Social and cultural history Books
North Atlantic Books,U.S. Rumi Maki Fighting Arts: Martial Techniques of
Book SynopsisAn unprecedented voyage into the world of Peru’s indigenous warrior culture, Rumi Maki offers a fascinating look at this exotic martial art as preserved by a practicing master. The book begins win an in-depth look at the history of the sacred Incan fighting arts, dispelling many of the myths surrounding them. The authors then present a detailed look at Rumi Maki’s five-level structure, with step-by-step instructions and demonstrations of the techniques from each level. The Incas'' unique approach to physical and mental conditioning, philosophy, spirituality, weaponry, and military structure are also presented for the first time. Hundreds of photographs and illustrations help further document the Incas'' martial legacy. Of great interest to all martial arts enthusiasts, the book’s absorbing description of early Peruvian civilization attracts readers interested in the cultural and spiritual history of the Andean people.
£16.99
Paul Dry Books, Inc Memory's Encouragement
Book SynopsisOn Language, Memory, and Illness. As Tony Gorry recalls scenes from his earliest childhood and adolescence, he weaves his present reality with these images to unlock meaning hidden in the remembered moments. On their surface they may appear ordinary, but as this book reveals, they point the way to a life well lived. Gorry also remembers events at which he was never present: the evening his parents first met, his fathers World War II experiences. He explores these recollections -- not really memory at all -- and finds them as important to the way he understands his life as those he actually lived through. At the centre of the book Gorry writes about his decision to study Greek in his late sixties; he wanted to read Homer in the original. As he began to learn the ancient language, Gorry, one of the first Ph.D.s in Computer Science from MIT, also came to realise that he was going to have to slow down in order to learn well. With careful introspection about his past and courage in the face of his current cancer treatment, Gorry offers a compelling narrative about how to discover significance in ones life.
£16.19
Select Books (NY) The Transatlantic Slave Trade
Book Synopsis
£19.51
Linden Publishing Co Inc Choose Your Weapon: The Duel in California,
Book SynopsisIn Gold Rush-era California, gunfighters werent outlaws or desperadoes -- they were were prominent journalists, legislators, governors, and judges. This book brings to life a now-forgotten time, when California was a raw new state with politics as violent as any banana republic. This was the Golden Age of dueling, when prominent citizens would settle their political and personal disputes with gunfire, according to the venerable law of the code duello. The book documents every notable duel to have occurred in California, from the arrival of U.S. dueling culture with the first American settlers to the end of duelings popularity on the eve of the Civil War. In the heyday of dueling culture, men from all walks of life, from politicians to manual laborers, fought formal duels. Duels could be triggered by political battles to shape state government -- or they could be fought over a woman or a personal slight. Braggarts often proved to be cowards on the field of honor, and many a quiet and peaceable man could shoot with deadly accuracy when reputation was at stake. For the California gentlemen of the 1850s, honor or dishonor -- and life or death -- could be decided with a single shot.
£16.19
Linden Publishing Co Inc A Cross of Thorns: The Enslavement of
Book SynopsisThe Spanish missions of California have long been misrepresented as places of benign and peaceful coexistence between Franciscan friars and California Indians. In fact, the mission friars enslaved the California Indians and treated them with deliberate cruelty. "A Cross of Thorns" describes the dark and violent reality of Mission life. Beginning in 1769, California Indians were enticed into the missions, where they and their descendents were imprisoned for 60 years of forced labor and daily beatings. The chilling depictions of colonial cruelty in "A Cross of Thorns" are based on little known church and Spanish government archives and letters written by the founder of California''s mission, Friar Juniperro Serra (who advocated the whipping of Mission Indians as a standard policy), and published first-hand accounts of 18th and 19th century travelers. Tracing the history of Spanish colonization in California from its origins in Spain''s 18th century economic crisis to the legacy of racism and brutality that continues today, "A Cross of Thorns" is one of the most thought-provoking books ever written on California history.
£16.19
Linden Publishing Co Inc Great American Shopping Experience: The History
Book Synopsis
£22.09
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc The Essential Douglass: Selected Writings and
Book SynopsisIn addition to a thoughtful selection of the essays, speeches, and autobiographical writings of Frederick Douglass, this anthology provides an illuminating Introduction; a timeline of Douglass' life; footnotes that introduce individuals, quotations, and events; and a selected bibliography.Trade Review"For years I have wanted a compact, carefully edited collection of Frederick Douglass' writings and speeches spanning his whole career—from the antebellum years to the Civil War and Reconstruction to the retreat from racial democracy in the 1870s, '80s, and '90s. Finally, in Nicholas Buccola's expertly edited The Essential Douglass: Selected Writings & Speeches, I have it. Buccola has done teachers and scholars of American political thought a tremendous service by making a truly representative selection of Douglass' achievement available in an affordable volume. I am excited to assign this book to my students and share with them the full breadth of Douglass' intellectual fire." —Jack Turner, University of Washington"The Essential Douglass is essential reading for students of American politics and American political thought. Nick Buccola does a masterful job of enriching and enhancing our acquaintance with Frederick Douglass, the author, orator, and abolitionist. In this volume, we see Douglass in his full range and in his full capacity as an American statesman." —Susan McWilliams, Pomona College
£18.99
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Shackles of Iron: Slavery Beyond the Atlantic
Book Synopsis"Gordon's survey of the topic makes it clear that slavery in the Americas can be understood much better if we put it in this larger context, in terms of both time and place. His chapters on East African and Mediterranean slavery are especially valuable, since these were contemporary with so-called Atlantic slavery and can provide students with valid points of comparison, revealing both the similarities and the variable nature of early-modern bondage. The final chapter is especially timely, reminding readers that much of what we think of as enslavement hasn't really gone away, but simply slipped below the radar of the world media. All in all, Gordon makes it clear that, though it has arisen in different guises and at many different times and places, slavery has been and remains deeply rooted in human society. A rewarding introduction for anyone looking to better understand slavery as a world-wide institution." —Robert Davis, The Ohio State UniversityTrade Review"For readers who equate the 'institution' narrowly with the Atlantic trade and the cotton-growing industry in the antebellum American South, this short introductory text broadly and viably sketches the ubiquity of slaving throughout world history. Gordon emphasizes the paradoxes of slavery and freedom thriving together in ancient Athens, the large and long-running trades from Africa across the Red Sea and around the Indian Ocean, and the reciprocal Christian-Muslim Mediterranean raiding for captives from the sixteenth to early nineteenth centuries. Each section includes four interestingly varied primary sources selected to provoke group discussion. Shackles of Iron offers instructors a lot to work with in a compact, accessible format." —Joseph C. Miller, Emeritus, University of Virginia"This book does justice to the teaching of slavery not only as a past event but also as a contemporary event that is embedded in the cultures of many modern societies." —Godfrey Vincent, Tuskegee University"I am so impressed with this book that I have just now canceled a textbook order for another work which I had planned to use, and instead will order the paperback edition of Shackles of Iron. I like the breadth of coverage, from Athens to Swahili Coast to North Africa to Modern Slavery, and the choice of primary sources for each of these four chapters will help students to see the complexity of slavery in a world-historical context. . . . The scholarship is laudable and the paperback price is reasonable (less than $20)." —Douglas Chambers, The University of Southern Mississippi"[L]ays bare the universal nature of slavery throughout history, including in the modern era. "Due to its brevity and impressive coverage of slavery in a global context, this text is well suited for undergraduate college courses, especially since each chapter is accompanied by a list of 'Questions for Consideration' that challenges the reader to inquire deeper into slavery's historical context. As such, the text will be very effective in world history surveys and seminars on slavery. Positing slavery as a historical human condition, Shackles of Iron succeeds in furthering our understandings of slavery beyond the typical images of the Atlantic world. It forces readers to reconsider notions of human rights in relation to slavery's contemporary forms as well." —World History Connected"This is a well-conceived volume overall, and should prove exceptionally valuable in the classroom for its brevity and clear, thoughtful structure. Gordon offers an important and powerful collective to standard western depictions of slavery as essentially an Atlantic phenomenon. His translation is admirably concise, and the prose is appealing and accessible to undergraduates. I am particularly impressed by his organization of his material into four non-Atlantic case studies. Pedagogically this is an excellent approach to shifting the readers’ focus beyond the Atlantic. . . . Furthermore, the volume's great value in the classroom is enhanced by the generous number of carefully selected primary source passages in each chapter. The balance between Gordon's own text and source material makes the organization of group discussion in class much easier. . . . The up-to-date and representative bibliography is another attractive feature of the volume." —Garish Bhat, SUNY Cortland"Text is clear, concise, understandable, but very concrete. Excellent integration of select primary sources. Excellent integration of select primary sources. Thoughtful consideration of topic that is good for both survey (non-major) and upper-division (majors) course." —Elizabeth Propes, Tennessee Tech. UniversityTable of ContentsSeries Editor’s Foreword Acknowledgments Preface Introduction: The Origins and Nature of Slavery Chapter One: Slavery in Ancient Athens Chapter Two: East African Slavery Chapter Three: Slavery along the Barbary Coast Chapter Four: Slavery Today Reflections and Conclusions Bibliography Index
£42.50
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Protests in the Streets: 1968 Across the Globe
Book Synopsis"A really interesting and provocative take on 1968. This book addresses the truly global dimensions—and the unexpected, often long-term consequences—of that year of protest. It's an original and highly usable comparative history sure to attract student interest." —Peter N. Stearns, George Mason UniversityTrade Review"Protests in the Streets takes an exciting approach to the history of the Sixties. Illuminating connections and comparisons, Elaine Carey and her fellow contributors reveal the many global dimensions of "1968." Even episodes we think we know, such as the events in Paris and Prague, are reframed in terms of wider struggles in the black Atlantic and other "springs" in the socialist world. Students will be attracted by the clear narratives, intrigued by the accompanying documents and images, and moved by the examples of young people from the no longer distant past as they grapple with their own roles in the once again turbulent present." —Ian Christopher Fletcher, Georgia State University
£17.09
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Protests in the Streets: 1968 Across the Globe
Book Synopsis"A really interesting and provocative take on 1968. This book addresses the truly global dimensions—and the unexpected, often long-term consequences—of that year of protest. It's an original and highly usable comparative history sure to attract student interest." —Peter N. Stearns, George Mason UniversityTrade Review"Protests in the Streets takes an exciting approach to the history of the Sixties. Illuminating connections and comparisons, Elaine Carey and her fellow contributors reveal the many global dimensions of "1968." Even episodes we think we know, such as the events in Paris and Prague, are reframed in terms of wider struggles in the black Atlantic and other "springs" in the socialist world. Students will be attracted by the clear narratives, intrigued by the accompanying documents and images, and moved by the examples of young people from the no longer distant past as they grapple with their own roles in the once again turbulent present." —Ian Christopher Fletcher, Georgia State University
£42.50
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc The American Debate over Slavery, 1760-1865: An
