Search results for ""the history press ltd""

Pauline Gower was the leader of the Spitfire women during the Second World War. After gaining her pilot’s licence at 20, she set up the first female joyriding business in 1931 with engineer Dorothy Spicer and took 33,000 passengers up for a whirl, clocking up more than 2,000 hours overall. Pauline went on to command the inaugural women’s section of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and achieved equal pay for her women pilots. She enabled them to fly ‘Anything to Anywhere’, including Tiger Moths, Hurricanes, Wellingtons and – their firm favourite – the Spitfire.Pauline Gower: Pioneering Leader of the Spitfire Women is a story of bravery, fortitude and political persuasion. Pauline was a clear leader of her time and a true pioneer of flight. She died after giving birth, at only 36; a life cut tragically short, but one of significant achievements. Pauline left a huge legacy for women in aviation.

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The classic car market is in better shape than ever, remaining buoyant throughout the ups and downs of the motoring industry. Life in the slow lane promises to bring back the joy of driving and can appeal to the head as well as the heart in becoming a financially attractive hobby. Despite the popularity of classic cars, no definitive guide exists for the ‘classic car virgin’. Going Classic seeks to fill this gap by answering all the questions a first timer may have before taking the plunge. It covers buying, selling, driving, maintenance, equipment, insurance, safety and competing in classic motorsport, and comes complete with a ‘Hot 100’ list of the top classics to buy and why.

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Angus is a landscape of dramatic glens and rich farmland, ancient weaving towns and fishing villages, from the city of Dundee in the lee of the Sidlaw hills in the south, and the Grampian mountains in the north. The tales of Angus are as varied as the landscapes they are tied to, told through the years in castles, bothies, tenements and Travellers’ tents. Here, historical legends tell of Caterans roaming the glens, Jacobite intrigue in Glenisla and pirates roving the stormy waters off the Arbroath coast. Kelpies, broonies and fairies lurk just out of sight on riverbanks and hillsides, waiting to draw unsuspecting travellers into another world. The land bears memories of ancient battles, and ghosts continue to walk the old roads in the gloaming. In this collection, storyteller and local historian Erin Farley brings you a wealth of legends and folk tales, both familiar and surprising.

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Wilfrid Brambell was one of Britain’s most loved and complex character actors. As Albert Ladysmith Steptoe, the unscrupulous rag-and-bone man with questionable habits in Ray Galton and Alan Simpson’s long-running Steptoe & Son, he quickly became a household name with co-star Harry H. Corbett. But despite scores of other successes in roles on stage, TV and film, Brambell died a sad and lonely man.Alongside fame and fortune, ‘You Dirty Old Man!’ reveals how Brambell suffered unbelievable personal heartache, battling an inner turmoil that eventually drove him to drink as his marriage collapsed in the most deceitful circumstances imaginable. His torment led to a secretive life off camera where he did everything possible to stay out of the public eye.Featuring original interviews with film directors Richard Lester, Terence Davies and Tony Palmer, as well as recollections from his own family members, the family of Harry H. Corbett and those who worked alongside him, author David Clayton seeks to re-examine the legacy of a man whose loyal fanbase remains undiminished sixty years on from his heyday.

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The world of the Roman Republic and Empire is still very much with us, alive and a key companion as we negotiate the trials and tribulations of modern life. We don’t just walk in the footsteps of Romans great and small; we walk side by side with them.At its height in the second century AD the Roman Empire stretched across three continents, from Hadrian’s Wall in the far north-west to the bustling port cities on the Red Sea, but its influence spread even further afield, with its legacy lasting to this day.In The Legacy of Rome, acclaimed historian Dr Simon Elliott sets off on a grand tour of the whole empire, reviewing each region in turn to show how the experience of being part of the Roman world still has a dramatic impact on our lives today. From wild Britannia, where the legacy of conquest still influences relationships with the Continent; to western Europe, where the language, church and even law can be traced back to antiquity; to schisms and war across central Europe and the Middle East that are directly rooted in the world of Rome – the result is a fascinating exploration of the reach of Rome beyond its borders and through time.

