Manchester has charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of the city’s unique appeal. Featuring a range of picturesque vistas, from the gothic arc
The age of steam is past, the reality of Swindon Works is long gone now — but the legend lives on. What made the Great Western Railway’s Swindon Works iconic? Was it its world-wide reputation; perhaps
Winston Churchill did not describe General Sir Charles Monro in the most glowing terms. Referring to Monro’s brave decision to recommend a withdrawal from the Gallipoli disaster Churchill said: "
Nelson Mandela’s place in history is secure: he was one of the best known prisoners in the world even before his election as the first president of post-apartheid South Africa; secondly, he became a g
At age 25, Elizabeth II, the ‘accidental queen’, became Britain’s 40th monarch and vowed to dedicate her life to service and duty on behalf of her country. She is the constitutional monarch of sixteen
From disastrous beginnings after he took the throne of Scotland, having murdered a powerful rival, Robert I became a military leader of consummate genius. Throwing away the rulebook of medieval warfar
In 218, Hannibal Barca, desperate to avenge the defeat of Carthage in the First Punic War, launched an ambitious ground invasion of Italy. With just a small force, he crossed the Alps – a feat reckone
Everyone knows that Einstein was a genius, yet only a few people understand his work. In fact, he was just one of many brilliant scientists grappling with the deepest problems of theoretical physics d
Celebrated storyteller Fiona Collins has collected the best-loved stories from the misty, magical mountains, rushing rivers and green rolling hills of North Wales. In this treasure trove of tales you
Following the outbreak WWI, the British Red Cross appealed for volunteers to train as frontline medical staff, and a major volunteer field hospital was built at Etaples in France. Women volunteered f
Why is Nelson a hero? Because he was a captain before he was 21, a man who shaped the course of history from the decks of his ships, hailed as a savior of the nation, a hero killed in action at the mo
The work of two passionate photographers, Philip Bell and John Kempster, offer insights into what it meant to build, deploy and operate the great White Star ships in the era ofTitanic. From the surgin
In the space of less than 20 years, Napoleon turned Europe upside down. Rising from obscure origins to supreme power by a mixture of luck, audacity and military genius, he was able to harness the ener
Hitler’s desperate need for iron ore was the main reason for his attack on Norway in April 1940. The battle for Narvik’s ice-free harbor soon became a crucial objective for both Allied and Axis forces
This forgotten part of Tudor history is told here for the first time with all the passion and thrill of a novel, but this is no fiction—Henry VIII really did almost hand the throne to his beloved niec
There’s something about Jane… Jane Austen lived only just into her forties, never married, never had children, lived all her life in the south of England and rarely strayed far from the genteel
Why is King Arthur a giant? Because his story has had such strong influences on our understanding of the history of Europe and the English-speaking world. Because the debate about Arthur as a historic
The history of the London square begins in 1631 with the great name of Inigo Jones, whose houses and church in Covent Garden were both started in that year. Lincolns Inn Fields followed from 1638, tho
Now in his 60s, a former international executive with Microsoft Corporation and GlaxoSmithKline, Graham Satchwell, looks back on his time as a Transport Policeman across an impressive career. The book
From a range of Ireland’s leading academics, this collection looks at Irish emigration during the time of the Great Famine of the 1800s. From the mechanics of how this was arranged to the fate of the
Edward Jenner is a giant of modern medicine. Throughout history, smallpox had plagued humanity with disfigurement, blindness, and death. It was an incurable blight, the suffering of which Jenner helpe
Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) was the Shakespeare of opera, the composer of Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Aida and Otello. The chorus of Hebrew slaves fromNabucco (1842) is regarded in Italy as v
What constituted a secret or a scandal in times gone by? This entertaining title in this new series gives an overview of the times and attitudes to "secrets," and what was meant by a "s
Did you know that, after the Battle of Hastings, Harold's tattoos were used to identify his body? Or that Elizabeth of York was the model for the queen in the first deck of cards? That Queen Victoria
Did you know that Henry VII's father died in prison before he was even born? Or that Scotland Yard takes its name from Margaret Tudor's Scottish retinue? That Henry VIII was too fat to walk down the s
In this concise, accessible, and engaging biography, Pollard rejects the jingoistic approach to one of England’s most renowned military heroes. Henry V enjoyed spectacular success against the French,
Jean Claude Guiet was born in Belfort, France. His parents headed the French Department at a college in the U.S. for 30 years, so he spent his school years here and summers in France. In 1940, at the
Building The Supermarine Spitfire presents an illuminating history of the design and development of one of World War II’s most remarkable fighter aircraft. The unique sleek design of the Spitfire was
Northumberland has charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of the county’s unique appeal. Featuring a range of picturesque vistas, from sandy be
Essex has charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of the county’s unique appeal. Featuring a range of picturesque vistas, from Norman castles an
Why is Alfred "the Great?" A simple answer is that he has been seen as a man who saved England, invented English identity and pioneered English as a written language. He is the first English
A star-struck, naive 17-year-old country bumpkin leaves her mom, her cat, her budgie and her 16-foot caravan home in Botley and catches a coach to a near-mythical land—London and the Swinging ’60s. Da
It's often claimed that that through his ships, bridges, tunnels and railways Brunel played a critical role in creating the modern world. In the soaring ambitions of the Victorian age, nobody thought
London 1881: Bayswater is in the grip of panic as a ruthless murderer prowls the foggy streets of the nation's capital. Residents live in fear, rumors and accusations abound, and vigilante groups patr
Operation Basalt was a raid carried out by British commandos on the island of Sark on the night of October 3-4, 1942. It was intended to serve several purposes. One was to reassure Channel Islanders t
"The spy system which was to make Rotterdam the biggest international spy centre in the world had begun." —James Dunn (MI5), 1914After World War I broke out, the port city of Rotterdam
Anne Bronte, the youngest and most enigmatic of the Bronte sisters, remains a bestselling author nearly two centuries after her death. The brilliance of her two novels and her poetry belies the quiet,
Wolsey is, arguably, the first comprehensive book to explore the many contrasting layers of Thomas Wolsey's life and career, and represents the first genuinely popular biography of the much-maligned c
For three centuries Portsmouth has been the leading base of the Royal Navy, although the history of the port can be traced back to Roman times. From the Roman walls of Portchester to the best preserve
Manchester has a story that is no ordinary local history. Its life has been inextricably entwined with the rise and fall of the nation’s fortunes and, to no small extent, those of the British Empire.
