20 History


70084 EAVESDROPPING: An Intimate History by John L. Locke


Eavesdropping is communication, and it has two features that make it unusually interesting. The first is that it feeds on activity that is inherently intimate, and is so because the actors are unaware of the receiver, therefore feel free to be ‘themselves’. The second feature that makes eavesdropping so interesting relates to the way the information travels. It is not donated by the sender. It is stolen by the receiver. The very word eavesdropping can make us feel guilty, uncomfortable or even giddy, but it is a perfectly natural way to get the information that we crave. Like its near twin, gossip, eavesdropping changes our lives and our communities. John Locke’s entertaining and disturbing account explores everything from 16th century voyeurism to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, from chimpanzee behaviour to Parisian café society, from private eyes to Facebook and Twitter. He uncovers the biological drive


behind the behaviour, and its consequences across history and cultures. In the age of CCTV, phone tapping and computer hacking, this is uncomfortably important reading. Published by OUP, 266pp with 34 illus.


£16.99 NOW £6


Rides’ and soon every incumbent vicar within a 20 mile radius of Bristol was in fear that ‘Churchgoer’ was amongst his congregation, ready to report on the shortcomings of the parish, church, congregation and sermon. ‘Churchgoer’ was in fact Joseph Leech, editor of ‘The Bristol Times’. Always witty. Woodcut illus, 320pp in large softback. £14.99 NOW £5


69406 THE CRUSADES: The


War for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge One of the foremost authorities on the history of the crusades here sets a new standard for modern scholarship. Drawing upon painstaking original research, memorable details, battle accounts and an intimate knowledge of the Near East, Asbridge uncovers what drove Muslims and Christians alike to embrace the ideals of jihad and


crusade, revealing how these holy wars reshaped the medieval world and why they continue to echo in human memory to this day. Over the 200 years that followed the First Crusade, Islam and the West fought for dominion of the Holy Land, clashing in a succession of chillingly brutal wars, both firm in the belief that they were doing God’s work. We cross the desert sands of Egypt to the verdant forests of Lebanon and through the ancient cities of Constantinople, Cairo and Damascus. 784 pages with plates in colour and b/w, chronology, many maps. £30 NOW £9


69332 THE FIRST EMPEROR: China’s


Terracotta Army edited by Jane Portal Published in 2007, this first edition exhibition catalogue accompanied a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition at the British Museum. This important book explores the tangible evidence of Qin Shihuangdi’s existence, his great achievements and his vision. The chance discovery in 1974 of the life-sized Terracotta Army of the First Emperor of China (221-210BC) astounded the world. Topics include imperial tours and mountain inscriptions, the afterlife of the universe, the Terracotta Army, armour and entertainment in the afterlife and more. With full list of exhibits, each is beautifully photographed in colour together with floor plans, paintings from an 18th century album showing a fanciful depiction of the first emperor’s imperial tour in glowing colour, jade beakers, lacquerware, Qin gold, pottery, coins and a very useful timeline chronology. 240 very large pages on glossy paper. 250 illus. £40 NOW £11


69495 MILLENNIUM: The End of the World


and the Forging of Christendom by Tom Holland


Here in an exhilarating sweep across European history either side of the year 1000 we see how a new civilisation emerged. It was the age of Otto the Great and William the Conqueror, of Viking sea-kings, of hermits and monks. It witnessed the spread of castles, the invention of knighthood, and the founding of a papal monarchy. The book sweeps thrillingly over the troubled centuries that saw the troubled Byzantium, the ascent of Islam and the lingering disaster of the Crusades ending in the recapture of Jerusalem from the Saracens in 1099. 476pp, paperback with colour photos and maps. £10.99 NOW £4


69507 UNCOMMON PEOPLE: Resistance,


Rebellion and Jazz by Eric Hobsbawm 26 essays written between the early 1950s and the mid 1990s. Subjects include the formation of the British working class, revolution and sex, and socialism and the avant-garde. From essays on Mario Puzo and the Mafia, to the Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano and the cultural consequences of Christopher Columbus, the historian’s passionate concerns for the lives and struggles of ordinary men and women shines through. 470pp paperback.


