History Books

Book SynopsisBuild your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right levelBrother Aelred has remarkably smelly feet. To spare the other monks'' noses, he is given the job of tending to the pigs. However, when Viking raiders arrive to attack, loot and pillage the Brothers'' monastery, it is Brother Aelred, the humblest, gentlest monk, who saves the day.Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts.Text type A humorous story.An illustrated character web on pages 38 and 39 helps readers to describe Aelred's character.Curriculum links History: Why have people invaded and settled in Britain in the past? A Viking case study; PE: Invasion games; RE: What do signs and symbols mean in religion?This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

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Book SynopsisAn absolute gem' Sunday TimesA mouthwatering history' The GuardianIn this delicious history of Britain's food traditions, Diane Purkiss invites readers on a unique journey through the centuries, exploring the development of recipes and rituals for mealtimes such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to show how food has been both a reflection of and inspiration for social continuity and change.Purkiss uses the story of food as a revelatory device to chart changing views on class, gender, and tradition through the ages. Sprinkled throughout with glorious details of historical quirks trial by ordeal of bread, a fondness for small beer' and a war-time ice-cream substitute called hokey pokey' made from parsnips this book is both an education and an entertainment.English Food explores the development of the coffee trade and the birth of London's coffee houses, where views were exchanged on politics, art, and literature. Purkiss introduces the first breeders of British beef and reveals how cattTrade Review Praise for English Food : ‘An absolute gem… English Food is a fabulous read. I devoured it with gusto… My review copy will find a permanent place on my bookshelves… a richly entertaining and enlightening social history of England… Superb’ Sunday Times, Christopher Hart ‘Every page brings astonishing revelation… acerbic, witty, opinionated and devoid of pomposity… This book is about food, but it’s more importantly about how food defines us’ The Times, Gerald DeGroot ‘A mouthwatering history… A sumptuous survey of English cuisine leaves no morsel untasted… liberally seasoned throughout with literary references, from Anglo-Saxon poetry to Michael Ondaatje… fascinating… There’s an awful lot of good stuff to get your teeth into here’ The Guardian, Felicity Cloake ‘What a delectable banquet of a book this is… This magnificently readable and engaging book (which is also very generously illustrated) sets the record straight and should whet appetites for the attentive, seasonal cooking and gamier flavours of the past’ Literary Review ‘[A] fantastic book’ Evening Standard ‘A remarkable book, scholarly, entertaining and fascinating. Purkiss is extraordinarily well read, articulate, and writes beautifully. She goes under the skirts of convention to strip bare the many presumptions that surround what we eat and why. Mandatory reading for anyone involved, however peripherally, in food and what we now refer to as the food chain. Simply a brilliant work’The Guild of Food Writers Food Book Award judges

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Book SynopsisFrom the award-winning co-author of I Am Malala, this book asks just how the might of NATO, with 48 countries and 140,000 troops on the ground, failed to defeat a group of religious students and farmers? How did the West's war in Afghanistan and across the Middle East go so wrong?Farewell Kabul tells how the West turned success into defeat in the longest war fought by the United States in its history and by Britain since the Hundred Years War. It is the story of well-intentioned men and women going into a place they did not understand at all. And how, what had once been the right thing to do had become a conflict that everyone wanted to exit. It has been a fiasco which has left Afghanistan still one of the poorest and most dangerous nations on earth.The leading journalist on the region with unparalleled access to all key decision makers, Christina Lamb is the best-selling author of The Africa House' and I Am Malala, co-authored with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. This revelatory and personal account is her final analysis of the realities of Afghanistan, told unlike anyone before.Trade Review‘As a personal account of this sad, twisted story, Lamb's book is unlikely to be surpassed; gracious and humane, she always gives a fair hearing, while her observation is always needle sharp. It is one of the most rewarding and thought-provoking books by any journalist of my acquaintance’ Evening Standard ‘This is a journey through more than a decade of hell and futility, written vividly, with emotion but mercifully shorn of polemic … in this most captivating of war journals’ Observer ‘A spellbinding synthesis of analysis and highly personal reportage … Lamb's grasp of the back story enables her to weave illuminating historical context into the narrative’ Independent ‘She records with a clear eye and a longer perspective her successive encounters with the Afghans and their occupiers …she writes with sympathy and understanding … For anyone who wants to understand how Britain's road to Helmand was paved with well-meant but ill-founded intentions this magisterial memoir is the book to read and enjoy’ The Times ‘A brave and exceptional book … if you had to recommend one book on Afghanistan then ‘Farewell Kabul’ should be it" Daily Telegraph ‘As a personal account of this sad, twisted story, Lamb's book is unlikely to be surpassed; gracious and humane, she always gives a fair hearing, while her observation is always needle sharp. It is one of the most rewarding and thought-provoking books by any journalist of my acquaintance’ Evening Standard ‘Authoritative, wide-ranging and thoroughly readable, Lamb's knowledge and understanding of the region and its central players are impressively profound … Highly recommended’ Literary Review ‘A very good book … that sits with distinction in a growing library about where we – both Afghans and the international community – went wrong … Lamb has a forensic understanding of how things work and why they don’t. An impassioned, at moments anguished, love letter to Afghanistan’ New Statesman

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Book SynopsisThe startling history of Anson's voyage round the world in 1740. A quite remarkably erudite and deeply informed book' Patrick O'Brian, Daily TelegraphAnson's voyage of 1740-44 holds a unique and terrible place in British naval history. The misadventures of this first attempt by Royal Navy ships to sail round the world make a dramatic story of hardship, disaster, mutiny and heroism. Only one of Anson's squadron, the flagship Centurion, completed its mission. The other vessels were wrecked, scuttled or forced back in shattered condition. Out of 1850 officers and men who sailed from Spithead in September 1740, almost fourteen hundred died, most from disease or starvation. With crews ravaged by scurvy, Anson's ships were battered by relentless storms as they attempted to round Cape Horn. Two of the six men-of-war in the squadron turned back, their captains to face later accusations of desertion. A third, the Wager, was wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Chile in circumstances in

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Book SynopsisAfghanistan, 2008. After their eighteen-month epic tour of Helmand Province, the troops of 3 Para are back. This time, the weight of experience weighs heavily on their shoulders.Trade Review‘Are we winning or losing the war in Afghanistan? …Bishop offers no easy answers. The portrait he paints is one of selfless young men and women performing magnificently under near-intolerable conditions … “Ground Truth” is one of the best accounts you will ever read about contemporary warfare: shrewdly observed, action-packed and written with great sensitivity.’ James Delingpole, Mail on Sunday ‘A beguiling and often bewildering account of how this strange war seems to the fighting man and woman…Bishop gets to the core of their thoughts and fears. As a view from the ground, often with the author present at key points, Bishop’s books are invaluable’ Evening Standard ‘Well paced and well told. It is also very well informed…It is his sense of personal involvement in the testing physical and moral hardships of contemporary soldiering that gives the narrative such a sharp and poignant edge…inspiring’ Country Life

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Book SynopsisThe true story of the White Queen and more, this is a thrilling history of the extraordinary noblewomen who lived through the Wars of the Roses.The events of the Wars of the Roses are usually described in terms of the men involved: Richard Duke of York, Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III and Henry VII. But these years were also packed with women's drama and in the tales of conflicted maternity and monstrous births alive with female energy.In this completely original book, Sarah Gristwood sheds light on a neglected dimension of English history: the impact of Tudor women on the Wars of the Roses. She examines, among others, Cecily Neville, who was deprived of being queen when her husband died at the Battle of Wakefield; Elizabeth Woodville, the commoner who married Edward IV in secret; Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, whose love and ambition for her son knew no bounds.Until now, the lives of these women have remained little known to the general public. Sarah Gristwood tells their Trade Review‘For viewers who plan to settle in with ‘The White Queen’, one recent work of history will guide them through the distaff maze of the Wars of the Roses: ‘Blood Sisters’ by Sarah Gristwood’ Boyd Tonkin, Independent ‘In this gem of a book, she effortlessly weaves the dramatic, often tragic, lives of seven royal women…If you treat yourself to one history book this Christmas, make it this one. It’s the book that I wish I had written’ Alison Weir, Books of the Year, BBC History Magazine ‘Entertaining and vividly drawn … A different way of looking at this complex period and Gristwood weaves the story with considerable skill … highly readable’ Literary Review ‘Gristwood successfully evokes the lives of all these women, and in doing so brings a new and welcome perspective on the Wars of the Roses… [a] very agreeable narrative’ Dan Jones, Sunday Times ‘Gristwood’s sensitive approach marks out Blood Sisters as much more than the narrative of an age. It is an exploration of what it was to be a medieval queen… A compelling portrait of this bloody age, complete with the heartbreak and triumphs that went with it… Like a delicately woven tapestry, threads of evidence have to be gathered and pulled together with care. Gristwood does an excellent job of examining in sensory detail the impact of ermines, cloths of gold, Spanish leather and purple velvet’ Spectator

