Historical
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Le Mans Winning Colours: A Visual History of 100 Years of the 24-Hour Race
Celebrating 100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, motorsport’s iconic endurance race, technical illustrator Mick Hill takes us on a potted history of this world-famous event. The follow-on book to his successful Grand Prix’s Winning Colours, Mick once again allows his signature artwork to take centre stage, presenting a complete visual record of every winning car since the championship began back in 1923.Including details of the cars’ drivers, as well as interesting facts about each race, such as weather conditions, distance covered and average speeds, Le Mans Winning Colours is a book to treasure for all racing-car enthusiasts.
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£19.60£23.80 -
Endgame: 2023’s new biography from the bestselling author telling the true story of the royal family and looking to the future for King Charles III after the death of Elizabeth II
The explosive new book from longtime royal journalist Omid Scobie and author of the international blockbuster Finding Freedom, Endgame a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy.
An unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to great lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.
Queen Elizabeth II’s death ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor – and dismantled the protective shield around it. With an institution long plagued by incidents involving antiquated ideas around race, class and money, the monarchy and those who prop it up are now exposed and at odds with a rapidly modernizing world.
Relying on his vast experience as a royal reporter and over a decade of conversations and interviews with current and former Palace staff, trusted friends of the royals and even the family members themselves, Scobie pulls back the curtain on an institution in turmoil to show what the monarchy must change in order to survive.
This is the monarchy’s endgame. Do they have what it takes to save it?
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What a Thing to Say to the Queen!: Charming anecdotes from the House of Windsor – Updated edition
This specially updated edition, released to mark the passing of the late and much-missed monarch, is a collection of warm, amusing recollections from the royal household celebrating the lighter side of palace life.
‘What do you do?’ a guest inquired of the Queen at a Buckingham Palace garden party. ‘I had no idea what to say,’ the Queen told friends afterwards.
As the longest reigning monarch of this realm, the Queen represented stability, hope and continuity. We loved her because she was always there, didn’t make a fuss and was dedicated in her duty even in old age. But alongside her stoic and sensible exterior, she was also renowned for a playful and keen sense of humour, as seen when she delighted audiences all around the world by inviting Paddington Bear for tea to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
How exactly did the Queen reactwhen she found her footman draped in her jewels? What did she do to amuse herself to while away the hours spent sitting for her portrait? How did she respond when faced with a plate full of Mexican food?
This characterful, illustrated book answers these questions and poses many more in its affectionate celebration of the diverse personalities of the House of Windsor. Gathered together in this amusing tribute are a compendium of stories which provide access to the unique world of the royals.
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Women of Means: The Fascinating Biographies of Royals, Heiresses, Eccentrics and Other Poor Little Rich Girls (Stories of the Rich & Famous, Famous Women) (Celebrating Women)
A Glimpse Behind the Façade of Rich and Famous Women
“…wild, witty, gossipy, and glamourous. A sheer delight.” ―Becca Anderson, author of Badass Women Give the Best Advice
#1 Best Seller in Women’s Studies and Biographies of the Rich & Famous and Royalty
An intimate portrait of women of privilege. As Becca Anderson recommends, read about “heiress Barbara Hutton’s outrageous lifestyle, Jackie O as a step-mom, Patty Hearst’s many adventures, Peggy Guggenheim’s collection of art (and men), and Almira Carnarvon, the real-life counterpart to Lady Cora of Downton Abbey.”
The grass isn’t greener on the other side. Heiresses have always been viewed with eyes of envy. They were the ones for whom the cornucopia had been upended, showering them with unimaginable wealth and opportunity. However, through intimate historical biographies, Women of Means shows us that oftentimes the weaving sisters saved their most heart-wrenching tapestries for the destinies of wealthy women.
Happily never after. From the author of Behind Every Great Man, we now have Women of Means, vignettes of the women who were slated from birth―or marriage―to great privilege, only to endure lives which were the stuff Russian tragic heroines are made of. They are the nonfictional Richard Corys―those not slated for happily ever after.
