Böcker utgivna av Reaktion Books

Dogs in Art presents humanity's best friend like never before.

Part memoir, part manifesto, this is a celebration of the bicycle by French anthropologist Marc Auge.

Georgia is the most Western-looking state in today's Near or Middle East. This book begins with the first intimations of the existence of Georgians in ancient Anatolia and ends with today's volatile President Saakashvili. It also deals with the country's struggles with the empires which have tried to control, fragment or even exterminate it.

In the history of food, the tomato is a relative newcomer outside its ancestral home in Mesoamerica. And yet, as we devour pizza by the slice, dip French fries in ketchup, delight in a beautiful Bolognese sauce, or savor tomato curries, it would now be impossible to imagine the food cultures of many nations without the tomato. The journey taken by the tomato from its ancestral home in the southern Americas to Europe and back is a riveting story full of culinary discovery, innovation, drama, and dispute. Today, the tomato is at the forefront of scientific advances in cultivation and the study of taste, as well as a popular subject of heritage conservation (heirloom tomato salad, anyone?). But the tomato has also faced challenges every step of the way into our gardens and kitchens--including that eternal question: is it a fruit or a vegetable? In this book, Clarissa Hyman charts the eventful history of this ubiquitous everyday edible that is so often taken for granted. Hyman discusses tomato soup and ketchup, heritage tomatoes, tomato varieties, breeding and genetics, nutrition, tomatoes in Italy, tomatoes in art, and tomatoes for the future. Featuring delicious modern and historical recipes, such as the infamous "man-winning tomato salad" once featured in Good Housekeeping, this is a juicy and informative history of one of our most beloved foods.

Vast Expanses is a cultural, environmental and geopolitical history that examines the relationship between humans and oceans, reaching back across geological and evolutionary time and exploring different cultures around the globe.

Tracing poles and polarity back to their sacred ancient civilizations, this book explores how the idea of a North Pole has given rise to utopias, satires, fantasies, paradoxes and nationalist ideologies, from the Renaissance to the Third Reich.

Drawing on the author's deep knowledge of the history and ecology of trees, Trees in Art shows that we can learn much about ourselves from the art of trees.

Extensively illustrated with images of the lunar surface, The Moon is an accessible introduction that will appeal to both amateur and professional astronomers and all those fascinated by Earth's natural satellite

Beautifully illustrated and written with authority, Suit offers new perspectives on this most mundane, and at the same time poetic and beautiful, product of modern culture.

A thoroughly researched, balanced new biography of author, journalist and adventurer Ernest Hemingway.

Trolls are everywhere. They lurk on the internet; they fill the pages of popular fantasy literature; they are hunted in Norwegian film. From the Vikings to the Moomins, the Brothers Grimm and the Three Billy Goats Gruff, this book explores the panoply of trolls and their history and their continuing presence today.

Igor Stravinsky was a celebrity composer in an increasingly celebrity-obsessed age. He was a true modern, a man of his time. Stravinsky's extraordinary music reflected and shaped his own times, and resonates with audiences even today. Stravinsky tells of a colourful life lived against the backdrop of the twentieth century's wars and revolutions.

A natural and cultural history of the 'perfect predator' - the leopard - and its depiction in literature, art, film, advertising and popular culture.

From the spirit's most recognized examples to often overlooked varieties such as Armagnac, this book delves into the fascinating history of this globally consumed beverage.

From farming, cooking and feasting scenes depicted in the Middle Ages in books of hours to the fish and fruit of ancient frescoes and mosaics, Food in Art gives fresh insights into how food items were cultivated, hunted, trapped, stored, traded, prepared and served throughout the ages.

Nuts is a gastronomic, botanical and cultural tour of the history and contemporary usage of the most staple of foodstuff, the nut.

This title looks at the ways people interact because of the sea, navigate their course across it, and live on and around it. The book also considers the characteristics of different seas and oceans and investigates how the sea is conceptualized in cultures around the world.

In this book, David Leeming analyses the Medusa in myth, history, philosophy, modern psychoanalysis, art, literature, feminism and the advertising industry

Arthur Schopenhauer devoted his adult life to the articulation of a philosophy for the world, a philosophy that would benefit mankind by providing a solution to the riddle of existence. This biography provides an introduction to the life and work of the nineteenth-century German philosopher.

Gin: A Global History features many enticing recipes and images from the past and present of gin. The book will entice both cocktail aficionados and students of socio-political change, as it chronicles gin's evolution from humble berry to modern alcoholic marvel.

In The Medieval Kitchen, Hannele Klemettila presents a richly illustrated history of medieval food and cookery in Western Europe and Scandinavia. The book is also a practical cookbook, with a collection of more than 60 originally sourced recipes that can easily be prepared in today's modern home.

