Antarctic Whaling explores how British whalers came to claim so large a share of the whales taken from the Southern Ocean in the first half of the twentieth century, and, more particularly, where, when, how and why the British Government came to play so large a part in whaling history through its endeavour to regulate the whaling grounds.

Environmental history - the history of the relationship between people and the natural world - is a dynamic and increasingly important field. In An Environmental History of Twentieth-Century Britain, John Sheail breaks new ground in illustrating how some of the most pressing concerns came to be recognised, and a response made. Much use is made of archival sources in tracing a number of key issues, including:- Management of change by central and local government- The ...

National parks have always been an emotive and iconic symbol, ever since the first parks of the modern era were created in the mid-nineteenth century. This book, based on original research, delves deeply into their character and significance, and the larger context in which they developed.The book celebrates the deserved attractiveness of the parks as wilderness or 'spectacle' to millions of visitors, but also emphasises how there was nothing inevitable, self-sustaining or without ...

This bestselling book by the late Michael King is the unchallenged contemporary reference on the history of New Zealand. First published in 2003 and hailed as a triumph of careful research, wide reading and judicious assessment, it has been continuously in print for 20 years and has sold over 300,000 copies. It remains the definitive, yet highly readable, starting-point for anybody wanting to understand this country. New Zealand was the last country in the world to be discovered and settle...

A new edition of the bestselling short history on New Zealand, updated to include the Helen Clark years, the rise of John Key, the Christchurch earthquakes and the 2011 Rugby World Cup! A lively and accessible history written by one of New Zealands most well-known commentators on matters past and present. Succinct and well referenced, this book is the most accessible introduction to New Zealand history currently in print.

Published to coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador joining Canada, Sean T. Cadigan has written the book that will surely become the definitive history of one of North America's most distinct and beautiful regions. The site of the first European settlement by Vikings one thousand years ago, a former colony of England, and known at various times as Terra Nova and Newfoundland until its official name change to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001, this easternmost p...

****SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE**'Desperately needed' -** Isabella Tree'I doubt any more important book will published this year' - Stephen FryIn this indispensable follow up to his acclaimed The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World, Charles Clover chronicles how determined individuals are proving that the crisis in our oceans can be reversed, with benefits for both local communities and enti...

Singapore has gained a reputation for being one of the wealthiest and best-educated countries in the world and one of the brightest success stories for a colony-turned-sovereign state, but the country's path to success was anything but assured. Its strategic location and natural resources both allowed Singapore to profit from global commerce and also made the island an attractive conquest for the world's naval powers, resulting in centuries of stunting colonialization. In Singapore: Un...

Humanity can make short work of the oceans’ creatures. In 1741, hungry explorers discovered herds of Steller’s sea cow in the Bering Strait, and in less than thirty years, the amiable beast had been harpooned into extinction. It’s a classic story, but a key fact is often omitted. Bering Island was the last redoubt of a species that had been decimated by hunting and habitat loss years before the explorers set sail.As Callum M. Roberts reveals in The Unnatural History of the S

The northern cod have been almost wiped out. Once the most plentiful fish on the Grand Banks off the coast of Newfoundland, the cod is now on the brink of extinction, and tens of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada have been left without work by a 1992 moratorium on fishing the stock. Today, the Pacific salmon stocks are in similar trouble – victims of the same blind, stupid greed.Angry, accusatory fingers have been pointed at various possible culprits for the collapse of the co...

The Antarctic is one the most hostile natural environments in the world. It is an extraordinary physical space, which changes significantly in shape and size with the passing of the seasons. Politically, it is unique as it contains one of the few areas of continental space not claimed by any nation-state. Scientifically, the continental ice sheet has provided us with vital evidence about the Earth's past climate. In this Very Short Introduction, Klaus Dodds provides a modern accou...

** Shortlisted, NSW Premier's History Awards 2022, Australian History Prize **** Winner, Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Book Prize 2023 **Australia's deep past and its modern history are intrinsically linked to the Pacic. In Australia & the Pacic, Ian Hoskins - award-winning author of Sydney Harbour and Coast - expands his gaze to examine Australia's relationship with the Pacic region; from our ties with P...