History of England Books

THE AGE OF STONEHENGE
by Colin Burgess. Illustrated with B&W drawings, maps, and photographs. Condition: NEW 2003 CastleBookS hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), reissue. Content: Reviewers: "Burgess brings to life the history of Britain and Ireland between 3000 and 1000 BC. This book was originally written in 1980. Colin Burgess subsequently left the field of the early prehistory of the British Isles for work in the Mediterranean on the Phoenicians and the Sea Peoples. The book has subsequently seen new editions in 2001 and 2003, which suggests that the material is both well presented and well researched. If it is any indication of his thoroughness one can only regret his early departure from English pre-history and his early retirement from the academic world in general. I was particularly impressed with the introduction of more recent information on the character of early settlement and subsequent culture change. Early books on the topic accredit population movements, invasions, and total replacement of one culture by another. Having taken some archaeology classes on European archaeology within the past 5 years, I had become aware of professional doubts on this topic. The tendency of past researchers to think in terms of nations, ethnic groups, etc., probably because we live with these social structures today, had produced a map covered with tribal names and arrows of migration that is now being discredited. As the author notes, it is more likely that culture and populations remained stable for centuries, in contact and exchanging cultural variables among them along shared borders. The archaeology of the British Isles bears little credence to anything like massive invasions. He does note the movements in the period of the Sea Peoples in the Mediterranean and suggests that during this time considerable movement of people may well have occurred in the British Isles as they did elsewhere. Among the specific data Burgess provides, I was most surprised by the apparent lack of artistic sense among craftsmen of the day-he noted that most of the artifacts found are very functional with little or no decoration. That pragmatism seems counter intuitive, since evolutionary studies seems to base the very concept of "modern" man on artistic criteria like the cave paintings of Spain and France, the Venus figurines and other artistic products: the difference between "modern humans" and "anatomically modern humans." I was also surprised by the apparent lack of a weaving/spinning tradition in the Isles until the 1st millennium. It seems so basic to the culture of other places, that it's late introduction here is surprising. This book is the most comprehensive overview of found objects and conclusive evidence that I have read to date. It is old, but that doesn't matter, since the material it covers is much older. Fascinating! A little difficult to get through at times, but factual, and therefore and invaluable resource. [1 copy available]
$ 6.50 + $ 3.29 media shipping. International shipping by arrangement.

ANCIENT MAN IN BRITAIN
by Donald Mackenzie. B&W photos & drawings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Senate Trade Paperback, first printing. Reissue/reprint of 1922 original. Content: The history of early Britain from the Ice Age to the Roman invasion is a fascinating yet often neglected period. The long held assumption that the inhabitants of early Britain were isolated and uncivilized prior to the arrival of the Romans is in urgent need of revision. Mackenzie draws on a variety of archaeological and ethnographic sources to recreate the lives of the forgotten tribal cultures of ancient Britain. The role of Druidism, the megalithic monuments and the shell deities of British ancestors are explained in absorbing detail. The pagan tribes of Britain and Ireland are placed in the context of other civilizations in early Europe to which they bear a striking rememblance. [1 copy available]
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ART & SOCIETY IN ROMAN BRITAIN
by Jennifer Laing. Wonderful B&W photos and drawings illustrate. Condition: NEW 1999 Sutton (UK) Trade Paperback, no printing given. Content: Fully illustrated, this book is the ideal introduction to Roman-British art, including mosaics, sculpture and architecture. The author discusses art patrons and craftsmen, the close relationship between the political and conomic history of the province and its art, and how Roman art responded rapidly to diverse influences. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 6.69 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

ATLAS OF THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR
by P.R. Newman. Detailed B&W battle maps illustrate. Condition: PLEASE READ / UNREAD, but not perfect, 1986 Croom Helm (UK) hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. There is a gift inscription on the loose end page - guess it was an unwanted gift. Content: Newman's "Atlas" is the only attempt to chart the progress of the Great Civil WAr of 1642-6. He has produced a work in which four years of confused and fragmented fighting are portrayed and explained in a manner which makes perfect sense. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 7.69 + $ 3.29 media shipping..

BEOWULF AND OTHER OLD ENGLISH POEMS
Translated by Constance Hieatt. Introduction by A. Kent Hieatt. Condition: NEW 1988 Revised and Expanded Second Edition, second printing. Content: This book provides one of the best and easiest to read translations of the classic Saxon epic poem. Also includes other poems, genealogical tables, and bibliography. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 2.10 + $ 2.89 media shipping.

THE BOOK OF SCOTTISH CLANS
by Iain Zaczek. Jacqui Mair Cover & color illustrations. Condition: NEW 2001 Cico Books (London) hardcover (pictorial boards), first edition, first printing. Content: The history of Scotland told by Clans and illustrated in color with paintings and tartans to match the Clans. Beautiful and informative book. Clans covered: Bowles-Lyon; Bruce; Campbell, Douglas; Graham; MacAlpine; MacBeth; MacDonald; MacGregor; MacLeod; Scott; Stewart; and Wallace. Pronunciation guide included. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.10 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