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Book SynopsisWhat are the 50 key events you need to understand to grasp British history?If you could choose the 50 things that define British history, events of significance not only in themselves, but in their importance to wider themes running through our past, what would they be? Hugh Williams has made that selection, and the result is a fascinating overview of Britain's past.He refines British history into a series of key themes that represent a crucial strand in our history, and pinpoints the seminal events within those strands - Roots, from the Roman invasion to Britain's entry into the Common Market; Fight, Fight and Fight Again, from the Battle of Agincourt to the Falklands War; The Pursuit of Liberty, from the Magna Carta through the Glorious Revolution to the foundation of the NHS; Home and Abroad, from Sir Francis Drake and Clive of India to the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush; and All Change, from Chaucer and the English language to the invention of the jet engine.With great clarity, Trade Review‘If history is your subject, then look no further than Fifty Things you Need to Know about British History. If you want an overview of what went on here, in bite-size chunks, throughout the centuries, this is the book for you’ The Lady ‘It offers insight and knowledge upon which to build a better understanding of the country we live in today’ Today’s History Best General History ‘Combining simplicity with significance and anecdote with fact, this book will have relevance for every modern British reader’ Family History Monthly

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Book SynopsisA brilliant, intricate and magical novel from the Godmother of British fantasy.When Andrew Hope''s magician grandfather dies, he leaves his house and field-of-care to his grandson who spent much of his childhood at the house. Andrew has forgotten much of this, but he remembers the very strong-minded staff and the fact that his grandfather used to put the inedibly large vegetables on the roof of the shed, where they''d have vanished in the morning. He also remembers the very colourful stained glass window in the kitchen door, which he knows it is important to protect.Into this mix comes young Aidan Cain, who turns up from the orphanage asking for safety. Exactly who he is and why he''s there is unclear, but a strong connection between the two becomes apparent.There is a mystery to be solved, and nothing is as it appears to be. But nobody can solve the mystery, until they find out exactly what it is!Trade ReviewPraise for Enchanted Glass "Enchanted Glass is no exception to Diana Wynne Jones's general rule of using, and possibly abusing, folklore and fantasy for her own splendid ends… Wynne Jones belongs to an elect clan of the most treasured of British children's authors, creating her own unique brand of fantasy, in the same manner as Alan Garner and Susan Cooper, and it's surely this experience that breeds the confidence to write with such subtle depth. Blissful."Marcus Sedgwick, The Guardian "At her best, as in… Enchanted Glass, Wynne Jones is superb, mixing the comical with the magical… Highly recommended, especially for boys."Amanda Craig, The Times "No one has ever written quite like Diana Wynne Jones. The author of over 40 novels, she combines the delicate humour and nostalgic village settings of Barbara Pym with the wild imagination of JRR Tolkien… This latest book remains as predictably unpredictable as all her other works."Nick Tucker, The Independent "Time to waive the 'no reading at table' edicts; Diana Wynne Jones is back with another fantasy novel, so if you have an eight- to 12-year-old, enjoy the silence for 332 pages. Enchanted Glass demands nothing less than full-body immersion."Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisCollins Key Stage 3 History is an exciting and accessible new series focused on ensuring that all pupils make clear, measurable progression at Key Stage 3 whether it is a 2 or a 3 year course.Collins Key Stage 3 History is a brand new series, ideal for building key historical and functional skills. Featuring differentiated pupil books with ready-made APP opportunities this flexible package will get your students excited about history.Grab pupils' attention with engaging content that builds key historical skills and helps students to understand the links between events, time periods and locationsSave time with resources to support your teaching of a 2 or 3 year course, fully matched to the 2008 Key Stage 3 Programme of StudyCover each assessment Focus in a meaningful and accessible way - using this flexible package as a series of one off lessons ot as a longer programmeReady made APP opportunities are included to help you gather and review evidence of pupils' progress in each Assessmen

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Book SynopsisOperation Fortitude was the ingenious web of deception spun by the Allies to mislead the Nazis as to how and where the D-Day landings were to be mounted.''One of the most creative intelligence operations of all time'' Kim PhilbyThe story of how this web was woven is one of intrigue, personal drama, ground-breaking techniques, internal resistance, and good fortune. It is a tale of double agents, black radio broadcasts, phantom armies, ''Ultra'' decrypts, and dummy parachute drops. These diverse tactics were intended to come together to create a single narrative so compelling that it would convince Adolf Hitler of its authenticity.Operation Fortitude was intended to create the false impression that the Normandy landings were merely a feint to disguise a massive forthcoming invasion by this American force in the Pas de Calais. In other words, the success of D-Day the beginning of the end of the Second World War was made possible by the efforts of men and women who were not present on tTrade ReviewReviews for previous titles… ‘A vivid, moving story of the men who fought the Great War in the Air. Quite superb.’Max Arthur ‘Those magnificent men in their flying machines recount in their own words just how mad and magnificent it was to be an air-ace in World War One. Joshua Levine's compilation is enthralling and breathtaking’.Chris Powling, Classic FM Guestlist ‘This is a superior example of the genre from a writer at the top of his game.’ Air Marshal Stuart Peach

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Theatre Book Prize; former prime minister John Major takes a remarkable journey into his own unconventional family past to tell the story of the British music hall.John Major shares memories of his performer father Tom and then shines the spotlight on the story of the music hall itself, from its Victorian heyday to its demise.In this fond look back at characters such as Marie Lloyd, Little Tich and Vesta Tilley, these faded stars take their place in the limelight once more.Packed with colourful anecdotes, My Old Man' is a warm-hearted account of a golden and bygone age.Trade Review‘An uncommon book about one of the most extraordinary, vital and creative chapters in British theatrical history admiration … Major also nobly honours his parents and the life they lived. The affection is palpable and anything but pious. In short, he gets it’ Simon Callow, Guardian ‘Affectionate, charming and unexpectedly lively … Major paints a vivid picture … to read this richly enjoyable book is to be given a glimpse into a lost world’ Mail on Sunday ‘Entertaining and well-paced … My Old Man is a powerful and affecting tribute’ Daily Express ‘His deep affection for his parents inspires his finest writing…fascinating … My Old Man is an entertaining and intriguing potted history, full of quirky details about this quintessentially English phenomenon’ Independent ‘Entertaining, fascinating and written with love….the admiration that John feels for his father is palpable on every page’ Sunday Express

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Book SynopsisWhen the volcano Vesuvius erupted 2,000 years ago, the city of Pompeii disappeared under the ash. Four hundred years ago, Pompeii was rediscovered. The ash had preserved Pompeii so well that buildings, mosaics, statues and other artefacts have survived to the present day. So step back in time and discover what life was like in the Roman times.This is a Band 06/Orange book in the Collins Big Cat reading programme which offers varied text and characters, with action sustained over several pages. This is an information book with a timeline of events on pages 22 and 23, from eruption to discovering the lost city in the present day, allowing children to recap and discuss. This book supports discussions around history and what homes were like a long time ago. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader. For more guided reading books in this Collins Big Cat band, try Fire! Fire! (9780007186037) by Maureen Haselhurst.

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Book SynopsisPrimary History: Invaders covers the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman invasions. Drawing from timelines, archaeological evidence, written sources and maps, pupils will study the everyday life of their ancestors. Stimulating activities encourage an understanding of how historical events have influenced today’s society.

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Book SynopsisPrimary History: Victorians encourages the study of written sources, images and key figures to understand the influence of Victorian society on today’s world. Stimulating activities cover the growth of railways, industrial and social reform, levels of society within towns and the countryside, and the life of children at home, school and in work.

