William Shakespeare the great Bard was not writing in isolation but drew on the domestic and the natural world as well as history, and the literary and folk cultures of his time. Specific references that were common knowledge in his time may be lost to us today and this book aims to restore some of those resonances for the reader, from the tools and techniques of the falconer to the healing properties of spiders' webs. With 225 archive illustrations like Gloucester's eyes being pulled out from King Lear in the chapter on Eyes and Eyesight, there are dozens of references from Macbeth, Hamlet and a 1612 text on the diseased eye which helped Shakespeare with his eye imagery in his plays and how characters failed to see, so powerfully explored in King Lear. Hands and hand gestures, school, the rose, here shown with contemporary botanical illustrations in beautiful colour, the quill with references to the Rape of Lucrece and Twelfth Night, to rings from Richard III 'Look how my ring encompasseth thy finger; even so thy breast encloseth my poor heart. Wear both of them, for both of them are thine.' As we learn history about jewellery popular in Tudor England with semiprecious and precious stones being worn by both men and women on every finger and sometimes the thumb. The themes introduce us to Tudor history at the time of Queen Elizabeth I, printing, the plague, the Mulberry Owl, gloves, cherubin, the bear, from the apothecary to witches and the X garter, a ribbon or piece of fabric worn around the leg which held up a stocking or a sock, there are beautiful bookplates like the Herball of Generall Hiftore of Plantes in this most delightful compendium with marble decorated endpapers. 160pp.

From the St. Cuthbert Gospel to the Luttrell Psalter, from Beowulf to Chaucer, Margery Kempe, Julian of Norwich, Sir Thomas Malory, and the Paston Letters, Mary Wellesley tells us about the authors but more importantly introduces us to the artists, the ink-makers, vellum preparers and pigment grinders and all the others who contributed their different gifts to these great communal manuscript achievements. Immersive, conversational and intensely visual, full of gorgeous illustrations and shimmering description, Wellesley explores the lives of medieval manuscripts and the men and importantly women who made them in a book that brings you into the heart's core of literature. Here are the scribes and patrons, illuminators and parchment makers and the bonds across the centuries between the author and the men and women who made the manuscripts; few people have described the experience so eloquently as this talented historian. She tells the story of those who made and kept the beautiful, fragile objects that have survived the ravages of fire, water and deliberate destruction to form a picture of both English culture and the wider European culture of which it is part. Without manuscripts she shows many historical figures would be lost to us, as well as those of lower social status, women and people of colour, their stories erased and the remnants of their labours destroyed. Wellesley describes the production and preservation of these priceless objects and has an insistent emphasis on the early role of women as authors and artists. 50 colour plates, 367pp, paperback.

Sub-titled 'Savagery and Spectacle In Ancient Rome', these spectacles have become proverbial for their cruelty, bloodlust and glory. In the Arena, the games were savage and brutal and gladiators fought each other to the death, wild animals were put to fight each other, and criminals were executed by barbaric means. Military victories were marked by the Triumph when generals paraded through the city, the defeated were sacrificed to the gods, and food and wine were offered free of charge on a lavish scale. Meanwhile the citizens received free bread to prevent hunger and the riots it could provoke. Chapters cover Spartacus, the varieties of killer, naval battle, wild animal hunts, chariot racing, Roman festivals, imperial excess, barbarian triumph, war in Sicily, banquets of debauchery, the seduction of Cleopatra, the grain fleets and a double page map looks at the Roman Empire AD211 with the Roman Empire, its frontier, provincial border, Africa province and Alans, regions outside Empire. From entertainment to hysterical obsession until their eventual decline and disappearance, the book looks at savage gladiatorial spectacles and explains how they still have influence on contemporary public life. 240 page illustrated paperback.

The English Civil War between King Charles I and Parliament during the 1640s caused some of the most tumultuous years in British history as society found itself 'by the sword divided' and neighbours disagreed on politics, religion and the economy. This stunning book looks at the conflict by taking apart the history of London at the time. Discover how a rift began to grow between King Charles I and parliament in January 1642 when the monarch made two constitutional errors, firstly invading the Commons, and then Guildhall, in search of five members of parliament, and secondly by leaving London entirely, abandoning the government as a result. Learn about the monumental Militia Ordinance, passed on 5 March 1642 to give parliament the power to appoint military commanders without the king's approval. While the ordinance itself asserted its purpose was to protect the king and kingdom's safety, it is thought of as one of the first steps that led to war in August that year. The book includes fantastic black and white photos of parts of London today to help readers visualise the history. The site of the Haberdashers' Hall in Gresham Street appears via a shot of the City of London plaque, a photographic reference to the book's detail that the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers purchased 150 muskets for the parliamentarian cause in 1643. There is a photo of a section of the old Roman Wall, with enhancements, which formed the inner ring of defence for the City of London during the war. Busts are also pictured, including likenesses of King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell who rose from military commander during the civil wars to the country's Lord Protector. Paperback, black and white images, thorough endnotes, 140pp.

