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Unorthodox: LGBT+ Identity and Faith
In modern Britain, what does it mean to be queer and religious? Unorthodox tells the stories of LGBT+ people of faith throughout the country. Bringing together artists, activists, religious leaders, community workers and writers, this collection explores how LGBT+ Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Sikhs navigate their faith, why they stay and what it means to believe no matter the cost. These urgent, deeply personal reflections move beyond the idea that LGBT+ people must choose between being included or excluded, between believing and doubting, and between their faith and their sexuality. Born out of a yearning to resist outdated binaries, Unorthodox is a surprising journey that will resonate with readers of all stripes, be they believers or not. Covering everything from hip-hop to habits, priesthood to pilgrimages, festivals to family, Unorthodox ignites a new conversation about religion, faith, sexuality and identity in Britain. It is vital consideration of devotion that bridges denomination, orientation, salvation, temptation and divination.Read more
£7.00£9.50Unorthodox: LGBT+ Identity and Faith
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Outrageous!: The Story of Section 28 and Britain’s Battle for LGBT Education
On 23 May 1988, Paul Baker sat down with his family to eat cake on his sixteenth birthday while The Six O’Clock News played in the background. But something was not quite right. There was muffled shouting – ‘Stop Section 28!’ – and a scuffle. The morning papers would announce: ‘Beeb Man Sits on Lesbian’. The next day Section 28 passed into law, forbidding local authorities from teaching ‘the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. It would send shockwaves through British society, silencing gay pupils and teachers while galvanizing mass protests and the formation of the LGBTQ+ rights groups OutRage! and Stonewall. Now available in paperback, Outrageous! tells the full story: the background to the Act, how the press fanned the flames and what politicians said during debates, how protestors fought back to bring about the repeal of the law in the 2000s, and its eventual legacy. Based on detailed research, interviews with key figures – including Ian McKellen, Michael Cashman and Angela Mason – and personal recollection, it is an impassioned, warm, often moving account of unthinkable prejudice enshrined within law, and of the power of community to overcome it.Read more
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Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, Second Edition with an Update a Decade Later
Class does make a difference in the lives and futures of American children. Drawing on in-depth observations of black and white middle-class, working-class, and poor families, Unequal Childhoods explores this fact, offering a picture of childhood today. Here are the frenetic families managing their children’s hectic schedules of “leisure” activities; and here are families with plenty of time but little economic security. Lareau shows how middle-class parents, whether black or white, engage in a process of “concerted cultivation” designed to draw out children’s talents and skills, while working-class and poor families rely on “the accomplishment of natural growth,” in which a child’s development unfolds spontaneously-as long as basic comfort, food, and shelter are provided. Each of these approaches to childrearing brings its own benefits and its own drawbacks. In identifying and analyzing differences between the two, Lareau demonstrates the power, and limits, of social class in shaping the lives of America’s children.The first edition of Unequal Childhoods was an instant classic, portraying in riveting detail the unexpected ways in which social class influences parenting in white and African American families. A decade later, Annette Lareau has revisited the same families and interviewed the original subjects to examine the impact of social class in the transition to adulthood.
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Phonics Bumper Book Ages 3-5: Ideal for home learning (Collins Easy Learning Preschool)
Level: EYFS
Subject: EnglishAn engaging Phonics activity bumper book to really help boost your child’s progress at every stage of their learning!
Fully in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage, this English book provides reassurance whilst supporting your child’s learning at home.
Combining useful English practice with engaging, colourful illustrations, this Phonics bumper book helps to boost your child’s confidence and develop good learning habits for life. Each fun activity is designed to give your child a real sense of achievement.
Included in this book:
- questions that allow children to practise the important skills learned at school
- colourful activities that make learning fun and motivate children to learn at home
- helpful tips and answers so that you can support your child’s learning
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Phonics Catch-up Activity Book Ages 6+: Ideal for home learning (Collins Easy Learning KS1)
Level: KS1
Subject: EnglishLearn the easy way with this Phonics activity book!
Including helpful questions and answers, this English book provides reassurance whilst supporting your child’s learning at home.
Combining useful English practice with engaging, colourful illustrations, this Phonics practice book helps to boost your child’s confidence and develop good learning habits for life. Each fun activity is designed to give your child a real sense of achievement.
Included in this book:
- questions that allow children to practise the important skills learned at school
- colourful activities that make learning fun and motivate children to learn at home
- helpful tips and answers so that you can support your child’s learning
Provides recap and additional practice for phonics phases 2-5.
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Phonics Book for 5-6 Year Olds: Bumper Phonics Activity Book for Year 1 – KS1 | Practice Letters, Sounds, Words, Tracing and Handwriting
Is your child learning to read and write? Are you looking for a fun and educational book that follows the official National Curriculum in England for ages 5-6? Well, look no further!
Phonics is the process of learning how to pronounce different sounds to form words and then sentences. This is essential to helping children learn reading and writing skills.
Reading, writing, and practicing the alphabet are exciting activities for your child, and you as their parent/guardian can also be part of it! To make sure that learning together is fun and doesn’t end in frustration, you need the right materials so you can guide and nurture your child’s learning process.
This book was designed and optimised specifically for young children. It’s full of colourful, fun activities that will make your child WANT to learn. This exercise book follows the official National Curriculum for kids aged 5-6, so you can make sure your child is well-prepared for school.
While most other books in this category only feature around 30 pages, this book offers an incredible 72 pages of comprehensive phonics activities – so you get the best value for money on the market!
There is plenty of practice for the sounds learnt in Year 1 and also a recap of those learnt in Reception. Also included are new concepts such as split diagraphs and alternative pronunciations of the sounds learnt, as well as more practice of ‘tricky’ words that are common but don’t follow normal phonetic rules. There is also a raft of interactive and fun activities, such as mazes, match ups, word searches, cut-out flash cards and much more.
