Count Karl Nesselrode, Russian foreign minister 1816-1856, was a controversial figure in the government of Nicholas I. The rapprochement with Britain, perhaps his finest achievement, was opposed at every step by Russians who regarded Britain as a rival. It was later condemned by tsarist historians as an example of the "cosmopolitan diplomacy" that weakened their country in competition with the Western powers. Soviet historians have followed their lead, asserting that it was against national interests. But Nesselrode did avoid war in a series of dangerous confrontations in Asia and the Near East, outmaneuvering opponents who wanted to meet Britain head-on, and he managed to extricate Russia from diplomatic isolation at the same time. Finally, he advanced bipartisanship in an agreement on the Eastern Question that led to the renewal of the European concert. He was working to extend the areas of cooperation, particularly by promoting freer trade and commerce, when his opponents more effectively countered his influence in the mid-1840s. - Jacket flap.

Darwin's notebooks provide an invaluable record of his scientific thinking and most importantly, the development of his theory of natural selection. This edition of the notebooks, prepared to the highest standard of textual editing, thus affords a unified view of Darwin's professional interests. The Red Notebook, used on the voyage of H. M. S. Beagle and afterwards in England, contains Darwin's first evolutionary statements. In July of 1837, Darwin began his 'Transmutation Notebooks' (B - E) devoted to the solution of the species problem and in the third notebook of this series he first formulated the theory of natural selection. This volume also contains Notebook A and the glen Roy Notebook on geology, Notebooks M and N on man and behaviour and a notebook labelled Questions and Experiments. Fresh transcriptions have been done for all previously published manuscripts, with readings made directly from Notebooks B, C, D and E, presenting them with previously excised pages and restored to their original sequence.

The history of family and households has been the subject of intensive research for over a generation. In the 1970s Peter Laslett and others set the agenda with a strong emphasis on geographical differences between northern and southern, eastern and western Europe. Others have challenged this view, pioneering different approaches. This volume takes stock of the field, focussing particularly on family history in South-East Europe in comparison with the rest of Europe. The authors consider what European families have in common, their regional and local differences and changes over time, using the rich and fascinating variety of sources and methods used by family historians today. Contributors include: Guido Alfani, Judit Ambrus, Mirjana V. Bobić, Siegfried Gruber, Peter Guzowski, Violetta Hionidou, Daniela Lombardi, Beatrice Moring, Silvia Sovič, Pat Thane, Alice Velková, Marta Verginella, and Pier Paolo Viazzo.