Women of Means is a non-fiction best seller, full of the best biographies of all time. Some of the women whose silver spoons rusted include:
- Liliane Bettencourt, whose chemist father created L’Oreal… and was a Nazi collaborator
- Nica Rothschild, who traded her gilded life to become the Baroness of Bebop
- Jocelyn Wildenstein, who became a cosmetology-enhanced cat-woman
- Ruth Madoff, the dethroned queen of Manhattan
- Patty Hearst, who trod the path from heiress… to terrorist
Fans of Women of Means will want to try other Marlene Wagman-Geller books including Fabulous Female Firsts, Great Second Acts, Still I Rise, Unabashed Women, and Women Who Launch.
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£13.00£14.20 -
National Geographic Queen Elizabeth II: A Life in Photographs
This unique look at the life and legacy of Elizabeth II, modern Britain’s most unlikely but much beloved queen, features scores of stunning images, including more than 20 exclusive photographs from the National Geographic archive. Please note that this product is an authorized edition published by the Meredith Corporation and sold by Amazon. This edition is printed using a high quality matte interior paper and printed on demand for immediate fulfillment.Read more
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Princess Margaret: A Life Unravelled
Elegant and sophisticated biography of Princess Margaret, the controversial sister of Queen Elizabeth II, the Princess Diana of her day
‘A fascinating insight into the life of the party girl who became an icon in postwar Britain’ DAILY EXPRESS
‘She was a witty, intelligent, stimulating companion – happily Tim Heald captures all these qualities in his admirably well-balanced biography’ LITERARY REVIEW
The almost universal conception is that the life of Princess Margaret (1930-2002) was a tragic failure, a history of unfulfilment.
Tim Heald’s vivid and elegant biography portrays a woman who was beautiful and sexually alluring – even more so than Princess Diana, years later – and whose reputation for naughtiness co-existed with the glamour. The mythology is that Margaret’s life was ‘ruined’ by her not being allowed to marry the one true love of her life – Group Captain Peter Townsend – and that therefore her marriage to Lord Snowdon and her well-attested relationships with Roddy Llewellyn and others were mere consolation prizes. Margaret’s often exotic personal life in places like Mustique is a key part of her story.
The author has had extraordinary help from those closest to Princess Margaret, including her family (Lord Snowdon and her son, Lord Linley), as well as three of her private secretaries and many of her ladies in waiting. These individuals have not talked to any previous biographer. He has also had the Queen’s permission to use the royal archives.
Heald asks why one of the most famous and loved little girls in the world, who became a juvenile wartime sweetheart, ended her life a sad wheelchair-bound figure, publicly reviled and ignored. This is a story of a life in which the private and the public seemed permanently in conflict. The biography is packed with good stories. Princess Margaret was never ignored; what she said and did has been remembered and recounted to Tim Heald.
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£9.60£10.40Princess Margaret: A Life Unravelled
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The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II
The astonishing, never before told story of the greatest rescue mission of World War II–when the OSS set out to recover more than 500 airmen trapped behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia…During a bombing campaign over Romanian oil fields, hundreds of American airmen were shot down in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia. Local Serbian farmers and peasants risked their own lives to give refuge to the soldiers while they waited for rescue, and in 1944, Operation Halyard was born. The risks were incredible. The starving Americans in Yugoslavia had to construct a landing strip large enough for C-47 cargo planes–without tools, without alerting the Germans, and without endangering the villagers. And the cargo planes had to make it through enemy airspace and back–without getting shot down themselves.
Classified for over half a century for political reasons, the full account of this unforgettable story of loyalty, self-sacrifice, and bravery is now being told for the first time ever. The Forgotten 500 is the gripping, behind-the-scenes look at the greatest escape of World War II.
“Amazing [and] riveting.”–James Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers
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Queen Elizabeth II: The Life, Times, and Glorious 70 Year Reign of England’s Iconic Platinum Monarch (1926-2022) – Her Fight for the Palace, House of Windsor, and Royal Papers…
Do you want to know everything there is to know about Queen Elizabeth II?
Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, at the age of ninety-six. She was the longest reigning British monarch in history and her death leaves a gaping hole in the British royal family. The queen’s death sent the nation into mourning. The queen will be remembered for her long reign, her dedication to her country, and her love for her family.
This book tells the story of one of the most iconic and fascinating women in history. Elizabeth II has been a part of the British monarchy for over 70 years and her reign has seen some incredible changes. Read all about her life, times, and glorious reign in this comprehensive book.
