Search results for ""the history press ltd""

St Ermin’s Hotel has been at the centre of British intelligence since the 1930s, when it was known to MI6 as ‘The Works Canteen’. Intelligence officers such as Ian Fleming and Noel Coward were to be found in the hotel’s Caxton Bar, along with other less well-known names. Winston Churchill allegedly conceived the idea of the Special Operations Executive there over a glass (or two) of his favourite champagne in the early days of the Second World War, and the operation was started up in three gloomy rooms on the hotel’s second floor, with the traitorous Cambridge Spies among its founders. When Stalin’s Russia turned to a peacetime enemy in the Cold War that followed, Kim Philby and Guy Burgess handed over intelligence to their Russian counterparts in the dark corners of the hotel, while MI6 man George Blake operated as a Soviet double agent just across the road in Artillery Mansions. Meanwhile, St Ermin’s proximity to government offices ensured its continued use by both domestic and foreign secret agents. In this first book on St Ermin’s, Peter Matthews, a witness to the intelligence battle for supremacy between MI5, MI6 and the KGB, explores this remarkable true history that is more riveting than any spy novel.

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Artist Tony Both worked in Liverpool during the early 1960s, just around the corner from The Cavern Club and close to the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein's office in Whitechapel. Tony's work caught Epstein's eye, and he would go on to produce posters, printed leaflets and a wide variety of publicity and display materials for Epstein's artists, most notably for a young four-piece beat combo called the Beatles. Alongside his work for Epstein, Tony produced hand-painted gig posters for many promoters, including Sam Leach, Allan Williams and The Cavern Club's DJ Bob Wooler, who also promoted many of the big events. Tony's original posters now fetch a considerable sum of money, and The Beatles in Posters features these as well as exact replicas of those that have been lost to time. This is the first book of its type and is a must-buy for all fans of the Fab Four and the Merseybeat scene.

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Celebrating Edinburgh’s diverse riches, this quiz book invites you to come on a wide-ranging exploration of Scotland’s hilly capital. Peel away its many layers in the company of one of Edinburgh’s top Blue Badge tourist guides. These 22 tours will inspire you, your family, colleagues and friends to leap from page to pavement in the entertaining company of a local expert. Have fun!

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Once hailed by John Osborne as ‘the greatest actor since Brando’, latterly known as a ruined genius whose unpredictable, hellraising behaviour was legendary, Nicol Williamson always went his own way. Openly dismissive of ‘technical’ actors, or others who played The Bard as if ‘their finger was up their arse’, Williamson tore up the rule book to deliver a fast-talking canon of Shakespearean heroes, with portrayals marked by gut-wrenching passion. According to one co-star, Williamson was like a tornado on stage – ‘he felt he was paddling for his life’. Fiercely uncompromising, choosy about the roles he accepted, contemptuous of the ‘suits’ who made money from artists, and a perfectionist who never accepted second best from himself or others, Nicol sometimes alienated those around him. But even his detractors still acknowledge his brilliance. After an extraordinary career on both stage and screen, Williamson was burnt out as an actor by the age of 60. Yet, as Gabriel Hershman explains in this authorised biography, a premature end was perhaps inevitable for an actor who always went the extra mile in every performance.

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In 1465, the Nevills must have thought they’d reached the pinnacle of power and influence in England. Richard Nevill was the king’s right-hand man and married to the richest woman in the kingdom; John Nevill was an accomplished soldier who’d done much to stabilise the new dynasty; and George Nevill was not only chancellor but newly enthroned as Archbishop of York. The Nevill women were as active as their male counterparts. As sisters and wives, daughters and daughters-in-laws, they had the ears of the elite in England and were not afraid of wielding their influence. And they were not always on the same side. Cracks in the stability of the most powerful family in England began to show. Rivalries led to serious conflict that worsened when King Edward IV impulsively married Elizabeth Wydeville, a choice of bride that did not please everyone. The Nevills had already lost a great deal for the Yorkist cause. Within six years, as the Wars of the Roses turned into one of the bloodiest periods of English history, they’d lose even more for the Lancastrians.