Book Synopsis"The American Debate over Slavery, 1760–1865 will be a superb resource for teachers and students of early American history. Editors Lubert, Hardwick, and Hammond have carefully assembled and introduced a rich collection of significant documents that bring the slavery debate into sharp and illuminating focus. This is easily the best book in its field." --Peter S. Onuf, University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello)Trade Review"The American Debate over Slavery, 1760--1865 will be a superb resource for teachers and students of early American history. Editors Lubert, Hardwick, and Hammond have carefully assembled and introduced a rich collection of significant documents that bring the slavery debate into sharp and illuminating focus. This is easily the best book in its field." -- Peter S Onuf, University of Virginia & Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello)
£17.09
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc The American Debate over Slavery, 1760-1865: An
Book Synopsis"The American Debate over Slavery, 1760–1865 will be a superb resource for teachers and students of early American history. Editors Lubert, Hardwick, and Hammond have carefully assembled and introduced a rich collection of significant documents that bring the slavery debate into sharp and illuminating focus. This is easily the best book in its field." --Peter S. Onuf, University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello)Trade Review"The American Debate over Slavery, 1760--1865 will be a superb resource for teachers and students of early American history. Editors Lubert, Hardwick, and Hammond have carefully assembled and introduced a rich collection of significant documents that bring the slavery debate into sharp and illuminating focus. This is easily the best book in its field." -- Peter S Onuf, University of Virginia & Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello)
£42.50
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Barbarians in the Greek and Roman World
Book SynopsisWhat did the ancient Greeks and Romans think of the peoples they referred to as barbari? Did they share the modern Western conception—popularized in modern fantasy literature and role-playing games—of "barbarians" as brutish, unwashed enemies of civilization? Or our related notion of "the noble savage?" Was the category fixed or fluid? How did it contrast with the Greeks and Romans' conception of their own cultural identity? Was it based on race? In accessible, jargon-free prose, Erik Jensen addresses these and other questions through a copiously illustrated introduction to the varied and evolving ways in which the ancient Greeks and Romans engaged with, and thought about, foreign peoples—and to the recent historical and archaeological scholarship that has overturned received understandings of the relationship of Classical civilization to its "others."Trade Review"A fascinating study of interrelatedness among peoples that does much to undermine the conventional notion of there being an essentialist divide between Greco-Roman and barbarian culture and peoples. Jensen's work is not only a testimony to the truly multicultural dimension of the ancient Mediterranean, but also a reminder of how cotemporary prejudices help shape our view of past societies. The world that the author paints is 'a tumult of different ideas, interpretations, and conflicts that had no final resolution.' What better reason could a historian offer for studying antiquity? Both readable and scholarly, Barbarians in the Greek and Roman World has a refreshingly modern ring and delivers an important modern message." —Robert Garland, Colgate University "This book is excellent, and even necessary, reading for any survey of the ancient world. Easy to read and unafraid to explain scholarly arguments, Jensen takes his readers on a tour of the so-called Greek and Roman world. While he follows traditional chronological and temporal boundaries, he does not adhere to the old scholarly lens. In fact, by directly challenging it, he opens our eyes to an entirely different ancient world. Rather than speak from the heart of the Roman forum or the Athenian agora, Jensen approaches ancient history from the position of an outsider, as a scholar unwilling to settle on simple narratives of progress from single centers, but rather forcefully admitting difference. Ultimately, Jensen illustrates the benefit of moving beyond the Greeks and the Romans and the importance of doing so. After all, as far as the Romans and Greeks were concerned, we—the English-speaking readers that form Jensen's audience—are as much, if not more, barbarian than Greco-Roman!" —Brian Turner, Portland State University“Encounters with so-called 'Barbarians' are one of the central themes of Greek and Roman history. In this well written and thoroughly researched book Erik Jensen provides students for the first time with an up-to-date account of the role of 'Barbarians' from the beginning of Greek history in the second millennium BCE to the fall of the Roman Empire almost three millennia later.” —Stanley Burstein, California State University, Los Angeles"An important book and a significant addition to the field. Written with verve and a bit of warm humor, it is also eminently readable. Moreover, Jensen’s clear exposition of the possible pitfalls awaiting unwary students as they try to make sense out of the available textual, artistic, and archaeological evidence marks him as a first-rate scholar and teacher." —Alfred J. Andrea, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Vermont"In their interactions with foreigners, ancient Greeks and Romans developed a rhetoric of 'the barbarian' whose legacy still shapes racial and ethnic stereotypes today. Yet as Jensen shows in this splendid study, the attitudes of Greeks and Romans to outsiders (including each other) could also be remarkably nuanced. Written in clear and accessible prose, Jensen's exploration of the cultural and social interconnectedness of the greater Mediterranean world from the Bronze Age to the collapse of Roman hegemony will reward the close attention of students, teachers, and indeed anyone interested in the classical past." —Jonathan Conant, Brown University"Erick Jensen offers a lucid and sweeping account of the ways in which Greeks and Romans conceived of and engaged with everyone else in the ancient world—that is, with barbarians. In addition to engaging with scholarly arguments and offering copious notes behind his approachable prose, Jensen includes an excellent chapter that grapples with the challenging topic of passing the mantle of civilization from Greece to Rome. This chapter embraces the difficulty using it as an opportunity to reveal the fissures in the artificial construct that is discourse about civilization." —Joshua P. Nudell, University of Missouri"This book aims to introduce the many cultures the Greeks and Romans encountered and the ways that both Greeks and Romans interacted with, and perceived, these different cultures. It is explicitly addressed to readers 'without many years of study behind them.' The author was thoroughly successful in this endeavor: he manages to give an overview on the subject from early Greece until Late Antiquity in a very readable and engaging manner. Jensen gives a fascinating picture of the multicultural world of the ancient Mediterranean and shows in every chapter that the Greeks and Romans and the ‘barbarians’ they encountered often had much in common. Especially to be appreciated is that every chapter contains a summary of the modern scholarship about the subject. The last chapter gives a general, very impressive overview of how far the perception of foreign cultures was shaped by ancient stereotypes and until very recently often described with phrases taken from ancient authors. In turn, modern (ideological or political) contexts often influenced the view of ancient societies. This book is not just about ancient cultures or ethnicities; by showing how stereotypes were forged and used already in antiquity, it is very relevant for present times, too." —Balbina Bäbler, University of Goettingen, in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review
£16.14
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Barbarians in the Greek and Roman World
Book SynopsisWhat did the ancient Greeks and Romans think of the peoples they referred to as barbari? Did they share the modern Western conception—popularized in modern fantasy literature and role-playing games—of "barbarians" as brutish, unwashed enemies of civilization? Or our related notion of "the noble savage?" Was the category fixed or fluid? How did it contrast with the Greeks and Romans' conception of their own cultural identity? Was it based on race? In accessible, jargon-free prose, Erik Jensen addresses these and other questions through a copiously illustrated introduction to the varied and evolving ways in which the ancient Greeks and Romans engaged with, and thought about, foreign peoples—and to the recent historical and archaeological scholarship that has overturned received understandings of the relationship of Classical civilization to its "others."Trade Review"A fascinating study of interrelatedness among peoples that does much to undermine the conventional notion of there being an essentialist divide between Greco-Roman and barbarian culture and peoples. Jensen's work is not only a testimony to the truly multicultural dimension of the ancient Mediterranean, but also a reminder of how cotemporary prejudices help shape our view of past societies. The world that the author paints is 'a tumult of different ideas, interpretations, and conflicts that had no final resolution.' What better reason could a historian offer for studying antiquity? Both readable and scholarly, Barbarians in the Greek and Roman World has a refreshingly modern ring and delivers an important modern message." —Robert Garland, Colgate University "This book is excellent, and even necessary, reading for any survey of the ancient world. Easy to read and unafraid to explain scholarly arguments, Jensen takes his readers on a tour of the so-called Greek and Roman world. While he follows traditional chronological and temporal boundaries, he does not adhere to the old scholarly lens. In fact, by directly challenging it, he opens our eyes to an entirely different ancient world. Rather than speak from the heart of the Roman forum or the Athenian agora, Jensen approaches ancient history from the position of an outsider, as a scholar unwilling to settle on simple narratives of progress from single centers, but rather forcefully admitting difference. Ultimately, Jensen illustrates the benefit of moving beyond the Greeks and the Romans and the importance of doing so. After all, as far as the Romans and Greeks were concerned, we—the English-speaking readers that form Jensen's audience—are as much, if not more, barbarian than Greco-Roman!" —Brian Turner, Portland State University“Encounters with so-called 'Barbarians' are one of the central themes of Greek and Roman history. In this well written and thoroughly researched book Erik Jensen provides students for the first time with an up-to-date account of the role of 'Barbarians' from the beginning of Greek history in the second millennium BCE to the fall of the Roman Empire almost three millennia later.” —Stanley Burstein, California State University, Los Angeles"An important book and a significant addition to the field. Written with verve and a bit of warm humor, it is also eminently readable. Moreover, Jensen’s clear exposition of the possible pitfalls awaiting unwary students as they try to make sense out of the available textual, artistic, and archaeological evidence marks him as a first-rate scholar and teacher." —Alfred J. Andrea, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Vermont"In their interactions with foreigners, ancient Greeks and Romans developed a rhetoric of 'the barbarian' whose legacy still shapes racial and ethnic stereotypes today. Yet as Jensen shows in this splendid study, the attitudes of Greeks and Romans to outsiders (including each other) could also be remarkably nuanced. Written in clear and accessible prose, Jensen's exploration of the cultural and social interconnectedness of the greater Mediterranean world from the Bronze Age to the collapse of Roman hegemony will reward the close attention of students, teachers, and indeed anyone interested in the classical past." —Jonathan Conant, Brown University
£41.64
Nova Science Publishers Inc From Historical Social Theory to Foucault
Book SynopsisThis book explores the historical developments in social theory and critical theorising about history by Michel Foucault. The book begins by explicating the major conceptual developments in American and European Social Theory. The book moves to analyse the differential theoretical approaches that arose as a direct response to historical problems of the historical world, namely social, political and economic problems. The latter part of the book explores the relevance of Foucault and some of the lessons and implications for historical social theory.
£67.99
Our Daily Bread Publishing Prayer and Pen
Book Synopsis
£17.20
Chicago Review Press The Deaths of Sybil Bolton: Oil, Greed, and
Book SynopsisA true story of greed and murder of Native Americans by their countrymen Journalist Dennis McAuliffe Jr. grew up believing that his Osage Indian grandmother, Sybil Bolton, had died an early death in 1925 from kidney disease. It was only by chance that he learned the real cause was a gunshot wound, and that her murder may well have been engineered by his own grandfather. As McAuliffe peeled away layers of suppressed history, he learned that Sybil was a victim of the “Osage Reign of Terror”—a systematic killing spree in the 1920s when white men descended upon the oil-rich Osage reservation to court, marry, and murder Native women to gain control of their money.The Deaths of Sybil Bolton is part murder mystery, part family memoir, and part spiritual journey.
