United Kingdom Books

If you want a better understanding of David Hockney buy this book. It is a wonderful display of illustrations and information of a great British artist.

"David Hockney: Paintings" is well written and organized to foster a greater understanding of how Hockney evolves over the course of his career. Moreover, you will be impressed by the outstanding quality of the the black & white and color illustrations.

Authors Paul Melia and Ulrich Luckhardt provide the reader an excellent insight to the artistic thoughts of David Hockney. It also studies and explains the tremendous global popularity of the artist. This is a great book to have in the house.

I was more than pleasantly surprised by the extremely high quality of the reproductions. The book is split up in six chapters covering the main artistic phases in Hockney`s live and giving a lot of information about his paintings.
I find it extremely interesting not just to see Hockney`s work but also to read the details on the creative process leading up to the finished painting. A wonderful book!

Being a tremendous fan of Hockney's work, I was delighted to find this beautiful and informative book.

I liked the chronological organization as the book traced the artist's development over the years. I always find this such an interesting perspective, seeing how an artist's vision changes and evolves. And I also liked the way that the relationship between Hockney's life and his art is explored.

The illustrations were grand too!

A worthwhile book and a good study of Hockney, his life, and his works.

Never have I read a collection of more powerfully written and organized words. I first heard Dread Beat and Blood as a high school student fifteen years ago and was struck by the rhythm and the tone of Johnson's voice. The words on the page come alive with the images of racial strife and injustice that LKJ creates with his pen. I am currently using these and other poems by dub poets as a teaching tool in my Clairemont High School language arts classes. Spread the word!

the whole idea of dub poetry, and especially the contents introduced by LKJ are here found in written form, powerful, strong, touching. If you read it, you#ll understand more about the focus of LKJ's works.

I am from Brixton, and have to say LKJ put into lyrics what in the 1970's/1980's what most of us could not (our access to all mediums was cut off). The reality he writes about in say, Sonny's Letter is true - believe! It was ignored by politicians (obviously) etc. It's series and when you read or even better LISTEN to the lyrics (he recorded most of this) you will see why so many of us self destructed so early.

this is a lovely book. The author's mastery of the English language is a pleasure to savor. I will keep this book to re-read and I'm sure I will enjoy his way with words and his way with a story again and again. He makes his characters come to life. If you love Elizabethan history, if you love the English language, read this book, you won't be disappointed. I wish I were articulate enough to do justice to his art.

once upon a time it seems there was this fella who thought you could actually write creative and lively non-fiction. his name was lytton strachey and he carried his thought out onto paper. all of his books are wonderfully written non-fiction. why oh why do so few non-fiction writers swing for the fence with their writing? is it editors? i know nothing about the inner-workings of the book business. it just puzzles me why almost all non-fiction writing is so uncreative, so unimaginative. lytton strachey, God bless you man! wherever your soul may be.

Strachey is deeply sympathetic of both Elizabeth and Essex, recognizing their strengths and their tragic shortcomings. Most modern biographies of Elizabeth rake her over the coals for her famously dithering and constipated decision-making process, but Strachey makes a good case for indecision as a political weapon, and cites this quality as part of Elizabeth's genius. The relationship between this hugely complex 70-year old queen and the magnificent but deeply flawed earl is dissected factually and emotionally. An amazing achievement. Jill Masters has a beautiful, silky voice and brings real poignancy to this subtle work.

If somebody want to know more about the history of central Asia, to read about the Great Game is a must. This excellent book explain, in a very engaging way, the latest events in the relations between Britain and Russia, concerning Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet after the 1907 entente. This relation was very complex in nature since Russia was pushing forward to broaden its empire and influence, fact that directly affected British interest in the zone, always thinking in India. So by using those "buffer" states Britain was able to contain Russia advances to a certain limit, in particular Persia that become of major strategic importance for Britain because of its oil resources. It is obvious then, that the entente didn't finish the game, it was just the best way for both empires to conduct their policies in Central Asia at the time, a fragile understanding but mostly peaceful and only finished by the Great War in Europe. All in all, a great book.

Endgame: Britain, Russia and the Final Struggle for Central Asia won the 2003 Barbara Jelavich Book Prize awarded annually for the most distinguished monograph published on any aspect of Southeast European or Habsburg studies since 1600, or nineteenth- and twentieth-century Ottoman or Russian diplomatic history.

The book prize selection committee wrote the following about this book:

Possibly the most significant contribution to Russian diplomatic history in a decade, Siegel's work richly deserves the Barbara Jelavich Book Prize. Endgame revises our understanding of the dynamics of Anglo-Russian rivalry in Central Asia, the struggle better known to its contemporaries as the Great Game. Historians traditionally believed that this Victorian Cold War ended with the Convention of 1907, as the erstwhile adversaries now joined to face the spectre of rising German power during the years leading up to the First World War.

