Search results for ""history press""
The History Press Ltd Campbell College
A history of Campbell College.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd The Welsh Kings: Warriors, Warlords and Princes
When Edward I's troops forced the destruction of Dafydd ap Gruffudd in 1283 they brought to an end the line of truly independent native rulers in Wales that had endured throughout recorded history. In the early middle ages Wales was composed of a variety of independent kingdoms with varying degrees of power, influence and stability, each ruled by proud and obdurate lineages. In this period a 'Kingdom of Wales' never existed, but the more powerful leaders, like Rhodri Mawr (the Great), Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, sought to extend their rule over the entire country. The author produces revealing pictures of the leading Welsh kings and princes of the day and explores both their contribution to Welsh history and their impact on the wider world. They were, of necessity, warriors, living in a violent political world and requiring ruthless skills to even begin to rule in Wales. Yet they showed wider vision, political acumen and statesmanship, and were patrons of the arts and the church. The history of their contact with their neighbours, allies and rivals is examined - Anglo-Saxons, Irish, Vikings, and Anglo-Normans - thereby setting Welsh institutions within their wider historical context. This work revives the memory of the native leaders of the country from a time before the title 'Prince of Wales' became an honorary trinket in the gift of a foreign ruler. These men are restored to their rightful place amongst the past rulers of the island of Britain.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd The Black Death in London
The Black Death of 1348–49 may have killed more than 50% of the European population. This book examines the impact of this appalling disaster on England's most populous city, London. Using previously untapped documentary sources alongside archaeological evidence, a remarkably detailed picture emerges of the arrival, duration and public response to this epidemic and subsequent fourteenth-century outbreaks. Wills and civic and royal administration documents provide clear evidence of the speed and severity of the plague, of how victims, many named, made preparations for their heirs and families, and of the immediate social changes that the aftermath brought. The traditional story of the timing and arrival of the plague is challenged and the mortality rate is revised up to 50%–60% in the first outbreak, with a population decline of 40–45% across Edward III’s reign. Overall, The Black Death in London provides as detailed a story as it is possible to tell of the impact of the plague on a major mediaeval English city.
£15.17
The History Press Ltd Cwm Rhondda Fach: Trehafod to Maerdy
A history of Cwm Rhondda Fach
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Maritime Ireland: An Archaeology of Coastal Communities
Ireland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by seas that link it to a wider world. From earliest times, its peoples have lived beside its shorelines, bays and estuaries, navigating seaways and gathering diverse resources. Since Ireland's first peoples arrived - Mesolithic hunter-gatherers who came by boat about 10,000 years ago - the sea has been of enormous cultural, economic and ideological significance in its long story. In this book, two of Ireland's leading maritime archaeologists explore rich and intriguing evidence for its past maritime resources and traditions and how these changed through prehistory, the Middle Ages and up until the present day. Using archaeological discoveries, linked with historical and environmental evidence, they reveal the often overlooked cultural heritage of Ireland's coastal landscapes in their European and Atlantic contexts. This book will appeal to anyone interested in Ireland's cultural, environmental and maritime inheritance - and to anyone who has walked along this island's shoreline and wondered about its peoples and its past.
£22.50
The History Press Ltd Maldon and Heybridge Revisited
A history of Maldon and Heybridge
£14.99
The History Press Ltd The Sodburys: Images of England
This book is a splendid pictorial record of Chipping Sodbury, Little Sodbury and Old Sodbury containing over 240 old photographs. It provides a valuable record of the local landscape, people and events from late Victorian times until the middle years of this century. Drawn mainly from photographs and postcards in private collections and using personal memories and anecdotes, the compilation depicts much from a way of life that is no more. Yet, just occasionally, certain pleasing aspects appear to have changed little over the years. It is incumbent upon us to strive to retain these for future generations. Carnival parades, village fetes, charabanc outings and transport are all recorded, long lost shopkeepers stand in their doorways and, in one photograph, a lonely lady plods up the street with her horse and coal cart. Troops parade in the streets at the start of the First World War while women are seen carrying on with the tasks at home. Men work at the quarry face, children pose with their peers in the village school, navvies toil at the construction of the Badminton railway tunnel, and we are shown the glorious cricketing summers of the 1890s.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Sopwith Aviation Company: Images of Aviation
In the autumn of 1910, when he was twenty-two years old, Tommy Sopwith bought himself an aeroplane, took it to Brooklands aerodrome and taught himself to fly. In those early days he soon achieved prominence, capturing Britain's endurance and distance records - and the attention of King George V - within weeks of his first flight. He could hardly have imagined then, however, that just two years later he would be head of the Sopwith Aviation Company, nor that during the coming conflict that were to emerge from its workshops - and those of its many sub-contractors - thousands of Britain's best warplanes: the Triplane, the Snipe, the Dolphin, the Cuckoo and - most famously of all - the Sopwith Camel, credited with destroying more enemy planes than any other fighter of the First World War. He would have been even more surprised to learn that, though this first company would not long survive the end of hostilities, in its place would arise a new one which, under his guidance, was in the course of time to grow into the giant Hawker-Siddeley Group. But that is beyong the scope of this book, which focuses on those early days when a young man took up flying as a sport, only to find that he had evolved into an aviation entrepreneur.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd Folklore of Wales
