Globe

James Hannam is the author of God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science (2009). He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and lives in Kent.

"A tour d’horizon that spans time as well as space, this is a thrilling intellectual adventure story." - Tom Holland, author of Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind"With originality and depth, Paul Dobraszczyk explores the rich lodes, veins and seams of interconnections between the Earth’s own architecture, and how humans have used this to make their own no less extraordinary constructions from its rock resources. An engaging journey through ideas, imagination and history as much as it is one through strata and the built environment, The Matter of Architecture will open new perspectives to its readers." - Jan Zalasiewicz, author of The Planet in a Pebble"Barbara was the co-author of the well-received book called The Pocket - A Secret History of Women’s Lives, but in this new book, Barbara has a much bigger canvas: to rescue sewing from the twilight and to celebrate it as a fundamental human activity . . . This book is a much broader one that seeks to shine a light on the extraordinary human endeavour of stitching." - Jo Andrews, Haptic & Hue Book of the Year 2023"Philip Carr-Gomm has an idea: Stop reading and take off your clothes" - Chronicle of Higher Education"In this concise yet informative and incisive study, Ritchie Robertson investigates Hoffmann’s lesser-known achievements in music, figurative art and legal practice to generate new insights into familiar literary works. Not least, the result is a productive biographical perspective on Hoffmann himself." - Nicholas Saul, Professor Emeritus of German Intellectual and Literary History, Durham University"Priscilla Mary Işin’s account is comprehensively illustrated to make a visual as well as a textual record of Turkish social culture, conveyed through study of some 600 years of food and drink, and exemplifying the dilemma which Turkey has always faced in choosing between – or combining – Eastern and Western traditions . . . There is a fascinating section on the wines sold in Istanbul, where the taverns were run by Christians or Jews and imbibers could enjoy vintages from Greece, Spain, Sicily and further Anatolia . . . There are some modernized recipes in Işin’s volume, too, but the main pleasure of the book lies in the background history and lively anecdotes of storytellers and puppet-shows entertaining in coffee houses, or the astonishment of a British visitor at the quantities of salt fish, nuts, olives and pickles served merely as appetizers." - TLS"A compendious, dizzying collection of the cities of the future, and their analogues in the present. Future Cities holds out the important hope that our cities could be better – fairer, more equal, more open – rather than just taller and weirder." - Owen Hatherley, author of Militant Modernism and Trans-Europe Express"There may be no greater clear and present danger to our society, our health, and our environment – indeed, to our very existence – than the current contagion of stupidity and idiocy. Svendsen’s serious but accessible and entertaining book is thus a timely and essential tool both for identifying the threat and for finding a way to save ourselves from the epistemological epidemic and restore some rationality to the world." - Steven Nadler, Vilas Research Professor and William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison"This short volume, wittily illustrated and beautifully designed, is a pleasure both to look at and to consume. Which, given the subject matter, seems fitting." - The Spectator"an invaluable resource for even the most laissez-faire of fans." - Seven Magazine, Sunday Telegraph"Scribner’s book is compact, richly referenced, attractively produced, and wonderfully illustrated with more than a hundred plates, many unfamiliar (to me) and in full color. A professor at the University of Central Arkansas, he is chiefly curious about shifts in intellectual inquiry as he chronicles beliefs about mermaids, including reports of sightings, exhibitions of discovered specimens, scientists’ views, and popular cultural artifacts from films to dolls." - Marina Warner, New York Review of Books"Winner of the Felicia A. Holton Book Award 2020" - Archaeological Institute of America"This is a remarkable and searching account of the meaning of attention. Gay Watson looks deeply into the practices of artists, writers and musicians and reveals the correspondences with spiritual disciplines. This is a provocative book in replacing attention at the heart of what we should care about." - Edmund de Waal"Debenedetti presents in compact format a capsule survey of Botticelli’s entire career, from his first paintings in the 1460s to the intense and highly inventive late works of the 1490s and early 1500s . . . The study covers the shop’s practices in depth, including the use of drawings, replication of motifs and compositions, and collaboration between members of the shop on individual paintings. Contemporaneous Florentine philosophical debates are brought into play in the treatment of the artist’s famous series of mythological paintings." - Choice"Connor suggests in his new book: 'Bachelard’s work was a dreamwork, both in the sense that it performs work on dreams and in the sense it gives of a self-amusing dream of what intellectual work could be.' But then what about the writing and the thinking? Connor has some good commentary on those activities too." - Michael Wood, London Review of Books"Kelly A. Spring skilfully chronicles the story of this humble industrial food product, which has delivered crucial sustenance to struggling peoples across the globe and embodies aspects of American culture writ large. This volume, complete with striking visuals and recipes, also reminds us that SPAM is funny and has long tickled our global funny bone." - Amy Bentley, Professor of Food Studies, New York University, and author of Inventing Baby Food"An attractive little hardbound book with good color illustrations providing an inviting, judicious overview of Bosch in his historical environment." - New York Review of Books"What is undoubtedly valuable about the book is the way that it carefully arranges, in a beautifully printed hardback, a selection of concrete poetry’s keystones. The first half of Perloff’s selection triangulates Brazil, Austria and Scotland through the work of three key figures: Augusto de Campos, Gerhard Rühm and Ian Hamilton Finlay. For the anglophone reader, she glosses the foreign words involved, prising apart the heavy punning that sparked the concrete imagination." - Jeremy Noel-Tod , TLS"In the Service of the Shogun . . . is an exhaustively researched work based on a wide collection of primary sources, including letters written by Adams, as well as official journals, diaries and documents – among them Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese. Students of Japanese history and culture owe Mr. Cryns a debt of gratitude for this impressive achievement." - Robert Whiting, Wall Street Journal"At last, a simple, reader-friendly book on the cause-effect relationship between the CRIMES of the UPPER classes (documented in court and prison records, history books, the lives lost via law, scaffolds, transportation, et al) and the ‘crimes’ of the ‘lower’ classes (as documented in folk songs and ballads). The savagery of our toxic system of governance, the endless, pitiless theft of the property and rights of the public are kept in the public memory in the only unassailable form: the oral tradition. A trustworthy, authoritative, edifying and highly enjoyable read. Put it into school curricula." - Peggy Seeger, songwriter, performer and activist, author of 'First Time Ever'"Stanfield’s takes are entertaining, erudite without being abstruse, and often amusingly contrarian. They have the feel of an academic version of Quentin Tarantino riffing on the hidden themes of his favorite obscure movies, pausing from time to time to sample from critical opinion and toss in some behind-the-scenes gossip . . . Stanfield is splendid in his exegeses." - Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal"All the volumes [in the Botanical series] combine scholarship with lively anecdote and are beautifully and generously illustrated . . . who would have thought conifers could be so interesting? Laura Mason’s Pine starts with a solid and enlightening description of the botanical structure, evolution and habitat of the Pinus genus. It then goes on to show how the pine and its derivatives from timber to Stockholm Tar have been used throughout history, how the tree has been depicted in art, its place in mythology, and its culinary uses (not limited to pinenuts) . . . Part of the appeal of these books is the unexpected facts and stories they throw up." - The Spectator"This thoughtfully written book examines the plant’s botanical and cultural significance: why it has long been revered as the iconic flower of midwinter and how it is deeply entwined with art, literature and music . . . This is an absorbing book for winter fireside reading." - House and Garden"A savvy, succinct overview. Silver relates larger issues in politics and religion to specific works by Rembrandt. He is not afraid to go out on a limb, making his text all the more interesting. His sensitive descriptions of art works add depth to his account." - Gary Schwartz, art historian"In 1674, microbiologist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek made 'his most sensational discovery', writes historian Geertje Dekkers in her revealing, finely illustrated biography." - Andrew Robinson, Nature"this is a smooth and enjoyable traverse of significant shipwrecks, and draws out interesting comparisons between eras by taking on so many in one volume. In the course of a readable and well-illustrated re-telling of some of the best shipwreck stories, it also touches on questions as disparate as who should escape a sinking ship first and whether it is ever right to bring up artefacts from a shipwreck which is a grave site." - Naval Review"Readers for Life, edited by Sander L. Gilman and Heta Pyrhöhnen, is a superb and dazzling collection of unusual and insightful memoirs concerning the value of reading by notable writers such as Salman Rushdie, Peter Brooks, Cristina Sandu and others. At a time when illiteracy is mounting throughout the world, this book urgently recalls how reading still opens the minds of young people to deal with the conflicts they face, not with guns but with imagination. What a joy to read how these writers have profited from reading!" - Jack Zipes, author of Speaking Out"The book’s perspective on bamboo is very wide-ranging, from its botany to its uses, history and cultural associations . . . What comes across is how widespread bamboo is and I am glad to see much discussion about the New World bamboos. Particularly exciting is the discussion of the vast range of contemporary technical uses we may know about bamboo socks, but there is much more, with many new applications linked to sustainability . . . Bamboo is the latest in a series exploring plant groups in a rounded way, concentrating on human interaction with each plant. The production values are high and the books are set to become a collector’s series." - Gardens Illustrated"What is a weed? Now I’ve read this charming little book, I feel confident that I could have a solid debate about this with the best of them. Who’d have thought the topic of weeds could be so interesting and thought-provoking? Even non-gardeners would enjoy this book, as weeds are presented as part of everyday life, from cookery to medicine to art . . . This is an unexpectedly great read, which leaves you with the thought – What would the world be without weeds?" - The English Garden"This is a remarkable book. It recounts, from the perspective of a single oak tree, the history and diversity of the many species which make up the genus Quercus . . . [With] splendid illustrations." - Charles Watkins, University of Nottingham, author of Trees Ancient and Modern: Woodland Cultures and Conservation"In this beguiling and splendidly illustrated volume, Screech brings to the page an array of fascinating narrative insights that not only tell the story of the shogun’s capital but also set it in the broader context of Japanese cultural history, with its extensive ties to the Chinese world, and even beyond, to Europe." - Dr Paul Waley, University of Leeds, co-editor of Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective: Place, Power and Memory in Kyoto, Edo and Tokyo"In his new thematic overview of ancient Greek culture, the classicist Furley notes that his subjects never "thought of writing just for themselves, as a meditation or perhaps a kind of self-expression or therapy." Since so many scholars today write only for themselves, Myths, Muses and Mortals comes as a double delight: free of academic jargon, to be sure, but also underpinned by frequent and ample citations from major poems, plays, philosophical tracts, and other writings of the ancient Greek world. Divided into chapters on love, social status, sailing, warfare, and more, the volume is an ideal primer for the fledgling Hellenophile." - New Criterion"How well do we look after people who are seriously sick? Astonishingly, research is scant – which makes Neil Vickers and Derek Bolton's ambitious new book very welcome . . . Being Ill stands out not only for its original perspective but for the non-judgemental tone of its authors." - Elle Hunt, New Scientist"Work has done a fine job directing the spotlight toward an object that seems to beg for inattention. Although much diminished from their peak a century ago, coopers are today thriving again with American bourbon makers clamoring for new casks. (Federal regulations require that anything labeled bourbon be aged in new oak casks). The number of craft spirits producers has also surged in the past decade, and barrels are suddenly in short supply. Among vintners, high-quality barrels also remain in high demand, although makers of cheaper wines have embraced workarounds, including the use of oak chips and short planks placed in stainless steel tanks. Work offers a breezy tour through all this and more. When you reach the end of this book, I can pretty much guarantee you wont think of barrels the same way again. Next time you pass a geranium planter made from an old whiskey barrel cleaved in two, take a moment to pause and pay your respects. This was the container that built America." - Wall Street Journal"In his thoughtful study of the polarisation in the United States that led to the attack on Congress, Short offers a damning account of the impulse for Trump’s alleged incitement of insurrection." - The Independent"An articulate and convincing case that the segregation of women’s sports functions less as a benefit to women than a means of propping up patriarchal systems. It’s a trenchant, provocative take on a hot-button issue." - Publishers Weekly"The scope of this book is very wide-ranging, including chapters on ancient observations of Jupiter, the origin and structure of the planet, features in its atmosphere, its satellites and the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts. It also features results from spacecraft – including some initial results from the current Juno mission . . . well written and easy to follow. It is also well illustrated, with numerous colour and blackand-white illustrations. There are a number of spacecraft images, plus amateur images and drawings . . . I enjoyed reading the book and it provides a good overview of the Jovian system for a general reader." - Journal of the British Astronomical Association"Scholars of Cahun will appreciate Shaw’s survey as a well-organized and well-researched biographical resource, as well as a compendium of Cahun’s extensive oeuvre. Exist Otherwise is a valuable contribution to the scant body of English-language scholarship on Cahun, one that hopefully opens the door to further excavations and analyses toward an “otherwise” history in the face of more dominant accounts of the era." - Erin Silver, CAA Reviews"Death is existential, instrumental and emotional. In revealing the stories of ceremonies and practicalities from near and far, across space and time, the Viestads offer us an account that’s deadly serious as well as driven by a curiosity about rituals and feelings. A beautifully written, highly informative and surprisingly entertaining book." - Thomas Hylland Eriksen, anthropologist and author of What is Anthropology? and Overheating: An Anthropology of Accelerated Change"Sir Thomas More emerges from this valuable and compelling new study of his writings as a vigorous and enigmatic author who shaped the political, religious, and literary life of early Tudor England. Andrew Hadfield and Joanne Paul clearly document the major questions in More studies, while also offering tantalizing fresh insights. This excellent book should satisfy established scholars as well as those encountering More for the first time." - Mark Rankin, Professor of English at James Madison University and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society"In this book, with his inimitable flair for rooting out the phenomenological intricacies of apparently ordinary things, Steven Connor leads us on a tour of the dream factory of work, labour, toil and occupation. The result is a book of typically considerable – dare I say it – detective work that opens up the quotidian reality and enabling dreamscape of work to new understanding." - Nathan Waddell, Associate Professor in Twentieth-Century Literature, University of Birmingham"The Year is a contemplative almanac charting nature and culture through the zodiac, with a powerful message for our time of grave disjuncture between the two." - Ferdinand Saumarez Smith, author of Eleusis and Enlightenment"Creator of Nightmares is lean and engaging, in many ways an ideal introduction to the painter." - Maxwell Carter, Wall Street Journal"Brilliant . . . Gail Harland’s research is impeccable, her dialogue with the reader is comfortable and the photographs are utter confection for the eye. This will accomplish for Paeonia what Anna Pavord’s The Tulip did for the appreciation of the singular impact on our collective horti(cultural) identity by a single genus of plants." - Daniel J. Hinkley, author of Windcliff: A Story of People, Plants, and Gardens"'The world’s most successful empires have been engineers’ creations.’ This assertion, made by Fernández-Armesto and Lucena Giraldo in How the Spanish Empire Was Built: A 400-Year History, seems bold at first, almost audacious. Yet within the span of the book’s first two chapters, the authors’ contention seems not only logical and wise but almost irrefutable. . . . A richly researched account of the clever, industrious and deeply practical men who followed in the footsteps, often literally, of Columbus, Cortés, Pizarro, Núñez de Balboa and others. The mission of these takers of territory was completed, the authors argue, by the engineers—makers of ‘the scaffolding . . . on which empire was erected.’" - Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal"China in Seven Banquets is in part a condensed account of Chinese foodways from antiquity to the present, using descriptions of dishes from the menus of actual, fictional and conjectural banquets to illustrate crucial moments in Chinese history. But at least as importantly, it is also an account of how China’s cultural identity has been progressively shaped and reshaped by encounters with non-Chinese geopolitical realities over some four millennia . . . The latter part of the book, which examines the past 150 or so years of Chinese socioeconomic history through the lens of food, [is] . . . energized, focused, incisive." - Anne Mendelson, Wall Street Journal"Michael Seth traces the life of North Korea's famous leader from the Japanese colonial period to his final days. This concise and highly readable volume avoids excessive moralizing while helping readers to understand how Kim Il Sung gained and retained power. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Kim Dynasty and how North Korea became the totalitarian state that it is today." - Gregg A Brazinsky, Professor of History and International Affairs, The George Washington University"In Decadent Women, Jad Adams . . . traces the intersecting paths of the female writers, artists and sub-editors who contributed to the notorious Yellow Book, the most beautiful magazine of the 1890s . . . he has been painstaking in his research, making use of diaries, letters and contemporary reminiscences. He is a good storyteller and there are many vivid anecdotes here, which will interest the general reader as well as devotees of the period." - Sara Lodge, Literary Review"This is a sharply critical view of what England’s green and pleasant land has undergone . . . a brilliant environmental kaleidoscope . . . The book’s publication could not be timelier, in a world whose naturalness seems increasingly pressured." - Timothy Mowl, Country Life"Ackroyd’s history of Christianity in England is a lively and detailed book. . . . In The English Soul, Ackroyd sets himself the task of capturing the “spirit and nature” of English Christianity." - Daily Telegraph"A masterful examination of humanity’s millennia-long relationship with the plant, exploring how the world’s growing taste for pot led to the commercial revolution in cannabis edibles we see today. A unique and necessary new contribution to the field." - Emily Dufton, author of Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America"Focused on fifteenth-century Italy, this book boldly reassesses the cliched notion of a unified and cohesive prototype of the Renaissance man. McCall examines this concept through a series of well-selected examples and a refreshingly interdisciplinary method of analysis to understand how different models of masculinity and multiple signifiers of manhood have emerged throughout the Quattrocento. These contributed to consolidating a gendered, elite-based network of social prominence and political control . . . the volume delves into the material culture of the period, verifying the ways in which a wide range of items – paintings, medals, architecture, clothes, jewels, and even animals – have functioned as "markers of manhood," helping to fashion and validate tangible ideals of lordly masculinity. With artfully interwoven arguments, this illustrated book's five chapters address different aspects of this intricate process of symbolic construction, persuasively suggesting that masculine authority was sanctioned not only in opposition to femininity, but also through the articulation of homosocial spaces and courtly venues in which men could compete with and dominate other men in performative displays of power. Recommended." - Choice"The Return of Inflation distinguishes itself by placing contemporary events within the broader context of capitalism’s history. Mattick skillfully entwines the past and the present, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the economic forces at play . . . Mattick’s insightful exploration provides a nuanced perspective on the current economic challenges and offers a valuable resource for those seeking clarity on the defining economic concern of our time." - Politics Today"The artistic and expressive value of fan practices has been increasingly analysed, and Cosplay and the Dressing of Identity is a highly relevant contribution to this growing field of fandom and media studies. This book offers a compelling account about fan costuming and what this hobby offers fans in terms of identity. Vivian Asimos looks at cosplay as an art form, showing a deep understanding and appreciation for using characters and bodies as a medium for self-expression, and gains deeper insights into the practice through her qualitative research and dialogue with other fans. This is a book about how we each use bodies, fashion and characters to tell our own, unique stories in today’s media culture." - Nicolle Lamerichs, Senior Lecturer in Creative Business, HU University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht, cosplay scholar and author of Productive Fandom"The Persians is a compact, concise history of a whole civilisation – from its nomadic origins in the 1st and 2nd millennia BC to its new role as a tourist destination as modern-day Iran . . . Tellingly, the book’s useful chronology ends in 2001 with the destruction of the Twin Towers. Today, Iran’s power and influence is far from waning" - Minerva Magazine"Simply the most wide-ranging and up-to-date exploration of the impact of Pan on the Western imagination yet written." - Ronald Hutton, author of The Triumph of the Moon"Thomas’s encyclopedic culinary history reveals a history and archeology of meaning that stretches back millennia, well before tofu became the imagined domain of eco-warriors and hippie co-ops . . . Far from leaving me sated, the enticing descriptions of tofu, chilled, stewed, fermented, fried, and made into everything from ice cream to mozzarella shreds, launched me on a tofu-eating bender that has yet to subside. Tofu skeptics, consider yourselves warned." - Petits Propos Culinaires"David Ellis has put a lifetime’s thinking into this concise work. Artfully combining details of Lawrence’s biography with acute comments on his writings, it will prove essential reading both for students and for all those already familiar with Lawrence’s work." - John Worthen, Emeritus Professor, University of Nottingham, and author of D. H. Lawrence: The Life of an Outsider"[A] rummage through the knicker drawer of history . . . loaded with memorable details and thought-provoking observations." - Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Times"Daniel Schreiber's beautifully written Alone: Reflections on Solitary Living." - Jonathan Self, Country Life: Best Books of 2023". . . scholarly and readable, a crisp and concise addition to the long line of Chaucer biographies . . . Mary Flannery's book is a brisk, elegant work that will serve as a great introduction for students and general readers alike." - Mary Wellesley, Times Literary Supplement"Max Saunders probably knows more about his subject than anyone . . . A model for what a short biography can be: well-paced, sure-footed at the task of navigating the writer’s vast corpus to concentrate on high points." - William H. Pritchard, Wall Street Journal"A spirited chronicle of the Roaring Twenties in New York City . . . A combination of immigration, energy, speculation and an effective system of backhanders meant that now, after the dreary years of the war and the Spanish flu, almost anything could get done. Strike Up the Band tells the story of those years, roaming over the city then dropping down to the streets, through the doors of hotels, nightclubs, shady restaurants and civil institutions to examine, in chapters themed by activity, all the novelties of the day. The buildings were new and so were the drinks, the dances, the entertainments and the people, as millions of Jewish, Irish and European immigrants, in addition to black Americans coming from southern states, fled the limitations of their birthplaces to make lives where you could at least hope for better." - Daily Telegraph"This book is arresting from the very first page. A distillation of fifty years of research on Scottish Jacobitism, Conflict and Loyalty is full of insights into the impact of Jacobitism on Scotland and – just as importantly – the wider world, to say nothing of glorious vignettes illustrating Allan I. Macinnes’s argument. The net result is a mortal blow to any vision of Scots Jacobitism and Scots patriotism (yes, the two were inextricably intertwined) that fails to understand its global ramifications." - Daniel Szechi, Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History, University of Manchester"The storied French writers Charles Baudelaire and Gustave Flaubert join artists including Manet, Degas, Géricault, Daubigny, and Corot as subjects in this collection of musings about "the relationship between painting and the beholder" by art historian Michael Fried, previously the author of many influential texts ranging from his classic essay "Art and Objecthood" to his pioneering book on Diderot's art criticism." - Art in America"Bringing together meticulously researched material from the media of the time the book covers the rise and demise of Marc Bolan, the culture shock of The Stooges and the all-pervading influence of The Velvet Underground and Bowie among an abundance of other inter-related artists . . . The unpredictability of success is underlined whilst future punks stand ready, absorbing their influences, in this fascinating and thoughtful look at a turbulent period in popular music." - Shindig!"Although this is clearly a work of history rather than film commentary, Bartlett offers a fair amount of informed criticism where these films inevitably fall factually short . . . His knowledge of the Middle Ages is beyond reproach. He focuses on one film at a time, though deftly interlacing and comparing them when it reinforces his point. An intriguing and detailed discussion." - Library Journal"Boria Sax argues that monsters help us by giving concrete form to our fears, while wonders incarnate our hopes. Enlisting cultural support, whether from Hieronymus Bosch or PT Barnum, this teacher at Sing Sing prison shows how mermaids and dragons, even superheroes and Tamagochis, help us measure what it means to be human. A well illustrated and philosophically sophisticated book." - World of Interiors"Fittingly unconventional . . . Ornette Coleman: The Territory and the Adventure is an atlas in prose, a guide to the territories of varied sorts – social, racial, aesthetic, economic and even geographic – that Coleman came out of, traveled through, lived near, occupied, left behind or transformed . . . Golia covers a lot of territory in tight, direct language that illuminates Ornette Coleman’s life and work . . . Most impressively, perhaps, she devotes a sizable section to Coleman’s cryptic and elliptical philosophy of music, which he called Harmolodics, without straining to defend it with academic triple-talk or dismissing it." - David Hajdu, New York Times Book Review"[John Dixon Hunt] has . . . produced a miscellany of thoughtful reflections called Genius Loci. We are . . . offered a potpourri of essays. Among the book’s successes are treatments of the High Line in New York and the reimagining of dead industrial spaces in the architecture of Peter and Anneliese Latz." - Jonathan Bate, Times Literary Supplement"What a difference a half-century can make: The Monkees were one of the most successful pop acts of the 1960s but were viciously maligned as a prefabricated Beatles knockoff created purely to populate a weekly sitcom — all of which was true. But in the process the group made some of the most memorable pop songs of a vibrant era . . . Now, in an era where such qualities are an unequivocal benefit if not a virtue, it’s hard to imagine the extent of puritanism the group faced, but Kemper places it all in refreshingly contemporary and judgment-free context, viewing the group’s history through a clear-eyed artistic angle as well as a business one." - Variety, 'Best Music Books of 2023'"Written with energy, humour and an eye for telling detail, Glenn Richardson’s book tells of a remarkable king who exerted considerable power but is all too often overlooked. Much more than simply a study of a particular monarch, Francis I draws the reader into a world not only of courtly grandeur, artistic patronage and architectural innovation, but political and religious upheaval, constant diplomatic manoeuvring, and military action resulting in moments of triumph or, more often, expensive disappointment." - Janet Dickinson, Departmental Lecturer in Lifelong Learning (History), University of Oxford"Winner - Best Book, Publication or Recording" - Falstaff Awards 2022 (PlayShakespeare.com)"Japan’s national beverage has achieved global renown, but its origins and practices are still shrouded in mystery. For those who want to learn more about sake, there can be no better guide than Eric C. Rath. This authoritative and entertaining book leads us from the drinking games of medieval samurai to the rope curtains of modern izakaya." - Jeffrey M. Pilcher, University of Toronto"Cultural geographer Duggan works in partnership with the UK national mapping agency, OrdnanceSurvey, to study everyday digital-mapping practices. Important as it is, digital mapping is not supersedinganalogue maps, he observes in his global history of cartography, which begins with Palaeolithic carvings.Sales of Ordnance Survey paper maps are rising, perhaps because of their convenience. “Although digitalmaps are improving constantly in accuracy and design, they do not always live up to those promises.”" - Nature Magazine"William Doyle’s study is at once succinct and scholarly, and it is as much about the effects of the Revolution as about the measures taken by the Consulate. It analyses a short but critical period when Napoleon deployed his considerable strategic skills to destroy a different enemy, the division and discord that he had inherited from the republic." - Times Literary Supplement"On the cover of Alex Coles’ Crooner is a picture of Sammy Davis Jr, eyes closed, mouth half open, microphone in hand, midway through a number . . . When it comes to Sinatra, Coles’ taste is impeccable . . . Crooner [has] the virtue of sending you back to the songs and albums Coles discusses." - Christopher Bray, The Mail on Sunday"Incisive and humane, Sarah Colvin’s engrossing study of the German prison system since 1945 allows the voices of prisoners to illuminate the differences between penal practice in West and East before 1989 and developments since reunification. The book both offers a unique perspective on modern German history and raises questions of wider relevance concerning punishments and incarceration." - Joachim Whaley, Emeritus Professor of German History and Thought, University of Cambridge"A fine new book . . . it shows how the ubiquity of the surburban garden has had to be achieved in the face of planning opposition and how gardening managed to grow into an obsession for millions of people." - Laurie Taylor, BBC Radio 4 Thinking Allowed"[A] fascinating study . . . In Cloven Country, Harte sets out to discover why the 'Devil' appears in so many of our place names, and so many of the accompanying tales and folklore. Along the way it becomes an invaluable guide to some of our more puzzling local oddities . . . It all makes for a highly evocative and original guide to our ever-fascinating, multilayered landscape, so full of shadowy mysteries and stories." - The Sunday Times"Delightful: a work full of insight, mischief, wisdom and, most pleasing of all, illustrations . . . [The] book traces the path of the turban into Western iconography and is a study of how this most Eastern form of headwear captured the Occidental imagination, coming to feature in art, literature, fashion, festivity and, in the 20th century, Hollywood movies." - Wall Street Journal"A beautifully definitive account, both a history and an essential social document of the UK's