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Agricola and Germania
By Tacitus. 1970
The Agricola is both a portrait of Julius Agricola - the most famous governor of Roman Britain and Tacitus' well-loved…
and respected father-in-law - and the first detailed account of Britain that has come down to us. It offers fascinating descriptions of the geography, climate and peoples of the country, and a succinct account of the early stages of the Roman occupation, nearly fatally undermined by Boudicca's revolt in AD 61 but consolidated by campaigns that took Agricola as far as Anglesey and northern Scotland. The warlike German tribes are the focus of Tacitus' attention in the Germania, which, like the Agricola, often compares the behaviour of 'barbarian' peoples favourably with the decadence and corruption of Imperial Rome.The 9/11 Wars
By Jason Burke. 2012
DAILY TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST AND INDEPENDENT BOOKS OF THE YEARThroughout the 1990s a vast conflict was brewing. The storm broke on…
September 11th 2001. Since then much of the world has seen invasions, bombings, battles and riots. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. Jason Burke, a first-hand witness of many of the conflict's key moments, has written the definitive account of its course in his acclaimed book The 9/11 Wars.At once investigation, reportage and contemporary history, The 9/11 Wars is an essential book for understanding the dangerous and unstable twenty-first century. Whether reporting on the riots in France or the attack on Mumbai, suicide bombers in Iraq or British troops fighting in Helmand, Jason Burke tells the story of a world that changed forever when the hijacked planes flew out of the brilliant blue sky above Manhattan on September 11th.Reviews:'The best overview of the 9/11 decade so far in print' Economist'A magisterial history of the last decade ... The long patient sentences of The 9/11 Wars are suffused with the melancholy of a man who has learned a great deal from long exposure to atrocity and folly' Pankaj Mishra, Guardian'The 9/11 Wars warrants great respect' Metro'Pacy, well-researched, and packed with telling anecdotes, this book's strength is in its detailed, balanced overview ... At a time when there are more books out on terrorism than ever before ... this is likely to be among the best' Sunday Telegraph'[Burke] is one of the most respected and experienced foreign correspondents in the business ... A major authority on the politics and organisation of Islamic extremism and ... a talented writer with the rare gift of joining effortless prose to challenging scholarship ... [The 9/11 Wars] is a magnificent achievement' Irish Times'A reader wanting a more dispassionate survey of how 9/11, and the response to it, may have shaped parts of the world will do no better than invest in [this] brilliant book' David Aaronovitch, The Times'This remarkably balanced, well-sourced and very well-written book ... will be turned to in the future ... [Burke] has demonstrated impressive expertise as a historian who has had the advantage of having been present on many of the battlefields he describes' Andrew Roberts, Evening Standard'[A] lucid, sane account ... taut, careful reporting ... Remarkable' Scotsman'Potent ... journalism of a high order. Like all good reporters, Burke is something of a scholar, drawing meticulously on interview notes years old, and on extensive background reading. He excels, too, in describing the experiences of ordinary Muslims; such insights make this book essential for understanding the past decade' Sunday TimesAbout the author:Jason Burke is the South Asia correspondent for the Guardian. He has reported around the world for both the Guardian and the Observer. He is the author of two other widely praised books, both published by Penguin: Al-Qaeda and On the Road to Kandahar. He lives in New Delhi.3 Commando: Helmand Assault
By Ewen Southby-Tailyour. 2010
When the Royal Marines Commandos returned to a chaotic Helmand in the winter of 2008, they realised that to stand…
any chance of success they would need to pursue an increasingly determined Taliban harder than ever before. This time they were going to hunt them down from the air. With the support of Chinooks, Apaches, Lynx, Sea Kings and Harriers, the Commandos became a deadly mobile unit, able to swoop at a moments notice into the most hostile territory.From huge operations like the gruelling Red Dagger, when 3 Commando Brigade fought in Somme-like mud to successfully clear the area around the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gar, of encroaching enemy forces, to the daily acts of unsupported, close-quarters 360-degree combat and the breath-taking, rapid helicopter night assaults behind enemy lines - this was kind of battle that brought Commando qualities to the fore. As with the Sunday Times bestselling 3 Commando Brigade, ex-Marine Lieutenant Colonel Ewen Southby-Tailyour brings unparalleled access to the troops, a soldier's understanding of the conflict and a visceral sense of the combat experience. This is the real war in Afghanistan as told to him by a hand-picked band of young fellow marines as they encounter the daily rigours of life on the ground in the world's most intense war zone.20th Century Battlefields
