Search results for ""history press""
The History Press Ltd Lakeland Folk Tales for Children
Did you know that if you look closely around Scafell Pike in the winter you might find a great dragon? Or that hidden in the forest around Egremont you might catch a glimpse of the fabled fairy folk? What, you don’t believe me? Read these tales then take a look for yourself. This collection is full of stories that Taffy has told over the years, and that children love to hear time and again. Including a gang of smugglers and an ugly face-pulling competition, not only will children love to read them, or listen to them being read, the tales will also stimulate an interest in the area, and help children engage with their own surroundings wherever they live.
£9.99
The History Press Ltd The Anthology of English Folk Tales
This enchanting collection of stories gathers together folk tales from across England in one special volume. Drawn from The History Press’ popular Folk Tales series, herein lies a treasure trove of tales from a wealth of talented storytellers performing in the country today, including prominent figures Taffy Thomas MBE, Hugh Lupton and Helen East. From hidden chapels and murderous vicars to travelling fiddlers and magical shape-shifters, this book celebrates the distinct character of England’s different customs, beliefs and dialects, and is a treat for all who enjoy a good yarn.
£13.60
The History Press Ltd Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War
In 1914 Britain was home to at least 10,000 black Britons, many of African and West Indian heritage. Most of them were loyal to the ‘mother country’ when the First World War broke out. Despite being discouraged from serving in the British Army, men managed to join all branches of the forces, while black communities contributed to the war effort on the home front. By 1918 it is estimated that Britain’s black population had trebled to 30,000, as many black servicemen who had fought for Britain decided to make it their home. It was far from a happy ending, however, as they and their families often came under attack from white ex-servicemen and civilians increasingly resentful of their presence. With first-hand accounts and original photographs, Black Poppies is the essential guide to the military and civilian wartime experiences of black men and women, from the trenches to the music halls. It is intended as a companion to Stephen Bourne’s previous books published by The History Press: Mother Country: Britain’s Black Community on the Home Front 1939–45 and The Motherland Calls: Britain’s Black Servicemen and Women 1939–45.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd The Tudor Housewife
The political and military history of the sixteenth century is well known, and much written about, but what of the thousands of women who have, for the most part, eluded the historian's pen? The Tudor Housewife aims to answer this question, providing a unique and accessible introduction to the everyday life and responsibilities of women from all levels of society in the age of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. With chapters on marriage, childbirth, the upbringing of children, washing and cleaning, food and drink, the housewife as doctor, women and business, and women and religion, Alison Sim reveals how women were expected to manage businesses as well as the household accounts, take extensive personal interest in the moral welfare of their children, administer medicine to their households and act as a helpmeet to their husbands in every aspect of life. This book unveils the powerful position of ordinary women in Tudor society and provides a captivating insight into their lives. Alison Sim is a freelance historian specialising in Tudor Housewifery skills. She has been featured on a number of Channel 4 history programmes, including Time Team, and has also written Pleasures and Pastimes in Tudor England for The History Press.
£11.24
The History Press Ltd Bristol Brabazon
The Brabazon – the name evokes the immediate post-war optimism of civil aviation. The giant airliner was built by Bristol Aircraft in 1949 to cross the Atlantic and serve the empire. However, the plane proved to be a commercial failure when airlines felt that it was too large and expensive to be useful. Large and luxurious, it carried only 60-80 passengers, and with a range of 5,000 miles, a 225ft wing span and eight engines buried in the wings with enough fuel to reach New York, the ‘100-ton bomber’ was more impressive and capable than the B-29: the ultimate passenger airliner was born. Now, with previously unpublished material and illustrations from the original Bristol Brabazon sales brochure, among other sources, the Brabazon’s 1930s-style elegance is displayed once again, celebrating its design, construction and sheer luxury. A fitting outcome for such a paragon of post-war optimism and an aircraft still considered by many to be the foremost in propeller-driven civil aviation.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd Northamptonshire Folk Tales
Take a walk through this county in the heart of England in the entertaining company of a local storyteller. Kevan Manwaring, born and raised in Northampton, regales you with tales ancient and modern. Learn how the farmer outwitted the bogle; how a Queen who lost her head; the Great Fire of Northampton; and the last execution of witches in England. Along the way you will meet incredible characters from history and myth: Boudicca, St Patrick, Robin Hood and Hereward the Wake, Captain Slash, Dionysia the female knight, beasts and angels, cobblers and kings. From fairies to wolves, these illustrated tales are ideal to be read out loud or used as a source book for your own performances. Northamptonshire Folk Tales is a great companion for any visit to the area, for fascinating days out and for discovering exciting treasures on your doorstep. The 'Rose of the Shires' will open before you!
