Search results for ""the history press ltd""

Many of the world’s most famous hats have their origins in Britain; in the Middle Ages there were civil and religious laws requiring hats to be worn and in Victorian Britain a person would no more leave home without a hat than a pair of trousers. It is no surprise that London’s oldest surviving shop, Lock and Co., is a hatter. From practical everyday caps and bonnets to military headwear, top hats, and even the coronation crown, hats of all sorts have passed through its doors and continue to do so after more than 300 years. In this fascinating new book David Long reveals how much of Britain’s social history can be understood through its headwear, and in exploring the ways in which a hat speaks volumes about its wearer’s rank and status he tells the stories of the people beneath some of the most famous hats of history.

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Bath Abbey contains the largest collection of monuments in any UK church or cathedral. But how did the ruined Abbey of 1539 become a Georgian ‘gallery of sculpture’, where the latest works of art by famous sculptors could be seen? And why are their appearances today so different from their original designs?Long before the city’s now-celebrated museums and galleries were established, the Abbey’s monuments were one of Bath’s newsworthy tourist attractions. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished material on the Abbey’s history, this book tells the story of its monuments for the first time – how they helped the Abbey rise from the aftermath of the Dissolution to give it a new identity, a unique floor, and walls that tell the social history of Bath.

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Norfolk has a wealth of important archaeological sites, historic buildings and landscapes. This guide is the first to use them to tell the county’s rich history.Starting with real footprints of people who lived here nearly 1 million years ago, A History of Norfolk in 100 Places will take you on a chronological journey through prehistoric monuments, Roman forts, medieval churches and Nelson’s Monument, right up to twentieth-century defensive sites. With detailed entries illustrated by aerial photographs and ground-level shots, here you will find a reliable guide to historic places that are either open to the public, or are visible from public roads or footpaths for you to explore.

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If ever there was a regional UK city with the credentials to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham was always it. One in ten people in the city was born in an overseas Commonwealth country, and many more have family in member nations such as India, Jamaica and Pakistan. Many of these are descendants of the generation who arrived after the Second World War to find work in the city’s manufacturing boom years.But, as Simon Wilcox discovers, the links go much further back than that. In fact, the connections started with the canal building zeal of Birmingham’s industrial pioneers in the eighteenth century who built a canal network that spanned out from the Gas Street Basin. It was this network that opened up a new world of trade for the city – a world which revolved around metal, chocolate and weekly shipments of Ceylon tea.

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The end of the Second World War – after six years of horror – was met with a frenzy of celebration and euphoria. But in that end was a beginning; a chance to rebuild Britain and its people, and to shape it into the country we know today. With over 100 images from Mirrorpix, one of the world’s biggest photo libraries, Victory 1945 takes a step back in time to the end of the war, alongside the people who experienced it.

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'This book is an extremely important part of women's social history. Read it!' - Maxine PeakeRobin Hood, Dick Turpin, Ronnie Biggs, the Krays … All have become folk heroes, glamorised and romanticised, even when they killed. But where are their female equivalents? Where are the street robbers, gang leaders, diamond thieves, gold smugglers and bank robbers?Queens of the Underworld reveals the incredible story of female crooks from the seventeenth century to the present. From Moll Cutpurse to the Black Boy Alley Ladies, from jewel thief Emily Lawrence to bandit leader Elsie Carey and burglar Zoe Progl, these were charismatic women at the top of their game. But female criminals have long been dismissed as either not ‘real women’ or not ‘real criminals’, and in the process their stories have been lost.Caitlin Davies unravels the myths, confronts the lies and tracks down modern-day descendants in order to tell the truth about their lives for the first time.

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The military toll of World War I is widely known: millions of Britons were mobilised, many thousands killed or wounded, and the landscape of British society changed forever. But how was the conflict experienced by the people of Surrey on the home front? Surrey Heritage’s project Surrey in the Great War: A County Remembers has, over the four-year centenary commemoration, explored the wartime stories of Surrey’s people and places. The project’s discoveries are here captured through text, case studies and images. This book chronicles the mobilisation of Surrey men, the training of foreign troops in the county, objection to military service, defence against invasion, voluntary work and fundraising, the experiences of women and children, shortages, industrial supply to the armed forces and the commemoration of Surrey’s dead. Drawing heavily on the rich archives of Surrey Heritage, it is an engaging exploration of a county in the shadow of the first globalised war between industrialised nations.

