Milyen lenyomatot hagyott bennünk 1956? T?rténelem alulnézetb?l, avagy családi emlékek, személyes t?rténetek az ominózus ?szr?l, ami után minden más lett. Hogyan lesz egy 17 éves gyárimunkás fiúból néhány nap leforgása alatt forradalmár? Mi t?rtént Erdélyben 56-ban? Mikor eszmél rá a hatéves kislány, hogy a nagyapja Magyarország legfontosabb embere? Hogyan él tovább az, akinek a menyasszonya ?r?kre elhagyta az országot? Hogyan válik a távoli kultúrából érkez? idegen október 23. szellemiségét átérz? emberré? Ilyen és ezekhez hasonló kérdésekre válaszol t?bbek k?z?tt Horgas Eszter, Varga Miklós, Kiss Zoltán Zéro, Tordai Teri, Vámos Miklós, Bornai Tibor és sokan mások. A kül?n?s, szívszorító vagy kalandos emlékekb?l megismerhetjük az ezerarcú forradalom néhány emberi mozzanatát. Naszvadi Judith családi érintettsége okán is kezdte el feltenni a kérdéseket el?bb sz?kebb, majd tágabb k?rnyezetében. A 60. évfordulóra így, ezekb?l az interjúkból állt ?ssze A mi '56-unk.

A sorozat és ami m?g?tte van I. Szulejmán szultán 1494-ben született, és 1566-ban Szigetvár alatt vesztette életét. 1520-tól haláláig az Oszmán Birodalom ikonikus uralkodójaként hódított. A magyar t?rténelmet ismer?k biztosan nem rajongtak érte soha. Miután 2013-ban az egyik kereskedelmi csatorna megvásárolta az életér?l szóló Szulejmán cím? sorozatot, a szultán negatív megítélése sokat változott. A néz?k megkedvelték a Halit Ergen? által alakított Fényességest. A sorozatban ábrázolt t?rténelmi események, személyek azonban nem minden esetben egyeznek a valósággal. Ezt az alkotók is megjegyzik: a m? t?rténelmi ihletés? - ami nem azonos a t?rténelmi h?séggel. R. Kelényi Angelika tisztázza a valós t?rténelmi eseményeket. ?sszegy?jt?tt érdekességeken keresztül oszlatja el a félreértéseket, mik?zben szórakoztatja az olvasót.

E tündérjátékról úgy tartják, egy f?úri esküv? alkalmából íródott. Err?l szól maga a darab is, a szerelemr?l, a házasságról, a szenvedélyr?l, az akadályok legy?zésér?l. A Szentivánéj egyetlen hatalmas nászéjszaka. Puck, a csúfondáros apród, aki miatt kit?r a háborúság a tündérkirály és tündérkirályn? k?z?tt, minden kerget?z?, egymást ?z? szerelmesnek jelképe lehet, akik szüntelen váltakozásban gerjednek egyért s taszítják el a másikat. Mintha a való életben is Puck gonosz varázslatára fordulna meg minden, majd jótékony varázslatára az éj végére valahogy mégis ?sszerendez?djék. Tündéri álomvilág cívódással, féltéssel, ellenállhatatlan vágyakkal.

William Shakespeare egyik legnagyobb m?ve a Macbeth, a hatalomvágytól megszállott gyenge ember drámája. Macbethnek egyszer azt j?vend?lik, hogy király lesz. Felesége ?szt?nzésére és segítségével, hogy beteljesedjék a jóslat, álmában meg?lik a náluk vendégesked? királyt. Tettüket a leitatott ?r?kre fogják, akiknek nincs is idejük tiltakozásra a hamis vád ellen, mert Macbeth sz?rny? ?felindultságában” meg?li ?ket. A hatalmat, a rangot azonban nem tudják élvezni…