Based on meticulous work in Russian and British archives, Siegel effectively disproves this teleological approach to early 20th century international relations. Instead, she demonstrates that the Great Game's final round came after the 1907 Convention, only to conclude as the guns of August began to sound in 1914. In the best tradition of diplomatic history, Endgame also has considerable relevance for the present by shedding light on a region that, while largely sidelined in the literature, has sadly reclaimed a central place in the news. Written with panache and confidence, Endgame is a pleasure to read.

This book reveals much to anyone who is interested in the relationship between Britain and Russia in the pre First World War period.

It focusses on the power struggle for Central Asia, an area of the world which, particularly today, is the arena for some of the most complex and important questions of international security. This work provides fascinating background to a key historical period in a region which has been so analysed in recent months.

It is obviously the result of detailed research into archives, only recently opened to the West, some of which I believe may shortly be closed once again for many years to allow renovations to take place. I can only take my hat off to Dr Siegel, for enduring what must have been many cold months in Russia, combing the various archives to produce such a detailed work.

A fascinating and thoroughly absorbing book by Dr Siegel, whose next work I await with eager anticipation.

One of the best WWII memoirs I have ever read, this coming from a reader who does not like"Flying Stories". If an old friend had returned this book I'd have read it more than once.

This story of 617 Squadron's Dams raid in WWII was written by the original leader, who won the VC for his leadership , skill, and bravery in battle. You won't put down this insider's look into the plan and attack on the dams, at night, using custom rotating/ bouncing bombs at 60 feet in the fog !! Also read The Dam Busters, on the same squadron, continuing the story to the end of the war, with even more harrowing ops to follow, including the great raids , and final sinking, of the Tirpitz.

I first read it when I was at the military aviation school in Venezuela and I was fascinated. It is very well written and you actually feel the intimacies of the bomber pilot. I recommend it to everyone who is interested in WWII history.

Prior to the publication of this book there were important gaps and inaccuracies in our understanding of the battles for the Falkland Islands. Were Argentinian ground troops cowardly slackards? Were their officers self-serving and tactically incompetent? Was a British officer attempting negotiation under a white flag at Goose Green intentionally fired upon? Was the Argentinian Air Force commanded by a political bureaucrat? The surprising answer to all these question is No, and in a careful and touchingly human review of the activities and decisions of Argentinian forces Middlebrook reveals the tragic gap that developed between Argentinian political leaders and the troops and officers given the difficult task of defending the islands without adequate support as winter closed in. The junta's colossal mistake of assuming the UK would not fight for the Falklands led to the isolation, suffering, and defeat of the occupation forces and, while ultimately setting the stage for democracy in Argentina, seared a painful wound into the soul of a country already conscious of past failures. Middlebrook's access to Argentinian commanders, troops, and families helps reveal the complex social and political landscape of a country which still sees the "Malvinas" in terms of classical European colonialism. It also reveals the operational planning and situational understanding of air and land commanders at critical points in the conflict.

Prior to the publication of this book there were important gaps and inaccuracies in our understanding of the battles for the Falkland Islands. Did Argentinian troops intentionally fire upon a British officer attempting negotiation under a white flag at Goose Green? Were Royal Marines successful in their ambush of Argentinian armored vehicles during the initial invasion? Was the Argentinian Air Force commanded by a fanatical maniac out to establish his service as the dominant domestic political force? The surprising answer to all these question is No, and in a careful and touchingly human review of the activities and decisions of Argentinian forces Middlebrook reveals the tragic gap that developed between Argentinian political leaders and the troops and officers given the difficult task of defending the islands without adequate support as winter closed in. The junta's colossal mistake of assuming the UK would not fight for the Falklands led to the isolation, suffering, and defeat of the occupation forces and, while ultimately setting the stage for democracy in Argentina, seared a painful wound into the soul of a country already carrying conscious of past failures. Middlebrook's access to Argentinian commanders, troops, and families helps reveal the complex social and political landscape of a country which still sees the "Malvinas" in terms of classical European colonialism. It also reveals the operational planning and situational understanding of air and land commanders at critical points in the conflict. Students of this subject will recognize the author as a highly accomplished battle historian.

Martin Middlebrook has once again shown why he is one of the best British authors covering military history. His masterful account of the Falklands, 'Operation Corporate' now has a companion volume, this time covering the war from the Argentinian point of view. The book is well told and is a delight to read and only one of very few covering this war from the 'other side'. You really have to give it to the pilots flying their aircraft against the Britsh Fleet, they had guts, they knew what they were in for but continued with their mission. This is a great story, if you can get a copy do so, you wont be disappointed!

