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military, diplomatic and social history of the past 1000 years. It incorporates the use of the panels to handle broader topics significant in shaping the mental worlds within which decisions were taken establishing what was thinkable and what was not in different historical eras. The cartographic content has been redrawn and new maps added and there are a significant number of new entries on major themes like globalisation, environmental issues and international politics since the events of September 11th 2001. More than 60 panels, 35 historical and thematic maps, a concise chronology of world events on inside front covers and at a whopping over 2" thick and 978 pages, this is a one-of-a-kind reference, now at less than half price for the first time. £30 NOW £12.50


72720 INSIDE DICKENS LONDON


by Michael Paterson “Fog everywhere”: Dickens’s descriptions of London are among the most powerful in literature, and this fascinating book draws on the bustle, commerce, cruelty, fog and dirt which permeates every novel Dickens wrote. “Pale and pinched faces hovered about the windows”: the population of London doubled in


the first half of the 19th century and prostitution, child labour and slum tenements proliferated. Dickens was a keen observer of injustice and poverty, and he was writing when philanthropic organisations were beginning to address deprivation, for instance the Salvation Army and Dr Barnardo’s. Although there were public hangings and bear-baitings, there were also many people who condemned them. Henry Mayhew’s research published in 1851 gave an impetus to social reformers and George Augustus Sala is a witty observer who supplies many descriptions in this book, together with the German tourist Max Schlesinger. Then as now London was a cosmopolitan city, with substantial Irish and Jewish communities and a small black ethnic group, many of them sailors. Entertainment was wide-ranging and exotic, and transport was mainly by horse with a corresponding strong smell in the streets. In 1858 a scheme of public sanitation got under way, and the vogue for tunnelling continued with the first lines of the London Underground. 351pp. £9.99 NOW £5


71632 THUCYDIDES: The Reinvention of History by Donald Kagan


Thucydides was the first truly modern interpreter of past events. His sceptical rationalism placed a new emphasis on accuracy and objectivity, and in so doing set the standard for historians for two and a half millennia. But who was Thucydides? It turns out that, far from presenting an unbiased account of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides was a self-conscious revisionist and often a polemicist. His interpretations of some of the war’s central episodes - the Megarian Decree, the strategies of Pericles, the question of whether Athens was a true democracy and the fatal Sicilian expedition - were in fact arguments for his own agenda, presented with a masterly methodology that often successfully hid their true aims. 257 pages with maps. $26.95 NOW £6


72158 DISCOVERING


ANTIQUE MAPS by Alan Hodgkiss


A perennial bestseller, first published in 1971. It begins with a discussion of two contrasting facets of map design - the topographical detail and the decorative treatment of features such as the cartouche, border and scale. This is followed by an outline of the earliest forms of cartography and an account of early printed maps from c.1500. Regional


mapping in Britain from 1570 to the early days of the Ordnance Survey is dealt with chronologically. Plus town plans, route maps, marine charts, and finally mapmaking from tapestry to mosaic maps. 120pp in illustrated paperback. £6.99 NOW £3


71851 COSMETICS AND PERFUMES IN THE


ROMAN WORLD by Susan Stewart Covering the 300 years from the writings of Ovid to the Price Edict of Diocletian, the perception of the use of these aids to beauty is thoroughly investigated. Mulberry juice was applied not only as rouge but also as a mouthwash, and the root of the plant cinquefoil was boiled down and used to treat halitosis. Strong-smelling substances such as southernwood were used for cleaning wounds while rose perfume was used both as a deodorant and a laxative. 160 paperback pages, illus, price list and index of Latin words. £16.99 NOW £4.50


71901 EMPIRE: What Ruling the World Did to the British by Jeremy Paxman


The influence of the British Empire is everywhere, from the very existence of the United Kingdom to the ethnic makeup of our cities. Paxman brings the triumph and disaster, comedy and tragedy of Empire brilliantly to life, as only he can. From the selection of colonial officers to the life of the successful candidate’s wife - “to grasp the fleeting moment between toughness and putrefaction when the joint [of meat] may possibly prove eatable” and from the importance of sport to the crazy mission of General Gordon (“courageous, self-reliant and slightly loopy”) to Khartoum and his subsequent gruesome death. 356 page paperback, map and illus. £14.99 NOW £6


71303 DISCOVERING HERALDRY by Jacqueline Fearn


This Shire publication is written by an expert who has researched into the romance, art and practicalities of the granting, designing and reading of coats of arms. Illustrated with brass rubbings, ecclesiastical arms, city arms like the City of London, shields and heraldry in other countries. Fully illus, 96 page small paperback. £5.99 NOW £2.50


