In the century after 1530 the Habsburgs of Spain and the Ottoman Turks fought a maritime war that seemed destined to lead nowhere. Lasting peace was as unlikely as final triumph, in part because the p
'The fables of witchcraft have taken so fast hold and deepe root in the heart of man, that few or none can indure with patience the hand and correction of God.' Reginald Scot, whose words these are, p
Henry Lansdell was one of the great travellers of the Victorian age. Unlike many explorers of the time he refused to see these remote lands as simply regions of thrills and barbarity. His cultural ope
Published between 1906 and 1930, Molla Nasreddin was a satirical Azeri periodical edited by Jalil Mammadguluzadeh and named after the legendary Sufi wise man-cum-fool of the Middle Ages (who reputedly
Elaborate and sensational gifts were the hallmark of Mamluk diplomacy. From Cairo, where they controlled the medieval spice trade and the holy sites of Christianity and Islam, the Mamluk Sultans-consc
In the summer of 1974, against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War, ceramics expert and Morgan sports car enthusiast John Carswell set off with his young family from their home in Beirut on an expe
Gandhi's nationalism seems simple and straightforward: he wanted an independent Indian nation state and freedom from British colonial rule. But in reality his nationalism rested on complex and sophist
Since its doomed maiden voyage in April 1912, the Titanic has become a monumental icon of the twentieth century and has inspired a wealth of interpretations across literature, art and media. This book
Taking place in the skies over London, the plazas of Rotterdam, and the hallways of museums worldwide, a new kind of art has emerged since the 1990s. Known as Relational Art, this controversial practi
Since the colonial era in Africa, racism and ethnicity have largely led to serious conflicts – the Nigerian-Biafran War, killings in Darfur, xenophobic attacks in South Africa - that have cost lives a
Effervescent Adventures with Britannia is the latest addition to Wm Roger Louis's stimulating and acclaimed series, Adventures with Britannia. It draws upon a distinguished array of writers and schola
Shukri Z. Al-Dajani has led a most extraordinary life. As a child, Al-Dajani and his family were forced to flee their Palestinian homeland, creating a new life in Egypt. Al-Dajani attended the prestig
Music is a complex and multi-faceted art form. Yet too often it is regarded as discrete and self-contained. The chapters in this groundbreaking book explore different aspects of how music may shape so
The Middle East has for nearly a hundred years been one of the most conflicted regions in the world. Why? What—or who—caused it to be so? Peter Mangold here shows that the British are at least partly
India's endemic gender-based violence has received increased international scrutiny and provoked waves of domestic protest and activism. In recent years, related studies on India and South Asia have p
What has brought about the transformation of the British film industry over the last few decades, to the beginnings of what is arguably a new golden era?In the mid-1980s the industry was in a parlous
Contemporary fashion in the Netherlands is successful globally and shows a rich, paradoxical diversity. Delft Blue to Denim Blue maps the landscape of Dutch fashion in all its rich variety and complex
A formidable array of judicial talent considers all aspects of Islamic criminal procedure with the firm emphasis on its practical application today in modern states. Where do Islamic courts operate in
This book is a unique account of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in Rwanda in the mid-1990s. Shaharyar M. Khan's tenure began in the immediate aftermath of the downing of President H
