Military History Books
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Germanyâs V2 Rocket
Book Synopsis
£31.44
Schiffer Publishing Ltd German Flamethrower Pioneers of World War I
Book Synopsis
£51.19
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Soldiers of von Thoma
Book Synopsis
£31.44
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The German Wehrmacht on all Fronts 19391945
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewModel Dads website has posted an excellent video review of this book and its companion volume - Jan 2015
£43.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd IMPERIAL GERMAN EDGED WEAPONRY Naval Dirks and
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£58.39
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Armored Vehicles of the German Army 19051945
Book Synopsis
£36.79
Schiffer Publishing Ltd USAF F4 and F105 MiG Killers of the Vietnam War
Book Synopsis
£43.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd German Mountain Troops in World War II
Book Synopsis
£43.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd 82nd Airborne in Normandy
Book Synopsis
£43.99
PeKo Publishing Kft. History of the Totenkopf's Panther-Abteilung
Book Synopsis
£21.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Hat in the Ring Gang
Book Synopsis
£36.79
Schiffer Publishing Ltd United States Army Shoulder Patches and Related
Book Synopsis
£36.79
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Boeing B47 Stratojet
Book Synopsis
£25.59
Saqi Books Sea of Troubles
Book SynopsisIn the mid-eighteenth century, most of the Mediterranean coastline and its hinterlands were controlled by the Ottoman Empire, a vast Islamic power regarded by Christian Europe with awe and fear. By the end of the First World War, however, this great civilisation had been completely subjugated, and its territories occupied by European powers. Sea of Troubles is the definitive account of the European conquest of the Levant and North Africa over three centuries. Ian Rutledge reveals the intense imperial rivalry between six European powers - Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Austria-Hungary and Russia - who all jostled for control of the trade, lands and wealth of the Islamic Mediterranean. The competition between these states made their conquest a far more difficult and extended task than they encountered elsewhere in the world. Yet, as new contenders entered the contest, and as rivalries intensified in the early twentieth century, events would spiral out of control as the continent headed tTrade Review“A lifetime worth of research has gone into this book and Rutledge offers some deep insight and rich detail … We still live with the legacy of the Ottomans and the rise of the West, which is what makes this book an important read.” * Middle East Monitor *Table of ContentsContents: A: Note on 'Mediterranean' B: A Note on 'Colonialism' and 'Imperialism' Introduction PART ONE c.1750 - c.1815 Chapter 1: The Islamic and Christian Worlds of the Eighteenth Century Mediterranean Chapter 2: The Ottoman 'Economic Mind': Innovation, Industry and Trade Chapter 3: The State, land and taxation: the fiscal crisis of the Ottoman system Chapter 4: At the Gateway to the Mediterranean: Britain and the 'Empire' of Morocco Chapter 5: The Ottoman Regencies and the Barbary Corsairs Chapter 6: The Russians in the Mediterranean Chapter 7: Ottoman Egypt: the Empire Fraying at the Edges Chapter 8: A Spanish Disaster Chapter 9: 'Liberating the Egyptians': the Origins of French Republican Imperialism Chapter 10: The French in Egypt: from Military Victory to Colonial failure Chapter 11: The Troubled beginings of Britain's 'Blue-Water Empire' PART TWO c.1815 - c.1870 Chapter 12: The Beginning of the end for the Ottoman Regencies Chapter 13: The Multiple crises of Mahmud II Chapter 14: The French Invasion of Algiers and the growth of the Resistance, 1830-36. Chapter 15: Saving the Sultans: the emergence of inter-imperialist rivalry Chapter 16: Algerie Francaise Chapter 17: Inter-imperialist Rivalry: Proxy War and Real War Chapter 18: France's Second Imperial Venture in the Eastern Mediterranean Chapter 19: The Industrialised and the Non-Industrialised PART THREE c.1870 - c.1895 Chapter 20: The Age of the Rentiers. Chapter 21: The 'Great Eastern Crisis', 1875-78 Chapter 22: Tunisia and Egypt, 1981-82: the Bailiffs arrive Chapter 23: The slow death of the 'Empire' of Morocco PART FOUR c.1895 - c.1918 Chapter 24: Imperialist Realignment, Colonialist Deals, New Imperialists Chapter 25: Imperialism on the Northern Shore: Austria-Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina Chapter 26: The French and Spanish take Morocco, 1909-12 Chapter 27: The Forgotten War: the Italian invasion of Libya, 1911-12 Chapter 28: Unexpected resistance: the Arabs and Turks fight back Chapter 29: 'Playing the Balkan Card': From Imperialism to World War Chapter 30: From World War to Imperialism Appendices A, B, C and D Note on Transliteration and geographical names Glossary Bibliography
£20.00
The History Press Ltd Heligoland The True Story of German Bight and the
Book SynopsisIn 1956 sea area Heligoland became German Bight. But why did the North Sea island, which for nearly a century had demonstrated its loyalty to Britain, lose its identity? How had this once peaceful haven become, as Admiral Jacky Fisher exclaimed ''a dagger pointed at England''s heart''? Behind the renaming of Heligoland lies a catalogue of deceit, political ambition, blunder and daring. Heligoland came under British rule in the nineteenth century, a ''Gibraltar'' of the North Sea. Then, in 1890, despite the islanders'' wishes, Lord Salisbury announced his intention to swap it for Germany''s presence in Zanzibar. The Prime Minister''s decision unleashed a storm of controversy. Queen Victoria telegrammed from Balmoral to register her fury. During both world wars, it was used by Germany to control the North Sea, and RAF planes bombed the once-British territory. The story of Heligoland is more than an obscure footnote to the British Empire - it shows the significance of territory throughout history.