£14.20
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Samurai and the Warrior Culture of Japan,
Book SynopsisIn addition to providing excerpts from classic tales of Japan’s warrior past, this volume draws on a wide range of lesser-known but revealing sources—including sword inscriptions, edicts, orders, petitions, and letters—to expand and deepen our understanding of the samurai, from the order’s origins in the fifth century to its abolition in the nineteenth. Taken together with Thomas Donald Conlan’s contextualizing introductions and notes, these sources provide a rare window into the experiences, ideals, and daily lives of these now-sentimentalized warriors. Numerous illustrations, a glossary of terms, and a substantial bibliography further enhance the value of this book to students, scholars, and anyone interested in learning more about the samurai.Trade Review"This sourcebook provides, for the first time in English, translations of the key primary sources for the study of the history of the samurai across all eras of Japanese history. Conlan has framed these sources with compelling historical analysis, making the book required reading not only for students of the warrior class but for everyone interested in the broad sweep of Japanese history. This is an astounding resource."—Morgan Pitelka, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"Conlan is to be commended for putting together this volume. Samurai and the Warrior Culture of Japan smartly complements earlier, well-used anthologies but also forges in new directions—delving deeply into documentary sources, in particular—immeasurably enriching the resources available to teachers of pre-modern Japanese history and promising to become a mainstay in the classroom."—David Spafford, University of Pennsylvania
£54.39
Fulcrum Inc.,US The Black West: A Documentary and Pictorial
Book SynopsisThis entirely new edition of a famous classic has glorious new photographs—many never before seen—as well as revised and expanded text that deepens our understanding of the vital role played by African American men and women on America's early frontiers. This revised volume includes an exciting new chapter on the Civil War and the experiences of African Americans on the western frontier. Among its fascinating accounts are those explaining how thousands of enslaved people in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas successfully escaped into the neighboring Indian Territory in Oklahoma. These runaways inspired the idea eventually adopted as the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves within the states that were in rebellion. Inspired by a conversation that William Loren Katz had with Langston Hughes, The Black West presents long-neglected stories of daring pioneers like Nat Love, a.k.a. Deadwood Dick; Mary Fields, a.k.a. Stagecoach Mary; Cranford Goldsby, a.k.a. Cherokee Bill—and a host of other intrepid men and women who marched into the wilderness alongside Chief Osceola, Billy the Kid, and Geronimo. Trade Review"Katz's pioneering volume covers every phase of African-American life out West, from fur trading and homesteading to serving as scouts, guides and explorers to the military campaigns of the Buffalo Soldiers. First published in 1971 and now in its fifth edition, The Black West has an improved photo archive, offering more rare shots of black riders, ropers, cavalry members and ranchers, and includes a fresh section on black women on the last frontierThe Black West provides new information for those fooled by John Wayne films and TV shows like "Gunsmoke" into thinking only whites wielded six-guns and broke broncos." America's Book Review"Bill Katz is one of the few members outside of our community who has made a significant, lasting contribution to it." John Henrik Clarke"'No phase of our national heritage has been portrayed . . . as more typically American than the old West,' Katz writes, 'yet this particular slice of Americana has consistently been pictured as lily-white.' The indefatigable author of more than three-score books about American history, more than a dozen of which treat African American history, Katz sets the record straight in this revised and expanded version of his 1971 edition. The book opens with a brief treatment of the early African presence in the New World and closes with equal brevity in the 1890s as the frontier closes. The substantial middle is peopled by African American pioneers-trappers, mountain men, cowhands, settlers, soldiers, miners, mail-order brides, con men, entrepreneurs and politicians moving west to Colorado, California and all points between. Vignettes about individuals enliven the easy-reading narrative, among them the well-known Dred Scott; Mifflin Gibbs, the nation's first African American judge; the adventurous Cathay Williams, who, masquerading as a man, served in the infantry; and the notorious Rufus Buck Gang that 'took more lives than the infamous Dalton and Starr gangs combined.' Katz's ample inclusion of women is particularly noteworthy, as are the illustrations (on nearly every page) that add to the comprehensiveness of the text." Publishers Weekly"Bill and I have enjoyed a friendship for many years, but we have been so consumed by the volume and uniqueness of our work, that for a while it seemed as though we had met in an earlier life. And maybe we did, for we have been brothers, in the true sense of the word, during most of my important years here in the United States. We, as scholars, have shared visuals, documents, stimulating discussions, and a complex, misunderstood and colorful sense of history, unparalleled by most historians. "Our missions were the same to break the barriers of miseducation and isolation that has characterized the African American's experience on this soil, before and after the arrival of Christopher Columbus." Dr. Ivan Van Sertima"Attractive in appearance, Katz's fluid and reflectively-toned prose is illuminating and consistently engrossing." Dr. Benjamin Quarles". . . an excellent reference for anyone interested in learning about the lives of African Americans & the role they played in the western expansion." Buffalo Soldiers Research Museum"Seeks to break the shackles of conventional American historical categories" Howard Dodson , former director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
£18.86
Black Rose Writing The Hoop of Life: A New Beginning
Book Synopsis
£17.37
Acadian House Publishing The Academy of the Sacred Heart at Grand Coteau:
Book SynopsisA 176-page hardcover book that tells the 200-year history of the Academy of the Sacred Heart at Grand Coteau, La. Published in the schools Bicentennial year, the book notes that this all-girls Catholic educational institution, founded in 1821, is the longest continuously running Sacred Heart school in the world. The text takes the reader through the nuns early struggles to establish the school, then the antebellum years, the Civil War, the Great Flood of 1927, and World War II. Also, the Miracle of Grand Coteau, the founding of the College of the Sacred Heart, and the traditions, customs and standards that make the school unique. It includes hymns, prayers, poems, recipes, and a timeline of key events. Illustrated with maps, paintings, and scores of historical and contemporary photos.Table of ContentsMessage from the Head of School; Note on Sources; Foreword; Introduction; Part I - Early History of the Academy of the Sacred Heart (1821-1899) -- The Birth of a Legacy; From Small Beginnings; The Campus Expands; The Jesuits Settle in Grand Coteau; Slavery in Antebellum Times; Civil War and the Academy; The Miracle of Grand Coteau; Educating a Newly Freed People; Mater Admirabilis!; The 19th Century Comes to an End. Part II - The 20th Century (1900-1999) -- A New Century Growth of The House of Grand Coteau; Normal School and College of the Sacred Heart; The World War II Years; The Impact of Vatican II. Part III - Onward to the 21st Century -- Sacred Heart GOALS and CRITERIA; Toward a Noble Future. Part IV - Traditions, Treasures & People of Faith -- Traditions, Customs & Activities; The Saints of Sacred Heart; Women of Faith and Influence; Glossary; Timeline; Appendix 1 - The Great Flood of 1927; Appendix 2 - Hymns, Prayers and Poems of the Schools of the Sacred Heart; Appendix 3 - Treasured Recipes from the Coteau Family; Appendix 4 - Administrative Leaders; Appendix 5 - To Become a Religious of the Sacred Heart; Appendix 6 - Giving Opportunities; Sources; References; Index; Contact Information; Photo and Art Credits; Acknowledgements; About the Author.
£41.59
Rocky Mountain Books Bad Law: Rethinking Justice for a Postcolonial
Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Bad Medicine and its sequel Bad Judgment comes a wide-ranging, magisterial summation of the years-long intellectual and personal journey of an Alberta jurist who went against the grain and actually learned about Canadas indigenous people in order to become a public servant. Probably my greatest claim to fame is that I changed my mind, writes John Reilly in this broadly cogent interrogation of the Canadian justice system. Building on his previous two books, Reilly acquaints the reader with the ironies and futilities of an approach to justice so adversarial and dysfunctional that it often increases crime rather than reducing it. He examines the radically different indigenous approach to wrongdoing, which is restorative rather than retributive, founded on the premise that people are basically good and wrongdoing is the aberration, not that humans are essentially evil and have to be deterred by horrendous punishments. He marshalls extensive evidence, including an historic 19th-century US case that was ultimately decided according to Sioux tribal custom, not US federal law. And then he just comes out and says it: My proposition is that the dominant Canadian society should scrap its criminal justice system and replace it with the gentler, and more effective, process used by the indigenous people. Punishment; deterrence; due process; the socially corrosive influence of anger, hatred and revenge; sexual offences; the expensive futility of wars on drugs; the radical power of forgivenessall of that and more gets examined here. And not in a bloodlessly abstract, theoretical way, but with all the colour and anecdotal savour that could only come from an author who spent years watching it all so intently from the bench.
£22.09
University of Alberta Press Searching for Mary Schäffer: Women Wilderness
Book SynopsisMary Schäffer was a photographer, writer, botanical painter, and mapmaker from Philadelphia, well known for her travels in the Canadian Rockies and Japan at the turn of the twentieth century. In Searching for Mary Schäffer, Colleen Skidmore takes up Schäffer’s own resonant themes—women and wilderness, travel and science—to ask new questions, tell new stories, and reassess the persona of Mary Schäffer imagined in more recent times. Public and private archival collections in the United States and Canada set the stage for this engrossing exploration of Schäffer’s creative, collaborative, and competitive enterprise amid the cultural complexities of Philadelphia’s science and photography communities, and the scientific, tourist, and Indigenous societies of the Rocky Mountains of Canada. “In this impressive book, Colleen Skidmore uses her considerable skills as a social historian of photography to shed new light on the remarkable life of Mary Schäffer. She knows the stories, the characters, and presents a social history that is fresh and convincing. Skidmore’s conclusion is brilliant and will certainly serve as a catalyst for further research and study of Mary Schäffer.” Donna Livingstone, President and CEO, Glenbow MuseumTrade Review"In her new book, Skidmore portrays Schäffer in a nuanced way by discussing the scientific and artistic communities she came from, as well as the lives of the people she travelled with. She also dissolves some of the more persistent stereotypes people use to describe Schäffer.... Readers of Skidmore's new book will better understand why Schäffer's work has moved people for so long." -- Madeleine Cummings * Edmonton Examiner *"Skidmore is a social historian of photography, and with this perspective she examines Schäffer’s influence. From this publication, you can expect a feminist, academic and analytical approach to discovering Schäffer.... Throughout the book, Skidmore unpacks several fallacies in previous interpretations of Schäffer’s life, character, writing and photography. Pairing these commonly misconstrued ‘facts’ and assumptions with thorough research on existing literature – as well as newly examined material – Skidmore brings forth a new layer to the reconstruction of Schäffer’s character and meaning of her work." [Full article at https://crowfootmedia.com/2018/05/10/review-searching-for-mary-schaffer] -- Tera Swanson * Canadian Rockies Annual 2018 *"Skidmore’s monograph offers a robust introduction to Schäffer’s work and contributes to recent scholarship in American art that attends to work produced across the North American continent.... Overall, Skidmore delivers an analysis of Schäffer’s prolific career as an artist and writer that will be of specific interest to scholars interested in the history of photography, women’s studies, and the history of science.... Skidmore offers a refreshing alternative to other studies in her emphasis on the collaborative practices that Schäffer engaged in alongside other women who were drawn to