Great Britain

  • The Queen’s Diamonds

    08
    This book is the first authorised account of the history of the finest diamond jewellery in the world. It tells the story of the magnificent royal inheritance of diamonds from the time of Queen Adelaide in the 1830s to the present day. Illustrated with a wide range of archive material as well as extensive new photography of the jewels, this fully researched publication includes stones of international importance as well as pieces of great historic significance, and will be a standard work of reference on diamond jewellery for many years to come.

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    £83.80£118.80

    The Queen’s Diamonds

    £83.80£118.80
  • A Northern Wind: Britain 1962-65

    08

    WATERSTONES’ BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: HISTORY
    A SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR
    The early sixties in Britain told as only David Kynaston (‘the most entertaining historian alive’ Spectator) can. Running from 1962 to 1965, A Northern Wind is the anticipated new volume in the landmark ‘Tales of a New Jerusalem’ series.

    ‘Addictively readable . . . Kynaston’s tireless research turns up plenty of gems’ Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
    ‘A breathtaking array of treasures’ TLS
    ‘Magisterial’ Financial Times
    ‘Here is an intricate tapestry that conveys the essence of time’ Literary Review

    How much can change in less than two and a half years? In the case of Britain in the Sixties, the answer is: almost everything. From the seismic coming of the Beatles to a sex scandal that rocked the Tory government to the arrival at No 10 of Harold Wilson, a prime minister utterly different from his Old Etonian predecessors.

    A Northern Wind, the keenly anticipated next instalment of David Kynaston’s acclaimed Tales of a New Jerusalem series, brings to vivid life the period between October 1962 and February 1965. Drawing upon an unparalleled array of diaries, newspapers and first-hand recollections, Kynaston’s masterful storytelling refreshes familiar events – the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Big Freeze, the assassination of JFK, the funeral of Winston Churchill – while revealing in all their variety the experiences of the people living through this history.

    Major themes complement the compelling narrative: an anti-Establishment mood epitomised by the BBC’s controversial That Was The Week That Was; a welfare state only slowly becoming more responsive to the individual needs of its users; and the rise of consumer culture, as Habitat arrived and shopping centres like Birmingham’s Bull Ring proliferated. Multi-voiced, multi-dimensional and immersive, Tales of a New Jerusalem has transformed how we see and understand post-war Britain. A Northern Wind continues the journey.

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    £8.70
  • Stairways to Heaven: Rebuilding the British Film Industry

    05
    What has brought about the transformation of the British film industry over the last few decades, to the beginnings of what is arguably a new golden era? In the mid-1980s the industry was in a parlous state. The number of films produced in the UK was tiny. Cinema attendance had dipped to an all-time low, cinema buildings were in a state of disrepair and home video had yet to flourish. Since then, while many business challenges especially for independent producers and distributors remain, the industry overall has developed beyond recognition. In recent years, as British films have won Oscars, Cannes Palms and Venice Golden Lions, releases such as Love Actually, Billy Elliot, Skyfall, Paddington and the Harry Potter series have found enormous commercial as well as critical success. The UK industry has encouraged, and benefitted from, a huge amount of inward investment, much of it from the Hollywood studios, but also from the National Lottery via the UK Film Council and BFI. This book portrays the visionaries and officials who were at the helm as a digital media revolution began to reshape the industry. Through vivid accounts based on first-hand interviews of what was happening behind the scenes, film commentator and critic Geoffrey Macnab provides in-depth analysis of how and why the British film industry has risen like a phoenix from the ashes.

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    £14.20
  • Medical Services in the First World War (Shire Library)

    08
    The number of wounded in the First World War was unprecedented, and inadequate military planning presented the medical and voluntary community with huge and daunting challenges. Yet in the face of tremendous adversity both tackled their work with resourcefulness, courage and great humanity. This book is the illustrated story of those who risked their lives collecting casualties from the front line, of the various transport and treatment facilities at their disposal and of the eclectic mix of buildings in which the wounded were cared for at home, including many famous country houses. The vital part played by nurses, both in terms of essential medical duties and in boosting morale among the patients, is also examined, rounding off this perfect introduction to medical care in the First World War.

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    £7.60£8.50
  • The Royal Navy Officer’s Pocket-Book

    08

    “”The art of command is.to be the complete master, and yet the complete friend of every man on board; the temporal lord and yet the spiritual brother of every rating; to be detached and yet not dissociated.’
    A Seaman’s Pocket-Book, 1943′, has found huge appeal with the British public. Presented in the same format, the Officer’s Handbook gathers together useful advice and instruction for those naval officers fighting the Second World War on all aspects of their job, expressed in the benevolent language of the day, when authority was respected.
    The Handbook has been compiled and edited by Brian Lavery, who provides commentary and an introduction. Sections include: the Officer’s Aid Memoire containing notes of the training course at one of the officer training schools; Notes for medical officers and treatment of battle casualties afloat; Notes for captains on taking command of their first ship; Notes for commanding officers; Notes on the handling and safety of ships and notes on dealing with disobedience and mutiny.
    While suffused with nostalgia and charm, the various contents of this book are an authentic presentation of matters of training, authority and deportment in the wartime navy. The book is sure to appeal not only to those who served in the war or had a relative who was in the officer class, but also to anyone who wants to gain a greater understanding of the day-to-day administration of the wartime navy.

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    £7.60£9.50
  • A Victorian Workhouse – The Lives Of The Paupers: Mildenhall Suffolk (History of Mildenhall, Suffolk)

    08
    “It is obvious that Danny Pearson, author, has thoroughly researched the history of Mildenhall Workhouse, and has succeeded in writing a book that shines a light on part of Suffolk’s hidden past.
    But, instead of being a tedious diary of chronological events, Danny has managed to bring history alive by looking into the lives of certain inmates, and how they did, or did not survive. Sometimes the writing is gory . . . But It’s real! This book is a highly readable account and an intriguing but sometimes gruesome chronicle of life during Victorian times in Suffolk.”

    Charlie Haylock, Voice Dialect Coach on “The Dig

    “Pearson’s account of the lives of Mildenhall Workhouse residents has a well-structured narrative and conversational tone. Not just a chronicle of people and events, Pearson also injects a modern perspective and sense of humour into these stories. As a result, A Victorian Workhouse indirectly asks readers to consider how we can care for people today by laying bare the humanity of those who suffered through poverty in the Victoria era. This is an excellent and well-researched book for both casual readers and lovers of Victorian history.”

