History Books

Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London 1772... A young artist called Thomas Rowlandson is making his way through the grimy backstreets of the capital, on his way to begin his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Within a few years, James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank would join him in Piccadilly, turning satire into an artform, taking on the British establishment, and forever changing the way we view power. Set against a backdrop of royal madness, political intrigue, the birth of modern celebrity, French revolution, American independence and the Napoleonic Wars, UPROAR! follows the satirists as they lampoon those in power, from the Prince Regent to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Their prints and illustrations deconstruct the political and social landscape with surreal and razor-sharp wit, as the three men vie with each other to create the most iconic images of the day.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781785789540 • Author:  Alice Loxton • Publisher:  Icon Books • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  240 • Dimensions:  16 x 3.5 x 24.2 cm

For over 150 years, Broadmoor has contained the UK's most violent, notoriously psychopathic criminals known. Since 1863, Broadmoor opened as an asylum and has housed perpetrators of some of the most dangerous and outrageous crimes in history - from Jack the Ripper suspect James Kelly , armed robber Charles Bronson, gangster Ronnie Kray and cannibal Peter Bryan. The mysterious happenings behind these walls has been unknown until now. Jonathon Levi and cultural historian Emma French paint the scene at Broadmoor after spending nearly a decade speaking and observing those inside. With various exclusive interviews, Inside Broadmoor is the full story into the minds of Britain's most violent and how they are treated. Product Information: ISBN: 9781788700948 Author: Jonathon Levi & Emma French Publisher: Blink Publishing Format: Blink Publishing Pages: 294 Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 2cm

Fully illustrated profiles of Britain's top twelve most legendary racing drivers. The Immortals of British Motor Racing celebrates the UK's greatest ever racing drivers. It profiles the best of the best from over 50 years of Formula 1, the BTCC and the world's classic motorsport events such as Le Mans. Renowned motorsport commentator and writer David Addison selects his top twelve drivers then delves into the careers of the true greats. Legendary racers selected and profiled include pioneers Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart, 1970s and 1980s heroes James Hunt and Nigel Mansell, plus current hero Lewis Hamilton. The book tells the remarkable stories behind each Immortal's rise to the top and the adversity faced through their careers. Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781922662019 • Author: David Addison • Publisher: Gelding Street Press • Format:  Hardcover • Pages: 192 • Dimensions: 25 x 18.4 x 1.8cm

The seminal account of the heroism, daring and ingenuity of the men of Allied Bomber Command, who took the war to the enemy's doorstep. The Second World War saw aerial bombing - of both civilian and military targets - become a new front line in warfare, as advances in aircraft and engine design allowed planes to fly further, faster and carrying heavier loads. The RAF pilots in their Lancasters, Wellingtons and Halifaxes, the USAAF pilots in their B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators, and the Luftwaffe pilots in their Junkers and Heinkels, flew thousands of sorties deep into enemy territory, into the teeth of flak and agile enemy fighters, with staggering losses. In Bomber!, Robert Jackson uses thirteen famous raids to chronicle the bomber mission as it evolved over the course of the war, from the ferocious North Sea Battle in 1939 to the French crew who became the first Allied airmen to bomb Berlin. From the US bombing of Tokyo that forced Japan to commit her navy in the Pacific to the Earthquake Raids carried out by 617 'Dambusters' Squadron in the closing days of the war with terrifying 12,000lb 'Tallboy' bombs. Here, Jackson gives bomber crews a voice, weaving their accounts with historical analysis to create a minute-by-minute account of these events, letting you experience them as they happened. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781804365328 • Author: Robert Jackon • Publisher:  Canelo  • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  272 • Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.7 x 1.6cm 

History's greatest unexplained events revealed... Learn more about paranormal events with Leo Moynihan's incredible book! Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781802420920 • Author: Leo Moynihan • Publisher: New Burlington • Format:  Paperback • Pages: 160 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.2 cm