£11.69
The History Press Ltd Arnhem 1944
Book SynopsisThe battle of Arnhem was a major turning point in World War II. It was a gamble by Montgomery, using three airborne divisions, to capture a series of bridges across the wide rivers which separated a powerful army from the plains of northern Germany.
£10.44
The History Press Ltd From Churchills War Rooms Letters of a Secretary
Book SynopsisPublished for the first time, this illuminating and poignant correspondence offers a rare insight into the workings of the Cabinet War Rooms towards the end of the Second World War, and documents the rich wartime experiences of a woman with exclusive access to the closed world of Churchill''s inner circle.1939-1945 saw many important events of the Second World War. Yet a young secretary, Olive Christopher, was party to the political secrets of these crucial final years, working in Churchill''s Cabinet War Rooms.Trade Review'One of the most atmospheric eyewitness accounts of that time' -- Elizabeth Grice * The Daily Telegraph *
£10.44
The History Press Ltd Napoleonic Wargaming
Book SynopsisFollowing the success of his previous publications Wargaming: an Introduction and Ancient and Medieval Wargaming, Neil Thomas presents a new volume devoted to the intricacies of Napoleonic wargaming. Thomas sets out his wargame rules, the principles behind them, extensive army lists, how to set up a game and a battle report describing a war game in progress. The appendices provide a full range of support material such as figure sizes. Napoleonic Wargaming also includes historical background and the art of Napoleonic warfare to provide essential contextual information for players. This book is an invaluable tool for wargamers and coincides with the bicentenary of the wars themselves.
£20.62
The History Press Ltd Love and War in London
Book SynopsisLove & War in London is rooted in the extraordinary milieu of wartime London. Vibrant and engaging, Olivia Cockett's diary reveals her frustrations, fears, pleasures and self-doubts. She recorded her mood swings and tried to understand them, and wrote of her lover (a married man) and the intense relationship they had. As she and her friends and family in New Scotland Yard were swept up by the momentous events of another European war, she vividly reported on what she saw and heard in her daily life. Hers is a diary that brings together the personal and the public. It permits us to understand how one intelligent, imaginative woman struggled to make sense of her life, as the city in which she lived was drawn into the turmoil of a catastrophic war.
£9.49
The History Press Ltd Fromelles 1916
Book SynopsisAt Fromelles in July 1916 two divisions one British and one Australian within a few weeks of arriving in France went into action for the first time. Their task was to prevent the Germans from moving troops to the Somme where a major British offensive was in progress, but the attack on 19/20 July was a disaster with nearly 7,000 casualties in a few hours. This account explores this battle which for many epitomises the futility of the Great War. In those few hours many heroic deeds were done but the battle caused a souring of Anglo-Australian relationships and truly was a baptism of fire for these British and Australian troops. This is their history. In a new section, Paul Cobb explores the recent discovery in 2008/09 of a mass war grave on the battlefield and includes details of the findings of the archaeological dig, the recovery of 250 bodies and the creation of a new military cemetery.
£11.69
The History Press Ltd The Battle of Matapan 1941 The Trafalgar of the
Book SynopsisIn March 1941, the Royal Navy scored one of the greatest one-sided victories against the Italian Fleet the Regia Marina at Matapan. It brought to an end six months of remarkable success for the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. When France fell and Italy declared war on Britain, Admiral Dudley Pound had wanted to evacuate the Mediterranean altogether and concentrate on home defence. Churchill overruled him, regarding such a move as the death knell of the British Empire. His decision made the Mediterranean theatre the focus of British land operations for four years, reliant on the Navy. In Admiral Andrew Cunningham, Churchill had a fleet commander in the Mediterranean who would miss no chance of hounding the enemy. Affectionately known as A.B.C. by his men, Cunningham was salty in his language, intolerant of fools and a master of tactics. In The Battle of Matapan 1941: The Trafalgar of the Mediterranean, Mark Simmons explores the remarkable victories of Taranto and Matapan, as seen through the eyes of the men who manned the ships and flew the aircraft of the Mediterranean Fleet.
