Rise of the Tank will be concentrated on the period of the development of the tank and its use in the First World War. This will appeal to those interested in new developments in war and those interested in the First World War generally. The book will be especially relevant due to the forthcoming centenary of the beginning of the war and for this reason it will be easy to promote the book as there will be a lot of media interest.Using the resources of the Imperial War Museum, The National ...

Passengers on the early railways took their lives in their hands every time they got on board a train. It was so dangerous that they could buy an insurance policy with their ticket. There seemed to be an acceptance that the level danger was tolerable in return for the speed of travel that was now available to them.British Railway Disasters looks at the most serious railway accidents from the origins of the development of the train up to the present day. Seriousness is judged on the number ...

A fascinating account of the British Railways system's vital role in the defense of the country and support of the Allied forces during WWII.The outbreak of the Second World War had an enormous effect on the railway system in Britain. The 'Big Four' companies put aside differences and worked together for the war effort. The logistics of transporting troops during the evacuation of Dunkirk and the preparations for D-Day were unprecedented. Meanwhile, they had to cop...

This historical study examines how the Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War influenced events on the world stage in the Great War and beyond.The Russian Revolution of 1917 is remembered as the catalyst for a bloody conflict between the Communist Red Army and the anti-Communist White Army. But in reality, the conflict was far more complex and multifaceted, involving forces from outside Russia.In this probing history, Michael Foley examines the Russian Ci...

"A Friend of Dorothy/Life on the Yellow Brick Road" is about the struggle for self-acceptance and discovering that a happy life is the sole responsibility of the individual traveler. A story that shares some of life's most difficult challenges using humor and honesty to navigate those sometimes treacherous paths. But inevitably "A Friend of Dorothy" is about the realization that the road to a joy filled life starts and ends in our own hearts.

'In recession-chastened, soddenly staycationing Britain, Foley may well have devised a new bestseller format: a how-to book offering a way of escape ... [a] lovely book' GuardianIt has always been difficult to appreciate everyday life, often devalued as dreary, banal and burdensome, and never more so than in a culture besotted with fantasy, celebrity and glamour. Yet, with characteristic wit and earthiness, Michael Foley - author of the be...

With the end of the First World War, British troops crossed the Rhine and entered a country torn by violence where revolution seemed likely. Also, there was a threat of the war resuming if Germany refused to accept Allied terms. British forces were plunged into the turmoil of a defeated country and had to face not only political unrest, but the German public who they expected to be in a hostile mood as they faced the victorious Allied forces taking over their country.British troops...

Before the First World War, Essex was a very different county from that which we know today. The economy was largely based on agriculture, and the people rarely travelled beyond its borders, or even out of their towns or villages. The war opened up a whole new world for the people of Essex. Men from the county enlisted in Kitchener's Army and travelled abroad, and many troops came into the camps and barracks which sprang up. Some of these were men from across the empire who came to fight f...

The Thames has been the highway into London since early times. Iron Age forts once guarded its banks and then Roman legionaries took over. Every age since has added to the defences lining the river. The river was also used as the site of mills to produce gunpowder and test weapons, industries too dangerous to be based close to London. The river also betrayed the site of London to enemy airships and later aircraft. Even a complete blackout of the capital could not hide the river's route fro...

Before the First World War, Essex was a very different county from that which we know today. The economy was largely based on agriculture, and its people rarely travelled beyond its borders, or even out of their towns or villages. The war opened up a whole new world for the people of Essex. Men from the county enlisted in Kitchener's Army and travelled abroad, and many troops came into the camps and barracks which sprang up around the countryside. Some of these men came fr...

Dublin 1920'Above the noise of the crowd, I could hear men shouting. I looked back and saw them – a line of trucks, and men with guns starting to run towards the field. That's when it happened.'On a bright day in November, three boys joined the huge crowd heading to a Gaelic football match at Croke Park. Excitement filled the air, but also fear. Important men had been killed in their beds that morning by the IRA. The police were angry. In the middle of a cr...

Kent has been on England's first line of defence. In all major conflicts many people in the county have lived closer to the enemy in Europe than they did to London. Much of the county's coastline has been the site of training and weapon development, which adds to the interest of military sites in this area. Michael Foley's new book delves into the long history of military Kent, from Roman forts to Martello towers, built to keep Napoleon out, from the ambitious Royal Military Canal, which c...