Search results for ""Author . Alexander""

When Lord Petre had the effrontery of cutting off a lock of Lady Arabella Fermor’s hair, a veritable war erupted between the two noble families. A mutual friend, saddened by their estrangement, asked Alexander Pope, then a young poet, to write a poem about it, in order to make a joke of it and “laugh them together again”. But the result – which in its ingenuity and poetical brilliance reaches peaks of epic sublime – concealed darker and more dangerous undertones that unleashed an even greater storm between the parties involved – and among the whole literary world of the time. As Belinda glides along the Thames admired for her beauty and the crafty Baron schemes to take his prize, a host of supernatural beings – elves, sylphs, gnomes – dance around them to avoid the impending doom, in what is Pope’s crowning poetical achievement and perhaps the greatest satirical poem ever written. Included in this volume are the original two-canto version of The Rape of the Lock and Pope’s hilarious mock-interpretation of the poem as a seditious work, A Key to the Lock.

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Alphabet Squadron's hunt for the deadliest TIE fighters in the galaxy continues in this Star Wars adventure! News of the New Republic's victory still reverberates through the galaxy. In its wake, the capital ships of the newly legitimized galactic government journey to the farthest stars, seeking out and crushing the remnants of imperial tyranny. But some old ghosts are harder to banish than others. And none are more dangerous than Shadow Wing.Yrica Quell's ragtag Alphabet Squadron still leads the search for Shadow Wing, but they're no closer to their goal-and the pressure to find their quarry before it's too late has begun to shake them apart. Determined to finish the fight once and for all, Quell works with New Republic Intelligence's contentious Caern Adan and the legendary General Hera Syndulla to prepare the riskiest gambit of her starfighting career-a trap for Shadow Wing that could finish the chase once and for all. But in the darkness, their enemy has evolved. Soran Keize, last of the Imperial aces, has stepped into the power vacuum at the head of Shadow Wing, reinvigorating the faltering unit in their hour of need. Once adrift in the aftershocks of the war, Keize has found meaning again, leading the lost soldiers of his unit through to safety. The only thing standing in his way? The most mismatched squadron in the New Republic Navy, led by his former mentee: the traitor Yrica Quell.

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They are two of twentieth-century history's most significant figures, yet today they are largely forgotten - Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, Germany's First World War leaders. Although defeat in 1918 brought an end to their 'silent dictatorship', both generals played a key role in the turbulent politics of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazis. Alexander Clifford, in this perceptive reassessment of their political careers, questions the popular image of these generals in the English-speaking world as honourable 'Good Germans'. For they were intensely political men, whose ideas and actions shaped the new Germany and ultimately led to Hitler's dictatorship. Their poisonous wartime legacy was the infamous stab-in-the-back myth. According to the generals, the true cause of the disastrous defeat in the First World War was the betrayal of the army by politicians, leftists and Jews on the home front. This toxic conspiracy theory polluted Weimar politics and has been labelled the beginning of 'the twisted road to Auschwitz'. Hindenburg and Ludendorff's political fortunes after the war were markedly different. Ludendorff inhabited the far-right fringes and engaged in plots, assassinations and conspiracies, playing a leading role in failed uprisings such as Hitler's 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. Meanwhile Hindenburg was a vastly more successful politician, winning two presidential elections and serving as head of state for nine years. Arguably he bore even more responsibility for the destruction of democracy, for he and the nationalist right he led sought, through Hitler, to remould the Weimar system towards authoritarianism.

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Why are we still arguing over the Parthenon Marbles? This book offers a fresh take on the history of those famous pieces of ancient sculpture removed from the Acropolis in Athens by Lord Elgin’s men in the early 19th century. It explains how they became the cause célèbre of the larger debates around cultural heritage and restitution now taking place. The subject is one that is currently embroiling museums, governments, universities and the public at large. Herman provides a balanced, thorough and critical account of the history of the Marbles, while considering the legalities of their initial removal and the ethics of their retention by the British Museum. It incorporates the views of curators, museum directors, lawyers, archaeologists, politicians and others in both London and Athens. It explains why this particular dispute has not been satisfactorily resolved, and suggests new ways of seeking resolution – for the Parthenon Marbles and for the many other cultural treasures held in museum collections outside their countries of origin. The book sets out a way forward for this famously intractable dispute, one based on evidence of past practice, legal rules around the transfer of cultural objects and the role of museums in negotiating international exchanges.