punk and post-punk fanzine scene." - Mike Scott, The Waterboys"German historiography has for a long time made Frederick Barbarossa into a national political figure of power. G. A. Loud releases the image of the Hohenstaufen ruler from this anachronistic portrayal and takes a confident view of the personage of the Emperor, the context of his political actions and his historical significance." - Knut Görich, Emeritus Professor of Early and High Medieval History, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich"What an enthralling voyage this book affords, with its vivid style and sequences of fascinating detail. Richard Thomas has created something unusually readable." - David Frith, founding editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly"This is the Christopher Isherwood biography we have been missing: informative, readable, and concise. Jake Poller covers both Isherwood’s “monumental life” and his considerable work without producing a doorstop. Poller understands and appreciates both the English and the American Isherwood. He provides enough analysis of the major works to inspire readers to go to (or go back to) the source, without overwhelming them or imposing his interpretation on the audience. Poller provides fresh insight without being dogmatic, offering alternate readings of events and works. This is a book Isherwood fans will learn from and enjoy reading." - James J. Berg, editor of Isherwood on Writing"Hamlett and Strange state that their aim is to chart 200 years of pet-keeping in order to ‘understand how pets became so integral to the British and their homes’. In this richly detailed and enjoyable history, they have achieved their purpose." - Nick Rennison, The Daily Mail"Welcoming us into the afterlife of the happy accident, Carol Mavor’s poetic ruminations reveal a cavalcade of surprising connections between a diverse array of images and objects. In the process, Serendipity reflects on the magical power of writing itself, on the capacity of the learned essayist to take us on dizzying flights of fancy and into profound depths of understanding." - Geoffrey Batchen, Professor of History of Art, University of Oxford"Olson deftly sketches a lively portrait of the man, hard at work procuring specimens to depict; sketching birds from life and death; working late into the night by oil lamplight. She gives us his rich inner life as well, as he exults at praise and crashes when critics try to douse his flame. . . . Olson’s refreshing observations on possible influences on Audubon’s art are a special delight." - Wall St Journal"In Mushrooms, one gets an introduction into this fascinating world of fungi and a few highlights of the personalities of those who study them. The text is well organized for readers with little or no biology background, and it is also well written . . . Overall, it is a how-to guide for the beginner studying mushrooms, and presents basic information on the biology and construction of fungi. This is enhanced by good illustrations using both modern photographs and also those derived from classic works . . . Recommended." - Choice"This is the best history yet written of a British institution, alive to the cosmopolitan origins of food through global migration . . . a rewarding read for anyone interested in the history of Britain so good in fact that it made me venture out on a windy night to buy a fish supper at my traditional local chippie." - History Today"Berridge intends to lead us through the thickets and secrets of the history of the embassy, showing us the impact this institution has had on the world’s history . . . Berridge makes it clear that in many cases attempts to influence other powers were not quite a pastoral project. There were assassinations and violations and rivalries; ambassadors could also test the boundaries of their privilege . . . There is a compelling history to be told of these machinations, and those mining for such detail can find much in Berridge’s account." - Wall Street Journal"Mango-lovers contend that to enjoy this tropical fruit you have to embrace its drippy, sticky essence. The scholars Constance L. Kirker and Mary Newman embrace this perspective in Mango: A Global History, arguing that ‘the total experience of smell, touch, taste and texture is the very point of a mango’ . . . Those looking to enjoy Mango fully might be advised to treat the history like the fruit itself: Sink your teeth in and embrace the mess." - Jennifer Bortner, Wall Street Journal"Timely, nutty, inspiring, subversive, maddening, secretive – that's the cuckoo in life and in lore. Cynthia Chris's book is as rangy as is the common cuckoo, who travels as much as 15,000 miles in migration each year of their short lives. More commonly known for their habit of laying eggs in another bird's nest then shirking parental duties, cuckoos have spawned a wealth of jokes about cuckoldry in Shakespeare, Joyce, 1950s sci-fi and Musk-on-Zuckerberg insults. But it's not all bad being cuckoo, nor are all cuckoos alike in their nesting habits, and Chris gives a thoughtful nod to all members of the Cuculiformes. However, when a bird inspires not only Aristophanes, but a clock, the two-tone sound of a doorbell, a breakfast cereal, fables in China and Bhutan, Ken Kesey and notes of Vivaldi and Lena Horne's music, it's worth mapping the threads they weave through the cultures they fly through as well as the dangers they face as climate change shifts the world around them. What would spring be without the cuckoo's call? Achingly silent. I'm grateful to Cynthia Chris for her evocative study of fascinating and charismatic bird." - Elizabeth Bradfield, naturalist, author of Toward Antarctica and editor of Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry"Complexities of interpretation are food and drink to Petrarchan scholars, and Christopher Celenza tucks into them with quiet determination in his short life-and-works overview . . . Celenza’s book introduces us to the breadth of Petrarch’s intellectual world." - Charles Nicholl, London Review of Books"Simultaneously hilarious, provocative and sensitive; wildly entertaining while always getting to the heart of the matter . . . Just take my goddamned bitcoin already." - John Doran, The Quietus"Bätschmann’s enriching commentary on art, culture, and who it “belongs” to is bolstered by lucid historical detail and analysis. It’s a boon to artists and museumgoers." - Publishers Weekly"Do you pick your holiday destination based on the local food? Discover how the phenomenon evolved over the last 200 years in this thoughtful book. From the golden age of steamships to the glamorous era of aeroplane travel, Professor Daniel E. Bender recounts the birth of modern food tourism through the meals eaten by the first people to travel for pleasure and write about it." - Delicious"Moores argues with wit and passion that the sheer breadth of [McCartney’s] work suggests an artist re-energised and reframing the narrative around his career . . . As The McCartney Legacy has raised the bar for solo years–specific reference books, Off the Ground sets a new standard in criticism of the great man’s post-Beatles career, a must-read for serious Beatles fans." - Jamie Atkins, Record Collector"The Tottenham Outrage, the Houndsditch Murders and the Siege of Sidney Street rank among the most extraordinary events in modern London history. In this new and wonderfully readable account, Andrew Whitehead combines unrivalled knowledge with meticulous scholarship to reveal for the first time the full story behind these spectacular but mysterious crimes." - Jerry White, author of London in the Twentieth Century: A City and Its People"In Virginia Chieffo Raguin’s The Illuminated Window . . . rather than present an encyclopaedic look at stained glass through the ages, she focuses on examples from churches to universities and domestic settings, and from Gothic designs, through the Renaissance, to the work of contemporary artists . . . The chapters themselves are as varied as their subjects." - Gemma Tipton, The Irish Times"The title of Elisa Brilli and Giuliano Milani’s new biography of Dante points back to the Vita nova, but also suggests that their book brings something new . . . In practice this means much political, social and cultural history, juxtaposed with discussions of the roles Dante envisaged for his work and for himself . . . Dante’s New Lives makes it plain that it wants the reader to take an active part in the process of reconstruction, and offers impressive examples of what can be done in this respect. It also tries to reach out to a broad readership by quoting Italian and Latin texts solely in English, while affirming its scholarly credentials with 100 pages of notes and an up-to-date bibliography." - Peter Hainsworth, Times Literary Supplement"Way Makers offers a wonderful array of excerpts from prose and poetry spanning 400 years, assembled by Kerri Andrews. Women walk for necessity as well as fun, to see the world, rejoice in nature and experience the awe of new vistas. Overall these pieces conjure an exhilarating sense of the freedom conferred on women by walking, despite the dangers and challenges." - Mary Blanche Ridge, The Tablet"Dr. Rosina Buckland has already penned several books on Japanese art history . . . While juggling her current role as curator of the British Museum’s Japanese collections, she has written another, this time examining art made during the Meiji era . . . Buckland’s study looks at how these turbulent changes, along with the adoption of Western cultural ideas, shaped Japanese painting, calligraphy, sculpture, printing, textiles, metalwork and lacquerware. She refutes any idea of artistic decline, or that foreign influence diluted the 'authenticity' of Japanese art, instead highlighting how local practices innovated by incorporating new ideas from overseas." - Christie’s ‘Best Art Books 2024’"Wilson’s extensive research yields many inventive get-ups . . . [it] takes the reader on an entertaining journey . . . [and] does not shy away from the murkier reaches of Britain’s fancy-dress history." - Apollo Magazine"This comprehensive history of Pakistan sets as its tragic and acute frame the tension between democracy and religious ideology in the country . . . the best recent political history of the country, with a well-judged narrative of its crisis of legitimacy and sharp portraits of its major actors." - Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs"Lara Vetter’s engaging and well-paced H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), part of Reaktion Books’ series of concise biographies." - Hilary Holladay, The Gay and Lesbian Review"This is a marvellously rich yet concise account of the life and work of one of the most idiosyncratic figures of the French Renaissance. Quiviger makes palpable the distinctive philosophy that animated Palissy’s experiments in the ceramic arts and that conditioned his unique contributions to the lavish court entertainments of his epoch." - Andrea Frisch, Professor of French and Core Faculty in Comparative Literature, University of Maryland"House Plants explores the economics, science, and cultural significance of houseplants. The author shares the stories behind the plants we bring home and how they were transformed from wild plants into members of our households. With many illustrations, the book covers both botanical history and cultural impact, from song, literature, and cinema to fashion, design, and painting." - Michigan Gardener"This book has the basis of more than 35 years of scientific research by the author into earthworm ecology but is much more than that. As the title suggests, it covers all things worm-related . . . The whole book is an insight into the mysterious world of the remarkable but often underrated worm." - Earth Society of Britain newsletter"A new biography of Mina Loy shows that the roving modernist saw artistic genius as a means to self-reinvention." - Francesca Wade, The New York Review of Books"Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann convincingly strips away the calumnious legends of the mad emperor. His marvelous, contextualized portrait of Rudolf II reveals a complex personality grappling with political and religious upheavals. His greatest legacies are as a discerning connoisseur and the active patron of some of the finest early modern European scientists and artists." - Jeffrey Chipps Smith, Professor Emeritus of Art History, The University of Texas at Austin, and author of Kunstkammer"Jamieson provides an overview of shipwrecks around the globe that were lost at sea between the early beginnings of ocean navigation and the present day. Organized chronologically by date of loss of the respective vessels, the book provides a plethora of information." - Northern Mariner"Lottie Whalen reveals that [New York’s] transformation in the early decades of the 20th Century was largely thanks to a bold, taboo-busting cohort of women who pushed boundaries both creatively and socially. As artists, writers, salon hosts and patrons they passionately embraced new forms of living, loving and creating." - Cath Pound, BBC Culture"a short cultural vignette" - Canberra Times"This fascinating biography, by an author extremely well-versed in Parisian cultural life . . . traces the turbulent life of a difficult man, who survived the horrors of the Holocaust to become “a theoretician of utopia”, with all its follies and splendours. Isou and the Lettrists are still little known and barely translated in this country – an omission which Speaking East, successfully, seeks to redress." - Jon Savage, New Statesman"Piero di Cosimo’s bizarre paintings inspired the Surrealists – and are celebrated in Sarah Blake McHam’s myth-busting new study . . . In her informative study Piero di Cosimo, the artist, less celebrated than his direct peers Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo, appears as an underappreciated figure in the history of Renaissance art . . . In Blake McHam’s hands, the full scope of Piero’s talent is explored . . . This book does a wonderful job of exploring Piero’s context . . . Without the facts required to write a biography, this is a delightful, diligent study of the most playful, surprising artist of the Renaissance." - Francesca Peacock, Daily Telegraph"In Unearthing the Underworld, palaeontologist Ken McNamara finds incredible worlds preserved in stones we tend to ignore as he explores life's rocky roads." - New Scientist"The book contributes to our understanding of the interconnectedness of the medieval world, where ideas, goods, people and images regularly passed across geographical and cultural borders. The fashionable idea of a “global Middle Ages” is sometimes overstated, yet in the case of falconry itis clear that depictions of the practice, alongside equipment, techniques, birds and even falconers, travelled widely across medieval Eurasia and North Africa." - Sebastian Dows-Miller, Times Literary Supplement"The point of this brisk book, the latest addition to Reaktion’s Medieval Lives series, is not to give a comprehensive account of medieval people’s experiences of time or to propose any radical new theory. Rather, it offers a lively, insightful overview for the general reader, filled with wonderful nuggets." - Pablo Scheffer, Times Literary Supplement"2023 Outstanding Academic Title" - Choice"The originality of this study of Rus lies in its focus on specific families which dominated political life and deeply affected social, cultural, and religious life there . . . the book has many strengths. The authors show deep knowledge of primary sources and look critically at original narratives in them that have been too readily accepted by numerous later historians. They display a command of the secondary literature on their subject. They carefully examine such complex matters as interfamilial and interclan relationships and rivalries, the rise and decline of different regions within the lands of Rus, and shifts in the complex understandings and practices governing inheritance and succession. It should also be said that the book is attractively produced and generously illustrated." - Derek Offord, European History Quarterly"Chris Caseldine has invested a career of scholarly expertise and enthusiasm for Iceland in the creation of a unique 324-page book on the many diverse landscapes of this small island nation. This passion project goes much further than providing a simple geological explanation, as it combines the humanities with historical and cultural geography to tell the story of Iceland’s environmental history. Consequently, the book reads more like a story, comprehensively communicating the essence of what Iceland is, and how it is perceived. Professor Caseldine exceptionally weaves together the physical, cultural, and historical geography of the island, providing a detailed interpretation of the regional geography of the country. He communicates the how, what, when, where, and why of the Icelandic landscape, adding to its fascination and ongoing awe, curiosity, novelty, and chaos . . . Stories of the Icelandic sagas compliment the landscapes where they took place, many of which are beautifully illustrated with more than 100 images, the majority of which are in color. The book invites the reader to travel across both time and space in an immersive manner, where body, mind, and spirit are simultaneously engaged." - Progress in Physical Geography"[a] wonderfully eloquent and informative new book . . . Robinson examines by chapter every aspect of this deliciously intriguing civilisation, from religion, society, art, trade, and agriculture, to their origins, disappearance and rediscovery . . . a comprehensive account of the Indus people, condensed into a highly accessible volume and a very good read indeed." - Current World Archaeology"John Withington’s meticulous history of fireworks." - Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books"One of the strengths of art historian McClanan’s newest book is its intention: to provide a historical overview of the many modes in which the legendary creature known as "the griffin" appears in art and literary history. Griffinology: The Griffin’s Place in Myth, History and Art purposefully offers a range of distinct perspectives on various regions and eras to illustrate this mythical creature’s prevalence in the cultural history of ethnoreligious groups around the world." - Hyperallergic"Duggan does not aim merely to supplement the narrative of males writers with a few women at the margins. Rather, she seeks to shift the mainstream . . . [she] shows that we should regard the conteuses not as incidental curiosities, exhumed then quickly forgotten, but as princesses of literary history who were never really lost at all." - TLS"Judging by the satirical cartoons Georgian England was one never-ending sexual playground . . . This fascinating book . . . reveals another, darker, side to this erotic Eden." - Mail on Sunday"Belasco plumbs publicity material, photographs, correspondence, and reviews to dive deeply into each show and its art-world reverberations. Belasco’s presentation is academic but accessible, and his scholarship is rewardingly thorough . . . He pays close attention to the frequent exclusion of the art of women of color from these shows . . . and points to Black, Asian, Native, and Latina artists of the time." - Library Journal"Whether we want to share our dwelling spaces with animals or whether – as in the case of rats, mice, spiders, mosquitos and the rest – we do not, we have to acknowledge that we are never alone in our homes. Dobraszczyk’s thoughtful book looks at this network of relationships and how we might learn from the way in which other species build and inhabit space." - Edwin Heathcote, Financial Times 'Best Books of 2023'"In an astonishing statement Dylan Thomas declared “So many modern poets take the living flesh as their object, and, by their clever dissection, turn it into a carcass. I prefer to take the dead flesh, and . . . build up a living flesh from it.” This describes exactly the achievement of Thomas’s revivalist biographers: they have conjured away the dead heritage body and the caricature of Thomas’s life and poetry as coagulated emissions, quickening both life and poems to track actively their intelligent and nervous response to their environments, social, intellectual and literary. This book is the latest stage in Thomas’s restoration as a serious writer, whose work is shown newly as vital in our time." - John Wilkinson, Emeritus Professor, Department of English, University of Chicago"[A] fascinating meander through the rich woodlands of literature and visual art. Sax shows that forest tales reveal how we imagine time . . . [and] highlights the contradictory nature of mythic forests: places of both Edenic innocence and terrifying chaos." - David Haskell, Scientific American"The book is written in a straightforward manner, free of technical jargon, so I would happily recommend it to anyone interested in race, art or science . . . It would do a world of good if those who make art, as well as those who consume it, are more aware of the connections drawn in Bindman’s important book." - Metascience"Andrew Spira’s Foreshadowed sets out to trace the various dark paths, cultural, philosophical and iconographic, that led to Malevich’s square. Some of these seem far-fetched, but turn out not to be." - TLS"Christopher Breward’s intelligent consideration of the suit is an antidote to all the bombastic how to guides written by fashion journalists and bloggers whose idea of cultural context is to speed read a Wikipedia page . . . a rich, deep and satisfying study." - World of Interiors"Early human relationships with water were expressed through beliefs in serpentine aquatic deities. This looks into the vast human history of water worship and of our broken relationship with all things aquatic." - Outdoor Swimmer"Fasting is deeply embedded in most of the world's major faiths. This book makes a modern argument offering a new form of transformation and redemption." - Ken Albala, Tully Knoles Endowed Professor of History, University of the Pacific"The authors document campaigns of letter bombs by anarchists, fascists and national liberation movements . . . Roth and Cengiz have gone to great lengths to collect so many examples across several hundred years . . . Murder by Mail provides absorbing and grizzly insight into this centuries-old deadly tactic that has so rarely been examined." - Kieran McConaghy, Irish Times"As Peter Coates’s splendidly rich book demonstrates in deep cultural detail, the long ‘squirrel wars’ of 20th-century Britain are a microcosm of wider arguments about biological belonging and what he nicely terms ‘the emotional ecology of home’." - Steven Poole, The Guardian"Svendsen writes for a popular audience, offering an engaging introduction to philosophical thought on the nature and ethics of lying . . . Svendsen’s examples are vivid and his writing is both animated and accessible – a credit to the translator, Matt Bagguley, as well. Some of the analysis is quite contentious, and readers may find that their intuitions about cases do not align with those of the author, but working out why is part of the fun of engaging with work in practical ethics such as this. We come to moral philosophy for guidance, but also, perhaps, stimulation: an opportunity for thought and friction." - TLS"According to the space historian Colin Burgess’s richly detailed Soviets in Space: Russia’s Cosmonauts and the Space Frontier, the U.S.S.R. would almost certainly have landed humans on the moon before the U.S. had it not been for the untimely death in 1966 of its brilliant program architect, Sergei Korolev. His replacement, Vasily Mishin, ignored engineers’ warnings, precipitating disastrous crew losses, and failed to negotiate sufficient funding from the Kremlin. Still, the Soviets built the first space station (Salyut), and until recently Russia was a productive partner in the International Space Station. For a while, at least, space represented political rapprochement." - Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal"Descartes: The Renewal of Philosophy is a masterly account of one of the best-known figures of modern philosophy. Steven Nadler shows us the steps in the expressions of Descartes’ ideas as they emerged during a life itself in rapid motion: from the young gentleman’s French education, to his travels throughout Europe in the midst of the Thirty Years War, to his self-imposed exile in the Dutch Republic where he wrote and published, to his death at the court of Queen Christina in Sweden. Along the way, Nadler lets us see not only Descartes’ views but the nature of the threats he posed for Scholastically inclined theologians of his day. A clear, distinct, and lively guide." - Harold J. Cook, John F. Nickoll Professor of History, Brown University, and author of The Young Descartes"David Ellis's intelligent and fair-minded new short Life for Reaktion." - Seamus Perry, The Times Literary Supplement"Paterson has published widely on Crusade subjects and on the troubadours. This senior scholar’s authoritative summing-up takes us across an array of standard Troubadour poets and will be a basic starting point for future researchers . . . A generous introduction covers the historical and cultural environment, the poets’ social circumstances, the courts, poetic genres and poetic craft, music, and performance. More than 40 color and black-and-white illustrations adorn the text . . . [an] indispensable reference work. Essential." - Choice"When it comes to polling, size doesn't matter – it's how you use it . . . We learn about this golden rule and many more in Polling Unpacked, a comprehensive yet surprisingly fun overview of modern opinion polling . . . His book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand modern politics . . . Pack's book is a timely manual for those wanting to spot good polls from bad ones." - Tom Calver, The Sunday Times"2023 Outstanding Academic Title" - Choice"Mina Kim showcases the artistic themes and concepts inherent in Korean art, skilfully crafting a narrative that intertwines multiple threads. Her work serves as a comprehensive guide, leading readers through the avant-garde movements that emerged after the Korean War and illuminating Korean art's present standing in the global art scene. This resource is a must-read for those interested in Korean contemporary art, art history and Korean studies." - J.P. Park, June and Simon Li Professor in the History of Art, University of Oxford"Attfield analyzes the indie Sub Pop record label, which helped launch Northwest grunge music. He begins with Bruce Pavitt’s 1980 Subterranean Pop fanzine and moves to the origins of the label with the compilations of the 1986 Sub Pop 100 and the 1988 Sub Pop 200. Viewing the label as both a brilliant marketing tool and a crass, misogynistic, and unabashedly commercial venture, the author chronicles the selling of Sub Pop’s regional punk/metal by using the antihero, anti-corporate, tongue-in-cheek caricature of the bands as primitive losers. The label reinforced this with album inserts, Charles Peterson’s blurry photos, Lame Fest concerts, the limited-edition, colored-vinyl Singles Club, and even "secret" messages hand-etched in records. He critically discusses songs by the fuzzy Mudhoney, the sludgy, pile-driven Tad, and the punk/pop sound of early Nirvana. The book ends with Sub Pop’s 25th-anniversary celebrations. . . . A solid analysis." - Library Journal"Gray tunnels deeper into one particularly rich seam, London’s police courts . . . the author throws light on the full caseload of police court dealings – the drunks, the thieves, the sex attackers, the thugs, the beggars, the penny capitalists, whose means of subsistence rubbed them against the forces of law and order daily, and more . . . he shows us the Victorian police court as a kaleidoscopic theatre of real life: he is an invaluable compere." - Jerry White, Times Literary Supplement"Lucid, clear-eyed, warmly personable and peppered with deliciously wry commentary, it is a detailed, incisive background to the Act and the ideological and party politics from which it germinated, revealing how the press fanned the flames, what precisely politicians said during debates, and how protestors fought back to bring about the repeal of the law in the 2000s . . . Fascinating, engaging, inspiring." - Attitude Magazine"Robert Sholl’s new biography of Messiaen eschews a day-by-day, what-happened-next approach to chronicling the composer’s life. Instead, Sholl takes a more selective approach, focusing on key people, events and influences in the composer’s world . . . Much of Sholl’s succinct, penetrating commentary is immediately accessible to the general reader . . . Read Sholl to drill down further into the music, where he is undoubtedly an authoritative guide." - Terry Blain, BBC Music Magazine"“[In] Peter Dale and Brandon C. Yen’s new book, Versed in Living Nature: Wordsworth’s Trees . . . different trees take turns in complementing the poet at the centre. Here we find not only the living yews of Borrowdale and the birches at Dove Cottage, but also the symbolic Royal Oaks, Liberty Trees and Trees of Corruption that sprang up in the graphic satire of the 1790s . . . Dale and Yen’s previous project, the beautifully illustrated Wordsworth’s Gardens and Flowers, opened the way to this similarly attractive study . . . With the focus now on trees, those gardens are revisited for different reasons, with arboreal planting choices considered aesthetically, imaginatively, practically, politically . . . This book is a mine of information about trees, their origins, the growth of their cultural meanings. It also brings unexpected details into focus, transforming familiar poems into something new . . . Serious thoughts on the politics of tree-planting may be the best legacy of Peter Dale and Brandon C. Yen’s splendid book." - Fiona Stafford, TLS"Like every Venetian, cultural geographer Veronica della Dora has an intuitive understanding of the symbiosis between architecture and the sea, which is why Where Light in Darkness Lies: The Story of the Lighthouse is infused with a uniquely spiritual fervour . . . perfectly captures the surrealistic impact of these structures on the human heart and imagination." - The Weekend Australian"Cotton’s short but thorough explication of Ashbery’s life and work does a fine job of placing him both as a 20th-century poet and as a leading figure among gay writers. The book is part of a series that includes scores of biographies focused on the writer’s work, including well-known gay writers such as Jean Genet, Allen Ginsberg, Yukio Mishima, Marcel Proust, Susan Sontag, and Tennessee Williams." - Alan Contreras, The Gay and Lesbian Review"In this engaging and lively study, Charlotte Cooper-Davis sees de Pizan as an "entrepreneur", a widow who turned to writing to support her family and maintain its status following the deaths of her father and husband, and who involved herself not only in the composition but also the production and circulation of her works." - History Today"2023 Outstanding Academic Title" - Choice"Butler's book is a scholarly tour-de-force citing the widest range of thinkers. From St Augustine to Nietzsche, Freud and Foucault. And from the world of literature and the arts come Byron, Shelley, Mann, Blake and Mozart; even Hannibal Lecter gets a mention. Notwithstanding the heavy duty material, the book remains a hellish good read." - Fortean Times"Hannam gives us context and biography, when available . . . The virtue of Hannam’s writing style is that it is almost invisible. The reader does not have to untangle sentences, as often in academic prose, nor does the author plant the meadows of his pages with rare and distracting lexicographic blooms. As for the arc of his history, it swept me along, especially when I found I was learning a thing or two . . . Bede called Pliny’s Natural History - “that delightful book” - and the same could be said of Hannam’s own lively historical journey.”" - Christopher Howse, The Daily Telegraph"Morton's book is both worthy of merit and surprising . . . carefully researched. It is rich in examples of experiments with paranormal phenomena. The author shows clearly how even sceptical scientists devoted their efforts to study spiritualism and seances." - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"A lively and fascinating tour through the underbelly of Egyptian antiquities . . . Golia’s book, although it does not condone the activity, tries to understand the urge for tomb raiding . . . A Short History of Tomb-Raiding tells a story that began millennia ago, but the best moments relate to more recent times. Golia, a long-term resident of Cairo, has done extensive research into contemporary treasure hunters in Egypt, even interviewing people who have spent time behind bars for the crime. The majority of them do not come across as devious villains. They are largely poor Egyptians intoxicated by the possibility of finding a massive fortune – more Del Boy than Ronnie Kray." - Literary Review"Part biography, part literary criticism, the work is an excellent introduction to Hurston and her writings . . . Hopson argues that her works are as relevant as ever." - Library Journal"A beautifully presented account of Herzog’s work, Hegnsvad’s book finds its purpose in both its design and in its sense of affiliation. Hegnsvad is a documentary filmmaker as well as a writer, and so that even if much of what Hegnsvad says will seem familiar to those who know well Herzog’s films and the various things the great director has to say about them, Hegnsvad brings to the material an experiential wonder, a sense that Herzog so consistently goes where most documentary filmmakers fear to tread. By giving us a feeling of following in a master’s footsteps, he reveals how original Herzog happens to be; how often he would venture into the previously unknown and make it familiar through strength of personality and constitution." - Senses of Cinema"It is this era that forms the narrative core of Australian space historian Colin Burgess’s book, with each and every Nasa mission in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programmes described in detail loving enough to thrill space nerds of all ages . . . Burgess tells the subsequent tales of crewed spaceflight on both sides of the iron curtain with great verve, and a suspenseful narration of unheralded near-disasters. Gagarin’s spacecraft, for instance, only just avoided burning up on re-entry, as did John Glenn’s Friendship 7 craft on an early Mercury mission. There’s a nail-biting story of one cosmonaut whose suit ballooned and nearly prevented him from getting back through the airlock." - The Guardian 'Book of the Week'"We start with geology, with the formation of the earth’s crust and its cooling and shifting over aeons . . . The account moves from the use of stones as weapons and tools to their use in cooking and building . . . There is so much in this book, as a compendium of stony lore . . . The finest chapter is the last, and shortest, about people who collect stones . . . Stones is packed with lapidary detail." - Jason Goodwin, Country Life"Shortlisted" - The Berger Prize For British Art History 2023"This