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The Dears: Lost in the Plot (Bibliophonic #1)
By Lorraine Carpenter. 2011
Over a decade after the release of their first album, The Dears have weathered the indie fringes, the collapse of…
the music industry as we knew it and the near implosion of the band itself, with their creative vision and gang dynamic intact. The Dears: Lost in the Plot looks at how The Dears survived the fallout, and helped launch the acclaimed mid-aughts music scene in their hometown of Montréal. The Dears: Lost in the Plot is the first book in Invisible Publishing’s new Bibliophonic series. The Bibliophonic Series is a catalogue of the ongoing history of contemporary music. Each book is a time capsule, capturing artists and their work as we see them, providing a unique look at some of today’s most exciting musicians.The Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919: A Political and Cultural Approach from a COVID World (Routledge Studies in Modern History)
By Maximiliano Fuentes Codera. 2024
Within the framework of a global political and sanitarian crisis that broke out in March 2020, this book proposes a…
new contemporary look at the great pandemic of the 20th century, the Spanish flu of 1918-1919. Based on its impact in Spain, the book offers a comparative and transatlantic perspective focused on the political and cultural impact of the pandemic in Europe and Latin America. The book focuses on three aspects: the overwhelming presence of influenza between 1918 and 1920, its oblivion and its political and cultural traces in the interwar decades and even more, and its reappearance in the face of the COVID-19. These three aspects are interconnected through a comparative analysis of the crisis of liberalism and democracy of the 1920s and 1930s and the current populist wave that is affecting the world. As such, this book is of great value to those interested in social and medical history across Europe and Latin America through offering a fresh outlook on the effects of the pandemic of the 20th century in the wake of the COVID pandemic that swept across the world.Exploring Ireland’s Viking-Age Towns discusses the emergence of towns, urban lifestyles, and urban identities in Ireland. This coincides with the arrival of…
the Vikings and the appearance of the post-and-wattle Type 1 house. These houses reflect this crucial transition to urban living with its attendant changes for individuals, households, and society. Exploring Ireland’s Viking-Age Towns uses household archaeology as a lens to explore the materiality, variability, and day-to-day experiences of living in these houses. It moves from the intimate scale of individual households to the larger scale of Ireland’s earliest urban communities. For the first time, this book considers how these houses were more than just buildings: they were homes, important places where people lived, worked, and died. These new towns were busy places with a multitude of people, ideas, and things. This book uses the mass of archaeological data to undertake comparative analyses of houses and properties, artefact distribution patterns, and access analysis studies to interrogate some 500 Viking-Age urban houses. This analysis is structured in three parts: an investigation of the houses, the households, and the town. Exploring Ireland’s Viking-Age Towns discusses how these new urban households managed their homes to create a sense of place and belonging in these new environments and allow themselves to develop a new, urban identity. This book is suited to advanced students and specialists of the Viking Age in Ireland, but archaeologists and historians of the early medieval and Viking worlds will find much of interest here. It will also appeal to readers with interests in the archaeology of house and home, households, identities, and urban studies.This book examines the performance strategies used by contemporary Iranian artists and activists to reimagine “Iranian-ness” in the context of…
Iran’s local, regional, and global position. This study identifies the important social and political interventions made by theatrical and performance pieces, visual art, and electronic music that articulate and reformulate Iranian-ness by breaking away from fixed and constructed stereotypes projected on them by both the Islamic regime and Western power. This book explores the reception and context within which artworks become meaningful performative acts. Looking closely at the works of a notable female Iranian photographer, Shadi Ghadirian, in conjunction with the new generation of Iranian nonconformist artists/activists such as Tahmineh Monzavi and Hedieh Ahmadi; the visionary theatre productions of Ali Akbar Alizad; and radically untraditional sound/noise of the electronic music movement in Tehran, this book calls attention to the Iran-based artists who are tirelessly trying to raise awareness regarding the political violence imposed on Iranian identity at the legal (top-down) and everyday (bottom-up) levels. This volume will be of great interest to student and scholars in theatre and performance, photography, art, music, sociology, and politics.Music and Identity in Twenty-First-Century Monasticism (Routledge Research in Music)
