SaleOmnibus/Box Set
The Shortest History (Set Of 10 Books) India| Economics| China| Universe| War| Democracy| Soviet Union| Crown| Israel and Palestine| Sex
Publisher:
Picador India
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| Language:
English
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Omnibus/Box Set
₹4,193
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Page Extent:
2744
- The Shortest History Of India :– 5,000 YEARS OF INDIAN HISTORY IN LESS THAN 300 PAGES From the ruins of ancient civilisations to an emerging global superpower One of the oldest civilisations and the largest democracy in the world, India is an amalgam of customs, races, castes, languages and spiritual beliefs, woven together over 5,000 years of wonderfully colossal and chaotic history. From the earliest humans and the Harappan civilisation to Muslim conquerors, the Great Mughals, British rule, the country’s struggle for autonomy and present-day hopes and challenges, John Zubrzycki masterfully condenses five millennia of deities, mutinies, wars, great empires, decadent dynasties, invasions, migrations, colonisation and independence into a fascinating, lively telling. He brings the complex and contrasting layers of Indian history to life through a well-known cast of characters – Buddha, Alexander the Great, Akbar, Clive, Tipu Sultan, Lakshmi Bai, Curzon, Jinnah, Mahatma Gandhi – against a backdrop of the ever-present Ganges, the desert forts of Rajasthan, the snow-covered Himalayas and the ruins of India’s fabled civilisations. From medicine to mathematics, philosophy to astronomy, literature to music, Buddhism to Bollywood, India has made its mark on Asia and the world. Its progress in tackling poverty and illiteracy have been impressive, but extraordinary challenges remain – not least the threat to its secular, democratic fabric. Only time will tell if India can overcome its political, social and religious tensions to rise again and become the next global superpower.
- The Shortest History Of Economics : –‘If you read just one book about economics, make it this one’ CLAUDIA GOLDIN, Winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics ‘Essential reading for anyone looking to understand today’s economy’ BETSEY STEVENSON, Professor of Economics, University of Michigan, and co-author of Principles of Economics ‘People who are curious about but confused by economics will learn enough from this to be conversant for life’ CAROLINE M. HOXBY, Donya Bommer Professor of Economics, Stanford University THE STORY OF ECONOMICS FROM AGRICULTURE TO CAPITALISM, WARFARE TO INNOVATION, PLAGUES AND PANDEMICS TO A WARMING PLANET. This small book tells a big story. From ancient times to the modern world, The Shortest History of Economics unearths the hidden economic forces behind war, innovation and social transformation. It traces how capitalism and the market system emerged, and introduces the key ideas and people who shaped the discipline of economics. From the agricultural revolution to the warming of our planet, Andrew Leigh tells the story of economics that ranges across centuries and continents, highlighting the diversity of the discipline. He delves into the radical origins of the game of Monopoly, why the invention of the plough worsened gender inequality, how certain diseases shaped the patterns of colonialism, the reasons skyscrapers emerged first in American cities, and much more. The result is an illuminating, entertaining book about the economic ideas and forces that shape our world.
- The Shortest History Of China :-A fascinating, enormously dynamic portrait of a superpower. Essential reading’ JULIA LOVELL ‘A fast-paced and witty survey of China’s past … Iconoclastic, informative and more attentive to female figures than comparable works’ JEFFREY WASSERSTROM ‘Succinct, lucid and with a keen eye for detail, this slim book is an indispensable primer on China’ LOUISA LIM**A PACY HISTORY OF CHINA THAT CAN BE READ IN AN AFTERNOON, BUT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR PERSPECTIVE FOR A LIFETIME. ** From kung-fu to tofu, tea to trade routes, sages to silk, China has inf luenced cuisine, commerce, military strategy, aesthetics and philosophy across the world for thousands of years. Chinese history is sprawling and gloriously messy. It is full of heroes who are also villains, prosperous ages and violent rebellions, cultural vibrancy and censorious impulses, loyalists, dissidents and wits. The story of women in China, from the earliest warriors to twentieth century suffragettes, is rarely told. And historical spectres of corruption and disunity, which have brought down many a mighty ruling house, continue to haunt the People’s Republic today. Modern China is seen variously as an economic powerhouse, an icon of urbanisation, a propaganda state or an aggressive superpower seeking world domination. Linda Jaivin distils a vast history into a short, readable account that tells you what you need to know, from China’s philosophical origins to its political system, to the COVID-19 pandemic and where the PRC is likely to lead the world.
