History Books
The History Press Ltd Cars We Loved in the 1970s
Book SynopsisGiles Chapman documents the whole turbulent decade stunningly illustrated book, from the cars that dominated our motoring lives to the much-maligned Morris Marina and Reliant Robin actually helped drivers out of a jam
£11.69
The History Press Ltd The Secret History of SouthendonSea
Book SynopsisThe Secret History of Southend-on-Sea is full of intriguing information on the incredible residents, visitors and events that have played a part in Southend’s story.
£9.49
The History Press Ltd The Final Whistle
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE BRITISH SPORT BOOK AWARDS - RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEAR This is the story of 15 men killed in the Great War. The Final Whistle plays tribute to the pivotal role rugby played in the Great War by following the poignant stories of fifteen men who played for Rosslyn Park, London.Trade Review'A fresh and fascinating take on the impact of the Great War with a novel and moving focus.' -- Ian Hislop'Stephen Cooper has written a haunting and beautiful book, [he] tells the story of men from one rugby club but it is a universal narrative of heroism and loss. He writes superbly and has produced a book of commendable scholarship. I cannot recommend it enough.' -- Fergal Keane'a deeply moving book about the loss of fifteen members of Rosslyn Park Rugby Club during the Great War. A War that scarred Britain and took so many fine men, who had they lived would have enriched this country. The lives of these young men, all so promising, are poignantly and vividly recalled.' -- Max Arthur
£11.69
The History Press Ltd The 43 Group
Book SynopsisThis, combined with a number of spies within the fascist ranks, ensured the 43 Group almost always came out on top, closing down two-thirds of all fascist activity in the UK until its simultaneous demise with organised fascism in Britain in 1950.
£9.49
The History Press Ltd The Secret History of Oxford
Book Synopsismany others, such as the fact that Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, stole a piece of New College’s unicorn horn, that one of the Fellows of Christ Church was a bear or that Oxford Castle has England’s most frequently sighted ghost, are much less widely known – and some of these stories have not appeared in print for hundreds of years.
£11.69
The History Press Ltd Essex Witches
Book SynopsisIn 1645, England – and Essex in particular – was in the grip of witch fever. Essex Witches includes biographies of many of the local common folk who were tried in the courts for their beliefs and practice in herbal remedies and potions, and for causing the deaths of neighbours and even family members.
£14.39
Orion Publishing Co Tylers Row The fifth novel in the Fairacre series
Book SynopsisA row of cottages comes up for sale in Fairacre - although with less than desirable tenants at either end, who could possibly want to buy it?Miss Read heard about the sale of Tyler''s Row from the always well-informed Mrs Pringle - and before long, Fairacre was alive with rumours. Why were the present owners selling? Was it true that a football pools winner was about to buy it? Had Tyler''s Row been condemned - or was it to be restored?All rumours are soon laid to rest when Peter and Diana Hale arrive in Fairacre to view Tyler''s Row, with plans to knock the middle two cottages into one and create their own rural haven.But the Hales soon discover that Fairacre is no utopia, but a normal English village with all the usual troubles...
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Farther Afield The sixth novel in the Fairacre
Book SynopsisA delightfully nostalgic novel set in the Cotswold village of Fairacre novel from the author of VILLAGE SCHOOL''Delicious wit, quirky characters, the colourful intrigues of daily life, and certainly love and laughter ... delightful'' bestselling author Jan Karon''No matter how devoted, dedicated, conscientious and altogether noble a teacher is, I feel pretty sure that each and everyone feels the same sense of freedom and relief from her chains when the end of term arrives...''So it is for Miss Read - but on the very first day of the long summer holiday she falls and breaks her arm. Instantly, all her plans for the holidays are in tatters.But Miss Read''s friend, Amy, comes up with an idea: and so it is that the two of them leave Fairacre for the island of Crete. The change of scene provides a welcome break for both women, giving Miss Read the opportunity to recuperate, and for them both to discuss the merits of single and married life. And when
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Battles at Thrush Green
Book SynopsisThe peace of a beautiful Cotswold village is about to be disturbed...''Unforgettable characters ... drama, romance and humour'' EXPRESSChildren''s voices ring out from the school playground; in the distance there is the gentle hum of a lawnmower; and all around the village, birdsong can be heard. But despite all evidence to the contrary, in the village of Thrush Green feelings are running high... The rector has a plan for the neglected churchyard which doesn''t meet with universal approval; there is a clash of personalities at the local school; and someone has returned to the village after an absence of fifty years. Before long, the tranquillity of the Cotswold village is shattered.
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Gossip from Thrush Green
Book SynopsisGossip, intrigue, drama... Change is afoot in a beautiful Cotswold village... ''Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always appealing'' NEW YORK TIMESAs the early sunshine begins to warm Thrush Green, it looks as if it is going to be a golden summer. But in this apparently sleepy village, there is a flurry of activity.As Molly Curdle prepares for her new baby, rumour has it that a retirement is planned, and the village schoolteacher is about to make an important decision. And as Thrush Green''s vicar sits down to write his sermon, he has no idea of the potential disaster which is unfolding...All is not as idyllic as it seems for the unsuspecting villagers, for change is never far away.
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Return to Thrush Green
Book SynopsisSpring has arrived in the beautiful village of Thrush Green - but problems are never far away.It''s spring again in the village of Thrush Green, and with the changing season comes change for many of the villagers.An unexpected arrival at the local railway station is sure to disrupt more than one life; Joan Young''s father has come to Thrush Green in the hope that the country air will restore him to health; Miss Fogerty welcomes an old friend and Harold Shoosmith is hoping that, at last, his bachelor days are over. Meanwhile, Molly and Ben Curdle have a very difficult decision to make...
