Tim Heald, Princess Margaret: A Life Unravelled. The almost universal conception is that the life of Princess Margaret (1930-2002) was a tragic failure, a history of unfulfilment. Tim Heald’s vivid and elegant biography portrays a woman who was beautiful and sexually alluring – even more so than Princess Diana, years later – and whose reputation … Read more
George Courtauld, The Illustrated Book of Patriotism. Essential British words and deeds, dates and phrases, songs, speeches and commandments from Stonehenge to the present day in one simple book. No judgement, no padding, just the bare bones of our glorious history, brought to life by soul-stirring quotations that still echo down the ages. Presenting complex … Read more
Jeremy Archer, Home for Christmas. A Wartime Anthology. With the notable exception of the Western Front Christmas Truce of 1914, warfare makes few concessions to the festive season. In fact, as Home for Christmas shows, any opportunity to take advantage of a relaxed guard from your enemy appears to have been seized with enthusiasm. Nevertheless, … Read more
Miles MacNair, William James (1771-1837): The man who discovered George Stephenson. William James played a crucial, but largely unremembered role in the development of inland transport in the Industrial Revolution. What set him apart from his better known contemporaries was the scale of his vision and the activities he pursued during his long career; as … Read more
Miles MacNair (ed.), Witness to War. The letters, paintings & photographs of a Naval officer’s wife from Gibraltar, July-August 1936. Ruth Macnair witnessed the opening shots of the Spanish Civil War. Her husband, Ian Macnair, was in command of a destroyer, HMS Shamrock, and he was ordered by the Admiralty to undertake a number of … Read more
Peter Coy, Crack a Culture. This is a ‘do-it-yourself’ plan of action for anyone who wishes to spend up to a year out of the U.K. getting to know another society. Acquiring a deeper knowledge of a European community leaves fewer carbon footprints and is also, probably, a safer option than traipsing around the Far … Read more
Tom, Eels, A Passion for Flying: 8,000 Hours of RAF Flying. Group Captain Tom Eeles served in the RAF for 44 years and totaled over 8000 hours of flying in twenty-eight different aircraft types. Tom entered RAF College Cranwell in 1961, he gained his RAF wings in 1963. His first posting was to No 16 … Read more
Michael Wright, C’est la Folie. One day in late summer, Michael Wright gave up his comfortable South London existence and, with only his long-suffering cat for company, set out to begin a new life. His destination was ‘La Folie’, a dilapidated 15th century farmhouse in need of love and renovation in the heart of rural … Read more
Julian Thompson, Masters of the Battlefield: The World’s Greatest Military Commanders and Their Battles, from Alexander the Great to Norman Schwarzkopf. Written by one of Britain’s most successful commanders, Major General Thompson, whose expert analysis provides a rich commentary on each individual genius, from Alexander the Great to Hannibal, Rommel to MacArthur up to Norman … Read more