History Books

Book SynopsisArchaeology at Home takes a deep dive into the entanglements between humans and their things. It explores the notion that things themselves “remember” when left by “their” people and illustrates how the integration of humans and things involves connections running all the way from the present into deep time. Combining methods from contemporary and deep-time archaeology and balancing scholarly archaeology with personal narrative, Hein Bjerck presents three case studies of homes all intimately known to him — the home of his father after his abrupt passing, the home of his uncle that was lost in a fire, and a Stone Age home he excavated many years ago. This evocative approach to archaeologies of memory will be appreciated by professional archaeologists, and by general readers who are drawn to the study of the past and the things that connect us with it.Table of ContentsHumans and Non-Humans that found their way into this book 1. When does the past begin? 2. My father’s things 3. Scorched memories from my uncle’s burnt home 4. A home from the deep past 5. Archaeology at Home – Things, Memories, Life and Time

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Book SynopsisStretching 73 miles from coast to coast and reaching a height of about 13 feet, Hadrian's Wall should have been counted as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Today, a World Heritage site, it stands as the most imposing monument north of the Alps and attracts millions of visitors a year. Yet, despite all the excavation and research that has been carried out, this is the first detailed guide to be written for many years. Having first dealt with the practical questions of transport, clothing and maps, Guy de la Bedoyere explains why and how the Wall was constructed. With the help of almost 100 sketch maps, drawings and photographs, he then conducts the visitor, stage by stage, along the full length of the Wall, providing map locations, route and parking instructions, details of access and opening times, and a full account of everything that can be seen. He also covers the outpost forts, the forts and settlements to the rear (South Shields, Corbridge and Vindolanda) and the local museums which house so many of the artefacts discovered along the Wall. This indispensable guide-book concludes with a list of dates, a glossary and a summary of all the key sources.

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Book Synopsis1923: Life in Football 100 Years Ago takes a deep dive into the matches, personalities and events that lit up the game a century ago. Based on exhaustive archival research, it’s also a social history that reveals how fans and footballers lived their day to day lives and how they were affected by the year’s happenings. What they ate, drank and how they spent their leisure time. How players trained and what they earned. Who the top clubs and players were and what type of tactics they used. What kit and boots they wore and how they prepared and travelled to games, often alongside the fans. The book explores why mining communities produced so many of the year’s top footballers, and how an amateur playing army captain made an unlikely debut for the full England side. From the infamous White Horse Cup Final and the shocking murder of footballer Tommy Ball, to the painful legacy of World War One on the game and the emergence of top professional football in Europe, it’s a unique look at a memorable year in football and beyond.

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Book SynopsisChurches are Britain’s most completely surviving class of historic monument. They are also usually the oldest buildings within their settlements. As such, these structures, from parish church to cathedral, from medieval to Georgian, are a huge architectural and archaeological resource. The last couple of decades have witnessed an unprecedented upsurge of public interest in the historic environment, and the growth of the tourism and ‘heritage’ industries has focused new attention on churches. While some visitors to churches, cathedrals and monastic ruins seem content to wander around with little or no understanding of what they are looking at, many have an interest in learning about the history or usage of the building. How far does it go back? Where is the earliest part of the building? Warwick Rodwell discusses the archaeological techniques that can attempt to answer such questions. In this lavishly illustrated, informative guide, Professor Rodwell explores the buildings themselves, their component parts, from foundations to finials, their sites, furnishings, fixtures and fittings, as well as churchyards and monuments.

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Book SynopsisLife was different long ago, but how? Jump back in time to experience the lives of children in Roman times. Where did Rome''s many soldiers live? What exactly are forts, and what did the Romans use them for? Are you ready to find out all this and more? Let''s go!

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Book SynopsisA genre-defying book from one of France’s most well-known philosopher-writers. In the Lower Saxony region of northwestern Germany sits the city of Osnabrück. This is where, in 1648, the Peace of Westphalia was signed, bringing the Thirty Years’ War and one of the most calamitous periods of European history to an end. But the city was later to witness another calamity. Today, as one walks through Old Synagogue Street in a rich neighborhood of Osnabrück, one might miss noticing a pile of pale stones held together by chicken wire that sits between two fashionable homes. These are the well-kept ruins from behind which stares a gaping space—a place of memory and oblivion. Four polished plaques tell the tale of the horror-filled night of November 9, 1938—today known as Kristallnacht—when the synagogue that had stood on this spot was desecrated, looted, set on fire, and eventually demolished by Hitler’s forces. On the same day, ninety parishioners were imprisoned by the Gestapo and eventually sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Osnabrück was also home to Eve Klein, a member of the city’s early-twentieth-century Jewish community and the mother of author Hélène Cixous. In Well-Kept Ruins, Cixous returns to the historic city in 2019 and reflects on the remains of the synagogue that “express the life lost, the life kept.” Walking the streets of the city, plumbing the depths of the past along with her own family’s history, looking deep into the future, and punctuating her poetic prose with haunting photographs, Cixous explores the ruins at the heart of humanity. Part memoir, part philosophical meditation, Well-Kept Ruins is a genre-defying and timely reflection of the contemporary human condition. Trade Review"Well-Kept Ruins is shaped by a yearning to recover the irrecuperable. Cixous is compelled to revisit the fates of these castaways. She is a daughter who attempts to commemorate a midwife; a writer who finds herself through the bond of mother and child. . . . Cixous’s book is a genealogy of exile." * The Spectator *"This welcome translation gives us a Cixous still energetically writing the self, and other selves—this time with imperative retrospect." * 4columns *"To read Cixous here is to feel oneself pulled along, engulfed, really, amid a torrent of words, a cascade of sentences, as if one has drifted inside of a tumbling, beautiful, confusing, dream. A reader, too, must let go, must allow that we will not always know which of the book’s many voices are speaking, that we cannot always be sure where we are in time and space. The point was never to be so securely fastened, and anyway, such a condition is impossible, for Cixous at least." * Irish Times *"Well-Kept Ruins is at once a memoir, a history, and a work of philosophical theory — as [Cixous] seeks forms of writing to describe the embodied and inherited traumas of the 20th century." * On the Seawall *"One of Cixous’ imperatives is that writing should always act against finality, against death; now, with that most difficult and ungathered subject, she evokes that power." * Cleveland Review of Books *"Woven throughout is a meditation on the life of Cixous's mother and the ineffability of another's interior life and experience. . . Recommended." * Choice *"Well-Kept Ruins turns inward, toward the personal sense of a present wonderfully and terribly ruptured by the past." * The Nation *Table of Contents1.To the Centre of the Centre of the World 2.Reconstitutions3.Plötzlich—Suddenly a Photograph4.Well-Kept Tales—Prisons5.Salt in the Soup6.In the Suitcase