- The Shortest History Of Universe :-‘This writing is brilliant’ JOHN GREEN A captivating exploration – through life, the universe and everything’* PS News* It’s quite a feat to fit this Big History into a “shortest history”’ Insights Magazine Inspires people to look more deeply at the world around them’ *Eastern Riverina Chronicle * An interesting journey’ The Area News WHERE DID WE COME FROM AND WHERE ARE WE GOING?** How did time begin? When was the Earth born? What conditions led to the evolution of humans? Will we survive the Anthropocene? Is it really true that we’re all made from stars? In this fascinating work, science writer David Baker traces the continuum of historical change in the cosmos – from the first atoms to the first life and then to humans and the things we have created. The Shortest History of the Universe compels us to look beyond the chaos of worldly affairs and points at what might come next in the story of the universe. Weaving together knowledge from chemistry, biology and physics with insights from the social sciences, this shortest Big History takes a bird’s eye view of 13.8 billion years
- The Shortest History Of war : –‘An incisive and well-informed overview of how warfare has evolved’ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY From the first armies to clashes of drones and dirty bombs, this is eye-opening, big-picture stuff’ BBC HISTORY Readable and sharp … does what it says on the tin’ INDEPENDENT ‘Dyer writes with eloquence and authority’ IRISH EXAMINER** War has changed, but we have not. From our hunter-gatherer ancestors to the rival nuclear powers of today, whenever resources have been contested, we’ve gone to battle. In this brisk and gripping account, acclaimed military historian Gwynne Dyer traces the evolution of martial clashes, tracing warfare from prehistory to the world’s first cities and on to the thousand-year ‘classical age’ of combat, which ended when the firearm changed everything. Dyer explores the shift from limited to total war, interrupted by Hiroshima’s nuclear impact, until the Cold War and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended the longest peace among major powers since the World War II. Now as climate change intensifies resource competition, superpowers fill up their arsenals with atomic bombs, drones and futuristic weapons of mass destruction. All through, Dyer delves into anthropology, psychology and other relevant fields to unmask the drivers of conflict, making The Shortest History of War a book for anyone who wants to understand the role of war in the human story – and how we can prevent it from defining our future.
- The Shortest History Of Democracy:- ‘Indispensable for understanding democracy today’ Michael Schudson A bold new history of democracy from the popular assemblies of Syria-Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent to present-day challenges around the world. From its beginnings in Syria-Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent to its role in fomenting revolutionary fervour in France and America, democracy has subverted fixed ways of deciding who should enjoy power and privilege, and why. For democracy encourages people to do something radical: to come together as equals, to determine their own lives and futures. In this vigorous, illuminating history, acclaimed political thinker John Keane traces its byzantine history, from the age of assembly democracy in Athens, to European-inspired electoral democracy and the birth of representative government, to our age of monitory democracy. He gives new reasons why democracy is a precious global ideal, and shows that as the world has come to be shaped by democracy, it has grown more worldly. In today’s age of populist strongmen threatening democracy in India, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the US and elsewhere, we need its radical potential more than ever. Does democracy have a future, or will the demagogues and despots win? We are about to find out.
- The Shortest History Of Soviet Union :- ‘Close to a miracle … an immensely readable overview … full of anecdotes and lively detail, but also meeting the highest academic standards’ SLAVOJ ŽIŽEK The Soviet Union arrived in the world accidentally and departed unexpectedly. Over a century after the Russian Revolution, the tumultuous history of the Soviet Union continues to fascinate us and influence global politics. From revolution and Lenin to Stalin’s Terror, from World War II to Gorbachev’s glasnost, this is an authoritative distillation of 75 years of communist rule, and the disintegration of an empire. Fitzpatrick charts the fate of countries often left out of Soviet histories, gives vivid portraits of key figures, and traces the aftermath of the regime’s sudden collapse. She explores the rise of the oligarchs, the rebirth of the Church and the enigmatic figure of Vladimir Putin: a Soviet creation but no Soviet nostalgic. Lastly, she considers the future of Communism. Who still worships Marx and Lenin? What lessons has today’s superpower, China, learned from yesterday’s Soviet failure? What could be the future of Putin’s expansionism?
