Najnovšie - Knihy strana 417 z 500
zobraziť:
A History of the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers
The Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, marching alongside the Lord Mayor’s State Coach or standing guard at City events, is one of London’s most iconic images. Established just over 100 years ago, but tracing its roots back to the seventeenth century, it is a ceremonial unit of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) and is recruited from veterans of the HAC’s Army Reserve regiment, the oldest fighting regiment in the British Army. Granted a Royal Warrant by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1955, the Company is tasked to provide a ceremonial bodyguard to the Lord Mayor of the City of London and provides guards for State Banquets at Guildhall, dinners at Mansion House and Livery halls and displays of seventeenth century arms drill at military and public events. This book tells the story of the Company, from the original pikemen and musketeers of the seventeenth century, to the foundation of the modern Company just after the Great War, its involvement in the pageantry of the inter-war years and the onslaught of the Blitz, its formal recognition by Royal Warrant and continuing evolution through 1950s’ austerity and 1960s’ affluence to the ‘end of history’ and beyond. Governments and demagogues come and go; monarchs pass from youth to old age. All the time the Company is there, lining the halls of Mansion House and Guildhall like living wallpaper as history passes in front of them. They also serve who only stand and wait.
The World of the Cold War - 1945-1991
A sweeping, original history of the Cold War, from an acclaimed historian of the USSR
Why did the Cold War erupt so soon after the Second World War? How did it escalate so rapidly, spanning five continents over six decades? And what led to the spectacular collapse of the Soviet Union?
In this comprehensive guide to the most widespread conflict in contemporary history, Vladislav Zubok traces the origins of the Cold War in post-war Europe, through the tumultuous decades of confrontation, to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond.
With remarkable clarity and unique perspective, Zubok argues that the Cold War, often seen as an existential battle between capitalist democracy and totalitarian communism, has long been misunderstood. He challenges the popular Western narrative that economic superiority and democratic values led the USA to victory. Instead, he looks beyond the familiar images of East-West rivalry, shining a light on the impact of non-Western actors and placing the war in the context of global decolonization, Soviet weakness and the accidents of history. Here, he interrogates what happens when stability and peace are no longer the default, when treaties are broken and when diplomacy ceases to function.
Drawing on years of research and informed by Zubok's three decades in the USSR followed by three decades in the West, The World of the Cold War paints a striking portrait of a world on the brink.
Black in Blues
A 'musical and moving' (Washington Post) meditation on the colour blue and its role in Black history and cultureThroughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for a life beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, "What did I do to be so Black and blue?" In Black in Blues, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world’s favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology. Drawing deeply from her own life as well as from art and history, Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture: The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterization of dark-skinned people as "Blue Black". The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers she plants in memory of a loved one. Attuned to both the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, Black in Blues is a poignant, spellbinding, and utterly original work from one of our greatest thinkers.
Pirates and Privateers of the Atlantic and the Caribbean
Pirates and Privateers of the Atlantic and the Caribbean is the most recent and broadest study of international privateering in the 18th and 19th centuries. It first examines ships themselves, which were privately financed and privately owned vessels designed, outfitted, and manned to locate, chase, capture, sink, or burn enemy ships under the auspices of a national or a local government. In addition to this, it also considers the officers and seamen aboard these ships, the investors who financed this legal trade, and the multi-racial makeup of some of their crews, as well as discussing the European and other women who played an indirect but nevertheless important role in privateering. Offering a worldwide sea-and-shore based coverage of the maritime, political, and economic reasons for privateering, it features privateers in the Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain; the vital role of France in this same war; privateers in the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain; privateers in the Carolinas and in the Caribbean; Latin American insurgent privateers; noted privateering figures; racial minorities and women associated with privateering; and naval gunnery in the age of sail.
