www.bibliophilebooks.com HISTORY


Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.


- H. G. Wells


74624 HISTORIES OF NATIONS: How Their


Identities Were Forged edited by Peter Furtado This global history volume is the first to tell, in a series of diverse and wide-ranging narratives, national stories from the inside of a nation. Here, 28 leading writers and scholars from 28 different countries reveal


how their citizens view their own past, what key events and influences have shaped their perspectives, and whether they believe that the views of foreign commentators are accurate. The countries have been carefully selected to represent every continent and every type of state: large and small, mature democracies, religious autocracies, ones that have existed for thousands of years and those born as recently as the 20th century. In China, for instance, history is seen to play a crucial role in legitimising 3,000 years of imperial authority whereas, in the United States, myths about the ‘historylessness’ (not Bibliophile’s word!) of their nation still remain strong. Some countries, such as Egypt, have to contend with a glorious ancient history that the present never seems to equal. Others, like Germany, are faced with a recent past that it is difficult even to acknowledge. A book that provides crucial food for thought in this modern age. 320 pages with 202 illustrations, 157 in colour, contributor biographies and timelines. £24.95 NOW £10


74627 HISTORY’S DAYBOOK: A History of the


World in 366 Quotations by Peter Furtado


“They’ve got everything over there. What do they want us for?”. The immortal words of Beatle George Harrison were uttered on 7 February 1964 on the plane to America. He soon found the answer, as two days later 75 million viewers tuned in to watch the sensational new band on


TV. This daybook opens your eyes to the world around you and its incredible history, with each day of the year having a page devoted to a special event. On the following day, 8 February 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was executed at Fotheringhay Castle, and the day after that saw the beginning of McCarthy’s witch hunt in 1950s America with a claim that there were 205 Communists in the US State Department. 11 February is the date of Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom following 27 years’ imprisonment. On 12 February we are back in America with Donald Rumsfeld’s notorious ‘known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns’. 13 February is the anniversary of the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692, when the Campbells wiped out their hosts, the MacDonalds, following the instructions of the English Secretary of State. The same month also sees the anniversaries of the Futurist and Communist manifestos, the Salem Witch Trials and Hitler’s burning of the Reichstag. From the launch of the Times newspaper on 1 January 1785 to the resignation of Boris Yeltsin on the last day of the millennium, every page has something fascinating. 488pp, black and white decorations, timeline. £25 NOW £8


74848 SECRET WAR IN SHANGHAI


by Bernard Wasserstein Subtitled Treachery, Subversion and Collaboration in the Second World War, Wasserstein brings to life one of the most thrilling, perplexing and enigmatic cities on earth. It is a scholarly reconstruction of seedy times just before it all collapsed as Wasserstein recounts with extraordinary clarity not only one of


the most convoluted episodes in modern Chinese history, but also a cast of diverse, colourful characters and the Byzantine machinations of their lives in Shanghai. His cool accounts of such colourful criminals as One-Arm Sutton, Peg-Leg Kearney, ‘Princess’ Sumaire and ‘Captain’ Pick are as enjoyable as they are admirable for their research. He reveals for the first time that British police and businessmen collaborated extensively with the enemy and helped fuel the Japanese war effort. The 12 chapters include titles such as Phony War and the International Settlement, Oriental Mission, Collaborators, Wars Within Wars and End Game. With extensive notes, a who was who and three maps, 360pp in paperback. £8.99 NOW £4


74880 WORLD HISTORY WITH ATLAS by Liz Wyse


and Caroline Lucas One of the excellent Webster’s Reference Library, this new edition brings the history of the world right up to April 2006. Perhaps best of all is the 64 page colour illustrated Quick Summary of World History which follows an excellent timeline. It is a total chronology of world events from 4000BC to the 21st


century with full colour illustrations and maps. The timeline relates major events and places history simultaneously and world wide. The graphic exploration covers early environment and lifestyle of the first humans to the world in conflict today. The overview reveals the political, religious and cultural trends that have dominated world history and a chronology of events that shaped the world. Essays cover the first civilisations, Asian empires, the rise of Islam, Europe in


