This historical analysis of the political and religious relationship of Britain and Spain, from 12th-century dynastic alliances to the Spanish support of the English-American invasion of Iraq, asserts that there have been many significant links between the two countries over the past 800 years. While England and Spain were rivals in the New World, British and Spanish troops fought side by side for causes of mutual concern during the Peninsular War, Spanish Civil War, and World War II. This bittersweet relationship has been fundamental to continental politics and the position of each country in the international realm.

Earth is our Business takes forward the argument of Polly Higgins’ first book, Eradicating Ecocide. This book proposes new Earth law, but it is also about something more than law: it advocates a new form of leadership that places the health and well-being of people and planet first. Polly Higgins shows how law can provide the tools and be a bridge to a new way of doing business. She argues that Earth is the business of us all, not the exclusive preserve of the executives of the world’s top corporations. Expanding on the proposal in her first book to make …

Fred Harrison draws on global-wide case studies to show how the violent birth of nation-states, whether the result of territorial conquests or colonialism, splits the population into two classes, victors and vanquished. This division is perpetuated and legitimated through the system of land tenure. The pathological consequences – as diverse as failed states, organised crime (mafia), religious fundamentalism and the re-emergence of piracy – are the result of the violent uprooting of the original inhabitants from their homelands. Understanding the territorial basis of political power and wealth is the pre-requisite, Fred Harrison argues, for making sense of issues as diverse …

Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest Roman emperors, is remembered less for his military exploits than for his private reflections. His Meditations, as they became known, have been a major influence on Western thought and behaviour down through the centuries, proving that the pen is mightier than the sword. Seeking an alternative to faith-based religion, Alan Stedall came across the book and found rational answers to questions about the meaning and purpose of life that had been troubling him. Here too were answers to his concern that in the absence of moral beliefs based on religion, we risk creating a …

John Clare (1793-1864) was born at a time of great social upheaval, just months after the beheading of Louis XVI and the outbreak of war with France, which was to last until the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. He also lived through the upheavals of the land enclosure movement and agricultural revolution, which changed the face of the countryside and the way of life in rural England. His father was a farm worker who managed to pay for his son’s schooling, though this was cut short as conditions worsened, but Clare had by then learned to read and …

This authorised biography of poet Kathleen Raine tells the story of how she developed from a small girl, who knew at the age of eight that she wanted only to write poetry, into a world-renowned poet and literary scholar. Philippa Bernard follows Kathleen Raine’s struggle against the constrictions of her suburban childhood to her exciting days at Girton College in the 1920s, where she became friends with many brilliant writers, artists, and scientists, whose friendships lasted all her life. After a short marriage to Hugh Sykes Davies, she eloped with the poet Charles Madge to live in Blackheath, where two …

After several decades of historical revisionism, Winston Churchill remains one of the most controversial figures in modern history. Critics allege he was a diehard imperialist and warmonger, a bitter opponent of the working classes and a maverick opportunist with an insatiable appetite for power. Despite his record as "the man who won the war," he is often accused of being a war criminal. This book sets out to correct the historical record in a stimulating collection of essays. Arranged in chronological order to show his life in the context of 20th century world history, these essays are both detailed and …

Having correctly forecast the timing of the global crisis, the author now extends that same analysis to the future of the West, to evaluate fears from distinguished commentators who claim that European civilisation is in danger of being eclipsed. He concludes that the West is at a dangerous tipping point, and provides empirical and theoretical evidence to warrant such an alarming conclusion. But he also explains why it is not too late to prevent the looming social catastrophe. Attributing the present crisis to a social process of cheating, he develops a synthesis of the social and natural sciences to show …

Originally published in 1959, this book has long been out of print and largely neglected by Shakespearean scholars. It offers a viewpoint seldom considered: an unusual and exceptionally clear insight into Shakespeare’s philosophy. It does so with freshness, modesty and conviction. Appreciating the danger Shakespeare faced in writing at a time of major religious intolerance, Vyvyan shows how subtly the plays explore aspects of the perennial philosophy allegorically. In doing so, Shakespeare raises the fundamental question of ethics: What ought we to do? Says the author, "Shakespeare is never ethically neutral. He is never in doubt as to whether the …

In rhyming couplets, these wry and witty poems ponder the foibles and vanities of mortals. Some of these are captured in pen and ink drawings that caricature the subject of the poems. Each character is given an amusing name, beginning with Master Cecil Abercorn, Serena Huff, the Marchioness of Mal de Mer, Major Houghton Reid, Thomas Tinkham Tattersall, and Roland Washburn White. There are 70 poems, of which 10 are illustrated. The illustration on the front cover relates to Rupert Ashe: "The greatest pride of Rupert Ashe was his luxuriant moustache. He took great care to keep it groomed, And …