Search results for ""Crown""

“[A] landmark book…[a] bold reframing of the history of the British Empire.”—Caroline Elkins, Foreign AffairsAn award-winning historian places the corporation—more than the Crown—at the heart of British colonialism, arguing that companies built and governed global empire, raising questions about public and private power that were just as troubling four hundred years ago as they are today.Across four centuries, from Ireland to India, the Americas to Africa and Australia, British colonialism was above all the business of corporations. Corporations conceived, promoted, financed, and governed overseas expansion, making claims over territory and peoples while ensuring that British and colonial society were invested, quite literally, in their ventures. Colonial companies were also relentlessly controversial, frequently in debt, and prone to failure. The corporation was well-suited to overseas expansion not because it was an inevitable juggernaut but because, like empire itself, it was an elusive contradiction: public and private; person and society; subordinate and autonomous; centralized and diffuse; immortal and precarious; national and cosmopolitan—a legal fiction with very real power.Breaking from traditional histories in which corporations take a supporting role by doing the dirty work of sovereign states in exchange for commercial monopolies, Philip Stern argues that corporations took the lead in global expansion and administration. Whether in sixteenth-century Ireland and North America or the Falklands in the early 1980s, corporations were key players. And, as Empire, Incorporated makes clear, venture colonialism did not cease with the end of empire. Its legacies continue to raise questions about corporate power that are just as relevant today as they were 400 years ago.Challenging conventional wisdom about where power is held on a global scale, Stern complicates the supposedly firm distinction between private enterprise and the state, offering a new history of the British Empire, as well as a new history of the corporation.

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An Air Force loadmaster in the Vietnam War is shot out of the sky, then saved by falling into a banyan. An artist inherits a hundred years of photographic portraits, all of the same doomed American chestnut. A hard-partying undergraduate in the late 1980s electrocutes herself, dies, and is sent back into life by creatures of air and light. A hearing- and speech-impaired scientist discovers that trees are communicating with one another. These four, and five other strangers—each summoned in different ways by trees—are brought together in a last and violent stand to save the continent’s few remaining acres of virgin forest. In his twelfth novel, National Book Award winner Richard Powers delivers a sweeping, impassioned novel of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of—and paean to—the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, The Overstory unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond, exploring the essential conflict on this planet: the one taking place between humans and nonhumans. There is a world alongside ours—vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us. This is the story of a handful of people who learn how to see that world and who are drawn up into its unfolding catastrophe. The Overstory is a book for all readers who despair of humanity’s self-imposed separation from the rest of creation and who hope for the transformative, regenerating possibility of a homecoming. If the trees of this earth could speak, what would they tell us? "Listen. There’s something you need to hear."

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A Times Best Book on the Royal Family of the Year 2022 This is a biography of the Queen Mother with all the dull bits stripped out. When told that Lady Mountbatten was being buried at sea, the Queen Mother replied cheerfully. ‘Dear old Edwina, she always did like to make a splash!’ During her lifetime, the Queen Mother was as famous for her clever quips, pointed observations and dry-as-a-Martini delivery style as she was for being a member of the Royal Family. She was also famed for her fondness for ‘drinky-poos’ – usually a gin and Dubonnet or three. Now, Do Let’s Have Another Drink recounts 101 biographical vignettes – one for each year of her long, remarkable life, including her coming-of-age during World War I, the abdication of her brother-in-law, the truth about her tragic nieces and her relationship with her two daughters over half a century of widowhood. The book is a skimming-stone biography – the story of a life without the boring bits – and a travel guide to a world that no longer exists. Stepping into the Queen Mother’s rarefied universe is a little like falling through the looking glass. The book rightly celebrates her sense of humour but also explores her enmities and feuds, including the truth about her behaviour towards Wallis Simpson, Nerissa Bowes-Lyon and Diana, Princess of Wales. For fans of The Crown and featuring new revelations, never before published, and colourful anecdotes about the woman the high society photographer Cecil Beaton once described as ‘a marshmallow made on a welding machine’, Do Let’s Have Another Drink is a delightful celebration of one of the most consistently popular members of the Royal Family.

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**A Financial Times Best Summer Book 2023**Out now: a gripping look at the rise of the microchip and the British tech company behind the blueprint to it all.'A gripping and inspiring read.' Sir James Dyson'A revealing and insightful biography of the company whose blueprints define the digital world.' Chris Miller, author of CHIP WAR: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology'[A] sparkly corporate biography.' Financial Times__________One tiny device lies at the heart of the world's relentless technological advance: the microchip. Today, these slivers of silicon are essential to running just about any machine, from household devices and factory production lines to smartphones and cutting-edge weaponry.At the centre of billions of these chips is a blueprint created and nurtured by a single company: Arm.Founded in Cambridge in 1990, Arm's designs have been used an astonishing 250 billion times and counting. The UK's high-tech crown jewel is an indispensable part of a global supply chain driven by American brains and Asian manufacturing brawn that has become the source of rising geopolitical tension.With exclusive interviews and exhaustive research, The Everything Blueprint tells the story of Arm, from humble beginnings to its pivotal role in the mobile phone revolution and now supplying data centres, cars and the supercomputers that harness artificial intelligence.It explores the company's enduring relationship with Apple and numerous other tech titans, plus its multi-billion-pound sale to the one-time richest man in the world, Japan's Masayoshi Son.The Everything Blueprint details the titanic power struggle for control of the microchip, through the eyes of a unique British enterprise that has found itself in the middle of that battle.__________

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Set in Williams' New York Times bestselling fantasy world, the second book of The Last King of Osten Ard returns to the trials of King Simon and Queen Miriamele as threats to their kingdom loom . . .The kingdoms of Osten Ard have been at peace for decades, but now, the threat of a new war grows to nightmarish proportions.Simon and Miriamele, royal husband and wife, face danger from every side. Their allies in Hernystir have made a pact with the dreadful Queen of the Norns to allow her armies to cross into mortal lands. The ancient, powerful nation of Nabban is on the verge of bloody civil war, and the fierce nomads of the Thrithings grasslands have begun to mobilize, united by superstitious fervor and their age-old hatred of the city-dwellers. But as the countries and peoples of the High Ward bicker among themselves, battle, bloodshed, and dark magics threaten to pull civilizations to pieces. And over it all looms the mystery of the Witchwood Crown, the deadly puzzle that Simon, Miriamele, and their allies must solve if they wish to survive.But as the kingdoms of Osten Ard are torn apart by fear and greed, a few individuals will fight for their own lives and destinies-not yet aware that the survival of everything depends on them.Praise for Tad Williams'One of my favourite fantasy series' - George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones'Ground-breaking . . . changed how people thought of the genre and paved the way for so much modern fantasy, including mine' - Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Kingkiller Chronicle'One of the main reasons I started writing fantasy . . . Tad Williams' work is an essential part of any science fiction and fantasy library' - Christopher Paolini, author of the Inheritance Cycle series

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From the international bestselling author of Dexter come a brilliant new thriller starring Riley Wolfe: a master thief, expert at disguise, and not averse to violence when it's needed. ********'Another blockbuster from a can't-miss master. Enjoy the ride." - David Baldacci'The Dexter creator's new hero-thief is a blast...Far-fetched, foulmouthed and very funny.' - Mark Sanderson, The Times'Vastly entertaining, and written with verve and charm, it ushers in a character that is impossible to forget.' - Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail********It's no accident, though, that Riley targets the wealthiest 0.1 percent and is willing to kill them when they're in his way: he despises the degenerate and immoral rich and loves stealing their undeserved and unearned valuables.In this series launch, Riley aims for an extraordinary target in a heist that will make history. Riley will try to steal the Crown Jewels of Iran. Yes, these jewels are worth billions, but the true attraction for grabbing them comes down to one simple fact: it can't be done. Stealing these jewels is absolutely impossible. The collection is guarded by space-age electronics and two teams of heavily armed mercenaries. No one could even think of getting past the airtight security and hope to get away alive, let alone with even a single diamond from the Imperial Collection.No one but Riley Wolfe. He's always liked a challenge. But this challenge may be more than even he can handle. Aside from the impenetrable security, Riley is also pursued by a brilliant and relentless cop who is barely a step behind him.With the aid of his sometime ally, a beautiful woman who is a master art forger, Riley Wolfe goes for the prize that will either make him a legend-or, more likely, leave him dead.

