke, Arizona State University'A student-friendly text, well written by excellent scholars who make the reader want to turn the page. The European World, 1500-1800, contains analytical chapters on a variety of both traditional and recent historical topics while excelling in comparative descriptions of life throughout Europe, between different centuries, and between Europe and the wider world.'Richard M. Golden, University of North TexasThis is a well-organized, thoughtful and thought-provoking survey of a seminal period in the history of Europe. It draws upon current scholarship to provide a useful overview the major themes of early modern European history. Its thematic approach is especially helpful in getting students to think about the past in new and fruitful ways.Christine Kooi, Louisiana State University. Table of ContentsPart I: Starting PointsI.1 IntroductionBeat Kümin I.2 Europe in 1500Humfrey ButtersPart II: Society and EconomyII.1 EnvironmentsJohn MorganII.2Gender and FamilyBernard CappII.3 Rural SocietySteve Hindle II.4 Urban SocietyPenny RobertsII.5 Marginals and DeviantsPenny RobertsII.6 Sickness and HealthClaudia SteinII.7 The Early Modern EconomySteve Hindle Part III: ReligionIII.1 Church and People at the Close of the Middle AgesBeat Kümin and Peter MarshallIII.1A The Long Reformation – an introductionBeat KüminIII.2 The Long Reformation – LutheranHenry J. CohnIII.3 The Long Reformation – ReformedPenny RobertsIII.4 The Long Reformation – CatholicAnne Gerritsen, Kevin Gould and Peter MarshallIII.5 Religious Culture in Early Modern EuropePeter MarshallIII.6 Jews and MuslimsHenry J. Cohn†Part IV: The Wider World IV.1 Beyond Europe c. 1500Anne Gerritsen and Anthony McFarlaneIV.2 European Relations with the Ottoman WorldJames BaldwinIV.3 Expanding HorizonsAnne Gerritsen and Anthony McFarlaneIV.4 Europe OverseasAnthony McFarlaneIV.5 The Global Exchange of GoodsAnne Gerritsen and Giorgio RielloIV.6 Europe and the World c. 1800Anne Gerritsen and Anthony McFarlanePart V: CultureV.1 RenaissanceHumfrey ButtersV.2 Arts and SocietyLuca MolàV.3 From Pen to PrintMark Knights and Angela McShane V.4 Food and Drink CulturesRebecca Earle and Beat KüminV.5 Popular Culture(s)Bernard CappV.6 Witchcraft and MagicPenny RobertsV.7 The Scientific RevolutionClaudia SteinV.8 EnlightenmentColin JonesPart VI: PoliticsA) SurveysVI.1 The Theory and Practice of Politics and GovernmentHumfrey ButtersVI.2 Dynastic Politics, Religious Conflict and Reason of State c.1500-1650Humfrey Butters and Henry J. CohnVI.3 European Politics from the Peace of Westphalia to the French Revolution c.1650-1800Colin Jones and Mark KnightsB) ThemesVI. 4 Courts and CentresStéphane van Damme and Janet Dickinson VI.5 Centre and PeripherySteve Hindle and Beat Kümin VI.6 The Impact of WarJonathan DaviesVI.7 Riot and RebellionBernard CappVI.8 RevolutionBernard Capp and Colin Jones
£33.99
Yale University Press Ignorance
Book Synopsis
£11.99
Vintage Publishing Flaneuse
Book SynopsisLauren Elkin is the author of several books, including Flâneuse: Women Walk the City, a Radio 4 Book of the Week, a New York Times Notable Book of 2017, and a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel award for the art of the essay. Her essays on art, literature, and culture have appeared in the London Review of Books, the New York Times, Granta, Harper's, Le Monde, Les Inrockuptibles, and Frieze, among others. She is also an award-winning translator, most recently of Simone de Beauvoir's previously unpublished novel The Inseparables. After twenty years in Paris, she now lives in London.Trade ReviewAn uplifting, gender-bending critique of how women negotiate public space -- Deborah Levy * Guardian, Book of the Year *Deliciously spiky and seditious, she takes her readers on a rich, intelligent and lively meander through cultural history, biography, literary criticism, urban topography and memoir… I defy anyone to read this celebratory study and not feel inspired to take to the streets in one way or another. -- Lucy Scholes * Observer *Well researched and larded with examples, this picaresque account of a picaresque longing successfully paints women back into the city... Elkin reboots the appetite to go walking and thinking in the city, which can only be a good thing. * Evening Standard *Flâneuse is not simply a reclaiming of space, but also of a suppressed intellectual and cultural history. Finding ways to reframe images of women walking and to reverse male gazes, Flâneuse builds on recent work by Rebecca Solnit and the artist Laura Oldfield Ford, among others, with striking intellectual vigour and clear, enrapturing prose. * Financial Times *The thoughtful urban stroller Lauren Elkin is a self-appointed heir to Woolf's 'street haunter'. A memoir, a travelogue and an eminently likeable work of literary criticism, Flaneuse is more like a song sung under Elkin’s breath. [...] At its best, her book evokes reading aloud... reading your own life through the novels that form part of it. -- Gaby Wood * Daily Telegraph *Wonderful… a joyful genealogy of the female urban walker. The book’s narrative meanders brilliantly and appropriately across several times periods at once… Elkin’s Flaneuse does not simply wander aimlessly, any more than Elkin does herself in this elegant book: she uses her reflection to question, challenge and create anew the life that she observes. -- Lara Feigel * Guardian *An intense meditation on what it means to be a women and walk out in the world. Flaneuse encourages its readers to lace up their shoes and go for a walk. Elkin lets the reader become a companion to many women who have thought seriously about the relationship between a woman and the path she chooses to tread. -- Erica Wagner * New Statesman *I've been waiting for years to see the history of women walkers in the city added to the critical literature of the flaneur--and here, in Lauren Elkin's really smart and lovely book -- Vivian GornickEngaging, inspiring and vigorous... The persuasiveness with which she urges us to rethink and expand our understanding of the art of flânerie, together with the force of her insights and the strength and weight of her voice, leaves us with a contribution to the field that feels singular. Buy it, read it, talk about it. And carry it with you in your mind when you next go walking in the city. -- Matthew Adams * The National *Flâneuse offers a rich engagement with the “psychogeography” of 20th-century literature and the contemporary city… A rich, rewarding pedalogue -- Martin Doyle and Sara Keating * Irish Times *In her richly evocative and absorbing debut, cultural critic Elkin homes in on the female version of the flaneur . . . In this insightful mix of cultural history and memoir, Elkin emerges at the protagonist as she mines her personal journey from the suburbs of Long Island to her current home in Paris * Publishers Weekly *Marvellously eclectic and erudite * Bookseller *An appealing blend of memoir, scholarship, and cultural criticism . . . Elkin's own story runs through the text like a luminous thread. She tells us the woman-in-the-street stories of Jean Rhys, Virginia Woolf, George Sand, Sophie Calle, Agnès Varda, and Martha Gellhorn, but all sorts of other cultural figures appear, including Barthes, Rilke, Baudelaire, Hemingway, Derrida, Dickens, and numerous others . . . Enlightening walks through cities, cultural history, and a writer's heart and soul * Kirkus *This is a book about wandering women, the author included, who build relationships with their cities by walking through them . . . Women can and do make feminist statements simply by strolling through their stomping grounds; Elkin creates an interesting and inarguable case for this. She, too, is a wanderer and provides compelling anecdotes about her own journeys, interspersed with those of literary heavy-hitters George Sand, Jean Rhys, Virginia Woolf, and others . . . This is ultimately a celebration of women. You'll want to take a stroll by the end * Library Journal *Inspiring * Psychologies *
£10.44
Little, Brown & Company No Stopping Us Now The Adventures of Older Women
Book SynopsisYou''re not getting older, you''re getting better, or so promised the famous 1970''s ad--for women''s hair dye. Americans have always had a complicated relationship with aging: embrace it, deny it, defer it--and women have been on the front lines of the battle, willingly or not.In her lively social history of American women and aging, acclaimed New York Times columnist Gail Collins illustrates the ways in which age is an arbitrary concept that has swung back and forth over the centuries. From Plymouth Rock (when a woman was considered marriageable if civil and under fifty years of age), to a few generations later, when they were quietly retired to elderdom once they had passed the optimum age for reproduction, to recent decades when freedom from striving in the workplace and caretaking at home is often celebrated, to the first female nominee for president, American attitudes towards age have been a moving target. Gail Collins gives women reason to expect the best of t
£11.99
British Library Publishing The Philosophy of Cheese
Book SynopsisFrom the Swiss Alps to New York's hipster cheese bars, journalist Patrick McGuigan has written about cheesemakers, maturers and cheesemongers around the world for The Telegraph, Delicious and The Financial Times. He is partial to a slice of Kirkham's Lancashire. www.patrickmcguigan.com
£9.50
Orion Publishing Co Trelawnys Cornwall
Book SynopsisIt would be hard to think of a more thoroughly Cornish name than Trelawny: it''s even the unofficial name for the Cornish anthem "Song of the Western Men". But when a mysterious stranger challenged Radio 3''s Petroc Trelawny on the authenticity of his ancestry, it inspired him to return to the lands of his boyhood to see if he can trace "a thin bloodline that would prove the link between my immediate ancestors and the ancient Trelawnys of old", and discover exactly what belonging means. A deeply felt exploration of Cornwall''s past, present and future, Petroc seeks the even stranger truths behind local legends, holds a finger up to the shifting winds of change, and conjures marvellously vivid figures and scenes from the inexhaustible depths of his memory, telling the story of loving family full of mysteries and a landscape still redolent of "Cornish otherness".