Az álomszer?en meseszép hangulat hirtelen féltékenységi dührohammá változik, rémálommá: a szicíliai király barátját, Polixenést és feleségét (Hermione) házasságt?réssel vádolva küldi a halálba, el?bbi csupán Camillo h?ségének k?sz?nhet?en menekülhet el. Apollo jóslata sem tudja meggy?zni Leontest képzetei hamisságáról, csupán a sz?rny? látvány – szerettei holtteste – ébreszti fel zavaros állapotából. Már kés?, egyetlen utódját, a fattyúnak vélt csecsem?t távoli partokon hagyta sorsára. A t?rténetbe sok év múltán kapcsolódunk bele újra, Perdita – a csecsem?, akit megtalált fiával együtt (Mufurc) nevelt egy pásztor – felcseperedett, és mindenkit elámít vélt származását meghazudtoló szépsége, nemessége. Florizel királyfi beleszeret, és elhagyja érte apja, Polixenes királyi udvarát. A király, a h? Camillóval együtt, álruhában meglesi a pásztorok ünnepét, és haraggal veszi tudomásul fia vonzódását egy egyszer? pásztorlány iránt. Camillo, aki ráj?n Perdita kilétére, a fiatalokat Szicíliába küldi, ahol Leontes tárt karokkal fogadja elveszettnek hitt lányát, és Hermione szobra életre kel. A megbocsájtás, a feloldás pillanata lehetne ez, ha a t?rténetet mindvégig mozgató figura nem g?rdítené a néz?tér és a színpad k?zé az áttetsz?ség, a látomás, az álomszer?ség tüllfügg?nyét. ?s számunkra nem marad más, csupán a feloldatlanság feszültsége.

1920-ban a magyar t?rténelem egyik legsúlyosabb krízise érkezett el. Nem csupán a t?rténelmi Magyarország és hagyományos vezet? rétegei találtattak k?nny?nek: 1918 és 1919 forradalmaival együtt elbuktak a radikális reformokat szorgalmazó baloldali pártok is. K?zel hat év háborús pusztítás után gazdasági, szociális, külpolitikai és m?vel?dési problémák sokasága halmozódott fel. Ekkor született meg a fiatal értelmiség reform iránt elk?telezett részéb?l a magyar népi mozgalom. Az ? t?rténetükr?l szól ez a k?nyv. A magyar népi mozgalomról meglep?en keveset tud a jelenkor emlékezete, és ismereteink jó része is leginkább félreértésekb?l és el?ítéletekb?l táplálkozik. A népi mozgalom elitjéhez tartozók – Németh Lászlótól és Illyés Gyulától kezdve Veres Péteren és Kovács Imrén át egészen Bibó Istvánig – megpróbáltak választ találni a Trianon utáni Magyarország legéget?bb kérdéseire, méghozzá nem a hagyományos ideológiák mentén, hanem egy általuk ?harmadik útnak” nevezett eszmeiség jegyében. Papp István k?tete – amely harminc év óta az els? modern szemlélet? ?sszefoglalása a témának – els?sorban azt kívánja bemutatni, hogyan és miért született meg a népi mozgalom, illetve hogy legfontosabb tagjai milyen elgondolásokat fogalmaztak meg, és milyen reformokat láttak szükségesnek 1945 el?tt és után.

