Global History

Like every era, the Renaissance brims with stories. In this book, Renaissance People, Robert Davis and Beth Lindsmith highlight dozens of notable lives from between 1400 and 1600. They bring to life wily politicians, eccentric scientists, fiery rebels, and stolid reactionaries, as well as a pornographer, an acrobat, an actress, a poetic prostitute, a star comedian, and at least one...

It was the war that changed everything, and yet it's been mostly forgotten: in 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia. It dominated newspaper headlines and newsreels. It inspired mass marches in Harlem, a play on Broadway, and independence movements in Africa. As the British Navy sailed into the Mediterranean for a white-knuckle showdown with Italian ships, riots broke out in major cities...

After the dissolution of empires, was the nation-state the only way to unite people politically, culturally, and economically? In Post-Imperial Possibilities, historians Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper examine three large-scale, transcontinental projects aimed at bringing together peoples of different regions to mitigate imperial legacies of inequality. Eurasia, Eurafrica, and Afroasia—in theory if not in practice—offered alternative routes out of empire....

A beautifully illustrated celebration of the biology, culture, art, and taste of oysters—a perfect gift for the foodie or the artist in your life. Everyone recalls eating their first oyster, just like they remember their first kiss ... Portrait of an Oyster delves beyond the shucked shell to reveal the rich and surprising world of the oyster and the artists,...

This volume represents a sea change in educational resources for the history of piracy. In a single, readable, and affordable volume, Lane and Bialuschewski present a wonderfully diverse body of primary texts on sea raiders. Drawn from a variety of sources, including the authors' own archival research and translations, these carefully curated texts cover over two hundred years (1548–1726) of...

Armchair historians in particular will appreciate McAuliffe’s readable yet detailed history supplemented with illustrations and bibliography. Booklist, Starred Review Acclaimed historian Mary McAuliffe vividly recaptures the Paris of Napoleon III, Claude Monet, and Victor Hugo as Georges Haussmann tore down and rebuilt Paris into the beautiful City of Light we know today. Paris, City of Dreams traces the transformation of...

A lively tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our dead. The summer before his senior year in college, Greg Melville worked at the cemetery in his hometown, and thanks to hour upon hour of pushing a mower over the grassy acres, he came to realise what a rich story the place...

How chartered company-states spearheaded European expansion and helped create the world's first genuinely global order. From Spanish conquistadors to British colonialists, the prevailing story of European empire-building has focused on the rival ambitions of competing states. But as Outsourcing Empire shows, from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, company-states—not sovereign states—drove European expansion, building the world's first genuinely international system....

21st March 1945. 1530 hours. Bursting through a hazy sky, dozens of Allied fighters and bombers sweep over German-occupied Venice. Their mission – destroy Germany’s strategic outposts nestled along the port, while leaving the floating city unscathed. As bombs rained down upon Europe, flattening city after city, Venice – La Serenissima; home of Titian and Veronese; immortalised in the serene...

On which day was history's shortest war waged and won (in roughly 40 minutes)? How was Napoleon bested by a group of rabbits in 1807? Why did a dispute about beer in an Oxford pub lead to over 100 deaths and 470 years of penance? Why in 1752 did Britain go to bed on 2nd September and wake up on...

Perhaps no philosopher is more of a conundrum than Nietzsche, the solitary rebel, poet, wayfarer, anti-revolutionary Aufklärer, and theorist of aristocratic radicalism. His accusers identify in his 'superman' the origins of Nazism, and thus issue an irrevocable condemnation; his defenders pursue a hermeneutics of innocence founded ultimately in allegory. In a work widely regarded as the most important contribution to...

Monash and Chauvel follows the extraordinary campaigns of the two most outstanding battlefield commanders of the First World War across all the Allied armies: John Monash and Harry Chauvel. John Monash commanded the Australian forces on the Western Front at the most critical time of the war, 1918. With his German Jewish heritage, Monash was an outsider who had risen...