There were three patrols that fateful January 1991 morning: Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zero and Bravo Three Zero. It was the opening hours of the Gulf War and the SAS were flown deep behind enemy lines to hunt down Saddam's Scud missiles, the use of which threatened a Third World War. The men of Bravo One Zero stepped off the chopper, took one look at the flat desert devoid of any cover and decided no way were they deploying into all of that. But Andy NcNab's famed Bravo Two Zero patrol did deploy, with fatal results - all bar one being captured or killed. And then there was Bravo Three Zero. These men were different. Thought differently. Acted differently. Treating as gospel the SAS's saying 'any fool can be uncomfortable', they deployed with vehicles, and while there was nowhere to hide they could make a dash for the border if desperate. Even as warnings came in that McNab's patrol was on the run, Bravo Three Zero remained undetected - the furthest Coalition forces behind Iraqi lines. Slipping through enemy positions, a string of targets were taken out. But with the desert turning bitter and snow starting to fall, they were forced to fight a running battle against the elements as much as the enemy. Though overshadowed by the fate of Bravo Two Zero, the achievements of this highly-decorated patrol are the stuff of elite forces legend. Now, for the first time, SAS veteran Des Powell reveals their story in gritty, blow-by-blow detail. Written with acclaimed military author Damien Lewis, this is a tale of edge-of-the seat daring deep inside enemy lands. Brutal, savage, unrelenting - prepare to be blown away, in a tale that proves utterly the SAS motto - who dares wins. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529414165 • Author: Damien Lewis & Des Powell  • Publisher: Quercus • Format: Paperback • Pages: 320 • Dimensions: 12.8 x 2.6 x 19.6cm

I tattooed a number on her arm. She tattooed her name on my heart. In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale - a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure this woman, Gita, did, too. So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the tattooist of Auschwitz. Product Information:• ISBN: 9781785763649• Author: Heather Morris• Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre• Format: Paperback• Pages: 275• Dimensions: 24 x 16 x 2.5cm

Alex Ehren is a poet, a prisoner and a teacher in block 31 in Auschwitz-Birkenau, the children’s block.  He spends his days trying to survive while illegally giving lessons to his young charges while shielding them as best he can from the impossible horrors of the camp. But trying to teach the children is not the only illicit activity that Alex is involved in. Alex is keeping a diary…  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781529105568 • Author: Otto B Kraus • Publisher:  Ebury Press • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  288 • Dimensions:  12.6 x 1.7 x 19.8 cm

Discover the fullest possible account of the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, including those he was not charged with and has never previously been connected to… The police believed Sutcliffe was operating only in the Greater Manchester Police, South Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police force areas, using his car. In fact, Sutcliffe was operating nationally and internationally, using his employer’s lorry to commit attacks. Authors Chris Clark and Tim Hicks have meticulously researched Sutcliffe’s crimes and reveal many of his previously unknown victims for the first time.  The police failed to deliver justice for the victims’ families, and the media has failed to hold the police to account for this failure – both in the original investigation and in subsequent cold-case investigations.    By bringing more of the facts of the case into the public domain and by telling the victims’ stories, this book helps to bring closure for friends and relatives of victims of the Yorkshire Ripper. Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781802472042 • Author: Chris Clark & Tim Hicks • Publisher: Ad Lib Publishers Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 240 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.1 x 1.5 cm

The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz presents a rare living testimony through the eyes of a child who had the unique ability to observe and remember every detail around him and chose to document it all. Thomas Geve was just 15 years old when he was liberated from Buchenwald concentration camp on 11 April 1945. It was the third concentration camp he had survived. Upon arrival at Auschwitz- Birkenau, Thomas was separated from his mother and left to fend for himself in the men’s camp of Auschwitz I, at the age of 13. During the 22 months he was imprisoned, he was subjected to, and forced to observe first-hand, the inhumane world of Nazi concentration camps. On his eventual release Thomas felt compelled to capture daily life in the death camps in more than eighty profoundly moving drawings. Infamous scenarios synonymous with this dark period of history were portrayed in poignant but simplistic detail with extraordinary accuracy. Despite the unspeakable events he experienced, Thomas decided to become an active witness and tell the truth about life in the camps. He has spoken to audiences from around the world and continues to raise awareness about the Holocaust.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780008406394 • Author:  Thomas Geve • Publisher:  HarperCollins • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  352 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.7 x 19.8 cm