By Amanda J. Haste. 2023
Twenty-first-century monastic communities represent unique social environments in which music plays an integral part. This book examines the role of…
music in Catholic, Anglican/Episcopalian and neo-monastic communities in Britain and North America, engaging closely with communities of practice to provide a penetrating insight into the role of music in self-care and as a vector for identity construction on both individual and community levels. The author explores the essential role of music in community dynamics, the rationale for using instruments, the implications of both chant-based and freestyle composition, gender-related differences in musical activity, the role of dance (‘music made visible’) in community life, the commodification of monastic music, the ‘Singing Nun’ phenomenon and the role of music in established and emerging neo-monastic communities. The result is a comprehensive and compelling study of the agency of music in the construction and expression of personal and community identity.The Forts & Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: Germany, Austria-Hungry and Czechoslovakia
By H. W. Kaufmann, J. E. Kaufmann. 1914
&“Extremely well written and presented and gives you every scrap of information you&’ll ever need on cupolas, embrasures and cloches.&”—War…
History Online After the Napoleonic Wars, the borders of Central Europe were redrawn and relative peace endured across the region, but the volatile politics of the late nineteenth century generated an atmosphere of fear and distrust, and it gave rise to a new era of fortress building, and this is the subject of this highly illustrated new study. The authors describe how defensive lines and structures on a massive scale were constructed along national frontiers to deter aggression. The Germans, Austro-Hungarians and Czechs all embarked on ambitious building programs. Artillery positions, barbed-wire networks, casemates, concrete bunkers, trench lines, observation posts all sprang up in a vain attempt to keep the peace and to delay the invader. The strategic thinking that gave rise to these defensive schemes is described in detail in this study, as is the planning, design and construction of the lines themselves. Their operational history in wartime, in particular during the Second World War, is a key element of the account. &“A useful introduction for those wishing to develop a knowledge of fortifications and their impact on the conduct of war.&”—Firetrench &“The maps and plans, especially the plans, are numerous and extremely helpful. They show the arrangement of fortifications in a way that simple text would have found impossible. For those with an interest in European land fortifications of the 19th and 20th centuries, this book is an excellent general survey.&”—The Coast Defense JournalThe First Day on the Somme: Revised Edition
By Martin Middlebrook. 2016
A history of the British Army&’s experience at the Battle of the Somme in France during World War I. After…
an immense but useless bombardment, at 7:30 AM on July 1, 1916, the British Army went over the top and attacked the German trenches. It was the first day of the battle of the Somme, and on that day, the British suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, two for every yard of their front. With more than fifty times the daily losses at El Alamein and fifteen times the British casualties on D-day, July 1, 1916, was the blackest day in the history of the British Army. But, more than that, as Lloyd George recognized, it was a watershed in the history of the First World War. The Army that attacked on that day was the volunteer Army that had answered Kitchener&’s call. It had gone into action confident of a decisive victory. But by sunset on the first day on the Somme, no one could any longer think of a war that might be won. Martin Middlebrook&’s research has covered not just official and regimental histories and tours of the battlefields, but interviews with hundreds of survivors, both British and German. As to the action itself, he conveys the overall strategic view and the terrifying reality that it was for front-line soldiers.Revised in 2016 from the 1971 original edition.Praise for The First Day on the Somme&“The remembrance of those lives, difficult as it may be, will start in earnest now, with this wonderful book. It&’s almost like being there yourself... enough said.&”—Books Monthly (UK)The Kaiser's Battle
By Martin Middlebrook. 2007
The author of The First Day on the Somme details what it was like during the 1918 Spring Offensive during…
World War I, which led to Germany&’s defeat. At 9:30 AM on March 21, 1918, the last great battle of the First World War commenced when three German armies struck a massive blow against the weak divisions of the British Third and Fifth Armies. It was the first day of what the Germans called the Kaiserschlacht (the Kaiser&’s Battle), the series of attacks that were intended to break the deadlock on the Western Front, knock the British Army out of the war, and finally bring victory to Germany… In the event, the cost of the gamble was so heavy that once the assault faltered, it remained for the Allies to push the exhausted German armies back and the war was at last over.Praise for The Kaiser&’s Battle&“The clever blending of written and oral accounts from some 650 surviving British and German soldiers makes the book an extremely convincing reconstruction.&” —The Sunday Times (UK)&“Mr. Middlebrook&’s industry and patience are displayed in his amazing collection of eyewitness accounts, the compassion in his commentary, the good sense in his analysis.&” —Daily Telegraphy (UK)Berlin Blockade: Soviet Chokehold and the Great Allied Airlift 1948-1949 (Cold War, 1945–1991)