Migrants cuts through the toxic debates to tell the rich and collective stories of humankind's urge to move. 'Fascinating... Miller's perspective may be just what we need' Daily Telegraph 'Enjoyable, provocative and timely' Spectator 'Timely and empathetic: a rare combination on this most controversial issue' Remi Adekoya 'Tremendous: blends the personal and the panoramic to great effect' Robert Winder Humans...

Fascism's ascent to power across Europe in the 1920s and 1930s marks one of the greatest historical defeats of the left. Far from inevitable, this catastrophic defeat was resisted at every turn by Marxists of varying stripes who tried, unsuccessfully, to push the mass communist and social democratic parties to organise an opposition to the rising movements of violent reaction....

This compelling book begins on the 2nd of August 1793, the day Marie Antoinette was torn from her family’s arms and escorted from the Temple to the Conciergerie, a thick-walled fortress turned prison. It was also known as the “waiting room for the guillotine” because prisoners only spent a day or two here before their conviction and subsequent execution. The...

At the age of seventeen, Marco Polo left his Venetian home on a continent-spanning adventure that lasted for nearly a quarter century. Imprisoned in Genoa five years later, he collaborated with Arthurian romance writer Rustichello of Pisa on a work they called The Description of the World. That book recounted 'all the greatest marvels and great diversities of Greater Armenia,...

Making the British Empire, 1660–1800 offers a timely reappraisal of the origins and nature of the first British empire, in response to the 'cultural turn' in historical scholarship and the 'new imperial history'. This collection addresses topics that have been neglected in recent literature, providing a series of political and institutional perspectives. At the same time, it recognises the importance...

Legendary treasures. Mythical robberies. Lost riches. Buried plunder and fabulous wealth. Hidden dangers. Ancient curses and deathbed jinxes. Captivating tales of lost fortunes, hidden caches, the eternal allure of wealth, and the heartbreak of mysterious curses! Read about the pursuit of riches turning to grief in this mesmerizing story collection! A thrilling exploration of the world's most intriguing and dangerous...

Lessons from History is a joyful romp through the obscurest parts of the past. The annals have been scoured for overlooked figures and events that nonetheless made an impact, and within these pages, they are brought hilariously and often poignantly back to life. Alex Deane began tweeting about quirky tales as a distraction from the monotony of lockdown. Now, with...

A celebration of people and pride! Explore the achievements and contributions of Latinos in the United States with this illuminating history. Latinos in the United States are a vibrant mix of people and multiple identities, each unique, varied, and accomplished. Beginning with the Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century, Latinos have been an important part of American society. They've fought...

A celebration of people and pride! Explore the achievements and contributions of Latinos in the United States with this illuminating history. Latinos in the United States are a vibrant mix of people with multiple identities, each unique, varied, and accomplished. Beginning with the Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century, Latinos have been an important part of American society. They've fought...

Kathleen Lonsdale was a groundbreaking chemist who was instrumental in developing the science of crystallography. She was also a midlife convert to Quakerism who campaigned for peace and prison reform. Horrified by the dropping of the first atomic bombs, Lonsdale felt that the entire scientific community was now tainted by the violence it had enabled. Published in 1957, Is Peace...

The relationship between history and fiction has always been a controversial one. Can we ever know that a historical narrative is giving us a true account of what actually happened? Provocative and fascinating, Is History Fiction? is an original and insightful examination of the ways in which history is—and might be—written. It traces history's doubleness and divided nature, beginning with...

Invented History, Fabricated Power begins with an examination of prehistoric beliefs in spirits, souls, mana, and orenda that provided personal explanation and power through ritual and shamanism among tribal peoples. On this foundation, spiritual power evolved into various kinds of divine sanction for kings and emperors, including Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese and Japanese. As kingships expanded into empires,...

“Thrilling . . . With deep research and suspenseful storytelling, Mr. Randall reminds us that America’s pre-eminence in the aviation industry was never assured and that it took a race of unlikely heroes to bring the dream of world flight to the public imagination.”—Wall Street Journal “David K. Randall has conjured the first air race to circumnavigate the globe in...

