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The Iron Men: The Workers Who Created the New Iron Age
by Anthony BurtonThe eighteenth century saw the second Iron Age. Practically everything was made of iron: the machines of the Industrial Revolution; bridges and the ships that went under them; the trains running on their rails; and the frames of the first skyscrapers. But progress was bought at a price and the working classes paid it. The knife grinders of Sheffield were lucky to reach their 30th birthday before their ruined lungs gave up, women chain makers were described as ‘The White Slaves of England’ and, in a time before health and safety regulations, each advance in technology risked a new kind of deadly accident. Tracking both the brilliant innovation of the period and the hardship and struggle that powered it, this is the story of how iron changed the world.
The Other Jerome K Jerome
by Martin GreenNowadays Jerome K. Jerome is mainly known for his comic masterpiece Three Men in a Boat. But he was very much more than a one-book wonder, writing plays, essays, short stories, sketches and other novels. The Other Jerome K Jerome is, in effect, a Jerome 'reader,' providing a carefully chosen selection from his other works demonstrative of the variety and brilliance of his writing. Including excepts from On the Stage - and Off, The Passing of the Third Floor Back and Diary of a Pilgrimage, amongst others, and with an introduction by Martin Green, this is an ideal companion for fans of Three Men in a Boat who want to find out more about its author's other works.
Operation Basalt: The British Raid on Sark and Hitler's Commando Order
by Eric LeeGerman soldiers assigned to guard the tiny Channel Island of Sark described it as a ‘little Paradise’ and, because it was never bombed by the RAF, the best air-raid shelter in all of Europe. But paradise for them came to a bloody end in October 1942 when a small group of British Commandos raided the island, capturing one German soldier and killing several others. Operation Basalt would have been a footnote in history but for the reaction of Hitler, who believed that British soldiers executed several Germans who had already surrendered and whose hands were bound. Days after the raid, he issued the infamous ‘Commando Order’, a death sentence for those Allied commandos who fell into German hands. Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with survivors of the period, Eric Lee has written the definitive account of the raid, putting it into the context of the German occupation of British lands during the war.
The Poisonous Seed: A Frances Doughty Mystery 1
by Linda StratmannWhen a customer of William Doughty's chemist shop dies of strychnine poisoning after drinking medicine he dispensed, William is blamed, and the family faces ruin. William's daughter, nineteen year old Frances, determines to redeem her ailing father's reputation and save the business. She soon becomes convinced that the death was murder, but unable to convince the police, she turns detective. Armed only with her wits, courage and determination, and aided by some unconventional new friends, Frances uncovers a startling deception and solves a ten year old murder. There will be more deaths, and a secret in her own family will be revealed before the killer is unmasked, and Frances will find that her life has changed forever.
Liverpool: A Landscape History
by Martin GreaneyThe landscape has had a huge impact on the history of Liverpool and Merseyside. The ice age glaciers carved out the Rivers Mersey and Dee; the Sefton coast provided a perfect place for the earliest humans to hunt and gather food; and the Pool and the Mersey, and England’s position on the coast gave King John the perfect base from which to launch his Irish campaigns. This book explores the landscapes from these earliest times, and charts the changing city right through to the present day. It explains why Liverpool looks the way it does today, and how clues in the modern landscape reveal details of its long history. You’ll see how the landscape created Liverpool, and how in turn Liverpool recreated the landscape.
From the Grand Canal to the Dodder: Illustrious Lives
by Beatrice M. DoranThe Dublin suburbs situated between the Grand Canal and the River Dodder consist of distinct neighbourhoods, each with their own character and style. It is an area that was, and continues to be, home to poets, writers, artists, politicians and academics, all of whom, in their own way, contributed to Irish life. Those featured include: Jack B. Yeats, artist; Mother Mary Aikenhead, Founder of the Religious Order; Brendan Behan, writer and dramatist; Mary Lady Heath, aviator and international athlete; Sophie Bryant, mathematician, educationist and suffragette; James Franklin Fuller, architect and Seamus Heaney, poet. In this book, Dr Beatrice M. Doran tells of the lives of some of the most fascinating people who once lived on the leafy roads and avenues of this interesting area of the city.