By Gerry Van Tonder. 2017
When the world held its breath It is 25 years since the end of the Cold War, now a generation…
old. It began over 75 years ago, in 1944long before the last shots of the Second World War had echoed across the wastelands of Eastern Europewith the brutal Greek Civil War. The battle lines are no longer drawn, but they linger on, unwittingly or not, in conflict zones such as Iraq, Somalia and Ukraine. In an era of mass-produced AK-47s and ICBMs, one such flashpoint was Berlin.Allied agreements entered into at Teheran, Yalta and Potsdam for the carving up of postwar Berlin now meant nothing to the Soviet conquerors. Their victory had cost millions of Russian lives troops and civilians so the hammer and sickle hoisted atop the Reichstag was more a claim to ownership than success. Moscows agenda was clear and simple: the Western Allies had to leave Berlin. The blockade ensued as the Soviets orchestrated a determined program of harassment, intimidation, flexing of muscle, and Socialist propaganda to force the Allies out. Truman had already used the atomic bomb: Britain and America would not be cowed. Historys largest airborne relief program was introduced to save the beleaguered city. In a war of attrition, diplomatic bluff and backstabbing, and mobilizing of forces, the West braced itself for a third world war.The Western Front: A History Of The Great War, 1914-1918
By Nick Lloyd. 2021
The Telegraph • Best Books of the Year The Times of London • Best Books of the Year A panoramic…
history of the savage combat on the Western Front between 1914 and 1918 that came to define modern warfare. The Western Front evokes images of mud-spattered men in waterlogged trenches, shielded from artillery blasts and machine-gun fire by a few feet of dirt. This iconic setting was the most critical arena of the Great War, a 400-mile combat zone stretching from Belgium to Switzerland where more than three million Allied and German soldiers struggled during four years of almost continuous combat. It has persisted in our collective memory as a tragic waste of human life and a symbol of the horrors of industrialized warfare. In this epic narrative history, the first volume in a groundbreaking trilogy on the Great War, acclaimed military historian Nick Lloyd captures the horrific fighting on the Western Front beginning with the surprise German invasion of Belgium in August 1914 and taking us to the Armistice of November 1918. Drawing on French, British, German, and American sources, Lloyd weaves a kaleidoscopic chronicle of the Marne, Passchendaele, the Meuse-Argonne, and other critical battles, which reverberated across Europe and the wider war. From the trenches where men as young as 17 suffered and died, to the headquarters behind the lines where Generals Haig, Joffre, Hindenburg, and Pershing developed their plans for battle, Lloyd gives us a view of the war both intimate and strategic, putting us amid the mud and smoke while at the same time depicting the larger stakes of every encounter. He shows us a dejected Kaiser Wilhelm II—soon to be eclipsed in power by his own generals—lamenting the botched Schlieffen Plan; French soldiers piling atop one another in the trenches of Verdun; British infantryman wandering through the frozen wilderness in the days after the Battle of the Somme; and General Erich Ludendorff pursuing a ruthless policy of total war, leading an eleventh-hour attack on Reims even as his men succumbed to the Spanish Flu. As Lloyd reveals, far from a site of attrition and stalemate, the Western Front was a simmering, dynamic “cauldron of war” defined by extraordinary scientific and tactical innovation. It was on the Western Front that the modern technologies—machine guns, mortars, grenades, and howitzers—were refined and developed into effective killing machines. It was on the Western Front that chemical warfare, in the form of poison gas, was first unleashed. And it was on the Western Front that tanks and aircraft were introduced, causing a dramatic shift away from nineteenth-century bayonet tactics toward modern combined arms, reinforced by heavy artillery, that forever changed the face of war. Brimming with vivid detail and insight, The Western Front is a work in the tradition of Barbara Tuchman and John Keegan, Rick Atkinson and Antony Beevor: an authoritative portrait of modern warfare and its far-reaching human and historical consequences.Scotland's Merlin: A Medieval Legend and Its Dark Age Origins
By Tim Clarkson. 2016
A medieval historian &“cut[s] through centuries of confusion and complexity&” to uncover the mystery behind the legendary wizard in King…
