John Wright's absorbing history of Libya begins with early hunter-gatherers & the activities of the mid-desert Garamantian civilization. He then recounts successive invaders: the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Muslim Arabs, Genoans, Normans, Spaniards, Knights of Malta, Ottoman Turks, & Karamanlis. Wright's modern history addresses the harshness of Italy's long conquest yet gives credit to the material achievements of Air Marshal Italo Balbo. Three chapters recast Libya's largely passive role in the Second World War; 1951's fairly smooth transition to an internationally brokered independence; the Sanussi monarchy, which reigned for eighteen years; the discovery & exploitation of oil in the 1950s & 1960s; &, the post-1969 Gadafi phenomenon. ...

A humorous & fascinating history of the city, from Roman garrison to vibrant international metropolis; this book is a must-have for anyone with any interest in London, its inhabitants & past. Written in an engaging & easy-to-follow style, the story of London & its characters is as enthralling & captivating as any tale, old or new. Writer actor & renowned London tour guide Sean Boru knows this city & its people. This book is full of stories & facts that will shed new light on London`s ever-changing global role. ...

Shaped by invasion, occupation & immigration, & upheavals as diverse as the Great Fire, the Blitz & the Big Bang, London`s history is unmatched for variety & drama. Sharing his passion & expert knowledge, David Long selects 100 places that best tell this incredible story. Discover Roman temples, Saxon burial mounds, frost fairs on the frozen Thames, Georgian windmills, & one old brown shoe, each with its own unique insight into a critical period of London`s evolution. Whether you prefer to explore history on your feet or from an armchair, this little book will captivate & surprise, revealing oft-overlooked gems among the famous landmarks & the hidden stories locked within. ...

` By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.`
- Samuel Johnson It is the people who make London what
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London has had more prisons than any other British city. The City`s `gates` once contained prisons but probably the most notorious of all was Newgate, which stood for over 700 years. The eleventh century Tower of London was used as a prison for a variety of high profile prisoners from Sir Thomas More to the Krays. Discover the background of a variety of historic places of incarceration such as The Clink, the King`s Bench Prison; & debtors prisons such as the Fleet Prison & the Marshalsea. ` Lost` prisons such as the Gatehouse in Westminster, Millbank Penitentiary, Surrey County Gaol in Horsemonger Row, The House of Detention, Coldbath Fields Prison & Tothill Fields Prison are also described in detail; as are more familiar gaols: Holloway, Pentonville, Brixton, Wandsworth & Wormwood Scrubs. In his A History of London`s Prisons Geoffrey Howse delves not only into the intricate web of historical facts detailing the origins of the capital`s prisons but also

Includes:: fascinating detail concerning the day-to-day life of prisoners
- from the highly born to the most despicable human specimens imaginable
- as well as those less fortunate individuals who found themselves through no fault of their own `in the clink`, some soon becoming clients of the hangman or executioner.



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This is the first comprehensive history of Malawi during the colonial period. Using a wide range of primary & secondary sources, John Mc Cracken places this history within the context of the pre-colonial past. Central themes are the shaping of the colonial economy, the influence of Christianity, resistance to colonial occupation & the rise of a powerful nationalist movement that contained within it the seeds of a new authoritarianism. In particular, the author demonstrates the interrelationship between environmental & economic change & the impact these forces had on the Malawian peasantry. Space is also given to less mainstream activities including the creation of dance societies, the eruption of witchcraft eradication movements & the emergence of football as a popular sport. ...

A History of Modern Britain confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age, rival idealisms, came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity & self-gratification. In each decade, political leaders think they know what they are doing, but find themselves confounded. Every time, the British people turn out to be stroppier & harder to herd than predicted. Throughout, Britain is a country on the edge -- first of invasion, then of bankruptcy, then on the vulnerable front line of the Cold War & later in the forefront of the great opening up of capital & migration now reshaping the world. This history follows all the political & economic stories, but deals too with comedy, cars, the war against homosexuals, Sixties anarchists, oil-men & punks, Margaret Thatcher`s wonderful good luck, political lies & the true heroes of British theatre. `superb, colourful, outspoken, fresh & richly entertaining. Don`t miss` The Times ` Lively, full of rich anecdotes & sparkling pen portraits. He has the rare gift of being able to explain complex issues in a few crisp sentences` Sunday Telegraph ...

A History of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age, rival idealisms, came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity & self-gratification. In each decade, political leaders think they know what they are doing, but find themselves confounded. Every time, the British people turn out to be stroppier & harder to herd than predicted. Throughout, Britain is a country on the edge
- first of invasion, then of bankruptcy, then on the vulnerable front line of the Cold War & later in the forefront of the great opening up of capital & migration now reshaping the world. This history follows all the political & economic stories, but deals too with comedy, cars, the war against homosexuals, Sixties anarchists, oil-men & punks, Margaret Thatcher`s wonderful good luck, political lies & the true heroes of British theatre.
...

Ilan Pappe`s book traces the history of Palestine from the Ottomans in the nineteenth century, through the British Mandate, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, & the subsequent wars & conflicts which have dominated this troubled region. The second edition of Pappe`s book has been updated to include the dramatic events of the 1990s & the early twenty-first century. These years, which began with a sense of optimism, as the Oslo peace accord was being negotiated, culminated in the second intifada & the increase of militancy on both sides. Pappe explains the reasons for the failure of Oslo & the two-state solution, & reflects upon life thereafter as the Palestinians & Israelis battle it out under the shadow of the wall of separation. As in the first edition, it is the men, women & children of Palestine who are at the centre of Pappe`s narrative. ...

A History of Mozambique by Malyn Newitt is an in-depth & lucid account of the history of the region now known as the country of Mozambique, from the fifteenth century to the present. This is not just a very detailed history of Mozambique extant, but also an exposition of the main trends in the historical development of that region tracing two major themes. On one side the gradual development of forms of overall political control (from the Karang & Maravi ruling dynasties & the Afro-Portuguese feudal families, to the Nguni military monarchies & the chiefs & sheikhs who ran the slave trade). On the other the periodic crises that led to social dislocation, fragmentation & disintegration, associated with drought & ecological disaster. An extended final chapter looks at Mozambique since independence, when the country’s development fell victim to South Africa’s attempts to destabilize its neighbours, & its fragile institutions were subjected to banditry & drought. ...