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Andrew Grant Forsyth’s photographs show the changing locomotive scene throughout Scotland after the nationalisation of the railways in 1948. Forsyth visited Scotland almost every year, and between 1948 and 1966 he was fortunate to be able to photograph the graceful-looking ex-Great North of Scotland 4-4-0s, the ex-North British Railway ‘Glen’ and ‘Scott’ 4-4-0s, the Caledonian 4-4-0s and numerous 0-6-0 and tank locomotive classes remaining from both those companies.Also reproduced are many examples of the London and North Eastern Railway express locomotive fleet, together with locomotives of former London Midland and Scottish Railway and examples of the post-nationalisation Standard locomotives of British Railways. Scottish Steam 1948–1966 is a stunning collection of Andrew Grant Forsyth’s photographs, providing a unique insight into a shifting time.

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Outrageously handsome, witty and clever, Harry Cust was reputed to be one of the great womanisers of the late Victorian era. In 1893, while a Member of Parliament, he caused public scandal by his affair with artist and poet Nina Welby Gregory. When she revealed she was pregnant, horror swept through their circle known as ‘the Souls', a cultured, mostly aristocratic group of writers, artists and politicians who also rubbed shoulders with luminaries such as Oscar Wilde and H. G. Wells. For the rest of their lives, Harry and Nina would fight to rebuild their reputations and maintain the marriage they were pressurised to enter. In Tangled Souls, acclaimed biographer Jane Dismore tells the tumultuous story of the romance which threatened to tear apart this distinguished group of friends, revealing pre-war society at its most colourful and most conflicted.

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Birmingham has a tradition of individualism and experimentation, giving rise to a fragmented but innovative culture. This applies to the city’s contemporary music scene just as it does to the rest of its cultural heritage, which explains why the Birmingham sound is hard to define. Whereas other cities are known for a certain sound, this city celebrates its diversity.In this new decade, the plethora of exciting indie bands, sick rappers and emotive singer-songwriters are surrounded by a collective of DJs, producers, promoters, venues, bloggers and vloggers who promote them. There’s an agglomeration building, coalescing around the Birmingham Music Awards, whose mission is to amplify this uprising to the world.In this book, Stephen Pennell’s reviews and musings shine a light on Birmingham’s finest up-and-coming performers playing the city’s most iconic venues, taking us on a unique journey around Birmingham’s music scene.

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Briggens House, near Harlow in Essex, was one of the most important of the establishments requisitioned by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. Its mission was to accomplish Winston Churchill’s directive to ‘set Europe ablaze’, and, initially, the house was used as a finishing school for the Cichociemni, elite Polish saboteurs, to prepare to parachute into Nazi-occupied Poland. In need of false identity documents to avoid the arrest, interrogation and execution of its agents, SOE gradually built up a printing department on site and Station 14 became the organisation’s False Document Section.This is the true story of the house and its highly skilled wartime personnel, including British officers, Polish agents and the women of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. For the resident staff it was a relatively safe posting, but tension built as the Poles, fighting their own battle for Polish independence, competed for scarce resources in wartime Britain.SOE historian Des Turner uses first-hand accounts, memoirs and official records to reveal long-forgotten stories of tragedy, humour and frustration, giving long-overdue credit to the men and women of Briggens House who were prevented by the Secrets Act from ever speaking about their wartime work.

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Norwich in the Second World War is the story of the city and its people, both civilian and military, from the construction of the first air raid shelters in 1938 through to VE Day in 1945 and the return of Far Eastern prisoners of war in 1946.Featuring first-hand accounts of what happened when enemy bombers raided the city, notably during the notorious Baedeker Blitz of 1942, rare photographs and documents make this book a must for anyone who knows and loves the city of Norwich.

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The biggest drug bust in British history occurred in the early hours of 25 March 1977: 800 officers made 120 arrests and seized a staggering 6,000,000 tabs of LSD.The raids focused on two acid manufacturing centres: one hidden in an isolated farmhouse in deepest Wales, the other in a suburban house on a leafy residential street in south-west London. Between them they supplied acid to most of the UK, Europe, America and beyond. Tabs bearing their logo were recovered as far away as Australia.James Wyllie tells the extraordinary story of how a middle-aged American academic, two idealistic British students, a public school cad and an American hustler formed the Microdot Gang and created an acid production line designed to turn on the world. It is the story of Operation Julie – a police operation unprecedented in scale, sophistication and complexity, the brainchild of an old-school detective who led an investigation that would eventually involve the security services, the FBI, the DEA, the Canadian authorities and the Swiss police.Ranging over a decade and across several continents, The Microdot Gang is also a tale of how a cultural movement became a criminal enterprise, inspiring the war on drugs and launching a revolution that left an enduring and complex legacy.