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Since the suffrage campaigns in the early twentieth century, the advancement of women’s rights in the UK has been nonstop. Proponents of the cause have aimed for equality across all sectors: personal and civil rights, employment rights, equal pay – and yet Britain’s first official female ambassador did not take up her position until 1976. Many obstacles lay between a capable, educated woman and the fulfilment of her potential. Here, Elizabeth and Richard Warburton cast a detailed eye over the advancement of women in the Foreign Office, as diplomats, ambassadors, ministers and Foreign Secretary. Leaving no stone unturned, they discuss the culturally conservative, closed pillar of the Foreign Office in the context of the times, and of the development of women’s rights both in the UK and across the first world. Supported by first-person accounts, they explore the stories of those who successfully broke through the constraints of convention, prejudice and law, and why.

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Much has been written about the 302 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were executed for military offences during the First World War, but there is usually only a passing reference to those who took part – the members of the firing squad, the officer in charge, the medical officer and the padre. What are their stories? Through extensive research, David Johnson explores the controversial story of the men forced to shoot their fellow Tommies, examining how they were selected, how they were treated before, during and after the executions and why there were so many procedural variations in the way that the executions were conducted.

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Most of us remember the seventh of September 1940 as the day the London docks were bombed and devastated by fire. I remember it as the day I was called up. But the police car that collected me took me to Wormwood Scrubs Prison . . . Major Ronnie Reed never spoke about what he did in the Second World War. He was only 23 when it broke out; an amateur radio enthusiast who was working as a maintenance engineer for the BBC. And yet, despite minimal money and qualifications, he became one of the men behind some of the most remarkable spy stories of all time. Recruited in the dead of night from his Anderson shelter, Ronnie became a case officer for double agents, including Eddie Chapman, known then as Agent Zigzag. The passport photo of The Man Who Never Was, was a photo of Ronnie Reed. For ten years after the Second World War, he headed the anti-Russian department of MI5, dealing with notorious spies such as Philby, Burgess and Maclean. In 1994, shortly before Ronnie’s death, he revealed the truth of his remarkable past to his son, Nicholas. In Spy Runner he reveals his father’s fascinating story with a collection of recently released reports and photos from The National Archives, and intimate family snaps.

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Before Marilyn tells the story of Marilyn Monroe’s modelling career, during which time she was signed to the famous Blue Book Agency in Hollywood. The head of the agency, Miss Emmeline Snively, saw potential in the young woman and kept detailed records and correspondence throughout their professional relationship and beyond. On the day of Monroe’s funeral, Snively gave an interview from her office, talking about the girl she had discovered, before announcing, rather dramatically, that she was closing the lid on her Marilyn Monroe archive that day – to ‘lock it away forever’. This archive was purchased by Astrid Franse, and together with bestselling Marilyn Monroe biographer Michelle Morgan they draw on this collection of never-before-seen documents, letters and much, much more. Before Marilyn explores an aspect of Monroe’s life that has never been fully revealed – by charting every modelling job she did, and illustrating the text with rare and unpublished photographs of the young model and her mentor.

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Jean Harlow, the Godmother of Blondes, lit the torch for the blonde bombshell, creating an image and persona that would be passed on for generations to come. Jean’s life was cut tragically short at the age of 26, but the flame reignited in the 1950s with the most notorious blondes of all time: Ruth Ellis, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Diana Dors. Each left a legacy that has ensured the fire will never be completely extinguished, affecting not only individual lives but society across a world stage. From Marilyn’s stardom and Diana’s unwavering integrity, to Ruth’s tragic status as the last woman hanged in Britain, all of these women experienced success and tragedy, love and heartbreak, and attention both positive and negative. Bombshells examines these five exceptional women in the context of the 1950s, the expectations and constrictions society had at the time and how they pushed through barriers and paved the way for the real sexual revolution.

