British History

Timothy West reads the third and concluding volume of award-winning historian Simon Schama's compelling chronicle of the British Isles. Here he illuminates the period from 1776 to 2000 through a variety of historical themes, including Victorian advances in technology and industry, women's increasing role in society, and the burgeoning British Empire which promised civilisation and material betterment for all.

Between 1485 and 1688, England became a Protestant country under Henry VIII. His daughter, Elizabeth I, battled for succession and supremacy at home, and the discovery of 'the round world' enabled a vast continent across the Atlantic to be explored. While this new era was spawning the beginnings of modern America, England was engaged in a bloody civil war and sustained a Republican experiment under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell.

Anybody who visits London at the height of the summer will soon realise that the United Kingdom’s capital city attracts sightseers from every far-flung corner of the globe. And what’s on their list of attractions to see? Nine times out of ten it will be Buckingham Palace, often followed by the Tower of London, and since the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, her former residence, Kensington Palace. In an age when the monarchy, British or otherwise, is accused of being an outdated institution, the tourists still flock in their millions to follow in the footsteps of Royalty...

Beth and Jamie only meant to give fate a hand in earning their fortunes and bettering their lives. It was only a harmless masquerade. How were they to know the dangers and heartache a game of hearts could bring? Adorned in the latest fashion, Beth Longley mixed among the beauties of the ton as though she belonged. She swept dashing, well-to-do Jamie Morgan completely off his feet. Little did he know that Beth was not the lady of Claremont House at all—only its servant girl in disguise, hoping to maneuver her way into a wealthy man’s arms. Then Jamie proposed, leaving Beth to wonder how ...

Every cheese tells a story. Whether it's a fresh young goat's cheese or a big, beefy 18-month-old Cheddar, each variety holds the history of the people who first made it, from the builders of Stonehenge to medieval monks, from the Stilton-makers of the 18th century to the factory cheesemakers of the Second World War. Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk.

Set in Calcutta, London, the glacier-locked wilds of the Karakoram, and on Everest itself, The Last Englishmen is also the story of a generation. The cast of this exhilarating drama includes Indian and English writers and artists, explorers and Communist spies, Die Hards and Indian nationalists, political rogues and police informers. Key among them is a highborn Bengali poet named Sudhin Datta, a melancholy soul torn, like many of his generation, between hatred of the British Empire and a deep love of European literature, whose life would be upended by the arrival of war on his Calcutta doorstep.

It is the 20th century's unrivaled epic: At a staggering price, the United States and its allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. In the first two volumes of his best-selling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted the history of how the American-led coalition fought its way from North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now he tells the most dramatic story of all - the titanic battle in Western Europe. D-Day marked the commencement of the war's final campaign, and Atkinson's astonishingly fresh account of that enormous gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows.

What is a royal family?

When civil rights protests in the 1960s gave way to armed struggle, the Provisional IRA in Derry–both city and county–led the fight against the British security forces. In the city Martin McGuinness–a young butcher’s assistant from the Bogside–quickly rose through the ranks, launching a bombing campaign that reduced the city centre to rubble. In tandem, the IRA’s active service units fought the British Army in the streets and alleys of the Bogside, Creggan, Shantallow and the Waterside.

Sid Vicious: One Junkie, One Knife, and No Fuckin’ Future is a raw, unapologetic look into the short, explosive life—and death—of punk rock’s most infamous icon. Told in a brutally honest, darkly sardonic voice, this book mixes biography with postmortem narration to deliver an unfiltered account of Sid Vicious, bassist for the Sex Pistols, and the chaos he embodied. From the gritty streets of 1970s London to the bloodstained floors of the Chelsea Hotel, this is more than a music biography—it’s a ghost’s confessional. Readers are taken inside the rise and collapse of the Sex ...

The seventeenth century was a revolutionary age for the English. It started as they suddenly found themselves ruled by a Scotsman, and it ended in the shadow of an invasion by the Dutch. Under James I, England suffered terrorism and witch panics. Under his son Charles, state and society collapsed into civil war, to be followed by an army coup and regicide. For a short time—for the only time in history—England was a republic. There were bitter struggles over faith and Parliament asserted itself like never before. There were no boundaries to politics.