A musical composer who dabbled in the Dada movement, a Bohemian gymnopediste of fin-de-siecle Montmartre, and a legendary dresser known as The Velvet Gentleman for his sartorial choices, Erik Satie was nearly unprecedented in technique, style and philosophy among European composers in the early twentieth century. This book tells his story.

An original, comprehensive account of influential European director Andrei Tarkovsky, which examines his entire film output, as well as works for radio, theatre and opera .

Analyses the origins, history and logic of 'still life', one of the most enduring forms of Western painting. This work surveys a major segment in the history of still life, from 17th-century Spanish painting to Cubism. It tackles the controversial field of 17th-century Dutch still life.

A global history of dance music since the 1950s. Transatlantic Drift explores the emergence and evolution of nightclubs and electronic dance music from the 1950s onward, tracing its rhythmic journey across Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. Katie Milestone and Simon A. Morrison show how the sounds and vibes of nightclubs emerge from shared cultural experiences. This book uncovers the global story of dance music at venues in New York, Detroit, London, Manchester, Chicago, Düsseldorf, and Ibiza. Transatlantic Drift offers an engaging exploration of how people have come together to share melodies and rhythms, forming a global conversation through electronic music.

A life of England's most famous martyr, rooted in the currents of twelfth-century Europe. This book explores the turbulent life and violent death of Thomas Becket, one of the most controversial figures in the Middle Ages: a London merchant's son turned royal chancellor, an archbishop of Canterbury turned martyred saint. Michael Staunton looks at Becket's complex and contested legacy, drawing from the bishop's writings as well as those of his contemporaries. Based on extensive research, this account offers a fresh perspective on Thomas Becket's life and places him within the broader landscape of twelfth-century England and Europe--a time of rapid change and conflict. The book is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about a pivotal figure in medieval history.

A delectable and beautifully illustrated exploration of the deep meaning of the menu across time--at and beyond the table. Menus are invaluable snapshots of the food consumed at specific moments in time and place. Tastes and Traditions: A Journey through Menu History provides glimpses into the meals enjoyed by royalty and rogues, those celebrating special occasions, or sampling new culinary sensations throughout history. It describes food prepared for the gods, meals served during sieges, and tablescapes immortalized in art. It explores how menus entertain adults, link food with play for children, reflect changing notions of health, and highlight the enduring human need to make meals meaningful. Lavishly illustrated, this book offers an engaging exploration of why menus matter and the stories they tell, appealing to food lovers and general readers, as well as professionals in the food industry.

Taking in a range of traditions from ancient Britain to the present day, a revealing look at the bristly underside of British folkloric culture. Rough Music explores transgression and shame in British folklore and customs. It takes in a wide array of examples including Bonfire Night, Wassail, Morris dancing, Mari Lwyd, and Twelfth Night, along with happenings like Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, and street football. Liz Williams explores the roots and roles of violence, mockery, protest, and public shaming. She also addresses alternative culture and modern protests, such as the Battle of the Beanfield and the Stonehenge Free Festival. The interaction between racism and traditions involving blackface, alongside the emergence of all-female Morris sides, is also examined. Finally, Rough Music looks at folklore's evolution in the digital age, highlighting new developments such as ghost bikes. This engaging book offers an entertaining yet rigorous look at British folklore and culture.

Occasionally scandalous and always fascinating, a cornucopia of surprising and little-told yarns from the classical world. Both humorous and shocking, Miracula is filled with astonishing facts and stories drawn from ancient Greece and Rome that have rarely been retold in English. It explores "the incredible" as presented by little-known classical writers like Callimachus and Phlegon of Tralles. Yet, it offers much more: even familiar authors such as Herodotus and Cicero often couldn't resist relating sensational, tabloid-worthy tales. The book also tackles ancient examples of topics still relevant today, such as racism, slavery, and misogyny. The pieces are by turns absorbing, enchanting, curious, unbelievable, comical, astonishing, disturbing, and occasionally just plain daft. An entertaining and sometimes lurid collection, this book is perfect for all those fascinated by the stranger aspects of the classical world, for history enthusiasts, and for anyone interested in classical history, society, and culture.

Looking two hundred years in the past, an enlightening study of the neglected liberal tradition in Russian political thought with resonance for today. On December 14, 1825, a group of young Russian army officers led three thousand troops to Senate Square in St. Petersburg, aiming to force the senate to adopt a liberal constitution and transform the Russian Empire. The Decembrist Revolt--as it came to be known--was suppressed, with a second uprising in the south meeting the same fate. Five leaders were executed, and many others exiled to Siberia. Why did so many young noblemen risk their lives for regime change, what was their vision for an alternative society, and what were the consequences for participants and their families? This book highlights the often-neglected liberal tradition in Russian political thought and the experiences of Decembrist wives and fiancées, offering a fresh reinterpretation in the light of recent events in Russia.