Oxford Paperbacks – förlag

The definitive English version of the stories of King Arthur, Le Morte Darthur was completed in 1469-70 by Sir Thomas Malory, `knight-prisoner'. In a resonant prose style, Malory charts the tragic disintegration of the fellowship of the Round Table, destroyed from within by warring factions. Recounting the life of King Arthur, the knightly exploits of Sir Lancelot du Lake, Sir Tristram, Sir Gawain, and the quest for the Holy Grail, Le Morte Darthur depicts the contradictions that underscore the Fellowship's chivalric ideals. A pervading tension cumulates in the revelation of Lancelot and Guenivere's illicit passion, and in Arthur's powerlessness to prevent a related outbreak of violence and revenge. This generously annotated edition is based on the authoritative Winchester manuscript and represents what Malory wrote more closely than the first version printed by William Caxton. Intelligently abridged from the original to make a single substantial volume, the translation is supplemented by a fine Introduction, a Glossary, and extensive Notes

Specially commissioned for the World's Classics, this new translation includes a full editorial apparatus.

''But I must stop now. I can no longer speak for tears - and my client has ordered that tears are not to be used in his defence.''Cicero (106-43 BC) was the greatest orator of the ancient world: he dominated the Roman courts, usually appearing for the defence. His speeches are masterpieces of persuasion: compellingly written, emotionally powerful, and somtimes hilariously funny. This book presents five of his most famous defences: of Roscius, falsely accused of murdering his father; of the consul-elect Murena, accused of electoral bribery; of the poet Archias, on a citizenshiup charge; of Caelius, ex-lover of Clodia Metelli, on charges of violence; and of Milo, for mudering Cicero''s hated enemy Clodius. Cicero''s clients were rarely whiter-than-white; but so seductive is his oratory that the reader cannot help taking his side. In these speeches we are plunged into some of the most exciting courtroom dramas of all time.These new translations preserve Cicero''s literary artistry and emotional force, and achieve new standards of accuracy. Each speech has its own introduction, and a general introduction discusses Cicero''s public career and the criminal courts. The substantial explanatory notes guide the reader through the speeches, and offer new scholarship presented in a clear way.

Written by a team of leading scholars, this fascinating book presents an authoritative and comprehensive history of the Crusades from the preaching of the First Crusade in 1095 to the legacy of crusading ideas and imagery today. 'makes the results of the recent academic study of the Crusades accessible to a wide section of the general public and succeeds in conveying that this is a living and developing subject, which has far from exhausted its potential' THES 'The great merit of Professor Riley-Smith's book is to follow the story down to the present day' Church Times 'Detailed exploration of the plots, intrigue and subterfuge surrounding the events and leading protagonists make for fascinating reading' Universe 'fascinating ... a comprehensive history of the wars' History Today 'In a series of finely-crafted and admirably succinct essays the contributors unravel a number of important medieval political and religious themes. This comprehensive approach adds a great deal to the book's interest and presents some of the best insights of modern Crusading scholarship ... excellent' Tablet

Written by a team of expert scholars, this acclaimed book traces the history of Christianity from the Early Church to the present day. The opening section takes events to 1800; the second, examining the impact of Christianity around the world, brings the story up to date; while the final part, considering questions of theology, conscience, and belief, provides a glimpse of the future of the faith.

A Ride to Khiva recounts Captain Burnaby's strictly unofficial mission in 1875 to investigate the motives behind Russia's exclusion of foreigners from Central Asia. Forced to travel in winter, he journeyed through blizzards and snowdrifts to reach the mysterious caravan city of Khiva, his adventures extending from surviving the Cossack's treatment for frostbite to taking tea with the Khan. Burnaby's account of his `one-man Great Game mission' was hugely successful, reprinting eleven times in its first year of publication, and A Ride to Khiva continues to make gripping reading today. Now reissued with a new introduction by the highly acclaimed author, Peter Hopkirk.

This is the first book to detail British wartime successes in breaking Japanese codes. Other veterans of Bletchley Park (GCHQ) have described how they broke the German Enigma machine to produce Ultra intelligence, and how that helped to hasten victory. There have also been accounts of how the US broke the Purple cipher and a naval code, even before Pearl Harbour. The Book, however, chronicles the British achievement at Bletchley Park and in the Far East of breaking Japanese codes of dazzling variety in Burma three months before Hiroshima. This first-hand account shows the magnitude of the task: grappling with one of the world's most daunting languages, learning the skills of cryptanalysis, turning out decrypts against the clock, and weaving together all the strands of intelligence to help vanquish a dogged and resourceful enemy who had never known defeat - in perhaps the worst climate and terrain in the world. It is success story that conveys the sheer excitement of reading the enemy's mind, and contains some surprises: who would have expected Japanese signals to reveal not only what they were up to in Asia but also details of German jet aircraft, the latest U-boats, even Normandy beach defences?

William Walton's place in 20th-century music cannot easily be decided only a few years after his death. Regarded in his youth as an experimentalist and then hailed as Elgar's successor, he was increasingly 'written off' by some critics for repeating himself and for failing to fulfil the promise of his early masterpieces. He was displaced by Britten and later by Tippett. Yet he had champions among international conductors and soloists and his works retained their popularity with audiences. From Michael Kennedy's illuminating study Walton's personality emerges as complex and contradictory: appearing to deprecate himself, and to take life lightly, he was, in fact, profoundly conscientious and self-critical, easily hurt and depressed, prone to jealousy of others' achievements, and, at the end, frustrated by his creative impotence. But at the same time he was witty and generous, bore no grudges, and enjoyed the loyalty of a host of friends. Michael Kennedy draws on the composer's correspondence with influential figures of the day – among them Siegfried Sassoon, Benjamin Britten, Malcolm Arnold, and André Previn – and assesses Walton's life and music candidly and compassionately.

A classic of Victorian literature, and one of the earliest books written specifically for boys, Tom Brown's Schooldays has long had an influence well beyond the middle-class, public school world that it describes. An active social reformer, Hughes wrote with a freshness, a lack of cant, and a kind, relaxed tolerance which keeps this novel refreshingly distinct from other schoolboy adventures. This edition is the only one available, and comes with the outstanding 1869 illustrations by Arthur Hughes.