The World History Shelf

The Road to Barbarossa
Norman Ridley
Frontline Books
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399068826, $42.95, HC, 232pp

https://www.amazon.com/Road-Barbarossa-Soviet-German-Relations-1917-1941/dp= /1399068822

Synopsis: Arising from the chaos of the First World War, during which Germa=
ny and Russia had fought each other to a standstill, there emerged two soci= eties whose diametrically opposed ideologies of communism and fascism repre= sented the opposite extremes of the political spectrum. Despite this, in ti=
me the governments and military establishments in both countries were able =
to create an environment where political expediency led to both cooperation=
and an eventual alliance.

While western democracies found both systems repellent, the two countries o=
f Germany and the Soviet Union, embodied in the case of the Soviets vast re= sources of raw materials and, in the case of Germany, huge intellectual, sc= ientific and industrial expertise. Both offered massive opportunities for t= rade, but neither made comfortable partners. Britain (whose sympathies lay = more with the Germans), and France (whose history tied them more to Eastern=
Europe), tended to treat both Germany and the Soviet Union as outcast stat= es. This created a great deal of animosity in return and ultimately drove t=
he outcasts into each other's arms.

while animosity was rampant on a political level, both countries, now havin=
g equal pariah status in the eyes of the Western allies, began to see huge = benefits in military and economic cooperation. Collaborative ventures for c= overt armament production and training facilities were initiated in 1921. T= hese schemes would continue, with varying degrees of success, for more than=
a decade until the rise of Nazism in Germany put an end to it.

The Spanish Civil War saw not only the two rival political philosophies but=
opposing military doctrines also being tested against each other on the fi= eld of battle. It is remarkable, therefore, that these two nations emerged = from this maelstrom to rediscover the 'spirit of Rapallo'. It was a spirit = which culminated in the signing of the Molotov - Ribbentrop Pact in August = 1939. Within weeks, both sides would display their unity as they fell toget= her with ruthless efficiency upon the hapless Poland.

With the publication of "The Road to Barbarossa: Soviet-German Relations, 1= 917 - 1941", Norman Ridley looks at how these two 'strange bedfellows' deal=
t with western hostility and found ways to accommodate each other in a bid =
to recover from the economic devastation and dismantling of their historic = territorial boundaries. The extent to which cooperation was achieved is unu= sual given the circumstances, especially as they had to contend with the ma= chinations of the Western Powers.

The era of the Molotov - Ribbentrop Pact proved to be a brief liaison, one = that collapsed into savagery again when Hitler launched Operation Barbaross=
a just a few months later.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of histor= ical black/white photographs, an informative Introduction, eight pages of N= otes, a six pages listing of Sources, and a four page Index, "The Road to B= arbarossa: Soviet-German Relations, 1917 - 1941" by military historian Norm=
an Ridley is an impressively informative and exceptionally well written, or= ganized and presented study which is unreservedly recommended for personal,=
professional, community, college, and university library European World Wa=
r II History collections and supplemental German/Russian Pre-World War II c= urriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non= -specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Road =
to Barbarossa" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

Editorial Note: Norman Ridley (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Norman-Ridle= y/a/4216) is an Open University Honours graduate and an expert on inter-war=
intelligence.

Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North
Gordon Noble, author
Nicholas Evans, author
Birlinn
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781780277783, $34.95, PB, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Picts-Scourge-Rome-Rulers-North/dp/1780277784

Synopsis: The Picts emerged c. AD 300 to defy the might of the Roman empire=
only to disappear at the end of the first millennium AD, yet they left maj=
or legacies. They laid the foundations for the medieval Scottish kingdom an=
d their captivating carved stones are some of the most eye-catching yet eni= gmatic monuments in Europe. Until recently the Picts have been difficult to=
trace due to limited archaeological investigation and documentary sources,=
but innovative new research has produced critical new insights into the cu= lture of a highly sophisticated society which defied the might of the Roman=
Empire and forged a powerful realm dominating much of northern Britain.

"Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North" by co-authors Gordon Noble an=
d Nicholas Evans is the first dedicated book on the Picts that covers in de= tail both their archaeology and their history. It examines their kingdoms, = culture, beliefs and everyday lives from their origins to their end, not on=
ly incorporating current thinking on the subject, but also offering innovat= ive perspectives that transform our understanding of the early history of S= cotland.

Critique: Profusely illustrated with both full color and black/white images=
, "Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North" is additionally enhanced fo=
r the reader with the inclusion of a twenty-one page Bibliography, a twelve=
page listing of Sites to Visit, and a nine page Index. Impressively inform=
ed and informative, exceptionally well organized and presented, "Picts: Sco= urge of Rome, Rulers of the North" is a seminal work of meticulous scholars= hip and research. An inherently fascinating read and an unreservedly recomm= ended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library A= rchaeology collections, and supplemental curriculum Scottish History studie=
s lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non- specialist gen= eral readers with an interest in the subject that "Picts: Scourge of Rome, = Rulers of the North" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $1= 6.99).