£9.99
The History Press Ltd Folklore of Lincolnshire
The county of Lincolnshire is a beautiful mixture of low-lying marshy fen land, modest hills and the steep valleys of the rolling Wolds; it is also home to a wealth of folklore, legend and intrigue. With one of the most interesting dialects in the country, this vast region is also rich in superstitions, songs and traditional games. A study of the daily life, lore and customs of Lincolnshire are here interspersed with stories of monstrous black hounds, dragon lairs, witches, Tiddy Mun, mischievous imps and tales of the people known as the Yellowbellies. This fully illustrated book explores the origins and meanings of Lincolnshire’s traditions and shows how the customs of the past have influenced the ways of the present.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd Prehistoric Flintwork
Flint was a vitally important resource for prehistoric societies who put it to a diverse range of uses. Chris Butler has created a concise guide to recognising and categorising British prehistoric flintwork. The author begins by looking at the different sources of flint that were exploited by prehistoric peoples, and explains why flint was such a widely used raw material. He then discusses how to recognise prehistoric worked flint and explores the different technologies that were used to work flint and make tools.Flintknapping techniques used in each period of prehistory are illustrated, along with detailed techniques used in each period of prehistory are illustrated, along with detailed descriptions of the variety of implements produced and their associated diagnostic waste material. The flintwork from a number of case-study sites and the eventual decline in the importance of flint. The book also explores what the analysis of flintwork can tell us about society and past use of the landscape.
£25.00
The History Press Ltd Scottish Folk Tales for Children
A giant sea monster … trees that can dance … a water-horse … a girl so clever she outwits a giant … Welcome to the world of the Scottish folk tale – a world of talking animals, mischief-making witches, giants, trolls, bold girls, reckless boys and, of course, the Wee Folk. These stories – specially chosen to be enjoyed by 7 to 11-year-old readers – burst with adventure and glitter with magic. As old as the mountains and the glens, these well- loved tales are retold by storyteller Judy Paterson.
£9.99
The History Press Ltd Scott of the Antarctic
The life of Captain Robert Falcon Scott Scott of the Antarctic and the courage that he exemplified have marked him out as a hero to generations, despite his failure to be the first to reach the South Pole.Born in 1868, Scott joined the Royal Navy as a cadet at the age of 13 and progressed through the ranks to become a lieutenant. In 1899, after a chance encounter with Clements Markham, president of the Royal Geographical Society, he asked to be involved in the forthcoming exploration of the Antarctic. A year later he was appointed to lead the National Antarctic Expedition, which reached further south than any previous attempts, and Scott returned to Britain a national hero. But Scott was not content to stop there: he dreamed of becoming the first explorer to reach the South Pole. And so it was that, in 1910, he and his team ventured out on a second Antarctic expedition.Scott of the Antarctic vividly recreates that fateful journey across the
£12.79
The History Press Ltd Brighton and Hove: A Pocket Miscellany
Did you know? The young George IV liked to go dancing until 4 a.m. Brighton is home to the UK’s oldest electric railway. There are nearly 1,400 premises licensed to sell alcohol in Brighton and Hove. Brighton and Hove welcomes 8 million visitors annually and has been voted one of the top five cities that tourists want to visit during their stay in the UK. This engaging little book is packed full of insider knowledge, facts, figures and the secrets of the vibrant city of Brighton and Hove: diversity, culture, the arts, history, comedy and creativity in bucket-and-spade-loads.
£5.99
The History Press Ltd The Other Schindlers: Why Some People Chose to Save Jews in the Holocaust
Thanks to Thomas Keneally’s book Schindler’s Ark, and the film based on it, Schindler’s List, we have become more aware of the fact that, in the midst of Hitler’s extermination of the Jews, courage and humanity could still overcome evil. While 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazi regime, some were saved through the actions of non-Jews whose consciences would not allow them to pass by on the other side, and many are honoured by Yad Vashem as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ for their actions. As a baby, Agnes Grunwald-Spier was herself saved from the horrors of Auschwitz by an unknown official, and is now a trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. She has collected together the stories of thirty individuals who rescued Jews, and these provide a new insight into why these people were prepared to risk so much for their fellow men and women. With a foreword by Sir Martin Gilbert, one of the leading experts on the subject, this is an ultimately uplifting account of how some good deeds really do shine in a weary world.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Middlesex Murders
Middlesex Murders brings together numerous murderous tales, some of which were little known outside the county, and others which made national headlines. Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever committed in Middlesex. They include the murder of John Draper, whose body was found in a well at Enfield Chase in 1816; 15-year-old John Brill, found beaten to death in a wood in 1837 after giving evidence against two poachers; and Claire Paul, killed with an axe at her home in Ruislip in 1938. Linda Stratmann’s carefully researched and enthralling text includes much previously unpublished information and will appeal to everyone interested in the shady side of Middlesex’s history.
