Social and cultural history Books

Book SynopsisTrade Review'A splendid – and necessary – publication … a great resource' - Iain Sinclair'[An] exquisite edition of Booth’s maps' - BBC Radio 3: Free Thinking'Booth’s maps have been beautifully reproduced in [this] new book' - LSE Review of Books'What Booth’s poverty maps ultimately show is a London where rich and poor lived right next door to each other: in that sense, at least, today’s London is no different' - Guardian'Compelling – once you start you can’t stop' - BBC Radio London: The Robert Elms Show'A visual shrine to the Booth survey … the essays are all accomplished and informative and really do help spell out the context in which the maps were produced … these large-scale maps are a delight and it is a joy to have them' - Times Literary Supplement'Charles Booth’s famous maps of Victorian London offer a chance to reflect on how the city has changed - and how it hasn’t' - Bloomberg'Exquisite … the book really is a beautiful thing, with a reverence for the source material and playfulness in the design' - World of InteriorsTable of ContentsForward: Mapping the Abyss. • Introduction. • Eastern District & North Eastern District • Housing. • Northern District & North-Western District • Immigration. • East Central District & West Central District • Religion. • Inner Western District & Outer Western District • Trade. • Inner Souther District & South-Western District • Morality. • Outside Southern District & South Eastern District • Leisure.

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Book SynopsisCSI: Ancient Rome – what can everyday killings tell us about the Empire and its people?Trade Review‘A brilliant idea, brilliantly executed.’ -- Tom Holland, author of Rubicon, Dynasty and Dominion‘Southon brings some great and little-known murder stories to light, revelling in the bizarre and the macabre.’ * BBC History Magazine *‘She has a rare gift… Those left cold by the sober tones of scholarship will find this voice liberating and intoxicating. Its energy is boundless and its range immense… At a moment when the study of classics struggles to escape its starchy, imperialist legacy, Ms Southon’s cheeky enthusiasm feels like the path of salvation.’ -- Wall Street Journal‘Blood, guts, murder, emperors and a sprinkling of uplifting Latin. A wonderful book on the Roman way of death. Mirabile dictu!’ -- Harry Mount, author of Carpe Diem and Amo Amas Amat... and All That‘I love this funny, scholarly, erudite, irreverent book; Emma Southon wears her learning lightly but we never for a moment doubt her authority, and the past arrives with total immediacy from the first page. Reading it is like seeing a classical statue not remote and austere on a pedestal, but painted in all its original bright colours.’ -- Sarah Perry, author of Melmoth and The Essex Serpent'The genius of Emma Southon’s new book, A Fatal Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome, is that it simultaneously humanizes the Romans and alienates us from them, portraying a society that’s at once a familiar ancestor and a rabid monster.' -- Foreign Policy‘this very approachable analysis of Classical homicide isn’t a dry academic tract… conversational and tongue-in-cheek without sacrificing scholarly credibility. A good chance to learn a lot and have fun doing it.’ * Herald (Glasgow) *

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Book Synopsis1000-PIECE PUZZLE: Piece together the rich and flourishing world of early 20th-century Harlem and fill the gaps in your knowledge as you go with a comprehensive poster guideAUTHORITATIVE TEXT - The post comes with detailed text on this era by Professor Davarian L. Baldwin, social theorist of urban America, historian and cultural critic, whose work largely examines the landscape of global cities through the lens of the African Diasporic experience.THE PERFECT GIFT: die-cut pieces, sturdy box, and illustrated poster for maximum gift appeal.AMAZING ARTWORK: Noa Denmon's intricately drawn cityscape is bursting with minute detail. Finished puzzle 48.5 x 68 cm (19 x 27 in.)HIGH QUALITY JIGSAW PUZZLE comes in a sturdy box measuring  267x267 mm (10.5x10.5 in) with finished puzzle measuring 680x485mm (26.75x19 in) Step back in history to one of New York's most vibrant moments in thi

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Book SynopsisIan Armit is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Bradford.

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Book SynopsisAdam Nicolson tells the story of England through the history of fourteen gentry families from the 15th century to the present day. This sparkling work of history reads like a real-life Downton Abbey, as the loves, hatreds and many times of grief of his chosen cast illuminate the grand events of history.We may well be a nation of shopkeepers', but for generations England was a country dominated by its middling families, rooted on their land, in their locality, with a healthy interest in turning a profit from their property and a deep distrust of the centralised state. The virtues we may all believe to be part of the English culture honesty, affability, courtesy, liberality each of these has their source in gentry life cultivated over five hundred years. These folk were the backbone of England.Adam Nicolson's riveting new book concentrates on fourteen families, from 1400 to the present day. From the medieval gung-ho of the Plumpton family to the high-seas adventures of the Lascelles iTrade Review“Dazzling…..there is an exhilarating narrative sweep that takes the story across the centuries, but above all there is a unity of theme and place that roots it in English history and the English landscape….This is an enviably good book” THE SPECTATOR “Clever, moving and put together with expert craftsmanship, THE GENTRY is the most enjoyable book I’ve read this year” FINANCIAL TIMES “Masterly….. a wonderfully evocative work of historical rehabilitation” SUNDAY TELEGRAPH “A consummate writer and keen-eyed reader of landscape, Nicolson gives us mouth-watering descriptions…a fantastic book”. TIME OUT “[Nicolson] paints a fascinating picture of forced marriages, violent deaths, corruption, loyalties, betrayals and, ultimately, a lost way of life… the book has flashes of insight and empathy to remind us that each family had its own individual dramas as well as being symbols of their time.” DAILY MAIL “Nicolson’s fascinating and brilliantly written examination of the gentry across seven centuries….creates a vivid portrait gallery of a class at the heart of English society …..wonderfully readable” SUNDAY TIMES

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Book Synopsis?The remarkable 200-year history of The RNLI and their invaluable role in British Maritime history. A beautiful book of kindness, courage, and community to treasure for years to come.Since 1824, people have counted on the RNLI to keep them safe on, in and next to the water. Over the last 200 years, an estimated 150,000 lives have been saved, and many more kept from harm by the incredible volunteers and donors who continue to honour the founding principle of the RNLI: to save every one.But where did our story begin and who were those pioneering life-savers?This is the story of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's remarkable 200-year history, and their invaluable role in British Maritime History. People are at the heart of the RNLI, and this book explores the incredible work they've taken on over the last two centuries. Seeing huge societal, industrial and cultural shifts during this period, including two world wars in which they played a vital part, the RNLI have made a significant