Editorial Note #1: Gordon Noble (https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/g.noble?coun= t=3D25) is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Honorary Curatorial Fellow to=
the University Museums at the University of Aberdeen. He has also been dir= ector of the Rhynie Environs Archaeological Project. He is author of a numb=
er of books, including Neolithic Scotland: Timber, Stone, Earth and Fire.

Editorial Note #2: Nicholas Evans (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/nick-evans)=
is a Research Fellow on the Leverhulme Trust funded Comparative Kingship: = the Early Medieval Kingdoms of Northern Britain and Ireland project at the = University of Aberdeen. He is a historian whose research and teaching have = focussed on the medieval Celtic-speaking societies of Britain and Ireland. =
He is the author of The Present and the Past in Medieval Irish Chronicles (= Boydell Press, 2010), A Historical Introduction to the Northern Picts (Aber= deen University/Tarbat Discovery Centre, 2014) and co-author of King in the=
North: The Pictish Realms of Fortriu and Ce (Birlinn 2019).

The Wars of the Bruces: Scotland, England and Ireland 1306 - 1328
Colm McNamee
Birlinn Ltd.
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781780276618, $21.95, PB, 368pp

https://www.amazon.com/Wars-Bruces-Scotland-England-Ireland/dp/1780276613

Synopsis: The Bruces of fourteenth-century Scotland were formidable and ent= husiastic warriors. While much has been written about events as they happen=
ed in Scotland during the chaotic years of the first part of the fourteenth=
century, England's war with Robert the Bruce profoundly affected the whole=
of the British Isles.

Scottish raiders struck deep into the heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashir=
e; Robert's younger brother, Edward Bruce, was proclaimed King of Ireland a=
nd came close to subduing the country; the Isle of Man was captured and a W= elsh sea-port was raided; and in the North Sea Scots allied with German and=
Flemish pirates to cripple England's vital wool trade and disrupt its war = effort.

Packed with detail and written with a strong and involving narrative thread=
, "The Wars of the Bruces: Scotland, England and Ireland 1306 - 1328" by hi= storian Colm McNamee is the first book to link up the various theaters of w=
ar and discuss the effect of the wars of the Bruces outside Scotland.

Critique: An impressively informative, exceptionally well written, organize=
d and presented history of 14th Century Scotland and its wars with England,=
"The Wars of the Bruces: Scotland, England and Ireland 1306 - 1328" is a f= ascinating read and an especially recommended addition to personal, communi= ty, and academic library Medieval/Renaissance Military History collections.

Editorial Note: Colm McNamee is the Senior Research Officer for the Boundar=
y Commission for Northern Ireland. He studied at Queens' University, Belfas=
t, and Worcester College, Oxford and has a DPhil in Medieval History.

Wars of the Roses
Paul Kendall
Frontline Books
c/o Pen & Sword Books
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399097512, $42.95, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Wars-Roses-Battlefields-Yorkists-Lancastrians/dp/139= 9097512

Synopsis: The Wars of the Roses, which saw England and Wales ravaged by war= fare for three decades and dynasties rise and fall, decimated the nobility =
of an entire generation, and saw the rise of the merchant class, the declin=
e of medieval feudalism and opened the country to the enlightened ideals of=
the Renaissance. Such has been its lasting effects the red and white rose =
of the Tudors is still a national symbol.

With the publication of "Wars of the Roses: The People, Places and Battlefi= elds of the Yorkists and Lancastrians" historian Paul Kendall provides an e= xploration of the buildings, monuments, towns and battlefields of that turb= ulent era across both England and Wales -- places and sites that can still =
be visited and experienced today.

Also included are the stories of the great battles of St Albans, Stoke Fiel=
d, Wakefield, Townton, Barnet, Tewksbury and, of course, Bosworth, are told=
along with beautiful photographs to help guide the reader round these impo= rtant sites, as well as the dozens of smaller engagements where the support= ers of the Houses of York and Lancaster fought and died.

Here are castles and manor houses galore, all of which played their part in=
this protracted struggle for the throne of England, such as Richard of Yor= k's imposing powerbase of Lulow Castle and the magnificent Tudor stronghold=
of Bamburg. These are compared with the scant remains of Fotheringhay Cast= le, the birthplace of Richard III (the man whose remains were so dramatical=
ly uncovered in Leicester) and Micklegate Bar, York, was where Richard's he=
ad was placed on a spike.

We see the Clocktower of St Albans and 'Gabriel' the bell that was rung in = 1455 alerting of the Yorkist advance, as well as the Tower of London where = Henry VI met his death and the possible burial place of the two princes.

