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Books > History > World history
A bold reassessment of what caused the Late Bronze Age collapse In
1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded
Egypt. The pharaoh's army and navy managed to defeat them, but the
victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did
most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of
brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt
and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of
just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans,
Hittites, or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of the
late second millennium B.C., which had stretched from Greece to
Egypt and Mesopotamia, suddenly ceased to exist, along with writing
systems, technology, and monumental architecture. But the Sea
Peoples alone could not have caused such widespread breakdown. How
did it happen? In this major new account of the causes of this
"First Dark Ages," Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the
end was brought about by multiple interconnected failures, ranging
from invasion and revolt to earthquakes, drought, and the cutting
of international trade routes. Bringing to life the vibrant
multicultural world of these great civilizations, he draws a
sweeping panorama of the empires and globalized peoples of the Late
Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that
hastened their dramatic collapse and ushered in a dark age that
lasted centuries. A compelling combination of narrative and the
latest scholarship, 1177 B.C. sheds new light on the complex ties
that gave rise to, and ultimately destroyed, the flourishing
civilizations of the Late Bronze Age-and that set the stage for the
emergence of classical Greece.
"Fascinating and alarmingly true."-Time Magazine. The true story of
a plot to overthrow Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the nearly
forgotten Marine who saved American Democracy. Many simply don't
know that in 1933, a group of wealthy industrialists-working
closely with groups like the K.K.K. and the American Liberty
League-planned to overthrow the U.S. government and run F.D.R. out
of office in a fascist coup. Americans may be shocked to learn of
the plan to turn unhappy war veterans into American "brown shirts,"
depose F.D.R., and stop the New Deal. They asked Medal of Honor
recipient and Marine Major General Smedley Darlington Butler to
work with them and become the "first American Caesar." Fortunately,
Butler was a true patriot. Instead of working for the fascist coup,
he revealed the plot to journalists and to Congress. Historian
Julies Archer here offers a compelling account of a plot that would
have turned FDR into fascist puppet, threatened American democracy
and changed the course of history. This book not only reveals the
truth behind this shocking episode in history, but also tells the
story of the man whose courage and bravery prevented it from
happening. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are
proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in
history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his
henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil
War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome,
medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title
we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national
bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are
sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise
find a home.
The Athenian Isokrates (436-338 BC) is well-known for his long
career as an educator and pundit; but originally he wrote
'forensic' speeches, i.e. for delivery in court. Six of them
survive (five from Athens, one from Aigina), on issues including
assault, fraud and inheritance. Here for the first time, after a
General Introduction, they are presented and analysed in depth as a
self-contained group. The Greek text and a facing English
translation - both new - are augmented by commentaries which
juxtapose this material with other surviving writers in the genre
(and with Isocrates' own later output). In the process, too, the
speeches' historical background, personnel, legal context,
rhetorical strategies and all other relevant topics are explored.
This volume gathers brand new essays from some of the most
respected scholars of ancient history, archaeology, and physical
anthropology to create an engaging overview of the lives of women
in antiquity. The book is divided into ten sections, nine focusing
on a particular area, and also includes almost 200 images, maps,
and charts. The sections cover Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia,
Cyprus, the Levant, the Aegean, Italy, and Western Europe, and
include many lesser-known cultures such as the Celts, Iberia,
Carthage, the Black Sea region, and Scandinavia. Women's
experiences are explored, from ordinary daily life to religious
ritual and practice, to motherhood, childbirth, sex, and building a
career. Forensic evidence is also treated for the actual bodies of
ancient women. Women in Antiquity is edited by two experts in the
field, and is an invaluable resource to students of the ancient
world, gender studies, and women's roles throughout history.
