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New Arrivals

Browse all New Arrivals (100 products)

British Town Maps
A History
Roger JP Kain; Richard R Oliver
Towns are complex, sophisticated creations that have stretched cartographers' ingenuity to new heights. Lavishly illustrated in colour, this book tells the story of the mapping of urban Britain from the late Middle Ages until modern times. Some of the maps it reproduces are well known, while others languished in archives until revealed by the 20 years of research on which this project, and the accompanying online Catalogue of British Town Maps, is founded.
£30.00
now£12.99
Ireland
The Struggle for Power, From the Dark Ages to the Jacobites
Jeffrey James
Beginning with the era of warring Celtic tribes and legendary heroes such as Cuchulainn, Queen Maeve of Connaught and Finn McCool, this study traces Ireland's early history of conflict and invasion. It shows how invading Vikings, Anglo-Normans, English and Scots shaped Irish social, political and military history in the centuries of struggle that culminated in the decisive defeat of the Jacobite armies by William of Orange at the battles of the Boyne and Aughrim.
£20.00
now£9.99
The Tradition
A New History of Welsh Art
Peter Lord
Peter Lord presents a history of Welsh visual culture over five centuries, from the Renaissance to the end of the 20th century, showing how Welsh art developed in a national context and how the country itself was transformed from the Glyndwr Rebellion, through the industrial revolution to the eve of devolution. The text is illustrated with some 400 paintings, prints and sculptures, from anonymous 15th century wall paintings to works by 20th century artists including Gwen John, David Jones and Alfred Janes.
£50.00
now£25.00
The Cabaret of Plants
Botany and the Imagination
Richard Mabey
Experiments undertaken to discover why the leaves of Mimosa pudica fold up on contact appeared to reveal that the plant has the capacity to learn and remember whether a disturbance can be safely ignored. Such investigations are the stuff of this celebration of plant life by the acclaimed nature writer Richard Mabey. From prehistoric cave art to discoveries of startling tropical plants in the 19th century, Mabey explores the bewildering variety and complexity of plants and our relationship with them.
£20.00
now£7.99
Paved with Gold
Discovering the West End of London
David Long
This book surveys the architecture, history and institutions of the engine room of one of the most dynamic cities on Earth. Each of the eight distinctive areas that make up the West End is covered in depth: Mayfair, St James's, Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury, Soho, Covent Garden, Westminster and Belgravia, set out street-by-street in alphabetical order to make the book easy to search. There are telling anecdotes in the lively text, and hundreds of photographs including those reproduced in the 16-page colour section.
£20.00
now£5.99
Southwold
An Earthly Paradise
Geoffrey Munn
The Suffolk town of Southwold is a nostalgic place of childhood memories and colourful beach huts. It has attracted artists and writers for centuries, and inspired William Morris to write his epic poem The Earthly Paradise. Illustrated with hundreds of paintings, this collection of essays, first published in 2006, takes the reader through the town's evolution from a medieval fishing community, prosperous enough to build a magnificent church, to its modern role as a popular yet unspoilt holiday destination. Revised edition.
£29.95
now£16.99
Philip's Glow-in-the-Dark Planisphere
For Latitude 51.5 Degrees N
Philip's
A practical tool for the young astronomer, and suitable for use in the British Isles, Northern Europe, northern USA and Canada, the planisphere makes it possible to learn the position of the stars (down to magnitude 5) that are visible at specific hours throughout the year and to work out the times of sunrise and sunset. Its plastic wallet also contains step-by-step instructions for setting it correctly, making it glow and getting your bearings at night. Age 7+
£12.99
now£5.99
The World for a King
Pierre Desceliers' Map of 1550
Chet Van Duzer
One of the greatest treasures in the British Library is the world map made by the Norman cartographer Pierre Desceliers for Henri II. This magnificent volume from the author of Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps reproduces the entire map in 42 actual-size sections. The accompanying commentary puts the map in its historical context; analyses its many illustrations of people, animals and cities; and translates its descriptive texts. A reduced-size removable reproduction of the whole map is included.