By Dan Snow, Peter Snow. 2008
In this riveting book, political journalist Peter Snow and military historian Dan Snow bring to life the most intense and…
bitterly fought battles of the 20th century - from the apocalyptic terrain of the Western Front to the desert landscape of Iraq. Punctuated by powerful eyewitness testimony, their compelling and often shocking narrative highlights the strategy of military commanders as well as the experience of men on the frontline. 20th Century Battlefields looks back at the most violent century in history and examines the challenges facing armed forces in the future.Feminist Encounters in Statebuilding: The Role of Women in Making the State in Kosovo (Routledge Studies in Intervention and Statebuilding)
By Vjosa Musliu, Itziar Mujika Chao. 2024
This volume provides one of the first comprehensive feminist readings of international statebuilding, with a specific focus on the case…
of Kosovo.Rather than simply showing how the state in Kosovo is being built by and through women and feminist encounters, this volume is interested to problematise women and feminist subjectivities vis-à-vis the state and statebuilding. The book challenges three main arguments related to the processes and subjects of statebuilding in Kosovo. First, the academic literature on Kosovo has a tendency to take the international intervention of 1999 as the originary point of statebuilding processes in Kosovo. Second, and relatedly, given Kosovo's unprecedented exposure to Western intervention and statebuilding, the majority of works start from the presumption that liberal interventionism in Kosovo (and elsewhere) is normatively more progressive than the previous system, and that the liberal interventionism and statebuilding are naturally gender progressive and gender-equal. The third argument has to do with the existing legal architecture on gender and women’s rights in contemporary Kosovo. The aim of the volume is to, on the one hand, problematise the evidence against the backdrop of everyday manifestations and/or performances of statebuilding and on the other hand interrogate the co-constitutive gender aspect. In terms of methodology, the volume brings together contributions that rely on traditional and multi-sited ethnography, and narrative research rooted in projects and initiatives in Kosovo. This allows the contributors to unearth new and silenced actors, entry points, subjects and subjectivities in processes of and related to statebuilding in Kosovo; feminist frictions and challenges to statebuilding in Kosovo; as well as encounters of heteronormative statebuilding.This book will be of much interest to students of statebuilding, Balkan politics, feminisms, and international relations, in general.The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 International license.Feminist Peace Research: An Introduction
By Élise Féron, Tarja Väyrynen. 2024
This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the field of gender, feminism and peace.It is based on the argument that…
feminist thinking is necessary to understand and analyse the core issues in peace and conflict studies and is fundamental to thinking about solutions to global problems and to promoting peaceful conflict transformation. The book centres alternative and critical approaches missing in mainstream peace research and brings forward feminist perspectives on traditional peace research topics such as militarism, peacekeeping, arms trade and the articulation of different forms of violence. It also advances critical and alternative issues and topics that traditional peace research has sidelined, including, for example, artificial intelligence, technologies and peace; trauma and memory; human–non-human species relations; art; popular culture; post-colonial and decolonial feminist perspectives; and the queering of war and peace. In sum, this textbook contributes to the visibility of these feminist critical approaches to peace research and makes them accessible to scholars and students interested in the subject.This book will be of much interest to students of peace studies, feminist theory, gender studies and International Relations.NATO: From Cold War to Ukraine, a History of the World's Most Powerful Alliance
By Sten Rynning. 2024
A wide-ranging new history of NATO, from its origins to the present day—published for the alliance&’s seventy-fifth anniversary For…
seven decades, NATO&’s stated aim has been the achievement of world peace—but playing great power politics always involves conflict. Russia&’s war on Ukraine and on Europe&’s security order puts the alliance under threat, but also demonstrates why transatlantic cooperation is so necessary. But how did NATO get to where it is today, and what does its future hold? In this incisive new account, Sten Rynning traces the full history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation from its origins to the present. Across its seventy-five years, NATO has navigated the twists and turns of Cold War diplomacy and nuclear deterrence, and has grown its membership. The alliance has become a guarantor of peace, but Rynning explores how its complex inner workings alongside Russian and Chinese opposition are now shaping its direction. At a time of strategic competition and geopolitical upheaval, Rynning offers us a clear-sighted account of the alliance&’s intriguing history—and asks what its ambitions might be for the future.Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West
