European history Books

19594 products


  • German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisGermany's nightfighter force was virtually non-existent at the start of the war, mainly due to Reichmashall Herman Goring's boast that bombs would never fall on Germany. By mid 1940 the folly of this statement had been revealed and the first Luftwaffe nightfighter wing was formed. Their effectiveness was greatly enhanced by the creation of a radar chain stretching from Denmark to Switzerland. By 1942 the Luftwaffe was equiped with some 389 fighters fitted with advanced airbourne radar which helped to destroy hundreds of RAF bombers. This detailed text explains the conflict and tactics flown and includes interviews with some of the leading aces. Scale drawings of the all the major nightfighters used are presented, including the Bf110, Ju88, Do 17/217 and Hs 219.Table of ContentsIntroduction/With Lights and Guns/Intruders/Electronic Eyes/Hamburg Watershed/'Wild Boar' and Jazz Musik/Last Kills/Fighter's Night/Appendices

    1 in stock

    £16.14

  • A History of Fascism, 1914-1945

    Taylor & Francis Ltd A History of Fascism, 1914-1945

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisStanely G. payne here presents a full history of fascism in interwar Europe, as well as a survey of fascist theory and postwar fascism.The author examines all major fascist movements as well as other forms of authoritarian nationalism and provides a comprehensive work on generic fascism to date. The book traces the phenomenon of fascism through the history of ideas, previous political movements, and the events of the First World War. Although the focus is principally fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, the book also gives detailed attention to the Romanian Iron Guard, Franco's Spain, Japan and proto-fascist movements around the globe.The author explores the reasons for both the limits of fascism's appeal and the historical transcendence of the "fascist era".The inclusion of other forms of authoritarian nationalism lays a foundation for comparative analysis and leads to a more workable definition of authoritarianism.It should be useful reading for students studying the rise of totalitarianism in twentieth-century Europe and for those concerned about the rise of ultranationalism today.Trade Review'Invaluable ... likely to be the definitive study of its subject for a considerable time ... a model of historical narrative, analysis and interpretation.' - The New York TimesTable of ContentsFascism - A Working Definition Part 1: History: The Cultural Transformation of the Fin de Siecle Radical and Authoritarian Nationalism in Late 19th-century Europe The Impact of World War I The Rise of Italian Fascism, 1919-29 The Growth of Nonfascist Authoritarianism in Southern and Eastern Europe, 1919-29 German National Socialism The Transformation of Italian Fascism, 1929-39 Four Major Variants of Fascism The Minor Movements Fascism outside Europe? World War II - Climax and Destruction of Fascism Part 2: Interpretation: Interpretations of Fascism Generic Fascism Fascism and Modernization Elements of a Retrodictive Theory of Fascism Epilogue - Neofascism - A Fascism in our Future?

    1 in stock

    £36.99

  • RAF Bomber Losses in the Middle East & Mediterranean Volume 1: 1939-1942

    2 in stock

    £13.49

  • Beaten Paths are Safest: From D-Day to the

    Brewin Books Beaten Paths are Safest: From D-Day to the

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisBeaten Paths are Safest - was the motto of The Reconnaissance Regiment. This book tells the story of the 61st Recce Regiment whose own official history was never completed for the period 23rd Feb 1944 to 1st October 1944. Roy Howard who compiled the book served with the Regiment through the period in question which saw 61st Recce land on "Gold Beach" on D-Day followed by continuous active service up to and including the German Ardennes offensive when the 50th Northumbrian Division, of which the Regiment was a part, disbanded. Roy's book consists of personal memoirs of events together with a considerable amount of material from The Old Comrades Association newsletter. Sadly, the author died in 1996 but the book has been completed by his son Mark, as a tribute to his father and all the members of the 61st Reconnaissance Regiment.

    1 in stock

    £12.85

  • The Friendly Invasion of Leominster: An Account

    Brewin Books The Friendly Invasion of Leominster: An Account

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis"The Friendly Invasion of Leominster" relates the activities of a number of American units based in Leominster during World War II. During its history the Herefordshire market town had been no stranger to invasions from across the Welsh border, but in 1943 it was to encounter an incursion of another type. The invasion of U.S. soldiers was a friendly one, although not all of Leominster's residents recognised it as such at the time. On the outskirts of Leominster, Barons Cross became home to the doctors and nurses of the 76th and 135th U.S. Army General Hospitals and patients from the hostilities on the Continent. In the build up to D. Day, American units occupied camps in the grounds of Berrington Hall and in the town. Some of these units, such as the 5th Ranger Battalion and the 90th Infantry Division were to play a major part in the D. Day landings. Others, such as the 7th Armored Division and the 736th Field Artillery Battalion landed after D. Day and took part in the liberation of France. This book describes each unit's time in Leominster, using eyewitness accounts and photographs, and then follows the unit across the English Channel and through Europe.

    1 in stock

    £14.61

  • At the King's Table: Royal Dining Through the

    Merrell Publishers Ltd At the King's Table: Royal Dining Through the

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisHere are the feasts that really are fit for a king - or queen. This delightful book explores the history of royal dining from the bustling kitchens of the Middle Ages to the informal dinner parties of today. Susanne Groom, a former curator at Historic Royal Palaces, considers the diets of monarchs from Richard II to Elizabeth II, revealing the exotic beasts served at medieval courts, the 48-day picnic prepared for Henry VIII and Francois I of France at the Field of Cloth of Gold, the romantic suppers made for Charles II and his mistresses, Queen Victoria's love of nursery food, and the gluttonous appetite of Edward VII. We also learn about royal table manners, the earliest cookbooks, the hiring of flamboyant chefs and the intrigues of unscrupulous kitchen staff, the ever-changing health advice given to the sovereign, and the influence of royal diet on the average family fare. Full of lively anecdotes, colourful characters, rarely seen illustrations, and menus from state banquets, weddings, coronations and jubilees, At the King's Table is a treat for all culinary fans.Trade ReviewFeatured in the Telegraph's top 10 Christmas cookbooks, 2013 - THE TELEGRAPH MAGAZINE