The bestselling historian tells the story of the landscapes, peoples and culture of early medieval Britain in eight walks, an epic sea voyage and a north-south ride by motorbike. The five centuries between the end of Roman Britain (410) and the death of Alfred the Great (899) have left few voices save a handful of chroniclers, but Britain's 'Dark Ages'...

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in an escalation of the Russo-Ukraine conflict that began eight years earlier. But the roots of the conflict began long before that historic date. The origins of the Russo-Ukrainian War can be traced back through a sequence of events to the early 1990s that lead us not to Russia...

A fascinating cartographic study of urban development, perfect for map and history lovers. The city, a concept nearly as old as history itself, is a paradox of human innovation and intervention, order and conflict. From ancient civilisations to modern-day metropolises, maps have played a crucial role in urban progress. History of Cities in Maps explores the development of cities through...

"What is historiography?" asked the American historian Carl Becker in 1938. Professional historians continue to argue over the meaning of the term. Historiography: An Introductory Guide challenges the view of historiography as an esoteric subject by presenting an accessible and concise overview of the history of historical writing from the Renaissance to the present. Historiography plays an integral role in...

How do writers and citizens in the different countries of the world view their own past? What key events and influences shaped those perspectives? And how accurate are the views of foreign commentators? Here, leading writers and scholars from twenty-eight countries give thoughtful, engaging accounts of their own nation's history. Their diverse and wide-ranging narratives offer a unique lens through...

Heroes and Marvels of the Middle Ages is a history like no other: it is a history of the imagination, presented through two celebrated groups of the period. One group consists of heroes: Charlemagne, El Cid, King Arthur, Orlando, Pope Joan, Melusine, Merlin the Wizard, and also the fox and the unicorn. The other is the miraculous, represented here by...

What if meeting new people were a gift, not a burden? How might we transform our lives if we set aside our fear of outsiders? When Will Buckingham's partner died, the shock of his grief told him to withdraw. Instead, he sought solace in throwing open the door to new people; travelling the world - from Birmingham to Myanmar -...

Who founded China? Are Chinese people religious? What is Chinese culture and how has it changed over time? The accessible and fun Understanding China Through Comics series answers those questions and more. For all ages, Foundations of Chinese Civilization covers China's early history in comic form, introducing philosophies like Confucianism and Daoism, the story of the Silk Road, famous emperors...

Over a million Indian soldiers fought in the First World War, the largest force from the colonies and dominions. Their contribution, however, has been largely forgotten. Many soldiers were illiterate and travelled from remote villages in India to fight in the muddy trenches in France and Flanders. Many went on to win the highest bravery awards. For King and Another...

Extraordinary Ai Weiwei Brilliant Simon Schama Fear has long been a driving force—perhaps the driving force—of world history: a coercive tool of power and a catalyst for radical change. Here, Robert Peckham traces its transformative role over a millennium, from fears of famine and war to anxieties over God, disease, technology, and financial crises. In a landmark global history that...

Giles Milton is a man who can take an event from history and make it come alive... an inspiration for those of us who believe that history can be exciting and entertaining' Matthew Redhead, The Times. Did you know that Hitler took cocaine? That Stalin robbed a bank? That Charlie Chaplin's corpse was filched and held to ransom? Giles Milton...

"A trailblazer in the field of premodern global history, Andrea here guides readers through the medieval expansion of the 'first Europe' from the fifth to the fifteenth centuries. Ranging from Ireland to Ethiopia, from the Mongol Empire to the so-called New World, Expanding Horizons demolishes any lingering sense that European societies remained isolated from the wider world before the modern...

How the rise of the West was a temporary exception to the predominant world order. What accounts for the rise of the state, the creation of the first global system, and the dominance of the West? The conventional answer asserts that superior technology, tactics, and institutions forged by Darwinian military competition gave Europeans a decisive advantage in war over other...

What accounts for the rise of the state, the creation of the first global system, and the dominance of the West? The conventional answer asserts that superior technology, tactics, and institutions forged by Darwinian military competition gave Europeans a decisive advantage in war over other civilisations from 1500 onward. In contrast, Empires of the Weak argues that Europeans actually had...