    Devon Driver

    100 Years on since the demolition of the grand Victorian mansion that was the Mildenhall Union Workhouse, this book tells the story of the “Paupers” unfortunate enough to have found themselves confined within it’s walls. The book takes you on a time travelling experience to meet former residents of this market town in rural Suffolk. Discovering grave robbery, disease, suicide, violence and misunderstood mental illness along the way. Discover their story.

    Many individuals heartbreakingly fell into the poverty trap, created by the new poor law of 1834, desperate individuals who would never live outside the workhouse again. Any “Paupers” unfortunate enough to die within the workhouse, could find themselves sold to Cambridge University, their bodies used to train Medical students. Even in death the Paupers were owned by the workhouse. Read their story.

    However there were inmates who walked proudly away from the institution and these stories can also be found in this book too. Such as the young Mildenhall lad, who had just a few years earlier walked the streets with his mum and sisters, dressed in rags without any food, toes poking out of his worn down shoes. This family tramped the streets looking for shelter on a freezing cold November evening. The same young man a decade later created a new life for himself, literally chasing away the Workhouse shadows in Sunny California, a real life Suffolk cowboy! Read his story.

    Who ran the workhouse? Who were the Master and Matron of the Mildenhall Union? Who and what were the Board of Guardians? As well as the stories of the poor, this book reveals the lives of those tasked with caring for the poor. You will discover that the Master has some skeletons in his closet! Discover his story.

    If you were to take a short stroll through Mildenhall you would soon discover many of the street names and buildings named after former wealthy residents. Names such as Hanmer, Bunbury, North, Aldrich, famous names not just in Mildenhall but throughout Britain. The poor walked the very same streets as theses famous families, leaving behind little evidence that they were ever here. These lives now carefully pieced back together through years of research using historical records and newspaper archives.

    The poor were here too, read their story

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    £1.90
  • Great Western Pannier Tank Classes: An Overview of Their Design & Development (Locomotive Portfolios)

    08
    This comprehensive and fully illustrated history presents an in-depth look at the Great Western Railway’s various pannier tank engines.
     
    Though hauling freight was a vital part of Great Western Railway’s history—and where it made the majority of its profit—there are few books devoted to the stout, powerful engines that did the work. In Great Western, Pannier Tank Classes, British Railways expert David Maidment corrects that oversight. This volume explores the large number of 0-6-0 saddle tanks built for both the Great Western Railway and the independent railway companies in South Wales, most of which were converted to pannier tanks in the Churchward and Collett eras.
     
    While covering the Armstrong and Dean engines in detail, Maidment goes on to describe the design, construction and operation of the largest class of steam engines built in the UK in the last century: Charles Collett’s GWR 5700 class, examples of which were still being built after nationalization. Collett also designed pannier tank engines for branch passenger and freight work, and his successor Frederick Hawksworth continued the GW tradition with a tapered boiler version. All of these are discussed in depth in terms of their design and service. A concluding chapter covers further designs that were never built.

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    £8.50
  • The Savage Storm: The Heroic True Story of One of the Least told Campaigns of WW2

    08

    ‘[A] captivating and dramatic account. . . Drawn from letters and diaries, Holland’s immersive narrative is told through the eye-level perspectives of dozens of subjects. Readers will be enthralled’ Publishers Weekly

    ‘Tells the story of the hard, bloody, muddy fighting that filled the rest of 1943… this excellent book reinforces Holland’s reputation as the busiest and most popular military historian of the second world war working today’ Spectator

    ‘A remarkable achievement by a historian at the height of his powers. Holland has successfully illustrated both the signi­ficance and the savagery of the Italian campaign… through a powerful and compelling narrative’ Military History Matters
    _____________________

    From the bestselling author of Brothers in Arms comes the story of the most pivotal Allies campaign of World War II.

    With the invasion of France the following year taking shape, and hot on the heels of victory in Sicily, the Allies crossed into Southern Italy in September 1943. They expected to drive the Axis forces north and be in Rome by Christmas. And although Italy surrendered, the German forces resisted fiercely and the swift hoped-for victory descended into one of the most brutal battles of the war.

    Even though shipping and materiel were already being safeguarded for the D-Day landings, there were still huge expectations on the progress of the invading armies, but those shortages were to slow the advance with tragic consequences. As the weather closed in, the critical weeks leading up to Monte Cassino would inflict a heavy price for every bloody, hard fought mile the Allied troops covered.

    Chronicling those dark, dramatic months in unflinching and insightful detail, The Savage Storm is unlike any campaign history yet written. James Holland has always recounted the Second World War at ground level, but this version telling brings the story vividly to life like never before. Weaving together a wealth of letters, diaries, and other incredible documents, Holland traces the battles as they were fought – across plains, over mountains, through shattered villages and cities, in intense heat and, towards the end, frigid cold and relentless rain – putting readers at the heart of the action to create an entirely fresh and revealing telling of this most pivotal phase of the war.
    _____________________

    Praise for James Holland

    ‘Impeccably researched and superbly written’ Observer
    ‘Holland has something new to say…. Filled with insight and detail’ Neil Oliver
    ‘James Holland is the best of the new generation of WW2 historians’ Sebastian Faulks

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    £9.50£23.80
  • Mosquito: The RAF’s Legendary Wooden Wonder and its Most Extraordinary Mission

    08

    ‘White writes narrative history like a novelist’ Navy News
    ‘A story of skill, courage and imagination’ The Spectator
    ‘Rowland White has crafted yet another brilliant account of aerial warfare’ John Nicol
    _________________________________

    Built of lightweight wood, powered by two growling Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, impossibly aerodynamic, headspinningly fast and armed to the teeth, the de Havilland Mosquito was the war-winning wonder that should never have existed: the aircraft the RAF didn’t think it wanted then couldn’t do without.

    Flying on operations barely eighteen months after a single prototype was ordered off the drawing board, it was the answer to its pilots’ prayers: a stunningly versatile warplane capable of leaving the Luftwaffe in its wake to attack when and where the enemy was least expecting it.

    Excelling as a spyplane, night-fighter and pathfinder for Bomber Command’s heavies the Mossie’s reputation was cemented by a series of daredevil bombing raids across occupied Europe, including on Berlin itself, where only surprise, speed and precision could ensure success.

    So when Churchill’s top secret Special Operations Executive needed to destroy the Gestapo HQ in the centre of downtown Copenhagen to prevent a devastating Nazi last stand that might prolong the war for many months, there was only one machine for the job – the Mosquito.