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Of the five Tudor monarchs, only one was ever born to rule. While much of King Henry VIII's reign is centred on his reckless marriage choices, it was the foundations laid by Henry and Queen Katherine of Aragon that shaped the future of the crown. Among the suffering of five lost heirs, the royal couple placed all their hopes in the surviving Princess Mary. Her early life weaves a tale of promise, diplomacy, and pageantry never again seen in King Henry's life, but a deep-rooted desire for a son, a legacy of his own scattered childhood, pushed Henry VIII to smother Mary's chance to rule. An affair soon produced an unlikely heir in Henry Fitzroy, and while one child was pure royalty, the other illegitimate, the comparison of their childhoods would show a race to throne closer than many wished to admit. King Henry's cruelty saw his heirs' fates pivot as wives came and went, and the birth Princess Elizabeth, saw long-term plans upended for short-term desires. With the death of one heir hidden from view, the birth of Prince Edward finally gave the realm an heir born to rule, but King Henry's personal desires and paranoia left his heirs facing constant uncertainty for another decade until his death. Behind the narrative of Henry VIII's wives, wars, reformation and ruthlessness, there were children, living lives of education among people who cared for them, surrounded by items in generous locations which symbolised their place in their father's heart. They faced excitement, struggles, and isolation which would shape their own reigns. From the heights of a surviving princess destined and decreed to influence Europe, to illegitimate children scattered to the winds of fortune, the childhoods of Henry VIII's heirs is one of ambition, destiny, heartache, and triumph.

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Sir Hardy Amies was one of Britain’s foremost fashion designers who led a fascinating double life as a couturier and an intelligence officer during the Second World War. Sir Hardy’s work for the Belgian resistance effort as part of the Special Operations Executive, was so significant that he was awarded l’Ordre de la Couronne, or Order of the Crown, by the Belgian Government in 1948. Not only did Sir Hardy conduct these operations, but he also simultaneously developed his burgeoning fashion business through the British Board of Trade’s drive to promote UK manufacturing throughout the conflict. He was a man who at once epitomised and challenged the reality of being homosexual in an era when society was deeply unaccepting. He was thrust into what was an overtly macho and potentially hostile environment and, against that backdrop, made a valuable and courageous contribution to the war effort. Born into what we would consider a lower middle-class family, he was handsome, cultured and gregarious and effortlessly traversed the post-war world of high society, launching his haute couture house to great acclaim, gaining clients ranging from film stars to royalty. His work for Queen Elizabeth II saw him awarded the CVO in 1977 and this was elevated to the KCVO, Knight Commander of the Victorian Order in 1989. Her Majesty’s warmth of feeling towards Sir Hardy is evident in the many hand-written thank-you letters she sent him over the course of their long working relationship. Sir Hardy, who lived until the age of 93, could have been dismissed as a lightweight character from the frivolous world of fashion. However, despite a not-particularly extensive formal education, he was highly intelligent, extremely well-travelled and spoke three languages, and his story encapsulates the extraordinary cultural and societal turbulence of the twentieth century.

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'A riveting take on an extraordinary relationship' - Richard Eden, Daily Mail'A fresh and original approach' - Hugo Vickers, Royal BiographerShe was 'sugar pink' innocence; he was a handsome war hero. Both had royal blood coursing through their veins. The marriage of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in November 1947 is remembered as the beginning of an extraordinary, lifelong union but success was not guaranteed. Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy plunges us back into the 1940s when a teenage princess fell in love with a foreign prince. Cue fears of a flirtatious 'Greek' fortune hunter stealing off with Britain's crown jewel and Philip's supporters scrambling to reframe him as a good fit for the Royal Family. Drawing on original newspaper archives and the opinions of Elizabeth and Philip's contemporaries, historian Dr Tessa Dunlop discovers a post-war world on the cusp of major change. Unprecedented polling on Philip's suitability was a harbinger of pressures to come for a couple whose marriage was branded the ultimate global fairytale. Theirs was a partnership like no other. Six years after Elizabeth promised to be an obedient wife Philip got down on bended knee at the coronation and committed himself as the Queen's 'liege man of life and limb.' Published 75 years after their marriage, this deeply touching history explores the ups and downs, the public appeal and the private tensions that defined an extraordinary relationship. The high stakes involved might have devoured a less committed pair - but Elizabeth and Philip shared a common purpose, one higher even than marriage, with roots much deeper than young love. Happy and Glorious, for better or for worse, how did their union succeed? Monarchy was the magic word.

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In the 1960s, Hong Kong was probably the most dynamic city in the world. Adjacent to Communist China, the most populous nation on Earth, the city bustled with life. What was it like to cross the Fragrant Harbour daily to attend a British Army School eight thousand miles from the United Kingdom? This is a teenage schoolboy's recollection of the most exciting days of his life. Whether you have been to Hong Kong or not, it is an exhilarating read. Back cover blurb Faced with a straight choice between a boarding school in England or three years at a British Army School in Hong Kong, Mark Harland chose the latter. In 1966 Hong Kong was exhilarating, dynamic and evolving into the richest jewel in the British Empire. Across the border, Communist China, the most populous country on earth, was in turmoil with Mao Tse-Tung's Red Guards running amok and maintaining their version of law and order in the most brutal fashion. How did it affect the Crown Colony, a mere pin-prick on the map of the Middle Kingdom? The author traces his arrival by cargo ship on a steaming hot August night and recounts his memories. Using three consecutive years of progress at St. Georges School in Kowloon as a template for this book, Mark Harland interlinks the everyday events of colonial life into a melange of history, geography and politics. Whether you have lived in Hong Kong or not, the account of those 'One Thousand Days' will leave you feeling that you, too, crossed the 'Fragrant Harbour' twice a day to attend a school administered by the British Army six thousand miles away from either Agincourt or Aldershot.

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Now a major TV series on Prime Video The eighth novel in the Wheel of Time series - one of the most influential and popular fantasy epics ever published.Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has conquered the city of Illian, struck down Sammael the Forsaken and shattered the armies of the invading Seanchan. Nynaeve, Aviendha and Elayne have broken the Dark One's hold on the world's weather and are poised to retake the throne of Andor. And Egwene al'Vere, leader of the exiled Aes Sedai, marches her army towards the White Tower.But Rand and the Asha'man that follow him are slowly being corrupted by the madness that comes to the male wielders of the One Power. If they cannot remove the Dark One's taint from the True Source then none will survive to fight the Last Battle against the Shadow.And as Rand struggles to maintain his sanity the Seanchan launch their counter-strike.'Epic in every sense' Sunday Times'With the Wheel of Time, Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal' New York Times'[The] huge ambitious Wheel of Time series helped redefine the genre' George R. R. Martin'A fantasy phenomenon' SFXThe Wheel of Time series:Book 1: The Eye of the WorldBook 2: The Great HuntBook 3: The Dragon RebornBook 4: The Shadow RisingBook 5: The Fires of HeavenBook 6: Lord of ChaosBook 7: A Crown of SwordsBook 8: The Path of DaggersBook 9: Winter's HeartBook 10: Crossroads of TwilightBook 11: Knife of DreamsBook 12: The Gathering StormBook 13: Towers of MidnightBook 14: A Memory of LightPrequel: New SpringLook out for the companion book: The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

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Now a major TV series on Prime Video The third novel in the Wheel of Time series - one of the most influential and popular fantasy epics ever published.The Land is One with the Dragon - and the Dragon is One with the Land.The Shadow lies across the Pattern of the Age, and the Dark One has turned all his power against the prison that binds him. If it fails he will escape and nothing will stand in the storm that blows then . . . save the man that was born to battle the darkness: Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn.But to wage his war Rand must find Callandor, ancient Sword of the Dragon . . . and the Forsaken will shatter the world to thwart him.'Epic in every sense' Sunday Times'With the Wheel of Time, Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal' New York Times'[The] huge ambitious Wheel of Time series helped redefine the genre' George R. R. Martin'A fantasy phenomenon' SFXThe Wheel of Time series:Book 1: The Eye of the WorldBook 2: The Great HuntBook 3: The Dragon RebornBook 4: The Shadow RisingBook 5: The Fires of HeavenBook 6: Lord of ChaosBook 7: A Crown of SwordsBook 8: The Path of DaggersBook 9: Winter's HeartBook 10: Crossroads of TwilightBook 11: Knife of DreamsBook 12: The Gathering StormBook 13: Towers of MidnightBook 14: A Memory of LightPrequel: New SpringLook out for the companion book: The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of TimeAlso look out for The Complete Wheel of Time Box Set, a box set containing all fifteen novels in this monumental series, presented in a sturdy box with a wood-finish effect.

