Book Reviews
James Holland, The Second World War: An Illustrated History
'The Second World War: An Illustrated History' is a collaborative effort between bestselling historian James Holland and award-winning aviation artist Keith Burns, aimed at providing a complete history of the Second World War in a concise, engaging, and accessible format.
Caroline Dodds Pennock, On Savage Shores
'On Savage Shores' takes a fascinating look at the Atlantic World of the sixteenth century, but rather than adding to the voluminous literature about how the West 'discovered' the Americas, Caroline Dodds Pennock comes at the story from the other side: how the various Indigenous American peoples explored and experienced Europe. It is a novel, intriguing idea, and one that has been crying out to be written for years.
David Howarth, Adventurers
'Adventurers' tells the story of the improbable rise of history's most notorious company, from its international, intellectual and cultural origins in the sixteenth century through to its first great challenges during the reigns of James I and Charles I. It is an astonishing tale – to match an astonishing journey – that is almost always overlooked in the popular histories of the East India Company.
William Doyle, Napoleon at Peace
'Napoleon at Peace' fits nicely into the tiny niche still available for originality. For the central aim of this new book is to explain the processes and thinking of the first consul between his seizure of power in 1799 and the establishment of a European-wide peace in 1802.
Peter Stothard, Crassus
Since the days of Plutarch, if not before, Marcus Licinius Crassus has been viewed as the ultimate exemplar of folly and dishonesty in the super-rich.
Damien Stone, The Hittites
Damien Stone's 'The Hittites' is the latest in Reaktion's Lost Civilizations series. Through examination of the documents and material remains of the civilization, the book discusses the Hittites' military and political history, their religion, society and culture in a concise and accessible format.
Stephen Unwin, Poor Naked Wretches
'Poor Naked Wretches: Shakespeare’s Working People' is not the usual Shakespearean scholarship. Instead, Stephen Unwin focuses on the little people of Shakespeare's works - the gravediggers, cannon-fodder, friars and players - to unveil both the Tudor and Shakespeare's own attitudes to working people.
Sally Coulthard, Fowl Play
Coulthard's book is the rarest of volumes: it is both entertaining and serious. Its message is delivered through marvellous little morsels of information, wrapped in wonder and seasoned with a healthy sprinkling of fun.
Mark Stoyle, A Murderous Midsummer
In 'A Murderous Midsummer' Mark Stoyle offers a compelling new narrative of the Western Rising, a revolt, he argues, that threatened the very heart of the Tudor regime and almost halted the English Reformation in its tracks.
Maria Golia, A Short History of Tomb-Raiding
Maria Golia’s 'A Short History of Tomb-Raiding' provides just that: a history of tomb-raiding in Egypt, from the time of the ancients through to the present day. This is a grown-up, holistic account of tomb-raiding, with a relevance and immediacy that is as unusual as finding that fabled cache of gold.
