A History of Modern Britain confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age rival idealisms came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism celebrity & self-gratification. In each decade political leaders think they know what they are doing but find themselves confounded. Every time the British people turn out to be stroppier & harder to herd than predicted. Throughout Britain is a country on the edge -- first of invasion then of bankruptcy then on the vulnerable front line of the Cold War & later in the forefront of the great opening up of capital & migration now reshaping the world. This history follows all the political & economic stories but deals too with comedy cars the war against homosexuals Sixties anarchists oil-men & punks Margaret Thatcher's wonderful good luck political lies & the true heroes of British theatre. ' Superb colourful outspoken fresh & richly entertaining. Don't miss' The Times ' Lively full of rich anecdotes & sparkling pen portraits. He has the rare gift of being able to explain complex issues in a few crisp sentences' Sunday Telegraph ...

Iain Hampsher-Monks lucid & accessible history of modern political thought is the introduction which many have been waiting for providing a thorough guide to the ideas & writings of major political thinkers from Hobbes to Marx (including a full account of The Federalist papers). The authors aim throughout is to incorporate the benefits of modern scholarship of the historical school with its emphasis on historical & political circumstances as a key to meaning. Recognizing that for most students time will not allow detailed study of the historical & political contexts of particular works Hampsher-Monk provides here the background necessary for the readers to situate the writings of key thinkers in relation to wider currents in intellectual & political history. ...

Mr Polly is an ordinary middle-aged man who is tired of his wifes nagging & his dreary job as the owner of a regional gentlemans outfitters. Faced with the threat of bankruptcy he concludes that the only way to escape his frustrating existence is by burning his shop to the ground & killing himself. Unexpected events however conspire at the last moment to lead the bewildered Mr Polly to a bright new future after he saves a life fakes his death & escapes to a life of heroism hope & ultimate happiness. ...

The Cambridge Assignments in Music series features a variety of books audio cassettes & CDs including History of Music Popular Music Performing & Responding & Popular Music. This book presents a brief outline of the history of western music covering all important areas with the main emphasis on recognition of style & period. A checklist of pointers or 'fingerprints' of music style is included for each period & the book ends with a main summary chart. The book is intended to help GCSE candidates in areas of the examination which involve the history of music & music styles especially in questions where they are asked to identify the period & composer of previously unheard pieces of music. ...

This definitive work tells the entire story of the world's most extraordinary artistic medium of the last four hundred years. Opera paints the human passions with astonishing power & drama. This book the first new full-length single-volume History of Opera" for more than a generation provokes in-depth discussions of many works by the greatest opera composers from Monteverdi Handel & Mozart to Verdi & Wagner to Strauss Puccini Berg & Britten. There are lively discussions of opera's social political & literary background its economic circumstances & the almost continual polemics that have accompanied its development through the centuries. Abbate & Parker examine the problems that opera has faced in the last half century when new works
- which were once opera's life-blood
- have shrunk to a tiny minority have largely failed to find a permanent place in the repertoire. Yet the book's final message is one of celebration. Opera as an art form remains extraordinarily buoyant & challenging. It continues to transform people physically emotionally & intellectually & to articulate human experience in ways no other art form can match."

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This is a unique survey of photography from its origins until now. From a delivery boy to one of the most important industrialists in American history George Eastman's career developed in a particularly American way. The founder of Kodak died in 1932 & left his house to the University of Rochester. Since 1949 the site has operated as an international museum of photography & film & today holds the largest collection of its kind in the world. The continually expanding photography collection contains over 400 000 images & negatives
- among them the work of Alfred Stieglitz Edward Steichen Ansel Adams & others
- as well as 23 000 cinema films five million film stills one of the most important silent film collections technical equipment & a library with 40 000 books on photography & film. The George Eastman House is a pilgrimage site & a place of worship for researchers photographers & collectors from all over the world. This volume shows in chronological order the most impressive images & the most important developments in the art of light that is photography. It provides in its huge collection & themes a unique survey of the medium from its origins until now.

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Preston Guild is only celebrated every twenty years & has a history stretching back to the Middle Ages more than 800 years ago. Described as our Greatest Carnival the event has changed greatly over the years: originally it was held to help regulate the towns trade then was transformed into a fashionable get-together for gentry & burgesses & more recently a celebration of civic pride famous around the country. The Guild of 2012 will be the first with Preston having city status. ...

One could not ask for a more meticulous or scholarly assessment of what Britain meant to the Romans or Rome to Britons than Peter Salways Monumental Study Frederick Raphael Sunday Times From the invasions of Julius Caesar to the unexpected end of Roman rule in the early fifth century AD & the subsequent collapse of society in Britain this book is the most authoritative & comprehensive account of Roman Britain ever published for the general reader. Peter Salways narrative takes into account the latest research including exciting discoveries of recent years & will be welcomed by anyone interested in Roman Britain. ...

Scotland is one of the oldest countries in the world with a vivid & diverse past. Yet the stories & figures that dominate Scottish history
- tales of failure submission thwarted ambition & tragedy
- often badly serve this great nation overshadowing the rich tapestry of her intricate past. Historian Neil Oliver presents a compelling new portrait of Scottish history peppered with action high drama & centuries of turbulence that have helped to shape modern Scotl&. Along the way he takes in iconic landmarks & historic architecture; debunks myths surrounding Scotland's famous sons; recalls forgotten battles; charts the growth of patriotism; & explores recent political developments capturing Scotland's sense of identity & celebrating her place in the wider world.

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Scotland's history has been badly served over the years. Defined by its relationship to England Scotland's popular history is full of near-mythical figures & tragic events her past littered with defeat failure & thwarted ambition. The martyrdom of William Wallace the tragedy of Mary Queen of Scots & the forlorn cause of Bonnie Prince Charlie all give the impression of 'poor' Scotland; a victim of misfortune leading to the country's inevitable submission to the Auld Enemy. After the Union in 1707 Scotland's increasing reliance on England culminated in a crisis of confidence & identity that tortures the country to this day. But how accurate is this version of events? Using the very latest in historical research & by placing Scotland's story in the wider context of British European & global history some of the myths that pervade the past will be exploded to reveal a Scotland which forged its own destiny often with success. ...