In Florence cathedral hangs a remarkable portrait by Uccello of Sir John Hawkwood, the English soldier of fortune who commanded the Florentine army at the age of 70 and earned a formidable reputation as one of the foremost mercenaries of the late middle ages. His life is an amazing story. He rose from modest beginnings in an Essex village, fought through the French campaigns of Edward III, went to Italy when he was 40 and played a leading role in ceaseless strife of the city-states that do...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 CROSS SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDWhen Britain's empire went to war in August 1914, rugby players were the first to volunteer: they led from the front and paid a disproportionate price. When the Armistice came after four long years, their war game was over; even as the last echo of the guns of November faded, it was time to play rugby again.As Allied troops of all nations waited to return home, sport occup...

WINNER OF THE BRITISH SPORT BOOK AWARDS - RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEARThis is the story of 15 men killed in the Great War. All played rugby for one London club; none lived to hear the final whistle. Rugby brought them together; rugby led the rush to war. They came from Britain and the Empire to fight in every theatre and service, among them a poet, playwright and perfumer. Some were decorated and died heroically; others fought and fell quietly. Together their sto...

This historical study examines the life and military accomplishments of the medieval knight who inspired one of Shakespeare's most beloved characters.One of the most famous English knights of the Hundred Years War, Sir John Fastolf is widely thought to be a model for Shakespeare's immortal character, Sir John Falstaff. In The Real Falstaff, historian Stephen Cooper examines the link in full, shedding light on his story as well as the declining English fortu...

The overwhelming victory of Henry V's English army at Agincourt in October 1415 has passed into myth as one of the defining events of the Hundred Years War against France, as a feat of arms outshining the previous famous English victories at Crcy and Poitiers, and as a milestone in English medieval history. This epic story of how an exhausted, outnumbered army, commanded by an inspirational leader, crushed a huge French force on French soil has given rise to legends and misconceptions that...

If you have been struggling with communication or undermining its importance in life, this book is reawakening. It may just offer you a solution to the failures you may have been experiencing in the various realms of life.Effective communication is a discipline that has evolved. This is due to the fact communication is a means of interaction among people for various purposes. It created a need to study communication in a structured way in terms of how it is applied in the various a...

Now a major TV series: COOPER AND FRY on Channel 5**, starring Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey) and Mandip Gill (Doctor Who)**Brutal acts of firestarting have ravaged the Peak District, and now a new wave of moorland infernos sweeps across the national park. For DS Ben Cooper, the blazes are best left to the firefighters, even with the arsonists still at large.But when an intruder breaks into an abandoned pub,...

Now a major TV series: COOPER AND FRY on Channel 5**, starring Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey) and Mandip Gill (Doctor Who)**In the heart of summer, in the dead of night, something wakes you. The house is quiet. The children are sleeping. The kitchen is empty.Except for the body on the floor.A series of brutal home invasions is terrorizing the Peak District. Until now, the burglars haven't left a clue....

Now a major TV series: COOPER AND FRY on Channel 5**, starring Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey) and Mandip Gill (Doctor Who)**The old Corpse Bridge is the route taken for centuries by mourners from villages on the western fringes of Derbyshire to a burial ground across the River Dove, now absorbed into the landscaped parkland of a stately home. When Earl Manby, the landowner, announces plans to deconsecrate the burial...

Now a major TV series: COOPER AND FRY on Channel 5**, starring Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey) and Mandip Gill (Doctor Who)**M****aster crime writer Stephen Booth ventures into the Peak District's dark subterranean world for a brand new, stunning and gasp-inducing Cooper & Fry thriller.'A modern master'GuardianHow do you prove a murder without a bo...

Now on Channel 5: COOPER AND FRY, starring Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey) and Mandip Gill (Doctor Who)A death in the family-from-hell bring Detectives Fry and Cooper to a remote and unfriendly rural community in their fourth psychological thriller.'And as it grew dark, Withens became almost entirely silent. Except for the screaming.'A small village in the Peak District, Withens is troubled by theft and vandalism, mostly generated by ...

Healthy communication is a key part of any relationship. As a partner, you need to be able to communicate effectively with your significant other. Communication is so important because it doesn’t just help the two of you talk to each other; it helps you learn how to strengthen the bond that the two of you have together as a couple. Everyone has heard the expression ‘when you get in a relationship; two become one.‘ When this happens, the two of you are forming a bond of unity that is being ...