To present at a single glance a comprehensive view of the History of English Church Architecture from the Heptarchy to the Reformation, and to do this in a manner, which, without taxing too seriously the memory of the student, may enable him to fix in his mind the limits, and the general outline of the inquiry he is about to enter upon, is the object of the present treatise.? Instead therefore of entering, as is usual in elementary works of this nature, into a detailed account of all the parts of an Ecclesiastical structure, a certain portion only of such a building has for this purpose been selected, and so exhibited in the garb in which it appeared at successive intervals of time, as to present to the reader a means of comparison that will enable him readily to apprehend the gradual change of form through which it passed from the Eleventh to the Sixteenth Centuries, and at once to recognise the leading characteristics of the several Periods into which it is here proposed to divide the History of our National Architecture. Having thus fixed these leading characteristics in his mind, he will then be in a condition to follow us hereafter, if he pleases, into the detail of the whole subject, and to become familiar with those niceties of distinction, the detection of which—escaping, as they do, the eye of the general observer—contributes so materially to the enjoyment of the study, and a perfect acquaintance with which is so absolutely essential to a correct understanding of the true History of the Art.?That this mode of approaching the study of this subject is a convenient one, will probably be admitted by those who may remember the difficulties they encoun-tered, in their early attempts to acquire a general conception of the scheme of the History of Church Architecture, as given in most of the manuals now in use; and the complexity of detail in which they found themselves immediately involved on the very threshold of their inquiry.? It has been the practice in most elementary works on Church Architecture to derive the illustrations of the subject, indifferently from the smaller and the larger buildings of the Kingdom; and by implication to assign an equal authority to both. It will be readily admitted, however, that the History of an Art is to be gathered from its principal Monuments, and not from those the design or execution of which may have been entrusted to other than the ablest masters of the Period: in the choice, therefore, of the examples which have been selected to illustrate the series of changes which are described in the following pages, reference has been made principally to the great Cathedral, Abbey, and Collegiate Churches of the Kingdom, and occasionally only to some of the larger Parish Churches whose size or importance would seem to bring them under the above denomination.??Church Architecture in England, from its earliest existence down to the Sixteenth Century, was in a state of constant progress, or transition, and this progress appears to have been carried on, with certain exceptions in different parts of the country, very nearly simultaneously. It follows from this circumstance, first, That it is impossible to divide our National Architecture correctly into any number of distinct Orders or Styles; and secondly, That any Division of its History into a given number of Periods, must necessarily be an arbitrary one. It is nevertheless absolutely essential for the purpose of conveniently describing the long series of noble monuments which remain to us, that we should adopt some system of chronological arrangement, which may enable us to group, and to classify them in a distinct and intelligible manner: and although no broad lines of demarcation in this connected series are discernible—so gradual was the change—yet so rapid and so complete was it also, that a period of fifty years did not elapse without a material alteration in the form and fashion of every detail of a building. ?

It is believed that the scene of this tale, and most of the information necessary to understand its allusions, are rendered sufficiently obvious to the reader in the text itself, or in the accompanying notes. Still there is so much obscurity in the Indian traditions, and so much confusion in the Indian names, as to render some explanation useful. Few men exhibit greater diversity, or, if we may so express it, greater antithesis of character, than the native warrior of North America. In war, he is daring, boastful, cunning, ruthless, self-denying, and self-devoted; in peace, just, generous, hospitable, revengeful, superstitious, modest, and commonly chaste. These are qualities, it is true, which do not distinguish all alike; but they are so far the predominating traits of these remarkable people as to be characteristic. It is generally believed that the Aborigines of the American continent have an Asiatic origin. There are many physical as well as moral facts which corroborate this opinion, and some few that would seem to weigh against it. The color of the Indian, the writer believes, is peculiar to himself, and while his cheek-bones have a very striking indication of a Tartar origin, his eyes have not. Climate may have had great influence on the former, but it is difficult to see how it can have produced the substantial difference which exists in the latter. The imagery of the Indian, both in his poetry and in his oratory, is oriental; chastened, and perhaps improved, by the limited range of his practical knowledge. He draws his metaphors from the clouds, the seasons, the birds, the beasts, and the vegetable world. In this, perhaps, he does no more than any other energetic and imaginative race would do, being compelled to set bounds to fancy by experience; but the North American Indian clothes his ideas in a dress which is different from that of the African, and is oriental in itself. His language has the richness and sententious fullness of the Chinese. Philologists have said that there are but two or three languages, among all the numerous tribes which formerly occupied the country that now composes the United States. They ascribe the known difficulty one people have to understand another to corruptions and dialects. The writer remembers to have been present at an interview between two chiefs of the Great Prairies west of the Mississippi, and when an interpreter was in attendance who spoke both their languages. The warriors appeared to be on the most friendly terms, and seemingly conversed much together; yet, according to the account of the interpreter, each was absolutely ignorant of what the other said. They were of hostile tribes, brought together by the influence of the American government; and it is worthy of remark, that a common policy led them both to adopt the same subject. They mutually exhorted each other to be of use in the event of the chances of war throwing either of the parties into the hands of his enemies. Whatever may be the truth, as respects the root and the genius of the Indian tongues, it is quite certain they are now so distinct in their words as to possess most of the disadvantages of strange languages; hence much of the embarrassment that has arisen in learning their histories, and most of the uncertainty which exists in their traditions. Like nations of higher pretensions, the American Indian gives a very different account of his own tribe or race from that which is given by other people. He is much addicted to overestimating his own perfections, and to undervaluing those of his rival or his enemy; a trait which may possibly be thought corroborative of the Mosaic account of the creation. The whites have assisted greatly in rendering the traditions of the Aborigines more obscure by their own manner of corrupting names. Thus, the term used in the title of this book has undergone the changes of Mahicanni, Mohicans, and Mohegans; the latter being the word commonly used by the whites.