    1 in stock

    £22.46

  • Map-Making, Landscapes and Memory: A Geography of

    Cork University Press Map-Making, Landscapes and Memory: A Geography of

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis is the first engagement by a geographer in one book of this most formative and revolutionary period (c. 1550 - c. 1750) in Ireland's history. Using the twin concepts of 'colonialism' and 'early modernity', the book comprises a geographical analysis of the conquest and settlement of Ireland by the New English (and Scottish) and the consequences of this often violent and deep-seated intrusion upon the cultures and landscapes of pre-existing Irish societies. The book effectively isolates the emerging methodologies of the early modern British state in this process of colonial subjugation: the systematic use of surveillance techniques; the implementation of regional and island-wide mapping and inventories of strategic landscapes and resources; the development of bureaucracies and the administrative techniques of law and the market economy so as to obliterate regional expression of 'other' Gaelic or Gaelicised cultures and practices. Consequently, a wide range of documentary evidence, from the Elizabethan fiants, 16th and 17th century mss. maps, the '1641 Depositions', the Cromwellian Civil and Down Surveys, Petty's '1659 Census' to the 'State of Popery' materials of 1730s are available for mapping. The book contains over 100 original colour and black and white maps, which point up the nuanced and regionally varied character of the engagement between local peoples and incomers. The use of so many maps thus highlights many hidden Irelands, often obscured in a strictly historical/narrative format. Uniquely, the book uses Irish language (as well as English) sources to illuminate Irish ways of understanding and using territories and resources, understandings and practices which were often undermined and eroded under New English rule. Overall, the book represents a novel rendition of Ireland's experiences in this crucial early modern period from the particular perspective of a historical geographer.Trade ReviewMapping our colonial past Arnold Horner Geography Engaging with its theme along several broad fronts, this book focuses on what the author calls the forging of Ireland in the early modern era, taken as the years 1530-1750. During this period, the long-struggling English colony expanded to dominate the entire island, producing in its wake far-reaching material, social and ideological changes: "a revolutionary transformation in the nature of Irish societies and landscapes" and in the memories of Ireland's peoples. Here, particular attention is given to the regional and sub-regional expressions of those complex changes. The author, who next year celebrates three decades as professor of geography at University College Cork, applies the methods of the historical and cultural geographer. An outstanding feature is the inclusion of more than 100 maps, many of them of his own creation. Sixteen pages of colour plates allow the reproduction, in astounding clarity, of some of the most relevant manuscript maps compiled for English intelligence. The "Cotton" map of 1520s Ireland graphically illustrates just how limited was the appreciation of Ireland's geography at the court of King Henry VIII. The island appears as little more than a rectangle, with two-thirds of its space being occupied by distorted versions of the rivers Boyne, Liffey and Barrow. Except for a few family names, little is shown, because little is known, in the compressed area beyond this Pale core and its margins. A century and a half of initially tentative, but ultimately comprehensive, information-gathering transformed the map of Ireland. Land forfeitures and the subsequent plantations made detailed spatial intelligence a high priority. A succession of cartographers took down the details of a largely Gaelic, and frequently hostile, Ireland that had hitherto been hidden to English eyes. The acme of this work came with the great 1650s surveys organised by William Petty. "Ireland's greatest map-maker" put 1,000 men in the field to make the famous Down Survey of parish and barony maps across 29 counties. He was also intimately involved with the near- contemporary Civil Survey and the so-called "census" or poll-tax surveys of 1659-1660. Prof Smyth organises his work in four sections. First, he seeks to make the documents of the conquest "speak" to reveal the hidden Irelands of the 16th and 17th centuries: the territorial and social structures of Gaelic Ireland, the wooded lands that were being denuded, the lands of Munster and the north that were being "planted", and the unstable chemistry of a land where the dispossessed remained alongside the new settlers. Central to this section is the review of 1641-1654, a period of far-reaching transformation. The "1641 depositions" are appraised, and a clear account of the implementation of Petty's great surveys leads to a perspective on the changing geography of 1650s Ireland. Particular attention is given to the regional and local implications of the 1659 "census". Alongside the dominance of the new settler population over much of the north, Smyth can identify more resistant areas of much greater Old English and Gaelic continuity, notably in parts of the south and east. LATER SECTIONS ELABORATE these themes. Three regional case studies explore what Smyth calls the early anglicised county of Dublin, the hybrid, if feudalised, county of Kilkenny, and Co Tipperary, where the Gaelic north-west contrasted with the Old English-dominated south-east. A section on the territorial and social implications of the transformations follows and includes an exploration of Ireland in the early 18th century, by which time the Catholic Church was, particularly in southern parts of the island, showing a remarkable resilience. Lastly, a short and stimulating section seeks to place Ireland in the wider context of an expanding Atlantic world, highlighting parallels between the early English colonisation in North America and the settlement of Ireland. This book tackles grand themes on a grand scale. In places, readers may find the richly detailed discussion daunting. Some will find their knowledge of Irish geography sorely tested, and some may wish there had been less assertion and greater selectivity in the identification of issues and areas that the author deems to be "critical", "crucial", "significant", "important" or "key". But the scope of this study is huge. William Smyth's great achievement is to show that so much about the geography of early modern Ireland can be recovered and that so many topics can be mapped in considerable detail. His innovative countrywide maps range into such topics as the ethnic balance in populations, family name distributions, the development of territorial structures, and the balance between Mass rocks and Mass-houses for Catholic worship. These maps are an eye-opener to the embedded nature of Irish regional variations, challenging us to treat history with a respect for geography. Arnold Horner lectures in geography at University College Dublin. His introduction to William Larkin's Map of King's County 1809 will be published by Wordwell later this year

    1 in stock

    £58.90

  • Wexford Castles: Environment, Settlement and

    Cork University Press Wexford Castles: Environment, Settlement and

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisBilly Colfer's Wexford Castles expands the IRISH LANDSCAPES series by taking a thematic approach, while still staying loyal to the central landscape focus. Rather than adapting a narrowly architectural approach, he situates these buildings in a superbly reconstructed historical, social, and cultural milieu. County Wexford has three strikingly different regions - the Anglo-Norman south, the hybridised middle and the Gaelic north - which render it a remarkable version in parvo of the wider island. Colfer's wide-angle lens takes in so much than the castles themselves, as he ranges widely and deeply in reading these striking buildings as texts, revealing the cultural assumptions and historical circumstances which shaped them. In this most cosmopolitan of counties, we range far and wide in search of the wide-spreading roots of its cultural landscape - from the Crusades and the Mani peninsula in Greece to the Bristol Channel, from Crac des Chevaliers to Westminster, from the Viking north and the cold Atlantic to the warm Mediterranean south. The book breaks new ground in exploring the long-run cultural shadow cast by the Anglo-Normans and their castles, as this appears in the Gothic Revival, in the poetry of Yeats and in the surprisingly profuse crop of Wexford historians and writers. While most books on a single architectural form can end up visually monotonous, creativity has been lavished on this volume in terms of keeping the images varied, fresh and constantly appealing. The result is a sympathetic and innovative treatment of the castles, understood not just as a mere architectural form, but as keys to unlocking the mentalite of those who lived in them. Wexford Castles: landscape, context and settlement is a worthy conclusion of Billy's Colfer's superb trilogy of landscape studies.Table of ContentsLocation and Landscape Continental Connections Castles in Europe Anglo-Norman Colonisation Thirteenth-century Castles: Conquest and Colony Ferns Castle The Shifting Frontier Social Turmoil Defending the Colony Fortified Churches Tower-House Economy Tower-House Landscapes Tower-House Architecture and Typology The Wexford Fortified Hall-House: Late Sixteenth-century Transitional Residences Endgame Legacy Gazetteer of Tower Houses with Surviving Fabric Appendix 1: Tower Houses: Condition and Documentation Appendix 2: Fortified hall-houses: Condition and Documentation Endnotes Figure sources and attributions Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £37.05

