Böcker av Simon Hall

From the streets of Petrograd during the heady autumn of 1917, to Mao's stunning victory in October 1949, and Fidel's triumphant arrival in Havana, in January 1959, the history of the twentieth century was transformed in dramatic and profound ways by the Russian, Chinese and Cuban revolutions.Here, the stories of these epoch-defining events are told together for the first time. At the heart of each revolution was an epic journey: Lenin's 1917 return to Russia from exile in Switzerland; Mao's 'Long March' of 1934-35, covering some 6,000 miles across China; and Fidel Castro's return to Cuba in 1956 following his exile in Mexico. Told in tandem with these are the corresponding journeys of three extraordinary journalists - John Reed, Edgar Snow and Herbert L. Matthews - whose electric testimony from the frontlines would make a decisive contribution to how these revolutions were understood in the wider world. Together, these six journeys changed the course of the twentieth century. Here, in Simon Hall's masterful retelling, these exhilarating events are brought vividly to life. Featuring a stellar cast, extraordinary drama and an epic sweep, Three Revolutions raises fundamental questions about the nature of political power, the limits of idealism and the role of the journalist - questions that remain of utmost urgency today.

Renatio et Gloriam is a set of tabletop miniatures rules that allow you to fight large- scale battles from the Renaissance and Early Modern period. Covering warfare from the late Fifteenth Century up to the end of the Great Northern War in 1721, these rules allow you to field the armies of Cordoba, Turenne, or Marlborough.At the core of the rules is the CCC Games engine, developed by Simon Hall, first seen in the ancient tabletop miniatures rules Mortem et Gloriam. When published in 2020, the rules were the first main battle set ever to win a Wargames Illustrated hobby award; and took a clean sweep in the historical wargaming hobby awards.The troop types and armies in Renatio et Gloriam are prescribed by the tactics of the historical counterparts, rather than how they were armed. For instance, with Pike and Shot the operating methods are built into the formations we model on the tabletop. We don't worry about individual Pikemen and Musketeers; we leave that to their captains, and leave you, the general, to make all of the strategic decisions.There is friction in the game. Each on-table general will have a hand of cards, which can be played in multiple ways. Better-quality generals get more cards. Management of these cards is paramount to the decisions that you, as the Army commander, must make. When playing these cards will you order a charge on the enemy? Or will you try to encourage the soldiers onward after being driven back by deadly fire? Or will the general join the ranks to bolster troops' morale? These are the decisions you will face.There are many ways to play Renatio et Gloriam, since we realize that sometimes 'one size does not fit all.' So, if you want a competitive matched play game style that is there for you. However, the rules allow streamlining of mechanisms to allow for a more casual play style or allow battles using fewer figures. This gives novice players an easy gateway to learn how to play, and over time add more complexity to their games if they desire to do so.Supporting the core rules are over 400 army lists covering conflicts around the globe. These are broadly categorized by time, geography, and important conflict. The grouping of lists does have flexibility in scale. If you want Marlborough's army at Blenheim - fine, we have that. If you want the English Garrison at Tangiers, that's fine too. We wanted to be as inclusive as possible, and leave it down to the players how they play. We will not judge!The rules are supported in many ways. The main Renatio et Gloriam website has notifications of events, articles, or anything else that is newsworthy. ere is a forum to answer questions or to chat with like-minded players, and there is also a Facebook presence. It's quick to contact the team, and we are all here to help.

Castro - in his trademark olive fatigues - receives a rapturous reception from the local African American community, and holds court with political and cultural luminaries including Malcolm X, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nikita Khrushchev ('about as welcome to the US as the Black Plague' - Time), Amiri Baraka, and Allen Ginsberg.

Popular uprisings in Poland and Hungary shake Moscow's hold on its eastern European empire. Across the American South, and in the Union of South Africa, black people risk their livelihoods, and their lives, in the struggle to dismantle institutionalised white supremacy and secure first-class citizenship. France and Britain, already battling anti-colonial insurgencies in Algeria and Cyprus, now face the humiliation of Suez. Meanwhile, in Cuba, Fidel Castro and his band of rebels take to the Sierra Maestra to plot the overthrow of a dictator... 1956 was one of the most remarkable years of the twentieth century. All across the globe, ordinary people spoke out, filled the streets and city squares, and took up arms in an attempt to win their freedom. In response to these unprecedented challenges to their authority, those in power fought back, in a desperate bid to shore up their position. It was an epic contest, and one which made 1956 - like 1789 and 1848 - a year that changed our world.

An in-depth account of the relationship between the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s.