£9.49
Ebury Publishing 24 Hours at Waterloo
Book SynopsisOne of the lancers rode by, and stabbed me in the back with his lance. I then turned, and lay with my face upward, and a foot soldier stabbed me with his sword as he walked by. Immediately after, another, with his firelock and bayonet, gave me a terrible plunge, and while doing it with all his might, exclaimed, Sacré nom de Dieu! 'The truly epic and brutal battle of Waterloo was a pivotal moment in history a single day, one 24-hour period, defined the course of Europe's future.In March 1815, the Allies declared war on Napoleon in response to his escape from exile and the renewed threat to imperial European rule. Three months later, on 18 June 1815, having suffered considerable losses at Quatre-Bras, Wellington's army fell back on Waterloo, some ten miles south of Brussels. Halting on the ridge, they awaited Napoleon's army, blocking their entry to the capital. This would become the Allies' final stand, the infamous battle of Waterloo.In this intimate,Trade ReviewA blow-by-blow account of the fateful day. I couldn't put it down. * Independent *‘Gripping … The hour-by-hour account is packed with fascinating and often poignant vignettes' * Daily Express, 5 stars *Kershaw writes well and makes sense of the battle ... a clear and straightforward military view. * Literary Review *Shows us the battle at its grittiest and bloodiest, but through it all manages to maintain a grip on the bigger picture. * Scotsman *So where does this leave Robert Kershaw’s 24 Hours at Waterloo? Very simply, in a class of its own ... brings the events to life with judiciously chosen first-hand accounts ... there could be no better companion to the battlefield than Kershaw’s. * Spectator *
£11.69
Ebury Publishing The Boot Room Boys The Unseen Story of Anfields
Book SynopsisNow also a new documentary film written and presented by Peter Hooton, The Boot Room Boys - BT Sport April 2022.The Boot Room story starts in 1959 when Bill Shankly arrived and converted a 12 x 12 storage room into a meeting place for him and his coaches, a move that had momentous consequences, both for the Club and British football. Fans on the Kop will remember the heart-stopping extra time of the 1965 FA Cup Final, and the jubilation of winning the treble in 1984. But what was the common thread during Liverpool''s glory years? It was the Boot Room. Lifelong Liverpool supporter and editor of legendary fanzine The End, Peter Hooton takes us back into that old storage room, where first Shankly, then in succession Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish drank tea, analysed, strategised, selected and deselected, and built the most successful British club in Europe in the 20th Century. Illustrated throughout with over 100 powerful never-before-seen images from the Mirror''s forgotten archives, The Boot Room Boys captures the story, as it unfolded, of Liverpool''s conquering heroes.
£22.10
Ebury Publishing The Pathfinders
Book SynopsisWill Iredale is a bestselling author, journalist and media consultant. After a decade working at the Sunday Times, first on the foreign news desk and subsequently the home news desk specialising in domestic news and investigations, he wrote the bestselling book The Kamikaze Hunters. He is currently a media consultant and lives in Kent with his family.Trade ReviewBook of the Year Bronze Award Winner * Military History Matters *They were the bravest of the brave... [an] absorbing history * Daily Mail (Book of the Week) *A sensitive, colourful and moving account... Compelling -- Saul David * Telegraph ***** *Another excellent book by Will Iredale, delving into the story of Bomber Command's Pathfinder Squadrons with drama and pace. The human stories, and the incredible advancements in aerial warfare, leap from the page from start to finish * John Nichol, author of TORNADO - In the Eye of the Storm *Fascinating and utterly gripping ... Will Iredale's painstaking research is impeccable, as is his storytelling. This stunning book is scored with unforgettable characters, reminding us this is a human story of resourcefulness, ingenuity, and above all, extraordinary courage -- James Holland
£14.24
Ebury Publishing Data Grab
Book SynopsisYour life online is their product.In the past, colonialism was a landgrab of natural resources, exploitative labour and private property from countries around the world. It promised to modernise and civilise, but actually sought to control. It stole from native populations and made them sign contracts they didn't understand. It took resources just because they were there.Colonialism has not disappeared it has taken on a new form.In the new world order, data is the new oil. Big Tech companies are grabbing our most basic natural resources our data exploiting our labour and connections, and repackaging our information to control our views, track our movements, record our conversations and discriminate against us. Every time we unthinkingly click Accept' on Terms and Conditions, we allow our most personal information to kept indefinitely, repackaged by big Tech companies to control and exploit us for their own profit.In this searinTrade ReviewI wish that Data Grab was required reading when I was a graduate student working in the field of AI. Perspectives like these are crucial if we are to break the colonial paradigm that pervades computing disciplines -- Timnit Gebru, founder of the Distributed AI Research InstituteA blistering, vital exposure of the predatory world of data colonialism. In this vivid and passionately written book, Mejias and Couldry urge us to wake up to the invasive and extractive world of today’s Big Tech -- Mike Savage, author of 'Social Class in the 21st Century'Remarkable... Data Grab helps us understand that the historical and ongoing relations of power have extended to the realm of data, a new raw material of digital capitalism. Mejias and Couldry place us on a path to recognise, resist, and challenge these forces -- Dr Ramesh Srinivasan, Professor at the UCLA Department of Information Studies and Director of UC Digital Cultures LabAs in their previous work, Mejias and Couldry show how important it is to take the perspective of the colonized, not the colonizer, in explaining how the digital world is governed. Data Grab offers important insights into how we should analyse power and counter-power in terms of data control. I particularly recommend this book for providing examples of local and vocal initiatives across various continents. A true eye-opener -- José van Dijck, Distinguished Professor of Media and Digital Society, Utrecht UniversityIn this essential and original work, Mejias and Couldry lay out a powerful and persuasive analysis of the logical continuity between modern colonialism and the extraction of data by Big Tech and its platforms. Their call to resist data colonialism could not be more urgent or more timely -- Jeremy Gilbert, author of 'Hegemony Now: How Big Tech and Wall Street Won the World' and 'Twenty-First Century Socialism'
£18.70
Ebury Publishing Lovers in Auschwitz
Book SynopsisKeren Blankfeld is a long-form journalist with a special interest in investigative narrative nonfiction. A former staff writer for Forbes Magazine, her stories have appeared in the New York Times, Forbes, Reuters, The Toronto Star, and others. She teaches reporting and writing at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and has also taught at the New York University's Graduate School. She has been a guest on CNN, BBC World News, and E! Entertainment. In 2013, Keren served as a creative executive at New Regency Productions, where she worked with screenwriters and playwrights to develop material for movies and TV shows. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and English from Tufts University and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. She now lives in New York with her husband and two sons.Trade ReviewLovers in Auschwitz adds to the history of resistance during the Holocaust, and is an example of a rare story of joy during an incredibly dark time. * TIME Magazine *Haunting and powerfully resonant: an extraordinary story of human light and love shining even in the foulest darkness. Written with magnetic sensitivity, this is a story not just of remarkable individuals, but also a tribute to the wider indomitability of the human spirit at the darkest moment in European history. * Sinclair McKay, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dresden, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park and Berlin *A love story like no other, this profoundly moving book teaches us how the human spirit can never be entirely extinguished - even in the hell of Auschwitz. * Julia Boyd, Sunday Times bestselling author of Travellers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism through the Eyes of Everyday People and A Village in the Third Reich: How Ordinary Lives were Transformed by the Rise of Fascism *Zippi and David are both lovingly rendered. And in focusing on them, the book does implicitly honor the full humanity of two survivors — recapturing the texture of their origins, their hopes and dreams, and their complex lives, rather than merely their presence at one of history’s most unfathomable, tragic episodes. * The Washington Post *A complicated, important story, told with great care. * The Los Angeles Times *A story of instant love and poignant loss…[Lovers in Auschwitz] captures the miracle of love in a place of horror and reminds us that, at the very moment the world is tearing us apart, certain forces might bring us back together. * Jewish Book Council *Moving and tragic … A true tale of love amid unimaginable suffering. * Kirkus Reviews *A story of hope in one of humanity’s most hopeless places, Lovers in Auschwitz honors those who were lost while producing fresh insights into the nature of survival, the resilience of memory, the unseen debts we all owe one another, and, yes, the transformative power of love. * Robert Kolker, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road and Lost Girls *At its heart, Lovers in Auschwitz is a story of resistance—for what could be a greater act of defiance than two young, Jewish inmates finding love in a Nazi concentration camp? Brutal and moving, Zippi and David's accounts of survival bring to light a great deal more than their connection to each other. With skill and painstaking research, Blankfeld introduces her readers to the extraordinary women and men interned at Auschwitz who, in the face of endless degradation and death, worked to undermine the Nazis, risking what little hope of life they had left to help save each other. Anyone meeting these individuals on Blankfeld's pages will not forget them. * Rebecca Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of Into the Forest *In Lovers in Auschwitz, Keren Blankfeld offers a vivid portrait of the brutality of daily life at Auschwitz, alongside formidable tales of people who risked their lives to save others—even strangers—through sabotage, sympathy, and love. Mesmerizing and inspirational. * Judy Batalion, New York Times bestselling author of The Light of Days *
£18.70
Orion Publishing Co Nazi Germany And The Jews The Years Of
Book SynopsisA magisterial history of the Jews in Nazi Germany and the regime's policies towards them in the years prior to World War II and the Holocaust. Written by arguably the world's leading scholar on the subject.