£11.99 NOW £4.50 23944 BOOK OF THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF


BRITAIN by G.S.P Freeman-Grenville Dr. Freeman-Grenville was the consultant for Burke’s Royal Families of the World and his major work was the Chronology of World History. This specially commissioned book is a magisterial and entertainingly written overview of British monarchs from Cerdic First, King of Wessex to George VI. All the regal chronology and insights into the foibles of one of the world’s most interesting and resilient constitutional monarchies. 245pp in paperback. ONLY £4


25247 HISTORIES


by Herodotus, introduced by Tom Griffiths Herodotus (c480 - c425 B.C.) is the Father of History and his Histories are the first piece of western historical writing. They are also the most entertaining. Why did Pheidippides run the 26 mile and 385 yards from Marathon to Athens? And what did he do when he got there? Was the Battle of Salamis fought between sausage sellers? Which is the oldest language in the world? And what is the best way to kill a crocodile? Answers as well as many fascinating insights into the Ancient World. 734pp in paperback. ONLY £4


47915 JEWISH ANTIQUITIES by Flavius Josephus


The works of the Jewish writer Flavius Josephus represent one of the most important records of Judaism and the Jews that survives from the ancient world. It is an account in 20 books of Jewish history from the creation to the outbreak of the Jewish revolt against Rome in AD66. Here is all the drama of the Old Testament transformed into an historical narrative of Greco-Roman character. More importantly, it is our only continuous account of Middle Eastern affairs that led up to the revolt. We have the famous translation of Josephus’ works by Cambridge professor William Whiston. 902 page paperback. ONLY £4


59692 EDWARD S. CURTIS: NATIVE AMERICANS


by Hans Christian Adam


A talented historian, photographer, artist and ethnographer, the goal of Edward Curtis (1868-1952) was to capture ‘the vanishing Indian’. He started on the project in 1900 and, 30 years later, had taken 40,000 photographs and completed a massive 20-volume work. He shot families, daily life, costumes, rituals and stunning individual portraits, registering the full range of human emotion. B/w and sepia images. 14 x 19.5cm, 192 pages.


ONLY £2


69491 HOUSE OF TUDOR by Alison Plowden Looks in detail at events during Elizabeth I’s reign surrounding Robert Dudley, Katherine Grey and Mary Queen of Scots. Plowden covers the rise of the Tudors during the 15th century, the religious turmoil of the 1540s and postulates Edward VI was the prime mover in naming Lady Jane Grey as his heir and not Northumberland. In a personal rather than political history,


here is the brief story of five Tudor monarchs as well as lesser known members of the family in this turbulent Tudor period. 302pp in paperback with many photos. £9.99 NOW £3


60587 ANCIENT GREECE: The Dawn of the


Western World by Furio Durando Our understanding of ancient Greece is constantly changing as scholars reinterpret historical sources and archaeologists excavate new sites. Here are their homes, their jewellery, the religions they practised, the dramas they performed, the wars they fought and the games they played. It also documents the course of Greek art, from the abstract purity of the Cycladic idols to the perfection of the Classical era and on to the mannerism of the Hellenistic period, as well as its peerless architecture. The book concludes with an archaeological tour through the regions of Greece, visiting the Acropolis in Athens to the Doric temples of Paestum. 292 large pages, 1,000 photos in glowing colour, aerial views, plans. ONLY £5


67932 A BRIEF HISTORY OF KHUBILAI KHAN by Jonathan Clements


!


