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  Mana

  Tame Iti

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  Mana. It's a big word. But what is it? Are you born with it, can you earn it, can it be taken away? 
   
  For more than five decades, Tame Iti has stood at the heart of Aotearoa's struggle for indigenous rights. From land marches to performance art, police raids to prison cells, his voice has challenged New Zealand to reckon with its colonial legacy.  
   
  Once branded as a dangerous and extreme activist, nowhailed as a national treasure, Tame has lived the contradictions and realities of standing with mana motuhake in a modern world. 
   
  After being silenced from speaking te reo Maori as a child, Tame went on to champion its revitalisation. He discovered the power of protest and what it means to live with mana in a world that often tries to strip it away. 
   
  This is his korero of the road he walked and the people who joined him. The comrades, the supporters, and the ones who tried to take him out. 
   
  Mana is the story of a man who has never stopped challenging the status quo. It cements Tame's place as one of Aotearoa's most iconic figures.

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  Stakeknife's Dirty War - The...

  Richard O'Rawe

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  Freddie Scappaticci was born in 1946 and raised in a deeply nationalist area of Belfast. When the Troubles broke out in 1969, he joined the Provisional IRA, where he quickly rose through the ranks, becoming commander of Belfast in 1984. 
   
  From the outside, Scappaticci appeared to be a dedicated volunteer, but inwardly, he had become disenchanted with the IRA and, in 1977, he started working for British intelligence. At the same time, he took up a leading role in a newly formed IRA Internal Security Unit (ISU), aka ‘The Nutting Squad’. He personally executed two suspected informers and condemned at least thirty-seven more to death. 
   
  Was he the serial killer that history portrays him? Undoubtedly. But it’s not that simple, because every time he passed the death penalty on an informer, he told his British intelligence handlers about the intended execution, giving them the opportunity to prevent the killing. 
   
  Did the tasking and co-ordinating group, the primary British intelligence organisation in Northern Ireland during the troubles, aid and abet the IRA in the mass-murder of British citizens? That is the question Richard O’Rawe poses in Stakeknife’s Dirty War. But O’Rawe goes further: he lays out a very compelling case that points to the TCGs running the IRA’s war from the mid-1980s to the 1994 ceasefire. Such was the British intelliegence penetration of the IRA, that Freddie Scappaticci, aka ‘Stakeknife’, was in control of all IRA operations in the Belfast Brigade area. This book will shock readers, and cause them to reevaluate everything they formerly held to be true about Stakeknife’s dirty war in Ireland.

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  Meiji Era - Modernization...

  Rolf Hedger

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  The Tokugawa Shogunate, which had ruled Japan for over two centuries, faced a gradual but inevitable decline in the mid-19th century. Although the regime had maintained stability and peace through strict social hierarchy and isolationist policies, internal weaknesses and external pressures ultimately led to its downfall. The combination of economic struggles, social unrest, and increasing foreign intervention exposed the shogunate’s vulnerabilities, setting the stage for a dramatic political transformation. 
  One of the major factors behind the decline was Japan’s rigid economic system. The Tokugawa rulers relied heavily on a feudal structure in which the daimyo, or regional lords, maintained their own domains under the authority of the shogun. However, the economy began to shift from an agrarian-based system to one influenced by commerce and trade. The samurai class, who traditionally depended on fixed stipends from their lords, found themselves in financial hardship as inflation and economic instability grew. Meanwhile, wealthy merchants gained power, disrupting the established social order and creating tensions between classes. 
  In addition to economic issues, political dissatisfaction increased within Japan. Many daimyo and samurai resented the centralized control of the shogunate, believing it had become ineffective in governing the country. Corruption and inefficiency within the government further weakened public trust. While some reform-minded leaders proposed changes, the rigid nature of the Tokugawa system made meaningful reform difficult to achieve. This frustration contributed to the rise of movements advocating for a return to imperial rule under Emperor Meiji.

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  Song Dynasty - Innovation and...

  Rolf Hedger

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  The Song Dynasty (960–1279) emerged from a period of political fragmentation and military strife known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960). Following the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in 907, China was divided among competing warlords and regional states, each vying for power. The unification of China under the Song Dynasty marked the beginning of a new era of stability, economic prosperity, and cultural flourishing. 
  The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu (Zhao Kuangyin), a capable military general who seized power in 960 through a relatively peaceful coup known as the Chenqiao Mutiny. As the commander of the Later Zhou army, Taizu was persuaded by his loyal officers to take the throne and establish a new dynasty. Unlike previous rulers who relied on military force to maintain control, Taizu implemented policies aimed at reducing the power of the military aristocracy while strengthening the centralized government. One of his first major reforms was ensuring that top military commanders were replaced by civilian officials, significantly reducing the likelihood of future military coups. 
  Although the early Song rulers sought to consolidate power within China, they faced constant threats from neighboring states. The Khitan-led Liao Dynasty controlled much of the northern frontier, while the Western Xia and later the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty posed additional challenges. The Song, unable to achieve military dominance over these rival states, often resorted to diplomacy, alliances, and even paying tribute in exchange for peace. This reliance on diplomacy over warfare became a defining characteristic of Song foreign policy.

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  Factional Conflicts - Struggles...

  Amara Blackwood

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  This collection examines the intense conflict between the Jacobins and the Girondins, two factions with differing views on the direction of the revolution. While the Jacobins, led by figures like Robespierre, advocated for radical change and direct action, the Girondins sought a more moderate approach, leading to intense political battles that shaped the course of the revolution. 
  The book also explores the Reign of Terror, one of the darkest periods in revolutionary France, when the Jacobins seized power and executed thousands of perceived enemies of the revolution, including former allies. This campaign of political repression became infamous for its brutality and the paranoia it instilled across the country. Finally, the Thermidorian Reaction marks a critical turning point, as revolutionary fervor gave way to reactionary forces, leading to the fall of Robespierre and the decline of radicalism. 
  Together, these events showcase the volatile nature of the French Revolution, highlighting the dangers of factionalism and the consequences of unchecked power. Factional Conflicts reveals how divisions within the revolution itself contributed to its eventual unraveling and the establishment of a new order in France.

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  Oracle of Dodona The: The...

  Editors Charles River

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  In ancient Greece, “no other practice was so universal than the consultation of oracles.” These holy sites were found in 260 locations around the Greek-speaking world, and they were considered the “most satisfactory means of ascertaining the future.” These sanctuaries were “set apart from the profane, ordinary world” and were in the beginning restricted to natural locations where the divine was thought to be “especially present.” They were set aside for special spiritual functions, and a state of purity was generally required of its participants. A historical tendency toward providing haven for criminals was based on the fear of shedding blood in a holy place, and the “fear that the evil magic would emanate from his curse.” 
  	Despite the interest in Greek oracles, modern knowledge remains limited in certain respects, because cult history has become so intertwined with mythology that the lines separating one from another have been nearly lost. Modern scholars studying the oracles have tried to pull the shroud of mythology away from historical facts to illuminate the realities of the Greek cults, but the job has often proved trickier than imagined. If anything, the work of scholars has deepened the mysticism of the oracles rather than dispel it, in large measure due to documenting fascinating and mysterious stories about them. For example, much has been written about natural vapors and fumes that may have caused psychoactive effects in petitioners at oracles. Modern civilizations at times employ this argument to excuse the supposed ignorance of the ancient Greeks, and in some cases, such vapors have been identified and may indeed explain the activities at certain oracles. However, archaeologist Jelle de Boer, intimately associated with some of the most iconic Greek oracles, cautioned that “something can be extra-natural without being outright supernatural.”

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