When Queen Mary died in 1953, James Pope-Hennessy was commissioned to write an official biography of her - unusual for a queen consort. Queen Mary's life, contrary to popular belief, was essentially dramatic, and she played a far more important and influential role in the affairs of the British monarchy than her public image might have otherwise suggested. Using material from the Royal Archives, private papers, and Queen Mary's personal diaries and letters, Pope-Hennessy's biography was a remarkable portrait of a remarkable woman and received rave reviews across the press.

The Great Boer War (1899-1902) - more properly the Great Anglo-Boer War - was one of the last romantic wars, pitting a sturdy, stubborn pioneer people fighting to establish the independence of their tiny nation against the British Empire at its peak of power and self-confidence. It was fought in the barren vastness of the South African veldt, and it produced in almost equal measure extraordinary feats of personal heroism, unbelievable examples of folly and stupidity, and many incidents of humor and tragedy.

Cinema has had a hugely influential role on global culture in the twentieth century at multiple levels: social, political, and educational. The part of British cinema in this has been controversial—often derided as a whole, but also vigorously celebrated, especially in terms of specific films and film-makers. In this Very Short Introduction, Charles Barr considers films and filmmakers, and studios and sponsorship, against the wider view of changing artistic, socio-political, and industrial climates over the decades of the twentieth century.

In the 19th century India was under British rule. It was also a land in need of social reform. This period gave rise to several movements in the country, some of them reformist, others fighting for independence. In the course of these struggles, many individuals distinguished themselves by leading the campaign for change and bringing about a new awakening in the country. Unsung Heroes is a tribute to the courage, vision and sacrifice of some of these brave sons and daughters of India. Volume II includes Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Lala Lajpat Rai, Dadabhai Naoroji, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, ...

The British Empire comprised a bewildering collection of colonies, dominions, protectorates, and mandated possessions that spanned the planet. This was the largest empire in world history, at its peak ruling over more than 400 million people and covering almost one-quarter of the total land mass of the Earth.

DO YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE CATS?? -- Did you know they played a huge role in British history? Like to know more...? This funny, informative book has tons of fun stories and fascinating trivia that cat lovers can't get enough of... It tells you EVERYTHING you might like to know about how cats shaped British history and culture... DID YOU KNOW? -- Winston Churchill sneaked his cats smoked salmon under the table at state dinners? -- Margaret Thatcher bought her cat sardines in Moscow – during the Cold War? -- The Queen loved to draw cats as a child, but her allergies make her avoid them now? -- ...

Death, dishonour or duty. Time is running out and someone is going to die.Trapped on Beta Earth, Julius has no memory of the past two years, and everything feels wrong. As he struggles to make sense of his surroundings, he is taken under the wing of a very unexpected group of people and their existence will change everything. Back on Alpha Earth, treacherous coalitions with the worst of Beta humanity are being formed and only Neith knows the full extent of the danger. Searching for help, she approaches those she trusts, but each encounter ends in violent death. She is on her own. Julius and...

This is a book packed with fascinating facts about The Birth of the British 'Bobby' - Bow Street Runners, Scotland Yard & Victorian Crime, with a large and interesting section on Victorian Policing and associated stories. It includes graphic accounts of life, crime and poverty in Queen Victoria’s British cities with particular emphasis on Manchester and first hand reports from one of the great detectives of that era, Jerome Caminada. It also invites comparisons with Caminada’s stories and those of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his fictional detective character Sherlock Holmes. Mention is ...

The British wars began on the morning of 23 July 1637, heralding 200 years of battles. Most were driven by religious or political conviction, as Republicans and Royalists, Catholics and Protestants, Tories and Whigs, and colonialists and natives vied for supremacy. Of the battles not fought on home territory, many took place across Europe, America, India, and also at sea. Schama's examination of this turbulent period reveals how the British people eventually united in imperial enterprise, forming 'Britannia Incorporated'.