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Motherwell Football Club
Motherwell Football CLub was founded in 1886 and is one of the most famous name in football. This beautiful reference book plots the history of every player to have for The Steelmen since the Second World War. All of the truly great post-war Motherwell names are featured in this illustrated guide: Ian St John, Willie Redpath, Andy Paton, Willie Kilmarnock, Archie Shaw, Willie Pettigrew and Davie Cooper - to name a few. A wealth of detail on each Motherwel footballer to have played in a League game for Motherwell is included. Supporters of both the team and of Scottish football in general will enjoy reliving the careers of every player to have pulled on the famous Claret and Amber jersey since 1946. Memorable tales from the club's history featured include St John's two-and-a-half minute hat-trick, the goalkeeper who wanted to play outfield, the centre-half who wanted to meet his manager in a dark alley, the 'one game wonders' and many more. With a comprehensive statistical section and over 200 photographs, this excellent history and guide by Jeffrey, Fry and Swinburne is a book no Motherwell fan will want to be without.
£15.18
The History Press Ltd Ayr United Football Club (Classic Matches): Fifty of the Finest Matches
A history of Ayr United Football Club
£12.83
The History Press Ltd Newquay
This book is part of the Images of England series, which uses old photographs and archived images to show the history of various local areas in England, through their streets, shops, pubs, and people.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd The Duke: 100 Chapters in the Life of Prince Philip
The Archbishop of Canterbury called him ‘bloody rude’, courtiers feared he was ‘a foreign interloper out for the goodies’, daughter-in-law Sarah Ferguson found him ‘very frightening’ and the Queen Mother labelled him ‘the Hun’. Journalists have continually portrayed him as a gaffe-prone serial philanderer, with European outlets going way off-piste and claiming he has fathered 24 illegitimate children. Prince Philip says ‘the impression the public has got is unfair’, though there is no self-serving autobiography and his interviews with broadcasters or writers are done grudgingly. The Duke sets out to explore the man behind the various myths, drawing on interviews with relations, friends and courtiers and the Duke's own words. It brings to life some rare aspects of his character, from a love of poetry and religion to his fondness for Duke Ellington and his fascination with UFOs. It also explains why for over seven decades he has been the Queen's ‘strength and stay’ – and why he is regarded by many as a national treasure.
£14.39
The History Press Ltd Fuck Off, I'm Sewing: Swearing and Sewing That Will Have You in Stitches
Once upon a time in the quiet coastal town of Whitstable, previously known for oysters and fingering, a bunch of (mostly) novice embroiderers but accomplished swearers came together to sew, drink and swear. And amidst all the stitching and laughing, friendships flourished and beautiful, irreverent pieces of art were created, adding a contemporary flavour to the ancient art of embroidery. F*ck Off, I’m Sewing! brings you the highlights and lowlifes of the Profanity Embroidery Group. Often funny, at times moving and always profane, their colourful embroidery will leave you in stitches.
£9.99
The History Press Ltd Caribbean Folk Tales: Stories from the Islands and from the Windrush Generation
Professional Storyteller Wendy Shearer has gathered together stories from many Caribbean islands and countries, drawing on oral history and written texts to bring these folk tales to life. Many stories are of West African origin, kept alive through rhythm and song. These tales and their languages were blended with European and East Indian folklore, with royalty, heroes and spirits exacting revenge. Alongside the stories are newly collected reminiscences of migration to Britain from Caribbean countries during the Windrush years. These first-hand accounts mirror the themes found in the folk tales with love and loss, magic and mystery, caution and justice.Cric! Crac! Prepare to be enchanted by La Diablesse from Haiti, outsmarted by the trickster Anansi, or terrified by the shapeshifting Old Higue in Guyana.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Who Made England?: The Saxon-Viking Race to Create a Country
Did you know English people were around before the country of England was invented? It’s true: just over 1,000 years ago, English people lived in several smaller countries all over the island of Britain. A Saxon king called Alfred is famous for starting to bring these countries together – but who finished the job? Another Saxon king? A monk? Or was it... a Viking? In this fantastically illustrated book, storyteller Chip Colquhoun explores fact and folklore to see what they tell us about the birth of a country. After enjoying these tales of deadly battles, singing kings and miraculous queens, can you work out Who Made England?
£8.99
The History Press Ltd The Little Book of Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world. It is a historical wonder, surrounded by villages, forts, towers and churches, all of which combine to tell the colourful story of Ireland’s largest county. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this book by author and historian Kieran McCarthy can be dipped into time and again to uncover new landmarks, people and stories from this stunning part of the world.
