This classic remains one of Karl Popper's most wide-ranging and popular works, notable not only for its acute insight into the way scientific knowledge grows, but also for applying those insights to politics and to history.

From the author of the Magellan biography, Over theEdge of the World, a mesmerizing new account of the greatexplorer. Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean insearch of a trading route to China, and his unexpected landfall inthe Americas, is a watershed event in world history. Yet Columbusmade three more voyages within the span of only a decade, eachdesigned to demonstrate that he could sail to China within a matterof weeks and convert those he found there to Christianity. Theselater voyages were even more adventurous, violent, and ambiguous,but they revealed Columbus's uncanny sense of the sea, his mingledbrilliance and delusion, and his superb navigational skills. In allthese exploits he almost never lost a sailor. By their conclusion,however, Columbus was broken in body and spirit. If the firstvoyage illustrates the rewards of exploration, the latter voyagesillustrate the tragic costs- political, moral, and economic. In rich detail Laurence Bergreen re-creates each of thesea

To Shakespeare's contemporaries, Richard II was a balanceddramatisation of the central political and constitutional issue ofthe time, how to cope with an unjust ruler. But over the lastcentury or so, the play came to be regarded as the poetic fall of atragic hero. The Introduction to this edition provides a fullcontext for both the Shakespearean and the modern views of KingRichard's fall. For this updated edition the editor has added a newsection to the Introduction which takes account of the number ofimportant professional theatre productions and the large output ofscholarly criticism on the play which have appeared in recentyears. The Reading List has also been revised and augmented.

The title is just the first of many startling asides, observations and insights that fill this guide to Hollywood on the Lacanian psychoanalyst’s couch. Zizek introduces the ideas of Jacques Lacan through the medium of American film, taking his examples from over 100 years of cinema, from Charlie Chaplin to The Matrix and referencing along the way such figures as Lenin and Hegel, Michel Foucault and Jesus Christ. Enjoy Your Symptom! is a thrilling guide to cinema and psychoanalysis from a thinker who is perhaps the last standing giant of cultural theory in the twenty-first century.

This second of two volumes gathering the essential writings of one of the towering figures of the American Revolution traces John Adams's career from his leading role in the debate over independence (he was "our Colossus on the floor," remembered Thomas Jefferson), to his tireless efforts to establish the fledgling government of the United States and supply its army in the field, to his crucial diplomatic service in Europe, where he was hailed as "the George Washington of negotiation." It includes the highly influential pamphlet Thoughts on Government (1776); the "Report of a Constitution for Massachusetts," (1780) Adams's blueprint for what remains the world's oldest working political ...

A visual journey through 3,000 years of naval warfare-now inpaperback! From the clash of galleys in Ancient Greece to deadlyencounters between nuclear-powered submarines in the 20th century,explore every aspect of the story of naval warfare on, under, andabove the sea.

“Will shape our thinking about America and theMiddle East for years.”—Christopher Dickey, Newsweek This best-selling history isthe first fully comprehensive history of America’s involvement inthe Middle East from George Washington to George W. Bush. As NiallFerguson writes, “If you think America’s entanglement in the MiddleEast began with Roosevelt and Truman, Michael Oren’s deeplyresearched and brilliantly written history will be a revelation toyou, as it was to me. With its cast of fascinatingcharacters—earnest missionaries, maverick converts, wide-eyedtourists, and even a nineteenth-century George Bush— Power,Faith, and Fantasy is not only a terrific read, it is alsoproof that you don’t really understand an issue until you know itshistory.”

The Battle ofNormandy was the greatest offensive campaign the world had everseen. Millions of soldiers struggling for the control of Europewere thrust onto the front lines of a massive war unlike anyexperienced in history. But this greatest of clashes would prove tobe the crucible in which the outcome of World War II would bedecided. It began on D-Day. June 6, 1944-the day that the Allied Forceslaunched Operation Overlord: the great crusade to free Europe fromthe iron grip of Nazi Germany. But only when the troops were ashoredid the real battle begin. With Nazi defenders marshaling to stop the invaders, Hitler and hisgenerals schemed to counterattack. Tightly constricted hedgerowcountry and bitter German resistance held the Allied advance to acrawl. Suddenly the Allies broke through and trapped the Naziarmies. Yet within weeks of this stunning disaster, the Germanssmashed the most dangerous Allied offensive yet. How was this possible? In Normandy Crucible , noted authorJohn Prados offers a penetrating acco

The smog beast wafted into downtown Los Angeles on July 26,1943. Nobody knew what it was. Secretaries rubbed their eyes.Traffic cops seemed to disappear in the mysterious haze. WereJapanese saboteurs responsible? A reckless factory? The truth wasmuch worse--it came from within, from Southern California'sburgeoning car-addicted, suburban lifestyle. Smogtown is the story of pollution, progress, and how anoptimistic people confronted the epic struggle against airbornepoisons barraging their hometowns. With wit, verve, and a freshlook at history, California based journalists Chip Jacobs andWilliam J. Kelly highlight the bold personalities involved, thecorporate- tainted science, the terrifying health costs, theattempts at cleanup, and how the smog battle helped mold themodern-day culture of Los Angeles. There are scofflaws aplenty anddirty deals, plus murders, suicides, spiritual despair, and anever-present paranoia about mass disaster. Brimming with historic photographs, forgotten anecdotes, a

