Max Egremont's Books

Forgotten Land

Journeys Among the Ghosts of East Prussia

By: Max Egremont

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Forgotten Land

Journeys Among the Ghosts of East Prussia

By: Max Egremont

Until the end of World War II, East Prussia was the German empire's farthest eastern redoubt, a thriving and beautiful land on the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea. Now it lives only in history and in myth. Since 1945, the territory has been divided between Poland and Russia, stretching from the border between Russia and Lithuania in the east and south, and through Poland in the west. In Forgotten Land, Max Egremont offers a vivid account of this region and its people through the stories of individuals who were intimately involved in and transformed by its tumultuous history, as well as accounts of his own travels and interviews he conducted along the way. Forgotten Land is a story of historical identity and character, told through intimate portraits of people and places. It is a unique examination of the layers of history, of the changing perceptions and myths of homeland, of virtue and of wickedness, and of how a place can still overwhelm those who left it years before.

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Page Count

386

Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published Date

ISBN 10

1429969334

ISBN 13

9781429969338

Some Desperate Glory

The First World War the Poets Knew

By: Max Egremont

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Some Desperate Glory

The First World War the Poets Knew

By: Max Egremont

Max Egremont's Some Desperate Glory presents the story of World War I through the lives and words of its poets. The hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of what many believed would be the war to end all wars is in 2014. And while World War I devastated Europe, it inspired profound poetry—words in which the atmosphere and landscape of battle are evoked perhaps more vividly than anywhere else. The poets—many of whom were killed—show not only the war's tragedy but also the hopes and disappointments of a generation of men. In Some Desperate Glory, the historian and biographer Max Egremont gives us a transfiguring look at the life and work of this assemblage of poets. Wilfred Owen with his flaring genius; the intense, compassionate Siegfried Sassoon; the composer Ivor Gurney; Robert Graves, who would later spurn his war poems; the nature-loving Edward Thomas; the glamorous Fabian Socialist Rupert Brooke; and the shell-shocked Robert Nichols—all fought in the war, and their poetry is a bold act of creativity in the face of unprecedented destruction. Some Desperate Glory includes a chronological anthology of the poets' works, telling the story of the war not only through the lives of these writers but also through their art. This unique volume unites the poetry and the history of the war—so often treated separately—granting readers the pride, strife, and sorrow of the individual soldier's experience coupled with a panoramic view of the war's toll on an entire nation.

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353

Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published Date

ISBN 10

0374713030

ISBN 13

9780374713034

The New Map of Empire

How Britain Imagined America before Independence

By: S. Max Edelson

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The New Map of Empire

How Britain Imagined America before Independence

By: S. Max Edelson

After the Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years’ War in 1763, British America stretched from Hudson Bay to the Florida Keys, from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River, and across new islands in the West Indies. To better rule these vast dominions, Britain set out to map its new territories with unprecedented rigor and precision. Max Edelson’s The New Map of Empire pictures the contested geography of the British Atlantic world and offers new explanations of the causes and consequences of Britain’s imperial ambitions in the generation before the American Revolution. Under orders from King George III to reform the colonies, the Board of Trade dispatched surveyors to map far-flung frontiers, chart coastlines in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, sound Florida’s rivers, parcel tropical islands into plantation tracts, and mark boundaries with indigenous nations across the continental interior. Scaled to military standards of resolution, the maps they produced sought to capture the essential attributes of colonial spaces—their natural capacities for agriculture, navigation, and commerce—and give British officials the knowledge they needed to take command over colonization from across the Atlantic. Britain’s vision of imperial control threatened to displace colonists as meaningful agents of empire and diminished what they viewed as their greatest historical accomplishment: settling the New World. As London’s mapmakers published these images of order in breathtaking American atlases, Continental and British forces were already engaged in a violent contest over who would control the real spaces they represented. Accompanying Edelson’s innovative spatial history of British America are online visualizations of more than 250 original maps, plans, and charts.

