Kirjahaku

Trafalgar's Lost Hero introduces the man whose real-life exploits have been attributed to the likes of Horatio Alger and Jack Aubrey. Never seeking the public acclaim craved by his closest friend and comrade Horatio Nelson, Cuthbert Collingwood was instrumental in forcing the combined French and Spanish fleets into the fateful battle, disabling the enemy's flagship almost before the fight had begun, and taking command of the British fleet after Nelson's death. Bristling with action, packed with never-before-published accounts of major engagements from Collingwood's secret letter book, and bringing a fresh perspective to Britain's most celebrated naval victory, Trafalgar's Lost Hero is truly a treat for lovers of naval history and real-life adventure, and a rousing story well told.

An informative, richly illustrated book about eighty of the world's most important and remarkable trees Our planet is home to some three trillion trees--roughly four hundred for every person on Earth. In Trees of Life, Max Adams selects, from sixty thousand extant species, eighty remarkable trees through which to celebrate the richness of humanity's relationship with trees, woods, and forests. In a sequence of informative and beautifully illustrated portraits, divided between six thematic sections, Adams investigates the trees that human cultures have found most useful across the world and ages: trees that yield timber and other materials of immense practical value, trees that bear edible fruits and nuts, trees that deliver special culinary ingredients and traditions, and trees that give us dyes, essences, and medicines. In a section titled "Supertrees," Adams considers trees that have played a pivotal role in maintaining natural and social communities, while a final section, "Trees for the Planet," looks at a group of trees so valuable to humanity that they must be protected at all costs from loss. From the apple to the oak, the logwood to the breadfruit, and the paper mulberry to the Dahurian larch, these are trees that offer not merely shelter, timber, and fuel but also drugs, foods, and fibers. Trees of Life presents a plethora of fascinating stories about them.

A brilliant, profound, and authoritative history of the golden age of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom in Britain. For too long, the eighth century has been a neglected era in British history: a shadow land between the death of Saint Bede and the triumphs of King lfred and the eventual unification of England. But before the victories of King lfred against the Viking invaders, the kingdom of Mercia--spread across a broad swathe of central England--was the reigning power that exercised central political authority for the first time since the Roman Empire. This authority was used to construct trading networks and markets; to develop strong economic, cultural, and political links with the Continent; and to lay the foundations for a system of defense that would be invigorated and reinvented by lfred at the end of the ninth century. Two kings, thelbald (716-757) and Offa (757-796), dominated the political landscape of the rising power of Mercia. During their reigns, monasteries became powerhouses of royal patronage, economic enterprise, and trade. Offa constructed his grandiose dyke along the borders of the warlike Welsh Kingdoms and, more subtly, spread his message of political superiority through coinage bearing his image. But thelbald and Offa between them built something with an even more substantial legacy--a geography of medieval England. And these two kings engineered a set of tensions between kingship, landholding, and the church that were to play out dramatically at the dawn of the Viking Age. In this illuminating history of Early Medieval Britain, Max Adams reconnects the worlds of the three kings-- thelbald, Offa, and lfred--in an absorbing study of the landscape, society, and politics of a fascinating century of change.

A history of Britain in the violent and unruly era between the first Scandinavian raids in 789 and the final expulsion of the Vikings from York in 954. In 865, a great Viking army landed in East Anglia, precipitating a series of wars that would last until the middle of the following century. It was in this time of crisis that the modern kingdoms of Britain were born. In their responses to the Viking threat, these kingdoms forged their identities as hybrid cultures: vibrant and entrepreneurial peoples adapting to instability and opportunity. Traditionally, Alfred the Great is cast as the central player in the story of Viking Age Britain. But Max Adams, while stressing the genius of Alfred as war leader, law-giver, and forger of the English nation, has a more nuanced narrative approach to this conventional version of history. The Britain encountered by the Scandinavians of the ninth and tenth centuries was one of regional diversity and self-conscious cultural identities, depicted in glorious narrative fashion in The Viking Wars.