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After the end of hostilities in 1945, the fishing industry was quick to establish some semblance of recovery and a surge of new builds and restoration of Admiralty motor fishing vessels soon followed. In Fraserburgh, on Scotland’s east coast, several established yards satiated this desire amongst the fishing-boat owners for new craft. Thus it wasn’t surprising that a new yard sprung up at the end of the 1940s when three local apprentices from one of the yards decided to set up their own boatbuilding yard on the breakwater, in what was a very exposed position. And so the yard of Thomas Summers & Co. was born, a yard that became synonymous with fine seaworthy fishing boats suited to various methods of fishing. In the space of just thirteen years they produced eighty-eight fishing vessels and their output was more prolific than most of the other Scottish boatyards. Many of these boats survive to this day, some still working as fishing vessels, and others converted to pleasure, a testament to their superb design and solid construction. Here, Mike Smylie recounts the story of Thomas Summers & Co. through historic records and personal memories of both fishermen and family members, with many striking photographs of the boats they built.

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The pilgrims in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales begin their journey in a London inn and they stay at many more as they wend their way to Becket's tomb. Leading beer writer Roger Protz remains faithful to the route, visiting pubs of historic interest and breweries old and new before embarking on the Pilgrims' Way from Winchester to Canterbury, revealing fascinating history as well as a few more spots to sample a pint.The Canterbury Ales is a feast of a book for those who love good beer, pubs, breweries … and Chaucer's literary masterpiece.

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What is the connection between the number 13 and Jack the Ripper? Why was the number 18 crucial in catching Acid Bath murderer John George Haigh? And what is so puzzling about the number 340 in the chilling case of the Zodiac killer? The answers to all these questions and many more are revealed in a unique, number-crunching history of the ultimate crime. James Moore’s Murder by Numbers tells the story of murder through the centuries in an entirely new way … through the key digits involved. Each entry starts with a number and leads into a different aspect of murder, be it a fascinating angle to a case or revealing insights into murder methods, punishments and, of course, the chilling figures behind the most notorious killers from our past. From the grizzly death toll of the world’s worst serial killer to your own odds of being murdered, this guide will appeal to the connoisseur of true crime and the casual reader alike.

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The Tour de France is a race like no other, so perhaps it’s no surprise that it attracts racers like no other. The winner of the second Tour actually came fifth – but the four racers before him were disqualified for cheating. The 1932 champion credits his win with saving him from capture by the Nazis, as the soldiers recognised him from the podium. One of Britain’s best cyclists of the modern era only got into European racing by forging an email. Tour de France Champions is a journey to the summit of cycling, looking at those who have taken on the roads and mountains of France to prevail above all others and win cycling’s greatest prize. Giles Belbin presents the stories of all those who have claimed the original and greatest Grand Tour, the one race that still transcends the sport of cycling: the Tour de France.

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Today, 16–18 Beak Street is a burger bar, but don’t let the muddy grey of the whitewashed oak walls deceive you. This building was once filled with dancing showgirls in glitzy costumes, performing to over 100 people a night. For this corner of Soho once housed Murray’s Cabaret Club; night after night it forged fantasies for deadened aristocrats, served dishes of dreams to Arab businessmen, and provided refuge for hounded celebrities. Founder Percival ‘Pops’ Murray introduced London to the ‘Cabaret Floorshow’, hiring an army of dancers, musicians and seamstresses to make sure that everything was perfect – from the dancers’ painted nails and intricate costumes, to the polished wood walls and the gleaming glass stage. However, the spell was broken in 1963 when the Profumo Scandal erupted – a love triangle between a Murray’s showgirl, Britain’s Minister of War, and a Soviet spy, all at the height of the Cold War. Here, Benjamin Levy tells the story of Murray’s founding and the tales of the dancers both before and after their time at the club, the work that went into the shows and - in dazzling photographs and designs – reveals the recently discovered costumes that were worn in London’s most glamorous floorshow.