Wales is a Celtic country and the Celts have always treasured oral learning and recitation. Indeed they have a passion for committing facts to memory rather than relying on the written word. So it is no surprise, as we can see from Anne Ross's study, that Welsh folklore and story-telling is so rich and varied. In addition to examining the part played by the medieval church in this oral tradition, individual chapters cover legends associated with place-names; calendar customs; giants and monsters; omens and second sight; witches, ghosts and faries; supernatural birds and animals; folk healing and herbal remedies. The landscape is studded with the remains of ancient monuments, which are seen as the creation of gods and heroes. Every lake had its legend, whether it be inhabited by a grim, monstrous afanc, or by a beautiful, enchanted maiden, or maybe harbours a drowned settlement where the bell still tolls to warm of approaching storms. Giants stalk the land, while faries can be dangerous, hostile and demanding propitiation. Omens of potential marriage partners were avidly sought by girls, while ghostly death-lights - corpse candles - could be seen moving relentlessly towards the person who was doomed to death. A whole world of the past is to be found in this rich treasure house of inherited lore.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd Burnley: Images of England
The historic array of old photographs of Burnley has been selected by the author from the extensive collection held at Towneley Hall Art Gallery and Museum. These old images are sure to evoke strong memories for many and show newcomers and the younger generation how things used to be in Burnley.From rapid growth created by the textile industry to the development of various local government and social concerns such as the Victoria Hospital and the art gallery and museum at Towneley Hall, the photographs illustrate some of the many changes that have taken place between 1850 and 1960. Local characters are also documented, including the 'demon cyclist' from Rosegrove and 'Long de Dong' the match seller. Contemporary descriptions and people's memories highlight the scenes, revealing local attitudes and the local sense of humour.This selection, which includes many previously unpublished photographs, pays tribute to the way this fascinating town has been shaped over the years. It is certain to interest anyone who has fond memories of the town, while providing a tantalising glimpse into the recent past for those who are less well acquainted with the Burnley of yesteryear.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd Bowdon and Dunham Massey: Images of England
This fascinating book of more than 200 photographs from the last 150 years shows local people, buildings and the environment of Bowdon and the neighbouring estate of Dunham Massey. Straddling the main road between Chester and Manchester, Bowdon and Dunham Massey lie to the south of the Mersey Valley, which divides the historic County Palatine of Chester from Lancashire. In AD 1000 the two districts formed a manorial estate that has developed during the millennium under a variety of landowners. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw salt working, advances in agriculture, forestry and improved transport, while the area provided the ideal rural retreat for Victorian industrial and commercial entrepreneurs from further north. Later, during the Second World War, part of the area was used as a US military base and prisoner-of-war camp for German and Italian soldiers, some of whom still revisit the area today. This splendid collection of images captures the absorbing history of the Bowdon and Dunham Massey area and will inspire a new generation to be interested in their past.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd Alchemy: Brian Clough & Peter Taylor at Hartlepools United
Boxing Day 1962: Sunderland’s star striker Brian Clough suffers a career-ending knee injury when he collides with an outrushing goalkeeper. After a forlorn battle to regain fitness, he retires early and sinks into deep despair.October 1965: Clough persuades ex-’Boro teammate Peter Taylor to join him in managing perennial North-East strugglers Hartlepools United, lying next to bottom of the Fourth Division.A magical football odyssey has begun.Alchemy reveals the bittersweet reality of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor’s first management job together. Lower-league Hartlepools United are penniless, with a meddling chairman, a ramshackle ground and want-away players. Yet the management pair tackle every challenge head-on, forging a winning blueprint that later transforms unfashionable Derby County and Nottingham Forest into League and European Cup champions.Exploiting a wealth of archive newspapers, plus interviews with those present at the creation, Alchemy exposes the humble origins of Clough & Taylor’s meteoric rise to the top of the football tree.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd The Ocean in a Drop: Navigating from Crisis to Consciousness
The bad news is that our civilisation is collapsing. The good news is that you are already helping create a new and better one.The Ocean in a Drop follows the quest of Roz Savage, a frustrated environmentalist and ocean adventurer, to find out why her own endeavours and the environmental movement more generally have failed to achieve change of the necessary scope, scale and speed. Her journey takes her from the environment through economics and politics into patriarchy and a global culture of domination – the domination of rich over poor, strong over weak, humanity over nature. She examines the tragic psychological flaws in the way we think, and the apparent inevitability of civilisational collapse, and deduces that our best hope is to transcend the current trap of runaway materialism. But how?Exploring cutting-edge theories on the nature of reality and the relationship between matter and consciousness, she peels back the veils of our shared delusions to arrive at a new narrative about what it means to be human in the twenty-first century. She paints a bold, exciting vision of a future in which people and planet thrive.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd British Canals: The Standard History
The first edition of British Canals was published in 1950 and was much admired as a pioneering work in transport history. Joseph Boughey, with the advice of Charles Hadfield, has previously revised and updated the perennially popular material to reflect more recent changes. For this ninth edition, Joseph Boughey discusses the many new discoveries and advances in the world of canals around Britain, inevitably focussing on the twentieth century to a far greater extent than in any previous edition of this book, while still within the context of Hadfield's original work.