£15.17
The History Press Ltd Chapel Street: 'The Bravest Little Street in England'
Chapel Street was a row of old Georgian terraced lodging houses in Altrincham, home to some 400 Irish, English, Welsh and Italian lodgers. From this tight-knit community of just sixty houses, 161 men volunteered for the First World War. They fought in all the campaigns of the war, with twenty-nine men killed in action and twenty dying from injuries soon after the war; more men were lost in action from Chapel Street than any other street in England. As a result, King George V called Chapel Street ‘the Bravest Little Street in England’. The men that came home returned to a society unfamiliar with the processes of rehabilitation. Fiercely proud, they organised their own Roll of Honour, which recorded all the names of those brave men who volunteered. This book highlights their journeys through war and peace. Royalties from the sale of this book will help support the vital work of the charity Walking With the Wounded and its housing, health, employment and training programmes for ex-service personnel.
£16.00
The History Press Ltd Queen Elizabeth: A Photographic Journey
Queen Elizabeth: A Photographic Journey allows the reader to travel aboard Cunard’s newest ship, the second largest ship to carry the Cunard colours. The ultimate in luxury cruising waits aboard Queen Elizabeth. From the three-storey Royal Court Theatre, complete with box seating, to the opulence of the Queens Room, the authors have captured the interior elegance of Queen Elizabeth with never-before-published images. Explore the behind-the-scenes areas, with a tour of the Engine Room, Stores and the Bridge, before returning to the passenger areas to discover bars, lounges, restaurants and cabins. This stunning volume is a must-have whether you’re a seasoned Cunard passenger, or simply an armchair traveller. Written by two enthusiastic Cunard fans, travellers and historians, this book is beautifully illustrated with over 200 colour photographs and includes a foreword by Peter Shanks, former president of the Cunard Line, thoughts from Commodore Rynd on the ship’s fifth anniversary and an afterword by Captain Chris Wells, Queen Elizabeth’s First Master. This is Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross’ sixth Cunard book and the fourth in their Journey series.
£19.99
The History Press Ltd Cars We Loved in the 1950s
After the Second World War, cars in Britain were very hard to come by. Most new models had to go for export or were reserved for those drivers who needed them the most, such as doctors. Petrol was still rationed, roads inadequate and modern technology lacking. With the arrival of the 1950s, things slowly began to change: Morris, Austin and Ford put increasing numbers of British families on the road, new sports cars from MG, Jaguar, Triumph and Austin-Healey promised a thrilling drive, and innovative motors such as the Land Rover and the bubble car emerged. By 1958, new car buying was leading a consumer boom, and Britain’s manufacturers still had the market to themselves. Giles Chapman investigates the fascinating motoring history of the 1950s.
£11.25
The History Press Ltd Palaeography for Family and Local Historians
Family and Local Historians frequently encounter the challenge posed by the writing, and sometimes the translation, of the records which might most enable them to make further progress with their research. Many pamphlets, booklets and even books have been produced over the past century to help with old handwriting and abbreviations, but this new work, written by an author who has for years run courses on the subject, is the most practical and comprehensive yet for family and local historians. Based on some fifty facsimile reproductions of documents of graduated difficulty, culled from many useful sources, it provides transcripts, and translations where appropriate, together with advice on methods of transcribing. The alphabet, with commentary, of the numerous types of letter to be found in the examples (many being in the secretary and court hands which so often cause problems), and illustrations of forms of abbreviation will greatly help to unravel the difficulties of reading. Many documents before 1733 were written in Latin and the author includes an outline of the differences between classical and medieval usage and a vocabulary to cover the section in Latin. There are examples, from the 1400s to the 1700s, of a wide range of hands found in the most usual categories of record used by family historians, such as parish registers, wills and court rolls, and in many others which disclose helpful information on families and localities. Those who use this book will not need to be persuaded of the great enjoyment to be derived from pursuing research into family or local history and the pleasures of piecing together evidence to throw new light on old times. They may also find great enjoyment in the deciphering of documents, the means to that end. For the solitary searcher or a member of a class or local society, this will be the standard work upon which to rely for many decades to come.
£20.25
The History Press Ltd The Parish Chest
This is the third edition of a classic. It is the standard study of the parochial administration in England. When the late W.E. Tate first wrote it, in 1946, there was no such book though all agreed that such a book was very much needed. The author modestly, in his Preface, hoped that his readers would regard the work as 'the essay of a fellow student rather than as the authoritative treatise of an expert'. That he wrought better than he knew, or would claim, is evidenced by the fact that - though subsequent editions have been extensively corrected, revised and updated - his book has stood the test of seven decades of intensive use by literally every worker in the field and enjoys universal veneration as the unsurpassed, definitive work; yet it is still essentially the same book that Mr Tate wrote seventy years ago. Mr Tate's purpose was to encourage research into local and family history by describing, explaining and illustrating the entire range of civil and ecclesiastical documents that occur in parish archives; traditionally, the 'parish chest'. Many examples of typical records of all kinds are printed, transcribed and related to the conditions and laws that gave rise to them and to the earlier phases of the evolving English society whose relics they are. The author's unrivalled knowledge of the documents and the literature dealing with them has enabled him not only to guide the modern searcher in the use and understanding of parish records, but also to trace and illustrate the development of local government in England. Most local historians and genealogists have found that this exhaustive, yet easily read, scholarly yet humorous book has opened up new avenues of study or lines of rewarding research for them. This latest impression, in an enlarged and more attractive format, will undoubtedly perform the same seminal service for a further generation of searchers among England's vast store of parochial archives.
