Search results for ""the history press ltd""

Storyteller and author Jen Foley brings together stories from the dark forests, ruined castles and magical green pastureland of Bedfordshire. In this treasure trove of tales you will meet Anglo-Saxon heroines and lascivious monks, as well as restless ghosts, conniving highwaymen, demons and witches – all as fantastical and powerful as the landscape they inhabit. Retelling each story in her engaging style, and richly illustrated with unique line drawings, these humorous, clever and enchanting folk tales are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.

Read more less

This volume explores the history of Watford from the earliest times to the 1970s. Set against a background of some of the major events in English history, it tells the story of how a small medieval settlement became the town we see today. Drawing on thirty years of research, Mary Forsyth provides a fascinating insight into the changing face of the town, the local characters who inspired and instigated its transformation, and the national events that shaped its development through the ages. Illustrated with selected images from Watford Museum and the author’s own collection, it will interest newcomers and local residents alike, celebrating the history of this major Hertfordshire town.

Read more less

Chichester is the archetypal Georgian town, with streets of elegant buildings gathered closely around the ancient cathedral. It usually appears to today’s first-time visitor that the city has been largely untouched by the hand of time – particularly the destructive hand that guided the 1960s. However, this is not the case: in the 1960s, Chichester faced the same challenges as all historic towns, and much was lost – but the brakes were applied in good time and it became one of the first conservation areas in the country. This book, the first of its kind, looks at how Chichester fared in that turbulent decade, how it gained its status as a city of culture with a new theatre and museum, and how it expanded to meet the demands of its growing populace. Historical research blends with personal anecdote to produce a heartfelt portrait of the decade.

Read more less

Why is Caesar a giant? Because he effectively created the Roman Empire, and thus made possible the European civilization that grew out of it. As the People's champion against a corrupt and murderous oligarchy, he began transformation of the Roman republic into a quasi-monarchy and a military and fiscal system that for four centuries provided western Europe, north Africa and the Middle East with security, prosperity and relative peace. His conquest of Gaul and his successors' conquests of Germany, the Balkans and Britain created both the conditions for 'western culture' and many of the historic cities in which it has flourished.

Read more less

Cricket is a game that has always attracted mavericks and characters. Cantankerous batsmen, lethal bowlers, criminal wicket keepers and philandering fielders feature as The Middle Stump looks at the good, the bad and the potentially dangerous of the cricket world. Dan has interviewed some of the biggest names in the game and those sitting on the knolls in the sun, and has spoken to everyone who is anyone in the cricket world. Now, based on years of cricket fandom and limited ability, he has collected the portraits of the most interesting players from recent years. Written in the same tongue-in-cheek and honest style that we have all come to love from The Middle Stump, this is a great read for all cricket fans.

Read more less

Speakers’ Corner is a unique look at the people who come to argue, discuss and preach at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park, regarded worldwide as the home of free speech. Many of the photographs, taken on Sunday afternoons stretching back almost four decades and published here for the first time, are accompanied by excerpts of speeches, heckles, arguments and debates which are, by turns, intriguing, shocking, politically incorrect – and often very funny. In an age in which broadcasters and newspaper editors largely set the parameters of public discussion, such unmediated face-to-face public debate is rare and offers a very different perspective on ‘public opinion’. The speakers and hecklers recorded here, whether serious or light-hearted, religious or profane, are the vibrant heirs of the nineteenth-century campaigners who fought for, and won, the rights to freedom of expression and assembly – vital elements of our democratic tradition.

Read more less

In the post-war era, TS Bremen was one of the most popular liners operating across the Atlantic – but she had a remarkable wartime history. Built for the French as the SS Pasteur, in 1940 she made a dramatic escape in the face of invasion, carrying 200 tons of French gold bullion reserves to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Requisitioned by the British, she became a hospital troopship and played a major support role in the Battle of El Alamein. Indeed, Charles de Gaulle claimed that Pasteur’s contribution ‘significantly helped bring . . . Hitler to his ultimate end’. Her sale in 1956 to North German Lloyd Line as their final flagship – refitted and renamed Bremen – sparked protest in France, but Bremen sailed on unperturbed, now the pride of the German nation. Though she had been celebrated as one of the safest liners ever built, Filipinas Saudi 1, as she was then known, sank in 1980 in the Indian Ocean. It was a sad ending to a life filled with glamour, excitement and danger. Here Andrew Britton tells the story of this distinguished and much-loved vessel in intimate and colourful detail.

