Search results for ""author roy"

The self-propelled or locomotive torpedo was probably the greatest game-changer in the history of naval warfare. For the first time the largest warship could be sunk by a weapon carried by the smallest, and most navies were quick to see the potential. Although the 19th-century Royal Navy had a reputation for technological conservatism, it was an early adopter' of the torpedo and was instrumental in the development of the small fast craft that became the delivery system of choice, the steam torpedo boat. Britain's most important contribution to torpedo warfare, however, was the invention of its antidote, the torpedo boat destroyer, or destroyer' as it came to be called. This often-told story has overshadowed the earlier but no less significant history of the torpedo boat itself in the Royal Navy, an injustice set to right by this new book. Torpedoes were derived from earlier underwater explosive devices - mines, spar and towed torpedoes, and the like - so the first chapter briefly reviews their history before moving on to Robert Whitehead's revolutionary invention that made the self-propelled torpedo a practical weapon. The Admiralty was so impressed it purchased the rights to Whitehead's device, and thereafter the Royal Navy made much of the early running in torpedo boat design. In this they were greatly assisted by existing boatbuilders like Thornycroft and Yarrow who already specialised in small fast craft. The core of this book is a detailed developmental history of British torpedo craft, from the early experiments like Vesuvius and Polyphemus, through the 1st Class TBs to the so-called Coastal Destroyers of the early 20th century. There are also separate chapters on 2nd Class boats, on Torpedo Gunboats and on the Torpedo Depot Ships' Hecla and Vulcan. The book concludes with a number of appendices devoted to background issues like quick-firing guns and reports on performance of the boats in various circumstances. As it fills a surprising gap in the technical history of British warships, this book will be welcomed by naval enthusiasts, modelmakers and historians.

Read more less

Despite being one of the most successful motorcycles of all time, the Royal Enfield Bullet has had a very chequered history. Its story begins in the 1930s and by the 1950s it was at the height of its popularity in post-War Britain. Then it became a stalwart of the Indian Army and manufacture transitioned from Britain to India. The near-collapse of the Royal Enfield marque in the 1990s almost meant the end of this classic motorbike, but with the involvement of the Eicher Group from 2001 onwards, the updated Bullet generated new interest and renewed its original commercial success, just like a phoenix rising from the ashes. With over 200 photographs, this book describes the origins of the Royal Enfield company and the pre-war Bullets from 1932 and the relaunch of the Bullet in 1949 with its radical swinging-arm frame. Derivative models such as the 350 and 500, as well as those for competition and road are covered as well as specials such as diesels, V-twins, Egli and big-bore Bullets. The development story behind the lean-burn, electric-start and 5-speed updates is discussed as well as the UCE - the all-new Bullet from 2008 and the Classic and its design story. Finally, the evolution beyond the Bullet is covered which includes the Continental GT and Himalyan 650 twins.

Read more less

This beautiful Royal Ballet 2025 wall calendar celebrates one of the most elegant dances in the world. Enjoy a host of stunning images of ballet performances, together with spacious date grids for your notes. This calendar is free of plastic packaging.

Read more less

A FLAME TREE NOTEBOOK. Beautiful and luxurious the journals combine high-quality production with magnificent art. Perfect as a gift, and an essential personal choice for writers, notetakers, travellers, students, poets and diarists. Features a wide range of well-known and modern artists, with new artworks published throughout the year. BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED. The highly crafted covers are printed on foil paper, embossed then foil stamped, complemented by the luxury binding and rose red end-papers. The covers are created by our artists and designers who spend many hours transforming original artwork into gorgeous 3d masterpieces that feel good in the hand, and look wonderful on a desk or table. PRACTICAL, EASY TO USE. Flame Tree Notebooks come with practical features too: a pocket at the back for scraps and receipts; two ribbon markers to help keep track of more than just a to-do list; robust ivory text paper, printed with lines; and when you need to collect other notes or scraps of paper the magnetic side flap keeps everything neat and tidy. THE ARTIST. Mabel Allington Royds (1874–1941) was born in Bedford. At age 15 she won a scholarship to London’s Royal Academy but opted to study at the Slade. She is famed for her colourful woodcuts of flowers, along with Biblical and Indian scenes, her technique was indebted to Japanese woodcuts. THE FINAL WORD. As William Morris said, "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

