'Invasion Rabaul' is a gut-wrenching account of courage and sacrifice, folly and disaster, as seen through the eyes of the Allied defenders who survived the Japanese assault on Britain during the opening days of World War II.

Naval mines are pernicious weapons of debated legality and fearsome reputation. Since World War II over 18,400 of these ingenious devices have been deployed during 24 naval mining events, seriously damaging or sinking over 100 ships including 44 warships. Despite this sustained drumbeat of use both in attack and in defence, there were no modern books that examine this `Weapon That Waits'. Naval Minewarfare: Politics to Practicalities is a comprehensive guide to modern naval minewarfare. From explaining the basic tenets of both naval mining and naval mine countermeasures, then examining the modern history of naval mining, through to the legal, political and statecraft factors that should underpin any decisions to employ naval mines, this detailed analysis provides a contemporary view of how this weapon is used as part of a military or insurgent campaign. Focussing on both the psychological warhead in every mine as well as naval mining's lethal effects, it contains a wealth of invaluable information and explanation all carefully scripted to enlighten military historians and inform international strategists. The inclusion of an Annex of mitigations against mining specifically designed for use by civilian ships, their owners and also port authorities makes this an outstanding primary reference for politicians through to practitioners of both military and civilian elements of conflicts that involve naval mines.

Irish-born and Irish-descended soldiers and sailors were involved in every major engagement of the American Civil War. Throughout the conflict, they shared their wartime experiences through songs and song lyrics, leaving behind a vast trove of ballads in songbooks, letters, newspaper publications, wartime diaries, and other accounts. Taken together, these songs and lyrics offer an underappreciated source of contemporary feelings and opinions about the war. Catherine V. Bateson's Irish American Civil War Songs provides the first in-depth exploration of Irish Americans' use of balladry to portray and comment on virtually every aspect of the war as witnessed by the Irish on the front line and home front. Bateson considers the lyrics, themes, and sentiments of wartime songs produced in America but often originating with those born across the Atlantic in Ireland and Britain. Her analysis gives new insight into views held by the Irish migrant diaspora about the conflict and the ways those of Irish descent identified with and fought to defend their adopted homeland. Bateson's investigation of Irish American song lyrics within the context of broader wartime experiences enhances our understanding of the Irish contribution to the American Civil War. At the same time, it demonstrates how Irish songs shaped many American balladry traditions as they laid the foundation of the Civil War's musical soundscape.

How robots will change our world Some fear that robots could do half our jobs and even wipe us out. But is that likely? Smart machines already make our cars and clean our homes. Soon they could drive us about, teach our children, and keep our parents company. While dealing with the ethical concerns about Artificial Intelligence, Bennie Mols and Nieske Vergunst reveal the history, present and future of robots. They show how moving AI could allow the lame to walk again, rescue survivors from collapsed buildings, and boost the global fight against hunger and pollution. Welcome to a vivid view of our robot future. With 60 colour photos. Topics From dolls to industrial workers, a history of robots How robots respond to their surroundings What robots learn about human speech Why self-driving cars are safer and greener The possibilities of robots in education Meet the 'cyborgs' who learn to walk again Why evolution designs the best robots Will rogue robots take over the world? Using robots as weapons and drones What the future holds: 2100, a Robot Odyssey Table of Contents 1 A short history of robots, from dolls to androids Machines as man throughout history Mechanical dolls: forerunners of the robot Enter the working humanoid robots The next step: android robots that look like you Uncanny valley: the problem with creepy robots 2. How do robots see their surroundings? Getting to grips with a new environment Seeing through the eyes of a robot Training robots to recognise objects Robots can see what a person cannot see Feeling with whiskers: sensing the way forward Robots use electronic ears to listen 3. How does a robot brain work? A robot must learn to think like a human Keeping it simple with an insect brain Machine learning is trial and error Robots can learn without supervision The football world cup for robots Developing robot emotional intelligence 4. Giving humans a helping hand Robots suck: doing the dirty jobs at home A robotic arm reaches deep into the supply chain Joseph Engelberger, father of car factory robots Co-bots will work alongside people Coping with variation is Amazon's challenge Building a robot car 5. Learning to speak to people The problem with machine talk SHRDLU! The first experiment in robot conversation Toilets are hidden: translation problems A robotic teacher never runs out of patience 6. Robots get emotional Emotional robots encourage humans to interact with them A robot can work out how you are feeling Why am I afraid? Understanding human emotions Help! My robot looks angry Establishing a bond with a robot 7. Humans need robots and robots need humans Meet the robot psychologists Under-promise and over-deliver performance Silicon Valley utopias vs calm technology What is the best ratio of robots to humans? In the rubble: the search and rescue robot The paradox of robotization 8. Humans need robots and robots need humans Meet the robot psychologists Under-promise and over-deliver performance * Silicon Valley utopias vs calm technology What is the best ratio of robots to humans? In the rubble: the search and rescue robot The paradox of robotization 9. Evolution designs the best robots How robots travel in a bumpy world Robothand has nature's grip A two-legged walking robot The first robot baby Working out the best path through evolution 10. Swarming robots show the wisdom of crowds The power of robots working together A robot swarm without a boss Goal is mapping a building about to collapse Predicting how a robot will behave Robot swarms in the real world A robotic swarm looks for a queen 11. The importance of building ethical robots Isaac Asimov's three rules about rogue robots When robots go wrong Responsible roboticists are planning for the future Robots and the UN's development goals How will robots change the human race? Killing machines: robots in the military 12. 2100 - A Robot Odyssey The future of work in a robotic world Fusing mind and body with soft robotics And then the smart robot became creative Was that move really creative? Will robots really take over the world?