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'Yankee Mission is a jewel in Julian Stockwin's crown as a master in naval fiction, with a ship-to-ship fight so vivid that the battle's sounds and scents fly off the pages like lethal wooden splinters' - Quarterdeck1812. Off the coast of Brazil, HMS Java, a proud British 38-gun frigate, is captured in battle by the American USS Constitution - signaling across the world's oceans a challenge to Britain's naval premiership that cannot be ignored.Back in England Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is enjoying a moment of normal life with his wife and his newborn son. With his Thunderer in dock receiving some well-earned repairs he is, momentarily, without a command. It's a position the Admiralty does not leave him in for long, and he is soon given a mission: engage the young republic in a fair fight, frigate against frigate, and restore the Navy's reputation. And they have just the ship and crew for him . . . Tyger. But on reaching the US east coast, Kydd and his trusted Tygers realise that the hardest part of their mission will be drawing out one of the Yankee men-o'-war to engage in battle - especially once the Americans get wind of his purpose. It's a tall order, requiring every ounce of the crew's guile and persistence - and when fortune turns against them, Kydd finds not only his career, but his life, hanging in the balance.Praise for Julian Stockwin's Kydd series:'A very readable and enjoyable story . . . I can only recommend that you go out, beg, borrow or buy, and enjoy' - Bernard Cornwell 'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' - Guardian'The characterization is first-class, and the reader quickly becomes involved with all that happens' - Historical Novels Review

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This is a comprehensive look at how France influenced the American Revolutionary War in a variety of ways; intellectually, financially, and militarily. It raises the crucial question of whether America could have won its independence without the aid of France.The book begins with an overview of the intellectual and ideological contributions of the French Enlightenment thinkers, called the philosophes, to the American and French revolutions. It then moves to cover the many forms of aid provided by France to support America during the Revolutionary War. This ranged from the covert aid France supplied America before her official entry into the war, to the French outfitters and merchants who provided much-needed military supplies to the Americans. When the war began, the colonists thought the French would welcome an opportunity to retaliate and regain their country. France also provided naval assistance, particularly to the American privateers who harassed British shipping and contributed to the increased shipping rates which added to Great Britain's economic hardships. France's military involvement in the war was equally as important.America's First Ally looks at the contributions of individual French officers and troops, arguing that America could not have won without them. Desmarais explores the international nature of a war which some people have called the first world war. When France and Spain entered the conflict, they fought the Crown forces in their respective areas of economic interest. In addition to the engagements in the Atlantic Ocean, along the American and European coasts and in the West Indies, there are accounts of action in India and the East Indies, South America and Africa.Also included are accounts drawn from ships' logs, court and auction records, newspapers, letters, diaries, journals, and pension applications.

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Readers and playgoers who are new to Shakespeare (and even more seasoned veterans who would like to appreciate him more than they do) often find themselves puzzled: what is going on? His characters speak in verse rather than in the patterns of everyday speech. They are figures that ordinary humans seldom encounter—kings, queens, dukes, cardinals, and generals. Some of the plays are set in places even the most seasoned traveler is unlikely to have visited—Bohemia, Illyria, and the ancient Greek cities of Asia Minor—and in times from the distant past—imperial Rome, medieval Venice, Homer's Troy. What's more, the plots pursue events that seemingly have little to do with the daily round of modern lives—contention for a royal crown, assassination, shipwreck, occult visitation. Robert Fallon's small book is designed to dispel some of this apparent strangeness. It shows readers that what may at first seem unfamiliar to them is in fact close to their own lives. Kings and queens emerge as recognizable fathers and mothers, dukes and earls as squabbling siblings of any era. Exotic locales might be any present-day village or city block. And the plots resemble stories to be found in the pages of our morning newspaper. Shakespeare's language takes some getting used to, but even a brief acquaintance with its cadence and imagery will offer a glimpse of its glories. In How to Enjoy Shakespeare, Mr. Fallon explores Shakespeare's familiarity in five sections dealing with language, theme, staging, character, and plot, each abundantly illustrated with episodes and quotations from the plays. He writes in easily accessible prose in a book designed to make modern readers and audiences feel comfortable with the Bard.

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An elderly man aggressively defends his private domain against all comers—including his daughter;a policeman investigates an impossible horror show of a crime; a father witnesses one of the worst things a parent can imagine; the abuse of one child fuels another’s yearning; an Iraqi war veteran seeks a fellow soldier in his hometown but finds more than she bargains for . . .The Best Horror of the Year showcases the previous year’s best offerings in short fiction horror. This edition includes award-winning and critically acclaimed authors Adam L. G. Nevill, Livia Llewellyn, Peter Straub, Gemma Files, Brian Hodge, and more.For more than three decades, award-winning editor and anthologist Ellen Datlow has had her finger on the pulse of the latest and most terrifying in horror writing. Night Shade Books is proud to present the ninth volume in this annual series, a new collection of stories to keep you up at night.Table of Contents: Summation 2016 - Ellen Datlow Nesters -- Siobhan Carroll The Oestridae -- Robert Levy The Process is a Process All its Own -- Peter Straub The Bad Hour -- Christopher Golden Red Rabbit -- Steve Rasnic Tem It's All the Same Road in the End -- Brian Hodge Fury -- DB Waters Grave Goods -- Gemma Files Between Dry Ribs -- Gregory Norman Bossert The Days of Our Lives -- Adam LG Nevill House of Wonders -- C.E. Ward The Numbers -- Christopher Burns Bright Crown of Joy -- Livia Llewellyn The Beautiful Thing We Will Become -- Kristi DeMeester Wish You Were Here -- Nadia Bulkin Ragman -- Rebecca Lloyd What’s Out There? -- Gary McMahon No Matter Which Way We Turned -- Brian Evenson The Castellmarch Man -- Ray Cluley The Ice Beneath Us -- Steve Duffy On These Blackened Shores of Time -- Brian Hodge Honorable Mentions

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From master storyteller and New York Times-bestseller Tad Williams comes the second book in the landmark epic fantasy saga of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Tad Williams introduced readers to the incredible fantasy world of Osten Ard in his internationally bestselling series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. The trilogy inspired a generation of modern fantasy writers, including George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini, and defined Tad Williams as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time. 



“One of my favorite fantasy series.” —George R. R. Martin “Groundbreaking.” —Patrick Rothfuss “One of the great fantasy epics of all time.” —Christopher Paolini BOOK TWO: STONE OF FAREWELL It is a time of darkness, dread, and ultimate testing for the realm of Osten Ard, for the wild magic and terrifying minions of the undead Sithi ruler, Ineluki the Storm King, are spreading their seemingly undefeatable evil across the kingdom. With the very land blighted by the power of Ineluki’s wrath, the tattered remnants of a once-proud human army flee in search of a last sanctuary and rallying point—the Stone of Farewell, a place shrouded in mystery and ancient sorrow. An even as Prince Josua seeks to rally his scattered forces, Simon and the surviving members of the League of the Scroll are desperately struggling to discover the truth behind an almost-forgotten legend, which will take them from the fallen citadels of humans to the secret heartland of the Sithi—where near-immortals must at last decide whether to ally with the race of men in a final war against those of their own blood. After the landmark Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, the epic saga of Osten Ard continues with The Heart of What Was Lost. Then don’t miss the sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard, beginning with The Witchwood Crown!

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This series [pushes] the boundaries of knowledge and [develops] new trends in approach and understanding. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW Of necessity, historians of the late Middle Ages have to rely on an eclectic mix of sources, ranging from the few remaining medieval buildings, monuments, illuminated manuscripts and miscellaneous artefacts, to a substantial but often uncatalogued body of documentary material, much of it born of the medieval administrator's penchant for record keeping. Exploring this evidence requires skills in lateral thinking and interpretation - qualities which are manifested in this volume. Employing the copious legal records kept by the English Crown, one essay reveals the thinking behind exceptions to pardons sold by successive kings, while another, using clerical taxation returns, adds colour to contemporary criticism of friars for betraying their vows of poverty. Case studies of the registers of two hospitals, one in London the other in Canterbury, lead to insights into the relations of their administrators with civic and spiritual authorities. A textual dissection of the epilogues in William Caxton's early printed works focuses on the universal desire for commemoration. Other essays about royal livery collars and the English coinage are nourished by material remains, and where contemporary records fail to survive, as in the listing of burials in parish churches, notes kept by sixteenth-century heralds and antiquaries provide clues for novel identifications. The book-ends are exemplars of the historian's craft: the one, taking as its starting point the will of Ralph, Lord Cromwell, explores in forensic detail how his executors coped with their enormous task in a time of civil war; the other,by examining research into the economy of fifteenth-century England undertaken since the 1880s, provides an over-view which scholars of the period will find invaluable. Contributors: Martin Allen, Christopher Dyer, David Harry, Susanne Jenks, Maureen Jurkowski, Simon Payling, Euan Roger, Christian Steer, Sheila Sweetinburgh, Matthew Ward.