Insiders call it 'the Craft'. To the rest of us, Freemasonry is mysterious and suspect. Yet its story is peopled by some of the most distinguished men of the last three centuries: Winston Churchill and Walt Disney; Wolfgang Mozart and Shaquille O'Neal; Benjamin Franklin and Buzz Aldrin; Rudyard Kipling and 'Buffalo Bill' Cody; Duke Ellington and the Duke of Wellington. Founded in London in 1717 as a set of character-forming ideals and a way of binding men in fellowship, Freemasonry proved so addictive that within two decades it had spread across the globe. Masonic influence became pervasive. Under George Washington, the Craft became a creed for the new American nation. Masonic networks held the British empire together. Under Napoleon, the Craft became a tool of authoritarianism and then a cover for revolutionary conspiracy. Both the Mormon Church and the Sicilian mafia owe their origins to Freemasonry. The Masons were as feared as they were influential. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Freemasonry has always been a den of devil-worshippers. For Hitler, Mussolini and Franco the Lodges spread the diseases of pacifism, socialism and Jewish influence, so had to be crushed. Professor Dickie's The Craft is a surprising and enthralling exploration of a movement that not only helped to forge modern society, but still has substantial contemporary influence. With 400,000 members in Britain, over a million in the USA, and around six million across the world, understanding the role of Freemasonry is as important now as it has ever been.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781473658226 • Author: John Dickie • Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  496 • Dimensions:  12.8 x 4 x 19.6 cm

Telling the story of their lives from children to modern day, this fascinating and revelatory new book will look at the fraught relationship (and fiery rivalry) between King Charles and Prince Andrew. Raised for vastly different futures, one burdened with the responsibility of becoming the future king and the other destined to live in his shadow, Charles and Andrew have spent their lives on different sides of the same coin. War of the Windsors tells, for the first time, the complete story of Charles and Andrew from their diverging childhoods to their current struggles. It looks at the distinct but overlapping stories of the two heirs, from being separated in their early years and the Queen's supposed overindulgence of Andrew to the competition for Lady Diana and finally, Charles' ascension to throne while his brother is stripped of Royal duties. And it explores whether, with the scandals around Andrew still fresh in public memory, Charles will ever let his brother back into the family. With extensive research and expert sourcing, War of the Windsors is the incredible inside story of a family in turmoil. Recounting the highs and lows of a brotherhood then turned into a rivalry, royal author and journalist Nigel Cawthorne looks at the makings of a decades long feud and questions whether, ultimately, the brothers will one day band together again. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781802797213 • Author: Nigel Cawthorne • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton • Format: Paperback • Pages: 320 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.7cm

Former Polish teenage piano prodigy Mosha Gebert is teaching when the Nazis come for her. They kill her student, but she is taken to Majdanek concentration camp. There, Commandant Josef Hanke spots her and recognises her as the pianist he fell in love with years earlier. Hanke demands that Mosha play ‘Ode to Joy’ for him, but she refuses. She will never play in such a horrific place – or for such an evil monster. So begins a battle of wills and repeated torture. Even when Hanke causes her to lose her hearing, Mosha refuses to play.  When her sister arrives in the camp, Hanke tries to use her as leverage but Mosha is steadfast in her hatred for Hanke and the Nazis. Even when her sister is subjected to worse punishment, Mosha does not waver. Instead of playing for Hanke, she begins teaching the women camp songs. Hanke finally turns his anger on Mosha, breaking one of her fingers. She convinces prison guard Elsa to smash the rest of her fingers with a rock.  Mosha believes crippling herself is the only way for her to survive and triumph over Hanke, but what will this do to him? Will Hanke forgive her? Or will this last desperate act finally push him over the edge?  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781802471915 • Author:  Nicola Pittam • Publisher:  Ad Lib Publishers Ltd • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  240 • Dimensions:  19.8 x 12.9 x 2 cm

