United Kingdom Books

I'm not a great reader but this book saved my life. I was in GB with girlfriend and girlfriend dumped me. In London. She left this book behind. I took Kristina Cordero's advice as godspell and traveled alone all over the island. All the places where just as described in the book. When I wanted to be alone, I went where she said so and viceversa. A really great book for anyone who wants to travel. But it's also a great read. I never went to Scotland but I read about it anyway! And laughed! Josh Remsen, San Diego, CA

Cordero's guide provides a to-the-point analysis of the premiere budget retreats of the region, and she does so with wit and spunk. Her guide is noteworthy in that it also guides readers to the major sights of each area, including some more funky, less-touristed ones. Cordero's in-depth hostel reviews do not hesitate to comment on virtually any aspect of the hostel: whether it is a long trek from the train station, whether the roosters awaken guests at the crack of dawn, whether the hostel cooks make a mean breakfast...it is a pleasure to read a guide written by a fellow budget traveler who obviously relished her experiences traversing the British Isles, and who delights in sharing them along with her great money-saving tips. A-one guide

I backpacked the UK in September of 1999 by myself. This book helped make the trip one of the best times I've had in my life. It was frequently the envy of fellow hostel-goers, and was often seen on hand in the hostel libraries. The directions to individual hostels can't be beat and the 'things to do' areas are great as well. I realize that this book is out of print now (why?), but if you plan on backpacking the UK, FIND A COPY! If you absolutely cannot, email me at bryan@n-o-s-p-a-m.dugger.com (remove the n-o-s-p-a-m.)

This is an excellent book which refutes many of the Tudor myths about Richard III. It is well organized and easy to read.

One of the greatest pleasures in reading is suddenly finding out books that are absolutely flawless. That moment of realisation that there is nothing wrong with a book is what makes me keep on reading, and reading, and reading. "Good King Richard?" is such a book. It will keep you interested, engrossed, will make you laugh, but above all will make you think. How many works of historiography can boast that, I wonder?

The theme is self evident: the first chapters are an account of Richard III's life, acession to the throne and, most of all, the facts and the opinions that were current during his lifetime. After his death at Bosworth Field we move on to the treatment given to his reputation, and how it has changed during the last five centuries.

Die-hard anti-Richards will probably dismiss this book as steeped in partisanship (obviously ignoring the fact that they are deeply partisan themselves), but they are missing the whole point. Potter's work is of an erudite and scholarly tone while remaining entertaining and acute, and he does what many forget to do, which is to put events in the context of their times. Traditionalists prone to moralising should mention what they would do if they found themselves in Richard's shoes in 1483, and they should also avoid forgetting that Richard prevented an outburst of civil war by accepting the throne.

I am quite obviously a Ricardian, but what remains unique about this book is that it is one of those rare jewels that combines acessibility with knowledge, entertainment with scholarly seriousness, a contemporary acuteness with a firm grasp of the idyossincracies of other epochs. Richard has lost a great advocate with the passing of Jeremy Potter, and the world of History has lost one of its few outstanding writers.

There is adequate evidence available to doubt the "traditional" Thomas More/William Shakespeare account of King Richard III. Since 1997, there have been two mock trials (with various U.S. Supreme Court Justices as jurors) charging Richard III with the murder of "the princes in the Tower." In both instances, King Richard III was acquitted. This book's arguments give the evidence as to why Richard and his reputation should be re-examined. Sadly, Jeremy Potter passed away in Nov 97. He will be missed.

I have collected many books about Henry Tudor. Although this book reads like a history book, the details behind the reasons for his marrying so many women, the religious upheaval and the political situations of the times makes is a great book.

This is a well-written description of King Henry's life as ruler of England, as well as a study of his more personal dealings with his wives and his court.
The book itself is beautiful. It is filled with glossy, color pictures, facts and details. This is a great reference book for all you history buffs to add to your libraries, but its also great as just entertainment if you have a casual interest in the subject or era.

