fonthill media ltd toadsmoor road (297 results)

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 'East Yorkshire Village Visits' is a collection of thirty studies of some of the East Riding's most interesting communities and the events that shaped them. From Airmyn in the west to Easington in the east the rich variety of East Yorkshire's villages, their heritage and people is represented in this fascinating book. This new volume is the sequel to 'The Villages of East Yorkshire', published by Blackthorn Press in December 2010 and like the first book is based on the popular 'village visit' series published by the glossy county magazine, the Journal, in Hull. The Journal's 'Village Visit' series is now in its seventh year of publication and I decided from the outset that I would focus my attention on social history, personalities, and interesting events to make the series as accessible as possible to the readership of the magazine. The chapters in this new book use the original village visit articles together with new and previously unpublished historical material. 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. Wartime and the scholarship to Grammar Schools allowed access to Rugby Union, an amateur game played by gentlemen in Rugby Clubs like Liverpool and Blackheath. Since the schism with Rugby League in 1895 the antipathy between the two codes was stark. Peter Harvey's story opened the door for hundreds of boys from Lancashire to play for England Schools. However, the suggestion that he might go to Rugby League was enough to prevent selection for England. The story of how this happened, and his subsequent success as a semi-professional rugby player, reaches its climax in Championships and Challenge Cups with the great St Helens RL side of the 1960s. Running parallel to this story is the training necessary to become a teacher and head teacher, and those people who helped me on that journey. The final chapters tell of rugby stars of the 1960s who he played with or against and the subsequent joys and fellowships of past players associations. It is a unique view of social history from coalmine to classroom, 1940 to present. 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. Writing under the pseudonym Neil Gordon, A. G. Macdonell wrote several crime and thriller novels. In the classic genre of '20s and '30s crime fiction, Macdonell managed to introduce a different element, unusual twists that keep the reader captivated and anxious to discover what came next. Silent Murders begins with murder of an elderly tramp on the road between King's Langley and Berkhampstead. Nobody really knows who the tramp was or what his background was. To his gentlemen-of-the-road peers he was known as 'Stuck-up Sam'. The only unusual aspect of the crime was a square of cardboard tied to the last surviving button of the tramp's ragged overcoat and on which was written the word 'Three.' The next victim could not have been different; for the gentleman silently shot through the open window of a taxi, stationery in traffic, was Mr Aloysius Skinner, Chairman of the Imperial Cochineal Company. A clue, for what it was worth, was a piece of white cardboard on which was printed in ink the single word 'Four', presumably thrown through the open window by the murderer. Another murder took place at a quiet family tennis party in suburbia, with the host's elder brother being the unfortunate victim of the bullet. The police assumed the bullet was intended for the host, Mr Henry Maddock, a gentleman of great wealth with a dubious background in Africa from where poverty had changed with peculiar suddenness to riches. But with skill, ingenious twists, and a fast moving story-line, a tale is woven to show that not all was what it seemed.New Introduction by Alan Sutton. 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. Protest Christmas Cards, highlighting political, industrial and social turmoil, have been produced since the mid nineteenth century. This book contains images from the collection of Llew and Pam Smith. They researched and collected such cards over a 40 year time-span. Llew Smith, who was formerly MP for Blaenau Gwent, together with his late wife Pam, has written an accompanying history of the struggles represented in the cards. The issues cover a 160 year time period - from the early days of the industrial revolution to the current coalition government and the Occupy movement. The Christmas card with the themes of peace, goodwill, justice and hope were seen as an appropriate medium for individuals and groups to project similar aspirations. The cards portray the words and deeds of the brave, who, in the face of injustice, refused to remain silent and accept that nothing could be done. As Martha Gelhorn wrote: 'An old and unending worldwide company, the men and women of conscience. Some are as famous as Tom Paine .some are unknown.There have always been such people and always will be. If they win, it is slowly; but they never entirely lose. To my mind, they are the blessed proof of the dignity of man.'. 