£17.99
The History Press Ltd Hitler's Spy Princess: The Extraordinary Life of Stephanie von Hohenlohe
A portrait of Stephanie von Hohenlohe (1891-1972), notorious as a secret go-between and even a professional blackmailer. Despite her Jewish roots, Stephanie always claimed to be of pure Aryan descent. Soon enough, Hitler would begin to employ her on secret diplomatic missions.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Great War Fashion: Tales from the History Wardrobe
Imagine stepping into someone else’s shoes. Walking back in time a century ago, which shoes would they be? A pair of silk sensations costing thousands of pounds designed by Yanturni of Paris, or wooden clogs with metal cleats that spark on the cobbles of a factory yard? Would your shoes be heavy with mud from trudging along duckboards between the tents of a front-line hospital or stuck with tufts of turf from a football pitch? Would you be cloaked in green and purple, brandishing a ‘Votes for Women’ banner, or would you be respectably dressed, restricted by your thigh-length corset? Great War Fashion opens the wardrobe of women in the years before the outbreak of war to explore the real woman behind the stiff, mono-bosomed ideal of Edwardian society, and closes it on a new breed of women who have donned trousers and overalls to feed the nation and work in munitions factories and who, clad in mourning, have loved and lost a whole generation of men. The journey through Great War Fashion is not just about the changing clothes and fashions of the war years – it is a journey into the lives of the women who lived under the shadow of war and were irrevocably changed by it. Using material from her own extensive collection, renowned costume expert Lucy Adlington brings an inspiring generation of women to life with rare and stunning images alongside a narrative that is both deeply poignant and laugh-out-loud funny.
£22.50
The History Press Ltd Sir Henry Royce: Establishing Rolls-Royce, from Motor Cars to Aero Engines
It’s hard to imagine a history of British engineering without Rolls-Royce: there would be no Silver Ghost, no Merlin for the Spitfire, no Alcock and Brown. Rolls-Royce is one of the most recognisable brands in the world.But what of the man who designed them?The youngest of five children, Frederick Henry Royce was born into almost Dickensian circumstances: the family business failed by the time he was 4, his father died in a Greenwich poorhouse when he was 9, and he only managed two fragmented years of formal schooling. But he made all of it count.In Sir Henry Royce: Establishing Rolls-Royce, from Motor Cars to Aero Engines, acclaimed aeronautical historian Peter Reese explores the life of an almost forgotten genius, from his humble beginnings to his greatest achievements. Impeccably researched and featuring almost 100 illustrations, this is the remarkable story of British success on a global stage.
£17.99
The History Press Ltd Sacred Secrets: Freemasonry, the Bible and Christian Faith
Who were Tubalcain, Aholiab and Zabud and what is their significance for the Freemason? There is a general interest in the rituals of Freemasonry, generated in part by the apparently obscure references they contain. This is the only book that offers a guide to the stories used in Masonic ritual and their links to the Bible and Christianity. The new Mason is directed to a ‘serious contemplation of the Volume of the Sacred Law’ — but that is easier said than done without a grounding in the Scriptures, something that fewer and fewer people have. The historical and geographical setting of the Bible is explained here, making such contemplation easier for Mason and non-Mason alike.Mike Neville has systematically cross-referenced the most influential Chapters of the Bible to the ceremonies. It is his intention to get Freemasons to understand the ritual — not just to memorise and regurgitate — as well as to elucidate for the non-Mason. Sacred Secrets will aid the clergy, theologians and any other person interested in Freemasonry to see the links between ritual and scripture.
