{"title":"Simon Schama","description":"\u003cp\u003eSimon Schama’s works offer rich explorations of history, culture, and identity, blending meticulous research with vivid storytelling. From the complexities of citizenship and the haunting echoes of antisemitism to the interplay between landscape and memory, his writing invites readers to consider the deep forces shaping human experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a keen eye for the arts and the spiritual alongside historical narratives, Schama’s books are a profound journey through time and meaning that challenge and illuminate. His voice uniquely combines intellectual rigour with engaging prose, making complex subjects accessible and compelling.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-story-of-the-jews","title":"The Story of the Jews","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Story of the Jews\u003c\/em\u003e by Simon Schama, CBE, is an extraordinary narrative that spans more than 3,000 years of Jewish history. Through meticulous research and lively storytelling, Schama brings to life the epic journey of the Jewish people, a tale of resilience, creativity, and survival. This landmark work explores the manifold experiences of Jews across the centuries and across continents, weaving together the disparate threads of their history into a rich and vibrant tapestry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe story traverses the ancient landscapes of India to Andalusia, from the bustling bazaars of Cairo to the serene streets of Oxford. Readers will be transported to places and times both familiar and obscure: a Jewish kingdom in the mountains of southern Arabia, a Syrian synagogue adorned with radiant wall paintings, and the palm groves of Jewish burial sites in the Roman catacombs. Schama’s evocative descriptions allow us to see these worlds through the eyes of those who lived them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWithin these pages, the voices of the past resonate with a remarkable clarity. We hear the solemn and ecstatic tones of the Bible writers, feel the romantic ardour in the love poems of wine drinkers in Muslim Spain, and witness the heartbreaking moments when the Talmud is set ablaze in the streets of Paris. The medieval streets of London, hung with massed gibbets, come to life alongside the illuminated manuscripts of Majorcan artists. Everyday activities such as lighting candles, singing chants, packing mules, and loading ships with spices and gems depict the vibrancy and richness of Jewish daily life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSchama's narrative reveals a history that is not just about the Jewish people being separate, but about their profound connection with the wider world. From the Egyptians to the Greeks, Arabs, and Christians, the Jews have been deeply intertwined with the cultures and nations among which they have lived. This interconnectedness makes the story of the Jews not only a Jewish story but a fundamental part of human history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Story of the Jews\u003c\/em\u003e is a monumental work that makes history come alive with a \"delicious cacophony of conversations and clamorous arguments echoing across history\" (Daily Telegraph). It emphasises the joy amidst grief, creativity under oppression, and the unwavering affirmation of life against the steepest of odds. This is a story of endurance, hope, and the indomitable human spirit. It is truly a story for everyone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45696001933548,"sku":"9780099546689","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780099546689.jpg?v=1725642628"},{"product_id":"citizens","title":"Citizens","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe French Revolution, a pivotal moment in world history, is examined through a comprehensive lens in \u003ci\u003eCitizens\u003c\/i\u003e by Simon Schama. This authoritative tome meticulously delves into the social, cultural, and political upheavals that characterised the Revolution. Schama offers a richly detailed narrative that brings to life the passions, complexities, and contradictions of the era. From the opulent court of Louis XVI to the grimy streets of Paris, the book masterfully interweaves personal stories with broader historical events, painting an evocative portrait of a nation on the brink of unprecedented change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eCitizens\u003c\/i\u003e, Schama challenges conventional interpretations of the Revolution, presenting a thought-provoking revisionist perspective. With an elegant and engaging writing style, he explores the underlying causes of the Revolution, the key figures who shaped its course, and the profound consequences it had for France and the world. The narrative spans the decades leading up to the Revolution, offering a nuanced understanding of the social tensions and cultural shifts that set the stage for this monumental upheaval.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLauded as a landmark in modern history publishing, \u003ci\u003eCitizens\u003c\/i\u003e provides a nuanced and multifaceted view of the French Revolution. Its depth of research and insightful analysis have earned it acclaim and recognition as a definitive work on the subject. As Eugen Weber from The New York Times Book Review notes, the book is \"monumental...provocative and stylish.