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Between 1835 and the 1850s, railway mania blossomed around Britain. Crime emerged as the railways developed, at first opportunistic crimes such as fare evasion and robberies, but gradually more inventive forms evolved, notably the minor clerk Redpath in the 1850s, whose shameless cooking of the books to live the high life exposed the lack of any kind of accountancy across the railway industry. The first train murder was not until the 1840s, and sparked great fear of foreigners as a German was charged and hanged for the crime. The outcry resulted in the communication cord being introduced to the railway carriages, so that no longer would they exist as completely separate spaces and passengers could alert the driver to any assault within. This fascinating history covers all varieties of crime on the railways and how it has changed over the years, from assaults and robberies, to theft of goods, murder, vandalism, football and other crowd activity, suicide on the line, fraud and white collar crime, and also looks at the use of railway crime in film and literature.

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The Remembrance Poppy is a haunting reminder of the ultimate cost of war. Worn by millions around the world every year, the Poppy compels us to remember war’s dead, wounded and bereaved, regardless of nationality or conflict. As we reflect on the centenary of the First World War, this book charts the history of the Remembrance Poppy, from its origins in the battle-tortured landscape of Flanders in 1915 to its enduring relevance in the present day. It sets the Poppy in its context of tragedy and sacrifice, always acknowledging that our war dead are gone, but not forgotten.

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Anglo-Saxon invaders first settled at the point where the ancient Barton Street trackway forded the river Lud in the late fifth or early sixth century. Following the arrival of Christianity, the little settlement became an important religious centre and the location, in the eighth century, of a monastery. This was destroyed by Danish invaders, and the last Bishop of Lindsey, Herefrith, died a martyr’s death at Viking hands, but the settlement flourished under Danish rule as a centre for the surrounding agricultural area, and by the time of the Norman Conquest had established a weekly market. A planned new town was developed on the level terrace south of the river and grew as England’s wool trade prospered, assisted by the entrepreneurial activities of the Cistercian monks of nearby Louth Park Abbey. Its wealth in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was reflected in the rebuilding of the parish church, which culminated in the completion of the magnificent spire in 1515. A number of local men were hanged in Louth market place for their part in the Lincolnshire Rising, and successive plagues had a devastating effect in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but growth returned following the arrival, first, of the turnpike roads, and then the building of the canal and the railway. Today the town is still an important home for light industry and the market centre for the surrounding district. This fully illustrated account of the town’s history combines a useful overview of the major influences upon Louth’s development with a wealth of detail which brings to life the community in times past. It will be enjoyed by all those with an interest in Lincolnshire history as well as those keen to find out more about the place in which they live.

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‘Inch by inch, he moved the gun out from underneath his stomach, over to his right side. He rolled over just enough to get the gun in the clear, slowly raised the barrel aimed at the engineer’s heart, then changed his mind, aimed to the ceiling above the engineer’s shoulder, and pulled the trigger.’ On the afternoon of Friday 13 July 1956, seven desperate young people boarded a plane in the People’s Republic of Hungary with the intention of hijacking it, diverting it to West Germany and claiming political asylum. One of the seven was Frank Iszak, a young journalist at the apex of the Communist terror in Hungary, whose controversial articles had landed him in a uranium mine for ‘re-education’. He broke out, but remained a fugitive within the country’s heavily guarded borders. In order to escape, he put together a boxing team, and en route to the regional championship they diverted their flight across the Iron Curtain. They had no weapons, no map, and no idea whether the plane carried enough fuel to get them there. They would have to brave the gun of the security officer on board, the wild manoeuvres of the pilot, the Russian MiG fighters in hot pursuit, and a harrowing flight over the stormy Alps without navigation. Such a feat had never before been attempted, and they all knew that failure would mean certain death.

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The British soldier of the Great War has been depicted in many books. Invariably, a pen picture paints him as stoic, joining the army in a wave of patriotic fervour, and destined to serve four years on the Western Front in some of the most costly battles in history. Yet often the picture is difficult to resolve for the reader. How did the soldier live, where did he sleep? What was it like to go over the top, and when he did, what did he carry with him? For many, the idea of trench life is hazy, and usually involves ‘drowning in mud’, in, as one writer put it, ‘the pitiless misery’ of Passchendaele. Remembering Tommy pays tribute to the real British soldier of the Great War. In stunning images of uniforms, equipment and ephemera, it conjures the atmosphere of the trenches through the belongings of the soldiers themselves – allowing us almost to reach out and touch history.

