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Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Local history
Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as
Peterborough City Council, all lay claim to a part of the Fens.
Since Roman times, man has increased the land mass in this area by
one third of the size. It is the largest plain in the British
Isles, covering an area of nearly three-quarters of a million acres
and is unique to the UK. The fen people know the area as marsh
(land reclaimed from the sea) and fen (land drained from flooding
rivers running from the uplands). The Fens are unique in having
more miles of navigable waterways than anywhere else in the UK.
Mammoth drainage schemes in the seventeenth and eighteenth changed
the landscape forever - leading slowly but surely to the area so
loved today. Insightful, entertaining and full of rich incident,
here is the fascinating story of the Fens.
*Winner of the PEN Ackerley Prize 2022* 'This is family history at
its best... the words fizz off the page and flutter in the mind'
Sunday Times If you open that suitcase you'll never close it again.
Ten years ago, Frances Stonor Saunders was handed an old suitcase
filled with her father's papers. Her father's life had been a study
in borders - exiled from Romania during the war, to Turkey then
Egypt and eventually Britain, and ultimately to the borderless
territory of Alzheimer's. The unopened suitcase seems to represent
everything that had made her father unknowable to her in life. So
begins a captivating exploration of history, memory and geography,
as Frances Stoner Saunders decides to unpick her family's past.
Fifteen years after its hardcover debut, the FSG Classics reissue
of the celebrated work of narrative nonfiction that won the
National Book Award and changed the American conversation about
race, with a new preface by the author
The Ball family hails from South Carolina--Charleston and
thereabouts. Their plantations were among the oldest and
longest-standing plantations in the South. Between 1698 and 1865,
close to four thousand black people were born into slavery under
the Balls or were bought by them. In "Slaves in the Family, "Edward
Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of
his family's slaves. Part historical narrative, part oral history,
part personal story of investigation and catharsis, "Slaves in the
Family" is, in the words of Pat Conroy, "a work of breathtaking
generosity and courage, a magnificent study of the complexity and
strangeness and beauty of the word 'family.'"
Few people have had the privilege of living on an isolated nature
reserve of international importance, their every move judged by
countless critics. Young ranger Ajay Tegala, embarking on his
placement at Blakeney Point aged just nineteen, would have to stand
firm in the face of many challenges to protect the wildlife of one
of Britain's prime nature sites. In over 120 years, only a select
few rangers have devoted their heart and soul to the wildlife of
Norfolk's Blakeney Point. Watching and learning from his
predecessors, Ajay faced head-on the challenges of the elements,
predators and an ever-interested public. From the excitement of
monitoring the growing grey seal population, to the struggles of
trying to safeguard nesting birds from a plethora of threats, in
The Unique Life of a Ranger, Ajay shares the many emotions of life
on the edge of land and sea with honesty and affection.
"A remarkable act of personal history: brave, revelatory and
unflinchingly honest" WILLIAM BOYD "There is no-one writing in
English like this: engaged humanity achieving a hard-won wisdom"
DAVID MILLS, The Times Lord of All the Dead is a courageous journey
into Javier Cercas' family history and that of a country collapsing
from a fratricidal war. The author revisits Ibahernando, his
parents' village in southern Spain, to research the life of Manuel
Mena. This ancestor, dearly loved by Cercas' mother, died in combat
at the age of nineteen during the battle of the Ebro, the bloodiest
episode in Spain's history. Who was Manuel Mena? A fascist hero
whose memory is an embarrassment to the author, or a young idealist
who happened to fight on the wrong side? And how should we judge
him, as grandchildren and great-grandchildren of that generation,
interpreting history from our supposed omniscience and the
misleading perspective of a present full of automatic answers, that
fails to consider the particularities of each personal and family
drama? Wartime epics, heroism and death are some of the underlying
themes of this unclassifiable novel that combines road trips,
personal confessions, war stories and historical scholarship,
finally becoming an incomparable tribute to the author's mother and
the incurable scars of an entire generation.
The nine years between 1912 and 1920 were a period of economic and
political struggle for the Salish and Kootenai tribes of the
Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana. The Indian people
toiled to maintain their economic independence despite the theft of
most of their land assets. The new Flathead Irrigation Project
destroyed most of the private irrigation ditches tribal farmers had
dug over the years. Some tribal members opened businesses and
organized rodeos, but many ventures were frustrated by government
policies, fire, and drought. While trying to adapt to the economic
impact of allotment, the tribe also fought against paternalistic
and exploitive government policies. Until 1916 half of tribal
income from timber and land sales was used to operate the agency
and construct an irrigation project that largely benefited white
settlers. During most of the 1912 to 1920 period, Flathead Agent
Fred C. Morgan and his allies on the Flathead Business Committee
fought the more radical Flathead Tribal Council over agency
policies. The Flathead Tribal Council especially fought against
congressional appropriations to construct the irrigation project as
long as the construction was to be paid for with tribal funds or
with liens on tribal allotments.
