This volume is an account of the events of World War II, and how they affected the county of Surrey.

Salacious means salty: not just the brininess of the sea, but of the spice-of-life-and-sometimes-death kind. It seemed the appropriate word to use for an invigorating gallop alongside the fast-and - loose livers of the Sussex-by-the-Sea, past and present. Some people try to claim that the filthing of Sussex is a result of the Brighton effect, the insidious metropolitan stain of London-sur-Mer oozing out over the rest of us, but history proves them wrong. It's not all down to Georgie Peorgie and his naughty puddings, pies, and tarts.You would not believe what used to go on in Steyning of all places, who would have thought it. And if you thought violence was something invented by asbo-wielding hoodies wait until you meet the Hawkhurst Gang and their spine-chilling cutlasses. In what other county could any one have pulled off a scam as eccentric as the Petdown Man? Sussex is just as renowned for its darkside as for its natural sunny beauty, and "Salacious Sussex" is the book to celebrate it.This title presents a scandal for every taste, from ancient history to the modern age (as far as the libel laws will allow). It is divided into five themed chapters, each covering a different kind of scandal from hanky panky to murder via chicanery and shenanigans, with a detour into lechery and satanism. The darkside of the county dragged into the sunshine. It is the latest addition to our exciting serie of books on Sussex for the enthusiast.

The Little Book of Oxfordshire is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no one will want to be without. Here we find out about the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts (plus some authentically bizarre bits of historic trivia). Combining essential facts with little-known, weird and often hilarious trivia, it is an essential purchase for all lovers of the county. Colourful characters and the general mayhem of Oxford history flow through the pages like the iconic Thames, Isis and Cherwell rivers. Dip in and celebrate!

Jonathan Carver's Travels through the Interior Parts of North America, in the Years 1766, 1767, and 1768 became a bestseller in London in the 1780s, and arguments over its author's accuracy and honesty have raged ever since. This book published for the first time the well-known explorer's original account of his expedition. Editor John Parker compares and interweaves the four manuscript versions of Carver's journals discovered in the twentieth century in the British Museum to form the text of this book. Also included are the hitherto unpublished journal of veteran fur trader James Stanley Goddard, who accompanied Carver; related correspondence; a Dakota dictionary; commissions and other records; and a bibliography of major editions of the Travels. In this volume John Parker explains the alleged plagiarism, examines Carver's early life, and offers new information on the land swindle in the Midwest known as the "Carver grant." Editor John Parker was curator of the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota, a collection specializing in early travel and exploration.

The fame of French scientist and geographer Joseph N. Nicollet rests upon his monumental map and report of the Upper Mississippi Valley. The map, published by the United States government in 1843, remained the foundation of Upper Mississippi cartography until the era of modern surveys. Nicollet's journals illuminate the 1836 trip to the source of the Mississippi and a journey up the St. Croix River in 1837. His day-by-day accounts include careful notes on geographical features, flora and fauna, and the aurora borealis. But above all, his keen observations on the customs and culture of the Ojibwe Indians provide the first systematic recording and a remarkably sympathetic depiction of the people of the area. Martha Bray's introduction and annotation to this translation by Andre Fertey provide a brief biography of one of the fathers of American science.

Progressivism, one of the most important political and social trends of the early twentieth century, focused the nation's attention on attempts to reform its political and economic systems. Against this backdrop of national and international events, historian Carl H Chrislock records the rise and decline of the movement in Minnesota, where Progressivism had many links with earlier Granger, Farm-ers Alliance, and Populist traditions. Clearly written and thought provoking, this book also tells the stories of the Bull Moose campaign of 1912, strikes on the Mesabi Range, and the painful divisions of loyalty before and during World War I.