DRAWING is the expression of an idea: “Art must come from within, and not from without. This fact has led some to assert that the study of nature is not essential to the student, and that careful training in the study of the representation of the actual appearance is mechanical and harmful. Such persons forget that all art ideas and sentiments must be based upon natural objects, and that a person who cannot represent truly what he sees will be entirely unable to express the simplest ideal conceptions so that others may appreciate them. Study of nature is, then, of the first and greatest importance to the art student.A drawing may be made in outline, in light and shade, or in color. The value of the drawing artistically does not depend upon the medium used, but upon the individuality of the draughtsman making it. The simplest pencil sketch may have much more merit than an elaborate colored drawing made by one who is unable to represent truly the facts of nature, or who sees, instead of the beauty and poetry, the ugliness and the imperfections of the subject. OBJECTS FOR STUDY:We hear a great deal now about the cultivation of the sense of beauty by the choice of drawing models. Many go so far as to say that nothing but the most beautiful forms should be given from the start, and, asserting that the cube, cylinder,and other type forms are not beautiful, they say that they should not be used, but that beautiful variations of these type forms should be provided. More definite information than this is rarely given. We are not told what natural objects are beautiful, and cheap enough to be provided, or how these objects of beauty are to be obtained, if they are not provided by the city. Such advice as to the use of beautiful models must be very pleasant and valuable to the drawing teacher, who so often fails to secure the money necessary to provide the cheap wooden models costing a few cents each ; and we do not wonder that special and regular teachers often regard this subject as one having no standards and no authorities. Much of all this commotion about beautiful objects of study is raised by those who, suffering from criticism, have in the desire to escape it plunged headlong from one set of mechanical rules for a series of lessons for the public schools, to another set less arbitrary in certain directions, but still mechanical, and if possible, more harmful than before, because attempting more.The average teacher can readily learn to discover at a glance whether or not the drawing of a cube represents the object as it might appear. She can do this even without seeing the model from the pupil's position; and the student can compare his drawing with the object and discover its errors more easily than he can in the drawing of a cast, a leaf, a figure,or any other object of beauty, in which the beauty depends upon lines which are subtile and which require a trained eye to see at all truly.

s vezes, a única coisa verdadeira num jornal é a data, disse Luis Fernando Verissimo. Tomar ao pé da letra essa frase bem-humorada do cronista pode no ser um bom negócio. Porém, ainda mais temerário seria aceitar a hipótese oposta, ou seja, de que tudo acontece do jeito que o jornalista nos conta. Certos recursos de escrita e de edio aumentam tanto a temperatura do texto que provocam a fuso entre a fantasia e a realidade. Esse fenmeno misterioso, com seu toque de alquimia, é o que Renato Modernell investiga em A notícia como fábula.