    This is the story of that legendary aircraft told through that one impossible mission.

    Like Rowland White’s previous books, Mosquito is an unputdownable mix of utterly compelling storytelling, incredible human stories and fascinating technological detail, which sheds never-before-told light on a pivotal mission that helped bring the war to its bloody and brutal close.

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    £8.50
  • Black England: A Forgotten Georgian History

    04

    ‘The classic book on Black people in Georgian London’ DAVID OLUSOGA

    ‘Deeply researched, lucidly written and utterly fascinating . . . If you ever thought Black British history started with Windrush, read this book’ GREG JENNER

    Georgian England had a large and distinctive Black community. There were special churches, Black-only balls, many became famous and respected. But all, whether prosperous citizens or newly freed slaves, lived under the constant threat of kidnap and sale to plantations. Black England tells their stories, bringing their triumphs and tortures to vivid life, revealing a dramatic forgotten chapter of our shared past.

    ‘Black England taught me more history than I ever learned at school. Gretchen Gerzina tells it as it was, so we know how it is . . . a book that will be relevant for ever’ BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

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    £0.90
  • The Irish Civil War: Law, Execution and Atrocity

    03

    During the Irish Civil War eighty-three executions were carried out by the National Army of the emerging Free State government, including four prisoners not tried or convicted of any charge. After the war the trial records were destroyed and the execution policy became a bitter memory that was rarely discussed. In this groundbreaking work, Seán Enright examines how a climate emerged in which prisoners could be tried by rudimentary military courts and then executed, and how so many other prisoners were killed without any trial at all.

    The government of the emerging state relied on the National Army to fight the war and implement policy, but the National Army was new and lacked discipline. More than 125 further prisoners were killed in the custody of the state; shot at the point of capture or killed in custody. ‘Shot while trying to escape’ became an all too familiar press release. Seventeen prisoners were killed in the Kerry landmine massacres alone.

    In the struggle to survive, the new state turned a blind eye and the rule of law simply unravelled. Featuring new material from the Irish Military Archives, The Irish Civil War: Law, Execution and Atrocity examines the dark legacy of this chaotic and bitter conflict.

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    £10.90£12.30
  • MID-VICTORIAN BRITAIN 1851-75

    03
    One of the most approachable and useful books on the period.

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    £14.20
  • The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London

    03

    The nineteenth century was a time of unprecedented transformation, and nowhere was this more apparent than on the streets of London. In only a few decades, London grew from a Regency town to the biggest city the world had ever seen, with more than 6.5 million people and railways, street-lighting and new buildings at every turn.

    Charles Dickens obsessively walked London’s streets, recording its pleasures, curiosities and cruelties. Now, Judith Flanders follows in his footsteps, leading us through the markets, transport systems, sewers, slums, cemeteries, gin palaces and entertainment emporia of Dickens’ London. The Victorian City is a revelatory portrait of everyday life on the streets, bringing to life the Victorian capital in all its variety, vibrancy, and squalor. No one who reads it will view London in the same light again.

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    £12.60£14.20
  • The British Transport Commission Group: Former Thomas Tilling Companies in the 1960s

    03
    This fascinating and informative book looks at the Tilling Group of bus companies during the 1960s. These operated approximately half of the inter-urban and rural bus services in England and Wales, and were nationalised by Clement Attlee’s Labour Government in 1948 under the control of the British Transport Commission. Ownership passed to the Transport Holding Company Ltd in 1963, though the fleets remained under Tilling Group control. During the period covered by this book, the operators within the group had very standardised fleets, with the vast majority of their buses and coaches having Bristol chassis and Eastern Coachworks (ECW) bodywork. This was a result of these manufacturers also having been nationalised and controlled by the BTC and THC. However, some Tilling Group operators still had earlier vehicles with, for instance, AEC or Leyland chassis, which were acquired prior to the requirement for them to buy only Bristol products, whilst some also had coaches with Bedford or Ford Thames chassis built in the 1950s and 1960s. Unlike the BET fleets throughout England and Wales, most Tilling fleets also had highly standardised liveries, either of red with cream relief, or green with cream relief for their stage carriage buses, or the reverse of this for their coaches. There were some exceptions, though. The most obvious ones were Midland General and Notts & Derby, whose livery was an attractive dark blue and cream; as well as the Royal Blue coaches of Southern and Western National and the maroon and cream coaches of Thames Valley subsidiary South Midland. All Tilling Group companies became part of the National Bus Company in early 1969, and before long their traditional liveries became just a memory when the NBC imposed standard red or green liveries. Throughout most of the 1960s, Jim Blake travelled to these operators and photographed their vehicles, and spent many summer Saturdays at London’s Victoria Coach Station, where their service buses as well as express coaches could be seen. He was fortunate to capture much of this changing transport scene on film, and presents some of these photographs in this volume. Many have never been published before.

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    £11.70£23.80
  • The Second World War, Volume 1: The Gathering Storm

    03
    Winston Churchill’s six-volume history of the Second World War.

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    £16.60£18.00
  • The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary

    03

    ‘A dream! I learnt something new and fascinating on every page’ Lucy Mangan

    ‘If you love words, the weird and the wild, I guarantee you’ll crouch over this book like a dragon over gold’ Meg Clothier

    ‘Endlessly fascinating’ – the Spectator

    Many of the animals we encounter in everyday life, from the creatures in our fields to those in our fantasies, have remained the same since medieval times – but the words we use, and the ways we describe them, have often changed beyond recognition…

    Old English was spoken over a thousand years ago, when every animal was a deor. In this glittering Old English bestiary we find deors big and small, the ordinary and the extraordinary, the good, the bad and the downright baffling. From walker-weavers (spiders) and grey-cloaked ones (eagles) to moon-heads and teeth-tyrants (historians still don’t know!), we discover a world both familiar and strange: where ants could be monsters and panthers could be your friend, where dog-headed men were as real as elephants and where whales were as sneaky as wolves.

    From the author of The Wordhord comes another delightful dive into the realm of Old English – words and creatures that will change the way you see the world.

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    £12.30£15.20
  • Victorian Farm

    08
    No electricity, no gas, no flushing toilet … and no tractor! Could you survive a year on a Victorian farm? In this fascinating time-travelling experiment Lion Television, with the BBC, follow a team of historians who will spend a year recreating farm life in 1885. Accompanying the series, this book follows the team as they try to run a farm using only materials and resources that would have been available to them in the Victorian era.

