Focusing on the late 19th and early 20th century obsession with woman as femme fatale, this book looks at beliefs about women’s bodies and sexuality. Dancer Maud Allan came to embody the im
At a time of emerging women leaders, the life of Elizabeth Milbanke, Viscountess Melbourne, the shrewdest political hostess of the Georgian period, is particularly intriguing. It was Byron who called
Stonehenge presents us with one of the greatest archaeological mysteries from pre-history. With each new breakthrough in field research and technological innovation, the full scale and significance of
When Mary Stuart was forced off the Scottish throne she fled to England, a move that made her cousin Queen Elizabeth very uneasy. Ardent Catholics plotted to depose Elizabeth and put Mary Stuart on th
This fascinating compendium is comprised of three parts. "Words and Their Meanings that Time Forgot" will delight anyone who is interested in the evolution, humor and eccentricity of the Eng
Written in 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) purported to chronicle the British monarchy from the arrival of the Trojan Brutus, grandson of
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
Oh, I love London Society! It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what Society should be.' Oscar WildeBeautiful Idiots and Brilliant Lunatics explores fascinating
The 1954 film On the Waterfront brought to life the New York docks of the 1950s, when it was often said that a ship, usually a freighter, arrived or departed every twenty-four minutes, around the cloc
Ripper Murders From Old Photographs is not a standard retelling of the story of the Whitechapel Murders but the tale of historically important photographs connected to the case, discovered by the auth
Focusing on key events and episodes, this book shows the ties of blood and commerce that have bound the different lands that lie today in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Western R
Nicknamed "Lady M" by Byron, Elizabeth Milbanke, Viscountess Melbourne, rose above all adversity, using sex and her husband’s wealth to hold court among such glittering figures as Geor
Chaloner achieved much during his short life. After university he served in the household of Thomas Cromwell, and later he was entrusted with increasingly delicate missions in France, Scotland, Flande
The Indian Scout motorcycle is the favoured mount for Wall of Death riders all over the world. Drawing upon modern and archive material, Wall of Death owner and rider Allan Ford and author Nick Corble
The British weather. Subject of endless complaint, small-talk savior of the British public, famously changeable. We all feel we know it well, as a largely benign and gentle backdrop to our lives. But
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution was established in 1824 and has a long and proud tradition of saving life at sea. Today, the volunteer lifeboat crews on the coasts of Cornwall, North Devon and
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
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
Yolande Duvernay was born in poverty in Paris in 1812. Under the control of a formidable stage mother, she became a celebrated ballerina the favourite dancer of Princess Victoria renowne
Light in the Darkness examines the origins of the lightship service, the obstacles and prejudices that faced originators of the idea and the subsequent development of the vessels and working practices
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
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
Catherine Howard, the young, vivacious, and wanton fifth wife of Henry VIII, committed adultery and was beheaded. This biography is a study of how chance and personality, morality and adultery, and so
This history looks at Britain's nautical training ships and floating reformatory schools for boys and young men. Boys as young as age ten were trained as sailors and deck hands and housed on old, wood
In 1939 and 1940, the Nazi blitzkrieg crushed Poland and the Low Countries and France. This was a new type of warfare, with air and ground forces sweeping away all resistance. In the air its symbol wa
This book takes up the story of Massey Ferguson tractors from 1957, after the merger of Massey Harris and Feguson and when the new name and red and grey colour scheme was used for the first time. The
A fascinating history of food, cooking and kitchenalia in the Georgian period, including contemporary recipes and colour illustrations and exploring how the Georgians have influenced our attitude to f