Read more less

Emerging from modern history as a remarkable and much-loved family, the Mitfords have remained largely unrepentant concerning theirs and particularly Unity’s enthusiastic support of Hitler, the Nazis, Oswald Mosley and British fascism. However, having initially encouraged and supported Unity’s affair with Hitler, they subsequently insisted that she had in fact been a rather unintelligent, clumsy lump of a girl, whose virginal relationship with one of the most terrifying dictators of all time was a mere unrequited romantic obsession. As this book will show, nothing could be further from the truth. Following further research and reexamination of the family’s, friends’ and journalists’ often contradictory evidence, plus new information supplied by the author’s own family and friends, Hitler’s Valkyrie will reveal that while Unity was, like Hitler, an extreme fantasist, there was very little of the juvenile romantic about her. On the contrary, she was highly intelligent, free-spirited and athletic. She was also the only Englishwoman who came close to being capable of changing the course of the Second World War. Here David R.L. Litchfield untangles the decades-old web of intrigue surrounding Unity Mitford and one of the most dangerous men of all time, creating a fascinating book of unparalleled importance to the Mitford legacy.

Read more less

Here is the ultimate quiz book on Scotland’s national team. Informative and fun, this is the perfect companion for those long car journeys to Inverness or Aberdeen, or for nights down the local. An ideal gift for Tartan fans of all ages, here’s the chance to test fellow supporters on World Cups, famous games against England, favourite managers and cult heroes, including R.S. McColl, Jimmy Quinn, Jimmy McGrory and Kenny Dalglish. Cryptic to convivial, get your Tartan thinking caps on – it’s quiz time!

Read more less

This day-by-day account of gruesome tales from York’s past reveals the seedy underbelly of what was historically the most important city in the North. Inside these pages you will find true stories of murder and intrigue, battles and conspiracies, witches and religious martyrs, gruesome executions and horrible accidents. Read about Margaret Clitherow, tortured to death for her beliefs, Richard Scrope, the archbishop executed for treason, and of course the notorious highwayman Richard ‘Dick’ Turpin and his moonlight ride. If you have ever wondered what nasty goings-on occurred in the York of yesteryear, then read on … if you dare!

Read more less

The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. Great War Britain: London offers an in-depth portrait of the capital and its people during the 'war to end all wars'. It describes the reaction to the war's outbreak; charts the experience of individuals who enlisted; shares many first-hand experiences, including tales of the Zeppelin raids and anti-German riots of the era; examines the work of local hospitals; and explores how the capital and its people coped with the transition to life in peacetime. Vividly illustrated with evocative images from the newspapers of the day, it commemorates the extraordinary bravery and sacrifice of London's residents between 1914 and 1918.

Read more less

For two decades Robert Stone made his living on the high seas. A modern-day pirate, he was a pioneer saturation oil-field diver, treasure hunter and smuggler, which brought him more money than he knew how to spend. Stone spent the last ten of his smuggling years in Africa, where he traded in illicit fuel. The murky waters of the Niger delta were his place of business as he operated in the most corrupt regime in the world, a place ruled by money and guns. Protected by the military he sold his black cargo to legitimate businesses all over the world, making millions of dollars in the process. Chasing Black Gold is a tale straight out of Hollywood, one which throws the reader into a world where suitcases full of millions in cash are flown around the globe on private jets, where the corrupt practices of Third World governments and military regimes must be mastered and a world of numbered bank accounts and countries of convenience, where living under false IDs and money laundering are all in a day’s work.

