First published in 1979, The Transformation of England discusses the creation in late eighteenth century England of the industrial system and thereby the present world. Professor Mathias poses questions about the nature of industrialization, social change and historical explanation, issues that are his principal scholarly concern. This series of essays is divided into two groups. The first group of essays focuses upon general themes such as the 'uniqueness' in Europe of the industrial revolution, capital formation, taxation, the growth of skills, science and technical change, leisure and...

First published in 1929, this highly influential study offers a historical perspective on the Byzantine Empire, from the establishment of Constantinople by Emperor Constantine around 330 AD, through to the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Byron's work considers the empire in its entirety, assessing the highs and lows across a thousand year period. He provides insights into trade, culture, the organs of state, religion, the imperial rulers, and the battle with the Ottoman Empire, which would ultimately end in the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the end of...

First published in 1975, this book traces the origins of our modern economy, showing the routes by which nations have either achieved wealth or have been impoverished. W. W. Rostow brings together issues of public policy, international trade and the world of science and technology, arguing that conventional economic thought has failed to relate scientific innovation to the economic process. Chapters consider the politics of modernization, the Commercial Revolution and the development of the world economy between 1783 and 1820.

First published in 1909, with a second edition in 1923, this concise and easily accessible overview of Shelley's life and work presents the poet not as popular legend would have it, but in a more objective light. A.Clutton-Brock notes his forthright and imperious attitude to life - a life in which Shelley found himself increasingly unhappy - and critically examines many facets of his artistic career which are often overlooked or misrepresented.

This collection of brief but insightful essays, though always returning to the author's central conviction that the quality of artistic endeavour depends not on individuals of genius but on the attitude of the public towards art itself, examines a wide variety of unique but related issues: the relationship between natural and artistic beauty; the genius of Da Vinci and Nicholas Poussin; the influence of femininity on European art; the importance of good criticism; art as a social phenomenon; the role of the passions; and a range of associated topics. First published in 1919, A....

Written as the First World War was finally drawing to a close, A. Clutton-Brock's reflections on the Kingdom of Heaven examine this challenging theological concept in light of the great religious, political and moral uncertainties thrown up by the conflict. In particular, Clutton-Brock contends that historically Christian orthodoxy has not sufficiently emphasised the role of the Kingdom in salvation, given its importance in the ministry and teaching of Christ. To preserve a religious vision capable of interacting with the modern, industrial world, Christian orthodoxy must carefully consider...

Bolshevism at a Deadlock was written Karl Kautsky, one of the leading Marxist intellectuals of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, in response to the catastrophic failures of Stalin's first Five Year Plan, which was intended to raise Russian industry and productivity to equal that of Western Europe. Kautsky sets out to demonstrate how the repressive autocracy of the Bolsheviks and the disregard for economic exigencies achieved nothing more than "the wholesale pauperisation and degradation of the Russian people", and prophesies the imminent collapse of Soviet Russia in the face...

In Christians and Pagans in Roman Britain, first published in 1991, Professor Dorothy Watts sets out to distinguish possible Pagan features in Romano-British Christianity in the period leading up to and immediately following the withdrawal of Roman forces in AD 410. Watts argues that British Christianity at the time contained many Pagan influences, suggesting that the former, although it had been present in the British Isles for some two centuries, was not nearly as firmly established as in other parts of the Empire. Building on recent developments in the archaeology of Roman Britain, and...

Rome and the Friendly King, first published in 1984, offers a functional definition of what is usually called client kingship - to show what a client king (or 'friendly king', to use the Roman term) was in practice. Each aspect of this complex role is examined over a period of six centuries: the making of a king; exposure to Roman institutions and individuals; formal recognition as a friendly ruler. Professor Braund shows how the king's power related to Roman authority, and to his subjects. The role of Romans in royal wills, principally as recipients of bequests, is also examined, and it is...

First published in 1983, this book provides a comprehensive view of gold and gold trading in its many facets, and identifies those sources of information that are important for an understanding of the world's gold markets. The author looks first at gold's changing role since 1960; in particular, the change from the fixed price to the present free market determination of price. The different forms the demand for gold takes - bullion, paper or in fabricated forms such as jewellery - are explained in detail. This is followed by an analysis of the supply side - new gold production and the...