This is an excellent book for any "Tudorite". It deals thoroughly, yet easily, with Good King Hal and his Katherines, Anne's, and his only beloved Jane. Having read MANY things about King Henry and his love-life, this book was to the point and helped me to appreciate not only Hal's goals, but those of his wives, ministers, and courtiers. What a wonderful addition to any Tudor-fan's bookshelf, not only for useful reference but grand for just regular enjoyable reading and pleasure.

This compact little book is an excellent primer to the history of the small kingdom which would over the course of 200 years (from the crowning of Frederick William, the Great Elector,in 1640 until the crowning of William I as Emperor of all Germany in 1871) would rise to the position of dominate power in Central Europe and a world power with aspirations toward a foreign empire on the order of the British Empire.

Dense with information, the book serves as a reference book rather than a book which is merely read once and place on the shelf. It provides an excellent companion book to have on hand while reading any other book on German/Prussian History. The very denseness ot the factual material may make reading the book for the first time somewhat difficult. Yet the book does have a good index by which information can be retrieved at a later point in time.

All in all it is a necessary addition to the German History section of any private library.

Although the book is clearly written from a (very) German and very Protestant perspective, and the author never lets the reader forget where his, the author's, sympathies and loyalties lie, K.W. Koch's A History of Prussia is a small masterpiece. From the origins of the Teutonic Knights through the medieval Order's politics, and then forward on to the Thirty Years War, unstoppable advancement of Sweden, the Great Elector Frederick William's statesmanship and his coronation as the king of Prussia, Prussia's own 18 century expansion, liquidation of Poland, trauma of Napoleonic experience, bitter Austro-Prussian rivalry, wars against the Danes, the Austrians and the French and finally on to creation of the unified German State, the modestly named A History of Prussia (that is one of many possible histories) - is an absolutely breathtaking journey documenting the meteoric rise of Prussia and, indirectly, the emergence of modern Germany. For a casual reader who is interested in German and in European history, K.W. Koch's work is an invaluable resource.

This book written by H.W Kock, I would say and I don't know if anyone can argue with this statement; that it is the definitive or top three books on Prussia. What is Prussia? What did it stand for? Why is it so important that because of Prussia, there is now a Germany? Read this book and you will surely find the answers to these questions and know a lot more about the History of Europe which was dominated by this small country in the 18th century. Is that too much to say? Read and see yourself.

Mr. Kock takes us back to the very begining, to the Teutonic Knights and ends it with the Unification of what is now Germany. In between he finds topics to fill this very luminous book from Frederick the Great, the Napoleonic Wars, the Enlightement and finally to the end of the French Second Republic and the begining of Germany. You will find that Prussia was involved in every facet of History in Europe since The wars of Revolution, not just France and Britain as it is believed today. The only part of this book that could add a little more would be more involment with the Bismark but I believe the author had a dislike of him so he is not touched very much. But let's not forget that the Iron chancelor was Prussian and worked hard to make his country the best it could be and succeded in doing so.

A very long read but very worth it. After you are done you will want to learn more of the facts that led to the Great War. Why was Prussia so aggresive? Simple, if you feel you are always surrounded and have no choice but to push back, at times, you push too hard and believe that you will always be victorious. In the end, that feeling of claustrophobia that Prussia had, led to it's demise by a king that "Was more German than Prussian and half English". That was the very sad truth about Prussia, a country whose name no one evokes and when one does many different feelings come to ones mind. Let's not remember the goose stepping but what it gave to Germany. It's greatest gift, it's unity.

I wanted a book with a easily understood story of the history of Roman Britain for my own personal knowledge. I found it in this book. Highly recommend.