Read more less

The First World War claimed more than 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. Great War Britain: Guildford offers an intimate portrayal of the town 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 town and its people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of Guildford is told through the voices of those who were there and is vividly illustrated through evocative images from the author's collection and from the archives of The Guildford Institute.

Read more less

By December 1914, it had become clear to even the most optimistic observer that the war would not be over by Christmas. That month brought the first enemy inflicted deaths on the home front, when German warships bombarded three north-east coastal towns; meanwhile, the recently invented aeroplane was being put to fearsome use in raids over the south east. In Europe, Mons, the Marne and Ypres had given a taste of the devastating power of modern warfare – a reality to which troops in the trenches on both sides tried to turn a blind eye in the famous Christmas truce. This book uses contemporary newspapers and magazines, diaries and other records to present a comprehensive image of this extraordinary Christmas, both at home and abroad.

Read more less

The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. Great War Britain: Derby 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; charts 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 Derby is told through the voices of those who were there and is vividly illustrated through evocative images from the archives of Derby Museums.

Read more less

Nestled amidst the windswept moorlands of the South Pennines, Halifax has always had a wild reputation: ‘From Hell, Hull and Halifax, good Lord deliver us’ ran the ‘Beggars’ Litany’. But was it just a grisly fate at the hands of the Halifax Gibbet, England’s last guillotine, that they feared? From historical boggarts to modern poltergeists, the region teems with intruders from beyond the veil: they stalk the gritstone crags and the austere chapels, the tumbledown mills and the ancient taverns. Haunted Halifax & District explores the manifestations and territory of these unquiet spirits, all in the light of the area’s colourful history and wider folkloric context. Including such highlights as the spectre of Emily Brontë and a headless coachman with two two headless horses, it will intrigue visitors and residents alike.

Read more less

Well, how was it for you? This was Cardiff City’s first season in the top flight for more than fifty years, and we kept a diary every step of theway, recording all the highs and lows. We enjoyed victory over the champions, success in the first ever All Wales Premier League derby, and visits to the finest stadiums in the country. But there were oh so many off-the- field misadventures, weren’t there? We were led by a chairman who looked like a Bond villain, running a club torn apart by Redv.Blue. We spent more time on the front pages than the back pages as CCFC became Car Crash Football Club. And we wrote it all down. This is our version of a crazy season.

Read more less

Stalag VIII-B, Colditz, these names are synonymous with POWs in the Second World War. But what of those prisoners in captivity on British soil? Where did they go? Gloucestershire was home to a wealth of prisoner-of-war camps and hostels, and many Italian and German prisoners spent the war years here. Inside the Wire explores the role of the camps, their captives and workers, together with their impact on the local community. This book draws on Ministry of Defence, Red Cross and US Army records, and is richly illustrated with original images. It also features the compelling first-hand account of Joachim Schulze, a German POW who spent the war near Tewkesbury. This is a fascinating but forgotten aspect of the Second World War.

Read more less

This fascinating, fully illustrated volume is the definitive guide to every aspect of the workhouse and of the poor relief system in which it played a pivotal part. Compiled by Peter Higginbotham, one of Britain’s best-known experts on the subject, this A-Z cornucopia covers everything from the 1725 publication An Account of Several Work-houses to the South African Zulu admitted to Fulham Road Workhouse in 1880. With hundreds of fascinating anecdotes, plus priceless information for researchers including workhouse locations throughout the British Isles, useful websites and archive repository details, maps, plans, original workhouse publications and an extensive bibliography, it will delight family historians and general readers alike. Where was my local workhouse? What records did they keep? What is gruel and is it really what inmates lived on? How did you get out of a workhouse? What famous people were once workhouse inmates? Are there any workhouse buildings I can visit? If these are the kinds of questions you’ve ever wanted to know the answer to, then this is the book for you.

