The Caliph Al-Muntasir was the eighth Shi'ite Isma'ili Fatimid Caliph, making him both the Isma'ili Imam and secular ruler of a vast empire when he came to power in 1036 at the age of 7. Although he r
British Muslim activism has evolved constantly in recent decades. What have been its main groups and how do their leaders compete to attract followers? Which social and religious ideas from abroad are
Swifter than the Arrow explores a little-known aspect of life in Ancient Egypt, celebrating the Egyptians as the first known civilisation to have formed the special bond with the dog that persists tod
Not since Anthony Eden's Suez War of 1956 has Britain's foreign policy provoked such intense controversy. But how are British foreign policy decisions taken? How does British diplomacy actually work?
This is an annotated English translation of Qadi al-Nu'man's Iftitah al-de' wa. This book is the most important primary source for the emergence of the Fatimid state in the early years of the tenth ce
The history of European Jewry is a vast and complex subject. In this book, Edward Gelles traces Jewish history in Europe and the Near East including population movement, settlement, integration, advan
The relationship between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown is unique in British politics and this book describes it from close quarters. The author saw both men in action, advising the Prime Minister for ov
Railway expansion was the great industrial project of the late 19th century, and the Great Powers built railways at speed and reaped great commercial benefits. The greatest imperial dream of all was t
Fifty years after Antony Eden’s fateful decision to take on the Egyptian President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, veteran Guardian journalist Martin Woollacott brings to life the arguments, personalities and ev
Photography has visualized international relations and conflicts from the mid-nineteenth century onwards and continues to be an important medium in framing the worlds of distant and suffering others.
Art historians have tended to frame late socialist central European art as either ‘totalitarian’ or ‘transitional’. This bold new book challenges this established viewpoint, contending that the artist
In 1801, at the age of just 20 years old, Ranjit Singh became the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire and subsequently emerged as one of the greatest figures in the history of the Punjab. Despite the di
After the collapse of the Soviet Union a team of young economic reformers led by Yegor Gaidar worked to create a new economic future for Russia. Against an overwhelming threat of looming hunger and ci
Drawing has been growing in recognition and stature within contemporary fine art since the mid-1970s. Simultaneously, feminist activism has been widespread, leading to the increased prominence of wome
At a critical point in the development of photography, this book offers an engaging, detailed and far-reaching examination of the key issues that are defining contemporary photographic culture. Photog
This book explores the significance of beautiful and engaging objects—chosen, acquired, personalised and treasured—to the people who once owned them. With over 300 works discussed, it takes us on a da
The New Iranian Cinema is considered by many to be the most fascinating cultural phenomenon produced within the Islamic Republic of Iran. Containing twelve first-hand interviews with the most renowned
After the German and Soviet attack on Poland in 1939, vast swathes of Polish territory, including Warsaw and Krakow, fell under Nazi occupation in an administration which became known as the 'General
David Lloyd George left a profound political legacy, despite being described by the wife of his successor, Herbert Asquith, as a 'gambler without foresight'. He is, of course, best known as the Prime
What reader could fail to be enthralled by the Iliad and the Odyssey, those greatest heroic epics of antiquity? Yet the author of these immortal texts remains, in the end, an enigma. The central parad