CAPTAIN SIR RICHARD BURTON: The Secret Agent Who Made the Pilgrimage Mecca, Discovered the Kama Sutra, and Brought the Arabian Knights to the West
by Edward Rice. Richard Burton photo cover. Condition: UNREAD 1992 Da Capo Press large Trade Paperback (664 pages), 4th printing. Pale tanning to page edges with very pale diagonal "near-crease" bottom front cover corner. Interior clean & tight. Content: "This masterpiece of history and biography turns the real-life adventures of Burton into a riveting tale...The last great word on the last great explorer of the colonial age." -Wall Street Journal. A New York Times best seller when it was first published, Rice's biography is the gripping story of a fierce, magnetic, and brilliant man whose real-life accomplishments are the stuff of legend. Rice retraces Burton's steps as the first European adventurer to search for the source of the Nile; to enter, disguised, the forbidden cities of Mecca and Medina; and to travel through remote stretches of India, the Near East, and Africa. From his spying exploits to his startling literary accomplishments (the discovery and translation of the Kama Sutra and his seventeen-volume translation of Arabian Nights), Burton was an engrossing, larger-than-life Victorian figure, and Rice's splendid biography lays open a portrayal as dramatic, complicated, and compelling as the man himself. Couple this book with Mountains of the Moon (a suggestion of mine only). Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 9.29 + $ 3.49 media shipping.

CLANS & TARTANS: The Fabric of Scotland
by Lorna Blackie. Large color photos of the Tartans. Condition: Gently pre-read, IF at all, 1997 Chartwell Books over-sized hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. Interior clean & tight. Content: This is a comprehensive and fully illustrated guide to the clans and tartans of scotland. Each large color tartan photo is accompanied by a history of its Clan. Excellent for libraries and school libraries. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.29 + $ 3.49 media shipping.

THE CONFIDENT HOPE OF A MIRACLE: The True History of the Spanish Armada
by Neil Hanson. Two beautiful color photo sections. DJ is a tapestry depicting the battle. Condition: NEW 2005 Knopf hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first American ediiton. Content: This splendid volume takes its title from a Spaniard's description of his compatriots' mood when the Armada sailed; a miracle was not forthcoming, however, for the Spanish or English fleets. The Spanish lacked the strength to overcome the inherent strategic disadvantages of having to bring a fleet and an army together over such a long distance; the English achieved their naval victory by sheer hard fighting, which nearly exhausted their ammunition and in which not only Sir Francis Drake displayed a freebooter's contempt toward disciplined obedience. Hanson is superlative in doing justice to the social complexities of the time and the suffering of the many who fought on both sides. He does an equally fine job capturing the epic scope of this naval confrontation, which may not have caused the decline of Spain but certainly prevented that of England. The annotation is thorough, and the 16-page color insert (along with 21 b&w illustrations) includes a rare unglamorized portrait of Elizabeth —no legendary Gloriana this, but a shrewd working monarch. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 7.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THE CROWN JEWELS & Coronation Ritual
by Col. Sir Thomas Butler. Beautiful color photos and artwork with a few B&W photos. Condition: UNREAD c. 1970-73 Pitkin Guides & Souvenir Books (UK) soft cover (stapled wraps), no printing given. Content: This is a wonderful detailed history of the English Family's Crown Jewels accompanied by even better color photos. Also covered is Coronation history and era artwork and B&W photos. Excellent for a souvenir book. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 7.29 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

Don't Know Much About THE KINGS & QUEENS OF ENGLAND
by Kenneth C. Davis. Clever & fun color illustrations by S.D. Schindler. Condition: NEW 2002 HarperCollins hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Crease to inside front DJ flap (shelf wear). Content: Davis applies a tongue-in-cheek approach in this broad overview of English history. Writing for the totally uninformed, the author answers two to seven questions on the life and times of each of 20-plus monarchs, occasionally revealing only obscure incidents or facts in the royals' lives. For example, for Edward I, the two questions asked are: "How Did King Edward I get his nickname, Longshanks?" and "Was Edward a 'Lucky Duck?'" Much of King Henry VIII's section features information on his wives, ending with a rhyme to help students remember their fates: "Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived." Illustrated sidebars provide additional facts. Youngsters will enjoy Davis's sense of fun, but there is some oversimplification. The colorful cartoon drawings, like the text, are often humorous and/or poke fun at the historical figures. Grades 4-7. Questions welcome. [1 copy left]
$ 14.69 +$ 3.29 media shipping.

ENGLISH FOLK HEROES From King Arthur to Thomas a Becket
by Christina Hole. B&W original woodcuts by Eric King. Cover art: St. George by Raphael. Condition: NEW 1992 Dorset hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first thus, first printing. Content: Storytelling is a universal instinct, and stories of human heroes strike a perennial chord in every person's heart. Primitive man told stories in an attempt to account for his own existence and that of the world around him. When reading was the privelege of a very few, stories were the means by which people learned of their heritage and held on to cherished traditions. Professional storytellers never lacked for an audience, even today's children demand stories (usually insisting that the tale be told in the exact same words every time). Man's tradition is rich in stories, and stories of heroes are among the most lasting - as well as the most fun. Few countries are as rich in stories of heroes as England, and Christina Hole, in her now classic work English Folk Heroes, illuminates the tradition of the English hero as it has rarely been done before. The lives and legends of King Arthur, Robin Hood, St. George, Thomas a Beckett and many others are retold here in prose that is as lively as its' subjects. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE GOLDEN DRAGON: Alfred the Great and His Times
by Alf J. Mapp, Jr. B&W woodcuts by Bruce Carter and detailed B&W maps. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1991 Madison Trade Paperback, fourth printing. Name inside front cover. Tiny edge wear. Content: Mapp conjures up a powerful feeling of Alfred's England. He makes the great issue, civilization versus barbarism, emotionally important, and makes the king's exemplary virtues - courage, intelligence, compassion, faith - more than empty words, so that the book really is, in the noblest sense, an exemplary biography. It is one of history's most exciting tales. Alfred is the only king in English history to be tagged "the Great." Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