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Identifies Recent Technological Developments WorldwideThe field of grid computing has made rapid progress in the past few years, evolving and developing in almost all areas, including concepts, philosophy, methodology, and usages. Grid Computing: Infrastructure, Service, and Applications reflects the recent advances in this field, covering the research aspects that involve infrastructure, middleware, architecture, services, and applications.Grid Systems Across the GlobeThe first section of the book focuses on infrastructure and middleware and presents several national and international grid systems. The text highlights China Research and Development environment Over Wide-area Network (CROWN), several ongoing cyberinfrastructure efforts in New York State, and Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE), which is co-funded by the European Commission and the world’s largest multidisciplinary grid infrastructure today.The second part of the book discusses recent grid service advances. The authors examine the UK National Grid Service (NGS), the concept of resource allocation in a grid environment, OMIIBPEL, and the possibility of treating scientific workflow issues using techniques from the data stream community. The book describes an SLA model, reviews portal and workflow technologies, presents an overview of PKIs and their limitations, and introduces PIndex, a peer-to-peer model for grid information services.New Projects and InitiativesThe third section includes an analysis of innovative grid applications. Topics covered include the WISDOM initiative, incorporating flow-level networking models into grid simulators, system-level virtualization, grid usage in the high-energy physics environment in the LHC project, and the Service Oriented HLA RTI (SOHR) framework.With a comprehensive summary of past advances, this text is a window into the future of this nascent technology, forging a path for the next generation of cyberinfrastructure developers.

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Edition of a major, previously unpublished, source for the history of England's medieval parliament. In the middle ages clergy of all ranks, from archbishops to parochial clergy, sent proctors to parliament, whether as representatives of constituency groups - diocesan clergy and cathedral chapters - or substitutes for those expected to attend in person. The National Archives series SC 10 contains 2,520 surviving letters of appointments by these parliamentarians, both groups and, more especially, individuals, cathedral deans, archdeacons, and many bishops;especially valuable are the letters sent by bishops whose registers have not survived, as in the case of Chichester and of the Welsh dioceses. Most numerous of all are the letters of parliamentary abbots. This volume presents the first printed edition of the documents, opening up a level of political activity and interaction which has hitherto been unexplored. The introduction describes the history of proctorial practice and the fortunes of this source, with an analysis of its contents, while the appendices contain ancillary and misfiled documents, and brief biographies of many of the proctors. This first of a two-volume set covers the period from the beginning of the series under Henry III until the end of Edward III's reign. A second volume, covering the years from the accession of Richard II until the end of the series under Henry VIII, with also include analysis of the proctors and the indexto both volumes. Phil Bradford gained his PhD in medieval history from the University of York and is currently Vicar of St Michael's, Worcester; Alison K. McHardy was formerly Reader in Medieval English History at theUniversity of Nottingham. She has published extensively on the relations between crown and church in late-medieval England, and on the politics of Richard II's reign.

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From nineteenth-century black nationalist writer Martin Delany through the rise of Jim Crow, the 1937 riots in Trinidad, and the achievement of Independence in the West Indies, up to the present era of globalization, Black Nationalism in the New World explores the paths taken by black nationalism in the United States and the Caribbean. Bringing to bear a comparative, diasporic perspective, Robert Carr examines the complex roles race, gender, sexuality, and history have played in the formation of black national identities in the U. S. and Caribbean—particularly in Jamaica, Trinidad, and Guyana—over the past two centuries. He shows how nationalism begins as an impulse emanating "upwards" from the bottom of the social and economic spectrum and discusses the implications of this phenomenon for understanding democracy and nationalism. Black Nationalism in the New World combines geography, political economy, and subaltern studies in readings of noncanonical literary works, which in turn illuminate debates over African-American and West Indian culture, identity, and politics. In addition to Martin Delany’s Blake, or the Huts of America, Carr focuses on Pauline Hopkins’s Contending Forces; Crown Jewel, R. A. C. de Boissière’s novel of the Trinidadian revolt against British rule; Wilson Harris’s Guyana Quartet; the writings of the Oakland Black Panthers—particularly Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver; the gay novella Just Being Guys Together; and Lionheart Gal, a collection of patois testimonials assembled by Sistren, a radical Jamaican women’s theater group active in the ‘80s.With its comparative approach, broad historical sweep, and use of texts not well known in the United States, Black Nationalism in the New World extends the work of such theorists as Homi Bhabha, Paul Gilroy, and Nell Irwin Painter. It will be necessary reading for those interested in African American studies, Caribbean studies, cultural studies, women’s studies, and American studies.

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High treason - the breach of allegiance which a subject owes to his or her sovereign - has always been regarded as the most serious of all criminal offences. Even today it still carries the death penalty. In addition, all the property of a person convicted of treason was, until the eighteenth century, forfeited to the Crown. Wartime aside, there have been no prosecutions for treason for well over a century and the topic has almost, but not quite, disappeared from legal text books.In this revealing study, Alan Wharam relates the intriguing stories behind a dozen treason trials encompassing the Earl of Essex in 1601 to 'Lord Haw Haw' in 1946. The accounts are all based on the reports, believed in most cases to be the verbatim records of the evidence given, and of the speeches of Counsel and the directions of the judges, which appear in the State Trials and other similar works. Some of the cases are famous, some infamous: some, such as the trial in 1781 of de la Motte, the spy, have been forgotten; others, as with the case of Alice Lisle in 1685, have been misunderstood.Some of the men put on trial were among the most eminent of their times; others, less well known, were acting honourably according to their religious or political principles. As for the conduct of the legal profession, this ranges across the whole spectrum of professional standards: from Sir Edward Coke and Chief Justice Popham engineering the judicial murder of Sir Walter Raleigh in 1603, to Adolphus and Pollock defending men, whose objectives they abhorred, with the highest degree of skill and integrity.Supported by over forty black and white illustrations, Treason represents a much needed and well-researched account of treason trials in England. It also redresses the balance of a subject little-covered in legal text-books.

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In the midst of the fierce controversies raging in France over the papal bull Unigenitus, worshipers at the tomb of a revered Jansenist deacon in Paris's Saint-Medard cemetery witnessed a variety of miraculous occurrences. These well-publicized events led to the emergence of a cult that came to affect and be affected by the most furious religious debate of the eighteenth-century. Professor Kreiser provides a full and objective account of the conflicts surrounding this unsanctioned cult, which remained a major cause celebre in ecclesiastical politics for nearly a decade. The author details the intricate relationships between Church and State and broadens our awareness of the political implications of popular religion during the ancien regime. His wide-ranging book is the first account of the Saint-Medard episode to deal with this affair in its multiple contexts. At stake was more than acceptance of the papal bull, whose political history the author discusses. Also involved, as he shows, were fundamental questions about the nature of miracles, conflicts between episcopal and priestly authority, the unwelcome intrusions of the papacy in the affairs of the Gallican Church, and struggles among the crown, the Parlement of Paris, and the French episcopate for control over ecclesiastical affairs. Originally published in 1978. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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In March 1933, Nazi storm troopers seized control of the Odenwaldschule, a small German boarding school near Heidelberg. Founded in 1910 by educational reformer Paul Geheeb, the Odenwaldschule was a crown jewel of the progressive education movement, renowned for its emancipatory pedagogical innovations and sweeping curricular reforms. In the tumultuous year that followed that fateful spring, Geheeb moved from an initial effort to accommodate Nazi reforms to an active opposition to the Third Reich’s transformation of the school. Convinced at last that humanistic education was all but impossible under the new regime, he emigrated to Switzerland in March 1934. There he opened a new school, the Ecole d’Humanité, which became a haven for children escaping the horrors of World War II.In this intimate chronicle of the collision between a progressive educator and fascist ideology during Hitler’s rise to power, Dennis Shirley explores how Nazi school reforms catalyzed Geheeb’s alienation from the regime and galvanized his determination to close the school and leave Germany. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished documents, such as Geheeb’s exhaustive correspondence with government officials and transcripts of combative faculty meetings, Shirley is able to reconstruct in detail the entire drama as it unfolded. Others have examined the intellectual antecedents of Nazism and the regime’s success at developing themes from popular culture for its political purposes; Shirley goes further by analyzing the many ways in which German educators could and did respond to Nazi reforms. In the process he identifies the myriad forces that led individuals to accept or resist the regime’s transformation of education.The Politics of Progressive Education offers a richly rewarding examination of how education in general, and progressive education in particular, fared in the turbulent political currents of Nazi Germany. It brings to light a remarkable story, hitherto untold, of one individual’s successful attempt to uphold humanistic values in the darkest of circumstances.