Read more less

It was a war that shaped the modern world, fought on five continents, claiming the lives of ten million people. Two great nations met each other on the field of battle for the first time. But were they so very different? For the first time, and drawing widely on archive material in the form of original letters and diaries, Peter Doyle and Robin Schäfer bring together the two sides, ‘Fritz’ and ‘Tommy’, to examine cultural and military nuances that have until now been left untouched: their approaches to war, their lives at the front, their greatest fears and their hopes for the future. The soldiers on both sides went to war with high ideals; they experienced horror and misery, but also comradeship/Kameradschaft. And with increasing alienation from the people at home, they drew closer together, ‘the Hun’ transformed into ‘good old Jerry’ by the war’s end. This unique collaboration is a refreshing yet touching examination of how little truly divided the men on either side of no-man’sland during the First World War.

Read more less

It is a beautiful warm August day in 1880: perfect weather for the annual Metropolitan Police Annual Fete held at Alexandra Palace. Inspector Best is summoned to uncover the identity of 'Quicksilver' who has sent an anonymous note threatening to cause an horrific explosion at the event. When a second note is received and its threats become increasingly confusing with their literary allusions, Best seeks out the help of Helen Franks, a close friend from the past. However, is Quicksilver really intent on causing mass injury on this fine day, or is his desire of a more personal nature?

Read more less

Running a railway is a complex business, constantly throwing up drama, misadventure and the unexpected. Geoff Body and Bill Parker have collated a rich selection of railwaymen’s memories and anecdotes to create an enjoyable book of escapades and mishaps, illustrating the daily obstacles faced on the railways, from handling the new Eurostar to train catering, nights on the Tay Bridge to rail ‘traffic cops’, and from mystery derailments to track subsidence. However interesting the infrastructure of the large and varied railway business may be, the real heart of this great industry lies in its people, the complex jobs they occupy and the dedicated way in which they carry them out.

Read more less

The Royal Hospital Haslar was the first of three hospitals built in the 18th century for sick and wounded sailors and marines and was the last to remain in service. Following submissions to King George II by the Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty, sites were identified at Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Chatham, and building commenced at Haslar farm in 1745. Designed by Theodore Jacobsen FRS in the manner of his Foundling Hospital in London, the hospital, reputed at one time to be the largest red brick building in Europe, was completed in 1762. Haslar was grand in concept, elegant in design and robust of build, and provided medical attention and nursing care to the sick and wounded of both Fleet and Army. This may not have been of the highest order in the early years, but the standards achieved during the Peninsular and Crimean Wars earned the hospital a reputation among military authorities that was unequalled. Sir John Richardson, eminent Arctic explorer and physician at Haslar, even corresponded with Florence Nightingale when the nursing reformer was campaigning for changes in the way casualties of war were treated. Described as the noblest of institutions by Queen Victoria, the Royal Hospital Haslar has provided medical care to the Royal Navy for over 250 years and Sick Berth staff for service in all areas of global conflict. In more recent times it treated patients from all three services and since the 1950s has made the professional and technological expertise contained within its walls accessible to civilian patients. The photographs in this fascinating illustrated history will stir the memory of all those who have entered Haslar, as either staff or patients, and provide a unique record of a singular and celebrated institution.

Read more less

Fair Mile was more than just a psychiatric hospital; it was an example of a nationwide network of ‘pauper lunatic asylums’, born of responsible Victorian legislation and compassion for the disadvantaged. It was a secure home to many of its patients and staff, and the community within its walls became an integral part of Cholsey, touching almost every household in the area. Drawing on county records, first-hand accounts and archive photographs, Fair Mile Hospital describes the ethos of the Victorian asylum builders and the development of the facility that treated thousands of patients over four generations. Relating changes in practice and personnel, and the difficulties of two world wars, this is a unique account of a hospital that did its utmost for those in its care.