  • A General Plague of Madness : The Civil Wars in

    Carnegie Publishing Ltd A General Plague of Madness : The Civil Wars in

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisLord Derby, Lancashire's highest-ranked nobleman and its principal royalist, once offered the opinion that the English civil wars had been a 'general plague of madness'. Complex and bedevilling, the earl defied anyone to tell the complete story of 'so foolish, so wicked, so lasting a war'. Yet attempting to chronicle and to explain the events is both fascinating and hugely important. Nationally and at the county level the impact and significance of the wars can hardly be over-stated: the conflict involved our ancestors fighting one another, on and off, for a period of nine years; almost every part of Lancashire witnessed warfare of some kind at one time or another, and several towns in particular saw bloody sieges and at least one episode characterised as a massacre.Nationally the wars resulted in the execution of the king; in 1651 the Earl of Derby himself was executed in Bolton in large measure because he had taken a leading part in the so-called massacre in that town in 1644. In the early months of the civil wars many could barely distinguish what it was that divided people in 'this war without an enemy', as the royalist William Waller famously wrote; yet by the end of it parliament had abolished monarchy itself and created the only republic in over a millennium of England's history. Over the ensuing centuries this period has been described variously as a rebellion, as a series of civil wars, even as a revolution.Lancashire's role in these momentous events was quite distinctive, and relative to the size of its population particularly important. Lancashire lay right at the centre of the wars, for the conflict did not just encompass England but Ireland and Scotland too, and Lancashire's position on the coast facing Catholic, Royalist Ireland was seen as critical from the very first months. And being on the main route south from Scotland meant that the county witnessed a good deal of marching and marauding armies from the north. In this, the first full history of the Lancashire civil wars for almost a century, Stephen Bull makes extensive use of new discoveries to narrate and explain the exciting, terrible events which our ancestors witnessed in the cause either of king or parliament. From Furness to Liverpool, and from the Wyre estuary to Manchester and Warrington...civil war actions, battles, sieges and skirmishes took place in virtually every corner of Lancashire.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1Measurements and spellings 5 1 Lancashire in the seventeenth century: people, county, military 7The hundreds of old Lancashire 7Religion and society 17The county as 'Armye' 25 2 'The fittest subject for a King's quarrel': the causes of civil war 35God's war?: Catholic and Protestant 42'A horid, cursed, and barbarous Rebellion': the Irish question 55Gentlemen and townsmen 59The willing and the unwilling 64 3 To arms, and the siege of Manchester, 1642 68Militias and magazines 69The parliamentarian stand at Manchester 71The siege of Manchester, September 1642 77 4 'All barbarous crueltie': the struggle for Lancashire, 1642-43 87Campaigns in east Lancashire, October 1642 88Chowbent, November 1642 93Sir Gilbert Hoghton and Blackburn 95War in the balance, spring 1643 100Preston falls to parliament, February 1643 101Tragedy at Hoghton Tower 103A 'verrey hot skirmish' as Bolton holds out 104Lancaster and the Fylde 107The Santa Anna 108The burning and capture of Lancaster, March 1643 113Preston and Lancaster change hands 115A second royalist attack on Bolton, March 1643 120Parliamentarians attack Wigan, March 1643 122Warrington and the battle of Stockton Heath, April 1643 124 5 The war turns for Parliament 127The battle of Read Bridge, Whalley, April 1643 127South Lancashire and the Fylde, April-May 1643 132Royalist retreat and Warrington attacked, May 1643 135The battle of Adwalton Moor, June 1643 137Hornby, Thurland and the battle of Lindale Close 138Autumn and winter 1643: parliamentarian adventures outside the county 144 6 Lady Derby and the first siege of Lathom House, 1644 149The location and layout of Lathom House 153Desultory siege and negotiations, spring 1644 157Problems facing the besiegers 164Lady Derby takes the initiative 168 7 'Prince Robber' in Lancashire, 1644 173Through Stockport and into Lancashire 175The sack and 'massacre of Bolton, May 1644 176The storming of Liverpool, June 1644 182Rupert aims to relieve the siege of York, June 1644 189 8 'A fatal blow': the aftermath of Marston Moor 191The royalists in Lancashire, summer 1644 195The battle for control of Lancashire, late summer, 1644 197The battle of Ormskirk, August 1644 203 9 The end of the first civil war, 1645 209Liverpool falls to parliament 209Greenhalgh castle 216The end at Lathom and Lancashire troops at Chester 217Final royalist defeat in Lancashire, December 1645 226Reform of the Lancashire committee 229 10 War without conclusion and the 'Province' of Lancashire 238Presbyterianism in Lancashire 244 11 The second civil war, 1648 250An 'Engagement' between king and Scottish royalists 252The Engager army prepares to invade, summer 1648 259'Bloody Preston', 17 August, 1648 267The royalists retreat southwards 278The battle of Winwick, 19 August 1648 281The long road to Uttoxeter 283Preston's legacy: regicide 286 12 The search for peace and the third civil war, 1649-1651 288An accommodation with Lord Derby? 291Political, military and religious reform 293Charles Stuart and the third civil war 298A Scottish royalist army in Lancashire again 301A skirmish at Warrington bridge 303Lord Derby campaigning again in Lancashire 306The battle of Wigan Lane, August 1651 311The earl of Derby captured and tried for treason 316 13 Aftermath 322The true cost of civil war 323The Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1651-1660 331The civil wars in perspective 341Notes and references 354Appendices 368Further reading 388Index 400

    2 in stock

    £17.09

  • A History of Sussex

    Carnegie Publishing Ltd A History of Sussex

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisPhilip Payton’s history of the great county of Sussex is a masterly piece of work. Combining sound academic research with a genuine talent for writing, this superb new book tells the story of Sussex from ancient times to the present day, exploring some very interesting themes along the way. “In writing this book I have been struck by just how much Sussex history is `invasion’ and fear of invasion. From those early hunter-gatherers to twenty-fi rstcentury migrants, such `invasions’ have often been enriching. But there have also been invasions on the grand scale, bringing death and destruction and sometimes wholesale upheavals in governance, religion and culture. Which brings us to another strong theme: violence. Civil confl ict, again detectable from earliest times, has been a regular feature of Sussex life, and the Civil War itself had a particular and vivid Sussex dimension. Most astonishing of all, perhaps, is the violence endemic in the Sussex countryside in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries – encompassing smuggling, mutinies, riots, and protests – an aspect of the county’s past that has almost disappeared from popular memory.”