\" Schama's thoughtful and informed approach ensures that \u003ci\u003eCitizens\u003c\/i\u003e is a profoundly informative read, backed by comprehensive scholarship and a fresh perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor anyone interested in the transformative years of the French Revolution, \u003ci\u003eCitizens\u003c\/i\u003e stands as a critical and engaging resource. Its rich narrative and scholarly depth make it a must-read for history enthusiasts, academics, and anyone seeking to understand the complexities of this defining historical event.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45745027088620,"sku":"9780141017273","price":50.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780141017273.jpg?v=1726667029"},{"product_id":"art-by-simon-schama-cbe-9781784875671","title":"Art","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVintage Minis bring you the world's greatest writers on the experiences that make us human - from birth to death and everything in between.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGreat art has dreadful manners...\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe hushed reverence of the gallery can fool you into believing masterpieces are visions that soothe, charm, and beguile, but actually they are thugs. Merciless and wily, the greatest paintings grab you in a headlock and proceed in short order to re-arrange your sense of reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn inimitable style, our greatest historian and master storyteller Simon Schama makes an irresistible case for the power of art and its necessary place in our lives, examining art through the prism of the troubling life and works of Italian master painter, and murderer, Caravaggio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSelected from \u003cem\u003eThe Power of Art\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVINTAGE MINIS - GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA series of short books by the world's greatest writers on the experiences that make us human.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlso in the Vintage Minis 'Great Ideas' series:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eReligion\u003c\/em\u003e by Karen Armstrong\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eScience\u003c\/em\u003e by Ian McEwan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46271883509996,"sku":"9781784875671","price":17.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781784875671.jpg?v=1742261480"},{"product_id":"belonging-by-simon-schama-cbe-9780099590064","title":"Belonging","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA passionate history of a world unfolding across many continents and five centuries by one of our greatest and internationally bestselling historians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA passionate history of Judaism; a world unfolding across many continents and five centuries by one of our greatest and internationally bestselling historians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBelonging\u003c\/em\u003e is a magnificent cultural history abundantly alive with energy, character and colour. From the Jews' expulsion from Spain in 1492, it tells the stories not just of rabbis and philosophers but of a poetess in the ghetto of Venice; a boxer in Georgian England; a general in Ming China; an opera composer in nineteenth-century Germany. The story unfolds in Kerala and Mantua, the starlit hills of Galilee, the rivers of Colombia, the kitchens of Istanbul, the taverns of Ukraine, and the mining camps of California. It sails in caravels, rides the stage coaches and the railways; trudges the dawn streets of London, hobbles along with the remnant of Napoleon's ruined army.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Jewish story is a history that is about, and for, all of us. And in our own time of anxious arrivals and enforced departures, the Jews' search for a home is more startlingly resonant than ever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A magnificent achievement...'\u003c\/em\u003e Jonathan Freedland, \u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'An extraordinary cultural journey, filled with astonishingly colourful and outrageous characters ... Schama delivers a superb and thrilling ride, both inspirational and tragic'\u003c\/em\u003e Simon Sebag Montefiore, \u003cem\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46338490925292,"sku":"9780099590064","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11989473482223.jpg?v=1743732475"},{"product_id":"foreign-bodies-by-simon-schama-9781471169922","title":"Foreign Bodies","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘This splendid and often moving work of history… Schama has a gift for combining novelistically colourful detail, serious analysis and wryly amusing asides’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Superb’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Extraordinary… A meticulous retelling of a terrible yet scientifically innovative period… Makes an urgent case for building a better future on our toxic past’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘This is history of the best sort – humanly engaged but never sentimental’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCities and countries engulfed by panic and death, desperate for vaccines but fearful of what inoculation may bring. This is what the world has just gone through with Covid-19. But as Simon Schama shows in his \u003cb\u003eepic history\u003c\/b\u003e