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What links Fidel Castro, pirates from the Caribbean and George Washington? Rum. A Rum Tale: Spirit of the New World is a look at the history of one of the Caribbean’s most famous and favourite drinks. From its start as a by-product of a mysterious plant called ‘sugar cane’ to twentieth-century bootlegging, smuggling and prohibition, rum’s heritage is as rich as its flavour – so pour yourself a drink and turn the page.

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After the Second World War, war crimes prosecutors charged two of King George VI’s closest German relatives with ‘crimes against humanity’. American soldiers discovered top-secret documents at Marburg Castle that exposed treacherous family double-dealing inside the Royal Family. Two of the King’s brothers had flirted dangerously with the Nazi regime in duplicitous games of secret diplomacy.To avert a potential public relations catastrophe, George VI hid incriminating papers and, with Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt’s help, whitewashed history to protect his family. Three of Philip Mountbatten’s sisters were banned from Westminster Abbey and the wedding of their brother to Princess Elizabeth because their husbands were senior Nazi officers.This dilemma was Queen Victoria’s fatal legacy: she had hoped to secure peace in Europe through a network of royal marriages, but her plan backfired with two world wars.Tea With Hitler is a family saga of duty, courage, wilful blindness and criminality, revealing the tragic fate of a Saxe-Coburg princess murdered as part of the Nazi euthanasia programme and the story of Queen Victoria’s Jewish great-grand-daughter, rescued by her British relatives.

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Did you know that there are more than twenty-one rivers in London? Many of them have been forced underground by the development of the city but they all have their own history and their own stories to tell, from Roman times to the present day.Anne and Sef have dredged these tales from the silt, bringing them to the surface for you to enjoy. Tales of mudlarks and refugees; a pirate queen and Vikings; a young boy running away from enslavement, and many more all flow through the pages of this collection. Seas and oceans have been crossed, dangers overcome, and these ancestors of ours come to life as they tell their stories once more.

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The Dublin suburbs situated between the Grand Canal and the River Dodder consist of distinct neighbourhoods, each with their own character and style. It is an area that was, and continues to be, home to poets, writers, artists, politicians and academics, all of whom, in their own way, contributed to Irish life. Those featured include: Jack B. Yeats, artist; Mother Mary Aikenhead, Founder of the Religious Order; Brendan Behan, writer and dramatist; Mary Lady Heath, aviator and international athlete; Sophie Bryant, mathematician, educationist and suffragette; James Franklin Fuller, architect and Seamus Heaney, poet. In this book, Dr Beatrice M. Doran tells of the lives of some of the most fascinating people who once lived on the leafy roads and avenues of this interesting area of the city.

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The chilling and little-known story of Adolf Hitler's eight-year march to the pinnacle of German politics. On the night of 30 January 1933, Adolf Hitler leaned out of a spotlit window of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, bursting with joy. Even to Hitler himself, the moment seemed unbelievable. After an improbable, serpentine political journey that came close to faltering on many occasions, his march to power had finally succeeded. Until now, no single work has focused on the precise eight-year run of his climb to rule from 1925 to 1933. Peter Ross Range brings this period back to startling life, giving readers a necessary story of brushes with power and quests for revenge, non-stop electioneering and underhand campaign tactics. For Hitler, moments of gloating triumph were followed, shockingly, by abject humiliation. Masterfully woven into one unforgettable and urgent narrative, The Unfathomable Ascent, will make us remember what we should never forget.