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Book Synopsis''The best single-volume study of the Enlightenment that we have'' Literary ReviewThe Enlightenment is one of the formative periods of Western history, yet more than 300 years after it began, it remains controversial. It is often seen as the fountainhead of modern values such as human rights, religious toleration, freedom of thought, scientific thought as an exemplary form of reasoning, and rationality and evidence-based argument. Others accuse the Enlightenment of putting forward a scientific rationality which ignores the complexity and variety of human beings, propagates shallow atheism, and aims to subjugate nature to so-called technical progress.Answering the question ''what is Enlightenment?'' Kant famously urged men and women above all to ''have the courage to use your own understanding''. Robertson shows how the thinkers of the Enlightenment did just that, seeking a rounded understanding of humanity in which reason was balanced with emotion and sensibility. His book goes behind the controversies about the Enlightenment to return to its original texts and to show that above all it sought to increase human happiness in this world by promoting scientific inquiry and reasoned argument. His book overturns many received opinions - for example, that enlightenment necessarily implied hostility to religion (though it did challenge the authority traditionally assumed by the Churches). It is a master-class in ''big picture'' history, about one of the foundational epochs of modern times.Trade Reviewcogently expressed and scrupulously documented ... The Enlightenment, he believes, has an urgent message for our time -- Keith Thomas * London Review of Books *the book is written out of genuine curiosity and palpable enthusiasm. Robertson's range allows him to make many illuminating comparisons and some provocative juxtapositions ... This is surely the best and most up to date single-volume study of the Enlightenment that we currently possess. It will inform the general reader while also often provoking, delighting and surprising the specialist. -- David Womersley * Standpoint *The Enlightenment by Ritchie Robertson is a fine examination of how the enlightenment changed the world in different ways in different places - scintillating. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Aspects of History Books of the Year *a work that is at once readable, authoritative and wide-ranging ... a handsome single volume, complete with nearly 30 images from the great first editions of the period. The author is a professor of German literature and thought at Oxford University, but whatever the specific subject addressed, the quality of scholarship is uniformly high. -- Jesse Norman * Spectator *learned, capacious and gloriously rich ... "The first Quality of an Historian," David Hume wrote to a friend, "is to be true and impartial; the next to be interesting." Judged by such a standard, Robertson must be reckoned a historian of very high quality indeed. His book is not just learned and balanced, it is also - in the noblest tradition of the Enlightenment itself - principled and humane. -- Tom Holland * The Times *Mr. Robertson is a splendid writer, astoundingly versed in European letters and gifted at vividly sketching the views of the "Enlighteners." ... Mr. Robertson, armed with a prodigious knowledge of the Enlightenment's literary output, has captured the tone and spirit of this milieu. -- Jeffrey Collins * Wall Street Journal *Mr. Robertson is a splendid writer, astoundingly versed in European letters and gifted at vividly sketching the views of the "Enlighteners" ... [who] has written a fitting tribute to his subject ... Often characterized as a great philosophical movement, it is better understood as a style, a set of shifting public habits and attitudes. Mr. Robertson, armed with a prodigious knowledge of the Enlightenment's literary output, has captured the tone and spirit of this milieu. -- Jeffrey Collins * Wall Street Journal *Masterly...[an] epic survey of Enlightened minds, ideas and policies across Europe and the Americas...Mr Robertson sweetens erudition with humanity, much as his subjects did. Science and statecraft, which are amply chronicled, yield to compassion, sympathy and a self-critical outlook that welcomes experimentation and changes of mind. Not least among its lessons for today, The Enlightenment shows how its sages learned "to manage even Disputes with Civility". -- The EconomistA thoroughly satisfying history of an era that was not solely about reason but was "also the age of feeling, sympathy and sensibility." ... a magisterial history of Europe and the West, featuring more than 100 chapters ... An entirely absorbing doorstop history of ideas. * Kirkus Reviews *The analyst has to stick to the ideas. Robertson does this expansively and lucidly, not just reporting them, but arguing them out in admirable thumbnail sketches, rich in detail, of literary as well as philosophical and also scientific works. -- T.J. Reed * Catholic Herald *A professor of German language and literature, Robertson knows that writing good history means clearing away easy preconceptions. His work implies that to understand the Enlightenment, or perhaps any period, it is less useful to distil a set of theses than to identify a group of questions that people agreed were important, even if they furnished very different answers. Thus he avoids sweeping generalizations and focuses on the particular: he has an eye for revealing anecdotes and memorable quotations. ... When he portrays the major figures of the period itself and identifies the complex questions they raised, Robertson transports us to the past as only a master historian can, allowing us to empathize with perspectives different from our own. As a comprehensive study of the period itself, Robertson's The Enlightenment towers over all others I have encountered. -- Gary Saul Morson * Claremont Review of Books *

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Book Synopsis''Outstanding, illuminating, compelling ... a riveting read'' Peter Frankopan, Sunday Times Islamic civilization was once the envy of the world. From a succession of glittering, cosmopolitan capitals, Islamic empires lorded it over the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and swathes of the Indian subcontinent. For centuries the caliphate was both ascendant on the battlefield and triumphant in the battle of ideas, its cities unrivalled powerhouses of artistic grandeur, commercial power, spiritual sanctity and forward-looking thinking.Islamic Empires is a history of this rich and diverse civilization told through its greatest cities over fifteen centuries, from the beginnings of Islam in Mecca in the seventh century to the astonishing rise of Doha in the twenty-first.It dwells on the most remarkable dynasties ever to lead the Muslim world - the Abbasids of Baghdad, the Umayyads of Damascus and Cordoba, the Merinids of Fez, the Ottomans of Istanbul, the Mughals of India and the Safavids of Isfahan - and some of the most charismatic leaders in Muslim history, from Saladin in Cairo and mighty Tamerlane of Samarkand to the poet-prince Babur in his mountain kingdom of Kabul and the irrepressible Maktoum dynasty of Dubai. It focuses on these fifteen cities at some of the defining moments in Islamic history: from the Prophet Mohammed receiving his divine revelations in Mecca and the First Crusade of 1099 to the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and the phenomenal creation of the merchant republic of Beirut in the nineteenth century.Trade ReviewMarozzi is an outstanding guide to the urban centres he expounds on, partly because of his deep understanding and love for the peoples and places he writes about. . . . The succession of delightful pen portraits of rulers, as well as writers, artists and scholars, makes for a riveting read. This is a fine book that helps recentre our understanding of the past by focusing on cities about which little is known in Europe, in spite of their enduring importance and the role they have played in history. It is a compelling and personal account by an author who knows, cares and has thought deeply about his subject matter. It is a new Hudud al-Alam, the famous 10th-century Persian geography book, for the 21st century - informing, revealing and delighting in some of the parts of the world that everyone should know about. * The Sunday Times *This impressively clever, careful, and often beautiful book is the best sort of journey. . . Our guide is never predictable, continually fascinating, and his elegant writing makes for a very comfortable ride. -- Jason Burke * The Spectator *Islamic Empires is a seemingly boundless trove of intellectual, architectural, and actual treasures ... Marozzi writes colourful, narrative history of the finest kind: pacey, crimson, and with all the references left until the end. * Geographical Magazine *Deeply engaging and fascinating -- Noel Malcolm * The Sunday Telegraph *It is refreshing to read a book on Islam by someone who combines profound erudition with emotional intelligence and empathy. . . . A continuously readable narrative . . . For each of the cities included there is a well-rounded chapter, with an illuminating history, a perceptive analysis of personalities and politics, and a fair-minded assessment of its intellectual, artistic and architectural achievements. -- Avi Shlaim * The Financial Times *The approach is perfect [and] the balance between telling detail and telling story is spot on. With its fine drawing and mass of minute detail, reading the book is more like poring over the framed miniatures in a manuscript: here a Moghul lolls by a pool, there a Timurid rampages across the page. The prose, too, is beautifully paced, sprightly but never tiring. And the city portraits build up into a panorama of Islamic civilisation as full as any history, and far more entertaining. -- Tim Mackintosh-Smith * The Evening Standard *Superbly crafted ... Marozzi knows the ground intimately [and] has constructed a brilliant narrative by stringing together a necklace of tales from 15 extraordinary cities. -- Barnaby Rogerson * History Today *Marozzi's expertly crafted narrative ... captures the rich, varied and often complex nature of Islamic civilization by offering glimpses of not just its leaders and their institutions, but also its cultural shifts through history, * Arab News *A rich mix of historical detail, colourful description and first-hand insights. Marozzi's style mixes historical insight with the descriptive flow of a seasoned traveller. -- Damien McElroy * The National *Magnificence and ruination go hand in hand in this vivid tale. -- Richard Spencer * The Times *In telling the stories of 15 of the great Islamic cities, from Mecca in the seventh century via Samarkand in the 14th to Doha in the 21st, [Marozzi] ... vividly recounts the dynasties that made them centres of art, commerce, science and spirituality. * New Statesman *This is a complex yet accessible book that manages, in a gentle way, to address the prejudiced misconceptions of our world. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times Books of the Year *Justin Marozzi has ridden camels across the Sahara, written illuminating accounts of Herodotus, Tamerlane and Baghdad and advised the governments of Somalia, Libya and Iraq. In Islamic Empires, comprising 15 pocket portraits of cities of the Muslimworld at a crunch point in their history, he gives us a vivid, candid and entertaining immersion into a complex subject -- Barnaby Rogerson * Country Life Books of the Year *Marozzi is an accomplished and ambitious writer... Islamic Empires [is] a sweeping, vibrant and often irrepressible account of the cities most emblematic of Islam... the charm of this book lies in the fact that it is so obviously the adult sublimation of a boyhood passion for the lands and history of Islam... Like an erudite magpie, he gathers material from every available source-primary texts, both religious and historical, as well as a profusion of secondary ones-and weaves it all together with dexterity. -- Tunku Varadarajan * Wall Street Journal *Islamic Empires encompasses a breathtaking panorama of human, religious, military and architectural activity and achievement, as well as destruction and decline...The author's achievement is to mix travel writing, history and journalism, and present it in prose that is at once flowing, engaging, enlightening and incisive. His ability to transport us on a magic carpet from the depths of the 7th century to the present day and everywhere in between, and to capture key moments and shifts in culture and politics, threatens to render other more conventional approaches obsolete. -- Alexander Stilwell * Catholic Herald *

