Author:Joyce Tyldesley
Queen - or, as she would prefer to be remembered King - Hatchepsut was an astonishing woman. Brilliantly defying tradition she became the female embodiment of a male role, dressing in men's clothes and even wearing a false beard. Forgotten until Egptologists deciphered hieroglyphics in the 1820's, she has since been subject to intense speculation about her actions and motivations. Combining archaeological and historical evidence from a wide range of sources, Joyce Tyldesley's dazzling piece of detection strips away the myths and misconceptions and finally restores the female pharaoh to her rightful place.
PRAISE FOR WE WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT TOMORROW WE WILL BE KILLED WITH OUR FAMILIES:
—— -This soul-searching, painfully lyrical book rises above its grisly subject.
—— Evening StandardMagnificent, terrifying ... Gourevitch's account is factual, unemotional - and utterly gut-wrenching.
—— Irish TimesPhilip Gourevitch has written the book which is the key to these dramatic and terrifying events ... Should be compulsory reading for all UN officials involved in peace-keeping operations and humanitarian aid, from the Secretary General on down.
[It is the] sobering voice of witness that Gourevitch has vividly captured in his work.
—— Wole Soyinka , New York Times Book Review[Gourevitch] has the mind of a scholar along with the observative capacity of a good novelist, and he writes like an angel. I think there is no limit to what we may expect from him.
—— Robert StoneA sparkling jewel that shone no matter what angle you looked at it from.
—— Amanda ForemanGentle, all-observant Tom is the perfect guide for this exploration of London's nooks and crannies, places I thought I knew well and places I didn't even know existed. His beguiling mix of history, geology, folklore and memoir captivated me from the first page.
—— Lara Maiklem, author of MudlarkingAn absorbing and poetic psycho-geology of London ... an immersive deep trawl among the city's many layers, unearthing medieval Essex rebels, contemporary mudlarks of the lower Thames, lost rivers of silt and sewage, the Shard as Sauron's Dark Tower, and the existential angst of living in the Anthropocene epoch ... Fascinating.
—— Christopher Somerville , The Times walking correspondentA delightful narrative of the deep city...a multitude of revelations brought to light.
—— Jules Stewart , Geographical MagazineA seriously compelling book, full of powerful, overlooked history, supressed emotion - moving, entertaining and a significant addition to the London canon.
—— Tom Bolton, author of London's Lost Rivers: A Walker's GuideLondon re-enchanted. From the heart of the old city to the distant edgelands, London Clay is a wonderfully multi-layered meander through a landscape at once familiar and strange. A portrait of a haunted, mysterious city and a moving work of personal memoir.
—— Helen Gordon, author of Notes from Deep Time.Chivers traces London's hidden landscape armed only with his curiosity and a home-made geology map. His poet's knack of sensing unlikely connections makes this one of the most original books about the capital in years. Like Iain Sinclair with a trowel. Spellbinding.
—— Matt Brown , LondonistThis is London from the ground up, filled with a sense of wonderment at the strangeness of the city, from its earliest origins to the present day. 'London Clay' digs into the bedrock, soil, water and stone roots of London in a fascinating exploration that's part memoir, part geological survey.
—— Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant & May mysteriesLondon Clay is a gift of a book, one to give to yourself, to friends and those who have curious minds about what makes a city. It speaks to the urban explorer in us all providing a practical guide as well being filled with a plethora of great stories.
—— Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of LondonA lyrical meditation on landscapes and cities, vivid reportage and a memoir. And also a beautifully realised and moving read.
—— Dzifa Benson , Financial TimesA delightful narrative of the deep city...a multitude of revelations brought to light.
—— Jules Stewart , Geographical MagazineOne of the hottest books of the year ahead
—— Irish IndependentReading Oded Galor's upbeat book I...[was] taken aback by his imagination and verve... great sections of Galor's book are to be applauded... his optimism about humanity shines through
—— ObserverThe Journey of Humanity is a good summary of growth theories and is an elegantly written and accessible book
—— Irish TimesGalor argues that climate policy should not be restricted to cutting carbon but should also involve "pushing hard for gender equality, access to education and the availability of contraceptives, to drive forward the decline in fertility". India will do well to heed that advice
—— New Indian ExpressThe Journey of Humanity stretches from the emergence of Homo sapiens to the present day, and has a lot to say about the future, too. In just over 240 pages it covers our migration out of Africa, the development of agriculture, the Industrial Revolution and the phenomenal growth of the past two centuries. It takes in population change, the climate crisis and global inequality ... There will be inevitable comparisons with Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens ... If you need an evidence-based antidote to doomscrolling, here it is ... Galor builds his case meticulously, always testing his assumptions against the evidence, and without the sense of agenda-pushing that accompanies other boosterish thinkers - the Steven Pinkers or Francis Fukuyamas of this world
—— GuardianIncredibly wide-ranging and detailed historical and even anthropological examination of the myriad factors that have brought success and failure to nations ... Lively and learned
—— Tim Hazledine, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Auckland , Inerest.co.nzAn optimist's guide to the future ... Oded Galor's 'Sapiens'-like history of civilisation predicts a happy ending for humanity
—— GuardianEnjoyable and intriguing
—— Steven Poole , GuardianAn antidote to doomscrolling
—— Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2022*A great historical fresco
—— Le MondeBreathtaking. A new Sapiens
—— L'ExpressAmbitious and deep ... the product of genuine scholarship
—— Jason Furman, economics professor at Harvard, former advisor to Barack Obama , #1 Best Economics Book of 2022, FiveBooks.com