£13.49
The History Press Ltd The Battle for Iwo Jima 1945
Book SynopsisIwo Jima was the United States Marine Corps'' toughest ever battle and a turning point in the Pacific War. In February 1945, three Marine Divisions stormed the island''s shores in what was supposed to be a ten-day battle, but they had reckoned without General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the enemy commander. ''Do not plan for my return,'' wrote Kuribayashi in one of his many letters to his wife, Yoshii. He knew that he and his garrison could not defeat the Marines, but he was determined to exact a fearful toll in American casualties. In the 36-day battle for Iwo Jima, which eclipsed all that had gone before, the Marines lost nearly 6,000 men and the Japanese garrison was virtually wiped out.
£11.69
Headline Publishing Group Monte Cassino
Book Synopsis80th anniversary of the Battle of Monte CassinoThe six-month battle for Monte Cassino was Britain''s bitterest and bloodiest encounter with the German army on any front in World War Two.At the beginning of 1944 Italy was the western Allies'' only active front against Nazi-controlled Europe, and their only route to the capital was through the Liri valley. Towering over the entrance to the valley was the medieval monastery of Monte Cassino, a seemingly impenetrable fortress high up in the ''bleak and sinister'' mountains. This was where the German commander, Kesselring, made his stand.MONTE CASSINO tells the extraordinary story of ordinary soldiers tested to the limits under conditions reminiscent of the bloodbaths of World War One. In a battle that became increasingly political, symbolic and personal as it progressed, more and more men were asked to throw themselves at the virtually impregnable German defences. It is a story of incompetence, hubris
£9.89
Headline Publishing Group Another Bloody Love Letter
Book SynopsisCritically acclaimed writer and award-winning foreign correspondent, Anthony Loyd is also an ex-heroin addict. Another Bloody Love Letter exposes the thrilling and brutal reality of life as a war journalist - from the climax of war in Kosovo and the reignited battles between Ethiopia and Eritrea, to tracking ambush commanders in Sierra Leone, confronting the danger and confusion of northern Afghanistan at the start of the ''war on terror'', and the harsh realities of life in Iraq during the Second Gulf War. But it is also the very human story of a man fighting to beat a heroin addiction and coming to terms with the death of a father-figure, friend and colleague murdered by the RUF in Sierra Leone, and the death of his mother from a terminal illness at home. Another Bloody Love Letter takes the reader into the mind of a man who has chased war and death for more than half his life, and shows the price he has paid for it. It is a moving and powerful memoir of lovTrade Review'Devastating honesty... Loyd's frankness shows a different kind of courage from that he demonstrates on the battlefield, but it's courage none the less... Loyd shows himself to be the best guide through today's wars working in the English language. He can also be very moving. This is a book about love as much as war.' * The Daily Telegraph *'Two things set Anthony Loyd apart from your average, war-weary combat-zone junkie: a luminous prose style that sometimes borders on the visionary, and a fiercely principled integrity.' * Daily Mail *'Anthony Loyd's style is low-key - philosophical, reflective, melancholic, stoical and beset by internal demons (heroin addiction, the loss of a beloved mentor, the terminal illness of his mother) that gives a still, sad edge to his observation of the tragedies and inanities of conflict. He writes from grit and grief.' * The Times *'This memoir is a great big bloody bong of horror, chaos, gallows humour, loss, boredom and self-loathing, followed by slack-jawed self-medication... All the horror and madness and desperate, thoughtless, random injustice and, even worse, random justice, of war is present and incorrect... For once, the promise of the publisher's blurb - 'Anthony Loyd spares us nothing in this moving and painfully honest memoir' - is more than fulfilled... It isn't perfect. Sometimes, like war, it's messy. But it is moving. And if this is just another vicarious hit of a war correspondent's memories, well, it's seriously good shit, man.' * Independent on Sunday *'Britain's boldest, louchest, war reporter... [A] vivid, hugely compelling memoir... Loyd writes glorious, evocative, laceratingly honest prose rich in gory detail and telling metaphor.' * The Mail on Sunday *'Superb memoir... Scouring honesty... Loyd's own painful honesty... makes this memoir all the more compelling.' * Evening Standard *'Loyd has little time for those without guts... Pitiless on conflict itself - what drives men to it, and the seemingly infinite degree of savagery of which man is