71589 COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROYAL BRITAIN by Charles Phillips


A magnificent heavyweight study of Britain’s royal heritage with a directory of royalty and over 120 of the most important historic buildings described. Paintings, photographs, drawings, family trees and maps illustrate the story of royalty in Britain from the legend of King Arthur and the mystery of the Princes in the Tower to the Abdication Crisis of 1936 up to today. More than 100 biographies are included including rulers of Scotland as well as pretenders to the throne, usurpers and regents. The second part of the book focuses on 120 fine buildings from Caernarvon Castle and the Tower of London, Leeds Castle and Buckingham Palace. Glossy pages, over


1,000 colour illus, 512pp.


ONLY £6


71962 COUNTRY HOUSE KITCHEN 1650- 1900 Second Edition


edited by Pamela Sambrook and Peter Brears This extended second edition of a classic work is a must for anyone interested in food, history or country houses, or indeed all three. From brewing and baking through to distilling, working in the dairy and even ice-storage, this informative volume offers an intimate look at the ingenuity and creativity that kept these kitchens running smoothly. It also explores the evolution of the kitchen range, cooking techniques, vessels and gadgets, and the kitchen staff who used them, as well as the relationship between kitchen, servery and dining room. 262 paperback pages 17.5cm x 25cm, illus. £12.99 NOW £4.75


72226 VICTORIAN CARTES DE VISITE by Robin and Carol Wichard


!


In the early 1860s the craze for collecting Cartes-de- Visite photographs, often referred to as Cartomania, was at its peak. Enough remain to provide an opportunity to collect at relatively little cost. Here is a super introduction to the vast range of subjects recorded by early photographers, like children’s and adult clothing, crumbling ruined castles ravaged by ivy, a beautiful study of a stream and waterfall, royal visits, memorials, celebrities like Dickens and Lincoln. 104 page paperback, well illus. £7.99 NOW £3.50


72236 OLD STONE MONUMENTS IN ALL COUNTRIES: Their Age and Uses by James Fergusson


Originally titled Rude Stone Monuments, this highly illustrated text, first published in 1872, is a classic study of megaliths around the world, and includes examples, many now long gone, not only from India, Ceylon, North Africa and Europe but also from Western Asia, North America, Central America and Peru. Relates to the origin and purpose of the many ancient mounds and monuments to be found in almost every country. 559 paperback pages in facsimile reprint with 234 b/w illustrations and three appendices: Glens Columbkills and Malin, Oden’s Howe, Upsala and Antiquities of Caithness. ONLY £3.50


72299 MORALITY AND CUSTOM IN ANCIENT GREECE by John M. Dillon


This thoughtful and most entertaining book reveals the practical outcomes of ancient Greek beliefs and literature, and how, in the customs and habits of people who lived 2,500 years ago, the strange and the familiar are mixed. How did the ancient Greeks behave towards each other? How did husbands treat their wives, parents and children? What were the rights enjoyed and the perils faced by a courtesan? What were the obligations of love and friendship between men and men, men and women, and men and boys? All these questions and many more are answered. The author shows how slaves were to be treated and what it was like to be a slave or a slave’s child. He asks how, when and why duties to the gods were fulfilled. In each chapter there are discussions about works of literature, history and philosophy. 217 paperback pages, line drawings, map. $24.95 NOW £6


72701 AMAZING AND EXTRAORDINARY


FACTS: Kings and Queens by Malcolm Day A fascinating compilation of trivia, we learn how the Trojan Brutus may have been Britain’s first Jew, that King Mulmutius might have made Britain’s first laws, the early town planner of London, Lud, asks if Constantine the Great had a British grandfather and if could it have been Old King Cole. How did a shooting star spell the end of Saxon England, Henry II and his turbulent priest, civilised Henry III loses touch, Edward I expels Jews and prostitutes, England’s nine day queen, Mary I’s popularity turns sour without an heir, right through to stuttering Bertie becoming the people’s champion and to today’s Queen who first addressed the nation at the tender age of 14. Line art, 144pp. £9.99 NOW £4


71304 DISCOVERING LOCAL HISTORY


by David Iredale and John Barrett Two professional archivists help the observant visitor and sensitive resident to recognise aspects of local history in the distinctive place-names, customs, architecture, environment and community of every town and parish. Local history is discovered through printed books, local records, national archives, museum collections, newspapers, pictures, maps and of course the vigorous memories of local folk. From the Romans to Vikings 410-865, the Middle Ages to the modern era, and the use of the Internet to assist, this is a superb grounding in 248 page very well illustrated softback. £10.99 NOW £4.50