£27.00
The History Press Ltd Youghal: Ireland in Old Photographs
The historic seaside town of Youghal has a rich and vibrant history which is uniquely captured in this collection of archive images. Still a popular tourist destination today, local historian Kieran Groeger explores the development of the walled town from its importance as a military base and port to its subsequent transformation into a seaside resort. With 200 images recalling old shops and industries, schools and institutions, changing streetscapes and the characters that made the town, this is an invaluable record of the heritage of Youghal.
£17.99
The History Press Ltd Derry Folk Tales
This lively and entertaining collection of folk tales from the County Derry is rich in stories both tall and true, ancient and recent, dark and funny, fantastical and powerful. Here you will find stories of mythical beasts such as the Lig-na-Paiste, banished by St Murrough to Lough Foyle; the dark tales of Abhartach, the Irish Vampire, and the reason a skeleton features of Derry’s coat of arms; the cautionary tale of the man who raised the Devil and who never spoke another word for the rest of his life; and, of course, the legends of the great St Columba, founder of the City of Derry, whose prayer reputedly still protects its inhabitants from ever being struck by lightening. These well-loved and magical stories, retold by professional storyteller Madeline McCully and richly illustrated with enchanting line drawings, are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd East Belfast: Ireland in Old Photographs
Local history of East Belfast.
£16.99
The History Press Ltd The Future of Islam
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt was a British diplomat and poet, who fought the case for Egyptian and Irish nationalism. A great admirer of Islam, the author's classic text from the 1880s predicts many of the divisions that affect the world, and speaks of what must happen if the world is to ever be a peaceful one.
£15.00
The History Press Ltd Escape from StValeryenCaux
The dramatic story of Captain Bill Bradford, Adjutant of the 1st Battalion Black Watch, compiled using diaries and letters, coded messages and correspondence between his family and the War Office in their desperate effort to hear news of his safety.Escape from St-Valery-en-Caux tells of Captain Bradford's experiences between 1939 and 1941, during which time he was in the thick of the action in France until the surrender of the Highland Division at St-Valery-en-Caux in June 1940. While being marched into captivity Captain Bradford managed to escape once from the Germans and then seven further times from the Vichy French. His son, Andrew Bradford, details his journey to safety in Gibraltar, travelling through France, Spain and North Africa, including a night crossing of the Pyrenees and an astonishing 700-mile voyage in a 17ft sailing boat.
£15.99
The History Press Ltd Bad Lads: RAF National Service Remembered
Between 1945 and 1963 over 2 1⁄2 million 18-year-olds were called up for national service. Alf Townsend was one of them, and here he tells his story – the highs and lows of life as a lowly Aircraftman Second Class in the early 1950s. Before national service intervened Alf was ‘heading down the criminal road at top speed’, having grown up in a North London slum where money was short and local villains were revered.Bad Lads is a warts and all account of Alf Townsend’s time in the RAF, when he was transplanted into a completely new world of misfits and officer types, rogues and entertainers, all amusingly described in the author’s inimitable style.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Not Just Milk Stout: The Mackeson Family and their Hythe Brewery
This is the story of how the Mackeson brothers of Deal bought a brewery in the small Kent town of Hythe and transformed it into a producer of one of the biggest brewing success stories of the twentieth century – milk stout. The drink was a favourite in pubs and shops across the country and famously found its way into the snug in Coronation Street’s ‘Rover’s Return’.The family’s journey was not a smooth one. From 1801, four generations struggled with economic depression and recession; war; a suicide; bankruptcies; lawsuits; wastrel and importunate relatives; and premature deaths. But there were triumphs along the way, too: transporting the Koh-i-Noor diamond to Queen Victoria, discovering a new dinosaur and finally the reward of a baronetcy.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd Sussex Writers in their Landscape: Self-fulfilment in the Age of the Machine
'Theirs was a pre-urban world in the glow of its last sunset, without a care or doubt, in which it seemed as if nothing could ever come to harm. Here was their version of that ideal world that has haunted the dreamer, rebel and pastoral poet for centuries.'Between 1850 and 1939 such well-known writers as Rudyard Kipling, Virginia Woolf and Richard Jefferies came to Sussex, a county already home to the likes of Wilfrid Blunt, Hilaire Belloc and others. The result was an explosion of literary creativity which rejected modernity and the London scene, and instead developed writing imbued with a sense of nature and landscape.In this, his last book, Peter Brandon (1927–2011) has drawn on his vast knowledge of the Sussex landscape to show how such writers, seeking a foil to London, were inspired by their surroundings and found peace and a tranquillity which existed in few other places.
