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Books > History > British & Irish history > General
Great Britain unearths the hidden legends, laws, landscapes,
discoveries, adventures and locations that have shaped Britain's
compelling, and at times, tumultuous past. Explore how Britain was
formed - its geology and climate, the quirky characters and events
of its history and the origin of British institutions, such as
public schools, fish and chips and driving on the left hand side.
Brief, accessible and entertaining pieces on a wide variety of
subjects makes it the perfect book to dip in to. The amazing and
extraordinary facts series presents interesting, surprising and
little-known facts and stories about a wide range of topics which
are guaranteed to inform, absorb and entertain in equal measure.
Eastwood, Essex A History was researched over a period of four
years. During this time eighty local people were interviewed and
the national, county and local archives trawled through. It is a
work of 672 pages, with 522 photographs and 56 maps/plans.
Returning to the UK in some ways has been disconcerting – or maybe
discombobulating would be a better word. It is, after all, my home; it
is where I grew up, a country I love and am proud of. But either it’s
changed, or I have. Maybe both.
It just feels like a strange land.
At the beginning of 2022, after eight years of political reporting in
the US, Jon Sopel returned home to the UK – and having spent almost a
third of his career abroad, he found a very different place to the one
he left. In Strangeland, his first book since launching the global hit
podcast The News Agents, he asks: What is the Britain he’s come home to?
In the US, Jon was the outsider looking in, firm in the belief that the
common language of English masked our fundamental differences; in terms
of values and beliefs, it seemed the British had much more in common
with our European neighbours.
Strangeland is Jon’s account of how much that has changed. The US was a
country he thought he knew well but didn’t really; returning home has
been in some ways even more disconcerting – either Britain, the country
he grew up in, has changed dramatically, or he has. Perhaps it’s both.
A trenchant analysis of politics, people, and everything in between,
Strangeland is an unforgettable portrait of a country gone through the
looking glass.
The Falklands War, which may prove to be the last 'colonial' war
that Britain ever fights, took place in 1982. Fought 8,000 miles
from home soil, it cost the lives of 255 British military
personnel, with many more wounded, some seriously. The war also
witnessed many acts of outstanding courage by the UK Armed Forces
after a strong Task Force was sent to regain the islands from the
Argentine invaders. Soldiers, sailors and airmen risked, and in
some cases gave, their lives for the freedom of 1,820 islanders.
Lord Ashcroft, who has been fascinated by bravery since he was a
young boy, has amassed several medal collections over the past four
decades, including the world's largest collection of Victoria
Crosses, Britain and the Commonwealth's most prestigious gallantry
award. Falklands War Heroes tells the stories behind his collection
of valour and service medals awarded for the Falklands War. The
collection, almost certainly the largest of its kind in the world,
spans all the major events of the war. This book, which contains
nearly forty individual write-ups, has been written to mark the
fortieth anniversary of the war. It is Lord Ashcroft's attempt to
champion the outstanding bravery of our Armed Forces during an
undeclared war that was fought and won over ten weeks in the most
challenging conditions.
More than one million immigrants fled the Irish famine for North
America--and more than one hundred thousand of them perished aboard
the "coffin ships" that crossed the Atlantic. But one small ship
never lost a passenger.
"All Standing" recounts the remarkable tale of the "Jeanie
Johnston" and her ingenious crew, whose eleven voyages are the
stuff of legend. Why did these individuals succeed while so many
others failed? And what new lives in America were the ship's
passengers seeking?
In this deeply researched and powerfully told story, acclaimed
author Kathryn Miles re-creates life aboard this amazing vessel,
richly depicting the bravery and defiance of its shipwright,
captain, and doctor--and one Irish family's search for the American
dream.
The 9th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby) was part
of Lord Kitchener's "New Army" made up initially of men from the
north midlands This is their story complete with pictures of many
of the men The 9th Battalion was not an elite force, but a group of
ordinary working men who felt compelled to serve their country but
found themselves in the most extra-ordinary military conflagration
Stephen Bungay' s magisterial history is acclaimed as the account
of the Battle of Britain. Unrivalled for its synthesis of all
previous historical accounts, for the quality of its strategic
analysis and its truly compulsive narrative, this is a book
ultimately distinguished by its conclusions - that it was the
British in the Battle who displayed all the virtues of efficiency,
organisation and even ruthlessness we habitually attribute to the
Germans, and they who fell short in their amateurism,
ill-preparedness, poor engineering and even in their old-fashioned
notions of gallantry. An engrossing read for the military scholar
and the general reader alike, this is a classic of military history
that looks beyond the mythology, to explore all the tragedy and
comedy; the brutality and compassion of war.