£18.70
The Mercier Press Ltd Casualties of Conflict: Fatalities of the War of
Book SynopsisThis book explores the lives and deaths of over 300 men, women and children buried in Dublin’s Glasnevin Cemetery who died due to the War of Independence and Civil War. Detailed research brings their stories together for the first time with first-hand accounts of those who witnessed and participated in these historical conflicts. Through the exploration of seemingly ordinary burial records, extraordinary events are revealed. Unfolded are stories of ambushes, informers, assassinations, spies, executions, raids, mutiny and bombings, together with ordinary members of the public, caught up in extraordinary events.
£31.20
New Island Books The DUBLIN PUB
Book SynopsisThe follow up to 2022's best-selling Three Castles Burning is here. Historian and Podcaster Donal Fallon returns with this exciting social and cultural history of that most venerable institution, the Dublin pub.
£18.69
Atlantic Publishing, Croxley Green London: The Great Transformation 1860–1920
Book Synopsis
£40.00
University of Illinois Press The Italian American Table
Book Synopsis Best Food Book of 2014 by The AtlanticLooking at the historic Italian American community of East Harlem in the 1920s and 30s, Simone Cinotto recreates the bustling world of Italian life in New York City and demonstrates how food was at the center of the lives of immigrants and their children. From generational conflicts resolved around the family table to a vibrant food-based economy of ethnic producers, importers, and restaurateurs, food was essential to the creation of an Italian American identity. Italian American foods offered not only sustenance but also powerful narratives of community and difference, tradition and innovation as immigrants made their way through a city divided by class conflict, ethnic hostility, and racialized inequalities. Drawing on a vast array of resources including fascinating, rarely explored primary documents and fresh approaches in the study of consumer culture, Cinotto argues that Italian immigrants created a dTrade Review"Written with passion and clarity, The Italian American Table represents a stunning achievement. While tackling an irresistible topic--the meaning of food in the lives of Italian immigrants and their children--Simone Cinotto has managed to write a book that should please a wide range of interdisciplinary scholars and readers."--The Journal of American History "Insightful, pathbreaking research. . . . a new perspective on the linkage between food and family. Recommended."--Choice "In clear, bright prose Cinotto focuses on the period spanning from 1920 to 1940, and thus extends beyond the years of intense Italian immigration to include generational change and later cultural reproduction… The book appropriately cleaves between Italian American immigrant's food culture and later attempts at selling 'Italian' food to white Americans… Food is part of a larger cultural economy here, and Cinotto sheds some light on its production as a symbol and commodity over several generations."--American Historical ReviewTable of ContentsCoverTitle PageContentsIllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: The Social Origins of Ethnic TraditionChapter 1: The Contested TableChapter 2: "Sunday Dinner? You Had to Be There!"Chapter 3: An American FoodscapePart II: Producing and Consuming Italian American IdentitiesChapter 4: The American Business of Italian FoodChapter 5: "Buy Italian!"Chapter 6: Serving EthnicityEpilogueNotesIndex
£24.29
McGraw-Hill Education ISE A History of Europe in the Modern World
Book SynopsisA History of Europe in the Modern World delves into how Europe''s history has contributed to the development of the modern world and an increasingly global society. The twelfth edition of this classic text links specific nations, movements, and landmark events in European history to broader historical themes and problems that have shaped the contemporary era. Readers of this text will learn about Europe''s past within the context of key historical trends, including the rise of industry and a global economy; the development of science, technology, and new forms of knowledge; social, cultural, and political movements; evolving views of human rights; and the complex relations between European nations and the wider world. Table of ContentsKramer/Palmer: A History of Europe in the Modern World, 12e List of Chapter IllustrationsList of Chronologies, Historical Documents, Historical Interpretations and Debates, Maps, Charts, and TablesPrefaceGeography, History, and the Modern WorldCHAPTER 1: The Rise of EuropeCHAPTER 2: The Upheaval in Western Christendom, 1300 - 1560CHAPTER 3: The Atlantic World, Commerce, and Wars of Religion, 1560 - 1648CHAPTER 4: The Growing Power of Western Europe, 1640 - 1715CHAPTER 5: The Transformation of Eastern Europe, 1648 - 1740CHAPTER 6: The Scientific View of the WorldCHAPTER 7: The Global Struggle for Wealth and EmpireCHAPTER 8: The Age of EnlightenmentCHAPTER 9: The French RevolutionCHAPTER 10: Napoleonic EuropeCHAPTER 11: Industries, Ideas, and the Struggle for Reform, 1815 - 1848CHAPTER 12: Revolutions and the Reimposition of Order, 1848 - 1870CHAPTER 13: The Consolidation of Large Nation-States, 1859 - 1871CHAPTER 14: Europe's Economic and Political Ascendancy, 1871 - 1914CHAPTER 15: European Society and Culture, 1871 - 1914CHAPTER 16: Europe’s Colonial Empires and Global Dominance, 1871 - 1914CHAPTER 17: The First World WarCHAPTER 18: The Russian Revolution and the Emergence of the Soviet UnionCHAPTER 19: Democracy, Anti-Imperialism, and the Economic Crisis after the First World WarCHAPTER 20: Democracy and Dictatorship in the 1930sCHAPTER 21: The Second World WarCHAPTER 22: The Cold War and Reconstruction after the Second World WarCHAPTER 23: Decolonization and the Breakup of the European EmpiresCHAPTER 24: Coexistence, Confrontation, and the New European EconomyCHAPTER 25: The International Revolt against Soviet CommunismCHAPTER 26: Europe and the Changing Modern WorldAppendix Rulers and RegimesIndexSuggestions for Further Reading
£56.99
Yale University Press Going to Church in Medieval England
Book SynopsisAn engaging, richly illustrated account of parish churches and churchgoers in England, from the Anglo-Saxons to the mid-sixteenth centuryTrade Review“Christmas is the time of year when people are most likely to attend divine service, and Going to Church in Medieval England . . . tells us how they did it 800 years ago. . . . Orme also describes how the churches that punctuate our landscape came about, and who ran them.”—Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph, “2021’s Best Histories”“Nicholas Orme writes with an engaging lightness of touch while clearly laying out the functions, use and management of medieval parish churches. The result is so skilfully, successfully and thoroughly executed that it belies the complexity and scope of the task.”—John Jenkins, Times Literary Supplement“Orme’s book, a vast intricate mosaic resting atop a mountain of research, is often funny, often moving, and always fascinating. You finish it with a real feeling for the lives of normal people (so often absent from history books) in a world of great contrasts . . . a world of humour, and of sadness; a world not entirely unlike our own.”—Duncan Morrison, Daily Telegraph“A thrilling reconstruction of what you might have seen in church 800 years ago, from parishioners licking relics to noblemen punching vicars in the face.”—Daily Telegraph“Eye-opening. . . . Orme deftly shows how church language became part of everyday English.”—Harry Mount, Spectator“Prof Orme’s beady eye for lively human interest makes him very good company.”—Ysenda Maxtone Graham, Country Life“Orme explains in impressive detail what churches (and church-going) were like in the Middle Ages.”—The Week“A distinguished and highly accessible contribution to the unfolding scholarly landscape of this subject. . . . Orme is known for his scholarship on medieval children. Despite the fact that he concludes that they are an elusive presence, he provides some fascinating details.”—Kitty Turley, The Tablet“It is perhaps the particular virtue of this book that its author is every bit as interested in the everyday life of the church as he is in the sacred highpoints of sacred theatre and the beauties of medieval architecture. . . . This is, in other words, a complete picture of a whole world.”—William Whyte, History Today “Orme is an authoritative and accessible guide, and this exhaustive and lavishly illustrated study is a must-read.”—Katherine Harvey, Church Times“Professor Orme’s detailed, but very readable (and affordable) book, brings together recent scholarship to provide an accessible account of how people worshipped and practised religion in their local church. . . . It is definitely a ‘must have’ addition to any medievalist’s bookshelf.”—Richard Halsey, Friends of Friendless Churches“The book provides an accessible account of what happened in the daily and weekly services and how churches marked the seasons of Christmas, Lent, Easter and summer.”—Methodist Recorder“Nicholas Orme provides a vivid and detailed look at what it was actually like to attend church in medieval times—the sights, sounds and smells. He includes delightful details about seating arrangements, how the interior of the church would have looked, what happened to those who didn’t attend church, and much more. . . . An engaging read that will stay with you long after you finish the last page.”—Rachel Bellerby, Family Tree Magazine“Yale has served Orme especially well, with superb colour illustrations integrated straight into this text. . . . His subject is inherently visual in all its aspects, from the architecture of church buildings to the teeming daily activity that went on inside and around them.”—Diarmaid MacCulloch, London Review of Books“Orme’s mastery of the subject shines through soon enough; given his long and distinguished career, this is hardly a surprise. With a light and accessible touch he leads his readers through the give-and-take of churchgoing from the origins of the parish among the newly converted Anglo-Saxons to the role it inevitably played in the implementation of the Reformation at local level. . . . The depth and detail of his work lies in his characters, both saints and sinners with all their wants, needs, foibles, hopes, and fears.”—Serenhedd James, The Critic“This is a wonderful book; I recommend it to everyone who wants to know what actually happened in a medieval church.”—Heather Falvey, Local Historian“Nicholas Orme’s latest book on the buildings, staffing, congregations, and uses of the medieval church offers instead a broad work that is rich in detail, as it draws together geographical, social and religious complexities into a comprehensive and engaging whole.”—British Catholic History, British Catholic History“This truly fascinating book, packed with extraordinary details, was a joy to read and often a revelation.”—Marc Lloyd, Global Anglican“As well as being highly instructive, this is an enjoyable volume to read, and should be on every church archaeologist’s bookshelves.”—Warwick Rodwell, Medieval Settlement Research“The great strength of the book lies in the fact that the author never confines himself to the prescriptive but constantly strives to uncover what actually happened in medieval English parish churches . . . it will surely become essential reading for anyone seriously interested in religion in England in the Middle Ages.”—Clare Cross, Ecclesiology Today“Alert throughout to change across time, the complexities of sources, and the variety of past experience, Nicholas Orme has written a wonderful book. With great clarity and insight, he captures the human and material reality of quotidian Christian worship across the middle Ages.”—John H. Arnold, author of Belief and Unbelief in the Middle Ages“Drawing on both surviving churches and contemporary literature and attentive to gender, status, and geography, Orme explores what ordinary men and women saw, heard, and experienced when they attended church.”—Katherine L. French, University of Michigan“What actually happened in a medieval church? What was medieval worship like? Turn to this book, and you’ll find answers to all the questions you’ll ever ask.”—Nigel Saul, author of Richard II“For many years Nicholas Orme has been enlightening readers with incisive appreciations of the religious and social institutions of medieval England. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this study brings home to readers the reality of formal Christian witness as experienced by England’s medieval parishioners.”—Roger Bowers, University of Cambridge
