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'Eject! Eject!' When the call is made to abandon an aircraft, it's
only the beginning of the story... From the Sunday Times
bestselling writer John Nichol, author of Spitfire, Lancaster and
Tornado, comes a brilliant new book that reveals the astonishing
story of an invention that has saved many thousands of lives around
the world, including his own: the ejection seat. Nichol tells the
remarkable tale of how the ejection seat was first conceived during
the Second World War as countless lives were lost in accidents and
in battle. In the wake of the war, that technological race to save
aircrew lives using explosive seats continued at an incredible
pace. Nichol tells the story of the brave men who risked their
lives testing those early devices, and interviewed the first
British pilot to eject back in 1949, when ejection, from pulling
the handle to being under the parachute, took thirty seconds.
Today, that figure is down to around one second. Packed with
interviews with aircrew who know exactly how it feels to 'Bang Out'
from an aircraft at high speed, both in peace and in war, the book
gives the reader a vivid sense of what that life-saving experience
feels like, but also features the moving accounts of what happens
next, from the viewpoint of both the crews and their families, who
often have little or no information about whether or not their
loved ones have survived. Because ejecting is just the start of a
journey..... Packed with dramatic action, incredible science and
moving recollections, Eject! Eject! is an essential read.
THE SUNDAY TIMES NON FICTION BESTSELLER WHSmith NON-FICTION BOOK OF
THE YEAR 2018 'The best book you will ever read about Britain's
greatest warplane' Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of Fighter
Boys 'A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British
machine' Rowland White, bestselling author of Vulcan 607 'As the
RAF marks its centenary, Nichol has created a thrilling and often
moving tribute to some of its greatest heroes' Mail on Sunday
magazine The iconic Spitfire found fame during the darkest early
days of World War II. But what happened to the redoubtable fighter
and its crews beyond the Battle of Britain, and why is it still so
loved today? In late spring 1940, Nazi Germany's domination of
Europe had looked unstoppable. With the British Isles in easy reach
since the fall of France, Adolf Hitler was convinced that Great
Britain would be defeated in the skies over her southern coast,
confident his Messerschmitts and Heinkels would outclass anything
the Royal Air Force threw at them. What Hitler hadn't planned for
was the agility and resilience of a marvel of British engineering
that would quickly pass into legend - the Spitfire. Bestselling
author John Nichol's passionate portrait of this magnificent
fighter aircraft, its many innovations and updates, and the people
who flew and loved them, carries the reader beyond the dogfights
over Kent and Sussex. Spanning the full global reach of the
Spitfire's deployment during WWII, from Malta to North Africa and
the Far East, then over the D-Day beaches, it is always accessible,
effortlessly entertaining and full of extraordinary spirit. Here
are edge-of-the-seat stories and heart-stopping first-hand accounts
of battling pilots forced to bail out over occupied territory; of
sacrifice and wartime love; of aristocratic female flyers, and of
the mechanics who braved the Nazi onslaught to keep the aircraft in
battle-ready condition. Nichol takes the reader on a hair-raising,
nail-biting and moving wartime history of the iconic Spitfire
populated by a cast of redoubtable, heroic characters that make you
want to stand up and cheer.
'The epic story of an iconic aircraft and the breathtaking courage
of those who flew her' Andy McNab, bestselling author of Bravo Two
Zero 'Compelling, thrilling and rooted in quite extraordinary human
drama' James Holland, author of Normandy 44 From John Nichol, the
Sunday Times bestselling author of Spitfire, comes a passionate and
profoundly moving tribute to the Lancaster bomber, its heroic crews
and the men and women who kept her airborne during the country's
greatest hour of need. 'The Avro Lancaster is an aviation icon;
revered, romanticised, loved. Without her, and the bravery of those
who flew her, the freedom we enjoy today would not exist.' Sir
Arthur Harris, the controversial chief of Royal Air Force Bomber
Command, described the Lancaster as his 'shining sword' and the
'greatest single factor in winning the war'. RAF bomber squadrons
carried out offensive operations from the first day of the Second
World War until the very last, more than five and a half years
later. They flew nearly 300,000 sorties and dropped around a
million tons of explosives, as well as life-saving supplies. Over
10,000 of their aircraft never returned. Of the 7,377 Lancasters
built during the conflict, more than half were lost to enemy action
or training accidents. The human cost was staggering. Of the
125,000 men who served in Bomber Command, over 55,000 were killed
and another 8,400 were wounded. Some 10,000 survived being shot
down, only to become prisoners of war. In simple, brutal terms,
Harris's aircrew had only a 40 per cent chance of surviving the war
unscathed. Former RAF Tornado Navigator, Gulf War veteran and
bestselling author John Nichol now tells the inspiring and moving
story of this legendary aircraft that took the fight deep into the
heart of Nazi Germany.