This highly praised study traces the province's history from
partition in 1921 to today's peace process. Widely acknowledged as
the best informed academic observers of Northern Irish politics,
the authors look behind the handshakes on the White House lawn and
provide a fascinating insight into history as it unfolds in the
headlines and on news bulletins.
'I read the book with enormous appreciation. Tessa Boase brings all
these long-ago housekeepers so movingly to life and her excitement
in the research is palpable.' Fay Weldon: Novelist, playwright -
and housekeeper's daughter Revelatory, gripping and unexpectedly
poignant, this is the story of the invisible women who ran the
English country house. Working as a housekeeper was one of the most
prestigious jobs a nineteenth and early twentieth century woman
could want - and also one of the toughest. A far cry from the
Downton Abbey fiction, the real life Mrs Hughes was up against
capricious mistresses, low pay, no job security and gruelling
physical labour. Until now, her story has never been told.
Revealing the personal sacrifices, bitter disputes and driving
ambition that shaped these women's careers, and delving into secret
diaries, unpublished letters and the neglected service archives of
our stately homes, Tessa Boase tells the extraordinary stories of
five working women who ran some of Britain's most prominent
households. From Dorothy Doar, Regency housekeeper for the
obscenely wealthy 1st Duke and Duchess of Sutherland at Trentham
Hall, Staffordshire, to Sarah Wells, a deaf and elderly Victorian
in charge of Uppark, West Sussex. From Ellen Penketh, Edwardian
cook-housekeeper at the sociable but impecunious Erddig Hall in the
Welsh borders to Hannah Mackenzie who runs Wrest Park in
Bedfordshire - Britain's first country-house war hospital,
bankrolled by playwright J. M. Barrie. And finally Grace Higgens,
cook-housekeeper to the Bloomsbury set at Charleston farmhouse in
East Sussex for half a century - an era defined by the Second World
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A full colour map, based on digitised OS maps of Alnwick and
Alnmouth of about 1920, with its Anglo-Saxon and medieval past
overlain and important buildings picked out. The map's cover has a
short introduction to the area's history, and on the reverse an
illustrated and comprehensive gazetteer of Alnwick's and Alnmouth's
main sites of historic interest. The back of the map has coloured
early views of buildings, monuments and street scenes of Alnwick
and Alnmouth. The map has been created by a team of people
representing the various historical societies of Alnwick and
Alnmouth, a number of individuals with specific local knowledge and
the curators of local historical collections, including the
extensive archives of both the Duke of Northumberland and
Bailiffgate Museum. Members of the team have previously produced
works on particular aspects of the area's history, including the
town itself, local heritage heroes, the Abbey, the Shrovetide
Football Game and the district during the Great War.
Global TikTok baking sensation The Hebridean Baker is back, serving up a fresh selection of exciting new recipes, charming stories and breathtaking photography from the Hebridean Islands.
The landscapes, stories, history and culture of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland are what make their islands unique. In this book, he's sharing recipes filled with tradition, Scottish flavours and local ingredients that you will love to make in your kitchen - from hearty dishes and comforting desserts to delicious cakes and perfect biscuits to dunk in your tea!
The book is jam-packed with the stories behind the recipes; some found in his much-loved old cookbooks, others he's persuaded friends and family to share, as well as lots of new recipes which put a twist on a classic dish.
So, get the oven on and choose your first recipe!
In this tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Karl-Werner
Antrack looks at her life and those that affected it. He looks in
detail at the many conspiracy theories surrounding her death, and
how it has affected those that Diana left behind, and the
'revelations' revealed by those she is said to have trusted while
alive. The state of the world post-Diana is also looked at
including the war on Iraq, and Britain's relations with the US.
Altogether, this book is a useful compilation of much of the hype
which has surrounded the death of Princess Diana, but at the heart
of it we must remember she was a loving mother who cared for all
those less fortunate than herself, and it is hopefully this memory
that shall live on...
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