£50.00
now£19.99
Pleasures of the Garden
A Literary Anthology
Christina Hardyment
For Sir Francis Bacon it was 'the purest of human pleasures' and the love of the garden and gardening is the first theme of this beautifully illustrated anthology, presenting prose and poetry ranging from Diodorus Siculus' description of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to Edward Thomas's lines in praise of bonfire smoke. Following 'Lovers of Gardens' the book explores three more themes: garden design; the practical business of gardening; and the ways in which gardens and gardening offer solace to the soul.
£20.00
now£7.99
A Very British Revolution
150 Years of John Lewis
Jonathan Glancy
From catering for Victorian mourners with 50 shades of black fabric in its first shop in Oxford Street in the 1860s, to 12 million YouTube viewings of its Christmas ad for 2013, this is a 150-year retailing success story. Jonathan Glancy looks back over John Lewis's history, describing its roots in drapery and fabrics, the radical partnership structure set up in 1929, its architecturally distinguished flagship stores, the success of the online store and its future plans - more shops.
£25.00
now£7.99
Pleasures of Nature
A Literary Anthology
Christina Hardyment
Pliny the Elder's description of the struggle between elephants and dragons may not have had hard evidence to back it up, but most of the literary responses to nature in this collection are the result of writers' personal observations. From George Orwell's thoughts on the common toad to DH Lawrence's 'green fires' of spring, the selections include poetry, diary entries, extracts from novels and scientific observations from the likes of Wordsworth, Milton and Virginia Woolf.
£12.99
now£4.99
Discovering Scotland's Lost Railways
Julian Holland
Railway closures were underway in Scotland from the 1930s as remote lines built in the 19th century proved uneconomical. The 1963 Beeching Report recommended further cuts, and by the end of the 1960s large parts of the country were without a service. This exploration of forgotten railways, first published in 2009, traces 12 routes, mixing archive images of the lines in operation with contemporary photographs of what remains of the stations, bridges, signalling and other lineside equipment.
£30.00
now£14.99
Elfrida
The First Crowned Queen of England
Elizabeth Norton
The kings of Anglo-Saxon England were reluctant to allow a woman to sit beside them on the throne; when Elfrida shared her husband Edgar's coronation at Bath in 973, she broke the mould. A powerful queen, she ruthlessly disposed of rivals in pursuit of the crown for her son, Ethelred the Unready. In this first biography of Elfrida, Norton asks whether she really was the black-hearted woman who murdered King Edward the Martyr, her stepson, to make way for Ethelred.
£9.99
now£4.99
Human Universe
Brian Cox
Who are we, and why are we here? In the beautifully illustrated book of their BBC Two series Professor Cox and his Executive Producer Andrew Cohen tackle some of the biggest questions that humans have asked about the past, present and future of our species. They follow the intellectual journeys that led to discoveries about gravity, relativity and the Big Bang, then track down the earliest evidence for life on Earth and reflect on our quest to learn whether we are truly alone in the cosmos.
£25.00
now£9.99
The Atlas of Military History
An Around-the-World Survey of Warfare Through the Ages
Amanda Lomazoff; Aaron Ralby
Evidence from the earliest societies shows that rival groups were fighting each other at the dawn of human civilization. This comprehensive and well-illustrated reference work charts the significant conflicts in world history, examining the battles that shaped the early political formation of Asia, Central and South America, Africa and Europe as well as the more familiar touchstones - from the conquests of Caesar and the Crusades to the campaigns of Napoleon and the Vietnam War. Slightly off-mint.
now£16.99
The Spanish Armada
Robert Hutchinson
In a compelling, blow-by-blow narrative, Hutchinson follows the 125 ships sent by Philip II of Spain to invade Protestant England, and the response of Elizabeth I's navy. He describes the skirmishes in the Channel, actions at Calais and Gravelines, and the Armada's subsequent destruction on the Irish coast, but also explores less well-known aspects of the failed invasion - the lack of enthusiasm for the fight within England and the intense intelligence war. The appendices include orders of battle for both fleets.