Ancient Egypt


75005 GOLDEN KING: The World of Tutankhamun by Zahi Hawass


A concise, beautifully illustrated history of the life of King Tutankhamun and the sensational discovery of his tomb more than 3,000 years after he died. Tutankhamun descended the throne of Egypt as a child and died before the age of 20 and his treasure-filled tomb has made him the most famous of all the ancient pharaohs. In this book, Egypt’s leading archaeologist Zahi Hawass chronicles the boy king and the royal dynasty that bred him. Highlighted by scores of stunning photographs, including archival images from the first great era of Egyptian archaeology, the authoritative text looks at the dynasty from his father the ‘heretical’ Akhenaten to his stepmother, the famously beautiful Nefertiti, to his half- sisters, the sun-kissed Princesses of Amarna. Hawass brings these fabled figures and their tumultuous, astonishing age to life. Many images are shown with a black background to accentuate the rich colours of the lapis-lazuli and gold. Heavily illustrated with colour throughout, large softback, 166pp. Published by the American University in Cairo Press. $34.95 NOW £7


75031 TUTANKHAMUN by T. G. H. James


A companion to Treasures of the Valley of the Kings code 75024 and The Treasures of the Pyramids code 75023 this spectacular volume also has amazing colour photography by Araldo de Luca. Howard Carter’s wonderful discovery in the Valley of the Kings, an intact royal burial place of Tutankhamun, ranks among the greatest archaeological triumphs of all time. The boy King’s golden funerary mask is perhaps the most celebrated single masterpiece, but the tomb, largely undisturbed when Carter cut through the priestly door- seals in 1922, was filled with a wealth of less well known objects mostly designed for the King’s enjoyment in the after life. Amulets and jewellery, figures of gods and servants, weapons and games, food, clothing and unguents, statues, furniture and model boats which are now stored in Cairo where only a portion are on display. The photographer was granted unprecedented access to those treasures and over many months built up the sumptuous range of 400 colour photographs that form the basis of this remarkable volume. T. G. H. James is one of the world’s foremost Egyptologists and he provides an account of the tomb’s discovery and a detailed explanation of each of the masterpieces displayed. He also paints a revealing portrait of Carter, an artist who became an archaeologist who passed on his enthusiasm to his patron Lord Carnarvon. This astonishing collection features items made of gold, lapis- lazuli, carnelian, quartz, obsidian, turquoise and coloured glass, wood, gold leaf, silver vitreous paste and semi- precious stones. Here is the ‘pectoral’ of the goddess Nut a solid gold plaque featuring the sky deity standing with outstretched arms and wings in a beautiful blue. A flexible Horus collar, a mirror case in the form of Ankh, a gilded heart with heron, a blue glass figure of the King among the servant figures, plus figures of


anthropomorphic deities, amulets, vessels and other objects of calcite. With spectacular gatefold pages, black and white photos from the original Carter expedition and 400


marvellous glossy images in a 318 page hardback measuring 26cm x 36cm. $69.95 NOW £30


73556 A HISTORY OF ANCIENT EGYPT: From the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid by John Romer


This informative volume draws on a lifetime of research to tell how, over more than 1,000 years, a culture of semi-itinerant farmers created a weird world that had its first culmination in the Great Pyramid. The author focuses instead on what the long-buried and highly idiosyncratic objects unearthed by archaeologists have to tell us in their own right. The result, as this long-


the Middle Ages, the Ottoman Empire, the Americas and colonial expansion, the Age of Revolution, the Napoleonic years, the world wars through to the world tomorrow both in short essays or a few lines, then chronologically by year together with epochs and deaths of famous people. 381pp in paperback to suit teenagers to adult. ONLY £3


74892 FIRST FREEDOM: A


History of Free Speech by Robert Hargreaves To hold and express views which are at variance to those of the majority, or which challenge the actions of those in power, is the most precious of all freedoms, for it underpins liberty itself. Yet it is a freedom that has always been under threat, as much in the 21st century as in any other. Until now,


the history of free speech has been neglected. The author leads us through this evolving story, showing where the idea came from and who its heroes are. He sheds new light on the lives and motivations of those who championed it. From the execution of Socrates through the writings of Milton, Voltaire and Mill to the down-to-earth struggles of Paine, Wilkes and Cobbett, he tackles his subject with a journalist’s eye for telling


vanished civilisation gradually seems to re-appear from under the sand, is an engrossing detective story. How have we come to know as much as we do about the astounding achievements of the civilisation of the Nile? Where and why does the record remain silent? Whether he is writing about the smallest necklace bead or the most grandly elaborate royal tomb, the author conveys a remarkable sense of a people so like ourselves. 476 pages illustrated in b/w plus many colour plates, chronology and maps, £25 NOW £14