£19.80
The History Press Ltd Operation Zitadelle 1943: The Greatest Tank Battle
In July 1943, Hitler launched Operation Zitadelle, the last German offensive on the Eastern Front. It was an attempt to shorten the German lines by eliminating the Kursk salient and was designed to result in the encirclement of the Red Army. In reality, the German tanks came up against impenetrable Russian defences: minefields, artillery and anti-tank emplacements, spread through lines 250km deep and manned by Russian troops whose actions often verged on the suicidal. The greatest tank battle in history, Operation Zitadelle assured the Nazis’ defeat and was ‘the swan song of the German tank arm’.Involving over 9,000 tanks, 5,000 aircraft, 35,000 guns and mortars, 2.7 million troops and 230,000 casualties, the Battle of Kursk’s scale and barbarity eclipsed all other clashes in Europe. In this book, historian Mark Healy gives a clear, concise account of those dramatic days in 1943.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd The Thousand Year Old Garden: Inside the Secret Garden at Lambeth Palace
“A fascinating and intimate portrait of a garden over time … Reading is like being given a rusty key to a beautiful secret garden." - Ben Dark, Author of The GroveHidden away behind high stone walls in the centre of London is Lambeth Palace Garden, a 10-acre site that has been continuously cultivated for more than a thousand years.Join Head Gardener Nick Stewart Smith as he unlocks the gates and invites us to wander through a secret garden where nature is at the heart of everything and where a thoughtful approach to gardening creates a haven for all sorts of native wildlife, allowing nature to flourish in the midst of one of the world’s busiest cities.The Thousand Year Old Garden is a comforting meditation through the seasons on the act of renewal, hope, gardening, and our place in nature.
£16.99
The History Press Ltd Rachmaninoff: The Last of the Great Romantics
The musical child of Russia’s golden age, Sergei Rachmaninoff, was the last of the great Romantics. Scorned by the musical establishment until very recently, his music received hostile reviews from critics and other composers. Conversely, it never failed to find widespread popular acclaim, and today he is one of the most popular composers of all time.Biographer Michael Scott investigates Rachmaninoff’s intense and often melodramatic life, following him from imperial Russia to his years of exile as a wandering virtuoso and his death in Beverly Hills during the Second World War, worn out by his punishing schedule.In this remarkable biography which relates the man to his music, Michael Scott tells the colourful story of a life that spanned two centuries and two continents. His original research from the Russian archives, so long closed to writers from the West, brings us closer to the spirit of a man who genuinely believed that music could be both good and popular, a belief that is now triumphantly vindicated.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Visiting the Past: A Guide to Britain's Archaeology
Archaeology isn’t just for academics and television presenters – it’s for everyone. And it is all around us. Get your boots on and explore Britain’s national and local archaeology sites for yourself with this revised and updated, easy-to-read, fully illustrated guide.Follow our islands’ history in this step-by-step introduction. Discover what life was like from the earliest days of human habitation right through to the world wars. Then get out to visit the best sites and see what features each era left behind for us to find – and find out how to spot archaeology for yourself in the most surprising places.Be warned: you may never look at an empty field, a stone monument or an old building in the same way again!