£12.99
Vintage Publishing Cod
Book Synopsis''Who would ever think that a book on cod would make a compulsive read? And yet this is precisely what Kurlansky has done'' Express on SundayThe Cod. Wars have been fought over it, revolutions have been triggered by it, national diets have been based on it, economies and livelihoods have depended on it. To the millions it has sustained, it has been a treasure more precious that gold. This book spans 1,000 years and four continents. From the Vikings to Clarence Birdseye, Mark Kurlansky introduces the explorers, merchants, writers, chefs and fisherman, whose lives have been interwoven with this prolific fish. He chronicles the cod wars of the 16th and 20th centuries. He blends in recipes and lore from the Middle Ages to the present. In a story that brings world history and human passions into captivating focus, he shows how the most profitable fish in history is today faced with extinction.Trade ReviewA must-have book for anyone who loves fish. Kurlansky was innovative (and is now much imitated) in writing a book about how a commodity shaped history. * The Week *This is an extraordinary little book, unputdownable, written in the most lyrical, flowing style which paints vivid pictures and, at the same time, punches into place hard facts that stop you dead in your tracks. Who would ever think that a book on cod would make a compulsive read? And yet this is precisely what Kurlansky has done -- Sir Roy Strong * Express on Sunday *An engrossing and timely little epic * Scotsman *To go out and buy a book on the subject (of cod) is to invite glances of suspicion. While a few eccentrics might think this is a good reason to purchase several copies, for the rest of us it requires a certain leap of faith. Cod...amply rewards such a leap. It is compact and beautifully produced * Mail on Sunday *Refreshing and invigorating, full of fascinating facts * Independent on Sunday *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing The Piano Shop On The Left Bank
Book SynopsisT. E. Carhart is an American who lives in Paris. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is his debut novel. His second book, Across the Endless River, was published in 2009.Trade ReviewQuirky and tender...beguiling -- Rose Tremain * Sunday Telegraph *A love affair with the piano... A minor classic * Times Literary Supplement *Captivating...full of knowledge...suffused with Parisian sensations...he can choose words that make us feel and hear the instruments he plays...when you close it you feel you have been on holiday * Sunday Times *Charming...a cool, autumnal breeze of a book...written out of love * Guardian *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Ruin of All Witches
Book Synopsis*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE**A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND BBC HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR*''A bona fide historical classic'' Sunday Times''Simply one of the best history books I have ever read'' BBC HistoryIn the frontier town of Springfield in 1651, peculiar things begin to happen. Precious food spoils, livestock ails and property vanishes. People suffer fits and are plagued by strange visions and dreams. Children sicken and die. As tensions rise, rumours spread of witches and heretics, and the community becomes tangled in a web of spite, distrust and denunciation. The finger of suspicion falls on a young couple struggling to make a home and feed their children: Hugh Parsons the irascible brickmaker and his troubled wife, Mary. It will be their downfall.The Ruin of All Witches tells the dark, real-life folktale of witch-hunting iTrade ReviewA bona fide historical classic ... Historical writing of the very highest class, impeccably researched and written with supreme imagination and wisdom. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Unforgettable ... Whether you read The Ruin of All Witches for a startling insight into another age, or see its portrait of mob hysteria and witch-hunts as darkly analogous to our own uneasy times, this is one of those rare history books that stays with you and haunts you long after you have turned the last page. Superb. -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *The genius of Gaskill's book lies in his meticulous piecing together of daily life in New England ... Gaskill tells this deeply tragic story with immense empathy and compassion, as well as historical depth. A compelling study that offers a chilling insight into human nature in an age of superstition. -- PD Smith * The Guardian *Breathtaking ... a great story, exquisitely told. I had to reread certain sentences aloud, just to savour their insight and cadence ... This book is history at its illuminative best. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *The narrative is as compelling as a campfire story ... This is deeply atmospheric writing, carefully sourced ... As with the best history, the lessons of Springfield's past may serve to inform the citizens of a still-divided and conflicted nation. -- Erica Wagner * Financial Times *Evocative right from the start, the reader is drawn in and excited in both body and mind ... It's a feast ... a valuable gift to every reader of history. -- Marion Gibson * BBC History Magazine *A portrait of a community during one of the first Puritan witch panics in the New World - and a timeless study of how paranoia, superstition and social unrest fuel fantasies ... Mr Gaskill's immersive approach brings the fate of his subjects movingly to life. * The Economist *Simply one of the best history books I have ever read ... His deeply imaginative, empathetic and yet empirical exploration of a past moment of crisis is history at its finest. -- Suzannah Lipscomb * BBC History *A rich and beautifully written microhistory ... a work of remarkable historical reconstruction. -- Edward Vallance * Literary Review *Malcolm Gaskill shows us with filmic vividness the daily life of the riven, marginal community of Springfield, where settlers from a far country dwell on the edge of the unknown. The clarity of his thought and his writing, his insight, and the immediacy of the telling, combine to make this the best and most enjoyable kind of history writing. Malcolm Gaskill goes to meet the past on its own terms and in its own place, and the result is thought-provoking and absorbing. -- Hilary MantelA surefooted and gripping narrative ... Gaskill's Springfield joins Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's Montaillou, Tony Wrigley's Colyton and other places of little intrinsic importance which for one reason or another have been immortalised by modern historiography... There is currently no memorial for Hugh and Mary Parsons in Springfield like those which have been erected in other places where witches were hunted. Perhaps they will get one now. -- Keith Thomas * London Review of Books *Reads with the fluency of a novel ... Crucially, Gaskill writes to make us see the world as those early Puritans saw it; how their own psychological fears, of financial ruin, of neighbours, of Native Americans and the hostile elements, could seed the first accusations of witchcraft. -- Samira Ahmend * The New Humanist *An impressively researched account, bringing to life the fears and preoccupations of obscure and humble people, and setting them in the context of their time and place. -- Richard Francis * The Spectator *Powerfully evocative, a grimly compelling morality tale with more than one unexpected twist ... an outstanding achievement, haunting, revelatory and superbly written - a strong contender for the best history book of 2021. -- Andrew Lynch * Irish Independent *A pulsating history of sorcery and superstition ... an academic feat but reads like a Stephen King thriller - and it's just right for our conspiracy-laden times. -- Robert Epstein * The i *A riveting micro-history, brilliantly set within the broader social and cultural history of witchcraft. Drawing on previously neglected source material, this book is elegantly written and full of intelligent analysis. * Wolfson History Prize 2022 *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd A Fistful of Shells
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize, Cundill History Prize, Fage and Oliver Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award Winner of the Historical Writers'' Association Non-Fiction Crown 2020Winner of the American Historical Association''s Jerry Bentley Prize in World History 2020Winner of the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2019An Observer and Wall Street Journal Book of the Year 2019A groundbreaking history that will transform our view of West AfricaBy the time of the ''Scramble for Africa'' in the late nineteenth century, Africa had already been globally connected for many centuries. Its gold had fuelled the economies of Europe and Islamic world since around 1000, and its sophisticated kingdoms had traded with Europeans along the coasts from Senegal down to Angola since the fifteenth century. Until at least 1650, this was a trade of equals, using a variety of currencies - most importantly shells: the cowrie shells imported from the Maldives, and the nzimbu shells imported from Brazil.Toby Green''s groundbreaking new book transforms our view of West and West-Central Africa. It reconstructs the world of kingdoms whose existence (like those of Europe) revolved around warfare, taxation, trade, diplomacy, complex religious beliefs, royal display and extravagance, and the production of art.Over time, the relationship between Africa and Europe revolved ever more around the trade in slaves, damaging Africa''s relative political and economic power as the terms of monetary exchange shifted drastically in Europe''s favour. In spite of these growing capital imbalances, longstanding contacts ensured remarkable connections between the Age of Revolution in Europe and America and the birth of a revolutionary nineteenth century in Africa.A Fistful of Shells draws not just on written histories, but on archival