Search results for ""author roy"

This fascinating collection of over 200 photographs of the old part of Gateshead captures the essence of the town in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This was a period of great expansion and change, during which the last vestiges of the area's rural past finally vanished and the great industries, which made the whole of Tyneside famous, reached their heyday. The first part of the book illustrates specific areas of Gateshead as they appeared before modern town and traffic planning transformed the town.There are public buildings, factories, warehouses, shops and private dwellings, many of which have long since disappeared. The town's transport and bridges are given chapters to themselves. The railways were greatly expanded during this period, and formed a vital link for the town's industry, while the Tyne bridges are given chapters to themselves. The railways were greatly expanded during this period, and formed a vital link for the town's industry, while the Tyne bridges have now become famous landmarks.The book ends with chapters dedicated to the people of Gateshead. They are seen at leisure, in schools and churches, and at all sorts of town events, from coronations and royal visits to ceremonial openings and VE day celebrations. The photographs are mostly drawn from the extensive collection held at Gateshead Library.

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This book, a continuation of volumes one and two, completes the study of more than a hundred British regiments all of whom played more than important roles in world history. In testing times, on foreign adventures victorious, glorious and sometimes disastrous, they have helped shape the history of the British Isles. In this third volume thirty-four regiments are featured – their battle honours, badges and most famous sons – including the stories of the heroic actions of their Victoria Cross holders. Each regiment’s section includes artworks and photographs illustrating insignia, uniforms and soldiers in action down through the centuries. While the tales of courage and loss are in themselves enthralling, Dorian Bond divulges many interesting facts about these unique bodies of men: how did the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment get their acorn and oak leaf badge? Which South Staffordshire man became the inspiration for Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy? Did you know that a princess wrote ‘The Royal Windsor’ quick march for the 29th of Foot, later the Worcestershire Regiment? Covering action wherever the regiments found it, from the High Veldt of South Africa to the grim trenches of Passchendaele and from the disaster of Dunkirk to the triumph of Waterloo, Famous Regiments of the British Army Volume Three tells the stories of some of the world’s most famous battles and the role these regiments played in them.

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Before the Industrial Revolution Cardiff was a sleepy little town on the South Wales coast. That was until mules started arriving laden with coal from the Welsh valleys. The Industrial Revolution took hold, the coal and iron trade took off and a vast complex of docks spread rapidly around the town's natural harbour. The Glamorganshire Canal was built to transport the iron and coal, the railway arrived, and by the late nineteenth century Cardiff had become the largest coal-exporting port in the world.Ships sailed in and out of the harbour from all over the globe. Large numbers of migrant workers were attracted to the area creating the vibrant multi-national community of Butetown. but the decline in the coal and iron industries after the Second World War sounded the death knell for Cardiff's Docklands. By the 1960s Tiger Bay had become a scene of dereliction and with a final sweep of the bulldozers a whole way of life disappeared.Brian Lee tells the fascinating story of this exciting period in Cardiff's history, illustrated with his selection of more than 200 remarkable photographs which capture the spirit of the era: huge new docks opening, cargoes swinging from ship to shore, warehouses filled to overflowing, streets and pubs a flurry of activity, royal visits and carnivals, and a multitude of different vessels.

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The Psychology of Criminal Justice integrates aspects of psychology's contributions to criminology and to socio-legal studies within a single narrative framework. It does this by describing the interpersonal and group dynamics of decision-making at key stages in the processing of accused persons from the time an alleged offence is committed to the moment sentence is passed. The book bears directly on many current debates concerning the ability of the criminal justice system to deliver reliable verdicts. It recognizes the interdependence of decision makers in the system and addresses questions at an appropriately social-psychological level. The book examines systematically and critically the dynamics of criminal decision-making, the response of victims, the assumptions, attitudes and behavior of police officers, the conduct of court proceedings, the performance of witnesses, the strengths and weaknesses of juries, and the sentencing of magistrates and judges. Discussions of law and morality, the attribution of blame in court and in everyday life, and the achievement of justice in interpersonal and organizational contexts, provide a definitive account of the social psychology of law in the context of criminal justice. Problems with our adversarial system of justice have led to the establishment of a Royal Commission on Criminal Justice. It is commonplace to seek a scapegoat in the behavior of one or other protagonist in the system - especially the police. It will become clear to readers of this book that breakdowns of the system are a product of persuasive interpersonal and intergroup processes of organization, reaching well beyond the behavior of any one agent.

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The first comprehensive history of seventeenth-century London, told through the lives of those who experienced it “Lively and arresting. . . . [Lincoln] is as confident in handling the royal ceremonials of political transition . . . as she is with London's thriving coffee-house culture, and its turbulent maritime community.”—Ian W. Archer, Times Literary Supplement “Lincoln has a curator’s gift for selecting all the right details for a thoroughly absorbing account.”—Tony Barber, Financial Times, “Best Books of 2021: History” The Gunpowder Plot, the Civil Wars, Charles I’s execution, the Plague, the Great Fire, the Restoration, and then the Glorious Revolution: the seventeenth century was one of the most momentous times in the history of Britain, and Londoners took center stage. In this fascinating account, Margarette Lincoln charts the impact of national events on an ever-growing citizenry with its love of pageantry, spectacle, and enterprise. Lincoln looks at how religious, political, and financial tensions were fomented by commercial ambition, expansion, and hardship. In addition to events at court and parliament, she evokes the remarkable figures of the period, including Shakespeare, Bacon, Pepys, and Newton, and draws on diaries, letters, and wills to trace the untold stories of ordinary Londoners. Through their eyes, we see how the nation emerged from a turbulent century poised to become a great maritime power with London at its heart—the greatest city of its time.

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Problem: Best friends keep giving extremely generous giftsSolution: Give better ones in return Philip has a lot on his mind. At home, in his unnecessarily large, excessively expensive house in south London, he is attempting to become a Taoist master of love with his wife Alice, but his quest is forever being interrupted by the requests of his twin daughters: Can we have a pony – please? I want to go to boarding school – please? At work, in his shed/office at the bottom of the garden, between countless games of Minesweep and FreeCell, Philip is trying to pay the mortgage by writing instruction manuals for Korean bread-making machines. And, at parties where he is concerned that he is not taken seriously (he has been variously mistaken as a doctor/waiter and sinologist) Philip tells the world he is a scriptwriter, even though all he has managed to pen is a story he calls Wang the Unlucky Scholar. But, above all, Philip is worrying about his best friends Sean and Barry. The problem is simple: they give great presents. Their gifts are exquisite: a full set of Italian crockery, a handmade corkscrew from Venice. They give them indiscriminately: on birthdays, at parties and quite often for no reason whatsoever. And, most distressingly, these presents break all bounds of generosity: two FA Cup Final tickets beside the royal box, a skiing holiday for Philip's entire family. These are gifts that hurt a man's pride, these are gifts that can never be matched.

