Search results for ""Amberley Publishing""

The rapid disappearance of steam from British Railways in the late 1960s was a bitter blow for the thousands of railway enthusiasts who had been brought up with the sounds, smells and sheer excitement of steam power. The industrial railways of Britain continued to provide a smaller scale outlet for some, but for those intent on experiencing main line steam it was necessary to make a short trip to the Continent, where steam persisted throughout much of the 1970s and even into the ’80s. With a wealth of wonderful, previously unpublished photographs from countries including Spain, Portugal, Germany and more, this is a superb look back on a decade of European steam power.

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The town of Jarrow in the north-east of England transformed in the nineteenth century when heavy industry, particularly coal mining and shipbuilding, began to dominate the town. At its peak 80 per cent of the town’s working population were employed in the shipbuilding industry until 1933 at the demise of the Palmer shipbuilding empire. From this time the town relied upon ship repair as the mainstay industry, up until the last ship repair yard closed in 1981. Although the docks continued for another decade, they have been largely filled in today, and new industries have been attracted to the area during the redevelopment of the town. In this book well-known local author and photographer Paul Perry presents a portrait of a town and a way of life that has radically changed over the decades, much of which has disappeared today, showing not only the industries and buildings that have gone but also the people, street scenes, many popular places of entertainment and much more. This fascinating photographic history of lost Jarrow will appeal to all those who live in the town or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.

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This illustrated history portrays one of England’s most fascinating regions - the Black Country in the West Midlands. It provides a nostalgic look at the area’s past and highlights the special character of some of its most important historic sites. The photographs are taken from the Historic England Archive, a unique collection of over 12 million photographs, drawings, plans and documents covering England’s archaeology, architecture, social and local history. Pictures date from the earliest days of photography to the present and cover subjects from Bronze Age burials and medieval churches to cinemas and seaside resorts. The Black Country has long been an important region in England. The towns and villages west of Birmingham around Dudley, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Walsall prospered from its rich mineral resources from medieval times, particularly through coal mining and ironworking. These towns were at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in Britain and by the eighteenth century the area was continuously built up and the site of intensive industry and manufacturing. In the latter part of the twentieth century coal mining in the Black Country rapidly declined and heavy industry and manufacturing moved away. Though the landscape has changed rapidly due to the regeneration of the area in subsequent decades, the Black Country’s unique heritage has not been lost.

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The West of England Division stretched from Penzance in the west to Blackwell Summit at the top of the Lickey Incline to the north of Bromsgrove. Geographically it was the largest of the three operating divisions of the Western Region, and in many ways the most varied. Bristol was the headquarters, and the hub of the division, with a complex network of local lines and a major locomotive depot at Bath Road. There were InterCity services to London Paddington and on the Cross Country route to the West Country. By contrast, some of the DMU-worked branch lines in Devon and Cornwall were much more rural in nature. Summer Saturdays saw a large number of extra trains head west along the sea wall at Dawlish. Freight traffic, though generally in decline, included china clay from the west and stone from the Mendips, as well as the new Speedlink services. This book contains a selection of images from across this part of the country.

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A professor of architecture at Cambridge University, Marcial Echenique, recently became curious when he found wiring concealed under the floorboards of his country mansion, Farm Hall in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. The mansion had an astonishing past as an MI6 staging post for some of the most daring secret operations of the Second World War. But in April 1945, Farm Hall was to play an even more astounding role, as a ‘country club’ for ten of Germany’s top nuclear physicists after they had been captured in Germany and secretly flown back to England in a daring raid code-named Operation Big. Every word they uttered was bugged by MI6 eavesdroppers using the wires found by the professor. After the dropping of the bomb these men would claim they could have developed it for the Third Reich but did not ‘for the greater good of mankind’. Most believe this to be a deception. But was there an even greater deception? Were they captured not to stop Hitler, but to stop Stalin? Did the US drop the bomb not as a show of power to the Japanese, but to the Soviets? Colin Brown guides us through a world of espionage, scientific discovery and questions of morality as he reveals the extraordinary truth surrounding Hitler’s atomic bomb.

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This illustrated history portrays one of England’s finest seaside towns. It provides a nostalgic look at Eastbourne’s past and highlights the special character of some of its most important historic sites. The photographs are taken from the unique Historic England Archive, the nation’s record of 12 million photographs, drawings and publications, ranging from the 1850s and the earliest days of photography up to the present day. Historic England: Eastbourne shows the town as it once was, from its streets and squares to its parks and promenades. It remains a genteel resort with none of the glitz, glamour and ‘kiss-me-quickness’ of other seaside towns; even today there are no shops or amusement arcades along the seafront. This book provides a nostalgic trip through time and shows that Eastbourne is still the ‘Empress of the South’.