    1 in stock

    £16.99

  • The Origins of Manchester: from Roman conquest to

    Carnegie Publishing Ltd The Origins of Manchester: from Roman conquest to

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis fascinating book, by a leading historian of the city, tells Manchester’s story from the Romans to the first steam-powered factories, showing how the centuries before the Industrial Revolution formed the foundation for the city’s later greatness. The Origins of Manchester is highly readable, scholarly, well illustrated and wide-ranging. It is certain to appeal to anyone with an interest in this great city.Table of ContentsPreface iv Introduction 1 1 Mamucium: a Roman fort 3 2 Mamecestre: a medieval market town 15 3 ‘The fairest, best builded, quikkest and most populous tounne of al Lancastreshire’: Manchester 1543–1660 34 4 ‘The greatest mere village in England’: roots of industrial revolution, 1660–1780 61 5 Living in eighteenth-century Manchester 82 Notes and references 116 Index 121

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • Brighton and Hove: Photographic Memories

    Frith Book Company Ltd. Brighton and Hove: Photographic Memories

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £13.50

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    £13.95

  • The Alhambra

    Profile Books Ltd The Alhambra

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Alhambra, the 'red fort' on its rocky hill above Granada, with its fountained courts and gardens, and intricate decoration, has long been a byword for exotic and melancholy beauty. In a stimulating new book in the 'Wonders of the World' series Robert Irwin, Arabist and novelist, examines its engrossing and often mysterious history. Built by a bloody and threatened dynasty of Muslim Spain, it was preserved as a monument to the triumph of Christianity. Much of what we see is the invention of later generations. Its highly sophisticated decoration is not just random but full of hidden meaning. Even its purpose - palace or theological college - is not always clear. Its influence on art, and on literature, orientalist painting and Granada cinemas, Washington Irving and Borges, has been significant. Robert Irwin enables us to understand that history fully. The Wonders of the World is a series of books that focuses on some of the world's most famous sites or monuments. Their names will be familiar to almost everyone: they have achieved iconic stature and are loaded with a fair amount of mythological baggage. These monuments have been the subject of many books over the centuries, but our aim, through the skill and stature of the writers, is to get something much more enlightening, stimulating, even controversial, than straightforward histories or guides.Trade ReviewThis highly readable study provides both a welcome demystification and a fascinating reinterpretation * The Scotsman *For those who know his work, it will confirm his genius and to others it will act as an excellent introduction * Observer *Fascinating -- Malise Ruthven * Sunday Times *A lively, yet clear-headed introduction encouraging a more thoughtful and critical approach to the monument * Literary Review *Irwin's book is both a perfect introduction to the place and a first-rate account of its history * Guardian *He brings the majestic ruins to life' * Newsweek *This book captures and conveys the mysterious attractions of the Alhambra * Doris Lessing *It is ... greatly to Robert Irwin's credit that he has written a book on the subject that is sensible, scholarly, astringent and witty. It is a fine addition to what promises to be an outstanding series on the world's great monuments. * Sunday Telegraph *Entrancing ... an excellent guide, full of fascinating characters and juicy anecdotes ... Having been to the Alhambra many times, after reading this wonderful book I wished to go back - and see it for the first time. -- Susha Guppy * Independent *

    2 in stock

    £9.49

  • The Roman Forum

    Profile Books Ltd The Roman Forum

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThere are few more historic and evocative places in the world. Caesar was cremated there. Charles V and Mussolini rode by it in triumph. There Napoleon celebrated his festival of liberty. In this radical reappraisal David Watkin teaches us to see the Forum with new eyes and helps us to rediscover its rich history. This is as stimulating to the armchair traveller as it is useful as a guide to the Forum itself. 'With verve, authority and no little humour, Watkin tells the detailed and complex story of this great but mutilated landmark ... it is an almost impossible task, superbly done' Peter Jones, BBC History Magazine 'In this sprightly volume ... the distinguished architectural historian David Watkin charts the shifting fortunes of the site ... he has an engagingly romantic feeling for the place... deploying a good deal of sharp wit, he reveals how the relatively recent obsession with recovering the Forum's classical past has led to much unhappy destruction and much less scarcely happy invention' Matthew Sturgis, Country LifeTrade ReviewThis charming and erudite book not only reveals much about the history of its subject; it stands as a humanist reproach to the scientific philistinism of our times. -- Allan Massie * Literary Review *An excellent, handy new book... More successfully than any author before him, Watkin makes his reader aware of the multilayered, fascinating history of the site -- Masolino D'Amico * TLS *Professor Watkin has an engagingly romantic feeling for the place ... Deploying a good deal of sharp wit, he reveals how the relatively recent obsession with recovering the Forum's classical past has led to much unhappy destruction -- Matthew Sturgis * Country Life *Watkin provides a challenging new perspective on Rome's ancient heart. -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *David Watkin's short, polemical, brilliant history...the painstaking explanation of the true history and origins of all visible fabric, in clear, authoritative but enjoyable and lively language that makes this an invaluable guide...read this: it will help to tell you who you are. -- Timothy Brittain-Catlin * The Tablet *Learned but lively... Informative... -- Christopher Hirst * Indepedent *

    1 in stock

    £8.54

  • Stonehenge

    Profile Books Ltd Stonehenge

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisStonehenge is woven into the earliest Arthurian legends and has been analysed by everyone from archaeologists, to town planners, to the Druids who have made it their spiritual home. By refusing to adopt one theoretical position, Rosemary Hill provides the most wide-ranging and expansive history of the megalithic structure to date, from its creation in 3000 BC to the threat of the thunderous main roads that flank it today.Trade ReviewHer book is a treasure: stylish, thoughtful, miraculously condensed, and as full of knowledge as megalith is full of megalith * Sunday Times *She brings genuine originality to the cultural history of Stonehenge; nobody has until now considered it as literature, poetry and art, in this comprehensive way * Times Literary Supplement *A fascinating overview * Time Out *This is a fascinating account of how Stonehenge has been written up over the years ... this is a thoroughly researched history that's both entertaining and authoritative -- Lesley McDowell * Independent on Sunday *Clear, intelligent and often highly amusing, this study achieves something new in the voluminous literature on Stonehenge ... excellent. -- Christopher Hirst * Independent *Intelligent and often witty ... refreshingly unmocking. -- Andrew Holgate * Sunday Times *A thorough examination of England's most captivating World Heritage Site. -- Julian Fleming * Sunday Business Post *Superbly researched and thoroughly entertaining account of the monument's history -- Simon Shaw * Mail on Sunday *

    2 in stock

    £10.44

  • Villers-Bocage Through the Lens

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd Villers-Bocage Through the Lens

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisVillers-Bocage has, for years, been the battle that confirmed the reputation of Germany's greatest tank ace, Michael Wittmann. In this book the battle is analysed in depth for the first time through detailed examination of the images taken by war photographers after the town was captured by German forces. The claims made of the battle are re-appraised, and the arguments set out in dozens of published accounts have been compared with primary evidence never utilised before, and evaluated anew. Perhaps the two most striking �revelations come from German sources. First, graphically, by the study of the 100 photographs taken by the Germans the day after the battle. Secondly, from Wittmann's own account which refutes many of the claims of historians attempting to glamorise the action.

