History & Archaeology Books

The Kew Sketch Journal is a stunning celebration of Kew Gardens and the local area through the eyes of artist and designer Charles Leon. Through this unique perspective, Charles shares with the reader the human relationship with buildings, built by...

Hello Kew is a stunning scrapbook of words and pictures which celebrates Kew's souvenir guidebooks and recreates the experience of visiting Kew through the ages. This beautifully curated album of fascinating cuttings, charming pictures and intriguing...

A witty and concise look at the beginnings of English history, when the nation consolidated after clashes between the Saxons and invading Vikings.In 871, three of England's four kingdoms were overrun by Vikings, the ruthless, all-conquering Scandinavian...

The Art of Wandering is a history of that curious hybrid, the writer as walker. From the Ancient world to the modern day, the role of the walker continues to evolve, from philosopher and pilgrim, vagrant and visionary, to experimentalist and radical...

A revealing look at U.S. imperialism through the lens of visual culture and portraitureIn 1898, the United States seized territories overseas, ushering in an era of expansion that was at odds with the nation's founding promise of freedom and democracy...

The burnt-red badlands of Montana's Hell Creek are a vast graveyard of the Cretaceous dinosaurs that lived 68 million years ago. Those hills were, much later, also home to the Sioux, the Crows, and the Blackfeet, the first people to encounter...

The fascinating story of how the fossils of dinosaurs, mammoths, and other extinct animals influenced some of the most spectacular creatures of classical mythologyGriffins, Centaurs, Cyclopes, and Giants - these fabulous creatures of classical mythology...

AWARDSFINALIST-Sports,Best Book Awards, 2023 Genuine Okinawan Karate was developed as a fighting tool. Non-Okinawan Karate are for other purposes.Karate practitioners, scholars, and everyone caring about Asian martial arts and its culture will...

Elvis, Eddie, Chuck, Gene, Buddy and Little Richard were the original rockers. Dylan, The Beatles, The Stones and The Who formed rock's second coming. As the 1960s turned into the 1970s, the crucial question was who would lead rock...

The medieval humoral system of medicine suggested that it was possible to die from having too much or too little sex, while the Roman Catholic Church taught that virginity was the ideal state. Holy men and women committed themselves to lifelong...

In this rich and surprising book, Frances F. Berdan casts fresh light on the enigmatic ancient Aztecs. She casts her net wide, covering topics as diverse as ethnicity, empire-building, palace life, etiquette, origin myths and human sacrifice. While often...

Assassins have been killing the powerful and famous for at least three thousand years. Personal ambition, revenge, and anger have encouraged many to violent deeds, like the Turkish sultan who had nineteen of his brothers strangled or the bodyguards who...

Lively, incendiary, and inspiring, No Harmless Power follows the life of Nestor Makhno, who organized a seven-million-strong anarchist polity during the Russian Civil War and developed Platformist anarchism during his exile in Paris as well as advising...

A definitive reframing of the economic, institutional, and intellectual history of the managerial era.The twentieth century was the managerial century in the United States. An organisational transformation, from entrepreneurial to managerial capitalism,...

**AVanity FairBest Book of 2022****Mosaic Magazine Best Book of 2022**The untold story of Leonard Cohen's concert tour to the front lines of the Yom Kippur War, including never-before-seen selections from an unfinished manuscript by Cohen and rare...

As late as the last quarter of the twentieth century there were expectations that Islam's political and cultural influence would dissipate as the advance of westernization brought modernization and secularization in its wake. Not only has Islam...

This stunning guide invites you into the story of sake - an ancient beverage finding its way in a modern world.Whether you're a sake novice or an experienced connoisseur, Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake offers fascinating insights,...

Asian art expert Dr. Patricia Graham helps guide readers through the aspects of Japanese art and design we've all come to appreciate--whether it's a silk kimono, carefully raked garden path or modern snack food packaging. From the ten key characteristics...

Enchanting Embroidery invites you to create your own world using bright thread and imaginative stitching. Full of motifs that are both simple and playful - zany crocodiles, cats, bears, even bats and ravens - this book invites you to be creative...

This book tells the story of Kazuo Odachi who - in 1943, when he was just 16 years-old-joined the Imperial Japanese Navy to become a pilot. A year later, he was unknowingly assigned to the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps - a group of airmen whose mission...

Power to them meant everything. It was founded on courage, which begot honour. And by this courage and for this honour they fought to the death.The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps tells the thrilling story of the Shinsengumi - the legendary corps of Samurai...

At the heart of the Floating World and the system it supported was an extensive network of talented courtesans and entertainers, typified by the still fascinating, enigmatic Geisha. Stephen and Ethel Longstreet bring the reader on an in-depth tour of the...

Ninja Fighting Techniques explains how to defend yourself against real-world threats using techniques perfected centuries ago by the great Ninja masters.Author Stephen K. Hayes is the world's leading expert on Ninjutsu techniques. In this book, he...

A History of the Samurai tells the complete story of Japan's legendary warrior class from beginning to end-an epic tale of intrigue, bloodshed and bravery that is central to an understanding of the Japanese character and of Japanese history.It describes...