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As Milton Keynes celebrates its 50th birthday, Maker-Artists of Milton Keynes delves into the lives and work of twenty-five makers of hand-crafted artistic objects who are based in the city today. The featured maker-artists are chosen for the ways in which their use of the traditional materials of ceramics, wood, metal, glass and textiles, in the words of William Morris, ‘beautifies the familiar matters of the everyday’. As well as exploring their skills and displaying the delightful objects they make, this book uncovers the maker-artists’ networks of local links to people and places. Illustrated with beautiful colour photographs, this book explores how the landscape of Milton Keynes, from the recently built ultra-modern to the enduring pockets of historic buildings, stimulates and enhances the artistic lives of the makers.

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Founded in 1825 by the 21-year-old George Thompson Jnr, the Aberdeen Line developed over 100 years into one of the best-respected shipping lines in Britain. Initially engaged in the UK coastal, Baltic, North American, South American, China and Antipodean trade routes, before settling to become the longest-serving line on the Australian trade via the Cape, the name of Thompson’s Aberdeen was synonymous with the highest professional standards, with such jewels as the clipper Thermopylae and their first steamer, SS Aberdeen. The Aberdeen name navigated commercial takeovers by the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, Shaw Savill and Albion, Lord Kylsant’s Royal Mail Group and Furness Withy, before becoming all but forgotten when it finally furled its sails in 1957. Here Peter King seeks to bring this once prominent shipping line’s history to light once more for the enjoyment of shipping enthusiasts and maritime historians everywhere.

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A ballad is a poem or a song that tells a popular story and many traditional British ballads contain fascinating stories – tales of love and jealousy, murder and mystery, the supernatural and the historical. This anthology brings together nineteen original retellings in short story form, written by some of the country’s most accomplished storytellers, singers and wordsmiths. Here you will find tales of cross-dressing heroines, lusty pirates, vengeful fairy queens, mobsters and monsters, mermaids and starmen – stories that dance with the form and flavour of these narrative folk songs in daring and delightful ways. Richly illustrated, these enchanting tales will appeal to lovers of folk music, storytelling and rattling good yarns.

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There have been many spectacular, tragic, shocking and downright gruesome deaths in Hollywood films over the years, and this little compendium brings together 99 of the most memorable. In this new illustrated book the renowned Kobal Collection gathers the picture library’s most famous cinema stills and presents them together in an entertaining format for the first time. Every cinematic era and genre features - from Hans Gruber’s famous fall from the Nakatomi Plaza in 'Die Hard', to the Wicked Witch from the East being crushed by Dorothy’s farmhouse in 'The Wizard of Oz'. Classic horror movie scenes such Marion Crane’s shocking murder in the shower in 'Psycho' and the twins in 'The Shining' also feature. An excellent gift for cinephiles and fans of horror films alike, '99 Ways to Die in the Movies' captures iconic cinematic moments on the page.

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The creative and technological genius of the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, led to the first powered and controlled flight. Born in Ohio, USA, the brothers’ fascination with flight began at an early age. Their first powered aeroplane, ‘The Wright Flyer’, was tested at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Wilbur’s first flight was on 14 December 1903, but quickly stalled and crashed. Three days later, after repairs, Orville flew to 540ft and landed safely after 12 seconds; this was the first powered flight in aviation history. Packed with facts, figures and little-known details, this book charts the triumphs and tragedies of the Wright brothers as they set about making history together.