Artist and hostess, poet and musician, Lady Anne Barnard lived at the heart of Georgian society. High-born yet egalitarian, she travelled to France to observe the Revolution, rejected numerous suitors, and lived independently. Her curious ways attracted gossip right into her final years when she raised an illegitimate child at her home in Berkeley Square. The Prince of Wales counted among many friends and she was brilliant in company, but she was seen as an outsider and an eccentric. When she did marry it was to a junior army officer, 12 years younger than herself, and together they withdrew to Africa. Her final years were still attracting gossip when she was raising the mysterious dark-skinned child. Anne Barnard's verse was celebrated by Walter Scott, but she was also a brilliant and indefatigable diarist. Stephen Taylor has been given access to her private papers, notably six volumes of memoirs which have never been published, which show her to be one of the unheralded chroniclers of her time and a pioneering and defiant woman. A specially interesting section is when she became the 'princess' of newly acquired Cape Town, and the book opens a window into late 18th century England, the effect of the Revolutionary War giving birth to the USA, and the French Revolution, and the impact these had on the English people to Lady Anne who was born in Scotland to a somewhat impoverished family of the minor nobility. 'Scrupulous, affectionate and well written...with a fascinating twist in the final pages.' - Virginia Nicholson. 396pp, paperback, colour photo and other illus.

The Women's Studies Group (WSG) was formed 35 years ago to engage with all aspects of women's lives over almost two centuries, and within two years of its foundation it had members in 19 countries worldwide. This lively collection of 14 essays ranges over the whole period and a fascinating variety of topics. The 16th century nine-days' queen Lady Jane Grey was the centre of a circle of Protestant reformers, but as was customary at the time, Michelangelo Florio's dedication of his book to Lady Jane foregrounds her male relatives, evoking her role as an intermediary with influential men such as her father, the Duke of Suffolk. In a discussion of Fertility, Aphrodisiacs and Sexual Pleasure in Early Modern England, Jennifer Evans draws on the anxieties of Samuel Pepys and his wife to support the conclusion that aphrodisiacs at this time were considered to be a remedy, with sexual pleasure associated with conception. Gillian Williamson examines how the 18th century Gentleman's Magazine shifted the meaning of gentlemanliness to a more self-generated model, and how this in turn influenced definitions of femininity. Sarah Oliver writes about female sexual agency in the 18th century novel, covering the rape theme in Richardson's Clarissa and Eliza Haywood's best-selling Love in Excess, and finding in conclusion that Mary Hays's Memoirs of Emma Courtney destabilises the view that a master's sexual abuse of a female servant is acceptable. Brianna E Robertson-Kirkland ventures into the world of opera with the rivalry between prima donnas in the Pathetic and Virtuosic styles. In "Better than the Men" Peter Radford discusses women's speed, strength and endurance in sport, in which there was widespread participation in the 18th century, particularly running, and also their strength as hard labourers in the coal and other industries. 224pp, photos.

A rare import from the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, where the author is a curatorial assistant and an instructor in art history. His research interests include Italian and French manuscript illumination as well as the history of gardens, botany, and pharmacopeia in early modern Europe. Planted by hand for the delight of kings and lieutenants, the book celebrates the Renaissance garden which inherited the traditions established by the medieval monastic cloister and provided the foundation for the extravagant gardens of the Baroque period such as Louis XIV's renowned Versailles. The volume gathers a wide range of objects from the Getty's permanent collection between 1400 and 1600, with a focus primarily on the art of Renaissance book illumination. Vines twist and wind through page borders, the Virgin Mary seeks tranquillity amid flowers and blossoms, exotic specimens from faraway lands are delineated in detail, and members of the nobility wander through plantings, admiring their possessions. These images enable an exploration of the varied aesthetic, religious, scientific and economic meanings that gardens held in the Renaissance era. Whether connected to grandiose villas or common kitchens, they were planted and treasured in all reaches of society. Due to their ephemeral nature, most gardens have changed or been lost since the Renaissance, but this gorgeously illustrated volume allows us to appreciate gardens on many levels from the literary Garden of Love and the biblical Garden of Eden to courtly gardens of the nobility, and reveals the many activities both reputable and scandalous that took place inside. In one a man stands near a bunch of flowers called speedwell, while the woman grasps a daisy in her right hand. Around the margin are red roses, periwinkles, white and purple phlox and red currants. There are spectacular stage designs featuring grottoes, pergolas and mythological figures, the flowers and their associations and an explanation of the central axis and beds of herbs and flowers arranged in geometric patterns with a combination of sculptures, fountains and topiaries and the Renaissance ideal that art and nature are in a constant back-and-forth duel of imitating each other. 78 glossy pages, colour illus. throughout.