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Star Wars first debuted on movie screens in 1977 and over the past forty years has grown into a collecting phenomenon. It has generated more merchandise than any other movie series in history, spanning every area of licensed product from inexpensive pocket money toys to big ticket full-size replicas. With a focus on the early vintage period of the 1970s and 1980s, author Paul Berry charts the development of the Star Wars collectable through the prequels of the 1990s and 2000s and into the modern era of films. The book looks at the massive success of the Kenner, and later Hasbro action figure range, which has spawned well over 1,000 figures; the wealth of toys and games inspired by the saga; the books and comics that have greatly expanded the Star Wars universe; the records and the videos; the trading cards; and the modern collectors’ items. Whether you joined the Star Wars saga in 1977, 1999 or 2015, Star Warsis a hobby that continues to attract new generations of collectors and will likely endure for many decades to come.

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This illustrated history portrays one of England’s finest cities. It provides a nostalgic look at Manchester’s past and highlights the special character of some of its most important historic sites. The photographs are taken from the Historic England Archive, a unique collection of over 12 million photographs, drawings, plans and documents covering England’s archaeology, architecture, social and local history. Pictures date from the earliest days of photography to the present and cover subjects from Bronze Age burials and medieval churches to cinemas and seaside resorts. Historic England: Manchester shows the city as it once was, from its streets, squares and parks to its mills, factories and warehouses. It is a city of strong Victorian character, combining nineteenth-century grandeur and twenty-first-century vibrancy. In 2015 it was designated ‘The Northern Powerhouse’, though, being the home of the Industrial Revolution, it always was. Manchester gave the world technological innovation as well as manufacturing strength. Manchester truly is one of the world’s greatest cities and this book will help you discover its remarkable history.

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Joan of Arc’s life and death mark a turning point in the destiny both of France and England and the history of their monarchies. ‘It is a great shame,’ wrote Étienne Pasquier in the late sixteenth century, ‘for no one ever came to the help of France so opportunely and with such success as that girl, and never was the memory of a woman so torn to shreds.’ Biographers have crossed swords furiously about her inspiration, each according to the personal conviction of the writer. As Moya Longstaffe points out: ‘She has been claimed as an icon by zealous combatants of every shade of opinion, clericals, anticlericals, nationalists, republicans, socialists, conspiracy theorists, feminists, yesterday’s communists, today’s Front National, everyone with a need for a figurehead. As George Bernard Shaw said, in the prologue to his play, “The question raised by Joan’s burning is a burning question still.”’ By returning to the original sources and employing her expertise in languages, the author brings La Pucelle alive and does not duck the most difficult question: was she deluded, unbalanced, fraudulent ‒ or indeed a great visionary, to be compared to Catherine of Siena or Francis of Assisi?

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The ‘A-side’ of Cheltenham’s history as a fashionable Regency spa and subsequent reinvention as a town of colleges, churches and festivals is well documented, but what about its ‘flip-side’? Much of the town’s fascinating history has either been overlooked or lies hidden below the surface. Well-known local author David Elder delves into Cheltenham’s lost, forgotten and hidden histories, unearthing fascinating facts and recounting some remarkable stories. Learn, for example, about some of Cheltenham’s minor celebrities and local characters – from the man who sold his wife for little more than 18 pence to the concert pianist who claimed to be the reincarnation of Franz Liszt, while not forgetting the person who led to the ‘discovery’ of Jeeves not long before perishing at the Battle of the Somme. Secret Cheltenham reveals the lesser-known aspects of this remarkable town.

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The centrepiece of this memoir by Sir Christopher Mallaby, former British Ambassador in Germany and France, is the unification of Germany in 1990, the culmination of years of work by Sir Christopher and his colleagues. He held different views from the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. He saw unification as the key to ending the Cold War with a peaceful victory for the West and the liberation of millions in eastern and central Europe from Soviet control. She disliked the Germans and opposed unification. Christopher Mallaby writes vividly of many other people, places and events. He and his wife were a young couple in Moscow during the Cuba crisis, and knew they might be destroyed by American nuclear weapons. He explains why Khrushchev took such a huge risk and why he yielded to President Kennedy. 'Living the Cold War' describes the work of diplomats and leaders on many other fronts, from dealing with the threat of the Soviet Union to Britain’s attempt to persuade Argentina to withdraw peacefully from the Falklands. The author brings different experiences alive, including the KGB’s harassment of diplomats in Moscow and the fascination of his time as Ambassador in France. In doing so, he shows what diplomats can really achieve. He mixes amusing incidents with an insider's insights on crucial world events.

