Another Must Have !!! (Ultimate eBook Compilation) (See Description For Details)

Material Included:

1. A History of the World: From the 20th to the 21st Century - by J. Grenville 2005

With the onset of decolonisation, the rise and fall of fascism and communism, the technological revolution and the rapidly increasing power of the United States, the world since 1900 has witnessed global change on an immense scale. Providing a comprehensive survey of the key events and personalities of this period throughout the world, A History of the World includes discussion of topics such as:
* the rivalry between European nations from 1900-1914
* the Depression and the rise of fascism during the 1920s and 1930s
* the global impact of the Cold War
* decolonisation and its effects
* the continuing conflict in the Middle East.
This new edition has been updated throughout to take account of recent historical research. Bringing the story up to date, J.A.S. Grenville includes a discussion of events such as 9/11, recent economic problems in Latin America and the second Gulf War.

2. Histories Of Sexuality: Antiquity To Sexual Revolution - by Stephen Garton 2004

This book surveys the ways sex and sexuality have been made the subjects of history. It critically analyses some of the key histories of the last forty years; from the early efforts of historians like Steven Marcus to work out a model for sexual history, through to the extraordinary impact of French philosopher Michel Foucault. It explores the vigorous debates about essentialism and social constructionism in the 1980s and early 1990s and the emergence of contemporary debates about historicism, queer theory, embodiment, gender and cultural history shaping the now vast and diverse historical scholarship on sex and sexuality. Histories of Sexuality also focuses on a number of key debates about the history of sex and sexuality in Britain, Europe and America. It explores such areas as pederasty and cultures of male passivity in ancient Greece and Rome, the impact of early Christianity and ideals of renunciation on the sexual cultures of late antiquity and the existence of homosexual cultures in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. It also examines some of the debates about the 'invention' of homosexuality and heterosexuality in eighteenth century Europe and America, shifting conceptions of the body and gender, and how cultures controlled sexuality and kept the birth rate steady until the industrial revolution. Histories of Sexuality explores the controversies about whether the 'Victorian era' was an age of sexual repression, how women challenged the sexual cultures of Victorian America and Europe, the ways sex shaped class, nationalism and imperialism, and the emergence of sexual sciences that attempted to define areas of sexual pathology. The book analyses the impact of reformers and scientists such as Havelock Ellis, Marie Stopes, Stella Browne, Margaret Sanger, Alfred Kinsey, William Masters and Virginia Johnson on beliefs about sexual abnormality and concludes with an examination of the debates about the nature of the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s.

3. Ancient Canaan and Israel: New Perspectives - by Jonathan Golden 2004

This work investigates evidence and interpretation of all facets of life in ancient Canaan and Israel. It also includes detailed plans of archaeological sites, settlements and architecture, plus drawings, photographs and scientific illustrations of ancient artifacts.

4. Reporting the Wars - by Joseph James Mathews 1972

Much of the lure of the war dispatch permeates this book, the first full-length history of modern war news. Professor Mathews traces the development of war news coverage for the last 200 years, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars through World War II. He recognizes that, with the increasing complexity of modern warfare, the scope of war news has broadened proportionately, but the main emphasis is on the hard core of war news -- information about battles and the people participating in them. News emanating from official sources as well as that from independent (usually newspaper) sources is discussed. War news is inseparably associated with the forces of censorship and propaganda, and Professor Mathews gives full consideration to this problem. Illuminating examples of war correspondence, ranging from a newsbook description of a battle in the Thirty Years War to the broadcast from a bomber over Normandy on D-Day, 1944, are given. The story, as a whole, is colorful and entertaining. Even more important, it is indispensable for a rounded understanding of history and an informed vigilance against the dangers of suppression or falsification of news. Historians, journalists, military personnel, and political scientists will find the book especially rewarding and useful for study and teaching in their particular fields. The book is illustrated with drawings and cartoons from periodicals ranging all the way in history from The Swedish Intelligencer of 1632 through Harper’s Weekly of the Civil War period down to the New York Post of our own times.

