Matthew Wright Libros

Volume 1. Neglected authors: The earliest tragedies -- Some fifth-century tragedians -- Agathon -- Tragic family trees -- Some fourth-century tragedians -- The very lost -- volume 2. Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.

The most detailed account yet of the career of this famous battlecruiser.

Hawke’s Bay has a remarkable history; like the rest of New Zealand’s, short by world standards – for the place was first settled only in the thirteenth century – but filled with colour, life and adventure. This profusely illustrated book tells that story from its beginnings, through the rumbustious nineteenth century when British settlers flooded into the region, on into the twentieth century of provincial life, and finally into the twenty-first with its lifestyles and new vision of district place.The history of Hawke’s Bay is a story of people – colourful characters whose lives lent such depth to Hawke’s Bay’s world. And it is a story of hope in adversity, of ambition, of recovery from disaster, and of success despite all the odds.This revised and updated second edition includes new photographs, further details and additional maps and material.

New Zealand soldiers arrived in Crete during early May 1941, short of equipment after a hasty evacuation from Greece. Three weeks later, the Germans attacked, and for a while the fate of New Zealand’s active armed force lay in the balance on an island half a world away from home. Exactly why the island fell to the Germans has prompted intense debate - then and since. British historians writing during the 1990s argued that both the New Zealand soldiers and the island commander, Major-General Bernard Freyberg, fell short of the mark during the battle, resulting in the German victory.Matthew Wright draws on a wide range of archival sources to refute this criticism, arguing that in the face of total German air superiority, the battle was unwinnable. The fact that the British came so close to successfully holding the island can be largely credited to Major-General Bernard Freyberg’s outstanding abilities as a commander, and to the quality of the men he led. The battle for Crete was very much a near-run affair, and remains one of the crucial events in the annals of New Zealand military history.

Britain's last generation of battleships emerged in the 1930s to the backdrop of a fading Empire. Industrial production had fallen sharply since the First World War, and Britain's economic position was poor. These constraints shaped the nature of Britain's last battleships - a continuum of designs that culminated in HMS Vanguard, completed after the war when a near-bankrupt Britain had to confront the reality of a lost empire.This short book, a monograph, explores the way that British designers responded to this challenging framework, revealing the context within which the decisions that shaped Britain's last battleships were made.

This omnibus volume brings 'Battle for Crete', 'Desert Duel' and 'Italian Odyssey' together in one binding - a trilogy that traces the story of the Second New Zealand Division during the Second World War. Their journey took them from Greece and Crete to Egypt, the Western Desert, Libya and Tunisia. And then, with the Eighth Army, they landed in Italy, fighting in the bitter siege of Cassino, but ending their war with a flourish in the race to Trieste, where the New Zealanders were in the first confrontation of the Cold War. "Wright is one who has been able to place himself within the culture and sense the history...This new book is a worthy contribution to our understanding..." - Frank Glen, The Southland Times, 14 June 2003. "Author Matthew Wright... has brought the Italian campaign alive. The book is as important as it is highly readable - so much better than the standard military histories." - Graeme Hunt, The National Business Review, 17 October 2003.

In December 1941, Japan attacked the British Empire and the United States, turning the European war that had raged since 1939 into a global conflict. For a few desperate months during early 1942, the Kiwis faced crisis. Australia had its own threat to face. Britain was stretched to the utmost against Germany, and the United States

Focusing on the military and social history of New Zealand, this book offers a comprehensive account of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps and its predecessors from their inception to the present. Esteemed historian Matthew Wright has compiled extensive research over three years, blending factual detail with personal perspectives from service members, providing an intimate glimpse into military life. The richly illustrated hardback includes valuable appendices featuring rolls of honour, awards lists, and details on personnel and vehicles, making it an essential resource for history enthusiasts.