of vulnerable humanity caught between the terror of contagion and the \u003cb\u003eingenuity of science\u003c\/b\u003e, it has happened before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCharacteristically, with Schama the message is delivered through \u003cb\u003egripping, page-turning stories\u003c\/b\u003e set in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: smallpox strikes London; cholera hits Paris; plague comes to India. Threading through the scenes of terror, suffering and hope – in hospitals and prisons, palaces and slums – are \u003cb\u003ean unforgettable cast of characters\u003c\/b\u003e: a philosopher-playwright burning up with smallpox in a country chateau; a vaccinating doctor paying house calls in Halifax; a woman doctor in south India driving her inoculator-carriage through the stricken streets as dead monkeys drop from the trees. But we are also in the labs when \u003cb\u003egreat, life-saving breakthroughs\u003c\/b\u003e happen, in Paris, Hong Kong and Mumbai.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the heart of it all, an unsung hero: Waldemar Haffkine. \u003cb\u003eA gun-toting Jewish student in Odesa turned microbiologist at the Pasteur Institute\u003c\/b\u003e, hailed in England as ‘the saviour of mankind’ for vaccinating millions against cholera and bubonic plague in British India while being cold-shouldered by the medical establishment of the Raj. \u003cb\u003eCreator of the world’s first mass production line of vaccines\u003c\/b\u003e in Mumbai, he is \u003cb\u003etragically brought down in an act of shocking injustice.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeign Bodies\u003c\/i\u003e crosses borders between east and west, Asia and Europe, the worlds of rich and poor, politics and science. Its thrilling story carries with it the credo of its author on \u003cb\u003ethe interconnectedness of humanity and nature\u003c\/b\u003e; of the powerful and the people. Ultimately, Schama says, as we face the challenges of our times together, \u003cb\u003e‘there are no foreigners, only familiars’.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46389742960876,"sku":"9781471169922","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/21922533482711.jpg?v=1745293501"},{"product_id":"landscape-and-memory-by-simon-schama-9780006863489","title":"Landscape and Memory","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe forest primeval, the river of life, the sacred mount — read \u003cem\u003eLandscape and Memory\u003c\/em\u003e to have these explained...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLandscape and Memory\u003c\/em\u003e is a history book unlike any other. In a series of journeys through space and time, it examines our relationship with the landscape around us — rivers, mountains, forests — the impact each of them has had on our culture and imaginations, and the way in which we, in turn, have shaped them to answer our needs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is not a conventional history book — but a history book that builds up its argument by a series of poetic stories and impressions which cumulatively have the effect of a great novel. The forest primeval, the river of life, the sacred mount — and by the end of this wonderful book, we understand where these ideas have come from, why they are so compelling and how they still lie all around us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"One of the most intelligent, original, stimulating, self-indulgent, perverse and irresistibly enjoyable books I have ever read.\" — Philip Ziegler\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46515139379436,"sku":"9780006863489","price":34.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780006863489.jpg?v=1748905130"},{"product_id":"foreign-bodies-by-simon-schama-9781471169892","title":"Foreign Bodies","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘This splendid and often moving work of history… Schama has a gift for combining novelistically colourful detail, serious analysis and wryly amusing asides’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Superb’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Extraordinary… A meticulous retelling of a terrible yet scientifically innovative period… Makes an urgent case for building a better future on our toxic past’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘This is history of the best sort – humanly engaged but never sentimental’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCities and countries engulfed by panic and death, desperate for vaccines but fearful of what inoculation may bring. This is what the world has just gone through with Covid-19. But as Simon Schama shows in his epic history of vulnerable humanity caught between the terror of contagion and the ingenuity of science, it has happened before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCharacteristically, with Schama the message is delivered through \u003cb\u003egripping, page-turning stories\u003c\/b\u003e set in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: smallpox strikes London; cholera hits Paris; plague comes to India. Threading through the scenes of terror, suffering and hope – in hospitals and prisons, palaces and slums – are \u003cb\u003ean unforgettable cast of characters\u003c\/b\u003e: a philosopher-playwright burning up with smallpox in a country chateau; a vaccinating doctor paying house calls in Halifax; a woman doctor in south India driving her inoculator-carriage through the stricken streets as dead monkeys drop from the trees. But we are also in the labs when \u003cb\u003egreat, life-saving breakthroughs\u003c\/b\u003e happen, in Paris, Hong Kong and Mumbai.