The Battle of Britain was the decisive air campaign fought over
Southern England in the summer and autumn of 1940. From 10th July
until 31st October 1940 Fighter Command aircrews from over 16
nations fought and died repelling the Luftwaffe. Discover tales of
courage, bravery and a host of fascinating, and little-known facts
about the combatants, leaders and strategies of both sides. Find
out about propaganda employed by both sides to try and influence
the battle, the Dowding system relaying information to the pilots
in their fighter's and the classic 1969 film starring Sir Laurence
Oliver. This absorbing book is published to coincide with the
commemorations surrounding the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of
Britain 2020. "The Amazing and Extraordinary Facts series" presents
interesting, surprising and little-known facts and stories about a
wide range of topics which are guaranteed to inform, absorb and
entertain in equal measure.
For the owner or professional mechanic. Complete information for
performing all required sevice operations and overhauls. Covers all
components. Engine sizes 327, 350, 427 and 454.
The story of modern Singapore as told through its living heritage
is encapsulated in this handsome book, published to coincide with
the 200th anniversary of Singapore's founding as a city-state.
Today's vibrant, cosmopolitan country developed a singular identity
through the many colourful `ingredients' outlined in this book.
Starting with the founding of modern Singapore by Sir Thomas
Stamford Raffles, we review the many events, people, artefacts,
legends and lifestyles pre- and post-1819 that contributed to make
Singapore the unique city it is today. This is the first book to
encompass all aspects of Singaporean heritage, be it sociological,
environmental or man-made. Historic personages, monuments,
architecture and the arts, cultures and traditions, and flora and
fauna are all covered in their many facets. The book showcases how
much of 1800s and early 1900s Singapore remains today, thereby
presenting a lesser-known side to the city-state - one that is
surprisingly historic and richly evocative, a different face to a
place more often associated with a stark modernity. Insightful,
lively texts by museum director and heritage expert, Kennie Ting,
are accompanied by archival images, contemporary photographs, maps
and more, to present a comprehensive picture of the city-state -
past and present.
First friends, then bitter enemies, John Kennedy and Richard Nixon
shared a rivalry that had a dramatic impact on American history.
One would become the most dashing figure of the post-World War II
era, the other would live into his eighties, haunted and consumed
by the rivalry. In Kennedy and Nixon, Christopher Matthews offers a
surprising look at these two political giants, offering a stunning
portrait that will change the way we think about both of them.
Starting as congressmen in the class of 1946, the two men developed
a friendship and admiration for each other that would last for more
than a decade. But what drove history was the enmity between these
two towering figures whose 1960 presidential contest would set the
nation's bitter course for years to come. Matthews shows how the
early fondness between the two men (Kennedy told a trusted friend
that if he didn't receive the Democratic nomination in 1960, he
would vote for Nixon) degenerated into distrust and paranoia, the
same emotions that, in the early 1970's, ravaged the nation.
Christopher Mattew's revealing book sheds light on this complicated
relationship and the role that it played in shaping America's
history.
Was the outcome of the First World War on a knife edge? In this
major new account of German wartime politics and strategy Holger
Afflerbach argues that the outcome of the war was actually in the
balance until relatively late in the war. Using new evidence from
diaries, letters and memoirs, he fundamentally revises our
understanding of German strategy from the decision to go to war and
the failure of the western offensive to the radicalisation of
Germany's war effort under Hindenburg and Ludendorff and the
ultimate collapse of the Central Powers. He uncovers the struggles
in wartime Germany between supporters of peace and hardliners who
wanted to fight to the finish. He suggests that Germany was not
nearly as committed to all-out conquest as previous accounts argue.
Numerous German peace advances could have offered the opportunity
to end the war before it dragged Europe into the abyss.
Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku made a vow to smile every day and
believed he was the 'happiest man on earth'. In his inspirational
memoir, he paid tribute to those who were lost by telling his story
and sharing his wisdom. 'Eddie looked evil in the eye and met it
with joy and kindness . . . [his] philosophy is life-affirming' -
Daily Express Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is
up to you. Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a
Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in
November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a
concentration camp. Over the next seven years, Eddie faced
unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in
Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his
country. The Happiest Man on Earth is a powerful, heartbreaking and
ultimately hopeful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the
darkest of times. 'Australia's answer to Captain Tom . . . a memoir
that extols the power of hope, love and mutual support' - The Times
Now in paperback, the critically acclaimed "Yellow Dirt," "will
break your heart. An enormous achievement--literally, a piece of
groundbreaking investigative journalism--illustrates exactly what
reporting should do: Show us what we've become as a people, and
sharpen our vision of who we, the people, ought to become" ( "The
Christian Science Monitor" ).
From the 1930s to the 1960s, the United States knowingly used and
discarded an entire tribe of people as the Navajos worked,
unprotected, in the uranium mines that fueled the Manhattan Project
and the Cold War. Long after these mines were abandoned, Navajos in
all four corners of the Reservation (which borders Utah, New
Mexico, and Arizona) continued grazing their animals on sagebrush
flats riddled with uranium that had been blasted from the ground.
They built their houses out of chunks of uranium ore, inhaled
radioactive dust borne aloft from the waste piles the mining
companies had left behind, and their children played in the
unsealed mines themselves. Ten years after the mines closed, the
cancer rate on the reservation shot up and some babies began to be
born with crooked fingers that fused together into claws as they
grew. Government scientists filed complaints about the situation
with the government, but were told it was a mess too expensive to
clean up.
Judy Pasternak exposed this story in a prizewinning "Los Angeles
Times" series. Her work galvanized both a congressman and a famous
prosecutor to clean the sites and get reparations for the tribe.
"Yellow Dirt" is her powerful chronicle of both the scandal of
neglect and the Navajos' fight for justice.
Selected by Guernica magazine as an "Editors' Picks: Best of
2013"Unfurling like a medieval book of days, each page of Eduardo
Galeano's Children of the Days has an illuminating story that takes
inspiration from that date of the calendar year, resurrecting the
heroes and heroines who have fallen off the historical map, but
whose lives remind us of our darkest hours and sweetest
victories.Challenging readers to consider the human condition and
our own choices, Galeano elevates the little-known heroes of our
world and decries the destruction of the intellectual, linguistic,
and emotional treasures that we have all but forgotten.Readers will
discover many inspiring narratives in this collection of vignettes:
the Brazilians who held a smooch-in" to protest against a
dictatorship for banning kisses that undermined public morals" the
astonishing day Mexico invaded the United States and the
sacrilegious" women who had the effrontery to marry each other in a
church in the Galician city of A Coruna in 1901. Galeano also
highlights individuals such as Pedro Fernandes Sardinha, the first
bishop of Brazil, who was eaten by Caete Indians off the coast of
Alagoas, as well as Abdul Kassem Ismael, the grand vizier of
Persia, who kept books safe from war by creating a walking library
of 117,000 tomes aboard four hundred camels, forming a mile-long
caravan.Beautifully translated by Galeano's longtime collabourator,
Mark Fried, Children of the Days is a majestic humanist treasure
that shows us how to live and how to remember. It awakens the best
in us.
Imagine what the world once looked like as you discover places that
have disappeared from modern atlases in this stunningly illustrated
and award-winning book. Have you ever wondered about cities that
lie forgotten under the dust of newly settled land? Rivers and seas
whose changing shape has shifted the landscape around them? Or,
even, places that have seemingly vanished, without a trace?
Following the international bestselling success of Atlas of
Improbable Places and Atlas of the Unexpected, Travis Elborough
takes you on a voyage to all corners of the world in search of the
lost, disappearing and vanished. Discover ancient seats of power
and long-forgotten civilizations through the Mayan city of
Palenque; delve into the mystery of a disappeared Japanese islet;
and uncover the incredible hidden sites like the submerged Old
Adaminaby, once abandoned but slowly remerging. With beautiful maps
and stunning colour photography, Atlas of Vanishing Places shows
these places as they once were as well as how they look today: a
fascinating guide to lost lands and the fragility of our
relationship with the world around us. WINNER Illustrated Book of
the Year - Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2020 Also in the
Unexpected Atlas series: Atlas of Improbable Places, Atlas of
Untamed Places, Atlas of the Unexpected.