Also included are handwriting and tracing pages for forming letters and reading practice as well as a beginner introduction into sentences and paragraphs for reading skills.
The structure and order of the activities in this workbook have been carefully designed to support a child’s natural learning progress in the best possible way.
Key features of this book include:
- All letters and most sounds of the English alphabet
- 72 pages of full-colour activities
- Tracing and handwriting
- Rhyming, split diagraphs, tricky words, alternative pronunciations
- Cut-your-own flash cards
- Activities: mazes, spot the difference, and word searches
- Aligned to the official National Curriculum for ages 5-6
- Year 1 – P2 – KS1
- AND MUCH MORE!
“Phonics Book for 5-6 Year Olds” is the ultimate guide to reading and writing for children aged 5-6. This easy-to-follow workbook with interactive activities is the perfect learning companion for any parent/guardian looking to help their child take the next steps in their education.
So, what are you waiting for? Click “Buy Now” and you and your child can start learning all the fun of reading and writing together!
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KLEPTOPIA: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World
SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘If you think the UK isn’t corrupt, you haven’t looked hard enough … This terrifying book follows a global current of dirty money, and the murders and kidnappings required to sustain it’ GEORGE MONBIOT, GUARDIAN
AN ECONOMIST AND WASHINGTON POST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020
‘When you pick this book up, you won’t be able to put it down’ MISHA GLENNY, author of MCMAFIA
‘Gripping, disturbing and deeply reported’ BEN RHODES, bestselling author of THE WORLD AS IT IS
In this real-life thriller packed with jaw-dropping revelations, award-winning investigative journalist Tom Burgis reveals a terrifying global web of kleptocracy and corruption.
Kleptopia follows the dirty money that is flooding the global economy, emboldening dictators, enriching oligarchs and poisoning democracies. From the Kremlin to Beijing, Harare to Riyadh, London to the Trump White House, it shows how the thieves are uniting – and the terrible human cost.
A body in a burned-out Audi. Workers riddled with bullets in the Kazakh desert. A rigged election in Zimbabwe. A British banker silenced and humiliated for trying to expose the truth about the City of London – the world’s piggy bank for blood money.
Riveting, horrifying and written like fiction, this book shows that while we are looking the other way, all that we hold most dear is being stolen.
Tom Burgis’ book ‘KLEPTOPIA’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 14-03-2022.
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The Boy From Block 66: A WW2 Jewish Holocaust Survival True Story (Heroic Children of World War II)
He has endured more than any child ever should, but now he must survive Block 66.January, 1945. 14-year-old Moshe Kessler steps off the train at Buchenwald concentration camp. Having endured the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau, lost touch with his entire family, and survived the death march in the freezing European winter, he has seen more than his share of tragedy.
Moshe knows only one thing about Buchenwald. Everyone knows it.
If you want to survive, you have to get to Block 66.
The Germans are cruel and determined – but they are not prepared for Buchenwald’s secret resistance, which rises up with one mission only: to protect the camp’s children from harm.
This is the incredible true story of Moshe Kessler and Block 66 – the children’s block that was at the forefront of one of the most shocking and inspiring stories of Holocaust survival.
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S.H.O.R.E.: The Ultimate Descent
The Club was the Board’s international affiliate and provided professional accountants from Asia with a networking forum in their adopted country, the United States. However, despite its fancy claims, the non-profit was not run transparently, forcing a young, energetic lady, Olive, to run her voice. She and her Like-Minded friends wanted transparency and fair treatment for all. Though supported by junior members, she was confronted by the patriarchal mindset that discourages women’s involvement in manly matters. She fought her way through to the top only to find the malice deep-rooted and highly exhausting for an honest individual.Read more
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Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity
Author and consultant Jennifer Garvey Berger has worked with all types of leaders―from top executives at Google to nonprofit directors who are trying to make a dent in social change. She hears a version of the same plea from every client in nearly every sector around the world: “I know that complexity and uncertainty are testing my instincts, but I don’t know which to trust. Is there some way to know what to do when I can’t know what’s next?”
Her newest work is an answer to this plea. Using her background in adult development, complexity theories, and leadership consultancy, Garvey Berger discerns five pernicious and pervasive “mind traps” to frame the book. These are: the desire for simple stories, our sense that we are right, our desire to get along with others in our group, our fixation with control, and our constant quest to protect and defend our egos. In addition to understanding why these natural impulses steer us wrong in a fast-moving world, leaders will get powerful questions and approaches that help them escape these patterns.
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The Dean of Shandong: Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University
An inside view of Chinese academia and what it reveals about China’s political system
On January 1, 2017, Daniel Bell was appointed dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University―the first foreign dean of a political science faculty in mainland China’s history. In The Dean of Shandong, Bell chronicles his experiences as what he calls “a minor bureaucrat,” offering an inside account of the workings of Chinese academia and what they reveal about China’s political system. It wasn’t all smooth sailing―Bell wryly recounts sporadic bungles and misunderstandings―but Bell’s post as dean provides a unique vantage point on China today.
Bell, neither a Chinese citizen nor a member of the Chinese Communist Party, was appointed as dean because of his scholarly work on Confucianism―but soon found himself coping with a variety of issues having little to do with scholarship or Confucius. These include the importance of hair color and the prevalence of hair-dyeing among university administrators, both male and female; Shandong’s drinking culture, with endless toasts at every shared meal; and some unintended consequences of an intensely competitive academic meritocracy. As dean, he also confronts weightier matters: the role at the university of the Party secretary, the national anticorruption campaign and its effect on academia (Bell asks provocatively, “What’s wrong with corruption?”), and formal and informal modes of censorship. Considering both the revival of Confucianism in China over the last three decades and what he calls “the Communist comeback” since 2008, Bell predicts that China’s political future is likely to be determined by both Confucianism and Communism.
