Harpercollins The Thirties. An Intimate History of Britain Gardiner Juliet

The Italian Renaissance shaped Western culture - but it was far stranger and darker than many of us realise. We know the Mona Lisa for her smile, but not that she was married to a slave-trader. We revere Leonardo da Vinci for his art, but few now appreciate his ingenious designs for weaponry. We visit Florence to see Michelangelo's David, but hear nothing of the massacre that forced the republic's surrender. In fact, many of the Renaissance's most celebrated artists and thinkers emerged not during the celebrated 'rebirth' of the fifteenth century but amidst the death and destruction of the sixteenth century • The Beauty and the Terror is an enrapturing narrative which includes the forgotten women writers, Jewish merchants, mercenaries, prostitutes, farmers and citizens who lived the Renaissance every day

Did you know there are over 47,000 facts in the world? And the good news is, many of them are in this book. That’s right, The Grand Tour A-Z of the Car is the only reference guide you need for cars, driving and all related matters, especially if you’re not too fussed about those facts being accurate • In this lavishly tooled book you will find a rich and satisfying collection of motor-related informations from the origins of Porsche and the fate of Lada to the dark history of the Wankel engine and the correct name for those weird little hairs on new tyres • Throughout the book, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are on hand to share their knowledge and wisdom, and then we’ve made the pictures bigger to fill in the gaps around it • If you want to impress your friends, and then annoy your friends, and then cause your friends to think “Oh God, now they’re telling us about the slightly ironic way in which the founder of MG died” before hurriedly leaving your house, possibly forever, The Grand Tour A-Z of the Car is the book for you

Funerary rituals show us what people thought about mortality; how they felt about loss; what they believed came next. From Roman cremations and graveside feasts, to deviant burials with heads rearranged, from richly furnished Anglo Saxon graves to the first Christian burial grounds in Wales, Buried provides an alternative history of the first millennium in Britain. As she did with her pre-history of Britain in Ancestors, Professor Alice Roberts combines archaeological finds with cutting-edge DNA research and written history to shed fresh light on how people lived: by examining the stories of the dead

Robin Lane Fox's The Classical World: An Epic History of Greece and Rome is a comprehensive and enthralling introduction to Ancient civilization • The classical civilizations of Greece and Rome dominated the world for centuries and continue to intrigue and enlighten us with their inventions, whether philosophy, politics, theatre, athletics, celebrity, science or the pleasures of horse racing. Robin Lane Fox's spellbinding history, spans almost a thousand years of change from the foundation of the world's first democracy in Athens to the Roman Republic and the Empire under Hadrian • Bringing great figures such as Homer, Socrates, Cicero, Alexander, Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Augustus and the first Christian martyrs to life, exploring freedom, justice and luxury, this wonderfully exciting tour brings the turbulent histories of Greece and Rome together in a masterly study

Билл Брайсон сворачивает с автострад и проселочных дорог Средней Америки ради быстрой, волнующей поездки по маршруту американского языка и популярной культуры • В книге Made In America. An Informal History of American Брайсон рассказывает историю возникновения американского варианта английского языка и попутно развенчивает мифы о своей родине – объясняет, как пыльная деревушка в пустыне превратилась в Голливуд, как Дикий Запад не был завоеван, как американцы ели нездоровую пищу задолго до того, как появилось такое понятие и многое другое • Книга на английском языке • Bill Bryson turns away from travelling the highways and byways of middle America, so hilariously depicted in his bestselling The Lost Continent, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and Notes from a Big Country, for a fast, exhilarating ride along the Route 66 of American language and popular culture

The Green Flag stands as the most comprehensive and illuminating history of Irish Nationalism yet published. For many years available as three separate volumes (The Most Distressful Country, The Bold Fenian Men and Ourselves Alone), this outstanding history is now available as a single volume

If Britain's maritime history were embodied in a single ship, she would have a prehistoric prow, a mast plucked from a Victorian steamship, the hull of a modest fishing vessel, the propeller of an ocean liner and an anchor made of stone. We might call her Asunder, and, fantastical though she is, we could in fact find her today, scattered in fragments across the country's creeks and coastlines • In his moving and original new history, Tom Nancollas goes in search of eleven relics that together tell the story of Britain at sea. From the swallowtail prow of a Bronze Age vessel to a stone ship moored at a Baroque quayside, each one illuminates a distinct phase of our adventures upon the waves; each brings us close to the people, places and vessels that made a maritime nation

No building has been more intimately involved in the story of Britain than the Tower of London - a mighty, brooding stronghold in the very heart of the capital. This title presents the story of the Tower of London as an ancient structure and as a living symbol of the nation

With stunning illustrations and over 60 flaps to lift, children can explore plague-ridden London, the British Empire, a Victorian factory and other key events in Britain’s incredible history. Scenes include “The Middle Ages”, “Tudor Times” and “Britain at War”. A “Famous People” section at the back of the book features Britons of note such as Oliver Cromwell, Emmeline Pankhurst and The Beatles

In the annals of military history, the Western Front stands as an enduring symbol of the folly and futility of war • However, as bestselling military historian Nick Lloyd reveals in this highly-praised history - the first of an epic trilogy -- the story is not one of pointlessness and stupidity, but rather a heroic triumph against the odds. With a cast of hundreds and a huge canvas of places and events, Lloyd tells the whole tale, revealing what happened in France and Belgium between August 1914 and November 1918 from the perspective of all the main combatants - including French, British, Belgian, US and, most importantly, German forces • Lloyd examines the most decisive campaigns of the Great War and explains the unprecedented innovation, adaptation and tactical development that have been too long obscured by legends of mud, blood and futility, drawing upon the latest scholarship on the war, wrongly overlooked first-person accounts, and archival material from every angle

Starting from the ocean and from the forgotten histories of ocean-facing communities, this is a new history of the making of our world • After revolutions in America and France, a wave of tumult coursed the globe from 1790 to 1850. It was a moment of unprecedented change and violence especially for indigenous peoples. By 1850 vibrant public debate between colonised communities had exploded in port cities. Yet in the midst of all of this, Britain struck out by sea and established its supremacy over the Indian and Pacific Oceans, overtaking the French and Dutch as well as other rivals • Cambridge historian Sujit Sivasundaram brings together his work in far-flung archives across the world and the best new academic research in this remarkably creative book

Traversing snowy mountain passes, vast, forbidding deserts, and stormy seas, the Silk Roads were about much more than the movement of goods: they paved the way for an unprecedented period of cultural exchange, diplomacy, and conflict, creating a legacy that continues to affect global geopolitics in the 21st century • Forged over millennia through a desire for enterprise, these trading routes have had a profound influence on Eurasia and beyond, connecting cultures, languages, customs, and religions. And with China now working to reopen this ancient trade network, the time is right to shine a new light on its history and impact • With helpful timelines and useful information boxes, The Silk Roads gives you everything you need to master the history of this world-changing region