is the sort of book you’d prefer didn’t have so many pages – the more there are, the less full our world is of great species. Those that have sadly gone from our lives should, and do, make us think harder about saving the rest, though – the book covers well known species like Dodo and Great Auk, as well as the likes of Spectacled Cormorant, with only seven stuffed specimens and two incomplete skeletons left on the planet. Other losses covered here include Heath Hen, Arabian Ostrich and Ivory-billed Woodpecker. There are many more lost species in here which we should never forget." - Bird Watching magazine"[Richard Owen] was a scientific colossus . . . Readers may not leave with feelings of admiration for the man himself, but they will surely come to appreciate his central role in the vibrant enterprise of natural history in the 1800s." - Natural History"A comprehensive, clear, and strikingly insightful overview of important trends of our day: resurgent economic nationalism, new forms of exploitation and imperialism, the mainstreaming of the far-right, the continuing failure to address ever-worsening environmental threats, a metastasizing shadow financial sphere, and so on. Merchant argues compellingly that these social pathologies are rooted in the stagnation of the global capitalist economy. A brilliant book." - Tony Smith, author of Technology and Capital in the Age of Lean Production and Beyond Liberal Egalitarianism"Christina Guillaumier takes us on an exciting musical journey sharing the highs and lows of this well-known beloved master of the twentieth century. The tragedy of Prokofiev's life plus his indomitable spirit and joyous music-making create a poignant tale that needs to be heard." - Barbara Nissman"Book of the Month . . . Galaxy is a beautifully illustrated exploration of the Universe beyond the MilkyWay, and the mysteries and wonders of extragalactic astronomy. Geach is ideally placed to be our guide on this journey a researcher in the fast-changing field of galaxy evolution, he displays both breadth and depth of knowledge, happily matched by a talent for engaging, nontechnical prose and an eye for a simile. His work with some of the biggest and most advanced of modern telescopes also provides the vicarious pleasure of some armchair astronomical tourism . . . All in all, the book is an enthralling, detailed and beautiful look at one of the most challenging and exciting areas of modern astronomy, and a great addition to any enthusiasts library." - Sky at Night Magazine"Rosa Abreu-Runkel’s Vanilla is anything but – if that word is taken to mean bland or predictable . . . [she] comes from theDominican Republic and certainly doesn’t shy away from some of the uncomfortable truths associated with the product and its cultivation . . . this is a lovely little book – something to comfort the reader during the cold winter evenings ahead." - Morning Star"An essential work for the study of the Mongol Empire and for Eastern Europe. Roman Hautala does a masterful job of untangling the complicated knots of the history of the Golden Horde and then weaves it into an expansive, but lucid, narrative covering 300 years. For the size and duration of the empire, this volume is concise, yet still remains comprehensive." - Timothy May, University of North Georgia, author of The Mongol Empire and The Mongol Art of War"The writing is easy to read, knowledgeable without being painfully esoteric. A remarkable Recommended Listening appendix should keep us all busy for at least a decade to come . . . We are merely passengers on this intellectually stimulating and frequently entertaining ride . . . This is a wonderful guide through a still-evolving phenomenon and one that now, more than ever, deserves our attention." - Spectrum Culture"[a] beautifully illustrated history . . . A perfect read for ailurophiles." - The Guardian"A valuable contribution . . . Chaney insightfully highlights the gender biases that have pervaded the discourse from the start: the way self-harmers were caricatured in gendered terms as deceitful and devious; the habit among some researchers of excluding men or older women from sample groups (on grounds of being “atypical”) in order to reinforce the assumption that the typical cutter was a young woman; and the tendency of practitioners to overlook sexual abuse – marginalized under the euphemistic purview of “family troubles” if mentioned at all – as a possible causative factor when considering a patient’s motives for self-harming . . . Chaney’s emphasis on the importance of communities and mutual support groups is especially apposite in the wake of last year’s closures of a number of state-funded Crisis Recovery Unit centres across the UK, in the name of fiscal austerity. The human cost of this penny-pinching will be impossible to quantify; but we can say with some certainty that it will prove a false economy." - TLS"This concise biography of Charles Darwin narrates the major events in the great naturalist's life . . . Archibald focuses on Darwin's strenuous effort as he worked on his evolution book and the influential role Alfred Russel Wallace played in prompting Darwin to publish his ideas on the subject. Archibald also discusses Darwin's health problems, such as heart palpitations, nervous exhaustion, and digestive difficulties without indulging in speculation about possible psychological causes of these afflictions as some authors have done . . . The text is well documented and includes excellent illustrations . . . Highly recommended." - Choice"On the night Russia invaded Ukraine, I was reading a new book, The Worst Military Leaders in History, edited by John M Jennings and Chuck Steele. The monumental failings of leadership described range from the well-known death of General Custer and all his men to the less remembered Athenian leader, Nikias, whose disastrous attempt to capture Syracuse led to the collapse of the entire Athenian empire. Three weeks on, it seems like a second edition might have to include the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoygu, and his top brass." - William Hague, The Times"Originating from the French word for madness – also translating to extravagance or stupidity – defining follies is, according to art historian Celia Fisher, ‘almost as tricky as defining art’. She explores their wonder in this beautifully illustrated and captivating book." - The Daily Mail"Did you know that the otter is J K Rowling’s favourite animal? Or that the earliest evidence of its existence dates back 20 million years? Or that the fur of the sea otter is the densest in the animal kingdom? All these and numerous other intriguing snippets of otter lore are contained within a beautifully presented volume as charming and captivating as its subject matter . . . gorgeous illustrations on nearly every page . . . you will love this one." - Daily Mail"Occupying a modest middle ground between cookbook and essay collection Rath's writing is light, unhampered by the weight of academia. He interjects personal asides, recalling tastes and experiences that add sparkle to his chronology of sushi. Ultimately, however it's the lesser-known sushi knowledge that singles out Oishii as a must-own for hungry minds and sushi fanatics alike." - Japan Times"[A] wonderful book. [Porter] says in his introduction that he turned his eye from text to illustration and saw a new story to tell. There are 137 illustrations in this book, 32 in colour, and every one is an exultation in the fleshly horrors of the era." - Tim Radford, The Guardian"Irven Resnick and Kenneth Kitchell, who have long toiled on the Albertian corpus, provide a lively, accessible introduction to his life and thought." - Barbara Newman, London Review of Books"This welcome translation makes Jacques Le Goff’s Heros et merveilles du Moyen Age, originally published in 2005, available to an Anglophone audience. The work of this French historian emphasized the multi-layered nature of history and the importance of social and economic trends alongside political or diplomatic themes. Le Goff’s contributions to the reassessment of medieval civilization continued throughout his life, and his influence has been far-reaching." - Folklore"With a passion for the magic and importance of early childhood drawing and painting, Marilyn JS Goodman successfully demystifies this complex activity, essential to children’s development. Goodman’s wisdom and knowledge offers a concise and refreshing look into the history and meaning of children’s art making, tracking important age-appropriate developments through abundant illustrations and insightful observations. Children Draw is an essential guide for parents and caregivers seeking to support this vital component in their child’s creative learning." - Philip Matsikas, fine arts teacher, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago"When William Viney writes about twins, he knows whereof he speaks. The author is himself a twin and his meticulously researched narrative of superstitions, fantasies and experiments reveals the way in which twins have long fascinated us and played a part in shaping our world." - Geographical Magazine"Part autobiography, part confessional and part bibliotherapy . . . an animating series of conversations with a rich company of authors . . . Hutchinson has deployed his questing, querying, imaginative mind to further his own growth, and in doing so he has given us all a welcome nudge to do likewise." - Literary Review"I really liked this, the cultural history of wind is a wide-ranging subject that Pryke has managed to condense into this fascinating book. The prose feels authoritative without reading like an academic book. It is really nicely produced with high-quality pictures making it a fine addition to the Earth series of books." - Paul Cheney, Half-Man, Half-Book"[Explores] the wig’s silly, sexy, and serious strains in a collection of fanciful short essays . . . It’s clear that for Amara, the wig is an excuse to ponder, wander, and lose himself to flights of fancy." - Hyperallergic"In this non-linear, retrospective study, Duve addresses the postmodernist pronouncement of the end of modernity, using the trope that Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (a porcelain urinal), created in 1917, was a telegram to the art world and that, as a message, it has received a warm reception since the 1960s. Duve complicates the sender-receiver model by rejecting the author-function and tracing the impact of the work so far in the future. Duve challenges the opinion the urinal, which garnered increasing fame after it was submitted unsuccessfully to an open exhibition, meant anything can be art. He notes that the controversy surrounding the readymade brought to the fore contrary notions about the universality and nonuniversality of art. With the latter, one is asked to distinguish between ideas: Anything can be art; anti-art; and art as embodied in the “art-in-general” system, a term which Duve coins for what seems prescient. The rigorous explication of the historical context for the Fountain and its later critical reception prefaces a nuanced discussion of the careers of Bernar Venet, Nahum Tevet, and Marcel Broodthaer – and other artists. Duve is successful in showing that these artists' work achieved effects complementary to those achieved by the Fountain. Recommended." - Choice"What will the weather be like tomorrow, next week, next year? Will there be another war, famine, global pandemic? Will the stock market rise or fall? In Seeing into the Future, military historian and theorist Martin van Creveld provides an overview of some of the myriad methods humans have devised over the millennia to foretell what is to come, from the ancients’ use of prophecy and astrology to today’s mathematical algorithms. In addition to delving into when, where, why, and how those techniques originated, he discusses such questions as why prediction is so difficult, whether modern humans are any better at making predictions than our ancestors were, and whether knowing the future is a good thing." - Physics Today"Kirby offers a factual but rip-roaring narrative of press barons, booming circulations and bloody-minded journalists." - Conrad Landin, Times Literary Supplement"Bucklow offers a deeply humane poetics of the life-cycle and artistic creativity that is enchanting and original. This beautifully written book is an enormously rewarding read for anyone interested in art history." - Ulinka Rublack, FBA, Professor of Early Modern European History, University of Cambridge"Helen M. Rozwadowski offers a sweeping account of the ocean's past and a model for an engaged “ocean history” that places the sea in the heart of our human past . . . Vast Expanses not only challenges the notion of the ocean as a timeless place immune to human action, but it also situates that conception in the evolution of people’s dynamic relationship with the sea . . . More significantly, Vast Expanses makes an impassioned, compelling case that a humanistic understanding of the ocean “can form the foundation for positive change” . . . This book deserves wide readership." - The Mariner's Mirror"Esther Leslie soars where many of her contemporaries fall flat. In On Photography: Walter Benjamin, Leslie has produced an attractive, erudite, readable yet sophisticated work on Benjamin . . . Leslies stellar work may be described as comprising the most comprehensive treatment thus far of Benjamins engagement with photography . . . Leslie provides a substantial overview of Benjamin followed by short introductions to his diverse writings about photography, both published and unpublished. One of the novel features of this book is Leslies fine translation of Benjamins Short History of Photography (1931), which overlaps many of the ideas in his more famous work of art essay . . . Esther Leslies next turn in Walter Benjamin scholarship is to focus on him as storyteller, which is likely to yield books and articles at least as superb as her current work on Benjamin and photography." - Jewish Quarterly"Frankel takes as his subject the relation between Wilde's life and his literary work. He discusses Wilde's imaginative self-invention(s), saying on the first page that "his life now reads like the greatest of his works." . . . The book abounds in perceptive remarks while also offering appropriately skeptical readings of evidence . . . I recommend Frankel's excellent The Invention of Oscar Wilde to every LGBT reader." - The Gay and Lesbian Review"Fittingly unconventional . . . Ornette Coleman: The Territory and the Adventure is an atlas in prose, a guide to the territories of varied sorts – social, racial, aesthetic, economic and even geographic – that Coleman came out of, traveled through, lived near, occupied, left behind or transformed . . . Golia covers a lot of territory in tight, direct language that illuminates Ornette Coleman’s life and work . . . Most impressively, perhaps, she devotes a sizable section to Coleman’s cryptic and elliptical philosophy of music, which he called Harmolodics, without straining to defend it with academic triple-talk or dismissing it." - David Hajdu, New York Times Book Review"For the past fifteen years, Reaktion has produced marvellous short studies of animals and food stuffs. I have reviewed nearly all of them here. Rebecca Stott's Oyster is one of the very best of the Animal series, but till now there has been no corresponding Edible title. Tilley's global history of the shellfish as food fills that gap, and complements Stott's classic nicely." - Tim Morris, Lection"Even for someone like me who has had first-hand experience of prison, this book is a revelation. The costly, &#173dysfunctional prisons we have today simply recycle people into crime. Yet the authorities think the clang of the cell door makes for &#173better citizens. Perhaps this excellent history may make a difference . . . Wilson wants the public to cut through the half-truths that they are being fed and understand that it is perfectly possible to have less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison. But will a single judge, MP or editor read these wise words?" - Vicky Pryce, The Independent"Kaplan’s book serves as an accessible, insightful, critical history of photography’s relationship to humour, one that focuses on the medium’s role in social life . . . Kaplan takes a more expansive view of photographic publics and situations, reaching across the twentieth century into the twenty-first, and mingling vernacular and fine-art forms, analogue and digital." - Tanya Sheehan, History of Photography"economical and intriguing ... Harvey restores the full sense of spirit in nineteenth-century science, religion and aesthetics, while charting spirit photographys persistence well into the twentieth century . . . a fascinating addition to the literature on delusional aesthetics." - Art Review"This fascinating book by Moran constitutes a rich and detailed biographical study of the life and character of Theophrastus von Hohenheim (aka, Paracelsus, 1493–1541), a truly unique Renaissance man whose interests included mysticism, astrology, medicine, and alchemy. Moran paints a vivid picture of Paracelsus as a physician-alchemist and itinerant traveler of both natural and supernatural worlds, detailing how these worlds intersect. In many ways this book is much more than an account of the alchemical life of Pararcelsus, as it also delves deep into the complex period of the early Renaissance and its struggle to shed its medieval past. Unlike many other biographical accounts of the accomplishments of Paracelsus, which tend to depict him as somewhat of a charlatan, Moran tries to present a positive