Read more less

The earliest settlement beside the Brayford Pool was called Lindon, and this Celtic name was adopted by the Roman conquerors in the first century ad. e fortress established on the hill above the river Witham was later transformed into a provincial capital of the Roman Empire, complete with a forum, basilica and ne houses, and the mighty walls and gates built then would still be standing many hundreds of years later. After the Empire collapsed the city survived as the capital of a minor British realm which later developed into the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Lindsey. Prosperity and growth returned with the arrival of the Vikings in the ninth century, and the great cathedral begun by the Normans, the Conqueror’s castle and fine Norman town houses are the jewels in the crown of Lincoln’s modern tourist industry. Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries the city thrived as a major centre for the wool and cloth trades, but even before the Black Death struck in 1349 it was beginning to decline, and Lincoln would remain a sad and decayed echo of its former self until the last years of the 17th century, much damaged following its use as a garrison town in the Civil Wars. Rapid growth, however, came only in the 19th century when this rather sleepy, ancient cathedral city transformed itself – almost literally ‘overnight’ – into a centre for heavy engineering and, in the First World War, the home of the tank. Today this dual legacy of ancient and modern persists. e Siemens engineering works beside the Pelham Bridge is the last indicator of the city’s former engineering greatness, but Lincoln’s older heritage is better preserved than ever before, and a new university has been established beside the Brayford Pool, where it all began. First published in 2009, this fully illustrated book tells the story of the city’s many transformations over two thousand years and, through a wealth of detail, brings to life the events and challenges faced by many generations who have lived and worked in this rather beautiful ‘place by the pool’.

Read more less

The sudden death of overweight 49-year-old Thomas Whibley sparks off an acrimonious furore in Bayswater, and sparks fly between rival diet doctors, vegetarians and the extremist Pure Food Society. Young sleuth Frances Doughty is engaged to discover the author of anonymous libels, when a former colleague of Whibley’s, Hubert Sweetman, who has served fourteen years in prison for a violent robbery he claims he did not commit, asks her to trace his estranged family. Before she can start, however, the police arrive and arrest her client for the murder of his wife. There will be more murders and a vicious attack on Frances before she finally resolves a number of knotty questions. Is Hubert Sweetman really innocent? Where are his missing children? And who wielded the poisoned pen? The fourth book in the popular Frances Doughty Mystery series.

Read more less

For children in Portsmouth, the 1950s was an exciting time. With the war over and a renewed enthusiasm in the air, life was good. There was a range of entertainment – as well as day trips and holidays to the beach, families could relax in front of the television, enjoy their favourite stars on the big screen and dance along to the radio. For Valerie Reilly, the ’50s was a time of celebration of national, local and personal events, which she recalls in absorbing detail here. If you remember the docks, trips to Southsea and exploring bombed-out buildings, then you’ll enjoy this charming look back at an exciting era.

Read more less

Today he is credited with laying out every piece of parkland in Britain, while others accuse him of single-handedly sweeping away all the formal gardens that preceded the Landscape Movement. If he was indeed the greatest of all designers of man-made landscapes, how should we properly understand and appreciate his work and legacy? The author follows an introduction to the culture and society of 18th-century England by tracing the rise of the Landscape Movement. He then provides a carefully researched account of Lancelot Brown’s humble origins and rising fortunes, his marriage and family, the course of his career and mounting fame and recognition, culminating in his appointment as Master Gardener to George III. For those whose interests lie in understanding the history of gardening, landscape design or 18th-century society there is much to be found here, but equally this book will sharpen the appreciation of Brown’s work for all those who have visited his estates an enjoyed his enduring achievements.

Read more less

The thirteenth and final volume of the VCs of the First World War series features the lives and careers of forty-six servicemen who won the coveted Victoria Cross in theatres of war – or ‘Sideshows’, as they became known – beyond the Western Front and Gallipoli. Opening with the stories of four VC winners who took part in the prolonged struggle to drive the German Army out of East Africa, VCs of the First World War: The Sideshows goes on to tell the stories of the two Indian Army winners of the VC defending the North-West Frontier. Finally, it covers the campaigns against the Austro–German forces in Italy; securing the oil wells in Mesopotamia (later Iraq); defending the Suez Canal and attacking the Ottoman Army in Palestine and lastly serving in Salonika in the Balkans. Each VC winner’s act of bravery is recorded here in intricate detail, together with the background of the men and their lives after the war – if they survived.

