Sub-titled 'The Decline of Macedonian Europe In the Wake of the Wars of the Successors', for Macedon there was not the thousand years of glory that was the extraordinary destiny of the Romans, nor even the 200 years of Persian primacy, only 50 or so years of strife and trauma, ending in a Galatian deluge that threatened the sacred site at Delphi. This was the period during which Cassander and Lysimachus had seemed about to construct durable Europe-based processes of civil government. It had seen the likes of Demetrius Poliorcetes and Pyrrhus of Epirus battling and besieging across Macedonia, Thrace and Greece. So why was it that the Macedonian state virtually created by Philip II and taken to the heights of epochal triumph by his son Alexander the Great had, hardly two generations after his death, become a weaker entity than it had been when the young conqueror had crossed the Hellespont? The story that unfolds explores how the unique character and particular legacy left when Alexander died at Babylon in 323BC at the age of just 32 ensured that his homeland failed to gain the kind of imperial dividend of the world's other great empires. We see the remarkable parallels to the earlier Persian invasions of the Greek world that Alexander had claimed to avenge. 288pp, colour plates and maps.

From the invasion of the Franks and Mongols, this remarkable collection of artifacts and structures tells the story of the conflicts which shaped the nature of the Western World we know today, both in spiritual and geographical terms. Throughout almost the entire Medieval period, the Catholic church sanctioned military campaigns against what it perceived as its enemies. The rise of Islam and its spread across large parts of the Middle East, Asia, North Africa and even the peripheries of Europe saw Muslim warriors seize the Holy Land, occupy Jerusalem and threaten Constantinople. In response, Pope Urban II called for a crusade to retake the Holy Land, the first of nine military campaigns that continued for the next 200 years. Other lesser-known crusades were mounted with the aim of Christianising the more remote regions of northern and north-eastern Europe, as well as against the Cathars in Southern France. The advance of the Ottomans into the Balkans saw further crusades to halt the Muslims in Bosnia and Serbia, the reconquest of Spain from the Muslim Moors, and such diverse theatres of conflict have resulted in an equally diverse number of relics still to be found. Artillery, coats of arms, Crusader-struck coins, the pen boxes of prolific Muslim writers, Yemen and Saladin's bolt holes, camels carrying projectile weapons in Afghanistan, the invention of trebuchets, reliquary caskets decorated with colourful rock crystal, beautifully decorated minbars in the Court of the Mosque, Karak Castle in Jordan, Pisa Cathedral, Europe's oldest active synagogue in Prague, the Bayeux tapestry showing Duke William leading a charge of his Knights, the murder depicted from a 14th century illuminated manuscript and the Great Mosque of Córdoba, we enter a world of emperors, caliphs and sultans. Beautifully written by an acknowledged expert of the period, 100 objects of never seen before. 251 glossy pages, over 200 colour images.

Oliver Cromwell, born a middle-ranking nobody in a declining county family in an obscure part of the country, became the only non-royal ruler of Britain. He organised the only public trial and execution of a king, brutalised parts of the British Isles in an attempt to unite them, changed religious and political life forever, and still divides people today. This book is not a biography of Cromwell but rather follows in his footsteps, both physically and mentally, attempting to work out what was happening in Cromwell's mind as he passed through these physical and political landscapes, always aware of the danger of overreach. The second part of the book considers his reputation after death. Cromwell was both soldier and politician and his actions and ideas still have political and social consequences today. The book begins in Huntingdon in 1599, with the respectable but unimportant Cromwell family living under the shadow of richer relatives. Civil War and Cromwell's controversial successes at Marston Moor, Naseby, Basing House and Worcester transform him into the most powerful person in Britain, and moving him from a modest house in Ely to Hampton Court Palace. Cromwell is involved in the execution of King Charles I outside the Banqueting House, his own coronation in Westminster Hall, and bloody slaughter in Ireland. His death in 1658 does not end the controversy. His enemies take revenge on his corpse and the debate about his legacy begins. 151 page large softback, illus.