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the heart of it all, an unsung hero: Waldemar Haffkine. \u003cb\u003eA gun-toting Jewish student in Odesa turned microbiologist at the Pasteur Institute\u003c\/b\u003e, hailed in England as ‘the saviour of mankind’ for vaccinating millions against cholera and bubonic plague in British India while being cold-shouldered by the medical establishment of the Raj. \u003cb\u003eCreator of the world’s first mass production line of vaccines\u003c\/b\u003e in Mumbai, he is \u003cb\u003etragically brought down in an act of shocking injustice.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeign Bodies\u003c\/i\u003e crosses borders between east and west, Asia and Europe, the worlds of rich and poor, politics and science. Its thrilling story carries with it the credo of its author on \u003cb\u003ethe interconnectedness of humanity and nature\u003c\/b\u003e; of the powerful and the people. Ultimately, Schama says, as we face the challenges of our times together, \u003cb\u003e‘there are no foreigners, only familiars’.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46655069389036,"sku":"9781471169892","price":63.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/21922233482711.jpg?v=1752463318"},{"product_id":"wordy-by-simon-schama-9781471180125","title":"Wordy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWordy\u003c\/em\u003e is about the intoxication of writing; my sense of playful versatility; different voices for different matters: the polemical voice for political columns; the sharp-eyed descriptive take for profiles; poetic precision in grappling with the hard task of translating art into words; lyrical recall for memory pieces. And informing everything, a rich sense of the human comedy and the ways it plays through historical time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt's also a reflection on writers who have been shamelessly gloried in verbal abundance; the performing tumble of language - those who have especially inspired me - Dickens and Melville; Joyce and Marquez.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSimon Schama\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSir Simon Schama has been at the forefront of the arts, political commentary, social analysis, and historical study for over forty years. As a teacher of Art History and an award-winning television presenter of iconic history-based programming, Simon is equally a prolific bestselling writer and award-winning columnist for many of the world’s foremost publishers, broadsheet newspapers, periodicals, and magazines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis commissioned subjects over the years have been numerous and wide-ranging – from the music of Tom Waits, to the works of Sir Quentin Blake; the history of the colour blue, to discussing what skills an actor needs to create a unique performance of Falstaff. Schama’s tastes are wide-ranging as they are eloquent, incisive, witty, and thought-provoking and have entertained and educated the readers of some of the world’s most respected publications - the \u003cem\u003eTimes\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHarper’s Bazaar\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/em\u003e magazine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWordy\u003c\/em\u003e is a celebration of one of the world’s foremost writers. This collection of fifty essays chosen by the man himself stretches across four decades and is a treasure trove for all those who have a passion for the arts, politics, food, and life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47601407525100,"sku":"9781471180125","price":28.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2a8de9795fb441646285ae4640028e70.jpg?v=1778042593"},{"product_id":"the-shortest-history-of-antisemitism-by-simon-schama-9781760646134","title":"The Shortest History of Antisemitism","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA swift history of one of the most enduring and changeable forms of hatred\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom ancient times to the present, antisemitism has proved to be one of the most enduring and adaptable forms of hatred. Across centuries of world-changing ideas and upheavals - from the rise of Christianity and Islam to the Enlightenment, nationalism, globalism and great leaps of technology - the Jewish people have served as a dark mirror for society's fears, anxieties and hatreds. Why does this hostility persist?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this crucial and unflinching history, acclaimed British historian Sir Simon Schama examines the forces that have enabled this old hatred to mutate and thrive, even within liberal democracies. With his characteristic clarity, erudition and curiosity, Schama looks at the antisemitic myths and imagery that recur throughout Jewish history, culminating in the latest outbreaks since the October 7 attacks and the war in Gaza.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47650137800940,"sku":"9781760646134","price":37.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781760646134-the-shortest-history-of-antisemitism.jpg?v=1779315156"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/simon-schama.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}