History is full to the brim with untold tales of heroics and villainy, gruesome battles, hilarious happenings and downright bizarre coincidences. Meet the war veteran who lost an eye and amputated his own fingers. Discover the original Die Hards, whose bravery would put even Bruce Willis to shame. Just who stole the still-missing Irish crown jewels and how did Adeline, Countess of Cardigan, scandalise society so completely?In Lessons from History, Alex Deane takes us on an...

"Fabulously entertaining, Alex Deane's wry, witty stories take hidden gems from our shared history and polish them until they shine. A must-read." – Iain Dale"Ribald, riotous and sometimes surreal, Alex Deane's dispatches from the forgotten corners of history bring heroes and villains roaring vividly and often poignantly back to life." – Gavin Esler"Alex Deane's tongue-in-cheek tales of eccentricity and endeavour not only shed light...

The debate about our DNA database, the largest per capita in the world, has dominated headlines throughout the last few years. Britain has more CCTV cameras than any other country in the world, and even more are being installed - including in private homes, facing out into the street. With the Intercept Modernisation Programme, the current government plans to record details of every telephone call made and e-mail sent by people in the United Kingdom. A database of households, is set to be ...

Al Murray's (AKA The Pub Landlord) musing on his childhood where his fascination with history and all things war began.Have you ever watched a film with someone who, at the most dramatic scene, argues that the plane on screen hasn't been invented yet? Or that the tank rumbling towards the hero at the end of the film is the wrong tank altogether?Al Murray is that someone. Try as he might, he can’t help himself.Growing up in the 1970s, Al, with the help of his dad, be...

A unique look at the military misconceptions that we take for granted, and a revelation of the truth behind the lies.Who tried to bomb Japan with bats? Who invented the air-gun in 250BC? Which stories should we believe? The so-called Dambusters raid was all but ineffective; the Hurricane not the Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain; Singapore did not fall because all the guns were pointing the wrong way' and who would go to war over a game of football...

In 1914 a train pulled into a provincial British railway station. The porter, a curious chap, asked the regiment of soldiers where they were from. 'Ross-shire,' one called down, but the porter heard 'Russia'. And so began a rumour that led to Germany losing the First World War.Often the history we learn at school is only half the story. We hear of heroic deeds and visionary leaders, but we never hear about the people who turned up late for court and thereby changed the law, or who stood in...

The Telegraph’s obituaries pages are renowned for their quality of writing and capacity to distil the essence of a life from its most extraordinary moments. A unique mix of heroism, ingenuity, infamy and the bizarre, Thinker, Failure, Soldier, Jailer collects the very best of those obituaries to present an endlessly absorbing compendium of human endeavour.Organised day by day around the calendar year, with each life presented on the date it ended, the book feature...

This is the full autobiography of one of World War II's most popular heroes. Whilst Arnhem was the height of his career here he describes his early life in the Army (in Scotland), his service abroad, his polo matches, his family and, above all, the ever famous actions including the Bruneval Raid and the fighting in North Africa in which he took part.

A complete guide to everyday words with military origins.Did you know they started 'hearing through the grapevine' during the American Civil War, that 'ghettos' originated in Venice or that 'deadline' has a very sinister origin?Jam-packed with many amazing facts, Sticklers, Sideburns and Bikinis is a fascinating trip through the words and phrases that came to us from the military but nowadays are used by soldier and civilian alike. The sources of m...

Find out how the pope got confused with a potato, about the footballer who ate the ref's notebook and why it is a terrible idea to have your name and date of birth tattooed on your neck, in this splendid romp through the most impressive mistakes, blunders, misunderstandings, faux pas, howlers and universal truths that are not true at all, from the magnificently witty pen of Mr Philip Ardagh.'Who else but Philip Ardagh could bring you such an enjoyable compendium of buffoonery? Howl...

In The Making of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr paints a fascinating portrait of life in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century as the country recovered from the grand wreckage of the British Empire.Between the death of Queen Victoria and the end of the Second World War, the nation was shaken by war and peace. The two wars were the worst we had ever known and the episodes of peace among the most turbulent and surprising. As the political forum...

In 1933 the Admiralty banned 'Blinker' Hall from publishing his autobiography, but here, for the first time, those chapters that survived are presented in full. See what the renowned spymaster had to say about the British Naval Intelligence – the pinnacle of the world's secret intelligence services. He explores the function of secret intelligence in wartime, censorship, subterfuge, the significance of Churchill in the Dardanelles campaign, the Zimmermann Telegram, the USA'...