the Canadian Rockies during the early twentieth century." [Full review at https://editions.lib.umn.edu/panorama/article/searching-for-mary-schaffer/] -- Katherine Mintie * Panorama: Journal of the Association of Historians of American Art, Spring 2018 *"...a full and fascinating narrative of Schäffer's adult life, including her four-month summer excursions, in 1907 and 1908, into remote areas of the Rockies of Alberta and BC.... In this detailed book, Skidmore writes Schäffer, deservedly, into a historical narrative heretofore populated mostly by men.... [I]t is a significant achievement." -- Stephen Ross Smith"In this book, Skidmore considers four basic themes - women, wilderness, travel, and science. She asks questions, tells stories, and makes full use of material in the archives of Canada and the United States." * Alberta History *[T]his book makes a significant contribution to the field of Rocky Mountain studies, and others, too, will find use in its probing reflections on the unreliability of authorial voice, the subjectivity of photography, and settler/Indigenous relationships.... Skidmore’s readers will be left not only with an alternate interpretation of Schäffer’s life and work, but with useful strategies for tackling the mythic auras of other figures that loom large in the public imaginary." -- Stéphanie Hornstein * RACAR 43.2 *Searching for Mary Schäffer is an important contribution for historical geographers and for those interested in nineteenth-century Indigenous-settler points of contact and mapping, feminist historians seeking to decentre predominant Edwardian travel narratives, and historians of photography, expanding the field of the Canadian historical imaginary." [Full review at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2018.11.010] -- Lisa Binkley * Journal of Historical Geography *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Author’s Note on Names 1 She Who Colored Slides Exploring, Challenging, and Comprehending Women Wilderness Photography Rethinking Mary Schäffer Studies 2 Philadelphia, Paris, and the Rocky Mountains of Canada, 1889–1903 Photography in Philadelphia Photography Aesthetics and the Photographic Society of Philadelphia Exhibition of American Women Photographers Botany Beauty, Realism, and Mountain Landscapes 3 The Rocky Mountains of Canada, 1904–1906 1903: Wealth and Widowhood 1904: Meeting Molly Adams Civilization and Wilderness 1906: Imagination, Literary Licence, and Five Women on the Trail Old Indian Trails of the Canadian Rockies 4 Maligne Lake, 1907–1911 Seeking Chaba Imne Finding Chaba Imne The Beaver Family Photographing the Beaver Family Sketching Chaba Imne Surveying Maligne Lake Mistaken Identity 5 Japan, 1908–1909, and Banff, 1909–1939 Interest in Things Japanese, October 1908–January 1909 Photographing in Ainu and Atayal Villages Writing the Rockies, 1909–1939 Epilogue Appendix 1: Mary T.S. Schäffer and Families Appendix 2: Mary W. (Molly) Adams and Family Notes Bibliography Illustrations and Permissions Index
£68.24
University of Alberta Press Until Further Notice: A Year in Pandemic Time
Book SynopsisIn Until Further Notice, Amy Kaler records a personal account of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in real time. She documents a series of jolts to her thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and habits—an internal seismograph of living through a global emergency. Kaler’s introspection underlines the universal experience of dissonance brought on by COVID-19 and invites readers to ponder its ambiguities. At the same time, the pandemic lets Kaler put down roots, as she rediscovers her neighbourhood and her city’s natural spaces. Reflexive and relatable, Until Further Notice captures fine-grained, everyday experiences from an extraordinary year.Trade Review“Like Thoreau in his Walden woods, Amy Kaler is studying the natural and social environment around her and observing her own responses.” Alice Major, writer and poet“Amy Kaler doesn’t pretend to provide answers or counsel the uncertain, but instead offers a record of in-betweenness–including crucial questions about work, identity, safety and health–in a time of change.” Tanis MacDonald, author of Straggle: Adventures in Walking While Female"Amy Kaler puts a personal touch on her pandemic experience in Until Further Notice: A Year in Pandemic Time. Thoughts, emotions, habits: they all fall under the microscope and are fodder for observation. She also talks about how the pandemic forced her to be more engaged with her community and her city’s natural spaces, two positives in an otherwise horrendous mess." Justin Bell, Edmonton Journal, August 11, 2022“[Kaler] offers thoughtful company along the path to a post-pandemic future that none of us can yet quite fathom.” Jenna Butler, Alberta Views, January 3, 2023 [Full review at https://albertaviews.ca/until-further-notice/]Table of Contentsxi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xvii The Beginning Spring 2020 3 Before, After 4 Concentration 6 Returns 8 Breathe 9 Airport Security 10 Crossing New Thresholds 12 The Crash Summer 2020 17 On Trails 18 What Are You Looking At? 21 Twice-Blooming Lilacs 23 Curiosity Cabinet 26 All the Futures 28 The Licence Plate 29 Bewildered 31 Covid Anxiety 33 Downward 34 Crime and Punishment/Everything Is Free 37 Objects 39 Where is Here and Where is There? 41 The End of Science World 43 Why I Can’t Think Fall 2020 49 Medicine 50 Masks 52 The Places Where People Are Not 54 Emergencies and Disasters 55 In the Airport in October 56 Peak Personal Responsibility 59 Resignation and the Second Wave 61 The River is Alive 63 De-Escalation 65 Normalized/Panicked 66 It’s All Fucking Bullshit 67 Watching the Election 68 The Fresh Horrors Device 70 The Campsite 71 Pandemic Melancholy Winter 2021 77 Time of Trial 78 Vacation Scandal 82 Schadenfreude 84 Hermits 86 Buffalo Bill’s Defunct 87 Be Kind 89 Like a Drug Deal 90 Hi Mom, It’s Me 91 Subtle Loss 92 Ice is Solid and Liquid 93 Rules and Vacations 95 Ice, Again 96 Who Are You Going to Believe? 98 No Time at the North Pole 99 Getting Better or Not? 101 Hard Freeze 102 Falls the Shadow 104 Jellyfish Time 105 Walking Into The Hill 107 Moon Illusion 109 Time-Dividend 112 Adolescent Bardo 113 Proprioception 115 Lost Places and the Annual Lockdown Spring 2021 121 Two Futures 122 Brain Studies 125 Skiing 128 This is Your Brain on Covid 130 Ravine and Downtown 132 The Place Becomes Strange 135 Life on Mars 136 Leonard Cohen at the Whistle Stop Café 139 Desolation Coda 147 Vaccine Theology 153 References"
£18.89
University of Alberta Press 10 Days That Shaped Modern Canada
Book SynopsisRevisiting ten notable days from recent history, Aaron W. Hughes invites readers to think about the tensions, events, and personalities that make Canada distinct. These indelible dates interweave to offer an account of the political, social, cultural, and demographic forces that have shaped the modern nation. The diverse episodes include the enactment of the War Measures Act, hockey’s Summit Series, the patriation of the Constitution, the Multiculturalism Act, the École Polytechnique Massacre, victories for gay rights, Quebec’s second referendum on secession, The Tragically Hip’s farewell concert, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and ongoing Black equality struggles. Each day represents a window on contemporary Canada, jumpstarting reflection and conversation about who we are as a nation and how we got here. Ten Days That Shaped Modern Canada is the perfect guide for all those curious about the forces that shape our country and about how we understand our place in the world.Trade Review"10 Days is quirky and compelling. It is excellent book club material. It is a good way to start a fight." Holly Doan, Blacklock's Reporter, September 3, 2022 [full review at https://www.blacklocks.ca/review-memories]"Hughes does not pick his days at random. These are hinge points in the making of a modern state…. 10 Days That Shaped Modern Canada tells several striking stories. A very readable book, it offers some new and exciting interpretations of a number of old themes and topics. Not every reader will agree with the author’s point of view or his choice of days. But this is part of the volume’s charm.… the days highlighted by Aaron W. Hughes illustrate that in order to understand who we are as a national community, it is essential to be aware of where we came from.” Matthew J. Bellamy, Literary Review of Canada, January/February 2023Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 | October 13, 1970 “Just Watch Me” 2 | September 28, 1972 Team Canada’s Most Famous Goal 3 | April 17, 1982 Patriation of the Constitution 4 | July 21, 1988 Multiculturalism Act 5 | December 6, 1989 École Polytechnique Massacre 6 | May 25, 1995 Egan v. Canada 7 | October 30, 1995 Quebec Referendum 8 | June 2, 2015 Release of the Executive Summary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 9 | August 20, 2016 The Tragically Hip’s Final Concert 10 | March 8, 2018 A New Ten-Dollar Bill Acknowledgements Notes Index"
£19.79
Goose Lane Editions Dalhousie University: A 200th Anniversary
Book SynopsisThe ultimate book for Dalhousie's 200th year.From humble beginnings in 1818 as “the little college by the sea,” Dalhousie University has grown to be an influential Canadian thought leader, global educator, research powerhouse, and economic driver. Today, Dal has more than 18,000 students across 12 faculties, over 2,500 staff, and more than 130,000 alumni spread across the country and around the globe.Dalhousie University: A 200th Anniversary Portrait explores the story of this historic university. Opening with an epic poem by celebrated poet and alumnus George Elliott Clarke, the volume takes readers on a journey through Dalhousie's past, present, and future. Using images, artifacts, and documents, Holmlund addresses themes as diverse as the university's campuses, student life, academic research, and teaching, as well as the impact of Dalhousie and its alumni on the wider world. This image-filled book highlights the contributions of students, faculty, and staff and the larger community that make up the university known simply as Dal.
£24.29
Goose Lane Editions Dangerous Enemy Sympathizers : Canadian
Book SynopsisWinner, Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical WritingWhat happened in Canadian Internment Camp B?From 1940 to 1945, Internment Camp B at Ripples, some 35 kilometres east of Fredericton, played a considerable role in the Second World War. Chosen for its remote rural New Brunswick location, Camp B interned hundreds who were deemed by the Canadian government to be enemy sympathizers.In the first year of its operation, the camp incarcerated German and Austrian Jewish refugees dispatched from Britain. In May 1940, fearful that the refugees were agents of the Nazis they'd fled, the British government sent thousands of men to Canada to be interned as "dangerous enemy sympathizers." After the refugees were finally released in 1941, Camp B held Canadian citizens who were suspected of opposing the war effort -- including the prominent opponent of conscription and Mayor of Montreal Camillien Houde, Canadians of German and Italian descent, and homegrown fascists such as Adrien Arcand -- as well as captured German and Italian merchant mariners.In this comprehensive illustrated account of Camp B, Andrew Theobald examines the daily lives and tribulations of those imprisoned behind the barbed wire. "Dangerous Enemy Sympathizers" also scrutinizes the troubling context that led to the internment of both refugees and Canadian citizens, the debates over the ethics of internment inside and outside the camp, and the role of the camps in shaping government policy towards immigration and the post-war powers of the Canadian state."Dangerous Enemy Sympathizers" is volume 26 of the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.
£13.49
Goose Lane Editions The Roosting Box: Rebuilding the Body after the
Book Synopsis“A hospital ... is like a roosting box: a communal space that provides ideal but temporary shelter for [the] vulnerable.” In the aftermath of the First World War, a cash register factory in the west end of Toronto was renovated to treat wounded soldiers returning from war. From 1919 to the 1940s, thousands of soldiers passed through its doors. Some spent the remainder of their lives there. The Roosting Box is an exquisitely written history of the early years of the Christie Street Hospital and how war reshaped Canadian society. What sets it apart from other volumes is the detail about the ordinary people at the heart of the book: veterans learning to live with their injuries and a world irrevocably changed; nurses caring for patients while coming to terms with their own wartime trauma; and doctors pioneering research in prosthetics and plastic surgery or, in the case of Frederick Banting, in a treatment for diabetes. Naming chapters after parts of the body, den Hartog chronicles injuries and treatments, and through the voices of men and women, the struggles and accomplishments of the patients and staff. The cast of characters is diverse — Black, female, Indigenous, and people with all sorts of physical and mental challenges — and their experiences, gleaned from diaries, letters, service records, genealogical research, and interviews with descendants, are surprising and illuminating. An unusual mix of history and story, The Roosting Box offers deeply personal perspectives on healing in the aftermath of war.
