Pen & Sword Books Ltd strana 10 z 41

Mary Fitton was born in 1578 in the delightful village of Gawsworth in Cheshire. She grew up to become a confident, intelligent and vivacious young woman who became a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and many of the gentlemen of her Court; had affairs with some and became pregnant by one resulting in a threat of being imprisoned in the Tower of London. She bore a few illegitimate children before taking two husbands, and then had at least five more legitimate children, and died in 1641, aged 63. Thus a colourful and eventful life. Added to this it is claimed that she is the ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. So, Mary’s story is certainly an intriguing one. The name of Mary Fitton as a contender for the identity of the Dark Lady of Shakespeare's Sonnets has been known of since 1890 when Thomas Tyler first proposed it. Since then theories have been put forward as to why she is not and who therefore might fit the bill, equally arguments as to why she is. Added to which the actual authorship of what are known as Shakespear's Sonnets is hotly debated. This new book looks at Mary's story in the context of her immediate family, her life in the Queen's court, her companions, her lovers and her two husbands. It also considers the arguments for and against her identification as the 'Dark Lady' and refers to the authorship debate.

RAF in Camera: 1980s – The Later Years by Keith Wilson provides a visually rich account of the Royal Air Force during the transformative latter half of the 1980s. This continuation of Wilson’s earlier work examines the RAF’s operational and technological evolution during a pivotal decade for British military aviation.The period witnessed the retirement of iconic aircraft like the English Electric Lightning in 1988, symbolizing the end of a Cold War era. Simultaneously, the RAF introduced advanced platforms that redefined its capabilities, including the Tornado F.3 Interceptor, Harrier GR.5, British Aerospace BAe 146 CC.1, and Tucano T.1 trainer. Additionally, the innovative conversion of Lockheed Tristar and Vickers VC10 airliners into aerial refuelling tankers replaced the aging Victor K.2, enhancing the RAF’s strategic reach.Year-by-year coverage explores milestones such as the post-Falklands War recovery of military confidence and the integration of cutting-edge technology into RAF operations. Illustrated with numerous photographs, the book captures the RAF’s modernization and the cultural shifts within the service.Meticulously researched, RAF in Camera: 1980s – The Later Years offers aviation enthusiasts and historians alike a detailed exploration of the RAF’s evolution, blending iconic imagery with insightful analysis of this critical period in its history.

A History of Scottish Witches: The Devil's Handmaidens explores the phenomenon of witch persecution in Scotland between 1563 and 1736. Looking at the influence of the likes of John Knox and James VI of Scotland, this book examines the magic and fairy beliefs that underlay witchcraft and how this became twisted by the Scottish Kirk’s obsession with the Devil. Using examples from actual trial records and so-called witch confessions, this book explores how societal norms surrounding women caused so many to face the rope and the flames and how those norms were exacerbated by the chaos of the reformation and the wars of the Three Kingdoms. How did the magical beliefs of ordinary people become twisted into Devil worship? And why did so many come to believe this? How did the Scottish church and the courts fall into a frenzy of belief that the Devil was around every corner, causing terror across Lowland Scotland, and how did they extract themselves from that frenzy? Finally, the book looks at how this period of persecution affected the ordinary people of Scotland and what lessons it might hold for today.

From the sinking of the Titanic to the heroic rescue at Dunkirk, Charles H. Lightoller’s life was anything but ordinary. Unsinkable Lights tells the gripping story of a man who braved and survived four shipwrecks, raging storms, a pandemic, a revolution in South America, being stranded on a desert island and two World Wars. Orphaned young and drawn to the sea aged just 13, Lightoller’s early adventures took him across the globe, from deserted islands to gold rush expeditions in the Canadian wilderness. Then, in 1912, as the most senior surviving officer of the Titanic, he saved countless lives and narrowly escaped death himself, three times in one night. When the First World War began, he continued his daring feats, sinking a German U-boat. During the Second World War, he took his motor yacht, Sundowner, and set out for Dunkirk to rescue members of the British Expeditionary Force. Though the Sundowner was only constructed to hold around 20 people, Lightoller's yacht dodged enemy bombs and gunfire to save 127 soldiers from France. A thrilling tale of courage, survival, and an unbreakable spirit, with details that have never been published before, Unsinkable Lights is the definitive biography of a man who truly earned his place in history.