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. 9 April 1940: Finn Thorsager was the first Norwegian to open fire on invading German forces. He was credited with shooting down an enemy aircraft in a Gloster Gladiator biplane that dark morning, and made Norwegian history. Thorsager escaped the Nazi occupation, and fled Norway in the autumn of 1940. He travelled through Sweden, the Soviet Union, Japan, USA, and finally arrived at 'Little Norway', a training camp in Canada. After a time as an instructor, Thorsager was transferred to England where he joined 331 Squadron flying Hawker Hurricanes and then sister squadron, 332, in the legendary Supermarine Spitfire. In 1942, Thorsager was based at North Weald, Essex, where he flew dangerous missions over enemy occupied France and also took part in the infamous raid on Dieppe where the Allies suffered a bloody nose by a superior German defender. It was during this mission that Thorsager engaged several Fw 190s, a fighter that had a distinct edge over the Spitfire in terms of punch and performance. On another such dangerous mission to St Omer, Thorsager and fellow pilots said goodbye to each other as it was considered to be suicidal. Thorsager became a major and squadron leader in 1943 where he had a one-to-one fight with a Fw 190 over Vlissingen. In 1944, he relocated to St. Andrews, flying as a Lodestar captain on a dangerous civilian route between Scotland and Sweden. He had several close shaves flying the Lockheed L-18 Lodestar transport aircraft, and was also attacked by a deadly Arado 234 jet fighter over Norway. Thorsager survived the war, and stayed in the air as an airline captain until his retirement in 1976. 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. David Jacobs, Alan Freeman, John Peel, Tommy Vance and Roger Scott were in their different ways five of the greatest pioneering British disc jockeys of the last sixty years. All were accomplished media personalities in their own right, and all were passionate and well-informed about the music they presented on radio and sometimes television. Jacobs, a much-respected broadcaster for over sixty years, was the face of 'Juke Box Jury' and the maestro of easy listening and songs from the shows; 'Fluff' Freeman the pop-picker, who introduced the Top 20 rundown, later championing heavy and progressive rock, followed by opera and the classics; Peel revelled in the alternative music scene generally shunned by most daytime presenters; Vance, 'the Music Vendor' the friend and lover of hard rock and New Wave of British Heavy Metal; and Scott an eclectic mix of genres in a career which sadly proved all too short. This book examines the lives and careers of each. 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. In 1756, Anna Amalia, the nineteen-year-old princess of the House of Brunswick was married to Constantine, the young duke of the minor duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. She bore Constantine two sons, but only three years after their marriage he died, leaving the young and inexperienced girl as regent. Anna Amalia battled against court intrigues and financial pressures, but succeeded in holding the estates together for her eldest son, Karl August. Through times of famine and distress she succeeded in building a centre of culture and of excellence, encouraging men of letters and learning to her tiny court. In 1775 Wolfgang Goethe joined the circle at Weimar, brought about through his friendship with the young Karl August, Anna's son, recently become the reigning duke. Goethe soon entered into the dowager duchess's literary circle and through their combined efforts, Weimar became a beacon of culture and one of the leading centres of the sentimentalist movement that became renowned throughout Europe as a literary and artistic grouping that emerged in response to the crisis of Enlightenment rationalism. In Weimar it took the form of Sturm und Drang, [storm and stress] which was intimately associated Goethe and Schiller. While a student at Strasbourg, Goethe had made the acquaintance of Johann Gottfried von Herder, another of Anna Amalia's Weimar coterie, famous for his novel Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1774); [The Sorrows of Young Werther], which epitomized the spirit of the movement, and which made him world famous, inspiring a host of imitators. Through the crisis of wars Anna's circle held together - even through Napoleon's unwelcome entrance to Weimar in 1806. Anna finally bowed to the world in the following year, after reigning supreme as Germany's cultural ambassadress for a period of more than thirty 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 Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) origins were as the Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps in April 1912, but did not become a separate service until 1 July 1914. Its members created a dedicated arm of the Royal Navy with the intention of operating aircraft in support of the Fleet. On the outbreak of war in August 1914, the service expanded to include service on