As army veteran Bill Johnstone watched his garage business burn to the ground, he was certain the fire had been started deliberately. And when the police failed to investigate, he complained. Johnstone then made a shocking discovery: an extensive criminal record had been applied to his name. He believes this was no accident but a malicious act by a police officer. Those few keyboard strokes were the catalyst for a high-stakes battle that consumed his life. What began as police incompetence, soon escalated into an extraordinary saga of betrayal, conspiracy and cover-up. This is the incredible true story of his decade-long fight for justice. In an age where our personal information is stored and shared digitally, it could happen to anyone.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781780275390 • Author: Russell Findlay  • Publisher:  Birlinn Ltd • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  240 • Dimensions:  12.7 x 1.91 x 19.69 cm

April 1982. Argentina invades the Falkland Islands. In response, Britain despatches a naval task force. Eight thousand miles from home, its fate hinges on just twenty Sea Harriers against the two hundred-strong might of the Argentine Air Force. The odds against them are overwhelming. The MoD's own estimates suggest that half the Harriers will be lost in the opening days of the conflict. They need backup. Within three weeks 809 Naval Air Squadron is reformed, trained and heading south, ready for war. Not since World War Two had so much been expected of such a small band of pilots. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780552179386 • Author: Rowland White • Publisher:  Corgi • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  512 • Dimensions: 13 x 3 x 19.9 cm

As a reporter, Jacques Peretti has spent his life investigating important stories. But there was one story, heard in scattered fragments throughout his childhood, that he never thought to investigate. The story of how his mother survived Auschwitz. In the few last months of the Second World War, thirteen-year-old Alina Peretti, along with her mother and sister, was one of thirteen thousand non-Jewish Poles sent to Auschwitz. Her experiences there cast a shadow over the rest of her life. Now ninety, Alina has been diagnosed with dementia. Together, mother and son begin a race against time to record her memories and preserve her family’s story. Along the way, Jacques learns long-hidden secrets about his mother’s family.  He gains an understanding of his mother through retracing her past, learning more about the woman who would never let him call her ‘Mum’. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781473646445 • Author:  Alina & Jaques Peretti • Publisher:  Hodder Paperbacks • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  320 • Dimensions:  12 x 2.5 x 19.8cm 

In the early years of Queen Victoria's reign, HMS Erebus undertook two of the most ambitious naval expeditions of all time. On the first, she ventured further south than any human had ever been. On the second, she vanished with her 129-strong crew in the wastes of the Canadian Arctic, along with the HMS Terror. Her fate remained a mystery for over 160 years. Then, in 2014, she was found. This is her story. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781787468047 • Author: Michael Palin • Publisher: Arrow • Format: Paperback • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.6 cm

SAS Great Escapes Two recounts the hitherto untold stories of six of the most dramatic and daring escapes executed by the world's most famous fighting force during WWII. From the very earliest SAS missions to the push into Nazi-occupied Europe, they cover some of the key figures in the Regiment, including its founder, David Stirling, plus other lesser-known heroes. With each story comes an edge-of-the-seat, rollercoaster ride in classic Damien Lewis fashion, as readers are plunged into the escapees' experiences - sharing their most terrifying yet inspiring moments. These stunning accounts of survival beggar belief, revealing nerve-racking bluff and deception, knife-edge encounters with enemy hunter forces hellbent on wreaking vengeance and murder, but also incredible acts of mercy and kindness from those who risk all to help the escapees on their way. Each tale of breath-taking derring-do reveals how necessity really is the mother of all invention, as with every step and at every juncture these fugitives defied fate, snatching survival and freedom from the jaws of the enemy, and all the horrors that would have followed capture. Damien Lewis has worked closely with the families of those portrayed, accessing wartime diaries, letters, mission reports, interrogation transcripts and more, to relate how the men of the SAS crossed blazing deserts, evaded enemy hunter forces and escaped through hostile lands, battling against seemingly insurmountable odds. But most of all, these uplifting tales of endurance beyond measure showcase the triumph of the human spirit and the will to survive. Product Information:  • ISBN: 9781529429428 • Author: Damien Lewis • Publisher: Quercus Publishing • Format:  Paperback • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.8 x 3.6 cm