Историческая литература
Различные книги в жанре Историческая литератураScotland: The Story of a Nation
A timely and vivid look at Scotland’s long and difficult road to nationhood, re-exploring some cherished myths and unearthing a wealth of fascinating new detail.This edition contains a limited number of illustrations.Magnus Magnusson’s starting point is Sir Walter Scott’s classic version of Scotland’s history, ‘Tales of a Grandfather’ (1827-29), which has moulded the views of generations of Scottish schoolchildren. Like Scott, Magnus Magnusson is a master story teller. In investigating the many questions raised by the nation’s turbulent and often poignant past, he gives full weight to the living treasure of local legends and tradition which he believes has as much resonance as academic analysis.Where did the ‘Scots’ come from? What is the truth about such historical figures as Macbeth, William Wallace and Robert Bruce? What was the significance of the tragic reign of Mary Queen of Scots? What was the impact of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his brutal defeat at Culloden?Incorporating the findings of many leading modern historians, ‘Scotland: The Story of a Nation’ casts the nation’s history in a fascinating new light. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Scotland at this pivotal moment in its history.
Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna
Following on from his epic ‘1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow’, bestselling author Adam Zamoyski has written the dramatic story of the Congress of Vienna.In the wake of his disastrous Russian campaign of 1812, Napoleon's imperious grip on Europe began to weaken, raising the question of how the Continent was to be reconstructed after his defeat. There were many who dreamed of a peace to end all wars, in which the interests of peoples as well as those of rulers would be taken into account. But what followed was an unseemly and at times brutal scramble for territory by the most powerful states, in which countries were traded as if they had been private and their inhabitants counted like cattle.The results, fixed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, not only laid the foundations of the European world we know; it put in place a social order and a security system that lie at the root of many of the problems which dog the world today. Although the defining moments took place in Vienna, and the principle players included Tsar Alexander I of Russia, the Austrian Chancellor Metternich, the Duke of Wellington and the French master of diplomacy Talleyrand, as well as Napoleon himself, the accepted view of the gathering of statesmen reordering the Continent in elegant salons is a false one. Many of the crucial questions were decided on the battlefield or in squalid roadside cottages amid the vagaries of war. And the proceedings in Vienna itself were not as decorous as is usually represented.Drawing on a wide range of first-hand sources in six languages, which include not only official documents, private letters, diaries and first-hand accounts, but also the reports of police spies and informers, Adam Zamoyski gets below the thin veneer of courtliness and reveals that the new Europe was forged by men in thrall to fear, greed and lust, in an atmosphere of moral depravity in which sexual favours were traded as readily as provinces and the 'souls' who inhabited them. He has created a chilling account, full of menace as well as frivolity.
Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket
(This edition includes a limited number of illustrations.)‘Redcoat is a wonderful book. It is not just a work of history – but one of enthusiasm and unparalleled knowledge.' BERNARD CORNWELL‘Redcoat is a wonderful book. It is not just a work of history – but one of enthusiasm and unparalleled knowledge.' BERNARD CORNWELLRedcoat is the story of the British soldier from c.1760 until c.1860 – surely one of the most enduring and magnetic subjects of the British past. Solidly based on the letters and diaries of the men who served and the women who followed them, the book is rich in the history of the period. It charts Wolfe's victory and death at Quebec, the American War of Independence, the Duke of York's campaign in Flanders, Wellington's Peninsular War, Waterloo,the retreat from Kabul, the Sikh wars in 1845-9, the Crimean war and the Indian Mutiny.The focus of Redcoat, however, is the individual recollection and experience of the ordinary soldiers serving in the wars fought by Georgian and early Victorian England.Through their stories and anecdotes – of uniforms, equipment,'taking the King's shilling', flogging, wounds, food, barrack life, courage, comradeship, death, love and loss – Richard Holmes provides a comprehensive portrait of a fallible but extraordinarily successful fighting force.'Such a scene of mortal strife from the fire of fifty men was never witnessed…' writes Harry Smith of the 95th Rifles, recounting the death of a brother officer in Spain in 1813. 'I wept over his remains with a bursting heart as, with his company who adored him, I consigned to the grave the last external appearance of Daniel Cadoux. His fame can never die.' Smith's account is typical of the emotions and experiences of the men who appear on every page of this book, sporting their red uniforms to fight for King and country.