    This was a crucial period in the history of Britain – rapid industrialization had radically changed life in the cites but rural communities used a mixture of centuries-old and pioneering modern practices. Packed with informative text and photographs from the farm year, this book reveals exactly what the Victorians, ate, wore, how they managed their animals, farmed the land and organised their lives. In-depth features describe revolutionary advances in more detail, including new inventions, new breeding methods and advances in agricultural science. Practical projects allow you to join the historians in rediscovering Victorian crafts, cookery and homecare.

    Providing a real insight into life on a Victorian farm, this series is also a fascinating reminder of how history comes full circle. The organic diet of 1885, use of natural products for cleaning and healthcare and interests in crafts and gardening are of increasing relevance today as we look for a more responsible way of living over 120 years later.

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    £3.60
  • The Ritz London: The Cookbook

    08

    AS SEEN ON TV

    As featured on ITV’s ‘Inside the Ritz’ series

    ‘When you look at the dishes in this book, the photographs – it’s beyond beautiful. You wouldn’t need to cook a thing. You could just flick through these pages – it is a proper feast for the eyes.’ ­- Graham Norton

    ‘As sumptuous as Williams’s exquisite cooking, this is a magnificent volume. And a fitting tribute to one of the world’s great restaurants. The recipes aren’t simple but this is one of those books to immerse yourself in. Five-star brilliance.’ – Tom Parker Bowles, Mail on Sunday

    ‘Less a classic cookbook than a contemporary guide to gracious living… Subdividing its contents into four seasons, each is introed with a classic cocktail, and there are contributions from The Ritz’s stellar staff. But really this is Williams’s show, a masterclass in munificence…’ – British GQ

    ‘A real tour de force … Definitely the stand-out recipe book of the year for me.’ – The Caterer

    ‘John Williams’s food at the Piccadilly institution is revered. Now it has brought out the cookbook so you can recreate the magic at home.’ – ES Magazine

    ‘Part technical recipe book, part memoir. There are Williams’s memories of growing up in South Shields, the son of a trawlerman, who accompanied his mother on shopping trips to the butcher and developed a precocious taste for tripe and Jersey Royals. As for the recipes, certain classics are within the range of the dinner-party cook (salt-baked celeriac, for instance, or venison Wellington).’ – Telegraph

    ‘A work of art, full of recipes exactly as they are made in the Ritz kitchen, beautifully photographed by John Carey. Marvel at the sheer amount of work and skill that goes into each dish, the processes and the perfectionism – and maybe start with the recipe for scones on page 112.’ – hot-dinners.com

    ‘… As an exemplar of classic and timeless dishes, it is an invaluable book that lets the reader peer behind the screen of one of the capital’s most enduring institutions. For Williams’ anecdote on the eating habits of the late Margaret Thatcher, it is worth the cover price alone.’ – Big Hospitality

    ‘Distinctive cookbook… This upscale offering is wholly in keeping with its subject: elegant, carefully studied, and more aspirational than practical.’ – Publishers Weekly

    The Ritz: The Quintessential Cookbook is the first book to celebrate recipes of the dishes served today, at lunch and at dinner. The book features 100 delicious recipes, such as Roast scallops bergamot & avocado, Saddle of lamb belle époque and Grand Marnier Soufflé, and is divided into the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

    The recipes reflect the glorious opulence and celebratory ambience of The Ritz; seasonal dishes of fish, shellfish, meat, poultry and game. Desserts include pastries, mousses, ice creams and spectacular, perfectly-risen soufflés. There are recipes that are simple and others for the more ambitious cook, plus helpful tips to guide you at home.

    Along the way, John Williams shares his culinary philosophy and expertise. For any cook who has wondered how they do it at The Ritz, this book will provide the answers. There will be plenty of entertaining tales about the hotel and unique glimpses of London’s finest kitchen beneath ground.

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    £28.50£38.00
  • Mosquito: The RAF’s Legendary Wooden Wonder and its Most Extraordinary Mission

    08

    ‘No dry history, Mosquito reads like a thriller… this outstanding book is hard to put down… Unreservedly recommended’ Aviation Historian

    ‘White immerses the reader in the action from the first page. A must read choice for total aviation people everywhere’ Flight International

    ‘A captivating history… Rowland White uses the history of these operations to weave stories of courage and fortitude into the story of a great machine’ Daily Telegraph
    _________________________________

    Built of lightweight wood, powered by two growling Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, impossibly aerodynamic, headspinningly fast and armed to the teeth, the de Havilland Mosquito was the war-winning wonder that should never have existed: the aircraft the RAF didn’t think it wanted then couldn’t do without.

    Flying on operations barely eighteen months after a single prototype was ordered off the drawing board, it was the answer to its pilots’ prayers: a stunningly versatile warplane capable of leaving the Luftwaffe in its wake to attack when and where the enemy was least expecting it.

    Excelling as a spyplane, night-fighter and pathfinder for Bomber Command’s heavies the Mossie’s reputation was cemented by a series of daredevil bombing raids across occupied Europe, including on Berlin itself, where only surprise, speed and precision could ensure success.

    So when Churchill’s top secret Special Operations Executive needed to destroy the Gestapo HQ in the centre of downtown Copenhagen to prevent a devastating Nazi last stand that might prolong the war for many months, there was only one machine for the job – the Mosquito.

    This is the story of that legendary aircraft told through that one impossible mission.

    Like Rowland White’s previous books, Mosquito is an unputdownable mix of utterly compelling storytelling, incredible human stories and fascinating technological detail, which sheds never-before-told light on a pivotal mission that helped bring the war to its bloody and brutal close.
    _________________________________

    Praise for Mosquito

    ‘Wonderful detail, intricate research and most importantly, powerful & moving human testimony, ensure the reader is gripped from the first page to the last by this incredible story’ John Nichol

    ‘Stunning… This is history as it should be written: adrenaline-charged, exciting, impeccably and painstakingly researched with a cast of vividly-drawn characters. Riding through it is among the greatest, most extraordinarily brilliant aircraft of them all: the Mosquito. One of the most gripping works of history I’ve ever read’ James Holland

    ‘Weaving together the story of its evolution with vivid accounts of the crews that flew it and the Special Operations Executive on the ground, Mosquito is both a tribute to the finest aircraft Britain produced during the war and a page-turning thriller about its use as the world’s first precision aerial weapon’ Tom Petch, author of Speed Aggression Surprise: The Secret Origins of the SAS

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    £9.50£19.00
  • The Very British Problems Quiz Book

    08

    What does ‘custard and jelly’ mean in cockney rhyming slang?