HENRY VIII AND HIS SIX WIVES
by Janet Hardy Gould. B&W photos & illustrations. Condition: NEW 2001 Oxford University Press (Bookworms Library, London) softcover, 1st ed, 4th impression. Content: Written for younger readers as an introduction to Henry VIII and his era - oh, and all those wives, too. Sure to lure kids to interest in history. [1 copy available]
$ 6.75 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

HIGHLAND CLANS & TARTANS
by R. W. Munro. Wonderful color photos illustrate. Condition: Gently pre-read 1977 Octopus (London) large hard cover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. No problems; just pre-read. Decorated boards. Gift inscription loose endpage - barely visible. Content: This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of the clans from their beginnings to the present day activities of contemporary clan societies. The author decribes the early clan system and follows the story through the various strifes between clans, the Jacobite rebellions, the emigration priod to the revival of interest and prosperity in the Highlands and the development of contemporary clan societies. A separate chapter is devoted to the story of tartan and its links with the clans. [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.49 media shipping.

ISLAND STORIES: Unravelling Britain (Theatres of Memory, Volume II)
by Raphael Samuel. Decorated end pages. B&W illustrations. Condition: NEW 1998 Verso hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. Content: This is an engrossing journey of discovery into the multiple meanings of national myth, their anchorage in daily life and their common sense of a people's destiny. Samuel reveals a palimpsest of British national hitories, offering a searching yet affectionate account of the heroes, villains, legends and foibles cherished by the "four nations" that inhabit the British Isles. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 5.59 + $ 3.49 media shipping.

JUSTICE DELAYED: How Britain Became A Refuge For Nazi War Criminals (with New Afterword by the Author)
by David Cesarani. B&W era photo section. Condition: NEW 2000 Phoenix (UK) Trade Paperback, no printing given. Content: Britain--Nazi Germany's fiercest opponent and one that never fell to the enemy--turned into a home for the war's most terrible mass murderers and their collaborators. Through a picture, at once compelling and horrifying, of Clement Atlee's post war government and its immigration policy, it becomes clear that Eastern Europeans had favored status over non whites and Jewish Holocaust survivors. Despite protest from various members of Parliament, former members of the Waffen--SS and Nazi police units began new lives in England--some of whom became agents for the Eastern Bloc. Only in 1986, when the Simon Wiesenthal Center provided irrefutable evidence, was the stage set to remedy the situation. Cesarani is Director of Studies at the Institute of Contemporary History and Wiener Library. He has written on Anglo-Jewish history, and the history of Zionism, and has written the official history of the Jewish Chronicle newspaper. From 1987-1991 he was consultant to the All-Party Parliamentary War Crimes Group and was Principal Researcher of its 'Report on the Entry on Nazi War Criminals and Collaborators in the UK, 1945-50. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 4.59 + $ 3.29 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

KNIGHT: Noble Warrior of England 1200 - 1600
by Christopher Gravett. Beautiful color and B&W photos and drawings illustrate. 288 pages. Condition: UNREAD (but has been prused on the shelf) 2008 Osprey huge hard cover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: "This book examines the figure and actions of the knight in medieval times, surveying his development, social standing, training and battles in great detail. While any library strong in college-level medieval history needs this, it's also the military history collection that will benefit from its thorough review, accompanied by original color art and modern photography of armor." "Gravett takes the reader inside the castles and battlefields of yesteryear for a closer look at the daily life of the knight, both on and off the campaign. The evolution of the knight's weaponry and armor is revealed throughout the pages of Knight in lavish illustrations, including detailed plates by Graham Turner, the historical sketches and prints, and contemporary photographs of surviving artifacts." "" Within the contents of this 288 page book, Gravett includes details about the knight's clothing, weapons, wars, and peacetime functions. Also included is a detailed explanation of their chivalry code which has made this warrior truly famous. Not to be missed by the historian or those with an interest in history just a little outside the norm." Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 11.59 + $ 3.59 media shipping.

LONDON 1900: The Imperial Metropolis
by Jonathan Schneer. B&W era drawings & photos illustrate. Condition: NEW 2000 Yale Univ. Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: The throb and hum of 1900 London reverberates in this superbly researched and richly detailed work of cultural history. Enormous, diverse London was the imperial capital of the day, surpassing Paris, Vienna, Rome, New York and Peking in importance. On the docks of the Thames, thousands of workmen unloaded the riches of the globeAspices, herbs, furs, jute, hempAwhile in the Square Mile of the financial district, thousands of lawyers, bankers, insurance agents, stockbrokers, importers and exporters made their fortunes. Historian Schneer of the Georgia Institute of Technology illustrates how imperial symbols permeated the architecture, culture and institutions of this colossal money-making machine. Zoo elephants evoked the exotic reaches of British dominion; the city's revamped streets provided an imposing backdrop for parades of "sunburned heroes returning from the veldt"; and the white man's burden echoed as a theme in cigarette advertisements, school textbooks and music hall songs. Nor does this fine study neglect the dialectical contradictions of an empire of 400 million people. Schneer identifies racial stereotypes in the Sherlock Holmes stories but also shows how Irish, Indian and African nationalists applied liberal ideologies born and honed in Britain to their own nascent independence movements. Finally, he analyzes imperialist and anti-imperialist sentiments articulated by politicians in the general election of 1900, called the Khaki Election for the color of the uniforms during the Boer War. Schneer's writing occasionally loses its fluidity when he gets bogged down in too much minutiae. But he offers a lively portrait of a city that was not just the capital of a country but the capital of the world in a way that perhaps no other city has ever been. [1 copy available]
$ 12.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

