amberley publishing chalford (Over 10,000 results)

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Richard III. The name will conjure an image for any reader: Shakespeares hunchback tyrant who killed his own nephews or a long-denigrated, misunderstood king. This one mans character and actions have divided historians and the controversy has always kept interest in Richard alive. However, curiosity surrounding his life and death has reached unprecedented heights in the aftermath of the discovery of his skeleton under a Leicester car park. The myths that have always swirled around Richard III have risen and multiplied and it is time to set the record straight. John Ashdown-Hill, whose research was instrumental in the discovery of Richard IIIs remains, explores and unravels the web of myths in this fascinating book. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. On 22 August 1485 on a battlefield in Bosworth, Leicestershire, King Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet kings, was dealt a death blow by the man who had sworn loyalty to him only a few months earlier. That man was Rhys ap Thomas, a Welsh lord, master of Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire. For his service that day he was knighted on the field of battle by Henry Tudor. Rhys ap Thomass life had been inextricably linked with both Richard and Henry; all three young men grew up under the shadow of the Wars of the Roses, suffering losses and betrayals. Ironically, on his death Rhys chose to spend his final days at the Grey Friars in Carmarthen and was buried by the monks just as Richard had been almost forty years before, perhaps in an act of remorse. This is the story of the man who helped forge the course of British history. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. With few TVs, children in the 1950s made their own entertainment: they played conkers, built dens and go-karts, climbed trees and re-enacted fights from the latest cinema blockbuster. Food was, for many years, still rationed and bought from the local corner shop. There was no pre-packed food, frozen food or many of the other luxuries that we take for granted today. Families would gather around the radio to hear the latest dramatizations such as the incredibly popular show Dan Dare, which was sponsored by Horlicks and was first broadcast in 1951. A trip to the cinema included a Pathe News reel, cartoons and a double bill featuring the latest movies. Much has changed for children over the years and this book shows what life was once like for the children of the 1950s including home life, school days, music and fashions. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. I saw a mass of ME 109s and went up to attack. I looked behind and found three on each side diving to attack me. Bob Doe, Combat Report 16 August 1940 In June 1940, at the age of twenty, Bob Doe believed himself to be the worst pilot in his squadron. Just three months later he was a highly decorated hero of the Battle of Britain. This is the story of the pilot who, in his own estimation, was not promising material for a fighter pilot. He left school at fourteen and had none of the qualifications or background of his fellow officers, but he found his place in the Battle of Britain, shooting down fourteen enemy aircraft and sharing in two others. He became the third-highest-scoring pilot of the Battle, and was unusual in achieving these victories in both Spitfires and Hurricanes. This biography, written by his daughter, a noted professional historian, tells the story of Bobs remarkable career, including his time in Burma leading an Indian Air Force squadron against the Japanese. He was a modest man who spoke for many veterans when he asked that they should not be considered as heroes but remembered for what they did. This book celebrates Bobs achievements and also those of the men who fought alongside him. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The discovery earlier this year in Winchester of human remains, almost certainly of Alfred the Great or his eldest son, has sparked renewed interest in England's most celebrated monarch. King Alfred's historical achievements, saving his kingdom from invasion by marauding Vikings and attempting both to expand and educate his realm, made him the founding mythic figure of England. The only English sovereign ever to be called 'the Great' - despite the fact that he was never even king of all England - Alfred used to be remembered as much through the stories told about him as his recorded accomplishments. This book offers a vivid picture of Alfred and his England, a place snatched from extinction at the hands of Viking invaders, but also of the way that history is written, and how much myth has to do with that. The book brings this story right up to date with the tale of the strange journey of Alfred's mortal remains, and their final discovery in his capital of Winchester. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Fine. With few TVs, children in the 1950s made their own entertainment: they played conkers, built dens and go-karts, climbed trees and re-enacted fights from the latest cinema blockbuster. Food was, for many years, still rationed and bought from the local corner shop. There was no pre-packed food, frozen food or many of the other luxuries that we take for granted today. Families would gather around the radio to hear the latest dramatizations such as the incredibly popular show Dan Dare, which was sponsored by Horlicks and was first broadcast in 1951. A trip to the cinema included a Pathe News reel, cartoons and a double bill featuring the latest movies. Much has changed for children over the years and this book shows what life was once like for the children of the 1950s including home life, school days, music and fashions.