New Releases by Martin Gilbert

What an extraordinary chronicle of upheaval, sorrow, and achievement is the story of the Jews in the twentieth century--and who better to narrate it than the renowned British historian Sir Martin Gilbert, whose lifework has been the study of the events and personages of our time. In this richly illustrated volume he vividly describes the individuals, the historic movements, the watershed moments, and the horrific years that so profoundly changed the world and the Jewish people. In a text interwoven with and illuminated by more than 400 fascinating photographs, many of them never before published or long forgotten, we meet the widely dispersed turn-of-the-century Jewish communities of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Then we encounter, with startling immediacy, the impassioned Zionists who set out to reclaim Palestine and the immigrant waves that poured out of Eastern Europe in search of a better life in America--among them, the brilliantly creative writers, composers, actors, and comedians who enthralled millions; and the scientists, judges, legislators, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals whose numbers can hardly be counted but whose thoughts and deeds shaped the modern world. There is tragedy in this history: the twentieth century saw many dark years during which the Jewish people suffered pogroms, persecution, and mass murder. But the century also saw the renewal and flourishing of the Jewish community, in America, in Israel, and throughout the Diaspora. The observant, the secular, the people gathered from the ends of the earth--all figure in the vivid portrait of the Jews at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Sir Martin relates this astonishing and deeplymoving story with the erudition and empathy that have always distinguished his writing, and with a masterful eye for the key point, the telling anecdote, the human detail that makes history come alive. While our memories are still fresh, he has fixed them indelibly in a volume that will be treasured, pored over, and passed down as the rich and definitive record of Jewish life in the twentieth century.

Relates the experiences of a group of Jews, male and female, from Poland and Hungary who survived the concentration camps as teenagers.

Martin Gilbert brings readers up to date in this rich historical narrative of the contradictory events of the last fifty years. Volume II ended in 1951, as the world recovered from World War II, and the nuclear threat increased. In this volume, Gilbert recalls the Cold War and communism--including McCarthyism, the Soviet and Warsaw Pact, the Berlin Wall--and the wars, from Korea to Vietnam to Bosnia. He moves from Poland''s Solidarity Movement to Ireland''s Bloody Sunday, from Pol Pot and his killing fields to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Mao began a cultural revolution, Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy were assassinated, and Beijing''s Tiananamen Square shocked the world. Technology and medicine advanced in leaps and bounds as the society struggled to catch up. Art, literature, and music, as well as epidemics and natural disasters, all have their place here. Many of the events are described through the words of those who were present. As in the previous two volumes, Gilbert creates a vivid picture through a wide array of sources. The result is extraordinary.

"The twentieth century has often been a bloody one for Jerusalem. But it has also been a century of creativity and satisfaction, exuberant life, determination, civic achievement, and perpetual hope." —from Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century Jerusalem today is a vibrant, flourishing city, the capital of an independent nation, and the vital center of worship for three world religions. Yet, one hundred years ago—a mere moment in time to a city celebrating its 3,000th anniversary—Jerusalem was a provincial town, an outpost of the Ottoman Empire ruled from Constantinople. The extraordinary transformation of Jerusalem, from the twilight of Turkish rule to the advent of the twenty-first century, is an epic struggle of passionate political, cultural, and spiritual forces. Often tragic, always fascinating, the remarkable history of contemporary Jerusalem is essential to our understanding of the Middle East. The story of modern Jerusalem is unparalleled in its dramatic juxtaposition of growth and prosperity with unyielding, bitter, and violent strife. It is a city, in the words of author Martin Gilbert, "cursed, even amid its great social, religious, and cultural renaissance, by recurring conflict." The Balfour Declaration of 1917, with its promise of a Jewish National Home, ushered in an era of rapid expansion in self-governing institutions, particularly in the areas of health and education. Yet, the seeds of disagreement were sown when, even though Jerusalem''s majority population had been Jewish since the mid-nineteenth century, the British appointed an Arab as mayor. The hard-fought Battle of Jerusalem in 1948 and the victorious creation of the State of Israel were followed by the devastating division of the city—until the Six-Day War of 1967 stunned the world and brought about an uneasy reunification. In 1994, the triumphant signing of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty ended forty-six years of hostility. However, uncertainty remains as, today, the tentative hope of the peace accords, punctuated by the harshness of Intifada, seems more fragile than ever in the wake of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the election of Benjamin Netanyahu. Covering every facet of the legendary city''s life—political, cultural, architectural, intellectual, religious, and social—Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century is history at its most lucid and compelling. And who better than Martin Gilbert to encompass the full scope and meaning of this protean city in a dynamic era? Here, the distinguished historian and acclaimed author of Jerusalem: Rebirth of a City has created a vivid, authoritative work, rooted in contemporary sources and scholarship, and drawing equally on his own vast, intimate knowledge of the city and its people. Acclaim for Martin Gilbert''s earlier work Jerusalem: Rebirth of a City "Mr. Gilbert has written a lively book, full of excellent quotations—roundly outspoken and often eloquent." —John Gross The New York Times "His mastery of the source material and his artful use of these materials produce a riveting, charming, and moving account—proving that Mr. Gilbert is not only a first-rate historian but a good storyteller." —The Washington Times "Mr. Gilbert''s scholarship is impeccable." —Colin Thubron Sunday Telegraph (London)