The Nottingham Forest Miscellany
by John ShipleyThe Nottingham Forest Miscellany – a book on the Reds like no other, packed with facts, stats, trivia, stories and legend. Delve deep to find out all about the events and people who have shaped the club into what it is today. Featured here are a plethora of stories on the this charismatic football club ranging from how the club was formed, to little-known facts about players and managers. Here you will find player feats, individual records and plenty of weird and wonderful tales from a club that is inextricably linked with the enigmatic Brain Clough. Rivalry with Notts County, favourite managers, quotes ranging from the profound to the downright bizarre and cult heroes from yesteryear – a book no true Forest fan should be without.
Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139-53
by Jim BradburyStephen's reign was one of the darkest periods of English history. He had promised Henry I that he would support the king's daughter, Matilda, as the rightful heir to the English throne, but when Henry dies in December 1135 he broke his promise and quickly made himself king. Like many of the nobles, he was unwilling to yield the crown to a woman. Civil wars and the battle for the English Crown dominated his reign, and this fascinating book examines the conflict between Stephen and his cousin. The campaigns, battles and sieges of England's first civil war are explored, including the two major battles at the Standard adn Lincoln, which show that Stephen always held more ground than his opponents and was mostly on the offensive. The two sides finally reached a compromise, after 14 years, with the Treaty of Wallingford - Stephen would rule unopposed until his death but the throne would then pass to Henry of Anjou, Matilda's son. Full of colourful characters, this is a fascinating story of rivalry for the English throne which throws new light on a neglected aspect of Stephen's reign.
Shooting 007: And Other Celluloid Adventures
by Alec Mills Roger MooreIn Shooting 007, beloved cameraman and director of photography Alec Mills, a veteran of seven James Bond movies, tells the inside story of his twenty years of filming cinema’s most famous secret agent. Among many humorous and touching anecdotes, Mills reveals how he became an integral part of the Bond family as a young camera operator on 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, how he bore the brunt of his old friend Roger Moore’s legendary on-set bantering, and how he rose to become the director of photography during Timothy Dalton’s tenure as 007. Mills also looks back on a career that took in Return of the Jedi on film and The Saint on television with wit and affection, and Shooting 007 contains many of his and Eon Productions’ unpublished behind-the-scenes photographs compiled over a lifetime of filmmaking. Featuring many of the film industry’s biggest names, this book will be a must-have for both the James Bond and British film history aficionado.
Hitler's Olympics: The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games
by Christopher HiltonThe Berlin Olympic Games, more than 70 years on, remain the most controversial ever held. This book creates a vivid account of the disputes, the personalities, and the events which made these Games so memorable. Ironically, the choice of Germany as the host nation for the 1936 Olympics was intended to signal its return to the world community after defeat in World War I. In actuality, Hitler intended the Berlin Games to be an advertisement for Germany as he was creating it, and they became one of the largest propaganda exercises in history. Two Germans Jews competed in the Games while the most memorable achievement was that of black American Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals. Ultimately, however, Germany was the overall biggest medal winner. The popular success of Owens allowed the Nazis to claim that their policies had no racial element and charges of antisemitism that did arise were levelled at the Americans.
Loughrea: A Parish History
by Declan KellyThe material included in this volume comes from a variety of sources, including the archives of the diocese of Clonfert and that which was gathered in 1931 by an t-Athair Eric McFhinn, a noted polyglot and scholar of the diocese. Taken in conjunction with the Schools Folklore Commission’s work a few years later, this material now has a value beyond even that which was foreseen at the time. In June of 1922, in a singularly unhelpful exercise, some doughty Irishmen set off a landmine in the Public Records Office of the Four Courts. Thousands of old documents were destroyed, including the remaining censi from the nineteenth century and many of the Church of Ireland registers. Happily, just before this happened, Thomas T. O’Farrell had taken the time to type out extracts from the censi taken in Loughrea in 1821 and 1841 and they are also reproduced here in print for the first time. What emerges from this parish history, covering the areas of Cappatagle/ Kilrickle, Carrabane, Leitrim/Kilmeen, Loughrea, Mullagh/Killoran, New Inn/Bullaun, Killeenadeema/Aille and Kiltullagh/Killimordaly/Attymon is a curate’s egg of information which we hope will hold something for everyone in the diocese, and which will add in its own way to the process of preserving a record of our past.