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On August 4, 1578, in an ill-conceived attempt to wrest Morocco back from the hands of the infidel Moors, King Sebastian of Portugal led his troops to slaughter and was himself slain. Sixteen years later, King Sebastian rose again. In one of the most famous of European impostures, Gabriel de Espinosa, an ex-soldier and baker by trade - and most likely under the guidance of a distinguished Portuguese friar - appeared in a Spanish convent town passing himself off as the lost monarch. The principals, along with a large cast of nuns, monks, and servants, were confined and questioned for nearly a year as a crew of judges tried to unravel the story, but the culprits went to their deaths with many questions left unanswered. Ruth MacKay recalls this conspiracy, marked both by scheming and absurdity, and the legal inquest that followed, to show how stories of this kind are conceived, told, circulated, and believed. The story of Sebastian - supposedly in hiding and planning to return to claim his crown - was lodged among other familiar stories: prophecies of returned leaders, nuns kept against their will, kidnappings by Moors, miraculous escapes, and monarchs who die for their country. As MacKay demonstrates, the conspiracy could not have succeeded without the circulation of news, the retellings of the fatal battle in well-read chronicles, and the networks of rumors and correspondents, all sharing the hope or belief that Sebastian had survived and would one day return. With its royal intrigues, ambitious artisans, dissatisfied religious women, and corrupt clergy, "The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal" will undoubtedly captivate readers as it sheds new light on the intricate political and cultural relations between Spain and Portugal in the early modern period and the often elusive nature of historical truth.

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From Neil MacGregor, the author of A History of the World in 100 Objects, this is a view of Germany like no otherFor the past 140 years, Germany has been the central power in continental Europe. Twenty-five years ago a new German state came into being. How much do we really understand this new Germany, and how do its people now understand themselves?Neil MacGregor argues that uniquely for any European country, no coherent, over-arching narrative of Germany's history can be constructed, for in Germany both geography and history have always been unstable. Its frontiers have constantly floated. Königsberg, home to the greatest German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, is now Kaliningrad, Russia; Strasbourg, in whose cathedral Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's greatest writer, discovered the distinctiveness of his country's art and history, now lies within the borders of France. For most of the five hundred years covered by this book Germany has been composed of many separate political units, each with a distinct history. And any comfortable national story Germans might have told themselves before 1914 was destroyed by the events of the following thirty years.German history may be inherently fragmented, but it contains a large number of widely shared memories, awarenesses and experiences; examining some of these is the purpose of this book. Beginning with the fifteenth-century invention of modern printing by Gutenberg, MacGregor chooses objects and ideas, people and places which still resonate in the new Germany - porcelain from Dresden and rubble from its ruins, Bauhaus design and the German sausage, the crown of Charlemagne and the gates of Buchenwald - to show us something of its collective imagination. There has never been a book about Germany quite like it.

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"Madcap antics and adventures." — KIRKUS "A fun adventure tale with a lot of personality." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL “I want to tell you a story about being a student ambassador, but that will be boring. So instead, I’ll tell you about the time I almost got eaten by a crocodile.” When eight-year-old student ambassador Joseph Bazan wins a photo op with the President of the United States, he doesn’t quite know what to expect, but it certainly isn’t hanging out with the leader of the free world in a secret compartment inside the resolute desk! Joseph’s pluck and kid logic not only charm the president, but they soon help resolve a thorny trade dispute. This gives POTUS an idea. Across the ocean, eight-year-old boy king Nang Nukatau III has taken his father's crown and clumsily stumbled into an international incident, and now Joseph’s got a pressing mission: talk the tiny dictator back from the brink of war! The diplomatic slumber party soon goes from awkward to scary as the castle is stormed and the boys are lost across South Korea and Japan where they have to outrun bad guys, learn to read Hangul, unravel the riddle of Gyeongbok Palace, break out of an abandoned bathhouse, befriend an army of snow monkeys, and crack the Case of the Missing Dragon, all while showing Nang how to live in a world where everyone doesn’t always bow to you. Can a kid with a C+ in social studies solve the mystery and teach a king to be a kid? Student Ambassador is a globe-trotting action-adventure set in the real world where dangers mount, the stakes are high, and smarts save the day!

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'You lay hands on a princess of the realm? It is treason.''But this princess disobeys her King. Treason indeed.' 'Fascinating . . . Brings to life one of the most determined and remarkable queens of the medieval world' K. J. MAITLAND, author of The Drowned City 'Completely engrossed me from the start . . . A wonderful read' NICOLA CORNICK, author of The Forgotten Sister1266. Eleanor of Castile, adored wife of the Crown Prince of England, is still only a princess when she is held hostage in the brutal Baron's Rebellion, and her baby daughter dies. Scarred by privation, a bitter Eleanor swears revenge on those who would harm her family - and vows never to let herself be vulnerable again. As she rises to become Queen, Eleanor keeps Olwen - a trusted herbalist, who tried to save her daughter - by her side. But it is dangerous to be friendless in a royal household, and as the court sets out on crusade, Olwen and Eleanor discover that the true battle for Europe may not be a matter of swords and lances, but one fanned by whispers and spies . . .'Vibrant, enticing and with fascinating detail. . . . It held me gripped from beginning to end' ALEXANDRA WALSH, author of The Marquess House Trilogy'Excels at sweeping the reader away on an engrossing journey . . . Great storytelling and superb research' JANE JOHNSON, author of Court of Lions'Shines a true light on the gripping tale of Eleanor of Castile, the love of Edward I's life' SARA COCKERILL, author of Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires'Pulls from the pages of history Eleanor of Castile: queen, business woman and true partner to one of England's most forceful kings' CRYSSA BAZOS, author of Severed Knot

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A Times Best Book on the Royal Family of the Year 2022 This is a biography of the Queen Mother with all the dull bits stripped out. When told that Lady Mountbatten was being buried at sea, the Queen Mother replied cheerfully. ‘Dear old Edwina, she always did like to make a splash!’ During her lifetime, the Queen Mother was as famous for her clever quips, pointed observations and dry-as-a-Martini delivery style as she was for being a member of the Royal Family. She was also famed for her fondness for ‘drinky-poos’ – usually a gin and Dubonnet or three. Now, Do Let’s Have Another Drink recounts 101 biographical vignettes – one for each year of her long, remarkable life, including her coming-of-age during World War I, the abdication of her brother-in-law, the truth about her tragic nieces and her relationship with her two daughters over half a century of widowhood. The book is a skimming-stone biography – the story of a life without the boring bits – and a travel guide to a world that no longer exists. Stepping into the Queen Mother’s rarefied universe is a little like falling through the looking glass. The book rightly celebrates her sense of humour but also explores her enmities and feuds, including the truth about her behaviour towards Wallis Simpson, Nerissa Bowes-Lyon and Diana, Princess of Wales. For fans of The Crown and featuring new revelations, never before published, and colourful anecdotes about the woman the high society photographer Cecil Beaton once described as ‘a marshmallow made on a welding machine’, Do Let’s Have Another Drink is a delightful celebration of one of the most consistently popular members of the Royal Family.

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'A delicate novel, finely judged and full of insight' Hilary MantelSHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2023SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA GOLD CROWN AWARD 2023One Wednesday morning in November 1912 the ageing Thomas Hardy, entombed by paper and books and increasingly estranged from his wife Emma, finds her dying in her bedroom. Between his speaking to her and taking her in his arms, she has gone.The day before, he and Emma had exchanged bitter words - leading Hardy to wonder whether all husbands and wives end up as enemies to each other. His family and Florence Dugdale, the much younger woman with whom he has been in a relationship, assume that he will be happy and relieved to be set free. But he is left shattered by the loss.Hardy's bewilderment only increases when, sorting through Emma's effects, he comes across a set of diaries that she had secretly kept about their life together, ominously titled 'What I Think of My Husband'. He discovers what Emma had truly felt - that he had been cold, remote and incapable of ordinary human affection, and had kept her childless, a virtual prisoner for forty years. Why did they ever marry?He is consumed by something worse than grief: a chaos in which all his certainties have been obliterated. He has to re-evaluate himself, and reimagine his unhappy wife as she was when they first met.Hardy's pained reflections on the choices he has made, and must now make, form a unique combination of love story and ghost story, by turns tender, surprising, comic and true. The Chosen - the extraordinary new novel by Elizabeth Lowry - hauntingly searches the unknowable spaces between man and wife; memory and regret; life and art.