By Calder Walton. 2023
Foreign Policy Best Book of 2023 Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2023 The &“riveting&” (The Economist), secret story of the…
hundred-year intelligence war between Russia and the West with lessons for our new superpower conflict with China.Spies is the history of the secret war that Russia and the West have been waging for a century. Espionage, sabotage, and subversion were the Kremlin&’s means to equalize the imbalance of resources between the East and West before, during, and after the Cold War. There was nothing &“unprecedented&” about Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. It was simply business as usual, new means used for old ends. The Cold War started long before 1945. But the West fought back after World War II, mounting its own shadow war, using disinformation, vast intelligence networks, and new technologies against the Soviet Union. Spies is a &“deeply researched and artfully crafted&” (Fiona Hill, deputy assistant to the US President) story of the best and worst of mankind: bravery and honor, treachery and betrayal. The narrative shifts across continents and decades, from the freezing streets of St. Petersburg in 1917 to the bloody beaches of Normandy; from coups in faraway lands to present-day Moscow where troll farms, synthetic bots, and weaponized cyber-attacks being launched woefully unprepared West. It is about the rise and fall of Eastern superpowers: Russia&’s past and present and the global ascendance of China. Mining hitherto secret archives in multiple languages, Calder Walton shows that the Cold War started earlier than commonly assumed, that it continued even after the Soviet Union&’s collapse in 1991, and that Britain and America&’s clandestine struggle with the Soviet government provided key lessons for countering China today. This &“authoritative, sweeping&” (Fredrik Logevall, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Embers of War) history, combined with practical takeaways for our current great power struggles, make Spies a unique and essential addition to the history of the Cold War and the unrolling conflict between the United States and China that will dominate the 21st century.The Terrible Siren: Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927)
By Emanie Sachs. 2024
As Publishers Weekly noted, “No heroine of any romance ever had a more adventurous career than this unvictorian Victoria.”In Victoria…
Woodhull’s prime during the mid to late 1800s, women were not allowed to vote, were not encouraged to run a business, and certainly did not speak of free love, much less get divorced. Women endured other ridiculous conventions, like not being seen outside a home after dark without an escort. Restaurants refused to serve single women after 6pm.Victoria Woodhull smashed all these conventions and many more. She married for the first time while only 15 years old. She was married at least 3 times, with 2 divorces.Victoria held seances for Cornelius Vanderbilt to give him tips. With his mentorship, she, along with Tennessee, her equally beautiful sister, opened their own stock brokerage firm and were the first female brokers on Wall Street. One reviewer said it was a time “when a woman in business was as great a novelty as an elephant in a balloon.”The sisters ran a weekly newspaper in New York that ardently advocated for free love. Anthony Comstock sent them to jail for the contents of that paper.Victoria was a skillful orator who pushed for women’s equality, especially suffrage. One reviewer stated, “Audiences came to denounce her and stayed to acclaim her.”She was the first woman to be nominated for President of the United States by a political party. She ran in 3 different elections.She was the first woman to receive an official hearing before a congressional committee, when she presented a memorial about woman suffrage.Victoria unapologetically sought the spotlight and practiced what she preached despite notoriety and persecution.This book critically analyzes US political-military strategy by arguing that freedom of the seas discourse is fundamentally unfit for an…