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Putin’s war is a “special operation” against modernity. The invasion has been directed against Ukraine, but the war has a broader target: the modern world of climate awareness, energy transition and digital labor. By trading oil and gas, promoting Trump and Brexit, spreading corruption, boosting inequality and homophobia, subsidizing far-right movements and destroying Ukraine, Putin’s clique aims at suppressing the ongoing transformation of modern societies. Alexander Etkind distinguishes between Russia’s pompous, weaponized paleomodernity, on the one hand, and the lean, decentralized gaiamodernity of the Anthropocene, on the other. Putin’s clique has used various strategies – from climate denialism and electoral interference to war and genocide – to resist and subvert modernity. Working on political, cultural and even demographic levels, social mechanisms convert the vicious energy of the oil curse into all-out aggression. Dissecting these mechanisms, Etkind’s brief but rigorous analyses of social structuration, cultural dynamics and family models reveal the agency that drives the Russian war against modernity. This short, sharp critique of the Russian regime combines political economy, social history and demography to predict the decolonizing and defederating of Russia.

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In December 1936, Britain faced a constitutional crisis that was the gravest threat to the institution of the monarchy since the execution of Charles I. The ruling monarch, Edward VIII, wished to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson and crown her as his Queen. His actions scandalised the Establishment, who were desperate to avoid an international embarrassment at a time when war seemed imminent.An influential coalition formed against him, including the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, his private secretary Alec Hardinge, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the editor of The Times. Edward seemed fated to give up Wallis and remain a reluctant ruler, or to abdicate his throne. Yet he had his own supporters, too, including Winston Churchill, the Machiavellian newspaper proprietor Lord Beaverbrook and his brilliant adviser Walter Monckton. They offered him the chance to remain on the throne and keep Wallis. But was the price they asked too high?Using previously unpublished and rare archival material, and new interviews with those who knew Edward and Wallis, THE CROWN IN CRISIS is the conclusive exploration of how an unthinkable and unprecedented event tore the country apart. This seismic event has been written about before but never with the ticking-clock suspense and pace of the thriller that it undoubtedly was for all of its participants. Painstakingly researched, incisively written and entirely fresh in its approach, THE CROWN IN CRISIS brings the events of that time to thrilling life, and in the process will appeal to an entirely new audience.

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It is the time of the Rebecca Riots when economic turmoil and unjust taxes have left the communities of south Wales in dire poverty with many on the brink of starvation. Atime when young men ride through the night smashing and burning the symbols of their oppression. The Mortymer family have left their home in the iron-making country of Blaenafon to seek work in the coal mines of the south. Young Jethro Mortymer decides that he must join the rioters in their bitter struggle even as he is tortured by his own struggle to conceal the love he has for the beautiful Mari, his brother's wife.THE HOSTS OF REBECCA is a brilliant continuation of Alexander Cordell's classicstory of mid-nineteenth century Wales which began with THE RAPE OF THE FAIR COUNTRY.

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As modern football grapples with the implications of a global crisis, this book looks at first in the game's history: The First World War. The game's structure and fabric faced existential challenges as fundamental questions were asked about its place and value in English society. This study explores how conflict reshaped the People's Game on the English Home Front. The wartime seasons saw football's entire commercial model challenged and questioned. In 1915, the FA banned the payment of players, reopening a decades-old dispute between the game's early amateur values and its modern links to the world of capital and lucrative entertainment. Wartime football forced supporters to consider whether the game should continue, and if so, in what form? Using an array of previously unused sources and images, this book explores how players, administrators and fans grappled with these questions as daily life was continually reshaped by the demands of total war. From grassroots to elite football, players to spectators, gambling to charity work, this study examines the social, economic and cultural impact of what became Football's Great War.

