Europe

'A landmark new book.' - The Guardian Age of Discovery looks at the world on the brink of a new Renaissance and asks the question, how do we avoid chaos and disruption, and share more widely the benefits of progress? Now is humanity's best moment...

The stereotypical medieval woman is a pious, helpless creature of little intelligence, and still less drive and ambition. Completely at the mercy of the men in her life, she was married young, had copious offspring and died, often in childbirth, to make...

The history of the great shipping groups of the nineteenth century is about family dynasties, business acumen, investment, risk taking and entrepreneurial skills. It is about everything that epitomises the Victorian age. Men of vision identified market...

It may come as some surprise that in such a popular area of military history there is no book that focuses on the experience of the Victorian soldier - from recruitment to embarkation, fighting and perhaps returning, perhaps dying - in his own words. Dr...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9780300196801Author Richard MiddletonFormat HardbackPage Count 416Imprint Yale University PressPublisher Yale University PressWeight(grams) 156g

The folklore of the north-east has provided a rich tapestry for the tales within; from Celtic and Pictish origins meet witches, selkies, smugglers, fairies, monsters, despicable rogues, riddles and heroes. Tragic events, spellbinding characters, humour,...

At its peak the Italian Army contributed 2.5 million troops to the Axis war effort. English-speaking readers tend to think of this army in terms of the North African campaign; but far more Italian troops served in other theatres. They invaded, and later...

This seminal work of scholarship, which traces the development of literacy in medieval England, is now fully updated in a third edition. This book serves as an introduction to medieval books and documents for graduate students throughout the...

The Irish have always been proud of their contribution to Manchester. Alan Keegan and Danny Claffey's Irish Manchester: A Third Selection combines many previously unpublished photographs with well-researched captions to create a fascinating picture of...

Discover the real story behind The Dig, streaming now on Netflix, starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes A warrior's face - the strong brows inlaid with red garnets, the nose and mouth gilded and its surface tinned a silvery colour - this is how the...

In a unique application of critical theory to the study of the role of ideology in politics, Jeffrey Herf explores the paradox inherent in the German fascists' rejection of the rationalism of the Enlightenment while fully embracing modern technology. He...

The Cruthin were the earliest inhabitants of both Britain and Ireland to whom a definite name can be given. This book examines their contentious history, from distant origins to their influence on the present day. Their story is a timely reminder of an...

**From the co-author of the No.1 bestselling Wilbur Smith novel, WAR CRY**The fate of England hangs in the balance of a fight between brothers...In DEVIL, David Churchill writes with the immediacy of Conn Iggulden, the epic ambition of Bernard Cornwell...

This beautifully written, informative study is a portrait, a history and a superb guide book, capturing fully the seductive beauty and the many layered past of the Eternal City. It covers 3,000 years of history from the city's quasi-mythical origins,...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781846830297Author Malcolm CleverleyFormat PaperbackPage Count 298Imprint Woodfield PublishingPublisher Woodfield PublishingDimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm *...

All over the world traditional tales used to be told at the fireseide until their place came to be taken by books, newspapers, radio and television. This is an entertaining collection from Scotland, recorded and collected by researchers from the School...

What offers over seven hundred witty enigmas in several languages? Answer: The Old English and Anglo-Latin Riddle Tradition. Riddles, wordplay, and inscrutable utterances have been at the heart of Western literature for many centuries. Often brief and...

Byzantium lasted a thousand years, ruled to the end by self-styled 'emperors of the Romans'. It underwent kaleidoscopic territorial and structural changes, yet recovered repeatedly from disaster: even after the near-impregnable Constantinople fell in...

As the travellers gather in the Tabard Inn at the start of a pilgrimage to pray before the blessed bones of St Thomas a Becket in Canterbury, they agree eagerly to mine host Harry's suggestion of amusing themselves on each day of their journey with one...

