The rivalry that presaged the world’s most tenaciousconflict As the Arab -Israeli conflict continues to plaguethe Middle East, historian Ronald Florence offers extraordinary newinsights on its origins. This is the story of T. E. Lawrence, theyoung British officer who became famous around the world asLawrence of Arabia, Aaron Aaronsohn, an agronomist from Palestine,and the antagonism that divided them over the fate of the dyingOttoman Empire during World War I—a clash of visions that set Arabnationalism and Zionism on a direct collision course thatreverberates to this day.

"The Conspiracy of Catiline" (his first published work)contains the history of the memorable year 63. Sallust adopts theusually accepted view of Catiline, and describes him as thedeliberate foe of law, order and morality, and does not give acomprehensive explanation of his views and intentions. Catiline hadsupported the party of Sulla, to which Sallust was opposed.Sallust's "Jugurthine War" is a valuable and interesting monograph.We may assume that Sallust collected materials and put togethernotes for it during his governorship of Numidia. Here, too, hedwells upon the feebleness of the senate and aristocracy.

In the greatest work of history in the English language,Edward Gibbon compresses thirteen turbulent centuries into agripping epic narrative. It is history in the grandeighteenth-century manner, a well-researched drama charged withinsight, irony, and incisive character analysis. In elegant prose,Gibbon presents both the broad pattern of events and thesignificant revealing detail. He delves into religion, politics,sexuality, and social mores with equal authority and aplomb. Whilesubsequent research revealed minor factual errors about the earlyEmpire, Gibbon's bold vision, witty de*ions of a vast cast ofcharacters, and readiness to display his own beliefs and prejudicesresult in an astonishing work of history and literature, at oncepowerfully intelligent and enormously entertaining. Based on David Womersley's definitive three-volume PenguinClassics edition of The Decline and Fall of the RomanEmpire , this abridgement contains complete chapters from allthree volumes, linked by extended bridging pass

Provides a comprehensive look at both sides of the Vietnam Warthrough a collection of personal tales and delves into thepolitical and military events in the United States and elsewherethat originally caused the war and the brought it to an end.Reprint. TV tie-in."

For the first time in decades, here, in a single volume, is afresh look at the fabled Tudor dynasty, comprising some of the mostenigmatic figures ever to rule a country. Acclaimed historian G. J.Meyer reveals the flesh-and-bone reality in all its wildexcess. In 1485, young Henry Tudor, whose claim to the throne was so weakas to be almost laughable, crossed the English Channel from Franceat the head of a ragtag little army and took the crown from thefamily that had ruled England for almost four hundred years. Half acentury later his son, Henry VIII, desperate to rid himself of hisfirst wife in order to marry a second, launched a reign of terroraimed at taking powers no previous monarch had even dreamed ofpossessing. In the process he plunged his kingdom into generationsof division and disorder, creating a legacy of blood and betrayalthat would blight the lives of his children and the destiny of hiscountry. The boy king Edward VI, a fervent believer in reforming theEnglish church, died before

In this path-breaking book Linda Colley reappraises the riseof the biggest empire in global history. Excavating the lives ofsome of the multitudes of Britons held captive in the lands theirown rulers sought to conquer, Colley also offers an intimateunderstanding of the peoples and cultures of the Mediterranean,North America, India, and Afghanistan. Here are harrowing, sometimes poignant stories by soldiers andsailors and their womenfolk, by traders and con men and by white aswell as black slaves. By exploring these forgotten captives – andtheir captors – Colley reveals how Britain’s emerging empire wasoften tentative and subject to profound insecurities andlimitations. She evokes how British empire was experienced by themass of poor whites who created it. She shows how imperial racismcoexisted with cross-cultural collaborations, and how the gulfbetween Protestantism and Islam, which some have viewed as centralto this empire, was often smaller than expected. Brilliantlywritten and richly ill

Award-winning author Alexander Stille has been called "one ofthe best English-language writers on Italy" by the New YorkTimes Book Review , and in The Sack of Rome he sets outto answer the question: What happens when vast wealth, a virtualmedia monopoly, and acute shamelessness combine in one man? Manyare the crimes of Silvio Berlusconi, Stille argues, and, with deftanalysis, he weaves them into a single mesmerizing chronicle—anepic saga of rank criminality, cronyism, and self-dealing at thehighest levels of power.

