'An extraordinary story, vividly told with great pace and insight' DAVID MCCULLAGH'A compelling narrative for this incredible tale of fortitude and bravery' RONAN MCGREEVYCatalpa recounts one of the most daring and improbable rescue missions in Irish history, the dramatic escape of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Australia – on the farthest edge of the British Empire – and their journey onwards to America on a whaling...

The Iberian Peninsula was conquered by Islamic forces in 711 AD and the Islamic presence continued in this part of Europe for 900 years. This presence left an indelible stamp in Spain and Portugal, like the wonders of the Alhambra and the Great Mosque of Córdoba. Its legacy also extends to the rich seam of learning, in science, medicine, literature and philosophy that was later transmitted to the rest of Europe. How did all this come about? In this engaging book Michael Barry tells the sto...

During Queen Victoria’s reign, in the years between 1837 and 1901, Dublin experienced great change. It slipped from its position as second city of the Empire, while at the same time it developed as Ireland’s administrative and commercial centre. The advent of the railway and steam-ship resulted in Dublin becoming Ireland’s transport hub. However, improved cross-channel communications resulted in stiff competition for Dublin’s industries. Catholic Emancipation, coupled with a rise in nation...

Syria has an extensive range of historical sites and is truly part of the cradle of civilisation. It is currently not possible to visit Syria to see this exquisite patrimony: its inheritance of many civilisations. This includes the remains of the Greek, Roman, Islamic and Ottoman eras. From the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, to the perfectly preserved Krak des Chevaliers Crusader castle, Syria has more outstanding heritage than most other countries. Much of it is under threat; some has alread...

European and Arab versions of the Crusades have little in common. For Arabs, the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were years of strenuous efforts to repel a brutal and destructive invasion by barbarian hordes. Under Saladin, an unstoppable Muslim army inspired by prophets and poets finally succeeded in destroying the most powerful Crusader kingdoms. The memory of this greatest and most enduring victory ever won by a non-European society against the West still lives in the minds of millions...

A brilliant and fascinating portrait of medieval Spain explores the golden age when Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in an atmosphere of tolerance.This enthralling history, widely hailed as a revelation of a "lost" golden age, brings to vivid life the rich and thriving culture of medieval Spain, where for more than seven centuries Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in an atmosphere of tolerance, and where literature, science, and the arts flou...

From the two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning author, God’s Crucible brings to life “a furiously complex age” (New York Times Book Review).Resonating as profoundly today as when it was first published to widespread critical acclaim a decade ago, God’s Crucible is a bold portrait of Islamic Spain and the birth of modern Europe from one of our greatest historians. David Levering Lewis’s narrative, filled with accounts of some of the most epic ba...

This biography of the 12th century Islamic military leader provides a fascinating view of the Crusades and the Medieval Muslim world.Saladin was a Kurdish military leader who led the fight against the Crusades and rose to become first Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He united warring Muslim lands, reconquered the bulk of Crusader states and faced King Richard I of England in one of the most famous confrontations in medieval warfare. His extraordinary character and career...

Scholars, journalists, and politicians uphold Muslim-ruled medieval Spain—“al-Andalus”—as a multicultural paradise, a place where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in harmony.There is only one problem with this widely accepted account: it is a myth.In this groundbreaking book, Northwestern University scholar Darío Fernández-Morera tells the full story of Islamic Spain. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise shines light on hidden features of this m...

A concise history of Portugal, from its earliest beginnings up to the politics and life of the present day. It was not until the twelfth century that Portugal became a country in its own right, having been a Roman colony and then having suffered both Barbarian and Islamic invasions. The golden age of discoveries, the reign of Henry the Navigator, and great seamen such as Vasco da Gama led to the founding of Portugal’s empire. But in 1755 Lisbon was virtually levelled by the Great Ea...

From a master historian, the definitive account of history's first terroristsAn offshoot of the Ismaili Shi'ite sect of Islam, the Assassins were the first group to make systematic use of murder as a political weapon. Established in Iran and Syria in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, they aimed to overthrow the existing Sunni order in Islam and replace it with their own. They terrorized their foes with a series of dramatic murders of Islamic leaders, as well as o...

"Full of rare and exact information…A distinguished work." —New York Review of BooksThe eleventh-century Muslim world was a great civilization while Europe lay slumbering in the Dark Ages. Slowly, inevitably, Europe and Islam came together, through trade and war, crusade and diplomacy. The ebb and flow between these two worlds for seven hundred years, illuminated here by a brilliant historian, is one of the great sagas of world history.