This book looks at the lives of the women who broke the mold: those who defied social norms and made their own future, consequently changing lives, society and even the course of history. Some of the
Immortalized for a new generation in the graphic opening sequences of Saving Private Ryan, "Bloody" Omaha Beach was almost an epic failure. Among the five beaches stormed as part of the June
King Richard III remains one of the most controversial figures in British history. Matthew Lewis’s new biography aims to become a definitive account of his life by exploring what is known of his
No island is more deeply steeped in ancient history than Britain. The megalithic monuments are mute testimony to the mysterious foundations of "British" culture, and the inhabitants’ k
The 1960s witnessed a magnificent, if misguided, swansong for the ocean liner. As the decade progressed a steady succession of elaborate new "ships of state" populated the world’s sea
Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII, has been called the most unlikely King of England. Yet his rise from obscurity was foretold by the bards, and by 1485, the familial bloodbath of the Wars of the Rose
This book makes use of a privately held archive of Illustrated Police News to describe strange, macabre, and uncanny episodes from the Victorian era. Dog-Faced Men are exhibited on stage; the doctors
Many people know about Wessex, the "Last Kingdom" of the Anglo-Saxons in defense against the Northmen, But another kingdom, Mercia, once enjoyed supremacy over not just Wessex, but all the A
This book tells the story of the Jewish community, of its individuals and its groups that contributed to the First World War from London. It will describe the experiences of some of those that served
What common theme can be found across 250 years of English history? What thread runs throughout the Plantagenet Royal House, including as it does the "cadet: Houses of Lancaster and York, to the
The Vought F-8 Crusader was a classic post-war aircraft; loved by its pilots, this big machine was nicknamed "The Last of the Gunfighters" because of its primary armament of four 20 mm Colt
The eastern United States offers some of the best scenery in the country, and some of the most demanding for the railways. They must traverse treacherous mountain grades, making each trip a challenge
A History of Nursing aims to explore the history of nursing by investigating the earliest records of the caring profession, how it progressed, and what established it along the way to becoming the nur
These extraordinary stories of 144 pirates throughout history include Norman privateers, Barbary Corsairs, Elizabethan adventurers, Chinese pirates, "the Brethren of the coast," and of cours
The Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1953-58, organized by Sir Vivian Fuchs and Sir Edmund Hillary, was one of the most successful exploits ever undertaken in Antarctica, but it has been largely forgotte
In modern-day media, depictions of ancient Egyptian society are of a highly sexualized, lustful culture, but how accurate are these depictions of a people so shrouded in mystery and legend that it is
When Greyfriars Graveyard opened in Edinburgh in the 16th, built on the site of a Franciscan monastery on the edge of the Old Town, below the castle, it was Edinburgh’s most important burial site. Ove
Have you ever wondered what lies beneath your feet when you walk into an ancient church or through a graveyard? The mystery of what lies beneath? Did you know that some of London’s most famous cemeter
Remember setting up your Scalextric set on the carpet? The excitement of trying to get the layout to fit the room, then seeing if it still worked when you plugged it in? You probably still have your s
Of Charles’s mistresses, everybody’s favorite was the perky Cockney actress, Nell Gwyn. Nell and the French aristocrat (and not-so-very secret agent) Louise de Keroualle were the two women
Politically active gays, Jewish academics, French celebrities, uneasy alliances of feminists and conservatives, politicians hungry for power—and the only thing they have in common is a belief Is
Marcial Echenique, a Cambridge professor, recently became curious when he found wiring concealed under the floorboards of his country mansion, Farm Hall. In April 1945, Farm Hall housed 10 of Germany&
James Sadler was an extraordinary English pioneer who overcame many obstacles to achieve his dream of flying. Born the son of an Oxford pastry cook in 1753, he defied his lowly upbringing to become th
Pirates have long fascinated people, yet it was a harsh life for those who went "on the account," constantly overshadowed by the threat of death—through violence, illness, shipwreck, o
Tudor London was the very hub of English cultural and political life. The thriving metropolis had a strong royal presence, at the long established Tower of London and Westminster, and later at the pal
This is the story of a man who went from Yorkshire mill worker to Monte Carlo millionaire. Joseph Hobson Jagger was not a gentleman or an aristocrat; he was a working class Victorian man who entered t
During the wars which followed in the wake of the French Revolution, France’s armies turned on Britain’s last ally in Italy, the kingdom of Naples. The French chased out King Ferdinand and
The gin craze seems to have taken over the world in recent times, but how many gin lovers have ever stopped to really wonder about the origins of their favorite tipple? How many know about its Europea
This is an innovative, controversial history of Scotland and Britain in the early modern period. Its originality lies in new research pin-pointing Fife, especially St Andrew's, as the area where a
At the heart of the English Civil War stands the wife of Charles I, Henrietta Maria. She came to England in 1625 at the age of 15, undermined by her greedy French entourage, blocked by the forceful Du
British Railway Accidents and Incidents in Maps and Pictures describes some of the most interesting incidents that have occurred on Britain’s railways over the last 200 years, and pinpoints the exact
In the sixty years since the birth of bus and coach preservation the number of vehicles saved for present and future generations to admire has unbelievably grown from a tiny handful to more than 3,000
For anyone interested in the air war 1939-45, the information provided here is of inestimable value. There are no more than a handful of WW2 Luftwaffe members alive today. Patrick Eriksson had the for
The Holland America Line was founded in 1873 and operated a fleet of passenger and cargo vessels from the Netherlands to the east and west coasts of America. The company later acquired the stock of th
Just as the fashions of Jane Austen’s era define it as a unique moment in history, so do the pleasures and pastimes. Each occasion and activity brought the pleasure of choosing a new outfit, and
This text reviews the literature and the art of World War I and aims to examine the range of war poetry and fiction in English in its relation to German, French, Italian, Russian, Danish and Hungarian
Edinburgh has long had a proud and distinctive identity as the capital city of Scotland. Throughout its history it has been renowned as a home of science, education, literature and culture, and today
This book explores the history behind how woman’s clothing were manufactured and worn between the French Revolution and World War I. Including full-color photography of various outfits
It is hard to imagine a more male-dominated field in the nineteenth century than sea navigation. This was the high-point of the British Empire and sea navigation drove it. Yet in the midst of this dom
The Jurassic Park dinosaurs were unleashed on the world in 1993. Just like the flock of Gallimimus swarming over the plains of Isla Nublar, the movie took the world by storm, making it the highest gro