Hampshire 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 shingle
beaches and rugged coastlines to national parks and coastal ports,
each stunning scene is full of intriguing detail sure to fire the
imagination and make you reach for your colouring pencils. There
are absolutely no rules - you can choose any combination of colours
you like to bring these images to life. Suitable for children. If
you love Hampshire, then you will love colouring it in!
Secret Newark goes behind the facades of the familiar to discover
the lesser-known aspects of the town's fascinating past. Situated
on the important old Roman road, the Fosse Way, the ancestral
market town grew around the, now ruined, Newark Castle and its
large marketplace. Later, during the English Civil War, the town
was a hotbed of royalist support and was besieged three times by
parliamentarian forces. Today the town serves as a thriving and
picturesque site, boasting many heritage attractions and
activities. Newark has many secrets, and as you walk along the
streets you are walking through history. There are clear reminders
of the town's past everywhere, waiting for you to stop, look and
listen to their intriguing stories. On a journey through this
ancient town, Jillian Campbell and Mike Cox tell these forgotten or
untold tales. You may think that you know Newark, but take another
look around and you will find more than you could possibly imagine.
Guildford's history dates from Saxon times, and the town has been
the residence of kings and many famous men and women, particularly
since Henry II turned the Norman castle into a luxurious palace in
the twelfth century. Also amongst the town's famous and influential
faces was George Abbot, who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1611
and was one of the translators of the King James Bible and founded
Abbot's Hospital in 1619 - an early example of 'sheltered housing',
which still fulfils that role to this day. High above the town is
the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Consecrated in 1961, it was the
first cathedral to be built in the South of England since the
Reformation. Below it is the University of Surrey, which received
its Royal Charter just a few years later. Guildford's people and
visitors throughout history come to life in this well-researched
account, which also examines the town's architectural development
and heritage, from the castle and medieval guildhall to the modern
cathedral and beyond, portraying Guildford's significance on a
national and sometimes international scale.
Unionizing the Ivory Tower chronicles how a thousand low-paid
custodians, cooks, and gardeners succeeded in organizing a union at
Cornell University. Al Davidoff, the Cornell student leader who
became a custodian and the union's first president, tells the
extraordinary story of these ordinary workers with passion,
sensitivity, and wit. His memoir reveals how they took on the
dominant power in the community, built a strong organization, and
waged multiple strikes and campaigns for livable wages and their
dignity. Their strategies and tactics were creative and feisty,
founded on worker participation and ownership. The union's
commitment to fairness, equity, and economic justice also engaged
these workers—mostly rural, white, and conservative—at the
intersections of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia.
Davidoff's story demonstrates how a fighting union can activate
today's working class to oppose antidemocratic and white
supremacist forces.
Known as "The Mayor of Castro Street" even before he was elected
to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Harvey Milk's personal
life, public career, and final assassination reflect the dramatic
emergence of the gay community as a political power in America. It
is a story full of personal tragedies and political intrigues,
assassinations at City Hall, massive riots in the streets, the
miscarriage of justice, and the consolidation of gay power and gay
hope.
Harvey Milk has been the subject of numerous books and movies,
including the Academy Award-winning 1984 documentary, "The Times of
Harvey Milk. " His life is also the basis of a 2008 major motion
picture, "Milk, "starring Sean Penn. " " Randy Shilts was born in
1951, in Davenport, Iowa. One of the first openly gay journalists
hired at a major newspaper, he worked for the "San Francisco
Chronicle" for thirteen years. He died of AIDS in 1994 at his home
in the Sonoma County redwoods in California. He was the author of
"The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk
"(1982), "And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS
Epidemic "(1987), and "Conduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the
U.S. Military "(1993). He also wrote extensively for many major
newspapers and magazines, including "The New York Times, Newsweek,
Esquire, The Los Angeles Times, "and "The Advocate."
"The Mayor of Castro Street "is Shilts's acclaimed story of Harvey
Milk, the man whose personal life, public career, and tragic
assassination mirrored the dramatic and unprecedented emergence of
the gay community in America during the 1970s. His is a story of
personal tragedies and political intrigues, assassination in City
Hall and massive riots in the streets, the miscarriage of justice
and the consolidation of gay power and gay hope.