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481

Publisher

Harvard University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0674972112

ISBN 13

9780674972117

Catastrophe 1914

Europe Goes to War

By: Max Hastings

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Catastrophe 1914

Europe Goes to War

By: Max Hastings

From the acclaimed military historian, a history of the outbreak of World War I: the dramatic stretch from the breakdown of diplomacy to the battles—the Marne, Ypres, Tannenberg—that marked the frenzied first year before the war bogged down in the trenches. In Catastrophe 1914, Max Hastings gives us a conflict different from the familiar one of barbed wire, mud and futility. He traces the path to war, making clear why Germany and Austria-Hungary were primarily to blame, and describes the gripping first clashes in the West, where the French army marched into action in uniforms of red and blue with flags flying and bands playing. In August, four days after the French suffered 27,000 men dead in a single day, the British fought an extraordinary holding action against oncoming Germans, one of the last of its kind in history. In October, at terrible cost the British held the allied line against massive German assaults in the first battle of Ypres. Hastings also re-creates the lesser-known battles on the Eastern Front, brutal struggles in Serbia, East Prussia and Galicia, where the Germans, Austrians, Russians and Serbs inflicted three million casualties upon one another by Christmas. As he has done in his celebrated, award-winning works on World War II, Hastings gives us frank assessments of generals and political leaders and masterly analyses of the political currents that led the continent to war. He argues passionately against the contention that the war was not worth the cost, maintaining that Germany’s defeat was vital to the freedom of Europe. Throughout we encounter statesmen, generals, peasants, housewives and private soldiers of seven nations in Hastings’s accustomed blend of top-down and bottom-up accounts: generals dismounting to lead troops in bayonet charges over 1,500 feet of open ground; farmers who at first decried the requisition of their horses; infantry men engaged in a haggard retreat, sleeping four hours a night in their haste. This is a vivid new portrait of how a continent became embroiled in war and what befell millions of men and women in a conflict that would change everything.

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905

Publisher

Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0385351224

ISBN 13

9780385351225

Vulgar Tongues

An Alternative History of English Slang

By: Max Décharné

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Vulgar Tongues

An Alternative History of English Slang

By: Max Décharné

This rollercoaster ride through the colorful history of slang—from highwaymen to hip-hop—is a fresh and exciting take on the subject: entertaining and authoritative without being patronizing, out-of-touch or voyeuristic. Slang is the language of pop culture, low culture, street culture, underground movements and secret societies; depending on your point of view, it is a badge of honor, a sign of identity or a dangerous assault on the values of polite society. Of all the vocabularies available to us, slang is the most alive, constantly evolving and—as it leaks into the mainstream and is taken up by all of us—infusing the language with a healthy dose of vitality. Witty, energetic and informative Vulgar Tongues traces the many routes of slang, beginning with the thieves and prostitutes of Elizabethan London and ending with the present day, where the centuries-old terms rap and hip-hop still survive, though their meanings have changed. On the way we will meet Dr. Johnson, World War II flying aces, pickpockets, schoolchildren, hardboiled private eyes, carnival geeks and the many eccentric characters who have tried to record slang throughout its checkered past. If you’re curious about flapdragons and ale passion, the changing meanings of punk and geek, or how fly originated on the streets of eighteenth-century London and square in Masonic lodges, this is the book for you.

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Page Count

323

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

168177500X

ISBN 13

9781681775005

The Tudors

From Henry VII To Elizabeth I (A2 History Revision)

By: Max Abraham White

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The Tudors

From Henry VII To Elizabeth I (A2 History Revision)

By: Max Abraham White

“The five sovereigns of the Tudor dynasty are among the most well-known figures in Royal history. Of Welsh origin, Henry VII succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York to found the highly successful Tudor house. Henry VII, his son Henry VIII and his three children Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I ruled for 118 eventful years. “During this period, England developed into one of the leading European colonial powers, with men such as Sir Walter Raleigh taking part in the conquest of the New World. Nearer to home, campaigns in Ireland brought the country under strict English control. “Culturally and socially, the Tudor period saw many changes. The Tudor court played a prominent part in the cultural Renaissance taking place in Europe, nurturing all-round individuals such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser and Cardinal Wolsey. “The Tudor period also saw the turbulence of three changes of the official religion, resulting in the martyrdom of many innocent believers of both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The fear of Roman Catholicism induced by the Reformation was to last for several centuries and to play an influential role in the history of the Succession.” — The Royal Household © Crown Copyright