5. Spies of the Kaiser: German Covert Operations in Great Britain during the First World War Era - by Thomas Boghardt 2005

Spies of the Kaiser examines the scope and objectives of German covert operations in Great Britain before and during the First World War. It assesses the effect of German espionage on Anglo-German relations and discusses the extent to which the fear of German espionage in the United Kingdom shaped the British intelligence community in the early twentieth century. The study is based on original archival material, including hitherto unexploited German records and recently declassified British documents.

6. From Good Goddess To Vestal Virgins: Sex and Category in Roman Religion - by Ariadne Staples 1998

The role of women in Roman culture and society was a paradoxical one. They enjoyed social, material and financial independence yet they were denied basic constitutional rights. Although Roman history is not short of powerful female figures, such as Agrippina and Livia, their power stemmed from their associations with great men and was not officially recognized.

Ariadne Staples' book examines how women in Rome were perceived both by themselves and by men through women's participation in Roman religion, as Roman religious ritual provided the single public arena where women played a significant formal role. From Good Goddess to Vestal Virgins argues that the ritual roles played out by women were vital in defining them sexually and that these sexually defined categories spilled over into other aspects of Roman culture, including political activity. Staples provides an arresting and original analysis of the role of women in Roman society, which challenges traditionally held views and provokes further questions.

7. Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War - by John A. Wagner 2006

The Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War provides its users with clear, concise, and basic descriptions and definitions of people, events, and terms relating in some significant way to the series of intermittent conflicts that occurred between France and England in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and that later came to be known collectively as the Hundred Years War. Because this volume focuses exclusively on war itself-what caused it, how it was fought, and what effects it had on the political, social, economic, and cultural life of England and France--it is not a general overview of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century history in either country, but a specialized treatment of the Anglo-French warfare that occurred during those centuries. Entries cover battles, leaders, truces and treaties, military terms and tactics, and sources for the war, including the plays of William Shakespeare, who has long been an important if not always reliable source for information about the people and events of the Hundred Years War. The Encyclopedia was written primarily for students and other nonspecialists who have an interest-but little background-in this period of European history. Besides providing a highly usable resource for quickly looking up names and terms encountered in reading or during study, the Encyclopedia offers an excellent starting point for classroom or personal research on subjects relating to the course, causes, and consequences of the Hundred Years War. All entries conclude with suggested further readings. A comprehensive bibliography completes the encyclopedia, which is fully indexed.

8. Medieval Archaeology: An Encyclopedia - by P. Crabtree 2000

This is the first reference work to cover the archaeology of medieval Europe. No other reference can claim such comprehensive coverage -- from Ireland to Russia and from Scandinavia to Italy, the archaeology of the entirety of medieval Europe is discussed.
With coverage ranging from the fall of the western Roman empire in the 5th century CE through the end of the high Middle Ages in 1500 CE, Medieval Archaeology: An Encyclopedia answers the needs of medieval scholars from a variety of backgrounds, including archaeologists, historians and classicists. Featuring over 150 entries by an international team of leading archaeologists, this unique reference is soundly based on the most important developments and scholarship in this rapidly growing field.
Entries include: boat-building * jewelry * Medieval London * Medieval Paris * Scotland in the Dark Ages * Trondheim, Norway * Bohemia: Early Medieval Villages * Dress Accessories * Early Slav Culture * Iron Age * Normandy: Castles and Fortified Residences * Scotland: Early Royal Sites * Shipbuilding * Trelleborg Fortress * Vikings * Visigoths * Wales: Medieval Settlement and many more.

9. The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories - by Michael Newton 2005

Conspiracies and conspiracy theories, both documented and undocumented, abound in our world. Many of these, even though documented, are only theoretical and not actual fact, and as author Newton states, "some are absurd, transparently ridiculous, or even physically impossible." However, they certainly make for fascinating reading.

This volume's 500-plus entries are arranged alphabetically and encompass people; conspiratorial organizations and movements; nations involved in conspiracies; specific events; and general essays on social, political, or religious movements. The selection of topics represents what Newton considers "significant" conspiracy and conspiracy theories--that is, those that affect large numbers of people or inspire widespread interest. Entries are typically one-half to three and one-half pages in length. Names or terms in small caps within an entry refer to subjects with their own entries. The volume contains more than 80 black-and-white photographs. The 200 or so listings in the bibliography are limited to sources published or translated in the English language.

