“La reseña de Escalante sobre las operaciones encubiertas de la CIA contra Cuba en el período inicial debe ser bienvenida, así como también leída y ponderada por muchos.”—Noam Chomsky

Ronald Spector’s history of post–World War II Asia fills a major gap in our understanding of the post-1945 world. His beautifully written narrative is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how we arrived at current international conditions.—Robert Dallek, presidential historian

Authoritative and often enthralling…. This sweeping survey of the bloody wages of decolonization astounds.—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Meticulously researched and carefully rendered…. Spector does an admirable job exploring the tumultuous events of his large canvas, and he is willing to look past the headlines for the underlying reasons, motivations, and dynamics of each conflict. An excellent starting point for anyone who wants to understand modern Asian history.—Kirkus

"A slim, accessible account of the megacountry." -Kirkus Reviews


"An accessible and illuminating summary of how modern Russia came to be." -Publishers Weekly


"A fantastic read... insightful and leaves the reader wanting more in the best of ways." -Diplomatic Courier

"Galeotti sketches a bleak, but convincing picture of the man in the Kremlin and the political system that he dominates." -The Times

"Mark Galeotti, in We Need to Talk About Putin, has distilled a great deal of research and thought into a slim and engaging volume that reads like a primer for anyone poised to enter a negotiation with the Russian president." -The Guardian

"Easily the shrewdest and most insightful analysis yet of Putin’s policymaking." -Foreign Affairs

"Punchy and highly readable." -TLS

"Dynamic, authoritative and often witty." -The Scotsman

Abundantly clever…. Lovely and engaging…with myriad fascinations on every page.—Simon Winchester, New York Times Book Review

Fascinating…. A valuable intellectual journey at a moment ripe for contemplation.—Michael O’Donnell, Wall Street Journal

Insightful, globe-spanning.—James Gleick, New York Review of Books

Fascinating…. with [Rooney’s] book in hand, and an eye on the world that sustains us, we might just save ourselves.—Jonathon Keats, Forbes

People say time is money, but David Rooney knows better. In this information-packed swoop through history and into the future, he exposes time’s many identities along with the hidden agendas of clocks. Time is knowledge. Time is power. Time is faith. Time is destiny.—Dava Sobel, author of Longitude

Not merely an horologist’s delight, but an ingenious meditation on the nature and symbolism of time-keeping itself. From the medieval hourglass to the Doomsday Clock, from Jaipur to Jodrell Bank, from GMT to GPS, Rooney ticks off time in a highly entertaining series of historical tales and parables which also give pause for thought and sometimes alarming reflections. I will never hear the pips, or ask ‘what’s the time?’ in quite the same way again. A striking success.—Richard Holmes, author of The Age of Wonder

About Time is an utterly dazzling book, the best piece of history I have read for a long time. From sundials in ancient Rome to astronomical, water-driven, mechanical, and atomic timepieces used throughout history and across cultures, Rooney has written the definitive book on these remarkable objects that give order to everyday life. It is a moving and beautifully written book that even takes us 5,000 years into the future with plutonium clocks ticking away beneath our feet. There will be many puns about this as a timely book; in fact, it is timeless. —Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps

The measurement of time is a convenience, a jailor, a tyrannical device. David Rooney’s delightful and discursive work anatomizes that tyranny. Page after page offers up instances of time’s ubiquity and its mercurial power to get into the interstices of the everyday.—Jonathan Meades

Enthralling and important, About Time takes us deep into the past and far into the future. With David Rooney as personable guide, we peer inside clocks from Kyoto to Cape Town, discovering what they meant to the diverse people who made them, used them, whose lives were ruled by them…This is a gripping and revealing account of time, and humanity’s changing relationship with it. —Seb Falk, author of The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science