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Book Synopsis''Football is a pleasure that hurts''This unashamedly emotional history of football is a homage to the romance and drama, spectacle and passion of a ''great pagan mass''. Through stories of superstition, heartbreak, tragedy, luck, heroes and villains, those who lived for football and those who died for it, Eduardo Galeano celebrates the glory of a game that - however much the rich and powerful try to control it - still retains its magic.''The Uruguayan whose writing got right to the heart of football ... readers were never in doubt of the warmth of the blood running through his veins'' Guardian''Galeano can run rings round our glamorous football intelligentsia'' When Saturday Comes''Stands out like Pele on a field of second-stringers'' New YorkerTrade ReviewGaleano can run rings round our glamorous football intelligentsia. * When Saturday Comes *Stands out like Pele on a field of second-stringers. * New Yorker *Galeano has a style of a great left half. He constantly switches the direction of play. His observations are acute. He delivers with an air of insouciance which cannot mask his mastery * Herald *Uplifting, reckless, ironic, impassioned... sparkles with supple imagery and a fine dry wit. * Independent *Deeply humane . . . he has produced literature that will endure, monuments to the imagination -- Toby Green * Independent *

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Book Synopsis''With originality and subtlety, Diarmuid Hester examines how the gay imagination deals with place and with displacement, allowing for mystery and a kind of magic'' Colm Toibin''Hester is a fizzingly brilliant writer'' Robert Macfarlane''Haunted and haunting - totally riveting'' Chris KrausAt the turn of the century, in the shade of Cambridge''s cloisters, a young E. M. Forster conceals his passion for other men, even as he daydreams about the sun-warmed bodies of ancient Greece. Under the dazzling lights of interwar Paris, Josephine Baker dances her way to fame and fortune and discovers sexual freedom backstage at the Folies Bergère. And on Jersey, in the darkest days of Nazi occupation, the transgressive surrealist Claude Cahun mounts an extraordinary resistance to save the island she loves, scattering hundreds of dissident artworks along its streets and shorelines.Nothing Ever Just Disappears brings to life the stories of seven remarkable figures and illuminates the connections between where they lived, who they loved, and the art they created. It shows that a queer sense of place is central to the history of the twentieth century, and powerfully evokes how much is lost when queer spaces are forgotten. From the lesbian London of the suffragettes to James Baldwin''s home in Provence, to Jack Smith''s New York, Kevin Killian''s San Francisco and the Dungeness cottage of Derek Jarman, this is a thrilling new history and a celebration of freedom, survival and the hidden places of the imagination. Trade ReviewNothing Ever Just Disappears is about what happens to a house or a room, or a whole town or city, when it is transformed by a powerful sensibility. With originality and subtlety, Diarmuid Hester examines how the gay imagination deals with place and with displacement, allowing for mystery and a kind of magic -- Colm ToibinFascinating journeys into LGBTQ+ courage… Hester is attentive to atmosphere, as influenced by both culture and community, and how it acts on individual lives, sometimes expanding horizons and sometimes restricting them… Throughout, Nothing Ever Just Disappears celebrates the courage it took for these queer people merely to exist, and exist honestly, in a hostile world -- Sarah Watling * Observer *Remarkable and expansive… Intrinsic to the power and beauty of this book are Hester’s own voice, story and powers of imagination… tremendously absorbing… The great gift of this book is to offer access to optimism, in these late and shadowed days. It provides a glimpse, a possibility for transformation, and an escape from the closed and shuttered spaces of late capitalism; and it suggests that we may be able to save ourselves by rethinking our lives and imaginations, our societies and systems – by queering our world -- Neil Hegarty * The Irish Times *A revelatory look at queer culture… imaginative and engrossing… fresh, spry… a resolutely unpretentious prose style – sometimes animatedly conversational, sometimes wonderfully camp – goes hand in hand with scholarliness -- Michael Donkor * i News *Intriguing and idiosyncratic… a very lively and readable book that shows the ways in which outsiders have created interfaces, of variable permeability, with the society in which they lived -- Peter Parker * Spectator *Riveting and evocative… Written with infectious drive, Nothing Ever Just Disappears is considered, fascinating and sparkles with insight * Attitude Magazine *Diarmuid Hester has written a book I have always wanted to read. An exploration, celebration and reclamation of queer lives within their spaces and landscapes, it roams from the cloisters and locked gates of Cambridge to the hilly streets of San Francisco, the apartments of New York City and the nuclear desert of Dungeness's shingle-shore, where Derek Jarman created a world on the margins and of the margins. Hester is a fizzingly brilliant writer, and with its fusion of personal testimony, reportage, cultural history and literary criticism, this book will surely find a wide readership -- Robert MacfarlaneA moving, erudite book. Writing against the tide of erasure, Hester takes us on a journey through time, over land and sea, and casts an empathetic and sharply humorous eye on this pantheon of queer figures. A hymn to the importance of community and place, this is a vital public history of queer life that is both intimate and wondrously radical -- Seán Hewitt, author of All Down Darkness WideDiarmuid Hester's beautifully written psycho-biography explores obscure corners of places as sites of hidden queer histories. His portraits of writers and activists from E.M. Forster to Josephine Baker, London's queer suffragettes and Kevin Killian are haunted and haunting - totally riveting -- Chris KrausA charming, playfully challenging companion on a dreamy quest through lost landscapes of defiance, imagination and desire -- Jeremy Atherton LinHester's book takes the reader on a beguiling journey from country to country. Full of extraordinary details, it delves deep into queer creative minds from the past, offering up a refreshingly original perspective on the human connection to sense of place -- Luke Edward HallFrom Dungeness to San Francisco, the motley wildness of these gay pioneers is told with fitting zest by Hester. I loved it -- Martin LathamHester's book is insightful, delightful, and enlightening: an essential entrant into the queer canon -- Isabel WaidnerLightly, yet seriously, Hester's immersive prose takes us on a journey that colourfully loops together the transgressive with the political. Heady descriptions of varied queer lives are rooted in the materiality of vividly conjured places. A ‘flummox of friends’ comes to life as their stories mix, mingle and collide. Stirring, thoughtful and gorgeously fun to read -- Kiare LadnerNothing Ever Just Disappears is a book I have longed for without knowing I was missing, much like the vanished or vanishing queer spaces Hester evokes so vividly in its pages. Deftly, beautifully, it performs an enchanting queering of literary tourism and artists' house studies, from failures of epiphany we all experience in places that we expect to move us, to awkwardness about how best to honour our creative forebears in all their human complexity. It is both a much needed and engaging history of queer creative lives and their places, complicating notions of sites of production and dwelling as ’secular shrines’, and a moving memoir of Hester’s own creative geographies: the places and people that matter to him and have informed his own thinking. This book, as Hester writes, ‘is ritual’ - both pilgrimage in its writing and its reading. Once you have gazed into the convex mirror, you can’t unsee the resplendent queer world you encounter there -- Polly Atkin

