Michael Kerrigan

Companion title to The Astounding Illustrated History of Science Fiction this new book reflects the same roots in Gothic literature but follows a complementary path through the 20th century, to the movies of Peter Jackson, the success of streaming TV series such as Grimm, and the fantasy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. From the wellspring of Frankenstein, Germanic fairy tales, and heroic, epic myths a dark and fantastic path can be found to the fragmentation of the 1930s: the schlock horror of early modern movies, the invention of High Fantasy by Tolkien and fellow Inkling C. S. Lewis, and the pulp magazine powerhouse Weird Tales with Robert E. Howard’s sword and sorcery archetype Conan. A brilliant concoction of movie posters, stills, book covers, fantastic art and incredible timelines.

In the autumn of 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius on the coast of Campania in Italy erupted releasing gases, molten rock, pumice and ash at 1.5 million tons per second. This has become known as one of the deadliest eruptions in history, releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The event destroyed the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum amongst others. Pompeii was buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice as a result of the eruption. The ruins of this remarkable city, for the most part preserved under ash, offer a unique and invaluable insight into Roman life. The drama of Pompeii’s end has been handed down by Roman writers, its paintings and mosaics have astonished visitors since their discovery, and its houses and public buildings still present a vivid picture of life, disaster and death in a Roman town. In contemporary tourism, Pompeii is among the most popular attractions in Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors to the site annually. Pompeii offers a compact, insightful photographic history of one of the most famous Roman towns and archaeological sites in the world, its excavation and ongoing discoveries.

‘Embracing the rich heritage of ancient Indian wisdom offers a beacon of hope for a sustainable future.’ – Pritam Kumar Sinha The great treasure of Indian philosophical wisdom that is inherited through ages is undoubtedly a repository and reservoir of heritage. The Indian philosophers believe that wisdom is not meant for satisfaction of intellectual curiosity but for leading an enlightened life. In Hinduism, ‘wisdom’ refers to the deep understanding and insight that guides individuals towards righteousness and dharma, transcending mere knowledge. Ancient Indian Wisdom encompasses traditional knowledge and practices that form the basis for various teachings and philosophies in India. It is an invitation to discover the enduring wisdom of an ancient culture that continues to resonate with us today. Unveil the secrets, embrace the mysteries, and let the ancient words of wisdom enrich your understanding of the past, present, and future. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, Ancient Indian Wisdom offers more than 80 quotes from the ancient culture that have survived to the present and provide a vibrant record of the practice of spiritual evolution.

Gustav Klimt is renowned as a quintessential artist of the art nouveau movement, but he was one of a number of Viennese artists who strove to break free of the constraints of the late 19th Century academic art establishment. The Secessionists were united, not in the style of their work, but their desire for freedom, so although there are echoes of similarity in the work of Klimt, Schiele, Kolomon Moser and the many other fine artists, their distinction lies in their magnificent difference. This new illustrated book focuses on the rich diversity of the movement and offers a sumptuous gift of colour and glamour for every art lover.

Mount Fuji has been a source of inspiration and awe since ancient times, and artists have been reproducing its likeness since at least the 14th century, as it became a key motif in all aspects of Japanese culture. The 19th century Ukiyo-e woodblock prints of important artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige continued this reverence, creating series of beautiful images of landscape and society, with the mountain ever-present. With the slight relaxing of Japan's isolationist policies, artists discovered Western art and exploited its styles and perspectives, and, in turn, Western artists from Monet to van Gogh were influenced by the bold and distinctive print style, which filtered into their work. This gorgeous new book discusses the fascinating history of Fuji as featured in these prints, and reproduces numerous examples of the stunning and timeless artworks, some in their complete series.