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Book SynopsisIsambard Kingdom Brunel was Britain's greatest engineer, he was the man who built everything on a huge scale, he built Britain's biggest ship, some of Britain's most spectacular bridges, a tunnel under the Thames and the finest railway line in Britain, the London to Bristol route of the Great Western Railway. Everything he did was on a scale not seen before, not just in Britain, but in the world. Brunel left a legacy of industrial architecture and design, from the vaulted roof of Paddington station to the SS Great Britain, the first true ocean greyhound, from the Clifton Suspension Bridge to the Tamar Bridge, which bears his name on its approaches. His life was one of superlatives - bigger, wider, taller and faster. Nearly drowning in the Thames Tunnel, he eventually suffered a stroke aboard his Great Eastern, the world's largest vessel for almost half a century, and died two days before her maiden voyage. As the historian Dan Cruikshank put it, Brunel was quite simply 'a one-man Industrial Revolution'. Here, John Christopher tells the story of the man and his tunnels, bridges, railways, ships and buildings, with many new illustrations accompanying the old, showing the changes time has made to Brunel's greatest legacy - the things he designed and built that we still take for granted and use every day, over a century and a half since his death.

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Book SynopsisA unique portrait of a revolutionary movement that is largely unknown outside Spain. Northern Spain is the only part of Western Europe where anarchism played a significant role in the political life of the twentieth century. Enjoying wide-ranging support among both the urban and rural working class, its importance peaked during its “brief summer”—the civil war between the Republic and General Franco’s Falangists, during which anarchists even participated in the government of Catalonia. Anarchy’s Brief Summer brings anarchism to life by focusing on the charismatic leader Buenaventura Durruti (1896–1936), who became a key figure in the Spanish Civil War after a militant and adventurous youth. The basis of the book is a compilation of texts: personal testimony, interviews with survivors, contemporary documents, memoirs, and academic assessments. They are all linked by Enzenberger’s own assessment in a series of glosses—a literary form that is somewhere between retelling and reconstruction—with the contradiction between fiction and fact reflecting the political contradictions of the Spanish Revolution. Trade Review"Enzensberger’s collection of personal testimonies creates a vivid portrait of Durruti as a revolutionary." * On the Seawall *"Anarchy's Brief Summer is one of greatest novels I've ever read." * Daniel Alarcon *Table of ContentsThe Funeral CeremonyFirst Gloss: On History as Collective FictionStray BulletsSecond Gloss: On the Roots of Spanish AnarchismLos SolidariosThird Gloss: On the Spanish Dilemma, 1917–1931ExileFourth Gloss: On the Spanish Dilemma, 1931–36The RepublicThe VictoryPower-SharingThe CampaignBehind the LinesThe PeasantsFifth Gloss: About the EnemyThe MilitiasSixth Gloss: On the Decline and Fall of the AnarchistsThe Defence of MadridSeventh Gloss: About the HeroHis DeathEighth Gloss: The Revolution Grows OlderPosteritySources

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Book SynopsisThe use of terror has been a characteristic of Russia from the days of the Tsars. The Okhrana was the oppressive police force of the Romanovs. Then came the Cheka, the OGPU, SMERSH and the NKVD - organisations that used terror to control every aspect of military and civilian life. So, during the Great Patriotic War , Soviet soldiers and citizens feared not only the Germans but the tentacles of the secret police. To maintain iron discipline in the face of the German onslaught, to root out dissent and defeatism and to counter the threat of treachery and collaboration, the agents of the NKVD waged a merciless campaign against their own people. The full extent of this extraordinary wartime operation is told in Rupert Butler's compelling study.

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary sixty-thousand-year history of how the Pacific islands were settled. 'Takes readers on a narrative odyssey' Wall Street Journal, Books of the Year 'Highlights a dizzying burst of new research' The Economist 'A refreshing addition to the canon of literature that contemplates Oceanic navigation' Noelle Kahanu 'I would not be surprised if, after reading this masterpiece, many readers are compelled to take up voyaging themselves' Science Magazine Thousands of islands, inhabited by a multitude of different peoples, are scattered across the vastness of the Pacific. The first European explorers to visit Oceania, from the sixteenth century on, were astounded and perplexed to find populations thriving so many miles from the nearest continents. Who were these people and where did they come from? In Voyagers, the distinguished anthropologist Nicholas Thomas charts the course of the seaborne migrations that populated the islands between Asia and the Americas. Drawing on the latest research, including insights gained from linguistics, archaeology, and the re-enactment of voyages, Thomas provides a dazzling account of these long-distance migrations, the sea-going technologies that enabled them, and the societies that they left in their wake.Trade ReviewWeaving together material culture and personal accounts of the author's own time in some of these islands, the book is an elucidating, accessible, and well-illustrated guide to the long history of Oceanic settlement and connections * Minerva Magazine *How and why did these explorers cross vast ocean distances to unseen landfalls?... Nicholas Thomas takes readers on a narrative odyssey to match their intrepid journeys' * Wall Street Journal, Books of the Year *Highlights a dizzying burst of new research that draws on advanced genetics, linguistics and, not least, a revival of voyaging itself by indigenous navigators * Economist *Thomas should be commended for his engaging writing style, which regularly had me looking forward to turning the page. I would not be surprised if, after reading this masterpiece, many readers are compelled to take up voyaging themselves * Science Magazine *Blending ethnohistory, archaeology, and linguistics, Thomas asks the big questions about a civilization that has seldom been recognized as such... Brings a welcome world-systems approach to Oceania, an understudied region' * Kirkus Reviews *With lucid explanations of modern advances in historical anthropology and evocative reflections on the author's own fascination with Oceania, this is an accessible introduction to an astounding chapter in human history * Publishers Weekly *Thomas successfully draws readers into this fascinating, often-overlooked history and offers plenty of resources for those looking to read more * Library Journal *Written in an engaging style, Thomas points to indigenous technologies and the reactivation of navigational knowledge which perfectly captures the vital and energetic relationship Pacific peoples enjoy today with the ocean that defines their lives -- Maia Nuku, Curator for Oceanic Art, Metropolitan Museum of ArtVoyagers will deeply engage and delight new readers of Pacific histories, while scholars will marvel at the author's elegant, concise chronicle -- Matt Matsuda, Rutgers UniversityThe peopling of the Pacific is one of humanity's greatest feats of imagination, ingenuity, and courage. Voyagers authoritatively recounts that achievement with both sympathy and wonder -- David Armitage, Harvard UniversityVoyagers is a refreshing addition to the canon of literature that contemplates Oceanic navigation... At once global yet intimate, shaped by Thomas's own Pacific journeys, and filled with wonderful images, historical and contemporary, that pay homage to Oceania's profound relationship with the sea -- Noelle Kahanu, University of Hawai'i