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Book SynopsisSteve Parker is a garden historian lecturing at Cardiff. A keen enthusiast of the modern house and garden, his passion extends throughout all of garden history, understanding the context and impact gardens, plants, design and people have had on our cultural history. He's worked for Cardiff University for the past 11 years and visits more than 100 gardens a year.Trade ReviewThe author's admirable prose style leads us on an endless series of enjoyable excursions, many of which illustrate the simple truth that the evolution of gardens reflects that of wider society * Country Life *Profiling some of England's most celebrated gardens, both old and new, this erudite, well-illustrated book also considers how future gardens might look. A thought-provoking look at how our identity has shaped our landscape. * Daily Mail *A lavishly illustrated overview of English garden history, which brings a fresh style and offers a contemporary update. * Gardens Illustrated *This is a beautiful but serious book about English garden history * Cotswold Life *

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Book SynopsisPete Brown was born in 1968 in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Since 1991 he has worked in advertising, specializing in 'beer' accounts such as Heineken and Stella Artois. He has appeared regularly on television as a beer expert and writes for the beer industry press.Trade ReviewSECOND EDITION: Matured longer for a slightly thicker body and a hint of extra bitterness 'A pleasant antidote to more po-faced histories of beer' - Guardian 'Like a good drinking companion, Brown tells a remarkable story: a stream of fascinating facts, etymologies and pub-related urban phenomena' - TLS 'Packed with bar-room bet-winning facts and entertaining digressions, this is a book into which every pub-goer will want to dip.' - ExpressTable of ContentsSection - i: Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgements - ii: Acknowledgements Introduction - iii: Introduction ‘You should have seen us last night!' Chapter - 1: ‘My liver is full of luck’ The ancient history of beer drinking Chapter - 2: ‘Pissing under the board as they sit’ Two thousand years of British boozing Chapter - 3: ‘An oblivion of care’ The evolution of the pub Chapter - 4: ‘The universal Cordial of the Populace’ Science, fashion, and the birth of modern beer Chapter - 5: ‘Those who are not singing are sprawling’ Pubs in the nineteenth century Chapter - 6: ‘The greatest of these deadly foes’ The fight for the right to get tight Chapter - 7: ‘All the culture that is most truly native’ When people stopped going to the pub Chapter - 8: ‘Keep the bar open, we’ll be down in twenty minutes’ The home front in World War II Chapter - 9: ‘You will be crushed whether you like it or not’ How Carling transformed the business of brewing and drinking Chapter - 10: Saccharomyces carlsbergensis: How lager (eventually) conquered Britain Chapter - 11: ‘A diet of Pot Noodles, Mother’s Pride and Harp lager’ Kegs, casks and the decline of bitter Chapter - 12: ‘Drinking the advertising’ The age of the mega-brands Chapter - 13: ‘It was like anywhere and nowhere’ The local goes national Chapter - 14: ‘Haven’t you got homes to go to?’ A sort of epilogue Chapter - iv: Further reading

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDelightfully horrifying. * Popular Science *A delightful romp through a myriad of entertaining, arcane and obscure medical anecdotes. Fascinating and entertaining... a curious window into a vitalistic era of medical practice. -- Adrian Woolfson * Wall Street Journal *A witty account of bizarre medical tales from history. Read it, weep and be very grateful for modern medicine. * Daily Express *Blending fascinating history with cutting wit, surgical historian Thomas Morris mines the medical journals and explores some of the strangest cases that have perplexed doctors across the world. * Big Issue *A Ripley-esque collection of 'compellingly disgusting, hilarious, or downright bizarre' medical oddities... accompanied by the author's witty and often humorous, colloquial commentary. * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book Synopsis Brittle with Relics is a landmark history of the people of Wales during a period of great national change.''Richly humane, viscerally political, generously multi-voiced, Brittle with Relics is oral history at its revelatory best.''DAVID KYNASTON''Fascinating.'' OBSERVER''Powerful.'' LITERARY REVIEW''Inspired.'' GUARDIANBrittle with Relics is a vital history of Wales undergoing some of the country's most seismic and traumatic events: the disasters of Aberfan and Tryweryn; the rise of the Welsh language movement; the Miners' Strike and its aftermath; and the narrow vote in favour of partial devolution.Drawing upon the voices of its inhabitants includin Neil Kinnock, Rowan Williams, Leanne Wood, Gruff Rhys, Michael Sheen, Nicky Wire, Sian James, language activists, members of former mining communities and many more this is a viviTrade Review'A peerless cultural history.', Evening Standard, Books of the Year, on THE LARK ASCENDING'Nothing in this book is uninteresting . . . King soars.', Financial Times, on THE LARK ASCENDING

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Book SynopsisA Financial Times Best Book of the Year The most timely and informative history book you will read this year, tracing a century of pandemics, with a new chapter on COVID-19.Ever since the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, scientists have dreamed of preventing catastrophic outbreaks of infectious disease. Yet, despite a century of medical progress, viral and bacterial disasters continue to take us by surprise, inciting panic and dominating news cycles. From the Spanish flu and the 1924 outbreak of pneumonic plague in Los Angeles, to the 1930 ''parrot fever'' pandemic and the more recent SARS, Ebola, Zika and now COVID-19 epidemics, the last 100 years have been marked by a succession of unanticipated pandemic alarms. In The Pandemic Century, Mark Honigsbaum chronicles 100 years of history in 10 outbreaks. Bringing us right up-to-date with a new chapter on COVID-19, this fast-paced, critically-acclaimed book combines science history,Trade Review[A] riveting, vivid history of modern disease outbreaks ... A fascinating account of a deeply important topic—for if the past 100 years have taught us anything, it is that new diseases and viral strains will inevitably beset us, no matter how sophisticated science becomes. * Robin McKie, The Observer *A lively but less than reassuring read for those on exotic travels. * Anjana Ahuja, Financial Times *Some of the scenes in Mark Honigsbaum’s The Pandemic Century were so vivid they had me drafting movie treatments in my head ... Whether familiar or forgotten, parrot fever or Ebola, he finds striking similarities among them. And those similarities ought to make us worried about the next outbreak. If history is any guide, things may not go well. * Carl Zimmer, New York Times Book Review *Gripping. * Barbara Kiser, Nature *Mark Honigsbaum does a superb job covering a century’s worth of pandemics and the fears they invariably unleash. The moral of his cogent tale is that the next deadly pandemic is not a matter of if but of when, and preparing for that fact is a far better prescription than reacting with panic, fear, or indifference. * Howard Markel, MD, PhD, George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine and director of the Center for the History of Medicine, University of Michigan *

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Book Synopsis''Dark clouds were looming in the distance. We watched them gather, and we wondered... When will it come? How long will it last?'' A monumental storm brings huge and sudden change. We follow a man and his dog through the uncertainty that it brings to their lives. Through their eyes, we see the difficulties of being apart, the rollercoaster of emotions that we can all relate to, and the realisation that by pulling together we can move through difficult times with new perspective, hope and an appreciation of what matters most in life.Luke has dedicated the book to his late grandfather, who was a key figure in his life. The main characters are based on his grandfather and his own dog, Robin, who offers a reassuring guide through the challenges of the storm. It''s a story with very personal emotion, but one that speaks to us all.''Though clouds may gather again, and we may see other storms, we have realised most of all that we are stronger facing th

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA lavishly illustrated look at the history of Roman mosaics in Britain, from a renowned expert in the field.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE HWA NON-FICTION CROWNAN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARA NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NOTABLE BOOKA FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDElizabeth Anscombe: defiantly brilliant, chain-smoking, trouser-wearing Catholic and (eventual) mother of seven.Philippa Foot: pathalogically discreet, quietly rebellious granddaughter of a US president.Mary Midgley: witty scholar and careful observer of humans and animals alike.Iris Murdoch: aspiring novelist and Francophile with the power to seduce (almost) anyone.Written with expertise and flair, Metaphysical Animals is a vivid portrait of the endeavours and achievements of these four remarkable women. As undergraduates at Oxford during the Second World War, they shared ideas (as well as shoes, sofas and lovers). From the disorder and despair of war, they went on to breathe new life into philosophy, creating a radically fresh way of thinking about freedom, reality and human goodness that is there for us today.'Evocative and sparkling' New York Times'A triumph' Mail on SundayTrade ReviewExcellent -- Bonnie Garmus * Guardian *Lively ... This fascinating work of historico-logico-feminism shows... how women fought their way on to the world stage of philosophy and turned its spotlight away from an analytical desert on to what was really important - moral clarity, wisdom and truth -- John Walsh * Sunday Times *The narrative is of four brilliant women finding their voices, opposing received wisdom, and developing an alternative picture of human beings and their place in the world... To read this story is to be reminded...that the life of the mind can be as intense and eventful as friendship itself -- Anil Gomes * Guardian *Joyful... These four are enlivening companions... four glorious heroines, confident and curious, focused on the world and not on themselves * Spectator *Irresistible... Highly evocative... Bring[s] to life an important episode in intellectual history, and [has] made me again grateful that I was for a time a contemporary of these unforgettable women -- Thomas Nagel * London Review of Books *

