With reference to India.

Early in the seventeenth century, Northeast Asian politics hung in a delicate balance among the Chosŏn dynasty in Korea, the Ming in China, and the Manchu. When a Chosŏn faction realigned Korea with the Ming, the Manchu attacked in 1627 and again a decade later, shattering the Chosŏn-Ming alliance and forcing Korea to support the newly founded Qing dynasty. The Korean scholar-official Na Man’gap (1592–1642) recorded the second Manchu invasion in his Diary of 1636, the only first-person account chronicling the dramatic Korean resistance to the attack. Partly composed as a narrative of quotidian events during the siege of Namhan Mountain Fortress, where Na sought refuge with the king and other officials, the diary recounts Korean opposition to Manchu and Mongol forces and the eventual surrender. Na describes military campaigns along the northern and western regions of the country, the capture of the royal family, and the Manchu treatment of prisoners, offering insights into debates about Confucian loyalty and the conduct of women that took place in the war’s aftermath. His work sheds light on such issues as Confucian statecraft, military decision making, and ethnic interpretations of identity in the seventeenth century. Translated from literary Chinese into English for the first time, the diary illuminates a traumatic moment for early modern Korean politics and society. George Kallander’s critical introduction and extensive annotations place The Diary of 1636 in its historical, political, and military context, highlighting the importance of this text for students and scholars of Chinese and East Asian as well as Korean history.

52 Short Stories.

In a world fraught with secrecy, danger, and betrayal, Edward Mercer is an elite operative caught in a web of international intrigue. "The Enemy Within: A Thriller of Espionage" unravels a world where trust is a luxury, deception a necessity, and survival the ultimate goal. When a mysterious shadow organization threatens to destabilize global security, Mercer finds himself drawn into a complex game of cat and mouse. From the dark alleys of Berlin to the hidden chambers of the embassy, the enemy is everywhere, and the line between friend and foe is blurred. Betrayals are unveiled, alliances are formed, and love is twisted into a weapon as Mercer navigates a treacherous path. Each step unveils a new layer of deceit, a fresh web of lies, a complex plot masterminded by an unseen puppeteer pulling the strings. As the clock ticks down to an impending disaster, Mercer's loyalty is torn, his courage tested, and his resolve challenged. With lives hanging in the balance, a deadly dance with assassins, and a race against time, can he unravel the truth and make the ultimate sacrifice? Featuring gripping action sequences, heart-pounding suspense, and a rich tapestry of characters, "The Enemy Within: A Thriller of Espionage" delves into the shadowy world of intelligence agencies, double agents, and covert operations. It's a tale that explores the human psyche, the price of loyalty, and the complex nature of trust. Shadows linger, secrets are buried, but the truth is waiting to be uncovered. Dive into a thrilling espionage adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Are you ready to enter a world where nothing is as it seems, and every face hides a hidden agenda?

Winner of the Norman B. Tomlinson, Jr. Prize “The best large-scale synthesis in any language of what we currently know and understand about this multidimensional, cataclysmic conflict.” —Richard J. Evans, Times Literary Supplement In this monumental history of the First World War, Germany’s leading historian of the period offers a dramatic account of its origins, course, and consequences. Jörn Leonhard treats the clash of arms with a sure feel for grand strategy. He captures the slow attrition, the race for ever more destructive technologies, and the grim experiences of frontline soldiers. But the war was more than a military conflict and he also gives us the perspectives of leaders, intellectuals, artists, and ordinary men and women around the world as they grappled with the urgency of the moment and the rise of unprecedented political and social pressures. With an unrivaled combination of depth and global reach, Pandora’s Box reveals how profoundly the war shaped the world to come. “[An] epic and magnificent work—unquestionably, for me, the best single-volume history of the war I have ever read...It is the most formidable attempt to make the war to end all wars comprehensible as a whole.” —Simon Heffer, The Spectator “[A] great book on the Great War...Leonhard succeeds in being comprehensive without falling prey to the temptation of being encyclopedic. He writes fluently and judiciously.” —Adam Tooze, Die Zeit “Extremely readable, lucidly structured, focused, and dynamic...Leonhard’s analysis is enlivened by a sharp eye for concrete situations and an ear for the voices that best convey the meaning of change for the people and societies undergoing it.” —Christopher Clark, author of The Sleepwalkers