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This new illustrated history traces Rye's origins from the Norman Conquest until beyond its period of great prosperity under the Tudor monarchs. Many inhabitants were fishermen on small-scale merchants and owned vessels which they supplied for the king's ship-service, transporting members of the royal family across the Channel or, in wartime, carrying horses and provisions for soldiers. In times of truce Rye's mariners turned to piracy and wrecking, disrupting the cross-Channel trade on which the town's economy also depended. During the Hundred Years War the townsfolk reinforced the defences and, in response to the huge mortality of the Black Death, they endowed an Augustinian Friary so that the brothers would pray for their health and souls. But then Rye entered a period of economic stagnation which saw the disappearance of many trades and crafts that had supported the residents and supplied mariners calling at the port. Rye's revival came towards the end of the 15th century after the harbours of nearby ports such as New Romney and Winchelsea had been damaged by storms and silting. New houses, shops, fishermen's lofts and garrets were built, public buildings were erected on the quayside and a piped water supply replaced the outlying medieval springs. Rye became a prosperous, if crowded, town and its Protestant sympathies and close links to the Continent ensured the arrival of many Huguenot refugees. For over a century Rye continued as the major port in south-east England but as its own harbour silted it was finally eclipsed by Dover in the 17th century. Rye was an Ancient Town which formed part of the important Cinque Ports confederation in the Middle Ages, yet has remained a small town 'almost suspended in time'. This fascinating account explains why modern Rye has its unique appearance and will enlighten those wanting to know more about its past.

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Mark O'Connell didn't want to be Luke Skywalker, He wanted to be one of the mop-haired kids on the Star Wars toy commercials. And he would have done it had his parents had better pine furniture and a condo in California. Star Wars, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Superman didn't just change cinema – they made lasting highways into our childhoods, toy boxes and video stores like never before. In Watching Skies, O'Connell pilots a gilded X-Wing flight through that shared universe of bedroom remakes of Return of the Jedi, close encounters with Christopher Reeve, sticker album swaps, the trauma of losing an entire Stars Wars figure collection and honeymooning on Amity Island. From the author of Catching Bullets – Memoirs of a Bond Fan, Watching Skies is a timely hologram from all our memory systems. It is about how George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, a shark, two motherships, some gremlins, ghostbusters and a man of steel jumper a whole generation to hyperspace.

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L.T.C. Rolt’s fame was born from his unique ability to produce works of literature from subject matter seemingly ill suited to such treatment – engineering, canals, railways, steam engines, agricultural machinery, vintage cars – such as in his classic biographies of Brunel, Telford, Trevithick and the Stephensons, and in his superbly written volumes of autobiography. In Landscape with Machines Rolt told the story of his youth and his subsequent training as an engineer. That book ended with the fulfilment of his dream to convert the narrow boat Cressy into a floating home in which he could travel the then neglected waterways of England and, he hoped, earn his living as a writer. Landscape with Canals takes up the story at this point. It tells of voyages through the secret green water-lanes of England and Wales, and of the beginning of his writing career with the publication of his celebrated first book, Narrow Boat. The underlying theme of Landscape with Machines was the conflict between Rolt’s love for the English landscape and his life-long fascination with machines. In this sequel the same conflict is apparent yet we see how it was at least partly resolved. This is the testament of a man who has given literary shape to the history of the Industrial Revolution and who had a unique gift for imparting to others his knowledge, his enthusiasm and his love of life.

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R.J. (Ron) Buckley’s photographs show the changing locomotive scene taking place throughout the counties of Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire, illustrating from the later 1930s those pre-grouping classes that were still working. These included the work of such well known designers as Wilson Wordsell and Vincent Raven of the North Eastern railway, John Aspinall of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway and Samuel Johnson and Henry Fowler of the Midland Railway. Ron’s later photographs, from 1946 onwards, continue to show remaining working pre-grouping locomotives and also portray the newer designs of William Stanier, Charles Fairburn, Edward Thompson and Arthur Peppercorn, as well as standard examples designed under Robert Riddles.

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1944: Twenty years after WPC Lottie Armstrong was dismissed from the Leeds police force, she’s back, now a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps. Detective Chief Superintendent McMillan is now head of CID, trying to keep order with a depleted force as many of the male officers have enlisted. This hasn’t stopped the criminals, however, and as the Second World War rages around them, can they stop a blackout killer with a taste for murder?

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A must-have A–Z guide with fascinating facts, figures, quotes and statistics from the high-flying world of aviation, From Airbus to Zeppelin has it all. D is for Desert Island Discs: just what would Dambuster Guy Gibson have liked while marooned on his desert island? E is for Everest: did you know that two Scotsmen were the first to fly over the magnificent mountain? F is for Faster than the sun: which aircraft was the first to fly faster than the Earth's rotation? A must-read for anyone interested in the world of aviation – and may win the reader a pub quiz or two!

