Showing 73–84 of 178 resultsSorted by latest
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£25.00
Born between 1885 and 1891, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel all participated in the First World War and, like millions of others, were so affected by their wartime experiences that it became a fundamental influence on their lives. Yet none of the men were dissuaded by the carnage from seeking military careers when the guns finally fell silent. Each became wholly dedicated to the profession of arms and, being exceptional officers and leaders, they prospered. Despite the broad similarities between them, there were some marked differences in their approach to leadership due to the individuality bestowed on them from their genes, upbringing, life experience and relationships. This book reveals how these stimuli created three unique personalities which, in turn, each man came to draw from when they became among the most prominent officers in their armies.
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£25.00
She came to the throne in 1952 when Britain had a far-flung empire, sweets were rationed, mums stayed home and kids played on bombsites. 70 years on, everything has changed utterly – except the Queen herself, aging far more gracefully than the fractious nation over which she so lightly presides. How did we get from there to here in a single reign? To cancel culture, anti-vaxxers and Twitter feeds? Matthew Engel tells the story – starting with the years from Churchill to Thatcher – with his own light touch and a wealth of fascinating, forgotten, often funny detail.
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£12.99
Based on original research and new evidence, ‘Spying and the Crown’ reveals how far their Majesties still call the shots in a hidden world and presents the British monarchy in an entirely new light.
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£10.99
In this fascinating and original new book, Sam Willis and James Daybell lead us on a journey of historical discovery that tackles some of the greatest historical themes – from the Tudors to the Second World War, from the Roman Empire to the Victorians – but via entirely unexpected subjects. You will find out here how the history of the beard is connected to the Crimean War; how the history of paperclips is all about the Stasi; how the history of bubbles is all about the French Revolution. And who knew that Heinrich Himmler, Tutankhamun and the history of needlework are linked to napalm and Victorian orphans? Taking the reader on an enthralling and extraordinary journey through 30 different topics that are ingeniously linked together, ‘Histories of the Unexpected’ not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the everyday world around us as never before.
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£10.99
As one of the country’s leading political journalists, Isabel Hardman has spent many years in that bizarre rabbit-warren we call the Houses of Parliament. She’s conducted thousands of interviews with MPs ranging from fresh-faced recruits to Prime Ministers. With some notable exceptions, she has found them to be decent, hard-working people, doing a hugely difficult and demanding job. And yet, politicians are consistently voted the least trusted professional group by the UK public – below estate agents, lawyers and journalists. And every year, MPs collectively introduce new legislation that doesn’t do what it sets out to achieve – often with terrible financial and human costs.
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£9.99
Comedian Robin Ince quickly abandoned science at school, bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations. But, twenty years later, he fell in love and he now presents one of the world’s most popular science podcasts. Every year he meets hundreds of the world’s greatest thinkers. In this erudite and witty book, Robin reveals why scientific wonder isn’t just for the professionals. Filled with interviews featuring astronauts, comedians, teachers, quantum physicists, neuroscientists and more – as well as charting Robin’s own journey with science – ‘The Importance of Being Interested’ explores why many wrongly think of the discipline as distant and difficult.
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£10.99
Was Harold Wilson a bigger figure than Denis Healey? Was John Major more ‘prime ministerial’ than Michael Heseltine? Would David Miliband have become prime minister if it were not for his brother Ed? Would Ed have become prime minister if it were not for David? How close did Jeremy Corbyn come to being prime minister? In this piercing and original study, journalist and commentator Steve Richards looks at eleven prime ministers we never had, examining what made each of these illustrious figures unique and why they failed to make the final leap to the very top.
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£9.99
Since the age of six, when Susan Orlean wrote and illustrated a book called ‘Herbert the Near-Sighted Pigeon’, she’s been drawn to stories about how we live with animals, and how they abide by us. Now, in ‘On Animals’, she examines animal-human relationships through the compelling tales she has written over the course of her celebrated career. These stories consider a range of creatures – the household pets we dote on, the animals we raise to end up as meat on our plates, the creatures who could eat us for dinner, the various tamed and untamed animals we share our planet with who are central to human life.
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£10.99
In the 11 months between August 1971 and July 1972, Northern Ireland experienced its worst year of violence. The ‘year of chaos’ came between two major military operations, namely the introduction of internment of IRA suspects, without trial, and Operation Motorman, the invasion of barricaded no-go areas in Belfast and Derry. The internment raids created huge disaffection in the Catholic communities and provoked an escalation of violence. This led to the British government taking full control of Northern Ireland and negotiating directly with the IRA leadership. Operation Motorman, on a similar scale, then dampened down the violence a year later. During this whole period, Malachi O’Doherty was a cub reporter in Belfast, working in the city, covering the violence, returning home at night to a no-go area behind the barricades where the streets were patrolled by armed IRA men.
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£10.99
Once a more sedate affair, since 2016, British politics has witnessed a barrage of crises, resignations and general elections. As Brexit became logjammed, Theresa May’s premiership was the most turbulent of all. In her darkest hour, following the disastrous 2017 election, she turned to Gavin Barwell to restore her battered authority. He would become her Chief of Staff for the next two years – a period punctuated by strained negotiations, domestic tragedy, and intense political drama. In this gripping insider memoir, Barwell reveals what really went on in the corridors of power – and sheds a vital light on May, the most inscrutable of modern prime ministers.
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£16.99
Gavin Plumley considered himself a distinctly urban being, until he met his rural husband, Alastair. Together, they bought Stepps House – a three-storey building in Pembridge, Herefordshire – on love at first sight. But then came the inevitable question from an insurance salesman: ‘How old is it?’ With ancient beams crossing the ceiling, the date they’d been given of 1800 seemed out by centuries. As Gavin traced Stepps House through various hands and eras, he saw the picture of a past emerge that resonates powerfully with our present. A hybrid work of domestic history and European art, of memoir and landscape, this book is both grand in its sweep and intimate in its account of life on the edge of England.
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£8.99
Meet Gilda. She cannot stop thinking about death. Desperate for relief from her anxious mind and alienated from her repressive family, she responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local church and finds herself abruptly hired to replace the deceased receptionist, Grace. It’s not the most obvious job – she’s queer and an atheist for starters – and so in between trying to learn mass, hiding her new maybe-girlfriend and conducting an amateur investigation into Grace’s death, Gilda must avoid revealing the truth of her mortifying existence.