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A published edition of the lecture delivered by Peter Barber on the occasion of being awarded the Soane Medal in November 2022. As one of Britain’s most acclaimed architects and founder of Peter Barber Architects, Peter’s practice focuses on social housing and urban planning. He has been widely celebrated for his inventive approach to design, delivering innovative housing which is both high-quality and affordable. Barber has also developed a number of speculative projects which respond to issues including the housing crisis, the climate emergency, and the revitalisation of de-industrialised areas. In recent years Peter and his firm have received several awards, including a lifetime achievement award from the Architects’ Journal and IBA Neave Brown Award for Housing 2021. He was awarded an OBE for services to architecture last year and elected as a Royal Academician in January. Alongside his practice, Peter lectures on architecture at the University of Westminster and was recently invited by the government to lead a discussion on "Designing for Better Public Spaces" with a team of top built environment professionals. The Soane Medal was established by Sir John Soane’s Museum in 2017 and continues the mission of the Museum’s founder, the celebrated Regency architect Sir John Soane, to encourage a better understanding of the central importance of architecture in culture and society. The Medal recognises architects, educators and critics who have made a major contribution to their field through practice, history or theory.

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Ground-breaking history of how King Henry VIII created England's navyIt was Henry VIII who began the process of making England a first-rate sea-power. He inherited no more than seven warships from Henry VII, yet at his own death the King's Navy had 53 seaworthy ships afloat (much the same size as the Royal Navy today) manned by almost 8,000 sailors.Henry VIII originally needed a navy to hold the English Channel and blockade the enemy while he invaded France. Later when invasion from the continent grew serious Henry's navy fought in many actions.Moorhouse doesn't only deal with seagoing exploits. Thanks to Henry VIII dockyards were built (Greenwich and Deptford), timber had to be felled in quantities previously unknown (from land seized during the dissolution of the monasteries), and hemp (for rope) was harvested; new skills were developed, not least the gun-founders and the master shipwrights.Some of the ships were celebrated - 'Henry Grace a Dieu' (aka 'Great Harry') was the biggest ship in the world - 1,000 tons, 122 guns, crew of 700 and the 'Mary Rose' (500 tons, 80 guns, 40 crew) became one of the most famous after she heeled over too far, took water and sank with the loss of almost all hands off Portsmouth.

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All about ancient Assyria and Babylonia, this title comes with 15 step-by-step projects and more than 300 exciting pictures. Step back in time to explore the Land Between the Two Rivers, one of the most ancient of all civilizations. You can investigate how the Assyrians, Babylonians and Sumerians were among the first to develop writing, mathematics and the science of astronomy. It features 15 simple and enjoyable projects that allow you to re-create the past - build a model chariot, make a ram-headed drinking cup, and design a tunic fit for an Assyrian king. It includes fact boxes that provide extra information and indicate links with the present. It is packed with over 300 photographs and illustrations, including maps, cross sections and a pictorial timeline. It is ideal for home or school use for 8- to 12-year-olds. This is the perfect introduction to Mesopotamian history. There are sections on trade and technological advances, as well as social issues of the time, ranging from family life and beliefs to formal religion and royalty. Practical projects actively involve children in understanding and reconstructing the past: make a musical lyre, create a set of lion weights, and sculpt a clay tablet of cuneiform script. The book is stimulating, authoritative, and fun to use - the ideal way to learn how the Assyrian, Babylonian and Sumerian people lived their lives.

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This title features key facts and figures spanning over 150 years of British railway history, from the early 1800s to the end of the golden era of steam in the 20th century. It offers technical specification tables for each class, including builder's name, location and date, weight, driving wheel diameter, boiler pressure, cylinders, valve gear, coal capacity, water capacity and tractive effort. It features all the classic British steam locomotives, including the 'Iron Duke' class, the D class, the 'Royal Scot' class, the Q1 class, and many more. It is divided into sections covering the four main eras: 1800-1885; 1885-1920; 1920-1940; and 1940-1960. It includes a glossary of key railway terms. Britain was the pioneering force behind the birth of the steam locomotive. By 1829, George Stephenson and his son Robert had developed a fast, revolutionary and light-weight steam engine: Rocket. This superbly illustrated book celebrates the British steam locomotive legacy. From the streamlined 'flyers' of the 1930s to freight workhorses and dock tanks, the book profiles the variety of steam locomotives that Britain has produced. With over 200 photographs covering 85 classes, as well as detailed information on each period and a comprehensive glossary, the book covers the story of the first, finest and fastest locomotives ever to run on rails.

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The modern town of Gillingham grew up on the banks of the River Medway around the Royal Naval Dockyard of Chatham, most of which actually lay within Gillingham. The sixteenth century saw the expansion of the one-time fishing and farming village of ‘Jyllingham’ into a town. The population of the town expanded as the dockyard, with its accompanying fortifications around the Medway, grew, and today Gillingham is the largest town in the Medway area. In this book Philip MacDougall investigates Gillingham’s past, including many lesser-known and secret events, including a hidden English warship sunk by the Dutch when they invaded the Medway and that was still under the foundations of the dockyard; the prison hulks for convicts and prisoners of war moored in the River Medway, off Gillingham; an attempt to turn the town into a seaside resort to rival Margate; Jezreel’s Tower and the unusual sect that built it; the country’s worst death toll from a single bomb dropped in the First World War; and failure to prepare the town for the threatened mass bombing of the Second World War. Secret Gillingham explores the lesser-known episodes and characters in the history of Gillingham through the centuries. With tales of remarkable people and unusual events, and fully illustrated, this book will appeal to all those with an interest in this town in Kent.

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The Thames Estuary is the gateway into London that had to be defended against seaborne invasion. Through proximity to the Continent, these waters were a likely passageway for those intent upon seaborne raids or invasion, necessitating the need for a powerful naval force to be on hand when threatened. The first fortifications date back to Roman times. To support the British navy in these waters, four of the nation’s royal dockyards – Chatham, Deptford, Sheerness and Woolwich – were clustered along the Thames Estuary or close by on the Medway from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries for the commissioning, refitting and repair of warships. As well as being of importance for the defence of the country, the Thames Estuary fulfilled another role: that of underpinning naval activities designed to support British tactical and strategic operations in more distant parts of the world. Close to the mouth of the Thames, and near the point of confluence with the Medway, was the Nore, a key naval anchorage where newly commissioned warship assembled, taking on crews and receiving final instructions before joining the active seagoing fleet. In the twentieth century, additional defences against attack by submarine or from the air were established, and gunpowder factories sited along the estuary. This book will be of interest to all those who would like to know more about the remarkable military history of the Thames Estuary over the last 2,000 years.