£17.99
Great Plains Publications Ltd Assiniboine Park: Designing and Developing a
Book SynopsisIn 1904, Assiniboine Park was conceived as a people’s playground, a place devoid of commercial amusements where all classes of Winnipeggers could relax and rejuvenate in idyllic and Arcadian surroundings. The book traces the development of the park and its infrastructure—the layout of fields, forests and gardens, the two pavilions, the conservatories and the zoo—and how this corresponded with an ever-evolving Winnipeg. It explains the actions, conflicts, and arguments of a colorful cast of politicians and bureaucrats who made the park what it is today. The story of Assiniboine Park is told within the wider context of the evolution of urban parks in Canada and the United States.Trade ReviewDavid Spector has fashioned a compelling, exclusive, highly readable account of Assiniboine Parks rich, century- plus history. Vintage and contemporary illustrations complement his narrative. Combing through archives, he has uncovered intriguing, amusing, little-known details and scandalous sidebars. From drawing board concept to todays ongoing makeover, Assiniboine Park hasnt stopped changing. Herein the untold story. Rod Gaskell, retired City of Ottawa administrator, radio broadcaster & June judge
£18.66
HUIA Publishers Mataatua Wharenui
Book SynopsisMataatua wharenui is the most travelled Maori meeting house in the country. Built in 1875, it was taken to Australia, London and Otago before being returned to Whakatane after more than a century away. The story of Mataatua is part of the story of the desecration of Ngati Awa by the Crown and the fight of the people to regain their sovereignty. Following the confiscation of Ngati Awa land in the 1860s and the devastation to the people of Ngati Awa, building a wharenui was proposed as a way to reunite Ngati Awa. The result was Mataatua, a magnificent wharenui, honoring the people, their history and whakapapa, and the skills of the craftspeople, and establishing a living marae. Shortly after it was opened, the government requested that Mataatua be an exhibit at the Sydney International Exhibition, and from here, it travelled across the globe until ending as an exhibit in Otago Museum. By this time, the government had claimed ownership of Mataatua, and it took more than fifty years of perseverance by Ngati Awa to have Mataatua returned to Whakatane to again become a living wharenui in the care of its people. In words and photographs, the book describes the history and construction of Mataatua, its appropriation, work undertaken by
£31.19
Head of Zeus Peace and War: Britain in 1914
Book Synopsis1914 dawned with Britain at peace, albeit troubled by faultlines within and threats without: Ireland trembled on the brink of civil war; suffragette agitation was assuming an ever more violent hue; and suspicions of Germany's ambitions bred a paranoia expressed in a rash of ‘invasion scare' literature. Then when shots rang out in Sara-jevo on 28 June, they set in train a tumble of diplomatic dominos that led to Britain declaring war on Germany. Nigel Jones depicts every facet of a year that changed Britain for ever. From gun-running in Ulster to an attack by suffragettes on a Velasquez painting in the National Gallery; from the launch of HMHS Britannic to cricketer J.T. Hearne's 3000th first-class wicket; from the opening of London's first nightclub to the embarking for Belgium of the BEF, he traces the events of a momentous year from its benign domestic beginnings to its descent into the nightmare of European war. Trade Review'Lavishly illustrated ... Jones has a hawk's eye for fascinating historical detail' Sunday Express.'A terrific account that makes a strong bid for inclusion in any collection' BBC History Magazine.'Excellent ... an exceedingly valuable history of the year as well as being a damned good read ... a brilliant primer for the First World War' The Army Review Service.'A fascinating introduction to the First World War ... a recommended read for anyone interested in discovering what life was really like for ordinary people at this time' Discover Your History.'Elegant and enjoyable ... A superb snapshot of Britain ... an outstanding introduction to the first year of the Great War' Irish Times.'This book captures a society on the edge and ready for change' Good Book Guide.'Jones paints a vivid portrait of a nation increasingly uneasy with itself and its place in the world as the storm clouds started to gather' Choice Magazine.
£22.50
Unbound Head Shot: Glamour, grief and getting on with it
Book SynopsisA girl from a Yorkshire mining town is barely thirteen when her father kills himself – her brother finds him dying. At sixteen she’s spotted by a rock star and becomes an international Vogue model. Seven years later her brother kills himself in her New York apartment and her mother dies too. With no family left, her life is now one of extreme choices.Fifty years later, Victoria confronts her past and takes her readers on an unflinching voyage through her experiences as a model and beyond. Speaking frankly about loss, love, friendship and ambition, Head Shot is a book of inspiration and purpose.Packed with astonishing images by the photographers Victoria worked with, and the defiant fashions she wore throughout her career, it also bears witness to a time of unparalleled cultural energy and invention; it’s a story in which bags and shoes can, and do, sit right next to life and death.Trade Review'Explosive' Daily Mail'Eye-opening... bears witness to a time of unparalleled cultural energy and invention' Star
£16.99
Unbound West of West: Travels along the edge of America
Book SynopsisSwim out into the Pacific and look back to the shore. To the couple kissing in the hot afternoon, and the young girl rollerskating along the front, and the family setting up camp on the soft, warm sand. To the blues and yellows and pinks of fierce, determined revelry. Santa Monica, where the wooden pier juts out into the Pacific Ocean, marks the end of Route 66. The great American journey west culminates here, and it is on this short stretch of coast that Sarah Lee began shooting her photographic series in 2015. In West of West Sarah Lee and Laura Barton explore the idea of the West in shaping American identity, with its idealism and notions of the frontier, and what the American West means in an age of political turbulence, when the East is the rising global force and the frontier is shifting once more.
£23.75
Vintage Publishing Snakes and Ladders
Book SynopsisPoliticians claim social mobility is real - a just reward for ambition and hard work. This book proves otherwise.From servants'' children who became clerks in Victorian Britain, to managers made redundant by the 2008 financial crash, travelling up or down the social ladder has been a fact of British life for more than a century. Drawing on hundreds of personal stories, Snakes and Ladders tells the hidden history of how people have really experienced that social mobility - both upwards and down.It shows how a powerful elite on the top rungs have clung to their perch and prevented others ascending. It also introduces the unsung heroes who created more room at the top - among them adult educators, feminists and trade unionists, whose achievements unleashed the hidden talents of thousands of people. As we face political crisis after crisis, Snakes and Ladders argues that only by creating greater opportunities for everyone to thrive can we
£18.75
Icon Books In Search of the Lost Chord: 1967 and the Hippie
Book Synopsis'Danny Goldberg is probably one of the purest, most reasonableguides you could ask for to 1967.' Ex-Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. 'Weaves together rollicking, rousing, wonderfully colourful anddisparate narratives to remind us how the energies and aspirations of thecounterculture were intertwined with protest and reform . mesmerising.' The NationIt wasthe year that saw the release of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts ClubBand, and of debut albums from the Doors, the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix andJanis Joplin. The year of the Summer of Love and LSD; the Monterey Pop Festivaland Black Power; Muhammad Ali's conviction for draft avoidance and MartinLuther King Jr's public opposition to war in Vietnam.On its 50th anniversary, music business veteranDanny Goldberg analyses 1967, looking not only at the political influences, butalso the spiritual, musical and psychedelic movements that defined the era,providing a unique perspective on how and why its legacy lives on today.Exhaustively researched and informed byinterviews including Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary and Gil Scott-Heron, InSearch of the Lost Chord is the synthesis of a fascinating andcomplicated period in our social and countercultural history that was about somuch more than sex, drugs and rock n roll.Trade ReviewHippie 101-a kaleidoscopic snapshot of the Big Bang fifty years ago, three parts social and musical history, one part personal memoir, a sweeping overview that also manages to be up close and personal. Bravo. -- Joel SelvinDanny Goldberg has done something I would not have thought possible: with diligent research, sharp prose, a clear mind, and an open heart, he has rescued a period of history from the clichés that had previously defined it. -- Eric AltermanThis extraordinary book transports us back to a 'moment' when, as Goldberg writes,the phrase '"peace and love" was not meant or taken ironically.' Beginning at sixteen, Goldberg was a participant in the rise and cresting of the hippie movement, the hippie ideal, which has been trivialized and disparaged in later decades. He cuts through the obfuscation and recreates the sense of magic, wonder, intimacy, and community that was in the air and you could breathe it in. If you want to know, or remember, what it was like to be alive and part of that historic wave, I can think of no better guide than In Search of the Lost Chord. -- Sara DavidsonIn a time of the harshest dissonance, Danny Goldberg's In Search of the Lost Chord arrives like soma from a heaven that is still up there if you look hard enough. One the great gambits of the rightist culture has been to paint the 1960s, and the hippie movement in particular, as some stammering, slothful stoner movie. As an eyewitness, I can testify it was much, much more. Danny Goldberg's highly informative missive from that long, strange trip not only reminds veterans of the glorious possibilities of the age but also serves as an excellent primer to onward generations. -- Mark JacobsonGoldberg plunges into a thorough, panoramic account of the culture, politics, media, music and mores of the year to demolish the idea that it was trivial. He has researched and interviewed widely - his section on underground newspapers is impressively detailed - and he's been there with many of the principals through all these years. Some of the stories, like the development and popularization of LSD and the saga of the Monterey Pop Festival, have been told before (though readers may be surprised to learn that psychedelic music's launchpad was a Nevada dive called the Red Dog Saloon). But Goldberg's deep purchase on his subject and his storytelling ease make it fresh. -- The New York TimesGoldberg is fascinating on the origins of political activism, from the Cold War peace movement and the fallout from the Korean War. * The Sunday Times *Goldberg brings a personal passion that itself illustrates the lasting resonance of the hippie era. * Publishers Weekly *At the core of Goldberg's readable, entertainingly anecdotal book is a chronicle and summary of what the Sixties cultural moment has left posterity. * The Times *Goldberg has created a detailed insight into an important snapshot of our history whilst also banishing the popular cliché of the hippie movement... In Search of the Lost Chord is also a timely reminder that people power does indeed have an effect and that change is always possible. * Buzz *
£11.24
Biteback Publishing The Treacherous Path: An Insider's Account of
Book SynopsisIn 1991, Vladimir Yakunin, a Soviet diplomat and KGB officer, returned from his posting in New York to a country that no longer existed. The state that he had served for all his adult life had been dissolved, the values he knew abandoned. Millions of his compatriots suffered as their savings disappeared and their previously secure existences were threatened by an unholy combination of criminality, corruption and chaos. Others thrived amid the opportunities offered in the new polity, and a battle began over the direction the fledgling state should take. While something resembling stability was won in the early 2000s, today Russia's future remains unresolved; its governing class divided. The Treacherous Path is Yakunin's account of his own experiences on the front line of Russia's implosion and eventual resurgence, and of a career - as an intelligence officer, a government minister and for ten years the CEO of Russia's largest company - that has taken him from the furthest corners of this incomprehensibly vast and complex nation to the Kremlin's corridors. Tackling topics as diverse as terrorism, government intrigue and the reality of doing business in Russia, and offering unparalleled insights into the post-Soviet mindset, this is the first time that a figure with Yakunin's background has talked so openly and frankly about his country.Trade Review"Vladimir Yakunin, a former Putin insider and loyalist, has broken the Kremlin code of silence and gives an incomparable lowdown on life and politics at the top." Robert Service, Emeritus Professor of Russian History, St Antony's College, Oxford:
£18.00
Oneworld Publications The Tudors in Love: The Courtly Code Behind the
