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Notebooks for the Grandchildren is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to understand what went wrong after the great Russian Revolution of 1917. Through the eyes of young Ukrainians like himself, who came of age fighting for the Revolution but were murdered in the late 1930s, Mikhail Baitalsky recounts the Revolution’s hopes—and its tragic unraveling under Stalin. He narrates how Stalin rose to power and carried out the “political counterrevolution” that silenced so many. Arrested three times by the Stalin regime, Baitalsky survived to tell the story of what happened.

July of 1331 saw the gathering of a most unusual army; its billets scattered across the modest ports of Yorkshire’s eastern coast. Its purpose, the invasion of Scotland and the overthrow of the yet inchoate line of Bruce kings. This was a task monumentally disproportionate in scale to the tiny army that sought to undertake it. It was a goal which they would ultimately fail to realise, though not before experiencing some spectacular successes and forever changing the balance of power within Scottish politics. The most notable of these triumphs were the Battle of Dupplin Moor, and the better-known Battle of Halidon Hill. Such unlikely victories lent credibility to their cause, igniting another decade of war. The army was mostly English, but its masters were the disinherited sons and grandsons of what had once been the flower of Scottish knighthood, an alliance of related Scottish nobles who had been exiled from Scotland for their ongoing refusal to accept Robert Bruce’s claim to the throne. While they eagerly courted the support of the current English king, Edward III, they were no mere ciphers or puppets – their fathers and grandfathers had been amongst the fiercest proponents of Scottish freedom and independence. Edward I of England had seized upon the succession crisis that followed the death of Alexander III to insinuate himself into the centre of Scottish politics and attempt to compel the Scottish nobility into acquiescing to his claims of overlordship. Yet the following war was shaped as much by the struggle between rival Scottish dynasties as it was the imperial ambitions of successive English kings. Running parallel to the war to refute English overlordship of Scotland was an internecine conflict in which disparate factions of the Scottish nobility vied with one another to secure the throne. Both the Bruce and the Comyn family, from whom the majority of the exiles were descended, danced back and forth across the line between loyalists and collaborators in their attempts to dominate Scottish politics. The Bruces and their allies eventually triumphed in this dual struggle, but it was a victory of family and faction rather than kingdom or nation. The return of these disinherited nobles and the war they unleashed eventually re-awakened English ambitions to annex Scotland, spiralling into the Second War of Independence. This book explores the history of the families that produced these exiles, as well as their conduct in both Wars of Independence, to gain a valuable new perspective on Scotland’s historical struggle for independence and uncover the truth of the, all but forgotten, civil war that did so much to define it.

These startling memoirs offer a rare insight into the experiences of a prisoner of war within the brutal Russian camp system. The book begins with the capture of Austrian infantryman Wolfram ‘Wolfie’ Redler amid the chaos following the fall of Stalingrad. It recounts the forced march eastwards and his transportation to Siberia during the merciless Russian winter. Stricken with typhus, he somehow manages to survive this ‘death camp’. The story continues with his transfer to a labour camp, describing in harrowing detail the deprivations endured by Redler and his comrades. That he, or anyone, was able to survive is nothing short of a miracle. Brutality, starvation, disease, and hard labour took their toll on over ninety per cent of the troops who were captured in those first few months of 1943. Translated into English for the first time, this honest and unflinching account is a stark reminder of the cruelty of war. However, the great lesson of this book is not how we die, but how we live. Despite the suffering he witnessed and endured, ‘Wolfie’ remained a man who showed everyone around him what it truly means to live.

‘A feast of heraldry and a thoroughly enjoyable book.’ - The Genealogist’s Magazine‘Very readable and lavishly illustrated . . . provides the keys to unlock the mysteries of heraldry and its language.’ - Teaching HistoryUbiquitous in the fabric of our ancient churches, castles and houses, in documents, and on monuments and stained glass, heraldry represents a treasure house of information for both the historian and the genealogist. In The Companion to Heraldry, Stephen Friar, an experienced armorist and historian, provides the reader with the keys to unlock the mysteries of heraldry’s language, conventions and traditions. The origins of heraldry and its significance in the lives of our noble and gentle forebears are considered, as are the interpretation of heraldic devices; the systems of marshalling that record affiliation, marriage and inheritance; cadency, by which the younger members of a family may be identified; and the symbols themselves, which often contain obscure references to a family’s history and its fluctuating relationships with the Crown. The conventions of armory are explained, and there is a useful section on the interpretation of blazon, the language of heraldry, complemented with an illustrated glossary. With over one hundred black-and-white photographs, sixteen pages of colour illustrations and exquisite line-drawings by Andrew Jamieson and John Ferguson, this volume provides a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to heraldry.