£14.24
Orion Publishing Co Mao
Book Synopsis''One of the greatest historians of China'' Chris Patten''Balanced, reliable and drawing on the most up-to-date research ... Spence eschews any overall judgement. He lets the facts speak for themselves and they are extraordinary enough'' LITERARY REVIEWA biography that penetrates Mao''s rhetoric and infamous self-will to distil an intimate portrait of a man as withdrawn and mysterious as the emperors he disdained.From humble origins in the provinces, Mao Zedong rose to absolute power, unifying with an iron fist a vast country torn apart by years of weak leadership, foreign imperialism and war. In this sharply drawn account Jonathan Spence, award-winning historian and author of acclaimed books about the old and the new China, brings to life this modern day emperor and the tumultuous era that he did so much to shape. He presents Mao as a ''Lord of Misrule'', who deliberately turned upside-down the traditional hierarchies of Chinese society. Trade ReviewBalanced, reliable and drawing on the most up-to-date research ... Spence eschews any overall judgement. He lets the facts speak for themselves and they are extraordinary enough * LITERARY REVIEW *One of the greatest historians of China -- Chris Patten
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Cromwell Our Chief Of Men
Book SynopsisThe bestselling historian''s biography of a decisive figure in England''s history.No Englishman has made more impact on the history of his nation than Oliver Cromwell; few have been so persistently maligned in the folklore of history. The central purpose of Antonia Fraser''s book is the recreation of his life and character, freed from the distortions of myth and Royalist propaganda.Cromwell was a man of contradictions and surprising charm. This decisive and ruthless commander was also a country gentleman and a passionate connoisseur of music. Of Cromwell''s fitness for high office, this fascinating biography leaves no doubt. Under his rule English prestige abroad rose to a level unequalled since Elizabeth I, yet his campaign in Ireland has cast a shadow over his reputation.Antonia Fraser displays great insight into this complex man and reveals a totally unexpected Cromwell, far removed from the received stereotype.
£15.29
Orion Publishing Co The Gunpowder Plot Terror And Faith In 1605
Book SynopsisRemember, remember, the Fifth of November ... With a narrative that grips the reader like a detective story, Antonia Fraser brings the characters and events of the Gunpowder Plot to life. Dramatically recreating the conditions and motives that surrounded the fateful night of 5 November 1605, she unravels the tangled web of religion and politics that spawned the plot.''An excellent book which unravels the whole story of the plot'' Literary Review''Told with impressive scholarship and panache ... with a sense of pace and tension worthy of a John le Carré novel'' Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewAntonia Fraser has written an excellent book which unravels the whole story of the plot, exploring the background, keeping close to the evidence, and, above all, bringing the characters to life ... a judicious and very readable account -- Hugh Trevor-Roper * Literary Review *Told with impressive scholarship and panache. The result is a narrative that is clear, balanced, and builds to its denouement with a sense of pace and tension worthy of a John le Carré novel -- John Adamson * Sunday Telegraph *Every few years a work of history appears that succeeds in connecting its subject to the deeper questions troubling modern society. This is one such book -- Amanda Foreman * Independent *It has a fine narrative flow, for Antonia Fraser recognises that history is essentially a story, and a gripping one at that. She writes with verve and imagination -- Kenneth Baker * Daily Telegraph *Fraser's meticulously researched book is an excellent read ... Antonia Fraser has shed much light on one of the most controversial episodes in English history -- Martin Jacques * Observer *An awe-inspiring tale ... It makes superb armchair entertainment -- Paul Johnson * Daily Express *Eloquent and moving -- Jonathan Clark * The Times *History as it should be written -- Roy Strong
£13.49
Orion Publishing Co The Mughal Throne The Saga of Indias Great
Book SynopsisA history of the great Mughal rulers of India, one of the world's greatest empires.Trade ReviewThis is a majesterial history covering six reigns of that larger-than-life empire... this paperback edition improves on the hardback with some full colour illustrations. * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Fans of Starkey or Schama should now look east with Abraham Eraly... This edition improves on the hardback with a sumptuous selection of Mughal art. -- BOYD TONKIN * THE INDEPENDENT *An entertaining and informative journey charting the rise of the Mughal dynasty while examining the lives, concerns and fascinations of the first six of the 11 Indian emperors... who each in their different way ruled with a ruthless, ego-driven aggression that helped preserve thrones, cities, artefacts and harems while advocating war, pillage and plunder. * IRISH TIMES *Eraly's exhilarating saga of India's great emperors celebrates the last golden age of India, a great multicultural period of imperial achievement. * THE TIMES *An unashamedly old-fashioned narrative history of the Mughal Emperors. * SUNDAY TIMES *
£15.29
Orion Publishing Co Hitler and Churchill Secrets of Leadership
Book Synopsis''His book is timely and a triumph. Roberts manages to convey all the reader needs to know about two men to whom battalions of biographies have been devoted'' EVENING STANDARDAdolf Hitler and Winston Churchill were two totally opposite leaders - both in what they stood for and in the way in which they seemed to lead. Award-winning historian Andrew Roberts examines their different styles of leadership and draws parallels with rulers from other eras. He also looks at the way Hitler and Churchill estimated each other as leaders, and how it affected the outcome of the war. In a world that is as dependent on leadership as any earlier age, HITLER AND CHURCHILL asks searching questions about our need to be led. In doing so, Andrew Roberts forces us to re-examine the way that we look at those who take decisions for us.Trade ReviewHis book is timely and a triumph. Roberts manages to convey all the reader needs to know about two men to whom battalions of biographies have been devoted * EVENING STANDARD *Writing with his customary verve and wit -- Christopher HirstLively, thought-provoking, and hugely entertaining ... No one reading Roberts could fail to understand why Churchill topped the recent poll as our greatest Briton * LITERARY REVIEW *An illuminating essay on the two behemoths written in an accessbile and often witty style -- Martin TierneyRoberts's engaging and imaginative study of Hitler and Churchill offers some fascinating comparisons and analysis * THE TIMES *The relaxed, lucid prose is accessible to anyone with an interest in the topic * OBSERVER *This book is as fine an example of the first-class essay as you could hope to read. It is ingenious. It is witty. It compares and contrasts. Above all, it never bores -- Niall Ferguson * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *This book ... contains a rich selection of anecdotes about both men that will inform and entertain. It succeeds, above all, in pulling together strands of these two titanic figures in a way that ought to enlighten yet further even the most battle-hardened reader of books on the bloodiest war in history -- Simon Heffer * COUNTRY LIFE *As a straightforward 'compare and contrast' essay, it is full of telling detail, often very wittily related * MAIL ON SUNDAY *This stimulating and highly readable book is more than a point-by-point comparison. It meditates on leadership itself, on history, history-makers and history-writers, on ironies past and present * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Fascinating and thought-provoking ... Thoroughly well worth reading -- Antony Beevor * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *The best recommendation of this very entertaining and convincing book it that it is full, not just of funny and engaging stories very well told, but of some very startling illustrations * SPECTATOR *The study of history remains a constant joy, as well as a challenge and a path to enlightenment for Andrew Roberts. That is why indubitably, Hitler and Churchill: Secrets of Leadership is the most accomplished - and sexiest - historical work published so far this year. It is also one of the most pertinent * YORKSHIRE POST *A rattlingly enjoyable book * THE ECONOMIST *Roberts's strength is in his unashamed selectiveness. The essential often lies in the detail. One may quibble or even disagree with some of the things he says, but the point of the book is to stimulate thinking and in that he most certainly succeeds * IRISH INDEPENDENT *Andrew Roberts's stylish, analytical and often unexpectedly amusing study of these two adversaries is a brilliant and highly readable demonstration of how Hitler and Churchill's seemingly very different forms of greatness exhibited shared elements. Often, glorious humour leaps from the fascinating illustrations that so enliven and illuminate the author's text. With Roberts's light and elegant touch, and gimlet-sharp perceptions, this book is not to be missed * THE FIELD *As a study of leadership, of good and evil, this is a fascinating book that is as timely as ever * CONTEMPORARY REVIEW *Andrew Roberts does a first rate job unmasking the men behind the medals * DAILY EXPRESS *It is enthralling, informative, compelling and brilliantly written. History, unlike literary criticism, is lucky in that it has first-rank scholars who can write in a direct and simple way. Andrew Roberts is one of the very best * CATHOLIC TIMES *This superb book includes plenty of insight into the business of leadership, some surprising judgments and some revealing details * SUNDAY TIMES *
£13.49
Orion Publishing Co The Tribes of Britain
Book SynopsisWho are we? The story of the peoples of Britain and Ireland, drawing on new genetic discoveries, language, buildings and landscape.The diverse peoples of Britain and Ireland are revealed not only by physical characteristics but also through structures and settlements, place names and dialects. Using the latest genetic and archaeological research, the author shows how different peoples traded, settled and conquered, establishing the ''tribal'' and regional roots still apparent today. Its vast scope considers the impact of prehistoric peoples and Celtic tribes, Romans and Vikings, Saxons and Normans, Jews and Huguenots, as well as the increasing population movements of the last century.Trade Review[Miles] draws admirably on history, demography, sociology, biology, and even climatology in this wide-ranging cornucopia. * THE TIMES (2/9/06) *Coming at a time of surely historical levels of immigration, his hugely detailed survey... provides a vital background to any discussion of why Britain is the way it is. It will certainly warm the hearts of increasingly beleaguered multiculturists. * SUNDAY TIMES (3/9/06) *A big, eccentric tract written with a Victorian zeal to educate and improve the reader... [a] magisterial work. * TELEGRAPH (26/8/06) *
£13.49
Orion Publishing Co 1916 The Easter Rising
Book SynopsisAn account of the events, personalities and repercussions of the Irish rebellionThe Easter Rising began at 12 noon, 24 April, 1916 and lasted for six short but bloody days, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians, the destruction of many parts of Dublin, and the true beginning of Irish independence.The 1916 Rising was born out of the Conservative and Unionist parties'' illegal defiance of the democratically expressed wish of the Irish electorate for Home Rule; and of confusion, mishap and disorganisation, compounded by a split within the Volunteer leadership.Tim Pat Coogan introduces the major players, themes and outcomes of a drama that would profoundly affect twentieth-century Irish history. Not only is this the story of a turning point in Ireland''s struggle for freedom, but also a testament to the men and women of courage and conviction who were prepared to give their lives for what they believed was right.
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co The Reformation
Book SynopsisA short but powerful study of one of the great watersheds of European historyAlthough for generations the Reformation was regarded as a major turning point in European history, in recent years its significance has been downgraded. But in this book Professor Collinson sets out to restore a sense of the Reformation as a momentous historical event. He brilliantly explores the complexities and corruption of the late-medieval Catholic Church - and the Europe-wide reform movement which produced Lutherans, Calvinists, Huguenots, Presbyterians and the Church of England, and which profoundly shaped the identity of the emerging nation-states of Europe.