Every great church makes a statement, and it is seldom simply theological. An offering of thanks to a beloved minister, a monument to a powerful ruler, a colonialist vaunt – a church is never really just a church. Ornate or spartan, immense or intimate, from the Middle East and across Europe, from Alaska to Argentina, Asia to Africa, the construction of churches has given the world some of its most beautiful buildings – its most splendid interiors, its most atmospheric spaces, an inspiration not just to Christians but to humankind. Including Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran, Baptist, Calvinist, Pentecostal and Mormon places of worship, Amazing Churches features early basilicas and magnificent medieval cathedrals, mud-hut churches and soaring 21st century edifices. In exploring these sacred places, Michael Kerrigan reveals not just the different approaches to faith across continents and over centuries, but gives us a glimpse into a wider history of the world touched by Christianity. Illustrated with more than 190 photographs, Amazing Churches includes more than 150 chapels, basilicas and cathedrals dating from the Middle Ages to the present day.

“What is Life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”— Black Elk, Oglala Sioux Founded on stories and myths told orally, the wisdom of Native American peoples has been passed down through generations, revealing the origins of a tribe, chronicling the heroes who fought the gods, showing how to reach Wakan-Taka(the Great Spirit), exploring the nature of the True Peace and reflecting on the changing landscape with the arrival of European settlers. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, Native American Wisdom offers more than 80 thought-provoking proverbs on the spirit world, family, fathers and sons, animals and plants, and the changing seasons, in the words of the people who have inhabited the North American continent for thousands of years – the Iroquois, Algonquin, Cheyenne, Hopi, Dakota and Sioux – to name a few. Many quotes are from well-known Native American leaders, such as the Blackfoot warrior Crowfoot, the legendary Apache leader Geronimo, and famous Oglala Lakota medicine man Black Elk.

A rusting anti-aircraft fort in the North Sea. A German submarine base in France. A Flak tower in a Viennese park — more than 70 years after the end of World War II, its legacy can still be seen from Europe to Japan. Abandoned Places of World War II explores more than 100 bunkers, pillboxes, submarine bases, forts and gun emplacements from the North Sea to Okinawa. Included are defensive structures, such as the Maginot Line on France’s eastern border with Germany, Germany’s own western and eastern border defences, and the Atlantic Wall, the German-built bunkers and pillboxes on the coast from Denmark down to Brittany. The book also includes both Hitler’s and Himmler’s Eastern Front bunkers in Poland. But beyond the military installations, the book explores the ruins of concentration camps, the empty village of Oradour-Sur-Glane, Hitler’s mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden and the dilapidated Nazi party rally grounds in Nuremberg, among other non-military places. With 150 outstanding colour photographs, Abandoned Places of World War II is a brilliant pictorial examination of both the military and non-military legacy of the conflict.

Long shrouded in secrecy, alchemy is now recognized as the ancestor of modern chemistry. Before the advent of modern science, alchemy was the ancient art of transformation, a way of combining matter to create a divine force. Today alchemy retains a strong pull on the imagination, with its tales of turning base metals into gold and mixing potions to create the elixir of life, a draught that brings immortality. Alchemy Illustrated offers a vivid illustrated guide to this lost art, introducing the reader to the main developments in alchemy and the most famous people to have dabbled in this speculative science. Discover the alchemical elements and their properties, a precursor to the periodic table, which included such substances such as bismuth, sulfur and moon-silver, the last of these symbolizing intuition, resurrection and illumination; learn about the Philosopher’s Stone, a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals into gold, and pursued by famous scientists such as Isaac Newton, who wrote more than a million words on alchemy during his lifetime; and encounter Hennig Brand, who in 1669 accidentally discovered the chemical element phosphorus during alchemical experimentation. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, Alchemy Illustrated introduces the reader to the history of alchemy, its practice, symbols and famous alchemists through the ages.

Paul Nash, the British landscape and Surrealist painter, lived through both the First and Second World Wars. His depictions of these human catastrophes, with their damaged landscapes and broken machinery are much remembered today. His painting life moved from representational landscapes, through to the Surrealist and symbolist styles of his later years where he experimented with abstraction and the everyday. He was regarded as a fine book illustrator and often created work for other graphic and theatrical forms. This new book offers 100 images, with an introduction to his art and contribution made by Nash to the cultural sophistication of the modern world.

