The summer of 2022 saw the celebration of the seventieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, the first time in British history that a monarch has reached this remarkable milestone.As the event was the first of its kind to be televised, images from the ceremony inside Westminster Abbey are instantly recognisable. Far less familiar are the scenes in the streets outside, where huge crowds assembled to see a procession of state coaches and historic regiment...

The streetscape of London's historic square mile has been evolving for centuries, but the City's busy commercial heart still boasts an extensive network of narrow passages and alleyways, secret squares and half-hidden courtyards.Using his wealth of local knowledge, historian David Long guides you through these ancient rights of passage – many dating back to medieval times or earlier – their evocative names recalling old taverns, notable individuals and City traditi...

Millions live there, millions more visit each year – but how many really know London?Find out:How New York's famous Central Park came to be modelled on a seventeenth-century London squareWhen Primrose Hill almost gained a pyramid even larger than the Great Pyramid of CheopsWhy about 640 people came to be drowned in the Thames in a single nightWhat the royal family might do to escape London if the balloon ever goes up...

*The Little Book of London *is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium full of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. London's looniest laws, its most eccentric inhabitants, the realities of being royal and literally hundreds of wacky facts about the world's greatest city combine to make it required reading for visitors and locals alike.

The bustling metropolis of London is home to scores of unusual and unique places and spaces. In this feast of peculiarities, author David Long guides you off the beaten path and allows you under the skin of the hidden city that is modern-day London, revealing a new side to the capital you thought you knew.

From land-speed record-breakers to unforgettable rivalries, buckle up for an exhilarating ride through the evolution of motorsport with Blue Peter Award winning author David Long.When automobiles arrived in Britain in the 1890s, Queen Victoria was among the many who thought they were noisy, smelly machines. By 1906, the first Grand Prix was speeding through the French countryside, igniting a global passion for motorsport.From daring land-speed record attemp...

Walk in the footsteps of William the Conqueror with Blue Peter Award winning author David Long, who expertly unearths the captivating history, culture and legacy of the Norman era.In 1066, William the Conqueror led a formidable army across the English Channel, changing the course of British history. Descended from fierce Viking raiders, the Normans became ruthless rulers who built monumental castles, established a new social order and merged their customs with thos...

Many of the world's most famous hats have their origins in Britain; in the Middle Ages there were civil and religious laws requiring hats to be worn and in Victorian Britain a person would no more leave home without a hat than a pair of trousers. It is no surprise that London's oldest surviving shop, Lock and Co., is a hatter. From practical everyday caps and bonnets to military headwear, top hats, and even the coronation crown, hats of all sorts have passed through its do...

People love hearing about a grisly murder; gasping at the gory details, wondering about the motives, deducing who did it. This macabre fascination is nothing new. In the past racehorses, greyhounds and even a ship have been named after some of the most notorious murderers, and it doesn't look like our interest is waning any time soon. London Murders is a unique guidebook that explores the darker side of London's history, pinpointing the exact locations of the bloo...

Why is Henry Ford a giant? Because he put the world on wheels. Henry Ford did not invent the motor car, nor for all the claims did he invent the assembly line or mass production. But more than anyone before or since he is remembered as the man who almost singlehandedly took an expensive contraption of doubtful utility and recast it as a machine which in a real and profound sense changed the world forever. In an industry with many giants – André Citroen, Louis Renault and G...

The West End of London has long been a magnet to those attracted by impressive architecture and grand streets and squares. This detailed book delves deep into its eight distinctive areas, to present the stories behind the façades of buildings old and new, taking the reader down side streets into corners that even Londoners tend to miss to reveal who lived where, and how a whole new London developed to the west of the Roman-walled medieval city to evolve into the gilded 'we...

The PDSA award, named for the charity's founder, animal welfare pioneer Maria Elisabeth Dickin CBE, was created to recognise the increasingly important role being played by regimental and other service mascots, soon expanding to include service animals whose specialised training saw them working alongside men and women on the home and battle fronts, out at sea and eventually even deep into enemy-held territory. The medal quickly became known around the world as the Animals...