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Book Synopsis'A compelling literary journey through the social history of wool in the British Isles' Karen Lloyd, author of The Gathering Tide Travel the length of the British Isles with Esther Rutter, as she tells the story of wool's long and tangled history here Esther Rutter grew up on a sheep farm in Suffolk, and learned to spin, weave and knit as a child. Here she unearths fascinating histories of communities whose lives were shaped by wool, from the mill workers of the Border countries, to the English market towns built on profits of the wool trade, and the Highland communities cleared for sheep farming; and finds tradition and innovation intermingling in today's knitwear industries. Along the way, she explores wool's rich culture by knitting and crafting culturally significant garments from our history - whether gloves, a scarf, a baby blanket, socks or a fisherman's jumper - reminding us of the value of craft and our intimate relationship with wool. This Golden Fleece is at once a celebration on the craft and history of knitting, and a fascinating exploration of wool's influence on our landscape, history and culture. 'You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this wondrous book, although as one, I did smile through most of its pages' BBC Countryfile 'The history of plain, purl and intarsia is woven together by Esther Rutter, whose own skill with needles, learned from practical experience, attests that this ancient craft is nothing less than a wonder of civilization. Beautifully written too' Janice Galloway, author of This Is Not About MeTrade ReviewA compelling literary journey through the social history of wool in the British Isles -- Karen Lloyd, author of * The Gathering Tide *This is a book about wool and sheep, the making of Scotland, England and farming, textile manufacture, folk-lore and, crucially, the essential craft of knitting. The plying of wool had been a vital survival skill for over two millennia in Britain before the Romans showed up (bringing their own sheep with them, just in case) making this domestic skill a founding piece of 'civilisation'. From fairy tales to debate regarding national identity, from the year dot to the tragedy of the Scottish Clearances and beyond, the history of plain, purl and intarsia is woven together by Esther Rutter, whose own skill with needles, learned from practical experience, attests that this ancient craft is nothing less than a wonder of civilization. Beautifully written too -- Janice Galloway, author of * This Is Not About Me *I love the sound of this * Bookseller *Esther Rutter unravels the social history and allure of knitting, from Fair Isle to Cornwall via the Hebrides [...] in her fascinating book * Stornoway Gazette *

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Book SynopsisVictorian pumping stations are colourful cathedrals of utility. Their imposing and striking exteriors enclose highly decorative cast-iron frames, built to encage powerful steam engines. They are glorious buildings which display the Victorians’ architectural confidence and engineering skills. More than that, they represent a key part of the story of urban development and how our towns and cities were shaped in this period of ground-breaking invention and civic pride. In this illustrated guide, Trevor Yorke tells the story of Victorian pumping stations and explains why they were built in such a flamboyant manner, describing their architectural features and showing how their mighty steam engines worked. He includes examples of their glorious interior decoration from pumping stations across the country and provides a detailed list of those which are open to visitors.Table of ContentsThe Victorian Pumping Station The Buildings Steam Engines, Boilers and Pumps Water Works Sewerage Works Mines, Land Drainage and Hydraulic Power Places to Visit Index

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Book SynopsisRead the devastating story of the Spanish flu - the twentieth century's greatest killer – and discover what it can teach us about the current Covid-19 pandemic.'Both a saga of tragedies and a detective story... Pale Rider is not just an excavation but a reimagining of the past' Guardian With a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people and a global reach, the Spanish flu of 1918–1920 was the greatest human disaster, not only of the twentieth century, but possibly in all of recorded history. And yet, in our popular conception it exists largely as a footnote to World War I. In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of an overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Odessa. She shows how the pandemic was shaped by the interaction of a virus and the humans it encountered; and how this devastating natural experiment put both the ingenuity and the vulnerability of humans to the test. Laura Spinney demonstrates that the Spanish flu was as significant – if not more so – as two world wars in shaping the modern world; in disrupting, and often permanently altering, global politics, race relations, family structures, and thinking across medicine, religion and the arts.‘Weaves together global history and medical science to great effect ... Riveting.’ Sunday TimesTrade ReviewWith superb investigative skill and a delightfully light-hearted writing style, Spinney extends her analysis far beyond the relatively short duration of the plague... I’ve seldom had so much fun reading about people dying. * The Times *Weaves together global history and medical science to great effect ... Riveting. * Sunday Times *Both a saga of tragedies and a detective story... Pale Rider is not just an excavation but a reimagining of the past. * Guardian *Vividly recreated, grimly fascinating… Coolly, crisply and with a consistently sharp eye for the telling anecdote, Spinney ... demonstrates how the Spanish flu cast a long shadow over the 20th century. * Daily Mail *Magisterial. * Observer *

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Book SynopsisRead this specially designed new edition of Jared Diamond’s Pulitzer-prize winning exploration of what makes us human. Why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe? In this Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Jared Diamond puts the case that geography and biogeography, not race, moulded the contrasting fates of Europeans, Asians, Native Americans, sub-Saharan Africans, and aboriginal Australians. An ambitious synthesis of history, biology, ecology and linguistics, Guns, Germs and Steel remains a groundbreaking and humane work of popular science.PATTERNS OF LIFE: SPECIAL EDITIONS OF GROUNDBREAKING SCIENCE BOOKSTrade ReviewMonumental and monumentally good -- William Leith, 4 stars * Scotsman *A book of big questions, and big answers * Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens *A book of remarkable scope... One of the most important and readable works on the human past * Nature *Fascinating, coherent, compassionate and completely accessible * Sunday Telegraph *A prodigious, convincing work, conceived on a grand scale * Observer *

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Book SynopsisSucculents, especially cacti, are the current focus of serious ecological studies but also the darlings of designers and style influencers. Their endearing, characterful looks have given them the status of trendy ‘plant pets’. But succulentomania is not new. While these plants have always been part of the landscape in the dry vastnesses of the Americas, Australia and Africa, curiosities such as furry-flowered stapeliads and euphorbias like snakes were a source of fascination for early European plant collectors – and in eighteenth-century Bavaria a prosperous apothecary grew an ‘American aloe’ that astounded all who saw it. This apothecary, Johann Wilhelm Weinmann, was the mastermind behind a groundbreaking book in which he aimed to include thousands of plants from all over the world, describing their individual characteristics and commissioning magnificent colour illustrations of each specimen. The succulents he featured are reproduced here in all their splendour. We may no longer look to them to treat gangrene, manufacture glass or disperse kidney stones, but succulents are proving of great interest to modern medicine and agriculture, and we can marvel at them afresh not only as wonders of nature but also as works of art.Trade ReviewThere are many interesting facts relating to the plants in the illustrations and the book is an easy and entertaining read.Table of ContentsThe dry life 1 Succulents & cacti 41 About the illustrations 110 Where to see succulents & cacti 125 Further reading 130 Picture credits 133

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Book SynopsisCarolyn L. Baker grew up in Southern California during segregation and came of age in the counter-cultural climate of the 1960s. Many years later, when Baker was in her mid-sixties, she first learned of the murder of Emmett Till, sparking an investigation of her own position as a white woman in the midst of a world of racial trauma. An Unintentional Accomplice follows Baker’s awakening to the realities of her own white privilege, confronting white guilt, navigating aspects of white identity, and searching out ways to be an ally who both acknowledges her own position and seeks to provide active support for those who live with a different set of circumstances. We find Baker facing the painful reality that, no matter how unintentional, she plays a role within a system that continues to inflict racial harm. She comes to realize that, by not actively opposing discrimination, as a white person, she acts as an accomplice. An Unintentional Accomplice offers a non-judgmental personal narrative that invites readers to explore the complexities of race in America and how to navigate the guilt that can arise in the face of these realities. The book defines institutionalized discrimination, illustrates the distance between the American dream and American reality, calls for a radically inclusive feminism, and suggests relevant ways to change direction and take action to build a more humane nation.