Built to last, built to impress, built with style and grandeur – it is all the more remarkable when the most ostentatious of buildings fall into disrepair and become ruins. From imperial residences and aristocratic estates to hotels and urban mansions, Abandoned Palaces tells the stories behind dilapidated structures from all around the world. From ancient Roman villas to the French colonial hill station in Cambodia that was one of the final refuges of the Khmer Rouge, the book charts the fascinating decline of what were once the homes and holiday resorts of the most wealthy. Ranging from crumbling hotels in the Catskill Mountains or in Mozambique to grand mansions in Taiwan, and from an unfinished Elizabethan summerhouse to a modern megalomaniac’s estate too expensive ever to be completed, the reasons for the abandonment of these buildings include politics, bankruptcy, personal tragedies, natural and man-made disasters, as well as changing tastes and fashions. With 150 outstanding colour photographs exploring more than 100 hauntingly beautiful locations, Abandoned Palaces is a brilliant and moving pictorial examination of worlds we have left behind.

Beginning in the sixth millennium BCE, in the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia and along the Nile River, human civilization expanded to develop writing systems, farming methods, social organization and modes of government. Today, humans inhabit every part of the planet, connected by digital technology and modern infrastructure. Arranged chronologically, History of the World offers a broad overview of the most important events in human history, including the building of great funerary tombs in Ancient Egypt, the Trojan War, the development of democratic forms of government in Ancient Athens under Pericles, the birth of Christ, the expansion of Islam from Arabia, the Viking raids across northwest Europe, the capture of Jerusalem during the Crusades, Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Copernicus proposing a new model of the Universe, the rule of the Tokugawa shoguns in Japan, the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution, Napoleon’s domination of Europe following the French victory at Austerlitz, Stephenson’s development of the steam locomotive, the break up of great empires following the end of World War I, the use of nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the advent of the modern computer, beginning with Alan Turing’s code-breaking Bombe machine at Bletchley Park during World War II. History of the World provides a sumptuous, pictorial guide to the most significant events in human history, from the Bronze Age to the 21st Century.

Rich and delicate, ethereal and muscular, the art of William Blake is as fascinating as the philosophies threading through his poetry and prophetic works. Presented here in this magnificent new collection, his vivid paintings and gently weaving illustrations are imprinted in the consciousness of Romantic art, but their impact on Gothic literature remains as strong and quixotic as the artist himself.

“The United States of America will use all our resources to conquer this enemy. We will rally the world. We will be patient. We’ll be focused, and we will be steadfast in our determination.” – President George W. Bush, September 12, 2001 On September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorists hijacked four airliners, crashing them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon and near the White House, killing nearly 3,000 people. Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network quickly claimed responsibility for the outrage. The aftermath still reverberates around the world today, with President Bush declaring a “War on Terror” against al-Qaeda and its allies. By October, the US military was carrying out air strikes against al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, and US ground forces were deployed against bin Laden’s protectors, the incumbent Taliban regime. By June 2002 the Taliban had been ousted and a US-friendly government established in the capital, Kabul. But the campaign didn’t end there, as American and allied NATO forces became bogged down for the next two decades. Afghanistan provides a photographic exploration of the 20-year war in Afghanistan, from the first deployment of US special forces in October 2001 to the final withdrawal of US forces in August 2021. In between, the book offers a compact overview of the operations fought by the US and NATO forces against the Taliban/al- Qaeda insurgency, including the bombing of the Tora Bora cave complex, Operation Anaconda, President Obama’s deployment surge, the Navy SEAL’s assassination of Osama bin Laden in neighbouring Pakistan, the development of a local Afghan army, police force and government, the eventual withdrawal of US forces and the collapse of the Afghan administration amidst renewed Taliban pressure. Afghanistan offers a concise pictorial history of the war that came to define US policy in Central Asia and the Middle East in the 21st century.