These, and scores of other places, monuments, plaques, buildings and battle= grounds, represent not only a journey across England and Wales, but a journ=
ey back in time to the bloody conflict that was to be forever known as the = War of the Roses.

Critique: A brilliant and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, pr= ofessional, community, and academic library English History collections, "W= ars of the Roses: The People, Places and Battlefields of the Yorkists and L= ancastrians" is an ideal resource for planning travel itineraries for anyon=
e with an interest in the history and surviving monuments associated with t=
he era and personalities associated with the War of the Roses. Profusely il= lustrated throughout with black- and-white photography, it should be noted = for personal reading lists of academia and non-specialist general readers a= like that "Wars of the Roses: The People, Places and Battlefields of the Yo= rkists and Lancastrians" is also readily available in a digital book format=
(Kindle, $18.99).

Editorial Note: Paul Kendall (https://www.paul-kendall.co.uk) is a military=
historian and author from Kent specializing in the First World War. He was=
educated at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, where =
he also served as an Honorary Midshipman with the University of London Roya=
l Naval Unit.

Britain's Empires: A History, 1600-2020
James Heartfield
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839987243, $150.00, HC, 506pp

https://www.amazon.com/Britains-Empires-History-1600-2020-Studies/dp/183998= 7243

Synopsis: With the publication of "Britain's Empires: A History, 1600-2020"=
, author, social justice campaigner and historian James Heartfield presents=
an accurate and seminal history of the many different British Empires incl= uding: the Old Colonial System (1600 - 1776), the Empire of Free Trade (177=
6 - 1870), the New Imperialism (1870 - 1945), Decolonisation (1945 - 1990) = and the era of humanitarian intervention (1990 - 2020).

Critique: Comprehensive, well written, accessible organized, and 'reader fr= iendly' in presentation, and a masterpiece of independent scholarship, "Bri= tain's Empires: A History, 1600-2020" is a seminal study that reveals the c= omplex and controversial story of the Britain's colonial past as being inde= lible characterized by irresistible change and evolutionary mandated re-inv= ention. While an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to person= al, professional, community, and academic library British/English History c= ollections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted fo=
r students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with a=
n interest in the subject that "Britain's Empires: A History, 1600-2020" is=
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).

Editorial Note: James Heartfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Heart= field) wrote The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, Who's Afraid of = the Easter Rising? The Equal Opportunities Revolution and many other books.=
James is also a long-standing campaigner for social justice.

The Ship Beneath the Ice
Mensun Bound
Mariner Books
www.marinerbooks.com
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780063297401, $35.00, HC, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ship-Beneath-Ice-Discovery-Shackletons/dp/006329740X

Synopsis: On November 21, 1914, after sailing more than ten thousand miles = from Norway to the Antarctic Ocean, the Endurance finally succumbed to the = surrounding ice. Ernest Shackleton and his crew had navigated the 144-foot,=
three-masted wooden vessel to Antarctica to become the first to cross the = barren continent, but early season pack ice trapped them in place offshore.=
They watched in silence as the ship's stern rose twenty feet in the air an=
d disappeared into the frigid sea, then spent six harrowing months marooned=
on the ice in its wake. Seal meat was their only sustenance as Shackleton'=
s expedition to push the limits of human strength took a new form: one of s= urvival against the odds.

As this legendary story entered the annals of polar exploration, it inspire=
d a new global race to find the wrecked Endurance, by all accounts "the wor= ld's most unreachable shipwreck." Several missions failed, thwarted, as Sha= ckleton was, by the unpredictable Weddell Sea. Finally, a century to the da=
y after Shackleton's death, renowned marine archeologist Mensun Bound and a=
n elite team of explorers discovered the lost shipwreck. Nearly ten thousan=
d feet below the ice lay a remarkably preserved Endurance, its name still e= mblazoned on the ship's stern.

With the publication of "The Ship Beneath the Ice", Mensun Bound chronicles=
two dramatic expeditions to what Shackleton called "the most hostile sea o=
n Earth". Bound experienced failure and despair in his attempts to locate t=
he wreck, and, like Shackleton before him, very nearly found his vessel fro= zen in ice.

Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of captivating photos from the 1= 914 expedition and of the wreck as Bound and his team found it, this inspir= ing modern-day adventure narrative captures the intrepid spirit that joins = two mariners across the centuries -- both of whom accomplished the impossib= le!

Critique: An inherently fascinating and fully documented read from cover to=
cover, "The Ship Beneath the Ice" will be of particular appeal to readers = with an interest in Arctic/Antarctica Exploratory Expeditionary and Maritim=
e Histories, and is unreservedly recommended for community and academic lib= rary Travel/Explorer collections. It should be noted for personal reading l= ists that "The Ship Beneath the Ice" is also available in a digital book fo= rmat (Kindle, $15.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blacksto=
ne Audio, 9798212201308, $41.99, CD).

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
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(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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