£23.77
The History Press Ltd Rigged: The Incredible True Story of the Whistleblowers Jailed after Exposing the Rotten Heart of the Financial System
Rigged exposes a cover-up at the highest level on both sides of the Atlantic, upending the official story of the biggest scandal since the global financial crisis. It picks up where The Big Short leaves off, as the dark clouds of the financial crisis gather. Banks’ health is judged by an interest rate called Libor (the London Interbank Offered Rate). The higher the Libor, the worse off the bank; too high and it’s goodnight Vienna. Libor is heading skywards. To save themselves from collapse, nationalisation and loss of bonuses, banks instruct traders to manipulate Libor down – a criminal practice known as lowballing. Outraged, traders turn whistleblowers, alerting the authorities.As Rigged reveals, their instructions come first from top bosses – then from central banks and governments. But when the scandal explodes into the news, prosecutors allow banks to cover up the evidence pointing to the top. Instead, they accuse 37 traders of another kind of interest rate ‘rigging’ that no-one had seen as a crime. In nine trials from 2015 to 2019, nineteen are convicted and sentenced. Rigged exclusively shows why all the defendants are innocent, and how any real culprits go unpunished.How could this happen? Turns out, it’s not just the market that’s rigged.It’s the entire system.
£22.50
The History Press Ltd Marshal Zhukov at the Oder: The Decisive Battle for Berlin
In the dying months of the Second World War on 31 January 1945, the first Red Army troops reached the River Oder, barely forty miles from Berlin. Everyone at Soviet Headquarters expected Marshal Zhukov's troops quickly to bring the war to an end. But despite bitter fighting by both sides, a bloody stalemate persisted for two months. At the end of this time the Soviet bridgeheads north and south of Kustrin were eventually united, and the Nazi fortress finally fell. Tony Le Tissier has written an impressively detailed account of the Nazi-Soviet battles in the Oderbruch and for the Seelow Heights, east of Berlin. They culminated in 1945 with the last major land battle in Europe that proved decisive for the fate of Berlin - and the Third Reich. Drawing on official sources and the personal accounts of soldiers from both sides who were involved, Le Tissier has meticulously reconstructed the Soviets' difficult breakthrough on the Oder: the establishment of bridgeheads, the battle for the fortress of Kustrin, and the bloody fight for the Seelow Heights. Numerous maps help the reader follow the ebb and flow of battle, and a selection of archive photographs paint a sobering picture of the final death throes of Hitler's Thousand-Year Reich.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd Samhain: The Roots of Halloween
‘An excellent and comprehensive exploration of this fascinating subject.’ - Philip Carr-Gomm, author Druid Mysteries‘Samhain was the entry point into winter, a time of hardship, cold and hunger … It was also a time of introspection, of communing with the dead and the otherworld – themes that have somehow survived, albeit distorted, into the modern era.’The modern celebration of Halloween is derived from the ancient festival of the dead known in Ireland as Samhain. It is from Ireland that we have inherited most of our Halloween traditions, mainly through the diaspora. Delving into the ancient past, this book uncovers the history of this festival in Britain, Ireland and Brittany, including the forgotten goddess Tlachtga and the sacred temple of the Druids in Co. Meath, where the first Halloween fires were lit.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd The Prince and the Plunder: How Britain took one small boy and hundreds of treasures from Ethiopia
'Extraordinary and thrilling ... This story should be known to every man, woman and child' - Lemn SissayIn 1868, British troops charged into the mountain empire of Ethiopia, stormed the citadel of its monarch Tewodros II and grabbed piles of his treasures and sacred manuscripts. They also took his son – six-year-old Prince Alamayu – and brought the boy back with them to the cold shores of England.For the first time, Andrew Heavens tells the whole story of Alamayu, from his early days in his father’s fortress on the roof of Africa to his new home across the seas, where he charmed Queen Victoria, chatted with Lord Tennyson and travelled with his towering red-headed guardian Captain Speedy. The orphan prince was celebrated but stereotyped and never allowed to go home.The book also follows the loot – Ethiopia’s ‘Elgin Marbles’ – and tracks it down to its current hiding places in bank vaults, museum store cupboards and a boarded-up cavity in Westminster Abbey.A story of adventure, trauma and tragedy, The Prince and the Plunder is also a tale for our times, as we re-examine Britain’s past, pull down statues of imperial grandees and look for other figures to commemorate and celebrate in their place.
£20.69
The History Press Ltd The Times England's World Cup: The Full Story of the 2019 Tournament
The Cricket World Cup in 2019 was the first to be held in England for 20 years and expectations were high. It did not disappoint. Over six weeks and 48 matches it showcased the best that the one-day game has to offer, with compelling individual performances and spellbinding matches – all culminating in England’s unforgettable victory over New Zealand in the final. The Times England’s World Cup gives you a chance to relive the drama as it happened with the best of cricket writers.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Zero Altitude: How I Learned to Fly Less and Travel More
In recent decades, private jets have become status symbols for the world’s wealthiest, while quick and easy flights have brought far-flung destinations within the reach of everyone. But at what cost to the environment? Around the world, flying emits around 860 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, and until the outbreak of Covid-19, the aviation industry was one of the planet’s fastest-growing polluters. Now is the perfect time to pause and take stock of our toxic relationship with flying. Part climate-change investigation, part travel memoir, Zero Altitude follows Helen Coffey as she journeys as far as she can in the course of her job as a top travel journalist – all without getting on a single flight. Between trips by train, car, boat and bike, she meets climate experts and activists at the forefront of the burgeoning flight-free movement. Over the course of her travels, she discovers that keeping both feet on the ground is not only possible but that it can be an exhilarating opportunity for adventure. Her book is brimming with tips and ideas for swapping the middle seat for the open road.