Empires in World History examines the vast states of territories and peoples united by force and ambition, which have dominated the political landscape for more than two millennia. This book departs from conventional European and nation-centred perspectives to offer a remarkable look at how empires relied on diversity to shape the global order. Beginning with ancient Rome and China, and...

Is the European Union in decline? Recent history, from the debt and migration crises to Brexit, has led many observers to argue that the EU's best days are behind it. Over the past decade, right-wing populists have come to power in Poland, Hungary, and beyond—many of them winning elections using strident anti-EU rhetoric. At the same time, Russia poses a...

An archaeologist with more than thirty seasons of excavation experience, Eric H. Cline has conducted fieldwork around the world, from Greece and Crete to Egypt, Israel, and Jordan. In Digging Deeper, Cline answers the questions archaeologists are most frequently asked, such as: How do you know where to dig? How are excavations actually done? How do you know how old...

Destroying to Replace explores settler colonial genocides from a global perspective and over the long durée. The book systematically and compellingly investigates how settler colonial expansion at times created conditions conducive to genocidal violence, and the ways in which genocide was sometimes perpetrated on settler colonial frontiers. This volume will prove invaluable to teachers and students of imperialism, colonialism, and...

Although harsh and inhospitable, the North African theatre of World War II proved to be a perfect environment for irregular warfare and the deployment of Special Forces. Following Italy's entry into the war in June 1940, the Western Desert became the background for a long conflict dominated by motorized units. The major combatants – Great Britain, Free France, Italy, and...

How human institutions—markets, states, communities, religions, guilds, and families—have helped both to control and to exacerbate epidemics throughout history. How do societies tackle epidemic disease? In Controlling Contagion, Sheilagh Ogilvie answers this question by exploring seven centuries of pandemics, from the Black Death to Covid-19. For most of history, infectious diseases have killed many more people than famine or war,...

Award-winning author and historian Stephen Dando-Collins provides unparalleled new insight into the First Jewish Revolt. Dando-Collins details the conflict from both sides of the 7-year campaign. His examination of the revolt draws upon numerous archaeological and forensic discoveries made in recent years to illuminate the people and events as never before. Neither side emerges from the conflict unscathed. Both were...

Expert historian and author Stephen Dando-Collins chronicles the First Jewish Revolt and its important role in both Roman and Jewish historical memory. Dando-Collins details the conflict from both sides of the seven-year campaign. His examination of the revolt draws upon numerous archaeological and forensic discoveries made in recent years to illuminate the people and events as never before. Neither side...

Fascinating...a great historical military account and essential reading - John Volanthen, author of Thirteen Lives. The untold story of the D-Day scientists who changed special operations forever. On the beaches of Normandy, two summers before D-Day, the Allies attempted an all but forgotten landing. Of the nearly seven thousand Allied troops sent ashore, only a few hundred survived the terrible...

This volume is a history of the way in which war has transformed modern society and a political analysis of the ways in which wars have been waged. Professor Kolko takes a long view of the 20th century, focusing on World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, to show the degree to which leaders and...

In 1962 the American statesman Dean Acheson famously charged that Britain had lost an empire and failed to find a new role. Nearly sixty years later the rebuke rings true again. Britain's postwar search for its place in the world has vexed prime ministers and government since the nation's great victory in 1945: the cost of winning the war was...

At the end of 1918, one prescient American historian began to write a history of the Great War. "What will you call it?" he was asked. "The First World War," was his bleak response. In Between the Wars, Philip Ziegler examines the major international turning points—cultural and social as well as political and military—that led the world from one war...

Australians, Thomas Keneally's widely acclaimed three-volume history of the Australian people from origins to Vietnam, offers a robust, vibrant, and page-turning narrative that brings to life the vast range of characters who have formed our national story. Australians: A Short History combines these three volumes and reintroduces us to the rich assortment of contradictory, inspiring, and surprising characters who shaped...