research in nine countries, on art, praise-singers, oral history, archaeology, letters, and the author''s personal experience to create a new perspective on the history of one of the world''s most important regions.''Astonishing, staggering'' Ben Okri, Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewA Fistful of Shells is the fruit of research conducted in the archives of nine nations and required the author to undertake fieldwork across eight West African states. It shows. [...] This is a stunning work of research and argumentation. It has the potential to become a landmark in our understanding of the most misunderstood of continents. -- David Olusoga * New Statesman *Toby Green's A Fistful of Shells uses a global archive - in Africa, the Americas and Europe - to explore the complex, flourishing and connected economy of West Africa existing long before a European capitalist system established itself on the continent. Extraordinarily written and researched, the book paints a huge, complex canvas, filled with individual detail. -- Julia Lovell * Observer Books of the Year 2019 *A Fistful of Shells is exemplary: scholarly, sensitive, enlightening and often vivid. The author does much more than make Africa seem normal. He proclaims a daunting ambition: to explore the local and global implications of West Africa's economies during the age of slavery. He succeeds. -- Felipe Fernández-Armesto * Wall Street Journal *A work of staggering scholarship, drawing on previously untapped sources locked away in European vaults and historical records which, taken as a whole, contradict the age-old perceptions foisted on Africa ... peppered with astonishing facts ... polyphonic, detailed and vast. -- Ben Okri * Daily Telegraph *Dismantles the racist myth of west African "backwardness" ... The 19th-century imperial vision of Africa as somehow outside of history continues to mark even "world" histories, which often privilege the global north. A Fistful of Shells is an antidote to these histories, and to the master narrative of Africa as historical object, rather than subject. -- Padraic Scanlan * The Guardian *A rich and insightful work ... What emerges is a radically different view of the region from the one that has been generally available. Green concludes by pointing to the lack of history being taught in schools and universities in West Africa and elsewhere; if it is taught at all, it tends to focus on the slave trade. A Fistful of Shells shows that there was so much more, and of so much relevance when looking at the issues of our own time. * Spectator *This original and thoughtful work is based on detailed first-hand knowledge of and collaboration with the cultures and peoples it depicts ... For all its impressive scholarship A Fistful of Shells is notably readable, supported by great illustrations and a stunning cover - and, in the best sense, personal. * Times Higher Education *A sprawling and nuanced look at the steady depletion of a continent with a powerful lament about the lack of academic interest in Africa's precolonial eras. * New York Review of Books *A multifaceted history of West Africa which turns many old assumptions on their heads. Green utterly demolishes the tired Western view that Africa had no history before the arrival of the Europeans, and that they naively ceded power in the region to the newcomers by exchanging valuable goods for baubles. A magisterial, extensive and fresh account of the history of West Africa that rewrites the region and its peoples back into World History, where they belong. -- Miranda Kaufmann, Author of BLACK TUDORSToby Green's book restores the rich African history which she had been denied for too long. Here the author reveals that Africa was never at the margins of global commerce but was in fact a decisive player with the prowess to negotiate and also the goods - ivory, gum, gold - to supply. -- Hassoum Ceesay, National Museum, The GambiaToby Green's transformative book repositions West African history in an entirely new light. It brings into focus the region's fundamental place in shaping the modern world as well as the powerful and also difficult legacy of this today. -- Paul Reid, Director, Black Cultural ArchivesVery seldom do I pick up a history book and wish I had written it myself. Toby Green's A Fistful of Shells is one such book. Brilliantly conceptualized, beautifully written, it breaks with colonially configured regional boundaries - which work to re-create unintended silos of knowledge - to imagine a West and West Central African Atlantic history of money, power, religion, and inequality that is as rich as it is sound. -- Professor Nwando Achebe, Michigan State UniversityThis book represents an extraordinary and admirable archival and bibliographic undertaking. * Times Literary Supplement *
£14.24
Penguin Books Ltd Fighting for Life
Book SynopsisFrom the author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians, a gripping, provocative exploration of the NHS, told through the most critical moments in its 75-year history''The book the NHS has always deserved'' Andrew Marr''Funny, intelligent and so beautifully written . . . a much-needed book'' Chris van Tulleken''Brilliant'' Adam Kay________________Since its foundation in 1948, the NHS has come to define our national identity; it even topped the what makes Britain great poll in 2022. It has made history (and the headlines) again and again - from cutting edge discoveries like the first ''test tube baby'', to its heroic response to the Coronavirus crisis. But the NHS has also become a battleground for some of the fiercest political contests of our time, perceived either as a national treasure, or as a lumbering piece of state machinery in need of renovation.In Fighting for Life, bestselling journalist IsabTrade ReviewA compelling, deftly constructed and powerfully told narrative . . . Hardman is a meticulous journalist with a gift for storytelling. Necessary reading -- Rafael Behr * Guardian *Terrific . . . Every aspect of this history is informed and beautifully written -- Alan Johnson * Observer, Book of the Week *Vivid and fascinating, this is a beautifully cogent, balanced and human biography of a health service haunted by its own mythology . . . Hardman is impressively even-handed and unsentimental -- Melanie Reid * The Times, Book of the Week *It has by far the best analysis of where the health service came from, and where it's going . . . full of excellent stories -- Karol Sikora * The Telegraph *Brilliant -- Adam Kay * author of This is Going to Hurt and Undoctored *Passionate, deeply researched and page-turningly full of good stories, this is so good one is tempted to say it is the book the NHS has always deserved -- Andrew MarrThis is a sensational and much-needed book: funny, intelligent and so beautifully written that it doesn't read like normal non-fiction . . . thorough, scholarly and above all readable -- Chris van TullekenA kaleidoscopic history of the NHS -- Henry Marsh * New Statesman *Hardman's writing is breezily accessible, and her deeply researched book is full of colourful vignettes and an enjoyable spice of gossip . . . she is particularly good at locating the NHS within the wider social movements that have changed British life over the 75 years of its existence -- Sarah Neville * Financial Times *A brilliantly written and engrossing biography of the NHS . . . compelling and even-handed -- Kate Womersley * The Spectator *A superb, rollercoaster account of the NHS . . . This completely riveting and scrupulously researched book shows how, just like its patients, the NHS sways precariously between money, morality and mortality, and trust, trauma and triumph -- Juliet NicolsonA compelling thriller . . . Fighting for Life provides vivid and urgently needed context to the familiar daily news stories about the crises in the NHS -- Steve RichardsA must-read for anyone interested in how the NHS started and why we have ended up where we are. A thoroughly fascinating, comprehensive and critical analysis -- Dr Ranj SinghA fascinating, insightful and forensic history of the NHS by a journalist who understands the politics as well as the policy of the health service. Essential reading -- Rachel SylvesterThis remarkable and immensely readable book looks back at the highs and lows of the NHS's first 75 years, and asks critical questions about its future. Thought-provoking, despairing, eye-opening, and inspiring in equal measure -- Sir David HaslamHardman provides an admirable account of the struggles of the [health service] . . . She is lucid, fair and unpolemical -- Andrew Gimson * Conservative Home *
£17.00
W. W. Norton & Company The Racial Wealth Gap
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£18.52
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Cultural Revolution
Book SynopsisAcclaimed by the Daily Mail as ''definitive and harrowing'', this is the final volume of The People's Trilogy'', begun by the Samuel Johnson prize-winning Mao''s Great Famine.''The seminal English language work on the subject' Sunday TimesA major contribution to scholarship on modern China, one that is unequalled, certainly in the English language both revealing and rewarding reading for specialists and non-specialists alike'' Literary ReviewAfter the economic disaster of the Great Leap Forward that claimed tens of millions of lives between 1958 and 1962, an ageing Mao launched an ambitious scheme to shore up his reputation and eliminate those he viewed as a threat to his legacy. The stated goal of the Cultural Revolution was to purge the country of bourgeois, capitalist elements he claimed were threatening genuine communist ideology. But the Chairman also used the Cultural Revolution to turn on his colleagues, some of them longTrade ReviewDefinitive and harrowing -- Book of the Week * Daily Mail *Dikötter never allows his intense account to degenerate into melodrama. Networks of power and information are carefully traced, revealing a movement that spiralled into general score-settling on such a scale that Mao and his allies had only intermittent control … A fascinating account of how people twisted or resisted the aims of Mao’s movement * Daily Telegraph *Definitive and harrowing -- Roger Lewis, Book of the Week * Daily Mail *Magnificent ... The author gives full acknowledgement to memoirs and scholarly works but it is his own archival research, allied to a piercing critique, that lifts the book to a higher level. He has mastered the details so well that with the most sparing use of description he weaves a vivid tapestry of China at the time … This brilliant book leaves no doubt that Mao almost ruined China and left a legacy of paranoia that still grips its modern dictatorship under the latest autocrat, Xi Jinping -- Michael Sheridan * Sunday Times *The murderous frenzy of the times, which tore apart friends and families, not to speak of the Communist party itself, is powerfully conveyed -- Book of the Week * The Times *Given the tortuous nature of the event, what contribution does Frank Dikötter’s new book make to our understanding of the Cultural Revolution? The answer is an immense one. He sheds important new light on what has long been a dark (in several respects) period in Chinese history ... The Cultural Revolution exposes, in measured prose and well-documented analysis, the impact of communist rule in a period of extraordinary stress, tension