Sean Martin: 28 books

The term New Wave conjures up images of Paris in the early 1960s from the films of French filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. The impact of the French New Wave continues to be felt, and its ethos of shooting in real places with nonprofessional actors and small crews would influence...

Alchemy has traditionally been viewed as 'the history of an error', an example of medieval gullibility and greed, in which alchemists tried to turn lead into gold, create fabulous wealth and find the elixir of life. But alchemy has also been described as 'the mightiest secret that a man can possess',...

Catharism was the most successful heresy of the Middle Ages. Flourishing principally in the Languedoc and Italy, the Cathars taught that the world is evil and must be transcended through a simple life of prayer, work, fasting, and non-violence. They believed themselves to be the heirs of the true...

The Black Death is the name most commonly given to the pandemic of bubonic plague that ravaged the medieval world in the late 1340s. From Central Asia, the plague swept through Europe, leaving millions of dead in its wake. Between a quarter and a third of Europe's population died, and in England the...

In a wickedly demented riff on a well known 1939 film, Dore Gale — waiter and hopeless romantic — is carried off to the strangely familiar world of Aj, where he joins with a cabaret singer, a wealthy bon-vivant, and a down-on-his-luck professional wrestler to save this odd little land from a dangerous...

This book is an essential exploration into the history of a legendary group of Crusaders, which are prominently featured in Dan Brown's recent best seller, The Da Vinci Code. The Knights Templar rose from humble beginnings to become the most powerful military religious order of the Middle Ages. Formed...

A scorching tour through the less-traveled territories of gay desire! The American South is sweltering-and not just the climate. Indulge yourself in 16 tales of homosexual lust! Take in the distinctive language, the rich food, the tumultuous history-and of course the many contributions the Deep South...

A concise study of the work of the most celebrated Russian filmmaker since Eisenstein, and one of the most important directors to have emerged during the 1960s and 1970s Considering the whole of Tarkovsky's oeuvre, this book covers everything from the classic student film The Steamroller and the Violin,...

Gnosticism is the name given to various religious schools that proliferated in the first centuries after Christ, nearly becoming the dominant form of Christianity, but was eventually branded as heretical by the emerging Christian church. The long and diverse history of Gnosticism is recounted here,...

A concise and accessible history of infectious and non-infectious diseases, complete with the most up-to-date research on 2014's Ebola outbreakUsing an interdisciplinary approach, this survey chronicles the historical and geographical evolution of infectious and non-infectious diseases, from their...

Our Fathers' Fate Is an account of my adventures or misadventures, is better late than never! And I hope to share through it the fabulous hospitable times I spent submerged in cultures and visualise the magnificent places and enjoy the humorous and sad events that accrued in my life's journey a part...

SARA MAITLAND on NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE SEAN O'BRIEN on EDGAR ALLAN POE JANE ROGERS on FYODOR DOSTOYEYSKY BRIAN ALDISS on THOMAS HARDY MARTIN EDWARDS on ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE FRANK COTTRELL BOYCE on ANTON CHEKHOV ADAM ROBERTS on RUDYARD KIPLING STEPHEN BAXTER on H.G. WELLS STUART EVERS on SHERWOOD ANDERSON ALI...

Aspects of the urban food truck phenomenon, including community economic development, regulatory issues, and clashes between ethnic authenticity and local sustainability. The food truck on the corner could be a brightly painted old-style lonchera offering tacos or an upscale mobile vendor serving...

Cassiel has had a good four years, but all good things must come to and end, as they say. Stuck in a foreign country. Out of friends, out of luck and out of time, his past comes back to haunt him in a big way. And there will be Hell to pay