Napoleon Bonaparte threatened Britain with invasion. Against him stood the Royal Navy and the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson. On 21 October 1805 a massive naval battle off Cape Trafalgar on the coast of Spain decided mastery of the seas. Then, over the following days and nights, the battleships and their exhausted crews endured a gale of fury.
Sixty years ago, as the German army continued its relentless advance across Europe, Britain - a country ill-prepared for war - faced its darkest hour. Published to tie in with the BBCTV series, Finest Hour recreates the terror, the tragedy and the triumph of the Battle of Britain, through the testimony of those who experienced it. Finest Hour is a powerful and incisive account of the events of 1940, told through the voices, diaries, letters and memoirs of the men and women who survived it - and those who lost their lives. These witnesses of war, with their individual stories of grief and joy, of love and of loss, provide revealing and often controversial new insights into the conflicts and the politics of the period.
The classic bestseller on the Battle of Britain, revised and updated.
1942 - British troops are stranded in the desert, struggling to hold back Rommel's Afrika Corps. Hitler's armies have reached Moscow, and there are murmurs of discontent at home as new doubts emerge about Churchill's leadership. Elsewhere in Europe there is chilling evidence of the mounting persecution of the Jews, stretching from Poland to the Channel Islands. For many, it seems there is little hope. As in their acclaimed bestseller FINEST HOUR, the authors use the personal testimony of ordinary people to tell the story of the war at a moment of great crisis. In END OF THE BEGINNING we meet again some of the people first encountered in FINEST HOUR, and get to know many more. Troops fighting for Montgomery in the desert, RAF pilots bombing German towns, a young Jewish woman deported to Auschwitz from Guernsey, the reality of the Home Front - these stories and many more paint a vivid picture of human endeavour in time of war. And, sixty years on from the Battle of Alamein, END OF THE BEGINNING tells the controversial truth about one of the most famous battles in history - the importance of its lesser-known predecessor and the months of bitter in-fighting between the Allied generals. With precision and compassion, Phil Craig and Tim Clayton again debunk the myths and explore the realities of a crucial year in the history of Britain.
This Dark Business tells the riveting story of the British government's determination to destroy Napoleon Bonaparte by any means possible.
The authors provide information on Diana's troubled marriage to the Prince of Wales, her uneasiness in the constant media spotlight, her secret life spent with James Hewitt, and addresses the allegations that Diana suffered from a personality disorder
The narrative unveils the British government's relentless efforts to eliminate Napoleon Bonaparte through various strategies, showcasing the lengths to which officials would go to secure their nation's dominance. It explores the intricate political maneuvers and covert operations that defined this tumultuous period, revealing a gripping historical account of ambition and conflict. This previously untold story sheds light on the complexities of international relations during the era and the impact of one man's quest for power on a nation’s resolve.
A Revolution in Satire
A lavishly illustrated biography of James Gillray, inventor of the art of political caricature James Gillray (1756–1815) was late Georgian Britain’s funniest, most inventive, and most celebrated graphic satirist and continues to influence cartoonists today. His exceptional drawing, matched by his flair for clever dialogue and amusing titles, won him unprecedented fame; his sophisticated designs often parodied artists such as William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, and Henry Fuseli, while he borrowed and wittily redeployed celebrated passages from William Shakespeare and John Milton to send up politicians in an age—as now—where society was fast changing, anxieties abounded, truth was sometimes scarce, and public opinion mattered. Tim Clayton’s definitive biography explores Gillray’s life and work through his friends, publishers—the most important being women—and collaborators, aiming to identify those involved in inventing satirical prints and the people who bought them. Clayton thoughtfully explores the tensions between artistic independence, financial necessity, and the conflicting demands of patrons and self-appointed censors in a time of political and social turmoil. Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
The extraordinary story of a close-knit team of sailors at the cutting edge of the 18th century navy - HORNBLOWER meets BAND OF BROTHERS
William Hogarth (16971764) is an artist whose popularity has never waned since his own day. He has been characterized variously as a witty satirist, stern moralist, aggressive self-promoter, detached observer, and man of the people. His celebrated patriotism and Britishness were shaped, paradoxically, by the remarkably cosmopolitan character of the artistic environment in which he lived. His distinctive urban and political themes reflect the concerns of an increasingly metropolitan society. Hogarths contribution to the development of modern British art was unique and his influence has been enormous, his multi-faceted output ranging from elegant conversation pieces to salacious brothel scenes. His reputation has been based almost entirely on his numerous prints and engraved works, including famous series such as A Rakes Progress, A Harlots Progress, Marriage A-la-Mode, Industry and Idleness, Gin Lane, Beer Street and the Four Stages of Cruelty. This attractive book reproduces a selection from these and other representative prints, introduced by a brief overview of the artist and his times.