Philippa Gregory 3-Book Tudor Collection 1: The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance
From the bestselling author of THE WHITE QUEEN – the first three novels of her Tudor Court series: THE CONSTANT PRINCESS, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, THE BOLEYN INHERITANCETHE CONSTANT PRINCESS tells the story of Henry VIII’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon, the Spanish princess raised to be Queen of England and first brought to England to marry Henry’s older brother, Prince Arthur. But when her new husband dies, she must fight for her birthright – and in marrying the now heir to the throne, she must tell the greatest lie… and hold to it.THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, made famous by the film adaptation, tells the story of the less notorious Boleyn sister, Mary, who catches the wandering eye of the young King Henry VIII. But when he tires of her, she sets out to school her sister, Anne, as a replacement – and before their story is over, the course of English history has been irrevocably changed. Politics and passion are inextricably bound together in this compelling drama.In THE BOLEYN INHERITANCE, the court of Henry VIII is increasingly fearful at the moods of the ageing sick king. With only a baby in the cradle for an heir, Henry must take another wife and the dangerous prize of the crown of England is won by Anne of Cleves. Anne, although fascinated by the glamour of her new surroundings, senses a trap closing around her. Katherine Howard is confident that she can follow in the steps of her cousin Anne Boleyn to dazzle her way to the throne but her kinswoman Jane Boleyn, haunted by the past, knows that Anne’s path led to Tower Green and to an adulterer’s death.
On the Spartacus Road: A Spectacular Journey through Ancient Italy
In this inspiring and original book, former editor of The Times, Sir Peter Stothard, re-traces the journey taken by Spartacus and his army of rebels.In the final century of the first Roman Republic an army of slaves brought a peculiar terror to the people of Italy. Its leaders were gladiators. Its purpose was incomprehensible. Its success was something no one before had ever known.The Spartacus Road is the route along which this rebel army outfought the Roman legions between 73 and 71BC, bringing both fears and hopes that have never wholly left the modern mind. It is a road that stretches through 2,000 miles of Italian countryside and out into 2,000 years of world history.In this inspiring and original memoir, the former editor of The Times, Peter Stothard, takes us on an extraordinary journey. The result is a book like none other – at once a journalist’s notebook, a classicist’s celebration, a survivor’s record of a near fatal cancer and the history of a unique and brutal war.As he travels along the Spartacus road – through the ruins of Capua to Vesuvius and the lost Greek cities of the Italian south – Stothard’s prose illuminates conflicting memories of times ancient and modern, the simultaneously foreign and familiar, one of the greatest stories of all ages. Sweepingly erudite and strikingly personal, “On the Spartacus Road” is non-fiction writing of the highest order.
Monarchy: From the Middle Ages to Modernity
To coincide with the Channel 4 series to be aired at the end of this year – David Starkey's ‘Monarchy’ charts the rise of the British monarchy from the War of the Roses, the English Civil War and the Georgians, right up until the present day monarchs of the 20th Century.David Starkey’s magisterial new book Monarchy charts the rise of the British crown from the insurgency of the War of the Roses, through the glory and dangers of the Tudors, to the insolvency of the Stuarts and chaos of the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, the rule of a commoner who was ‘king in all but name’, the importing of a German dynasty, and the coming-to-terms with modernity under the wise guidance of another German, Victoria’s Prince Consort Albert. An epilogue brings to story up to the present and asks questions about the future.The crown of England is the oldest surviving political institution in Europe. And yet, throughout this book Starkey emphasises the Crown’s endless capacity to reinvent itself to circumstances and reshape national polity whilst he unmasks the personalities and achievements, the defeats and victories, which lie behind the kings and queens of British history.Each of these monarchs has contributed, in their own way, to the religion, geography, laws, language and government that we currently live with today. In this book,Starkey demonstrates exactly how these states were arrived at, how these monarchs subtly influenced each other, which battles were won and why, whose whim or failure caused religious tradition to wither or flourish, and which monarchs, through their acumen and strength or single minded determination came to enforce the laws of England.With his customary authority and verve, David Starkey reignites these personalities to produce an entertaining and masterful account of these figures whose many victories and failures are the building blocks upon which Britain today is built. Far more than a biography of kings and queens, ‘Monarchy’ is a radical reappraisal of British nationhood, culture and politics, shown through the most central institution in British life.
