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Rhyme and Reason
Why was a baby in a treetop? Who was Georgie Porgie, the little boy blue, Mary Mary? Little Jack Horner’s family continued to enjoy the plum property he took from those intended for Henry VIII, until the 20th century.
The 20 rhymes in this book show how parliament and king battled over taxation, the authority of kings, religion. Humpty played a part in the English Civil War.
Gain an understanding of history from medieval times through to the 1700s through these rhymes and their stories.
Understand how a nursery rhyme we recite today started life as a political comment and was passed down through the years until now we have forgotten the politics.
Parents, grandparents, and teachers will find the origin of these rhymes fascinating.
£6.99 -
Review of China's Population and Family Planning Programs
The book provides a general review of the processes of social-economic and population development of the Chinese society from 1949 to 2021, the interactions between the two, and a detailed study of the economic and population policies at different stages of social development.
Based on legal documents and policies, plenty of historical facts and personal experiences, the book reveals a vivid representation of what happened in that difficult era, especially how greatly the Chinese people suffered in the strict implementation of the enforced birth control policies, as well as the wounds and scars in their human bodies, traumas and grief deep in their psyche. All those have resulted in serious problems and have a profound impact on China’s economic and population development.
£9.99 -
Poppy Fields, Prime Ministers, Poker and PTSD – A Life No Less Ordinary
From Arctic tundra to desert sands, soaring through skies and scaling mountain peaks, this is the riveting story of a helicopter crew-member who defied every environment. Navigating perilous missions at a mere 50 feet and reaching supersonic speeds, this brave aviator faced everything from enemy fire to mortar attacks.
Embarking on diverse operations, from lifesaving humanitarian missions to daring raids, and executing complex casualty evacuations, he embodied the unwavering dedication of helicopter aircrews. Along the way, he encountered a captivating cast of characters, from world leaders and high-ranking military officials to unexpected encounters with a CEO and a curious NCO with an unusual request.
Prepare for a thrilling adventure that spans the globe, where the scent of war lingers amidst the grit, grime, and bloodshed, only to be followed by uproarious laughter at the hilariously absurd tales of life in the forces. But beyond the adrenaline-fueled exploits, this book also delves into the uncharted territory of mental health, providing an intimate firsthand account of the daily battles faced by service personnel and veterans alike.
Join this remarkable journey that uncovers the extraordinary experiences of a helicopter aircrew, and gain a deeper understanding of the courage, camaraderie, and resilience that define the lives of those who serve. Brace yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions as you navigate the highs and lows of this gripping memoir.
£10.99 -
Pierre Poivre and the Networking Naturalists
Although climate change is seen as a very 21st-century concern, back in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century naturalists around the world in places as far apart as Mauritius in the Indian ocean and St Vincent in the Caribbean were becoming aware of what they referred to as desiccation, the drying of the land and absence of rainfall due to the cutting down of large swathes of forest trees.
This book traces the connections between those naturalists, scientists and men of letters to reveal the surprising truths that they discovered and which must inspire us to follow the trail they blazed.£8.99 -
Palestine: From Balfour Declaration to Oslo Accords
The last hundred years have been the witness of the battles between the Jews and Palestinians and this has posed a big challenge before the world to establish peace on the region. This seed of conflict emerged around the beginning of 20th century. This book discusses various facts in regard to the origin of the conflict from the beginning of 20th century till its last decade. During this time, the world community saw many facets of the Palestinian-Jewish conflict. One major outcome was the emergence of Israel as a nation. Eventually, Palestinians experienced that they lost their original identity and hence they started their struggle to establish themselves as an independent nation. The book is attempted objectively and the facts are presented in a chronological manner which reveals the ancient historical events, further explaining the criticality of the topic. This book shall help history scholars and general readers of history who are interested in the facts of Middle Eastern history.
£9.99 -
One October Day in Peking: The Japanese Surrender
In WW2 the United States and its Allies supported China against Japan. Now, 76 years later, the United States and its Allies, including Japan, are supporting Taiwan against China’s threat to invade it. Could this be the spark that ignites WW3?
£8.99 -
Nicholas and Alexandra Majesties and Massacre
This is a book about love, life and death set in Russia, during Czar Nicholas the II’s reign. It commences at the end of the 19th century with his father’s burial and his subsequent inheritance of the Crown – with absolute power. His reign is underpinned by the strong love between him and his wife Alexandra and overshadowed by the presence of Rasputin.
But his unwise decisions lead to chaos, including the Khadynka Tragedy, Bloody Sunday, 1905 revolution and the Czar’s abdication. His family is imprisoned, first in Tobolsk and then in Ekaterinburg, and the story concludes with the communists obtaining power and executing the entire royal family.
Become entangled in the tales of love, hate, conflict, sex, treachery, and murder between the characters. Dive into a horrifying historical moment from one hundred years ago and experience for yourself life at a crucial turning point in Russia’s bloody history.
£9.99 -
Munich Why?