land, initially in support of the Royal Naval Division in Belgium, later providing support to the RFC and as one of the early practitioners of strategic bombing. However, The RNAS and the Birth of the Aircraft Carrier 1914-1918 traces the development and operational use of aircraft serving with the Fleet. It follows the selection and training of personnel and the struggle to produce suitable aircraft and weapons, including the evolution of the aircraft carrier. Nonetheless, the constant thread throughout is the operational history of the RNAS over the North Sea with both the Grand Fleet and Harwich Force. Commencing over Cuxhaven on Christmas Day 1914 and ending with two pivotal operations which determined the future of naval aviation, these pivotal operations dictated seaborne warfare to the present day. 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. Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Daniel Reid was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. His body was never recovered; however, there is nothing singular about that. What is remarkable is that his eloquent journal has survived untouched for 100 years. The context for Alexander Daniel Reid's contemporary account of the Great War are provided partly by the memoirs of his brother, Harry, who was the transport officer in the same battalion, and partly from historical research. Although it is essentially a biography of two Scottish-born brothers in an Irish battalion on the Western Front, Harvest of Battle: Brother Officers of the 7th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in the First World War is unique in that it reaches to the corners of the Empire and tells of conflicts from German South-West Africa to the Rand Rebellion of 1922. Alexander Daniel Reid was a professional soldier and served with the Indian Army before migrating to Canada. Harry began a career working for one of the wealthiest mining magnates in Johannesburg. Both knew that their chances of survival in the 'Fighting Seventh' Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers were slim. Theirs is a narrative common enough to serve as a general introduction to the First World War for a new generation of readers, yet it contains valuable new material to add to the historical record in this Centenary year of the outbreak of 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. W. R. Mitchell has had a sixty-year connection with the Lake District. It started with his work for 'Cumbria' magazine and from the 1950s he made innumerable trips to find out more about this beautiful area and particularly its people. Using the maxim 'people not places' passed down by Harry Scott, editor of the 'Cumbria' and 'Dalesman' magazines, Bill has carried out countless interviews with a rich tapestry of Lakeland folk. This book reflects on some of the most memorable meetings and reveals links with great names of the area, such as William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. Lakeland folk can be set in their ways but have always been keen to talk about a way of life that has changed appreciably with the passing of time. Bill also remembers fondly the many outings of the band of four intrepid walkers, including himself, known as the 'Geriatric Blunderers'. They climbed every mountain and forded every stream of this most beautiful of areas. In 'Lake District Folk' Bill makes a nostalgic walk on his own back through the decades as he recollects some of the many wonderful experiences in the Lakes. 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. In the 1960s, many of the heavy industries in the North East of England were still busy, but facing fundamental change as better technology and foreign competition swept towards them. There is thus a singular beauty and poignancy to the shipyard cranes on the Tyne and the Wear, the towering blast furnaces, the chemical works on Teeside, infrastructure for coal shipping from Seaham Harbour and Sunderland, and home-made houseboats resting in the mud.In an era when pollution was less of a concern, dusty furnaces, smoking chimneys, and untreated waste went straight into the North Sea. Yet not too far away were glorious beaches and unspoiled countryside, and billboards advertising Roy Orbison's tour visit! People, too, were caught up in this poignant moment of transition: young lads looking for something to do; old men watching it all go by; workers busy at the docks. Industry & The Coast is a gritty, 'warts-and-all' depiction of areas with a unique story to tell, immortalised in haunting, previously unpublished images, and a captivating narrative in which the author draws from the abandoned emblems of our industrial history a deeper human significance and sense of place. 