70877 BLOOD SPORT: Hunting in Britain Since 1066 by Emma Griffin


The story of foxhunting in the 20th century encapsulates the history of hunting in England over the past millennium with its endless adaptations to a changing environment and ad hoc responses to the demands of a more complex society. Wild boar and wolves were early victims of over-zealous hunting and disappeared some time in the 15th century from Britain. From Ancient Greece and Egypt, the Norman Conquest and the passing of the Hunting with Dogs Act of 2004, this is a long and colourful history. 283pp in paperback. £14.99 NOW £3


70882 SPLENDID ISOLATION: Art of Easter Island by Eric Kjellgren


Published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Yale University Press for a 2001-2 exhibition, this is a rare imported catalogue. Perhaps no images in Oceanic art are as familiar and yet as enigmatic as the colossal, brooding stone figures of Easter Island. In many ways they are the quintessential symbols of Pacific Island art and culture. Here is a broad survey from the towering stone figures to smaller, more refined works in wood, feathers, fibre and barkcloth, revealing the true richness of artistic expression in Polynesia. Beautifully photographed, many in colour. 80 page outsize softback. £10.99 NOW £4


71186 EXCELLENCE IN ACTION: A Portrait of the Guards edited by Rupert Uloth


The Household Cavalry comprises the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals, and the Foot Guards is made up of the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards. The first section includes a timeline of important events in the Guards’ history, pictures from the Trooping of the Colour and the Queen’s Birthday Parade, as well as a special feature on the Crimean War and Guards’ treasures and artefacts. Section two provides a richly detailed history and factfile of each of the seven regiments. The third section makes a more detailed examination of the Guards in action from 1945 up to Iraq and the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Section four, Guards on Parade, is full of the pomp and pageantry you would expect. Plus a look at famous ex-guardsmen. 500 photos. 208pp, 10¼” × 12¼”. £39.50 NOW £13


71314 WATERMILLS by Martin Watts


Another wonderfully specific publication from Shire written by the curator of Worsbrough Mill Museum, South Yorkshire. Watermills were once commonplace but, because of their domestic scale and their often picturesque waterside locations, many have now lost their original wheels and


machinery and the building have been converted to other uses. Understanding the history and development of watermills as working buildings thus forms an important aspect of a wider appreciation of the economic and social development of Britain in the middle of the 18th century and the use of natural sources of power. 64 page paperback, colour photos, line art. £5.99 NOW £3


70537 ENGLAND’S SEA FISHERIES: The Commercial Sea Fisheries of England and Wales Since 1300 edited by David J. Starkey, Chris Reid and Neil Ashcroft


Since time immemorial, fish and fishermen have played the most fundamental role in the provision of food in England and Wales, and this definitive work reaches to the heart of every aspect of the nation’s fisheries. Fishing has always been a complex human activity and its story involves myriad themes: seafood and diet, the curing and preservation of fish and its distribution, fish farming - from monastic institutions to the modern hi-tech methods and aquaculture - boats and gear, catching methods, the social structures of fishing communities, the Missions to deep-sea fishermen, the development of harbours and docks, fish protection against the background of ecological collapse, and the fishermen’s skills set against such a dangerous occupation. 272 pages 25cm x 29.5cm, photos. £35 NOW £11


71427 REVOLUTIONARIES: Inventing and


American Nation by Jack Rakove Rakove is concerned with the competing views of politics, war, diplomacy and society that shape the very idea of an American nation from 1772-1792. Here is fresh insight into Washington as a flawed tactician but expert manager, Jack Laurens as a slave trader’s son who developed a plan to recruit black soldiers, Jefferson as a powerful critic of Europe’s social order but a voracious consumer of its culture. We see Madison, Hamilton, Adams and others before they were fully formed leaders. 487pp. £20 NOW £5


71333 COWBOY: The Illustrated History by Richard Slatta


Slatta looks at the famed equestrians from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, China, France, Spain, Columbia and Venezuela and examines how the US frontiersmen adopted and adapted their methods and skills to create the distinctive all-American cowboy in his various guises - trail-driver, rancher, horse breeder and gun-for-hire. Hundreds of archive photos plus a selection of contemporary images take you on the trail. 206pp in luxuriously produced 9" × 11" softback.