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Amid the turmoil of the dying days of the Second World War, a series of ships were sunk in the Baltic. These terrible disasters add up to be the greatest loss of life ever recorded at sea, but the stories of these ships have been lost from view. While everyone recognises the name Titanic, the names Cap Arcona, Goya, General von Steuben and Thielbek draw little more than blank stares.Claes-Göran Wetterholm brings the horror of these tragic events to life in this gripping study, first published in Swedish, as he collates the unknown stories of four major shipping disasters, the most terrible in history. Combining archive research with interviews with survivors and the relatives of those who died, Wetterholm vividly conveys his experiences of meeting many witnesses to a forgotten and horrifying piece of history.

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Traditionally, the Wars of the Roses – one of the bloodiest conflicts on English soil – began in 1455, when the Duke of York attacked King Henry VI’s army in the narrow streets of St Albans. But this conflict did not spring up overnight. Blood Roses traces it back to the beginning. Starting in 1245 with the founding of the House of Lancaster, Kathryn Warner follows a twisted path of political intrigue, bloody war and fascinating characters for 200 years. From the Barons Wars to the overthrowing of Edward II, Eleanor of Castile to Isabella of France, and true love to Loveday, this is a new look at an infamous era. The first book to look at the origins of both houses, Blood Roses reframes some of the biggest events of the medieval era; not as stand-alone conflicts, but as part of a long-running family feud that would have drastic consequences.

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Those who lived through the Second World War have many stories of bravery, sadness, horror, doubt and longing. Inspired by conversations with veterans following the publication of her grandfather’s wartime memoir, Victoria Panton Bacon has gathered a moving collection of their experiences. Their recollections tell of a different time and reveal the courage, actions and sentiments of those whose wartime experiences changed the course of history; stories of ordinary people who lived under the long shadows cast by the war and whose young lives were changed irrevocably. Though many tales are sad, describing being sent into war and the loss of friends and family, there are also stories of joy and love found in the darkest of times. For them, war, the ultimate leveller, threw them into remarkable times, whether they were a merchant seaman, army officer, pilot, young Jewish girl, code breaker or Home Guard recruit. From one extraordinary story to the next, Remarkable Journeys of the Second World War immerses the reader in the lives of real people who lived through conflict.

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The Avro Lancaster has endured as a legendary icon of British strategic airpower from the Second World War, the ultimate aerial asset. Tough, rugged and able to perform effectively at high altitudes, the Lancaster fitted the RAF’s need for a heavy, high-altitude bomber.From the initial risky daylight-bombing missions over Europe to the fire-bombing of German cities, the Dambuster Raids to the sinking of the Tirpitz, the Lancaster helped to profoundly secure victory for the Allies in the Second World War.In An Illustrated History of the Avro Lancaster, Mark A. Chambers tells the fascinating story of Avro’s aircraft design philosophy and development, as well as its glorious combat record and operational history in the post-war era, using a wealth of photographs.

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Everyone loves a romantic rogue whose exciting exploits feature a cheeky disregard for the law, narrow escapes and lots of love interest. Even at the height of highway robbery activity in the eighteenth century, it was thought that the death penalty was too harsh for these wayward scoundrels. There was the ever-courteous Claude Duval, the epitome of gentlemanliness; the infamous Katherine Ferrers, who was the inspiration for the film The Wicked Lady; Dick Turpin, the most famous highwayman of them all; and lesser-known characters such as Tom Rowland, who dressed as a woman to avoid capture. All these and more form an entertaining volume that follows the mounted thief in their endless match against the law and a death by public hanging.

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‘That evening in the bars in Buckingham and adjacent towns there was only one topic of conversation – the Grand Prix .… motor-racing had ‘arrived’ in England.’ - Motor Sport, 13 May 1950. The British Grand Prix is the oldest race on the Formula 1 calendar, having entertained race fans for over seventy years – and from Kent to Liverpool, the Mirrorpix photographers have been there every step of the way. The F1 World Championship at the British Grand Prix is a race through the highest and lowest moments of a sport that has given us Stirling Moss, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

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Churchill has gone down in history as one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. From the day the Second World War was declared he stood out as the only man wanting to take offensive action. But is this accolade deserved? The first few years of the war were nothing short of disastrous, and author Stephen Napier shows how Churchill’s strategies - and his desire not to be the first British prime minister to surrender the nation - brought the war effort to the brink of ruin and back again. Did his series of retaliatory raids in response to a German accidental bombing help cause the Blitz? Were plans already at large for the US to join the war, with Churchill as the primary puppet master? Napier explores all this and more in a shocking examination of Churchill’s leadership using first-person accounts from his peers and his electorate.