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Prepare to feel queasy. Are you suffering from a life-threatening illness? Do you possess chronic fatigue, sexual dysfunction, severe mental impairment, or have to endure constant, debilitating pain? If not, then you might do so after reading this book! Snake-oil salesmen, preying like vultures upon the hopes and fears of the sick and the dying, are nothing new. Up until relatively recently in history, before the miraculous medical advances made during the 20th and 21st centuries, doctors killed many more patients than they ever cured – and it was no wonder when you consider some of the appalling quacks who have felt themselves qualified (often fraudulently) to call themselves doctors. Was it really possible to diagnose a person’s illness by sniffing their soul through their hair, as one medical man thought? Did Jesus give His followers enemas? Can a man fart his own hair out? Is letting a tapeworm live inside your body a wise way to lose weight? Is it possible to exist off an ultra-low-calorie diet of thin air alone? Is McDonalds’ secret menu of interdimensional foodstuffs a sure-fire path to good health? Could an alien potato from the moon hold the secret to defeating cancer? Is deafness caused by having constipated ears? Should you really wear underpants laced with nuclear radiation? The answer to all these questions is undoubtedly ‘NO!!’, but that hasn’t stopped certain desperate people down the centuries from believing that it might have been ‘YES!!’, such has been their eagerness to find a way out of the medical dead-ends they have found themselves stuck in. This book tells the story of some of the strangest and most insane doctors, surgeons, quacks and food-faddists from throughout history, as well as the often cruel (and always absurd) diet crazes, treatment regimes and beliefs they unleashed out onto an unsuspecting world – proving once and for all that the one thing there really isn’t a cure for is human gullibility. Now open wide and say ‘Aaargh!’

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Bond... James Bond. In 1962, movie audiences were introduced to the most famous secret agent in the world, and his fleet of fabulous motor cars. The classic Aston Martin DB5 first appeared in Goldfinger, followed by Thunderball and several more films. Equipped with machine guns and an ejection seat, the DB5 is probably the most famous movie car of all time. It was followed by the autogyro Little Nellie in You Only Live Twice; the Lotus Esprit submarine car in The Spy Who Loved Me; Space Shuttles in Moonraker; a Citroen 2CV in For Your Eyes Only; and the specially built Aston Martin DB10 in Spectre. Every film featured a stable of exotic cars for both Bond and his adversaries. In 1965 the British toy company Corgi released a model of the DB5, complete with an array of spy gadgets, including a working ejection seat. Over the next five decades Corgi would go on to produce dozens more Bond models. Other firms joined in, producing both toys for children, and highly detailed models aimed at adult collectors. Today there are hundreds of models for the dedicated Bond fan to hunt down. Here is your guide to the exciting world of miniature Bond cars, and their gadgets, with advice from an experienced Bond collector.

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Cleopatra is one of the greatest romantic figures in history, the queen of Egypt whose beauty and allure is legendary. We think we know her story, but our image of her is largely gleaned from the film starring Elizabeth Taylor or from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Shakespeare himself was inspired by Plutarch, who was only sixteen years old when Cleopatra died. So her story was never based purely on fact. In the middle of the first century BC, Cleopatra caught the attention of Rome by captivating the two most powerful Romans of the day, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. She outlived both and attempted to suborn a third, her mortal enemy, Octavius Caesar, the first of the Roman Emperors. Having failed to do so she destroyed herself. We can tell that Cleopatra was highly intelligent and politically astute and that she wielded great power. But Roman histories heaped opprobrium upon her. Cleopatra’s detractors claimed that she used her feminine wiles to entrap Caesar and Antony. She came to symbolise the danger of female influence to the safety of Rome – and indeed to the male-dominated world. Plutarch observed that Cleopatra’s actual beauty was apparently not in itself so remarkable. It was the impact of her presence that was irresistible. Cleopatra: Fact and Fiction sheds fascinating light on the woman behind the image. The fact that Cleopatra’s legend still burns bright today is proof of Shakespeare’s description of her as a lady of infinite variety whom custom cannot stale.

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When Mary Stuart was forced off the Scottish throne she fled to England, a move that made her cousin Queen Elizabeth very uneasy. Elizabeth had continued the religious changes made by her father and England was a Protestant country, yet ardent Catholics plotted to depose Elizabeth and put Mary Stuart on the English throne. So what was Queen Elizabeth going to do with a kingdomless queen likely to take hers? She had her placed under house arrest with her old friend Bess of Hardwick, then married to her fourth husband, the wealthy and influential Earl of Shrewsbury. The charismatic Scotswoman was treated more like a dowager queen than a prisoner and enjoyed the Shrewsbury’s affluent lifestyle until Bess suspected Mary of seducing her husband. But for sixteen years, with the never-ending threat of a Catholic uprising, Bess was forced to accommodate Mary and her entourage at enormous cost to both her finances and her marriage. Bess had also known the doomed Jane Grey and Mary Tudor, Queen of France. She had been in service in the Grey household and companion to the infant Jane. Mary Tudor had been godmother to Bess’s fifth child. Four Queens and a Countess delves deep into the relationships of these women with their insurmountable differences, the way they tried to accommodate them and the lasting legacy this has left. The clash of personalities and its deadly political background have never been examined in detail before.

