-
Fire - Floats and Fireboats
After his autobiography Beyond the Flames and his eclectic anthology London's Firefighters, David C. Pike's latest book about the London Fire Brigade, Fire-Floats and Fireboats, takes as its focus the history of firefighting on the river Thames. Starting in Roman times and bringing the story right up to the present day, Pike's comprehensive survey charts the astonishing evolution of the vessels used to combat fire from the river, pays homage to the intrepid crews of these often unwieldy craft, and vividly recreates some of the most devastating conflagrations the capital has ever seen.With more than 250 fascinating illustrations, Fire-Floats and Fireboats is certain to appeal to lovers of London and aficionados of history and technology, but will also be enjoyed by a wide range of general readers.
£19.99 -
Otto Papesch
Otto Papesch was my father. I was four years old when he died. I asked myself for years what kind of a human being he was. I have attempted to paint a picture of that handsome, charismatic, cultivated, professional chemical engineer, enthusiastic sportsman, photographer and family man by basing myself on the vast correspondence that still exists, his diary of 1917, stories about him from my mother and grandparents and the innumerable photos he took over the years. This has been an attempt to describe his prominent characteristics but also shed light on his dilemmas and the contradictions in his personality and thereby to describe the important events of his short life. Would his destiny have been different had he been born a year later?
£9.99 -
The Bule Diaries
The Bule Diaries.
This is a brutally honest account of expectations of living in Jakarta—an over-populated, buzzing hub of brilliantness, and it’s just sitting there waiting for you to explore it!
In case you wondered, ‘bule’ is a term to describe a white person in Indonesia. At first, I thought it meant foreigner, but it doesn’t, because I called an Indian guy ‘bule’ once and he laughed at me and promptly corrected me, “Noooo, it’s just white people, like you!”
This book has two main purposes: to tell you about my experiences and exploration throughout Indonesia thus far and to inform you of how I do what I do, what to do and what items you should bring whether you’re travelling or working here. Enjoy!
£7.99 -
Waiting to die... Based on a true story
Not many have lived a life like Rosina’s. Based on the known facts, this is her story:
When Hitler invades Poland in September 1939, sending shock-waves across Europe, thirteen-year-old Rosina Callens is in Oostende, Belgium, dreaming of becoming an Olympic gymnast.
When the Nazis invade Belgium, Rosina and her family must decide whether to flee to England, or to stay and endure enemy occupation, as they had previously in the Great War.
Most of the family head for England, but German Stukas ensure that not all will make it.
Rosina’s is a life of courage and endurance, as she witnesses and survives the terrible horrors of war, before marrying one of her liberators: a Welsh soldier named John Jones.
She moves to Wales full of love and hope, but life will never be easy for those who have suffered so much. She soon realises she is not welcome in John's family; the mental scars of suffering and the anguish of memories plague her, even as she continues to face oppression and depression daily.
Somehow she survives, raising a family and leaving a legacy. This story is part of that legacy.
£10.99 -
Ottavia's Story
This book is not a documentary, it is partially based on a true story of a few women who spent time in the concentration camp. Ottavia is a young mother of one, with another on the way. She and Jacob, her husband, are a typical Jewish family. One night, they are taken to a concentration camp. On the way, she gives birth to her daughter in a dirty cattle train. When the train stops for unknown reasons, Ottavia takes drastic action not to kill her own daughter, but to save her life. Does she succeed? The moment she arrives at her allocated barrack, she rallies to the challenge of helping save the life of an inmate's newborn. Through their musical talents, Ottavia and a few fellow prisoners have a chance to help themselves and others to survive. Will they take the chance? In the hellish darkness, a flicker of light shines through. Their own prison guard amazingly becomes their guardian angel. She risks her own life many times in order to protect theirs. One of the unsung heroes. Through the long winter evenings huddling together to keep warm, they started to tell their own life story, sometimes sad and sometimes happy. To learn about their lives after the hell which they endured, you have to read this book. It will keep you captivated till the last page.
£8.99 -
Passant: A Journey to Elsewhere
Passant offers an account of a doubly divided family, involving its New Zealand and wealthy, distant British branches during the 1930s and 1940s. It covers the early years of its chief protagonist who relates the experience of growing up against the background of the Great Depression and the Second World War, in a family torn apart by tragedy"”particularly the death of a lawyer grandfather at the age of forty in a New Zealand mental institution and its subsequent and calculated concealment. Worse though, on top of the family's secrets, misdiagnosed by a local doctor and just before his ninth birthday, the boy falls seriously ill. Drifting in and out of a coma, he undergoes major surgery, followed by almost two years in a hospital bed. This is a book of personal survival and the psychological consequences of lies and concealment, of a divided family and the disrupted lives of those belonging to it.