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Book SynopsisHeavy Radicals: The FBI's Secret War on America's Maoists is a history of the Revolutionary Union/Revolutionary Communist Party - the largest Maoist organization to arise in the US - from its origins in the explosive year of 1968, its expansion into a national organization in the early '70s, its extension into major industry throughout the early part of that decade, and the devastating schism in the aftermath of the death of Mao Tse-tung to its ultimate decline as the 1970s turned into the 1980s. From its beginnings the grouping was the focus of J. Edgar Hoover and other top FBI officials for an unrelenting array of operations: Informant penetration, setting organizations against each other, setting up phony communist collectives for infiltration and disruption, planting of phone taps and microphones in apartments, break-ins to steal membership lists, the use of FBI ‘friendly journalists’ such as Victor Riesel and Ed Montgomery to undermine the group, and much more. It is the story of a sizable section of the radicalized youth whose radicalism did not disappear at the end of the '60s, and of the FBI’s largest - and, up to now, untold - campaign against it.

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Book SynopsisMary Queen of Scots is perhaps one of the most controversial and divisive monarchs in regal history. Her story reads like a particularly spicy novel, with murder, kidnap, adultery, assassination and execution. To some she is one of the most wronged women in history, a pawn used and abused by her family in the great monarchical marriage game; to others, a murderous adulteress who committed regicide to marry her lover and then spent years in captivity for the crime, endlessly plotting the demise of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England.This book covers the breathtaking scope of her amazing life and examines the immense cultural legacy she left behind, from the Schiller play of the 1800s to The CW teen drama Reign. Temptress, terrorist, or tragic queen, this book will give you the lowdown on one of history’s most misunderstood monarchs.Trade Review'A bright and breezy account of the complex life of Mary Stuart' -- Philippa Gregory

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Book SynopsisNever before has the full history of Hatton Garden and its diamond and jewellery trade been revealed in such detail.Stories of individuals who made the community what it is today and events that are usually hidden from the public’s eye have been compiled by one of the Garden’s best-known jewellers, Vivian Watson FGA, who joined the family business in the 1960s, becoming the third generation of his family to work there. With a unique network of contacts, he has interviewed the great and the good.Richly illustrated from a private collection of hundreds of images and maps, this book will inform and entertain the reader on the secret world of diamonds and gems. Many will feel compelled to read it from cover to cover and others will enjoy dipping in and out.Trade Review"Vivian’s research is comprehensive. He has brought alive the minutiae of a neighbourhood, the tragedies and successes, and how it became synonymous with the craft Vivian’s family are a crucial part of." * Camden New Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe Second World War was the defining conflict of the twentieth century and it is one of the most popular and fascinating areas for historical research - and for family historians. More records than ever are available to researchers whose relatives served during the war. And this new book by Phil Tomaselli is the perfect guide to how to locate and understand these sources - and get the most out of them. He explains how, and from where, service records can be obtained, using real examples showing what they look like and how to interpret them. He also examines records of the military units relatives might have served in so their careers can be followed in graphic detail. The three armed services are covered, along with the merchant navy, the Home Guard, civilian services, prisoners of war, gallantry and campaign medals, casualties, women's services and obscure wartime organizations. Also included are a glossary of service acronyms, information on useful websites, an introduction to the National Archives and details of other useful sources.

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Book SynopsisThe lines, circles, ticks, hooks, dots and dashes of Pitman shorthand used by some postcard writers during the early twentieth century are obscure to most people. Could the mysterious messages contain scandalous gossip, tales of adventure or declarations of undying love?Fifty Mysterious Postcards presents fascinating examples from the ‘Golden Age’ of the postcard, each with a message written in the dying art of Pitman shorthand. The rules of Pitman have changed since the postcards were written and posted over 100 years ago, but careful transcription has unlocked their meaning to bring stories of penfriends, sweethearts, holidays and the First World War to life once more.Trade Review“The format mostly features spreads with the postcards – beauty scenes, landmarks, cute animals – with the original name and address written longhand and the message in shorthand.” * Best of British magazine *

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Book Synopsis“Just pick up a copy and set off. You’ll be amazed at what you’ve missed.” - Sir Michael PalinMARCH, 2020: A columnist watches as London locks down, facing a conundrum as his weekly deadline for his newspaper diary approaches.With the city shutting up shop and column inches to fill, journalist Dan Carrier takes to the deserted streets of Central London to uncover the forgotten stories the heart of the UK capital holds.Untold London is a consideration and celebration of a city whose famous landmarks and thoroughfares are often taken for granted. Setting out to find lingering evidence of days gone by, Dan reveals unexpected delights, triumphs and tragedies alongside plenty of skulduggery and scandal in the greatest city in the world.Trade Review"Dan about town! CNJ reporter publishes his lockdown ‘love letter’ to London" - featured in Camden New Journal. * Camden New Journal *

