History Recent Picks
January 2008
The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.
The day of battle : the war in Sicily and Italy 1943-4, by Rick Atkinson.
"In AN ARMY AT DAWN - winner of the Pulitzer Prize - Rick Atkinson provided a dramatic and authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa. Now, in THE DAY OF BATTLE, he follows the strengthening American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943 and then, mile by bloody mile, fight their way north. The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, Roosevelt, Churchill and their military advisors engaged in heated debate about whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even a good idea. But once underway, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizingly high price. The battles at Salerno, Anzio, and Monte Cassino were particularly difficult and lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to push the Germans up the Italian peninsula. And with the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory at last began to seem inevitable. Drawing on an astonishing array of primary source material, written with great drama and flair, this is narrative history of the first rank." (Book synopsis Amazon UK)
History : the definitive visual guide : from the dawn of civilization to the present day
"This is the definitive, 4.4 million year-old story of human history - from the origins of mankind to the 21st century, spanning the globe and based on the latest research, the complete story of the people, events, themes, ideas and forces that have shaped human existence. Find out about our history's turning points: eye witness accounts and biographies give a personal angle to major events. Explore humankind's legacy from architecture and artefacts to the big ideas that have changed our world. Examine the effect we've had on nature and vice versa. And discover how the past has been unlocked: from interpreting ancient documents to analysing ice cores. This book is a compelling look at human existence." (Book synopsis Amazon UK)
The coldest winter : America and the Korean War, by David Halberstam.
"Halberstam's shockingly sudden death in an April 2007 automobile accident was an irreplaceable loss of a great journalist and historian, making a poignant valedictory of this history of the Korean War. It bears the salient traits of Halberstam's singularity: his working combination of deep-drilling interviewing with thorough research, a detached awareness of historical trends, and, as he writes in this work, a respect for the nobility of ordinary people. The connections he makes between them and leaders who perceive themselves as directing events in this case, between General Douglas MacArthur and platoon-level soldiers who bore the consequences of his decisions dispels history as an impersonal force and restores it as a tangible, visceral process influenced by character. Halberstam's acuity about weapons, terrain, and the mysterious transformation of a man into a warrior focuses on the Chinese intervention in the Korean War in November 1950, and considers particularly how American soldiers and marines at all ranks recovered from initial defeats, learning how to thwart the enemy's successful tactics. Commanding and evocative as Halberstam is about the brutal face of battle, his career's forte of explaining political contexts is the crucial advantage of this work, offering answers on how America became involved in the Korean conflict. Unabashed about extolling heroes and condemning villains, Halberstam's final work stands as the coda to his enduringly famous The Best and the Brightest (1972).--Taylor, Gilbert" (Booklist July 1, 2007)
The day of the Barbarians : the first battle in the fall of Rome, by Alessandro Barbero.
"Medievalist Barbero (The Battle: A New History of Waterloo) offers a revisionist history of the relatively obscure battle of Adrianople, arguing that the course of world history changed after the clash in 378, in the eastern Roman province of Thrace, between an army of Goths and a Roman imperial army. The battle resulted in an overwhelming barbarian victory-the eastern emperor Valens died along with two-thirds of his army-setting in motion a train of events that led directly to "the fall of the western Roman Empire," according to Barbero. Rejecting the traditional view that Rome's decline was well underway by the fourth century, Barbero claims that by the eve of the battle of Adrianople, the empire's earlier problems "seemed to be... under control." To reconstitute the imperial army after the devastating losses at Adrianople, the Romans had to turn to the Goths, whose loyalty depended on how well they were paid. Eventually, the barbarians-despite their questionable loyalty-became "indispensable" for the defense and administration of the empire. When their interest and Rome's diverged, the western empire's fate was sealed. While Barbero's thesis is sure to spark debate among scholars and students, his sprightly prose makes this slim volume accessible to a general audience." (Publishers Weekly January 22, 2007)
Iron curtain : from stage to Cold War, by Patrick Wright.
"'From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent...' With these words Winston Churchill famously warned the world in a now legendary speech given in Fulton, Missouri, on March 5, 1946. Launched as an evocative metaphor, the 'Iron Curtain' quickly became a brutal reality in the Cold War between Capitalist West and Communist East. Not surprisingly, for many years, people on both sides of the division have assumed that the story of the Iron Curtain began with Churchill's 1946 speech. In this pioneering investigation, Patrick Wright shows that this was decidedly not the case. Starting with its original use to describe an anti-fire device fitted into theatres, Iron Curtain tells the story of how the term evolved into such a powerful metaphor and the myriad ways in which it shaped the world for decades before the onset of the Cold War.Along the way, it offers fascinating perspectives on a rich array of historical characters and developments, from the lofty aspirations and disappointed fate of early twentieth century internationalists, through the topsy-turvy experiences of the first travellers to Soviet Russia, to the theatricaliza Ultimately, as Wright reveals, the term captures a particular way of thinking about the world that long pre-dates the Cold War. In reality, the iron curtain was never just a frontier - it was a psychological state, and it did not simply disappear with the Berlin Wall." (Book synopsis Amazon UK)
In the ruins of empire : the Japanese surrender and the battle for postwar Asia, by Ronald H. Spector.