and violence, most of it unleashed by the Party itself. Together, these three books, which Dikötter calls the ‘People’s Trilogy’, constitute a major contribution to scholarship on modern China, one that is unequalled, certainly in the English language … There is something simply unanswerable about many of his judgments on the effects of almost seventy years of communism in China. Much of this has to do with his use of documents from official archives in China, to which access is difficult … his patience and endurance must be considerable and his Chinese-language skills formidable …. both revealing and rewarding reading – for specialists and non-specialists alike * Literary Review *Gripping, horrific … A significant event in our understanding of modern China * International New York Times *A fine, sharp study of [a] tumultuous, elusive era … Excellent follow-up to his groundbreaking previous work … Dikötter tells a harrowing tale of unbelievable suffering. A potent combination of precise history and moving examples * Kirkus *Outstanding * The Week *Searing * Irish Times *During ten years of insanity, between 1.5m and 2million people lost their lives. It is all chillingly documented in Frank Dikötter’s brilliant new book. -- Niall Ferguson * Sunday Times *Magisterial * New Statesman *His “people’s trilogy” … has been hailed as the seminal English language work on the subject. The trilogy’s enduring value lies in its unstinting description of the horrors of life under Mao … Dikötter has done much to ensure that we see the full horror of what happened under Mao * Sunday Times *A significant event in our understanding of modern China * Scotland on Sunday *It includes colourful sketches of famous individuals, a fast-paced account of key political events, and some interesting discussions of how ordinary people experienced and contributed to specific Cultural Revolution episodes … Impressive chapters on the early 1970s that explore and celebrate grassroots developments * Financial Times *A detailed, sober, bleak reminder of the horror and chaos unleashed by Mao Zedong * Tablet *Superb * Tribune *What sets Dikötter apart from many other historians of this period is his obsession with detail and insistence on bringing the story back to the individual account … The level of research in Dikötter’s book is astonishing ... but the book wears this research lightly, with the human story coming through strongly * Irish Times *Dikötter’s well-researched and readable new book on the Cultural Revolution’s causes and consequences is a crucial reminder of the tragedies, miscalculations and human costs of Mao’s last experiment * Guardian *A tragic and salutary history * Catholic Herald *The concluding volume of Dikotter’s superb trilogy on Mao Tse-tung’s China is deeply disturbing * Sunday Times *‘An eye-opener and a page-turner’ * Daily Mail *A revelatory look at a seismic upheaval that has left an indelible imprint on the country * The Sunday Times *
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Unquiet Women: From the Dusk of the Roman Empire
Book SynopsisUnquiet Women is an exquisitely crafted patchwork of the forgotten lives of some of the most remarkable women in history. History is polyphonic; it must be told by many voices. In Unquiet Women, Max Adams brings to life the voices and experiences of women living between the last days of Rome and the Enlightenment, whose stories of creativity, intellect and influence are all too rarely told. From Wynflæd, the Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who owned male slaves and badger-skin gowns, to Mary Astell, the philosopher who out-thought John Locke, this is a kaleidoscopic study of women's history before the Enlightenment changed everything. In this rigorous work of rescue and recovery, their voices can be heard across the centuries – still passionate and still strong. Reviews: 'A centuries-spanning study that rescues women's lives from the margins of history' BBC History Magazine 'Illuminating and wise... An important book' Herald 'A timely work which is beautifully designed and executed, embodying the charm and power of the remarkable women within its pages' All About HistoryTrade ReviewA timely work which is beautifully designed and executed, embodying a charm and power of its own from the remarkable women within its pages * All About History *It's fascinating territory, the narrative is lively and the author's reflections are illuminating and wise * Herald *Brings to life the experiences of women in history whose voices are barely heard and whose stories are rarely told * Journal *A thoroughly captivating look at some of the forgotten women of history, throughout the ages... Highly recommend this as a wonderful read... The stunning cover just adds to the enjoyment!' * Books and Me *A centuries-spanning study that rescues women's lives from the margins of history... The beautiful, faux-embroidered cover of Unquiet Women not only makes it an attractive addition to any bookshelf; it also serves as a reminder that, if we pay as much attention to cloth as the written word, we can continue to unravel stories of unquiet women throughout history' * BBC History Magazine *We hear the individual stories of noblewomen, explores and philosophers in this beautifully illustrated celebration of their intellect, influence and creativity; voices previously barely heard and stories rarely told * Evergreen *
£10.44
Reaktion Books Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain’s Secret
Book SynopsisPolari is a language that was used chiefly by gay men in the first half of the twentieth century. At a time when being gay could result in criminal prosecution – or worse – Polari offered its speakers a degree of public camouflage, a way of expressing humour, and a means of identification and of establishing a community. Its roots are colourful and varied – from Cant to Lingua Franca to prostitutes’ slang – and in the mid-1960s it was thrust into the limelight by the characters Julian and Sandy, voiced by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams, on the BBC radio show Round the Horne (‘Oh Mr Horne, how bona to vada your dolly old eke!’). Paul Baker recounts the story of Polari with skill, erudition and tenderness. He traces its historical origins and describes its linguistic nuts and bolts, explores the ways and the environments in which it was spoken, explains the reasons for its decline, and tells of its unlikely re-emergence in the twenty-first century. With a cast of drag queens and sailors, Dilly boys and macho clones, Fabulosa! is an essential document of recent history and a fascinating and fantastically readable account of this funny, filthy and ingenious language.Trade Review'One of the most enjoyable books on the subject this year was Paul Baker’s Fabulosa!, an excavation of the now pretty well lost gay language of Polari, richly evocative and entertaining.'- Philip Hensher, The Guardian, 'As a fag-hag of some vintage, I enjoyed this illuminating look at Polari – a language used chiefly by gay men in the first half of the 20th century. There's a fascinating look at it origins, from Cant to lingua franca, and from Italian to Romany; and its usage, from slang spoken by prostitutes to perhaps its most celebrated outing, by characters Julian and Sandy in the classic 1960s radio show "Round the Horne".'- The Bookseller, Editor's Choice, 'Though a language smacking of Carry On films and saucy seaside postcards, it’s the tragic torment and harassment that gave rise to Polari in the first place that must not be forgotten and which is why this book is important.'- Daily Mail, 'Baker’s intriguing and often amusing book is the work of a writer interested in language who has been led by his subject to think about social oppression . . . [he] writes well about the milieux in which Polari flourished – the theatre and the merchant navy. He is especially acute on the political uses of vulgar innuendo . . . And Baker’s interviews radiate warmth and good humour.'- The Spectator, 'Polari, like some admirably resilient weed, will not die . . . It is as much for its vocabulary as for its sociological vagaries that we read Baker’s always illuminating book . . . Fabulosa!'- Jonathon Green, The Telegraph, 'Baker tells the history of Polari with pride, passion and humour, making clear that camp can be “deliciously political”. Fabulosa! is an important celebration of Polari’s message – which is about laughing at your flaws, creating hope from tragedy, and seeing humour in the face of cruelty and oppression.'- London Magazine, 'Baker intersperses his account with snippets of interviews with Polari speakers, whose first-hand recollections are invariably arresting and funny. He is partial to a spot of innuendo himself, and manages to slip one in every now and then . . . [T]here is some evidence that the language persisted into the 1980s and ’90s in theatre circles, and it continues to enjoy a healthy afterlife as a cultural curio – of which this delightful book is just one manifestation.'- Financial Times, '[Baker] is especially strong on the changing attitude towards polari within the gay community in the 70s and 80s, and on the important reclamation performed by the The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. While the subject of Julian and Sandy is well-trodden ground, his approach feels fresh, and the personal interludes add to the narrative without being overly intrusive. Fabulosa! is also an excellent primer for would-be polari speakers.'- MinorLiteratures.com, 'Brilliant, readable nonfiction is out there too . . . for those who want to be in the know, Fabulosa! The Story of Polari, Britain’s Secret Gay Language by Paul Baker is a compelling history of the linguistic lengths to which gay people had to go to hide in plain sight within an aggressively homophobic culture.'- Observer Summer Reading chosen by David Bloomfield of Golden Hare Books, 'For anyone interested in finding out more about Polari, Fabulosa! provides a thought-provoking, in-depth look at how the language came about and fell in – and out – of favour with the gay community.'- Press Association Reviews, 'Fabulosa! is important, informative and engaging. A multifaceted foray into the roots, uses and contexts of Polari is hardly something you see published very day . . . it makes for informative and entertaining reading.'- Medium.com, 'A funny and joyous insight into the story of Polari . . . Fabulosa! Is a fascinating and fantastically readable account of this funny, filthy and ingenious language . . . This is an essential book for anyone who wants to Polari bona!'- Attitude, 'For anyone interested in finding out more about Polari – Britain's "secret gay language", Fabulosa! Provides a thought-provoking look at how the language came about and fell in and out of favour with the gay community from the days when homosexuality was illegal . . . Paul Baker details how Polari was based on a mixture of sources, including the common sailors' language of lingua franca and thieves' cant.'- i newspaper
£11.39
Birlinn Ltd Goodbye Dr Banda
Book SynopsisAlexander Chula is an NHS doctor and writer. He was born and raised in London, and is of mixed Thai and British ancestry. He read Classics at Worcester College, Oxford, then medicine at the University of London. He has worked in Malawi both as a teacher of Latin and Greek and as a doctor.