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Book SynopsisThis concise guide to naval history and naval records is essential reading and reference for anyone researching the fascinating story of Britain's Navy and the men and women who served in it. Whether you are interested in the career of an individual seaman, finding out about a medal winner or just want to know more about a particular ship, campaign or operation, this book will point you in the right direction.Simon Fowler assumes the reader has little prior knowledge of the Navy and its history. His book shows you how to trace an officer, petty officer or rating from the seventeenth century up to the 1960s using records at the National Archives and elsewhere.The book also covers the specialist and auxiliary services associated with the Navy - among them the Royal Marines, the Fleet Air Arm, the naval dockyards, the WRNS and the Fleet Auxiliary. In each section he explains which records survive, where they can be found and how they can be used for research. He also recommends resources available online as well as books and memoirs.His handbook is a valuable research tool for anyone who is keen to find out about the career of an ancestor who served in the Royal Navy or was connected with it. Simon Fowler is a leading authority on military and family history and a prolific writer on these subjects. He once edited the National Archives' family history magazine Ancestors. For nearly 20 years he was an archivist at the Public Record Office (now The National Archives). As well as publishing many articles in magazines and journals, he has written several well-known books on military and family history, including: Tracing Your Army Ancestors, A Guide to Military Historyon the Internet and Tracing Your Ancestors. He is also a professional researcher - find out more at www.history-man.co.uk.

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Book SynopsisIn the four provinces of Ireland there are thirty-two counties. Each county and its people have their own traditions, beliefs and folklore – and each one is also inhabited by the Sidhe: an ancient and magical race. Some believe they are descended from fallen angels, whilst others say they are the progeny of Celtic deities. They go by many names: the good folk, the wee folk, the gentle people and the fey, but are most commonly known as ‘the fairies’.These are not the whimsical fairies of Victorian and Edwardian picture books. They are feared and revered in equal measure, and even in the twenty-first century are spoken of in hushed tones.The fairies are always listening.Storyteller Steve Lally and his wife singer-songwriter Paula Flynn Lally have compiled this magnificent collection of magical fairy stories from every county in Ireland. Filled with unique illustrations that bring these tales to life, Irish Gothic Fairy Stories will both enthral and terrify readers for generations to come.

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Book SynopsisThe debt medicine owes to botany is not commonly appreciated. In the past, medicine relied almost entirely on plants, and even today, many western medicines are plant derived. Despite this, historians have largely neglected the study of domestic medicine, practised by the ordinary person and passed down through generations, in favour of ‘official medicine’. The History of Domestic Plant Medicine brings together manuscripts, letters, diaries, personal oral interviews and other primary evidence to produce a detailed picture of the medicinal use of native plants in Britain from 1700 to the present day. Recording for posterity this neglected aspect of our heritage, it is a valuable contribution to the study of the folklore of modern Britain and a fascinating piece of social history.

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Book SynopsisIn Ken Pye's third collection of strange and often bizarre tales from Merseyside’s History, prepare to be amazed and entertained, once again.Where on Merseyside was the nonsense rhyme, ‘The Owl and The Pussycat’ written? How did the 'Cast Iron Shore’ or the Cazzie get its name? Is there a lost street running beneath Lime Street?Learn about 'Roast Beef’ the Crosby Hermit, the prehistoric footprints on Formby Shore, and the particularly intimate wax models of diseased body parts found in the Paradise Street Museum of Anatomy. There are over fifty such true stories and secret wonders in this amazingly eclectic book, but consider yourself warned – once you begin reading these tales you might find it hard to stop!

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Book SynopsisThe summer of 2022 saw the celebration of the seventieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, the first time in British history that a monarch has reached this remarkable milestone.As the event was the first of its kind to be televised, images from the ceremony inside Westminster Abbey are instantly recognisable. Far less familiar are the scenes in the streets outside, where huge crowds assembled to see a procession of state coaches and historic regiments marching past public buildings festooned with patriotic banners and colourful grandstands erected outside many famous landmarks.Using a private collection of more than 200 rare images of London’s West End, Protect and Keep looks back to the day that the Queen pledged herself to her country. It provides a unique and precious record of an historic occasion: the day of the Coronation as it was seen by ordinary members of the public.

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Book SynopsisThe Crimean War (1853-1856) was the first modern war. A vicious struggle between imperial Russia and an alliance of the British, French and Ottoman Empires, it was the first conflict to be reported first-hand in newspapers, painted by official war artists, recorded by telegraph and photographed by camera. In her new short history, Trudi Tate discusses the ways in which this novel representation itself became part of the modern war machine. She tells forgotten stories about the war experience of individual soldiers and civilians, including journalists, nurses, doctors, war tourists and other witnesses. At the same time, the war was a retrograde one, fought with the mentality, and some of the equipment, of Napoleonic times. Tate argues that the Crimean War was both modern and old-fashioned, looking backwards and forwards, and generating optimism and despair among those who lived through it. She explores this paradox while giving full coverage to the bloody battles (Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman), the siege of Sebastopol, the much-derided strategies of the commanders, conditions in the field and the cultural impact of the anti-Russian alliance.Trade Review‘Provides an authoritative account of the origins of the conflict, its principal engagements and its geopolitical consequences. The book also makes a very welcome contribution to current debate on the lasting historical and cultural significance of the Crimean War. An excellent introduction.’ -- Philip Shaw, Professor of Romantic Studies, University of LeicesterTable of ContentsList of Illustrations and Maps Acknowledgements Timeline Introduction 1. The Drift to War and the Battle of the Alma 2. The Siege Established and the Battle of Balaklava 3. Scutari, Inkerman and the Siege 4. Sebastopol: The Fallen City 5. The Baltic Campaign 6. The End of the War Further Reading Notes Index