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A dozen years into austerity, statistical warning lights are flashing to suggest a return to types of deprivation we once imagined we had consigned to history. In the decade up to the pandemic, the official count of rough sleepers and recorded malnutrition in hospital patients both doubled, while recourse to food banks rocketed by an order of magnitude. And yet it has never been statistics but rather individual human stories - from the fictionalised accounts of Dickens to the faithful reporting of Orwell and Priestley - that have seared the reality of hard times into the public imagination. In Broke, Tom Clark assembles today's masters of social reportage to go deep into the communities so often ignored by politicians, introducing us to those at the hardest end of the poverty crisis. Contributions from Jem Bartholomew, Cal Flyn, Dani Garavelli, Frances Ryan, Samira Shackle, Daniel Trilling and Jennifer Williams, and a foreword by Kerry Hudson, unflinchingly reveal the contemporary experience of cold, hunger, homelessness, disease, debt, disability, punishing work and an immigration system that makes people destitute by design. With Joel Goodman's photography bringing the characters to life, and some of the writers having had first-hand experience of the issues raised, Broke blends powerful human stories with analysis of the policies that have led us to this point - and the reforms we urgently need. All royalties will be donated to Leeds Asylum Seekers' Support Network

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Katharine Campbell's father Sholto Douglas was the hero of her childhood, an unconventional senior commander in the Royal Air Force, described as 'a gloriously contentious character'. Following childhood abandonment and poverty, Sholto rose through the ranks of the fledgling RAF in the First World War before taking on a crucial role in the Second as head of Fighter Command and going on to serve as military governor in Germany in the war's devastating aftermath. But when Katharine was five years old, he began to be stolen away by strange night-time wanderings and daytime distress - including vivid flashbacks to his time signing death warrants in post-war Germany. The doctors called it dementia, but decades later, Katharine started researching her father's story and realised that she had observed the undiagnosed consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a hot topic today. We're aware of the front-line soldier suffering from 'shell-shock' - but what about the senior officer giving the orders, who may be carrying hidden wounds accumulated over many years? We don't expect our military leaders to have PTSD, nor is it something they often recognise or acknowledge in themselves, yet this secret burden likely affects a surprising number of those making important tactical decisions. A thought-provoking insight into the damage done by military conflict, Behold the Dark Gray Man is the story of a daughter's search to understand the impact of war upon one of its most charismatic senior commanders.

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NAMED ONE OF '51 FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023' (WASHINGTON INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF BOOKS)LONGLISTED FOR THE BRIDPORT NOVEL AWARDIn beautifully rendered prose, a mother and a daughter struggle as outsiders in Baghdad and London in this intergenerational drama set against a background of political tension and intrigue“Who would be charmed by tales of life in the beautiful old house on the banks of the Tigris—looted now no doubt, its shutters torn and the courtyard strewn with mattresses?”One night in 2003, Anglo-Iraqi psychiatrist Mona Haddad has a surprise visitor to her London office, an old acquaintance Duncan Claybourne. But why has he come? Will his confession finally lay bare what happened to her family before they escaped Iraq? Their stories begin in 1937, when Mona’s mother Diane, a lively Englishwoman newly married to Ibrahim, an ambitious Iraqi doctor, meets Duncan by chance. Diane is working as a nanny for the Iraqi royal family. Duncan is a young British Embassy officer in Baghdad. When the king dies in a mysterious accident, Ibrahim and his family suspect Diane of colluding with Duncan and the British.Summoning up the vanished world of mid-twentieth-century Baghdad, Elizabeth Loudon’s richly evocative story of one family calls into question British attitudes and policies in Iraq and offers up a penetrating reflection on cross-cultural marriage and the lives of women caught between different worlds.

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The rise and fall of Henry's notorious minister - the most corrupt Chancellor in English history'Gripping... Hutchinson tells his story with infectious relish and vividly evokes the politics and personalities of this extraordinary decade' LITERARY REVIEW'Hutchinson tells the horrible story admirably and compellingly, acknowledging Cromwell's rare abilities, while making no excuses for his character' OBSERVERThe son of a brewer, Cromwell rose from obscurity to become Earl of Essex, Vice-Regent and High Chamberlain of England, Keep of the Privy Seal and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He maneuvered his way to the top by intrigue, bribery and sheer force of personality in a court dominated by the malevolent King Henry.Cromwell pursued the interests of the king with single-minded energy and little subtlety. Tasked with engineering the judicial murder of Anne Boleyn when she had worn out her welcome in the royal chamber, he tortured her servants and relations, then organised a 'show trial' of Stalinist efficiency. He orchestrated the 'greatest act of privatisation in English history': the seizure of the monasteries. Their enormous wealth was used to cement the loyalty of the English nobility, and to enrich the crown. Cromwell made himself a fortune too, soliciting colossal bribes and binding the noble families to him with easy loans. He came home from court literally weighed down with gold.

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Take a fresh look at the world through the lens of a self-confessed nature-obsessed artist. Asuka Hishiki possesses not only a sense of profound awe and wonder at the intricacies of the natural world, but also the talent to communicate it through her paintings. Recalling the Wunderkammer (literally, 'wonder rooms') of 16th and 17th century European collectors, Asuka Hishiki's Botaniphoria: A Cabinet of Botanical Curiosities encompasses subjects as diverse as rotting vegetables, endangered species, mundane weeds and backyard insects - all treasures to her and transformed into objects of intense and fragile beauty through her skill with watercolour. Her work is held in prestigious collections such as The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, California, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pennsylvania. One of the first people to appreciate her work said about it, 'your work is not to hang upon a wall in a bright living room, but to put in a drawer in the study. Then, alone in the middle of the night, to take out and ponder upon.' In the best traditions of Wunderkammer, this book is an artfully arranged collection intended to be pondered upon. From the interactions of the objects within the paintings, to the quirky choice of subjects and the realism with which they are portrayed, they will bear revisiting again and again. As Asuka admits, painting is her language. She is an extremely adept communicator in it.