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co What Might Have Been
Book SynopsisA dozen star historians on what might have happened at history''s turning points if the dice had fallen differently.''Stimulating, provocative and playful'' Literary ReviewThroughout history, great and terrible events have often hinged upon luck. Andrew Roberts has asked a team of twelve leading historians and biographers what might have happened if major world events had gone differently? Each concentrating in the area in which they are a leading authority, historians as distinguished as Antonia Fraser (Gunpowder Plot), Norman Stone (Sarajevo 1914) and Anne Somerset (the Spanish Armada) consider: What if?Robert Cowley demonstrates how nearly Britain won the American war of independence. Following her acclaimed GEORGIANA, Amanda Foreman muses on Lincoln''s Northern States of America and Lord Palmerston''s Great Britain going to war, as they so nearly did in 1861. Whether it''s Stalin fleeing Moscow in 1941 (Simon Sebag Montefiore), or Napoleon notTrade ReviewStimulating, provocative and playful, WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, is everything one looks for in a collection of essays * LITERARY REVIEW *A gifted team of authors envisages alternative historical scenarios. As has become the custom of the genre, some of the contributors submit sober and measured assessments, while others spot a chance for playfulness * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Roberts himself contributes both the best essay in the collection ... and an affable, perceptive introduction which he deploys to muse on the nature of such virtual historical projections * THE SCOTSMAN *Andrew Roberts has recruited a dozen historians to pose, and answer, some of these What If, and some of their answers are as good as the questions * SPECTATOR *All twelve essasy are good fun, and they will make the reader think - and that is, after all, what all good history, "factual" or "counterfactual", should be about * TLS *The role that chance can play (in history) is well worth reasserting, and it is done here with much vigour and expertise * DAILY TELEGRAPH *An intriguing and entertaining anthology * SUNDAY TIMES *Buy the book and read it for fun * OBSERVER *WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN is a highly enjoyable read * SUNDAY BUSINESS POST *Counterfactual history, when deployed as expertly as it is here, reminds us that what seems inevitable is actually often a matter of chance * MAIL ON SUNDAY *The main object of these essays is to entertain, and they do so handsomely. This book is a hymn to the accidental and the erratic -- Philip Ziegler * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Great fun. I enjoyed some of the chapters so much that I shouted praise for its frivolous merits at my television set when a young historian - arguing on Newsnight with my old friend Christopher Andrew - denounced the whole idea of 'alternative history' -- Roy Hattersley * OBSERVER *Thought-provoking entertainment. * DAILY EXPRESS *Antonia Fraser's essay stands out for its intelligence. * THE GUARDIAN *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Book SynopsisAn abridged edition of Edward Gibbon''s THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, which compresses thirteen turbulent centuries into a single epic narrative.Famously sceptical about Christianity, unexpectedly sympathetic to the barbarian invaders and the Byzantine Empire, constantly aware of how political leaders often achieve the exact opposite of what they intend, Gibbon was both alert to the broad pattern of events and the significant revealing detail. Attacked for its enlightened views on politics, sexuality and religion, the first volume was none the less soon to be found ''on every table'' and was widely acclaimed for the elegance of its prose. Gripping, powerfully intelligent and wonderfully entertaining, THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE ranks as one of the literary masterpieces of its age.
£13.49
Orion Publishing Co Yiddish Civilisation
Book SynopsisA portrait of a civilisation which flourished within living memory and left an indelible mark on history
£11.69
Orion Publishing Co A Social History of the Third Reich
Book SynopsisOne of the most devastating portraits ever drawn of a human society - life in Hitler''s Germany during the Third ReichThe Nazis developed a social system unprecedented in history. It was rigidly hierarchical, with the seemingly beneficent and ascetic figure of Hitler at the top - focus for the homage and aspirations of every man,woman and child. How did the ''ordinary citizen'' live under such a system? The author discusses such subjects as beauty in the Third Reich (no cosmetics, no slimming) as well as charting how you progressed to the elite Nazi cadres - administrators, propagandists or coercers. It shows childhood with the Hitler Youth and describes the intense medieval ritual injected into every phase of life from school and university to farm labour. It shows life in the office, in industry, in the professions - doctors, lawyers, artists - and in the Nazi Party itself. Finally, it documents what happened at the two extremes of German society - to the aristo
£15.29
Orion Publishing Co Women in England 17601914
Book SynopsisA rich and fresh survey of women's lives between George III and the First World WarTrade ReviewSteinbach is an American academic, but the book is refreshingly free of the compound nouns and tortured syntax that usually characterise that calling... Steinbach maintains a clear chronological approach within each theme, and writes plain prose, not feminist polemic. The result is admirable and exemplary. * THE TIMES *[an] engaging book ... Steinbach shows the tension between the political, legal and cultural restrictions against women and the impressive range of activities in which they nevertheless engaged. * DAILY TELEGRAPH *The book is well researched and lavishly illustrated... it offers a fresh and lively interpretation of women's lives between the reign of George III and the First World War. * SUNDAY HERALD *An intriguing and scholarly study. * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *The research is impeccable. * HAM & HIGH *Steinbach's lively survey brings together the results of researches to offer a revealing portrait of women's lives in every class and all areas of life * SCOTSMAN *A grand sweep of a book, a well-researched, freshly written and unexpectedly entertaining look at "the lost 19th century" from women's points of view * INDEPENDENT *A readable and fresh account of women's lives between the reign of George III and the First World War. This book offers a skillful synthesis of a range of published material relating to working women of all social classes * HISTORY TODAY *Steinbach is an American academic, but the book is refreshingly free of the compound nouns and tortured syntax that usually characterise that calling... Steinbach maintains a clear chronological approach within each theme, and writes plain prose, not feminist polemic. The result is admirable and exemplary. * THE TIMES *[an] engaging book ... Steinbach shows the tension between the political, legal and cultural restrictions against women and the impressive range of activities in which they nevertheless engaged. * DAILY TELEGRAPH *The book is well researched and lavishly illustrated... it offers a fresh and lively interpretation of women's lives between the reign of George III and the First World War. * SUNDAY HERALD *An intriguing and scholarly study. * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *The research is impeccable. * HAM & HIGH *
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Victorian London