I should preface this by saying that I am not a person who usually reads histories for fun, but this book is quite impressive. Salway manages to present a massive amount of detail without overwhelming the reader. At no point is the narrative stuffy or dull, and it is frequently amusing and very interesting. I would have prefered at least some photos or drawings (there are none), but the facts and commentary are colorful enough to keep you interested. Based on other books I've read on this period, and a course on the topic, Salway's information seems quite accurate. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Roman history and culture, Celtic history (what there is of it), and the relationships between Britain and the rest of the ancient world. Most historians seem wed to the dry listing of dates and battles, but Salway presents enough cultural information to keep things interesting enough for laymen (or even anthropologists...). Its a bit long - several hundred pages, but I highly recommend this book.

Peter Salway's book offers a good insight into the evolution of Roman Britain from Julius Caesar's first expeditions in 55 and 54 BC to the fall of the Roman Empire c. 475 A.D. Rather easy to read, its a book that can be enjoyed by historians and casual readers.

Peter Salway begins his book with background information on pre-Celtic England and the Celtic culture and then proceeds to discuss Romes first contacts with the Island under Julius Caesar. As the book notes, Julius Caesar's British expeditions were failures in terms of conquests but successful as exploratory ones. The book then glosses over the period between Caesar and Claudius to discuss Britain's full invasion under Claudius. The book discusses the effects of the invasion on the Celtic cultures and how they eventually incorporated many Roman customs into their own lives. The book also covers trade and economics in the region.

This is altogether a great book that covers the subject quite well. It's easy to read by anyone whether they have an advanced understanding of the subject or not.

This book is an absolute classic, and this edition is superbly presented. Roskill was writing this history of the Warspite's in the 1950 and as such some views on the histories have changed (Hindsight is a wonderfull thing), and the new introduction to this edition gives a very fair and even analysis of the strength and waeknesses of Roskill work. With all that said few books on naval history are as evokative as this. Histories tend to be dry and devoide of emotion. With the benifit of over 50 years we can look back at incidents such as the loss of the Hood Or Repulse and POW, and dismiss them as interesting but inevitable events, and in the detailed anayalsis lose the larger human picture. Roskill is superb at describing the meaning and emotion of the events to the participants. Warspite was without doubt the most sucessful Battleship of the most successfull Class in History. Her story spans the History of the Royal Navy (and Great Britain) from its zenith to it's twilight, and her story reflects greatly on the elan and skill of the senior service, who with limit resource, fought and won the the last of the big gun naval conflicts and closed this chapter to History.

This book is an absolute classic, and this edition is superbly presented. Roskill was writing this history of the Warspite's in the 1950 and as such some views on the histories have changed (Hindsight is a wonderfull thing), and the new introduction to this edition gives a very fair and even analysis of the strength and waeknesses of Roskill work. With all that said few books on naval history are as evokative as this. Histories tend to be dry and devoide of emotion. With the benifit of over 50 years we can look back at incidents such as the loss of the Hood Or Repulse and POW, and dismiss them as interesting but inevitable events, and in the detailed analysis lose the larger human picture. Roskill is superb at describing the meaning and emotion of the events to the participants. Warspite was without doubt the most sucessful Battleship of the most successfull Class in History. Her story spans the History of the Royal Navy (and Great Britain) from its zenith to it's twilight, and her story reflects greatly on the elan and skill of the senior service, who with limit resource, fought and won the the last of the big gun naval conflicts and closed this chapter to History

HMS Warspite was the most successful British capital ship of the 20th century - you have to go back to Nelson's Victory to find comparable distinction. One of a class of five (her sister ships were Queen Elizabeth, Barham, Malaya and Valiant), she fought at Jutland in 1916, then at Narvik, off Calabria, Matapan, Crete and the Normandy invasion of 1944. Her shooting was generally agreed to be the best in the Fleet - as witness her single-handed ending of the battle off Calabria by hitting the Italian flagship Giulio Cesare amidships at the record range of 26,000 nautical yards (13 miles). And at the second battle of Narvik, she performed a unique feat by accompanying destroyers up the narrow Ofotfjord to sink eight German destroyers and a U-boat.