Book SynopsisA BBC History Magazine Book of the Year ‘One of the most important books to be written about the Tudors in a generation.’ Tracy Borman In this groundbreaking history, Sarah Gristwood reveals the way courtly love made and marred the Tudor dynasty. From Henry VIII declaring himself as the ‘loyal and most assured servant’ of Anne Boleyn to the poems lavished on Elizabeth I by her suitors, the Tudors re-enacted the roles of devoted lovers and capricious mistresses first laid out in the romances of medieval literature, but now with life-and-death consequences for the protagonists. The Tudors in Love dissects the codes of love, desire and power, unveiling obsessions that have shaped the history of this nation. ‘A riveting, pacy page-turner… the Tudors as you’ve never seen them before.’ Alison WeirTrade Review‘Sarah Gristwood’s book is a masterclass in marshalling a vast canon of research into a riveting, pacy page-turner… Here are the Tudors – and a good few others – as you have never seen them before.’ -- Alison Weir‘One of the most important books to be written about the Tudors in a generation.’ -- Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors‘This book stands out on the crowded bookshelves… [Gristwood] does a superb job in distilling the vast amount of modern scholarship on this topic… The Tudors in Love also expertly tells the story of a two-way love affair — that of the Tudors with their imagined past and ours with the Tudors.’ -- Gareth Russell, The Times‘Just when we think we know everything about the Tudors, along comes a book that turns that all on its head… The prose is as seductive as the subject matter. Be prepared to fall in love.’ -- BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year 2021‘With verve and erudition Gristwood takes us to the dark heart of courtly love and exposes the deadly Tudor dance of sex and power.’ -- Leanda de Lisle, author of Tudor: The Family Story‘Meticulously researched and beautifully crafted into a narrative that reads like a romance, prepare to see the Tudors as you’ve never seen them before. The Tudors in Love is a magnificent work of art painted by one of our most exceptional historians. Nobody writes like Sarah Gristwood, truly stunning.’ -- Nicola Tallis, author of Uncrowned Queen‘Captivating and entrancing, the exquisitely detailed The Tudors in Love explores the entanglements of love, sex, marriage and politics in the Tudor dynasty, revealing how the famously spectacular love affairs intersected with political propaganda and the business of governing, and how the medieval game of courtly love became pressed into the business of shoring up a brand-new monarchy. Full of insight and fascinating.’ -- Kate Williams, author of Rival Queens‘One of the most important books to be written about the Tudors in a generation. The seductively rich prose and endlessly engaging narrative bring an entirely fresh perspective to this celebrated dynasty. By placing courtly love on an equal footing with war, politics and religion, Sarah Gristwood unlocks the Tudor mindset – with fascinating and often surprising results. Never mind the Tudors, I’m in love…with this book.’ -- Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors‘A highbrow chronicle.’ -- Daily Mail‘Reading The Tudors in Love feels like having a cipher to decode the letters that passed between Mary, Queen of Scots, and her Catholic conspirators. For the first time there are satisfying answers to such conundrums as why Henry VIII took six wives (and executed two of them) and why the male favorites of his daughter Elizabeth I worshipped her as a goddess, even in old age.’ -- Wall Street Journal, Best Books on the British Monarchy'Passionately written.' -- The Economist‘The ideas and analysis are fascinating.’ -- Tudor Times‘It is rare that a book doesn’t just offer new knowledge (previously ignored facts or under-reported quirky episodes) but new ways of thinking. This is what The Tudors in Love does: it invites and encourages an entirely new way of considering how these well-known figures interacted with one another… there is much here that will be new. This marvellously readable book is like discovering a Rosetta Stone, whereby we don’t just discover what people did and how they did it but come to understand the language of courtship and love as something quite alien to modern conceptions and expectations.’ -- Aspects of History, Best Books of 2021‘The Tudors in Love provides a unique lens on this period and shows how courtships shaped everything, down to power and politics… this fascinating read presents Tudor history as you’ve never seen it before, and provides a compelling insight into the evolution of the social codes of romance.’ -- This England‘Sarah Gristwood is one of our finest historians, and a great writer. Her latest book is a masterclass in marshalling a vast canon of research into a riveting, pacy page-turner. She takes us on a virtuoso romp through the loves and tropes of medieval and Tudor royalty, all seen from the novel perspective of courtly love… here are the Tudors (and a good few others) as you have never seen them before… Gristwood’s inimitable style is elegant, her approach concise, measured and incisive.’ -- Alison Weir, Catholic Herald
£20.00
Oneworld Publications Inheritance: The tragedy of Mary Davies: Property
Book Synopsis‘Brilliant’ Financial Times ‘Hollis expertly weaves together the human tragedy and high politics behind the explosion of one of the world’s greatest cities’ Dan Snow The reclaimed history of a woman whose tragic life tells a story of madness, forced marriages and how the super-rich came to own London June 1701, and a young widow wakes in a Paris hotel to find a man in her bed. Within hours they are married. Yet three weeks later, the bride flees to London and swears that she had never agreed to the wedding. So begins one of the most intriguing stories of madness, tragic passion and the curse of inheritance. Inheritance charts the forgotten life of Mary Davies and the fate of the land that she inherited as a baby – land that would become the squares, wide streets and elegant homes of Mayfair, Belgravia, Kensington and Pimlico. From child brides and mad heiresses to religious controversy and shady dealing, the drama culminated in a court case that determined not just the state of Mary’s legacy but the future of London itself.Trade Review‘An enjoyable romp through the social history of a century from the Great Fire and the rebuilding of London to the Enlightenment, taking in discourses on midwifery, madness, child-rearing, burial practices, the birth and development of the London property market and the dangers of being a woman.’ -- The Times‘Wonderful… Leo Hollis knows the expanding city like the back of his hand, and brings a forensic eye and a deep empathy to the mystery at the heart of Mary Davies’s tragic life… Inheritance is a consistently enthralling read.’ -- Helen Castor, author of Joan of Arc‘Genuinely gripping. Hollis tells a good tale… Inheritance is also a book about property… his knowledge shows here in confident and vivid descriptions of the capital at the start of the 18th century. But he comes at his subject from a novel angle.’ -- Adrian Tinniswood, Literary Review‘A fascinating insight into a tragic backwater of London’s history, yet from which one of its most magnificent estates emerged…’ * Simon Jenkins, author of A Short History of London *‘Leo Hollis has written a thorough and readable account of the Mary Davies saga, at times almost as a thriller, set in the glamour of Restoration London. We dodge from the plague and the Glorious Revolution into matrimonial rights, lunacy acts and 99-year leases. The life of this otherwise inconsequential woman is meticulously recorded, and all for the incubus of an inheritance which she barely seemed to comprehend.’ -- Oldie‘Hollis expertly weaves together the human tragedy and high politics behind the explosion of one of the world’s greatest cities. His scholarship and storytelling make the seventeenth century seem so familiar.’ * Dan Snow, Death or Victory: The Battle for Quebec and the Birth of Empire *‘Leo Hollis combines meticulous research with his trademark style once again in this perceptive and humane book on one of modern London’s most significant origin stories.’ -- Lucy Inglis, author of Georgian London: Into the Streets'Identifying an authentic seventeenth-century mystery, Leo Hollis uses the form of the classic detective story to deliver a fast-moving and forensic account of the birth and development of the London property market. Here is a valuable addition to the literature of the city in another period of cancerous growth.' -- Iain Sinclair, author of The Last London‘The story of an heiress whose patrimony lies at the root of a modern accumulation of a vast landed fortune, the Grosvenor Estate of the Dukes of Westminster… brilliant.’ -- Ian Bostridge, FT ‘A tale of lies, coercion and opium-laced strawberries… compelling.’ -- BBC History'[A] well-crafted history... Hollis unspools the story’s multiple threads with verve, and lucidly explains complex legal and historical matters. Anglophiles and urban history buffs will be delighted.' * Publishers Weekly *‘An intriguing story of scandal, betrayal, law courts and corruption. It’s a fascinating read.’ * Who Do You Think You Are? *
£20.00
Atlantic Books The Reign - Life in Elizabeth's Britain: Part I:
Book Synopsis***A Waterstones Best Books of 2022 pick***Book of the Year in the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and New Statesman'A powerful illumination of a lost world that is nevertheless part of living memory.' Simon Heffer, 'Books of the Year' , Daily Telegraph'A joyous new book on post-war Britain.' Daily MailShe came to the throne in 1952 when Britain had a far-flung empire, Winston Churchill was prime minister, sweets were rationed, mums stayed at home and kids played on bombsites. In the seventy years that followed everything changed utterly - except the Queen herself, ageing far more gracefully than the fractious nation with which she became synonymous. While the Queen is the motif for this book, the story Engel tells is not about her - it is primarily about the British. Through original research, interviews with people who were there and his own memories of the time, Matthew Engel traces the transformation of life in Britain as never before.Beginning with the death of King George VI and ending on the eve of Margaret Thatcher's election, Engel not only covers all the major historical events but also explores everyday life - from the food we ate and where we shopped, to what we watched on television and the newspapers we read. In doing so, he brings these three decades to life with his own light touch and a wealth of fascinating, forgotten, often funny detail.Trade ReviewMatthew Engel's The Reign delivers equally sharp observations of Teddy Boys, hanged murderers, the British Empire, swinging London, National Service and Mrs Thatcher's ascent to power, noting that "the City was euphoric" - the post-war consensus had ended. It is a powerful illumination of a lost world that is nevertheless part of living memory. -- Simon Heffer * 'Books of the year', Daily Telegraph *Masterly... Consistently entertaining, frequently surprising and sometimes provocative. -- Peter Wilby * 'Books of the Year', New Statesman *A joyous new book on post-war Britain. * Daily Mail *Entertainingly written... An immediately credible, and at times highly personal, picture... Engel brings his own views to bear, usually with wit, and at times with pleasing eccentricity. * Spectator *A pleasingly anecdote filled new social history of the second Elizabethan era... Like the best assortment boxes, it encourages regular dipping, each chapter short and tasty enough to make you say "oh, just one more". -- Patrick Kidd * The Times *Has at least one priceless detail per page. -- Philip Norman * Observer *Full of richly revealing stories and quotidian detail, laced with incisive but humane judgements, and never missing the big picture of a country where the pace of social change was rapidly quickening - Matthew Engel has given us a tour de force about post-war Britain which delights and illuminates on every page. -- David KynastonA pure delight. There is a gem on every page. -- Peter HennessyI really enjoyed this romp through the headlines, partly because Matthew Engel is such an amusing writer and partly because all sixty-one of his chapters come up like three-minute songs on the jukebox - soon over and always time for just one more... Engel thinks like a journalist but writes like a raconteur. * Literary Review *The best feature writer of his generation, Engel really scores in his attention to the minutiae of lived experience... And he has a journalist's eye for the killer detail. * The Tablet *Table of Contents1: God save the . . . 2: The state of her realm, 1952 3: The crowning glory 4: What's on tonight? 5: Women and children 6: The moral tone 7: The immoral tone 8: Let him have it, Goddard 9: Shoulders back! 10: Summoned by buzzers 11: Years of living dangerously 12: The reign of error 13: The young ones 14: The newcomers 15: Reach for the sky 16: Of dukes and debs 17: So good 18: Keep going well 19: Wives and servants 20: C'mon, little miss, let's do the twist 21: Goodbye to all that 22: Read all about it! 23: They love us, yeah, yeah, yeah 24: Enough rope 25: The last from the past 26: Mickey Mouse and Rattín 27: Up, up and away 28: If you can meet with triumph and disaster 29: Smashing the crockery 30: Ye Blocks, ye Stones 31: Closing time 32: .A woman's work 33: Down with skools 34: The past blasters 35: Now we are forty 36: The faint echoes of empire 37: The moon, money and Murdoch 38: Is the show really over? 39: Listen to reason 40: The iceman cometh 41: Everybody out 42: Down among the dead elms 43: And the bands played on 44: We're in 45: He's out 46: It's that man again 47: Change and decay 48: Anarchy on the King's Road 49: Heatwave and humiliation 50: Flaps, sir! 51: The land of lost content 52: Mark the herald angels sing 53: The girl that I marry 54: The madman of Kampala 55: But this is home 56: Weirder still and weirder 57: The people's pleasures 58: Hearth and health 59: The eerie quiet, the bitter harvest 60: Change and echoes 61: The woman's hour
£23.75
Atlantic Books In Search of Us: Adventures in Anthropology
