New & noteworthy: History

Jews in Medieval Britain: Historical, Literary and Archaeological Perspectives

Editor: Patricia Skinner
Edition: First
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Pages: 187
Price: £19.99
ISBN: 9781843837336

A new paperback edition of a 2003 edited volume drawing on contributions from nine scholars examines the Jewish community that arrived with the Normans in 1066 and was expelled from the country in 1290. An introduction sets the medieval British experience into its European context; subsequent chapters include the history of the Jews’ presence and where they settled, their relationship with the Christian church, Jewish women’s lives, the major types of evidence used by historians, and the latest evidence emerging from archaeological exploration.

The Corporation that Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational

Author: Nick Robins
Edition: Second
Publisher: Pluto Press
Pages: 280
Price: £60.00 and £17.99
ISBN: 9780745331966 and 31959

England’s East India Company was the mother of the modern multinational, Nick Robins argues: its trading empire spread across the globe, it conquered much of India with its private army and broke open China’s markets with opium. This second edition explores how the four forces of scale, technology, finance and regulation drove the spectacular rise and fall of a company that was “too big to fail”.

The Historian’s Toolbox: A Student’s Guide to the Theory and Craft of History

Author: Robert C. Williams
Edition: Third
Publisher: ME Sharpe
Pages: 248
Price: £68.50 and £22.50
ISBN: 9780765633262, 39 and 633293 (e-book)

This widely used undergraduate-level guide looks to introduce students to the theory, craft and methods of history and provide a series of tools to help them to research and understand the past. It covers history’s key elements of evidence, narrative and judgement; considers the “tricks of the trade” including documents, primary and secondary sources, bibliographies and chronologies; addresses the ongoing relevance of the study of history with reference to oral history, material culture and event analysis; and in a new epilogue argues for the discipline’s continued value as a way to understand the world despite the growing information deluge of the digital age.

What is Military History?

Authors: Stephen Morillo and Michael F. Pavkovic
Edition: Second
Publisher: Polity Press
Pages: 180
Price: £45.00 and £14.99
ISBN: 9780745659787 and 59794

This latest edition offers an up-to-date bibliography and new case studies, including counterinsurgency. The authors aim to prove that the study of military history encompasses not just accounts of campaigns and battles but also offers a range of perspectives on all aspects of past military organisation and activity. Chapters focus on subjects such as key ideas that have shaped the field, current controversies and future directions.