capable.' * Metro *'Not content with getting shot at in the world's trouble spots, reporter Anthony Loyd was either using heroin or trying to get off it. His second volume of memoirs isn't as sharp as the first, but it will still have you hooked' * Night & Day *'The most exciting book I have read this year.' * Sunday Herald *'Loyd can... write exceptionally well at times, and with lacerating honesty... There's real substance here, too, and a candour that is shockingly memorable.' * Sunday Times *'[A] powerful and touching memorial... This is not another 'love letter' to conflict; this time it is to his dead friend. It is a recognition that war kills those we love, and that those of us who choose to follow conflict like groupies on its trail cannot escape it in the long run. The writing is as brilliant as ever as Loyd navigates with a sure hand through shocking moments of sudden violence from the Balkans to Iraq and Africa. But it is the search for Schork's killers that is most powerful, a gripping whodunit that ends with another pointless death.' * Observer *'There is much to treasure... Beyond the "gun battle override" and the "Humvee cupolas gunners" we find a brave, lovely man and a talented if over-wrought writer, bursting to be free.' * The Times *'Devastating honesty... Loyd's frankness shows a different kind of courage from that he demonstrates on the battlefield, but it's courage none the less... Loyd shows himself to be the best guide through today's wars working in the English language. He can be very funny. He can also be very moving.' * Sun Herald, Sydney *'It is a harrowing story. Loyd's writing can be spectacularly florid and the savagery remorseless.' * Courier Mail, Brisbane *'Superb memoir... Loyd and his fellow correspondents survive through a mixture of gallows humour and a drive for the next journalistic high... Loyd's honesty in confronting those truths makes this memoir all the more compelling.' * The Scotsman *'War reporting meets heroin in an engrossing read.' * Age *'Raw, brutally honest commentary that clings on to hope' * Qantas The Australian Way *
£12.34
Orion Publishing Co Aces Falling
Book SynopsisHow the age of the great WWI aces came to an end in the skies over the Western FrontTrade ReviewCasts fresh light on the broader canvas of the war * Daily Telegraph *a fascinating account of the rise and fall of the men who pioneered aerial combat...first-hand recollections bring the subject to life * Northern Echo *A timely book...this is a requiem for the brave men involved * Big Issue in the North *casts fresh light on the broader canvas of the war * DAILY TELEGRAPH *a fascinating account of the rise and fall of the men who pioneered aerial combat...first-hand recollections bring the subject to life * NORTHERN ECHO *A timely book...this is a requiem for the brave men involved * BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH *
£10.44
Ebury Publishing Buster
Book SynopsisWill Barrow (Author) Buster is an English springer spaniel. He has earned many military tributes and served in three separate wars: Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, an achievement unparalleled by any other service dog. He won the Crufts Friends for Life Award in 2012 and was also nominated for a prestigious Sun Military Award in 2009. Buster is the official lifetime mascot of the RAF Police. He retired a military hero in 2011.RAF Police Flight Sergeant Michael Will' Barrow joined the RAF at 18. He then specialised as a Drugs Detection Dog Handler and an Arms and Explosives Search Dog Handler, and has served in the Falkland Islands, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.Trade ReviewBrave Buster is a dog to write home about. This is a special book about a special dog. * Paul O'Grady *A must-read, a moving tale of true friendship -- Liverpool Echo * Liverpool Echo *
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Blood Cries Afar
Book SynopsisExactly 150 years after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, history came extremely close to repeating itself when another army set sail from the Continent with the intention of imposing foreign rule on England.
£16.14
The History Press Ltd Kut 1916 The Forgotten British Disaster in Iraq
Book SynopsisBy 1916 the force had not been relieved, and on 29 April 1916 the British Army suffered one of the worst defeats in military history. His other publications include A Guide to the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, Kut 1916 and Loyal to Empire (The History Press, 2016).
£17.09
The History Press Ltd Dead on Time
Book SynopsisJean Claude Guiet, born in France and raised in the US, attended Harvard aged 18 until, as a `naïve’ 19-year-old, he entered the US Army in 1943. As a native French speaker he was quickly assigned to SOE and the OSS (the precursor of the CIA) and parachuted into occupied France in the lead up to D-Day.