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First appearing on our screens over fifty years ago, Doctor Who has not only been a television phenomenon but has also spawned more merchandise than any other British television programme in history. Literally thousands of products have been produced since the series launch in 1963, with many of these items now being collectible and highly sought after by fans of the programme. Doctor Who has featured on virtually every conceivable product, from books and records to toys and games, breakfast cereal promotions to full-size prop replicas. The series merchandising has enjoyed many peaks and troughs, from the heady days of Dalekmania in the 1960s to a drought in the early 1970s, the rise of the collectable in the 1980s to the nostalgia-driven days of the 1990s and then a huge resurgence following the Doctor’s return to television in the twenty-first century. Whether you're looking for a full-size Cyberman or a pair of Dalek slippers, a Tom Baker scarf or a Doctor Who pinball machine, Doctor Who has produced something for every type of collector. Sit back and revel in nostalgia as we take a look at some of the more notable and unusual items that have been produced over the last half century.

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Looking at how hooliganism continues to plague British football, former police officers Michael Layton and Bill Rogerson explore the continued effect of violence on the modern game. The Hooligans Are Still Among Us examines the damage wrought by hooligans travelling to and from domestic matches as well as within the stadium itself, the English disease abroad and the continuing factor of racist and sectarian motivations in fuelling the madness. Layton and Rogerson also paint a portrait of some of British football’s most notorious firms, as well as looking at some of the potential solutions being put forward by the British police. Fully up to date, including first-hand accounts of the madness that engulfed Marseilles as Russian, English and French fans clashed at Euro 2016, The Hooligans Are Still Among Us is an essential read for anyone interested in the pervasive influence hooliganism continues to have on the beautiful game.

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Buildings in Britain were first set aside for storing firefighting equipment in the seventeenth century, in the wake of the Great Fire of London. These were often storage sheds or farm buildings, but as technology became more advanced specialist buildings were needed to house it: fire stations. The golden age of fire station design was the late Victorian period and a wonderful and eclectic collection of buildings from the time still stands in Britain. The changing threats dealt with by fire brigades in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries meant that new designs were needed to accommodate new equipment, but the basic layout of a modern fire station would still be familiar to a Victorian fireman. Here, Billy Reading explores the history of the fire station in Britain, from simple parish cart-sheds to complex modern headquarters. Fire stations are an instantly recognisable part of the British landscape today, from village greens to city centres. This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with fire stations in all their variety.

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The battlefields of England and Scotland are a strongly neglected but important part of our national heritage, and what remains today and the current usage of the sites is very varied. Some, like Bosworth and Culloden, have modern visitor centres, shops and cafés, and others such as Homildon Hill and Edgecote have nothing at all. From King Alfred’s victory over the Danes at Ashdown in AD 871 to the defeat of the Jacobites in the April snow at Culloden in 1746, this book covers seventy battles that took place in England and Scotland. The author gives each battle its historical context, describes the action in relation to the landscape and discusses the remains of the site and what can be found today.

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‘In all his life [Oscar] has never written me a letter that was unkind or at least unloving and to see anything terrible in his handwriting written directly to me would almost kill me.’ This was written by Lord Alfred Douglas in 1897, before the contents of Oscar Wilde’s long letter written in prison and addressed to Douglas, De Profundis, were revealed; in which Wilde indicted Lord Alfred’s vanity and blamed him for his downfall ‒ ‘appetite without distinction, desire without limit, and formless greed’. Years after Oscar Wilde’s death, two of his closest friends, Lord Alfred Douglas and his literary executor Robert Ross ‒ both former lovers ‒ engaged in a bitter battle over Wilde’s legacy and who was to blame for his downfall and early death. The centrepiece of the conflict was Ross’s handling of Wilde’s prison manuscript, De Profundis. The furious struggle led to stalking, blackmail, witness tampering, prison, and a series of dramatic lawsuits. The feud had long-lasting repercussions, not only for the two men, but also for how we remember Oscar Wilde today. Oscar's Ghost includes previously unpublished information about one of the most mysterious figures in the Wilde scandal, Maurice Schwabe, who set in motion the chain of events that led to the playwright's imprisonment. Ross was systematic, had more friends, and as Wilde's executor had access to all of Wilde's papers, including personal letters from Douglas to Wilde; as the controller of Wilde’s copyright, he had sole discretion as to which of Wilde’s views of Douglas could be published. Douglas had a tenacious fighting spirit, and the sense of entitlement that came with being a lord. This is the first book to focus on the heated feud and to assess the motivations, misconceptions, and actions of all parties involved.

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The Bristol Channel has an incredibly rich maritime history, reaching back to when men first went to sea in ships powered by the wind. Many were built locally – the Bristol Channel pilot cutters have a legendary reputation right across the world; seventeen original vessels still exist and modern ones are still being built. John Cabot set sail from Bristol in the Matthew and reached America, while, at the other end of the scale, there are the small double-ended Somerset flatners fishing Bridgewater Bay. At least three famous Antarctic exploration vessels loaded Welsh coal before heading south. The story of Scott’s Terra Nova is well known and the Scotia, which pioneered Antarctic exploration, was later wrecked and burnt out on Sully Island. Bringing the story up to date is Challenge Wales, an around-the-world racing yacht now based in Cardiff and active in sail training and youth activity. In between are a whole host of unsung vessels of all sizes, each with their own tale to tell. Sailing Ships of the Bristol Channel brings all this salt-stained heritage, courage and tenacity into one colourful and highly readable volume; maritime history is in our blood and this book will enrich it.