A Companion to the Royal Heritage of Britain
by Marc AlexanderMore than a biography of kings and queens, this title is an encyclopaedic work on every aspect of monarchy in Britain from semi-legendary times to the present day. It provides a reference for discovering more about individual monarchs and the huge legacy of myths, traditions and practices which has grown up around the institution of the monarchy.
Thomas Summers & Co.: Boatbuilders of Fraserburgh
by Mike SmylieAfter the end of hostilities in 1945, the fishing industry was quick to establish some semblance of recovery and a surge of new builds and restoration of Admiralty motor fishing vessels soon followed. In Fraserburgh, on Scotland’s east coast, several established yards satiated this desire amongst the fishing-boat owners for new craft. Thus it wasn’t surprising that a new yard sprung up at the end of the 1940s when three local apprentices from one of the yards decided to set up their own boatbuilding yard on the breakwater, in what was a very exposed position. And so the yard of Thomas Summers & Co. was born, a yard that became synonymous with fine seaworthy fishing boats suited to various methods of fishing. In the space of just thirteen years they produced eighty-eight fishing vessels and their output was more prolific than most of the other Scottish boatyards. Many of these boats survive to this day, some still working as fishing vessels, and others converted to pleasure, a testament to their superb design and solid construction. Here, Mike Smylie recounts the story of Thomas Summers & Co. through historic records and personal memories of both fishermen and family members, with many striking photographs of the boats they built.
The Saltergate Psalter: John the Carpenter (Book 2)
by Chris Nickson‘Chris Nickson works his usual magic, populating late medieval Chesterfield with characters that are clearly of their time and yet jump off the page, vibrant and familiar. The icing on the cake (or the jeweled cover on the exquisite psalter) – a fiendishly clever puzzle. Highly recommended!’ - Candace Robb, author of the bestselling Owen Archer mysteries1361: John the Carpenter, married and soon to become a father, has plenty of work to keep him busy in Chesterfield. But when an elderly man in the town is found murdered with no clue as to why, the coroner calls upon John’s mystery-solving expertise once again. However, this is a crime where nothing is as it appears. When the suspected murderer is found dead and a valuable Book of Psalms vanishes, John is suddenly embroiled in a string of crimes that threaten his own life and the safety of his new family.
Remembering Tommy: The British Soldier in the First World War
by Peter Doyle Chris FosterThe British soldier of the Great War has been depicted in many books. Invariably, a pen picture paints him as stoic, joining the army in a wave of patriotic fervour, and destined to serve four years on the Western Front in some of the most costly battles in history. Yet often the picture is difficult to resolve for the reader. What was it like in the trenches? How did the soldier live, where did he sleep? What was it like to go over the top, and when he did, what did he carry with him? For many, the idea of trench life is hazy, and usually involves ‘drowning in mud’, in, as one writer put it, ‘the pitiless misery’ of Passchendaele. Recently, military historians have presented an alternative picture, a picture in which the hopelessness of the First World War is given new life and purpose. Remembering Tommy pays tribute to the real life British soldier of the Great War from the moment of joining up to their final homecoming. Using original artefacts in historic settings, the men and their words are brought to life. The uniforms they wore, the equipment they carried, the letters they wrote home, their personal possessions, mementos and photographs come together in a powerful tribute to the indomitable Tommy. Each one of these precious artefacts bears witness to the men who left them behind – allowing us to almost reach out and touch history.