LOST GODS OF ALBION: The Chalk Hill-Figures of Britain
by Paul Newman (NO, not that one). B&W photos, maps, & drawings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 2000 Sutton (UK) hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylr jacket), first printing. Light tanning to white DJ edges but NO tanning to interior pages. Content: First published in 1987, this is a new edition, completely rewritten and freshly illustrated and incorporates radical new interpretations arising from the latest discoveries and researches. The flowing outlines of the Uffington White Horse, the phallic symbolism of the Cerne Giant, the austere Long Man of Wilmington and many other chalk hill-figures form some of Britain's best-known landmarks. As a uniquely British phenomenon, the thirty or so figures cut into the turf of southern England have excited antiquarians, archaeologists and the general pubic for generations. However, their origins are enigmatic. Newman shows how hill-figures reveal Britain's darkest past: Druid massacres, conjectured human sacrifice and strange phallic and pagan rites that in a miler form survive even today. Fascinating! [1 copy available]
$ 9.39 + $ 3.29 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE MAKING OF THE KING 1066
by Alan Lloyd. Condition: UNREAD 1990 Dorset Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Small "puncture" bottom front DJ panel on fold. Content: The year 1066 is traditionally the most memorable in the history of the British Isles. Lloyd brings to life the stories of three outstandingly ambitious men whose careers finally clashed in that famous year which climaxed in the Battle of Hastings - Harold Godwinson of England, heir of Edward the Confessor's richest and wiliest subject; Harald Hardrada of Norway; and William of Normandy. Excellent read. [1 copy available]
$ 5.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

GEORGE MALLORY
by David Robertson. 3 B&W photo sections. Foreword by Joe Simpson. Condition: NEW 1999 Faber & Faber Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: On 1 May 1999 an American expedition, searching on Everest for the bodies of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, found Mallory's body on a ledge at approximately 27,000 feet. The climbers carefully buried it, with appropriate ceremony, under large rocks at an undisclosed spot. They continued, without success, their search for Irvine's body and for the vest-pocket Kodak camera that might have yielded evidence that Mallory and Irvine attained the summit. George Mallory's disappearance on Everest in 1924 secured a place for him as one of the accepted heroes of the 20th century: it tended, at the same time, to overshadow the course of his life as a whole and to obscure the shape and complexity of his personality. In this first full biography, David Robertson - who has had access to all the family papers - follows Mallory's life from boyhood in Cheshire and at Winchester, through the years from 1905 to 1909 at Cambridge and the years of school mastering at Charterhouse. Then on to a happy marriage, service in the First World War, and participation in the Everest Expeditions of the Twenties. Two deep devotions - to the spirit of adventure and to his family and personal friends - were the mainsprings of his life. This book, first published in 1969, shows him not only as a mountaineer of extraordinary skill and action. It portraits a man who developed lively interests in the fields of literature, the arts and the main social and political controversies of his day, and one whose circle of friends included some of his most brilliant contemporaries. Above all, it succeeds in conveying Mallory's immense but unselfconscious charm, enhanced by transparent determination to find out what was right - a charm captivating to so many, and so very different people. [1 copy available]
$ 7.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

MARSTON MOOR: English Civil War - July 1644 (Battleground Britain 1642 - 1651)
by David Clark. Excellent B&W photos, reproductions, current and era maps. Condition: NEW 2004 Leo Cooper, Pen & Sword Trade papaerback, no printing given. tiny edge wear to front cover fore edge - realy tiny. Content: Following on from the success of the first book in this series on the English Civil war, Naseby, here is the story of Marston Moor, arguably the most famous battle in the four year conflict. In this exciting analysis of the battle the Author has captured the atmosphere and made it possible to get the most out of the experience. Marston Moor was an extremely bitter and costly battle and a defeat for the Royalist cause that had major implications for King Charles I. One result was that the key city of York was lost thereby seriously weakening the King's grip on the North. [1 copy available]
$ 4.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

MISTRESS ANNE: The Exceptional Life of Anne Boleyn
by Carolly Erickson (The First Elizabeth). B&W photo section. Condition: UNREAD 1985 Summit Trade Paperback, first printing. Pale "remainder" marks (?) top edges. Interior perfect. Content: Reviewer: "Erickson does a fine job of pulling together what historical evidence about Anne exists. However, the reader may sense that she too often relies upon such statements as "It cannot be known for sure what Anne was feeling during the month of her confinement," or "While no writings exist today, we can guess that the King was frustrated with Anne's haughty behavior..." Biography is a tough genre to write if little actual evidence survives, so Erikson relies heavily upon legend, hearsay, and extrapolation. Nevertheless, she paints a historically accurate picture of life in King Henry VIII's court. Her vocabulary is stunningly varied, and the images she elicits with her prose are quite powerful. . . . a great in-depth introduction to what we know about the ill-fated Queen, who waited for almost a decade to marry the King, only to be wrongly convicted of adultery and treason, and beheaded at the Tower of London two years into the royal marriage. The last laugh, however, belongs to this strong woman, who was used by many as a pawn. Her daughter, Elizabeth I, ruled England single-handedly, retaining her maiden-status in an era when that was almost inconceivable. Perhaps she learned a few lessons from her mother, Anne Boleyn." Exceptional work, IMHO. [1 copy available]
$ 5.00 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