In 1926, a young woman named Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born to King George V and Queen Mary of England. She was the third child and second daughter of the royal couple, and she would go on to inherit the throne after her father’s death in 1936. Elizabeth would reign as Queen of England for 70 years, becoming one of the longest-serving monarchs in English history.
She would also come to be one of the most beloved. Even early in her reign, Elizabeth proved herself to be a strong and capable leader, helping to guide the country through World War II. After the war ended, she set about rebuilding England’s shattered economy and creating a new social welfare system. She also worked to strengthen the monarchy’s ties to the people, visiting all corners of her country and earning the affectionate nickname “the People’s Queen.”
Throughout her long reign, Elizabeth has faced many challenges – including divorces, scandals, and even an attempted assassination. But she has always remained dignified and steadfast, earning the respect and admiration of her subjects. In 2002, Elizabeth became the longest-reigning British monarch in history, leaving a lasting legacy as one of England’s most iconic monarchs.
Read everything there is to know about the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Grab your book today!
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£26.20
£28.50How the World Made the West: A 4,000-Year History
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Extraordinary Nurses Throughout History: In Honour of Florence Nightingale
Extraordinary Nurses Throughout History is a fascinating collection that includes insightful writings on eight notable nurses of the past and celebrates their brilliant contributions to medicine.
Many incredible women made invaluable improvements to modern nursing and this collection celebrates their lives and achievements through a series of essays. This volume sheds a light on the women who have helped create and improve the modern nursing we are familiar with today and demonstrates how the practice has evolved. Collated in honour of Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday, this collection is an enlightening exposition of eight notable nurses including:
– Dorothea Dix
– Mary Seacole
– Florence Nightingale
– Clara Barton
– Sarah Emma Edmonds
– Linda Richards
– Edith Cavell
– Violetta Thursten
Republished Read & Co. Books as part of the Brilliant Women series, this beautiful volume features an introductory essay entitled ‘Representative Women – The Free Nurse’, by Ingleby Scott. An ideal book for those with an interest in the history of nursing, this collection is not one to be missed.
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TUDOR TEMPEST: The Untold Stories of the Six Wives of Henry VIII, Love, Lust, and Power in the Court of the Infamous King
“Tudor Tempest: The Untold Stories of the Six Wives of Henry VIII, Love, Lust, and Power in the Court of the Infamous King” by acclaimed historical biographer Angela Morris invites readers on an exhilarating journey through the captivating, turbulent, and often perilous world of Tudor England. In this meticulously researched and engaging work, Morris unveils the untold stories of the six remarkable women who shared their lives with one of England’s most enigmatic monarchs, King Henry VIII.Explore the multifaceted lives and complex fates of Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr, as they navigated the treacherous waters of the Tudor court. With a keen eye for historical detail and a gift for storytelling, Morris breathes life into these historical figures, shedding light on their individual struggles, triumphs, and contributions to a transformative period in English history.
As you delve into the pages of “Tudor Tempest,” you’ll be transported back in time to an era of political intrigue, religious upheaval, and shifting alliances. Morris expertly captures the essence of the Tudor court, where power struggles and ambition held sway, and where each wife’s journey was uniquely influenced by her own personality, background, and the demands of her tumultuous times.
“Tudor Tempest” is not only a historical biography but also a meticulously crafted work that takes you beyond the popular narratives and into the hidden corners of Tudor history. Explore keywords such as “Tudor dynasty,” “English Reformation,” “King Henry VIII’s marriages,” and “women in history,” and embark on an unforgettable literary voyage that unveils the captivating stories of these extraordinary women.
Morris’ vivid storytelling and deep historical insights make “Tudor Tempest” a must-read for history enthusiasts, avid readers, and anyone curious about the resilient and influential women who played integral roles in shaping the destiny of a nation. Whether you are a seasoned scholar of Tudor history or a newcomer to this fascinating era, Morris’ engaging narrative will draw you in, leaving you with a profound appreciation for the indomitable spirit of Henry VIII’s six wives.