Topics include those one would expect to find: Alien abductions, Holocaust and Holocaust denial, Iran-Contra conspiracy, Oklahoma City bombing, and UFOs. Treating less-familiar theories are Barbie dolls, Suppressed inventions, and Undead outlaws. There are also entries on police departments from several major cities, such as Chicago and L.A. In addition to John F. Kennedy, other presidents have entries--for example, both Bushes, Clinton, Johnson, Lincoln, Nixon, and Washington.

Many entries overlap with those in the more scholarly Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia (ABC-CLIO, 2003). However, several subjects in the volume under review are not in the 2003 publication (e.g., Apollo project; Enron; Silkwood, Karen; Simpson, O. J.; USA Patriot Act). With their different scopes, both works would be a great addition to a library's collection

10. Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia (3 vol. set) - by Stanley L. Sandler 2002

Grade 10 Up-This companion to Walter Boyne's Air Warfare (ABC-CLIO, 2002) covers specific wars, battles, concepts, and some well-known individuals from the Battle of Kadesh (1274 B.C.E.) to mention of September 11, 2001, in the article on "Terrorism." The more than 1200 signed, well-written entries provide insight into the nature of war and synopses of events and lives and their significance. However, comprehension will be determined by readers' background knowledge of the almost 3300 years covered in the text. Each entry concludes with see-also notations and titles for further reading. The two-column format incorporates black-and-white reproductions, photos, and maps sparingly. Each volume begins with the same table of contents; lists of entries, maps, acronyms; and two-page glossary. Volume three contains a selected bibliography and an extensive index. While much of the information in this set can be found elsewhere, these volumes will be solid updates to most history collections.
Entries are accompanied by an introduction; an alphabetical list of entries; a list of contributors; a list of abbreviations, terms, and acronyms; a select bibliography; and an index. Each signed entry is one-quarter to several pages in length and concludes with a short bibliography and, in most cases, cross-references. Scope encompasses biographies, battles, wars, raids, and weapons. Among its more than 1,200 entries, Ground Warfare includes some unusual discussions like Music, military; Religion and war; and Reporting, war. There are also entries for treatment of ground combat in the arts and for the roles played by women.

The text is enhanced by appropriately placed black-and-white maps, illustrations, and photographs. Information is fairly current, covering the troubles in Peru, Rwanda, Somalia, and Yugoslavia through 2000.

11. Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia - by Peter Knight 2003

Conspiracy theories (and, from time to time, actual conspiracies) have played a vital role in shaping the course of American history." So states the editor of this set, which is the work of more than 123 contributors. It is intended as "a serious and comprehensive summary of all the major events, ideas, and figures of U.S. conspiracy thinking."

The set begins with "Conspiracy Theories in America: A Historical Overview" and "Making Sense of Conspiracy Theories," two excellent articles that provide background and understanding of the subject. This material is followed by more than 300 entries for both actual and imagined conspiracies. Examples of theories include the extremely well known as well as the somewhat obscure. As might be expected, the entry on the John F. Kennedy assassination is the longest, covering 15 pages. Among other entries are AIDS, Cattle mutilations, Oklahoma City bombing, Pearl Harbor, Tobacco industry, UFOs, and whitewater. The theories are arranged alphabetically and include see also references and brief bibliographies of related works. Appropriate Web sites are also listed for some.

Section 3 contains approximately 100 extracts from primary source documents, arranged chronologically from Cotton Mather's Wonders of the Invisible World (1692) to Lawton et al. v. Republic of Iraq (2003). A headnote explains the context of each.

This is a fascinating reference set that presents intriguing (albeit sometimes far-fetched) theories. Examining these theories, one can see how almost any event or idea can be viewed as a conspiracy, actual or imagined. This would be an excellent addition to academic and large public libraries

12. World Fascism: A Historical Encyclopedia ( 2 Vol.) by Warren S. Goldstein 2006

Summary: It will find a place in any serious high school to college-level reference collection.
Rating: 5
It's easy to look at fascist Italy or Nazi Germany and identify these nations as the sole source of fascist thinking - but fascism has influenced Western Europe beyond and between the major wars and appeals to various groups to this day. WORLD FASCISM: A HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA probes the ideology's contentions, nationalist forces, leaders, doctrines, and key events with 500 A-Z reference entries of contributions from an international staff of over 100 experts on history and fascism. It will find a place in any serious high school to college-level reference collection.