$32.99
now£7.99
Who Betrayed the Jews?
The Realities of Nazi Persecution in the Holocaust
Agnes Grunwald-Spier
In The Other Schindlers Agnes Grunwald-Spier wrote of the many unsung individuals who helped the Jews during the Nazi persecution; in this study she uncovers the individuals and groups who betrayed them. Quoting extensively from survivors' accounts, and in sometimes shocking detail, she examines betrayals made for ideology or greed, but also the 'commercial betrayals' by the railway companies who transported Jews and the industries that used forced labour, and the betrayals made in fear and desperation.
£30.00
now£7.99
Ministers At War
Winston Churchill and His Cabinet
Jonathan Schneer
In this study of Winston Churchill and the small group of men - the 'team of rivals' - that he chose to help him guide Britain through the grave crisis it faced in May 1940, Schneer examines Churchill's leadership and the relations between the War Cabinet ministers - among them Eden, Beaverbrook, Bevin, Attlee, Morrison and Stafford Cripps. He also looks beyond the war to the Cabinet's response to public expectations after six years of hardship - domestic issues which demanded a new kind of leadership.
£20.00
now£7.99
A Likely Tale, Lad
Laughs and Larks Growing Up in the 1970s
Mike Pannett
In this endearing memoir a former police officer who appeared in the 2005 BBC series Country Cops recalls his 1970s childhood in the North Yorkshire countryside. In retrospect, it seems to him like a perpetual summer: the family setting off on holiday in his dad's Morris Traveller, its roof-rack piled high; bicycle adventures and boyish pranks; fishing and football; jam sandwiches and pop - all set amid the idyllic landscape of God's Own County peopled with larger-than-life characters.
£14.99
now£6.99
Arbella Stuart
The Uncrowned Queen
Jill Armitage
Lady Arbella Stuart, cousin to both Elizabeth I and James VI of Scotland, was a woman whose parents' marriage had been orchestrated to provide an heir to the English throne. Raised by her grandmother, Bess of Hardwick, Arbella lived in the shadow and at the mercy of Elizabeth. This study focuses on her lineage, life and legacy, revealing a well-educated woman, desperate to control her own destiny, but ultimately powerless against the politics and intrigue of the Tudor court.
£20.00
now£9.99

Bestsellers

Browse all Bestsellers (100 products)

The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being
Evolution and the Making of Us
Alice Roberts
Lauded by Richard Dawkins, this book from the anatomist, anthropologist and presenter Alice Roberts takes a tour of the human body to track the evolutionary story told by different parts of our anatomy. From the tiny probability that a particular sperm will fertilize a particular egg to the unique flexibility of our thumbs - vital for making and using stone tools - she explains how millions of years of evolution have left their mark on the way human embryos develop.
$24.99
now£7.99
Early Japanese Railways, 1853-1914
Engineering Triumphs that Transformed Meiji-era Japan
Dan Free
Illustrated with a remarkable collection of maps, old photographs, paintings and woodblock prints, this history of the early railways in Japan also illuminates the country's social and cultural history during the 19th and early 20th centuries. After describing Japan in its isolation from the West before 1853, Dan Free traces in detail the introduction of railway technology and the growth of the network up to nationalization in 1912-14. Finally the appendices list railway companies, their locomotives, liveries and crests (shamon).
£62.00
now£16.99
Dog Soldiers
Love, Loyalty and Sacrifice on the Front Line
Isabel George
Specially trained sniffer dogs play a vital role in bomb detection in the British Army; this book tells the story of two such animals, killed in action alongside their handlers, Lance Corporals Kenneth Rowe and Liam Tasker, in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2011. Told through the words of family, friends and colleagues, and letters home from the soldiers, the book describes the bond between dog and handler and the courageous work they undertook together.