£12.34
State University of New York Press Gulshani Raz
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£26.12
Canongate Books How to Be Animal: What it Means to Be Human
Book SynopsisHumans are the most inquisitive, emotional, imaginative, aggressive and baffling animals on the planet. But how well do we really know ourselves?How to Be Animal offers a radical take on what it means to be human and argues that at the heart of our psychology is a profound struggle with being animal. Tracing the history of this thinking through to its far-reaching effects on our lives, and drawing on a range of disciplines, Challenger proposes that being an animal is a process, beautiful and unpredictable, and that we have a chance to tell ourselves a new story; to realise that if we matter, so does everything else.Trade ReviewThe best critique of the myth of human exceptionalism I have read. Clearly and beautifully written, compellingly argued and packed with powerful and moving stories, it shows how the fact that we humans are animals has been denied and repressed, with profoundly damaging consequences for the way we live and for the planet. But this brilliant book is not only a critique. By showing that being human means being animal, it reveals how much joy in life we can gain if we recognise and accept the truth about ourselves. Read and digest this book, and you will not only be wiser but also happier -- JOHN GRAY * * author of Feline Philosophy * *Melanie Challenger's wonderful book teaches me this: our blazing continuity with the depth of time and the whole of life. It is a huge, complex and triumphant thing: challenging, but also celebratory, courageous, mournful and apprehensive. Her language is lovely: exact and lyrical and sparklingly full of suggestion and implication. It is a hymn to generosity. I know it will be something I will return to again and again -- ADAM NICOLSON * * author of The Seabird's Cry * *This is a brilliant book that, like many brilliant books, explores what it means to be human. The difference here is that the author answers this by highlighting one central human dilemma: we are an animal in denial that we are actually an animal -- MATT HAIG * * Observer * *What an interesting book! The recognition that we are animals should come less as a slap in the face than as a welcome reminder of the great resources that can come from paying attention to the ways we and our various cousins handle our journeys on this difficult but beautiful planet -- BILL McKIBBEN * * author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? * *With this book, Melanie Challenger fearlessly plunges into the biggest question of our time: how can we rediscover our animal selves, before it is too late? How can we discover our true place in the wider world we are destroying? Each of us has to answer this question for ourselves. This book is a guide for you on the journey -- PAUL KINGSNORTHErudite, lyrical, delightfully troubling and full of unexpected convergences. A wonderful exploration of the tensions that beset the human animal trying to find our way. I was entranced by this beautiful weave of history, biology and philosophy -- DAVID GEORGE HASKELL * * author of The Forest Unseen * *Deepened my understanding of the world . . . An illuminating, beautifully written and unique philosophical inquiry by a wide-ranging and original thinker and a powerful call for a new ethic for our relationship with the rest of the living world . . . Quite simply, a rare and important marvel -- LUCY JONES * * author of Losing Eden * *A provocative, incisive and worried book, carried off with no small degree of élan . . . an excellent primer to the problems we have caused and that we face * * Scotsman * *Provocative . . . Challenger [writes] with the logic of a researcher and the lyricism of a poet * * Herald * *Blending personal experience with scientific observation, Challenger has a talent for making the known seem unexpected or unsettling * * Irish Times * *
£9.49
Anness Publishing Castles Palaces Stately Homes The illustrated
Book SynopsisThis sumptuously illustrated history presents, in an updated new edition, an in-depth account of Britain's most important buildings.
£13.50
Reaktion Books Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween
Book SynopsisTrick or Treat is the first book to both examine the origins and history of Halloween and explore in depth its current global popularity. Festivals like the Celtic Samhain and Catholic All Souls’ Day have blended to produce the modern Halloween, which has been reborn in America – but there are also related but independent holidays, especially Mexico’s Day of the Dead. Lisa Morton explores the explosion in popularity of haunted attractions and the impact of events such as the global economic recession, as well as the effect Halloween has had on popular culture through literary works, films and television series. Trick or Treat takes us on a journey from the spectacular to the macabre, making it a must for anyone who wants to peep behind the mask to see the real past and present of this ever more popular holiday.Trade ReviewWinner of the Bram Stoker Award for Non-fiction; Winner of the Halloween Book Festival’s Grand Prize; `If you want to know anything at all about the subject, you ought to find it in Trick or Treat . . . Morton’s interesting account of Hallowe’en is at its best when it comes up to date and there are many entertaining illustrations. – Susan Hill, The Times; `Well-written and illustrated, informative and entertaining.’ – Fortean Times; `Trick or Treat covers the history of Halloween from its ancient Celtic roots to its stunning growth in global popularity in the 21st century. Morton is an accomplished horror short story writer, and her ability to draw readers in quickly and keep them turning the pages shines through in her nonfiction as well. Lavishly illustrated, this solidly researched and concise work is fun to read and a great choice for readers who want to know why we seek out the scary each October.’ – Library Journal; `Morton offers the first comprehensive history of the `misunderstood festival’ of Halloween. She playfully sets the record straight on the origins of Halloween,explores its migration from the Old World to the New and back again, discusses the role of consumer culture in establishing supposedly ancient traditions, and concludes with an observation that Halloween’s ever-changing nature has allowed it to be adapted for countless purposes around the globe . . . This book is an excellent example of the scholarship on holidays as a means of accessing many facets of history. Highly recommended.’ – ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Halloween: The Misunderstood Festival 2. Snap-apple Night and November Eve: Halloween in the British Isles 3. Trick or Treat in the New World 4. La Toussaint, Allerheiligen and Tutti i Santi: The Global Celebration 5. Dias de los Muertos 6. From Burns to Burton: Halloween and Popular Culture References Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index
£11.39
Little, Brown Book Group A Place of Our Own
Book Synopsis* LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE 2025 *Lesbians are a people without a home. Perhaps that''s why the ones we make for ourselves are so important.A highly readable cultural history of queer women''s lives in the second half of the twentieth century, told through six iconic spaces''An inspiring celebration of lesbian camaraderie, activism and fun'' SARAH WATERS''A cracking read, and a reminder of what shaped where we are now'' VAL MCDERMID ''Riveting; indispensable; and suffused with a humane warmth'' ALISON BECHDEL''A must-have for any queer bookshelf'' TEGAN QUINFor as long as queer women have existed, they''ve created gathering grounds where they can be themselves. From the intimate darkness of the lesbian bar to the sweaty camaraderie of the softball field, these spaces aren''t a luxury - they''re a necessity for queer women defining their identities. Blending memoir, archival research and interviews, journalist June Thomas invites readers into six iconic lesbian spaces over the course of the last sixty years, including the rural commune, the sex toy boutique, the holiday destination and the feminist bookstore. She also illuminates what is gained and lost in the shift from the exclusive, tight-knit women''s spaces of the ''70s toward today''s more inclusive yet more diffuse LGBTQ+ communities.''Thomas''s ability to resurrect the past is a testament to her meticulous research. But it''s her voice - charming, irreverent, tender - that makes the journey through lesbian history so worthwhile'' NEW YORK TIMES''Pulses with delicious dykes and the spaces we have made for ourselves over the years. I welcome this story'' STELLA DUFFY''A wonderfully rangy, conversational, and thoughtful exploration of lesbian geographies'' DANIEL LAVERY''Immensely readable . . . A celebration of what was - and can be - built, with all the hurdles and ecstasies'' ROSIE GARLAND
£18.70
HarperCollins Publishers Snow Widows The Untold History of Scotts Fatal