MURDER MOST ROYAL (Historical Fiction)
by Jean Plaidy (aka Victoria Holt, Eleanor Hibbert, & Philippa Carr). Cover painting by Warren Chang. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1993 Book of the Month Club hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket). Although unread, there is a gift inscription on the loose endpage and due to poor storage, there is a bit of "looseness" to the binding - not bad, but there. Content: This is the story of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard - 2 of Henry VIII's wives. One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king’s eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry’s passion was all-consuming–and fickle. Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in love with another man when King Henry claimed her as his own. Being his mistress gave her a position of power; being his queen put her life in jeopardy. Her younger cousin, Catherine Howard, was only fifteen when she was swept into the circle of King Henry. Her innocence attracted him, but a past mistake was destined to haunt her. Painted in the rich colors of Tudor England, this book is a page-turning journey into the lives of two of the wives of the tempestuous Henry VIII. [1 copy available]
$ 10.59 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THE MYSTERY OF THE PRINCES: An Investigation Into A Supposed Murder (Crime Writers' Gold Dagger Award)
by Audrey Williamson. B&W photos and era art. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1992 Academy Chicago Trade Paperback, second printing. Light edge wear with a few light rubbings along hinge. Interior perfect. Content: Reviewer: "Who killed the princes in the tower has to be one of the most hotly debated mysteries of history. The assumption always seems to be that someone murdered the sons of Edward IV, and the most likely contenders are often seen to be either Richard III and Henry VII. Okay. This book doesn't solve the mystery but it certainly canvasses a broad range of possibilities. The author looks more broadly than the usual suspects, and provides thoughtful analysis (and lots of references)." [1 copy available]
$ 9.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

ON A GRANDER SCALE: The Outstanding Life of Sir Christopher Wren
by Lisa Jardine. Wonderful color photo section with B&W art repros and drawings throughout. Condition: NEW 2003 HarperCollins hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: Renaissance scholar Jardine takes the cultural historical tack that has brought her scholarly renown, providing not only a nearly day-by-day account of the polymathic British architect's most important moments but minutely detailed background on institutions like the Royal Society and the Royal Observatory (along with the Order of the Garter), on developing science (blood transfusion, longitude) and on people: the royal families, Robert Hooke, John Evelyn. Wren was appointed to the Rebuilding Commission established after the devastating Great Fire of London in 1666, becoming in time responsible for the design and rebuilding of all 51 churches destroyed by the fire, and for the reconstruction of St. Paul's. By the time Wren came to that work by which he is best known, he had already achieved enormous distinction as a scientist, inventor and mathematician-and he was 34 years old. By 1689, he was at work renovating Hampton Court Palace for William and Mary, the third royal family he had served; in their reign, he was appointed surveyor of Westminster Abbey in 1698, a post he held until his death. To stick with Jardine requires a serious interest in Wren and period history. The rich documentation-the full text of private and public papers (e.g., letters of patent, royal warrants, correspondence, receipts, marginalia, excerpts from diaries) and 80 b&w illustrations and a 16-page color insert-may dizzy the reader who is not intimate with 17th century prose style, but will astonish those who are. And Jardine's discovery of an underground chamber in the Monument to the Great Fire is something any amateur sleuth will enjoy. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 23.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THE OXFORD HISTORY OF BRITAIN
edited by Kenneth O. Morgan. Cover art is a J. S. Copley paining. B&W maps. Condition: UNREAD 1993 Oxford University Press Trade Paperback, revised edition, 6th printing. The only problem with this book is the clipped bottom front corner through page 5 - why? who knows. Content: From the coming of the Roman legions to the present day, this book tells the story of Britain and her people over 2,000 years. The dramatic narrative is taken up in turn by ten leading historians, who explore the relationship between the political, economic, social, and cultural transformations in British history. [1 copy available]
$ 9.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

PREHISTORIC ENGLAND
by Grahame Clark. B&W photo sections. B&W drawings and maps. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1962 B. T. Batsford (London) paperback, revised edition, first printing. Short, light spider creases bottom front cover edge with light edge wear. Interior clean & tight but tanning. Content: While some of this material is dated, it is still an archaeology standard on the "dawn of history" in England. Excellent, detailed B&W drawings of artifacts. [1 copy available]
$ 6.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE QUAKERS IN PURITAN ENGLAND
by Hugh Barbour. B&W photos illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1985 Friends United Press Trade Paperback, no printing given. Content: A discussion of the Quaker religion and its ties to Holland, Anabaptists, and its roots in Puritanism. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 31.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

QUEEN OF ENGLAND: The Story of Elizabeth I
by Helene Hanff. B&W illustrations. Condition: Good+ 1969 Doubleday hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (mylar jacket), first edition. This is an EX-LIBRARY book with all markings. Interior clean. B&W drawings by Ronald Dorfman. Content: A Young Adult biography of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 5.75 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

QUEEN VICTORIA: From her birth to the death of the Prince Consort
by Cecil Woodham-Smith. Condition: UNREAD 1974 Dell paperback first thus, first printing. Small rubbings front cover with small edgewear, and oddly enough, it appears the back cover edges may have been "trimmed" - (binder's error?). Interior clean and very tight with pale tanning to page edges. Questions welcome. Content: Detailed life of England's Queen Victoria 637 pages) written so well it reads like fiction. [1 copy available]
$ 4.59 + $ 2.89 shipping.

