Mann is well aware that much of the history he relates isnecessarily speculative, the product of pot-shard interpretationand precise scientific measurements that often end up beingradically revised in later decades. But the most compelling of hiseye-opening revisionist stories are among the best-founded: thestories of early American-European contact. To many of those whowere there, the earliest encounters felt more like a meeting ofequals than one of natural domination. And those who came later andfound an emptied landscape that seemed ripe for the taking, Mannargues convincingly, encountered not the natural and unchangingstate of the native American, but the evidence of a suddencalamity: the ravages of what was likely the greatest epidemic inhuman history, the smallpox and other diseases introducedinadvertently by Europeans to a population without immunity, whichswept through the Americas faster than the explorers who broughtit, and left behind for their discovery a land that held only ashadow of the

Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman inEurope, the wife of two kings and mother of three, Eleanor ofAquitaine was one of the great heroines of the Middle Ages. At atime when women were regarded as little more than chattel, Eleanormanaged to defy convention as she exercised power in the politicalsphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. In thisbeautifully written biography, Alison Weir paints a vibrantportrait of this truly exceptional woman, and provides new insightsinto her intimate world. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a long life ofmany contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and inthis stunning narrative, Weir captures the woman— and the queen—inall her glory. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizingpageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue,she recreates not only a remarkable personality but a magnificentpast era.

National Bestseller New York Times Editors’ Choice Winner of the PEN Hessell Tiltman Prize Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize Silver Medalist for the Arthur Ross Book Award of the Council on Foreign Relations Finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award For six months in 1919, after the end of “the war to end allwars,” the Big Three—President Woodrow Wilson, British primeminister David Lloyd George, and French premier GeorgesClemenceau—met in Paris to shape a lasting peace. In this landmarkwork of narrative history, Margaret MacMillan gives a dramatic andintimate view of those fateful days, which saw new politicalentities—Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Palestine, among them—born out ofthe ruins of bankrupt empires, and the borders of the modern worldredrawn.

In this deeply researched and clearly written book, thePulitzer Prize–winning historian Alan Taylor tells the rivetingstory of a war that redefined North America. During the earlynineteenth century, Britons and Americans renewed their struggleover the legacy of the American Revolution. Soldiers, immigrants,settlers, and Indians fought in a northern borderland to determinethe fate of a continent. Would revolutionary republicanism sweepthe British from Canada? Or would the British empire contain,divide, and ruin the shaky American republic? In a world of double identities, slippery allegiances, and porousboundaries, the leaders of the republic and of the empire struggledto control their own diverse peoples. The border dividedAmericans—former Loyalists and Patriots—who fought on both sides inthe new war, as did native peoples defending their homelands.Serving in both armies, Irish immigrants battled one another,reaping charges of rebellion and treason. And dissident Americansflirted with seces

Mann is well aware that much of the history he relates isnecessarily speculative, the product of pot-shard interpretationand precise scientific measurements that often end up beingradically revised in later decades. But the most compelling of hiseye-opening revisionist stories are among the best-founded: thestories of early American-European contact. To many of those whowere there, the earliest encounters felt more like a meeting ofequals than one of natural domination. And those who came later andfound an emptied landscape that seemed ripe for the taking, Mannargues convincingly, encountered not the natural and unchangingstate of the native American, but the evidence of a suddencalamity: the ravages of what was likely the greatest epidemic inhuman history, the smallpox and other diseases introducedinadvertently by Europeans to a population without immunity, whichswept through the Americas faster than the explorers who broughtit, and left behind for their discovery a land that held only ashadow of the thrivi

“WEIR’S BOOK OUTSHINES ALL PREVIOUS STUDIES OF HENRY.Beautifully written, exhaustive in its research, it is a gem. . . .She succeeds masterfully in making Henry and his six wives . . .come alive for the reader.” –Philadelphia Inquirer Henry VIII, renownedfor his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presidedover one of the most magnificent–and dangerous–courts inRenaissance Europe. Never before has a detailed, personal biographyof this charismatic monarch been set against the cultural, social,and political background of his glittering court. Now Alison Weir,author of the finest royal chronicles of our time, brings tovibrant life the turbulent, complex figure of the King. Packed withcolorful de*ion, meticulous in historical detail, rich inpageantry, intrigue, passion, and luxury, Weir brilliantly rendersKing Henry VIII, his court, and the fascinating men and women whovied for its pleasures and rewards. The result is an absolutelyspellbinding read.