I read the first of the few. It was an excellent book and I really enjoyed it. My opinion is that if you wish to learn about the fighter aircraft of wolrd war one, this is the book for you. I learned a lot.

Hello, my name is Zach. I read an extrordanary book. It was about the aircraft and fighter pilots of The Great War, more commonly known as World War One. It was called the first of the few. The book was written by Denis Winter and published in 1982.

These men all very interesting and brave from Great Britan, the United States, France, Italy, and Belguim fought against equally brave pilots from Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria in planes above the trenches. Planes such as the Britsh Sopwith Camel and Se5a, the French Nieport 24 and Spadxv, the German Fokker Eindicker and Fokker Dr1 were flow by Allied (Uk, France, USA etc.)and Cental Powers(Germany,Austria-Hungary etc.)pilots. The fighter planes were armed with Vickers, Maxum and Lewis machine guns. The Pilots would aim at the pilot or the flammible petrol tank in the enemey plane.

There were other but less known planes that were bombers suchas the German Gotha Gv and the Britsh Handley Page. Heavey bombers like these were used to attack railroads and railway stations, factories, ship yards and other industrial sites vital to the war effort. Light Infatry attack bombers, unlike large heavey bombers had a small two to three man crew. These planes often had thick steel plates to protect against anti-aircraft machine gun fire. The crew member in the rear seat was a navigator and was equipted with a Lewis or Maxum machine gun. The German Airforce or Luffwafte made their pilots fly in Two seated aircraft before allowing them in one seated planes.

The fighter plane of 1914 to 1918 had a few basic parts. the engine, usally in the front, the cockpit, the fuesulage and the tail. The Britsh had Rolls-Royce engines and the Germans had BMW made engines. Most propellers had two props on them.There were two main types of engines rotary in which the whole engine spins and stationary engines in which only the propeller and drive shaft spun. Most stationary engines were water cooled. The Sopwith Camel had a rotary engine while the SE5a had a water cooled stationary engine.

For shooting down a certain number of planes down, pilots could become aces. Aces were experienced, quick witted, and had exellent reflexes. Many of these men were shorter, shy men who kept to themselves. The Britsh top ace was Edward Mannock with about sevety some kills. Remarkably, he was almost blind in one eye! The German top ace is probably the most famous aircraft pilot of all time after the Wright brothers, Manfred von Ritchtofen, better known as the Red Baron. He shot down 80 allied aircraft before he was killed in a dogfight was a Sopwith Camel in 1918. First on the French ace list, also with about 70 kills was Rene' Fonck. Eddie Rickenbacker the top gun from the USA, started flying at the age most officers looked for a desk job. Before the war, he was a race car driver and later the personal chauffeur to General "Black Jack" Pershing, commander of all american forces in Europe during the war. Willy Coppens was Belguims top ace.

Planes had other roles during the war. Their first job was only to act as reconnaissance posts blimps were used as observation platforms too. Planes were sent to destroy the enemies blimps. These "balloon busting" raids were very dangerous. Anti-aircraft fire and field telephone poles and wires were a hazard to attacking planes. The Germans had parachutes for both plane and blimp pilots. I enjoyed the book.

I have just finished reading this book which was such a pleasure to read as it was so well researched and crafted. The writer is able to get into the spirit of the times and present a very real picture of what it was like to fly machines constructed from wood and canvas and fly without them without the the aid of parachutes. He gives a particularly vivid account of the perils of a dawn patrol, flying at 20,000ft without pressurized cabins, in open air cockpits where temperatures were sometimes -50c. In addition a pilot had to be fit in these conditions, perform complex aerobatics like the immlemen roll and have split second reflexes. It was particularly fascinating to read about the skills required to be an air ace. One had to master the art of deflection shooting that is knowing when to fire to hit a moving target. Few pilots mastered this skill. The greatest of aces such as Guneymer and Richthoven achieved kills with a minimum of ammunition usage. Under these conditions the average survival time for a debutant pilot was 17 hours in the air. However, the longer one flew the greater the survival odds: roghly double that of staying alive. One interesting point was the authors comparison of training between the English RFC and the German Luftwaffe. The German training was far longer and more thorough. The result was that the RFC had about 50% greater caualties than the Germans.One must add that the policy of the RFC was to attack the Germans behind enemy lines , whereas the Luftwaffes main aim was that of defence. One final note was the excellant chapter on flight maintenance. The Sopwith Camel for example required a fleet of skilled craftsmen of almost mediaeval ability to calibrate the wing struts and enable the plane to fly on even keel. The introduction of all metal momonplanes must have
made the job of aircraft fitter a much easier task. In summary a book to be highly recommended. I have only one complaint. Many of the air aces of the RFC described as British were in fact Canadian

An excellent book by the only man who has really seen the series from the very beginning. He is the only actor to have worked with all the actors to have played the Doctor. Thanks to the Big Finish audios he has appeared with the 6th Doctor and will be appearing with the 8th when Paul McGann returns to the roll next year. He rarely does conventions any more and, when he does, refuses to tell some of the stories he's famous for.