Book Synopsis***A Waterstones Best Books of 2022 pick***The story of the pioneering anthropologists and their adventures among civilisations that were first thought of as being primitive and savage. What they discovered, however, would change the way we think about ourselves.In the late nineteenth century, when non-European societies were seen as 'living fossils' offering an insight into how Western civilisation had evolved, anthropology was a thrilling new discipline which attracted the brightest minds of the academic world. But, by the middle of the twentieth century, colonialism was recognised as being inextricably linked to exploitation and outdated labels like 'savage' were inconceivable when so-called 'civilised' man had wreaked such devastation across two world wars.Focusing on twelve key European and American anthropologists working in the field, from Franz Boas on Baffin Island in the 1880s to Claude Lévi-Strauss in Brazil fifty years later, Lucy Moore explores the brief flowering of anthropology as a quasi-scientific area of study with all its insights and ambivalence. In Search of Us tells the story of the men and women whose observations of the 'other' would transform attitudes about race, gender equality, sexual liberation, parenting and tolerance in ways they had never anticipated. In an enthralling, perceptive narrative, Moore shows how these radical anthropologists were inspired by their time in the furthest-flung reaches of the known world, becoming pioneers of a new way of thinking. In the end, their legacy is less about understanding foreign cultures and more about their attempts to persuade human beings to look at one another with eyes washed free from prejudice. Their intention may have been to explain what they saw as the primitive world to the civilised one but they ended up changing the way people viewed themselves - at least for a time.Trade ReviewIn this skilful summary of the early years of anthropology between 1880 and 1939, Lucy Moore reveals a veritable tangle of turf wars, power scrambles and sexual bad behaviour... Moore's fluent account confirms that there is always room for a new view, especially when it is as well done as this one. * Sunday Times *Moore doesn't sugar-coat her protagonists' many prejudices, their cavalier treatment of their indigenous subjects, or the problematic history of their discipline. But though she summarises their scholarly views, the main pleasure of her book lies in its celebration of a dozen colourful, unconventional, free-thinking lives. * Guardian *The story of anthropology's early pioneers lies at the heart of this joyfully narrated history of a scientific field that, at its best, opens our minds to the rich kaleidoscope of human experience... [A] gripping collection of life stories. * Literary Review *Entertaining... Told with a novelistic eye for the character-revealing anecdote. * Spectator *Table of Contents1: The Pioneer: Franz Boas on Baffin Island, 1883 2: The Mentors: Alfred Haddon and William Rivers in the Torres Strait, 1898 3: The Philosopher: Edvard Westermarck in Morocco, 1898 4: The Magi: Daisy Bates and Alfred Radcliffe-Brown in Western Australia, 1910 -1912 5: The Hero: Bronislaw Malinowski in the Trobriand Islands, 1915-1917 6: The Academy: Franz Boas at Columbia University, 1899-1942 7: The Maiden: Ruth Benedict in the American Southwest, 1920s 8: The Child: Margaret Mead in Samoa, 1925 9: Insider/Outsider: Zora Neale Hurston in NewOrleans, 1928 10: The Bluestocking: Audrey Richards in Zambia, 1930-1931 11: The Trickster: Claude Lévi-Strauss in Brazil, 1938-1939
£16.19
Canongate Books Beastly: A New History of Animals and Us
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATIONA BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES, WATERSTONES AND BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE A NEX BIG IDEA CLUB MUST READIn a Polish forest a young woman befriends a boar. An Englishman sets up home with two beavers in Saskatchewan. A zoologist watches a fish make a conscious decision. Darwin finds the evidence for evolution in the backyards of pigeon fanciers. The entire population of Croatia anxiously awaits the arrival of a single stork. Animals have shaped our lives, our land, our civilisation, and they will shape our future. Yet as our impact on the world and the animals we share it with increases, there has never been a greater urgency to understand this foundational relationship. Beastly is the 40,000-year story of animals and humans as it has never been captured before, seen eye-to-eye and claw-to-hand through those humans who have stepped into the myriad worlds of our animal relatives. Our relationship with animals has always been paradoxical, but the greatest paradox may yet be this: diversity of life can heal ecosystems. Animals - if given the chance - could save us.Trade ReviewA dazzling examination of our contradictory attitudes towards the creatures with whom we share the planet . . . [A] fantastic, heartfelt history of human-animal relations * * Guardian * *[A] heartfelt account of the environmental catastrophe . . . Beastly is a clarion call for the humbler notion that every bit of nature matters * * Observer * *A positive, information-packed read about reconnecting with our wild world * * Independent * *If you are interested in the animal kingdom; if you are interested in the past, present and future of planet Earth; if you are interested in anything at all - then this gorgeous, joyous, sobering book is for you * * Irish Times * *Reading Beastly is a little like padding, barefoot, through a forest . . . Heartfelt * * New Statesman * *What a wonderful and unexpected book. The very opposite of beastly: heavenly and amazing, powerful and affecting, a beloved and very fine teller of tales reminds us how small we are in the face of a nature that we neither understand nor wish to respect or, in any real sense, live with -- PHILIPPE SANDSI fervently believe everyone should read it . . . From start to finish, it's fabulous -- JAMES HOLLANDA brilliant and insightful selection of revealing stories about our complicated relationship with other animals, told with Carew's uniquely smart and stylish verve. A hugely enjoyable, thought-provoking book -- GAIA VINCEMany stories linger after reading Beastly: a polyphony in which tale after tale accumulates . . . The book is exhilaratingly busy with ideas . . . A cunningly structured book * * Perspective * *Full of necessary rage, joy and passion: BEASTLY should be mandatory reading for all humans -- CLAIRE FULLER
£19.00
Profile Books Ltd How to be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History
Book Synopsis*A Waterstones Best Book of 2023* *A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week* *A New York Times Editor's Pick* 'A total eye-opener, I loved it' Nuala McGovern 'You'll never look at Renaissance portraits in the same way' Maggie O'Farrell 'Terrific ... that rare thing, a serious history that is both accessible and entertaining' Literary Review Plunge into the intimate history of cosmetics, and discover how, for centuries, women have turned to make up as a rich source of creativity, community and resistance The Renaissance was an era obsessed with appearances. And beauty culture from the time has left traces that give us a window into an overlooked realm of history - revealing everything from sixteenth-century women's body anxieties to their sophisticated botanical and chemical knowledge. How to be a Renaissance Woman allows us to glimpse the world of the female artists, artisans and businesswomen carving out space for themselves, as well as those who gained power and influence in the cut-throat world of the court. In a vivid exploration of women's lives, Professor Jill Burke invites us to rediscover historical cosmetic recipes and unpack the origins of the beauty ideals that are still with us today. 'Taking a fresh, women-led perspective, Burke highlights a rich tapestry of female experience that encompasses everyone from artisans to aristocrats ... The everyday women mixing their own beauty products should rightly be considered chemists and botanists' The Times 'A fun, informative and occasionally sobering look at the lives of women across social strata ... The real shock of the book is not what's unfamiliar, it is how much of it seems to mirror today's obsessions and controversies' The New York TimesTrade ReviewA total eye-opener, I loved it -- Nuala McGovern, BBC Radio 4 Woman's HourA lively and intriguing exploration of female life in the Renaissance, lifting the lid on anxieties and aspirations that will sound oddly familiar to any 21st century reader. You'll never look at Renaissance portraits in the same way -- Maggie O'FarrellTerrific ... Drawing on early published beauty pamphlets, letters, poems, songs, diaries and recipe books, not to mention treatises by both men and women and the rich material of Renaissance art, [Burke] has emerged with enough knowledge to open her own Renaissance Body Shop ... The book is that rare thing, a serious history that is both accessible and entertaining - no more so than when it comes to the age-old debate as to whether women's commitment to beauty is a sign of weakness, a pandering to male desire or a form of empowerment * Literary Review *Taking a fresh, women-led perspective, Burke highlights a rich tapestry of female experience that encompasses everyone from artisans to aristocrats ... the everyday women mixing their own beauty products should rightly be considered chemists and botanists. Successfully creating these cosmetics required knowledge of plants and their properties, as well as how to transform them via different techniques. Renaissance women had greater scientific knowledge and experience than they are often credited with * The Times *Shapewear. Stretch mark remedies. Nose jobs. Eyebrow shaping. These things are not just preoccupations of ours, but also concerned the women of the Renaissance. Through paintings of the Italian Renaissance, Burke offers a fun, informative and occasionally sobering look at the lives of women across social strata ... The real shock of the book is not what's unfamiliar, it is how much of it seems to mirror today's obsessions and controversies ... Basically, nothing our Renaissance cousins did in the name of beauty would shock anyone on TikTok -- Editor's Pick * The New York Times *If you think that pressures on women to look their best, either through chemical enhancements or using filters on Instagram, are a modern invention, then Jill Burke's new book is a timely reminder that our ancestors were undergoing the medieval equivalent 500 years ago ... Some of the most compelling parts of the book detail female solidarity and friendship in this visual society ... The book finishes with an amusing and engrossing section of real-life Renaissance beauty recipes for the brave to try - from the relatively innocuous honey and egg eye cream to a non-toxic version of the skin lightener that beauties used on their faces ... But there's a serious message behind the book: the tyranny of beauty ideals has been with us for centuries * Mail on Sunday *An erudite, witty and engaging history of cosmetics and beauty ... lavishly illustrated and hugely entertaining -- Anna Carey * Irish Times *Delightful * Washington Post *Eye-opening ... a novel and immersive history * Publishers Weekly *
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Museum of the Wood Age
Book SynopsisA passionate and imaginative exploration of wood – the material that shaped human history. As a material, wood has no equal in strength, resilience, adaptability and availability. It has been our partner in the cultural evolution from woodland foragers to engineers of our own destiny. Tracing that partnership through tools, devices, construction and artistic expression, Max Adams explores the role that wood has played in our own history as an imaginative, curious and resourceful species. Beginning with an investigation of the material properties of various species of wood, The Museum of the Wood Age investigates the influence of six basic devices – wedge, inclined plane, screw, lever, wheel, axle and pulley – and in so doing reveals the myriad ways in which wood has been worked throughout human history. From the simple bivouacs of hunter-gatherers to sophisticated wooden buildings such as stave churches; from the decorative arts to the humble woodworking of rustic furniture; Max Adams fashions a lattice of interconnected stories and objects that trace a path of human ingenuity across half a million years of history.Trade ReviewA refreshing paean to the power of both nature and human ingenuity * History Revealed *'The Museum of the Wood Age really does achieve something different...Both Max Adam's wealth of experience - as archeologist and craftsman - and his passion are irresistible.' * TLS *PRAISE FOR MAX ADAMS: "Adams' enthusiasm is beguiling, his knowledge as bountiful as a beech-mast, and his appreciation of the utility of trees is a pointer to a better world" - The Times "This book is a celebration of the plant from which it is made" - i, on The Wisdom of Trees "An elegant book packed with information... Adams is a true woodsman so speaks with authority" - Country Life, on The Wisdom of Trees "Gripping, hugely enjoyable and deeply scholarly" * History Today Books of the Year, on The King in the North *
£26.59
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Queen
Book SynopsisMatthew Dennison's elegant and magisterial biography of Her late Majesty, updated following the death of Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III. 'A worthy and balanced overview of the Queen's life. Dennison is especially good on her childhood... quietly, tactfully, tastefully reverent.'The Times The death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022 was more than just a moment of profound sadness; her passing marked the end of an era in our national life – and the final closing of the Elizabethan Age. For millions of people, both in Britain and across the world, Elizabeth II was the embodiment of monarchy. Her long life spanned nearly a century of national and global history, from a time before the Great Depression to the era of Covid-19. Her reign embraced all but seven years of Britain's postwar history up to the accession of her son King Charles III; she was served by fifteen UK prime ministers from Churchill to Truss, and witnessed the administrations of fourteen US presidents from Truman to Biden. In this brand-new biography of the longest-reigning sovereign in British history, Matthew Dennison traces her life and reign across an era of unprecedented and often seismic social change. Stylish in its writing and nuanced in its judgements, The Queen charts the joys and triumphs as well as the disappointments and vicissitudes of a remarkable royal life; it also assesses the achievement of a woman regarded as the champion of a handful of 'British' values endorsed – if no longer practised – by the bulk of the nation: service, duty, steadfastness, charity and stoicism.Trade ReviewA worthy and balanced overview of the Queen's life. Dennison is especially good on her childhood... Quietly, tactfully, tastefully reverent' * The Times *Anyone who wants a rapid, lucid, well-organised dash through the Queen's seven decades on the throne couldn't do better * Daily Telegraph *An elegant new biography * OK! Magazine *Dutiful and modest – a superb portrait of Her Majesty * Sunday Telegraph *An engaging retelling of a remarkable life of selflessness and service * Choice Magazine *[It] deftly weaves together a wealth of sources, painting the late monarch as a dedicated and humble public servant, with a pragmatic approach to her work * Independent *This balanced and brilliantly written biography is an extremely detailed depiction of the Queen's life * Harper's Bazaar *
£23.75
Verso Books The US Antifascism Reader
