History Books

In the bleak moments after defeat on mainland Europe in winter 1939, Winston Churchill knew that Britain had to strike back hard. So Britain's wartime leader called for the lightning development of a completely new kind of warfare, recruiting a band of eccentric free-thinking warriors to become the first 'deniable' secret operatives to strike behind enemy lines, offering these volunteers nothing but the potential for glory and all-but-certain death. Churchill's Secret Warriors tells the story of the daring victories for this small force of 'freelance pirates', undertaking devastatingly effective missions against the Nazis, often dressed in enemy uniforms and with enemy kit, breaking all previously held rules of warfare. Master storyteller Damien Lewis brings the adventures of the secret unit to life, weaving together the stories of the soldiers' brotherhood in this compelling narrative, from the unit's earliest missions to the death of their leader just weeks before the end of the war.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781529432336 • Author:  Damien Lewis  • Publisher:  Quercus • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  416 • Dimensions:  12.7 x 3.05 x 19.56 cm 

The incredible true story of the SAS’s mission to liberate Europe, featuring never-before-seen archive material FROM BESTSELLING MILITARY HISTORIAN DAMIEN LEWIS Summer, 1943: the largest invasion fleet ever assembled sailed for Europe, aiming to bulldoze its way onto Nazi shores. At its vanguard went a few hundred elite soldiers, their Royal Navy warship bearing the iconic motto ‘Who Dares Wins’. The aim: Led by the legendary SAS commander Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne, these war-bitten, piratical raiders were tasked to do the impossible – to bulldoze their way onto the most heavily defended Nazi shores – against all odds, outnumbered fifty-to-one. If they succeeded, it would mark the turning point in the war. If they failed, the consequences were unthinkable. Action-packed and filled with heroic endeavour, SAS Forged in Hell is breath-taking combat writing at its best, in true Damien Lewis style. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529413847 • Author: Damien Lewis • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton • Format: Paperback • Pages: 416 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 3.4cm

Every Tudor Queen had ladies-in-waiting. They were her confidantes and her chaperones. Only the Queen’s ladies had the right to enter her most private chambers, spending hours helping her to get dressed and undressed, caring for her clothes and jewels, listening to her secrets. But they also held a unique power. A quiet word behind the scenes, an appropriately timed gift, a well-negotiated marriage alliance were all forms of political agency wielded expertly by women. The Waiting Game explores the daily lives of ladies-in-waiting, revealing the secrets of recruitment, costume, what they ate, where (and with whom) they slept. We meet María de Salinas, who travelled to England with Catherine of Aragon when just a teenager and spied for her during the divorce from Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn’s lady-in-waiting Jane Parker was instrumental in the execution of not one, but two queens. And maid-of-honour Anne Basset kept her place through the last four consorts, negotiating the conflicting loyalties of her birth family, her mistress the Queen, and even the desires of the King himself. As Henry changed wives, and changed the very fabric of the country’s structure besides, these women had to make choices about loyalty that simply didn’t exist before. The Waiting Game is the first time their vital story has been told. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781474622226 • Author: Nicola Clark • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Pages: 400 • Format: Paperback • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 2.4 cm

Discover one of the oldest and most famous books on military strategy in the world, written around the 6th century BC. Learn how, when battle commences, to think on your feet and catch your enemy off guard – lessons that still apply in the military today!  Includes a fascinating photo script on Sun Tzu’s ideas in business, sport and other areas of life. Perfect for anyone who wants to outthink and outflank the opposition. This is a beautiful edition which comes with a deluxe silk-bound cover.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781784042028 • Author:  Sun Tzu • Publisher:  Arcturus • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  160 • Dimensions:  23.8 x 2.1 x 15.7 cm

As a reporter, Jacques Peretti has spent his life investigating important stories. But there was one story, heard in scattered fragments throughout his childhood, that he never thought to investigate. The story of how his mother survived Auschwitz. In the few last months of the Second World War, thirteen-year-old Alina Peretti, along with her mother and sister, was one of thirteen thousand non-Jewish Poles sent to Auschwitz. Her experiences there cast a shadow over the rest of her life. Now ninety, Alina has been diagnosed with dementia. Together, mother and son begin a race against time to record her memories and preserve her family’s story. Along the way, Jacques learns long-hidden secrets about his mother’s family.  He gains an understanding of his mother through retracing her past, learning more about the woman who would never let him call her ‘Mum’. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781473646445 • Author:  Alina & Jaques Peretti • Publisher:  Hodder Paperbacks • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  320 • Dimensions:  12 x 2.5 x 19.8cm 

FROM THE AUTHOR OF BRIDGE OF SPIES: A dramatic and colourful new account of the most daring British commando raid of World War Two! In the darkest months of the Second World War, Churchill approved what seemed to many like a suicide mission. Under orders to attack the St Nazaire U-boat base on the Atlantic seaboard, British commandos undertook "the greatest raid of all", turning an old destroyer into a live bomb and using it to ram the gates of a Nazi stronghold. Five Victoria Crosses were awarded -- more than in any similar operation. Drawing on official documents, interviews, unknown accounts and the astonished reactions of French civilians and German forces, The Greatest Raid recreates in cinematic detail the hours in which the "Charioteers" fought and died, from Lt Gerard Brett, the curator at the V & A, to "Bertie" Burtinshaw, who went into battle humming There'll Always be an England, and from Lt Stuart Chant, who set the fuses with 90 seconds to escape, to the epic solo reconnaissance of the legendary Times journalist Capt Micky Burn. Unearthing the untold human stories of Operation Chariot, Bridge of Spies author Giles Whittell reveals it to be a fundamentally misconceived raid whose impact and legacy was secured by astonishing bravery. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781405991377 • Author: Giles Whittell • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.9 cm

Delve into the history, politics, literature and popular culture that defined the Cold War era. Matching superb narrative storytelling with scholarly analysis and visually stunning photography from the archives of the Imperial War Museum, this book gives a fascinating insight into a period that shaped the fabric of British society. The Cold War defined the history of Britain in the second half of the twentieth century as much as it did that of the US and the Soviet Union. Cold War Britain is an exploration into the multifaceted dimensions of Britain’s experience during the Cold War era. By weaving together history, politics, literature, and popular culture, this book invites readers to immerse themselves in the vibrant tapestry of Cold War Britain, offering fresh insights and perspectives into how this global conflict shaped the fabric of British society. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008743994 • Author: Fraser McCallum  • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Hardback • Pages: 272 • Dimensions: 23.6 x 19.5 cm