This is a fascinating, cold-case review of the 1938 Munich agreement. There were five major players: Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Czechoslovakia. For the Czechs it was a disaster. In 1939, the Germans marched into Prague. The Czechs were to lose their independence for some 50 years. In Britain, Chamberlain was the self-appointed spokesman for the Czechs. He was simply found wanting because he never appeared to have the slightest understanding of Hitler’s dishonesty. The French were led by corrupt and incompetent politicians who had treaty obligations to the Czechs which they were determined, at all costs, to avoid being required to honour. The Germans were the villains of the act. Hitler was determined to smash the Czechs and “to remove the tribes of Bohemia and Moravia into reservations in Siberia and Wolhynia (a marshy part of Poland).”
“Ethnic cleansing” had not then entered the English language. Russian foreign policy was famously described by Churchill as “a riddle, wrapped up in a mystery, inside an enigma.”
£9.99 -
Maralinga Mystery
Maralinga. A uniquely Australian tourist destination. A remote site in the State of South Australia where thousands of Service personnel, mainly British and Australian, witnessed the deliberate contamination of pristine Australian bush with plutonium.
Maralinga, where Britain exploded 22 atomic bombs in the 1950s and 60s. 15 of those bombs were exploded in the infamous Vixen B trials in a manner which spread plutonium over hundreds of square kilometres.
This is the inside story of the clean-up of a tiny fraction of the contaminated area. It is the story of how workmen in sealed vehicles scraped up thousands of tonnes of contaminated soil and transferred it to a huge burial trench. It is also the story of how thousands of tonnes of debris, contaminated with plutonium, were to have been treated in a manner considered by both British and Australian specialists to be ideal, was turned into a botched job by a group with no nuclear expertise in order to save money.
It is the story of how the outcome was declared world’s best practice by the newly formed Australian nuclear regulator, and was praised by the Australian government, but condemned by the federal opposition party.
Maralinga has been returned to the Aboriginal owners, and tourists can now take their four-wheel drive vehicles to the site. They can walk on the cleaned area and learn something of the history. This book tells the rest.
£9.99 -
London's Firefighters
London's Firefighters is a wonderfully readable, lavishly illustrated
anthology of articles, fiction and verse about the London Fire Brigade,
most of it gathered from the Brigade's house magazines London Fireman
(1966-82) and London Firefighter (1982-2005).
The book's editor David C. Pike, himself a retired firefighter, has cleverly
selected material that delivers both a comprehensive history of the
London Fire Brigade and a fascinating portrait of individual firemen
and women, at work and (occasionally) at play. The book includes
vivid, occasionally harrowing articles on important events involving the
Brigade - the Sidney Street Siege of 1911, the London Blitz and the 1981
Brixton riots, to name just a few - as well as covering key figures within
the Brigade like James Braidwood and Massey Shaw. The more personal
sections provide a revealing insight into the bravery, commitment and
camaraderie of ordinary working firefighters and their families.
The numerous, often highly dramatic illustrations, many from the London
Fire Brigade's own collection, offer a lively commentary on the text.
All the profits from this book will go to the Fire Service charity,
Firemen Remembered.
David Pike was a London firefighter for more than 30 years, retiring at
senior rank in 1996. His first book, Beyond the Flames, was published by
Austin Macauley in 2013.
‘A fascinating peek into the world of the London Fire Brigade. A finalist
and highly recommended.'
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2014/15, on Beyond the Flames£19.99 -
Living Through The Great War at Home: How the People of Bromley Faced the Challenges of War
Living Through the Great War at Home tells the story of the people of Bromley from the month before the outbreak of war to the Armistice in 1918 and the celebration of peace in July 1919. Although it shows how men were mobilised, volunteered, conscripted and left to ‘follow the colours’, it is a book about the people of Bromley and how their lives were challenged and changed during the war, how they supported their own boys in the army, how they dealt with the problems of war, the restrictions of DORA (Defence of the Realm Act) and the threat and reality of the Zeppelin raids. We learn of the generosity of the people in supporting their ‘boys’, caring for the Belgian refugees and the wounded—the VAD hospitals and how women rose to the challenge, both in terms of filling the gaps in the workforce left by the men and struggling to put food on the table as rising prices and shortages finally led to rationing. The work is based on real information from the local newspaper, together with research to put them into context and understand the stories better.
£13.99 -
Lines of Escape
In January 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army invaded New Guinea, landing on the northern coastal areas of this harsh, remote country.
This book recounts the desperate efforts of missionaries, along with groups of downed allied airmen, ANGAU (Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit), officials and members of the 39th militia Battalion, to escape the invading Japanese army.
Following each groups harrowing story as they made their way through the energy sapping heat of the Papuan jungle, skirmished with Japanese troops, grappled with the, at times dubious, loyalties of the Papuans they encountered, and tried to survive.
Lines of Escape also details the incredible mission undertaken by Australian forces to cripple the Japanese air base at Salamaua.
£9.99