The Roaring Twenties in New York was a time of exuberant ambition, free-flowing optimism, an explosion of artistic expression in the age of Prohibition. New York was the city that embodied the spirit and strength of a newly powerful America.
In 1924, in the vibrant heart of Manhattan, a fierce rivalry was born. Two architects, William Van Alen and Craig Severance (former friends and successful partners, but now bitter adversaries), set out to imprint their individual marks on the greatest canvas in the world--the rapidly evolving skyline of New York City. Each man desired to build the city's tallest building, or 'skyscraper.' Each would stop at nothing to outdo his rival.
Van Alen was a creative genius who envisioned a bold, contemporary building that would move beyond the tired architecture of the previous century. By a stroke of good fortune he found a larger-than-life patron in automobile magnate Walter Chrysler, and they set out to build the legendary Chrysler building. Severance, by comparison, was a brilliant businessman, and he tapped his circle of downtown, old-money investors to begin construction on the Manhattan Company Building at 40 Wall Street.
From ground-breaking to bricklaying, Van Alen and Severance fought a cunning duel of wills. Each man was forced to revamp his architectural design in an attempt to push higher, to overcome his rival in mid-construction, as the structures rose, floor by floor, in record time. Yet just as the battle was underway, a third party entered the arena and announced plans to build an even larger building. This project would be overseen by one of Chrysler's principal rivals--a representative of the General Motors group--and the building ultimately became known as The Empire State Building.
Infused with narrative thrills and perfectly rendered historical and engineering detail, " Higher" brings to life a sensational episode in American history. Author Neal Bascomb interweaves characters such as Al Smith and Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt, leading up to an astonishing climax that illustrates one of the most ingenious (and secret) architectural achievements of all time.

J. Fletcher Williams' "History of St. Paul," first published in 1876, is a thoroughly charming, intimate chronicle of the city's earliest years. The author spins tales of villains, heroes, dark deeds, and progress with wit, irony, and relish. Sprinkled among the careful descriptions of pioneers, city fathers, and important events is a healthy dose of trivia, oddities, and "firsts." Lucile M. Kane's introduction to this edition suggests that the book "to an unusual degree mirrors the man--with all his learning, passion for patient investigation, interest in people, exuberance, dramatic sense, humor, and affection for his adopted city." Minnesota residents, visitors, and students of history will enjoy this insider's view of small-town St. Paul in the 19th century.

A fabulous collection of ghost hauntings in Suffolk, from the infamous Black Dog of Bungay to the headless Anne Boleyn stalking visitors at Blickling Hall. The serene, low-lying countryside of Suffolk, with its scattered farms, water-meadows and extensive coastline, seems an unlikely area to be associated with ghosts and demons. Yet, a motley array are said to haunt the region. The most famous is the Black Dog, a spectral hound, which in the year 1577 terrorised and killed parishioners in the churches of Bungay and Blythburgh, and continues to exert a strong presence today. Other strange phenomena include phantom coaches, rattling through the countryside at night, drawn by spectral horses and driven by a headless coachman, and the freshwater mermaids who lure young children to their deaths in pools and rivers. Tobias Gill the black drummer haunts the crossroads near Blythburgh where he was hanged for the murder of a servant girl, and Mrs. Short, the 'Queen of Hell', can still raise the hairs on your neck if you wander in the region of Boulge Hall near Woodbridge. Famous characters such as Anne Boleyn, Earl Hugh Bigod, and St. Edmund add an additional lustre to folk tales of the area, and strange happenings occur in many of the churchyards, Suffolk having more churches per acre than almost any other county. This fascinating account of local 'sightings' deals with all the traditional historical legends as well as modern day sightings, and investigates their relevance and significance for the modern age.

Lincolnshire has many well-known stories of the supernatural, among the best known of which is that of the Lincoln Imp. In this book author Daniel J. Codd explores the supernatural lore of Lincolnshire. It includes all manner of phenomena, from forgotten poltergeist incidents and village miracles to recent allegations of werewolf and yeti-type creatures seen in the wilds of Lincolnshire. There are many hitherto unpublished accounts such as reports of the ghost of a small man who appeared to builders renovating a house in Lincoln; a ghostly lady who approached a house in Skellingthorpe (whereupon previously unnoticed footprints were found in concrete outside the door); and a phantom Second World War soldier who crossed a road leading to his old house in Lincoln. There are also stories of UFOs, two tall humanoid figures seen crossing wasteland, monkeys and panthers running wild, and a smoky cross that allegedly appears outside Scunthorpe's hospital when someone is about to die. Paranormal Lincolnshire takes the reader into the world of ghosts, spirits and poltergeists in the county, following their footsteps into the unknown. It captures the spectrum of ghosts, haunted places, UFOs, strange creatures and weird phenomena reported across the county, old and new. These tales will delight ghost hunters and fascinate and intrigue everybody who knows Lincolnshire.