A fascinating and colourful social history of the nighttime. 'A wonderful revelation of a vanished age of darkness' SPECTATOR 'Fascinating' SUNDAY TIMES 'A splendid book ... great entertainment' Sir Patrick Moore 'A triumph of social history. Almost every page contains something to surprise the reader ... one of the most enjoyable literary experiences of the year' MAIL ON SUNDAY From...

'Brilliantly funny' SHAPARAK KHORSANDI 'Immensely enjoyable' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE 'Every page contains delights' LINDSEY FITZHARRIS Why is Italy called Italy? How old is curry? How fast was the medieval Chinese post system? How do we know how people sounded in the past? Who invented maths? Responding to fifty genuine questions from the public, Greg Jenner takes you on an entertaining...

A Short History of Relations Between Peoples traces how the cultural attitudes that different peoples and nations had toward each other have undergone a profound and positive change during the last 500 years. For most of recorded history, neighbouring countries, tribes, and peoples everywhere in the world regarded each other with apprehension—when not outright fear and loathing. Tribal or racial...

The iconic deserts of the American southwest could not have been colonised and settled without the help of desert experts from the Middle East. For example, in 1856, a caravan of thirty-three camels arrived in Indianola, Texas, led by a Syrian cameleer the Americans called "Hi Jolly." This "camel corps," the US government hoped, could help the army secure the...

Archives and Emotions argues, at its most fundamental level, that emotions matter and have always mattered to both the people whose histories are documented by archives and to those working with the documents these contain. This is the first study to put archivists and historians—scholars and practitioners from different settings, geographical provenance, and stages of career—in conversation with one another...

Central Otago History in Bite-Sized Chunks offers an easy-to-digest history of Central Otago, New Zealand, presented in bite-sized chunks. Through the pages of this book, you'll be guided through many of the key events that have shaped our nation.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2023 Approaches to Global History brings together 25 defining texts in global history. These pieces cover approaches to the subject from antiquity to the present century and, taken together, show the development of the discipline, providing a solid historiographical, theoretical, and methodological overview that will be invaluable for students. This collection gives a unique sense of...

It has long been contended that the Indian Constitution of 1950, a document in English created by elite consensus, has had little influence on India's greater population. Drawing upon the previously unexplored records of the Supreme Court of India, A People's Constitution upends this narrative and shows how the Constitution actually transformed the daily lives of citizens in profound and...

'A wonderful idea, gloriously put into practice. Greg Jenner is as witty as he is knowledgeable' - Tom Holland Every day, from the moment our alarm clock wakes us in the morning until our head hits the pillow at night, we all take part in rituals that are millennia old. In this gloriously entertaining romp through human history, BBC Horrible...

Twenty thousand years ago, Earth was in the midst of an ice age. Then global warming arrived, leading to massive floods, the spread of forests, and the retreat of the deserts. By 5,000 BC, a radically different human world had appeared. In place of hunters and gatherers, there were farmers; in place of transient campsites, there were towns. The foundations...

This lively synthesis of global history since the end of World War II offers a gripping account of an interdependent world and the challenges facing individuals in the 21st century. The narrative is arranged around two key tensions: the struggle between socialism and free-market capitalism and the interaction between cultural fragmentation and the competing integrative force of globalization. Considering the...

Highlighting the key events, ideas, and individuals that have shaped modern Europe, this fresh and lively book provides a concise history of the continent from the Enlightenment to the present. Drawing on the enduring theme of revolution, David S. Mason explores the political, economic, and scientific causes and consequences of revolution; the development of human rights and democracy; and issues...

Despite being relatively brief, this very readable history covers environmental, political, social, economic, cultural, and artistic elements, and is very open to regional variations and to the extent that the history of the peninsula and of its political groupings was far from inevitable. Its tone is accessible, supported by boxes providing supplemental information, and is perfect for travellers to Spain....

The rise of capitalism to global dominance is still largely associated—by both laypeople and Marxist historians—with the industrial capitalism that made its decisive breakthrough in 18th century Britain. Jairus Banaji's new work, A Brief History of Commercial Capitalism, reaches back centuries and traverses vast distances to argue that this leap was preceded by a long era of distinct "commercial capitalism,"...