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Book SynopsisBuild your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right levelHarriet Tubman was born into slavery in 19th Century America, but managed to escape and gain her freedom. Follow this amazing biography of a woman who was prepared to risk her own life to save others from the slavery she had escaped, and learn about the Underground Railroad that she used to achieve this.Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate.Text type: A biographyCurriculum links: History; CitizenshipThis book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

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Book SynopsisBuild your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right levelAntislavery campaigner, author, diplomat and political statesmen, Frederick Douglass was one of the greatest men of his age. Having been enslaved himself, Frederick fought publicly against slavery and was an inspiration in the fight for social and political change. Written by Amanda Mitchison, find out about this life-long battle to fight for equality.Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children''s sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically.Text type: A biographyCurriculum links: History, CitizenshipThis book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

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Book SynopsisI hadn't been in Hackney for 24 hours but I knew that the way I saw life and people had changed forever. There was such goodness here but there was a sadness I had never imagined before, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet 'On a hot summer's day in 1969, fresh-faced 17 year old Nurse Sarah Hill arrives at Hackney General Hospital in London's East End.Battered suitcase in hand, she takes eager steps in her white calf-length Mary Quant boots towards the towering sandy-grey building of the Nurses' Home. Looking up at the rows and rows of little windows, full of nervous excitement, she couldn't have guessed just what she was getting herself into It's the end of the swinging sixties, Britain is changing and the everyday life of the nurses and patients plays out against a backdrop of a failing government, strikes, immigration and women's lib. Nurse Sarah Hill, together with her companions; the serious minded, politicised Maddox, the quick witted Lynch, who falls in love with an upper crust youn

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Book SynopsisThe Black Door explores the evolving relationship between successive British prime ministers and the intelligence agencies, from Asquith's Secret Service Bureau to Cameron's National Security Council.Intelligence can do a prime minister's dirty work. For more than a century, secret wars have been waged directly from Number 10. They have staved off conflict, defeats and British decline through fancy footwork, often deceiving friend and foe alike. Yet as the birth of the modern British secret service in 1909, prime ministers were strangers to the secret world sometimes with disastrous consequences. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill oversaw a remarkable revolution in the exploitation of intelligence, bringing it into the centre of government. Chruchill's wartime regime also formed a school of intelligence for future prime ministers, and its secret legacy has endured. Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and David Cameron all became great enthusiasts for spies and special forces. AlTrade Review‘Must read stuff. Aldrich and Cormac are inexhaustible researchers, who use a wide range of archives and include striking material from off-the-record informants. ‘The Black Door’ is a vital, authoritative book’ Richard Davenport-Hines, The Times ‘Pioneering book … a major contribution to our understanding of British prime ministers over the last century. This is one of those rare books that deserve to change the way that modern British political history is researched and written’ Christopher Andrew, Literary Review ‘A timely read’ **** Daily Express ‘This book deserves to be taken very seriously. The authors are intimately familiar with the history of the modern intelligence community’ Sunday Times ‘The first close study of relations between nineteen prime ministers and their secret service. Plenty of lively stories and characters’ The Times

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Book SynopsisFrom the foremost historian of 20th century Spain, A People Betrayed is the story of the devastating betrayal of Spain by its political class, its military and its Church. This comprehensive history of modern Spain chronicles the fomenting of violent social division throughout the country by institutionalised corruption and startling political incompetence. Most spectacularly during the Primo de Rivera and Franco dictatorships, grotesque and shameless corruption went hand-in-hand with inept policies that prolonged Spain's economic backwardness well into the 1950s.A People Betrayed looks back to the years prior to 1923 when electoral corruption excluded the masses from organized politics and gave them a choice between apathetic acceptance and violent revolution. Bitter social conflict, economic tensions and conflict between centralist nationalism and regional independence movements then exploded into the civil war of 1936-1939.It took the horrors of that war and the dictatorship that foTrade Review Praise for A People Betrayed A Financial Times Best History Book of 2020 ‘For decades, Paul Preston has been one of the English-speaking world’s premier historians of modern Spain. His latest book, dealing with the controversial topic of corruption in Spanish politic, public administration and business, is particularly good on the Franco dictatorship and post-Franco democratic era’Financial Times ‘Fascinating … The depth of the book’s research cannot be faulted and the examples of grand malfeasance and political corruption are extraordinary … Buried in the narrative lies ample treasure … I applauded Preston’s heroic feat.’ Times ‘Tremendously rich and learned … Preston is one of Britain’s finest historians … This book, massively researched … Powerful, persuasive and utterly fascinating – makes for harrowing reading’Sunday Times ‘A magisterial study of [Spain’s] turbulent past, seen through the optic of those apparently ineradicable twins: corruption and political incompetence … Races along in a riveting fashion, replete with eye-catching and often blackly humorous anecdotes …Preston’s narrative combines his gift for cogent, summarising clarity and for telling details …Preston has written an admirable book – a lively, comprehensive history of modern Spain.’Guardian ‘The work of a very great historian who knows all there is to know about his often sanguinary subject and who,beyond that, can impart his knowledge in swift muscular prose. His bias towards the underdog is humane and tonic’ Daily Telegraph ‘The scope of the narrative and the obvious depth of research are impressive. Likely to be the go-to history of modern Spain for many years to come.’Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY BOOK PRIZE FOR GLOBAL CULTURAL UNDERSTANDINGSHORTLISTED FOR THE PEN-HESSEL TILTMAN PRIZE 2021LONGLISTED FOR THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE 2021Helps re-centre how we look at the world' PETER FRANKOPANGlobal history at its finest' SUNIL AMRITHA master class' OLIVETTE OTELE''Fascinating'' FINANCIAL TIMESStarting from the ocean and from the forgotten histories of ocean-facing communities, this is a new history of the making of our world.After revolutions in America and France, a wave of tumult coursed the globe from 1790 to 1850. It was a moment of unprecedented change and violence especially for indigenous peoples. By 1850 vibrant public debate between colonised communities had exploded in port cities. Yet in the midst of all of this, Britain struck out by sea and established its supremacy over the Indian and Pacific Oceans, overtaking the French and Dutch as well as other rivals.Cambridge historian Sujit Sivasundaram brings together his work in far-flung archiveTrade Review‘Fresh, sparkling and ground-breaking, Waves Across the South helps re-centre how we look at the world and opens up new perspectives on how we can look at regions, peoples and places that have been left to one side of traditional histories for far too long’PETER FRANKOPAN ‘A magisterial intervention in world history’MARGOT FINN, PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY ‘A breathtaking book. Sujit Sivasundaram takes the familiar story of the “age of revolutions” and turns it upside down, putting the voices, the hopes and the struggles of the seafaring peoples of the Indian and Pacific oceans at the heart of his account of how the modern world was forged … Global history at its finest: eloquent, surprising, and deeply moving’SUNIL AMRITH, AUTHOR OF UNRULY WATERS ‘Challenges our understanding of colonial history … [The] outstanding volume takes us on a gripping journey across the globe … [This] magisterial book brings to light a world history that has so far been cast aside by many world historians … A master class in history writing’OLIVETTE OTELE, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY OF SLAVERY AT BRISTOL UNIVERSITY ‘[There are] many fascinating stories in this rich and stimulating new history … Turns conventional wisdom upside down, and invites us to follow the making of the modern world from the Pacific instead … This is big history’SPECTATOR 'Fascinating … Brings to life the “surge of indigenous politics” that marked this era'FINANCIAL TIMES 'Brilliantly reconstructs how empire was made through voyages across oceans … An exemplar of historical writing'BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE ‘He follows little-known voyages across the southern oceans accomplished by multi-ethnic crews … He deftly outlines the singularity of the British Empire… As Sivasundaram convincingly argues in the global South this revolutionary age was defined by the way indigenous peoples responded to Western invasion'LITERARY REVIEW