    1 in stock

    £17.05

  • Pen & Sword Books Ltd Operation Market-garden Then and Now: v. 2

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisVolume 2 of this two-volume history of Operation "Market-Garden" continues the story as XXX Corps links up with the 82nd Airborne at Nijmegen which leads to the dramatic and spectacular capture of the vital bridges there over the Waal river. But at Arnhem the tide of battle has already turned. The main force of lst Airborne is thrown back to the Oosterbeek perimeter, leaving John Frost's isolated force at the road bridge to fight it out till the end. As the Polish Brigade is dropped south of the Rhine, and the ground army desperately tries to relieve the beleaguered British paras, down in the south the Germans launch repeated attacks on the narrow corridor in an attempt to cut the Allied supply artery. As savage battles rage for possession of "Hell's Highway", the airborne battle is lost and on September 26 the survivors of lst Airborne are evacuated back across the Rhine.Table of ContentsPart IV In search of time lost: The Second Link-Up - XXX Corps reaches Nijmegen; First German Attacks on the Corridor; 1st Airborne Division, September 19 (D+2); Arnhem Bridge, September 17-21; The Allies capture the Nijmegen Bridges. Part V The battle is lost: The 43rd (Wessex) Division moves up; Hell's Highway; VIII and XII Corps cover the Flanks; The Guards are stopped short of Elst; The Polish Parachute Brigade lands at Driel; The Third Link-Up - XXX Corps reaches Driel; The Long-delayed Last Lift. Part VI The Oosterbeek perimeter: The Perimeter Battle, September 20-25; The Evacuation. Part VII Aftermath: A German Appraisal of Operation "Market-Garden".

    1 in stock

    £38.21

  • The Home Front in Britain Then and Now

    Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Home Front in Britain Then and Now

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisFor nigh-on half a century, After the Battle has been exploring and photographing the battlefields of the Second World War, but now it is time to look at events nearer to home. Following the fall of France in June 1940, Britain stood alone against Germany until the first American soldiers began arriving in Britain in January 1942. At that time the only active `Battle Front’ was in North Africa, yet the Home Front played a vital role in preparing a secure base for the eventual liberation of Europe. The Home Front has been described in many ways but this volume offers a snapshot of life in Britain during 1939 to 1945, illustrated with many `then and now’ comparison photos.Table of ContentsPreamble to War Britain Prepares for War Operation `Pied Piper’ Air Raid Precautions Shelter Protection Rationing The Black-out Gas Masks Invasion Leaflets The Parachute Mine Churchill’s Heroines The Women’s Land Army The Big Guns Detention and Internment The Battle Begins The Blitz Entertainment Guide for US Servicemen The Victory Parade The Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour

    1 in stock

    £26.96

  • Old East Kilbride

    Stenlake Publishing Old East Kilbride

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £11.35

  • Old Maryhill

    Stenlake Publishing Old Maryhill

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £10.95

  • Old Falkirk

    Stenlake Publishing Old Falkirk

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £11.35

  • Old Milngavie

    Stenlake Publishing Old Milngavie

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Old Uddingston

    Stenlake Publishing Old Uddingston

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £11.35

  • Old Newtongrange, Gorebridge and Rosewell

    Stenlake Publishing Old Newtongrange, Gorebridge and Rosewell

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £11.35

  • Kent at War: The Unconquered County, 1939-45

    Froglets Publications Ltd Kent at War: The Unconquered County, 1939-45

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £14.99

  • My War in the SOE: Behind Enemy Lines in France and Burmah with the Special Operations Executive

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Bridport and West Bay: The buildings of the flax

    Liverpool University Press Bridport and West Bay: The buildings of the flax

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £16.99

  • Prehistoric Age

    The Dovecote Press Prehistoric Age

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £8.12

  • Twilight of the Gods: A Swedish Waffen-Ss

    Helion & Company Twilight of the Gods: A Swedish Waffen-Ss

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £22.50

  • Rivalry and Conflict: Britain, Ireland and

    Colourpoint Creative Ltd Rivalry and Conflict: Britain, Ireland and

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisFor the less academic pupil, this series provides a resource for the delivery of the curriculum in a colourful way, enticing children to enjoy learning. This book covers Rivalry and Conflict, elements of the English Civil War, for KS3 Level. High-quality full colour resource organised into topics with key words pinpointed, activities throughout and supported by three accompanying workbooks. Contents: 1 The Reformation 2 England and Spain 400 years ago 3 Elizabeth and Philip — rivals 4 Facts about Elizabeth and Philip 5 Conflict over new lands 6 Catholic and Protestant countries in Europe 7 Europe 400 years ago: true or false? 8 Mary Queen of Scots 9 Two cousins — Elizabeth and Mary 10 Mary in England 11 Mary is executed 12 Studying what really happened in the past 13 The Spanish Armada 1588 14 Timeline — 1588 15 The Armada sets sail from Spain 16 The English and Spanish ships 17 The Great Armada is defeated 18 What is a colony? 19 Fact or Fantasy? 20 The first colonists in America 21 An English colony in America 22 Ireland 400 years ago 23 The Plantation of Ireland 24 The Planters come to Ireland 25 The Flight of the Earls, 1607 26 The Ulster Plantation 27 A Plantation Bawn 28 The Plantation in Co Londonderry 29 Life as a Planter in Ireland 30 Life as a native Irish person 31 James I becomes King 1603–1625 32 King and Parliament 33 Charles I, King of England 1625–1649 34 Kings and Parliament in the 17th century 35 Charles I and the Puritans 36 The English Civil War begins in 1642 37 Two important battles 38 Defeat and execution for Charles I, 1649 39 Parliament rules England, 1649–1660 40 The Puritans 41 The Puritan family 42 The 1641 Rebellion 43 The 1641 Rebellion in Co Armagh 44 The story of Jane Armstrong 45 War in Ireland, 1641–1650 46 “To Hell or Connaught” 47 Oliver Cromwell — Lord Protector 48 England gets a king again 49 James II becomes King of England, 1685 50 The Glorious Revolution 1688 51 Rulers during the war in Ireland 1689–1692 page 52 The main battles in Ireland 53 The Siege of Derry, 1689 54 The Battle of the Boyne, July, 1690 55 The Battle of Aughrim, July 1691 56 The Siege of Limerick, August–September 1691 57 The Treaty of Limerick, 1692 58 The Wild Geese Timeline Table of Contents1 The Reformation 2 England and Spain 400 years ago 3 Elizabeth and Philip — rivals 4 Facts about Elizabeth and Philip 5 Conflict over new lands 6 Catholic and Protestant countries in Europe 7 Europe 400 years ago: true or false? 8 Mary Queen of Scots 9 Two cousins — Elizabeth and Mary 10 Mary in England 11 Mary is executed 12 Studying what really happened in the past 13 The Spanish Armada 1588 14 Timeline — 1588 15 The Armada sets sail from Spain 16 The English and Spanish ships 17 The Great Armada is defeated 18 What is a colony? 19 Fact or Fantasy? 20 The first colonists in America 21 An English colony in America 22 Ireland 400 years ago 23 The Plantation of Ireland 24 The Planters come to Ireland 25 The Flight of the Earls, 1607 26 The Ulster Plantation 27 A Plantation Bawn 28 The Plantation in Co Londonderry 29 Life as a Planter in Ireland 30 Life as a native Irish person 31 James I becomes King 1603–1625 32 King and Parliament 33 Charles I, King of England 1625–1649 34 Kings and Parliament in the 17th century 35 Charles I and the Puritans 36 The English Civil War begins in 1642 37 Two important battles 38 Defeat and execution for Charles I, 1649 39 Parliament rules England, 1649–1660 40 The Puritans 41 The Puritan family 42 The 1641 Rebellion 43 The 1641 Rebellion in Co Armagh 44 The story of Jane Armstrong 45 War in Ireland, 1641–1650 46 “To Hell or Connaught” 47 Oliver Cromwell — Lord Protector 48 England gets a king again 49 James II becomes King of England, 1685 50 The Glorious Revolution 1688 51 Rulers during the war in Ireland 1689–1692 page 52 The main battles in Ireland 53 The Siege of Derry, 1689 54 The Battle of the Boyne, July, 1690 55 The Battle of Aughrim, July 1691 56 The Siege of Limerick, August–September 1691 57 The Treaty of Limerick, 1692 58 The Wild Geese Timeline

