History
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Beaufighter: The Untold Story of a Wartime Icon (Great Planes of World War Two Book 1)
A fascinating and detailed history of one of the great aircraft of World War II: the Beaufighter.Ideal for fans of Alexander McKee, John Nichol, and Martin W. Bowman.
Developed to meet the RAF’s urgent need for a long-range fighter just before World War II, the Beaufighter was the most heavily armed aircraft of any type used in active service from 1940 until the late 1950s.
Drawing on numerous original sources and meticulous research, Chaz Bowyer traces the Beau’s origins from planning, design, and factory floor through test flights, adaptations to meet service needs, and its remarkable and widespread use throughout the war. Bowyer includes many first-hand accounts from those who flew the plane in action and from ground crew who maintained it, giving readers a sense of the genuine affection felt for this formidable fighting machine.
Ultimately, around 6,000 Beaufighters rolled off the production line, from where they were sent across the globe to serve in at least 77 squadrons of the RAF and Commonwealth air forces until they were finally retired from service in the 1960s. Bowyer recounts the aircraft’s many roles during the war—as a night and day fighter, reconnaissance vehicle, anti-shipping strike and torpedo bomber, ground strafer, and air-jungle rescue searcher, among many other uses. Through personal accounts and reminiscences, readers are brought vividly into the experience of piloting and supporting the Beau’s operations across vastly different theatres of war and environments, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Burma, the Mediterranean, UK coastal waters, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Though merely a machine, there are many who owed their lives to the strength and capability of the ‘Mighty Beau.’ Their stories serve as a reminder of the incredible sacrifice, bravery, heroism, and devotion to duty of those service men and women, and why this plane should be proudly remembered as one of the all-time classic British fighters.
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Gloster Meteor: The Revolutionary Jet Fighter (Great Planes of World War Two Book 4)
An in-depth chronicle of the jet aircraft that revolutionised military aviation during the height of World War Two.Essential reading for aviation enthusiasts, military historians, and anyone fascinated by the evolution of modern air combat.
Debuting as the world’s first fully operational jet-powered aircraft in July 1944, the Gloster Meteor transformed aerial combat.
How did this revolutionary plane come into being? Did it truly live up to its promise in the heat of battle? And how did it shape the evolution of modern aviation?
Renowned aviation historian Chaz Bowyer charts the remarkable story of this jet — from its conception in the mind of Sir Frank Whittle, to experimental development and its first combat flights in the Second World War. For over a decade, the Meteor reigned as the RAF’s premier fighter, capable of travelling over six hundred miles an hour, serving air forces around the world before it was ultimately outpaced by newer, more advanced aircraft.
Gloster Meteor stands as a compelling tribute to one of aviation history’s most groundbreaking aircraft.
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No Ordinary Deaths: A People’s History of Mortality
History is dominated by A-list deaths: queens beheaded; archdukes assassinated. But what about everyone else? How did ordinary people depart this life and grieve for loved ones – and which of the old ways might help us prepare for the end?
Our ancestors, living closer to death than we do, had a more intimate and integrated relationship with death as a familiar presence in daily life. From the death-watchers of the Middle Ages to the pomp of Victorian funeral wear, by way of plague pits, grave-robberies and wakes, historian and bereavement counsellor Molly Conisbee explores how cycles of dying, death and disposal have shaped – and been shaped by – society. She examines, through the prism of past deaths, their interweaving with our beliefs and politics, our most fervent hopes and deepest fears and, ultimately, what it means to ‘die well’.
A groundbreaking new work of social history, No Ordinary Deaths paints a rich picture of the lives of our forebears, skilfully bringing the lost art of death to life today.
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£16.80£20.90No Ordinary Deaths: A People’s History of Mortality
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The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account
The incredible true story about a Galilean stonemason who changed the course of the world forever.
Beautifully told through the eyewitness accounts of those who knew him best.
This real-life story will never leave you.
This is the incredible true story of a Galilean stonemason who changed the course of the world forever.
He lived and died over 2,000 years ago, fulfilling expectations that existed long before his birth.
His birth had been mystically foretold by astrologers for hundreds of years, yet the rulers of his day dreaded his coming.
This humble builder-teacher became a magnet for the poor and down trodden, a symbol of love and mercy, who transformed the lives and restored the health and purpose in all who encountered him.
The local elite and governing rulers eventually tortured him and put him to death in the most violent and public of ways. Yet that was only the beginning…
In the years since, billions of people have dedicated their lives to this man and have testified to his divinity and truth.
To others, he is little more than another rebel who was killed by one of the most brutal empires in human history.
How we each respond to this story dictates the course of our lives. And it all rests on the great mystery that occurred at the end of his life – a supernatural event that he had predicted with utter clarity.
Did this humble man tell the truth?
Could one man really be the focal point of the universe?