The rise of capitalism to global dominance is still largely associated—by both laypeople and Marxist historians—with the industrial capitalism that made its decisive breakthrough in 18th century Britain. Jairus Banaji's new work, A Brief History of Commercial Capitalism, reaches back centuries and traverses vast distances to argue that this leap was preceded by a long era of distinct "commercial capitalism,"...

From the Watergate scandal, deposition of Haile Selassie and the expulsion of Solzhenitsyn from the Soviet Union, to ABBA's landmark victory at the Eurovision Song Contest and the production of the very first Volkswagen Golf - a concise, entertaining survey of an important year in 20th-century history, published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of 1974. 1974 was a year...

1974 offers a concise and entertaining survey of an important year in 20th-century history, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the year. From the Watergate scandal, the deposition of Haile Selassie, and the expulsion of Solzhenitsyn from the Soviet Union, to ABBA's landmark victory at the Eurovision Song Contest and the production of the very first Volkswagen Golf, this book...

1922 was a year of great turbulence and upheaval. Its events reverberated throughout the rest of the twentieth century and still affect us today, 100 years later. Empires fell. The Ottoman Empire collapsed after more than six centuries. The British Empire had reached its greatest extent but its heyday was over. The Irish Free State was declared, and demands for...

For the first time, all 70 of the Queen's Christmas speeches are published together in full, along with six additional feature speeches made at significant points in her life. Organised by decade, each chapter opens with a narrative essay on the key events that follow, providing an important contextual backdrop to the speeches. From times of national and global turmoil...

I was a Long Island kid that graduated college in 1976 and moved to Greenwich Village. Two years later, I was working the door at The Mudd Club. Standing outside, staring at the crowd, it was "out there" versus "in here," and I was on the inside. The Mudd Club was filled with the famous and soon-to-be-famous, along with an...

For decades now, America's national security state has grown ever bigger, ever more secretive and powerful, and ever more abusive. Only once did someone manage to put a stop to any of it. Senator Frank Church of Idaho was an unlikely hero. He led congressional opposition to the Vietnam War and had become a scathing, radical critic of what he...

The revered civil rights activist and pioneering member of Congress chronicles her groundbreaking 1972 run for President as the first woman and person of colour—a work of immense historical importance that both captures and transcends its times, newly reissued to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of her campaign. “Shirley Chisholm created a path for me and for so many others. Today,...

In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces"—the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker—offered a bottle of bourbon to the first U.S. fighter pilot to break his record of twenty-six enemy planes shot down. Seizing on the challenge to motivate his men, General George Kenney promoted what they would come to call the "race of aces" as a way of boosting...

In December 1971, after having stepped down as the United Nations' longest-serving Secretary-General, U Thant was ranked the sixth 'most admired man' in America. So why is he largely forgotten today? In Peacemaker, Thant Myint-U traces his grandfather's rise from schoolteacher in a small Burmese backwater in 1947 to celebrity at the centre of global politics just two decades later....

Lucy Osburn, a Lady Displaced by Judith Godden explores the life of Lucy Osburn (1836-1891), the founder of modern nursing in Australia and a pioneer in the employment of high-status professional women in public institutions. Osburn learned her vocation at Florence Nightingale's school of nursing in London, yet her relationship with Nightingale was not the smooth discourse expected of "Victorian...

Timely and significant. Church Times A pioneer of humanitarianism and founder of the International Red Cross, Henry Dunant was many things over his lifetime. A devout Christian and social activist, an ambitious but failed businessman, a humanitarian genius, and a bankrupt recluse. In this biography, Corinne Chaponnière reveals the tumultuous trajectory of Henry’s life. From his idyllic childhood in Geneva,...

Discover the inspiring voices that have changed our world and started a new conversation. The first dedicated collection of seminal speeches by women from around the world, Great Women's Speeches is about women at the forefront of change within politics, science, human rights, and media. They discuss everything from free love, anti-war, scientific discoveries, race, gender, and women's rights. From...