A cultural exploration of the Dark Age landscapes of Britain that poses a significant question: Is the modern world simply the realization of our ancient past? The five centuries between the end of Roman Britain and the death of Alfred the Great have left few voices save a handful of chroniclers, but Britain's "Dark Ages" can still be explored through their material remnants: architecture, books, metalwork, and, above all, landscapes. Max Adams explores Britain's lost early medieval past by walking its paths and exploring its lasting imprint on valley, hill, and field. From York to Whitby, from London to Sutton Hoo, from Edinburgh to Anglesey, and from Hadrian's Wall to Loch Tay, each of his ten walking narratives form free-standing chapters as well as parts of a wider portrait of a Britain of fort and fyrd, crypt and crannog, church and causeway, holy well and memorial stone. Part travelogue, part expert reconstruction, In the Land of Giants offers a beautifully written insight into the lives of peasants, drengs, ceorls, thanes, monks, knights, and kings during an enigmatic but richly exciting period of Britain's history.

The bestselling historian tells the story of the landscapes, peoples and culture of early medieval Britain in eight walks, an epic sea voyage and a north-south ride by motorbike. The five centuries between the end of Roman Britain (410) and the death of Alfred the Great (899) have left few voices save a handful of chroniclers, but Britain's 'Dark Ages' can still be explored through their material remnants: buildings, books, metalwork, and, above all, landscapes. Adams explores Britain's lost early medieval past by walking its paths and exploring its imprint on valley, hill and field. From York to Whitby, London to Sutton Hoo and Falmouth to Mallaig, In the Land of Giants offers a beautifully written insight into the lives of peasants, drengs, ceorls, thanes, monks and kings during an enigmatic but richly exciting period of our island's history.

A passionate and informative celebration of trees and of man's ingenuity in exploiting their resources: the perfect gift for anyone who cares about the natural world. Trees are marvels of nature, still-standing giants of extraordinary longevity. In a beautifully written sequence of essays, anecdotes and profiles of Britain's best-loved species (from yew to scots pine), Max Adams explores both the amazing biology of trees and humanity's relationship with wood and forest across the centuries. Embellished with images from John Evelyn's classic Sylva (1664), The Wisdom of Trees a gift book that will delight anyone who cares about the natural world and our interaction with it.

Unquiet Women is an exquisitely crafted patchwork of the forgotten lives of some of the most remarkable women in history. History is polyphonic; it must be told by many voices. In Unquiet Women, Max Adams brings to life the voices and experiences of women living between the last days of Rome and the Enlightenment, whose stories of creativity, intellect and influence are all too rarely told.From Wynflæd, the Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who owned male slaves and badger-skin gowns, to Mary Astell, the philosopher who out-thought John Locke, this is a kaleidoscopic study of women's history before the Enlightenment changed everything. In this rigorous work of rescue and recovery, their voices can be heard across the centuries – still passionate and still strong.Reviews: 'A centuries-spanning study that rescues women's lives from the margins of history' BBC History Magazine'Illuminating and wise... An important book' Herald'A timely work which is beautifully designed and executed, embodying the charm and power of the remarkable women within its pages' All About History

The bestselling author of The King in the North turns his attention to the obscure era of British history known as 'the age of Arthur'.'Not just a valuable book, but a distinctive one as well' Tom Holland, Sunday Times'An accessible and illuminating book' Gerard de Groot, The Times'A fascinating picture of Britain's new-found independence' This EnglandSomewhere between the departure of the Roman legions in the early fifth century and the arrival of Augustine's Christian mission at the end of the sixth, the kingdoms of Early Medieval Britain were formed. But by whom? And out of what?The First Kingdom is a skilfully wrought investigation of this mysterious epoch, synthesizing archaeological research carried out over the last forty years to tease out reality from the myth. Max Adams presents an image of post-Roman Britain whose resolution is high enough to show the emergence of distinct political structures in the sixth century – polities that survive long enough to be embedded in the medieval landscape, recorded in the lines of river, road and watershed, and memorialized in place names.

A passionate and imaginative exploration of wood – the material that shaped human history.As a material, wood has no equal in strength, resilience, adaptability and availability. It has been our partner in the cultural evolution from woodland foragers to engineers of our own destiny. Tracing that partnership through tools, devices, construction and artistic expression, Max Adams explores the role that wood has played in our own history as an imaginative, curious and resourceful species.Beginning with an investigation of the material properties of various species of wood, The Museum of the Wood Age investigates the influence of six basic devices – wedge, inclined plane, screw, lever, wheel, axle and pulley – and in so doing reveals the myriad ways in which wood has been worked throughout human history. From the simple bivouacs of hunter-gatherers to sophisticated wooden buildings such as stave churches; from the decorative arts to the humble woodworking of rustic furniture; Max Adams fashions a lattice of interconnected stories and objects that trace a path of human ingenuity across half a million years of history.