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Storyteller Tony Bonning brings together stories from one of the most enigmatic regions of Scotland: a land hemmed in by rivers and mountains; a land that vigorously maintained its independence, and by doing so, has many unique tales and legends. Here you will meet strange beasts, creatures and even stranger folk; here you will meet men and women capable of tricking even the Devil himself, and here you will find the very tale that inspired Robert Burns's most famous poem, Tam o'Shanter. With each Story told in an engaging style, and illustrated with unique line drawings, these humorous, clever and enchanting folk tales are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.

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This beautiful spring compendium from Pretty Nostalgic brings together stunning vintage illustrations and the best bits from the past: inspiring stories, treasured collections, and social and domestic history. Learn how to embrace the past through crafting, cooking, upcycling and more, with brilliantly British projects and inspiration throughout. The perfect start to the season of nesting, spring cleaning, fresh flowers and longer days.

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A richly illustrated history exploring life in Kent. This book tells the amazing story of Kent from earliest times to the modern day. Some of the pivotal moments in the Garden of England’s history are recalled, including invasions from Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. It has seen the Black Death, the Peasants’ Revolt, the Swing Riots and, more recently, audacious escapades by suffragettes in the battle for Votes for Women. The story is brought right up to date with the challenges faced by traditional industries and the transformation of cross-Channel travel. The resilient people of Kent have taken it all in their stride and this story encompasses how they lived, worked and played through hundreds of years of colourful history.

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On 16 August 1819 on St Peter’s Field, Manchester, a peaceful demonstration of some 60,000 workers and reformers was brutally dispersed by sabrewielding cavalry, resulting in at least fifteen dead and over 600 injured. Within days the slaughter was named ‘Peter-loo’, as an ironic reference to the battleground of Waterloo. Now the subject of a major film, this highly detailed yet readable narrative, based almost entirely on eyewitness reports and contemporary documents, brings the events of that terrible day vividly to life. In a world in which the legitimacy of facts is in constant jeopardy from media and authoritarian bias, the lessons to be learned from the bloodshed and the tyrannical aftermath are as pertinent today as they were 200 years ago. Film director Mike Leigh has defined Peterloo as ‘the event that becomes more relevant with every new episode of our crazy times’.

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Unseen Hastings and St Leonards features 250 views including previously unpublished photographs that will appeal to everyone with an interest in the history of Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea. Accompanied by informative captions, many of these rare images show streets, houses, shops, railway engines, trolleybuses, and people that have never appeared in print before. All aspects of everyday life are recorded here, offering a unique glimpse of bygone times for all who know and love this beautiful part of the Sussex coast.

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Martial Arts expert Antony Cummins reveals the hitherto hidden world of Viking hand-to-hand combat, employing the sword, the spear, the axe and the shield. Based upon a careful analysis of the Norse Sagas, the techniques described are recreated precisely, from knocking down a spear in mid-flight to the shield cleave. Illustrated with over 250 images, The Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts in effect represents the earliest combat manual in the world. This insight into the warriors who were the scourge of Dark Age Europe is a feat of textual interpretation – and imagination.

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Manchester has a story that is no ordinary local history. Its life has been inextricably entwined with the rise and fall of the nation’s fortunes and, tono small extent, those of the British Empire. Manchester was the shock city of the early 19th century– the place where it was all happening. The radical new relationships forged there between employer and employee greatly influenced the development of Marxism, with all its consequences for the 20th century. In transport terms alone, the city led the way with the first real canal, the first real railway, the first public bus service and the first municipal airport. Its local government set a pace for enterprise that the rest of the country could only follow. The social and economic problems that arose here became matters of national concern, while the political issues that stirred the city led to national reform. Disraeli coined the term ‘the Manchester School’ to describe the middle-class radicals who were the prime movers of the Anti-Corn Law League. The Manchester Guardian held the attention of the nation’s decision-makers for many decades before it became a national newspaper, and when the population took to the streets they shook the government to its core. This book is for anyone wishing to know more about Manchester’s illustrious past and the city’s prominent place in the nation’s development.