A magyar turanizmus jellegzetesen magyar és teljességgel elhallgatott eszmeáramlat: akik benne voltak, igyekeztek még a nyomait is eltüntetni. Pedig a magyar k?zvéleményt a 19. század eleje óta izgatta a magyarság keleti eredete és nyugati mintak?vetése k?zti ellentmondás. Vissza kell-e fordulnunk keletre? Létrej?het-e a ?turáni népek” ?sszefogása? Van-e a magyaroknak küldetésük Keleten? Vagy éppen Nyugaton? Száz évvel ezel?tt magyar expedíciók rótták Anatólia, a Balkán és Dél-Oroszország útjait, a magyar kormány hatalmas ?sszegeket áldozott, hogy keleti ?szt?ndíjasokat hozzon Magyarországra, magyar üzletemberek próbáltak piacot találni a K?zel-Keleten, és a turanizmus divatjának k?sz?nhet? az els? külf?ldi magyar intézet megnyitása is. A két világháború k?z?tt az eszmeáramlat számos befolyásos értelmiségit kísértett meg, majd 1945 után elhallgattatták. Ennek ellenére túlélte az államszocializmus éveit, és újra teret nyert a rendszerváltozás után. Ez a k?nyv nemcsak a turanizmus, hanem a Keletr?l való gondolkodás és politikai konzekvenciáinak t?rténete is. Izgalmas, másfél évszázados utazás Tibett?l Argentínáig, Tartutól Isztambulig. Felbukkan benne a turáni egyistenhív? rádióm?szerész, a feministából lett vércsoportkutató f?ldbirtokosleány, a monoklis múzeumalapító, aki egyszerre találta ki a világbékét és a l?vészárokásó gépet, néhány pénzhamisító, illetve a mérn?k, aki megállapította a magyar–maori rokonságot. Turanista emlékek k?z?tt élünk – csak nem tudunk róluk. Ablonczy Balázs (1974) t?rténész, az ELTE BTK oktatója és az MTA BTK T?rténettudományi Intézetének tudományos f?munkatársa. Doktori címét 2004-ben szerezte, tanított és kutatott Londonban, Párizsban, Berlinben és az Egyesült ?llamokbeli Bloomingtonban. 2011 és 2015 k?z?tt a Párizsi Magyar Intézet igazgatója volt. Jelenleg az MTA Lendület-pályázatán támogatott Trianon 100 kutatócsoport vezet?je, Budapesten él.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, suggested by "The Knight's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, written around 1594 to 1596. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and with the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world.

Kádár János és a nevével fémjelzett korszak megítélése napjainkig élesen megosztja a magyar k?zvéleményt. Ennek egyik ered?je az a hatvanas évek elején meghirdetett ?sz?vetségi politika”, amely egy újfajta kiegyezés reményében együttm?k?d?k, ?társutasok” megnyerésével igyekezett alkut k?tni a magyar társadalommal. Az ennek érdekében hozott politikai, gazdasági intézkedések a t?rténeti elemzések révén mára jól ismertek. Kádár hatalomtechnikai t?rekvéseinek mélyebb rétegei, személyes dimenziói azonban részben még ma is feltáratlanok. Kik voltak azok, akikkel a pártállami vezet?k a megújuló hatalomgyakorlási mód jegyében párbeszédet kezdtek? Milyen korábbi mintákat hasznosított az MSZMP ?sz?vetségi politikájának” kialakítása során? Milyen út vezetett addig, amíg az 1956-os forradalom leverése után ?t évvel elhangozhatott a kádárizmus jelszava, a bibliai mondást kifordító ?aki nincs ellenünk, az velünk van” mottó? TABAJDI G?BOR legújabb k?tete a ?kádárizmus” hatalomtechnikai módszereinek kialakulását mutatja be, és azt a hatalom birtokosai, a magyar kommunisták, illetve Kádár János politikája fel?l értelmezi. ?tfogó elemzéséhez a r?vid és hosszú távú, kül-, illetve belpolitikai folyamatok bemutatása mellett eddig nem publikált titkosszolgálati dokumentumokat is felhasznál.