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Rick Jolly was the Senior Medical Officer in the Falklands, setting up and running the field hospital at Ajax Bay, where he and his Royal Marine and Parachute Regiment medical teams treated a total of 580 casualties, of which only 3 died of wounds. The building itself was a derelict meat-packing factory, hastily converted to treat incoming wounded – both British and Argentine – even though two unexploded bombs lay at the back of the building. Rick's diary of the campaign and its aftermath is a fast-paced and gripping account of war experience that covers the entire conflict from initial preparations and passage to the South Atlantic on the requisitioned liner Canberra to daily action reports, and observations and interaction with the key players of the conflict – Col. H. Jones, Brian Hanrahan, Julian Thompson and Max Hastings. Incredible human stories abound, as Rick, a trained commando, dangles from the rescue winch of a Sea King helicopter, saving lives on a daily basis. Yet he also confronts death in a thoughtful, reflective and considered way, helping others to deal with the trauma of war. Now revised and brought fully up to date, this book is a unique first-hand narrative of a conflict that inspired individual and collective heroism among British armed forces, inspiring great pride in 'our boys' by the public back at home, but which also provoked – and continues to provoke – fierce debate.

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The story of the inspiration for, establishment and evolution of the National Memorial Arboretum is a fascinating one. Sited at Alrewas, Staffordshire, the Arboretum has become the Nation's all year round focus for remembering and paying tribute to all who have served their country in both peace and war not only in the armed forces and merchant navy but in the emergency services as well.rnrnPlanting began in 1997 and was supported by hundreds of organisations both serving and retired. Among the early memorials was a life-size wooded polar bear, for 49th Division, a grove of Irish trees for the Royal Irish Regiment, an Avenue of Chestnuts for the Police and a Chapel of Peace and Forgiveness to mark the coming of the Millennium. Britain's war-widows had a rose-garden planted for them while the Far East Prisoners of War managed to fund a small museum to stand alongside a length of railway track brought back from the notorious Burma Railway. In October 2007 HM the Queen confirmed the importance of the site when she opened the Armed Forces Memorial to commemorate all service personnel lost on active service since the end of the Second World War; this is especially poignant given the on-going conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The importance of the National Memorial Arboretum is well demonstrated by the growing number of stands and the steady increase in visitor numbers.

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A stunning collection of portraits of favourite trees from around Britain by photographer Adrian Houston.---'This is a wonderful book: beautiful and important' - Joanna Lumley'A must-read for all conservationists, environmentalists and nature lovers' - Sir Richard Branson'Adrian's stunning photographs capture the majesty of these iconic trees.' - Geraint Richards, Chair of Action Oak---A Portrait of the Tree is a repository of memories, and a testament to the British landscape. Trees are revealed as religious signifiers, historical landmarks, national emblems.Sparked by a simple question: 'What is your favourite tree?', photographer Adrian Houston discovered a wealth of fascinating stories enmeshed with these giants of the natural world - some of miraculous survival, others of sheltering royalty, or witnessing history, or simply of personal grief and renewal. Adrian photographed each nominated tree looking utterly glorious: spotlit by night, bathed in morning sunshine, wreathed in delicate mist or blazing with autumn colour. From the cedars of Highclere Castle to the plane trees of London, ancient pine woods of the Scottish Highlands to veteran oaks that have stood witness to time; from native stalwarts such as the monumental beech to endangered giant redwoods. This stunning celebration bears witness to the might and majesty of the lungs of the earth - the tree. Includes: Joanna Lumley, Tony Kirkham, Dr George McGavin, Antony Gormley, Jasper Conran, Alice Temperley, Alan Titchmarsh, Sir Richard Carew Pole, the Reverend Lucy Winkett

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He doesn't just want your identity. He wants your life...No one sees him coming.A stock-market trader is pushed from a high-rise balcony and falls to his death on the street below. The only clue the police can find is a box of matches.No one survives for long.The decomposing body of a member of the Saudi Royal Family is discovered in a car. Evidence suggests the killer took the man's life, then stole his identity, wore his clothes and lived in his hotel room - before vanishing into thin air like smoke.Nothing but matchsticks are left behind.Dr Bloom realizes the only thing linking these murders is a trail of burnt matches and broken lives. Time is running out - and if she isn't careful, she might be the next to burn ...Coming soon and available to pre-order now!'Stylish, glamorous, and clever, The Imposter had me hooked, right from its killer opening - Leona Deakin is the real deal.' Andrea MaraREADERS LOVE THE DR BLOOM THRILLERS:'Jam-packed with excitement and twists around every corner' *****'Once again Leona Deakin has hit the ball out of the park' *****'What a gripping book, so many brilliant twists and turns' *****'This book is unlike any other crime/mystery novel that I have ever read' *****'A really intense and gripping read' *****'Well written and a real page-turner' *****'I was completely riveted by this book' *****

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'It is actually a serious book, but it had me laughing out loud several times on the Tube. All mothers should receive one for Christmas.' Marcus Berkmann, SpectatorEveryone who loves The Crown on Netflix will enjoy this celebration of Queen Elizabeth II and her beloved canine friends.The Queen has had corgis by her side ever since she was seven years old and persuaded her father to buy one for the family. She also has several dorgis (a cross resulting from an accidental liaison between one of the Queen's corgis and Princess Margaret's dachshund) and is a passionate breeder of gundogs.The dogs are the Queen's constant companions, travelling with her by air, road and rail, from one royal residence to another. She walks and feeds them herself, chooses names for them, and at the end of their days, buries them with personalised plaques to commemorate each individual. Penny Junor reveals the scraps and scrapes that the dogs have been involved in - the hierarchy amongst them, the corgis' feisty attitude to footmen and guests, gardeners and innocent passersby. This fascinating and affectionate look at the Queen and her most faithful companions is a book for dog lovers everywhere about what really makes our much-loved and longest reigning monarch truly light up.

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For centuries, Twickenham, Teddington, Whitton and the Hamptons were bucolic places, a string of villages alongside the great highway of the Thames. Hampton Court is most famous for its connections with Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey and its royal palace, but it was the river that offered a livelihood to many, through fishing and boatbuilding and access to London, and also for its many fruit, vegetable and flower gardens. Twickenham particularly became a fashionable retreat for Londoners with pleasure gardens and grand houses, many of which survive today, but the area later became a hotbed of British R&B in the 1960s on Eel Pie Island. Twickenham film studios produced many classics of British cinema including The Italian Job, and Teddington Studios was the home of Thames TV. Twickenham is also the home of English rugby and one of the many fascinating stories revealed in this book is the controversy around how the stadium nicknamed ‘the cabbage patch’ came to be built here. Secret Twickenham Whitton, Teddington and the Hamptons explores the lesser-known episodes and characters in the history of Twickenham and the surrounding towns of Whitton, Teddington and the Hamptons through the years. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, it will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this corner of South West London.

