Discover the secrets of Roman London with this invaluable and lavishly illustrated travel companion that blends history and self-guided walks to explore all visible Roman remains throughout Greater London. Much more than a simple guidebook, Exploring Roman London is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in the early history of England's capital city. In addition to containing information on every site in London where Roman remains can be seen, the history of the foundation of the ci...

Despite the vast amount of work written and published about London, there has never before been a full-length book covering the history of that part of the Thames Valley before the arrival of the Romans.Beginning in the Cretaceous Era, which ended 66 million years ago, Prehistoric London examines the geology of this part of Britain and explains why this particular section of the Thames proved to be the ideal location for a city. It describes, too, the animals and people who were at...

The little-known true story of rioting and rebellion among British veterans and workers after the end of World War I.On the August Bank Holiday of 1919, the government in London dispatched warships to the northern city of Liverpool in an overwhelming show of force. Thousands of troops, backed by tanks, had been trying without success to suppress disorder on the streets.Earlier that year in London, a thousand soldiers had marched on Downing Street before bei...

Is it true that the trans-Atlantic slave trade, about which so much has been heard in recent years, would have been impossible without the willing and enthusiastic cooperation of African leaders? Slavery was a common practice in Africa long before the arrival of Europeans, with the trade in black slaves, who were transported from Africa to America and the islands of the Caribbean, aided by the African traders who benefited from the arrangement. Even when Europe and America outlawed slavery...

This study of friendly fire on civilians during the London Blitz and the attack on Pearl harbor exposes the unknown horror behind these iconic WWII events.The London Blitz and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor have ascended to the level of myth for Britain and America. Yet both of these artfully constructed narratives of heroic resistance to aerial bombardment conceal the massacre of citizens by the very militaries charged with protecting them.In Britain, t...

A look at the leader and members of the militant Women's Social and Political Union and their contribution to the rise of fascism during the 1930s.Emmeline Pankhurst is seen today as a valiant champion of democracy, but in the 1930s certain prominent former suffragettes were comparing her to Hitler and Mussolini. It was suggested that Mrs. Pankhurst and her Women's Social and Political Union could be viewed as a proto-fascist movement; an idea likely to strike the m...

In the years leading up to the First World War, the United Kingdom was subjected to a ferocious campaign of bombing and arson. Those conducting this terrorist offensive were members of the Women's Social and Political Union; better known as the suffragettes. The targets for their attacks ranged from St Paul's Cathedral and the Bank of England in London to theatres and churches in Ireland. The violence, which included several attempted assassinations, culminated in June 1914 with an explosi...

"Simon Webb's eminently readable book may draw gasps of horror, disbelief, or disdain . . . a mind-blowing and fascinating journey through history." — On: Yorkshire MagazineAll nations and peoples have a body of legendary tales and semi-historical episodes which explain who they are and help to define their place in the world. The British are no exception, and in this book, Simon Webb explores some of the most well-known episodes from British history; stor...

This revealing history explores Britain's use of concentration camps from the Boer War to WWII and the Troubles in Northern Ireland.The term concentration camp will forever be associated with the horrors of Nazi Germany. But the British were the true driving force behind the development of these notorious facilities. During the Boer War, British concentration camps caused the deaths of tens of thousands of children from starvation and disease. In the years after Wor...

Before the Industrial Revolution, everyone lived within short walking distance of their workplace. However, all of this has now changed and many people commute large distances to work, often taking around one hour in each direction. We are now used to being stuck in traffic, crammed onto a train, rushing for connecting trains and searching for parking spaces close to the station or our workplace. Commuters explores both the history and present practice of commuting; examining how it has sh...

Between the beginning of the First World War in the summer of 1914 and the armistice in 1918, 51 men were executed in Britain. The great majority, over 80%, were hanged for murder, but in addition to this, 11 men were shot by firing squad at the Tower of London. One traitor and one spy were also hanged. First World War Trials and Executions tells the story of the most interesting and noteworthy of these executions and the crimes which led up to them.Most books about true c...

There is an ancient and quite baseless myth that the use of torture has never been legal in Britain. This old wives' tale arose because torture had been neither endorsed nor forbidden by either statute or common law. In other words; the law has, until the late twentieth century, never had anything to say on the subject. In fact, torture, inflicted both as punishment and as an aid to interrogation, has been a constant and recurring feature of British life; from the beginning of the country'...