Don’t miss your chance to discover the untold stories that lie beneath the surface of Tudor history. “Tudor Tempest” by Angela Morris is a captivating, informative, and thoroughly researched work that will immerse you in the rich tapestry of Tudor England, and is sure to become an Amazon bestseller for history and biography enthusiasts alike.
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Scandals of the Royal Palaces: An Intimate Memoir of Royals Behaving Badly
George Orwell once said that the British love a really good murder. He might have added that the only thing the British love more than a good murder is a really good scandal, and best of all are the sexual and political scandals that take place behind the gilded doors of Britain’s royal palaces. From Edward II’s intimate relationship with Piers Gaveston to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s dramatic exit from the royal family, the royal residences have seen it all.
This glorious romp of a book contains new information on well-known and not-so-well-known scandals, including those that have only recently been revealed through the release of previously secret official papers. Exploring surviving palaces such as Kensington as well as long-vanished residences including Whitehall, Scandals of the Royal Palaces is the first in-depth look at the bad behaviour of not just the royals themselves but also palace officials, courtiers, household servants and hangers-on.
Delving into the bitter hatreds that generations of King Georges nursed for their eldest sons, Queen Victoria’s opium-fuelled rages and Edward VII’s near-miss perjury conviction, royal expert Tom Quinn reveals that scandal and the royal family have always been bedfellows. And if the behaviour of today’s royals is anything to go by, the glittering palaces will continue to house intriguing, embarrassing and outrageous scandals for centuries to come.
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Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne
Through the centuries, succession to the English throne has largely been dictated by blood. Children were born to the role, their destinies entwined with that of the nation. They would be raised with the expectation that they would eventually take their place on the throne and rule the land. But not all those expected to wear the crown completed this journey. Ashley Mantle explores the lives of several heirs apparent, from the Norman Conquest to the present day, who were destined to assume the throne of England but, for one reason or another, did not. You will meet such figures as Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, whose ineptitude saw him twice barred from the crown; Edward V, whose disappearance in 1483 still remains a mystery; Lady Jane Grey, the tragic Nine Days Queen; and Sophia, Electress of Hanover, who died months before her accession. Along the way we will explore the nature of rule to determine what was expected of an heir and how an heir was groomed in preparation for their ascent, as well as how the rules surrounding the succession have changed over the centuries.Read more
£18.20£21.80Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne
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BACK STREET KID: Growing up in Royal Leamington Spa
Part memoir and part local history, this book tells the story of a little girl who was born and raised in one of Leamington’s back-street slums during the middle years of the twentieth century.Most of the books written about the Spa tend to be of a more serious nature, concentrating on its history, its buildings, and the lives of the great & the good who provided the wealth that built the town; but little is written about the lives of the hard-working folk who lived in poverty behind the elegant facades.
Those who lived in the back-streets, or former pupils of St. Peter’s School, Leamington Girls College or Clapham Terrace Senior School may find the book of particular interest.
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The Royal Puzzle Book: 300 Challenges and Teasers from Alfred the Great to Charles III
Test your knowledge of kings and queens by attempting to answer some 300 questions across 25 topics, from early kingdoms to the realms of England, Scotland and Wales and the British Royal Family of the modern era.
The topics range from Coronations to Sports and Pastimes – from the first English queen crowned in her own right to the only royal to have won an Olympic Medal. Do you know which country’s national anthem uses the same music as ‘God Save the King’? Whose corpse is said to have exploded in its coffin? What was Queen Victoria’s first name? These hundreds of puzzles are accompanied by a wealth of illustrations from the collections of the British Library. Accept the challenge and see how much more you can learn.
