"In this masterly book, [Alfani] offers an insightful long-run perspective and fascinating lessons for the future. A must-read!"—Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century A sweeping narrative that shows how the rich historically justified themselves by helping their societies in times of crisis, why they no longer do, and what that may mean for social stability The rich have always fascinated, sometimes in problematic ways. Medieval thinkers feared that the super-rich would act 'as gods among men’; much more recently Thomas Piketty made wealth central to discussions of inequality. In this book, Guido Alfani offers a history of the rich and super-rich in the West, examining who they were, how they accumulated their wealth and what role they played in society. Covering the last thousand years, with frequent incursions into antiquity, and integrating recent research on economic inequality, Alfani finds—despite the different paths to wealth in different eras—fundamental continuities in the behaviour of the rich and public attitudes towards wealth across Western history. His account offers a novel perspective on current debates about wealth and income disparity. Alfani argues that the position of the rich and super-rich in Western society has always been intrinsically fragile; their very presence has inspired social unease. In the Middle Ages, an excessive accumulation of wealth was considered sinful; the rich were expected not to appear to be wealthy. Eventually, the rich were deemed useful when they used their wealth to help their communities in times of crisis. Yet in the twenty-first century, Alfani points out, the rich and the super-rich—their wealth largely preserved through the Great Recession and COVID-19—have been exceptionally reluctant to contribute to the common good in times of crisis, rejecting even such stopgap measures as temporary tax increases. History suggests that this is a troubling development—for the rich, and for everyone else.

One man's desperate bid to save his restaurant and provide a better life for his family takes him on a descent into the criminal realm. A journey that reveals the familiar world of the mundane and the ethereal nature of the narcotic world really aren't so different after all. BREAKING BAD x TRAINSPOTTING x TRUE CRIME coalesce into a whole more unfathomable than the sum of its parts. Jason Lee finds himself sitting atop a failing business, despite being sold the notion that doing everything by the book pays off. For a man who refuses to accept failure, with more than just himself to look after, desperate times truly call for desperate measures. Gods Among Men is best captured with the term, "socially disruptive narco-noir" - imagine the film Trainspotting but from the perspective of the dealer. A narrative for fans of true-crime, drama, social commentary, even business and politics - especially readers who seek a more sophisticated and edgier book. We invite you to peer through the looking glass - question your understanding of reality and redefine those we deify - because the truth isn't just in these pages. It's among us. Written by Josh Mak Details & Letters by Aaron Mak Art by Ben Sullivan Colours by Wilson Go Created by The Mak Bros.

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY ESQUIRE, THE IRISH TIMES AND THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT A provocative history of men who were worshipped as gods that illuminates the connection between power and religion and the role of divinity in a secular age Ever since 1492, when Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World and was hailed as a heavenly being, the accidental god has haunted the modern age. From Haile Selassie, acclaimed as the Living God in Jamaica, to Britain’s Prince Philip, who became the unlikely center of a new religion on a South Pacific island, men made divine—always men—have appeared on every continent. And because these deifications always emerge at moments of turbulence—civil wars, imperial conquest, revolutions—they have much to teach us. In a revelatory history spanning five centuries, a cast of surprising deities helps to shed light on the thorny questions of how our modern concept of “religion” was invented; why religion and politics are perpetually entangled in our supposedly secular age; and how the power to call someone divine has been used and abused by both oppressors and the oppressed. From nationalist uprisings in India to Nigerien spirit possession cults, Anna Della Subin explores how deification has been a means of defiance for colonized peoples. Conversely, we see how Columbus, Cortés, and other white explorers amplified stories of their godhood to justify their dominion over native peoples, setting into motion the currents of racism and exclusion that have plagued the New World ever since they touched its shores. At once deeply learned and delightfully antic, Accidental Gods offers an unusual keyhole through which to observe the creation of our modern world. It is that rare thing: a lyrical, entertaining work of ideas, one that marks the debut of a remarkable literary career.

Jureid, a Brethren boy who possesses an awareness, is led down a path of ancient gods following a cataclysmal event. From the future Mermaina is taken to witness Jureid's odyssey. Though separated by time, Jureid and Mermaina are both chosen to stop the original evil that takes souls and quakes worlds.