David Rooney’s passionate enthusiasm for everything clock-related leaps off every page. The vivid writing, engaging stories, and autobiographical details combine to offer a rich and generous picture of the history of clocks, from China and Japan to Central Europe, the Middle East and outer space. In clear, pacey, and evocative prose, Rooney’s volume takes in ancient wonders and modern marvels, leaving us at once enlightened and moved.—Ludmilla Jordanova, author of History in Practice

Lovely, personal, idiosyncratic…. Throughout, Rooney entertains with witty clock trivia and anecdotes alongside illuminating sketches of famous horologists. Go slowly when devouring this charming, intelligent, highly informative history.—Kirkus, starred review

Against the Tides is a skillful examination of distinctive landscapes and histories...[it] is also an illustration of the potential of community-involved scholarship and a powerful reminder of how audiovisual materials can enrich research dissemination efforts.

“American Stories is fascinating and entertaining. Paul Aron traces the hoariest and often false stories about our past not so much to debunk them as to use them to understand why people created them, why we believe them, and what this tells us about ourselves.”--Richard White, author of The Republic for Which It Stands: The United States during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896 “Paul Aron’s delightful romp through American mythology reminds us that story-telling always has, and always will, define us as people.”--Edward G. Lengel, author of Inventing George Washington “Paul Aron’s new book is a gem. It’s engagingly written, deeply researched, and an eye-opening look at look at long-cherished American history myths, how they were born, and how they came to accepted in popular culture—and even in some history books. Highly recommended.”--Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography. “America’s founding myths are a mix of fact and bunkum. With characteristic wit and erudition, Paul Aron unravels where these myths came from, which have solid evidence, and which need to be abandoned. A perfect gift for the uncle who peddles stories he learned from his coach in grade school.”--Scott Reynolds Nelson, author of Steel Drivin’ Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of An American Legend “An entertaining ride through five centuries of exaggerated claims, ungrounded ‘truths,’ and historic hokum.”--Howard Means, author of Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story “Paul Aron is a connoisseur of fakery, more amused than irked whenever a false note has been struck in the history of our credulous nation. In American Stories he serves up a banquet of bunk and balderdash, all with a wink, a nod, and an abiding faith in our preference for myth over mere fact. I loved this book!”--John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of American History: "Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true-life mysteries."--Kirkus Reviews "Everyone loves a mystery and a history mystery best of all. Aron has assembled an impressive array of 'whodunits.'" --Ivor Noel Hume, former director, Department of Archaeology, Colonial Williamsburg author of The Virginia Adventure "A welcome gateway for historical exploration." --Booklist "Aron performs something of a minor miracle: He zeroes in on the very core of historical mysteries and provides new insights for reconsidering mystifying events." --Allan W. Eckert, author of Sorrow in Our Heart Praise for Founding Feuds: "In lively prose and with keen understanding Paul Aron sets forth the personal animosities and grudges that drove politics in the new nation." - Robert Gross, Bancroft Prize winning historian and author of The Minutemen and Their World "With the verve of a storyteller and the precision of a historian, Paul Aron shows us how American politicians have been battling and backstabbing since the days when talking heads wore powdered wigs. Huzzah!" - Gerard Helferich, author of the New York Times bestseller Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin "By focusing on the internal conflicts that nearly tore the fledging United States to shreds, Paul Aron provides an excellent entrée into the world of the Founding Fathers. He strips these stories to their essentials without dumbing them down. And by summing up each struggle as a contest between two outsized 18th century characters, he draws us readers right into the fray. As the sparks fly, they light up the scene." - Woody Holton, author of Abigail Adams "If you are a reader of history that enjoys being in the thick of the exact feelings and experiences people may have had in past days, this is the book for you. " - C.J. Leger "Even George Washington had a feud, so there's something for everyone. The book is perfect for lounging at the beach or pool, or even in a classroom. One of the best parts is Paul included endnotes complete with all of his sources, so if you want to learn more about a particular subject, he lets you know where to look." - Making History "The lively Founding Feuds should reassure readers that the political stridency of the present is an essential part of our tradition." - Richard Buel, author of America on the Brink