- The Shortest History Of Israel and Palestine :- ‘A masterpiece of clarity, concision and balance’ ADAM SUTCLIFFE ‘The complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (are) easy to understand in this clear, straightforward, and unemotional history’ JOHN MCHUGO, author of A Concise History of the Arabs ‘(Scott-Baumann’s) thirty-five years’ experience as a teacher and lecturer in history is felt on each page of his book … a roadmap to students and an entrance gate to whomever wants to go beyond it’ MENACHEM KLEIN, professor of political science, Bar-Ilan University,Israel, and author of Lives in Common An accessible, essential history that explores the origins and development of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ongoing struggle between Israel and Palestine is one of the most bitter conflicts in history, with profound global consequences. In this book, Middle East expert Michael Scott-Baumann succinctly describes its origins and charts its evolution from civil war to the present day. Each chapter offers a lucid explanation of the politics and ends with personal testimony from Palestinians and Israelis whose lives have been overshadowed by violence. While presenting competing interpretations, Scott-Baumann examines key flash points including the early role of the British, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the Six-Day War of 1967, the Trump administration’s 2020 peace plan, and the war ignited by Hamas’s surprise attacks on Israel in 2023. He delineates both the nature of Israeli control over the Palestinian territories and Palestinian resistance―going to the heart of recent clashes. The result is an indispensable history, including a time line, glossary, and analysis of why efforts to restore peace have continually failed―at immense human cost on both sides of the conflict―and what it will take to succeed
- The Shortest History Of sex :- ‘Well-researched, superbly written, often punchy … always entertaining’ DAVID CHRISTIAN, bestselling author of Origin Story‘If you’ve ever felt that sex was confusing, messy or slightly ridiculous, this book is for you’ EMMA BYRNE, author of Swearing Is Good for You David Baker’s wonderful book offers information, entertainment and insight’ SUSAN QUILLIAM, co-author of The Joy of Sex With a foreword by Simon Whistler THE BIG HISTORY OF SEX FROM EARLY LIFE TO SEXBOTS How did sex begin? How did it evolve to be so varied and complex in humans? What influence does our genetic ancestry have on our love life today? And what might sex look like in the future? The Shortest History of Sex traces exactly where all the facets of human sexuality stemmed from, starting at the creation of sex approximately two billion years ago and chasing it down our evolutionary family tree – from dinosaurs to primates and the earliest humans – until we arrive at the present phenomena of Tinder and OnlyFans, revealing why humanity’s baffling array of passions, impulses and fetishes are the way they are. Finally, it looks at the horizon to figure out where current trends may lead us, as humans navigate the brave new world of technology. The result is a revealing and utterly unique insight into history and human behaviour – and the dance between Nature and Nurture in society.
Description
- The Shortest History Of India :– 5,000 YEARS OF INDIAN HISTORY IN LESS THAN 300 PAGES From the ruins of ancient civilisations to an emerging global superpower One of the oldest civilisations and the largest democracy in the world, India is an amalgam of customs, races, castes, languages and spiritual beliefs, woven together over 5,000 years of wonderfully colossal and chaotic history. From the earliest humans and the Harappan civilisation to Muslim conquerors, the Great Mughals, British rule, the country’s struggle for autonomy and present-day hopes and challenges, John Zubrzycki masterfully condenses five millennia of deities, mutinies, wars, great empires, decadent dynasties, invasions, migrations, colonisation and independence into a fascinating, lively telling. He brings the complex and contrasting layers of Indian history to life through a well-known cast of characters – Buddha, Alexander the Great, Akbar, Clive, Tipu Sultan, Lakshmi Bai, Curzon, Jinnah, Mahatma Gandhi – against a backdrop of the ever-present Ganges, the desert forts of Rajasthan, the snow-covered Himalayas and the ruins of India’s fabled civilisations. From medicine to mathematics, philosophy to astronomy, literature to music, Buddhism to Bollywood, India has made its mark on Asia and the world. Its progress in tackling poverty and illiteracy have been impressive, but extraordinary challenges remain – not least the threat to its secular, democratic fabric. Only time will tell if India can overcome its political, social and religious tensions to rise again and become the next global superpower.