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Though images of women were ubiquitous in the Roman world, these were seldom intended to be taken simply at face value. The importance of marriage, motherhood and political stability was often conveyed to the Roman people through carefully constructed representations of the women of the ruling house. Mythological representations were used to present moral and political lessons to the women of Rome. Roman society was, on most levels, male dominated and women’s roles were sometimes subordinate to political and cultural needs and imperatives. Images of mortal women – empresses and other female members of the imperial family, elite women from around the empire and working women from Rome, Ostia, Pompeii and elsewhere – are analysed alongside images of goddesses and personifications and of complex mythological figures such as Amazons. This is the first general book to present a coherent, broad analysis of the numerous images of women in Roman art and to interpret their meaning and significance, all set against the broader geographical, chronological, political, religious and cultural context of the world of the Roman republic and empire and of Late Antiquity.

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Mary Tudor has always been known as ‘Bloody Mary’, the name given to her by later Protestant chroniclers who vilified her for attempting to re-impose Roman Catholicism in England. Although a more nuanced picture of the first queen regnant has since emerged, she is still stereotyped, depicted as a tragic and lonely figure, personally and politically isolated after the annulment of her parents’ marriage and rescued from obscurity only through the good offices of Katherine Parr. Although Henry doted on Mary as a child and called her his ‘pearl of the world’, her determination to side with her mother over the annulment both hurt him as a father and damaged perceptions of him as a monarch commanding unhesitating obedience. However, once Mary had finally been pressured into compliance, Henry reverted to being a loving father and Mary played an important role in court life. As Melita Thomas points out, Mary was a gambler – and not just with cards. Later, she would risk all, including her life, to gain the throne. As a young girl of just seventeen she made the first throw of the dice, defiantly maintaining her claim to be Henry’s legitimate daughter against the determined attempts of Anne Boleyn and the king to break her spirit. Following the 500th anniversary of Mary's birth, The King’s Pearl re-examines Mary’s life during the reign of Henry VIII and her complex, dramatic relationship with her father.

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Kent’s military heritage is well known because of popular tourist attractions such as Dover Castle or Chatham Dockyard, but there are also many lesser-known sites dotted around the county, each with their own story to tell. Most of the sites included here date from the Second World War but there are also many military installations from other eras, from the eerie remains of the towers in the Thames Estuary to the magnificence of Fort Burgoyne. Kent: Britain’s Frontline County examines the fascinating ways in which Kent has protected and defended Britain over the centuries. Local author and historian Clive Holden has carefully documented each of these secret gems and photographed them in full colour, giving the reader a wonderful insight into a lesser-known aspect of Kent’s proud heritage.

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This book is full of untold short stories of men who created a legend, the legend of the British airborne forces during the Second World War. Impressed by the performance of the German paratroopers in Belgium and the Netherlands in 1940, and on Crete in 1941, Winston Churchill ordered the creation of a British Airborne force of no less than 5,000 parachutists. Their task was to land behind enemy lines and take and hold or destroy key objectives while ground troops advanced toward them. The result was the 1st and 6th Airborne divisions, and this is their story, as told by the men themselves. Covering everything from the initial training at Hardwick Hall and Ringway through their first operations in North Africa and Italy, to D-Day, Operation Market Garden and the crossing of the Rhine, this is a compelling account of the war fought by the paratroopers and their comrades in the glider units.

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The Victorian age, the age of industrial revolution and expansion of cities, was also the age of an explosion of interest in the practice of gardening. This was not merely a private pastime. For the first time, a concerted effort was made throughout Britain to provide extensive gardens for the public to enjoy. More than merely an aesthetic enterprise, the development of public gardens attempted to promote benevolent behaviour and decrease social unrest. It was during this period that we saw the creation of infamous and elaborate gardens such as the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, and plants were brought from all around the world and housed in gardens such as James Bateman’s at Biddulph Grange, Staffordshire. The craze for plant collecting that developed in the nineteenth century catalysed the return to a more formal style of garden to display the variety of plant species from across the Empire. In this illustrative comprehensive tome, Frank J. Scott brought the art of beautifying home gardens to suburban homes. He demonstrates the simple means with which beautiful gardens may be achieved on small grounds and with little cost.

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The Stuart monarchs reigned during a time when Britain was balanced on the brink of change. It was an era torn between absolute monarchy and revolution: kings ruled with iron fists only to be toppled by opponents who laid claim, not to a crown, but to a country. It was an era that saw the carnage of the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I and the rise of Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth, only to then witness Charles II’s restoration, the Great Plague and the Glorious Revolution. In this fascinating, day-by-day account of life in Stuart Britain, diarists such as the famous Samuel Pepys and the gardener John Evelyn brush shoulders with well-known poets and anonymous writers of household records. They describe events from the Great Fire of London and the fall of two kings, to the coronation of Britain’s only dual monarchs and the uniting of the English and Scottish crowns.