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Oxford Guide to Plain English
Plain English is the art of writing clearly, concisely, and in a way that precisely communicates your message to your intended audience. This book offers expert advice to help writers of all abilities improve their written English. With 30 chapters, each centred around a practical guideline, its coverage is extensive, including lessons on vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, layout, proofreading, and organization. There are also hundreds of real examples to show how it’s done, with handy ‘before’ and ‘after’ versions. All this is presented in a straightforward and engaging way.This new edition has been fully revised, reorganized, and updated to make its content even more accessible. There are new chapters discussing customer-service writing and common blunders in the workplace, while other sections have been amended to update examples and provide easier routes through the book. The chapter on sexism, in particular, has been heavily expanded to advise on the use of inclusive language in general. A new appendix has also been added, summarising the history of plain English from Chaucer to the present day.
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Making Sense of the Troubles: A History of the Northern Ireland Conflict
COMPLETELY REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION — THE ESSENTIAL HISTORY OF THE TROUBLES
‘Compellingly written and very even-handed. By far the clearest account of what happened in the Northern Ireland conflict and more importantly why it happened’ Irish News
‘Extraordinarily well-balanced, sane, comprehensive and rich in sober understatement’ Glasgow Herald
__________________________First published two decades ago, Making Sense of the Troubles is widely regarded as the most ‘comprehensive, considered and compassionate’ (Irish Times) history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Written by a distinguished journalist and a teacher of history in Northern Ireland, it surveys the roots of the problems from 1921 onwards, the descent into violence in the late 60s, and the three terrible decades that followed.
In this fully revised and updated version, McKittrick and McVea take into account the momentous events of the ten years that followed their first publication, including the disbanding of the IRA, Ian Paisley’s deal with the Republicans and the historic power-sharing government in Belfast.
__________________________‘An updated reissue of a collaborative study published 12 years ago to rave reviews as a frank, accurate and authoritative narrative of events which should be required reading for anyone hoping to understand what had been going on in the North’ Irish Independent
‘I would strongly advocate that it be made compulsory reading for everyone in Northern Ireland because for the first time it is our history, all of it warts and all, presented in a clear and understandable way’ Irish News
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The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism
The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism uncovers the role that footballers and fans have played in the fight against fascism and the far right. Follow the path of football activism from the turbulent 1920s to the culture wars of the 21st century. What role did footballers play in World War Two? How did a Portuguese Cup Final help bring down Western Europe’s longest-running dictatorship? What impact did the football community have in bringing the atrocities of Latin America’s cruellest dictators to global attention? Football historian and author Chris Lee shines a spotlight on the roles of players, fans, coaches and officials in the fight against the dictatorships of Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Salazar and authoritarian states in Latin America, bringing us an intriguing cast of rebels, partisans, spies and activists. Featuring interviews with leading authors and academics, fans and progressive football clubs, The Defiant shows that football and politics cannot be separated and asks what the future holds.Read more
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The Shortest History of Germany: 2
Read in an afternoon. Remember for a lifetime.
In his acclaimed new bestseller, now in paperback, James Hawes tells the story of Europe’s most admired and feared country, from Julius Caesar to Angela Merkel. With more than 100 maps and images, this is a fresh, concise and entertaining attempt to answer the question: are the Germans really us, or them?
*240 PAGES. 100+ MAPS AND IMAGES. 2,000 YEARS OF GERMAN HISTORY.*Read more
£7.50£8.50The Shortest History of Germany: 2
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Sapiens A Graphic History, Volume 1: The Birth of Humankind (SAPIENS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY, 1)
The first volume of the graphic adaptation of Yuval Noah Harari’s global phenomenon and smash SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER. Featuring 256 pages of gorgeous full-colour illustrations and wrapped in a beautiful package.
One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one-homo sapiens.
What happened to the others?
And what may happen to us?
In this first volume of the adaptation of his ground-breaking book, renowned historian Yuval Harari tells the story of humankind’s creation and evolution, exploring the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human”. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens challenges us to reconsider accepted beliefs, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and view specific events within the context of larger ideas.
Featuring easy-to-understand text covering the first part of the original edition, this adaptation of the mind-expanding book furthers the ongoing conversation as it introduces Harari’s ideas to a wider new readership.
‘[A] wonderful graphic novel… Smart, funny and dipped deep in the reality of what we as a species are…’ Big Issue *Books of the Year*
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Blood & Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain
The acclaimed author of Witches, Druids, and King Arthur presents a “lucid, open-minded” cultural history of the Druids as part of British identity (Terry Jones).
Crushed by the Romans in the first century A.D., the ancient Druids of Britain left almost no reliable evidence behind. Historian Ronald Hutton shows how this lack of definite information has allowed succeeding British generations to reimagine, reinterpret, and reinvent the Druids. Hutton’s captivating book is the first to encompass two thousand years of Druid history and to explore the evolution of English, Scottish, and Welsh attitudes toward the forever ambiguous figures of the ancient Celtic world.Druids have been remembered at different times as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests. Sometimes portrayed as corrupt, bloodthirsty, or ignorant, they were also seen as fomenters of rebellion. Hutton charts how the Druids have been written in and out of history, archaeology, and the public consciousness for some 500 years, with particular focus on the romantic period, when Druids completely dominated notions of British prehistory. Sparkling with legends and images, filled with new perspectives on ancient and modern times, this fascinating cultural study reveals Druids as catalysts in British history.
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Eyeliner: A Cultural History
A dazzling exploration of the intersections of beauty and power around the globe, told through the lens of an iconic cosmetic
‘Awe-inspiring and fascinating’ Funmi Fetto
‘A treat to read’ Kassia St ClairFrom the distant past to the present day, humans have been drawn to lining their eyes. The aesthetic trademark of figures ranging from Nefertiti to Amy Winehouse, eyeliner is one of our most enduring cosmetic tools; ancient royals and Gen Z beauty influencers alike would attest to its uniquely transformative power. It is undeniably fun – yet it is also far from frivolous.
