Alan James – författare

One of our oldest guidebooks is the Costa Blanca. We first produced this back in 1996 and in Spring 2026 we will be publishing our 5th new edtion. As is the case with the previous books, this new edition will be a major update. All the old favourite crags have been updated and rephotographed and we have added an amazing 15 new crags to the already extensive repertoire. The crags have been photographed using the latest technology resulting in some incredible photo-topos and overview shots. There is a new set of maps throughout and detailed text descriptions making locating your chosen route easier than ever. To inspire you is a stunning set of stunning action shots. The Costa Blanca has long been the best known winter sun venue for travelling climbers from all over Europe. The main attraction is the amazing amount of fantastic climbing on everything from small roadside cliffs to magnificent mountains. The added benefit of easy access quality accommodation and a benign winter climate adds to the overall appeal of the area. This new guide will be the sixth edition that Rockfax have produced to the 'White Coast', with over 36,000 copies already sold over the years. This completely revised and updated volume will build on the success of the earlier ones with increased coverage of the most popular areas and the addition of several new crags. A complete new set of aerial crag shots and action pictures will ensure the book stays fresh for years to come. Areas Murcia - La Panocha, Rincon de Bonanza, Redovan - El Rut, Redovan - La Pancha, Callosa, Alicante - Crevillente, Sierra de Enmedio, Marin, Salinas, Pena del Corb, Pena Rubia, Rincon Bello, Forada, Reconco, Cocentaina, Cabezon de Oro, Busot Benidorm - Sella, Puig Campana, Ponoch, Vall de Guadar, BAbdet, Guadalest, Las Cerezas Calp - Bernia, Altea, Mascarat, Castellet de Calp, Sierra de Toix, Penon de Ifach, Olta, Pinos, Morro Falqui, Ambolo Xalo Valley - Murla, Alcalali, La Solana, Pena Roja, Poet, L'Ocaive, Font d'Axia Gandia and Xativa - Gandia, Bovedon, Salem, Bellus Baranco Fondo, Bellus Pechina/Altet, Aventador, Montesa, Tierra de Nadie, Vallada

This summer, Rockfax will be producing an exciting new book covering the trad sea cliff climbing of Pembroke and Gower. This will be their third book to Pembroke and a huge update on the previous edition from 2009. The Gower trad will be appearing in a Rockfax print publication for the first time. The emphasis in these guides is to cover the best routes but to increase the focus on the easier grades of HVS and below to help open up these magnificent areas to even more climbers. The crags have been photographed using the latest technology resulting in some incredible photo-topos and overview shots.There is a new set of maps throughout and detailed text descriptions making locating your chosen route easier than ever. To inspire you is a stunning set of stunning action shots ever used

The book focuses on peacekeeping as a device for maintaining international stability, and for remedying situations in which states are in conflict with each other. Alan James examines around fifty cases, explaining the background to each one, and analysing its political significance. There is also a detailed examination of the concept of peacemaking, and a look into its increasing importance in international affairs, emphasised by the fact that the United Nations won the Nobel Peace Prize for its peacekeeping activities.

The book focuses on peacekeeping as a device for maintaining international stability, and for remedying situations in which states are in conflict with each other.

This ground-breaking book provides the first study of naval ideology, defined as the mass of cultural ideas and shared perspectives that, for early modern states and belief systems, justified the creation and use of naval forces. Sixteen scholars examine a wide range of themes over a wide time period and broad geographical range, embracing Britain, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Sweden, Russia, Venice and the United States, along with the "extra-national" polities of piracy, neutrality, and international Calvinism. This volume provides important and often provocative new insights into both the growth of western naval power and important elements of political, cultural and religious history.