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Book Synopsis‘An extraordinary history’ PETER ACKROYD, The Times‘A lively account of (Bazalgette’s) magnificent achievements. . . graphically illustrated’ HERMIONE HOBHOUSE‘Halliday is good on sanitary engineering and even better on cloaca, crud and putrefaction . . . (he) writes with the relish of one who savours his subject and has deeply researched it. . . splendidly illustrated’ RUTH RENDELLIn the sweltering summer of 1858, sewage generated by over two million Londoners was pouring into the Thames, producing a stink so offensive that it drove Members of Parliament from the chamber of the House of Commons.The Times called the crisis ‘The Great Stink’. Parliament had to act – drastic measures were required to clean the Thames and to improve London’s primitive system of sanitation. The great engineer entrusted with this enormous task was Sir Joseph Bazalgette, who rose to the challenge and built the system of intercepting sewers, pumping stations and treatment works that serves London to this day. In the process, he cleansed the Thames and helped banish cholera.The Great Stink of London offers a vivid insight into Bazalgette’s achievements and the era in which he worked and lived, including his heroic battles with politicians and bureaucrats that would transform the face and health of the world’s then largest city.Trade ReviewAn extraordinary history -- Peter AckroydA lively account of (Bazalgette’s) magnificent achievements. . . graphically illustrated -- Hermione HobhouseHalliday is good on sanitary engineering and even better on cloaca, crud and putrefaction . . . (he) writes with the relish of one who savours his subject and has deeply researched it. . . splendidly illustrated -- Ruth RendellAn extraordinary history -- Peter AckroydA lively account of (Bazalgette’s) magnificent achievements. . . graphically illustrated -- Hermione HobhouseHalliday is good on sanitary engineering and even better on cloaca, crud and putrefaction . . . (he) writes with the relish of one who savours his subject and has deeply researched it. . . splendidly illustrated -- Ruth Rendell

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Book SynopsisIn Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements around 5400 BC, to the eclipse of Babylon by the Persians in the sixth century BC. He chronicles the rise and fall of dynastic power during this period; he examines its numerous material, social and cultural innovations and inventions: The wheel, civil, engineering, building bricks, the centralized state, the division of labour, organised religion, sculpture, education, mathematics, law and monumental building. At the heart of Kriwaczek's magisterial account, though, is the glory of Babylon - 'gateway to the gods' - which rose to glorious prominence under the Amorite king Hammurabi, who unified Babylonia between 1800 and 1750 BC. While Babylonian power would rise and fall over the ensuing centuries, it retained its importance as a cultural, religious and political centre until its fall to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BC.

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Book SynopsisMeet the people connected to Titanic in a very personal way. Through a tremendous display of memorabilia items some of them very personal you will feel the Titanic disaster as you never have before. A fresh, unique tour de force in the annals of Titanic literature!' J. KENT LAYTON, co-author of Recreating the TitanicThe basic facts of the Titanic's story are well known: in April 1912 the largest ship in the world, described as practically unsinkable', set off on her maiden trip to New York. She would never make it there. Instead she would strike an iceberg just days into her journey and sink to the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean, taking nearly 1,500 people with her. She would remain there undisturbed for seventy-three years.Titanic Collections: Fragments of History is a two-part series showcasing rare and important artefacts relating to the history of RMS Titanic. Many collectors prefer to hide their treasures away, but the items presented in these beautiful books have been gathered by six well-known and respected researchers, authors, historians and collectors who want to share their acquisitions with the world.The People is a tribute to those connected with the ship, whether passengers or crew, through the items they left behind. It goes beyond the five-day voyage that they are forever entwined with to look at their whole lives, using letters, photographs and personal effects to tell their stories and highlight the real human cost of one of the world's most famous tragedies. Each beautifully photographed item brings the story of the Titanic to life, and all come together as a museum for your bookshelf.

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Book SynopsisHave you ever wondered where your town or townland name came from? Do you want to know more about an Irish locality? Well if so this is the book for you.Featuring a comprehensive breakdown of the all available place names in their anglicised form and broken down into their relevant word or words this work by Tom Burnell will become the standard text for all those searching for authentic place-name information.In it the challenges of conflicting interpretations are tackled impartially and missing letters explored. It is an invaluable tool for researchers, amateur historians, the merely curious and general readers.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award and runner-up for Countryfile Book of the Year. For millennia, the passing seasons and their rhythms have marked our progress through the year. But what do they mean to us now that we lead increasingly atomised and urban lives and our weather becomes ever more unpredictable or extreme?In this splendidly rich and lyrical celebration of the English seasons, Nick Groom investigates the trove of strange folklore and often stranger fact they have accumulated over the centuries and shows how tradition and our links with nature still have a vital role to play in all our lives.Trade ReviewGroom's enthusiasm is hard to resist, and his garnering of folklore and customs that, for centuries, guided life through the changing seasons bulges with fascination. -- John Carey * Sunday Times *Wonderful and timely -- Philip Hoare * Independent *It's no exaggeration to say that this is a volume I have been waiting for all my life... I love Nick Groom's passionate plea for us to be aware of traditional connections between human lives, the seasons and the natural world. He provides a cornucopia of knowledge, and an inspirational call to awareness... This is a rich celebration of traditions and a plea for them not to be forgotten. -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail *Groom writes so well and so fittingly... He has taken a classic formula and reinvigorated it, given it new breath and interest. -- Ronald Blythe * Times Literary Supplement *Beguiling... Unexpectedly fascinating * Spectator *Offers far more than trivia and contains details that demand to be shared. -- Max Liu * Independent *A heartfelt exploration of the connections between the seasons and England's traditions and folklore brims with fascinating revelations. * Readers Digest *

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Book SynopsisGerrards Cross, known for its open common and picturesque Latchmore Pond, had been a place of resort ever since the 1790s. Genteel houses sprang up, attracting enough wealthy visitors that it began to be known as the ‘Brighton of Bucks.’ The opening of the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway in 1906, with a station at Gerrards Cross, gave hundreds of Londoners the opportunity to live in ‘Beechy Bucks.’Gerrards Cross: A History celebrates the energy and imagination of the pioneer architects, builders and estate agents who ensured that Gerrards Cross became a high-class residential area, both socially and architecturally. It also applauds the entrepreneurs who opened their new shops and services when the commuter houses were still on the drawing board, and the brave newcomers who brought their families to live in the country, but depended utterly on their reliable train service to London.