Seen through Zahra Hankir’s (kohl-lined) eyes, this ubiquitous but seldom-examined product becomes a portal to history, proof both of the stunning variety among cultures across time and space and of our shared humanity. Through intimate reporting and conversations – with nomads in Chad, geishas in Japan, dancers in India, drag queens in New York, and more – Eyeliner embraces the rich history and significance of its namesake, especially among communities of colour. What emerges is a delightful, surprising, and unexpectedly moving journey through streets, stages, and bedrooms around the world, and a thought-provoking reclamation of a key piece of our collective history.
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£14.60£18.00Eyeliner: A Cultural History
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FIFTH SUN: A New History of the Aztecs
In November 1519, Hernando Cortés walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the Aztec kingdom and came face to face with Moctezuma. That story―and the story of what happened afterwards―has been told many times, but always following the narrative offered by the Spaniards. After all, we have been taught, it was the Europeans who held the pens. But the Native Americans were intrigued by the Roman alphabet and, unbeknownst to the newcomers, they used it to write detailed histories in their own language of Nahuatl. Until recently, these sources remained obscure, only partially translated, and rarely consulted by scholars.For the first time, in Fifth Sun, the history of the Aztecs is offered in all its complexity based solely on the texts written by the indigenous people themselves. Camilla Townsend presents an accessible and humanized depiction of these native Mexicans, rather than seeing them as the exotic, bloody figures of European stereotypes. The conquest, in this work, is neither an apocalyptic moment, nor an origin story launching Mexicans into existence. The Mexica people had a history of their own long before the Europeans arrived and did not simply capitulate to Spanish culture and colonization. Instead, they realigned their political allegiances, accommodated new obligations, adopted new technologies, and endured.
This engaging revisionist history of the Aztecs, told through their own words, explores the experience of a once-powerful people facing the trauma of conquest and finding ways to survive, offering an empathetic interpretation for experts and non-specialists alike.
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£13.40£16.60FIFTH SUN: A New History of the Aztecs
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The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA
THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF CODE GIRLS RETURNS WITH A REVELATORY HISTORY OF THREE GENERATIONS AT THE CIA – THE WOMEN WHO FOUGHT TO BECOME OPERATIVES, T RANSFORMED SPYCRAFT, AND TRACKED DOWN OSAMA BIN LADEN.
‘This masterful book cements Liza Mundy as one of our foremost historians. It’s an absolute epic. Ignore this book – and these astonishing women – at your peril.’ ― Kate Moore, bestselling author of The Radium Girls
‘A rip-roaring read about spycraft and the CIA’s inner workings . . . an inspiring group portrait of extraordinary CIA women whose careers are multisided profiles in courage.’ ― Steve Coll, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ghost Wars
‘An indispensable history, untold until now, The Sisterhood has stellar reporting, sparkling writing, and shocking revelations of power struggles inside the world’s most famous secret intelligence service.’ ― Tim Weiner, National Book Award-winning author of Legacy of Ashes
‘A must-read for anyone interested in national security, secrets, and the CIA.’ ― Annie Jacobsen, bestselling author of Surprise, Kill, Vanish
‘A vivid, compelling, and important book.’ – Kirkus Reviews
Created in the aftermath of World War II, the Central Intelligence Agency relied on women even as it attempted to channel their talents and keep them down. Women sent cables, made dead drops, and maintained the agency’s secrets. Despite discrimination – even because of it – women who started as clerks, secretaries, or unpaid spouses rose to become some of the CIA’s shrewdest operatives.
They were unlikely spies – and that’s exactly what made them perfect for the role. Because women were seen as unimportant, pioneering female intelligence officers moved unnoticed around Bonn, Geneva, and Moscow, stealing secrets from under the noses of their KGB adversaries. Back at headquarters, women built the CIA’s critical archives – first by hand, then by computer. And they noticed things that the men at the top didn’t see. As the CIA faced an identity crisis after the Cold War, it was a close-knit network of female analysts who spotted the rising threat of al-Qaeda – though their warnings were repeatedly brushed aside.
After the 9/11 attacks, more women joined the agency as a new job, targeter, came to prominence. They showed that data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscape – an eff ort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA’s successful eff ort to track down bin Laden in his Pakistani compound.
Propelled by the same meticulous reporting and vivid storytelling that infused Code Girls, The Sisterhood offers a riveting new perspective on history, revealing how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age, and how their silencing made the world more dangerous.
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£19.60£23.80 -
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND SUNDAY TIMES, OBSERVER AND BBC HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR
FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2022
‘Pacey and potentially revolutionary’ Sunday Times
‘Iconoclastic and irreverent … an exhilarating read’ The Guardian
For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike – either free and equal, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or, alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a reaction to indigenous critiques of European society, and why they are wrong. In doing so, they overturn our view of human history, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democracy, slavery and civilization itself.
Drawing on path-breaking research in archaeology and anthropology, the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we begin to see what’s really there. If humans did not spend 95 per cent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers, what were they doing all that time? If agriculture, and cities, did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination, then what kinds of social and economic organization did they lead to? The answers are often unexpected, and suggest that the course of history may be less set in stone, and more full of playful possibilities than we tend to assume.
The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range, animated by curiosity, moral vision and faith in the power of direct action.
‘This is not a book. This is an intellectual feast’ Nassim Nicholas Taleb
‘The most profound and exciting book I’ve read in thirty years’ Robin D. G. Kelley
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A Little History of the World
E. H. Gombrich’s sweeping history of the world, for the curious of all ages. The international bestseller.“Brilliant, irresistible: a wonderful surprise,” – Philip Pullman
The product of a generous and humane sensibility, this timeless account makes intelligible the full span of human history.