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Poland was the 'tripwire' that brought Britain into the Second World War, but it was largely the fear of the new Nazi-Soviet Pact rather than the cementing of an old relationship that created the formal alliance. But neither Britain, nor Poland's older ally, France, had the material means to prevent Poland being overrun in 1939. The broadcast, 'Poland is no longer alone' had a distinctly hollow ring. During the next four years the Polish Government in exile and armed forces made a significant contribution to the allied war effort; in return the Polish Home Army received a paltry 600 tons of supplies. Poland Alone focuses on the bloody Warsaw Uprising of 1944, when the Polish Resistance attempted to gain control of their city from the German Army. They expected help from the Allies but received none, and they were left helpless as the Russians moved in. The War ended with over five million Poles dead, three million of whom died in the concentration camps. Jonathan Walker examines whether Britain could have done more to save the Polish people in their crisis year of 1944, dealing with many different aspects such as the actions of the RAF and SOE, the role of Polish Couriers, the failure of British Intelligence and the culpability of the British Press.

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This complete history incorporates the ‘voices’ of the Holocaust, not only the perspectives of the victims, but also the perpetrators and bystanders. Bergen reveals the common misunderstanding that the Holocaust was aimed solely at Jews. In actual fact the Holocaust claimed the lives of 12 million people and incorporated many different social and ethnic groups. The Nazi program of destruction not only focused on Jews, but the disabled, Gypsies, Poles, Soviet POWs, homosexual men, Afro-Germans and Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Second World War enabled this carnage by conquering territories and people, turning soldiers and doctors into trained killers, and creating a veneer of legitimacy around vicious acts of ‘ethnic cleansing’ and genocide. Bergen’s pathbreaking study uses cutting-edge and original research to reveal how these attacks were linked in a terrifying web of violence and brings to light the real extent of the most notorious and far reaching campaign of genocide in modern history.

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The Battle of Hastings is probably the best-known and perhaps the most significant battle in English history. Its effects were deeply felt at the time, causing a lasting shift in cultural identity and national pride. Jim Bradbury here explores the full military background to the battle and investigates both the sources for our knowledge of what actually happened in 1066 and the role that the battle plays in national myth. The Battle of Hastings starts by looking at the Normans - who they were, where they came from - and the career of William before 1066. Next, Jim Bradbury turns to the Saxons in England, and to Harold Godwineson, successor to Edward the Confessor, and his attempts to create unity in the divided kingdom. This provides the background to an examination of the military development of the two sides up to 1066, detailing differences in tactics, arms and armour. The core of the book is a move-by-move reconstruction of the battle, including the advance planning, the site, the composition of the two armies and the use of archers, feigned flights and the death of Harold. This is a book that anyone interested in England's most famous battle will find indispensable.

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How did a tiny wren manage to be crowned King of the Birds? Why did giant Finn McCool’s favourite dogs change into mountains? What happened to turn a friendly cat into a cruel fiend who plotted to destroy mankind? Irish Animal Tales for Children is packed with ghostly goings-on, weird characters and wonderful animals. Irreverently told by award-winning storyteller Doreen McBride, these stories are not for the faint of heart!

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Robert Butterfield had a lifelong passion for railways. He devoted his career to working for British Railways and was a dedicated enthusiast, photographer and railway modeller. He travelled extensively in the London Midland, Eastern, North Eastern and Scottish Regions and on these journeys accumulated a large collection of stunning photographs, often featuring his favourite classes: Princess Coronations, Royal Scots and Jubilees. After forty-three years of service he spent his retirement happily chasing steam specials, particularly on the Carlisle to Settle line. Here Brian J. Dickson has compiled a beautiful collection of Robert Butterfield’s railway photographs, providing a window into the past looking back at steam in the 1950s.