£12.99
now£4.99
Bad English
A History of Linguistic Aggravation
Ammon Shea
'Our language is a glorious hodge-podge that is the result of invasion, exploration, linguistic inventiveness and, yes, simple error.' Those errors, or perceived errors, how they originated and how they have developed is the subject of Ammon Shea's book. Rather than a prescriptive guide to the elusive 'proper English', Shea discusses 'cherished linguistic peeves' such as verbs used as nouns, split infinitives and ain't, and shows how English takes mistakes and changing usage in its stride.
£21.00
now£4.99
Garden of Desires
The Evolution of Women's Sexual Fantasies
Emily Dubberley
Before Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden was published in 1973, the idea that women might have sexual fantasies was stifled by society, media and the medical establishment; today, novels such as Fifty Shades of Grey speak openly of female sexual fantasy. Presenting evidence from a survey of more than 400 women, this book identifies the desires that drive the 21st-century imagination, explores how published erotica has developed in recent decades and addresses abiding myths about female sexuality. Sexually explicit.
£10.99
now£5.99
Junk DNA
A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome
Nessa Carey
Only 2 per cent of our DNA contains the codes to produce proteins, so for many years scientists assumed that the rest of the genome was simply 'junk'. However, modern research is finally identifying the many vital functions performed by these 'dark' regions. In this book Carey introduces the most significant insights, with clear explanations for the general reader, and looks forward to the opportunities they provide for revolutionary developments in the treatment of a range of medical conditions.
£18.99
now£6.99
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome
Nigel Rogers
The first half of this accessible history highlights the people and political processes behind Rome's gradual growth from its origins as a small Iron Age settlement; the second focuses on the Roman army's training and organization, and the campaigns in which it responded to the series of military crises that eventually brought the empire to an end. More than 470 illustrations complement the text - maps and diagrams illustrating key battles, as well as photographs showing ancient artefacts and archaeological sites.
now£8.99
Catholicism
A Complete Introduction
Peter Stanford
This updated overview of the largest branch of Christianity by the author of Judas (224535) is structured around discussions of the history of the faith, its modern manifestations and Church teachings and traditions. The book also highlights the impact of the election of Pope Francis in 2013 and the changing position of women. Each chapter ends with a multiple-choice quiz to test your understanding. Teach Yourself series.
£12.99
now£3.99
Voices of Colditz
Handwritten Accounts by Allied Officers Inside Oflag IV-C
Peter Clay
During the Second World War, within the walls of the Colditz POW camp, a blank notebook was passed among the prisoners for them to write down their wartime experiences. This volume reproduces the original pencil-written pages in facsimile, as well as including transcripts, together with sketches and poems. The stories, some of them now famous through books, films and television, report a variety of events including land, sea and air battles and tales of incarceration and escape.
£25.00
now£9.99
East Yorkshire Village Visits
Martin Limon
There are 31 studies of some of the East Riding's most interesting communities in this survey, based on the author's articles in the county magazine The Journal and illustrated with many period photographs. Each essay discusses the village's notable architecture, especially churches and domestic buildings, as well as its social history. There are personal stories, including the experiences of the names on war memorials, and quotes from modern residents about more recent times.
£14.99
now£6.99
The Great Gatsby
F Scott Fitzgerald
The story of the newly rich and enigmatic Jay Gatsby, living in luxury in his Long Island mansion, captures the flamboyance, carelessness and cruelty of the wealthy during America's Jazz Age.
£7.99
now£2.99
Revolution on Paper
Mexican Prints 1910-1960
Dawn Ades; Alison McClean
Published to accompany a British Museum exhibition, this catalogue explores the artistic explosion that followed the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20, and found its most direct expression in printmaking. Essays by Ades and McClean and the detailed discussions of 100 prints and posters, including works by Posada, Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros, are followed by concise biographies of the artists, a chronology and a glossary of printmaking terms. With a preface by Neil MacGregor.
