For the men who served in America`s Amphibious Forces during World War II, the conflict was an unceasing series of D-Days. They were responsible for putting men ashore in more than 200 landings throughout the conflict, most against well-entrenched enemy positions. Bloodstained Sands: US Amphibious Operations in World War II tells the story of these forgotten men for the first time, tracing their operational history from Guadalcanal to Casablanca, Sicily, Normandy, Iwo Jima & finally Okinawa. The men`s stories are told in their own voices, with fascinating accounts from Underwater Demolition Teams, Attack Transport crews & many other unsung heroes of World War II. First-hand interviews, entries from personal diaries & Action Reports create a unique history, perfectly complemented by historic illustrations & detailed maps. These are timeless tales of determination, sacrifice, & triumph of the human spirit
- tales of US Amphibious Forces that for too long have gone forgotten & untold.
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`A litany of fresh heroes to make the embattled heart sing` Caitlin Moran A fresh, opinionated history of all the brilliant women you should have learned about in school but didn`t. In this freewheeling history of modern Britain, Cathy Newman writes about the pioneering women who defied the odds to make careers for themselves & alter the course of modern history; women who achieved what they achieved while dismantling hostile, entrenched views about their place in society. Their role in transforming Britain is fundamental, far greater than has generally been acknowledged, & not just in the arts or education but in fields like medicine, politics, law, engineering & the military. While a few of the women in this book are now household names, many have faded into oblivion, their personal & collective achievements mere footnotes in history. We know of Emmeline Pankhurst, Vera Brittain, Marie Stopes & Beatrice Webb. But who remembers engineer & motorbike racer Beatrice Shilling, whose ingenious device for the Spitfires` Rolls-Royce Merlin fixed an often-fatal flaw, allowing the RAF`s planes to beat the German in the Battle of Britain? Or Dorothy Lawrence, the journalist who achieved her ambition to become a WW1 correspondent by pretending to be a man? & developmental biologist Anne McLaren, whose work in genetics paved the way for in vitro fertilisation? Were it not for women, significant features of modern Britain like council housing, municipal swimming pools & humane laws relating to property ownership, child custody & divorce wouldn`t exist in quite the same way. Women`s drive & talent for utopian thinking created new social & legislative agendas. The women in these pages blazed a trail from the 1918 Representation of the People Act
- which allowed some women to vote
- through to Margaret Thatcher`s ousting from Downing Street. Blending meticulous research with information gleaned from memoirs, diaries, letters, novels & other secondary sources, Bloody Brilliant Women uses the stories of some extraordinary lives to tell the tale of 20th & 21st century Britain. It is a history for women & men. A history for our times.

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CONTAINING: DEATH to students: The WEIRD ORIGINS of the University! A PLAGUE on BOTH YOUR PARISHES: BLACK DEATH in Cambridge`s streets! OFF WITH HIS HEAD: The bizarre true story of OLIVER CROMWELL`s TRAVELLING SKULL! GAS! GAS! THE SECRET RESEARCH TEAM behind WWI`s DEADLIEST WEAPON! THE FIFTH MAN: The truth about the CAMBRIDGE FIVE, the Soviet spies who studied! Cambridge has some of the most violent history ever recorded. From invading hordes of Vikings, Saxons & Normans to the secret Allied plans of the Second World War, it will thrill, disgust & delight in equal measure! ...