£17.00
The History Press Ltd After the Final Whistle
Book Synopsis*Shortlisted for the 2016 Cross Sports Book of the Year award*When Britain’s empire went to war in August 1914, rugby players were the first to volunteer: they led from the front and paid a disproportionate price.Trade Review‘I was proud to lead men on the field as All Blacks skipper. I am proud and humbled to read here of rugby men of all nations who went before me, who loved the game and loved their country enough to lay down their lives.’ - Sean Fitzpatrick, former All Black captain ‘As a World Cup winner with a great grandfather who fought in this war, I was really moved by this book. To read of men who lived through hell, then in the aftermath pieced themselves together and played the first rugby World Cup in 1919, brought home to me why our game’s values, forged in adversity, are so strong.’ - Lewis Moody MBE, Rugby World Cup winner and RFU Great War Commemoration Ambassador. ‘The story of the Kings Cup in 1919 was a real discovery for me. In here is all the tragedy of war, mixed with the human triumph of the players who came through. It took my breath away to read these stories. If you want to know where the values of teamwork, discipline, respect in rugby come from, then read this.’- Maggie Alphonsi MBE, Rugby World Cup winner with England ‘A story of brave men who faced danger with true heroism; some lived to play rugby again. We can only hope to live up to their legacy.’ - Gareth Thomas, captain Wales and British & Irish Lions 'A triumph: a proper accompaniment to the rugby world cup.’- Justin Webb, journalist and BBC Radio presenter
£11.69
Atlantic Books Lady Fanshawe's Receipt Book: An Englishwoman’s
Book Synopsis'Fascinating... A vivid account' - Philippa Gregory, The TimesIn the mid-seventeenth century, England was divided by Civil War, but inside the home domestic life continued as it always had done. Lady Ann Fanshawe's 'receipt book' was a treasured and entirely feminine response to the upheavals of war, which left few doctors to be found. And so Ann's morocco-bound book full of scraps of ink-stained paper contained everything from lifesaving remedies to recipes for hot chocolate.Using Ann's receipt book and the memoirs she wrote for her surviving son, Lucy Moore follows her through this turbulent time as she leaves home, marries, bears - and buries - children and seeks to hold her family together. Lady Fanshawe's Receipt Book brilliantly illuminates the life and times of an English woman's Civil War.Trade ReviewFascinating... A vivid account. -- Philippa Gregory * The Times *Moore's prose is witty. Her book is full of arresting detail and thoughtful comment. -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * Sunday Times *An enchanting, idiosyncratic Tardis of a book, peppered with good humour * Daily Telegraph *A lively, affecting account of one family's fortunes in a world turned upside down. * Spectator *Charming and original. * Literary Review *With enormous skill, and in matchless prose, Lucy Moore brings back to life one of those Royalist women whose husbands suffered terribly for the King, while they were left at home to get on with the trying business of being wives, mothers, and heads of household in an age beset with turbulence, and fear. * Charles Spencer, author of KILLERS OF THE KING *Ann Fanshawe was an extraordinary woman living in extraordinary times. This wonderful book has at its heart her experiences as daughter, wife and mother during the Civil War, and is as dramatic and touching a story as anything in fiction. Her attempts to hold her family together in such turbulent times are brilliantly chronicled by Lucy Moore, who has written an unfailingly sympathetic account of the human cost of conflict, and the everyday resilience and bravery of those caught up in it. * Janice Hadlow, author of THE STRANGEST FAMILY *An erudite, beautifully written and completely original contribution to the history of the civil war. Lucy Moore is a most worthy biographer of one of the most fascinating women of the 17th century. * Katie Hickman, author of DAUGHTERS OF BRITANNIA *Vividly brings to life an ordinary woman living in extraordinary times. Rich in fascinating detail, it sets Lady Fanshawe's story of love and loss, family and friendships, against one of the most turbulent periods of our history. Highly recommended. * Tracy Borman, author of THE PRIVATE LIVES OF THE TUDORS *
£9.49
The History Press Ltd Gas Gas Quick Boys
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Finland at War
Book SynopsisIn the aftermath of the Winter War, Finland found itself drawing ever closer to Nazi Germany and eventually took part in Operation Barbarossa in 1941. For the Finns this was a chance to right the wrongs of the Winter War, and having reached suitable defensive positions, the army was ordered to halt. Years of uneasy trench warfare followed, known as the Continuation War, during which Finland desperately sought a way out, German dreams of victory were dashed, and the Soviet Union built the strongest army in the world. In the summer of 1944, the whole might of the Red Army was launched against the Finnish defenses on the narrow Karelian Isthmus. Over several weeks of fierce fighting, the Finns managed to halt the Soviet assault. With Stalin forced to divert his armies to the race to Berlin, an armistice agreement was reached, the harsh terms of which forced the Finns to take on their erstwhile German allies in Lapland. Featuring rare photographs and first-hand accounts,
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Dresden Tuesday 13 February 1945
Book SynopsisThe definitive story of the Dresden bombingTrade Review'In narrative power and persuasion, he has paralleled in Dresden what Antony Beevor achieved in Stalingrad' Independent on Sunday 'A well-written, scholarly account' Guardian 'Well-researched and unpretentious ... fascinating ... Taylor skilfully interweaves various personal accounts of the impact of the raids' Michael Burleigh, Guardian 'Impressive ... Taylor weaves a chilling narrative from eyewitness accounts and painstaking documentary research, particularly with German sources. He explains the conceptual and strategic background with admirable clarity. His account of the air operation itself is quite superb' The Times
