This is a visually stunning superb collection of artwork depicting British explorers and their journeys over the centuries. It was in large part the lure of riches, such as spices and gold, and the promise of fertile land which tempted the British and other Europeans to venture out to unknown lands. These intrepid explorers, who devoted and often lost their lives on journeys of discovery, were frequently accompanied by artists. At the time there was no other way of pictorially recording th...

At the turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries, with the British Empire encompassing the globe, the Royal Navy indisputably ruled the waves. Times change but the magnificence and drama of warships at sea, whether in peace or war, remain an inspiration to artists. This fine book brings together a collection of superb art works which bear witness to the majesty of these mighty ships in action and, at the same time, are a memorial to the dangers, heroism and victories at sea. The reader is treate...

At the turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries, with the British Empire encompassing the globe, the Royal Navy indisputably ruled the waves. Times change but the magnificence and drama of warships at sea, whether in peace or war, remain an inspiration to artists. This fine book brings together a collection of superb art works which bear witness to the majesty of these mighty ships in action and, at the same time, are a memorial to the dangers, heroism and victories at sea.The reader is...

Armistice Day in 1918 was arguably the most joyous day of the 20th century. As the guns fell silent, crowds celebrated across the Western world.The foremost artists of all nations including Pierre Bonnard in Paris and Gilbert Beal in New York, were inspired to convey the emotions of the historic moment. The Irish painter William Orpen was in Amiens.The tense and difficult process of making the peace ensued. Orpen and Augustus John were assigned as official artists at the Versailles confere...

Horses of the Great War explains the contribution of countless innocent houses using superb contemporary painting by artists such as Sir John Lavery, Sir Alfred Munnings and Stanley Spencer. These works supported by informed commentary tell how the horses were rounded up; how the cavalry halted the German advance in 1914 and again in 1918; how the turks were overwhelmed in the deserts of Palestine and Arabia. Most significantly the Western Front relied on horses for supply of everything fr...

"The thoughtful text and assortment of paintings illustrate just over a century of military aviation, from those early biplanes . . . to modern drones." —Military Model SceneBarely a decade passed from the Wright Brothers' first powered flight to aircraft becoming lethal instruments of war. The Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service took off in the very early days of The Great War and captured the public's imagination and admiration.Sydney and Richard...

In 1968 a group of young people took over a derelict trouser factory in a rundown part of Leeds and set about producing programmes that were to define the British television world of the late 20th Century.These included the investigative documentary series First Tuesday, Darling Buds of May, Whickers World, Dont Ask Me and Heartbeat.At the same time they attracted, indeed often created, stars of international fame such as James Mason, Catherine Zeta Jones, Alan Whicker, David Jason, Magnus...

In 1917, British, New Zealander and Australian troops stationed at the Étaples Training Camp in northern France protested against the inhuman conditions. The mutineers commandeered the camp's weapons and marched into Étaples, holding the town for three days, attacking military police and the commander of the training camp, General Thompson.Several of the mutineers were executed, but Toplis remained at large for three years. The Army immediately covered up the Mutiny; thousands of t...

In 1968 a group of young people took over a derelict trouser factory in a rundown part of Leeds and set about producing programmes that were to define the British television world of the late 20th Century.These included the investigative documentary series First Tuesday, Darling Buds of May, Whickers World, Do'nt Ask Me and Heartbeat.At the same time they attracted, indeed often created, stars of international fame such as James Mason, Catherine Zeta Jones, Alan Whicker, Da...

A first-hand account of World War I by a nineteen-year-old Englishman who led a platoon into the carnage of the Battle of the Somme.While researching his excellent earlier book: Veterans of World War I, author Richard Van Emden encountered a fascinating personality of that long-ago conflict. After witnessing German naval attacks on British civilians, Norman Collins enlisted in the Seaforth Highlanders of the 51st Highland Division, even though he was under ...

Australians have celebrated the Anzacs for nearly a century--but what do we really know of what war did to them? Charles Bean, historian of the citizen soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force, wrote that its history spanned 'the good and the bad'--but so far Australians have only looked at the good.Leading war historian Peter Stanley reveals the citizen soldiers the army regarded as its 'bad characters'. These were men who went absent and deserted, caught or concealed VD, got dru...

From the bestselling author of Destiny of the Republic, this thrilling biographical account of the life and legacy of Winston Churchill is a "nail-biter and top-notch character study rolled into one" (The New York Times).At the age of twenty-four, Winston Churchill was utterly convinced it was his destiny to become prime minister of England. He arrived in South Africa in 1899, valet and crates of vintage wine in tow, to cover the brutal colonial w...