Gareth Williams

The Viking ship is one of the most iconic images of the Vikings and the longship in particular has been central to our understanding of the Viking Age. The Vikings used their shipbuilding skills to command the sea and their famous ships permittedthe exploration, colonization and the raids for which they are best known. This book explores the evolution of their sea-going vessels and celebrates this outstanding feature of the Viking Age. In addition to well-known ships such as the spectacular burials from Gokstad and Osebergin southern Norway, The Viking Ship features the newly-conserved longship Roskilde 6 from Denmark. Measuring over 37 metres, this is the longest Viking ship to have been discovered to date. From Viking Age coins, brooches and graffiti, to the use of the Viking ship on contemporary banknotes, labelling and logos as a symbol of national and cultural identity, this book includes a surprising range of objects that have helped to shape our understanding of the Vikings and their ships. With over 50 illustrations.

The story of mankind's struggle against polio is compelling, exciting and full of twists and pardoxes. One of the grand challenges of modern medicine, it was a battleground between good and bad science. Gareth Williams takes an original view of the journey to understanding and defeating polio.

The story of mankind's struggle against polio is compelling, exciting and full of twists and pardoxes. One of the grand challenges of modern medicine, it was a battleground between good and bad science. Gareth Williams takes an original view of the journey to understanding and defeating polio.

Based on the work of the Tutbury Research Project, which ran from 2004-07, this study combines field survey, excavations and historical research to present the most complete picture yet available of Tutbury Castle and its landscape. The castle was founded as a motte and bailey in 1068-69 and reorganised in the 12th century, whilst the fifteenth century saw a major rebuilding as a royal castle, the phase to which the majority of the surviving architecture relates.

The Viking Age was a period of great economic complexity and experimentation in Scandinavia. By the end of the period, an ancient 'display' economy, based on ornaments of precious metal, had been largely replaced by counted money and national coinages. But this development was neither simple nor linear: for much of the Viking Age, several silver economies co-existed and interacted. The role of silver in Viking-age society and economy has recently developed into an exciting interdisciplinary topic for research. New evidence raises debates on the nature of valuables, bullion, monetisation, commodity money, and early urban trade. This book brings together an international group of archaeologists, historians and numismatists to draw a balance sheet of current research. Based on a symposium held in Aarhus, Denmark in 2008, it provides a structured basis for comparison, combining regional overviews with case-studies of significant sites or hoards. The book is dedicated to Dr Mark Blackburn (1953-2011) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Viking-age numismatics and monetary history.

Discover the real story behind The Dig, streaming now on Netflix, starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes The objects unearthed in 1939 from an Anglo-Saxon ship-burial at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, rank among the most splendid treasures in the collection of the British Museum. Bringing together fine craftsmanship from England, Germany, Scandinavia, Alexandria and far Byzantium, the spectacular finds included gold and garnet jewellery, silverware, drinking vessels with silver-gilt fittings, a lyre and a sceptre, as well as the iconic helmet, all deliberately buried in the early seventh century as grave-goods for an important, though unidentified, warrior. The Sutton Hoo ship-burial was one of the most exciting discoveries ever made in British archaeology. This beautifully designed introduction to the treasure details the most significant pieces contained within it and explores the circumstances of its burial, discovery and excavation, as well as its lasting legacy and fame.

This book was originally published in 1979 and deals with the contentious subject of teacher's pay. There were a number of key issues. First, and most crucial, how salary levels were affecting the aggregate supply or teachers. In other words, where teaching is a vocation so salaries make no difference, or whether pay matters. The second issue is how much difference do administered pay scales make? Lastly, could the system manage to adjust within this framework to the underlying pattern of shortage and surplus? All these questions above are subjected to systematic analysis using the complete tapes of the teachers' record for 1963–1972 from the Department of Education and Science. The analysis is approached with an awareness of the educational context within which the market is situated. It remains of value to anyone with an interest in education and economics.

Discovered in 2007 and acquired by the British Museum and York Museums Trust, the Vale of York hoard was buried in the late 920s in the reign of the West Saxon king Athelstan, in what is now North Yorkshire. The spectacular gold and silver jewellery, ingots and coins in the hoard originally came from regions ranging from Ireland to the Middle East. They represent Christianity, Islam and the worship of Thor, reflecting the amazing cultural diversity, contact and exchange in the Viking world, as well as the scope of Viking raiding and trading. This book describes the individual items in the Vale of York treasure and explores the historical and political context of the burial of this exceptional hoard, offering a fascinating picture of the Viking age.

The influence of the Roman Empire lives on in civilized life and this book offers an insight into a remarkable era of history, including the rich legacy of attitudes and styles in government, civic life, morality, technology and the arts. Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel.

Clay Cross is a classic product of the Industrial Revolution. The town's industrial future was sealed in 1837 with the driving of the Clay Cross Tunnel and the simutaneous founding of the George Stephenson Company, which became the Clay Cross Company in 1851. This book of over 200 photogrpahs gives a glimpse of that industrial history and forms a sort of industrial directory of the development of the company and the way that it influenced the lives of the people of the town. It emphasises the company's paternal imperatives, which insured retention of labour and moulded a core of sober and subserviant workers. These old photographs and documents will bring back strong memories for Clay Cross families and introduce newcomers to a bygone area. George Stephenson would be gratified to learn that his company still flourished, now in the hands of the Biwater Company, and the railway line still runs, albeit as an Inter-city express.