- The Shortest History Of Economics : –‘If you read just one book about economics, make it this one’ CLAUDIA GOLDIN, Winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics ‘Essential reading for anyone looking to understand today’s economy’ BETSEY STEVENSON, Professor of Economics, University of Michigan, and co-author of Principles of Economics ‘People who are curious about but confused by economics will learn enough from this to be conversant for life’ CAROLINE M. HOXBY, Donya Bommer Professor of Economics, Stanford University THE STORY OF ECONOMICS FROM AGRICULTURE TO CAPITALISM, WARFARE TO INNOVATION, PLAGUES AND PANDEMICS TO A WARMING PLANET. This small book tells a big story. From ancient times to the modern world, The Shortest History of Economics unearths the hidden economic forces behind war, innovation and social transformation. It traces how capitalism and the market system emerged, and introduces the key ideas and people who shaped the discipline of economics. From the agricultural revolution to the warming of our planet, Andrew Leigh tells the story of economics that ranges across centuries and continents, highlighting the diversity of the discipline. He delves into the radical origins of the game of Monopoly, why the invention of the plough worsened gender inequality, how certain diseases shaped the patterns of colonialism, the reasons skyscrapers emerged first in American cities, and much more. The result is an illuminating, entertaining book about the economic ideas and forces that shape our world.
- The Shortest History Of China :-A fascinating, enormously dynamic portrait of a superpower. Essential reading’ JULIA LOVELL ‘A fast-paced and witty survey of China’s past … Iconoclastic, informative and more attentive to female figures than comparable works’ JEFFREY WASSERSTROM ‘Succinct, lucid and with a keen eye for detail, this slim book is an indispensable primer on China’ LOUISA LIM**A PACY HISTORY OF CHINA THAT CAN BE READ IN AN AFTERNOON, BUT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR PERSPECTIVE FOR A LIFETIME. ** From kung-fu to tofu, tea to trade routes, sages to silk, China has inf luenced cuisine, commerce, military strategy, aesthetics and philosophy across the world for thousands of years. Chinese history is sprawling and gloriously messy. It is full of heroes who are also villains, prosperous ages and violent rebellions, cultural vibrancy and censorious impulses, loyalists, dissidents and wits. The story of women in China, from the earliest warriors to twentieth century suffragettes, is rarely told. And historical spectres of corruption and disunity, which have brought down many a mighty ruling house, continue to haunt the People’s Republic today. Modern China is seen variously as an economic powerhouse, an icon of urbanisation, a propaganda state or an aggressive superpower seeking world domination. Linda Jaivin distils a vast history into a short, readable account that tells you what you need to know, from China’s philosophical origins to its political system, to the COVID-19 pandemic and where the PRC is likely to lead the world.
- The Shortest History Of Universe :-‘This writing is brilliant’ JOHN GREEN A captivating exploration – through life, the universe and everything’* PS News* It’s quite a feat to fit this Big History into a “shortest history”’ Insights Magazine Inspires people to look more deeply at the world around them’ *Eastern Riverina Chronicle * An interesting journey’ The Area News WHERE DID WE COME FROM AND WHERE ARE WE GOING?** How did time begin? When was the Earth born? What conditions led to the evolution of humans? Will we survive the Anthropocene? Is it really true that we’re all made from stars? In this fascinating work, science writer David Baker traces the continuum of historical change in the cosmos – from the first atoms to the first life and then to humans and the things we have created. The Shortest History of the Universe compels us to look beyond the chaos of worldly affairs and points at what might come next in the story of the universe. Weaving together knowledge from chemistry, biology and physics with insights from the social sciences, this shortest Big History takes a bird’s eye view of 13.8 billion years
- The Shortest History Of war : –‘An incisive and well-informed overview of how warfare has evolved’ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY From the first armies to clashes of drones and dirty bombs, this is eye-opening, big-picture stuff’ BBC HISTORY Readable and sharp … does what it says on the tin’ INDEPENDENT ‘Dyer writes with eloquence and authority’ IRISH EXAMINER** War has changed, but we have not. From our hunter-gatherer ancestors to the rival nuclear powers of today, whenever resources have been contested, we’ve gone to battle. In this brisk and gripping account, acclaimed military historian Gwynne Dyer traces the evolution of martial clashes, tracing warfare from prehistory to the world’s first cities and on to the thousand-year ‘classical age’ of combat, which ended when the firearm changed everything. Dyer explores the shift from limited to total war, interrupted by Hiroshima’s nuclear impact, until the Cold War and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended the longest peace among major powers since the World War II. Now as climate change intensifies resource competition, superpowers fill up their arsenals with atomic bombs, drones and futuristic weapons of mass destruction. All through, Dyer delves into anthropology, psychology and other relevant fields to unmask the drivers of conflict, making The Shortest History of War a book for anyone who wants to understand the role of war in the human story – and how we can prevent it from defining our future.