THE RISE AND FALL OF ANNE BOLEYN: Family politics at the court of Henry VIII
by Retha M. Warnicke. B&W illustrations throughout. Condition: NEW 2000 Canto Trade Paperback, reprint. Content: Thanks to the events surrounding her courtship with and ultimate marriage to Henry VIII, the tempestuous nature of that union, and the sordid yet mysterious circumstances of her excution, Anne Boleyn has always been a fascinating figure. Both popular and scholarly biographies of her have come along with some regularity. Quite simply though, this one transcends all previous efforts. Thanks to painstaking research and shrewd analytical skills, Warnicke (history, Arizona State Univ.) gives us substantial new insight on both the woman and her times. Her central thesis, that the execution derived in large measure from Henry's concern with perpetuating his dynasty, is a convincing one, and she shows clearly that previous biographers have been all too ready to accept distorted evidence at face value. "this book is more than original--it challenges close to every other work written about Anne since her execution...This book is a wonderful piece of feminist scholarship...it offers great insights into Anne Boleyn and into the way history has treated all women who dared to wield power and influence." Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 13.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

ROMAN BATHS; A View Over 2000 Years (Bath Archaeological Society)
by Barry Cunliffe. Beautiful color photos by Tim Mercer. Great color "cutaway" detailed room plans. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1993 Bath Archaeological Society large soft cover, no edition given. Pale diagonal crease bottom front cover corner plus a note written top back page. Tiny edgewear. Content: From the first century A.D. to the twentieth , people have been drawn to this place to seek comfort, cure and cleansing in the hot water that rises at its heart. What remains today is a remarkable sequence of ancient, medieval, and later structures that give testimony to the continuous use of hot water here over nearly 2,000 years. Perfect book for students of history and architecture. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 3.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

ROMAN WOMAN: Everyday Life in Hadrian's Britain (Historical Fiction)
by Lindsay Allason-Jones. Condition: Very Good + 2000 Michael O'Mara Books Ltd. (London) hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket). If this book has been read, it was very gently. No flaws & interior is very clean & tight. The DJ has small edgewear top edge. Content: Historical fiction of the highest order. Excellent historical detail. The year is AD 133 in Eboracum (York). The story is told by Senovara, a member of the Parisi tribe whose home and customs have been little changed by Roman rule, but Senovara is also the wife of Quintus, a veteran of the 6th Legion Victrix. How she meets the challenge of adjusting from tribal life to Roman life is the basis of the novel. [1 copy available]
$ 6.50 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THE ROSE AND THE THISTLE: Essays on the Culture of Late Medieval and Renaissance Scotland
edited by Sally Mapstone and Juliette Wood. Condition: NEW 1998 Tuckwell Press (Scotland) Trade Paperback, no edition given. Content: The late medieval and renaissance period was one of profound ideological change in Scottish cultural history, in which ideas of sovereignty, religion, and national idenity were all subject to challenge and redefinition. These 8 essays focus on literature, festivities, documents and letters, and emphasise the significance of hitherto-neglected sources. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 10.50 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

SEAHENGE: A Quest for Llife and Death in Bronze Age Britain
by Francis Pryor. Three B&W photo sections plus B&W drawings, maps, and charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 2008 HarperPerennial Trade Paperback, no printing given. Not a remainder. Content: One of the most haunting and enigmatic archaeological discoveries of recent times was the uncovering in 1998 at low tide of the so-called Seahenge on the north coast of Norfolk. This circle of wooden planks set vertically in the sand, with a large inverted tree-trunk in the middle, likened to a ghostly "hand reaching up from the underworld", has now been dated to around 2020 BC. It focused national attention on archaeology to an extent not seen for many years, and the issues raised by its removal and preservation made it a "cause celebre". Francis Pryor has been at the centre of British archaeological fieldwork for nearly 30 years, piecing together the way of life of Bronze Age people, their settlement of the landscape, their religion and rituals. "Seahenge" demonstrates how much Western civilization owes to the prehistoric societies that existed in Europe in the last four millennia BC. Pryor is President of the Council for British Archaeology and a prominent field archaeologist who has devoted his professional life to the excavation of wetland landscapes in eastern England. [1 copy available]
$ 5.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

SCOTLAND'S HISTORIC SHIPWRECKS (Historic Scotland series)
by Colin Martin. Detailed B&W photos, maps, and charts with a color photo section. Condition: NEW 1998 B. T. Batsford (UK) Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: Six historic shipwrecks that occurred in the waters off Scotland. These disasters took place from the time of the Spanish Armada to the 18th century, and this is the mesmerizing tale of their rediscovery and the archaeological investigation on the sea floor. Each shipwreck is set in its wider historical context. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 6.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE SECRETS OF THE AVEBURY STONES: Britain's Greatest Megalithic Temple
by Terence Meaden. B&W photos & astronomy charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 1999 Frog Ltd. Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny shelfwear. Content: Avebury, less than 20 miles from its more famous neighbor, Stonehenge, is rich in symbols linked to pre-Christian Goddess religions. This book reveals the wonders of the site, the largest and most complex prehistoric monument in Britain, through a lavishly illustrated guided tour encompassing history, archaeology, spirituality, and art. [1 copy available]
$ 8.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

