The Mediterranean has nurtured three of the most dazzling civilisations of antiquity, witnessed the birth or growth of three of our greatest religions and links three of the world's six continents. This work tells the story of the Middle Sea itself - a story that begins with the Phoenicians and the Pharaohs and ends with the Treaty of Versailles.
From Blenheim and Waterloo to 'Up Yours, Delors' and 'Hop Off You Frogs', the cross-Channel relationship has been one of rivalry and suspicion. This book tells the complex story of the relationship, from the beginning of the great struggle for mastery during the reign of Louis XIV to the second Iraq War and the enlargement of the EU.
In the summer of 1941, as the Germans invade Russia, newspaper reporter Vasily Grossman is swept to the frontlines, witnessing some of the most savage atrocities in Russian history.
As Grossman follows the Red Army from the defence of Moscow, to the carnage at Stalingrad, to the Nazi genocide in Treblinka, his writings paint a vividly raw and devastating account of Operation Barbarossa during World War Two.
Grossman's notebooks, war diaries, personal correspondence and newspaper articles are meticulously woven into a gripping narrative and provide a piercing look into the life of the author behind recent Sunday Times bestseller Stalingrad.
A Writer at War stands as an unforgettable eyewitness account of the Eastern Front and places Grossman as the leading Soviet voice of 'the ruthless truth of war'.
'A remarkable addition to the literature of 1941 - 1945...a wonderful portrait of the wartime experience of Russia... A worthy memorial to a remarkable man' Sunday Telegraph
In a controversial but authoritative debut, Caroline Elkins recounts the waning days of British Empire in Kenya, and the little known destruction of thousands of Kenyans at the hands of the British.
Presents a full-length biography of Isabella of France, Edward II's queen - one of the most notorious femme fatales in history - that aims to change the way we think of her and her world, for ever. She was popularly known as the 'She-Wolf of France'.
'No war can be conducted successfully without early and good intelligence,' wrote Marlborough, and from the earliest times commanders have sought knowledge of the enemy, his strengths and weaknesses, his dispositions and intentions.
Examines the contribution of women in building and sustaining the British Empire. This title draws on a range of sources, including diaries and letters home. It provides a panoramic picture of the countless women who departed Britain for India, Australia, the Far East, Canada and Africa - often in search of opportunities unavailable at home.
Dick Cheney is the most powerful yet most unpopular vice president in American history. He has thrived alongside a president who, from day one, had little interest in policy and limited experience in the ways of Washington. Yet Cheney's relentless rise to prominence over three decades has happened almost by stealth. Now veteran reporters Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein reveal the disturbing truth about the man who has successfully co-opted executive control over the U.S. government, serving as the de facto 'shadow president' of the most dominant White House in a generation.
Cheney has always been an astute politician. He survived the collapse of the Nixon presidency, finding a position of power in the administration of Gerald Ford. He was then elected to the House of Representatives and later served in the cabinet of the first Bush presidency. But when he became George W. Bush's running mate, Cheney reached a new level of influence. From the engineering of his own selection as vice president to his support of policies allowing torture as a permissible weapon in the 'war on terror', Cheney has consistently steered America to the right.
With unique access to numerous first-hand sources, Vice provides an unprecedented expose of Cheney's career. Its startling revelations concern the war in Iraq, his relationship with the CIA and with big business, his involvement with Enron, his attitude towards Iran and his ruthless manoeuvering which today effectively puts him in charge of American policy at home and abroad. In the tradition of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's All the President's Men, this powerful work of investigative journalism takes us behind the scenes in Washington, into hitherto secret meetings and deep into the heart of political decision-making. Utterly gripping, Vice chronicles and exposes the hijacking of the American presidency and illustrates the arrogance of power as never before.
In 1683, two empires - the Ottoman, based in Constantinople, and the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna - came face to face in the culmination of a 250-year power struggle: the Great Siege of Vienna. This work provides an account of this complex and epic of conflicts.
Presents a collection of essays and lectures, which addresses many of the issues that dominate the political and cultural climate of Europe. This work shows that the conventional exclusion of Central and Eastern Europe has led to shortcomings in our understanding of one of the crucial episodes of European history, namely the Second World War.
This title tells the story of the four years Michelangelo spent painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, battling against ill health, financial difficulties, domestic problems and inadequate knowledge of the art of fresco.
This volume gathers together all the ingredients which contributed to the phenomenon of the celebratory meal - the people, the clothes, the food, the setting, the action and its circumstances - from Roman villa and monastic refectory to Renaissance banquet and the Victorian dinner party.
This work chronicles a famous and influential jazz label, Blue Note Records, from its beginnings to the present day. It covers the label's development, its rise and fall, and its rebirth under the EMI umbrella. There is also an analysis of all the major records released throughout the years.
In April 1478, a plot to murder the two heads of the powerful Medici family miscarried dramatically in the cathedral of Florence. A bloodbath followed in reprisal. All Italy was affected as it emerged that the Pope, the King of Naples and the Duke of Urbino were deeply implicated in the plot.
Iam MacDonald tells the story behind every Beatles song that went to number one in the UK and USA charts, including "Love Me Do", "From Me to You", "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Can't Buy Me Love", "I Feel Fine" and "Penny Lane".
A People's History of Britain tells the story - from the Romans to the present day - of the small northern islands off the coast of Europe which became the world's biggest empire.
The Allied victory in 1945 - though comprehensive - was far from inevitable. By 1942 almost the entire resources of continental Europe were in German hands and Japan had wiped out the western colonial presence in Asia. Democracy appeared to have had its day.
In this remarkable study, Richard Overy provides a reinterpretation of the war through an account of the decisive military campaigns that created the astonishing revival in Allied fortunes. He also explores the deeper factors that determined success and failure: industrial stength, fighting ability, the skills of leaders and the moral contrasts between the two sides.
Today the modern world is once more in the throes of painful transformation. It is essential to establish why and how the last great war was won. Richard Overy casts a brilliant light on the most important turning-point of the modern age.
The Middle Ages inherited from Antiquity a tradition of prophesy and gave it fresh and exuberant life. This tradition foretold a Millennium in which humanity would enjoy a new Paradise on earth, free of suffering and sin - a Kingdom of the Saints. Generation after generation was intermittently seized by a tense expectation of some sudden, miraculous event in which the world would be utterly transformed. Often these expectations became enmeshed with social unrest and movements arose which sent tremors through the massive structure of medieval society.
Drawing on a huge variety of contemporary sources, this unique and compelling book tells the story of those Millenarian fanaticisms of the Middle Ages and points to their persistence in the modern world.
The war against Saddam Hussein, described and analysed by a foremost military historian. Throughout the war and beyond it, John Keegan's analysis proved more accurate than any other commentator's and now he brings his unrivalled knowledge of military history to bear on the war, its conduct and consequences. Written with special access to new sources of information, this book will be the most authoritative and challenging account of a war which could both set the pattern of military conflicts in the 21st century and significantly affect the world political order.
Hitler's would-be assassins ranged from simple craftsmen to high-ranking soldiers, from the apolitical to the ideologically obsessed, and from enemy agents to his closest associates. This title presents their story - of their plans, their motives and their failures. It also offers a different perspective on the history of the Third Reich.
