Merchants of Light

Maretich, Marta

Nine Elms Books

Never A Dull Moment

Business & Money

Sheehy, Patrick

Biography & History

The Discontented: Betrayal, Love and War in Habsburg Hungary

History

Ogden, Alan

Military

Invention, passion, war and exile are but some of the elements in this revealing new insight into Paddy Leigh Fermor's many Romanian journeys. Starting with the `great trudge' on foot through Romania in 1934 and ending in 1990 with his assignment for The Daily Telegraph following the fall of Ceausescu, The Vagabond and The Princess by Alan Ogden unravels the tapestry of fact and fiction woven by Paddy and reveals in detail the touching story of the love affair between the youthful writer and Balasa Cantacuzino, a beautiful Romanian Princess. After a poignant parting on the eve of the Second World War, they were reunited some twenty-five years later and remained in close touch until her death. Paddy had been the great love of her life. Alan Ogden brings great insight into this enduring and touching relationship as well putting into context the glamorous lost world of pre-WW2 Romania.

The Vagabond and the Princess: Paddy Leigh Fermor in Romania

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

In this highly entertaining and informative book, Christopher Joll and Anthony Weldon have captured the careers, accomplishments, follies and the occasional crimes of over three hundred of the officers and men who have served in the seven Regiments (two Household Cavalry and five Foot Guards) of the sovereign's personal troops. The pages of The DRUM HORSE IN THE FOUNTAIN will reveal a whole parade of remarkable and unusual characters... In the world of the arts - theatre, film, music, and writing - and sport there are many notable, and some surprising, Guardsmen including * two Oscar winning film stars - one of whom was drunkenly responsible for dispatching a Drum Horse into "The Fountain" in front of Buckingham Palace. And some of the most eccentric men ever to have been let loose on the public including * The irresponsible officer in charge of the Tower of London guard who had to break back into the Tower by climbing the mast of a barge on the Thames and then onto Traitor's Gate; * The VC who rallied his troops with a hunting horn; * The officer who dressed as a nun to entertain the Duke of Wellington; * The unfortunate officer who Queen Victoria thought was addressing her when he was actually trying to admonish his unruly horse - she was not amused; * Traitors, conmen, bigamists, a purveyor of `honours for cash' and three accused of murder - as well as at least five murder victims, one of whom died in a Chicago bootleggers' shoot-out. On military service the officers and men of the Household Division have * earned forty-four Victoria Crosses; * been founding members of SOE, SAS, Commandos, operated behind enemy lines and pioneered military parachuting; * acted as spies, double agents and spy masters; * been supported through the fiercest fighting of WW2 by a remarkably loayl tea-lady in her NAAFI wagon. As well as Prime Ministers and politicians, churchmen also feature prominently with * a Cardinal who, had he lived, might have been Pope; an Archbishop of Canterbury, known as `Killer', with an MC (as well as four padres awarded MCs), a bishop, two monks, three Lord Priors of the Order of St John, and two Grand Masters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (who rank as Cardinals). Were this not enough, amongst actual, as well as aspiring, royalty and their progeny - legitimate and otherwise, there was * the aristocratic candidate for the throne of Albania (who, although almost blind, fought as a regimental officer in WW1 without actually enlisting). ...and, not to be forgotten, are * one regimental wolfhound in the 1930s which dispatched the Italian Ambassador's greyhound, three bears (one stuffed), two WW1 milking cows who took part in the 1919 Victory Parade, one monkey with the rank of Corporal of Horse and a very alert goose called Jacob.

The Drum Horse in the Fountain: & Other Tales of Heroes and Rogues in the Guards

Christopher Joll

Anthony Weldon

From his early days in establishing United Scientific Holdings PLC as a multi-million pound listed company to his sudden transformation into a senior civil servant as Chief of Defence Procurement at the invitation of Michael Heseltine the then Minister of Defence, followed by a move into investment banking and unexpected appointments to act as Prime Minister John Major's Efficiency Advisor and then run the Docklands Light Railway before becoming Chairman and Chief Executive of the troubled Canary Wharf development, Peter's career has uniquely straddled both the public and private sectors at the highest levels, invariably in troubled times. In parallel, he worked his way up the City of London's civic hierarchy, becoming a Common Councilman, Alderman, Sheriff and finally Lord Mayor of London which gave him the opportunity to promote the image and services of the City across the globe. On return to the commercial world, he resumed his post at Deutsche Bank and subsequently joined the boards of Sainsbury's, Deutsche Borse, IFSL, Eurotunnel, China Construction Bank and Haymarket Media Group. Breaking with insurance industry tradition, he was appointed as `an outsider' to the Chairmanship of Lloyd's of London. Whilst there, he was invited by Liam Fox to chair the newly formed `Defence Reform Group' which introduced a series of important changes in the structure and workings of the MOD which became known as the `Levene Reforms'. Currently he is Chairman of the Starr Insurance Group in London and continues with a number of other directorships as well as his involvement in several charitable and philanthropic activities.

Send For Levene

Peter Levene

Spoils of War: The Treasures, Trophies, & Trivia of the British Empire

Military Misreadings of Shakspere

General Sir Jack Deverell

The introduction of Universal Credit arguably stands as the most far\-reaching reform so far this century. Clashing Agendas is the traumatic inside story of how this simple concept became unimaginably complicated in execution, and then nearly self\-destructed, told by its architect \- David Freud. David’s initial welfare proposals in 2007, commissioned by the Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in one of his last political initiatives, proved popular across all political parties. When the Conservatives came calling, David Freud accepted the job of reforming the system, initially in the shadow ministerial team and then in Government. His core motivation was to end the welfare trap, by which the legacy systems made it difficult for many people to free themselves from dependency on the state. This personal account reveals the complex interplay between politicians and civil servants \- the true determinant of how Government really works. It concludes with his views both on future development of the welfare system and on how the UK Government might organise itself to introduce major system reforms more successfully in future.

Clashing Agendas: Inside the Welfare Trap

Freud

DAVID

Arts & Literature

The Armistice Killer: Heroes Aren't Always Heroic

Literature & Fiction

David Palin

Genre Fiction

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