Arthur&’s court (Undiscovered Scotland). Who was Merlin? Is the famous wizard of Arthurian legend based on a real person? In this book, Merlin&’s origins are traced back to the story of Lailoken, a mysterious &“wild man&” who is said to have lived in the Scottish Lowlands in the sixth century AD. The book considers the question of whether Lailoken belongs to myth or reality. It looks at the historical background of his story and discusses key characters such as Saint Kentigern of Glasgow and King Rhydderch of Dumbarton, as well as important events such as the Battle of Arfderydd. Lailoken&’s reappearance in medieval Welsh literature as the fabled prophet Myrddin is also examined. Myrddin himself was eventually transformed into Merlin the wizard, King Arthur&’s friend and mentor. This is the Merlin we recognize today, not only in art and literature but also on screen. His earlier forms are less familiar, more remote, but can still be found among the lore and legend of the Dark Ages. Behind them we catch fleeting glimpses of an original figure who perhaps really did exist: a solitary fugitive, tormented by his experience of war, who roamed the hills and forests of southern Scotland long ago. &“Merlin haunts the landscape like a shade, and we&’ll never catch him. But, thanks to Tim Clarkson, we can enjoy the search.&” —The Hazel Tree &“Tim Clarkson should be congratulated on producing a book which marries together painstaking and detailed research with common-sense and open-minded analysis . . . deeply impressive.&” —Undiscovered ScotlandThe True Story of the Great Escape: Stalag Luft III, March 1944
By Simon Pearson, Jonathan F. Vance. 2019
The real history behind the classic war movie and the men who plotted the daring escape from a Nazi POW…
camp. Between dusk and dawn on the night of March 24th–25th 1944, a small army of Allied soldiers crawled through tunnels in Germany in a covert operation the likes of which the Third Reich had never seen. The prison break from Stalag Luft III in eastern Germany was the largest of its kind in the Second World War. Seventy-nine Allied soldiers and airmen made it outside the wire—but only three made it outside Nazi Germany. Fifty were executed by the Gestapo. In this book Jonathan Vance tells the incredible story that was made famous by the 1963 film The Great Escape. It is a classic tale of prisoners and their wardens in a battle of wits and wills. The brilliantly conceived escape plan is overshadowed only by the colorful, daring (and sometimes very funny) crew who executed it—literally under the noses of German guards. From the men&’s first days in Stalag Luft III and the forming of bonds among them, to the tunnel building, amazing escape, and eventual capture, Vance&’s history is a vivid, compelling look at one of the greatest &“exfiltration&” missions of all time. &“Shows the variety and depth of the men sent into harm&’s way during World War II, something emphasized by the population of Stalag Luft III. Most of the Allied POWs were flyers, with all the technical, tactical and planning skills that profession requires. Such men are independent thinkers, craving open air and wide-open spaces, which meant that an obsession with escape was almost inevitable.&” —John D. GreshamIn Napoleon's Shadow: The Memoirs of Louis-Joseph Marchand, Valet and Friend of the Emperor, 1811–1821
By Louis-Joseph Marchand. 1811
In 1811, twelve young men were chosen among the families in the Emperors personal service to serve as ushers in…
his apartments. My mother, attached to the household of the King of Rome as first nurse to the prince, requested this favour for me from the grand chamberlain, the Count de Montesquiou, and it was granted.Louis-Joseph Marchands intimate memoir of his time as Napoleons valet is the last of the significant Napoleonic manuscripts to be translated into English and a unique and precious insight into the last days of Napoleons Imperial project.Serving alongside the Emperor from the apex of his reign and through his eventual demise, Marchand depicts, in remarkable detail, the Russian campaign, the campaigns of Germany and France, Napoleons exile to Elba and subsequent escape, his defeat at Waterloo.Friend and confidante to the leader, Marchand was beside him at the Tuileries during the Hundred Days, and he was present to hear Napoleons last words, France my son the army on the island of St Helena.This sincere and authentic testimony from a man with nothing to hide, nothing to apologise for is both a meticulous historical record and a fresh personal perspective on Napoleon.In this work, Tulard remarks in his preface, the Emperor speaks freely. Listen..Marchand presents the somewhat familiar history of the Emperor's decline as completely new territory through conversations, fond stories and personal encounters'.'Marchand's memoirs, republished in English for the first time in two decades, represent a truly irreplaceable contribution to Napoleonic scholarship. Beyond the Emperor as commander and conqueror, Marchand, from his privileged vantage point, illuminates Napoleon the man in rich and absorbing detail.' - John H Gill'Total Germany': The Royal Navy's War Against the Axis Powers 1939–1945
By David Wragg. 2015
The author of A Century of British Naval Aviation, 1909-2009 examines the losses and successes of the Royal Navy during…
