Histories of the Unexpected not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the world around us as never before.Traditionally, the Vikings have been understood in a straightforward way - but the period really comes alive if you take an unexpected approach to its history. Yes, ships, raiding and trade have a fascinating history... but so too do hair, break-ins, toys, teeth, mischief, luck and silk!Each of these subjects is equally f...

Histories of the Unexpected not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the world around us as never before.Traditionally, the Romans have been understood in a straightforward way but the period really comes alive if you take an unexpected approach to its history. Yes, emperors, the development of civilisation and armies all have a fascinating history... but so too do tattoos, collecting, fattening, recycling, walking, poison, fish, in...

A fascinating naval perspective on one of the greatest of all historical conundrums: How did thirteen isolated colonies, which in 1775 began a war with Britain without a navy or an army, win their independence from the greatest naval and military power on earth?The American Revolution involved a naval war of immense scope and variety, including no fewer than twenty-two navies fighting on five oceans—to say nothing of rivers and lakes. In no other war were so many l...

Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES- Why was the Battle of the Nile so decisive in the French Revolutionary Wars?- Why did the French believe they were unassailable?- And why did Nelson and the British win?TRACK the revolutionary roots and dramatic turning points of the British Royal Navy's glorious victory over the French naval expedition to Egypt. From Napoleon's rise to prominence to Nelson's celebrated tactical leadership, discover ...

Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES'Packs plenty of heft into its slender page count' HISTORY REVEALED- Why was the Battle of Trafalgar such an important British victory in the Napoleonic Wars?- How did the British fleet show their strength against the French and Spanish?- How did Nelson excel in his final battle?FOLLOW the daring strategy and brilliant leadership of Horatio Nelson in Britain's stunning triump...

Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES.____________Why did the Spanish launch their Armada on England?How did Francis Drake counter the Spanish threat?And why were so many ships lost at sea?In 1585 Spain was the most POWERFUL Empire in the known world.As tensions between PROTESTANT England and CATHOLIC Spain rose . . .SPAIN decided to INVADE ENGLAND.And launched the SPANISH ARMADAT...

'History as you've never seen it before.' Dan Snow'A wonderful, eclectic and entertaining history of everything, full of fascinating, surprising stories.' Suzannah LipscombDid you know that the history of the beard is connected to the Crimean War; that the history of paperclips is all about the Stasi; and that the history of bubbles is all about the French Revolution? And who knew that Heinrich Himmler, Tutankhamun and the history of needlewo...

Histories of the Unexpected not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the world around us as never before.Traditionally, the Tudors have been understood in a straightforward way but the period really comes alive if you take an unexpected approach to its history. Yes, Tudor monarchs, exploration and religion have a fascinating history... but so too does cannibalism, shrinking, bells, hats, mirrors, monsters, faces, letter-writing and accidents...

Histories of the Unexpected not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the world around us as never before.Traditionally, World War II has been understood in a straightforward way but the period really comes alive if you take an unexpected approach to its history. Yes, battles, bombs and bravery all have a fascinating history... but so too do handkerchiefs, furniture, Mozart, insects, blood, mothers, suicide, darkness, cancer and pupp...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2013 MARITIME MEDIA AWARDSBetween 1794 and 1815 the Royal Navy repeatedly crushed her enemies at sea in a period of military dominance that equals any in history.When Napoleon eventually died in exile, the Lords of the Admiralty ordered that the original dispatches from seven major fleet battles - The Glorious First of June (1794), St Vincent (1797), Camperdown (1797), The Nile (1798), Copenhagen (1801), Trafalgar (1805) and San Domingo ...

LONGLISTED FOR THE HESSELL TILTMAN PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE MEDIA MARITIME AWARDSSHORTLISTED FOR THE MILITARY HISTORY MONTHLY BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDWith a cast of swaggering swashbuckling characters, The Struggle for Sea Power charts the greatest war in the age of sail.For the first time, Sam Willis offers a fascinating naval perspective to one of the greatest of all historical conund...

Shipwrecks have captured our imagination for centuries. Here acclaimed historian Sam Willis traces the astonishing tales of ships that have met with disastrous ends, along with the ensuing acts of courage, moments of sacrifice and episodes of villainy that inevitably occurred in the extreme conditions. Many were freak accidents, and their circumstances so extraordinary that they inspired literature: the ramming of the Essex by a sperm whale was immortalized in Herman Melville's