Search results for ""author tom holland""

Myth meets history in a blockbuster retelling of the Persian Wars from multi-award-winning author of Rubicon and Persian Fire Tom Holland, lavishly illustrated by Jason Cockcroft.“The Persians are coming…” Hearing these words, Gorgo of Sparta is plunged into a dangerous world of vengeful gods and invincible heroes. For a mighty empire threatens Athens, Sparta and all who stand in its path... Calling on the ancient power to transform into a wolf and the blood of Zeus that runs through her veins, Gorgo must lead her nation in one of history's greatest wars. Multi-award-winning author Tom Holland and acclaimed illustrator Jason Cockcroft boldly weave myth and history in this dramatic tale of Greeks and Gods.Gripping and powerful, this extraordinary illustrated novel will be treasured by readers young and old. Ideal for fans of Percy Jackson, Neil Gaiman and Kevin Crossley-Holland, and the mythical retellings of Madeline Miller, Pat Barker and Stephen Fry, this is a book to be read again and again."BREATHTAKING adventure on every page, and just the kind of detail, colour and vitality that young readers adore." STEPHEN FRY"A spectacularly illustrated account of the Persian Wars ... A MUST-HAVE for any child who loves Greek myths." THE SUNDAY TIMES“A RIP-ROARING, ADRENALINE-FILLED recounting of the infamous Persian wars [...] a gripping and educational volume. […] Gorgeously illustrated.” DAILY MAIL"SPECTACULAR... A tour de force for mythology and military history fans.” GUARDIAN"A GLORIOUS WHITE-KNUCKLE RIDE through classical history ... a book that any child is likely to remember well into their later years." DAILY TELEGRAPH"A GLORIOUS mixture – of history, fiction and thrilling legend, with pictures to swim the Hellespont for." SEBASTIAN FAULKS"A clear contender for one of those totemic books whose memory you carry into adulthood. A TRIUMPH.” THE TIMES, CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK "AS BEAUTIFUL TO LOOK AT AS IT IS ENTRANCING TO READ. Jason Cockcroft's illustrations are jaw-dropping, and Tom Holland's prose took me back to my own childhood introductions to these extraordinary mythological worlds in Roger Lancelyn Green's Tales of the Greek Heroes and Leon Garfield's and Charles Keeping's The God Beneath the Sea." FRANK COTTRELL-BOYCE"A BEAUTIFUL, immersive work of narrative history to treasure forever." WATERSTONES“This TRULY EPIC adventure includes elements of ancient Greek myth and legend, and it is full of magic, mystery, danger, excitement and wonder. Strirking illustrations by Jason Cockcroft bring its ancient landscapes and heroic characters to life.” THE WEEK JUNIOR, BOOK OF THE WEEK"TERRIFIC ... has the feel of a contemporary classic." TONY BRADMAN, BOOKS FOR KEEPS"Tom Holland's masterly interweaving of myth, imagination and deep classical learning makes this an EXTRAOARDINARY treat ... Jason's illustrations are also MAGNIFICENT, packed with talent and sensitivity ... It reminded me of my own favourite childhood books of Greek myth and The Iliad." AMANDA CRAIG"Cockcroft’s illustrations are expectedly brilliant. DARK, BROODY AND MAGICAL – like the written material. […] A lovely introduction to both the legends and the legendary stories of the Persian Wars.” JUST IMAGINE

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Wiltshire, during the dying days of Oliver Cromwell's Republic. Robert Vaughan is the son of a Parliamentarian officer who is investigating a series of grisly murders which suggest a link with Satanic rituals at Stonehenge. The return of a notoriously wicked Cavalier, signalling the impending royalist restoration, leads to a terrible tragedy for the Vaughans. Robert's flight from his violent, terrifying past leads him to Restoration London, where he works as scribe for Milton, and where he survives the Plague and the Great Fire. But Robert is led along a dark path, to vampirism and beyond, as he devotes himself to gaining the powers that will enable him to fight an evil killer of seemingly satanic powers. He will travel the globe, from the ancient ghetto of Prague to the virgin forest of the New World, as he aims to gain revenge on those who betrayed him.