Read on to find out, and get ready to make up your own mind.
Wherever this journey takes you, this is arguably:
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.
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£12.30£14.20The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account
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The Short Sunderland: The Legendary WWII Flying Boat (Great Planes of World War Two Book 3)
A compelling history of the most successful flying boat ever to serve the Royal Air Force—the ‘Queen of the Boats’—the Short Sunderland.Ideal for fans of Alexander McKee, Andrew Hendrie, Ken Delve, and Martin W. Bowman.
The story of the Sunderland flying boat began with the innovative Short brothers, Horace, Albert, and Hugh, who, since 1908, were at the forefront of British aeroplane design and manufacturing. Having trained the first Royal Navy officers as pilots in their flying machines and successfully deployed seaplanes during World War One, they were well-positioned in 1933 to meet the RAF’s need for a long-range, four-engine flying boat with armaments, sleeping accommodations, and catering facilities. The result was the Short Sunderland, entering RAF service and history books in 1938.
In this book, Chaz Bowyer traces the evolution of this remarkable aircraft and the valuable contribution it made to the Allied campaign worldwide throughout the Second World War. Bowyer’s research is thorough and exhaustive, drawing on sources that include original documentation, reports, and many first-hand accounts from those who flew or worked on the Sunderland in the UK and abroad.
The Sunderland served the RAF for a total of 21 years, during which it is estimated to have been instrumental in destroying or damaging at least 60 German and Italian U-boats. Operating as part of Coastal Command, it played a vital role throughout the war: protecting shipping routes and convoys, reconnaissance, supplying aid and evacuations, air-sea rescues, and passenger transportation, to name but a few. Post-war, its usefulness endured, supporting the Berlin Airlift, with many aircraft converted for use in civil aviation. Reading this account, it is easy to see why the Sunderland inspired such awe and affection among those who lived and worked with it.
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£1.90 -
The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty (Audio Download): Tracy Borman, Hodder & Stoughton: Amazon.co.uk: Books
‘A powerful tale . . . compelling and brilliant’ – ALISON WEIRIn March 1603, Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, lies dying at Richmond Palace. The queen’s ministers cluster round her bedside, urging her to name her successor – something she has stubbornly resisted throughout her reign. Almost with her last breath she whispers that James VI of Scotland should succeed her. She dies shortly afterwards and the throne of England passes peacefully from Tudor to Stuart.
Or so we’ve been led to believe . . .
But, as enthralling new research shows, this is not what happened. In the years that followed, history was literally re-written on the orders of James VI to hide the truth: Elizabeth went to her grave without formally naming an heir. The notion of an approved succession from Tudors to Stuarts is little more than an elaborately constructed fiction.
And so James’s rule in England began with a lie – a lie that went on to have devastating consequences. The Stuart regime rapidly descended into turbulence and uncertainty, conspiracy and persecution, witchcraft and gunpowder – culminating in the destruction of the monarchy in the English Civil War.With a combination of rigorous research and brilliant story-telling, Tracy Borman’s revealing new book shows that truth and monarchy have always been strange bedfellows . . .
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The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival
‘Superb and timely’ KATE MOSSE
‘Impressive, important, deeply moving’ SARAH WATERS
‘Brilliant’ ANTHONY HOROWITZWhat role could music play in a death camp? What was the effect on those women who owed their survival to their participation in a Nazi propaganda project? And how did it feel to be forced to provide solace to the perpetrators of a genocide that claimed the lives of their family and friends?
In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra should be formed among the female prisoners. Almost fifty women and girls from eleven nations were assembled to play marching music to other inmates – forced labourers who left each morning and returned, exhausted and often broken, at the end of the day – and give weekly concerts for Nazi officers. Individual members were sometimes summoned to give solo performances of an officer’s favourite piece of music. It was the only entirely female orchestra in any of the Nazi prison camps and, for almost all of the musicians chosen to take part, being in the orchestra was to save their lives. In The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, award-winning historian Anne Sebba tells their astonishing story with sensitivity and care.
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Why is Downing Street Painted Black?: 365 fun, fascinating London facts from one of the city’s most popular tour guides, the perfect 2025 gift for history and trivia fans
Have you ever tried to find a street named Bond Street? (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t exist!)
Did you know you can’t dine for 13 at the Savoy? At least not without a cat joining you …
And have you heard about the bus that jumped Tower Bridge?
As a walking tour guide for 15 years, Jonnie Fielding has made it his mission to uncover all there is to know about London, from forgotten facts to the history hiding in plain sight.
Packed full of pub-quiz trivia and bespoke illustrations, Why Is Downing Street Painted Black? includes 365 of his favourite quirks, anomalies and eccentricities from all over town.
So whether you live in London, would love to live in London or just love a great fun fact, Jonnie is guaranteed to reignite your fascination with this weird and wonderful city.
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£14.20