Former Tornado Navigator John Nichol tells the incredible story of
the RAF Tornado force during the First Gulf War in 1991; the
excitement and the danger, the fear and the losses. It is an
extraordinary account of courage and fortitude. 'We were doing
about 620 miles-per-hour, 200 feet above the desert, in total
darkness. Everything was running on rails as we approached the
target. Then all hell broke loose. I remember the missile being
fired at us; I broke left and shouted, "Chaff!" 'All I could see
was a flame, like a very large firework, coming towards me. Then
there was a huge white flash. I remember an enormous wind and then
I was knocked unconscious. My last thoughts were that I was going
to die.' In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered the
invasion and occupation of neighbouring Kuwait, setting in motion a
chain of events that had unimaginable political, military and
personal repercussions, which still reverberate around the globe
today. This is the story of the aircrew at the heart of Operation
Desert Storm, almost none of whom had any prior experience of armed
combat. It is the story of the Tornado's missions, of those who did
not return - and of the families who watched and waited as one of
the most complex conflicts in recent history unfolded live on
television. It is a story of untold fear and suffering, and
astounding courage in the face of hitherto unimaginable adversity.
In 1918, the RAF was established as the world's first independent
air force. To mark the 100th anniversary of its creation, Penguin
are publishing the Centenary Collection, a series of six classic
books highlighting the skill, heroism esprit de corps that have
characterised the Royal Air Force throughout its first century. RAF
Flight Lieutenants John Peters and John Nichol were shot down over
enemy territory on their first mission of the Gulf War. Their
capture in the desert, half a mile from their blazing Tornado
bomber, began a nightmare seven-week ordeal of torture and
interrogation which brought both men close to death. In Tornado
Down, John Peters and John Nichol tell the incredible story of
their part in the war against Saddam Hussien's regime. It is a
brave and shocking and totally honest story: a story about war and
its effects on the hearts and minds of men. The Centenary
Collection: 1. The Last Enemy by Richard Hillary 2. Tumult in the
Clouds by James Goodson 3. Going Solo by Roald Dahl 4. First Light
by Geoffrey Wellum 5. Tornado Down by John Peters & John Nichol
6. Immediate Response by Mark Hammond
This best selling collection of original papers represents both for
the scholar and the student an updating and a perspective of value
on a subject that is at the heart of the educational process.
From Neuron to Brain, Sixth Edition, provides a readable,
up-to-date book for use in undergraduate, graduate, and medical
school courses in neuroscience. As in previous editions, the
emphasis is on experiments made by electrical recordings, molecular
and cellular biological techniques, and behavioral studies on the
nervous system, from simple reflexes to cognitive functions. Lines
of research are followed from the inception of an idea to new
findings being made in laboratories and clinics today. From Neuron
to Brain will be of interest to anyone—with or without a
specialized background in biological sciences—who is curious
about the workings of the nervous system.
(Previously published as 'After the Flood') Former RAF Tornado
Navigator and Gulf War veteran John Nichol sets out on a personal
journey to discover what happened to 617 Squadron after the flood.
RAF 617 Squadron's destruction of the dams at the heart of the Ruhr
made them heroes and celebrities of their time. But this elite
squadron was also called upon for a hundred more of the most secret
and dangerous specialist precision attacks. As bestselling author
John Nichol discovers, 617 would drop the largest bombs ever built
on battleships, railway bridges, secret weapon establishments,
rockets sites and U-boat construction pens. They were involved in
attempts on the lives of enemy leaders, both Hitler and Mussolini,
created a 'false fleet' on D-day which fooled the Germans, and
knocked out a German super gun which would have rained 600 shells
an hour on London. Of the 77 men who made it home from dams raid,
only 45 survived to see the victory for which they fought - as
617's reputation called them into action again and again.