In Absolute War, acclaimed historian and journalist ChrisBellamy crafts the first full account since the fall of the SovietUnion of World War II's battle on the Eastern Front, one of thedeadliest conflicts in history. The conflict on the Eastern Front, fought between the SovietUnion and Nazi Germany between 1941 and 1945, was the greatest,most costly, and most brutal conflict on land in human history. Itwas arguably the single most decisive factor of the war, and shapedthe postwar world as we know it. In this magisterial work, Bellamyoutlines the lead-up to the war, in which the fragile alliancebetween the two dictators was unceremoniously broken, and examinesits far-reaching consequences, arguing that the cost of victory wasultimately too much for the Soviet Union to bear. With breadth ofscope and a surfeit of new information, this is the definitivehistory of a conflict whose reverberations are still felttoday.

THE CIA IN ITS GLORY DAYS and the mad confidence that led todisaster in Vietnam are the subjects of Roger Warner's prizewinninghistory, Shooting at the Moon: The CIA's War in Laos (firstpublished as Back Fire, Simon Schuster, 1995). For a fewyears in the early 1960s the CIA seemed to be running a perfectcovert war in Laos - quiet, inexpensive, just enough arms to helpMeo tribesmen defend their home territory from the Communist PathetLao. Then the big American war next door in Vietnam spilled acrossthe border. How the perfect covert war ballooned into sorrow anddisaster is the story Roger Warner tell in Shooting at the Moon,awarded the Cornelius Ryan Award for 1995's Best Book on ForeignAffairs by the Overseas Press Club. Warner describes his characters with a novelist's touch -soldiers and diplomats busy with war-making; CIA field officersfrom bareknuckle warriors to the quiet men pulling strings in theshadows; and above all the Meo as they realized they had been leddown the garden path.

Book De*ion Marco Polo?s account of his journey throughout the East in thethirteenth century was one of the earliest European travelnarratives, and it remains the most important. Themerchant-traveler from Venice, the first to cross the entirecontinent of Asia, provided us with accurate de*ions of lifein China, Tibet, India, and a hundred other lands, and recordedcustoms, natural history, strange sights, historical legends, andmuch more. From the dazzling courts of Kublai Khan to the perilousdeserts of Persia, no book contains a richer magazine of marvelsthan the Travels. This edition, selected and edited by the great scholar ManuelKomroff, also features the classic and stylistically brilliantMarsden translation, revised and corrected, as well as Komroff?sIntroduction to the 1926 edition. Book Dimension length: (cm)19.7 width:(cm)12.8

Two of the most influential figures in American history. Twoopposing political philosophies. Two radically different visionsfor America. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were without question twoof the most important Founding Fathers. They were also the fiercestof rivals. Of these two political titans, it is Jefferson—–therevered author of the Declaration of Independence and our thirdpresident—–who is better remembered today. But in fact it isHamilton’s political legacy that has triumphed—–a legacy that hassubverted the Constitution and transformed the federal governmentinto the very leviathan state that our forefathers fought againstin the American Revolution. How did we go from the Jeffersonian ideal of limited governmentto the bloated imperialist system of Hamilton’s design? Acclaimedeconomic historian Thomas J. DiLorenzo provides the troublinganswer in Hamilton’s Curse. DiLorenzo reveals how Hamilton, first as a delegate to theConstitutional Convention and

Includes a complete copy of the Constitution.Fifty-five menmet in Philadelphia in 1787 to write a document that would create acountry and change a world. Here is a remarkable rendering of thatfateful time, told with humanity and humor. "The best popularhistory of the Constitutional Convention available."--LibraryJournal From the Paperback edition.