£25.00
now£5.99
Breakfast with Lucian
Geordie Greig
Geordie Greig, the editor of The Mail on Sunday and, previously, Tatler, has interviewed most major living artists. As a close friend of Lucian Freud (1922-2011) he is well placed to deliver an insider's account of this enigmatic, uncompromising but hugely talented painter. Based on regular private conversations with the artist and interviews with his lovers, children and friends, this memoir is fresh and funny as well as profound, and illuminated by a keen appreciation of Freud's work.
$30.00
now£9.99
Into the Blue
Norman Macmillan
An accomplished author and war correspondent during the Second World War, Norman Macmillan was a fighter pilot during the First World War and turned his literary skills to recording his experiences in this classic book, first published in 1929. Joining the Royal Flying Corps in 1916, Macmillan's active service included flying Nieuports, Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutters and Camels in France and Italy, claiming nine victories before an injury forced him to take up a training post.
£16.00
now£7.99
Can't Be Satisfied
The Life and Times of Muddy Waters
Robert Gordon
First recorded at his house in Stovall, Mississippi, in 1941 as part of a Library of Congress field project to record authentic country blues artists, Muddy Waters was inspired by the experience to move to Chicago and work as a professional musician. This biography chronicles the life and music of the bluesman who went electric in the late 1940s and inspired a generation of rock and blues bands who changed the shape of popular music.
£14.99
now£5.99
Wembley Stadium
Norman Foster; Simon Inglis
The original Wembley had acquired global fame through decades of important events: the task of Foster and Partners in rebuilding it was to retain this iconic status while creating the finest modern stadium in the world. This architectural profile tells the story of the ground, dating back to 1922, and reviews the concept, design, development and construction of the new arena, with detailed architectural drawings and visualizations, Norman Foster's own preliminary sketches, and photographs of the completed building.
£19.99
now£7.99
Libya
From Colony to Revolution
Ronald Bruce St John
The overthrow of Qaddafi in 2011 appeared to signal a new dawn for Libya, but the country's future now seems uncertain once again. This comprehensive study navigates Libya's long history of occupation and despotic rule, from the ancient Greeks, through the Ottoman Empire to Mussolini. It provides an in-depth account of Qaddafi's regime, the Lockerbie bombing and the Arab Spring, and assesses the prospects for democracy in this troubled land.
£10.99
now£4.99
The Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols
Sarah Bartlett
This compendium of arcane signs and symbols from religion, astrology, art and literature helps us understand the beliefs and rituals of past civilizations. It explores what they reveal about the deities people worshipped, from creator gods and mother goddesses to Norse, Inca and Hindu gods, and discusses the role of divination calendars, tarot and the zodiac. The result is a compelling history of mystical thought.
£14.99
now£4.99
To Raise Up a Nation
John Brown, Frederick Douglass and the Making of a Free Country
William S King
The liberation of African Americans from slavery was achieved not solely, or even primarily, by legislation or military might: it was the result of decades of grassroots action. Meticulously researched and epic in scope, this history charts the efforts of extraordinary individuals such as John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and Martin Delany to foster a growing antipathy in the North towards slavery, through Brown's execution after the Harper's Ferry raid, to the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
£35.00
now£7.99
The Lost City of London
Robert Wynn Jones
The Great Fire of 1666 swept away much of medieval London, obliterating the city of Chaucer, Shakespeare and Pepys. Illustrated with modern colour photographs alongside historic prints and maps, this concise and erudite handbook provides an alphabetical gazetteer to the scattered structures that survive, from fragments of the Roman walls to Jacobean houses in Cloth Fair, and from the mighty White Tower to the tiny church of St Ethelburga.
£9.99
now£4.99

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