The History Press Ltd strana 11 z 11

While the so-called ‘honey trap’ is a Hollywood cliché, it is also an enduring piece of tradecraft in the real-life world of spy versus spy. Employed by virtually every intelligence service in times of war and peace, the work of femme fatales and Romeo spies have shaped policy and history through seduction, betrayal and scandal. Perhaps the most well known though least understood element of espionage, the use of honey traps can be found throughout history in religious texts, lurid headlines and pop culture mythology.Honey Trapped is the first book to fully examine the oldest and consistently effective piece of tradecraft, from the ancient world to cyber seductions. Honey Trapped tells the stories of those spies, both famous and obscure, who used sex and leveraged love to acquire sensitive information. From Greek mythology to recent investigations, the potent mix of sex and espionage is sure to enthral and entertain.

‘This was life in the Force Research Unit, and this was how we ran agent operations. Will is revelatory, insightful, thoughtful and honest. It doesn’t get better or more real than this!’ – ‘TC’ GM, QGM, recruiter of ‘Stakeknife’SOUTH ARMAGH, NORTHERN IRELAND, 1983. Will Britten, 23, has just qualified as an agent handler for the British Army’s ultra-secret Force Research Unit. He and a fellow agent handler complete the detailed paperwork following a covert meet with one of the Detachment’s most important agents, who has successfully infiltrated ‘Mad Dog’ McGlinchey’s INLA Active Service Unit.A few days later, there is a phone call. The draft Contact Form wasn’t put in the burn bag. Both PIRA and INLA now know his real name.What would you do?The Deadly Game is the memoir of a military intelligence officer with the FRU – a unit so secret that the rest of the army barely knew it existed. Their role was to infiltrate terrorist cells on both sides of the Troubles, to gather intelligence and disrupt them from the inside. In this updated edition, Will Britten provides a unique insight into one of the most successful intelligence units of all time, and the part they played in ultimately bringing Republican terror to the negotiating table.

Founded fifteen centuries ago by the legendary Gaelic king Fergus Mór mac Eirc, Dál Riada was a most unusual ancient kingdom. From the Antrim Glens and Rathlin Island up through Kintyre, Argyll and the Inner Hebrides to the Isle of Skye, it was inhabited by Gaelic seafaring warriors and Viking raiders.With great skill and boundless courage, they navigated around the many islands and countless miles of treacherous coastline. They fought mighty battles, endured wild ocean storms and met with whirlpools and whales. Their presence still echoes in the old place names, and their stories of strange sea monsters, witches and otherworldly creatures have been passed down through the generations. In this collection, storyteller and folklorist Colin Urwin reimagines a few of the very best.

There has never been another plane like Concorde. A product of post-war Anglo-French cooperation, its distinctive nose, classic lines and faster-than-sound speeds have embedded it in the hearts of aviation enthusiasts since its first flight in 1969.Concorde: A Collection in Photographs is a compendium of the supersonic airliner’s life and career, from test flights to retirement day. Compiled by former air traffic controller and lifetime aviation enthusiast Robbie Shaw, it covers both British Airways and Air France Concorde aircraft and highlights the impressive collaboration between the two nations that resulted in such an important and beloved aircraft.With more than 140 colour photographs, many of which have never been published before, this book is a stunning tribute to an icon whose like will never be seen again.

‘This book confirms the splendid eccentricity of the British, which often involves oddly dressed men opting to walk long distances for no apparent reason.’ – BBC Countryfile Magazine‘Laws’ sprightly, often arch, account of Britain’s hiking heroes is a pleasure to read.’ – Walk Magazine''The great affair is to move: to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot,'' wrote Robert Louis Stevenson. This book celebrates the history of walking for leisure and pleasure.There’s no shortage of the famous, and the not-so-famous, exponents of a good, long walk: Dr Jonson and his faithful Boswell on their Hebridean jaunt; John Taylor, whose Penniless Pilgrimage – a record of his 1618 journey from London to Edinburgh – provided the first account of a walking tour; and Samuel Coleridge who conceived his epic tale of the Ancient Mariner on a ramble through Devon. Celebrating the history of walking for leisure and pleasure, Bill Laws tells the stories behind key walking inventions such as the rucksack, bloomers, youth hostels and the long-distance route.Fully illustrated throughout, A Ramble Through the History of Walking is sure to delight anyone interested in the engaging history of one of man’s favourite pastimes.

After D-Day in 1944 many British troops believed the war would be over by Christmas. The German Army in Normandy had been destroyed, but by Christmas the Allies were still fighting through Holland, whilst the Germans had reorganised and were fighting back.Ken Tout, using his own experiences on the frontline and interviews with many veterans, recounts how the last gasps of the German Army saw some of the fiercest and most fanatical fighting of the whole war. Major offensives include Hitler’s last desperate attempt to reverse the tide of war in the Battle of the Bulge and the Western Allies’ epic struggle to cross the Rhine.Also explored are the lesser known (but no less important) battles for the Hochwald and Reichwald, and the extraordinary journey of the Polish 1st Armoured Division from defeat and exile to final victory. This last year of war is filled with stories from the tragedy of whole groups of men being frozen to death in battle areas to the triumph of logistics, ingenuity, and bravery. Soldiers, who had lived for so long under the horrors of war that as they neared the end their desperate desire to survive grew ever stronger, speak of how these last battles took their toll on a wearied army.Fighting continued up to VE Day in May and some units were in action for days longer as confusion reigned about the enemy surrender. Even after the fighting had finished, the war was not over for these men who had to round up and guard German prisoners of war, and watch over thousands of displaced people. As the world reminds us today, war does not necessarily end when a ceasefire is declared.

June 1221: a tragic death at Conisbrough sends Edwin Weaver and his friend Sir Martin on an unexpected journey. But a baffling letter follows them, one which plunges them into danger as they travel to the manor of Martin’s estranged father, deep inside Sherwood Forest, to find a dying man who can only gasp out a few cryptic phrases.Edwin has his work cut out to solve the mystery – the people with the most compelling reasons to commit the murder could not possibly have done so, while those with the opportunity have seemingly no motive. Martin, meanwhile, must try to reconcile himself with his family even as he remains convinced that he is destined to bring ill luck and death wherever he goes.When another murder attempt is made, Edwin realises he must work quickly to stop more death being visited on the innocent.

‘This delicious acorn of a book is as spare, elegant and to-the-point as the literary oak it describes.’– Emma ThompsonJane Austen lived to just 41, never married, never had children, lived all her life in the south of England and rarely strayed far from the genteel and orthodox social circle into which she was born. She completed only six novels and achieved little fame in her lifetime. Yet, over 200 years after her death, she remains one of our most revered writers, and one of the most regularly adapted for television and film.Her novels are beloved by readers all over the world who continue to be inspired, beguiled and delighted by her often comic and always shrewd insights into the calculations and complexities of human hearts and minds.Jane Austen: The Life of a Literary Titan gets to the heart of this enigmatic woman, and to the enduring qualities in her work which make it so universally loved and admired.

''A fascinating and well-researched biography of a fearless woman, it combines history, adventure and romance. I loved it.'' - Lady Antonia FraserLady Dorothy ‘Dolly’ Mills was a trailblazer, whose larger-than-life personality led her to extraordinary adventures. Born in 1889 into the Walpole family, who were eminent in political and literary spheres, Dolly defied the constraints of her upper-class upbringing by marrying a poor army captain, prompting her disinheritance.From becoming the first English woman in Timbuktu she forged a reputation as one of the most renowned explorers in West Africa and beyond, travelling deep into Venezuela and the Middle East – territories often considered the preserve of men – breaking the mould and challenging her background and the expectations of her gender.Dolly wrote acclaimed travel books, documenting remote places and peoples, capturing history in the making. By the 1930s, she was the best-known female explorer, appearing on platforms and in books alongside prominent men. She was elected as an early female Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was a strong advocate for women in the field, leaving a bequest for women explorers on her death in 1959.A feminist with unorthodox views which ultimately cost her her marriage, Dolly also wrote bold novels and incisive features for women. Despite life-changing obstacles, she never lost her love of donning a glamorous frock and downing a cocktail.No Country For a Woman is the first book about the life of the best-known female explorer, set against the backdrop of the decadent Jazz Age, and will captivate not only those who are fans of other famous explorers but also curious readers, interested in the lives of fearless women.

This new book by motoring journalist Alan Anderson follows on from Going Classic, to explore the world of historic motorsport and race and rally cars from the 1950s to the 1990s. This vibrant new book looks back at those days, and presents fifty of the most successful classic race and rally cars from across this period, considering why these motoring legends still make front runners in historic motorsport, one of the fastest-growing, most enjoyable and affordable classes of motor racing. My Dad Raced One of Those is a nostalgic look back at classic cars in motorsport across the different disciplines of Race, Rally, Autotests, Hillclimbs, Trails and Rallycross, and should satisfy and intrigue both the classic car enthusiast and (especially historic) lovers of motorsport.

Fondly remembered as Spike Dixon in Hi-De-Hi!, Jeffrey Holland is one of Britain’s best-loved situation comedy actors. An invaluable member of the repertory company of writer and director David Croft, his many other television credits include Are You Being Served?, Dad’s Army, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Oh, Doctor Beeching! and You Rang, M’Lord?This unique memoir reveals the hilarious tales from Holland’s long and illustrious career, from the comedy greats that have inspired him to the colleagues with whom he has worked.Heart-warming stories from his twenty-year association with Paul Shane and Su Pollard sit alongside poignant and deep reflections on his all-time favourite comedian, Stan Laurel, and revealing stories of working with the great and good of variety theatre, from Frankie Howerd to Ken Dodd. Not to mention blissful thoughts on his many happy years as part of Russ Abbot’s Madhouse, the joy of The Goon Show and the thrill of stepping into the huge shoes of Peter Sellers. Filled with enthusiasm and affection, The First Rule of Comedy..! is a life told through the eyes of one of the true greats of the genre.

''Extraordinary and thrilling ... This story should be known to every man, woman and child'' - Lemn SissayIn 1868, British troops charged into the mountain empire of Ethiopia, stormed the citadel of its monarch Tewodros II and grabbed piles of his treasures and sacred manuscripts. They also took his son – six-year-old Prince Alamayu – and brought the boy back with them to the cold shores of England.For the first time, Andrew Heavens tells the whole story of Alamayu, from his early days in his father’s fortress on the roof of Africa to his new home across the seas, where he charmed Queen Victoria, chatted with Lord Tennyson and travelled with his towering red-headed guardian Captain Speedy. The orphan prince was celebrated but stereotyped and never allowed to go home.The book also follows the loot – Ethiopia’s ‘Elgin Marbles’ – and tracks it down to its current hiding places in bank vaults, museum store cupboards and a boarded-up cavity in Westminster Abbey.A story of adventure, trauma and tragedy, The Prince and the Plunder is also a tale for our times, as we re-examine Britain’s past, pull down statues of imperial grandees and look for other figures to commemorate and celebrate in their place.