Read more less

A century, a hundred, a ton, whether in sport, in life or an exam result raises expectations and interest. When it is a celebration of a leading yacht club’s longevity, pens descend on paper. From small beginnings after the First World War the Royal Lymington Yacht Club has become one of the UK’s leading sports clubs. The Club’s patron, HRH Princess Anne, has seen the Club lead the way in a UK-wide recognised sailing programme for local youngsters, resulting in many of them winning Olympics medals. Other members have cruised round the world for fun, some more than once, while others have risen to be world champions in a variety of racing classes, up to and including the America's Cup. This snapshot of a hundred years of a Royal Club is an absorbing collage of yachting, educational and social events in a thriving club that is at the epicentre of the boating world of the New Forest, the Solent and Lymington River.

Read more less

Combining the incisive pen of a newspaperman and the compassionate soul of a poet, Mike Royko became a Chicago institution - in Jimmy Breslin's words, 'the best journalist of his time'. "Early Royko: Up Against It in Chicago" will restore to print the legendary columnist's first writings, which chronicle 1960s Chicago with the moral vision, ironic sense, and razor-sharp voice that would remain Royko's trademark. This collection of early columns from the "Chicago Daily News" ranges from witty social commentary to politically astute satire. Some of the pieces are falling-down funny and others are tenderly nostalgic, but all display Royko's unrivaled skill at using humor to tell truth to power. From machine politicians and gangsters to professional athletes, from well-heeled Chicagoans to down-and-out hoodlums, no one escapes Royko's penetrating gaze - and resounding judgment. "Early Royko" features a memorable collection of characters, including such well-known figures as Hugh Hefner, Mayor Richard J. Daley, and Dr. Martin Luther King. But these boldfaced names are juxtaposed with Royko's beloved lesser-knowns from the streets of Chicago: Mrs. Peak, Sylvester 'Two-Gun Pete' Washington, and Fats Boylermaker, who gained fame for leaning against a corner light pole from 2 a.m. Saturday until noon Sunday, when his neighborhood tavern reopened for business. Accompanied by a foreword from Rick Kogan, this new edition will delight Royko's most ardent fans and capture the hearts of a new generation of readers. As Kogan writes, "Early Royko" 'will remind us how a remarkable relationship began - Chicago and Royko, Royko and Chicago - and how it endures'.

Read more less

When Oliver rescues Pierre, a small puppy, he has no inkling that this small act of kindness will trigger the start of a great cosmic drama. For far out in space, higher powers are about to assess human dominance on planet Earth. Oliver unexpectedly finds himself as the chosen representative of humanity at the upcoming cosmic enquiry that will judge humans against artificial Intelligence. To gather his evidence he sets off, with Pierre in tow, transiting first to the Shadow-side (Earth’s twin) to meet Lord Sebastian – an advocate for humanity – and Galactic controller Ovoid – who is most certainly not. Encounters with angry centaurs, a Were-cat, a trans-avian falcon and a shrub spirit are only some of the unusual characters he encounters, as he moves ever closer to the final countdown… The Royal Road to the Stars is the story of a man facing a task chosen for him – to undertake the greatest earthly journey ever made, with the future of humanity at stake.