European Navies and the Conduct of War considers the different contexts within which European navies operated over a period of 500 years culminating in World War Two, the greatest war ever fought at sea.Taking a predominantly continental point of view, the book moves away from the typically British-centric approach taken to naval history as it considers the role of European navies in the development of modern warfare, from its medieval origins to the large-scale, industrial, total war of the twentieth century. Along with this growth of navies as instruments of war, the book also explores the long rise of the political and popular appeal of navies, from the princes of late medieval Europe, to the enthusiastic crowds that greeted the modern fleets of the great powers, followed by their reassessment through their great trial by combat, firmly placing the development of modern navies into the broader history of the period.Chronological in structure, European Navies and the Conduct of War is an ideal resource for students and scholars of naval and military history.

European Navies and the Conduct of War considers the different contexts within which European navies operated over a period of 500 years culminating in World War Two, the greatest war ever fought at sea.Taking a predominantly continental point of view, the book moves away from the typically British-centric approach taken to naval history as it considers the role of European navies in the development of modern warfare, from its medieval origins to the large-scale, industrial, total war of the twentieth century. Along with this growth of navies as instruments of war, the book also explores the long rise of the political and popular appeal of navies, from the princes of late medieval Europe, to the enthusiastic crowds that greeted the modern fleets of the great powers, followed by their reassessment through their great trial by combat, firmly placing the development of modern navies into the broader history of the period.Chronological in structure, European Navies and the Conduct of War is an ideal resource for students and scholars of naval and military history.

Responding to the profound challenges of our times, this book provides a comparative and cross-cultural exploration of the role of religion in war in a long historical perspective, from the second millennium BCE, and even earlier, up to early modernity.Individual chapters focus on the ancient Near East, the Mediterranean basin, Europe and North Africa. Widely diverse case studies explore the historic link between the conduct of war and the growing complexity of human society conditioned by the ownership of ideological authority. The book explores how in most historical societies this authority was religious.Written by experts from different disciplinary perspectives, the volume challenges common assumptions about the historical relationship between religion and war and extends our understanding of the dangers and complexities of today’s world.

Responding to the profound challenges of our times, this book provides a comparative and cross-cultural exploration of the role of religion in war in a long historical perspective, from the second millennium BCE, and even earlier, up to early modernity.Individual chapters focus on the ancient Near East, the Mediterranean basin, Europe and North Africa. Widely diverse case studies explore the historic link between the conduct of war and the growing complexity of human society conditioned by the ownership of ideological authority. The book explores how in most historical societies this authority was religious.Written by experts from different disciplinary perspectives, the volume challenges common assumptions about the historical relationship between religion and war and extends our understanding of the dangers and complexities of today’s world.

Organised thematically, this book examines the key priorities of government in turn to come to an assessment of the success of French absolutism, defined in its own terms.

Composed in the third century A.D., the Trojan Epic is the earliest surviving literary evidence for many of the traditions of the Trojan War passed down from ancient Greece. Also known as the Posthomerica, or "sequel to Homer," the Trojan Epic chronicles the course of the war after the burial of Troy's greatest hero, Hektor. Quintus, believed to have been an educated Greek living in Roman Asia Minor, included some of the war's most legendary events: the death of Achilles, the Trojan Horse, and the destruction of Troy. But because Quintus deliberately imitated Homer's language and style, his work has been dismissed by many scholars as pastiche. A vivid and entertaining story in its own right, the Trojan Epic is also particularly significant for what it reveals about its sources-the much older, now lost Greek epics about the Trojan War known collectively as the Epic Cycle. Written in the Homeric era, these poems recounted events not included in the Iliad or the Odyssey. As Alan James makes clear in this vibrant and faithful new translation, Quintus's work deserves attention for its literary-historical importance and its narrative power.James's line-by-line verse translation in English reveals the original as an exciting and eloquent tale of gods and heroes, bravery and cunning, hubris and brutality. James includes a substantial introduction which places the work in its literary and historical context, a detailed and annotated book-by-book summary of the epic, a commentary dealing mainly with sources, and an explanatory index of proper names. Brilliantly revitalized by James, the Trojan Epic will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in Greek mythology and the legend of Troy.

