The Battle of the Somme: A Topographical History

History

GLIDDON, Gerald

Europe

History Pr Ltd

The Arctic: A History

Focusing on the human inhabitants of the Arctic and their struggle for existence, this book describes the history and culture of ethnic groups such as the Inuit and Samoyed tribes, from the Stone Age to the 1990s. In addition the text looks at the impact of European, American and Russian explorations and the attempts to forge a trade route through north-west or north-east passages - including those by the 16th-century explorer Willem Barentsz, and by Henry Hudson, whose name lives on in Hudson Bay. It also describes the exploration and exploitation of the region by the West and Russia, including the effects of the whaling industry, fur trading, ivory trading, and the mining of coal and drilling of oil. The strategic and scientific importance of the Arctic region, and the resultant race between East and West to control and colonize this apparently barren region is also given due regard.

Vaughan, Richard

World

Castles are hugely appealing to all who love history, architecture, archaeology, heritage and landscape. Newcomers to the study of castles as well as more experienced researchers should find Stephen Friar's companion informative, knowledgeable and wide-ranging. It contains over 1000 entries on English and Welsh fortifications from the Bronze Age to the present. If you are not sure just what a "motte and bailey" castle was, or whether the Romans left any fortified building during their occupation of Britain, this is the book you need. Stephen Friar uses his vast knowledge of all aspects of castles to explain things succinctly and clearly for the non-specialist. In addition, the companion is illustrated and has an index of castles, lists of addresses and further reading. Entries cover early fortifications such as Bronze Age hillforts, Roman fortifications, signal stations, medieval, Tudor and Napoleonic castles and fortifications, siege warfare, beacons, telegraph systems, modern fortifications such as military roads, pill boxes, watch towers, and romantic revival castles such as Castell Goch and Castle Drogo.

The Sutton Companion to Castles

FRIAR, Stephen

Confucius is one of the most important figures in Chinese history, the philosopher-founder of an intellectual, ethical tradition that has shaped a quarter of the world's population. Often overlooked outside his native country, in this study Confucius is revealed to be an outspoken and uncompromising man within the context of a China 2,500 years ago. A contemporary of Buddha, Confucius was the illegitimate son of a retired soldier and a teenage concubine. He had a passionate belief in respect for others and it was this belief which underpinned his life and teachings. He advised the famous figures of his day, gaining their respect along with the undying enmity of those whose paths he crossed. He was equally proud of both achievements, saying that if the evil people of the world liked him, he was doing something wrong. Confucius established many ideas that are taken for granted today. His theories became the foundation of one of the world's first civil services and established enduring social structures throughout Asia.

Confucius: A Biography

Biographies & Memoirs

CLEMENTS, JONATHAN

Historical

During the latter part of the eighteenth century West Bromwich was mainly rural and sparsely populated. The area currently occupied by the High Street from Dartmouth Square to Carters Green was then little more than open heathland, giving no indication of the premier shopping centre it was later to become. The famous ‘Golden Mile’ High Street that evolved around 150 years ago has changed in character quite dramatically within living memory, as indeed have many of the surrounding districts of the town. Most people will have treasured memories of long-gone delights such as Trow’s Ice-Cream parlor, Chad’s Fish &amp; Chips, the Adelphi Ballroom and, of course, the luxurious Tower Cinema with its double seats – specially designed for courting couples. These changes and the social activities of local people in all parts of the borough during the last century are nostalgically recalled here in a collection of over 300 photographs compiled by West Bromwich-born author and historian Terry Price, with the majority of the material originating from his own and other private collections.

West Bromwich People & Places (Britain in Old Photographs)

Price, Terry

Wu was the first and only woman in Chinese history to become a reigning empress. Jonathan Clements tells the dramatic and colourful story of the seventh-century daughter of a lumber merchant who used her looks, cunning and connections to rule one of the largest empires of the world.
Before Wu was born, prophecies predicted that she would become an emperor. It was thus a source of disappointment to her family when she turned out to be a girl. But they underestimated Wu's steely determination to succeed. At the age of 13 she took the first steps on her path to power when she was selected as a concubine to the 40-year-old Supreme Emperor (Taizong).
When the emperor fell ill, the ambitious Wu committed a capital crime by seducing his heir. Her gamble paid off, and when the emperor died, his besotted heir, now the High Emperor (Gaozong), rescued Wu from life in a convent. Back in the palace, Wu wasted no time in framing and executing her opposition, the empress and the beautiful Pure Concubine. Her ruthlessness even extended to her own family. After her husband had died, she poisoned her strong-willed eldest son, tried to rule through his two more malleable brothers but eventually took the throne herself.
Coloured by intrigue, murder, incest and seduction, Wu's incredible true story is a rich and fascinating tale. Drawing on the original Chinese sources, Jonathan Clements reveals the life of this extraordinary woman who proclaimed herself a living god, founded a new dynasty and was only deposed, aged 79, after jealous courtiers had murdered her two young lovers.

Wu: The Chinese Empress Who Schemed, Seduced and Murdered Her Way to Become a Living God

Community & Culture

Whores of the Devil: Witch-hunts and Witch-trials

DURSCHMIED, Erik

Historical Study & Educational Resources

By 1943, Nancy Wake, who had left Australia in her 20s, was number one on the Gestapo's most wanted list. She led a raid on Gestapo Headquarters in Montucon, killed a sentry with her bare hands and shot her way through road blocks. Her husband was executed by the Gestapo because he wouldn't reveal her whereabouts. This is her story.

Nancy Wake: Soe's Greatest Heroine

BRADDON, Russell

In the late 1930s the Fire Brigades Act brought into being the Auxiliary Fire Service—setting up a force that operated in parallel with regular firefighters. In the early stages of World War II, as the government realized the importance of a unified firefighting force throughout the county, emergency provisions were made for a National Fire Service. This came into being in 1941. This account of the NFS from its foundation includes many vivid and moving interviews with firemen and women who lived through the period, previously unseen photographs and documents, and also illustrates the vital role of the volunteer Corps of Canadian Fire fighters. John Leete records in detail the magnificent contribution made by these brave men and women.

Under Fire: Britain's Fire Service at War

Leete, John

This is the fantastic true story of Pitt the Younger's niece, Lady Hester Stanhope, who, at the turn of the eighteenth century left her homeland and travelled through Cairo, Jaffa, Damascus, Palmyra - braving bandit-infested territories to visit cities which seldom been seen by Europeans and charming a series of murderous despots. In 1810, after the death of her uncle and that of the man she loved, Hester left England for the east, never to return. She was thirty-three. Her retinue included a private physician and her young lover. In Jaffa, she showed her utter fearlessness for the first but by no means the last time by demanding, and receiving, the protection of the bandit-in-chief when crossing the dangerous countryside to Jerusalem. By the time her caravan approached the foothills of Mount Lebanon, the Englishwoman had largely disappeared. In her place was a mannish figure who wore a species of male oriental clothing, smoked a bubbly narghila, and could swear at her mule drivers in three languages. Joan Haslip's timeless and engaging biography explores the incredible life of a young woman which would be amazing if it happened today and, two centuries ago, was almost unbelievable.

Lady Hester Stanhope: The Unconventional Life of the Queen of the Desert

HASLIP,Joan

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