    1 in stock

    £12.61

  • Mike and Hilary Wreford's Okehampton Collection

    Obelisk Publications Mike and Hilary Wreford's Okehampton Collection

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £5.84

  • Listening to Idries Shah: How Understanding Can

    Human Givens Publishing Ltd Listening to Idries Shah: How Understanding Can

    20 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis memoir describes the various childhood experiences that informed the quest for meaning and the travels and adventures that came after asking his art tutor a question that ultimately led to a long association with the work of Idries Shah.

    20 in stock

    £14.24

  • The Companion Guide to Venice

    Boydell & Brewer Ltd The Companion Guide to Venice

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis`It offers all that the visitor with a concern for beauty and for leisurely sight-seeing will require.' Financial Times`If ever a guidebook were designed to be read as literature it is Mr Honour's. Even those who know Venice welland love it well will add to their appreciation from this seemingly endless store of information.' Economist Offers all that the visitor with a concern for beauty and for leisurely sight-seeing will require. FINANCIAL TIMES The best guide book I have ever encountered... and a book I found it impossible not to read from beginning to end. OBSERVER There are few pleasanter ways of passing a summer's evening than sitting over a cup of coffee, and perhaps a glass of Aurum, in the Piazza San Marco. It is especially agreeable on those nights when the Venetian city band thunders away at some throbbingly romantic piece... And all the while the younger inhabitants parade around the square, chattering, flirting, quarrelling and staring at their visitors with that same unwinking gaze that Venetians have turned on their guests for the past five centuries. The facade of San Marco closes the scene in a glitter of golden mosaic and a bubbling of cupolas, while the great thick red campanile stretches up into the warm mothy darkness of the summer sky. Hugh Honour, it is clear, knows Venice exceptionally well and catches the rhythms of the city's life with unerring skill. His guide, with its winning blend of evocativedetail and precise information, spurs the reader to investigate Venice's wonders: Piazza San Marco is only the beginning of a journey into the heart of Venice and its history.Trade ReviewIt offers all that the visitor with a concern for beauty and for leisurely sight-seeing will require. FINANCIAL TIMES If ever a guidebook were designed to be read as literature it is Mr Honour's. Even those who know Venice well and love it well will add to their appreciation from this seemingly endless store of information. * ECONOMIST *

    1 in stock

    £26.99

  • The Small Isles

    Historic Environment Scotland The Small Isles

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisSome ten thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers moving through a landscape newly emerged from the grip of the last Ice Age reached four islands on the western seaboard. The shores they landed on were deserted. After making camp, they struck out to hunt and explore. We know this because the evidence of their presence has been preserved down the millennia - in traces of flint and quartz, in charred fragments of grain and animal bone, in great heaped piles of ancient shellfish. The islands were Rum, Eigg, Canna and Muck - four distinctive shapes rising from the waters of the Inner Hebrides between Ardnamurchan and Skye. Collectively, they are known as the Small Isles. From those first moments on, people have been working these islands and using their resources, adapting each landscape to suit the changing needs of the communities they served. In this definitive new book, archaeologist John Hunter searches for the stories of the Small Isles in the evidence that survives - from the fragmentary physical remains of dwellings, defences, places of worship and monuments, to the records of early antiquarians, historians and travellers. This is a journey to rediscover communities that were erased by the mass migrations of the nineteenth century, and the rise of the Victorian sporting estate. Within a few generations cultural identity on the islands disappeared and a new order developed. Placenames were changed, buildings and structures abandoned, and traditions forgotten. The Small Isles became islands without memories. This comprehensive guide - illustrated with a wealth of photographs, maps and drawings - takes readers on a tour of both place and time. Crisscrossing the landscapes of four fascinating and evocative islands, it reveals traces of a forgotten past in everything that has been left behind.Trade Review‘lucidly written and beautifully produced ... a wonderful introduction to this often overlooked group of islands’ * Current Archaeology *

    1 in stock

    £22.50

  • Stopping Places: A Gypsy History of South London

    University of Hertfordshire Press Stopping Places: A Gypsy History of South London

    20 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe story of the enforced settlement of Gypsy travelers in southeast England, whose nomadic lifestyle ended when they were moved to concrete ghettos of local-government-run caravan sites following the 1968 Caravan Sites Act, is told in this textual and visual rendering. The seasonal work harvesting fruit and vegetables that attracted Gypsy families who lived in ""bender"" tents and traveled in horse-drawn wagons to Kent dried up in the post–World War II era when mechanization reduced the need for labor. Historical accounts, primary sources, and stories told by Gypsies provide an intimate picture of the cultural and social impact of this transition and the loss of identity that struck members of this rarely documented ethnic group.Table of ContentsChapter One: the Old Ways; Chapter Two: Vagrancy and the Gypsies; Chapter Three: Wagons and Tents; Chapter Four: Winds of Change; Chapter Five: On the Verge; Chapter Six: Council sites: sanctuary or graveyard?; Chapter Seven: "Into brick"; Conclusion: Caravans of the Mind

    20 in stock

    £14.24

  • High Society Dinners: Dining in Tsarist Russia

    Prospect Books High Society Dinners: Dining in Tsarist Russia

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisHigh Society Dinners offers extraordinary insight into the domestic arrangements of the Russian aristocracy, presenting nine months'' worth of menus served in St Petersburg to the guests of Petr Durnovo (1835 - 1918), Adjutant-General of the Tsar''s Imperial Suite, part of an important late-19th-century dynasty that included ministers and high officials. The menus themselves would be useful enough for what they reveal about culinary culture in Russia, but Yuri Lotman''s commentary is invaluable, dissecting the dining rituals and the social circles of the participants. Durnovo''s menus and guest lists, interspersed with extracts from family letters and the leading newspapers and journals of the day, set in context the domestic and gastronomic underpinnings of life in this group at the heart of the Russian empire. The Russian has been finely translated by Marian Schwartz (who has worked with M. Gorbachev and translated works by Tolstoy, Bulgakov and Lermontov), and the book as a whole is annotated and introduced by Darra Goldstein, Founding Editor of Gastronomica and Willcox B. and Harriet M. Adsit Professor of Russian at Williams College. The book is illustrated with paintings and photographs that give a sense of the high society milieu in mid-nineteenth-century Russia. This publication has been grant-aided by the Prokhorov Foundation''s Transcript programme. Yuri Lotman (1922 - 1993) was a prominent Russian formalist critic, semiotician, and cultural historian. He was author of more than 800 works. Jelena Pogosjan is a professor of Russian at the University of Alberta in Canada.