Peter Ackroyd at his most magical and magisterial—aglittering, evocative, fascinating, story-filled portrait ofVenice, the ultimate city. The Venetians’ language and way of thinking setthem aside from the rest of Italy. They are an island people,linked to the sea and to the tides rather than the land. Thislat?est work from the incomparable Peter Ackroyd, like a magicgondola, transports its readers to that sensual and surprisingcity. His account embraces facts and romance, conjuring up the atmosphereof the canals, bridges, and sunlit squares, the churches and themarkets, the festivals and the flowers. He leads us through thehistory of the city, from the first refugees arriving in the mistsof the lagoon in the fourth century to the rise of a greatmercantile state and its trading empire, the wars against Napoleon,and the tourist invasions of today. Everything is here: themerchants on the Rialto and the Jews in the ghetto; theglassblowers of Murano; the carnival masks and the sad colonies oflepers; the

“Admirers of FDR credit his New Deal with restoring theAmerican economy after the disastrous contraction of 1929—33. Truthto tell–as Powell demonstrates without a shadow of a doubt–the NewDeal hampered recovery from the contraction, prolonged and added tounemployment, and set the stage for ever more intrusive and costlygovernment. Powell’s analysis is thoroughly documented, relying onan impressive variety of popular and academic literature bothcontemporary and historical.” – Milton Friedman , Nobel Laureate, Hoover Institution “There is a critical and often forgotten difference betweendisaster and tragedy. Disasters happen to us all, no matter what wedo. Tragedies are brought upon ourselves by hubris. The Depressionof the 1930s would have been a brief disaster if it hadn’t been forthe national tragedy of the New Deal. Jim Powell has proventhis.” – P.J. O’Rourke , author of Parliament of Whores and Eat theRich “The material laid out in this book desperat

Part of the briefing included familiarizing the men with theenemy uniforms. Private Robert “Lightnin” Hayes had thisrecollection to add: “I remember the day we were assembled in atent for the first time and an officer told us where we were goingto jump. He then paused to watch our reactions. There was a sandtable near by with a facsimile of the terrain on which we weregoing to drop. There were tw...

What is fascism? Many authors have proposed definitions, butmost fail to move beyond the abstract. The esteemed historianRobert O. Paxton answers this question for the first time byfocusing on the concrete: what the fascists did, rather than whatthey said. From the first violent uniformed bands beating up“enemies of the state,” through Mussolini’s rise to power, toGermany’s fascist radicalization in World War II, Paxton showsclearly why fascists came to power in some countries and notothers, and explores whether fascism could exist outside theearly-twentieth-century European setting in which it emerged. The Anatomy of Fascism will have a lasting impact on ourunderstanding of modern European history, just as Paxton’s classicVichy France redefined our vision of World War II. Based on alifetime of research, this compelling and important book transformsour knowledge of fascism–“the major political innovation of thetwentieth century, and the source of much of its pain.”

Writing with passion and intelligence, Said retraces thePalestinian Hejira, its disastrous flirtation with Saddam Hussein,and its ambitious peace accord with Israel. Said demolishes Westernstereotypes about the Muslim world and Islam's illusions aboutitself, leaving a masterly synthesis of scholarship and polemicwith the power to redefine the debate over the Middle East.