A passionate and imaginative exploration of wood – the material that shaped human history.Wood – humankind's long-term partner in our evolution from woodland foragers to engineers of our own destiny – has no equal in strength, resilience, adaptability and availability.The Museum of the Wood Age investigates the influence of basic devices – wedge, inclined plane, screw, lever, wheel, axle and pulley – to reveal the myriad ways in which wood has been worked throughout human history. From the simple bivouacs of hunter-gatherers to sophisticated wooden buildings such as stave churches; from the decorative arts to the humble woodworking of rustic furniture; Max Adams fashions a lattice of interconnected stories and objects that trace a path of human ingenuity across half a million years of history.

From the author of The Wisdom of Trees, an informative and practical guide to tree planting: including guidance on which trees to plant and where; how to plant, propagate and care for your trees; advice on the suitability and virtues of particular native trees (from oak to alder and from beech to blackthorn); amplified by details of how trees grow in nature and the stories of some famous tree planters. A glossary of websites, nurseries, conservation and other organisations completes the volume.

'A triumph – a Game of Thrones in the Dark Ages' TOM HOLLAND. The magisterial biography of Oswald Whiteblade, exiled prince of Northumbria, who returned in blood and glory to reclaim his birthright.A charismatic leader, a warrior whose prowess in battle earned him the epithet Whiteblade, an exiled prince who returned to claim his birthright, the inspiration for Tolkein's Aragorn.Oswald of Northumbria was the first great English monarch, yet today this legendary figure is all but forgotten. In this panoramic portrait of Dark Age Britain, archaeologist and biographer Max Adams returns the king in the North to his rightful place in history.

The story of Aelfred the Great, his war against the Vikings and the foundations of modern Britain. In AD 865, a 'great host' of battle-hardened Norse warriors landed on England's eastern coast, overwhelmed East Anglia with terrifying swiftness and laid the North to waste. Ghosting along estuaries and inshore waters, in 871 they penetrated deep into the southern kingdom of Wessex, ruled over by a new and untested king, Ælfred son of Æðelwulf. It seemed as though the End of Days was come. Max Adams tells the story of the heroic efforts of Ælfred, his successors and fellow-kings of Britain, to adapt and survive in the face of an apocalyptic threat; and in so doing, to lay the foundations of the nations of modern Britain in all their regional diversity.

A brilliant recreation of the golden age of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia â?? its landscapes, peoples, conflicts, power structures and political geography â?? by the author of The King in the North.

The richly varied lives of the Martin brothers reflected the many upheavals of Britain in the age of Industrial Revolution. Low-born and largely unschooled, they were part of a new generation of artists, scientists and inventors who witnessed the creation of the modern world. William, the eldest, was a cussedly eccentric inventor who couldn't look at a piece of machinery without thinking about how to improve it; Richard, a courageous soldier, fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo; Jonathan, a hellfire preacher tormented by madness and touched with a visionary genius reminiscent of William Blake, almost burned down York Minster in 1829; while John, the youngest Martin, single-handedly invented, mastered and exhausted an entire genre of painting, the apocalyptic sublime, while playing host to the foremost writers, scientists and thinkers of his day. In The Prometheans Max Adams interweaves the fascinating story of these maverick siblings with a magisterial and multi-faceted account of the industrial, political and artistic ferment of early 19th-century Britain. His narrative centres on a generation of inventors, artists and radical intellectuals (including the chemist Humphry Davy, the engineer George Stephenson, the social reformer Robert Owen and the poet Shelley) who were seeking to liberate humanity from the tyranny of material discomfort and political oppression. For Adams, the shared inspiration that binds this generation together is the cult of Prometheus, the titan of ancient Greek mythology who stole fire from Zeus to give to mortal man, and who became a potent symbol of political and personal liberation from the mid-18th century onwards. Whether writing about Davy's invention of the miner's safety lamp, the scandalous private life of the Prince Regent, the death of Shelley or J.M.W. Turner's use of colour, Adams's narrative is pacy, characterful, and rich in anecdote, quotation and memorable character sketch. Like John Martin himself, he has created a sprawling and brightly coloured canvas on an epic scale.