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The Stuart era encompasses the whole of the seventeenth century and beyond, with seven monarchs and a civil war that changed Britain forever. It was one of the most turbulent periods in our history, remembered for fire, plague and high treason alongside baroque music and Pepys's famous diary – but what are the stories behind the facts? Andrea Zuvich leads us through this fascinating era, condensing over 100 years of turmoil into 100 informative, bitesize facts. The well-known myths and unlikely truths surrounding the Stuarts are thoroughly examined, from the deaths of kings and the discovery of brave new worlds to Tulip Mania and the dangers of drinking orange juice.

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The nineteenth-century American writer Theodore Gordon wrote ‘it is impossible to grow weary of a sport that is never the same on any two days of the year’. It is this enthusiasm for the sport that H. Cholmondeley-Pennell, one of Britain’s most famous nineteenth-century naturalists, conveys in this comprehensive guide to fly fishing, one of its very first ‘manuals’. From deciding upon the most suitable gear to tips on may-fly and bait fishing, Cholmondeley-Pennell gives practical advice to inspire both the experienced angler and the occasional hobbyist. H. Cholmondeley-Pennell was a renowned British naturalist of the nineteenth century. An editor and occasional contributor to Punch, he was known for publishing widely upon both coarse and fly fishing.

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During the Second World War, more than 9,000 flying boats were produced by the main protagonists, fulfilling a multitude of roles including maritime reconnaissance, bombing, fleet spotting, search and rescue, long-range transport and communications. However, time was running out, and a little over a decade after the end of the war, the military flying boat would appear to be a dying breed on the verge of extinction. It would be another twenty years before a new breed of multi-engine flying boats would leave the drawing boards of leading aerospace companies to successfully fulfil, not only their traditional military roles of maritime reconnaissance and search and rescue, but one at which they have proved to be very adept, that of aerial fire-fighting. Currently the twin-turboprop powered twelve-seat Dornier Seastar amphibian is being built in China, which is also developing the AG600 search and rescue amphibian for the Chinese Navy. There have been a number of successful turboprop conversion of piston-engine flying boats such as the Grumman Mallard and Canadair CL-215 amphibians. In this book, aviation historian David Oliver covers the little-known flying-boat legacy of the Second World War, which includes jet fighter flying boat projects; the jet maritime reconnaissance flying boat development in the Cold War; the successes and failures of turbo-prop flying boats; converted turbo-prop flying boats; as well as the new horizons for flying boats in the twenty-first century.

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The Battle of the Somme epitomised the cruelty of the Western Front. 1 July 1916 witnessed the opening round of the British Army’s attempt to break through an eighteen-mile front of heavily defended German lines straddling the River Somme in northern France. Preceded by an artillery bombardment of over 1,500 big guns that lasted a week, the inexperienced members of Lord Kitchener’s New Army went ‘over the top’ and suffered the deadliest day in British military history. On the first day, British losses alone totalled nearly 20,000 dead. In the next four and a half months of combat, over 350,000 British soldiers would become casualties to one of the most intense, lethal, and futile engagements in history.

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By the time of the First World War, nursing had become vital. The quality of medical care available to British soldiers had improved immeasurably since the days of Florence Nightingale. This classic diary, written by an anonymous nurse, is an essential account of the Great War from an unusual female perspective. Through the pages of her carefully-kept diary we follow the author’s experiences on the Western Front as she cared for the wounded. Much of her time was spent on the ambulance trains that collected the wounded from the front line and in Field Ambulance stations, bringing a vivid immediacy to her interactions with the wounded soldiers. In her diary she faithfully recounts her own everyday experiences of war, as well as those of the men whose lives she saved behind the scenes of the deadly battles at the front line.

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It was not long before midnight on 17 May 1943 when the inhabitants of Gunne, the German village close to the Mohne Dam, heard the airraid warnings. It was widely regarded as a precautionary measure, but ninety minutes later, an immense tidal-wave was roaring down the valley towards them. Guy Gibson, who led 'X' Squadron of 19 specially adapted Lancasters equipped with Barnes Wallis's 'bouncing bomb', knew that the odds were stacked against him and his men. But they would not let him down. Some, like Squadron Leader Young whose bomb breached the dam, would return home as heroes. Others, like Pilot Officer Byers and his crew, would not, shot down just after crossing the North Sea whilst they were still miles away from their targets. A small number of those involved would survive crashed aircraft and live out the war in POW camps. The Dam Busters raids have gone down as perhaps the most famous air strikes in history. Yet behind the story of courage and determination there lies another, darker side, both for the aircrews - 40% of whom died in the mission - and for those who lived below the dams in the path of the flood, many of whom were not even German. This new account tells the story of those dramatic events through the eyes of those who were there. Whether or not the reality matches the legend, one thing that emerges is the incredible bravery of those who flew the most dangerous mission they had ever undertaken and the trauma experienced by those unlucky enough to be its target.