    Which biscuit has half of its name on top of the cooker and the other half on the door?

    And 25 million of what drink are served by British Airways each year?

    We Brits can’t get enough of a quiz. Stumped for office party chit-chat? Quiz. Midweek visit to the pub? Quiz. Stuck inside in pyjamas on a rainy night and in the mood to cause a big family argument? You got it – quiz.

    This book is correspondingly filled with questions on all things wonderfully and unequivocally British – you’ll find all sorts of tickly teasers, complex conundrums, worrisome word searches and much more on topics ranging from our iconic weather to types of cake. Best enjoyed with a cup of tea and your favourite biscuit(s).

    ***

    ANSWERS: Telly, Hobnob, buy the book and find out!

    ***

    Praise for Very British Problems

    ‘Had us guffawing into our Earl Grey tea’ Bella
    ‘My favourite twitter account at the moment is Very British Problems (@soverybritish) . . . it makes me laugh out loud’ Tom Hiddleston
    ‘Hilarious’ Daily Express
    ‘Temple pays affectionate and comic homage to the sheer quirkiness of being British’ Good Book Guide

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    £8.70£9.50
  • Philip Larkin: Collected Poems

    08

    Since its publication in 1988, Philip Larkin’s Collected Poems has become essential reading on any poetry bookshelf. This new edition returns to Larkin’s own deliberate ordering of his poems, presenting, in their original sequence, his four published books: The North Ship, The Less Deceived, The Whitsun Weddings and High Windows. It also includes an appendix of poems that Larkin published in other places, from his juvenilia to his final years – some of which might have appeared in a late book, if he had lived.

    Preserving everything that he published in his lifetime, this new Collected Poems returns the reader to the book Larkin might have intended: it is, for the first time, Larkin’s ‘own’ collected poems.

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    £11.30£14.20
  • The Times Second World War: The history of the global conflict from 1939 to 1945

    08

    The perfect gift for history fans.

    Follow the conflict of World War 2 from 1939 to 1945 through a unique collection of historical maps, expert commentary and photographs. Published in association and including material from the archives of the Imperial War Museum, London.

    Over 200 photographs and maps from the archives of The Imperial War Museum tell the story of how this global war was fought.

    Descriptions of key historical events accompany the illustrations, giving a fascinating history of the war from an expert historian.

    Key topics covered include
    • 1939: Invasion of Poland
    • 1940: German invasion of Low Countries & France
    • 1940: Battle of Britain & German invasion threat
    • Dec 1941: Pearl Harbor
    • 1942: Turning points: Midway, Alamein, Stalingrad
    • 1941-45: Barbarossa and the Eastern Front
    • The War at Sea
    • The advances to Jerusalem, Damascus and Baghdad
    • The War in the Air
    • 1944: Neptune & Overlord; D-Day & liberation of France

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    £19.00£23.80
  • The Palace Papers: The Sunday Times bestseller

    08

    WITH AN EXCLUSIVE NEW CHAPTER FOR THE PAPERBACK EDITION

    The Amazon No.1 Bestseller
    The Sunday Times Bestseller

    THE ROYAL BOOK OF THE YEAR
    _________________________________

    ‘Eye-poppingly revealing. . . impeccable sources, historical heft and canny insights served up with a zingy wit. There are many royal biographers, but few as good as this. She turns gossip into the first draft of history.’ TELEGRAPH

    From the Queen’s stoic resolve to the crisis of Meghan and Harry. From the ascendance of Camilla and Kate to the downfall of Andrew. Full of remarkable inside access, The Palace Papers by Sunday Times bestselling author Tina Brown will change how you understand the Royal Family.

    ‘Clever, well-informed and disgustingly entertaining’ THE TIMES

    ‘There are royal books, and there are royal books. But The Palace Papers is in a genre of its own’ RADIO TIMES

    ‘Jaw dropping! What a book . . . if you ever want to feel like a fly on the wall of any of the palaces, this is it.’
    LORRAINE KELLY

    ‘Brown’s prose has the swoosh of an enjoyably OTT ballgown’ FINANCIAL TIMES

    ‘The world’s sharpish and best-informed royal expert’ PIERS MORGAN

    ‘Riveting and rigorous’ PANDORA SYKES

    ‘A witty, rip-roaring read . . . full off perceptive and witty observations’ i Newspaper

    ‘A rollicking ride through recent royal family history . . . Tina Brown’s sparkling prose and eye for detail enliven an entertaining exposé’ OBSERVER

    ‘The most explosive royal book of the year’ THE SUN

    ‘Gloriously irreverent, racily written and often very funny. The early chapters on the long affair between Prince Charles and Camilla read like a non-fiction version of Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles’ NEW STATESMAN

    ‘A motherlode of delectable gossip . . . Brown has produced a work both scholarly and scandalous that makes us think about what the post-Elizabethan world may bring, alternately amusing and horrifying us along the way . . . vivid and richly-embroidered’ INDEPENDENT

    ‘The devil is in the delicious detail . . . Brown tackles her subjects with the same brio she brought to her years as a highly regarded magazine editor . . . Her access to those who flit around the royals gives her writing an edgy authenticity’ DAILY MAIL

    ‘Brown thrashes her way through absolutely everything that has happened to the family since the end of the last book in 1997 . . . Charles and Camilla are vividly brought to life in a series of well-researched stories and anecdotes’ SUNDAY TIMES

    ‘The Palace Papers is a sharp-nibbed observation of a generation of tumult for the House of Windsor, bookended by the deaths of Princess Diana and Prince Philip. It’s a story about media as much as monarchy, and it draws from almost every chapter in Brown’s career in journalism’ FINANCIAL TIMES

    ‘It’s hard to look away as Tina Brown delves into decades’ worth of royal scandals’ GUARDIAN

    ‘Utter brilliance . . . a rip-roaring read’ SCOTSMAN

    ‘A brilliant book. Tina Brown has inside knowledge and writes so well’ LADY ANNE GLENCONNER (author of Lady in Waiting)

    _________________________________

    ‘Never again’, became Queen Elizabeth II’s mantra shortly after Diana’s death. More specifically, there could never be ‘another Diana’ – a member of the family whose global popularity upstaged, outshone, and posed an existential threat to the British monarchy. Picking up where The Diana Chronicles left off, The Palace Papers reveals how the royal family reinvented itself after the traumatic years when Diana’s blazing celebrity ripped through the House of Windsor like a comet.