The Companion to Castles
‘A fascinating book that covers the history and development of something that is unique to the Middle Ages – the castle.’ - Medieval HistoryOver 1,000 castles were built in the century following the Norman Conquest. Most were constructed in the wake of the Conquest itself by the Norman lords and their allies as they took possession of their lands. These conquerors in a hostile land numbered only a few thousand and their castles became both symbols of subjugation and bastions of paranoia. Nevertheless, contrary to the popular perception, medieval castles were more often lived in than fought over. A castle was a fortified feudal residence, a symbol of a lord’s power and authority and the instrument of regional domination: administrative, judicial and military. Very few castles remain unaltered from when they were first built and none fits neatly into any particular category. Many have succumbed to the ravages of siege warfare, abandonment and despoliation, especially in the aftermath of the English Civil War. Some have been entirely rebuilt and most have been remodelled many times, according to the current military, domestic and architectural fashion. For several there is evidence of continuous occupation from the twelfth century to the present day. Stephen Friar has an encyclopaedic knowledge of all aspects of castles as well as the ability to place issues within a historical context and explain them succinctly and clearly for the non-specialist. From quadrangular castles to shell keeps, garderobes and gargoyles to tournaments, and anarchy to zig-zag moulding, this detailed A–Z reference book, with its lavish illustrations, is essential reading for anyone interested in medieval castles. ‘A fascinating book … as well as providing a history of British castles, the book also offers advice on how to get the most enjoyment and fulfilment out of your visits.’ - The Journal
The Significance of Souness
In 1986, Rangers FC made a bold move that changed Scottish football forever. The appointment of Graeme Souness as player-manager marked the end of a nine-year title drought and the beginning of a new era atIbrox. Backed with serious investment and a clear mandate, Souness won the league in his first season and reignited the club's ambition. This book revisits that transformative period, when Celtic, Aberdeen and Dundee United were the dominant forces. With fresh insight from Rangers legends such as Terry Butcher, Ian Durrant and John Brown, and reflectionsfrom rivals including Souness's former international teammate Alan Rough, we explore the battles on the pitch and the drama behind the scenes. Former Rangers player and then-Hearts boss Alex MacDonald also shareshis memories of how his old club changed almost overnight. Forty years on, we uncover stories never told before, with Souness himself at the heart of it. Featuring a foreword by iconic captain Richard Gough, and a postscript from Rangers record goal scorer Ally McCoist, this is a compelling look at the revolution that reshaped Rangers. As Ian Ferguson put it, 'I could have gone to Man Utd., but when Souness trapped up at Ibrox, there was only one destination for me.'
Supplying the British Army in the First World War
Napoleon famously said that an army marches on its stomach, but it also marches in its boots and its uniforms, carrying or driving its weapons and other equipment, and all this material has to be ordered from headquarters, produced and delivered. Janet Macdonald's detailed and scholarly new study explains how this enormously complex task of organization and labour was carried out by the British army during the First World War. She describes the personnel who performed these tasks, from the government and military command in London to those who handled the items in the field. They were responsible for clothing, accommodation, medicine, transport, hand weapons, armament and communications – a vast logistical network that had evolved to keep millions of men in the field. This meticulously researched account of this important subject – one which has hitherto been neglected by military historians – will be essential reading and reference for anyone who is interested in the modern British army, in particular in its organization and performance in the First World War.
My Father Joachim von Ribbentrop
On 16 October 1946 Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hitler’s wartime Foreign Minister, was executed at Nuremberg, convicted on four counts including deliberately planning a war of aggression and war crimes. In this first English language edition of his memoirs, Rudolf von Ribbentrop frankly describes his relationship with his father when he was the German Ambassador in London and during the war years. Von Ribbentrop was an often isolated figure among the Nazi elite. In his final report from London he informed Hitler that he was convinced that Great Britain would fight for its position in the world. He went on to play a key role forging the short-lived Pact with Stalin’s Soviet Union. Far from being uncritical, Rudolf von Ribbentrop, in his 90s when the book was written, sets out to paint an objective picture of his father’s role. His unique position throws fascinating light on the unfolding dramatic events leading up to, and then the execution of, the Second World War. While the author briefly describes his personal experiences including his war service with the SS, it is the insight this work provides into top level decision-making at the heart of the Third Reich that will appeal most to both historians and laymen.
The First Stewart Dynasty
The volume begins with the shaky foundation of the Stewart dynasty during the reign of Robert II (1371-1390) and traces its development to the demise at the Battle of Sauchieburn of James III (1460-1488) together with his exalted vision of Stewart kingship. The author shows how and why the period is dominated by the growth of royal power and the concomitant eclipse of the regional aristocratic supremacies that had dominated fourteenth-century Scotland. His vivid accounts of the changing religious, economic, social and cultural life of the fifteenth century kingdom are woven into and around the central political narrative.