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Miles Dempsey, Commander of the British Second Army in the invasion of Europe 1944-45, is almost unknown to the general public. Yet his part in Britains contribution to that campaign was second only to Montgomerys in importance. Dempsey survived two and a half years of bitter fighting as an infantry officer on the Western Front before accompanying his beloved Royal Berkshire Regiment in the little-known North West Persia campaign of 1920-21\. In six years he rose from Major to command over half a million men in the largest combined operation in history, and led them to victory a year later. Based on sources which include some of Dempseys previously unpublished work and the views of those who knew him, the book traces his career as a soldier of rare distinction, a talented sportsman and a man of huge charm and shrewd intellect, dedicated to his beloved regiment and ever mindful of the lives of his soldiers. It examines his methods of command and his relationships with Montgomery, his Corps commanders, the Americans and the RAF. It highlights his crucial role in the Dunkirk evacuation, the training of the Canadian Army, and the invasion of Sicily, Italy, and North West Europe. It analyses why his army performed so brilliantly on D Day, and examines his contribution to the campaign in Europe, focussing on the controversial operations of EPSOM, GOODWOOD, Arnhem and the Rhine Crossing.

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The burial grounds, graveyards and cemeteries of Fife contain many fascinating historical tales, often with interesting superstitions attached. All walks of life are represented – from the burial place of ancient kings, queens and saints in Scotland’s ancient capital, Dunfermline, to the only known grave of a witch in Scotland, on the foreshore of the Firth of Forth. In this book local historian Charlotte Golledge takes readers on a tour through the history of Fife’s burial grounds, graveyards and cemeteries. She explores the history of the royal burials at Dunfermline Abbey and the resting place of the bishops at St Andrews Cathedral, with the graves of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris nearby who designed many of Scotland’s iconic golf courses. Lesser-known locations include the secluded St Bridget’s kirkyard in Dalgety Bay where bodysnatchers would row across the River Forth to claim freshly buried bodies for the anatomist’s table, and the lovingly restored kirkyard at Tulliallan Old Kirk with its gravestones going back to the seventeenth century, many of which have been brought to the surface recently, showing the everyday trades of those interred, including nautical connections. Together, these are the tales of real people of Scotland told through their deaths and burials. This fascinating portrait of life and death in Fife over the centuries will appeal to both residents and visitors to this region of Scotland.

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Despite their frequent visits to England, Queen Victoria never quite trusted the Romanovs. In her letters she referred to ‘horrid Russia’ and was adamant that she did not wish her granddaughters to marry into that barbaric country. ‘Russia I could not wish for any of you,’ she said. She distrusted Tsar Nicholas I but as a young woman she was bowled over by his son, the future Alexander II, although there could be no question of a marriage. Political questions loomed large and the Crimean War did nothing to improve relations. This distrust started with the story of the Queen’s ‘Aunt Julie’, Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and her disastrous Russian marriage. Starting with this marital catastrophe, Romanov expert Coryne Hall traces sixty years of family feuding that include outright war, inter-marriages, assassination, and the Great Game in Afghanistan, when Alexander III called Victoria ‘a pampered, sentimental, selfish old woman’. In the fateful year of 1894, Victoria must come to terms with the fact that her granddaughter has become Nicholas II’s wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Eventually, distrust of the German Kaiser brings Victoria and the Tsar closer together. Permission has kindly been granted by the Royal Archives at Windsor to use extracts from Queen Victoria's journals to tell this fascinating story of family relations played out on the world stage.

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The Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool has been popular with visitors for over 200 years. The arrival of the railways in 1846 brought ever more people to what soon became a large town, and its famous Illuminations, Golden Mile, three piers, Pleasure Beach, iconic Tower and ballroom, Grand Theatre and Winter Gardens still attract many today. There has always been much to celebrate in Blackpool, which has had frequent visits from royalty and celebrities. Benefactors to the town resulted in the establishment of the Edwardian baroque-style building in Queen Street in 1908 that houses the Grundy Art Gallery and the Central Library, and its historic tram system has had a massive investment boost. Recently, the Comedy Carpet, one of the largest pieces of public art ever commissioned in the UK, was laid out in the space outside the Tower, illustrating how Blackpool is constantly reinventing itself. Celebrating Blackpool chronicles the proud heritage of this town, its important moments and what draws so many to it today. Illustrated throughout, this fascinating book offers a marvellous and refreshingly positive insight into Blackpool’s rich heritage, its special events and important moments. It will be a valuable contribution to the history of the town and provide a source of many memories to those who have known it well over the years.

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Stephen takes the reader from his earliest school days when it became clear he was academically bright, especially in maths, attending prep school, winning a scholarship to major public school Uppingham where he won maths prizes and, aged 16, passed 3 S (scholarship) levels. By then he had decided to be a bookie. He attended an interview for Cambridge University only because it was on his bicycle route to Newmarket races! Unable to work in any gambling job until 18, he set about visiting racecourses by bicycle, staying in youth hotels (171/2p per night), eventually cycling to all racecourses in the UK, including several now-defunct courses. At 18 he found employment with Beresford & Smith in London; aged 24 he got his first bookie's licence in 1971 and by the age of 40 in 1986 was betting big on the rails at major meetings such as the Grand National, Cheltenham, Derby, Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, often laying bets to lose GBP100,000 or more - when money was worth nearly twice today's value - one of the few bookies who happily stood "toe to toe and traded blow for blow" with big hitters like JP McManus, Barney Curley, Michael Tabor and Harry Findlay. In 1998 changes in pitch administration prompted early retirement, and he sold his pitches, worked for a few unsatisfactory years for Corals and then departed the big time - with a Bentley as well as a bicycle, a house in Georgian Bath and a satisfactory bank balance.

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Tord Boontje: Enchanted World is a comprehensive visual document of the designer s most recent work. As an artist and a craftsman, Boontje incorporates an artisanal sensibility into contemporary industrial design, drawing upon a rich graphic tradition to create objects of exceptional beauty and delicacy. Featured here are some of his latest works, many undertaken after Boontje stepped down as Head of Design Products at the Royal College of Art in 2013 (a position he assumed after Ron Arad in 2009). Now, solely focused on his own design studio in London, Boontje showcases many of his designs, including the wispy Icarus Lamp, an armoire constructed entirely of pressed-metal fig leaves for Meta, a portable Bluetooth speaker for Yamaha hidden under a curtain of horsehair, and many other romantic explorations that have made Boontje s output stand out in the world of design. Combining developing technologies and traditional approaches, his pieces are prized for their originality, delicacy, and intricate detail. This book is a must for design lovers, providing readers with a window into how Boontje crafts his unique objects, from studio prototype to retail. Indeed, the book is conceived as a work of total design, using special printing effects and beautiful marginalia on almost every page in the form of Boontje s sensitive and romantic detailed hand-drawn illustrations that have served as the inspiration for many of the objects featured here.