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Robert 'Bob' Maloubier, otherwise known as the French James Bond and as Churchill’s Secret Agent, led a life straight out of a spy thriller. At the age of just 19, he escaped occupied France and ended up in England, where he was given intensive training by the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Back in occupied France, Maloubier’s SOE duties saw him commit large-scale industrial sabotage in Le Havre and Rouen, suffer gunshot wounds while evading capture and be evacuated in the nick of time by 161 Special Duties Squadron. Always at the centre of the action, just after D-Day he was flown back to France alongside fellow agents Philippe Liewer, Violette Szabó and Jean Claude Guiet, where he operated in guerilla warfare conditions and destroyed vital bridges. After another mission with Force 136 in the Far East, the sheer wealth of experience Maloubier gathered during the war made him a perfect candidate to help found the French Secret Service, for whom he proved invaluable. Bob Maloubier was undoubtedly one of the Second World War’s most remarkable, courageous and flamboyant characters. His simply and uniquely told personal account of wartime spent as an SOE agent and with the French Resistance is poignant, brutally truthful, and is told here for the first time in English.

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This book, a selection of folk tales, true tales, tall tales, myths, gossip, legends and memories, celebrates and honours unique Welsh stories. Some are well known, others from forgotten manuscripts or out-of-print volumes, and some are contemporary oral tales. They reflect the diverse tradition of storytelling, and the many meanings of ‘chwedlau’. If someone says, ‘Chwedl Cymraeg?’ they are asking, ‘Do you speak Welsh?’ and ‘Do you tell a tale in Welsh?’ Here is the root of storytelling, or ‘chwedleua’, in Wales. It is part of conversation. This book, one to linger over and to treasure, keeps these ancient tales alive by retelling them for a new audience.

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Popular history has a tendency to simplify, and accounts of the life and career of aeronautical engineer R.J. Mitchell are no exception. Remembered most fondly for his epochal Spitfire design, his other designs – many of them failures and disappointments – have largely been ignored. As a designer for Supermarine, Mitchell produced a huge body of concepts, projects and ideas that never left the drawing board. In Beyond the Spitfire Ralph Pegram brings Mitchell’s previously unseen work to light in an attempt to evaluate the entire portfolio of one of Britain’s most talented aeronautical designers. Illustrated with a combination of layout drawings and impressive CGI renderings of Mitchell’s designs, this book is an insightful and indispensable addition to our understanding of the work of a man often called a genius.

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What really happened in the small, German-occupied Channel Island of Alderney during the Second World War? Rumours have circulated and grown during the decades since, with sinister allegations, firstly against the Germans, that there was an extermination camp, secondly against the British, that there was a 'cover-up'. The man in the best position to know the facts, 'Bunny' Pantcheff, decided to provide them in this book, so that the evidence can speak for itself. In June 1940 virtually the entire population was evacuated so that, unlike their neighbours in Jersey and Guernsey, the islanders of Alderney could not provide a single eye-witness account of the occupation. The German armed forces moved in early 1940 and by 1942 they had a garrison of over 3,000 personnel in an island only 3 and a half miles long. To build the extensive concrete fortifications, many of which are still evident today, they brought in a work force totalling 4,000 men, from several European countries. Some were volunteers, some were forced labourers, some were state prisoners in the only SS concentration camp on British soil. Major Pantcheff was the official Military Intelligence interrogator who questioned the whole German garrison and very many prisoners and civilian labourers in 1945. This book is the composite testimony of those who served or suffered in Alderney, recorded while the events were still fresh and recent, by the author, in Alderney, the other islands and elsewhere. There was no extermination camp, no Auschwitz, nor any 'cover up'.

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This richly illustrated history explores the many challenges and triumphs faced by one of Britain’s most fascinating cities. The Story of Bath charts the long history of this important city from its beginnings in the Roman period through to the present day. Its lively narrative takes in Bath’s medieval reinvention as a health resort and focuses on its Georgian heyday, when a new classical town was achieved as the elegant backdrop to the social round of polite society. The rediscovery of the Roman Baths and growing industries led to Bath’s expansion in the late nineteenth century, while the Blitz and the consequent conservation battles of the Sack of Bath are highlighted in the twentieth century. Accompanied by evocative archival images, Cathryn Spence brings to life the many facets of this remarkable World Heritage Site.

