Search results for ""The History Press Ltd""

Suffolk – a peaceful, rural county with big skies, rolling fi elds, unspoilt beaches, quaint towns and villages. But all is not as quiet as it seems. Could that be the eerie clanking of gibbet chains at the crossroads? Did you see a desolate face at an upper window or a spectral white form lurking in the hedgerow? Cats are not always lucky – and beware a north Suffolk Broad in the still, small hours of Midsummer Night . . . Kirsty Hartsiotis and Cherry Wilkinson retell, with spine-chilling freshness, thirty fabulous ghost tales from all corners of this beguiling county. So pull up a chair, stoke the fire and prepare to see its gentle landscape in a new light.

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Can air power alone win a war?That has been the question since the Second World War. Air attacks failed miserably in Vietnam: Operation Linebacker had little effect, while bombing Hanoi just increased hatred for America – yet air strikes in both Iraq and Libya helped bring about regime changes. No-fly zones may have worked in the Balkans, but they might as well not have been there for Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.From the Luftwaffe’s massed attack on Britain to NATO’s interventions in Libya, aerial warfare has changed almost beyond recognition. The piston engine has been replaced by the jet, and in some cases the pilot has been completely replaced by the microchip. Carpet bombing is now a global positioning system and laser pinpointed strikes using precision-guided munitions. Whereas a bomber’s greatest enemies were once fighters and flak, the threats have now morphed into smart missiles from half a world away.In this compelling study, celebrated defence expert Anthony Tucker-Jones charts the remarkable evolution of aerial warfare from 1940 to the present day.

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A wonderful book that shares rare knowledge in a clear and focused way. I love it. - Tristan GooleyBird Tracks: A Field Guide to British Species explores and enhances the ability to identify a diversity of birds using just their tracks and trails. John Rhyder and David Wege approach this subject from the perspective of both the tracker and the birdwatcher. They have examined and described 139 species, each richly illustrated with a mixture of photographs and drawings of their unique tracks and trails.Bird Tracks is a comprehensive guide for trackers and birdwatchers interested in studying species found around the British Isles, and will also be of great use across northwestern Europe. Written by experts in their respective fields, this work represents several years of research collated into the most in-depth study of British bird tracks published to date.

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The murder of the Princes in the Tower is the most famous cold case in British history. Traditionally considered victims of their ruthless uncle, there are other suspects too often and too easily discounted. There may be no definitive answer, but by delving into the context of their disappearance and the characters of the suspects, Matthew Lewis examines the motives and opportunities afresh, as well as asking a crucial but often overlooked question: what if there was no murder? What if Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, survived their uncle’s reign and even that of their brother-in-law Henry VII?In this new and updated edition, compelling evidence is presented to suggest the Princes survived, which is considered alongside the possibility of their deaths to provide a rounded and complete assessment of the most fascinating mystery in history.

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The stone barn, especially the long tithe barn, is one of the iconic features of the Cotswold landscape. This book is a systematic look at the design, construction and changing use of the Cotswold barn and its place in the rural economy and landscape.Text and illustrations trace the barn’s development from the earliest surviving medieval estate and tithe barns, through the growth of the wool trade, the dissolution of the monasteries, the decline in church holdings and the agricultural revolution, down to an era where increasing mechanisation changed the life of farming communities, eventually bringing economic depression and leaving the majority of the stone barns redundant in today’s landscape.The book concludes with a look at the recent revival of barns through their conversion for housing, business, educational and cultural purposes, and with a glossary of the major surviving barns.

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‘The inventions, the innovations, the stories, the surprises. A combination of history, reference and entertainment – something for every seafarer and many others too.’ - Vice Admiral Sir Tim LaurencePeople have been sailing for thousands of years, but we’ve come some distance from longboats and clippers. How did we arrive here?In fifty tales of inventors and innovations, Sails, Skippers and Sextants looks at the history of one of our most enjoyable pastimes, from the monarch who pioneered English yachting to the engineer who invented sailboards. The stories are sometimes inspiring, usually amusing and often intriguing – so grab your lifejacket, it’s going to be quite an adventure.

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These lively and entertaining folk tales from one of Britain's most ancient counties are vividly retold by Leicestershire Guild of Storytelling. Their origins lost in the oral tradition, these thirty stories from Leicestershire and Rutland reflect the wisdom (and eccentricities) of the counties and its people. Leicestershire and Rutland have a rich and diverse collection of tales, from stories of epic battles and heroic deeds to legends of mythical creatures and ghostly goings-on. These stories, illustrated with twenty-five line drawings, bring alive the landscape of the counties’ rolling hills and fertile plains. Leicestershire Guild of Storytelling is a group of professional storytellers who have been collecting and telling traditional stories for fifteen years. They regularly organise festivals and storytelling events.

