At the time of her construction in the late 1920s, His Majesty's Airship R101 was the largest flying object ever made?as big and luxurious as an ocean liner, a Titanic of the skies designed to link th
This?guide for the interested amateur on how to spot archaeology in your own local landscape provides a period-by-period guide to the archaeology of Britain and an introduction to sites from all the m
The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most celebrated surviving works of art, yet much about the object itself remains a mystery. Who commissioned it, and where, when, and why was it made?In this i
A compendium of milestone stories and watershed events in popular culture, politics, and news at home and abroad from 1968, including the Assassination of Martin Luther King, an introduction of the Fo
By the time of its introduction into front-line service in July 1944 many Germans thought the ME 262 was capable of turning the tide of the Second World War. Accelerating to speeds well over 500mph, i
Roughly 30,000 years ago, something incredible happened, changing the world forever: an ape-like creature painted a story onto a cave wall. This became the most important invention for that species. I
The Allied invasion of Europe during summer 1944 was widely expected and it fell to the Axis intelligence services to provide High Command with advance warning of the precise date and place of the lan
From crowded train stations to quiet woods, and from city centers to our own back gardens, birds remind us that nature is everywhere. As children we are fascinated by these magical flying creatures th
For three decades the Windrush was the maritime Zelig of the 20th century. Designed in 1930 in the Hamburg boatyard of a Jewish shipbuilder to ferry Germans to a new life in South America, it wasn'
When Hitler ordered the north of Nazi-occupied Norway to be destroyed in a scorched earth retreat in 1944, everything of potential use to the Soviet enemy was destroyed. Fifty thousand people were for
To tie in with the release of Live and Let Die, Roger Moore agreed to keep a day-by-day diary throughout the film’s production, which would be published just ahead of the premiere in July 1
Few countries have subjected themselves to more introspection than the UK in the last three years. The decisions to leave the EU, not to destroy the UK via a breakaway by Scotland, and to create a vir
Why did London have to wait so long for a main line railway beneath its streets? For a few years in the mid-nineteenth century, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s broad gauge Great Western trains ran from Read
"War," wrote Cardinal Richelieu, "is one of the scourges with which it has pleased God to afflict men." Yet the prelate’s mournful observation scarcely begins to encapsulate
John ‘Goldfinger’ Palmer was a multi-millionaire kingpin of the British underworld, who would go on to mastermind a criminal empire to dwarf any crook of his generation. Palmer hit the big time in 198
To tie in with the release of his first James Bond film, Live and Let Die, Roger Moore agreed to keep a day-by-day diary throughout the film’s production which was published just ahead of the pr
London’s 100 Most Extraordinary Buildings reveals the stories behind the capital’s strangest and most enigmatic buildings. While some are open to the public—if you know who to ask&md
In late autumn 1968, callow youth Dorian Bond was charged with traveling to Yugoslavia to deliver cigars and film stock to legendary Hollywood director Orson Welles. The pair soon struck up an unlikel
The oral storytelling traditions of the British Isles have connected people to the land and to their plant and animal neighbors for centuries. This collection brings together story wisdom from England
The Jaguar was an iconic aircraft to come from Anglo-French collaboration and one of the first to be conceived with a predatory attack and low-level strike capability. Retired before its time, for Fra
Hampton Court, 1522: two young men, both heirs to an earldom, both rivals. Their hatred comes to a climax when Queen Katherine of Aragon brings her ladies-in-waiting to Cardinal Wolsey's luxurious
The Albigensian crusade (1209–29) by the Catholic Church against the Cathar heretics of southern France is commonly ascribed to religious fanaticism. This book is the first to offer a dedicated
From secluded mews to undiscovered cafes, flower markets, and tree-lined streets, prettycitylondon champions the quiet, gentle moments that allow you to escape in a huge capital city like London. If y
To the young people of today, the 1950s seem like another age. But for those born around then, this era of childhood feels like yesterday. 1950s Ireland was the age of De Valera and John Charles McQua
In this detailed book, Peter McCue reflects on the enormous range of paranormal phenomena to have been reported along Britain’s roads, and examines the theory that certain areas seem to be hot s
In February 1918, Lady Northcliffe, wife of the owner of The Daily Mail and The Times had the idea of raising funds for the Red Cross by asking women to give a pearl as a tribute to the dead and the w
Roman Holiday is the heady tale of Rome during the 1950s and 1960s, when the cafes and nightclubs were filled with movie stars and film directors as Hollywood productions flocked to the city to film a
Odette Brailly entered the public's consciousness in the 1950s when her remarkable—and romantic—exploits as an SOE agent first came to light. She had been the first woman to be awarded
Queen Victoria was the first in a new breed of Cunard Ships: her unique design is enhanced to give her the ability to cross the North Atlantic. Introduced to service in 2007, Queen Victoria has had a
Tradecraft is the term applied to techniques used by intelligence personnel to assist them in conducting their operations and, like many other professions, the espionage business has developed its own
From European favorites such as Mastichato Chios, which saved 2,000 Greeks from a bloody massacre at the hands of vengeful Turks, to legendary drinks such as Amarula, invented by African elephants; fr
Eldest son of the Prime Minister, with an outstanding academic record at Oxford, Raymond Asquith devoted his great talents to friendship, preferring conversation and literature to the struggle for wor
How did we get from clubs and spears to machine guns and drone missiles? What led to the human race firing projectiles across a no-man’s land, from straightforward warfare to spies and insurgenc
This engaging and practical travel guide takes you on a journey through the best of Tudor London, to sites built and associated with this fascinating dynasty, and to the museums and galleries that hou
This book traces the development of the four coastal villages often referred to as the Four Sisters’ that make up the eastern part Dublin 4 from their foundation to the prese
In 1922 the fledgling Irish Free State decided to replace the RIC with the Civic Guard (An Garda Síochána). This new Irish police force found itself dealing with an unsettled population, many of whom
Prior to and during World War II, the Junkers Aircraft Company of Dessau, Germany, produced several aircraft that revolutionized warfare. Among them were the Ju-87 Stuka, key to the success of the Bli
As the war in Europe entered its final months, the world teetered on the edge of a Third World War. While Soviet forces smashed their way into Berlin, Churchill ordered British military planners to pr
It was October 24, 1914 when Morris Meredith Williams, a man of diminutive stature first attempted to join up. It wasn’t until April 1916 that the army finally allowed him to fight for his country, in
In 1095 Pope Urban II granted absolution to anyone who would fight to reclaim the Holy Land. The first Christian crusaders embarked on an unprecedented religious war. While addressing the contribution
