” The means of defence against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.” James Madison Our societies, says Anthony Grayling, are under attack not only from the threat of terrorism, but also from our governments` attempts to fight that threat by reducing freedom in our own societies
- think the 42-day detention controversy, CCTV surveillance, increasing invasion of privacy, ID Cards, not to mention Abu Ghraib, rendition, Guantanamo... As Grayling says: ` There should be a special place for political irony in the catalogues of human folly. Starting a war `to promote freedom & democracy` could in certain though rare circumstances be a justified act; but in the case of the Second Gulf War that began in 2003, which involved reacting to criminals hiding in one country (Al Qaeda in Afghanistan or Pakistan) by invading another country (Iraq), one of the main fronts has, dismayingly, been the home front, where the War on Terror takes the form of a War on Civil Liberties in the spurious name of security. To defend `freedom & democracy`, Western governments attack & diminish freedom & democracy in their own country. By this logic, someone will eventually have to invade the US & UK to restore freedom & democracy to them.` In this lucid & timely book Grayling sets out what`s at risk, engages with the arguments for & against examining the cases made by Isaiah Berlin & Ronald Dworkin on the one h&, & Roger Scruton & John Gray on the other, & finally proposes a different way to respond that makes defending the civil liberties on which western society is founded the cornerstone for defeating terrorism.
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At midnight on 14 August 1947, Britain`s 350-year-old Indian Empire was broken into three pieces. The greatest mass migration in history began, as Muslims fled north & Hindus fled south, & Britain`s role as an imperial power came to an end. Patrick French`s vivid & surprising account of the chaotic final years of colonial rule in India has been acclaimed as the definitive book on this subject. Journeying across India, Bangladesh & Pakistan, he brings to life a cast of characters including spies, idealists, freedom fighters & politicians from Churchill to Gandhi. ...

A strikingly new account of the impact of the French Revolution in Paris, across the French countryside, & around the globe The French Revolution has fascinated, perplexed, & inspired for more than two centuries. It was a seismic event that radically transformed France & launched shock waves across the world. In this provocative new history, Peter Mc Phee draws on a lifetime`s study of eighteenth-century France & Europe to create an entirely fresh account of the world`s first great modern revolution-its origins, drama, complexity, & significance. Was the Revolution a major turning point in French-even world-history, or was it instead a protracted period of violent upheaval & warfare that wrecked millions of lives? Mc Phee evaluates the Revolution within a genuinely global context: Europe, the Atlantic region, & even farther. He acknowledges the key revolutionary events that unfolded in Paris, yet also uncovers the varying experiences of French citizens outside the gates of the city: the provincial men & women whose daily lives were altered-or not-by developments in the capital. Enhanced with evocative stories of those who struggled to cope in unpredictable times, Mc Phee`s deeply researched book investigates the changing personal, social, & cultural world of the eighteenth century. His startling conclusions redefine & illuminate both the experience & the legacy of France`s transformative age of revolution. ...

Why should one half be free to live, while the other is doomed to watch silently from the sidelines? In this visionary collection, Virginia Woolf leads us on a transformative journey through the liberating powers of the mind. From an exploration of why women were barred from writing & under what conditions they might break free, to the solace derived from haunting London`s streets, these essays & stories present Woolf at her most impassioned, rendering the pursuit of liberty one of life`s most poetic adventures. Selected from the books A Room of One`s Own, The Waves & Street Haunting & Other Essays by Virginia Woolf. VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. Also in the Vintage Minis series: Love by Jeanette Winterson; Home by Salman Rushdie; Language by Xiaolu Guo; &, Race by Toni Morrison. ...

` More than just a work of first-class scholarship, Liberty`s Exiles is a deeply moving masterpiece that fulfils the historian`s most challenging ambition: to revivify past experience.` Niall Ferguson Liberty`s Exiles was shortlisted for the 2011 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize. Early in the afternoon of 25 November 1783, the American Revolution was finally over; the British were gone, the patriots were back & a key moment inscribed itself in the annals of the emerging United States. Territorial independence from Great Britain had effectively begun. In ` Liberty`s Exiles`, Maya Jasanoff examines the realities of the end of the Revolution, through looking at the lives of the Loyalist refugees
- those men & women who took Britain`s side. She tells the story of Elizabeth Johnston from Savannah, whose family went on to settle in St Augustine, Scotl&, Jamaica & Nova Scotia; Reverend Jacob Bailey, who fled from New England across rough seas to Canada with his family & little more than the clothes on his back; five-year-old Catherine Skinner
- the daughter of a loyalist
- who was trapped as a prisoner in her home, hiding from the gunshots of rebel raiders. Their experiences speak eloquently of a larger history of exile, mobility & the shaping of the British Empire in the wake of the American War. Beautifully written & rich with source material, ` Liberty`s Exiles` is a history of the American Revolution unlike any before.