When it opened in 1875, the Kaiserhof hotel was the epitome ofmodernity. The opulent hotel was one of Berlin's most fashionableresorts, the haunt of aristocrats and rich holidaymakers. In 1930,Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels used the Kaiserhof as the NaziParty headquarters. In 1946, the hotel, like much of bombed-outBerlin, was a hollow ruin. In 1975, on the spot where the grandhotel once stood, the North Korean embassy was erected, anarchitectural eyesore of appalling vulgarity. Berlin chartsdramatically the changing face of one of the twentieth century'smost fascinating cities at three crucial periods of itshistory. Berlin presents the buildings and structures of historicaland architectural interest which have been affected by events ofthe twentieth century: government buildings and grand hotels, cafesand department stores, theaters and railway stations can be seenfrom the same angle at three different points in time. Some of thestructures have vanished completely; some were restored after

After the Civil War, the building of the transcontinentalrailroad was the nineteenth century's most transformative event.Beginning in 1842 with a visionary's dream to span the continentwith twin bands of iron, Empire Express captures threedramatic decades in which the United States effectively doubled insize, fought three wars, and began to discover a new nationalidentity. From self--made entrepreneurs such as the Union Pacific'sThomas Durant and era--defining figures such as President Lincolnto the thousands of laborers whose backbreaking work made therailroad possible, this extraordinary narrative summons anastonishing array of voices to give new dimension not only to thisepic endeavor but also to the culture, political struggles, andsocial conflicts of an unforgettable period in Americanhistory.

The Road to Serfdom remains one of the all-time classics of twentieth-century intellectual thought. For over half a century, it has inspired politicians and thinkers around the world, and has had a crucial impact on our political and cultural history. With trademark brilliance, Hayek argues convincingly that, while socialist ideals may be tempting, they cannot be accomplished except by means that few would approve of. Addressing economics, fascism, history, socialism and the Holocaust, Hayek unwraps the trappings of socialist ideology. He reveals to the world that little can result from such ideas except oppression and tyranny. Today, more than fifty years on, Hayek's warnings are just as valid as when The Road to Serfdom was first published.

The transmission of knowledge lies at the heart ofcivilization. In the ancient world, science drew life from twosources. Master artisans honed their practical wisdom and passed iton from one generation to the next. Elsewhere, philosophers, sages,and divines engaged in debate and lent increasingly complex form tohuman thought. These two traditions--technique and theory--haveserved ever since as the vessels of knowledge and of humanexperience itself. The University , written in a concise, readable style bydistinguished scholars drawn from a wide range of disciplines,brings us the events, the people, the cities, and the institutionsthat gave shape to this vast and absorbing story. The closingsection opens our eyes to fascinating prospects, and makes a robustcontribution to the discussion on the challenges and uncertaintiesfaced by universities today.

First time in trade paperback, from the bestselling author ofMarine Sniper and Goodnight, Saigon. In 1965, the U.S. Marines landed in Vietnam. It was supposed tobe just another deployment. America was going to do what the Frenchcould not: clean up that dirty little brush war in South Vietnam.But the Marines were experiencing a brand-new sort of enemy-theguerrilla fighter.That year, the war's carnage became frighteninglyreal to television audiences back home-but the Marines were alreadydisplaying the fighting courage of experienced heroes. They hadquickly learned the first rule of combat: kill or be killed. With the explosive firepower of his military classics MarineSniper and Silent Warrior, Charles Henderson gives a startlinglyrealistic account of the Marines' hellish introduction to a newkind of warfare-and the raw truth about how it produced a new kindof American soldier.

Eight years ago we chased the Taliban from Kabul and forced AlQaeda to find a new home. One by one the militants crossed theborder into Pakistan and settled in its tribal areas, buildingalliances with locals and terrorizing or bribing their way topower. This place - Pakistan's lawless frontier - is now theepicenter of global terrorism. It is where young American andBritish jihadists go to be trained, where the kidnapped are stowedaway, and where plots are hatched for deadly attacks all over theworld. It has become, in President Obama's words, "the mostdangerous place" - a hornet's nest of violent extremists, many ofwhom now target their own state in vicious suicide- bombingcampaigns. Imtiaz Gul, who knows the ins and outs of these groups and theirleaders, tackles the toughest questions about the currentsituation: What can be done to bring the Pakistani Taliban undercontrol? Who funds these militants and what are their links to AlQaeda? Are they still supported by the ISI, Pakistan's all-powerfuli