“What is the scene or incident in European history that youwould like to have witnessed-and why?” In this companion to I Wish I'd Been There: Twenty HistoriansBring to Life the Dramatic Events that Changed America , some ofour finest historical writers now turn their attention to Europe,with lively and detailed accounts of some of the most dramaticevents in history. Guided by peerless scholars such as PaulKennedy, John Keegan, Ross King, Freeman Dyson, and KatherineDuncan-Jones, readers will be transported to the signing of MagnaCarta, the Versailles Conference, the German surrender in WWII onLuneburg Heath, and other key turning points in the drama ofEuropean history. These essays encompass two millenia and an entirecontinent, addressing issues of politics, law, religion, peace andwar, science and the arts, and social change, all telescoped intofinely observed narratives. The result is an historical pageant ofcharacters and episodes that will attract and delight all readersof history.

A memoir by a World War II ordinance officer offers abehind-the-scenes account of his ordnance inspections during theEuropean campaign, detailing his experiences on the front line andhis job coordinating the recovery and repair of damaged Americantanks. Reprint.

Advance praise for The Memoirs of Catherine the Great “Superb. The translation of the Memoirs is fluid, accessible, andidiomatic, while remaining accurate and as delightful as theoriginal. Students will heartily enjoy this excursion into thehistorical and literary world of the great empress.” –Cynthia Hyla Whittaker, professor and chair, Department ofHistory, Baruch College/CUNY “Several translations of the memoirs of Catherine the Great havebeen published before, but none of them can compare with thislatest edition. Mark Cruse and Hilde Hoogenboom have produced amasterpiece. Their translation fairly sings, capturing withstunning virtuosity all the beguiling wit and charm that make thesememoirs one of the most fascinating works ever penned by a Europeanmonarch.” –Douglas Smith, editor and translator of Love and Conquest:Personal Correspondence of Catherine the Great and Prince GrigoryPotemkin “Catherine the Great’s memoirs are a classic

Less than 100 years after its creation as a fragile republic,the United States more than quadrupled its size, making it theworld's third largest nation. No other country or sovereign powerhad ever grown so big so fast or become so rich and sopowerful. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Richard Kluger chronicles thisepic achievement in a compelling narrative, celebrating the energy,daring, and statecraft behind America's insatiable land hungerwhile exploring the moral lapses that accompanied it. Comprehensiveand balanced, Seizing Destiny is a revelatory, often surprisingreexamination of the nation's breathless expansion, dwelling onboth great accomplishments and the American people's tendency toconfuse opportunistic success with heaven-sent entitlement thatcame to be called manifest destiny.

Paul Cartledge, one of the world’s foremost scholars ofancient Greece, illuminates the brief but iconic life of Alexander(356-323 BC), king of Macedon, conqueror of the Persian Empire, andfounder of a new world order. Alexander's legacy has had a major impact on military tacticians,scholars, statesmen, adventurers, authors, and filmmakers.Cartledge brilliantly evokes Alexander's remarkable political andmilitary accomplishments, cutting through the myths to show why hewas such a great leader. He explores our endless fascination withAlexander and gives us insight into his charismatic leadership, hiscapacity for brutality, and his sophisticated grasp ofinternational politics. Alexander the Great is an engagingportrait of a fascinating man, and a welcome balance to the myths,legends, and often skewed history that have obscured the realAlexander.

September 17, 1944. Thousands of Screaming Eagles–101stAirborne Division paratroopers–descend from the sky over Holland,dropping deep behind German lines in a daring daylight mission toseize and secure the road leading north to Arnhem and the Rhine.Their success would allow the Allied army to advance swiftly intoGermany. The Screaming Eagles accomplish their initial objectiveswithin hours, but keeping their sections of “Hell’s Highway” opentakes another seventy-two days of fierce round-the-clock fightingagainst crack German troops and tank divisions. Drawing on interviews with more than six hundred paratroopers,George E. Koskimaki chronicles, with vivid firsthand accounts, thedramatic, never-before-told story of the Screaming Eagles’ valiantstruggle. Hell’s Highway also tellsof the Dutch citizens andmembers of the underground who were liberated after five years ofNazi oppression and never forgot America’s airborne heroes. Thisrenowned force risked their lives for the freedom of a