This Illustrated version of the "A Short History of the world" contains about 300 Illustrated picture, and many historic objects.. THE story of our world is a story that is still very imperfectly known. A couple of hundred years ago men possessed the history of little more than the last three thousand years. What happened before that time was a matter of legend and speculation. Over a large part of the civilized world it was believed and taught that the world had been created suddenly in 4004 B.C., though authorities differed as to whether this had occurred in the spring or autumn of that year. This fantastically precise misconception was based upon a too literal interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, and upon rather arbitrary theological assumptions connected therewith. Such ideas have long since been abandoned by religious teachers, and it is universally recognized that the universe in which we live has to all appearances existed for an enormous period of time and possibly for endless time. Of course there may be deception in these appearances, as a room may be made to seem endless by putting mirrors facing each other at either end. But that the universe in which we live has existed only for six or seven thousand years may be regarded as an altogether exploded idea. "A Short History of the world" by E-Kitap projesi, Illustrated version by Murat Ukray.. Also added "IN the last fifty years there has been much very fine and interesting speculation on the part of scientific men upon the age and origin of our earth. Here we cannot pretend to give even a summary of such speculations because they involve the most subtle mathematical and physical considerations. The truth is that the physical and astronomical sciences are still too undeveloped as yet to make anything of the sort more than an illustrative guesswork. The general tendency has been to make the estimated age of our globe longer and longer. It now seems probable that the earth has had an independent existence as a spinning planet flying round and round the sun for a longer period than 2,000,000,000 years. It may have been much longer than that. This is a length of time that absolutely overpowers the imagination. "

Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli ( 1445 – 1510), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He belonged to the Florentine school under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici, a movement that Giorgio Vasari would characterize less than a hundred years later as a "golden age", a thought, suitably enough, he expressed at the head of his Vita of Botticelli. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century; since then his work has been seen to represent the linear grace of Early Renaissance painting. Among his best known works are The Birth of Venus and Primavera. In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV summoned Botticelli and other prominent Florentine and Umbrian artists to fresco the walls of the Sistine Chapel. The iconological program was the supremacy of the Papacy. Sandro's contribution included the Temptations of Christ, the Punishment of the Rebels and Trial of Moses. He returned to Florence, and "being of a sophistical turn of mind, he there wrote a commentary on a portion of Dante and illustrated the Inferno which he printed, spending much time over it, and this abstention from work led to serious disorders in his living." Thus Vasari characterized the first printed Dante (1481) with Botticelli's decorations; he could not imagine that the new art of printing might occupy an artist. The masterpieces Primavera (c. 1482) and The Birth of Venus (c. 1485) were both seen by Vasari at the villa of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici at Castello in the mid-16th century, and until recently, it was assumed that both works were painted specifically for the villa. Recent scholarship suggests otherwise: the Primavera was painted for Lorenzo's townhouse in Florence, and The Birth of Venus was commissioned by someone else for a different site. By 1499, both had been installed at Castello. In these works, the influence of Gothic realism is tempered by Botticelli's study of the antique. But if the painterly means may be understood, the subjects themselves remain fascinating for their ambiguity. The complex meanings of these paintings continue to receive widespread scholarly attention, mainly focusing on the poetry and philosophy of humanists who were the artist's contemporaries. The works do not illustrate particular texts; rather, each relies upon several texts for its significance. Of their beauty, characterized by Vasari as exemplifying "grace" and by John Ruskin as possessing linear rhythm, there can be no doubt. In the mid-1480s, Botticelli worked on a major fresco cycle with Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi, for Lorenzo the Magnificent's villa near Volterra; in addition he painted many frescoes in Florentine churches. In 1491 he served on a committee to decide upon a fa?ade for the Cathedral of Florence.

The World's Greatest Tanks features 52 of the best armoured fighting vehicles from World War I to the present day. Beginning with the prototype Mark V Male in 1917, the book ranges from World War I, World War II, through the Cold War and up to the highly sophisticated tanks that have seen recent service in wars in the Balkans, Caususus, and Middle East. From the Soviet T-34 and German Panther tanks of World War II to the M1A2 Abrams, Challenger 2 and T-90 of the present day, The World's Greatest Tanks is an expert examination of the most successful tanks of the past hundred years. Each entry is examined over two spreads and includes a brief description of the tank's development and history, a colour profile artwork, photographs, key features and specifications tables. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, The World's Greatest Tanks is a colourful guide for the military historian and military technology enthusiast.