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Book SynopsisWhen 18-year-old Mary Hazard touched down in post-war Putney to begin her nurse's training, she could never have known that it was the beginning of a colourful career that would still be going 60 years later one of the longest ever serving NHS nurses.For Mary, raised in a strict convent in rural south Ireland, working in her first London hospital was a shocking and life-changing experience. Against a backdrop of ongoing rationing and poverty, she saw for the first time the horrors of disease, the heart-breaking outcomes of failed abortions and faced the genuine shock of seeing a man naked for the first time!60 Years a Nurse follows the dramas and emotions as Mary found her feet during those early years. From the firm friends she made under the ever-watchful gaze of Matron and the sisters, to the eclectic mix of Londoners she strove to care for; the Teddy Boys she danced with and the freedom of living away from home; and her own burgeoning love story, as extraordinary as it was romant

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Book SynopsisThe first major book on ISIS to be published since the group exploded on the international stage in summer 2014.Drawing on their unusual access to intelligence sources and material, law enforcement, and groundbreaking research into open source intelligence, Stern and Berger outline the origins of ISIS as the formidable terrorist group it has quickly become.State of Terror' delves into the ghoulish pornography' of pro-jihadi videos, the seductive appeal of jihadi chic' and the startling effectiveness of the Islamic State's use of social media as a means of luring and recruiting citizens from countries such as the United States, Great Britain, and Franceusing recent examples such as Douglas McCain, the American citizen from Minnesota who joined ISIS and died in combat fighting on the side of the Islamic State.Although the picture Stern and Berger paint is bleak, State of Terror' also offers well-informed thoughts on potential government responses to ISIS most importantly, emphasizing thTrade Review‘A valuable, rigorous and perceptive guide … Stern and Berger draw on internet-based sources, big-brained research on political violence and some of the most acute thinking about the insurgency that is around today’ Literary Review ‘One of this year’s most useful books on the phenomenon, which showed how the terrorist movement emerged from the mind of a Jordanian criminal, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year ‘Clear and succinct … The book’s achievement is to demonstrate how Isis fits within the spectrum of blood-soaked jihadists’ Daily Telegraph ‘By far the most important contribution yet to our understanding of an organization that remains cloaked in mystery and misunderstanding. Stern and Berger are two of the world’s leading experts on violent extremism and, in this book, they have combined their years of knowledge and expertise into a brisk, readable, and eye opening account of ISIS’s past, present, and future’ Reza Aslan, author of ‘No god but God’ and ‘Zealot’ ‘One can only conclude, with the clarity of recent hindsight, that we should have seen it coming – at least when seen through the lens of ‘ISIS’ … a timely and important history of a movement that now defines the 21st century’ Evening Standard ‘The first serious book to analyse the rise of ISIS, arguably one of history's most successful terrorist groups. Stern and Berger write clearly and persuasively and marshal impressive primary research from ISIS's prodigious propaganda to help explain how ISIS became the dominant jihadi group today. It's a terrific and important read’ Peter Bergen, author of ‘Manhunt’ ‘From two of the world’s leading terrorism experts, this timely and urgent book is absolutely essential reading for analysts and policy makers alike. In what is already a cornerstone contribution, Stern and Berger offer the kind of cold-blooded analysis so desperately needed on the poorly understood phenomenon’ John Horgan, author of ‘The Psychology of Terrorism’

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Book SynopsisCal Flyn was very proud when she discovered that her ancestor, Angus McMillan, had been a pioneer of colonial Australia. However, when she dug deeper, she began to question her pride. McMillan had not only cut tracks through the bush, but played a dark role in Australia''s bloody history.In 1837 Angus McMillan left the Scottish Highlands for the other side of the world. Cutting paths through the Australian frontier, he became a feted pioneer, to be forever mythologised in status and landmarks. He was also Cal Flyn's great-great-great-uncle. Inspired by his fame, Flyn followed in his footsteps to Australia, where she would face horrifying family secrets.Blending memoir, history and travel,Thicker Than Water' evokes the startlingly beautiful wilderness of the Highlands, the desolate bush of Victoria and the reverberations on one from the other. A tale of blood and bloodlines, it is a powerful, personal journey into dark family history, grief and guilt.Trade ReviewSummer Reads of 2016, GuardianBooks of the Year 2016, The Times ‘Stunning. ‘Thicker Than Water’ is a thrilling debut, a true story that reads like a classy, compelling fiction’ The Times ‘A moving and impressive debut’ Telegraph ‘Deftly captures the looking-glass world of the antipodean landscape … Her account is vivid with a sense of strangeness … ‘Thicker Than Water’ is, to borrow a word Australians use when dealing with anything unsettling, a “confronting” book’ Guardian ‘Intelligently and evocatively written’ Allan Massie, Scotsman 'A searing tale of adventure and (self) discovery that shows the past is nearer than we think. Flyn is a writer with a gimlet eye and a big heart' Ben Rawlence ‘Thicker Than Water combines memoir, history, travelogue and lyrical nature writing; a true story that reads like classy, page-turning fiction’ Melanie Read, The Times ‘An unflinchingly honest, profoundly moving memoir’ Herald

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Book SynopsisBuild your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right levelFind out all about the creation of the Roman Empire, and the leader, lawyer and warrior who established it and built such a powerful kingdom. Seizing land and power Caesar became dictator before he met with a brutal end in 44BCE, though not before he'd made his mark. Brave hero or ferocious tyrant you decide.Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate.

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Book SynopsisRich and strange from the tip of its title to its deep-sunk bones' Robert MacfarlaneFrom the author of Leviathan, or, The Whale, comes a composite portrait of the subtle, beautiful, inspired and demented ways in which we have come to terms with our watery planet.In the third of his watery books, the author goes in pursuit of human and animal stories of the sea. Of people enchanted or driven to despair by the water, accompanied by whales and birds and seals familiar spirits swimming and flying with the author on his meandering odyssey from suburbia into the unknown.Along the way, he encounters drowned poets and eccentric artists, modernist writers and era-defining performers, wild utopians and national heroes famous or infamous, they are all surprisingly, and sometimes fatally, linked to the sea.Out of the storm-clouds of the twenty-first century and our restive time, these stories reach back into the past and forward into the future. This is a shape-shifting world that has never beenTrade Review‘Rarely have I read a book that felt as if it were speaking so directly, so confidentially to me. RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR is about books and about swimming, but most of all it does what all great books do: makes you feel that it’s a private conversation between you and the author. I finished it with an obscure feeling of privilege, to have been granted such access to Hoare’s most secret, intimate self … RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR is a masterpiece’ Alex Preston, Observer ‘A rich and strange combination of memoir, travelogue and literary biography … RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR contains much of wonder in words strewn across its pages like treasures revealed on the sand by a retreating tide’ Caspar Henderson, Financial Times ‘This is an exquisite read, stuffed with dark myths and eerie legends, nourished by the author’s sublime gift for poetic description’ Michael Simkins, Mail on Sunday ‘Hoare conveys a redemptive sense of the wide, continuous and beautiful world, in a remarkable book that sometimes feels rather loosely fitted together, but is always rich and strange’ Guardian ‘His idiosyncratic tales of mariners, adventurers and the odd dilettante rise almost to the level of poetry … he evokes the sense of majesty that a seascape can inspire in us’ Clive Davis, The Times ‘Wonderful…This beautifully written book is a delight’BBC Radio 4 The themes and preoccupations are familiar from Hoare’s previous writing … but their revisiting here reveals a landscape as exhilarating different as that of the foreshore from one tide to the next’ Jane Shilling, Evening Standard ‘Hoare writes with a beautiful and liquid assurance, luxuriantly at home in this half-modernist, half-conventional medium and capable of astonishingly realised visions of floating moments and sea encounters’ Adam Nicholson, Spectator ‘A swirling, poetic reverie’ Esquire ‘He is poetic and precise…a rich portrait of the sea as an imaginative landscape’ TLS ‘Written with a poetic beauty’ i newspaper