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Wokingham sits on the edge of Windsor Great Forest. Originally settled by the Wocingas, an Anglo-Saxon tribe, the town grew steadily – but its early prosperity was cut short when half of the houses were destroyed during the English Civil War. Wokingham has hosted bull-baiting, highwaymen and a multitude of beer houses. The town’s people have played their part in both world wars. Its rich history is interwoven with the history of England: a story of good times and bad, from the Beaker people to the Victorians to the present day. Wokingham is the quintessential English county town.

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From the Victorian cloth mills to contemporary studios, the people of Stroud have a long and noble history of making things by hand. All around the valleys, makers are engaged in creating beautiful and useful objects, works of art and installations.Here, Clare Honeyfield, multi-award-winning business owner and coach, brings to life the conversations she’s had with the many wonderful and talented makers and artists of the ever-popular Stroud.

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When everything is lost, imagination is the only place of true freedom. The New Art Studio, co-founded in 2014 by art psychotherapist Tania Kaczynksi, is a unique space in London set up as a lifeline for refugees and asylum seekers so they can experience art therapy in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. Who Am I? is a poignant look at the state of the dispossessed, and at how creating art can provide a last bastion of hope for those who have lost everything. Alongside the unique and touching artwork of the studio’s members are their true stories of bravery, loss and redemption.

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Between the outbreak of the Second World War and the end of the century, life changed dramatically for the working-class people of the Black Country. Having survived the hardships of war, they found themselves facing a slew of social issues, all the while playing a vital role in manufacturing to stabilise the country’s struggling economy. Innovations such as the wireless, television and cinema also brought huge societal changes that would move them closer to the present day. As well as a nostalgic look at the past, this book details the appalling health conditions, pollution, morality and crime in the region, before finally taking a look at the decline of crucial industries. Tom Larkin takes us back to the good old days and asks the question – whatever happened to the real Black Country? The author's royalties are being donated to the Wolverhampton charity Let Us Play.

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‘Since man uttered his first word he has been telling stories for entertainment, to serve as warnings and to simply pass the time.’Huddled up against the end of Hadrian’s Wall, the county of Tyne and Wear is known for its wealth of historical sites, for castles, the Venerable Bede, and stotty cakes. But did you know about Sunderland’s brush with the greatest liar on earth, or the widespread mesmerism of the Victorian era? And what’s the connection with all these Americans?This is an eclectic collection of local characters and historical oddities, of short (and tall) tales that perfectly illustrate just how weird Tyne and Wear can truly be.

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Traders are the heart, soul and backbone of our high streets. Their shops provide a focus for community, a friendly face and in hard times a helping hand. This project recognises the personalities and services we rely on and which add to the layers of history already laid down with Gloucester Road as the Great Bristol High Street. Following a single first photo post on social media, dozens of people who run, or know people who run, indie businesses have come forward to tell Colin their stories. Now a major project promoted by Visit Bristol and Destination Bristol, this project tells the community story of local heroes and showcases Bristol’s indie spirit to a wider field.

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The story of Bletchley Park’s codebreaking operations in the Second World War is now well known, but its counterparts in the First World War – Room 40 & MI1(b) – remain in the shadows, despite their involvement in and influence on most of the major events of that war. From the First Battle of the Marne, the shelling of Scarborough, the battles of Jutland and the Somme in 1916, to the battles on the Western Front in 1918, the German naval mutiny and the Zimmermann Telegram, this cast of characters – several of them as eccentric as anyone from Bletchley Park in the Second World War – secretly guided the outcome of the ‘Great War’ from the confines of a few smoke-filled rooms. Using hundreds of intercepted and decrypted German military, naval and diplomatic messages, bestselling author Paul Gannon reveals the fascinating story of British codebreaking operations. By drawing on many newly discovered archival documents that challenge misleading stories about Room 40 & MI1(b), he reveals a sophisticated machine in operation.

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For years hillwalkers and climbers have struggled to understand the complexities of weather systems. Written by a professional weather forecaster, Weather for Hillwalkers provides invaluable insight to the beginner and veteran alike. Now in a new edition, Malcolm Thomas offers an understanding of the principles of the elements – the causes of wind, rain, snow, cloud, fog, thunder and clear skies – and looks at how they are affected by mountains and high ground. Readers will learn the terminology of depressions, warm and cold fronts, air masses and more; how to interpret weather maps; and how to make short-term weather forecasts from observations. This is essential reading for those tackling the elements amongst the hills.

