This 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. Dorset's most unusual crimes & punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons & daughters, & royal connections come together to make essential reading for vistors & locals.

Coronations are very public occasions, typically seen as meticulously planned formal ceremonies where everything runs smoothly. But behind the scenes at Westminster Abbey lie extraordinary but true stories of mayhem, confusion and merriment. In this book we travel through over a thousand years of England's history to reveal the real character of its kings and queens. Also packed with facts about how the service, traditions and accessories have changed over the years, Crown, Orb & Sceptre provides both a compelling read and an accessible and irreverent reference guide to one of the most spectacular ceremonies in England's heritage.

Rather than taking a traditional narrative approach to the history of Salisbury, in A Salisbury Miscellany David Hilliam distils 1000 years into a series of lists - all of which focus on sights that the visitor can still see today - the cathedral and close as well as the town itself.

Winchester, ancient capital of Wessex, is a crucial part of Britain's heritage. In his latest book, David Hilliam condenses the city's long and fascinating history into a collection of memorable 'curiosities' that are still to be seen today. Visitors - and even residents - frequently walk by some of these age-old fragments of the past without fully realising just what they are, or how they relate to Winchester's memorable past. For more than two thousand years Winchester has been one of the most important cities in Britain: important for William the Conqueror, who built his first castle here; for the Saxons, who buried their kings here; for the Romans, who first laid out its streets - still used by twenty-first century traffic; and for the Celtic tribe the Belgae, who traded in Winchester and thus provided its ancient name - Venta Belgarum - 'market-place of the Belgae.' Winchester Curiosities is an intriguing collection of historical facts and legendary tales, together with a wealth of photographs, old engravings and specially commissioned drawings. Also included is useful information for visitors, as well as essential websites for the armchair traveller.

Who invented the 'House of Windsor' as a royal name? Who founded Westminster Abbey? Which king had twenty-one illegitimate children? David Halliam answers all these questions and more. Here is a continuous history of the English monarchy, showing how the nine dynasties rose and fell. The book describes the most memorable features of the life and times of each king or queen - from Egbert, crowned in 802 and considered the first king of England, to Queen Elizabeth II - as well as recording the extraordinary lives of their queens, consorts, mistresses and bastard children. It also tells the story of the Saxons, describes what has happened to the monarchs' mortal remains, and relates many lively incidents of royal history that rarely appear in the text books. Read of the saintly Edward the Confessor, who is believed to have refused to consummate his marriage; of the rumbustious Henry VIII, given to beheading those who displeased him; of the 'little gentleman in black velvet', who caused the death of William III; and of Queen Victoria's strange servant, the 'Munshi', Queen Emma, who endured a trial by ordeal; and Anne Boleyn, widely suspected of being a witch. A complete list of the monarchs' reigns and a genealogical table showing the royal descent down thirty-seven generations from Egbert to Elizabeth II adds to the volume's reference value.

Which 'ill-prepared' monarch was on the throne at the turn of the last millennium? How many English monarchs have been crowned on St. George's day? Monarchs, Murders and Mistresses answers these questions and more, presenting a royal event for each day of the calendar year in vivid detail with close-ups of the personalities involved. Today the royal family is plagued by the Press, but even 300 years ago, Charles II felt the need to apologise to a crowd of onlookers for taking so long to die.