The author of the New York Times bestseller This Is Your Brain on Music reveals music's role in the evolution of human culture-and "will leave you awestruck" (The New York Times) Daniel J. Levitin's astounding debut bestseller, This Is Your Brain on Music, enthralled and delighted readers as it transformed our understanding of how music gets in our heads and stays there. Now in his second New York Times bestseller, his genius for combining science and art reveals how music shaped humanity across cultures and throughout history. Dr. Levitin identifies six fundamental song functions or types-friendship, joy, comfort, religion, knowledge, and love-then shows how each in its own way has enabled the social bonding necessary for human culture and society to evolve. He shows, in effect, how these "six songs" work in our brains to preserve the emotional history of our lives and species. Dr. Levitin combines cutting-edge scientific research from his music cognition lab at McGill University and work i

For this rousing,revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England'sNational Maritime Museum has combed original documents and recordsto produce a most authoritative and definitive account of piracy's"Golden Age." As he explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking theplank" is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth thatis more complex and often bl... (展开全部) For this rousing, revisionist history, the formerhead of exhibitions at England's National Maritime Museum hascombed original documents and records to produce a mostauthoritative and definitive account of piracy's "Golden Age." Ashe explodes many accepted myths (i.e. "walking the plank" is purefiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complexand often bloodier. 16 pp. of photos. Maps. From the Hardcover edition.

The experience of war has affected every generation in thetwentieth and twenty-first centuries, and every soldier has a storyto tell. Since the year 2000, the Veteran's History Project, a newpermanent department of the Library of Congress, has beencollecting and preserving the memories of veterans. In addition tomore than 50,000 recorded oral histories, the Veteran's HistoryProject has amassed thousands of letters, photographs, scrapbooks,and invaluable mementos from nearly a century of warfare. In the first book to showcase the richness and depth of thiscollection, Voices of War tells a compelling, emotional, history ofthe experience of war, weaving together veterans' stories from inWorld Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf. Thestories are organized thematically into sections-from signing up tocoming home, generations of veterans recall individual experiencesthat together tell the extraordinary story of America at war.Letters, photographs, sketches and paintings enrich the compellingoral hi

Named one of the Ten Best Books of the Year by the New York Times Book Review Almost a decade in the making , this much-anticipated grandhistory of postwar Europe from one of the world’s most esteemedhistorians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all ofEurope, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages tosweep readers through thirty-four nations and sixty years ofpolitical and cultural change—all in one integrated, enthrallingnarrative. Both intellectually ambitious and compelling to read,thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy. * A Time and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book ofthe Year * Maps, photos, and cartoons throughout

Undeniably one of Rome's most important historians, Tacituswas also one of its most gifted. The Agricola is both aportrait of Julius Agricola-the most famous governor of RomanBritain and Tacitus's respected father-in-law-and the first knowndetailed portrayal of the British Isles. In the Germania ,Tacitus focuses on the warlike German tribes beyond the Rhine,often comparing the behavior of "barbarian" peoples favorably withthe decadence and corruption of Imperial Rome.

With What's So Great About America , Dinesh D'Souza isnot asking a question, but making a statement. The former WhiteHouse policy analyst and bestselling author argues that in theaftermath of September 11, 2001, American ideals and patriotismshould not be things we shy away from. Instead he offers thegrounds for a solid, well-considered pride in the Western pillarsof "science, democracy and capitalism," while deconstructingarguments from both the political Left and political Right. As an"outsider" from India who has had amazing success in the UnitedStates, D'Souza defends not an idealized America, but America as itreally is, and measures America not against an utopian ideal, butagainst the rest of the world in a provocative, challenging, andpersonal book.

A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an UnnecessaryWar Most Americans consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatestpresident in history. His legend as the Great Emancipator has grownto mythic proportions as hundreds of books, a national holiday, anda monument in Washington, D.C., extol his heroism and martyrdom.But what if most everything you knew about Lincoln were false? Whatif, instead of an American hero who sought to free the slaves,Lincoln were in fact a calculating politician who waged thebloodiest war in american history in order to build an empire thatrivaled Great Britain's? In The Real Lincoln, author Thomas J.DiLorenzo uncovers a side of Lincoln not told in many history booksand overshadowed by the immense Lincoln legend. Through extensive research and meticulous documentation,DiLorenzo portrays the sixteenth president as a man who devoted hispolitical career to revolutionizing the American form of governmentfrom one that was very limited in scope and highly decentralize

A renowned historian contends "that the Americanwarrior, not technology, wins wars." (Patrick K. O'Donnell, authorof Give Me Tomorrow ) John C. McManus coverssix decades of warfare in which the courage of American troopsproved the crucial difference between victory and defeat. Based onyears of archival research and personal interviews with veterans,Grunts demonstrates the vital, and too often forgotten, importanceof the human element in protecting the American nation, andadvances a passionate plea for fundamental change in ourunderstanding of war.