Composed in the third century A.D., the Trojan Epic is the earliest surviving literary evidence for many of the traditions of the Trojan War passed down from ancient Greece. Also known as the Posthomerica, or "sequel to Homer," the Trojan Epic chronicles the course of the war after the burial of Troy's greatest hero, Hektor. Quintus, believed to have been an educated Greek living in Roman Asia Minor, included some of the war's most legendary events: the death of Achilles, the Trojan Horse, and the destruction of Troy. But because Quintus deliberately imitated Homer's language and style, his work has been dismissed by many scholars as pastiche. A vivid and entertaining story in its own right, the Trojan Epic is also particularly significant for what it reveals about its sources-the much older, now lost Greek epics about the Trojan War known collectively as the Epic Cycle. Written in the Homeric era, these poems recounted events not included in the Iliad or the Odyssey. As Alan James makes clear in this vibrant and faithful new translation, Quintus's work deserves attention for its literary-historical importance and its narrative power.James's line-by-line verse translation in English reveals the original as an exciting and eloquent tale of gods and heroes, bravery and cunning, hubris and brutality. James includes a substantial introduction which places the work in its literary and historical context, a detailed and annotated book-by-book summary of the epic, a commentary dealing mainly with sources, and an explanatory index of proper names. Brilliantly revitalized by James, the Trojan Epic will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in Greek mythology and the legend of Troy.

This ground-breaking book provides the first study of naval ideology, defined as the mass of cultural ideas and shared perspectives that, for early modern states and belief systems, justified the creation and use of naval forces. Sixteen scholars examine a wide range of themes over a wide time period and broad geographical range, embracing Britain, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Sweden, Russia, Venice and the United States, along with the "extra-national" polities of piracy, neutrality, and international Calvinism. This volume provides important and often provocative new insights into both the growth of western naval power and important elements of political, cultural and religious history.

This controversial study takes the provocative line that the French monarchy was a complete success. James turns the idea of royal absolutism on its head by redefining the French monarchys success from 1598 - 1661. The Origins of French Absolutism, 1598-1661 maintains that building blocks were not being laid by the so-called architects of absolutism, but that by satisfying long-established, traditional ambitions, cardinal ministers Richelieu and Mazarin undoubtedly made the confident, ambitious reign of the late century possible.

Based on interviews and on documentary collections in Britain, Sweden and the US, this book describes and analyses Britain's often-tortured response to the crisis which occurred in Congo immediately following its independence. reveals important new material about the UN's conduct of its peacekeeping operation in the Congo;

The Mediterranean island of Mallorca is well-known as a sport climbing destination. This latest edition of the Mallorca Rockfax focusses on the sport climbing routes in the mountains and on the coast. It includes a number of new crags plus updates to existing crags since the last edition in 2015. It also has an almost completely new set of crag photographs taken using drone photography and a new set of detailed maps. Crags Covered Can Ortigues, Capadella, Mont Port, Cala Llamp, C'an Formiga, Puig de Garrafa, Santa Ponça, Ca's Catatà, Sa Cantera, Es Grau, Es Verger, S'estret, Valldemossa, Sa Gubia, Fraguel, Port de Sóller, C'an Nyic, Gorge Blau, Alaró, Caimari, Grau des Ruc, La Creveta, El Fumat, Puig St. Marti, El Calo de Betlem, Son Servera, Felanitx, Sa Mola de Felantix, Cala Magraner, Cala Bota, Torre d'en Beu, Tijuana

The biggest ever book to bouldering in the Peak District. It covers all the areas from Wimberry in the north, through the Eastern Edges, to the Central Gritstone and Limestone and the grit of Staffordshire. The depth of coverage will be more extensive and detailed than anything attempted before with many areas appearing for the first time in print. The main areas have been completely re-worked with all the new developments. Areas Covered Northern Peak, Sheffield Area, Stanage, Burbage Millstone Area, Froggatt to Birchen, Central Limestone, Central Gritstone, Matlock Area, Staffordshire Gritstone