How only violence and catastrophes have consistently reduced inequality throughout world historyAre mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is...

"We may love books, but do we know what lies behind them? In The Book, Keith Houston reveals that the paper, ink, thread, glue and board from which a book is made tell as rich a story as the words on its pages--of civilisations, empires, human ingenuity...

A moving exploration of the origins and fate of the little-known Chinese passengers aboard the Titanic—and how they survived against all odds.When RMS Titanic sank on a cold night in 1912, barely seven hundred people escaped with their lives. Among them...

When people experience a traumatic event, such as war or the threat of annihilation, they often turn to history for stories that promise a positive outcome to their suffering. During World War II, the French took comfort in the story of Joan of Arc and...

An engaging, accessible introduction to war, from ancient times to the present and into the future "Forty short chapters . . . describe war from the ancient world to the present day. . . . A Short History of War offers an expansive and often evocative...

Aveni (astronomy and anthropology, Colgate) traces the development of Western timekeeping systems, comparing it to those of pre-Columbian America and of tribal societies. Discusses linear and cyclic approaches, and the relationship between timekeeping...

Manipulation of the past and forced erasure of memories have been global phenomena throughout history, spanning a varied repertoire from the destruction or alteration of architecture, sites, and images, to the banning or imposing of old and new practices...

Ariès traces Western man's attitudes toward mortality from the early medieval conception of death as the familiar collective destiny of the human race to the modern tendency, so pronounced in industrial societies, to hide death as if it were an...

A vibrant cultural history investigating pandemics and vaccines, by bestselling author and historian Simon Schama Cities and countries engulfed by panic and death, desperate for vaccines but fearful of what inoculation may bring. This is what the world...

From one of today’s most innovative ancient historians, a provocative new vision of why ancient history matters—and why it needs to be told in a radically different, global wayIt’s easy to think that ancient history is, well, ancient history—obsolete,...

What we learn when an anthropologist and a historian talk about food.From the origins of agriculture to contemporary debates over culinary authenticity, Ways of Eating introduces readers to world food history and food anthropology. Through engaging...

Set in the heart of swirling, Dickensian London, the wondrous history of a unique institution and the incredible characters—human and animal—that populated it.The founding of a zoo in Georgian London is a story of jaw-dropping audacity in the Age of...

A brilliant, eye-opening work of history that speaks volumes about today’s battles over international trade, immigration, public health and global inequality.Before the First World War, enthusiasm for a borderless world reached its height. International...

A new global history of Fordism from the Great Depression to the postwar eraAs the United States rose to ascendancy in the first decades of the twentieth century, observers abroad associated American economic power most directly with its burgeoning...

First published in 1978, this book rapidly established itself as a classic of modern Marxism. Cohen's masterful application of advanced philosophical techniques in an uncompromising defense of historical materialism commanded widespread admiration. In...

"On November 1, 1911, over the North African oasis Tagiura, Lieutenant Giulio Cavotti leaned out of the cockpit of his delicate aircraft and, dropping a Haasen hand grenade, initiated one of the twentieth century's most devastating military tactics:...

An encyclopedia of military history covers the wars of Asia, South America, and Africa, as well as North America and Europe, and includes information on the major leaders, weapons, the use of propaganda, the evolution of uniforms, and more.