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DISCOVER THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMAN THAT ENGLISH HISTORY FORGOTPart of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES.- Who was Æthelflæd?- What role did she play in the founding of England?- How has her legacy lasted to this day?DISCOVER the epic history of England's forgotten queen. Planting cities, sponsoring learning and defeating her people's enemies, Æthelflæd laid the foundations of a kingdom that lasts to this day.Tom Holland's Æthelflæd puts a spotlight on this formidable leader, pulling her out of the shadowy history of the dark ages.

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'The book that really held me, in fact, obsessed me, was Rubicon . . . This is narrative history at its best. Bloody and labyrinthine political intrigue and struggle, brilliant oratory, amazing feats of conquest and cruelty' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, Guardian'Re-evaluating Rome for a new generation' Robert Harris, Sunday Times'Marvellously readable' Niall FergusonThe Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world. Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall. It is a story of incomparable drama. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same.Tom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence. Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs.SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2004 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE 2003 HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS

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THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Holland, who co-hosts the podcast The Rest Is History, is at his best when having fun with Rome's bloody history' The Times 'A book for lovers of traditional, grand sweep narrative history' Sunday TimesThe definitive history of Rome's golden age - antiquity's ultimate superpower at the pinnacle of its greatnessThe Pax Romana has long been revered as a golden age. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to Arabia, and contained perhaps a quarter of humanity. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state the world had yet seen.Beginning in 69AD, a year that saw four Caesars in succession rule the empire, and ending some seven decades later with the death of Hadrian, Pax presents a dazzling history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland portrays the Roman Empire in all its predatory glory. Vivid scene follows vivid scene: the destruction of Jerusalem and Pompeii, the building of the Colosseum and Hadrian's Wall, the conquests of Trajan. Vividly sketching the lives of Romans both ordinary and spectacular, from slaves to emperors, Holland demonstrates how Roman peace was the fruit of unprecedented military violence.A stunning portrait of Rome's glory days, this is the epic history of the pax Romana.

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New Paperback edition. The Apostle Paul is a controversial church figure. Many theologians accuse Paul of starting a new religion: of hijacking early Christianity in a different direction. Is this a fair charge?Tom Holland points us to a neglected fact, that the Jews in the first century AD would view concepts of salvation through the Exodus of Israel from Egypt to the promised land. Until now, a real elephant in the centre of the hermeneutical room.Such a viewpoint opens up new understanding on Pauline studies - it is true of this book that it will change your view of the New Testament and deserves to radically alter New Testament studies in Universities, Theological Colleges and Seminaries around the world.

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The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperbackThe formation of England happened against the odds - the division of the country into rival kingdoms, the assaults of the Vikings, the precarious position of the island on the edge of the known world. But King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex, his son Eadweard expanded it, and his grandson Æthelstan finally united Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and became Rex totius Britanniae.Tom Holland recounts this extraordinarily exciting story with relish and drama. We meet the great figures of the age, including Alfred and his daughter Æthelflæd, 'Lady of the Mercians', who brought Æthelstan up at the Mercian court. At the end of the book we understand the often confusing history of the Anglo-Saxon kings better than ever before.

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Of all the civilisations existing in the year 1000, that of Western Europe seemed the unlikeliest candidate for future greatness. Compared to the glittering empires of Byzantium or Islam, the splintered kingdoms on the edge of the Atlantic appeared impoverished, fearful and backward. But the anarchy of these years proved to be, not the portents of the end of the world, as many Christians had dreaded, but rather the birthpangs of a radically new order.MILLENNIUM is a stunning panoramic account of the two centuries on either side of the apocalyptic year 1000. This was the age of Canute, William the Conqueror and Pope Gregory VII, of Vikings, monks and serfs, of the earliest castles and the invention of knighthood, and of the primal conflict between church and state. The story of how the distinctive culture of Europe - restless, creative and dynamic - was forged from out of the convulsions of these extraordinary times is as fascinating and as momentous as any in history.