A portrayal of the prime minister and a look at "the Agatha Christie side of the historian''s art."

By the author of The Holocaust. This is a history of the events of 8 May 1945 and its repercussions, published to coincide with the 50th Anniversary celebrations of VE-Day in May 1995. It focuses not only on the events of that day, but also looks forward from that day to the years ahead. The theme of the book is the way in which the world today has been moulded by the events of 8 May 1945. Gilbert traces in narrative form the events and personalities of that day, from the early hours of the morning until midnight, looking at the topics and people first in their 8 May context and then in the wider sweep of the events to which they led across the years. The story of one day''s impact and its aftermath combines global perspectives with the stories of individuals.

An atlas of Jewish history around the world.

Tracing the world-wide migrations of the Jews from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Israel, this atlas spans over 4000 years of history. With over 130 maps, the atlas depicts Jewish achievements and the Jewish way of life, presenting a clear picture of their persecution and their reaction to it - whether by dispersal, acceptance or defence.

Maps provide a visual history of the Arab-Israeli conflict from 1,000 B.C. through the 1990s; includes notes on historical figures and events.

The much-anticipated third volume of Churchill''s fascinating papers.

A balanced and comprehensive visual history of the Arab-Israeli conflict in 147 annotated maps spanning from the early history of the region (c.1000 B.C.) to the foundation of the State of Israel, the intifada, and the peace initiatives of the 1990s. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A biography of the hard facts of Churchill''s public life and the intimate details of the private man.

Biographical notes: side 342-355

"... Ultimate visual survey of Jewish history from the emergence of the Jews in ancient Palestine right up to the present day ... Every facet of Jewish life is explored, with authoritative coverage of such crucial topics as the great diasporas, the flowering of Yiddish culture in Europe, the pogroms and persecutions -- from the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 to the tragic years of the Holocaust -- the rebirth of Zionism in the 19th century, the foundation of modern Israel, highlights of the Arab-Israeli conflict including the invasion of Lebanon, and the way of life of Jews inside and outside their homeland in the world of today. It demonstrates the key role that migration -- whether forced or voluntary -- has played in Jewish history and shows how the story of the Jews has been and continues to be a key factor in the development of Western civilization as a whole." -- Inside front cover.

Omfattende værk om Winston S. Churchill.

Deftly weaving together historical research and survivors'' testimonies, "The Holcaust "is Gilbert''s acclaimed and definitive history of the European Jews, fom Hitler''s rise to power to Germany''s surrender to the liberation of the prisoners of the concentration camps.

Historian Gilbert has researched and prepared 316 maps to trace each phase of the Holocaust, beginning with the anti-Semitic violence of prewar Germany to the expulsion of Jews from towns and villages, the establishment of ghettos, and the setting up of the death camps, and including acts of resistance and revolts, areas of Jewish partisan activity, killings of children and non-Jews, the flight of survivors. Explanatory text accompanies the maps, chronicling the details and explaining the sources--many of which are records the Nazis themselves kept. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Maps and photographs document partisan activities, mass murders, deportations, escapes, and concentration camp deaths in World War II Europe