Whether you're planning a trip to Japan, or are just interested in manga, anime and Japanese pop culture, let Otaku Japan Travel Guide transport you to the global capital of cool! If you're crazy about manga, anime, gaming, cosplay,...

Edward Seidensticker's A History of Tokyo 1867-1989 tells the fascinating story of Tokyo's transformation from the Shogun's capital in an isolated Japan to the largest and the most modern city in the world. With the same scholarship and sparkling style...

This seminal work by historian Alexander Bennett presents a broad overview of the Japanese "Way of the Warrior" as it is expressed in scores of classical Japanese texts written by famous Samurai themselves. Bennett's analysis of these writings shows that...

Modern Ninja Warfare takes a contemporary look at the stealthy methods of the Ninja (Shinobi) and how they can be employed to counter modern security threats. This book provides an ideal overview of Ninjutsu techniques for security personnel, military,...

In Japan where there are more festivals than there are days of the year, it's no surprise that food is a daily celebration unto itself! The Food of Japan is a diverse compilation of 96 recipes collected and beautifully photographed in several regions of...

*Winnerof a 2019 Gourmand World Cookbook Award*Japanese whisky has been around for less than a century - but is now winning all the major international awards. How did this happen and what are the secrets of the master distillers? This whisky book...

Ninjutsu is the most renowned and misunderstood of all martial arts. The long history of ninjutstu is often murky; surrounded by mystery and legend. Here, for the first time, is an in-depth, factual look at the entire art of ninjutsu, including emergence...

Created specifically for fans of Japanese 'cool culture,' A Geek in Japan is one of the most iconic, hip, and concise cultural guides available.Reinvented for the internet age, it is packed with personal essays and hundreds of photographs and...

Samurai Castles features hundreds of stunning color photographs and little-known details about the most important and well-preserved Samurai castles in Japan, including their history, design and military features.Japan's ancient castles provide profound...

Tokyo is ground zero for Japan's popular "Geek" or otaku culture-a phenomenon that has now swept across the globe.This is the most comprehensive guide ever produced to Tokyo's geeky underworld. It provides a comprehensive run-down on each major Tokyo...

The Japanese sword is much more than just a weapon-it is a social and religious icon traditionally worn by the samurai warrior as an instrument of justice and courage, the sword was an embodiment of the soul of the person who...

Master the Japanese art of shuriken throwing with this illustrated martial arts guide.Japanese Throwing Weapons: Mastering Shuriken Throwing Techniques is a detailed instruction manual for learning authentic shuriken throwing techniques as practiced in...

What are the right questions to ask when seeking out the spirit of a nation?In November 2017, the people of Zimbabwe took to the streets in an unprecedented alliance with the military.  Their goal, to restore the legacy of Chimurenga, the...

How does a secular, non-practising Jew who has lived most of her life outside the Jewish communitysuddenly find herself in the front rows of a Nazi war crimes tribunal?In 2015, the award-winning writer Judith Kalman was invited to Lneburg to testify at...

Now a film starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Greg Kinnear.Jennifer Hosten went to the 1970 Miss World pageant on a lark, representing the tiny Caribbean Island of Grenada, and came home with the crown and a place in history. What was supposed...

A longtime coast watcher tells the story of the beautiful and ever-changing coast of North Carolina-rich in culture, history, and landscape-with words and photographs.This gorgeous, richly illustrated book for visitors and residents alike details the...

What is slime? We are well acquainted with its qualities in conjunction with certain things from which we tend to recoil but to which we are also at times fervently attracted. Despite being everywhere, slime is a surprisingly unexamined cultural...

Discover the magic and mysticism of bells around the world, including their political and religious power, their musicality, and their familiarity in daily life.We live in a world of bells but seldom notice them. However, bells have existed in all...

True stories of glamour, drama, and tragedy told through five generations of a Shanghai family, from the last days of imperial rule to the Cultural Revolution.A high position bestowed by China's empress dowager grants power and wealth to the Sun family...

Dayton Literary Peace Prize Finalist Clara Johnson Award FinalistAs hundreds of thousands of displaced people sought refuge in Europe, the global relief system failed. This is the story of the volunteers who stepped forward to help.In 2015, increasing...

The Holocaust as history ended seventy-five years ago, about the span of a full human life; the Holocaust as culture is very much of the present, its meanings and lessons still actively in formation. For twenty-five years, Jason Francisco has wrestled...

An inside account of one of the most innovative R&D ecosystems of the 20th century, from the man who was at the center of it all.Over a 60-year career in public affairs, Vannevar Bush-engineer, inventor, educator, and public face of government-funded...

An eye-opening look at the source of the current wave of Saudi Arabian-sponsored terrorism, how it spread, and why the West did nothing. Here is the truth about ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and more. Lifting the mask of international terrorism, Terence...

A classic collection of Irish fairy tales and lore by Nobel Peace Prize-winning author and poet W. B. Yeats.Originally published as two separate volumes in 1800s, this premier collection of Irish stories edited and compiled W. B. Yeats is the perfect...