    1 in stock

    £40.50

  • Round About a Pound a Week

    Persephone Books Ltd Round About a Pound a Week

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £16.00

  • Cambridge Media Group Betrayal: The Murder of Robert Nairac GC

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe second edition covering the murder of Grenadier Guardsman Robert Nairac GC by the Provisional IRA in 1977.

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Modern Love

    Atlantic Books Modern Love

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis'In Modern Love, Marcus Collins sets out to survey the changing expectations men and women have brought to their relationships with one another.' -- Damian Thompson, Daily Telegraph Drawing on social, economic and political history, Modern Love explains for the first time at book length how relations changed between men and women in Britain in the twentieth century. Marcus Collins shows how men and women's expectations from life radically shifted and converged, describing how we moved from inhabiting our separate spheres with wholly different prospects and values towards the ideal, if not quite the actuality, of equality, mutuality, companionship and friendship.'Enlightening... Collins charts the progress of a radical turn-of-the-century idea that men and women could achieve joyful intimacy if only they got to know one another as equals ... he elegantly demonstrates the power of public perception in determining whether or not we manage to be happy in love.' --Decca Aitkenhead, New Statesman'From the Victorians to Bridget Jones, it's a miracle women actually have relationships... Marcus Collins gets back to basics and allows us to hear the voices of ordinary women and men for ourselves'.--Rachel Cooke, Observer'Rather a well-mannered history of those who have sought to make marriage a better thing. The questions he raises... are just as compelling today as they were a century ago.'--Lesley White, Sunday TimesTrade Review'A subtle and persuasive account of relationships between men and women from the nineteenth century through to the new millennium' * Economist *'A well-mannered history of those who have sought to make marriage a better thing' -- Lesley White * Sunday Times *'Elegantly demonstrates the power of public perception in determining whether or not we manage to be happy in love' -- Decca Aitkenhead * New Statesman *

    1 in stock

    £17.00

  • Creme De La Creme: Girls' Schools of Edinburgh

    Steve Savage Publishers Limited Creme De La Creme: Girls' Schools of Edinburgh

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £11.25

  • James II

    John Donald Publishers Ltd James II

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn this study of the reign of James II of Scotland, the king is viewed in the context of the Stewart monarchy, from his struggles to overcome his early adversity and the legacy of his father's style of kingship, to the serious political crises of his reign. The relations between the king and his subjects, and the complex balance of power in medieval Scotland are examined, particularly the significant crisis precipitated by James II's attack on the Black Douglases, the greatest of all late medieval magnate families. The changing nature of political involvement among the nobility and the role of Parliament in influencing events are explored, as are the efforts of the king to recover and promote royal authority in the final years of his reign. The role of James II in the wider European context is also studied with a view to shedding light on contemporary perceptions of the Stewart monarchy both at home and abroad. The study is based on contemporary chronicle and official sources, and consideration is also given to later, highly coloured views of James II, which have influenced popular views of the king to the present day.

    1 in stock

    £22.50

  • Interpreting the English Village: Landscape and

    Windgather Press Interpreting the English Village: Landscape and

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn original and approachable account of how archaeology can tell the story of the English village. Shapwick lies in the middle of Somerset, next to the important monastic centre of Glastonbury: the abbey owned the manor for 800 years from the 8th to the 16th century and its abbots and officials had a great influence on the lives of the peasants who lived there. It is possible that abbot Dunstan, one of the great reformers of tenth century monasticism directed the planning of the village. The Shapwick Project examined the development and history of an English parish and village over a ten thousand-year period. This was a truly multi-disciplinary project. Not only were a battery of archaeological and historical techniques explored - such as field walking, test-pitting, archaeological excavation, aerial reconnaissance, documentary research and cartographic analysis - but numerous other techniques such as building analysis, dendrochronological dating and soil analysis were undertaken on a large scale. The result is a fascinating study about how the community lived and prospered in Shapwick. In addition we learn how a group of enthusiastic and dedicated scholars unravelled this story. As such there is much here to inspire and enthuse others who might want to embark on a landscape study of a parish or village area. Seven of the ten chapters begin with a fictional vignette to bring the story of the village to life. Text-boxes elucidate re-occurring themes and techniques. Extensively illustrated in colour including 100 full page images.This title was the winner of the 2014 British Archaeological Association's Best Archaeological Book Award.Trade ReviewInterpreting the English Village...is an interesting, informative and entertaining description of the results of a 10 year study into the wilds of Somerset. Its plentiful full color images and sidebar stories assist in making the story come alive, and, by the way, passing along the wider history of the British Isles... This is a great example of the public archaeology output from landscape archaeology, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. * About.com Archaeology Guide *...an inspiring example of a local study carried out by the people, about the people and written for the people... yet it might well be asked why it should merit a place on the bookshelves of enthusiasts of archaeology in Cornwall, or other places [outside of] Shapwick [and Somerset]. Quite simply, besides being a good read, it provides a possible model for others to follow in their own communities. Not only does it show how various disciplines have been applied but it is clear to follow, without the jargon that can be so daunting, and abundantly supplied with maps, so strangers can locate the places named with ease... Every parish deserves this treatment. * Cornwall Archaeological Society Newsletter *Fascinating, compelling and never patronising, this magnificent book is popular archaeology at its best. I cannot recommend it too highly. 10/10 * Fortean Times *Table of Contents1. Starting Points2. Ways of Seeing: Methods for the Analysis of of a Landscape3. Once Upon a Time: From the Hunter-Gatherers of of the Mesolithic to the Agricultural Communities of the Iron Age4. In the Shadow of an Empire: Life and Landscape during Roman Times, AD 43-c. AD 3505. Postholes and People: From the End of the Roman Empire to the Early Middle Ages, c. AD 350-c. AD 8006. A Village Moment? Shapwick before the Norman Conquest, c. AD 800-10007. Manor and Abbey: Schapewik in the Later Medieval Period, 1100-15398. After the Dissolution: Post-Medieval Shapwick, 1539-17509. Make Way for Tomorrow: Shapwick Yesterday and Today10. Wider Contexts