Whenever vessels have foundered off the coasts of Britain, there have always been those willing to give their all to save those in peril. But in 1823 Sir William Hillary decided that this admirable but impromptu approach was not enough. He believed that many more lives could be saved by the establishment of a national, organised rescue service and his idea was realised the following year. We read here of the exploits of Harry Blogg of Norfolk, the most decorated life boatman ever and the only one to be awarded three gold medals other than Sir William Hillary himself; the merchant ship spared by a WW2 U-boat 'ace' whose crew were rescued by Paddy Murphy of the County Down Lifeboat later in the war; Lieutenant Parry of the coastguard, the Trafalgar veteran who earned his gold medal rescuing the crew of a French fishing vessel only to be shot during an encounter with smugglers three months later, causing his premature retirement, and Father O'Shea, the Waterford priest who initiated a rescue attempt with a cry of 'Come, boys! Who will help me to man the lifeboat?' And Grace Darling who has a worthy place in any story collection featuring lifeboat heroism. Above all these are human stories using information gleaned from archives, contemporary newspaper accounts and genealogical records. 261pp in large softback, photos.

A masterpiece of paper engineering and for all collectors of pop-up books, here are 20 flaps to lift and giant pop-ups, the first of which is a map of Ancient Egypt in a booklet entitled Africa on the inside front cover. Lift the flap to discover a tomb of treasure where pharaohs were buried in beautifully decorated tombs surrounded by possessions that they might need in the Afterlife. The next double page spread takes us right inside a big pop-up pyramid complete with flap to lift to see the chambers concealed within and mystery spaces where today mini robots have explored and found miniature doors at the ends. We learn that the Sphinx was carved from a single block of stone and is 73m long, about the length of five buses. There is a feature on making a mummy which took about 70 days and each step is described and illustrated and the role of gods and priests. Pull up more flaps as you turn each page, the next one is a spectacular Tutankhamun's Death Mask with an explanation that the Ancient Egyptians believed that the spirits of the dead return to their bodies each night and a face mask gave the spirits a way to recognise their own remains. There is the mummy's journey on the funeral and pull and lift more flaps from the pop-up to find hidden treasure, great and small. With a useful glossary, this is designed for Egyptologists aged 7-70. 16 huge pages, popping out, 24.5 x 32.7cm.
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Which flamboyant king enjoyed wearing pink high heels? Which English Queen had 17 pregnancies but failed to produce an heir? From how Trojan Brutus may have been Britain's first king, the legendary Celtic founder of Bath Bladud who made Britain's first laws, holy wars and Boudicca, find out if Constantine the Great had a British grandfather, Arthur's role in a Somerset zodiac, and if the mystery of Sutton Hoo was this the state funeral of the Anglo Saxon King Redwald. Hadrian's Wall, Scottish monarchy, Alfred the Great, Eadwig the Lustful, Wessex pride, William 'Rufus' gets his comeuppance, uncrowned Queen Matilda mothers the Plantagenet dynasty, Henry II and his turbulent priest, King John, Edward I, Robert the Bruce, Edward III, Richard II, the murky rise of the House of Lancaster, Henry VI more monk than king, did Richard III really deserve his evil image? England's nine-day queen, brave Queen Elizabeth, Charles I and II, Mary distraught at having to marry unattractive William, the Georges and how sober William IV was a welcome relief, Victoria and beyond up to Elizabeth II, every king and queen of England is included, except for the young prince in the tower. New full price, 144pp, line art.

Native Americans make up less than one per cent of the total US population, but represent half the nation's languages and cultures. Here in one grand sweep is the full story of America's indigenous peoples, their society, culture and religion, everything from the land-based spirituality of their early creation myths, and the late rise of Indian Pride, to the 88 uses to which the Sioux put the flesh and bones of the buffalo, and the practice of berdache (men adopted as women). The book offers a chronological history of Native Americans and their emergence out of the now submerged continent of Beringia, the 'forgotten wars' of the 16th and 17th centuries which wiped many tribes from the East Coast. It finally describes to the last struggles of the Cheyenne and the Comanche. Celebrating these peoples' way of life rather than focusing on the manner of their genocide, it does not ignore uncomfortable facts of the Amerindian past including suspected cannibalism and their part in the decimation of North America's buffalo herds. Some remarkable success stories are now emerging. A compelling account of the truth, tragedy and magic of America's original inhabitants. 571pp in mammoth paperback.