Book SynopsisAn elegant, densely textured work, like a tapestry A welcome contribution to polar studies.' Sara Wheeler, Spectator [MacInness] handles the whole thing with masterly skilltakes us to the heart of the hope, love, anguish and grief' The TimesTrade Review‘A captivating, heartrending, emotionally exhausting, beautifully crafted bloody brilliant book’ Ben Tarring ‘I am reading it with fascination. It’s magnificent. [MacInnes has] an almost supernatural ability to conjure up the past.’ Sue Limb: co-author of Captain Oates: Soldier and Explorer 'The story of the five women waiting at home for Captain Scott and his doomed polar party is naturally occluded in tragedy. In this engaging book Katherine MacInnes for the first time presents them – two mothers at the outset, and three wives – as distinct individuals, separated one from the other by class, education, faith and temperament …An elegant, densely textured work, like a tapestry … A welcome contribution to polar studies.’ Sara Wheeler, Spectator ‘[MacInness] handles the whole thing with masterly skill…takes us to the heart of the hope, love, anguish and grief’ Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Times ‘A breathless parallel narrative, flipping from the Antarctic horrors to the worried women keeping calm and carrying on … Mesmerising … Movingly done’ Kate Green, Country Life '[MacInnes] relies … deftly on photographs, from which she derives many of her descriptions of precise moments. It is fascinating and impressive to have her prose bring these images to life, as she plausibly recaptures the moments they depict … She show[s] that history in the making is not only experienced but felt, poignantly and painfully.' Stephanie Barczewski, TLS ‘Combining historical research, including access to family archives, with a vivid storytelling style, author Katherine MacInnes presents … the public and private fallout of the tragedy, which reveals much about society at the time. In doing so she presents a fresh and fascinating perspective on a well-worn story, as well as a window onto a lost world.’ This England magazine 'A truly gripping, original and refreshing angle on the history of polar exploration' The Bay magazine ‘Superb’ Bute Museum
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers The Turning Tide
Book SynopsisAn immersive history of a pivotal stretch of waterFascinating, spellbinding, erudite and great fun.' Roddy DoyleRemarkable. Lively Gower writes beautifully [and] the book is profoundly popular.' Times Literary SupplementThe Turning Tide is a hymn to a sea passage of world-historical importance. Combining social and cultural history, nature-writing, travelogue and politics, Welshman Jon Gower charts a sea which has carried both Vikings and saints; invasion forces, royals and rebels; writers, musicians and fishermen.The divided but interconnected waters of the Irish Sea from the narrow North Channel through St George's Channel to where the Celtic sea opens out into the wide Atlantic have a turbulent history to match the violence of its storms. Jon Gower is a sympathetic and interested pilot, taking the reader to the great shipyards of Belfast and through the mass exodus of the starving during the Irish Famine in coffin boats bound for America. He follows the migrations of working men and women looking for work in England and tells the tales of more casual travellers: sometimes seasick, often homesick too.The Irish Sea is also a place with an abundant natural history. The rarest sea bird in Europe visits its coasts in summer while the rarest goose wings in during winter.The Turning Tide navigates waters teeming with life, filled with seals and salt-tanged stories and surveyed by seabirds. Lyrically written and fizzing with curiosity, this is a remarkable and far-reaching book.
£10.44
Hodder & Stoughton The Prime Ministers: Winner of the PARLIAMENTARY
Book Synopsis**Winner of the 2020 PARLIAMENTARY BOOK AWARDS for Best Political Book by a Non-Parliamentarian**A Times Political Book of the Year'An entertaining, thorough and informative canter through the characters and stories of prime ministers past.' - New Statesman 'A wealth of enjoyable insights into three centuries of Westminster politics... It is a most elegant hardback volume, with a gilded cover that looks a little like the famous front door of No. 10 itself; the ideal Christmas gift.' - Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman'This is a timely study of UK Prime Ministers and Iain Dale has done the subject a great service with this measured and thoughtful labour of love which offers a fascinating set of insights into the history of Britain, politics, the role of Prime Minister, and elite and establishment power... a superb guide to the times we have lived through and are living in.' - Gerry Hassan, Scottish ReviewIt has almost been 300 years since Sir Robert Walpole arguably became the first holder of the office of Prime Minister in 1721 - an office which today is under scrutiny like never before. The Prime Ministers, edited by leading political commentator Iain Dale, brings to life all 55 of Britain's 'First Among Equals' with an essay for each office holder, written by key figures in British politics. From the obscure 18th-century figures like the Earl of Shelburne to 20th-century titans like Churchill and Thatcher, this book provides a much-needed reminder about their motivations, failures and achievements.
£13.49
Birlinn Ltd Glasgow A New History
Book SynopsisAlistair Moffat was born and bred in the Scottish Borders. A former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Director of Programmes at Scottish Television and founder of the Borders Book Festival, he is also the author of a number of highly acclaimed books. From 2011 he was Rector of the University of St Andrews. He has written more than thirty books on Scottish history, and lives in the Scottish Borders.
£13.49
Profile Books Ltd Mountain Tales: Love and Loss in the Municipality
Book Synopsis'Roy has a journalist's unflinching eye, a poet's talent for detail, and a radical sense of empathy ... a stunning achievement.' - Kiran Desai, Booker Prize-winning author of The Inheritance of Loss 'If you read one book about India, read this one.' - Geeta Anand, Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of The Cure All of Mumbai's memories and castaway possessions come to die at the Deonar garbage mountains. And among these vast, teetering piles of discarded things - medical waste, rotten food, old clothes, broken glass and twisted metal - a small, forgotten community lives and works. Scouring the dump for whatever can be resold or recycled, waste pickers also mark the familiar milestones of babies born, love found, illnesses suffered and recovered from. Like a mirror image, their stories are shaped by the influx of unwanted things from the world outside. But now, as Deonar's toxic halo becomes undeniable, a change is coming. And as officials try to close it, the lives that the pickers have built on the Mountain seem more fragile than ever.Trade ReviewIt is rare that a book is a deeply moving love story with unforgettable characters while also illuminating a country and a culture. Saumya Roy's book is a riveting love story set in the harrowing world of life as a trash picker on Mumbai's garbage mountain. Read it for a most delicious story, read it to understand India, read it to know what it is like to grow up in extreme poverty in the shadow of enormous wealth. If you read one book about India, read this one -- Geeta Anand, Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of The CureRoy writes ... with utmost care and empathy ... [a] powerful book * Times of India *A terrific and thrilling book about people who are trapped in the gravitational force of a garbage mountain in Mumbai. Delightful and powerful * Manu Joseph, author of Serious Men *Roy has a journalist's unflinching eye, a poet's talent for detail, and a radical sense of empathy that illuminates this account of the people who live on the Deonar garbage mountains. Urgent as a thriller, yet lingering in its unforgettable portraits of life, love and death, Mountain Tales deserves every accolade. A stunning achievement -- Kiran Desai, Booker Prize-winning author of The Inheritance of LossSaumya Roy's gorgeous Mountain Tales is a remarkable feat of immersive reporting and story-telling, a deeply-felt exploration of ideas, and a gripping chronicle of the fates of the garbage-pickers of Mumbai; Roy immerses you so deeply in her characters' lives and physical environment that at times I felt I was experiencing them myself. I loved this book -- Suzy Hansen, author of Notes on a Foreign CountryRoy unravels the truth about overconsumption, pollution, climate change and how the most vulnerable people bear the brunt of it all * Vogue India *A gut-wrenching story ... her lucid writing not only draws the reader but also helps to reflect upon how one person's trash impacts another's life -- Soma Basu * The Hindu *Gorgeous and heartbreaking ... Roy succeeds in humanizing her subjects while emphasizing the role that consumer culture plays in their degradation. ... Readers of Behind the Beautiful Forevers will be drawn to this harrowing portrait * Publishers Weekly *A story of selflessness and sacrifice, of acceptance and renewal. The goodness in people, both in the streets where the Shaikh family lives and beyond comes to the fore ... A sense of mystery and wonderment gives Roy's tale a special edge -- Mustansir Dalvi * Wire India *
£15.29
Two Rivers Press A Reading Scrapbook
Book SynopsisAn absorbing look at the history of Reading through 150 pieces of printed ephemera.
£16.19
Quadrille Publishing Ltd The Mystical Year: Folklore, Magic and Nature
Book SynopsisCelebrate spring and summer as a time of renewal with Flora the Roman Goddess of flowers and learn about balance in Litha.As the nights get longer, create beautiful garlands of herbs to ward off evil spirits. Explore the magic of each month, with mystical tips and practical projects, and delve into the annual cycle of a modern mystical year.With supersitions and sayings, crystals, birds and beasts, this is a book for the modern mystic that is accessible for everyone. Based on spirituality in nature, The Mystical Year reveals how to wind down, and celebrate the seasons with folklore, festivals and simple, creative projects for each month of the year.
