|
|
Books > History > History of specific subjects > General
Marginal Comment, which attracted keen and widespread interest on
its original publication in 1994, is the remarkable memoir of one
of the most distinguished classical scholars of the modern era. Its
author, Sir Kenneth Dover, whose academic publications included the
pathbreaking book Greek Homosexuality (1978, reissued by Bloomsbury
in 2016), conceived of it as an 'experimental' autobiography -
ruthlessly candid in retracing the full range of the author's
experiences, both private and public, and unflinching in its
attempt to analyse the entanglements between the life of the mind
and the life of the body. Dover's distinguished career involved not
only an influential series of writings about the ancient Greeks but
also a number of prominent positions of leadership, including the
presidencies of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and the British
Academy. It was in those positions that he became involved in
several high-profile controversies, including the blocking of an
honorary degree for Margaret Thatcher from Oxford University, and a
bitter debate in the British Academy over the fellowship of Anthony
Blunt after his exposure as a former Soviet spy. This edition of
Marginal Comment is much more than a reissue: it includes an
introduction which frames the book in relation to its author's life
and work, as well as annotations based in part on materials
originally excluded by Dover but left in his personal papers on
this death. Now newly available, the memoir provides not only the
self-portrait of an exceptional individual but a rich case-study in
the intersections between an intellectual life and its social
contexts.
'An intriguing study of the minds of some of rugby's greatest
leaders' - Tom English, BBC Sport An Official Licensed Product of
the British & Irish Lions A British & Irish Lions tour
presents one of the greatest challenges in sport. Rugby is a game
that rewards creative expression, toil, teamwork and a
never-say-die attitude. It can be joyful, vibrant and beautiful.
Equally, it can brutally expose human flaws and frailties - even
more so in the hugely pressurised environment of a Lions tour.
Every team, no matter how talented, will find itself in dark and
difficult situations both on and off the field; the successful ones
are those with a leadership group that can navigate these
challenging moments. In Legacy of the Lions, former Lions captain
Gavin Hastings draws on his own experiences in the famous red
jersey and interviews other greats of the game - including, among
many others, Sam Warburton, Warren Gatland, Paul O'Connell, Brian
O'Driscoll, Martin Johnson, Finlay Calder and Sir Ian McGeechan,
plus a selection of their illustrious opponents, such as Kieran
Read, John Smit and John Eales - to explore how to forge a
successful team in this most rarefied of environments, the
difficulties they each encountered and what leadership lessons they
learned. Inspiring, humorous and illuminating, Legacy of the Lions
casts a unique light on leadership, team-building and elite
performance and reveals a new perspective on touring with - and
playing against - The British & Irish Lions in the modern era.
The 50 Greatest Players in Braves History examines the careers of
the 50 men who made the greatest impact on one of Major League
Baseball's oldest and most iconic franchises. Using as measuring
sticks the degree to which they impacted the fortunes of the team,
the extent to which they added to the Braves legacy--in Boston,
Milwaukee, and Atlanta--and the levels of statistical compilation
and overall dominance they attained while wearing a Braves uniform,
The 50 Greatest Players in Braves History ranks, from 1 to 50, the
top 50 players in team history. Quotes from opposing players and
former teammates are provided along the way, as are summaries of
each player's greatest season, most memorable performances, and
most notable achievements.
Aberdeen have competed on the European stage since season 1967/68
and have enjoyed some epic encounters along the way, culminating in
the club's greatest ever victory - beating Real Madrid 2-1 in the
1983 Cup Winner's Cup final. Ally Begg charts a path through
Aberdeen's storied history in Europe, vividly brining to life the
most interesting, exciting, and unforgettable games by interviewing
players from Aberdeen and their rivals and augmenting them with his
own richly rendered memories. Aberdeen European Nights takes the
reader on a nostalgic romp around the continent, crossing beyond
the Iron Curtain and building a fortress at home at Pittodrie.
Humorous, quirky and insightful, it is the perfect book for
Aberdeen fans, young and old.
Although the evolution of human rights diplomacy during the second
half of the 20th century has been the subject of a wealth of
scholarship in recent years, British foreign policy perspectives
remain largely underappreciated. Focusing on former Foreign
Secretary David Owen's sustained engagement with the related
concepts of human rights and humanitarianism, David Owen, Human
Rights and the Remaking of British Foreign Policy addresses this
striking omission by exploring the relationship between
international human rights promotion and British foreign policy
between c.1956-1997. In doing so, this book uncovers how human
rights concerns have shaped national responses to foreign policy
dilemmas at the intersections of civil society, media, and
policymaking; how economic and geopolitical interests have defined
the parameters within which human rights concerns influence policy;
how human rights considerations have influenced British
interventions in overseas conflicts; and how activism on normative
issues such as human rights has been shaped by concepts of national
identity. Furthermore, by bringing these issues and debates into
focus through the lens of Owen's human rights advocacy, analysis
provides a reappraisal of one of the most recognisable, albeit
enigmatic, parliamentarians in recent British history. Both within
the confines of Whitehall and without, Owen's human rights advocacy
served to alter the course of British foreign policy at key
junctures during the late Cold War and post-Cold War periods, and
provides a unique prism through which to interrogate the
intersections between Britain's enduring search for a distinctive
'role' in the world and the development of the international human
rights regime during the period in question.
The abolitionist movement not only helped bring an end to slavery
in the United States but also inspired the large-scale admission of
African Americans to the country's colleges and universities.
Oberlin College changed the face of American higher education in
1835 when it began enrolling students irrespective of race and sex.
Camaraderie among races flourished at the Ohio institution and at
two other leading abolitionist colleges, Berea in Kentucky and New
York Central, where Black and white students allied in the fight
for emancipation and civil rights. After Reconstruction, however,
color lines emerged on even the most progressive campuses. For new
generations of white students and faculty, ideas of fairness toward
African Americans rarely extended beyond tolerating their presence
in the classroom, and overt acts of racial discrimination against
Blacks grew increasingly common by the 1880s. John Frederick Bell's
Degrees of Equality analyzes the trajectory of interracial reform
at Oberlin, New York Central, and Berea, noting its implications
for the progress of racial equality in nineteenth-century America.
Drawing on student and alumni writings, institutional records, and
promotional materials, Bell uses case studies to interrogate how
abolitionists and their successors put their principles into
practice. The ultimate failure of these social experiments
illustrates a tragic irony of interracial reform, as the
achievement of African American freedom and citizenship led whites
to divest from the project of racial pluralism.
|
|