74995 ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT EGYPT


by Giorgio Agnese and Maurizio Re If we were to choose one out of the many books about ancient Egypt that have been published, this would be it. The illustrations, many of them double-page spreads, are outstanding and the translation is clear. Given the number and vastness of the sites and monuments to be found in Egypt, and the fact that this ancient civilisation lasted for over 4,000 years, condensing it into a concise yet exhaustive volume must have been an arduous task. The result is a must-have and long-to-be-treasured book. The area of ancient Egypt has been inhabited from the prehistoric period. The first Neolithic agricultural communities settled on the upper Nile valley and its oases around 7,000-8,000 years ago. These cultures enjoyed a rapid organisational, social and technological development before the start of the dynastic epoch inaugurated by the first historical pharaoh, Menes. This culture was not actually extinguished until around AD 400, when the knowledge of hieroglyphic writing was lost and the pagan cults were banished from the country. It was a long episode unique in human history. Here are all the details from the gods to the Cult of the Dead, the travellers and explorers to the


necropolises, the Monastery of St Catherine to Giza’s Plateau, taking in Aswan and Luxor and much more en route. 256 pages extremely lavishly illustrated with dazzling colour photos and paintings, uncluttered maps and plans, chronology and glossary. $39.95 NOW £8


75023 TREASURES OF THE PYRAMIDS by Zahi Hawass


and H. E. Suzanne Mubarak


The first spectacular volume in this series published by the American University in Cairo Press, this measures 36.2 x 26.6 x 3.4cm. Besides being among the most marvellous architectural achievements of ancient history, the pyramids are the most visible aspects of the unique religious and metaphysical beliefs of Ancient Egypt. Shrouded in mystery despite all the research, recent excavations have thrown new light on these monuments, on the lives of the workers who built them and on the court dignitaries who were granted the privilege of a burial place near that of their king. Although the pyramids at Giza are the best known, there are others that are more ancient and less grandiose and here for the first time in this beautiful edition are all the most important Old Kingdom pyramids and the great necropolises of Memphis brought together, examined and reinterpreted. Their descriptions are accompanied by maps, plans and reconstructions taking us along the banks of the Nile during the 4th and 3rd Millennia BC. Edited by Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Counsel of Antiquities and the excavator of many recent discoveries and the texts are written by the world’s leading Egyptologists. They reveal the secrets of the pyramids, the vicissitudes of the most famous dynasties and with specially commissioned photographs the most famous tombs in the world and the treasures they contained. With spectacular items of jewellery, wall paintings, statues, a gilded wooden chariot, stela, unsolved problems about the step pyramids, recent discoveries of the pyramids of the Middle Kingdom, how they were built, secret doors and ‘unfinished’ pyramids. 400 large glossy pages, first time discounted.


$69.95 NOW £20


details and human drama and concludes that the battle for free speech is never over. 338 pages with b/w photos.


£20 NOW £5


74660 A VILLAGE LOST AND FOUND: Book and 3D


Stereoscope by Brian May and Elena Vidal


Two volumes in a beautifully designed slipcase, here is a complete annotated collection of the original 1950s stereoscopic photograph series ‘Scenes in Our Village’ by T. R. Williams. Stereoscopic photography was


born in the 1830s when it became apparent that true stereo pairs of photographs could be two separate images for left and right with our two eyes seeing two slightly different versions of the same view in front of us. This tricks our brain into seeing a three dimensional image. The concept of this marvellous volume is to present one photographic essay, the first of its kind, in its entirety, as it was originally conceived by the author. T. R. Williams’s masterpiece ‘Scenes in Our Village’ was hitherto known only to a few devoted collectors of stereoscopic cards and photographs. The book presents