£16.99
The History Press Ltd Piccadilly: London’s West End and the Pursuit of Pleasure
Piccadilly, London’s milelong western artery, was originally known for its busy coaching inns and magnificent aristocratic palaces, and, more recently, for its internationally renowned department stores, theatres, restaurants and hotels. At the junction of five major roads, Piccadilly Circus became known as the ‘Hub of Empire’. Balancing enterprise, profit and pleasure, it marks the divide between polite society and a bustling nightlife.In this book, London historian Stephen Hoare explores how and why ‘Dilly’ has always been a haunt for pleasure seekers. It traces the development of London’s West End from its aristocratic origins right through to its hedonistic heyday, when the Bright Young Things rubbed shoulders with royalty, film stars, gangsters, pimps and prostitutes. Today, Piccadilly’s traditional institutions, such as Hatchards, Fortnum and Mason, the Royal Academy and the Ritz, sit alongside sushi bars, Viennese coffee shops and fashionable jewellers and boutiques as the neon lights of the Circus continue to attract visitors from across the globe.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd Water Gypsies: A History of Life on Britain's Rivers and Canals
For centuries, living afloat on Britain’s waterways has been a rich part of the fabric of our social history, from the fisherfolk of ancient Britain to the bohemian houseboat dwellers of the 1950s and beyond.Whether they have chosen to leave the land behind and take to the water or been driven there by necessity, the history of the houseboat is a unique and fascinating seam of British history.In Water Gypsies, Julian Dutton – who was born and grew up on a houseboat – traces the evolution of boat-dwelling, from an industrial phenomenon in the heyday of the canals to the rise of life afloat as an alternative lifestyle in postwar Britain.Drawing on personal accounts and with a beautiful collection of illustrations, Water Gypsies is both a vivid narrative of a unique way of life and a valuable addition to social history.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd The A-Z of Curious County Limerick: Strange Stories of Mysteries, Crimes and Eccentrics
Limerick’s history stretches back over thousands of years. It is famed for pigs and poetry, but so far only the surface of its past has been revealed.The A–Z of Curious County Limerick looks at the forgotten tales, such as the story of the deer that ran amok through the streets of Limerick City and the man who was sentenced to work in a bog. Many of these stories of the area were well known and talked about at the time but did not get passed down to recent generations.Each letter of the alphabet leads to another weird or wonderful tale, from animals and their amazing antics, to Zepp the travelling chip salesman.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd The Touring Caravan Story: Over a Century of Towing
Follow the story of the touring caravan for over 100 years.From its origins as a rich man’s pastime in the early twentieth century, the modern touring caravan has grown into the holiday leisure vehicle of choice for many everyday families in the modern age. Alongside nostalgic memories from caravanners looking back at joyful holidays, Andrew Jenkinson examines the evolution of the touring caravan and its accessories in this beautifully illustrated book.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd The Little Book of Pintfulness
Overcome the stresses and strains of a complicated, anxiety-ridden life by rediscovering the ancient art of Pintfulness. More recent, fashionable but unproven ideas, such as Mindfulness, have pushed Pintfulness into an under-appreciated niche. The Little Book of Pintfulness proves that rediscovering the ancient art of imbibing pints can help every generation to chill the hell out and regain a sense of equilibrium, while imparting a great deal of beer-related knowledge along the way. Full to the brim with useful tips on drinking etiquette and fascinating facts, this celebration of the world’s third-most favourite drink will turn you into a well-rounded beer expert – but not a beer bore. Many truths can be found at the bottom of a pint glass.
