Bøker utgitt av Reaktion Books

A new view of the brilliant, strikingly original Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi.

A social history of the fifteenth-century German painter's influence. Emigrating from southern Germany in the late fifteenth century, painter Hans Memling sought success in the vibrant commercial hub of Bruges. He found an audience, not among the nobility or clergy, but in the newly emerging urban middle class: bankers, financiers, politicians, and artisans. His work, therefore, reached a diverse community across Europe--in Castile, England, Genoa, Bologna and Florence. This book explores the social and material aspects of Memling's career and workshop as a window into Bruges's rise as an early modern commercial hub, rife with international trade, factional politics, artisanal guilds, devotional conflict, and a burgeoning middle-class clientele.

An approachable critical biography of the late nineteenth-century Viennese composer. Gustav Mahler's status as an icon of fin-de-siècle Viennese music is assured, and while his life story has been told in numerous biographies, films, and novels, he remains an ambiguous, provocative figure. Supposedly haunted by death and trapped in a torrid marriage, Mahler's brief meeting with Freud has spurred psychoanalytical speculations, but there are other questions to explore as well. Mahler challenged musical form and style, but he rejected most other contemporary trends, identifying with traditional German Enlightenment and Romantic culture. He rose to the pinnacle of his profession, despite the protestations of antisemitic Vienna. This book draws on the latest research to construct a fresh interpretation of Mahler's music in relation to his life.

From pharmaceutical companies to acupuncture, an essential investigation of the constantly evolving relationship between mainstream Western medicine and quackery. Reaching from the beginnings of scientific medicine in the nineteenth century through to the present, Sander L. Gilman examines the ever-shifting boundary between scientific medicine and quackery, asking if such a fixed boundary can actually exist within mainstream medical practice. Through detailed case studies--of stomach ulcers, eye disease, and acupuncture--Doc or Quack reveals the influence of pharmaceutical companies in determining the science of medical practice, the pros and cons of the increasing specialization in medical practice, and the murky issue of "race" in scientific medicine. This readable account covers medical practice from the Enlightenment to the present, offering a realistic view of health politics in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It's an essential read for anyone interested in the history and politics of Western medicine.

A global history of dance music since the 1950s. Transatlantic Drift explores the emergence and evolution of nightclubs and electronic dance music from the 1950s onward, tracing its rhythmic journey across Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. Katie Milestone and Simon A. Morrison show how the sounds and vibes of nightclubs emerge from shared cultural experiences. This book uncovers the global story of dance music at venues in New York, Detroit, London, Manchester, Chicago, Düsseldorf, and Ibiza. Transatlantic Drift offers an engaging exploration of how people have come together to share melodies and rhythms, forming a global conversation through electronic music.

A life of England's most famous martyr, rooted in the currents of twelfth-century Europe. This book explores the turbulent life and violent death of Thomas Becket, one of the most controversial figures in the Middle Ages: a London merchant's son turned royal chancellor, an archbishop of Canterbury turned martyred saint. Michael Staunton looks at Becket's complex and contested legacy, drawing from the bishop's writings as well as those of his contemporaries. Based on extensive research, this account offers a fresh perspective on Thomas Becket's life and places him within the broader landscape of twelfth-century England and Europe--a time of rapid change and conflict. The book is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about a pivotal figure in medieval history.

A delectable and beautifully illustrated exploration of the deep meaning of the menu across time--at and beyond the table. Menus are invaluable snapshots of the food consumed at specific moments in time and place. Tastes and Traditions: A Journey through Menu History provides glimpses into the meals enjoyed by royalty and rogues, those celebrating special occasions, or sampling new culinary sensations throughout history. It describes food prepared for the gods, meals served during sieges, and tablescapes immortalized in art. It explores how menus entertain adults, link food with play for children, reflect changing notions of health, and highlight the enduring human need to make meals meaningful. Lavishly illustrated, this book offers an engaging exploration of why menus matter and the stories they tell, appealing to food lovers and general readers, as well as professionals in the food industry.

Taking in a range of traditions from ancient Britain to the present day, a revealing look at the bristly underside of British folkloric culture. Rough Music explores transgression and shame in British folklore and customs. It takes in a wide array of examples including Bonfire Night, Wassail, Morris dancing, Mari Lwyd, and Twelfth Night, along with happenings like Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, and street football. Liz Williams explores the roots and roles of violence, mockery, protest, and public shaming. She also addresses alternative culture and modern protests, such as the Battle of the Beanfield and the Stonehenge Free Festival. The interaction between racism and traditions involving blackface, alongside the emergence of all-female Morris sides, is also examined. Finally, Rough Music looks at folklore's evolution in the digital age, highlighting new developments such as ghost bikes. This engaging book offers an entertaining yet rigorous look at British folklore and culture.