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The Gurkha Army Service Corps, the predecessor of The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, was raised in Singapore in 1958 ten years after the transfer of Gurkha regiments from the Indian Army to the British Army and towards the end of the Malayan Emergency. Within four years of being formed, it was committed to continuous operations in Brunei and Borneo during Confrontation with Indonesia between 1962-66. It was also redesignated the Gurkha Transport Regiment in 1965 to reflect changes to the Army's logistic structure. Between 1966-71, the Regiment was substantially reduced in size, along with the rest of The Brigade of Gurkhas, as Britain withdrew its forces from East of Suez. Concentrated in Hong Kong, the Regiment provided transport support to the Garrison for the next 20 years. In 1991, a composite squadron was sent to reinforce British Forces in the Gulf War after which, in preparation for the handback of Hong Kong to China, the Regiment moved to and became permanently stationed in the UK. In recognition of its past services, it was granted the royal title The Queen's Own Gurkha Transport Regiment' in 1992. The following two decades saw it undertake multiple operational tours to the Balkans, Iraq, Cyprus and Afghanistan as well as providing humanitarian assistance to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone. It also expanded both its role, to incorporate supply and catering, and size, which led in 2001 to it being redesignated to its current title The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment'. This history records the events and activities of the Regiment during its first 60 years of service to the Crown. While of wider interest to military historians, it is principally written for members of the Regiment, past, present and future.

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The second in Ed McDonald's Chronicles of Redwinter, full of shady politics, militant monks, ancient powers... and a young woman navigating a world in which no one is quite what they seem.The power of the Sixth Gate grows stronger within Raine each day - to control it, she needs lessons no living Draoihn can teach her - but when her master Ulovar is struck by a mysterious sickness that slowly saps the vitality from his body, Raine must face her growing darkness alone. And to do so, she must learn the secrets the Draoihn themselves purged from the world.The book can teach her. She doesn't know where she found it, or when exactly, but its ever changing pages whisper with power that has lain untouched for centuries.But others have plans for Raine too, and as the king's health fails, rebellious lords begin to vie for power. Her former friend Ovitus seeks Raine's support as his clan turns to him for leadership, while the grandmaster seeks to harness Raine's potential as a deadly weapon to be launched right into her enemy's heart as even Redwinter scrambles to hold onto power.Amidst threats old and new, Raine must find her path, weaving her way between a twisted friendship, a dangerous mentor, the dark secrets of the book, and the queen with a crown of feathers to whom Raine has already promised more than she can afford to give . . .Praise for Daughter of Redwinter:'Daughter of Redwinter has it all' Nicholas Eames'A complex backdrop of culture, magic and characters' Robin Hobb'Mysterious, honest and exciting from start to finish' Novel Notions'A fascinating magic system, thoughtful prose, and a truly compelling main character' M.J. Kuhn'Sad, exciting, mysterious and beautifully plotted' Catriona Ward

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THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'A mind-blowing and emotionally honest tale of survival against all odds.' BERNARDINE EVARISTO'A breathtaking memoir...I was so moved by this book.' Oprah'It is startlingly honest and, at times, a jaw-dropping read, charting her rise from poverty and abuse to becoming the first African-American to win the triple crown of an Oscar, Emmy and Tony for acting.' BBC NewsTHE DEEPLY PERSONAL, BRUTALLY HONEST ACCOUNT OF VIOLA'S INSPIRING LIFEIn my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life changing decision to stop running forever.This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose and my strength, but also to finding my voice in a world that didn't always see me.As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. They are bogarted, reinvented to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone who is searching for a way to understand and overcome a complicated past, let go of shame, and find acceptance. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be...you.Finding Me is a deep reflection on my past and a promise for my future. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you.

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The Wars of the Roses saw a series of bloody battles during one of the most turbulent periods of English history. The houses of Lancaster and York fought for control of the crown, devastating the nobility and bringing an end to the illustrious Plantagenet dynasty. Starting with an overview of the politics and events that culminated in the wars, this new history focuses on the seventeen battles that took place around the country between 1455 and 1487. It considers the causes, course and result of each battle, beginning with the first battle of St Albans on 22 May 1455, which was won by the Yorkist faction led by Richard, Duke of York. The bloodiest battle ever known on English soil at Towton on 29 March 1461, and the victory there of the first Yorkist King Edward IV is described here in vivid detail. The battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471 saw the death of Edward Prince of Wales, the last male heir of the Lancastrians, and the subsequent murder of King Henry VI at the Tower of London. The defeat and death of King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485 marked the end of the Plantagenet dynasty. The last battle of the Wars of the Roses was at East Stoke on 16 June 1487 where the first Tudor King Henry VII crushed the Yorkist revolt. The final chapter of the book is devoted to the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, who disappeared at the Tower of London during the reign of King Richard III in 1483, and the suspects to their likely murders. Written with the most up-to-date archaeological and documentary research, and including many images of the main protagonists, battle sites, maps and genealogical charts, this is a fascinating new insight into the Wars of the Roses.

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Now a major TV series on Prime Video The eleventh novel in the Wheel of Time series - one of the most influential and popular fantasy epics ever published.As the very fabric of reality wears thin, all portents indicate that Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, is imminent - and Rand al'Thor must ready himself to confront the Dark One. But Rand must first negotiate a truce with the Seanchan armies, as their forces increasingly sap his strength.All is in flux as established powers falter . . . In Caemlyn, Elayne fights to gain the Lion Throne while trying to avert civil war and Egwene finds that even the White Tower is no longer a place of safety. The winds of time have whirled into a storm, and Rand and his companions ride in the vortex. This small company must prevail against the trials of fate and fortune - or the Dark One will triumph and the world will be lost.'Epic in every sense' Sunday Times'With the Wheel of Time, Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal' New York Times'[The] huge ambitious Wheel of Time series helped redefine the genre' George R. R. Martin'A fantasy phenomenon' SFXThe Wheel of Time series:Book 1: The Eye of the WorldBook 2: The Great HuntBook 3: The Dragon RebornBook 4: The Shadow RisingBook 5: The Fires of HeavenBook 6: Lord of ChaosBook 7: A Crown of SwordsBook 8: The Path of DaggersBook 9: Winter's HeartBook 10: Crossroads of TwilightBook 11: Knife of DreamsBook 12: The Gathering StormBook 13: Towers of MidnightBook 14: A Memory of LightPrequel: New SpringLook out for the companion book: The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

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Now a major TV series on Prime Video The twelfth novel in the Wheel of Time series - one of the most influential and popular fantasy epics ever published.Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.Rand al'Thor struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle, as his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.Egwene al'Vere is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. She works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai, as the days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower - and possibly the world itself.'Epic in every sense' Sunday Times'With the Wheel of Time, Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal' New York Times'[The] huge ambitious Wheel of Time series helped redefine the genre' George R. R. Martin'A fantasy phenomenon' SFXThe Wheel of Time series:Book 1: The Eye of the WorldBook 2: The Great HuntBook 3: The Dragon RebornBook 4: The Shadow RisingBook 5: The Fires of HeavenBook 6: Lord of ChaosBook 7: A Crown of SwordsBook 8: The Path of DaggersBook 9: Winter's HeartBook 10: Crossroads of TwilightBook 11: Knife of DreamsBook 12: The Gathering StormBook 13: Towers of MidnightBook 14: A Memory of LightPrequel: New SpringLook out for the companion book: The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

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NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES ON PRIME VIDEOThe second novel in the Wheel of Time series - one of the most influential and popular fantasy epics ever published.The Forsaken are loose, the Horn of Valere has been found and the Dead are rising from their dreamless sleep. The Prophecies are being fulfilled - but Rand al'Thor, the shepherd the Aes Sedai have proclaimed as the Dragon Reborn, desperately seeks to escape his destiny. Rand cannot run for ever. With every passing day the Dark One grows in strength and strives to shatter his ancient prison, to break the Wheel, to bring an end to Time and sunder the weave of the Pattern.And the Pattern demands the Dragon.'Epic in every sense' Sunday Times'With the Wheel of Time, Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal' New York Times'[The] huge ambitious Wheel of Time series helped redefine the genre' George R. R. Martin'A fantasy phenomenon' SFXThe Wheel of Time series:Book 1: The Eye of the WorldBook 2: The Great HuntBook 3: The Dragon RebornBook 4: The Shadow RisingBook 5: The Fires of HeavenBook 6: Lord of ChaosBook 7: A Crown of SwordsBook 8: The Path of DaggersBook 9: Winter's HeartBook 10: Crossroads of TwilightBook 11: Knife of DreamsBook 12: The Gathering StormBook 13: Towers of MidnightBook 14: A Memory of LightPrequel: New Spring Look out for the companion book: The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of TimeAlso look out for The Complete Wheel of Time Box Set, a box set containing all fifteen novels in this monumental series, presented in a sturdy box with a wood-finish effect.