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‘Henry III is generally classed among the weakest and most incompetent of England’s medieval kings. Darren Baker tells a different story.’- Michael Clanchy, author of England and Its Rulers, 1066–1307‘A personal and detailed narrative…bring[s] alive the glamour and personalities of thirteenth-century England.’- Huw Ridgeway, author of ‘Henry III’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography‘Enterprising, original and engaging.’ - David Carpenter, author of The Reign of King Henry IIIHenry III (1207–72) reigned for 56 years, the longest-serving English monarch until the modern era. Although knighted by William Marshal, he was no warrior king like his uncle Richard the Lionheart. He preferred to feed the poor to making war and would rather spend time with his wife and children than dally with mistresses and lord over roundtables. He sought to replace the dull projection of power imported by his Norman predecessors with a more humane and open-hearted monarchy. But his ambition led him to embark on bold foreign policy initiatives to win back the lands and prestige lost by his father King John. This set him at odds with his increasingly insular barons and clergy, now emboldened by the protections of Magna Carta. In one of the great political duels of history, Henry struggled to retain the power and authority of the crown against radical reformers like Simon de Montfort. He emerged victorious, but at a cost both to the kingdom and his reputation among historians. Yet his long rule also saw extraordinary advancements in politics and the arts, from the rise of the parliamentary state and universities to the great cathedrals of the land, including Henry’s own enduring achievement, Westminster Abbey.

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The many influences of the past on our diet make the concept of ‘British food’ very hard to define. The Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans each brought ingredients to the table, and the country was introduced to all manner of spices following the Crusades. The Georgians enjoyed a new level of excess and then, of course, the world wars forced us into the challenge of making meals from very little. The history of cooking in Britain is as tumultuous as the times its people have lived through. Tasting the Past: Recipes from the Middle Ages to the Civil War documents the rich history of our food, its fads and its fashions, combined with a practical cookbook of over 120 recipes from the early Middle Ages up to the Civil War. Jacqui Wood guides us through the recipes brought ashore by the Normans, the opportunities brought by the food harvested in the New World during the Renaissance, and the decadent meals of the Royalist gentry outlawed by the puritanical Parliamentarians.

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On 7 May 1945, Grand Admiral Donitz, named in Hitler's will as head of state, authorised the unconditional surrender of all German forces to the Allies on the following day. World War II in Europe was at an end. But many of the German people would continue to endure hardships, as both the country and the capital were to be divided between France, the UK and the USA in the west and the USSR in the east. East and West Germany, and East and West Berlin, would remain divided until 1989. By October 1990, however, the two countries were reunited, and the Berlin Reichstag was once again the seat of government. Here, politicians would put East and West back together again, marrying a totalitarian, atheist, communist system with a democratic, Christian, capitalist one. How did this marriage affect the everyday life of ordinary Germans? How did combining two telephone systems, two postal services, hospitals, farm land, property, industry, railways and roads work? How were women's rights, welfare, pensions, trades unions, arts, rents and housing affected? There had been no warning of this marriage and no preparation for it - and no country had ever tried putting two completely opposite systems together before. This is the story of what happened, in the words of the people it happened to - the people's story of an incredible unification.

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When war was declared in September 1939, young people around the world were expected to put on a uniform and fight in a conflict not of their making. They may have been dressed in regulation khaki or air force blue, or restricted by rationing, but driven by angst, patriotism and survival, they took every opportunity to express themselves by adapting their clothing. Away from the war their lives were shaped by swing music and its fashions, allowing individualism to flourish despite repression and offering a rebellious reaction to the fearful sound of jackboots marching in unison. It was a time of new identities, factions and hierarchies. From the British Tommies and the American GIs, to the ‘Glamour Boys’ of the RAF, the ‘Spitfire Girls’ of the ATA and members of the French Resistance, Kitted Out is a fresh take on the history of the Second World War through a fashionable eye. The poignant and inspiring stories behind the uniforms, styles and self-expression in Britain, the United States, North Africa and occupied Europe will be painfully resonant to a new generation of young people.