Occasionally scandalous and always fascinating, a cornucopia of surprising and little-told yarns from the classical world. Both humorous and shocking, Miracula is filled with astonishing facts and stories drawn from ancient Greece and Rome that have rarely been retold in English. It explores "the incredible" as presented by little-known classical writers like Callimachus and Phlegon of Tralles. Yet, it offers much more: even familiar authors such as Herodotus and Cicero often couldn't resist relating sensational, tabloid-worthy tales. The book also tackles ancient examples of topics still relevant today, such as racism, slavery, and misogyny. The pieces are by turns absorbing, enchanting, curious, unbelievable, comical, astonishing, disturbing, and occasionally just plain daft. An entertaining and sometimes lurid collection, this book is perfect for all those fascinated by the stranger aspects of the classical world, for history enthusiasts, and for anyone interested in classical history, society, and culture.

Looking two hundred years in the past, an enlightening study of the neglected liberal tradition in Russian political thought with resonance for today. On December 14, 1825, a group of young Russian army officers led three thousand troops to Senate Square in St. Petersburg, aiming to force the senate to adopt a liberal constitution and transform the Russian Empire. The Decembrist Revolt--as it came to be known--was suppressed, with a second uprising in the south meeting the same fate. Five leaders were executed, and many others exiled to Siberia. Why did so many young noblemen risk their lives for regime change, what was their vision for an alternative society, and what were the consequences for participants and their families? This book highlights the often-neglected liberal tradition in Russian political thought and the experiences of Decembrist wives and fiancées, offering a fresh reinterpretation in the light of recent events in Russia.

Nuanced and insightful, a comprehensive exploration of the life, work, and times of the celebrated French literary polymath. Émile Zola is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest writers, whose reputation was reinforced by his historic intervention in the Dreyfus Affair. This book explores Zola's life and work and how these were determined by the traumatic history of his times. From humble beginnings, Zola's life was marked by the determination to succeed. Robert Lethbridge traces his development as a writer, including Zola's earliest texts and his novel cycles, and further shows how Zola's extraordinary creativity extended from his journalism to experiments in the theater and even to his own operatic adaptations of his novels. Lethbridge offers the reader new perspectives, informed by the most recent research, which bring together Zola's writing and its historical context.

An approachable critical biography of the English novelist, most famous as the author of Lady Chatterley's Lover. This book offers a concise yet comprehensive look at D. H. Lawrence's turbulent life and career. Tracing Lawrence's journey from a mining village outside Nottingham to his early death in the South of France, the book provides fresh perspectives on his major works. David Ellis covers the essential aspects of Lawrence's life and writings and presents a balanced view, steering between admirers and critics. Written in an accessible style, this book is ideal for both students new to Lawrence and readers looking to revisit one of Britain's greatest early twentieth-century writers.

A fresh and approachable critical biography of the twentieth-century Anglo-American writer. Christopher Isherwood wrote modernist novels before he evolved into a pioneer of autofiction; his novel Goodbye to Berlin inspired the hit musical Cabaret. Everything changed when Isherwood emigrated to America in 1939. His newfound pacifism and studies as a Hindu monk led to new kinds of novels, including A Single Man, that reflected his evolving spiritual interests and blazed a trail for the gay liberation movement. In this new biography, Jake Poller takes a holistic approach to Isherwood, exploring his life and writing as well as the impact of Vedanta philosophy on Isherwood's work. This book offers a concise yet thorough account of a monumental figure.

Surveys the realism of planets in sci-fi films like Star Wars and Dune.

Shows how British pop trailblazers The Yardbirds helped to shape rock music.

A fresh, corrective view of 'mad' Habsburg ruler Rudolf II.

A superbly illustrated history of the turban, from Arabian origins to global cultural icon.

Ending gender segregation in sport fosters equity, challenges sexism and boosts participation.

South Africa's visual history from colonialism to democracy, through iconic photography.

An exploration of both the reality and the spectre of waste throughout history.

The supreme, heroic yet paradoxical medieval German emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

An eye-opening, terrifying history of this notorious and widely influential mercenary group. This book exposes the history and the future of the Wagner Group, Russia's notorious and secretive mercenary army, revealing details of their operations never documented before. Using extensive leaks, first-hand accounts, and the byzantine paper trail left in the group's wake, Jack Margolin traces the Wagner Group from its roots as a battlefield rumor to a private military enterprise tens of thousands-strong that eventually comes to threaten Putin himself. He follows individual commanders and foot soldiers within the group as they fight in Ukraine, Syria, and Africa, sometimes alongside fellow military contractors from the United Kingdom and the United States. He shows Wagner mercenaries committing atrocities, plundering oil, diamonds, and gold, and changing the course of conflicts from Europe to Africa in the name of the Kremlin's strategic aims. In documenting the Wagner Group's story up to the dramatic demise of its chief director, Evgeniy Prigozhin, Margolin demonstrates what the Wagner Group represents for not only the future of Putin's political system but also the privatization of war.