Death is universal, but each culture has found a different way of dealing with it. This wide-ranging book examines the compelling subject of death, funeral rites and burial in different cultures and s
Torture is associated most closely with the absolute monarchies of history and the totalitarian and dictatorial regimes of the more recent past and present day. The classical world employed it widely
From around 750BC to 12BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. With the expansion of the Roman Empire and the later Christianization of these lands, they were pushe
Gustav Klimt is renowned as a quintessential artist of the art nouveau movement, but he was one of a number of Viennese artists who strove to break free of the constraints of the late 19th Century aca
A rusting antiaircraft fort in the North Sea. A German submarine base in France. A Flak tower in a Viennese park — more than 70 years after the end of World War II, its legacy can still be seen from E
Mount Fuji has been a source of inspiration and awe since ancient times, and artists have been reproducing its likeness since at least the 14th century, as it became a key motif in all aspects of Japa
Detailing the disgraces of all 44 Presidents, from sexual skirmishes to CIA cover-ups, Dark History of the American Presidents covers every dirty deed committed behind the White House fence, from fina
Wales is a country full of character and stunning scenery, from its beautiful mountains in Snowdonia National Park and the Brecon Beacons to the architectural magnificence of the Menai Suspension brid
Prior to the invention of the printing press, all books had to be written by hand. Manuscripts are the beautiful manifestation of this craft, and the most precious and expensive of such manuscripts we
Henry James said, 'Paris is the greatest temple ever built to material joys and the lust of the eyes'. Renowned as the City of Light, Paris is celebrated for its beautiful city plan, its architecture,