Few philosophers are more often referred to and more often
misunderstood than Machiavelli. He was truly a product of the
Renaissance, and he was as much a revolutionary in the field of
political philosophy as Leonardo or Michelangelo were in painting
and sculpture. He watched his native Florence lose its independence
to the French, thanks to poor leadership from the Medici successors
to the great Lorenzo (Il Magnifico). Machiavelli was a keen
observer of people, and he spent years studying events and people
before writing his famous books. Descended from minor nobility,
Machiavelli grew up in a household that was run by a vacillating
and incompetent father. He was well educated and smart, and he
entered government service as a clerk. He eventually became an
important figure in the Florentine state but was defeated by the
deposed Medici and Pope Julius II. He was tortured but eventually
freed by the restored Medici. No longer employed, he retired to his
home to write the books for which he is remembered. Machiavelli had
seen the best and the worst of human nature, and he understood how
the world operated. He drew his observations from life, and he was
appropriately cynical in his writing, given what he had personally
experienced. He was an outstanding writer, and his work remains
fascinating nearly 500 years later.
'A fine and deeply affecting work of history and memoir' Philippe
Sands Decades ago, the historian Bernard Wasserstein set out to
uncover the hidden past of the town forty miles west of Lviv where
his family originated: Krakowiec (Krah-KOV-yets). In this book he
recounts its dramatic and traumatic history. 'I want to observe and
understand how some of the great forces that determined the shape
of our times affected ordinary people.' The result is an
exceptional, often moving book. Wasserstein traces the arc of
history across centuries of religious and political conflict, as
armies of Cossacks, Turks, Swedes and Muscovites rampaged through
the region. In the Age of Enlightenment, the Polish magnate Ignacy
Cetner built his palace at Krakowiec and, with his vivacious
daughter, Princess Anna, created an arcadia of refinement and
serenity. Under the Habsburg emperors after 1772, Krakowiec
developed into a typical shtetl, with a jostling population of
Poles, Ukrainians and Jews. In 1914, disaster struck. 'Seven years
of terror and carnage' left a legacy of ferocious national
antagonisms. During the Second World War the Jews were murdered in
circumstances harrowingly described by Wasserstein. After the war
the Poles were expelled and the town dwindled into a border
outpost. Today, the storm of history once again rains down on
Krakowiec as hordes of refugees flee for their lives from Ukraine
to Poland. At the beginning and end of the book we encounter
Wasserstein's own family, especially his grandfather Berl. In their
lives and the many others Wasserstein has rediscovered, the people
of Krakowiec become a prism through which we can feel the shocking
immediacy of history. Original in conception and brilliantly
achieved, A Small Town in Ukraine is a masterpiece of recovery and
insight.
'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.
'Hollman combines scrupulous research with spellbinding
storytelling; The Queen and the Mistress will keep you turning the
pages.' - Sylvia Barbara Soberton, author of Ladies-In-Waiting: The
Women Who Served Anne Boleyn 'A must-read for anyone interested in
medieval women's or royal history.' - Catherine Hanley, author of
Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior 'In The Queen and the Mistress,
Gemma Hollman challenges much of the misinformation and
misconceptions which have surrounded both women for centuries ... A
triumph of historical research and interpretation.' - Sharon
Bennett Connolly, author of Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of
Influence in Thirteenth Century England 'The Queen and the Mistress
is an absorbing and masterful historical work, which you might not
even notice because it is also incredibly fun. Hollman writes with
obvious joy and sensitivity towards her subjects, bringing these
complex women and their world to glorious life. I couldn't put it
down.' - Eleanor Janega, Going Medieval Podcast IN A WORLD WHERE
MAN IS KING, CAN WOMEN REALLY HAVE IT ALL - AND KEEP IT? Philippa
of Hainault was Queen of England for forty-one years. Her marriage
to Edward III, when they were both teenagers, was more political
transaction than romantic wedding, but it would turn into a
partnership of deep affection. The mother of twelve children, she
was the perfect medieval queen: pious, unpolitical and fiercely
loyal to both her king and adopted country. Alice Perrers entered
court as a young widow and would soon catch the eye of an ageing
king whose wife was dying. Born to a family of London goldsmiths,
this charismatic and highly intelligent woman would use her
position as the king's favourite to build up her own portfolio of
land, wealth and prestige, only to see it all come crashing down as
Edward himself neared death. The Queen and the Mistress is a story
of female power and passion, and how two very different women used
their skills and charms to navigate a tumultuous royal court - and
win the heart of the same man.