“When everyone had had plenty to eat and drink they called for the gladiators. The moment anyone’s throat was cut, they clapped their hands in pleasure. And it sometimes even turned out that someone had specified in their will that the most beautiful women he had purchased were to fight each other….” – Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters With their origins as blood rites staged at the funerals of rich aristocrats, gladiatorial combat is one of the defining images of ancient Rome. For more than 600 years, people flocked to arenas to watch these highly trained warriors participate in a blood-soaked spectacle that was part sport, part theatre and part cold-blooded murder. Gladiatorial contests were a spectacular dramatization of the Roman emperor’s formidable power. Gladiator looks at life and service in the Roman arenas from the origins of the games in the third century BCE through to the demise of the games in the fifth century CE. It explores the lives of the prisoners of war, criminals, slaves and volunteers who became gladiators, their training, and the more than 20 types of gladiator they could become, fighting with different types of weapons. From Spartacus’s slave revolt to the real Emperor Commodius who liked to play at being a gladiator, from female gladiators to the great combats involving hundreds of exotic animals, Gladiator is a colourful, accessible study of the ancient world’s famous warrior entertainers.

Little more than ten years ago drones were barely used, but now more than 50 countries have them in service and they are not only changing how wars are fought but how crops are sprayed, how underwater pipelines are monitored and even how sports events are filmed. If it’s too risky to send a manned aircraft to survey the intensity of a hurricane or a combat zone, or too costly for conservation wardens to chart the movement of wildlife, drones can be used. Used for reconnaissance work and mapping as well as launching missiles, drones can fly autonomously or be controlled by remote control. Peering into a volcano about to erupt, checking how fast a forest fire is spreading, exploring the wreck of a sunken ship, charting your enemy’s position and taking out a military target—these are just some of the uses of drones today. From drones the size of a fingertip to drones that can carry soldiers, from single rotorcraft to multi-rotorcraft to propeller craft drones, Drones expertly examines these complex vehicles, which are not only very different from manned aircraft, but also very different from each other. Illustrated with more than 220 colour photographs and artworks, Drones is an exciting, accessibly written work about the latest in military and civilian aviation technology.

The best collection of suffrage plays on offer. Introduced and set in historical context by Dr Susan Croft, formerly Curator at the Theatre Museum in London, with a chronology of suffrage drama from 1907-1914.? The astonishing women involved in the Actresses Franchise League set up their own theatre companies and engaged with the battle for the vote by writing and performing campaigning plays all over the country. They launched themselves onto the political stage with their satirical plays, sketches and monologues whilst at the same time challenging the staid conventions of the Edwardian Theatre of the day. The legacy of their inspiring work to change both theatre and society has survived in the political theatre, agit-prop and verbatim theatre we know today.? Full playtexts from the following: ’How the Vote was Won’ by Cicely Hamilton and Chris St. John ’The Apple’ by Inez Bensusan ’Jim s Leg’ by L.S. Phibbs ’Votes for Women’ by Elizabeth Robins ’At the Gates’ by Alice Chapin ’In the Workhouse’ by Margaret Wynne Nevinson ’A Change of Tenant’ by Helen Margaret Nightingale.

Macho men or metrosexual guys? Mummy’s boys or blokes under their missus’ thumbs? Self-made entrepreneurs, pukka professionals and successful executives with their Mercedes Benz lives and designer-clad wives; husbands, sons, uncles, brothers and fathers – these successful, soulful and spirited Asian men have come a long way from their origins but they’ve all got roots! The Trouble with Asian Men is a vital, tender and hilarious insight into lives that surround us every day. From the award-winning theatre company that brought us East is East, a revealing verbatim comedy that has played to sell-out houses internationally.

London 1970: Experimental psychiatrist R.D. Laing is facing eviction from his pioneering asylum in the East End’s Kingsley Hall. Local residents are up in arms – and to make matters worse, Ronnie’s revolutionary colleague David Cooper is flipping out on the roof… With his personal life going down the pan and his mental state heading the same way, Ronnie takes an acid trip to the future. His mission is to save his therapeutic collective The Philadelphia Association and secure his professional legacy. Will it be a one-way ticket to madness – or can breakdown sometimes mean breakthrough?