£15.99
The History Press Ltd Born Adventurer: The Life of Frank Bickerton Antarctic Pioneer
Soldiers and sailors, geographers and geologists, submariners and balloonists all flocked to Antarctica during the ‘Heroic Age’ of Polar exploration. No one better represented this eclectic band than Frank Bickerton, engineer on Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) of 1911–14. A true pioneer of Antarctic exploration, he piloted the expedition’s ‘air-tractor’, established the first crucial wireless link between Antarctica and the rest of the world, and discovered one of the first meteorites ever to be found on the continent.Treasure-hunter, explorer, fighter pilot, entrepreneur, big-game hunter and movie-maker, Bickerton not only made a major contribution to the success of the AAE, but was also recruited by Ernest Shackleton for his ill-fated Endurance Expedition, dug for pirate gold on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, survived bloody dogfights over the Western Front during the First World War, and flirted with the glittering world of 1920s Hollywood.In Born Adventurer, historian Stephen Haddelsey draws on unique access to family papers, journals and letters to provide a thrilling account of Bickerton’s rich and colourful life.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd The Dirty Tricks Department: The Untold Story of the Real-life Q Branch, the Masterminds of Second World War Secret Warfare
In the summer of 1942, Stanley Lovell, a renowned industrial chemist, received a mysterious order to report to an unfamiliar building in Washington, D.C. When he arrived, he was led to a barren room where he waited to meet the man who had summoned him. After a disconcerting amount of time, William ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan, the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), walked in the door. ‘You know your Sherlock Holmes, of course,’ Donovan said as an introduction. ‘Professor Moriarty is the man I want for my staff... I think you’re it.’Following this life-changing encounter, Lovell became the head of a secret group of scientists who developed dirty tricks for the OSS, the precursor to the CIA. Their inventions included Bat Bombs, suicide pills, fighting knives, silent pistols, and camouflaged explosives. Moreover, they forged documents for undercover agents, plotted the assassination of foreign leaders, and performed truth drug experiments on unsuspecting subjects.Based on extensive archival research and personal interviews, The Dirty Tricks Department tells the story of these scheming scientists, explores the moral dilemmas that they faced, and reveals their dark legacy of directly inspiring the most infamous program in CIA history: MKULTRA.
£20.69
The History Press Ltd Telling the Bees and Other Customs: The Folklore of Rural Crafts
As featured in The New York Times...Throughout the history of civilisation, traditional crafts have been passed down from hand to skilled hand. Blacksmithing, brewing, beekeeping, baking, milling, spinning, knitting and weaving: these skills held societies together, and so too shaped their folklore and mythology.Exploring the folklore connected with these rural crafts, Telling the Bees examines the customs, superstitions and stories woven into some of the world’s oldest trades. From the spinning of the Fates to the blacksmith’s relationship with the devil, and the symbolism of John Barleycorn to a ritual to create bees from the corpse of a cow – these are the traditions upon which our modern world was built.
£12.99
The History Press Ltd Fate Deals a Hand: The Slippery Fortunes of Titanic’s Professional Gamblers
During the early twentieth century, professional gamblers were such a scourge in the smoking rooms of trans-Atlantic passenger liners that White Star Line warned its passengers about them. In spring 1912 three professional gamblers travelled from the USA to England for the sole purpose of returning to America on the maiden voyage of Titanic. "Kid" Homer, "Harry" Rolmane and "Boy" Bradley (Harry Homer, Charles Romaine and George Brereton) were grifters with a long history of living on the wrong side of the law, who planned to utilize their skills at the card table to relieve fellow passengers of cash. One swiftly fell under suspicion of being a professional "card mechanic", and was excluded from some poker games, but other games continued apace. This new book, the result of years of research by George Behe, reveals the true identities of these gamblers, their individual backgrounds, the ruses they used, and their ultimate fates after tragedy struck, as well as providing an intriguing insight into a bygone age.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd 11:40: Analysis of Evasive Manoeuvres & Damage Assessment on RMS Titanic
From the moment the iceberg was spotted to the moment Titanic’s fate was realised, it was a race against time for the 2,208 souls on board.At 11:40 p.m. on 14 April 1912, Titanic collided with an iceberg in the middle of the North Atlantic. Less than three hours later, it had disappeared completely beneath the waves.From the second the iceberg hove into view, the ship was on a collision course with destiny, those on board embarking on a race against time to inspect the damage and determine their fates.11:40: Analysis of Evasive Manoeuvres & Damage Assessment on RMS Titanic is a comprehensive new study that breaks down and forensically analyses every event on that fateful night, order by order, moment by moment. With the backing of an exhaustive collection of both historical and modern data, along with over twenty years of personal research, Brad Payne separates fact from myth, revealing the truth about what really happened on board Titanic during its critical last moments.
£27.00
The History Press Ltd Richard III: The Maligned King
Richard III, King of England from 1483 to 1485, made good laws that still protect ordinary people today. Yet history concentrates on the fictional hunchback as depicted by Shakespeare: the wicked uncle who stole the throne and killed his nephews in the Tower of London.Voices have protested during the intervening years, some of them eminent and scholarly, urging a more reasoned view to replace the traditional black portrait. But historians, whether as authors or presenters of popular TV history, still trot out the old pronouncements about ruthless ambition, usurpation and murder.After centuries of misinformation, the truth about Richard III has been overdue a fair hearing. Annette Carson seeks to redress the balance by examining the events of his reign as they actually happened, based on reports in the original sources. She traces the actions and activities of the principal characters, investigating facts and timelines revealed in documentary evidence. She also dares to investigate areas where historians fear to tread, and raises some controversial questions.In 2012 Carson was a member of Philippa Langley’s Looking For Richard Project, which provided important new answers from the DNA-confirmed discovery of the king’s remains. Her involvement in Langley’s Missing Princes Project, with its international research initiative on the ‘princes in the Tower’, has now informed her revelatory extra chapter.