Lord of Xanadu, Emperor of China, here is the life and times of the founder of China’s great Yuan Dynasty. His grandfather was the bloodthirsty Mongol leader Genghis Khan, his mother a Christian princess. His armies conquered the Asian kingdom of Dali and brought down the last defenders of Imperial China. Khubilai presided over a glorious Asian Renaissance, attracting emissaries from across the continent. 274pp in paperback. £8.99 NOW £3


69445 SORCERER’S TALE: Faith and Fraud in Tudor


England by Alec Ryrie Takes us through the cut-throat business of early modern medicine, down to Tudor London’s gangland of fraud and organised crime. An earl’s son, plotting murder by witchcraft, crooked gaming-houses and brothels, a terrifying new disease and the self-trained surgeon who claims he can treat it - this is the


world of Gregory Wisdom, magician, physician and consummate conman at work in 16th century London. We enter the world of Renaissance magi and Kabbalistic conjurers to street corner wizards. 15 illus, 207pp. £12.99 NOW £4


67935 A BRIEF HISTORY OF STONEHENGE by Aubrey Burl


Subtitled ‘A Complete History and Archaeology of the World’s Most Enigmatic Stone Circle.’ Piece by piece Burl comprehensively debunks long-held myths and mystical notions with meticulous research and cutting- edge science. Key revelations concern how the Heel Stone pre-dates the monument itself, how the Welsh bluestones arrived at the site, the true astronomical meaning of the setting of the stones and relationship between the monument and the burial grounds that surround it. 368pp in paperback, illus. £8.99 NOW £3


68027 MAMMOTH BOOK OF EYEWITNESS


ANCIENT EGYPT edited by Jon E. Lewis Using primary sources, from the unification of the Kingdoms in c.3150BC to the conquest by Rome, here is a picture of the Egyptians as vividly colourful as their hieroglyphics. Marriage contracts, magic and spells, mummification, burials at the Valley of the Kings, how Cleopatra bewitched Antony, Pepi II and the dancing dwarf, Alexander the Great marching on to Egypt and hunting crocodiles on the Nile - and history, culture and religion. 519 page paperback. $12.95 NOW £1.75


Bibliophile Books Unit 5 Datapoint, 6 South Crescent, London E16 4TL TEL: 020 74 74 24 74 69924 PYRAMIDS: Their


Archaeology and History by Miroslav Verner


This engrossing, in-depth study of the pyramids, their history, discovery and function, also looks at the people who built these edifices and asks how they achieved such precision-made structures. A fascinating study of not just the pyramids themselves, but also the culture and religion of ancient Egypt.


495pp, line drawings. Paperback. £12.99 NOW £3.50


68028 ANCIENT WORLD IN YOUR POCKET: Over 3,000 Essential Facts edited by Paul Bahn


The ancient world is the backbone of modern civilisation and this book explores the key cultural, political and social events of this fascinating era, including deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, the Terracotta Army, earliest African rock art, North American mound cities and cliff dwellings, the world’s oldest mummies in Chile and much, much more. 144 pages illus in colour, maps, timelines and charts. ONLY £1


68061 MEMOIRS OF DUC DE SAINT-SIMON: 1691-1709: Presented to the King by Duc de Saint-Simon


One of the most eloquent wordsmiths in history, with a passion that often tore through the page as he wrote, Saint-Simon, a Duke and a Peer at the court of Louis XIV, spent his lifetime crafting what have often been called the greatest memoirs ever written. As a young man at the royal court, he experienced first-hand the endless wars and corruption that had begun to tarnish the sun King’s glow. With a keen eye and a sharp wit, he painted a portrait of Dukes and Duchesses, Princes and Bastards, as they all vied for power against the debauched and opulent backdrop of one of the grandest courts ever known. Apart from penning his extensive life story, Saint-Simon also bought a regiment and then got married. Thereafter, his life was spent between the army and the court. Whilst disapproving of the scandalous behaviour that went on around him, he could not resist chronicling some of the more outrageous happenings. He did, for instance, remain a friend and candid counsellor of the more than dissolute Duke of Orleans without ever condoning his flagrant vices. It was the truth that he pursued. 535 paperback pages with maps and family tree. We have here a shortened version translated and edited by Lucy Norton with an introduction by D. W. Brogan. $21.95 NOW £6