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2019 PEN HESSELL-TILTMAN PRIZEThe fascinating history of Christopher Columbus's illegitimate son Hernando, guardian of his father's flame, courtier, bibliophile and catalogue supreme, whose travels took him to the heart of 16th-century Europe' Honor Clerk, Spectator, Books of the YearThis is the scarcely believable and wholly true story of Christopher Columbus'' bastard son Hernando, who sought to equal and surpass his father''s achievements by creating a universal library. His father sailed across the ocean to explore the known boundaries of the world for the glory of God, Spain and himself. His son Hernando sought instead to harness the vast powers of the new printing presses to assemble the world's knowledge in one place, his library in Seville.Hernando was one of the first and greatest visionaries of the print age, someone who saw how the scale of available information would entirely change the landscape of thought and society.His was an immensely eventual life. As Trade Review‘It’s a captivating adventure … For lovers of history, Wilson-Lee offers a thrill on almost every page … The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books offers a vivid picture of Europe on the verge of becoming modern, but still holding tight to its ancient baggage … Magnificent.’ New York Times ‘READ THIS TRANSPORTING BOOK. Take it to the beach, to the countryside wherever – and thank you Edward Wilson-Lee for writing it, and with such a sense of vital grace’ Simon Schama ‘Perfectly pitched poetic drama – the closest thing documented history can get to magic realism… The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books is a wonderful book …The true measure of Edward Wilson-Lee’s accomplishment, delivered in a simile-studded prose that is seldom less elegant and often quite beautiful, is to make Hernando’s epic, measured library shelves, not nautical miles, every bit as thrilling as his father’s story’ Financial Times ‘Wilson-Lee’s book – the first modern biography of Hernando written in English – is far more than just a straight account of a life, albeit a rich one… moving… Wilson-Lee does a fine job of capturing the intellectual excitement of a moment in European history’ New Statesman 'Edward Wilson-Lee’s fascinating and beautifully written account of how Hernando conceived and assembled his library is set within a highly original biography of the compiler. It’s a work of imagination restrained by respect for evidence, of brilliance suitably alloyed by erudition, and of scholarship enlivened by sensitivity and acuity' Literary Review ‘Hernando Columbus deserves to be as famous as his father, Christopher… Wilson-Lee’s greatest strength is the subtlety with which Hernando’s public life as a courtier and his private life as a collector are interwoven … Wilson-Lee leads us almost by stealth to an understanding of his subject’s greatest achievement’ Spectator

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Book SynopsisOur understanding of the British Palaeolithic and Mesolithic has changed dramatically over the last three decades, and yet not since H. J. Fleure's A Natural History of Man in Britain (1951) has the New Naturalist Library included a volume focused on the study of early humans and their environment.In this long overdue new book, distinguished archaeologist Nick Ashton uncovers the most recent findings, following the remarkable survival and discovery of bones, stone tools and footprints which allow us to paint a picture of the first human visitors to this remote peninsula of north-west Europe.As part of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project and subsequent research, Ashton is involved in an unrivalled collaborative effort involving archaeologists, palaeontologists, and earth scientists at different British institutes, including the Natural History Museum and the British Museum. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the book explores the latest discoveries such as footprints at HaTrade Review‘[An] insightful study’ Nature ‘Early Humans packs in a huge amount of data, yet its research anecdotes, clear style and light humour make it accessible to a wide readership – ideal for students and researchers, but equally to be enjoyed by anyone curious about our extraordinary story on the edge of the early human world.’ British Archaeology ‘Well-designed … the images and illustrations are crisp andcolourful … the professional, the amateur and the dilettante alike will find something of interest from Early Humans, and will learn a great deal about Britain’s Ice Age past.’ Antiquity Praise for the New Naturalist series: ‘Taken either individually or as a whole, they are one of the proudest achievements of modern publishing’ The Sunday Times ‘The series is an amazing achievement’ The Times Literary Supplement ‘The books are glorious to own’ Independent

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Book SynopsisTold for the first time in English, Paul Preston's new book tells the story of a preventable tragedy that cost many thousands of lives and ruined tens of thousands more at the end of the Spanish Civil War.This is the story of an avoidable humanitarian tragedy that cost many thousands of lives and ruined tens of thousands more.On 5 March 1939, the eternally malcontent Colonel Segismundo Casado launched a military coup against the government of Juan Negrín. To fulfil his ambition to go down in history as the man who ended the Spanish Civil War, he claimed that Negrín was the puppet of Moscow and that a coup was imminent to establish a Communist dictatorship. Instead his action ensured the Republic ended in catastrophe and shame.Paul Preston, the leading historian of twentieth-century Spain, tells this shocking story for the first time in English. It is a harrowing tale of how the flawed decisions of politicans can lead to tragedy.Trade ReviewA Daily Telegraph Book of the Year ‘Preston's mission in life is to bring clarity to the confusing tragedy of the Spanish Civil War. This is his twelfth book on the war and its legacy … [it] is written with the same sober lucidity that distinguishes the previous eleven’ The Times ‘Compelling and convincingly argued ….the story of the final, tragic days of the Spanish Republic has never been told so clearly before. With a keen eye for historical detail and a painful sense of the human lives at stake, Preston paints a vivid portrait of those involved’ Spectator ‘Masterly and intensely moving … in Preston, author of several award-winning books on the conflict, the reader could not hope for a more sure-footed guide … Britons today know far less than they should about the Spanish Civil War … our knowledge would be poorer still but for Preston's indefatigable scholarship, elegant prose and impeccable judgement’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Scholarly and authoritative’ Literary Review

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Book SynopsisExam Board: AQA, Edexcel, OCR B and WJEC EduqasLevel: GCSE 9-1Subject: British HistorySuitable for the 2024 examsComplete revision and practice to fully prepare for the GCSE grade 9-1 examsRevision that Sticks! Collins GCSE 9-1 British History Complete All-in-One Revision and Practice uses a revision method that really works: repeated practice throughout.A revision guide, workbook and practice paper in one book!With clear and concise revision for every topic, plus seven practice opportunities, Collins offers the best revision at the best price.Depth studies: Norman England and Elizabethan EnglandThematic studies: Health and Medicine and Crime and PunishmentIncludes:quick tests as you goend-of-topic practice questionstopic review questions later in the bookmixed practice questions at the end of the bookmore topic-by-topic practice in the workbooka complete exam-style paperfree Q&A flashcards to download onlinefree ebook versionTrade Review“Generally excellent. Attractive layout, clear and easy to access. There is necessary focus on exam skills, but presented in an interesting, step-by-step format.” Susan Stirrup, King’s Ely “I like the clear layout, especially the spacing of the questions – it is very accessible.” Fiona Hall, Sheringham High School “Colourful and informative.” Jane Hamilton, Alsager School

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Book SynopsisA Times and Sunday Times Best Book of 2020Radical Wordsworth deserves to take its place as the finest modern introduction to his work, life and impact' Financial TimesRichly repays reading It is hard to think of another poet who has changed our world so much' Sunday TimesA dazzling new biography of Wordsworth's radical life as a thinker and poetical innovator, published to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth.William Wordsworth wrote the first great poetic autobiography. We owe to him the idea that places of outstanding natural beauty should become what he called a sort of national property'. He changed forever the way we think about childhood, about the sense of the self, about our connection to the natural environment, and about the purpose of poetry.He was born among the mountains of the English Lake District. He walked into the French Revolution, had a love affair and an illegitimate child, before witnessing horrific violence in Paris. His friendship with Samuel Taylor ColeridgTrade Review Shortlisted for Lakeland Book of the Year 2021 ‘An entertaining biography … Excellent, intellectually rousing’The Times ‘This new book, like everything Bate writes, richly repays reading … He is illuminating on the sources of Wordsworth’s nature worship … He carefully and persuasively re-examines the effects of the revolution on Wordsworth … Bate shows that it was Wordsworth who inspired the founders of the National Trust … It is hard to think of another poet who has changed our world so much’Sunday Times ‘A bold and bracing account, masterful with its material, patiently brilliant in reading the poems, and gloriously convincing about its subject’s social significance’Daily Telegraph ‘Bate’s stirring biography … is neither rushed nor reductive. It is full of sharp anecdotes that evoke the lives of the Wordsworths … Bate is able to set the poetry amid the personal’Spectator ‘A pacy writer and doesn’t pull his punches when it comes to Wordsworth’s later poetry … When he was at his best, Bate says, his poems were as powerful as any since Shakespeare and they ‘uphold and feed’ the spirit of anyone who reads them’ Daily Mail ‘As when a conservator carefully swabs away from an oil painting the crusty accretions and gunk of ages to reveal shining colours and unexpected detail – so Jonathan Bate sets about the youthful Wordsworth, and shows us, page by page, just how world-changing he really was … With wonderful elan, close reading and detective work, Bate blows the chalk-dust away’ Kathleen Jamie,New Statesman ‘Bate is a supremely capable guide, steeped in the poet’s work and milieu … Radical Wordsworth deserves to take its place as the finest modern introduction to his work, life and impact’ Financial Times ‘[A] marvellous new biography of Wordsworth … Exhilarating … his inspiriting fleet-footed book …embroiders together life, poetry and landscape with such dexterity’Observer