In forty concise chapters, Gombrich tells the story of man from Stone Age to the atomic bomb. He paints a colourful picture of wars and conquests; of grand works of art; of the advances and limitations of science; of remarkable people and remarkable events – from Confucius to Catherine the Great to Winston Churchill.
This is a text dominated not by dates and facts, but by the sweep of mankind’s experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity’s achievements and an acute witness to its frailties.
For adults seeking a single-volume overview of world history, for students in search of a quick refresher course, or for families to read and learn from together, Gombrich’s A Little History of the World both enchants and educates.
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£6.60£9.50A Little History of the World
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A Village in the Third Reich: How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed By the Rise of Fascism – from the author of Sunday Times bestseller Travellers in the Third Reich
___________
A Waterstones Paperback of the Year 2022
A New Statesman Book of the Year 2022
‘Fascinating… You’ll learn more about the psychological workings of Nazism by reading this superbly researched chronicle… than you will by reading a shelf of wider-canvas volumes on the rise of Nazism.’Daily Mail
‘An utterly absorbing insight into the full spectrum of responses from ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.’The Times
‘Boyd is an outstanding micro-historian.’iNews
___________Hidden deep in the Bavarian mountains lies the picturesque village of Oberstdorf – a place where for hundreds of years people lived simple lives while history was made elsewhere.
Yet even this remote idyll could not escape the brutal iron grip of the Nazi regime.
From the author of the
Sunday Times bestselling
Travellers in the Third Reich comes
A Village in the Third Reich: an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Germany under Hitler, shining a light on the lives of ordinary people. Drawing on personal archives, letters, interviews and memoirs, it lays bare their brutality and love; courage and weakness; action, apathy and grief; hope, pain, joy and despair.Within its pages we encounter people from all walks of life – foresters, priests, farmers and nuns; innkeepers, Nazi officials, veterans and party members; village councillors, mountaineers, socialists, slave labourers, schoolchildren, tourists and aristocrats. We meet the Jews who survived – and those who didn’t; the Nazi mayor who tried to shield those persecuted by the regime; and a blind boy whose life was judged ‘not worth living’.
This is a tale of conflicting loyalties and desires, of shattered dreams – but one in which, ultimately, human resilience triumphs.
These are the stories of ordinary lives at the crossroads of history.
___
‘Exceptional… Boyd’s book reminds us that even the most brutal regimes cannot extinguish all semblance of human feeling’Mail on Sunday
‘Masterly… [an] important and gripping book… [Boyd is] a leading historian of human responses in political extremis.’The Oldie
‘Gripping… vividly depicted… [a] humane and richly detailed book’ Spectator
‘Vivid, moving stories leave us asking “What would I have done?”‘ Professor David Reynolds, author of
Island Stories
“An absorbing, thoroughly recommended read”Family Tree magazine‘Laying bare the tragedies, the compromises, the suffering and the disillusionment. Exemplary microhistory.’ Roger Moorehouse, author of
First to Fight
‘Compelling and evocative’All About History
‘The rise of Nazi Germany through the prism of one small village in Bavaria. […] Astonishing’ Jane Garvey on
Fortunately… with Fi and Jane
‘incredibly engaging’History of War magazine‘Intensely detailed, exhaustively researched and rendered in almost cinematographic detail, Julia Boyd’s A Village In The Third Reich is deeply evocative, redolent of those times and truly revelatory. I learned so much. This is a book I will need to return to again and again, to relearn, refresh and remember. A triumph.’ Damien Lewis, author of
The Flame of ResistanceRead more
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Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History
This rich and magisterial work traces Palestine’s millennia-old heritage, uncovering cultures and societies of astounding depth and complexity that stretch back to the very beginnings of recorded history.Starting with the earliest references in Egyptian and Assyrian texts, Nur Masalha explores how Palestine and its Palestinian identity have evolved over thousands of years, from the Bronze Age to the present day. Drawing on a rich body of sources and the latest archaeological evidence, Masalha shows how Palestine’s multicultural past has been distorted and mythologised by Biblical lore and the Israel–Palestinian conflict.
In the process, Masalha reveals that the concept of Palestine, contrary to accepted belief, is not a modern invention or one constructed in opposition to Israel, but rooted firmly in ancient past. Palestine represents the authoritative account of the country’s history.
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The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union
BY THE AUTHOR OF CHERNOBYL: HISTORY OF A TRAGEDY, WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2018WINNER OF THE PUSHKIN HOUSE RUSSIAN BOOK PRIZE 2015
On Christmas Day 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. By the next day the USSR was officially no more and the USA had emerged as the world’s sole superpower. Award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy presents a page-turning account of the preceding five months of drama, filled with failed coups d’état and political intrigue.
Honing in on this previously disregarded but crucial period and using recently declassified documents and original interviews with key participants, he shatters the established myths of 1991 and presents a bold new interpretation of the Soviet Union’s final months. Plokhy argues that contrary to the triumphalist Western narrative, George H. W. Bush desperately wanted to preserve the Soviet Union and keep Gorbachev in power, and that it was Ukraine and not the US that played the key role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. The consequences of those five months and the myth-making that has since surrounded them are still being felt in Crimea, Russia, the US, and Europe today.
With its spellbinding narrative and strikingly fresh perspective, The Last Empire is the essential account of one of the most important watershed periods in world history, and is indispensable reading for anyone seeking to make sense of international politics today.
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Apocalypse How?: Technology and the Threat of Disaster
‘Entertaining and insightful’ — Evening Standard
‘One of the most important books of the year… Compelling’ Jamie Bartlett, Literary Review
‘Timely’ — New StatesmanAs the world becomes better connected and we grow ever more dependent on technology, the risks to our infrastructure are multiplying. Whether it’s a hostile state striking the national grid (like Russia did with Ukraine in 2016) or a freak solar storm, our systems have become so interlinked that if one part goes down the rest topple like dominoes.