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Asked why he was in Britain, a US serviceman, fighting the war in the skies over Germany with the US 8th Air Force quipped, 'We're here to win the war for you'. The men of the US 8th AF dropped more bombs on Germany and Italy than any other air force, with most of their raids being in daylight. Martin Bowman has spent much of the past two decades recording the memories of hundreds of American airmen who came to Britain to fight the Germans and Italians. Giving a unique insight into both combat missions and life back at base, he has managed to compile a fascinating oral history of the war through the words of the men who took it direct to the heart of both Germany and Italy, men who risked their lives daily in the search for freedom for occupied Europe. A fascinating history from the voices of the American airmen who flew daily from bases in East Anglia to the heart of Germany.

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Written by 43 Squadron's intelligence officer, Hector Bolitho, Finest of the Few is full of John's first-hand accounts of his combat missions against German Me 109s, Heinkel 111s and Dorniers. One of Hector's key roles was to collate and verify the 'Combat Reports' filed by pilots which detailed enemy 'kills' and the fate of fellow pilots who had been shot down. He was a good friend of John Simpson and the book was written during 1940 based on conversations between the two men, John's Combat Reports and letters John sent to Hector.

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John Gaspard Le Marchant was born in France in 1766, his father from Guernsey, his mother French. He joined the British Army aged sixteen and despite his family's moderate wealth and lack of society connections, he rose through the ranks to become one of the most accomplished cavalry officers of his time. A master swordsman, he had seen how poor training with the sword resulted in numerous casualties amongst the British cavalry sometimes accidentally self-inflicted. Le Marchant set about designing a new cavalry sabre, writing instruction manuals on swordsmanship and training cavalry men throughout the country. Le Marchant's achievements did not go unnoticed and he enjoyed the patronage of George III and the Duke of York.He didn't stop there. His proposal for a military establishment for the professional training of army officers initially met with opposition. He persevered, and the Royal Military College was founded in 1801, where he served as its inaugural Lieutenant-Governor. Later

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In 1959 there were twenty-seven Corporation Transport systems in the Red Rose County. These were significantly reduced in 1969 with the creation of the Passenger Transport Executives in Manchester and Liverpool and further reduced in 1974 following the reorganisation of local government, when boundaries were changed and new administrative boroughs created. All but two of the remaining systems were privatised during the 1990s, following the deregulation of bus services in 1986. Rossendale clung on to its own transport organisation until 2018 when it too was bought out by Transdev, leaving just Blackpool Transport as the only council-owned operator within the redrawn county boundary. This book picks up the story following local government reorganisation in 1974 and uses a comprehensive selection of photographs to depict the closing years of all of Lancashire’s Corporation Transport systems.

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Southampton has been a major port on the Hampshire coast since the medieval period, and the development of the docks in the nineteenth century saw the town (it became a city in 1964) expand massively. Thornycroft established a shipbuilding yard for the Royal Navy in 1904 and the town’s strategic importance led to it being a target for aerial bombardment in the Second World War, in which 70 per cent of the buildings in the centre were badly damaged or destroyed. Rebuilt after the war, Southampton is now a thriving, populous metropolitan area. In this book author Martin Brisland reveals the hidden history of Southampton, from the grisly locations of the Old Admiralty Gallows and other public executions at the Bargate to the medieval wine vaults beneath the streets that were used as air-raid shelters during the Second World War. Many notable characters have been associated with the city, including Benny Hill; Jane Austen; General Rosas, who helped create modern Argentina; and Admiral Jellicoe. As well as being the port of embarkation for the Titanic, the Pilgrim Fathers’ Mayflower sailed from Southampton. All this and more features in Secret Southampton as the author explores the little-known history of the city.

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Southport History Tour is a unique insight into the fascinating history of this attractive seaside town on the Merseyside coast and shows just how much it has changed during the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Readers are invited to follow local author and historian Hugh Hollinghurst as he guides them through its streets and promenades, its parks and open spaces, pointing out the well-known and lesser-known landmarks along the way.

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This illustrated history portrays one of England’s finest cities. It provides a nostalgic look at Leeds’ past and highlights the special character of some of its most important historic sites. The photographs are taken from the Historic England Archive, a unique collection of over 12 million photographs, drawings, plans and documents covering England’s archaeology, architecture, social and local history. Pictures date from the earliest days of photography to the present and cover subjects from Bronze Age burials and medieval churches to cinemas and seaside resorts. Historic England: Leeds shows the city as it once was, from its streets, squares and parks to its mills and factories. The self-proclaimed ‘Capital of the North’ has come a long way since receiving its first charter in 1207. From its early developments during the Industrial Revolution, it became a major area for the production of wool, engineering and printing. Today, with its legal and financial services, it is a prosperous contender with London. Leeds is also a city with a wide variety of entertainment, arts, culture and history, as well as having a thriving university. Leeds truly is one of the country’s greatest cities and this book will help you discover its remarkable history.