Book SynopsisFrom rag-gatherers to royalty, from fish knives to Freemasons: everyday life in Victorian London.Like its acclaimed companion volumes, Elizabeth''s London, Restoration London and Dr Johnson''s London, this book is the product of the author''s passionate interest in the realities of everyday life so often left out of history books. This period of mid Victorian London covers a huge span: Victoria''s wedding and the place of the royals in popular esteem; how the very poor lived, the underworld, prostitution, crime, prisons and transportation; the public utilities - Bazalgette on sewers and road design, Chadwick on pollution and sanitation; private charities - Peabody, Burdett Coutts - and workhouses; new terraced housing and transport, trains, omnibuses and the Underground; furniture and decor; families and the position of women; the prosperous middle classes and their new shops, such as Peter Jones and Harrods; entertaining and servants, fooTrade ReviewI was delighted, as usual, by Liza Picard's Victorian London, the fourth of her grand series on life in the capital -- Jan Morris * OBSERVER *This book is a feast of tit-bits, bringing 19th-century London to life piecemeal with the accumulation of facts ... a valuable addition to the literature of London -- Jad Adams * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Whether she is describing the music halls, such as the Alhambra in Leicester Square, or the criminal underworld, or the foundation of London University, or the lives of the costermongers, or the expansion of the middle-class suburbs, she never loses her eye for the telling detail. Reading her book is like gazing at one of those energetic, crowded canvases by the Victorian painter William Powel Frith, who brought the age to life through a multiplicity of detail -- A. N. Wilson * EVENING STANDARD *The glories of Picard's magpie style are immediately apparent. She paints a picture with deft, sure strokes, then finds the perfect quotation -- Judith Flanders * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *She cannot be denied her bid for the heavyweight crown. She writes the old history, descriptive and unanalytical, painted in exhilarating colours -- Simon Jenkins * SUNDAY TIMES *She is an engaging companion, always wondering out loud about the sort of questions which you've asked yourself ... an enjoyable book -- Philip Hensher * SPECTATOR *Thus the book proceeds, by typifying anecdotes, which are well chosen and impeccably annotated, and all linked together by Picard's untroubling, readable prose -- Adam Newey * GUARDIAN *Liza Picard's Victorian London is a mine of information and very readable -- Tony BennA wonderful achievement -- Claire TomalinThis is a comprehensive history by anecdote, so the enlightening facts come thick and fast, from the suggestion that Queen Victoria had a slight German accent to the idea that linoleum is best washed with milk. And while there is certainly no pretence at some grand narrative, there is a genuine sense of time and place. It makes it a book to pick at - where else could one find out about velocipedes, costermongers and the "Monster School"? - but it's also one that adds incalculable depth to a walk round the capital. From houses to cemeteries, Picard enforces the idea that history really is all around us * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Her vivid panorama of London between 1840 and 1870 -- Michael Leapman * INDEPENDENT *Picard enjoys recounting the gruesome daily mechanics of living in what Cobbett described as "the great wen" -- Tristram Hunt * NEW STATESMAN *Vividness is the book's aim, and this is achieved splendidly * ECONOMIST *A highly readable account of nineteenth-century London... Picard's book is a mine of information told with great enthusiasm and passion. * EXPRESS (7/7/06) *This is a comprehensive history by anecdote, so the enlightening facts come thick and fast... Picard enforces the idea that history really is all around us. * TELEGRAPH (8/7/06) *Her survey of Victorian London is as enjoyably wide-ranging as her previous volumes, and her curiosity about apparent trivia resurrects the realities of the past more successfully than many more solemn works of social and political analysis do. * SUNDAY TIMES (30/7/06) *
£13.49
Orion Publishing Co Razors Edge
Book SynopsisThe controversial memoir of a top British spy which finally reveals what really went on behind the scenes of the Falklands WarFor five years before the Falklands War, Hugh Bicheno was one of the top British spies in Argentina. As such, he gathered hard, corroborated intelligence on Argentine intentions over the Falklands - which the British establishment then chose to ignore. The reasons behind this British decision, and its disastrous and inevitable consequences in the South Atlantic, are the main story of this book.There were three main players in the war, each of them trying to overcome their own cultural baggage. The Argentines were riddled with guilt: after years of fighting a morally repugnant campaign against its own people, the Argentine military saw a war for the Malvinas islands as a perfect opportunity to win back their self-respect. The hands of the Americans were also bloody from the likewise dirty wars they had sponsored and abetted in Central A
£11.69
Orion Publishing Co Cochineal Red Travels Through Ancient Peru
Book SynopsisImagine that all the great discoveries of Ancient Egypt had happened in the last few years...and you will have some conception of the great excitement over recent finds in Peru
£10.44
Orion Publishing Co Twelve Days
Book SynopsisThe defining moment of the Cold War: 'The beginning of the end of the Soviet empire.' (Richard Nixon)Trade ReviewThis is a vivid, heartbreaking account of the brutal crushing of the first armed insurrection against Soviet occupation. Twelve Days is essential reading for understanding the great risks people will take for freedom -- Kati Marton, author of The Great Escape: Nine HungariansSebestyen's ...will be the classic account of the Uprising * Economist History Book of the Year 2006 *Wielding a vast array of newly released archives and completely new eyewitness testimony, Victor Sebestyen has written a magisterial but also totally gripping and fresh account of the noble, violent and doomed Hungarian revolution: a tale of murder and battles on the streets of Budapest and in the dungeons of the KGB, and of high-level intrigue from the White House to the Kremlin. Above all, it is a story of courage and decency among ordinary Hungarians. The result is a tour de force -- Simon Sebag MontefioreSebestyen's account of the doomed uprising is utterly enthralling and almost unbearable to read -- Simon Shaw * Daily Mail *A small masterpiece that should be read and treasured by all who value mankind's eternal quest for freedom -- Professor Ron Radosh * New York Post *Sebestyen's gripping description of the uprising is impressively researched and even-handed * Observer *Sebestyen's account is elegant and emotive * Daily Telegraph *A gripping and enlightening read ... recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about a tragic and regrettable event in European history * Tribune *Victor Sebestyen is a marvellous guide to the Hungarian revolution: its causes, its unfolding and its aftermath. His nuanced, intelligent account reads in part like a thriller and he captures well the drama of those fateful days...This is a first-class book that should become the standard work on a revolution whose after-effects are still shaping the Europe in which we live today -- Literary Review
£10.44
Orion Publishing Co Dancing into Battle A Social History of the
Book SynopsisThe social backdrop, vividly described, to one of the greatest battles in European history, Waterloo 1815The summer of 1815 saw the final and desperate efforts of European powers to usurp Napoleon''s reign over France. The pivotal moment was unfolding in an age where war was a social occasion; the military urgency was matched only by the soldiers and their wives'' frantic efforts to keep apace of the lavish balls which were being thrown. The intention to deny war with frivolity persevered until 15 June, when the tension broke, and troops exchanged dance partners for weapons and prepared for battle. Nick Foulkes captures the sense of what it was like to be at the very hub of events when the fate of Europe seemed to hang in the balance.