    Tina Brown takes readers on a tour de force journey that shows the Queen’s stoic resolve as she coped with the passing of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother and her partner for seven decades, Prince Philip, and triumphed in her Jubilee years even as the family dramas raged around her. She explores Prince Charles’s determination to make Camilla his queen, the tension between William and Harry who are on ‘different paths’, the ascendance Kate Middleton, the disturbing allegations surrounding Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein, and Harry and Meghan’s stunning decision to ‘step back’ as senior royals. Despite the fragile monarchy’s best efforts, ‘never again’ seems fast approaching.

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    £5.70£10.40
  • The Sale of the Late King’s Goods: Charles I and his Art Collection

    08

    `So wonderful and glorious a collection, that the like will never again be met with.’ This is how one awed and wistful observer described King Charles’ artworks. As an acquirer of paintings by Europe’s great masters and patron of Rubens and Van Dyck, Charles’s extravagance in amassing his collection only exacerbated the parliamentary disapproval that led to civil war and the King’s own execution. After his death, one of the Commonwealth’s first decrees was to sell off his treasures to raise money for the new regime. After the Restoration, one of Charles II’s first resolutions was to get the collection back.

    Jerry Brotton tells the remarkable story of the king and his pictures: their acquisition, dispersal and eventual recovery. He reveals a world in which diplomats doubled as art dealers, and in which the king’s plumber could be temporary owner of Bassano’s The Flood. This is a vivid portrait of a tragic king and his decadent court, set against the backdrop of political conflict and civil war, which also offers a new and compelling perspective on art and the evolution of collecting in England.

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    £3.20
  • A Short History of England: Simon Jenkins

    08

    From the invaders of the dark ages to the aftermath of the coalition, one of Britain’s most respected journalists, Simon Jenkins, weaves together a strong narrative with all the most important and interesting dates in a book that characteristically is as stylish as it is authoritative.

    A Short History of England sheds light on all the key individuals and events, bringing them together in an enlightening and engaging account of the country’s birth, rise to global prominence and then partial eclipse.There have been long synoptic histories of England but until now there has been no standard short work covering all significant events, themes and individuals.

    Now updated to take in the rapid progress of recent events and beautifully illustrated, this magisterial history will be the standard work for years to come.

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    £4.70£9.50
  • The Finest Road in the World: The Story of Travel and Transport in the Scottish Highlands

    04

    Trains and stagecoaches stuck in the snow, wild storms driving sailing ships off course, traffic pile-ups on so-called ‘killer’ highways – stories abound about the horrors of travel in the Highlands and Islands, and have done for as far as the records go back.

    James Miller tells the dramatic and sometimes surprisingly humorous story of travel and transport in the Highlands. Some of the figures in the story are familiar – General George Wade, Thomas Telford and Joseph Mitchell among them – but there are a host of others too, including the intrepid Lady Sarah Murray, who offered sound advice for travellers (‘Provide yourself with a strong roomy carriage, and have the springs well corded’).

    This thought-provoking book will appeal to all who like stories of travel and transport, and are interested in how changing modes of transport have affected the ways of life in the Highlands and remain crucial to the modern life and the future of the region.

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    £2.90
  • Return to Isle of Man Transport: Manx Electric, Snaefell & the Buses and Trams of Douglas Corporation

    04
    This is the second book by Martin Jenkins and Charles Roberts, about transport in the Isle of Man. The first volume covered the railway network, where as this new volume covers all other forms, road, rail, sea and air operations. The book is illustrated, using previously unpublished rare early colour pictures, from the Online Transport Archive, which holds over a million transport images. Both the authors have managed to collect together some truly interesting and often stunning pictures, from a period when colour coverage of transport subjects was almost non existent.

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    £8.80£23.80
  • The English Civil War in 100 Facts

    02
    The English Civil War pitted Parliament against the Crown following a breakdown in their relationship, ultimately caused by a struggle over power, religion and control. The Civil War split the country and resulted in the execution of Charles I and the exile of his son, and the English monarchy was replaced first by the Commonwealth of England and then the Protectorate. Oliver Cromwell dominated the politics of the new rule and still divides opinion today, with some seeing him as a brutal dictator and others seeing him as a hero of liberty. The English Civil War in 100 Facts examines the twenty years of intermittent warfare, covering the first, second and third wars, from the initial conflict with Charles I to the fight of Charles II’s supporters with the Rump Parliament. Dr Andrew Lacey guides us through some of the key figures and their stories as well as some of the key battles and politics in this period that drastically altered the structure of English rule.

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    £7.10£8.50
  • Crime and Punishment in Victorian London: A Street-Level View of London’s Underworld: A Street-Level View of the City’s Underworld

    02
    ‘Crime loomed large in the minds of Victorian Londoners. All over the city, watches, purses and handkerchiefs disappear from pockets, goods migrate from warehouses, off docks and out of shop windows. Burglaries are rife, shoplifting is carried on in West End stores and people fall victim to all kinds of ingenious swindles. ‘Pornographers proliferate and an estimated 80,000 prostitutes operate on London’s streets. The vulnerable are robbed in dark alleys or garroted, a new kind of mugging in which the victim is half-strangled from behind while being stripped of his possessions…’ Discover Victorian London’s grimy rookeries, home to thousands of the city’s poorest and most desperate residents. Explore the crime-ridden slums, flash houses and gin palaces from a unique street-level view and meet the people who inhabited them. Ross Gilfillan uncovers London’s lost criminal past in this fascinating account of nineteenth century low-life. Come face to face with pickpockets snatching pocket watches; pornographers peddling guides to lewd London; swindlers deluding the unwary and murderers whose deeds made the headlines and shocked their readers; right through to the consequences of their crimes – prison, transportation, or the gallows!

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    £10.10£12.30
  • United Counties Buses: A Fleet History, 1921-2014

    02
    United Counties Buses – A Fleet History begins by taking a brief look at the expansion of the United Counties Omnibus Company since its formation in September 1921 through to its demise in October 2014. The company acquired over fifty independent operators between 1922 and 1938 giving the company prominence in Northamptonshire and surrounding areas. May 1952 saw the fleet double in size with the acquisition of the Midland area of the Eastern National Omnibus Company, encompassing Bedfordshire, north Buckinghamshire and north Hertfordshire. The National Bus Company split United Counties into three operating companies in 1986, United Counties, Luton & District and MK Citybus, halving the size of the fleet. After being acquired by the Stagecoach Group in 1987, the company was largely left untouched. The main focus of the book looks at the vehicles operated by the company, covering the numerous types operated by United Counties themselves. The various liveries, both fleet and advertising liveries are also listed with in the book.

