History
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The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty (Audio Download): Tracy Borman, Hodder & Stoughton: Amazon.co.uk: Books
‘A powerful tale . . . compelling and brilliant’ – ALISON WEIRIn March 1603, Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, lies dying at Richmond Palace. The queen’s ministers cluster round her bedside, urging her to name her successor – something she has stubbornly resisted throughout her reign. Almost with her last breath she whispers that James VI of Scotland should succeed her. She dies shortly afterwards and the throne of England passes peacefully from Tudor to Stuart.
Or so we’ve been led to believe . . .
But, as enthralling new research shows, this is not what happened. In the years that followed, history was literally re-written on the orders of James VI to hide the truth: Elizabeth went to her grave without formally naming an heir. The notion of an approved succession from Tudors to Stuarts is little more than an elaborately constructed fiction.
And so James’s rule in England began with a lie – a lie that went on to have devastating consequences. The Stuart regime rapidly descended into turbulence and uncertainty, conspiracy and persecution, witchcraft and gunpowder – culminating in the destruction of the monarchy in the English Civil War.With a combination of rigorous research and brilliant story-telling, Tracy Borman’s revealing new book shows that truth and monarchy have always been strange bedfellows . . .
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The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival
‘Superb and timely’ KATE MOSSE
‘Impressive, important, deeply moving’ SARAH WATERS
‘Brilliant’ ANTHONY HOROWITZWhat role could music play in a death camp? What was the effect on those women who owed their survival to their participation in a Nazi propaganda project? And how did it feel to be forced to provide solace to the perpetrators of a genocide that claimed the lives of their family and friends?
In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra should be formed among the female prisoners. Almost fifty women and girls from eleven nations were assembled to play marching music to other inmates – forced labourers who left each morning and returned, exhausted and often broken, at the end of the day – and give weekly concerts for Nazi officers. Individual members were sometimes summoned to give solo performances of an officer’s favourite piece of music. It was the only entirely female orchestra in any of the Nazi prison camps and, for almost all of the musicians chosen to take part, being in the orchestra was to save their lives. In The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, award-winning historian Anne Sebba tells their astonishing story with sensitivity and care.
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Why is Downing Street Painted Black?: 365 fun, fascinating London facts from one of the city’s most popular tour guides, the perfect 2025 gift for history and trivia fans
Have you ever tried to find a street named Bond Street? (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t exist!)
Did you know you can’t dine for 13 at the Savoy? At least not without a cat joining you …
And have you heard about the bus that jumped Tower Bridge?
As a walking tour guide for 15 years, Jonnie Fielding has made it his mission to uncover all there is to know about London, from forgotten facts to the history hiding in plain sight.
Packed full of pub-quiz trivia and bespoke illustrations, Why Is Downing Street Painted Black? includes 365 of his favourite quirks, anomalies and eccentricities from all over town.
So whether you live in London, would love to live in London or just love a great fun fact, Jonnie is guaranteed to reignite your fascination with this weird and wonderful city.
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£14.20