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£11.10£14.20 -
Royal Inbreeding and Other Maladies: A History of Royal Intermarriage and its Consequences
When we think of kings and queens, we conjure up illusions of a magnificent kingdom where His and Her Majesties live in the lap of luxury and want for nothing. While this may be true, life wasn’t always as perfect. With the history of royal families comes a long and twisted history of genetics and family intermarriage that is often swept aside. In Ms Cummings’ latest book, she takes us through the complicated spider’s web of royal marriages. She tells us of the atrocities of the Ptolemy Dynasty as they continued to marry brothers and sisters to fend off political outsiders. She tells us about the centuries of intermarriage in European’s most prominent royal family, along with the devastating results that came with it. We will learn of the devastation of mental illness that befell reigning monarchs of The Hundred Years War and plagued George III of England, Juana of Castile and the Wittlebach Empire. She will also tell us of the desperation that fell upon the Russian Royal Family as their only heir to the throne grew ill with haemophilia. She will also go into depth about the notorious Hapsburgs, the decades of physical and mental ailments that tormented them, and how their empire ended with the most inbred royal in history, Charles II of Spain. After hearing the heartwrenching stories of these great monarchs, you’ll find that you can’t help but sympathize with them as you read about how genetics was the ultimate game-changer in most families.Read more
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Britain’s Royal Heritage: An A to Z of the Monarchy
This book is more than a biography of kings and queens; it is an encyclopaedic work on every aspect of monarchy in Britain from semi-legendary times to the present day. Arranged in an A-Z format, it includes mini biographies on each of the forty-two kings and queens who have ruled since the Norman Conquest, details of the royal lines in Scotland before the Act of Union, the background to the royal houses of Britain and the consorts – largely foreign – who have married into the monarchy. Royal scandals, wars, ceremonies, households, tombs and insignia make fascinating reading, and this book is the ideal reference work for all those who want to know more about individual monarchs and the impressive legacy of myths, traditions, beliefs and practices that have grown up around the institution of the monarchy.
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A Young Englishman in Victorian Hong Kong: The Diaries of Chaloner Alabaster, 1855-1856
In August 1855, 16-year-old Chaloner Alabaster left England for Hong Kong, to take up a position as a student interpreter in the China Consular Service. He would stay for almost 40 years, climbing the rungs of the service and eventually becoming consul-general of Canton. When he retired he returned to England and received a knighthood. He died in 1898. Throughout his adult life, Alabaster kept diaries.
In the first four volumes of these diaries, collected here by Benjamin Penny, the teenage Alabaster recorded his thoughts and observations, told himself anecdotes, and exploded in outbursts of anger and frustration. He was young and enthusiastic, and the everyday sights, sounds and smells of Hong Kong were novel to him. He describes how the Chinese people around him ironed clothes, dried flour and threshed rice; how they gambled, prepared their food and made bean curd; and what opera, new year festivities and the birthday of the Heavenly Empress were like. Like many a young Victorian, he was also a keen observer of natural history, fascinated by fireflies and ants, corals and sea slugs, and the volcanic origins of the landscape.
Alabaster’s diaries are a unique, vibrant and riveting record of life in the young British colony on the cusp of the Second Opium War. With A Young Englishman in Victorian Hong Kong, Penny sheds new light on the history of the region.
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Politics On the Edge By Rory Stewart & Politics A Survivor’s Guide By Rafael Behr 2 Books Collection Set
Please Note That The Following Individual Books As Per Original ISBN and Cover Image Shall be Dispatched Collectively:Politics On the Edge By Rory Stewart & Politics A Survivor’s Guide By Rafael Behr 2 Books Collection Set:
Politics On the Edge:
ISBN-10 : 1787332713
ISBN-13 : 978-1787332713
Over the course of a decade from 2010, Rory Stewart went from being a political outsider to standing for prime minister – before being sacked from a Conservative Party that he had come to barely recognise. Tackling ministerial briefs on flood response and prison violence, engaging with conflict and poverty abroad as a foreign minister, and Brexit as a Cabinet minister, Stewart learned first-hand how profoundly hollow our democracy and government had become. Cronyism, ignorance and sheer incompetence ran rampant. Around him, individual politicians laid the foundations for the political and economic chaos of today.Politics A Survivor’s Guide:
ISBN-10 : 1838955046
ISBN-13 : 978-1838955045
A new crisis erupts before the last one has finished: financial crisis, Brexit, pandemic, war in Ukraine, inflation, strikes. Prime Ministers come and go but politics stays divided and toxic. It is tempting to switch off the news, tune out and hope things will get back to normal. Except, this is the new normal, and our democracy can only work if enough people stay engaged without getting enraged. But how?To answer that question, award-winning journalist Rafael Behr takes the reader on a personal journey from despair at the state of politics to hope that there is a better way of doing things, with insights drawn from three decades as a political commentator and foreign correspondent.Read more
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Irish Rugby Top 50 Players
We talked to leading rugby journalists, we talked to ex-players, we talked to fans and we looked at the playing records of all the stand-out internationals to have played rugby for Ireland before compiling a list of the 50 greatest Irish rugby players in the sport s history.
