Category Archives: Social History

The Axe and the Oath: Ordinary Life in the Middle Ages

Posted on February 26, 2010 by singleton

In The Axe and the Oath, one of the world’s leading medieval historians presents a compelling picture of daily life in the Middle Ages as it was experienced by ordinary people. Writing for general readers, Robert Fossier vividly describes how … Continue reading →

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Secret Language: Codes, Tricks, Spies, Thieves, and Symbols

Posted on February 26, 2010 by singleton

From the chat codes “PAW” or “Code 9″ that teens use to let their friends know that parents are eavesdropping, to the high-powered, computer-driven encryptions used by governments to prevent foreign powers from stealing classified information, covert language is ubiquitous … Continue reading →

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Behind the Berlin Wall: East Germany and the Frontiers of Power

Posted on February 26, 2010 by singleton

Few historical changes occur literally overnight, but on August 13 1961 eighteen million East Germans awoke to find themselves walled in by an edifice which was to become synonymous with the Cold War: the Berlin Wall. This new history rejects … Continue reading →

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The Idea of the Library in the Ancient World

Posted on February 26, 2010 by singleton

In The Idea of the Library in the Ancient World Yun Lee Too argues that the ancient library was much more than its incarnation at Alexandria, which has been the focus for students of the subject up till now. In … Continue reading →

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Race and Citizen Identity in the Classical Athenian Democracy

Posted on February 26, 2010 by singleton

In Race and Citizen Identity in the Classical Athenian Democracy, Susan Lape demonstrates how a race ideology grounded citizen identity. Although this ideology did not manifest itself in a fully developed race myth, its study offers insight into the causes … Continue reading →

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In Hock: Pawning in America from Independence through the Great Depression

Posted on February 26, 2010 by singleton

Puncturing the myth of the seamy storefront stocked with stolen watches and overseen by a shifty proprietor, In Hock reveals that pawnshops have long played an integral role in Americans’ economic lives. The definitive history of pawnbroking in the United … Continue reading →

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Family Business: Litigation and the Political Economies of Daily Life in Early Modern France

Posted on February 26, 2009 by singleton

In seventeenth-century France, families were essential as both agents and objects in the shaping of capitalism and growth of powerful states — phenomena that were critical to the making of the modern world. For household members, neighbors, and authorities, the … Continue reading →

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Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States

Posted on February 26, 2009 by singleton

In 1784, passengers on the ship Empress of China became the first Americans to land in China, and the first to eat Chinese food. Today there are over 40,000 Chinese restaurants across the United States–by far the most plentiful among … Continue reading →

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The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

Posted on February 26, 2009 by singleton

A richly original look at the origins of money and how it makes the world go ’round Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of our financial system, from its genesis in ancient Mesopotamia … Continue reading →

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Alternate Names of Places: A Worldwide Dictionary

Posted on February 26, 2009 by singleton

This new type of geographical dictionary lists past and present alternate names of more than 7,000 places. It focuses particularly on placenames with official or semiofficial status rather than nicknames or colloquial abbreviations. Alternate placenames are important for historical and … Continue reading →

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