The mixed-race Hawaiian athlete George Freeth brought surfing to Venice, California, in 1907. Over the next twelve years, Freeth taught Southern Californians to surf and swim while creating a modern lifeguard service that transformed the beach into a destination for fun, leisure, and excitement. Patrick Moser places Freeth's inspiring life story against the rise of the Southern California beach culture he helped shape and define. Freeth made headlines with his rescue of seven fishermen, an act of heroism that highlighted his innovative lifeguarding techniques. But he also founded California's first surf club and coached both male and female athletes, including Olympic swimming champion and "father of modern surfing" Duke Kahanamoku. Often in financial straits, Freeth persevered as a teacher and lifeguarding pioneer--building a legacy that endured long after his death during the 1919 influenza pandemic. A compelling merger of biography and sports history, Surf and Rescue brings to light the forgotten figure whose novel way of seeing the beach sparked the imaginations of people around the world.

Few cities have a greater concentration of significant architecture than Oxford, England. Within a city of only 130,000 inhabitants there are important buildings, many of them of great beauty, from every period from the eleventh century to the present. In Oxford: An Architectural Guide, Geoffrey Tyack chronicles the architectural development of Oxford--both University and City--from its origins to the late twentieth century, explaining the idiosyncrasies of Oxford's architectural history, and placing the buildings within their historical context.
This copiously illustrated, chronological guide to the glories of Oxford's architecture places the emphasis on what can actually be seen. Tyack suggests a number of walks around Oxford and its immediate environs, providing an ideal companion for the city's visitors and an excellent reference book for architectural enthusiasts. With its lucid style and clear, user-friendly design, Oxford: An Architectural Guide is a unique guide to one of England's most beautiful cities.

The two communities of Hampstead and Highgate, perched on London's northern heights, are remarkable for their leafy, atmospheric narrow streets and stunning architecture. They act as a magnet to millionaires and superstars and boast some of the most exclusive and expensive addresses in London today. In this book, author Lucy McMurdo provides a well-illustrated and fascinating tour of the architectural highlights of both areas through the centuries. These desirable locations have been sought after not only for their clean air and waters, but for their magnificent views over the capital. People have settled here for hundreds of years and many of the shops and homes date back to the 1600s and 1700s. Evidence of Hampstead and Highgate's historical importance is further demonstrated by the many ancient inns that line their streets, and remain in business today. Both areas have prosperous town centres and are full of boutiques, restaurants and bars. Their high streets continue to exude an air of luxury and wealth and attract many visitors. A major asset of these two 'villages' is their proximity to vast, open spaces such as Hampstead Heath with the magnificent Kenwood estate. Grand villas have always graced the heath's perimeter and the houses of Keats and Freud are now open to the public. The graves and tombs of famous local residents are to be found in Highgate Cemetery, including authors, artists, musicians, writers, and even revolutionaries, such as Karl Marx. This accessible and engaging perspective will be of great interest to residents and visitors alike.

This is the story of an empire founded on pigs. It tells of how a small town on the River Marden, once prosperous from the wool trade, became famous for its Wiltshire cured ham and bacon, tasty sausages and delicious pork pies. Products loved across the nation and world, and even consumed by royalty. At its peak the C&T Harris factory employed 2,000 people, processing 5,000 pigs a week, producing 100 tonnes of pies, sausages and cooked meats. The Harris brand remained strong by changing hands and merging with other companies, surviving until 1982. After its demolition the site was redeveloped, incorporating a new library, shops and houses. The name lives on in street names, public buildings and a recreation ground gifted to the town. Illustrated by a wide variety of images, some of which are previously unpublished, this is a fond tribute to an important contributor to the local economy and community.

Where in Yorkshire can you walk on a dragon's backbone? Who goes dancing at the Spot Bottom Hops? Which very old story gives advice about loading a dishwasher? Which mischievous child invented Yorkshire pudding? And is it safe to offer a gift to a small-toothed dog? Yorkshire has a rich heritage of fantastical folk stories, traditional tales and words of wisdom handed down through generations. These tales are beautifully retold here for 7- to 11-year-old readers, written and illustrated by storyteller and artist Carmel Page -a southerner by birth but who has lived in Sheffield for so long that she now uses her backdoor as her frontdoor and has started to eat her dinner at lunchtime.