Vtělená moudrost
Moshé Feldenkrais dokázal na malé ploše vyjádřit své základní myšlenky velmi pregnantním a srozumitelným způsobem. A přece nebyly Feldenkraisovy články a rozhovory ještě nedávno běžně dostupné. Proto se editorka Elizabeth Beringerová rozhodla shromáždit veškeré autorovy texty tohoto typu z let 1964–1981. Jednotlivé texty jsou doplněny o vysvětlení kontextu a fotografické dokumenty.
Publikace shrnuje základní myšlenky Feldenkraisovy metody, například důraz na adaptabilitu organismu jako projev zdraví. Tím, že se vědomě zaměřujeme na své pohybové vzorce, zlepšujeme i své duševní fungování. Publikace rovněž propojuje Feldenkraisovu metodu s dalšími zajímavými kontexty (např. vztah sluchu a prostorové orientace, bojová umění, role předního mozku, herectví) a dokládá, že autor měl propracovaný filozofický pohled na život a byl také v kontaktu s významnými osobnostmi své doby. Některé texty obsahují konkrétní náměty na cvičení nebo vycházejí ze zkušeností se seminářem, který Feldenkrais vedl.
Not Another Unicorn Story
I know what you're thinking. But don't worry, I'm not going to tell you another unicorn story!
Nothing about a magical horse with a neon pink mane, galloping through an extraordinary world full of wonder. I definitely won't tell you about the miraculous Fountain of Joy or the rainbow poops as fluffy as whipped cream. And I promise not to say a word about any mischievous gnomes named Nestor.
You insist? Pfff, fine, all right . . .
A Short History of Ancient Rome
Short History of Ancient Rome transforms 1,000 years of history into a riveting and action-packed account of the inception, expansion and ultimate fall of Ancient Rome.
Combining impeccable research with gripping storytelling, A Short History of Ancient Rome takes readers through the dramatic twists and turns of the kingdom, the republic, the empire and its decline in less time than it would take to watch the Gladiator movies.
Filled with the sights, sounds, smells and characters that shaped Rome, this book brings the ancient world to life and tells you everything you need to know about this crucial period in history.
Having Spent Life Seeking
Rothko Taylor has washed up with the tide, back in their hometown, Edgecliff. Fifteen years since they left it behind.
The past is accelerating towards them: the skateboard kids on the high street that remind them of their teenage years, the splintered benches looking out to sea, where their mum Meg clutched her cans. The nice bit of town, where their dad Ezra tried and failed to build a happy home. And Dionne's block. Beautiful, extraordinary Dionne, the only person who had ever looked at them and seen what was there.
Back then, overwhelmed and full of fear, they sank beneath the surface into chaos. But they made it out alive. And this time, Rothko is determined that things will be different.
A decade since Kae Tempest's last novel, Having Spent Life Seeking is about family and forgiveness; redemption and atonement; desire and abandon; selfhood and community. This book is about things we seek when we are hiding, and what finds us, if we can let ourselves be seen.
The Birth of British Special Forces
This study reveals how the Household Division became the driving force behind Britain's special forces during the Second World War. Drawing on primary sources, Charles Trumpess traces the transformation from parade ground to battlefield, showing how Guards officers like Robert Laycock, David Stirling, and Frederick Browning leveraged social connections to create the Commandos, LRDG, SAS, and Parachute Regiment. Through character portraits, the book follows the evolution from No. 8 (Guards) Commando to modern G Squadron, 22 SAS. It reveals how Caterham's punishing training produced the self-reliance essential for special operations, how White's Club became an unofficial recruiting centre, and why the ‘old boys' network’ proved crucial to wartime innovation.
Ugly Animals
Mother Nature’s more aesthetically challenged children have been neglected for too long. The plight of the panda is known the world over because of its teddy-like good looks, but most species are not so lucky. This book, however, aims to shine a light on some of the many ignored and unloved wonders of the animal kingdom. Their hideousness hides their incredible biology and means that we may not have noticed that they need our help. It is time to celebrate the Ugly Animals.
