John C. McManus Books

"From the author of Fire and Fortitude, the continuation of the US Army's epic crusade in the Pacific War, from the battle of Saipan to the occupation of Japan"-- Provided by publisher

"John C. McManus, one of our most highly-acclaimed historians of World War II, takes readers from Pearl Harbor--a rude awakening for a ragtag militia woefully unprepared for war--to Makin, a sliver of coral reef where the Army was tested against the increasingly-desperate Japanese. In between were nearly two years of punishing combat as the Army transformed, at times unsteadily, from an undertrained garrison force into an unstoppable juggernaut, and America evolved from an inward-looking nation into a global superpower."--Provided by publisher

An intimate portrait of life in one of the world's richest nations ahead of the FIFA 2022 World Cup.Just 75 years ago, the Gulf nation of Qatar was a backwater, reliant on pearl diving. Today it is a gas-laden parvenu with seemingly limitless wealth and ambition. Skyscrapers, museums and futuristic football stadiums rise out of the desert and Ferraris race through the streets. But in the shadows, migrant workers toil in the heat for risible amounts.Inside Qatar reveals how real people live in this surreal place, a land of both great opportunity and great iniquity. Ahead of Qatar's time in the limelight as host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, anthropologist John McManus lifts a lid on the hidden worlds of its gilded elite, its spin doctors and thrill seekers, its manual labourers and domestic workers.The sum of their tales is not some exotic cabinet of curiosities. Instead, Inside Qatar opens a window onto the global problems - of unfettered capitalism, migration, growing inequality and climate change - that concern us all.

The first book to shine a light on modern-day Turkey through its passionate football culture

Octodurus is a market town that is occupied by the Romans. There is harmony between most of the local villagers and the Romans, but some resent the occupation and are determined to cause trouble. Gaius is a young herdsman living in a local village who visits on market day to help his father with the family's stall. Whilst in town, he meets an intelligent and attractive centurion's daughter, Cordelia. He falls in love with her and so begins a passionate relationship, but how will this be viewed by the local villagers... Whilst grazing his goats up in the mountains, Gaius is caught up in an earthquake, which reveals hidden treasures within the mountain. Gaius' family are excited by his find but are somewhat trepidatious as to whether the Roman legion stationed in the garrison will allow them to profit from the find. Will Cordelia's father help them to benefit from it?