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 Gloster Aircraft Company had its foundation in 1917 and in 1934 the company was taken over by Hawker Aircraft, though it continued to produce aircraft under its own name. In that same year the company produced the famous Gladiator biplane. Having no modern designs of its own in production, Gloster undertook manufacture for the parent company Hawker. During the Second World War it built more than 6,000 Hurricanes and Typhoons. The Gloster Meteor was the first operational Allied jet fighter aircraft of the Second World War, commencing operations in mid-1944, only some weeks later than the world's first operational jet, the German Messerschmitt Me 262. In 1945 a Meteor gained a World Airspeed Record of 606 mph. Meteors remained in service with several air forces and saw action in the Korean War. In 1952, the two seat, delta winged Gloster Javelin was developed as an all-weather fighter that could fly above 50,000 feet. In 1961, the company was merged with Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Limited to form Whitworth Gloster Aircraft Limited. Following re-organisation, the firm became part of the Avro Whitworth Division of Hawker Siddeley Aviation in 1963, and the name Gloster disappeared. 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. England, Their England is an affectionately satirical inter-war comic novel first published in 1933. It hit the right spot at the time and became a bestseller, and has endured as a classic of humour, transending the passage of time. It is particularly famed for its portrayal of a village cricket match. The plot - if there can be said to be a plot - is set in 1920s England, the book is written as if a travel memoir by a young Scotsman who had been invalided away from the Western Front, "Donald Cameron", whose father's will forces him to reside in England. There he writes for a series of London newspapers, before being commissioned by a Welshman to write a book about the English from the view of a foreigner. Taking to the country and provincial cities, Donald spends his time doing research for a book on the English by consorting with journalists and minor poets, attending a country house weekend, serving as private secretary to a Member of Parliament, attending the League of Nations, and playing village cricket. The village cricket match is the most celebrated episode in the novel, and a reason cited for its enduring appeal.An important character is Mr Hodge; a caricature of Sir John Squire (poet and editor of the London Mercury) while the cricket team described in the book's most famous chapter is a representation of Sir John's Cricket Club - the Invalids - which survives today. The book ends in the ancient city of Winchester, where MacDonnell had gone to school. New introduction by Alan Sutton. 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. This is the story, in words and pictures, of Blind Veterans UK, an organization that was founded 100 years ago by Sir Arthur Pearson, who was himself blind, during the First World War, in order to bring hope and practical help to British and Allied servicemen blinded in the service of their country. It also tells of how light from the torch which Pearson lit in 1915 spread to all corners of the earth, to which his beloved St Dunstaners returned, having 'graduated' from the mother organization in Regent's Park - for example, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa. Herewith are accounts of the lives of many St Dunstaner's/Blind Veterans, who each in his or her unique way, triumphed over blindness, together with a unique collection of photographs, including those provided by Blind Veteran's UK, by the Pearson family, and by the families of St Dunstaners throughout the world. And this includes the story of my own grandfather, Thomas Waldin, who was himself a St Dunstaner. 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: new. Paperback. ELO (The Electric Light Orchestra) were devised by Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne of The Move as a fusion of rock and contemporary classical-style music, combining orchestral instruments, guitars, keyboards and drums in the same line-up. Their aim was to continue from where The Beatles' 'I Am The Walrus' left off. After the release of their debut eponymous album in 1971 and a few live dates at home and in Europe, it became increasingly apparent that both leaders' objectives were incompatible. Wood left Lynne in charge of the group to refine their sound, and their ambitious progressive rock epics gradually giving way to a more accessible style. With keyboard player Richard Tandy and drummer Bev Bevan the only other constant members in an ever-changing line-up, by the end of the decade the group were rarely out of the British and American charts. After disbanding in 1986, ELO Part II (minus Lynne) returned for two albums, but Lynne reclaimed the name with an album in 2001 and a long-awaited reappearance as Jeff Lynne's ELO in 2014. This book provides a comprehensive examination of all the group's studio albums. ELO were formed by Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne as a fusion of rock and classically-influenced music with strings. After their 1971 debut, Wood left and Lynne took them into more commercial pastures. They disbanded in 1986, but Lynne returned with an album in 2001 and as Jeff Lynne's ELO in 2014. This book examines all their studio albums in detail. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The self-contained, fully electrified Merseyrail system is an iconic part of the UK's railway network. With 75 route miles of track, sixty-nine stations, and over 800 services, it is the third largest rail system outside London and the South East, transporting around 100,000 passengers safely, efficiently, and to the highest environmental standards on any typical working day. Radiating from the city of Liverpool, it serves the Wirral and parts of Cheshire and West Lancashire, where it has gained numerous awards for reliability, punctuality, and passenger satisfaction. And the future of Merseyrail looks bright: state-of-the-art Class 777 electric multiple units are entering service and extensions of the network are being planned.'Merseyrail Electric: The Award-Winning Network' is the definitive book on this magnificent network, examining with an expert's eye its development, its rolling stock, and its exciting future. The 75-mile, self-contained Merseyrail Electric network provides safe and efficient transportation for the Liverpool City region, the Wirral, and parts of Cheshire and West Lancashire. 'Merseyrail Electric: The Award-Winning Network' looks at how this iconic railway network has developed, its rolling stock, and what the future holds. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. From 'Neighbours' TV teen queen to Stock Aitken Waterman's megastar, the rise of Kylie Minogue to the top of the charts is one of the biggest smash hit success stories in pop music. Across 15 studio albums her transition from SexKylie (with help from Michael Hutchence) to IndieKylie (thanks to Nick Cave and Manic Street Preachers), then to undisputed Princess of Pop (courtesy of the irresistible 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head') proved she was not just an actress, a singer and a remarkable live performer (including Glastonbury Goddess), but a true global superstar. After successfully beating cancer, Kylie returned to the top with several big-selling albums, including the critically lauded 'The Abbey Road Sessions', festive fave 'Kylie Christmas' and 2020's history-making 'Disco'. This book is an exhaustive "step back in time" through her complete 'Katalogue' across five poptastic decades. Every released track and collab from her 300+ song catalogue - many self-penned or co-written - over 35 years is examined in detail with new insights, revelations & vital video/remix information. 'Kylie: Song By Song' celebrates this unique artist's truly remarkable and unparalleled career and is a must-have for every dedicated fan of the lucky, lucky, lucky Australian pop princess. From Aussie TV star to global popstar, from SexKylie to Glastonbury Goddess, from tabloid target to cancer survivor, Kylie Minogue is the true Princess of Pop. In this book each song from her 300+ catalogue is examined with insights, revelations & video/remix information. This is the inside story of Kylie's lucky, lucky, lucky career over 35 years. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In a career full of blond ambition, with controversy never far away, the music of Madonna has often been overshadowed, if not sorely overlooked. Across 14 albums, soundtracks and numerous greatest hits collections, the undisputed Queen of Pop has released over 80 singles spanning five decades. In this book every released track from her extensive back catalogue is examined in detail, with new insights, revelations and video information. Her role as Queen of Clubs is also duly acknowledged, making careful note of the important remixes that have helped her rule the dance floor after her first release 40 years ago in 1982, Everybody, got her firmly into the groove. From 1984s shiny and new Like A Virgin, to the critical acclaim of 1989s expressive Like A Prayer and 1998s enlightening Ray of Light, from soundtrack work for Dick Tracy and Evita, to collaborations with superstars Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Dua Lipa, this truly strikes a pose for any fan of the Material Girl aka Madame X. Madonna: Song By Song reclaims her stature as not just one of the greatest pop artists ever, but also as songwriter/producer of some of the biggest selling and most memorable songs of all time. Over 14 albums, soundtracks & compilations, the undisputed Queen of Pop has released 80+ singles spanning five decades. In this book every Madonna song from her 40-year career is examined with new insights, revelations, video & remix info. This is the real story of how the greatest pop star ever also wrote some of the most beloved hits of all time. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Many Freemasons have made the world a better place, while some have been villainous criminals. Members of the Craft have developed forensic science, solved famous crimes and invented all manner of things. Several members of the Royal Family have also been members. Masons have been very active in the criminal justice system, both as 'goodies' and 'baddies': it was a mason who formed the Special Branch to fight terrorism and another who brought the Moors Murders to an end. In some cases, such as the Cleveland Street Scandal, masons found themselves on both sides of the law. The medical profession is also well represented in lodges. Happily, it was a member of the Craft who rescued the Elephant Man, while another masonic doctor was the first to identify an occupational cancer. On the other side of the coin, there have been several evil masonic doctors who committed murder, and one masonic surgeon may have committed regicide, although his motives were merciful. This tells the stories of weird and wonderful masons too - celebrities, film makers, soldiers, explorers, world-famous businessmen, politicians, forgers and scoundrels. There are masons of every character, and all are covered in this book. Are masons involved in conspiracies to control the world or are they just ordinary members of society? These tales of wonderful and wicked masons, including police officers, judges, celebrities, soldiers, explorers, businessmen, politicians, forgers, scoundrels and murderers, may help you decide. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

paperback. Condition: New. Language: eng.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. From a skinny beach bum to a brawny headband-wearing blue-collar hero, through to an elder statesman of rock, Springsteen has been one of the most revered songwriters of his and succeeding generations for half a century. Throughout the decades, his anthemic tracks of personal and political strife have chronicled life in America, providing listeners with character-driven narratives that can be read as short stories of lives they live, lived, or have seen first-hand. After getting a recording contract with Columbia Records aged twenty-two, Springsteen wrote and recorded a string of critically acclaimed albums, including Born to Run, which brought him a wider audience, before becoming a superstar with the release of 1984's Born in the U.S.A. In the twenty-first century, Springsteen continues to release landmark albums such as The Rising and Wrecking Ball and, with the stalwart support of the E Street Band, still performs in sold-out stadiums worldwide, with concerts routinely lasting for over three hours. This volume explores Springsteen's discography in detail, examining his worldwide hits alongside his lesser-known but equally moving tracks. Bruce Springsteen: Song by Song takes a close look at each track on all of his twenty studio albums, starting with Springsteen's 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. to his latest Letter to You released in 2020. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Norfolk's military structures from prehistory to the Cold War include Iron-Age hill-forts and Roman shore forts; castles of earthwork, stone and brick; fortified monasteries and manors; city walls and early artillery defences of the Middle Ages and Civil War; the defences of two World Wars; and Cold War installations. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. The popular image of the Japanese tanks which faced the markedly superior tanks fielded by the Allies during the Second World War is one of poorly armed and armoured Lilliputian tin cans which failed to make any impression upon the battlefield. In this absorbing new history, David McCormack looks beyond widely held and unchallenged misconceptions to create a new narrative in which Japan's rightful place as a leading innovator in tank design and doctrine is restored.Why did Japan produce tanks in such limited numbers? What contribution did Japanese tanks make to the war effort? Why did it take Japan so long to develop heavier tanks capable of meeting the Allies on more equal terms? Drawing from primary and secondary sources, the author's meticulous research provides the reader with an objective appraisal of both the successes and failures of the Empire of the Sun's tank forces. This new history charts the development, production, deployment, and combat operations of Japan's tank forces between their inception in 1918 and their disbandment in 1945. The author's persuasive arguments encourage the reader to reappraise their existing views concerning the contribution of Japanese tanks towards the projection of combat power. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Owners of estates and titles in the peerages of England, Scotland and Ireland were more, rather than less, likely than ordinary people to experience dramatic and gruesome deaths and certainly more likely to have them recorded. This study, drawing on the pages of 'The Complete Peerage', describes some 7,000 such deaths, revealing when, where and how they occurred and how they were commemorated. In the Middle Ages, war, execution, imprisonment, plague, poison and sheer misfortune brought an end to many noble lives. In the sixteenth century wars, executions and murders continued to take their toll alongside 'affrays' or 'skirmishes' so often blamed for deaths in Scotland and Ireland; and ill-health in amazing variety. Wars at home, at sea and abroad were fatal for many in the seventeenth century, wars overseas in the eighteenth, but by then death from too much food or drink was much more common and death in fashionable mansions in London's west end more usual than in ancestral castles. In the nineteenth century came deaths in remarkable places, sometimes very suspicious. Owners of estates and titles in the peerages of England, Scotland and Ireland were more, rather than less, likely than ordinary people to experience dramatic and gruesome deaths and certainly more likely to have them recorded. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. The battle of Rorke's Drift is established in history as one of Britain's most incredible actions where approximately 155 defenders held off a Zulu force of over 4,000 warriors, in a savage, bloody conflict with no quarter given by either side. The battle led to a display of incredible fortitude, courage and tenacity resulting in mutual respect between British red coat and Zulu warrior. Using a vast array of primary accounts, including lesser known, and previously unpublished examples, the author describes the battle in vivid detail. The actions of each of the 11 Victoria Cross recipients are looked at in detail, together with those men who were awarded the DCM. Illustrated with previously unpublished artwork, 'Rorke's Drift-A New Perspective' is a gripping account, which questions what is commonly believed to be the true interpretation of the hospital fighting. A truly compelling read, packed with numerous footnotes and sources, appealing to both the casual reader and the serious historian. A compelling, fresh account of the battle of Rorke's Drift, featuring an array of previously unpublished material including defender accounts and artwork. The author questions what is widely believed to be historical fact and instead offers up his own interpretation of one of the most established actions of the hospital fight. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Hitler's U-boats and his dreaded pocket battleships such as Bismarck and Tirpitz - Churchill dubbed the latter as 'The Beast' - continue to fascinate an ever-growing interest in the Second World War. Despite a numerical disadvantage when compared the Royal Navy, Hitler's U-boats wrecked havoc in the Atlantic against vulnerable convoys and the doomed Bismarck took on the might of Britain's battleships in a mighty clash of the titans. Hitler's Naval Bases, a work of love that took the author over forty years to research and write, is the most comprehensive and dedicated book on the subject matter. A world's first, it covers bases in remarkable detail from the smallest and unmanned locations to the largest dedicated bases in Lorient, Kiel and Wilhemshaven. The book covers the different types of naval base from isolated and forgotten bases, escape and survival bases, to the extremities of the main naval bases. The functions and various departments - artillery, ship construction to dockyard medical service - are explained as are North Sea naval bases in Emden, The Weser Ports and Cuxhaven, Baltic ports, the major bases that never were ('The Lobster's Claw on Heligoland') to France, Asia and German colonies, including re-fuelling in Spain and bases located in Russia and in the 'Heart of England'. Also covered are naval artillery and naval infantry as well as the anatomy of coastal artillery batteries, the shipping yards and even rules for living in such conditions. A most lavish and phenomenal book, it is beautifully illustrated with over 200 unpublished photographs complemented with thousands of unique interviews with veterans during the war as well as survivors. A labour of love, Hitler's Naval Bases is written by a world's leading authoritarian figure and is an essential book for those interested in the armed forces of the Third Reich. Hitler's Naval Bases is the most comprehensive book on the subject. It covers bases in detail from the smallest and unmanned locations to the largest dedicated bases in Lorient, Kiel and Wilhemshaven. The book covers the different types of bases from the isolated and forgotten, escape and survival bases, to the extremities of the main naval bases. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. "In this state of mind, which excludes any falsehood, I declare that not a single word of what I have written in my diaries is false or exaggerated or dictated by selfish resentment. It is all just what I have seen and heard. And if, when making ready to take leave of life, I consider allowing the publication of my hurried notes, it is not because I expect posthumous revaluation or vindication, but because I believe that honest testimonial of the truth in this sad world may still be useful in bringing relief to the innocent and striking at those who are responsible."Count Galeazzo Ciano was foreign minister in Fascist Italy from 1936 until 1943. He was also Mussolini's son-in-law. This fascinating diary gives a day to day account of this passage