era of maritime great power competition.The work conducts a genealogical intellectual history of freedom of the seas discourse in US foreign policy to show how the concept has evolved over time to facilitate American control over the global ocean space. It concludes that the contemporary discourse works to establish the high seas as an arena free from claims of sovereignty so that the United States, as the presumed unrivaled naval power, can intervene globally on behalf of its national interests. However, since sea control strategies depend on a preponderance of material force, as the United States wanes in relative material capability it becomes less able to support political-military strategies predicated on the assumption of global naval dominance. The book provides a timely commentary on the current geopolitical competition between the United States and China, and critiques the US approach toward China in the maritime domain in order to highlight potential avenues of foreign policy action that may enable the two countries to mitigate the risk of conflict.This book will be of much interest to students of naval history, maritime security, US foreign policy, and international relations.King Philip's War (Revised Edition): The History And Legacy Of America's Forgotten Conflict
By Eric B. Schultz, Michael J. Tougias. 1999
The harrowing story of one of America's first and costliest wars—featuring a new foreword by bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick At…
once an in-depth history of this pivotal war and a guide to the historical sites where the ambushes, raids, and battles took place, King Philip's War expands our understanding of American history and provides insight into the nature of colonial and ethnic wars in general. Through a careful reconstruction of events, first-person accounts, period illustrations, and maps, and by providing information on the exact locations of more than fifty battles, King Philip's War is useful as well as informative. Students of history, colonial war buffs, those interested in Native American history, and anyone who is curious about how this war affected a particular New England town, will find important insights into one of the most seminal events to shape the American mind and continent.First Through The Clouds: The Autobiography of a Box-Kite Pioneer
By Frederick Warren Merriam. 2017
The early years of aviation were marked by flimsy, unreliable machines and daring adventurous young men. One of the pioneer…
aviators leading the way in Britain was F. Warren Merriam who, following Louis Blriots first flight across the Channel in 1809, joined the Bristol and Colonial Aeroplane Company through which he obtained a Royal Aero Clubs aviators certificate.Much of the flying training in those early days was a case of the blind leading the blind and, as Merriam wrote, Flying was a dangerous business then. Airplanes were constantly breaking up in the air let alone on takeoff and landing; there were no parachutes and the pilots were ever expectant of mishaps. This was hardly the career for a decent young man and for a long time he had to keep his flying a secret from his parents.Aviation did indeed develop into a career, with Merriam becoming a certified instructor at Brooklands aerodrome. There he taught many of the men who became pioneers in aviation and others who joined the Royal Flying Corps that crossed to France in the early months of the First World War.The term pioneer could also be ascribed to Merriam for he was the first person in Britain to fly through the clouds. Until that day in 1912, it had been assumed that pilots would always stay within sight of the ground. Why would anyone want to go so high?This entertaining autobiography takes the reader on a journey through Merriams early flying career, from how it started through his first shaky solo, through a series of crashes into his First World War service. His account is the story of the early history of aviation, the development of aircraft and the personalities that led the way in those exciting, if risk-strewn days of yore.Frigate Commander
By Tom Wareham. 2012
The naval historian presents the thrilling true story of a Royal Navy officer&’s frigate command in the tumultuous late 18th…
and early 19th centuries. Based on the private journals of Admiral Sir Graham Moore, Frigate Commander recounts his experiences as a Lieutenant and then Captain during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Moore's journal gives a detailed account of life as a serving naval officer, revealing the unique problems of managing a frigate crew, maintaining discipline and turning his ship into an efficient man of war. Moore was one of the Royal Navy's star captains, serving continuously as a frigate commander between 1793 and 1804. His early career took him to Newfoundland before serving with Sir William Sidney Smith's squadron on the north coast of France. Moore was present during the Naval Mutiny at Spithead in 1797, and helped to destroy the French fleet off Ireland in 1798. His most famous action occurred in September 1804, when his squadron captured a Spanish frigate squadron carrying a fortune in treasure. The following year his frigate, HMS Indefatigable, was involved in the opening of the Trafalgar Campaign.Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier: From Marius to Commodus, 112 BC–AD 192
By Raffaele D'Amato, Graham Sumner. 2009
A survey of the various forms of armour worn by the Roman soldier from 112 BC to 192 AD, featuring…