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In this entertaining book the author identifies each of the old coaching inns which provide ample evidence of Amersham's importance as a stopping place on the great coach road from London to the Midlands. He traces the history of all the town's tanneries and proves that Weller's brewery is much older than previously believed and that its many maltings were selling vast quantities of malt to London brewers in the 17th century. He does not neglect the townspeople themselves, not least the Drakes of Shardeloes who dominated the political, religious and social life of Amersham for 350 years. Here he is able to draw on the unique knowledge of Barney Tyrwhitt Drake, a direct descendant. Julian Hunt's well-researched narrative is both comprehensive and easy to read. Splendidly illustrated, it is a significant contribution to the published history of Buckinghamshire and will be warmly welcomed in and around old Amersham itself.

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Life at sea in the nineteenth century was demanding and perilous. Seamen had to be able to rely on those around them. This was easier said than done. The sea could be, and still is, a place of constant and unpredictable danger, whether by storm, shipboard disease or threat from the crew. Stories of unimaginable cruelties inflicted upon crews by savage officers and treacheries committed by mutinous crews were the soap operas of the day. People followed the trials in the newspapers, hanging hungrily on to each new piece of detail. Tales of suffering, hardship and treachery were thrilling to those on land but also replete with piteous infamy.

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Royal Bargemasters have been serving their monarchs for over 800 years, yet their story has never been told. Always working in close proximity to their sovereigns, they have witnessed and played their part in many of the important events in our country’s history. They have been close witnesses to rebellions and coronations, to initial courting and grand royal weddings, and added their colourful presence to the splendour of celebrations and pageants. Painstakingly researched by ex-Royal Bargemaster Robert Crouch and professional researcher Beryl Pendley, this beautifully illustrated book offers a colourful insight into the role of the Bargemasters over the centuries, revealing the part they have played in both the day-to-day lives of the Royal Family and their contribution to great ceremonial occasions from the Plantagenets to our present Queen.

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Celebrate the women who helped win the Second World War. With so many of the nation’s men fighting in Europe or further afield, the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), Women’s Land Army (WLA), Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) were essential parts of the Home Front. From taking care of farmland and animal husbandry to testing weapons with live ammunition and transporting aircraft across the country, women from all over the nation stepped up to serve King and Country. They set a precedent for female integration into the military, with the WAAF and WRNS continuing in some form until they were absorbed into the main armed forces at the end of the twentieth century. The lives of these servicewomen are presented and commemorated here through a collection of images taken from Mirrorpix’s formidable archive.

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On 16 July 1936 a man in a brown suit stepped from the crowd on London’s Constitution Hill and pointed a loaded revolver at King Edward VIII as he rode past. The monarch was moments from death. But MI5 and the Metropolitan Police Special Branch had known for three months an attack was planned: the man in the brown suit himself had warned them. This mysterious man, lost to history, was George McMahon, a petty criminal with a record of involvement with the police. He was also an MI5 informant, providing intelligence on Italian and possibly German espionage in Britain. Dismissed by the rest of the world as a drunken loser and fantasist, he saw his life as an epic drama. Why did MI5 and the police fail to act? Was it a simple blunder on the part of the security services, or was something far more sinister involved? In this first full-length study of the threat to the life of Edward VIII, James Parris uses material from MI5 and police files at the National Archives to reach explosive conclusions about the British Establishment’s determination to remove Edward from the throne.

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Coconuts have been around for longer than Homo sapiens; they have been turned into art, taken part in religious rituals and been a sign of wealth and success. They have saved lives, not only by providing nourishment, but also as part of the charcoal filers in First World War gas masks. It was coconuts that triggered the mutiny on the Bounty, and coconuts that saved the life of the man who went on to become the 35th President of the United States. The coconut has long been the unseen player in the endeavours of industrialists and bomb makers, physicians and silversmiths, smugglers and snake charmers. To this day, coconuts shape the lives of people around the world. At a time when coconut products crowd the shelves of supermarkets, health food shops and beauty salons, Robin Laurance looks beyond the oils and health drinks to uncover the unexpected, often surprising, and vital roles played by the coconut palm and its nut in times past and present.