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They follow you around the house, nap in the strangest positions, and make the funniest noises. Anyone who has known the friendship of a pug, this book is for you.

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The stories in this haunting collection are as ancient and modern, powerful and fantastical, ambiguous and ambivalent as the ghosts they feature. Here you will find tales of headless horses riding moonbeams, an entrance to another world on Marrowbones Hill, drowned sailors and ghost ships, and a girl riding pillion on a motorbike driven by her dead boyfriend – all told in the distinct voice of noted storyteller Michael O’Leary who, for years, has wandered the highways and byways of Hampshire, immersed in the layers of ghost stories that have accumulated in this ancient county. Richly illustrated with original drawings, these tales are perfect for reading under the covers on dark, stormy nights.

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The Rugby World Cup: it’s the scrum of the earth, the biggest, the best and the most prestigious rugby union tournament in the world. It also throws up some of sport’s most enduring and exciting rivalries, as well as the age-old culture clash of northern versus southern hemisphere. But do you know your All Blacks from your also-rans? Your hooker from your haka? Or do you think a 99 goes in an ice cream? Never Mind the Drop Goal is the ultimate collection of Rugby World Cup teasers. Test yourself and your fellow fans individually or as a team, in the pub, in front of the TV, or en route to a match. Some questions are as tough as a touchline kick for goal, others as straightforward as a penalty in front of the posts. First question: are you up to the challenge?

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R.J. Mitchell was virtually self-taught and almost all his aircraft were slow-flying seaplanes. The story of how this man from the land-locked Midlands, apprenticed to a locomotive works, became responsible for the Spitfire is a great tale in itself. This detailed book tells us how Mitchell learned his trade – contributing to the production of the cumbersome Nighthawk (designed to combat the German Zeppelin threat) and gradually coming to produce record-breaking racing floatplanes that won outright the prestigious international Schneider Trophy. Mitchell was thus well placed to design a high-speed aircraft when war was imminent; however, as John K. Shelton reveals, the production of the famous fighter was by no means a certainty and its vital contribution to winning the Battle of Britain was ‘a very close run thing’.

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John ‘Hoppy’ Hopgood, pilot and 2nd in command in the May 1943 Dambusters raid, died a hero at just 21 years old. Wounded by flak and with his Lancaster M-Mother ablaze, Hoppy had no hope of escape yet managed to gain height for two of his crew to parachute to safety. The plane crashed moments later. Using Hoppy’s school diary and letters to his mother and sister, this book tells the story of how a boy from a small Surrey village matured into a gutsy war hero. A veteran of forty-eight bombing sorties and an expert pilot in three Bomber Command Squadrons, this is the man who taught Guy Gibson how to fly a Lancaster.

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The golden age of coaching came between 1815 and 1840 as great road improvements occurred allowing trams, carts and buggies to be towed by horses comfortably. As companies vied for market share, one man stood out above the rest. William Turton made his money as a Hay and Corn Merchant but is better known as a founder and long-time chairman of Leeds Tramways Company and with the Busby brothers, founder and director of horse tramways in ten of the largest cities of northern England. It is an exciting mixture of biography, social history and city politics.

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Do you remember washing in a tin bath by the fire, using outside lavatories and not having a television? Did you grow up in the 1950s and were you a teenager in the swinging sixties? If the Festival of Britain, food rationing and the Queen’s coronation are among your earliest memories then you belong to the post-war baby boomer generation. How did we end up here, in the second decade of the twenty-first century, when it all just seems like yesterday? In this fascinating new trip down memory lane, Paul Feeney remembers what it has been like to live through the eventful second half of the twentieth century. This nostalgic journey through an era of change will resonate with anyone who began their innocent childhood years in austerity and has lived through a lifetime of ground-breaking events to the much changed Britain of today. There are also some wonderful pictures to help jog our memories of bygone days.