From muddy creek to naval-industrial powerhouse; from constructing wooden walls to building Dreadnoughts; from maintaining King John's galleys to servicing the enormous new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers: this is the story of Portsmouth Dockyard. Respected maritime historian Paul Brown's unique 800-year history of what was once the largest industrial organisation in the world is a combination of extensive original research and stunning images. The most comprehensive history of the dockyard to date, it is sure to become the definitive work on this important heritage site and modern naval base.

The streets of Brighton and Hove have some incredible tales to tell. In eight unique walks you will visit the grave of the legendary Phoebe Hessel (who spent 17 years in the army disguised as a man and lived to be Brighton's oldest resident), learn about the remarkable rise and fall of Thomas Reed Kemp while exploring the area that bears his name and discover a plaque to Tom Sayers, who grew up in the slums of Brighton, to become the last great bare-knuckle boxing champion. On the Old Steine, find out about The Battle of Tar Tub, when the authorities attempted to stop Guy Fawkes night celebrations and visit a cafe in a former Art Deco tram shelter. With this book in hand you will visit Graham Greene's favourite pubs and pass the location of one of the notorious Trunk Murders of the 1930s to find out how one guilty man escaped justice. Walking Brighton & Hove will surprise both seasoned residents and first time visitors alike with the remarkable story of how two sleepy fishing villages became today's vibrant city. * 8 illustrated walks * details on the best cafes & pubs * information on local attractions, museums and galleries * maps - to help you navigate

For decades the high walls of Manchester's Strangeways Prison have contained some of England's most infamous criminals. Until hanging was abolished in the 1960s it was also the main centre of execution for convicted murderers from all parts of the north west. The history of execution at Manchester began with the hanging of a young Salford man, convicted of murdering a barman on Boxing Day 1868: he was the first of 100 murderers to pay the ultimate penalty here. Over the next ninety-five years many infamous criminals took the short walk to the gallows. They included Dr Buck Ruxton, who butchered his wife and maid; John Jackson, who escaped from Strangeways after murdering a prison warder; Walter Rowland, hanged for the murder of a prostitute and the only man to occupy the condemned cell at Strangeways twice; Chung Yi Miao, who strangled his wife on their honeymoon; and Oldham teenager Ernie Kelly, whose execution almost caused a riot outside the prison. Also included are the stories behind scores of lesser-known criminals: poisoners, spurned lovers, cut-throat killers, and many more. Steve Fielding has fully researched all these cases, and they are collected together here in one volume for the first time. Infamous executioners also played their part in the gaol's history: Calcraft, Marwood, Binns and Berry all officiated here, as did many local men: Bolton hangman James Billington and his sons, Rochdale barber John Ellis, and Manchester publicans Albert Pierrepoint and Harry Allen. Fully illustrated with rare photographs, documents and news-cuttings, Hanged at Manchester is bound to appeal to anyone interested in the darker side of the north west of England's history.

By the early 1900s, the poor farm had become a ubiquitous part of America's social welfare system. Megan Birk's history of this foundational but forgotten institution focuses on the connection between agriculture, provisions for the disadvantaged, and the daily realities of life at poor farms. Conceived as an inexpensive way to provide care for the indigent, poor farms in fact attracted wards that ranged from abused wives and the elderly to orphans, the disabled, and disaster victims. Most people arrived unable rather than unwilling to work, some because of physical problems, others due to a lack of skills or because a changing labor market had left them behind. Birk blends the personal stories of participants with institutional histories to reveal a loose-knit system that provided a measure of care to everyone without an overarching philosophy of reform or rehabilitation. In-depth and innovative, The Fundamental Institution offers an overdue portrait of rural social welfare in the United States.

Cranborne Chase is an area of chalk highland and valleys traversing Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Royalty once came here to hunt deer and other game in an area that became known as the Chase. It remains a landscape that feels like a painting of the past, with open chalk downland, wide expansive skies, dramatic escarpments and panoramic views. Renowned for its archaeological treasures, it remains largely unspoilt with its own sense of remoteness. Chalk river valleys provide a contrast with hidden villages, churches and manor houses surrounded by ancient woodlands, forming an atmospheric landscape where nature and humanity live hand in hand. In this book Roger Lane traces elements of the region's history, occasionally with personal anecdotes adding to the interest. He and Roger Holman are acclaimed photographers with an intimate knowledge of the area. Here, their photography will inform and delight both visitors and residents alike.