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'The Martyr continues the brilliance of The Pariah with more grit and adventure that Anthony Ryan fans and newcomers will devour' Grimdark Magazine'Anthony Ryan continues to write incredible, gritty fantasy that ticks every box every time. Perfect Fantasy' FanFiAddictTimes have changed for Alwyn Scribe. Once an outlaw, he's now a spymaster and sworn protector of Lady Evadine Courlain, whose visions of a demonic apocalypse have earned her the fanatical devotion of the faithful.Yet Evadine's growing fame has put her at odds with both Crown and Covenant. As trouble brews in the kingdom, both seek to exploit her position for their own ends.Sent to the Duchy of Alundia to put down a rebellion, Alwyn must rely on old instincts to fight for his new cause. Deadly feuds and ancient secrets are laid bare as war erupts, a war that will decide the fate of the Kingdom of Albermaine and, perhaps, prevent the coming of the prophesied Second Scourge.The Martyr is the sequel to The Pariah and continues the ruthless and gripping fantasy epic from New York Times bestseller Anthony Ryan, whose books have sold more than a million copies worldwide.Praise for the series'A gritty, heart-pounding tale of betrayal and bloody vengeance' John Gwynne 'The Pariah is Anthony Ryan at his best. A fast-paced, brutal fantasy novel with larger-than-life characters and a plot full of intrigue and suspense' Grimdark Magazine'This is Anthony Ryan's best book yet' Michael Fletcher'Fantastic writing, an amazing world, a plot that won't quit, and an unforgettable character . . . Anthony Ryan is one of the best epic fantasy authors out there' Bookworm Blues'Gritty and well-drawn, this makes a rich treat for George R. R. Martin fans' Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Microsoft’s associate general counsel shares this story that is “as nuanced as it is hopeful” (Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader) about his rise from childhood poverty in pre-gentrified New York City to a stellar career at the top of the technology and music industries in this stirring true story of grit and perseverance. For fans of Indra Nooyi’s My Life in Full and Viola Davis’s Finding Me.As an accomplished Microsoft executive, Bruce Jackson handles billions of dollars of commerce as its associate general counsel while he plays a crucial role in the company’s corporate diversity efforts. But few of his colleagues can understand the weight he carries with him to the office each day. He kept his past hidden from sight as he ascended the corporate ladder but shares it in full for the first time here. Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Jackson moved to Manhattan’s Amsterdam housing projects as a child, where he had already been falsely accused and arrested for robbery by the age of ten. At the age of fifteen, he witnessed the homicide of his close friend. Taken in by the criminal justice system, seduced by a burgeoning drug trade, and burdened by a fractured, impoverished home life, Jackson stood on the edge of failure. But he was saved by an offer. That offer set him on a better path, off the streets and eventually on the way to Georgetown Law, but not without hard knocks along the way. But even as he racked up professional accomplishments, Jackson is still haunted by the unchanged world outside his office. From public housing to working for Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, and its founder, Bill Gates, to advising some of the biggest stars in music, Bruce Jackson’s Never Far from Home reveals the ups and downs of an incredible journey, how he overcame many obstacles and the valuable lessons learned along the way.

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From master storyteller and New York Times-bestseller Tad Williams comes the first book in the landmark epic fantasy saga of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.With The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams introduced readers to the incredible fantasy world of Osten Ard. His beloved, internationally bestselling series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn inspired a generation of modern fantasy writers, including George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini, and defined Tad Williams as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time. This edition features a brand-new introduction from Tad Williams' editor as well as the original introduction from Williams himself! “One of my favorite fantasy series.” —George R. R. Martin “Groundbreaking.” —Patrick Rothfuss “One of the great fantasy epics of all time.” —Christopher Paolini BOOK ONE: THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR A war fueled by the powers of dark sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard—for Prester John, the High King, lies dying. And with his death, the Storm King, the undead ruler of the elf-like Sithi, seizes the chance to regain his lost realm through a pact with the newly ascended king. Knowing the consequences of this bargain, the king’s younger brother joins with a small, scattered group of scholars, the League of the Scroll, to confront the true danger threatening Osten Ard. Simon, a kitchen boy from the royal castle unknowingly apprenticed to a member of this League, will be sent on a quest that offers the only hope of salvation, a deadly riddle concerning long-lost swords of power. Compelled by fate and perilous magics, he must leave the only home he’s ever known and face enemies more terrifying than Osten Ard has ever seen, even as the land itself begins to die. After the landmark Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, the epic saga of Osten Ard continues with The Heart of What Was Lost. Then don’t miss the sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard, beginning with The Witchwood Crown!

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The next crisis might be here now, or it might be around the corner. In The Prepared Leader: Emerge from Any Crisis More Resilient Than Before, two history-making experts in crisis leadership—James, dean of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and Wooten, president of Simmons University—forcefully argue that the time to prepare is always. In no other time in recent history have leaders in every industry and on every continent grappled with so many changes that have independently and simultaneously undermined their ability to lead. The Prepared Leader encapsulates more than two decades of the authors’ research to convey how it has positioned them to navigate through the distinct challenges of today and tomorrow. Their insights have implications for every leader in every industry and every worker at every level. In their fast-reading and actionable book, James and Wooten provide tools and frameworks for addressing and learning from crises, and they provide insight into what you need to know to become a Prepared Leader, including: The five phases of crisis management and the skills you need for each phase. They examine how the National Basketball Association and its commissioner, Adam Silver, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Making the right decisions under pressure and how to avoid common mistakes. They reveal how Burger King CEO Jose Cil began planning for the aftermath of a crisis right in the middle of one. Building a crisis leadership team and how to lead one that you’ve inherited. They detail how Wonya Lucas, CEO and President of the Crown Media Family Networks, aligned and mobilized an executive team during a time of crisis. James and Wooten argue that—in addition to people, profit, and the planet—prepared leadership should be the fourth “P” in a company’s bottom line. They bring decades of world-renowned research on crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, management strategy, and positive leadership to the table to help leaders better prepare themselves to lead through crises—and for whatever lies around the corner.

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Why did trade with the United States prolong Spanish colonial rule during the Venezuelan independence struggles?From 1790 to 1815, much of the Atlantic World was roiled by European imperial wars. While the citizens of the United States profited from the waste of blood and treasure, Spanish American colonists struggled to preserve their prosperity on an imperial periphery. Along the Caribbean coast of South America, colonial elites and officials fought to secure Venezuela from threats of foreign invasion, slave rebellion, and revolution. For these elites, trading with the United States and other neutral nations was not a way to subvert colonial rule but to safeguard the prosperity and happiness of loyal subjects of the Spanish Crown. Food insecurity, deprivation, and political uncertainty left Venezuela vulnerable to revolution, however.In Sustaining Empire, Edward P. Pompeian lets readers see liberal free trade just as colonial Venezuelans did. From the vantage point of the slave-holding elite to which revolutionary figures like Simón Bolívar belonged, neutral commerce was a valuable and effectual way to conserve the colonial status quo. But after Spain's crisis of sovereignty in 1808, it proved an impediment to Venezuelan independence. Analyzing the diplomatic and economic linkages between the new US republic and revolutionary Latin American governments, Pompeian reminds us that the United States did not, and does not, exist in a vacuum, and that the historic relationships between nations mattered then and matters now.Examining an overlooked region, Pompeian offers a novel interpretation of early United States relations with Latin America, showing how US merchants executed government contracts and established flour, tobacco, and slave trading monopolies that facilitated the maintenance of colonial rule and the Spanish Empire. Trading with the United States, Pompeian argues, kept both colony and empire under a tenuous hold despite revolutionary circumstances. A fascinating revisionist history, Sustaining Empire challenges long-standing assertions that this commerce served primarily as a vector for the one-way transmission of revolutionary, liberal ideas from the North to South Atlantic.

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Making history from the moment of her birth, England's Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) was a legend within her own lifetime. To her supporters, Elizabeth I was Gloriana, the Faerie Queene, a dignified and powerful woman who ruled with cunning and skill for forty-four years. To her detractors she was the ruthless supporter of a false religion; the murderer of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots; a wanton woman, herself illegitimate, who sullied the crown with her licentious behavior. The legends that have grown up around Elizabeth are fascinating, but as this book shows, the truth is just as remarkable. In Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend, Clark Hulse brings Elizabeth to life, combining text and images to tell her story through the objects handed down by history. Commemorating the four hundredth anniversary of Elizabeth's death, this handsome volume contains over one hundred photographs of books, manuscripts, maps, letters, paintings, clothing, furniture, and many more artifacts dating from her reign. Each of these objects tells a story, and Hulse uses them as a starting point for a broad and thorough examination of Elizabeth and the society in which she lived. Beginning with an analysis of the political events surrounding her birth, the book describes Elizabeth's relationship with her father, Henry VIII, and the maneuvering that led to her eventual coronation upon the death of her half-sister Mary Tudor in 1558. As queen, Elizabeth oversaw a period of breathtaking cultural achievement. She kept England from being torn apart by the religious wars raging across Europe, and she withstood both an assassination plot and the massive military threat of the Spanish Armada. This book addresses all these major events, as well as a whole host of lesser-known aspects of Elizabeth's reign. Hulse includes discussions of topics such as the education of Tudor women; markers of identity; portraits of Elizabeth; the queen's speaking style; her interest in America; music at the Tudor court; and literary depictions of Elizabeth by Shakespeare, Spenser, and other poets.

