The House of Rothschild

From the bestselling author ofThe Ascent of MoneyandThe Square and the TowerIn his rich and nuanced portrait of the remarkable, elusive Rothschild family, Oxford scholar and bestselling author Niall Ferguson uncovers the secrets behind the family's phenomenal economic success. He reveals for the first time the details of the family's vast political network, which gave it access to and influence over many of the greatest statesmen of the age. And he tells a family saga, tracing the importance of unity and the profound role of Judaism in the lives of a dynasty that rose from the confines of the Frankfurt ghetto and later used its influence to assist oppressed Jews throughout Europe. A definitive work of impeccable scholarship with a thoroughly engaging narrative, The House of Rothschild is a biography of the rarest kind, in which mysterious and fascinating historical figures finally spring to life.

“"A stupendous achievement, a triumph of historical research and imagination." -Robert Skidelsky,”

"A stupendous achievement, a triumph of historical research and imagination."—Robert Skidelsky, The New York Review of Books

"Niall Ferguson's brilliant and altogether enthralling two-volume family saga proves that academic historians can still tell great stories that the rest of us want to read."—The New York Times Book Review

"Superb ... An impressive ... account of the Rothschilds and their role in history."—Boston Globe

Niall Ferguson is one of the world's most renowned historians. He is the author of Paper and Iron, The House of Rothschild, The Pity of War, The Cash Nexus, Empire, Colossus, The War of the World, The Ascent of Money, High Financier, Civilization, The Great Degeneration, Kissinger, 1923-1968- The Idealist, and The Square and the Tower. He is Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing. His many awards include the Benjamin Franklin Prize for Public Service (2010), the Hayek Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2012) and the Ludwig Erhard Prize for Economic Journalism (2013).

Believing that transformation is possible and that it must come from within, Clar Doyle illustrates the vital connection between drama and critical pedagogy. Presuming that a practice informed by the theory of critical pedagogy is essential to achieve an emancipatory education, Doyle shows how well drama and aesthetic education can encourage a pedagogy that is critical. He explores the real as well as the perceived values and understandings given to the aesthetic in school settings, how tastes and awareness are produced and how students' backgrounds inform the way in which art and drama are experienced. Furthermore, Doyle shows the ways in which the dominant cultural agencies rob both teachers and students of creativity through their reproductive policies. The book explores such critical questions as: the nature of culture; the historical place of drama within education; and the debate between drama and theatre as it applies to schooling. With a critical perspective, he reviews the current status of drama education and suggests ways in which educators can redefine their mission and refine their practice. By examining the influence of the culture industry and the issues surrounding style choices, Doyle highlights the challenge that teachers must meet in order to use performance skills to tease out attitudes and understandings. He concludes by showing how drama can help students, not only to bring about change in their own lives, but to effect change in the world around them.

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