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Topographic survey of France at 1:25, 000 in IGN`s excellent TOP25 / Série Bleue series. All the maps are GPS compatible, with a 1km UTM grid plus latitude & longitude lines at 5’ intervals. Contours are at 5m intervals except for mountainous areas where the maps have contours at 10m intervals, vividly enhanced by hill shading & graphics for rocky terrain. Colouring with graphics indicates different types of vegetation or land use (deciduous or coniferous forests, moors, orchards, vineyards, etc). PLEASE NOTE: coverage of France at this scale is currently being revised – the format & the presentation of each title are indicated by the letters at the end of its Sheet Reference number (e.g. 0416ET, 3531ETR, 1923SB, etc.)MAPS WITH FULL TOURIST OVERPRINT & AN ENGLISH MAP LEGEND: all TOP25 maps & the SB editions of Série Bleue have an overprint highlighting waymarked walking trails including long-distance GR routes &, where appropriate, ski routes. Symbols indicate campsites, gîtes d’etape, refuges, equestrian centres & other recreational facilities or sites, tourist information centres, cultural heritage, etc. Towns & locations of particular interest are highlighted.- ET or OT = single-sided TOP25 map covering approx. 29x 21 km / 18x 13 miles.- ETR or OTR = waterproof & tear resistant TOP25 map covering the same area as the corresponding ET or OT number, but double-sided, printed on a smaller size sheet with a good overlap between the sides.- SB = Série Bleue map with full tourist overprint; these maps, first introduced in summer 2014, each cover approx. 29x 24km / 18x 15 miles.SÉRIE BLEUE maps with numbers ending in E (Est) or O (Ouest): most editions now indicate the GR routes, but do not show any other tourist information. Map legend is in French only. Each map covers approx. 14x 20km / 9x 12 miles. ...

An unparalleled work of historical conjecture, ranging imaginatively over huge tracts of the American popular consciousness, Don De Lillo`s ” Libra” contains an introduction by the author in ” Penguin Modern Classics”. In this powerful, eerily convincing fictional speculation on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Don De Lillo chronicles Lee Harvey Oswald`s odyssey from troubled teenager to a man of precarious stability who imagines himself an agent of history. When ”history” presents itself in the form of two disgruntled CIA operatives who decide that an unsuccessful attempt on the life of JFK will galvanize the nation against Communism, the scales are irrevocably tipped. Don De Lillo (b.1936) was born & raised in New York City. ” Americana” (1971), his first novel, announced the arrival of a major literary talent, & the novels that followed confirmed his reputation as one of the most distinctive & compelling voices in late-twentieth-century American fiction. De Lillo`s comic gifts come to the fore in ” White Noise” (1985), which won the National Book Award, ” Underworld” (1997), hailed by Martin Amis as `the ascension of a great writer`, ” Cosmopolis” (2003), adapted into a film by David Cronenberg, due to be released later this year, & ” Falling Man” (2007), a novel about the aftereffects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. If you enjoyed ” Libra”, you might like De Lillo`s ” Americana”, also available in ” Penguin Modern Classics”. ” Don De Lillo`s apocalyptic imagination takes on the assassination of John F. Kennedy... Breathtaking”. (” Newsday”). ...

The Library Books Bookplates from Mac & Ninny are fun stickers to label the books, cds & dvds you lend to family & friends, so that they can safely & surely find their way back to you. Sharing your taste in literature, music & film will be easier & a more enjoyable experience. We have all been there, feeling disappointed & wondering who borrowed our favourite book or dvd. From now on, with these bookplates, you can keep track of what you lend & to whom. The packaging contains 12 colourful badges measuring 7.5x 10.5 cm. Write your name & contact details on it & then stick it to the book, cd or film that you want to lend. in addition, the thick card wrapping doubles up as a library record sheet, where you can note who borrowed what & when. The Bookplates from Mac & Ninny are a wonderful idea for book lovers & anyone who likes sharing. Leave your name with fun, colourful & noticeable pictures to remind your friends or family the book is yours &, when they finished with it, you would like to have it back! ...

Handcrafted globe with French finished st&. Our 32 cm (12.5”) globe with floor stand is the classical form used over the centuries. No Renaissance library, reception room, or merchant’s office was complete without a large globe on a st&. Mapmakers & globe publishers issued new globes every year, keeping clients up to date on the latest discoveries & explorations. If we do not have this item in stock we will order it for you from our supplier. Delivery generally takes 3 weeks within the UK. For overseas delivery queries please email sales@stanfords.co.uk ...

Made of cherry wood & hand rubbed slightly distressed dark honey French finish. Like a real Library Ladder this one folds on brass hinges & is easily installed. The top & bottom have brass sleeves on all four sides. Flush inlaid brass hardware, hefty bronze drawer handles. This bookcase will survive centuries. If we do not have this item in stock we will order it for you from our supplier. Delivery generally takes 3 weeks within the UK. For overseas delivery queries please email sales@stanfords.co.uk ...