Sub-titled 'The Body, The Divine, and The Question of Civilisation', the popular TV historian Mary Beard takes a look beyond the familiar canon of Western imagery. She offers an expansive survey of world history to show how religion has long inspired art, from the Hindu temple at Angkor Wat to the exquisite calligraphy of Islamic mosques, whether describing the church of San Vitale at Ravenna and how early Christian artists depicted Jesus, or examining the role of vanity in Renaissance art through Tintoretto's Crucifixion. All religions have wrestled with idolatry and iconoclasm, destroying art as well as creating it, and within her book, Mary Beard redefines the Western-centric legacies of Ernst Gombrich and Kenneth Clark, revealing a new legacy for future generations. Mary Beard begins her history with a meditation on the human body and its varied representations across epochs starting from the gigantic 3,000 year old stone heads carved by the Olmec of Mesoamerica, Greek bodies, the Emperor of China and the power of images, supersizing a Pharoah, the artfulness of Islam, Bible stories, Hindu images, the scars of battle and more. 240pp with beautiful colour plates.

Feudalism, war and life in medieval times condensed into one short and accessible book. Originally warriors mounted on horseback, knights became associated with the concept of chivalry as popularised in medieval European literature. They were expected to fight bravely and honourably and be loyal to their lord until death if necessary. Later chivalry came to encompass activities such as tournaments and hunting and virtues including justice, charity and faith. The Crusades were instrumental in the development of the code of chivalry, and some crusading orders of knighthoods such as the Knights Templar have become legend. By the 15th century advances in warfare had rendered knights obsolete, but the 'knight' had survived as an honorary title granted for services to a monarch or country and remains an icon of popular culture. This short history covers the extensive training, specific arms and armour, tournaments and the important concept of chivalry in chapters entitled 1066 and All That, Kingdom of Heaven, Longshanks, Braveheart, St Crispin's Day, Game of Thrones and Ivanhoe. A Casemate illustrated paperback, 160pp.

Sub-titled 'The Life and Murder of Henry, Lord Darnley' this engaging and well researched biography re-examines the famous murder and brings new light and compelling confusions to a story surrounded by political betrayal, murder, falsified evidence, conspiracy and love. In the early hours of 10th February 1567, a large explosion ripped through the Old Provost's lodging at Kirk o'Field, Edinburgh, where Mary Queen of Scotland's consort Henry Lord Darnley was staying. His body was found with that of his valet in a neighbouring garden the next morning. The Queen's husband had been suffocated and the ramifications for Mary and Scottish history would be far-reaching. Lord Darnley cuts an infamous figure in Scottish and Tudor history. In life he proved a controversial character and his murder remains one of history's great and unresolved mysteries - establishing whether Mary was implicated has taxed historians for the subsequent 450 years. The book sets in motion a series of events leading to Mary Queen of Scots's downfall. Was there a conspiracy between the Scottish peers and William Cecil? Was his objective to keep Mary from the English throne? Darnley was the son of Matthew Stuart, Fourth Earl of Lennox and thus directly bound by blood to one of the most powerful families in Scotland. As the oldest son of Margaret Douglas, the eldest sister of Henry VIII, King of England, Darnley was related to the Tudor rulers of England and thus Queen Elizabeth I. The family trees are particularly useful when there is such a muddle of titles to absorb. The second part of the book covers the struggle for recognition to the succession as England's ruler and the third part the schemes to marry Darnley to Mary, who wanted the marriage and why, and the outcome of that marriage. The final parts cover the death of the king and what happened. The book shines a light on a human drama and power struggle taking place on a much bigger geopolitical stage. 330pp, colour plates, illus. and maps.