In a remarkably vibrant narrative, Michael Stürmer blends highpolitics, social history, portraiture, and an unparalleled commandof military and economic developments to tell the story ofGermany’s breakneck rise from new nation to Continental superpower.It begins with the German military’s greatest triumph, theFranco-Prussian War, and then tracks the forces of unification,industrialization, colonization, and militarization as theycombined to propel Germany to become the force that fatallydestabilized Europe’s balance of power. Without The GermanEmpire ’s masterly rendering of this story, a full understandingof the roots of World War I and World War II is impossible.

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.

On 22 June 1941, the German army invaded the Soviet Union, onehundred fifty divisions advancing on three axes in a surpriseattack that overwhelmed and destroyed whatever opposition theRussians were able to muster. The German High Command was under theimpression that the Red Army could be destroyed west of the DneprRiver and that there would be no need for conducting operations incold, snow, and mud. They were wrong. In reality, the extreme conditions of the German war in Russiawere so brutal that past experiences simply paled before them.Everything in Russia--the land, the weather, the distances, andabove all the people--was harder, harsher, more unforgiving, andmore deadly than anything the German soldier had ever facedbefore. Based on the recollections of four veteran German commanders ofthose battles, FIGHTING IN HELL describes in detail what happenedwhen the world's best-publicized "supermen" met the world's mostbrutal fighting. It is not a tale for the squeamish.

In 1975, at the height of Indira Gandhi’s “Emergency,” V. S.Naipaul returned to India, the country his ancestors had left onehundred years earlier. Out of that journey he produced this concisemasterpiece: a vibrant, defiantly unsentimental portrait of asociety traumatized by centuries of foreign conquest and immured ina mythic vision of its past. Drawing on novels, news reports, political memoirs, and his ownencounters with ordinary Indians–from a supercilious prince to anengineer constructing housing for Bombay’s homeless–Naipaulcaptures a vast, mysterious, and agonized continent inaccessible toforeigners and barely visible to its own people. He sees both theburgeoning space program and the 5,000 volunteers chanting mantrasto purify a defiled temple; the feudal village autocrat and theNaxalite revolutionaries who combined Maoist rhetoric with ritualmurder. Relentless in its vision, thrilling in the keenness of itsprose, India: A Wounded Civilization is a work of astonishinginsight an

A masterpiece o f the historian’s art, Hugh Thomas’s TheSpanish Civil War remains the best, most engrossing narrativeof one of the most emblematic and misunderstood wars of thetwentieth century. Revised and updated with significant newmaterial, including new revelations about atrocities perpetratedagainst civilians by both sides in this epic conflict, this"definitive work on the subject" (Richard Bernstein, The NewYork Times ) has been given a fresh face forty years after itsinitial publication in 1961. In brilliant, moving detail, Thomasanalyzes a devastating conflict in which the hopes, dreams, anddogmas of a century exploded onto the battlefield. Like no otheraccount, The Spanish Civil War dramatically reassembles theevents that led a European nation, in a continent on the brink ofworld war, to divide against itself, bringing into play themachinations of Franco and Hitler, the bloodshed of Guernica, andthe deeply inspiring heroics of those who rallied to the side ofdemocracy. Communists, an

Gibbon’s masterpiece, which narrates the history of the RomanEmpire from the second century a.d. to its collapse in the west inthe fifth century and in the east in the fifteenth century, iswidely considered the greatest work of history ever written. Thisabridgment retains the full scope of the original, but in a compassequivalent to a long novel. Casual readers now have access to thefull sweep of Gibbon’s narrative, while instructors and studentshave a volume that can be read in a single term. This uniqueedition emphasizes elements ignored in all other abridgments—inparticular the role of religion in the empire and the rise ofIslam.

“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.