"Americans considered World War II over in August 1945, but in this enthralling sequel to Eagle Against the Sun, historian Spector recounts the brutal postwar conflicts inside former Japanese conquests. Although hailed in American media as China's savior, Chiang Kai-shek enlisted and received the help of the undefeated Japanese army in fending off Mao Zedong's Communist forces. The modest assistance of two U.S. Marine divisions barely slowed Chiang's ultimate defeat. WWII's end in Malaya produced a vicious racial conflict between Malaysians and the Chinese minority. Vietnam considered itself independent when the French returned to resume control, a bloody process that, after eight years, failed. Before surrendering, the Japanese granted independence to the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), but four years of warfare and anarchy passed before the Dutch withdrew. American occupation forces arrived in South Korea, entirely ignorant of its culture and language, and remained till 1949, leaving a turbulent country ruled by the only Koreans the U.S. could understand: missionary-educated, English-speaking and very conservative; U.S. troops returned the following year. Spector relates dismal accounts of civil war and mass slaughter, much of it provoked by the blundering victorious powers--a painful lesson backed with impressive research and delivered with Spector's usual wit and insight." (Publishers Weekly April 9, 2007)
Tars : the men who made Britain rule the waves, by Tim Clayton.
"'Tars' is a gripping firsthand account of life in the Royal Navy at its bloodiest and most tempestuous phase, beginning in 1758. Through the lives of the main protagonists - a small band of sailors aboard HMS Monmouth - Trafalgar, author Tim Clayton paints a vivid picture of the navy and the era, from close-quarter battles and roistering on the streets of London to the political decisions that built up and knocked down empires. In this death-or-glory era the navy became the main weapon of an aggressive and power-hungry government, and fighting at sea was carried out at ever-closer quarters and with ever-increasing amounts of firepower. As the lives of the Monmouth's crew unfold we follow the ship of the line into raging battles in the ever-bloody war against France - and meet some of the great forgotten characters of the age, such as Lieutenant Augustus Hervey and his many romantic conquests. Using never-before published first-person sources, 'Tars' takes us through these men's daily struggles as Britain for the first time ruled the waves." (Book synopsis Amazon UK)
Mongrels, bastards, orphans, and vagabonds : Mexican immigration and the future of race in America, by Gregory Rodriguez.
"As the largest contingent of the fastest growing minority population in the U.S., Mexican immigrants promise to put an indelible stamp on American culture and notions of race and ethnicity. Mexican scholar Rodriguez examines historical and social factors that have caused the current level of Mexican migration to the U.S. and the greatest contribution of Mexicans, the concept of mestizaje, or racial and cultural synthesis. Mexico's history of conquest and intermixing with the indigenous people has produced a greater tolerance for mixing than has the U.S. history of slavery and stricter definitions of race. Moreover, the evolution of attitudes of Mexican immigrants themselves from desire to be counted as white to advocacy for a broader classification or none at all adds to the more nuanced view of ethnic identity. Rodriguez traces changes in Mexican immigration, fueled by politics and economics in the U.S. and Mexico, and the growing Chicano movement. Rodriguez explores what effect this mestizaje, earned after a long history, though not so tortured as that of the U.S., will have on American culture, racial identity, and minority politics.--Bush, Vanessa" (Booklist September 15, 2007)
Brideless in Wembley : in search of Indian England, by Sanjay Suri.
"'Brideless in Wembley' is a highly topical revelation of the mosaic of life in post-immigration Britain. Sanjay Suri's wanderings through Indian England began while looking for a wife at a marriage mela in Wembley, and his investigation of the lives of diverse communities takes us to: a London college which sells student visas, and the world of illegal immigrants in Southall; the nine nights of dancing in October, when halls are hired for separate castes, partly paid for by the taxpayer; and, 'Multicultural' Leicester, where Indians are driven to live in ghettos by racists. Fascinating, engaging and told with wry humour, these stories show vignettes of everyday life that few suspect can be true in Britain today." (Book synopsis Amazon UK)
A short history of Britain, by Jeremy Black.
"At 160 pages, a genuinely 'slim volume', 'A Short History of Britain' nevethless covers an enormous sweep of time - from the mists of prehistory to the present day. And yet, as he surveys the countless years, Professor Jeremy Black - one of the UK's leading historians - never loses sight of his main theme: the trends that have made Britain what it is - exceptional. Not in any jingoistic way, but in the sense that, right from prehistoric times, the geography, the topography, the demography have all moulded the British character and contributed to the way we have evolved and to the way we are now. Of late, there has been a tendency in government and the media to dwell on those aspects of our being that are shared with other countries; but the history of other countries is not our history. And Britain's history readily stands comparison with the history of any other country. With its broadly chronological structure, 'A Short History of Britain' does not shy away from dates, people and events. And, as such, it is a handy work of ready reference. But it is so much more than that. In his trademark pithy style, Jeremy Black brings an extra dimension to the history of our nation: he reminds us vividly what we should cherish about our past and, more particularly, what we are in such grave danger of losing." (Book synopsis Amazon UK)
Previous edition of history picks
Check your card I New fiction, DVD and cd lists I How to place a reserve I Borrowing I Contact us