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC British and Commonwealth War Cemeteries
Book SynopsisIn 1917 a remarkable organisation came into being. Its brief was vastly ambitious: to commemorate the 1,100,00 men of the British Empire who lost their lives in the First World War. This book looks at the history of the war graves for British and Commonwealth servicemen and women.Table of Contents?Introduction /A Great Change for the Great War /A Worldwide Task /Memorials to the Missing and the Second World War /Commemoration of the War Dead Since 1945 /An Unchanging Task in a Changing World /Further Reading /Places to Visit /Index
£8.54
Globe Pequot The Greatest Navy SEAL Stories Ever Told
Book SynopsisThe Greatest Navy SEAL Stories Ever Told is the first book to place side by side extraordinary stories of SEALs who put their lives on the line, and then go out and do it again the next day. They illustrate the SEAL maxim, âœThe person who will not be defeated cannot be defeated.â
£13.49
Atlantic Books Rome: A History in Seven Sackings
Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERWaterstone's Book of the Month, 2018Nominated for the 2017 Pen Hessell-TiltmanMail on Sunday's the Best Paperback, 2018A sweeping history of the city of Rome, seen through the eyes of its most significant sackings, from the Gauls to the Nazis and everything in between.No city on earth has preserved its past as Rome has. Visitors can cross bridges that were crossed by Julius Caesar and explore temples visited by Roman emperors. These architectural survivals are all the more remarkable considering the city has been repeatedly ravaged by roving armies.From the Gauls to the Nazis, Matthew Kneale tells the stories behind the seven most important of these attacks and reveals, with fascinating insight, how they transformed the city - and not always for the worse. A meticulously researched, magical blend of travelogue, social and cultural history, Rome: A History in Seven Sackings is a celebration of the fierce courage, panache and vitality of the Roman people. Most of all, it is a passionate love letter to this incomparable city.Trade ReviewGripping and ingenious... Kneale's account is a masterpiece of pacing and suspense. Characters from the city's history spring to life in his hands. * Sunday Times *A stirring portrait of a city at war... brings Rome's fractious past to life. * Observer *Utterly compelling, brilliant... Wonderfully moving and inspiring * Literary Review *Fascinating... A delight * The Times ‘Book of the Week’ *Ingenious and wholly enjoyable history of the city. * Daily Telegraph *Each of Matthew Kneale's seven chapters lovingly recreates the city... There is lots here that is fascinating. -- Catherine Nixey * The Times *A sumptuously produced volume * Shots Magazine *Remarkable... This is a history written by someone who understands and admires Rome, but also acknowledges its flaws and idiosyncrasies. * BBC History *
£11.69
Grub Street Publishing A A HISTORY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN AIR WAR,
Book SynopsisThe fourth volume in this momentous series commences with the attacks on the Italian island fortress of Pantellaria which led to its surrender and occupation achieved almost by air attack alone. The account continues with the ultimately successful, but at times very hard fought, invasions of Sicily and southern Italy as burgeoning Allied air power, now with full US involvement, increasingly dominated the skies overhead. The successive occupations of Sardinia and Corsica are also covered in detail. This volume, then, is essentially the story of the tactical air forces up to the point when Rome was occupied, just at the same time as the Normandy landings were occurring in north-west France. In its pages are found what can justifiably be considered the story of `the soldiers’ air force’. Frequently overlooked by more immediate newsworthy events elsewhere, their struggle was often of an equally Homeric nature. With regards to the long-range tactical role of the Allied heavy bombers, only the period from May to October is examined herein, while they remained based in North Africa. Thus the period from November 1943 when the US 15th Air Force was formed to pursue the strategic air offensive against the Reich, together with the RAF’s 205 Group of night bombers, will be covered in a future (sixth) volume. Volume Five will deal with the rest of the tactical war in Italy and Greece, over the Adriatic and Aegean, and with the entry into the South of France to join forces advancing southwards from Normandy.Trade ReviewVolume four is highly recommended, one of the best books of the year, and we're already impatient to see volume five. -- Bill Stone * Stone & Stone *
£37.50
Pan Macmillan To War with Whitaker
Hermione, Countess of Ranfurly, kept a diary all her life. To War with Whitaker is an account of the most adventurous, most defiant and most valiant of those years. Hermione and Dan Ranfurly married only months before the Second World War erupted. So when Dan was posted to the Middle East, taking their faithful butler Whitaker with him, Hermione resolved to join them there. This memoir offers astounding displays of commitment and independence. After vowing not to go home without her husband, Hermione travelled alone from Cape Town to Cairo, and remained in the Middle East and North Africa for the two and a half years he was imprisoned by the Germans – meeting many notable characters along the way.With wit and exuberance, Hermione’s diary entries take us To War with Whitaker and back again, providing sharp insight into the strong and outspoken woman she was. This Pan Heritage Classics edition features the original black and white plate sections.