13. Corruption and Reform: Lessons from America's Economic History - by Edward L. Glaeser, Claudia Goldin 2006

Despite recent corporate scandals, the United States is among the world’s least corrupt nations. But in the nineteenth century, the degree of fraud and corruption in America approached that of today’s most corrupt developing nations, as municipal governments and robber barons alike found new ways to steal from taxpayers and swindle investors. In Corruption and Reform, contributors explore this shadowy period of United States history in search of better methods to fight corruption worldwide today.
Contributors to this volume address the measurement and consequences of fraud and corruption and the forces that ultimately led to their decline within the United States. They show that various approaches to reducing corruption have met with success, such as deregulation, particularly “free banking,” in the 1830s. In the 1930s, corruption was kept in check when new federal bureaucracies replaced local administrations in doling out relief. Another deterrent to corruption was the independent press, which kept a watchful eye over government and business. These and other facets of American history analyzed in this volume make it indispensable as background for anyone interested in corruption today.

14. Dollars for Terror: The Us and Islam - by Richard Labeviere 2000

In a provocative expos , Swiss TV journalist Lab vi re argues that the real threat to the West from radical Islamic fundamentalism comes not from Iran or Iraq but rather from America's solid allies--Saudi Arabia and neighboring oil monarchies. Based on his four-year investigation, Lab vi re charges that Saudi Arabia is the principal financial backer of extremist Islamist movements around the world. The linchpin in this operation, he states, is Saudi billionaire Osama bin Ladin, trained by the CIA, who recruited, armed and trained in turn Arab volunteers to fight the Soviet army in the Afghanistan war, thereby strengthening the totalitarian Muslim Taliban regime. Bin Ladin, who, according to the author, maintains close ties with the Saudi and Pakistani secret services, now bankrolls terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and abets Islamist extremist movements in Egypt, Yemen, Somalia, South Africa, Algeria and elsewhere. Veterans of the Afghan "holy war" have been implicated in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City and the attempted murder of Egyptian president Mubarak in 1996. In Lab vi re's riveting, often shocking, analysis, the U.S. is an accessory in the rise of Islam, because it manipulates and aids radical Muslim groups in its shortsighted pursuit of its economic interests, especially the energy resources of the Middle East and the oil- and mineral-rich former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Lab vi re shows how radical Islamic fundamentalism spreads its influence on two levels: above board, through investment firms, banks and shell companies, and clandestinely, through a network of drug dealing, weapons smuggling and money laundering. This important book sounds a wake-up call to U.S. policy makers

15. International Security and the United States: An Encyclopedia (2 Vol.) by Karl DeRouen, Paul Bellamy 2007

Shaped by often very dramatic events, international security and the international system have changed significantly in recent years. The conclusion of the Cold War, the emergence of new political systems, the growth of significant threats such as terrorism, and the development of new security doctrines have driven global transformation. These volumes provide detailed information on countries from every geographic region and continent on the globe, evaluating their relationship with the United States and measuring the potential security threats posed by each. The contributors consider factors such as geography and history; the political systems of each state; their human rights records; the ability to maintain law and order and provide security within their own borders; the impact of current administrations, rulers, or regimes on a nation's foreign policy; and the regional factors that often dictate local politics, in order to make their assessments. All of the entries in this set follow a standardized outline and present a concise, but detailed assessment of each country. Each entry begins with a discussion of geography through which the contributors identify the state's natural resources, environmental issues, and the extent of its territorial jurisdiction. The focus then shifts to social and political organizations. Populations are broken down by not only numbers, but by ethnic and religious affilitations, access to health care, education, housing, and income. All of those aspects are often a reflection of the system of government in place. Like the United States, those governments are comprised of different parties or leaders with various interests. The contributors assess those entities and interests within each country. They measure the ways in which factors of religion, nationalism, and globalism impact and shape not only domestic policies but also foreign policy, and, ultimately, the country's relationship to the United States. Other areas, such as military organizations and activities, records on human rights and justice (recognition of and adherence to international conventions), and national attitudes towards security are also considered. Every entry also includes an assessment of current and potential security issues and an analysis of current terrorist threats that may already be in place or that are beginning to develop in various nations. Each entry concludes with a summary of current relationships with the United States. Those relationships are defined by the indentification and brief analysis of formal trade, aid, or military treaties in place between the United States and other nations, the general attitude of a nation's citizenry and its government towards the U.S., and, finally, indentifying any social and cultural links between nations and the U.S. (migration patterns, language, economies). Finally, possible changes and trends that will impact security issues are identified by the contributors. Taken in their entirety, these encyclopedias contain a wealth of information in a concise format that will serve as a valuable reference guide not only for specialists, but general readers as well.

16. IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation (AUDIO & PDF) by Edwin Black 2002

Was IBM, "The Solutions Company," partly responsible for the Final Solution? That's the question raised by Edwin Black's IBM and the Holocaust, the most controversial book on the subject since Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioners. Black, a son of Holocaust survivors, is less tendentiously simplistic than Goldhagen, but his thesis is no less provocative: he argues that IBM founder Thomas Watson deserved the Merit Cross (Germany's second-highest honor) awarded him by Hitler, his second-biggest customer on earth. "IBM, primarily through its German subsidiary, made Hitler's program of Jewish destruction a technologic mission the company pursued with chilling success," writes Black. "IBM had almost single-handedly brought modern warfare into the information age [and] virtually put the 'blitz' in the krieg."
The crucial technology was a precursor to the computer, the IBM Hollerith punch card machine, which Black glimpsed on exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, inspiring his five-year, top-secret book project. The Hollerith was used to tabulate and alphabetize census data. Black says the Hollerith and its punch card data ("hole 3 signified homosexual ... hole 8 designated a Jew") was indispensable in rounding up prisoners, keeping the trains fully packed and on time, tallying the deaths, and organizing the entire war effort. Hitler's regime was fantastically, suicidally chaotic; could IBM have been the cause of its sole competence: mass-murdering civilians? Better scholars than I must sift through and appraise Black's mountainous evidence, but clearly the assessment is overdue.
The moral argument turns on one question: How much did IBM New York know about IBM Germany's work, and when? Black documents a scary game of brinksmanship orchestrated by IBM chief Watson, who walked a fine line between enraging U.S. officials and infuriating Hitler. He shamefully delayed returning the Nazi medal until forced to--and when he did return it, the Nazis almost kicked IBM and its crucial machines out of Germany. (Hitler was prone to self-defeating decisions, as demonstrated in How Hitler Could Have Won World War II.)

17. The Church in the Age of Constantine: The Theological Challenges - by Johannes Roldanus 2006

Relating biblical essentials to ancient cosmology and anthropology and providing models for reflection on inculturation, this book book presents a refined theological screening of the doctrinal and ethical thinking during the fourth century.

18. The Irony of American History - by Reinhold Niebuhr 1985

Irony provides the master key to understanding the myths and delusions that underpin American statecraft. . . . The most important book ever written on US foreign policy."
[Niebuhr] is one of my favorite philosophers. I take away [from his works] the compelling idea that there's serious evil in the world, and hardship and pain. And we should be humble and modest in our belief we can eliminate those things. But we shouldn't use that as an excuse for cynicism and inaction. I take away...the sense we have to make these efforts knowing they are hard." - Senator Barack Obama "The supreme American theologian of the twentieth century." - Arthur Schlesinger Jr., New York Times "Niebuhr is important for the left today precisely because he warned about America's tendency - including the left's tendency - to do bad things in the name of idealism. His thought offers a much better understanding of where the Bush administration went wrong in Iraq." - Kevin Mattson, The Good Society "Irony provides the master key to understanding the myths and delusions that underpin American statecraft.... The most important book ever written on U.S. foreign policy." - Andrew J. Bacevich, from the Introduction"

19. The Constitutional Convention of 1787: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of America's Founding( 2 Volume Set) by John Vile 2005