Every one of England’s churches is unique: from St. Edwold’s tiny church at Stockwood in Dorset and Bremilham in Wiltshire (twelve feet square and sitting in a farmyard) to the Gothic masterpiece of St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol and the great monastic churches of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire and Sherborne in Dorset. The Companion to Churches is a comprehensive, fully illustrated A–Z guide to these churches, dating from the post Roman period to the present day, and covers subjects such as architecture, fittings and furnishings, decorative and allegorical features, stained glass, heraldry, traditions and customs, ecclesiastical history, and the role of the church in its community.

'A perspective-altering take on a world we usually think of in far more domestic terms. A ground-breaking masterwork' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE'A page-turning history of how a nation was defined' PHILIPPA GREGORY'A glimmering vision of a Tudor and Stuart England we hardly know, yet which immediately feels essential' ALEX VON TUNZELMANNThe prize-winning author uncovers the revelatory global story of Tudor and Stuart England - told through the merchants, migrants, sailors, travellers and spies who helped forge a nation. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries forged a powerful image of England – Shakespeare’s ‘scepter’d isle’, proud and apart, defined by royal spectacle and myth. But beneath this familiar narrative of ruffs and gowns, kings and queens, lies a more complex and connected reality. England at this time was far from insular. Travelling in and out of the country were Venetian glassmakers with English wives, African innkeepers and Native American envoys. There were people like the Flemish artist Levina Teerlinc, probably the only painter to be employed by four English monarchs. There was William Adams, a Kentish navigator who became Japan's first English samurai. And there was Elizabeth Key, daughter of an enslaved mother in the colony in Virginia, who battled in the courts for herself and her son. Drawing on extensive archival research, attentive to the textures of daily life, yet alive to the sweep of history, This Little World offers a startlingly new, globally resonant vision of England’s past and what it meant to be English. It is a story of a nation in the making – on the cusp of empire – told through the traces of those often written out of it. In reframing England’s story within a wider world, it challenges us to rethink some of our most fundamental ideas: about nationhood, about identity, and above all, about belonging.

‘Like Rosslyn itself, this book is rather delicious and I would urge anyone with an interest in the Scottish religious sensibility to read it.’ - Gerard CarruthersRosslyn Chapel Revealed offers the reader an increased understanding and respect for one of Europe’s finest pre-Reformation buildings. Rosslyn Chapel, with its foundations in the world of nature, still points bravely to the heavens. That there is mystery at Rosslyn Chapel, there can be no doubt. But it is not the mystery of the esoteric Gnostic variety, available only to the initiated few. Instead, it is knowledge, accessible to all, of the dynamic intertwining of the created world with the impulse towards self-fulfilment. Rosslyn Chapel Revealed shows that the chapel is first and foremost a Christian building, constructed in the traditions of the pre-Reformation Church for the celebration in word, gesture and music of the Divine Office and of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus Christ suffered on his cross for the salvation of the human race. The stunning beauty of the chapel, its unexpected delicacy and the uninhibited humour of its stone carvings, which have drawn visitors in such avid numbers from all over the world, are a tribute to the honesty and validity of the religious experience to be found within its ancient walls, in a breathtaking setting of valley and river that is older than time. ‘This lovely book is a counter to some of the silliness of recent years … an excellent and comprehensive introduction and a super memoir for anyone who has visited.’ - Maria Western, Inspires

Bedfordshire may be amongst England’s smallest counties but its 700,000 residents and increasing numbers of visitors have a wealth of places to explore within its boundaries. Alongside the urban areas of Luton and Bedford, the county offers plenty of green spaces, including the Chiltern Hills. The county has connections with John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, Catherine of Aragon and the Whitbread family, dating back some 250 years when the brewing pioneer was MP for Bedford. In this book local authors John and Jenny Jackson reveal the vital role a Bedfordshire barn played during World War, exactly why Luton Town Football Club are appropriately nicknamed ‘The Hatters’, the churchyard that inspired J. M. Barrie’s character, Wendy, in Peter Pan, and much more.50 Gems of Bedfordshire explores the many places and their history that make this part of the country so special, including natural features, towns and villages, buildings and places of historical interest. Alongside justly famous attractions, others will be relatively unknown but all have an interesting story to tell.