through the war, his meetings with the Duce and other key figures of the conflict including Hitler and Von Ribbentrop. It becomes, in effect, a history of Italy under Mussolini. But the story does not end happily. Ciano was dismissed as Foreign Minister in 1943 after his involvement in a plot to depose Mussolini, as the Italian war effort began to crumble in the wake of allied invasion from the South.Under pressure from the Nazi's he was executed by firing squad in Verona in January 1944. Nonetheless, his diaries provide an unique and perceptive insight into this remarkable period of history, from a man that did not embrace war as many of his colleagues did. The first illustrated edition of these remarkable first hand diaries from Italy's foreign minister during the 2nd World War Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In the days when coal was king, an ambitious plan was laid for an east-to-west cross country rail route, connecting the Manchester Ship Canal at Warrington to a new dock near the small east coast village of Sutton-on-Sea. Grandly titled The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway, history was to show that this line would reach neither Warrington nor Sutton-on-Sea with only the Chesterfield to Pyewipe Junction section and a branch to Sheffield ever being completed. Taken over by the G.C.R. in 1907, the route was primarily a coal-carrying railway, although it did have a passenger service that lasted until 1955. Discover the former LD&ECR, the self-styled `Dukeries Route' and its branches, through the lenses of photographers from over 100 years. From the main line between Chesterfield and Lincoln, the Beighton Branch, the Sheffield District Railway and the Mansfield Railway, to the motive power depots at Chesterfield, Tuxford and Langwith Junction. This is a photographic journey bringing you the story of the railway from the early days to its final days, including the last coal train to use the route. The planned LD&ECR from Warrington to Sutton-on-Sea only saw the ChesterfieldLincoln route completed. Built to move coal, the self-styled `Dukeries Route is seen through the lenses of photographers. This is a photographic journey bringing you the story of the railway from the early days to its final days and the last coal train to use the route. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. The first comprehensive book about Chillingham in Northumberland-its unique wild cattle, its historic castle and church, and the family associated with them since the twelfth century. Julius Caesar admired the cattle's ancestors for their brute strength, Sir Walter Scott immortalised them. They were painted by Sir Edwin Landseer and Archibald Thorburn, and depicted at their best by Thomas Bewick, the master engraver. Darwin studied them and wrote about them in the 'Descent of Man'. The historian Simon Schama described the Chillingham cattle as "the great, perhaps the greatest icon of British natural history". The Castle's history is chequered and the nobles who lived there even more so. Incest, adultery, witchcraft, torture, kingmakers and traitors, a cricketer and a cowboy are all part of its history, resulting in its modern reputation for cruel and benign ghosts still regularly seen in the castle. Founded around 1184, the country church, in its simplicity hides a fifteenth-century tomb described as "one of the finest such monuments in the country outside a cathedral". Edited by Dr Paul G. Bahn and Vera Mutimer, with a foreword by HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. Chillingham-its location not only contributed some of the best archaeology in Northumberland but also a herd of wild white cattle unique in the history of the natural world, immortalised in songs, books, poems, and art. Chillingham castle with its famous and infamous inhabitants have combined to make this an interesting and fascinating tale. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In 1977, a twenty-year-old naive American takes a break from his university studies to undertake an epic nine-thousand-mile overland journey from Munich to Kathmandu. With his camera and his journal, he records and recounts his journey, wanderings and musings with candor and humor through cities and countries that are now inaccessible and too dangerous for the modern backpacking tourist. Like a later-day, international doppelganger version of "On the Road," the search for universal truth and the meaning of life tramps alongside the author while visiting places like Beirut, Damascus, Tehran and Kabul with a casual nonchalance, and revealing a seemingly lost era of more freedom, openness, tolerance, and promise. In 1977, a twenty-year-old naive American undertakes an epic nine-thousand-mile overland journey from Munich to Kathmandu. With his camera and his journal, he records and recounts his journey, wanderings and musings with candor and humor through cities and countries that are now inaccessible and too dangerous for the modern backpacking tourist. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.