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History & Social History |
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here for current Cover to Cover History
& Social History titles on ABE Will open in a new window - prices in UK Pounds. |
| History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake. James Joyce |
| Selected Titles: |
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In Search of the Trojan War Michael Wood BBC rep 1985 The tale of the siege of Troy is perhaps the greatest non-religious story ever told. It has haunted the western imagination for nearly 3000 years. But there is another story almost as exciting - the story of the modern quest for the reality behind Homer's epic. Was there ever an actual siege of Troy? Did Helen, Agamemnon, Paris and the other titanic characters really walk the earth? This modern epic concerns a host of adventurers, but above all it is the tale of the amateur Heinrich Schliemann, who determined to find Troy and uncovered what he claimed were the Jewels of Helen and the Mask of Agamemnon; Arthur Evans, who excavated the Palace of Minos at Knossos in Crete and found the writing of the Bronze-Age Aegean; and Wilhelm Dorpfeld and Carl Blegen, who both claimed to have proved the historical truth of the Trojan War. On one level this is a romantic tale of heroes, adventure and buried treasure; on another it is a fascinating scholarly search into the world of Bronze-Age Greece, where new discoveries are constantly adding to our knowledge. In this book, which is based on the BBC TV series, Michael Wood has made a wideranging study of the complex archaeological, literary and historical records which make up the background to the tale of Troy. He has visited all the key sites and his researches have led him to some original speculations, in particular on the part played in the story by the powerful but mysterious Hittite empire. He also comes to a new conclusion about the identity of the legendary city itself, the city which he believes was Homer's Troy. The result is a superbly illustrated book containing not only the latest conclusions of scholars and archaeologists, but also a detailed survey of the quest for the lost site of Troy. In Search of the Trojan will enthral not only those who love the Iliad and the Odyssey; but also all those who perhaps have never read a line of Homer but are still familiar with the legend of Helen and Paris, Achilles and Hector - and, of course, the Wooden Horse of Troy. 4to. Fine in a Fine wrapper. 880 gms £15.00 |
| Montcalm
and Wolfe - the French & Indian War Francis Parkman Da Capo Press 2001 “The strife that armed all the civilized world began here, “ wrote Francis Parkman of the conflict between the French and British in the New World. ‘Montcalm and Wolfe’, long considered Parkman’s masterpiece, is the grand, sweeping tale of that continental strife – what North America called the French and Indian War, and England called the Seven Years’ War. ‘Montcalme and Wolfe’ frames the war years through the lives of its two brilliant opposing generals. Weaving together the campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic, Parkham travels from opulent royal courts to muddy colonial fields, from Fort Necessity to the Plains of Abraham. He couples impeccable history with rich, insightful narration, revealing the war as a deeply personal conflict between Louis de Montcalm and James Wolfe, the two ambitious leaders who ultimately died heroes’ deaths on the frontlines. Accompanied
by over 40 detailed maps and illustrations – some selected specially
for this edition – Parkman’s timeless work shows how the enormous
transfer of land from France to England at the war’s end sowed the
first seeds of colonialism – seeds that, in due course, led America
to its revolution, and eventually, its independence. |
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Barons of the Welsh Frontier - the Corbet, Pantulf and FitzWarin families 1066-1272 Janet Meisel University of Nabraska Press 1st 1980 One of the more obscure topics of English history is the lesser baronial families who dwelled on the Welsh March in the High Middle Ages. Largely ignored by monastic chroniclers and thus also largely ignored by modern historians, these barons fill out important tracts of English history and shed new light both on neglected aspects of English history and on aspects which have been studied extensively. Neither these three families nor families like them have been previously accorded the meticulous and tireless research that they receive here. These families have been considered lesser barons - men of little power or influence because of the scant attention they received from monastic chroniclers. The author shows, however, that they were neglected primarily because of their distance in miles and sympathy from the royal court. Chroniclers focused their attention on men who were present with the king, and the need to defend their frontier lands caused the Marcher barons' trips to court to be both infrequent and brief. Although these families were rarely at court, the kings of the period considered them important, saw them as a near-equal force, granted them extensive favours, and allowed them liberties unheard of elsewhere in England and in English history. These Marcher barons were largely independent of royal authority and developed a mode of self-law and conduct of life that may have been unique in England. The reason for the liberties of the Marcher barons was their vast power, which successive monarchs allowed them as the price of keeping Welsh invaders out of England. 8vo. Bumps to bottom corners of the boards, cancelled name to front pastedown, minor creasing + two tiny tears to the dustwrapper, otherwise the book is in VG++ condition in a VG++ wrapper. 455 gms £80.00 |
| Women
in Athenian Law and Life Roger Just Routledge rep 1994 This book provides a comprehensive account of the Athenians' conception of women during the classical period. Though nothing remains that represents the authentic voice of women themselves, there is a wealth of evidence showing how men sought to define women. By working through a range of material, from the provisions of Athenian law to the representations of tragedy and comedy, the author builds up, in the manner of an anthropological ethnography, a coherent and integrated picture of the Athenians' notion of 'woman'. 'Just draws a clear and vivid picture of the "social complexities" which" constitute the stuff of life" in classical Athens ... excellent, thoroughly readable .. .' Helen King, The Times Literary Supplement ' ... admirably lucid ... Just's grasp of his classical sources is as firm as his knowledge of the anthropological frameworks .. .' Stephen Todd, The Times Higher Education Supplement 8vo paperback 317 pages. Very, very minor indents to the covers + very, very minor wear to the edges of the covers, otherwise the book is in VG++ condition. 445 gms £20.00 |
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Personal Narrative of the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood Joseph Denieffe Irish University Press 1st 1969 Joseph Denieffe was an envoy sent by the Irish revolutionary leaders in New York to Ireland to establish a link with revolutionary leaders in Ireland. With Stephens, Luby, Langan and Garret O’Shaughnessy, he took the oath of allegiance to the Irish Republic. The fortunes of the movement in its seminal first decade are recorded in this narrative which Denieffe says ‘is a personal one and deals only with the matters with which I was closely connected, and the facts which I can vouch for as being absolutely true’. 8vo. Very, very minor creasing to the dustwrapper edges + very, very minor wear, otherwise the book is in Fine condition in a VG++ wrapper. Facsimile reprint of the 1906 edition. 535 gms £145.00 |
| Ancient
Greek France A Trevor Hodge Duckworth 1st 1988 The history of Provence and the French Riviera is seldom traced back to its earliest roots when, as far back as 600 BC - long before the Romans - cities such as Marseille, Antibes, Nice and Monte Carlo were founded by Greek settlers. This fascinating book gathers together the evidence for this farflung outpost of ancient Greek civilisation for the first time in a form accessible to both the classical historian and the modern traveller and visitor to the South of France. Beginning with a survey of Phocaea, the Ionian mother-city, we follow the settlers' fleet overseas to Provence and the foundation there of Massalia (Marseille). Further chapters outline Massalia's topography, archaeology, history, economy, politics and culture. The book provides a site-by-site commentary on the other later Greek colonies along the coast between Ampurias (Spain) and Monaco, and a study of the Celts of inland Gaul and their relations, commercial and cultural, with the Greek colonists. A final chapter evaluates the characteristics and achievements of Massalia, and attempts a response to that most difficult of questions: did ancient Greek Massalia really deserve its high reputation? Mint in a Fine wrapper. 740 gms £45.00 |
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