Read more less

Christina Keith came from the small town of Thurso on the far north coast of Scotland. Highly intelligent and ambitious, she became a lecturer in Classics at a time when that was still a brave and unusual choice for a woman. Towards the end of the First World War she left behind the sheltered world of academia to live and work among soldiers of all social backgrounds as a lecturer with the Army’s education scheme in France. She writes with warmth and humour of her experiences. When she and a companion travel across the devastated battlefields, just a short time after the guns have fallen silent, her descriptions are both evocative and moving. This unique memoir is an unforgettable read.

Read more less

Wellington is a giant because he was one of the greatest military commanders in British history, an important figure in the emergence of Britain as a great imperial power, a man who dominated British society and politics for 35 years. He was the only one of Napoleon’s contemporaries who can be mentioned in the same breath as a general - a master of logistics, politics and coalition warfare as well as strategy, operations and tactics. The book’s focus is on Wellington’s military career, and it looks at all of these aspects, placing them in the context of the military and political developments of the time. It explores Wellington’s personality – a key to understanding his success - and briefly examines his post-Waterloo career as a politician. It concludes that Wellington was not only a military genius, but an icon whose fame endures to our own time.

Read more less

Pustules and plague corpses in Smithfield. Women disguised in men's clothing. A shark in the Thames. London’s East End has a history soaked in blood. The Great Plague of London can be traced to its streets; Jack the Ripper prowled here, as did the Ratcliffe Highway murderer and the gunmen of the famous Sidney Street siege. Communists, fascists, suffragettes and the Skeleton Army have all fought through the streets of the East End, before it weathered the worst that the Nazi bombers could throw at it during the dark days of the Blitz. Historically viewed as a ‘den of iniquity’, and once teeming with opium dens, bodysnatchers and paupers, this is a story of dreadful odds and of determination, filled with horror, grim British humour and hundreds of incredible years of history.

Read more less

Cady Hoyte, like many other young lads of his generation, proudly joined the army in 1915 to fight for his King and Country. From the Warwickshire town of Nuneaton, he joined the Warwickshire Yeomanry as a gunner in the Machine Gun Corps and quickly found that army life made no concessions for an eager young 19 year old. Never having ridden a horse before, he develops a relationship with the horses, which made it all the harder when he had to say farewell and leave them behind to sail aboard the stricken ship, the Leasowe Castle, to fight in the trenches of France. Written with humour, Cady’s diary gives a detailed account of the daily struggles and constant dangers of army life in the First World War without ever losing sight of his respect for human life.

Read more less

Experience 100 key dates that shaped Darlington’s history, highlighted its people’s genius (or silliness) and embraced the unexpected. Featuring an amazing mix of social, criminal and sporting events, this book reveals a past that will fascinate, delight and surprise residents and visitors alike.

Read more less

Illustrated with 200 archive photographs, postcards and other printed ephemera, many previously unpublished, Highgate guides the reader on a circular journey around the area, taking in street scenes, buildings, monuments and public spaces, including Highgate Cemetery, Lauderdale House, the Whittington Stone and Waterlow Park.Ancient traditions - like the 'swearing on the horns' - are recalled, as are famous people and historic schools, such as Highgate, Channing, and St Aloysius' College. Also featured are some of the surrounding areas, including Hampstead Heath, Muswell Hill and East Finchley. Coupled with informative captions offering a unique insight into the history behind each scene, this enthralling book presents a snapshot of Highgate in bygone days and is sure to appeal to all who know and love this part of north London.

Read more less

With the growth of English cities during the Industrial Revolution came a booming population too vast for churchyards. Beckett Street Cemetery in Leeds was to become the first municipal cemetery in the country. This study relates how the cemetery was started and run, and describes the developing feuds between denominations. The author draws upon newspaper articles, archive material and municipal records to tell the stories of many of the people who lie there, from tiny infants, soldiers and victims of crime to those who perished in the great epidemics of Victorian England. The study throws new light on the occupations and pastimes of the inhabitants of Victorian cities, their problems with law and order, their attitudes to children, education and religious provision.