We meant well to the Americans-just to punish them with a fewbloody noses, and then to make laws for the happiness of bothcountries," said George III. The ensuing uprising led to thecreation of the United States, the most powerful country in themodern world. Robert Harvey, whose most recent book Liberators was brilliantlyreviewed on both sides of the ocean, challenges conventional viewsof the American Revolution in almost every aspect-why it happened,who was winning and when, the characters of the principalprotagonists, and the role of Native Americans and slaves. In atime when the history of the United States is beingreconsidered-when David McCullough's John Adams and StephenAmbrose's Band of Brothers top the bestseller lists-Harveycreatively studies this seminal event in the making of the UnitedStates. He takes a penetrating look at a war that was both viciousand confused, bloody and protracted, and marred on both sides byincompetence and bad faith. He underscores the effect of theRevolution on

With striking visuals from the Library of Congress'unparalleled archive, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ILLUSTRATED TIMELINEOF THE CIVIL WAR is an authoritative and engaging narrative of thedomestic conflict that determined the course of American history. Adetailed chronological timeline of the war captures the harrowingintensity of 19th-century warfare in first-hand accounts fromsoldiers, nurses, and front-line journalists. Readers will beenthralled by speech drafts in Lincoln's own hand, quotes from thelikes of Frederick Douglass and Robert E. Lee, and portraits of keysoldiers and politicians who are not covered in standard textbooks.The Illustrated Timeline's exciting new source material and lucidorganization will give Civil War enthusiasts a fresh look at thisdefining period in our nation's history.

The fifty most important speeches of all time: their context,history, and meaning for our world The speeches remembered by history are rarely remembered incontext; but it was almost always the context, not the speechitself, that made each address so significant. Terry Golway hasselected fifty speeches that changed the world through the sheerpower of their oratory. From Moses to Mandela and others fromacross time and around the world, Golway's selections are eachilluminated with an insightful essay setting the speech squarely inits historical contexts and detailing its impact and consequences.In doing so, Golway allows us to fully understand their importanceand effect. Including speeches from Jesus, Mohammed, Cicero, Pericles,Cromwell, Washington, Pope Urban II, John Winthrop, Kennedy,Emperor Hirohito, Barbara Jordan, Ho Chi Minh, Khrushchev,Robespierre, Patrick Henry, Queen Elizabeth I, Reagan, Mandela,FDR, Hitler, Churchill, Barack Obama and many more, this book is anhistoric achievement.

Historian Roger Eatwell traces the late-19th-centuryroots of fascism and its rise in the years before the First WorldWar. Reviewing the post-World War II growth of racial violence, thewave of Holocaust denial material, and the surprising electoralgains of neofascist parties, Eatwell questions whether fascismcould re-emerge as a major force?.

From the preeminent Hitler biographer, a fascinating andoriginal exploration of how the Third Reich was willing and able tofight to the bitter end of World War II. Countless books have been written about why Nazi Germany lostWorld War II, yet remarkably little attention has been paid to theequally vital question of how and why it was able to hold out aslong as it did. The Third Reich did not surrender until Germany hadbeen left in ruins and almost completely occupied. Even in thenear-apocalyptic final months, when the war was plainly lost, theNazis refused to sue for peace. Historically, this is extremelyrare. Drawing on original testimony from ordinary Germans andarch-Nazis alike, award-winning historian Ian Kershaw explores thisfascinating question in a gripping and focused narrative thatbegins with the failed bomb plot in July 1944 and ends with theGerman capitulation in May 1945. Hitler, desperate to avoid arepeat of the "disgraceful" German surrender in 1918, was of coursecritical to t

Alf Evers, who completed this work months shy of his 100thbirthday, was perhaps the foremost chronicler of the history andcolor of the Hudson Valley region. Inhabited by Indians sincepre-history, colonized by Dutch traders in the seventeenth century,oppressed by British Colonial rule, and an important locus ofaction during the American Revolution, Kingston was also the homeof progressive thinkers in the late nineteenth and twentiethcenturies. A fascinating history told by the region's mostdistinguished historian, Kingston will delight all readers ofAmerican history and Americana.

Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empirecompresses thirteen turbulent centuries into an epic narrative shotthrough with insight, irony and incisive character analysis.Sceptical about Christianity, sympathetic to the barbarian invadersand the Byzantine Empire, constantly aware of how political leadersoften achieve the exact opposite of what they intend, Gibbon wasboth alert to the broad pattern of events and significant revealingdetails.

First published in 1946, History of Western Philosophy went onto become the best-selling philosophy book of the twentiethcentury. A dazzlingly ambitious project, it remains unchallenged tothis day as the ultimate introduction to Western philosophy.Providing a sophisticated overview of the ideas that have perplexedpeople from time immemorial, Russell's History of WesternPhilosophy offered a cogent précis of its subject. Of course thiscannot be the only reason it ended up the best selling philosophybook of the twentieth century. Russell's book was 'long on wit,intelligence and curmudgeonly scepticism', as the New York Timesnoted, and it is this, coupled with the sheer brilliance of itsscholarship, that has made Russell's History of Western Philosophyone of the most important philosophical works of all time.

The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the ThirdReich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity andmiscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy,Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand theultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the greatdrama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. Beginningwith the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army atDawn follows the British and American armies as they fight theFrench in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans andItalians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced andsometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fightingforce. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but falliblecommanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower,Patton, Bradley, Montgomery and Rommel.