Although the book focuses on the Royal Navy's seventh Warspite, 60 pages are devoted to the first six. There is also plenty of interesting material about life on board, the personalities of officers and men, and a wide cross-section of events in both world wars. After being severely damaged in the evacuation of Crete, Warspite was repaired in Seattle and returned home across the Pacific - just after the beginning of the Pacific War, while the Imperial Japanese Navy was running riot. Characteristically, she crossed the International Date Line at exactly the right time to miss Friday 13th February altogether!

Old, tired and battered, Warspite was sent for scrapping in 1946 - a decision which many have condemned as disgracefully insensitive. How much better to have kept her as a museum ship, like HMS Belfast! As it happened, she never reached the breaker's yard, due to events eloquently described in the first of two poems included in the book. (How many battleships have had poems written about them?)

The book was written quite soon after these events, and first published in 1957 - allowing the Foreword to be contributed by Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope, the victor of Taranto and Matapan, who flew his flag in Warspite through the thick of the Mediterranean war.

I never received the book! How can I review it?
Kindest regards
Edoardo Greppi

An exceptionally well written account of the building, builders, and custodians of a magnificent piece of history. Would that this sense of stewardship were more widespread.

Enjoy.

This is a very good book on a fascinating family and a grand estate. Holkham is without doubt one of the grandest of the non royal estates, it really is quite a stack of stones. The history makes the house all the more interesting. The images in this book are very good and the text is very well researched. A must have!

Although I would not pretend to be an expert in any way on this area of history, I found Prof Millman's book provides an invaluable foundation for study in this area; set as it is during the turbulent period in the lead up to the Second World War. Easily read, the book provides the best introduction to the era for the novice but includes sufficient detail to be of use to the scholar as well. The references are comprehensive and indicates the high level of research scrutiny Prof Millman has applied to his subject. For the life of me however, I cannot understand the excerpt concerning Gen Geo S Patton being caught with his pants down; out of gin; minus his cigarettes with some bimbo on the roof of the King David Hotel, Cairo - still this is but a small diversion in what will be required reading across many a campus!

I think this is the best book I have read on either Turkish foreign policy in the interwar period, or on British Mediterranean Policy. Well Done!

The best book on British policy in the Mediterranean immediately before the Second World War in existence. Probably one of the best in English on Turkish Foreign Policy in the Ataturk period. Particularly valuable in that the focus is not limited to high politics.

If you want to know what different locomotives in different countries looked like, then this is a great source of information. Set up almost like an encyclopedia of locomotives and trains, you can find what you are looking for here.

Part of the The Illustrated Directory Of series, this book is a real hoot!

Following a reasonable timeline, some of our most importaint locomotives in the history of Railways are covered, Steam, Electric, Diesel and GasTurbine.

All regions are covered but the U.K., Europe and North America get the most coverage as the need to create communications in these large land mass areas saw the most development in locomotive technology.

The contentious issue of who built the first Pacific type (4-6-2)locomotve is settled with Baldwin winning by a couple of weeks with their order from the New Zealand Government Railways for that country's Q class locomotives in 1899-1900.

Other magnificent feats of engineering are covered, the mighty Big Boys, the sleek GG1s, the Hudsons, F7 Diesels etc and the modern locomotives and High Speed passenger trains of today all get a look in. Relevent data is included for those who want to know, other than that, what a great read.

This wonderful book covers over 150 locomotives starting from the very early steam to present day high speed trains. Steam,Diesel and Electric traction are all covered with fairly good descriptions on each locomotive.Though majority of entries are from from US and UK, other countries are covered aswell. Locomotives which brought technological innovations and also ones which performed well are all included.Interesting historical information on each locomotive is also provided.The book contains beautiful color photographs and some superb highly detailed color line drawings.Though without an index this book is very informative and covers the most important locomotives of the past aswell as the present.

