{"title":"Richard Bassett","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the collection of works by renowned historian and author Richard Bassett. Delve into the rich tapestry of European history through Bassett's expertly crafted narratives that blend political intrigue, cultural insights, and vivid character portrayals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong his celebrated works is \u003cem\u003eFor God and Kaiser\u003c\/em\u003e, a gripping exploration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's military history during the First World War. This book provides a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics and personalities that shaped Central Europe's fate during a period of monumental change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eLast Days in Old Europe\u003c\/em\u003e, Bassett offers a poignant memoir that captures the vibrant yet tumultuous atmosphere of Eastern Europe prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain. His personal experiences and profound observations bring historical events to life, transporting readers to a world on the brink of transformation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBassett's biography, \u003cem\u003eMaria Theresa: Empress\u003c\/em\u003e, invites readers to discover the life of one of Europe's most formidable rulers. This meticulously researched book examines the political and personal journey of Maria Theresa, highlighting her influence on European politics and the enduring legacy she left behind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you are an avid history enthusiast or new to the genre, Richard Bassett's books promise an enlightening and captivating exploration of Europe's past.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"last-days-in-old-europe-by-richard-bassett-9780141979991","title":"Last Days in Old Europe","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe final decade of the Cold War, through the eyes of a laconic and elegant observer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1979 Richard Bassett set out on a series of adventures in central Europe, which allowed him to savour the last embers of the cosmopolitan old Hapsburg lands and gave him a ringside seat at the fall of another ancien regime, that of communist rule. From Trieste to Prague and Vienna to Warsaw, fading aristocrats, charming gangsters, fractious diplomats, and glamorous informants provided him with an unexpected counterpoint to the austerities of life along the Iron Curtain, first as a professional musician and then as a foreign correspondent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLast Days in Old Europe\u003c\/em\u003e shows us familiar events and places from unusual vantage points—dilapidated mansions and boarding-houses, train carriages, and cafes, where the game of espionage between East and West is often set. Music and painting, architecture and landscape, food and wine, friendship and history run through the book. The author is lucky, observant, and leans romantically towards the values of an older age. He brilliantly conjures the time, the people he meets, and Mitteleuropa in one of the pivotal decades of its history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46343593951468,"sku":"9780141979991","price":22.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/14601893482238.jpg?v=1743999450"},{"product_id":"maria-theresa-empress-by-richard-bassett-9780300243987","title":"Maria Theresa: Empress","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA major new biography of Maria Theresa, the formidable Habsburg Empress\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaria Theresa: Empress\u003c\/em\u003e presents the story of the single most powerful woman in eighteenth-century Europe. At just twenty-three, Maria Theresa succeeded to the Habsburg domains, only to find them contested by almost every power in Europe. Over the next forty years, she became a fierce leader and opponent, as well as a devoted wife and mother to sixteen children.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this engrossing biography, Richard Bassett traces Maria Theresa's life and complex legacy. Drawing on hitherto unpublished sources, Bassett reveals her keen sense of moderation and tolerance, her innovative ideas on free trade and finance, and her studied reluctance to resort to policies of territorial expansion. However, Maria Theresa's modernisation policies were not entirely progressive. Antisemitism and an enduring suspicion of Protestantism greatly affected the lives of her subjects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a gripping study of one of the world's most influential leaders, revealing how Maria Theresa confounded gendered expectations and left a lasting mark on Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46796428017900,"sku":"9780300243987","price":71.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/24437613482294.jpg?v=1757095695"},{"product_id":"for-god-and-kaiser-by-richard-bassett-9780300219678","title":"For God and Kaiser","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe definitive history of Austria’s multinational army and its immense role during three centuries of European military history.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the finest examples of deeply researched and colourfully written military history, Richard Bassett’s \u003cem\u003eFor God and Kaiser\u003c\/em\u003e is a major account of the Habsburg army told for the first time in English. Bassett shows how the Imperial Austrian Army, time and again, was a decisive factor in the story of Europe, the balance of international power, and the defence of Christendom. Moreover, it was the first pan-European army made up of different nationalities and faiths, counting among its soldiers not only Christians but also Muslims and Jews.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBassett tours some of the most important campaigns and battles in modern European military history, from the seventeenth century through World War I. He details technical and social developments that coincided with the army’s story and provides fascinating portraits of the great military leaders as well as noteworthy figures of lesser renown. Departing from conventional assessments of the Habsburg army as ineffective, outdated, and repeatedly inadequate, the author argues that it was a uniquely cohesive and formidable fighting force, in many respects one of the glories of the old Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"John Wiley and Sons Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000623382764,"sku":"9780300219678","price":42.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/24194523482294.jpg?v=1763290381"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/richard-bassett.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}