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Book SynopsisThe great passenger liners of the twentieth century make for iconic images of maritime history and design. Ships of Splendour presents the development of passenger ships across the twentieth century, from the 1920s, through the 1940s, and the heyday of the 1950s and ’60s, until the onset of the jet age.The fleet includes famous passenger ships, such as the great Cunarders; titans of the North Atlantic, like the United States, France *and *Michelangelo; and other icons, including the Southern Cross, Windsor Castle, Canberra *and *Oriana. Homage is also paid to the smaller liners, which were just as important in shaping the history of modern seafaring – ships such as the Aureol, Batory, Guglielmo Marconi, Hanseatic, Queen of Bermuda and Willem Ruys. Replete with notes, facts and anecdotes about these ships, the history of the passenger liner is broken down ship-by-ship and decade-by-decade. These ships return to the high seas once again in superb detail and vibrant colour.

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Book Synopsis10 September 1961: at the boomerang-shaped racetrack at Monza half a dozen teams are preparing for the Italian Grand Prix. It is the biggest race anyone can remember. Phil Hill - the firstAmerican to break into the top ranks of European racing - and his Ferrari teammate, Count Wolfgang von Trips - a German nobleman with a movie-star manner - face one another in a race that will decide the winner of the Formula One drivers' championship. By the day's end, one man will clinch that prize. The other will perish face down on the track. Seeped in danger, seductive glamour and burning rivalry, this is the story of two young men living in the shadow of oblivion and dicing with death.Trade ReviewTerrific... A quite remarkable book which every motor sport aficionado will want to read -- Murray WalkerA compelling story - shocking, sad, tragic and very human - about men who willingly drove with the Grim Reaper and what motivated them to do so. -- Duncan HamiltonThe days of true motor-racing romance are long gone, but are superbly evoked... Cannell tells a story of heroism and carnage. * Independent *

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Book SynopsisDelve into London's architectural curiositites and discover the unexpected gems waiting around every corner.London is full of extraordinary, enigmatic and, above all, unexpected buildings: a pirate castle in Camden, an art gallery made of shipping containers, underground ghost stations, and much more. Here David Long reveals the very best of the capital’s extraordinary buildings, some of which are passed by every day, hidden in plain sight.

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Book SynopsisThe 1950s saw a major shift in the lifestyles of many in Britain. Employment levels rose to new heights, white consumer goods appeared in shop windows for the first time, television replaced the radio in many homes, rock ‘n’ roll was born, the National Health Service provided free healthcare to the nation, families went on holiday, and the new Queen was crowned — bringing in a glorious new Elizabethan age.Including interviews with former Labour leader Lord Neil Kinnock and footballers Bobby Charlton, Wilf McGuinness and Terry Venables, Recollections of the 1950s will appeal to all who grew up in this post-war decade. With chapters on schooldays, television and radio, trips to the seaside, music and fashion, these wonderful stories are sure to jog the memories of all who remember this exciting era.

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Book SynopsisIan Buruma's maternal grandparents, Bernard and Winifred (Bun & Win), wrote to each other regularly throughout their life together. The first letters were written in 1915, when Bun was still at school at Uppingham and Win was taking music lessons in Hampstead. They were married for more than sixty years, but the heart of their remarkable story lies within the span of the two world wars.After a brief separation, when Bernard served as a stretcher bearer on the Western Front during the Great War, the couple exchanged letters whenever they were apart. Most of them were written during the Second World War and their correspondence is filled with vivid accounts of wartime activity at home and abroad. Bernard was stationed in India as an army doctor, while Win struggled through wartime privation and the Blitz to hold her family together, including their eldest son, the later film director John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy, Sunday Bloody Sunday), and twelve Jewish children they had arranged to be rescued from Nazi Germany.Their letters are a priceless record of an assimilated Jewish family living in England throughout the upheavals of the twentieth century and a moving portrait of a loving couple separated by war. By using their own words, Ian Buruma has created a spellbinding homage to the sustaining power of a family's love and devotion through very dark daysTrade ReviewA fascinating story... The complexities of class, race and nationhood are subtly teased out -- Blake Morrison * Guardian *A gentle and intimate study of identity and love... It is to Buruma's credit that so much has been laid bare... This is rich material that still resonates today. On matters of identity, on the public and private, the more things change, the more they stay the same. -- Philippe Sands * Financial Times *This artful volume reveals a good deal about the world we live in today... Exceptional * Spectator *Their Promised Land is a carefully and admirably written, highly readable work of social history told charmingly in a most intimate way through a close perusal of family correspondence. Buruma writes of British-born Jews of the upper-middle class with a great, sympathetic perspicacity and sweetness - these are after all his grandparents who are his subject - and, most revealingly, he traces with precision the effect on their lives of being Jews of German origin in their beloved England during the two world wars. * Philip Roth *In this warmly affectionate, richly textured family chronicle, Ian Buruma draws on his own memories and a treasure trove of intimate letters, to uncover a moving love story, and paint a vivid picture of a seemingly idyllic world darkened by unexpected shadows... A fascinating, subtle, wonderfully readable book. * Eva Hoffman *From these letters, Ian Buruma has woven an utterly engrossing story of cultivated, upper class German Jews who grew up in England and made its values their own... At once family memoir and history, this is a book to linger over and savour. * Lisa Appignanesi *A distinguished historian, Mr Buruma approaches his subject with the loving eye of a grandchild and an awareness of the larger forces that shaped their lives. His sensitive portrayal of the immigrant's divided loyalties and divided identity is timely in light of Europe's current struggle with colliding national, religious and ethnic identities. * The Economist *In Their Promised Land, Ian Buruma offers a searching, tender memorial of his grandparents' marriage that is, at the same time, a clarifying study in the complicated pleasures and discontents of multiple identity. * Adam Thirlwell *Ian Buruma, the critic, is justly famous for his ferocious acuity. Ian Buruma, the grandson, brings that same clarity of observation to this exceptional memoir, but he also writes with an elegiac tenderness that may surprise - and will deeply move - both his fans, and those readers who have yet to discover his magisterial gifts. * Judith Thurman *Buruma impressively captures his grandparents' remarkable lives in this insightful narrative. The author shapes his family's labor of a lifetime into a scintillating work of art. * Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) *Ian Buruma's moving love letter to his grandparents' memory is evocative and absorbing... The memory these good people left behind is lovingly recorded in this volume. It left me tearful with nostalgia for the world of the Schlesingers and my grandparents -- Julia Neuberger * Jewish Chronicle *

