Memoir Britain

This magnificent biography of Henry VIII is set against the cultural, social and political background of his court - the most spectacular court ever seen in England - and the splendour of his many sumptuous palaces. An entertaining narrative packed with colourful description and a wealth of anecdotal evidence, but also a comprehensive analytical study of the development of both monarch and court during a crucial period in English history.

Vain and charismatic Walter Sickert made a name for himself as a painter in Victorian London. But the ghoulish nature of his art - as well as extensive evidence - points to another name, one that's left its bloody mark on the pages of history: Jack the Ripper. Cornwell has collected never-before-seen archival material - including a rare mortuary photo, personal correspondence and a will with a mysterious autopsy clause - and applied cutting-edge forensic science to open an old crime to new scrutiny.

King Alfred of Wessex is the only king in British history to have been honoured with the epithet of "Great", yet he is usually remembered for the story of the burnt cakes, his finer achievements are often forgotten. Afflicted by poor health for most of his life, Alfred nevertheless showed unflagging energy as a warrior, administrator, scholar and educator. He was remarkable for both his range of interests and his wisdom. In battle he was faced by the Danish invaders and the real threat of Viking supremacy in England.

Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England’s various kingdoms, 41 kings and queens have sat on Britain’s throne. “Shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue’s gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs,” as Tracy Borman describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre.

Zehn Jahre später fragt sich Annette Dittert, was aus dem Land geworden ist. Sie nimmt uns mit auf eine Reise über die Insel: Wir besuchen die Royal Albert Hall und das House of Lords, schwimmen mit der Frauengruppe »Blue Tits« im Meer an der Ostküste der Insel, plaudern mit Schotten, Priestern und Earls. Und sind bei der Autorin auf ihrem Narrowboat Emilia zu Gast, einem kleinen bunten Boot aus Stahl am Regent's Canal, mitten im Zentrum Londons.

This is the compelling story of a retired Police Detective who embarks on a journey to becoming a Psychic Medium of international renown, working with celebrities and appearing in major TV productions. Nicky gives her unique no-holds-barred view of what it is like to work for the Spirit World and includes the most heart rending and hilarious anecdotes of spirit contact as she makes her way into full-time Mediumship. Miracles, gob-smacking messages and unequivocal contact from the dead makes this collection of spiritual stories an absolute must read for the believer, the open-minded sceptic ...

The ultimate laugh-out-loud, good life, meet the eccentric locals, house-hunting, foodie, travel-tour, fun memoir. There were highs, heartbreaks and cliff-hangers as British-born author Diz White scrambled between the Cotswolds, looking for a bargain cottage, and Hollywood, taking every hilariously wacky acting job to earn the down payment. Her search doubles as a travel tour, taking in every delight of this area.

England's Tudor monarchs - Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I - are perhaps the most celebrated and fascinating of all royal families in history. Their love affairs, their political triumphs, and their overturning of the religious order are the subject of countless works of popular scholarship. But for all we know about Henry's quest for male heirs or Elizabeth's purported virginity, the lives of the Tudor monarchs away from the public eye remain largely beyond our grasp, mostly not chronicled by previous historians.

An international bestseller, this powerful memoir by a ninety-eight-year-old Jewish Resistance fighter and Holocaust survivor “shows us how to find hope in hopelessness and light in the darkness” (Edith Eger, author of The Choice and The Gift). Selma van de Perre was seventeen when World War...

Charming, vibrant, witty and edifying, The Life of Samuel Johnson is a work of great obsession and boundless reverence. The literary critic Samuel Johnson was 54 when he first encountered Boswell; the friendship that developed spawned one of the greatest biographies in the history of world literature. The book is full of humorous anecdote and rich characterization, and paints a vivid picture of 18th-century London, peopled by prominent personalities of the time.

This is the story of a close, loving family splintered by the violent ideologies of Europe between the wars. Jessica was a Communist; Debo became the Duchess of Devonshire; Nancy was one of the best-selling novelists of her day; the ethereally beautiful Diana was the most hated woman in England; and Unity Valkyrie, born in Swastika, Alaska, would become obsessed with Adolf Hitler.

From one of the most beloved and distinguished historians of the British monarchy, here is a lively, intimately detailed biography of a long-overlooked king who reimagined the Crown in the aftermath of World War I and whose marriage to the regal Queen Mary was an epic partnership The grandfather...

In This Golden Fleece, Esther’s unwavering fascination with this humble material takes her on an enchanting journey across the British landscape, as she unveils exactly how wool has shaped the island’s people, economy and imagination. From Fair Isle, Yorkshire, the Cotswolds and beyond, she explores the forgotten traditions, trade secrets and steadfast communities all shaped by this unique fibre. With warmth and curiosity, Esther cleverly gathers the threads that connect us to the past and each other, detailing the why, how and who behind this ancient craft.

George Rogers Clark (1752-1818) led four victorious campaigns against the Indians and British in the Ohio Valley during the American Revolution, but his most astonishing coup was recapturing Fort Sackville in 1779 when he was only 26. For 18 days, in the dead of winter, Clark and his troops marched through bone-chilling nights to reach the fort. With a deft mix of guile and violence, Clark led his men to triumph without losing a single soldier.

A fresh portrait of the man behind James Bond, and his enduring impact, by an award-winning biographer with unprecedented access to the Fleming family papers. Ian Fleming's greatest creation, James Bond, has had an enormous and ongoing impact on our culture. What Bond represents about ideas of...

Anne Boleyn may be best known for losing her head, but as Tudor expert Tracy Borman reveals in a book that recasts British history, her greatest legacy lies in the path-breaking reign of her daughter, Elizabeth.

Brought to you by Penguin. A SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER The hilarious and heartwarming memoir from one of Britain's best-loved comedians and Women's Prize longlisted author, Dawn French. Dawn French is one of the greatest comedians of our time with a career that has spanned nearly four...

The acclaimed chronicle of the regeneration of one family's traditional English farm NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Winner of the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing * Named ""Nature Book of the Year"" by the Sunday Times * New York Times Editors' Choice * Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the Royal...

One of the classic volumes of autobiography, My Early Life is a lively and colourful account of a young man's quest for action, adventure and danger. Churchill's schooldays are undistinguished, but he is admitted to Sandhurst and embarks on a career as a soldier and a war correspondent, seeing action in Cuba, in India, in the Sudan - where he took part in the battle of Omdurman, of which he gives us a stirring account - and finally in South Africa.

Winner of the UK’s 2022 Costa Prize for Biography “A portrait of one of the most enigmatic figures in the annals of white-collar crime. . . . A well-researched, compelling book that uncovers many mysteries about a media tycoon.”—Kirkus Reviews From the acclaimed author of A Very English...