Books in the International Library of Historical Studies series

19th-century Britain was one of the birthplaces of vegetarianism in the west. From the Vegetarian Society's foundation in 1847, men and their families abandoned conventional diet for various reasons. Providing an exploration of this movement, this book examines the significance of Victorian vegetarians.

Drawing on a variety of sources including private documents, this work argues that women actually played an important role in the formation of the public identity of the Victorian middle class. It offers numerous insights for the reader into the public lives of women in this fascinating period.

Common to all periods and specialisms is the attempt to find new modes of historical narrative. This book presents an overview of trends and the changing agenda of historical questions.

Brings together work by area specialists and the research on the sea itself in the early modern period, the maritime trade that flourished there, the ships which travelled it and the men who sailed them. This book is suitable for those interested in maritime history, naval history, and the history of the early modern world.

Shedding light on British war aims and maritime strategy, this book is suitable for scholars of Napoleonic Wars and British political, diplomatic, economic and maritime/military history.

Few figures who were active in the English Romantic Movement are as fascinating as Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834). Offering a major contribution both to religious history and the history of ideas, this title charts the particular liberal tradition in British religious thought which stems directly from Coleridge.

Our understanding of medieval Central and Eastern Europe is being revitalized by new directions in cultural history. This book contributes to the problem of 'Europe' - as a region and as a construct. It is suitable for scholars working on the cultural, economic and social history of Central and Eastern Europe.

The Middle Ages saw a flourishing of mysticism that was astonishing for its richness and distinctiveness. This book examines a number of women whose lives exemplify traditions which were central to medieval theology but whose contributions have tended to be dismissed as 'merely spiritual' by the scholars.

Focusing on the central philosophical questions of the Middle Ages, this book offers an introduction to topics such as God and creation, human freewill, biblical prophecy, the Commandments, the divine attributes and immortality.

Reveals how cookery came to be seen as an important part of medical care and diet, revolutionising the nation's health. This book assesses the impact of nutrition in hospitals, schools and the military and explores the challenges and struggles faced by those who undertook work to educate the nation in the areas of sanitation, medicine and food.

Christianity in the later Middle Ages was flourishing, popular and vibrant and the institutional church was generally popular - in stark contrast to the picture of corruption and decline painted by the later Reformers. This title provides a history of religion in this pivotal period.

Analysing the form and influence of Ruskin's social theory, this book looks at Ruskin's significant contribution to social and intellectual thought in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It also examines the chronological development of Ruskin's thought and establishes the extent of his influence among the nascent labour movement.

A study of the revolutions in Bourbon France, Romanov Russia and Pahlavi Iran. This book argues that it is often the monarch's own personality that provides the vital spark which produces revolution. It challenges the Marxist interpretation of history and adds another perspective to theories of revolution.

From 1800-1959, the leading Tory hostesses, the Marchionesses of Londonderry were patrons and confidantes to key political figures such as Disraeli, Bonar Law, and others. This book offers an examination of these powerful political hostesses of the Anglo-Irish establishment and sheds light on the workings of 19th and 20th-century politics.

Unknown story of the Rothstein family and their influence in British communism

Settlements were a distinctive aspect of late-Victorian church life in which Christians were encouraged to live and work in communities amongst the poor and set an example for the underprivileged. This book tells how, often overlooked by historians, settlements are of great value in understanding the values and culture of the 19th century.

How do literacy and the development of literary culture promote the development of a national identity? This book challenges the notion that Western ideas were essential to Romanian development. It is a fascinating story of how a national culture is born. It provides a history of the development of literary culture and the printed word in Romania.

The 18th century was a unique period of global and fundamental change. Few centuries have produced such a galaxy of historians, and their ground-breaking work has been drawn upon by Derek Beales in his collection of articles and special lectures.

Provides an account of the battle against cholera. This work is based on documents in the naval towns of south-west England. The author's account exposes the struggles between local and national government, and the conflict between policies of laissez-faire and state intervention.

This text records the Catholic Church struggling to adapt to the new political landscape ushered in by the French Revolution. It shows the Vatican out of step in the wake of world war, Cold War, the expansion of the developing world, with problems of population growth and under-development.

Looks in detail at the various programmes guiding the Volksbuhne's work and at the reception of the plays by the largely working-class audience, to offer a detailed study of the interactions between cultural and political history in Imperial Germany.

The 1790s was a fateful period for Britain. The French Revolution of 1789 opened an era of seismic political upheaval, one in which many features of the modern world made their first significant appearance. This work demonstrates how the latent intellectual and political anxieties were sharpened by the French Revolution.

Details women's experiences from the end of the 18th century to the outbreak of World War I. This anthology draws on a range of sources including parliamentary reports, pamphlets, newspapers and journals, novels, poetry and hymns, and seminal texts by activists in the women's movement.

A biography of Laurence Sulivan, this book paints a picture of a supremely influential and colourful business figure as he controlled the most powerful private company of his day - and at the centre of the eighteenth century public-private nexus in business and government.

This title explores the evolution of 'village England' from earliest times until the present. Drawing on both contemporary accounts and recent scholarship, the author aims to provide an engaging and revealing account of the major transformations affecting the English village.