In this groundbreaking book, former government minister Oliver Letwin looks ten years into the future and imagines a UK in which the national grid has collapsed. Reliant on the internet, automated electric cars, voice-over IP, GPS, and the internet of things, law and order would disintegrate. Taking us from high-level government meetings to elderly citizens waiting in vain for their carers, this book is a wake up call for why we should question our unshakeable faith in technology. But it’s much more than that: Letwin uses his vast experience in government to outline how businesses and government should respond to catastrophic black swan events that seem distant and implausible – until they occur.Read more
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Art inSight: Understanding Art and Why It Matters
PREFACE INTRODUCTION Chapter 1: The ORIGINAL SKYPE Meet a cave dweller, an African king, an Egyptian pharaoh, a Greek goddess, a Christian saint, and others who let you know who they are and what matters. What would a Roman general and Elvis Presley have to say to one another? Chapter 2: Figure Things Out Art is traditional, innovative, noisy, silent, figurative, abstract, pretty, ugly, orderly or messy. Objects change meaning depending on where they are and what is around them. Chairs, windows, animals, people, and trees may show up in unfamiliar places. Understanding grows through dialogue. Chapter 3: STEP Back to Go Forward Images from ancient to contemporary art show views of time, nature, human relationships, and more. Artists transform invisible values into visible forms and reveal ways people and cultures make sense of their worlds. Chapter 4: WHOSE LENS? Labels and headlines lead you to expect certain ideas. Artists use their perspectives to manage yours. Your tastes, opinions, prejudices, and past experiences affect what you see. When you are alert to the difference between projecting and receiving, you can move from sight to insight. Chapter 5: ART IN DIALOGUE Paintings from 16th century Iran and 20th century America talk to one another. They learn what is important to each by asking questions and modelling open-hearted dialogue. They see how artists in both cultures paint unreal scenes to seek what is real. Chapter 6: The CAPTURE Students in communication and mediators in training meet modern art at the Hirshhorn Museum. They ask one another what they see and answer by describing. They discuss each others’ perceptions. Successful mediators must be fine observers and excellent listeners. Chapter 7: QUESTION AND PLAY Practice overhearing yourself through questions and play. Simple observations lead to complex ideas. Circles and lines make up pictures and provide metaphors in art and in life. Narrow categories limit understanding. Questioning art is a form of intercultural communication. Chapter 8: Travel Go to new places through art without suffering culture shock. A bowl, etched with calligraphy, takes you on a journey to Iran, and a soup can goes with you to America. Both are more than their visual forms. Questioning them carries you from surface to depth. Chapter 9: WHEN ART SPEAKS, LISTEN Language of all kinds communicates, bewilders, clarifies, and obscures. Become fluent in the language of art and question its colours, materials, and forms – its titles, symbols, archetypes, and frames. “Speaking” the language of art leads to cultural fluency. Chapter 10: FOLLOW YOUR SENSES – SENSE MEANING Body and mind work together. Your senses introduce you to art and to the rest of the world. Notice your first reactions, your thoughts and feelings. Then, return to the art by observing and describing. Open yourself to others’ stories. Chapter 11: MAKE SENSE OF THE SENSELESS In the wake of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, artists used small things to confront large ideas. Prayer rugs and cheeseburgers are filled with meaning. Find spiritual beliefs, patriotism, war, sex, and politics, along with fears, loves, desires, and angers. Chapter 12: IN OTHER WORLDS In 2010, the world watched the rescue of trapped Chilean coal miners. Artists take you underground to their dark world. Go more deeply into yourself through detailed questions about what you see in places you may never enter except through art.Read more
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Making Room: Cultural Production in Occupied Spaces
Making Room: Cultural Production in Occupied Spaces is an anthology of texts on art, media and aesthetic practice in the context of squatting, occupation and urban space activism. It includes pieces by activist researchers working between the academy and the movements they write about, journalistic first-person narratives by squatters, original photography and interviews with artists, theorists and activists involved in struggles over urban space and creative production in the city. Focused primarily on the European context its international relations and connection, this diverse collection of material is organized into sections by country so as to highlight the contrast between different voices and frames of reference. While many of these voices assert accounts of a cohesive, international squatter movement or are committed to specific political projects the anthology, when taken as a whole, tells a more complex story about constellations of movements and practices intensely engaged with local conditions that have developed – sometimes independently, sometimes in dialog with one another – as people have struggled to survive, express themselves, carve out zones of autonomy and resistance, and push back against the dominance of capitalism in the city. In this, “cultural production” appears in a variety of forms ranging from conventional art practices, to the organizing of communities and networks, to the production of media and setting up of information systems. Likewise, squats, occupations and social centers are figured as art projects themselves, housing and workspaces for artists or, most significantly, constituent parts of an alternative infrastructure for the autonomous production of knowledge, discourse, and aesthetics. Making Room includes stories of the squatter movement in Germany both in the 1980s and ’90s as the Cold War was ending and Neoliberalism taking shape, and in its contemporary manifestations as resistance to gentrification and struggles for housing and the inclusion of migrants. In Northern Europe it recounts episodes in the emergence of militant autonomism from the softer counterculture of the 1960s and ’70s as struggles hardened and utopian exuberance faded in the face of the consolidation of global capitalism and was replaced by grim, determined holding actions. In Italy the housing struggles and social center movement of the 1980s appears as a more popular and pragmatic revival of activism following the decimation of the radical left in the dark years of the anni di piombo. This revival has found new resonance in the resurgence of squatting in Italy and the occupation and debt resistance movement in Spain that have taken much inspiration from it. Other texts in the anthology recount struggles to define the role of creativity as cities in Western Europe and North America have become post-industrial urban economies, organized around knowledge work and affective labor, and gentrification has replaced urban decay as a primary problem. Finally, another narrative thread runs through the anthology tracing a history of radical media from the underground printing and publishing practices of the 1960’s and ’70s through the proliferation of pirate radio and television projects and into contemporary hacker and internet activist culture.Read more
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Visual Culture, Heritage and Identity: Using Rock Art to Reconnect Past and Present
‘Visual Culture, Heritage and Identity: Using Rock Art to Reconnect Past and Present’ sets out a fresh perspective on rock art by considering how ancient images function in the present. In recent decades, archaeological approaches to rock paintings and engravings have significantly advanced our understanding of rock art in regional and global terms. On the other hand, however, little research has been done on contemporary uses of rock art. How does ancient rock art heritage influence contemporary cultural phenomena? And how do past images function in the present, especially in contemporary art and other media? In the past, archaeologists usually concentrated more on reconstructing the semantic and social contexts of the ancient images. This volume, on the other hand, focuses on how this ancient heritage is recognised and reified in the modern world, and how this art stimulates contemporary processes of cultural identity-making. The authors, who are based all over the world, off er attractive and compelling case studies situated in diverse cultural and geographical contexts.Read more
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The Walls of Santiago: Social Revolution and Political Aesthetics in Contemporary Chile: 30 (Protest, Culture & Society, 30)
A photo-illustrated record of Chilean protest art, along with reflections on artistic antecedents, global protest movements, and the long shadow cast by Chile’s authoritarian past.