Old Warwickshire, the ancient heart of England, encompassed many iconic historic sites. Coventry, Rugby, Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham, among others, all had tales to tell. Equally fascinating are the stories of the people, the virtuous and the villainous, who lived in the greenwoods and rolling hills of this celebrated county. Here are the folk tales passed from teller to listener over centuries, and the legends of the region's famous sons and daughters. From Lady Godiva and Dick Turpin, to the murderous Foxcote Feud and Coventry's claim to Saint George, storyteller Cath Edwards retells these tales and more with verve, vitality and vivid original illustrations.

Between 1816 and 1823 Stephen Harriman Long headed five expeditions that traveled 26,000 miles from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains and from the headwaters of the Canadian River in New Mexico to Lake Winnipeg in Canada. This book deals with two of his northern journeys--the only two for which the explorer's personal journals are known to have survived. The 1817 journal describes Long's trip up the Mississippi River to the Falls of St. Anthony at present-day Minneapolis and back down the river to Fort Belle Fontaine on the Missouri. The 1823 journal covers Long's last major exploration, from Philadelphia west across present-day Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and back along fur trade routes in Manitoba and Ontario, through the Great Lakes and newly opened parts of the Erie Canal. The journals reveal the writer's classical education and scientific knowledge. They also reflect the man himself--efficient, logical, concise, meticulous, persevering--a man cheerful in the face of physical discomfort but intolerant of incompetence or irresponsibility on the part of his men.

Between 1862 and 1867, eight wagon trains carrying at least 1,400 people set out from Minnesota for the gold fields of Montana. These carefully edited letters and diaries trace their progress, revealing their day-to-day experiences, their success--or lack of it--in finding gold, and their lives in bustling mining settlements. "Private dreams of quick fortunes in El Dorado and public dreams of commercial empire and national greatness" moved the emigrants, writes Helen McCann White in her introduction, which places the three-month expeditions in their broader historical context and interprets their significance for the development of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Montana. An appendix identifies more than 850 members of the trains.

Well written and entertaining, A Canoe Voyage up the Minnay Sotor, describes the extensive travels of George William Featherstonhaugh in Wisconsin, Minnesota and various southern states in 1835 and 1837. Featherstonhaugh, an Englishman by birth, was a geologist by profession and well qualified to comment on the American scene. By the time of his travels in the 1830s, he had lived in the United States for nearly thirty years. He was also a linguist with an attentive ear for speech. In performing his duties as a geologist for the United States, he visited remote sections of the frontier that few other trained observers had yet an opportunity to see. In these two volumes Featherstonhaugh chronicles two separate expeditions--a geological expedition in 1835 of the area from Lake Michigan west to the Coteau des Prairies at the headwaters of the Minnesota River, and a tour in 1837 of the mineral lands of Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, and the western Carolinas.

Hoosier Beginnings tells the story of Indiana University athletics from its founding in 1867 to the interwar period. Crammed full of rare images and little-known anecdotes, it recounts how sport at IU developed from its very first baseball team, made up mostly of local Bloomington townsfolks, to the rich and powerful tradition that is the "Hoosier" legacy. Hoosier Beginnings uncovers fascinating stories that have been lost to time and showcases how Indiana University athletics built its foundation as a pivotal team in sports history. Learn about the fatal train collision that nearly stopped IU athletics in its tracks; IU's first African American football player; the infamous Baseball Riot of 1913; how a horde of students grabbed axes and chopped down 200 apple trees to make way for a new gymnasium; and the legendary 1910 football team that didn't allow a single touchdown all season-but still lost a game. Most importantly, it attempts to answer the burning question, where did the "Hoosiers" get their mysterious name?

Considered to be the saltiest shore in England, the Blackwater provides the background for John Leather's story of Essex seafaring. It is an accurate study of men and craft that have sailed form the small communities beside this broad estuary and river. It is a varied story where fishermen, bargemen, boatbuilders, sailmakers, wildfowlers and often smugglers join the sailing smacks and bages, brigs, bumkins and gunpunts in this workaday watery world. The great yachts are there too, and the local seamen who became captains and crews when summer cruising and racing, even to crossing the Atlantic in quest of the elusive America's Cup. Sailors of the sail, these men were of humble origin but proud of their skills and craft. Their traditions, independent outlook and everyday enjoyments have lingered to the present in the Blackwater's unique flavour of sail and oar.

