A completely revised and fully-updated third edition of the most comprehensive guide to warships available to the general public. Since the first edition of this book, published in 1996, there have been major changes to the world's navies. A new generation of warships is entering service, replacing the fleets built up during the Cold War. Jane's Warship Recognition Guide provides technical specifications from Jane's Fighting Ships (published since 1898 and the acknowledged world leader in naval reference). The new format also allows for additional warships and information to be featured.

Jane's Warships Recognition Guide

History

Robert Hutchinson

Military

HarperCollins, Publishers

Robert Hutchinson investigates the rise and fall of Henry VIII's most notorious minister. The son of a brewer, Cromwell rose from obscurity to become 'Earl of Essex, Vice-Regent and High Chamberlain of England, Keep of the Privy Seal and Chancellor of the Exchequer'. He manoeuvred his way to the top by intrigue, bribery and sheer force of personality in a court dominated by the malevolent King Henry. Cromwell pursued the interests of the king with single-minded energy and no little subtlety. Tasked with engineering the judicial murder of Anne Boleyn when she had worn out her welcome in the royal chamber, he tortured her servants and relations, then organized a 'show trial' of Stalinist efficiency. He orchestrated the 'greatest act of privatisation in English history': the seizure of the monasteries. Their enormous wealth was used to cement the loyalty of the English nobility, and to enrich the crown. Cromwell made himself a fortune too, soliciting collosal bribes and binding the noble families to him with easy loans. He came home from court literally weighed down with gold. The story of his rise and fall is colourful narrative history at its best. Rich in incident and squalid detail, this will increase the author's reputation as a first class popular historian.

Thomas Cromwell

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Weidenfeld and Nicolson

Henry VIII always had problems with women. Born on 28 June 1491, he lived in the shadow of his elder brother Arthur and his dour and autocratic father, Henry VII. Elizabeth of York, Henry's mother, died when he was twelve and thereafter he lived under the thumb of his formidable grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, who beneath a pious exterior was the arch-conspirator of the last days of the Wars of the Roses. Everything changed when Arthur died of tuberculosis at Ludlow Castle in 1502, less than six months after his marriage to the Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon. Henry VII died in April 1509 when his sole heir was nine weeks away from his eighteenth birthday. His grandmother acted as regent until his birthday and he married his brother's widow, Catherine on 11 June, two weeks before their joint coronation. Henry quickly swept away the musty cobwebs of his father's court. He loved magnificence, merriment and the hunting field, and could fire an arrow further than most of his professional archers. Henry could dance everyone off their feet and could drink most men under the table. But Henry became frustrated and angry at his lack of sons by Catherine and his attention began to wander. Some time in 1526 he fell passionately in love with Anne Boleyn. At the age of 35, the time for youthful frolic had ended. To achieve his heart's overpowering desire, the executions had now to begin. Young Henry provides readers with an unique and compelling vision of the splendours and tragedies of the royal court, presided over by a magnificent and ruthless monarch.

Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII

Leaders & Notable People

Weidenfeld&Nicolson

After the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, Protestant England was beset by the hostile Catholic powers of Europe - not least Spain. In October 1585 King Philip II of Spain declared his intention to destroy Protestant England and began preparing invasion plans, leading to an intense intelligence war between the two countries, culminating in the dramatic sea battles of 1588. Robert Hutchinson's tautly written book is the first to examine this battle for intelligence, and uses everything from contemporary eye-witness accounts to papers held by the national archives in Spain and the UK to recount the dramatic battle that raged up the English Channel. Contrary to popular theory, the Armada was not defeated by superior English forces - in fact, Elizabeth I's parsimony meant that her ships had no munitions left by the time the Armada had fought its way up to the south coast of England. In reality it was a combination of inclement weather and bad luck that landed the killer blow on the Spanish forces, and of the 125 Spanish ships that set sail against England, only 60 limped home - the rest sunk or wrecked with barely a shot fired.

The Spanish Armada

London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2013

One morning in May 1671, a man disguised as a parson entered the Tower of London and stole the Crown Jewels. When caught, Colonel Thomas Blood, conspirator, turncoat and spy, was not executed for treason but granted a generous income in the service of the King. Against the sinister intrigues of the Stuart court, this biography paints a vivid picture of this wily, ambitious and reckless adventurer, whom Charles II found more useful alive than dead.

The Audacious Crimes of Colonel Blood: The Spy Who Stole the Crown Jewels and Became the King's Secret Agent

Europe

London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2015

Henry VIII 'has no respect or fear of anyone in this world', wrote the Spanish ambassador to his court. He ruled England with Stalinist ruthlessness, executing (at a conservative estimate) 150,000 people from a population of less than 3 million souls. But after 35 years in power, he was a bloated, hideously obese, black-humoured old man, rarely seen in public. He had striven all his life to ensure the survival of his dynasty by siring legitimate sons, yet his only male heir was eight-year-old Prince Edward. It was increasingly obvious that when Henry died, real power in England would be exercised by a regent. The prospect of that prize spurred the rival court factions into deadly conflict. Robert Hutchinson has spent several years in original archival research. He advances a genuinely new theory of Henry's medical history and the cause of his death; he has unearthed some fabulous eyewitness material and papers from death warrants, ...

The Last Days of Henry VIII: Conspiracies, Treason, and Heresy at the Court of the Dying Tyrant

Phoenix

Thomas Cromwell rose from obscurity to become Henry VIII's right-hand man. It was Cromwell who orchestrated the trial and verdict that led to Anne Boleyn's execution. Ironically, he eventually met the same fate on Tower Green. This book charts his rise and fall.

'Young Henry' provides readers with a unique and compelling vision of the splendours and tragedies of the court of Henry VIII.

Young Henry

Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group)

The Old Man of the Mountain is a timely photographic memorial to New Hampshire's beloved emblem, the colossal profile of natural granite in the White Mountains that suddenly collapsed on May 3, 2003. Many devoted friends of the Old Man have generously contributed to this remembrance. New Hampshire nature photographer William Johnson contributes his stunning portfolio of images showing the changing aspects of the Old Man in all seasons and atmospheric conditions. Dick Hamilton, president of White Mountains Attractions and member of the Old Man Revitalization Task Force, contributes his amazing close-ups of the Old Man taken from unfamiliar angles, including helicopter shots of the Old Man site for several decades before--and on the very day after--the collapse. The New Hampshire Historical Society contributes fascinating art images of this national icon over the last two centuries. Vincent Dunn, retired New Hampshire Superior Court Justice, contributes a thoughtful foreword about the enduring symbolism and emotional resonance of the Old Man. The natural and human history of the Old Man are reviewed in a lively text by geologist Robert Hutchinson.

The Old Man of the Mountain

Browntrout Publishers

Amateur Arts in the UK

Policy Studies Institute

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Robert Hutchinson. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Robert Hutchinson

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Robert Hutchinson. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Jane's Warships Recognition Guide

Thomas Cromwell

Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII

The Spanish Armada

The Audacious Crimes of Colonel Blood: The Spy Who Stole the Crown Jewels and Became the King's Secret Agent

The Last Days of Henry VIII: Conspiracies, Treason, and Heresy at the Court of the Dying Tyrant

Thomas Cromwell

Young Henry

The Old Man of the Mountain

Amateur Arts in the UK