a wealth of illustrations and plates. From the Latin warriors on the Palatine Hill in the age of Romulus, to the last defenders of Constantinople in 1453 AD, the weaponry of the Roman Army was constantly evolving. Through glory and defeat, the Roman warrior adapted to the changing face of warfare. Due to the immense size of the Roman Empire, which reached from the British Isles to the Arabian Gulf, the equipment of the Roman soldier varied greatly from region to region. Through the use of materials such as leather, linen and felt, the army was able to adjust its equipment to these varied climates. Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier sheds new light on the many different types of armour used by the Roman soldier, and combines written and artistic sources with the analysis of old and new archaeological finds. With a huge wealth of plates and illustrations, which include ancient paintings, mosaics, sculptures and coin depictions, this book gives the reader an unparalleled visual record of this fascinating period of military history. This book, the first of three volumes, examines the period from Marius to Commodus. Volume II will cover the period from Commodus to Justinian, and Volume III will look at the period from Romulus to Marius. &“An impressive achievement, a testament to an enormous scholarly effort—and it is a significant contribution to the understanding of the Roman army.&” —Bryn Mawr Classical Review &“Without doubt, this is the definitive study of clothing, armour and weaponry worn by Roman soldiers during the golden age of their conquests...D&’Amato has brought together a remarkable collection of archaeological photographs gathered over decades to illustrate every aspect of this military evolution . . . A treasure trove of facts and illustrations that is essential reading for any Roman military enthusiast.&” —Tim Newark, Military Illustrated MagazineIf You're Reading This . . .: Last Letters from the Front Line
By Siân Price. 2011
Three centuries of war. Three centuries of sacrifice. &“Tales of love and heroism from conflicts such as the Napoleonic Wars…
and Afghanistan today.&” —The Mirror In this brilliant and profoundly moving collection of farewell letters written by servicemen and women to their loved ones, Siân Price offers a remarkable insight into the hearts and minds of some of the soldiers, sailors and airmen of the past three hundred years. Each letter provides an enduring snapshot of an impossible moment in time when an individual stares death squarely in the face. Some were written or dictated as the person lay mortally wounded; many were written on the eve of a great charge or battle; others were written by soldiers who experienced premonitions of their death, or by kamikaze pilots and condemned prisoners. They write of the grim realities of battle, of daily hardships, of unquestioning patriotism or bitter regrets, of religious fervor or political disillusionment, of unrelenting optimism or sinking morale and above all, they write of their love for their family and the desire to return to them one day. Be it an epitaph dictated on a Napoleonic battlefield, a staunch, unsentimental letter written by a Victorian officer, or an email from a soldier in modern day Afghanistan, these voices speak eloquently and forcefully of the tragedy of war and answer that fundamental human need to say goodbye. &“The poignant farewells encapsulate the final words of servicemen to their loved ones before they were killed in action.&” —The Telegraph &“A timely reminder of the tremendous sacrifices made by fighting men and women of all countries in all ages.&” —Military History MonthlyFor more than twenty years Europe had been torn apart by war. Dynasties had crumbled, new states had been created…
and a generation had lost its young men. When it seemed that peace might at last settle across Europe, terrible news was received Napoleon had escaped from exile and was marching upon Paris. Europe braced itself once again for war. The allied nations agreed to combine against Napoleon and in May 1815 they began to mass on France's frontiers. The scene was set for the greatest battle the world had yet seen.Composed of more than 300 eyewitness accounts, official documents, parliamentary debates and newspaper reports, Voices from the Past tells the story of Napoleon's last battles as they were experienced and reported by the men and women involved. Heroic cavalry charges, devastating artillery bombardments, terrible injuries, heart-breaking encounters, and amusing anecdotes, written by aristocratic officers and humble privates alike, fill the pages of this ambitious publication. Many of these reports have not been reproduced for almost 200 years.Lightning Up: The Career of Air Vice-Marshal Alan White CB AFC FRAeS RAF
By Alan White. 2009
Alan White served in the RAF from 1953 to 1987 roughly the period of the Cold War. His introduction to…