The Little Book of Cambridgeshire is a compendium full of information that will make you say, 'I never knew that!' Contained within is a plethora of entertaining stories about the county and its famous - and occasionally infamous - men and women, its literary, artistic and sporting achievements, its customs and traditions, its transport and leisure, and a few ghostly appearances. Compiled by local historians, this reliable reference book and quirky guide can be dipped in to time and again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county.

When the Second World War was declared in September 1939, Northamptonshire was better prepared for the years that followed than it had been twenty-five years earlier. Lessons had been learned from the First World War, and people were far more aware of the impact modern warfare could have on their lives. Through film, press and radio, they were able to monitor the events in Europe in a way unprecedented by any previous generation, which led to a greater understanding of world politics and a realisation that the rise to power of Adolf Hitler would have predictable repercussions. So, when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain addressed the nation after Germanys armies had invaded Poland, war, for many, had already become inevitable. But what exactly did this mean to the people of Northamptonshire, and how did they react to the threat of invasion? What were the consequences of the conflict on the Home Front? How did Northamptonshire's towns and villages function through six years of grinding warfare? These questions, and many others, are examined and answered in the pages of this book. This is the story of those who were there; the people who never accepted the possibility of defeat, who coped with rationing, blackouts, conscription and aerial bombardment, and then welcomed Londons evacuees and greeted the American Airforce with open-armed hospitality. Using military events as a background, this book relates Northamptonshires story, from the parts played in the war effort by the shoe industry, the Northamptonshire Regiment, the Home Guard, the ARP and to, of course, the people.

Take a walk around 1920s Berlin with one of its greatest luminaries.

In this timeless guide, originally published in Germany in 1929, Franz Hessel invites his readers to join him on a stroll through Weimar-era Berlin, taking in some of the most fascinating sights the city has to offer, many of which still exist in some form today.

From the Alexanderplatz to Kreuzberg, his record of them has become priceless; as has his fascinating commentary on the seismic shifts shaking German culture at the time.

Superbly written, and as fresh today as when it first appeared, this is a book to be savoured.

2022 Best Book Award, Oral History Association Hundreds of stories of activists at the front lines of the intersecting African American and Mexican American liberation struggle Not one but two civil rights movements flourished in mid-twentieth-century Texas, and they did so in intimate conversation with one another. Far from the gaze of the national media, African American and Mexican American activists combated the twin caste systems of Jim Crow and Juan Crow. These insurgents worked chiefly within their own racial groups, yet they also looked to each other for guidance and, at times, came together in solidarity. The movements sought more than integration and access: they demanded power and justice. Civil Rights in Black and Brown draws on more than 500 oral history interviews newly collected across Texas, from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods and everywhere in between. The testimonies speak in detail to the structure of racism in small towns and huge metropolises-both the everyday grind of segregation and the haunting acts of racial violence that upheld Texas's state-sanctioned systems of white supremacy. Through their memories of resistance and revolution, the activists reveal previously undocumented struggles for equity, as well as the links Black and Chicanx organizers forged in their efforts to achieve self-determination.

This book romps through the rolling countryside and along the shingled coastline of Suffolk, unearthing the curious along the way. Sandwiched between ecclesiastical penances handed down to adulterers and fornicators, and the odd porcelain incendiary bombs commemorating the Zeppelin raids, is an alphabetical cornucopia of strange, spooky and mysterious facts about the county. Is the supposedly ancient game of dwile flonking quite so old? What did writers like Pepys and Defoe say about Suffolk cheese? Which tower was probably just built to curry favour with the monarch? And who was the unknown, self-taught archaeologist who made one of the most significant finds of all time? The A-Z of Curious Suffolk is a book to dip into, unless of course you can't wait to turn the page and read more!

Once home to over 60 flourishing villages, Middlesex County, in the heart of southwestern Ontario, has a rich history just waiting to be discovered. Anthropologist and local history enthusiast Jennifer Grainger has, through extensive research and much personal exploration, produced a valuable document chronicling the "rise and fall" of these pioneering settlements, truly the foundation of all that exist in the area today.

Nostalgia buffs, armchair adventurers, genealogists and curious daytrippers alike will welcome the arrival of this timely publication with its many fascinating stories and countless visual reminders of the past.