£14.99
The History Press Ltd The Unfathomable Ascent: How Hitler Came to Power
On the night of 30 January 1933, Adolf Hitler leaned out of a spotlit window of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, bursting with joy. The moment seemed unbelievable, even to Hitler. After an improbable political journey that came close to faltering on many occasions, his march to power had finally succeeded.While the story of Hitler’s rise has been told in books covering larger portions of his life, no previous work has focused on his eight-year climb to rule: 1925–1933. Renowned author Peter Ross Range brings this period back to startling life with a narrative history that describes brushes with power, quests for revenge, nonstop electioneering and underhand campaign tactics. For Hitler, moments of gloating triumph were followed by abject humiliation.This is the tale of a school dropout’s climb from the infamy of a failed coup to Germany’s highest office. It is a saga of personal growth and lavish living, a melodrama rife with love affairs and even suicide attempts. But it is also the definitive account of Hitler’s unrelenting struggle for control over his raucous movement as he fought off challenges, built and bullied coalitions, quelled internecine feuds and neutralised his enemies – all culminating in the creation of the Third Reich and the world’s descent into darkness.One of the most dramatic and important stories of the twentieth century, Hitler’s ascent spans Germany’s wobbly recovery from the First World War through years of growing prosperity and, finally, into crippling depression. Masterfully woven into an unforgettable and urgent narrative, The Unfathomable Ascent will remind us of what we should never forget.
£16.99
The History Press Ltd White Elephant Technology: 50 Crazy Inventions That Should Never Have Been Built, And What We Can Learn From Them
What exactly is White Elephant Technology?White Elephant Technology is any unusual invention past or present that fails in the marketplace despite its innovative nature. From jeeps that fly to tanks that shouldn’t; from a wave-powered boat that took over three months to reach its destination to a jet-powered train that shook itself apart, White Elephant Technology showcases each inventor’s talent for creating something nobody asked for. Importantly, none of these inventions are speculative. Each one was built, field tested and worked more or less as planned (except when it killed its creator).Although success is highly prized, failure has a lot to teach us, especially when you realise it’s the rule and not the exception. Still, no one has undertaken a survey of failed inventions despite history being littered with them … until now. White Elephant Technology corrects this oversight in an entertaining, respectful and occasionally humorous manner, proving that failure is not only as fascinating as success but is also the purest expression of the human condition.
£20.69
The History Press Ltd Cleopatra and the Undoing of Hollywood: How One Film Almost Sunk the Studios
There had been stars before. There had been films prior to Cleopatra. But in all the cynical, greedy, magical, histrionic history of the movies, there had never been a combination like that of Elizabeth Taylor and Cleopatra.Other films may have taken more money, won more awards or attracted better reviews, but none have come close to the legend that is Cleopatra.What began in 1958 as a remake of the 1917 Theda Bara film, which starred Joan Collins and was projected to cost $2 million, would open five years later, having cost nearly twenty times as much. The budget had skyrocketed enormously as the production went through extravagant sets in two different countries, two directors and six leading men – and this was on top of Elizabeth Taylor’s $1 million fee.But it was the off-screen romance between the two on-screen leads that really cemented Cleopatra’s place in cinema history. Within weeks of Richard Burton’s arrival in Italy, he and Taylor embarked on a tumultuous and passionate love affair that kept the Cuban Missile Crisis off the front pages and was denounced by the Vatican. Cleopatra and the Undoing of Hollywood is a story of lust, excess and hubris – and how one film nearly brought Hollywood to its knees.
£18.00
The History Press Ltd Herbert Sutcliffe: Cricket Maestro
A national hero in his playing days, Herbert Sutcliffe belongs to a select band of all-time cricketing greats. Alan Hill’s award-winning biography of the Yorkshire and England batsman charts his extraordinary transformation from cobbler’s apprentice to urbane gentleman: one of the coolest, most determined and technically accomplished practitioners the game has ever known.Blessed with the looks of a matinee idol, Sutcliffe was a complex, often enigmatic, personality. As a cricketer, he was touched with genius. His career spanned exactly the years between the wars and he performed with distinction in every one of those seasons. He scored 50,138 first-class runs, including 149 centuries, and his remarkable Test average of 60.73 is the highest for an English batsman – higher than those of Hobbs, Hammond or Hutton.Herbert Sutcliffe: Cricket Maestro calls upon the reminiscences of Bob Wyatt, Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Len Hutton and Les Ames among other illustrious contemporaries, to evoke the splendour of Sutcliffe’s achievements for Yorkshire and England, and to bring to life the vivacious story of one of the greatest batsmen ever.
£12.99