Over the centuries Yorkshire, the largest and most varied country in England, has helped to shape the history of the nation. From the barrier of the Pennines in the west to the bastion of Falmborough in the east, the region has seen war, insurrection, invention, industrial expansion, political and social development and pioneering achievements in literature, art and science. In this unconventional guide to the people and the places that played parts in this extraordinary story, author Len ...

No event in history had such a profound and long-term effect as World War Two, it's consequences still helping to shape the modern world. With our trade routes harassed by U-boats, our skies darkened by the Luftwaffe and our beaches imperilled by the threat of invasion, the period from 1939 to 1945 was a frightening one for ordinary civilians. But the people of Yorkshire responded to the challenge with incredible fortitude, camaraderie, determination and good humour, the tireless efforts o...

The Yorkshire countryside's ancient earthwork castles, built in the time of the Norman Conquest, come to life in this beautiful guide—includes pictures!The Norman conquest of the British isle was a landmark event in England's history, drawing a line between its misty Roman and Saxon origins and the grand empire it would eventually become. Largely built after 1071, the era's castles were basic earth-and-timber structures situated on high mounds known as mottes. Thou...

"History writing at its best . . . teasing out extraordinary parallels between our current world and that of a century ago." —Tim Butcher, author of Blood RiverA pandemic has killed millions. Violent uprisings are tearing apart the Middle East. Nationalism is on the march in Europe. An unlikely candidate is running for president in the US on a populist platform to put "America first." The year is 1920.1920: A Year of Global Turmoil tells the...

The history and impact of one of the most heinous acts of colonial repression suffered in British India—a massacre that continues to divide opinion today.The shocking massacre of 379 unarmed Indians in the enclosed Jallianwala Bagh park on the command of a British army officer on April 13th, 1919 is considered a brutal example of colonial abuse. Immediately afterwards martial law was established with harsh penalties and punishments. Often considered as the darkest ...

This, the fourth volume in Andrew Field's highly praised study of the Waterloo campaign from the French perspective, depicts in vivid detail the often neglected final phase the rout and retreat of Napoleon's army. The text is based exclusively on French eyewitness accounts which give an inside view of the immediate aftermath of the battle and carry the story through to the army's disbandment in late 1815. Many French officers and soldiers wrote more about the retreat than they did about th...

The Crusades shook the world. But why did they happen?Their origins are revealed in a new light. As part of a medieval world war that stretched from Asia to Europe. At its centre was an ancient empire – Byzantium.Told for the first time as a single, linked narrative are three great events that changed history: the fall of Byzantium in the eleventh century, the epic campaign of the First Crusade and the origins of modern Turkey.Nick Holmes not only p...

Progress can be unstoppable at times, and not even death can prevent the desire for knowledge. A dark trade has long existed to provide fuel for the fires of research, a trade which is viewed by many as the most despicable occupation of all.The resurrection men of Yorkshire came from all walks of life, and employed a myriad of macabre methods to raise their defenseless prey from beneath the consecrated ground. This was a trade which offered great reward, but was definitely not for the fain...

A historian reveals the grittier side of Regency England, far from the country houses and costume balls of high society.Often upheld as a period of elegance with many achievements in the fine arts and architecture, the Regency era also encompassed a time of great social, political, and economic upheaval. In this insightful social history, the emphasis is on the lives of those not born into nobility—what it was like for the poor, and what challenges they faced....

**"A compelling, dramatic account of the Royal Navy's last great sea battle." —Robert K. Massie, Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times–bestselling author of DreadnoughtMore than a century later, historians still argue about this controversial and misunderstood World War I naval battle off the coast of Denmark. It was the twentieth century's first engagement of dreadnoughts—and while it left Britain in control of the North Sea, both sides claimed victo...

The dramatic story of how a quarter million men were evacuated from the coast of France—and how the British Expeditionary Force fought on.This book, part of the Retreat and Rearguard series, covers the actions of the BEF during the retreat from the Dyle Line to the evacuation points of Dunkirk, Boulogne, Calais, Saint-Valery-en-Caux, and finally the Cherbourg Peninsula.Some of the engagements are relatively well known (Cassell, the Arras counter-attack, and...

The epic of Dunkirk has been told many times, but the numerous accounts from surviving soldiers and sailors were often a blur of fear and fighting with the days mingling into each other, leaving what is, at times, a confusing picture. In this book, adopting a day by day approach, the author provides a clear portrayal of the unfolding drama on the perimeter around Dunkirk, in the port itself and along the beaches to La Panne and the Belgian border.Reports from many of the captains of the ve...