This clearly written, well-documented resource covers the people, events, committees, ideology, and documents related to the drafting of the Constitution. The balanced entries range from a few paragraphs to five pages in length. Articles on Indentured Servants, Indians, Women, and enslaved peoples discuss these populations in reference to the document. A number of entries include excerpts and quotes, and all conclude with a bibliography. In addition, there are many helpful sidebars (The Forefathers' Forefathers, Contemporary Philadelphia, A Petition against the Slave Trade). Appended primary sources include Materials Prior to the Constitutional Convention as well as speeches by delegates and important 18th-century documents, and charts. Informative black-and-white photos and reproductions are found throughout this well-organized, accessible set
More than 400 entries are alphabetically arranged. The entries cover people (Henry, Patrick; Locke, John); constitutional provisions (Commerce power; Jury, trial by; Suffrage); states and nations (Great Britain, Maryland); committees (Committee on Rules, Committee on Sumptuary Legislation); documents (Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact); plans and forms of government (Hamilton plan, Monarchy); ideological influences (Puritanism, Scottish Enlightenment); and more. Several entries discuss how the convention did or did not consider the interests of African Americans, Native Americans, and women. Average entry length is two pages, and each entry concludes with see also references and a further reading list. Article text is supplemented by nearly 40 sidebars on topics ranging from dueling to delegates' wives. An introduction offering a general history of the convention is followed by two chronologies: "Key Dates of the U.S. Founding and Its Background" and "Timetables of the Constitutional Convention." Important documents that predate the convention and "Materials from the Convention Debates and after the Convention" are collected in two separate appendixes. Also appended are charts showing the makeup of the convention committees and state-by-state lists of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. These are followed by a quiz, "How Well Do You Know the U.S. Constitution?"; a 25-page bibliography; a list of cited cases; another, shorter bibliography for elementary- and -junior-high-school students and teachers; and a list of Web sites. Access is aided by an alphabetical list of entries, a list of sidebars, a topical table of contents, and a detailed general index. Black-and white illustrations, though few in number, add interest to the text.

20. Love, War and the Grail: Templars, Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights in Medieval Epic and Romance, 1150-1500 - Helen J. Nicholson 2000

This is a study of the appearances of the Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights in the French, German and English epic and romance literature of the Middle Ages. It examines their religious roles, such as caring for the sick, their warrior role of fighting Muslims, and examines the role of 'Templars' in the Grail romances. It traces how these roles developed over time and considers what function the appearances of these military religious orders performed in the composition of a work of fictional literature. The frequent appearances of the Military Orders in medieval fictional literature are of interest both to historians and to literary specialists. This is the first study to consider the subject in depth across the medieval period.

21. The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language - by Harper Perennial 2003

There are approximately six thousand languages on Earth today, each a descendant of the tongue first spoken by Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago. While laying out how languages mix and mutate over time, linguistics professor John McWhorter reminds us of the variety within the species that speaks them, and argues that, contrary to popular perception, language is not immutable and hidebound, but a living, dynamic entity that adapts itself to an ever-changing human environment.

22. The Age of Wars of Religion, 1000-1650: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization - by Cathal J. Nolan 2006

The Age of Wars of Religion saw navies, armies, armed merchant companies, and mercenaries battle one another and local potentates in many lands and along numerous shores. Wars of religion were fought in and between all the major religions and civilizations, from Europe to China, in Africa, and in the isolated Americas, mixing motives of knightly idealism, mercenary greed, and competing claims of divine sanction. This unparalleled work traces the extraordinary upheavals of the period in military technology, competing theologies, and civilizational change that were brought about by, or impinged upon, military conflict. It offers nearly 2,000 discrete but cross-referenced entries on cultural, military, religious and political history, as well as geography, biography, and military literature.
Close to 2,000 entries offer detailed information on the major events, places, battles, figures, technologies, and ideas one must know to begin to make sense of the past six centuries of global conflicts. Though especially ferocious and intense, the Wars of Reformation and Counter-Reformation fought by Europeans from the 15th through 17th centuries were hardly unique in world or military history. The Byzantine Empire, bastion of Christian Orthodoxy, staggered to the tortuous end of its long conflict with the Ottoman Empire, the Great Power of the Sunni Muslim world. The Ottomans, in turn, were still engaged in an equally ancient intra-Muslim war, between Sunnis and Shi'ites. In India, the Hindu Rajputs and Marathas, and also the Sikhs, organized armies around religious communities to throw off the "Muslim Yoke" (Mughul Empire), and also fought against Christian invaders from Europe. As for the isolated Americas, ideas of divine kingship sustained by powerful priesthoods and religious warfare also prevailed, as exemplified by the Inca and Aztec empires