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Recommended by The Observer . . . 'One doesn't so much read it, as one is bewitched by it. Epic, gorgeous, haunting' HANYA YANAGIHARA, author of A Little LifeWhen it begins, it begins as an opera should begin: in a palace, at a ball, in an encounter with a stranger, who you discover has your fate in his hands . . . She is Lilliet Berne. And she is the soprano. 1882. One warm autumn evening in Paris, Lilliet is finally offered an original role, though it comes at a price. The part is based on her deepest secret. Only four people could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her still, one wants only to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all. In taking this role Lilliet is forced to confront her darkest lies but will the truth save Lilliet - or destroy her? 'Brilliantly extravagant' VOGUE'Terrific' NEW YORKER

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In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight in the Circles so that the rest can remain at peace. But given the stakes, things are never so simple. The Daimyo govern from the shadows and plot to gain an edge by unnaturally enhancing their Grievar Knights.Cego and his team enter year two at the world's most prestigious combat school, the Lyceum. Though he'd like to focus on his martial studies, Cego feels the pull of his mysterious past and two missing brothers.Solara Halberd, daughter of the fighting legend, embarks on her own quest to bury the past. She must utilize every lesson her father taught her to explore unknown lands where evil lurks in the shadows.

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Authoritarian states work hard to manage their images abroad. They invest in foreign-facing media, hire public relations firms, tout their popular celebrities, and showcase their successes to elite and popular foreign audiences. However, there is a dark side to these efforts that is sometimes overlooked. Authoritarian states try to obscure or censor bad news about their governments and often discredit their critics abroad. In extreme cases, authoritarian states intimidate, physically attack, or even murder their opponents overseas. All states attempt to manage their global image to some degree, but authoritarian states in the post-Cold War era have special incentives to do so given the predominance of democracy as an international norm. This book is about how authoritarian states manage their image abroad using both "promotional" tactics of persuasion and "obstructive" tactics of repression. Alexander Dukalskis looks at the tactics that authoritarian states use for image management and the ways in which their strategies vary from one state to another. Moreover, Dukalskis looks at the degree to which some authoritarian states succeed in using image management to enhance their internal and external security, and, in turn, to make their world safe for dictatorship. Making the World Safe for Dictatorship uses a diverse array of data, including interviews, cross-national data on extraterritorial repression, examination of public relations filings with the United States government, analysis of authoritarian propaganda, media frequency analysis, and speeches and statements by authoritarian leaders. Dukalskis also builds a new dataset--the Authoritarian Actions Abroad Database--that uses publicly available information to categorize nearly 1,200 instances in which authoritarian states repressed their critical exiles abroad, ranging from vague threats to confirmed assassinations. The book looks closely at three cases, China, North Korea, and Rwanda, to understand in more detail how authoritarian states manage their image abroad using combinations of promotional and obstructive tactics. The result is a new way of thinking about the international dimensions of authoritarian politics.

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Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will love this captivating, vivid and exciting page-turner from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent - guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat! 'Shipwreck, survival... a spirited battle... a splendid yarn' -- Times'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times'Alexander Keen is a master of his craft' -- ***** Reader review'Seamless fiction at its best' -- ***** Reader review'Another great story, gripping to the end' -- ***** Reader review'Difficult to put down' -- ***** Reader review'Superb' -- ***** Reader review************************************************************************************************1811: After two and a half months of precious peace in Cornwall with his beloved mistress Catherine, Admiral Richard Bolitho is once again summoned to London.In defence of an Empire, the Admiralty must quell the unrest in America - or face the war with those who were once friends. For when diplomacy fails, the cannon will speak.For his daring mission, Bolitho must call on the loyalty of his most trusted officers - and the trust of those he loves the most. Distance too is their enemy, as the Indomitable leads the fleet from Plymouth towards the rich merchant grounds of the Americas.In the troubled seas from Antigua north to Halifax, Admiral Bolitho's revolutionary 'flying squadron' will face their first and harshest test. For a country's freedom. For a hero's right to turn his back on the sea ...

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Richard Bolitho returns in this captivating page-turner set on the high seas from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent. Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester will not be disappointed!'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' - THE SUNDAY TIMES'Good characters, good story, good action.' -- ***** Reader review'Leaves you wanting more' -- ***** Reader review'Every 'Kent' book is a joy to read, immersing you in this bygone era of seafaring.' -- ***** Reader review'Just good nautical escape-ism, with a solid basis in history.' -- ***** Reader review'Band Of Brothers is a classic Kent/Bolitho epic which I hardly put down for days until it was reluctantly finished.' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************************1774: The new year seems to offer Richard Bolitho and his friend Martyn Dancer the culmination of a dream. Both have been recommended for promotion, although they have not yet gained the coveted lieutenant's commission.But a routine passage from Plymouth to Guernsey in an untried schooner becomes, for Bolitho, a passage from midshipman to King's officer, tempering the promise of the future with the bitter price of maturity.Will he rise to the occasion?Richard Bolitho's adventures continue in Stand into Danger.

