{"title":"Books by Robert Winder","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780349138800","title":"Bloody Foreigners","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe story of the way Britain has been settled and influenced by foreign people and ideas is as old as the land itself. In this original, important and inspiring book, Robert Winder tells of the remarkable migrations that have founded and defined a nation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Our aristocracy was created by a Frenchman, William the Conqueror, who also created our medieval architecture, our greatest artistic glory. Our royal family is German, our language a bizarre confection of Latin, Saxon and, latterly, Indian and American. Our shops and banks were created by Jews. We did not stand alone against Hitler; the empire stood beside us. And our food is, of course, anything but British . . . Winder has a thousand stories to tell and he tells them well' \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201755611314,"sku":"9780349138800","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780349138800_8eea4c11-d4a6-46e3-acc6-bf4c7007aa31.jpg?v=1786014238"},{"product_id":"9781408711460","title":"Soft Power","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn recent years the modern world has developed a brave new concept: 'soft power'. It is the power of friendly persuasion rather than command, and it invites nations to compete (as they did in the nineteenth century) to expand their 'sphere of influence' as brands in a global marketplace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eBloody Foreigners\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Last Wolf\u003c\/i\u003e, Robert Winder explored the way Britain was shaped first by migration, and then by hidden geographical factors. Now, in \u003ci\u003eSoft Power\u003c\/i\u003e he reveals the ways in which modern states are asserting themselves not through traditional \u003ci\u003erealpolitik\u003c\/i\u003e but through alternative means: business, language, culture, ideas, sport, education, music, even food - the texture and values of history and daily life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Moving from West to East, the book tells the story of soft power by exploring the varied ways in which it operates - from an American sheriff in Poland to an English garden in Ravello, a French vineyard in Australia, an Asian restaurant in Spain, a Chinese Friendship Hall in Sudan; the fact that fifty-eight modern heads of state were educated in Britain; the student exchange that took a teenage Deng Xiaoping to a small town on the Loire; the way that Japan could seduce the world with chic food and smart computer games.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now there may be a new twist in this Great game. With soft power's quiet ingredients - education, science, trade, cultural values - and a new emphasis on shared mutual interest, it may be the only force supple enough to tackle the challenges the future looks likely to pose - not least the slam-the-door reflexes pulling in the other direction.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57688223383925,"sku":"9780349143460","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":43204369514674,"sku":"9781408711460","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780349143460.jpg?v=1792686159"},{"product_id":"9781783968961","title":"Three Rivers","description":"\u003cp\u003e*\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFINANCIAL TIMES – BEST BOOKS OF 2025‘An enjoyable grand tour of western European history … full of flavour and sparkle.’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Sunday Times ‘The book’s elegant premise is that the Rhine, the Rhône and the Po gave rise to the three great national cultures — and in doing so helped unify Europe’ Financial TimesA fascinating exploration of the rich and varied cultural worlds shaped by the Rhine, the Rhone and the PoThree of Europe’s greatest rivers share the same geological cradle: one fertile patch of Alpine ice in the jagged heights of central Switzerland. Coursing down through the peaks, the Rhine, the Rhone and the Po gave birth to three different European cultures – German, French and Italian – as they flowed across the continent. From this shared geological cradle, these waterways have shaped the landscape, influenced the pattern of towns and cities, laid the foundation for economies and created an intricate network of transport, trade and agriculture. From the Romanesque buttresses and vines of Provence to the Wagnerian music of the Rhine and the artistic miracles of Lombardy, the heart of Western Europe – its languages, religion, philosophy, science, politics and art – has been nourished by these waters. Setting off in the dramatic mountain landscape where this story begins, acclaimed historian Robert Winder traces the rivers’ journeys from their increasingly fragile glacial sources, revealing in shimmering detail their impact on Europe’s rich history as they flow towards the sea.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Revelatory and inspirational, a passionate love-letter to Western Europe’s great trinity of waterways.’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJames Hawes, author of The Shortest History of Germany\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Enthralling . . . gives intriguing insight into the ebb and flow of Western Europe’s culture, history and geography.’ Jasper Winn, author of Water Ways\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘In this love letter to the Continent, Robert Winder takes a meandering and always entertaining journey down Western Europe’s three great rivers. His affection for his subject shines through on every page . . . and his daring digressive style gives him latitude for quirky erudition and the chance to deliver unexpected delights.' Stephen O’Shea, author of The Alps\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Insightful, elegant, and deeply researched to the very last drop, this book will change the way you see rivers – and the continent they have shaped – forever.’ Matt Gaw, author of In All Weathers\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Three Rivers is wonderful excursion into history, travel and stories about some of the most fascinating rivers of Europe – do yourself a favour and take a holiday with this book.’ Robert Twigger, author of Red Nile\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685894496629,"sku":"9781783968794","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":55897833472373,"sku":"9781783968961","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781783968794_a11001bb-86f5-40dc-8355-aa328813e9c6.jpg?v=1792599124"},{"product_id":"9780349141862","title":"The Last Wolf","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt is often assumed that the national identity must be a matter of values and ideas. But in Robert Winder's brilliantly-written account it is a land built on a lucky set of natural ingredients: the island setting that made it maritime; the rain that fed the grass that nourished the sheep that provided the wool, and the wheat fields that provided its cakes and ale. Then came the seams of iron and coal that made it an industrial giant.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eBloody Foreigners\u003c\/i\u003e Robert Winder told the rich story of immigration to Britain. Now, in \u003ci\u003eThe Last Wolf\u003c\/i\u003e, he spins an English tale. Travelling the country, he looks for its hidden springs not in royal pageantry or politics, but in landscape and history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMedieval monks with their flocks of sheep . . . cathedrals built by wool . . . the first shipment of coal to leave Newcastle . . . marital contests on a village green . . . mock-Tudor supermarkets - the story is studded with these and other English things.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd it starts by looking at a very important thing England did \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e have: wolves.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56286900879733,"sku":"9780349141862","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780349141862_4a77747d-67bf-4a5f-96bf-3ce9fd7a7fc0.jpg?v=1786013437"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-robert-winder.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}