In this tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Karl-Werner
Antrack looks at her life and those that affected it. He looks in
detail at the many conspiracy theories surrounding her death, and
how it has affected those that Diana left behind, and the
'revelations' revealed by those she is said to have trusted while
alive. The state of the world post-Diana is also looked at
including the war on Iraq, and Britain's relations with the US.
Altogether, this book is a useful compilation of much of the hype
which has surrounded the death of Princess Diana, but at the heart
of it we must remember she was a loving mother who cared for all
those less fortunate than herself, and it is hopefully this memory
that shall live on...
Joe Pappalardo's Inferno tells the true story of the men who flew
the deadliest missions of World War II, and an unlikely hero who
received the Medal of Honor in the midst of the bloodiest military
campaign in aviation history. There's no higher accolade in the
U.S. military than the Medal of Honor, and 472 people received it
for their action during World War II. But only one was demoted
right after: Maynard Harrison Smith. Smith is one of the most
unlikely heroes of the war, where he served in B-17s during the
early days of the bombing of France and Germany from England. From
his juvenile delinquent past in Michigan, through the war and
during the decades after, Smith's life seemed to be a series of
very public missteps. The other airmen took to calling the 5-foot,
5-inch airman "Snuffy" after an unappealing movie character. This
is also the man who, on a tragically mishandled mission over France
on May 1, 1943, single-handedly saved the crewmen in his stricken
B-17. With every other gunner injured or bailed out, Smith stood
alone in the fuselage of a shattered, nameless bomber and fought
fires, treated wounded crew and fought off fighters. His ordeal is
part of a forgotten mission that aircrews came to call the May Day
Massacre. The skies over Europe in 1943 were a charnel house for
U.S. pilots, who were being led by tacticians surprised by the
brutal effectiveness of German defenses. By May 1943 the combat
losses among bomb crews were a staggering 40 to 50 percent. The
backdrop of Smith's story intersects with some of the luminaries of
aviation history, including Curtis Lemay, Ira Eaker and "Hap"
Arnold, during critical times of their storied careers. Inferno
also examines Smith's life in a new, comprehensive light, through
the use of exclusive interviews of those who knew him (including
fellow MOH recipients and family) as well as public and archival
records. This is both a thrilling and horrifying story of the air
war over Europe during WWII and a fascinating look at one of
America's forgotten heroes.
Exam board: Edexcel Level: A-level Subject: History First teaching:
September 2015 First exams: Summer 2016 Target success in Edexcel
AS/A-level History with this proven formula for effective,
structured revision. Key content coverage is combined with exam
preparation activities and exam-style questions to create a
revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and
test their knowledge. - Enables students to plan and manage a
successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner -
Consolidates knowledge with clear and focused content coverage,
organised into easy-to-revise chunks - Encourages active revision
by closely combining historical content with related activities -
Helps students build, practise and enhance their exam skills as
they progress through activities set at three different levels -
Improves exam technique through exam-style questions with sample
answers and commentary from expert authors and teachers - Boosts
historical knowledge with a useful glossary and timeline
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