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Showing 1 - 20 of 14659 items
By Robert K. G Temple, Joseph Needham. 1986
Reveals the Chinese origins of such "modern" inventions as paper and printing, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass. Temple's eleven topics--including…
astronomy, engineering, medicine, and warfare--provide historical context and show that more than half of the basic discoveries considered "Western" were developed earlier in China. 1998, c1986.By Peter M Dunn. 1985
Immediately after the Japanese surrender at the end of the Second World War, Saigon was occupied by British forces directed…
from Mountbatten's South East Asia Command. These forces became the first of a Western nation to clash with a Communist-led revolution in Asia, and by thwarting the Viet Minh's desperate attempts to seize power, made it impossible for South Vietnam to hold out when North Vietnam fell to the Communists in 1954. 1985.By G. W. L Nicholson. 2006
When the First World War began, Newfoundland had been without any kind of military organisation for more than half a…
century, so public-spirited citizens immediately formed themselves into a Patriotic Association, and within sixty days had recruited, partially equipped and dispatched 537 officers and men overseas. Nicholson details the harrowing experiences of the Newfoundland Regiment at Gallipoli, Beaumont Hamel, the Third Battle of Ypres and Cambrai, for which they were granted the title "Royal" - the only army unit to receive such a distinction during World War I. Some descriptions of violence. 2006.By John Keegan. 1998
The First World War created the modern world. A conflict of unparalleled ferocity which extended far beyond its European epicentre,…
it broke the century of relative peace and prosperity which we associate with the Victorian era and unleashed the demons of the twentieth century - pestilence, military destruction and mass death - and also the ideas which continue to shape our world today - modernism in the arts, new approaches to psychology and medicine, and radical ideas about economics and society. Includes violence. 1998.In the winter trenches and flak-filled skies of World War I, soldiers and pilots alike might avoid death, only to…
find themselves imprisoned in Germany's archipelago of POW camps, often in abominable conditions. The most infamous was Holzminden, a land-locked Alcatraz of sorts that housed the most troublesome, escape-prone prisoners. Its commandant was a boorish, hate-filled tyrant named Karl Niemeyer who swore that none should ever leave. Desperate to break out of "Hellminden" and return to the fight, a group of Allied prisoners led by ace pilot (and former Army sapper) David Gray hatch an elaborate escape plan. Their plot demands a risky feat of engineering as well as a bevy of disguises, forged documents, fake walls, and steely resolve. Once beyond the watch towers and round-the-clock patrols, Gray and almost a dozen of his half-starved fellow prisoners must then make a heroic 150 mile dash through enemy-occupied territory towards free Holland. Drawing on never-before-seen memoirs and letters, Bascomb brings this narrative to cinematic life, amid the twilight of the British Empire and the darkest, most savage hours of the fight against Germany. At turns tragic, funny, inspirational, and nail-biting suspenseful, this is the little-known story of the biggest POW breakout of the Great War. 2018.By Robert Cottrell. 1993
On June 30, 1997, Britain ended its colonial rule over Hong Kong, the wealthy city state with six million people.…
The terms of the handover to China were to be those set out in a Joint Declaration initialled by Britain and China in 1984. This is an account of the diplomacy behind that settlement, and the prospects that lay ahead for Hong Kong. 1993.By Daniel Kurtz-Phelan. 2018
As World War II came to an end, General George Marshall was renowned as the architect of Allied victory. Set…
to retire, he instead accepted what he thought was a final mission--this time not to win a war, but to stop one. Conflict between Chinese Nationalists and Communists threatened to suck in the United States and escalate into revolution. His assignment was to broker a peace, build a Chinese democracy, and prevent a Communist takeover, all while staving off World War III. 2018.By Penny Junor. 2018
Royal biographer Penny Junor tells the story of the woman reviled as a pariah who, thanks to numerous twists of…
fate, became the popular princess consort. Junor argues that although Camilla played a central role in the darkest days of the modern monarchy--Charles and Diana's acrimonious and scandalous split--she also played a crucial role in restoring the Royal Family's reputation, especially that of Prince Charles. 2018.By Ryszard Kapuscinski. 1984
Haile Selassie, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, enjoyed a 44-year reign until his own…
army gave him the boot in 1974. In the days following the coup, Polish journalist Kapuscinski travelled to Ethiopia and sought out members of the imperial court for interviews. Some descriptions of violence. 1984, c1978. Uniform title: Cesarz.By Janet Hunter. 1989
Understanding Japan's recent history is essential to form an efficient working relationship with the country. The author concentrates on the…
years from 1853, when the outer world broke through Japan's isolation, to 1952 when the postwar settlement and economic recovery set her on the road to becoming an economic superpower. 1989.By Alia Malek. 2018
A deeply researched, personal journey that shines a delicate but piercing light on Syrian history, society, and politics. Alia Malek…
weaves political analysis with a century of family history, delivering an unforgettable portrait of the Syria that is being erased. 2018.By Rodney Barker. 1985
Japanese women who underwent surgery in the U.S. to repair the ravages caused by the atomic blast became known as…
the "Hiroshima maidens". The author documents the medical, humanitarian and diplomatic undertaking that brought them to the States. 1985.By Peter Hernon. 2017
For German u-boats hunting Allied ships in the treacherous waters of the Atlantic, no target was as prized as the…
Leviathan, carrying more than 10,000 doughboys per crossing. But the Germans were not the only deadly force threatening the ship and its passengers. In 1918, a devastating influenza pandemic--the Spanish flu--spread throughout the globe, predominantly striking healthy young adults, including soldiers. Peter Hernon tells the ship's story across multiple voyages and through the experiences of a diverse cast of participants. 2017.By Christopher Hibbert. 1978
By Byron Farwell. 1984
Gurkhas are soldiers from Nepal who serve in the British and Indian armies. Recruiting practices, military training, religion, and home…
and family are analyzed to obtain insight into the nature of Gurkha character. 1984.By Paul Fussell. 1975
Examines the British experience during World War I through the eyes of writers Siegfried Sasson, Robert Graves, and Edmund Blunden;…
through the poetry of David Jones, Isaac Rosenberg and Wilfred Owen; and through the amateur memoirs of the men in the trenches. 1975.By Dirk J Barreveld. 2001
The Netherlands in the early seventeenth century was struggling for its independence from Spain and seething with economic activities. When…
a fleet of its spice ships tried sailing to the east via the Strait of Magellan instead of through the Cape of Good Hope, only one reached Japan. Its British pilot, William Adams, managed to befriend the Shogun, and only the Dutch were allowed to trade with Japan for the next 250 years. 2001.By Helen Cathcart. 1971
By Michael Bloch. 1996
This biography of Wallis Warfield, Duchess of Windsor, examines her relationship with Edward VIII, her previous unhappy marriages, and their…
life together after they were forced to leave England. Her early life is also examined and questions surrounding her birth and early life are addressed. 1996.By Michael Bloch. 1982