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Featuring the beauties of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, combined with the dark and hidden side of the Renaissance, by an acclaimed historian and expert in the period.Renowned as an age of artistic rebirth, the Renaissance is cloaked with an aura of beauty and brilliance. But behind the Mona Lisa’s smile lurked a seamy, vicious world of power politics, perversity and corruption that has more in common with the present day than anyone dares to admit. Enter a world of corrupt bankers, greedy politicians, sex-crazed priests, rampant disease, and lives of extravagance and excess. Enter the world of the ugly Renaissance. Uncovering the hidden realities beneath the surface of the period’s best-known artworks, historian Alexander Lee takes the reader on a breathtaking and unexpected journey through the Italian past and shows that, far from being the product of high-minded ideals, the sublime monuments of the Renaissance were created by flawed and tormented artists who lived in an ever-expanding world of bigotry and hatred. The only question is: will you ever see the Renaissance in quite the same way again?

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If you love adventure, tight plotting, excellent characterization and vivid writing, set your course for this compelling and captivating naval adventure from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent. Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will not be disappointed. Do not miss out!'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times'Fans of the Hornblower stories have a treat in THE FLAG CAPTAIN...The book is full of action - and character.' -- Sunday Mirror'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review'An emotional tour de force' -- ***** Reader review'Typical Alexander Kent " Bolitho " novel - every book in the series has kept me enthralled. I struggle to put them down until the end' -- ***** Reader review'Superb with unexpected twists and turns, fascinating plot lines and gripping descriptions of naval battles' -- ***** Reader review**************************************************************************1797: Richard Bolitho brings the 100-gun Euryalus home to Falmouth to be flagship of the hastily formed squadron which has been chosen to make the first British re-entry to the Mediterranean for nearly a year. As flag captain, Bolitho is made to contend with the unyielding attitudes of his new admiral, as well as the devious requirements of the squadron's civilian advisor.England is still stunned by the naval mutiny at Spithead, in which Bolitho's admiral was personally involved, and as the squadron sets sail, the air is already alive with rumour of an even greater uprising in the ships at the Nore.Only when the squadron is drawn to a bloody embrace with the enemy does the admiral see the strength in Bolitho's trust and care for his men - but by then it is almost too late for any of them.Bolitho's adventures continue in Signal, Close Action!

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If you like Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester, you will love this gripping and swashbuckling maritime tale from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent - guaranteed to keep you hooked! 'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' - THE SUNDAY TIMES'Addictive' -- ***** Reader review'A rattling good tale...Alexander Kent captures the ethos of Nelson's navy as well as any writer before or since.' -- ***** Reader review'Riveting' -- ***** Reader review'Could not put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Fantastic book by an outstanding author' -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************1813: with convoys from Canada and the Caribbean falling victim to American privateers, Sir Richard Bolitho returns to Halifax to pursue a war he knows will not be won, but which neither Britain nor the United States can afford to lose.England's youngest admiral desires only peace.But peace will not be found in the icy Canadian waters, where a young, angry nation asserts its identity and men who share a common heritage die in close and bloody action.Nor will there be a peace for those who follow the Cross of St George: for the embittered Adam, mourning his lover and his ship, nor for Rear-Admiral Valentine Keen, who must confront both grief and responsibility.Nor will there be peace from those enemies who use this struggle between nations as an instrument of personal revenge...