This is the sort of autobiography you would expect from The Brigadier. Solid, dependable, traditional...but Nicholas Courtney isn't the Brigadier, and this also tells the story of his off-screen life, and life before Doctor Who stardom.

The first part of the book tells the story of the actor's early life, his parent's separation. Then follows the customary section on National Service, weekly rep, meeting Donald Wolfit and John Geilgud. It's good to hear Nick tell the familiar "actor's autobiography", because his style is friendly, humorous, and honest. This makes the book so enjoyable that the pages zoom by. We learn about the author's successes with the ladies, and, to his credit, his failures, and the breakdown of his marriage is dealt with in what seems to be a very honest manner.

The section on his Doctor Who work is well-written, and leaves out a lot of familiar material. This could be due to the work of Courtney's editor, John Nathan-Turner. For whatever reason, this remains fresh and exciting even thirty years after the fact.

The last part of the book details the post-Doctor Who work, and it is remarkable to see that since Courtney stopped being a Doctor Who regular in 1974 he has played the Brig no fewer than seven times. His work continues of course on the Doctor Who audio adventures, but this book was written before they had been established.

The large format suits his story well, allowing space for many rare and well-researched photographs. There are a few too many blank spaces for my liking, and some unnecessary tributes from those who have worked with him. He could also have cut down the number of references to Equity, the actors' union. Other than that, this is a first class read, and tells a more interesting story than the well-worn convention anecdotes, or sections in general Doctor Who books.

All of my life, I have been a no-nonsense man, who knows nothing but work. In 1986, I began to watch Dr. Who, just as a whim in a miltary barracks, on a TV set in the barrack day room that was chained to the floor so no one would steal it. At first it seemed rather cheesy, but then I found that I could not miss a single episode and if I had to miss it, I would record it. Once, I brought a VHS out to a live fire gunnery tank range, where we were to fire all day and all night for two nights.

In one of the tents where the crews were de-briefed and rested, I set up a small TV and the VHS and powered it up by using a military 15kw gas generator. We and the tank crews of my battalion watched Dr. Who.

My first experience with Dr. Who were the Pertwee years and the Brigadier played a large roll. I enjoyed these immensley and bought each one for my collection...and I am still watching them today..(In fact "Planet of Spiders" parts three and four are on tap this weekend).

In short, buy this book. By any book associated with any character who played in this marvelous series.

Thank you Brigadier for your part in allowing an ordinary man,for a few moments anyway,to escape the inescapable life of medocrity.

Walter Scott's History of Scotland written for his young grandson, with better editing and presentation, should be the perfect companion piece to many of Sir Walter's poems and novels. This Cumberland House 4-volume edition has large enough print and contains a helpful list of the Kings of Scotland and a good index. Lacking are much needed maps. Nonetheless, this is a truly great but simple introduction to the long history of Scotland in the "great man" genre of historical writing.

Fans of Mel Gibson's movie BRAVEHEART will be enchanted by the treatment of England's King Edward I, Longshanks -- corrupter of Robert the Bruce and conqueror in the end of Sir William Wallace. These and other great men and women as well as the Stuart Kings all strut across Walter Scott's well-lighted stage.

This first in a four volume edition covers the years 1033 - 1542. We see Scotland as a nation never conquered by Normans and intent on national independence but increasingly coveted and invaded by the Normanized English. We begin with MacBeth. We conclude with the struggle between England's Henry VIII and Scotland's James V, closing the Roman Catholic centuries of Scotland with the death of James just after the birth of his unhappy daughter Mary, "the Queen of Scots."

Let Chapter XVII, "Robert III" (1390 - 1406) serve as one of several examples of how determined readers of Walter Scott can easily and pleasantly flesh out the fiction of "the Wizard of the North." Readers of Scott's novel THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH will find here a brief but memorable description of events behind that bloody novel.

All in all, FROM BANNOCKBURN TO FLODDEN is a book well worth the time of anyone just beginning to read into the history of Scotland

Sir Scott really knew how to bring history back alive!! The writing is very visual and very heartfelt. Thank you Sir Walter Scot !!

Although I am a Spanish speaking reader, I found this book most lovely and interesting from the first page. It is written in a clear style that makes it easy to understand and attractive to read. Writing History is a hard task, not suitable for everybody. Sir Walter Scott is certainly one of the greatest British poets and here he combines all his virtues in this matter with a great skill to narrate past events which almost turns this book into a "Romantic History" . It is wonderfuly adecquate for kids as it was originally intended even to those learning English as a second language.