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Book Synopsis''A beautiful, beautiful book . . . archaeology is changing so much about the way we view the so-called Dark Ages [Williams] is just brilliant at bringing them to light'' Rory Stewart on The Rest is PoliticsFrom the bestselling author of Viking Britain, a new epic history of our forgotten past.As Tolkien knew, Britain in the Dark Ages' was a mosaic of little kingdoms. Many of them fell by the wayside. Some vanished without a trace. Others have stories that can be told.ELMET. HWICCE. LINDSEY. DUMNONIA. ESSEX. RHEGED. POWYS. SUSSEX. FORTRIU.In Lost Realms, Thomas Williams, bestselling author of Viking Britain, uncovers the forgotten origins and untimely demise of nine kingdoms that hover in the twilight between history and fable, whose stories hum with saints and gods and miracles, with giants and battles and the ruin of cities. Why did some realms like Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and Gwynedd prosper while these nine fell?From the Scottish Highlands to the Cornish coastline, from the Trade Review PRAISE FOR LOST REALMS ‘Sceptical, scrupulous, written with wit and flair’Financial Times ‘This brilliant history of Dark Age Britain mixes serious scholarship with nods to pop culture, from Tolkien to The Wicker Man… Lost Realms is a joy to read’The Telegraph, FIVE STAR REVIEW ‘Williams makes a compelling guide as he steers us through the darkness’ Spectator ‘Williams has a fine command of the literary, administrative, religious and archaeological sources of early medieval Britain. He is a diligent scholar and a likeable writer’ Sunday Times ‘Rich and captivating’ TLS ‘The book is beautifully written, pushing at the very limits of our ability to understand the early medieval world’ British Archaeology ‘In recovering what he can of the near-vanished histories of Britain’s lost realms, Williams has done an admirable job, evoking the spirit of an age that was both chaotic and creative, from the ferment of which England and ultimately Britain emerged. It is a gift indeed to be reminded that Dumnonia, Lindsey, Fortriu, Hwicce, Elmet and Rheged – faint ghosts of places though they may now seem – made their own contributions to what we are today’ Literary Review 'Thomas Williams has blended a potent brew of mythic and material fragments to raise forgotten kings & queens (and their stories) from the grave. An historian not afraid of the dark and with eyes adapted to it – what he sees is assessed sagely and described beautifully'Christopher Hadley, author of Hollow Places

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Book SynopsisThe last great, untold story of WWII highly compelling' Daily MailFleeing Nazi persecution for America in the 1930s, the young German-born Jews who would come to be known as The Ritchie Boys were labelled enemy aliens' when war broke out. Although of the age to be inducted into the U.S. military, their German accents made them distrusted. Until one day in 1942, when the Pentagon woke up to the incredible asset they had in their ranks, and sent these young recruits to a secret military intelligence training centre at Camp Ritchie, Maryland.These men knew the language, culture and psychology of the enemy better than anyone, and had the greatest motivation to fight Hitler's anti-Semitic regime. And so they were trained and sent back into the belly of the beast, Jews returning to the frontlines of battlefields across Nazi-occupied Europe to defeat the enemy that persecuted them and their families. In an epic story of heroism, courage, and patriotism, bestselling author Bruce Henderson drawTrade Review‘The last great, untold story of WWII… highly compelling’ Daily Mail ‘Gripping. … A story of courage and determination, revenge and redemption. … Opens a window into a much-ignored aspect of the war. … A magnificent story, one crying out to be told, and one that is told very well’ Boston Globe ‘[A] highly readable, often thrilling narrative… A gripping addition to the literature of the period and an overdue tribute to these unique Americans’ Kirkus (Starred Review) ‘An inspiring story’ Library Journal ‘Henderson is a wonderful storyteller who has written a never-before-told chapter of the Second World War. The Ritchie Boys is a must-read’ Jewish Book Council ‘The Ritchie Boys tells the remarkable story of how 2,000 German-born Jews were able to get the crucial intelligence that saved American lives and helped win World War II. … The message of their courage and patriotism should not be lost in today’s war on terrorism’ Leon Panetta, Former Director of the CIA and Former Secretary of Defense

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Book SynopsisA family story of blood and memory and the haunting power of the past.2018 WINNER OF THE CHRISTOPHER EWART-BIGGS MEMORIAL PRIZE2017 WINNER OF THE NON-FICTION IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERAfter nearly three decades reporting conflict from all over the world for the BBC, Fergal Keane has gone home to Ireland to tell a story that lies at the root of his fascination with war. It is a family story of war and love, and how the ghosts of the past return to shape the present.Wounds is a powerful memoir about Irish people who found themselves caught up in the revolution that followed the 1916 Rising, and in the pitiless violence of civil war in north Kerry after the British left in 1922.It is the story of Keane's grandmother Hannah Purtill, her brother Mick and his friend Con Brosnan, and how they and their neighbours took up guns to fight the British Empire and create an independent Ireland. And it is the story of another Irishman, Tobias O'Sullivan, who fought against them as a policeman because he believed it was his duty to uphold the law of his country.Many thousands of people took part in the War of Independence and the Civil War that followed. Whatever side they chose, all were changed in some way by the costs of violence. Keane uses the experiences of his ancestral homeland in north Kerry to examine why people will kill for a cause and how the act of killing reverberates through the generations.Trade Review‘Few books this year have been as moving Keane’s account of his family’s experience during the conflicts that tore Ireland apart… Keane writes with an impeccable eye for details and a profound sensitivity to human suffering’ Books of the Year, Sunday Times, Dominic Sandrook ‘While Keane is acutely aware of the allure and the danger of myth, he also has an objective reporter’s eye for the human tragedies of those caught up in the heightening viciousness … Ireland has not always borne in mind all its dead. To its great credit, this deeply absorbing book does’ The Times ‘Couldn’t put down the brilliant, moving, eye-opening book Wounds by Fergal Keane. You don’t need interest in Irish history to be swept away by characters who leap off page, facing impossible choices in the struggle for dignity and independence’ Samantha Power, author of A Problem from Hell ‘A fine and troubling book … Keane is a gifted writer whose scarifying experiences in war zones have not coarsened his humanity. Nor does his emotional reaction to terrible cruelty lessen his determination to tell the truth. He admits here to just one bias: “a loathing of war and of all who celebrate the killing of their fellow men and women”. He has unsparingly used his family history to show how many of us, in certain circumstances, might be killers and worse. Even in our own backyards’ Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.''We said there warn''t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don''t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.''Huck Finn escapes from his drunken father by faking his own death and so begins his journey through the Deep South. On his travels Huck meets Jim, a runaway slave, and together they journey down the Mississippi River in a quest for independence and freedom.With timeless issues of prejudice, bravery and hope at its heart, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was and still is considered one of the great American novels.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.'When Charles Marlow agrees to captain a steamer up the Congo in search of the elusive ivory trader Mr Kurtz, it becomes a terrifying journey into both the unknown and his own subconscious. As he travels deeper and deeper into the dense jungle, he begins to sense the presence of this extraordinary and terrible man, and to question the horrifying realities of European imperialism and of human nature itself.Originally published as a three-part story in 1899, Conrad's masterpiece has inspired many further works, including Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, and remains a thought-provoking text to this day.