$17.95 NOW £5


History 21


71966 BRITAIN’S ROYAL HERITAGE: An A to Z of the


Monarchy by Marc Alexander An encyclopaedic work on every aspect of monarchy in Britain, from semi-legendary times to the present day. Arranged in a convenient A-Z format, with many cross references, it contains mini biographies on each of the 42 kings and queens who have ruled since the Norman Conquest, and also


provides details of the royal lines in Scotland before the Act of Union, the background to the royal houses of Britain, and the consorts - largely foreign - who have married into the monarchy, as well as a mine of other information. Here, from King Athelstan in AD 825 to our own Queen Elizabeth II, are the royal scandals, the wars, the ceremonies, the households, the tombs and insignia - even the royal pets and needlework. 372 paperback pages 17.5cm x 25cm lavishly illus in colour. £14.99 NOW £5


71480 BURY THE CHAINS: Prophets and


Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves by Adam Hochschild


This is the gripping telling of that brilliantly organised campaign, which began in May 1797 with 12 men, including a printer, a lawyer and a clergyman with a common revulsion of slavery. The campaign’s leaders pioneered a variety of techniques from consumer boycotts to wall posters and from lapel badges to celebrity endorsement. William Wilberforce is nowadays credited with the abolition of slavery, but this deft chronicle of the anti-slavery crusade shows that this human rights watershed was much more than the work of just one man. Hochschild relates the unimaginable fate of captured slaves from firsthand sources. Illus, 467pp paperback. $16 NOW £3.50


71481 CONVERSATION: A History of a


Declining Art by Stephen Miller In the 20th century, the possibility of conversation has been questioned by many novelists and thinkers who state that what we say is shaped mainly by subconscious passions or by ideas that enter our psyche subliminally. Writers in the 18th century said that conversation promoted psychological health and intellectual development and several writers argued that there was a correlation between political stability and the extent of what Hume called the ‘Conversable World’. From its beginnings in Ancient Greece to today. 336pp in paperback.


£12.99 NOW £3.50


71496 MAKING HASTE FROM BABYLON: The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World: A New History by Nick Bunker


Here is a lively retelling of the Pilgrim Fathers’ story as the author delves into the byways of how the voyage of 1620 came to be, and how the pilgrims managed to survive. Two years later, as the Pilgrims prepared to sail across the Atlantic on board the Mayflower, the atmosphere was still charged with fear. Men and women readied themselves for war, pestilence or divine retribution. They were entrepreneurs as well as evangelicals, political radicals as well as Christian idealists. Within a decade, despite crisis and catastrophe, they had built a thriving settlement at New Plymouth, based on beaver fur, corn and cattle. From mercantile London and the rural England of Queen Elizabeth and King James to the mountains and rivers of Maine, the author combines religion, politics, money, science and the sea. 489 pages with maps and illus. £25 NOW £7.50


71509 SHAKESPEARE’S ENGLAND Life in Elizabethan and Jacobean Times by R. E. Pritchard


A fascinating picture of the age, with a selection of lively accounts taken from books, plays, poems, letters, diaries and pamphlets by and about Shakespeare’s contemporaries. The extracts, carefully modernised, are organised thematically. You will find observations and acute comments on life in country and town, theatre- going, May Day celebrations, the court and Queen Elizabeth, the place of women, education, clothes, food, drink and religion. King James I comments caustically on the evils of tobacco, and John Donne meditates soulfully on prayer and death. 269 paperback pages, illus. £9.99 NOW £4.50


71515 THE BATTLE FOR CHRISTENDOM: The Council of Constance the East-West Conflict


and the Dawn of Modern Europe by Frank Welsh


In 1938, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s dismissal of Hitler’s threat to Czechoslovakia as ‘a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing’ was thought by some to be disgraceful. The author sets out to prove that the Council was, in fact, a turning point. At the beginning of the 15th century, Islam invaded Europe from the East and it was obvious that Christendom was under threat. The burning of the Czech divine, Jan Hus, was also the opening salvo of the Reformation. The story rises to a crescendo on the battlements of Constantinople in 1453 where, despite all of Sigismund’s former attempts to repel the Ottomans, Islam took up the challenge. 283 pages, illus and maps. $27.95 NOW £5


71582 AA EXPLORING BRITAIN’S CASTLES edited by Donna Wood


British castles tended to come in two basic types - the fortified enclosure and the fortified tower - and sometimes a combination of both. Castles like Framlingham in Suffolk and Dunstanburgh in Northumberland comprise strong walls with towers forming an enclosure. But who did they protect? Who undertook the colossal enterprise of their building? Our book paints a vivid picture of the kings, queens and feudal lords and ladies, the owners and the builders. Opening times and directions, beautiful colour photos and arranged by region including Scotland and the Borders with its dramatic scenery. 224 very large pages. £20 NOW £6


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