picture of a sincere scholar in search of a reformist view of the nature of medicine. Moran has produced an excellent book that is both historically informative and narratively engaging. Replete with wonderful illustrations, it will surely appeal to a wide audience. Highly recommended." - Choice"Verdi makes a case for Poussin as a painter in the fullest sense of the word. His Poussin thinks, but he does so through composition and color. In twelve lavishly illustrated chapters, Verdi comments on most of the major pieces Poussin made between his earliest surviving painting, a dignified altarpiece showing the Death of the Virgin in 1623, and his last, the unfinished Apollo and Daphne of 1664. Like a successful exhibition, the book makes its arguments through the juxtaposition of images and a detailed commentary. Verdi was for many years the director of the Barber Institute at the University of Birmingham, and put on major Poussin shows at the Royal Academy and the Scottish National Gallery; he writes with the easy authority of a curator sharing the art he knows best." - Max Norman, Apollo Magazine"Daniel Heath Justice’s Raccoon is a fascinating and thoughtfully written exploration of its subject in science and culture — and a must-read for anyone like me who is curious about what, for example, Raccoon Mother (our best yard raccoon) is thinking on any given day." - New York Times"Pinkerton’s account of the scientific journey towards sending sounds by electromagnetic energy is fascinating, as are the human implications of this technology, all the way from Morse code to mobiles, Crippen’s arrest to the age of the podcast. Radio, rather than television, is the greatest popular miracle of the twentieth century. Yet Pinkerton’s account stretches back to ancient philosophers, Zeus’ monopoly on lightning, and the enduring fascination of both magnetism and electricity. There are many fine nuggets here." - Libby Purves, TLS"Claudia La Malfa’s absorbing Raphael and the Antique, which is part of Reaktion Books series called Renaissance Lives . . . these books are not intended to be full-blooded cradle to grave last words on their subjects, but rather seek to shed light on particular aspects of their work alongside a more general account of their careers. In the case of Raphael, his engagement with the arts of classical antiquity is an unusually rewarding focus, above all because it allows the author not only to demonstrate the seriousness of his study of both the sculpture and the architecture of the ancients, but also to explore the consequences of this profound immersion on his own production . . . the book has a wonderful – and fascinating – surprise half a dozen pages or so from its end." - David Ekserdjian, Evening Standard"A history of the radical, revolutionary, rowdy roots of the newspaper industry makes for a rip-roaring read . . . an enthalling chronicle of news-gathering and presses rolling . . . Many of the virtues and vices of today's press may be spotted in the papers of yesteryear. Fulminations against fake news, for example, predate not just our era but the main period covered by the book: in 1487 Henry VII issued an edict against "forged tidings and tales"." - The New European"This lucidly written, balanced, and non-hysterical book rises to the top. It is an excellent guide to the understanding of Wagners continued relevance to the contemporary world." - Wagner Notes"Rice and Baguette is not a cookbook of the type which is sold in popular bookshops . . . It is printed on glossy paper like the popular cookbooks and it is as lavishly illustrated. But it is the social and historical dimension which sets it apart . . . Vu Hong Lien rejects the notion that Vietnamese cuisine is a subordinate of Chinese . . . This book can offer guidance, because its food coverage is both helpful and entertaining." - Asian Affairs"Photography and Tibet is an invaluable introduction to the multiple ways that Tibet has been depicted through photography. I hope this book will enable the general public to have an idea of the rich and ancient Buddhist culture of Tibet, with its natural heritage of nonviolence and compassion, which has the potential to benefit humanity at large. I therefore welcome this book." - His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama"its nice to have all the pictures and Smiths book tells the extraordinary tale of the relationship between travel and the photographic arts from 1830s to the present day. He covers an impressive amount of ground: photographs stealing the show at the great exhibitions of the 19th century, the rise of the picture postcard, the emergence of image-packed magazines, and how photos did as many favours for the Venetian economy as the famous glassware. Theres also a detailed account of how the technology evolved. Fittingly, the book contains many well-chosen illustrations a reminder that putting camera in the hands of travellers was a good idea." - Geographical Magazine"'This is not a book about famous war photographers and their heroic attempts to cover global conflicts. Photography and War is a monumental study of what conflict photographs do and have done globally since 1839 to the present day . . . Photography and War destabilises traditional notions of war photography, including a wide range of materials that are often overlooked in the canon . . . The result is a fascinating, incisive study that leaves the reader wanting to know more . . . a brilliant book and an excellent resource for all photographic historians." - Photographica World"This homage to the pie is stylishly presented. Clarkson’s prose is clear and informative and there are dozens of fine illustrations photos, drawings, etchings, diagrams and reproductions of paintings many in striking colour. All depict a pie of some sort." - The Australian"Outside of the Arctic, humans have rarely understood polar bears. But we have repeatedly projected our own ever-shifting values onto them. This is one of the messages driven home by Margery Fee’s Polar Bear, a historical, cultural and biological meditation on a majestic animal whose fate is entwined with humanity’s . . . engaging and deeply philosophical discussion of an animal she sees as immeasurably valuable but widely misunderstood . . . richly illustrated with archival and modern day images, packed with scientific and historic facts, and driven by Fee’s forceful views, which skirt the mainstream and offer a different perspective." - Anchorage Daily News"I love the Edible series. The whole set would make a great gift for the food-lovingest reader or the book-lovingest cook in your life. Or you could get the appropriate volumes — “Gin” for grandma, perhaps — as stocking stuffers for your whole list." - New York Times Gift Guide"Among the many victims of climate change are glaciers. The huge bodies of dense ice that form on land and are constantly moving from the force of their own weight no longer cover as much of Earth’s surface as they once did. In Glacier, geographer Knight discusses not only the science of glaciers but also their importance and influence on the environment, weather, and even art and culture. Featuring more than 100 illustrations, Glacier pays homage to one of Earth’s most majestic, yet fragile, features." - Physics Today"an entertaining, fact-filled and richly illustrated book. I kid you not, Goat is well worth reading." - Outrage"Yamamoto provides wide-ranging and interesting reading in a compact volume . . . I recommend this well-written and beautifully illustrated book as a respectable compendium on the guinea pig/domestic cavy." - Anthrozo&#246s"[Greece] is an evocative volume . . . The 1930s bring in the clean lines of Modernism, although many of the buildings could be anywhere in Europe or beyond. The authors are refreshingly critical on this subject attacking the current overridingly unadventurous spirit favouring minimalist prismatic volumes, clean rectilinear planes. There is searing criticism, too, of the banality of big construction companies, government and multinationals" - The Times"This enlightening and cogent volume reveals that author Drake Stutesman is much more than a clothing aficionado. Hat: Origins, Language, Style is a multi-discipline, cross-cultural study of what probably is the oldest known wearable object. It incorporates scholarly research, imaginative literary and visual insights, and historical curiosity focused on variations and diverse meanings surrounding the hat . . . for readers seeking stimulating intellectual and humanistic insights, this publication is a welcome addition to writings that engage new notions in the history of ideas." - Beverly Chico, Dress"This is a wonderfully affectionate history of music-making in Iceland. Nothing here on hot springs or glaciers, but a rich and thoughtful account of what it means to be a popular musician in a very small, intense and playful country." - Simon Frith, Emeritus Professor of Music, University of Edinburgh"a fascinating history of vaccination and its troubles" - Times Higher Education"Anastacia Marx de Salcedo offers a spirited defence of processed food from a feminist, economic, and public-health perspective." - Laurie Taylor, BBC Radio 4 'Thinking Allowed'"Hunter contributes a needed book on the global history of insects as food . . . The book is organized into six illustrated chapters, beginning with examples of insect eating surmised from prehistoric times, extending through exploration of insects as food in various world cuisines today, up to insect farming and the predicted importance of bugs in future food supplies. Recipes, both historical and contemporary, follow. Hunter's research is thorough and well documented. She concludes by introducing her personal experiences as a cook, consumer, and home farmer of insects. The tone of Hunter's writing is approachable and respects diverse cultural traditions, past and present . . . Highly recommended." - Choice"Summers-Bremners excellent account of insomnia shows that the consideration of our waking moments is indicative of the changing ways we think about life. As crime fiction and drug prescriptions will attest, the inability to sleep is also a condition of modernity . . . Wasnt it Margaret Thatcher who said that sleeping was for wimps?" - Financial Times magazine"Barber has an elegant prose style, elliptical and engaging in about equal measure, and this, together with some judicious quotation from Genet’s own writings, makes for a provocative and informative critical biography . . . Barber performs what should be the duty of every literary biographer: he leads you back to Genet’s writing, and makes you wonder once more about the man who made it." - The Compulsive Reader"J.-K. Huysmans excels in bringing to life the author in his eccentric, sometimes disgraceful later years . . . Antosh paints in vivid detail." - TLS"a balanced and fresh approach . . . Wilsons book opens with an inspired, panoramic essay on Borgess relationship with reading, biography and his own personality . . . Wilson shows a salutary impatience with critical clich&#233s." - Times Literary Supplement"Robert Hampson’s study is comparatively slim, at around 200 pages. Yet, the most distilled of Conrad’s biographies, it creates its own distinctive image of this constant searcher after le mot juste." - Times Literary Supplement"Very few avian families have enough diversity in color, form, and impact on human culture to merit a monograph covering everything from evolutionary and taxonomic history to biology to roles played in art and literature. . . . Readers will learn much about bird lore in history and across cultures, featuring kingfishers in particular, from this extensively referenced, copiously illustrated volume. Recommended." - Choice"This superb, lavishly illustrated; tome by Jeffrey Chipps-Smith has; chapters on the Munich cabinet of the Wittelsbachs; Schloss Ambras of Archduke Ferdinand; the Dresden cabinet of the Alberine Wettins; the cabinet of Rudolf II in Prague; and the Kunstkammen in Graz, Stuttgart and Kassel . . . Photographs of astonishing objects of vertu punctuate the pages – a sensual treat." - Paul Sieveking, Fortean Times"Lars T Lihs short biography is hardly Why Lenin was right, although it is no less dramatic for that. Lih advances some seldom-heard historical and political arguments in an unassuming, informative way . . . . This excellent book advises us not to congratulate ourselves on our hindsight." - Owen Hatherley, The Guardian"will appeal even to those who would never normally pick up a book on the natural world." - Mary Beard, The Guardian &#39Books of the Year'"Liqueur by Lesley Jacobs Solmonson is a refreshingly straightforward history of those sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter modifiers often used to flavor cocktails. Should you be curious where the Cointreau in your margarita comes from or where the sugar in your Cointreau comes from,Ms. Solmonson is likely to have the answer." - Wall Street Journal"Lizard and Dinomania present author/researcher Boria Sax at his multidisciplinary best: mixing and relating biology, botany, paleontology, anthropology, biography, history, mythology, art history, popular culture and more, into coherent wholes. The skillful way he interweaves these various themes reminds this reviewer of the pictures and models of DNA strands as the complexity of the finished product emerges. . . . Boria Sax and Reaktion Books receive extremely high marks for the quality of these books: not only good binding, but exemplary reproduction of illustrations in both black and white and color. An editorial choice was made to place illustrations throughout – rather than in special sections – something for which all readers should be grateful." - The Independent Scholar"Creative Gatherings gives light but careful sketches of places that Caws has known where creative people – painters, sculptors, poets and others – have congregated, eaten, smoked, drunk and lounged, while discussing their work, exploring their hopes, bitching about their dealers, sincerely extolling or enviously belittling their rivals, bragging about sex, fooling, striving and desponding . . . Reaktion has served Caws well. Creative Gatherings is a handy, portable book, not a coffee-table slab, but illustrated with sumptuous abundance." - The Spectator"David Maceys Michel Foucault provides an interesting and enjoyable introduction to the life of the French philosopher . . . very suitable reading for those curious about the context in which Foucaults work emerged, while the rich collection of photographs puts a face on one of the most popular names in todays social sciences. Maceys work succeeds in constructing a very complex, contradictory and fluid Foucault, escaping our attempts to label or categorize the person, his life and his work." - Foucault Studies"Cranach produced portraits of his friend Martin Luther throughout his life. Nelson’s book explores how Cranach’s paintings and prints helped foster a strong Lutheran community in 16th-century Saxony." - Apollo Magazine"Mercury, the Solar System’s innermost planet, was spotted in antiquity but remained an enigma until the 1960s. Science historian William Sheehan’s portrait of the body (known in ancient Greece as the “scintillating one” for its flicker) reveals it as an airless iron world with an eccentric orbit. He interleaves discoveries, from Johannes Kepler’s prediction of a transit of Mercury in the seventeenth century to NASA’s MESSENGER probe, which relayed gorgeous images and data (such as the presence of a wealth of volatile compounds on the surface) before crashing on the planet in 2015." - Nature"A jaunty yet sensitive account of a much maligned and misunderstood species." - Sara Baume, author of 'A Line Made by Walking'"Demet Güzey has packed in much condiment commentary in such a small volume as she examines the pantry of history for sightings of the extraordinary seed . . . It’s the perfect book for those who cannot contemplate supper without the little yellow jar in attendance. Pass the mustard, please." - The Field"Mountain traverses centuries and continents, sacred peaks and summit observatories, in a deeply original cultural history of mountains. Every mountain lover will want to find a place for Veronica della Dora alongside Simon Schama or Robert Macfarlane on their bookshelf or in their backpack." - Peter Hansen, professor in Humanities and Arts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and author of The Summits of Modern Man: Mountaineering after the Enlightenment"The politics of cocoa chocolates key ingredient are fascinating. For centuries African and Central American farmers made it for the paler races to devour. And how did Westerners thank them? With some of the most eye-bogglingly racist advertising in history. Hopefully, paying the current farmers Fair Trade prices will make amends." - Diplomat magazine"Chillies, a new book from the “Edible” series, packs significant information into a tiny volume. Renowned food writer Anderson provides an authoritative, thorough, well-researched, readable history of chili peppers" - Choice"A beautifully written and important book." - Janet DeNeefe, chef and owner of Casa Luna Bali, cookbook author"This is an extraordinary volume. While concentrating on contemporary art in Brazil, and attending to its myriad historical, political, social and aesthetic ramifications, Today is Always Yesterday combines Michael Asbury's characteristic critical, objective acumen with an "insider" view of Brazilian culture. Furthermore, the author presents us with much more than another book on the contemporary scene: he gives an in-depth history of Brazilian