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Tom Holland's bestselling account of the world's very first clash of civilisations between the Persians and the Greeks in 480BC'Magisterial... told with great authority and a novelistic colour and verve' Books of the Year, Independent'Holland has a rare eye for detail, drama and the telling anecdote'Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph'An unequivocal argument for the relevance of ancient history' Observer'Holland brings this tumultuous, epoch-making period dazzlingly to life' William Napier, Independent on SundayIn the fifth century BC, a global superpower was determined to bring truth and order to what it regarded as two terrorist states. The superpower was Persia, incomparably rich in ambition, gold and men. The terrorist states were Athens and Sparta, eccentric cities in a poor and mountainous backwater: Greece. The story of how their citizens took on the most powerful man on the planet is as heart-stopping as any episode in history.

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THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER''Holland, who co-hosts the podcast The Rest Is History, is at his best when having fun with Rome''s bloody history'' The Times ''A book for lovers of traditional, grand sweep narrative history'' Sunday TimesThe definitive history of Rome''s golden age - antiquity''s ultimate superpower at the pinnacle of its greatnessThe Pax Romana has long been revered as a golden age. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to Arabia, and contained perhaps a quarter of humanity. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state the world had yet seen.Beginning in 69AD, a year that saw four Caesars in succession rule the empire, and ending some seven decades later with the death of Hadrian, Pax presents a dazzling history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland portrays the Roman Empi

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'A masterly account of this first wicked century of the Roman Empire' Sunday Times'Holland does not just tell the story of the reign of the Julio-Claudian family. He knits the history of ancient Rome into his narrative - its founding myths, the fall of the republic, the religious superstitions - with a skill so dextrous you don't notice the stitching. Dynasty is both a formidable effort to compile what we can know about the ancient world and a sensational story' Observer'A witty and skilful storyteller... He recounts with pleasure his racy tales of psychopathic cruelty, incest, paedophilia, matricide, fratricide, assassination and depravity' William Dalrymple, New Statesman'A wonderful, surging narrative... [for] anyone interested in history, politics or human nature - and it has never been better told' Mail on SundayTHE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

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A SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER'A stunning blockbuster' Robert Fisk'A brilliant tour de force of revisionist scholarship and thrilling storytelling' Simon Sebag Montefiore'A compelling detective story of the highest order' Sunday Times'Tom Holland has an enviable gift for summoning up the colour, the individuals and animation of the past' IndependentIn the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two venerable empires: the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on and one had vanished forever, while the other seemed almost finished. Ruling in their place were the Arabs: an upheaval so profound that it spelt, in effect, the end of the ancient world. In the Shadow of the Sword explores how this came about. Spanning from Constantinople to the Arabian desert, and starring some of the most remarkable rulers who ever lived, he tells a story vivid with drama, horror, and startling achievement.

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It's race day and you have your quick-closure running shoes, sleek suits, bikes, goggles, and watches, but if you haven't been training with the proper nutrition, you'll be left in the dust in the third mile. Enter Swim, Bike, Run--Eat to guide you through day one of training to the finish line and help your body perform at the peak of fitness. In this book, an ideal companion to author Tom Holland's The 12-Week Triathlete, he will join sports dietitian Amy Goodson covering race-day essentials, food choices to complement your training regimen, as well as recovery nutrition. Learn how to determine what to eat; what to drink; how many calories to consume each day; whether or not to carry snacks while training; the difference between taking in calories from solid foods, semi-solids, and liquids; and whether or not to take electrolyte or salt tablets. Casual and core triathletes alike require a nutrition guide that is easy to understand with expert advice that is easy to implement. Look no further and get ready to take your triathlon to a new, healthier level.

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The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper. After Alexander's mysterious death, we are left wondering if this Persian boy understood the great warrior and his ambitions better than anyone.

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Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece and Egypt to India. After Alexander's death in 323 B.C. his only direct heirs were two unborn sons and a simpleton half-brother. Every long-simmering faction exploded into the vacuum of power. Wives, distant relatives and generals all vied for the loyalty of the increasingly undisciplined Macedonian army. Most failed and were killed in the attempt. For no one possessed the leadership to keep the great empire from crumbling. But Alexander's legend endured to spread into worlds he had seen only in dreams.