Women of the Durham Coalfield in the 20th Century: Hannah's Daughter (Women of the Durham Coalfield #2)
by Margaret Hedley Chris LloydLife in the early twentieth-century coalmining communities changed very little for the women who dedicated their lives to their miner husbands. The women’s working days were much longer than the miners, who typically worked an 8-hour shift. Their living conditions were poor and lack of investment by the coal owners greatly challenged their homemaking skills as they faced life without many basics, such as clean water and sewerage systems. Health services were slow to develop and women’s health was only just beginning to be of some importance to the medical profession.Coal-miner wives in the twentieth century also had to cope with demands put upon their families by the First World War, which highlighted the importance of solidarity, a feature of mining communities that had proved itself to be at the heart of colliery village life.This follow-up book to the popular Women of the Durham Coalfield in the 19th Century continues with the story of Hannah’s daughter as she negotiates homemaking in the most challenging of conditions.
Fighter Pilot
by Paul RicheyOne of ‘The 30 Best Travel and Adventure Books of All Time’, as selected by Gear Patrol, Winner 2015 US Travel and Adventure website. Fighter Pilot was written from the immediate and unfettered personal journal that 23-year-old Flying Officer Paul Richey began on the day he and No. 1 Squadron landed their Hawker Hurricanes on a grass airfield in France. Originally published in September 1941, it was the first such account of air combat against the Luftwaffe in France in the Second World War, and it struck an immediate chord with a British public enthralled by the exploits of its young airmen. It is the story of a highly skilled group of young volunteer fighter pilots who patrolled, fl ew and fought at up to 30,000 feet in unheated cockpits, without radar and often from makeshift airfields, and who were finally confronted by the overwhelming might of Hitler’s Blitzkreig. It tells how this remarkable squadron adapted its tactics, its aircraft and itself to achieve a brilliant record of combat victories – in spite of the most extreme and testing circumstances. All the thrills, adrenalin rushes and the sheer terror of dog-fighting are here: simply, accurately and movingly described by a young airman discovering for himself the deadly nature of the combat in which he is engaged.
Best Eaten Cold and Other Stories: A Murder Squad Anthology
by Murder Murder Squad Murder Squad Martin EdwardsBest Eaten Cold and Other Stories showcases a group of highly regarded, award-winning crime writers who all share a special passion for crime, which is reflected in this superb new volume. Funny and sad, atmospheric and dark, ingenious and frightening, each of the thirteen stories in this collection will thrill lovers of crime fiction.
The Hard Way: Surviving Shamshuipo POW Camp 1941-45
by Victor Stanley Ebbage Andrew RobertshawMajor Vic Ebbage was a Colonel with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, serving in Hong Kong in 1941, when his garrison was attacked by the Japanese Army. He was captured and taken prisoner to the notorious Hong Kong death camp, Samshuipo, where he was held from 30th December 1941 to August 1945. His story is an extraordinary one of survival against all the odds, but more than that it is a story of how a group of men worked together to improve conditions in the camp for their fellow prisoners. They were offered nothing by their captors, but their constant command of 'improvise', which they learned to do by recycling salvaged materials into everything from homemade nails, cooking pots and plates to surgical instruments, beds and nesting boxes. His diary demonstrates how individuals can work together in almost unimaginable adversity to improve life for their fellow man, and how imagination and innovation can flourish in even the worst conditions. This story is a model of care, humanity and inventiveness.
The Heroines of SOE: Britain's Secret Women in France: F Section
by Beryl E EscottBritain’s war in the shadows of male spies and subterfuge in the heart of occupied France is a story well known, but what of the women who also risked their lives for Britain and the liberation of France? In 1942 a desperate need for new recruits, saw SOE turn to a previously overlooked group – women. These extraordinary women came from different backgrounds, but were joined in their idealistic love of France and a desire to play a part in its liberation. They formed SOE’s F Section. From the famous White Mouse, Nancy Wake, to the courageous, Noor Inayat Khan, they all risked their lives for King, Country and the Resistance. Many of them died bravely and painfully, and often those who survived, like Eileen Nearne, never told their stories, yet their secret missions of intelligence-gathering and sabotage undoubtedly helped the Resistance to drive out their occupiers and free France. Here, for the first time is the extraordinary account of all forty SOE F women agents. It is a story that deserves to be read by everyone. ‘They were the war’s bravest women, devoted to defeating the Nazis yet reluctant ever to reveal their heroic pasts. Now a new book tells their intrepid tales.’ Daily Express Squadron Leader BERYL E. ESCOTT served in the RAF and is one of the foremost experts on the women of SOE.
