The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company

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Michael Foy & Brian Barton

More comprehensive and adhering more closely to the events than any account previously written, this important new treatment of the 1916 Easter Rising draws on an impressive range of hitherto unused primary sources- some closed to the public until recently, others long available but neglected by historians. Opening with an evaluation of the roots of the Rising, the authors present pen portraits of the leaders and a thorough analysis of their motives, plans and objectives. They challenge the traditional interpretation that these leaders expected military failure, motivated by a desire to provide a blood sacrifice and hoping thereby to rejuvenate Irish nationalist sentiment. A detailed chronological account of the Rising itself recaptures the action in the key locations, giving insights into the actual experience of Easter Week for the rebels, the military personnel who opposed them, and the civilian population. The authors conclude their narrative by reviewing the British government's reaction to the Rising, analyzing the background to the declaration of martial law, and assessing the British military response. It contains recently released transcripts of the court martial trials of the executed rebel leaders, plus the testimonies of the witnesses. It graphically describes the execution process and the justification given for imposing the death sentence in each case. -- Publisher description

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Ramachandra Guha

The definitive, monumental history of post-1947 independent India. Ramachandra Guha tells the epic story of how the world’s largest and most diverse democracy survived riots, wars, insurgencies, and poverty.

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Emily Purdy

"Tyrannised by Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen, Ladies Jane, Katherine and Mary Grey feared love was unthinkable. A gripping and bittersweet tale of broken families and broken hearts, courage and conviction, The Fallen Queen recounts an astonishing chapter in the hard-won battle for the Tudor throne. Led by love into the jaws of fate... Lady Jane Grey is crowned Queen at the behest of Edward VI. Her reign lasts only nine days before she is executed for treason. Lady Jane's two sisters, Katherine and Mary, live on into Elizabeth I's reign but in family misfortune they are bound, inspiring the Queen's wrath against them. In secret, Katherine and Mary risk everything and disobey the royal order by marrying the men they love. Will their treachery be discovered? And must they face imprisonment in the Tower of London, just as their sister did before them?" - Publisher's description.

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P.J. Cain and A.G. Hopkins

"This is the second half of a hugely ambitious and eagerly awaited attempt to provide a comprehensive new interpretation of the forces behind British imperial expansion. The first part, dealing with the early growth of the empire, is British Imperialism: Innovation and Expansion 1688-1914. Both volumes are independent and self-sufficient, but they come fully into their own when read as one. A milestone in the study of Britain, the British Empire and imperialism, they will also be necessary reading for students of comparative history, modern economic development and international relations." "In the first volume, the authors traced the role of 'Gentlemanly Capitalism'- the dynamic complex of economic, social and political influences centred on the City of London in fuelling the expansion of the British Empire before 1914. Here, they follow the fortunes of this matured system of political economy in the twentieth century, years dominated by two world wars, a world slump and decolonisation. They challenge the standard view of the period as one long retreat from empire, in which the accelerating process of decolonisation after 1945 was the inevitable outcome of economic decline between the wars." "Instead, they argue that the gentlemanly order proved remarkably resilient. Despite the immense problems of wartime debt and the collapse of international trade in the 1930s, Britain retained its economic dominance not only over the dependent empire in Africa and India, but also over the Dominions. Moreover, a number of attempts were made to reassert Britain's earlier financial and commercial authority in what had been almost a second, informal, empire in parts of South America and China.". "The system even survived World War II, though Britain was now dependent on the United States. The sterling area played an important part in Britain's postwar recovery, and the empire was rallied to the cause of reconstruction. When the empire did begin to fall apart, it was not simply because it could no longer be controlled but also because it had served its purpose. Even as it sank, the City had found a new role, though an uncertain one, in a new financial world order functioning on a scale far greater than that encompassed by nation states or empires."--BOOK JACKET.