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Alexander's beauty, strength and defiance were apparent from birth, but his boyhood honed those gifts into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion taught him trust, while Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations. Killing his first man in battle at the age of twelve, he became regent at sixteen and commander of Macedon's cavalry at eighteen, so that by the time his father was murdered, Alexander's skills had grown to match his fiery ambition.

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'If great books encourage you to look at the world in an entirely new way, then Dominion is a very great book indeed . . . Written with terrific learning, enthusiasm and good humour, Holland's book is not just supremely provocative, but often very funny' Sunday Times History Book of the YearChristianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world, and its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history. Even the increasing number in the West today who have abandoned the faith of their forebears, and dismiss all religion as pointless superstition, remain recognisably its heirs. Seen close-up, the division between a sceptic and a believer may seem unbridgeable. Widen the focus, though, and Christianity's enduring impact upon the West can be seen in the emergence of much that has traditionally been cast as its nemesis: in science, in secularism, and yes, even in atheism. That is why Dominion will place the story of how we came to be what we are, and how we think the way that we do, in the broadest historical context. Ranging in time from the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC to the on-going migration crisis in Europe today, and from Nebuchadnezzar to the Beatles, it will explore just what it was that made Christianity so revolutionary and disruptive; how completely it came to saturate the mind-set of Latin Christendom; and why, in a West that has become increasingly doubtful of religion's claims, so many of its instincts remain irredeemably Christian. The aim is twofold: to make the reader appreciate just how novel and uncanny were Christian teachings when they first appeared in the world; and to make ourselves, and all that we take for granted, appear similarly strange in consequence. We stand at the end-point of an extraordinary transformation in the understanding of what it is to be human: one that can only be fully appreciated by tracing the arc of its parabola over millennia.

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Tom Holland's 'stirring new translation' (Telegraph) of Herodotus' Histories, one of the great books in Western history - now in paperbackThe Histories of Herodotus, completed in the second half of the 5th century BC, is generally regarded as the first work of history and the first great masterpiece of non-fiction writing. Joined here are the sheer drama of Herodotus' narrative of the Persian invasions of Greece, and the endless curiosity - turning now to cannabis, now to the Pyramids - which make his book the source of so much of our knowledge of the ancient world.This absorbing new translation, by one of Britain's most admired young historians, allows all the drama and mysteriousness of this great book to be fully appreciated by modern readers.TOM HOLLAND is the author of Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, which won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize. Persian Fire, his history of the Graeco-Persian wars, won the Anglo-Hellenic League's Runciman Award in 2006. His most recent book, In the Shadow of the Sword, describes the collapse of Roman and Persian power in the Near East, and the emergence of Islam.He has adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides and Virgil for the BBC, and is the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Making History. In 2007, he was the winner of the Classical Association Prize awarded to 'the individual who has done most to promote the study of the language, literature and civilisation of Ancient Greece and Rome'. He served two years as the Chair of the Society of Authors 2009-11.PAUL CARTLEDGE is the inaugural A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge. His numerous books include Sparta and Lakonia: A Regional History 1300-362 BC; The Greeks: A Portrait of Self and Others; Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World; Ancient Greece. A Very Short Introduction; and After Thermopylae: The Oath of Plataea and the End of the Graeco-Persian Wars. He is an Honorary Citizen of Sparta, Greece and holds the Gold Cross of the Order of Honour conferred by the President of the Hellenic Republic.'Unquestionably the best English translation of Herodotus to have appeared in the last half-century, and there have been quite a few . . . fast, funny, opinionated, clear and erudite . . . I am in awe of Tom Holland's achievement' Edith Hall, TLS'A labour of love . . . full of rattling good yarns . . . the minister for education should present each of his cabinet colleagues with a copy of Holland's admirable translation' Economist'Tom Holland has been captivated by Herodotus since he was a child. His pleasure shines through his relaxed, idiomatic, expansive and often dramatic translation ... He, like Herodotus, is a storyteller par excellence' Peter Jones, New Statesman

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