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We have been cruising and exploring polar waters since the nineteenth century, but very little has been written about them. Drawing on expert research, Of Penguins and Polar Bears seeks to rectify this, and looks at activity in both the Antarctic and Arctic waters – the homes of the penguins and the polar bears – to provide insight into how the passenger trades developed in these regions. With over a hundred stunning pictures, this is a must-have gazetteer for anyone thinking about cruising the Earth’s ‘last frontier’. From William Bradford’s cruise to Greenland in a seal-hunting boat in 1869 to the newest builds of the twenty-first century, let Arctic expert Christopher Wright take you on a journey through lands less travelled.

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Do you think that legends are all about princes and princesses, knights and heroes, giants and monsters? Well, they aren’t always. The stories in this book are about girls like you and girls you might know: clever, strong, brave and resourceful. Here you can read the story of Vasilisa, who wasn’t afraid of the deep dark forest; Mollie Whuppie, who knew how to trick a giant; Tipingi, who was able to call on her friends to help her get out of trouble; Seren, who used her love of singing to help others; and many more fearless characters. Storyteller Fiona Collins has chosen the best of the old tales from all around the world and reworked them into new and exciting versions to be enjoyed by everyone, accompanied by magical illustrations by talented artist Ed Fisher.

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Norman Cross was the site of the world’s first purpose-built prisoner-of- war camp constructed during the Napoleonic Wars. Opened in 1797, it was more than just a prison: it was a town in itself, with houses, offices, butchers, bakers, a hospital, a school, a market and a banking system. It was an important prison and military establishment in the east of England with a lively community of some 7,000 French inmates. Alongside a comprehensive examination of the prison itself, this detailed and informative book, compiled by a leading expert on the Napoleonic era, explores what life was like for inmates and turnkeys alike – the clothing, food, health, education, punishment and, ultimately, the closure of the depot in 1814.

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‘Enthralling . . . an essential read, particularly for fans of 007.’ - Cinema Retro‘When Harry Met Cubby is a fitting tribute to two extraordinary men. If you love behind the scenes stories about the making of movies, there’s plenty of drama to sate you here.’ - Entertainment FocusAlbert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and Harry Saltzman remain the most successful producing partnership in movie history. Together they were responsible for the phenomenally successful James Bond series; separately they brought kitchen-sink drama to the screen, made a star out of Michael Caine in the Harry Palmer films and were responsible for the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But their relationship was fraught almost from the very beginning. With such contrasting personalities, their interactions often span out of control. They managed to drive away their coveted star, Sean Connery, and ultimately each other.Loved and hated in equal measure, respected and feared by their contemporaries, few people have loomed as large over the film industry as Broccoli and Saltzman, yet their lives went in very different directions. Broccoli was feted as Hollywood royalty, whereas Saltzman ended up a forgotten recluse. When Harry Met Cubby charts the changing fortunes and clashing personalities of two titans of the big screen.

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The television set – the humble box in the corner of almost every British household – has brought about some of the biggest social changes in modern times. It gives us a window into the lives of people who are different from us: different classes, different races, different sexualities. And through this window, we’ve learnt that, perhaps, we’re not so different after all. Playing Gay in the Golden Age of British TV looks at gay male representation on and off the small screen – from the programmes that hinted at homoeroticism to Mary Whitehouse’s Clean Up TV campaign, and The Naked Civil Servant to the birth of Channel 4 as an exciting ‘alternative’ television channel. Here, acclaimed social historian Stephen Bourne tells the story of the innovation, experimentation, back-tracking and bravery that led British television to help change society for the better.

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Kent has been the gateway to Britain since prehistoric man first set foot on our soil. Its people have repelled invaders including Julius Caesar, the Vikings and William the Conqueror, while welcoming migrants from countries such as France, Austria and the Netherlands. In turn, men from Kent played a part in invading and conquering such faraway places as Canada and the USA, leaving their stamp on the world at large. This volume is a tribute to those who have shaped our society and the world around us: from the long barrow at Trottescliffe and the medieval abbey of St Augustine to the Channel Tunnel and Bluewater Shopping Centre, it is plain to see that the landscape around us is itself a monument to those who went before.

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On 14 June 1919 – eight years before Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic – two men from Manchester took off in an open-cockpit Vickers Vimy and flew into the history books. They battled through a sixteen-hour journey of snow, ice and continuous cloud, with a non-functioning wireless and a damaged exhaust that made it impossible to hear each other. And then, just five hours away from Ireland and high above the sea, the Vimy stalled. Yesterday We Were in America is the incredible story of John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown, and how they gave hope to a post-war world that was in grave need of it.

