Fairey’s Rotodyne (a British compound autogyro intended for commercial and military applications) was considered to be one of the iconic projects of the 1950 and 1960s and a bright future was planned
The boats and fishing communities of Scotland and North-East England from the 1950s to the present are highlighted in this pictorial appreciation. Gloria Wilson's unique collection of photographs has
Elizabeth Longford has chosena group ofVictorian women who, in their actions or writing, challenged the repressive rules of established society. They include Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Br
The Crusades continue to exert a fascination as a story of perceived gallantry and battles against impossible odds. Yet what is less often considered is their effect on the Holy Land, and in particula
At one time, Liverpool's landing stage was so busy that ships would be literally queuing in the Mersey to discharge and embark passengers. However, the period from the late 1940s saw both the golden a
The vivid accounts in this book are taken from the early days of tank warfare and give an idea of the crucial role that tanks played in breaking the murderous stalemate on the Western Front. This infl
Coal from the Yorkshire coalfields was one of the major source of power behind the global industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the first half of the 20th centuries. In 1950 the No
Scotland’s "Stone of Destiny" is the most famous symbol of both Scottish nationhood and the British monarchy. Nick Aitchison has produced the first fully researched and illustrated study of its
The Divided Union is an account of five of the most dramatic and tragic years in the history of the U.S.?The families and neighbors of a fledgling superpower were pitted against each other in a war co
During World War II, the only way Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt could communicate was via a top-secret transatlantic telephone link?all other Atlantic telephone cables had been disconnec
The Tower of London is one of Britain’s premier ancient monuments and tourist attractions. Until the 19th-century, however, the Tower was a collection of self-contained communities: as well as a royal
Covering the lives and achievements of five English intelligence officers involved in wars at home and abroad between 1870 and 1918, this exceptionally researched book offers an insight into spying in
Considered to be one of the greatest of Scotland's medieval kings, David I?the youngest son of King Malcolm III and St. Margaret?was never expected to succeed to the throne. During the reigns of his e
In one of the earliest memoirs of the young Queen of France, Jeanne Louise Henriette Campan—Marie Antoinette’s First Lady-in-Waiting and one of her closest and most faithful attendants
When the battle cruiser HMS Hood was sunk by the Bismark and her consort Prinz Eugen in May 1941, the shock to the Royal Navy, Britain, and the world was immense. The Hood had seemed invincible and th
This is the story of one of the great battles of the Hundred Years War, often ignored in favor of its more celebrated siblings, Crecy and Agincourt. The victory at Poitiers by an English force outnumb
Through the medium of old photographs, programs, and advertisements, this book provides a fascinating look at the history of cinema-going across the suburbs of London during the last century. Among t
This is the first major study of Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, whose story is one of rebellion, intrigue, betrayal, and scandal. A contemporary of the much more famous Boudica, Cartimandua cho
In 1776, the American rebel colonists were desperately in need of arms and financial backing, and the Frenchman Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais came rapidly to their aid. Radical dramatist, bus
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
During World War II the Germans assessed the Royal Artillery (RA) as the most professional arm of the British Army. British gunners were accurate, effective, and efficient, and provided better fire su
The jazz scene that burgeoned in London and Paris in the 1950s was in part a reflection of post-war celebration. Americans traveled to Europe again for reasons other than war, and in the smoky clubs t
Pilot Leslie Semple's diary is captured and put into context in this unique volume. How do you fly a Handley Page across France in total darkness? The answer is the Lighthouse system, just one of the
We use the word "Celtic" fast and loose—it evokes something mythical and romantic about our past—but what exactly does it mean? Furthermore, why do people believe that there were
SS Nomadic was commissioned by White Star Line to serve Olympic class liners RMS Olympic, Titanic and Britannic when calling in Cherbourg. Built in Belfast alongside Titanic’s construction site,
Concorde’s first flight was on 2 March 1969, taking off from Toulouse for what was described as a ‘faultless’ maiden trip lasting 27 minutes. After that it took its place in history as surely the most
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'
July 1940 saw the collaborationist Vichy regime replace the French Republic after the country suffered heavily at the hands of the German onslaught during World War II. A small number of people sought
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
In June 1943, SOE’s Prosper resistance circuit in France led by Major Francis Suttill suddenly collapsed. Was it deliberately betrayed by the British as part of a deception plan to make the Germ
During her 63-year reign Queen Victoria met everyone from Charlotte Brontë to Buffalo Bill; she had opinions on all those who graced her parlor—and some who didn't. This book examines t
The White Star Line’s Oceanic was the largest ship in the world in 1899 when she was launched as the company’s "Ship of the Century." She was the company’s last express lin
This book tells the amazing story of Newcastle upon Tyne’s history from earliest times to the modern day. Some of the most pivotal moments in the city’s history are recalled, including rebellions, int
The double act has been at the heart of British entertainment for over 150 years, yet there has never been a book detailing how this form of comedy continues to develop. From music hall turns such as
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
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
This nostalgic book follows the story of the last class-divided passenger ships that carried travellers from point to point. Not port-filled cruise ships, in those final years, spanning the 1940s thro
In Antony Cummins’ new work, the hidden life of Old Japan is brought to the fore using newly translated original documents from the times of the Samurai. Find out what fate befell a convicted criminal
Communicating in the chaos of war is complicated, but vital. Signals intelligence makes it possible. In World War I, a vast network of signals rapidly expanded across the globe, spawning a new breed o