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Named One of the Best Books of the Week by the New York Post!In a historical debut evoking the style of The Crown, the daughter of an impoverished noble is swept into the fame and notoriety of the royal family and Princess Margaret's fast-living friends when she is appointed as Margaret's second Lady-in-Waiting.Diana, Catherine, Meghan…glamorous Princess Margaret outdid them all. Springing into post-World War II society, and quite naughty and haughty, she lived in a whirlwind of fame and notoriety. Georgie Blalock captures the fascinating, fast-living princess and her “set” as seen through the eyes of one of her ladies-in-waiting. In dreary, post-war Britain, Princess Margaret captivates everyone with her cutting edge fashion sense and biting quips. The royal socialite, cigarette holder in one hand, cocktail in the other, sparkles in the company of her glittering entourage of wealthy young aristocrats known as the Margaret Set, but her outrageous lifestyle conflicts with her place as Queen Elizabeth’s younger sister. Can she be a dutiful princess while still dazzling the world on her own terms?Post-war Britain isn’t glamorous for The Honorable Vera Strathmore. While writing scandalous novels, she dreams of living and working in New York, and regaining the happiness she enjoyed before her fiancé was killed in the war. A chance meeting with the Princess changes her life forever. Vera amuses the princess, and what—or who—Margaret wants, Margaret gets. Soon, Vera gains Margaret’s confidence and the privileged position of second lady-in-waiting to the Princess. Thrust into the center of Margaret’s social and royal life, Vera watches the princess’s love affair with dashing Captain Peter Townsend unfurl. But while Margaret, as a member of the Royal Family, is not free to act on her desires, Vera soon wants the freedom to pursue her own dreams. As time and Princess Margaret’s scandalous behavior progress, both women will be forced to choose between status, duty, and love…

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A guide to working with the chakras to heal emotional wounds, release physical tensions, explore psychic abilities, and awaken spiritual energies • Explores each chakra on the physical, psychological, psychic, and spiritual level and explains how the chakras can be understood as an embodied map of the psyche, linked with different stages of development • Details the author’s system of Chakra Therapy, which integrates healing touch with chakra visualizations • Offers practical exercises to nourish and support each chakra as well as practices for daily chakra maintenance In this in-depth guide to working with the chakras, author Glen Park draws on her decades of experience as a Chakra Therapist to explain how the chakras can be understood as an embodied map of the psyche, with each chakra representing a different stage of development from infancy and childhood through adulthood, with the Heart Chakra playing a central role in awakening the spiritual potential of the upper chakras. She examines each chakra individually on the physical, psychological, psychic, and spiritual level, as well as through the lens of the solar (masculine) and lunar (feminine) channels. She shows how the connections between the chakras and developmental stages are paralleled in the findings of Western psychology and neuroscience and how our collective expressions of the chakras influence cultural trends in society. The author’s system of Chakra Therapy integrates healing touch with guided chakra visualizations, offering practical exercises to nourish and balance each chakra so it can be integrated and in harmony with the entire chakra system. She explores how to work with the Heart Chakra for deep transformation and self-healing, including healing emotional wounds from childhood and enabling the psychic and spiritual levels of the Throat and Eye Chakras to develop, with the potential of opening to the divine realm of the Crown Chakra. Sharing case studies from her Chakra Therapy practice, she shows how we gain a richer understanding of ourselves both mentally and physically by working with the chakras, opening ourselves to the potential for deep soul growth and transformation.

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Tomáš Cvrček offers a re-evaluation of the Theresian school reform of 1774 and its consequences using statistical data on schooling produced by the public administration. As the most comprehensive examination of this vast body of statistical material to date, the book assesses the reliability of these sources, their proper interpretation, and their limitations in order to shed light on questions such as the extent of the school network, the degree of enforcement of compulsory schooling, the rate of enrolment and attendance, the level of financing, the social and economic position of teachers, and the political economy of schooling provision. Covering a period from the reform's inception to the liberal overhaul in 1869, the statistical analysis reveals that, by most measures, the introduction of universal elementary schooling was much less successful than has been thought. Even the most advanced crown lands did not see ninety percent of their school-age children in classrooms until fifty years after the reform and there were many areas where schooling made no inroads until shortly before the First World War. In contrast to much of the previous literature that blamed incompetence and half-hearted implementation of the policy for these shortcomings, the author argues that the fundamental flaw lay in the policy's design and, specifically, in the imperial government's insistence on control and enforced uniformity of schooling throughout the realm. The slow development of Austrian schooling thus resulted from the inflexibility of the very policy that was supposed to speed it up."[...] Cvrcek's current volume is a superb contribution not only to the history of Austrian education but to the cliometric study of the rise of popular schooling more generally."David F. Mitch in The Journal of Economic History, Volume 80, Issue 4, December 2020, pp. 1234-1236"Not only economic historians but readers interested in the broader social and political development of modern Habsburg Central Europe will find much of value in the findings here."Gary B. Cohen on https://eh.net/book_reviews/schooling-under-control-the-origins-of-public-education-in-imperial-austria-1769-1869

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*As seen on the new BBC TWO TV book club, Between the Covers* Longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award Indie Book of the Month for March, selected by the Booksellers Association One of OBSERVER’S 10 best debut novelists of 2020 / WOMAN & HOME Best of 2020 / EVENING STANDARD Best books of 2020 / MAIL ON SUNDAY 2020 Highlights / I Best of 2020 * * * * ‘Full of life and love . . . it made my heart soar, and should be on every Londoner’s shelf’ Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars ‘The writing is wonderful; London’s energy runs right through it; the characters leap off the page. I was truly sad to leave them behind’ Adam Kay, Observer ‘Convincing and involving’ Sunday Times ‘Fans of Zadie Smith and Andrea Levy won’t want to miss Louise Hare’s enthralling debut novel’ Elle * * *The drinks are flowing.The music is playing.But the party can’t last. With the Blitz over and London reeling from war, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for help. Fresh off the Empire Windrush, he’s taken a tiny room in south London lodgings, and has fallen in love with the girl next door. Lawrie has poured his heart into his new home – and it’s alive with possibility. Until, one morning, he makes a terrible discovery. As the local community rallies, fingers of blame are pointed at those who had recently been welcomed with open arms. And, before long, the newest arrivals become the prime suspects in a tragedy which threatens to tear the city apart. Atmospheric, poignant and compelling, Louise Hare’s debut shows that new arrivals have always been the prime suspects. But, also, that there is always hope.* * * MORE PRAISE FOR THIS LOVELY CITY: ‘I loved, loved, loved it’ Cathy Rentzenbrink, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Last Act of Love ‘Full to the brim with such complete joys and heart-aching tragedies . . . you can feel the warmth and colour emanating from the pages’ Magic Radio Book Club

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Although the ultimate prize of the Great Game played out between Great Britain and Imperial Russia in the 19th century was India, most of the intrigue and action took place along its northern frontier in Afghanistan, Turkestan and Tibet. Maps and knowledge of the enemy were crucial elements in Britain’s struggle to defend the ‘jewel in the crown.’The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India had been founded in the 18th century with the aim of creating a detailed map of the country. While most people today are readily able to identify the world’s highest mountain, few know of the man, George Everest, after whom it was named, or the accomplishment that earned him this singular honor. Under his leadership, the Survey of India mapped the Great Arc, which was then lauded as ‘one of the greatest works in the whole history of science,’ though it cost more in monetary terms and human lives than many contemporary Indian wars.Much of the work of the Survey was undertaken by native Indians, known as Pundits, who were trained to explore, spy out and map Central Asia and Tibet. They did this at great personal risk and with meager resources, while traveling entirely on foot. They would be the first to reveal the mysteries of the forbidden city of Lhasa, and discover the true course of Tibet’s mighty Tsangpo River. They were the greatest group of explorers the world has seen in recent history – yet they remain the classic unsung heroes of the British Raj.The story of these extraordinary pioneers who explored much of Asia during the 19th century to fill in large portions of its map, and spy out the region for military reasons is often forgotten, but Riaz Dean’s vivid account of their exploits, their adventurous spirit and their tenacity in the face of great adversity, all set within the context of the Great Game and the Survey of India, will finally bring them the attention they deserve.

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