Donald Trump is putting together the most dangerous cabinet in
history. Showing no inclination toward moderation, tolerance or
genuine bipartisanship, he has assembled a team that is backed with
billionaires, CEOs, rigid ideologues and a rogue's gallery of white
nationalists, alt-right hatemongers, voter-suppression schemers,
immigrant bashers and climate-change deniers. The people Trump is
bringing into his inner circle and handing positions of immense
authority make no secret of their determination to impose an
uncompromising and ultimately unworkable conservative agenda on a
country where most Americans did not vote for Donald Trump or the
Congress that will advance his policies. The Trump team, consisting
of famously controversial figures and little-known but potentially
even more dangerous mandarins, may not have mandate. But it will
have the power to remake American foreign policy, redistribute
wealth upward and suppress wages, destroy unions, dismantle
Medicare and Medicaid, undermine abortion rights and affirmative
action, privatize and voucherize education, make health care a
privilege rather than a right and create a climate of fear and
intimidation for immigrants, refugees, religious and racial
minorities and Americans who dare to dissent. This is about much
more than one man; this is about a wrecking crew with the power to
transform everything we know about America and to make our country
and our world a more dangerous place. If we are going to navigate
the next four years and have the tools to fight back, we need to
know who will be handling the levers of power. And we need to know
how to challenge their excesses. Enter John Nichols, veteran
political correspondent at The Nation, who has been covering many
of these deplorables for decades. Sticking to the hard facts and
unafraid to dig deep into histories and the ideologies of the
people who make up Trump's inner circle, Nichols will deliver a
clear-eyed and complete guide to who these people really are. This
is not a laundry list of the high-profile politicians we are
already familiar with -- in these pages Nichols will examine and
expose all the new power players, including those who operate below
the headlines but that can still cause immeasurable damage.
This extraordinary collection of historical facts, a valuable
source for local history, was compiled by Thomas Fuller (1608-61),
who came from a clerical family and was educated at Cambridge. He
was ordained, had gained a reputation as a preacher, and had
published several theological works, when at the outbreak of the
Civil War he enlisted as a chaplain in the royalist army.
Travelling round the country with Sir Ralph Hopton's troops, he
pursued the historical enquiries which would result in the
posthumous publication in 1662 of his most famous work. This
two-volume edition was annotated by John Nichols, the bookseller
and publisher, and published in 1811. The first part of the work
consists of twenty-five short chapters which explain the
organisation of the work, after which England and Wales are
examined county by county: first, natural resources and
manufactures, and then notable people, starting with princes and
saints.
This extraordinary collection of historical facts, a valuable
source for local history, was compiled by Thomas Fuller (1608-61),
who came from a clerical family and was educated at Cambridge. He
was ordained, had gained a reputation as a preacher, and had
published several theological works, when at the outbreak of the
Civil War he enlisted as a chaplain in the royalist army.
Travelling round the country with Sir Ralph Hopton's troops, he
pursued the historical enquiries which would result in the
posthumous publication in 1662 of his most famous work. This
two-volume edition was annotated by John Nichols, the bookseller
and publisher, and published in 1811. The first part of the work
consists of twenty-five short chapters which explain the
organisation of the work, after which England and Wales are
examined county by county: first, natural resources and
manufactures, and then notable people, starting with princes and
saints.
The subtitle of this eight-volume set is Consisting of Authentic
Memoirs and Original Letters of Eminent Persons, and Intended as a
Sequel to the 'Literary Anecdotes', which had been published in
nine volumes by the author, editor and publisher John Nichols
(1745-1826) between 1812 and 1815, and are also reissued in this
series. Like its predecessor set, these 'illustrations' are a
useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at
a time when many of the literary genres we take for granted, such
as the novel, the autobiography and the analytical history, were
first being developed. The volumes were published between 1817 and
1858, the project being continued after Nichols' death by his son
and grandson. Among the 'eminent persons' included in Volume 1 are
the prime minister Robert Walpole, the actor David Garrick, the
radical politician John Wilkes and the cleric and traveller William
Gilpin.