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Do you remember the docks? In its heyday, the Port of London was the biggest in the world. It was a sprawling network of quays, wharves, canals and basins, providing employment for over 100,000 people. From the dockworker to the prostitute, the Romans to the Republic of the Isle of Dogs, London’s docklands have always been a key part of the city. But it wasn’t to last. They might have recovered from the devastating bombing raids of the Second World War – but it was the advent of the container ships, too big to fit down the Thames, that would sound the final death knell. Over 150,000 men lost their jobs, whole industries disappeared, and the docks gradually turned to wasteland. In London’s Docklands: A History of the Lost Quarter, best-selling historian Fiona Rule ensures that, though the docklands may be all but gone, they will not be forgotten.

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That's one small step for man… The Moon has always fascinated humans, and thoughts on how to get there occupied minds for hundreds of years. During the space race, setting foot on the Moon was the ultimate goal and the Apollo missions to the Moon are amongst the most successful and well-remembered manned space flights that NASA ever accomplished. In Project Apollo Norman Ferguson reveals fascinating facts and figures, and recounts amazing stories about the astronauts and their spacecraft, and how they made the giant leap for mankind.

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After the guns fell silent in May 1945, the USSR resumed its clandestine warfare against the western democracies. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin installed secret police services in all the satellite countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Trained by his NKVD – a predecessor of the KGB – officers of the Polish UB, the Czech StB, the Hungarian AVO, Romania’s Securitate, Bulgaria’s KDS, Albania’s Sigurimi and the Stasi of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) spied on and ruthlessly repressed their fellow citizens on the Soviet model. When the resultant hatred exploded in uprisings – in GDR 1953, Hungary 1956 and Czechoslovakia 1968 – they were put down by brutality, bloodshed and Soviet tanks. What was at first not so obvious was that these state terror organisations were also designed for military and commercial espionage in the West, to conceal the real case officers in Moscow. Specially trained operatives undertook mokrye dyela or ‘wet jobs’, including assassination of émigrés and other anti-Soviet figures. Perhaps the most menacing were the sleepers who settled in the West, married and had children while waiting to strike against their host countries. Many of them are still among us. Here, historian and author Douglas Boyd explores for the first time the relationship between the KGB and its ghastly brood of ‘daughters’ – a true family from hell.

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Oriana was the first in a new generation of British-based cruise ships specifically designed for the UK market. She was built by Meyer Werft in Germany and was named by HM the Queen, giving her fame and recognition from day one. Entering service in 1995, Oriana’s elegant design and sophisticated on-board ambiance meant she quickly became a firm favourite for cruise passengers both in the UK and abroad. Today, nearly twenty-five years after her launch, she is a much-loved modern classic. Her active cruising schedule has seen her visit ports across the globe including Hong Kong, Sydney and Cape Town, as well as countless calls to Southampton. Written and photographed by well-known maritime history authors Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross, Oriana: A Photographic Journey is an engaging visual tour of this remarkable ship, all from the comfort of your own living room. With Oriana’s 2019 departure from P&O Cruises, this book is a must-have keepsake for anyone who has sailed aboard Oriana or seen her during one of her calls, as well as all readers with an appreciation for cruise ships and the sea.

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When Ronald Waters bought 90 acres of farmland adjacent to the Gatwick racecourse in 1930 in order to set up a private airfield, little did he know how that airfield would evolve over the next eighty-nine years to become the world’s busiest single-runway airport. Back in the 1960s and ’70s it became a hub for aircraft enthusiasts and photographers who, thanks to the viewing decks, could get up close to the aircraft and enjoy the eclectic mix of new jetliners and old propeller airliners. Tom Singfield, ex-Gatwick Air Traffic Controller and a fan of all classic airliners, has long dreamt of a book showcasing the glory days of Gatwick’s classic airliners. After thirty years of searching out the very best colour images of that time, he is now able to publish the results of his searches in this book. These stunning pictures celebrate those wonderful times and the amazing and much missed ‘propliners’ that operated from Gatwick for the first twenty years after its reopening in 1958.