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co City of the SharpNosed Fish The Lives of the
Book SynopsisHow an ancient rubbish dump has given us a unique view of life 2,000 years agoIn 1897 two Oxford archaeologists began digging a mound south of Cairo. Ten years later, they had uncovered 500,000 fragments of papyri. Shipped back to Oxford, the meticulous and scholarly work of deciphering these fragments began. It is still going on today. As well as Christian writings from totally unknown gospels and Greek poems not seen by human eyes since the fall of Rome, there are tax returns, petitions, private letters, sales documents, leases, wills and shopping lists. What they found was the entire life of a flourishing market-town - Oxyrhynchos ( the `city of the sharp-nosed fish'' ), - encapsulated in its waste paper. The total lack of rain in this part of Egypt had preserved the papyrus beneath the sand, as nowhere else in the Roman Empire. We hear the voices of barbers, bee-keepers and boat-makers, dyers and donkey-drivers, weavers and wine-merchants, set against theTrade Reviewa memorable book * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *astonishing work of research and imagination * THE HERALD *a remarkable book... to miss this is to iss a very rich treat -- Paul Foster * Expository Times *
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Elizabeths Spymaster
Book SynopsisThe incredible real life story of the world''s first super spy''Full of stimulating detail... vivid glimpses of the world of Elizabethan espionage'' GUARDIAN''Walsingham emerges from these pages as a hero of epic stature'' DAILY TELEGRAPHFrancis Walsingham was the first ''spymaster'' in the modern sense. His methods anticipated those of MI5 and MI6 and even those of the KGB. He maintained a network of spies across Europe, including double-agents at the highest level in Rome and Spain - the sworn enemies of Queen Elizabeth and her Protestant regime. His entrapment of Mary Queen of Scots is a classic intelligence operation that resulted in her execution. As Robert Hutchinson reveals, his cypher expert''s ability to intercept other peoples'' secret messages and his brilliant forged letters made him a fearsome champion of the young Elizabeth. Yet even this Machiavellian schemer eventually fell foul of Elizabeth as her confidence grew Trade ReviewFull of stimulating detail... vivid glimpses of the world of Elizabethan espionage -- Simon Calow * GUARDIAN *Robert Hutchinson's lucid and learned volume gives us a vivid portrait of Walsingham... an excellent book * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Walsingham emerges from these pages as a hero of epic stature * DAILY TELEGRAPH *An accessible, authoritative account of Francis Walsingham's life and work. Written with a sense of the dramatic... The author is very good at evoking the atmosphere of suspicion and paranoia during Elizabeth's reign and seems to relish describing the methods of torture at Walsingham's disposal and the brutality of the age. It makes Elizabethan statecraft immediate and entertaining * BOOK MAGAZINE *Compelling * LITERARY REVIEW *Impeccably researched... the author has constructed what almost amounts to a thriller in this gripping narrative * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *The story told here is intense and compelling * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *Hutchinson neatly combines his expert knowledge with an impressive narrative suspense and mordant sense of humour... A darkly informative read * WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY *The strength of this book lies in its combination of brilliant original research with a compelling narrative * HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW *
£12.34
Orion Publishing Co The Archimedes Codex
Book SynopsisThe story of the amazing discovery of Archimedes' lost worksTrade ReviewThe authors are fortunate to be involved in such a great project and they ahve done an excellent job in the writing of this book * BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS *A heroic account, of mathematics, and science. * ANGLO-HELLENIC REVIEW *
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Princess Margaret
Book SynopsisElegant and sophisticated biography of Princess Margaret, the controversial sister of Queen Elizabeth II, the Princess Diana of her day'A fascinating insight into the life of the party girl who became an icon in postwar Britain' DAILY EXPRESSTrade ReviewThis sympathetic but unsentimental biography explores the paradoxical nature of a fascinating, infuriating woman * MAIL ON SUNDAY *A fascinating insight into the life of the party girl who became an icon in postwar Britain * DAILY EXPRESS *It has an engaging sense of immediacy that goes some way towards balancing the sadness that Margaret's life inspires in retrospect * DAILY TELEGRAPH *She was a witty, intelligent, stimulating companion - happily Tim Heald captures all these qualities in his admirably well-balanced biography * LITERARY REVIEW *A sympathetic tribute and an exploration into a tormented soul * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *An entertaining and reliable book * GUARDIAN *An insightful, enjoyable book * DAILY TELEGRAPH *This sympathetic but unsentimental biography explores the paradoxical nature of a fascinating, infuriating woman -- Simon Shaw * MAIL ON SUNDAY *A fascinating insight into the life of the party girl who became an icon in postwar Britain * DAILY EXPRESS *A sympathetic tribute and an exploration into a tormented soul * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *
£10.99
Orion Publishing Co Robert Peel
Book SynopsisLife of one of the greatest British Prime Ministers - by an author who knows the scene from his years as a senior Minister in Margaret Thatcher''s Cabinet.Robert Peel, as much as any man in the nineteenth century, transformed Great Britain into a modern nation. He invented our police force, which became a model for the world. He steered through the Bill which allowed Catholics to sit in Parliament. He reorganised the criminal justice system. Above all he tackled poverty by repealing the Corn Laws. Thanks to Peel the most powerful trading nation chose free trade and opened the door for our globalised world of today.Peel was not all politics. He built two great houses, filled them with famous pictures and was devoted to a beautiful wife. Many followers never forgave him for splitting his Party. But when in 1850 he was carried home after a fall from his horse crowds gathered outside, mainly of working people, to read the medical bulletins. When he died a few days later, factories closed, flags flew at half mast and thousands contributed small sums to memorials in his honour. He was the man who provided cheap bread and sacrificed his career for the welfare of ordinary people.Trade Review[An] impressive and entertaining biography -- John Stevens * THE TIMES *Hurd delivers a vivid and readable portrait of a semi-modern British titan. This biography is elegantly written -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * NEW STATESMAN *The author has a good grasp of the period, he has done a great deal of homework, and he has shaped the story magnificently -- A. N. Wilson * DAILY MAIL *[A] fascinating, eminently readable biography of Peel * ECONOMIST *This warm, sensible biography of Peel does a fine job of rescuing an important figure from relative obscurity -- Dominic Sandbrook * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Intelligent, rich reading with a lovely droll tone -- Duncan Fallowell * DAILY EXPRESS *Hurd writes well, and the book has the merit of bringing Peel alive as a human being -- Jane Ridley * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *The book is rich in every respect -- Mark Stuart * THE SCOTSMAN *
£13.49
Orion Publishing Co The Indian Mutiny
