A brilliantly arresting historical work, John Lewis Gaddis’s The Cold War takes us as never before to the time when the world stood on the brink of destruction.

In 1945 war came to an end. But a whole new terror was only just beginning…

Here is the truth behind every spy thriller you’ve read: why America and the Soviet Union became locked in a deadly stalemate; how close we came to nuclear catastrophe; what was really going on in the minds of leaders from Stalin to Mao Zedong, Ronald Reagan to Mikhail Gorbachev, how secret agents plotted and East German holidaymakers helped the Berlin Wall fall. It is a story of crisis talks and subterfuge, tyrants and power struggles – and of ordinary people changing the course of history.

‘Gripping’
Len Deighton

‘Superb … brimful of racy incident’
Independent on Sunday

‘A lively and readable history’
The Times

‘Force 9 on the Richter scale’
Spectator

John Lewis Gaddis is the Robert A. Lovett Professor of History at Yale University, and ‘the dean of cold war historians’ (The New York Times). He is the author of numerous books, including Security and the American Experience, the book recently pressed on his cabinet and senior security staff by President Bush.

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From the moment towns and cities arose, the struggle for land, resources and power has turned to violence. Almost from the start, maps have been an essential part of planning and waging war. History of War in Maps gives a unique visual representation of the development of warfare and the maps that have helped shaped our history.

Each map in this beautifully designed volume plays a crucial role. While countless campaign strategies have relied on detailed and accurate mapping, entire wars have been fought over the maps themselves, with hopes of redrawing boundaries and redefining nations. Spanning more than 2,000 years, this book expertly curates more than 70 historical maps which tell the fascinating story of war: from ancient and medieval warfare to modern-day global conflicts.

Featuring maps of historic battles such as:
• Battle of Marathon, 490 BC
• Battle of Hastings, 1066
• Battle of Crecy, 1346
• Battle of Lützen (Thirty Years’ War), 1632
• Battle of Saratoga, 1777
• Battle of Austerlitz, 1805
• Battle of Balaklava (Crimean War), 1854
• Siege of Vicksburg, 1863
• Battle of Isandhlwana (Anglo-Zulu War), 1879
• Battle of Spion Kop (Anglo-Boer War), 1900
• Gallipoli campaign, 1915
• D-Day, 1944
• Operation Desert Storm, 1993

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Can you pin-point the last-known location of Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance?

Can you help Amelia Earhart circumnavigate the globe?

Are you the next Neil Armstrong?

In this unique puzzle book, the Royal Geographical Society brings over a century of maps and expertise to inspire your inner Livingstone and tantalise your budding Columbus. With hundreds of questions on 50 iconic explorers and a mix of mind-boggling maps, word games and trivia questions – it’s time to dust off your compass, pack your snow shoes and test your geographical skills against the most legendary adventurers ever to traverse the globe.

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