art in all of its complexity, from the Portuguese era to the post-Bolsonaro, Lula-Redux period of today. Anyone even marginally interested in the dizzyingly complex nature of Brazilian creativity will be more than pleased with Asbury's panoramic contribution." - Edward J. Sullivan, Helen Gould Shepard Professor in the History of Art, New York University"An “under the hood” look at an industry which became one of Japan’s globally recognised soft powers and is to my knowledge the ONLY book of its kind . . . Teasley describes the complex jigsaw of Japanese design in the context of society, business, government and real people in a way that is engaging and fascinating . . . if you really want to understand why design matters to Japan, this is a great place to start and is highly recommended." - The Japan Society Review"Unlike many books that delve into the history of restaurants and begin with France (or wayside taverns elsewhere), the academics who have written “Dining Out,” a compelling volume, start in the Bronze Age. Their definition of a restaurant is elastic, referring to places where strangers might have gathered to eat and drink, including the symposiums of ancient Greece. Long before social upheavals gave rise to the modern restaurant in France, there were what we would consider to be restaurants in 12th-century China; the authors cite a traveler’s memoir of a huge dumpling house with more than 50 ovens. (The influence of Chinese restaurants globally is significant.) The book discusses the economic and technological evolution of restaurants; restaurant service and hierarchy; tipping; the influence of transportation; sexism; chain restaurants; and food writing up to the present day." - Florence Fabricant, The New York Times"Sociologist Katie Milestone and music journalism lecturer Simon A. Morrison divide between them the period from the birth of rock’n’roll in the late 1950s to the modern day. Their scope is ambitious: where people danced, how they danced and the music that made them move. It’s a golden era that takes in the rise of the mod, the birth of Northern Soul, the disco boom and rave culture . . . There is an evanescent quality to the world the book inhabits. Underground scenes form, enter the mainstream, fade away." - Financial Times"Readable and engaging . . . Donatello was amazingly versatile and constantly in demand, engaging in multiple projects, often simultaneously. An inventive sculptor, he worked in almost every conceivable medium — stucco, terra-cotta, and cartapesta as well as bronze, marble, and wood. In addition he was a colorful, witty character, and his eccentric behavior is preserved in anecdote. Coonin makes good use of this material to breathe fresh life into the art and biography of a supremely important genius who exerted a powerful influence on many subsequent artists, including Michelangelo, Bernini, Canova, Rodin, and Brancusi. Deftly weaving together history, anecdote, accounts of patronage, and sensitive descriptions of works of art, this accessible treatment is illustrated with 76 color plates. Highly recommended." - Choice"This delightfully informative history of fossils ends where most conventional books on the subject begin: with the realization by scholars in the late 1600s that the bone-like and shell-like petrifications frequently found in sedimentary rocks are the remains of animals long dead. Prior to that, according to Cambridge paleontologist McNamara, speculation about the nature of fossils was as rich and varied as the human experience itself . . . There is a story behind every shape in every culture, evidence not only of the plasticity of nature but also the inexhaustibility of the human imagination." - Natural History magazine"Much has been written over the past 20 years, particularly with regard to the long 18th century, on material culture, and much of what falls within the purview of these histories concerns eating and drinking. But Bickham brings a fresh approach to the discipline, successively examining the commodities themselves, the roles they played in the forging of cultural self-awareness, and even the political functions that consumable goods took on in the era of abolitionism. What this results in is a study that doesn’t just trace a historical timeline through food and drink fashions and the development of a national cuisine, but also sets these currents in thematic contexts such as the economic and ethico-political, so that the book becomes a social history told through consumption rather than retailing a history of consumer culture itself." - World of Fine Wine"Broad in scope, Kirkers work explains the use of edible flowers from ancient times to the present day . . . It is a whistlestop tour that stays engaging and the history doesnt simply cherry pick the sentimental stories . . . The book also contains flower-based recipes as well as precautions for eating flowers and, perhaps unlike some of the crops mentioned, it is very easy to digest." - English Garden"The first fully comprehensive study of Agar, whose importance has belatedly been recognised. Remy skilfully weaves biography into his detailed and illuminating discussion of her paintings, collages and objects. He has an unrivalled command of the subject and the access to unpublished material, diaries and letters enriches the story at every turn. A major contribution to our understanding of Agars work." - Dawn Ades, Professor Emeritus, University of Essex"As former BBC Latin America analyst Nick Caistor writes in this highly readable and refreshingly balanced biography, Fidel Castro is an inimitable and complicated figure who, for better or worse, has forged a place in the pantheon of consequential leaders in the modern era . . . a book that packs an enormous historical and analytical punch, despite being only around 150 pages long." - Survival: Global Politics and Strategy"Jamiesons Faith and Sword is precisely the book I have been waiting for: scholarly yet accessible, intelligent and impartial, providing an excellent context." - The Age "In this important, scholarly, and visually delightful volume, Florike Egmond presents a strikingly original overview of the burgeoning years of natural history depiction. More than mere illustrations to complement texts (as in later printed works), these early drawings formed visual components of collections in which a sense of nature itself was first constructed and given order: it was the drawings themselves that were assembled to form archives that allowed early naturalists to begin to evolve a coherent view of the natural world what Linnaeus would later describe as the &#39ordering of the natural universe'. In compiling these graphic representations of natural specimens their authors displayed much more than their individual merits in art-historical terms: they also reveal the genesis of a visual vocabulary for representation that would remain influential for centuries to come. The volumes title forms an apt metaphor for Florike Egmond&#39s forensic treatment of these images from an era when art and science intersected on equal terms to formulate a world view hitherto beyond conception: her lucid text allows all of us to appreciate the quietly revolutionary advances in understanding brought about by these innovatory observers of nature." - Arthur MacGregor, author of Curiosity and Enlightenment: Collectors and Collections from the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Century"Peakman brings a compellingly direct intelligence and clarity to her analysis of the key role of women in negotiations and the maintenance of peace between cultures, and of their unconscionable sexual exploitation by men . . . As she makes clear in this careful, incisive and scholarly work, centuries of disregard have created an understanding of the feminine as synonymous with currency, and for one purpose: to maintain masculine supremacy." - Antonella Gambotto-Burke, The Australian"The most original and surprising book Ive read this year. If you thought flatness equates with dull, you were wrong . . . Superbly researched, full of erudition, each chapter utterly surprising . . . A really important contribution for understanding how we have transformed our planet in our own image." - Michael Bravo, Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of Cambridge"Fragonard: Painting out of Time is a fascinating study and will appeal to specialists and general audiences alike. Padiyar captures the complexities of one of the most recognizable, albeit mysterious, eighteenth-century European artists and presents him in a relatable manner: as an individual trying to make sense of his own place in a society that did not suit him . . . the Fragonard captured by Padiyar is “out of time,” painting to the proverbial beat of his own drum, struggling to find his niche in the world he inhabits, and creating an oeuvre that brings viewers into an “out of time, fantasy world." - CAA Reviews"This important, lively work tracks the failure of two generations of post-idealist philosophers to reconceive – in light of the social and economic upheaval that emerged during the lifetime of Adolf Hitler – Immanuel Kant’s conception of autonomy and moral personhood. An initial chapter provides a richly detailed discussion of the technological and social transformation that characterized the late decades of the nineteenth century and first decades of the twentieth. Subsequent chapters provide provocative readings of how German philosophy attempted to recast the idealist tradition of vernunft to meet the reality of a fragmented, atomized, and technologically shaped street life of the newly emerging metropolis. This work is a must read for anyone concerned, as were the philosophers Chamberlain discusses, about the place of meaning, value, and autonomy in a disenchanted world that tends toward biologism and both technological and scientific reductionism. Chamberlain writes from a seat of deep learning, but she has the ability to make the most abstruse ideas clear and relevant to the narrative of her intellectual history of this period. Highly recommended." - Choice"Daniel synthesizes this material in a lively and readable fashion. She moves with skill from biography to analysis and never gets bogged down with overanalyzing Steins motivations or her creative efforts." - The Gay and Lesbian Review"The first comprehensive overview a genre that has survived more on passion than commercial reach . . . Bovey commendably covers a lot of ground previously left untouched." - Irish Times"Kasia Boddys enchanting cultural history of the geranium traces our changing attitude to the flower . . . [she] does a wonderful job of selecting the most delicious literary cuttings for her book on the lovable plant and its place in our culture." - Daily Telegraph"Lisa Mortons brisk, handsomely illustrated Ghosts: A Haunted History canters through millennia of supposed uncanny interruptions with a kind of puckish scepticism . . . Morton excels at presenting us with instances of the persistence of belief, across all times and cultures . . . there are moments all the same when the hint of something truly uncanny is permitted to intrude." - TLS"Blending well-illustrated recipes into their graceful narrative, the authors offer a comprehensive survey of the evolution of Greek foods from ancient times to today . . .The book’s general theme is how the natural environment, or the “gift of the gods,” as it is aptly entitled, has shaped Greek foodways and culinary traditions over those historical periods . . . The reading [is] rather enjoyable and entertaining . . . Recommended." - Choice"A detailed and informative book that reveals the botanical secrets and fascinating history of an iconic tree that is both familiar and threatened . . . This book has much to recommend it. Thoughtful, even poetic in places, it covers scientific and medical information thoroughly, and the treatment of history, myth, and folklore makes it a wonderful sourcebook. For this it is worth its space on any shelf." - Gardens Illustrated"This is a remarkable and searching account of the meaning of attention. Gay Watson looks deeply into the practices of artists, writers and musicians and reveals the correspondences with spiritual disciplines. This is a provocative book in replacing attention at the heart of what we should care about." - Edmund de Waal"Outstanding Academic Title Award 2019" - Choice"Natalie Morris has condensed an incredible amount of bean information and history into one book. I want to both read several hundred more pages and get a pot simmering." - Carey Polis, Digital Director, Bon Appétit"More than in other young cities, Berlin’s history can be perplexing and rather heavy, and best understood with a knowledgeable guide to hold your hand gently. The Cityscopes Berlin guide, written by Berlin-based journalist and cultural historian Joseph Pearson, does just that . . . The flaneur Pearson leads you around all sorts of neighbourhoods, in west and east, taking in memorials, museums, monuments, theatre, tunnels, bunkers, festivals and parades-cum-demonstrations, before ending with handy listings. Illustrated with over 118 often intriguing photos, this book is a recommended companion for wandering through Berlin’s past and present." - Berlin In Your Pocket City Guide 2019"[Birch’s] indomitable will for survival, as well as the tree’s usability as a material, and influence on global culture and traditions is thoroughly documented in Birch . . . There are interesting illustrations throughout . . . Intriguing facts form the basis of the book . . . whether you’re a fan of the birch tree or not there is a wealth of information to be gleaned from reading Birch." - Gardens Illustrated"Illuminating the complexities of these creations, Biscuits and Cookies: A Global History is a thorough effort to chronicle the multifaceted gastronomical histories of baked goods, which are shown as taking an array of forms over the centuries. Focusing on the baking of the Americas, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East, Edwards’s book takes the long view by explaining how the production, cultural, and national significance of biscuits and cookies have been interwoven with the intricacies of business and economics. As she explains, baking such treats remains a livelihood for many across cultures . . . As for the book’s style, Biscuits and Cookies evinces parallels to the work of earlier food writers such as the American author M.F.K. Fisher insofar as Edwards offers an accessible, insightful, and lively account that inspires thought . . . Edwards’s book thus offers readers an insightfulhistorical introduction to the ways biscuits and cookies have influenced and enhanced diverse lives." - Food, Culture & Society"Another in the Animal series of handsome, pocket-sized studies of interesting animals and their relations with humanity down the ages. Strong on style and illustration, this book impresses just as much with its content. Its fascinating to learn just how complex beaver’s construction is, and what makes them so well-equipped." - Scotland Outdoors"David Treece pursues Brazilian social, political and historical connections through a particular focus on music-making practices. His narrative weaves together several decades of Brazilian cultural history, with a primary focus on the genres of samba, bossa nova, popular Brazilian music (MPB) and Brazilian rap . . . Brazilian Jive provides an informative discussion for a general audience wanting to learn about some internationally renowned Brazilian popular musical compositions, composers and genres as well as some perceptive insights on connections between sound and associated meaning." - Luso-Brazilian Review"In Bison, Desmond Morris traces the past and present of this massive animal who resembles the front half of a mountain gorilla and the rear half of a racehorse . . . His excellent chapters on bison in art, and bison social and natural history, are heightened by the photographs including a bison male showing the flared-nose flehmen response to a females sexual fragrance for which this Animal series from Reaktion is renowned. Morriss evident compassion for the sustained suffering of this majestic animal is welcome." - TLS"This compact book explores the history of the cabbage and its place as an iconic ingredient on the world’s culinary stage" - Gardens Illustrated"A book whose outlook – arid and elliptically comic – seems at one with its subject. It’s hard not to like a profusely illustrated book that recommends Rose Macaulay’s The Towers of Trebizond, quotes the work of Al-Jahiz ("the Arab world’s greatest ever essayist"), and describes the sound that camel ticks make when tossed into the campfire." - Verlyn Klinkenborg, New York Review of Books"In this brilliant book, Potts challenges us to see chickens as creatures who think and feel in complex ways all of their own . . . This series notably mixes historical and cross-cultural research with gorgeous illustrations Chicken is no exception." - TLS"Provides insights not only into the nature of Friedrich’s art, but also into the whole predicament of art in the early nineteenth century . . . It is a book that should be read by all who have an interest in the art of the period." - Burlington Magazine"Philip Carr-Gomm has an idea: Stop reading and take off your clothes." - Chronicle of Higher Education"This engrossing book – suitable for the old hand and the tenderfoot – shows that Russia's food history is far more complex, quirky and entertaining." - Caroline Eden, TLS"Lars Svendsen has written a book that brings both knowledge and wisdom to loneliness, that most intimate of moods." - Jeffrey