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Book SynopsisA litany of fresh heroes to make the embattled heart sing' Caitlin MoranNewman is a brilliant writer' ObserverA fresh, opinionated history of all the brilliant women you should have learned about in school but didn't.For hundreds of years we have heard about the great men of history, but what about herstory?In this freewheeling history of modern Britain, Cathy Newman writes about the pioneering women who defied the odds to make careers for themselves and alter the course of modern history; women who achieved what they achieved while dismantling hostile, entrenched views about their place in society. Their role in transforming Britain is fundamental, far greater than has generally been acknowledged, and not just in the arts or education but in fields like medicine, politics, law, engineering and the military.While a few of the women in this book are now household names, many have faded into oblivion, their personal and collective achievements mere footnotes in history. We know of EmmeliTrade Review‘Newman is a riveting teller of history. We are given an insight into the lives of women from Queen Victoria to the suffragists and suffragettes fighting for franchise, political pioneers and present day female advocates of the arts … A celebration of women who helped shape modern Britain – as entertaining as it is enlightening … Newman is a brilliant writer; each chapter throws up something even more interesting than the last and the prose shifts seamlessly between them … I could read a whole second volume’ Hannah Jane Parkinson, Observer ‘Modern, punchy and fresh. A pacy compendium of fascinating nuggets’ Katie Glass, Sunday Times ‘For far too long, women’s achievements have been airbrushed out of history. In this groundbreaking book, the first of its kind, Cathy Newman has done a bloody brilliant job of painting them back in bright, vivid colours. She has repaid the debt due by all of us to women pioneers of the past and created a treasure trove of inspiration for women of today and tomorrow. I just wish this book had been written when I was growing up.’ Nicola Sturgeon ‘Powerful, poignant and often provoking – this book shines a light on the contribution of women of all ages, ethnicities, faiths and backgrounds who have helped to make our city and country so great. Cathy Newman narrates the stories of women who have helped shape the world in which we live today, by challenging gender stereotypes, smashing glass ceilings and blazing a trail for the next generation to follow. Eloquently written and hugely enjoyable to read.’ Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London ‘Brilliant, enlightening, and a powerful reminder of the extraordinary and sustained courage of the women who fought against overwhelming odds for equality of opportunity, for rights and respect. This book is so important. No library, no school or university, should be without a copy.’ Michael Morpurgo

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Book SynopsisTV presenter and all-round car nut Ant Anstead takes the reader on a journey that mirrors the development of the motor car itself from a stuttering 20mph annoyance that scared everyone's horses to 150mph pursuits with aerial support and sophisticated electronic tracking.The British Police Force's relationship with the car started by chasing after pioneer speeding motorists on bicycles. As speed restrictions eased in the early twentieth century and car ownership increased, the police embraced the car. Criminals were stealing cars to sell on or to use as getaway vehicles and the police needed to stay ahead, or at least only one step behind. The arms race for speed, which culminated in the police acquiring high-speed pursuit vehicles such as Subaru Impreza Turbos, had begun.Since then the car has become essential to everyday life. Deep down everyone loves a police car. Countless enthusiasts collect models in different liveries and legendary police cars become part of the nation's shared cTrade ReviewPraise for Cops & Robbers ‘As a petrol-head and former bobby, TV presenter Ant Anstead was the perfect person to write a new history of the police car’Daily Express ‘Delightfully metal-focused’ Classic Car Weekly

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Book SynopsisA joy' Philippe SandsGlorious' David SpiegelhalterA fascinating, enchanting and personal look at the meaning of luck, and the way in which it has shaped our shared history and continues to inflect our day to day lives.What does it mean to be lucky? How might we mitigate the effects of bad luck and maximise those of good? Is there really such a thing as luck' at all?To answer these questions, David Flusfeder sets out on a quest that will take him across the world and through history. Travelling from Siberia to Versailles, from his father's life in war-time Poland to Nietzsche on the slopes of Vesuvius, Flusfeder investigates some victors of luck and those who were defeated by it. In following him, we find ourselves confronting who we are and how we might choose to live.Thrilling, intelligent and wilfully unique I loved it' James Runcie, author of The Great PassionRuminative page-turning' TLSFascinating An eminently enjoyable and engrossing page-turner' The Jewish ChronicleTrade Review‘Luck is a wonderful intermingling of the historic, philosophical and literary, with tales of the author and his engaging, complicated, extraordinary father. A joy’ Philippe Sands, author of The Last Colony ‘An extraordinary collection of insights into luck, skilfully combining personal stories and historical studies into a partly random structure. It has a glorious unpredictability, producing a stimulating feeling of uncertainty about what the next gem will turn out to be’ David Spiegelhalter, author of The Art of Statistics ‘Ruminative … page-turning’ TLS ‘In Luck, [Flusfeder] bypasses the scientific harsh truth about randomness and probability and instead has written a book about the human side of luck … Eccentric, insightful meditations’ New Scientist ‘Thrilling, intelligent and wilfully unique, with the bonus ball of being unexpectedly moving, David Flusfeder’s thirteen investigations are the result of a lifetime of original thinking. I loved it’ James Runcie, author of The Great Passion ‘Fascinating … An eminently enjoyable and engrossing page-turner’ The Jewish Chronicle ‘Flusfeder stands up for superstition’ Telegraph ‘This deep, particular and witty examination of the nature of luck and its role in human existence is an absolute joy, from random start to mysterious finish. A most unusual book’ Louisa Young, author of Twelve Months and a Day

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Book SynopsisThe perfect stocking filler for lovers of Whisky. An excellent introduction to the world of Scotch whiskies. It includes the major Scotch whiskies and the distilleries that produce them.

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Book SynopsisThe International BestsellerThe inspiration for Impeachment: American Crime StoryThe definitive account of the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandals, A Vast Conspiracy casts an insightful eye over the extraordinary ordeal that nearly brought down a president.First published a year after the infamous impeachment trial, Jeffrey Toobin's propulsive narrative captures the full arc of the Clinton sex scandals from their beginnings in a Little Rock hotel to their culmination on the floor of the United States Senate with only the second vote on presidential removal in American history.Rich in character and fuelled with the high octane of a sensational legal thriller, A Vast Conspiracy has indelibly shaped our understanding of this disastrous moment in American political history.Trade Review‘[An] admirably clear, vigorously written, plain-spoken and commonsensical book’ The New York Times Book Review ‘A superb work of factual and legal analysis … Few novels are as gripping’ The New York Review of Books ‘A good read … a brave book’ Economist ‘A story as taut and surprising as any thriller …. Unimpeachable page-turner’ People

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Book SynopsisExam Board: SQALevel: N4/5Subject: HistoryThe National 4 & 5 History Course Notes provide comprehensive and authoritative guidance for the entire CfE course. Course Notes give a practical, supportive approach to help deliver the new curriculum and offer an appropriate blend of sound teaching and learning with exam and assessment guidance.Progress and attainment for all A complete course text with seven of the most popular topics covered in depth (Migration and Empire; The Era of the Great War; The Atlantic Slave Trade; Changing Britain; Red Flag: Lenin and the Russian Revolution; Hitler and Nazi Germany and Free at Last? Civil Rights in the USA) Activities' will get students thinking about what they have learned and help them to develop the skills needed for the assessment Activities' are mapped and indexed by Outcome so you can see at a glance which criteria each activity fulfilsActive learning Make the link' features encourage broader thinking between and across subjects Hints' give

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Book SynopsisConcise, elegant and lucid A very useful primer on the delusions of an English mentality' GuardianWhat do we get wrong about Britain's history and its place in the world? In a brilliant, big-picture history, bestselling author David Reynolds moves beyond the Brexit debate to trace and reassess the defining narratives of Britain's past. From fluctuating engagement with Europe to the legacies of Empire. From the Acts of Union that forged the United Kingdom to the slave trade, immigration and the special relationship. This is a vital guide to how Britain's identity was really formed, and what long-held and often-damaging illusions we should be shaking off.Trade Review‘Splendid… a clear, well­written and highly stimulating account of the flaws in our understanding of Britain's past that bedevilled the great debate over the country's relations with the EU and helped produce the result it did. We could have done with it two or three years ago. But then real history, based on extensive reading, research and the wisdom of a true historian, takes a while to write.’ Literary Review ‘[A] concise, elegant and lucid revisiting of key themes in British history … There is here not history but histories … Reynolds provides a very useful primer on the delusions of an English mentality.’ Guardian ‘Incisive … Reynolds provides a useful summary of the scholarship that has examined the relationship between the four nations in the British Isles … Reynolds is at his best when the narrative of Europe as antagonist is concerned … On the basis of Reynolds’ compelling account, Britain’s future outside the EU ought to begin with an honest assessment of its past.’ Financial Times ‘History is essential to political awareness, and the Brexit debate was certainly shaped by historical narratives. Reynolds subjects these narratives to brisk, witty and often acerbic appraisal … His commentary on how these stories have shaped postwar British politics is compelling.’ TLS ‘Lively, slender and timely’ Foreign Affairs

