Samuel Smiles is best known for his book Self Help (1859), which many have assumed to be an encouragement to social and financial success. However, Smiles actually argued against the single-minded pursuit of success, and in favour of the protean formation of character as the ultimate goal of life.First published in 1987, this book examines Samuel Smiles’ ideals of work and self-help against the background of the Victorian work ethic. Drawing on ‘sub-literature’ such as pam...

More than just a history of the real 'pirates of the Caribbean', Pirates: A History explores piracy from ancient times to the present day, from the bloodthirsty Viking raiders who terrorised northern Europe to the legendary female Chinese pirate of the 1920s, Lai Choi San.In this history we see how thin the line was between a royally chartered privateer and a pirate, most notably epitomised by Francis Drake. Then there were the Renegades: Europeans capture...

Vermont is an angler's paradise, but few pause to consider the past and future impact that conservation has had on trout fishing. Writer, angler and conservationist Tim Traver combines the latest fisheries science with well-seasoned opinions on the storied past, evolving present and hopeful future of this worthy pursuit. Become part of a long-running stewardship and restoration story with a history of success and a challenging future. This is fishing journalism at its best, with stories an...

A study of how the British Army fought on the Western Front during World War I.This books explains why the British Army fought the way it did in the First World War. It integrates social and military history and the impact of ideas to tell the story of how the army, especially the senior officers, adapted to the new technological warfare and asks: Was the style of warfare on the Western Front inevitable?Using an extensive range of unpublished diaries, letters...

The modern image of the pirate is derived from Captain Charles Johnson's accounts of the cut-throats who sailed under the Jolly Roger. It was he who gave mythical status to the likes of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. Using contemporary sources, Nigel Cawthorne now turns the spotlight on the reality of pirate life, revealing the truth behind the legends. It gives us an insight into the men - and women - their weapons, their ships, their unhappy victims and their hide-outs, including the capit...

In AD 793 Norse warriors struck the English isle of Lindisfarne and laid waste to it. Wave after wave of Norse ‘sea-wolves’ followed in search of plunder, land, or a glorious death in battle. Much of the British Isles fell before their swords, and the continental capitals of Paris and Aachen were sacked in turn. Turning east, they swept down the uncharted rivers of central Europe, captured Kiev and clashed with mighty Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.But there is...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Talty’s vigorous history of seventeenth-century pirates of the Caribbean [is] a pleasure to read from bow to stern.”—Entertainment Weekly“In Stephan Talty’s hands, the brilliant Captain Morgan, wicked and cutthroat though he was, proves an irresistible hero. . . . A thrilling and fascinating adventure.”—Caroline Alexander, author of The Endurance and The BountyThe passion and ...

Heres the true story of the British Royal Navys struggle with the greatest pirate gang of all time. Drawing on archives in Great Britain and the United States, award-winning journalist and author Colin Woodard separates fact from fiction, revealing the real motivations and struggles of Blackbeard, Black Sam Bellamy, Calico Jack Rackham, and more.

For thousands of years, pirates have terrorized the ocean voyager and the coastal inhabitant, plundered ship and shore, and wrought havoc on the lives and livelihoods of rich and poor alike. Around these desperate men has grown a body of myths and legends-fascinating tales that today strongly influence our notions of pirates and piracy. Most of these myths derive from the pirates of the Golden Age,” from roughly 1655 to 1725. This was the age of the Spanish Main, of Henry Morgan and Black...

Some people will stop at nothing, not even murder, to keep their secrets hidden...Paul Doherty writes a spellbinding mystery in Spy in Chancery, the third novel to feature his much-loved medieval sleuth, Hugh Corbett. Perfect for fans of Ellis Peters and Robin Hobb.Edward I of England and Philip IV of France are at war. Philip, by devious means, has managed to seize control of the English duchy of Aquitaine in France, and is now de...

A look at what world history might have been like if not for the fall of the Western Roman Empire.This is a fascinating exploration of how the history of Europe, and indeed the world, might have been different if the Western Roman Empire had survived the crises that pulled it apart in the fourth and fifth centuries.The author starts by showing how that survival and recovery might plausibly have happened if several relatively minor things had been different....

After seven years of hard-won peace, a Viking army lands in Wessex and attacks Rochester. Alfred the Great has traitors within the Empire, and two powerful Viking Kings to his north. Nevertheless, he manages to drive out the invaders. He hits back at their sanctuary, and enrages Guthrum of East Anglia. The West Saxons cross the Thames River, decimate the Viking settlements on the northern shore, and seize London. Guthrum gathers his forces and marches south, while Alfred and his army prepa...