In the nineteenth century, France embarked on the colonization of whole swathes of Africa and Asia. What drove this policy, and what methods did it use to establish and enforce French domination? What disruptive effects did this have on the colonized societies, and what did it mean for their economic and social development? Today, can we say they have been completely decolonized? Empire on the Cheap offers new answers to these ever-controversial questions. Drawing on extensive archival work and statistical analysis, Denis Cogneau offers a richly detailed description of the colonial states and how they functioned, with a particular focus on issues of taxation, military recruitment, capital flows and inequalities. He shows that the Empire cost France little until the wars of independence following World War II, and that capital from France did not trickle down to the colonies. The French Republic proclaimed its 'civilizing mission', but its rule did not lead to the development of the occupied countries, and instead established violent colonial regimes with ambiguous and sometimes conflicting goals. Such regimes mainly benefited a small minority of French colonists and capitalists. Yet, even after winning independence, nationalist elites in the former colonies most often maintained an authoritarian and deeply unequal state order. Examining both the evolution of the colonized societies and what has become of them after independence, Cogneau makes a major contribution to our understanding of imperialism, past and present.

A WARTIME MISSION UNLIKE ANY OTHERAutumn 1943: the SAS hijack a train, raid deep into enemy territory, and liberate a concentration camp. A mission so extraordinary, yet so secret, that barely any record exists. Via first-hand testimonies and long-hidden files, Damien Lewis has unearthed the incredible details, bringing to life an astonishing tale of bravery, daring and determination which showcases the SAS at their very finest. ****PRAISE FOR SAS THE GREAT TRAIN RAID'A staggering feat of bravery kept secret for decades, but now the SAS train raid on a concentration camp during the Second World War is detailed in an incredible new book' SUNDAY EXPRESS'Long-hidden files and unseen personal accounts reveal a daring rescue mission from an Italian concentration camp' DAILY TELEGRAPH'There is an enduring appeal about the SAS in Britain, the United States and beyond, in an age when we need heroes who were fighting the good fight more than ever' SUNDAY TIMES'In autumn 1943 the SAS pulled off one of the most audacious missions of the Second World War. And yet the Great Train Raid to liberate Pisticci concentration camp has been relatively unknown until now' TIMES RADIO'Fittingly titled as it features a train and was totally crazy. An unbelievable mission deep into enemy territory to free prisoners from arguably the first concentration camp to come to the attention of the allies... I've read the book cover to cover and it's absolutely astonishing what these people did' TONY LIVESEY, BBC RADIO 5 LIVE

Tucked away in Dublin's north inner city, Monto made headlines for wild tales of debauchery. However, what happened to the women and girls within its brothels in life and death is less well known. Weaving together oral histories, historical records and family memories, Caroline West delivers an investigation into the heartbreaking treatment of the women that worked there, while delving into the impact of class, sexual violence and British colonialism on the women's survival.

The remarkable story of the real 'Dad's Army', from the bestselling historian of The Secret Life of Bletchley Park'Impeccably researched and deliciously entertaining, Dad's Army shines a bright searchlight on to an organization dismissed for far too long as humorously incompetent' - Giles Milton, author of the The Stalin AffairWith the threat of invasion from Hitler's forces looming large in 1940, British men of all ages and backgrounds assembled under the banner of the Home Guard. At its height, this voluntary force, much later nicknamed ‘Dad’s Army’, was made up of almost two million volunteers prepared to defend every corner of the kingdom. Numerous notable figures were involved including George Orwell, A. A. Milne, and C. S. Lewis; many women took part too, including in the Women's Home Defence Force, which was formed in 1941. In Dad’s Army, Sunday Times bestselling author Sinclair McKay tells the remarkable story of these courageous, highly trained and often pioneering men and women through original archival research, vivid storytelling and insights into the beloved television comedy that has shaped the national memory of the Home Guard. Far from the stereotype of charming incompetence, McKay shows that the Home Guard were in fact entirely serious in their approach. Many volunteers had fought in the First World War, and radical veterans from the Spanish Civil War taught new techniques in lethal guerilla fighting. Chocolate-box village greens throughout the country were reimagined as bloody battlefields, with duties including rifle and mortar training, night-time patrols and manning anti-aircraft guns – all on top of volunteers’ everyday jobs. Yet all of this was underpinned by an essential good humour, with moments of levity and camaraderie vital in keeping up a much-needed spirit of defiance. With its vibrant personalities and touch of nostalgia, Dad's Army tells this extraordinary story in full colour. 'One of my favourite historians' Dan Snow

A Telegraph Best Book 2025 'Elegant and terrifying, the story of those who gave up life in the West for Ukraine's frontlines – some to save democracy, some to save themselves. A modern-day Homage to Catalonia – and Fight Club on steroids.' – Oliver Poole, London Standard ‘A great read’ – Mark Galeotti 'Brilliant' – The Daily Express With real-life echoes of SAS Rogue Heroes – this is an astonishing account of Europe’s biggest major conflict, told through the eyes of a ragbag collection of foreign fighters Three days after Russian tanks roll into Ukraine, President Volodymr Zelensky issues a desperate appeal for foreign military volunteers to help defend his country. Thousands answer the call from all over the world: some of them experienced soldiers, others novices who’ve never held a gun before. Among their ranks are high-minded idealists, adventure-seekers bored with civilian life, and ex-criminals seeking redemption – all risking their lives against the world's most vicious superpower. Some flee at the first sign of trouble, others become heroes; many are killed, and a few turn their guns on each other. This is their story – often terrifying, often tragic, sometimes comic, and sometimes glorious…

Renowned authority M. C. Bishop investigates the origins, development, manufacture, decoration and use of the Roman cavalry helmet. Roman cavalry helmets of the Republican period at first differed little from the infantry helmets and identifying them proves a challenging but not impossible task. In this study, M.C. Bishop reveals how changes to the Roman Army under the Principate at the end of the 1st century BC, not least the incorporation of auxiliary forces, brought changes, with cavalry and infantry helmet types soon diverging. Notably, the Principate saw the introduction of face-mask helmets specifically for use in the hippika gymnasia, a form of combined mounted training and display manoeuvres. As with Roman infantry helmets, contact with Eastern cultures led to completely new types of cavalry helmet being introduced. As this study shows, this simplified helmet manufacture and ultimately led directly to a variety of post-Roman helmet types found, among others, with Saxon and Viking warriors. All of these types are described and illustrated in this ground-breaking work, featuring eight pages of specially commissioned full-colour artwork. This timely and accessible book builds on new finds and the latest research to chart the origins, evolution and legacy of the Roman cavalry helmet.

What was an Indian prince doing in the retinue of a French envoy at Constantinople in 1796? When Sultan Selim III, struck by the unusual sight of a fellow Muslim in a French cortege, asked how this prince had come to be there, Ahmad Khan began to tell him his extraordinary story. A Passage to Europe traces Ahmad Khan’s journey from Gujarat to Constantinople, revolutionary France, London and back again. His voyage began with the annexation of Broach by the East India Company. Twenty years later, he reached London to seek redress. The British government paid his expenses, but although his tale was true, Khan was not the man he claimed to be. Branded a spy, he was arrested, and then simply vanished. Following the elusive paper trail, Rahul Markovits brings to life the astonishing odyssey of this unlikely traveller, revealing a story of empire, intrigue and deception at the dawn of the modern age.

War came to North Africa in June 1940. But it was over a year before a newly-formed SAS went into action. Until then, the fight belonged to an elite, top secret band of brothers called the Long Range Desert Group.They were Britain’s first special forces.Born out of a pre-war club of explorers, eccentrics and mavericks, the LRDG operated alone behind enemy lines, performing astonishing feats of navigation, endurance and survival, and paved the way for the SAS.Drawing on his own decade’s service with UK Special Forces, Titch Cormack brings to life the action-packed but little-known story of Britain’s original rogue heroes.