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers The Theory of Everything Else
Book SynopsisThis is not a book of facts; it?s a book of ?facts?. Should you finish it believing we became the planet?s dominant species because predators found us too smelly to eat; or that the living bloodline of Christ is a family of Japanese garlic farmers ? well, that?s on you. Why are we here? Do ghosts exist? Did life on Earth begin after a badly tidied-up picnic? Was it just an iceberg that sank the Titanic? Are authors stealing their plotlines from the future? Will we ever talk to animals? And why, when you?re in the shower, does the shower curtain always billow in towards you? We don?t know the answers to any of these questions. But don?t worry, no matter what questions you have, you can bet on the fact that there is someone (or something) out there, investigating it on your behalf. From the sports stars who use cosmic energy to office plants investigating murders, The Theory of Everything Else will act as a handbook for those who want to think differently.
£9.49
Text Publishing Between The World And Me
Book Synopsis
£10.44
Profile How to be a Renaissance Woman
Book Synopsis*A Waterstones Best Book of 2023**A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week**A New York Times Editor's Pick*'Terrific' SARAH DUNANT'Lively and intriguing ... You'll never look at Renaissance portraits in the same way' MAGGIE O'FARRELL'Highlights a rich tapestry of female experience that encompasses everyone from artisans to aristocrats ...' THE TIMESThis is the story of the Renaissance, but not as you know it. Discover overlooked and silenced women from this extraordinary moment in history and how they forged opportunities for creativity, community and resistance. From the bedchamber to the court, they give us an intimate window into what life was really like - and hold a mirror up to our contemporary obsession with how we look.'A witty and engaging history of cosmetics and beauty ... lavishly illustrated and hugely entertaining' IRISH TIMES'A total eye-opener, I loved it' NUALA McGOVERN
£11.39
Simon & Schuster Ltd 24 Hours
Book SynopsisAward-winning writer Richard Williams tells the remarkable story of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the world's most iconic motorsports events, which celebrates its centenary in 2023. The event was created by a group of Frenchmen in 1923 and remains uniquely compelling to spectators, to the major motor manufacturers who continue to see it as an opportunity for priceless publicity, as well as to drivers hoping to add their names to its distinguished roll of honour. Between the wars, those manufacturers included Bugatti, Bentley and Alfa Romeo. Subsequently, Ferrari, Jaguar, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ford, Porsche, Audi and Toyota have all been serial winners, guaranteeing the continuation of ferocious inter-marque rivalry. Over the decades the race acquired a rich folklore, including stories of leaking petrol tanks being sealed with chewing gum, one competitor making his last pit-stop for a fill-up and a glass of champagne,
£14.24
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd The Sami Peoples of the North: A Social and
Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive history of the Sami people of the Nordic countries and northwestern Russia. There is no single volume which encompasses an integrated social and cultural history of the Sami people from the Nordic countries and northwestern Russia. Neil Kent's book fills this lacuna. In the first instance, he considers how the Sami homeland is defined: its geography, climate, and early contact with other peoples. He then moves on to its early chronicles and the onset of colonisation, which changed Sami life profoundly over the last millennium. Thereafter, the nature of Sami ethnicity is examined, in the context of the peoples among whom the Sami increasingly lived, as well as the growing intrusions of the states who claimed sovereignty over them. The Soviet gulag, the Lapland War and increasing urbanisation all impacted upon Sami life. Religion, too, played an important role from pre-historic times, with their pantheon of gods and sacred sites, to their Christianisation. In the late twentieth century there has been an increasing symbiosis of ancient Sami spiritual practice with Christianity. Recently the intrusions of the logging and nuclear industries, as well as tourism have come to redefine Sami society and culture. Even the meaning of who exactly a Sami is is scrutinised, at a time when some intermarry and yet return to Sapmi, where their children maintain their Sami identity.Trade Review'This detailed and comprehensive study of a people who have lived for thousands of years on Europe's northernmost margins reveals an astonishing diversity of language, culture and livelihoods. The lands of the Sami, as Neil Kent so ably shows, embrace far more than reindeers and Yuletide tourism.' * David Kirby, Emeritus Professor of Modern History, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London and author of A Concise History of Finland *'The Sami People of the North is exhaustive, nuanced, and best of all, accessible. With his sustained attention to historical detail, Neil Kent has done a valuable service for anyone thinking about the Sami - or, for that matter, indigenous populations generally.' * Nick McDonell, author of Twelve and The Civilization of Perpetual Movement: Nomadism in World Politics *
£18.04
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC No Modernism Without Lesbians
Book SynopsisA Sunday Times Book of the Year Winner of the Polari Prize 'A book about love, identity, acceptance and the freedom to write, paint, compose and wear corduroy breeches with gaiters. To swear, kiss, publish and be damned. It is vastly entertaining and often moving... There isn't a page without an entertaining vignette' The Times. The extraordinary story of how a singular group of women in a pivotal time and place – Paris, Between the Wars – fostered the birth of the Modernist movement. Sylvia Beach, Bryher, Natalie Barney, and Gertrude Stein. A trailblazing publisher; a patron of artists; a society hostess; a groundbreaking writer. They were all women who loved women. They rejected the patriarchy and made lives of their own – forming a community around them in Paris. Each of these four central women interacted with a myriad of others, some of the most influential, most entertaining, most shocking and most brilliant figures of the age. Diana Souhami weaves their stories into those of the four central women to create a vivid moving tapestry of life among the Modernists in pre-War Paris. 'One of the best books I've read this year.' James BridleTrade ReviewDiana Souhami argues that modernism would not exist without these extraordinary women, and their courage, passion and verve certainly make this lively group biography an inspirational read * Sunday Times *Souhami is one of our most rewarding and inventive biographers, and this book is a splendidly hectic and vivid read... If No Modernism Without Lesbians goes some way towards making us understand how they thought of themselves, and what they did, it will have done some good' * Spectator *Souhami has written several fine biographies... Now, in a comprehensive cultural history, she awards lesbians the credit for modernising art, manners and morals in the early twentieth century' * Observer *No Modernism Without Lesbians is undoubtedly a contribution, correcting the history of modernism to more accurately account for the women who made possible such a lasting transformation in literature and art... Souhami has opened the door to history a little further, creating more precious space for the whole truth to enter' * Daily Beast *[A] vivid cultural history... This often gossipy, always smart romp trains a well-deserved spotlight on lesser-appreciated literary and artistic lives' * Publishers Weekly *A book about love, identity, acceptance and the freedom to write, paint, compose and wear corduroy breeches with gaiters. To swear, kiss, publish and be damned * The Times *Souhami challenges the Modernist canon that has dominated cultural education at their expense, foregrounding instead great men and their muses... No Modernism Without Lesbians is important for 2020 because it rips apart the prevailing patriarchal model. What Souhami calls for is abandoning the Modernist canon and rebuilding it one lesbian at a time to create a new, inclusive, 21st-century model' * Gay & Lesbian Review *A fresh perspective on modernism * Kirkus Reviews *An extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library LGBTA /Studies and Women's Biography collections * MidWest Book Review *The lives and contributions of these four lesbians, who played a significant role in art and literature, illuminates the way lesbian work is often undervalued or discredited in comparison to those who aren't lesbian * After Ellen *Richly researched, entertaining and hugely enjoyable... Souhami is a brilliant guide and this book a celebration, corrective and fillip all in one' -- Chris Gribble, judge of the 2021 Polari Prize and CEO of the National Centre for Writing
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Bass Culture
Book SynopsisThe first major account of the history of reggae, black music journalist Lloyd Bradley describes its origins and development in Jamaica, from ska to rock-steady to dub and then to reggae itself, a local music which conquered the world. There are many extraordinary stories about characters like Prince Buster, King Tubby and Bob Marley. But this is more than a book of music history: it relates the story of reggae to the whole history of Jamaica, from colonial island to troubled independence, and Jamaicans, from Kingston to London.Table of ContentsPart One First session: boogie in my bones; music is my occupation; we are rolling; message from the king; train to Skaville; strange country; what a world. Part Two Simmer down: soul style; dance crasher; mix it up; you can get it if you really want. Part Three Studio kinda cloudy: pressure drop; wake the town, tell the people; dubwise situation; dreadlocks in moonlight; ah fi we dis; trench town rock; warrior charge; sipple out deh. Part Four Fist to fist days gone: ring the alarm; kid's play; Johnny dollar; healing of a nation.
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd Black Diamonds
Book SynopsisAn extraordinary tale of family feuds, forbidden love, civil unrest and the downfall of a mining dynasty Wentworth in Yorkshire was surrounded by 70 collieries employing tens of thousands of men. It is the finest and largest Georgian house in Britain and belonged to the Fitzwilliam family. England''s forgotten palace, it belonged to Britain''s richest aristocrats. Black Diamonds tells the story of its demise: family feuds, forbidden love, class war, and a tragic and violent death played their part. But coal, one of the most emotive issues in twentieth century British politics, lies at its heart. This is the extraordinary story of how the fabric of English society shifted beyond recognition in fifty turbulent years in the twentieth century. ''Magnificent . . . peels back the grand façade of Wentworth to reveal a family riven with fueds, mental illness and forbidden love'' Tatler ''A compelling new history . .
£11.69