Book SynopsisSince the birth of fascism in the 1920s, well before the global renaissance of "white nationalism," the United States has been home to its own distinct fascist movements, some of which decisively influenced the course of US history. Yet long before Antifa became a household word in the United States, they were met, time and again, by an equally deep antifascist current. Many on the left are unaware that the United States has a rich antifascist tradition, because it has rarely been discussed as such, nor has it been accessible in one place. This reader reconstructs the history of US antifascism the twenty-first century, showing how generations of writers, organisers, and fighters spoke to each other over time.Trade ReviewPraise for Haunted by Hitler:With insight and grace, Christopher Vials demonstrates compelling new ways of understanding a complicated tradition of the Left and U.S. culture. The steady flow of astute interpretations and commentary adds up to scholarship of enduring importance, a treasure trove for the specialist and general reader alike. -- Alan Wald, author of American Night: The Literary Left in the Era of the Cold WarPraise for: Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World RevolutionUn-American is a bold and long overdue inquiry into 'the late Du Bois,' full of keen originality and brilliantly associative thinking. With his signature level of professional competence, Mullen defies easy categorizations to track the black radical scholar's diasporic identity through the optic of 'world revolution.' This investigation, vexed by the political horrors of imperialism, fascism, and Stalinism, yields unexpected and revealing parallels with the ideas of revolutionary thinkers such as Leon Trotsky and C. L. R. James. The result is a landmark study in the contours of affiliation, expanding the archive and breaking down polarized thought. This is a book to engage, chew over, and debate. -- Alan Wald, H. Chandler Davis Collegiate Professor of American Culture, University of MichiganPraise for: Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World Revolution:In this expansively researched and expertly crafted biography of W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) on the global stage, Mullen revisits the often contradictory and dialectical actions, thoughts, hopes, and writings of the sociologist and civil rights activist through post-World War II toward the end of the Cold War.... Mullen has considerable depth and nuance for the work of revisiting his subject as an international figure.... Mullen succeeds in weaving a revisionist narrative that positions Du Bois as a world actor within the revolutionary movements of the 20th century. VERDICT For readers interested in historical biographies situated in international politics and Cold War history. * Library Journal *Praise for: Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World Revolution:Bill Mullen's new book Un-American explores...Du Bois' thought more thoroughly than any previous work. While every commentator on Du Bois has acknowledged his politics, Mullen shows us how central revolutionary thought was to Du Bois' entire intellectual trajectory in the twentieth century.... This book will open an entirely new window on the radical politics that animated most of his life's work.... Mullen's intervention will surely be felt...for years to come and deserves to be read by everyone with an interest in Black politics and the history of American socialism. * International Socialist Review *Praise for: Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World Revolution:This is the sort of thoughtful and challenging book that remains with you, that gets you nodding your head unconsciously in agreement, muttering disapprovals, racing to the bookshelf to look up something. It is an essential addition to the canon of W. E. B. Du Bois scholarship.... Mullen wonderfully braids Du Bois's intellectual journey to an eclectic group of revolutionaries likewise drawn-at various times and in different ways-to the project of communist internationalism.... And he explores Du Bois's engagements with liberation struggles in India and China, Japan's global emergence, the specter of Stalinism, and the global peace work engendered by a dynamic cadre of leftist black women, particularly Claudia Jones and Shirley Graham Du Bois. Mullen's treatment of Smedley, Strong, and Jones is particularly sharp and illuminating. * Journal of American History *Praise for: Popular Fronts: Chicago and African-American Cultural Politics 1935-1946:Mullen marries investigation and a well-executed idea of story in this well-researched piece of scholarship on black art, black literature and literary publications, and the cultural politics of Chicago's African American community. * Choice *Praise for: Popular Fronts: Chicago and African-American Cultural Politics 1935-1946:Mullen's mission is to refresh our cultural memories. He wants to remind us not only of African American cultural production in the 'Chicago Renaissance' that took place before and during World War II, but also that the U.S. Left--in the form of the Communist Party and the individuals and organizations of its Popular Front--played a significant role in the period. * American Historical Review *Praise for: Popular Fronts: Chicago and African-American Cultural Politics 1935-1946:All readers who are interested in the history of Chicago, African American culture, and leftist politics are sure to find some benefit from Mullen's richly detailed and boldly revisionist study. * Journal of Illinois History *Praise for Afro-Orientalism:In Afro-Orientalism, Bill Mullen produces an alternative history to the postcolonial present that is rich with theoretical interest and political promise. -- Amitava Kumar, author of Passport Photos and Bomba–London–New YorkPraise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:W. E. B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line serves as a timely introduction to this impressive and somewhat imposing figure, while also reframing Du Bois's life and work beyond the boundaries of the American context. * Inside Higher Ed *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:In this new biography, Mullen interprets the seismic political developments of the Twentieth Century through the revolutionary life of W.E.B. Du Bois-focusing not just on his Civil Rights work, but also examining Du Bois's attitudes towards socialism, the USSR, China's Communist Revolution, and the relationship between capitalism, poverty and racism. * Critical Theory *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:With Du Bois's Marxist leanings in mind, Mullen's strategy is to reinterpret much of what is already known. As biography, the book is very well written, informative, and insightful. * Choice *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:While some scholars have tried to domesticate DuBois and confine his intellectual and political life within the boundaries of capitalist hegemony, DuBois was in fact a life-long revolutionary committed to socialism, Pan-Africanism and Black Liberation, a man who late in life - partly as a direct challenge to McCarthyism and the Cold War - joined the Communist Party, USA. Mullen's W.E.B. DuBois: Revolutionary Across The Color Line corrects the record, highlighting a side of DuBois many would like us to forget. It is a must read for anyone interested in the life and work of this pioneering Black revolutionary. * People's World *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:Examines the life of W. E. B. Du Bois and his relationship to key questions of the revolutionary left in the twentieth century, placing Du Bois within a framework of figures of the global left and demonstrating the centrality of radical internationalism to his life and thought. * Journal of Economic Literature *Praise for W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line:Mullen's illuminating biography is essential for understanding the political, personal, and intellectual challenges Du Bois faced in his lifetime search for a black revolutionary praxis. -- Mary Helen Washington, University of MarylandPraise for Haunted by Hitler:Vials's rehabilitation of the long-standing and abiding American antifascist tradition is a game-changer for those interested in the 'f word' (fascism) and for those who want to understand both liberal and left politics in the 'American Century. -- Doug Rossinow, author of Visions of Progress: The Left-Liberal Tradition in AmericaPraise for Haunted by Hitler:Vials's scholarship-its mix of secondary sources drawn from a wide array of contemporary and current scholars and archival and primary materials-produces a rich matrix that grounds the argument. This is a compelling read. -- Paula Rabinowitz, author of American Pulp: How Paperbacks Brought Modernism to Main StreetPraise for Haunted by Hitler:An involved study . . . Vials's exploration of Rod Serling's concern about right-wing extremism is worth the price of this volume and provides fascinating reflections about The Twilight Zone. Recommended. * Choice *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:Vials has much to offer. His sources are many and varied, ranging from interviews with some of those engaged in antifascist efforts in the earliest days to material culled from the electronic databases of American newspapers and the recent work of other scholars. He has insightful commentary and a cogent argument for recognizing the value of antifascists movements of the past eight decades and understanding their relevance today. * Yearbook of German American Studies *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:The governing idea for the author is that properly evaluating these troublesome political trends is essential to the ability to counter them effectively. In service of this project, he offers readers three crucial tools: clear definition, astute historical grounding, and perhaps most absorbing, and indexical view of a fascinating repository of left-liberal, antifascist scholarly and cultural articulations. * Against the Current *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:[An] impressive study of the history and vitality of antifascism, . . . clear and eminently readable. * Journal of American History *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:Haunted by Hitler is rich and exciting to read and leaves no doubt that a history of anti-fascism in America exists. * Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft *Praise for Haunted by Hitler:Christopher Vials's impressively researched and politically important book is the first to argue that 'anti-fascism has . . . constituted a coherent body of cultural work in the United States'. * Science & Society *This is a crucial reader for our current political moment. It is a massive and rich archive, historicizing, theorizing, querying, and interrogating fascism in its many US varieties. This reader unearths and connects the anti-fascist responses in a plethora of sites-the Black Panthers and other anti-racist movements, LGBT pink triangle activists, and the Antifa. It will give you the knowledge to embolden yourself to resist and revolt. -- Zillah Eisenstein * Anti-Racist Feminist Activist, Ithaca College *This volume should be read by everyone who thinks they know what fascism is, and everyone who does not, for it provides a rich and indispensable set of materials to give depth and meaning to the word 'fascism', precisely when we need a comprehensive and varied archive to inform anti-fascist struggles. If you want to know what fascism has been and can be, read this book. We ignore it at our peril. -- David Palumbo-Liu, Stanford UniversitySerious about destroying fascism? Study the US Antifascism Reader. -- Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist HandbookExceptionally well organized and presented. -- Midwest Book Review
£52.50
Reaktion Books Opium’s Orphans: The 200-Year History of the War
Book SynopsisOpium's Orphans is the first full history of drug prohibition and the ‘war on drugs’. A no-holds-barred but balanced account, it shows that drug suppression was born of historical accident, not rational design. The war on drugs did not originate in Europe or the US, and even less with President Nixon, but in China. Two Opium Wars followed by Western attempts to atone for them gave birth to an anti-narcotics order that has come to span the globe. But has the war on drugs succeeded? As opioid deaths and cartel violence run rampant, contestation becomes more vocal, and marijuana is slated for legalization, Opium's Orphans proposes that it is time to go back to the drawing board.
£28.50
Chronicle Books Black Icons in Herstory
Book SynopsisBlack Icons in Herstory features colorfully illustrated portraits and inspiring biographies of 50 of the most admired women in the fields of music, film, literature, politics, human rights, and more. This second book in our Icons series focuses exclusively on extraordinary Black women and celebrates their remarkable achievements. From Rosa Parks to Angela Davis from Nina Simone to Janet Jackson; from Michelle Obama to Amanda Gorman; this curated list of role models is significant and inspiring. Each striking portrait illustrated by Monica Ahanonu is accompanied by an original, illuminating biography by Darian Symoné Harvin. Together the art and text featured in this book highlight each legendary woman’s contributions to our culture and her lasting influence on herstory.
£20.89
Unbound Women Who Won: 70 extraordinary women who
Book SynopsisDid you know that Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka was the first woman in the world to become a democratically elected prime minister? That Tina Anselmi was a wartime resistance fighter who became the first woman to serve as a cabinet minister in Italy? Or that Sylvie Kinigi of Burundi was the first woman to serve as a prime minister in Africa? It is high time these extraordinary women who helped shape our world became household names, and this book brings them at last to the fore.Women Who Won is a celebration of 70 women from the last 100 years: politicians from around the globe who fought for election in a man’s world… and won. Beautifully illustrated by artist Emmy Lupin, it features well-known figures, including Kamala Harris, Benazir Bhutto, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Jacinda Ardern and Julia Gillard, alongside lesser-known women whose stories are ready to be heard: Shidzue Katō, one of the first women elected to the Diet of Japan Yulia Tymoshenko, the first woman prime minister of Ukraine Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the US Congress Peri-Khan Sofieva, the first democratically elected Muslim woman Ethel Blondin-Andrew, the first Indigenous woman elected to Canadian parliament Women of the past, but also women of the present and future. Women who smashed the political glass ceiling. Women who fought to leave a positive legacy for future generations. Women who paved the way for girls of today to become women who won.
£17.09