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Formed in 1918, the Royal Air Force is the oldest independent air force in the world. This long history has seen operations conducted across a variety of terrains in vastly different aircraft, from biplanes to bombers, from jet to delta wing, through to the fighter, surveillance, and air mobility aircraft of today. This book charts the story of the RAF through its aircraft and its most significant events, remembering and highlighting such key milestones as the Battle of Britain and the Dams Raid. The RAF Colouring Book is the perfect gift for children and RAF enthusiasts, and will keep them occupied and educated for hours.

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Borley Rectory in Essex, built in 1862, should have been an ordinary Victorian clergyman's house. However, just a year after its construction, unexplained footsteps were heard within the house, and from 1900 until it burned down in 1939 numerous paranormal phenomena, including phantom coaches and shattering windows, were observed. In 1929 the house was investigated by the Daily Mail and paranormal researcher Harry Price, and it was he who called it 'the most haunted house in England.' Price also took out a lease of the rectory from 1937 to 1938, recruiting forty-eight 'official observers' to monitor occurences. After his death in 1948, the water was muddied by claims that Price's findings were not genuine paranormal activity, and ever since there has been a debate over what really went on at Borley Rectory. Paul Adams, Eddie Brazil and Peter Underwood here present a comprehensive guide to the history of the house and the ghostly (or not) goings-on there.

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On 16 May 1943, nineteen Lancaster aircraft from the RAF’s 617 Squadron set off to attack the great dams in the industrial heart of Germany. Flying at a height of 60ft, they dropped a series of bombs which bounced across the water and destroyed two of their targets, thereby creating a legend. The one-off operation combined an audacious method of attack, technically brilliant flying and visually spectacular results. But while the story of Operation Chastise is well known, most of the 133 ‘Dambusters’ who took part in the Dams Raid have until now been just names on a list. They came from all parts of the UK and the Commonwealth and beyond, and each of them was someone’s son or brother, someone’s husband or father. This is the first book to present their individual stories and celebrate their skill, heroism and, for many, sacrifice.

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D-Day was unprecedented. An invasion of this scale and magnitude had never been carried out before. The landings in North Africa, Sicily and Italy were of limited scope by comparison; if they had failed it would not have been a complete disaster, whereas Normandy heralded the long-awaited Second Front. This dramatic new study investigates the great feats of unique problem-solving that enabled the success of such an important invasion. Military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones brings his expert eye to bear on the D-Day landings and subsequent Normandy campaign. He reassesses the technical ingenuity required through the eyes of those who fought there, and vividly reveals how each side managed, whether dealing with the challenges of crossing the Channel safely or in defence of the French coast. Including first-hand accounts, D-Day 1944 places the reader in the thick of the action.

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No place sums up the Bristol attitude of artistic creation and rebellion as Stokes Croft and Montpelier. With its world-renowned street art, thriving local scene and diverse cultural history, Stokes Croft has for decades been resisting the inevitable creep of corporate interests, but more importantly offers up an alternative. Colin’s photographs take you under the skin of the people, cultures, and place in this unique area of the city, where lives intersect and a new world is being created every day.

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Following the four books describing his successful career as a military and civilian pilot, in Flying Past Mike Brooke gives the reader a fascinating insight into his experiences flying historic aircraft at airshows in the UK and Europe. From the highs to the lows he takes us through the feeling of flying a Spitfire, working with the Red Devils Parachute Team, flying with The Shuttleworth Collection and in the Harvard Formation Team, and the pressures put on display pilots – as well as the importance of preparation, discipline and safety. This entertaining and informative collection of stories will not only delight the many who have enjoyed Mike’s series of memoirs so far, but also appeal to anyone with an interest in classic historic aircraft, aerobatics and airshows.