Read more less

At the height of the Russian Civil War in 1919 Britain poured in thousands of troops and vast amounts of munitions to assist the White Russian opponents of Lenin's Communist forces. This was despite exhaustion following the Great War and the Spanish flu epidemic. One man involved was 23-year-old Royal Marines officer, Thomas Henry Jameson. His mission took him and his men on a journey of 5,000 miles from Vladivostok to the battlegrounds not far from Moscow. As part of a White Russian Flotilla they steamed down the huge Kama River and fought a series of successful battles against superior Bolshevik gunboats. Later they were forced to retreat and, becoming cut off behind enemy lines, had to fight their way out knowing that, if captured, they faced summary execution. Eventually after a long and hazardous journey they made it back to their parent ship. Jameson and his Marines faced a multitude of hazards in this cruel civil war including disease which he described as the biggest challe

Read more less

This book seeks to refresh and retell the story of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots through their own words. Accompanying a major British Library exhibition, Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens brings new insights to the familiar tale of two powerful women whose relationship dominated English and Scottish politics for thirty years. Their personal history and struggle for dynastic pre-eminence are described and explained against the backdrop of religious conflict, rebellion, fear of foreign invasion, espionage and treason. Twelve insightful chapters from leading Tudor scholars and 145 illustrated primary sources chart the queens' relationship as it evolved from mutual curiosity, to suspicion, to lethal enmity. Reproduced in full colour, the sources include letters and documents written in the queens' own hands and recording their speeches and conversations: Mary's ten-page letter written to Elizabeth during captivity and the sonnet she penned the night before her execution, verses composed by Elizabeth in 1569 in response to the Northern Rebellion, and a recently discovered letter sent by Elizabeth to Mary in 1584 in response to her cousin's request for reconciliation. Alongside the letters and documents that bring their story vividly to life are many personal objects closely associated with the two queens, among them an exceptional portrait of Elizabeth I only recently rediscovered and one of her most treasured and personal rings, as well as a hanging embroidered by Mary during her long imprisonment, and the Penicuik Jewels she gave away before her execution.

Read more less

The legend continues! Stand by for more adventures with the world's greatest secret agent, as some of his most thrilling missions are collected for the first time ever! When SPECTRE contact the Secret Service, offering information about a soon-to-be-launched nuclear-powered airship called "The Golden Ghost", Bond is sent to investigate. But is the airship really in danger, or is Madame Spectra luring 007 into a death trap? This new, never-before-collected edition also collects "Fear Face" and "Double Jeopardy". Plus a new introduction and exclusive feature material!

Read more less

How and why did painters centre sensory experience, enchanting emotions, and cultural landscapes in South Asia? A Splendid Land is the first exhibition to address this question through dazzling paintings made over a period of two hundred years, spanning from Mughal to colonial India, that have never been published or exhibited in the United States. Around 1700, artists in Udaipur began creating large, immersive paintings to convey the mood (bhava) of the city’s palaces, lakes, and mountains. A Splendid Land explores how painters depicted places, mapped terrains, and triggered memories to foster political and personal attachments to land. By examining social networks, ecological relations, and pleasurable pursuits, and by drawing upon previously untranslated sources and engaging with the history of the senses, A Splendid Land opens early modern art history to new interpretative possibilities.

Read more less

Join two best friends as history is made in 1585. When Nell and Kat - who work in rivalling courts - meet by chance, an unlikely friendship blossoms. But tensions are high and the rivalry between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots is at breaking point... Can Nell and Kat keep their friendship alive and trust one another, even when so many of those around them are losing their heads? Packed with fascinating historical details Filled with fantastic black-and-white line illustrations throughout a first chapter book for children setting off on their reading journey

