Other books that might interest you

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  A Rare Recording of Marilyn Monroe

  Marilyn Monroe

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  Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson (June 1, 1926 - August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 60s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2022) by the time of her death in 1962. Long after her death, Monroe remains a pop culture icon. The following is a series of revealing audio clips from interviews and moments when Monroe was in front of the press.

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  Saffie - The youngest victim of...

  David Collins, Lisa Roussos,...

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  On 22 May 2017, a bomb exploded in the middle of a crowd of young fans leaving an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena. Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds more were injured. 
   
  Saffie-Rose Roussos, aged eight, was the youngest victim to die in the attack. She had been at the concert with her mother, Lisa, and her elder sister, Ashlee. 
   
  While Ashlee’s injuries were not life-threatening, Lisa was so badly hurt doctors gave her a fifteen per cent chance of survival and a ninety per cent chance of being paralysed from the neck down if she did survive. Lisa would spend six weeks in a coma and only learned Saffie was gone when she regained consciousness. 
   
  As the bomb went off, Saffie’s father Andrew was outside waiting to pick up Lisa, Ashlee and Saffie, with his son Xander. He heard the explosion and embarked on a desperate, terrifying search for his wife and daughters through a city that was now more like a war zone. 
   
  Saffie is Andrew and Lisa’s story, one of unimaginable suffering and heartbreak as the family faced down a nightmare but also a story of inspiration, courage and optimism, as they search for happiness and meaning in their lives, whilst fighting MI5 to reveal what they knew about the bomber. 
   
  Most of all, though, this is a story of love, for each other and for Saffie, and how she was their guiding light in the very worst of times.

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  Latin American Development -...

  Anya Solace

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  Latin American Development offers a sweeping, multi-country perspective on the forces shaping growth, prosperity, and crisis across the region. This 5-in-1 collection dives into the economic trajectories of El Salvador, Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela, highlighting how political decisions, social movements, and external pressures have molded each nation’s path. Whether examining rapid development or dramatic decline, the book sheds light on both shared patterns and unique challenges. 
  In El Salvador, we explore the post-conflict economy and its reliance on remittances, exports, and dollarization. Colombia’s chapters focus on two lenses: its long-term economic history and more recent transformation toward stability and global integration. Brazil’s rise and fall showcases how major industries once symbolized growth, only to falter amid corruption and policy missteps. Finally, Venezuela’s boom and bust narrative reveals how oil wealth led to short-term prosperity followed by severe collapse, hyperinflation, and social unrest. 
  This volume is perfect for readers seeking to understand how Latin America’s economic landscapes have been built—and broken—by power, policy, and persistence.

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  Roman and Byzantine Armies The:...

  Editors Charles River

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  The Roman army is one of the most famous fighting forces in history. Through its power and prowess, a once obscure Italian city forged an empire that encircled the Mediterranean and covered half of Europe. The physical remains of its presence can be traced from the mountainous borders of Scotland to the arid deserts of Egypt, but its legacy is far greater and more enduring, as Rome's influence continues to shape the political, legal, and cultural landscape of Europe to this very day. 
  While the Roman army is rightly famed as an institution, the image of the individual legionary is also an iconic one. The uniformed, disciplined soldier of the late Republic and early Empire is one of the first things many people imagine when they think of Rome. They are the ultimate image of the ancient soldier, their arms and armor instantly recognizable. Their abilities, not only as warriors but also as engineers and administrators, have made them role models for other soldiers through the centuries. In the same vein, their commanders are still celebrated and studied, and generals the world over have tried to emulate the likes of Julius Caesar. 
  The Byzantine Empire was the heir to two great cultures that cradled and nurtured European civilization: Greece and Rome. Constantinople, now called Istanbul, became a center of power, culture, trade, and technology poised on the edges of Europe and Asia, and its influence was felt not only throughout Europe but the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and the Far East. In reality, Byzantium was a strong, organized, highly effective and adaptable civilization for most of its long history. It owed its success in no small part to its military, which, in contrast to the feudal armies of Western Europe and the tribally based forces of the Middle East, operated with a high level of discipline, strategic prowess, efficiency, and organization.

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  Ways of Eating - Exploring Food...

  Merry White, Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft

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  What we learn when an anthropologist and a historian talk about food. 
   
   
    
  From the origins of agriculture to contemporary debates over culinary authenticity, Ways of Eating introduces listeners to world food history and food anthropology. Through engaging stories and historical deep dives, Benjamin A. Wurgaft and Merry I. White offer new ways to understand food in relation to its natural and cultural histories and the social rules that shape our meals. 
   
   
    
  Wurgaft and White use vivid storytelling to bring food practices to life, weaving stories of Panamanian coffee growers, medieval women beer makers, and Japanese knife forgers. From the Venetian spice trade to the Columbian Exchange, from Roman garum to Vietnamese nuoc cham, Ways of Eating provides an absorbing account of world food history and anthropology. Migration, politics, and the dynamics of group identity all shape what we eat, and we can learn to trace these social forces from the plate to the kitchen, the factory, and the field.

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  The History and Legacy of...

  Editors Charles River

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  Athens is chiefly remembered for two reasons: its political system, which would in time form the nucleus of all Western democratic systems of government, and the remarkable number of outstanding individuals which, during the Golden Age of Athens, lived and flourished in the enlightened city-state. The Ancient Athenians formed the backbone of the West’s entire culture, from the arts to philosophy and everything in between. 
  The most unique city-state in Ancient Greece was Sparta, which continues to fascinate contemporaneous society. It is not entirely clear why Sparta placed such a great emphasis on having a militaristic society, but the result was that military fitness was a preoccupation from birth. 
  In the Archaic and Classical periods, Rhodes often stood as a prime exemplar of the highs and lows of its fellow Greek cities, and as the largest island of the Dodecanese, Rhodes’ history is largely in line with that of the rest of those islands. Rhodes would reach the zenith of its power in the Hellenistic period following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.  
  Modern perceptions of Classical Greece are almost invariably based on Athens and Sparta, but Thebes was also a key player in the history of the region in this pivotal period. Indeed, it was, in fact, Thebes that was the major power for many of the years preceding the emergence of Macedon. The reasons for so little being known about Thebes and its contributions to ancient Greek civilization are complex, but the fact that it was totally destroyed by Alexander the Great is certainly one. 
  Ancient Corinth had actually been founded in the 10th century B.C. and was, for most of its history, the richest port and the largest city in all of Greece. Corinth had a population in excess of 90,000 in 400 B.C., but the Romans leveled this original city in 146 B.C., killing all the male inhabitants and selling the women and children into slavery.

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