Book SynopsisAn epic true story of treachery, revenge and courageThe Indian Mutiny is a real page-turner, an epic story with surprising modern parallels. Fomer army officer-turned-TV scriptwriter, Julian Spilsbury is the ideal author to take us back to the desperate summer of 1857 when thousands of Indian soldiers mutinied. They murdered their officers, hunted down the women and children and burned and slaughtered their way to Delhi. The tiny British garrison at Lucknow held out against all odds; the one at Cawnpore surrendered only to be betrayed and massacred.Modern Indian accounts call this ''the first war of liberation'', but as Julian Spilsbury reveals, 80 per cent of the so-called ''British'' forces were from the sub-continent. Sikhs, Gurkhas and Afghans fought alongside small numbers of British soldiers. Together, they faced terrible odds and won. In the process they created a new army that would play a vital role in the Allied forces in both World Wars. J
£11.07
Orion Publishing Co Prehistory The Making Of The Human Mind
Book SynopsisA brief and original prehistory of the worldTrade ReviewA wonderfully concise and authoritative summary of research into this enormous subject * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Sisters In Arms British Army Nurses Tell Their
Book SynopsisThe remarkable true story of the Queen Alexandra frontline nurses in the Second World War.The amazing experiences of the Queen Alexandra nurses in the Second World War form one of the greatest adventure stories of modern times, and - incredibly - remain largely untold. Thousands of middle-class girls, barely out of school, were plucked from sheltered backgrounds, subjected to training regimes unimaginably tough by today''s standards, and sent forth to share the harsh conditions of the fighting services. They had to deal with the most appalling suffering, yet most found reserves of inner strength that carried them through episodes of unrelieved horror.Over 200 nurses died, torpedoed in hospital ships, bombed in field hospitals or murdered in Japanese prison camps. Dozens won medals for gallantry. From the beaches of Dunkirk, to Singapore and D-Day, they saw it all. Whether tending burned pilots from the Battle of Britain or improvising medical treatment in JapTrade ReviewTyrer's prose, tripped of purple passage or poetic flourish, reflects a brisk journalistic commitments to gathering the last testimonies in a tale well worth telling * THE TIMES *The great strength of this powerful depiction of wartime nursing is the use made of contemporary accounts by the nurses themselves * DAILY MAIL *Anyone seeking a definition of the genuinely heroic should read Nicola Tyrer's moving account of Queen Alexandria's Imperial Military Nursing Service * EVENING STANDARD *Written with sensitivity, with personal anecdotes and illustrations, this is entertaining and inspirational * TELEGRAPH & ARGUS *Written with sensitivity, with personal anecdotes and illustrations, this is entertaining and inspirational. * TELEGRAPH & ARGUS *
£10.44
Orion Publishing Co The Vertigo Years
Book SynopsisA panorama of Europe, 1900-1914, describing the cultural, economic and political life before the First World War.Trade Reviewoffers stimulating insights into the period and is illuminating on Austrian contributions to the innovative ferment of the time * SUNDAY TIMES *[Blom] aims both to highlight the prophetic power of the first globalised age...and to shun the easy hindsight that would throw the blight of the Great War back over all that came before. It's a tough course, but one he negotiates in style. * INDEPENDENT *Blom's is an ambitious project that delivers a fascinating whistle-stop tour of European history -- Naomi Booth * DAILY TELEGRAPH *A breathtaking account of a world in flux told with engaging attention to detail. * BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH *
£12.34
Orion Publishing Co Queens Consort
Book SynopsisEngland from the perspective of its consort queens - a distaff history of the nation from 1066 to 1503.England''s medieval queens were elemental in shaping the history of the nation. In an age where all politics were family politics, dynastic marriages placed English queens at the very centre of power - the king''s bed. From Matilda of Flanders, the Conqueror''s queen, to Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor consort, England''s queens fashioned the nature of monarchy and influenced the direction of the state. Occupying a unique position in the mercurial, often violent world of medieval state-craft, English queens had to negotiate a role that combined tremendous influence with terrifying vulnerability.Lisa Hilton''s meticulously researched new book explores the lives of the twenty women who were crowned queen between 1066 and 1503, reconsidering the fictions surrounding well-known figures like Eleanor of Aquitaine and illuminating the lives of forgotten figures such as Adeliza of Louvain. War, adultery, witchcraft, child abuse, murder - and occassionally even love - formed English queenship, but so too did patronage, learning and fashion. Lisa Hilton considers the evolution of the queenly office alongside intimate portraits of the individual women, dispelling the myth that medieval brides were no more than diplomatic pawns.Trade ReviewA fascinating study * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *As Hilton displays so effectively through the depth of her research, no two queens were the same... a fascinating read * New Statesman *Reading this stimulating pageant of a book... one frequently shudders at the fate of the women in bygone ages -- Antonia Fraser * Mail on Sunday *
£12.34
Orion Publishing Co Gilbert M Second World War
Book SynopsisA striking new edition of the most authoritative account of the Second World War by one of the greatest living military historians.A history of the Second World War that covers all the war fronts, the fighting on land, at sea and in the air, the activities of resistance and partisan groups, espionage, secret intelligence, strategy and tactics, war leaders, generals, admirals and air marshals, individual acts of heroism on all the war fronts and behind the lines, the fate of prisoners of war, the bombing of cities, the submarine war, and the aftermath of the war.Trade ReviewAlongside his account of the First World War, this classic book belongs on every bookshelf * NORTHERN ECHO *Sir Martin's great acheivement is his ability never to lose sight of the individual in a history of mass war and mass suffering. * CONTEMPORARY REVIEW *
£17.00
Orion Publishing Co The Spartacus War
Book SynopsisThe story of the most famous revolt of the ancient world, and its legendary leader, Spartacus the Gladiator.Trade ReviewA thrilling account * INDEPENDENT *
£9.99
Orion Publishing Co Death and the Virgin
Book SynopsisThe dramatic story of Elizabeth''s first ten years on the throne and the unexplained death that scandalised her court.Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558 a 25-year-old virgin - the most prized catch in Christendom. For the first ten years of her reign, one matter dominated above all others: the question of who the queen was to marry and when she would produce an heir.Elizabeth''s life as England''s Virgin Queen is one of the most celebrated in history. Christopher Skidmore takes a fresh look at the familiar story of a queen with the stomach of a man, steadfastly refusing to marry for the sake of her realm, and reveals a very different picture: of a vulnerable young woman, in love with her suitor, Robert Dudley. Had it not been for the mysterious and untimely death of his wife, Amy Robsart, Elizabeth might have one day been able to marry Dudley, since Amy was believed to be dying of breast cancer. Instead, the suspicious circumstances surrounding Amy RTrade ReviewSkidmore unearths new evidence to try and solve one of the great unsolved mysteries of British history. * CATHOLIC HERALD *A great historical whodunnit, magnificently told. * OXFORD TIMES *
£10.44