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd A Dictionary of RAF Slang
Book SynopsisThe perfect stocking filler for anyone who imagines themselves flying a spitfire . . . Drop your visiting cards, put aside your beer-lever, stop being a half-pint hero and discover the gloriously funny slang which was part of everyday life in two world wars. Passion-killers: Airwomen''s service knickers, whether twilights (the lighter, summer-weight variety) or black-outs (the navy-blue winter-weights). A wise directive has purposely made them as unromantic in colour and in design as a wise directive could imagine. Thanks to the work of Eric Partridge in 1945, the hilarious slang of the Royal Air Force during the first two World Wars has been preserved for generations to come. While some phrases like ''chocks away!'' have lasted to this day, others deserve to be rediscovered . . . Beer-lever: From pub-bars, meaning the ''Joystick'' of an aircraft. Canteen cowboy: A ladies'' Trade ReviewDrop your visiting cards, put aside your beer-lever, stop being a half-pint hero and discover the gloriously funny slang which was part of everyday life in the RAF during two world wars in this classic book. * from the publisher's description *
£9.49
Thames & Hudson Ltd Knight
Book SynopsisBrings to life the world of the medieval knight in a witty yet informative guide.Table of Contents1. A Knight’s World • 2. Training • 3. Becoming a Knight • 4. Arms, Armour and Horses • 5. Orders of Knighthood • 6. Recruitment and Retinues • 7. Tournaments and Feats of Arms • 8. Campaigning • 9. Crusade • 10. Mercenaries • 11. Ladies and Damsels • 12. Siege • 13. Battle • 14. Ransoms and Booty • 15. Piety and Memory
£9.49
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Italian Naval Camouflage of World War II
Book SynopsisThis is a major new study of Italian naval camouflage schemes developed and used during World War Two. When Italy entered the War in June 1942, the Regia Marina (Italian navy) was a force still under development and both Italian warships and merchant ships faced the War in their peace colours; and nor had any had prewar plans been made for camouflaging ships. At that time all the principal warships were painted in a light matt grey ('grigio cenerino chiaro'), which had been adopted in the 1920s and early '30s. With the advent of War, and the start of convoy traffic to Libya, the need to camouflage ships for purposes of deception, rather than outright concealment, became apparent and the first initiatives were undertaken. In the first part of the book, employing contemporary schematic drawings, photographs and his own CAD profiles, the author describes the development of the varied schemes that were adopted for the capital ships, such as _Caio Duilia_ and _Littorio_, cruisers, destroyers and torpedo boats, landing craft and merchant ships; even the royal yacht and small tugs were given camouflage schemes. In the second, and longest, part he depicts all the ships and their schemes, at different dates, with both sides of a ship shown where possible, in his own beautifully rendered schematic profiles, all in full colour, and it is this section with more than 700 drawings that gives the reader a complete and detailed picture of the whole development of Italian naval camouflage. He also looks in detail at the Greek theatre where there were many exceptions, influenced by the German presence and by the camouflage schemes of captured vessels. This major new reference book will prove invaluable to historians, collectors, modelmakers and wargamers and follows in the wake of the hugely successful Seaforth editions covering German and British camouflage schemes of the Second World War.
