July Additions to the Library

Here are the latest additions to my personal Library for the  month of July 2013:

Gaelic Ireland, C.1250-c.1650 by Patrick J. Duffy

"This massive work, published in hardback in 2001 to critical acclaim, has become one of the definitive books on Gaelic Ireland. In is now made available in paperback. Running to over 450 pages, it includes a place-name index, a personal-name and collective-name index."

Stephen and Matilda by J. Bradbury

"This is a story of rivalry for the English throne which throws new light on a much-neglected aspect of Stephen's reign. The book looks at colorful characters and brings to life the civil war and the ensuing battle for the English Crown. The war is examined in detail through the various campaigns, battles and sieges of the period, including the two major battles at the Standard and Lincoln, showing that Stephen always held more ground than his opponents and was mostly on the offensive. The nature of the warfare and the reasons for its outcome are examined, along with comment on the strategy, tactics, technology in arms and armor, and the improvements in fortifications."

The Monks of War by Desmond Seward

"The Templars, the Hospitallers, the Tuetonic Knights and the Knights of the Spanish and Portuguese orders were 'noblemen vowed to poverty, chastity and obedience, living a monastic life in convents which were at the same time barracks, waging war on the enemies of the Cross'."

A Brief History of the Knights Templar by Helen J. Nicholson

"Presents an account of the Knights of the Order of the Temple of Solomon. This work recounts the history of these storm troopers of the papacy, founded during the crusades but who got so rich and influential that they challenged the power of kings."

Richard III by David Baldwin

"The only biography to reveal that the bones found in Leicester carpark ARE Richard III's. The DNA tests of the bones found in a Leicester car park reveal that they DO belong to Richard III beyond all reasonable doubt. These findings were announced at a press conference on February 4th and broadcast on the same day in a documentary on Channel 4." (I have the pre-finds book as well)

And two novels from one of my favourite authors:

Soldier of Crusade by Jack Ludlow

"1096. The Pope has called for a Crusade to free Jerusalem, and half the warriors of Europe have responded. Among them is the Norman, Count Bohemund, one-time enemy of Byzantium. His first task, pushing back the Infidel Turks, calls for an alliance with old enemy Emperor Alexius. But can the Crusaders trust the wily Emperor?"

Prince of Legend by Jack Ludlow

- awaiting publication but follows on from "Son of Blood" and "Soldier of the Crusade"

And for something completely different:

"Heart of Darkness" and "The End of the Tether" by Joseph Conrad

"Heart of Darkness is a short and vividly brutal account of colonial enterprise that has as much in common with the jaded Evelyn Waugh of Black Mischief as it does with any of Conrad's direct contemporaries in the late nineteenth century. It is accompanied in this volume by the tales with which it has been published since 1902, the autobiographical short story "Youth," and the less personal but more substantial tale of an old man's fall from fortune, "The End of the Tether." Though these stories differ considerably in style and content from his later novels, much of his reputation rests upon the words contained in this volume."