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Return to the magical world of The Rosewood Chronicles in the fourth instalment of this gorgeous series for fans of The Princess Diaries and Harry Potter.'You don't have to push me away. We can survive with each other and apart. I know that now . . . but let's face this together.'Ellie is a rebellious princess hiding her real identity. Lottie is her Portman, acting as the princess for the public to shield Ellie from scrutiny. Jamie is Ellie's Partizan, a lifelong bodyguard sworn to protect the princess at any cost.Lottie, Ellie and Jamie are back for another year at Rosewood - but nothing will ever be the same again.They're still reeling from their discovery that someone rather close to home is leader of Leviathan - the group determined to take the princess down at any cost.Together they must piece together clues to Leviathan's evil plans. But this is far from simple - especially as an undercover Leviathan agent is in their midst.Friendships are at stake, families must be reunited and hearts are at risk of breaking . . .---------------------------------------------------------------------------Praise for Undercover Princess:'With a fake princess, a rogue royal and fairytale twists aplenty, this is the start of a fun new series' - The Sun'Once Upon A Time fans will love this new book' - Buzzfeed'The book is a great example of friendship and bravery' - First News'A fun blend of school story, adventure and mystery' - Week Junior

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*Longlisted for the William MB Berger Prize for British Art History, 2022*A spectacular biography of the great designer, entrepreneur, abolitionist and beacon of the Industrial Revolution, from acclaimed historian and Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tristram HuntJosiah Wedgwood, perhaps the greatest English potter who ever lived, epitomized the best of his age. From his kilns and workshops in Stoke-on-Trent, he revolutionized the production of ceramics in Georgian Britain by marrying technology with design, manufacturing efficiency and retail flair. He transformed the luxury markets not only of London, Liverpool, Bath and Dublin but of America and the world, and helping to usher in a mass consumer society. Tristram Hunt calls him 'the Steve Jobs of the eighteenth century'.But Wedgwood was radical in his mind and politics as well as in his designs. He campaigned for free trade and religious toleration, read pioneering papers to the Royal Society and was a member of the celebrated Lunar Society of Birmingham. Most significantly, he created the ceramic 'Emancipation Badge', depicting a slave in chains and inscribed 'Am I Not a Man and a Brother?' that became the symbol of the abolitionist movement.Tristram Hunt's hugely enjoyable new biography, strongly based on Wedgwood's notebooks, letters and the words of his contemporaries, brilliantly captures the energy and originality of Wedgwood and his extraordinary contribution to the transformation of eighteenth-century Britain.

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LAST SACRIFICE is the sixth book in the international Number 1 bestselling Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead - NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES ON SKY AND NOWTV. Higher Learning. Higher Stakes.MURDER, LOVE, JEALOUSY. AND THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.The Queen is dead and the Moroi world will never be the same.Rose Hathaway is awaiting wrongful execution and there exists only one man who can stall this terrible fate.Rose must look to both Dimitri and Adrian, the two great loves of her life, to find him.With her best friend, Lissa, in a deadly struggle for the royal throne, the girls find themselves forced to rely upon enemies and questioning those they thought they could trust . . . But what if true freedom means sacrificing the most important thing of all?'Exciting, empowering and un-put-downable.' MTV's Hollywood Crush Blog 'We're suckers for it!' - Entertainment WeeklyAlso available in the Vampire Academy series:Vampire Academy (Book 1)Vampire Academy: Frostbite (Book 2) Vampire Academy: Shadow Kiss (Book 3)Vampire Academy: Blood Promise (Book 4)Vampire Academy: Spirit Bound (Book 5) Vampire Academy: Last Sacrifice (Book 6) And don't miss the bestselling Vampire Academy spin-off series, Bloodlines:.Bloodlines (Book 1)Bloodlines: The Golden Lily (Book 2)Bloodlines: The Indigo Spell (Book 3)Bloodlines: The Fiery Heart (Book 4)Bloodlines: Silver Shadows (Book 5)www.richellemead.com Facebook.com/VampireAcademyNovelsFacebook.com/BloodlinesBooks

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'Shisha lounges are an essential part of the Muslim experience, bruv, like the Fillet-O-Fish.' Chunkyz Shisha Lounge is a home away from home for Jihad, Rashid and Asif, a space where community whispers are heard, jokes are told, and new hustles are born. But its future is under threat, having become a target for local politicians. Aspiring journalist Jihad wants to fight back. After winning a competition to produce his own documentary, he sets out to create something that gives a voice to his community and challenges the usual stereotypes that fill the airwaves. Will he be able to create something that makes his boys proud? Or will his dreams of becoming a journalist come at a cost too high to bear? Mohamed-Zain Dada's debut play, Blue Mist is a story about South Asian Muslim men navigating a system that isn't built for them. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in October 2023, directed by Milli Bhatia, in a co-production with SISTER.

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You think you know her story. You ve read the Brothers Grimm, you ve watched the Disney cartoons, and you cheered as these virtuous women lived happily ever after. But real princesses didn t always get happy endings. Sure, plenty were graceful and benevolent leaders, but just as many were ruthless in their quest for power and all of them had skeletons rattling in their royal closets. Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe was a Nazi spy. Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian empire slept wearing a mask of raw veal. Princess Olga of Kiev slaughtered her way to sainthood while Princess Lakshmibai waged war on the battlefield, charging into combat with her toddler son strapped to her back. Princesses Behaving Badly offers true tales of all these princesses and dozens more in a fascinating read that s perfect for history buffs, feminists, and anyone seeking a different kind of bedtime story.

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With details on everything from Big Ben to Brick Lane, this is the only guide a native or traveler needs. Whether you’ve called London your home for decades or just arrived last night, there’s information in the Not For TouristsGuide to London that you need to know. This map-based, neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide will help you master this amazing city like an expert. Packed with more than 150 maps and thousands of listings for restaurants, shops, theaters, and under-the-radar spots, you won’t find a better guide to London. Want to score tickets to a big Arsenal or Chelsea football match? NFT has you covered. How about royal sightseeing at Buckingham Palace? We’ve got that, too. The best Indian restaurant, theater experience, bookstore, or cultural site—whatever you need—NFT puts it at your fingertips. This light and portable guide also features: An invaluable street index Profiles of more tha