Na nashej planete rastet okolo 3 trillionov derevev - primerno po 400 na kazhdogo zhitelja Zemli. Avokado i oliva, bakaut i kvandong, leschina i muskatnyj orekh, tis i dratsena, gliritsidija i shelkovitsa, oblepikha i sesbanija... Eti udivitelnye rastenija dajut nam drevesinu i drugie tsennye materialy, prinosjat sedobnye plody, orekhi i prjanosti, iz nikh my poluchaem krasiteli, efirnye masla i lekarstva. Maks Adams rasskazyvaet o 80 vidakh derevev, kotorye sygrali naibolee vazhnuju rol v istorii chelovechestva, snabzhaja kazhdyj razdel knigi velikolepnymi fotografijami, rabotami botanicheskikh illjustratorov i kartinami velikikh khudozhnikov. "Ja proslavljaju vse mnogoobrazie nashikh svjazej s lesami i derevjami i nadejus, chto moja kniga podvignet chitatelej na bolee podrobnoe znakomstvo s etimi dariteljami zhizni, na kotorykh my tak polagaemsja, i s temi soobschestvami ljudej, kotorye tsenjat i oberegajut doverennye nashim zabotam prirodnye bogatstva". (Maks Adams)Perevodchik: Cherezova Tatjana

Kniga posvjaschena odnomu iz samykh maloizuchennykh periodov istorii Britanii - mezhdu ukhodom s etoj territorii rimskikh legionov v nachale V v. i prikhodom khristianskikh missionerov v kontse VI v., kogda obrazovalis korolevstva rannesrednevekovoj Britanii. Eto vremja nazyvajut takzhe "vremenem korolja Artura". Legendu o korole Arture, vozhde brittov V-VI vv., razgromivshem zavoevatelej-saksov i sozdavshem obschestvo rytsarej Kruglogo stola, slyshali vse, odnako spetsialisty do sikh por ne prishli k edinomu mneniju o tom, suschestvoval li istoricheskij prototip Artura. Bolshinstvo issledovatelej schitajut, chto istorii, povestvovavshie o nem, objazany svoim proiskhozhdeniem dejatelnosti kakogo-to drugogo korolja, i predlagajut mnozhestvo versij. Maks Adams ostavljaet za skobkami podobnye diskussii i stavit svoej tselju pokazat epokhu v tselom na istoricheskom materiale, a ne na osnove mifov. On pishet ob obretenii Britaniej nezavisimosti, o svjazjakh s ostalnoj Evropoj, ob arkheologicheskikh issledovanijakh, v tom chisle ob "ekologicheskom kontekste" zhizni i byta pokolenij. Kniga snabzhena cherno-belymi illjustratsijami i kartami. "Ot obschej kartiny tekh dvukh vekov istorii Britanii, chto posledovali za nachavshimsja okolo 400 goda krizisom, predvarjavshim krushenie Zapadnoj Rimskoj imperii, ostalis lish fragmenty. Slozhno sostavit iz nikh chetkuju posledovatelnost i rasskazat istoriju tekh burnykh, zagadochnykh vremen - istoriju togo, kak v Britanii voznikli pervye korolevstva rannego Srednevekovja. I tem ne menee gora fragmentov, sobrannykh issledovateljami za poslednie desjatiletija, porazhaet svoimi razmerami. Dazhe esli iskhodnyj sjuzhet vosstanovit ne udaetsja, est vozmozhnost uvidet stsenu, na kotoroj razygryvalas drama, i naselit ee personazhami... Dazhe ot otdelnykh stop-kadrov trudno otorvat vzgljad: eto obryvki istorii, nachalo kotoroj terjaetsja vo tme, a konets opisan neskolko stoletij spustja proslavlennym knizhnikom rannego Srednevekovja Bedoj Dostopochtennym... Zavershajuschie epizody etoj istorii podany ne s retrospektivnoj tochki zrenija, a v kontekste epokhi vozniknovenija novykh institutov i sotsialnykh svjazej, khotja uchastniki sobytij ostavili nam ochen malo svidetelstv. Povestvovanie zdes prevratilos v sozertsatelnuju istoriju". (Maks Adams)