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Book SynopsisGlaswegians are talkers, blaggers and storytellers. They love to wind each other up and to trigger a debate. They are friendly, no question, but it's more than just friendliness behind that desire for a good blether. Throw in some nosiness, eternal empathy and no shortage of opinions begging to be unleashed. Because Glasgow has a big heart, and with it a moral compass.Join travel writer and Glaswegian Neil Robertson as he delves into what makes his hometown tick. From the early origins of the city destined to become the Second City of the Empire, to the factory of the world in its industrial heyday and beyond, it''s been a tumultuous journey encompassing plagues, penury, bombings and plenty of religious and political tension.Approachable reading for locals and visitors alike, The Little History of Glasgow salutes the great Glaswegians who have left their mark on the city''s story alongside the modern-day industries and pastimes that continue to power the engine of Scotland''s biggest city.

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Book SynopsisDespite what journalists chose to highlight, the gas lamps in Woodhouse still had work to do because the streets were not empty of life. Some houses were boarded up but many – often next door – were still family homes, albeit in the last years of occupation. Shops were still open, the washing lines swung in the wind across the streets where the children were playing, the cats and dogs sunbathed on doorsteps. They were a fertile source for photographs.In the 1960s and 1970s the suburbs of Woodhouse were undergoing a sweeping transformation from groups of back-to-back terraces to late-twentieth century houses amid green spaces. Chronicling this period of change was a student with a camera.The Lost Back-to-Back Streets of Leeds tells the story of Woodhouse's shifting urban landscape through pictures and the meticulous research behind them. At their heart are not just houses and shops, but also the people who lived or worked in them in a time of such great change.

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Book SynopsisThe Burren in County Clare contains one of the densest concentrations of archaeological remains in Ireland. Its monuments illustrate the story of human activity since it began here nearly 10,000 years ago. Many people are daunted by the prospect of reading about 'stones and bones'; this guide makes the stones and bones of the Burren understandable by telling the stories behind the monuments. Archaeology is ultimately about real people: whether they were cheeky monks at Corcomroe or arthritic farmers at Poulnabrone, people built or made these monuments and artefacts. Hugh Carthy relates what was happening in the Burren to events as far away as Iceland and Egypt and includes background information relevant to an understanding of Burren archaeology. This is followed by description of over 40 individual sites and monuments with full location information for all. This compact area contains a lot of archaeology, so it is ideal for those who want a whirlwind tour of 10,000 years of human activity.

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This is the story of Mayo men and women active during the War of Independence and the Civil War, a story largely untold or forgotten. Throughout, there is an attempt at real insight into the lives of participants. The establishment and acceptance of the Garda Síochána and how Mayo adapted to peace while hundreds of Mayo men and women were still imprisoned is explored. The myth that little or nothing happened in Mayo during these troubled times is dispelled forever. • First factual account of War of Independence and Civil War in Mayo • This book is explosive (Taoiseach Enda Kenny, at the launch of the book) •

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Book SynopsisHertfordshire is full of stories. The county's proximity to London attracts the great, the good and those less so: Hertfordshire was once home to saints such as St Alban, St Thomas More and the only English Pope, Nicholas Breakspear. Such virtuous figures pose a sharp contrast to those involved in the Hertford elections of time gone by, which were once declared the most corrupt in the country!It is no secret that Elizabeth I became queen at Hatfield House in south Hertfordshire but did you know that her father, Henry VIII, fled a plague-ridden London to a nearby village while waiting for his first divorce to come through? And that just around the corner, 400 years later, engineers were secretly developing the bombers that helped win the Second World War?There are so many tales to be told about this amazing county that it is impossible to squeeze them all between these covers but open The Little Book of Hertfordshire at any time or any place a

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Book SynopsisLancaster, the county town of Lancashire, stands at the lowest bridging point of the River Lune. A chartered borough since 1193 and a city since 1937, it has had a long and turbulent history. Since the Roman army first saw the strategic possibilities of a low hill by the river it has housed garrisons and acted as a fortress. Its position on the main west-coast road to and from Scotland has on numerous occasions led to the passage of hostile armies.As county town and seat of the Assizes it has seen all the principal criminal cases for Lancashire tried in its magnificent Castle over the last eight centuries. Next to the Castle in a typical juxtaposition of Church and State stands the Priory church with its own history running back some twelve or thirteen centuries.In this book, based wherever possible on original sources, such as the rich resources of the borough records or the local newspapers, the author takes a thematic approach. In ten chapters he examines themes such as ‘House and Home’, ‘Working for a Living’ and ‘Where do you come from?’, the last of which is a study of all the people who over the centuries have come from other countries to live in Lancaster.

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Book SynopsisThe Great Famine in Ireland was a catastrophe of immense proportions. Eviction, emigration and death from starvation were widespread. Landlords, eager to dispose of `surplus’ tenants, engaged in `assisted passages’, whereby tenants were given financial incentives to emigrate. The clearances of uneconomic tenants from the 85,000-acre Coolattin Estate in County Wicklow by Lord Fitzwilliam were the most organised in Ireland during and after the Famine years. From 1847 to 1856 Fitzwilliam removed 6,000 men, women and children and arranged passage from New Ross in Wexford to Canada on emigrant ships such as the Dunbrody. Most were destitute and many were ill on arrival in Quebec and New Brunswick. Hunger and overcrowding at quarantine stations, such as the infamous Grosse Île, resulted in further disease and death. Jim Rees explores this tragedy, from why the clearances occurred to who went where and how some families fared in Canada.