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Origin of Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

172083301X

ISBN 13

9781720833017

The Generals of Saratoga

John Burgoyne and Horatio Gates

By: Max M. Mintz

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The Generals of Saratoga

John Burgoyne and Horatio Gates

By: Max M. Mintz

This work offers an account of the Saratoga campaign of 1777 through the lives of its opposing generals - John Burgoyne, the British commander, and Horatio Gates, the American (but British born) commander. The book portrays the two men and the events that developed around them. It covers both the American and British dimensions of the campaign, the only engagement in the Revolutionary War in which an all-American army captured a major British force.

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308

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300052618

ISBN 13

9780300052619

Curious English Words and Phrases

The truth behind the expressions we use

By: Max Cryer

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Curious English Words and Phrases

The truth behind the expressions we use

By: Max Cryer

Have you ever wondered where terms like 'end of your tether', 'gets my goat' or 'letting ones hair down' come from? Or why we call some people 'geezers', 'sugar daddies' or 'lounge lizards'? Or where the words 'eavesdropping', 'nickname' and 'D-Day' come from? They are just a few of the many words and phrases that language expert Max Cryer examines in this fact-filled and fun new book. Max explains where these curious expressions come from, what they mean and how they are used. Along the way he tells a host of colourful anecdotes and dispels quite a few myths - Did Churchill originate the phrase 'black dog'? And if 'ivory tower' can be found in the Bible, why has its meaning changed so drastically? Curious English Words and Phrases is a treasure trove for lovers of language. Informative, amusing and value for money, this book is 'the real McCoy'. From 'couch potato' to 'Bob's your uncle', you'll find the explanation here!

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434

Publisher

Exisle Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1921966017

ISBN 13

9781921966019

Paradise Preserved

Recreations in Eden in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century England

By: Max F. Schulz

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Paradise Preserved

Recreations in Eden in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century England

By: Max F. Schulz

Examines the ways in which the idea of an earthly paradise inspired English life and thought in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

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390

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521301734

ISBN 13

9780521301732

The Glass Wall

Lives on the Baltic Frontier

By: Max Egremont

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The Glass Wall

Lives on the Baltic Frontier

By: Max Egremont

Max Egremont, author of Some Desperate Glory, tells stories from the "Glass Wall" between Europe and Asia. Few countries have suffered more from the convulsions and bloodshed of twentieth-century Europe than those in the eastern Baltic region. Caught between the giants of Germany and Russia, on a route across which armies surged or retreated, small nations like Latvia and Estonia were for centuries the subjects of conquests and domination as foreign colonizers claimed control of the territory and its inhabitants, along with their religion, government, and culture. The Glass Wall features an extraordinary cast of characters—contemporary and historical, foreign and indigenous—who have lived and fought in the Baltic, western Europe’s easternmost stronghold. Too often the destiny of this region has seemed to be to serve as the front line in other people’s wars. By telling the stories of warriors and victims, of philosophers and barons, of poets and artists, of rebels and emperors, and of others who lived through years of turmoil and violence, Max Egremont sets forth a brilliant account of a long-overlooked region, on a frontier whose limits may still be in doubt.