£11.99 -
The Year of a Million Dreams
We’ve all heard of Disney World – the most magical place on earth, and the magic and the mystery that surrounds it. We’ve all at some point dreamed of visiting. But what about the people that have actually worked there?
The Year of a Million Dreams will take you on a rollercoaster ride through the author’s personal journey following his year working on the International Cultural Representative Programme at The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Experience this fun and personal recollection of navigating the challenges of moving to and working in a foreign country, whilst trying to keep the magic alive.
From befriending beloved characters to creating incredible magical moments with guests, this honest and inspiring insight into living and working at the place where magic lives is filled with heart-warming moments, and truly unforgettable experiences!
Step in to a literal Year of a Million Dreams!
£10.99 -
The River Never Left Her
In present-day Zürich, an American expat, Emily Benz, buys a set of personal archives at an online auction, setting off an investigation into the life of a British woman raised in the early part of the twentieth century in China. What seemed like an innocuous tin of bonbons sold by a grandson soon turns into a can of worms that can’t be closed again, revealing family dysfunction that stretches back generations, a fairy-tale childhood, four marriages and a liaison. Emily must reconcile the woman’s adult biography with the vivid memoir of China seen through the eyes of a child. This most unexpected memoir moves between China at the turn of the last century, scandal in the high society of 1920s England, and a tenacious widow living in the Switzerland of today.
£20.99 -
Moonlight and Roses
The year is 1934 and Albert, a singer, meets Dorothy, a pianist, because another pianist has broken his thumb. As children they had grown up during the First World War and had known the Depression, but they were young and life was full of music. They married in 1936 and their daughter, Barbara, was born in 1937. Life looked good but Albert was an Army reservist and was called up at the outbreak of the Second World War. His letters to Dorothy from France form the basis of this book. Fortunately, he survived Dunkirk and was posted to Stars in Battledress, entertaining the troops for the duration of the war.
The book shows the privations on the Home Front and the morale of the British people despite the dangers and hardships of war. Life was no easier after the war, but with the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and the New Look, colour came back into everyone's life. The Festival of Britain in 1951 was the icing on the cake. And with the National Health Service being created and new homes being built, the dark days were past and life could only get better.
£8.99 -
The Penzance Smash
This is a story about love and family. It captures a period in time, the post-war era, when people were beginning to put their lives together again after the horrors and shortages caused by the Second World War. Whole communities were springing up all over the United Kingdom in newly built housing estates and this story is focused on one family within such an estate. It also tells of a sport, homing pigeon racing, which was once so very popular amongst the working classes but has now almost disappeared.
Through this setting, the author evokes a very moving and visual tale of the hardships faced by one family and recounts how one man brought up two young boys, giving them the best life that he could. There were no manuals or self-help groups then, but this man quietly went about raising his boys and teaching them the values that he believed would be necessary for their futures. He taught them to be independent, to be respectful and to never give up matter what life threw at them. Most importantly, he showed them what real love is.
£6.99 -
Two Women
This is the story of the lives of two women. They suffered loss, prejudice and adversity. Determination and humour got them through. They were born worlds apart. One in Barbados and one in England. They met and formed a friendship that was both special and unusual at that time. The story is told over 38 years, capturing world events along the way. Although there are sad times, this is a heartwarming and inspiring story. These two amazing women are my mums.
£7.99 -
Two Worlds Collide
The story is told through the words of the author’s dad, John Shirley, a Sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy on board the Alnwick Castle; and Herbert Lochner, a mechanical engineer on the submarine U425.
They fought separate wars, but were brought together in one dramatic and tragic incident that changed their lives forever.
Find yourself immersed in life aboard a Royal Navy minesweeper on the River Thames and an Arctic convoy Royal Navy corvette. Experience life as a German submariner, below the waves in a U-boat. Immerse yourself in the emotions of both combatants, their humour and their appreciation of the beauty of the Arctic Ocean.
This account is richly illustrated by John Shirley, with original water colours, painted from memory and based on sketches made at the time.
£12.99