Many players were impossible to leave out such as Rory Best, Mike Gibson, Jamie Heaslip, Jack Kyle, Paul O’Connell, Brian O Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara, Jonnie Sexton and Keith Wood. While Lions’ legends such as Willie John McBride, Tom Kiernan, Syd Millar and Tony O’Reilly were also a shoo-in.
There is also a hefty selection of modern-day players including Keith Earls, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Rob Kearney, Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahoney and the new whizkid winger Jacob Stockdale. While there is also space for the great characters of the game, none more so than Peter ‘The Claw’ Clohessy, Willie Duggan and Moss Keane, who didn’t win the most caps but were fans’ favourites because of the spirit in which they played.
With a foreword by Ollie Campbell, the Ireland and British and Irish Lions flyhalf, each entry lists the key facts, statistics and achievements that help show why the selected players are part of the game s elite.
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£10.80£12.30Irish Rugby Top 50 Players
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The Fastest Men on Earth: The Inside Stories of the Olympic Men’s 100m Champions
With an exclusive foreword by Usain Bolt, The Fastest Men on Earth tells the fascinating inside stories of the Olympic Men’s 100m Champions.
It takes just under ten seconds to run, but the results of the Olympic men’s 100 metres are etched forever into history. In The Fastest Men on Earth, journalist Neil Duncanson tells the stories of the 25 athletes who’ve been crowned champions in the event, and earned the coveted title of ‘Fastest Man on Earth’.
Each chapter explores the fascinating, inspiring, and occasionally tragic lives of these supremely talented sprinters, as well as the intense drama of the record-breaking runs that wrote them into history. Immaculately researched and featuring exclusive interviews with several Olympic champions, including a new conversation with Usain Bolt, The Fastest Men on Earth brings the stories of some of the greatest athletes of all time to life like never before.
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£8.70£9.50 -
The Life of a Medical Officer in WWI: The Experiences of Captain Harry Gordon Parker
The Life of a Medical Officer in WW1 documents the experiences of Captain Harry Gordon Parker and provides a rare insight into the conflict that engulfed Europe from 1914-1918. Having joined the Naval Medical Service as a Royal Navy Temporary Surgeon, Parker’s first taste of war was aboard a hospital evacuation ship, which regularly crossed the English Channel, from Southampton to France, picking up casualties from the battle grounds. Somewhat disillusioned with the whole experience, he requested a transfer to the Royal Medical Army Corps and soon found himself transported to the trenches in France. It was here, first serving with the Lancashire Fusiliers and then later as permanent Regimental Medical Officer with the 2nd Manchester’s Regiment, that he spent the remainder of the war, witnessing first-hand the horrors of Passchendaele, Arras and the Somme. Parker’s account not only reveals a record of the conflict, but also encompasses a totality of military life as it impacted on the medical fraternity. From bureaucratic red tape, lack of medical supplies, lice infestations, trench foot and absurd missions where the incompetence of his own side was as dangerous as the enemy, his thoughts are penned with sincerity, the utmost compassion as well as a certain degree of sardonic humour: We went into the trenches for the first time at Givenchy. It snowed heavily, and our rations did not arrive. The Royal Welsh, however, generously shared their rations with our men, who repaid the kindness by (accidentally) shooting one of the Sergeants through the stomach!’. With endorsement from family members, author Lorraine Evans has revised Parker’s notes and scribblings for clarity and added complementary text to provide historical background. What transpires is a lasting and classic chronicle, an extraordinary human account of history as it ensued.Read more
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Oliver Cromwell: The brave, bad man of British history
Not since Antonia Fraser’s major biography (1975) has there been a life of Cromwell so sympathetic to its subject and based on so many years of scholarship and research.
As General Editor for Oxford University Press of the five-volume edition of all the recorded words (writings and recorded speech acts) of Oliver Cromwell, Professor Morrill is perfectly equipped to write this biography. He argues that Cromwell has been seriously misinterpreted by historians, not least by left-wing thinkers such as Tony Benn claiming Cromwell as their own and thus misunderstanding the nature of Cromwell’s political thought. This was a product of his religious ideas, and, argues the author, in this Cromwell was entirely sincere.