£10.99
The History Press Ltd A History of Ocean Liners in 50 Objects
Explore the history of ocean liners through the objects that bring them to life. Liners represented the ambitions of their nations in peace and war; their design, interiors and fittings incorporated the finest contemporary technological and artistic features. In peacetime they carried celebrities, vacationers and emigrants; while in war they carried thousands of troops – and then war brides seeking new lives. A History of Ocean Liners in 50 Objects takes in evolving technology, supreme luxury and fine cuisine, as well as hardship and the burning hope for a better life. There is peril, disaster and death, international pride and competition, glory and war. The objects tell a fascinating story, showing how the functional sea voyage has evolved from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century to the huge cruise industry we have today.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd 180 Years of Cunard
Cunard’s first ship, Britannia, set sail across the Atlantic on 4 July 1840, inaugurating a service that has endured for 175 years. Cunard’s success is in part due to its continuous technological advances; from the early years of wooden paddle steamers to steel-hulled leviathans, electric lighting to steam turbine engines. But it is the ships themselves, the shipbuilders, managers, crew and guests that have had the greatest impact on the success of the line, creating unique environments full of personality. The Cunard fleet answered the call of duty during the two world wars and transported thousands of troops to fight for the Allied forces. Cunard’s QE2 was a much-beloved liner and the most famous ship at sea, participating in the Falklands campaign and sailing more than 2.5 million miles during a 40-year career. Today the three current Queens are a celebration of Cunard’s heritage and are considered to be some of the greatest ships in the world, providing luxurious accommodation, excellent service and lively entertainment whilst their passengers travel the world. This book uses stunning photographs and personal stories to explore the history of these magnificent ships.
£19.99
The History Press Ltd Unsolved Aviation Mysteries: Five Strange Tales of Air and Sea
Conspiracy theories of sabotage, murder and even UFOs flourish around the greatest unsolved mysteries of aviation from the twentieth century. This account of the most intriguing loose ends from aeronautical history provides the known details of five great mysteries and the best (and most colourful) attempts to explain what might have happened. Planes disappearing out of the sky, shady dealings with Sri-Lankan businessmen, the plummeting death of the richest man in the world in 1928 and even the Kennedy family all feature in these gripping open cases. Having previously written about the Dyatlov Pass Incident and cast his detail-oriented eye over many other aviation mishaps, Keith McCloskey now turns his attention to reassessing these five mysteries –all of which occurred over water, none of them ever resolved.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Dracula's Wars: Vlad the Impaler and his Rivals
The real Dracula was far from Bram Stoker’s well-mannered aristocrat. Better known as Vlad the Impaler, he was named for his favoured execution method: running a spear through his victim’s lower body, then standing them upright so it skewered their vital organs. In a world ruled by petty tyrants and constantly at war, the young Dracula was held hostage by the Turks while his father was assassinated and his brother was buried alive. Finally released, Dracula conducted an almighty purge, surrounding his palace with noblemen impaled on stakes. Then he turned his attention to military campaigns against the Turks and Bulgars to consolidate his power. Yet to Romanians and the Pope he was a hero and liberator, fighting to protect his kingdom and countrymen from invasion in a complex and treacherous time. And, as an initiate in the Order of the Dragon, Dracula also played a vital (if not entirely noble) part in the fight against the Ottoman war machine. In this full account of Vlad Dracula, James Waterson details the good and the bad of this warlord prince, offering a fascinating insight into the violent end of the Middle Ages.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Slaughter on the Eastern Front: Hitler and Stalin’s War 1941-1945
In the summer of 1941, a collective madness overtook Adolf Hitler and his senior generals. They convinced themselves that they could take on and defeat a superpower in the making – the Soviet Union. Foolishly, they thought in a swift campaign they could smash the Red Army and force Stalin to sue for peace, despite dire warnings that Stalin was amassing a reserve army of more than 1 million men on the Volga. The end result would be such carnage that it would tear the German forces apart. In his major reassessment of the war on the Eastern Front, Anthony Tucker-Jones casts new light on the brutal fighting, including such astounding German defeats as at Stalingrad, Kursk, Minsk and, finally, Berlin. He controversially contends that from the very start intelligence officers on both sides failed to influence their leadership resulting in untold slaughter. He also reveals the shocking blunders by Hitler, Stalin and even Churchill that led to the appalling, needless destruction of Hitler’s armed forces as early as the winter of 1941–42. Step by step, Tucker-Jones describes how the German war machine fought to its very last against a relentless enemy, fully aware that defeat was inevitable.
£16.99
The History Press Ltd The Sister Queens: Isabella and Catherine de Valois
Isabella de Valois was 3 years old when, on a hot August day in 1392, her father suddenly went mad. Less than four years later, she was married by proxy to the English King Richard II and arrived in England with a French retinue and her doll’s house. Richard’s humiliating deposition and brutal murder by his cousin, the future Henry IV, forced Isabella’s desperate return to France where she found her country fatally divided. Isabella’s sister, Catherine de Valois, became the beautiful young bride of Henry V and is unique in history for being the daughter of a king, the wife of a king, the mother of a king and the grandmother of a king. Like her sister, Catherine was viewed as a bargaining chip in times of political turmoil, yet her passionate love affair with the young Owain Tudor established the entire Tudor dynasty and set in motion one of the most fascinating periods of British history. The Sister Queens is a gripping tale of love, exile and conflict in a time when even royal women had to fight for survival.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Pearls Before Poppies: The True Story of the Red Cross Pearls
In February 1918, when the First World War was still being bitterly fought, prominent society member Lady Northcliffe conceived an idea to help raise funds for the British Red Cross. Using her husband’s newspapers, The Times and the Daily Mail, she ran a campaign to collect enough pearls to create a necklace, intending to raffle the piece to raise money. The campaign captured the public’s imagination. Over the next nine months nearly 4,000 pearls poured in from around the world. Pearls were donated in tribute to lost brothers, husbands and sons, and groups of women came together to contribute one pearl on behalf of their communities. Those donated ranged from priceless heirlooms –one had survived the sinking of the Titanic – to imperfect yet treasured trinkets. Working with Christie’s and the International Fundraising Committee of the British Red Cross, author Rachel Trethewey expertly weaves the touching story of a generation of women who gave what they had to aid the war effort and commemorate their losses.