Kosky, Washington and Lee University, author of Arts of Wonder: Enchanting Secularity"Emptiness is a term that puzzles, appeals and infuriates in equal measure. Gay Watsons marvellous book provides the first in-depth study of the concept of emptiness as it is used in contexts as diverse as ancient Buddhist philosophy and the practice of contemporary art. A Philosophy of Emptiness is a penetrating inquiry into the liberating and challenging implications of an idea whose time may now be upon us." - Stephen Batchelor, author of Confession of a Buddhist Atheist"Moving from the Ancient Aboriginal cosmology and Eurasian steppe nomadic culture to the Romany peoples and the movements of today’s refugees, this alluring-sounding history examines ideas of belonging, alienation and hope." - Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller"Take a deep dive into Spanish cuisine from prehistory to Ferran Adrià . . . [this] illustrated book is a dense, scholarly survey that starts with prehistory some 80,000 years ago. It traces the contributions to the Spanish table by ancient Rome; Moorish, Christian and Jewish cultures; European royalty; and foods of the New World. The effects of social and political change, years of war and the rise of the influential Spanish chefs of today are covered, as are ingredients like olives, anchovies and chocolate; markets; dishes like cocido; and time-honored utensils. There’s a quick survey of food across Spain, region by region." - Florence Fabricant, The New York Times"This ambitious study takes in a broad sweep of India’s cultural life after Independence, looking equally at the role of homegrown talents such as K.G. Subramanyan and also of foreign luminaries such as Clement Greenberg or Le Corbusier." - Apollo"[A] rich, pluralistic intellectual world is exquisitely evoked by Sachiko Kusukawa in her marvellous new book on Vesalius and the Fabrica. Before turning to the man himself, she guides us through the practices of his immediate predecessors . . . The greatest strength of Kusukawa’s book is its meticulous description of the design, composition and preparation of the Fabrica . . . Reaktion has done a wonderful job here, as with other works in its Renaissance Lives series. The illustrations (many in colour) are crisp, and the book is bound with thread rather than glue. Many larger publishers could learn from them." - Dmitri Levitin, Literary Review"Although it would be grossly reductionist to call Michael C. Finke’s superb new life of Anton Chekhov, Freedom from Violence and Lies, a “political biography”, the book’s title is in fact drawn from what Finke calls the author’s “most famous statement about the relationship between politics and literature” . . . Whatever one makes of Chekhov's stance on artistic freedom, of his chafing at being pigeonholed, Finke does a marvellous job of threading the theme through the man's life and work . . . In some 240 pages, Finke limns a nuanced, multi-dimensional, moving portrait of Chekhov." - Boris Dralyuk, TLS"Berry’s perspective on the controversy (still) surrounding the composer is clear-eyed, empathetic, and pleasingly free of polemics of its own . . . Berry's survey of the individual works is comprehensive and exemplary." - BBC Music Magazine"a fascinating story of the apples trip from its beginning millions of years ago in what is now Kazakhstan to worldwide importance" - OregonLive.com"Hamblyn does justice to the ocean’s vast and mysterious nature . . . This pleasant and edifying study will be a nice place to start for readers looking to learn more about the ocean." - Publishers Weekly"With its numerous reproductions, including many in color, this contribution to the "Renaissance Lives" series fully accomplishes its goal of providing an attractive and authoritative introduction to understanding Niccolò Machiavelli . . . While intended as an introduction, Black's study succeeds in bringing into focus many of the most controversial issues surrounding Machiavelli." - Choice"There is indeed some critical work to be done. I, for one, welcome the recent “critical turn” in automation studies. And I think that a decade from now, a far-sighted book like Smart Machines and Service Work will prove to be the most lasting contribution to this important debate." - LA Review of Books"Christopher Lloyd’s compact but wide-ranging study provides an up-to-date survey of this career. He situates Maupassant’s work in various late nineteenth-century contexts – the social and political worlds, and those of literature and ideas and of journalism in particular . . . Lloyd brings out the complexity of the short stories and gives a spirited defence of their style . . . [a] crisp, witty, balanced and well-informed guide." - TLS"Winner of The Readable Feast 2020" - Drinks category"2023 Outstanding Academic Title" - Choice"'Sport is more than mere games,’ says Wray Vamplew. His magisterial study of sporting history certainly demonstrates this, exploring the subject from every possible angle, placing sport in its wider social, political, economic, environmental and cultural contexts. . . an entertaining study, full of illuminating details drawn from antiquity to the current era . . . an impressive global history that should be essential reading for every sports fan." - P.D. Smith, The Guardian: Best Paperbacks"Kim draws on a selection of striking images to bring alive Korean politics, foreign relations, and norms, making this both a comprehensive history of Korean photography and a worthy examination of Korean identity. Photography enthusiasts should take a look." - Publishers Weekly"An engaging, informed, often shrewd introduction to a central figure of twentieth-century thought. Though Adamowicz focuses mainly on Breton’s multifaceted relationship with the visual arts, her discussion embraces many of the dimensions – political, literary, social, philosophical – that make Surrealism, still today, among the most vibrant and relevant approaches to life in all its complexity." - Mark Polizzotti, author of Revolution of the Mind: The Life of André Breton"This is a compact and succinct overview of the life and work of renowned French artist Henri Matisse (1869–1954). Brown explores the artist’s life, from his early years struggling in Paris and painting in the fauvist style, to his turn-of-the-century success thanks to the patronage of the Stein family of American collectors (Leo, Sarah, Michael, and Gertrude). The book then follows Matisse’s travels to Morocco and Tahiti; his more abstract work, created during World War I; and his mature years working in the South of France. Brown situates Matisse’s art in relation to his own philosophy about making art, and his contemporary critics, and more recent discourses on the art historical analysis of his work." - Library Journal"Louis-Ferdinand Céline is comprehensive and lucid . . . The book is particularly good on the scandal of Céline being republished . . . Aside from the political iniquities, Catani argues that Céline wasn't an unrepentant pessimist but a badly bruised optimist. It is hard to believe, as we are informed, that the razor-tongued Céline composed a ballet called The Birth of a Fairy." - Tibor Fischer, The Spectator"Combing through history, art, and science, Peter Williams tells stories proving that these graceful watery creatures deserve our appreciation even while they elude our understanding." - Mary P. Winsor, Professor Emeritus of the IHPST, University of Toronto"Few people know more about England and Englishness than David Matless. Read About England, and treat yourself to a magical mystery tour of all that you thought you knew." - Robert Colls, Professor Emeritus of History, De Montfort University"In the decades following the Second World War, playgrounds developed into radical sites for childhood experimentation. Ben Highmore has wonderfully recaptured that history in this richly detailed, highly readable, and beautifully illustrated account. In our era of worrying about housebound children, the book could not be more timely." - Mathew Thomson, Professor of History, Warwick University, and author of Lost Freedom: The Landscape of the Child and the British Post-War Settlement"Vinograd is particularly interested in how concepts such as truth and relationality were reflected in the production and reproduction of Chinese portraits; in the ritual, social, and cultural functions and responses of portraits; and in how the portraits can "shape historical memory [and] circulate across cultural arenas or function as alternate social selves." Among the first substantial gatherings of visuals of ancient, modern, and contemporary Chinese portraits in various formats and from around the world, this volume provides valuable firsthand visual materials for further study and exploration. Recommended." - Choice"A welcome addition to the Reaktion food series . . . filled with splendid facts, figures, and illustrations . . . This is a fascinating story, beautifully told." - Marion Nestle, Professor Emerita of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, New York University, and author of 'Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat'"A sympathetic account of people who love animals too much." - Houman Barekat, TLS"The idea of the monochrome – an unmodulated plane of a single colour that entirely covers a given surface - is a strange proposition for a painting, or any work of art. And yet its possibilities have preoccupied and beguiled artists for well over a century. Simon Morley’s book brilliantly explores the labyrinthine complexities of this apparently simple form of abstract painting and in the process invites us to visit numerous types of art, made for wildly different purposes, in dozens of different places, and at many different times." - David Batchelor, artist"An admirably concise new biography." - Boston Globe"Winner" - John Brinckerhoff Jackson book prize 2021"This superb volume . . . A Band with Built-in Hate feels fresh and without precedent, a scholarly yet thrilling studyof the paradoxes that made The Who the most vital band of the '60s, and the cultural backdrop against which their initial impact was played out." - Shindig!"London-based art historian Langdon has been studying baroque painter Salvator Rosa (1615–73) for almost fifty years and yet maintains a critical distance from her subject, for whom at times she implies a soupçon of distaste. She intends her well-illustrated introduction to the painter, etcher, and poet – a reluctant outsider in Rome, disgruntled and boastful, a thorn in the side of Bernini, and an aspirant to intellectual status along the lines of Poussin – to appeal to an audience that includes beginners. At the same time, because of her deep and thorough engagement with the subject, scholars will not want to ignore this summary with its glinting insights . . . Recommended." - Choice"The story of Simon the goat-lover is just one of hundreds of weird and wonderful anecdotes that rub together in Katherine Harvey’s jaunty study of late-medieval sex . . . Her book is an enjoyable romp, smart as well as funny. It left me fully satisfied, with a big smile on my face." - Dan Jones, Sunday Times"Andrew Hadfield’s John Donne: In the shadow of religion is not a biography, but a portrait of Donne through his works and times. It is gorgeously produced, with glossy pages and ample colour images of portraits, manuscripts, maps, monuments and frescoes . . . Its six themed chapters, elegantly and clearly written, will appeal to those immersed in Donne as well as those who know only a handful of lyrics." - TLS"Everyone's favourite garden bird is celebrated and explored in this wide-ranging, superbly illustrated volume. Taking in both natural and cultural histoies, Robin addresses questions including why the bird's name has travelled around the world and why it has a reputation for melancholy." - BBC Wildlife Magazine"[An] excellent, brief chronicle of foie gras . . . Kolpas argues that overfeeding geese mimics what pre-migratory birds do naturally, and our disapproval betrays an ignorance of bird physiology." - The Spectator"Explores the intriguing and multifaceted natural, cultural and social history of the orchid, which makes up around 8 per cent of all the Earth’s flowering species." - Gardens Illustrated"[Written] with style and verve . . . Berdan’s Aztecs is more of a general survey, but one based on a lifetime of research and study." - New York Review of Books"Shortlisted for Best Music Book" - The Penderyn Music Book Prize 2023"Hummus: A Global History is a must-read for anyone interested in food culture. Readers will find Nussbaum’s little book on hummus to be a delicious treasure trove of facts and figures." - New York Journal of Books"Ruskin Society Book Prize 2021" - Winner"Pat Rogers’s lively new history, The Poet and the Publisher, presents Pope and Curll’s clashes as a long-running courtroom drama, or “Pope v. Curll”. . . [giving] us a modern sense of a figure usually portrayed as ultra-traditional, revealing him instead as a writer whose concerns about self-image and the power of presentation might be thought close to our own." - Clare Bucknell, The New York Review of Books"2023 Outstanding Academic Title" - Choice"Reading Fermented Foods was a lovely accompaniment to the hands-on fermentation projects I’ve been cultivating in my house . . . this book is not a how-to guide for fermentation projects but rather an overarchingnarrative of the history of fermentation, considered alongside the rise of hygienic or Pasteurian practice. As withmicrobes, there is an immense amount of history on fermentation if you know where to look . . . this book addresses the whole of our food system: how we can balance embodied, historical, cultural knowledges with the sterile environments and scientific mindset in which we live, and how we acknowledge that we are not the only actors in the process." - Molly McConnell, Gastronomica"Gill Perry has produced something remarkable for anyone interested in contemporary art and culture. Islands and Contemporary Art is a totally captivating and accessible survey of works and ideas illuminating our relationship to islands, both real and imaginary. It addresses important issues about how we value art, literature and film in a way that will be of interest to anyone seeking to understand the forces – ecological, cultural and political – shaping our world." - Michael Corris, Professor Emeritus of Art, Southern Methodist University"Helge Kragh is the leading historian of scientific studies of the universe. He also possesses a rare ability to make complex ideas accessible and understandable. In Universe, we see him in sparkling form, presenting a lucid and engaging account of how people have envisioned the universe from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century. A reader could not ask for a better guide to this captivating story." - Robert Smith, Professor of History, University of Alberta"I realise that it is the many layers of Madrid that I encountered on that initial visit that make the city so remarkable – layers that this excellent book luxuriates in, as it plots the twists and turns of history that have shaped the city . . . a splendid guide, delivered in charming and frequently amusing prose that displays a deep affection for the city and its inhabitants." - La Revista, the British-Spanish Society magazine"Jake Poller's outstanding new critical biography of Aldous Huxley will appeal to a wide audience. Sensibly priced, and with a good number of images, it devotes equal amounts of space to both the man and his oeuvre. Huxley himself is brought vividly to life, and each of his major works receives a detailed – and at times innovative – critical appraisal . . . This exemplary contribution to Reaktion's Critical Lives series is beautifully written, as well as being witty and informative – hallmarks of all good biographies." - TLS"Victor Stoichita begins his new book – Darker Shades: The Racial Other in Early Modern Art – with the premise that underlies it: "Difference exists, otherness is constructed". It is a powerful, and deceptively simple, opening line. He continues by observing that otherness is dependent on the "self"; in short, that one cannot exist without the other, neither otherness nor the "self". Again, the idea is simple enough, self-evident even. That all is not as straightforward as it might seem, however, is revealed in the statement that follows: "[...] the Self is the Other of the Other, just as the Other is the Other of the Self". The issue is as convoluted as the prose is beautiful. It would seem that a book on the "racial other" needs first to address the "self"." - Art History"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2013" - Award"The book offers a superb introduction to a period of imperial brutality . . . handsomely illustrated with colour reproductions of stunning works. Incomparable Realms is a testament to the imbrication and the incommensurability of the earthly and sublime." - Ian Ellison, Times Literary Supplement"Within the new literature, Quiviger’s is the most compelling attempt to present a compact survey in English of Leonardo’s career as a painter. Traditional in its organisation, its chapter divisions correspond to Leonardo’s movements between the cities where he resided, with a separate chapter on Leonardo’s writings on painting." - Burlington Magazine"A historical approach to the ideas behind climate change, with a particular focus on the role of trees . . . if the development of scientific thought interests you, there’s plenty of food for thought here on a subject that couldn’t be more topical." - The Arbuturian"powerful" - The Times