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Mining is Britain’s oldest industry, and this book follows the men and, in the past, women who spent their lives working underground. Since the New Stone Age various minerals have been wrested from British soil – copper, tin, gold, lead – but in later periods the key commodity was coal. Those who worked in the mines were constantly battling on two fronts: there was the continual danger of flood and explosion; and the often bitter struggles against the mine owners. This story is also one of invention and innovation, looking particularly at how the independent miners of Cornwall and Devon were at the forefront of the development of the steam engine that was to transform society. This, the second book in an exciting new series looking at Britain’s most dangerous industries, is a tale of blood, sweat and death among a courageous and close-knit community that has now all but passed into history.

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Using a wealth of previously unpublished postcards and photographs, Peter Treloar takes the reader on a fascinating journey around the Cornish coast of yesteryear. Whilst the scenery, which is well covered, has remained the same, the people, forms of transport, town centres and fashions have changed. This unique collection depicts many of those dramatic changes that have taken place during the past century. From Morwenstown in the north to Torpoint in the south, this Cornish tour traces the history of the coastal towns it encompasses, the evolution of the fishing and shipping industries and that of the railways which put these beautiful towns on the tourist route. This book will appeal to maritime enthusiasts and all those who wish to know more about the history of the coastal settlements. It is sure to evoke nostalgic memories for those who remember Cornwall over many years, whilst giving insight into the past for those visiting the area.

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This fascinating collection of biographies chronicles the lives of some of Nottingham's most famous (and in some cases infamous) personalities. Inside these pages, you will find Civil War legends such as Colonel John Hutchinson, Naval adventurer Edward Fenton - who sailed with the pirate Martin Frobisher in search of the Northwest passage - and Victoria Cross winning air aces, as well as brave soldiers who fought against enemies as varied as the Zulus, the Spanish, the Confederates and the King. Illustrated with over eighty pictures Heroes & Villains of Nottingham is a must-read for all those interested in the history of Nottingham.

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A creepy collection of true-life tales from local writer Andrew James Wright, who regularly gives talks on the subject of hauntings in Leicester.

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This seminal period of British history is a far-off world in which poverty, violence and superstition went hand-in-hand with opulence, religious virtue and a thriving cultural landscape, at once familiar and alien to the modern reader. John Matusiak sets out to shed new light on the lives and times of the Tudors by exploring the objects they left behind. Among them, a silver-gilt board badge discarded at Bosworth Field when Henry VII won the English crown; a signet ring that may have belonged to Shakespeare; the infamous Halifax gibbet, on which some 100 people were executed; scientific advancements such as a prosthetic arm and the first flushing toilet; and curiosities including a ladies’ sun mask, ‘Prince Arthur’s hutch’ and the Danny jewel, which was believed to be made from the horn of a unicorn. The whole vivid panorama of Tudor life is laid bare in this thought-provoking and frequently myth-shattering narrative, which is firmly founded upon contemporary accounts and the most up-to-date results of modern scholarship."Everything you wanted to know about the Merrie England of the Tudors and some things you probably did not. If the Tudors seem far removed, they are also curiously modern. They had spectacles and metal prosthetic arms, while a “fuming pot” was but a prototype Air Wick. Matusiak’s mini essays accompanying the photographs are perfectly sculpted and the book is beautiful to hold." - Charlotte Heathcote, The Sunday Express

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The sea realm has ever been mysterious: strange happenings upon it, an unfathomable abyss of ‘The Great Unknown’ below. Before the scrutiny of scientific Enlightenment and Age of Reason, in the eighteenth century, ghost ships and oceanic monsters were the stuff of superstition, myth and legend to explain the inexplicable, to enthral the imagination – and enliven the unimaginable.Narratives of phantom ships manned by ghostly (sometimes skeletal) crews, or damned like the Flying Dutchman to roam the seas forever; of sinister, sinuous sea serpents; and the lore of the terrible multi-tentacled kraken. Accounts inspired spirited controversy amongst believers and sceptics, in the awestruck thrill of such frightful enigmas.

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Did you know that if you look closely around Scafell Pike in the winter you might find a great dragon? Or that hidden in the forest around Egremont you might catch a glimpse of the fabled fairy folk? What, you don’t believe me? Read these tales then take a look for yourself. This collection is full of stories that Taffy has told over the years, and that children love to hear time and again. Including a gang of smugglers and an ugly face-pulling competition, not only will children love to read them, or listen to them being read, the tales will also stimulate an interest in the area, and help children engage with their own surroundings wherever they live.

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