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. ...

Why has there been such an explosion of discussion about sex in the west since the 17th century? Here one of Frances greatest intellectuals explores the evolving social economic & political forces that have shaped our attitudes to sex. In a book that is at once controversial & seductive Foucault describes how we are in the process of making a science of sex which is devoted to the analysis of desire rather than the increase of pleasure. ...

Thirty-six months in combat. Twenty-four years as a sniping instructor. Twenty years of exhaustive research including decades spent seeking out hundreds of historic volumes long out of print test-firing historic firearms walking Revolutionary & Civil War battlefields with a laser rangefinder & visiting military museums in the United States & Europe. Only Major John Plaster author of the highly acclaimed The Ultimate Sniper has the background & knowledge to bring you this authoritative history of sniping & sharpshooting
- the first such book from a combat riflemans unique perspective. In The History of Sniping & Sharpshooting John Plaster has assembled the most comprehensive combat history ever published on the subject. It begins in the 15th century with the first use of precision" musket fire in Europe & continues into the 21st century with the significant role sniping is playing the Iraq & Afghanistan & the global War on Terror. Detailing major engagements & minor skirmishes over five centuries of warfare Plaster has unearthed hundreds of incidents where calculated precision rifle fire has changed the course of battles
- & sometimes history. He fittingly addresses well-known sharpshooters & snipers
- Hiram Berdan Vasili Zaitsev Carlos Hathcock
- but also pays tribute to forgotten riflemen such as John Burns Benjamin Forsyth & Arthur Wermuth to name but a few. He also explains how the evolution of firearms & optical technology has intertwined with sniping on the battlefield & how it has influenced tactics organizations & capabilities
- a subject that has never before been address adequately."




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Matt Warshaw knows more about surfing that any other person on the planet. After five years of research & writing Warshaw has completed a totally unprecedented history of the sport & the culture it has spawned. With a voice that is definitive funny & wholly original The History of Surfing delivers the ultimate book for surfers everywhere. ...

In a bestselling work of profound & lasting importance the late Albert Hourani told the definitive history of the Arab people from the seventh century when the new religion of Islam began to spread from the Arabian Peninsula westwards to the present day. It is a masterly distillation of a lifetime of scholarship & a unique insight into a perpetually troubled region. This updated edition by Malise Ruthven adds a substantial new chapter which

Includes:: recent events such as 9/11 the US invasion of Iraq & its bloody aftermath the fall of the Mubarak & Ben Ali regimes in Egypt & Tunisia & the incipient civil war in Syria bringing Houranis magisterial History up to date. Ruthven suggests that while Hourani can hardly have been expected to predict in detail the massive upheavals that have shaken the Arab world recently he would not have been entirely surprised given the persistence of the kin-patronage networks he describes in his book & the challenges now posed to them by a new media-aware generation of dissatisfied youth. In a new biographical preface Malise Ruthven shows how Houranis perspectives on Arab history were shaped by his unique background as an English-born Arab Christian with roots in the Levant.

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The first issue of The Beano was published on July 30 1938. This is the first-ever history of the best-known British comic of all time reflecting on 70 memorable years. The History of The Beano charts all the characters who have appeared over the years as well as the editors artists & writers--past & present--who have contributed to this great comic institution. ...

Plunged into depression after a brief post-war boom the ships & men of the British merchant navy found themselves called upon to repeat their sacrifice to the menace of German hostility within twenty years of the end of the 'war to end all wars'. For over three years until the Royal Navy bettered the German U-Boat the merchant navy maintained the supply of food raw materials & the sinews of war against appalling odds until victory ushered in a new age of peace & prosperity. It was not to last for long. Within a generation the merchant navy had all but vanished its companies wound up its men & women cast aside its loss to the nation yet to be appreciated in one of the quietest yet most fundamental changes to affect this country at the end of the millennium. The final instalment in Richard Woodman's ground-breaking five-volume series is as richly illustrated as the previous four & draws to a conclusion this critically acclaimed study into the history & development of the merchant navy. ...

A History of the English Language explores the linguistic & cultural development of English from the Roman conquest of England to the present day to provide a comprehensive overview of the different aspects of its history. This best-selling classic textbook has been revised & updated & encourages the reader to develop both an understanding of present-day English & an enlightened attitude toward the issues affecting the language today. New features of the sixth edition include: an additional chapter titled English in the Twenty-first Century which examines the future of English & other global languages &

Includes:: an assessment of Chinese as a world language an in-depth treatment of phonological changes such as the placement of the Great Vowel Shift as a bridge between Middle English & Renaissance English further coverage of corpus linguistics especially for Renaissance English fresh sections on accent & register a new survey of the recent debate between creolists" & "neo-Anglicists" on the origins of African American Vernacular English. Balanced & wide-ranging this textbook is a must-read for any student studying the history of the English language"

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