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The safe exchange of wounded or gravely ill prisoners of war, ‘protected personnel’ – medical staff and clergy – and diplomats, civilians and alien internees is a little known dimension of the Second World War, yet it was highly dangerous work. Here, David L. Williams tells the gripping story of some fifty mercy ships engaged in these repatriation voyages, each of the exchanges arranged individually between Allied nations and the Axis belligerents, through neutral intermediaries, and often conducted under the supervision of the International Red Cross. Sailing alone and undefended through hostile waters, and conspicuously illuminated at night, the ships were constantly in danger from submarine and aircraft, their safety depending totally on the transmission and receipt of ‘safe passage’ commands to the armed units in their paths. However, despite the risk of attack and severe loss of life, these exchange operations were essential for providing a lifeline to thousands of people caught up in a cruel and brutal war.

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The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today.Great War Britain Leeds offers an intimate portrayal of the city and its people living in the shadow of the 'war to end all wars'. It describes the local reaction to the outbreak of war, the experience of individuals who enlisted, the changing face of industry and related unrest, the work of the many hospitals in the area, the effect of the conflict on children, the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front, and how the city and its people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of Leeds is told through the voices of those who were there and is vividly illustrated with images from the archives of Leeds Museums & Galleries

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Why is Jesus a giant? Because he was the founder of Christianity, the largest religion in the world with 2 billion adherents; because Christianity is one of the five great religions of the world, with followers in every country on the planet and a history stretching back two thousand years; because there remains great interest in the teaching of Jesus, his personality and his life. The origins of a great religion which has filled so immense a place in the history of the world must surely be of interest to everyone.

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The county town of Shropshire underwent great changes in the twenty-five years between 1950 and 1975, when the council’s watchword was ‘down with the old and up with the new’. This book contains over 180 images of Shrewsbury from that time, from the transformation of the town centre to the demolition of the slum dwellings in the 1960s, when whole communities were uprooted. With stunning images from a local press photographer, fine aerial shots taken by a local land agent and material from an avid collector of Shrewsbury ephemera, it offers a unique look at the town as it developed and modernised after the Second World War, and a fascinating glimpse into the daily lives of its residents.

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David Trumper is one of Shropshire’s best-known historians. He has written at least one book on the county each year for the last two decades, forming an incredible collection of illustrated local history that celebrates Shropshire life over the last century. From long-lost scenes and vistas to the bustle of Shropshire’s streets in days gone by, his work captures all aspects of local life. This nostalgic collection, published over twenty years after his first book on the town, draws on his two decades of research and presents the finest images from those collections as a special single volume that will delight both visitors and residents alike.

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Victorian Chelsea was a thriving commercial and residential development, known for its grand houses and pleasant garden squares. Violent crime was unheard of in this leafy suburb. The double murder of an elderly man of God and his faithful housekeeper in two ferocious, bloody attacks in May of 1870 therefore shook the residents of Chelsea to the core. This volume examines the extraordinary case, one which could have leapt straight from the pen of Agatha Christie herself: the solving of the crime relied on the discovery of a packing box dripping with blood, and the capture of a mysterious French nephew. Compiled by a former detective, it looks at the facts: no direct evidence to place the suspect at either of the crime scenes; no weapon recovered; no motive substantiated. It lets you, the reader, decide: would you, on the evidence presented, have sent the same man to the gallows?

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This enjoyable new book delves into unexplored areas of history surrounding the great network of the West Midland Canals. It provides a new insight into its most fascinating figures and places, including interviews with some of the last true boatmen, whose world disappeared forever during the turbulent 1960s. It reveals fascinating figures like John Corbett, who became one of the richest men in Britain during the 19th century, through salt and canals. He built a fabulous chateau for his unfaithful wife on the outskirts of Droitwich that can still be visited today. We also have an account of how the Droitwich Canals have been wonderfully restored to the navigation system, with old and new photographs depicting the changes. And not forgetting such pivotal characters such as Boulton and Watt, who were an essential part of the canal story. We at The History Press are sure that this book will appeal to canal enthusiasts and all who love the West Midlands with its amazing Waterways.

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The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today.Great War Britain Hull & the Humber offers an intimate portrayal of the city and its people living in the shadow of the 'war to end all wars'. A beautifully illustrated and highly accessible volume, it describes local reaction to the outbreak of war; the experience of individuals who enlisted; the changing face of industry; the work of the many hospitals in the area; the effect of the conflict on local children; the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front; and concludes with a chapter dedicated to how the city and its people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of Hull is told through the voices of those who were there and is vividly illustrated through evocative images from Hull City Archives.

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