A rigorously and imaginatively researched anthology of classical literature, bringing together one hundred stories from the rich diversity of the literary canon of ancient Greece and Rome. Striking a balance between the 'classic classic' (such as Dryden's translation of the Aeneid) and the less familiar or expected, Of Gods and Men ranges from the epic poetry of Homer to the histories of Arrian and Diodorus Siculus and the sprawling Theogony of Hesiod; from the tragedies of Aeschylus and Euripides to the biographies of Suetonius and Plutarch and the pen portraits of Theophrastus; and from the comedies of Plautus to the fictions of Petronius and Apuleius. Of Gods and Men is embellished by translations from writers as diverse as Queen Elizabeth I (Boethius), Percy Bysshe Shelley (Plato), Walter Pater (Apuleius's Golden Ass), Lawrence of Arabia (Homer's Odyssey), Louis MacNeice (Aeschylus's Agamemnon) and Ted Hughes (Ovid's Pygmalion), as well as a number of accomplished translations by Daisy Dunn herself.

In their wide-ranging interpretation of the religion of ancient Egypt, Françoise Dunand and Christiane Zivie-Coche explore how, over a period of roughly 3500 years, the Egyptians conceptualized their relations with the gods. Drawing on the insights of anthropology, the authors discuss such topics as the identities, images, and functions of the gods; rituals and liturgies; personal forms of piety expressing humanity's need to establish a direct relation with the divine; and the afterlife, a central feature of Egyptian religion. That religion, the authors assert, was characterized by the remarkable continuity of its ritual practices and the ideas of which they were an expression.Throughout, Dunand and Zivie-Coche take advantage of the most recent archaeological discoveries and scholarship. Gods and Men in Egypt is unique in its coverage of Egyptian religious expression in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Written with nonspecialist readers in mind, it is largely concerned with the continuation of Egypt's traditional religion in these periods, but it also includes fascinating accounts of Judaism in Egypt and the appearance and spread of Christianity there.

The New York Times best-selling series! Superman was Earth's greatest hero. He was the shining beacon of truth, justice and the American way. Forever an inspiration for the brighter future ahead, the Man of Tomorrow made the world want to be better. Then everything changed in a single day. When the Man of Steel couldn't protect those he held most dear, he decided being a hero wasn't enough. To truly save this world, he would have to abandon his philosophy as the Big Blue Boy Scout and become the ruler he felt mankind needed. With his all-powerful allies--Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash and even Robin--the reign of Superman has begun. World conflicts are ended, and criminals are stopped without mercy. Facing a god among men, only one person stands between Superman and ultimate power: the Dark Knight. Batman is gathering an alliance of heroes willing to risk their lives to oppose this omnipotent dictatorship. He will use every method at his disposal to stop his friend from reshaping the world in his shattered image...whatever the cost, Superman's rule cannot stand. Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year One: The Deluxe Edition tells the story of a war among gods for the future of humanity. Written by Tom Taylor (All-New Wolverine, X-Men: Red) with art by Jheremy Raapack (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Indestructible Hulk), Mike S. Miller (Adventures of Superman, A Game of Thrones), Tom Derenick (Trinity, JLA), Bruno Redondo (Earth 2: Society, Batman: Arkham Unhinged) and more. Based on the video game phenomenon, collecting Injustice: Gods Among Us #1-12 and Injustice: Gods Among Us Annual #1, with an introduction by Tom Taylor and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes material.

Ruxar, a land of men, mythical beasts, and gods lost to the ages. Five kingdoms blissfully ignorant to the cataclysms of war. In a world teeming with hydra, gargoyles, cerberus, and more, one savage ruler of ancient knowledge will raise the curtain to unveil deadly secrets that threaten to rain conflict among old allies. Aedan of Dragonia, in search of answers far from home, finds three allies in Nestor, a man of foresight; Magnus, a town leader, and Aloysius, a young man of confidence. Aedan and his cohort are thrust into a siege that will forge the Soldiers of Fire. Together, they will launch a hellish resistance fraught with treachery, heartbreak, death, and unforeseen potential within themselves. The mission: to alert the countries of Ruxar of a villain in plain sight before they are snuffed out by dangers hidden in the shadows. Can the Soldiers of Fire adapt to an evolving world? Or will they be discovered and destroyed before their battle can even begin?

I am Fliss, and my magic has abandoned me. After suffering a painful defeat and barely escaping with my life, my dragons and I are on the run. My sister will stop at nothing to end my existence and prevent me from taking my rightful place over the realm. A war of gods and men has broken out across the kingdom, and we cannot fight it on our own. I must seek out the city of sirens, and repair the magical community that’s in shambles if we’re to win. The goddess of song will rise to battle the goddess of chaos… and the victor will change the world forever. *** The final book in the Song of Dragonfire series.