23. The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: A Political,Social,and Military History - 3 Volume Set" - by Gregory Fremont-Barnes 2006

The 800-plus entries in this well-rounded volume cover the period from 1792 to 1815 and describe Napoleon's and France's lasting impact on the world. They range from expected topics like "Infantry"; "Madrid Uprising"; "Nelson, Horatio, First Viscount"; and "Quadruple Alliance" to material on authors, artists, composers, places, "Education (French)," "Luddites," "Neoclassicism," and "Slave Trade." The books include black-and-white maps and illustrations, glossaries of military and naval terms, 10 essays that summarize the entire period, and 18 primary-source documents. The set is well organized and easy to use; tables of contents and indexes appear in each volume, and each signed entry includes extensive see-also references and suggestions for further reading. A 44-page bibliography, unfortunately not divided by topic, completes the set. A number of dates in the chronology contradict those in the main text. For example, the chronology states that the siege of Pamplona began on June 30, 1813, whereas the entry says it began on June 25th of the same year

24. Maritime Exploration in the Age of Discovery, 1415-1800 - by Ronald S. Love 2006

Despite earlier naval expeditions undertaken for reasons of diplomacy or trade, it wasn't until the early 1400s that European maritime explorers established sea routes through most of the globe's inhabited regions, uniting a divided earth into a single system of navigation. From the early Portuguese and Spanish quests for gold and glory, to later scientific explorations of land and culture, this new understanding of the world's geography created global trade, built empires, defined taste and alliances of power, and began the journey toward the cultural, political, and economic globalization in which we live today. Ronald Love's engaging narrative chapters guide the reader from Marco Polo's exploration of the Mongol empire to Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, the search for a Northern Passage, Henry Hudson's voyage to Greenland, the discovery of Tahiti, the perils of scurvy, mutiny, and warring empires, and the eventual extension of Western influence into almost every corner of the globe. Biographies and primary documents round out the work.

25. Dictionary of Genocide (2 Volumes) - by Samuel Totten, Paul R. Bartrop 2007

Over 600 terms identify and explain the history and suffering of ethnic and religious groups experiencing genocide throughout the world. The people, places, governments, agencies, documents, legal terms, and all other aspects of genocide are defined for new students and scholars alike. *Afghanistan *Amnesty International *Concentration Camps *Conflict Resolution *Darfur *Holocaust *Indonesia *International Criminal Court *Kosovo *Language of Genocide *Rwanda Entries include: Afghanistan Genocide, Armenian Genocide, UN Definition of Genocide, The Great Terror, Hutu Power, The Janjaweed, Kim il-sung, Kurdish Genocide in Northern Iraq, Leopold II, King of the Belgians, Mao Tse-tung, Mass Rape, Mechanisms of Genocide, Middle Ages and Genocide, Slobodan Milosevic, Genocide of Native Americans, Nazi Ideology, Nuremberg Trials and Principles, Operation Condor, Pol Pot, Social Darwinism, Stolen Generation of Aborigines, Vendean Massacres

26. Science and Islam (Greenwood Guides to Science and Religion) 2007

Science and Islam provides a detailed account of the relationship between Islam and science from the emergence of the Islamic scientific tradition in the eighth century to the present time. This relationship has gone through three distinct phases. The first phase began with the emergence of science in the Islamic civilization in the eighth century and ended with the rise of modern science in the West; the second period is characterized by the arrival of modern science in the Muslim world, most of which at that time was under colonial occupation; and the third period, which began around 1950, is characterized by a more mature approach to the major questions that modern science has posed for all religious traditions. Based on primary sources, the book presents a panorama of Islamic views on some of the major issues in the current science and religion discourse. Written in accessible language, Science and Islam is an authentic account of the multi-faceted and complex issues that arise at the interface of Islamic intellectual tradition and science. Rich in historical details, the book is a fascinating survey of the interaction of Islamic beliefs with the enterprise of science.

28. Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army - by Jeremy Scahill 2007

Meet Blackwater USA, the powerful private army that the U.S. government has quietly hired to operate in international war zones and on American soil. With its own military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, and twenty-thousand troops at the ready, Blackwater is the elite Praetorian Guard for the "global war on terror"-- yet most people have never heard of it. It was the moment the war turned: On March 31, 2004, four Americans were ambushed and burned near their jeeps by an angry mob in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja. Their charred corpses were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River. The ensuing slaughter by U.S. troops would fuel the fierce Iraqi resistance that haunts occupation forces to this day. But these men were neither American military nor civilians. They were highly trained private soldiers sent to Iraq by a secretive mercenary company based in the wilderness of North Carolina. Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army is the unauthorized story of the epic rise of one of the most powerful and secretive forces to emerge from the U.S. military-industrial complex, hailed by the Bush administration as a revolution in military affairs, but considered by others as a dire threat to American democracy.

29. Images of Kursk history's greatest tank battle July 1943 - by Nik Cornish 2002

Contains more than 300 photographs, many from Russian archives and previously unpublished
Features firsthand accounts from Russian and German soldiers and presents details on the air action
Includes biographical information about the main German and Soviet commanders
Images of Kursk is an illustrated account of a pivotal battle on the Eastern Front during World War II. At Kursk, the Germans threw 900,000 men and 2,500 tanks against 1,300,000 soldiers and 3,000 tanks of the Red Army in a savage battle of attrition.
Unlike many pictorial accounts of the war on the Eastern Front, Images of Kursk draws upon both German and Russian archive material. All the photographs of the Red Army at Kursk, moreover, are previously unpublished images. The book begins with the build-up of forces before the battle and then illustrates the offensive by two German army groups against the Kursk salient. The images convey the true scale, intensity, and horror of the fighting as the Germans tried in vain to batter their way through the Soviet defensive systems. A chapter is devoted to the climactic battle at the village of Prokhorovka, in which 1,000 tanks engaged each other furiously at point-blank range.
With authoritative text and extended captions, Images of Kursk is an enthralling pictorial record of the battle that shifted the strategic initiative on the Eastern Front to the Red Army for good. Written in an informative yet exciting style, it will appeal to military specialists and laymen alike.

30. Sumer and the Sumerians - by Harriet Crawford 2004

Mesopotamia produced one of the best-known ancient civilizations, with a literate, urban culture and highly-developed political institutions. Harriet Crawford reviews the extraordinary social and technological developments in the region over a period of two millennia (from 3800 to 2000 BC) in this fully revised and expanded edition of her classic text. Drawing on the most up-to-date historical and archaeological sources, she describes the physical environment and covers architecture, trade and industry, the development of writing, and changes in social and political structures

31. A Companion to Western Historical Thought - by Lloyd Kramer, Sarah Maza 2006

This broad survey introduces readers to the major themes, figures, traditions and theories in Western historical thought, tracing its evolution from biblical times to the present.
* Surveys the evolution of historical thought in the Western World from biblical times to the present day.
* Provides students with the background to contemporary historical debates and approaches.
* Serves as a useful reference for researchers and teachers.
* Includes chapters by 24 leading historians.

32. Future Imperfect: Technology and Freedom in an Uncertain World 2008

Future Imperfect describes and discusses a variety of technological revolutions that might happen over the next few decades, their implications, and how to deal with them. Topics range from encryption and surveillance through biotechnology and nanotechnology to life extension, mind drugs, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. One theme of the book is that the future is radically uncertain. Technological changes already begun could lead to more or less privacy than we have ever known, freedom or slavery, effective immortality or the elimination of our species, and radical changes in life, marriage, law, medicine, work, and play. We do not know which future will arrive, but it is unlikely to be much like the past. It is worth starting to think about it now.