Modern Europe

In The Making of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr paints a fascinating portrait of life in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century as the country recovered from the grand wreckage of the British Empire. Between the death of Queen Victoria and the end of the Second World War, the nation was shaken by war and peace. The two wars were the worst we had ever known and the episodes of peace among the most turbulent and surprising.

Ancient cultures have been looking up at the stars for thousands of years, wondering about their place in the universe. What were those glowing spots in the black cover of night? Just how far away was the moon? These and other questions hounded humanity through the millennia until, finally, relative economic stability allowed for a number of people to examine their world more closely. Slowly, knowledge and understanding accumulated generation by generation until the conditions were ideal enough for a revolution to occur in thinking, experimentation, worldview, and natural philosophy.

The Cro-Magnon were Homo sapiens, and the most defining characteristics of the species are the cultural traits that begin to show in the archaeological record. Tools were beginning to be made from multiple materials, and these people would often travel long distances or trade to acquire specific materials for tools. Symbolic material became increasingly common among them, as cave paintings, figurines, shell beads, pendants, and even early burials were more common with modern humans than Neanderthals.

For students of Middle English, Andrew and Waldron's The Poems of the Pearl Manuscript has been the key edition of the four Pearl poems for over 30 years. With the changing needs of today's students in mind, the editors produced a complete prose translation of the four poems - the best known of which is "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". The near-literal translations are intended to facilitate understanding of the four poems - to lead readers to, rather than away from, the original texts.

The subject of Greek mythology conjures up mythical stories of glorious and wonderful Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes with tales of war, love, and betrayal. Since ancient Greece was the birth place of philosophy, theater, and politics, it is understandable that such a great civilization would be capable of creating an elaborate belief system in which to help understand the world around them.

This audiobook will trace Western civilization back to its roots. In this epic quest, we head all the way back to Greece when Greek philosophers like Socrates and Plato pondered the very meaning of life. Explore the depths of knowledge that were probed by Greek schools of thought, such as the Stoics and the Cynics.

La Inglaterra de principios de la Edad Moderna fue una época de grandes transformaciones que sacó a Inglaterra de la Edad Media y la introdujo en la era moderna, pero es probable que no conozca muchos detalles sobre este periodo.

Un recorrido de seis siglos, de las primeras armas de fuego a la bomba atómica, que da cuenta de las relaciones entre industria, diplomacia y destrucción. La entrada de los países europeos en la modernidad no es ajena, como ningún proceso histórico, al desarrollo armamentístico y militar: los imperios españoles, portugueses, británicos u holandeses se consiguieron y se administraron con pólvora.

Witness Napoleon Bonaparte's Rise and Fall: From an outsider on Corsica to the Emperor of France, Napoleon's journey is a tale of ambition, strategy, and leadership. This book delves deep into his life, revealing a story that transcends history and offers timeless lessons.

Charles De Gaulle's leadership of the French while in exile during World War II cemented his place in history. In contemporary France, he is the stuff of legend, consistently acclaimed as the nation's pre-eminent historical figure. But paradoxes abound. For one thing, his personal popularity sits oddly with his social origins and professional background. Neither the Army nor the Catholic Church is particularly well-regarded in France today, as they are seen to represent antiquated traditions and values.

Questo libro traccia un grande affresco sul pellegrinaggio dalla penisola italica verso i Luoghi Santi, nel periodo compreso fra il Medioevo e la conquista ottomana di Gerusalemme del 1516. Forma devozionale assai diffusa nel mondo cristiano medievale, figlio delle tradizioni ebraiche e greco-romane, il pellegrinaggio, metafora del destino dell'uomo che "cammina" verso la morte per la salvezza, segna un fenomeno storico rilevante, non solo per gli aspetti religiosi presenti in esso, ma anche per quelli culturali, sociali, economici e artistici.

In the early summer of 1866 half a million men from Prussia and the Austrian Empire fought the largest battle in European history prior to 1914 in the rolling hills of eastern Bohemia. The results of the battle determined that Prussia and not Austria would be paramount in the German world going forward. The Prussian victory at the Battle of Königgrätz has traditionally been ascribed to their possession of a breech-loading rifle and use of railways.

The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the White man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismark, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war.

The history of Ukraine is a fascinating story of how cultures, political systems, religions, and power have met, intersected, morphed, and expanded. The region was relatively sparsely populated for much of ancient history, a wilderness of rivers, forests, and steppes, but that does not detract from the rich historical development of the region. Modern Ukraine examines the turbulent history of the country in the last 120 years, from being absorbed by the Russians to the ongoing conflicts. You will learn about modern Ukraine like never before.

Dirigibles proved popular in a variety of different ways throughout the 20th century, and they continued to be complements, even as airplane technologies rapidly advanced. Modern Balloons and Airships: The History and Legacy of Dirigibles During the 20th Century looks at the development of balloons and airships during the 20th century and the innovative ways they were used.

According to McCloskey, our modern world was not the product of new markets and innovations but rather the result of shifting opinions about them. An utterly fascinating sequel to her critically acclaimed book The Bourgeois Virtues, Bourgeois Dignity is a feast of intellectual riches from one of our most spirited and ambitious historians - a work that will forever change our understanding of how the power of persuasion shapes our economic lives.

An American descendant of its wealthy German-Jewish owners tells the human story of a house near Berlin, revealing its Nazi occupation and use as a child-care center,and the building of the Berlin Wall 50 feet from the front door.

Kwasi Kwarteng is the child of parents whose lives were shaped as subjects of the British Empire, first in their native Ghana, then as British immigrants. He brings a unique perspective and impeccable academic credentials to a narrative history of the British Empire, one that avoids sweeping judgmental condemnation and instead sees the Empire for what it was: a series of local fiefdoms administered in varying degrees of competence or brutality by a cast of characters as outsized and eccentric as anything conjured by Gilbert and Sullivan.

This entertaining volume provides a concise history of one of the world's premiere cities. Acclaimed author A.N. Wilson starts at the beginning, when London was founded by the Romans, and continues to contemporary times, hitting all the historical highlights along the way. London is the perfect starter book for anyone wishing to understand this great city a little better, and even seasoned London fans will find new information here.

It is hard to find an island on the map more central than Sicily. It has rarely been governed as an independent, unified state. Nonetheless, the island has always occupied a front-row seat to some of the most important events in history, and nowhere is this more obvious than during antiquity. Modern Sicily: The History and Legacy of the Mediterranean Island Since the Middle Ages looks at one of the world’s most important and contested territories. You will learn about Sicily like never before.