The complete historical works of the greatest chronicler ofthe Roman Empire in a wholly revised and updated translation. A brilliant narrator and a master stylist, Tacitus served asadministrator and senator, a career that gave him an intimate viewof the empire at its highest levels, and of the dramatic, violent,and often bloody events of the first century. In the Annals, hewrites about Augustus Caesar’s death and observes the innerworkings of the courts of the emperors Tiberius and Nero. In theHistories, he describes an empire in tumult, four emperors reigningin one year, each overthrown by the next. The Agricola, a biographyof Tacitus’s father-in-law, Julius Agricola—the most celebratedgovernor of Roman Britain—is the first detailed account of theisland that would eventually rule over a quarter of the earth. Andin the Germania, the famed warrior-barbarians of ancient Germanycome richly to life.

“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

The 2007–08 subprime financial crisis is the jumping-off point for Smick's (Johnson Smick International) examination of current threats to global prosperity. He explains that although the subprime losses are small in the context of world financial markets, a lack of transparency has diminished investor confidence, dried up financial liquidity, and threatened the very foundations of our world financial system. He says that the growth of global financial markets has made it more difficult for central banks like the U.S. Federal Reserve to intercede effectively in times of crisis. Smick compares the subprime crisis to past events like the UK's forced devaluation of the pound in 1992 and Japan's economic stagnation in the 1990s. He warns of pending dangers like an overheating of the Chinese development juggernaut and the present calls for protectionism by U.S. politicians. He favors a global financial system built on transparency and trust. Smick's role for some 30 years as an economic adviser to central banker

In Patton, Montgomery, Rommel , one of Britain's mostaccomplished military scholars presents an unprecedented study ofthe land war in the North African and European theaters, as well astheir chief commanders—three men who also happened to be the mostcompelling dramatis personae of World War II. Beyond spellbinding depictions of pivotal confrontations at ElAlamein, Monte Cassino, and the Ardennes forest, author-scholarTerry Brighton illuminates the personal motivations and historicalevents that propelled the three men's careers: how Patton's,Montgomery's, and Rommel's Great War experiences helped to moldtheir style of command—and how, exactly, they managed to applytheir arguably megalomaniacal personalities (and hithertounrecognized political acumen and tact) to advance their careersand strategic vision. Opening new avenues of inquiry into the lives and careers of threemen widely profiled by scholars and popular historians alike,Brighton definitively answers numerous lingering and controversialquestion

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

FORT SUMTER TO PERRYVILLE "Anyone who wants to relive the Civil War, as thousands ofAmericans apparently do, will go through this volume withpleasure.... Years from now, Foote's monumental narrative mostlikely will continue to be read and remembered as a classic of itskind."--New York Herald Tribune Book Review "Here, for a certainty, is one of the great historical narrativesof our century, a unique and brilliant achievement, one that mustbe firmly placed in the ranks of the masters."--Van Allen Bradley,Chicago Daily News

Encyclopedic and panoramic in its scope, this fascinating workchronicles the rich spiritual, political, and cultural institutionsof Arab history through 13 centuries.

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.

It was the most influential marriage of the nineteenthcentury–and one of history’s most enduring love stories.Traditional biographies tell us that Queen Victoria inherited thethrone as a na?ve teenager, when the British Empire was at theheight of its power, and seemed doomed to find failure as a monarchand misery as a woman until she married her German cousin Albertand accepted him as her lord and master. Now renowned chroniclerGillian Gill turns this familiar story on its head, revealing astrong, feisty queen and a brilliant, fragile prince workingtogether to build a family based on support, trust, and fidelity,qualities neither had seen much of as children. The love affairthat emerges is far more captivating, complex, and relevant thanthat depicted in any previous account. The epic relationship began poorly. The cousins first met asteenagers for a few brief, awkward, chaperoned weeks in 1836. Atseventeen, charming rather than beautiful, Victoria already “showedsigns of wanting her own way