From October 2019 until the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, Chile was convulsed by protests and political upheaval, as what began as civil disobedience transformed into a vast resistance movement. Throughout, the most striking aspects of the protests were the murals, graffiti, and other political graphics that became ubiquitous in Chilean cities.
Authors Terri Gordon-Zolov and Eric Zolov were in Santiago to witness and document the protests from their very beginning. The book is beautifully illustrated with over 150 photographs taken throughout the protests. Additional photos will be available on the publisher’s website.
From the introduction:
In the conclusion, we take stock of the crisis of the nation-state in the contemporary era. This chapter brings events into the present moment, noting the ways President Piñera took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to reclaim the streets of Santiago, a phenomenon echoed in countries across the globe. While most of the global protest movements were forced to go underground (or into the ether), the Black Lives Matter movement surged in the United States and drew massive amounts of support both domestically and abroad, suggesting a continued wave of grassroots protests. We close with reflections on the continued relevance of walls in a virtual world, the testimonial role that protest graphics play, and the future outlook for revolutionary movements in Chile and worldwide.Read more
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Reading the Walls of Bogota: Graffiti, Street Art, and the Urban Imaginary of Violence (Pitt Illuminations)
A cultural imaginary is a structuring space through which collective understandings of cultural and society phenomena are formed, reproduced, and accepted as the norm. Reading the Walls of Bogotá uses graffiti and street art to explore the urban imaginaries of violence in Bogotá, Colombia. These artistic forms are produced and received in different ways in different areas of the city and offer an insight into citizens’ everyday experiences and perceptions of violence from the political, to the personal, to that of structural inequality. Through graffiti, in which critiques of memory, space, politics, and aesthetics are embedded, artists and their viewers form vernacular theories through which they interpret the world and the spaces they inhabit. By focusing on creative expression, Alba Griffin shows how Bogotá’s residents respond to imaginaries of violence, how they critique the norms, how they appropriate space to challenge or negotiate violence, and how they push back against inequality.Read more
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Iconoclasm, Identity Politics and the Erasure of History (Societas)
Iconoclasm, Identity Politics and the Erasure of History surveys the origins, uses and manifestations of iconoclasm in history, art and public culture. It examines the various causes and uses of image/property defacement as a tool of political, national, religious and artistic process. This is one of the first books to examine the outbreak of iconoclasm in Europe and North America in the summer of 2020 in the context of previous outbreaks, and it examines the implications of iconoclasm as a form of control, censorship and expression.
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£13.50£14.20 -
The Failures of Public Art and Participation
This collection of original essays takes a multi-disciplinary approach to explore the theme of failure through the broad spectrum of public art and social practice.
The anthology brings together practicing artists, curators, activists, art writers, administrators, planners, and educators from around the world to offer differing perspectives on the many facets of failure in commissioning, planning, producing, evaluating, and engaging communities in the continually evolving field of art in the public realm. As such, this book offers a survey of currently unexplored and interconnected thinking, and provides a much-needed critical voice to the commissioning of public and participatory arts. The volume includes case studies from the UK, the US, China, Cuba, and Denmark, as well as discussions of digital public art collections.
The Failures of Public Art and Participation will be of interest for students and scholars of visual arts, design and architecture interested in how art in the public realm fits within social and political contexts.
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The Everyday Practice of Public Art: Art, Space, and Social Inclusion
The Everyday Practice of Public Art: Art, Space, and Social Inclusion is a multidisciplinary anthology of analyses exploring the expansion of contemporary public art issues beyond the built environment.
It follows the highly successful publication The Practice of Public Art (eds. Cartiere and Willis), and expands the analysis of the field with a broad perspective which includes practicing artists, curators, activists, writers and educators from North America, Europe and Australia, who offer divergent perspectives on the many facets of the public art process.
The collection examines the continual evolution of public art, moving beyond monuments and memorials to examine more fully the development of socially-engaged public art practice. Topics include constructing new models for developing and commissioning temporary and performance-based public artworks; understanding the challenges of a socially-engaged public art practice vs. social programming and policymaking; the social inclusiveness of public art; the radical developments in public art and social practice pedagogy; and unravelling the relationships between public artists and the communities they serve.
The Everyday Practice of Public Art offers a diverse perspective on the increasingly complex nature of artistic practice in the public realm in the twenty-first century.