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Kingston upon Hull is a fascinating city and over the last 150 years or so has witnessed great changes. The city centre in the late 1890s was made up of pre Victorian slum houses and tiny narrow streets. In the very last years of the 1890s much of the old city centre was completely demolished and many of the old parts of the city centre have been captured on photographs, some of which are included in this book. Today, the city centre is very modern and boasts three excellent shopping centres as well as the more traditional streets. It also has several museums and William Wilberforce's house, which was the home of the anti slavery campaigner. This excellent book with over 190 photographs shows not only the city centre as it was and how it is today but also some of its environs. It is essential reading for anyone who knows and loves the area. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Many books have been written about The Lake Poets - those Romantic geniuses led by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who made their homes in the beautiful north-west corner of England known as The Lake District during the first half of the nineteenth century. Some of these volumes have concentrated on their writing, others on their lives, and yet more have focused on places within the Lake District with which they were associated. Gavin D. Smith's The Lake Poets provides an indispensible 'one-stop shop' for anyone with an interest in the subject, offering biography, selections of work and an exploration of properties with literary associations. Gavin has also chosen to widen the traditional membership of the school of 'Lake Poets' to include William's sister Dorothy Wordsworth, Samuel's son Hartley Coleridge, and Thomas de Quincey. Apart from presenting an overview of The Lake Poets and their work, one aim of this book is to provide an opportunity for readers to discover more about writers like Robert Southey and Hartley Coleridge, who have been neglected in recent years, and whose writing is frequently difficult to find in print. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. How to fly the legendary fighter plane in combat using the manuals and instructions supplied by the RAF during the Second World War. An amazing array of leaflets, books and manuals were issued by the War Office during the Second World War to aid pilots in flying the Supermarine Spitfire, here for the first time and using the original 1940s setting, they are collated into a single book. An introduction is supplied by expert aviation historian Dilip Sarkar. Other sections include aircraft recognition, how to act as an RAF officer, bailing out etc. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Fair. The amazing story of one of the 'Few', fighter ace Tom Neil who shot down 13 enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain. This is a fighter pilot's story of eight memorable months from May to December 1940. When the Germans were blitzing their way across France, Pilot Officer Tom Neil had just received his first posting - to 249 Squadron. Nineteen years old, fresh from training at Montrose on Hawker Audax biplanes he was soon to be pitch forked into the maelstrom of air fighting on which the survival of Britain was to depend. By the end of the year he had shot down 13 enemy aircraft, seen many of his friends killed, injured or burned, and was himself a wary and accomplished fighter pilot. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Pitched into the maelstrom of air fighting in the summer of 1940, twenty-four-year-old Gordon Olive barely lived to tell this extraordinary tale of courage and endurance. As Britain fought alone for its survival, the Few of RAF Fighter Command took to the air grievously outnumbered, many reaching breaking point, exhausted physically and mentally by unrelenting, intense combat. Gordon Olive flew the iconic Spitfire for over 125 missions above London and the south-east in the white heat of the aerial battle for supremacy of the skies. One of the most heavily engaged pilots of the Battle, he claimed ten enemy aircraft destroyed in those frantic months. This is his story of what it was like to dogfight with Messerschmitts at speeds of 400 mph, experiencing G forces close to blackout, at one moment to be drenched in sweat with exertion, the next to be freezing at 25,000 feet, to smell the cordite of your own fighters machine guns and feel cannon shells explode against the back of your armoured seat. Illustrated in colour with forty unique paintings of the aerial battle of summer 1940 by the author. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Spring 1941 the Third Reich triumphant! Having taken over Germany in 1933, Hitler launched a series of lightning campaigns across Europe that crushed Poland, Denmark, Norway, France, the Low Countries and then the Balkans. Only Great Britain had withstood the Nazis, but even it was battered and bruised and close to defeat. Then, on 22 June 1941 in the most momentous decision of the war the Nazi dictator turned East and flung his victorious armies into the vastness of the Soviet Union. Having signed a Non-Aggression Pact with Hitler back in 1939, Stalin was taken completely by surprise by the German attack. Hitlers Wehrmacht buoyed by years of untrammelled success and led by some of the greatest commanders Nazi Germany had to offer crashed across the border and sent the Red Army reeling. The German plan was simple and its scale staggering; over three million men, armed with over three thousand panzers, the same number of aircraft, more than seven thousand guns and carried by over six hundred thousand vehicles and even more horses, would be joined by over half a million soldiers from allied countries, and together they would destroy the largest army in the world while advancing a thousand miles to the very borders of Asiatic Russia. There they would halt and what remained of the Soviet Union and the communist faith that spawned it would wither and die. In the newly conquered lebensraum, Hitler and the Nazis would then commence the biggest mass human extermination programme in history. Barbarossa was huge, but it was fought by men; and on the German side in particular, it would be fought by junior officers and simple soldiers as the Wehrmacht tried to win the war once and for all. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Good. The amazing story of one of the 'Few', fighter ace Tom Neil who shot down 13 enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain. This is a fighter pilot's story of eight memorable months from May to December 1940. When the Germans were blitzing their way across France, Pilot Officer Tom Neil had just received his first posting - to 249 Squadron. Nineteen years old, fresh from training at Montrose on Hawker Audax biplanes he was soon to be pitch forked into the maelstrom of air fighting on which the survival of Britain was to depend. By the end of the year he had shot down 13 enemy aircraft, seen many of his friends killed, injured or burned, and was himself a wary and accomplished fighter pilot. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The amazing story of one of the 'Few', fighter ace Tom Neil who shot down 13 enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain. This is a fighter pilot's story of eight memorable months from May to December 1940. When the Germans were blitzing their way across France, Pilot Officer Tom Neil had just received his first posting - to 249 Squadron. Nineteen years old, fresh from training at Montrose on Hawker Audax biplanes he was soon to be pitch forked into the maelstrom of air fighting on which the survival of Britain was to depend. By the end of the year he had shot down 13 enemy aircraft, seen many of his friends killed, injured or burned, and was himself a wary and accomplished fighter pilot. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. You want to be a steam engine driver? It's not that simple - it's not just a matter of blowing the whistle, releasing the brakes and opening the regulator. Where is the whistle? Which handle operates the brakes and what is a regulator? And do you really want to be in a locomotive cab where your front will bake and your rear will freeze? Over the years, accidents have occurred on the railways and to prevent a reoccurrence, rules have been made. Do you know them? How are trains kept apart so that you don't strike the one in front, or are hit by the one in the rear? What's to stop trains on a single line colliding head-on? Colin Maggs has assembled a really fascinating collection of illustrated railwaymen's handbooks, which were required reading for a footplate man. They answer all these questions and more. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Most people are under a misapprehension: the Rocket was not the first steam engine. Quite a few were built before it, but Stephensons engine was the first successful steam locomotive. Colin Maggs tells the story of the steam engine, from pre-Rocketdays, to British Railways building the Evening Star - the last main-line locomotive - through to the preservation movement and the new-build locomotives of extinct classes such as the Tornado. In this comprehensive history, Colin Maggs, one of the countrys foremost railway historians, tells of other, perhaps less well-known aspects of the history of steam in Great Britain. The first railway lines, the activities of the early railway companies, the design and manufacture of faster and faster engines and the lives of the men and women who drove the industry. These and other fascinating stories from the age of steam are all revealed in this accessible book, illustrated with over 150 photographs and period ephemera, many in colour. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Appleby, Barrie (illustrator). Why do we have so many dialects in England? Why do we not all speak in standard English? How has our history shaped and influenced the language we speak today? In a Manner of Speaking is a fun and fascinating exploration of spoken English that will answer these questions and many more. Following history from the time of the Roman conquest through to the days of the British Empire, chapters explore the beginnings of spoken English, how each invading force brought different sounds to the language, and how the English tongue has evolved over time. This is not a manual on English grammar. It is about how we came to speak our modern English, and why, even in the country of its birth, there are so many variations on the way the language is spoken. Witty, interesting and easy to read, In a Manner of Speaking is also superbly illustrated by renowned cartoonist Barrie Appleby. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Doomed queen of Henry VIII, mother to Elizabeth I, the epic story of Anne Boleyn.Anne Boleyn was the most controversial and scandalous woman ever to sit on the throne of England. From her early days at the imposing Hever Castle in Kent, to the glittering courts of Paris and London, Anne caused a stir wherever she went. Alluring but not beautiful, Anne's wit and poise won her numerous admirers at the English court, and caught the roving eye of King Henry. Anne was determined to shape her own destiny, first through a secret engagement to Henry Percy, the heir of the Earl of Northumberland, and later through her insistence on marriage with the king, after a long and tempestuous relationship as his mistress. Their love affair was as extreme as it was deadly, from Henry's 'mine own sweetheart' to 'cursed and poisoning whore' her fall from grace was total. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Pembroke, which gave its name to the present County of Pembrokeshire, is a medieval walled town complete with a magnificent castle dating back to the eleventh century. Many of the great and famous form part of our story: for example, Pembroke castle was the birthplace of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. More, its story stretches back into the mists of prehistory when 10,000 years ago man made his way up the Pembroke river to set up home in the Cat's Hole Cave and Wogan's Cavern. Once a thriving port and agricultural centre, now - all industry gone - a tourist destination, there is so much to find out about our fascinating town. Pembroke & Around Through Time shows some of the extraordinary changes that have occurred, not just in Pembroke, but also the surrounding area, over the last 100 years. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The River Mimram rises from a spring to the north-west of Whitwell in North Hertfordshire and makes its confluence with the River Lea near Horn's Hill. The river is the subject of a Stevie Smith poem, 'The River God'. It is thought that the name is derived from a Celtic river god, although there has been little etymological research into the name. There is little doubt, however, that the river has been used through the centuries for a number of different purposes, including cress beds which have existed since Roman times. The river flows through two major Hertfordshire towns, including Hertford and Welwyn Garden City, and both have been greatly influenced by the river. Other themes touched upon include history, folklore and flora and fauna. Illustrated throughout, this is a must have for anybody who knows and loves this enchanting river. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Brentwood is the principal town in the Essex borough of Brentwood. The town was established in the twelfth century as a clearing within the great forest of Essex, which covered much of the area. Wood was burnt here (hence burnt wood) and people settled in the vicinity, attracted initially by the old Roman road from London to Colchester. The fledging medieval town became popular with pilgrims travelling from the north and east of England on their quest to worship at the shrine of St Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. During the Peasants Revolt of the 1380s, some of the agitators met in the towns inns and it was in Brentwood that the first event of the revolt took place. The arrival of the railway in 1840 had a major impact on the town, providing fast links to London and bringing new industry. Brentwood is the home of many famous faces and places, including being the setting of cult reality television programme The Only Way Is Essex. In Brentwood & Around Through Time author Kate Cole invites the reader on a captivating photographic journey of old and new. The book showcases many historical places and everyday life in Brentwood and the surrounding area, including Hutton, Shenfield, and Warley. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Northampton was nationally important in medieval times but most traces of the period were destroyed by the Great Fire of 1675. The rebuilt town centre, the development of the shoe trade in the nineteenth century, and the era of transport and work in the community was later engulfed by the spreading boundaries of the town, as were the industry and commerce which graced the River Nene. Today the shoe factories have all but gone; motor cars and buses have replaced the trams and many impressive buildings reflecting civic pride have disappeared at the hands of developers. Northampton Through Time seeks to show these changes through a splendid array of photographs, reflecting the contrast between the bustling Northampton of today and the grandeur of the past, providing a valuable archive and insight into the history of the town for all. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Victoria Station is the second in the Through Time series on London's famous railway termini. 115 million people pass through Victoria each year, making the station London's second busiest after Waterloo. The station is not one, but actually two halves, one built for the London, Brighton & South Coast railway, the other for the London, Chatham & Dover Railway, with the first of these halves opening in October 1860, and the other following in August 1862. As such, its architecture and design has always been a mating of two distinctive styles, each with its own booking office, stationmaster, platform numbering and timetable. The original LBSCR station was plain, with a simple iron girder roof, while the LCDR station had a wide canopy roof. Various rebuildings see us with the station of today. The amalgamation of various lines operating into the South East and Southern England into the Southern Railway, saw the stations finally being joined as one. Victoria has been the gateway to the continent, with boat trains running to various ports in the South Coast and is also a major underground station on the Victoria, District and Circle Lines. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The county town of Devonshire, and at times ranked behind only London and Winchester in terms of national importance, Exeter has more than 2,000 years of history to explore. From the Romans to the Met Office, via the Civil War and the Baedeker raid of 1942, this compelling story is brought to life here with a fascinating combination of archive material, new colour photographs and informative captions. Proud of its ancient Guildhall, its medieval cathedral, its elegant Georgian terraces and its assertive Victorian museum, the city sits comfortably in the surrounding Devon countryside, while the River Exe, once vital to the cloth trade that formed the basis of the city's wealth in the Middle Ages, now provides all manner of outdoor activities. Such a city can tell tales of a vindictive countess, fabulously wealthy bankers, an outbreak of cholera, a moving house. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. There is a lot of controversy over the history of Stilton cheese: its origins, who first made it, and who now has the rights to the name and recipe. Trevor Hickman has delved into the National Archives to explore the story of this famous cheese. In this new book on the subject, he sets down the facts of the cheeses origin, development and history to the present day. He explains how Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire became the centre for Stilton cheese production and emphasises its importance as a leading area of speciality food production. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. For twenty-three years, up to the First World War, Alfred Williams worked in the Great Western Railway's Works at Swindon, the locomotive capital of the west. The population of the town was then about fifty thousand, all more or less dependent upon the factory for survival. About twelve thousand men normally worked there. Every singe aspect of life in a railway factory is covered in this book, first published in 1915, and he did not pull any punches in describing the appalling working conditions in the foundries, blast furnaces, blacksmith's shops and engine sheds which made up this vast industrial complex. If you want to know how a locomotive works, how each component, each rivet and nut and bolt came together to create a living breathing steam engine, read this book. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. It is hard, from a distance of nearly two centuries, to imagine the impact the coming of the railways must have had at the start of the nineteenth century. Their physical impact was dramatic enough great mechanical horses, breathing fire and smoke and drawing impossibly heavy trains at unimaginable speeds, across a landscape transformed by the embankments and cuttings, viaducts and tunnels their passage demanded. However, they would also transform the way war was conducted and peace was maintained; prove to be one of the drivers of the dramatic industrial growth of the nineteenth century; create opportunities for many to become enormously wealthy, but impoverish many more, who invested unwisely; cause the state to think again about the policy of laissez-faire that was its default position; transform our leisure; radically re-shape our towns and cities and change our very notions of time and how we measured it. In this book, Stuart Hylton looks at the changes wrought in the British Isles during the first century of the railway age and answers the question, what did the railways do for us? The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. An amazing number of the words we use today were invented in World War I. They provide a unique insight into the experience of the war and the inventiveness and humour of ordinary soldiers. For millions of men the terrifying and unfamiliar experience of the war was made more bearable with a shared language that built on their camaraderie and common experience. A host of words from French, German, English, to Turkish and Hindi, were exchanged across No Man's Land and it is a mark of the war's enduring influence that many of the words they coined live on in our everyday language today. This wonderful array of trench lingo brings to life the spirit and resilience of ordinary men from different nations caught up in the war. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Contrary to popular belief, Anglo-Saxon England had queens, with the tenth-century Elfrida being the most powerful and notorious of them all. She was the first woman to be crowned Queen of England, sharing her husband King Edgars imperial coronation at Bath in 973. The couple made a love match, with claims that they plotted the death of her first husband to ensure that she was free. Edgar divorced his second wife, a former nun, after conducting an adulterous affair with Elfrida, leading to an enmity between the two women that lasted until their deaths. During her marriage Elfrida claimed to be the kings only legitimate wife, but she failed to secure the succession for her son, Ethelred. Elfrida was implicated in the murder of her stepson, King Edward the Martyr, who died on a visit to her at Corfe Castle. She then ruled England on behalf of her young son for six years before he expelled her from court. Elfrida was eventually able to return to court but, since he proved himself unable to counter the Viking attacks, she may have come to regret winning the crown for Ethelred the Unready. Wife, mother, murderer, ruler, crowned queen. The life of Queen Elfrida was filled with drama as she rose to become the most powerful woman in Anglo-Saxon England. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. thelfld, eldest daughter of Alfred the Great, has gone down in history as an enigmatic and almost legendary figure. To the popular imagination, she is the archetypal warrior queen, a Medieval Boudicca, renowned for her heroic struggle against the Danes and her independent rule of the Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. In fiction, however, she has also been cast as the mistreated wife who seeks a Viking lover, and struggles to be accepted as a female ruler in a patriarchal society. The sources from her own time, and later, reveal a more complex, nuanced and fascinating image of the Lady of the Mercians. A skilled diplomat who forged alliances with neighbouring territories, she was a shrewd and even ruthless leader willing to resort to deception and force to maintain her power. Yet she was also a patron of learning, who used poetic tradition and written history to shape her reputation as a Christian maiden engaged in an epic struggle against the heathen foe. The real thelfld emerges as a remarkable political and military leader, admired in her own time, and a model of female leadership for writers of later generations. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.