68155 CITIES OF BLOOD: Voyages Through Time by Peter Ackroyd


Over a period of 3,000 years or more, civilisations rose and fell in Meso and South America, unknown to the rest of the world. There arose many great cultures during this time - the Olnec, the Zapotec, the Toltec, the Maya, the Aztec and the Inca. Some never had any contact with the outside world, living and dying unknown. Some rulers were murdered, and many cities destroyed. Alongside the text and in the background of the pages are colour photos, diagrams and plans, fact boxes and captions. Suits ages 12 to adult. 144pp in illus softback. £6.99 NOW £3.50


68369 EDGE OF EMPIRE: Conquest and Collecting in the East 1750-1850 by Maya Jasanoff


From Cleopatra’s Needle to the fabulous jewels of Seringapatan, Jasanoff asks what British people brought to eastern domains, what they took away, and what it was that motivated them - ambition, opportunism, curiosity, attraction or greed. She follows those who travelled, the collections they purchased, plundered and preserved, and uncovers an original and intimate history of imperialism in an exhilarating cocktail of history and travelogue. 404pp, illus. £9.99 NOW £1


68471 EDWARD S. CURTIS - THE NORTH


AMERICAN INDIAN by Hans Christian Adam A talented historian, photographer, artist and ethnographer, the goal of Edward Curtis was to capture ‘the vanishing Indian’. He started on the project in 1900 and, 30 years later, had taken 40,000 photographs and completed a massive 20-volume work, at the cost of a failed marriage, depleted finances and broken health. Here are Slow Bull, Black Eagle and Iron Breast and hundreds more, staring at the viewer from a world that no longer exists. Hundreds of sepia images. Softback, 14 x 19.5cm, 576 pages. ONLY £8.50


69316 ARCHAEOLOGICA: The World’s Most Significant Sites and Cultural


Treasures by Dr Aedeen Cremin More than 40 archaeologists, historians and cultural anthropologists from around the world have all contributed to this magnificent book. The great mysteries of the world like the Easter Island statues, the Nazda Lines, Stonehenge and the pyramids of Mexico are not demystified - on the contrary, they are put into context which makes them even more remarkable. Modern technology involves satellite imagery, DNA analysis, three dimensional computer simulations and more. However, age-old issues such as forgeries, tomb robbers and the ownership of finds still dog conscientious archaeologists. From early human footprints at Laetoli in Tanzania dating to 3.6 million years ago to the 20,000 year old Aboriginal footprints at Lake Mungo in Australia, here are places on which human history has left its mark. Over 550 colour images including historical photos, site shots and pictures of key artefacts, 20 detailed regional maps and 150 locator maps. Features 150 sites from more than 50 countries. 400 very large glossy pages. £29.99 NOW £10


e-mail: orders@bibliophilebooks.com 68475 GREEK STONES SPEAK: The Story of


Archaeology in Greek Lands by Paul MacKendrick


A chronological approach to Greek archaeological history includingAegean in Prehistory (finds dating before 1900BC), the Lyric Age (700-480BC), the Classical Age (480-400BC), which includes much of the Athenian treasures around the Acropolis and Parthenon, the Hellenistic Age (322-146BC), arguably the zenith of Greek culture. Photos and maps. 534pp, paperback. £10.99 NOW £1


68476 ON THE SPARTACUS ROAD: A


Spectacular Journey Through Ancient Italy by Peter Stothard


The lot of the slave in the first Roman Republic was not a happy one, yet insurrection was extremely rare, it eventually came to pass between 73 and 71BC. The leaders were slaves, but not just any slaves. Highly skilled fighters and, given that they were being trained to die anyway, they were gladiators, led by the Thracian Spartacus, who escaped from his training school in Capua. Some 70,000 flocked to his banner, and this rebel army outfought the greatest army of the ancient world until it was finally put down. 353pp, illus. £18.99 NOW £1.25