Read more less

This fascinating new book presents some of the events and people who have made up the life of the historic market town of Ledbury. Ruth Smith has gathered together a multitude of old photographs to illustrate the history of her home town, and compares them with modern images to clearly show the changes in street scenes, leisure, agriculture, transport, shops and businesses that have taken place during the last century. Ledbury Past & Present is a well-researched book that is sure to bring back cherished memories of yesteryear for all who know and love this part of Herefordshire.

Read more less

Already well known in the Forest of Dean for her verses, the late Joyce Latham's first book, Where I Belong, in which she looked back on her childhood days during the wartime years, was received with high acclaim. Now, in this second volume of her autobiography, she continues the story through her teenage years, from the comparative innocence of her early days as an 11 year-old at grammar school through the excitement of earning her first pay packet at 14, and the joy of marriage in September 1954. Included in this new edition of Whistling in the Dark are more of the author's poems and a selection of photographs from her albums illustrate the text. Here is a book that will appeal to all who know and love this special corner of England, and which will be particularly welcomed by those who have come to appreciate Joyce Latham's perceptive way of looking at the world, expressed through her stories and poems.

Read more less

Covering Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Herm and Sark, this title presents an account daily life in the islands, trades and customs, historic events and leisure pursuits from the late 1870s to the present day.

Read more less

A guide to more than 100 sights, incidents and legends from the various parts of Oxfordshire. It features the tales of unsolved murders, witchcraft, hangings, poltergeists, underground caves and passages, 'cunning men', backswording and riots.

Read more less

A Century of Cardiff offers an insight into the daily lives and living conditions of local people and gives the reader glimpses and details of familiar places during a century of unprecedented change. Many aspects of Cardiff's recent history are covered, famous occasions and individuals are remembered and the impact of national and international events is witnessed. A Century of Cardiff provides a striking account of the changes that have so altered the town's appearance and records the process of transformation. Drawing on detailed local knowledge of the community, and illustrated with a wealth of black-and-white photographs, this book recalls what Cardiff has lost in terms of buildings, traditions and ways of life. It also acknowledges the regeneration that has taken place and celebrates the character and energy of local people as they move through the first years of this new century.

Read more less

This fascinating selection of photographs illustrates the extraordinary transformation that has taken place in Brighton & Hove during the 20th century. The book offers an insight into the daily lives and living conditions of local people and gives the reader glimpses and details of familiar places during a century of unprecedented change. Many aspects of Brighton & Hove's recent history are covered, famous occasions and individuals are remembered and the impact of national and international events is witnessed.The book provides a striking account of the changes that have so altered Brighton & Hove's appearance and records the process of transformation. Drawing on detailed local knowledge of the community, and illustrated with a wealth of black-and-white photographs, this book recalls what Brighton & Hove has lost in terms of buildings, traditions and ways of life. It also acknowledges the regeneration that has taken place and celebrates the character and energy of local people as they move through the first years of this new century.

Read more less

The Wye flows for more than 130 miles, from the high slopes of Plynlimon in Wales to the Severn Estuary, passing through some of the most picturesque scenery in Britain en route. Indeed, the Wye Valley was the birthplace of modern tourism – when many eighteenth-century travellers undertook the English equivalent of the Grand Tour. By the nineteenth century, when the railway had arrived, many enterprising locals were running boat tours along the river, stopping off at Goodrich, Chepstow and Tintern to take in the ‘picturesque landscape’, and famous names such as Pope, Coleridge, Wordsworth and Thackeray had all made the pilgrimage here. By 1850 more than twenty accounts of the Wye tour had been published.A Postcard from the Wye takes the reader on a journey in words and pictures along the entire length of the river, using more than 200 postcards from the authors’ extensive collections. It is a record of how the river once was, including its industrial heritage as well as more rural scenes, and shows how it was immortalised by earlier generations of photographers and artists for the benefit of innumerable tourists and travellers.