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Book SynopsisWhen is seduction about more than just sex? In this brilliantly original history, Clement Knox explores these questions as well as the philosophy, legality, politics, art and literature of a force that underwrites our world.In the first history of its kind, Clement Knox reassesses our idea of seduction in a narrative that moves from Casanova's pursuit of pleasure, to America's racialised seduction laws, to the Nazi propaganda designed to stoke sexual panic, and up to #MeToo.Modern, big-thinking and enormously entertaining, Knox offers an extraordinary range of stories to chart the many guises of seduction, showing that our ideas about desire, courtship, and power have always developed in step with a changing world.Trade Review‘Clement Knox has mastered the art of reader seduction with his intriguing and expertly woven web of gripping stories and insights. Strange Antics will hold the reader in its thrall’Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five ‘Erudite yet engaging … Though ambitious in its scope it is endlessly surprising in the individual stories it unearths. I found this Pandora’s box of sexual mores through the ages both thought-provoking and hugely entertaining’Cathy Newman ‘Big and bold … His history of seduction examines a variety of narratives from scandalous memoirs to legal procedure … Impressive … There is much to praise here’Sunday Times ‘A work of narrative nonfiction à la mode. Each chapter focuses on a single individual … Their lives and work are then used to elucidate the grander historical narrative … A blistering finale, drawing together themes of sexual politics, economics, law and the ordinary human desire for love and companionship into a vision of our present condition’Times ‘Seduction is the subject of films and fiction, legal cases and human resources headaches – and yet its history has never been written. Knox rectifies this omission with this absorbing account … Erudite and above all entertaining’Tatler ‘There is much to enjoy in Clement Knox’s ambitious first work … He writes with passion and insight.’i Newspaper ‘A capacious new history of seduction … Produces a clutch of vivid biographical portraits and offers a pacey introduction to some canonical texts.’Guardian ‘Rich history … Full of punchy political insight … Satisfying and interesting … And full of share-worthy anecdotes.’Daily Telegraph ‘Fascinating …Knox is a natural biographer with a flair for unveiling startling anecdotes with evident relish … Exhilarating’New Statesman ‘Extensive and entertaining’Literary Review

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Book SynopsisA wonderfully quixotic, charming and surprisingly uplifting travelogue which sees Jack Cooke, author of the much-lovedThe Treeclimbers Guide, drive around the British Isles in a clapped-out forty-year old hearse in search of famous and not so famous tombs, graves and burial sites.Along the way, he launches a daredevil trespass into Highgate Cemetery at night, stumbles across the remains of the Welsh Druid who popularised cremation and has time to sit and ponder the imponderables at the graveside of the Lady of Hoy, an 18thcentury suicide victim whose body was kept in near condition by the bog in which she was buried. A truly unique, beautifully written and wonderfully imagined book.Trade Review‘An entertaining and strangely cheering read… full of fascinating stories’ – Country Life ‘A unique insight into Britain’s landscape’ – The Observer , '…utterly compelling – The Oldie Magazine ‘If a younger, more upbeat Bill Bryson was happy to travel Britain while using a hearse as a mobile home, this is the kind of book we’d get.’ – Reader review ‘Who’d have thought a trip in a hearse would be so enjoyable?’ – Reader review ‘A fantastic read for anyone who has loved spending a while looking through old graveyards and soaking up all the history within.’ – Reader review

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Andrew 2024 Carnegie Medal for Non-FictionThe shocking, never-before-told story of America's thalidomide victimsIn Germany on Christmas Day 1956 a baby girl was born without ears. She was the first victim of the notorious thalidomide epidemic. There would be over 10,000 more across 46 countries.For years the world believed the United States had avoided the catastrophe. After Frances Kelsey at the Food and Drug Administration became suspicious of the dangers of thalidomide in 1960, she led a successful fight to block its commercial approval.But now, having probed government and corporate archives and interviewed hundreds of key players, Jennifer Vanderbes reveals a darker truth that lay buried for decades. The toxic sedative ostensibly never sold' in America was widely distributed for over five years under the guise of clinical trials, reaching hundreds of pregnant women. Scores of American babies were, in fact, born with birth defects likely caused by the drug.WonderTrade Review‘Both a first-rate medical thriller and the searing account of a forgotten American tragedy. Drawing on six years of groundbreaking research and guided by a keen eye for the indelible detail and an unwavering moral conviction, Vanderbes has produced a shocking saga of pharmaceutical malpractice.’ Patrick Radden Keefe, author of EMPIRE OF PAIN ‘Narrative nonfiction at its most compelling.’ Margot Lee Shetterly, author of HIDDEN FIGURES ‘Thorough investigative work and lucid prose bring to life a little-known American tragedy … A compelling read.’ Abraham Verghese, author of CUTTING FOR STONE ‘A powerful and deeply reported book – Vanderbes’s dogged investigation has finally exposed the true scale of this public health catastrophe.’ Charles Graeber, author of THE GOOD NURSE and THE BREAKTHROUGH ‘Not only a page-turner, but a much-needed call for accountability and justice – an essential addition to our understanding of medical history.’ Megan O’Rourke, author of THE INVISIBLE KINGDOM ‘A deeply researched and chilling must-read.’ Publishers Weekly ‘Will leave you grateful for strong-minded scientists and epidemiology nerds — people who actually take the time to look at the data — and for dedicated pediatricians, parents who won’t take no for an answer and curious, persistent, investigative journalists like Vanderbes who can follow even long-buried and carefully hidden stories that need to be told.’ Washington Post ‘A significant work … The author weaves the various strands of her riveting tale together with aplomb, and she clearly explains even the most puzzling aspects of it.’Kirkus ‘Exhaustively reported… Vanderbes makes a complex and important story understandable, ending with an epilogue about thalidomide today. This is a medical must-read.’ Booklist ‘Vanderbes, previously a novelist, tells her story with verve, power, and empathy’ Harvard Public Health ‘Deft and thorough’ The Globe and Mail

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Book SynopsisDraws startling parallels with Meghan Both were 34 when they met their princes, both are adored children of strong, single mothers, both have a pared-down style and an electric presence and both are evidently worshipped by their Royal partners.' S MagazineThe intimate biography of one of the most misunderstood women in British royal history.Life has always been made difficult for those marrying into England's royal family. In 1936, just months into his reign, King Edward VIII proposed to Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman. Gossip ran wild, and that cacophony of speculation and distrust both hid the real Wallis, and forced Edward into abdicating so that he might marry the woman he adored.In this intimate biography Anna Pasternak seeks to understand Wallis and her relationship with Edward and The Crown. Using testimony from her closest friends, she shows the warm, loyal, intelligent woman who was written off and undermined by the powerful, often manipulative men of the EstablishTrade Review‘Pasternak interviews fresh people … These people bring fresh observations … What makes the book unputdownable is Pasternak’s lively and detailed retelling of this ever-fascinating, ridiculously poignant love story.’ The Times ‘A sympathetic biography … Pasternak’s empathetic study of Wallis attempts to redress the balance and emphasises her intelligence, independence and unwillingness to ruin the life of the man she loved … With such aggressive press coverage of Meghan Markle, it is useful to be reminded that perceived royal interlopers have always been treated harshly.’ Observer ‘Puts Wallis Simpson in a new light and draws startling parallels with Meghan … Both were 34 when they met their princes, both are adored children of strong, single mothers, both have a pared-down style and an electric presence and both are evidently worshipped by their Royal partners.’ S Magazine ‘Rather like a romantic novel … Occasional bursts of Mills & Boon style … One reads the letters from her to her besotted King – as he then still was – begging him not to give up his throne; she certainly was no social mountaineer.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Explains why colourful, excitable characters have struggled to fit into the Royal family’ Daily Telegraph ‘The best book about the Windsors for decades – because it's true.’ Petronella Wyatt ‘An enchanting love story, wonderfully told’ Sir Ronald Harwood ‘Anna Pasternak does not spare an ounce of drama nor detail …. a profoundly moving meditation on love, loyalty, and, ultimately, forgiveness’ Amanda Foreman

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