“Reads like a novel. A fast-paced page-turner, it haseverything: sex, wit, humor, and adventures. But it is animpressively researched and important story.” —David Fromkin, author of Europe’s Last Summer Vienna, 1814 is an evocative and brilliantly researched accountof the most audacious and extravagant peace conference in modernEuropean history. With the feared Napoleon Bonaparte presumablydefeated and exiled to the small island of Elba, heads of some 216states gathered in Vienna to begin piecing together the ruins ofhis toppled empire. Major questions loomed: What would be done withFrance? How were the newly liberated territories to be divided?What type of restitution would be offered to families of thedeceased? But this unprecedented gathering of kings, dignitaries,and diplomatic leaders unfurled a seemingly endless stream ofpersonal vendettas, long-simmering feuds, and romanticentanglements that threatened to undermine the crucial work athand, even as their hard-fought policy dec

"A finely written, brave, and very personal book."-Orhan Pamuk In 2001, Christopher de Bellaiguewrote a story for The New York Review of Books , in which hebriefly discussed the killing and deportation of half a millionArmenians from Turkey in 1915. These massacres, he suggested, werebest understood as part of the struggles that attended the end ofthe Ottoman Empire. Upon publication, the Review wasbesieged with letters asserting that this was not war but genocide.How had he gotten it so wrong? De Bellaigue set out for Turkey'stroubled southeast to discover what really happened. What emergedis both an intellectual detective story and a reckoning with memoryand identity. Rebel Land unravels the enigma of the Turkishtwentieth century-a time that contains the death of an empire, thefounding of a nation, and the near extinction of a people.

For history buffs, students, and anyone interested in the 20thcentury, this book reveals why World War I began, explores the"guns of August," describes the horrors of trench warfare and thefirst uses of poison gas, and explains why the Americans were soslow to enter the war. From the eastern front to the west, fromGallipoli to the Marne, from the Lafayette Escadrillo to Lawrencefo Arabia, the book tells the whole story of "the war to end allwars.

Another influential Penguin Classic-nowavailable in our signature black-spinedress For more than two thousand years,Sun-Tzu's The Art of War has provided military leaders withessential advice on battlefield tactics, managing troops andterrain, and employing cunning and deception. An elemental part ofChinese culture, it has also become a touchstone for the Westernstruggle for survival and success, whether in battle, in business,or in relationships. With this volume's crisp, accessibletranslation and lively, learned introduction, even those readersfamiliar with The Art of War will experience it anew,finding it more fascinating-and more chilling-than ever.

From one of the greatest historians of the Spanish world, hereis a fresh and fascinating account of Spain’s early conquests inthe Americas. Hugh Thomas’s magisterial narrative of Spain in theNew World has all the characteristics of great historicalliterature: amazing discoveries, ambition, greed, religiousfanaticism, court intrigue, and a battle for the soul ofhumankind. Hugh Thomas shows Spain at the dawn of the sixteenth century as aworld power on the brink of greatness. Her monarchs, Fernando andIsabel, had retaken Granada from Islam, thereby completingrestoration of the entire Iberian peninsula to Catholic rule. Flushwith success, they agreed to sponsor an obscure Genoese sailor’splan to sail west to the Indies, where, legend purported, gold andspices flowed as if they were rivers. For Spain and for the world,this decision to send Christopher Columbus west was epochal—thedividing line between the medieval and the modern. Spain’s colonial adventures began inauspiciously: Columbus’smeagerly f

In The War with Hannibal, Livy (59 BC AD 17) chronicles theevents of the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, until theBattle of Zama in 202 BC. He vividly recreates the immense armiesof Hannibal, complete with elephants, crossing the Alps; the panicas they approached the gates of Rome; and the decimation of theRoman army at the Battle of Lake Trasimene. Yet it is also theclash of personalities that fascinates Livy, from great debates inthe Senate to the historic meeting between Scipio and Hannibalbefore the decisive battle. Livy never hesitates to introduce bothintense drama and moral lessons into his work, and here he brings aturbulent episode in history powerfully to life.

The last quarter of the eighteenth century remains the mostpolitically creative era in American history, when a dedicatedgroup of men undertook a bold experiment in political ideals. Itwas a time of both triumphs and tragedies—all of which contributedto the shaping of our burgeoning nation. Ellis casts an incisiveeye on the gradual pace of the American Revolution and thecontributions of such luminaries as Washington, Jefferson, andMadison, and brilliantly analyzes the failures of the founders toadequately solve the problems of slavery and the treatment ofNative Americans. With accessible prose and stunning eloquence,Ellis delineates in American Creation an era of flawed greatness,at a time when understanding our origins is more important thanever.

This is a book aboutGermans and Jews, about power and money. It is a book focused onBismarck and Bleichroder, Junker and Jew, statesman and banker,collaborators for over thirty years. The setting is that of aGermany where two worlds clashed: the new world of capitalism andan earlier world with its ancient feudal ethos; gradually a new andbroadened elite emerged, and Bismarck's tie with Bleichroderepitomized that regrouping. It is the story of the founding of thenew German Empire, in whose midst a Jewish minority rose toembattled prominence.

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