Dilip Sarkar, renowned for his meticulous research, delves into the Battle of Britain in this first volume of an eight-part series. His evidence-based approach offers a comprehensive view of the 1940 aerial conflict, exploring the development of air power, Britain’s defense, the German strategy, the Home Front, and political events. Sarkar goes beyond the well-known narrative, revealing new human stories and events.The book traces the conflict''s background, including the German invasion of Norway, the Fall of France, and the air battles over Dunkirk. Sarkar questions the official start date of the Battle of Britain, arguing that the fighting began earlier, on 2 July 1940. A detailed, day-by-day account follows, acknowledging aircrews lost before 10 July and recognizing contributions from Bomber and Coastal commands, not just the pilots of Spitfires and Hurricanes.Sarkar’s research, based on official sources and personal accounts, challenges many myths and the accepted narrative. This work is more than a record of combat losses; it’s a deep dive into the broader context of the battle, drawing on unique firsthand accounts, intelligence reports, and political documents. It’s an unprecedented look at the Battle of Britain and its far-reaching implications.

The Second World War saw the eclipse of the battleship as the capital vessel in any navy by a new feat of maritime engineering: the aircraft carrier. It was to change naval warfare forever. But when one thinks of the Kriegsmarine during this period, the German effort to construct an aircraft carrier is often overlooked. Designed in the late 1930s, Graf Zeppelin was the largest ship built by Nazi Germany. The lead ship of her class, she represented the Kriegsmarine’s efforts to create a balanced, ocean-going fleet capable of projecting German naval power across the oceans. Though 85 per cent complete by the outbreak of war in September 1939, Graf Zeppelin became a white elephant, a ship filled with promise but ultimately disappointing. Hitler’s war arrived too early for the Kriegsmarine and construction of Germany’s only aircraft carrier was never completed. Graf Zeppelin: The Story of Hitler’s Aircraft Carrier tells the full story of the monumental effort and ultimate failure by the Kriegsmarine to crown the German fleet with that most coveted of naval assets, an aircraft carrier.

Reginald Bacon was no Drake, Hawke or Nelson, yet in a naval career that spanned four decades of critical change for the Royal Navy, he was a pivotal figure among Admiral ‘Jacky’ Fisher’s ‘five best brains in the navy’ who revolutionised Britain’s naval warfighting capability between 1900 and the end of the First World War. This new biography traces Bacon’s remarkable career from his service as a fifteen-year-old Midshipman aboard Sir Geoffrey Hornby’s Mediterranean flagship to his three years in command of the Dover Patrol. A mine and torpedo specialist, he was by turns the father of the Submarine Service, the first captain of HMS Dreadnought and Director of Naval Ordnance at the Admiralty before leaving the Royal Navy for five years to run Coventry Ordnance Works whose fortunes he transformed. Having ended the war as Controller of Munition Inventions with the rank of Admiral, over the next twenty-five years he re-invented himself as a writer, dividing his time between homes in Hampshire and Italy. No stranger to controversy, having been unwittingly caught in the bitter Beresford/Fisher feud of 1909, he robustly defended Sir John Jellicoe as C-in-C Grand Fleet against accusations of weak and defensive tactics that deprived the nation of a resounding victory at Jutland. He went on to write acclaimed biographies of both Jacky Fisher and Earl Jellicoe besides two novels and two layman’s guides to new technologies, the motor car and the wireless, the latter in his A Simple Guide to Wireless for All Whose Knowledge of Electricity is Childlike. His account of his service in Command of the Dover Patrol is considered a classic of naval reminiscence and reveals undercurrants of contested naval doctrine that resonate today. As war threatened again in the 1930s, he wrote two more books championing the role of the Royal Navy in wartime. This highly readable biography does justice to both the man – ‘the ablest and cleverest officer I have ever known,’ wrote Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Oliver – and his remarkable input into so many aspects of the development of the Navy at a time of exponential change.

Olga of Kyiv, the first female ruler of the Rus, was a leader unlike any other. Best remembered for her ruthless revenge against the Derevlians—the tribe that murdered her husband—Olga’s calculated brutality secured her grip on power and cemented her legend. Yet she was more than just a warrior queen. Her rule reshaped the Rus, introducing political and administrative reforms that strengthened the state, centralised governance, and fortified cities. She established a structured tribute system, secured key alliances with Constantinople, and laid the foundation for the Christianisation of the Rus. Her infamous Siege of Iskorosten showcased her mastery of psychological warfare, proving that her mind was as sharp as any blade. A ruler of vision, resilience, and contradiction, Olga’s legacy shaped Eastern Europe and paved the way for the rise of one of the most powerful medieval states.

