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Through the first year of the First World War, Allied strategy had relied upon a series of small-scale assaults, which in reality achieved little or no ground gained. The Battle of Loos was to be different. Kitchener’s Army was deployed in strength for the first time and an ambitious plan aimed to take ground over a 20-mile front.However, the battlefield was not the Allies’ ideal site and the battle plans did not account for the lack of ammunition and artillery. It was the attempt to overcome some of these shortcomings that would put this battle firmly in the history books, as the British deployed poison gas for the first time, hoping to confuse and overwhelm the German positions.With facts and stats that explore both sides of the conflict, as well as the innovations brought to this battle, The Battle of Loos, 1915 analyses the key strategies at play, studies the lasting legacy of this battle on the rest of the war and explores the myth of the Footballer of Loos – an iconic image of the First World War to this day.

George Ward Price rose to prominence as the leading journalist in the 1930s, thanks to a string of world exclusives on Nazi Germany. He spent an hour alone with Hitler and Göring after the remilitarisation of the Rhineland, stood next to Hitler as he addressed a crowd on the night of the invasion of Austria, and joined him for afternoon tea at the Eagle’s Nest following his historic first meeting with Neville Chamberlain.These stories made Ward Price world famous, but he often seemed uncomfortable in the glare of the spotlight, hiding his true self behind a carefully cultivated veneer of suave and easy-going charm. It meant that he left unanswered questions: what drove his all-consuming ambition? Was his success down to journalist brilliance, or was there something more sinister that lay behind it? And were there any lengths to which he would not go to make sure that, as one of his colleagues put it, he ‘always got his story’?Interviewing Hitler is the first book to explore the real Ward Price and the truth behind his reporting on the Nazis. It is a journey that takes us through a series of century-shaping events and deep into the dark heart of British journalism. As well as being one of the most controversial figures in newspaper history, Ward Price’s career serves as a warning for today’s world of disinformation and fake news.

‘Highly enjoyable’ – Ancestors‘A fascinating recreation of the Tower as the life-and-death blood of the nation’ – Oxford TimesServing as both a palace and a prison, the Tower of London has been at the centre of more intrigue, terror and crucial turning points in history than any other site in England. Diehl and Donnelly take us behind the grim, grey walls which circumscribe England’s greatest fortress to discover true stories of the rebels, rogues, despots, lovers, spies and conmen who lived or were held captive there, and whose various, strange fates have added to the Tower’s sinister reputation. It is a place where court intrigues, clandestine liaisons, gruesome tortures and grisly executions took place with frightening regularity.Tales from the Tower of London is more than the factual history of a great building; it is storytelling at its best. The fifteen stories in this book are made all the more poignant by the fact that they are all true and focus on individuals royal and common, good and bad, heroic and villainous, who lived, loved, plotted and died there.The characters you will meet include: William the Conqueror Richard II and the forlorn ‘Princes in the Tower'' Wat Tyler Lady Jane Grey Guy Fawkes Colonel Thomas Blood Henry Laurens Sir Roger Casement Whether you are a lover of history, adventure, intrigue and romance, or just appreciate a ripping good yarn, you will find Tales from the Tower of London a classic page turner.

A pioneering female politician who thought women didn’t need the vote; a conservative who shared platforms with communists; a shy public speaker who travelled the world speaking for Spanish refugees: the formidable Duchess of Atholl was full of contradictions.Born into an ancient Scottish family and married to a philandering duke, Kitty rose above the constraints of class and convention to become a tireless advocate for women and children. By her election as the first Scottish female MP in 1923, she was one of the most prominent women in Scotland – and that was well before she shocked Westminster with outspoken rebellions against her own government.She stood with Spanish refugees and challenged fascism, visited war zones and campaigned with her political opponents, criticised tyrants and wrote her own political playbook. In Red Duchess Kitty Atholl’s extraordinary life is brought to the spotlight she has long deserved – a compelling story of courage, conviction and a woman who refused to play by the rules.

Witchcraft and witches throughout history have long captured the imagination, yet hidden away in archives are records of long forgotten cases. Many of these are tragic, some are unusual – perhaps even inexplicable – but all are fascinating in their own right.Devon’s Forgotten Witches 1860–1910 takes a deep dive through these records, bringing to the surface accusations of witchcraft in the county that have languished, unacknowledged, in the British Newspaper Archive for decades. These are the stories of ordinary people whose lives were touched in some way by witchcraft.Tracey Norman and Mark Norman examine these cases within their historical context, pulling together details from various news reports to explore what might really have happened. This work provides an intriguing snapshot of press coverage in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, showing how the public were urged to view those who still put their faith in ‘incredible superstition’. Most importantly, the retelling of these stories gives a new voice to those whom the historical record has silenced.

‘And they all lived happily ever after…’ or so we are told in folk and fairy stories when we are young – but then we grow up and realise that life isn’t all roses and happy endings. Life is hard, life is brutal, life is raw and we just have to pick our way through it the best we can.These traditional folk tales for adults explores the unhappily ever afters we so rarely see in stories. Each tale is expanded and the world built around them, bringing them to life, each posing a different moral question. It’s not all serious, but take heed of the lessons they teach, and use them to avoid an unhappy ever after of your own...

‘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.

''It is inspirational.’ – Helen Fry, author of Women in Intelligence''An important and exciting contribution to the history.’ – Clare Mulley, author of Agent ZoBletchley Park is remembered as a land of male intellectuals who were supported by a staff of women in menial roles, with figures such as Alan Turing, William Tutte and John Tiltman taking centre stage. These are the men who worked on the fearsome Enigma and Lorenz ciphering systems – the men who helped sway the course of the war in the Allies’ favour.But, as is often the case in the historical record, this is not the whole story. Women were not just secretaries and assistants: they had serious full-on codebreaking roles. And this was not just at Bletchley, or in the UK, or even only in the Second World War. These were women like Margaret Rock, who solved Enigma and other machine problems; Agnes Driscoll, the first US Navy codebreaker; and Asta Friedrichs, who postwar became a prime source for information on German Foreign Office codebreaking. Yet, when the histories were written, these women – and many more besides – somehow got left out.Who were they? What did they achieve? How did they ‘vanish’? In Misread Signals, expert codebreaking historian Dermot Turing turns his attention to these long-ignored women and puts their contributions back in the spotlight where they belong.

Pixies are recognised around the world as mischievous members of the fairy race, but their traditional stories dwell in South West England. Across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, they have been loved and revered, avoided and feared for centuries.Within these pages, you will find the collected tales of the Pixies, Piskeys, Knockers and Spriggans and many more of their magical kin. Their impish and unpredictable nature can help or hinder us, their human neighbours. Their stories call for playful kindness, magical thinking and careful respect for the living landscape around us.Allow the stories of the Pixies to charm you, rekindle your relationship with the land and embolden your connection to nature. But be warned: these tales are alive with Pixie magic! Expect enchantment and take care as you prepare to enter the wild places of Britain’s South West.

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.

In 1953, Ian Fleming’s literary sensation James Bond emerged onto the world’s stage. Nearly seven decades later, he has become a multi-billion-pound film franchise, now equipped with all the gizmos of the modern world. Yet Fleming’s creation, who battled his way through the fourteen novels from 1953 to 1966, was a maverick – a man out of place. Bond even admits it, wishing he was back in the real war… the Second World War. Indeed, the thread of the Second World War runs through the whole of the Bond series, and many were inspired by the real events and people Fleming came across during his time in Naval Intelligence.In Ian Fleming’s War, Mark Simmons explores these remarkable similarities, from Fleming’s scheme to capture a German naval codebook that appears in Thunderball as Plan Omega, to the exploits of 30 Assault Unit, the commando team he helped to create, which inspired Moonraker.

In 1517, a certain Dr Beale, rector of St Mary Spitall in London, roused the capital’s mob by laying the blame for an increase in poverty squarely upon the shoulders of grasping foreigners. ‘God has given England to Englishmen,’ he fumed, ‘as birds would defend their nest, so ought Englishmen to cherish and defend themselves and to hurt and grieve aliens for the common weal.’ But migration was not the only factor influencing Tudor attitudes to Europe. War, religion, commerce and dynastic security were all critical in linking England to developments abroad, in ways that remain strikingly relevant today.What were the forces that shaped the shifting perspectives of Tudor men and women and their rulers towards a continent at the crossroads? And what, in turn, were the responses of sixteenth-century Europeans to their counterparts across the Channel? The Tudors and Europe looks at a time when the very survival of England hung critically in the balance and asks if it has lessons for the present.

At dawn on 12 August 1944, German SS troops arrived in the Tuscan mountain village of Sant’Anna di Stazzema. On arrival, they proceeded to murder up to 560 Italian civilians in the olive groves and chestnut woods of the small hamlet. The victims were women, the elderly, and more than eighty children. One was a baby barely three weeks old.It was the most high-profile massacre committed by the Germans in Italy – and yet, despite three separate war crimes investigations, the Sant’Anna killers escaped justice.Sixty years later, ten of the SS men who were at Sant’Anna were sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia by Italian courts, but they died free.Anatomy of a Massacre tells the full story of what happened at Sant’Anna di Stazzema – from Tuscany to Rome and Germany – and tries to answer the question: why were the survivors denied justice?

In 1933, the celebrated German economist Robert Kuczynski and his wife Berta arrived in Britain as refugees from Nazism, followed shortly afterwards by their six children. Jürgen, known to be a leading Communist, was an object of considerable concern to MI5, while Ursula, codenamed Sonya, was a colonel in Russia’s Red Army who had spied on the Japanese in Manchuria. MI5 also kept extensive files on their four sisters, Brigitte, Barbara, Sabine and Renate.During the crucial early stages of the Cold War, members of the Kuczynski family proved to be prime Soviet assets as enablers and agents of influence. In Britain, Ursula controlled the spies Klaus Fuchs and Melita Norwood, without whom the Soviet atomic bomb would have been delayed for at least five years.Drawing on newly released files, Agent Sonya, MI5 and the Kuczynski Network reveals the operations of a network at the heart of Soviet intelligence in Britain. Over seventy years of espionage activity the Kuczynskis and their associates gained access to high-ranking officials in the government, civil service and justice system. For the first time, acclaimed historian David Burke tells the whole story of one of the most accomplished spy rings in history.

Since 1066, there have been more than forty kings and queens of Britain (give or take a Cromwell, Scotland not included). They are a dazzling cast of characters, and we routinely debate over who deserves the title of greatest ruler in our long history. From William the Conqueror to Henry V, Elizabeth I, Victoria and latterly Elizabeth II – their lives tell the story of our nation.But how exactly do you measure a monarch?Measuring Monarchy provides a completely original outlook as to how to analyse British kings and queens and throws a revisionist Molotov cocktail into our historical thinking. It puts forward and explains the case for five comparative metrics for all UK monarchs: their professional standing, their popular standing with the public, their impact on public finances, how they conducted foreign policy and their preparations for succession.Tim Hames casts a forensic eye over fifteen key kings and queens, determining whether their status has been overrated or underrated. What is revealed may surprise you, and some overlooked monarchs are returned to their rightful standing.