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Elizabeth Arden was a household name on six continents and a millionaire several times over before her death in 1966. Arden counted British royalty and social elites from the overlapping worlds of New York, Hollywood, London, and Paris among her clients. She revolutionized skin care and cosmetics, making it acceptable for all women to embrace glamour and wear makeup - not just actresses and prostitutes. She created a successful international business empire before women gained the vote and at a time when virtually no woman owned or ran a national company. She developed the first luxury spa and insisted on a holistic understanding of health and beauty. Unconventional and driven, Arden fervently believed that every woman could be beautiful. Acclaimed biographer Stacy Cordery does full justice to one of America''s greatest entrepreneurs. Canadian-born Florence Nightingale Graham turned herself into Elizabeth Arden, using her uncanny sense of the possible to take full advantage of everythi

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To meet William Morgan is to encounter the eighteenth-century world of finance, science and politics. Born in Bridgend in 1750, his heritage was Welsh but his influence extended far beyond national borders, and the legacy of his work continues to shape life in the twenty-first century. Aged only twenty-five and with no formal training, Morgan became actuary at the Equitable, which was then a fledgling life assurance company. Known today as 'the father of actuarial science', his pioneering work earned him the Copley Medal, the Royal Society's most prestigious award. His interests covered a wider scientific field, and his papers on electrical experiments show that he unwittingly constructed the first X-ray tube. Politically radical, Morgan's outspoken views put him at risk of imprisonment during Pitt's Reign of Terror. Using unpublished family letters, this biography explores Morgan's turbulent private life, and cover his outstanding public achievements.

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Tony Robinson-Smith, his wife Nadya, and ten Bhutanese college students set out to run 578 kilometres (360 miles) across the Kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas. Joined by a stray dog, they slogged over five mountain passes, bathed in ice-clogged streams, ate over log fires, and stopped at every store, restaurant, guesthouse, and dzong to raise money for the Tarayana Foundation. The “Tara-thon” was the first endeavour of its kind and gave 350 village children the chance to go to school. En route, the Long Distance Dozen met a Buddhist lama, a royal prince, a Tibetan renegade, and a matriarch who told them the secret to long life. On arrival in Thimphu, they were decorated by Her Majesty the Queen. In this contemplative memoir, Tony describes Bhutan in rich detail at a transformative period in its history and reflects on tradition, belief, modernization, and happiness. See the book trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-VsWAbTHAQ

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As the world recently commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, our fascination with the pharaoh begs for a balanced view. Most Egyptian tombs are not royal; most were never carefully cleared and documented; most have not had their occupants treated with respect or returned to their sepulchers; and most recovered mummies have not escaped the modern trafficking in ancient bodies and body parts. The story of Ankh-Hap, a Ptolemaic-era mummy seized in the nineteenth century from the infamous mummy-pits of Egypt, provides a salutary example of what most mummies have endured.Like a detective, Frank Holt makes use of a robust combination of scientific tools and archival research to tell the story of Ankh-Hap''s life, death, and his mummified remains, which ended up in the back of an American college classroom. A Mystery from the Mummy-Pits takes the reader into a forgotten world of mummy trafficking by an American entrepreneur named Henry Augustus War

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FUN FOR BOND FANS OF ALL AGES – the whole family will love this high-stakes game featuring 64 characters, gadgets and locations from all the James Bond movies PLAY AND LEARN – this board game comes with a leaflet packed with 007 trivia. Learn about Bond''s most memorable nemeses, Q''s craziest gadgets and more! GREAT GIFT – perfect for dedicated James Bond fans, lovers of cinema and families who enjoy spending quality time together SOMETHING TO TREASURE – this is a quality product made to last, with photography from the Bond archives and sleek and stylish packaging EXPLORE THE ENTIRE SERIES – this game is part of the bestselling bingo series, a collection of games for nature lovers and enthusiastic board gamers. Other games in the series include Bug Bingo, Cat Bingo, Dog Bingo, Monkey Bingo, Ocean Bingo and Royal BingoThe name''s Bond. James Bond.Grab Q''s gadgets, buckle up in the Aston Martin DB

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The end is near! The Voltarian terrorists have won! Earth is history! But dont believe everything you read. Or hear. Or see. Because the road to victory is paved with bad intentionsand lies, betrayal and deception are all in play. So who are the players in this treacherous game ? Countess Krak: victim of a spectacular kidnapping, she is bound for a distant dungeon where she faces a venomous fate Royal Officer Jettero Heller: convinced the Countess is dead and overcome by grief, he is holed up in a Connecticut roadhouseand standing square in an assassins crosshairs Soltan Gris: together with a young temptress named Teenie Whopper, he undertakes a drug-fueled voyage across the Atlantic. But the journeys about to be cut short, as he goes from getting stoned with Teenie to nearly getting stoned to death in Turkey So who is in command? Who is the puppet master pulling the strings? And, finally, is there any hope for planet Earth? The answers lie at the end of an extraordinary VOYAGE OF VENGEANCE.

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Scandinavian art pottery, long appreciated regionally, has enjoyed a rediscovery by international collectors over the past five years. Using almost 500 dramatic color photos, this book explores the major factories, workshops, and studios that initiated and created ceramic modernism in Scandinavia, including Royal Copenhagen, Saxbo, Kahler Keramiks, Ipsen, Gustavsberg, and Tobo. Also recounted are brief histories of Denmark and Sweden's most influential designers, including Patrick Nordstrom, Axel Salto, Nils Thorsson, Cathinka Olsen, Gertrud Vasegaard, Josef Ekberg, and Gunnar Nylund. Written by a recognized expert in the field, this long anticipated book provides well researched, up-to-date information on the factories and ceramicists that collectors are most interested in, plus accurate information on marks, dating, and updated values. Clearly photographed and written, this essential reference will provide collectors with the knowledge necessary to enhance and build unique and valuable collections of some of the finest art pottery ever created.

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The FRCS (Urol) - Urology and urological surgery - is the mandatory final exit exam that all urology national training number (NTN) trainees in the UK must successfully complete in order to achieve Certification of Training (CCT) in urology. The FRCS (Urol) exam is run by the four Royal Colleges of Surgery of the UK and Ireland, with the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) acting as advisory body. Internationally the FRCS (Urol) as a qualification is widely recognised as a marker of quality and indeed applicants from all around the world sit the exam. The FRCS (Urol) consists of a first written component, followed at a later date by a separate oral viva examination. There is an impending lack of published textbooks that provide a comprehensive summary of the knowledge required to pass the exam. This textbook, along with Book 2, fills the current market gap of a dedicated revision note style book to prepare candidates for the FRCS (Urol), as well as educate more junior trainees starting their higher training in urology.