Read more less

Three theories vie to explain the causes, characteristics and chronology behind the emergence of Iron Age Cypriot city-kingdoms: Achaean, Phoenician and autochthonous. Privileged by scholars until as recently as the 1980s, the first linked the emergence of the Cypriot city-state to the great Achaean migrations at the end of the second millennium. Epic foundation myths, telling of cities founded by Achaean heroes returning from Troy, were seen as fabled versions of events unfolding ostensibly at the outset of the Iron Age. The writings of D.W. Rupp cast doubt on the Achaean theory, by placing these developments at a much later date (8th c. BCE) and tracing their origins to the growing influence of the Phoenicians. This hypothesis was hotly contested, giving rise to a third theory, according to which the Cypriot Iron Age was essentially a continuation of the island’s Bronze Age civilisation. The latter theory now holds sway and is scarcely ever contested. The Cypriot city-kingdoms that we observe in the historical period (7th-4th c. BCE) are said to have arisen, after a few decades of instability, as early as the 11th century. Their political and administrative structures would have undergone little more than consolidation in the 8th century, before enjoying their floruit during the Archaic and Classical periods and finally disappearing amid the Wars of the Diadochi at the start of the Hellenistic period. By recasting these developments within the broader context of the re-emergence of state structures in the eastern Mediterranean, La naissance des cités-royaumes cypriotes reassesses the arguments advanced by champions of the received theory. It likewise situates the phenomenon within a firmer theoretical (i.e. anthropological) framework, intended to establish well-defined distinctions. Furthermore, it proposes a shared typology that can accommodate other political entities, traces of which are found throughout the Geometric period (11th-8th c. BCE). Not only does the archaeological evidence compel us to question whether events unfolded as suggested, it reinforces a more nuanced variant of the Phoenician theory. Various state markers, though abundant in the 8th century (Cypro-Geometric III), seem indeed conspicuously absent during Cypro-Geometric I and II. Excavations at one such city-state, the palace of Amathus, have yielded compelling indications as to when a lasting dynasty originally arose. From them, we can surmise that the Kingdom of Amathus was the first of its kind. While the process no doubt took several decades, under no circumstances did it occur before the 9th century BCE. This coincides, moreover, with the wave of resurgent state-building that swept the eastern Mediterranean and engulfed even more westerly regions like the Aegean.

Read more less

Coward, scoundrel, lover and cheat, but there is no better man to go into the jungle with. Join Flashman in his adventures as he survives fearful ordeals and outlandish perils across the four corners of the world. A mission calls for a master of disguise, deceit and treachery: there’s only one man for the job. When a legendary femme fatale delivers him into the clutches of the dastardly Otto von Bismarck, Flashman will need all the cunning and seductive charm he can muster to escape this plot.

Read more less

The third and final detective tale in this gritty series of vintage mysteries—originally published in 1953—once again follows the hard-drinking yet hardworking private eye, Russell Teed, through the crooked streets of Montreal. When a brutally beaten body is found on the city’s famous mountain, private investigator Teed and his would-be Watson, MacArnold, set out to right wrongs and discover the truth behind the crime. Add a buxom brunette whose embrace brings treachery and a large dose of vicious gang warfare, this hard-boiled, noir crime story provides a glimpse into 1950s Montreal underworld life.

Read more less

In Oscar Wilde's Amethyst Tie-Pin, the 24-year-old Sherlock Holmes recounts how he untangled the web of blackmail and deceit surrounding the 'complex romantic endeavours' of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, those of Lillie Langtry and her various suitors and the morass of 'scandal sheets' and libel cases surrounding the Prince's court of the time, while at the same time solving the mystery of Oscar Wilde's missing amethyst tie-pin.

Read more less

From ice storms to fire rainbows, this is an A to Z guide to the earth's spectacular weather phenomena. Each entry has been crafted by experts at The Royal Meteorological Society, and many are illustrated with dramatic imagery from their annual Weather Photographer of the Year competition. As well as providing precise scientific and geographic detail, the entries often reveal the folklore that surrounds certain weather events and how they have affected human culture.