- The Shortest History Of Democracy:- ‘Indispensable for understanding democracy today’ Michael Schudson A bold new history of democracy from the popular assemblies of Syria-Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent to present-day challenges around the world. From its beginnings in Syria-Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent to its role in fomenting revolutionary fervour in France and America, democracy has subverted fixed ways of deciding who should enjoy power and privilege, and why. For democracy encourages people to do something radical: to come together as equals, to determine their own lives and futures. In this vigorous, illuminating history, acclaimed political thinker John Keane traces its byzantine history, from the age of assembly democracy in Athens, to European-inspired electoral democracy and the birth of representative government, to our age of monitory democracy. He gives new reasons why democracy is a precious global ideal, and shows that as the world has come to be shaped by democracy, it has grown more worldly. In today’s age of populist strongmen threatening democracy in India, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the US and elsewhere, we need its radical potential more than ever. Does democracy have a future, or will the demagogues and despots win? We are about to find out.
- The Shortest History Of Soviet Union :- ‘Close to a miracle … an immensely readable overview … full of anecdotes and lively detail, but also meeting the highest academic standards’ SLAVOJ ŽIŽEK The Soviet Union arrived in the world accidentally and departed unexpectedly. Over a century after the Russian Revolution, the tumultuous history of the Soviet Union continues to fascinate us and influence global politics. From revolution and Lenin to Stalin’s Terror, from World War II to Gorbachev’s glasnost, this is an authoritative distillation of 75 years of communist rule, and the disintegration of an empire. Fitzpatrick charts the fate of countries often left out of Soviet histories, gives vivid portraits of key figures, and traces the aftermath of the regime’s sudden collapse. She explores the rise of the oligarchs, the rebirth of the Church and the enigmatic figure of Vladimir Putin: a Soviet creation but no Soviet nostalgic. Lastly, she considers the future of Communism. Who still worships Marx and Lenin? What lessons has today’s superpower, China, learned from yesterday’s Soviet failure? What could be the future of Putin’s expansionism?
- The Shortest History Of Israel and Palestine :- ‘A masterpiece of clarity, concision and balance’ ADAM SUTCLIFFE ‘The complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (are) easy to understand in this clear, straightforward, and unemotional history’ JOHN MCHUGO, author of A Concise History of the Arabs ‘(Scott-Baumann’s) thirty-five years’ experience as a teacher and lecturer in history is felt on each page of his book … a roadmap to students and an entrance gate to whomever wants to go beyond it’ MENACHEM KLEIN, professor of political science, Bar-Ilan University,Israel, and author of Lives in Common An accessible, essential history that explores the origins and development of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ongoing struggle between Israel and Palestine is one of the most bitter conflicts in history, with profound global consequences. In this book, Middle East expert Michael Scott-Baumann succinctly describes its origins and charts its evolution from civil war to the present day. Each chapter offers a lucid explanation of the politics and ends with personal testimony from Palestinians and Israelis whose lives have been overshadowed by violence. While presenting competing interpretations, Scott-Baumann examines key flash points including the early role of the British, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the Six-Day War of 1967, the Trump administration’s 2020 peace plan, and the war ignited by Hamas’s surprise attacks on Israel in 2023. He delineates both the nature of Israeli control over the Palestinian territories and Palestinian resistance―going to the heart of recent clashes. The result is an indispensable history, including a time line, glossary, and analysis of why efforts to restore peace have continually failed―at immense human cost on both sides of the conflict―and what it will take to succeed
- The Shortest History Of sex :- ‘Well-researched, superbly written, often punchy … always entertaining’ DAVID CHRISTIAN, bestselling author of Origin Story‘If you’ve ever felt that sex was confusing, messy or slightly ridiculous, this book is for you’ EMMA BYRNE, author of Swearing Is Good for You David Baker’s wonderful book offers information, entertainment and insight’ SUSAN QUILLIAM, co-author of The Joy of Sex With a foreword by Simon Whistler THE BIG HISTORY OF SEX FROM EARLY LIFE TO SEXBOTS How did sex begin? How did it evolve to be so varied and complex in humans? What influence does our genetic ancestry have on our love life today? And what might sex look like in the future? The Shortest History of Sex traces exactly where all the facets of human sexuality stemmed from, starting at the creation of sex approximately two billion years ago and chasing it down our evolutionary family tree – from dinosaurs to primates and the earliest humans – until we arrive at the present phenomena of Tinder and OnlyFans, revealing why humanity’s baffling array of passions, impulses and fetishes are the way they are. Finally, it looks at the horizon to figure out where current trends may lead us, as humans navigate the brave new world of technology. The result is a revealing and utterly unique insight into history and human behaviour – and the dance between Nature and Nurture in society.
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