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A chronicle of the American experience during World War I and the unexpected changes that rocked the country in its immediate aftermath.The Great War’s bitter outcome left the experience largely overlooked and forgotten in American history. This timely book is a reexamination of America’s first global experience as we commemorate World War I's centennial. The U.S. had steered clear of the European conflagration known as the Great War for more than two years, but President Woodrow Wilson reluctantly led the divided country into the conflict with the goal of making the world “safe for democracy.” The country assumed a global role for the first time and attempted to build the foundations for world peace, only to witness the experience go badly awry and it retreated into isolationism. Though overshadowed by the tens of millions of deaths and catastrophic destruction of World War II, the Great War was the most important war of the twentieth century. It was the first continent-wide conflagration in a century, and it drew much of the world into its fire. By the end of it, four empires and their royal houses had fallen, communism was unleashed, the map of the Middle East was redrawn, and the United States emerged as a global power – only to withdraw from the world’s stage. The Great War is often overlooked, especially compared to World War II, which is considered the “last good war.” The United States was disillusioned with what it achieved in the earlier war and withdrew into itself. Americans have tried to forget about it ever since. The Great War in America presents an opportunity to reexamine the country’s role on the global stage and the tremendous political and social changes that overtook the nation because of the war.

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In this new series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, Heralds Mags and Amily must continue to protect the realm of Valdemar while raising their children and preparing them to follow in their footsteps.Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids. The oldest, Peregrine, has the Gift of Animal Mindspeech—he can talk to animals and persuade them to act as he wishes. Perry's dream is to follow in his father's footsteps as a Herald Spy, but he has yet to be Chosen by a Companion. Mags is more than happy to teach Perry all he knows. He regularly trains his children, including Perry, with tests and exercises, preparing them for the complicated and dangerous lives they will likely lead. Perry has already held positions in the Royal Palace as a runner and in the kitchen, useful places where he can learn to listen and collect information. But there is growing rural unrest in a community on the border of Valdemar. A report filled with tales of strange disappearances and missing peddlers is sent to Haven by a Herald from the Pelagirs. To let Perry experience life away from home and out in the world, Mags proposes that his son accompany him on an expedition to discover what is really going on. During their travels, Perry’s Animal Mindspeech allows him to communicate with the local wildlife of the Pelagirs, whose connection to the land aids in their investigation. But the details he gleans from the creatures only deepen the mystery. As Perry, Mags, and their animal companions draw closer to the heart of the danger, they must discover the truth behind the disappearances at the border—before those disappearances turn deadly.

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Sci-fi action meets steamy paranormal romance in Gini Koch’s Alien novels, as Katherine “Kitty” Katt faces off against aliens, conspiracies, and deadly secrets. • “Futuristic high-jinks and gripping adventure.” —RT Reviews The President and First Lady, aka Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini, don’t get any downtime once the Mastermind has been revealed to the world. Not only do they have myriad high-level government positions to fill, but the scrutiny and pressure on this Administration has gone into overdrive.The sudden reappearance of a long-forgotten adversary turns out to be the tip of the iceberg. New robots and androids attacking, old enemies making new alliances, and new aliens with interesting abilities almost overshadow the fact that the U.S. still has to host a peace summit at Camp David between Israel and Iraq. It’s clear that while the Mastermind may be down, there are plenty of others ready to take his place—and all that stands between them and success are Kitty and Company.Kidnappings, rescues, creepy hideouts, a hidden black site, and a domestic dispute that could end Jeff and Kitty’s marriage are nothing compared to finding not one but two hidden labs where dangerous and deadly things are brewing. But when the President and his entourage finally get to the peace talks, things are no better. Mossad rightly suspects something’s wrong with both their Prime Minister and the President of Iraq. A hidden in-control superbeing, an android replacement, and an army of Fem-Bots turn the peace talks into a Battle Royale that the team might not actually survive. And if they don’t make it, Earth won’t make it, either.But no pressure.

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This is the first book to describe Arturo Toscanini's activities - the life he led, his concerts and recording sessions - during his visits to London and elsewhere in Britain in the years 1900-1952. During the 1930s Arturo Toscanini conducted many concerts broadcast by the BBC from London's Queen's Hall, where he also made some unsurpassed recordings. Drawing on newly researched material in British and American archives, Christopher Dyment reveals how the most renowned and influential conductor of the twentieth century, notoriously microphone-shy though he was, came to conduct so frequently in London, a tale replete with unexpected twists, turns and ingenious stratagems. Toscanini's dominating influence on London critics and audiences in the period covered by the narrative, extending through to his final appearances at the Royal Festival Hall in 1952, is copiously documented from contemporary sources. Dyment also presents fresh evidence showing how the remarkable combination of passionate conviction and architectural mastery that characterised Toscanini's conducting was grounded not only in his obsessive study of the score but also in his awareness of performing traditions dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. This book will fascinate those with a particular interest in Toscanini's career and recorded legacy. It is also essential reading for anyone with an interest in the history of conducting and recording in the first half of the twentieth century, set against the vividly evoked backdrop of London's concert scene of the period. This comprehensive study includes both an annotated table of all Toscanini's London concerts and his EMI discography. CHRISTOPHER DYMENT has written extensively about historic conductors since the 1970s, particularly Felix Weingartner and Arturo Toscanini. His first book, on Weingartner, was published in 1976.

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The phenomenon of collecting as a systematic activity undertaken for symbolic rather than actual needs, is traditionally taken to originate in the middle of the fifteenth century, when the first cabinets of curiosities appear in Italy. Yet it is clear that the practice of collecting started long before that, indeed its origins can be traced back thousands of years to European prehistoric communities. Whilst this early genesis is, due to lack of written records, still shrouded in much mystery, The Nature of Classical Collecting argues that the collecting practices of classical Greece and Rome offer a rich tapestry of experiences which can be reconstructed to illuminate a pivotal period in the long and ever developing phenomenon of collecting. Utilizing a wide variety of examples of classical collections - including grave goods, the accumulations of Greek temples and open-air shrines, the royal collections of Hellenistic kings, Roman art and curiosity collections, and relics - The Nature of Classical Collecting focuses on the field of the 'pre-history' of collecting, a neglected yet critical phase that helped crystallize the western concept of collecting. Drawing primarily on Latin writings from the period 100 BCE to 100 CE it shows how collecting underwent a transition from a religious and political activity, to an intellectual practice in which connoisseurship could impart social status. It also demonstrates how the appreciation of objects and artists changed as new qualities were attributed to material culture, resulting in the establishment of art markets, patronage and an interest in the history of art. By exploring these early developments, The Nature of Classical Collecting not only provides a fascinating insight into the culture of late Hellenistic/early Imperial Roman collecting, but also offers a much fuller grounding for understanding the influences and inspirations of those Renaissance collectors who themselves were to have such a profound influence on the course of European art, architecture and culture.

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