Memory of the World: The treasures that record our history from 1700 BC to the present day
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, priceless documentary heritage records the diversity of languages, peoples and knowledge that has influenced humanity from the early days of human history to the present. This heritage documents important events, discoveries or inventions that have transformed the world.The UNESCO Memory of the World programme was created to preserve these recorded treasures of humanity and mobilize resources so that future generations can enjoy this legacy which is preserved in the major libraries, archives and museums across the globe.This book is a full listing of all entries on the official UNESCO Memory of the World international register:• Unique list of documentary heritage from around the world• Photographs and descriptions for 244 precious documents• All entries identified by the UNESCO International Advisory Committee and endorsed by the Director-GeneralEntries include:• 42-line Gutenberg Bible, printed on vellum• Archives of the International Prisoners of War Agency, 1914-1923• Bayeux Tapestry• Magna Carta, issued in 1215• Philippine Paleographs (Hanunoo, Buid, Tagbanua and Pala’wan)• The Endeavour Journal of James Cook• The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming 1939)• Russian posters of the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries• The Battle of the Somme documentary• The Atlas Blaeu-Van der Hem
Master of His Fate: The gripping new Victorian epic from the author of A Woman of Substance
The gripping, epic new historical family saga from the author of A Woman of Substance.From Victorian London to the vibrant port cities of England and France, from gracious stately homes in Gloucestershire to the decadence of Paris, Master of his Fate launches an unforgettable new historical series.London 1884: Queen Victoria is Empress of India and Britain is at its peak of worldwide power.James Falconer works as a barrow boy in a flourishing London market owned by Henry Malvern. But James hungers for more. Turning away from family tradition, he dreams of building an empire of stores like Fortnum and Mason’s and believes that Henry, along with his daughter and heir Alexis, could offer him a way to climb beyond his beginnings.But tragedy and betrayal threaten the dreams of both James and Alexis – and jeopardise everything they hold dear…
Len Deighton 3-Book War Collection Volume 1: Bomber, XPD, Goodbye Mickey Mouse
Three classic novels of the Second World War by the ‘greatest war novelist of our time’, together in one e-bundle for the first time.During the years 1939-45 Europe was in the midst of a titanic struggle for supremacy, involving man and machine. The drama, horror, romance and excitement of that time is captured in three acclaimed novels by Len Deighton:Bomber – an epic masterpiece that tells the story of a fictional RAF bombing raid on a German industrial town in 1943. As events unfold we share the experience from the perspective of the bomber crew, their friends and family, the Luftwaffe pilots trying to stop them and the German townsfolk who will endure the incendiary onslaught.XPD – 1940: With Winston Churchill missing, a private aircraft takes off from a small town in France, while Adolf Hitler, the would-be conqueror of Europe, prepares for a clandestine meeting near the Belgian border. For more than forty years the events of this day have been Britain’s most closely guarded secret. Anyone who learns of them must die, with their file stamped: XPD – expedient demise…Goodbye Mickey Mouse – a vivid evocation of what it’s like to be at war, and in love, in wartime England. Two American fighter pilots are worlds apart but form a bond flying escort missions over Germany in the winter of 1944. Yet their friendship will be tested away from the heat of battle with far-reaching consequences for them and those they love.
Left for Dead?: The Strange Death and Rebirth of the Labour Party
A timely and provocative account of the fall of New Labour, the rise of Corbyn, and what it means for the left in Britain.‘Lewis Goodall is one of the most exciting voices in British politics right now’ Emily Maitlis‘Hugely illuminating, thought-provoking and moving in its seriousness and optimism’ Lord Andrew AdonisIn the 21st Century the Labour Party has undergone the most extraordinary transformation in its history. After more than a decade of political dominance, the party lost two consecutive general elections and found its leadership usurped by the obscure far-left MP Jeremy Corbyn. As Britain voted to leave the EU, Labour seemed destined for long term irrelevance.But then it all changed. Far from being the death of the party as many had predicted, at one fell stroke the general election of 2017 heralded its strange and unexpected rebirth. Against all the odds, Corbyn became the first Labour leader since 1997 to gain the party seats, and was simultaneously hailed as the saviour of the British Left and a harbinger of doom for its New Labour elite.In Left for Dead? journalist Lewis Goodall tells the full story of this political revolution with unprecedented access to all its key players, from Blair to Corbyn. Weaving together personal memoir, exclusive interviews, juicy gossip and incisive critique, he travels from the streets of his childhood in the shadow of the Birmingham Rover factory to the corridors of power in Westminster, tracing the journey of the party from the twilight of the ‘Third Way’ to the tumult of the financial crisis to the ravages of Brexit and Corbynism.Because one thing is for certain – while the left in Britain might not be dead, the traditional social democratic centre-left which we have known since the war is barely twitching in the road. But what has replaced it? Where has it come from? And what does it mean for the long-term future of the Labour Party?