SELKIRK'S ISLAND: The True and Strange Adventures of the Real Robinson Crusoe
by Diana Souhami. B&W photos. Condition: NEW Harcourt, Inc. hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket) first U.S. edition, first printing. Content: Daniel Defoe based his 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe on the trials and tribulations of Scottish seaman Alexander Selkirk. Souhami draws on journals, maritime histories, and ship and parish records to detail his engrossing story. Born the seventh son of a poor cobbler, Selkirk fought violently with his brothers and dreamed about the "adventure, gold and escape" that the sea seemed to promise. In 1703, at the age of 23, he joined a looting expedition led by William Dampier, an experienced pirate who plundered the treasures of French and Spanish ships on the South Seas. But appalling conditions on the journey scurvy, hunger and a leaky ship (worms ate through its wooden hull) led to mutiny against the drunken and belligerent Dampier. After quarreling with a new captain, Selkirk (who was very belligerent himself) was put ashore on Juan Fernadez, an uninhabited island hundreds of miles off the coast of Chile. Souhami provides arresting descriptions of the island and the life Selkirk lived on it for more than four years, when hunger and thirst were "diversions" from his solitude. He survived, in part, by eating goats (with whom he also found sexual release), fish and vegetation. Rescued by another Dampier expedition, at first Selkirk was a wild man who had almost lost the power of speech. He did, however, recover from his ordeal: He took two wives, continued to sail and died at sea in 1721. Complete with detailed comparisons between Defoe's novel and Selkirk's life, Souhami's account is a well-researched investigation of a forgotten antihero. [One of the most interesting lives ever lived.] [1 copy available]
$ 8.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE SENSATIONAL RESTORATION (Indiana Masterpiece Editions)
edited by H. James Jensen. Cover illustrations: Charles II, Thomas Hawker, c. 1680. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Indiana Univ. Press large Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edgewear. Content: English Restoration writing, known for its skeptical libertinism, addressed social mores, attitudes toward the arts, economic and political questions, social problems, and conventions of social graces - as well as youth, cynicism, religious and philosophical assumption, gender issues, and class and economic debates. This anthology begins with excerpts from Hobbes's Leviathan and includes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry of the era. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 7.50 + $ 3.49 media shipping.

SIDNEY REILLY: The True Story of the World's Greatest Spy
by Michael Kettle. B&W photos and document repros. Condition: UNREAD 1986 St. Martin's paperback, no printing given. Moderate tanning to page edges. Content: He was - among other things - Sigmund Georgievich Rosenblum, born to a wealthy Jewish-Polish family . . . to become the most successful British spy in history. He lived on the knife-edge of danger on two continents. He loved many women - some of whom went to their deaths rather than betray him. He spoke many languages and could lie well in all of them. He was a master of disguise and duplicity who still lran a world-wide spy network on his own - a year after the British Secret Service turned him out in the cold. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 2.50 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

SOUTH: The Endurance Expedition
by Ernest Shackleton. 16 pages of original 1914 expedition photos by Frank Hurley. Maps. Condition: NEW 1999 Signet paperback edition, 4th printing. Tiny edgewear. Content: In 1914, as the shadow of war falls across Europe, a party led by veteran explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton sets out to become the first to rraverse the Antarctic continent. Optimism turned to horror as 28 men became marooned on a polar ice floe." Although there have been a number of new books and reprints recently focusing on the Endurance expedition, this is the one book everyone should read, Sir Ernest Shackleton's own story of the tragedy he turned into a triumph. Shackleton fully covers the expedition from its inception, through the loss of the Endurance, the stranding of the men on desolate Elephant Island, the majestic small-boat journey in search of rescue to South Georgia, the many attempts to evacuate the men from Elephant Island to the return home." [1 copy available]
$ 5.50 + $ 2.89 shipping.

SOUTH: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage
by Ernest Shackleton. B&W maps and era photos throughout. Condition: NEW 2001 Carroll & Graf large Trade Paperback, 10th printing. Tiny edge wear plus a shelf-wear "wrinkle" to 7 pages fore edges (working on that). Content: Soon after the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in 1911, his Anglo-Irish rival, Sir Ernest Shackleton, sought to top the feat by making his way from one end of Antarctica to the other on sledge. He set off with a crew of 28, including scientists and a movie cameraman, but the voyage turned disastrous when Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, became hopelessly stuck in pack ice, throwing the men (and the dogs brought to pull the sledges) into a desperate battle for survival. South is Shackleton's own account--one of the critical sources for Alfred Lansing's bestseller Endurance--of what it was like to be "helpless intruders in a strange world," a vivid narrative in which tales of Edwardian pluck are counterpointed with lyrical accounts of whales, penguins, and bizarre mirages. This story of a group of men who beat nearly impossible odds to escape death and make their way home is one of the all-time great survival stories. The 2002 TV movie Shackleton was, of course, based on this book, and was directed by Charles Sturridge and starred the fabulous Kenneth Branagh as Shackleton, John Grillo, Phoebe Nicholls, Eve Best, and a host of wonderful British actors. Excellent movie and true to the real story. [1 copy available]
$ 5.59 + $ 3.29 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