With gold embossed linen cover and magnificent design and presentation as befitting a Thames & Hudson publication and with marbled endpapers, Martin Rees Astronomer Royal introduces us to the starry sky, the 'Vault of Heaven' which has been viewed with awe throughout human history. Over the centuries geocentric cosmology was 'improved' to take account of successively more accurate data as proposed by the great Tycho Brahe and Nicolaus Copernicus with his heliocentric system which eventually triumphed, losing some of its complicity after Kepler (1571-1630) discovered planetary orbits to be ellipses rather than circles. In Atlas Coelestis, Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr (1677-1750) masterfully presents a panorama of what was believed about the cosmos in the early 18th century. The splendid ornamentation of his illustrations reflect the cultural breadth and intelligence of his intended readers. His sky maps portray the most prominent stars, the tracks of comets, and the orbits of Saturn's and Jupiter's moons, themselves 'cosmic clocks', observable in principle by navigators. Some of Doppelmayr's most remarkable illustrations depict how the solar system would appear if viewed not from Earth but from another planet. Today we are sending probes to these other worlds. Across 30 remarkable colour plates published by a great cartographic house in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1742, this spectacular outsized guide showcases the 1742 Map of the Cosmos and is a superb introduction to the fundamentals and history of astronomy. Charting constellations, planets, comets and moons, the Atlas presents the ideas of all the famous influential astronomers including Copernicus, Riccioli, Kepler, Newton and Halley. The intricate colour plates interweave annotated diagrams and tables with figurative drawings and ornamental features. At this size we can appreciate the beauty of these exquisite plates which are also presented in a step-by-step deconstructed form by astronomer Giles Sparrow who elucidates the scientific ideas inherent in each plate. He expertly decodes and analyses the complex information in them in this spectacular, revelatory celestial compendium of the cosmos. All in colour, 256 massive pages, 37.5 x 27cm.
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No country on earth has a higher concentration of churches and castles than Wales. The most famous date from the late 1200s and are rightly associated with Edward I of England who commissioned the construction of what is now often known as the 'Iron Ring' to act as a sign of dominance over the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Assisting Edward was his master mason, James of St George, probably of Crusader pedigree judging by the castles' appearance. It was in 1277 that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd, met with Edward I in Aberconwy to finalise a treaty that would change the fate of both nations. His hand forced by Edward's invasion earlier that year, the acceptance of the terms confirmed not only short-term peace, but also that the rule of Wales would pass to Edward on Llywelyn's death. Both before and simultaneous to William the Conqueror's establishment of timber and stone fortresses in the south and borderlands, a process continued by many of his descendants, native structures also existed. Though often more palatial than protective, such constructions proved decisive to the ongoing wars, and were often chosen as sites for future castles. Many had begun as Roman forts whereas others date from more modern times and many now are romantic ruins, and others cherished family homes, hotels or museums. From blood-soaked heroes to long-lost legends, violent pirates to despotic Marcher lords, the book offers a fresh investigation into 69 castles and an extra Best of the Rest chapter covering another 30 with a paragraph or two each and a further 16 where gatehouses and ruins remain. 246pp, 16 pages of archive photos.
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At the turn of the 20th century, the American photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) started on his 30 year project to produce a monumental study of North American Indians. Using an approach that was both artistically and scientifically ambitious, he recorded, in words and pictures, the traces of the traditional Indian way of life that was already beginning to die out. With tireless personal commitment Curtis visited 80 American Indian tribes from the Mexican border to the Bering Strait in America and Canada, gaining their confidence through his patience and sensitivity. Tribes include the Apache, Navajo, Mohave, Atsina, Cheyenne, Klickitat, Nez Percés, Haida, Hopi, Yuki, Zuni, Sarsi and Comanche. Totem poles, squaws, cacti, teepees and famous chiefs like Spotted Bull and Little Sioux, Curtis photographed Indian faces, homes, agriculture, dress, warriors, cooking, hunting, clay making, fishing - every aspect of their nature, habitat and lifestyle. His work was printed in 20 volumes between 1907 and 1930 as The North American Indian, but with only 272 copies, originals became extremely rare. This book gathers Curtis' entire American Indian portfolio into one publication, offering renewed access to and appreciation of his extraordinary achievement, which is as much a precious historical document as a triumph of the photographic form. All in quality, atmospheric sepia. New from Taschen. 14 x 4.5 x 20.5 cm, 768 pages, pagemarker.