Read more less

In his New History of England, leading historian Jeremy Black takes a cool and dispassionate look at the vicissitudes of over two millennia of English history.

Read more less

Over the years the high walls of Liverpool's Walton Gaol have contained some of the most infamous criminals from the north of England. Taking over from the fearsome Kirkdale House of Correction as the main centre of execution for Liverpool and other parts of Lancashire and neighbouring counties, a total of sixty-two murderers paid the ultimate penalty here. The history of execution at Walton began with the hanging of an Oldham nurse in 1887, and over the next seventy years many infamous criminals took the short walk to the gallows here. They include Blackburn child killer Peter Griffiths, whose guilt was secured following a massive fingerprint operation; Liverpool's Sack Murderer George Ball; George Kelly, since cleared of the Cameo Cinema murders, as well as scores of forgotten criminals: soldiers, gangsters, cut-throat killers and many more.Steve Fielding has fully researched all these cases, and they are collected here in one volume for the first time. Infamous executioners also played a part in the gaol's history. James Berry of Bradford was the first to officiate here, followed in due course by the Billington family of Bolton, Rochdale barber John Ellis and three members of the well-known Pierrepoint family, whose names appeared on the official Home Office list for over half a century. In 1964 one of the last two executions in the county took place at Liverpool. Fully illustrated with photographs, new cuttings and engravings, Hanged at Liverpool is bound to appeal to anyone interested in the darker side of both Liverpool and the north of England's history.

Read more less

Criminal Liverpool is an entertaining and informative round-up of some of the strangest, most bloodthirsty, despicable and comical crimes that took place in and around Liverpool from the Victorian era up to the early twentieth century. Daniel K. Longman's scrupulous research has uncovered many enthralling cases that have been long forgotten, and sheds new light on a variety of sinister incidents. The cases featured include the tragic tales of Frances Wallace, whose mummified remains were found decomposing in the water closet of her Hope Place home, and the horrific crimes of the Tuebrook baby-killer, Elizabeth Kirkbride. The stories are supported by seventy-five fascinating illustrations and will appeal to anyone who has an interest in the more sinister side of the city's history.

Read more less

Everyone has had the experience of hearing, seeing or reading something they just know can't be right: the man in the pub claiming that someone has 'proved' Napoleon was murdered; the reputable historian who writes that George II died on the toilet, or the feature film that shows Rasputin, shot repeatedly, rising from the icy river Neva, still alive.Wouldn't it be richly satisfying to clear up these mysteries and misrepresentations? In the follow-up to their highly successful 'Debunking History', history buffs Ed Rayner and Ron Stapley put their egghead brains to the task of establishing the correct answers to a host of teasing historical questions and exasperating mysteries. Now, the indefatigable myth-slayers cover world themes and events from the Princes in the Tower to the first man on the moon. They look at the death of Hitler and find out who the real Snow White was and whether she lived with... seven short miners.They also reveal all on the identity of Tom, Dick and Harry, the sinking of the Lusitania, Howard Carter's trickery and the real events behind the saying 'Sweet Fanny Adam'. Anyone who enjoys quizzes, brain-teasers or a good argument will relish this book.

Read more less

Why do jellies wobble? Why don't the oceans overflow? Why do racing cars have fat tyres? How do widgets in beer cans work? How many bones does a giraffe have in that long neck? I've been told that dogs only see in black and white. Is that true? How do we know that no two snow crystals are the same? Why is the earth round? And how do we know it is? why do camels have such bad breath? What is a bruise? Are chemicals in my brain responsible for my falling in love? Will they fade as I grow older? How long can love last? Do Cats Have Belly Buttons? is a follow-up to the successful Can Cows Walk Down Stairs?. Answering life's big questions, as well as the small, it unravels the science behind those things we take for granted, and explains just why the world and its contents are as they are. Informative, entertaining, humorous, it is the perfect present for quizaholics, science addicts, the insatiably questioning, and anyone curious about life on earth.

Read more less