Drawing on deconstruction, postcolonial theory, cultural studies, and subaltern studies, The Other Side of the Popular is as much a reflection on the limitations and possibilities for thinking about the politics of Latin American culture as it is a study of the culture itself. Gareth Williams pays particular attention to the close relationship between complex cultural shifts and the development of the neoliberal nation-state. The modern Latin American nation, he argues, was built upon the idea of "the people," a citizenry with common interests transcending demographic and cultural differences. As nations have weakened in relation to the global economy, this moment-of the popular as the basis of nation-building-has passed, causing seismic shifts in the relationships between governments and cultural formations. Williams asserts that these changed relationships necessitate the rethinking of fundamental concepts such as "the popular" and "the nation." He maintains that the perspective of subalternity is vital to this theoretical project because it demands the reimagining of the connections between critical reason and its objects of analysis. Williams develops his argument through studies of events highlighting Latin America’s uneasy, and often violent, transition to late capitalism over the past thirty years. He looks at the Chiapas rebellion in Mexico, genocide in El Salvador, the Sendero in Peru, Chile’s and Argentina’s transitions to democratic governments, and Latin Americans’ migration northward. Williams also reads film, photography, and literary works, including Ricardo Piglia’s The Absent City and the statements of a young Salvadoran woman, the daughter of ex-guerrilleros, living in South Central Los Angeles. The Other Side of the Popular is an incisive interpretation of Latin American culture and politics over the last few decades as well as a thoughtful meditation on the state of Latin American cultural studies.

Drawing on deconstruction, postcolonial theory, cultural studies, and subaltern studies, The Other Side of the Popular is as much a reflection on the limitations and possibilities for thinking about the politics of Latin American culture as it is a study of the culture itself. Gareth Williams pays particular attention to the close relationship between complex cultural shifts and the development of the neoliberal nation-state. The modern Latin American nation, he argues, was built upon the idea of "the people," a citizenry with common interests transcending demographic and cultural differences. As nations have weakened in relation to the global economy, this moment-of the popular as the basis of nation-building-has passed, causing seismic shifts in the relationships between governments and cultural formations. Williams asserts that these changed relationships necessitate the rethinking of fundamental concepts such as "the popular" and "the nation." He maintains that the perspective of subalternity is vital to this theoretical project because it demands the reimagining of the connections between critical reason and its objects of analysis. Williams develops his argument through studies of events highlighting Latin America’s uneasy, and often violent, transition to late capitalism over the past thirty years. He looks at the Chiapas rebellion in Mexico, genocide in El Salvador, the Sendero in Peru, Chile’s and Argentina’s transitions to democratic governments, and Latin Americans’ migration northward. Williams also reads film, photography, and literary works, including Ricardo Piglia’s The Absent City and the statements of a young Salvadoran woman, the daughter of ex-guerrilleros, living in South Central Los Angeles. The Other Side of the Popular is an incisive interpretation of Latin American culture and politics over the last few decades as well as a thoughtful meditation on the state of Latin American cultural studies.

Like all cliches, Wales as 'the Land of Song' has a solid basis in historical fact. Welsh choral singing was a form of popular culture in the nineteenth century. Crowds followed the choirs in even greater numbers than in football matches and Eisteddfod competitions frequently became 'choral bull-fights' where keenly honed rivalries spilled over into betting, missile throwing, assaults on adjudicators and general violence. This is the story of Wales as the 'the Land of Song' as it has never been told before - colourful, dramatic and uplifting. This enthralling social history focuses on such groups as the fighting choirs of Dowlais and Merthyr that raised armies of supporters, electrified massive crowds and aroused fierce passions. There is also Caradog's South Wales Choral Union which marched on the Crystal Palace and the male voice choirs of the Rhondda which toured the world and left a lasting legacy to all of Wales. These choirs, their audiences and the music they sang, as well as the wider musical life of their communities from oratorio concerts to amateur opera companies, are set squarely in the context of the society that nurtured them. Vividly written in a lucid style by an accomplished social and cultural historian, this is a celebration of the land of song in its hey-day that will appeal to a wide audience.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a major cause of disability affecting about 1% of the population. Although much effort has been expended on research into the causes and cures of RA, little progress has been made. The focus of treatment in RA is on reducing the disabling consequences of the disease and controlling the symptoms. Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis examines the nature of RA and its symptoms of pain and stiffness. The role of health care professionals and the individual's encounters with the doctor are important to understand as these experiences influence the individual's behaviour and understanding of their RA. This book will be an invaluable aid to the considerable number of people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, their families, carers and all health professionals involved in its treatment.

This book was originally published in 1979 and deals with the contentious subject of teacher's pay. There were a number of key issues. First, and most crucial, how salary levels were affecting the aggregate supply or teachers. In other words, where teaching is a vocation so salaries make no difference, or whether pay matters. The second issue is how much difference do administered pay scales make? Lastly, could the system manage to adjust within this framework to the underlying pattern of shortage and surplus? All these questions above are subjected to systematic analysis using the complete tapes of the teachers' record for 1963–1972 from the Department of Education and Science. The analysis is approached with an awareness of the educational context within which the market is situated. It remains of value to anyone with an interest in education and economics.