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Packed with violence, political drama and social and cultural upheaval, the years 1913-1923 saw the emergence in Ireland of the Ulster Volunteer Force to resist Irish home rule and in response, the Irish Volunteers, who would later evolve into the IRA. World War One, the rise of Sinn Fein, intense Ulster unionism and conflict with Britain culminated in the Irish war of Independence, which ended with a compromise Treaty with Britain and then the enmities and drama of the Irish Civil War. Drawing on an abundance of newly released archival material, witness statements and testimony from the ordinary Irish people who lived and fought through extraordinary times, 'A Nation and not a Rabble' explores these revolutions. -
Weaving fiction, autobiography, and history, this collection of texts offers meditations on the diverse phenomena of decomposition and destruction. Following the conventions of a different genre, each of the pieces in Schalansky's 'Inventory' considers something that is irretrievably lost to the world, from the paradisal island of Tuanaki, the Caspian Tiger or the Villa Sacchetti in Rome, to Sappho's love poems, Greta Garbo's fading beauty or a painting by Caspar David Friedrich. As a child of the former East Germany, it's not surprising that 'loss' and its aftermath should haunt Schalansky's writing, but what is extraordinary and exhilarating is the engaging mixture of intellectual curiosity, ironic humour, stylistic elegance, intensity of feeling and grasp of life's pitiless vitality, that combine to make this one of the most original literary works of recent times. -
New updated edition of the seminal work by Catherine Dunne, which charted the lives of the London Irish, in all their variety and colour, now with a brand new foreword by Diarmaid Ferriter. Half a million Irish people left Ireland in the nineteen-fifties, forced by decades of economic stagnation. For many, Britain was their only hope of survival.
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In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their Nazi captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth. The astonishing inside story is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of snobbery, class conflict, homosexuality, bullying, espionage, boredom, insanity and farce. With access to an astonishing range of material, Ben Macintyre reveals a remarkable cast of characters of multiple nationalities hitherto hidden from history, with captors and prisoners living for years cheek-by-jowl in a thrilling game of cat and mouse. -
Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world, and its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history. Even the increasing number in the West today who have abandoned the faith of their forebears, and dismiss all religion as pointless superstition, remain recognisably its heirs. Seen close-up, the division between a sceptic and a believer may seem unbridgeable. Widen the focus, though, and Christianity's enduring impact upon the West can be seen in the emergence of much that has traditionally been cast as its nemesis: in science, in secularism, and yes, even in atheism. That is why 'Dominion' will place the story of how we came to be what we are, and how we think the way that we do, in the broadest historical context. -
Maps are essential tools in finding our way around, but they also tell stories and are great depositories of information. Through a carefully chosen selection of maps, the book traces the growth and development of Dublin from the early seventeenth century to the present day, offering a fascinating snap-shot of how the city has changed over time. -
Mary Beard shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). 'Emperor of Rome' is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Beard asks bigger questions: What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained? 'Emperor of Rome' goes directly to the heart of Roman (and our own) fantasies about what it was to be Roman, offering an account of Roman history as it has never been presented before. -
At a time when political, environmental and social gloom can seem overpowering, this text offers a case for hope. Tracing a history of activism and social change over the past five decades, Solnit proposes a vision of cause-and-effect relations that provides new grounds for political engagement. -
This title examines Irish art over the last 120 years or so, from 1900 to now, considering key examples and developments and how visual expression can be read for what it reflects and reveals of art and society during this time. -
A masterpiece of narrative non-fiction, set around an American crime and the birth of the FBI, a thrilling investigative account of a forgotten moment in history. -
Posted to a Marine Regiment in the wake of 9/11, this is an articulate and deeply thoughtful account of what it meant for Nathaniel Fick to fight in the front line, risking not just death or injury, but also psychological harm. -
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"Son, we're going to Hell." The navigator of the USS Houston confided these prophetic words to a young officer as he and his captain charted a course into U.S. naval legend. Renowned as FDR's favorite warship, the cruiser USS Houston was a prize target trapped in the far Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Without hope of reinforcement, her crew faced a superior Japanese force ruthlessly committed to total conquest. It wasn't a fair fight, but the men of the Houston would wage it to the death. Hornfischer brings to life the awesome terror of nighttime naval battles that turned decks into strobe-lit slaughterhouses, the deadly rain of fire from Japanese bombers, and the almost superhuman effort of the crew as they miraculously escaped disaster again and again-until their luck ran out during a daring action in Sunda Strait. There, hopelessly outnumbered, the Houston was finally sunk and its survivors taken priso -
In a wide-ranging and witty narrative, historian Fergal Tobin looks into Ireland's past, taking in everything from religion and politics to sports and literature, and traces the roots of her journey towards independence. -
New York Times bestselling writer Julia Pierpont and artist Manjit Thapp match short, vibrant and surprising biographies with stunning full-colour portraits of secular female 'saints': champions of strength and progress. These women broke ground, broke ceilings and broke moulds. -
This is a unique, illustrated book that will change the way you see medieval history. -
A vibrant and illuminating exploration of medieval thinking on women's beauty, sexuality and behaviour -
A gorgeously produced homage to the art of the letter, comprising letters to and from the Presidents of Ireland.Â
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More than 4,000 Gaelic, Norman and Anglo-Irish surnames are listed in this book, giving a wealth of information on the background and location of Irish families. -
The Treaty is a stunningly vivid piece of narrative history that resonates across the intervening century to the age of Brexit. It is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand modern Ireland and the enduring complexities of British-Irish relations.
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'We Die Alone' recounts one of the most exciting escape stories to emerge from the challenges and miseries of World War II. In March 1943, a team of expatriate Norwegian commandos sailed from northern England for Nazi-occupied arctic Norway to organise and supply the Norwegian resistance. -
Described as one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war, this book tells with compassion and honesty of the cruelty, bravery and deaths of the men Eugene Sledge fought alongside, and of his own journey from patriotic innocence to battle-scarred veteran.