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In this comprehensive book, the author charts the development and production of one of the most famous fire engine manufacturers in the world. After an introduction that outlines Dennis’s early days of manufacturing bicycles and cars in Guildford, the author describes the initial fire engine design in 1908 which was to establish Dennis as a fire engine maker and the principal supplier to the London Fire Brigade. Technical developments were accompanied by export success to Commonwealth countries where the name Dennis became synonymous with fire engines. After supplying fire-fighting trailer pumps that were used in the Blitz, Dennis production continued to be innovative and varied in the post-war years, and the author explains the development of both the small town and country fire engines as well as larger engines, which were the mainstay of city fire brigades. The author brings the story right up to date with the development of both the Dennis Rapier and Dennis Sabre. The Rapier was considered the ultimate fire engine and both models enjoyed export success until the company ceased independent production in 2007.

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Oakham, the county town of Rutland, has a fascinating history. Oakham Castle's Norman hall was built by Walkin de Ferrers around 1190, and also houses the famous horseshoes, which were collected from members of royalty and peers of the realm who passed through the town. The impressive tower of All Saints church dominates the skyline from miles around. Rutland County Museum on Catmose Street was constructed in 1794 to be the home of Rutland Fencible Cavalry. Walking around the lanes and minor roads that crisscross Rutland today is still a trip back in time. This unique selection of old and new images, compiled by local historian Trevor Hickman, is essential reading for anybody who knows and loves Oakham and the surrounding villages. Featured alongside Oakham are Cottesmere, Langham, Empingham, Whissendine and many more.

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This book describes the heritage and development of the entire Piper Cherokee family; its safety and ownership characteristics; internal and external details; and a range of special variants from STOL modifications and new engines to seaplanes and tailwheel conversions. The hugely successful Piper PA-28 was produced and sold as a direct competitor to the Cessna 172. Initially produced with a rectangular wing planform and fixed undercarriage, it was available with installed powers ranging from 140 to 235 hp. A retractable undercarriage resulted in the Arrow series. The closely related PA-32 Cherokee Six, Saratoga and Six X are larger high performance aircraft. Versions of the PA-32 fitted with retractable undercarriages are the Lance and the sophisticated Saratoga II series.

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When Hitler marched into Austria in March 1938, he was given a rapturous reception. Millions lined the streets and filled the squares of Vienna. Tobias Portschy, a self-appointed regional Nazi chief, considered what to give the Fuhrer for his birthday, and devised a particular gift from the Austrian people: the elimination of Jewish life in the Burgenland, picturesque farming country about 70 km south-east of Vienna. Eichmann took note of the brutal methodology. The Holocaust had begun.Burgenland is an astonishing survey of Jewish history in Central Europe, an account of the opening salvo of what turned into the systematic industrial-scale genocide of European Jewry, a stern examination of British policy and the world's wholly inadequate response. It is also a deeply personal memoir and family history. Impeccably researched and hugely ambitious in scope, it narrates the full arc of the Jewish experience in Central Europe over 300 years, following the lives of one family who played a si

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Rare and previously unpublished photographs celebrating the venerable Class 37 locomotives at work in Scotland.

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Chiswick grew from a village on a bend of the River Thames to a fashionable retreat from London in the eighteenth century, then a suburb of London in the nineteenth century. The Palladian villa Chiswick House, with its landscaped gardens, was created by Lord Burlington in 1720 and artists and writers were drawn to the area, which also later became home to the Royal Horticultural Society and the first Garden Suburb at Bedford Park. Industries later associated with Chiswick included Thorneycroft marine builders and Fuller's famous brewery. During the Second World War the first V-2 rocket to hit London fell on Staveley Road in Chiswick.In AZ of Chiswick author Andy Bull reveals the history behind Chiswick, its streets and buildings, industries and the people connected with the area. Alongside the famous historical connections included are some unusual characters, tucked-away places and unique events that are less well-known. Readers will discover tales of glamorous residents of Chiswick H

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This book explores the fascinating history of Nottinghamshireâs remarkable literary heritage as well as being a guide to the locations where that heritage can still be found.

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The largest city in the East Midlands, Nottingham has been an important centre in the area since the Middle Ages. The old Saxon borough was built around the area known today as the Lace Market and an adjoining settlement developed around the Norman castle, famously occupied by the Sheriff of Nottingham in the legendary Robin Hood stories. In later centuries Nottingham became a major manufacturer of lace and several other famous names in industry also made their home in Nottingham, including Boots the chemists, Raleigh cycles and Player’s the cigarette manufacturers. The city also has a strong cultural legacy, associated with writers such as D. H. Lawrence and Alan Sillitoe. With two universities, many new industries and commercial developments, a new tram system, and a UK sporting centre with the oldest professional football team in the world, Notts County, and Nottingham Forest, and the test cricket venue of Trent Bridge, Nottingham is a vibrant, modern British city proud of its heritage including the Goose Fair which is still held every year. This fascinating A–Z tour of Nottingham, its interesting people, places and historic events, is fully illustrated and will appeal to all those with an interest in this city in the East Midlands.

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