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The modern history of London’s East End has been well-documented – but what of its ancient roots? From embryonic beginnings in the Stone Age, through Roman rule and civil wars, all the way to its jam-packed twentieth-century timeline, the East End has always been a place of innovation, diversity and change. Written by an East Ender with a love of her roots, The Little History of the East End is an engaging look at the area’s history through the people that made it, one that will enthral and surprise both residents and visitors alike.

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Just over eighty years ago on the East Coast main line, the streamlined A4 Pacific locomotive Mallard reached a top speed of 126mph – a world record for steam locomotives that still stands. Since then, millions have seen this famous locomotive, resplendent in her blue livery, on display at the National Railway Museum in York. Here, Don Hale tells the full story of how the record was broken: from the nineteenth-century London–Scotland speed race and, surprisingly, traces Mallard’s futuristic design back to the Bugatti car and the influence of Germany’s nascent Third Reich, which propelled the train into an instrument of national prestige. He also celebrates Mallard’s designer, Sir Nigel Gresley, one of Britain’s most gifted engineers. Mallard is a wonderful tribute to one of British technology’s finest hours.

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In Tudor times the ‘common sort’ were no different from us, laughing together, mocking each other and sharing bawdy tales in tavern yards, marketplaces and anywhere else that people came together. These stories were later collected in the cheap print of the period, and professional storyteller Dave Tonge has sought them out to assemble here. Within these pages hide smooth-talking tricksters, lusty knaves, wayward youths and stories of the eternal struggle to wear the breeches in the family, for a sometimes coarse but often comic telling of the everyday ups and downs in Tudor life.

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The stories of Finn MacCoull and his warriors were once told at every fireside in Scotland and Ireland. After centuries in obscurity, this collection brings the tales soaring to life again.Here you will find Diarmuid, whom no woman can help but fall in love with, and Ossian, a warrior-poet raised in the woods by a wild deer. There is Grainne, ancient ancestor of Iseult and Guinevere, and Finn himself, whose name was once a byword for wisdom, generosity and beauty.Enter a world of feasting and fighting, battles and poetry, riddles and omens; join Finn and the Fianna on their never-ending quest to drink deeper and deeper of the cup of life.

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A bundle of passionate but unclaimed love letters written a century ago and found in a London bank vault have led to the uncovering of an extraordinary story. Research has revealed the adventures of a spirited young woman who by the standards of the time, or perhaps any time, behaved scandalously. Yet she managed to avoid disgrace, get her man, and go on to lead a respectable life. At first sight Ellen Nelsen’s behaviour appears shocking. Among other misdeeds she appears to have been bigamously married twice. Given her circumstances, however, her survival is a triumph of fortitude over betrayal.

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Peter A. McCue examines intriguing reports of people experiencing uncanny events in Britain’s woods and forests, from mysterious lights and strange animal encounters to ghostly experiences. Much of the reported witness testimony was obtained first-hand by McCue or other researchers. While he draws sceptical conclusions about some of the alleged incidents, he takes others seriously and considers possible explanations. Fully illustrated and written in McCue’s inimitable style, Britain’s Paranormal Forests will make you think again about your next walk in the woods.

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Undisturbed in an old First World War trunk were medals, logbooks, plane parts . . . and an old manuscript. This was the memoir of Captain Frederick Williams, who flew D.H.4s in photo reconnaissance and bomber raids over Germany. Starting when he was stationed in Nancy in 1918 and ending with his return home with a Croix de Guerre and a DFC to his name, Captain Williams’ vivid descriptions place the reader right in the air alongside him, relaying the thoughts running through his head as events unfolded around him. It is an important insight into the early development of bomber raids within the RAF.

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We think of the Stephensons and Brunel as the fathers of the railways, and their Liverpool and Manchester and Great Western Railways as the prototypes of the modern systems. But who were the railways’ grandfathers and great-grandfathers? The rapid evolution of the railways after 1830 depended on the juggernauts of steam locomotion being able to draw upon centuries of experience in using and developing railways, and of harnessing the power of steam. Giants the Stephensons and others may have been, but they stood upon the foundations built by many other considerable – if lesser-known – talents. This is the story of those early pioneers of steam.

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