The subtitle of this eight-volume set is Consisting of Authentic
Memoirs and Original Letters of Eminent Persons, and Intended as a
Sequel to the 'Literary Anecdotes', which had been published in
nine volumes by the author, editor and publisher John Nichols
(1745-1826) between 1812 and 1815, and are also reissued in this
series. Like its predecessor set, these 'illustrations' are a
useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at
a time when many of the literary genres we take for granted, such
as the novel, the autobiography and the analytical history, were
first being developed. The volumes were published between 1817 and
1858, the project being continued after Nichols' death by his son
and grandson. Among the 'eminent persons' included in Volume 2 are
the Shakespearian entrepreneur Lewis Theobald, the antiquarian
William Stukeley, Sir Hans Sloane, and Sir Joseph Banks.
The subtitle of this eight-volume set is Consisting of Authentic
Memoirs and Original Letters of Eminent Persons, and Intended as a
Sequel to the 'Literary Anecdotes', which had been published in
nine volumes by the author, editor and publisher John Nichols
(1745-1826) between 1812 and 1815, and are also reissued in this
series. Like its predecessor set, these 'illustrations' are a
useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at
a time when many of the literary genres we take for granted, such
as the novel, the autobiography and the analytical history, were
first being developed. The volumes were published between 1817 and
1858, the project being continued after Nichols' death by his son
and grandson. Volume 3 focuses on the judge and writer George
Hardinge (1743-1816) and his family, but also includes material on
Samuel Pepys, Robert Burns and the botanist Richard Pulteney.
The subtitle of this eight-volume set is Consisting of Authentic
Memoirs and Original Letters of Eminent Persons, and Intended as a
Sequel to the 'Literary Anecdotes', which had been published in
nine volumes by the author, editor and publisher John Nichols
(1745-1826) between 1812 and 1815, and are also reissued in this
series. Like its predecessor set, these 'illustrations' are a
useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at
a time when many of the literary genres we take for granted, such
as the novel, the autobiography and the analytical history, were
first being developed. The volumes were published between 1817 and
1858, the project being continued after Nichols' death by his son
and grandson. Among the 'eminent persons' included in Volume 4 are
Isaac Newton, the poet Abraham Cowley, the topographer Richard
Gough, and the Scottish jurist Lord Kaimes.
The subtitle of this eight-volume set is Consisting of Authentic
Memoirs and Original Letters of Eminent Persons, and Intended as a
Sequel to the 'Literary Anecdotes', which had been published in
nine volumes by the author, editor and publisher John Nichols
(1745-1826) between 1812 and 1815, and are also reissued in this
series. Like its predecessor set, these 'illustrations' are a
useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at
a time when many of the literary genres we take for granted, such
as the novel, the autobiography and the analytical history, were
first being developed. The volumes were published between 1817 and
1858, the project being continued after Nichols' death by his son
and grandson. Among the 'eminent persons' included in Volume 5 are
Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and the Chinese sculptor Chitqua,
who visited London in 1769.
The subtitle of this eight-volume set is Consisting of Authentic
Memoirs and Original Letters of Eminent Persons, and Intended as a
Sequel to the 'Literary Anecdotes', which had been published in
nine volumes by the author, editor and publisher John Nichols
(1745-1826) between 1812 and 1815, and are also reissued in this
series. Like its predecessor set, these 'illustrations' are a
useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at
a time when many of the literary genres we take for granted, such
as the novel, the autobiography and the analytical history, were
first being developed. The volumes were published between 1817 and
1858, the project being continued after Nichols' death by his son
and grandson. Among the 'eminent persons' included in Volume 6 are
the poet Anna Seward, Dr Johnson, the bibliographer Thomas Dibdin,
and King George III.
