Category Archives: Travel Guides
Grave Tidings: An Anthology of Famous Last Words
“You see! This is how you die.” – Coco Chanel; “Shoot straight, you bastards! Don`t make a mess of it!” – Breaker Morant; “If any of you have a message for the devil, give it to me, for I am about to meet him!” – Lavinia Fisher; “I am dying. Please …bring me a toothpick.”
New State, Modern Statesman: Hashim Thaci – A Biography
In a period when Western military engagement has unleashed violent sectarianism global terrorism, and become a catalyst for the biggest exodus of migrants since the Second World War, the 1999 Nato intervention in Kosovo remains a unique and shining example of a process that led to a peaceful transition from vicious ethnic war to modern
The Welfare of Nations
Listed by the Sunday Times as one of the five best political books of 2015. Welfare states have spread across the globe, transforming modern civilisation. But the take-over is often going badly. In Marseilles, armed drug gangs dominate the social housing estates. In America, an outstandingly rich country, 45 million people are dependent on food
The Man Who Was George Smiley: The Life of John Bingham
Investigator, interrogator, intellectual hero, biographer Michael Jago traces the life of the remarkable and engaging John Bingham, the man behind John le Carre`s George Smiley.The heir to an Irish barony and a spirited young journalist, John Bingham joined MI5 in 1940; his quiet intellect, wry wit and knack for observation made him a natural. He
The Treacherous Path: An Insider`s Account of Modern Russia
In 1991, Vladimir Yakunin, a Soviet diplomat and KGB officer, returned from his posting in New York to a country that no longer existed.The state that he had served for all his adult life had been dissolved, the values he knew abandoned. Millions of his compatriots suffered as their savings disappeared and their previously secure
The Greatest Comeback: From Genocide to Football Glory: The Story of Bela Guttman
Before Pep Guardiola and before Jose Mourinho, there was Bela Guttmann: the first superstar football coach, and the man who paved the way for the celebrated coaches of the modern age.He was also a Holocaust survivor. In 1944, much of Europe had wanted Guttmanndead. He hid for months in an attic near Budapest as thousands
The Good Friday Agreement
Twenty years after the Good Friday Agreement, although Northern Irish politics has avoided returning to the bloodshed of the Troubles, by every other metric it has objectively failed. The botched parliament at Stormont lumbers from crisis to crisis and has scarcely passed any laws. At the time of writing, Sinn Fein and the DUP are
Glasgow 1919: The Rise of Red Clydeside
The arrival of January 1919 sees Europe in turmoil, with revolution breaking out across the Continent. Glasgow`s industrial community has been steeled by radicalism throughout the Great War, and as the spectre of mass unemployment and poverty threatens, a cadre of shop stewards, supported by political activists, is ready to strike for a forty-hour week.
Shackleton`s Heroes: The Epic Story of the Men Who Kept the Endurance Expedition Alive
The fabled figure of Sir Ernest Shackleton truly personifies the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. But, while the story of his ill-fated 1914-18 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition and his crew`s narrow escape from death is legendary, less well known is the staggering tale of the six members of the Mount Hope Party who risked their lives
Under Every Leaf: How Britain Played the Greater Game from Afghanistan to Africa
Delving into an encyclopaedic array of little-known primary sources, William Beaver uncovers a vigorous intelligence function at the heart of Victoria`s Empire. A cadre of exceptionally able and dedicated officers, they formed the War Office Intelligence Division, which gave Britain`s foreign policy its backbone in the heyday of imperial acquisition.`Under Every Leaf` is the first
An Impossible Dream: Reagan, Gorbachev, and a World Without the Bomb
Picture the scene: the Republican President of the United States credited with christening the Soviet Union an `Evil Empire`, and that country`s own President, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, sitting down together.It was Reykjavik, 1986, and the meeting between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev really did happen-even after the agonising escalating tensions of
The Shipping Forecast: A Miscellany
The rhythmic lullaby of `North Utsire, South Utsire` has been lulling the nation`s insomniacs to sleep for over 90 years. It has inspired songs, poetry and imaginations across the globe – as well as providing a very real service for the nation`s seafarers who might fall prey to storms and gales. In 1995, a plan
The English Hoard: Photographs from Another Century
Jeff Krotz`s The English Hoard uncovers the lost historical images of south-east England. In particular, Jeff focuses on the photography of Oxford, Isle of Wight, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent and Sussex in the 1900`s. As seen in photographer Francis Friths`s documentary photographs of England, Jeff`s image have an added romantic and sensorial
Sherlock: The Mind Palace: The Official Colouring Book
The game is on…The Mind Palace is a unique celebration of the rich visual landscape of Sherlock, featuring over 50 intricate pieces of artwork by artist Mike Collins. You can recreate classic scenes, add colour to intricate interiors and illuminate the fascinating world of Sherlock with the power of your imagination. A vital clue from
50 Walks on the Essex Coast
A walking guide describing 50 walks along the Essex coast, the longest coastline of any English county. Peter Caton discovered the wonderful Essex coastline as he narrated his journey along its whole length, writing Essex Coast Walk (Matador, 2009). He now describes walks covering the entire publicly accessible coast, helping others to follow in his
Rick Stein`s Long Weekends
Shortlisted for a 2016 Edward Standford Travel Writing Award.Cadiz, Palermo, Copenhagen and more… Rick Stein goes in search of good food in fabulous locations, and all of them just a quick hop, skip and a jump from the UK.
The 50 Greatest Churches and Cathedrals of Great Britain
Britain is well-known for its churches and cathedrals; buildings of great architecture and religious grandeur that form many of our recognisable skylines. But these grand structures are also full of facts, histories and stories that you may not have been aware of. Did you know that there are only three cathedrals in Britain without a
Ghost Riders: Operation Cowboy, the World War Two Mission to Save the World`s Finest Horses
April 1945. As Allied bombs rain down on Europe, a 400-year-old institution looks set to be wiped off the face of the Earth. The famous white Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, unique and precious animals representing centuries of careful breeding, are scattered across rural Austria and Czechoslovakia in areas soon to
Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees
Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. In `Buzz`, the award-winning author of `Feathers` and `The Triumph of Seeds` takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when
Apollo 11: The Inside Story
“Terrific and enthralling” New Scientist”An authoritative account of Apollo 11 and the end of the space race, shedding light on the true drama behind the mission.” ObserverFifty years ago, in July 1969, Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to land on the Moon, and Neil Armstrong the first man to step on to its