    1 in stock

    £28.45

  • Scotch on the Rocks: The True Story Behind Whisky

    Luath Press Ltd Scotch on the Rocks: The True Story Behind Whisky

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisOn the night of 4 February 1941, the SS Politician founders off the coast of South Uist. The salvage – nearly a quarter of a million bottles of duty-free whisky and hard currency worth, today, ninety million pounds. And to islanders across the Hebrides, it’s theirs for the taking, hiding, drinking or selling. This is the true story behind Sir Compton Mackenzie’s Whisky Galore. Arthur Swinson’s careful research casts an honest light on the events leading up to – and following – this tremendous bounty. Awash with contraband, the communities nearby faced unexpected problems: from the government; the police; customs inspectors; and, not least, each other. ‘…faced with these extraordinary circumstances, the rash became rasher, the drunken more drunken, the avaricious more avaricious, the convivial more convivial, the generous more generous, the treacherous more treacherous, the selfish more selfish and the commercial more commercial’.Trade ReviewVastly entertaining. THE LONDON EVENING STANDARD The greatest party in the history of the Hebrides. THE SCOTSMAN An absorbing tale. SIR COMPTON MACKENZIE

    1 in stock

    £7.59

  • The Gunzburgs: A Family Biography

    Peter Halban Publishers Ltd The Gunzburgs: A Family Biography

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn 1857 the Gunzburgs arrived in Paris from Russia with their large family, a retinue of business staff and extensive domestic help: personal assistants, secretaries, tutors, wet-nurses and nannies, coachmen, ladies' companions, valets and maids, and even a kosher cook. For the Gunzburgs were practising Jews who observed every religious law whilst also launching themselves into Parisian high society. Napoleon III was on a mission to modernise France and the Gunzburgs were quick to avail themselves of opportunities that were opening up - particularly in banking.The family fortunes prospered through hard work, foresight and marriage. Soon the family was playing a leading role in the Jewish communities of both Russia and France, alongside their contemporaries or relatives the Ephrussis, the Rothschilds, the Brodskys, the Camondos and the Sassoons.The family lived through the tumultuous events of the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, and when family tragedy struck later, they returned the family base to Russia. They witnessed the Russian pogroms and revolution of 1905. Their sons fought in the armies of three countries in the First World War, only to go into exile as revolution gripped Russia in 1917-18. The outbreak of the Second World War saw some of the family once again on the road as refugees.Lorraine de Meaux discovers lost archives, letters and pictures, as she brings together distant family members in her story of the Gunzburgs.

    2 in stock

    £21.25

  • Allies in Auschwitz: The Untold Story of British

    Clairview Books Allies in Auschwitz: The Untold Story of British

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe huge Auschwitz camp in Poland, the Third Reich's most gruesome death camp, contained not only the infamous concentration camp - whose horrors are well-documented - but also a prisoner-of-war facility that housed British inmates. Situated close enough to the Jewish quarters to smell the stench of burning bodies from the crematoria, the POWs were forced to work alongside concentration camp inmates in a Nazi factory. Witnesses to daily violence, the men survived beatings, hard labour and the extreme cold of Polish winters, whilst subsisting on meagre rations. Their final ordeal was to march hundreds of miles, in the depths of winter, to secure freedom in the spring of 1945. Based on interviews with some of the few surviving members of E715 Auschwitz, this book charts the British captives' true story: from arriving on cattle trucks through to their eventual departure on foot. Haunted by what they had witnessed as young men, Brian Bishop, Doug Bond and Arthur Gifford-England were only able to speak about their experiences decades later, when approached during research for this book. Few people were interested in these remarkable men in post-war Britain, and they coped with the trauma of their experiences with little support. Allies in Auschwitz records an important and forgotten episode of modern history. As corroboration of the men's testimony, the final chapter includes post-war accounts from other British POWs held in E715 Auschwitz, based on documents compiled by war crimes' investigators for the Nuremburg Trials.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Background 2. Cattle trucks to Auschwitz 3. Recollections 4. The long walk to freedom and recovery 5. The official record Notes

    1 in stock

    £9.49

  • Britain's Secret Wars: How and why the United

    Clairview Books Britain's Secret Wars: How and why the United

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn a devastating analysis, T. J. Coles reveals the true extent of Britain's covert foreign policy that supports war, conflict and oppression around the world. Unbeknownst to the broad population, the Shadow State sponsors a `new world order' that allies Britain with America's quest for global power - what the Pentagon calls `Full Spectrum Dominance'. Coles documents how British operatives have interfered in Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran and Yemen with the aim of deposing unwanted regimes. In doing so, they have helped create extensive terrorist networks across the Middle East, reviving previously-failing Jihadist groups such as ISIL, which has now transformed into an international terror franchise. In addition to waging clandestine wars in the Middle East, the secret services have used the military to run drugs by proxy in Colombia, train death squads in Bangladesh and support instability in Ukraine, where NATO's strategic encroachment on Russia is drawing the world closer to terminal nuclear confrontation. Coles unearths Britain's involvement in the recent ethnic cleansing of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan government, the invasion of Somalia by Somali and Ethiopian warlords, and Indonesia's atrocities in Papua. He also exposes the extensive use of drones for murder and intimidation across the Middle East and elsewhere. Britain's Secret Wars is essential reading for anyone who wants to dig beneath the surface of current events. This expanded edition features a new Preface.Trade Review`Full of useful and original research... I read with great interest.' - Noam Chomsky; `T. J. Coles' meticulous work is outstanding. Never has it been more important to invert the message of the mainstream media and tell the truth, as he does.' - John Pilger; `An important work in that it brings many of Britain’s secret wars, with their war crimes and other atrocities, to public attention … The bulk of the evidence … comes from the government’s own records … [Coles lays] it out, like portraits on a gallery wall, for us to peruse.’ – Professor Jeremy Keenan, author of State Crime; `The slap in the face this book should give to those of us engaged in debates over British foreign policy is an important part of awakening us to the struggle.’ – Dr Matthew Alford, author of Global Fault LinesTable of ContentsPreface to the Second Edition - Introduction - Foreign policy: `To pursue clandestine, illegal operations' - PART 1: THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA - 1. Syria: `Illegal but necessary' - 2. Libya: `Orchestrated unrest' - 3. Iraq: `A momentary twinge of concern' - 4. Iran: `It's all about petrol prices' - 5. Yemen: `Put the fear of death into them' - 6. Drones: `We're talking about murder' - PART II: AND BEYOND - 7. Ukraine: `We saw this one coming' - 8. Sri Lanka D `Shining a light' - 9. Colombia: `The best business environment' - 10. Papua: `Starve the bastards out' - 11. Somalia: `Now I'm a real killer' - 12. Bangladesh: `Survival of the fittest' - Conclusion: Peaceniks, `terrorist sympathisers' - Notes - Index

    1 in stock

    £15.29

  • Margate's Seaside Heritage

    Liverpool University Press Margate's Seaside Heritage

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    3 in stock

    £16.99

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