A Guide to Southern Utah's Hole-in-the-Rock Trail
New Edition! In 1879, 230 settlers in southwestern Utah heeded the call from leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to pull up stakes and move to the distant San Juan country of southeastern Utah. Their year-long journey became one of the most extraordinary wagon trips ever undertaken in North America, their trail one of peril, difficulty, and spectacular vistas. Beginning in Cedar City, Utah, this trail crosses today’s Dixie National Forest, skirts Bryce Canyon National Park, bisects the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, crosses the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and comes close to Natural Bridges National Monument on its way to Bluff, Utah. Though the trail that these devoted pioneers broke across raw frontier was used for several years afterward, no highway was built over most of the route because it was deemed too rugged for modern vehicles. In addition to the historical value of the story of these pioneers, this guide includes road logs, maps, and hiking trails along the historic trail. It also points out fascinating natural history along the way, making A Guide to Southern Utah’s Hole-in-the-Rock Trail a significant reference for a variety of readers.
A Four-Eyed World
An engaging and informative cultural history of glasses that explores their origins, stigmas, future in technology, and more. Eyeglasses have become so commonplace we hardly think about them—unless we can’t find them. Yet glasses have been controversial throughout history. Roger Bacon pioneered using lenses to see and then spent a decade in a medieval prison for advocating that he could “fix” God’s creations by improving our eyesight. Even today, people take off their glasses before having their picture taken, despite how necessary they are. A Four-Eyed World: How Glasses Changed the Way We See is the first book to investigate the experience of wearing glasses and contacts and their role in culture. David King Dunaway encourages readers to take a look at how they literally see the world through what they wear. He explores everything from the history of deficient eyesight and how glasses are made to portrayals of those who wear glasses in media, the stigma surrounding them, and the future of augmented and virtual reality glasses, highlighting how glasses have shaped, and continue to shape, who we are. Interwoven is Dunaway’s own experience of spending a week without his glasses, which he has used since childhood, to see the world around him and his newfound appreciation for his visual aids. This is the story of how we see the world and how our ability to see things has evolved, ultimately asking: How have two cloudy, quarter-sized discs of crystal or glass originally riveted together become so essential to human existence? Shakespeare famously said eyes are windows to the soul, but what about people who see only by covering theirs with glasses? Readers will find out together through this fascinating and insightful cultural history of one of humanity’s greatest inventions.
Enter Eddie Shakespeare
The course of true brotherhood never did run smooth!1592. Meet Eddie Shakespeare, determined to follow his big brother William to London to become a player. Eddie’s plan is simple: 1. Run away from home in Stratford. 2. Find his big brother Will in the city. 3. Act in London’s playhouses and win fame and glory. As it turns out, the very last person the aspiring playwright William Shakespeare wants to see is his bothersome little brother, when he has more than enough worries of his own. But the truth is: William Shakespeare’s life is in danger. And worse, only Eddie knows it.
The Hyena's Daughter
From Ali Smith: “The Hyena’s Daughter tells the far-too-untold story of a c19th sisterhood, thedaughters of Mary Wollstonecraft: Fanny Imlay and Mary Shelley, the famedwriter of Frankenstein, plus their step-sister Claire Clairmont, lover of LordByron. Are they the three graces? The fates? They’re women, as alive and breathingand rebellious and analytical as you and me, and well aware and critical of thehemmed-in nature they’re expected to accept as women of their time – a timeof “a new way of thinking, a new-world independence, a revolutionary world.” It features their connection to Percy Bysshe Shelley – “how could we not lovehim, with his lofty ethics and words that flew like birds?” –and many of theother contemporary poets and thinkers of the time. Pacy and assured, it turns its history to life from fragment to sensuousfragment. If the dead brought to life is to be Mary Shelley’s theme, this novellaasks what the real source of life spirit is, the vital spark. This book, full of detailand richesse, is a piece of vitality in itself.”
Najpredávanejší autori v tejto kategórii: Dominik Dán, Joanne K. Rowling, Freida McFadden, Elle Kennedy, Sarah J. Maasová.




