When Markku Henriksson was growing up in Finland, the song ""(Get
Your Kicks on) Route 66"" was one of only two he could recognize in
English or Finnish. It was not until 1989 that Henriksson would
catch his first glimpse of the legendary highway. It was enough to
lure Henriksson four years later to the second international Route
66 festival in Flagstaff. There he realized that Route 66 was the
perfect basis for a multidisciplinary American Studies course, one
that he has been teaching at the University of Helsinki ever since.
Forming the soul of this work and yielding a more holistic and
complex picture than any previous study are Henriksson's 1996 (east
to west) and 2002 (west to east) journeys along the full length of
the Route and his mastery of the literature and film that
illuminate the Route's place in Americana. Not a history of the
road itself and the towns along the way, Henriksson's perspective
offers insight into America and its culture as revealed in its
peoples, their histories, cultures, and music as displayed along
the Mother Road.
This is a trip down the garden path to the loos of yesteryear with
photographs, a little history and many hilarious anecdotes. It is
illustrated.
Hong Kong was first captured on camera when the British arrived to
lay claim to its 'fragrant harbour' in 1841. Its fascinating
history has been documented through photography ever since - from
its rapid expansion as a Crown Colony to its handover to China in
1997 and its present status as one of the world's leading
international financial centres. Pairing rare and previously
unpublished photographs with contemporary views taken from the same
location, Hong Kong Then and Now highlights the rich and varied
history of this constantly evolving metropolis, from Victoria
Harbour, the Hong Kong Club and the Star Ferry to Kowloon Walled
CIty, Chek Lap Kok Airport and the gleaming skyscrapers of its
central banking district. Sites include: Victoria Harbour, the
Peak, the Star Ferry Pier, Man Ho Temple, Ladder Street, Queen's
Road Central, Hong Kong Club, Prince's Building, HSBC, Noonday Gun,
Happy Valley Racecourse, Tiger Balm Garden, Peninsula Hotel, Kai
Tak Airport, Kowloon Walled City, Shenzhen, Repulse Bay, Chek Lap
Kok Airport, St. Paul's (Macau).
What is Manchester? Moving far from the glitzy shopping districts
and architectural showpieces, away from cool city-centre living and
modish cultural centres, this book shows us the unheralded,
under-appreciated and overlooked parts of Greater Manchester in
which the majority of Mancunians live, work and play. It tells the
story of the city thematically, using concepts such a 'material',
'atmosphere', 'waste', 'movement' and 'underworld' to challenge our
understanding of the quintessential post-industrial metropolis.
Bringing together contributions from twenty-five poets, academics,
writers, novelists, historians, architects and artists from across
the region alongside a range of captivating photographs, this book
explores the history of Manchester through its chimneys,
cobblestones, ginnels and graves. This wide-ranging and inclusive
approach reveals a host of idiosyncrasies, hidden spaces and
stories that have until now been neglected. -- .
Based on walks around Chichester this guide takes in the wonderful sights that this coastal city has to offer, as well as attractions nearby. From city walls to the cathedral, from theatres to museums, from gardens to galleries - and so much more - there is something for everyone in this charming place that embraces city, coast and countryside. Also available in this series: Bath, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Ely, Glasgow, Lincoln, Liverpool, Norwich, Oxford, York.
Yards, crofts ginnels and lanes are found in many northern towns.
Kendal's yards are special and are fascinating to residents and
visitors alike. They are a characteristic feature of the town and
demonstrate the lively history of the people who lived and worked
in them. Originating in the burgage plots of Norman times, they
developed over the centuries into a maze of bustling little
communities lined with cottages and workshops. Their old names tell
of many interesting characters associated with them. With the slum
clearances of the 1960s and other town development, their number
has been drastically decreased. Today, they have become more of a
tourist attraction but are still living and working places and tell
engaging stories of their interesting past. In this book, the full
story of Kendal's Yards is told for the first time in fascinating
detail - their history and development, the origins of their names,
life in the old yards, their locations and much more. The
illustrations in the text and the extensive Gallery of photographs
provide 200 illustrations of most of the old yards which show
better than mere words the atmosphere and character of the yards
and the lives of their inhabitants.
The streetscape of London's historic square mile has been evolving
for centuries, but the City's busy commercial heart still boasts an
extensive network of narrow passages and alleyways, secret squares
and half-hidden courtyards. Most are ancient survivors dating back
to medieval times or earlier, their colourful and evocative names
recalling old taverns, trades and City traditions. Others
commemorate individuals associated with the seemingly unstoppable
rise which has seen the area around an old Roman wharf become the
global financial powerhouse that London is today. Maintaining that
position means that few of these old rights of way have escaped the
attention of developers, but their survival rate has been
surprisingly good. Because of this, hidden behind the glass, steel
and stone of the banks and big business, these little corners
continue to bear witness to nearly 2,000 years of British history.
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