Near the end of World War II and after, a small-town Nebraska youth, Jimmy Kugler, drew more than a hundred double-sided sheets of comic strip stories. Over half of these six-panel tales retold the Pacific War as fought by "Frogs" and "Toads," humanoid creatures brutally committed to a kill-or-be-killed struggle. The history of American youth depends primarily on adult reminiscences of their own childhoods, adult testimony to the lives of youth around them, or surmises based on at best a few creative artifacts. The survival then of such a large collection of adolescent comic strips from America's small-town Midwest is remarkable. Michael Kugler reproduces the never-before-published comics of his father's adolescent imagination as a microhistory of American youth in that formative era. Also included in Into the Jungle! A Boy's Comic Strip History of World War II are the likely comic book models for these stories and inspiration from news coverage in newspapers, radio, movies, and newsreels. Kugler emphasizes how US propaganda intended to inspire patriotic support for the war gave this young artist a license for his imagined violence. In a context of progressive American educational reform, these violent comic stories, often in settings modeled on the artist's small Nebraska town, suggests a form of adolescent rebellion against moral conventions consistent with comic art's reputation for "outsider" or countercultural expressions. Kugler also argues that these comics provide evidence for the transition in American taste from war stories to the horror comics of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Kugler's thorough analysis of his father's adolescent art explains how a small-town boy from the plains distilled the popular culture of his day for an imagined war he could fight on his audacious, even shocking terms.

BRISTOL 1943 and life for the Tobacco Girls isn't getting any easier...Bridget Milligan has donned a uniform and joined the nursing services where she becomes intrigued with the miracles of modern medicine. She's also torn between family loyalty, her new career and Lyndon O'Neill, the love of her life. Is it too impossible to hope that everything will come out right in the end? Phyllis Harvey is still serving in Malta where she sees the casualties of war first hand. Finally it seems like Phyllis is blessed with true in love, but fate can sometimes be a rocky road and nothing is that certain. Maisie Miles is left holding the home front at the tobacco factory but with the sudden death of her grandmother finds herself once more alone in the world. However, thanks to a substantial inheritance, she is able to extend a helping hand to a friend in desperate need. There are tears and laughter, goodbyes and new arrivals along with the hope that new beginnings are not far over the horizon. Praise for Lizzie Lane: 'A gripping saga and a storyline that will keep you hooked' Rosie Goodwin 'The Tobacco Girls is another heartwarming tale of love and friendship and a must-read for all saga fans.' Jean Fullerton 'Lizzie Lane opens the door to a past of factory girls, redolent with life-affirming friendship, drama, and choices that are as relevant today as they were then.' Catrin Collier 'If you want an exciting, authentic historical saga then look no further than Lizzie Lane.' Fenella J Miller

Popular entertainment in antebellum Cincinnati ran the gamut from high culture to shows barely above the level of the tawdry. Among the options for those seeking entertainment in the summer of 1856 was the display of a "Wild Woman," purportedly a young woman captured while living a feral life beyond the frontier. The popular exhibit, which featured a silent, underdressed woman chained to a bed, was almost assuredly a hoax. Local activist women, however, used their influence to prompt a judge to investigate the display. The court employed eleven doctors, who forcibly subdued and examined the woman before advising that she be admitted to an insane asylum. In his riveting analysis of this remarkable episode in antebellum American history, Michael D. Pierson describes how people in different political parties and sections of the country reacted to the exhibit. Specifically, he uses the lens of the Wild Woman display to explore the growing cultural divisions between the North and the South in 1856, especially the differing gender ideologies of the northern Republican Party and the more southern focused Democrats. In addition, Pierson shows how the treatment of the Wild Woman of Cincinnati prompted an increasing demand for women's political and social empowerment at a time when the country allowed for the display of a captive female without evidence that she had granted consent.