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Book SynopsisIslay Scenes is aunique visual celebration of the beautiful Hebridean island of Islay. This book vividly records the island's built heritage as well as the stunning physical beauty of its landscape, and is informed by history and local memory freely given by the islanders themselves.

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Book SynopsisA stunning photography, lifestyle and travel guide to ParisTrade Review"Siobhan takes us by the hand and walks us round her favourite haunts, arrondissement by arrondissement, telling us where to stop and what to see, accompanied by her invaluable little black book of addresses. And, of course, those pictures!" * Collagerie.com *

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Book SynopsisMeet the pioneering female anthropologists who coped with illness, shipwreck, loneliness and misogyny to document the remarkable lives of people in distant parts of the world where ladies' were not meant to travel.

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Book SynopsisFor the first time ever, the recipes for pintxos-the small savory and sweet dishes found in bars in Basque Country-are gathered to present the definitive bible on this significant food of Basque culture, along with the history and people who created them, written by award-winning author Marti Buckley.Nestled in the nine square blocks of Old Town in San Sebastian, Spain, is a culinary tradition unlike any other in the world: the pintxo. Ranging from a simple anchovy-and-pepper toothpick skewer to a decadent layered cheese, quince, and walnut spread on toast, pintxos are impressive, well thought-out dishes, distilling ingredient know-how and creative cooking techniques into one or a few bites. Bar owners take pride in their pintxo recipes, which are often closely protected and passed down through generations. In the first authoritative book on this subject, author and Basque transplant Marti Buckley defines what makes a pintxo, traces its history back several decades, a

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed historian and best-selling author Antony Beevor vividly brings to life the epic struggles that took place in Second World War Crete - reissued with a new introduction.''The best book we have got on Crete'' ObserverThe Germans expected their airborne attack on Crete in 1941 - a unique event in the history of warfare - to be a textbook victory based on tactical surprise. They had no idea that the British, using Ultra intercepts, knew their plans and had laid a carefully-planned trap. It should have been the first German defeat of the war, but a fatal misunderstanding turned the battle round. Nor did the conflict end there. Ferocious Cretan freedom fighters mounted a heroic resistance, aided by a dramatic cast of British officers from Special Operations Executive.Trade ReviewAntony Beevor's unerring flair for the climate and the feel of the conflict ... his insight and his grasp of these events make them seem as though they had happened last week * Patrick Leigh Fermor, Daily Telegraph *Excellent . . . an arresting account of the whole war on Crete, including the ghastly experiences of the Cretans under German occupation * John Keegan, Sunday Telegraph *The best book we have got on Crete * Michael Foot, Observer *Beevor's account is excellent: fresh, lively and peppered with anecdotes * Mail on Sunday *'A new paperback edition is welcome for two reasons; reminding us that Beevor is a writer and historian of rare ability and for starkly illustrating the variables of war' * Neville Smith, Lloyd's List *

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Book SynopsisA brilliant cultural history Scull's book fills a gap in the literature and deserves to be widely read outstanding' The TimesTrade Review'Perhaps the most comprehensive account of the history of psychiatry that has yet appeared in a single volume' - The Times Literary Supplement'A milestone text … No other monograph has accomplished such scope, perception and balance in covering madness’s haunting, shifting presence in civilization’s psyche ' - BBC History Magazine'Powerful and disturbing … a panoramic survey' - The Sunday Times'Learned, liberally humanitarian and wryly witty' - The SpectatorTable of ContentsEndorsements • 1. Confronting Madness • 2. Madness in the Ancient World • 3. The Darkness and the Dawn • 4. Melancholie and Madnesse • 5. Madhouses and MadDoctors • 6. Nerves and Nervousness • 7. The Great Confinement • 8. Degeneration and Despair • 9. The Demi-Fous • 10. Desperate Remedies • 11. A Meaningful Interlude • 12. A Psychiatric Revolution?

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Book SynopsisHistory and Class Consciousness was the most important of Georg Lukács's early theoretical writings, published in Germany in 1923. The subject of high praise and passionate criticism, it had a major impact on all the Marxist debates that followed, introducing key new concepts such as 'totality', 'reification' and 'imputed class consciousness'. This centenary edition, with a new preface by Michael Löwy, comprises a series of essays exploring, among other topics, the definition of orthodox Marxism, the question of legality and illegality, Rosa Luxemburg as a Marxist, the changing function of historic Marxism, and the substantiation and consciousness of the proletariat. This classic book has influenced many key philosophers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including Adorno, Debord, Heidegger, Lefebvre, Merleau-Ponty and Zizek, and it can lay claim to being one of the cornerstones of contemporary thought.Trade ReviewOne of the indispensable works of the twentieth century. -- Raymond WilliamsGeorge Lukács's History and Class Consciousness is a truly extraordinary work, and its English translation, after almost fifty years of neglect by English and American publishers, is a major event. The full quality of Lukács's brilliance is most powerfully manifested in this 'youthful' work (done when merely 38!), where he reveals himself as by far and away the most talented philosopher among 20th-century Marxists, and as their most penetrating critic of contemporary culture. He is a major stimulus in the development of what is certainly the most creative school of social theorists in the 20th century, and of whom Herbert Marcuse is only the best-known member. For all this, then, we owe homage to Georg Lukács. -- Alvin W. Gouldner * New York Times Book Review *Lukacs' book History and Class Consciousness leads Marx back to Hegel to a significant extent, and leads the latter meaningfully beyond himself; here, too, a metaphysics of understanding oneself in existence, of raising our head, our reality above the crooked process, traces its dialectical arcs. -- Ernst BlochHistory and Class Consciousness, a work of genius inseparable from the brief moment when the Bolshevik Revolution seemed to be the beginning of a world revolution. -- Etienne BalibarFor Lukacs, Marxism is, or should be, this integral philosophy without dogma. Weber understood materialism as an attempt to deduce all culture from economics. For Lukacs, it is a way of saying that the relations among men are not the sum of personal acts or personal decisions, but pass through things, the anonymous roles, the common situations, and the institutions where men have projected so much of themselves that their fate is now played out outside them. The exceptional merit of Lukacs-which makes his book, even today, a philosophical one-is precisely that his philosophy was not by implication to be understood as dogma but was to be practiced, that it did not serve to 'prepare' history, and that it was the very chain of history grasped in human experience. His philosophical reading of history brought to light, behind the prose of everyday existence, a recovery of the self by itself which is the definition of subjectivity. -- Maurice Merleau-PontyOn the level of currents of thought we must no doubt go back to Lukacs, whose History and Class Consciousness was already raising questions to do with a new subjectivity. -- Gilles DeleuzeLukács's critique of 'reification' in History and Class Consciousness shows the path toward a philosophy of social praxis, according to which social objectivity must be understood as the creation of human beings themselves in the process of reproducing their material and cultural worlds. -- Seyla BenhabibI can still remember the way that first page of Lukács made my head spin. The cosmic chutzpah of the man was staggering. I'd known plenty of Marxists who were willing to admit that Marx might be wrong about many tjings; in spite of this, they said, he was right about the essential things and that was why they were Marxists. Now here was a Marxist saying that Marx might be wrong about everything, and he couldn't care less, that the truth of Marxism was independent of anything that Marx said about the world, and hence that nothing in the world could ever refute it; and that as the essence not merely of Marxist truth, but of Marxist Orthodoxy. -- Marshall BermanThe charter document of Hegelian Marxism. -- Martin JayTable of ContentsTranslator's NotePreface to the centenary edition (2023)Preface to the new edition (1967)PrefaceWhat is Orthodox Marxism?The Marxism of Rosa LuxemburgClass ConsciousnessReification and the Consciousness of the ProletariatI The Phenomenon of Reifi The Phenomenon of ReificationII The Antinomies of Bourgeois ThoughtIII The Standpoint of the ProletariatThe Changing Function of Historical MaterialismLegality and IllegalityCritical Observations on Rosa Luxemburg's "Critique of the Russian Revolution"Towards a Methodology of the Problem of OrganisationNotes to the English EditionIndex

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Book SynopsisUrsula Doyle was born in 1967. She lives in London.