Immigration is one of the most important stories of modern British life, yet it has been happening since Caesar first landed in 53 BC. Ever since the first Roman, Saxon, Jute & Dane leaped off a boat we have been a mongrel nation. Our roots are a tangled web. From Huguenot weavers fleeing French Catholic persecution in the 18th century to South African dentists to Indian shopkeepers; from Jews in York in the 12th century (who had to wear a yellow star to distinguish them & who were shamefully expelled by Edward I in 1272) to the Jamaican who came on board the Windrush in 1947. The first Indian MP was elected in 1892, Walter Tull, the first black football player played (for Spurs & Northampton) before WW1 (and died heroically fighting for the allies in the last months of the war); in 1768 there were 20, 000 black people in London (out of a population of 600, 000
- a similar percentage to today). The 19th century brought huge numbers of Italians, Irish, Jews (from Russia & Poland mainly), Germans & Poles. This book draws all their stories together in a compelling narrative.
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The story of the way Britain has been settled & influenced by foreign people & ideas is as old as the land itself. In this original, important & inspiring book, Robert Winder tells of the remarkable migrations that have founded & defined a nation. ` Our aristocracy was created by a Frenchman, William the Conqueror, who also created our medieval architecture, our greatest artistic glory. Our royal family is German, our language a bizarre confection of Latin, Saxon &, latterly, Indian & American. Our shops & banks were created by Jews. We did not stand alone against Hitler; the empire stood beside us. & our food is, of course, anything but British.. . Winder has a thousand stories to tell & he tells them well` Sunday Times ...

The past decade saw the rise of the British National Party, the country`s most successful ever far-right political movement, & the emergence of the anti-Islamic English Defence League. Taking aim at asylum seekers, Muslims, ”enforced multiculturalism” & benefit ”scroungers”, these groups have been working overtime to shift the blame for the nation`s ills onto the shoulders of the vulnerable. What does this extremist resurgence say about the state of modern Britain? Drawing on archival research & extensive interviews with key figures, such as BNP leader Nick Griffin, Daniel Trilling shows how previously marginal characters from a tiny neo-Nazi subculture successfully exploited tensions exacerbated by the fear of immigration, the War on Terror & steepening economic inequality. Mainstream politicians have consistently underestimated the far right in Britain while pursuing policies that give it the space to grow. Bloody Nasty People calls time on this complacency in an account that provides us with fresh insights into the dynamics of political extremism. ...

Revealing the history behind words from Hoover to Sandwich & Wellington Boots to the Biro, this guide to eponyms is full of surprises. What`s in a name? From Achilles to zeppelin, the words we use in everyday language invoke a cast of historical characters, from figures of ancient legend to modern-day sports stars. But have you ever stopped to wonder how on earth the names became the words we use so often? How, for example, did Italian nationalist leader Giuseppe Garibaldi give his name to something so sweet as a biscuit? Who was the Gordon Bennett whose name has become an expression of surprise or displeasure? & who knew, when Odysseus set off on his ten-year voyage home in Homer`s epic, that long journeys would take his name? Behind so many words are real people with a story to tell. This fascinating book reveals the history behind the most familiar & more unusual eponyms. ...

Freaky Peaks takes the intrepid young explorer on a thrilling tour of the tallest mountains
- from Everest to Kilimanjaro
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The ghetto in which the Jews have been confined is being liquidated by the Nazis, & eleven-year-old Hugo is brought by his mother to the local brothel, where one of the prostitutes has agreed to hide him. Mariana is a bitterly unhappy woman who hates what she has done to her life, & night after night Hugo sits in her closet & listens uncomprehendingly as she rages at the Nazi soldiers who come & go. When she`s not mired in self-loathing, Mariana is fiercely protective of the bewildered, painfully polite young boy. & Hugo becomes protective of Mariana, too, trying to make her laugh when she is depressed, soothing her physical & mental agony with cold compresses. As the memories of his family & friends grow dim, Hugo falls in love with Mariana. & as her life spirals downwards, Mariana reaches out for consolation to the adoring boy who is on the cusp of manhood. Multi-award-winning writer Aharon Appelfeld once again crafts out of the depths of unfathomable tragedy a renewal of life & a deeper understanding of what it means to be human. ...

This compilation of photographs explores two of west central London`s historic areas through rare images, many unseen in over a century, alongside modern photographs for comparison. Bloomsbury is renowned for its fine architecture, rich cultural heritage, universities & specialist hospitals while Bohemian Fitzrovia is a colourful restaurant centre set in busy streets dating from the 1700s. Our pictorial tour takes us through gas-lit streets, grand squares & flavourful byways &

Includes:: a look at one of London`s old German quarters. Along the way are lost neighbourhoods, shops where our ancestors procured their household essentials & a cinema which pioneered performances of coloured movie films. This book will revive many local memories & will delight & intrigue the resident & visitor alike.

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