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£30.10£35.10 -
I Wanna Do That!: The Magic of Mardi Gras Marching Krewes
The move from spectator to participant is a quantum leap. Yet each Mardi Gras in New Orleans, thousands of people make that leap, abandoning inhibition and reveling in the ever-growing creative phenomenon of marching krewes.
To celebrate this untold story, I Wanna Do That! Celebrating the Magic of Mardi Gras Marching Krewes, bursts with over 200 full color photographs that document this important New Orleans-centered cultural movement. As local arts critic Doug McCash says, “At this juncture, marching krewes are one of the best art stories in the city.”
Ok…so, what is a marching krewe?
Simply put, a marching krewe is a group of like-minded people who get together for the purpose of marching in parades that take place during the Carnival (Mardi Gras) season.
These krewes come in all shapes, sizes, and variations, yet they all share the attributes of creativity, artistry, quirkiness, humor, inclusiveness, and accessibility. Krewes are composed of people who practice dance moves, sew costumes, and create “throws” to hand out to a covetous public. People for whom participation is a badge of civic identity. People who at one point stood on the curb and said “I wanna do THAT!!”
Realizing that the marching krewe field has expanded exponentially, our team knew it was a story that must be told. Two incredibly talented local photographers worked tirelessly to document the creative energy of the 2020 Mardi Gras season for this book, to tell and share the unique story of the 300+ marching krewes in New Orleans. I Wanna Do That! is perfect gift for anyone who loves New Orleans.
“‘I Wanna Do That!: The Magic of Mardi Gras Marching Krewes’ is a must-have book for Carnival aficionados. Leafing through the 272-page volume, illustrated with lusciously funky photos by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee and Patrick Niddrie, seems especially precious these days, since the coronavirus has put the kibosh on most upcoming Mardi Gras-season events.” – Doug MacCash, Staff Writer, The New Orleans Advocate
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£27.50 -
The Art of Protest: What a Revolution Looks Like
2023 WINNER OF THE BOLOGNA RAGAZZI AWARD!2022 WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK DESIGN & PRODUCTION AWARDS IN THE CHILDREN’S TRADE 9 TO 16 CATEGORY!
“Start making. Start being the change you want to see in this world.” – De Nichols
From the psychedelic typography used in ‘Make Love Not War’ posters of the 60s, to the solitary raised fist, take a long, hard look at some of the most memorable and striking protest artwork from across the world and throughout history. With an emphasis on design, analyse each artwork to understand how colour, symbolism, technique, typography and much more play an important role in communication, and learn about some of the most influential historical movements.
Tips and activities are also included to get you started on making some of your own protest art.
Guided by activist, lecturer and speaker De Nichol’s powerful own narrative and stunningly illustrated by a collaboration of young artists from around the world, including Diana Dagadita, Olivia Twist, Molly Mendoza, Raul Oprea and Diego Becas, Art of Protest is as inspiring as it is empowering.
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£12.10£16.10The Art of Protest: What a Revolution Looks Like
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Protest!: A History of Social and Political Protest Graphics
Discover the power and impact of protest art with this authoritative, richly illustrated history of social and political protest graphics from around the world.
Expertly written and unique in its scope, this extraordinary book features hundreds of the best examples of posters, prints, murals, graffiti, political cartoons and other endlessly inventive graphic forms that have been used in political protest throughout history and to the present.
Spanning continents and centuries, Protest! documents the vital role of the visual arts in calling for freedom and change. It examines how graphics have been used to highlight injustice, protest wars, satirize authority figures, demand equal rights and fight for an end to discrimination.
An astounding emotional visual exploration which includes:
Hogarth’s Gin Lane, Goya’s Disasters of War, Thomas Nast’s political caricatures, French and British comics, postcards from the women’s suffrage movement, satirical anti-fascist magazines, ‘Ban the Bomb’ demonstrations, clothing of the 1960s counterculture, Cuban revolutionary poster art, the anti-apartheid illustrated book How to Commit Suicide in South Africa, the “Silence=Death” emblem from the AIDS crisis, The Last Whole Earth Catalog, anti-corporate advertising campaigns, Stonewall posters and postcards, murals created during the Arab Spring, electronic graphics from Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution, posters created for the Women’s March, the Trump Baby inflatable blimp, the magazine Charlie Hebdo, Black Lives Matter posters and flags.Read more
£4.70£28.50 -
Conversations from Calais: Sharing Refugee Stories
‘A beautiful, deeply affecting and powerful marriage between art and activism’ – KHALED HOSSEINI, bestselling author of The Kite Runner
‘These are vital conversations. Everyone should eavesdrop on them’- KAMILA SHAMSIE, author of award-winning bestseller Home Fire
Conversations From Calais is a global art movement that captures moments between volunteers and refugees in poster form. Pasted on our city walls these posters amplify marginalised voices and bear witness to those who are often ignored.
Features essay contributions by Osman Yousefzada, Gulwali Passarlay, Nish Kumar, Joudie Kalla, Waad Al-Kateab, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Ai Weiwei and Inua Ellams.
‘Showcases what the world so desperately needs more of right now: heart, hope and humanity’ – EMMA GANNON, author & podcaster
‘These conversations remind us that the only difference between ourselves and anyone else is circumstance’ – OLIVE GRAY, actor
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£11.40£14.20Conversations from Calais: Sharing Refugee Stories
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The Nostalgia Nerd’s Retro Tech: Computer, Consoles & Games (Tech Classics)
The perfect Father’s Day gift.Remember what a wild frontier the early days of home gaming were? Manufacturers releasing new consoles at a breakneck pace; developers creating games that kept us up all night, then going bankrupt the next day; and what self-respecting kid didn’t beg their parents for an Atari or a Nintendo? This explosion of computers, consoles, and games was genuinely unlike anything the tech world has seen before or since.
This thoroughly researched and geeky trip down memory lane pulls together the most entertaining stories from this dynamic era, and brings you the classic tech that should never be forgotten.
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£10.40£18.00