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Wexford is one of the few towns or cities in Ireland where Main Street is still the main retail and commercial street of the town. In Dublin this honour goes to O’Connell and Grafton Street; in Cork it is Patrick Street; but in Wexford, Main Street is the hub and the site of Wexford’s hidden historical gems. Main Street: Heart of Wexford contains little-known photographs, interesting advertisements and intriguing information about the street, such as the presence of a bag factory on South Main Street, Frank Hall of Radio Telefis Eireann being the official opener of the Book Centre in Wexford on 13 June 1975, and that Lamb House was a shop at the top of Anne Street on the south side and had a life-size lamb as its shop sign. Both insightful and comprehensive, this book is a wonderful history concentrating on the principal street of Wexford.

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While the heroic exploits of ‘The Few’ of Fighter Command are rightly lauded, those of ‘The Many’ of Bomber Command often remain overlooked. Night after night, the bomber crews ranged across Europe seeking out and attacking targets in an all-out effort to undermine the German war effort against Britain and prevent invasion. The Other Battle of Britain tells the stories of the young men who carried out dangerous missions on a nightly basis, battling against both the enemy and the elements, relying on a mix of nerve, skills and luck to hit their target and make it home. Faced with flak and fighters, exposed to the harsh weather conditions and operating at the edge of their capabilities, for the young men of Bomber Command, this was ‘The Other Battle of Britain’.

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These true stories drawn from historical sources and local reminiscences, have been brought together and retold by Eamonn Henry. This collection is a heady mix of tragic, funny, passionate and moving stories. Included here are tales of well-known events such as the Night of the Big Wind and the Flight of the Wild Geese as well as less well-known occurrences such as the Doolough Tragedy and the Lough Mask Murders and recalls local characters such as confidence trickster Old Neddy and the universally reviled Shaun na Soggarth.

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In 1943, as war raged along the Eastern Front, the German forces attempted to push further east in the brutal Operation Citadel, which saw one of the largest armoured clashes in history: the Battle of Prokhorovka.Countered by two Soviet attacks, this operation saw the tide turn on the Eastern Front. For the first time a German offensive was halted in its tracks and the Soviets ended the conflict as the decisive victors. With a loss of over 200,000 men on both sides, this two-month clash was one of the costliest of the war. In this dramatic study, Anthony Tucker-Jones reassesses this decisive tank battle through the eyes of those who fought, using translated first-person accounts. Kursk 1943 is one volume that no military history enthusiast should be without.

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This book traces the development of the four coastal villages – often referred to as ‘the Four Sisters’ – that make up the eastern part Dublin 4 from their foundation to the present day. Richly illustrated with modern and historic images, this work looks at the social, political, religious and economic history of Ringsend, Irishtown, Sandymount and Merrion, recalling the significant events, vanished industries and local characters.

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Do you know what Áine’s tiny spoon was used for? What was hiding up Mrs O’Flaherty’s chimney? How did the fairy man help the tailor’s apprentice? Who was the little flower of Castleknock Castle? What looks just like the skin of a rainbow? You’ll find all the answers and loads more useful stuff inside this book. Dublin Folk Tales for Children is full of imagination, with stories specially selected for the enjoyment of 7- to 11-year-old readers. These tales are reshaped and created by writer and storyteller Órla Mc Govern, and illustrated by Gala Tomasso. They are made to be read, told, and passed on. Inside you’ll find tales like ‘Filou, Filou’, ‘G’wan Oura Dat’ and ‘The Two Trees’, and each dances off the page with magic and adventure.

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The plot could have been inspired by Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies, but unlike Waugh’s novel – which parodies the era of the ‘Bright Young Things’ – The Mistress of Mayfair is a real-life story of scandal, greed, corruption and promiscuity at the heart of 1920s and ’30s high society, focusing on the wily, wilful socialite Doris Delevingne and her doomed relationship with the gossip columnist Valentine Browne, Viscount Castlerosse. Marrying each other in pursuit of the finer things in life, their unlikely union was tempestuous from the off, rocked by affairs (with a whole host of society figures, including Cecil Beaton, Diana Mitford and Winston Churchill, to name but a few) on both sides, and eventually degenerated into one of London’s bitterest, and most talked about, divorce battles. In The Mistress of Mayfair, Lyndsy Spence follows the rise and fall of their relationship, exploring their decadent society lives in revelatory detail and offering new insight into some of the mid-twentieth century’s most prominent figures.

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