‘An exceptional piece of work; powerful, vivid and compelling’ Rowland White, author of Vulcan 607The Second World War was not only fought in the skies above Europe or on distant beaches. Between 1939 and 1945, Hitler’s aerial onslaught crashed into lives across the UK night after night, killing more than 60,000 civilians and leaving millions homeless. May 2026 marks the 85th anniversary of the end of the Night Blitz. But the aerial assault on Britain did not stop in May 1941. For too long, ‘The Blitz’ – from the German ‘Blitzkrieg’ or lightning war – has been framed as a few desperate months from September 1940 that mainly affected London. In reality, the scope of the attack on the home front was far more widespread, and far more devastating. Now, John Nichol tells this supposedly familiar narrative – one of the most important events in British history – afresh.  Beginning with a search to understand his mother’s experiences of the blitz on Tyneside – drawing on fragments of memory and the unanswered questions she left behind – Nichol ranges outward to reveal a truly national history. From Dover to Glasgow, Cardiff to Manchester, he uncovers astonishing accounts of catastrophe and resilience. Of ‘ordinary’ men, women and children catapulted into harm’s way. Of heroic firefighters battling infernos, the unflinching bravery required to defuse unexploded bombs, families wiped out in an instant, communities left bereft by a single blast. Using interviews with survivors, official records and eyewitness testimonies, Nichol gives voice to the unsung heroes who endured explosions, fire and fear, but found the courage to run towards danger. He brings the story up to date by speaking to people involved in similar situations: mass casualty events, the deadly blaze at Grenfell Tower, bomb disposal in modern warfare and individual acts of astonishing bravery. And as new military threats emerge, Nichol asks whether the country still has such resilience today. At once gripping and compassionate, BLITZ is the definitive account of a nationwide struggle that shaped the course of the war and the spirit of a generation. The book includes maps, colour endpapers, and two plate sections with 38 photos and archival images. ‘The story of a whole nation as only Nichol can write, BLITZ is a wonderful book perfectly anchored in the human experience’ Dr Robert Lyman MBE FRHistS, co-author of Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1918–40‘A truly powerful and engaging narrative. The way Nichol weaves the story of the Blitz with more recent accounts makes for an excellent read’ Andy Saunders, military historian and author‘An important book which takes the myth of the storybook Blitz Spirit and redefines it. Absolutely fantastic’ Professor Lucy Easthope, author of When the Dust Settles: Searching for Hope After Disaster

This fully illustrated study pits Germany’s Panzer I against the Soviet T-26 in the Spanish Civil War. In 1936, as Spain descended into civil war, both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sent tanks to aid the opposing sides, keen to see how they fared in combat. Armed with twin machine guns, Germany’s Panzer I fought alongside Nationalist troops, while the 45mm-armed Soviet T-26 took the field with Republican forces, with captured examples soon equipping the Nationalists. In this book, Jacek Zabielski reveals the origins, development and combat history of these two types, which remained in front-line service in 1941 as Hitler’s forces invaded the Soviet Union. While both types were soon outclassed by better-armed and -armoured successors, the lessons learned in Spain would shape German and Soviet combined-arms doctrine on the Eastern Front during and after Operation Barbarossa. Featuring specially commissioned artwork, full-colour mapping and archive photographs alongside the authoritative text, this study reveals how the Panzer I and T-26 performed in battle, and their technical and tactical influence throughout World War II.

THE SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER A Book of the Year in The Times and Financial Times ‘This isn’t a book; it’s a case for revolution’ CAMILLA LONG, SUNDAY TIMES ‘A damning cannonball of truth through the York ramparts’ MAIL ON SUNDAY ‘Surely has a claim to the title of book of the year, for its seismic impact’ JANINE GIBSON, FINANCIAL TIMES ‘This book has changed the way its readers think. Possibly the most important book that touches on the British monarchy since the days of Thomas Payne’ WILL LLOYD ‘As represented in the book’s pages, the royal family, with its appendages and penumbra, can be seen as an impossible entity, toxic to those in it and attached to it, and subtly contaminating the rest of us.’ DAVID AARONOVICH Drawing on four years of research, numerous FOI requests and interviews with over a hundred people who have never spoken out before, the book traces the lives of the late Queen’s second son and his ex-wife through their childhoods, courtship, marriage, divorce, careers, and royal and charitable activities. Having still lived together until their departure from Royal Lodge in 2025, they claimed to be "the happiest divorced couple in the world". The book investigates the reality of their relationship and their love lives. It charts Andrew’s record in the Falklands, his business activities and reveals details of how the couple have been able financially to sustain their extravagant lifestyles. It also recounts the full story of their links with Jeffrey Epstein. Chronicling their lives in parallel, the picture that emerges is of a spoilt former prince unable to connect and a former duchess pushed by her insecurities into a desperate need to maintain the attention her ‘royal’ status brought. Rigorously researched and packed full of revelations, this is eye-watering biography at its best. ‘This isn't just a royal biography. It's a study in reputational collapse and the danger of unchecked power inside Britain's most protected institution' THE STANDARD ‘A catalyst for Andrew’s de-princing’ THE TIMES