Discover the Rome that has inspired writers for centuries, from the Classical era to the present day. Walk in the footsteps of Virgil’s Aeneid, trace the path of Renaissance laureates or writers on the Grand Tour. The Book Lover’s Guide to Rome takes you to the favourite haunts of the Romantic poets, the places that stirred the Victorian imagination or formed the backdrop to the dolce vita. It also showcases the literature from a different Rome, one that struggled through the war and aired its scars in neo-realism and detective fiction. Whether at the scene of Ovid’s amorous adventures whilst watching the chariot races in the Circus Maximus or at a caffe that attracted the literati, each location is accompanied by sumptuous full colour photographs and helpful information on the best mode of travel.

On an August evening in 2002, two little girls named Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman set out to buy sweets, but they never returned home… The last person to see them was Ian Huntley, a man who had seamlessly integrated himself into the fabric of a new community under false pretences. With an alibi from his girlfriend, Maxine Carr, the truth of their disappearance remained a mystery - until a large-scale investigation unfolded over the following weeks which would reveal horror after horror. This narrative dives into one of the most extensive police searches in British history, capturing the heart-gripping grief and trauma that ripped through families and communities for decades to come. Explore the psyche of Huntley and Carr through expert analyses, as this chilling account unravels the complexities of human behaviour and sordid pasts. Discover the haunting true story behind the sensationalised headlines, where innocence met depravity and lives remain irrevocably changed.

Sixty years before the International Brigades fought for the Spanish Republic, international volunteers entered the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 in response to the call of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Army of the Vosges to save a fledgling French republic there from the new Prussianized German empire. Inspired by the lingering radical visions of 1848 and supported by elements of the First International of Marx and Bakunin, several thousand men (and women) came not only from neighbouring Spain, Italy, and Belgium but from Germany itself, as well as the Mediterranean societies and as far as the Americas to fight for a “universal republic”. Garibaldi and his volunteers faced enemies ultimately more powerful than the Prussian-led German Confederation. The French imperial interests that had started the war remained an ultimately dominant force in the republic and their hostility to “red republicanism” was evident even before their bloody repression of the Paris Commune. They shaped the histories of the war, the international volunteers and the French who fought alongside them. This study explores the politics of constructing historical memory to challenge that narrative and offers a different assessment of contemporary before its translations into the new language of anarchism and socialism.

On 4 September 1944, Allied forces and local resistance fighters captured the Belgian port of Antwerp, the largest harbour in Europe. Once opened to Allied shipping, the port would revolutionise the Allies’ delivery of supplies into mainland Europe, stores which were still having to make the long overland journey from Normandy and places such as Cherbourg. But to enable this to happen, the Scheldt Estuary and, more importantly, the island of Walcheren also needed to cleared of Hitler’s forces. The task of storming and liberating the heavily defended island of Walcheren was handed to the men of the Commandos. Under Operation Infatuate, the plan was to land Commandos at Westkapelle and Flushing, and have the Canadians push across the Walcheren Causeway. Launched on 1 November 1944, Operation Infatuate was the last and one of costliest Combined Operations attacks of the Second World War in Europe. Such was the bitter nature of the fighting, in one sector alone, out of twenty-eight landing craft deployed, only five survived touchdown. Despite the Allies’ victory, the fighting was far from over for the Commandos. Indeed, a number of them were rushed to help fill the lines during Hitler’s Ardennes offensive – the Battle of the Bulge. Despite the urgency of such a move, many of the Commandos felt they were wasted undertaking what they considered to be an infantry task, and should have reverted back to their original raiding role. In fact, the 4th Commando Brigade did find itself on the River Maas line until the end of the war in Europe, while the 1st Commando Brigade was called upon to lead the advance across a number of major rivers into the very heart of Germany. Starting with the mighty Rhine, the Brigade used its specialist amphibious skills as assault troops before advancing on across the Weser, Aller, and Elbe rivers, all of which was only achieved after much hard fighting. With the Commandos tells a story which has been largely forgotten, namely that of the Commandos’ role in the last few months of the war in Europe. It was a period when, following D-Day and the Normandy landings and subsequent breakout, these men battled their way into the heart of Third Reich fighting against a fanatical foe.

For many years anyone driving into Portsmouth would be treated to the surprising roadside sight of warships, submarines and small craft in various states of demolition. This fleeting glimpse was all that most would ever see of the extraordinary business of the Pounds family, which ranged from shipbreaking to selling war-surplus military vehicles. This book tells their story.After beginnings in general scrap in the 1860s, Pounds started breaking up ships in 1921 with German U-Boats. Proximity to the royal dockyard at Portsmouth meant they were able to secure naval shipping ranging from Royal Navy submarines and frigates down to unusual dockyard vessels and landing craft. In due course ships were also bought from the US and European navies. The emphasis of the business turned to ship trading – for example, landing craft might be resold to become ferries, minesweepers turned into Mediterranean pleasure craft, and lightships converted into floating restaurants. Vessels that could not be sold, lingered in the yard for many years – some Victorian ships lasted until well into the 1970s and beyond – but Pounds were also alert to the historical significance of the craft in their possession, some of which were donated to heritage organisations for long term conservation, a notable example being a Japanese Kairu midget submarine.The Pounds yard was a bizarre landscape and film companies were quick to see the potential of this unusual setting. Probably the most notable example was the 1974 film Tommy in which Pounds’ marker buoys were painted silver and to depict giant pinballs.A fascinating family business, Pounds finally closed its doors in 2023. Although visitors were never encouraged, the author was permitted to visit and photograph the Pounds yard on many occasions. Furthermore, the Pounds family have also kindly lent him business records and their own photos and discussed many aspects of their story. Appendices on military vehicles and a detailed list of all ships bought since 1921 complete a comprehensive and authoritative account of an extraordinary enterprise.

An up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the history of the ''Arthurian'' phenomenon - the imaginary and historical world of the great British warlord and one of the huge historical mysteries of early and medieval Britain. The Arthurian story, based on fact and fiction, is central to Britain''s ''creation myth'' and the concept of Britain''s heroic past. This is a deeply researched and scholarly but essentially accessible history and analysis for general readers and specialists and based on an impressive array of sources including Romano-British, Anglo-Saxon, rare medieval English, French and German sources, and archaeology - essential for modern historical research in early history. Modern and contemporary historiography is covered including ''debunking'' treatments. The study surveys King Arthur in fact and fiction, his family, knights, and the legends that have grown up around them and developed to the enduring interest from history, literature to TV and film.

The two main Zulu War battles of Hlobane and Khambula were fought on consecutive days, 28 and 29 March 1879, with very different outcomes. The first, a bungled raid to deprive the Zulus of vital cattle, ended in a humiliating debacle due to poor planning and reconnaissance. The latter saw the outnumbered British first repulse the counterattack against their camp and then unleash their cavalry to turn the Zulu withdrawal into a bloody rout, thus sealing the first decisive British victory of the war. As Adrian Greaves contends in his exciting account, this change in fortunes made Khambula the most important battle of the war, since it persuaded both Lord Chelmsford and the Zulu king, Cetshwayo, that the British could defeat the Zulus. Yet, despite their importance, these linked encounters have been neglected by historians due mainly to their inaccessibility and dangerous terrain. Both battles are described in the fullest detail possible, drawing on eyewitness testimony and meticulous research and benefitting from the author’s twenty-five years’ experience of leading guided tours of the battlefields and surrounding terrain. He recounts tales of extraordinary courage but also exposes blunders and cowardice that tarnish some famous reputations. Colonel (later Field Marshal) Wood in particular comes out badly. This is an essential, eye-opening book for anyone with an interest in the Anglo-Zulu War.

When Anne Lister, ‘Gentleman Jack,’ and her infamous diaries hit the headlines a few years ago, their popularity spawned a plethora of Gentleman Jack blogs, research and books which have focused primarily on Anne Lister’s romantic relationships with (a huge) number of women, but whilst they are an integral part of the Lister story, there is another woman lurking in the pages of her diaries: The original Lister Sister, Marian. Marian Lister was Anne’s younger sister and the two women had a complex and fascinating relationship. The evidence reveals Marian to be a complicated woman who both resented, loved and was fiercely protective of her older sister. Forced to live together for a large part of their lives Anne vehemently disapproved of Marian’s desire to escape in order to marry a “carpet maker” feeling him to be unworthy of the sister she herself derided. Marian, for her part, did not understand her elder sister's relationships with women, but she accepted them, defended her and worried about her excessively even whilst she ranted about Anne’s spending, scheming and selfishness. When together, the two women bickered constantly with Marian, literally at times screaming in frustration at her headstrong sister. Anne, for her part, complained that Marian was “simple … good for nothing,” yet her approval meant a good deal to her. Here, for the first time, we look at the complex relationship between the two women, how it developed, its moments of triumph and tragedy, as well as the profound influence it had on each of their lives.