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Book SynopsisIn this revised and updated edition of The Tudors: A Very Short Introduction, John Guy offers a compelling and authoritative guide to all aspects of the Tudor period. From politics, religion, and economics, to gender, art, and culture, this is a fascinating exploration of the leaders of the day and the culture of the time.Trade ReviewGuy looks beyond this bunch of merry and not so merry monarchs to give a concise guide to the whole Tudor world from politics, religion and economics to gender, art and culture. * Northern Echo *Table of ContentsGenealogical table ; The Tudor Succession ; Note on Units of Currency ; 1. Henry VII: Founding a new dynasty ; 2. Henry VIII: The personification of power ; 3. The Reformation and British 'Imperial' Kingship ; 4. Mid-Tudor crisis and the succession ; 5. Philip and Mary: an experiment in dual monarchy ; 6. The early Elizabethan polity ; 7. Material culture and the arts ; 8. After the armada ; Further reading ; Chronology ; Index

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Book SynopsisWhy did the flushing toilet take two centuries to catch on? Why did Samuel Pepys never give his mistresses an orgasm? Why did medieval people sleep sitting up? When were the two ''dirty centuries''? Why did gas lighting cause Victorian ladies to faint? Why, for centuries, did people fear fruit?All these questions - and more - are answered in this juicy, truly intimate history of the home.Through the bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen, Lucy Worsley explores what people actually did in bed, in the bath, at the table, and at the stove. From sauce-stirring to breast-feeding, teeth-cleaning to masturbation, getting dressed to getting married, this book will make you see your home with new eyes.

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Book Synopsis''A brilliant oral history of the golden age of British wrestling and magnificent wider social history.'' Richard OsmanThe classic account of the men and women who used to fight each other for pride and money. Simon Garfield brings them to life in one last glorious bout of jealousy, myth, revenge, passion and deep devotion.When British wrestling was dropped from the ITV schedules in the mid-80s it left the giants of the ring - Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Kendo Nagasaki - bereft. This is the true story of the circuit, the big names and their rivalries, told with humour, warmth and affection. This edition features a new afterword by the author.

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Book of the Year, 2018A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICKA dazzling love letter to a beloved institution - our libraries.After moving to Los Angeles, Susan Orlean became fascinated by a mysterious local crime that has gone unsolved since it was carried out on the morning of 29 April 1986: who set fire to the Los Angeles Public Library, ultimately destroying more than 400,000 books, and perhaps even more perplexing, why? With her characteristic humour, insight and compassion, Orlean uses this terrible event as a lens through which to tell the story of all libraries - their history, their meaning and their uncertain future as they adapt and redefine themselves in a digital world. Filled with heart, passion and extraordinary characters, The Library Book discusses the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives.Trade ReviewExquisitely written, consistently entertaining * New York Times *Moving... A constant pleasure to read... Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book * Washington Post *A loving and diligent portrait of a particular place and its history * Financial Times *Enthralling and inspirational... Above all, this excellent book is an unashamed love letter to the public library system... In this fine and heartfelt saga, [Orlean] repays a lifelong debt with both passion and elegance. * Alexander Larman, Observer *An exemplary work of creative non-fiction... I can't recommend this book highly enough. It manages to be deft and serious at the same time, elegiac and optimistic, scrupulous and free-wheeling... just buy it. * Scotland on Sunday *Vivid... Compelling... Intimate and epic * Wall Street Journal *Mesmerizing... A riveting mix of true crime, history, biography, and immersion journalism... Probing, prismatic, witty, dramatic, and deeply appreciative, Orlean's chronicle celebrates libraries as sanctuaries, community centers, and open universities run by people of commitment, compassion, creativity, and resilience. * Booklist (starred review) *Of course, I will always read anything that Susan Orlean writes - and I would encourage you to do the same, regardless of the topic, because she's always brilliant. But The Library Book is a particularly beautiful and soul-expanding book... It will keep you spellbound from first page to last. -- Elizabeth GilbertEngaging... Bibliophiles will love this fact-filled, bookish journey. * Kirkus Reviews *This is a book only Susan Orlean could have written. Somehow she manages to transform the story of a library fire into the story of literacy, civil service, municipal infighting and vision, public spaces in an era of increasing privatization and social isolation... and the central role libraries have always and will always play in the life and health of a bustling democracy. Beyond all that, like any good library, it's bursting with incredible tales and characters. There could be no better book for the bookish. -- Dave EggersSusan Orlean has long been one of our finest storytellers, and she proves it again with The Library Book. A beautifully written and richly reported account, it sheds new light on a thirty-year-old mystery - and, what's more, offers a moving tribute to the invaluableness of libraries. -- David GrannAfter reading Susan Orlean's The Library Book, I'm quite sure I'll never look at libraries, or librarians, the same way again. This is classic Orlean - an exploration of a devastating fire becomes a journey through a world of infinite richness, populated with unexpected characters doing unexpected things, with unexpected passion. -- Erik LarsonOrlean has a knack for finding compelling stories in unlikely places. * Kathryn Hughes, Guardian *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2022 FRENCH HERITAGE SOCIETY BOOK AWARD The profound emotion felt around the world upon seeing images of Notre-Dame in flames opens up a series of questions: Why was everyone so deeply moved? Why does Notre-Dame so clearly crystallise what our civilisation is about? What makes ‘Our Lady of Paris’ the soul of a nation and a symbol of human achievement? What is it that speaks so directly to us today? In answer, Agnès Poirier turns to the defining moments in Notre-Dame’s history. Beginning with the laying of the corner stone in 1163, she recounts the conversion of Henri IV to Catholicism, the coronation of Napoleon, Victor Hugo’s nineteenth-century campaign to preserve the cathedral, Baron Haussmann’s clearing of the streets in front of it, the Liberation in 1944, the 1950s film of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, starring Gina Lollobrigida and Anthony Quinn, and the state funeral of Charles de Gaulle, before returning to the present. The conflict over Notre-Dame’s reconstruction promises to be fierce. Nothing short of a cultural war is already brewing between the wise and the daring, the sincere and the opportunist, historians and militants, the devout and secularists. It is here that Poirier reveals the deep malaise – gilet jaunes and all – at the heart of the France.Trade Review‘Vivid and engrossing… the opening chapter repays the cover price: a breathless, exhaustively researched and utterly unputdownable account of the drama… elegant, witty and constantly informative.’ * Observer *‘Brisk and entertaining... there is much to be learned here.’ -- Literary Review‘I doubt that any book published this year will start with a more gripping opening chapter than hers…Poirier recounts these and many other stories with terrific élan and a wry eye for eccentric details.’ -- The Times'This is not so much a history of the 850-year-old cathedral as an act of thanksgiving for its unknown medieval builders and its modern restorers. Poirier has interviewed several of those involved in the salvage operations. Their emotional involvement with the cathedral and its relics is at the heart of this engaging book.’ -- Spectator'Notre-Dame is both the soul of France, and the beating heart of Paris. I haven’t been there in a long time. This book left me aching to return.' * Catholic Herald *'A passionately recounted history, a compelling story of destruction, restoration and the rebirth of hope.' -- Michèle Roberts'Concise and erudite.' -- New European‘An elegant and razor-sharp chronicle of Our Lady of Paris.’ -- France‘Unlocks the door to the past and illuminates Notre-Dame’s role in French culture.’ -- Herald