History 5 75024 TREASURES OF THE VALLEY


OF THE KINGS by Kent Weeks One of a series of three tremendous heavyweight volumes published by the American University in Cairo Press in which Bibliophile is thrilled to present discounted for the first time. Through extensive illustrations, archaeological reconstructions, here are the tombs and temples of the Theban West Bank in Luxor. It is an in- depth consideration of the entire complex of funerary monuments opposite the modern city and against the superb natural scenery of the Theban Mountains and surrounding desert. Here are tombs and sacred buildings of incomparable beauty, magnificent monuments, rich history, legendary pharaohs, mummies and fascinating tales of exploration. The city has been inhabited uninterruptedly for thousands of years but it is the five centuries of the New Kingdom that saw the greatest number of royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. With several tremendous gatefold pages, one for example looks at the modest sepulchre which became Tutankhamun’s last resting place. Apart from the deposit of grave-goods known KV55, here is funerary material from the Amarna Period. From the paintings in the burial chamber we learn the secrets, decoded, the night bark of Khepri which sails above six night hours with their baboon deities. Ay opens the mouth of the royal mummy; Nut greets the king; Osiris welcomes the King and his Ka (spirit). The royal name is set in elegant and detailed hieroglyphs of ebony and ivory on the lid of a cartouche-shaped jewellery box. Each page measures 23.6 x 16.2cm and the book is 2.7cm deep, rich glossy pages, incredibly detailed close-up images, the main scenes and legends from each tomb,


authoritative text by some of the world’s foremost Egyptologists, it covers the most advanced


archaeological research carried out on the West Bank of the Nile. 432pp. Colour. $69.95 NOW £25


75016 THE PYRAMIDS AND THE SPHINX by Corinna Rossi


Published by the American University in Cairo Press, here is the art and archaeology of this incredible region: the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, the Pyramid of Meidum and Dahshur, the plateau of Giza and its pyramids, the tombs of Giza, grave goods like those of Queen Hetepheres, the tombs of Iasen, Iymery, Idu and Qar, the pyramids and temples of Abusir, the Necropolis of Saqqara, the pyramids of the Middle Kingdom and more. Each has a beautiful colour photograph on the glossy white paper, details of the wall paintings, statues and items found within each tomb and a richly detailed text by one of the world’s leading Egyptologists. One of a special collection from this publisher we have been thrilled to import. 160pp in large softback. $22.95 NOW £6


74419 THE TOMB IN ANCIENT EGYPT: Royal and Private Sepulchres from the Early


Dynastic Period to the Romans by Aidan Dodson and Salima Ikram No modern book has attempted to deal with Egyptian tombs as a whole. By contrast, written by two experts in the field, this stunning new volume traces burial practices in Egypt over three millennia. From the pyramids along the Nile and the royal burial ground in the Valley of the Kings to the tombs of queens such as Ramesses II’s consort Nefertari and the far larger number of private tombs of nobles like Rekhmire and Ramose, this volume is an unparalleled guide for aficionados and Egyptologists alike. Besides the paintings, reliefs and statues adorning their walls, many tombs show the breathtaking skill of ancient architects, and the fascinating autobiographical texts found in them give rare insights into Egyptian life. We read of Harkhuf’s African explorations, when he returned with the gift of a dancing dwarf to his boy-king Pepy II, and learn about how the General Amenemheb saved his king’s life when the latter was charged by an enraged elephant. 368 pages 27cm x 21cm with 402 illustrations, 28 in colour, maps, plans, cutaways, diagrams and 3-D reconstructions. £29.95 NOW £12


the whole series, card by card, and also provides the first comprehensive catalogue of the cards with supplementary information on every scene. They were taken in the first half of the 1850s and depict life in the village of Hinton Waldrist in Berkshire. It comprises 59 published views and, with numerous variants, the total number of ‘scenes’ numbers about 80. They are sometimes hand-coloured sometimes not, sometimes albumen prints, mounted on card accurately, level in line with each other. Very occasionally a small blindstamped number appears on a SIOB card. Here is the church in winter, the squire’s house, loading the wheat cart, gleaners retiring, old Dancy enjoying his pipe, a chat at the gate, the village schoolmistress, people relaxing by the weir, the back view of Neal’s cottage. The second ‘book’ in the slipcase is ‘The London Stereoscopic Company Owl Stereoscope’, a unique, high quality focussing stereo viewer which packs flat and is assembled in just 15 seconds into a rigid precision instrument. Use to view the stereo illustrations in the book or use in the hand. The book was conceived by the world renowned Queen guitarist Brian May and a conservator and photo historian Elena Vidal. Very few copies remain and we are thrilled to have them at Bibliophile. Try it! The images really come into 3D life with people caught in time! 112 page hardback, slipcased.


Full price ONLY £35


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