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This superb and stirring naval adventure from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent is an absolute must for fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester. You'll feel like you are there on the quarterdeck!'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times'As a former naval officer, Alexander Kent knows what it is like to be at sea' -- The Times'A first-class book' -- ***** Reader review'Impossible to put down. Alexander Kent as his finest!' -- ***** Reader review'One of Alexander Kent's best.' -- ***** Reader review'A rip roaring, well-constructed seafaring tale.' -- ***** Reader review'A compelling read from start to finish...' -- ***** Reader review***********************************************************************************1793: Gibraltar - the gathering might of revolutionary France prepares to engulf Europe in another bloody war. As in the past, Britain will stand or fall by the fighting power of her fleet. For Richard Bolitho, the renewal of hostilities means a fresh command and the chance of action after long months of inactivity.However, his mission to support Lord Hood in the monarchist-inspired occupation of Toulon has gone awry. Bolitho and the crew of the Hyperion are trapped by the French near a dry Mediterranean island.They will need all their mettle and might to force their way through...Bolitho's adventures continue in Enemy in Sight.

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Multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent, brings us another adrenalin-fuelled maritime page-turner full of swashbuckling action and derring-do. Fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will not be disappointed!'The battle scenes are described so vividly that Alexander Kent must surely have been there himself in a previous incarnation' -- The Nautical Magazine'As ever, Kent evokes the blood and smoke of battle in crimson-vivid prose' -- Mail on Sunday'A tale of angry passion, envy and adventure' -- Bookseller'Great story, great characters, plenty of action' -- ***** Reader review'As usual, the master writer has done it again' -- ***** Reader review'Could not put the book down once started'-- ***** Reader review'Wonderful' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************************************************************1784: at a time when most of the fleet is laid up, His Majesty's frigate Undine weighs anchor at Spithead to begin a voyage to India and far beyond. As her new captain, Richard Bolitho is glad to go, despite the nature of his orders and the immensity of the voyage - for he is leaving an England still suffering from the aftermath of war.But he is to learn that signatures on proud documents do not necessarily make a lasting peace, and finds himself involved in a conflict as ruthless as the one which had given him his first command during the war with France.In an uneasy peace, the expansion of trade and colonial development in little-known areas of the East Indies soon push aside the pretence and bring the guns' fury into the open.There is no set line of battle or declared cause to rally Undine's small company, but the dangers and the endless demands have to be faced by the man who commands the only King's ship available.Bolitho's adventures continue in Passage to Mutiny.

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Readers of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester will love this sensational swashbuckling naval adventure from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent.'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' - Sunday Times'Shipwreck, survival...a spirited battle, a splendid yarn' - The Times'A fantastic book - did not want to put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Well written, nautically and historically excellent' -- ***** Reader review'A fast moving, captivating, page turner - not recommended if you want to go to sleep right away' -- ***** Reader review'A rollicking maritime yarn' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************************************************************1789: NEW SOUTH WALES. Into Sydney, capital of Britain's infant colony, sails the frigate Tempest. She is one of His Majesty's ships employed in policing the new southern trade routes. Her captain is Richard Bolitho, who hopes to be ordered home to England.Instead he is despatched on a mission to the islands of the Great South Sea, where he must face hazards of fickle winds, pirates and native islanders.But he is menaced by deeper fears: the men of the Bounty have mutinied in these same waters and from distant Europe comes news of a revolution in France...Bolitho's adventures continue in With All Despatch.

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For millennia, cavalry was the premier combat arm. Horses gave armies mobility and speed; often cavalry charges, either on the enemy’s flanks and into his rear or through his center, led to the decision in a battle. This book analyzes the use of mounted troops from prehistoric times to recent conflicts in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. In contrast to many military history treatises that seek to identify a decline of cavalry over time in favor of modern infantry, Alexander Querengässer argues that only modern motor vehicles were able to replace cavalry. The book examines the many historical uses of cavalry, analyzing conditions for its employment, the role of geographic and climatic factors in its use, and developments in equipment and tactics. More than two hundred contemporary illustrations round out the volume.

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With the outbreak of the Hussite Revolution in 1419, Bohemia found itself opposed by a superior force of European crusader armies. German knighthood was experiencing its last heyday. But the Bohemian heretics’ army, under the leadership of energetic commanders like Jan Zizka, developed tactics with which they won one battle after another. The employment of the defensive Wagenburg (“wagon castle”) and intensive use of the first cannon as field artillery brought them many successes. The Hussites were the first soldiers since Roman times to employ all the available branches in coordination on the battlefield. This book highlights not just the history of the conflicts, but also the weapons and military branches, organization and tactics of the Hussite armies.

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