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Book SynopsisSometimes, 1+1 = changing the world. Cathy Newman's witty, warm history on the power of determined couples will make you look at your relationship and wonder, Could we be doing more this weekend than just going to IKEA?' CAITLIN MORANFrom rivals propelling each other forwards to friends combining their talents, it's clear: often two heads are better than one.How did William and Ellen Craft work together to pull off a perilous cross-country escape from slavery? How did the queer artists Marcel Moore and Claude Cahun become icons of the surrealist movement, then heroines of the resistance in the Second World War? Why couldn't Steve Jobs have started Apple alone?Vibrant, feminist and unexpected, Cathy Newman rewrites the history books to expose this strange power of two and to ask why certain collaborators are so often left out of the narrative.Previously published as It Takes Two.Trade Review‘Sometimes, 1+1 = changing the world. Cathy Newman’s witty, warm history on the power of determined couples will make you look at your relationship and wonder, “Could we be doing more this weekend than just going to IKEA?”’ CAITLIN MORAN ‘A fascinating and illuminating insight into the relationships of extraordinary people. Cathy Newman shows us how and why (to use a familiar phrase) it takes two to tango’BRUNO TONIOLI ‘Witty and insightful, challenging and unexpected – this book is a joy’RUTH DAVIDSON ‘A fascinating look at the enduring popularity of the double act, it’s difficulties and intricacies, and just how interwoven duos are with every facet of popular culture and history. Cathy Newman takes us deeper into the relationships we’re familiar with, and lays bare the importance of these relationships in shaping our world’SARA CANNING ‘This book is chock-full of odd couples who turn out to make perfect sense – just like me and Susanna … We’re a team – and that’s the secret of a successful pairing.It Takes Two on telly – and the world stage’PIERS MORGAN ‘It’s a fascinating study of couples and collaboration, ending very often in anger and bitterness – Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan and so on’MICHAEL MORPURGO, The i ‘Filled with biographical anecdotes, this eclectic and hugely entertaining romp through the history of duos shows that “coupledom is a jewel with many facets”’GUARDIAN, BEST PAPERBACKS OF THE MONTH, AUGUST 2021

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Book SynopsisOrlando Figes'' The Whisperers is a groundbreaking account of daily life in the chaotic and paranoid atmosphere of Stalinist Russia. Exploring the inner life of a Russia where everyone was afraid to talk and society spoke in whispers, whether to protect friends and family - or to betray them - Orlando Figes tells the story of how Russians tried to endure life under Stalin''s Terror. Where a junior worker might inform on their superior to get their job; a husband to get rid of a lover; a neighbour out of petty jealousy. Where living a double life became the norm and yet, somehow, a few defied the state. Those who shaped the political system became, very frequently, its victims. Those who were its victims were frequently quite blameless. Drawing on hundreds of family archives from across the whole spectrum of Russian society, The Whisperers recreates the sort of maze in which Russians found themselves, where an unwitting wrong turn could either destroy a family or, perversely, later save it: a society in which everyone spoke in whispers - whether to protect themselves, their families, neighbours or friends - or to inform on them. ''Wonderful ... an amazing panoramic view ... I''ve rarely read anything like it''   Claire Tomalin ''Awesome ... one of the most unforgettable books I have ever read. I defy anyone to read it without weeping at its human suffering, cruelty and courage''    Simon Sebag Montefiore, Mail on Sunday ''This is a heart-rending book ... its importance cannot be overestimated ... This book should be made compulsory reading in Russia today''   Antony Beevor, author Of Stalingrad ''A masterful account of lost and stolen lives''   Sunday Times Orlando Figes is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the author of Peasant Russia, Civil War, A Peoples Tragedy, Natasha''s Dance and The Whisperers. He lives in Cambridge and London. His books have been translated into over twenty languages.Trade ReviewWonderful ... an amazing panoramic view ... I've rarely read anything like it * Claire Tomalin *Awesome ... one of the most unforgettable books I have ever read. I defy anyone to read it without weeping at its human suffering, cruelty and courage ... a celebration of family love in an epoch of hellish cruelty ... now in this book these righteous heroes have their rightful memorial -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Mail on Sunday *This is a heart-rending book ... its importance cannot be overestimated ... This book should be made compulsory reading in Russia today -- Antony Beevor, author of * Stalingrad *A masterful account of lost and stolen lives * Sunday Times *Awesome … one of the most unforgettable books I have ever read. I defy anyone to read it without weeping at its human suffering, cruelty and courage … a celebration of family love in an epoch of hellish cruelty … now in this book these righteous heroes have their rightful memorial -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Mail on Sunday *Awesome … one of the most unforgettable books I have ever read. I defy anyone to read it without weeping at its human suffering, cruelty and courage … a celebration of family love in an epoch of hellish cruelty … now in this book these righteous heroes have their rightful memorial -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisIain Sinclair is the author of numerous works of fiction, poetry non-fiction, including Lud Heat; White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings; Downriver; Radon Daughters; Lights Out for the Territory; Rodinsky's Room, with Rachel Lichtenstein; Landor's Tower; London Orbital; Dining On Stones; Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire and Ghost Milk; American Smoke and London Overground. Downriver won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Encore Award. He lives in Hackney, east London.Trade Review'It isn't often that one reads a book and is convinced that it's an instant classic, but I'm sure that LONDON ORBITAL will be read 50 years from now. This account of his walk around the M25 is on one level a journey into the heart of darkness, that terrain of golf courses, retail parks and industrial estates which is Blair's Britain. It's a fascinating snapshot of who we are, lit by Sinclair's vivid prose, and on another level a warning that the mythological England of village greens and cycling aunts has been buried under the rush of a million radial tyres' J. G. Ballard, ObserverTable of ContentsPrejudices declare; soothing the seething - up the Lea Valley with Bill Drummond (and the Unabomber); Paradise Gardens - Waltham Abbey to Shenley; Colne and Green Way - Abbots Langley to Stains; diggers and despots - cutting the corner, Staines to Epsom; salt to source - Epsom to Westerham, through the valley of vision to Dartford and the river; blood and oil - Carfax to Waltham Abbey; millennium eve.

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Book SynopsisHow has feminism developed? What have feminists achieved? What can we learn from the global history of feminism?Feminism is the ongoing story of a profound historical transformation. Despite being repeatedly written off as a political movement that has achieved its aim of female liberation, it has been continually redefined as new generations of women campaign against the gender inequity of their age.In this absorbing book, historian Lucy Delap challenges the simplistic narrative of ''feminist waves'' - a sequence of ever more progressive updates - showing instead that feminists have been motivated by the specific concerns of their historical moment. Drawing on an extraordinary range of examples from Japan to Russia, Egypt to Germany, Delap explores different feminist projects to show that those who are part of this movement have not always agreed on a single programme. This diverse history of feminism, she argues, can help us better navigate current debates and controversies.A tour de force from an award-winning expert, Feminisms shows that a rich relationship to the past can infuse today''s activism with a sense possibility and inspiration.

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Book Synopsis''Bristles with provocative insights into the tangled liaisons of sex and self'' Times Higher EducationIn the third volume of his acclaimed examination of sexuality in modern Western society, Foucault investigates the Golden Age of Rome to reveal a decisive break from the classical Greek version of sexual pleasure. Exploring the moral reflections of philosophers and physicians of the era, he identifies a growing anxiety over sexual activity and its consequences. At the core of this transformation Foucault found the principles of the ''care of the self'': the belief that the self is an object of knowledge to be cultivated over time, and the implications this has for ethics and behaviour.''Magnificent ... Foucault''s great achievement is to illuminate an entire and cohesive body of thought. It is brilliantly done'' Daily TelegraphTrade Review'A magnificent treasure-trove ... Foucault's great achievement is to illuminate an entire and cohesive body of thought. It is brilliantly done' * Daily Telegraph *

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