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    £14.20£28.50
  • Civil War: The History of England Volume III (The History of England, 3)

    07

    In Civil War, Peter Ackroyd continues his dazzling account of England’s history, beginning with the progress south of the Scottish king, James VI, who on the death of Elizabeth I became the first Stuart king of England, and ends with the deposition and flight into exile of his grandson, James II.

    The Stuart dynasty brought together the two nations of England and Scotland into one realm, albeit a realm still marked by political divisions that echo to this day. More importantly, perhaps, the Stuart era was marked by the cruel depredations of civil war, and the killing of a king.

    Ackroyd paints a vivid portrait of James I and his heirs. Shrewd and opinionated, the new King was eloquent on matters as diverse as theology, witchcraft and the abuses of tobacco, but his attitude to the English parliament sowed the seeds of the division that would split the country in the reign of his hapless heir, Charles I. Ackroyd offers a brilliant – warts and all – portrayal of Charles’s nemesis Oliver Cromwell, Parliament’s great military leader and England’s only dictator, who began his career as a political liberator but ended it as much of a despot as ‘that man of blood’, the king he executed.

    England’s turbulent seventeenth century is vividly laid out before us, but so too is the cultural and social life of the period, notable for its extraordinarily rich literature, including Shakespeare’s late masterpieces, Jacobean tragedy, the poetry of John Donne and Milton and Thomas Hobbes’ great philosophical treatise, Leviathan. Civil War also gives us a very real sense of the lives of ordinary English men and women, lived out against a backdrop of constant disruption and uncertainty.

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    £13.60£16.10
  • The Northern Rugby Football Union. The Birth of Rugby League. 1895 to 1922: The Birth of Rugby League 1895-1922

    05
    On Thursday 29th August 1895, 21 of the leading rugby union clubs of Lancashire and Yorkshire met at the George Hotel in Huddersfield to discuss their long running disagreement with the rugby football union. Little did they know what was to follow. The clubs decided that they had suffered enough of the control of the southern gentry and formed their own northern rugby football union and split from the rugby football union. It was the beginning of a dispute that would continue for almost a hundred years. The new northern union thrived, and many clubs soon joined, however, with little coherent strategy or assistance from the union, many folded within a few years. The stronger clubs and the union itself survived those initial chaotic times and continued to create the structure and competitions that have evolved to create the game of rugby league football we know today. This new book illustrates the birth of the northern union in 1895 to the 1922 name change to the rugby league with hundreds of rare images of the early teams and individuals who had the courage to take that enormous leap in the dark.

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    £12.20£14.20
  • Scottish History For Dummies

    08
    Explore the fascinating history of Scotland in an easy-to-read guide Want to discover how a small country on the edge of Northern Europe packs an almighty historical punch? Scottish History For Dummies is your guide to the story of Scotland and its place within the historical narratives of Britain, Europe and the rest of the world. You’ll find out how Scotland rose from the ashes to forge its own destiny, understand the impact of Scottish historical figures such as William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and David Hume and be introduced to the wonderful world of Celtic religion, architecture and monuments. History can help us make connections with people and events, and it gives us an understanding of why the world is like it is today. Scottish History For Dummies pulls back the curtain on how the story of Scotland has shaped the world far beyond its borders. From its turbulent past to the present day, this informative guide sheds a new and timely light on the story of Scotland and its people. Dig into a wealth of fascinating facts on the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages Get to know how Scotland was built into an industrial economy by inventors, explorers and missionaries Discover the impact of the world wars on Scotland and how the country has responded to challenges created by them Find up-to-the-minute information on Scotland’s referendum on independence If you’re a lifelong learner looking for a fun, factual exploration of the grand scope of Scotland or a traveler wanting to make the most of your trip to this captivating country, Scottish History For Dummies has you covered.

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    £15.60£18.00
  • Great Hatred: The Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP

    08

    THE IRISH TOP 10 BESTSELLER

    A gripping investigation into one of Irish history’s greatest mysteries, Great Hatred reveals the true story behind one of the most significant political assassinations to ever have been committed on British soil.

    ‘Heart-stopping . . . The book is both forensic and a page-turner, and ultimately deeply tragic, for Ireland as much as for the murder victim.’
    MICHAEL PORTILLO

    ‘Gripping from start to finish. McGreevy turns a forensic mind to a political assassination that changed the course of history, uncovering a trove of unseen evidence in the process.’
    ANITA ANAND, author of The Patient Assassin

    ‘Invaluable.’ IRISH TIMES

    ‘Intelligent and insightful.’ IRISH INDEPENDENT

    On 22 June 1922, Sir Henry Wilson – the former head of the British army and one of those credited with winning the First World War – was shot and killed by two veterans of that war turned IRA members in what was the most significant political murder to have taken place on British soil for more than a century. His assassins were well-educated and pious men. One had lost a leg during the Battle of Passchendaele. Shocking British society to the core, the shooting caused consternation in the government and almost restarted the conflict between Britain and Ireland that had ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty just five months earlier. Wilson’s assassination triggered the Irish Civil War, which cast the darkest of shadows over the new Irish State.

    Who ordered the killing? Why did two English-born Irish nationalists kill an Irish-born British imperialist? What was Wilson’s role in the Northern Ireland government and the violence which matched the intensity of the Troubles fifty years later? Why would Michael Collins, who risked his life to sign a peace treaty with Great Britain, want one of its most famous soldiers dead, and how did the Wilson assassination lead to Collins’ tragic death in an ambush two months later?

    Drawing upon newly released archival material and never-before-seen documentation, Great Hatred is a revelatory work that sheds light on a moment that changed the course of Irish and British history for ever.