flying came in his University Air Squadron. This seduced him into dropping out of University and joining the RAF. He initially had success during the piston-engine stages of his training but damage to a Vampire T11 and a bad start on the Hunter Weaponry Course set his confidence back until he recovered during service with his first Hunter Squadron. The infamous Duncan Sandys' cuts of 1957 caused the closure of his squadron and he found himself towing air-to-air gunnery targets, but luckily he was then moved to instruct on the Hunter Operational Conversion Unit where he developed his solo aerobatic display skills. He was then posted to take Hunters to Singapore and form a Squadron. He became involved with the SEATO response to assist the Thai governments request against communist insurgents from Laos and spent five months at Chiang Mai camping in a paddy field. After attending Staff College he was posted to Aden at a time of growing terrorist activity. He worked with the C-in-C, Admiral Sir Michael Le Fanu. Upon his return to the UK he trained to fly the supersonic Lightning fighter and eventually was promoted to lead a squadron. There followed a period of rapid promotion and he became Station Commander at RAF Leuchars. His later appointments as Air Commodore included Director of Operations (Air Defence), Senior Staff Officer HQ 11 Group, Air Commodore Plans at HQ Strike Command (where he assisted in the Falklands conflict) until he was promoted to his final rank and appointed Deputy Commander RAF Germany and then finally he became Commandant, RAF Staff College. His account is full of interesting flying detail and the internal workings of the RAF during those dangerous Cold War days.Glider Pilots at Arnhem
By Mike Peters, Luuk Buist. 2008
The fierce struggle between the British 1st Airborne Division and the superior German forces in and around Arnhem is well…
documented. This book tells of the role played in the battle for Oosterbeek and the bridge at Arnhem itself by the men of the Glider Pilot Regiment (GPR). These men were already experienced soldiers who volunteered to join the airborne forces and take the fight to the Germans in a totally new regiment.The men of the GPR were predominantly SNCOs trained to fly wooden assault gliders into occupied territory. Once on the ground they were expected to go into battle with the troops they had delivered onto the Landing Zone. During the Arnhem operation they were involved in the initial defense of the LZs, before fighting house to house leading mixed groups of infantrymen, engineers and medics. In so doing they suffered extensive losses from which the Regiment never fully recovered. This book tells their story in their own words from the moment they landed on Dutch soil through the fierce fighting all around the ever shrinking perimeter until the survivors of the GPR proudly marked the route out for the battered survivors of 1st Airborne Division as they escaped over the Rhine.Hitler's Boy Soldiers: The Hitlerjugend Story (Images of War)
By Hans Seidler. 2013
Founded in 1922 the Hitler Youth movement was the second oldest Nazi group. Comprising male youths aged 14 18, by…
December 1936 membership stood at over 5 million. During the Second World War, the role of Hitlerjugend evolved from assisting with the postal, train and fire services into full war fighting. Recruits went into units such as the elite 12th SS Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend and we see graphic images of this Waffen-SS force in action both on the Eastern and Western fronts.Even as the Nazi cause faced inevitable defeat these units fought with fanatical and disturbing bravery and after defeat in May 1945, elements carried out guerrilla actions in the Bavarian and Austrian mountains.The reader will find much original material on this legendary but distasteful Nazi organization.Lucius Verus and the Roman Defence of the East
By M. C. Bishop. 2018
&“The first biography of Marcus Aurelius&’ adopted brother and co-emperor . . . a valuable read for anyone with an…
interest in Roman history.&”—The NYMAS Review Lucius Verus is one of the least regarded Roman emperors, despite the fact that he was co-ruler with his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius for nine years until his untimely death. The later sources were strangely hostile to him and modern writers tend to dismiss him, but contemporary writings shine a more favorable light on his accomplishments. His handling of military affairs, particularly the conflict with Parthia after their invasions of Armenia and Syria, deserves a new consideration in the light of a careful reassessment of all the available source material. This volume looks at the upbringing of the boy who lost two fathers, acquired a brother, had his name changed twice, became a general overnight, and commanded the army that defeated one of Rome&’s greatest foes in the 2nd century AD. His rise to power is placed in the context of Rome&’s campaigns in the East and the part played by all—from the ordinary soldiers up to the aristocracy who commanded them—in making Lucius Verus&’s Parthian Wars a success. &“Bishop&’s background is in Roman military archaeology, and where the details of Roman warfare are concerned, he knows his subject matter backwards and forwards . . . For those who wish to understand how the Roman commanders fighting under Verus achieved success in the East, Bishop&’s book can be heartily recommended.&”—Bryn Mawr Classical Review