A Fortnight in Egypt at the Opening of the Suez Canal


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Captain Sir Frederick Arrow was Deputy Master of Trinity House, an historic mariners' guild responsible for the provision and maintenance of navigational aids in the British Isles and Gibraltar. In 1869, Sir Frederick received an official invitation from Ismail Pasha, hereditary Khedive and Viceroy of Egypt, to attend the lavish opening and special ceremonies of the Suez Canal, November, 1869. One of the events was the presentation of Verdi's "Rigoletto" at Cairo's glittering Opera House, a substitute for "Aida" which the composer had failed to complete on time. The Khedive was disappointed, but not nearly as much as Sir Frederick was on learning that there were two classes of invitations for the opening: one for Royalty and one for the likes of Sir Frederick. He became an informal chronicler of these events and in this work, relates his reactions to one of the great events of the 19th century.







Catalogue


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The Games: A Global History of the Olympics


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“A people’s history of the Olympics.”—New York Times Book Review A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year The Games is best-selling sportswriter David Goldblatt’s sweeping, definitive history of the modern Olympics. Goldblatt brilliantly traces their history from the reinvention of the Games in Athens in 1896 to Rio in 2016, revealing how the Olympics developed into a global colossus and highlighting how they have been buffeted by (and affected by) domestic and international conflicts. Along the way, Goldblatt reveals the origins of beloved Olympic traditions (winners’ medals, the torch relay, the eternal flame) and popular events (gymnastics, alpine skiing, the marathon). And he delivers memorable portraits of Olympic icons from Jesse Owens to Nadia Comaneci, the Dream Team to Usain Bolt.




Reassessing Suez 1956


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The nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956 triggered one of the gravest international crises since the Second World War. The fiftieth anniversary of the Suez crisis in 2006 presented an ideal opportunity to re-visit and reassess this seminal episode in post-war history. Although much has been written on Suez, this study provides fresh perspectives by reflecting the latest research from leading international authorities on the crisis and its aftermath. By drawing on recently released documents, by including previously neglected aspects of Suez, and by reassessing its more familiar ones, the volume makes a key contribution to furthering research on - and understanding of - the crisis. The volume explores the origins of the crisis, the crisis itself and the aftermath all from a broad perspective. An introduction by the editor presents the current state of the historiography and provides an overview of the debates surrounding the crisis, while the conclusion by Scott Lucas not merely draws the themes of the book together, but also explores the crisis in its regional and international context. Within the overall context of focussing on the international and military aspects of the crisis, it is an explicit intention to embody in the contributions the multifaceted nature of Suez. Although Britain, as in many ways the principal actor, is strongly represented, there are also highly original chapters on both the regional and international dimensions to the crisis, and crucially the interaction between the two. As well as exploring the role of the main protagonists, essays also deal with American, Jordanian and Turkish reactions to the invasion. The overall result is an innovative, thought-provoking, and wide-ranging reassessment of Suez and its aftermath, which at a time when the Middle East once again holds the world's attention, is particularly appropriate.




Letters to Australia, Volume 5


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Queen Elizabeth’s visit showed a strong remaining affection for the crown, despite the nation’s shift of its power alliances to the USA. In the USA, McCarthyism crashed with the discrediting of its leading figure; in Argentina, the autocratic populist movement of Peron came to an end; West Germany continued its spectacular economic growth; and Yugoslavia made a bid for neutrality, weakening the Soviet Union’s grip on the Balkan states.







All the Year Round


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