    ‘McGreevy provides more than the anatomy of a political murder; in reconstructing this era of blood, poverty and wartime trauma, he also gives full expression to the terrible forces that WB Yeats once called the “fanatic heart” and the “great hatred”.’
    THE TIMES

    ‘Thoughtful and well-researched . . . an important and valuable addition to the library of the Irish Revolution.’
    PROFESSOR DIARMAID FERRITER, University College Dublin

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    £7.30£10.40
  • Blackpool at War: A History of the Fylde Coast During the Second World War

    08
    Although it escaped bombing raids, Blackpool played an important role in World War Ii as a center for training, with numerous airfields and factories surrounding the area. This book is the first to offer a dedicated history of the town during this period. It includes interesting stories such as the people’s playground, the Freckleton Air Disaster, and an eventbyevent account of activities. Despite being less affected than some other areas, the difficult war years still impacted the local people. Filled with true tales of local courage and of the spirit of the people of Blackpool during these tumultuous years, this nostalgic volume will be of interest to all who know and love Blackpool.

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    £9.70£14.20
  • Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan

    08

    Afghanistan was an unwinnable war. As British and American troops withdraw, discover this definitive account that explains why.

    It could have been a very different story. British forces could have successfully withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2002, having done the job they set out to do: to defeat al-Qaeda. Instead, in the years that followed, Britain paid a devastating price for their presence in Helmand province.

    So why did Britain enter, and remain, in an ill-fated war? Why did it fail so dramatically, and was this expedition doomed from the beginning? Drawing on unprecedented access to military reports, government documents and senior individuals, Professor Theo Farrell provides an extraordinary work of scholarship. He explains the origins of the war, details the campaigns over the subsequent years, and examines the West’s failure to understand the dynamics of local conflict and learn the lessons of history that ultimately led to devastating costs and repercussions still relevant today.

    ‘The best book so far on Britain’s…war in Afghanistan’ International Affairs

    ‘Masterful, irrefutable… Farrell records all these military encounters with the irresistible pace of a novelist’ Sunday Times

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    £9.60£10.40
  • The Big Book of History Crosswords: 51 Themed Crossword Puzzles and Fun Facts for History Lovers

    08

    Think you know your history? This bumper collection of 51 fun, fiendish crossword puzzles will challenge your knowledge of everything from Ancient Rome to the Arab Spring, from the Aztecs to the internet, from the Stone Age to the Jazz Age, and from Timbuktu to outer space.

    Spanning centuries and ranging across continents, each crossword has something for everyone – whether you’re a keen quizzer, fancy yourself as a history expert, or are just fascinated by our shared past. Test yourself on historic battles, ancient cultures, earth-shaking revolutions and amazing inventions; play against the clock, or just against yourself. Open up a whole world of historical discovery. Let’s get puzzling!

      • Absorbing puzzles on a large 17×17 grid

      • A wide variety of questions across 14 history themes

      • Over 860 quiz-style clues

      • Clues and crossword grid are conveniently on the same page for each puzzle

      • Solutions provided at the back of the book

      • Fun facts every 2 puzzles to teach you something interesting you didn’t know before!

      • The perfect gift for adult history fans

      • All puzzles are in British English

      Get 19 FREE bonus crosswords with this book! As a thank you for purchasing this book, we are giving away 19 FREE crosswords in a printable format for you test your history knowledge on hundreds more clues. The download link is provided in the book.

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      £6.60
    • The Opium Wars: A History From Beginning to End (History of China)

      08

      Discover the remarkable history of the Opium Wars…

      Free BONUS Inside!

      Violent confrontation between armed groups over the supply of illegal narcotics is something we commonly associate with criminal gangs in modern cities, but in the mid-nineteenth century Great Britain went to war with Imperial China in order to continue to supply Chinese addicts with opium. The two wars which followed have become known as the Opium Wars, and they led to the utter defeat of China, the establishment of a British colony in Hong Kong, and the continuation of a narcotics trade that was worth millions of pounds each year to the British.

      The Opium Wars exposed the weaknesses of the Chinese Qing dynasty in terms of its military abilities and internal corruption. They also exposed divisions in Victorian Britain where people were beginning to question the morality of going to war to support an illegal narcotics trade which caused misery and death for millions of Chinese. In the end, the British were able to overcome their reservations and prosecuted these two wars with great success. British casualties were small and the gains enormous—the British opium trade to China would continue for more than fifty years after the end of the Second Opium War.

      For the Chinese Qing dynasty, the Opium Wars marked the beginning of the end. Imperial China had endured for two thousand years, but within fifty years of the humiliations of the Opium Wars, a revolution overthrew the imperial court and turned China into a republic. Although they are little remembered today, the Opium Wars changed the face not just of China but also of the whole of Asia. This is the story of those wars.

      Discover a plethora of topics such as

      • The Joy Plant
      • Outbreak of the First Opium War
      • British Superiority and the Devil Ship
      • The Treaty of Nanking: First of the Unequal Treaties
      • The Inevitable Second Opium War
      • The Fall of Beijing
      • And much more!

      So if you want a concise and informative book on the Opium Wars, simply scroll up and click the “Buy now” button for instant access!

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      £1.90
    • Kings Queens Bones & Bastards: Who’s Who in the English Monarchy from Egbert to Elizabeth II

      08
      Who invented the ‘House of Windsor’ as a royal name? Who founded Westminster Abbey? Which king had twenty-one illegitimate children? This book describes the most memorable features of the life and times of each king or queen – from Egbert, crowned in 802 and considered the first king of England, to Queen Elizabeth II.

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      £11.70£14.20
    • The Sea Kingdoms: The History of Celtic Britain and Ireland

      08

      A journey from Shetland to Cornwall reveals – gloriously – the nature and history of the Celts.

      ‘I have travelled south from Stornoway through all the Hebrides to Ulster, to Galloway, to the Isle of Man, southern and western Ireland. I can report that there is such a place as Celtic Britain, that it shares a common culture, an intimately related history and strikingly similar geography. The story of Celtic Britain can be found in these places.’

      The Sea Kingdoms is a narrative history based on a journey from Shetland, down the west coast of Scotland taking in the Isle of Man and the Outer Hebrides, across to Ireland, back to Anglesey and the west Welsh coast, back to Ireland again and finally Cornwall. The heart of the book is the journey from which Moffat strays into the oral histories, legends and known events of the Celts and their past. Its narrative soaked in legend and myth and sensuality, tragedy and gore. In Moffat’s masterful hands,all these apparently disparate stories, fragments of history and myth come together to give the most powerful representation yet of the race who have repeatedly changed history as we know it.

      Ranging between pre-history and the present, with much inbetween – The Sea Kingdoms tells the story of a people, stretched down 1,000 miles of coastline that has to be Britain’s richest and most ancient. It also tells the story of the sea itself, which has more than anything shaped the Celtic character.

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      £28.50

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