Fewer history books published in December but some fascinating titles amongst them - more thoughts on this below the cover pictures.
Click the book covers to see a zoomed in image and links to Amazon for those who like to buy their books there.
![Homeward Bound: Return Migration from Ireland and India at the End of the British Empire Homeward Bound: Return Migration from Ireland and India at the End of the British Empire](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/1479817317.02._SCM_.jpg)
![The Witches of St Osyth: Persecution, Betrayal and Murder in Elizabethan England The Witches of St Osyth: Persecution, Betrayal and Murder in Elizabethan England](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/1108494676.02._SCM_.jpg)
![Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/0190059044.02._SCM_.jpg)
![Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England's Deliverance In 1588 Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England's Deliverance In 1588](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/0300259867.02._SCM_.jpg)
![Ideological Fixation: From the Stone Age to Today's Culture Wars Ideological Fixation: From the Stone Age to Today's Culture Wars](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/0197646700.02._SCM_.jpg)
![Caesar Rules: The Emperor in the Changing Roman World (c. 50 BC – AD 565) Caesar Rules: The Emperor in the Changing Roman World (c. 50 BC – AD 565)](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/1009226797.02._SCM_.jpg)
![Enslaved: The Sunken History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Enslaved: The Sunken History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/163936238X.02._SCM_.jpg)
![Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/1009221698.02._SCM_.jpg)
![The Vanishing Past: Making the Case for the Future of History The Vanishing Past: Making the Case for the Future of History](https://res.cloudinary.com/ds2o5ecdw/image/upload/f_auto/acovers/1989555799.02._SCM_.jpg)
I think that there are a higher percentage of “would like to read” books than for any other month I can remember. Hopefully the percentage I actually read of the “would like to read” list will be respectable! Some in particular:
- Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East by Amanda H. Podany - this looks like a fascinating and ambitious attempt to make the emergence and development of “civilisation” over thousands of years relatable on a human scale.
- Enslaved: The Sunken History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade by Sean Kingsley and Simcha Jacobovici - looking at the tangible evidence of the slave trade through the authors' exploration of underwater sites.
- The Vanishing Past: Making the Case for the Future of History by Trilby Kent - looking at the evidence of ahistorical attitudes in our societies and putting the case for (I think) continuing support for academic history.
- Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and Englands Deliverance In 1588 by Colin Martin and Geoffrey Parker - for some light historical escapism 😉