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Book SynopsisWorcestershire is a county of wide, fertile valleys, drained by the Severn, the Avon, the Teme and the Stour and ringed by some of England’s best-known hills, including the Malverns and the Cotswolds.This concise but comprehensive account is based on a wealth of published and unpublished research. It is both highly readable and well illustrated, and will interest the general reader, students and local groups seeking to put their own work within a wider perspective. Particular attention is given to the settlement of the county, especially to its colonisation by the Hwicce in the sixth and seventh centuries. There are fascinating insights into the lives of ordinary people through the ages, based on records such as medieval monastic estate records and later probate inventories. Throughout, local happenings are related to national trends, and dramatic events such as the Battle of Evesham of 1265 and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 are highlighted.Contrasts between rural and urban areas are explored, and products such as the carpets of Kidderminster, the salt of Droitwich and the glass of Stourbridge are seen within a wider economic context. Information on important individuals is also examined, some of whom, such as Edward Elgar and the poet Piers Plowman, are already well known, while others emerge from local records for the first time. This book reaches right up to the 1990s, including the triumphs of Worcestershire County Cricket Club and the day-to-day concerns of the Archers in the final chapter.

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Book SynopsisGWR, LMS, LNER and SR: these initials arouse memories of the Cornish Riviera Express, the streamlined Coronation Scot, the streamlined Coronation with its beaver tail, and the Southern Electrics, yet three of these companies only enjoyed a life of 25 years. Colin G. Maggs, who was born in this era and is one of the country?s leading railway historians, is perfectly placed to tell the story of how these Big Four companies came into being and their enormous success following the rundown of the railways during the First World War, which system of neglect led to 26 companies becoming 4. The remarkable, if surprisingly brief, era of the Big Four saw great changes and achievements, including streamlining; speed records; electrification; diesel power; railway-owned buses and aircraft; and a real sense of cooperation between companies at last.

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`It was the most providential escape yet. It will probably have the effect of making them think that I am even more mysterious than they believe me to be, and that is saying a good deal.’ Michael Collins knew the power of his persona, and capitalised on what people wanted to believe. The image we have of him comes filtered through a sensational lens, exaggerated out of all proportion. We see what we have come to expect: `the man who won the war’, the centre of a web of intelligence that `brought the British Empire to its knees’. He comes to us as a mixture of truth and lies, propaganda and misunderstanding. The willingness to see him as the sum of the Irish revolution, and in turn reduce him to a caricature of his many parts, clouds our view of both the man and the revolution. Drawing on archives in Ireland, Britain and the United States, the authors question our traditional assumptions about Collins. Was he the man of his age, or was he just luckier, more brazen, more written about and more photographed than the rest? Despite the pictures of him in uniform during the last weeks of his life, Collins saw very little of the actual fight. He was chiefly an organiser and a strategist. Should we remember him as a master of the mundane rather than the romantic figure of the blockbuster film? The eight thematic, highly illustrated chapters scrutinise different aspects of Collins’ life: origins, work, war, politics, celebrity, beliefs, death and afterlives. Approaching him through the eyes of contemporaries and historians, friends and enemies, this provocative book reveals new insights, challenging what we think we know about him and, in turn, what we think we know about the Irish revolution.

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Book SynopsisThe Allied invasion of occupied France began by delivering three airborne and six infantry divisions onto a 60-mile stretch of the Normandy coast. Accomplishing this involved over 1,200 transport aircraft, 450 gliders, 325 assorted warships and more than 4,000 landing vessels. The first 72 hours of the D-Day invasion were pivotal from the initial airborne landings in the early hours of Tuesday 6 June 1944 we follow the Allied attackers and their German opponents hour-by-hour as they fought until fresh units began to take over from Thursday 8 June 1944.William F. Buckingham's astounding history finally lays to rest the myths surrounding the Normandy invasion. He contradicts the popular perception that the American OMAHA landing force suffered disproportionately. In fact, the fighting on the British and Canadian beaches (GOLD, SWORD and JUNO) was no less intense, and the cost was much closer to that of OMAHA than is commonly thought. The reality of D-Day was t

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Book Synopsis''Masterful'' The EconomistThe Congo-Océan railroad stands as one of the deadliest construction projects in history. It was completed in 1934, when Equatorial Africa was a French colony, and it stands as one of the deadliest construction projects in history. Colonial workers were subjects of an ostensibly democratic nation whose motto read Liberty, Equality, Fraternity', but liberal ideals were savaged by a cruelly indifferent administrative state.African workers were conscripted at gunpoint, separated from their families and subjected to hellish conditions as they hacked their way through dense tropical foliage; excavated by hand thousand of tonnes of earth in order to lay down track; blasted their way through rock to construct tunnels; or risked their lives building bridges over otherwise impassable rivers. In the process, they suffered disease, malnutrition and rampant physical abuse, likely resulting in at least 20,000 dea

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Book SynopsisThe Easter Rebellion of 1916 was one of the first comprehensively documented political rebellions in the twentieth century. A generation of extraordinary revolutionaries left behind iconic photographs, manuscripts, personal notebooks, letters of insurgents and civilians, and political cartoons. Now, for the first time, this material is gathered together in a riveting exploration of this violent and tragic event. By exploring some of the lesser-known dimensions, such as the role of Ireland's revolutionary women, the experience of the civilian population, and personal papers of ordinary volunteers, this sympathetic study does not obscure the grim realities of political violence.The indelible imprint of the events of Easter Week 1916 on Irish people across the world is authoritatively portrayed.Trade Review"A treasure trove of great visual primary sources." * Come Here To Me! blog *"It is not only replete with wonderful illustrations but is a meaty read." * The Irish Times *

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