£29.75
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC French Battleships 191445
Book SynopsisOn September 1, 1910, France became the last great naval power to lay down a dreadnought battleship, the Courbet. The ensuing Courbet and Bretagne-class dreadnoughts had a relatively quiet World War I, spending most of it at anchor off the entrance to the Adriatic, keeping watch over the Austro-Hungarian fleet. The constraints of the Washington Naval Treaty prevented new battleships being built until the 1930s, with the innovative Dunkerque-class and excellent Richelieu-class of battleships designed to counter new German designs. After the fall of France in 1940, the dreadnoughts and fast battleships of the Marine Nationale had the unique experience of firing against German, Italian, British, and American targets during the war. This authoritative study examines these fascinating ships, using detailed colour plates and historical photographs, taking them from their inception before World War I, through their service in World War II including the scutt
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC US FlushDeck Destroyers 191645
Book SynopsisFour pipes and flush decks these ships were a distinctively American destroyer design. Devised immediately prior to and during the United States' involvement in World War I they dominated the US Navy's destroyer forces all the way through to World War II. They were deployed on North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea convoys, and virtually everywhere in the Pacific, from Alaska to Australia. Fifty were given to Great Britain in its hour of need in 1940, and many would serve in other navies, fighting under the Soviet, Canadian, Norwegian, and even the Imperial Japanese flags. They also served in a variety of roles becoming seaplane tenders, high-speed transports, minesweepers and minelayers. One was even used as a self-propelled mine during Operation Chariot, destroying the dry dock at St. Nazaire.Fully illustrated throughout with commissioned artwork and contemporary photographs, this volume reveals the operational history of these US Navy ships that fought with dist
£12.99
Random House USA Inc Utters Battalion
Book SynopsisIn May 1965, the entire 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment--lock, stock, and barrel--embarked for Vietnam. Captain Alex Lee was there. . . .Now combat-veteran Marine captain Alex Lee brings to gritty life the full tour of 2/7. From the search-and-destroy missions to the sudden violent ambushes in the hills and valleys west of Qui Nhon, Lee describes how Marines battled monsoons, malaria, and the enemy as they crept through terrain infested with Viet Cong caves and hideouts.After paving the way in Qui Nhon for the arrival of more American military, 2/7 was assigned to Chu Lai, where the battalion fought its most bitter, deadly battles. With the scalding ring of truth, Lee captures the conditions of the bone-weary 2/7 Marines as they slogged through jungles and spent night after night in dreary, rain-filled foxholes.Although they faced a life of constant danger and occasional mindless confusion, in their seemingly endless marathon of effort, agony, and sacrifi
£6.64
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Seven Myths of the Civil War
Book Synopsis"Readers of this book who thought they knew a lot about the U.S. Civil War will discover that much of what they 'knew' is wrong. For readers whose previous knowledge is sketchy but whose desire to learn is strong, the separation of myth from reality is an important step toward mastering the subject. The essays will generate lively discussion and new insights." —James M. McPherson, Professor Emeritus, Princeton UniversityTrade Review"I never imagined that my Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, first published in 2003, would prove to be so enduring a format for helping students of all kinds to rethink key moments in human history. It is therefore a great honor to see that the book has now inspired Hackett Publishing Company's "Myths of History" series, expertly and effectively edited by Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt.” —Matthew Restall, Pennsylvania State University"Wesley Moody's clear, engaging book tackles enduring Civil War myths with grace, candor, and persuasive evidence. By exploring a wide range of subjects including the war's causes, soldiers, leaders, prisons, and battlefields, this volume's group of talented historians accomplishes more than myth busting. Each scholar reveals deeper, more satisfying stories hidden beneath Civil War fallacies and falsehoods. As a result, Civil War students and enthusiasts will find more than facts in this compelling book; they’ll encounter the complexities of real war, the long shadows of memory, and the hard work that historians conduct to illuminate the past." —Jason Phillips, Eberly Professor of Civil War History, West Virginia University"Seven Myths of the Civil War is well-written, engaging, accessible, and of very sound scholarship. In this volume some of the premier scholars in the field of Civil War history weigh in and root out the causes, courses, and continuing consequences of these persistent mythologies in ways that are at once both easily accessible and necessarily nuanced. I plan to use this collection of essays as a centerpiece of my next Civil War-themed course. I’ll use it to introduce the prevailing myths regarding the Civil War Era, then point up the ways in which the historical record can be seen to utterly debunk those myths." —James Hill Welborn III, Georgia College & State UniversityTable of ContentsContents: Series Editors' Foreword Editor's Preface Introduction Confederate States' Rights: A Contradiction in Terms Was Abraham Lincoln a Racist? African Americans in Confederate Military Service: Myth and Reality The Myth of the "Great" Conventional Battlefield War Civil War Prisons: The Legacy of Responsibility The Lost Causers' Favorite Target: Grant the Butcher Marching through Georgia: The Myth of Sherman's Total War Epilogue Suggested Readings
£47.59
Helion & Company On the Devil's Tail: In Combat with the Waffen-Ss
Book Synopsis
£17.95
Helion & Company Muscovy'S Soldiers: The Emergence of the Russian
Book Synopsis
£22.50