The Lost Novel of F.W. Harvey: The Lost Novel of F. W. Harvey
by F. W. HarveyPublished to coincide with performances of the play 'Will Havey's War' at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham from 30th July to 2nd August 2014. Part of the Gloucestershire Remembers World War I programme. Discovered only recently, this unpublished novel by F.W. Harvey tells the fictionalized tale of Will Harvey and his journey from a rural Gloucestershire childhood to the frontline trenches of the First World War. It is a sentimental story of young boy finding love for the first time and being separated from it, it is also a story of how war changes men forever. The novel offers a rare insight into the poet’s own experiences of the First World War and his struggle to come to terms with his lost youth.
RMS Olympic: Titanic's Sister
by Mark ChirnsideLaunched as the pride of British shipbuilding and the largest vessel in the world, Olympic was more than 40 per cent larger than her nearest rivals: almost 900ft long and the first ship to exceed 40,000 tons. She was built for comfort rather than speed and equipped with an array of facilities, including Turkish and electric baths (one of the first ships to have them), a swimming pool, gymnasium, squash court, á la carte restaurant, large first-class staterooms and plush public rooms. Surviving from 1911 until 1935, she was a firm favourite with the travelling public – carrying hundreds of thousands of fare-paying passengers – and retained a style and opulence even into her twilight years. During the First World War, she carried more troops than any other comparable steamship and was the only passenger liner ever to sink an enemy submarine by ramming it. Overshadowed frequently by her sister ships Titanic and Britannic, Olympic’s history deserves more attention than it has received. She was evolutionary in design rather than revolutionary, but marked an ambition for the White Star Line to dominate the North Atlantic express route. Rivals immediately began trying to match her in size and luxury. The optimism that led to her conception was rewarded, whereas her doomed sisters never fulfilled their creators’ dreams. This revised and expanded edition of the critically acclaimed RMS Olympic: Titanic’s Sister uses new images and further original research to tell the story of this remarkable ship 80 years after her career ended.
King Rufus: The Life and Murder of William II of England
by Emma MasonThe future William II was born in the late 1050s the third son of William the Conqueror. The younger William, - nicknamed Rufus because of his ruddy cheeks - at first had no great expectations of succeeding to the throne. This biography tells the story of William Rufus, King of England from 1087-1100 and reveals the truth behind his death.
Bombshells: Five Women Who Set the Fifties on Fire
by Shar DawsJean Harlow, the Godmother of Blondes, lit the torch for the blonde bombshell, creating an image and persona that would be passed on for generations to come. Jean’s life was cut tragically short at the age of 26, but the flame reignited in the 1950s with the most notorious blondes of all time: Ruth Ellis, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Diana Dors. Each left a legacy that has ensured the fire will never be completely extinguished, affecting not only individual lives but society across a world stage. From Marilyn’s stardom and Diana’s unwavering integrity, to Ruth’s tragic status as the last woman hanged in Britain, all of these women experienced success and tragedy, love and heartbreak, and attention both positive and negative. Bombshells examines these five exceptional women in the context of the 1950s, the expectations and constrictions society had at the time and how they pushed through barriers and paved the way for the real sexual revolution.
Bastard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son
by Beverley A MurphyIt took Henry VIII twenty-eight years, three wives, and a break with Rome before he secured a legitimate male heir. Yet he already had a son – the illegitimate Henry Fitzroy. Fitzroy was born in 1519 after the King’s affair with Elizabeth Blount. He was the only illegitimate offspring ever acknowledged by Henry VIII, and Cardinal Wolsey was even one of his godparents. So just how close did he come to being Henry IX?