69399 STORY OF THE UNSINKABLE TITANIC


by Michael Wilkinson


and Robert Hamilton When she was launched on 31st May 1911, RMS Titanic was the largest moveable object on Earth. She was a floating palace as well as a technological marvel, the last word in luxury, for first class


passengers at least. Facilities included a state of the art gymnasium, swimming pool, Turkish bath and squash court. Her White Star Line owners were content that Titanic, along with her sister ship Olympic, would be the aces in the cut throat battle with arch rival Cunard. However, in the early hours of 15th April 1912, four days into her maiden voyage, Titanic foundered when an iceberg sliced a 300ft gash in her hull. Of the 2,200 on board, just 700 survived. Since then she has become synonymous with maritime disaster, a human tragedy that still stirs the emotions. Packed with photos, 128 large pages. First time discounted. £16.99 NOW £9


68482 WORDS THAT RING THROUGH TIME edited by Terry Golway


In this compelling volume Terry Golway selects 51 of the most important speeches ever made ranging across some 30 centuries, from Moses addressing the Israelites to Barack Obama’s confrontation of race and religion in March 2008. Others in Golway’s selection including Jesus, Mohammed, Pericles, Cicero, Martin Luther, Thomas More, Elizabeth I, Cromwell, Washington, Robespierre, Napoleon, Daniel O’Connell, Marx, Lincoln, Gandhi, Haile Selassie, Roosevelt, Hitler, Churchill, Hirohito, Khrushchev, JFK, Anwar Sadat, Reagan, Thatcher and Nelson Mandela. This is a series of windows into our past. 416 roughcut pages. £16.99 NOW £2


68586 SCANDALOUS SOCIETY: Passion and


Celebrity in the Nineteenth Century by Nick Foulkes


The Count D’Orsay was the first modern celebrity, famous for being famous in the 1830s and 40s. Everything stopped when he swept into a room in the wake of his patrons Lord and Lady Blessington, with both of whom he was probably having affairs. After Lord Blessington’s death, the Count moved into Lady Blessington’s home Gore House and became a close friend of Disraeli and other political big players. D’Orsay was offered a post of director at the Paris Beaux-Arts, which he held until his death. 467pp, paperback, b/w photos.


£9.99 NOW £2


68604 EXPLORING THE WORLD OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS


by John Camp and Elizabeth Fisher Around 3,500 years ago the Greeks set out from their mountainous homeland at the end of the Balkan peninsula and within 1,000 years they had colonised and settled almost the entire Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. They were a remarkable people who have left their imprint on politics, art, science, theatre, medicine, philosophy, architecture and athletics. Of key importance is how they interacted, both peaceably and otherwise, with other cultures, such as the Minoans, Phoenicians, Lydians, Persians and Romans. The great historian Herodotus, writing in the fifth century BC, starts his account of the Persian wars by saying that the trouble all started 700 years previously with the Trojan War! Individual chapters examine gods and heroes, art and architecture, theatre and literature. 376 illus (107 in colour), maps and site plans, 224pp. £17.95 NOW £8


! 68768 OLD STONE MONUMENTS IN ALL


COUNTRIES: Their Age and Uses by James Fergusson


This highly illustrated text, first published in 1872, is required reading for any serious student of ancient history and architecture. It is a classic study of megaliths around the world, and includes examples - many now long gone - not only from India, Ceylon, North Africa and Europe but also from Western Asia, North America, Central America and Peru. One of the most interesting of antiquarian studies is that which relates to the origin and purpose of the many ancient mounds and monuments to be found in almost every country. 559 paperback pages in facsimile reprint, 234 b/w illus. £9.99 NOW £3.50


68770 1415: Henry V’s Year of Glory by Ian Mortimer


Henry V is regarded as a great British hero - victory against a huge numerical disadvantage over the French at a rain-sodden Agincourt on 25 October 1415, his piety and rigorous application of justice, plus his elevation to heroic status by Shakespeare have ensured that he has been regarded as a champion of English nationalism for generations. But how true is all of this? The story is told against the power struggle within the Church and official attempts to eradicate any deviant religious beliefs, which provide eye-opening new explanations as to why Henry tried to unite the kingdoms of England and France, and why he was prepared to burn heretics alive publicly. At


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