£10.99
The History Press Ltd Woodsmoke and Sage: The Five Senses 1485-1603: How the Tudors Experienced the World
Traditionally history is cerebral: what did they believe, what did they think, what did they know?Woodsmoke and Sage is not a traditional book. Using the five senses, historian Amy Licence presents a new perspective on the material culture of the past, exploring the Tudors’ relationship with the fabric of their existence, from the clothes on their backs, the roofs over their heads and the food on their tables, to the wider questions of how they interpreted and presented themselves, and what they believed about life, death and beyond.Take a journey back 500 years and experience the sixteenth century the way it was lived, through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd Robin Hood: Outlaw or Greenwood Myth
First mentioned by William Langland in the late fourteenth century, Robin Hood comes down to us through ballads and folksongs, old chronicles and plays, medieval allusions, folklore and place names. Today Robin Hood folk songs are found in the USA as well as in England and Scotland, and place names and traditions are widely located in England. The earliest stories are centred on Barnsdale in Yorkshire, but later the emphasis shifts to Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. Originally a yeoman, Robin was upgraded to aristocrat in the sixteenth century, but he remains essentially a champion of the poor and oppressed and a social nonconformer. How far Robin Hood was based on a historical character and how far he is an archetypal outlaw or a Greenwood myth (who must withdraw from society and commune with nature) is the subject of the Doels' wide-ranging study. This new edition is complete with an updated gazetteer of Robin Hood sites and an annotated filmography. It includes almost 50 illustrations (including performances by present-day mummers).
£12.99
The History Press Ltd The Cunard Colouring Book
In 1840, Sir Samuel Cunard set sail aboard Britannia and inaugurated the first regular transatlantic steamship service. From that time forward, the Cunard Line has owned and operated hundreds of ships: it has transported immigrants to the new world, undertaken wartime service, and adapted seamlessly into the new cruising world of the modern age. The Queens of the Cunard fleet are as iconic today as their illustrious forbears. This beautifully created colouring book celebrates the long heritage of the Cunard Line, the stunning interiors and exteriors of the vessels, and much more besides. Supplemented with fascinating text from celebrated maritime authors Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross, it is sure to captivate and educate children and adults alike.
£12.00
The History Press Ltd A History of Whitby
Whitby is well known today as a seaside resort and a picturesque place to visit, with its piers, boats, fine sands and, overlooking its tangle of red-roofed houses, the ruins of its Abbey in one of the most splendid settings in Britain for such romantic remains. But few of its many visitors would guess the long history of the town or its significance, from time to time, in national affairs. The only comprehensive history of Whitby, it rapidly sold out and Dr White, its author, of ancient Whitby stock, has now fully revised and updated his book, with some new illustrations and interpretations. This new edition will continue as the definitive work on Whitby.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd The Range Rover Story
It’s easy to forget that the original Range Rover, launched in 1970, created the luxury sport-utility vehicle market from scratch. A marvel of British ingenuity developed on a shoestring budget, it was the first four-wheel drive car that was as happy on tarmac as it was on rocky terrain. It truly blazed a trail for a worldwide motoring trend. The Range Rover Story is a timely and concise reminder of all that Range Rover has achieved since a tight-knit group of engineers first turned their thoughts to something ground-breaking.
£9.99
The History Press Ltd Crossing the Line of Duty: How Corruption, Greed and Sleaze Brought Down the Flying Squad
The Metropolitan Police of the mid-twentieth century, in particular The Flying Squad and Obscene Publications Squad, has been described as ‘the most routinely corrupt organisation in London’. Larger-than-life characters such as Ken Drury and Alfred ‘Wicked Bill’ Moody routinely fraternised with underworld figures, paid off witnesses and struck dodgy deals to get their man – regardless of whether he was innocent or guilty. And the problem went far beyond a couple of ‘bent’ coppers: in the end, fifty officers were prosecuted, while 478 took early retirement. Using Metropolitan Police files obtained under Freedom of Information, which have not been accessed since the 1970s, author Neil Root can finally tell the real story of how the Met became systemically corrupt, and how Sir Robert Mark, who became commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1972, finally cleaned it up.