The most famous and influential work of English fantasy ever published, reimagined for a new generation of readers by John Matthews, one of the world's leading Arthurian experts, and illustrated by internationally acclaimed Tolkien artist,...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781637165065Author Captivating HistoryFormat HardbackPage Count 102Imprint Captivating HistoryPublisher Captivating HistoryWeight(grams) 308gDimensions(mm)...

This work examines the ominous prelude to the Battle of the Bulge and reveals one of the US Army's bloodiest nightmares of World War II. In late 1944, the American army had pushed through Belgium almost unopposed. As small units advanced into the hilly...

The Easter Rising of 1916 not only destroyed much of the centre of Dublin -- it changed the course of Irish history. But why did it happen? What was the role of ordinary people in this extraordinary event? What motivated them and what were their aims?...

Religious piety has rarely been animated as vigorously as in Old English Poems of Christ and His Saints. Ranging from lyrical to dramatic to narrative, the individual poems show great inventiveness in reimagining perennial Christian topics. In different...

Domesticity is generally treated as an aspect of women's history. In this fascinating study of the nineteenth-century middle class, John Tosh shows how profoundly men's lives were conditioned by the Victorian ideal and how they negotiated its many...

The young George III was a poignant figure, humdrum on the surface yet turbulent beneath: hiding his own passions, he tried hard to be a father to his siblings and his nation. This intimate, fast-moving book tells their intertwined stories. His sisters...

Have you ever wondered where your town or townland name came from? Do you want to know more about an Irish locality? Well if so this is the book for you.Featuring a comprehensive breakdown of the all available place names in their anglicised form and...

When Italy surrendered in 1943, it sparked a resistance movement of anti-German, anti-fascist partisans. This book explores the tactics, organizational structure and equipment of the brave Italian resistance fighters. Beginning with low-level sabotage...

'The charm of certain vacant grassy spaces, in Italy, overfrowned by masses of brickwork that are honeycombed by the suns of centuries, is something that I hereby renounce once for all the attempt to express; but you may be sure that whenever I mention...

In 1790, between the birth of America (1776) and the creation of the French National Assembly (1789), nine provinces nestled between the French and Dutch borders declared themselves a new free and independent country: the United States of Belgium...

A sweeping narrative history of Eastern Europe from the late eighteenth century to todayIn the 1780s, the Habsburg monarch Joseph II decreed that henceforth German would be the language of his realm. His intention was to forge a unified state from his...

Some ten thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers moving through a landscape newly emerged from the grip of the last Ice Age reached four islands on the western seaboard. The shores they landed on were deserted. After making camp, they struck out to hunt and...

The dramatic story of Richard III, England's last medieval king, captured the world's attention when an archaeological team led by the University of Leicester identified his remains in February 2013. The Bones of a King presents the official...

John Gilligan is one of the most notorious and hated criminal figures in Irish history. His name is indelibly etched in the national psyche a quarter of a century after he crossed the line to organise the execution of the fearless, high-profile...

In late 1944 under extreme pressure on both the Eastern and Western fronts, Hitler realized he needed to force the Allies into negotiating a truce thereby saving Germany from total defeat. Using the Christmas period to enhance the vital element of...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781915113603Author Michael Fredholm Von EssenFormat PaperbackPage Count 448Imprint Helion & CompanyPublisher Helion & Company

'Excellent . . . This is narrative history of the highest quality' Andrew Lycett, Sunday Telegraph'Wonderfully engrossing and intelligent . . . clever and entertaining' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday TimesHEYDAY brings to life one of the most extraordinary...

The rood screen was the visual focus of the medieval parish church, dividing the nave from the chancel. Most were built of wood and were adorned with intricate carved decoration painted in bright colours, often with images of saints. Defaced and often...

The Magna Carta has long been considered the foundation stone of the British Constitution, yet few people today understand either its contents or its context. This Very Short Introduction introduces the document to a modern audience, explaining its...

'Here is art which conceals art, and intellect which conceals intellect, so that by the end of the book one feels that one understands something one had not understood before. Mr Hall is witty and amusing, but not snide; he has a lightness of touch which...