World War Two. On the declaration of war in 1939, the British Admiralty signaled all warships and naval bases &“Total Germany, Total Germany.&” It was fortunate that of Germany&’s three armed services, the Kriegsmarine under Grosseradmiral Erich Raeder was the least well prepared. True, Admiral Karl Donitz&’s U-Boat force was to give the Allies many anxious times, but Hitler was never comfortable or competent in his handling of naval surface forces. &“Total Germany&” is a concise yet comprehensive account of the Royal Navy&’s part in the war at sea and the measures taken to ensure victory. The different approaches taken by the warring countries are expertly examined. The author reviews the differing strategies and tactics of the various theatres such as the Far East, Mediterranean, Atlantic and Arctic. &“Not only does it cover every major event during WWII the author brings up some other less well known actions. A thoroughly enjoyable read.&”—Ton Class AssociationLost Heirs of the Medieval Crown: The Kings and Queens Who Never Were
By J. F. Andrews. 2019
&“A fascinating study of the also-rans and almost-made-its of medieval history . . . Beautifully written and well researched, it…
is an engaging read.&” —History . . . The Interesting Bits! When William the Conqueror died in 1087, he left the throne of England to William Rufus . . . his second son. The result was an immediate war as Rufus&’s elder brother Robert fought to gain the crown he saw as rightfully his; this conflict marked the start of 400 years of bloody disputes as the English monarchy&’s line of hereditary succession was bent, twisted and finally broken when the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, fell at Bosworth in 1485. The Anglo-Norman and Plantagenet dynasties were renowned for their internecine strife, and in Lost Heirs we will unearth the hidden stories of fratricidal brothers, usurping cousins and murderous uncles; the many kings—and the occasional queen—who should have been but never were. History is written by the winners, but every game of thrones has its losers too, and their fascinating stories bring richness and depth to what is a colorful period of history. King John would not have gained the crown had he not murdered his young nephew, who was in line to become England&’s first King Arthur; Henry V would never have been at Agincourt had his father not seized the throne by usurping and killing his cousin; and as the rival houses of York and Lancaster fought bloodily over the crown during the Wars of the Roses, life suddenly became very dangerous indeed for a young boy named Edmund. &“A journey through the minefield of opposing factions fighting for the crown of England.&” —Books MonthlyThe Man Behind the Tudors: Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
By Kirsten Claiden-Yardley. 2020
“Shed[s] some light on a rather remarkable man who was really behind the curtain during the reigns of quite a…
few English kings.” —Adventures of a Tudor NerdThomas Howard, 2nd duke of Norfolk, lived a remarkable life spanning eighty years and the reigns of six kings. Amongst his descendants are his granddaughters, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and his great-granddaughter, Elizabeth I. The foundations of this dramatic and influential dynasty rest on Thomas’ shoulders, and it was his career that placed the Howard family in a prominent position in English society and at the Tudor royal court.Thomas was born into a fairly ordinary gentry family, albeit distantly related to the Mowbray dukes of Norfolk. During the course of the fifteenth century, he and his father would rise through the political and social ranks as a result of their loyal service to Edward IV and Richard III. In a tragic turn of events, all their hard work was undone at the Battle of Bosworth and his father was killed fighting for King Richard. Imprisoned for treason and stripped of his lands and titles, Thomas had to start from the beginning to gain the trust of a new king. He spent the next thirty-five years devoting his administrative, military and diplomatic skills to the Tudors whilst rebuilding his family fortunes and ensuring that his numerous children were well-placed to prosper.“The Howards are one of the most intriguing families of the 16th century and this book opens up a chapter that hasn’t been much written about.” —The Tudor BloggerFifty Sides of the Beach Boys: The Songs That Tell Their Story
By Mark Dillon. 2012
&“A vivid account . . . Young and old fans alike will enjoy&” (Publishers Weekly). This book offer a unique journey through…
The Beach Boys&’ long, fascinating history by telling the stories behind fifty of the band&’s greatest songs from the perspective of group members, collaborators, fellow musicians, and notable fans. Filled with new interviews with music legends such as Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Alan Jardine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, Randy Bachman, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Lyle Lovett, Alice Cooper, and Al Kooper, and commentary from a younger generation such as Matthew Sweet, Carnie Wilson, Daniel Lanois, Cameron Crowe, and Zooey Deschanel, this story of pop culture history both explores the darkness and difficulties with which the band struggled, and reminds us how their songs could make life feel like an endless summer.German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction