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294

Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published Date

ISBN 10

0374717206

ISBN 13

9780374717209

Siegfried Sassoon

A Biography

By: Max Egremont

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Siegfried Sassoon

A Biography

By: Max Egremont

The life of Siegfried Sassoon has been recorded and interpreted in literature and film for over half a century. He is one of the great figures of the First World War, and Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man and Memoirs of an Infantry Officer are still widely read, as are his poems, which did much to shape our present ideas about the Great War. Sassoon was a genuine hero, a brave young officer who also became the war's most famous opponent, risking imprisonment and even a death sentence by throwing his Military Cross into the Mersey. He was friend to Robert Graves, mentor to Wilfred Owen and much admired by Churchill. But Sassoon was more than the embodiment of a romantic ideal; he was in many senses the perfect product of a vanished age. And many questions about his character, unique experience and motivations have remained unanswered until now. Siegfried Sassoon’s life has been recorded and interpreted in literature and film for over half a century. But this poet, First World War hero, friend to Robert Graves and mentor to Wilfred Owen, was more than the embodiment of a romantic ideal. Passionately involved with the aristocratic aesthete Stephen Tennant, married abruptly to the beautiful Hester Gatty, estranged, isolated, and a late Catholic convert, his private story has never before been told in such depth. Egremont discovers a man born in a vanished age, unhappy with his homosexuality and the modernist revolution that appeared to threaten the survival of his work, and engaged in an enduring personal battle between idealism and the world in which he moved. Shortlisted for the 2005 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Autobiography

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Page Count

507

Publisher

Pan Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

1447234782

ISBN 13

9781447234784

Some Desperate Glory

The First World War the Poets Knew

By: Max Egremont

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Some Desperate Glory

The First World War the Poets Knew

By: Max Egremont

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353

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Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published Date

ISBN 10

0374713030

ISBN 13

9780374713034

Siegfried Sassoon

A Life

By: Max Egremont

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Siegfried Sassoon

A Life

By: Max Egremont

From his famous war poems to the gentler vision of his prose, Siegfried Sassoon wrote masterfully of war and lost idylls. This work and its complex author are illuminated in Egremont's definitive biography.

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688

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0374263752

ISBN 13

9780374263751

Under Two Flags

The Life of Major-general Sir Edward Spears

By: Max Egremont

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Under Two Flags

The Life of Major-general Sir Edward Spears

By: Max Egremont

A biography of one of the greatest churchillians, a crucial lynch-pin between Britain and France

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370

Publisher

Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published Date

ISBN 10

0297813471

ISBN 13

9780297813477

Siegfried Sassoon

A Poet & His Library

By: Max Egremont

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Siegfried Sassoon

A Poet & His Library

By: Max Egremont

This catalogue contains the text of the lecture delivered by Max Egremont on the life and bibliophilic activities of English poet and book collector Siegfried Sassoon. The lecture was held at the Grolier Club in 2001 as part of the Robert L. Nikirk Lectures, New Series, Number 2. The catalogue was designed by Jerry Kelly.

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Grolier, Incorporated

Published Date

ISBN 10

1605830062

ISBN 13

9781605830063

Under Two Flags

The Life of Major-General Sir Edward Spears

By: Max Egremont

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Under Two Flags

The Life of Major-General Sir Edward Spears

By: Max Egremont

Few people knew the 20th century leaders of Britain and France as well as Sir Edward Louis Spears. He was a man of vigour and ambition, both a ruthless controversialist and the outsider, often at odds with the establishment. This biography provides a missing link in the history of the 20th century.

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370

Publisher

Phoenix

Published Date

ISBN 10

0753801477

ISBN 13

9780753801475

Book's by Max Egremont

Forgotten Land

Forgotten Land

Some Desperate Glory

Some Desperate Glory

The New Map of Empire

The New Map of Empire

Catastrophe 1914

Catastrophe 1914

Vulgar Tongues

Vulgar Tongues

The Tudors

The Tudors

The Generals of Saratoga

The Generals of Saratoga

Curious English Words and Phrases

Curious English Words and Phrases

Paradise Preserved

Paradise Preserved

The Glass Wall

The Glass Wall

Siegfried Sassoon

Siegfried Sassoon

Some Desperate Glory

Some Desperate Glory

Siegfried Sassoon

Siegfried Sassoon

Under Two Flags

Under Two Flags

Siegfried Sassoon

Siegfried Sassoon

Under Two Flags

Under Two Flags

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