TIMPSON'S LEYLINES: A Layman Tracking the Leys
by John Timpson. Spectacular color photos by Derry Brabbs. Decorated end pages. Condition: NEW 2000 Cassell large hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. Content: Join bestselling author and media star John Timpson as he investigates leylines, ancient routes said to be energy lines of the earth. Relating his discoveries of holy wells, carved green men, early preaching crosses, Celtic fertility objects, and pagan sacred sites in his own witty style, you'll view the fascinating places and intriguing items that he found on his quest. Breathtaking photography rounds out this enthralling armchair travel companion. Some believe they are prehistoric tracks linking ancient meeting places and sacred sites, others that they are invisible energy currents passing through the earth. The “New Age” approach links leylines to mysterious happenings, including the landing of UFOs, while in recent years the lines have been linked to German ghost paths, Irish fairy trails, and Chinese feng shui. What is clear is that there are a considerable number of ancient and unusual sites that are connected by straight lines. Timpson travels through Britain exploring the history and folklore surrounding sites as varied as Stonehenge, Hadrian’s Wall, and the Long Man of Wilmington. In his own witty style, he shows us the fascinating places and intriguing items that he discovered on his quest. [1 copy available]
$ 12.59 + $ 3.49 media shipping.

TO THE SHORES OF THE POLAR SEA: Three Years Exploring the Canadian Arctic, 1819 - 1822
by John Franklin. Condition: NEW 2004 Narrative Press Trade Paperback, no edition given. Tiny edgewear. Interior perfect. Content: Franklin was an officer in the Royal Navy (and later governor of Tasmania), but he was also one of the great polar explorers. This is the intimate narrative of his expedition in 1819. With only three companions, he explored the Canadian arctic from Hudson's Bay east to the Coppermine River and Bathurst Inlet. It was tough sledding: They were reduced to eating the leather parts of their clothes. Nevertheless, Franklin mapped 1,200 miles of coastline and logged 663 plants. Back in England he became a national hero. He died in 1845, while leading another expedition to the Arctic. Most interesting, at least to me, is the description of the Native Americans they encountered - with guns, tobacco, and porcupine quills - where did "isolated" tribes in the Arctic come up with these items? Read on! Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 4.79 + $ 3.09 shipping.

THE TOWER OF LONDON (Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London)
by Peter Hammond. Wonderful color photos, B&W drawings and "blueprints." Condition: Gently pre-used, I believe, 1996 Royale Print soft cover, reprint. Light edge wear, but there is also a light "wave or wrinkle" at the tops of a few pages. What caused it, I don't know. No stains, tho. Content: Excellent history of the infamous Tower of London prison. Most likely a book sold at the Tower to tourists, but it is detailed and precise. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.19 shipping.

THE TRIAL OF QUEEN CAROLINE: The Scandalous Affair That Nearly Ended a Monarchy
by Jane Robins. B&W photo section. Condition: NEW 2006 Free Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: The prize for the worst-behaved British royal couple goes not to Charles and Di but to George IV and Caroline, whose escapades heated up the early 19th-century scandal sheets and incited riots not long after the French monarchs were beheaded. When he married his first cousin Caroline, George was already vilified in the press for his unlawful marriage to a Catholic, his womanizing, financial extravagance, obesity and egotism. Caroline—poorly educated, magnanimous and reckless—became the darling of the people and the press, an advantage she exploited when her hubby cut her out of his will days after their daughter Charlotte's birth. The couple separated in 1797, barely two years after their wedding, but the escalating discord turned political after George restricted Caroline's access to Charlotte and she retaliated by championing the opposition Whigs. In 1820, George had Caroline tried for adultery to strip her of her title and gain a divorce. As this well-researched, competently written but uninspired account by a London journalist relates, the brouhaha spurred political reforms, and the queen triumphed at court but was still barred from George's coronation a few months later and died shortly thereafter. [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THE TUDORS
by Christopher Morris. B&W photo section. Condition: 1973 Fontana/Collins (London) paperback in excellent condition. One tiny bit of edgewear - bottom front corner tip. Deep tanning to page edges. Very pale spine crease. If this was read, it was gently. Content: A scholarly, yet very readable, history of the English Tudor dynasty - which, of course, includes Henry VIII and all six wives and Queen Elizabeth. Genealogical tables included. Originally published in 1955. [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 2.89 shipping.

WILLIAM WALLACE: Man and Myth
by Graeme Morton. Two B&W photo sections. Condition: Gently pre-read 2001 Sutton (UK) hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), reprint. No major problems, just pre-read. Content: "The Wallace story is part of Scotland's imagined community.... We can't break the story because there is no story." In this densely written scholarly study, the author, a professor at Edinburgh University, examines the legends that have surrounded the exploits of William Wallace (1274-1305). Wallace is credited with liberating Scotland by defeating the English at Stirling Bridge (1297); his stature as the savior of Scotland has been reinforced by the recent film Braveheart. Later Wallace was vanquished by Edward I of England at Falkirk (1298). He lived as an outlaw and guerilla fighter until he was betrayed to the English, tried and bloodily executed in 1305. The author researched the very slim historical sources available and found problems with corroborating evidence. Much of Wallace's early reputation, for example, rested on the verse of "blind Harry," who wrote in the late 15th century. According to Morton, Harry's poetry has been romanticized and is almost certainly filled with errors. Ballads, songs and biographies of later centuries extolling Wallace's heroism are based on patriotism rather than truth. Morton also investigates how the myth of Wallace served both Scottish nationalism and socialism. In recent years the Wallace cult has grown, due to video games and Web sites. Although the author does not argue for completely abandoning national myths that cannot be proven, his hope for the Wallace mystique is that it is time to "lay his ghost to rest." The author even dedicates a chapter to "wallace.com." [1 copy available]
$ 6.79 + $ 3.19 shipping.