Sun Tzu's Art of War , compiled more than two thousand yearsago, is a study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict. It isperhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy inthe world today. Now, this unique volume brings together theessential versions of Sun Tzu's text, along with illuminatingcommentaries and auxiliary texts written by distinguishedstrategists. The translations, by the renowned translator ThomasCleary, have all been published previously in book form, except forThe Silver Sparrow Art of War, which is available here for thefirst time. This comprehensive collection contains: The Art of War: This edition of Sun Tzu's text includes theclassic collection of commentaries by eleven interpreters. Mastering the Art of War: Consisting of essays by two prominentstatesmen-generals of Han dynasty China, Zhuge Liang and Liu Ji,this book develops the strategies of Sun Tzu's classic into acomplete handbook of organization and leadership. It draws onepisodes from Chinese his

The First Battle is a graphic account of the first major clashof the Vietnam War. On August 18, 1965, regiment fought regiment onthe Van Tuong Peninsula near the new Marine base at Chu Lai. On theAmerican side were three battalions of Marines under the command ofColonel Oscar Peatross, a hero of two previous wars. His opponentwas the 1st Viet Cong Regiment commanded by Nguyen Dinh Trong, aveteran of many fights against the French and the South Vietnamese.Codenamed Operation Starlite, this action was a resounding successfor the Marines and its result was cause for great optimism aboutAmerica's future in Vietnam. Those expecting a book about Americansin battle will not be disappointed by the detailed de*ions ofhow the fight unfolded. Marine participants from private to colonelwere interviewed during the book's research phase. The battle isseen from the mud level, by those who were at the point of thespear. But this is not just another war story told exclusively fromthe American side. In researching the book, t

"Brilliant . . . Indispensable." LosAngeles Times Here is the story of the rise and fall of the notorious Bonannocrime family of New York as only best-selling author Gay Talesecould tell it.

Dazzling in its originality, witty and perceptive inunearthing patterns of behavior that history has erased, RITES OFSPRING probes the origins, the impact, and the aftermath of WorldWar I -- from the premiere of Stravinsky's ballet The Rite ofSpring in 1913 to the death of Hitler in 1945. "The Great War," asModris Eksteins writes, "was the psychological turning point . . .for modernism as a whole. The urge to create and the urge todestroy had changed places." In this "bold and fertile book"(Atlantic Monthly), Eksteins goes on to chart the seismic shifts inhuman consciousness brought about by this great cataclysm throughthe lives and words of ordinary people, works of literature, andsuch events as Lindbergh's transatlantic flight and the publicationof the first modern bestseller, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT.RITES OF SPRING is a remarkable and rare work, a cultural historythat redefines the way we look at our past and toward ourfuture.

That Sweet Enemy brings bothBritish wit (Robert Tombs is a British historian) and Frenchpanache (Isabelle Tombs is a French historian) to bear on threecenturies of the history of Britain and France. From Waterloo toChirac’s slandering of British cooking, the authors chart thiscross-channel entanglement and the unparalleled breadth ofcultural, economic, and political influence it has wrought on bothsides, illuminating the complex and sometimes contradictory aspectsof this relationship—rivalry, enmity, and misapprehension mixedwith envy, admiration, and genuine affection—and the myriad ways ithas shaped the modern world. Written with wit and elegance, and illustrated with delightfulimages and cartoons from both sides of the Channel, That SweetEnemy is a unique and immensely enjoyable history, destined tobecome a classic.

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

Mining newspaper files and the deep archives and journalisticexpertise of the Newseum, an interactive museum of news located inWashington, D.C., Outrage, Passion and Uncommon Sense examinesdecisive issues and events in U.S. history through the nation'seditorial pages. Approximately fifty editorials are reprinted hereon topics ranging from suffrage and race to war and politics—evenChristmas—with probing analysis by Gartner. "Editorials are the soul of the newspaper," Gartner says in thebook's introduction. "Maybe the heart and the soul. And, on a goodnewspaper that knows and understands and loves its hometown, or itshome country, the editorial is the heart and the soul of the town,or the nation, as well." Readers will also see a visual account of the era throughtwo-color illustrations, showcasing editorial cartoons, photographsand typographic details from period newspapers. Outrage, Passionand Uncommon Sense is a vital, significant collection that portraysthe undeniable influence one edi