Read more less

When Royal Princess was named in Southampton by HRH The Princess of Wales in November 1984, she was the most advanced purpose-built luxury cruise ship ever conceived and constructed. Built at the beginning of the modern commercial age of cruising, she was the trend-setter of the cruise ship world and continues to hold a number of records, among them, the first contemporary cruise ship to have all outside cabins, and in 2010 as Artemis, the first British passenger ship to be commanded by a female captain, Sarah Breton. In the following years of service, she has taken passengers all over the globe in luxury and style, and it is hoped she has many more years of cruising ahead of her. At 45,000 gross tons she is small in comparison with the super-liners of today, but when launched she was one of the largest cruise ships afloat. Her traditional ambiance and service standards have attracted a loyal following, not only among passengers, but also among her crew. This book, written by Andrew Sassoli-Walker and Sharon Poole, celebrates the innovation in cruise ship design that Royal Princess / Artemis represented, and highlights her career with both Princess and P&O Cruises in the words of both passengers and crew. Fully illustrated throughout with many never-before-seen colour images, it is a tribute to a unique and much-loved vessel.

Read more less

Get ready for an exciting fairy adventure with the no. 1 bestselling series for girls aged 5 and up. Kate the Royal Wedding Fairy makes sure that all weddings are happy and magical! But when mean Jack Frost steals the True Love Crown, the Fairyland royal wedding is sure to be a disaster. Can Kirsty and Rachel find the crown so the royal couple will live happily ever after...?'These stories are magic; they turn children into readers!' ReadingZone.comIf you like Rainbow Magic, check out Daisy Meadows' other series: Magic Animal Friends and Unicorn Magic!

Read more less

What would you do for absolute power? For many monarchs throughout history, it was a question that ruled their lives. Step into the world of palatial intrigue, where holding the throne means evading death ...or causing it. Some sovereigns were cunning at avoiding their killers. Cleopatra of Egypt once rolled herself into a rug and was carried out past her enemies' noses. Other royals were brutal when dealing with foes. Vlad the Impaler's monstrous methods inspired the legend of Dracula the vampire. From monarchs murdered at the hands of their subjects to kings killed on the battle field, the stories of ten royals are told: * Cleopatra of Egypt (69 BCE -- 30 BCE) * Vlad III the Impaler of Wallachia (1431 -- 1476) * "Bloody Mary" I (1516 -- 1558) * Mary, Queen of Scots (1542 -- 1587) * Elizabeth I (1533 -- 1603) * Louis XVI (1754 -- 1793) * Marie Antoinette (1755 -- 1793) * The Romanovs of Russia (1872 -- 1918) A final section offers examples from the 20th century, from assassination attempts in England to a royal massacre in Nepal. Blending dramatic storytelling and historical fact, and complete with fascinating photographs and artwork, Royal Murder is a compelling account of scheming sovereigns.

Read more less

One of the most imaginative and fascinating artists of eighteenth-century France, Edme Bouchardon (1698-1762) was instrumental in the transition from Rococo to Neoclassicism and in the artistic rediscovery of classical antiquity. Much celebrated in his time, Bouchardon created some of the most iconic images of the age of Louis XV. His oeuvre demonstrates a remarkable variety of themes (from copies after the antique to subjects of history and mythology, portraiture, anatomical studies, ornament, fountains and tombs), media (drawings, sculptures, medals, prints), and techniques (chalk, plaster, wax, terracotta, marble, bronze). This lavishly illustrated publication represents an unprecedented and thorough survey on this major and unique artist from the Age of Enlightenment, offering in-depth scholarship based on unpublished material detailing the subtle relationship between, as well as the relative autonomy of, the artist's two careers as a sculptor and a draftsman.

Read more less

Royal Bayreuth porcelain’s whimsical shapes and elegant tableware have delighted collectors for decades. Produced in Tettau, Bavaria, for over 200 years, Royal Bayreuth found the global market early and today there are collectors worldwide. With over 500 beautiful and detailed color photographs, the book is visual feast, displaying the Strawberry, Tomato, and Lobster lines, as well as other figural pottery motifs. Also well-represented are the Tapestry lines and scenics in various forms of table and boudoir pieces. Each photo has a concise caption and a current value.

Read more less