The subtitle of this eight-volume set is Consisting of Authentic
Memoirs and Original Letters of Eminent Persons, and Intended as a
Sequel to the 'Literary Anecdotes', which had been published in
nine volumes by the author, editor and publisher John Nichols
(1745-1826) between 1812 and 1815, and are also reissued in this
series. Like its predecessor set, these 'illustrations' are a
useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at
a time when many of the literary genres we take for granted, such
as the novel, the autobiography and the analytical history, were
first being developed. The volumes were published between 1817 and
1858, the project being continued after Nichols' death by his son
and grandson. Among the 'eminent persons' included in Volume 7 are
the scholar and literary editor George Steevens, Bishop Thomas
Percy, Dr Johnson and James Boswell.
The subtitle of this eight-volume set is Consisting of Authentic
Memoirs and Original Letters of Eminent Persons, and Intended as a
Sequel to the 'Literary Anecdotes', which had been published in
nine volumes by the author, editor and publisher John Nichols
(1745-1826) between 1812 and 1815, and are also reissued in this
series. Like its predecessor set, these 'illustrations' are a
useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at
a time when many of the literary genres we take for granted, such
as the novel, the autobiography and the analytical history, were
first being developed. The volumes were published between 1817 and
1858, the project being continued after Nichols' death by his son
and grandson. Among the 'eminent persons' included in this final
volume is Nichols himself; it also contains material showing the
state of the London book trade in the second half of the eighteenth
century.
In this nine-volume work, published between 1812 and 1815, the
author and publisher John Nichols (1745-1826) provides biographical
notes on publishers, writers and artists of the eighteenth century,
and also gives 'an incidental view of the progress and advancement
of literature in this kingdom during the last century'. (A shorter
version had been published in 1782.) His subjects range from the
publisher William Bowyer to Henry Fielding and Horace Walpole, and
also include histories of individual publishing houses and of
genres such as lexicography. The work remains a useful source of
biographical material on authors and publishers at a period when
many of the literary genres we take for granted, such as the novel,
the autobiography and the analytical history, were first being
developed. As well as individual short biographies, Volume 1
contains a history of Bowyer's press from 1699 to 1731.
In this nine-volume work, published between 1812 and 1815, the
author and publisher John Nichols (1745-1826) provides biographical
notes on publishers, writers and artists of the eighteenth century,
and also gives 'an incidental view of the progress and advancement
of literature in this kingdom during the last century'. (A shorter
version had been published in 1782.) His subjects range from the
publisher William Bowyer to Henry Fielding and Horace Walpole, and
also include histories of individual publishing houses and of
genres such as lexicography. The work remains a useful source of
biographical material on authors and publishers at a period when
many of the literary genres we take for granted, such as the novel,
the autobiography and the analytical history, were first being
developed. Volume 2 includes memoirs of Richard Farmer and George
Steevens, and a history of Bowyer's press from 1732 to 1765.
In this nine-volume work, published between 1812 and 1815, the
author and publisher John Nichols (1745-1826) provides biographical
notes on publishers, writers and artists of the eighteenth century,
and also gives 'an incidental view of the progress and advancement
of literature in this kingdom during the last century'. (A shorter
version had been published in 1782.) His subjects range from the
publisher William Bowyer to Henry Fielding and Horace Walpole, and
also include histories of individual publishing houses and of
genres such as lexicography. The work remains a useful source of
biographical material on authors and publishers at a period when
many of the literary genres we take for granted, such as the novel,
the autobiography and the analytical history, were first being
developed. Volume 3 includes memoirs of Henry Fielding and the
printer John Baskerville, and a history of the Stationers' Company.
In this nine-volume work, published between 1812 and 1815, the
author and publisher John Nichols (1745-1826) provides biographical
notes on publishers, writers and artists of the eighteenth century,
and also gives 'an incidental view of the progress and advancement
of literature in this kingdom during the last century'. (A shorter
version had been published in 1782.) His subjects range from the
publisher William Bowyer to Henry Fielding and Horace Walpole, and
also include histories of individual publishing houses and of
genres such as lexicography. The work remains a useful source of
biographical material on authors and publishers at a period when
many of the literary genres we take for granted, such as the novel,
the autobiography and the analytical history, were first being
developed. As well as memoirs of writers, Volume 4 also contains
essays on the polyglot Bible, and on the rise of newspapers and
periodicals.
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