By Axel Niestlé. 2014
A deep dive into the fate of German submarines lost during the Second World War. &“This has to be the…
best reference you can find on the subject.&”—Military Modelling No other publication on this subject comes even close to including the amount of detail provided in this book. An introduction both summarizes previous works on the subject and describes the difficulties of obtaining and verifying information from either the Germans or the Allies on U-boat losses. The main part of the book lists by hull number each U-boat&’s date of commissioning, its commanding officer, and the date and port of departure for its last patrol. It also gives the date, position, and cause of loss of each submarine, with complete details on Allied units involved in the sinking, the names and ranks of their commanding officers and pilots, and the number of crew killed or rescued. An appendix neatly summarizes data on the disposition of surviving U-boats at the end of the war and provides valuable statistical data on German U-boat losses. &“Highly recommended for every serious scholar of the Atlantic war, and every library in naval history and the history of the Second World War.&”—The Mariner&’s Mirror &“The level of detail is quite impressive and this edition is the result of 16 years of further research since the first edition . . . If you are seeking data on the fate of U-Boats then this book should be your &‘first place of call&’—no other book has such detailed data.&”—Military Archive ResearchBeyond Versailles: Sovereignty, Legitimacy, and the Formation of New Polities After the Great War
By Edited by Marcus M. Payk and Roberta Pergher. 2019
Ten essays analyzing the history and effects of the Paris Peace Conference following World War I. The settlement of Versailles…
was more than a failed peace. What was debated at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919–1920 hugely influenced how nations and empires, sovereignty, and the international order were understood after the Great War?and into the present. Beyond Versailles argues thatthis transformation of ideas was not the work of the treaty makers alone, but emerged in interaction with nationalist groups, anti-colonial movements, and regional elites who took up the rhetoric of Paris and made it their own. In shifting the spotlight from the palace of Versailles to the peripheries of Europe, Beyond Versailles turns to the treaties&’ resonance on the ground and shows why the principles of the peace settlement meant different things in different locales. It was in places a long way from Paris?in Polish borderlands and in Portuguese colonies, in contested spaces like Silesia, Teschen, and Danzig, and in states emerging from imperial collapse like Austria, Egypt, and Iran?that notions of nation and sovereignty, legitimacy, and citizenship were negotiated and contested.&“This is an excellent collected volume, well-conceived and very well written. . . . This is not at all a top-down history of the diffusion of ideas about national self-determination. Rather, it is an examination of the ways in which these ideas were taken up, re-fashioned, and reasserted at many levels to serve local and regional agendas, while at the same time influencing international debates about the meanings and possible implementations of self-determination.&” —Pieter M. Judson, author of The Habsburg Empire: A New HistoryThe Roots of Ireland's Troubles
By Robert Stedall. 2019
The author of Elizabeth I&’s Secret Lover&“places Ireland into a much wider context and takes it beyond the simplistic Catholic…
v Protestant dichotomy&” (The British Empire Blog). Over the course of three decades in the late twentieth century, Northern Ireland was embroiled in the Troubles, a conflict characterized by the violent and bitter struggle between nationalists and unionists. Many books in recent years have attempted to make sense of the Troubles. Primarily political and nationalistic, it also had a sectarian dimension. Undeniably it was fueled by historical events, and yet most only look so far back as the 1916 uprising. In The Roots of Ireland&’s Troubles, Robert Stedall argues that we need to take a longer historical view to truly understand the complex factors at play in Ireland&’s history that ultimately led to the Troubles. Comprehensive in its approach, it ranges from Plantagenet intervention among the warring Gaelic chieftains, to Cromwell&’s restoration of British rule following the English Civil War and William Pitt&’s resignation over the Irish Catholic&’s Emancipation question. Inextricably linked with the history of Britain, Stedall guides the reader through Ireland&’s turbulent but rich history. To understand the causes behind the twentieth-century conflict, which continues to resonate today, we must look to the long arc of history in order to truly understand the historical roots of a nation&’s conflict. &“A very readable and direct account of the complex issues at the heart of Anglo-Irish relationships since the Reformation . . . a totally absorbing book.&” —Michael McCarthy, Battlefield Guide