SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2019'A near miracle' Ha-Joon Chang, author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You About CapitalismAccording to the economy, we have never been wealthier or happier. So why doesn't it feel that way? The Growth Delusion explores how we prioritise growth maximisation without stopping to think about the costs. So much of what is important to our well-being, from safe streets to ...

“[A]n excellent book...” —The EconomistFinancial Times Asia editor David Pilling presents a fresh vision of Japan, drawing on his own deep experience, as well as observations from a cross section of Japanese citizenry, including novelist Haruki Murakami, former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, industrialists and bankers, activists and artists, teenagers and octogenarians. Through their voices, Pilling's Bending Adversity captures the dyn...

A provocative critique of the pieties and fallacies of our obsession with economic growthWe live in a society in which a priesthood of economists, wielding impenetrable mathematical formulas, set the framework for public debate. Ultimately, it is the perceived health of the economy which determines how much we can spend on our schools, highways, and defense; economists decidehow much unemployment is acceptable and whether it is right to print money or bail out prof...

The late 13th century witnessed the conquest of Wales after two hundred years of conflict between Welsh princes and the English crown. In 1282 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the only native Prince of Wales to be formally acknowledged by a King of England, was slain by English forces. His brother Dafydd continued the fight, but was eventually captured and executed. Further revolts followed under Rhys ap Maredudd, a former crown ally, and Madog ap Llywelyn, a kinsman of the defeated lords of Gwynedd....

This study sheds light on the brave men who fought with Simon de Montfort in the 13th century English civil war—and continued the fight after his death.The Montfortian civil wars lasted from 1259 until 1267. The death of Simon de Montfort at the 1265 Battle of Evesham ought to have ended the conflict. But when Henry III disinherited all the surviving Montfortians, the war was prolonged for another two years. The redistribution of estates occurred on a massive scale,...

The Anglo-French war of 1294-1303 has not been the subject of a major study since the early 1900s. Recent histories tend to treat it as a sideshow compared to Edward I’s wars in Wales and Scotland, which gives a false impression. In reality the Welsh and Scottish campaigns were distractions, and Edward regarded the war against France as his main focus. The main issue at stake was the defence and recovery of Aquitaine, the last substantial piece of the so-called ‘Angevin empire’. To that en...

This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. “William came over the sea, with bloody hand came he ...” 1069 AD. Three years after the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy had yet to crush resistance in England. To the north, the people of the Danelaw refused to bow to the Norman yoke. In the east, the famous Hereward waged savage resistance in the fens of Lindsey. Meanwhile the sons of Harold Godwinnsson, backed by a Viking fleet, planned to return and avenge their father. The tale of thi...

A provocative critique of the pieties and fallacies of our obsession with economic growthWe live in a society in which a priesthood of economists, wielding impenetrable mathematical formulas, set the framework for public debate. Ultimately, it is the perceived health of the economy which determines how much we can spend on our schools, highways, and defense; economists decidehow much unemployment is acceptable and whether it is right to print money or bail out prof...

1300 AD: the armies of Edward Longshanks and the Guardians of Scotland confront each other. The final battle for control of northern Britain looms. Meanwhile Robert de Bruce, the young lord of Carrick, waits in the background to seize his opportunity. Bruce dreams of taking the Scottish crown for himself, and will stop at nothing to seize it.En Pascal of Valencia, the poor knight of Aragon, tells the tale of these bloody wars. After surviving the carnage of Göllheim and Falkirk, he...

In Bending Adversity, Financial Times Asia editor David Pilling presents a fresh vision of Japan, drawing on his own deep experience, as well as observations from a cross section of Japanese citizenry, including novelist Haruki Murakami, former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, industrialists and bankers, activists and artists, teenagers and octogenarians. Through their voices, Pilling captures the dynamism and diversity of contemporary Japan.Pilling’s exploration begins with the 2...

This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. "The Northmen had very great honour who went into service there ..." 1076 AD. After the slaughter of his comrades in Iberia, Thorkell leads the few survivors to Constantinople, the Great City, capital of the Roman Empire. He finds the empire in a state of bloody confusion. The emperor is under siege, attacked by a mighty rebel host, while his realm is torn apart by civil war. To gain the emperor's favour, Thorkell leads his English warriors in a d...

This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. "He imitated the madness of Herod..." 1081 AD. The young Roman Emperor, Alexios, sits upon an unsteady throne. Threatened on all sides, the Empire is also bitterly divided between pretenders to the imperial throne. As Alexios staggers from one crisis to the next, the very survival of the ancient realm of the Caesars is in doubt. A new threat arises in the shape of Robert Guiscard, an all-conquering Norman warlord. As Guiscard's unstoppable armies ...