William Armstrong was a brilliant and charismatic figure of the 19th Century - a self-made man whose achievements are now being more widely recognised. Inventor, scientist, engineer, and an early advocator of renewable energy, he built a pioneering house in Northumberland in the North East of England called Cragside, the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity. Armstrong's industrial powerhouse Elswick Works on the Tyne employed over 25,000 people in its heyday manufacturing hydraulic cranes, warships and armaments. He was a visionary who was loved, and hated, and feared in equal measure. While he brought great fame and fortune to his native Newcastle upon Tyne, and to his country as a whole, he was condemned in some quarters as 'a merchant of death' for his manufacturing of weapons of war.

'Women have won their political independence. Now is the time for them to achieve their economic freedom too.' This was the great rallying cry of the pioneers who, in 1919, created the Women's Engineering Society. Spearheaded by Katharine and Rachel Parsons, a powerful mother and daughter duo, and Caroline Haslett, whose mission was to liberate women from domestic drudgery, it was the world's first professional organisation dedicated to the campaign for women's rights. Magnificent Women and their Revolutionary Machines tells the stories of the women at the heart of this group - from their success in fanning the flames of a social revolution to their significant achievements in engineering and technology. It centres on the parallel but contrasting lives of the two main protagonists, Rachel Parsons and Caroline Haslett - one born to privilege and riches whose life ended in dramatic tragedy; the other who rose from humble roots to become the leading professional woman of her age and mistress of the thrilling new power of the twentieth century: electricity. In this fascinating book, acclaimed biographer Henrietta Heald also illuminates the era in which the society was founded. From the moment when women in Britain were allowed to vote for the first time, and to stand for Parliament, she charts the changing attitudes to women's rights both in society and in the workplace.

Blue and white is one of the most soothing and adaptable colour schemes, and with so many variations you can use it to transform your home. Blue & White At Home presents 15 unique homes that illustrate the endless possibilities of this timeless palette, which can be fresh and crisp, bold and saturated, dark and moody or timeworn and faded. In the first section, Vintage, author Henrietta Heald explores a Victorian house furnished with antique textiles, a prairie-style ranch in California and a light-filled cottage on Long Island. She then considers Coastal style, drawing inspiration from a whitewashed cabin in Spain and a spectacular modern beach house in South Africa. The third part of the book, Rustic, features an 18th-century English farmhouse, a Scandinavian summer retreat and a country house with over 400 years of history. Throughout the book, Henrietta also highlights particular themes, from walls and floors to fabrics and furniture, and explores ways to bring personality into your living space using collected ceramics, vintage pieces and foraged finds in every shade of blue and white.