Knowledge = Power

Austerlitz, Wagram, Borodino, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Waterloo: these are  the places most closely associated with the era of the Napoleonic Wars.  But how did this period of nearly continuous conflict affect the world  beyond Europe? The immensity of the fighting waged by France against  England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and the immediate consequences of  the tremors that spread throughout the world. In this ambitious  and far-ranging work, Alexander Mikaberidze argues that the Napoleonic  Wars can only be fully understood in an international perspective.  France struggled for dominance not only on the plains of Europe but also  in the Americas, West and South Africa, Ottoman Empire, Iran, India,  Indonesia, the Philippines, Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic and  Indian Oceans. Taking specific regions in turn, Mikaberidze discusses  major political-military events around the world and situates  geopolitical decision-making within its long- and short-term contexts.  From the British expeditions to Argentina and South Africa to the  Franco-Russian maneuvering in the Ottoman Empire, the effects of the  French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars would shape international affairs  well into the next century. In Egypt, the wars led to the rise of Mehmed  Ali and the emergence of a powerful state; in North America, the period  transformed and enlarged the newly established United States; and in  South America, the Spanish colonial empire witnessed the start of  national-liberation movements that ultimately ended imperial control. Skillfully  narrated and deeply researched, here at last is the global history of  the period, one that expands our view of the Napoleonic Wars and their  role in laying the foundations of the modern world.

A definitive and sweeping account of the life and times of the  world's greatest conqueror -- Genghis Khan -- and the rise of the Mongol  empire in the 13th century Combining fast-paced accounts of  battles with rich cultural background and the latest scholarship, Frank  McLynn brings vividly to life the strange world of the Mongols and  Genghis Khan's rise from boyhood outcast to world conqueror. McLynn  provides the most accurate and absorbing account yet of one of the most  powerful men ever to have ever lived.

From renowned journalist Ryszard  Kapuscinski comes this intimate account of his years in the field,  traveling for the first time beyond the Iron Curtain to India, China,  Ethiopia, and other exotic locales. In the 1950s, Kapuscinski  finished university in Poland and became a foreign correspondent, hoping  to go abroad - perhaps to Czechoslovakia. Instead he was sent to India -  the first stop on a decades-long tour of the world that took him from  Iran to El Salvador and from Angola to Armenia. Revisiting his memories  of traveling the globe with a copy of Herodotus's The Histories  in tow, Kapuscinski describes his awakening to the intricacies and  idiosyncrasies of new environments and how the words of the Greek  historiographer helped shape his own view of an increasingly globalized  world. Written with supreme eloquence and a constant eye to the global  undercurrents that shaped the latter half of the 20th century, Travels with Herodotus is an exceptional chronicle of one man's journey across continents.

Dorothy H. Crawford - Viruses 2021

A compelling biography of the legendary king, rebel, and poisoner who defied the Roman Empire Machiavelli  praised his military genius. European royalty sought out his secret  elixir against poison. His life inspired Mozart's first opera, while for  centuries poets and playwrights recited bloody, romantic tales of his  victories, defeats, intrigues, concubines, and mysterious death. But  until now no modern historian has recounted the full story of  Mithradates, the ruthless king and visionary rebel who challenged the  power of Rome in the first century BC. In this richly illustrated  book―the first biography of Mithradates in fifty years―Adrienne Mayor  combines a storyteller's gifts with the most recent archaeological and  scientific discoveries to tell the tale of Mithradates as it has never  been told before. The Poison King describes a life  brimming with spectacle and excitement. Claiming Alexander the Great and  Darius of Persia as ancestors, Mithradates inherited a wealthy Black  Sea kingdom at age fourteen after his mother poisoned his father. He  fled into exile and returned in triumph to become a ruler of superb  intelligence and fierce ambition. Hailed as a savior by his followers  and feared as a second Hannibal by his enemies, he envisioned a grand  Eastern empire to rival Rome. After massacring eighty thousand Roman  citizens in 88 BC, he seized Greece and modern-day Turkey. Fighting some  of the most spectacular battles in ancient history, he dragged Rome  into a long round of wars and threatened to invade Italy itself. His  uncanny ability to elude capture and surge back after devastating losses  unnerved the Romans, while his mastery of poisons allowed him to foil  assassination attempts and eliminate rivals. The Poison King is a gripping account of one of Rome's most relentless but least understood foes.

"It is philosophy that has the duty of protecting us...without it no one can lead a life free of fear or worry." For  several years of his turbulent life, Seneca was the guiding hand of the  Roman Empire. His inspired reasoning derived mainly from the Stoic  principles, which had originally been developed some centuries earlier  in Athens. This selection of Seneca's letters shows him upholding the  austere ethical ideals of Stoicism—the wisdom of the self-possessed  person immune to overmastering emotions and life’s setbacks—while  valuing friendship and the courage of ordinary men, and criticizing the  harsh treatment  of slaves and the cruelties in the gladiatorial arena.  The humanity and wit revealed in Seneca’s interpretation of Stoicism is a  moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind. For  more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of  classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than  1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best  works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers  trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by  introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary  authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning  translators.

A masterfully researched history of Iran from 1501 to 2009 “The defiant spirit of [Iran] is brought to life in this monumental history of the past 500 years.”—Richard Spencer, The Times (London) “A majestic work that goes a long way in unraveling . . . the country’s  enigmas and apparent contradictions.”—Ervand Abrahamian, New York Review of Books This history of modern Iran is not a survey in the conventional sense  but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. It offers a  revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by  currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. The book covers  the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of Iran  against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars,  foreign occupation, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.  Abbas Amanat combines chronological and thematic approaches, exploring  events with lasting implications for modern Iran and the world. Drawing  on diverse historical scholarship and emphasizing the twentieth century,  he addresses debates about Iran’s culture and politics. Political  history is the driving narrative force, given impetus by Amanat's  decades of research and study. He layers the book with discussions of  literature, music, and the arts; ideology and religion; economy and  society; and cultural identity and heritage.

Fucking History

TTC - Exploring The Roots Of Religion

The Revenge Of Geography What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate