At the time of her launch in 1858, the iron steam ship »Great Eastern« was the largest ship ever built. It would take more than forty years until her length of nearly 700 feet and tonnage of 22.550 tons were beaten by another ship. She had been designed by the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and became known all over the world for her modern look. Commercially, the »Great Eastern« was a disappointment. A series of accidents, starting with an explosion during her maiden voyage, ended her short career as passenger liner between Britain and the United States. In the second half of the 1860s she was transformed into a cable-laying ship and placed transatlantic telegraph cables for several years. Afterwards, the »Great Eastern« became a floating music hall and advertising space in Liverpool before she was broken up in 1889.»This little book, descriptive of the >wonder of the world of the deep The Great EasternGreat Ship

Can one detective stop a war being lost just as it starts? August, 1914, the eve of WWI, and in New York the Van Dorn Detective Agency is supervising the loading of a final shipment of rifles bound for Britain. When Chief Investigator Isaac Bell discovers a hidden radio transmitter, he realises it will broadcast the exact location of the merchant ship to waiting German U-boats. This ship is saved ­- but two others have already departed. In a desperate race against time, Bell sets out to foil these acts of sabotage. Yet even if he succeeds, he knows he must hunt down the saboteur. Little does he realise that a sophisticated German spy ring is operating out of New York City's docks - and they've a secret that could determine the outcome of the war . . . Praise for Clive Cussler: 'The Adventure King' Sunday Express 'Just about the best in the business' New York Post 'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily Mail

Although international violent conflicts are commonly mediated by multiple third parties, relatively little scholarship exists on the phenomenon. This book focuses on four major, but understudied, aspects of multiparty mediation: (1) the coalition-building process that transforms a conflict from a single-party to a multiparty effort; (2) the conditions under which coordination among mediators is more or less likely; (3) the varying strategies and tactics they opt to use when negotiating with each other, as well as with the disputants; and (4) how these factors influence the outcome of conflicts. Using the Cyprus conflict as a case study and verbal negotiation theory as a conceptual framework, this study ascertains and compares the perceptions, behaviors, and interactions of various third parties -- including the United States, Great Britain, and United Nations -- during three international crises. In so doing, a new concept and several new hypotheses are generated, which can be applied to other conflicts for purposes of generalization.

In 1995, Iowa native Bill Bryson took a motoring trip around Britain to explore that green and pleasant land. The uproarious book that resulted, Notes from a Small Island, is one of the most acute portrayals of the United Kingdom ever written. Two decades later, Bryson--now a British citizen--set out again to rediscover his adopted country. In these pages, he follows a straight line through the island--from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath--and shows us every pub, stone village, and human foible along the way. Whether he is dodging cow attacks in Torcross, getting lost in the H&M on Kensington High Street, or--more seriously--contemplating the future of the nation's natural wonders in the face of aggressive development, Bryson guides us through the old and the new with vivid detail and laugh-out-loud humor. Irreverent, endearing, and always hilarious, The Road to Little Dribbling is filled with Bill Bryson's deep knowledge and love of his chosen home.

America’s beloved and distinguished historian presents, in a book of breathtaking excitement, drama, and narrative force, the stirring story of the year of our nation’s birth, 1776, interweaving, on both sides of the Atlantic, the actions and decisions that led Great Britain to undertake a war against her rebellious colonial subjects and that placed America’s survival in the hands of George Washington. In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence—when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper. Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King’s men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough’s 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.

In July 1947, India's last Viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten, stood before New Delhi's Chamber of Princes to deliver the most important speech of his career. He had just three weeks to convince over 550 sovereign princely states--some tiny, some the size of Britain--to become part of a free India. Once Britain's most faithful allies, the princes could choose between joining India or Pakistan, or declaring independence. This is a saga of intrigue, brinkmanship and broken promises, wrought by Mountbatten and two of independent India's founding fathers: the country's most senior civil servant, V.P. Menon, and Congress strongman Vallabhbhai Patel. What India's architects described as a "bloodless revolution" was anything but, as violence engulfed Kashmir and Indian troops crushed Hyderabad's dreams of independence. Most princes accepted the inevitable, exchanging their power for guarantees of privileges and titles in perpetuity. But these dynasties were still led to extinction--not by the sword, but by political expediency--leaving them with little more than fading memories of a glorified past.

'Dodo Wonders' is the third and final installment in the 'Dodo' series by E. F. Benson. The series was rumoured to be based on Lady Asquith, though she herself claimed that she had little in common with the character of Dodo - except the splendour of her drawing-room, perhaps. The glitzy life of Lady Dodo Chesterford is abruptly interrupted by the arrival of World War I. Along with her husband and their friends, Lady Dodo is faced with the challenge of rapidly adapting to an unfamiliar and dangerous new environment. 'Dodo Wonders' delicately reveals the history of the First World War in Britain while also unfolding an intricate love story. Dodo is a charming, vivid heroine with whom it becomes almost a pleasure to move through wartime. Recommended for fans of Sam Mendes' 2019 war movie '1917', which follows the gripping tale of two young British soldiers tasked with delivering a message in enemy territory - starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden and Colin Firth.

Can one detective stop a war being lost just as it starts? August, 1914, the eve of WWI, and in New York the Van Dorn Detective Agency is supervising the loading of a final shipment of rifles bound for Britain. When Chief Investigator Isaac Bell discovers a hidden radio transmitter, he realises it will broadcast the exact location of the merchant ship to waiting German U-boats. This ship is saved ­- but two others have already departed. In a desperate race against time, Bell sets out to foil these acts of sabotage. Yet even if he succeeds, he knows he must hunt down the saboteur. Little does he realise that a sophisticated German spy ring is operating out of New York City's docks - and they've a secret that could determine the outcome of the war . . . Praise for Clive Cussler: 'The Adventure King' Sunday Express 'Just about the best in the business' New York Post 'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily Mail

Although international violent conflicts are commonly mediated by multiple third parties, relatively little scholarship exists on the phenomenon. This book focuses on four major, but understudied, aspects of multiparty mediation: (1) the coalition-building process that transforms a conflict from a single-party to a multiparty effort; (2) the conditions under which coordination among mediators is more or less likely; (3) the varying strategies and tactics they opt to use when negotiating with each other, as well as with the disputants; and (4) how these factors influence the outcome of conflicts. Using the Cyprus conflict as a case study and verbal negotiation theory as a conceptual framework, this study ascertains and compares the perceptions, behaviors, and interactions of various third parties -- including the United States, Great Britain, and United Nations -- during three international crises. In so doing, a new concept and several new hypotheses are generated, which can be applied to other conflicts for purposes of generalization.

Bloomsbury presents Settlers written and read by Jimi Famurewa. A journey into the extraordinary, vibrant world of Black African London which is shaping modern Britain. What makes a Londoner? What is it to be Black, African and British? And how can we understand the many tangled roots of our modern nation without knowing the story of how it came to be? This is a story that begins not with the 'Windrush Generation' of Caribbean immigrants to Britain, but with post-1960s arrivals from African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Somalia. Some came from former British colonies in the wake of newfound independence; others arrived seeking prosperity and an English education for their children. Now, in the 2020s, their descendants have unleashed a tidal wave of creativity and cultural production stretching from Lambeth to Lagos, Islington to the Ivory Coast. Daniel Kaluuya and Skepta; John Boyega and Little Simz; Edward Enninful and Bukayo Saka – everywhere you look, across the fields of sport, business, fashion, the arts and beyond, there are the descendants of Black African families that were governed by many of the same immutable, shared traditions. In this book Jimi Famurewa, a British-Nigerian journalist, journeys into the hidden yet vibrant world of African London. Seeking to understand the ties that bind Black African Londoners together and link them with their home countries, he visits their places of worship, roams around markets and restaurants, attends a traditional Nigerian engagement ceremony, shadows them on their morning journeys to far-flung grammar schools and listens to stories from shopkeepers and activists, artists and politicians. But this isn't just the story of energetic, ambitious Londoners. Jimi also uncovers a darker side, of racial discrimination between White and Black communities and, between Black Africans and Afro-Caribbeans. He investigates the troublesome practice of 'farming' in which young Black Nigerians were sent to live with White British foster parents, examines historic interaction with the police, and reveals the friction between traditional Black African customs and the stresses of modern life in diaspora. This is a vivid new portrait of London, and of modern Britain.

Interest in apartheid remains at a high level, both in South Africa and worldwide. Most accounts of apartheid, however, give short shrift to apartheid s deep historical roots in South Africa, and to the wider historical context in which it took shape. Meanwhile, little historical research has been done on the nature of British racial policy in the immediate post-war years. This book, therefore, fills a critical gap by examining British and South African attitudes to racial policy at the highest and most decisive level: in the Westminster and Cape Town Parliaments. By an analysis of the racial attitudes expressed in the Parliamentary debates regarding several important themes, this book sheds light on the growing schism between British and South African perspectives on race. It emerges that the 1948 election in South Africa, which brought an apartheid Government to power, was less determinative than many commentators have suggested. Readers interested in the evolution of racial attitudes and racial policy will find the book indispensable, as will those who wish to gain insight into the increasingly strained relationship between South Africa and Britain from 1945 to 1961.

'Prime Minister Churchill, the Witches of Britain are at your service . . .' 1940, and war rages across Europe. The future looks bleak. But now, emerging from the shadows, the Royal Academy of Witches offers its help. And so it is tasked with finding an ancient artefact that, were it to fall into Nazi hands, would help Hitler fulfil his twisted Aryan dream . . . Stubborn, plain-spoken and from an unimpressive family, Lydia Polk never expected to be chosen to work under Isadora Goode, the Grand Mistress of the Royal Academy of Witches. Now, three years into her apprenticeship, and with Hitler's armies rampaging across Europe, the Witches of Britain have joined the war effort - but not without some resistance from within, the British government having originally forced the witches into hiding. As Lydia's power grows, she too joins the cause, tracking down magical relics in order to keep them out of Nazi hands. But a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy with heart-breaking consequences and suddenly Lydia's mission becomes even more urgent . . . Somewhere out there, hidden amidst the chaos of war, is the Grimorium Bellum - an ancient book that Hitler craves, a book so steeped in dark magic that it has the power to wipe out civilisations - an artefact that Lydia must find and secure at all costs. Dropped into the heart of Occupied France, Lydia finds allies in Rebecca Gagne, a French resistance fighter with a secret, and Henry Boudreaux, a Haitian-American art historian who seems to possess a little magic of his own. But tracking down this book is only half the battle - for the Grimorium Bellum seems to have a dark agenda all of its own . . .

'Prime Minister Churchill, the Witches of Britain are at your service . . .' 1940, and war rages across Europe. The future looks bleak. But now, emerging from the shadows, the Royal Academy of Witches offers its help. And so it is tasked with finding an ancient artefact that, were it to fall into Nazi hands, would help Hitler fulfil his twisted Aryan dream . . . Stubborn, plain-spoken and from an unimpressive family, Lydia Polk never expected to be chosen to work under Isadora Goode, the Grand Mistress of the Royal Academy of Witches. Now, three years into her apprenticeship, and with Hitler's armies rampaging across Europe, the Witches of Britain have joined the war effort - but not without some resistance from within, the British government having originally forced the witches into hiding. As Lydia's power grows, she too joins the cause, tracking down magical relics in order to keep them out of Nazi hands. But a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy with heart-breaking consequences and suddenly Lydia's mission becomes even more urgent . . . Somewhere out there, hidden amidst the chaos of war, is the Grimorium Bellum - an ancient book that Hitler craves, a book so steeped in dark magic that it has the power to wipe out civilisations - an artefact that Lydia must find and secure at all costs. Dropped into the heart of Occupied France, Lydia finds allies in Rebecca Gagne, a French resistance fighter with a secret, and Henry Boudreaux, a Haitian-American art historian who seems to possess a little magic of his own. But tracking down this book is only half the battle - for the Grimorium Bellum seems to have a dark agenda all of its own . . .

For all the West's failings - terrible food, cold weather, and questionable politicians with funny hair to name a few - it has its upsides. Konstantin would know. Growing up in the Soviet Union, he experienced first-hand the horrors of a socialist paradise gone wrong, having lived in extreme poverty with little access to even the most basic of necessities. It wasn't until he moved to the UK that Kisin found himself thriving in an open and tolerant society, receiving countless opportunities he would never have had otherwise. Funny, provocative and unswervingly perceptive, An Immigrant's Love letter to the West interrogates the developing sense of self-loathing the Western sphere has adopted and offers an alternative perspective. Exploring race politics, free speech, immigration and more, Kisin argues that wrongdoing and guilt need not pervade how we feel about the West - and Britain - today, and that despite all its ups and downs, it remains one of the best places to live in the world. After all, if an immigrant can't publicly profess their appreciation for this country, who can?

A glorious celebration, this landmark book is an exploration of the greatest gardens, parks and landscapes in Britain, with stunning photography accompanied by insightful text from leading garden historians and conservators. It is lovingly curated by The Gardens Trust, a prominent UK conservation charity dedicated to preserving, studying and spotlighting historic gardens. Arranged chronologically, it covers around 60 individual gardens, specially selected to give a broad historical overview of British garden design from the Early Modern Period up until the Millennium. Each chapter also includes an intruiging essay, exploring the wider changes in social context, taste and style in each period. Entries include: ¿ Elizabethan splendour at Kenilworth Castle. ¿ Spectacular landscapes by Capability Brown at Alnwick Castle and Chatsworth. ¿ Birkenhead Park, the Victorian inspiration for New York's Central Park. ¿ The classic cottage garden created by Margery Fish at East Lambrook, Somerset. ¿ Ian Hamilton Finlay's modern Scottish masterpiece, Little Sparta. Go on a voyage of garden discovery with this beautiful book, and learn more about the gardens and landscapes that are a much-loved part of our shared national story.

For all the West's failings - terrible food, cold weather, and questionable politicians with funny hair to name a few - it has its upsides. Konstantin would know. Growing up in the Soviet Union, he experienced first-hand the horrors of a socialist paradise gone wrong, having lived in extreme poverty with little access to even the most basic of necessities. It wasn't until he moved to the UK that Kisin found himself thriving in an open and tolerant society, receiving countless opportunities he would never have had otherwise. Funny, provocative and unswervingly perceptive, An Immigrant's Love letter to the West interrogates the developing sense of self-loathing the Western sphere has adopted and offers an alternative perspective. Exploring race politics, free speech, immigration and more, Kisin argues that wrongdoing and guilt need not pervade how we feel about the West - and Britain - today, and that despite all its ups and downs, it remains one of the best places to live in the world. After all, if an immigrant can't publicly profess their appreciation for this country, who can?

A heartwarming and hilarious new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of FRANK AND RED. _______ Sister Francis is an unlikely nun. She's sixty, sweary, drives like a lunatic and smokes like a stacked chimney . . . and she runs the Blessed Assumption Boys Club. Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan are four best friends from the Whittle council estate with little to do but get up to no good. After a run-in with local bullies, they discover the crumbling, forgotten club and find themselves in the company of the most remarkable person they will ever meet. Set against early 1980s Britain, THE TROUBLE WITH SISTER FRANCIS is a funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of unlikely heroes, quiet rebellions, fierce loyalty and unexpected hope. And at the centre of it all lies a long-forgotten journal that might just change everything. Praise for FRANK AND RED : 'Best book of the year!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'A fantastic debut' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'A lovely feel-good treat' The Times | 'Simply perfect' Daily Mirror | 'Hilariously funny . . . and beneath it all really quite lovely' Metro | 'Brilliant, just brilliant' Huffington Post | Debut of the Year Woman and Home | A Prima Book of The Year

Bloomsbury presents The Wise and Their Works: The Legacy of the Great Exhibition of 1851, written and read by A. N. Wilson The Wise and Their Works celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Great Exhibition in 2026. The men who inspired the Great Exhibition of 1851 - Henry Cole, Sir Robert Peel and above all Prince Albert himself - were at the centre of an extraordinary combination of manufacturing, commercial skill and political vision which made Victorian Britain an unparalleled success story. In this celebratory book, A. N. Wilson examines the legacy they left behind: their idealistic beliefs about free trade, decency and parliamentary democracy, and their ultimate vision of the human race at peace with prosperity spreading, while poverty and warfare were consigned to history. While their loftier ambitions may not have come to pass, these enterprising men did leave behind a little known but hugely influential organisation, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, which still supports industry, science and art in the UK. Skillfully delving into this rich and fascinating history, Wilson takes us on a journey into the heart of the progressive Victorian dream, and where it has left us today.

Bloomsbury presents Return of a King by William Dalrymple, read by Sagar Arya. SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE 2013 'As taut and richly embroidered as a great novel . . . a masterpiece' Sunday Telegraph 'Dazzling' Sunday Times 'Magnificent' Guardian 'Sparkling' Daily Telegraph A towering history of the first Afghan War by bestselling historian William Dalrymple. In the spring of 1839, Britain invaded Afghanistan for the first time. Nearly 20,000 British and East India Company troops poured through the high mountain passes and re-established on the throne Shah Shuja ul-Mulk. On the way in, the British faced little resistance. But after two years of occupation, the Afghan people rose in answer to the call for jihad and the country exploded into violent rebellion. The First Anglo-Afghan War ended in Britain's greatest military humiliation of the nineteenth century: an entire army of the then most powerful nation in the world ambushed in retreat and utterly routed by poorly equipped tribesmen. Using a range of forgotten Afghan and Indian sources, William Dalrymple's masterful retelling of Britain's greatest imperial disaster is a powerful parable of colonial ambition and cultural collision, folly and hubris. Return of a King is history at its most urgent and important.

En la Gran Bretaña actual, la clase trabajadora se ha convertido en objeto de miedo y escarnio. Desde la Vicky Pollard de Little Britain a la demonización de Jade Goody, los medios de comunicación y los políticos desechan por irresponsable, delincuente e ignorante a un vasto y desfavorecido sector de la sociedad cuyos miembros se han estereotipado en una sola palabra cargada de odio: chavs. En este aclamado estudio, Owen Jones analiza cómo la clase trabajadora ha pasado de ser "la sal de la tierra" a la "escoria de la tierra". Desvelando la ignorancia y el prejuicio que están en el centro de la caricatura chav, retrata una realidad mucho más compleja: el estereotipo chav, dice, es utilizado por los gobiernos como pantalla para evitar comprometerse de verdad con los problemas sociales y económicos y justificar el aumento de la desigualdad. Basado en una investigación exhaustiva y original, este libro es una crítica irrefutable de los medios de comunicación y de la clase dirigente, y un retrato esclarecedor e inquietante de la desigualdad y el odio de clases en la Gran Bretaña actual. La edición incluye un nuevo capítulo que explora las causas y las consecuencias de los episodios de violencia que ocurrieron durante el verano de 2011 en Inglaterra.