Cromwell felt propelled by God to become head of state but in the process the savagery and cruelty he meted out to his opponents – especially the Irish and the Scots – seems today to be beyond human imagining. And yet he described this as the ‘cruel necessity’ of God’s will. After the Siege of Drogheda he murdered 3,000 people and Catholic clergy and the religious were killed on sight. He cast a long shadow over Irish history which is still remembered to this day even in popular songs. To many this would appear to verge on genocide but with this and the signing of the act of execution of Charles I, Cromwell never doubted that he was doing God’s will.
Morrill’s book sheds exciting new light on Cromwell, both political and religious, and is based on the latest scholarship of the highest quality. Morrill argues against contemporary critics and claims that Cromwell was a man of fundamental sincerity and devotion to high Puritan principles.
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Admiral of the Narrow Seas: The Life of Bertram Ramsay
Bertram Ramsay has acquired almost mythical status in the history of the Second World War, firstly as the principal organizer of the Dunkirk evacuation and then as naval commander of the Allied invasion of Normandy – in the eyes of many, ‘the organizer of victory’. But because Ramsay was killed in January 1945 and never wrote his own memoirs, his life has until now been difficult to pin down.
Andrew Gordon, prize-winning author of The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command, writing with the help of Ramsay’s descendants, now describes the career of this intense and territorial man in full, for the first time establishing his true role in the two great tests of his life and conveying his very particular personality. This is a superb biography of a naval officer, which also illuminated afresh British history in the first half of the twentieth century.
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£26.20£28.50 -
Spot the Difference Puzzle Book for Adults: Puzzles Difference Puzzle Book, Find Object Activity Book, Perfect Puzzles Games Books Gift Idea For All Ages, Birthday, Holiday
Keep your brain fit by searching for the hidden differences between each set of pictures. Help improve memory and focus by completing a new challenge in this Spot the Difference Puzzle Book for Adults every day!
Features:
Seek and Discover: With each page, you’ll embark on a visual journey to uncover the hidden variances between two seemingly identical images. Train your eye to notice even the tiniest nuances.
Entertaining Puzzles: Whether you’re enjoying a quiet moment alone or sharing a playful challenge with friends and family, this book provides hours of entertainment and brain-teasing fun.
A Gift of Mindfulness: Share the joy of spotting differences with others. This book makes for a unique and thoughtful gift that encourages mindfulness and the joy of discovering hidden details.
Generous Size: With dimensions of 8.5×11 inches and solutions included at the back
Solutions are provided at the back, but be aware they are mixed up to avoid accidental looking!
Discover the perfect gift for a friend, co-worker, or children, and create lasting memories together!!
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The Soong Sisters
“If the story of the Soong family were told as fiction, people would say it was fascinating but too improbable. . . . A dramatic human chronicle . . . engrossing.” —The New York Times Book Review
In the early twentieth century, few women in China were to prove so important to the rise of Chinese nationalism and liberation from tradition as the three extraordinary Soong sisters—Eling, Chingling and Mayling—who would each marry historic figures. Told with wit and verve by New Yorker correspondent Emily Hahn, a remarkable woman in her own right, the biography of the Soong sisters reveals the story of China through both World Wars. It also chronicles the changes to Shanghai as they relate to a very eccentric family that had the courage to speak out against the ruling regime. Greatly influencing the history of modern China, they interacted with their government and military to protect the lives of those who could not be heard, and appealed to the West to support China during the Japanese invasion.
“[A] first-rate reportorial job on three distinguished women.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A spirited, well-informed book . . . a fascinating saga . . . Hahn skillfully interweaves the personal material which she has collected in abundance with some indispensable background knowledge of Chinese history.” —The AtlanticRead more
£9.00The Soong Sisters
£9.00 -
Endgame: 2023’s new biography from the bestselling author telling the true story of the royal family and looking to the future for King Charles III after the death of Elizabeth II
The explosive new book from longtime royal journalist Omid Scobie and author of the international blockbuster Finding Freedom, Endgame a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy.
An unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to great lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.
Queen Elizabeth II’s death ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor – and dismantled the protective shield around it. With an institution long plagued by incidents involving antiquated ideas around race, class and money, the monarchy and those who prop it up are now exposed and at odds with a rapidly modernizing world.
Relying on his vast experience as a royal reporter and over a decade of conversations and interviews with current and former Palace staff, trusted friends of the royals and even the family members themselves, Scobie pulls back the curtain on an institution in turmoil to show what the monarchy must change in order to survive.
This is the monarchy’s endgame. Do they have what it takes to save it?
Read more
£11.00£22.00 -
10 Scotland Street
This is a triumph. A love letter to the ghosts of Edinburgh. I feel its hand upon my shoulder. -Sara Sheridan
As a writer of fiction, I found myself itching to lift some of these characters from the page into the fertile fields of my own imagination. -Val McDermid
About the book
10 Scotland Street – the story of an Edinburgh home and its cast of booksellers, silk merchants, sailors, preachers, politicians, cholera and coincidence and its widespread connections over two centuries across the globe.
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£24.7910 Scotland Street
£24.79 -
The Diaries of Mr Lucas: Notes from a Lost Gay Life
For 60 years Mr George Leo John Lucas led a double life. By day, he was a civil servant at the Board of Trade, but by night – unable to live openly as a gay man before the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 – he was a fixture of London’s colourful underground gay scene, a twilight world of petty crime, louche pubs and public lavatories. He was also an obsessive diary writer.
When Mr Lucas died in 2014 he left his diaries to the journalist Hugo Greenhalgh. This book combines Mr Lucas’s deliciously indiscreet entries over the course of the 1960s with Greenhalgh’s razor-sharp historical insights. Together they give a vivid, one-of-a-kind account of gay life that has been overlooked.
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£18.99 -
Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy
Hong Kong was an experiment in governance. Handed back to China in 1997 after 156 years of British rule, it was meant to be a carve-out between hostile systems: a bridge between communism and capitalism, authoritarianism and liberal democracy. “One country, two systems” kept its media free, its courts independent and its protests boisterous, designed also to convince Taiwan of a peaceful solution to Beijing’s desire for reunification.
Yet this formulation excluded Hong Kong’s own people, their future negotiated by political titans in faraway capitals. In 2019, an ill-conceived law spear-headed by a sycophantic leader pushed a third of the city to take to the streets in one of the most enduring protest movements the world has ever seen. Xi Jinping responded with a draconian national security law that sought not only to end the demonstrations but quash the “problem” of Hong Kongers’ identity and desire for freedom.
Reverend Chu, who believed Hong Kong had to carry the spirit of students at Tiananmen Square, saw his silver-haired comrades who birthed the city’s modern pro-democracy movement handcuffed and taken from their homes. Tommy, an art student radicalized into throwing Molotov cocktails, watched “braves” like him brutalized by police before his own arrest prompted him to flee. Finn epitomized the decentralized nature of the movement and its internet-fuelled victories, but online anonymity couldn’t stop his life from unravelling. Gwyneth could predict her eventual fate when she chose to give up her career as a journalist to stand for election as an opposition candidate, and did it anyway.
In Among the Braves, Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin tell the story of Hong Kong’s past, and what the sacrifices of its people mean for global democracy’s shaky foundation.
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£17.70£23.80 -
Endgame: 2023’s new biography from the bestselling author telling the true story of the royal family and looking to the future for King Charles III after the death of Elizabeth II
The explosive new book from longtime royal journalist Omid Scobie and author of the international blockbuster Finding Freedom, Endgame a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy.
An unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to great lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.
Queen Elizabeth II’s death ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor – and dismantled the protective shield around it. With an institution long plagued by incidents involving antiquated ideas around race, class and money, the monarchy and those who prop it up are now exposed and at odds with a rapidly modernizing world.
Relying on his vast experience as a royal reporter and over a decade of conversations and interviews with current and former Palace staff, trusted friends of the royals and even the family members themselves, Scobie pulls back the curtain on an institution in turmoil to show what the monarchy must change in order to survive.
This is the monarchy’s endgame. Do they have what it takes to save it?
Read more
£10.50£20.90