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia” – Winston Churchill, 5 March 1946 Following the Allies’ victory in World War II, the European continent was soon divided into two broad zones of influence, with Eastern Europe coming under communist Soviet control, and the west under the oversight of the liberal democracies led by the United States. What developed over the next 40 years was a military and ideological stand-off that defined Europe and much of the world until 1989. In countries such as Germany, the Cold War divided families between the two zones of control. The two opponents competed for global dominance, building up ever greater arsenals of nuclear weapons, funding and fighting costly proxy wars in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America, deploying espionage and trade embargoes, and even seeking technological advantage in space exploration, which became known as the “Space Race”. The Cold War provides a pictorial examination of this crucial era in 20th century history, offering the reader an instant understanding of the key events and figures in this 40-year period through 150 dramatic photographs.

From around 750BC to 12BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. With the expansion of the Roman Empire and the later Christianization of these lands, they were pushed to the fringes of north-western Spain, France and the British Isles. But there the mythology of these peoples held strong. The tales from Celtic myth were noted down and also absorbed into other cultures. From Roman and Christian scribes we know of characters like Morrigan the shape-shifting queen, who could change herself from a crow to a wolf, Cu Chulainn, who, mortally wounded in battle, tied himself with his own intestines to a rock so that he'd die standing up, and the Cauldron of Bran, which could restore life. Other than being fascinating in their own right, Celtic legends are of interest for the influence they had over subsequent mythologies. The story of the Holy Grail first appears in medieval romances but its antecedents can be found in the Celtic tale, the Mabinogion. Illustrated with more than 180 artworks and photographs and maps, Celtic Myths is an expertly written account of the mythological tales that both fascinate us and influence other writings.

From around 750BC to 12BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. With the expansion of the Roman Empire and the later Christianization of these lands, they were pushed to the fringes of north-western Spain, France and the British Isles. But there the mythology of these peoples held strong. The tales from Celtic myth were noted down and also absorbed into other cultures. From Roman and Christian scribes we know of characters like Morrigan the shape-shifting queen, who could change herself from a crow to a wolf, Cu Chulainn, who, mortally wounded in battle, tied himself with his own intestines to a rock so that he’d die standing up, and the Cauldron of Bran, which could restore life. Other than being fascinating in their own right, Celtic legends are of interest for the influence they had over subsequent mythologies. The story of the Holy Grail first appears in medieval romances but its antecedents can be found in the Celtic tale, the Mabinogion. Illustrated with more than 180 artworks and photographs and maps, Celtic Myths is an expertly written account of the mythological tales that both fascinate us and influence other writings.

Ranging from medieval Kievan Rus' to Vladimir Putin, The History of Russia explores the murder, brutality, genocide, insanity and skulduggery in the efforts to seize, and then maintain, power in the Slav heartland. Highly illustrated throughout, the book is a fascinating story from the Mongol invasions to the present day.

The mythology and folklore of England is as old as the land itself, rich in symbolism and full of tales of quests and heroic daring-do, ghosts and witches, romantic heroines and noble outlaws. Who hasn’t heard of the master sorcerer Merlin, Robin Hood and his merry men, or the legendary monster Grendel? Beginning with the great Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, English Myths explores the early legends of post-Roman England, many of which blend history and myth. The book goes on to examine the rich seam of Arthurian and romantic legends first told in the Medieval era, before looking at English folk heroes and the beasts, witches and ghosts that have haunted the land. Discover the brothers Hengist and Horsa, legendary leaders of the first Angles, Saxons and Jutes to settle in England; learn the tragic story of Cornish hero Tristan and his love for Irish princess Iseult; tremble at the Black Dog ghost, a nocturnal hellhound found stalking the country from Suffolk in the east to Devon in the west; and enjoy the tale of George and the dragon, who saved the nation from a rampaging serpent and became the patron saint of the country. Illustrated with 150 photographs and artworks, English Myths is an accessible, entertaining and highly informative exploration of the fascinating mythology underlying one of the world’s oldest and most influential cultures.