£16.99
The History Press Ltd Fitzrovia, The Other Side of Oxford Street: A Social History 1900-1950
This is the other side of the story. Before the Second World War, Ann Basu’s family of Jewish tailors lived where the BT Tower stands today. At that time of high migration, the women’s fashion trade and the new car industry were sweeping into Fitzrovia, Russian and German anarchists argued in its clubs, Indian revolutionaries practised at the shooting range, and popular cafes such as Lyons’ transformed the social lives of workers. The Jews of Fitzrovia and Soho saw each other as being on the ‘other side’ of Oxford Street, and this book reflects Fitzrovia’s distinctive ‘inbetween-ness’ – at the inner edge of central London, but separate from the West End. Putting the spotlight on Fitzrovia’s enterprising twentieth-century immigrant workers, this is the history of working-class and outsider voices that have previously been muted.
£17.99
The History Press Ltd The Last Heroes: Voices of British and Commonwealth Veterans
The Second World War is famed for being the conflict that changed the face of warfare, and it is the last that changed the face of the world. In addition to remembering those that passed away in those dark days of war, a sincere debt of gratitude is owed to all those now in their twilight years who gave all that they had for King and Country. Here Gary Bridson-Daley presents forty-two of over a hundred interviews he conducted with veterans over recent years, adding to the history books the words and the original poetry of those that fought and supported the war effort to ensure freedom, peace and prosperity for generations to come. From each corner of the British Isles and every armed service, from Dam Buster George ‘Johnny’ Johnson through to riveter Susan Jones: heroes, all.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd Last of the Blue Water Liners: Passenger Ships Sailing the Seven Seas
This is the story of the last class-divided passenger ships that carried travellers from point to point. In the final years of activity, spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, they carried Hollywood stars and even royalty on the Atlantic, businessmen to South America and Africa, migrants to Australia and New Zealand, and visitors returning to European homelands. Last of the Blue Water Liners nods to the Atlantic liners but also revels in the many other passenger ships that plied trades around the world: vessels like the Antilles, Oslofjord, Kampala and Changsha. Complete with rare images and the insight of the prolific maritime historian William H. Miller, this book is a nostalgic parade of a bygone age, a generation of ships all but swept away in the 1960s and 1970s as jet travel changed the world.
£17.99
The History Press Ltd A Companion to the Falklands War
The Falklands War is a story of occupation, fierce air battles, heavy naval losses and bitter encounters between ground forces amidst an inhospitable terrain and unforgiving climate. With complex political machinations and nationalist sentiment at the centre of the conflict, even today the sovereignty of the islands is hotly contested in political circles. For the first time, renowned military historian Gregory Fremont-Barnes has compiled a definitive A–Z guide to the British involvement in the Falklands conflict, including personalities, weapons, battles, ships, places, and much more. This accessible yet comprehensive companion to the Falklands War will be a welcome addition to any enthusiast’s shelves.
£22.50
The History Press Ltd Looking Down the Corridors: Allied Aerial Espionage Over East Germany and Berlin, 1945-1990
Between 1945 and 1990 the Western Allies mounted some of the most audacious and successful intelligence collection operations of the Cold War. Conducted in great secrecy, aircrews flew specially modified transport and training aircraft along the Berlin Air Corridors and Control Zone to gather intelligence on Soviet and East German military targets in the German Democratic Republic and around Berlin. The Air Corridors comprised three regulated airways for civil and military air traffic that connected West Berlin to West Germany. Operating under the guise of innocent transport and training flights, the pilots used their right of access to gather huge amounts of imagery for forty-five years. They also provided the western intelligence community with unique knowledge of the organisation and equipment used by Warsaw Pact forces. For the first time, using recently declassified materials and extensive interviews with those involved, Looking Down the Corridors provides a detailed account and analysis of these operations and their unique contribution to the Cold War.
£16.99
The History Press Ltd Amelia Earhart: Daring Women of History
A pioneering aviator and advocate of women’s equality, Amelia Earhart was, and continues to be, an inspiration to people the world over. Her fierce determination to break records and push the boundaries of aviation led her to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932, as well as the first person (man or woman) to fly solo the trans-Pacific flight from Hawaii to California in 1935. Not content to leave it at that, Amelia set her sights on becoming the first woman to circumnavigate the world, but her brave attempt was cut short when she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, vanished over the Pacific Ocean on the final stretch of the challenge in 1937. Eighty years on and our fascination with Amelia Earhart continues. Here, Mike Roussel charts her life and experiences, exploring the investigations and theories surrounding her mysterious disappearance and revealing the naturally courageous spirit that made her one of the most daring of twentieth-century women.
£9.99