This is a well-written memoir by Canadian wireless operator Howard Hewer, who flew more than his share of ops during WWII and contributed in both the European and North African theatres. Ironically, the title, "In for a Penny, in for a Pound" is also part of the libretto of Gilbert and Sullivan's light opera, Iolanthe, which continues: "It's love that makes the world go round." One wonders if the author intended any hidden commentary by referring to this particularly well-known couplet in such a context.

Laced with stories typical of the war, Mr. Hewer's fine recounting also provides insight into that damnable situation which existed on the Allied side: the treatment of so-called "colonials" by RAF personnel. Truly, it's a wonder the English were able to win the war at all, when one considers the tomfoolery they frequently got up to in relation to Canadian, South African, NZ, Australian and other Commonwealth troops fighting alongside. Since Mr. Hewer flew mainly as a non-com, this work also provides us with insight into the lives of the lower ranking members of the military establishment of the day.

Bomber Command was perhaps the most effective force fighting against Nazism prior to D-Day, but there was a very high cost paid in lost aircrews on each mission. Mr. Hewer reflects on the obvious: why was it he somehow always came back. This tension is woven throughout the text, making the book successful at yet another level, since who would really want to write or read a war memoir and come away smiling. It is not a pretty story, yet the author has presented it to us in a lively and balanced manner, making the book eminently readable while allowing a strongly-voiced message about war to come through as well. Highly recommended.

Howard Hewer has done a wonderful job in bringing us his life in Bomber Command as a wireless operator flying in the belly of Wellington bombers. From his nights flying over Berlin to the bombing of North Africa to his time spent convalescing after a crash (when he went on some of his most dangerous missions), Hewer spares few details in providing a colorful first-hand account. Anyone with even a passing interest in war memoirs, or who truly enjoys the view of the world from 10,000 feet, should read this book. Without a doubt the best memoir I've read in a long time.

"In For A Penny, In For A Pound" by Howard Hewer, sub-titled: "The Adventures And Misadventures Of A Wireless Operator In bomber Command". Stoddard Publishing, Toronto, Canada, 2000.

This book recounts the experiences of T. W. H. Hewer as a young man and a wireless operator in the Royal Canadian Air Force. As a young teenager, Howard Hewer had dreams of flying Spitfires, so he enlisted in the Canadian Air Force, which decided, at that moment, they had a greater need for radio operators than for pilots. He was shipped to Calgary for training in radio operations. Hewer then tells the story of his training as an enlisted radio operator, and his experience during bombing raids on Nazi held Europe. He retired as Wing Commander.

Young Hewer was well aware of the cultural differences between the British and the Canadians. He devotes an entire chapter (Chapter 6, "Yatesbury Wireless School - Collision of Cultures) to describe the class-conscious Brits and the young Canadians being trained in England. Throughout the book, these cultural differences will pop up, and, in some instances, be of major importance. In Chapter 19, (A Fine Line To Mutiny), it would appear that the British wanted a level of discipline that neither the Australians nor the Canadians wanted to accept. Admittedly, it as an Australian who first threw down his rifle and refused to drill, but Hewer appears to have approved of the group's refusal to exercise and drill. He later implies that this "mutiny" was responsible for the delay of his commissioning as an officer.

This book is not just the usual recounting of the terrors of flying bombers into German held Europe. There is that, of course, but Hewer narrates a story that involves the European Theatre, flying to Malta, on to Egypt and then a trip, in a ship, around Africa. In South Africa, when warned to avoid certain down town areas because the Boers still remembered the Boer war and therefore were "hostile" to the British, Hewer relies on his "Canada" shoulder flash. He and a Canadian compatriot slip into a down town hotel and are feted by the old Boers with free beer and lunch.

An interesting anecdote related by Hewer deals with the dance halls. He was on a balcony and looked down at the dancers, who reminded him of a field of moving daisies. . It seems that the ladies had all used peroxide to become blondes and their roots were slowly growing out in their darker colors. As Hewer glanced down, the whirling locks appeared as daisies in the wind. This remembrance, alone, makes the book worth reading.